For a moment all was still, as corpses and wreckage floated in the cold vacuum and through the strange mist. And then, within the blink of an eye...
"Okay, Mum, so where are we this time?" asked Jenny.
"Hmm, I'm afraid I've no idea, Jenny," said the Doctor, her expression one of concern as she ran her hand along the side of the TARDIS's blue wooden police box form. "We seemed to have passed through some form of temporal turbulence during landing, and the TARDIS did not like it at all, not one bit. The poor old girl's readings are all over the place."
"Well, it looks to me like we've landed on either a space cruiser or a space station," said Jenny, as they stepped away from the TARDIS and explored their surroundings, their footsteps echoing off the cold, steel floors. "The design layout of this place looks..."
Jenny's words trailed off, as she suddenly realised that something rather odd was going on. "Huh? That's weird. I've got this strange feeling of déjà vu. I'm sure I said all that once already."
"You're not the only one," said the Doctor slowly, as her eyes looked towards the clock, which was showing 06:17 again. Then she slapped the side of her head as memory and realisation both sank in. "Oh this is not good. Either the TARDIS jumped a time track, or... we've gotten ourselves stuck in a chronic hysteresis!"
"A what?"
"Technical name for a time loop," explained the Doctor. "And we seem to have gotten ourselves caught up in one! And judging by the clock, we have fifty minutes before this ship blows up. Again!"
It all came back to Jenny in a flash. "I remember! I was talking to Rolf and Cassandra, they were telling me something about being prisoners of time, and then... Bang! There was a flash, and suddenly we're back here where we started!"
"Yes, and I was talking to Leonart just before the explosion, which he knew was about to happen," said the Doctor thoughtfully. "I think it's time we got some straight answers out of the people on this ship, don't you?"
Right on cue, the doors connecting to the main corridor opened again, and Rolf, Cassandra and Leonart strode in, in the same casual manner as they had before.
"By Alderbaran! Visitors!" said Rolf excitedly. "What a novelty!"
"You said that once already," said Jenny dryly.
Rolf blinked. "Did I? Oh yes, I did. Sorry, sometimes it takes a few moments for the memories to return."
"Yes, when you've been stuck in this loop as long as we have, it's easy for things to get a bit... confused," said Cassandra with a sad smile.
"Wait, you mean, you remember going through all this before as well?" said Jenny.
Leonart nodded glumly. "Yes, young lady, we certainly do. Perhaps it's best that we sat down and explained things properly to you."
The Doctor nodded. "I couldn't agree more. I think there is indeed quite a lot of explaining to do."
And so, Rolf, Cassandra, and Leonart led the Doctor and Jenny at a brisk pace out of the shuttle bay, through the gleaming corridors, and back to the Pan-Galactic Lounge. By the time they got there and sat down at a booth, the clock on the wall read 06:35, leaving just thirty-two minutes to go before the ship would explode again.
"Now, what would everyone like to drink while we talk?" offered Rolf courteously.
Jenny look at Rolf incredulously. "How can you think of drinks at a time like this, when your ship keeps blowing itself up?"
Rolf gave a sad, disarming smile. "Believe me, my dear, when you've been through this monotonous scene as often as we have, you'll find that a good cocktail helps to pass the time that bit more pleasantly. What about you, Doctor? Can we tempt you with a cosmopolitan?"
"No, thank you, I'd much prefer to hear some explanations," said the Doctor. "Now, you say you retain full awareness of what is happening, and you know you're stuck in a time-loop?"
"We certainly do," said Leonart, his blind eyes staring into the distance as though he could see the endless cycle of moments that they had passed through and still lay ahead of them. "Now you understand why everyone here is a bit on the crazy and depressed side. We keep reliving our deaths over and over again."
"Why didn't you tell us about all this when we first arrived?" asked Jenny, who was feeling a little put out.
Cassandra gave an apologetic look. "We didn't know how you'd react or if you'd even believe us. Plus, it's not like we can escape it. It's just... part of our routine now. Our only routine in fact. When this all first started, we thought it was some horrible shared hallucination. But then it never stopped. We kept going through the same fifty minutes, over and over again. We go through the same events, have the same conversations, and experience the same... everything. It never stops."
Rolf nodded in glum support. "We tried to work out why this was happening to us all, but none of us has the sort of technical knowledge or experience to deal with this sort of thing. We have no idea what caused the explosion, let alone how to stop it, or keep it from repeating itself. We did try to get away in the escape pods, but the blast radius was so large that all the launched pods were incinerated before they could get clear. No matter how many times we tried, no matter how fast we moved, it was never enough."
"And when the loop rests itself," added Leonart, "we find ourselves back in the exact position we were at the start. For Rolf, Cassandra and I, it was in the corridor, just near the door to the shuttle bay you arrived in. We thought we would all go mad, but something about the loop keeps us perfectly sane, more's the pity. Even insanity would be welcome compared to this torturous boredom! This has been going on for... I don't know how long. I tried to keep track of each loop in my head, but frankly, I lost count! "
"I can't say I blame you," said the Doctor sympathetically. "You go through enough time loops and it's like they all blur into one."
