14. Easter Egg Hunt
Talitha was confused. After Sally ran out, she got a call from Billy. When they went to see him at a hospital, he was older. How?
"Billy?" Sally asked, also sounding confused. He was lying on a bed near the end of the room.
"It was raining when we met." Billy said when he saw Sally by the window.
"It's the same rain."
After some time, Billy showed them a picture of the family he had.
"She looks nice." Talitha said, Sally nodding in agreement.
"Her name was Sally," Bill informed them.
"Sally Shipton." Sally said, almost to herself.
"Sally Shipton," Billy said. "I thought of finding you before tonight, but apparently that would've torn a hole in the fabric of space and time, and destroyed two thirds of the universe. Also, I'd lost my hair."
"Two thirds of the universe, where did you get that from?" Sally asked.
"There's a man in 1969. He sent me with a message for you. And a girl sent me with a message for Talitha as well."
"Who?" Talitha and Sally asked.
"The Doctor and Alex."
"What were the messages?" Sally asked.
"For Sally, look at the list. For Talitha, remember your secret technique."
"What does that mean, 'look at the list'?" Sally asked. Talitha already knew what her message meant. So, were they about to meet more of those statues?
"They said that you both would have it by now. A list of seventeen DVDs." Sally took the list out of her pocket. "I didn't stay a policeman back then. Got into publishing. Then video publishing. Then DVDs, of course."
"You put the easter eggs in?"
Bill smiled. "Have you noticed what all seventeen DVDs have in common yet? I suppose it's hard for you, in a way."
"How could the Doctor and Alex even know I had a list? I only just got it."
"I asked them how, but they both said that they couldn't tell me. The Doctor said that you'd understand it, but that I never would."
"Soon as I understand it, I'll come tell you."
"No, gorgeous girl, you can't. There's only tonight. Alex told me all those years ago that we'll only meet again this one time. On the night I die."
Talitha looked shocked. "Alex told you that?"
Billy nodded. "It's kept me going. I'm an old, sick man...but I've had something to look forward to." He looked at Sally, grasping her hand. "Ah, life is long, and you are hot. Oh, look at my hands. They're old man's hands. How did that happen?"
Sally looked at him with sadness. "Oh, Billy. I'll stay. Talitha," Sally threw her phone at her. "Call Larry and tell him the DVDs are all mine."
Talitha nodded in understanding and said goodbye to Billy one more time. Walking out, Talitha was thinking. The show always seemed innocent when her sister tried to explain it, but it was so much darker than she thought if actual people died.
Talitha took a deep breath and phoned Larry.
"Hello," he answered.
"Larry, it's Talitha. Sally figured it out. All the DVDs are hers."
"She only has seventeen DVDs?" Larry asked
"Apparently she does." Talitha said, finding it strange as well. "Sally will text you more information later though, okay?"
"Okay, yeah. See you later, maybe."
With that, Talitha hung up. She stood there, waiting for Sally. She came back when the rain stopped.
Sally texted Larry where to meet them with a portable DVD player. They stopped at Sally's house to pick up the DVDs and went to the house where, according to Sally, it all started. Soon enough Larry got there.
"You live in Scooby-Doo's house." He said.
"For God's sake. I don't live here." Sally argued.
They all went up to find a room to watch the DVDs. Talitha was adamant about no more interruptions and the DVDs were played as soon as the player was ready. The Doctor and Alex appeared on the screen.
"There they are." Larry said as the Doctor put glasses on.
"The Doctor and Alex." Sally said.
"Who's the Doctor?" Larry asked in confusion.
"He's the Doctor." Talitha replied, pointing to said man.
"Yup. That's me." the Doctor replied.
"Okay, that was scary." Sally said, Talitha agreeing.
"No, it sounds like they're replying, but he always says that." Larry explained
"Yes, I do." the Doctor agreed.
"And that."
This time, Alex replied. "Yup. And this."
"They can hear us. Oh, my God."
"Can you really hear us?" Talitha asked.
"Of course they can't hear us." Larry replied. "Look, I've got a transcript. See? Everything they say. Yup, that's me. Yes, I do. Yup, and this. Next it's-"
"Are you going to read out the whole thing?" Larry, the Doctor, and Alex all say at the same time.
"Sorry." Larry said.
"Who are you?" Sally asked.
"I'm a time traveller. Or I was. I'm stuck in 1969." the Doctor replied. "Alex is a little more complicated than that. But she's stuck with me as well."
