I do not own Doctor Who
Chapter Two:
One Year later.
The Doctor sat on the quayside. Argon Five had changed, and, as he popped another Rascabian wood nut in his mouth, the Doctor was trying to figure out how.
"You ought to be more careful mister." The voice came from a petite blonde female leant against the buildings. "Don't know what sorts are around here. Bandits, thieves, the sort who'd take advantage of foreign ones like you." She looked at the wallet containing the psychic paper, which she'd nabbed earlier when he was in the market.
"Sounds like you need to look after your belongings down here Camilla." The Doctor replied, flicking through her wallet.
"Hey!" She lunged for it, but the Doctor moved it away.
"Trade?" The Doctor asked, and she reluctantly handed back the psychic paper, grabbing back her wallet, checking through it, and satisfied nothing was missing, shoved it back deep into her pockets. She turned to leave but paused as the Doctor was looking at the wallet she'd taken, holding it up various ways, and giving it a shake.
"'Scuse me mister, but why are you here?"
"Because my ship landed here. Again" Camilla came and sat by the Doctor.
"You've been here before? Why on Argon would you return? Ships are few enough, what with the bosses fighting all the time. Enough of us would be glad to be plain shot of the place. Why return?"
"Because my ships landed here, and I think I know why." The Doctor shook the psychic paper.
"Why do you keep that with you? It's just a random scrap of paper."
"Not just any paper, its psychic paper. Anyway, didn't there use to be a tower over there? Last time I was here…" The Doctor rambled on whilst Camilla reeled in shock. Psychic? Tower… then he must be the man they warned her about, returned to where he'd began after all this time. She quietly got up and left, without him noticing- he was still talking- and whilst he did she had to warn the others.
"But obviously I missed something last time, not just the tower going. I missed something Camilla." The Doctor looked round to see where she'd slunk through the houses, a small alleyway. "I missed you leaving."
"Are you sure girl?" The burly figure demanded of Camilla.
"Yes Pa. He was a stranger and was going on about the tower."
"Any strangers might be interested in the tower; it may be the only thing of any interest around here."
"He also had something he called psychic paper."
"What?" Camilla's Dad growled. "Are you…" Camilla nodded vigorously. "Where is he?"
"I don't know. As soon as I realised who he was I came straight it you. When I left we were still on the quayside."
"The man would hardly stick around there."
"He might be at the tower."
"Go and check. I'll start gathering the gang. If he's not there we can always hunt him down. Go."
Camilla went to leave when her father called her up.
"Actually meet us at the tower. If he is there then make sure he doesn't leave before we get there."
"Got it."
Camilla skirted round the open area in front of the tower. The man was there, sat on the benches, still eating those nuts. He didn't look like the ruthless mind bending slave driver she'd heard him to be, but then appearances could be deceptive. Steeling herself she ambled over.
"Hey sorry for disappearing off like that earlier- my Dad would have worried where I was. Apparently growing up doesn't stop them from being a worry guts."
"Don't worry, it's great to see you again, in fact I was wondering what you could tell me about this tower."
"What?" Alarm bells began to ring in Camilla's head.
"Oh just how it became so…" the Doctor indicated the height of the remains of the tower, now barely reaching above the rooftops. "… Un-tower like. Last time I was here it was rather more vertical."
Camilla tried to work out what this meant, shutting her eyes.
"I'm sorry, but when we met earlier I didn't catch your name."
"Oh yes, may fault. I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor…" Camilla tailed off.
"Just 'the Doctor'." He confirmed.
Camilla shut her eyes, realising her mistake, and they flashed open again as she heard her fathers voice, just beyond the square.
"Doctor, I've made a big mistake." Camilla grabbed hold of the pack of nuts in the Doctors hand. "You've got to get out of here, go, hide!"
"Camilla!" The mob appeared at the edge of the square with knives and torches, lead by her father, who called again. "Get away from that man!"
Camilla stayed with her back to the mob, and knocked the nuts out the Doctors hand with a shriek, giving him a kick in the rump as she 'fell' over to get him moving. The Doctor ran, and the mob charged after him. Camilla got pulled back onto her feet as her father reached her, and they ran to return to the front of the mob, conversing between breaths as they went.
"You okay?" Her Dad yelled over the roaring of the mob.
"Yeah, a slightly sore backside but he'll pay for that!" Camilla accelerated, chasing the Doctor, separating from the pack.
"Be careful." Her father called after her. Camilla didn't reply, focusing instead on not losing sight of the Doctor. He was a fast runner and although Camilla was acknowledged as one of the swiftest runners around, it was only her knowledge of the paths and alleyways that kept her gaining on. She wished he'd stop running and hid- she was running out of energy and finally stopped at a cross roads, spotting the Doctor hiding behind a large blue box down the right hand alley. Hearing the mob gaining on her she bent over and puffed and panted as if out of breath. Her dad and the mob caught up, them too catching breath at the junction.
"Which way did he go?" Her dad asked, and Camilla pointed down an alley, away from the Doctor. "Excellent work girl, you have a rest, we'll take it from here." The mob headed off and after waiting for a few stragglers to disappear, Camilla wandered down the alley to find the Doctor casually leant against the other side of the blue box.
"So what was that all about?"
"Nothing, just a case of mistaken identity."
