III
The Doctor finished laughing, slowly, and wiped a tear from his eye.
"You have very cruel parents," he told Kirk, smiling. "I actually pity you – mind you, mine were so cruel I ditched my name completely, so…"
"What is your name?" Carrie asked, realizing that, apart from his usual pseudonym John Smith she knew nothing of the Doctors name or past.
"Bowman, for the moment," Daniel said, mindful of the need for good cover, like a good little soldier.
"Yes," the Doctor said, suddenly back to being serious. "Look, Captain, I really came here to say that you should leave. Now. Bye."
The bluntness of the statement took Kirk by surprise, so jaded by the laughter as he was.
"Why?" he asked, still shocked.
"Because otherwise, you'll all die," the Doctor smiled pleasantly, as if to soften the blow. "The Nightmare Child…"
"The what?" one of the bridge crew interrupted.
"The anomaly out there," the Doctor sighed. "Its name is the Nightmare Child, and it is a dangerous rift in Time and Space..."
"You know about it?" Kirk asked, leaning forward with an expression of great interest.
"Yes," the Doctor sighed. "I know all about it. My people studied it a long time ago."
"Your people?" the talkative crewman asked.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm not human. I am in fact an alien from a highly advanced civilization that has mapped out basically every nasty phenomenon you can think of, and says – in 'Janeiatrodellatrovella's guide to phenomena' nonetheless – that 'every single intelligent creature in existence should avoid the Nightmare Child, or else they will die a very horrible, agonizing, protracted death'. Simple enough message."
"Very," Carrie deadpanned.
"What is it, though?" Kirk asked. "What is the Nightmare Child?"
The Doctor sighed.
"Why do you need to know?" the Doctor asked.
"Because it's why we're out here," Kirk replied. "We came out here to find out everything we could…"
"…for the sake of it," the Doctor finished, now smiling again, turning to his friends. "This is why I like humans – you never say never. Ever."
"Sounds like a Bond movie," Daniel commented.
"I helped Ian Fleming write Casino Royale," the Doctor smiled. Then he turned back to Kirk. "Much as I admire your lovely line in exploring like pioneers – you'll die if you stay here."
"How can you be so certain?" the talkative crewman asked.
"Sorry, what's your name?" the Doctor asked.
"John McCoy," the crewman said.
"At least it isn't Leonard," Daniel muttered, and Carrie smirked.
"Alright, Mr McCoy," the Doctor said, ignoring them. "I can be so certain because I am an extremely old, and extremely clever alien who knows a lot – did I mention that part? – and I know a great deal about the Nightmare Child. So button it, because you certainly don't know what you're talking about."
"Here," Kirk interrupted, slightly annoyed. "I will not have you insult my crew in such a manner. Be courteous or get the hell of my ship."
"I'm trying to help you," the Doctor snapped, irritably. "If you would but listen."
"You're not saying anything clearly," Kirk said. "You haven't told us why the Nightmare Kid, or whatever its name is…"
"Nightmare Child!" the Doctor snapped.
"Right – why it's dangerous, or why we should listen to you," Kirk finished.
"Because that thing is a source of unimagined power – and it's also…" the Doctor said, but tapered off. "I've said too much. You cannot understand the full power of the Child – it's beyond you."
"Why?" Kirk asked.
"There are things in this universe that have existed for countless millennia and are more powerful than your peoples Gods," the Doctor said darkly. "You do not realize…"
"Spare us the mystical mumbo jumbo," McCoy said. "Just tell us straight."
"If the Doctor could, he undoubtedly would," Daniel said. "But obviously he can't. Military secrets and all that."
"You one of his people?" Kirk asked.
"No, I am a passenger," Daniel replied, curtly.
"Me too, if anyone's interested," Carrie piped up, getting bored now.
"Nobody is, so button it," McCoy snapped at her. "And you – Doctor. You say this thing is dangerous – we've been here for hours and it hasn't done anything."
"It's asleep," the Doctor said. "Believe me, when it wakes up, you'll know."
"We will, will we?" McCoy said.
"You will for three seconds," the Doctor told him, his voice low and menacing. "Then you'll die."
"Let me discuss this with my crew," Kirk said. The Captain and his officer turned and spoke softly. The Doctor turned to Daniel and Carrie.
"So what is so dangerous about the Nightmare Child?" Carrie asked.
"Like Daniel said, military secrets," the Doctor said. "I know what comes from tampering with that thing though, and it's nothing good."
"So we're here to stop it?" Carrie asked.
"To stop them," the Doctor said. "And to make sure someone else does tamper," he added grimly.
"Who?" Daniel asked.
"Why?" Carrie added.
"It's the last of my old plans, that I never got to finish," the Doctor said, mysteriously. "I died before I could implement it, and I had no allies who could help me. I had thought Grace would come, but she didn't. And Carrie – you were too inexperienced."
He sounded almost apologetic. His face was taking on a distinct air of worry and unhappiness.
"Then Daniel came, and the Library, and the Zagrites… and I knew that the time had come."
"For what?" Carrie asked. The Doctor said nothing, but almost cried.
"I used to be a manipulator," he murmured. "And I'm so very sorry, my friends… but I must be the Manipulator one last time."
"What have you done, sir?" Daniel asked.
"Taken us here to trick someone," the Doctor said. "And I wish I didn't have to."
"Why do you?" Carrie asked.
"Because it's my job," the Doctor replied.
"Doctor!" Kirk called. He and McCoy were leaning over a console screen showing a ship. "What do you make of that?"
The Doctor came over.
"Why are you asking me?" he asked.
"Because we want to know if we should warn them off," Kirk said.
"No point," the Doctor said, sighing. "I recognize that ship, and they won't listen."
"Who are they?" McCoy asked.
"The worst thing you can imagine," the Doctor told him. "The darkest fear of your species."
"Who are they?" Carrie asked, hoping to get a straight answer. To the horror of the crew, not to mention Daniel, the Doctor replied with a single, hushed word, spoken in almost a reverential tone, that was belied by the horror on the Time Lords face.
"Daleks."
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