~Sorry I've been neglecting this story. My TARDIS wasn't working so I had to take a trip to the rift. However then the Daleks showed up and then Capt Jack tried to seduce me, it was a mess~
Chapter 10
As they walked down the corridor until they reached a small door. It was larger then most of the doors they had seen but it was still smaller then the average door. The Doctor opened the door and they went inside. There they found a small box with many wires coming out the back and an itty bitty wooden crank. The crank was slowly turning anti-clockwise. There was quiet music coming from the box. The Doctor pointed his sonic at it and took a reading from what he found.
"Well this is the right frequency. Why is it controlling the Gax?" said the Doctor.
"The Gax?" asked Charlotte.
"That's what their called. Did I forget to mention that?" the Doctor asked.
"Just a bit," Charlotte said. She closed her eyes, listening to the music. She began to drift of into a trance. The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and shook her back to reality.
"Don't let the music take you. Whatever you do, keep your mind busy. Think of anything but the music," the Doctor told her. She awoke from her trance. She blinked a few times. "Now, what did you see?"
"I didn't see anything. I just heard the music. It was all dark. I- I can't remember anything else now. It's like it's been erased," said Charlotte.
"That's strange. That's very strange. Is there anything else you can't remember?" he asked.
"No. Just that," Charlotte said.
"That's strange too. I wonder-" the Doctor was cut off by the sound of footsteps. An old man in a tailored suit came out of the darkness. He had short, wavy, gray hair. He was quite tall. He was almost taller then the Doctor, and quite thin. He stepped toward the Doctor.
"Hello, my name is Mr. Liguori. I see you've stumbled upon my Lullaby Cube," said Mr. Liguori.
"Yes and I can't say I approve, whatever you're doing here, you need to stop. Something about this isn't right and I won't stand for it!" the Doctor shouted, "Now explain to me what's going on!"
"Sir, first off, might I ask your names?" asked Mr. Liguori.
"I'm the Doctor. Now tell me what's going on. You're controlling the people of this world and you need to stop," said the Doctor.
"Well, Doctor, dreams are rather influential things. They can change how people view the world. This is a Lullaby Cube. When properly powered up, it can control the dreams of an entire planet. Put good things inside and the people have good dreams. Put scary things in and people have nightmares. If I can control the dreams of the little people of this planet then I can essentially control everything that happens on the entire planet. Soon I'll be able to control the dreams of this galaxy and then perhaps the universe. Soon it will all be under my control! You see, Doctor, there is no way of stopping me. You can't stop dreams," explained Mr. Liguori with an evil chuckle.
"Oh but, Mr. Liguori, you seem to be forgetting something. While it's true you can't stop dreams from happening, you can stop the machine that makes them!" the Doctor yelled. He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the box for a moment. The top flew open and soon sparks were flying out of the box. "Weren't counting on a sonic screwdriver were you?" The building began to shake. "Quick, get to the lift!" He tossed her the sonic screwdriver.
"Very clever, Doctor but good luck getting everyone out. You've condemned them all to death. The tree will fall, crushing each floor as it goes," Mr. Liguori said. He laughed. Charlotte ran back down the corridor. When she got back to the office, she managed to open the doors but dirt just poured out onto her trainers. She ran back to the Doctor.
"Doctor, the lift is blocked! It's full of dirt! We're trapped! What do we do, Doctor?" said Charlotte. She handed him the sonic. The look in her eyes told the Doctor that she was more scared then ever before. He grabbed her by the shoulders.
"I promised your brother that I would keep you safe and that's what I plan to do. Don't worry. We'll make it out of this," the Doctor turned to Mr. Liguori, "Now; I know there is an emergency lift somewhere. Tell me where it is and we might be able to save some lives."
"Now why would I do that?" said Mr. Liguori. "I'd much rather watch you run out of time. It's so much more delightful."
"Tell me where it is!" the Doctor yelled. Charlotte could see the vein in his neck throbbing. She was scared. Scared she would never see her family again. Scared this was the end. She knew the Doctor would figure a way out though. He always did. She knew he could do it. "Help me look for a lift." The two began searching everywhere for the emergency lift. They found nothing. They tried every button, every lever, everything. Yet there was nothing.
"Well, Doctor, it looks like you and your girlfriend are going to be exterminated along with the rest of the beings on this godforsaken planet," Mr. Liguori said, chuckling darkly.
