Chapter 1: Uncle's Watch
A/N: Before I begin, I want to dedicate this story to a few people. My recently passed Uncle first and foremost (Technically I started this back in January, which was around the time he died, so yeah, I'll consider it recent), for giving me the basis of the Doctor (the man almost never went a day without wearing a suit, having 500+ ties alone); Acumashindorballomu (AKA: Kokujo)(Pronounced: A-ku-ma-shin-dor-ballo-mu) for telling me about the series at first and being my writing companion when it comes to Fanfiction, My friend Robert, who I converted into Whovianism (without even trying) and last but obviously not least, my best friend and my crazy red-headed companion for life, Daniella, for getting me hooked on Doctor Who and getting me an awesome Doctor Who T-Shirt with the 10th doctor on it, to which I'm writing this story as a gift because I can't think of any other way to trump that lol. So with that said and done, let's get started :D
Death: the moment where a living organism ceases to exist…
Well, most living organisms anyway. Some organisms can "cheat death" by turning into someone else entirely. This process is called "regeneration", and it's a little trick only the ancient race known as Time Lords can perform. Only way to keep that from happening, is by killing them during the process. Unfortunately for the Time Lords, their enemies learned of that moment of weakness and used it to their advantage. Now only one remains…
The last Time Lord: The Doctor…
[Milky Way Galaxy, August 20th, 2012…]
He had been running, again. Honestly he should've been called the "Racer" instead of "Doctor" since he does nothing but run for his life every time he and his companions get into some kind of mess with an alien race going after his head. But alas, that's a typical day for the last Time Lord in existence. Take his companion to a certain planet or place in time, meet some of the locals, discover an evil race of aliens, machines and/or mutants plotting something sinister, be nosy and stop their plans, and then run for your life while thinking of a way to beat them—to which you would then succeed in doing, thanks to that trusty metal tube with the glowing green light at the end of it that you would keep hidden in your jacket pocket.
There are some things a Sonic Screwdriver can always fix no matter what; sonic tools are just awesome like that. But death is certainly isn't one of them.
His vision getting fuzzy and the room spinning all over, the tall dark skinned man clutched the right side of his chest, feeling his heart give out on him. He adjusted his broken glasses and struggled to make his way around the terminal before him to try to find somewhere to land his ship safely. Just because one of his hearts gave out didn't mean that he was going to stop running from them.
This was the first time in over nine hundred years that he's ever felt scared of dying. He's regenerated time and time again, each new personality, while a drastic change from how he once was, still did what he did best: help others.
Was it because he was being hunted? Yeah that must've been it. Being hunted by something you've never heard of before would be terrifying. But what were they? Daleks…? Please. Cybermen…? Yeah, right. Evil Snowmen from Pluto…? With everything he's seen over nine centuries, he wouldn't put it passed him that evil Snowmen from Pluto would be trying to destroy Earth for not considering them a planet anymore.
The pain of his remaining heart doing twice the work started to kick in, forcing him to clutch into the control panels for dear life to endure it. Really didn't help that the hunters weren't letting up on their fire on his ship.
Sparks flew from the TARDIS' ceilings and rained down like bright yellow rain drops, with the ship rocking back and forth violently and flames combusting all around, lighting up the room in a crimson-orange color. The Doctor looked up at his computer and saw that it was approaching a familiar atmosphere: Earth's. And then he felt it—his body getting lighter all of the sudden.
"Oh no, not now!" he said, his attention turning to his glowing hands. "Please hold out until we escape!"
Of all times, he had to start regenerating right there and then; the moment where he was weakest. He couldn't risk getting fatally damaged—not now. He dropped to one knee and reached under the terminal, pulling out a red box. He opened the box which revealed a silver fob watch, the engravings of his people carved onto the back of it. He pulled it out of the box and tossed the case aside.
"No idea if this is going to work… but at least it'll stop the chase cold in its tracks; at least I hope…" the Doctor took a deep breath and opened the watch…
"Danny! Get up, you gotta get ready for school!" a woman's voice shouted from the bottom of a staircase towards the upstairs of the house.
Nineteen year old Daniel Williams sat up and let out a huge yawn, hearing his Aunt yell from the staircase below. He was a slim teen—dark skin, average height, nothing special. He grabbed his glasses and slid them onto his face, followed by taking the silver watch off his night stand and wrapping it around his neck.
"Good morning Uncle Richie." Danny said, tapping the watch that dangled from his neck. "Hope you had a good night rest like I did; or at least I tried." He rubbed his eye with his palm and shook his head. "That dream again…" He hopped out of bed and walked out of his room to get started on his day, leaving his sleep issues behind him.
