DOCTOR WHO: THE FINAL STOP
Chapter 2
"Are you ok?" asked the Doctor urgently as he found a middle-aged man on the floor of the station with a deep gash along his head. It was bleeding hard and Rory used the man's reflective jacket as a bandage for the time being. The man though didn't look to happy with the help he'd received.
"You can leave me alone..." he said as he got up. "Its just a cut..."
"It's a wound..." said the Doctor.
"If you don't get this treated, you don't know what will happen..." said Rory taking a serious tone. "I'm a Nurse, I should know this stuff..."
"Pah..." shrugged the man. "I take it your the people hoping to solve these issues here at the Underground. I could hear you a little earlier. My name's Derek..." he then introduced with deep Glaswegian tones throughout before taking a hold of his temporary bandage.
"Colonel Felicity Jorgensen..." introduced the Colonel. "Derek Roughly isn't it?"
"Yes..." replied Derek simply. "Now, if you don't mind I'm going back to my office...I'm de-cluttering since I've got nothing else to do because of these poxy ghosts!"
"I think its more than just ghosts, Mr. Roughly..." said the Doctor. "There's something strange happening here..."
"Yeah, there's no trains around for a start!" brooded Derek before he huffily left. The Colonel, Rory and the Doctor weren't sure how Derek had got his wound, but apart from that he seemed completely oblivious to the buzzing noise that was emanating from within the station.
"Electrical pulses...or something like that..." muttered Felicity to the Doctor.
"No, its something much more obvious..." he muttered back. Rory began to walk around the station to gauge where this noise was coming from and eventually he realised.
"It's the tracks!" he called back to the Doctor. "Listen!" The Doctor and Colonel Jorgensen joined by his side and listened closely. They all agreed that the tracks were active.
"But this place is shut down!" said the Colonel. "The only electricity on here is to the lights...not the rails!"
"Then how do you explain that?" pointed the Doctor to the fast-moving Underground train that was rocketing by which created a big gust of breeze with it. The Colonel simply couldn't believe what was happening and neither could the Doctor. Then, Rory noticed something.
"Oh my god...someone's on the line!" he said and pointed the person out. It appeared to be a frail woman who was standing in the middle of the tracks. Arms spread out like the Angel of the North she waited for the train to collide into her.
"NO!" cried out the Doctor, but he needn't worry as the train then came to a sudden halt just before the woman. It screeched loudly and hissed in anger at being cut short like that at such speeds. The woman didn't look pleased at all though. The Doctor, Colonel Jorgensen and Rory just sighed with relief...
"It's Una..." brooded Derek angrily after he'd been called back by Colonel Jorgensen. "She can't let go of her Sister for heaven's sake..."
"I take it her Sister went missing on the Underground?" asked the Doctor.
"I assume so..." replied Derek before making his way over to Una. She was being helped up by Rory and despite looking ever so frail, she couldn't have been older than early 50's at most. "Una, you know the rules, get out of here now or I report you to the Police! Last time was the final warning!"
"You can lay off her for a moment..." said Rory before glaring at Derek whose wound had stopped bleeding but was most certainly now dominating his face. The Doctor joined Rory with Una and probed her about what she was doing on the rails.
"I want to be back with Irma..." she said simply. "The Corset Sisters can't be separated for any longer...12 years is long enough..."
"12 years? That's when Irma vanished I guess?" cut in Colonel Jorgensen who'd joined them by now.
"Yes...Irma Corset...she was a high-flying Businesswoman...the best of the best, took the Tube everyday and then she never came back. He knows what happened..." continued Una pointing towards Derek.
"She's do-lally - broken in the mind!" he spouted back. "She shouldn't even be here. She broke your barricade Colonel!"
"Hmmm...she did..." agreed Felicity before reaching to her communicator. "Julian, make your way down here now and assign someone else more capable to your area. Be quick!"
"Who's Julian?" asked the Doctor but Felicity didn't have to reply as he came into view. Stumbling down the stairs a little, the UN.I.T officer soon joined up with everyone and introduced himself.
"Captain Julian Albatross..." he smiled. He certainly looked younger than Felicity but he soon revealed that he was 33, so he just had one of those youthful faces. He seemed nervous, but competent at that.
"Una..." began the Doctor once more. "What do you think took Irma exactly? Because surely it can't be a person with so many similar occurrences happening..."
"I don't know what to think..." she said simply before keeling over suddenly.