"What did you say?" asked the Doctor, hoping it was mere coincidence.
"You and the girl are never going to get out," said Mr. Liguori.
"Neither are you," said the Doctor. A look of realization briefly swept over the old man's face. It was soon replaced with a smirk. He began to say something but the Doctor cut him off. "I don't think your employers would like that. Or would they? It's clear you're working for someone. And I know who. Knowing them, they wouldn't care if you died. They would just find another pawn. It wouldn't be hard to replace you. Find a feeble, old man with a thirst for power."
The old man's expression had begun to fade. "No. My masters need me. I'm the only one who knows how to build and control the Lullaby Cube."
"They'll find some other way of controlling the universe. Well, they would, except, I destroyed them all. They're all gone. Did I forget to mention that? They've been gone for a long time now," the Doctor said. Charlotte sat on the floor watching the exchange. She wondered who Mr. Liguori was working for. She didn't dare interrupt the conversation. She could tell the Doctor was getting to him.
"They can't be. They are all powerful! They will prevail!" said Mr. Liguori.
"Help us escape and you can find out for yourself," said the Doctor. He looked at Mr. Liguori, challenging him to come up with something better.
"Help an enemy of my masters? I think I would rather die. They worried me you might show up. They warned me of the oncoming storm. My masters do not fear you and neither do I," Mr. Liguori said.
"Even if they don't fear me, surely they must fear her. That's Rose Tyler. She's really the one who destroyed them. Isn't that right, Rose?" said the Doctor. Charlotte stood up, doing her best not to look confused.
"Yes. I destroyed every. Last. One," said Charlotte, "Now unless you want me to do the same to you, I suggest you help us."
"Fine. If they're really gone then I guess I have to help you," said Mr. Liguori. He walked over to one of the walls and placed what looked like a needle into a small hole in the wall. Sure enough, the door opened and there was the lift. They all walked inside the lift.
"How much will this lift hold?" asked Charlotte.
"As many as can fit inside. It was built to carry out a large amount of people in case of emergency," said Mr. Liguori.
"Then we're stopping at the other floors to get as many of the little people of this planet out as possible," said the Doctor. He knew he couldn't save all of them but he could at least save as many as he could.
"We don't have time for that, Doctor," said Mr. Liguori.
"There is always time to save a few lives, Mr. Liguori," said the Doctor forcefully.
"Fine," Mr. Liguori said as they stopped at a floor. The Doctor ran out of the lift. Charlotte and Mr. Liguori stood outside the lift to ensure Mr. Liguori wouldn't leave without the Doctor. The Doctor rounded up the Gax and ushered them all into the lift. Soon they were all inside. The Doctor walked in with a sullen look. He knew they couldn't fit anymore. The lift was just barely above capacity as it was. The lift began to rise.
"What will I do with out my masters?" asked Mr. Liguori.
"You'll help these people fix their planet. They'll look up to you and you'll need to be there," said the Doctor.
"Sounds good I suppose," said Mr. Liguori. "What will you do?"
"We'll leave. It'll be her brother's birthday soon so we'll visit her home and then go find another adventure," said the Doctor. He looked sullen and disappointed. However that was to be expected considering a large amount of the planet's population would probably die.
"Well, here we are," said Mr. Liguori. The doors of the lift opened out into a short but large tree. Everyone left the lift. They could see the tree, not far away, buried almost halfway into the ground. The Gax dispersed, leaving the Doctor, Charlotte, and Mr. Liguori.
"We bid you adieu, Mr. Liguori," said the Doctor. The Doctor and Charlotte walked back toward the TARDIS. Once they were inside the TARDIS, Charlotte decided it was time for some answers.
"Doctor, I have two questions," said Charlotte. The Doctor motioned for Charlotte to sit next to him. He looked deep into her blue eyes. She looked into his large, brown ones.
"Doctor, who was Mr. Liguori working for?" she asked.
The Doctor broke their gaze. "That's not important. You needn't worry about it. You destroyed them, remember, Rose Tyler?" said the Doctor. They both laughed for a second.
"That's my second question. Who is Rose Tyler? What happened to her?" Charlotte asked, once more looking into his eyes.
"Rose was just a friend. She left. It's not important," said the Doctor placing a hand on Charlotte's shoulder. They both leaned in slowly, the tension building. They got closer and closer. They could feel each other's breath they were so close in that one moment. The one moment that seemed to last forever...