THE STRIKE OF TWELVE

The hallways were packed full of children. A young boy was walking along the straight corridor. He pushed up his glasses to see people ranting about summer. Coal Hill School's year had ended and vacation time had begun. Shaun Malga had been thinking about this time of the year. Sure summer is a fun time for people because of the lack of duties besides summer book reports but Shaun literally had nothing to do. Although most of his time he had was spent on studying and reviewing, he still had interests. He was fond of science in particular. The study of Alien life amused him. "One day I shall look to the stars and find life." He used to promise himself. "Funny isn't it?" Shaun turned around to find a girl with long hair, glasses, and a cute smile on her face. "Seems like this year took forever to get rid of. Now its gone." "Yeah." Shaun replied. "Anyway see ya next year!" Shaun stood still for a few seconds pondering what had just happened. Shaun admired science for sure but not as much as he admired Ashley Cooper and after a year of just hoping, he finally got a chance to talk to her. Shaun through his head up high in success and headed home.

Shaun's bag dropped on the floor as he went to the fridge to heat up a leftover slice of pizza. He immediately fell on the couch and turned the television on. "What better way to start the summer than History Channel." He thought to himself. Ancient Aliens was on. This particular show intrigued Shaun. Aliens invading Earth from the past? Come on. He continued to enjoy his show but was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash in the backyard. The lights turned off as a faint glow from the backyard crept into the living room. "What the hell was that?!"He came dashing out of the house. A canyon had formed leading up to a crater. Shaun looked inside of it. The crater had smoke surrounding it but Shaun managed to see past the smoke. What he saw shocked him. It wasn't a satellite, it wasn't a UFO, but a blue box marked police.

-Deep in Space-

The TARDIS was spinning rapidly out of control. The Doctor flicked some switches but to no avail.

"Why are you doing that?! Stop blowing up!"

He was in a state of panic though this was normal for fresh faces. The Doctor had received a new set of regenerations back at Trenzalore. Thirteen new lives to enjoy. However, he had to get this incarnation under control. He looked much older than the cool, bowtie wearing Doctor. In fact, he had gray hair and wrinkles all over his face. The Doctor pulled a lever which sent his crashing ship to shake uncontrollably. He glanced at the monitor. Destination: Earth. "Oh well!" He exclaimed before the TARDIS entered Earth's atmosphere. The Doctor's ship lit on fire and burned as it came tumbling down to the planet below. "Why are you burning now?! Oh no. Shields are down!" The Doctor quickly pulled a switch and braced for impact.

Shaun didn't know what to do. "Is this alien? Or just a government thing?" He stepped closer. The doors suddenly opened making Shaun jump back. The Doctor's face emerged from the box and stared at Shaun. "Well aren't you going to help me get out?" Shaun immediately grabbed the Doctor's arms and pulled him out. "Thanks son. What's your name?" "Shaun." "Ah Shaun. I'm the Doctor by the way."

The Doctor stepped closer to the TARDIS. "Oh she's a mess. Atmosphere really hurt her." "Wait are you saying you're from space?" Shaun asked. "Well….. yes." The Doctor answered. Shaun had finally made contact. All that talk of space beings were true. "Why does he look human though?" He thought to himself. "Why are you doing that?" The Doctor asked. "Doing what?" "Fading to black. Stop it." "I don't think I am…." The Doctor suddenly dropped to the ground. "Doctor?! Are you all right?!" Shaun picked him up and brought him back inside the house as the Doctor exhaled excess regeneration energy.

The Doctor awoke to the pleasant smell of herbs. He got up and looked around to see Shaun mixing something in a coffee cup. "Lie down. You should get some rest." Shaun brought the cup to the Doctor. "I passed out didn't I? I hate it when I do that." Shaun handed him the cup. "Drink this. My mom used to make this for me when I pass out of exhaustion." The Doctor took a sip. He frowned at the bitter taste. "Huh this tastes bad. Familiar bad." "Hey! It's my mom's recipe." Shaun exclaimed. The Doctor put the cup down. "Speaking of your mother, she'll be cross once she sees the mess I made in the back. Where is she?" "On a trip. Also this isn't my house. I'm just housesitting." "Strange….." "What? My job?" "No. The lights. They're off." Shaun looked around at the dark room dimly lit by a candle. "Yeah you crashed here in a blue box. Must've hit some electrical wires or something." "No. I saw the path I crashed through. No wires." The Doctor stood up and whipped out his sonic screwdriver. He scanned his surroundings and checked the readings. "Not an EMP but a signal." "A signal? For what?" Shaun asked. The Doctor went out to the street and looked around. Darkness. Darkness everywhere. "Every light has been shut off in a mile radius." The Doctor checked his screwdriver one more time. "Oh…" "What? What is it Doctor?" The Doctor silently stared at the sky. "It's to mark this location." "For what?" The Doctor seemed excited. "For me…" Above Earth the black circle of the city without lights was visible. A space ship was waiting nearby. "The Doctor is detected! Prepare the infiltration of Earth!" It was a trap! No. More than that. It was carefully set out plan. And only one race could do that. The Doctor looked at Shaun realizing who had set the elaborate scheme. Daleks…

