Doctor Who
The Litany of the Wings of Time
Episode One: The Reawakening of the Apprentice
If you always thought your live was pure and sheer madness, you haven't lived your life at all. In fact, Abby Apprencia would gladly tell you differently. She felt as though she had lived a lie her whole life, as if a piece of it had just been ripped out of her and hidden away. But her life was turned entirely upside down when she met the man with strange blue box…
It was an average summer day in Glenbrook Village, a small town outside of Dublin, Ireland. Abby was heading for the local pool to meet up with a few friends when she accidentally bumped into some one. "Oof," she mumbled as she fell over and hit the ground. "Oh," the stranger said with a distinct British accent, "Sorry about that. I'm always caught up in my own thoughts and loose track of what direction I'm heading in." She looked up and saw a man with messy brown hair, brown eyes, a brown suit with pale blue pinstripes, and a pair of tan Converse trainers. He smiled and offered her his hand to help her back to her feet. She took his hand cautiously and hoisted herself up. As the man was about to walk off, he turned back and eyes her carefully with a quizzical look. "Do I know you?" he asked but Abby shook her head. "I've never seen you before in my life, or at least I don't think I have." The man rummaged around for something inside of a pocket on his suit jacket. "Ah! Here it is," he exclaimed, producing a small silver pocket watch and handed it to Abby, "I want you to hold on to that watch and whatever you do, DON'T loose it. Do you understand?" He clasped her fingers over the watch and held her hand tightly. Abby looked straight at him, his eyes were unwavering and his expression very serious. For some reason, in the back of her mind, something told her to trust this man with every fiber of her being. She nodded slowly and he removed his hands and smiled. "Good. Well, I'm off. But I have the feeling I'll see you again sometime. What was your name?" "Abby Apprencia." "I'm the Doctor and it was a pleasure meeting you, Abby Apprencia." And he strolled away. The date was July 27th, 2009.
A year later, about four months after Abby's eighteenth birthday, the Doctor appeared in her life again. The 23rd of May 2010. Abby was sitting on her bed in her bedroom when she heard something tap against her window, as if someone had thrown a small stone at it. So, feeling investigative, she got up from her bed, went to her window and opened it. She looked around her small balcony before stepping out onto it and looking down. And standing there was the man who gave her the mysterious pocket watch last year, the man who called himself the Doctor. He smiled at her and waved. She looked at him funny. "It's you again. Why exactly are you standing in my back yard and throwing stones at my window?" she inquired rather incredulously. He suddenly looked a little offended. "What? No, 'Oh hello, good to see you again after a year. How have you been'? That's a little rude, don't you think?" Abby rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Give me a minute, I'll be right down." She went back into her room and rummaged around her closet for something to wear. She found a pair of slightly worn blue jeans and a white tank top but felt as though she was missing something. The she found the jacket her mother had given her on her actual birthday. Technically, it wasn't really a jacket per-say. It was more of a purple vest with a high, dark purple collar. She pulled it on and just before she left her room, she put on a sterling silver necklace with a sterling silver and gold emblazoned heart-shaped charm with a garnet set in the center, cut in the shape of a heart as well. Abby grabbed the silver pocket watch from her dresser, shut off the light, and went down stairs.
She yanked on her favorite futuristic-y boots and out the back door she went. She found the Doctor staring rather nostalgically at the night sky until her noticed her arrival. He examined her then smiled a little. "You've grown a bit I see" he mused, gaining another eye roll from Abby. "And you haven't changed at all, which is a little odd. That aside," she said, producing the silver pocket watch, "I still have this little present you gave me. I never bothered to open it though. Why exactly did you give it to me in the first place?" She watched as his face fell and he suddenly looked very distant and sad. "I gave it to you because I know you, you just don't remember," he said quietly then nodded to the watch, "That is a fob watch. It has the ability to store all the memories, experiences, and the actual being of a Time Lord, causing them to appear human. They have no memory of their life as a Time Lord; everything is stored inside of that watch." Abby gawked at him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there a minute. First of all, what the hell is a Time Lord? Second, what exactly makes you think I am such a thing? You're not making any sense!" He sighed. "Oh, I'm making perfect sense alright, you're just not keeping up with me." The Doctor gripped her firmly by the shoulders and stared her dead straight in the face. "Have you ever felt as though you're missing something? Had weird dreams about things that make absolutely no sense at all? Those feelings and dreams are from your hidden subconscious that's trying to reawaken without the fob watch that it's contained in. You have to trust me." He let go of her and took a step back. "Open that watch and everything you've been missing will come flooding back to you." Abby stared down at the watch in her hand. For some reason, the watch always hurt her eyes whenever she tried to look at it. Like something was trying to prevent her from seeing it clearly. But when she looked at the surface of the watch this time, it was clear as crystal. The metal surface was engraved with some odd circular patterns, scratched and worn in a few places as well.
But there was something more drawing her to opening this odd watch. She could hear and echo in the back of her mind calling out to her, begging her to open the watch. 'Open the watch! Open the watch and find out the truth! Fill up that empty space and set me free!' it whispered excitedly in her voice. Slowly, her fingers ran over the engravings on the surface of the watch before one thumb hitched beneath the little lip under the top and popped it open. Almost instantaneously, Abby's awed face was flooded with soft golden light and her mind began to explode with long since lost memories. Her face remained frozen rather expressionless as the golden energy swirled around her. Suddenly, tears began to streak down her face and she let out a piercing scream before crumpling to the ground, the light dissipating and the watch tumbling from her hands. The Doctor looked around in alarm. That scream surely would have woken someone so he waited for a moment. Nothing but eerie silence. He looked to Abby and noticed wisps of golden energy escaping her barely open mouth. He crouched down next to her but she showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. He sighed, massaging his temple with his thumb and forefinger. After all these years, he had managed to find her after helping her escape from the Time War all those centuries ago. Of course, with a last name like 'Apprencia' it made things rather obnoxiously obvious. "It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? After all these years, after your eighteenth human birthday, I decide to stroll back into your life," the Time Lord whispered weakly, running a free hand through his messy brown hair, "But I've been traveling by myself for long enough. And I figured it was about time that I remembered that I really am not the last of my kind. There was always you, Apprentice." Little did the Doctor realize that not only had he reawakened a long lost friend, he had also stirred her terrible secret. For etched upon her back was a stain, a permanent mark, and a dark reminder of the burden her body bared. A tattoo in the shape of angels' wings…
Episode Two: A Singing Time Lord and An Awful Lot Running
She awoke to a searing headache, two worried humans, and one familiar Time Lord. The woman spoke first. "So, you can help her, can't you Doctor?" she begged the Time Lord who she was assuming was human. He tilted his head side ways and made a rather awkward face. "Well, it'll take a lot of time and if course that means she won't be at home any more. I'm sorry to say you can't visit her where she's going," was the reply. The other man, who was human, suddenly looked very irritated. "Look here you, if this is some kind of scam I'll-!" The Doctor held up his hands. "Relax, Mr. Dawson. Abby is eighteen so she has the ability to decide what she wants to do on her own." The woman broke down into sobs. "Ohhh! It seems just like yesterday our little Abby was first coming home from the foster home, curious as any other little girl." She turned into her husband's shoulder and continued to cry. She groaned from the bed, making her presence known. The Doctor looked over at her and smiled sunnily. "Ah! Good morning sunshine! I'm the Doctor by the way. I was just talking to your parents about you traveling overseas for your treatment." He gave her a side wink as a way of secretly telling her that he had something up his sleeve. She had to run with this plan if she was going to get out of this stupid house. "Oh…that one. –Cough cough- Yeah; I know what you're talkin' about. Look," she turned her head weakly to look at the people she had called her parents for so long, "This man really wants to help me out and he's right too. I'm eighteen, which means I'm an adult. I have to make some of my own choices now and going over seas to America for this treatment just might be my only shot at getting better."
The Doctor turned to the humans. "See?" The man sighed and patted his wife gently on the back. "Fine. Do whatever you can to help our daughter, no matter how long it takes. It just bothers me that we can't visit her." He eyed the Doctor suspiciously. "Look, it's a high tech medical facility. We can't have parents running about the place, crying over their sick children while we're trying to help them. No offence." The woman turned to look at the Doctor with teary eyes. "Can we at least have a moment to say good-bye?" The Time Lord looked at her funny. "Of course! I might be serious but I'm not heartless. I'll wait outside." He smiled at her again then left the room. Suddenly, her 'mother' was gripping her in a tight hug, crying like a baby. "Ohhh! My poor, poor Abby!" the woman bawled, squeezing her even tighter. She flailed her arms about a bit. "Mum! MUM! You're hugging me to death! Stop squeezing me so hard, I'll be fine! I promise." Her 'mother' let go of her with one final sniffle and backed away. Her 'father' walked over at examined her carefully. "We're gonna miss you, kiddo. But promise to always keep your mum and I in mind, yeah?" he squeezed her hand gently. She faked a weak smile. "No worries Dad, there's no way I'd forget you guys." Her 'father' sighed and let go of her hand. The Doctor poked his head back in. "Well? All's well, yes?" She nodded. He smiled. "Right. I have your passport and things you'll need for your trip. I'll let you get dressed and see you outside." And he disappeared again; his footsteps tromping down the stairs. Her human parents left quietly and she was left on her own.
She placed one hand over the left side of her chest; a rhythmic heart beat pulsing beneath her hand. Slowly, she shifted her hand to the right side of her chest and felt another pulsing heart beat beneath her hand. She sighed. She was a Time Lord again but that also meant…She sat bolt upright and threw off the covers and made her way to the mirror in her room. Yanking her tank top off over her head slightly, she looked at her back in the mirror. It was there. She swallowed hard and pulled the tank back on. She walked back to the bedside and picked up her vest jacket and brushed it off. She pulled it back on and zipped up the zipper. She left the bedroom she had called her own and walked into the bathroom. Grabbing the hair gel, she spiked up her short brown hair in the back then proceeded down stairs. There, she found her human parents finalizing details of the so-called 'trip' with the Doctor. The stopped when she came into the living room, her 'mother burst out into tears again and her 'father' hugged her comfortingly. "Well," she said softly, "This is good-bye." She got a bit teary eyed, group hugged her human parents, then left the house she had lived in for so long with the man who was her best friend and the one who saved her life. The walked down the street then rounded a corner into an alleyway. There stood a tall, bright blue Police Call Box, waiting patiently for their arrival. The Doctor smiled at her.
"So, it's back to being the Apprentice. Will you miss it? Being 'Abby Apprencia'?" he inquired but the female Time Lord shook her head. "Maybe a little bit. The Dawsons took really good care of me and I hate to just run off like this but as they know, I'm technically eighteen. I can make my own legal choices. But," she smiled and gave a shrug, "I DO really miss traveling through time and space. And I missed my best mate." She gave the Doctor a friendly punch in the arm. "I see that you've regenerated. How many times now?" "This is my tenth." "Good grief! What a lot of trouble you must have gotten yourself mixed up in after all this time, you cheeky man." He laughed. "Whatever you say, App." She rolled her eyes. "Oy, after all this time you still call me by my childhood nickname? You really haven't changed at all, Doctor." With that, the duo stepped into the TARDIS and off into a new adventure.
"You have got to be kidding me! We travel all the way to Boca Cabaña Beach just to get chased by a bunch of mad Cybermen! You are such a loony!" The Doctor and the Apprentice ran across a white sand beach, clouds of sand kicking up in the wake of their footsteps. Behind them the sound of clanging, weighted footsteps and robotic voices echoing the same phrase over and over, "DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!" The Doctor made an attempt to shrug as he ran. "Well, how was I supposed to know? What is with people these days? Always expecting me to know everything!" Up ahead, the duo saw someone waving to them and the male Time Lord squinted. "Is that-? No way! Come on!" With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed on ahead. The Apprentice groaned. "Oh good lord…" and she gave chase after him. When she caught up, he was chatting enthusiastically with a young man with flaming red hair. She was surprised that the Doctor wasn't jealous. "App!" he called to her excitedly, "I want you to meet someone. This is the Undertaker, or Nick, as he prefers to be called. He's a Time Lord." Nick smiled and held out his hand. "You must be the Apprentice, nice to meet you." She shook his hand. "And you. Now, I really quite like to think that we should get back to running." Nick nodded. "I know somewhere that we'll be safe. Nichelle is there waiting for us too, Doctor." The female Time Lord looked to her companion. "Who?" He waved a hand rather dismissively. "A friend of mine, I'll introduce you to her when we get to where we're going. Nick, lead the way!" The younger Time Lord nodded and they all bolted off again.
