The Return of the Time Lords
Orphan Black/Doctor Who AU
by DJ324B21
Ch. 1
Cosima Niehaus walked from her class to the laboratory on her University campus. On the way, she bumped into a fellow student named Scott. She seemed to have her mind on something else. There was something pressing in the back of her mind but she couldn't seem to understand it. She ignored the visions and thoughts long enough to hear Scott calling her name.
"Cosima?" he said. "Cosima, are you alright?"
He tried to reach out for her but she pulled away. "I just feel out of it," Cosima replied. "Sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything." She laughed almost nervously, as if there was something more behind it. She adjusted her glasses awkwardly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"Okay," Scott said. "Are you heading to the lab?"
"Yeah, I figured I'd get a jump on my thesis paper," she said with a shrug of her delicate shoulders.
He flashed her a dorky smile and nodded his head. "You're going to do great, you'll see," he said. He looked down at the floor to avoid contact with her eyes. Cosima could tell what was behind his gawkiness.
She nodded her head at him. "I bet," she said. "So, I'll see you later?"
"Actually, I'm on my way over to the labs too," he said.
Cosima raised her brow at him. She turns to glance over her shoulder and then to glance over Scott's shoulder. "Weren't you going that way?" she said as she pointed. He shifted his weight nervously and chuckled.
"I guess I remembered that I have to finish something," he said.
"Something? Sounds big," Cosima said behind a sarcastic smile.
"Yeah, it is," he said. "I'm doing something top secret for someone."
"Top secret?" she asked as her curiosity was peaked.
"Yeah, this guy came up to me and told me to analyse this," Scott explained as he pulled out a pocket watch from his lab coat pocket. He showed it to Cosima.
"What is this? It's just a watch?" Cosima said with curiosity laced in her voice. She reached out to touch it but Scott pulled away from her.
"I can't let you touch it," he said. "The guy was really specific with what he wanted. I'm getting a hundred bucks out of this."
Cosima smiled tightly. Her eyes follow the watch as it slid back into his pocket. She was intrigued by this watch but the fact that he wouldn't let her touch it was a problem. Why couldn't she touch it? What was the big deal?
"That's great," Cosima finally muttered. "Listen, I need to get going."
As she is about to turn to walk away, Scott latched onto her lab coat. "Cosima, wait," he urged. "Don't tell anyone about the watch. Okay?"
Cosima turned around to look him in the eye. He was scared. Something was scaring him. She nodded her head with worry in her eyes. "I won't," she promised. "Scout's honour."
Scott nodded his head and let her go. Cosima turned around and walked down the hall to the lab. Her head was racing. The inscriptions on the watch seemed alien. It wasn't a language she was familiar with. How did she know it was a language? Again, her thoughts raced through her skull causing her to gain a slight headache. With a sigh, she eased open the laboratory door and made her way to her station.
Meanwhile
Sarah Manning is asleep on a train. The bumps don't bother her a bit. Her head is filled with strange dreams as punk music plays loudly in her ears. She is running. She's not sure from what. She's in a war. There are fires, bombs and creatures she's never seen before in her life. They are shooting green lasers from their bodies as people run for their lives. One by one, they die. They are shot and become nothing more than ash on the ground. That's when Sarah realises what she is running from. She's running from a war. The memories are strange.
There is an alien language printed on the side of a large silver building. She rushes inside to run from the carnage outside. With a heavy pant, she runs up a flight of stairs. She can feel her feet hit the cold, hard steel. She can feel the cold against her skin. A door came into view. She ran to it. She could read the characters. The language was clear to her. She places her hand on the writing. Time and Relative Dimension in Space it read.
She is about to open the door when the train makes a sudden stop. Sarah is shaken out of her dream with force.
"Shit!" she yells out.
Next to her is a mother with her young son. She gave Sarah a displeasing look in which Sarah replied, "Sorry," with a sour expression.
Once outside, Sarah tries to shake the dream but she can't. It's haunting her. Time and Relative Dimension in Space ran through her head. She tries her best to let go of the dream. She makes her way to a payphone which has become quite the oddity.
Sarah picks up the receiver and inserts the last of her change into the phone. As she speaks into the phone, a woman is sobbing. Sarah turns her head to investigate. All she sees is the woman pacing. Her tears are a distraction from her conversation.