"Una..." said the Doctor anxiously. Rory immediately came over to check on her. He took over whilst the Doctor was sure he'd seen something in the corner of his eye in the stopped train. "Colonel!" he beckoned. "Care to join me?" he said as he rushed off to the train. Felicity soon joined him and had her gun at the ready. Julian meanwhile tried to help out Rory but he could see he was more than capable on his own. Meanwhile, as the Doctor and the Colonel looked around the stopped train, the Doctor was sure he'd seen something else again.
"What did you see?" asked Felicity.
"A shimmer of life...something different, something definitely off-world..." replied the Doctor as he searched round. Entering one of the carriages, the Colonel and himself looked around until the shimmer suddenly came into existence once more.
"Stay still!" cried the Colonel. "This could kill you, whatever you are!"
"Put the gun down, Felicity..." ordered the Doctor as he then got out his Sonic Screwdriver. He pointed it at the shimmer and soon a life-form appeared before them both without the Doctor even having to activate his trusty device.
"What the hell is that?" said a wide-eyed Colonel.
"That is an I-Ox..." smiled the Doctor.
"Take that away Julian immediately...take it to the base and make sure its asked what needs to be done!" commanded Colonel Jorgensen to Captain Albatross. He complied as he led the I-Ox away. According to the Doctor, it was most certainly not the cause of the disappearances. Half-Human, Half-Ox, an I-Ox is apparently a Tourist Alien. They watch certain events in time with pleasure and regard themselves as the most travelled beings in all of time.
"That was in no way to do with this then, Doctor?" asked Rory as he looked at the I-Ox being taken away. He quickly glanced at Una who was now back with everyone. It seemed like she'd momentarily blacked out for no reason but she was now sitting on one of the station seats re-cooperating.
"No, the I-Ox was just a spectator, like you or me..." replied the Doctor before heading towards the TARDIS. Colonel Jorgensen saw him and immediately tried to stop him.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked indignantly.
"Board meeting...sorry..." replied the Doctor before beckoning Rory over and into the TARDIS.
"Why have you brought me in here, Doctor?" asked Rory as he could see the Doctor was somewhat frustrated. His kicked the seat by the centre console and then lashed out at some of the controls, but they did nothing.
"I suggest we leave..." said the Doctor with a scowl on his face. "Were getting too attached to this already. I know I can't prevent that happening, but UN.I.T is more than qualified here. You even said the Police should be here and they aren't, so I'm wondering what exactly is going on? And to be honest, Rory, I don't think we should even be here."
"So, you're going to abandon them like you did with me, Amy and River on HMS Defender?" asked Rory furiously. "I lost a lot of respect for you on that day. Yes, you've earnt it back but boy you know how to wreck progress..."
"Progress?" spouted the Doctor. "I haven't seen any whatsoever...and they will be fine without us! I'll take us Golfing, that'll make up for it!"
"No..." said Rory adamantly. "We're staying..."
"My decision is final Rory..." said the Doctor but as he was about to flick the controls of the TARDIS into life, the TARDIS door swung open and in came Colonel Jorgensen. She didn't seem fazed by the 'bigger on the inside' part of the Time-Machine at all and just focused on what she'd come in for.
"Una's having a seizure of some sorts..." she said. "Mr. Williams, take over now..." she commanded. Rory immediately rushed outside to see Una shaking uncontrollably and completely unaware of what she was doing.
"Doctor!" called Rory and soon the Doctor came out to help. Captain Albatross and Derek were doing all they could to hold Una down, but she was flinching everywhere and then suddenly it stopped.
"The night rise..." she then said.
"The what?" said Rory.
"The night rise..." repeated Una. "The night rise will come and in that will arrive the beast..."
"Beast? What beast, Una?" asked the Doctor trying to get inside her mind, but he was struggling. "UNA!"
"The beast rides the rails...the rails of life..." said Una with eyes now completely white.
"Oh my god..." cried Colonel Jorgensen.
"The rails of life signify all those who disappeared...you cannot deny its arrival..." continued Una in her trance-like state. No-one could understand what was happening to her and it seemingly wouldn't stop.
"Doctor, what the hell's happening to her?" asked Rory urgently.
"I told you she was mad!" said Derek.
"Keep quiet!" demanded the Doctor as he tried once more to get into Una's mind but again he was without luck. Una's eyes then closed and blood began to trickle from her nose before she spoke once more.
"The final stop is coming for the beast of the rails..." she said almost majestically. "The final stop is coming...and then everyone dies!"