Seven years ago, Alastor was struggling to walk. He just came out from a fight heavily injured against Vox, and he almost won...If those accursed Vees minded their own business. Since his days as a serial killer when he was alive, Alastor always acted like a hunter, isolating his victims to be as efficient as possible, "Dividi et Impera". But unfortunately, this time it didn't work, he can easily take out one Overlord, but three? At the same time? It was a suicide!
... especially considering the fact he was becoming weak.
Time kept marching and, as much as he hated to admit it, not many were listening to the radio. New Sinners often made deals with either the Vees or other "generalist" Overlords, hell, some didn't even know who he was! He didn't like showing off like the others did - he was an Overlord, not a Corporation! - and most of the Demons who knew about him were either dead at the hands of the Exorcists or were already under his control.
Oh, if he only had the power...If only he was as strong as he was in his prime...
Alastor returned to his lair, his radio tower. He sat down and took deep breaths. Then, he heard a female voice.
"The great Radio Demon running away...What a pitiful display."
Alastor turned, seeing the intruder: It was Lilith.
"Y-Your Majesty...What an honour." Alastor put on his facade. "To what do I owe this visit-"
"Cut the bullshit." Lilith interrupted with a cold tone, genuinely surprising Alastor. "I'm here for business."
"Business, you say...?" said Alastor.
"I see you're injured. You're losing steam," said Lilith. Her comment easily went under Alastor's skin, who tried to remain composed.
"I...Got distracted during a fight, that's all," said Alastor.
"If by "got distracted" you mean "got my ass kicked because I bit more than I could chew", then yes, you got distracted," said Lilith. "But that's why I'm here, I'm offering you a deal."
Alastor was intrigued, why would the Queen of Hell want to strike a deal with a Sinner?
"I'll give you power, you'll be as strong as you were in your prime, in exchange...You'll do something for me."
"I see...Why should I accept it?" Alastor asked. "I'm not easily fooled, for I am the one that fools people, Your Majesty."
"I guess you won't mind falling into oblivion, slowly becoming weaker and weaker while the other Overlords become stronger. Who knows, maybe you could die at the end of an Exorcist."
Lilith's comment went really deep under Alastor's skin, she used his fears and insecurities to make him strike a deal...The same exact tactics he uses.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
"I...Guess I have no choice."
Lilith smirked. "Good boy."
Alastor slowly opened his eyes, blinded by the familiar light of the sun.
"Wha...What happened?" He thought as he stood up. "I remember falling into a crack...And that smoke...Wait a minute, I know this place!"
Alastor realised that he was currently under a tree in a swamp, but any normal swamp: It was the Bayou, the place where Alastor used to relax in when he was a child.
Not too far, Alastor could see his city: New Orleans.
"I'm...I'm home." said Alastor. "I'm back on Earth. I must have travelled back in time."
The Radio Demon went towards the city. He approached the nearest newspaper kiosk, and checked the date on the newspaper.
"July 7th, 1927."
"As expected." Alastor thought.
"Excuse me, sir." The owner of the kiosk, an old man with a beard, spoke. "That'd be 50 cents."
"Hmm? Oh, my apologies, good sir, I wanted to check the date, that's all." said Alastor.
"The date? Drinking too many whiskeys last night?" The old man chuckled. "Besides, it's a bit too early from Mardi Gras, you know?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Alastor left, resisting the urge to murder the old man.
As he walked through the city, Alastor was deep into his thoughts, wondering what he should do now.
"Since I'm stuck here, I don't think there's much I can do. I suppose I have to wait for the Doctor to find me." He thought.
Alastor accidentally bumped into someone else.
"Oh, my apologies, I was deep into my tho-"
Alastor stopped talking as he saw who he bumped into. A tall man in his late 20s, short brown hair, brown eyes, slightly dark skin and wearing a white shirt with brown waistcoat, dark trousers, black bowtie and a pair of small glasses.
That man was Alastor from the past.
"Oh, not need to apologise, sir. It was my fault." Human!Alastor apologised. "Say, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before.