Twenty minutes later, the trio found themselves catching a breather outside of the same hotel that the Doctor and the Apprentice were staying in. They walked in casually and made for the elevator. Nick jammed the button for the tenth floor in has hard as he could then pushed the 'door close' button repeatedly. The Doctor sighed. "You realize that doesn't actually make it close faster, right." Nick smiled. "Yeah, but it makes me feel better and relives nervous tension." The elevator ride upward was painfully slow but eventually it arrived on the desired floor with a 'ding!' sound and the doors slid back open. The Apprentice sighed and shook her head. "You'd think they'd have better lifts in the year 2020." They followed Nick down a hallway lined with hotel rooms before stopping in front of room 1016. The young Time Lord placed his thumb on the DNA pad on the door and a red light scanned over his finger. A second later, the words, 'DNA accepted' flashed on the screen and the lock clicked open. Nick opened the door and stepped inside. "Nichelle! I'm back and I bet you can't guess who I found on the beach running from a hoard of angry Cybermen."
Almost instantly, a young woman wearing a bright blue dress and a pair of worn, red Converse trainers appeared from behind a patrician. She hand long, poofy blond hair and brilliant green eyes shining brightly from behind a pair of glasses. "Doctor!" she exclaimed, running up to him. He laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Ah, Nichelle M! How long as it been since I saw you last? Not too long I hope," he said, setting her back on her feet and turning to the Apprentice, "Apprentice, I'd like for you to meet one of my companions, Nichelle M. Nichelle, this is the Apprentice. She's the Time Lord I used to tell you about." Nichelle smiled and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you. Trust me, he only ever told me good things about you." The Apprentice shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you too. I'd hope he'd only tell you good things, especially if he knows what's good for him." The group laughed for a moment then the Doctor cleared his throat. "Right, now, let's get down to it. It's good seeing you two again but our current problem are the Cybermen running wild on the beach out there. We need to devise a way to get rid of them." Nichelle looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, there's always the possibility of a Cyber Controller. Something has to be at the heart of a Cybermen attack. They don't just pop up all willy-nilly and attack people. Their main purpose is to gather people for 'upgrading' and if they refuse, then 'delete' those who are uncooperative." The Doctor nodded in agreement and smiled. "Clever as always. Anyways, Nichelle is right. There should be a Cyber Controller of some form near by sending out the signal with orders for the Cybermen. But where?" Silence fell over the group.
" Defiantly somewhere obvious but secret enough that the Controller nor the Cybermen army would be easily noticed. And someplace big enough where they can perform their so-called 'upgrades'." Nick remarked with a shudder. The Doctor nodded. "That would be easy, if we had a map of the city." There was a pause as the other three members of the group stared at him as if to say, 'Please don't tell me you actually just said that'. The Doctor laughed nervously. "Anyways, a problem easily solved with this." He pulled his sonic screwdriver out and aimed it at the wide screen television set. The tip of the device began to glow blue and it emitted a shrill sound. The television screen crackled to life and displayed a three-dimensional view of the city. The Doctor pocketed the sonic screwdriver and snapped on his glasses. "Now, let's have a look, shall we? We're here at the hotel so…" He traced his finger around the screen until he stopped suddenly and gave an abrupt, "HA!" which startled the other three people in the room. "What is it, Doctor?" asked the Apprentice. He turned to them with a grin on his face. "What if they're not hiding anywhere above ground? Who said it had to be above ground? There's an underground hydro-energy complex in this city but it was abandoned four years ago according to the data on this map. And it's nice and roomy too." The Apprentice jumped to her feet. "That has to be where they're located. But, how do we go about getting in there and stopping the Cyber Controller?" The Doctor continued to grin. "That's a silly question, App. The easiest way to get in undetected is…"
"Get captured. Great. Best plan ever Doctor," grumbled the Apprentice, glaring at the back of the Doctor's head. "What? Did you have a better idea in mind?" was the cocky reply. The group filed in line with the rest of the human captives that were to be taken for 'upgrading'. Blood curdling screams and the sound of machinery filled the entire underground factory as they went along, escorted by Cybermen. Out of the corner of her eye, Nichelle noticed an escape. "There," she whispered, pointing to a rather large gap between the machinery, "If we can get out of this line and over there, we'll be home free." One by one, each member of the group slipped out of the line unnoticed and into the shadows, through the gap, and out a door into a hallway. Heavy, pressurized footsteps resounded around them but they remained in the shadows. "Now, all we have to do is find that Cyber Controller so we can shut this place down. I estimate we have about ten minutes or less before a fresh batch of humans go through the 'upgrading' process," the Apprentice remarked quietly, looking around the corner then ducking away again as a Cyberman came stomping by. "Maybe we should split up or something?" suggested Nick and the Apprentice gave him a glare. "You're joking right? Haven't you ever watched Scooby-Doo? Every time the gang splits up, something bad always happens. It's true for those stupid horror movies too." The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nick is right. There's too many of us and if we keep together, we run the risk of getting noticed faster. Nichelle and I will look in the west wing and you and Nick can take care of the east wing. NO arguing." The Apprentice heaved a sigh and they split up.
Twenty minutes later, alarms blared through out the facility and red light bathed the walls. "Told you!" blurted the Apprentice as she sprinted down a long hallway, footsteps clanging against the metal floor. "Don't blame this on me! I didn't trip an alarm!" "It was probably the Doctor and besides, the whole, 'Let's split up' thing was your idea!" She skidded to a halt as Cybermen came marching down the hall in the direction they were headed. "Bugger," she mumbled, turning around to see another hoard coming up from behind. She reached behind her back and whipped out a pair of futuristic looking guns. "What are those?" inquired Nick, giving the weapons a funny look. "Sonic guns, or sonic blasters if you will." "They shoot sonic energy?" "In a sense. Now, let's see here…setting two." She stood sideways, aiming one blaster at each hoard. She pulled the triggers simultaneously, the barrels emitting a burst of blue light that pummeled its way through the Cybermen and screwed up their systems. They all clattered to the metal floor loudly and didn't move. She sighed, placing one hand behind her back and when she brought it back, there was nothing in her hand. She carefully began to examine the readings on the remaining blaster as Nick tried as hard as he could to figure out where the other blaster had vanished to. "Looks like we're headed the wrong way. The signal is stronger in the west wing than it is here in the east. Clever Doctor, he must have known the whole time. We were just the distraction. Come on Nick, let's see what sort of trouble he's brewed up this go round."
"Doctor, I don't think your reasoning with the Controller is actually working at all. And for all we know, they could have captured Nick and App while we stand her arguing with an emotionless, metal maniac." The duo was trapped in a room full of Cybermen and one seated at the center, amour blacker than ink laced with sliver, wired into some sort of command 'throne' as the Doctor had sarcastically put it, was questioning their motives. It reminded the Doctor of when he confronted John Lumic when he became the Cyber Controller. Just some other nut job this go round. "Naw, the Apprentice can handle herself just fine. By this time, she's taken out her pursuers and figured out that I knew the Controller was here in the west wing the whole time. She is not going to be one happy camper when she gets here though…" As soon as he finished, a door, literally, came flying open and there stood the Apprentice, followed by Nick. She blasted the Cybermen in the room, except for the Controller, and then stormed up to the Doctor. "Explain to me why on Earth you made us split up!" she snarled, poking him in the chest. Nichelle rolled her eyes and the Doctor grimaced. "Of course, typical Doctor! No explanation what so ever. Just run about all willy-nilly and do things without properly explaining them to anyone else first." "I had a very good reason, Apprentice. You're my trump card and I needed you to take down the rest of the facility before we could take down the good old Controller here," he leaned over her shoulder to look at the Cyber Controller, "No offense to you by the way. You know very well why I didn't tell you 'the plan'. Because all I need is your voice."
Before the Cyber Controller could demand an explanation, the Apprentice spun around on her heel and whipped out her sonic blasters, training them on the Controller. She starts messing around with the settings, turning slightly to the group. "Does anyone have any music?" she inquired, gaining questioning looks from Nichelle and Nick. The Doctor grinned and pulled out a disk, shoving it into a slot on the wall. Suddenly, the room erupted with music. "Ooh, Lady Gaga! Very nice Doctor, you held on to that CD after all this time. Well, technically, not very long but anyways…" A pair of purple and white DJ headphones with a mic attachment appeared on her head but instead of going over her head, the band encircled the back of her head. And she began to sing 'Bad Romance'. Nick nearly face palmed. "You have got to be kidding! What is she gonna do, sing the Controller to death?" The Doctor glared at him. "Just shut up and wait. You'll see in just a moment." The Apprentice stopped singing and grinned. "Sound capture complete. Firing Sonic Music ratio in THREE…TWO…ONE! Fire at will!" she shouted, pulling the triggers. The barrels glowed bright purple, energy gathering to them. Then all at once, a massive blast of energy exploded from the barrels and hurtled towards the Controller, meeting its mark with a massive explosion of purple light. The Apprentice turned back to the group triumphantly, meeting an enthusiastic grin from the Doctor and Nichelle and a remorseful one from Nick. "You were brilliant!" exclaimed the eldest Time Lord, sweeping her off her feet in a big hug. He set her back on her feet and Nichelle hugged her warmly and Nick apologized for doubting her. "Come on, you lot. Let's get out of this place." And they all followed the Doctor out of the facility and into the warm sunshine.
Episode Three: Bananas, Chocolate, and Kiwi Theft
"Doctor, the banana bread is done!" sang the Apprentice, strolling into the control room in the Doctor's TARDIS, a loaf of banana bread in her hand and Nichelle close behind with another. The group had traveled around to many places in a week's time, doing the usual get up of course. Going on crazy adventures, saving civilizations, defeating terrible evil, and all of the running included tax-free. The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS controls and breathed in deeply. "Mmm, the smell of freshly baked banana bread. You girls are the best. Set it over there while I finish, would you?" he remarked, gesturing with a wave off to the side as he went back to what he was doing. Nichelle laughed and the Apprentice rolled her eyes. The two set the loaves down on the couch like chair in the room and watched the Doctor work. Moments later, Nick strolled in with a bag full of green kiwi fruit slices, chowing down like no tomorrow. The female Time Lord eyed the bag of fruit then grinned maliciously. Nichelle gave her a rather concerned look. "What are you up to, App?" the young woman inquired but the question came to late.
In a flash, the female Time Lord had managed to snag the entire bag of kiwi slices right out of Nick's hands. He paused for a moment before realizing that something was missing then looked down to find that the bag that WAS there had now vanished. "Hey!" he blurted, jerking his head around to find the culprit, "Who took my bag of kiwis?" Nichelle sighed and noticed that the Apprentice had returned to her side again, hands behind her back, and that same malicious grin on her face. The blonde's eyes widened from behind her glasses. "Please tell me you didn't just-?" But the Apprentice didn't reply, just stood there grinning away. Nick turned on his heel to face the two young women, glaring darkly at the obvious suspect. "Give. Them. Back." he snapped but when the Apprentice pulled her hands out from behind her back, the bag had vanished. She giggled. "Missing something Nick? Oh, I believe it was your kiwi slices right? Sorry, haven't seen them." She gave a fake 'oh-well' sort of shrug and went to watch the Doctor. The young Time Lord looked to Nichelle, who didn't bother to make eye contact but had a look on her face that said, 'It was the Apprentice, not me.' Nick let out a low growl and charged for the Apprentice, who sidestepped out of the way, sending Nick headlong into one of the coral like columns of the TARDIS. He scrambled to his feet, now more annoyed than before. "Give them BACK Apprentice!" he bellowed, charging for the female Time Lord again.
The Apprentice snorted and sidestepped again, causing Nick to fall into the sofa seat where the loaves of banana bread were sitting comfortably. Upon contact, one of the loaves slid off of the seat and hit the grated floor with a loud clatter. The Doctor instantly snapped his head up from the control panel at the sound, spotting the loaf lying on the floor. Nichelle gasped quietly, Nick looked a little surprised, and the Apprentice covered her mouth with her hands. Slowly, the Doctor pulled his glasses off and pocketed them before walking over to where the loaf was. He crouched down, picked it up, and dusted it off then stood up right. Immediately, the Apprentice ducked behind the console while Nick and Nichelle ducked behind columns. The Doctor gave them a confused look. "What are you all doing? It's like you're expecting a nuclear bomb to go off in here or something," he said with a laugh. The other members sighed and came out from their hiding places. The eldest Time Lord turned to Nick and gave him a chastising look. "Just be careful what you charge into next time, eh?" Nick nodded then gave the Apprentice the evil eye. The female Time Lord winced before running off followed closely by Nick, who was demanding his kiwi slices back. Their shouts echoed through the TARDIS causing the Doctor to shake his head and Nichelle to laugh.
