Well, the very first thing that happened was I sat down on the floor of the TARDIS and gasped. Yes, I know that I had commented on it being bigger on the inside than the outside, but this was almost impossibly bigger. I stood up and putting the heels of my shoes to the doors, walked from one side of the room to the other. Now, each of my feet is one foot in length so it was easy to measure. As I passed what the Doctor calls the console, he stopped fiddling and watched me. I got to the other end of the room and turned round. "172 feet" I announced, "but the outside of this box was only 17 feet, I'm sure!"
The Doctor burst out laughing and said it was always the first thing that people noticed and asked if I would like an explanation. I said that he could try but there was no guarantee I would understand. "Now don't say that!" he said, "You Foggs are a bright bunch" and with that he produced two blocks of wood. "Now which is larger?" he asked. "This one" I said, picking up the block that was several times bigger than the other. He then asked me to go to the far end of the room whilst he went to the doors. "Now which is bigger?" he asked. "Well, this one!" I said holding up my block, "but thanks to perspective yours now looks bigger!"
"Which is exactly how this ship of mine works. The bigger insides are able to fit into a smaller outside!" said the Doctor. At which point I complained that my head was beginning to hurt!
After a few moments trying to stop my head from hurting, the Doctor told me that as I was Phileas's son, I deserved a special treat. I said that was very kind of the Doctor, but I thought the idea was to go back to to Stones' Hill before I was missed. "This is a time machine!" he said, "I can take you halfway across the universe and be back 30 minutes before you were even born" he replied, "and that's why I would like to take you on a trip as a sort of thank you for helping your father!" and with that he started pressing buttons and pulling levers like a madman. He stopped and then pointed to a button. "Press that" he said, "and I will gain admission for one person to the castle of Camelot where your distant ancestor was employed!" My finger hovered over the button as I thought long and hard and pushed it.
Now, naturally I had assumed that the TARDIS being an alien spaceship was probably the smoothest ride I would ever encountered. Sadly, I was very much mistaken as I was flung to and fro across the console and only managed to stay standing thanks to holding on to it. When the TARDIS landed, the force of the landing threw me into a chair and sent the Doctor onto his back. He stood up instantly, checked the console and declared "That's a good landing!". To which I replied, "If that's a good landing, I would hate to see a bad landing!". The Doctor dismissed these concerns and gestured me to come to the doors.
"What's outside?" he asked. "Well", I said, "I know this is a spaceship so therefore as we have landed I would assume a solid object, therefore I would guess Earth. However this statement that this ship is also a time machine I find impossible to believe". As I continued the Doctor opened the doors and pushed me outside, "so therefore I cannot for one moment say that..." and then I stopped in amazement. "But...But...But..." I stammered, "this looks like England!" "It is!" replied the Doctor, stepping out. "Welcome to England, somewhere near St. Austell in 535AD, about 1,300 years ago!"
"But it looks so familiar!" I said, walking around. "See there's a daisy, there's a dandelion and there's a someone taking a horse for a morning ride!" as a person on horseback came into view. He suddenly woahed the horse right in front of me and I gasped. "A knight!"
The knight took off his helmet and looked at me. "Greetings, my lad!" he said, "Behold yourself upon the countenance of Sir Lancelot of the Round Table. Prithee, thou art...?"
"William, sir" I said, "William of..." but was stopped by the Doctor putting his hand over my mouth. "Forgive my young page, sire!" he said, "I've only just employed him and he's yet to know how to address a knight of the Round Table!". Lancelot looked at the Doctor and gasped. He leapt off his horse and knelt in front of him. "My liege!" he said. I looked at the Doctor and he smiled and whispered in my ear "He thinks I'm Merlin!" to which I replied "Wouldn't anyone!"
After a few moments of bowing and compliments, Lancelot offered to take us to Camelot where he hoped that the Doctor would be in a position to solve a problem. "From what I have seen!" I replied, "I think he's capable of solving anything!" And my word, what an imposing pile Camelot was. It must have been as high as Westminster Tower and as long as Parliament and looked just like a castle should have done. I wanted to follow Lancelot to the fabled Round Table but sadly the Doctor said I couldn't. But he handed me a telescope and told me to have a look at the surrounding area from the top of the castle.
