Chapter 05
This didn't look like the place where you could find items to fix a Type 40 TARDIS, but then what did he know? Harry wondered as he mused looking up through the whatever it was that surrounded the "satellite of sin" as one newspaper, which wasn't a newspaper but it was something described where they currently were.
The rather unimaginatively named "Space City" was where the Doctor had directed the TARDIS to, only briefly explaining a 'co-ordinate error' had landed them in the land of airships, amber and the UMF.
Draco was in one of the many bars here sipping a lurid concoction called adrenalin and soma and watching a chess game.
Harry had elected to have a wander, but rather weirdly, he found himself wandering back to where Draco was. A lot about this place felt like it would be beneficial someone around with him, even if it was Draco Malfoy to watch one another's backs.
Or, as it happened shoot someone in the back for them when their hands were full.
-/
Draco cursed as someone brushed past him again seemingly trying to steal from his pockets, those he'd transfigured especially on the back of his coat and placed a few choice charms to stop these sorts of pedestrian attacks on his person.
The establishment he'd found to sequester himself within while Potter wandered off was screening a fascinatingly diabolical sport of 'speed chess'. Where the defeated party was electrocuted to death.
It was delightfully grim and fast paced.
The patrons here however seemed determined to attempt to steal whatever he had on his person.
Turning quickly he cast a leg locker on the thief who already had his hand out and what appeared to be some tool coming towards his person.
Deciding now was time to take his leave, he made his way towards the open doorway of the establishment.
Only then was it apparent that there were many others, seemingly of the same fraternity as the individual who had crashed face first onto the floor as his legs had locked. By the sound of it he had a broken nose and blood pooling out of he snorted to breathe.
As he was formulating who he was going to stun first two of the individuals were stunned by someone stood at the entrance.
The distraction affording him the time to stun the remaining three.
"You shot them in the back," he commented to Potter with a slight smirk.
Potter rolled his eyes. "Chivalry is over rated Malfoy."
Potter had been honest; that he felt uncomfortable 'roaming on my own', admitting he was easily distracted by the 'wondrous majesty, even if it's a little less salubrious'.
As they walked past an area that was clearly selling some noxious substances; translucent orange spheres he asked something of Potter. "Do you trust the Doctor? That he will return us to Earth?"
Potter didn't immediately answer, which at least meant he would not answer blindly. "I trust he will return us to Earth, I've known him and his friends enough to know that..." he trailed off.
"But?" Draco prompted.
"But," Potter continued from his prompt. "I have known the Doctor a long time," he said repeating his previous statement, "and several of the Doctor's travelling companions," he paused with a slight smile "and a friend and enemy of his have told me in the past that the Doctor often has his own," Potter paused as they stepped into another section of Space City, his wand drawn though concealed as he looked around the local corridors. "agenda. That we're here," Potter looked around them. "Feels a little...odd."
"It certainly is less academic than our last adjuncts to our passage," Draco mused as they continued to walk past a group of sellers, their translucent promotions advertising 'synaptic stimulators'.
"It's all a bit seedy, like a bazaar crossed with a casino, mixed in with a lot of..." Potter trailed off as, somewhat predictably he was drawn towards what appeared to be a trader selling weapons and other destructive items.
Harry looked over the decidedly dangerous bombs and other equipment the seller had for sale. "Is it safe to have this many bombs when-"
"When we are so close to the hull?" The seller laughed in a Mancunian accent. "Nothing to worry about, deactivated, duds, got the proper ones off system, you looking to settle something? Take on the Federation or the freedom fighters, got all the goods here, he gestured behind him on the wall were more screens were displaying stuff blowing up.
Harry smiled and shook his head.
"None of my business who you blow up, good for mining as well, sold plenty of that," the man continued.
Harry was thankful as his phone rang.
-/
Draco looked up as Potter approached.
"Discovered an appealing explosive Potter?"
Potter smiled broadly at him. "I wasn't always a maniac for explosives and weapons, that only came after Hogwarts," he paused "the Doctor called said we should get back to the TARDIS."
"It's a pity we couldn't just apparate," Draco said as they found an automated information point which directed them the most swift route back to to the Doctor's craft.
"I think there's something to relativistic speeds and stuff like that, don't know if this place is just sitting in space of subtly moving, don't think it's rotating."
"Why would it rotate?" Draco wondered with a frown.
"Gravity, it's...like..." Potter shook his head seemingly realising something. "Never mind, come on we should hurry."
-/
As they arrived back at the Doctor's craft Potter gestured at the doors. "Do you want to unlock them?"
Draco extracted the key, they had both been given one by the Doctor, a sign Potter commented that they were 'part of the crew, and all the dangers within', he intended to interrogate Potter as to how the Doctor's past travelling associates' lives progressed, beyond what they knew of Ian and Barbara Chesterton.
