Episode 9:
Let's Play a Different Game
Scarlett clung to the T.A.R.D.I.S.'s door handles as she flung herself outside in a surge of excitement. The Doctor scuttled behind her while he mentally debated if they should've landed there or not.
"Don't look so bored, Doctor. Let's go find out where we are!" Scarlett exclaimed as she flew herself out into the unknown location.
Despite their latest adventure, the Doctor couldn't help but wonder if Scarlett was faking her excitement. However, his instincts told him that her constant, dramatic mood swings were not signs of false enthusiasm. The Doctor sped-walked behind her in case they landed somewhere dangerous. He didn't even bother to check the readings on the T.A.R.D.I.S. in order to see where they landed. The light from the machine's interior lit up the room that Scarlett and the Doctor were now standing in.
"It's tiny and smells of dust," Scarlett complained as she let out a cough.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it looks like it could all fall apart any minute," the Doctor concluded as he scavenged the room.
The two of them strolled around the vacant, abandoned space. They were exploring for no other reason than curiosity. The room consisted of a corner kitchen with built-in table countertops and non-working appliances such as a stove and small refrigerator. There was a set of chairs with a table that was completely intact. The wooden floors and walls looked like they were ready to collapse from the wear and tear of many years. However, the kitchen ensemble didn't look worn out at all; it was merely coated with layers of dust. No other furniture or homely item sat in the tiny living space. The only two windows were painted black and the front door stood by itself on a lonely wall. No one had obviously lived there for a very long time.
"Where are the mites?" the Doctor questioned.
"The what?"
"The cockroaches? The rodents? Where are they? Old, beaten down place like this must have little parasites gnawing at its remains."
"You got me… but I did just find some candles in a drawer," Scarlett smiled as she ransacked the kitchen countertops' drawers.
"Sometimes I wonder how much you actually listen to me," the Doctor stated.
His companion giggled at his remark as she stuffed her pockets with random goodies she found in the drawers: cigarettes, money, stamps, etc.
Old memorabilia is always worth a fortune in the future.
Suddenly, the T.A.R.D.I.S. doors shut from across the room. The interior of the building couldn't be seen anymore and everything was pitch black. The Doctor stumbled towards his machine and pulled on the handles where he reached her.
"Locked!" the Doctor shouted in dismay.
"How?"
"Oh, something has her upset. Poor, poor girl. Something isn't right."
"Something like what?"
"Temporal shifts tend to distraught her," the Doctor complained as he began shouting angrily at his machine, "which is a total contradiction since she herself is, in fact, a temporal shift!"
He ventured into his coat pocket to pull out the T.A.R.D.I.S. key. Once he put the key into the lock, it shot back out. He didn't even get a chance to turn it in the lock before the T.A.R.D.I.S. rejected it. When it hit the wooden floor, the ching of the key vibrated throughout the silent room making the air seemingly tense from the high-pitched noise.
"There's no need to get loud," Scarlett's voice traveled through the darkness. "I got candles."
"My machine automatically deadlocks herself and all you want to do is light candles," the Doctor heatedly announced.
"Calm down. We certainly can't find out what the problem is if we can't see, now can we?"
Scarlett's attitude was still at an all-time high from their last adventure. However, the Doctor wasn't quite as lighthearted as his companion appeared to be. He spun around to no longer face the T.A.R.D.I.S's doors and estimated where he had just heard Scarlett's voice. About five, large strides away from his machine, the Doctor fell over one of the kitchen chairs. He started coughing from the dust cloud that now consumed the room.
"Fine," he sighed, "go ahead and light them."
"I don't have any matches."
"Then how do you figure lighting them, my dear?"
"Don't you have something? A lighter or some matches?"
"That's a fire hazard. I don't keep objects like that on my person."
"Doctor, I've seen the size of your pockets. They're bigger on the inside. Don't you at least have something like two twigs?"
"God Lord, girl. What do you need twigs for?"
"To rub them together and make a fire."
"You need sticks, not twigs. And no, I don't have any."
"Sticks, twigs, whatever. We need to make fire to see."
"Don't look to me for help. I don't know."
"Remind me not to take you with me on a survival mission. We'd both be dead."
"Excuse you, Scarlett, but I've gotten you out of quite a number of sticky, little situations. Don't tell me that I don't know what I'm doing," the Doctor said light-heartedly.
"Then light this candle."
"I don't know how to light the candle. There's no matches around."
"Exactly! If you can't light this little wick then…"
"Quit bittering with me, Miss Scarlett, or I'll give you a good licking."
"Good luck finding your target if you can't see anything," Scarlett grinned.
"Why are we even arguing? Let's just find the door and allow the natural light in," the Doctor suggested. "It's certainly a lot less complicated than lighting candles."
Scarlett rolled her eyes at his recommendation. Although the blackness prevented him from seeing her, the Doctor knew exactly was her facial expression was and smirked just thinking about it.
The two of them started walking around the room with their hands and arms spread out. Scarlett started following the feel of the wall until she found a window. She tugged on it but it wouldn't budge. After a couple minutes, she finally made her way to the front door. Luckily, it wasn't locked and she flung the door open towards her. The entire room light up with a dull color as the moonlight shone into the room. Everything was now visible under some light.
"Doctor, I know where we are! This is Union Street!"
"Where?"
"I used to go pass through this street all the time when I was little! And look," Scarlett stretched out her arm and pointed to the apartments across the street, "those folks have decorations out. Pumpkins! It must be Halloween!"
The Doctor had a displeased look on his face as he scanned the street.
"Where are the children?"
"It must be really late at night. I'm sure they're home by now. Or maybe it's not the 31st yet…"
The Doctor took a step outside and turned around to get a good look at what building they were in.
"We're in a house. The majority of the street looks like apartments."
"That's not uncommon, Doctor. My home is a house and I only live a few minutes away."
The Doctor turned to face back to the decorated apartments across the street. He strode across the empty road as Scarlett stayed in the doorway of the vacant house. He paused in the middle of the street and turned around to signal her to stay where she was. Once he faced the apartments again, she watched him as he got closer and closer to one of the buildings. The only thing she could see from that distance was the outline of his figure bending over and picking something up. He marched across the street again and approached Scarlett with an apple and a newspaper in both his hands.
"An apple. They have a basket set out. Who gives children apples on Halloween? Low-sugar, healthy no-lives," the Doctor whined.
"So it is Halloween! I knew it."
"There. Are you happy? It's Halloween… still doesn't fix our problem."
"Well, what does the paper have to say?" Scarlett asked.
"'San Francisco Earthquake Recovery Continues'…" the Doctor read aloud from the front page. "Looks like we're in 1906."
"Well, that's just peachy."
Disgruntled, the Doctor handed Scarlett the apple and carelessly threw the newspaper over his shoulder as he pushed his way back into the old house. Her face became distorted as she thought about her recent despise of apples… and plums. She placed the apple into her coat pocket as she stared at the pathetic newspaper that was now on the lonely concrete. Leaving it there, she mindlessly followed the Doctor back inside. As she began to partly shut the door behind her, she turned to listen to her friend talk to himself.
