“What is it?” asked Caroline.
“Something you don’t want to meet,” said the Doctor.
“That doesn’t really answer the question,” she said, trying to peer into the darkness.
“It’s a Dalek,” said the Doctor.
“A what-lek?” asked Cole.
“A creature from the planet Skaro.”
“A creature from another planet? Lovely,” said Cole. “And why’s it hanging around Manchester airport?”
“Someone needs to tell it that there aren’t any aeroplanes into outer space,” said Caroline.
The Doctor, who had been slowly backing up, suddenly stopped. “Something’s not right.”
“I was gonna ask why everything had gone quiet,” said Caroline.
“Stay here,” said the Doctor, turning to them and holding up a finger.
He slowly walked towards Starbucks and into the darkness, towards the shape.
“Be careful,” shouted Caroline.
“Very strange,” called back the Doctor. “It’s gone.”
“But there’s no way through there,” said Cole. “No back door or anything.”
“Exactly,” said the Doctor. “It’s almost as if it was never there.”
Cole was about to say something else when he felt a searing pain in his head. He gasped and fell to his knees.
“Matthew!” shouted Caroline as she knelt down beside him. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” said Cole, clutching his chest. “My whole body feels like it’s on fire. And my heart. It feels like it’s trying to…burst out!”
The Doctor ran over. “Get him into a chair.”
They hoisted Cole to his feet and pulled out a chair and Cole sat there for a few seconds, panting.
When he had calmed a little the Doctor pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. “Right, Mr Cole. I want answers about you. Now.”
“I don’t understand. What answers?”
“I want to know where you’re from and how you got here. You seem to be meandering around this place without a care in the world.”
“Be fair,” said Caroline, “the guy told us all he could remember. He’s scared as it is.”
“Not as scared as he should be,” said the Doctor.
“I really don’t know what you want me to say,” said Cole, rubbing his chest.
“I want you to tell me who you are and where you come from?”
“Take it easy, Doctor,” said Caroline.
“Stay out of this, Miss Parker,” snapped the Doctor.
“Fine!” said Caroline, turning around and storming off towards T3 departures. “I’ll go find Blackmore while you interrogate an innocent man.”
“Caroline, come back!” yelled the Doctor.
“Forget it, Doctor!” came her voice as she disappeared around the corner.
Cole gasped again and his body convulsed.
“Tell me what’s going on here,” said the Doctor. “I’m not leaving until I have answers.”
“No!” yelled Cole, and he suddenly lurched forward and grabbed the Doctor around his throat. His face was white and his eyes pale. The inside of his mouth was black and his hands felt icy cold.
“Cole!” gasped the Doctor as he was forced up against the wall.
“You left me!” growled Cole. “You left me in the darkness. Why did you leave me?”
Some time ago…
“How do you operate this thing then?” asked the female voice.
The Doctor’s vision cleared and he was lying on the floor of his TARDIS, the high ceiling seemed higher than normal.
He turned his head and standing over the main console was a slender, blue-skinned woman with long, blonde hair. She wore a khaki green sleeveless top, skirt and a leather belt holding all manner of instruments, devices and weaponry.
She turned to the Doctor and when she realised the Doctor was looking at her, she smiled. She had a beautiful smile and ice-blue eyes.
“Hello,” said the Doctor, weakly.
“Hi,” she smiled.
“Who-?” He sat up, groaned, winced and fell back down. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Aleena,” said the woman, crossing over to him and kneeling beside him. “And you’re a Time Lord, yeah?”
“Yes,” said the Doctor, rubbing his forehead. “Yes, I’m the Doctor.”
“Oh, that’s just brilliant,” she said with glee. “I had a feeling you might be. I’ve watched you for a long, long time.”
“Watched me?”
“Yeah,” she said, loosening his collar. “Watched you from the Lighthouse. It’s where I watch everything. I’m a big fan.”
“Of what?” asked the Doctor, struggling up again.
“Of you,” Aleena replied, looking a little hurt. “A huge fan. I’ve been watching you right from the start.”
“That’s nice to know,” said the Doctor, finally getting himself into a sitting position. “And what exactly is the Lighthouse?”
“It’s my home. I built it using Dalek time travel tech.”
“That’s pretty bold of you. The Daleks are still about, you know?”
“I know that,” she said, getting up and crossing to the console. “But they’ve never been able to catch me so far. Now, how do you work this thing?”
“Where do you want us to go?”
“Up to the Lighthouse. I used the vortex manipulator inside it to beam me here. Pretty cool, yeah?”
“Why do you call it a lighthouse?”
“Cos that’s what it is. Literally. Built onto a small moon with a red sky and red sea. It’s really, really pretty. You’re gonna like it. Lot’s of planets of lighthouses.”
The Doctor winched and grabbed his chest, feeling himself failing again.
“You’re not well, are you, sweetheart?”
“No,” said the Doctor. “I think this regeneration’s failing.”
“Then tell me how to make this thing move,” said Aleena, getting more and more impatient.
“Help me to my feet and I’ll show you.”
Now…
The Doctor forced Cole off him and the young, Scottish man fell backwards onto a table. He took a moment to compose himself and then launched himself back at the Doctor.
“Stay down!” yelled the Doctor, pushing the rabid man off him again.
“You left me!” growled Cole again, barring his teeth.
“I’ve never met you before in my life,” said the Doctor, trying to place his face from some time in his past.
Cole laughed as he took a swing at the Doctor.
Caroline, meanwhile, was oblivious to the goings on back in the café area. She made her way towards T3 departures. The place was almost in darkness save for the monitor screens above illuminating the huge hall.
