The Trials of a Time Lord

Chapter Two

Author's Note: I know this is a little weird. Bear with me it will make a lot more sense by chapter 3 or 4. All will be explained. Thank You for your reading!

Everything was dark. All was quiet. No more metal warping, no more Daleks screaming in pain. No more anything.

"Is this death?" thought the Doctor.

In the background an inaudible noise could be heard, tearing through the solemn silence of the abyss. It grew clearer, as if it were moving toward the Doctor. After a short time, the unmistakable laugh of the Valeyard was heard, mocking Death and the Doctor.

"Did you really think it would be that easy, Doctor? You think Death would be so kind as to let you walk away from pain instantly? After you cheated Him so many times?" the Valeyard began.

"Where is this place and how did I get here?" the Doctor demanded.

The Valeyard met his questions with scornful laughter. "Always the realist, aren't you, Doctor. You are everywhere yet you are nowhere."

"What kind of answer is that? I demand to know what you are doing here." The Doctor yelled into the abyss.

The Valeyard laughed and slowly faded into the void. The Doctor felt around for a barrier and found a wall on the far side of the room. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an apple which he was saving for lunch and hurled it into the wall. The room suddenly filled with light and blinded the Doctor. When he opened his eyes he saw that he was now on a serene beach, alone at twilight.

He looked around his surroundings, trying to get his bearings, but before he could gather any valuable info he was confronted with the voice of the Valeyard again.

"Where is the TARDIS?" asked the Doctor

"You should know, Doctor. After all, you are the one that destroyed it. Remember?" answered the Valeyard.

The Doctor pondered for a moment and remembered decompressing the TARDIS. Then he quickly postulated a theory.

"That's it! I'm hallucinating! It's the air in the TARDIS, its too thin. I must think of a way to-" the Doctor was interrupted.

"There really is no point in fighting the facts, Doctor. The TARDIS is gone."

"Then why am I still alive?" the Doctor asked. "I can't be dead. I can see, touch, feel pain."

"You may not be dead, but you also are not alive." Responded the Valeyard.

"All I get is cryptic answers out of you! Just be quiet unless you have something substantial to say; and come out of hiding for goodness sake!" the Doctor screamed into the lonely horizon.

None of this was making any sense to the Doctor. He knew he was in some kind of place, and he knew he wasn't dead. The Doctor knew he had to answer three questions before he could start thinking of how to escape. Why is he here, Who brought him here, and how did he get here. The Doctor reached into his pocket for the remote control TARDIS materialiser chip and pressed it, not really expecting anything to happen.

The woosh of the TARDIS was never more welcome than at that moment, as the Doctor saw the familiar blue box appear along the coast line. He quickly ran to it, inserted his key, and entered. When he walked through the antechamber he was immediately transported to another strange locale.

The Doctor noticed that he was not in the TARDIS, but was walking through the jungles of Deraubus, a planet near Gallifrey where the first battles between the Time Lords and other races was fought.

The Doctor walked through the jungles, which had been overgrown for years, and noticed that there were Time Lord battle helmets still intact on the ground; remnants of wars long ago.

The Doctor was not surprised to hear the voice of the Valeyard again.

"Death is the great enemy of the universe, Doctor, not even we Time Lords could retard its path."

"I can't say that I'm enjoying my tour of the universe much, Valeyard" said the Doctor, trying to lighten the mood. "What is the point of all this anyway?" The Doctor asked, strolling down a clear path in the jungle, occasionally fiddling with foliage.

"Death is angry, Doctor. He wants his revenge and there is nothing you can do to stop it…"

Okay, still a little foggy, but stick around.