Doctor Who

Stop the Clock

Part 4

"Doctor, do something!" said Ryan urgently.

"I'm thinking," the Doctor said, still making sure to keep moving so that the slowdown effect that had reached her friend didn't reach her also. But even she was struggling against the encroaching freeze, it slowly sapping the energy out of her.

"Right," she said. "Yaz, Ryan, you stay here and figure out some way of making sure Graham survives being hit by a car. Hopkins, you and me will go back to my ship and fix this mess."

"But if time restarts it'll kill him," said Ryan.

"And if time doesn't restart then there'll be nothing," replied the Doctor. "I'm sorry, but time is more important. I trust you two though. Look around you. Use your head. Come on Hopkins! And don't stop moving!"

The Doctor took off, Hopkins glancing at the two before leading the way.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Ryan asked, looking at Yaz for answers. Yaz spun around, looking for some herself. Her eyes fell onto a store.

"I think I might have an idea," she said. Ryan followed her gaze, and let out a small smile. It was certainly an idea.

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"How long have you been using this device?" the Doctor asked, as she and Hopkins kept up the pace.

"About a week," said Hopkins. "At first it was awesome, but when it seemed like time wasn't coming back..."

"Yeah that's my fault," said the Doctor. "My arrival here accidentally over-loaded the machine a bit and got it stuck. But logically as long as the cube and the TARDIS are next to each other it should be enough."

"I didn't want this to happen," said Hopkins, desperate to catch his breath. "Blimey I haven't run this much since P.E. class."

"Keep it up Hopkins," said the Doctor brightly. "It can't be that much further."

"It should just be over there," said Hopkins, as they turned the corner. Sure enough the TARDIS was sitting exactly where the Doctor parked it... but the strange black hole of light surrounding it.

"What's that?" Hopkins asked, slowing down the pace in concern.

"The TARDIS is attempting to draw energy from the rift," said the Doctor. "It's having a terrible effect on the space time around it. If we're not careful it might cause a black hole that swallows the entire planet."

"Wait what?" said Hopkins.

"Oh you won't even notice," said the Doctor. "It'll be over too quick."

"I don't like this," said Hopkins, slowing down to a stop.

"Hopkins!" the Doctor said urgently, but it was too late. She could see the young man slowly freeze up, as he struggled to push against the time waves crashing upon him. The Doctor shook her head and threw herself back into the breach, pushing forward with all her might. But even as a Time Lady she was struggling to get through the thickness that was the frozen time. It would take all her strength to push through it, and even then, there was no guarantee it would work.

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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ryan asked, slightly sceptical.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Yaz, as they moved another mattress into place. Ryan was forced to admit that he didn't. Like it or not it was the best idea they had.

He thanked his lucky stars that they'd ended up right next to a furniture store, one that sold mattresses no less. It was back breaking work, but piece by piece, item by item, they had slowly assembled a rough crash mat of sorts. Cushions and mattresses piled the road behind Graham, creating a nest for him to fall into.

The next goal had been to stop the car. Carefully Yaz had opened the door and leant over, pulling the handbrake on and pushing the car into neutral. It wouldn't do a lot, but something was better was nothing. Fortunately there were no other cars on the road, so hopefully the damage would be minimized. But there was only so much they could do.

The last step was to pile as many mattresses between Graham and the car as they could. Again, it wasn't perfect, but it might protect him enough that they could get him to a hospital in time.

The two of them stepped back, panting heavy. It was hard to move now, as they sluggishly got themselves off the street and onto the pavement to admire their handiwork. It was a mess, but it might be just enough to work. Yaz was the first of the two to freeze, her touching the car having done the most damage at her losing her momentum. Ryan tried to keep moving as she became a statue, his fear allowing him to hop from foot to foot. He hoped his grandfather would survive what was about to happen.

But, despite his best efforts, he too felt his body slow down, the world around him getting blurry and dark. The last thing he saw was the car very slowly speeding up, heading right to the man who cared about him more than anything else in the world.

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The Doctor was close, far closer than she honestly expected to get. But to call what she was doing 'wading through quicksand' was far too generous. It was solidifying by the moment, and the Doctor felt as if she needed to punch her way through it.

She spared a thought for her companions, wonder if they'd figured out a way to save Graham. The thought of them pushed her on as she took another step, willing herself forward. But despite her best efforts the TARDIS didn't look like it was getting any closer.

As she put the foot down she knew she wasn't going to get it up again. She could feel the solidification creeping up her leg, making quick work of her knees. As such she called upon one of her previous regeneration's particular set of skills.

With a bowl that would make the English cricket team proud she let the cube soar through the air, straight and true towards the TARDIS. But at this close range even it was becoming effected by the time dilation, the cube becoming ever slower.

The Doctor hoped that it'd be enough, that somehow it would make it, as everything around her went dark...

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In a timeless world there was a child, who had control of such a domain. Curiously they looked around at the situation at hand. There was its father, flailing in mid-air. There was its home, currently warping and creaking. And there was a cube, its own creation, just hanging in the void.

The child walked over to it, examining it closely. It was certainly one of theirs, there was no mistake about that.

The child looked between the three objects in front of it, puzzled. Still, it was clear what its father wanted to do. It reached out an ethereal hand, gently tapping the cube so it continued its journey towards the TARDIS. Electricity shot out from the TARDIS like tendrils, ensnaring the cube. Soon the sparks grew brighter, blinding the world.

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Leverton stumbled forward, looking around in confusion. Everyone was here a moment ago, but now they'd disappeared before his eyes. He shook his head, grabbed as much loot as he could, and made a run for it before anyone had a chance to turn him in.

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Birdie hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. Groggily he got to his feet and looked around, seeing three of the nuisances that got him into this mess. Sense prevailed however, and he decided that it was better to cut his losses and run.

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Hopkins took a step forward, only to see the blue box was just a blue box. Whatever strange thing had been happening earlier was gone, as if it was all a dream. In front of him the Doctor got off the ground, brushing off her jacket, before suddenly turning around and bolting back towards him. Before he could say anything she shot past him and disappeared around the corner.

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Graham looked up at the cloudy sky above him, trying to work out what had happened. One moment he was running, and next thing he knew he was in a literal mountain of pillows and mattresses. In front of him was a car that had seemingly stopped himself, and although he had technically driven into him, the padding from the mattresses had stopped the worst of the blow.

As he struggled to untangle himself he was suddenly bowled over by Ryan and Yaz leaping to hug him. He winced slightly, battered from the experience, but clearly alive. Judging from how his friends were acting, it seemed pretty lucky that he was as well.

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"So the thieves got away?" asked Graham, as the four of them left the hospital after Graham's check-up.

"I put in a word with the police," said the Doctor. "Did I tell you I was an amazing sketch artist? They'll pay for their misdeeds. Quick thinking, you two," she added, beaming at Yaz and Ryan.

"It was Yaz's idea," said Ryan, causing Yaz to blush slightly.

"So what happened with the cube?" Yaz asked as they walked through Cardiff.

"Well as soon as it got into contact with the TARDIS it reset itself, and by extension, the time around it before it spread too far," said the Doctor. "Although the Earth is now forty-two minutes behind the rest of the universe. Maybe that's why I always struggle when it comes to landing here."

"But where did the cube come from?" asked Ryan.

"And more importantly, how did it reach the TARDIS," said the Doctor. "I didn't throw it with enough force, and yet somehow it made it."

"Well I don't know about you," said Graham. "But I fancy some chips. My treat." His friends beamed, all current questions gone from their mind.

As they walked away, chatting and laughing, none of them noticed the child in the alleyway, watching them closely. Before it suddenly disappeared, as if it was never there at all.