Now, on with the show...
A Fanfic by Jillian
Based on “Easy As Falling Off a Bike” by Angharad
Auntie A inadvertantly challenged me to do this, so blame her...it is also being written 'live', so excuse any mistakes please. I won't be updating this nearly as frequently as Angharad, but more will be forthcoming.
Now, on with the show...
A Fanfic by Jillian
Based on “Easy As Falling Off a Bike” by Angharad
Stella had been after Cathy to take her out and show her what it was she did with her dormice, so one night they went out along with Simon to introduce her to zoological field research, Cathy style. All was going well until as they were surveying the last nesting spot for the night it began raining. It came down harder and harder until they had no choice other than to retire for the night and head home.
Not far from the car Cathy slipped in some mud and fell, taking her fiancé with her. Once back at the vehicle, it was decided that they would huddle under the blanket Cathy kept in the boot and Stella would drive. It didn’t take too long for the lovebirds to drift off, leaving Stella to her own devices.
The rain was coming down so hard that Stella could barely see past the tip of her nose…and she was inside the car! Add to that the pre-dawn darkness that was conspiring to make it seem as if the car was completely cut off from the rest of the world and it would become easy to appreciate just how isolated she was feeling. Cathy and Simon were fast asleep in the back seat, oblivious to the raging storm.
As they tried to make their way home, Stella was stunned out of her relaxed state by a thud. She slammed on the brakes, causing the others to fall forward slamming into the back of the driver’s seat.
Cathy reached wakefulness first and shouted, “What was that?”
Simon quickly followed that up with, “Cor Stella! Give us a little warning next time!”
Somewhat shaken, Stella ignored Simon and responded, “I don’t know Sis.”
The three of them climbed out despite the rain and made their way to the front of the car, where they saw a man lying there on the road.
Simon quipped, “My God Stella, you’ve done it again!”
Stella shot daggers at her brother with her eyes and said, “It might be you next, brother dear.” This had the desired effect, as Simon quickly ceased his smart aleck posturing.
“What are we going to do about him?” Cathy asked, trying to bring the conversation back to reality.
Stella bent over the man and performed a quick check, finding that he seemed to be completely out of it. “Simon, will you give me a hand getting him in the car so we can take him to hospital?”
He assisted her, buckling the stranger into the passenger front seat for the journey. As they all piled back in to recommence their trip, something strange happened.
“What the…” blurted Simon as they watched the stranger begin to change in appearance. They sat there stunned into silence as the man’s features gradually shifted until he bore absolutely no resemblance to his previous self.
As they observed the spectacle before them, Stella forgot all about driving the man to the hospital and they found themselves sitting there silently observing this man. Once his appearance ceased changing Stella reached over to check for a pulse.
“Stella?” asked Cathy tentatively.
Just as tentatively she replied, “I’ve no idea.”
The rain let up just as the sun began making it’s appearance for the day. As a result, our weary travelers found themselves able to see the landscape around them for the first time. What they saw left them very puzzled.
Sitting back a little way from the road was an old-fashioned police box with it’s door slightly ajar. As if this weren’t a strange enough sight all by itself, they could see some light emanating from within.
Cathy was the first to notice the light, saying, “What on Earth is that doing there? I haven’t seen one of those in years!””
Incredulously Simon replied, “You’re asking me?”
Before the conversation could carry on any further, the stranger’s eyes popped open and he took a huge breath, shocking the intrepid trio into silence. He turned to face them and asked, “Right, what’s going on here?”
“We were sort of hoping you would know,” said Cathy as she stared at the stranger.
He suddenly popped his door open and tried to get out before realizing he was strapped into his seat. Quickly taking a look at the buckle of his lap belt, he released it and opened his door.
Just as quickly, Cathy jumped out of the car and intercepted the stranger before he had a chance to wander off on his own. “Wait!” she called. “Where are you going? And just who are you exactly?”
He looked directly at her for the first time and said, “Oh, you’re Lady Catherine Cameron!”
Caught off guard, Cathy slowly responds, “Umm…not quite yet.”
Ignoring what she had just said he ploughed on, “Pleasure to meet a fellow scientist. I’m called the Doctor.”
Confused, Cathy asked, “ Umm…Doctor…?”
“No, just the Doctor.”
Simon caught up to them and asked, “What’s going on here, babe?”
“I haven’t the foggiest.”
The Doctor carried on, “Actually Cathy, I’m here to help you.”
To Be Continued…
Just who is the ‘Doctor’ character, and what does he want with Cathy?
A Fanfic by Jillian
Based on “Easy As Falling Off a Bike” by Angharad
Simon asked, “Help with what? The dormouse survey?”
“In a manner of speaking,” replied the Doctor.
“I still have no idea what you’re on about,” stated a rather confused Cathy.
The Doctor headed toward the police box and said, “Come with me. All will be revealed.”
He got to the open door and walked into the box. Our trio watched as he did this and stood around looking at the police box wondering what they should do.
Their dilemma was resolved when the Doctor poked his head back out the door and said, “Well, aren’t you coming?” He then returned inside but left the door ajar.
