Chapter 2:

"Arrgh!" cried Elsie as she woke with a start, finding herself in what looked like some sort of escape pod in the middle of a vast, open desert of bright white sand. As she moved her body around inside the small space inside the escape pod, Elsie briefly noticed a light flashing on the control panel inside the escape pod. She then suddenly remembered, "Wait, I remember now. I was inside of a transport ship heading for the planet Arsharidine. I remember the ship blowing up, the screaming..."

Elsie covered her eyes with her hands as images filled her mind. She remembered being a passenger on the ship, which was just leaving Earth. Then halfway through the journey to planet Arsharidine, something strange and terrifying happened. The dream eaters were discovered to be on the ship and began to attack the passengers and crew. In a last ditch effort to stop them, the captain of the ship blew up the ship, apparently knowing what they were and why they were there. Elsie remembered herself and others getting into escape pods and fleeing the ship before it exploded, but after that it she couldn't remember. Then she remembered what the light flashing on the control panel meant and spoke, "Wait, I remember activating the distress signal before..."

Suddenly, Elsie stopped and looked down towards her right shoulder. There, lying next to her in the escape pod was a dream eater. "Arrgh!" cried Elsie as she quickly opened up the escape pod and jumped out of it. But once she was out of the escape pod, she realized that the dream eater wasn't moving, appearing to be dead. She began to look around, suddenly realizing that she was stuck in the middle of nowhere, unsure of where to go and what to do next, with her escape pod as the only form of shelter around her. Then she remembered that she had brought along her favorite bright blue outdoor sling back pack which was bigger on the inside and included a survival pack (and much more besides), complete with binoculars, food packs, a 12 function multi-tool, several articles of clothing, a long length of rope, matches and a compass.

She quickly retrieved her outdoor sling back pack from the escape pod, keeping her eye on the seemingly dead dream eater. She then quickly placed her outdoor sling back pack over her shoulder and started to trek across the bright white sand, noticing a mountain range not far from the escape pod. After a few minutes of walking, she started to once again hear the familiar sound of clicking and shrilling close by. She looked behind her but didn't see anything. After a couple more minutes of walking, Elsie finally reached the base of the mountain range and started walking alongside it.

Suddenly, she began to hear what sounded like a conversation between two men as the clicking and shrilling became louder, coming from somewhere behind her. Elsie followed the voices of the men to where they were, camped in a field of boulders. Elsie kept hidden behind a boulder, listening to the men as they spoke. Only they were not speaking English but in an alien language that she didn't understand. She listened to the two men talk for about a minute when suddenly, they started to speak English as one of the men spoke, "Shhhh, what was that?"

The other man soon spoke, looking towards the direction of where Elsie was hiding, "It came from over there!"

But Elsie kept well hidden, not wanting to be seen. Then suddenly, someone grabbed Elsie from behind and placed a hand over her mouth. Elsie let out a muffled scream as she was pulled away from the boulder. After a moment of panic and terror, a familiar voice spoke, "Elsie, it's alright, it's only me."

Elsie looked over her shoulder and saw that it was the Doctor. The Doctor soon let go of Elsie and smiled as Elsie spoke, "Doctor, don't scare me like that! Where did you come from?! What's going on?!"

"Shhh, we need to be quiet and listen," said the Doctor, who looked around the corner at the two men, who started to talk again, this time in English. One man spoke, "Do you think some of them survived the explosion?"

The other man spoke, "I don't know, Tergin. If any of them did survive, I dread to think what they are doing right now."

"You know what they are doing, Gynar. They are forwarding their invasion. Our team must think we're dead after the explosion."

"Well they will send a rescue party after us, Tergin. Won't they? Afterall, we are important members of the team. They wouldn't just leave us all alone out here. You did activate the distress signal didn't you?"

"Yes I did Gynar but you do not understand. This would be just the excuse they would need to get rid of us! I told them that it was wrong to use such creatures in the experiments, especially sentient creatures like them who feed on the dreams and imaginations of others."