"Can I at least talk to her, yeah?" she asked. There was a pause. Upset by the answer, Sarah hangs up the phone and leans against the wall. She tilts her head to stare at the crying woman. She was dressed up and had her hair up in a bun. Sarah couldn't keep her eyes off her. It was as if some unknown force was pulling her closer.
The closer she got, the louder her heart beat. She wasn't sure what was going on. She was about to ask the woman if she was okay when she noticed the woman had removed her high heels and placed them near her purse.
Sarah moved closer still. The woman turned around to reveal her face. Sarah was staring into her own eyes. Everything this woman was, it was Sarah. She double took and was about to run, however, a train was making it's way down the tracks. The woman heard the train and she turned to greet it.
Sarah cringed as the woman jumped. Through the chaos and confusion, Sarah's mind raced. What just happened? She thought. Her eyes scanned the platform. She targeted the woman's purse. There was a curious nature to Sarah. She rushed to it and snatched it up from the floor before anyone was the wiser.
London, England 1889
The TARDIS lands safely in a dark, quiet slum in London. The doors open slowly to reveal the Doctor. He steps out in his polished shoes, tweed jacket and red bow tie. The sky is dark overhead as the clouds get ready to release their showers on an unsuspecting town below.
The Doctor makes his way down the street. He greets people as he walks alone down the cobble stone pathway. He reaches his destination. On the door it read: Madame Vastra's Detective Service. The Doctor knocks on the door. In a few moments, he is greeted by a large looking man who looked much like a giant potato.
"Finally you are here," he said in a low voice.
"Well, it's lovely to see you too Strax! It took me a while what with saving the universe and all," the Doctor replied. "Is Vastra in?"
Strax nodded his head and opened the door wider allowing the Doctor entrance. Sympathy no. 25 by Mozart plays loudly. As he walks inside, Strax attempted to take his coat.
"Oh, no thank you," the Doctor said with a smile.
Strax tilts his head. "Is it not human custom to removes one's coat before entering the home of another?"
"Well, yes, if I were wearing a coat," the Doctor explained. "This is a jacket. It's different some how. I don't really question it."
Strax grumbled something and made his way out of the room leaving the Doctor to wait for Vastra. He took a seat and waited for her in her palour. He enjoyed the music very much. He tapped his foot along to the violins and inhaled the melody. He began to practice a sympathy with his hands.
As he was doing so, Vastra entered the room. "Are you quite entertained?" she asked.
The Doctor stopped what he was doing and jumped from his chair. "Ah yes!" he exclaimed. "Madame Vastra! I need your help!"
"You do know it's rude to show up unannounced and then ask for a favour, do you not?" she asked with a disapproving tone.
"I know you hate this but this is very important," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He looked her in the eye. She could tell he was serious. His eyes pierced her very core. "This could rip the very fabric of existence as we know it if we don't help."
Vastra shook her head. "Well, what is it? What exactly is going on, Doctor?!" she demanded.
"The Time Lords," he said slowly. "We-I-They are-" His voice trails off for a moment as he gathers his thoughts. "I know there are more," is all he could mutter.
As a concerto fluttered through the open air, Vastra's eyes were wide with disbelief. "What is that I can do?" she asked.
"You are going to help me open up a passage to a parallel universe," he said.
"That's not possible," she argued. "You said that could-"
"I know what I said but there is a way," the Doctor assured her. "It's dangerous but it must be done."
"How do you know about these Time Lords?" she asked.
"I can feel them," was all he said.
Minnesota, USA
Cosima reaches into her bag and retrieves a pink mobile. A text message appears: Has she replied to you yet? -AH
Cosima shakes her head at the mobile. Impatiently she taps her foot on the floor wondering what to even say. If she told her that she hadn't heard a word, that could cause her to panic. She didn't want that. However, there was no other way around it. Cosima's fingers traced the letters before she decided to finally type out the message: No, she hasn't but I'm sure she'll reply soon. There's no need to worry. -CN
Not even a minute later, a new message appears: This isn't like her. -AH
Cosima nimbly typed in her message: It's going to be fine. I'll let you know the minute I get in contact with her. -CN
With that, she pocketed the mobile and made her way to her home. She placed ear buds into her ears and played underground music that only she knows of. She liked it that way. Her own personal thing that no one else could touch. As she waited for the bus, her mobile went off again. She fishes for it and takes it out of her bag. A text message appeared: As she replied to you? -KO
Cosima sighed as she stared at the text message. "Goddamn it," she said out loud to no one.
