Dreamers of Beauty
This story serves as a sequel to the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip "Dreamers of Death" by Steve Moore and the TV story "The Visitation" by Eric Saward. Brimo the Time Witch is the title character of the Doctor Who Weekly comic strip "The Time Witch" by Steve Moore. I do not own the characters of the Doctor, Sharon and Vernor Allen, or the Terileptils.
I would like to acknowledge the influence of the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip "The Love Invasion", by Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman, on one of the plot elements of this story's final two chapters.
Doctor Who is a trademark of the BBC.
Part Six: Conclusions
I
Several residents of Unicepter City were puzzled on that memorable morning by a strange arrival in their home or office: a small android, resembling a child of unearthly beauty, and holding a peculiar green bracelet in its hand. The androids were covered with what looked like gemstones, but were subsequently discovered to be manufactured from a mineral compound not yet developed by humanity.
The appearance of the androids was eerie. But, since they did not move and appeared to pose no danger, their recipients soon got over their fear of them. It seemed that they were designed to be controlled by an external intelligence, which was now lacking. A few households ended up displaying them as pieces of sculpture.
II
Trevor Allen had had to drag Andrew and Billy backwards towards the control panels as he heard the Slinth Terileptil advance toward them. In another moment it would be upon them. Closing his eyes, Trevor raised the rifle one last time.
The darkness was suddenly rent by a strange wheezing, groaning sound, like nothing Trevor had ever heard before. Opening his eyes, he saw the bizarre shape of the faux Terileptil dimly illuminated by a small white light, flashing cheerfully atop a tall blue box that nestled in the corner of the room as though it had always been there.
A moment later, the Terileptil collapsed inward upon itself. Slinths tumbled to the floor and rolled across the room, their growls rapidly diminishing in volume and intensity. They seemed to be once again falling asleep.
"What happened?" Billy asked. Trevor saw with relief that he and Andrew had come out of their trance and were staring in confusion at the slinth-strewn floor.
"I think it's over," Trevor said. "I don't know how or why, but it's over."
The door of the blue box opened. The Doctor poked his head out into the room, a cheerful expression on his broad face.
"Trevor!" he said. "All well here?"
Vernor and Sharon pushed their way out past the Doctor. Trevor carefully placed the rifle on the floor and hugged his brother hard.
"There, you see, Vernor?" the Doctor said. "I told you you'd see him today."
"But I still don't understand, Doctor," Sharon said. "I know the two Terileptils we met will be dreaming for the rest of their lives with those slinths on their shoulders, but what about the other Terileptils in orbit? And why have the slinths here gone dormant again?" she added, looking around the room. "Surely the power to the psychic field hasn't come on again?"
"As for the slinths, Sharon, I simply projected the TARDIS' telepathic field externally to tranquillise them throughout this building, the same way I had used it to keep Miki and the other slinth under control. As for the Terileptils, they've rather been hoist by their own petard, shall we say."
"What do you mean by that?" Vernor asked.
"I reversed the transmat controls in the underground module. Approximately one second before the plague would have been launched into Unicepter's atmosphere, the lab instead rematerialised aboard the Terileptil mother-ship and released the biological agents there. The lab module itself is sealed off, but the pathogens will have spread through the rest of the spacecraft."
"You mean you killed every Terileptil on the ship?" Sharon asked, stunned. "Blimey, I don't remember you being so ruthless, Doctor!"
The Doctor stepped toward Sharon through the dimness of the room, carefully avoiding the slumbering slinths on the floor. His face was uncharacteristically serious.
"Believe me, Sharon, I had no choice," he said. "In none of my incarnations have I relished the taking of life, human or otherwise. Although I must admit that, in this instance, I felt some satisfaction in seeing the Terileptils destroyed with their own weapon."
"I guess I can understand that, Doctor," Sharon said slowly. "There wasn't any other way, was there?"
"No, Sharon. I regret to say there wasn't."
"The important thing is that Unicepter is free and safe," Vernor said.
"How's that for a slice of fried gold?" Andrew asked.
Trevor gave him another puzzled look.
"Sorry. That was another truly obscure reference," he said, embarrassed. "I apologise."
"Never apologise for your cultural knowledge – Andrew, was it?" the Doctor said, turning to him. "If I expressed regret whenever someone failed to understand me, I would have little time for anything else."