Elsie gasped quietly, then spoke to the Doctor, "The dream eaters. They are talking about the dream eaters."

"Shhh," said the Doctor, listening on.

Tergin continued, "We had to stop them, Gynar. It was getting to dangerous. I fear that some of them did survive and have since produced more of their kind, which would allow them to harvest even more dreams and imagination. All those poor lost souls, trapped in the dream space. Some of them don't even know that they are dead," - The Doctor and Elsie looked at one another as Tergin continued, "But what's done is done. Now all we can do is wait and hope that we are rescued from this place and soon before we become victims ourselves."

The Doctor, not wanting to linger any longer, then turned to Elsie and spoke, "Come on, let's get back to the TARDIS before..." - But as the Doctor and Elsie turned to go back in the direction where the Doctor came from, they suddenly found themselves looking down the barrel of a laser riffle, aimed right at the Doctor's head. The Doctor paused for a moment before he spoke, "Oh hello. We didn't see you there. Don't mind us, we were just leaving. We didn't mean to bother you or your little gang."

The man with the laser riffle, named Jeris, then spoke, "Hands up!"

Elsie and the Doctor quickly raised their hands up as Jeris called out, "Gynar! Tergin! We've got company!"

Gynar quickly appeared with his own laser riffle and aimed it at the Doctor and Elsie as he came to Jeris's side. Tergin soon followed, walking up behind the Doctor and Elsie. The Doctor and Elsie, with their hands still raised, turned to face Tergin as Tergin spoke, "Fascinating. You two are not of my race. Yet I can see in your eyes that you were under the influence of the creatures that eat dreams. What are your names?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is Elsie. Don't you mean the dream eaters? That's what I call them you know since I don't actually know what they are called."

"What do you know about them?" asked Tergin.

The Doctor replied, "Well I know that they are shapechangers and that they eat as well as collect dreams and imagination from their victims. I know that they use the imagination of their victims to create dream worlds around their victims in order to keep them trapped and happy so that they can continue to feed and collect from them. And of course they can talk."

"Correct, you know quite allot about them, but not everything. We don't know what they actually call themselves either and we still have to be sure that you two aren't a pair of them," Tergin looked over at Gynar and spoke, "Scan them."

"Hands down!" said Gynar as the Doctor and Elsie brought down their hands. The Doctor continued as Gynar brought out a strange scanning device and began to scan the Doctor and Elsie with it, "Well if you do know more about them, I would like to know and what about these experiments you were just talking about?"

"You were listening in I see. It's nothing that you need to know about at the moment," Tergin once again looked at Gynar and continued, "Well Gynar?"

"They aren't of the creatures, Tergin, but of something far more interesting. They are Time Lords."

Jeris spoke, "Time Lords! But that means that they must have a TARDIS nearby," Jeris then faced the Doctor and Elsie and continued, his laser riffle still aimed at the Doctor and Elsie, "Where is your TARDIS? We demand that you take us home immediately!"

"Now Jeris, there is no need to demand there help. Besides, they are likely here because they answered our distress signal. You are here because you answered our distress signal, is that correct?"

"Well, yes and no," said the Doctor, "I did come down here because of a distress signal, but I don't think it was your distress signal that I picked up on."

"Never the less, you are here and you can help us."

"Not until I know more about these experiments and what they have to do with the dream eaters."

"The dream eaters?" asked Gynar.

"The creatures you are talking about, it's what I call them. So tell me about these experiments."

Tergin paused a moment before he spoke again, "What you have said about them is all true, though how you know about them I do not know."

"Well let's just say that my people have dealt with them before so I know."

"True, these creatures have attempted to invade this universe before though not at the level that they are trying to achieve now."

"I'm listening, go on."

