The Pyramid Project

Doctor Who: The Pyramid Project

(First draft-edit one)

by Nancy G.

2007-12-23

*Doctor Who is copyright of the BBC

It is with deep appreciation and many thanks, that I dedicate this story to my friend, Ina.

AUTOHER’S NOTE: Not that it matters much I suppose, but I believe this to be the longest piece of fiction I’ve ever written–though Mad Country comes a very close runner-up.

CHAPTER ONE

The Tardis was spinning and bobbing in the space-time vortex. Inside the ship, the Doctor was lounging on the console room chair, hands behind his head and feet propped up on the console. He was quietly singing an old popular Earth song, “La-la-la, la-la, la, la-la, la-la-la, I just can’t get you outta’ my head…”

Donna, his latest companion, strolled into the room. She’d just come from the Tardis wardrobe, having changed into a more comfortable outfit consisting of soft black trousers and a midnight blue jumper. Donna stood, with raised eyebrow, staring at the Doctor. “Hope you’re not planning on auditioning for Idol. Simon would have a field day with you.” She joked. He gave her a blank look and said, “Sorry?” Donna shook her head and smiled, “Never mind.” She said. “So, are we just larking about in the middle of nowhere, or are we actually going someplace?” She asked.

The Doctor straightened and brushed an imaginary hair off the lapel of his blue suit. He smiled at Donna, and began expounding on the wonders of the Impeda Nebula. “Oh, you’ll love it,” he chortled, “all the colours of the rainbow, exploding into starbursts every few seconds—it’s sort of like the illuminations at Blackpool, only without the crowds…and the celebrities…and, well, there’s no roller coaster, I love roller coasters, and no candy floss,” he made a face, “I hate candy floss…so, I suppose, it’s not exactly like Blackp–whoa!”

Unexpectedly, the Tardis gave a sharp tilt, the console belching out sparks and smoke. The Doctor tumbled to the floor, and Donna was flung against the padded safety rail on the console deck.

Running to the console, the Doctor shouted at his companion, “You alright?” But, he didn’t wait for an answer, as his hands busily flew across the controls, working hard to steady the ship. After a few seconds, the Tardis juddered to a halt. The Doctor patted the central column affectionately. “What’s the matter old girl? What’s got you so cranky today, ey?” he asked, his brow wrinkled with genuine concern.

Donna came up beside him. “I’m fine thanks.” The Doctor merely grunted, as he stood bent over the monitor screen. “Ah, that may explain a lot.” He mumbled. “Well–erm, not all, well, actually, I really don’t have a clue…” his voice trailed off in sheer puzzlement. Donna had no idea what the Doctor was on about. “What is it? What’s happening?” She asked anxiously. He scratched the back of his head, and for once, seemed a bit daunted. “Well,” he muttered, “for one thing…” he scrunched up his face again in partial disbelief, “that’s just…”he shook his head, “….I don’t know.”

Donna gave what sounded suspiciously like a derisive snort. “What do you mean, you don’t know? I thought you were mister big-shot, ‘I’ve been around for nine hundred years and I know everything’ time lord.” Donna said teasingly

The Doctor looked at her with a grave expression. “Oh,” he spoke soberly, “I know what it is.” Donna heaved an exasperated sigh. “Okay then, Doctor, if you know what it is, why did you just say you didn’t?”

The Doctor strode over to a different part of the console and began busily flicking switches. “Because, Donna, what’s out there, put simply, shouldn’t be there. Couldn’t be there, it’s impossible. But,” he said casually, “nevertheless, there it is.”

Donna frowned and leaned against the console’s railing, folding her arms in mild disgust. “What is? You know Doctor, talking to you is sometimes a bit like being on one of those late-night quiz programmes. Like, the first person to make sense out of what you are talking about, wins twenty quid and a year’s supply of jelly babies.”

The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at his red trainers, muttering, “I used to rather like jelly babies.” After a second, he said, “What’s happened is, Donna, that we’ve just had a very near miss with an early twenty-first century battle cruiser. Inside the time-space vortex”, he added with emphasis, “Which is should be, for a ship from that era, theoretically and scientifcally impossible”.

Flicking on the Tardis’ video monitor, the Doctor slipped on his glasses and looked at the cruiser. Removing the glasses, the Doctor’s voice took on a studious note, like some historian recounting an interesting set of facts. “Hmm–‘curiouser and curiouser,’ as Alice said,” he muttered. Turning to face her, he continued, “The first of its kind Donna, that ship out there. First light-drive ship ever built. That battle cruiser represents humanity’s baby-steps into deep-space exploration. It was launched secretly, in the Nevada desert, from Area 51 on the Twenty-seventh of October, 2017. Less than a day later, it vanished and was never heard from again.” Donna looked at him, shaking her head. “But, if the launch was a secret, then how do you know about it?” She asked.

The Doctor didn’t reply. He began pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. “Thing is,” he said, “what’s that ship doing here, smack in the middle of the vortex? Fortunately, our shields were up, so the damage to the Tardis was minimal–after that episode with the Titanic….”

Donna shook her head. “The Titanic? Why am I not surprised to hear that?” She looked at a thin trail of smoke, still wafting from the console, and said, “Is the Tardis badly damaged?” He bit his lip, pondering thoughtfully. “No, just a few systems offline. I’ve powered them down and am recharging them. Things’ll be back to normal in a couple of hours. However, the big puzzler is, is that other ship shouldn’t even be here. That’s what gave the Tardis a bit of a turn. It should be impossible–ship like that, no way would it be equipped for the rigors of time travel–it’d be torn apart in seconds!”

The Doctor fell silent and began fiddling with the controls again. The Tardis’s central column started to rise and fall briefly, before slowing down and coming to a halt. “An impossible thing, you see?” He flashed Donna a boyish grin. “Did I mention that I love impossible things?” She merely shrugged. “Yet there it is, as you say. So, perhaps they have some bit of technology, you’re not familiar with? Even you can’t have seen every new gadget in the universe.” He shrugged, “Oh, I dunno’, I’m told I’m quite the science geek, as you humans say.”

Slipping on his glasses, he stared at a read-out on the monitor. “Just checking the atmosphere–won’t do to suffocate. Hmm-bit chilly in there, but the air’s perfectly breathable. That’s strange, some of these readings aren’t quite right. Still….” His voice trailed off as he sucked in his breath and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Abruptly, the Doctor pocketed his glasses, sprang forward, and drew on his long coat. He looked inquiringly at Donna, still leaning against the railing. “Coming?” “Where?” She asked. “To check out that ship, of course!” he exclaimed, as if he were genuinely surprised at the question. “How else are we going to find any answers?” Donna gave another sigh–this time it was one of resignation. She took a short jacket from the console room’s coat rack and slipped it on, as the Doctor opened the Tardis door.

CHAPTER TWO

The pair emerged from the Tardis, the Doctor going first. They had landed in an empty corridor, faintly lit by the dim orange glow of emergency lighting. “No one seems to be about.” Donna said, looking all around. “Hmm–“ the Doctor replied vaguely, “I was unable to get any life sign readings. However,” He pointed towards a door down the hall, that read, ‘CAUTION: Secure area. Unauthorized personnel forbidden to enter.’ “I must say, that looks rather promising.” He strode off in the direction of the door. Rolling her eyes, Donna followed in his wake. “Here we go again.”

The Doctor tried the door. It was locked. “Maybe you should try knocking?” Donna offered hopefully. The Doctor gave her a look, as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. With a hum and a glow of its blue tip, the instrument sprang some hidden mechanism in the door, and it swung open wide of its own volition. Seeing what was there, the Doctor’s face sharpened, and Donna gasped in horror, turning away. “Oh dear,” said the Doctor mildly, “that is a rather a messy way to die, isn’t it?”

There, on the metal floor in front of them, was a dead man–or rather, half a dead man. For the other half of him had been fused into the floor plates, and was, presumably, hanging from the ceiling of the deck below. The man’s eyes were open, staring in the wide-eyed terror of his final moments. Draped over a nearby chair was a white lab coat. The Doctor snatched it up and, bending down, covered the horrible corpse. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Straightening, his gaze narrowed in displeasure, as he surveyed the machinery in room.

Eyes averted from the grisly find beneath the coat, Donna swallowed the bile that rose in her throat, and asked, “So what happened to him, Doctor? Just what is this place, anyway?” The Doctor shook his head. “Not exactly sure how it happened, but it almost looks like an out-of-phase geomorphic interface had occurred.” Scratching the back of his head, he whispered, “But, that would mean…” The Doctor’s voice trailed off as he spied a large bank of computers and other high tech gadgetry along the wall. He quickly walked over to it. Perching his glasses on his nose, he examined the complex circuitry. “Well,” he said airily, “if I’m not mistaken–and I’m never mistaken–well, hardly ever, well–okay sometimes I am, but, not this time…unfortunately.”

Donna narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “In your own good time then, Doctor.” She said crossly, “Unfortunately, what?” The Doctor returned his glasses to his suit pocket, and pursing his lips said, “Tell me, have you ever heard of something called the Philadelphia Experiment?” She tilted her head, “Yeah, I think so. I seem to remember that there was an American film by that name. About experiments with a ship’s cloaking device, sometime around World War II, resulting in crewmen being transported to other places, or rematerializing into the metal of the ship…” she thought about the dead man, then shook her head. “But, that was just a film. They didn’t have that sort of technology back then–they don’t have it now, in my time. Right?”

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her meaningfully. Donna gaped. “Oh.” She looked hard at him. “Wait a minute. Didn’t you say that this ship was launched from Area 51–that top secret American base that’s supposed to house alien technology?” He nodded. “That’s right. And actually, the Philadelphia Experiment was quite real, I assure you.”

The Doctor was sitting at a control station, busy scrolling through a computer readout, Donna seated next to him. He stopped reading and peered over the top of his glasses at her. “It all began, with a gent named Tesla.” “Oh, I’ve heard that name–where have I heard that before?” she said. The Doctor Shrugged. “Some of his inventions changed the early twentieth century. Tesla coils, for instance. Tesla was a genius–for a human. Nearly as smart as old Einstein himself. Some say Tesla was mad, but, not really. He was just way ahead of his time. About a hundred and fifty years ahead, but that’s only because somehow he’d gotten knowledge that was way beyond earth.”

Donna digested what the Doctor was telling her. “How did a human from the early twentieth century come by alien knowledge?” The Doctor shrugged. “Maybe he discovered a crashed alien spacecraft, or maybe there was some kind of first contact that I might have missed. Who knows?” Donna shook her head, not sure she believed what she was hearing–it sounded like something right out of one of those weird alien conspiracy paperbacks you find for sale on the internet. “So, what you’re trying to tell me, Doctor, is that this ship is somehow connected to some old cloaking or time travel experiment?”

The Doctor opened his mouth–but never got to say a word, for just then, with a metallic bang, a door at the other end of the room burst open. Four very heavily armed and very butch men appeared. Donna and the Doctor whirled around, both startled by the sudden intrusion. “Well,” the Doctor calmly took off his glasses and tapped them on his palm, “perhaps they can provide us with the answer to that question.” “Stay where you are!” One of the men commanded. “Don’t speak or move or we’ll shoot to kill!” “Or,” the Doctor whispered under his breath, “possibly not.”

CHAPTER THREE

The Doctor and Donna were marched through a dizzying array of grimy staircases and corridors. They finally came to a stop before a huge red door marked ‘Main Control No Unauthorized Personnel Beyond This Point.’

The head guard slid a cardkey in a nearby slot, and the door slid noiselessly open. The Doctor stopped short. “Wait a minute!” His guard growled, “What is it?” The Doctor nodded towards the sign. “You can’t bring us in there.” “Why not?” The Doctor smirked, “Read the sign. We’re not authorized personnel.” In response, the leader motioned with his hand, and two of the guards forcibly shoved the Doctor and Donna through the doorway. The guards force marched the pair of them through a vast room. This one contained massive amounts of complex looking machinery that was only just visible in the dim light.

The Doctor walked along, with the curious stare of a tourist eyeing some particularly interesting ancient ruins. He stopped abruptly. He stood immobile, staring somberly at a round, immense piece of equipment. It was well marked with radiation warning signs, which made Donna just a bit nervous standing so close to it. “Hang on,” he exclaimed. “I recognize that! That’s a nuclear particle accelerator. Now that’s very interesting–not to mention very dangerous.” Before he could say anything more, one of the guards shoved him roughly in the back with his gun. “Silence! Move on!” Donna protested. “Oi! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, King Kong!”

The Doctor gave the guard a dirty look, then glanced behind him to grin at Donna, only to be jabbed in the back again. “Alright, alright, Kong, we’re going.” He muttered angrily. They moved forward. Coming to another door, this time smaller and marked ‘Private,’ the head guard, rather than using a key, politely knocked instead. After a brief moment, the door was opened.

The Doctor’s jaw actually dropped. Standing there was the spitting image of Romana, the Time Lady who’d traveled with him on so many adventures, during his forth regeneration. He shook his head, utterly nonplussed. That was impossible, she died…he involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden sharp pain in his hearts. He’d felt her die, yet here she was–or rather, someone who could have been her twin. His breath heaving, he opened his eyes again. “Romana?” he whispered hopefully, knowing deep down, it couldn’t be true.

The woman standing regally before the Doctor was much older than the Romana of his memories, looking to be somewhere in her late fifties, perhaps. Clad in a tailored set of red and white space overalls, she regarded the Doctor coldly. “The name is Captain Joan Morton, on special detachment from His Majesty’s S.O.S. the Space Operations Society.”

The Doctor frowned, still somewhat puzzled. “SOS? As in Morse Code: ‘Save Our Ship?” He looked behind him through the open door, at the room they’d just walked through. “Waaal,” he drawled, “judging by some of the equipment you’ve got tucked away in there, I’d say that probably is very appropriate. Even my own ship didn’t like you being in the vortex, gave the old girl quite a turn, you did. Because you’re not supposed to be here, are you? You are, captain,” he said, looking at the ceiling above her head and rocking on the balls of his feet, “a completely improbable impossibility.” He then lowered his head and gave the captain a hard stare, the pain gone from his eyes now. “Look, I don’t know what you lot think you are playing at,” he commanded, in his most authoritarian manner,“but it’s got to stop. Right now.”

Captain Morton looked at him, askance. She wasn’t about to be ordered about by some manic prisoner. Folding her arms, she gave a small laugh. “Are you threatening us? I think you seem to forget just who’s in charge here.” The Doctor pressed forward, but was restrained by the guard. “You don’t understand what you are doing!” he hissed angrily. “You’ll not only rip apart the whole fabric of space and time, you’d destroy the entire universe in the process—tens of billions of worlds, wiped out in the blink of an eye, gone forever! And for what, ey? So you can do a little exploration? ” His eyes narrowed as he cocked his head towards the machinery room. “Or,” he said, in a knowing manner, “do you have something else in mind? Say, a little military exercise, hmm?”

The captain fumed at this stranger’s audacity. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! We’re perfectly safe.” For just a fraction of a second after saying that, she paused, and then she changed the subject abruptly, a point the Doctor noticed. “Why are you here? How did you even get in without us detecting a ship of any kind? Are you one of those freaks from the Montauk Society? Stowaways? Trying to sabotage our mission?”

