Author's Note:
This is the second and final part of my first ever story. This chapter originally appeared in issue 29 of Fast Return.Disclaimer:
Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and is used without permission.Steel and Flesh
By Jack of the Pelt
Chapter Two
"We're almost there!" yelled the Doctor.
"Almost where?" yelled Reynolds back.
"The TARDIS!"
"The what?!"
"My ship," said the Doctor, "We'll be safe there, just over these dunes - oh, no!"
The TARDIS had gone…
***
Syclos laughed as the Doctor realised his TARDIS had gone.
"I told you Doctor that you were being too clever for your own good," he said. "You're not getting away from me this time."
***
"But it was here!" cried Tegan. "It can't have just vanished."
"Syclos must have it," said the Doctor grimly.
"Wonderful," said Reynolds. "Just wonderful. What the hell are we going to do now?"
A shadow descended on the group. They looked up and saw the cobra hovering over them.
"Run!" said the Doctor.
They all ran in different directions. One of the troopers was not so lucky and was caught in a blast from the cobra's mouth. The others fired at the thing and kept running, trying to confuse it by crossing over with other troopers. Tegan just gasped as she saw the cobra lower it's head menacingly and swallow a trooper whole.
Tegan saw the Doctor pull something out of his pocket and was fiddling with the wiring as he ran.
"What are you doing?" she screamed.
"Trying to scramble the pilots electronic neural pathways," he said. "If I can only find the correct frequency."
After a few more seconds the Doctor got it. "Eureka!" he yelled.
He called to Reynolds. "When I give the word I want you to fire at the cobra's head," he said.
"Got it," said Reynolds. "You hear that?" she yelled at her remaining troops.
"Aye!" came the reply.
"Just let me shut down it's shielding first."
Reynolds nodded and waited for the Doctor.
The Doctor kept on running, but in the opposite direction to the others. The cobra changed direction and went after the Doctor. When it was close enough, he pressed the button on the makeshift device. The cobra stood stock still. The Doctor yelled to Reynolds and threw himself to the ground.
"Fire!" yelled Reynolds.
All of the troopers fired in perfect synchronisation. The cobra began to glow. They all threw themselves to the ground knowing what would happen next. The cobra juddered and shook before exploding.
When the air had settled down the Doctor got his feet. "I'm going in," he said.
"Where?" asked Tegan.
"Into the necropolis. I have to get my TARDIS back and put an end to this once and for all."
"I won't let you go in alone, Doctor," said Tegan resolutely. "I'm coming with you."
The Doctor shook his head. "I can't let you put your life in danger like that and I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it am I?"
Tegan shook her head.
"Oh, very well then," said the Doctor, "let's go in."
They all turned around to go back to the necropolis when suddenly in the distance a horde of Khrullian war machines descended upon them from the dunes.
The Doctor looked at them all. "When I say run," he said, "RUN!"
They all ran towards the entrance of the necropolis, looking behind them at the advancing horde of war machines that were coming at them. Not only were there the scorpions and cobras they had seen earlier but ones that looked like scarabs, and others that looked for all the world like skeletons.
The Doctor reached the door first and began to quickly examine the hieroglyphs on the door.
"What are you doing?" screamed Reynolds. "Open the frigging door!"
"I'm trying to," he said. "I have to work out what the code is first."
Reynolds gave him a withering look. "Just try something, anything!" she said.
The Doctor thought for a few seconds and then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well," he said. "Nothing ventured…"
He pressed a few of the symbols. A few seconds later there was a creaking sound and the doors slowly slid open. They all bundled inside.
"Well done, Doctor," said Reynolds.
The Doctor looked back and saw that the robots were advancing. He pressed another series of symbols on the wall next to him and the doors slammed shut with a boom which echoed throughout the large entrance chamber.
***
"Is everyone alright?" asked the Doctor.
"So so," said Reynolds.
"What now?" asked Turlough.
"We have to get to Syclos's tomb," said the Doctor.
Tegan looked around the huge room and at the huge paintings all over the walls. Horrific scenes of torture, murder and carnage decorated the entire room. "This Syclos guy is sick," she said.
"He was said to be the most evil, cruel and sadistic man in the entire history of Khrull," said the Doctor. "A reputation well earned I think."
"I thought you said we had to get going?" chipped in Reynolds.
"Yes, you're quite right. Let's go."
Reynolds and the four remaining troopers attempted to go first but the Doctor held out a hand to stop them.
"I'd better go first. The traps the Khrullians made are the most devious and evil ever constructed. I think I'm the only one here able to stop and disarm them."
***
They must have been walking for what seemed like hours. The Doctor and Reynolds were at the front, Tegan and Turlough were in the middle and the troopers were at the back. The Doctor was able to disarm every trap they encountered.
"Doctor?" asked Tegan.
"Yes, Tegan?" he replied.
"Why do all these things look Egyptian?"
"The Osirans."
"Who?"
