Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Toymaker's Challenge: Tag

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

…

For a moment, Rose thought she was back in the Black Forest. Tall old trees surrounded her, and the rich smell of damp moss and soil filled her nostrils. It would have been soothing if not for the sharp memory of the Toymaker and the absence of Jack and the Doctor. She stayed where she was and slowly searched the area. There was slight movement in the bushes and trees, but there was also a soft breeze. For the time being, she seemed to be alone and safe.

"Toymaker?" Rose called. "What is the game?"

There was no answer.

"You can't possibly be a worse loser than Black," Rose said softly. She didn't really mean it. Black was a sore loser who would refuse to leave her flat for hours and hours until he won at something, but he'd never harmed her. "What is this game?" Looking around, she searched for anything that didn't fit in the forest. "Am I supposed to find something?"

Rose dug into her pockets, wondering if the Toymaker had hidden something on her that was a clue. Her pockets had only the lip balm she'd expected. Next, Rose searched her shoulder bag; it didn't have anything new in the main compartment or the front pocket. She hadn't grabbed a jacket, but thankfully the TARDIS had given her a red jumped this morning, so she wasn't cold.

"Doctor!" Rose called into the forest. "Jack! Are either of you here?"

There was no answer. Some birds chirped in the distance, and nearby bushes rattled as an animal moved through them. Licking her lips nervously, Rose looked straight at the ground, but there was nothing. There was no teleport pad and no sign of how she'd gotten here—nothing to mark the spot at all.

"Is this hide and seek?" Rose asked loudly. She waited, but there was no reply. "Who are you, Toymaker?"

The name was not familiar to her. None of the companions she knew had ever mentioned such a figure. And he knew the Doctor well enough not to be surprised by a change in face as Rose knew she was the first person this incarnation had ever traveled with. Was he an Eternal? That could fit the created something out of nothing. Still, it would take a lot of courage and power for an Eternal to claim that it was a Guardian. And the Eternals had fled and only recently returned. She didn't get the sense that the Toymaker had only just returned.

Shaking her head, Rose grabbed a fallen tree branch and used it and a second one to make a large X where she'd first appeared. Staying put would do no good, but she might need to find the spot again. Rose gave the immediate area one last long look for anything that might give away the game she was supposed to be playing. The problem was that she had only Earth-centric knowledge of games. Depending on what the Toymaker was up to, she might be looking right at something useful and not know it. With that discouraging thought, Rose started walking what she thought was west.

There was nothing to see. Frustration built in Rose's chest, and she kicked at the ground to let off steam. The dirt felt right to her. All of this seemed real, but she didn't trust it. Even if the Toymaker wasn't an Eternal, he might be working with one. Or he was something older, something weird like the Trickster. That might fit. He seemed like he might be into that whole chaos thing too.

"Seriously!" Rose shouted. "What is the game? I'll play if you let me in on what the game is? Am I looking for a chessboard in the woods? I've defeated Guardians at chess if that makes you want to play!" Nothing. Rose glared up at the blue sky. "Seriously! Where is the game? What am I supposed to be playing?"

A branch snapped behind Rose. A low hissing noise sent a shiver down her spine, and Rose froze. All the words she'd been ready to shout died in her throat. She could feel something behind her, a presence. Primal instinct won over, and she bolted. A snarl behind her made Rose look back. A massive wolf-like creature, straight out of a werewolf movie howled into the sky and started to run after her.

Rose didn't look back. She could hear the branches cracking, the leaves rustlings, and the heavy footfalls against the ground. Running as fast as she could, Rose's eyes searched frantically for anything that could help her. If that thing caught her, it would do a lot more than tag her, so it was her turn to give chase. Or maybe she had epically failed hide and seek.

Her eyes searched for a way to lose the creature. Rose wasn't sure about climbing a tree. Her childhood in the city had left her ill prepared for that and there was too much of a chance that it would catch her before she got high enough. Her body kept moving on its own, trained by her time in the TARDIS. The ground slanted down, and Rose adjusted her trajectory as soon as she caught sight of a narrow ravine.

It was filled with jagged rocks and piles of rubble from landslides. Weaving around the trees and rocks, Rose rushed towards it with a frantic prayer to the White Guardian that the creature was too large to follow. Sharp rocks surrounded Rose, and she slipped between them while the creature snarled behind her. Rose didn't look back. She kept moving as another howl split the air. The thing could go around, but if it lost sight of her, then maybe the 'game' would reset.