When they came running back in, the Apprentice was wearing Nick's black baseball cap and the younger Time Lord was chasing her with his bag of kiwi slices in hand. "OY! You two, knock it off already will you?" commanded the Doctor, causing them two stop dead in their tracks, "App, give Nick his hat back. Nick, stop chasing her around like you want to snog her or something." Nick blushed furiously and the Apprentice burst out laughing. "Doctor, what a horrible thing to say!" she laughed, clapping Nick on the shoulder and slapping his cap back on his head. Nichelle giggled and patted Nick on the back. "Now, who wants banana bread?" the blond asked, picking up a loaf and walking to the kitchen. "Right behind you!" the Doctor called enthusiastically, following after her with a spring in his step. "Oy you two, wait up!" blurted the Apprentice, giving chase as well. Nick laughed, rolling his eyes and chased the rest of the group.
In the kitchen, the TARDIS crew had a little party for fun. Banana bread, kiwi slices, Southern sweet tea, squares of dark chocolate was on the menu. The Doctor sighed happily to himself. For once in a long time, he was content. No longer alone, but surrounded by friends and people who cared about him. The Apprentice was laughing at a joke Nick had just shared with them. He was glad to have his old friend back. After living in guilt all those years because he took her true identity away from her and left her, alone, with no one she knew had pained him for so long. But no more. The Apprentice looked over at him. "Hey, are you alright Doctor? Too much banana bread I take it?" The Doctor snorted. "No, just thinking that's all," he said, standing, "Thinking about how great it is to be traveling with you lot." Nichelle smiled warmly. "No matter what happens Doctor, you'll always have your friends." Nick and the Apprentice smiled as well. "Ready to head off again?" he asked and in unison they replied with, "You bet, Doctor." "Off we go then." And they dashed to the control room but the Apprentice remained behind for a moment. She collapsed to her knees, her breathing strained. One hand grasped her chest and her vision blurred. "It's too soon," she whispered before coughing up whips of golden energy. False alarm. She up righted herself, using the table for support. The Doctor peered back in. "Is everything alright App? We're waiting for you in the control room." She looked up at him and smiled weakly. Now wasn't the time to tell him. "Yeah, s'all good. I'm coming."
Episode Four: Haunted by Angels' Wings
The doors of the TARDIS were flung open wide as the Doctor stepped out with an enthusiastic, "Barcelona!" The Apprentice peered over his shoulder and sighed. "I hate to break it to you, but we are defiantly NOT in Barcelona. This is modern day China. Beijing, I think." The older Time Lord dropped his arms back to his sides and sighed with disappointment. He turned to the TARDIS and gave the blue box an affectionate pat. "Still a bit rusty, huh?" he asked the machine but it gave no physical reply. Nichelle poked her head out the other door. "Let me guess, not Barcelona, right?" she asked, looking to the Apprentice, who gave her an affirmative nod. The blond examined the horizon and smiled. "Well, since we're in China, we might as well explore. Never know what sort of interesting things we'll find." She gave the Doctor a nudge in the arm and he smiled at her. "Yeah…" The female Time Lord looked around. "Hey, where's Nick?" "What about me?" They all turned to find the young Time Lord standing behind them, grinning away. The Apprentice made a rather disapproving face. "Are you trying to be a creeper, Nick?" He glared at this remark. "NO. Can we just go already?" The Doctor nodded. "Alright, let's see what China has in store for us!" The Doctor, Nichelle, and Nick started walking away from the TARDIS but the Apprentice backed up into the blue box and quietly shut the doors.
Again, she found herself on her knees, gasping for air and clutching her chest. Oh how her hearts ached and her head pounded with a searing headache. "Bloody hell…" she mumbled to herself, trying to get to her feet again. Suddenly, a male voice echoed in the depths of her mind. Some how, some one had managed to establish a psychic link with her. But who exactly? 'Apprentice?' asked the voice, 'No, it's been far too long. But my mind does not deceive me, you ARE the Apprentice.' The Apprentice, now very alarmed and alert, looked around the spacious control room, eyes wide with panic. 'Who are you?' she demanded, 'How do you know me? And how in the hell did you manage to establish a mental link without being in the same room as me?' The voice chuckled. 'Many years of practice, my young friend. Don't you remember? I'm the Arcanist.' The female Time Lord gasped in surprise. The Arcanist had been one of her teachers back on Gallifrey. The last time she had seen him, he was very old and always knocking his students over the head with his sonic staff whenever they did something wrong. 'Arcanist…but how? Did you regenerate or something? You sound a whole lot younger than I remember.' Again, he laughed. 'Yes, I've gone and had myself a regeneration. And I quite needed one too. Although, I do think I might make the Doctor quite jealous.' 'What makes you say that?' 'I'm ginger.' The Apprentice caught herself from bursting out with laughter but giggled quietly to herself. 'Anyways,' the voice of the Arcanist continued, now very serious, 'hiding in the Doctor's TARDIS won't do you much good. You know better than that. Lucky for you, I managed to redirect the machine here to China so you could find me-' She cut him off. 'YOU did that? Ugh, I actually wanted to go to Barcelona thank you very much!' The Arcanist sighed. 'Get over it will you? Anyways, I brought you all her to China because we need to have a serious chat about IT.'
A chill ran down her spine. 'The seal…Arcanist, the seal is starting to break.' She knew at this point his eyes were widening in shock, wherever he was. 'WHAT?' he bellowed in alarm, 'that is not good Apprentice! You know what happens if the seal on the Wings of Time breaks too soon.' She hung her head. 'Yes,' she whispered both physically and mentally, 'I know exactly what will happen. I curse Rassilon every day for what he did to me.' She could feel hot angry tears welling up in her eyes. The older Time Lord sighed. 'Have you told him yet? The Doctor, I mean. Does he know about the Wings of Time?' 'No…' 'Well, let's hope he doesn't have to find out before he needs to. Anyways, the Doctor is returning to the TARDIS. Gather yourself together and once you have the chance, slip away and come find me. You'll know where to look. Good luck, Apprentice.' And the voice fizzled out of her mind and she was alone. Outside, she could hear the voices of the other members of the group returning to search for her. The door was flung open and the Doctor stepped in, alone. "I'll only be a minute. Nichelle, mind Nick for me, will you?" he said to the blond then shut the door behind himself. He turned to see the Apprentice still kneeling on the floor and a worried look crossed his face. He walked over and crouched down next to her.
"Apprentice." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and jerked her head around to look at him. Her eyes were a little red and her face still damp with tears. "Good grief, you nearly scared me half to regeneration!" she remarked, relaxing and training her gaze on the grated floor. He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "What's the matter? You look as though you've been crying. Why did you stay behind in the TARDIS in the first place should be my main question." She bit her lip and tried to think of something to tell him. "Um…I…thought I left something behind and then I tripped and fell and it hurt so I cried a bit then you showed up," she babbled, hoping he would take the lie as truth. The Doctor sighed then smiled. "Well, I hope you didn't hurt yourself. We found this great open market before I realized you weren't with us so we came back. Wouldn't want to explore a foreign market without you. I know you like that sort of thing." She smiled. "Oh, I'd hate to have missed it. Thanks for coming back, sorry about that." He helped her to her feet and they walked out of the TARDIS. Nichelle and Nick were chatting when they came out. "Well," the Doctor stated, "she just had a little bit of a fall while going back for something. Nothing serious." Nichelle let out a sigh of what seemed like relief then smiled at the Apprentice. "Well, let's go have a look at that market, shall we?" The other members of the group nodded in agreement then headed off into the city.
The Doctor breathed in deeply and sighed. "Ah, smell that market air. Full fragrant spices and fresh produce and-" The Apprentice cut him off. "What smells like rotting fish?" The Doctor turned to look at his companions; Nichelle was pinching her nose, Nick was gagging off in a side ally, and the Apprentice had her hands covering her nose and mouth. The eldest Time Lord sniffed then groaned as the foul smell reached his nose. "Yep, that's rotten fish alright. Come on, let's get out of this section." And they all moved quickly to a different part of the market. "Ooh, Nichelle, look at these dresses. Isn't the fabric beautiful?" exclaimed the Apprentice and the blond came over to have a look. The girls chatted excitedly, pulling dresses off of the racks and holding them up to see how they would look on. The Doctor and Nick stood back so they wouldn't get dragged into trying something on. Finally, the two women decided on outfits to buy; Nichelle got a long, white silk dress with a high collar and long billowy sleeves and the Apprentice got a short, indigo silk dress that had beautiful embroidery on it in the form of flowers. The Doctor eyed the new outfits and smiled. "Finally decided on something, eh ladies?" he chuckled along with Nick. The Apprentice punched him lightly in the arm. "Oy, don't be rude. You're lucky we didn't buy something for you two." 'Right, well, let's continue having a look around, shall we?" He started off but she stopped him. "Actually, you lot go on ahead. I want to put my new dress on. I'll catch up with you guys." The Doctor eyed her suspiciously then nodded. "Alright, just be careful." "I will." And she slipped off into an ally way.
She changed clothes as quickly as possible, stuffing her normal clothing into a bag she had brought along. Cautiously, she exited the ally at the other end and began her journey to finding the Arcanist. She zigzagged through the masses of people milling through the market place before arriving at a shop with a black silk curtain as the door. And on the fabric, were Gallifreyan symbols in white stitching. This was the place. She looked right then left before ducking behind the curtain and into the shop. The lighting was dim, lit only by candles, and ancient artifacts decorated the walls. She looked around until a voice stopped her. "May I help you, miss?" She turned to find an Asian man sitting at the counter. "Oh…um, I'm looking for someone. He told me to meet him here but I'm not sure if you know who I'm talking about," she replied cautiously. The man smiled. "You mean the one who calls himself the Arcanist? He told me that he was expecting someone. Follow me." And the man disappeared behind another black curtain decorated with more Gallifreyan symbols. The Apprentice took a deep breath and followed the man. After a few minutes of walking, she found herself in another room filled with candles and artifacts. The man from the front of the store was talking to another man. This one had short, flaming red hair and was wearing a black suit, a white dress shirt, and a white necktie. He was wearing a pair of cufflinks and white gloves on his hands. As the two were talking, he would glance over at her then back to the man. His eyes were steely gray and looked very old. He dismissed the man and they were alone. He turned to her and smiled. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my old student. Hello, Apprentice." Her eyes widened. "Good god, Arcanist? Look at you! You look several hundred years younger!" she exclaimed, hugging her old mentor, "And a lot less grumpy I see." He laughed. "I suppose it comes with the regeneration." She looked around. "And you've ditched the sonic staff too it looks like." The older Time Lord nodded then held out his hands. "Got a pair of sonic gloves now. Although, I do have to be careful. They become active if I snap my fingers or clap my hands. Its hard because people become very offended when you don't clap after a good performance…" The Apprentice laughed.
"Anyways, let's have a look at the seal on your back." She sighed and unzipped the back of her dress, letting it fall off of her shoulders slightly and exposing her entire back, revealing the large marking. The Arcanist mumbled to himself rather disapprovingly as he examined the seal. "This doesn't look good. Despite this being a very powerful seal, it doesn't seem to be holding up very well anymore. Did you happen to regenerate at all?" he inquired but she shook her head. "No, but I did live eighteen years of my life as a human until the Doctor gave me back my fob watch and I opened it." He shook his head. "Yes, I suppose that sudden surge of energy would weaken the seal." With a sigh he stepped back and she zipped her dress back up. "There's nothing I can do. The seal has cracked far too much for me to repair it or replace it with a new one." She spun on her heel to face him, eyes wide with horror. "No, please don't tell me that. There must be something we can do! Please, please, please Arcanist! There has to be a way!" But the older Time Lord hung his head. "There is nothing. I'm sorry, Apprentice." She collapsed to her knees and began to cry. He knelt down next to her and hugged her comfortingly as her body heaved with sobs. "You need to leave now, Apprentice. I'm sure the Doctor is worried about you," he told her softly as her sobs began to quiet. "What am I going to do, Arcanist?" she whimpered, looking up at him with teary eyes. He sighed. "I don't know. Just…do what you can to prevent the seal from accelerating in its decomposition process. It should give you more time. Now, go on and find the Doctor. And don't worry about me, we'll see each other again." He helped her to her feet and she dried her eyes and left the shop. She walked wearily through the market, not really paying attention to where she was going until she bumped into someone. "Oh!" exclaimed the voice of Nichelle, "There you are, Apprentice. We split up to look for you, you've been gone for half an hour." The Apprentice didn't look at her directly. "Yeah," she murmured, "sorry bout that. I got a little lost." The blonde's face grew concerned. "Are you alright? Did something happen?" That's when the Apprentice locked eyes with her, a very serious expression on her face. "Nichelle, I have to tell you something and you can't tell the Doctor. No matter what."
