Mirror Image
CHAPTER 6
Canton stood in the centre of the circle of mirrors looking out of the gap in them as the hour of the crossing over neared. He knew he was representing humanity in the final stand he was awaiting the Scard Lord. The warehouse doors ground open and a figure stood in the door way surrounded by seven figures lumbering in. The Scard Lord had arrived.
"Greetings. So you're the Scard Lord come to enslave us all." said Canton putting on a brave face to mask his fear.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" hissed the Scard Lord as the seven Full Forms approached the seven UNIT personal guarding the mirrors.
"I'm Canton. I'm representing humanity in the final stand against the Scard." he said. Upset at how Private Hudson seemed to no longer recognise him.
"You wish to challenge the might and power of the Scard Lord?" hissed the Scard Lord with an ammussed tone to his voice.
"Yes I do. For the planet?" replied a determined Canton.
"For the planet." agreed the Scard Lord.
"Chaos shall be triumphant." hissed the Scard Lord as he walked into the centre of the circle. The Full Forms shambled over and stood directly behind the UNIT personnel. The Scard Lord walked into the circle and stood opposite Canton. The final mirror moved to close them into the circle together. Humanity and the Scard trapped in the circle of reflections. This was it this was the final stand. This would decide the fate of the Earth. Canton and the Scard Lord stared intently at each other. When the two of them were alone together in the circle of reflections the Scard Lord spoke. "There was a reason the Cult chose the warehouse. It is built on a weak patch in the fabric of time and space."Canton was unsure what he had to do. The Scard Lord knew what was coming.
Canton first became aware of something happening when he noticed that slowly everything outside the circle of mirrors dimmed as if the brightness on the world was being turned down. Canton then became aware of the fact the concrete floor was no longer underneath his feet but it didn't feel as if he was floating. Outside the circle Canton was aware of a plethora of colours but at the same time it seemed to be in total pitch black darkness. He had entered the Astral Plain. A white light surrounded Canton. It seemed to shimmer and then form into a body Canton could make out a face and arms on the being floating above him.
"What just happened?" asked Canton when his head had cleared.
"You have been transported onto the Astral Plaines. I am the Shalt Lord." said the newly formed being hovering above Canton in a voice that sounded the opposite of the Scard. It was as if the two voices were the two separate halves of the same thing.
"Ok. And what exactly are the Astral Plaines?" asked a confused Canton.
"The Astral Plaines are a pan-dimensional elemental realm separate to your reality. They are home to many beings some are malevolent such as the Trickster and the Mara. Some are peaceful such as the Watchers and the Grace." replied the Shalt Lord adding to Canton's confusion.
"Ok and one final question. What is a Shalt?" asked Canton wanting to know all the facts of the situation.
"Everything has its opposite. Every Actions an equal and opposite reaction, Matter has it's opposite in Anti-Matter, Time has it in Anti-Time and the Scard have their opposite in the Shalt."
"We are here because the final stand requires a level field of existence to take place. Neither one of us can leave this circle till the other has been destroyed." hissed the Scard Lord. Canton looked over to the Scard Lord for the first time since arriving on the Plain and noticed that a being similar to the Shalt hovering above him suspended above the stolen body. Suddenly the air surrounding the Scard Lord gleamed as the seven Full Forms from back in the warehouse blinked into existence on the Astral Plain. "But that doesn't mean projections of other beings can't enter the circle."
Catching Canton unaware by the sudden arrival the Scard Lord rubbed his hands together and shot out a discharge of pure black energy from his palms. It ripped out of his skin and hit Canton directly in the chest. The pain rippled through Canton and he staggered back and buckled over. He fell onto what should have been the floor. His eyes were closing. The Scard Lord walked over to Canton's body and looked down at it then walked away waiting for Canton to die so he could return to Earth. As he was drifting out of conscience he became aware of the light of the Shalt filling his mind. An ethereal voice seemed to fill his head. It seemed to becoming from all around. It seemed the opposite of the Scard.
"Focus Canton you are not dying. Summon up your own forces to conquer the Scard." it said before disappearing from his mind.
Canton focused. He focused hard. He thought of someone who would know what to do. He thought of someone he was grateful to.
"Hello again Canton." said a voice that simultaneously sounded young and old.
Canton opened his eyes and said "Hello Doctor."