The ravine stretched out in front of her, and Rose kept moving. Around her, the walls of the ravine stretched up, offering some protection, but also caging her in. She slowly came to a stop, the burning in her legs finally too much to ignore and listened. Everything was quiet. She couldn't hear the monster anymore. Standing there, Rose debated her next course of action. Doubling back could work if the monster was going to try and go around the ravine and try to find her on the far end, but it could be waiting for her.

The dried out bottom of the ravine seemed safe enough for the time being. Rose inhaled slowly and focused on listening for danger and catching her breath. The walls of the ravine were almost completely stone. She hadn't realized how deep the chasm went, and now Rose was in dim light. The sun didn't reach all the way down here. She had no idea how far the ravine went and how hard it would be to get out. Decision made, Rose turned and headed back the way she had come, mindful to keep her ears open for any growling.

…

Jack stopped in his tracks and frowned at the scene below. It was some sort of court for a ball game. His eyes traced the outline of the rectangular space that was clear of snow and slightly elevated off the ground. There was a set of bleachers along the far long side, but they were empty. Rather than hoops on the narrow sides, there was an odd pyramid shape made of differently shaped blocks that fit together. Nothing about it was familiar to him from his years of education to be a time agent or his travel with the Doctor.

He hesitated to get closer. This must be the game that the Toymaker was talking about, but why he'd been forced to trudge through snow first was a question. Maybe it was meant to tire him out before a physically demanding game. Jack almost smiled at the thought. The Toymaker was seriously underestimating his endurance if that was the case.

But… he wasn't sure if he should approach. He didn't recognize the court. He wouldn't know the rules, and if the game activated as soon as he got too close then he might not get a chance to find out. Jack looked around again, searching the snowy plain for any sign of the Doctor or Rose, hoping that they might have reached the same spot as him. No such luck. He was still alone and now had a game waiting for him. Jack shivered from the cold and took a step forward. He wasn't going to find out the rules just standing there.

He reached the arena platform in only a few minutes and stepped onto it with no small amount of trepidation. In a flash of light, five other humanoids appeared along the sides of the arena. Jack called out a greeting, but none of them answered him. They stepped up onto the platform without a word.

"I'm guessing you're the others players," Jack said.

Again there was no answer. The movements of the other players were fluid, making Jack pretty sure that they weren't robots of any kind. Their expressions, however, were empty, their eyes devoid of any spark of fear or excitement. Jack's mind went back to the Toymaker's threat, and he swallowed nervously. Jack had faith in the Doctor, he had to at this point, but he had to admit seeing a living thing with such an empty face was uncomfortable.

"Do I get the rules?" Jack asked.

A glowing scroll appeared in the air in front of him and unrolled itself with a flourish. Jack almost laughed, humor and worry mixing uncomfortably in his chest. The other players were still and silent, just waiting for him.

"This isn't creepy at all," Jack muttered. Shaking his head, he forced a smile and focused on the scroll. "So, let's see what tonight's entertainment is. I'm not familiar with this game, but…" His eyes moved across the lines and then dropped to the arena floor. "Okay, balls will be ejected that each team uses to take down the opposing pyramid. You can't cross the middle line and have to hit or kick the balls. First side to knock the whole thing over wins." It wasn't familiar to him, but that was simple enough. "Makes sense."

The scroll vanished, and Jack rolled his shoulders, bracing his feet on the arena floor. He fought back another shiver. None of the zombies were affected by the cold which put him at a disadvantage. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw two of the zombies take places behind him, one guarding the pyramid and the other a few feet away from him, seemingly ready to help. His opponents moved into a similar formation across from him.

There was a faint whirring noise, and Jack looked down in time to see round ports opening along the thick centerline of the arena. Shifting his body, Jack almost smiled as the first balls came popping up into the air.

…

The small light zipped around in front of the Doctor, almost cheerfully and teasing as if they weren't in the ruins of his home. Anger boiled inside of him, and he lashed forward, trying to grab what the light was. It slipped out of his reach, dancing just beyond him, and a soft twinkling sound made it seem that it was laughing at him.

"Are we playing tag?" the Doctor growled. "Tag in the ruins of Gallifrey? You really are a piece of work!"

There was no response to his words, but the light darted away, heading for the city. The Doctor almost didn't move. He didn't want to get any closer to that, but the threat of the Toymaker rang in his ears. If they didn't win the game, then they would be stuck here. He knew that the Toymaker would try to keep them even if they did win, but he couldn't just give up.