I told AH that I would let you know. The second I hear from her, you will both know. -CN
With that, she shoved the mobile back into her bag and mounted the bus. Loud beats rattled her mind as she moved to the back of the bus. She found a quiet seat and sat down. She leaned her head back against the bus chair and allowed herself to close her eyes.
There is fire, people screaming and running for their lives through red and silver streets. There is ash in the wind and Cosima is in the center of a war. In her hand is an odd device. It glows red at the tip and seems like a tool. She some how knew how to use it. She turned around on a dime to face a monster. Something alien she had never seen before. It had no face but it had an eye stock. It was glowing blue. It turned on her as if it were scanning her.
"EXTERMINATE!"
"SHIT!" Cosima yelled. She pointed to the tool at the creature and the tool seemed to chase it off for a moment. It gave Cosima enough time to turn around and run. She ran down the street as people around her died. The ash was clouding her path and clouding her lungs. She knew where to go however. She ran to this place.
The cold, hard, silver building was a safe place for now. She ran to it and threw open the door. She ran up the flights of stairs and felt as each one was heavy under her feet. She could feel the cold. She could feel everything. There she was. Her heart racing. She was near a door. A special door. She knew how special it was.
There was an alien language. She traced her hands over it. Time and Relative Dimension in Space, read. "Time travel," she mumbled. "I can get out of here."
She opened the door and the light flooded her sight. As the bus jolted her out of her dream, Cosima yelped as she is woken up. She gathered her things and rushed out of the bus to her flat. Once there, she forces her front door open and falls into her bed.
She is out of breath as if she were running. The language, it was the same as the one on the watch. This time, she could read it. She knew exactly what it said. How could that be? She shook it off.
It's a dream, she thought, you're curious about the watch so you made up a story. You have to concentrate on bigger things, like, why are their clones of you. That would be a good thing to figure out, Cosima.
After giving herself a pep talk, she got up from her bed and made her way to her computer. She brought it to life and sat down. She checked her email. Nothing special. She sighed as she clicked back to her work. She was having enough trouble concentrating at school. This was just an added stress.
Even as she worked, the alien language, world and creatures seemed real. She could not shake the feeling that she had lived that dream. She could not get rid of the gut feeling she was having. It was starting to rip her apart.
Meanwhile, in Toronto
Sarah Manning makes her way into a dive bar in downtown. She moves her way through the crowd to secure a seat at the bar. She sits down and thinks back to not only the dream but the woman she saw. She fishes inside the dead woman's purse. She finds a wallet and fumbles through it. She finds the identification card she was hunting for.
She turns the card around in her hands. She read the name on the card to herself, Elizabeth Childs. It was alien to her. She was staring at her own face but the hair was wrong. It wasn't her but at the same time it was. She began to wonder if this woman was somehow her twin sister.
Before her thoughts could go further, her foster brother Felix came up behind her. "So you finally show your face around here after all this time," he mocks.
Sarah jumped at his presence. "Fee, you scared the shit out of me," she said as she punched him in the shoulder. "I've had a bad day."
"Oh, do you want to tell me about it?" he asked.
"I saw someone kill herself," Sarah explained. "She jumped in front of a train."
"Ew, a jumper?" he repeated with disgust.
"Fee, she looked just like me," she confessed with a sigh. "It's just not possible. Look at this."
Sarah tossed over the ID card to Felix who caught it mid-flight. He looked down at it and then compared it to Sarah's face. "Yeah, this does look exactly like you," he said. "Well, it's you with a nice haircut."
"Yeah, well, she's dead now," Sarah said.
"Hold on, you robbed her body?" Felix asked.
"No, she left her purse on the platform," Sarah said defensively.
"Right because that's so different," Felix scoffed. "You know she could be your sister. You could have a chance here to figure out who you really are."
"I don't have a sister," Sarah said as she shook her head. "I'm no one special, Fee. I'm just me. Listen, she has keys here to her flat. I'm going to go there."
"Oh? Are you going to rob more of her shit?" he asked sarcastically.
She gave him a dirty look and got up to her feet. "Say what you want, this might be a great thing. I can just pretend to be her for a while, get some money and we could get out of here."
"Great plan," Felix said. "Alright, well, let me know how your descent into madness goes."
Meanwhile in Suburbia
Alison Hendrix exhaled and paced in her kitchen. The pink mobile is in her hand. She hasn't been able to put it down. She's worried. She felt something in the pit of her stomach. She stares vacantly outside her kitchen window. She held the pink mobile close to her chest. There was no word at all from Cosima. She continued to worry.