"So Canton what's happened since we last met?" asked the Doctor straitening his bow tie.
"Well I've got involved with UNIT to help them stop the Scard and now the Scard Lord has transported me to the Astral Plaines for the final stand. He nearly killed me and I summoned up you. Hang won't he hear us talking?" said Canton filling the projection of the Doctor in on their current predicament.
"Nah probably not I suspect this conversation if physic or something. So I'm a mental projection. That's interesting don't think I've been one of them for a while. At least not since that time with Amy and the Valeyard. Anyway strange species the Scard. I've met them before. Twice. They exist alone and betray and back stab each other all the time. Not a loyal species in fact it's amazing they ever managed to form their little cult. I'd say we need to summon up people who we trust to stand any chance of defeating him." rambled the projection of the Doctor almost as much as the real one.
Canton and the projection of the Doctor closed their eyes and concentrated mentally connecting and focusing on loyal people.
"Hello Sweetie!"
"Canton where are we?"
They opened their eyes and saw Doctor River Song and Brigadier Mina Anderson standing in front of them smiling with their guns in hand.
"We're on the Astral Plaines and we need you to help us defeat the Scard Lord over there." said Canton and the Doctor simultaneously in time with each other.
"Yes Sweetie." replied the River projection.
"Understood Canton." replied the projection of Mina.
River and Mina walked off guns in hand to face the Scard Lord. They walked over to the other side of the circle. The Scard Lord had his back turned to them waiting to return to Earth. They caught him unaware. He didn't even have chance to project any Full Forms to attack them.
Canton had gone quiet watching the one-sided battle. The Doctor noticed this looked at him and said.
"They won't harm Darren. This world isn't real as such they'll only harm the Scard inhabiting."
"Really Doctor?" said Canton then he realised something "Wait how do you know about Darren?"
"I'm a mental projection from you we're mentally connected" he replied as the two women walked back.
"We managed to neutralise him." said Mina.
"But he's not destroyed yet." added River.
"There's only one person you can send to destroy him Canton." added the Doctor.
Canton knew who he had to send. He closed his eyes and focused. He closed of the projections of River, Mina and the Doctor and focused. He focused on one man. The man who had been outside his door. The man who had driven him to UNIT HQ. The man who he had started this investigation with. The man he had had coffee with. Private Darren Hudson.
"Canton. I'm here." he heard the voice of the person he loved saying. "I know what I have to do."
Canton opened his eyes looked at the person he loved and nodded. Darren walked over to the body of the Scard Lord. His body. The Shalt followed Darren across and guided him in what to do. Canton blacked out.
Back in the the warehouse Brigadier Mina suddenly became aware of her surroundings again. The last thing she could remember was the Scard Lord walking in. She looked into the centre of the circle and saw the bodies of Canton and Darren Hudson lying on the floor both looking drained. Brigadier Mina Anderson ran towards them.
"Are you alright?" she said.
"We won" croaked Canton before collapsing back onto the floor.
THE FOLLOWING DAY
In the UNIT Canteen on the same table they'd sat at the day before Darren and Canton looked at each other and smiled. They'd won and they'd found each other. Canton was about to give Darren a kiss but stopped when he noticed Brigadier Mina approaching them.
"I won't keep you long just got a couple of questions. First do you know what happened? Where did you go?" asked Mina.
"I don't know I can't really remember any of it. I can remeber odd little details and words but other than that nothing. Its like the more I think about it the less I can remember. I think we trapped it but I don't think we destroyed it." replied Canton rather vaguely.
"Ok I'll try think of some way to put that in a report! The Second thing." she paused "Canton UNIT would like to offer you a full time job."
"Really are you serious?" said a shellshocked Canton.
"Yes I've spoken to my British counterpart and he agrees we should hire you. So is that a yes?"
"Of course." Canton looked at Darren Hudson and smiled. He was glad he took that call.
Thank you to everyone who has read this story. I've really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. This is the end of MIRROR IMAGE but I do have more plans for both the Scard and Canton, Darren and Mina. For my next story I'm going to take a dip in my other favourite TV show Glee with a Doctor Who/Glee crossover A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR so feel free to give that a go if you want. As always please review because I love them.
UPDATE: Canton, Mina and Darren are going to appear in Chapter 4 and 5 of my other story THE HUNT FOR THE KEY TO TIME.