"An empty street. An abandoned house. It hardly seems like enough to scare my T.A.R.D.I.S."
"Keep this door open so that we can see. I'm going to keep it partly open. Once we find out what scared her, I want to go check up on Emmy while we are here."
"I'm afraid that won't be too wise of a choice."
"Why's that?" Scarlett asked as she heart skipped a beat.
"Have you seen how old that refrigerator is? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you weren't even born yet," the Doctor stated sarcastically.
"Oh yeah, I forgot already. I suppose she would be about… 12 years old," Scarlett smirked as she reminisced. "She's not even in America now. She's from England, so I bet that's where she is right now."
"Fascinating," the Doctor mumbled under his breath in a non-interested tone.
Scarlett gave him a snarky smirk of minor disapproval and continued about her business.
They were now both back inside to look around some more. The Doctor began investigating the less obvious places such as checking under floor boards or listening into the cracks in the walls. Scarlett did all that she could do; she looked under the table and appliances. Beside the countertops stood a tall, thin cabinet that reached almost completely to the ceiling. Expecting to find rotting canned-goods, she slowly pulled one of the doors toward her. She peeked inside only to find another room.
"Doctor!" she laughed. "I found the bathroom."
The Doctor scurried towards the opened cabinet to have a look.
"Oh my, it is most certainly a water-closet. It doesn't look modern whatsoever."
"Why in the world is a bathroom right next to the kitchen?"
"Well, my dear, I can only assume that it conserved pipe usage when the house was built."
"That's quite clever actually. I've never seen a hidden room behind a cabinet before."
"It becomes a rather popular interior design in later years. Well, your later years. This room looks like it holds nothing more than a toilet, mirror and bathtub. I'm going to head back out and search for something more useful than the lavatory."
Scarlett turned to face him as he headed back into the kitchen.
"Search for what, Doctor?"
"I haven't the faintest clue but we can't really go anywhere else, now can we?"
Scarlett saw the Doctor stroll through the room and head towards the front door. He was feeling the door and sniffing it. She assumed that he was performing his normal yet abnormal duties whenever he investigated a situation. Scarlett, however, didn't know what to do while her friend went about his business. There's wasn't much she could look for, so she just looked around for something to do. She was bored with this trip already and her previous attitude was beginning to fade. After discovering the bathroom, she decided to test things out. She played with the levers and nobs to see if anything worked; no water appeared to be running. The mirror wouldn't open so it obviously wasn't a medicine cabinet. Scarlett was tugging on the mirror to try and pry it open when the Doctor sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.
"Where's the bedroom? Tea room? Basement? Attic? It's a single room with a bathroom hidden behind a cabinet," the Doctor pondered aloud. Scarlett could see him from the bathroom as she spoke.
"Maybe it's just an old house that's been in the neighborhood for years and years. It must've finally fallen down because I don't remember it," Scarlett explained as she continued to tug on the mirror.
The Doctor wasn't listening to what she had to say and put his head in his hands. After a few seconds, he got up from his seat and started kicking the T.A.R.D.I.S. doors in frustration.
"Why do you have to be so stupid?" he shouted at her. "About a thousand and a half years with you and now you're dumping me? You big, scaredy cat… Open up!"
The violent pounding of the Doctor's kicks and punches vibrated the atmosphere enough to cause the weak walls and floor to shake. A small, squeaking noise came from the empty was behind the T.A.R.D.I.S. Scarlett stopped tugging on her mirror and the Doctor froze to listen. Suddenly, a few boards from the wall began to fall forward and a mattress appeared. Dust consumed the whole room once more as Scarlett raced out of the bathroom to see what happened.
"I think we just found the bed," Scarlett coughed as she used to her arm to protect her face from the filth in the air.
"Alright… so there's a wall bed. I suppose that makes this house functional. Or at least, was functional at one time," the Doctor muffled.
"One less problem that we have to think about! It's not a random shack. It was a home at some point. That's not weird, supernatural, or extraterrestrial in any way, shape, or form. Just worry about getting your machine to open now, please," Scarlett begged.
"Only if you stop playing with that mirror," the Doctor complained, "you're being very distracting.
"I'm distracting?" Scarlett yelled and rolled her eyes. "You're uncontrollable and loud."
After giving each other an agitated glance, the Doctor focused his attention on his machine again as Scarlett went back into the bathroom. The moment she stepped insider, the Doctor's screeching was at it again. Scarlett stopped messing around with her mirror and came out into the kitchen again to see what all the yelling was about… again. The Doctor had his hair in his hands and looked ready to pull it all out of his skull. Once she saw that it was just her friend getting frustrated like he had just been, she went back into the lavatory for the third time. Standing in from of the mirror, she stared back at her reflection. Boredom taking over her, she had a staring contest with herself as the sound of the Doctor's wailing filled the air. After her eyes burned for a couple minutes, Scarlett finally blinked as she suddenly thought of something else to do. She ran out into the kitchen to grab a knife from a drawer and headed back towards the bathroom.
"I'm going to see my future husband, Doctor, would you like to come see?" She asked as she looked at her friend.
The Doctor was still kicking and screaming at his precious machine, so he didn't notice her presence or question. She shrugged her shoulders and went to try out the Halloween myth for her own amusement knowing that prying the mirror off the wall was impossible. She skipped into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror again. The apple was drawn from her pocket and she began carving the skin off of it in a spiral. She took a chomp out of the fruit as she laid the knife down onto the top of the toilet. She threw the apple peel over her shoulder and turned around to see what letter formed from the peel that was now on the floor.
"The letter 'G', Doctor. My husband's name will start with 'G'," Scarlett exclaimed from behind the cabinet.
All she could hear was the cantankerous grumbles of the Doctor in the other room. She knew that he didn't hear her at all. Exhausted of trying to get his attention, she walked over to the cabinet doors and closed them almost all of the way. There was another myth she had in mind but knew that she was the only one that cared to try them at the moment. Knowing it would be more fun in the dark, there still needed to be a little bit of light in the room to see the mirror, so that's why she closed the doors only partway.
She stared at herself in the mirror for a couple minutes while waiting for the vision of her future husband to appear before her. Her eyes began to burn again so she had to blink them a few times to get them moist. After a couple more blinks, she could see the outline of a skull behind her. Shocked, she flung herself around to see if there was really anything behind her; there was nothing there. Scarlett slowly turned around to face the mirror again. On edge, she kept starting for another couple minutes. As goose-bumps formed all over her body, she saw the image of a woman's face in the mirror. Knowing this time that it's all in her head, she didn't turn around. Instead, she called for the Doctor.
"Doctor?" she shouted.
He didn't respond to her.
"Doctor!" she screamed.
"What in heaven's name is it?" he yelled from the kitchen.
He didn't go to her but stayed in the kitchen instead and shouted from there.
"I think I'm a lesbian."
