Disclaimer: I, in NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, own any of the characters of Doctor Who. They belong to the BBC, much to my disappointment. I do, however, take credit for the invention of my characters Evelyn, Millie, the evil Mr. Vailmen, and the Shyloraxes. I also claim the invention of the fictional town, Wotchdoor, New Mexico. Also, I want to apologize in advance for any editing flubs, as I am editing this myself and tend to be kind of unobservant when it comes to editing. If anything sticks out really bad, let me know and I'll change it. Big special thanks to My friend Chris, for reading through this story, giving me some great ideas, and supporting it with both his hearts. ;)
Chapter 10: Unexpected Visitors
"You were right," The Doctor beamed. "There is another energy source." After Evelyn had accompanied him back to the TARDIS. He had scanned the surrounding area for more energy spikes and sure enough, another red dot had appeared on the monitor. The Doctor and Evelyn were looking at it right now. "That was brilliant!"
Evelyn blushed at his compliment. "So what do we do now?" she asked.
"We investigate, of course." The Doctor pulled the monitor to the other side of the console, preparing to put the TARDIS in flight. This time, Evelyn was ready for the jolt and she wrapped her arms around the railing to steady herself. A few minutes later, the TARDIS wheezed to a stop. The duo walked out the doors together, out into a silent street lined with shops.
"This is the Emporium, the shopping center downtown." Evelyn told The Doctor. "Well, I say downtown, but Wotchdoor is so small, we don't really have a downtown...its more like the edge."
The Doctor once again scanned the area with his sonic. "Whats that building there?" he asked, pointing to a tall building with dark windows.
"That's the library. I go there almost everyday, there's no aliens in there."
"You had an alien living on the second floor of your house. I'm not sure your the best judge of that."
Evelyn shrugged. "True. Still, I hope there aren't any aliens in the library, my friend works there."
The Doctor peered down at Evelyn. She seemed such a loner, it was odd to think she had friends. Evelyn seemed to read his mind. "Just because I live in a creepy old abandoned house all by myself doesn't mean I can't have friends, Doctor." she snarked accusingly. The Doctor raised his hands in surrender.
"I didn't say anythin'."
"No, but that's what you were thinking, wasn't it? Its what everyone thinks." The Doctor was speechless. Evelyn continued. "You know, for someone who talks as much as you do, you sure are quiet."
"I'm sorry," The Doctor was embarrassed, more so at the fact that she could read him so easily than anything else. "I shouldn't have made assumptions."
"Apology accepted." Evelyn replied, solemn. They continued walking the rest of the way in silence. All the while, The Doctor was stealing sideways glances in Evelyn's direction, hoping she wouldn't notice. She was an intuitive girl, very mature for someone so young, maybe a little too mature. After all, she was just a teenager. She should be out having fun, enjoying life, not living off the streets. Perhaps, The Doctor thought, she would like to travel with him more than just once...
No, The Doctor stopped himself mentally. This was just a one-time adventure, like he had already said. He was better off in the long run traveling alone.
They reached the front doors of Wotchdoor Public Library together. A small sign hung inside the glass that read Sorry! We're closed.
"They're closed." Evelyn pointed to the sign. "They don't open for another two hours."
"Well, we are just gonna have to let ourselves in then, aren't we?" The door locks clicked open from the sonic screwdriver. "Don't worry, I disabled the alarm system, too. Come on!" he pushed the glass doors with ease and Evelyn dutifully followed.
Small pools of soft light gathered at the bottom of the windows, casting shadows along the rows and rows of books. A faint humming noise sounded from the computers behind the receptionist area. Other than that, the building seemed deserted.
"Where do we start?" Evelyn asked.
The Doctor activated his machine. "Let's try...that way." He pointed to the employees only section to the right. "But stay close, alright? Don't wander off, you got that?"
Evelyn rolled her eyes, very teenager like. "Yeah, got it."
"Do you know what is back there?"
"Uh, to the left is the drop-off area, its like the drive-thru for books. Then there's the filing room next to it, Wotchdoor Public Library doesn't have an electronic cataloging system. And across the hall from that that is the employee lounge." She told him. Evelyn had been allowed back here by Millie so many times over the years, she practically knew the place better than most of the employees.
The little red light on the device started flashing, slowly this time. Suddenly, The Doctor stopped walking, causing Evelyn to bump into him. "What is it, why'd you stop?" Evelyn whispered, her voice shaking slightly.
"I thought you said the Library didn't open 'til six." he whispered back.
"It doesn't."
"Then why is someone in the employee lounge? Look." he pointed to the door where a faint green glow emitted from the other side.
"Someone left the lights on?" she suggested.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "The green lights?" He pushed the door open in same fashion as the library door, back at the house. Sure enough, the Shylorax was inside, along with another smaller Shylorax. The only difference was the sorter of the two had smaller horns on it's head.