There was a thrill as he slipped the seemingly boring, unassuming key into the lock; feeling something large, otherworldly disengage its locking mechanism and allowing them entry.
As they stepped in the doors closed behind them with a secure thud.
"The Doctor's disassembled some more of the console, I think that's the internal configuration and temporal controls," Potter mused gesturing at one of the six sides of the console.
"You still worry of his other companion?" Draco wondered, Potter having expressed a concern for Alison even though he had only briefly met her. He obviously felt a connection with all the Doctor's travelling associates, as they were, and that the Doctor might do the same as he had to her; keep them out of harm's way was an unsettling thought which neither he nor Potter had properly vocalised to one another.
"Harry? Draco?" Called the Doctor's voice from a location on the console.
Harry walked over to the console and looked at the speaker grill that seemed to have been hastily dropped there. Picking it up he realised it wasn't even wired up.
"Yes Doctor?"
"Wha-hooo!" The Doctor called off somewhere. Harry looked over at Draco who raised an eyebrow at him. "It's om-com it's-"
"I know what om-com is," Harry cut the Doctor off, Jack had explained.
"Got myself into a little bother with the Zodin, nicked her-" He was cut off. "Might need you to give me a hand, and open the doors, and maybe a bit of covering distraction."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Get over by the doors Draco," he ordered as he put down the speaker and reached around the console for the scanner controls, only to find they'd been disabled.
"When will I know you're coming?" Harry wondered.
"Just listen out for the screams!" The Doctor said with whoop.
"Ours or his?" Draco asked from the doors in a cynical tone.
"Let's see?" Harry said as he flicked the door opening switch.
With a clunk the doors opened.
"What can you see?" Harry called from the console as something within started to smell like it was burning.
Draco leaned out of the doors. "The Doctor's riding some sort of dragon and being pursued by large emu-like birds," he reported.
There was a howl of excitement.
"And shouting like a mad man," Harry pondered out loud.
"I bit...of covering fire!" Harry heard the Doctor shout. "Woo-hooo!"
Harry ran over to where Draco was firing stunning spells out of the doors of the TARDIS as red lasers flew past them impacting with the console and the staircase.
"Never dull Potter," Draco muttered to him.
Harry grinned. "Never Draco," he was glad that he hadn't asked how something that big was going to get through the doors. "I think we should get back."
"You'll have no disagreement from me Potter," Draco said backing away as they heard a dragon-like roar and somehow the doors expanded and the Doctor, riding the dragon flew through the doors.
The Doctor landed with a disturbingly wet sound next to the console as the doors closed with a thud.
Harry rushed over; the Doctor's shirt was wet with blood.
"Adrenalin's wearing off a bit now," the Doctor looked up at him wearily. "Gotta take off, before-"
There was a thud of something hitting the outside of the TARDIS and above them something exploded; showing them in sparks.
"Potter..." Draco warned.
"Medical kit, fourth roundel along from fault locator," the Doctor called as the cloister bell began to toll and the lights around them began to flicker. "Temporal constraints," the Doctor muttered and grabbed at Harry. "De-materialse Harry, I'll show you then repair..." he slurred.
Harry looked at the console and flicked the switches and pulled the leavers that the Doctor indicated as he drifted off. As he pulled one of the leavers something within the console warbled and exploded narrowly hitting the dragon or whatever it was on the stairs; it howled with anger and took off higher into the ceiling.
"Then main power control..." the Doctor said as Draco returned to them.
"Drop that and hang on, I don't know if I've got this right," Harry said.
Draco braced himself as Potter stood before the mass of controls and pulled one of the significant ones.
He felt his body being pulled and dragged by several unseen forces as the central column came to life and the noise of the Doctor's craft warped and warbled around them like some trumpeting sick elephant.
-/
"Do you know what you're doing?" Draco asked as Potter opened up the Doctor's shirt to reveal large wounds in his chest.
Potter shook his head and looked up, listening to the still tolling bell. "Can you manage those bandages," he indicated the rainbow coloured ones. "I recall Ian and Barbara talking about them, that they had drugs in them that speeded recovery."
"And went white when used," Draco finished with a nod.
Potter grinned at him as he removed one of the tools from the Doctor's coat. "I think I need to deal with the TARDIS, that bell is not a good sign."
-/
Harry looked at the console, the Doctor had been showing him how it all worked and went together, it was all surprisingly simple, mostly because he'd already taken it all apart.
After Draco had patched the Doctor up he'd said he wanted to wash his hands of the significant amount of blood from the Doctor's wounds; avoiding the stairs where the dragon-like creature was lurking he'd utilised the lift. Harry'd let him go, there was nothing Draco could do to help here with the TARDIS console.
Harry was pretty sure he'd put all component parts of the directional unit and coordinate entry back together, everything seemed to have soniced together with exploding too much. As he was seating the panel back onto the console itself the lift dinged and Draco came walking out with two mugs; offering one to him.