"My people, my team, believe that the creatures have created a device that is able to punch holes in the fabric of space, creating gateways which lead to the Void and to other dimensions. We believe that the creatures are collecting dreams and imaginations in order to create the energy needed to power this device. This device they intend to use in order to open up a gateway which will allow more of their kind to enter this universe and invade it. As you may know, these creatures have the ability to manipulate your dreams as well as create them. Not only do they intend to make you happy while they feed and collect from you, they also make you think and percieve what you are seeing as real. When my people discovered these creatures, we saw an opportunity. An opportunity to use their abilities against our enemies who use dreams and visions in order to communicate. In the beginning, the creatures cooperated, helping us in our mental warfare experiments."

"Ah, I see. Their ability to manipulate dreams gave you that idea."

"Well that was the point of the experiments. The creatures can project images, dreams into the minds of our enemies, making them see and percieve things...differently."

"So how did the creatures get here then?"

"They are creatures of the Void, Time Lord. Naturally we had to use Voidships to bring them here."

"How many?"

"Oh about a dozen of them originally. But then they began to reproduce, making even more of themselves."

"So let me guess, something happened to make you change your view and outlook on the situation."

"Quite so, Doctor. We discovered that they had plans of their own for they to saw an opportunity, a chance to escape the Void and make this universe their new feeding ground. Their intention of course was to enslave everyone in this universe and put everyone under their influence thus trapping their victims in a type of dream space, a dimension where even those who are dead are trapped within it, with them never knowing that they are actually dead."

"Well were not dead and we were in this dream space."

"I didn't say that everyone in the dream space was dead, Time Lord, though most of them are by now."

"And what about the transport ship exploding?"

"Oh that. Well, we weren't about to let the creatures take advantage of this universe so we had to dispose of them as it were."

"You know you could have just sent them back to the Void instead of murdering them."

"We tried that, Doctor, but they refused to go back so we took the next best option."

Elsie then spoke angrily, "There were more then just the creatures onboard that ship! You murdered them all!"

"It's true that sacrifices had to be made in order to save the universe from the creatures. Even you Time Lords should understand how important it was to destroy them before there plans went into action."

"So you and your little gang here blew up the transport ship."

"An unfortunate turn of events I know but we made certain that all of the creatures were onboard before sending them off on that ship. The creatures believed that they were going to new feeding grounds on planet Arsharidine. Of course they didn't get there. However now we believe that some of them survived and are currently somewhere around here."

"Who are no doubt seeking revenge on those who tried to kill them."

Gynar spoke, "They do not know who tried to kill them so they are not seeking revenge on anyone."

"That is what you think," the Doctor said as he stepped in front of Elsie, took out his sonic screwdriver and spoke to her, "Elsie, get behind me."

"Whatever for?"

"Because we are not alone here," said the Doctor, who then spoke to Tergin, "Look behind you, Tergin."

Tergin looked behind him and down at the ground, where he saw over a half dozen dream eaters, watching and listening. The Doctor soon spoke, speaking to Elsie, "It seems that they were originally following you and me, Elsie but we lead them to those that tried to murder them and let's just say that they are not to happy about it."

Gynar and Jeris quickly shifted their attention on the dream eaters and began shooting at them with their laser riffles, trying to fight them off. But the dream eaters would not be scared off that easily. Suddenly, the dream eaters, all furry blobs and tentacles, massed together to form one single creature, which quickly pulled the laser riffles away from the two men. Seeing a chance to escape, the Doctor nudged Elsie back towards the direction from where he came from, but soon realized that they were surrounded.

Elsie then spoke, speaking to the dream eater that was blocking the path, "Don't mind us. We aren't the ones that tried to murder you!"

The Doctor quickly aimed the sonic screwdriver at the dream eater, scaring it off. The sound of the sonic was hurting the creature's ears. Then the Doctor quickly aimed the sonic screwdriver at the mass of dream eaters, causing the creature they made to fall apart and scatter. The Doctor then shouted out, "Run!"

