Doctor Who

Bodyswap

Featuring The Ninth Doctor and Tenth Doctor

The echoes of the past and future...colliding at the point of eternity...

Chapter Six: Meetings

"Themeetingof two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed." – Carl Gustav Jung

The following takes place before Journey's End and The Next Doctor

How long had he been out? Visions and sounds had assaulted his senses as he'd stumbled without any direction, tripping over his coat on occasion and getting turned around. Concussion?! the Tenth Doctor's fizzled mind spun trying to centre him back in reality. Jagged rocks dug into his palm as he brushed against the wall, biting his numb lip as he suddenly found himself leaning against a smooth wall, closing his eyes and welcome darkness.

Footsteps entered his subconscious, drumming a rhythm that shook the fillings in his teeth and ruffled his hair molecules. His bones and muscles ached as he attempted to stand, stumbling again and hitting the stone floor with a crack. Everything hurt, his Time Lord DNA had certain advantages against galactic storm clouds and diseases, but a common injury such as concussion affected him at it would a bog-standard human being.

At the end of his barely stable conscience, he was aware that someone was near him, standing over him? No, approaching him from somewhere else, behind him?

"What the...?" a female voice shattered the safety of sleep.

Elizabeth Swanson knelt down in front of the crumpled figure on the floor of her parents' pub basement. Dressed in a long brown coat, thin form fitted underneath a crumpled blue suit, the stranger with impossible hair blinked rapidly in response to her question. It was obvious he was hurt in some way or another, the only clue a blue bruise splattered across his forehead. She glanced around the room, looking for some clue as to explain the stranger before her. It was only when she looked did she notice a trapdoor open behind a box of crisps she had never known was there. She'd have to ask her parents about it later.

"Do you need any help?" she asked stupidly, knowing that the unanswered answer was yes.

The Doctor sat up sluggishly, arms slapping onto the floor in a vague sense of gaining some balance. Gaining little composure, he placed his palm flat on the ground and steadied himself, glancing up at Elizabeth with a miserable look mixed with wonder.

"I wouldn't say no to a cup of tea" he smiled.

-Doctor Who-

"Something is generating that shield to keep you all here, which also somehow drives visitors away at the same time"

The Ninth Doctor took another sip of his tea and fiddled with his sonic screwdriver as he spoke, gaining odd looks from Harold and Angela. Simon seemed used to the mysterious stranger, nodding in unison as he too took a sip of tea. The Doctor had taken off his jacket and was now scanning the whole room with his screwdriver, smiling and frowning in equal measure as he moved.

"From what I've seen and what you've told me, I'm going to guess brain control. It's been ages since I've seen brain control. Fantastic" he explained, widening his arms as if he were a magician revealing the greatest trick in the world.

"But what is controlling them, if what you're saying is true?" Harold fumed, accidently slamming his cup onto the table in a rare show of emotion, heightened by his fear.

The Doctor took a moment, glancing out of the window; saw something no-body else saw and dropped back into his seat. Simon followed his gaze out of the window but saw nothing of interest. The jubilant mood that had encompassed the room when he'd first entered had slowly drained out at this lack of remark.

"What a surprise, somebody else who doesn't have a clue" Angela smirked, walking to the window involuntary and following the gaze of the others.

Despite all this, all eyes in the room fell upon the Doctor, who seemed to have fallen into a trance, yet his face twitched as it was obvious to the observant that he was thinking rapidly. Suddenly, he jumped up and grabbed Simon by the shoulders, looking at him for a moment.

"What is it about that lighthouse none of you like?" he revealed, addressing the whole room but concentrating on Simon.

Nervous glances were shared between Angela and Harold, who had taken standing positions beside each other on the other side of the table. Even Simon seemed a little shook up, and it was only when he really noticed up-close did the Doctor see what he suspected; nobody could look at the lighthouse for more than a second.

"Whoever is behind all this, I think there in the lighthouse"

-Doctor Who-

"Another slice of toast, Doctor?"

The Tenth Doctor and Elizabeth sat across from each other at a table in the small pub kitchen, a pot of tea and plate of toast between them. After the Doctor had regained some of his senses, he'd introduced himself and visa versa and somehow persuaded her to listen to his story over breakfast.

The Doctor graciously took another slice and smiled at her, a warm smile he hadn't had since the last time Donna had made him laugh. It was his last great memory of her, both of them sat on an asteroid heading towards a super nova. After defeating the mega rocket hedgehog aliens from Brom-Nine, they'd been forced to catch a ride back to the TARDIS where he'd last parked it. Donna had made a joke about rocks and a hard-place, and the Doctor had smiled and hugged her tight as they'd jumped.

"So you've seen those people at the beach too?" the Doctor ventured.

Elizabeth, who'd asked the Doctor to call her Beth, nodded and smiled at him. "So you really expect me to believe what you've told me so far?" she said jokily.

The Doctor leaned back in his seat and took another bite of toast. "You know deep down its true, it explains everything. Zygons, an alien species that has the power to shape shift, have brainwashed this whole town for some reason or another, and have a killer sea monster protecting their base in the lighthouse. Except, you seem to be unaffected" he mused as he finished his toast.