With great reluctance, the Doctor started to follow the light. His feet were heavy, and the pillar of smoke billowing out of the dome loomed ominously over him. This was meant to distract him. The Doctor knew it, but it was already going a great job. He wondered if Rose and Jack were playing the same game or something else. This was different than last time. Last time, the Toymaker had preferred games of chance like dice and cards.

Last time. The Doctor hadn't thought of the Toymaker in centuries. He'd been in his first body back then, still so young and early in his travels. Susan had already been gone then, but he'd had Steve Taylor and Dodo Chapel with him.

Steve, who had left the TARDIS on a planet far from his home in the late 25th century to help build a society. The Doctor had checked in on him once in his fourth life to find the man king with three daughters. He'd later given up the throne once a stable society that could govern itself had been established.

Dodo, who had reminded him so much of Susan when he met her. She'd enjoyed her travels, but left the TARDIS quickly and sent word of her decision to him through another rather than tell him face to face. She was on Earth during Rose's time, but none of the Companion's Club had seemed to have met her. Her timeline had revealed two potential futures to him once when he accidentally caught sight of it, one tragic and one mundane. He'd never wanted to investigate which one came into being.

The Doctor followed the light, pushing away the thoughts of his former companions. Thinking about them and that encounter with the Toymaker wouldn't help him right now. He needed to stay sharp. But at the same time, thoughts of lost companions were far better than the memories being in an illusion of Gallifrey called forth.

"What is your game?" the Doctor growled. "Is this the best you can do?"

The light zipped away, and the Doctor darted after it on instinct. He wasn't sure what the game was, but he couldn't risk losing the light. If it was connected to the game, he'd lose, and that wasn't an option.

"You're playing this way because you lose every time you challenge me," the Doctor snapped to the empty air.

Then, as he expected, the Toymaker finally appeared with a small smirk.

…..

Rose slowly stepped out of the ravine. Deep tracks and clawmarks in the stones showed where the creature had been, but there was no sign of it now. Had she won this round of hide and seek? She waited in the shadows of the rocky ravine entrance for a long moment, listening for any sound that didn't fit in the forest.

All was quiet. There weren't even any birds chirping now. Either the illusion was weakening, or the Toymaker knew something about silence in horror films. Summoning her sword, Rose stepped out slowly, ready to defend herself. Now that she knew what to expect, she felt more prepared to fight. Though, she was still worried about the long arms on the monster.

She slowly moved away from the ravine and up the slope leading to the upper cliff. It was higher than where she'd come from and might provide a better view. Rose stopped and looked out toward the horizon only to frown. Everything in the distance was hazy and foggy. It was like one of Mickey's video games where the distance was there, but not as high resolution as the rest of the game because it was further than you could go.

No sooner had Rose noticed that detail before a nearby tree caught her attention. The words Bad Wolf were carved into the tree. Rose stumbled towards them in a daze. She couldn't be sure if the monster really was the Toymaker's game or just an obstacle, but this was something that gave her hope. Rose hesitated for a moment, wondering as she approached the words if the Toymaker knew of the words and had put them here as a trap. Stopping in front of the tree, Rose kept her sword ready and reached out slowly with her left hand.

….

"I'm glad to see you're playing," the Toymaker said. He was smiling serenely at the Doctor, but the expression was very false.

"No Trilogic game this time?" the Doctor asked. He tried to keep the anger out of his voice.

"We have already played that game," the Toymaker reminded him. "I have decided to explore another game this time."

"It can't be this simple." The Doctor leveled his glare on the Toymaker. "There's no chance here, no challenge for you. What is the real game?" He gestured at the light that was dancing a few feet away. "Or are you really going with… tag?" the Doctor scowled as he said the word.

"You prefer something more… deliberate?" The Toymaker's smile. "I thought playing with your mind was interesting enough, but if you insist, Doctor." The Toymaker waved his hand lazily, and the terrain around them shimmered and began to shift. Then the Toymaker stopped cold, and Gallifrey reappeared as the Toymaker's eyes widened. "What is she doing?"

Then the Toymaker was gone, leaving the Doctor with a dreadful sense that Rose was in danger. He glanced around, searching for any clues, but he was still in the illusion of Gallifrey with no game he could play and win in sight. Tag didn't have an end; you just kept changing who was it. Maybe that was the trick, a never-ending game—no way out and no Toymaker to taunt him.