“This is just too weird,” she said.
“It is,” came Blackmore’s voice from behind her.
She span around on her heel. He stood there, with a frown on his bruised face.
“What do you want, Blackmore? What are you doing here?”
“You tell me,” said Blackmore. “I just wanted to get back to the Eyeglass.”
“And you ended up here?” said Caroline, backing away slightly.
“Yep. It was like I was pulled here.”
“How do I know we can trust you? How do I know that you’re not behind all of this?”
“Behind what? It all just seems like a lot of bizarre nonsense to me.”
Caroline managed a weak smile. “That much is right.”
“Look,” said Blackmore, stepping out of the shadows. “I just want to get home. I don’t need all of this.”
“That we can agree on,” said Caroline, relaxing a little.
“Then we should help each other,” said Blackmore. “You have to trust me.”
“I wouldn’t say I’d trust you,” said Caroline, “but if it helps me and the Doctor, then I’m willing to listen to any suggestions. Just keep your distance and no funny business.”
Blackmore smiled and nodded. “Yes boss.” He walked towards Caroline who stepped back a little. “We need to find out how to get out of here.”
“Use that time ring you stole.”
“It burnt out,” said Cole, tapping the bronze ring. “On my first go as well.”
“It serve’s you right for meddling in things you don’t understand.”
“Maybe,” said Blackmore, “but your Doctor friend can take me back.”
“He’ll take you back to Trixatin to stand trial.”
“We’ll see,” said Blackmore, walking around to one of the information screens. “We need to get out of this place. What are those things you travel on?” he asked, pressing a few buttons.
Caroline noticed he was looking at a timetable.
“Trains?” she said.
“That’s it,” said Blackmore, selecting the ‘trains’ menu. “We need to get out of here. This place doesn’t feel right.”
“I know what you mean,” said Caroline, looking around her. “It’s like some sort of limbo.”
“It‘s like the whole place has been cut off from the outside world. Where is everyone? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Then that would mean someone has done this on purpose. And why gather us all here?”
“I don’t know. It might have something to do with the fact that we’ve all travelled through time.”
“Except for Matthew Cole,” said Caroline.
“Yeah,” said Blackmore. “Now he is a mystery.”
Emily led Danny across the car park, took the keys out of her incredibly small handbag and unlocked the small, red sports card parked on it’s own in the ever-increasing fog.
“Nice motor,” said Danny, as she opened the door and climbed into the drivers seat.
“Thank you,” she smiled.
“Look, are you sure about this?” he asked, hesitating opening the passenger door.
“Absolutely.” She patted the seat next to her. “Hop in.”
Danny sighed, looked around, opened the door and got inside.
“It’s a little chilly,” she said, turning on the heating and revving up the engine.
“I feel fine,” said Danny, buckling up his seat belt. “You’re taking this very easily.”
“Well how else should I take it?”
“Emily, I’ve just told you I’m from the future and that I travel in time and space in a 1950’s police box. I’d expect you to be a little sceptical.”
Emily laughed as she put her foot down on the peddle and the car slowly moved forward.
“And now you’re just willing to drive me to Manchester airport? Just like that?”
“Darling,” said Emily, as she turned out of the car park and onto the main road, “you’re so quick to judge.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not as closed-minded as some people.” Her eyes flashed to look at him briefly. “I know there are things out there that are unexplained and one day they’re going to come here. They’re already here.”
“Here?”
“Earth.”
Danny chuckled to himself and then looked back at Emily. “You really believe?”
“I really believe,” she smiled.
Danny had reeled off everything that had happened to him in the last few weeks whilst travelling with the Doctor and Caroline, and Emily had listened intently. Never laughing, never stopping him and never doubting him. And in that time he had forgotten about his quest to track down Adrian and try and save him.
By the time he had finished he felt quite exhausted.
And Emily simply sat there in silence.
“Crazy, huh?” said Danny with a nervous laugh.
“Insane,” said Emily, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“But you believe me?”
“I’ve got to,” she said, as they turned onto the motorway. “Either I believe you, or I’m stuck with a lunatic in my car.”
Danny laughed. “No lunatics here.”
“I can see that,” she said, as the car’s speed increased. “Do you not miss home?”
“Sometimes. I miss…people. People more than anything.”
“You mentioned your brother,” she said, as they turned onto the motorway. “What happened to him?”
“No idea,” said Danny quietly. “It happens one morning next year. We wake up and he’s not there. He doesn’t come home from college and, well, that’s that.”
“Did you call the police?”
“Yeah,” said Danny, laughing to himself, “but you know what they’re like. They never found any trace of him. After a while you just end up getting on with your life.”
“But you never forget, do you?”
“No,” said Danny, turning to look at Emily. “No, you never forget.”
The car shot along the empty road, the car headlights illuminating the way. A few gentle snow flakes were beginning to fall.
Danny frowned. “More snow.”
“You could visit him,” said Emily. “Visit Adrian. See if you can find out what’s going to happen to him.”
“I could,” said Danny sadly, “and I still might. But not yet. I need to see the Doctor first. I can’t interfere with time.”
“Why not?” laughed Emily. “As far as I’m concerned this is the present. Shape your destiny, even if it is your past.”
Danny laughed as he rolled down the window.
“It’s freezing,” said Emily with a shudder.
“Not cold enough,” said Danny, feeling the cold night air blow through the window and onto his face.
“Look, I’ve got somewhere I can take you. There’s someone there that can help you.”
“Help me? With what?” Danny was curious.
“With your problem.” Emily turned to look at him. “I have a friend who is quite the expert in time travel theories. He may be able to help you.”
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