Author's note: These stories are meant to be treated as an alternate universe interpretation of the series. I wrote this back in 2008, long before Matt Smith was cast as the 11th Doctor. So think of this as an alternate future for the Doctor.
Also, don't forget to send a review and let me know what you think!
The Mind Ravager
CHAPTER ONE
The sky was grey and cloudy over Bowling Green State University. A strong wind blew through the campus, placing added emphasis on the cold October day. Students moved about in their brown and orange attire in celebration of Homecoming 2008. Everyone was anticipating the football game the next day against Eastern Michigan. Everyone, that is, except Damia Derbyshire. She had never been heavily into sports, and she didn't understand the frenzy surrounding Homecoming. To her, it was just another day filled with work, which she wasn't looking forward to doing.
She left the student union and headed back to her dormitory. She took the back route past the cemetery, where surprisingly few students could be found. As she passed the cemetery, she took a quick glance at the multitude of tombstones inside. The sight always made her think about her own mortality, and it usually made her depressed. A gust of wind blew her long brown hair into her face. She pushed it away and readjusted her glasses as she continued walking. Every few feet she saw bright orange Homecoming posters, all of which had been distributed by the Maxil Deltoni Corporation. They were a new business that had set up shop in Bowling Green specifically to market merchandise to college students. Damia didn't particularly care for their goods. Everything looked cheaply made and would probably wear out quickly. She was perfectly happy with her black trench coat. Of course, for as much as she didn't like what Deltoni sold, she felt like she was the only person who felt that way. She often felt isolated from even her closest friends, mainly because she acted differently from the "social norm." Her feelings were compounded by the fact that she couldn't find a boyfriend, even ones who shared similar interests to her. She sighed. If only she could find someone who could make her feel like she was a part of something greater…
As she approached her dorm, she passed an open field that was home to "The Rock." It was a large rock that was constantly painted by fraternities and organizations for promotional purposes. Currently it was painted purple with a gold 'M' on one side, the official logo for the Maxil Deltoni Corporation. Is there nothing Deltoni doesn't have its hands in? she thought as she sighed. She paused as she looked at the field. There was something new there, something she hadn't seen before. Next to the rock was a tall blue box. Damia initially thought it was a Port-a-John. She approached it to get a better look. She quickly realized her hypothesis was false. This box was a darker shade of blue and made of wood, though there was clearly a door on the front. On the top were the words "Police Public Call Box" and a light at the very top for added effect. Damia had never seen anything like this. She wasn't quite sure what a Police Box was for, or why it was in the middle of a field. As she pondered this, her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her roommate Kimberly.
"Damia!" Kimberly said in a light breezy tone. "Why are you heading back to the room? We have a meeting to go to!"
Damia brushed back her hair. "I completely forgot," she said. "Do I really have to go with you? There's nothing in it for me."
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Of course you do, silly! This is a chance for you to meet that special someone you've been looking for. And what better way to do that than to attend the Homecoming Committee meeting?"
"I'm not on the Homecoming Committee," Damia said.
"But I am," said Kimberly. "Trust me, guys will line up to go out with you if they know you're friends with the chairman."
Sure, thought Damia. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll go. But I expect I'll be bored."
"Of course you will, honey," said Kimberly, reapplying her makeup. "Now come on. We don't want to be late." She took Damia's hand and the pair headed for the meeting, leaving the blue box behind.
Damia and Kimberly made their way to the lecture that housed the Homecoming meeting. A few others began pouring in. In an attempt to humor her roommate, Damia looked around the room. None of the men looked like anything special, and she assumed they didn't have the type of personality she was looking for. She glanced back at Kimberly, who was checking her lipstick and making sure every strand of her blonde hair was in place. She sighed. It was easy for Kimberly to find a boyfriend; she usually had a different one for each day of the week. But for someone like Damia, it seemed impossible. She folded her arms and looked to the ceiling, preparing for an hour's worth of boredom.
A tall older man entered the room. He wore a nicely pressed business suit and carried a sheet of paper with him. He approached the podium in the center of the room. "If I could have everyone's attention," he said. He cleared his throat and looked at the paper. "Thank you all for attending this meeting of the Homecoming Committee. We have a guest speaker tonight to say a few words about this year's Homecoming. I believe I speak for the entire university when I say that I am deeply honored to have this person here tonight. Please join me in welcoming Maxil Deltoni, head of the Maxil Deltoni Corporation!"
The small group applauded. Maxil Deltoni emerged from a side door and approached the podium. Damia was unimpressed by his looks. She had never seen his face, but she had expected some relatively young man with well-defined features, maybe something along the lines of Orlando Bloom. Maxil looked more like Howie Mandel. He had the same bald head and goatee, and he wore a purple suit with a gold 'M' in his lapel. Damia rolled her eyes at his shameless self-promotion, then chuckled to herself because she wondered if he would say "Deal…or no deal?" during his speech.
"Thank you, thank you," Maxil said as he motioned to silence the group. "I'm sure you're all eagerly anticipating tomorrow's Homecoming. As owner of the Maxil Deltoni Corporation, I would like to extend my company's best wishes to you." The group applauded. "In fact," Maxil continued, "my company would like to help promote the Homecoming spirit. To do this, we have created a special giveaway item for all the students here at BGSU." He reached under the podium and withdrew a bright orange Panama hat.
