Chapter 3:
Upon Opening the Shell
For a few, dark filled moments, all was quiet. All was still. All was lifeless. The bulbs which had so suddenly died out due to my actions, then began to light up, but only dimly.
"Backup generator, I presume?" I ask Kate, not knowing where she was.
"Yes, but it's not very strong. We won't have power for long." She replied, talking to me from my right side. I look at her, and gave her an apologetic look. She gave me a look that said 'why did you do that?' After looking at her for a few seconds, I answered her question.
"That shell was using the wires you connected to it."
"Using it? In what way?" she asked. I turn to the shell, pointing at it and circling it as I talk.
"This thing was draining your power, using it to try and get enough energy to open itself. I could tell as soon as I entered the room." I answered. I walk to a screen displaying the constant scanning of the shell's interior and exterior.
I pull out the picture of the original scan of the shell and place it near the screen.
"Kate, look at this picture of the scan you gave me and look at the screen. What's different about the two pictures?" I tell her.
"Doctor, I don't think this is the time for playing a game of spot the difference." She replied.
"Just look." Then, she found herself obeying what I had asked and walked over to the screen next to me and looked at both images present. She stood there for a few moments, trying to see what I could see. Then, she finally figured it out.
"The hollow area, it's a lighter shade of black, looks almost grey." She replied.
"Exactly, you got it! Fantastic!" I hug her, then realise how embarrassed I had become, then moved quickly back to the images. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me." Kate turns towards me.
"Its ok, I liked it. But, Doctor, how is the shade of the hollow area of the scan relevant?" She asked. I turn to face her.
"It's a lighter shade because the shell has more energy and it has more energy due to the electricity it absorbed from your base," I turn toward a scientist that was close to me. "Check it for yourself." The scientist turns to look at Kate, and then Kate nods at him. He walks over to where I am standing, and I move out of his way. He looks at both images present.
"It's true, the shell's energy levels are significantly higher in the image displayed on this computer." He gestured in front of him.
"So, it is true. This thing was stealing our power." Kate said frustrated, looking at the images of the shell. At this point, I could feel something warm inside my pocket. I pull out the object. It is my TARDIS key. It is pulsating in the same way the TARDIS does when it lands and takes off.
"Doctor, what is that?" Kate asked. I look up from my key at her, then I look back at my key.
"It's the key to the TARDIS," A puzzled look comes across her face. "My ship, the blue box, it's called the TARDIS. That stands for: Time And Relative Dimension In Space. The fact that this little key is glowing is telling me that she is fully repaired." She turns towards me.
"Shall we go back to the room where it is, Doctor?" I look towards her.
"No need. And I like to call her 'she', if you don't mind." I tell her.
I reach into my pocket, and pull out my sonic screwdriver. I look at Kate and the other scientists in the room.
"Please stand back." I ask them. They instantly do as they are asked and then I press a button on the sonic screwdriver. After doing this, I slide up the pulsating light at the top of the device. A groaning and wheezing sound fills the room. A slight breeze whips everyone's' hair. The slowly evaporating silhouette of an old, blue police box begins to appear in the room we are all in, directly next to the shell. The groaning and wheezing sound gets increasingly louder. And finally, it's all over. The groaning and wheezing sound begins to fade and the breeze that was once in the room seems to disappear completely. The silhouette of the old police box has become a now solid object. The TARDIS had landed. Kate and the other scientist stood in wonderment and awe. Silence filled the air and then Kate, obviously baffled, said.
"That was magnificent."
"Wasn't it just?" I said, boasting about my magnificent machine. I walk towards the TARDIS door, and place the key in the lock. Kate runs over to me.
"Can I come in with you?" She asks. I look at her, her face looking the same as when a dog begs. I think over the options in my head, and finally, I give in.
"OK, but only for a few minutes, just long enough so that we can figure out some more about this thing." I reply to her, pointing at the shell. She is so happy about the fact that I'm going to let her in the TARDIS, that she hugs me. At this point, I could tell that she felt as embarrassed as I had. She then backs off, and I turn towards the door to my ship. Then, I unlock the door, and open it. Kate goes to walk in, but I stop her. She looks at me.
"Kate, you may feel a little culture shock. Just be prepared to be quite blown away." I say to her. I step out the way, and let her walk through the doors of my ship. She was, indeed, not prepared for what she saw.
She looked around quite rapidly, examining almost every detail of my almighty ship. I walk in and close the door behind me. She turns to me.
"But this, this is, this is impossible! It's..." I cut her off.
"It's dimensionally transcendental. Or, in other words, it's bigger on the inside, whichever is easier. You wouldn't believe how many times I have heard that be said." I laugh to myself. I whip off my trench coat, throw it to one side and run towards the screen on the main console in the centre of the room. I place the sonic screwdriver into a slot in the TARDIS console, and press two completely different buttons. Kate joins me at my side, still looking around, taking in all that she could see.
"What are you doing, Doctor?" She asked. I look at her, still flicking switches.
"When I called the TARDIS to where we was, I scanned the shell as well. And now I'm placing the information the sonic screwdriver picked up into the TARDIS. We will know exactly what that shell is in a few minutes." Then, Kate walked up to me.
"A few minutes you say?" She asked. I look at her curiously.
"Yes, that is what I said. Why?" I ask her.
"Anything could happen" She replied. Then, I understood what she meant and suddenly, I had to disappoint her.
"Now, you see, I would but I can't. I just can't. It goes against the oldest law of my species." Then, Kate looked at me with a confused look.
"What do you mean, species?" She asks.
"I'm an alien. And my species always vowed not to interfere with the events of the universe, but to only observe." I answered. Then, her eyes went wide in amazement as to what she was hearing. She now knew who I was, and took hardly any time to explain that she knew it.
"You are him! You are the same Doctor that helped us all those years ago. All the legends were true! I have always admired you, no wonder I knew I could trust you." She said to me, almost looking like she was my biggest fan. Then, the screen on the TARDIS console bleeped into life with weird symbols and shapes that only I could understand. Only, at this point, I wished that I couldn't understand them. A look of disgust and of fear both come across my face. Kate looked concerned, not knowing what to say. After some clear thought, she asked.
"Doctor, what is it? What's wrong?"
"The symbols, I know what they say. Only, I wish that I didn't." I replied.
After a few minutes, Kate finally talked to me again.
"Doctor, I can tell that you don't really want to, but can you please tell me what the screen is telling you about the shell?" She asked, then I turned to look at her. After some consideration, I decide to tell her.
"OK, the text says 'Upon opening the shell.'" Then, I draw myself off. Kate walks over to me.
"Please continue Doctor, 'Upon opening the shell'. Go on." Finally, I finish my sentence.
"OK, it says 'Upon opening the shell, nothing will stop the curse of your own judgement from spreading and nothing will stop your children from screaming'".