Everyone in the group quickly ran and followed the Doctor, trying to get away from the dream eaters. The dream eaters began to chase after the group, clicking and shrilling as they scurried across the sand after them. They were quick on their tentacles. After about a couple minutes of running, they all made it back to the TARDIS and quickly ran inside, just outpacing the dream eaters. The Doctor quickly slammed the TARDIS doors and locked them as the dream eaters began to surround the TARDIS, trying to find a way to get in. What the Doctor and the others didn't know was that one dream eater managed to get in the TARDIS and was currently hiding underneath the control console.

The TARDIS dematerialized and took off as the Doctor punched in coordinates and spoke, "That was close, a little to close."

"What do we do Doctor?" asked Elsie.

The Doctor replied to Elsie, but looked towards Tergin, Gynar and Jeris as he continued, "I say we complete the journey that the transport ship would have taken had it not been blown up by these three! My guess is that the transport ship was automated, programed to land at a specific location on planet Arsharidine."

Tergin spoke, trying to catch his breath, "You are right, Time Lord. The ship was on auto-pilot, preprogrammed to land near our newest testing facility on planet Arsharidine. Of course the creatures didn't know that."

"Well you're going to lead us right to the location so that we can see what you and your people have been doing to the dream eaters!"

Gynar spoke, "We don't hurt them Time Lord if that is what you are thinking. They cooperated with us."

The Doctor continued, "They only cooperated because they see an opportunity to exploit a new source of food. You were right about one thing Tergin, the creatures needed to be stopped. They were using your people to get to a new food source. They intended to..."

Suddenly, they all heard the familiar sound of clicking and shrilling underneath the control console. The Doctor continued, speaking calmly and quietly as he looked and saw the dream eater, trying not to scare it, "Elsie, there is a glass container with holes in the lid in the green room just past the doorway to the left of you," Elsie noticed the doorway as the Doctor continued, "I want you to get the container and bring it back here quickly."

Elsie quickly went through the doorway as the Doctor used his sonic to try an hypnotize the dream eater. The dream eater began to click and shrill loudly as the sonic began to work it's magic on the dream eater. Elsie quickly came back with the container, watching as the Doctor then quickly grabbed the dream eater by its furry blob body and told Elsie to bring over the container. The Doctor quickly broke the trance between the sonic and the dream eater as he quickly placed the dream eater inside the contrainer. The dream eater began to squeak inside the container as the lid to the container came over top of it, trapping it inside.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief as the Doctor calmly picked up the container with the dream eater inside and spoke, "Well that was easy wasn't it?"

Jeris then spoke, talking to Tergin, "Hey Tergin, isn't that container just the right size for the machine?"

Tergin looked at the container and spoke, "Yes, yes I should think so."

Gynar soon spoke, "Is it compatible with the machine? I hope it is otherwise what we are thinking about doing won't work."

"Hold on, what are you three talking about?" asked Elsie, listening on.

Tergin continued, "It's called the dreamer machine, a piece of equipment that we transported from our base to the planet Arsharidine in the first transport. The dreamer machine is able to project your mind into the dream space, allowing you to reenter it. However it needs a live specimen, namely a dream eater in order to work properly. We suspect that the machine that the dream eaters have built and its power source lie hidden within the dream space, this dimension they have created to trap their victims in. We need someone to go into the dream space, find the machine and destroy it if they can. Since you two already have dream eater spore infecting your minds, you would be doing us a favor to volunteer for the task. Naturally you will not be going alone. We have people waiting for us on planet Arsharidine that will likely want to come along and help you."

Elsie soon spoke, "I have a question. What happens to us if we die while we are in the dream space?"

"That's very unlikely to happen, but if it does, you will be immediately sent back to your point of origin, namely your body. Of course many of people currently trapped inside the dream space are in fact dead, they just don't know it. The dream eaters don't distinguish between those who are dead and living, they continue to feed on you even when dead."

"And how do you know that most of the people trapped inside the dream space are dead?" asked the Doctor.

"We've studied these creatures for a long time, Time Lord. We know what happens to their victims in the end."