The Doctor sighed impatiently. “I was curious and concerned. You didn’t detect my ship, because your sensors aren’t working probably. And obviously from our accents, we’re not conspiracy groupies from Long Island. Also obviously, if I mentioned that I have a ship, we’re not stowaways, and as to sabotage,” he paused and added levelly, “that’s not something I ever do lightly. In this case, I would do that only as an absolute last resort, if you insist on destroying everything that exists.”

At this last bit, Captain Morton waved to the guards and they leveled their rifles at the Doctor. “Take them away!” “You’ve got to listen to me!” the Doctor insisted forcefully, “I’m telling you, you need to get out of here, it’s not safe. Let me help you!”

Donna had been watching the exchange silently. The look of pain she’d seen on the Doctor’s face mystified her, but this new turn of the conversation outright alarmed her. She put her fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle. Everyone turned and stared at her. “We’re not freaks lady. Believe it or not, the Doctor here knows what he’s on about, so why don’t you climb down from your ivory tower of power, shut up and give him a listen? We not here for any pleasure cruise. If he” she nodded towards the Doctor, “says we’re in danger, you’d right well better believe it.”

Ten minutes later, the barred door of a cell slammed shut in their faces and was locked. Two heavily armed guards stood outside the door. The Doctor sat down sulkily on a metal bench, and glared at Donna. She gave a lame shrug. “Sorry Doctor.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Donna stood in a corner, simply staring at the backs of the two guards, standing outside their cell. After a minute, she spoke quietly. “I am sorry.” The Doctor gave a small sigh, and slipped his hands behind his head. “I know. It’s alright, Donna, it’s not your fault. You were only trying to help.” he nodded at the empty space on the bench beside him, and said gently “Come on, have a seat. It looks like we may be here for a time.” Donna removed her coat, and draped it over the cold metal of the bench. Sitting down beside him, she asked, “Are you okay? You seemed, I dunno’, a little sad back there, when you saw that woman.” The Doctor was silent for a long moment, and then replied somewhat brusquely, “It was nothing. She just reminded me of someone I used to travel with.”

He leaned forward, so that Donna could no longer see his face. “Jeezum crow! I feel like a guest on one of those American talk shows. I mean, here we are, stuck in the space-time vortex, on the brink of the extinction of the universe, and you’re asking me personal questions!” Donna looked at him askance. “Jeezum crow?” She asked? He shrugged. “An old Yankee expression my pal Henry Thoreau used to lob at me, when I’d throw a particularly abstract natural or scientific concept at him.” Donna decided to take a pass on that one. She also decided to change the subject. “Okay, you’re the science-geek, “So, what’s a…” she paused, trying to remember what he’d said earlier, “a particle accelerator? What’s that do, when it’s at home?”

The Doctor looked up and gave her a brief smile. He leaned back and crossed his legs. “Back in the late twentieth century–‘round about your time, actually, various government agencies, the Americans, the Germans, the Swiss and the British, all began toying with time travel experiments. It’s all a bit complicated, but, apparently, back in the early nineteen-nineties, in Montauk Long Island, a special radar installation, powered by a particle accelerator, was set up by the United States government, with the help of a secret British organization known as Torchwood. This radar was specifically designed to monitor the space-time vortex. Of course, they didn’t call it the vortex, at first. They named it things like the ‘time eddy, the ‘time threshold’ and the ‘time portal.’ Personally, I prefer to call it ‘that wibbley-wobbley timey-wimey thing-a-mabob, myself, but” he tugged his ear and shrugged, “whatever floats your boat I guess, as the Americans would say.”

Donna thought something sounded familiar about all of this. “Oh yeah, seems to me that I remember reading something about that in the Daily Mail a few years back. You know, time travel experiments in Sweden or Switzerland or some country beginning with an ‘S’. But, this nuclear particle whats-it, why’s it so important, Doctor?”

The Doctor sucked in his breath and stared at the ceiling. Then he looked at Donna, as if he trying to figure out how best explain it. She’d long since realized that, to the Doctor, it was probably very much like trying to explain the concept of nuclear physics to a five year old. Seeming to find the right words, he said, “Okay, what it does, to put it into the very simplest of terms, is to create enormous amounts of energy. Essentially, it does so by increasing the speed of nuclear particles close to the speed of light. And, it seems this lot has advanced their knowledge of accelerator technology enough, to finally go about using it for time-travel.” Donna frowned. “Isn’t that rather dangerous?” The Doctor looked at her solemnly. “In human hands? Oh yes.”

The Doctor glanced at the guards, but they hadn’t moved. “It was the Americans who first began messing about with time travel experiments. Then, the Nazi’s got into the game shortly thereafter, but I soon sorted it.” He looked sad for a moment. “Yet, it was too late to help Tesla. They got him in the end, poor chap. I managed to find his notes, though, and locked them safely away in the Tardis.”

The Doctor sighed. “How was I to know someone had made duplicate copies? I figured that without the notes, things would go back to where they should be. I don’t know how Tesla got hold of his information of alien technology, but believe me, you humans weren’t–and still aren’t, ready for that sort of knowledge. Blimey! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for scientific exploration–it’s one of the things I love most about your species. But, I must say, letting you humans mess about with something as delicate as time travel, is a bit like allowing a baby to play with a flame thrower.”

He shook his head with disgust. “But somehow, shortly after World War II, the Americans got back into the game. Unfortunately,” The Doctor shrugged, “somewhere between the post-Cold War era, and World War III, the British and the Swiss have gone in league with the Yanks and the Germans. Now Bob’s yer uncle, here we are.” He stared at the ceiling, sucking in his breath. “And this time, if I can’t stop it, there’s not going to be any more wars. Or peace, or exploration or anything else,” he said ominously, “ever again.”

Back in her small, sparsely furnished private office, Captain Morton sat at her desk, looking at the data from the control room. Frowning deeply, she massaged her temples. Even she had to admit, that it didn’t appear very promising. In re-materializing into this place, wherever this was, she’d lost more than half the crew. They had either instantaneously vaporized, or had somehow merged into the ship’s structure–like that technician named Roberts, fusing into the floor. Captain Morton swallowed hard at the memory of seeing it happen on her security screens, all over the ship, wishing she could blot it from her mind forever.

The captain looked up as one of the guards came rushing in. “Captain!” He cried. “What is it now?” She asked crossly. She was not at all happy with yet another interruption. She’d never get anything done today, at this rate. The guard opened his mouth, but never got out a word. Because just then, their ship shuddered violently, throwing the man to the floor. Claxons began sounding throughout the ship, as an automated recording was triggered. A disembodied male voice began calmly droning: ‘Alert! Alert! Warning: hull breech imminent in sector forty-seven.” Gripping the desk in front of her, Captain Morton turned off the claxon alarms and flicked on the ship’s exterior monitors. Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw there.

CHAPTER FIVE

As the ship vibrated intensely, Donna grabbed onto the Doctor, to keep from falling. He swayed but remained seated. “What‘s going on?” She cried out. He looked calmly at the two guards, as they lay sprawled out on the floor, obviously shaken. “There’s an imminent hull breech in sector forty-seven.” He drawled. Donna had all she could do to resist the urge to swat the Doctor in the arm. “I can hear that,” she said crossly, “but what’s causing it?” He shrugged. “I’m many things Donna, but physic isn’t one of them. I don’t know…but, I’m guessing it won’t take long for us to find out.”

Captain Morton knew, however. It was staring her in the face on the monitor screen. A bright blue ball of light was resting against the hull. In response, the hull alongside the mysterious orb seemed to have taken on a life of its own, expanding and contracting in time with the pulses of light from the sphere. All at once, the entire ship rocked violently, and then was still. The automated alert recording promptly changed: ‘Warning! Hull breech in sector forty-seven.’ After a seconds pause, the male voice added, ‘Intruder alert! Sector forty-seven!’

In their cell, the Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Blimey! The vortex is getting busier then the M-4 at rush hour. Next thing you know, they’ll be posting a police constable behind some gas cloud, waiting to nab me for speeding.” The Doctor noticed that one of their jailers still seemed rather disoriented, while the other had bolted off down the hall to see what was happening. Quickly, he bounded up from the bench, whipped out his sonic screwdriver, and unlocked the cell door. He motioned for Donna to follow, and ushered her out the door first.

The guard that had been left behind noticed them, but as he went to grab the Doctor, the Doctor managed to duck under the guard’s arm, dislodging his grip on his gun, which went skittering across the floor. Without ceremony, he pushed the guard into the cell. The tip of the screwdriver glowed blue, as the Doctor locked the door. “Now,” he grinned at Donna, “let’s go see what these new visitors are up to, shall we?” Donna rolled her eyes at him. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

Captain Morton was in constant contact with the men that were checking the hull breech. She stared at the monitor, as if willing it to magically transport her there. When the black-clad soldiers reached deck forty-seven, they stood outside the entry door, as two of their number donned space suits. Sliding into the airlock, the two guards cautiously crept forward towards the area where the strange blue sphere had appeared.

One of the men’s voices came though the com-link. “That’s impossible!” “What is?” Captain Morton demanded, “Report!” After a brief, static-filled pause, the guard said, “You’re not going to believe this Captain, but there’s still air in here–no change in pressure, either. It’s like the hull breech never happened.” “Send the others through then, and report back to me as soon as you find anything,” she commanded.

Rubbing her tired eyes, the captain reached for a mug of tea beside her. She’d taken several sips before she realized it was ice cold. Flipping a switch, she checked a different readout on the ship, and gasped. The readings were off the chart from where they’d been just minutes ago. According to the computer, the entire ship was encased in some sort of force-field.

Back in the area of the breech, the lead soldier, Lieutenant Jeffries, ordered his men to fan out. Suddenly, to his left, there was a loud clang. He signaled to the men on that side to check it out, when suddenly one of them was hit by a green energy bolt. He screamed and was disintegrated into a fine gray powdery dust. “Get down, all of you!” Jefferies ordered.

Crouching down, the lieutenant’s face registered genuine shock, as two creatures, armed with some sort of strange weapon looking a bit like an ancient crossbow, only with a tube where the arrow would be, stalked across the deck plating. They had bronzed masculine bodies. Their legs were incased in what appeared to be short green trousers, and they wore black leather boots. The two of them were both naked from the waist up, except for a large silver medallion that hung from a chain around their necks. It was their heads that caused the lieutenant to stare. Although their bodies resembled a human male’s, the newcomer’s heads were anything but human. The head more closely resembled a goat’s, only with sharp, fanged teeth, and two pointed horns, spiraling up from their foreheads, between pointed furry ears.

The soldiers all gaped at the newcomers. Just then, one of the goat-people noticed a guard who was hidden behind some machinery. The man-goat touched the medallion around his neck and spoke. The medallion seemed to serve as some sort of translation device. “Put down your weapons,” he said in a low, but surprisingly cultured voice, “and you will not be harmed. You are now all prisoners of the Gadtok Empire. Resistance is useless. Any attempt to escape will mean immediate execution.”

The guard behind the machinery fired at the goat-man, but the alien was ready for such a move and blasted the soldier to dust with a bolt from his laser-bow. Then, without so much as another word, he and his counterpart proceeded to fire at

the other soldiers.

Captain Morton ordered Jefferies to fall back to a more secure position. She sat helplessly watching the slaughter on her monitor, as the dozen or so soldiers tried to exit the area. She was tempted to go and help, but Captain Morton knew that being the only one left in charge, she had to stay put and coordinate the resistance. Leaning over the control panel’s microphone, she rapidly issued instructions to the remaining soldiers scattered throughout the ship. Captain Morton then advised the handful of technicians who’d survived the tragic dematerialization into the vortex, to take cover as best they could. They were on their own. She simply didn’t have the manpower to protect everyone.

Sitting back in her chair, the captain reached into a desk drawer and pulled out an automatic pistol. She glanced at the screen, then back at the gun, and wondered if it would work on those goat things. “It might stop them. Then again, it might not.” Captain Morton jumped at the voice behind her. The pistol came up, pointing directly at the saboteur and his female companion, whom they’d captured earlier.

CHAPTER SIX

The Doctor raised his hands and gave her a lop-sided grin. “Hello, I’m the Doctor and this is my friend, Donna. We’re not armed. Well, I am, in a way–bit of a genius, ya’know.” He winked, pointing at his head. Standing close beside him, Donna couldn’t help but notice that the Doctor wasn’t quite as relaxed as he pretended to be, and seemed slightly uncomfortable looking Captain Morton in the eye. She wondered if that was because of the captain’s resemblance to the Doctor’s friend.

The Doctor, in the meantime, had lowered his hands and held them out towards Captain Morton, palms open. His face had taken on a grave expression. “I won’t hurt you.” The Doctor softened his voice, his eyes revealing genuine concern. “I really do want to help.” Something in those dark eyes made Captain Morton relax. Somehow, she wasn’t sure why, she felt that perhaps she could trust this tall stranger. Captain Morton lowered her gun and set it down on the desk–but not too far away from her hand, the Doctor noticed.

He nodded and continued as if he and the captain had been in agreement all along. “Right, then, Captain. Let’s have a look at your visitors, shall we?” Perching on the corner of her desk, the Doctor put on his glasses. Leaning forward, he pulled the captain’s view screen towards him and studied the pictures of the creatures. The Doctor’s grim expression reveled that he didn’t like what he saw there. “The Gadtoks,” he stated flatly, “so they’ve come back then”. Donna peered over his shoulder at the view screen. “They look like those mythical creatures, you know, from Greek mythology.” Captain Morton glanced up in surprise. “You mean satyrs? Yes, I suppose they do.”

The Doctor looked away from the screen. “That is what some of the people on ancient Earth used to call them. As I recall, back then, their leader used to be a chap named Dioneas. Nice bloke, loved the theatre, quite the wine connoisseur–used to drink me under the table. Later he turned into a murderous, scheming megalomaniac. Mad as a March hare, too much drink I suspect. Bit of a shame, really. He had to go in the end.” Donna and Captain Morton both stared at him. Donna arched an eyebrow. “You’re joking.” The Doctor returned the look. She shrugged. “Okay, you’re not joking.”

Just then Captain Morton’s intercom blared out, “Captain!” It was Jefferies. “They’ve broken through our outer defenses and are headed your way!” Captain Morton hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then said, “Alright lieutenant. Regroup as many men as you can muster at sector eight. It’s the most secure position on the ship, and we must protect the accelerator room at all costs. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” She grabbed the pistol off of her desk and headed for the door. “I’d love to stay and chat with you two, but I have a ship to defend if I want to keep everyone who’s left on board safe.”

The Doctor cleared his throat. “Don’t you mean that you need to keep safe your precious machinery?” Captain Morton rounded on him. “I don’t know just who you think you are, Doctor, but this is a complex business. I need to protect that accelerator, if we want to get back to earth. Without that, we’re stuck here. Permanently.” Donna asked, “But what do these Gadtok things want with you?” The captain frowned. “I don’t know. They haven’t exactly invited us to sit down for tea and conversation. Whatever these creatures are, all I know is that they’re willing to kill for whatever it is they’re after.” Donna and the captain both jumped as the Doctor slapped the top of the desk. “That’s it!” He cried excitedly. The two women gawped at him. “The accelerator!” He shouted, and bolted out the door.