Danny grew up as an orphan, his parents dying when he was young. His Uncle Richard and Aunt Marissa adopted him and he's been living with them for as long as he could remember. And just recently his uncle passed away, leaving behind a watch for Danny as a memento. Funny story about that watch was that Danny could never get it open, for anything. Everything from power tools to driving over it, that watch was as durable as an army tank. So once he gave up trying to open it, he turned it into a medallion. Neat little trinket that hung from his neck; Having it close to his heart made it feel as if his uncle was still alive.
After taking a shower and getting his stuff, he slid down the banister and walked into the kitchen to find his Aunt making breakfast.
"Come sit, Breakfast is almost ready." She said, flipping the pancake in the skillet.
"Love to, but I'm running late. I'll just grab something while on campus." He replied, pulling his black hoodie from the chair and throwing it on.
His aunt gave him a look and shook her head as if she would be wasting her breath to try and say otherwise. "Your uncle wouldn't turn down my meals."
"Well yeah, but at the same time, Uncle Richie wouldn't be running late for work, getting up at 4am just to get there three hours ahead of schedule." Danny replied, pouring coffee into his travel mug.
His aunt laughed. "Child please, your Uncle was running late for work every morning when we first got married."
"Why, because he wouldn't skip out on breakfast…?" he joked.
She nodded. "Actually that's exactly why. He refused to leave the house without having a decent breakfast. I tell ya, a man in NYC who doesn't know the definition of a bagel from a street vendor is a real sight to see."
"Yeah, I can imagine… suddenly I want bagels now…" Danny realized. "Well, now I have an excuse to go buy something from campus."
"You are nothing like your Uncle."
"That's not a hundred percent true, I'm somewhat like him." Danny said, walking towards the door.
"And what makes you two so similar, dare I ask?"
"We're both funny, sweet and lovable. Oh and we both have had our moments of cleverness." He opened the door. "See ya later."
The door shut behind him as his aunt continued to cook, a smile growing on her face. "You become more like him every day."
Arriving at the College of Staten Island, Danny hopped off the shuttle bus and took a breath of fresh, college air.
"Last day of finals and I'm outta here for six weeks." He said with a smile on his face.
"Oh joy, you seem to be in a good mood this morning." A young female voice said behind him.
Danny turned back and saw the young woman walking up to him. She adjusted her black rimmed glasses and moved the scarlet locks of hair from her eyes.
"Good morning, Ashley, my red-headed companion." Danny smirked waving to her.
"Good Morning, Doctor." She replied in a joking manner. "Picked your classes for next semester?"
The duo started walking from the bus stop as he began to explain.
"I picked Italian for my foreign language."
"Ugh, I hate Italian." She replied, not liking the idea.
"Well then, Great; I'm gonna start speaking it around you to drive you nuts."
"Oh shut up." Ashley shoved him lightly, making him laugh.
"What's wrong with Italian?"
"Plenty of things…" she said firmly.
"It's the only language you have trouble speaking isn't it?"
"I can speak half a dozen languages; I don't need to learn Italian."
"If you say so..." Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Want a bagel, my treat?"
"You didn't eat breakfast?" Ashley asked him.
"Nope, woke up too late…" he then stopped. "I had that dream again."
"You mean when you were the Doctor and you were on the run from evil aliens?" She said turning back, humored by his dream. "So glad I got you into watching it."
"To the point where I'm having dreams about it…? Yeah, I'm happy that you find it amusing."
"I'm glad that you find me find it amusing." She replied with a smile on her face. "Besides, it'd be cool to do everything the Doctor does on the show; explore different timelines, discover new planets… You gotta admit that'd be pretty awesome."
"Well then you start having those dreams and tell me if you find it awesome." He said annoyed.
Ashley was taken aback by his sudden annoyance. "Sorry, is me obsessing over your dreams bothering you…?"
Danny realized what he said and grew quiet. "It's not that, I'm glad that it's amusing you and all. It's just…"
"But what?" she asked, noticing something wrong with him.
"Well… The dreams just seem—I don't know, 'real'." Danny admitted.
"'Real' as in: 'Inception' real or 'Déjà vu' real?"
"Déjà vu;" Danny answered. "I mean… these dreams feel real to the point that it's starting to freak me out a little bit. Like, they're memories or something like that.
"Okay… That's kinda scary." She noted. "I think you've watched too much Doctor Who…"
"And you find this weird because…?" Daniel asked. "After all, it is your fault that I even got into this show in the first place."