"Complete mental burnout," said Gynar.

"An unfortunate end to an imaginative mind. But let's hope that none of us end like that," said Jeris.

A few minutes later, the TARDIS materialized, landing in the location where the transport ship would have landed. Everyone in the group then stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around before the Doctor saw a large futuristic-looking building not far from where they landed. The Doctor stood next to Elsie and pointed towards the building as he spoke, "There Elsie, is where we need to go."

"It's beautiful."

Tergin soon spoke, "A true and proper scientific establishment. It was only built 2 months ago, when we started the mental warfare experiments. Come along this way."

The Doctor closed the TARDIS door watching as Gynar held the container which held the dream eater they captured. The group began walking towards the building, looking around at the vast open grassland that surrounded the building. Upon reaching the large doors to the building, he group stopped, watching as Tergin pressed a button on the door, causing a panel to open, revealing a key pad. Tergin pressed buttons on the key pad as he spoke, "Now, I am going to have to prepare you for what you are about to see in this place or more rather who you are about to see. My team doesn't just consist of my people, but other members of other alien races as well. We are a research team, doing what we have always done since discovering this universe long ago. As you may know, my people are not native to this universe nor are any of the other races that you will be seeing here. We all came here from the Void by voidship and have several experiments going on at the same time so be sure to stay close and don't wander off."

"Oh don't worry, we will stick close to you, won't we Elsie?"

"I suppose so," said Elsie, looking on.

The doors to the building then automatically slid open, revealing a long, brightly lit hallway. As the group entered, they noticed other people of various alien races bustling about, going from room to room connected to the hallway and carrying books and other items of interest. The Doctor spoke to Elsie as he and the others were walking down he hallway, "You may not believe this Elsie, but I have encountered Void life before."

"Void life?"

"Beings and creatures from the Void. Back when I was about your age and starting off, I encountered an alien race known as the Nerphiline, a race of bird-like humanoid beings which originated from the Void. I visited their Library of Infinite Knowledge and learned a great deal about the alien creatures and other races that live in the Void."

"So you must recognize quite a few of the alien races that we are seeing here."

"Not all of them, Elsie, but I do recognize a few from pictures. The Void you see is another dimension and can be best described as a vast, infinite ocean, mostly barren and lifeless. It is mostly the dead, dark space between other universes. But as you might have realized, there are some areas of the Void where life flourishes."

"I remember an incident when I was little about a place called Canary Warf where Daleks were defeated by being thrown into the Void and trapped forever within it."

"I was there, Elsie. I sent those Daleks into a barren, lifeless part of the Void. But if I know Daleks, those Daleks have probably found the means to survive within the Void as well. Hold on, how do you know about Daleks?"

"You would be surprised at what I know even when an Earth-Born Gallifreyan, Doctor."

"We're here," said Tergin as he stopped in front of an entrance to another hallway. Gynar soon walked past the others, holding the container with the dream eater inside it up in front of him. Jeris followed Gynar, walking past the Doctor. Elsie soon spoke, realizing something, "Doctor, are you sure that this dreamer machine that they spoke about is safe? I mean, we haven't actually agreed to help them have we?"

"We need to find out what the dream eaters are doing and why or else those stuck in the dream space will keep on dreaming and being farmed."

"This way you two," said Tergin as he followed after Jeris. The Doctor and Elsie soon followed.

Elsie continued as she and the Doctor walked down the narrow hallway, "Where are we going, Doctor?"

"Apparently we are going to the room where the dreamer machine is located. Strange how no one has approached us since entering here."

Tergin spoke, overhearing what was being said, "They don't need to approach us, they already know we're here," Tergin pointed at the camera that was situated in a corner of the hallway, which was pointed right at the group, following them. The Doctor soon spoke, "Who knows we're already here, your boss?"

Tergin continued, "In a manner of speaking, but there is more than one. No time to explain, the dreamer machine is just through here. Follow me."