Donna and Captain Morton just stared after him in astonishment for a moment. Donna looked at the captain. “You get used to him, eventually,” she said with a wry smile. Sprinting out the door, Donna called over her shoulder, “I hope you’re wearing comfortable shoes!” Captain Morton stood open-mouthed for a moment longer, before running after them.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Donna and Captain Morton found the Doctor standing in front of the accelerator studying a complex set of controls. He had his glasses on and was frowning deeply as he fiddled with a few of the switches. “What do you think you’re doing? Get away from there!” the captain demanded harshly. Whipping off the glasses, the Doctor stood tall and resolute, with a grave expression on his face. “Look at those readings, captain.” He said ominously. She did, and gasped, choking back her fear. Astonished, she cried out, “That is completely impossible! According to this, the rate of acceleration is off the charts. Doctor, at that velocity, this ship should have blown apart minutes ago!”

Donna decided she definitely didn’t like the sound of this. “Today seems to be our day for impossibilities.” She muttered, looking at the Doctor. “You’re like a collector, Doctor. Only instead of comic books or action figures, you just build up a collection of impossible things on your list, until one day, one of them blows you sky-high.” The Doctor just looked at her blankly for a second. Then, he merely shrugged one shoulder and nodded in silent agreement. Captain Morton shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand this.” She said, “One of the controls must be offline.”

The Doctor stared at the machinery. “Or,” he speculated, “the Gadtoks could be draining off the energy into their ship. I may be able to reverse it, or at the very least slow it down, but I have to get back to my ship to do it.” “How could these creatures speed up the process without our noticing?” Captain Morton asked. “And wouldn’t that be rather dangerous?” Before the Doctor could respond, a bolt of green energy blazed across their heads. As one, the three of them looked up, startled. There, high up on the upper catwalk, stood one of the goat-men, pointing his laser-bow at them. “Run!” the Doctor shouted.

The three of them pelted down the decking, racing for the door to the corridor leading in the direction of the Tardis. Unexpectedly, the door they were heading for opened, and three more of the goat men filed through, lasers blazing. Ducking down, the Doctor and Captain Morton took shelter behind some heavy machinery. Donna had dived under a nearby workbench. The Doctor yelled over to her. “Stay there!” he commanded.

The three Gadtoks slowly advanced down the walkway, laser-bows at the ready. Captain Morton raised her pistol, but the Doctor knocked it aside. “That won’t work on them.” Captain Morton snorted, “They’re not exactly wearing protective armor Doctor.” “No, they’re not,” he said, “then again, they’re not exactly flesh and blood, either.” Captain Morton looked at him askance. “What? Come on, Doctor. I hope you’re not trying to tell me that they’re figments of my imagination.” He glanced at her. “They’re androids, captain. Their skin isn’t flesh, it’s a metal made from a special thin, flexible alloy. And, what’s more,” he looked pointedly at her gun, “it’s designed to be impervious to bullets and most energy weapons.” Captain Morton and the Doctor watched as the trio of androids came nearer.

The Doctor spared a fleeting look over at the spot where Donna was hiding, across the aisle from himself and the captain. He gave her his best reassuring smile. Silently, the Doctor hoped that Donna wasn’t going to be like so many of his other companions, going off on her own after he’d ordered her to stay put. All at once, he noticed that one of the androids had spotted her, and was bringing his laser bow up to fire. Donna had seen him as well, and with a yelp of surprise, had scooted around the corner. She ran, ducking down in between the machinery as the energy bolts flashed around her. “Right then,” thought the Doctor, “that has got to be the one constant in the ever-changing universe.”

The captain watched warily as the goat-men, androids, or whatever they were, came closer. She didn’t notice that the Doctor had slipped his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, and was busily making some adjustments. Captain Morton was no heroine, as a matter of fact, right now, she was rather scared. But, she was also a professional, and forced her fear to the back of her mind while weighing their chances of escaping. She had to admit, things didn’t look very good. Just then, she heard a sound behind them. Another Gadtok was stealthily approaching from the other direction, possibly the one from the catwalk? At any rate, this seemed to be the end. They were trapped.

Captain Morton was about to raise her hands in surrender, when her ears were unexpectedly assaulted by a high-pitched whine. Instead of going in the air, her hands covered her ears. She saw the android goat-men writhing about, as if in pain. The Doctor grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. “Come on!” He shouted, as they bolted past the single android behind them. They ran up to a door, only to find it was locked. Without hesitation the Doctor sonicked it open, only to find more of the androids waiting for them on the other side. “Hello!” waved the Doctor. “Good-bye!” He shouted, as he shut the door and locked it again.

The three androids they’d just left behind were marching purposefully towards them, and the one from the catwalk was also drawing nearer. There seemed to be no way out. “Can’t you use that thing of yours again?” Captain Morton asked anxiously. The Doctor shook his head gravely. “They’ll have adjusted their sonic hearing devices to counteract it by now. The Gadtoks made their android soldiers highly adaptable to changes in enemy tactics, I’m afraid. A new weapon generally will only work once with them.” The Doctor and Captain Morton warily eyed the advancing androids. They could do nothing but stand there and wait for the inevitable. They were trapped.

Meanwhile, Donna had spotted a small entry hatch, and struggled through it. She found herself on a catwalk in yet another vast grimy room filled with machinery. She looked around, unsure of where to go. There was a distant clang of metal, and she jumped. She heard footsteps coming towards her from a darkened corridor some fifty meters in front of her, and backed away. The place where Donna stood was merely a long service walkway, located about halfway up the wall, which apparently lead to some other part of the ship. The footsteps came closer.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Donna flattened herself against a niche in the wall, knowing it offered no real protection. Unless those android goat-men were very near-sighted, which she knew probably wasn’t the case. A figure appeared out of the shadows. It was one of the guards who had been part of their armed escort to Captain Morton’s office. He lowered his weapon at her. Before he could issue any orders, Donna raised her hands and sighed, “I know, I know. I’m under arrest. Alright, take me to your leader, soldier.”

Lieutenant Jefferies had set up a command centre in a small store room not far from the accelerator room. He was monitoring various sections of the ship, on a screen similar to a portable DVD player, which was resting on his knees. At the moment, it was showing the activity of their unwelcome intruders, when one of his men burst in, dragging the girl they’d captured earlier behind him. Jeffries pursed his lips and stared at her irritably.

Donna glared disdainfully at the handsome, dark haired young lieutenant and quipped, “Well, don’t look so happy to see me.” “Quiet!” her guard ordered, jabbing her in the back with his weapon. “Ow!” Donna yelled, turning on him, “How’d you like me to put that thing where it’ll never see daylight again?” The lieutenant waved the guard off “That’s enough, Blair.” He smirked, adding sarcastically, “I’m sure the lady will behave herself if we ask her nicely.” Donna seated herself on a nearby crate, folding her arms defiantly. “Yes, I will, actually. What’s more, I overheard the Doctor tell your captain what those goat things are, and if you and your boys will stop acting like a bunch of drunken yobs, I may even decide to clue you in.”

Meanwhile the Doctor and Captain Morton had been marched to sector forty-seven. There, they saw the gaping hole that the aliens had burned into the side of the ship’s hull. The Doctor inspected it with mild interest, murmuring, “Hmm–osmosis fusion, nice job.” A temporary air-lock had been put into place and their captors indicated that they should pass through, into the Gadtok’s ship.

The two of them were taken through gleaming white hallways, ending up being shoved into a barren room. As the door of their cell slammed shut, the doctor sat on the floor and stretched out his long legs. He began singing with an American twang–and, slightly off-key, another old Earth tune, called The Cowboy’s Lament, “As I walked out in the streets of Laredo, as I walked out in Laredo one day…” Captain Morton just stood there gawking at him. The Doctor left off singing and looked up at her, asking naively, “What?”

After a full minute spent fruitlessly pacing the room, Captain Morton sighed and sat on the floor beside the Doctor. “I don’t suppose you know how to sing in key, do you?” She muttered, as he got down to the last verse. Ignoring her, he sang, “…for I’m a young cowboy and I know I’ve done wrong.”

Captain Morton looked at her strange companion, in his long tan coat, rumbled blue suit and red trainers. Chewing her lip worriedly, she wondered just who this man really was. “Doctor, how long do you think they’ll keep us in here? Do you think they’re holding us for interrogation? Or maybe, they want to experiment on us?” Frowning, she nudged him. “Do you think they’re going to kill us?” The Doctor merely shrugged. She nudged him harder. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you going to criticize my singing again?”

The captain nudged him again, a bit more gently, this time. “Well, since you’re stopped impersonating Roy Rogers…” She smirked, “…or Trigger, here’s another question for you: just why are you here, Doctor?” Resting his chin on his knees, the Doctor replied whimsically, “Why is anyone here? Jean Paul Sarte would’ve told you that none of us are truly here. That’s how he wriggled out of paying his gambling debts. Still owes me fifty francs, the deadbeat. Even so,” he sighed, “here we are indeed, in the depths of the swirly-whirly, timey-wimmey space-time vortex.”

Captain Morton wondered if this man ever gave a straight answer to a question. She couldn’t help but notice that he seemed slightly discomforted by her presence. She decided to try another tack, saying softly, “When you first saw me, back in my office, you called me ‘Romana.” Is she a friend of yours?”

The Doctor stared at the floor for a long moment before answering, a strangely melancholy look upon his face. “Yes. She was from my home planet. Romana traveled with me for a time, and we shared a few adventures together. You look almost exactly like her–even sound like her a little.” Captain Morton thought about that for a moment. “Yes, I suppose I can see where it might make you uncomfortable, being around someone who reminds you of somebody you care for. I remember my mum telling me that everyone has a double, somewhere in the universe. I suppose she may have been right.”

Sighing, Captain Morton leaned her head against the wall and looked the Doctor over, saying, “I take it though, from what you’ve just told me, that you’re not from Earth. What planet do you come from, what species are you? You look human enough to me.” He looked down at the floor, seeming sad and distant. “I’m a Time Lord, my planet was called Galifrey. I suppose you could say that my people were the peers of realm of time.”

Captain Morton suddenly understood. “You say was, then are both your friend, and your planet, gone now?” She asked, sincerely sympathetic. “If so, then I suppose that I can certainly understand how truly difficult this must be for you. I’ve lost people I care about also, you see. I’m not sure how I’d handle seeing someone that reminded me of…” Her voice trailed off softly, and the Doctor blew out his breath, suddenly preoccupied with rubbing a spot on his trousers. “I do miss Romana, I felt her die. I felt them all die. I miss my planet, its beauties and its wonders. Things I took for granted for so many years, barely gave a passing thought to, are now gone for all time. Knowing that I’ll never lay eyes on it, or my people, ever again…it’s a hollow, empty feeling. Like a part of me has gone missing, too. And, sometimes, when I least expect it, it hurts. Sometimes, the pain is so bad that I feel as if it will consume me, that both of my hearts shall burst.”

The Doctor raised his head and stared at the blank ceiling, his eyes reflecting his pain. He sighed deeply again. “Still, I carry on with my life, same as ever. I keep traveling on, trying not to think about it too much. I can’t let the pain take control, or it will consume me entirely. But, there are moments when the memories just creep up on me. Funny, but it’s the ordinary things that I remember most fondly: my science experiments at the Academy, weekend concerts at the Park of Rassilon, shopping with my dorm mate for some new Prydonian robes. Never thought I would feel this way. I never thought it would be like this.”

He looked at her soberly. “You see, I had spent the better part of my life running away from my planet, and most of what it stood for. I saw my people as a bunch of do-nothings, content to molder away their lives, merely observing all of the massive chaos and injustice throughout time and the universe. There was the mass murder of whole species,–entire planets wiped out in the blink of an eye, and my people just let it happen. Then, the Daleks came,” he said bitterly, “millions of them. This time, they were threatening not only us, but every planet throughout the galaxy, and well beyond. We had to stop them. By unanimous vote, they left it up to me, knowing that I was the only one who could…” as his voice trailed off, the Doctor shuddered involuntarily.

Captain Morton looked at him with understanding. “I lost everything as well. There was a heavy rain one year, days and days of it, and a nearby dam suddenly gave way. In minutes, the entire town was gone, my family and my friends that I’d grown up with. I’d been home on leave only the week before. It was the last time I ever saw any of them.” “I’m sorry,” The Doctor said quietly. Captain Morton’s gaze drifted away from the Doctor, and she stared intently at the empty wall in front of her. “As you said, you learn to soldier on, but you’re right. It is like a part of your life is gone and you’re cast adrift…” She was interrupted as the cell door slid back, and one of the Gadtoks stepped through.

Captain Morton noticed that the Doctor seemed almost relieved to see him. She also noticed that this new Gadtok seemed taller and broader than the others. It spoke, and its voice, unlike the cultured tones of their android guards, was deep and gravelly. The Doctor was on his feet now. Seeming to have changed moods in an instant, he was grinning broadly. “Ah, there you are. Coming to invite us to tea, are you? How nice. I’ll have two lumps please.” The Gadtok responded by zapping the Doctor in the chest with some sort of baton-like weapon. The creature looked at the baton distastefully, as the Doctor gasped and his body went rigid. The Doctor uttered a short, painful cry and then slumped, unconscious, to the floor. Captain Morton braced herself as the baton was pointed at her. “I am Pythaneas. You will come with me now.” the alien ordered, “Obey and you will not be harmed.” As she was marched from the cell, Captain Morton looked back at the inert form of the Doctor. He appeared to be dead.

CHAPTER NINE

In the store room with Lieutenant Jeffries, Donna fidgeted impatiently, worrying about the Doctor. Where was he? She stared at the young soldier, as he sat hunched over his view screen. The Doctor was her only ticket out of here, and as nice looking as lieutenant stud-muffin was, she didn’t fancy spending the rest of the future–her future, with him. Donna got tired of the silence in the room and walked over to where the lieutenant was sitting. “Any idea where your captain and the Doctor have got to?” she asked. Without glancing up, Jefferies replied curtly, “They’re not here.”

Donna blurted out angrily, “Why can’t you men ever give a straight answer to a simple question?” The lieutenant glowered at her. “It’s not so simple, Miss Noble. Those android things have captured Captain Morton, and your friend. They are not here, because the enemy has taken them into that other ship out there.” Avoiding her eyes, he added, “Sorry. There’s nothing I can do. I have to stay here and keep this area secure. I’m afraid Captain Morton is on her own.” Donna shook her head in disbelief. “That’s it then? Write off your captain and the Doctor’s life, because you have to protect some lump of machinery? Right then, well, I don’t give a fig for your accelerator, so I guess it’s up to me.” She turned and headed for the door.