Not long after, the daleks had arrived at the epicenter of the blackout. "Search the area. Capture the Doctor!" Five daleks flew out of the ship while ten more patrolled the ground. The residents in the nearby houses hid in horror. One man had walked out of his house to fetch his dog. "You!" One dalek turned to the man. "We need information!" "What kind of information?" The man said in horror. "The location of the Doctor!" "Doctor who? I need the name." Suddenly, a blast from another dalek killed the man. "These worthless species don't know of the Doctor. Don't waste your time with them!" The daleks continued their search. Nearby, the Doctor and Shaun had been watching. "They killed that man! Are they gonna kill us?" The Doctor was busy fiddling with his sonic screwdriver. "Probably. But I need my TARDIS for this one." The sonic screwdriver lit up and buzzed. "What's a TARDIS?" "You know. That blue box outside." He held his screwdriver up. "There." "What? What did you do?" The Doctor pointed the screwdriver at an electric post. He pressed down on the button. A spark flashed from the wires. "Electric charge detected. Investigate area!" The dalek soon flooded around the area of the post. "Ha. Daleks. Always gullible." They got up and sneaked their way to the TARDIS. "Help me get this up. Hurry!" Shaun and the Doctor pulled up the TARDIS. "Let's go." The Doctor stepped in the ship. He swatted at the smoke making his way to the console. "Its damaged but we can set it on repair. Shaun could not believe his eyes. "Shaun could you close the doors." Shaun stood quietly staring at the inside of the TARDIS. "Shaun! One yeah that's right. First time in here." The Doctor caught his attention with a snap. "Look. I know it's bigger on the inside but frankly. Right now. We don't have time to admire the view. No go and close the doors." "OK…." Shaun headed to the doors to find a dalek looking straight at him. "Exterminate!" A blast from the dalek hit the doors as Shaun closed it. The TARDIS shook. "That was close. Now let's get out of here." With a flick of a switch and a pull of a lever, the TARDIS started to dematerialize. The daleks had converged around the time machine shooting at it furiously. Before they could hit it, the TARDIS was already gone. "The Doctor has escaped!"

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and took in the smell. "Looks like we're in London." He took one more sniff. "1878." Shaun stepped out. "What?! 1878?!" He looked around to see people dressed in fancy clothing and stores that looked like they were ancient. "How can this be 1878?" The Doctor smiled "Did I also mention that this is a time machine?" Shaun walked around. "So what are we doing in 1878?" "We weren't meant to go here. Just needed a place to let the TARDIS rest." "Can we look around?" "Sure. But don't touch anything." "What fun will that be?" Shaun said as he ran off. "Shaun! Ah kids these days." The Doctor let out a sigh of relief and went back inside to repair the TARDIS. Shaun enjoyed all the sights. 1878 was the year electricity was implemented in London. He wanted to see London's first electric system implemented. He arrived at the street which resembled the street which the house he stays in is located. A couple of men walked by and started working on the street. They connected the wires to the lamp and it lit. Shaun was experiencing history! But he noticed that the men were also carrying strange equipment. A couple of unknown silver metals were being infused in the wires. "Those don't look like copper" Shaun said to them. "You're supposed to line the wires with copper." The men stood up and looked at Shaun. "This is none of your business." Shaun got intimidated by the blank stares they were giving. "Yeah but if you use copper it would be way easier to control the electric flow." The men's faces were blank. "Step away from the street." Out of nowhere the doctor popped up from behind the men. "You know, he is right. Shaun you are a bright kid." He scanned the metal "This isn't any ordinary substance. This is dalekanium. Found only in one place!" The men were looking at the Doctor now. "Skaro. So tell me, who are you?" The men started shaking and twisting their heads. Dalek eye stalks emerged from their forehead. "Shaun. Run!" The Doctor and Shaun ran across the street while the men followed, blasting them with lasers from their hands. "Doctor, what are they?!" "Dalek puppets. Humans turned into slaves for the daleks to control which means they're also here!"

