Time Cracks (Would you like a jelly baby?)

by The Pygairian

The roaring twenties, the jazz age, the silent film era... at least, that's where the Doctor was trying to go. It seems he was a few years early. But as celebrities have been vanishing all over the world, and one of the Doctor's incarnations is in trouble, It's up to the Doctor, Sarah, a new friend, and even some of the Doctor's future selves perhaps, to clear this up.

1. Prologue

Two men rounded the corner, running quickly. They ran a bit farther, until they realized their grave mistake. The alleyway turned around a corner and then was cut off. Both of them looked at eachother, and then planted themselves firmly, bracing themselves for the coming conflict.

Four men rounded the corner. Two had rough clubs made from wood with nails driven in. Another had a revolver. The last had an odd looking gun in his hand.

"Listen," said one of the two men to his attackers, "We don't want to fight. If its money that you want, I can give it to you. just please put the weapons down."

The men chuckled.

"No, Mr. Chaplin, Its not money we want." The man with the strange looking gun stepped up. "Its you."

The man next to Chaplin stepped between them. "You'll have to go through me first."

"No, Buster, don't." Chaplin pushed him back. He addressed the attackers. "You can take me, but leave my friend. He can't do you any harm."

"No witnesses." The head attacker said, emotionlessly. He lifted his gun and pointed it at Buster.

"No!" Chaplin darted forward, and knocked the gun from the man's hands, grappling with him.

Buster ran at the man with the revolver, and with a quick motion, somehow managed to throw the man who was twice his size to the ground. The two men with the clubs paused a moment and then both attacked Mr. Chaplin.

Buster forced the revolver from the man's hand, and then threw it down the alleyway. The man he was fighting broke free and went after it. Buster quickly attacked the men now restraining Chaplin.

One of the men with a club tried to bring the weapon down on Buster's head, but Buster ducked away, the club colliding with his shoulder instead. He gasped and crumpled to the ground. Blood stained his shoulder, from the wicked spikes on thw club.

The other man had retrieved his revolver, and fired at Buster. Buster gasped and cried out, then slumped, motionless.

"Buster!" Chaplin struggled harder. "You murderers!" He spat.

The leader smiled slightly.

Somewhere off in the distance, a police whistle blew.

The leader he withdrew a small device, and pressed a button. The four men, as well as Chaplin, were ingulfed in a blue light, and they disappeared.

A moment later, the police ran past, no one noticing the limp body in the back of the alleyway, still struggling to breathe.