The Doctor and Elsie soon entered a room, at the center of which stood a strange looking machine that was circled around by futuristic-looking chairs which were attached to the machine by cables and extensions. The Doctor and Elsie watch as Gynar placed the container with the dream eater inside it into a slot at the center of the machine.

Gynar soon spoke, "The dreamer machine is primed. Ready for those entering the dream space."

The Doctor soon noticed that there were other people in the room besides Gynar and Jeris. Other members of Tergin's people were getting into the chairs and placing strange headsets on their heads which had cables and wires attached to them. Then the Doctor noticed that there was one person in the room that was not of Tergin's people, which was a humanoid female with the head of a cobra and with blue-green snake-like skin, wearing a metallic colored catsuit. The Doctor recognized the alien being as a member of an alien race of telepaths native to the Void.

The Doctor spoke, "Ah, a member of the Cobardine race I see. Am I to assume that she will be joining our little group as well?"

"You assume correctly, Doctor. She will help us communicate and translate any messages and visions that we might see or hear while in the dream space. The dream space can be a hostile place so we need to prepare you for what you are about to experience."

The Doctor continued, "Well having been there already, I know what I'm going to experience as does Elsie." The Doctor looked up at the camera in the far corner of the room and spoke, "Fascinating. Is there any chance that you might take me to your leader Tergin?"

Tergin spoke, "There is no time for that right now, Doctor. We need to focus on stopping the dream eaters and their plan. Everyone into your chairs! That includes you and Elsie, Doctor."

Elsie spoke, "Hold on, why would you need us for?"

Jeris spoke as he got into a chair as placed a headset on his head, "Your kind have encountered the dream eaters before. You can help us figure out how to defeat them and destroy the machine that they are building."

"What makes you think this machine that they are buidling even exists?" asked the Doctor,

The Cobardine female then spoke with a hissing voice, flicking her tongue, "Sssssss, I have seen visionssss of the machine within my own mind's eyesssss. Ssssssss, they plan to use the machine to open a gateway into the Void which will allow more of there kind to enter thissssss universe. We must stop them before they succeed ssssssss."

Tergin soon spoke as he got into his chair, "We've wasted to much time already. Everyone put on your headsets and get in your chairs! Our bosses are waiting."

The Doctor quickly jumped into a chair and placed a headset on his head as Elsie spoke, "Waiting? Waiting for what?"

"Don't worry Elsie. We will sort this all out. Now get in the chair next to me."

"Doctor, why are we cooperating like this? Shouldn't we be...?"

The Doctor looked at Elsie and spoke, "Elsie, trust me, I know what I am doing."

Reluctantly, Elsie got in the empty chair to the left of the Doctor and placed the headset on her head. Gynar then spoke as he stood next to the control panel controlling the dreamer machine, "Everyone lie back, relax and close your eyes," everyone in the group sitting in chairs, 11 people in total, soon lied back in their chairs in a reclining position and waited. Gynar then pressed buttons on the control panel and counted down as the dreamer machine activated, "Full immersion in 10 seconds. 9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0!"

Suddenly, something strange happened. There was a bright flash of light and Elsie suddenly found herself once again in her flat, lying in her sofa covered up with a blanket and with a pillow under her head. Suddenly, there was a knock at her front door. A confused Elsie soon went to the door and opened it. She soon realized that it was Abigail. Abigail soon spoke, acting as though she had forgotten about the earlier incident, "Elsie! What are you doing cooped up in your flat all day on your birthday?! It's time for the 3Ds!"

Elsie spoke, "What do you mean I've been in my flat all day? I've..." then suddenly she forgot and remembered something else, "Oh, I remember now. I've been in my flat all day. That's strange, I could have sworn that..."

"Stop talking and get dressed you! We're going to Chandelier's for your birthday! Hurry up!"

Elsie quickly went upstairs and got dressed as though she had forgotten all that had happened to her. And soon, she and Abigail were on their way to the night club, oblivious to what was going on.

...Continued Chapter 3...