The Doctor and Shaun managed to escape by hiding in an alleyway. "I didn't know alien life was so hostile!" The Doctor looked at Shaun "Well there are good aliens like me but the daleks are the best example of the bad ones." "That reminds me Doctor, which planet are you from? You look human." The Doctor ignored the question and peeked out of the corner. "OK so the daleks installed dalekanium to the wires in London to mark when the TARDIS arrives. But why London. How would they know I would land here." "Crash." "Whatever. We need to find the source of the puppet's control." The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver. "But for that. We need to get up close." The workers continued to work on the street lamps. "Gentlemen! May I have a minute with you!" The men suddenly aimed their blasters at the Doctor and eyestalks grew out of their foreheads. "Ah not friendly eh?" They began shooting as the Doctor hid behind a brick wall. He quickly aimed his screwdriver at the puppets and scanned them. "Got it!" As he said that, a blast broke a hole in the brick beside him. The Doctor got up and ran. Dodging the blasts he made his way to the TARDIS where Shaun was waiting. "Get inside!" He shouted. The Doctor ran with dalek puppets shooting behind him. He dashed to the TARDIS and went inside. The Doctor placed his scredriver in a hole on the console. "I've scanned the signal but we have to hurry before it fades away." With a pull of a lever the TARDIS took off. "There." The Doctor pointed at the screen. "That's where we need to go." Shaun looked at the screen and saw an observatory. "That kinda looks like a…" "Dalek? Don't worry, it's not a coincidence." The TARDIS flew around the dalek shaped observatory. "So what's the plan? How do we infiltrate that observatory?" Shaun said. "Uh.. Infiltrate?" "Yeah. That place must be crawling with daleks." "I was thinking more of eh…." "More of what?" "A faster approach. I hate waiting." The Doctor pulled a switch and sent the TARDIS swirling into the observatory. "Doctor! What are you doing?!" "Something possibly stupid!" The TARDIS rattled and crashed through the windows and stopped in front of a room. "Shaun stay here." "Why?" "Because I said so." "They'll shoot you." "I'm counting on that." The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and into the room. Two daleks were inside controlling computers. "Halt! You will be questioned!" "Yes. That's why I'm here. Do you know who I am?"

The daleks looked at him ."You are not in our memory banks." "Good. Good." "Identify yourself! Identify!" The Doctor looked at the screens. Plans. Plans for the electric wires. He stepped forward "Those wires full of dalekanium. When sent a certain signal, they shut off correct?" "Identify yourself or you will be exterminated!" The Doctor ignored the warning and stepped closer. "A signal eh? Such as, I don't know, an alarm or a ding on a radar." "Wait." The daleks stopped talking. "Yes. I'm correct aren't I? A signal for me." "Questioning is not needed." The Doctor looked as the daleks pointed their guns at him. "You will be exterminated!" Shaun heard a blast from inside the TARDIS. Then silence.

The Doctor stood still. He had been shot. "Y'know. For daleks. You are pretty gullible." The Doctor started glowing. "One of the rules of regeneration. Never mess with a time lord fifteen hours into a new regeneration." "It is the Doctor! Exterminate! Exterminate!" Before the daleks could do anything, the Doctor exploded in a bright yellow glow, knocking the daleks over and shaking the entire observatory. He let out the last of the remaining excess regeneration energy and walked to the computers. London electricity plans. He had to stop the daleks. The files were full of dots all connected with the lines of what he thought to be electric lines. The daleks have been at it for years, installing electric lines all across the globe but that was not the only thing that caught his eye. The dots, nodes, shaped like a teleporter. A time teleporter! He clicked on the next file. He saw the dalek's main plan. The TARDIS detection system was merely a precaution in case He shows up to stop them. But the daleks were after something else. Skaro. The home planet of the daleks. They wanted to bring it back through the portal using Earth as a gravitational attractor. The Doctor hurried back to the TARDIS with his discovery.