The guard barred her way. Jefferies stood up and barked, “Where are you going?” Donna turned and said, “Well, when your man in black here decides to open the door for a lady, I’ll be headed to this Sector forty-seven, to try and rescue the Doctor. I’d try to rescue the captain too, but apparently you don’t think she’s worth it.” Donna noticed that her remark had hit home, as the lieutenant colored slightly. “I’m in charge of this ship now,” he thundered, “and I’m ordering you to stay here!”

Donna laughed, “Nice try, but I’m not one of your soldiers.” She marched up to the man at the door. He pointed his gun at her. She stood there, looking down the barrel of the assault rifle. Staring the guard in the eye, she smiled at him and said quietly, “Would you like me to turn my back? It’s so much easier to murder and innocent woman that way, don’t you think?” The guard looked helplessly at the lieutenant. Jeffries said to her, “You’ll never even get close to that ship, you don’t stand a chance.” Donna tilted her chin purposefully. “You only truly fail if you never even try, soldier boy.” Sighing, he shook his head. “Alright, you win. Let her go, Blair.” Donna went through the door, and headed down the walkway. Several minutes passed when she heard the sound of rapid footsteps behind her. “Wait!” She turned around and saw Jeffries and the guard named Blair. “We’re coming with you.”

Captain Captain Morton, H.M. S. O. S., found herself being escorted into a large scientific laboratory. The large Gadtok motioned to a chair, connected up with wires and clamps. “You will be seated there.” it ordered her. She didn’t like the looks of this, “What is that? What are you going to do to me?”

The big goat-man pointed to the chair. “It is the mind-probe. An alien technology we procured some time ago, from a man called the Master. If you answer truthfully, you will feel no pain.” Captain Morton’s face began to perspire. “And, if I don’t tell you what you want to know?” she asked defiantly. The goat-man shook his head, “That would not be advisable. The mind probe is very sensitive. For every lie it detects, it sends out electrical pulses to your brain and nervous system. Every false answer or non-response only serves to make the pulses stronger. If you continue to resist, the machine will empty your mind and eventually it will kill you.” Captain Morton looked at the chair and shivered with fear.

Donna and the two soldiers were crouched down behind some sort of greasy machinery, watching the hole between the two ships. It was guarded by two of the Gadtok’s androids, but there were no outward signs of any other activity. Donna looked at the two androids, standing motionless by the airlock. “So, now what?” she asked. Lieutenant Jeffries looked at her askance. “As I recall, this was your plan. I’m open to any suggestions, since,” he added dryly, “you’re in charge of this little rescue operation.” Donna chewed her lip thoughtfully. “If you two could distract those two guards, I could slip past them, and into the ship.” “No.” a voice said firmly.

Donna and Jefferies looked up, both startled. It was the soldier, Blair. “I will distract them, while the both of you slip inside.” he said gruffly. “As formidable as the lady is,” he winked at Donna, “you’ll stand a far better chance if you stay together” Without warning, Blair stood up, ran to the opposite side of the room, and began a covering fire. The androids began returning fire. Donna and the lieutenant used the distraction and while the androids backs were turned, they slipped past them, into the Gadtok’s ship. As she looked behind her, she saw Blair fall, stuck down the by the green energy bolt of a laser-bow. Ahead, lay a long, glaringly white corridor, and they crept along cautiously, on the look out for more of the goat-men.

As the two of them neared the end of the corridor, they heard movement. There was a door to their left and the lieutenant tried it. “Locked tight,” he whispered. Donna noticed a key pad next to the door. The sound of booted footsteps came nearer. There was nowhere else to turn, except to go back, and the two android guards at the entrance would be more vigilant than ever, now. Jefferies drew his revolver and went into a crouch. He reminded her of one of those old west gunfighters from the films she’d watched on the telly. Donna sighed. Then, she turned around and started randomly punching the buttons on the door lock. “What are you doing?” the lieutenant whispered. Without turning around, Donna whispered back, “Well, Wyatt Earp, before you send us to our deaths in a blaze of glory, I thought I’d take a stab at trying to get this door open, and maybe saving you the trouble.” Donna’s face was set into a grim mask. She just had to find the Doctor, she thought. He’d know what to do.

CHAPTER TEN

In his cell, the Doctor let out a low moan. He was curled up in a fetal position, clutching his chest. He tried to breathe, but could only do so in short, painful gasps. Slowly he rose up from the floor, his face a mask of agony, and managed to move into a sitting position. Still grasping his heaving chest, the Doctor tried to stand, but only succeeded in passing out on the floor again.

All at once, the cell door slid open. Donna and Jefferies dashed inside and the door slid shut again. Donna turned and saw the Doctor lying on the floor. “Oh my God!” she yelled, dashing to his side. Kneeling on the floor beside him, she cradled his head in her lap. “Doctor! Doctor, can you hear me?” Getting no response, Donna held her hand over the Doctor’s chest. She could barely feel his hearts beating. Donna spoke gently, but determinedly, “Come on, now. You can’t give up. I mean, who else is there that can save the universe? And besides” she murmured, stroking his forehead in a motherly fashion, “I’ve still not seen that fantastic nebula thing you were on about, back in the Tardis.”

The lieutenant squatted down beside her. He touched Donna’s shoulder gently. “I think he’s dying.” She looked at him fiercely, “Well, he will be if you just stand helplessly by, doing nothing!” Jefferies looked at the Doctor’s inert figure, and shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” Donna scowled. “You say that a lot, don’t you? You know, when you retire from the military, you’d do well going into politics.” Jefferies looked away, “What I meant was, that I have no medical training. I simply wouldn’t know what to do.”

“Well,” The Doctor said feebly, “for starters, you can tell Donna to stop nagging me. Blimey! It’s almost like having someone’s mother around you all the time.” Donna inhaled a sigh of relief, as the Doctor opened his eyes. He groaned, “Getting zapped in the hearts by a prisoner control device, is not something I care to have happen every day.” She helped him into a sitting position, with a tearful smile. “This time,” she chided him, “you certainly gave me a scare, Doctor.” Beaming at her, he hugged her warmly and said, “It’s good to see you too, Donna.”

After a few more seconds, Donna noticed that the colour had returned to the Doctor’s face, and that his breathing had become more regular. He looked at Lieutenant Jeffries. “Who’s your friend? I’m only gone an hour or two, and already you’ve found yourself a new bloke.” He joked, eyeing Jeffries, who now was standing with his ear to the door. “Mind you,” the Doctor whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “I’m not so sure that it’s such a good trade-off, brawn for brains. All meat and no veg, don’t ya’ see?” Donna had to stifle a giggle–more out of relief at seeing the Doctor his self again, than anything else. The Doctor silently watched Lieutenant Jeffries for a few moments. “Erm–lieutenant, isn’t it? Tell me, is your ear stuck to the door, or is there some really juicy gossip going on out there?” He asked mildly.

Jeffries turned, frowning. “I was listening to see if any of those androids were lurking about. I need to get back to my ship, to direct some kind of defense against these creatures. Even if the captain’s still alive, we’ll need our ship to get back home again, and that won’t happen if no one is there to defend it.” He looked around at the empty cell and shrugged helplessly. “Not that it would matter, I suppose. We seem to be stuck here.” The Doctor abruptly bounded up on his feet, sonic screwdriver in his hand. “Right,” he said, with a determined glint in his eye, “You may be stuck here lieutenant, but I’m not. Now, Donna, let’s see if we can find the good captain, shall we?”

Meanwhile, the captain had worries of her own. The first questions were fairly easy to answer, merely questions about her name, rank, and age. But then, she was asked more detailed information, about her ship’s crew and their mission. At first, Captain Morton tried to resist, but the jolts from the probe got stronger with each zap the machine gave her. After a while, she passed out. When she woke a short time later, it was to find the Gadtok, whose name it seemed, was Pythaneas, standing over her. “Why are you doing this?” She asked muzzily.

The creature was silent for a moment, distracted by some distant noise from outside the lab door. Satisfied that it was nothing, he turned his attention back to Captain Morton. “My people first came to your planet thousands of your earth years ago. After centuries of war, our people were few, our planet nearly unlivable. We chose your planet because it was not highly populated, and also, back then, we did not yet have the technology to build more slave-soldiers.” “You mean those android things are your slaves?” Captain Morton interrupted him.

Pythaneas nodded gravely. “We found the people of your planet mostly unsophisticated and very primitive, although there were some civilizations that were more advanced than others, such as your Greeks. We utilized the technology from our ships, to build some physic field generators, which we used to feed suggestions directly the human cerebral cortex, so that we might more easily control the minds of you humans. Our people found that your species, though sometimes ingenious, also can be very susceptible to physic projection.”

Captain Morton’s eyes narrowed. “You were controlling us? How could you possibly control thousands, even millions of people, all at once? That’s impossible!” Pythaneas gave what sounded like a snort. “It was simpler than you might think. We used our knowledge of your evolutionary morphogentic and geomorphic grids, and built pyramids in certain geographic energy positions as focal points for that grid. The energy waves generated served to send out subliminal messages through the grid, directly to the electrical pulses in human brains. The pyramids in Egypt were the first, then Eastern Europe, Mexico, and in what is now a place called Long Island, New York. We began shaping mankind, feeding you knowledge, grooming you, so that one day you might serve us willingly.”

Captain Morton shook her head. “But, those pyramids are no longer in use. Why? What happened?” The Gadtok did not answer right away. His face revealing a barely controlled anger, he rumbled, “A man came and thwarted our plans. At first, we believed this man to be harmless. We were wrong. The leader of the Gadtoks gradually grew more and more powerful. He convinced himself that the only way to subjugate the human race was through death.” Pythaneas shrugged. “Who knows? He may have succeeded. But, in the end, this one man destroyed our chances to conquer the human race, and as a result, we were forced to abandon your planet–at the loss of many of our remaining population.”

Captain Morton wanted to keep Pythaneas talking, because the alternative was the return to more torture. In the back of her mind though, she knew that he had no intention of ever letting her leave this place alive–why else was he telling her all this information? “So, why did you attack my ship? We’ve done nothing to you, and I don’t think you’ve waited twenty-five hundred years just to get some petty revenge.”

The Gadtok frowned. “Your ship, captain, is interfering with our invasion plans. Our scout force returned to Earth not so very long ago. We found that the geomorphic grid had shifted, so we used our knowledge of time travel. We sent agents to the country known as America, in your late twentieth century, to build a new pyramid. Recently, we activated it. Already, many of you humans are under the influence of our physic beams. However, there is a disturbance in the grid that is interfering with our plans. That disturbance is your particle accelerator. Which is why we have been draining off its power, sending it out into the vortex, where it can do no more harm.”

The Captain shook her head, confused. “I–I don’t understand. We’ve had PA’s on Earth for years. One is space shouldn’t make much of a difference.” Pythaneas hesitated, as if deciding if he should say anything more. After a few seconds had passed, he spoke. “Our scientists found that there is one driving force behind the grid, and that it is tied directly to the space-time vortex. Any disturbance in the vortex–such as a ship running on a nuclear accelerator, throws the whole grid out of harmony with the Earth. It not only disrupts our equipment, but also affects the weather and the tides.” The Gadtok paused again, looking somewhat bored. “I think the time for conversation has ended, captain.” Without warning, he flipped a switch. Jolt after jolt surged through her nervous system, as Captain Morton screamed in agony.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A hand reached over and shut off the mind-probe. Pythaneas whirled around angrily. Unlike the androids, he was unarmed, so he called out for help. Only, none was forthcoming. He found himself staring at the Doctor. Despite the dark fury reflected in his eyes, the Doctor spoke calmly–which for some reason gave the Gadtok the equivalent of the shivers, temporarily immobilizing him. “I don’t know where or how you got this…thing, but your little quiz night is over. You lose, I’m afraid.” With that, the Doctor sonicked the machine, releasing Captain Morton. “Help her!” He snarled at Donna. As she dragged the captain away, the screwdriver hummed a second time, and sparks flew as the mind-probe blew apart. “Doctor two, Gadtoks nil.” He said grimly.

Pythaneas gave what sounded like a low bleat. “How did you escape? Where are my guards?” The Doctor looked the Gadtok up and down with obvious distaste, and held the sonic aloft. “Have screwdriver, will travel. It’s true: your androids would be unaffected the second time I tried to use the sonic in the way that I did on the other ship, but,” He said superiorly, “they weren’t quite so prepared for vibronic resonancy–which my trusty screwdriver is very good at, trust me.” Pythaneas gave the Doctor a look of disbelief. “You lie! There is no such thing!”

The Doctor scuffed the floor with the toe of one of his trainers, “Oh, alright. You caught me out, I just made the name up–liked the sound of that. Rolls off the tongue, it does.” Rolling his R’s, he repeated, “vibrrronic Rrresonancy” He grinned, seemingly pleased with himself, “I adjusted the sonic frequency, causing tiny little vibrations which dislodged some of the more important bits in their artificial brains–essentially, they went beddy-bye for a while.”

All the while he was talking to Pythaneas, the Doctor’s eyes were roving about the room. The Gadtok’s hand, meanwhile, had been inching towards a small yellow button set into the desk he was now standing behind. The Doctor cast a glance at Donna. “How is she?” Donna had propped the Captain into a nearby chair, and was crouched down, massaging her arms. “I think she’s coming ‘round, now, Doctor. What did they do to her?” He glanced at the now broken piece of equipment, parts of the chair still smoldering. “Nasty piece of work, that. It’s a sort of combination of torture device and lie detector. Not one the Time Lord’s more benevolent pieces of technology.” He shook his head. “I don’t know who supplied our equipment to the Gadtoks, but it was bad enough when it was used by my own people–in the hands of other races, it’s basically a disaster just begging to happen.” Donna looked at him, with a somewhat shocked expression on her face. “You mean your people used that thing?”

A combination of shame and regret passed over the Doctor’s features. He sighed dejectedly. “My people swore to remain completely passive towards the pain and suffering of the inhabitants on other worlds, in other times, other dimensions. But, they were just a tad hypocritical about it. There were, throughout the history of my planet, Time Lords who had no qualms about they themselves meddling in the lives of others, about tormenting, even killing, whoever got in their way–particularly, if it served their own twisted purposes.” The Doctor added bitterly. He looked at Donna, and seeing his eyes, she swore that she could almost feel his anguish. “Galifrey was a beautiful world, but her history wasn’t always so pretty, sometimes.” He gulped in a breath, as if trying to swallow his pain whole. Unexpectedly, an alarm sounded. The Doctor froze, and Donna was so startled, that she nearly let the half-conscious Captain drop to the floor.

Now standing near the door of the lab, the Gadtok shouted triumphantly, “A Time Lord! Not just any Time Lord, but the Doctor! I should have known. It was you who caused the downfall of my people, long ago. Now, Doctor, you will die, the last of your kind, like I am the last of my kind! I and my people shall finally have their revenge!” The Doctor frowned, “What do you mean, the last of your kind?” Then a thought dawned on him. “Is that why you made those androids to look like you, because you don’t want anyone to know that you’re working alone?” The Gadtok snarled, “I may be the last of my kind, but I will have a new people to do my bidding–the people of Earth. And now, I think, it is time for you to become an extinct species, Doctor!”