"Why are you telling me this now? Your sexuality doesn't concern me, you know that. If you're just discovering this now, it shouldn't surprise you. You're not exactly what I'd call the feminine kind…" the Doctor mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Scarlett asked in an annoyed tone of voice. Not breaking eye contact with the mirror, she fought back with him. "Are you trying to say that I'm not a lady?"
"No, no. I'm just saying you're a rather masculine lady that wears lipstick. You have the brutality of men… and you have short hair."
"What's wrong with my hair? For a two thousand year old alien, you sure are old-fashioned."
"I am not! I'm hip. I'm cool. I'm swag."
Scarlett rolled her eyes as she remained standing in front of the mirror.
"Look, I may not look too young but I've…" the Doctor's voice cut off as he approached the bathroom to spiritedly argue with Scarlett.
The Doctor froze where he stood as he looked into the room. His eyes widen as he stood in shock. Scarlett noticed that he finally came towards her so she broke eye contact with the mirror. She gestured for him to keep walking towards her and the mirror.
"Do you see the face in the mirror too? Come look!" she said cheerfully.
He didn't say a word nor did he move from his spot.
"You might want to turn around," he suggested.
Confused, Scarlett did as she was told. Startled, she jumped backwards into the wall when she turned around to see a woman standing behind her. The face of the real woman resembled the face of the woman in the mirror. She appeared the have the body of an attractive Indian woman. She wore a hijab yet had a seductive, genie-like outfit on to cover half of her body. The hijab did not do its job any justice since her long, black hair fell around her shoulders and face. On top of the cloth that is supposed to be covering her whole head, laid the crown of a duchess. She was obviously taller than the two of them but the high heels made it more exaggerated. Glossy yet dark, brown lipstick covered her lips. She stared down into Scarlett's eyes with her seemingly pitch black eyes.
"Aren't I going to get a 'hello'?" the stranger asked in a seductive voice.
Scarlett didn't quite know what to do or say but the Doctor stepped right in. He took a few steps forward to stand behind his companion.
"I'm the Doctor and this is my friend Scarlett," he smiled.
The stranger let out a small giggle of delight as she looked at the two of them.
"Oh, I know, honey. I remember," the Indian woman grinned.
"Are you from my future?" Scarlett asked.
The stranger gave her a confused look.
"Are you my spouse? Did you come from the future?" Scarlett asked again.
The Doctor gave her a light smack on the back of her head and groaned at her innocent question.
"Ow! The hell was that for?" Scarlett screamed.
"You're rude and dimwitted," the Doctor stated.
Scarlett gave him a ticked off glare as she threatened him to say something else insulting.
"Please, my dear. Just because you travel with me doesn't mean that everyone else can time travel too. That's only something I can do… unless you've got a vortex manipulator but that's none of your concern. Now, dear woman, would you mind telling us your name and intent?" the Doctor asked sweetly and very politely.
The Indian woman laughed aloud and, unexpectedly, reached out and gave Scarlett a hug. Not knowing what to do, Scarlett awkwardly accepted the embrace. The woman glanced over at the Doctor and gave him a wink.
"It's Gremory now, sugar. But you might know me better as Gamori."
"Gamori!" Scarlett exclaimed as her face lit up. She quickly returned the hug.
The Doctor stayed where he was and remained skeptical.
"You're a woman," Scarlett laughed.
"It's a long story," Gremory sighed.
"We've got time," the Doctor interrupted them in a more sour tone of voice.
Gremory took in another deep breath as her cheerful attitude began to go away.
"I kind of don't want to talk about it," she said.
"I kind of do," the Doctor responded.
"Now who's being the rude one, Doctor?" Scarlett snapped.
"My T.A.R.D.I.S. is scared. And I think it's him… eh, her. She just magically poofs up behind you. He… she's from another planet, for God's sake! Let alone a different time period!"
"That's a great question, Doctor," Scarlett said while trying not to let her friend be so mean. "Where did you come from, Gamori?"
"Gremory, if you don't mind. I heard you two next door. You, Doctor, are being rather noisy."
"So you came from the neighbor's house?" Scarlett asked.
"Of course! You don't think I just snapped my fingers and transferred planets, did you? I used the front door, sweet-cheeks. You two looked pretty distracted. Sneaking by you wasn't a struggle."
"Well then, I'd certainly like to know how you did transfer planets. Since, you know, you must have at some point. Not to mention having a sex-change operation while you were at it," the Doctor irritably questioned.
Gremory huffed in annoyance at his rudeness.
"You think I asked for this? I liked my body just the way it was!" she snorted. Looking over her figure for a moment, she took a sigh and lightened up. "However, I'm not displeased with the change. I'm quite attractive, don't you think, Scarlett?"
Scarlett rolled her eyes as Gremory winked at her.
"God, it doesn't matter what gender you are, you just can't stop flirting, can you?" the Doctor whined. "Could you please just give me a straight answer? My T.A.R.D.I.S. refuses to let us in. I think you're the cause of the disturbance. You're making her feel very uncomfortable."
"In all honesty, I don't believe that it is I who is causing the problem. One of my employees has run off again, and I'm on the lookout for him. He's a trouble-maker; a real pain in my ass," Gremory sighed.
"Well, I'm quite positive your friend isn't from another planet so I highly doubt that he is the cause," the Doctor argued.
"On the contrary, Doctor, we are both of the same kind. Spirits, of all things. It's Samhain; the busiest time of the year for summonings. The veil between the living and the dead is quite thin. I snuck out to have some fun, and he sort of made a run for it."
"You seemed pretty alive when I saw you on Saturn! When did you die?" Scarlett asked, shocked.
"And you thought I was rude! Why not say it a little more bluntly?" the Doctor sarcastically scolded his companion. "But you're a daemon. A man, now a spirit, who has lived during the Golden Age of man. How can this be?"
"I'm still a daemon. Apparently, I always have been. Just because I existed and died during that time period, I'm labeled as a 'daemon'. I'm not too happy about that, mind you. Daemons have a bad rep around here in this time period. They even changed our name, I think. Anyhow, we're not as helpful and kind to humans as we used to be. Why should we? Nature spirits? No, sir, not anymore. No more parties. No more gambling. No more music. Pure evil… that's what they call us. Humans are mean to our kind. I don't see why we have to be nice back. Why not raise a little hell? Have a little fun."
"Wait… a daemon? You mean… you're a… demon?" Scarlett exclaimed.
"Yes! Demons! That's what we're called. It was a minor change. You can't blame me for not remembering."
"Satanic de-demons! The unadulterated image of malicious sin. In front of my eyes! That's just p-peachy. Just peachy!" Scarlett stuttered nervously as she began to hide underneath the Doctor's arm.
"Scarlett, my dear, there's no need to be frightened. It's still good, old Gamori. I mean… Gremory," the Doctor reassured her.
"Yeah, sugar, it's still me. Just me with woman parts!" Gremory grinned to cheer Scarlett up.
