Nemesis
Former Administrator
Yep, another Doctor Who fic. Not sure if I'm going to get this finished, but I hope so, I really like the idea. The pacing might be a bit off, but I am trying to go with the pacing of an episode.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" The Doctor said softly, stroking the TARDIS console with the palm of his hand as it hummed gently. "I guess I sometimes forget you need a rest old girl." He smiled, ruffling his wild brown hair. "Good excuse for me to take a break too, I suppose." He continued, grabbing his long coat from the TARDIS handrail, his attention still on the central column of the machine. "Not that I need one, you understand," he said, shrugging the coat over his shoulders. "But I have some good memories of this place." He stopped for a moment, tilting his head to one side thoughtfully. "Well," he started again, stretching the word through his mouth as he spoke, "Good memories, bad memories, same thing I suppose. For me anyway." He looked from side to side around the TARDIS, noting the empty room, the silence broken only by the humming of the TARDIS console. "Talking to myself again. Must stop doing that. First sign of madness." The Doctor ruffled his hair again.
"No, can't be the first, I have plenty of other signs of that." He stopped, buttoning his coat up over his blue suit as he walked towards the TARDIS door. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Cardiff!"
The blue door of the TARDIS opened with a creak, revealing the bright Cardiff summer day. The Doctor smiled at its familiarity, the light bursting down on Roald Dahl Plass, the water tower, the flying cars, people hurriedly getting on with their business. The Doctor continued to look around, a grin on his face, until it very suddenly fell in to a puzzled expression.
"Hold on? Flying cars?"
He looked up again, this time taking more notice of the silver vehicles soaring through the sky, seemingly narrowly missing each other as they headed across the city. He followed one through the sky with his gaze, wondering when it was he had landed, when something else took his attention.
The car he was following was flying past a huge advertising billboard in the sky, just like the ones he had seen on thousands of planets, through so many time periods. The board depicted a smiling family, mother, father, son, daughter, all laughing together. And beneath them, in large letters, emblazoned across the Cardiff skyline was one question. A question that bore fear in to the Doctor's hearts.
"Do you want to live forever?"
**
[size=18pt]
Doctor Who
The Eternal Fallacy[/size]
**
"What do you mean, a blue box?" The man said, his tone slightly surprised as the information was relayed through his headpiece. Quickly, his hands ran over the set of keys in front of him, taping keys until the monitor in front of him flashed to life. On it was an image of Roald Dahl Plass. The figure squinted at the screen intently, focusing on the image, specifically the spot just in front of the Millennium Theatre. After a few moments he saw it, an odd, old looking blue box standing on the spot that didn't exist.
"Yes, I see it." He eventually replied. "How should I know? Just get it moved!" He fell silent for a moment as the voice on the other end replied. "No, it can't be a coincidence. No one knows that spot exists! That's the point of it! Now get that thing moved and keep surveillance on the entrance, look out for whoever might be going back for their box!"
**
"Live forever?" The Doctor repeated, pulling his glasses from his coat pocket. He wasn't quite sure why, he wasn't concentrating on anything up close, like when he usually used them, but they did help him to think. "Not just longer? But forever?"
"I know!" Came a female voice from beside him. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Is it?" The Doctor replied, looking over his glasses and turning to the right to see a young brunette woman, quite a bit shorter than him, but then again, many people were. "I mean, living a bit longer, yeah, I can see that, but forever? Who would want that? And, more importantly, how can they offer this?"
The girl looked up at him, her face blank, apparently overwhelmed by his short rant. Suddenly, the Doctor's expression changed to a large grin.
"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, placing his glasses in his pocket. "I'm the Doctor. And you are?"
"Just," She was quickly interrupted by a smiling Doctor.
"Yep, just the Doctor!"
"Ok then, Doctor." She smiled, a little uncertainly, "I'm Susan."
There it was. That short sharp jolt of, well, of something, shooting through his hearts. It was very rare that he felt that nowadays, but every now and again he would experience something to trigger it off again.
