The three men sat on stools around a table in one of the smaller timber
buildings in the enclosure. The building was fairly compact but with the
straw on the floor and the tapestries on the walls it had all the trappings
of a high status accommodation. There was partition, which divided where
they were seated from the sleeping area. Ruff the hound was curled up close
to plume of smoke that rose from a small but recently extinguished fire in
the centre of the space.
Piles of scrolls and papers lay around the room in some form of chaotic order and writing materials covered the table beside the remains of a meal. Three horn cups of the same warm brew that had knocked out the Brigadier the previous night sat in front of each of the men as they talked.
"I think I could get used to this stuff," said the Brigadier as he took a big swig from his cup.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and turned his attention back to Leo.
"So you are happy here?" asked the Doctor.
"Yes, this strange little world fascinates me. That is something I inherited from you even if I did not inherit your wanderlust." Replied Leo.
"I still can't see any resemblance." said the Brigadier.
"You never knew me when my first body was young," said the Doctor.
"True" replied the Brigadier.
The Doctor looked closely at Leo as though the youngster was a mirror in to his own past.
"Still, I never pictured you as the parental sort either," said the Brigadier.
"Listen Brigadier we have been through this twice now, I am not his parent I am just his...." The Doctor stopped when Leo interrupted.
"You are my father. Your blood flows through my veins stronger than it would through any conventional son"
"Leo, Timelords do not have children you are a clone and one I may add that was made without my consent" snapped the Doctor.
The Brigadier watched the other two men carefully. He had never seen the Doctor like this before. He was obviously very concerned about the boy's welfare but his speech was often stern and resentful when he spoke to him.
"They did not have my consent to make me either" said Leo gently "but you are the only person in the universe that I have any connection too, Father" the last word was said with emphasis.
The three had returned to an uncomfortable silence when the head of a ruddy faced man peeked through the door. Leo looked up and signalled to him before the man left.
"Well Brigadier, Father please allow yourselves to continue enjoying the hospitality of the court. I have been called to the King but I am sure I will see you at this evening's festivities." Leo said and then left.
*******************
It had been a few hours since Leo had disappeared to see then King and the Doctor and the Brigadier had spent much of the intervening time exploring the fields that surrounded the enclosure. The Doctor had been delighted by the landscape and the Brigadier had familiarised himself with a few young women who had been carrying pales of water back to the Palace enclosure.
It was now fast beginning to get dark as the sky turned an ever deeper blue. The Doctor and the Brigadier found themselves halfway up a small hill when they decided to head back.
"You are really concerned about that boy," said the Brigadier as they began to descend the hill.
"Yes I am. For all his bravado he is an innocent. When the Cybermen cloned me they thought they could use him to understand how I worked and better prepare their plans. When he reached maturity he was to be converted in to a new CyberController with all my wit but the cold determination of a Cyberman".
The Brigadier listened attentively, trying to fully get to grips with Leo's shattered past.
"Unfortunately for them their cloning facility was on a planet close to Dalek space. During one of their sporadic border clashes the facility was destroyed. The Timelords detected my DNA amongst the survivors and thinking they had caught me transmatted him to the Capitol. When they realised he was a clone they were outraged, they could not tolerate the idea of a clone polluting the pure Timelord gene pool. So when they finally caught up with me they offered me a deal. If I settled him somewhere else, somewhere where he could not damage the time continuum they would not kill him" continued the Doctor.
"Not much of a choice then" said the Brigadier.
"No. I thought he would be safe here away from a technological society that he could influence. I never suspected that even here he could start to interfere. I could feel the vibration in the continuum the moment we landed." said the Doctor.
Just then they heard the bellowing of a horn being blown in the enclosure. The sound was deep and rung in their ears. When they looked closely they could see the people that had previously filled the fields close to the enclosure running as fast as they could to get back within its walls. Then suddenly the sky darkened until the air around them was nearly black. More quickly than they imagined possible the two of them found themselves alone in the dark with only the distant shimmer of the lamps at the Palace to guide them back.
It was then they heard the growl. Deep and raw like the ripping of flesh, the roar filled the air around them and vibrated in their chests. Then from behind them there was a tremendous thud, followed by another, as if a giant was astride the land. These powerful strides were becoming louder and more insistent.