"With the intention of getting you back to yourself ever since your uncle passed." She replied. "I mean, you've been depressed since the semester started when he died. And just one episode of Doctor Who made you happy for the entire time it was on. Of course I'd try to encourage you to keep watching it, if it meant you'd stayed from turning 'emo' on me."
Daniel grew quiet and stopped walking, with Ashley only realizing seconds later when she was steps ahead of him. She mentally facepalmed herself realizing she brought up the one subject she vowed not to bring up, especially since Daniel wasn't completely over it.
"I didn't mean…" she turned around to apologize. "It kinda slipped…"
Daniel shook his head, shaking the thought of it away. "It's fine. Anyway, we better get breakfast before class." He walked up to Ashley, the duo continuing their walk.
Unknowingly to them, a man stood holding against his face a pair of highly advanced binoculars, something seen in sci-fi movies, if anything. He grinned, pulling the device from his eyes as he pressed the button on the Bluetooth attached to his ear.
"I've located the target." He spoke in a raspy, reptilian-like voice.
"Excellent…" a smiliar tone of voice replied. "Keep an eye on him. If all goes well, we'll have the head of the universe's greatest Bounty."
The man smirked and licked his lips. "Yes sir…" he grinned, sharp reptilian teeth showing in his mouth.
Ashley walked through the school's café holding in her hands two cups of coffee for her and Daniel. When she returned to where they were sitting, she found him using a plastic knife on the object that hung around his neck, evermore struggling with the watch.
"You're really obsessed with opening that thing aren't you?" Ashley asked, handing him the coffee.
"Yeah, guess you can say it's a guilty pleasure of mine to bust this stupid thing open…" he threw the knife to the side and crossed his arms. "Why would my Uncle leave me something if the stupid thing's impossible to open?"
Ashley shrugged her shoulders. "Could it be that there's a trick to open it?"
"Ash, I've done everything from using a plastic knife, to driving over it in my driveway. I'll need a Sonic Screwdriver to open the thing."
She laughed. "Yeah, if only they actually existed."
Daniel leaned back and examined the watch. "This is some old relic my Uncle kept. He said he had it since he was a kid. He always wore it, just like this. Apparently, when I was a baby, I couldn't resist playing with this; it was like the 'ultimate shiny thingy' that I forever wanted…" He smirked.
"Well, now you got it. And it's in the hands of a trustworthy person." Ashley nodded.
"Hard to believe it's been three months since he died… Gotta say he was a great man. Hope I could live up to his expectations though. I'd hate to have this watch and ruin its value by being something he wouldn't be proud of…"
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Jeez you overthink things too much; relax, what could you possibly do that your uncle wouldn't?"
Seconds as she finished her sentence, a loud explosion shook the building as everyone in the café halted whatever they were doing. Daniel, Ashley and the others all focused their attention at the crimson scenery that took over the other side of the hallway where they sat. Out of the flames, the silhouette of a man moved forward from the flames. He appeared unharmed by the blaze as his sharp teeth showed, as if he was proud of what just happened.
He walked into the Café and stopped; the students and faculty staring at him, frozen in fear of what he might do next.
"I'm looking for Daniel Williams…" He spoke up.
Daniel felt the shock as his name was called. "That voice…"
Ashley, who was equally terrified, turned to her friend. "Danny, what's wrong?"
"That… voice…" his eyes widened as he grew colder.
"Where are you Danny-boy?" He roared. "Come on! I've come a long way to find you… Nearly 4,000 miles underground…"
"Underground…?" Ashley repeated. "But that far is the Earth's core; is he joking or something…?"
"Ash, there are burning corpses of college students in the lobby caused by a guy who looks like the cross between the Terminator and a Fire Bender, I don't think he's joking!" he whispered to her.
"You there!" he growled, turning his attention to the duo. "I hate it when people talk about me like that. I have some self-esteem issues…" his eyes went from their crystal blue color to a gold, reptilian color. His pupils sharpened to that of a reptile as well. "I also have some Anger Management issues…"
"Ash, you're my companion right?" Daniel turned to her, fear in his voice.
"Unfortunately…" she replied, equally terrified at the moment. "Kinda wish I wasn't to be honest."
"Well, like it or not, you're in this mess with me. As such there's only one thing to do at a time like this…"
"Run…?"
"RUN!"
Daniel and Ashley flew out of their chairs and got themselves outside as the dragon-man lit the café in flames. Fortunately other students didn't hesitate to race from the building either, all fleeing to safety.
"Any idea what the heck just happened?" Ashley asked him as they continued to run.
