The old man swam in and out of consciousness until the guards popped him down head first on a stone slab in the tiny cell. He struggled not to reveal how awake he was, and simply slumped down upon the slab with as little noise as possible.
"Shall I confiscate his sonic device, Commander?" asked on of the guards.
"No, it'll be useless to him," floated Maxil. "Nothing can open that door except this cipher indent key. Leave his toy. It'll add to his torment."
The sonic screwdriver might not work on the lock, thought the old man, but it'll work fine on your key chain.
The old man carefully pulled the sonic screwdriver from the van dollar under his coat, slowly twisted the red dial on its base, pointed it at Maxil's belt, and briefly activated it.
The screwdrivers whine lasted only a millisecond, much to briefly to be noticed by Maxil and his men. Just as he walked out the cell door, the key fell off his belt and landed on the dust covered gallstones.
The old man waited till he heard their footsteps fade away, then he sprang for the key, and quickly unlocked the door. The heavy dust on the ancient floor betrayed the guards' route out of the dungeon.
He slowed down a bit when he heard voices. It was Maxil speaking with something. The slightly annoying, very condescending voice of the Security Commander was silenced by a great, commanding voice.
"The Doctor must be converted to my cause," boomed the voice.
"He doesn't go by the name Doctor anymore," explained Maxil.
"That's irrelevant! All that matters is that we break that stubborn will of his. More than any of his other incarnations, this Doctor will be a most powerful weapon in my quest for vengeance."
The old man, formerly known as the Doctor, crept close enough to notice that in a small chamber, Maxil stood before a stain glass door, as he addressed it, "The mind probe should sufficiently wear down the Doctor's resistance."
"Do not underestimate him!" The voice came from the door. "I did twice. No more!"
"No more, indeed," whispered the Doctor to himself.
"Now go, Maxil. Time is of the essence."
"Yes, milord Omega," replied Maxil as he click his heels and left the chamber.
The Doctor crept up to the door, thoughtfully stroking his white beard. "This must be the Fifth Door of the Matrix. Omega is inside the Matrix. With a mind like his, he must be deeply entrenched in the Repository of All Knowledge. Only a fool would enter in there and subject themselves to Omega's virtual reality. I this calls for me, then."
The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his van dollar and waved it over a crystal embedded in the wall next to the door. The door parted in two, sliding apart revealing a brilliant light within.
"I'm getting so good at this, I could probable get into the Omega Vault if I wanted," boasted the Doctor. "All those nasty weapons! Why would I ever want to do that?"
With a shrug, the Doctor stepped into the Matrix.