At that, the doorway was suddenly filled with several of the armed androids. At Pythaneas’ word, three laser-bows were leveled at the Doctor and the two women. Without hesitation, the Doctor ducked, shoving Donna and Captain Morton into a sort of huddle. In the same instant, he’d snatched what looked suspiciously like an ornate bracelet from a nearby table. “This is a fine time to be stealing jewelry,” Donna muttered, as the air shimmered about them. Three deadly laser beams flashed into empty space, drilling smoking holes in the wall, as the Doctor and his companions disappeared.

CHAPTER TWELEVE

Donna found herself falling into a heap of soft sand. She felt disoriented and only vaguely heard the Doctor yelp in pain. She looked around in a daze, somewhat stunned to find that out of the blue, the three of them seemed to have ended up in a desert somewhere. She looked over at the Doctor, who seemed preoccupied with pulling a cactus thorn out of a very tender spot on his body. Captain Morton gave a low moan and sat up, looking very bewildered.

Helping the captain to her feet, Donna brushed herself off and stared at the Doctor, who was now bent over in a very odd position, pulling more thorns out of his trouser legs and mumbling in gibberish–Donna thought that it sounded suspiciously like he was swearing. He was, but in old low Galifreyan, so as not to offend the ladies. Slowly, he straightened up, and noticed Donna’s bemused expression. The Doctor gave her a dirty look, then ignored her and pretended to be occupied with brushing the sand off of him. “What was that all about, Doctor? How did we get here?” Captain Morton demanded indignantly. Removing his coat, the Doctor gazed at their hot and dusty surroundings. Pointing at the bejeweled bracelet on his wrist, he said, “That’s a time ring. My people often used it for emergency temporal shifts. Not a fun way to travel–time travel without a capsule, even with our own superior technology, can still give one a bit of a turn.”

Captain Morton Morton gaped at the Doctor. ‘You mean you just used that thing on us, without even knowing where we might end up?” The Doctor shrugged and said tersely, “Would you have preferred getting roasted by a laser? Sorry, but there wasn’t time to programme it to take you to the Riviera. In fact, there wasn’t any time to do much more than trigger it to go to its last location.” Pausing, he gingerly rubbed his bottom, saying resentfully, “I don’t know what you’re complaining about. At least you landed on something soft.” The Doctor stopped, and placing his hands upon her shoulders, he looked down into Captain Morton’s eyes.

Genuinely concerned, he asked, “Are you alright? The mind probe can be quite a terrible experience. Believe me, I know.” She gave him a warm smile. “Yes, I believe you do. I’m alright, Doctor. I’m still a bit wobbly, but none the worse for wear, thank you. It’s probably no worse than getting cactus thorns in your…” “Aren’t we missing someone?” The Doctor interrupted, “Where’s Donna got to?” Captain Morton glanced at the bleak landscape. “She’s exploring that little sand dune behind you. Just where did that thing send us to, Doctor?” Taking a deep breath, he commented, “Well, by the density of the atmosphere, the oxygen ratio, and the single sun, I’d say we’re…” “We’re thirty miles from Las Vegas.” Donna called down to them. The Doctor turned to her, his face incredulous. “How in the worlds would you know that?”

Several minutes later, the Doctor and the two women were standing beside a two-lane road with their thumbs out, next to a sign reading: ‘Las Vegas 30.’ Donna nudged the Doctor. “Why can’t you just use that posh bracelet of yours again?” The Doctor shook his head negatively. “For one thing, Donna, short distances can be very tricky for time travel devices–even the Tardis. And two,” He paused, considering just how much he could tell his companions, without alarming them too much, “if the Gadtoks have been using this thing, then they might also be able to trace it’s movements.” He spied a car coming down the road. “Which is why I need you girls to–if you’ll forgive my male chauvinism, show a little leg, to get us out of here as quickly as possible.”

The car turned out to be a cherry red vintage Cadillac convertible. It slowed down and stopped. Resting his hands on the left front door, the Doctor leaned in and beamed a hopeful smile at the driver. “Hello!” The pretty young blond had slipped her sunglasses up over her hair, and was giving the Doctor a long look. “Hi,” She finally replied, “need a lift?” “Well, as a matter of fact, we do.” He said, indicating his two friends. The blond frowned. “We? Who’s–oh.” She cast a glance over her shoulder at Donna and Captain Morton, who were standing a little apart from the Doctor. “Are those two gals with you? You like older women, huh? Too bad for me, I guess. Oh, alright, pile in.” She patted the seat beside her. “You can sit here next to me, handsome.’ She winked at him, “I may even let you play with my radio.” The Doctor had no idea why she thought he’d want to listen to music, but smiled politely, saying, “Oh, that’s nice.” Donna and Captain Morton piled in the back. The Doctor threw his coat in the back seat, which landed on Donna, opened the door and slid in beside the driver. The Doctor caught a glance at her in the rearview mirror, and wondered why his friend had such a churlish expression on her face. “Older women,” Donna was muttering to herself, “try just a human coat rack…”

As the Cadillac sped through the desert morning, the young woman chatted up the Doctor. “So, did your car break down? I didn’t see anything on the road, but then, I’m so excited about this new job I’m going to, I probably wouldn’t have noticed an elephant on roller skates by the side of the road.” The Doctor opened his mouth to point out that she saw him, but didn’t get the chance, as the young lady just continued talking, as if not expecting any answer. So, the Doctor just smiled and nodded. “I’m an actress, but I just got this great gig at one of the big casinos. I’ve never done much dancing, but hey, a girl has to start somewhere, and besides, this showgirl gig is paying some big bucks. It’s at that new casino on the strip, the Egyptian one.”

About twenty minutes of non-stop chatter later, the blond pulled into a petrol station on the outskirts of the city. She smiled apologetically at the Doctor. “Sorry, but I just noticed that my gas tank’s bouncing offa’ empty, gotta’ fill ‘er up before I get into the city. It’s much cheaper in the suburbs, ya’ know, and what with the price of gas these days…” In the back of his mind, the Doctor wondered how this woman ever managed to find the time to breathe. “I won’t be a minute. Why don’t you grab yourself a soda, and stretch your legs? These pre-pay pumps are a real pain. No one trusts anyone anymore….” With a wave, she went inside the petrol station.

The Doctor and the two women got out of the car, and strolled over to a nearby vending machine, standing up against the wall of the building. Surreptitiously looking around, the Doctor slipped his sonic screwdriver into his hand, and held it against the machine. It buzzed, and three ice cold cans of orange flavoured soda dropped down, one after the other. Captain Morton raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that illegal in this part of the world?” The Doctor shrugged. “It cost the company less than five pence per can to make this stuff, and in return they sell it for…” he peered at the price on the machine, “the equivalent of seventy-five p, so I don’t think three cans are going to send them into bankruptcy.” Passing them out, the Doctor looked around at their surroundings, at the same time, without anyone noticing, he pulled a large silver coin out of his trouser pocket and slipped it into the coin drop.

As the three of them sipped their sodas, Donna noticed a public transit bus pulling up to a nearby kerb. Two men dressed like Elvis–one attired as young Elvis and one dressed as the older, “Vegas” version, complete with scarf and sunglasses, got off the bus. The young Elvis was carrying a guitar case. For a moment, they simply stood there, apparently talking. The pair seemed to be admiring the young actress’s red convertible.

Donna nudged the Doctor and pointed at the two men. “Well, there’s a sight you’d not see every day, even in the Tardis.” She giggled. The Doctor turned around inquiringly, and saw the pair, who had also turned to stare at the Doctor. He snorted. “Humans! I offer to show you the wonders of the universe, but instead you’d rather gawp at a couple of fake Elvis’?” “Personally, I always thought his talent was a bit overrated.” Captain Morton smirked.

Still, there was something strange about the pair, the Doctor thought. “Oh, young Elvis was brilliant, but I do think he could have laid off of those peanut butter and banana sandwiches a bit more, as he got older.” He said. “Mind you, they do taste rather marvelous–he stopped, as the Elvis’ began walking towards them. The one on the left was unzipping his guitar bag, and the Doctor’s eyes narrowed. He watched as Elvis the younger pulled two compact laser rifles out of the bag and handed one to his older-looking counterpart. “Donna, captain,” the Doctor yelled, pulling them by their arms, “Run!” Dropping their sodas, the three of them sprinted around the corner of the building. A blaze of light knocked off a chunk of concrete from the front of the building, where they’d been standing just seconds before.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

They ran behind a small row of shops, and hid behind a large green roll off dumpster, parked behind a pizzeria. They ducked down as the pair of Elvis assassins rapidly stalked by. Captain Morton watched them go. “I know I said he was overrated, but don’t you think this is a bit of an overreaction?” “Fans,” the Doctor quipped, “they’ll do anything to defend their heroes.” The Doctor felt a tug on his suit sleeve. “Why can’t we use that bracelet thing and go back to the Tardis?” “Well,” the Doctor gesticulated vaguely with his hand, “We could go back up there, I suppose, but it’s much more interesting down here, don’t you think?” Then, a bit more somberly, he added, “Besides, I left the time ring in my coat pocket, and that seems to have gone missing, for the moment. So, we’re stuck here for a while, I’m afraid.” He stood up and stalked down the litter-strewn alley. “Come on now, the both of you, let’s see if we can find ourselves a better place to hide, shall we?”

The three of them carefully negotiated their way through several alleys and side roads. The Doctor looked around and relaxed slightly, loosening his tie “Well, the coast is clear, for now. But we have to get under cover.” It was getting on towards noon, and Captain Morton and Donna were panting with the heat. Captain Morton tugged the Doctor’s arm suddenly. There, at the end of the alley, was young Elvis. They spun around to run the other way, only to find the chubby Elvis blocking that end as well. “Oh, that’s just not fair!” Donna cried, “Now what?”

The Doctor noticed that young Elvis had walked next to a fenced in area housing some electrical utility pylons. Whipping out his screwdriver, he focused the sonic beam at one of the pylons. Instantly, flashes of blue-white light shot out from the metal, and one of the charges hit young Elvis square on the chest, causing his head to blow off. Without waiting, the Doctor charged towards the downed figure, the ladies following. A bolt of green energy flashed over their heads as they ducked and ran. Like a professional footballer, the Doctor kicked Elvis’ head up in the air, and caught it in his arms. Not slowing down, he and his friends dashed between two parked trucks and into a different alleyway. One of the trucks exploded behind them, blocking the alley.

After running past yet another row of stores–what the Americans called a ‘strip mall’, and into an industrial estate, they paused for a moment in the shade of a cinderblock building. Donna looked at Elvis’ head tucked under the Doctor’s arm with considerable distaste. “I hope you’re not planning on carting that thing around the Tardis with you. I don’t want to spend my time in there, hunting around for air freshener, because you’ve suddenly developed a strange fetish for decomposing heads.”

Captain Morton looked curiously at the remains of young Elvis. “There’s no blood, so I don’t think you have to worry about that. Are they androids as well, Doctor?” He shook his head. “No–but a very good guess though.” Donna, not to be outdone, piped up, “Are they robots then, like those awful Santa’s at my wedding reception?” She Shuddered at the memory, and Captain Morton gave her an odd look. “Why would you have Santa’s at a wedding reception?” The Doctor glanced at the captain, and said flippantly, “Oh, they were having a ball–dozens of them, actually.” Donna glared at the Doctor and retorted, “What is it with you and robots! Do you like, put on robot scent in the morning? One sniff and they can’t resist you?” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Robo-scent? I like that! I could market that on Exo-seven, they’ve got fully functional robots there.”

Getting serious, the Doctor looked at Donna and tossed her the head. “These are slightly more sophisticated than the empress’s robo-scavengers, but at least they aren’t as intelligent as the androids. They can’t outthink their opponent, or come up with new strategy’s to counteract your defenses. Unfortunately, the down side of that, is, that they’re rather single-minded. Like bloodhounds on a scent.” Captain Morton sighed. “You mean these killer robots won’t give up easily?”

The Doctor frowned, “No, afraid not,” he muttered, looking down the alley. “And I’ll wager that the other one’s still out there. Methinks that we probably haven’t seen the last of the king of rock and roll.” Taking the head back from Donna, he showed the women the open neck, with wires protruding from it. “The Gadtoks were always a very ingenious race. Building androids and robots was to them, what building automobiles and washing machines are to you. Just some handy gadgets to make the Gadtok’s lives a bit easier. They are mainly intellectual creatures you see, and believe anything requiring manual labour is beneath them. Including killing, I’m afraid.” Donna looked at the head again and shivered.

An hour later, Donna and Captain Morton were seated on a low wall, in the shade of a tree, waiting for the Doctor. He’d gone searching for a place where they could hide from the other robot Elvis. Captain Morton was sitting cradling Elvis in her arms, because, as the Doctor pointed out, the sight of it might attract some unwanted attention. They were both relieved to see the Doctor coming down the walkway. “Right!” He chortled, “I’ve found the perfect place to hideaway, while I figure out what the Gadtoks are up to here.”

After walking for what seemed to Dona, several miles, the Doctor stopped and pointed. “There we are ladies, the perfect place!” Donna looked at what he’d pointed to, and her jaw dropped. “The Travelodge? You’ve got to be kidding!” The Doctor seemed quite astonished by her reaction. “Why would I joke about that?” Donna stared at him in disbelief, and then gave a resigned sigh. “Well, at least it’s not the Bates Motel.” The Doctor jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “Nahh–they were closed.” Donna looked. Across the road was a run down motor court, bearing the sign, ‘Bates Motel.’

They walked up to the lobby doors and the Doctor hesitated. Captain Morton sighed, “Now what’s wrong, Doctor?” He searched around his clothing, “I’d nearly forgotten. You have to pay for rooms, don’t you? I’ll have to find a cash machine somewhere.” Donna shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary this time, Doctor.” He looked at her curiously. “No? Why not?” She smiled and pulled a credit card from her trousers and waved it at him. “Because, this time, I have pockets!” Captain Morton watched the exchange with a puzzled expression, thinking that her two new friends really were a pair of oddballs.

After Donna had registered for them, they sat in their motel room, while the Doctor decided on their next move. Donna and Captain Morton had a quick wash, then, after ordering sandwiches and drinks from the coffee shop, the three of them watched television for a few minutes. The Doctor wanted to find out if there had been any mention of the killer Elvis’ on the news. But, aside from a report of some sort of vandalism at a local petrol station, a small power failure and a truck mysteriously catching fire, there was nothing else on the tele, to indicate that anything untoward had happened. Donna turned it off. “So, we’re not in the future any longer, we’re back in my time?” She asked.

The Doctor leaned back on the bed, his hands resting behind his head. “Yeah,” he said vaguely. Sucking in his breath, he added, “It’s rather good timing for it, I suppose. The world was–is, sorry, becoming more and more chaotic. Everyone is rushing about everywhere, becoming obsessed with, or paranoid about, some new thing or other every five minutes. They’re glued to their televisions, to their computers, chatting and texting to each other on their mobiles, walking around with I-Pod’s screwed into their ears. People are far less self-aware, far less conscious of their surroundings, of each other for that matter, than they were as little as twenty-five or thirty years ago.” He smiled sadly. “I mean, just go inside any of your big super-duper discount stores, and observe the shoppers for a little while. No offense, but to the Gadtoks, turning your lot into a bunch of zombie slaves must seem like a piece of cake.”