"That's for sure," Sharon said, smiling.
The Doctor smiled back.
"Back in the TARDIS, then?" Vernor asked, having satisfied himself that his brother and the others were all right.
"As it happens, Vernor, that would not be feasible at the moment. My ship will have to remain here until repairs are made to Unicepter's power grid, to ensure the slinths pose no danger."
"What's the plan, then?" Sharon asked.
"I would suggest a long, pleasant walk back to your house, Sharon," the Doctor said. "If the sun has not yet risen, it should be doing so sometime soon."
III
Seven days had passed. With repairs to Unicepter City's power and communications systems largely completed, the City Council was once again holding a meeting at the Hall of Government.
"Our robotics technicians tell us it may take another fortnight to get the farming equipment outside the city working again," Lady Troucal was saying. "However, we have requested an emergency shipment of food supplies from Galactic Central, so that should get us over the gap in production."
"I have also asked the military to report the Terileptil vessel to Galactic Central as a plague ship," Lord Yelreeg added. "They will tag it as such and transport it to another sector of space."
"That was well thought of, My Lord," the Doctor said, rising from his seat. "However, it was not actually necessary. The Terileptil craft is now far away from Unicepter."
"How do you know that, Doctor?" Lord Yelreeg asked. "The military's tracking equipment is not yet working, and even when it was it failed to detect the warship."
"I checked on the scanner in my own personal transport," the Doctor explained. "But even if I had not done so, I would know about the departure of the Terileptil death ship. It was my doing."
"Was that wise?" Lady Ewor asked, somewhat alarmed. "If anyone tries to pick up the ship for salvage, they could spread the contagion."
"I hardly think so, My Lady," the Doctor replied. "When I was in the control room of the underground module, I programmed the Markham Paradigm into the main computer."
"The Markham Paradigm?" Lady Noham asked, puzzled.
"A fascinating concept in the field of artificial intelligence, pioneered by an old friend of mine. The Markham Paradigm causes a computer or neural network to seek out new ideas, new information and technology, no matter how primitive or advanced the hardware programmed with it may itself be. When the lab was transmatted back onto the warship, the module computer transferred the Markham Paradigm to the ship's computer. With the crew dead, the computer was left in sole control of the Terileptil spacecraft."
"So it flew off into outer space, seeking out new life and new civilisations?" Sharon interjected. She and Vernor were seated beside the Doctor. Mr. Munipalt, who seemed uncharacteristically quiet, was also present.
"More or less," the Doctor agreed. "Since the Terileptils have already acquired a thorough knowledge of this galaxy – even the parts they have not yet attempted to conquer – the computer will have to search elsewhere for the shock of the new. It should now be piloting the warship toward the Andromeda Galaxy – a journey of, oh, a few millennia, I suppose."
"That's enough science for me for one meeting," Lady Noham said, rolling her eyes. "Motion to adjourn."
As the meeting broke up, Lords Yelreeg and Dhur approached Munipalt.
"Bill, you know the next City Council election is coming up soon," Yelreeg said. "John and I have decided to let you know, if you want to run, we'll endorse you."
"I don't know, Al," Munipalt said. "I still feel bad about agreeing to surrender to the Terileptils."
"We were all there, Munipalt," Lord Dhur said. "We all agreed. There was no viable alternative."
"How about it, Bill?" Yelreeg asked, a smile on his broad red face. "Wouldn't you like to be called 'Lord Munipalt'?"
"You do have an impressive resume, you know," Dhur added. "For one thing, you graduated university in only one year."
"I'm still not sure," Munipalt said. "The public seem satisfied with the three Ladies controlling the Council's votes. I'll probably lose."
Vernor was passing Munipalt and the two Lords on his way out. He overheard the last part of the exchange.
"I'll vote for you, Mr. Munipalt," he said. "As for whether you'll win or not, well, as Sherlock Holmes would say, 'We can but try.'"
IV
The Doctor had at last been able to dematerialise his TARDIS from the control room of the Slinth House, where the power had come back on, enabling the keepers to reactivate the psychic field. The Police Box was now sitting outside Vernor and Sharon's home. The Doctor had arrived a bit later than they expected, looking embarrassed and muttering something about having encountered a female history professor on the way. The three of them were now having a cup of tea in the kitchen.