The Doctor judged Gremory as he analyzed her being.
"Maybe you wouldn't have such a bad rep if you weren't partying all the time and living by your own rules," the Doctor pointed out as he held Scarlett close.
"I have my orders! I'm not a free spirit, you know. I have my duties as do my employees. However, one has got to learn how to live it up and enjoy himself, right? We, daemons, used to be supportive spirits; we are one with the earth. Humans stopped giving back to us; they stopped loving us. We'd listen to their prayers and ask for a small favor in return. Is that too much to ask? Apparently it is. So humans starting praying to a different division; a hierarchy of the metaphysical… of the sky. Those selfless bastards asked nothing in return for prayers. They're not actually selfless; they get the souls in the end! The more you pray to one division, the more souls they get; it's all a corporate competition, I tell you! Not all spirits are in harmony, you know. Nonetheless, if the rare number of humans summon a daemon then we must try to devote their attention to us and win over their souls. It's not that easy, you know. I don't answer half of my calls anymore; they're not genuine. God, I've had so many teenage slumber-party calls… idiotic Ouija boards. However, I'm not one to answer prayers. I'm not a miracle-worker, Doctor. I don't show up when I'm summoned just to grant your wishes. I have a specific job description. Thaumaturgy isn't my style; I want to have some fun. Live a little, you know? Divination is my game. Want to know about the past, present, and future? I'm the one for you!" Gremory stated with a gleaming smile.
Scarlett didn't know what to say. The Doctor focused carefully on everything Gremory has been saying.
"So you're telling me… that after you died on Saturn, you came to Earth as a demonic spirit that can foresee the future?" the Doctor asked, confused.
"That's 100% correct, sir," Gremory nodded.
"Clear one or two things up for me," the Doctor giggled in disbelief. "How exactly did you get from one place to another? First off, how did you die?"
"You guessed right. I wasn't very happy under Zeus, so I decided to head out into the fog. You two did it, so why couldn't I? Honestly, I don't remember how I died. It was dark and misty out there. I just recall walking and seeing a figure appear to me in the distance; it was a woman. In fact, the woman had the same body that I have right now. When I look in the mirror, I see her… she is me. But at the time, in the mist, she was a completely different person. I was still a male and this female approached me. We talked for a while. Then as she was about to turn around, I grabbed her arm; I didn't want her to leave. I had so many questions. Before I knew it, I blacked out and woke up on this planet; not this time period, however… it was years ago; there were hardly any humans around. Religion was a fairly new idea.
"What did she say to you?" the Doctor asked. "Every word!"
"Who? The woman? She told me that I am a Duke and that I must make something useful of myself. I asked her for a name but she merely called herself a Holy Guardian Angel."
"An angel?" Scarlett finally spoke up. "You told us that demons don't associate with angels; you're different corporations."
"Is that what they're called? Yes, I suppose that it is. Well, I did not know of angels and demons back then… or of the other businesses at the time. That is all she told me. I wanted more answers. That's why I grabbed her."
"Other businesses?" Scarlett asked.
"You know, other religions: ancient religions. I'm lucky. Angels and demons of modern religions are still in pretty fierce competition. We have prayers coming in every year. Other businesses aren't so fortunate. The spirits still exist, but they have no purpose anymore; they roam around aimlessly. If not enough souls are collected per religion, it eventually loses business and gets forgotten."
"I'm lost. Well, I'm always lost but in this subject more than the rest," Scarlett confessed.
"Do you know how chains of stores work?" Gremory asked.
"Sure I do," Scarlett responded.
"They go in debt. Sales go down. Eventually they go bankrupt and close for good."
"Wait, religions that don't get enough prays and souls close down?"
"Precisely."
The Doctor pondered what he was hearing. Scarlett stayed leaning against her friend while still pondering over Gremory's existence.
"This isn't making any sense," the Doctor whispered to himself. "How could you just pop from one place and time to another like that? And dead even?"
"She has just told us about the existence of religious spirits and her demonic presence. How can you just be caring about how she time-traveled?" Scarlett asked furiously.
"Could you excuse us a moment?" the Doctor asked Gremory.
The Doctor tightly squeezed Scarlett's shoulders and led her out into the kitchen. Gremory stayed standing in the bathroom with her hands on her hips and held in her temper. The Doctor shut the bathroom doors behind him. Once the two of them were out of hearing range, the Doctor spoke up.
"She is not a demon, or at least, the kind you're speaking of," the Doctor explained.
"What?" Scarlett asked in a pleading tone of voice.
"I don't know how she is poofing to places or showing up to summonings but she is not a spirit. None of these 'spirits' are spirits or ghosts. We proved this back on Saturn! Religion is man-made; it's made up. Angels and demons aren't real. Ghosts aren't real. The supernatural isn't real. They're not just here; they're not a species. There's always a science behind it."
"Even if you're right, Doctor, she seems to think that they are!"
"I think we're going to be here a tad bit longer than we originally planned," the Doctor sighed.
Scarlett rolled her eyes in dismay at the news. The dusty old house was now a new adventure: a very confusing, educational adventure. From inside the bathroom, Gremory's impatient voice could be heard all the way out into the kitchen.
"If you recall, I still have to find my employee. Could you make your conversation short?" she begged.
The Doctor strode over to the cabinet doors and pulled them open. Gremory strutted out of the washroom and walked right past the two of them. She headed straight for the already open front door and paused at its entrance. Turning around, she leaned against the frame.
"Are you two coming or what?" she asked.
"Who is it that we are looking for exactly?" the Doctor questioned.
"His name is Phenex. If I were to guess, he is probably trick-or-treating somewhere."
"We're looking for a child?" Scarlett asked.
"Most likely."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"His demonic form is a phoenix, but I, personally, have never seen him take that form. So if you see a gigantic, fire-like bird flying around, that's him. The chances of that aren't likely if you ask me. It's a bit too obvious for mortals to see a mythical creature flying around. We don't want to blow our cover. It's too precious," Gremory stated.
The three of them headed out the door and shut it behind them. Gremory impatiently strutted out into the street in large strides while Scarlett scurried behind her to try and keep up. The Doctor stayed in the back of the line with his hands in his pockets as he began to pout over Gremory's rude behavior. After they all managed to cross the non-busy road, they began walking up and down Union Street. The further they walked, the more Scarlett began to question her friend's certainty.
"Do you really think Phenex is here? Maybe we could ask some of the neighbors is they had any tricker-treaters yet. I'm not seeing any children!" Scarlett impatiently exclaimed.
The sound of her voice caused a flock of birds of come flying out of a nearby tree. The street is so quiet that even the slightest noise seems loud. Gremory answered Scarlett without stopping to face her. She continued her long, high-heeled strides.
"And do what? Ask if they've seen a demon child? Maybe break a taboo… cause a moral panic?" Gremory asked sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, it was just a suggestion…" Scarlett whimpered.
"Well, it's a stupid suggestion. I couldn't even get into any of these places if I wanted to. There's so many sigils keeping spirits like me out nowadays… it makes me sick."
