DOCTOR WHO: THE FINAL STOP

Chapter 4

Derek Roughly sat solemnly in his office with a glassful of Scotch at the ready. The wound down the side of his face still hurt like mad, but he didn't want to accept that that Nurse was correct. He was a very traditionalist man and having Male Nurses wasn't something he was widely accepting of. He didn't even come across as a Nurse to Derek, especially in the way he was dressed. He just supposed that was the way of the modern world, one that he simply chose not to keep up with.
"This...cannot...be...happening..." he said before taking a huge swig of Scotch. "People disappeared, its nothing amazing...nothing out of the ordinary!" he added before throwing his glass at his office wall. The glass shattered and the remaining Scotch dripped all around. Derek didn't care about the mess he'd made as he had definitely had enough, but he knew that the Doctor, that Nurse and the Colonel were most certainly not done yet.

"Is he dead, Doctor?" asked a still emotional Colonel Jorgensen referring to Captain Albatross. There had been no signs that he was alive and this plagued everyone's mind. The Doctor didn't have to answer and just gave a face that simply read 'possibly'. No-one could know and that's what was bothering the Doctor the most.
"Landrossos Crystals originate from peaceful races..." he said to himself. "If this is all happening, why would these be here?"
"It could be a lone, rogue fighter..." suggested Rory. "Hell-bent on going against their origins..."
"Or it could just be a ploy..." said the Doctor. "A trap. These Landrossos Crystals may not have any significance whatsoever to what has happened, and that's just reminded me of something..."
"And what's that?" asked Rory.
"I haven't asked the basics yet..." smiled the Doctor before turning to Felicity. By now, her tears had gone, but she was still emotional. "Felicity, I never asked what was the gap between these latest disappearances and the ones before then?"
"12 years..." she eventually replied before stifling more tears. "Irma, Una's Sister, was the last reported missing from the last 'batch', if you can call it a batch."
"And before that?" asked the Doctor.
"12 years again..." replied the Colonel. Rory just looked on surprised.
"I guess the gap before that was 12 years aswell..." he said with a smile. The Colonel nodded. "Well, Doctor whatever is doing this is acting in a pattern..."
"True, its hardly a coincidence.." pondered the Doctor. "But what would do such a thing? Hunting off in a weird gap of time like that...it doesn't make sense..."
"It's 12 Earth years though Doctor..." pointed out Felicity. "That gap could be much bigger or much less for them..."
"Ofcourse..." smiled the Doctor. "Ofcourse!" he repeated before slapping himself on the forehead. "Oh, I've been an idiot. These Landrossos Crystals are much more than just regular Landrossos Crystals..."
"Well, what are they then?" asked Rory.
"Bait..." replied the Doctor simply.

Whilst the Doctor, Rory and the Colonel were talking over the Landrossos Crystals, Una awoke to find that she was on the rails of the Underground. However, she hadn't chosen to be here like before. That weird flash of lightning has put her here for some reason. Whatever had happened to her since the Doctor had arrived was bizarre, but it had invigorated her by some margin. She felt young once more as if the previous 12 years of hurt had vanished in an instant. As she then walked along the tracks, Una began to hear voices along the way. Echoes and whispers dogged her mind as she heard men, women and children all speak. They weren't crying out for help, they were just chatting, and then Una heard a very familiar voice.
"Don't tell Mother and Father what happened to me, Una..." spoke the voice of Irma before fading altogether. Una was just in complete shock and her world spun around her. She was beginning to feel dizzy and then in the distance, she saw two lights coming towards her. They were approaching fast and then all went black...

"So these Landrossos Crystals were just a ploy then?" asked Rory as the Doctor started to sonic them and try and gauge their origin of intention.
"Whoever had them was sending out a signal. They could have been doing this since the very first disappearance. Slowly, but surely dotting Landrossos Crystals about as a means of hinting..." said the Doctor as the Colonel just looked on.
"Now, I know you're an alien, Doctor, but does he always talk like this, Mr. Williams?" she asked.
"Yeah, pretty much..." replied Rory. "Please, just call me Rory...Mr. Williams sounds like a Dentist..."
"Nothing wrong with Dentists..." muttered the Doctor. "Well, apart from the one that tried to take Rory's nose..."
"He really didn't have a clue with what he was doing..." smiled Rory.
"Well unless he was secretly a Nosetist..." joked the Doctor before even doubting such a word existed.
"I take it that that happened out in the stars?" quizzed Felicity.
"Yes.." said Rory simply. "Although it could have been on Earth. Would have been odd if it had though..."
"How long have you been travelling with him?"
"Ooh..." thought Rory out aloud. "I don't actually know...you lose track of time so easily. I find that strangely funny when you're travelling in a Time Machine of all things..."
"I imagine its brilliant out there..." smiled Felicity looking out above her.
"Beyond your imagination, Colonel..."
"Please, call me Flick..." she then smiled.
"Flick?" muttered the Doctor with the Sonic Screwdriver now being held between his teeth. "I thought you were called Felicity..."
"Flick is the name I allow people to call me by if I trust them..." explained Felicity.
"And why would you let us call you Flick?" asked the Doctor completely oblivious to the Colonel's point.
"I trust you Doctor, and you too Rory..." she then sighed. "Being a Colonel at such a young age makes you so many enemies...its just nice to have friends, or people I can rely on. When Leonard, Colonel Range said you were coming as an advisor, I just couldn't wait, Doctor. You and the stories are just magnificent. I know you don't regard UN.I.T highly, but we regard you with so much significance." The Doctor and Rory just looked on and smiled. They knew Flick was a good person at heart, but her inexperience was what was letting her down. The Doctor knew it would come in time, but he knew she was a Colonel way too soon. After a bit more scanning from the Sonic, the Landrossos Crystals suddenly began to sparkle in a bright yellow hue. The Doctor could only smile.
"What is it? What's happening?" asked Rory.
"Oh...Rory...Flick, how can I put it simply..." he began. "Whatever did this, is very, very close by..."

Meanwhile, in his office, an angry Derek was interrupted by a knocking on his door. It knocked loudly and then its knock broke through the very old green wooden door he'd had on his office for years.
"What the hell?" Derek said before making his way to the door. Upon opening, there was nothing there. There was no sign that anything had ever been there. "Strange..." he said to himself as he then turned around. There he was met by the sight of something beyond imagination. It put out its hand-like claw, which in part looked more like a hoof and grabbed a hold of Derek. Whatever it was, it never spoke, but it just stared at Derek and then gruffed loudly. Then, the pair of them vanished without a trace leaving his office completely empty.

"How close is this thing?" asked Flick as the Doctor ran around the station platform with his Sonic Screwdriver which was giving off a very odd noise indeed.
"Not that far..." he replied. "But its closer to Farringdon than it is to here..."
"Well, that's no use..." said Flick. "How are we meant to get there?" The Doctor just smiled and soon Rory latched onto the idea.
"Oh..." he said. "There's our transport..."
"The train?" said Flick. "Julian disappeared in that."
"We won't..." said the Doctor as he then got aboard. "Come along Rory and Flick. Next stop Farringdon!"