Cathy was the first to comment, “I think he’s expecting us to go in there with him.”
“That’s absurd,” whined Stella. “We’d be packed in there like sardines.”
“Besides,” Simon added. “Why?”
Cathy looked at the siblings, sighed, and then said, “Well, I have no idea either. But there’s something about him…” She left the thought unfinished, but decided to go ahead and see what was inside the box.
After walking into the police box, she poked her head back out and with a stunned look on her face beckoned to the others, “This sounds strange, but come in. You’re going to want to see this.” She then returned inside to wait for the others.
Simon and Stella looked at each other and shrugged, then they made their way to the door. After a momentary pause, they decided to poke their heads inside. What they found could not have been a bigger surprise.
The sight that greeted the Camerons upon entering the police box was unlike anything they had ever experienced. Inside, the box was much larger than it appeared from the outside, not to mention that it obviously featured technology far more advanced than anything any of them had ever seen or even dreamt of.
Stella found her voice first, “Wha…?”
“This is the Tardis,” stated the Doctor as if it were the most normal thing in the world for them to be seeing what was now before them. “Now to business. Your mammal survey is of far greater importance than you could possibly imagine.”
“I’m not sure I understand?” asked Cathy.
“It’s been a very long time coming, but if done correctly the outcome of these surveys could shape the way humans interact with other species. Is it not true that a number of these species are rather endangered?”
“Well, yes.”
Stella jumped in, “What does that have to do with anything?”
The Doctor smiled benevolently and replied, “Handled properly, young Lady Catherine here could prove to be a powerful voice for this planet and all it’s creatures.”
“But how…?” Cathy began.
“You could say I know things. I’m a scientist.”
Simon interjected, “Come off it! What is all this?”
“I’m just a field scientist. I don’t even have my PhD yet. What can I do?”
“You’re far more than you let on,” the Doctor began.
“You can say that again,” add Stella dryly.
The Doctor continued unfazed, “You were approached about working on a nature show with the BBC?”
“How do you know about that?” Cathy asked.
“Has Des said something to you?” Simon chipped in.
“No, no. Nothing like that.”
Cathy continued to look confused as she said, “I still don’t understand. I told Des no. Or hadn’t you heard that part?”
“There will be other opportunities. You must take advantage of them.”
“I don’t think I want to…”
Stella interrupted, “I’ve been telling you. The camera loves you. People love you. You can use that to advance your message.”
Cathy looked at Stella somewhat perturbed, then turned back to the Doctor, “But what have you to do with any of this?”
“I want to make sure you follow through with your work.”
“I’m sure there are others just as qualified,” Cathy started. “I don’t have anything special.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Simon added with a wink.
“I think you’re biased.”
“Perhaps,” he grinned. “But I’m correct nonetheless.”
Cathy grew frustrated, “I have no credibility.”
“No one has more credibility in this area than you,” the Doctor countered.
“Oh?” she retorted. “Think I’ll still be that credible when it gets out about me being a transsexual?”
“That, my dear,” said the Doctor. “Will be little more than a momentary blip. Newsworthy for a few days, then it’ll blow over. The fact is, the notoriety might even help spread the message.”
Cathy began feeling sick, “I don’t like any of this.”
“Through that door,” said the Doctor, pointing across the control room of the Tardis.
“What?” asked Cathy still feeling rather nauseous.
“The loo,” replied the Doctor.
Cathy headed toward the door he had just indicated and made her way to the facilities. In her absence, the Doctor addressed the siblings.
“I had hoped she’d be more receptive to the idea, but it appears that was not to be. We need to convince her that this is the right thing to do,” he said to Simon.
“You obviously know very little about women if you think we have a chance of convincing Cathy Watts to do something she doesn’t want to do.”
The Doctor took his place beside the console and said, “I had hoped it wouldn’t have taken this, but…” he reached out and flicked a couple of switches and pushed a few buttons, which caused the light column in the center of the console to begin moving up and down while a sound unlike anything Cathy, Simon, or Stella had ever heard before.
When the sound started, Cathy came rushing back into the control room asking, “What is that noise?”
The Doctor looked at her and said, “Take a peek out the door. Tell me what you see.”
Cathy went to the door and opened it, revealing what appeared to be a vast nebula so close she could almost touch it. “What? How?”
“Do I have your full attention now?” asked the Doctor.
To be Continued…
Does this Doctor character really have a clue? Or is he making it up as he goes along????
A Fanfic By Jillian
Based on Angharad’s “As Easy As Falling Off a Bike”
“But…” Cathy spluttered.
“Yes, yes, I know,” stated the Doctor. “Now close that door so we can return to the business at hand.”
Cathy slowly closed the door, not wanting to take her eyes off of what she’d just seen. She then turned to face the others. Addressing Simon and Stella, she asked, “Did you see that?”
Both Camerons found themselves in a similar state to Cathy, as if what had just transpired had completely overloaded their thinking capacity. They did finally manage to nod their heads yes in response to her question, but neither of them seemed able to form coherent thoughts at that moment.
“Come back over here Cathy,” instructed the Doctor. “Maybe I can shed a little more light on what’s going on here.”