"Sigils? Who has sigils? I don't have sigils," Scarlett mindlessly rambled.
"You know, people who have random symbols in their homes for decoration. Like people who wear pentagram necklaces to seem like rebels against people who wear Christianity's cross necklaces but don't even know what the pentagram stands for. People draw and decorate with sigils all the time, because they think it looks cool or has some deep meaning behind it but never bothers to research it. I don't think you realize how many people have Babylonian Devil Traps above their doorways. I mean, some mistakenly have sigils that allow demonic entrance but quite a few prevent it. The whole fad disgusts me," Gremory ranted.
Scarlett absorbed every bit of information Gremory was feeding her while the Doctor stayed far enough behind the two of them that he didn't hear a word they were saying to each other. He was too busy concentrating on figuring out the explanation of how Gremory time-traveled. As the women walked down the street, the Doctor held up and stood still. Wide-eyed and hoping that a plausible reason had just crossed his mind, the Doctor shouted to Gremory.
"Gremory!"
The two women turned around to face him. He gestured with his hand for them to walk back to him. Once they approached him, he looked straight at the daemon.
"Were you abducted by aliens?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" Gremory questioned with sass.
"I know you said you blacked out but amuse me. Do you think you were? It might explain the sex change. All the poking and prodding…" the Doctor mumbled.
Gremory whapped him right across the face as she had been incredibly insulted by his questions. As her fury imploded, she began to scream in the Doctor's face about his rude behavior, wallflower personality, etc. Scarlett didn't say a word nor did she have any desire to. Slowly backing away from their trivial, yet inevitable, explosion of a feud, Scarlett continued down the street by herself. Ravens and all sorts of other birds flew over her in a mob as Gremory and the Doctor's voices grew distant to her. They were obviously coming from the direction in which the disagreement was going on. While her friends were having a full out brawl on Nevins Street, Scarlett ventured around the corner to Butler Street. Knowing the Brooklyn area fairly well, she had no worries about wandering alone. Not only did she not find a single person or child out on the streets, but the Comfort Inn didn't appear to have any customers at the moment as well. In fact, the whole neighbor seemed quite. Scarlett wandered behind inn to see if any employees were parked there since she had no desire to head inside and chit-chat with any front desk employees. All of time and space is at her feet yet her desire to socialize with the human race is still extremely limited. When she made it behind the building, there were no cars in sight. Unsure of what she was looking for, she ventured all over the place. A gleam of light came from a bundle of bushes in the neighboring property's yard and it caught her eye. She ran towards the shrubbery to investigate. As she dug through the branches, she could see the exterior of a car's hood.
"A black Chevy! It's even from my time period. Oh my goodness, it's like finding the DeLorean! Thank God the Doctor decided to let me watch that trilogy."
Overjoyed, she was unaware that someone had been sleeping in the car. The sound of her voice startled the man inside, and he accidently smacked the top of his head on the roof of the vehicle when he jumped awake.
"Holy hell, could you keep it down?" the man moaned as he rubbed his aching scalp.
Scarlett's excitement was killed the second she heard the man's voice. As he mouthed the words, the sound of a child's voice came from his lips… but for having such a young sounding voice, it sure did have a strong New Yorker accent to it. Startled and wide-eyed, she couldn't say anything from the shock. However, she did not move from her spot. She remained bent over, looking into the car's interior.
"What are you staring at? Shoo!" he groaned.
Scarlett muttered up the ability to respond.
"Can I take a wild guess and assume your name is Phenex?"
"Who's asking?"
"Scarlett Bathurst."
"Well, Miss Bathurst, as you can see, I am quite busy at the moment and must reschedule our appointment. Good night," the man said as he laid back down in the front seat with his stomach up.
"Is this your car?"
"No," he grumbled with his eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Where did it come from?"
"I don't know."
"Why are you in it then?"
"I was tired and still am."
"Do you realize you're a man with a child's voice?"
"Go away!" he cried. "Stop pestering me!"
"The only way I can get your attention is to annoy you. I can see that it is working quite well."
"What do you want from me, huh?" he questioned as he began to sit up to face her.
"Your friend Gremory is looking for you."
"My friend? No, ma'am, you mean my boss."
"All the same, she is looking for you. How did you get into the car? The driver side window is only partly open. I can't even fit my hand in there."
Phenex chuckled a high-pitch giggle.
"A phoenix isn't as enormous as people think. Birds can only be so big, hun. How do you think I can hide from my boss so easily? I fit in tight places that only a bird can find."
"Gremory told me that you probably wouldn't ever fly around in your demonic form."
"Oh please, she has never seem a phoenix before. She knows what legends say, but I'm as conspicuous as a canary," he laughed.
Scarlett smiled at his more lightened-up attitude.
"I know you'd like some time off, but in all seriousness, you need to get out of the car," Scarlett stated.
"Gremory can kiss my sweet booty. I'm not leaving.''
Scarlett grabbed the driver side's door handle to open the door but the vehicle was locked. When she let go, she took a step back.
"Get out of the car."
"No."
"It's not even your car."
"It sure as hell beats sleeping in a chimney or air-vent."
"Do I have to drag you out myself?"
"Give it your best shot, toots," Phenex smirked as he laid back down on his back.
Phenex thought Scarlett had left for good when she stormed away but she had an idea. Walking into the Comfort Inn, Scarlett asked the nearest employee where she could find the custodian on duty. After 2 flights of stairs, Scarlett confronted the custodian to ask for assistance in borrowing a hammer. Against policy, the employee gave Scarlett a hammer from one of the many supply closets; it may be against the rules, but that's why bribery was invented. Fifty dollars lighter and one hammer heavier, Scarlett headed back outside to the 60's model Chevy. Phenex was startled once again by a loud bang on the driver's window. As he frantically sat up, another clashing sound came from outside the window.
"Holy Mother of God, stop!" Phenex screamed.
Scarlett continued bashing the hammer into the window as it began to crack.
"This isn't even my car!" he pleaded.
"I guess you should've thought of that before!" Scarlett laughed psychotically as she kept swinging the hammer.
With one final blow, the window finally fell apart and glass shattered everywhere.
"Now are you going to come out willingly or am I going into phase two and grabbing you myself?" Scarlett smiled.
With a look of shock on his face, the homeless looking man unlocked the vehicle and stepped out on the driver's side.
"You're insane," he stated.
"You're insane for ruining this perfectly badass car," Scarlett defended.
"Me? I'm not the one holding a tool and making it into a lethal weapon."
"Look. Your boss locked me and my friend out of our car and now we are stuck in this empty, eerie town. She is not letting us leave until we help her find you. Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me," Scarlett told him as she grabbed his arm.
Scarlett began tugging him along with her as she marched down Butler Street. Phenex eventually pulled with arm away but kept walking beside her.
"Fine! Just don't kill me with that hammer, will you?"
"Of course not."