A while later, the two women enjoyed the feel of the air conditioning, taking turns looking out the windows to see if any more Elvis’ showed up. The motel stood on a slight hill, and they had an excellent view, with the big casinos of Las Vegas clearly seen in the distance. Slipping on his glasses, the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver, and began tinkering with Elvis’ head. Captain Morton sat down beside him, while Donna took her turn at the window. “What are you doing with that?” She asked.

Without looking up, he said, “Well, I’m going to try to activate the remote control signal’s signature relay, in what’s left of the king here. If I can find some trace of that, I might be able to use it to pinpoint the location of the Gadtok’s base.” Captain Morton frowned, “Won’t that be a little dangerous? I mean, won’t the Gadtoks be aware that the signal’s been reactivated?” The Doctor shook his head. “No. This will be strictly a one-way transmission, from me to them. Besides,” he added, “the signal I’ll be using would be too weak for them to trace, anyway.”

With one final buzz from the screwdriver, the Doctor jumped up and exclaimed, “There! That’s got it!” Pressing down on the sonic, the Doctor waved it around the room. The humming got weaker as he pointed it behind him. He pointed at the sides and it became stronger, but when he pointed the device directly at Donna, the humming got quite loud. Captain Morton raised an eyebrow at the Doctor. “Well, that worked. Will you be blowing Donna’s head off too, now?” “Oi!” Donna laughed, “I’m quite fond of my head, thanks.”

The Doctor took off his glasses and began to pace the floor around the bed. He seemed genuinely perplexed. “I need to think.” He looked at Captain Morton, with a tense expression on his face. “Captain, this is important. I need you to think hard. When Pythaneas was interrogating you, did he mention anything about what they might be doing here? Anything at all that might help?” She bent her head in concentration. “We did have rather a lengthy conversation, but unfortunately I was a bit out of it at the time, I’m afraid.”

The Doctor’s face fell, and he sighed. She paused, “Wait a minute.” The Doctor looked at her hopefully. “I do seem to remember him talking about pyramids and mind control. He mentioned that they’d built some sort of new project here in the United States, similar to what they had on ancient Earth long ago.” “You mean like a great big shiny new pyramid?” Donna asked.

Both the Doctor and Captain Morton turned, surprised. “Yes, exactly.” the Doctor said. “But, for it to work properly, for the amount of power it would have to generate, the sheer size of the thing would have to be enormous. I don’t see how they could build something like that without anyone noticing.” With a flourish, Donna pulled the curtains at the window wide open. “You mean, like that one, down there?” There, in the distance, was a huge glass pyramid. “They opened the Aswan casino not long ago, they had this big do, with all sorts of celebrities. I remember seeing it on the tele.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Doctor went to door, and then he paused, his hand on the knob. Captain Morton looked at him expectantly, “What is it?” The Doctor’s face became thoughtful. “I’m not sure I should drag the pair of you into this. It could be terribly dangerous. Who knows how many robots they may have out there, roaming the city.” The captain shook her head. “I’m afraid that you’re stuck with me, Doctor. You forget, my ship–and yours, are still out there in the vortex. I have my duty to see to.” Donna nodded, “And, don’t think you’re getting rid of me so easily, either.” She chided.

The Doctor smiled warmly at them. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t forgotten.” He sighed with good natured resignation, and squeezed Donna’s shoulder affectionately. “Oh, alright, you’ve twisted my arm.” Giving them both a lopsided grin, he added, “Come on, ladies; let’s go gambling, shall we?”

The Doctor opened the door, only to find the elder Elvis standing there. The Doctor slammed the door and sonicked the lock for extra measure. Captain Morton shook her head reproachfully, “So, the signal was too weak to trace? Apparently, they have much stronger equipment than you’d realized,” she chided him. Looking quickly around for an escape route, he said tersely, “Yes, I am quite aware of that now, but thank you for your comments.” Elvis began banging on the door. Taking a deep breath, the continued, “Right then, you two should know the procedure for being chased by homicidal robots by now. You don’t need me to tell you.” Donna stared at him, open-mouthed. “But, you’ve just locked us in. And, there’s no way out.” The Doctor shrugged lamely. “What can I say? Bad habits are hard to break.”

Less than two minutes had passed, when the stout robot broke down the door. As it did so, it heard glass breaking in the bathroom. Charging into the bath, it saw the open window there. Turning around, it marched out the door, and headed for the back of the motel. Several minutes passed. Then, the door of the bathroom’s vanity was nudged open by a red trainer. Groaning from sitting in such a cramped position, the Doctor slowly straightened out the kinks in his back. “Blimey!” He exclaimed. “Another nine hundred and fifty years of this, and I’m gonna’ need a bloomin’ chiropractor!”

From beneath one of the room’s two beds, Donna’s head popped out. The closet door opened, and Captain Morton craned her neck around, making sure the coast was clear. The Doctor walked over and helped Donna to her feet. Grinning mischievously, he said, “A little bit of clever misdirection, ey? Just like Sigfried and Roy–only without the tigers, ha-ha. Only, between you and me, I think a killer Elvis is much more exciting than a tiger.”

A few hours later, after wending their way carefully through the city, the trio found themselves staring up at the Aswan Casino and Hotel. It had been built to resemble a giant Egyptian pyramid. Only, instead of stone blocks, the sides of the hotel were covered with huge plates of smoky glass. Even the Doctor seemed somewhat impressed by it. On their journey, they’d paused at a shop, so that Captain Morton could change from her space coveralls into something far less conspicuous. She was now dressed in an elegant gray trouser suit, and had also exchanged her military boots for a pair of low-heeled black flats. Standing in an alley across the street from the hotel, the three of them paused, all of them scanning for any sign of the robot Elvis. They’d had a false alarm in the shop, when a genuine Elvis impersonator had walked in with his girlfriend. “So, how do we get in without them spotting us?” Donna asked. The Doctor eyed two busloads of tourists disembarking at the main entrance. Linking his arms through the arms of the two women, he said, “Why, through the front door, of course!”

Mingling with a mixture of elderly Americans and young Japanese tourists, the Doctor and his companions entered the doors of the casino. Most of the new arrivals headed straight for the reservations desk, but a small group spilt off and went through a doorway marked, “PHAROAH’S JACKPOT SLOTS.” Trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible, the Doctor followed the die-hard gamblers.

The three of them threaded their way through a dizzying maze of multi-coloured flashing, pinging and jangling machines, until they came to a darkened corner. It seemed to be a bit quieter here, enough so, that they could actually hear the canned music being piped in over the speakers recessed into the casino’s ceiling The Doctor paused in front of a row of slots that weren’t being played for the moment. Removing a plastic beer cup that someone had left, he sat down on one of the stools, absently watching the video display. “You picked a funny time to want to have a go at the fruit machines,” Donna quipped. The Doctor grinned, “Life’s a gamble. You only lose if you never play.” Captain Morton looked at him curiously. “Doctor, what makes you so sure we weren’t spotted coming in through the front door like that?”

The Doctor paused, in such a way, that Donna was half afraid of what he was going to say next. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and genuinely seemed apologetic. “Ah. Well, actually…I did want them to know. Sorry.” Donna gave him a look, “So, the plan is…?” The Doctor shrugged, “Well, we could just sit here and wait for their CCTV cameras to pick us up, or,” he grinned boyishly and held up the sonic screwdriver, “we could help things along a little.”

Slipping his glasses on, the Doctor hunched over the screen of the machine. The tip of the screwdriver turned blue and hummed gently. All at once, the lights on top of the machine began to pulse, and bells starting ringing loudly, as a fountain of silver coins suddenly were spewed onto the floor. Within minutes, two security guards turned up, and one politely asked the Doctor and his friends to accompany him to the security office. Taking off his glasses, the Doctor delightedly obliged him. “This way then? The Doctor pointed to a door in a nearby alcove, marked “Employees only” and strode off. The guard and the two women had to rush to keep up with him.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The guard indicated that they should take the stairs leading down into the casino’s basement. But, just as they were halfway down, the guard’s walky-talky on his belt gave off a blipping noise. Pausing on the stairs, he picked it up and listened to some instructions, his face registering surprise. “Are you sure? He never has visitors!” There was a terse answer, and the guard shrugged. “Okay then, tell him we’ll be there directly.” Pausing on a landing, the man stopped and pushed a button on the lift there. “Where are you taking us?” Captain Morton asked. The guard shrugged. “For some reason, the big boss has taken an interest in the three of you, so we’re gonna’ take a little trip on the elevator.” “Why? Who’s the boss?” Donna inquired curtly.

The guard shrugged and pointed upwards. “He’s the guy who built this place. He runs everything top to bottom. A real tight ship, it is, too. Ain’t nothin’ happens here, that he don’t know about. As to why he’s taken a sudden interest in you, I don’t have a clue, lady. All I know is that he’s asked to speak to you personally. What else goes on, it ain’t none of my business. I just work here.” The Doctor had remained uncharacteristically silent through this whole exchange. But, he had noticed that once inside the lift, the guard had needed to use a special key, and that key was for the sub-basement. Leaning against the wall, the Doctor beamed a smile at the guard.

Exiting the lift, the guard motioned to the Doctor and his companions to turn right. They followed him down a series of long and short hallways. The walls were yellow-painted cinderblock and white conduit pipes lined the ceiling. There were few doors here, and most of them were marked “Maintenance Only.” All this time, the Doctor just quietly strolled along behind, his hands in his pockets, seeming content to play follow the leader. Until, that is, they went past a heavy metal door, painted gray, with the words ‘DO NOT ENTER.’ printed boldly in red across the middle of it.

The Doctor stopped, and stared at it thoughtfully. “Erm–excuse me.” He asked politely–more like a tourist than a prisoner, “Could you please tell me what is behind that door?” The guard shook his head. “No idea. It’s a restricted area, no one’s allowed in there, ever.” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “What, you mean no one ever?” He repeated. “Not even the odd maintenance person or cleaning lady? Wow, must be a right mess in there, by now.” The guard merely grunted and said, “You heard me, no admittance to anyone. Not ever. Now get moving.” As they walked on, Donna gave the Doctor an odd look, in return, the Doctor grinned at her and winked mischievously.

At the end of the hall, they came to a large, black-painted door. On the door was a small plaque, which read: ‘M. A. Fortini.’ Underneath the name was written, ‘Director of Operations.’ There was an intercom next to the door. Their guard pressed the button. “Yes? What is it?” A deep male voice asked gruffly. The guard told them he’d arrived with the casino’s “guests.” With a buzz, the black door swung open. The guard escorted them into a small room, which looked more like it belonged in a penthouse suite, than in some damp and musty basement. The walls were richly lined in mahogany paneling, and hung with expensive paintings picturing race horses, golfers and other sporting events. Underfoot was deep, plush red carpeting. Adding to this spectacle was a posh chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The only piece of furniture in the room though, was an enormous, highly polished wooden desk of dark walnut. Seated behind that desk, staring at a computer monitor, was a man who looked to Donna, like he’d stepped right out of a television programme she’d seen not long ago, about the American Mafia.

The man ordered the guard to leave. As the door closed behind him, there was the unmistakable sound of some internal bolt being shot home. They were locked in. The man at the desk was barrel-chested and pot-bellied. He appeared to be in his forties, with dark, slicked back hair. The man, whom Captain Morton assumed was Mr. Fortini, was wearing a black double breasted suit with a blood red silk tie, and he had a heavy gold and ruby ring adorning one finger. An unlit cigar in an ashtray, and a glass containing some kind of liquor were the only other objects on the desk, besides the computer. The three of them were obviously going to be forced to stand there–there were no other chairs but the one the man was sitting in, and wait. A not so subtle intimidation tactic, Captain Morton thought. She glanced at Donna, who was tapping her foot impatiently, and very obviously getting annoyed.

The Doctor, however, had wandered off, and was strolling down the walls, admiring the paintings. Donna decided the Doctor had the right idea, and she walked over to the opposite wall, to look at a painting of a race horse hitched to a light, two-wheeled cart. She read the title underneath: ‘Dan Patch 2:08.’ “Oh, that was brilliant!” Donna turned. The Doctor was standing behind her, smiling. “I remember that! Minnesota State Fair, summer of nineteen-o-seven, a match race, two of the greatest harness racers of their time–.” The Doctor was interrupted by a shout from the desk. “This is not meant to be a stroll down memory lane! You are my prisoners and you will remain here!”

The Doctor remained immobile, the look on his face suddenly powerful and glowering. “Or you’ll do what?” He asked disdainfully, “Dock me three weeks pay?” You’re nothing but a cut-rate, glorified accounting machine.” With a snarl, the man rose from the desk. “You know nothing, you little toad. Since you do not know me, I will let you in on a little secret. I am not just in charge here. I have total power over everything. I can keep all of you here, indefinitely…if you get my meaning. As a matter of fact, I believe they are pouring the concrete for the foundation of our new addition tomorrow. With a snap of my fingers, I can make it your tomb.”

The Doctor snorted derisively. “Oh, come on! Aren’t you being just a little overdramatic? You’ve been watching too many Gangster films.” He strode over, and placed both hands on the desk. Leaning forward, the Doctor stared Fortini in the eye, and said solemnly, “You see, I know exactly what you are, and trust me, I am not one to be impressed by some crackpot managerial android…model Fourteen-E, if I’m not mistaken–and I hardly ever am.”

The Doctor heard Captain Morton stifle a cough behind his back, but continued talking, his mind working furiously. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I already know. The Gadtoks put you in charge down here, because even in Vegas, they’d hardly blend in, would they? And who better to run the physic power hub than an android specifically built for upper management? Oh, and you can stop with the threats. I know that every one of your models came with a built-in fail-safe switch. Any act of violence on your part, and you stop working. Oh, you can inflict damage, but, you have to get others to do it for you.”

The Doctor’s face had a set expression on it, a lean, hard look that Donna had never noticed before. “Oh yes, Model Fourteen-E, I do know you. It was one of your own kind that allowed itself to be bribed by the Daleks, while the allied conference was being held on Arcalia, during the Time War–a conference that it helped me to arrange. Its treachery allowed the Daleks to destroy Arcalia, one of the greatest civilizations in the known universe. In the end, I was forced to watch it burn, watched my own planet burn, because of…” He stopped. The Doctor felt Donna’s hand on his arm, felt himself shaking with anger. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to be calm. Lowering his voice, he continued, “Oh, you’re a slippery lot, you are.” The Doctor pointed at his head. “Faulty brain circuit, I reckon it is. A manufacturing defect! They should have sold the whole lot of you off for scrap, years ago.” Before the gangster-android could react, the Doctor suddenly placed his hands under the edge of the desk, and sent it toppling backwards, knocking Fourteen-E to the floor.