"Let's say I believe you..."

"You believe me, or at least you want too. No other reason you'd help me and not tell someone when you find me in your basement otherwise" the Doctor interrupted.

Beth stammered and stopped, looking down into her cup of tea as he took a deep breath and carried on her side of the conversation.

"It isn't just me not affected. There are four of us who seem unaffected by this 'brain-washing'. We've been by ourselves for four months now; whenever we try to talk to the others they blank us and forget we even asked. We are at a loss" she blurted out, as the Doctor grabbed her hand across the table and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm here to help now. Please excuse this" he said, turning on his sonic screwdriver and running it against her forehead. Examining the results, he hummed and leaned back in his chair.

"I think we should go and see these friends of yours"

-Doctor Who-

The Ninth Doctor had finished his sonic examination of his three new friends and put it back into his jacket pocket.

"You are all normal, healthy human beings. No reason you shouldn't be joining the others on the beach" he revealed, suppressing a mild chuckle as Angela frowned at him.

Simon rubbed his eyes and patted him on the shoulder. "So how do we stop it?"

"The lighthouse. What can you tell me about it?" he replied, once again addressing the rag-tag team of freedom fighters.

It was Harold who spoke. "It's just a lighthouse. Been there since...well since I was a..."

"You can't remember because of the perception filter its emitting. Whatever is protecting you all from walking down to that beach is obviously not enough to protect you completely. Side-effects and all that, very technical" the Doctor summarised, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair.

"This Elizabeth you were talking about earlier, the other one not affected. You said her parents run that pub in town?"

"Yes" Simon said. "You want to talk to her?"

"I just want to scan her and see what she knows. Then we can decide together on what to do next. Simon, let's go see Elizabeth"

"Beth. She likes to be called Beth" Simon remarked as he put his coat on too and followed the Doctor.

"What are we supposed to do?" Angela barked, Harold nodded in unison with her. It seemed they had finally reached a mutual understanding; they were the third and forth wheel in this team the Doctor and Simon had seemed to form.

As the Doctor reached to open the door, it opened from the other side. Standing on the other side was a young girl with messy blonde hair, dressed in a long woollen dress under a denim jacket, black tights and converse on her feet. Standing beside her was a man wearing a messy blue suit, brown coat and black converse on his feet.

But there was something wrong with him, or right? Both men looked at each other, and what seemed to be an electric shock triggered between them. They glanced at where their two hearts were, the sonic screwdrivers in their pockets, psychic paper in the other. Echoes of the present and future seemed to coalesce together to form sounds, words and images.

Bad wolf...Davros...Ood...River Song...four drumbeats...heartbeat of a Time Lord...

Striking and arching across all of Time and Spaces, past regenerations came upon one another; judging, arguing, laughing, crying, all the emotions of a Time Lord.

Wins and losses; Time War, Donna Noble, Valiant, Torchwood.

Soon, there was only the Past and Present, stood together on the edge of Tomorrow and Yesterday.

Two minds spoke as one, but altogether unique.

-Doctor Who-

Tenth: I remember now...

Ninth: Does that mean..?

Tenth: Oh yes. What do you think?

Ninth: Less hair maybe

Tenth: What are the odds? Both of us here, right here right now. But i remember this meeting, this whole encounter.

Ninth: So you must remember what happened?

Tenth: The memories are fuzzy. But I know what is happening. Zygons, we have Zygons on our hands.

Ninth: They must be brainwashing them all somehow. Except these four, do you remember why?

Tenth: No. Is there anything 'we' remember that can help us?

Ninth: There is a shield surrounding the town, blocking escape. The Zygons are planning something. Then there is the lighthouse.

Tenth: The Zygons are using it as a base. I was attacked by a Skarasen.

Ninth: Then I guess we're going to the lighthouse.

-Doctor Who-

In a conversation that explained everything yet nothing at the same time, it took second to the two Time Lords. To everyone else, it was even shorter. Almost at once, they took the room, trying unavoidable to top the other, to be the one in charge. But it was the Tenth to backed down, knowing what was to come, and what he had lost, that perhaps he wasn't the best choice.

Too much loss...

"We need to get to that lighthouse. Coming along?" Ninth said to Tenth, who gave a look of agreement as he leaned against the back wall.

"What about us?" Beth said, drawn to Tenth, who smiled weakly.

"It might be too dangerous. It's probably better if you stay here and wait for us" Tenth replied.

"I'm definitely coming with you. This is my village, and I might be able to help you" Simon said, grabbing his cane and pointing it at Ninth.

"Fine, your with me" he said, a cheeky smile across his face.

"Oh all right then" Tenth said as he stood up straight, grabbing a hold of Beth's hand.

"And us? What do we do while you go out to kill yourselves?" Harold exclaimed, motioning himself and Andrea.

"Keep an eye out, let us know if anything happens. One of you got a phone?" Tenth offered, to which Harold pointed at his landline across from them.

"Good. Any sign of trouble, you two let us know"

At that, the Time Lords and friends entered out to save Littlerock Bay.

Next: Teamwork and Lighthouses.