"I'm not too sure. You're manic… did you notice yourself? I've never seen a mortal go from lighthearted to furious to crazy to happy again in such a short time period."
"What is it exactly that you do?" Scarlett politely asked in order to try and ignore his comment.
"I'm a storyteller… like a Renaissance bard. It's pretty plain and simple. I'm a Marquis; I may have twenty legions of demons working for me, but I still have to work for Gremory since she is a Duke."
"No offense, but why would someone what to summon you?"
"Hey! I'm pretty intelligent in the arts and sciences such as poetry."
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you. It's one thing to tell a fairytale but another to inform someone of the beauties of science and poetry. I'd actually be quite interested."
"You would, would you?" Phenex smirked in a very suspicious and malicious way.
"I love anything and everything science!" Scarlett exclaimed, not noticing Phenex's behavior.
"I can give you the talk of your life."
"Perhaps another time. I only have one request of you at the moment. How were you and Gremory summoned?"
"Some sigil that I don't even know. I apologize but I don't even know my own summoning spells. Read the Lesser Key of Solomon. It's like an instruction manual: a phone book. The sigil that call me up tonight was not my personal hotline. It's Tibetan… not even Christianity. When I appeared before it, the conjurer wasn't present to tell me my duties. I'm just kind of stuck wandering around until my boss finds my lazy ass not doing my job. Which doesn't help much since I don't know what the job is… since no one told me!" Phenex ranted.
"She's your boss. I'm sure she knows what you're supposed to be doing."
"You think I'm going out looking for her in order to find out? Hell no. If I'm not doing any work, I'm not excited to go seek any."
"Gee, you are a lazy ass."
Phenex laughed at her honesty.
"Well, who is Gremory working for? If you work for her and she already knows her duty then shouldn't you know?"
"Gremory doesn't have a clue either. She appeared because of the same sigil as me. Technically, she was the one who was summoned. She just dragged me along for any possible assistance. She may be a fortune-teller but I'm the sweet-talker," Phenex grinned. "Besides, a hobo is more relatable and trustworthy to people than an intimidatingly seductive, Islamic woman. I don't need to flirt to get people's attention."
Scarlett kept a smile on her face to look like she was paying attention but the wheels in her head were obviously turning.
"You've got to show my friends and I where this mystery sigil is."
"As long as you keep up," he chuckled.
Confused by his last statement, Scarlett slowly walked beside him as they headed back towards her friends. Phenex wickedly grinned as he kept one eye on Scarlett. He strutted in a carefree manner as he softly began chanting the words of Sir William Shakespeare:
"Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust."
Scarlett kept her eyes straight as she continued walking beside him.
"I suppose you are the demon of poetry. No one in their right mind would memorize something as complex as that," Scarlett announced.
"Dying folks do," Phenex defended.
"You're morbid," Scarlett grimaced as she looked up at him with antagonism.
"No I am not. Humans finally figure out what is truly beautiful in life when theirs is slowly coming to an end. It's the truth. There's beauty in poetry."
"Life is a tragedy and nothing more," Scarlett stated.
"All that time wasted… to not realize that there's beauty in everything. Yes, it is a tragedy to not see life as a play. Did you know that tragedies are what makes entertainment worth watching? The ancient Greeks knew that right from the start. Tragedies are so entrancing, so mesmerizing! It's a shame no one can appreciate life like they do the theater."
"I don't find it very hypnotic," Scarlett coldly stated.
"Theater?"
"No, life."
"My, my, aren't you the optimistic one? Tragedies are meant to be enjoyed! What is it about this one that makes you miserable?" Phenex asked.
"I fear it."
"Fear what?"
"Boredom."
Phenex couldn't think of a proper response to her answer that could possibly cheer her up. Instead, he brushed off Scarlett as they made their way down the street and continued to whisper:
"Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke;
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The scepter, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust."
As they turned the corner onto Nevins Street, Scarlett could see and hear the Doctor and Gremory going at each other down the street.
"There's my friends!" Scarlett pointed out as she stretched her arm out to point at them in the distance.
Scarlett turned around to look and see if Phenex was looking but he wasn't there.
"Damn it! Where did you go?" she screeched in a loud whisper as she angrily spun around in circles.
The beautiful melody of a singing bird fell from the top of an apartment building. Scarlett quickly looked up to see an exotic, red and green quetzal bird swoop down onto the top step of the building. The bird took flight and headed towards then passed the two quarreling friends. Scarlett quickly raced after him and pushed through the middle of the angry couple. As she breathlessly ran by, she yelled:
"Follow me!"
The Doctor and Gremory quit yelling and stared at each other in a confused manner. They quickly did as they were told out of complete curiosity of what Scarlett was up to. The three of them chasing the small bird all the way back to the empty, dusty house. Instead of heading back inside, the bird landed on the ground behind the house. Once the three of them caught up, they quickly noticed the sigil painted behind the back wall of the house.
"I'm not really used to having a backyard, so I never even thought to look!" Scarlett embarrassingly admitted as she bent over and clutched her knees to catch her breath.
"What are you talking about?" Gremory asked.
"I found Phenex. He led me to where you two were summoned."
"You found him? Where is he?"
"You're looking at him."
Gremory looked down at the pitiful, little bird that appeared to have a messy batch of hair.
"You're pathetic," Gremory said to Phenex.
Phenex ruffled his feathers in anger.
"What is this symbol?" the Doctor asked as he analyzed it more closely. "The T.A.R.D.I.S. doesn't recognize it as any sort of known language."
"I haven't a clue," Gremory confessed. "I was summoned by the sigil but there was no conjurer in sight. I dragged Phenex with me for the mission so we both venture off to go look for the guy… or girl. While we were out looking, Phenex up and decided to bail. While I was searching the neighbor's house, I heard you two next door over here bickering away. Aside from the heartfelt reunion, I genuinely needed the help."
Phenex lifted himself from the ground and flew over to perch onto of Gremory's left shoulder. Whispering something into her ear, Gremory's face lit up.
"Oh, now I see." Gremory grinned as she eyeballed Scarlett.
Scarlett waited for what she was about to say next. Gremory gestured Scarlett to approach her with her pointer finger.
"Come here, honey." Gremory smirked in a rather malevolent way.
Scarlett sped-walked over to her friend while the Doctor stood where he was. Face to face with Scarlett, Gremory began to whisper to her.
"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, hon, but I don't have the patience for this bullshit." Gremory angrily scolded her at an almost inaudible volume.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Scarlett whispered back.
"You conjure me up here to this God-forsaken dump of a town and have me chasin' my tail like a futile mortal. If you want something then just ask for it; don't go running off and leaving me to find you. I ain't playin' hide-and-seek no more."
"I didn't draw that!" Scarlett shouted as she pointed at the altar.
The Doctor started walking over to where the girls were to see what the commotion was about.
"I can guarantee that myself," the Doctor spoke up. "That must've been here since before we showed up."
Gremory put her hands on her hips in frustration while Phenex squawked above her shoulder.