"We both have been through something Potter," he said as he walked around to where the Doctor was; aiming his wand at him.
"Will diagnostic spells work on an alien?" Harry wondered.
Draco looked at him. "I was merely going to ensure he was lying flat Potter," he paused. "I would not know, you deal more frequently with aliens."
"Usually they're trying to disrupt wizarding stuff," Harry paused as he rested the mug on the floor and picked up some cables on the console and tried to push them back into the console when he was zapped by energy pulsing through them. Swearing he hissed. "Or when they're trying to kill me."
"The bell is still tolling," Draco observed as Harry picked up his tea and sat down, leaning against one of the polls supporting the circular hand rail around the console.
"Softer now," Harry replied closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them as he felt the air shift as Draco sat down near him. "It warns of imminent danger, or catastrophic incidents or something."
"And are we Potter?" Draco pressed.
Harry opened his eyes and looked over to his fellow wizard. "The Doctor often told me that, well actually," he stopped. "He said the TARDIS was indestructible and nothing could get in, and those he travelled with sort of gave me the impression that he often fictionalised that a bit."
"A massaging of the truth perhaps?" Draco wondered.
Harry shrugged and drained most of his mug of tea. "I'm going to try and fix most of the major systems so hopefully the cloisters will stop ringing."
Draco nodded. "As much as I wish to leave you to it Potter," he sighed. "I will remain," he gestured off to the side and gave him a look. "If you injure yourself where will I be?"
"Trapped inside an infinitely sized space-time vessel with no way out?" He wondered brightly.
"Cheery thoughts as always Potter," Draco smirked at him.
-/
Harry wasn't sure how long he'd been working on the console, he'd reconnected most of the stuff the Doctor had taken apart. He suspected the TARDIS might be subtly guiding him, or maybe the Doctor had just deliberately shown him how to put it all back together, in preparation for this eventuality. Both were very likely possibilities.
He'd not been able to do anything with the dimensional warping or the multi-phasic dimensional links which he had the vaguest ideas was what was keeping Alison and the Master in stasis, something he felt a little uncomfortable about. Like the Doctor had deliberately set them aside.
Now there was just the communications equipment, which was really weird, it had a bunch of connections in the console and went off to side console that held what looked like an old-school phone with separate headset and speaker from the 1920s, it was lashed together with various valves and a speaker horn. The wires and cables looked like they'd all shorted from a massive overload.
While he'd been working Draco had located the toolkit over by the fault locator, so there was enough cable to replace everything, he thought.
Moving around the console he flicked a few buttons and, blissfully the cloister bell stopped ringing.
"You fixed it?" Draco asked pocketing the book he'd been reading and walked over to them, sparing a look to the Doctor who seemed to be stirring.
"I think so," Harry nodded wiping his hands dirty and sweaty hands down on his clothes.
Draco tutted and handed him a handkerchief from a pocket.
Harry smiled a thanks to him.
Then the phone off to the side started to ring.
"What? What, how did you," the Doctor muttered and jumped up looking around wildly. "You fixed the TARDIS? Very good," the Doctor patted about his body. "And someone's been playing nurse maid to me, how nice, thank you Draco," he looked to him with half a smile. "But," he reached under the console pulling out what looked like a fire axe.
"I didn't notice that!" Harry exclaimed, not that he'd been looking around the bottom of the console.
"Just something for emergencies," he said casually as he raised it over the phone.
Then there was a shuddering booming sound around them, its intensity pushing Harry and Draco to the edge of the console area, forcing them to hang onto the guard rail.
The Doctor dropped the fire axe looking defeated. The phone pinged and from below it what looked like wide printer paper, along with the noise of printing started pushing the paper out.
"A mission," he muttered against the noise.
"A mission?" Harry shouted as the noise abruptly cut off.
"From who?" Draco asked in a struggled tone as whatever force was enacting on them also abruptly cut off.
"My people," the Doctor said looking at the page, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "I've been ignoring them," he looked to Harry. "I didn't expect you'd be so efficient with your repairs," he smiled in a sad sort of way at Harry. "Wanted some time, with you," it was such a sad solemn tone, he finished with a sigh. "Now they've become tired of waiting," he handed the page off to Harry and walked back to look at the console.
Looking at it, it looked like a mixture of mathematics, Greek letters and weird circular characters. He passed it to Draco with a shrug.
"What's it about?" Harry asked, crossing the small distance between himself and the Doctor to put his hand on the Time Lord's shoulder. "I am sorry, I didn't know."
The Doctor looked to him with a smile. "You were much more efficient than I ever was," he began setting coordinates. "It seems Braxiatel is unavailable and I must organise this for them, with the 'utmost urgency'."
"Organise what?" Harry asked.
"A convention."
-/
A/N:
Space City is from the Blake's 7 episode Shadow, and speed chess is seen in Gambit.