Episode Five: Unity of Five Flowers, Part One: The Hibiscus Blooms
Once upon a time, there were five flowers that grew together in a lonely field.
The first flower was a brightly colored hibiscus,
The second was a lovely day lily,
The third was a tall sunflower,
The fourth was an elegant and wise orchid,
And the fifth and final flower, was a crimson rose.
These flowers kept one another company over many harsh seasons and were wonderful friends.
The hibiscus, strangely enough, never bloomed but was always energetic,
All the flowers loved the rose, despite its thorns,
The day lily could be relied on for comfort,
The sunflower knew how to brighten their day,
And the orchid told stories and taught them important lessons.
One day, the hibiscus finally started to bloom and the other flowers were very excited.
But this worried the hibiscus more than anything else in the world…
The Apprentice and Nichelle returned to the TARDIS to find the Doctor and Nick waiting for them. The Doctor looked worried and a little annoyed and Nick had no real reaction to their arrival. The female Time Lord smiled weakly. "Hey guys, sorry about that. Big market, little ole me. Got myself lost, BIG time. Lucky for me, I ran into Nichelle and well, here we are!" There was a stretched, awkward silence. The eldest Time Lord sighed. "I really shouldn't let you wander off but at least you're alright." Nichelle smiled. "You sound more like you should be her father than a really good friend," she said with a laugh, clapping the Doctor on the back, "Don't worry yourself so much." The Apprentice crossed her arms defensively over her chest. "OY! He's only two years older than me, not even anywhere close enough to be my dad thanks very much." Nick was beside himself with laughter, he had to prop himself up using the TARDIS. The female Time Lord glared then swiped his baseball cap off of his head then ran into the blue box, shortly followed by Nick. Nichelle watched them go rather sadly, getting a confused reaction from the Time Lord standing next to her. "Nichelle," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "is something wrong?" The blond shook her head then smiled at him. "Oh, um, no I'm fine. Come on," she said, pulling on his arm, "let's get in there before they wreak the whole inside over a hat."
Later, the Apprentice found herself in her room aboard the TARDIS. She had discarded majority of her accessory clothing; her vest, her boots, her fingerless gloves, and her jeans. She stood in front of a freestanding, full-length mirror, staring at her back. Not only was the original marking in the shape of angel's wings there but several ancient Gallifreyan symbols had started appearing. Sometimes she found her entire body ravaged with searing pain and convulsions. Nichelle, whom she had told what was wrong, would do her best to both keep the Doctor and Nick at bay while the Apprentice was having one of her 'episodes' and to also try to calm her down. Eventually, Nick found out and so he and Nichelle worked together to help the Apprentice as best as they could.
Slowly, it seemed like her condition was improving which brought relief to the other two companions. The Doctor, who had grown worried because she had confined herself to her room and refused to go out adventuring with them, was put at ease when Nichelle explained that the Apprentice had gotten a stomach virus while they were in China and it turned out to be the stomach flu but she had gotten over it thanks to her Time Lord immune system. Her 'recovery' was around her human birthday so as a surprise, he had Nick and Nichelle help him make a chocolate banana cake with a side of vanilla ice cream. They called her to the kitchen and threw a small party, just like the one they had back when they all started traveling together. But that's when something strange happened. The Cloister Bell began to ring sending the entire TARDIS crew into a tizzy. "Doctor!" exclaimed the Apprentice, "What's happening?" The Doctor circled the console in a panic, flipping switches and checking his screen. "I'm not quite sure at the moment, but it's almost like…something's trying to board the TARDIS without coming through the front door. If I can just," he twisted several knobs on the main console, "amplify the signal source and VOLA! Here it comes." The form of a rather tall man with ginger colored hair began to fade into the room and became solid. He was wearing a black suit, white dress shirt, cufflinks, and white gloves. And he was carrying a package wrapped in colorful paper. He looked around then spotted the Doctor, a smile spreading on his face. "Oh, hello Doctor. Have I missed the party?"
"Arcanist! You made it!" exclaimed the Apprentice, throwing her arms around the new arrival. The Doctor stared in shock. "You are kidding me! The Arcanist? Really? Did you regenerate or something?" The Arcanist looked over the Apprentice's shoulder to give the Doctor a 'that's a stupid question' face and the Doctor gave a sheepish shrug. "Well, just asking a logical question. It's good to see you again." They shook hands and returned to the kitchen, were the Arcanist introduced himself to Nichelle and Nick and vice-versa. Once the new arrival was acquainted with everyone and they had all gotten comfortable again, gifts were opened. The Doctor had made the heart charm on the necklace she wore into a perception field and gave her a sonic screwdriver, Nichelle had gotten her a beautiful plum colored kimono on a recent visit to ancient Japan along with some hairpins, Nick got her a brand new pair of boots that were much more durable and fashionable (with help from Nichelle) than her previous pair, and the Arcanist gave her a pair of sleek, black Skull Candy DJ headphones with a mic attachment. She gave each of them a hug and thanked them for their presents. "Well, now we get down to the nitty-gritty. I have a surprise for you lot as my special way of saying thanks. We're going to take a trip someplace special. And we don't even need the TARDIS. Just, can someone hum a tune?" Almost instantly, Nichelle began to hum the tune for "An Awful Lot of Running" by Chameleon Circuit, which made the Apprentice smile. She held out a hand at arm's length in Nichelle's direction, palm open. "Sound capture!" she said with a slight echo to her voice. Suddenly, the musical sounds became a visible slipstream of bright orange light. The light formed into swirling ribbons of light, spiraling endlessly around the female Time Lord's body. "Beginning sound integration process…" The light wrapped itself around her, seeping into the corners of her mind. Finally, it vanished entirely. "Sound integration complete. Gather round guys and gal, it's time for a wild ride." Suddenly, a bright orange ring of light appeared on the floor, encircling the group and oddly, within that ring, it seemed as though gravity had shut itself off. They all began to float effortlessly, up right of course, a foot or two off of the ground.
"What's going on?" exclaimed Nichelle, looking around in shock. Nick said nothing, although his mouth was wide open in shock as well. The Doctor put a finger under his chin and shut the younger Time Lord's mouth. "Shut your mouth, you'll start catching flies that way." Neither he nor the Arcanist seemed the slightest bit surprised. Nichelle looked over at them. "You two look as though you've been in this situation before." The Arcanist chuckled. "Yes, my dear, we most certainly have. But if you want to enjoy the full experience, keeping the suspense as to what's going on is the best part." That's when the Apprentice let out an enthusiastic, "Sound…ENGAGE!" and they all found themselves violently pulled into light speed and hurtling through a vortex of orange energy with the Apprentice at the lead. Finally, after a few minutes, Nick finally said something. "This. Is. SICK!" he exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. Next to him, Nichelle face palmed, The Doctor rolled his eyes, and the Arcanist shook his head. The Apprentice laughed. "Ladies and gentlemen, aliens and humans alike, you are now traveling through sound itself. We'll be arriving soon." So the group traveled along peacefully, chatting and exchanging stories until the Apprentice made another announcement. "And we are arriving…NOW!" That's when they all fell out of light speed, hovering lightly in a new place. It basically looked like a large, white room, nothing really special. But the members of the group began to wonder otherwise. Another glowing orange ring appeared on the floor and they all touched down. Orange light came flowing off of her body and returned to Nichelle. "Just returning the sounds I borrowed," she said with a wink to the blond, who nodded. She turned to the entire group. "Welcome to the Sound Canvas. This white room is more than meets the eye. Doctor, if you would kindly just take one step forward." The Time Lord nodded and he did so. As soon as his Converse trainer touched the floor again, a pulse of blue light burst from beneath hit shoe. The group behind him chattered with interest. "Sounds become light an color here. Well, not all sounds. Mostly music and footsteps. Oh, I should do the attire change, it's a custom I have," remarked the Apprentice and she snapped her fingers. Swirls of purple light engulfed them all and when it died away, they found themselves wearing different attire. The Doctor and the Arcanist were both wearing white suits but the Doctor was wearing a blue necktie and blue Converse trainers whereas the Arcanist was wearing a black necktie and black Converse trainers. Nick was wearing white pants and a white, short-sleeve dress shirt and his black baseball cap, Nichelle was wearing a white, short-sleeve dress shirt and a long white skirt along with a crimson necktie and crimson Converse trainers, and the Apprentice was wearing a white, short-sleeve dress shirt and a mini skirt along with a plum colored necktie and plum Converse trainers. She pulled out the headphones that the Arcanist had given her and put them on. She smiled brightly at her four friends and sighed. "I want to say something to each of you, what you mean to me." First, she turned to the Doctor. "Doctor, my cheeky best friend. You always seem to be changing that face of yours but you always stay the same. Kind hearted, driven by just actions and just plain brilliant." The Doctor smiled back and she turned to Nichelle. "Nichelle, my resilient friend. You were a new face in my life but you are now someone that I feel like I've known since the dawn of time itself. Brave, strong hearted, and a well rounded person." Nichelle smiled brightly and she turned to Nick. "Nick, my goofy Time Lord friend. We argue and tease each other all the time, but you're like a little brother. Always quirky and fun-loving." Nick blushed a little and she turned to the Arcanist. "Arcanist, my mentor friend. You are one of the wisest people I know and you have taught me many things. A Time Lord of his word and honorable." She sighed again and began to walk to the center of the room, ripples of colorful light following her footsteps. Eventually, the Apprentice stopped and turned back to look at them. "This is the end…" she whispered.
Episode Five: Unity of Five Flowers, Part 2: The Hibiscus' Poison
As the hibiscus bloomed, three of the flowers learned why it was dangerous.
Why the hibiscus had never bloomed before.
And they all promised not to tell the rose what was happening,
For the rose cared deeply for its friends' well being,
And if it found out, the rose would do anything and everything.
Including dangerous things.
One day, when the flowers were gathered in unity,
The hibiscus sang for them in the cool breeze and then…
The hibiscus…
"This is the end," the Apprentice whispered to herself. She knew the seal had reached it's limit, she could feel a searing, burning sensation on her back. But she had to hold on. Just for a little while longer try to keep the seal intact. The Doctor took a couple of steps forward but she stopped him. "No, stay right there. I'm over here for a reason," she insisted aloud; holding out one hand, palm open as if to stop him, "I'm going to perform for the greatest friends I've ever known. This is an uplifting song; sing it when you need the strength and courage to go on." With that, she turned away from them and began saying commands aloud. "Engage song entitled 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) Single' by Shakira." "Loading requested song…" replied a computerized voice. There was a long pause before the voice spoke again. "Load complete. 'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) Single' by artist Shakira confirmed. Uploading song data. Uploading music data. Load perameter…Start sequence complete. Get ready to start."
Oooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehh!
You're a good soldier
Choosing your battles
Pick yourself up
And dust yourself off
Get back in the saddle
You're on the front line
Everyone's watching
You know it's serious
We are getting closer
This isn't over
The pressure is on
You feel it
But you got it all
Believe it
When you fall get up, oh oh
If you fall get up, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Cuz this is Africa
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Listen to your God
This is our motto
Your time to shine
Don't wait in line
Y vamos por todo
People are raising
Their expectations
Go on and feed them
This is your moment
No hesitations
Today's your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
If you get down get up, oh oh
When you get down get up, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
[Lady Singing]
[Male background voice:]
Tsamina mina, Anawa a a
Tsamina mina
Tsamina mina, Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
[2x]
Django eh eh [2x]
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
[2x]
This time for Africa
[2x]
We're all Africa
The Apprentice finished the song, breathing heavily but smiling as her friends applauded her. But it had been too much and she found her vision blurring as she fell to her knees. "Apprentice!" shouted the Doctor's voice in alarm and she could hear him coming closer. "NO!" she demanded, "Stay BACK!" The footsteps stopped. Weakly, she struggled to her feet, arms clutching her chest, her breathing weak. "Don't…don't come near me." Nichelle ran up to the Doctor's side and held him back. "Apprentice…no! It can't be!" she cried, gripping the Doctor's shoulders tightly, "You can't…" The blond could feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes as she spoke. "You just…can't!" The Doctor looked at Nichelle then to the Apprentice. "App, what's going on? What does she mean? Tell me!" he demanded darkly but the Apprentice shook her head. "No, I refuse to tell you. Just let this happen…for once in your life, just let something happen, you hear me?" "Tell me what's going on Apprentice!" She sighed. "Arcanist, Nick, grab him please, Nichelle is loosing her grip." The other two Time Lords nodded, rushing forward to grab hold of the struggling Doctor. "Let go of me! Bloody hell, LET GO OF ME! APPRENTICE!" he screamed but the other two held fast while Nichelle approached her friend. "Stop. Stay right there. If you get any closer, you might get hurt," the Apprentice cautioned.