And what a view it was. I could see almost to Land's End to the south and could just about make out the place where Bristol would be in the north. Just as I was sweeping around to the east, I caught a glimpse of a flash. I lowered the telescope and stared and was convinced that there was a bright light that seemed to be travelling towards the castle. Next thing I knew a section of castle below me exploded and the castle turrets with me on them came crashing down. Thankfully, I wasn't too hurt but suddenly heard a cry.
"Hello?" I shouted, as I moved the masonry from on top of me, "Is anyone there?"
The cry came again and trying to walk over the remains of the turrets I came across a piece of masonry that seemed to be covering something and sure enough a cry of "HELP" came from underneath it. Looking around to make sure that no one could see me, I rubbed my hands together and said "We're coming to get you, just stay calm" and decided to see just how strong I was. I explained to Passepartout that would have taken him at least a week to move, I managed to move in a little under ten minutes and found a boy about my age, thankfully unhurt. I picked him up and dragged him to safety just as another blast destroyed the section below that.
At this point Passepartout is amazed and asks how a 10 year old could survive a collapsing castle. William reminds him that when he saved him, his father and Mr. Barbicane from execution on the moon, something happened to make him 36 times stronger than normal and that the Doctor later theorised that the closer to a planet with an Earth like gravity, the stronger he would get.
That second explosion threw us both through a door and when I looked up found myself looking at a very large round table full of knights all standing up and looking at me. I dusted myself down and apologised when Lancelot suddenly shouted "My son" and came dashing over and picked the child up. Hugging him he turned to me, almost in tears and said "William, thou hast saved thy only son and heir to thy title, I wouldst willingly give thy life for thou!" I noted Lancelot's opinion of me but said that anyone else in my position would have done the same. Just then the Doctor came bursting through another door and shouted "Incoming!". Everyone ducked as a third explosion rocked the right hand side of the castle. "What's going on?" I shouted. My answer came in a form of a container that was shot through the window of the room we were all in and landed on the floor.
"Stand back!" said the Doctor and with good reason as it then sprouted legs, hopped onto the table and turned into a sort of picture that moved. The picture was of something I had never seen before and amazingly it spoke:
"YOU HAVE SEEN THE POWER OF THE CYBERMEN" it said, "PREPARE TO BE UPGRADED OR DELETED!", the picture disappeared and was replaced by a big 10 in red when then went to 9, and then 8. "It's a bomb!" I shouted and jumped onto the table and delivering the best googly ever bowled threw the container out of the window where it exploded outside in mid air. Naturally enough everyone looked at the Doctor seeking an explanation and the explanation he gave was not a promising one.
"Cybermen" he said, "are evil knights who oppose everything about people. They feel that all people should follow their rules and look like them as well. They take by force and change them into themselves so that nothing about a person remains!"
The following day, the damage of the castle was clear to see and my word, whatever that beam of light was it certainly created a lot of damage. And this report piqued the Doctor's curiosity. He asked me to follow him back to the TARDIS and once inside asked me how bright the beam was, where it had come from and how fast it was travelling. I said that it was as bright as the sun, had come from due east but couldn't say how fast it was travelling. The Doctor showed me a map of the South West of England with Camelot marked and asked me to notice if anything left Camelot heading due east. After what seemed like ages a dot on the map moved in that direction. "There" I exclaimed. The Doctor looked and moving a ball made the dot move back and forth. "A laser!" he said. I looked at him and asked what a laser was. "A very intense and strong beam of light" replied the Doctor, "capable of blowing things up!" and that description seemed to match exactly what I had encountered. He followed the dot back to where it started and said "Fancy going on an expedition!"