Earth's sky was covered in dalek ships. The preparations were almost complete. Soon, Skaro will rise out of the ashes. A dalek arrived in the main parliament. "The nodes are nearing completion. The daleks have started charging the portal." There was a dalek in a glass casing overlooking the Earth. "This puny planet shall burn. Any signs of the Doctor?" "No. But we will exterminate on sight." "No! We need him alive if we were to extract the information from him!" The dalek looked back. "Yes emperor." The emperor dalek never felt more accomplished. Even if they were designed with only hate, it was nice to feel victory. "Deploy the tanks and ready the portal." Dalek tanks had begun surveying the area, protecting the nodes. It was just supposed to be a normal day, the start of summer even. But for Ashley, it was the end of the world. She was just getting groceries then suddenly: BAM! Alien invasion! She hid in a street corner while countless people were being shot by the ruthless daleks. What could she do but watch? She thought of Shaun "He must be getting a kick out of this. If it wasn't for the fact that these aliens were dangerous." She silently waited for the fleet to pass by. Meanwhile in space, the TARDIS was in orbit. The Doctor scanned the surface of the Earth. "As I feared. A portal big enough for Skaro." "Doctor. Look." Shaun used the monitor to zoom in. People were running and panicking. Daleks were shooting at them. "We can't just let this happen." The Doctor didn't reply "Hmm…. The nodes are connected. Take out one, the whole thing falls apart." Shaun couldn't believe the Doctor. He doesn't care. "Doctor! People are dying! We can't just sit here and do nothing!" "We are doing something! Those people. On the street. I don't have time for them! I have an entire planet to save! I shouldn't even be doing this right now!" The Doctor flicked a switch. "There. That's the nearest node. We hit one, knock it out, and save the world OK?" Shaun stayed silent. Looking through the street he saw something that caught his eye. Ashley. She's in danger! "Doctor we need to go there now!" "But the node!" Shaun looked at the Doctor with a stern face. "We need to save those people, then we shut down the node!" The Doctor was surprised at this sudden outburst. It reminded him of a person he couldn't place a name on. But he knew, inside he knew it was the right thing to do. "Very well then." The Doctor pulled the switch. "We're in stealth mode but once we start moving fast, the daleks will know of our location." He pulled another switch. "Ready?" Shaun nodded. The Doctor was going to save this planet once more.

Ashley ran across the street and hid in a shop. Daleks were passing by as she tried to hold her breath. Ashley was a brave girl but she was never this scared in her life. Suddenly, she heard a weird noise which sounded like screeching. The Doctor held on tight as the TARDIS plummeted. "TARDIS detected! Exterminate! Extermi-" The TARDIS flew across the street knocking daleks over and sending some in the air. "We need to get one of those tank thingys!" The Doctor ran around the console. "Shaun. You'll have to fly the TARDIS!" "What?!" "We don't have much time!" The Doctor flicked switches and pulled a lever. He then directed Shaun to a joystick. "Ok I set it to basic mode. This'll allow you to control the TARDIS. Just like a video game!" Shaun took hold of the joystick. "How about you?!" The Doctor opened the doors. "I'm doing something dangerous! Keep it steady!" The Doctor jumped out of the TARDIS and onto the street. He carefully made his way to a tank and opened the doors with his sonic screwdriver. "Exterminate!" Before the daleks inside could shoot him, he closed the doors. A muffled explosion could be heard. The Doctor opened the door. The daleks' blast had backfired and exploded the heads of their armor. "Daleks. Gullible." The Doctor kicked the daleks out through the other side and took control of the tank. "OK. Just like a video game." He rotated the knobs and soon was driving the tank towards the node. Shaun was shaking now. Daleks right behind him. Is there any weapons on this thing?! As the TARDIS shook violently, Shaun started to get used to the flying box. "Just like a video game." He kept repeating to himself. The TARDIS flew past a small dalek ship. The lasers being fired at the TARDIS hit the ship instead. "Woohoo!" Shaun exclaimed. The Doctor knew what he had to do. He aimed the cannon at the node and fired. The laser disintegrated before it could hit the node. "Force fields. I hate force fields!" Two dalek tanks were converging on the Doctor. Without hesitation, he fired at the tanks. The tanks exploded in a fiery blaze. The Doctor stepped out of the tank and ran towards the node. "Force field generator where are you?!" Time was running out. A black shadow covered the Earth. Skaro. No, not this time! The Doctor found the generator and shut it off. "Exterminate!" Heavy fire hit the Doctor as he took cover behind a tank. "Just one shot!" He opened the door and aimed the cannon. Skaro was forming now. People around the area were looking up in horror as the Earth started shaking. "There!" The cannon of the tank fired. The node exploded into a million pieces. Skaro started to sink back inside the portal. The nodes started to turn off. One by one. The daleks were still firing at the Doctor. He saw the Tardis making its way towards him. The Doctor started to run towards the TARDIS. He jumped and held on to the base of the box. Shaun pulled him in. "Wait. Who's driving?" The TARDIS plummeted as the Doctor attempted to get control. The dalek forces started to withdraw from the Earth. "Where are they going?" "Well I just stopped their plans. Probably regrouping." Shaun jumped in the air. "We did it then. We saved the world!" "It's not over yet." The Doctor plugged something in the TARDIS. "What's that?" "Oh just a thing." The TARDIS started to take off again. "Ah what a day. I'm so glad we're away from those tin cans." The Doctor went to the door. "Not exactly…" They stepped out to the parliament. At once, all the daleks aimed their guns at the Doctor and Shaun. "Are we on their.." "Yup." The dalek emperor stepped forward. "Doctor." The Doctor turned to see a giant spider like dalek making its way towards them. "You will answer to the daleks." "Sure. Whatever you need. Oh sorry about Skaro by the way. It's not coming back." The emperor seemed unmoved. "That may have been lost. But we are in search of something else." "What might that be?" "The promised land." The Doctor stared at him in confusion. "The Promised Land… it's just a myth. It doesn't exist." "You have scoured the universe. You must have discovered this place." The Doctor looked down thinking then he looked back up. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell." The dalek emperor aimed his gun. "Then you have no further use for the daleks! Exterminate!" All the daleks in the parliament fired at the same time.