"Apprentice, is there nothing left? Will you really surrender?" asked the blond, tears now streaking her face behind her glasses. The female Time Lord sighed and smiled rather reminiscently. "No, there is so much more left for me. I could BE so much MORE. But no, curse Rassilon. This has always been my life, my destiny. It's over, Nichelle. Tell him; tell the Doctor I'm so sorry. But, I could never tell him the truth right away. But he has to be the one to save me along with you and Nick. It's too late now, I'm being…AUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" An earsplitting scream ravaged the entire room as the Apprentice's body began to seep with golden energy but not the kind for regeneration. The seal was finally breaking. As she continued to scream, glowing blue Gallifreyan symbols began to appear in the air encircling her. The symbols began to circle around her body, faster and faster until they were nothing but a large glowing blue blur. Golden light flowed out from her eyes and her short hair whipped about her face. The golden light got brighter and the other people in the room shielded their eyes. "APPRENTICE!" shouted the Doctor, still struggling to get free. "Nichelle! Get back here!" shouted Nick but the blond didn't hear him, all she could do was watch the scene unfold. That's when all the energy exploded from the Apprentice's body, sending a massive shockwave through out the entire space that shattered the walls of the reality and sent her friends hurtling backwards. The Doctor felt his back hit something hard and he blacked out. Little did he know at that moment that the Wings of Time had been released.
Episode Six: The World is Mine
This chapter's title is based off of a song from New Grounds titled 'The World is Mine [DJ Edit]" by djInTheDark. Check out the song while reading this chapter, it might enhance the story even more! –lunanotikdeo
The Doctor blinked several times and groaned. He felt as through a bullet train had hit him, backed up, and then hit him again. Weakly, he pushed himself up from the ground, coughing a little, and into an upright sitting position. He continued to blink, trying to make his eyes focus. How long had he been out? Finally, they focused and the Doctor began to wish they hadn't as he stared in horror of the scene before him. The sky was blacker than ink; no sun, no moon, no source of light from above. Whatever planet he was on, it had been plunged into permanent darkness. Well, permanent until the Doctor got around to doing something about it. Ruins surrounded him but off in the distance, a single eerie city lie in wait before his gaze. The buildings all looked black but all of the lights glowed purple and there seemed to be a large glass dome surrounding the city. "Bloody hell…" muttered the Time Lord as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair. He started to get to his feet but stopped when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
"DOCTOR!" exclaimed Nichelle as she ran over to the weary Time Lord. Her clothing had changed back to the dress she was wearing at the party on board the TARDIS; the elegant white silk dress with the billowy sleeves that she had bought in China was now dirty and torn up a bit at the bottom. Her blond hair looked a little more frazzled than usual, the lenses of her glasses just a little dusty, and her red Converse trainers a whole lot more worn than the Doctor remembered. And oddly enough, around her neck hung a key to the TARDIS; he remembered that he had given her one long ago when they first parted after traveling for so long together. "Nichelle," he said as she flung her arms around him in a tight hug, "How long have I been out? What's going on?"
She stopped hugging him, gave him a very serious look, and then sighed. "Just a few minutes, like me. But it looks as though time has accelerated itself much further than just a few minutes. More like…several years." The two looked around, a cold wind rushing in from nowhere then fading away as silence fell. Finally, he asked a question that had been haunting him. "Where are Nick, the Arcanist, and the Apprentice?" he asked, massaging his temple. Nichelle gave him a rather dumb founded look. "You don't remember what happened not five minutes ago? You must have really hit your head hard, Doctor." This gained a very serious expression from the male Time Lord. "Well refresh my memory because it's a little foggy at the moment. What happened?" The blond sighed. "The Apprentice…she…" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "What? The Apprentice what? Nichelle, what haven't you been telling me?" "It's a long story but I suppose you need to know now more than ever." "I need to know what?" "The Apprentice's secret."
"She told it to me back when we were in China, in the market place in Beijing. I found her wandering by herself, looking rather distressed, and when I asked what as wrong, she made me promise not to tell you, not until you absolutely needed to know. This all goes back to during the Time War on your home planet, Gallifrey. Lord President Rassilon and the High Counsel of Time Lords summoned her late one night. When she arrived, the guards seized her then bound and chained her and Rassilon himself sealed a powerful weapon into her body that was very unstable. They were planning to use this weapon in the war but they hadn't found a suitable host until they looked into the Apprentice's history and found that she had unusual powers and that her body had a dysfunctional regeneration process. The perfect match. But when the Arcanist found out that one of his most prized pupils was being used as a host, he was thrown into panic stricken fear. He went down into the dungeons and helped her flee. Once they were safe, the Arcanist placed an even more powerful seal over top of the much weaker one then told her to escape from the burning planet. That's when she found you preparing to escape in a stolen TARDIS and begged you to take her along." Nichelle paused for a moment and watched the Doctor's expressionless face as he tried to process everything, then continued, "The weapon is called the Wings of Time and the user can manipulate all of time and space itself, but at a price."
"If the user is weak, the Wings of Time consumes its host and takes control of the body. The host's conscious is locked away in the farthest reaches of the mind." The Doctor's eyes widened in shock but she continued, "The Apprentice had a meeting with the Arcanist in Beijing to check on the status of the seal. But to their unfortunate discovery, the seal had begun to corrode and the corrosion had been accelerated when she was reawakened. There was nothing the Arcanist could do for her." The male Time Lord was completely horrified at this point but his expression remained rather blank. "I…I remember the look she had on her face when she came to me all those years ago. She was scared and crying. Oh how she begged me to take her along; she begged with all her heart and soul just to get away from that planet. And after so long, now I understand the fear in her eyes. The fear of having an unwanted power that could be abused to slaughter species across the cosmos." the Doctor said, turning to look at Nichelle, "That explosion of energy, it wasn't regenerative energy. It was the seal, both of them actually, finally breaking, wasn't it?"
Nichelle nodded sadly. "Yes. And she was really weak when everything fell apart so…" she trailed off and hung her head. "It consumed her," the Doctor finished, his voice barely a whisper. He buried his face in his hands. "She suffered and bared that burden for so long. She should have told me all those years ago what had happened! I could have helped her! I could have prevented this! I could have SAVED her!" The blond watched as he began to cry then wrapped her arms around him comfortingly. "No, it's not your fault. Stop beating yourself up. She was trying to protect you, Doctor. Can't you see that? The Apprentice knew that you would try to do something stupid and foolish and that's why she never told you." The Time Lord looked up at his companion, tears still streaking down his face. "But…we still have a chance, don't we? You said that even though the Wings of Time consumes the host, the host's conscious remains in tact right?" Nichelle nodded slowly and suddenly, the Doctor's face lightened. "If we can reach her conscious, we can save her!" He scrambled to his feet, brown eyes suddenly bright with confidence, "She's somewhere in that city and we have to find her. Where are Nick and the Arcanist?" Nichelle shook her head. "The Arcanist disappeared but Nick was still unconscious when I woke up. He's back that way," she said, nodding off to the left, "Why?" The Doctor rolled his shoulders and took in a deep breath. "We'll just have to deal without the Arcanist then," he said thoughtfully then looked to Nichelle, "I'm going to break into that city and I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Ten minutes later, the Doctor and his two companions were racing towards the domed city. They easily found an entrance and with a little help from the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, they slipped inside. Every street they walked on was empty and every light, on every building glowed some shade of purple. The group walked along casually but cautiously but there was no sign of the female Time Lord. That's when the Doctor heard something. He stopped dead in his tracks causing Nick and Nichelle to stop also. "What is it?" whispered the younger Time Lord but the Doctor put a finger to his lips. "Listen," he replied and they all paused to listen. Faintly, techno music was pulsing from somewhere in the city. That's when he bolted off, following the sound with his companions close behind.
They found that the music was coming from a tall, black tower that glowed with creepy purple light like the rest of the buildings in the city. It was unguarded but something about the building made the Doctor uneasy. "The air around that building just…feels wrong," he said plainly, causing the other two members of the group to exchange weird looks. He looked over his shoulder at Nick. "Can't you feel that? Something about that tower that just doesn't fit." Nick moved to stand next to the older Time Lord and when he did, a chill ran up his spine. "Yeah, you're right Doctor. It feels…unnatural, out of place, really wrong." Nichelle eyed the building. "That must mean the Apprentice is inside." The Doctor nodded. "Let's go then."
When they entered the building, the first thing they saw was a large spiral staircase. There were no handrails and the steps themselves were floating glass panels. The staircase stretched the entire length of the tower; there were no floors in-between the main and top floors. And the techno music had grown a bit louder and words faintly echoed through the space in a hollow, electronic voice but they couldn't quite make out what the words were. "Going up," the Doctor said flatly and started up the stairs, "Mind your footing everyone." The climb was long but the group finally reached the landing at the top; a pair of large, black doors barring their way. The words were still muffled but the music was at it's clearest. The Doctor turned to his companions with a serious look on his face. "Ready? Once we go through these doors, there's no telling what will happen," he said to them but both looked confident and nodded. He turned back to the doors, gripping both of the door handles firmly. "Here goes nothing," he murmured to himself and flung the doors wide open. As they swung open, a strong gust of wind swept over them then died away as the doors finally hit the wall. And they all froze in horror of what was inside.
Behind the doors was a massive room; an aisle lined with tall black pillars stretched out before them. At the far end of the room was a tall, sleek glass throne and upon the throne sat a female figure. Her form was draped elegantly with a long, strapless black dress with a train that flowed down the front of the throne like a black waterfall. Her skin was a beautiful copper color and upon her face, covering her eyes, was a pair of Aviator sunglasses and her lips were glossed with a shade of black that matched her dress. A familiar pair of black, Skull Candy DJ headphones crowned her head with the mic attachment sitting at the corner of her lips. Her short hair was whiter than freshly fallen snow and in the back; it had been flared to stick out wildly. But the most shocking sight of all was the large pair of black, angel-like wings that were spread to full expansion that had spawned from the figure's back. It was, undoubtedly, the Apprentice herself. Slowly, her black lips parted and she sang, in that hollow, electronic voice that sent shivers through the Doctor's body. And the words she sang were…
"The World is Mine."
Episode Seven: Confrontation in the Nightmare City
Nichelle stepped forward cautiously to stand next to the Doctor and grabbed him by the arm. "My god…Doctor, is that…?" she asked uncertainly as the male Time lord continued to look at the figure on the throne. "It has to be," he whispered shakily. Nick swallowed hard and came forward to stand next to the Doctor as well. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut behind them and they found themselves trapped in a room with a lethal weapon that had taken over the body of a Time Lord. "Bollocks…" muttered Nick as he looked back at the doors. Nichelle gave him a dirty look. "Oy, mind your language!" she hissed over the Doctor's shoulder but the younger Time Lord shrugged his shoulders carelessly. The Doctor took a cautious half step forward and instantly, the beauty on the throne jerked her head in his direction and he froze in mid-step. "Doc-tor," she said in her hollow voice, the empty words resounding and reverberating through the entire room. The eldest of the Time Lords present shuddered. "Yeah, that just so happens to be me. 'Ello. You must be the Wings of Time. Not really a pleasure to meet you, I have to be honest in saying so. You've really gone and pissed me off, taking over my friend's body," was his displeased reply. She tilted her head to the side, almost as if she was confused. "I have a right to this bo-dy, Doc-tor." "Yeah, well not while I'm alive you don't!" She sat up right again and lifted a hand slowly to her face. The Aviators were removed to reveal not the Apprentice's natural blue-green hazel eyes, but smoky purple colored irises and the whites of her eyes had turned black. Nichelle's hands flew up to her mouth to cover up a gasp at what she was seeing and Nick let out a low growl; taking a step forward but the Doctor grabbed him. "Don't you DARE. Don't even move a muscle." Slowly, a creepy smile spread across her glossy, black lips and her irises suddenly flickered to a beautiful shade of teal.