That afternoon, myself, the Doctor and Sir Lancelot left Camelot heading due east. According to the Doctor the beam started somewhere near modern day Plymouth and would take at least a couple of days to get there, thankfully though with Sir Lancelot able to regale us with his stories of daring do, it felt like no time at all. As we approached Plymouth, I took the Doctor to one side and said "Is it me or does he remind me of someone?" "Your father, perhaps?" the Doctor smiled and nodded. It then suddenly hit me. Sir Lancelot was my ancestor! I was shaken from my thoughts by Sir Lancelot saying "Night!"
I looked up and said "Not for another couple of hours I think!". The Doctor then tapped me on the shoulder and said "Not night, knight as in Cyberman!" and pointed. I followed his finger and there in front of us stood a Cyberman and it was even worse close up than I had imagined. "YOU ARE NON CYBER!" it barked "YOU WILL BE UPGRADED OR DELETED!". What happened next I simply cannot explain. "Delete this!" I shouted and kicked the Cyberman in the chest with such a force that he collided with a nearby tree and was punctured by a branch that was sticking out of it. As I tried to comprehend what had happened, Sir Lancelot charged and chopped off it's head with his sword. The head rolled along the ground and settled by my feet. "I did that?" I asked, looking at the sparking remants. "Well" replied the Doctor, "you are 216 times stronger than you were!". A smile then crossed my face. "I've had an idea" I said slowly, "that is so sneaky it could wear an corked hat and be called Australian!". "What's an Australian?" asked Sir Lancelot as I discussed my idea.
"It's never going to work!" said the Doctor as he used what he called a sonic screwdriver to open up the head of the Cyberman we had incapaiticated. "I mean, okay, you sitting on top of Sir Lancelot will make you as tall as a Cyberman but Cybermen have a distinct way of speaking that is impossible to copy unless you are one!". "I BEG TO DIFFER!" I said in my best Cyberman impression and giggled. The Doctor sighed, handed me the head which I put on, leapt onto Sir Lancelot's shoulders and gave the command to walk with the Doctor behind us.
The idea was simple. Myself and Sir Lancelot were going to pass ourselves off as the Cyberman we had destroyed and convince them that we had captured the Doctor snooping around. It wasn't long before our disguise was put to the test as we encountered a Cyberman who stopped us.
"ERROR!" it said, "CYBERUNIT 14 TERMINATED 600 SECONDS AGO!"
"INCORRECT!" I replied, "CYBERUNIT LOST COMMUNICATION. REGAINED COMMUNICATION 30 SECONDS AGO!"
"REPORT!" continued the Cyberman
"LOSS OF COMMUNICATION WAS DUE TO THIS BEING!" I said and tapped Sir Lancelot on the shoulder. He moved out of the way to reveal the Doctor who waved. The Cyberman examined him carefully. "SCANNING!" he said and after a while, "ALERT! GALLIFREYAN DNA DETECTED. YOU ARE THE DOCTOR. YOU WILL BE UPGRADED!" and several Cybermen started to advance on him but they were halted by a "NO!"
The Cybermen parted and a man in black advanced.
"No!" gasped the Doctor, "it's impossible!"
The man walked forward and bowed. "Ah, my dear Doctor!" he said, "and how are we today then?"
"Master!" said the Doctor with a venom in his voice I had never heard before.
This Master person then took particular interest in us. He walked around us a few times and then took a tube out of his pocket. He fiddled around with it and then pointed it at us and pressed a button. The most horrendous buzzing noise then suddenly appeared in our ears and it was getting worse.
"Stop that!" shouted the Doctor.
"Why should I?" replied the Master, "it's only a Cyberman?"
"NO, IT'S NOT!" I shouted at the top of my voice and took off the head which prompted the noise to stop.
"ALERT!" said the Cyberman, "ORGANIC LIFEFORM...!"
"Yes!" said the Master, "now shut up you metallic moron!" and pointed the tube at the Cyberman who promptly exploded. He then turned back to me and looked at me. "Ah!" he said, "Master Fogg and how are your dear parents then?. And Sir Lancelot, you can come out now!"
I leapt off Sir Lancelot and he pulled the suit of armour back down to his shoulders.
