It should have been a friendship among strangers; now, it is dreary. A masacre has claimed hundreds of people. Four innocents have been accused of this tragedy. And now a majestic warrior joins in prayer; for friends' recovery. Not excluding the healing of his student and the rescue of the student's wife. As for the rest of the warrior's companions, they have a mutual hope. But, they find themselves pondering as to what, in this odd dimension, went wrong. They tried to think back to the very beginning. That task was a failure; they were really going back to the middle.
In 1989, a humanoid spoke to his young ward as they set out on their latest journey. Tell her of worlds with burning skies, sleeping seas and dreaming rivers. Worlds where songs build cities and smoke can make life instead of destroy it. Most importantly, worlds plagued with injustice, danger and cold tea.
Truly, there was work to be done, worlds to see and friends to meet. Over the past two years, John "The Doctor" Smith and his young companion, Ace, had their hands full with adventures. Following one excursion, a troubled Ace felt the need to return to her hometown in Perivale. The mission; to see her estranged parent, Audrey.
It had been much too long since mother and daughter had seen each other; an emotional battle was bound to occur from within. The aware Smith was looking from the sidewalk while Ace was right at the ivory door. With a shaking wrist, she contemplated on whether or not to knock. Sensing the anxiety, The Doctor walked to the girl.
"Are you sure you're ready?", he asked kindly, "We can always try another time."
"Yeah, I'm sure…", answered Ace, "Just…gotta suck it up is all…"
Breathing deeply, Ace knocked on the white door. After a moment of silence, a rush of woes came to Ace as the nob tousled from the other side.
Before the homeowner could even reveal herself, Ace dashed away from the house, across the street and around the corner. All while the Time Lord was right behind her. It would not be long until he found her sitting under a tree. Her brown eyes were looking down and didn't even give much attention to her Gallifreyan guardian.
With nothing to say, The Doctor gave a kind beam as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright.", he said, "There's always next time."
Though the youth found comfort in his words, Ace was unable to smile, not even for a millisecond. However, she did thank her old friend for understanding. From this, The Doctor suggested for them to go to the ice cream parlor for some sweets; an offer Ace could not refuse.
On their way, they were astonished to find a mob of curious bystanders crowding around a parking lot.
"That's odd…", started Ace. As someone who grew up in Perivale, she knew all too well that nothing ever happens around town. Almost nothing; Perivale is not free of strange happenings.
"You'd think there'd been an accident?", she inquired, "There's a lot of ambulances there.-I even see a cop."
"I doubt it.", The Doctor observed, "Otherwise he'd make the people move to give the paramedics room."
The two got closer for a better look and found themselves embedded among folks who wore decorative shirts, headbands and elaborate posters in their hands. Curiouser and curiouser, The Doctor asked one crew member what the commotion was.
"Didn't you hear?", said a girl, "Johnny Chess is making a music video here!"
"I thought those shirts looked familiar!", Ace gasped at the revelation, "Got one from a concert of his."
"'Johnny Chess'...", pondered The Doctor as he took a closer look at the arriving singer, "Something about him seems so familiar."
"Of course he does, Doctor.", laughed Ace, "I'd play his CD's around the TARDIS."
"Yes, yes,", nodded the still contemplative Timelord, "But, there's something else about him."
A thought came into his mind.
"Is 'Chess' a monocure?"
"Yeah.", said Ace, "I think it's short for 'Chester' or 'Chestfield'."
With a shrug, The Doctor sighed, "Ah, perhaps it's nothing."
"So out of touch…", scoffed the fangirl, "His last name is Chesterton! Everyone knows that!"
From that surname, The Doctor was certain to be onto something.
"And his parents?", he asked the teen.
"Ian and Barbara!", said another fan, this time a boy, "Don't you read any magazines?"
Normally, the Time Lord would have told off such rudeness. However, after hearing those two names, The Doctor was overjoyed to notice the boy.
"I should've known!", he laughed.
"Obviously!", scoffed the fan.
"Yes! Yes! Ian and Barbara! They were my granddaughters' school teachers."
"A small world this is!", chuckled Ace.
"You have no idea; my Susan, they were my fellow travel companions."
"Poor Susan though.", Ace gave a comedic grimace, "Must've been a nightmare to have your teachers with you like that-you'd be up to your neck with homework!"
"Not at all!", said The Doctor, "We were too busy having adventures to worry about that sort of thing."
"Quiet, everyone!", announced the director, "Quiet on the set."
