The Soul Ship
Part Two
"Either we are all telling the truth or one of us is not who we say we are!!!" The Doctor yelled.
"Mr. Einstein, tell me when and where were you born?" The Doctor asked.
"It was on March 14, 1879 in the city of Ulm." Einstein replied.
"That is right, now Mr. Newton same question." The Doctor said.
"This is ridiculous; I will not answer such outlandish question." Newton refused.
"The devil shall not have me!!!" Da vinci yelled as he grabbed Newton and punched him in the face.
"No harm must come to him." The Doctor yelled as he jumped into the fight.
The Doctor pushed Da vinci away and pulled Newton behind him. Newton lost his balance and fell smashing his head onto the ground.
"Doctor, he's hurt." Peri said running to Newton's side.
"He's dead." Peri said after checking his pulse.
"That's impossible, he's barely an adult. He has so much work to do, so much work that will never get done. Peri, I've changed history!!!" The Doctor was incredibly scared.
"This is all your fault!!! You weren't this stupid last time we met!" The Doctor shrieked at Da vinci.
"You've met him before?" Peri was confused.
"Who do you think introduced him to Mona Lisa?" The Doctor informed his companion as he turned back to Da vinci.
"The flow of time has altered, why don't I feel it, I should feel it?" The Doctor asked himself.
"Doctor, Look!!!" Peri pointed down at Newton's corpse.
Newton's body began to glow a bright white light. The illumination almost blinded the Doctor. The dead body twisted until its appearance was completely changed. It now was the same color of the room and its eyes were dark black. The alien tried to stand but writhed in pain.
"Oh my, who are you?" The Doctor was fascinated.
"We are Crodin." The creature answered.
"Where is Mr. Newton?"
"He was harvested and returned to his place in time."
"Good then, history remains unchanged. I never doubted myself." The Doctor said as Peri shot him a glaring look.
"Why have you brought us all here?" Peri shyly asked.
"She is ailing, they must be harvested."
"She? Who is she?" The Doctor chirped.
"Please you must hurry. They are coming." The extraterrestrial warned.
"Who is coming?" The Doctor asked.
The alien tried to respond but his head dropped to the floor.
"He's gone." Peri said.
Suddenly the ship rocked around them. The Doctor leaned against the Tardis to stabilize himself.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Peri questioned.
"The ship is being attack, its imperative that we get to the control room." The Doctor began examining the walls closely and knocking on them with his fist.
"Oh Doctor, what good is that going to do?" Peri argued.
"At least I'm doing something productive." The Doctored rocketed back.
"I'm just saying unless a door magically opens there is no way we are getting out of here." Peri explained.
A door magically opened in front of them stunning the two travelers.
"Well it seems someone out there likes us. Come along, Peri." The Doctor stepped through the door.
"What about them?" Peri looked back at Einstein and Da vinci.
"We are coming with you, Doctor." Einstein made his stance known.
"I don't think so. Both of you will be much safer in here." The Doctor said pulling Peri through the door.
Einstein ran for the door as the Doctor noticed a button on the wall.
"I wonder what this does." The Doctor sheepishly said pressing the button.
The door slid shut right in front of Einstein, trapping him and Da vinci once again.
"Did you really have to do that?" Peri was getting annoyed.
"We know nothing of the danger that lies on this ship. If either one of them died it would cause devastating consequences that would unravel the very fabric of your society." The Doctor tried to make very clear.
Peri and The Doctor began walking down a long white corridor. At the end the Doctor came across what looked like an interactive console. He began touching buttons on the touch screen.
"What is that?"
"I'm hoping it will display a map of the ship. So far it just seems to be a repository of data. Mathematical equations, literary works, and scientific formulas they're all here. They're not just from Earth but from planets throughout the universe." The Doctor kept searching through the repository as Peri walked on a bit further.
The Doctor's companion came to an open room entirely filled with mirrors. They lined the walls and the ceiling. She looked at her reflection in one of the mirrors and she moved deeper into the room.
"Doctor, I think you might want to see this." Peri called for him.
The Doctor walked into the room and a smile engulfed his face.
"Very clever, of course it all makes sense now."
"What do you mean?"
"The mirrors: each at a different angle and varying in size and shape. When this room is flooded with cronton particles it creates, at least temporarily, a time tunnel. I believe that's how our friends were removed from their times. Also presumably the entire ship itself could travel through time."
"So it's a time ship?" Peri questioned.
"Yes, one with a vast amount of knowledge in its data banks." The Doctor commented as the ship once again rocked.
"We really should find the control room." Peri urged.
"If only we knew which direction to go." The Doctor said as his head began to hurt.
"Are you alright, Doctor?" Peri was concerned.
"Quite alright, now let's get on our way." The Doctor again held his head in pain.
"Doctor." A soft voice said to him.
"Someone is speaking to me. A powerful psychic mind is reaching out. I think its telling us which way to go."
"Who could be talking to you?"
"We'll find out eventually, this way Peri." The Doctor moved onward.
The Doctor led Peri further down a corridor. Along the way they heard numerous explosions outside the ship. Finally reaching the control room the Doctor pressed a button to open the door. Upon entering the first thing the Doctor noticed was the large cylinder in the center of the room. Inside multi-color lights changed from one to the other. The cylinder went from the ceiling to the floor and it extended into the bottom of the ship. The floor was transparent and the Doctor could see a vast amount of wires and circuits. All around them were consoles that were used to control the ship but no one was in control of them.
"I don't understand, where's the crew?" Peri wondered.
"A crew is not needed. I am in control." A voice answered from all around them.
"Who are you?" The Doctor asked.
"I am Crodin. I am sorry for trapping you here but I had no other choice. I am under attack and will soon be boarded."
"Doctor, how can the ship fly without a crew?" Peri asked.
"The ship, it's alive. She's a living ship flying through time, with only one purpose: to gather knowledge. One thing I haven't figured out yet is this harvesting business."
"Their knowledge is the only thing that can sustain me. They were not meant to be harmed. Unfortunately, I do not have enough power remaining to return them to their homes."
"Of course, to some people knowledge is power but to you its life. You copy their memories, all the information they have accumulated throughout their lives and you make it a part of your consciousness. The more knowledge filling your data banks the more you can heal yourself."
"You are correct, Doctor." The Ship said as the whole room began to shake.
"What's happening? Peri was panicked.
"I do not have enough power to keep the attackers at bay, they are now boarding."
"Can you show me?" The Doctor asked pointing to a screen on a nearby console.
He and Peri watched as one of the airlocks blew opened and a number of beings dressed in silver entered the ship. One look at them and the Doctor knew they were in trouble.
"Doctor!!!" Peri shouted in fear at the images she saw on the screen.
"I know Peri, it's the Cybermen." The Doctor confirmed.