She quickly made her way to beside the Doctor, who then began, “Put simply, the Earth is nearing a critical time. The proper balance must be maintained, or the consequences could be catastrophic.”
“Yes, we’ve known that for a long time,” responded Cathy.
“I don’t think there are many who grasp the full implications.”
Simon finally regained the ability to speak and said, “How did you do that?”
Ignoring Simon’s question, the Doctor carried on, “Thus far, nature has been able to adapt to the changes man has visited upon it, but things are reaching a point where that may no longer be the case. That’s why it’s so important for you to get the message out that the planet can’t afford to allow any more species to become extinct.”
Simon jumped in by asking, “What are you talking about?”
Finally acknowledging his presence, the Doctor replied, “Each time a creature ceases to exist on your planet, the delicate balance that is the Earth’s ecology is thrown out of whack. If things get bad enough, the entire ecology could fail.”
Cathy completed the thought, “Which would mean the end of our world as we know it.”
“Precisely,” added the Doctor.
Cathy continued addressing the Doctor, “But what can I do? I’m a field biologist.”
“Oh, come on,” moaned Stella.
The Doctor again manipulated controls on the console, causing the center column to come to life. When it stopped moving, he said, “Now go take a look out the door again.”
Stella, being the closest, went to the door and opened it. The sight that greeted the travelers was quite alien. “Where are we?”
The Doctor replied, “Exactly where we started, only a million years in the future.”
“But…” Simon began.
“Yes, I know,” interrupted the Doctor. “That’s not possible. Isn’t that what you were going to say?”
“Well…”
Cathy joined the conversation again, “How can this be? We were on the outskirts of Portsmouth. That looks nothing like what it should.”
“And that is because dormice became extinct less than 50 years after I picked you lot up.”
Cathy looked saucer eyed at Simon and Stella, whose faces mirrored hers. They then all turned their attention back to the Doctor, who stood waiting patiently for them to make the logical next step.
“So you’re telling us…” Cathy began.
Stella interrupted, “…that we’ve just traveled? Through TIME!?”
The Doctor grinned and replied simply, “Yes.”
The three of them resumed looking at each other, trying to find their voices. Meanwhile, the Doctor began manipulating the console once again.
When the column came to rest, the Doctor crossed to the door he had previously sent Cathy through and left the others alone so they could digest what they had just experienced.
It was Simon who first broke the silence, “So are we all going to wake up and find that this is some sort of weird dream?”
“I suppose that would make more sense than any other explanation,” retorted Stella.
“Other than for the fact that we’ve all just seen the exact same thing,” added Cathy.
Simon looked sheepish for a moment before a sly grin overcame him and he said, “Are we sure? I mean, maybe we’re not all really here.” As he said it he realized how ridiculous it sounded.
“So am I a figment of your imagination, or are you one of mine?” smirked Stella.
Cathy giggled and said, “I just had a vision of you as Kris Kristofferson in ‘A Star Is Born’.”
“Ha ha, very funny. I suppose you’re Barbra Streisand?” Stella said, trying to suppress a laugh of her own.
Simon took on a very determined look as he said, “Well, I’m not going to stand around here idly and just accept this hallucination or whatever it is as reality.” He then stormed toward the door in pursuit of the Doctor.
“My hero,” Cathy cooed, then resumed her giggling joined by Stella.
Simon wandered for what seemed like forever trying to find the Doctor and when he did at last locate him, he found him trying on different outfits of clothes. Not sure what to do, he silently watched him for a bit.
First, he put on a coat with a ridiculously long scarf and floppy hat. After looking at himself in the mirror, he muttered, “No, tried that already.” He then removed those things and went in search of something else.
Next he tried a velvet smoking jacket and ruffled shirt, but shook his head and removed them once again. He then put on a corset and Victorian dress, at which point Simon could remain silent no more.
“Umm, what are you doing?”
“Trying to find myself, young man,” responded the Doctor in a condescending tone.
“Well, if you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to get on with things, all right?”
“Yes, of course. Head back to the control room and I’ll join you there in a moment.”
Simon started to leave, but stopped and turned to face him again, “That’s all well and good, but I haven’t a clue where that is?”
Obviously frustrated by the interruption, the Doctor said, “Go out the door then turn left. Then left, right, left, left, over the bridge, left, left, right, up the stairs, left, left, right, then down the slide. Left, take the lift to the very top, then right.”
“How about if I just follow you?”
To be continued…
The Doctor reveals some interesting facts about Earth, it’s history, and it’s future as he helps Cathy come to terms with her destiny…
A Fanfic By Jillian
Based on Angharad’s “As Easy As Falling Off a Bike”
After removing the dress and corset, the Doctor quickly searched for something different to wear before settling on a leather bombardier’s jacket with a Flying Tigers insignia painted on the back and a white silk scarf.
As he looked at himself in the mirror once again, he muttered, “Jack would love this jacket.” He then set out for the control room with Simon close behind.
After several minutes of wandering down countless corridors without any sign of an end in sight, the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and Simon bumped into him from behind. “Sorry,” Simon muttered.
