Chapter 9: The Future's Past Future Caught Up
Jack walked around a desk and opened the door to his office, his usual clothing now donned.
The Doctor, Merlin, and Arthur were seated in the main hall of the building when he entered carrying a bulky file.
"I don't know if you recall, Doctor, but this is a file on Arthur and Merlin which was just sent to us after review from UNIT."
The Doctor looked on in surprise, an expression that lasted only for a moment, before he regained his composure. "So, I can't believe it was this version of me who played that part. I knew it had to happen in the future but I didn't know when."
"Doctor, what do you mean 'played that part'?" said Merlin.
"You Merlin…there is much more happening here than meets the eye and Mortimus is partially behind it." The Doctor looked at Jack who seemingly knew exactly what he was on about.
"Doctor, you destroyed the ship though, in your seventh self. Morgán and Mordrid were incarcerated and held in special cells. Do you remember this at all?"
"It's there, but it's like something is making me forget, something darker, more evil, a shadow is at my back." The Doctor stood and pressed his fingers to his temples. Jack continued, "it was the fight for Excalibur, a group of inter-universal warriors attacked a nature reserve where UNIT forces were transporting a nuclear missile and apparently an archeological excavation had unearthed the sheath of Excalibur."
"I know this…what am I missing, something…"
"The Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was brought in out of retirement to assist you and your companion Ace."
"Ace…ace….Ace up my sleeve…I know this…" The Doctor grabbed at his head as images and memories flooded in.
"A demon like creature called the…"
"Devourer of Worlds was summoned." The Doctor spoke interrupting Jack, his eyes were a glaze and a strange voice raked from his mouth. "The Devourer of Worlds, the Destroyer, a dark shadow that marks the end of time" said the Doctor, before he fell to the floor with a thud. Both Jack and Merlin rushed to him while Arthur stood and drew his sword. A great shadow emerged against the wall, a shadow of horns and fangs and claws.
The shadow reached out from the wall swiping at Merlin; Arthur reacted, catching the shadow with his blade, which cut perfectly through the shadow. From out of the mouth of the still unconscious Doctor, a hideous laugh arose before the shadow dwindled and disappeared.
"Doctor…wake up…Doctor…" Jack hauled the Doctor up to a sitting position just as he came to with a wretch.
"GAH! …Time…time…time is changing…something's happening…" he clasped his hand to his left heart.
"The transverse matrix is activated" said Mortimus, his hand was manually adjusting a dial on a rudimentary control board. Morgana stood by watching as a glimmering opening formed in the middle of the castle of Avalon.
"Beyond this veil lies another world, where magic and the power you seek originate. This place is a gateway between universes and the magic you use leaks through here. Those touched by this place draw upon its power. Morgana, if you wish to best Uther Pendragon and to change the fate of this history step forth and find on the other side the strength you need." Mortimus pointed to the veil, a wry grin across his face. "And we will see just," he thought, "what you have Doctor."
In the darkness of one of the arches of the dilapidated castle stood a teenage boy, and before either Mortimus or Morgana could reacted he raced into the veil.
"Mordrid…" Morgana looked to Mortimus before taking her own leap into the veil.
All that had happened in 1963 reformed in the Doctor's mind, both what had happened, what would change. The flow of time erupted with possibilities and for the first time since their arrival in the 1970s he could see time as he usually could.
"Doctor, are you okay?" Jack said, pulling him up again, now to a standing position.
"Yes, right…wait no, maybe…I'm not sure. MULTI-BENE!"
"Doctor," said Merlin, "do you know what that shadow was?"
"Shadow?"
"Yes, the one that attacked us," said Arthur, as he sheathed his sword.
"No, no, maybe…I need to check the TARDIS…" The Doctor walked out of the main hall followed by Jack leaving Merlin and Arthur behind.
"Jack…" he said, "Jack listen to me, Arthur is going to die, Excalibur will become more than a sword created by that dragon. Someone has messed with time and we need to stop it."
"That shadow, Doctor, it wasn't what I think it was?"
"The Destroyer, the Devourer or Worlds, something has changed, somehow it has been with me for a long time. I'm afraid that the past is not right and the damage might be irreversible."
Jack returned to Arthur and Merlin who had discovered the television. The images of cars and women and commercials blazed across the screen and they stood in awe.
"Okay fellas, the Doctor says the TARDIS is still repairing its self and it will be awhile until it's good to go. In the meantime I don't think there will be much of a problem showing you around."
"What is this? Magic of some sort," said Merlin pressing his hand against the TV, "it's warm…but not burning."
"Uh…" Jack scratched his head, "it's a television, it shows images that are being broadcast over radio waves. It's a machine." Jack switched it off, "I think we need to get out of here for awhile. Let the Doctor deal with his demons."
"Where to then? Into the village, we should get your horses read, Merlin" Arthur ordered with his usual air of arrogance.
"This is going to be a long day…we aren't going to use horses, I have my own sort of transportation." Jack jammed his thumb towards the door and turned to exit. Swinging the main doors wide open the full view of a 1960s VW bus, painted black with Torchwood stamped on the doors, seemed to shimmer in the daylight.
