Chapter 2 - Connection
As the T.A.R.D.I.S. flew through the time vortex the Doctor spun around the console, pushing buttons and turning levers. The familiar noise of his ship felt comforting to him. It was good to be back in flight. He checked the monitor and saw that he had nearly arrived when suddenly it was as if the T.A.R.D.I.S. had hit a brick wall. He was thrown backwards and landed in a crumpled heaped against the railings.
"What?" he gasped, scrambling to his feet and pulling the monitor round to look at it.
The T.A.R.D.I.S. had landed, but not where it was supposed to be. He froze as the monitor showed him a view of what was outside the T.A.R.D.I.S. and it was extremely, very not good.
Merlin woke late in the morning with the confusing and troubling events of the previous night washing over him. He still felt exhausted and dazed from when the Dalek had shot him. He groaned a little as he got to his feet and stamped out the last glowing remains of the fire.
Leaving the clearing he headed back through the wood towards the lake but just before he reached the edge of the trees and the shores of Avalon he stopped. It wasn't right. He couldn't go back to the lake today, he needed to find out about the Daleks and there was only one man who could help him with that. Unfortunately he had no idea where to find him.
The power was still on in the T.A.R.D.I.S. so the Doctor reasoned he could leave any time. The only problem was he needed to find out what was going on and the only way to do that was to leave the T.A.R.D.I.S. A dangerous moves considering he was on a Dalek space ship and the T.A.R.D.I.S. was surrounded. But the Daleks weren't meant to know who he was. Soufflé girl had seen to that. So why did this lot seem to know him?
He needed answers and so, his mind made up, he went to to door and pulling it open wide, stepped out into the ring of Daleks.
"Hello everyone," he said cheerily, looking round at the ominous sight of more than a hundred Daleks facing him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We need-" one of the Daleks began in its mechanical tones.
"But first, I need information," the Doctor interrupted, "how do you know who I am? The rest of your race no longer recognises me, so why do you?"
"Since the paradox our convoy have been held in a time lock, prevented from leaving. The events in the rest of the universe do not affect us. We are trapped here with only one goal. To destroy the one known as Emrys and to use his power to release us from the time lock," one of the Daleks explained.
"So why do you need me, and how did you escape to attack last night?" the Doctor asked curiously.
"We have been building up power for many years now, enough to escape the time lock," another Dalek replied.
"But not enough power, at least, not enough to get about a hundred Daleks out. So you went after Merlin but … oh." The Doctor paced in a wide circle as he spoke and as he finished he stopped in front of the T.A.R.D.I.S.
"Our searches suggest that Emrys cannot be killed and our attack last night confirmed this," one of the Daleks said, sliding forward to where the Doctor was standing.
"And then you worked out I was coming so you left," the Doctor spat, "you ran away."
The Daleks were silent.
"This time lock is only temporary, you know that, but you need enough power to break out. You've used plenty of energy attacking Merlin last night and now getting me here," the Doctor began to smile, "you're really low on power."
"Which is why we need you Doctor," the Dalek who had advanced spoke, "the power of your T.A.R.D.I.S. will support a teleportation to where Emrys is. In coming to the sorcerers aid you have provided us with the means to kill him."
"No!" the Doctor cried, turning to run back into the T.A.R.D.I.S. but even as he did so, the lights went on inside it and the power went down.
He leapt inside and shut the doors, waving the sonic at the lock. Leaning back against the wood he shut his eyes, breathing hard. He listened but it did not sound as if the Daleks were trying to get inside. They had what they wanted anyway, he thought dismally, looking at his ship. The power was gone, she was dark and dead.
Merlin stopped on top of a hill. He had been walking for sometime, hoping to think of a way to summon the Doctor. Below him he could see the lands of Camelot and in the distance, the great city, where Guinevere now reigned as Queen. He hadn't gone back, he couldn't go back. Couldn't go back and face them, to admit that he had failed, that he hadn't been able to save Arthur.
Back in the T.A.R.D.I.S. the Doctor found a lamp under console and with much bumping of his head and dropping things in the dark he brought of a trunk of old space junk.
"Timey-wimey," he declared excitedly and began to sonic things randomly together.
Merlin sat down. Think, he told himself, think. There had to be a way. Thinking about what the Doctor had said at their last meeting.
"If you need us anytime, just give us a call and we'll be on our way …"
Well, Merlin reasoned, it couldn't do any harm. Tilting his head to the sky, he yelled, as loud as he could, "Doctor!"
The next second he stumbled backwards in shock as the Doctor appeared before him.
"Don't worry!" called the Doctor, "just having a few problems with the energy flow."
Merlin stared as the Doctor appeared to fade in and out. He also noted that he looked somehow, grainy and insubstantial. Merlin walked slowly nearer to him, studying to strange device that was strapped to the Doctor's front and how he was turning a handle on the side of the device constantly.
"Have to keep doing this," the Doctor said, indicating the handle, "to keep the power up."
"Are you real?" Merlin asked, reaching out a hand to touch the Doctor.
"No! Don't touch!" the Doctor yelled, "do that and you'll cause an explosion as big as Jupiter! Ouch!"
There was a flash of sparks and the image of the Doctor disappeared.
"Doctor?" Merlin asked quietly. The next second, in a flash of light, the Doctor reappeared.
"Sorry," he said, "dropped it."
"Where are you?" Merlin asked curiously.
"Inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. The Daleks cornered me and they're using the T.A.R.D.I.S. energy to get to you. You need to – no! Don't do that!" The Doctor's image wavered slightly but he slapped the top of the device with his other hand. "Sorry, its not easy. I needed your link to get to you in the first place."
"My link?" Merlin asked.
"When you shouted, I could connect to the trans-universal telepathic connection and …" He tailed off as the sight of Merlin's face. "Timey-wimey," he concluded with a shrug of his shoulders.
"So what were you saying?" Merlin inquired, "the Daleks are coming again."
"Yes!" The Doctor said, "and more of them. You need to protect yourself."
"Why? They can't kill me," Merlin replied, his face darkening.
"They don't want to kill you," the Doctor said hurriedly, "well they probably will in the end, but not yet. First they want to take your power, your magic. All of it."
Merlin gaped and felt cold. Once before he had been without magic, and he never wanted to go to that place again.
Note: I am so sorry this has taken so long! I have been on holiday, and I've had loads of other writing to do and ugh... Anyway, hope you enjoy it. I know some of my details might be a bit off compared to Dr Who and not exactly correct but you know "never apply logic to Who" anything can happen! I promise the plot is going to develop a bit in the next chapter and we might see the return of a few other characters... wait and see!