“Where were we heading again?” the Doctor asked, looking confused.
“Control room, I believe you said,” responded Simon growing irritated.
“Ah, yes.” The Doctor then set out again, leading Simon down hallways, up stairs, and around corners, pausing each time they passed a door to open it and take a peek inside. They looked in ornately decorated bedrooms, an ultra modern sitting room, a prehistoric cave, and what from the echo sounded like it must be a huge space that was completely devoid of light.
Eventually, Simon’s irritation got the best of him and he snapped, “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”
“Of course!” the Doctor replied as he came to a halt in front of yet another door. He opened it and to Simon’s great surprise they saw John Lennon sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar, singing away. The Doctor muttered, “Sorry,” and closed the door again. They then started back on their way.
Meanwhile, back in the control room Stella said, “You’ve nabbed purse snatchers and saved babies from burning cars. Why are you so hesitant to do this?”
“Well, they’re not like the same thing at all, are they?” she countered.
“No, but…”
“But nothing. Those things I did were reflex. They needed to be done and I was there. Nothing more,” Cathy explained. “This is something that would intentionally draw attention to me, and your family. Do you really want that?”
“Oh come on! We’ve been around the block a time or two. Dealing with the press is old hat. And I promise that Simon and I will help you deal with them.”
Just then the Doctor and Simon opened the door and came into the control room. Stella turned to them and asked, “ Where have you been?”
Simon stated, “He got us lost.”
“Did not!” whined the Doctor. “I knew where we were all along!”
“Then why’d you feel it necessary to open every door we walked past?”
Much of the Doctor’s usual bravado having evaporated he timidly said, “No reason.”
“Ha!” Simon shouted.
Returning to normal, the Doctor directed his attention to Cathy, “So tell me Lady Catherine, are you ready to begin?”
“Not even on a bet!”
Stella interrupted, “But she’s going to do it anyway.”
“Good, good,” said the Doctor.
Cathy stared at Stella and hissed, “Thanks ever so much for your help…not!”
As the Doctor looked at various dials and gauges on the console, Simon went over to Cathy and took her in his arms. She melted into his embrace and asked, “What are we going to do?” Simon didn’t say anything in response, but just continued to hold and comfort her while her mind spun at breakneck speed.
The Doctor went to the main entrance doors and opened them, allowing everyone to see that they were once again where they had begun their journey. “Right, the first order of business is to get in touch with this Des character and see if he’s still interested in doing the documentary.”
Simon offered, “That’s simple enough. I’ll give him a call. I think it’s safe to say he’s probably still interested.”
“Yes, but is that in the show or your fiancé?” interjected Stella.
“A bit of both, I’d say,” commented Simon.
“I still don’t know about all this,” whined Cathy. “Here I was hoping to live a simple life doing my research and…” she allowed the thought to trail off unfinished.
“Cathy,” urged the Doctor. “This is just an extension of your research.”
“Hardly,” retorted Cathy. “My little furry creatures are my research. All the rest of this?”
“Catherine, if the rest of this as you put it isn’t done, your furry little creatures won’t be around anymore for you to study.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier, you know.”
The Doctor took a gentler tone, “I know. But if something is important, it’s rarely easy. Is it?”
Simon cleared his throat and said, “I’m going to step outside to make that call to Des.” He then went through the door with Stella following close behind.
“Doctor?” Cathy began tentatively. “Why me?”
“Why you indeed,” the Doctor retorted. “You have the scientific credentials for your word to carry some weight. You are an attractive young woman.”
“Well…” interrupted Cathy.
“Yes I know, I know,” commented the Doctor. “You are about to be wed to a nobleman, which gives you some celebrity. And most of all, you’ve proven yourself to be of exemplary character under fire. In short, there is no one better suited to the task.”
“I still don’t know,” she countered. “What happens when my secret gets out? Won’t that undo everything we’re working toward?”
“That’s why you need to be preemptive on this point.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, although she thought she might already know.
“I mean tell the world yourself before someone else does it for you.”
“I don’t think I can,” she sighed.
“Of course you can, Mua ’dib.”
“Gee, I’ve never been called a mouse shadow before,” Cathy giggled.
“Yes well, it does seem to work a lot better as a science fiction novel.”
Stella overheard the conversation and asked, “What do you mean?”
The Doctor sighed before saying, “Let’s just say Frank played a little loose and fast with the facts.”
Cathy looked stunned as she replied, “What? You mean the whole ‘Dune’ series is true?”
“Not the whole thing,” the Doctor said.
“It can’t be,” a bewildered Stella added.
“Well, that’s sort of why he came back in time to publish. In the future when it was written they thought it was a load of rubbish.”
Simon came back into the Tardis saying, “Everything is lined up. We will meet Des at the Beeb this afternoon to do an interview where we’ll tell the world all about you, then you’ll start pre-production on the first of what he hopes will be many installments.”
“We?” asked Cathy skeptically.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you go through all this alone did you?” asked Simon. Cathy headed straight for Simon who then took her into a gentle hug.
“This is happening quite fast, “Cathy said on the verge of hyperventilating.