"Alison?" a voice calls her name.
She turns around to see her husband, Donnie, standing in the door way. "Donnie," Alison acknowledges him. "I didn't see you there."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," Alison replied. She shakes her head and lowers the mobile to her side. "I'm just very tired. I'm going to go to bed a little early tonight."
"I just tucked the kids in," Donnie said. "Are you sure you want to turn in this early?"
Alison read the kitchen clock, it read 9:05pm. She nodded her head at him. "Yes, I have to get an early start tomorrow. I have to take the kids to soccer practice after school and you know how much that takes out of me."
With that, Alison retreated to her bedroom. As she made her way up the stairs, she began to feel a wave a nostalgia ran through her body. She felt as if she had done this before. Not climb her stairs, but the stairs. They seemed so different with each step she took. Once she got to the top, she was disorientated. It was as if she were expecting to be somewhere else.
She sighed and made her way quietly to her room. She shut the door and got ready for bed. She was very meticulous with her things and her routines. Donnie would joke and say that she was a classic OCD case. She would ignore him and go about her rituals.
As she slipped into her pajamas, she wanted to reach out to Beth. She wanted to send her a message. She stopped herself. She shook her head. She made her way to her bed and slid into the sheets. Her head was racing and she couldn't stop it. There were a few thoughts that made no sense whatsoever.
Finally, she closed her eyes. She was drifting to sleep. Her dreams were instantly odd. She was somewhere else. The planet was different, the air was different and there was a hint of ash in the air. She began to choke on it. Alison frantically examined her surroundings only to be horrified by what she witnessed. A woman screamed near here. With a shot of green light, she was nothing but ash. Alison's eyes grew large with concern. She placed her hand over her mouth.
She ran. She wasn't sure where she was going but her legs were taking her somewhere else. The creatures were blocking her way. They hassled a man and pushed him down to the floor. Alison made her towards them and instinct took over.
In her pocket, she felt something. She pulled it out. It was a long silver tool with a pink light at the tip. She curiously handled in her hands. She pointed it over to one of the creatures that were killing people. She turned it on and it made a loud sonic noise.
"EXTERMIN-" the creature's speech was cut off.
"EXTERMINATE THE TIME LORDS!" said another creature as it began to float towards Alison. She screamed and ran past them as the green shots were fired at her. Alison could feel her heart pounding in her chest but it was unlike anything she's ever felt before. It was two distinct heart beats. She could feel them both pounding in her chest. She felt as if she was going to collapse on the floor.
She finally reached a silver door. It was a large silver building. She had felt she had seen this place before. She threw open the door without much thought and made her way up stairs. She passed by a shiny surface where she could see herself in the mirror-like exterior. Her eyes were wide as she looked at herself. She walked over to her reflection and put her hands up to touch it.
She was wearing her normal colours of pink and white but the clothing was so strange on her. She didn't understand what she was wearing. It was completely alien to her. She shook her head and decided to continue her climb up the stairs. As she ran, she felt that wave of nostalgia again. It swept over her and she didn't understand why.
Finally, she reached another door. On top, the alien language read: Time and Relative Dimension in Space. "What?" she asked herself.
She placed her hands on the door. The door opened to her touch. There was a blinding light that encompassed her surroundings. She shielded her eyes from the bright light. Finally, it subsided and there was a long corridor in front of her. Alison made her way down the corridor. Finally she saw someone she recognized but his face was different. He was gaunt and tall wearing clothes that seemed to be out of Victorian London. She furrowed her brow at him.
"Go, get inside and go," he motioned to the silver tubes. "You have to leave now. Stay safe, please, just stay safe."
Alison was about to say something but all that came out was, "Doctor."
That's when Donnie came into the room and tripped over his own two feet. She jolted up in bed to see him biting his lip. "Sorry," he said.
She gave him a sour look and fell back into bed. She laid in bed with her eyes open. She was far away from her husband and kids. She was somewhere else and it felt like she was even someone else. "Donnie?" she called to him.
"Yeah?" he whispered.
"Do you know what a Time Lord is?" she asked.
Donnie shook his head. "I have no idea," he replied. "Where did you hear that?"
"Oh, nothing, was on a show I was watching earlier," she lied. "I'm going to go back to sleep. Good night."
With that, Alison rolled over in bed and curled up into a tight ball. She tired to close her eyes and get back to sleep but all she could see was that man's face. The man she called 'Doctor'.