"I suppose I am." said Alastor.
Human!Alastor offered a handshake. "The name's Alastor Broussard, pleasure to be meeting you."
"...Alex Hartfelt." Alastor invented a name. "But please, call me Al."
"Well, Al, it's been a pleasure, but I have to go now. I have a few commissions to do. See you around!" Human!Alastor left. Alastor was going to do the same, until he noticed that his past self's shadow looked...Odd. Rather demonic.
Intrigued, Alastor decided to silently follow his past self.
Human!Alastor heard bizarre noises coming from a dark hallway.
"Is someone there?" He asked. No answer, only more noises.
The man went to check in the hallway. As he looked for the source of the noise, A shadowy figure slowly emerging from the ground. And before it could attack Human!Alastor...
Alastor came to the rescue, blocking the figure with his shadow tentacles.
"Wha-?!" said Human!Alastor.
"No questions, dear fellow! Just RUN!" The demon grabbed the man with a tentacle and ran away.
They reached a park, where they rested.
"Thank you..." said Human!Alastor, "What the blazes was that thing?!"
"I don't know, but whoever it was, it wasn't friendly." said Alastor.
Then, the two heard a familiar wheezing, groaning noise, making Alastor grinning even more.
"What's this noise?" Human!Alastor asked.
"The reinforcements have arrived." said Alastor as he rushed towards the source of noise.
Followed by his human self, the two Alastors found the TARDIS.
However, when the door opened, the people emerging from it weren't the people that Alastor were expecting.
They were two people, a handsome man in his 30s and a woman in her early 40s.
The man was pretty thin, with unstyle thick brown hair along with sideburns and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue pin-striped suit, a loose tie, a brown overcoat and a pair of red Converse.
As for the woman, she had long red hair and was wearing a purple dress appropriate for the period.
The man noticed Alastor's puzzled expression. "Oh, hello!" He said, speaking with an Estuary English accent, "Are you...Looking for the police? How can we help you?"
"What's with that smile?" The woman whispered to the man.
"Who...Who are you?" Alastor asked.
The man introduced himself, saying a name the Radio Demon didn't expect to hear...
"Me? I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor Who?" Human!Alastor asked.
"Just the Doctor." said the Doctor.
"Excuse me but...Could we take in private?" Alastor asked.
"Oh, sure." said the Doctor. "Let's talk in my TARDIS. Donna, wait a moment here outside."
The Doctor and Alastor went inside, the man closed the door.
"Alright, who are you?" Alastor asked.
"I told you, I'm the Doctor." said the Doctor.
"No, you're not." said Alastor. "I've met the Doctor, and he does not look like you."
"How does he look like?" the Doctor asked, thinking he had an idea of what the Radio Demon meant.
"Well, he's much taller than you." said Alastor, "He's got curly hair and a Scottish accent. And he doesn't look much like a Human."
The Doctor's expression looked slightly alarmed. "The Doctor you know must be me from a further point in my time stream. And that makes me wonder...How did you get here? "
"For that, I'll explain to the other too, we still have an audience, after all." said Alastor.
"Alright, let's go outside." said the Doctor.
After that, Alastor, his past self, the Doctor and his companion Donna went to a bar to talk about it.
"So, let me get this straight..." said Donna, "You are a Demon from Hell who travels with the Doctor from the future and got stuck in 1927 after falling in a crack in the ground?"
"I don't exactly travel with him, but yes." said Alastor.
Human!Alastor scoffed, "Sounds like something out of H.G. Wells's books. Demons? Time machines?"
"I know, you could make a TV show about his life." Donna pointed at the Doctor.
"A what?" Human!Alastor tilted his head.
"Nevermind that." said the Doctor.
"So, Doctor, can you bring me back in Hell?" Alastor asked.
"Well...If future me managed to do it, I can do it too." said the Doctor.
"Hold on!" said Human!Alastor, "I'm not sure if what you're saying is true, but wouldn't it be wise to investigate on whatever was following me?"