"You're still a bit sad about Miki, aren't you?" Sharon asked, seeing her husband's smile falter a bit during a lull in the conversation.
"Yeah," Vernor admitted. "Don't get me wrong – I know he's doing a good thing, and that he helped save Unicepter. But it's still a shame he has to be exiled permanently like that."
"Miki is doing what he did with you, Vernor," the Doctor said. "He's helping someone dream. The Terileptil love of beauty is so potent that the Leader will keep Miki nourished with emotional energy for years. Neither your friend nor his mammalian colleague will ever again have to feed on negative emotions like fear and anger, as they did during the Slinth Crisis. Those feelings are strong in humans, but not as strong as the joy in beauty experienced by the Terileptils."
"And yet they're warmongers."
"As I have said before, Vernor, the Terileptils are a race full of contradictions. They're much like humanity in that respect, if I may say so without offence."
There was a long, thoughtful silence, which was broken by Sharon.
"Doctor," she said hesitantly, "there's something I've been thinking about ever since you arrived last week. There's a huge favour I would like to ask you."
"Yes, Sharon?"
"Do you think you could take a message to my parents that I'm all right?"
The Doctor frowned.
"I admit that my knowledge of family affairs is somewhat limited," he said. "However, I have to say I'm not sure they would ever understand. Especially not about your, ahem, 'growing up'."
Vernor leaned forward in his chair, a serious expression on his face but a glint of amusement in his eyes. Sharon had often told him about her encounter with Brimo the Time Witch and its bizarre result.
"I think what Sharon is trying to tell you is –" he said.
"That I've already written a letter to them," Sharon finished. "Vernor's helped me write it, actually, over the months we've been married. I've been waiting all this time for you to come back so I could give it to you."
She picked up an envelope from the table and handed it to the Doctor.
"Please, Doctor – just deliver it," she said. "I'll never know if they'll understand or not, but I want them to know I'm alive. The family of that security guard who fell into the sinkhole are heartbroken that they couldn't recover his body. I don't want Mum and Dad to go through that."
The Doctor solemnly took the envelope and placed it in the inside pocket of his coat.
"At what time would you like me to deliver it?" he asked.
"Long enough after I left so they'll understand I've grown up a bit," Sharon said. "But not too long."
V
Later that afternoon, after a last hug for Sharon and a last handshake for Vernor, the Doctor stepped into his TARDIS. Standing on the front doorstep of the house, Vernor squeezed Sharon's hand as the familiar blue shape dematerialised. After a few seconds, however, it reappeared. The Doctor stuck his head out again.
"Sorry!" he shouted. "I set the coordinates for Blackcastle. I need to remember – to get to Blackcastle, set the controls for Unicepter! Au revoir!"
Sharon and Vernor laughed as the Police Box disappeared again. Both guessed that it wouldn't be the last time they saw the Doctor.
VI
Dear Mum and Dad,
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write. You both must have been worried nearly to death about me. I should have contacted you a long time ago, and I can't defend the fact that I didn't. There are reasons why, but you wouldn't believe them. Please believe me when I say that.
You know I always said I wanted to leave home when I turned 18, see the world. Well, I left a little early. I've seen the world and then some. At first I meant to come back, but I've grown up a lot since I've been gone, and now I have responsibilities keeping me here.
I'm living a long way from home now – too far to come visit, or even call, I'm afraid. I hope this letter makes up for that a bit. I might be able to write you again sometime, but the mail service here is a bit irregular.
I've gotten married. I know you'll say I'm awfully young, but I'm not that much younger than you were, Mum. And I've found the most wonderful man in the universe. Believe me, Mum, that's saying something. I met lots of people while I was travelling, but when I met Vernor, I didn't need to travel any more.
I hope you can forgive me. And even if you can't, I wanted you to know that I'm happy. You always said that was a very important thing.
Say hello to Fudge and everyone else for me. I miss you both every day. Happy times and places.
Lots of love,
Sharon
VII
In the TARDIS control room, the Doctor practically danced around the central console, navigating his time-craft back to Blackcastle, England, in the early 1980s. Sharon's letter was safely tucked inside his coat. He joyfully whistled a tune, one he had not thought of for a long time.
And on the plague ship, inside the sealed laboratory module, two Terileptils sat fast asleep in their chairs, both with slinths nestled comfortably on their shoulders, dreaming of beauty.
THE END