Chapter 8: Trees are Trees and a House of Cards is a Hub Away

Merlin and Arthur looked on as the tree moved closer. More enthralled by the sight than fearful. It slowly crept forward and stopped thirty yards from them, just on the other side of the ooze river. The face contorted for a moment before all of the branches shivered and quaked, lending the necessary movement to free dozens of whirling seeds.

"Go my children…go and conquer this planet so we may destroy those who captured us." It's voice boomed as the first seeds hit the ground and nearly instantly sprouted. In a matter of minutes they were as tall as Merlin and Arthur, and a few minutes more they'd be nearly fully grown.

The Doctor rushed out of the orifice, and all slimy, slid down the side of the mushroom ship landing on the rotting broken pieces of the ship, which had fallen off in the crash. Merlin, rushed to him as Arthur drew his sword.

"Doctor…those trees, they're…"

"Moving, I know. Don't attack them…just…" the Doctor looked at Merlin, "where's Arthur?"

"GAAH" Arthur yelled as he charged at the first tree sapling, his sword swung through the air and chopped clear through its top, leaving it a branchless stump.

"No…stop…it's like a Hydra…Just…don't…"

Arthur ignored the Doctor's yelling and chopped through another, and then a third. The fallen branches instantly sprouted all around him growing just as quickly as the originals. In seeing this Arthur retreated, splashing through the ooze river. Where there were only a dozen or so, now there were nearly thirty. The Doctor and Merlin rounded the ooze and met up with Arthur .

"How do we fight these things?" Arthur gasped.

"Merlin, can you set the ooze on fire?"

"I think I can…"

"Good, do it get low enough that the gasses above it don't burn you. Arthur get down." The Doctor pointed to the ground and then crouched himself.

Merlin nodded to the Doctor and ran up to the ooze, laid on the ground and said, "Brydia ata"

In that instance the ooze ignited, the flame engulfed the gasses it released sending a flaming ball straight up into the upper atmosphere. In this same instance the saplings were set ablaze, their young screams peaked just as the rumble of the explosion returned in echo. The large tree only remained, scorched, but alive. It's leaves were still smoldering, and whatever seeds it had left were gone. It grumbled in an earthy tone and moved towards the Arthur, the Doctor, and Merlin.

The flame, alight upon the ooze, raced toward the ship only to be met by a still active emergency shield. Behind the shield the ooze began to back fill, collecting in a massive reservoir.

"Doctor what do we do?" Arthur said as they three rejoined.

"We get back to the TARDIS. Vallri'din is soon going to die and has set the ship to self destruct, with that massive amount of ooze back filling it will destroy the whole of this area. You still have the residue on your shoes?"

"Residue?" Arthur looked from Merlin to the Doctor.

"The bouncy…from the Mushroom…." The Doctor looked exasperated.

"Oh..I…" looking down at his shoes, small mushrooms were growing there, the ooze that covered his shoes fed the residue from the ship to start to grow new fungi.

"Well that'll do, watch your step."

The Doctor and Merlin made their way to the undamaged side of the mushroom. The Doctor stamped his foot hard and went flying up thirty feet or so, landing on to the side of the mushroom feet first. Merlin did the same.

"Artificial gravity, orients to the center of these mushrooms."

Arthur, took a step towards the mushroom and flew into the air, his momentum carrying him well past the mushroom top and into a lake several yards off. The last thing heard from him was a defeated yelp and the name "Merlin". The Doctor shook his head and with a light step bounced and landed in front of the TARDIS. Merlin tried in similar, but failed landing on his face on the other side of the TARDIS and bounced up again.

"DOCTOR….Doc…Tor…." each syllable jolted out of him as he continued to bounce back and forth with ever increasing height.

"What!," the Doctor said as he looked out of the TARDIS, "would you stop playing around, we need to get Arthur and get off this Mushroom before it explodes."

"I'd love to stop playing around, but as you can see I can't Stop myself….stop myself…arhosa myfi!" Merlin stopped mid fall, just above the TARDIS before the instance of the spell wore off and he landed on top of the lantern.

"Ok, now get in…" The Doctor turned back into the TARDIS and flipped a few switches. Merlin climbed inside and closed the door behind him. The TARDIS whirred out of place and a moment later was halfway in the lake in front of Arthur, who was swimming to shore after kicking off his boots. He swam right into the TARDIS, the extrapolative shielding just blocking the on rush of water.

"Alright there Arthur?" The Doctor said, patting the wet, and rather pissed Arthur on the back."

"Brilliant, thanks…you're replacing those boots."

"Oh now come on, I told you not to charge forward" said the Doctor, before he closed the door again and pushed the TARDIS on ward. A few second later a subspace percussive blast hit the TARDIS rocking it about.

The Meddling Monk and Morrigan watched from the summit mount, the tallest mountain in the region as the mushroom exploded. The crater was large the lake blown away, and an onrush of the ocean to the south began to fill the crater. Between it and the natural river running from the north, it took no longer than an hour to cover the spot where the mushroom once stood.

"My my, time has been disturbed here, can you feel it Morrigan?"

"I do, it is as though the cards that held the roof of time have fallen."

"Ah…A Cardiffastry…"

"A what?" Morrigan looked to the Meddling Monk, Mortimus shrugged," Catastrophe, Cardiff…no?" he shook his head, "never mind."

The TARDIS appeared in the Hub of Torchwood, or what would have been the hub. The old building was just north of Cardiff, a converted guard tower, now filled with the latest technology. The Doctor was the first to exit, followed by Arthur and Merlin. A large free standing console housed a small green screen radar, and a handful of tape reel computers buzzed and turned. Before him was a young Captain Jack Harkness, looking astounded at his appearance. His usual get up of a World War Two trench coat and matching shirt and trousers were traded up for a pair of green and orange plaid pants, two inch high rise platforms, and a very starched frilled shirt.

"Jack?"

"Doctor?"

"What the…it's a new look." The Doctor's eyes furrowed deeper yet, trying to cover the laugh that welled in his chest.

"Do you like, latest fashion…god I love the seventies, third time living through them…of course the second time I was sort of buried but hey…."

"Doctor, why is he dressed so…" Merlin said, Arthur was out right laughing, "I must talk to father to higher him as our court jester."

"Uh…right…Merlin, Arthur, this is Captain Jack Harkness, welcome to the nineteen seventies. Though, if this is Torchwood…then, jack we're not in Cardiff are we?"

"Yep, the old Hub, before it was destroyed in two years. This is the original Torchwood…well not the original, but near enough."