With the audience silent, Take Three ensued as Johnny began to perform. All seemed well until a minor mistake caused the director to interrupt.
"What now?", Johnny rolled his eyes.
"I saw that faux pas.", answered The director, "It's turn-skip-jump not turn-skip-stumble!"
"Such a perfectionist…", Ace mumbled, "That was barely noticeable."
"The things you do for art.", huffed The Doctor.
The director paused his tantrum, looked at his watch and sighed, "It's dinner already. We'll eat and then return in 30 minutes. That should give you more than enough time to get it right, now. Should it?"
"Fine.", said an agitated Johnny, ushering the cast and crew to take their break.
This gave The Doctor and Ace a chance to continue their journey to the ice cream shops with the promise to return to the scene.
During their little trip, Johnny was outside his trailer. There, he was on his cell phone, conversing with his father, Ian.
"It's karma.", joked Johnny, "Should've listened to you and become a doctor."
"Nonsense, son!", laughed Ian, "You got a gift; even as a baby music was in your blood. Got that from me."
"I say I did…", said Johnny, "You and your Beatles…And it's getting me nowhere. My sales have been plummeting, I can't keep up with trends and I am showing my age. Don't even get me started on the journalists. They're probably right in saying I'm a 'One-Hit Wonder'."
"Every job has its issues.", said Ian, "What you need is a break; between this video and that tour if yours last month, best take my advice before you go mad."
The father and son shared a chuckle when Johnny took notice of a stranger. A man dressed in a pure white tuxedo with a dove hat waiting for him.
"Anything the matter?", inquired Ian, "You just got quiet."
"Y-Yes…", stuttered Johnny when trying to explain, "There's this old guy looking right at me."
"Ah, he's either a fan or a journalist.", said Ian. Yet, an entranced Johnny begged to differ.
Saying, "I…I don't think so-"
The singer was interrupted as both he and the stranger vanished in white light. As no one was around, only Ian was witnessed by ear. As Chess's phone dropped to the floor, all that could be heard was Ian calling out for his son.
"John! John! What was that noise? John! Tell me, son!"
Unbeknownst to The Doctor or any of his companions at the time, Johnny was not the only one to meet the mysterious Man In White. Then again, he was the only one to do so in the present. In the future, there were many more encounters.
It was hard to explain her mindset over the years. Tragedy, after tragedy, after tragedy, Saavik forced herself to come to terms with it all. For a time, she stayed on Vulcan until she decided to return to Starfleet. It was not an easy decision-she was fully aware of that. Initially, the hybrid desired to work with Dr. Carole Marcus-to make a safer, more ethical solution to the Genesis Project.
"The best alternative for it,"started a solemn, firm Dr. Marcus, "is for it to remain nonexistent. For good."
So, Saavik bade "Goodbye" to the S'Chn T'Gai's and returned to the academy in San Francisco.
Now, 2293, Lt. Saavik is preparing to embark on Enterprise-A with her new crew. In her apartment, she went about as normal. Even with the latest news of one of her family members. While Saavik's Romulan side desired to cry, her Vulcan half strictly forbade it. On the contrary, she acted numb. Even when talking with friends from the Excelsior-Janice Rand and Hikaru Sulu in this case. For a moment, the two were off-duty and were at Sulu's quarters.
"We understand your distress.", Sulu started, "It has been a shock to all of us."
"I never expected her of doing such an act.", Saavik shook her head, "Valeris was always more daring. She loathed the Klingons but going so far as to start an intergalactic war…she should have found it illogical; she cared too much for Vulcan to take part in any potential destruction."
"She may have assumed,", Sulu started quaint, "that Vulcan would be victorious. In other words; Valeris, Cartwright, Burke, and Samno, hoped that a war would lead to a mass extinction of Klingon. Chang hoped the same for humans with Nanclus praying for both humans and Klingons to end."
"What will their sentences be?", inquired Saavik.
"For their crimes,", started Rand, "Either Rura Penthe or the death penalty."
"The ladder would be more merciful.", commented Sulu.
Saavik was about to reply when, behind her computer, she saw a surprised figure. It was not long until she heard a gasp from Rand and a "Who are you?" from Sulu.
"What is wrong?", Saavik asked.
"There's someone here.", said Rand, "He just showed up out of the blue."
"Is he all in white?"
"How did you-"
"He's here with me."
Before anyone could call for security, the Man in White worked his magic; he, and the three officers were gone. The Man In White was not finished, he was just beginning.