Before they realized what was happening, the Doctor had closed the door and begun manipulating the controls once again. The column came to life for a brief moment, then came to rest for a second at which point the Cameron’s car appeared in the control room.
After another round of button pushing and lever pulling, the Tardis again came to life. This time when it came to rest, the auto no longer appeared in the Tardis and following yet another quick jump the Doctor made his way to the door.
Stella asked, “What was that all about? What happened to the car?”
“I brought it with us. Thought you might need it,” said the Doctor as he led the way outside.
When they exited the Tardis they found themselves in Bristol at the BBC studio. Standing waiting by the door was Des with a huge grin beaming from within his beard.
As the troupe approached, Des said, “Cathy! Great to see you again.”
Simon said dryly, “Good to see you too, Des.”
Ignoring his friend, Des led the group into the studio where they would be shooting the interview. As they waited for the crew to finish up their preparations, the Doctor led Cathy aside for a moment.
“I should probably tell you, I haven’t been entirely truthful with you,” he confessed.
“What, like that wasn’t the future?”
“No, that bit was true,” he stated. “It actually has nothing to do with what we’ve discussed thus far.”
“What? And is it relevant?”
“In a manner of speaking,” he muttered. Then he spoke a little more clearly, though still quiet enough to prevent others from hearing, “You see, when I was a student I made this horrendous mistake in my astrophysics class one day and destroyed the planet Glis Minor.”
He paused before continuing, “I felt rather guilty about this, so I borrowed a Tardis and went there just before the end and collected as many of the indigenous beings as I could. The planet was inhabited exclusively by these little rodents, so there I was with all these mice running around the ship. I searched for a planet with an identical ecology and found it here, in England.”
Cathy interrupted, “Are you telling me what I think you are?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “Dormice were originally of non-Terran origin. I still feel rather guilty about what I did to their home world, so when I found that they were in trouble here I had to come help.”
“So all my research is for nothing?” Cathy asked, starting to feel a tightening in her chest.
The Doctor said more loudly than he intended, “Not at all.” Then in a lower voice, “Your work has been of great interest to me. That’s why I’m here. It was your work that brought their plight to my attention.”
To be continued…
The plot thickens...or is that the gravy???
By Jillian, A Fanfic Based on Angharad’s
“Easy As Falling Off A Bike”
There was a huge crash and the studio walls began to collapse around them. The Doctor and Simon led Cathy and Stella out as quickly as they could, barely escaping injury when the ceiling caved in and the entire structure exploded as they ran out the door they had so recently entered through.
“What the bloody hell was that?” shouted Simon over the din of the approaching emergency vehicles.
“An attack, I’d say,” commented the Doctor.
Cathy looked at them both rather bewildered before saying, “But who? And just as importantly, why?”
Stella added, “What could possibly be the reason for all this?”
The Doctor looked closely at the ladies and replied, “It would appear someone doesn’t want you saving our little friends.”
“But who could that be?” asked Simon.
There was another, bigger explosion after which the Doctor led them further away from the building in search of safety from the now raging fire. After watching the firefighters work feverishly trying to salvage the structure
\ to no avail, it was Cathy who asked, “What’s going on here, Doctor?”
“Erm, yes well…” he stammered.
Before he had a chance to complete his response, there was another great crashing sound coming from the building. After several more crashes, not to mention another explosion that shook the entire surrounding area, something emerged from the rubble.
They looked much like Komodo Dragons that could walk upright on their hind legs. Standing well over seven feet tall, to say they presented an intimidating image was quite the understatement.
Upon seeing the creatures, all color seemed to drain from the Doctor’s face as he muttered, “Oh, no.” Then in a stronger voice he said, “Everyone, run!”
Once ensured that everyone else was well on their way to safety, Cathy touched the Doctor on the shoulder to break his trance, saying, “Come along.”
Reluctantly he complied, shouting, “Get to the Tardis!”
The Doctor was the last one through the door, after which he quickly closed it and made his way to the console. Before he had a chance to dematerialize the ship, Cathy interrupted him, “What were those things?”
Again the color drained from his face as the Doctor turned to face Cathy and said, “Bogrons…I’m not certain what the purpose of their appearance may be, other than that it can’t be good.”
Cathy countered, “You’re holding something back. What is it?”
The Doctor stared silently at the console for a moment before finally managing a response, “Glis Minor wasn’t the only casualty that day. That planet ran into another one, named Boge. Bogrons used to call it home.”
“So you helped some Bogrons as well escape the collision?” asked Stella.
The Doctor hesitated before replying, “No. They’ve had the ability to travel through space for thousands of years.” The pause that followed seemed to emphasize the things he hadn’t said.
“They can’t possibly know you’re the one responsible, can they?” asked Stella.
Lacking some of his usual air of certainty, the Doctor replied, “I don’t know.”
Cathy then spoke, “We can’t let them do anything, can we?
Simon then asked, “What are they doing here?”
As if on cue, the communications terminal on the Tardis’ console came to life. “Doctor, this is Ly-shen, the Bogron commander. My people have been tracking you for nearly 900 years. Now that we’ve finally found you, we will be retaliating for what you did to our home world.”