"Oh, you Time Lords. You never cease to amuse entities beyond your power with silly words like that," she said with a giggle. The group exchanged confused looks. Her voice now soundly like the Apprentice's yet more elegant, more mature, more dangerous, "I believe you should worry more about what you're missing, other than this little, lost girl." She made a sort of flowing gesture off to the side of her throne and standing in the shadow was another figure, and a very familiar one at that. "ARCANIST!" blurted the Doctor as the missing Time Lord stepped out into the light. He wouldn't look at any of them directly and he held his hands behind his back like an obedient servant, waiting his orders. "Hello, Doctor. I'm sorry that we had to come under these circumstances," he said, his voice barely a whisper, "Don't approach me. I might accidentally kill you." The Doctor took a step back this time. "Accidentally kill me? What do you mean?" The possessed female Time Lord laughed aloud from high atop her throne. "Oh this is like one of those soap operas! So very dramatic and serious. Such a good laugh! Go on then, Arcanist, show him," Slowly, the Time Lord obeyed, pulling his hands out from behind his back. At first glance, nothing appeared to be wrong but then the Doctor noticed his hands. "Your sonic gloves…Arcanist, what happened to your sonic gloves?" asked the Doctor in alarm then looked up to the Wings of Time, "What did you do to him? Answer me!" The wicked grin widened. "I disrupted one of the safety mechanisms in the main frame which activated an overdrive/overload sequence. This lovely sequence takes away the users control over the sonic device and if anyone not in the possession of a sonic device gets within ten feet of the user, the gloves will emit a deadly sonic pulse that will span a radius of over forty feet," she explained, and as she was doing so, the Arcanist cringed and clutched his chest in pain, "Oh, did I mention? The overdrive/overload sequence administers a toxin into the user's blood stream which slowly causes the user's nervous system to slowly shut down, rendering that person unconscious. During this situation the gloves cannot be removed by the user or anyone else for that matter."
"So here is my challenge to you, Doctor. Nick. Nichelle. If you want your precious Apprentice back, along with the good Arcanist here, you need to defeat me but oh, if you don't do so before the Arcanist passes out from the poison rushing through his blood stream, I will kill him and all of you. Then, I will make all of time burn." The Doctor grit his teeth and turned to face his companions. "We've got no choice. This is our one and only chance to save them both and set everything right. Nick, have you got that sonic shovel of yours?" he asked the youngest Time Lord, who nodded. He pulled out a futuristic looking shovel from his letterman jacket pocket and grinned. "Pockets. You know how those go Doctor. Oh, Nichelle, I nearly forgot. I brought something for you too. Hang on, Doctor, hold this will you?" He handed the elder of the two his shovel then went digging through the same pocket. "No, no, that's defiantly not it, no…ah! There it is!" Nick withdrew his hand from his pocket, revealing a bright blue umbrella with a long black handle and grip attachment. The Doctor stared. "What on Earth is that?" he inquired, pointing to the umbrella. Nick grinned proudly. "It's a sonic umbrella. When you open it, it emits a barrier of sonic energy that works like a shield. When it's closed, it can be used like a lance," was the reply as he handed his friend the sonic device. Nichelle's green eyes sparkled. "Wow! Thank you so much Nick," she said with a smile. "Right," the Doctor said, setting the serious tone again, "we need to find a way to hold old queenie off so that I can get to the Arcanist and fix his gloves." Nick glared in the Wings of Time's direction. "Well, we have to get started some how!" He grabbed his sonic shovel out of the Doctor's hands and threw it like a javelin towards the direction of the possessed female Time Lord. In the nick of time, she tilted her head to the side and the shovel slammed into the back end of the throne. Slowly, she turned to look at them and her irises flickered to a dangerous shade of bright orange and her face grew dark. "Now you all die," was all she said before rising from her throne and ascending into the air. "Oh bollocks…" muttered Nick as his sonic shovel came hurtling back into his open hand. "Not quite," replied the Doctor, "but we're about to be in a whole world of hurt."
Episode Eight: Davy and the Soul Sucker
"Nichelle! Use your sonic umbrella! NOW!" shouted the Doctor as he ran towards the blond. She nodded and the umbrella in her hand shot open to it's full expansion, deflecting a blast of sound energy from the Wings of Time right as the Doctor ducked behind it. Nichelle grit her teeth and pushed back against the energy pressing down on their only shield. "Go for it Nick!" she commanded and the younger Time Lord grinned, leaping forward from cover and brandishing his sonic shovel like a sword. "Wake up, App!" he bellowed as he hurtled towards the demoness that had once been his friend. Her orange eyes flared with an unknown fire and she snarled. In a flash, she had moved out of the way of his attack and was coming up from behind.
"NO! NICK!" shouted Nichelle. Her sonic umbrella snapped shut again and she lunged for the Wings of Time, spearing her through the back and out through abdomen with the umbrella as her spear. The albino snapped her head round to look at her attacker, a look of pure hatred and rage suddenly crossing her face. But then, almost as if in slow motion, a horrible grin stretched across those wicked black lips and she reached down and pulled the umbrella further through, bringing Nichelle along with it. "Stupid girl…" hissed the Wings of Time as she drew the blond in for the kill, "Do you honestly believe sure a petty attack would actually do any damage?" Nichelle's green eyes widened in horror but out of nowhere, The Doctor came to her rescue, pulling her and the sonic umbrella free from their foe. They tumbled to the marble floor, landing next to where Nick was. Nichelle struggled to get back up quickly and her umbrella burst back open as another attack came hurtling their way.
"Nick, hold my sonic umbrella for me please. This is getting out of hand and I'm calling for help," she told the younger Time Lord, who nodded and took hold of the umbrella handle. Nichelle pushed back the sleeve on her right wrist, revealing an odd watch from beneath the folds of white fabric. The Doctor eyed the device suspiciously. "Nichelle, what is that thing?" he asked, grabbing a hold of her wrist to have a better look. She pulled her wrist away and began pressing buttons on the device. "It was a present from Jack that he gave me a few years back and that's all you need to know." "OY, NICHELLE! What ever the bloody hell it is that you're doing, hurry up and do it already!" shouted Nick, who was struggling to push back the attack. "Please, please work," Nichelle whispered and slammed her thumb down on one final button.
The device began to beep and she turned her wrist to face outward as the device emitted a blinding flash of white light. When it had faded, a large, blue vortex had appeared in mid-air. "WHAT?" exclaimed the Doctor but Nichelle smiled. "It actually worked! I'll have to thank Jack for this later but oh! Here he comes!" Two hands appeared, gripping either side of the opening then a figure pulled itself through. "What," the male Time Lord repeated, only this time stated and a little more dumbfounded rather than shocked as to what he was seeing.
Now standing before them was what looked like a younger version of the current Doctor. He had messy reddish brown hair, brown eyes, and the same physical features as the Doctor only he looked about eighteen years old. He was wearing a black tee shirt with 'The Beetles' written across the chest in bold, white lettering, a pair of slightly worn blue jeans, red Converse trainers, and an exact replica of the Doctor's brown trench coat. He looked over and spotted Nichelle and a very 'Doctor-like' smile spread across his lips. "Hello Mum," he said with a distinctly similar British accent as the Doctor's.
Nichelle smiled and gave him a hug. "Hi Davy! Good to see you after so long and look at you! You've grown some since I last saw you," she said, looking the young man over. Davy laughed then turned to see the Doctor watching them, a very puzzled expression on his face. "Oh, hi there Dad. I didn't see you there for a minute. You look well," he said, causing the puzzled expression on the Time Lord's face to become even more so. "Hang on just a second. Did you just call me DAD?" he asked, pointing a finger at Davy, now even more dumbfounded than before than when Davy first arrived. He patted the Doctor on the shoulder and smile sympathetically. "I'll leave the explaining to Mum. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a problem to deal with." Davy got to his feet again and looked to Nick, who was still doing his best to hold off the Wings of Time, with a serious expression on his face. "Give me a boost, will you Nick?" he asked and Nick grinned. "Good to see you again, Davy. I'm ready when you are!" was the reply.
With a burst of speed, Davy ran towards Nick, who had passed the sonic umbrella back to Nichelle and created a foothold with his sonic shovel. The sole of his left trainer cam down on the shovel blade with a clack! and he pushed off as Nick lifted the shovel upwards, launching the young man into the air, his trench coat whipping about behind him. "Hey you harpy!" he shouted at the Wings of Time, "Leave them the bloody hell alone!" He grabbed a hold of her and they hurtled towards the floor. Suddenly, she blinked and her irises turned a familiar shade of blue-green hazel, the whites of her eyes returning to normal, and the Apprentice's voice cut through the wind. "D-Davy?" she whispered in surprise. Davy's brown eyes widened in both shock and horror. "App?"
But in a flash, her irises reverted back to that same angry shade of orange and the whites of her eyes bleed back to black and she let out an unearthly snarl. "Get off of me, boy," she spat, kneeing Davy in the stomach. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him and he suddenly lost his grip on her and hurtled to the floor alone. He hit the cold floor with a rather loud thud! and winced in pain. But he swallowed it down and got to his feet as she descended to the floor gently. Davy grit his teeth. "That was a dirty trick, you witch. Who are you and what have you done to the Apprentice?" he demanded.
She laughed. "Didn't your mommy tell you, little Davy?" she replied in a sickeningly sweet voice as her irises flashed back to a beautiful teal, "I am the Apprentice. I've been apart of her for countless centuries. We are one in the same, with a few acceptations of course. She was always a weak, little fool whereas I bided my time and was released from my prison as a bold and powerful entity. I could erase you and every one in this very room from existence, therefore rewriting history and causing the whole of reality and the universe to fall to complete ruin. And I would merely take a step back and watch it all burn." But Davy remained unphased, just like his father. "I'm not going to ask again," he said darkly, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Apprentice?" The Wings of Time frowned and her irises turned back to orange. "You are trying my patience, boy. I am the Wings of Time." Davy grinned. "And slightly bi-polar too, might I add." She tilted her head sideways in confusion and Davy laughed. "Your eye color changes to match your mood. It seems that they turn orange when you're angry/irritated and teal when you're in a better mood, not quite sure what to call that mood actually." The entire time he talked, Davy was moving closer and closer to the possessed female Time Lord but by the time she realized what he was doing, they were standing face to face, barely inches apart. "By the way, you should never let me talk," he said darkly, reaching up and placing his hands on either side of her head. She let out a piercing scream as if some one had sent several volts of electricity surging through her body. She shoved him away rather violently but he caught his footing and stood upright, his brown eyes glowing faintly with pale blue. He stared intently right into the eyes of the Wings of Time, her orange eyes also glowing faintly with pale blue, and she collapsed to her knees and stared right back.
Silence fell over the massive room as the Doctor, Nichelle, and Nick peered curiously over the rim of Nichelle's sonic umbrella. "They've stopped…" noted the Doctor as he walked out from behind the umbrella and over to Davy. The blond shut her umbrella and she and Nick walked over to stand next to the Doctor, who had put on his glasses and was inspecting the young man. He went to touch him on the shoulder but Davy spoke suddenly. "Don't touch me, please. It's hard to concentrate when someone's poking you," he told them flatly, causing them all to take a step back, "I'm fine, so you don't need to worry about me. Figure a way out of here or something, leave her to me."
The Doctor went to make some sort of objection but Nichelle touched him on the arm and stopped him. "Let him be. He can handle himself; after all, he IS your son. Now, aren't you forgetting something?" she asked and pointed in the general direction of the throne. There, half way kneeling next to the large glass structure was the Arcanist. "Of course!" the Time Lord exclaimed, smacking himself in the forehead. The group dashed over to the eldest of the Time Lords in their group. "On your feet, Arcanist. Help has arrived," the Doctor said, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his suit pocket. The Arcanist chuckled weakly as Nick and Nichelle helped him back to his feet. "Took you long enough, Doctor." The Doctor shrugged. "Well, been busy with an insane interdimensional, space-time, entity thing trying to kill us all, you know. Now, let's see those hands." The Arcanist held out his gloved hands and the Doctor held his sonic screwdriver over the palms and pressed the button on the screwdriver, which caused it to emit it's normal shrill sound and blue glow. He ran the device back and fourth over the palms of the Arcanist's hands a few times and a few different ways before stopping and re-pocketing the sonic device. "Right then, good as new. Your gloves should be back in proper working order now." The eldest Time Lord clenched and unclenched his hands then rolled his shoulders, giving the Doctor a nod of thanks. "Yeah, yeah. You're welcome," muttered the Doctor before looking back in Davy's direction, "Now, let's just hope that Davy will succeed in what ever it is that he's doing or we're going to have one angry, possessed female Time Lord with the power to wipe us all from history on our hands."