"An incredibly powerful and ancient race. They visited thousands of planets including your own and this one, and left their mark on the civilisations they encountered. Then they vanished several thousand years ago."
Reynolds walked ahead and stopped. She turned around and held out her hand. "Look," she said pointing further down the corridor they were walking down. They looked. It led into a vast, almost cavernous chamber full of rows and rows of the mechanical skeletons. Tegan could not help being reminded of Jason and the Argonauts but she had to admit that these were far more scary than the ones from the movie, even when they were standing still. At the other end of the cavernous room were a pair of doors that were flung wide open. Whatever was in the next room, they could only hazard a guess. They entered the room slowly, making sure that the skeletons were immobile and not just about to jump and attack them with less than a minutes notice.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Turlough said to Tegan.
"Yeah, it's spooky," she replied.
The Doctor overheard them. "I think Syclos wants me to find his tomb. That is why his guards are making no attempt to stop me."
"But why?" asked Tegan.
"I haven't the faintest idea," said the Doctor. "Madmen don't need a reason."
"You don't think he's after the TARDIS do you?" said Turlough.
"I severely doubt it, I don't think he knows what it is."
"Oh, but I do, Doctor!" boomed a metallic voice that came from nowhere.
Suddenly the doors behind them slammed shut, sealing off the entrance. Thousands of green lights suddenly flickered on in the eye sockets of the skeletons and they slowly started to rise.
"Quick!" yelled the Doctor. "Out of the other door."
"But we don't know where it leads," said Tegan.
"Would you rather stay here, Tegan?" asked the Doctor.
Tegan looked back and saw the skeletons starting to move jerkily towards them and she shook her head.
They all ran to the door and managed to get though it. Unfortunately two of the remaining troopers were not quick enough and they were left battering on the closed door as the skeletons advanced on them.
"No!" screamed Tegan. "We've got to help them!"
"There's nothing we can do," said Reynolds. "They're probably dead already."
"I suppose you're right," she agreed.
"What do we do now?" asked Turlough, as he looked about the room. It was considerably smaller than the previous one and was plain looking, because unlike the other chambers it had no hieroglyphics. The room's only feature was at the back, where part of the wall, two thirds of the way down, protruded by about three feet, for a width of approximately nine feet.
"Well, we keep going. Come on everyone," said the Doctor. He walked towards a man sized exit on the right side of the room.
"How do you keep up with him?" Reynolds asked.
"We manage somehow," replied Turlough, just as the Doctor reached the exit. As he stepped closer, a slab of stone slid down over the doorway.
"Well done!" boomed the voice again. "You have done well to get this far! I expected no less from you, Doctor! But now you will have to defeat my final guardian to reach my tomb!"
"What a surprise," said the Doctor.
Panels on the walls slid back to reveal row upon row of pipes.
"Doctor! What's happening?" asked Tegan.
Before he could answer, water started to pour quickly out of the pipes.
"Everyone! Try to get on to high ground!" cried the Doctor.
Reynolds and Turlough were the first to get onto the platform, and they both helped Tegan up, which was when the water suddenly stopped. It was just above waist height.
Then there was a grinding noise. What happened a few seconds later was a blur to everyone. The water seemed to explode underneath one of the troopers, who was thrown into the air. A massive, dark metallic shape shot out from the water at the same time. It caught the trooper in it's jaws, and with a mighty snap, it swallowed him whole.
Just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished back into the water.
"What the hell was that?" Reynolds said in disbelief.
The Doctor and the remaining trooper had reached the platform by now, and had started to climb onto it.
"It's most definitely another war machine," the Doctor said as he climbed up. "But I've never seen one like this before."
There was another grinding noise.
"What the…" said Reynolds.
The platform was beginning to, very quickly, recede back into the wall. Tegan was the first to fall in, very soon followed by the others.
"Keep close to the walls!" cried the Doctor.
Turlough suddenly noticed a large dark shape glide towards the Doctor though the water. "Doctor! Look out!" he yelled.
Before the Doctor could react, a massive crocodile-like head shot from the water and lunged at him. It was his Time Lord lightning quick reactions that saved him. Falling to one side, the creature missed the Doctor, but crashed into the wall behind him with a sickening crunch. It slid beneath the water, sparks shooting from the twisted open mouth.
"Did you see that?" asked the Doctor. The others nodded.
As if cued by the destruction of the war machine, the water level began to drop, revealing the mangled remains as the last of the water disappeared. The Doctor went over to the covered doorway, and as he touched it the stone slab slid back.
***
They entered another large room. This one was ornately decorated with all kinds of monuments and statues, which the Doctor recognised as relics of the long dead Khrullian race. He looked in amazement at the riches around him, long since thought to be little more than a myth.
"This must be what Thompson was searching for," said the Doctor. "If only he could be here to appreciate it."
"It's a great pity, Doctor," said Turlough, "but we must find the TARDIS, and soon."
"Of course," said the Doctor. He looked around the room. "The TARDIS must be nearby. Syclos is going to a great deal of trouble to stop us."