Cathy asked, “What’s he mean by retaliate?”
The Doctor silently signaled for everyone to be quiet so they could hear the rest of the message.
“Your fondness for these Earthlings is well documented, so our retaliation shall be to destroy the planet you love so dearly…Earth.”
To Be Continued…
So what will be our heroes' next move? And is the Bogron's presence all it seems to be?
A Fanfic by Jillian, based on Angharad’s
“Easy As Falling Off A Bike”
“Doctor!” Cathy shouted. “What are we going to do?”
Without even looking up at her, the Doctor began flipping switches on the console until a large video screen in the corner came to life showing the exterior of the Tardis. He panned the image left and right, trying to ascertain whether or not we were surrounded. He needn’t have bothered as they soon could hear the pounding on the outside of the ship.
As the Bogrons struggled in vain to gain access to the inside of the Tardis, Simon asked, “Isn’t there something you can do? Shoot them or something?”
“Shoot them?” replied the Doctor incredulously. “That would go against everything I believe.”
“I thought you were here to save the Earth!” shouted Simon.
“Simon,” interrupted Cathy. “Calm down. We’re safe in here, so please just give him a chance to figure out what we’re going to do.”
“A-ha!” said the Doctor suddenly. He pulled a lever on the control panel and suddenly the pounding stopped.
“What did you just do?” asked Cathy.
“Indeed, do tell,” added Stella.
“A simple force field,” replied the Doctor smugly. “It repelled them and should keep them away for a bit.”
“So what’s next?” asked Cathy. As she asked it she realized that once again the Doctor was paying no attention to her at all. Frustrated, she turned to address Simon and Stella. “Do you have any idea what’s going on here?”
“None,” answered Stella. Simon simply shrugged.
“I don’t care at all for standing around here doing nothing. Any ideas?” asked Cathy.
Out of nowhere the Doctor said, “I knew there was something that didn’t seem quite right about all this.”
Returning her attention to the Doctor, Cathy asked, “What’s that?”
His air of certainty returned, he said, “There is no way Bogron technology could have brought them here now. When their planet was destroyed they did have simply space travel, but nowhere near advanced enough to have brought them this far in nine hundred years.”
He paused before adding, “Even if they came straight here.” He then returned to the control panel and started turning knobs while looking at a monitor screen.
“What now?” asked Stella.
“Just as I thought,” commented the Doctor. “No signs of craft on the surface or in orbit.”
Confused, Simon asked, “What does that mean?”
“It means, dear boy,” replied the Doctor. “That whatever means they used to arrive is currently cloaked.”
“So?” asked Stella.
Cathy responded, “If they’re trying that hard to hide something, they must have something up their sleeves.”
“Well stated,” beamed the Doctor. “I might need to keep you around for a while.”
“I don’t think so,” commented Simon.
“Quite right,” said the Doctor. “If you came with me, then who would save your little furry creatures?”
“But how do we find out what they’re hiding?” asked Stella.
“Cloaking systems invariably have weak points. Usually there is a cycle that dips for a nanosecond as it re-cycles. If I can scan during that period…” the Doctor let the thought trail off.
Completing it for him, Cathy said, “Then you can see what it is they’re hiding.”
“Exactly!” beamed the Doctor.
After a few moments of button pushing, lever pulling, and knob turning, the Doctor had set the Tardis scanners to continually search for anything out of the ordinary. It took three complete scans, but it did eventually find a point where there was a blip.
“There it is,” commented the Doctor. “Now all we need do is narrow the scan field and wait.”
“Will this really work?” asked Simon.
“Of course,” the Doctor replied indignantly.
Defensively Simon said, “Sorr-ee.”
Nearly an hour later, the scanner detected another blip. Having already narrowed down it’s location, the Doctor was able to see through the cloaking device. What he found did nothing to easy his concerns, “Oh dear,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” asked Cathy as she made her way to beside the Doctor.
“Just as I feared,” he commented, oblivious to the fact she had just asked him a question.
“What is it, Doctor?” Cathy implored. “Doctor?”
To Be Continued…
The Doctor along with Cathy, Stella, and Simon finally discover who’s behind this attack on Earth…
A Fanfic by Jillian, based on Angharad’s
‘Easy As Falling Off a Bike’
“Doctor!” Cathy shouted.
Still ignoring her, the Doctor once again began manipulating controls sending the Tardis into action. After a second, the center column abruptly stopped which drew the attention of the Doctor.
“Not the Helmut Regulator again!” he said exasperatedly before going around the console and banging on it. Once again, it sprang to life.
Simon, after watching this exchange, commented, “Is this thing safe? I mean, is there something wrong with your Flux Capacitor thingy?”
“Oh, don’t bother,” said Stella. “He’s not listening anyway.”
“Helmut Regulator,” the Doctor said as he looked up at Simon. “Not Flux Capacitor. That’s a completely different part of the ship.”
“I thought that was from ‘Back To The Future,’” Stella rang in.
“Yes, that’s right,” responded Simon.
“And you’re no Marty McFly,” Stella couldn’t resist taking another jab at her brother.