Nothing. Nothing happened to them. "What is this?! Why are our weapons malfunctioning?!" The Doctor stepped forward. "Oh your weapons are fine! It's just that…." The Doctor smiled. "We're holograms." The Doctor, Shaun and the TARDIS vanished and the Doctor talked through a speaker. "Have you forgotten who I am?! I am the oncoming storm! The predator! The one the daleks all fear!" Holograms of the Doctor started to appear all over the parliament. "I am the Doctor!" They all shouted at once. The daleks started shooting at the holograms but they kept missing. Meanwhile the Doctor crept out of a control room on the ship. "There that should teach them a lesson." The Doctor said as he entered the TARDIS. "What did you do?" "I set the hyper drive on overload. Should cause them to be shot across the universe far away from here." The Doctor pulled a lever. "Hyper drive on overload! Temporal displacement imminent!" The dalek ships suddenly formed into black holes as the TARDIS flew past them. "Now we've saved the world." Shaun looked at the Doctor. This man isn't ordinary. He's a hero. Before returning to his house, Shaun asked the Doctor to stop by a place. "Ashley!" Ashley turned around to find Shaun running towards her. "Shaun! Thank god you're here. It was crazy! These robots everywhere and space ships killing people!" Shaun calmed Ashley down. "Are you alright?" Ashley smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Come on. I'll walk you home." Shaun and Ashley walked off as the Doctor watched. He smiled. It was familiar to him somehow like he had experienced the same thing before. But how could he fall in love? With who? He shook it off and went back in the TARDIS.

Shaun came home to find the TARDIS right outside the door. He went inside and saw the Doctor on the couch eating the pizza he had heated up. "How'd your date go?" "It wasn't a date. I just took her home." The Doctor put the empty plate on the counter. Shaun noticed the backyard was clean and free of craters. "Your crater's gone." "Yeah. The least I can do to make up for crashing in the backyard." He moved towards Shaun. "Very well then. Also I didn't get the chance to change when I got here." The Doctor was now wearing a white shirt underneath a black coat with the inside lined with red, black pants and black shoes. "What do you think?" "You look cool." The Doctor went to the door. "Well. It was nice meeting you Shaun." "You too Doctor." Before the Doctor could go in the TARDIS, he turned around. "Or perhaps, you would like to go with me." This caught Shaun's attention. "Go where?" "Anywhere you like. You've earned it." The Shaun looked back at the house and then to the Doctor. "Why not!" They both smiled and entered the TARDIS as the Doctor flicked switches and pulled levers. A new adventure had started.

Next Time: Planet Android