"Nice to meet you Susan." The Doctor replied, his voice a little more somber than he had intended. "So, can you tell me about that billboard? Oh, and more importantly, silly question maybe, but what year is this?"
Susan looked at the Doctor, an even more confused expression on her face.
"It's 2211. Look, I'm sorry Doctor," She smiled, a sweet, soft smile that made the Doctor want to smile himself. "I really have to be going. I'm on my way to the hospital, to visit my Grandfather."
Grandfather.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He said, with all sincerity, looking at her with those big brown eyes. "What's wrong with him? If you don't mind me asking."
"No," She smiled. "He's part way through the treatment."
"Treatment?" The Doctor asked quietly, before realizing where her gaze had moved to. "Let me guess, your Grandfather is going to live forever?"
**
As the Doctor quickly walked away from the Plass, Susan by his side patiently answering his questions, the crowd parted as a large truck hovered above the ground, stopping suddenly and descending until it was resting on the cobbled street. Quickly, the rear doors opened, and a smaller vehicle emerged from within, a forklift truck, rolling forward on its traditional style tires from the back of the truck.
"What is it we have come to get again?" Asked a man, climbing from the passenger side of the truck. He dusted down his silver uniform, mostly plain, apart from two black stripes across each arm, as he walked around the truck to meet his partner, who was dressed in an identical uniform.
"That box, remember!" The second man impatiently, pointing behind him. "Just concentrate on that spot, just tell yourself it's there. The blue box is there."
"But not for long apparently." The first man added chuckling. "Right, ok, I've got it. It keeps darting out of my line of sight, but I think I have it." He added, climbing in to the driving seat of the forklift. "Let's get this thing out of here."
**
"So," The Doctor said cheerily, but with a hidden hint of worry in his voice, "Why is it your Grandfather is under going this ‘treatment'." Susan looked up at him, a look of sadness in those eyes that had been so happy, so full of hope since the two had met.
"He's just getting old." She said, looking down at the floor. "He is such a great man, so loving caring, has never hurt a single living thing in his life. He deserves it. No matter what it costs."
"Of course." The Doctor said quietly. "A cost. Feeding on the human fear of life ending, of loosing those close to you. Let me guess, this ‘treatment' isn't cheap?"
"No." Susan replied, shaking her head. "But he's worth it. Have you never felt like that Doctor? Have you never had someone who you would give anything to save, to keep them alive for even one more day?"
The Doctor stopped walking suddenly, thoughts of the past creeping in to his head. Holding Jenny in his arms as she slowly lost her fight. The look the Master gave him as he chose not to regenerate, out of spite.
"Yes, Susan. I have." He started walking again, following Susans' lead. It still didn't make any sense. There was no way that there was any technology in this time period that could offer anything like an eternal life, especially not in Cardiff of all places. There was, and probably only ever would be, one man would could live forever in Cardiff. Speaking of which, where was Jack? Surely with something like this going on Torchwood would have gotten involved. If they were still here of course. Knowing Jack he might have met a young woman, or man, or both, and galloped off across the Universe somewhere. Not that the Doctor could blame him, it's how he lived his life after all.
"So how is your Grandfather doing?" The Doctor said, the cheerful tone back in his voice. "Does this treatment take much time?"
"They say it's instantaneous." Susan replied, "But they are keeping him in for observation, the formula is still in the early stages."
"He's doing ok though?" The Doctor asked inquisitively, "No side effects?"
"Well," the young woman replied, looking to the Doctor, "He says these really …odd things sometimes."
"The Doctor titled his head a little. "Odd things?"
"Yeah. He drifts in and out of these odd trance like states. Comes up with these odd little phrases. There's one he says the most though, that's the oddest one."
"Oh?"
Susan turned away from him again.
The Doctor stopped walking, taking hold of Susan's hand and facing her, looking her in the eyes. "Susan, what does he say?"
"It's nothing, just hysteria bought on by the formula."
The Doctor looked down at her warm, caring eyes.
