Second fanfiction. Hooray! This starts sometime after Donna leaves when the Doctor was travelling alone.


The TARDIS hurtled haphazardly through the time vortex, just barely keeping stable. It veered wildly to avoid 1922 and bounced off a pocket of conceptual space. Inside wasn't much better. The main control room tilted and shook wildly, nearly throwing its sole occupant to the floor. Every second was a challenge to stay on his feet and to keep the TARDIS from crashing. And the Doctor loved it.

A wide grin split his face as he danced around the console, adjusting the temporal buffer and giving a few quick pumps to the helmic regulator. The TARDIS responded with a shudder and a groan. The Doctor grabbed a mallet and gave the console a few sharp hits. The shuddering stopped and the TARDIS landed with a thump, the time rotor slowing to a halt.

"Landed," the Doctor said, looking at the monitor. "No idea where we are. Outside those doors could be anywhere in time or space." He looked up from the screen at the empty room. Apart from the humming of the TARDIS, everything was silent. His smile faded. "Right," he said. "On my own now."

He wasn't sure why he kept travelling like this. To distract himself maybe. To stop him from thinking about what he used to have. He missed them, that much he knew. Sarah-Jane, Rose, Martha, Donna. All gone now. He sometimes considered finding someone new to share his adventures with. But he knew he couldn't let it happen. Every time he brought someone with him, they got hurt. It might not be straight away, but eventually he'd be left alone again, his hearts in pieces.

The Doctor shook his head, pushing away the dark thoughts. He grabbed his long overcoat from the coatrack and stepped out of the TARDIS, into a long, steel corridor. Soothing white light come from now discernible source, illuminating every surface. The Doctor took a long sniff, detecting hundreds of smells no human could ever hope to comprehend.

"Year six billion," he guessed. "Some sort of space station?" A squawking alarm pierced the silence and the light turned red. "Probably private," he concluded. With a loud tramping of combat boots four armed, human guards charged down the hall and levelled their rifles at him. Always with the guns, he thought.

"Stay right where you are and put your hands on your head," one of the guards said from behind his helmet. The Doctor complied with a friendly smile. The alarms turned off. "State your name," the guard said.

"The Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor. Would you mind telling me where I am?"

"I'll be asking the questions," the guard said. "Now give me your name or I'll shoot."

"You do that and you'll be out of a job right quick," a new voice shouted. Another guard was coming down the corridor. Form the way he carried himself the Doctor guessed he was the one in charge. Unlike the others he wore no helmet. His hair was close cropped and grey. His face was lined and battle-scarred. His eyes were hard and spoke of experience. "Now who have we got here?"

"I don't know sir. He wouldn't give his name."

"I did, it's the Doctor."

The grey haired guard looked him up and down for a moment. "And what is your business here, Doctor?"

"I just sort of dropped in actually," the Doctor said. "Sort of an accident. Where am I?"

"This is the Tempus, private research station of Doctor Jarva. And you are trespassing."

"Oh, well, in that case I think I'll just pop back in me box and be off," the Doctor said.

"Oh don't feel you have to leave because of my security," another new voice said. This one was coming over the intercom system. "At ease men." The guards lowered their weapons and the Doctor put down his hands. "I'm Doctor Jarva. May I just say what a remarkable little blue box you have, Mr. Doctor. It managed to get past all the security systems. The alarms were only set off when you stepped outside it."

"It's a TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Best ship in the universe." Jarva laughed.

"I'm sure that's what every pilot says about their ship." He laughed again. "I'd very much like to speak with you Doctor. You seem an interesting man. Would you be able to spare a little time?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Oh thank you. Bring him to the lab captain. The rest of you, back to your posts."

"Yes sir," the captain said. "This way Doctor." He led the Doctor away down the corridor.

"So what's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"I am Captain Dale Scott, head of Doctor Jarva's private security force."

"And what's Doctor Jarva like?"

"He's a bit of a coot, but a brilliant coot. One of the top scientists in the Empire."

"Really? What's he researching?"

"I think he'd explain it better than me."

They turned a corner and continued down the hall. The captain pointed to a door on their right. "He's just in there. It's the main lab so be careful around the equipment. I've gotta get back to work."

"Thanks," the Doctor said as the captain walked off.

The main lab was a large, circular room, cluttered up with large pieces of equipment. On the far side was a large automated door. In the middle of the room was a circular platform with four tall pillars on the edge. Wires led from the platform to a console behind a large window. At the console, fiddling with the dials, was a little old man wearing a white lab coat. His hair was white and thinning and his face was saggy and lined. He looked up, saw the Doctor and grinned with boyish enthusiasm.

"Ah welcome, welcome," he said, trundling over to shake the Doctor's hand. "Would you like some tea? Or maybe some coffee?"

"I'm fine thank you." The Doctor couldn't help but smile at Jarva's infectious good mood.