"How on earth...?" I started
"Know your parents?" the Master replied, "Simple. I met your parents in 1872 when throughly bored with waiting for the Doctor to show up again I thought I would entertain myself for a few weeks. After all, the idea of killing the father of the world's strongest man was quite an idea!"
Something inside me snapped and I charged at the Master but found myself hanging upside down from a Cyberman's arm. "I would recommend that you keep quiet Master Fogg, one word from me and you will be killed!". He then turned his attention to Sir Lancelot. "And how is little Gregory, eh?". Sir Lancelot adopted a defensive pose. "You leave my son out of this!" he snarled. "I will!" said the Master, "provided he doesn't interfere!" and pointed to the Doctor. "So, Doctor!" he continued, "follow me please or your two friends get it!" As the Doctor shrugged his shoulders and followed the Master, he commanded that I and Sir Lancelot be tied to a tree.
After we had been tied up Sir Lancelot looked at me and sighed. "I'm never going to see my son again!" he said. "Now come on" I said, trying to gee him up, "Where's that famous Sir Lancelot spirit I have heard so much about!". Sir Lancelot smiled and then had an idea. "If you are so strong!" he said, "can't you break free?" "What do you think I've done?" I asked and showed him that I was no longer tied up, "but we can't just escape like that. That tube makes a noise that would stop us in our tracks!". "Not if we didn't hear it!" said Sir Lancelot and looked towards a patch of mud. I smiled broadly and scooped some up.
A few minutes later the Master came sidling up to us with the Doctor in tow. He was clearly bragging and waved his tube at us. Before the Doctor could answer, I pretended to grunt and snapped the bonds tying us together. Before the Doctor could could answer, I pretended to grunt and snapped the bonds tying us together. "Do your worst!" I shouted. "If you insist!" he said, and pointed the tube at us. I closed my eyes expecting the worst but I couldn't hear a sound. "It's working!" I thought and advanced on the Master who pressed another button clearly increasing the sound. "Hah!" I shouted, "is that all you can manage!". The Doctor was clearly shouting something but due to the mud in my ears I couldn't hear. The Master pressed more buttons and with a grim determination pointed the tube at me. I could just about make out a noise but was more impressed by the effect it was having on the Cybermen who seemed to be holding their heads in their hands and exploding at random intervals. The Master stopped pressing and I took my chance and threw myself at his legs causing him to topple over and making his tube fall to the ground where Lancelot stepped on it.
Holding to his legs with mine, I took the mud of my ears to hear the Doctor applauding me. "Thank you!" I said modestly, "but it was Sir Lancelot's idea actually!". Just then the Master roared and managed to throw me off. He ran towards what looked like a giant telescope and hit it with a large mallet. "Farewell, Doctor!" he shouted and popped into a tent which disappeared into thin air. The Doctor however was more concerned about the telescope.
"It's been set to maximum!" he explained as I investigated it, "and is aimed right at Camelot!"
"I do not like this one bit!" I said, as I examined the telescope with the Doctor. The Master's intervention with the mallet had destroyed the control panel and also set into action a countdown that was already indicating three minutes. "Is Camelot doomed?" asked Sir Lancelot. "Well" replied the Doctor, "unless we can figure a way of shutting it down and quick, then yes!".
"Can't it be moved?" I asked, "so that the beam doesn't hit Camelot at all?" The Doctor smiled as he looked at me and rubbed my head. "There's that old Fogg noggin being put to good use!" and he whipped out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the panel, but to no avail. "Darn!" he said, "It's been deadlocked. One of the few locks I can't open!". "How moving the whole thing?" I asked, as I rubbed my hands together.
However, that was easier said than done. After what seemed like an entireity (but was in fact two minutes) I had managed to move it just 2 to the left, which sounds a lot but as the Doctor informed me now placed the beam right in the middle of the Round Table hall. I slumped to the ground panting from the exertion and said "We've failed then!". Sir Lancelot sat by me as the panel read one minute. "William!" he said, looking me straight in the face, "I have had many occasions when I have felt the force of my position overwhelm me, but everytime I have looked within myself and when I do I have found myself looking at Gregory and it's given me the determination to carry on. Is there someone you would turn to?"