"A black carriage without horses…and how does it move, magic too?" Merlin rushed out the door and up to the carriage. Walked around it several times before coming to a stop at the front. "It's metal, all metal."
"Climb in, we'll get something to eat." Jack opened the front door and side door for them and then climbed into the driver's side. As soon as Merlin and Arthur were seated he started the engine and pulled out onto a street past two very tall brick walls. Both Arthur and Merlin held on for dear life grasping their seats and anything else that seemed solid.
"This…this is mad, it is crazier than a wild unbroken horse in a thunderstorm" exclaimed Arthur. Merlin merely grinned as Jack drove the bus at a great speed of forty miles per hour. It wasn't long before they found themselves in downtown Cardiff where Jack slowed to a reasonable twenty miles per hour. The buildings were of brick, stacked together in close quarters. Old and new collided as business men and shopping women dressed in the latest fashions, hair dues, bell bottoms and skirts, bustled up and down the streets. It was a sight for the early agers. Merlin and Arthur escaped the metal carriage as Jack parked it in an on street space.
"Welcome to Cardiff circa 1971. Industry is booming, business is fair, shops are abound, and you'll fit right in I think. Just don't wave your sword around and if you have to pee ask for a bathroom."
Merlin stood in the middle of the street looking around, it was a brilliant sight. "Oh yeah, don't stand in the middle of…" Jack turned around just in time to see a car racing up the street, Merlin also reacted, his hand went up, "ATAL!" his eyes glowed and the car came to a screeching halt.
Jack rushed to Merlin and dragged him off the street, "Don't, and I mean Don't stand in the middle of the street. You're likely to get killed."
Much of the day was spent wandering the streets of Cardiff getting strange looks, eating food at Jack's expense, and otherwise marveling at the modern world. It wasn't until they reached a medieval fair did Arthur and Merlin enter into their element at the surprise of the fair goers and showmen.
"Jack, I thought you said we're in the 1970s…this looks like well our time" said Merlin.
"It's a fair, people put on these sort of events to celebrate and experience history."
A jousting tournament had just commenced and the reigning king and queen, dressed in faux-period clothing marked by the 1970s fashion had raised their arm for their champion to win. The horses galloped, and in a short brief strike of the taller silver clad knight's lance broke off knocking his opponent to the ground.
Arthur and Merlin, ignoring Jack's order to not to enter, clamored over the railing past the seated festival goers and raised their arm to the king and queen. The rather enamored actors looked at each other before addressing Arthur and Merlin.
"Who art thou peasants?" said the queen.
"I am Prince Arthur, this is Merlin my page. I wish to enter your tournament."
"Really now, Prince Arthur, have you Excalibur pulled from the stone?" The other knights laughed at the king's joke, as did a large portion of the crowd who had caught the conversation.
"No," said Arthur, "I have no need for that sword in a contest against your knights. Or are they Too Cowardly to face their Prince."
"So be it!" said the would be king. Arthur stormed to the opposing end where the losing knight had fallen, followed by Merlin. Jack, rather amused, watched on from the sidelines.
"Is he one of the regulars?" said the queen to the king. "I don't know…he seems certainly adamant on winning this. I wonder if he knows the game is rigged…the competitor's lances are collapsible" the king whispered to the queen.
In the opponent's tent the regalia of a knight was strewn about as though no one cared. The metal was tarnished and dented, and while Arthur still wore his usual armor and chain, he began to don the armor left there. Merlin examined the lances as Arthur put on the chestplate, which with the modern attachments slipped on without issue.
"Arthur, these lances aren't going to do anything against those knights. No wonder the opponents are losing. They collapse in on themselves." He showed him one and pushed down on the end, it went in and then out again.
"You can fix that can't you?" Arthur said, "I won't lose to such lowly knights. They dishonor the title."
"Maybe you shouldn't do this, Jack did say it was a festival, they really aren't knights."
"Come on Merlin, one who claims to be a knight, wears their armor, carries their swords, rides a horse and attacks is nothing less than a knight, even if they are shallow pigs."
Merlin nodded to this and said a few words over the hollow lance to fill it with wood. He pressed down on the end it didn't give. "I'll do the same to the others in case you break one."
Arthur and Merlin walked out of the tent, the dented armor repaired and shining, if by magic, and Arthur mounted the horse. Merlin raised one of the fixed lances to him and he squared himself to joust.
The other knight was also ready, a shoddy gauntlet was perched on the end of his lance and he waited for his king to signal. With a drop of the hand the meet began. The horses thundered down either side of the long railing each man aiming for the other's torso. The silver clad knight didn't maneuver to avoid the hit, he didn't know too. The strike was rapturous as he flew from his saddle for the first time in his career and landed with a thud on the ground. The lance Arthur held had crumpled and was left broken and splintered. Each person rose in the crowd and applauded loudly, just as both the royal actors also stood in bewildered astonishment. Arthur rallied his horse and galloped to the king and queen's stand, raised his visor and starred at them. "Who is my next challenger?"