“Hey,” Simon responded indignantly. “I can play guitar.”
“I’ve heard you,” said Stella. “No, you can’t.”
“Okay,” Cathy rejoined the conversation. Trying to return things to the business at hand, she went on, “Where are we going then?”
“To have a look around that ship,” responded the Doctor. “I’d like to know what they’re really up to.”
“Who?” asked Simon.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” the Doctor replied enigmatically. He then went to the door and began to open it, “Everyone stay close and don’t wander off.”
Simon couldn’t resist saying, “What does he think we are, children?”
“When you’ve been alive over 900 years, everyone is a child.”
“Point taken,” said Stella.
They all followed the Doctor out of the Tardis and into what appeared to be a dimly lit cargo bay full of strange looking bed-like machines. Before anyone asked the Doctor told them, “Suspended animation. That’s probably how the Bogron came.”
Cathy quietly asked, “Any idea who it is helping them? And why?”
“We’re about to find out,” said the Doctor. Just then, an alarm sounded and strange red and green lights came on. A rush of heavy footsteps drew near, stopping directly in front of the group.
“Halt!” the creature in front ordered. As he stood there, his nostrils flared and the bumps on his rather large forehead pulsed slightly as if he were quite agitated.
“I didn’t really expect that,” said the Doctor. “So what brings you to Earth?”
“We are here for the Glory of the Klingon Empire!” the same one spoke gruffly.
“Yes, yes. I know all that,” the Doctor replied dismissively. “But why Earth?”
The rest of the Klingons came forward and grabbed the party, leading them toward the brig. Once there they pushed everyone in and activated the electronic shield and started to leave.
“When will we see the Commander?” asked the Doctor.
The one who had spoken before turned before exiting and said, “When he is ready.” He then left, locking the bulkhead door behind him.
Once alone again, Simon asked, “What are we going to do now?”
The Doctor reached into his jacket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver and walked over to the panel. “Be out of here in a jiffy.” He turned it on and in just a moment the force field was down, freeing the captives.
“Now what?” asked Cathy as they all made their way to the bulkhead door.
Simon decided to try brute force, pushing and hitting the door a few times to no avail. Then the Doctor again activated the sonic screwdriver and they heard a loud clunk as the lock was released.
“The bridge,” said the Doctor. He walked out of the brig into the dark corridor, where he turned in the opposite direction from which they had so recently come. “Quiet, everyone,” he said as they slowly walked toward what they assumed was the bridge. As they neared their intended destination, several Klingons grabbed them from behind.
“Commander,” barked one of them. “The intruders seem to have escaped their cell. But we have recaptured them.”
A Klingon wearing a more ornate uniform approached the Doctor and asked, “What do you want?”
“To be quite honest,” started the Doctor. “We were hoping to find out why you’re here doing what you’re doing.”
“For the glory of the…” he began.
The Doctor cut him off, “The glory of the Klingon Empire. Yes, we heard that one already. Now seriously, why are you here?”
A smug look came across the commander’s face as he began, “Humans have been a thorn in our side for long enough. We want to erase them once and for all.”
“But why travel back in time to do it?”
“Revenge is a dish…” began the commander.
“Best served cold,” finished the Doctor. “Yes, I know that one as well. So you’re plan is to strike while the Earth can’t protect itself? Not only that, you’re not even doing your own dirty work, are you? Rather cowardly, don’t you think?” The Doctor knew the reaction his last thought was likely to raise. It was exactly what he was counting on.
“You fool!” the commander shouted as he struck the Doctor’s cheek.
To Be Continued…
Cathy and the Doctor must find a solution to their problem once and for all...but will they do so in time to save the Earth??
A Fanfic by Jillian, based on Angharad’s
‘Easy As Falling Off a Bike’
“Are the charges all in place?” shouted the Klingon commander.
“Not quite, sir,” answered another. “As of their last report, the Bogron still have five left to set.”
“Tell them to hurry,” said the commander. “I want to be done with this mission and back home to revel in my glory.”
Under his breath, Simon commented, “A bit full of himself, isn’t he?”
“Watch it, Si,” hissed Stella.
Cathy looked at the Doctor, who returned her glance as if saying, ‘Hold on.’ The Klingon guards who were still holding them had allowed this to pass unnoticed.
“Take them back to the brig,” ordered the commander. “But don’t kill them…yet. I may still want to question them.”
The guards then escorted the prisoners back toward their cell. Again, they seemed oblivious to the frequent glances back and forth between their captives. As the journey continued back into the bowels of the ship, the continued lack of attention paid by the guards allowed the Doctor and the others the chance they needed.
As they turned into another corridor, the Doctor caught sight of the Tardis. He silently signaled to Cathy, who then did so with Simon and Stella. Cathy then began crying and clutching her abdomen, which brought everyone’s attention to her. When the guards were occupied with their apparently ill captive, the Doctor was able to reach into his jacket and withdraw what turned out to be the futuristic equivalent of a taser.
He quickly disable the guards, whispering to the others, “Quickly, to the Tardis!” They all ran as quietly as they could toward their ship and managed to all get in and close the door behind them before the next batch of Klingons reached them.