The Doctor and the Brigadier turned towards the sound as it got ever closer and ever louder and came face to face with a set of giant serrated white teeth opening in their direction.
To be Continued.
Piles of scrolls and papers lay around the room in some form of chaotic order and writing materials covered the table beside the remains of a meal. Three horn cups of the same warm brew that had knocked out the Brigadier the previous night sat in front of each of the men as they talked.
"I think I could get used to this stuff," said the Brigadier as he took a big swig from his cup.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and turned his attention back to Leo.
"So you are happy here?" asked the Doctor.
"Yes, this strange little world fascinates me. That is something I inherited from you even if I did not inherit your wanderlust." Replied Leo.
"I still can't see any resemblance." said the Brigadier.
"You never knew me when my first body was young," said the Doctor.
"True" replied the Brigadier.
The Doctor looked closely at Leo as though the youngster was a mirror in to his own past.
"Still, I never pictured you as the parental sort either," said the Brigadier.
"Listen Brigadier we have been through this twice now, I am not his parent I am just his...." The Doctor stopped when Leo interrupted.
"You are my father. Your blood flows through my veins stronger than it would through any conventional son"
"Leo, Timelords do not have children you are a clone and one I may add that was made without my consent" snapped the Doctor.
The Brigadier watched the other two men carefully. He had never seen the Doctor like this before. He was obviously very concerned about the boy's welfare but his speech was often stern and resentful when he spoke to him.
"They did not have my consent to make me either" said Leo gently "but you are the only person in the universe that I have any connection too, Father" the last word was said with emphasis.
The three had returned to an uncomfortable silence when the head of a ruddy faced man peeked through the door. Leo looked up and signalled to him before the man left.
"Well Brigadier, Father please allow yourselves to continue enjoying the hospitality of the court. I have been called to the King but I am sure I will see you at this evening's festivities." Leo said and then left.
*******************
It had been a few hours since Leo had disappeared to see then King and the Doctor and the Brigadier had spent much of the intervening time exploring the fields that surrounded the enclosure. The Doctor had been delighted by the landscape and the Brigadier had familiarised himself with a few young women who had been carrying pales of water back to the Palace enclosure.
It was now fast beginning to get dark as the sky turned an ever deeper blue. The Doctor and the Brigadier found themselves halfway up a small hill when they decided to head back.
"You are really concerned about that boy," said the Brigadier as they began to descend the hill.
"Yes I am. For all his bravado he is an innocent. When the Cybermen cloned me they thought they could use him to understand how I worked and better prepare their plans. When he reached maturity he was to be converted in to a new CyberController with all my wit but the cold determination of a Cyberman".
The Brigadier listened attentively, trying to fully get to grips with Leo's shattered past.
"Unfortunately for them their cloning facility was on a planet close to Dalek space. During one of their sporadic border clashes the facility was destroyed. The Timelords detected my DNA amongst the survivors and thinking they had caught me transmatted him to the Capitol. When they realised he was a clone they were outraged, they could not tolerate the idea of a clone polluting the pure Timelord gene pool. So when they finally caught up with me they offered me a deal. If I settled him somewhere else, somewhere where he could not damage the time continuum they would not kill him" continued the Doctor.
"Not much of a choice then" said the Brigadier.
"No. I thought he would be safe here away from a technological society that he could influence. I never suspected that even here he could start to interfere. I could feel the vibration in the continuum the moment we landed." said the Doctor.
Just then they heard the bellowing of a horn being blown in the enclosure. The sound was deep and rung in their ears. When they looked closely they could see the people that had previously filled the fields close to the enclosure running as fast as they could to get back within its walls. Then suddenly the sky darkened until the air around them was nearly black. More quickly than they imagined possible the two of them found themselves alone in the dark with only the distant shimmer of the lamps at the Palace to guide them back.
It was then they heard the growl. Deep and raw like the ripping of flesh, the roar filled the air around them and vibrated in their chests. Then from behind them there was a tremendous thud, followed by another, as if a giant was astride the land. These powerful strides were becoming louder and more insistent.
The Doctor and the Brigadier turned towards the sound as it got ever closer and ever louder and came face to face with a set of giant serrated white teeth opening in their direction.
To be Continued.