"Mistaken identity? With who?"
"Another man, one who has rarely been seen for a year, one who was also at the tower that day. The man who created a world of slaves, bending the minds to work. A ruthless slave driver. Worked us half to death and kept telling us to be happy about it. Now they reckon he's the one killing off all the people who are disappearing."
"People disappearing?"
"Oh yeah. Been going on all over the place for almost a year. Reckon he's been trying to stay hidden. Not too many people would take kindly to encountering him and I reckon they try and do off with him, so he kills 'em. Bloody violent and doesn't care two ways about snuffing the families either. I heard Dad say he was a 'Local area Psychopath'."
"Local area psychic. There's a distinct difference." The Doctor and Camilla leapt in alarm at the figure appearing round the corner of the Tardis.
"It's him, Phelk!" Camilla exclaimed, her fists clenched into a bunch, body tensed ready for a fight.
"Now Camilla, you said yourself he probably only killed those who attacked him. Let's see what he wants first." The Doctor reasoned, and Camilla reluctantly relaxed, though still keeping a sharp eye on Phelks every movement.
"Thank you. I've made myself known to you because I wished to speak to the Doctor. And really, I must protest my innocence. I have killed no-one, it is a set-up, although exactly whose I do not know."
"Why should I believe that?" Camilla challenged.
"There are many gangs on this world. It would suit any and all of them if they had a scapegoat to hide their kills behind."
Camilla glowered at Phelks reply, the Doctor saving the moment by interrupting.
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"A year ago: you nearly killed me."
"Noo, that thing was just a simple EMP bomb, no explosion, just cuts out the electricity." Phelk was shaking his head at the Doctor. "No? What happened?"
"When I came round, everything was dark, pitch black, the doors sealed. I managed to turn the lights back on: I had to escape."
"You did more than turn the lights back on- you turned the power back on, rebooted the ship."
"They took off, leaving me behind."
"The tower."
"It fell." The Doctor looked up at Phelk.
"And you survived."
"It landed in the lake. It was lucky no-one was hurt." At that Camilla exploded.
"No-one got hurt! Your friends in the spaceship didn't just 'take off'. They stuck around blasting here there and everywhere. People died. It was terrifying, and it was your fault, so you can take your 'no-one was hurt' and stuff it! Those are words that'll never exist around you." Phelk blinked in surprise at the onslaught and pointed a finger at the Doctor.
"He started it."
"Children!" The Doctor intervened, stepping between them as Camilla made to lunge towards Phelk. "I'm here because last time something happened, something that I missed. This world should be blooming, instead there are gangs, angry mobs and unexplained deaths; I'm here to put that right, and you two are going to stop arguing and help me."
"Says who?" Camilla turned on the Doctor. "You two have both caused trouble to this world: why shouldn't I just turn you over to the mob?"
"Phelk you're coming because we can help each other, and Camilla, I reckon you'll come because you're curious."
"If I 'come along', it'll be because I'm keeping tabs on him." She pointed at Phelk, whose eyebrows shot up. The Doctor sighed, resigned. Camilla almost smiled at her victory, but stopped herself just in time. "What now?" She asked the Doctor.
"Who's in charge around here?"
"No-one. Not officially since the tower broke. There are a few bosses of groups that seem to control various areas, like my Dad."
Phelk and the Doctor looked at Camilla.
"Can we meet him?" The Doctor enquired, and Camilla scoffed.
"No! He'll have your heads as soon as see you!"
"Worth asking. Anyway everything seems a bit too organised, especially for mob rule: Do they still run the factories?"
"The ones that are left. From what I've seen many have been converted into housing and storage. My travels have landed me in more than a few of them." The Doctor nodded in agreement.
"I need to get to the Tower. I think the next piece of this puzzle lies there."
"It's very open there Doctor," Camilla warned. "And watched. The mob'd easily find you again."
"Then see if you can do something about it." Camilla narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. "I promise not to move from here whilst you're gone, and if you're really worried take that as insurance." Camilla caught the psychic paper and after the briefest of pauses, left. Phelk leapt to his feet as soon as she'd gone, and was looking around intently.
"We should take our chance and leave now Doctor. She'll bring the mob on us for certain."
"No she won't. Anyway, we could always hide in my ship."
"The singing box." Phelk laid a hand on the Tardis.
"I did wonder about that. She's called the Tardis by the way. If you're a local area psychic you pick up the resonate hum of her engine- stronger as you get closer. Not singing in the conventional sense but could be easily mistaken. Of course in the tower, because of my connection with the Tardis, it would have resonated through me. It's why you're really here isn't it?" Phelk nodded sorrowfully.
"Ten years of sheer misery and a year of pure hate. It's nice to hear a different tune."
"Is that why the Daleks kept you? Because of your psychic powers." The Doctor asked.
"How do you know?"
"The Daleks are ruthlessly efficient. They only do anything if it suits them. What did they need you for?"
"Psychic energy. Communication. Told me they had crash landed on this world and lost contact with the rest of their fleet. Plan was to construct and run generators to re-power their ship, repair it, and then use that energy combined with the psychic energy collected from me to send a message home."
"Very… illuminating."
"That helped?"
"Yes. I now know almost exactly what I'm looking for."
"Good." Camilla stated making the two of them jump. "Because I've just sorted our tower problem."