Jarva released the Doctor's hand and walked back over to the console, beckoning for the Doctor to follow him. "A truly marvellous piece of technology, that blue box must be," he said. "How does it work? My security system monitors all teleport frequencies in and out of the station and didn't detect so much as an atom beaming in."

"It's not a teleport," the Doctor said. "It's a time machine. It can go anywhere in time and space, completely undetectable to most systems." Jarva looked amazed.

"A time machine?" he said. "An actual, real time machine?" The Doctor nodded. "Oh that's simply marvellous! Time machines are actually possible. It's good to know I haven't wasted my life on a fool's dream."

"What do you mean?"

Jarva drew himself up, looking proud. "My field of research is the science of time. How it works and, with any luck, how to manipulate it. It's always been a dream of mine to someday create a time machine. And here you are! An actual time traveller. It does my heart good to know that travelling through time is actually possible."

"Well if you'd like, I could give you some pointers," The Doctor suggested but Jarva instantly shook his head.

"No thank you Doctor. If I do manage to make a time machine I want it to be on my own research. Getting advice from the future feels a bit like cheating." The Doctor laughed and looked around at the lab.

"So what's all this stuff for?" he asked. "Surely it's not all for a time machine."

"No a lot of it is simple scientific equipment. This device here however," he indicated the platform, "is my magnum opus. Or at least my current magnum opus. I've had a couple over my lifetime."

"What does it do?" the Doctor asked, putting his brainy specs on. Jarva grinned.

"Would you like to see?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I was just about to begin the first proper experiment with it when you popped up. I see no reason to delay just because of an unexpected visitor. Come," he pottered back over to the console. "We need to stay behind the screen when it's active." The Doctor followed him behind the screen and Jarva pushed the button for the intercom. "Bring in the test subject," he said.

"What's the test subject?" the Doctor asked. Before Jarva could answer the door on the other side of the room rumbled and slid upwards. Two guards came through, pushing a large trolley. Atop the trolley was a statue of grey stone, an angel in robes with its hands over its eyes, like it was crying. A silver metal collar was around its neck. The Doctor stared, shocked to say the least.

"I see from your face you know what that is Doctor. Put it in the middle of the platform boys. And remember to keep your eyes on it."

"Jarva, listen to me," the Doctor said quietly. "That is one of the most dangerous things in the universe. If it gets lose-"

It will be recaptured immediately," Jarva said, with the air of one being very patient. "You see that collar around its neck? That is an incapacitation collar. If it moves too much or attempts to remove the collar it will have its nervous system shut down. That's good boys. Now come over here behind the screen."

"Jarva I don't know what you're trying to achieve here-"

"What I am going to achieve," Jarva snapped, "Is something truly extraordinary. The Weeping Angels are a true enigma and I believe that their quantum locking ability is the key to time travel. That is what the purpose of that machine is Doctor. It will quantum unlock the Angel."

"W… What?!" The Doctor shouted. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Because I am positive that the results of this experiment will pave the way to proper time travel."

"It won't," the Doctor said quietly. "You will be putting every person on this station in danger if you unlock that Angel. And I won't allow that."

Jarva stared at the Doctor for a while. "Very well then," he said. "Restrain him."

The two guards stepped forward and grabbed the Doctors arms, pulling him away from the console. "No, Jarva," the Doctor shouted. "Don't-"

"I will not allow you to impede my success Doctor," Jarva said as he started up the machine. Light started to glow from the pillars, accompanied by a low humming. The humming grew as streams of light branched off the pillars and swirled around the statue. The hum grew to a roar and the light intensified.

"Jarva, switch it off!" the Doctor yelled, struggling against the men holding him.

"Nonsense Doctor," Jarva yelled back over the noise. The light was becoming blinding, swirling in the centre of the platform like an ethereal whirlwind.

Then the screaming started.

It was inhuman. Animalistic cries of pure agony. The light grew brighter and the screams grew louder. There was a flash and a blast of hot air rolled over the room. The light vanished and the humming stopped. The Doctor blinked as his eyes adjusted to the suddenly lower light. Everyone in the room stared at the platform. A figure sat in the middle of it, on their knees with their head bowed. A pair of thin wings stretched from its back, trailing limply on the floor. Smoke rose from its robes. Its silver hair was held back from its face by a band of leather. For a while it was motionless. Then, very slowly, its hands reached up to its neck.

"What's it doing?" Jarva said.

Its fingers wrapped around the collar around its neck. Then the lights went out.

There was a crack and a short scream.

The lights came back on. The angel hadn't moved. Its hands were on the floor, each one holding half a collar.

"Oh god," Jarva said.

Slowly, the angel stood. The pieces of the collar fell to the floor. Its wings stretched out and it raised its head. Its face was nothing short of beautiful, neither male nor female, but somewhere in between. Its eyes were mystifying, the colour constantly shifting, filled with pain and hatred.

And the Doctor was afraid.


Cliffhanger! My evil must be showing.

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