The Doctor ran to the door, whipping out the screwdriver as he went. Donna and Captain Morton were right beside him. In seconds he had it flung open, was bolting down the hall towards the gray door that he’d asked the guard about, earlier. Since he already had the sonic screwdriver in his hand, it only took a matter of a second to open it. The three of them got inside and the Doctor locked it. He spied a heavy wooden crate nearby, and with the help of Donna and the captain, managed to nudge the crate up against the door, for good measure. Captain Morton looked around. They were in a low-ceilinged room, criss-crossed with pipes, and dimly lit by a single florescent light. However, there was also an almost eerie green glow coming from somewhere.

The room didn’t seem to be in use. There were a few more conduit pipes on the walls, some old fruit machines in one corner and odd bits of disused machinery scattered about. But, it wasn’t until the three of them went to the centre of the room that they noticed where the green glow was coming from. There, sitting on the floor was a rectangular box, which seemed to be made of stone. The glow was from some kind of force field that surrounded the sarcophagus

The sides of the stone box were covered with an intricate pattern of ancient hieroglyphics. Additionally, it also seemed to have some sort of archaic writing on the lid. Donna bent over to read it. “Caution: Improper manipulation of the tryamene field can cause physic feedback overload. Do not remove this lid. Contact an authorized technician for repair.” She frowned. “Tryamene? What’s that?” Captain Morton looked at Donna with genuine surprise. “Never mind that, how on earth did were you able to decipher that writing? It looks like nothing more than gibberish to me!”

The Doctor stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, eying the box thoughtfully. “It’s the Tardis–my ship. It automatically translates writing and languages for anyone that’s been on board. You haven’t so, it wouldn’t work for you.” He glanced at Donna, “Tryamene is the type of energy the Gadtoks use to manipulate the invisible geomophic grid surrounding the Earth. That’s what this is Donna, it’s the physic grid manipulator. It’s impervious to everything but certain types of atomic energy–such as that which is put out by particle accelerators. Oh, it doesn’t stop the energy field from working, but it can give machines like this,” he nodded towards the box, “a bad case of indigestion, you might say.” Captain Morton Morton stared at the object. “So, that’s why they attacked my ship, because it gave them indigestion?”

The Doctor gave a belch. “Excuse me. Knew I shouldn’t have had that bacon double cheeseburger back at the motel,” he said, thumping his chest. He burped again and made a face. “No that’s wrong. It was the dill pickle.” The Doctor had out his screwdriver once again, and was holding it up, pressing down on the device. As the sonic hummed, the green field began pulse, and then, it slowly faded. As the Doctor reached to remove the lid, the captain stopped him. “Are you sure that’s safe, Doctor? You’re not an authorized technician.” Flashing Captain Morton a big grin, he said, “I am now!”

The Doctor very delicately removed the lid. Peering inside the box, he whispered, “Listen, you two, I need you to stand by the door and let me know if anyone is coming, alright? Off you go now.” Donna hesitated, as if about to protest, but Captain Morton nudged her and gave her a reassuring look. “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.” She whispered. As Donna reluctantly left to check the door, Captain Morton lingered for a moment. “I know I don’t have to say this, Doctor, but, do be careful.” She said quietly, and walked away. Without her knowing, the Doctor had turned to watch her. For a fleeting second, a wistful expression crossed his face, then, he went back to his task.

Inside the box, there was a tangle of multi-coloured wires and complex circuitry. The doctor gingerly fingered several wires, looking for the right one. He hadn’t told his companions, but if he made just the slightest error, the whole thing would blow, and there would be a great big smoking hole, where half of Las Vegas used to be. Sweat beaded his forehead as he delicately crossed a set of wires and sonicked a small silver disk they were attached to. Just then, there came a pounding on the door. The two women rushed over. He stood and motioned for them to follow him. The Doctor led them to a narrow door. “If I’m right,” he explained urgently, “this is a utility access that should lead to somewhere outside of the building. You should be safe there.” He paused, looking at them gravely, “But if I don’t join you soon, I want you both to get out of the city. I mean that.”

The Doctor turned to go, but Donna grabbed his arm. “Wait, what are you going to do?” He touched her arm, “I need to finish the job. It’s not just that ship up in the vortex that’s at stake, but billions of people here on earth are in danger, as well.” The Doctor looked at her seriously. “I have to do this.” Donna gave him a tight smile, and said “Right then, you go and save the world, and I’ll keep an eye peeled for our homicidal Elvis. Maybe I can talk him into eating a dill pickle.” The Doctor chuckled. Donna ducked into the hatchway. He stopped her. “Good luck,” he said, smiling. She nodded. “You too,” she said, and closed the door. Running back to the box, the Doctor’s fingers flew, sorting more wires, as the pounding on the door increased.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Donna and Captain Morton found themselves in a narrow tunnel, lined with bundles of wiring and more conduit pipes. It was fairly dark, lit only by a few dim yellow lights, spaced widely apart. Bending down to avoid hitting their heads on the ceiling, they went forward, hoping that they were going in the right direction. Meanwhile, the Doctor was just gently replacing the lid on the stone box, when the door crashed in. He looked at the entrance to the utility passage that the girls had just gone through, anxiously. But, it was too late to make the run for it, for several armed guards were already trying to force their way through the gap in the hallway door. He’d be shot down before he could get there.

On the main stage of the Aswan’s showroom, the six o’clock dinner show was in full swing. Coloured lights pulsated and music blared out, as Anthony and Cleopatra danced a tango, amid a swirl of scantily clad showgirls. In the semi-darkness under the stage, a small side door creaked open. Donna and Captain Morton squeezed through and cringed, as they were assaulted by the loud music from above. The two of them searched for a way out, but couldn’t find a door. Donna looked around. “We must be under the stage. I wonder why it’s so hot down here?” Then, Captain Morton noticed what looked like a small lift. Finding the controls, she motioned to Donna. Shouting to be heard above the noise, she said, “I think I’ve found us a way out. Follow me.”

The Doctor was crawling through a confined space. He’d used the spare few seconds of the guard’s distraction, as they were getting through the door, to hop up on a piece of machinery and wriggle into an air duct that was just above the sarcophagus. He’d then had to wait motionless, flat on his stomach, so as to make no sound. Down below he could hear the guards searching the room for him. Then He’d heard Fourteen-E come storming in, demanding to know where his prisoners had got to.

The Doctor wasn’t worried about the android. He was worried, however, when he overheard him instruct the guards to do something with the air ducts. Unfortunately, Fourteen-E had been too far away for the Doctor to hear exactly what he’d had in mind. Then, air began to be pumped through the ducts, and it was getting warmer by the second. In minutes, the sides of the air duct were blistering hot. The Doctor was forced to stick his hands up his suit sleeves as he crawled along. Even a Time Lord has only just so much tolerance for the heat. “Well,” he whispered, the sweat pouring from him, “Dean Martin did tell me once, that I’d have a hot time in Las Vegas. I guess he was right.”

Anthony had just dipped Cleo, partly encircled by glittering male and female dancers, when all of the sudden, the floor began to give way beneath them. Staggering back, the two performers barely missed tumbling over. A section of the floor in front of them had opened up, and under the spotlight, two women dressed in perfectly ordinary clothes appeared, as if transported there by magic. The audience laughed, thinking this was part of the show. Donna and the captain just stood there, blinking in astonishment. Then, Anthony got mad, and opened his mouth to yell at them to get off the stage. But, before he could utter a word, a flash of green light split the red horsehair ruff in his Roman helmet. He cried out in alarm, as a second flash left a smoking hole in a corner of his red cloak.

At first, audience members tittered nervously, as a tubby Elvis wearing sunglasses and a white jumpsuit, came stalking down the centre aisle, armed with a laser rifle. The chuckles turned to screams, as another nightmarish green bolt from the rifle cut down a female dancer on the stage. A casino security guard came through a side door. Standing under the red glare of the EXIT sign, he took careful aim and placed his shot square into Elvis’ head. The guard stood open-mouthed, as the shot merely glanced off of the head. It went, instead, into the shoulder of an audience member. The man had been frozen in place, staring at Elvis in shock, when ricochet from the guard’s bullet sent him tumbling backwards over the row of seats behind him. Before the guard could react, he was blasted down by the laser.

Pandemonium ensued as everyone scrambled to get out of the way of the killer robot. On stage, Donna and Captain Morton ducked and dodged to stay out of Elvis’ line of fire. Donna was bumped into the arms of a buff young man, wearing nothing but a pharaoh’s headdress and an elaborate loin cloth. “Oi! Maybe some other time, mate,” She yelled, “but right now I’m in a bit of a hurry!” He looked at her confusedly, and muttered, “Sorry, but I’m into show tunes.” Donna rolled her eyes at the captain. Just then, Captain Morton felt someone grab her by the arm. She whirled around to see Cleopatra confronting her. “Wow! You chicks really know how to break up an act!”

There were several more green flashes from the laser, as Elvis came closer to the stage, and the captain ducked instinctively. More screams erupted from the panicking dancers, and some of them were still milling about on stage, too dazed with fear to think of running away. Donna noticed Cleo for the first time. “Who’s your friend?” She asked, and then realized that it was none other than the blond who had given them the lift into town that morning. “Look, she shouted, “we need to get out of here, now. Can you help us?”

The Doctor was wringing wet. It was pitch dark, and he was using the blue glow of the sonic screwdriver to light his way. He’d been steadily crawling for about twenty minutes. Sweat poured off of him, as the metal sides of the air duct radiated the intense heat from the blast of hot air being pumped through. In fact, his suit jacket was starting to smolder, ever so slightly. The Doctor came to a junction, and saw a light at the end. It was tempting–too tempting. He hesitated, knowing that there might well be an armed reception committee waiting on the other side. All of the sudden, the Doctor noticed a metal plate bolted into the wall near his head. He quickly maneuvered his body in the tight space, and set to work with the screwdriver, undoing the bolts.

Ashley and Krystal were standing by the microwave inside the break room, in their burgundy smocks, deep in discussion. “Man, it’s hot down here! Why’d they turn off the air conditioning?” Ashley exclaimed. She undid the buttons of her uniform, revealing a yellow tee shirt underneath that had a picture of a lamb on it and the words, ‘I’m a baaad girl.’ in pink letters. “I dunno’.” Krystal replied, fanning herself with a redtop newspaper she’d found lying on the table. “But I’m glad I decided not to wear anything but my sports bra under my smock. Hey, by the way, I got that new CD yesterday, the one by The La’s.” Ashley nodded, “Yeah, that one’s good, but think the latest album by the Kaiser Chiefs is pretty cool, too.”

Without warning, a plate in the wall next to the two young housekeepers came crashing down. A red-faced, perspiring man in a blue pinstripe suit and red sneakers jumped from the hole. Grinning wildly, he stated, “Oh, I quite agree, the Kaiser Chief’s are brilliant!” He then asked politely, “Excuse me girls, but could you tell me where I am?” Ashley stared at the Doctor, and said, “This is the employee lounge.” Krystal pointed, adding “The stairs to the kitchen are outside the door, and to your left.” After the Doctor thanked them and trotted off, Ashley looked at Krystal. “Who was that?” Krystal shrugged. “Beats me, just some skinny British guy. He’s probably from upper management, making sure we’re not going over our break time, again. You know how uptight they are about every little thing.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

‘Cleopatra’ led the way backstage, and down a flight of stairs. Opening a door, the three of them found themselves in the employee’s car park at the rear of the casino. The woman walked over to her red Caddy, and opened the door. “I don’t know about you gals, but I think I’ll be taking the night off.” She reached inside and produced the Doctor’s coat, which she dumped into Donna’s arms. “That chic geek you were with, left this in the back seat. I thought he might be wanting it back, it can get pretty chilly in the desert at night.” She glanced at it. “Kinda’ reminds me of a coat I saw Janis Joplin wearing in an old photograph, a long time ago.” She rolled her eyes, “I used to have to listen to her stuff a lot. My mom’s so into her music, ya’ know?” With a wave and a, “See ya later!” the blond slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and drove off.

Donna led the way towards the front of the casino. Captain Morton grabbed her by the arm and stopped her. “Where do you think you’re going?” She asked tersely. Donna turned to face her. She was a bit put out with the captain’s sudden authoritarian manner. “I’m going to find the Doctor, if that’s alright with you–General.” The captain shook her head negatively. “But, you heard his instructions. He said that if he didn’t rejoin us, we were to leave the city.” Donna retorted, “Well, I have to give him back his coat, don’t I?” Walking briskly away, she said over her shoulder, “Like blondie said back there. It’s gets cold around here at night.” Captain Morton threw up her hands, and sighing heavily, she trailed along in Donna’s wake.

They were halfway along the side of the building, when the door on a landing suddenly burst open in front of them. The two women recoiled, thinking it was Elvis again. But, it was only the Doctor. He was looking a bit worse for wear, but stood there grinning like a Cheshire cat, at the sight of his friends. He leaped over the railing and embraced Donna. “My coat! I love that coat! Did I ever tell you that Janis Joplin gave that to me?” Reaching into a pocket, he slipped the time ring on his wrist. “Mind you, I would’ve been ready to give it back to her, a few minutes ago. Still,” taking it from Donna, he shrugged into it and smiled at Captain Morton, “good to see you’re all in one piece, safe and sound.” The captain looked him over, “Pardon me for asking Doctor, but, did you fall into a swimming pool?” Donna sniffed, “You know, I don’t know what you learned in Time Lord school, but, it’s a myth that it’s manly to sweat. Don’t they make deodorant in outer space? Nothing personal, but maybe you should have a wash before we go and defeat the aliens.” The Doctor gave Donna a hurt look, sniffed his underarm, and then nodded in agreement.

A short time later, the Doctor and the two women were walking along the brightly lit Vegas strip. The Aswan was just around the corner from the main street, with its kitschy themed casinos and restaurants. The Doctor was shouldering his way through the crowds of tourists, craning his neck, staring up an assortment of tall buildings. “Are you sure it’s safe, walking out here in the open like this, Doctor?” The captain asked anxiously. The Doctor shrugged, “Probably not. But, look on the bright side.” “What’s that?” Donna asked. The Doctor smiled, “You two are getting a free tour of Las Vegas, and you didn’t even have to spend a brass farthing for it.” He frowned, “Do they use brass farthings here? Do they even make them, these days?” Donna nudged him, “So, what is it? What’s up there in the sky that has you so fascinated?”

The Doctor jammed his hands in his coat pockets, and pondered Donna’s question. “Oh, I dunno’, birds, planes…oh look, Superman!” He pointed at a man handing out leaflets on the pavement, dressed like the popular superhero. Captain Morton eyed the man, “That’s not a…” The Doctor shook his head. “No, not a robot, just some bloke trying to,” he took a leaflet and glanced at it, “get us to see ‘Girls-Girls-Girls!’ apparently.”

Without looking, he folded the leaflet into the shape of a paper airplane, and sent it sailing into a nearby rubbish bin. Donna frowned, “And to think they cut down a beautiful forest to use it for that.” She plowed into the Doctor’s back abruptly. “Oi, give us hint when you’re going to do that, yeah?” But the Doctor didn’t notice her. He was standing, staring up at a tall building across the street, a big grin planted on his face. “Oh yeah,” he said with satisfaction, “that’s exactly what I need.” Captain Morton looked at him curiously, “Need for what, Doctor?” He turned, “To stop the Gadtok’s, of course! Come on!” Heedless of traffic, the Doctor ran across the street with the two women in tow. Superman watched them go, and then, dropping his leaflets into the rubbish bin, he pulled out a mobile strapped to his tights and dialed a number.