At that moment, I found myself thinking back to my father discovering that he had missed his deadline by two minutes in 1872 and Passepartout worried sick that he might do something silly. "You're right!" I panted, standing up. "I'm a Fogg, and we Fogg's never give up!"
"Thirty seconds!" said the Doctor, bringing me back to reality.
"Stand back!" I said, "this could be very dangerous!" and so saying I took several steps back from the telescope and when the panel read ten, I ran at it. "CHARGE!" I shouted and using all my strength charged into it just as it fired. I collapsed in a heap at the base breathing heavily. "Did I manage...?" I gasped. The Doctor said "Shall we have a look?" and took a whistle out of his pocket. He blew it and the TARDIS appeared in front of us, quite startling Sir Lancelot. "Can you walk?" the Doctor asked me. I tried to stand up but couldn't so Sir Lancelot picked me up in his arms and wearily entered the TARDIS with the Doctor in tow.
"By the gods!" he gasped, "its...!"
"Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside!" the Doctor and I chorused, causing me to chuckle and then cough. A few moments later, we had arrived outside Camelot the Doctor counting down. "Three, Two, One and Shunt!" he said. The beam shot over our heads and missed the highest turret of Camelot by inches. Sir Lancelot hugged me and thanked me for my efforts. "You're welcome!" I said, before blacking out.
I woke up in a large bed with Sir Lancelot and the Doctor peering over me. "Feeling better?" asked the Doctor. I sat up and nodded. "Excellent" said Sir Lancelot and dashed out of the room shouting "The Saviour of Camelot lives!" which was responded to by a massed "HUZZAH!" that rang around the castle. "Well" said the Doctor, "you've certainly made an impact haven't you?". I smiled and asked the Doctor if this meant that my trip to Medieveal England was over and he would take me to Stones' Hill as agreed.
"Not quite!" said the Doctor, as he left me with a smile on his face. I got out of bed and noticed that the clothes I had been wearing were now neatly folded on a nearby chair and on top of them there was a note. "These are your work clothes!" said the note, "Your best clothes are under the bed!". I knelt down and pulled the most lavish set of clothes I have ever seen. They were purple with gold sashes. I whistled at the sight knowing that purple and gold was only reserved for very high ranking people. I put them on and taking my work clothes, gently made my way down to the ground and what a reception there was. As soon as I stepped off the stairs, several trumpeters sounded their horns and everyone turned towards me. Sir Lancelot came forward and bowed.
"William" he said, "follow me!". A little bemused I followed him into the round table room and was asked to sit at the opposite side to an immense throne. The trumpeters sounded again and sir Lancelot stood. "Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, Arthur, King of the Britons!"
"NO!" I thought, but remembering my manners stood as a rather old gentleman came in and sat on the throne, closely followed by the Doctor who winked at me. "William!" Arthur commanded, "present yourself!". I left my position and went to him. "Your Majesty!" I said, bowing, remembering the time when I had forgotten to bow in front of Queen Victoria. "I have been told of your deeds today that saved the lives of everyone in this castle and having consulted with thy mage see fit to bestow upon thou an honour!". He was then handed a sword and told me to kneel. I did so, and felt the sword tap my shoulders. "Arise, Sir William of Burlington!" which was greeted by a mass HUZZAH. I looked at the Doctor and smiled. "There will be a feast to celebrate the creation of our newest knight!" announced Arthur as he handed me the sword and with that he left.
"So, Sir William!" smiled the Doctor, "how does it feel to have the same rank as your father?" and then he laughed.