"Agreed," said Reynolds. "Let's go."
She led the way towards the opening at the other end of the room. They walked down a long, corridor. The walls again were decorated with the long, lost language of the ancient Khrullians.
"We're getting close to Syclos's lair," said the Doctor.
"How can you tell?" asked Tegan.
"The hieroglyphs," said the Doctor.
"What, do they say 'This way to the tomb of Syclos'?" said Tegan sarcastically.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," said the Doctor.
"Will there be any more of those war machines?" asked Turlough.
"I don't think so," said the Doctor. "That was the final guardian back there. There will be nothing to stop us now."
Suddenly the wall in front of them vanished from in front of their eyes and the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Reynolds looked into a vast cavernous room, replete with hieroglyphs and relics.
"I think we have found the tomb of Syclos," said the Doctor.
Indeed they had found the tomb of Syclos. Except that Syclos was not there. The TARDIS was though. The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough ran over to the familiar police box shaped craft. Reynolds approached it, a disappointed look on her face.
"This is your craft?" she asked.
"This is no ordinary craft," the Doctor said.
"He's right there," said Tegan. "Wait until you see what's inside."
"Yeah, right," said Reynolds. "There isn't enough room for five people in that thing. Hell, I doubt there's enough room for you three."
"Ye of little faith," said the Doctor as he put the key into the lock of the TARDIS and opened the door.
"Hello?" a voice said from out of the darkness.
The Doctor turned and so did Reynolds, the latter raising her gun instinctively.
"Who's there!?" she demanded.
A figure shambled out of the darkness, his hands raised.
"Professor Thompson!" she exclaimed.
"Thank goodness you found me, I haven't eaten in days."
"Where are the others in your group?" Reynolds asked.
"Dead," the professor replied. "All killed in this terrible place."
The Doctor looked at Tegan and Turlough and motioned them to bring the obviously shocked Professor inside.
"The more the merrier," the Doctor said under his breath as he entered the TARDIS.
Tegan and Turlough followed him in, holding the professor between them, closely followed by Reynolds, who found herself walking into a huge white room and not the pokey space she expected to find within the police box, while the trooper brought up the rear.
"What the hell!?" she said.
"We'll tell you later," said the Doctor. "We still have Syclos to deal with."
"But how come he isn't in his tomb?" asked Tegan, "and how did we find the TARDIS so easily?"
"I'm not too sure," said the Doctor. "There's something strange going on here.
***
Outside the TARDIS, a shadowy figure approached the craft, and entered just as it's doors were closing.
***
"We meet again, Doctor," Syclos's voice made everyone in the console room turn and look at him. Standing there was one of the mechanical skeletons, but this one wore fine robes and was studded with magnificent gems. Upon it's head it was a gleaming gold Egyptian style crown.
"Syclos," the Doctor said simply.
"Alive and well, as you can see, Doctor."
The remaining trooper raised his gun, but found himself blasted to nothing by a casual pointing gesture from Syclos.
"Was that strictly necessary?" the Doctor asked angrily.
Syclos looked around himself, marvelling at the gleaming white of the TARDIS interior. "I have everything I need now," he said.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tegan asked the Doctor, shying away from the figure in front of them.
"I think I underestimated him," the Doctor said quietly, "He does want the TARDIS."
"Indeed, Time Lord," Syclos said, as though the Doctor had been speaking at normal level. "You will re-open the doors and let my army enter.
The Doctor moved towards the console, keeping his eyes on the figure in front of the doors. Guessing that Syclos had no idea of how the TARDIS operated, he slammed home the de-materialisation switch, at the same time ramming home the door control.
***
In the tomb, the wheezing, groaning of the TARDIS's engines were heard, and the police box began to fade from sight. The doors could be seen opening at the same time, and were fully open as it disappeared.
***
Inside the console room, the disruption of the time vortex took all of the occupants apart from the Doctor by surprise, but it achieved the Doctor's goal. As he saw Syclos pulled out of the doors into the vortex, he pulled the door lever again, and the doors closed at hat seemed like slow motion.
As they shut, the maelstrom ceased, and the normal humming of the interior became audible.
"Doctor," Turlough said, "wasn't that a bit dangerous?"
The Doctor looked at his companion. "As dangerous as having Syclos let loose throughout all time and space?" he asked.
Turlough shook his head. "Point taken," he said.
"I'll admit, I wasn't sure the old girl would take the strain, but it has happened before."
Tegan shot a venomous glance at the Doctor. "And no doubt it will happen again, except it could be you going though the doors next time if you don't give us some warning."
The Doctor looked abashed, then his face brightened and he turned to Reynolds.
"Well," he said, "this is where we say goodbye."
"Yes," said Reynolds. "Thank you, Doctor. You can drop us off at my ship, it should be in orbit around Khrull."
The Doctor nodded and turned to Thompson. "To you too, Professor," he said to the dishevelled man, "I'm sure you have a book to write about this."