"Yuck!" Damia exclaimed.
"Honey, please," said Kimberly. "You need to control those random outbursts."
"No, no, it's perfectly understandable," said Maxil. "Panama hats aren't really the 'cool' thing to wear these days, but we decided that this would attract the largest number of people. Just imagine if the Doyt was filled people wearing these hats."
Damia tried to imagine it. The thought made her sick.
"You'll also notice that the MDC logo is present on the hat," Maxil said. He turned the hat so that the top was visible. The Maxil 'M' was there, big and brown. "The other thing I should point out is the jewel on the front of the hat," he said, turning the hat back on its face. There was an emerald-colored stone surrounded by a copper band. "I know it doesn't really fit with the school theme, but it's a little reminder that this hat came courtesy of the Maxil Deltoni Corporation."
As if the big brown 'M' on top wasn't enough, thought Damia.
"The hats are already being distributed at the student union," Maxil said. "Of course, I encourage all of you to distribute some yourself, so after the meeting, come down here and grab a box."
"I have a question," said Kimberly. "Is the jewel real?"
Maxil chuckled. "Sadly, no. That would be terribly impractical."
Damia closed her eyes and shook her head at her roommate's stupidity. She really does fit the dumb blonde stereotype, she thought.
"I have a question, too," said a young man in the back. "Your company seems to have gone from nothing to instant success overnight. A month ago, no one knew your name. How did you get so good?"
At this remark, the entire committee turned to face the man, including Damia. He looked to be a sophomore, just like she was, and he had short thick sideburns. Damia was first attracted to his blue-framed glasses, then noticed he wore an orange BG hat and a Seattle Seahawks T-shirt. iSeems like he matches the 'typical guy' profile,/i she thought.
Maxil grinned. "I'm glad you asked that, Mister…"
"Doctor," the man said.
Kimberly leaned over to Damia. "That is exactly the kind of guy you don't want to be with," she whispered. "He's bonkers." Damia said nothing.
Maxil chuckled. "Of course," he said. "Well, since you're all part of the committee, I'll let you in on some privileged information. The secret to our success is a special program we call the Mother Brain. When we have a new idea we want to sell, the Mother Brain is able to determine the best possible method of optimizing profit. That's how we've become so successful."
"But you weren't like this a month ago," the man said. "Was the Mother Brain a little rusty, or did you not have it until recently?"
"That is information I cannot divulge," Maxil said. "Some company secrets are there for a reason."
"Indeed. And I suppose you can't tell me what exactly the Mother Brain is?"
"Precisely," said Maxil. He looked at his watch. "And now, if you'll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I must be going. Don't forget to grab a box of hats before you leave, and make sure to pass them out."
Damia rose from her seat. She noticed the young man had already left. She felt slightly disappointed; she had wanted to try to talk to him. He had a tone of authority that she had never heard from a college student. In fact, most grown men didn't speak like that. She was intrigued, to say the least.
Kimberly saw Damia's forlorn look. "Honey, come on," she said. "You really wouldn't want to be attached to that. He wasn't even that good-looking."
"I'm not so sure," said Damia. "I think it might be best if I kept all my options open."
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Okay, but you're wasting your time."
Damia and Kimberly began walking back to their dorm in Kreischer Hall. The clouds had cleared up and the sun was shining, warming the campus slightly. Kimberly was reciting her busy social calendar, presumably to Damia, but Damia was lost in her own thoughts. She was still thinking about the young man at the meeting. There was something about him that she couldn't shake, almost like a sense of mystery. As the pair passed by the field, Damia noticed the young man was a few yards ahead of them. He was walking with a somewhat casual, somewhat deliberate pace. Suddenly, he veered to the right and headed for the blue box. To her surprise, he withdrew a key, opened the door, and went inside.
"Did you see that?" Damia said, stopping and pointing.
"See what?" asked Kimberly.
"That guy just went inside that box," said Damia.
"Honey, it's probably just a Port-a-John. There's absolutely nothing glamorous about that."
"But why would someone make a Port-a-John look like a Police Box? What the hell even is a Police Box?" asked Damia.
"Who cares?" said Kimberly. She continued walking towards the dorm.
Damia, however, did not move. There was something about this man and this blue box; she was sure of it. She had never seen either of them before, and while she was willing to chalk it up to coincidence, her subconscious told her to probe further. She approached the box and walked around it. Each side was about three feet wide and six feet high. She paused before making her next observation. If this really was a Port-a-John, then what she was about to do would be very embarrassing. She made sure no one was looking, then she leaned in and placed her ear against the side. Her eyes widened when she heard a low hum coming from inside. It didn't sound like the man inside was making the sound, and even if he were, surely he would have to stop to take a breath, and yet the hum persisted. Damia stepped back. Something strange was going on here. She pounded on the door. "Hey, you in there!" she shouted. "What are you doing?" There was no answer. She pounded again, but still no answer. She decided to try the door. It glided open. Damia looked inside, but could not see the young man. In fact, she saw nothing. It was pitch black. This is getting stranger and stranger, she thought. At this point, there was only one course of action. She swallowed hard and stepped inside, unsure of what she would see.
***END CHAPTER***