"Drawn by you or not, Phenex here can only obey its conjuror. You're the only one who has seen his true form; he informed me about it. Just tell me what you want. I've got other job requests. Get move on, girl. I ain't got all night," Gremory complained.
Scarlett didn't appreciate the sass and negativity she was getting from her friend… or at least, ex-friend. Holding back the urge to let her temper loose, she held her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest.
"We found your friend. Just get the T.A.R.D.I.S. door open," she grumbled under her breath.
The Doctor looked over at his companion and a smile came across his face as he admired her calmness.
"Fine," the demon snapped as she strutted around to the front of the house.
Once the two demons were inside of the house, Scarlett began pacing outside in a confined rage.
"What's his deal?" she snarled.
"You mean 'her'," the Doctor corrected.
"Oh, shut up! I don't understand her issue. We've been nothing but kind to her and this is the treatment we deserve? She can't still be upset about Saturn."
"She probably is; we did sort of leave him stranded there."
"Oh, brother. You can't be serious. I didn't get excited to see her tonight just for her to smite me for not being his frat buddy on bloody Mars," Scarlett shouted as she impatiently started stomping toward the front of the house.
"It was Saturn…" the Doctor mumbled to himself as he slowly followed behind his temperamental companion.
Scarlett made it to the front yard as she continued bellowing as her rage increased.
"Just because I didn't stick around to watch Zeus slit his father's stomach open doesn't give you the right to be a colossal bitch!" Scarlett thundered as she plowed through the front door.
The last word of Scarlett's wrath trailed through the vacant, hollow room of the abandoned home. To her surprise, the T.A.R.D.I.S. was no longer there. Furious, she stormed into the room and began pacing in the machine's empty spot. Once the Doctor finally made it through the door, he immediately realized what had happened.
"Stupid, stupid, thick-headed, old me!" the Doctor nagged as he smacked himself in the head.
"Yes, how ignorant of us to have just let them come in here and open the door by themselves! We should've known better."
"No, no. That's not it," the Doctor explained. "She saw herself on Saturn before she arrived here. The foreshadowing of this happening was incredible. How the hell did I miss that?"
"What?" Scarlett asked, still flustered by the whole situation.
Before the Doctor had a chance to open his mouth to explain, the T.A.R.D.I.S. began to land in the hidden bathroom. Both the Doctor and Scarlett looked at each other in awe and ran over to the ship. Still unable to open the door, the Doctor pulled and tugged on the handles. Scarlett had joined in as well as they tried to budge open the seemingly locked doors. Once they both gave up, one of the doors began to slowly creak open and the bird form of Phenex flew out.
"I suppose you can only unlock it from the inside," Scarlett laughed.
Annoyed by her immediate change in mood and attitude, the Doctor stepped into his machine and stood along the doorframe as he waited for his friend to follow.
"Where's Gremory?" Scarlett asked.
"Not here. Come one, let's go," the Doctor ordered crossly.
His attitude mimicked that of Scarlett's previous behavior while Scarlett was now the carefree one.
"Once moment, please?" Scarlett asked the Doctor politely.
He raised one of his eyebrows in an aggravated manner as he waited for her response as to why he must wait for her.
"I'd like to take a moment to say good-bye."
The Doctor simply took a step back and shut the T.A.R.D.I.S. door. Since the machine did not disappear right before her very eyes, she assumed that he was willing to wait for her. As she stood watching the door shut in her face, she heard, not the tweeting of a bird, but the mumbling of a demon behind her:
"Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan:
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust."
Scarlett turned around to face her new friend with a smile as she was delighted to see his human face one last time.
"Hey, before you go, I want to apologize," Phenex spoke as he morphed back into his human form.
"For what?"
"For turning into my demonic form so unexpectedly like that."
"Well, I was meaning to scold you about that," Scarlett smiled.
"The conjurer must have companions around when I'm summoned. It's not wise to do it alone, but your friends weren't allowed to hear my voice or see my human form. Only the conjurer can see my mortal form and hear my voice. As soon as your friends were in hearing and seeing range, I'm afraid I had no choice but to morph."
"That… that actually makes sense. If you would've told me that much earlier tonight, I wouldn't have believed that I was the conjurer."
"There's a lot you wouldn't believe if I told you," Phenex said in a snide manner.
Scarlett didn't catch onto his suspicious comment. They shook each other's hand as a gesture of farewell before Phenex turned around to head out the door. His enthralling incantation could be heard as he faded down into the distance of the road before him:
"No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renownèd be thy grave!"
Scarlett knocked on the door of the T.A.R.D.I.S., knowing that the doors would still be somehow locked from the outside. The Doctor peeked his head out the door and looked around for Phenex. Once he didn't see his presence, he took a single step outside of the door and kept one hand on the inside to make sure it didn't shut him out.
"So," Scarlett grinned as she playfully crossed her arms, "do we have to go find Gremory now?"
"She is no longer with us," the Doctor coldly stated.
"Excuse me, what?" Scarlett asked as her smile began to slowly fade.
"I'm afraid you won't be seeing your friend anymore. Not now, not ever. No more surprises."
Scarlett's arms sunk to her sides and the look on her face was now that of remorse.
"By sending Gremory into the future to meet himself, we caused a paradox," the Doctor began to explain as he started at the ground, unable to look Scarlett in the eyes. "Yes, I knew it'd kill Gamori. In my defense, that was the only way we could destroy the Tulpa. Gamori existed years in the future on Saturn. He… er, she also existed years in the past on Earth. By sending her to the future and directing Gamori towards his future as Gremory, it allowed him to exist in the past as Gremory in the first place. However, if we went back there now, Gremory would be gone. She never existed. Well, she existed before we sent her to the future but not now."
"How come neither of them exist now?"
"Gamori touched Gremory. He snatched her arm, remember? Two versions of yourself in the same timeframe is the definition of a paradox. And to touch yourself? Oh, boy. Gremory only exists because of Gamori. He touches her, he blacks out, and he becomes her. Once Gamori became Gremory, we took her away in my T.A.R.D.I.S. and placed her on Saturn with her past self. He should've never made physical contact with her. Because of that, they are both gone. The touch destroyed her existence. They collided… that should never had happened. Only one can exist at a time. That's how time works, my dear. It always has been and always will."
"But how did Gremory come to be in the first place? How did she… begin?"
"Ah! Now you're asking the right questions! The tulpa, my dear! The tulpa!"
"You had Gamori on your mind, my dear. I must admit, your mental discipline is phenomenal. You somehow channeled all your energy into the memory of Gamori that you made him into a thoughtform! A real, physical phantom! In this case, he came back as a demon."
The Doctor analyzed her friend for one silent and confused moment.
"Are you a Satanist? Should I be concerned?" the Doctor replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone and speed of voice. "I think I should be if you are. I mean, I've met them all before. Sutekh the Destroyer, Hades, the whole Neoclassic Congregational visit… I've met so many Satans that it would make your head spin. If you're into the malevolent actions of mankind and their influence on others, I question our friendship."
