The old man's eyes glowed red. The younger man in front of him stared at his disfigured face, under the older man's control. "You shall reach into your pockets young man and hand me all the money you have", the old man hissed. He was dressed in what seemed to be scrap materials, and his back was badly bent as the result of living for years in sheer squalor. He had heavy bags under his oriental eyes. The younger man obediently searched his pockets and coins quickly emerged. "Good", the old man said, enjoying the hold he had gained over the man. The old man violently snatched the coins and threw them into a pocket of his robes. The man's eyes faded back to normal and the younger man looked dazed, but walked straight past the older man blissfully unaware of what had just happened. The old man's lips curved into a cruel smile. He threw his head back and laughed.
The sun kissed the roofs of the oriental buildings. It was early morning, and soon the Forbidden City would be smothered in fog and mystery once more. The city was like a fortress, huge walls surrounded it, and impressive gates were the only entrance. In the larger of the vast buildings, a young man sat in a lavish chair, the arms of which were fashioned into fearsome dragons. He was surrounded in splendour, the finest potteries adorning the wall and huge paintings on the delicate of fabrics hanging from ropes suspended in the ceiling. Yuan Chu sat in the chair, his eyes fixed on the elaborate doorway, some hundred feet away. He sighed, and hoped that his advisor would be swift in his arrival. He gestured with a finger at a servant, and she came running, albeit elegantly. "Fetch my advisor, I need updates on the advancing Xshu army. Now!" he added, shouting at her.
"Certainly, your Highness". She slunk away out of sight. The young emperor fidgeted in his chair. He was becoming increasingly worried about the prospect of a potential war. He was worried that the many people who doubted his leadership skills were right all along. No, he was determined to prove them wrong, and if necessary he would lead them into the battle and emerge with victory. He would show his father, who had once been a great warrior himself for the last emperor of China, but he had never accepted his son. That's all he wanted. His father to show him love, and for his people to have faith and hope for the future. Suddenly his trail of thought was cut off, by the sound sandals approaching him. Yuan looked up, and saw the worried face of his advisor. He wore long, colourful drapes, which swayed urgently. "Your Highness, it is of immense importance that you summon your army. The enemy is advancing with frightening speed."
"Of course", said the young emperor. "I shall at once". He ascended out of the chair, and walked across the floor, his robes trailing behind him. His hands wavered, and he had mixed feelings of fear and excitement.
The Doctor's hands danced over the various controls of his ancient machine. His colourful coat swirled freely as he dashed to and fro. "Doctor?" Peri asked.
"Yes?" the Doctor said, still dashing around.
"Where are we going?". Peri looked worried. Recent events hadn't exactly been pleasant or fun.
"I haven't a clue, I'm afraid. I know I promised to take you somewhere fun, as you called it, but I've set the randomizer, so there's no way of knowing where we'll end up!".
"Great" she said, secretly hoping to avoid the trouble that seemed to follow them wherever they went.
Yuan returned to his throne more agitated than before. His army was not ready, no weapons had been prepared. Even without attacking, he surly knew that his enemy could slaughter most of the kingdom. He racked his brains, he had never been one for action but this situation required nothing but. And then he decided. He would seek help from an unlikely source. He had heard servants telling seemingly tall tales, but swore on the lives they spoke only the truth. If there was any truth in the tales, was still to be seen, but if there was a slight chance, no matter how small, it was worth taking the risk to protect his position of power.
With a familiar wheezing sound, the Doctor's blue box materialised, the light pulsating in time with the rest of the box. Out stepped the Doctor and Peri. She gazed around with wonder, while the Doctor looked somewhat annoyed. "Oh, how original. Of all the places in the universe, the randomizer takes us back to Earth".
"Oh, I don't think it's that bad, Doctor. It's a defiant improvement on the last place we visited. That place made Chernobyl look like Disney Land".
"I rather liked Delphon!", the Doctor snapped. "Well, we are here now. Perhaps there is something remotely interesting we could do". Peri looks secretly pleased. Of all the things she had seen on her travels, the sight of the Forbidden City, surrounded by fog, was surely one of the most beautiful.
The Doctor and Peri strolled to the fearsome metal gates. It was the job of several guards to stop any unwelcome people from entering. In the eyes of the guards the two people who were fast approaching were unwelcome. The Doctor attempted to walk arrogantly past the guard, but a hand grabbed the Doctor's garish clothes. "No entrance for commoners" the guard told him. The Doctor looked shocked.
"Commoner? Would a commoner wear this? Hmm?" the Doctor said, sounding very annoyed.
"Well.." the guard started.
"Exactly!" the Doctor interjected. The guard looked looked almost defeated. "Tell somebody to give a message to the Emperor. Tell him the Doctor wishes to see him". The guard approached another guard, and whispered in his ear, his eyes fixed on the Doctor. The guard scurried away with the message. "No matter where we go people are always wary of me!" the Doctor cried.
"I think it's the clothes", Peri joked. The Doctor looked down at his multicoloured clothes.
"This is the latest fashion on Anatrat!" he exclaimed. The guard looked at the pair with even more suspicion.
He stared at the Doctor's clothes, confusion spread across his face. Peri felt uncomfortable as the man's eyes looked over her. The guard turned at the noise coming from the other side of the gate. It opened slightly to reveal the other guard. He whispered into the guard's ear. The Doctor and Peri waited with anticipation. "The Emperor would like to see you" he said at last.
"Good" the Doctor said. The guards opened the heavy doors for them. One of the guards offered to show them in. "No, we can find our own way. We are not totally incapable", the Doctor said politely. The Doctor looked behind him, and notice Peri lagging behind. "Come along, we are going to meet the Emperor!"
"Let's just hope we don't run into any trouble. It seems all we do is stop invasions, prevent wars. Is it too much to ask for a break?" The Doctor pretended not to hear this. He continued to walk. He stopped and saw before him, the amazing sight of the Forbidden City. The sunshine and the fog added to the mystery of the city. The Doctor walked straight towards the larger of all the buildings, he know that's where the Emperor would be found. Peri had to jog to catch up with the Doctor. Finally the couple were joined again, walking side by side. "Oh, you decided to join me" the Doctor remarked at the sight of Per at his side.
"Are you sure you know where we are going?"she asked. To her, the direction in which they were heading seemed entirely random.
"Do cows go moo?" he replied, his voice filled with an air of annoyance.
The pair approached a load of stairs, leading up to the Emperor's quarters. As they climbed the white stairs, Peri attempted to count them, but she lost count quickly after a hundred. The pair reached the top and Peri looked round, catching her breath. The Doctor, however, seemed unaffected. She took in the view. She could see green roofs in the distance, and the huge walls that surrounded the city even further back. "That's quite a view" she said to the Doctor. "It is, yes" he agreed. Peri turned round again, facing the Doctor once more. Silently the agreed to continue to make their way to the Emperor.