"Susan. What does your Grandfather say?"
"He says he is waiting for the right kind of Doctor."
**
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" The Doctor said softly, stroking the TARDIS console with the palm of his hand as it hummed gently. "I guess I sometimes forget you need a rest old girl." He smiled, ruffling his wild brown hair. "Good excuse for me to take a break too, I suppose." He continued, grabbing his long coat from the TARDIS handrail, his attention still on the central column of the machine. "Not that I need one, you understand," he said, shrugging the coat over his shoulders. "But I have some good memories of this place." He stopped for a moment, tilting his head to one side thoughtfully. "Well," he started again, stretching the word through his mouth as he spoke, "Good memories, bad memories, same thing I suppose. For me anyway." He looked from side to side around the TARDIS, noting the empty room, the silence broken only by the humming of the TARDIS console. "Talking to myself again. Must stop doing that. First sign of madness." The Doctor ruffled his hair again.
"No, can't be the first, I have plenty of other signs of that." He stopped, buttoning his coat up over his blue suit as he walked towards the TARDIS door. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Cardiff!"
The blue door of the TARDIS opened with a creak, revealing the bright Cardiff summer day. The Doctor smiled at its familiarity, the light bursting down on Roald Dahl Plass, the water tower, the flying cars, people hurriedly getting on with their business. The Doctor continued to look around, a grin on his face, until it very suddenly fell in to a puzzled expression.
"Hold on? Flying cars?"
He looked up again, this time taking more notice of the silver vehicles soaring through the sky, seemingly narrowly missing each other as they headed across the city. He followed one through the sky with his gaze, wondering when it was he had landed, when something else took his attention.
The car he was following was flying past a huge advertising billboard in the sky, just like the ones he had seen on thousands of planets, through so many time periods. The board depicted a smiling family, mother, father, son, daughter, all laughing together. And beneath them, in large letters, emblazoned across the Cardiff skyline was one question. A question that bore fear in to the Doctor's hearts.
"Do you want to live forever?"
**
[size=18pt]
Doctor Who
The Eternal Fallacy[/size]
**
"What do you mean, a blue box?" The man said, his tone slightly surprised as the information was relayed through his headpiece. Quickly, his hands ran over the set of keys in front of him, taping keys until the monitor in front of him flashed to life. On it was an image of Roald Dahl Plass. The figure squinted at the screen intently, focusing on the image, specifically the spot just in front of the Millennium Theatre. After a few moments he saw it, an odd, old looking blue box standing on the spot that didn't exist.
"Yes, I see it." He eventually replied. "How should I know? Just get it moved!" He fell silent for a moment as the voice on the other end replied. "No, it can't be a coincidence. No one knows that spot exists! That's the point of it! Now get that thing moved and keep surveillance on the entrance, look out for whoever might be going back for their box!"
**
"Live forever?" The Doctor repeated, pulling his glasses from his coat pocket. He wasn't quite sure why, he wasn't concentrating on anything up close, like when he usually used them, but they did help him to think. "Not just longer? But forever?"
"I know!" Came a female voice from beside him. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Is it?" The Doctor replied, looking over his glasses and turning to the right to see a young brunette woman, quite a bit shorter than him, but then again, many people were. "I mean, living a bit longer, yeah, I can see that, but forever? Who would want that? And, more importantly, how can they offer this?"
The girl looked up at him, her face blank, apparently overwhelmed by his short rant. Suddenly, the Doctor's expression changed to a large grin.
"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, placing his glasses in his pocket. "I'm the Doctor. And you are?"
"Just," She was quickly interrupted by a smiling Doctor.
"Yep, just the Doctor!"
"Ok then, Doctor." She smiled, a little uncertainly, "I'm Susan."
There it was. That short sharp jolt of, well, of something, shooting through his hearts. It was very rare that he felt that nowadays, but every now and again he would experience something to trigger it off again.
"Nice to meet you Susan." The Doctor replied, his voice a little more somber than he had intended. "So, can you tell me about that billboard? Oh, and more importantly, silly question maybe, but what year is this?"