"It's truly an honour!" I said, "but I feel I should give something in return" I then had an idea and asked the Doctor if he could show me if the TARDIS had a music collection. "From over 1,000 planets!" he replied. So for the rest of the afternoon, I scoured the collection looking for a piece of music that reflected my sense of pride and hopes that my knighthood would inspire others. Eventually I found one and finding a copying service copied it out for instruments of the time. I left just as Sir Lancelot was looking for me and I followed him into a massive hall full to the brim with tables and so much food as to feed the Commons and Lords about twice over. I passed some musicians and handed them the papers. They looked a little mystified but thankfully understood the instructions and I told them to wait for my cue.
As the moon started to rise over Camelot, the king begged silence and I was asked to address the hall. "Well!" I thought, "my first political speech!". I stood up and coughed and started. I first of all thanked the King for his kindness explaining that although I did only what I thought was needed, I could understand that everyone owed me their lives and if that meant they wished to honour me in such a way, then I certainly wasn't going to stop them. "HUZZAH!" came the reply. I then also thanked Sir Lancelot for helping me in my slightly harebrained scheme and hoped that he was have a long and successful career as a knight which generated another "HUZZAH!". I then moved on and said that in Burlington (which the Doctor had managed to convince everyone was a kingdom in the South East of England and not the district of London that Saville Row is in) it was traditional to thank a host through song and that with the permission of the King, I would like to regale Camelot with a song that I hoped would ensure that my acts would never be forgotten. I stepped down from the top table and went to the musicians. "With a 1!" I started and then remembered that time sequences hadn't been invented, so nodded instead. The music started and I sang:
"See the fire in the sky, we feel the beating of our hearts together, This is our time to rise above, we know the chance is here to live forever, For all time.
Hand in hand we stand, all across the land, We can make this world a better place in which to live, Hand in hand we stand, start to understand, Breaking down the walls that come between us for all time, For all Time!
Every time we desire, we feel the flames eternally inside us, Lift our hands up to the sky, the morning calm helps us to live in harmony, For all time
Hand in hand we stand, all across the land, We can make this world a better place in which to live, Hand in hand we stand, start to understand, Breaking down the walls that come between us for all time, For all Time"
which was greeted by cheers of "HUZZAH!" and applause. I bowed and noticed the Doctor was standing by the door to the Hall and knew that my time in Medieavl England was coming to a close. I decided to leave them wanting more so jumped on a nearby table and said "I have to announce that my time in Camelot has come to a close but fear not, I shall continue to hold the ideals of Camelot in my heart for all time!" then holding the sword above my head I decided to invoke a bit of Shakespeare and shouted "Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more!" and charged out of the hall and ran into the TARDIS screeching to a halt just before colliding with a pillar. The Doctor entered a few seconds later applauding. "And for my next trick!" he said, as he gestured me to look at one of the monitors which showed the view outside the TARDIS as the guests gathered and gasped as the TARDIS disappeared with Lancelot and Gregory waving.
As I got changed back into my work clothes and came back into the console room a sense of sadness overwhelmed me and I sat down on the seat and started to cry. The Doctor noticed this and sat besides me and asked what the matter was. I explained whilst sobbing, that I was going to miss him and that when he had dropped me off at Stones' Hill I would probably never see him again.
"Nonsense!" said the Doctor, "I'll be coming to visit you again on New Year's Eve 1885!" and he showed me an entry in his diary for the day marked Visit the Fogg's for New Year, "and besides" he continued, "I'll pop in on you from time to time, after all who can ignore a request for help from the world's strongest person!". With that he smiled and I hugged him, just as the TARDIS landed. "Ah, here we are, he said, Stones' Hill, October 4th 1884, just 30 minutes after your father launched. Now don't forget, I nudged the Columbiad so it should splash down just off the Mexican coast so if you start to mention the Mexican coast every day from the 8th onwards that should give everyone plenty of time to get organised". I stood up and saluted the Doctor, but still felt a little sad. "Oh, come here!" said the Doctor and hugged me again and walked me to the doors, where he opened them and I stepped out into a warm Floridan night. I sniffed, turned round and walked a few steps and then turned around just to see the Doctor close the doors and the TARDIS disappear. "Goodbye, Doctor" I shouted, "I'll never forget you!"