The Doctor half smiled as he waited for an answer. He was meant to be joking but a voice in the back of his head hesitated for her answer which might not be exactly was he expected.
"Of course I'm not, Doctor," she stated before she took a moment to pause. "If I made her into a supernatural being… then was all she said about angels and demons not true?"
"Precisely. That's all a bunch of hogwash. Unless, of course, we find the real deal someday. You never know what else there is to discover," he said.
The Doctor let out a deep sigh of relief and completed his full-face smile. However, now that the Doctor's mind was clear, Scarlett's eyes widened as she thought of a question about Gremory.
"Why in the world was he a woman then?" she screamed.
The Doctor took a hesitant step back as he absorbed the tone of her voice.
"You're more concerned about his gender than his demonic figure?"
Scarlett's eyebrows drew close together in a scowl.
"Well," he said cautiously and analytically. "You're not exactly was I'd call sexually liberated, or at least, not that I've observed since I've known you. In fact, if my judgment is at all accurate, I'd say you were a tad bit asexual, if I didn't know any better. Maybe you are a lesbian. You just aren't consciously aware of it yet."
"Oh God, Doctor, must you say things like that? Disgusting!"
"Don't be appalled!" he protested as his hesitant attitude began to fade. "There's nothing gross about that at all. In fact, Jenny Flint and Madame Vastra seem quite…"
"Please shut up, now. I don't want to hear about it."
Amused by her annoyance, he opened his mouth to say something again but Scarlett lifted her finger with a gesture to signalize silence. The aggravated look on her face was enough for the Doctor to get the picture. Cackling at her frustration, the Doctor had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. The calmer he got, the more his smile began to diminish.
"I don't think whether he was male or female seems to be very important."
"Oh, and the reason for him being a demon is?" she protested.
"I suppose not…" the Doctor sighed.
"I don't really have an answer for you anyway. It's Halloween… what else am I going to think about?" she breathed.
"I forgot how much you loved this holiday. That must be why."
"I guess," Scarlett shrugged as she tried to push aside the conversation.
The Doctor and Scarlett began to step back to the T.A.R.D.I.S.
"Doctor?"
"Dear God, what is it now?"
"If the paradox allowed Gremory and Gamori to not exist anymore… then how does that get rid of the Tulpa?"
"What do you mean? She never existed for you to remember which makes the Tulpa not affective… so it disappeared."
"That makes no sense. She may not exist now but I still remember her. Gamori is still a memory in my head. With the help of the Tulpa, if I can think it, then it can become reality… even if he is just a memory. He's a thought. The demolition of their physical existence may have erased everyone else's memories of him but not mine! I'm a time-traveler. You told me yourself that this kind of thing will happen."
The Doctor paused for a moment to ponder what he was hearing.
"I bet you right now that if I drew up another Tulpa, she would come back despite her nonexistence. She's an idea now. I can make her come back."
The Doctor stood in shock as he understood her logic.
"You're quite right! How could I have missed that? If this is true… then why isn't the Tulpa here anymore?" the Doctor whimpered in a confused whimper.
"Someone must've destroyed the sigil. That was supposed to work in the first place, no thanks to you."
"Sue me for not carrying around a blowtorch or an axe!" the Doctor snapped.
"Did you even bother to look and see if the Tulpa was still there?"
The Doctor's eyes widened.
"You're so sure of yourself that you didn't even bother to check? God, you are so full of yourself!"
The Doctor and Scarlett went back to where the sigil was once displayed.
"You're right, it's gone, but it's not because it just vanished into thin air like it was supposed to. The wall is completely scratched up! The wood is ruined and the remaining paint shavings are all over the ground. It's like an animal clawed it or something." Scarlett contemplated.
Ashamed of himself, the Doctor scowled as he pondered the condition of the wall as well.
"I told you that someone destroyed it!" Scarlett bragged.
"Oh please, Scarlett, use your brain. Who in their right mind would have the slightest knowledge of Tibetan Tulpas and know of the presence of one of its malevolent conjurings being here tonight. No one, that's who," the Doctor bickered.
"Never mind that now, Doctor," Scarlett sighed. "Let's get going."
"I don't like not knowing," the Doctor pouted.
Walking back towards the T.A.R.D.I.S., Scarlett suddenly remembered something she had forgotten about. Once the two of them made it back to the ship, Scarlett tugged on the Doctor's sleeve.
"You go on ahead. I have to tell Phenex about this! I feel like he has the right to know. Please! Just don't drive off without me," Scarlett explained.
"Fine," the Doctor replied while unlocking the door, "just hurry up."
Of course, Scarlett wasn't actually going to try and catch up with him. In fact, she didn't intend to go tell him anything at all. She wanted to go check on the real reason behind their getting stuck there. Scarlett ran back to the motel to find the DeLorean-like Chevy that was still hidden in the underbrush. Knowing now that Gremory was not a temporal shift but a memory made real, Scarlett knew that the Marty McFly car was the reason for the T.A.R.D.I.S's stubborn behavior that day. Although the urge to find an explanation was overwhelming, she knew that she must let it go. The Tulpa incident is forever over now and Scarlett was tired. She had lost the life of a friend and just wanted the day to be through.
I'm sure an abandoned car rotting underneath the underbrush isn't much of a threat. Wrong time period? Well, Mr. Chevy, so am I. At least we have that in common.
Scarlett brooded as she slowly dragged herself back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. The Doctor grinned while he fiddled mindlessly with the nobs and gadgets on his consul as she knocked on the door. The Doctor excitedly ran to the door and opened it so that she could greet his bright, smiling face. He knew that he was getting on her nerves, and it was ever so delightful to him. To entertain his amusement, he kept going:
"There's nothing wrong with transsexuals," he mumbled beneath his breath.
Scarlett shoved past him at the doorway and began to stomp up a set of T.A.R.D.I.S. stairs to escape her menacing friend and his bothersome, giddy behavior. She was morally crushed by the events of the day but the Doctor continued to try and change her attitude nonetheless. At the moment, all she needed was time. The Doctor wasn't giving her any as he tried to brush off the events of the day as nothing meaningful or scarring. What was important to Scarlett did not seem important to him. For this reason, she was hurt by his behavior.
"Or maybe you're bisexual!" he shouted with a triumphant grin.
"Stop!" she pouted as she tried to scurry away towards her bedroom.
"Transvestites are all the rage. I've never had one in my ship before!" he jokingly bellowed.
As his voice faded, the remaining vibrations from the ringing of his voice filled with vacant air of the T.A.R.D.I.S., leaving the Doctor dispiritingly aware that he was now alone in his home.
As the T.A.R.D.I.S. began to vanish into the thin air of the peacefully, lonely house, the deadly and spine-chilling silence of the neighborhood was disrupted by the distant, bellowing rage of a deep-voiced man that arose from the Comfort Inn parking lot. It was not the voice of a supernatural-being but that of a human male:
"Sonofabitch!"