Donna looked at the name of the casino that the Doctor was taking them into: ‘Circus Carnival.’ Once again, as they walked through the doors, the trio’s senses were assaulted by the cacophony of sound that makes up a casino: circus music piped in over the Tannoy, casino personnel dressed as circus performers, the jangling of coins and the flashing lights, bells and recorded comic voices coming from the fruit machines, throngs of people laughing and arguing over wins and losses and yelling to the pretty waitresses for more beverages, competing with the incessant patter of the employees running the gaming tables, announcing that betting is commencing.

Captain Morton grabbed the Doctor’s arm and pulled him to one side, next to a cluster of potted trees, which only slightly helped to muffle the noise around them. “Listen, before you go dragging us off any further, don’t you think you should let us in on what you’re doing?” She hissed. He bent down and said, “I need to get to the roof. You see, while the main power plant for the physic grid manipulator is in the basement of the Aswan, the focal point of that power is actually in the apex of the pyramid.”

The Doctor noticed Donna’s face had a blank expression, sighed, and said patiently, “It’s like this: you’ve watched a lot of old movies on tele, Donna, right? Well, you know how, in one of those war pictures or western films, when someone wants to blow up a bridge, they stick the explosives under the bridge. But,” he waved his arms about to make the point, “to trigger the explosives, they have to run a fuse to a little box with a plunger on it? Push down on the plunger, and the whole thing goes ‘boom!’” Donna nodded with a puzzled look, and then she caught on. “Oh! You mean that stone box in the basement is like the dynamite, but the plunger that sets off the dynamite is at the top of the pyramid?” The Doctor beamed, “Exactly!” “But how are you going to set off a reaction from here?” Captain Morton asked. Donna shook her head, “And how are you going to keep the innocent people in the casino from getting killed when it does go?”

The Doctor led the way through the crowds, explaining as he went. “When I trigger the reaction, no one in this city will be harmed.” He paused, and added, “I hope. You see,” he pointed to his head, “it’s a physic generator. And, the result of my careful fiddling captain, essentially speaking, will be to sever the link from the generator to this planet’s physic geomophic grid, while at the same time, backfeeding energy to the main power source–which is on the Gadtok’s ship!” Captain Morton grabbed his arm, “Which means what, exactly?” “Well,” the Doctor conceded, “what it means, is that it will probably, erm–eventually, blow the Gadtok’s ship to smithereens. That’s a technical term, by the way.”

Now it was Donna’s turn to grab his arm. The Doctor looked at her hand on his coat sleeve, arching an eyebrow. “Yes, Donna, it could put the captain’s ship–and the Tardis, in danger, as well. Oh, the Tardis will likely survive the explosion, but, it will sort of leave us with a tiny bit of difficulty as to how to reach her, floating all on her own, out there in the vortex, with no planets around.” He sighed, “I suppose I really should have spent more time on fixing the auto-recall circuit. I’m really an awful procrastinator sometimes, I’m afraid.” He shrugged, “Ah well, only Rassillon is perfect.” She could see that the Doctor’s flippancy wasn’t entirely masking his true concern. Donna gave Captain Morton a determined smile, “Well, we’ll just have to get back there in time to save your ship, won’t we?” The Doctor said nothing, but gave the captain a quick, reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.

They entered a lift, and the Doctor used his sonic in place of the key that would lead to the penthouse suite. The lift rapidly ascended to the top floor, and the doors opened. Four clowns stood there, leering grins painted on their faces. Without warning, four laser rifles came to bear on the lift’s passengers. The Doctor looked slightly taken aback. “Ah. I can see we’re in for some giggles tonight. But,” Still holding his screwdriver, he hastily pointed it at a sprinkler in the ceiling over the robot’s heads. His face grim, he pressed down and the sprinkler’s went off, “’fraid we’ll have to miss this show, sorry.” The clowns began to spark and smoke, as the Doctor grabbed Donna and the captain’s hands. Dashing from the lift, and dodging the writhing clowns, he yelled, “Come on!” and tore down the penthouse’s hallway.

Pausing at the door to the roof, the Doctor and the two women were soaking wet. Giving Donna a tight grin, he quipped, “Well, you did say that I needed a shower.” The Doctor glanced down the corridor. The clowns were down and unmoving. “The Gadtoks must have constructed those in a hurry, by the looks of things. Bit of a lash up job I reckon, forgot to waterproof them–didn’t expect it to rain indoors, in the desert, I suppose.” “It’s a pity we’re not in England, then.” Captain Morton remarked casually. The Doctor smiled, and then frowned, having noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. One clown hadn’t sustained much damage, and had risen to his feet. A second later, the flash of an energy bolt sizzled into the wall behind them. The Doctor quickly pulled open the door. He went to lock it, but there was no lock. Making a frustrated noise, he tore at his hair, and looked at his friends, “Well, ladies, how’s a little cardiac exercise sound, ey?” Without another word, he sprinted up the steps and they took the stairs to the roof.

Getting to the top of the stairs, they came out onto the roof. There was a lock on this door, and the Doctor made short work of it. Going to the edge of the roof, the Doctor was looking out on the top of the Aswan casino’s pyramid. The wind whipped his coat and hair as he grimaced in deep concentration and bent to the task of adjusting the sonic device. Donna watched him for a minute, and then noticed that Captain Morton had wandered off. She was staring out past the cityscape, at the sun slowly setting in the desert beyond, lost in thought. Donna stood by her silently for a moment. “I know he hasn’t said so, but,” she said quietly, “the Doctor wants to save your ship and crew as much as you do.”

The captain gave her a bitter look, “Sorry, but I find that small comfort. You see, working in space isn’t like working the till at Tesco’s. You not only work with your crew, you live with them, as well–every day, for months, and more often, years. Even though I’m in charge, and have to maintain some distance for authority, still…” She smiled grimly, “these people have become like my family.” Sighing heavily, she added, “In a way, they are my only family. Everyone else is gone.” A shadow fell over them. It was the Doctor. Placing a hand on the captain’s arm, he said gently, “Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to save them.” Looking her solemnly in the eye, he added, “I give you my word, as the last Time Lord.”

Donna looked at the Doctor, who was holding the screwdriver. “Is that thing ready, then?” He nodded. All of the sudden, there was a noise from behind a large air conditioning unit on the roof. It was Elvis. At the same time, the door to the roof burst open, and the robot clown and the Gadtok leader, Pythaneas, appeared. “Looks like they’ve decided to keep the party going, and,” he whispered, “my guess is that they don’t like gate-crashers.” Captain Morton looked about helplessly. “What do we do, now, Doctor?” He simply stared into space, breathing heavily, nonplussed. “I don’t know!” He hissed. Elvis and the clown marched forward, weapons leveled, with Pythaneas walking behind them, smiling.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Backed up against the edge of the roof, he looked down at the people on the pavement, far below. His sharp eyesight saw a woman walking along, a mobile glued to her ear. She was gesticulating wilding, apparently arguing with someone on the phone. Suddenly, he had an idea. He turned to Donna, “Pockets! You said you had pockets!” He said whispered hoarsely.

Donna looked at him like he’d gone mad. “You want to borrow some change from me, now?” The Doctor leaned in and whispered, “Mobile! Do you have it on you?” She nodded and produced it for him. “Mind you don’t break it, I just paid the bill!” She admonished. Captain Morton raised an eyebrow, “We’re about to be murdered by a bad Elvis impersonator and an evil clown, and you’re worried about your phone bill?” The Doctor held up the mobile and aimed his sonic at it. With the first buzz, he yelled, “Cover your ears!” The mobile suddenly gave a high pitched tone. Even though the two women had their hands over their ears, it still hurt.

Apparently, it also didn’t go down well with the two robots, either. They began to stumble and shake, and the already damaged clown exploded in a shower of sparks. The Doctor led the way to the dubious protection of some kind of ductwork, projecting from the roof. However, Captain Morton took the opportunity to run up to Elvis, who was less than ten meters away, to try and wrestle his rifle away from him. The Doctor turned and saw what was happening. The captain and Elvis fought their way to the roof edge, each trying to get a purchase on the gun. Elvis had Captain Morton pinned to the edge of the rooftop. She was bent over almost double, seeing her own reflection in his dark glasses. Then, using a self-defense move she’d learned, the captain slipped out from under his grasp, sending him flying over the edge.

Overjoyed to see Captain Morton safe, the Doctor grinned and hugged Donna, saying in a presenter’s voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.” Just as quickly, his happiness turned to horror. “No!” he shouted, his arm outstretched, as if it could deflect the coming blow. But, it was too late. The blast from a laser hit her square in the chest. The Doctor and Donna could only stand by and helplessly watch, as, with her face frozen in silent shock, Captain Morton slowly toppled from the ledge.

“I thought you said they thought using guns was beneath them!” Donna cried. “Apparently, Pythaneas doesn’t think so any longer, now that he’s not got anyone to do his dirty work for him.” The Doctor uttered, gasping with grief. He looked coldly at the Gadtok leader, who stood holding the laser rifle. “I was going to give you a chance,” he growled, “to stop this madness. Even though it was against my principles as a Time Lord, I was willing to take you back in time, back to your home, to your own people, where you belong. But now,” the Doctor spat out bitterly, “now, Pythaneas, all bets are off!” With that, he pushed Donna back behind the ductwork, and whirling around to face the top of the Aswan’s pyramid, he pressed down on the sonic screwdriver. At the same time, he grabbed Donna’s hand and pressed down on the time ring on his wrist with his teeth. “

They found themselves back in the lab of the Gadtok’s ship. A nearby capsule recessed into the wall began to tremble and lights inside it flickered. The Doctor only spared it a brief glance. “The transmat’s being reactivated! That’ll be Pythaneas, we’d best get out of here.” But, he took a minute to pause at a keyboard set into a desk. “What are you doing?” Donna yelled. “I’m reprogramming the androids to think that killing is really a very bad idea!” He said breathlessly. With a final punch of a button, he took her hand and fled the room, just as the form of the Gadtok leader began to shimmer back into existence.

They met no resistance as they tore through the airlock, back into Captain Morton’s ship. By then, the Gadtok’s ship had begun to vibrate ominously. Donna stopped the Doctor. “What is it?” He asked in a harassed tone. “What you said when we first were captured by the captain, about this ship destroying the universe, won’t the explosion do just that?” The Doctor shook his head. “Only if they try to do some time traveling while it’s occurring.” He gave an exasperated sigh. “Look, there’s no time to explain it, and, I’m sorry, but you wouldn’t understand it anyway. Let’s just say that, basically, as long as this ship isn’t actually using it’s time traveling equipment, it’s stable. So,” He gestured at the equipment with his hand, “While the explosion will be rather spectacular, it won’t be quite enough to blow a hole in the space-time continuum, which means we’re safe. Sort of. Now, come on!”

Charging back towards where they’d left the Tardis, they ran pell-mell into Lieutenant Jeffries. “What’s going on? Where’s the Captain?” He shouted. The Doctor looked at him sadly, “I’m sorry, she’s gone. But she died with honors, let me assure you.” Jeffries opened his mouth to ask more questions, but the Doctor stopped him. “We’ve got to get out of here! I’m sorry, but there was no time to save this ship. So, I need you to get everyone you can, who’s left alive, and get them to my ship, now!”

As the last crew member was loaded, astonished, into the Tardis, Pythaneas showed up, his face a mask of rage. The Doctor stood there. All around them, was the din of the battle cruiser breaking apart. He looked at the Gadtok sadly, “You and I aren’t so different, in some ways. We’re both the last of our kind. You could drop the gun and come with us, you know. You could forget the power trip and just become a traveler, like me, seeing the universe through the eyes of the people you meet, the friends you travel with.” He said quietly. The Gadtok’s eyes flashed with hatred and he raised the rifle. The Doctor paused just a second longer, a distant, lonely, almost God-like look on his face. Then, he slammed the door shut as the shot bounced harmlessly off the Tardis. The ship faded, the echo of its groaning engines dying away, just as the other two ships blew apart, with the force of a supernova.

After dropping the survivors off near their base–with the promise from all of them, that they’d make no mention of his part in what had happened, the Doctor and Donna went back into space. Donna had changed into a long, dark brown skirt and burgundy blouse and fixed her hair. She came out into the console room, to find the Doctor leaning back on the chair, feet propped up on the console. He’d also cleaned up, and changed into his brown suit and scruffy white trainers.

The Doctor had an Elvis recording playing from the console’s speakers. Seeing her, he looked up and grinned, “Ah, there you are! I think we’re due for a nice little holiday, right? Right! Now, how ‘bout a quick trip to New York’s Adirondack mountains? Lots of fresh air, millions of trees, beautiful lakes, herds–I mean, hordes of tourists from New Jersey–and,” he chortled, “they’ve got this amusement park there with five different kinds of roller coasters! It’ll be great! Plus, there’s this fake UFO museum–really camp, you’ll love it, a rodeo, and, if we time it right, there’s this big Elvis festival,…” Donna just laughed and threw her arms up in the air, “I’m all for roller coasters, fake aliens and cowboys, but why don’t we take a pass on the Elvis’s for now, alright?”

ADDENDUM:

Cardiff, South Wales, U.K.

(Six months later)

Gareth was on what he considered to be a well-deserved tea break. The new boss had been working the crew hard all morning, and some of the staff had already been starting to refer to him as ‘Captain Bligh.’ In the break-room, he found respite from their snarling, threatening new leader. The door opened, and his friend and co-worker Kirsty came in.

Getting a cup of tea, she sat down. The two of them sat across from each other, each fuming in silence. Finally, Gareth spoke up. “I can’t believe it! Here only one day, and he’s already sacked three people and has the rest of the crew ready to abandon ship. Why did the owners even hire this guy? Where’d he come from? “

Kirsty sipped her tea, and said, “I hear he used to be some big executive type in America, until they gave him the sack. He’d made a right mess of things, I’m told.” Gareth snorted, “Well, he’s doing a fair job of mucking things up here, I’m tellin’ you. I don’t know, I’m thinking about jumping ship, myself. Who needs this?”

Kirsty nodded, “Yeah, well, I’m done with working here at Burger Emperor, anyway, Gareth. This new manager seems to think he’s some kind of gang boss or something.” She leaned across the table and whispered, “Thing is, I forgot to fill the napkin dispensers this morning. That’s why I came in here, to get away from that petty tyrant. Reckon I’ll be next, so I’m leaving. I’m not going give him the chance to sack me, am I?”

Finishing her tea, she smiled at him. “I hear that new shop down the street is hiring, why don’t we apply there together?” Gareth got up and took off his uniform cap. “Yeah, who does this bloke think his is, anyway? I’m not gonna’ be bullied by Mr. Fortini a minute longer. Let’s go!” As they were leaving through the back door, they heard the new manager threaten to break the kneecaps of a cook, who’d left the chips in the fryer a minute too long.

### 01-10-2008