Episode Nine: Twisted Mind Games, Part One: Lady in White
The mind is a complex labyrinth of layers that consists of various emotions, thought processes, and memories. But the mind does not always appear as this. In fact, a person's mind can appear to them anyway they in vision it to be. It could be one vast hallway full of doors and rooms that can be locked the instant they want it to be or it could appear as various floors in a tall building, like a vertical labyrinth with each floor representing something different. In the case of the mind of the Apprentice, it was no longer the long hall but the labyrinth building.
Davy slowly opened his eyes to find himself standing before a tall, mirrored glass building standing alone in a vast nothingness. He was in her mind but it was much duller and darker than he imagined but he assumed that it was because of the Wings of Time. He approached the sliding glass door and it opened to reveal the inside of an elevator. With a sigh, he stepped inside and the doors slid closed. He looked at the panel that was littered with buttons for over a thousand floors and groaned. "Great, way to make this whole thing even more complex for me, App. Let's see here…" he muttered to himself as he started searching through the buttons when all of a sudden, the entire elevator shook violently and the lights flickered. "Bloody hell!" he cried in alarm as the elevator began to ascend on its own, "I certainly hope it's you who's doing this App." The buttons flashed wildly and randomly before stopping, leaving the button for the top most floor lit and the elevator began to ascend even faster, causing Davy to hold on for his life.
Finally, after a few minutes, the elevator jerked to a halt and Davy let go of the railing. The doors slid open and the elevator dinged, indicating arrival and he stepped out into a black room lit with lavender lights. The walls were paneled with various electronic devices that flashed different colors. The elevator doors slid shut and began descending. "Well, there goes my ride…" Davy said with a sigh and he continued further into the room. At the far end, there was a glass chamber illuminated with white light, a figure floated silently within.
He hastened his pace and arrived at the chamber in no time, gasping softly at the figure within. It was the Apprentice. Her eyes were closed as if she was in some sort of suspended animation and her face held no expression. She was wearing a pure white suit without a necktie and a pair of futuristic white boots. Her sonic blasters floated inches below either hand, awaiting the reawakening of their master. Covering her eyes were a pair of futuristic, purple lensed goggles. Davy examined her sleeping figure with sad eyes but immediately became shocked when he noticed the marking on the wall behind the chamber. It was a pair of angel wings with a bunch of Gallifreyan symbols surrounding it but the wall was cracked and broken up in several places. "This must be the seal," whispered Davy as he ran his hand over the marking. He turned to look back at the Apprentice floating gently in her glass prison, "I've got to find a way to get her out of there before the Wings of Time realizes that I'm in here." He walked back around to the front of the chamber and noticed a keypad with a hand pad next to it. "Great. This is probably programmed to only recognize the Wings of Time. Think, Davy, think! What would Dad do? Well, he'd use his sonic screwdriver but the last time I checked…huh?" Suddenly, he felt something weighing in his trench coat pocket that hadn't been there before. He reached in and produced a sonic screwdriver just like his father's. "But…how?" He looked back at the Apprentice and saw that she was smiling. Davy grinned and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the keypad and pressed down on the button. It emitted its normal shrill sound and blue glow and the keypad lit up. A series of several numbers ran across the screen before the correct key code appeared flashing on the screen. He placed his hand on the hand pad and the screwdriver over top of his hand.
As the scanner scanned his hand, he also ran the sonic screwdriver, which resulted in a positive reaction from the pad, with flashed, 'DNA ACCEPTED' on its screen. The glass doors on the chamber made a decompressing sound and slid open slowly, white fog pouring out. When it cleared, there stood the Apprentice. She had her arms crossed over one another gripping the sonic blaster meant for the opposite hand and her head down. Slowly, she stood up right and opened her eyes, uncrossing her arms and letting them drop to her sides. She turned to look at Davy and smiled. "I knew it was you, Davy. I'm so glad to see you again," she said happily, giving him a big hug. He hugged her back tightly. "Like wise. Now, let's get you out of here and back in control of your body." The Apprentice sighed. "I can't do anything until I find the shadow of the Wings of Time that resides within my mind. It's a tricky little thing, it's a shadow after all so it could be anywhere at any time. We have to find it and bring it back here where the broken seal is. That way, I can reseal it."
Abruptly, the entire room shook violently, knocking the duo off of their feet. It stopped after a couple of minutes. "That happened to me in the elevator. App, what is going on?" asked Davy as he got back on his feet then helped the female Time Lord back to hers. "It must be the shadow. It knows that you're here and that I'm awake and no longer in suspended animation. If that quake happened to you while you where in the elevator, it was an indication that it, meaning the shadow, was trying to take control of the elevator in order to get rid of you but I managed to take back control and bring you here. We have to find which floor it's on, before it finds us." Davy looked at her in awe. "Are you kidding? There are thousands of floors in this building, Apprentice. How exactly do you plan on locating just one shadow in all of those floors?" Her eyes narrowed. "It's connected to me. If I can just focus, I can just focus, I can find it. The shadow has a high energy put out because the Wings of Time itself is so powerful, meaning that its shadow will at least put out half that reading, which is still very high." Davy rubbed his temple and sighed, causing the Apprentice to laugh. "I know it sounds complex, but you're the one who asked in the first place. Besides, as soon as we get out of here and everything is back to normal, I'll have to make you some of my famous banana bread that you love so much. Sound good?" Davy's brown eyes lit up almost instantaneously. "Sounds fantastic. Shall we?" "We shall Davy. The shadow is on the 469th floor of this building." "Well then, as my Dad likes to say: ALLONS-Y!" And the duo bolted for the elevator and made their descent to their challenge.
Episode Nine: Twisted Mind Games, Part Two: Dyed in Black
Davy flattened himself against the elevator wall as it plummeted at a break-neck pace. The Apprentice, on the other hand, stood up right with not a single problem at all. She bobbed her head to the techno music throbbing in the small space as the numbers on the electronic panel changed so rapidly and out of control, it was a wonder that the circuits hadn't fried. Suddenly, the elevator came to a heart stopping jerking halt, sending Davy face first into the floor. App giggled and helped him too his feet as he rubbed his bruised nose. "This is our stop. Now, fair warning, outside of these elevator doors could be…oh my god…" she stopped short as the doors slid open to reveal the one place she thought she would never see again. Davy looked past her, a gasp catching in his throat. "App…" he whispered hoarsely, "this isn't…? Is it?" The female Time Lord shivered visibly. Before them panned out a beautiful sea of crimson grass, rippling in a light breeze. The sky was a golden yellow-orange, graced by the presence of the twin suns in the sky. And in the distance, there was a very faint outline of glass shining in the light, formed into a massive dome with long and short shapes within. "It's Gallifrey," she whispered, the words visibly forced as her head was flooded with the terrors of what had happened to her on her own home world.
The younger Time Lord placed a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her mild daze. "C'mon, the faster we find that shadow and seal it up, the less time we have to spend in here. I can see it's really bothering you," he told her gently and she nodded slowly in reply. Shakily, she stepped out of the elevator into the swaying grass and Davy followed her. "We need to get to the Citadel of the Time Lords, the shadow is bound to be there. Ignore everything you see…it's all just an alluring illusion," she said softly, before setting off. "Wait a minute, there has to be a faster way than just walking. There's no way we would get to the citadel; it would take forever. This is your mind, can't you create something?" he asked and she paused, closing her eyes. The air to her left sparked and crackled with energy and began to form a shape. That shape then morphed into a futuristic like motorcycle. She tossed him a helmet and climbed on. He stared at the bike blankly for a moment, and then looked down at the helmet in his hands. App laughed at this. "Come on then, you're the one who wanted a fast mode of transportation. This bike is the best I can do without putting us both at high risk," she chuckled, putting her helmet on. Davy shrugged his shoulders, put his helmet on, and climbed on the back of the bike. The motorcycle revved into life and they roared off towards the citadel.
The ride thankfully was quicker than walking but was still not ultra fast pace. The younger Time Lord watched the foreign surroundings blur past as they drove through the Gallifreyan countryside. But he instantaneously turned his attention to the sky when it began to grow dark. The blazing suns suddenly seemed to melt away and the golden sky started to bleed black. "Um…App? Are you seeing this?" he asked nervously and she nodded grimly. "It's the shadow's work. Hold on, I'm ramping up the bike!" she shouted and with a deafening roar, the bike suddenly widened a little, "Bigger engine, more throttle! Here we go!" And with a blast of purple-ish blue fire spouting from the tail pipes, they sped even faster toward the citadel. A bit too fast. As they soared toward the glass dome, they had forgotten that the dome was actually there since it was hard seeing with a darkening sky. The bike smashed straight through the glass like it was paper, showering the riders with shards of glass. It skidded to a dangerous halt, flinging both Davy and the Apprentice off onto the ground.
Davy wobbled to his feet then proceeded to help App up. "You all right?" he asked as she dusted herself off. "Yeah, just peachy. First time crashing a bike like that…" she muttered then shook her head and looked around, "Whole place is dead. I'm not really surprised, technically no one 'exists' on Gallifrey anymore." The motorcycle simply vaporized as they walked away to search the city. The buildings were all mostly tall and sky scraper like with a futuristic twist. But they were all also falling apart from being abandoned. The younger Time Lord bit his lip. "So is this how you see the city, Apprentice?" he questioned timidly, hoping he hadn't hit a sensitive spot. She merely shrugged. "In essence, yeah," she replied, scanning the building tops for any clues or signs as the sky grew ever darker outside of the dome, "I used to be proud to call this place home…not any more. The Time Lords brought destruction upon themselves. I will never see this citadel the same way again." And with that, the conversation ended and not another one was started during their search.
Suddenly, the ground within the citadel began to shake violently and the glass above them began to crack. Both looked around in a panic. "App! What's going on?" shouted Davy over the rumbling and she shook her head. "I don't know! Part of me says this is the shadow's doing but the rest of me doesn't know!" she replied as the dome finally shattered. "RUN!" They bolted through the rain of glass shards, which cut their skin and tore at their clothing. The motorcycle from before rematerialized and without a moment's hesitation, they both climbed on and sped off. Once they were far enough away, App stopped and looked back to see the entire city collapse into nothing but a large pile of rubble. Davy swallowed hard. "That was meant to kill us both, wasn't it?" he asked and the female Time Lord nodded her head solemnly. She whipped the bike around and started off again. "Now where are we going?" blurted Davy, hanging on for dear life at the sudden start off. The Apprentice grit her teeth. "The Academy."
The Time Lord Academy loomed in the distance, a massive shadow standing alone in a sea of red grass. The motorcycle skidded to a halt outside of the massive building and both of the Time Lords climbed off and scanned over the building. The Apprentice swallowed hard and Davy gave her a concerning look but before he could say anything, the female Time Lord was already headed for the massive doors of the school. He hurried after her, helping her pull them open. The doors creaked and groaned, as they were pulled open, a wave of old musty air hit them hard as they opened. They coughed a little bit, waving dust particles out of their faces as they walked in.
Episode Ten: The Dark Academy
The inside of the massive building, there was no real source of light. The natural light that had been shining in from the twin suns through the holes in the walls and roof was quickly fading due to the ever-darkening sky. A flashlight materialized in the Apprentice's hand, which shone bright enough to make up for the lack of sunlight and light period. She kept a brisk pace, not wanting to stop and reminisce over the long since forgotten memories that the building held where as Davy trailed a little bit, gawking about at the ancient building with the light fading when he didn't keep up.
Finally, after what seemed like a good number of hours of walking, the Apprentice stopped altogether and rubbed her temples with her thumb and forefinger, deep in concentration. Davy finally caught up with her and when he saw her state, looked a little concerned. "App?" he asked softly, "Is everything alright?" There was a long pause before she let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. "This is insane. I feel like I'm leading us both around on a wild goose chase for something I should know exactly where it is" she replied, thoroughly annoyed with herself. She began to pace when the hallway they were in was filled with an eerie hissing sound. Both Time Lords stopped dead, looking to one another before slowly looking towards the other end of the hall where they were heading. Before the Apprentice had the chance to raise her flashlight, it cut out entirely, leaving them in pitch darkness. The hissing grew louder and more aggressive as it seemingly got closer. App swallowed hard and Davy grabbed hold of her arm, his fingers digging into her skin. "Davy?" "Yeah?" "RUNNN!" and in a panic, the duo ran blindly through the darkness, being chased by the darkness itself.
