EXPLANATORY NOTE: This is yet another three author collaboration,
following our success with TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
PROLOGUE
The Doctor and Jamie stood looking at each other through the transparent central column of the console as it rose and fell. They had been watching the motion of the time rotor for what seemed like forever and neither had spoken for a long time. Jamie was the first to break the silence.
"I'll miss Victoria," he said.
"Yes, I will too," said the Doctor.
The two men were silent again and then the time rotor stopped with that familiar clunking sound. The Doctor placed his hand on the door switch and looked at Jamie. "Well, shall we see what's out there?"
"Aye, I could do with some cheering up," replied Jamie. The Doctor flicked the switch to open the doors of the TARDIS and the two men made their way out.
Jamie was out first and started to examine their surroundings while the Doctor locked the TARDIS door. "Where are we, Doctor?" asked the young Scotsman.
The Doctor looked around him. They were in the middle of a large metropolitan park, while all around them men and women in Edwardian dress moved sedately about as they enjoyed the spring air. In the distance the Doctor could make out the unmistakable shape of the Eiffel Tower.
"Well, Jamie, by the look of our surroundings I would imagine we are on Earth, and even more than that I would say we are in Paris. And judging by the date of the newspaper that man on the bench is reading, it is the 24th of April 1902."
Jamie looked over at the man on the bench reading the paper. He wondered at how good the Doctor's eyesight must be to be able to read the date from this distance. Jamie strained to look more carefully so that he could read the date himself and confirm it. Just then the man put down his paper and folded it under his arm as he got up and casually began to continue his springtime walk in Jamie and the Doctor's direction.
"Oh!" said Jamie.
"Oh dear," said the Doctor.
The man doffed his hat at the Doctor and Jamie has he walked past and they all exchanged a polite bonjour. They watched the man walk by and then looked at each other in bemusement.
"Doctor?"
"Yes Jamie."
"That man - he had the head of a lizard."
"Yes, I noticed that."
"And nobody else seems at all bothered by that."
"No they don't, do they?"
"No Doctor, they do not." Jamie watched as the lizard man passed by other citizens, who seemed not to take the slightest notice, other than to exchange greetings. "What have we landed ourselves in this time?"
The Doctor pondered. "I rather think that my first assumptions were wrong," he replied. "In fact, I don't think we're on Earth at all." He looked around in admiration. "But this is an exact replica of how Paris would look in 1902. Rather fascinating, don't you think?"
"Aye, I mean no." Jamie was concerned. "Look, are we in any danger here?"
"Oh, I don't think so," the Doctor smiled. "No, as long as we keep to ourselves, we're in no trouble at all."
The Doctor's smile was replace by a frown as a gendarme approached the two friends. "Excuse me, citizens. May I see your papers?"
The Doctor started fumbling through the myriad pockets of his coat, pulling out all sorts of oddments. "Here take this, Jamie." He handed him a recorder, tangled up with string and rubber bands. "And these," passing him a bag of jelly babies. "Gosh, I won't want those for a while."
He had just started to extract his Sonic Screwdriver, when there was an almighty explosion at the base of the Eiffel Tower. All heads spun round to the direction of the explosion, the Lizard/Gendarme ran off in a very strange gait, taking several small steps very fast, then two steps very slowly before repeating the process, towards the Tower.
Nearly everyone else seemed rooted to the spot, as they gazed up in awe, as the Tower wavered and creaked, clouds of dust and debris billowing up from one of the four legs of the Tower, the centre of the explosion. Above, the sound of creaking, groaning metal there began, slowly at first, as screams of terror, emanated from the public areas at all the levels of the Tower.
"Doctor!" A cry of earnest warning escaped from Jamie's mouth as he started to turn, pushing the Doctor before him, away from the Tower.
"Yes I know, Jamie! It's going to come down on us and the TARDIS!"
To be continued . . .
PROLOGUE
The Doctor and Jamie stood looking at each other through the transparent central column of the console as it rose and fell. They had been watching the motion of the time rotor for what seemed like forever and neither had spoken for a long time. Jamie was the first to break the silence.
"I'll miss Victoria," he said.
"Yes, I will too," said the Doctor.
The two men were silent again and then the time rotor stopped with that familiar clunking sound. The Doctor placed his hand on the door switch and looked at Jamie. "Well, shall we see what's out there?"
"Aye, I could do with some cheering up," replied Jamie. The Doctor flicked the switch to open the doors of the TARDIS and the two men made their way out.
Jamie was out first and started to examine their surroundings while the Doctor locked the TARDIS door. "Where are we, Doctor?" asked the young Scotsman.
The Doctor looked around him. They were in the middle of a large metropolitan park, while all around them men and women in Edwardian dress moved sedately about as they enjoyed the spring air. In the distance the Doctor could make out the unmistakable shape of the Eiffel Tower.
"Well, Jamie, by the look of our surroundings I would imagine we are on Earth, and even more than that I would say we are in Paris. And judging by the date of the newspaper that man on the bench is reading, it is the 24th of April 1902."
Jamie looked over at the man on the bench reading the paper. He wondered at how good the Doctor's eyesight must be to be able to read the date from this distance. Jamie strained to look more carefully so that he could read the date himself and confirm it. Just then the man put down his paper and folded it under his arm as he got up and casually began to continue his springtime walk in Jamie and the Doctor's direction.
"Oh!" said Jamie.
"Oh dear," said the Doctor.
The man doffed his hat at the Doctor and Jamie has he walked past and they all exchanged a polite bonjour. They watched the man walk by and then looked at each other in bemusement.
"Doctor?"
"Yes Jamie."
"That man - he had the head of a lizard."
"Yes, I noticed that."
"And nobody else seems at all bothered by that."
"No they don't, do they?"
"No Doctor, they do not." Jamie watched as the lizard man passed by other citizens, who seemed not to take the slightest notice, other than to exchange greetings. "What have we landed ourselves in this time?"
The Doctor pondered. "I rather think that my first assumptions were wrong," he replied. "In fact, I don't think we're on Earth at all." He looked around in admiration. "But this is an exact replica of how Paris would look in 1902. Rather fascinating, don't you think?"
"Aye, I mean no." Jamie was concerned. "Look, are we in any danger here?"
"Oh, I don't think so," the Doctor smiled. "No, as long as we keep to ourselves, we're in no trouble at all."
The Doctor's smile was replace by a frown as a gendarme approached the two friends. "Excuse me, citizens. May I see your papers?"
The Doctor started fumbling through the myriad pockets of his coat, pulling out all sorts of oddments. "Here take this, Jamie." He handed him a recorder, tangled up with string and rubber bands. "And these," passing him a bag of jelly babies. "Gosh, I won't want those for a while."
He had just started to extract his Sonic Screwdriver, when there was an almighty explosion at the base of the Eiffel Tower. All heads spun round to the direction of the explosion, the Lizard/Gendarme ran off in a very strange gait, taking several small steps very fast, then two steps very slowly before repeating the process, towards the Tower.
Nearly everyone else seemed rooted to the spot, as they gazed up in awe, as the Tower wavered and creaked, clouds of dust and debris billowing up from one of the four legs of the Tower, the centre of the explosion. Above, the sound of creaking, groaning metal there began, slowly at first, as screams of terror, emanated from the public areas at all the levels of the Tower.
"Doctor!" A cry of earnest warning escaped from Jamie's mouth as he started to turn, pushing the Doctor before him, away from the Tower.
"Yes I know, Jamie! It's going to come down on us and the TARDIS!"
To be continued . . .