Suddenly, someone else appeared on screen. "Me too. We're stuck. All of space and time, he promised me. Now I've got a job in a shop. I've got to support him! Alex is not bad though. At least she helps."
"Martha." the Doctor complained, pointing to the camera.
"Sorry." Martha said, leaving.
"I've seen this bit before." Sally said.
"Quite possibly." the Doctor replied
"1969, that's where you're talking from?" Talitha asked.
"Yep." Alex replied.
"But you're replying to us." Sally argued. "You can't know exactly what we're going to say, forty years before we say it."
"Thirty eight." the Doctor corrected.
"I'm getting this down. I'm writing in your bits." Larry said, sitting down with Sally and Talitha.
"How? How is this possible? Tell me." Sally asked, neither her nor Talitha paying attention to Larry.
"Not so fast." Larry said, wanting to have enough time to write it down.
"People don't understand time. It's not what you think it is." the Doctor said.
"Then what is it?" Talitha asked
"Talitha, I am so sorry. I wish I was in your spot instead because you are in serious danger." Alex said.
"What do you mean? What is time?" Talitha asked, growing more worried.
"Complicated." Alex replied.
"Alex, tell us." Talitha commanded.
"Very complicated."
"We're clever and we're listening. And don't patronise me because people have died, and I'm not happy. Tell me." Sally said.
Alex smiled. "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."
"Yeah, I've seen this bit before. You said that sentence got away from you." Sally said.
"I've always wanted to say it, but it did get away from me, yeah." Alex replied, like she did in the shop.
Talitha joined in. "The next thing you're going to say is, I can hear you and something about being siblings."
"I can hear you Talitha, we have sibling telepathy."
"This isn't possible." Sally said.
"No. It's brilliant!" Larry exclaimed.
"Well, not hear you, exactly," the Doctor corrected. "But we know everything you're going to say."
"Always gives me the shivers, that bit." Larry commented.
"How can you know what we're going to say?" Sally asked
"Look to your left." Alex and the Doctor spoke at the same time. Sally and Talitha look to the left to see Larry writing something on paper.
"What do they mean by look to your left? I've written tons about that on the forums. I think it's a political statement." Larry said, clicking his pen for effect.
"He means you. What are you doing?" Sally asked going over to him.
"I'm writing in your bits. That way I've got a complete transcript of the whole conversation. Wait until this hits the net. This will explode the egg forums." Larry explained.
"We've got a copy of the finished transcript. It's on our autocue." the Doctor explained.
"How can you have a copy of the finished transcript? It's still being written." Talitha asked
"I told you. I'm a time traveller. I got it in the future."
"Okay, let me get my head round this." Sally said. "You're reading aloud from a transcript of a conversation you're still having."
Alex nodded. "Yeah. Wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey."
"Never mind that. You can do shorthand?" Sally asked Larry.
"So?" Larry asked
"What matters is, we can communicate." the Doctor said, getting everybody back on track. "We have got big problems now. They have taken the blue box, haven't they? The angels have the phone box."
"The angels have the phone box. That's my favourite, I've got it on a t-shirt." Larry commented.
"What do you mean, angels?" Sally asked.
"Do you mean the statues?" Talitha added.
"Creatures from another world." the Doctor corrected
"But they're just statues." Sally said, not believing that they were alien.
"Only when you see them."
"What does that mean?" Sally asked.
"The lonely assassins, they used to be called. No one quite knows where they came from, but they're as old as the universe, or very nearly, and they have survived this long because they have the most perfect defense system ever evolved. They are quantum-locked. They don't exist when they're being observed. The moment they are seen by any other living creature, they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. And you can't kill a stone. Of course, a stone can't kill you either. But then you turn your head away, then you blink, and oh yes it can."
Sally looked and saw one of the statues.
"Don't take your eyes off that." She commanded Larry and Talitha.
The Doctor continued. "That's why they cover their eyes. They're not weeping. They can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen. The loneliest creatures in the universe. And I'm sorry. I am very, very sorry. It's up to you now."
"What are we supposed to do?" Sally asked.
"The blue box, it's my time machine. There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever, but the damage they could do could switch off the sun. You have got to send it back to me."
"How?!" Talitha asked.
"That's it," Alex said, looking sad. "There's no more from you on the transcript, that's the last we've got. The angels are coming for you. But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck."
The screen froze.
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