"Holy shit." was all Evelyn could muster. There were TWO of them! "Holy—"
Evelyn was interrupted by a low rumbling growl from the aliens, who by now looked very angry. They started to advance.
"Whoa whoa!" The Doctor raised his hands into the air. "We're friends, both of us! I'm The Doctor, this is Evelyn and we just wanna talk, alright? Friends, yes?" He had backed up during this time and now he, along with Evelyn, had his back pressed against the wall. "We are both unarmed, see?" he nudged Evelyn and she slowly rose her shaking hands above her head. "All we want to do is talk to you."The two aliens faced at each other in question. The larger one nodded, and turned back to The Doctor.
"Then sssssspeak, Doctor-man." the ugly creature hissed, its snake like tongue darted in and out of its mouth, the voice raspy and cold. Evelyn shuddered.
"Good, now, like I said, I'm The Doctor this is Evelyn. Who are you?"
"I am Voltrax, emperor of the First Shyloraxian Legion, mighty ruler of the Shylorax race. This is my adviser, Baltsha-rex."
"Riiiiight," The Doctor sounded skeptical, then brushed it off. "and, might I ask, what are you doing here on earth?"
This time the short one, Baltsha-rex, spoke up. "The emperor doesssss not have to explain hissssss decissssions to you, Doctor-man. That isssss a classssified ssssecret of the Shyloraxian Court!"
"Eassssy, Baltsha-rex," Voltrax said, placing one of his scaly arms on the youngster's shoulder. "It was a harmless question. My apologiessss for the brash behavior of my young advissssser, Doctor."
"None taken. I just have one more question for you. A very pressing one, in fact."
"By all means."
"How did you escape the time war?"
Voltrax slightly tensed up at this, clenching each of his fists into balls. He scowled, as an alien scowls. "What do you mean, Doctor?"
"I mean," The Doctor's voice now sounded angry. "that I was there. I fought in the time war, I witnessed the fall of Arcadia, the devastation of entire planets, and whole species being extinct! And I know for a fact that the First Legion of the Shyloraxian Empire was one of the first to fall in favor of the Daleks, killing everyone including, if I'm not mistaken, the emperor himself. So why don't you tell us who you really are, huh? What you really want?" The Doctor was yelling now. Evelyn wasn't sure who she was more afraid of: The aliens, or The Doctor.
The two Shyloraxes both narrowed their eyes. They began to speak in unison, both sharing the same gravelly voice. "Very canny, Doctor-man. You have sssseen through our guise."
"Then show us your true forms!" he shouted.
"Ssssso be it, Doctor."
The aliens began to shimmer, glowing with blinding white light, so bright that Evelyn had to shield her eyes. She could hear what she guessed were bones crunching as the supposed-Shyloraxes morphed into larger creatures, these ones even uglier than the first. A human-like face stretched out over a long fleshy green colored neck. Two double jointed arms extended from their shoulders used as front legs, along with two long legs bending backward from their lower torsos. Another pair of pale arms protruded from their chests with ugly claws. The creatures big pale white eyes darted back and forth as they grew, growling menacingly at The Doctor and Evelyn.
"Morphallians." The Doctor named the creatures. "Of course, it all makes sense now! That's why the TARDIS couldn't interpret the energy signature! It was changing so much, she couldn't latch on. That is brilliant!" he explained to Evelyn, who still had her hands up in shock. She never took her eyes off the aliens.
"Yes, brilliant." The taller Morphallian hissed, swishing its long tail.
"But what are you doing here?"
The creatures laughed, a deep rumble in their throats. "So many bodies to consume, Doctor-man." the shorter one answered. "Ever since our planet lost its food supply, we Morphallians have been searching for a new source of," it looked directly at Evelyn and licked its lips. "consumption."
The Doctor's demeanor changed to a dark seriousness. He stepped in front of Evelyn protectively blocking her off. "I can't let you do that."
"Then death to those who stand in our way!" the Morphallians lurched toward The Doctor, who leaped to the side just in time. All the while, Evelyn was frozen in fear.
"Don't just stand there!" The Doctor yelled at her. "Bloody move!" he pushed her out the door, snapping her out of her shock, and the pair started running.
What? Plot twist! The Shyloraxes aren't really Shyloraxes at all, they're Morphallians! Betcha didn't see that one coming! Special thanks to my friend Chris for the invention of the Morphallians. He created them for his own fanfic and when I told him about my story, he asked if I wanted to use them as well. Props to him! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep on the look out for Chapter 11 Evil Unveiled. Also, if you haven't already, go to my profile and check out my other Doctor Who fic, Drowning and stay tuned for its sixth chapter, Flying. Want to make me type faster? Follow, favorite, and review! Thanks for reading :)