"He's right, Doctor." said Donna, "Besides, I wanted to see New Orleans in the 1920s."
"Alright, but we don't a clue about the creature-"
"BREAKING NEWS! ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN!" A newsboy shouted.
"...Or maybe we do." the Doctor continued. The Time Lord bought a newspaper and returned.
" "Another teenager has mysteriously disappeared, last time seen was nearby the 'House of the Rising Sun'." Alastor read, "Curious, why don't I remember this?"
"One more reason to check it out." said the Doctor. "If you don't remembering, there must be a temporal instability nearby and it's not coming from you, Alastor."
"A what now?" said the two Alastors.
"I'll explain later, now off we go to the house!" said the Doctor. "ALLONS-Y!" He ran away
"Great, always wanted to see a haunted mansion," said Donna.
The group followed the Doctor through the city, eventually reaching the so-called "House of the Rising Sun".
It felt really out of place compared to the rest of New Orleans, it was a large mansion with a Victorian architecture...Or at least, one side of the house, every side of it was made in a different style, including some that would appear after the 1920s.
"This should be the place." said the Doctor.
"Looks spooky, the styles are all over the place." Donna commented.
"Definitely a temporal instability." said the Doctor, "Whatever brought you here, Al, is probably inside that house."
"What are we waiting for, then? Let's storm in!" said Alastor.
As the group entered mansion, they were welcomed by a comically long hallway.
"Huh, it didn't look this large from outside." said Human!Alastor.
"Dimensionally trascendendant. Bigger on the inside than on the outside. We're probably gonna meet more of distortions like this." the Doctor explained.
The group cautiously explored the mansion. Human!Alastor decided to chat with his future self.
"So..." He began, "Are you really me?"
"I suppose I am." Alastor quipped.
Human!Alastor chuckled, "As expected, I'm going to Hell, never thought I had the chances to go to Heaven."
Alastor chuckled, knowing well what his past self meant.
"But tell me, how is Hell like?" He asked.
"Oh, it's a fun place, not as it's described in the Bible." said Alastor, "Met some lovely people, like Rosie, you're gonna love her." His smile softened.
The group entered in a...Odd room. At the centre of it there was a large blob made of shadows levitating in the air.
"What the hell is that...?!" said Donna.
The Doctor scanned it with his sonic screwdriver, "Critical error, it doesn't belong to this time...Or to this reality."
"I think I know what it is..." said Alastor.
The blob began to...Growl as it slowly expanded, approaching the TARDIS team.
"Is that thing approaching us?!" Donna began to panic.
"Perhaps it would be wise to retreat?" said Alastor.
"Definitely! RUN!" the Doctor shouted.
The group ran away as the blood began chasing them.
"So, what's the plan now?" Human!Alastor asked.
"I have no idea, I've never seen something like that." said the Doctor. "I don't think we can do much right now, we have to go to the TARDIS."
"In that case, allow me to help!" said Alastor. He snapped his fingers and the group teleported back to the blue box.
The Doctor and Donna were the first to enter, followed by Human!Alastor.
Alastor glanced at the city, as just like Pentagram City it was engulfed by the blob.
Seeing that sight made something...Hurt in his chest, a feeling he couldn't describe.
The demon stepped inside the box and close the doors.
"Wait, just like that?! We're leaving?!" Donna complained. "We can't-"
"Yes, we can." the Doctor interrupted. "And we have to."
"But-"
"No buts!" said the Doctor, "This isn't a situation like back in Pompeii, that thing is something I've never seen before and I don't know how to fight it!" He smirked, "But I know where we could find answers."
"Where, exactly?" Human!Alastor asked.
"To the place people often tell me to go to: HELL!"
The Doctor pulled down the lever and the TARDIS entered the Time Vortex. Luckily, he had more luck than his future incarnation.
Alastor felt...Excited, he didn't exactly know what he was going towards, but for sure he knew that with the Doctor he was one step closer to his freedom.
And that for sure...This was going to be very entertaining.
-To Be Continued-