“What was all that?” asked Cathy once they were safely inside.
“The Klingons are a very militaristic race who in the future find themselves engaged in a bitter war with Humans,” replied the Doctor. “Somehow they seem to have traveled back in time with the intent of destroying Earth, thereby eliminating their enemy before they would have ever met.”
“Wait,” said Simon. “You mean ‘Star Trek’ is real too?”
“Not entirely,” stated the Doctor. “I did manage to persuade Gene to alter a few things when he started writing.”
“So you knew Gene Roddenbury as well?” asked Stella.
“He traveled with me for a while.”
Cathy then asked, “So what, he decided to make a television show about his adventures with you?”
“Something like that,” admitted the Doctor. “Now, back to the business at hand…”
“What can we do about this plan of theirs?” asked Stella.
“Yes,” added Simon. “It may not seem like much, but I am rather fond of our little planet.”
“As am I,” replied the Doctor.
Cathy offered, “Doctor? Is there any way to remove the explosive devices without the Klingons or Bogron knowing?”
“It could be tricky, but yes,” replied the Doctor.
“And I know exactly where to put them,” added Stella.
The Doctor set the Tardis back in action, placing it in an orbit exactly opposite the Klingon ship. Then with Cathy’s help they began scanning the planet for the explosive devices as well as the Bogron warriors who might still be on the surface.
Once all the devices were located, the Doctor started programming the Tardis to materialize around each device, picking it up and storing them deep within the ship until they all had been retrieved.
They also did the same thing with the Bogron before transporting everything back to the Klingon cargo bay, where the bombs were deposited seconds before detonation. The Tardis had barely dematerialized from the cargo bay when the bombs exploded, destroying the Klingon ship in the process.
“Doctor?” asked Cathy after they watched the ship explode. “Is there somewhere we could take the Bogron where they could live?”
“There are any number of suitable planets,” he replied. “Would you care to help choose?”
After selecting a new home for their guests, the Doctor set the coordinates and took them to their new planet. They dropped off the Bogron, then set a return course for Earth.
During the trip home, Cathy, Simon, and Stella decided to do a little exploring. Eventually, they found themselves in a huge room with pictures of all sorts of people hung on the walls. They spent several minutes browsing the pictures, until the Doctor made his presence known.
“These are all the people who’ve traveled with me over the years,” he said, letting the others know he was there.
“All these?” asked Stella.
Cathy then asked, “Why are these two portraits larger than the rest?” indicating two pictures side by side which were twice as large as the rest.
The Doctor was silent for a moment before he answered, “This one,” indicating the one on the right, “was my granddaughter Susan.”
“What about her?” asked Stella, indicating the other larger portrait.
“That’s Rose.”
Cathy asked, “What happened to them?”
The Doctor was silent, unable to bring himself to answer the question.
Eventually Stella asked, “You loved her?”
He was still quiet, though tears silently trickled down his cheek. Noticing this, Stella got Simon’s attention and led him back toward the control room, leaving the Doctor with Cathy.
“So, Lady Catherine,” the Doctor began. “How do you fancy a bit of travel?”
“I think I’ve had quite enough, thank you. I’d just like to get back to my furry little aliens, if you don’t mind?”
“Fair enough,” replied the Doctor. “I’ll just return you to Bristol then, so the three of you can collect your car.” He then exited the portrait room and made his way back to the control room, where he returned the Tardis to the television studios in Bristol.
Once they’d arrived, the Doctor said, “Cathy, Stella, Simon, it has been a privilege having you along. Perhaps we’ll see each other again.”
“Doctor, it’s been a pleasure,” said Simon as he shook the Doctor’s hand.
The Doctor moved closer and in a low voice said, “You take care of her.”
“I will, I promise.”
The Doctor then turned his attention to Stella, “Lady Stella, you bring honor to the Royal family.”
Stella, for once moved to the point of being unable to find words, gave the Doctor a gentle hug before joining Simon.
Finally, he turned to Cathy, “You would be welcome to join me if you’d like?”
She blushed furiously before replying, “I’ve many things left to do here. Not the least of which is planning a wedding!”
“Well, I promise we will see each other again,” the Doctor said as he embraced Cathy. “Until then, Lady Catherine?”
“Until then.”
With that, he opened the Tardis door and watched as the three of them exited the ship. Once outside, they watched as the Tardis dematerialized in front of them, returning them to the real world.
“That was quite an adventure,” sighed Stella. “Even for you,” she directed at Cathy. Cathy promptly stuck her tongue out at Stella, then turned toward the car.
At that moment, Simon also looked in that direction before shouting, “What?”
The Doctor wandered back to the portrait room, where he picked up a picture of Simon, which after a moment’s thought he hung next to portraits of Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart and Rose’s friend Mickey. He next took a picture of Stella and hung it between Sarah Jane and Tegan.
Lastly, he picked up a portrait of Cathy. After several minutes of deliberation, he hung her between his granddaughter and Rose. He stood there staring at the pictures for some time before finally leaving the portrait hall and returning to the control room.
The End???