"There's a fire breather that just lit up the café." He replied.
"That's not what I mean, idiot!" She yelled at him.
They ran into the parking lot and hid behind one of the minivans parked.
"Think this is far enough?" He asked.
"What happened to you?" she repeated. "You had another déjà vu moment, didn't you?"
"Sorta…" he admitted.
"What's 'sorta!?'" she snarled. "Daniel, we almost died just now!"
"Don't you think I realize that?" He shot back at her. "I wouldn't be running for my life granted this guy wasn't trying to turn me into a roasted piece of meat."
"What did you mean by 'that voice'?" she asked.
Daniel didn't say anything for a moment, catching his breath. "In my dreams… When I was being chased, I heard a voice. It sounded… like a reptile. More specifically a Dragon or something like that…
"A Dragon…? Well, that explains the fire…" she turned back to see if he was around. "But what I don't get is how could a dream come to life?"
"FOUND YOU!" The voice echoed in their ears as the boom of the roof of the minivan caving in followed. The shards of glass rained from above as they dove for cover.
Daniel found the dream recurring again, forcing him to hesitate as he moved. The shards falling from overhead reminded him of the yellow sparks of the exploding TARDIS.
"Why…" he clutched his head. "Why am I thinking of the dreams at a time like this?"
The Dragon Man turned to him and growled in pleasure. "You are about to make me a very, very rich Bounty Hunter, kid. Hold still, I'll make sure it will be quick and painful!"
He laughed maniacally and took a deep breath, unleashing a blaze of fire from his mouth towards the struggling kid.
Ashley looked up across from her to see the flames seconds from enveloping Daniel. Her voice was cut from the fear, not allowing her to scream for him to move from the line of fire.
But as if it was a stroke of miracle, the Dragon Man was hit by something that in turn, sent him flying overhead and into a few cars to his left.
Daniel and Ashley heard the crash and looked on to see their assailant unconscious. His waist began to spark, the man being replaced by a red skinned reptile humanoid dressed in a black uniform with a gun on his right hip, and a sparking circular object on his left. He groaned, clearly down for the count; at least for the time being.
"What was…" Daniel tried to say amongst his shock.
"Are you two alright?" a hand reached out to the shocked boy as he looked up.
"Aunt… Marissa?!" He said shocked, seeing her wielding the weapon that sent the lizard man flying. It definitely wasn't manufactured anywhere on earth, that was for certain. "What… how…"
"I'll explain on the way home, just come with me… We need to talk."
As terrified as he currently was, his hand moved on its own, gripping her hand tightly. Somehow, he knew that he was safe.
"Ash… Let's go." He turned his head, and realized…
Ashley disappeared into thin air.
"Ashley…?" He turned around. "Where did she…?"
Marissa grunted and slammed her hand into the hood of the car. "They took her…"
"Who took her?" Daniel spun back. "Where did they take her?"
"Let's go, now!" She grabbed his arm and proceeded to drag him.
"I'm not going anywhere until you answer me!" He pulled away from her grip.
"Daniel this is no time to argue, Ashley and pretty soon all of Staten Island will become nothing but a blanket of fire if we don't do something!"
"Aunt Marissa, Tell me what's going on! Why was that thing looking for me? Where's Ashley, and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING TO HAPPEN to—!?"
His aunt suddenly smacked him in the face, clearly fed up with his questioning. "The man I knew would never cower at the sight of terror. I don't know what happened to you, but you are nothing like how you used to be…"
"How I…" Daniel rubbed his cheek.
"Doctor…"
Daniel turned to his aunt. "Doctor…? Doctor Who?"
She then pointed to his Uncle's Watch around his neck. "You…"
Ashley slowly opened her eyes, hearing the sounds of drills and feeling the building heat around her. She realized she was chained against a wall as she looked around her surroundings. It looked like she was in a warehouse, where various men and women worked on digging into the floor under them.
"So… you're awake, are you?" a Reptilian voice spoke.
She looked around, looking for the source of the voice until she came to the realization that the person, who uttered the words, was barely a person at all.
The Crimson Reptile-humanoid walked up to her with Two Humans trailing behind, each of them dressed in a unique Military Uniform, similar to the other Reptile man.
The Reptile wore an eyepatch over his left eye as his gold colored eye locked it's sight on Ashley, who was still terrified.
"Who—What are you…?" she asked scared.
"My name is Uther, King of the Dragnians… And you, dear…" he got closer to her and picked her chin up, examining her. "Are going to be my bait for luring the Doctor to me…" he grinned with his sharp, razor teeth…