The Apprentice could feel the ruined carpet trying to trip her up as she blindly made her way down the hall, partially running and partially being dragged along by Davy, who seemed to have a better idea as to where to go despite the fact that neither one of them could see a damn thing. Finally, they both tumbled out into the open air but things weren't much brighter outside compared to the inside of the Academy. The doorway behind them erupted violently with a massive shadowy shape that loomed above them. "I take it that thing is the shadow you were talking about?" he blurted, swallowing hard. "Yeah…that's it. Let's hope we can seal it up or we can kiss reality, hell, THE WHOLE UNIVERSE as we know it good-bye," she replied.
The shadow hissed and sputtered, finally making an unearthly sound before coming crashing towards them. Both Time Lords jumped out of the way the split second before it impacted the ground, sending a massive ripple through the very earth itself. App pulled out her sonic blasters and began shooting at it but the shadow merely raged in annoyance and hurtled towards her. Meanwhile, Davy was trying to formulate a plan. It was hard to imagine that what he had seen the Apprentice become on the outside when the weapon consumed her was the same thing that remained within her mind but in another form. Weaker? True, this form was weaker but it still had the deadly potential of crushing the life out of both of them…would not bode well for the party awaiting their return outside of the female Time Lord's mind.
"DAVY! I swear if you don't come up with a solution to this faster than you are, we're both going to be dead very soon!" shouted App as she fired another round of sonic energy at the monster. "I am, I AM!" he replied. "Think, Davy! What would your Dad do?" "I haven't the slightest idea! I might be his genetic son but I think the whole 'last-minute plans' gene decided to skip me!" The shadow bellowed, lashing out in the younger Time Lord's direction but the Apprentice intercepted, using her arms as a shield then shoved it back. "We have to get it back to the tower!" Davy said breathlessly, clutching his chest. App shot him a look of 'no shit Sherlock' and he gave her a sheepish smile. "You want to tell me HOW you plan on getting this thing to willingly follow us all the way back to the tower?" Without answering properly, Davy grabbed the female Time Lord by the wrist and bolted.
"ARE YOU MAD?" screamed the Apprentice after she finally caught her footing and was able to run normally instead of having Davy drag her along. He just grinned at her. "Keep running! It's following us, isn't it?" he shouted over the wind. App glanced back and sure enough, the massive formless shape of the shadow was following them, bellowing in rage as it barreled across the plain of red grass. They kept running until the tower started to fade into view and once he saw it, Davy scooped up the Apprentice and started hauling ass. He tumbled into the elevator, dropping App as he did so, then struggled to his feet and started rapidly pressing the door close button. "Come on, COME ON! Close already!" he said in frustration as they began to slide shut slowly. As the doors finally slammed shut, the shadow rammed up against the side of the building, causing both the building and the elevator to shudder violently. App groaned and clung to the railing whereas Davy hit the button for the top floor. "I hope this works," he murmured as the elevator began to rise.
Episode Eleven: The Sealing of Time
The Time Lord duo staggered out of the elevator once they hit the top floor and the doors slid open slowly. They made their way over to the chamber that the Apprentice had been in earlier at the end of the room with the broken seal on the wall behind it. "Davy," the female Time Lord groaned, "You have to put me back in the chamber". Alarmed, he looked down to her and noticed the state she was in. She was coated in sweat, her breathing was labored, and her body wasn't in very good shape. She saw his face and chuckled. "The shadow uses my own mentality against me, makes me weak trying to resist all it throws back at me. If I'm to survive the resealing, I have to be in that chamber. It's not just a prison; it's a recovery chamber. You know how sometimes when you feel down, you go off into a little corner of your mind and block the world out? That's basically what this thing is". "But App…I have no idea how to seal that thing up! I know nothing about it," he told her worriedly and she chuckled again.
"It's easier than you think. You just have to be inventive, creative. Use what is here, what's left of the first two seals and then mix in a little something of your own. Think, Davy," she whispered as he put her back in the chamber and the glass doors slid shut. The chamber filled with thick white smoke and when it cleared, she was in her state of suspended animation again. The young Time Lord sighed and walked around the chamber to examine the wall for the seal. And strangely enough, he began to see what he could do. As if something just clicked in his brain and he could take the pieces of an older puzzle and fit them with the pieces of a new one. But he was interrupted before he could even begin. The elevator exploded and liquid-like black ooze began to consume the other end of the room. It was defiantly the shadow, but it didn't reform into its mass-like shape. It coated the walls, the ceiling, and the floor, sliding slowly in the direction of Davy. And for the first time, the entity spoke.
"You will not sssave her, boy," it hissed, the snake like voice coming from all around the room. He ignored it and turned back to the wall, placing his hands against it and closing his eyes. Vibrations spread from his fingertips across the crumbling wall and the broken seal began to glow a purplish color. It slowly began to reconstruct itself but majority of the old symbols changed and the seal changed shape, from a circle to a star. The wing design remained; now looking refurbished and refreshed. Davy slowly pulled his hand away and stood upright, opening his eyes to suddenly wish he hadn't. The shadow had consumed the entire room, aside from a small space where he was in front of the seal. It loomed around him dangerously, as if waiting for the right moment to strike and consume the Time Lord and wipe him form existence. He flattened himself against the wall and held his breath.
But the shadow didn't move, it was practically frozen in place. Davy sighed in relief then looked back at the seal behind him. It was now glowing a soft white that spread across the entire room and enveloped the shadow. And abruptly, the entire shadowy mass just shattered like glass and dissolved into nothing. The room hummed once again with electronic life and soft glowing lights. Inside of her chamber, the Apprentice was smiling in her restful state. He had done it; he had managed to reconstruct and remake the seal then resealed the Wings of Time. He closed his eyes and his mental form vanished from the Apprentice's mind.
When he opened his eyes again, Davy was on the floor of the TARDIS with App on the floor, out cold, across from him. He groaned and struggled to sit up, but a calm hand on his shoulder told him to stay down. It was the Doctor. The older Time Lord smiled warmly at him when Davy looked at him. "You did it," he said softly, "so take it easy for a moment." Davy sighed and smiled back, settling back down on the grated floor. Around him, voices murmured. "Do you think she's alright?" he could hear Nichelle, his mother, ask. "The seal on her back is the most brilliant piece of seal work I have ever seen in my long life time," was the Arcanist's response, "It's an entirely different class of seal all it's own. If it were to break from strain or just a long period of time, it would then regenerate and reseal the Wings of Time after about…I estimate half an hour." "Half an hour is a bit too long, that's long enough for the Wings to decimate the universe!" "Now, now, that's not all. The seal also has a limiter to the Wings of Time's power. While the seal is regenerating, in that half hour window, the being's power is cut by nearly 50%. With that limiter, no universe decimation will happen quickly." The voices faded away as Davy fell out of consciousness once more.
He awoke on a bed in one of the many rooms of his father's TARDIS and sitting in a chair in a corner of the room, reading a book, was his mother, Nichelle. She smiled when he sat up and stretched so she closed her book and set it aside. "So, how are you feeling?" she asked, getting up and walking over to his bedside. "Surprisingly good," he replied, nodding. "I think you had best get back to your own time now, since you're all rested from your adventure." "Is App awake?" Nichelle shook her head. "No, she is still resting." Davy nodded solemnly. "Right, well, I guess I'll have to tell her when I get back to my own time." "Tell her?" He merely smiled at her and gave her a hug before pulling out a device, exactly like the one Nichelle was wearing around her wrist, and started pushing buttons on it. With one last button, another large, blue vortex appeared and he leapt through it and was gone. The blonde shook her head with a smile and left the room to join the others in the control room.
When the Apprentice was back on her feet, Nichelle informed her that Davy had left a few hours earlier, to which App merely smiled. She joined her friends in the main control room of the TARDIS: the Arcanist, Nichelle, Nick, and the Doctor. They all smiled at her warmly but she didn't really smile back. The Doctor noticed this. "App? Is everything alright?" he asked and she nodded her head quickly. "Yeah, yeah, everything is fine," she mumbled, "Listen, I just want to thank every one for what they did for me. Without you guys, the Wings would have torn the universe apart." They all nodded and told her it was no trouble. But the Doctor knew something was still wrong. "What aren't you telling us App?" He didn't see her move across the control room towards the doors of the TARDIS. "Everything," she answered.
And with that, she flung the doors open and threw herself into the time vortex. Nichelle screamed in alarm and the Doctor and the Arcanist rushed to the doors to see if there was still a chance that the female Time Lord hadn't been swept away quite yet. But there was nothing. The Arcanist closed the doors slowly and the Doctor collapsed into a chair. Nichelle was sobbing while Nick tried to calm her. "I don't understand," muttered the Doctor, "everything seemed to be just fine. Why and what would make her do such a thing?" But no one had the answer.
Bonus Episode: Old Friends Anew
April 28, 2011. It had been so long. The Doctor had regenerated again recently and had new traveling companions, Amy and Rory Pond [the Doctor refuses to call them anything other than the Ponds and of course, Rory just went along with it]. He had sent the couple home to settle in while he did some exploring on his own. It wasn't that he didn't like having them around, but he figured it was time to give them a break and perhaps take a break himself. He circled the console of his TARDIS, flipping switches and twisting knobs. He brushed aside a few strands of stray brown hair out of his face. This regeneration had longer hair, still brown sadly, so the bangs were occasionally a minor annoyance. And a bow tie, because bow ties are cool.
But his peaceful trip through space was interrupted by a violent tremor surging through the TARDIS and the familiar ringing of the Cloister bell quickly followed. The Time Lord swung himself around the console and grabbed the monitor, adjusting it before examining the readings on the screen. He automatically backed away only to fall over seconds later. The TARDIS had crashed. Scrambling to his feet, the Doctor grabbed his tweed jacket and burst out of the TARDIS to find himself standing in the midst of a massive valley of rolling, emerald green grass. He scanned the landscape then made a determination as to where he had crashed. Scotland. No signs of life around the first time he looked but then when he scanned the landscape again, he spotted a figure running towards him. A very familiar figure. He tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes widening as the figure came into full view. "Apprentice?"
True, it was the female Time Lord but she defiantly had changed in appearance. Her hair was a little longer in the front and shorter and spiky in the back. Her wardrobe had gone under a drastic change as well. Her once colorful clothing was replaced by a rather toned down, very appeasing outfit; a cream colored shirt with a rufflely collar, a short black leather jacket, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a pair of black leather boots, and a pair of black leather fingerless gloves. He was rather impressed by the fact that she was sprinting in the boots she had on but was more curious as to what was chasing her. But to his disappointment, there wasn't anything chasing her. But as she got closer, he noticed something else. She looked older. When he had traveled with her before, she looked as though she was 18 but now? She appeared to be in her early twenties.
She finally reached him, panting and tired so she paused to take a breather before standing upright again. Then she gave him a weird look. "Ye've gone regenerated into a nerd. What is with that bowtie?" she asked bluntly, flicking the bowtie and the Doctor noted she now had a prominent Scottish accent, more so than before. "Bowties are cool," he told her matter-of-factly, taking a step back and adjusting his bowtie a little. She rolled her eyes. "Aye, and the last time I checked, ye told me ye thought bowties made ye look like a waiter," she reminded him as she shoved past and walked into the TARDIS. "WELL! Ye've gone an redecorated!" The Doctor followed her in, closing the doors behind him, watching her as she circled the console, examining the new layout. She noticed he was watching her.
"What," she said, rather than asking, as the Doctor took a seat. His expression grew serious. "App, you threw yourself into the time vortex. You shouldn't even be living right now, Time Lord or not," he said darkly. She turned away and began to pace. "Aye, that's true. The vortex should have consumed my entire being. But ye forget, Doctor. I'm no ordinary Time Lord," was her equally dark response, "The Wings were what prevented me from burning off into nothing." "How did you find me?" "Sheer dumb luck. So, who are ye traveling with these days?"
"Well, a newly wed couple, Amelia and Rory Pond. Although technically their last name wouldn't be pond because Pond is Amy's last name but it just sounds better. Currently they're settling into their new home so I'm by myself for the moment," he rattled off as he got the TARDIS going again. The female Time Lord smiled. "Mind having an old friend join you?" He smiled back at her. "Of course." She joined him at the console as they set off and the Doctor let out an enthusiastic, "GERONIMO!" The Apprentice laughed and replied with, "ALLONS-Y!"
The End