Susan looked at the Doctor, an even more confused expression on her face.
"It's 2211. Look, I'm sorry Doctor," She smiled, a sweet, soft smile that made the Doctor want to smile himself. "I really have to be going. I'm on my way to the hospital, to visit my Grandfather."
Grandfather.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He said, with all sincerity, looking at her with those big brown eyes. "What's wrong with him? If you don't mind me asking."
"No," She smiled. "He's part way through the treatment."
"Treatment?" The Doctor asked quietly, before realizing where her gaze had moved to. "Let me guess, your Grandfather is going to live forever?"
**
As the Doctor quickly walked away from the Plass, Susan by his side patiently answering his questions, the crowd parted as a large truck hovered above the ground, stopping suddenly and descending until it was resting on the cobbled street. Quickly, the rear doors opened, and a smaller vehicle emerged from within, a forklift truck, rolling forward on its traditional style tires from the back of the truck.
"What is it we have come to get again?" Asked a man, climbing from the passenger side of the truck. He dusted down his silver uniform, mostly plain, apart from two black stripes across each arm, as he walked around the truck to meet his partner, who was dressed in an identical uniform.
"That box, remember!" The second man impatiently, pointing behind him. "Just concentrate on that spot, just tell yourself it's there. The blue box is there."
"But not for long apparently." The first man added chuckling. "Right, ok, I've got it. It keeps darting out of my line of sight, but I think I have it." He added, climbing in to the driving seat of the forklift. "Let's get this thing out of here."
**
"So," The Doctor said cheerily, but with a hidden hint of worry in his voice, "Why is it your Grandfather is under going this ‘treatment'." Susan looked up at him, a look of sadness in those eyes that had been so happy, so full of hope since the two had met.
"He's just getting old." She said, looking down at the floor. "He is such a great man, so loving caring, has never hurt a single living thing in his life. He deserves it. No matter what it costs."
"Of course." The Doctor said quietly. "A cost. Feeding on the human fear of life ending, of loosing those close to you. Let me guess, this ‘treatment' isn't cheap?"
"No." Susan replied, shaking her head. "But he's worth it. Have you never felt like that Doctor? Have you never had someone who you would give anything to save, to keep them alive for even one more day?"
The Doctor stopped walking suddenly, thoughts of the past creeping in to his head. Holding Jenny in his arms as she slowly lost her fight. The look the Master gave him as he chose not to regenerate, out of spite.
"Yes, Susan. I have." He started walking again, following Susans' lead. It still didn't make any sense. There was no way that there was any technology in this time period that could offer anything like an eternal life, especially not in Cardiff of all places. There was, and probably only ever would be, one man would could live forever in Cardiff. Speaking of which, where was Jack? Surely with something like this going on Torchwood would have gotten involved. If they were still here of course. Knowing Jack he might have met a young woman, or man, or both, and galloped off across the Universe somewhere. Not that the Doctor could blame him, it's how he lived his life after all.
"So how is your Grandfather doing?" The Doctor said, the cheerful tone back in his voice. "Does this treatment take much time?"
"They say it's instantaneous." Susan replied, "But they are keeping him in for observation, the formula is still in the early stages."
"He's doing ok though?" The Doctor asked inquisitively, "No side effects?"
"Well," the young woman replied, looking to the Doctor, "He says these really …odd things sometimes."
"The Doctor titled his head a little. "Odd things?"
"Yeah. He drifts in and out of these odd trance like states. Comes up with these odd little phrases. There's one he says the most though, that's the oddest one."
"Oh?"
Susan turned away from him again.
The Doctor stopped walking, taking hold of Susan's hand and facing her, looking her in the eyes. "Susan, what does he say?"
"It's nothing, just hysteria bought on by the formula."
The Doctor looked down at her warm, caring eyes.
"Susan. What does your Grandfather say?"
"He says he is waiting for the right kind of Doctor."
**
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