She glanced at the nearest window and gazed at the expansive mist outside surrounding the ship. "I think I'm beginning to understand. This cloud you've flown into is a time warp field. No wonder the TARDIS did not like landing here. These sort of fields have some very nasty properties. And the original explosion of the ship must have caused the space-time continuum to rupture, and thus create this time-loop."
"There must be some way to get out of this," said Jenny.
Leonart shook his head. "Alas, no. We're doomed to dies again and again, to voyage on uselessly through all eternity, forever and ever and ever! Which is rather appropriate for this particular ship."
"And why's that?" asked the Doctor.
"He's referring to the name of this ship," clarified Rolf, pointing a gleaming gold dedication plague on a wall, which proudly read:
FLYING DUTCHMAN II
The Doctor's eyes grew wide with grim amusement, and a dry laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, I see what you mean. Very amusing, very ironic."
"Well, I don't see the joke," said Jenny irritably, not understanding what they were all talking about. "The Flying Dutchman II? Name doesn't mean anything to me."
"Oh, the original Flying Dutchman is a legend originating from 17th Century Earth, Jen," explained the Doctor. "A ghost ship doomed, along with its crew, to sail the seas forever without ever reaching port. Now it seems we're stuck in a space-bound version of it."
"Eye, this is a ship of the damned right enough," said Leonart. "It's almost a blessing for me to be blind. We've been stranded here for Heaven knows how long, with no news of friends or family."
"All we've got to look forward to is reliving the same dull fifty minutes over and over again," sighed Cassandra. "Even getting blown up at the end of each loop has become tedious."
"Hang on, though," said Jenny. "If I understand all this right, then surely the simplest way of breaking free of this loop is to prevent the explosion?
"Yes, but none of us passengers knows the first thing about space engineering," said Rolf. "And even if we did, we passengers are sealed off from the engine room, for security reasons. The lifts require a specific code to allow access there."
"Haven't you thought of simply asking the crew for help?" asked the Doctor.
"There is no crew, dear," said Cassandra. "The ship is fully automated. There is only the pilot, but he's sealed in the bridge, and we can't get through the door. It's been locked tight since, oh, about 6:17."
Jenny looked at the Doctor. "What about the TARDIS, Mum? Do you think we can take the passengers onboard with us and get them off the ship that way?"
The Doctor considered this suggestion. "Hmm, I'm not sure, Jenny. How many people are there on this vessel, Rolf?"
"About 600 or so," said Rolf. "All spread out across the cruiser on various decks."
"Then it won't work," said the Doctor. "Fifty minutes is not enough time to evacuate that many people on such a large vessel as this into the TARDIS. We'll have to find some other way."
"You do not have to stay on our account," said Cassandra, her voice filled with resignation. "If your own craft can take you away from all this, then you should leave, rather than share this living hell with us."
"No way!" said Jenny firmly. "We're not the kind of girls who swan off and leave people who need help stuck in a jam, are we, Mum?"
"Indeed we're not, Jenny," said the Doctor, proud of her daughter's bravery and willingness to help others. "Now, as you say, the best way to get out of this is perhaps to stop the explosion, and I suspect the pilot might give us some help with that. Oh, by the way, how much time have we got?"
Rolf glanced at the clock. "It's 6:44. We have just twenty-three minutes to go before the loop resets itself."
"Then we mustn't waste another second!" said the Doctor, as she jumped to her feet. "Take me straight to the flight deck. I'll see about getting ourselves in there."
With blind Leonart leading the way, they headed straight to the nearest turbo-elevator, which swiftly took them up several levels until they reached the flight deck. They then went down another corridor until they reached the sturdy metal door separating them from the bridge on the other side, by which time it was now 06:48.
"Nineteen minutes to go, Mum," said Jenny anxiously, as she stared at the unyielding-looking door to the bridge. "Can you pick the lock?"
"Certainly," said the Doctor, as she took out her Sonic Screwdriver and began to run its glowing red light over the door's control panel. "I should be able to override the door's locking mechanism and get it to open up. And once we're through, we might get some idea or clue from the pilot as to why the ship keeps exploding at 7:07. Then we'll have a chance to break free from this loop."
"It's worth a try," said Rolf. "It would be good to have something different to do for a change."
"We might even be able to get back home again," said Leonart dreamily. "Ah, how I miss dear old Earth."
As the two men stood eagerly by, while the Doctor tinkered at the lock, Cassandra quietly drew Jenny over to the side and asked in hushed tones, "Can you mother really free us from this living hell?"
Jenny nodded confidently. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's never to underestimate my Mum. If there's a way out, she'll find it. And if there isn't, she'll make one up! She'll get us out of this, trust me."
Cassandra still seemed a little doubtful. "You must forgive me for being skeptical. It's just... we've been here for so long, we had long ago given up any hope of escape. At least, I think it was long ago. It's so hard to believe there's hope for everyone here, especially my..."
She suddenly stopped, as though she had been about to give away a very important secret. She quickly looked at Rolf, but with his back turned, he had not heard her, much to her relief.
"Especially your what?" asked Jenny.
Cassandra looked at Jenny with an almost beseeching expression. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Sure."
Cassandra took a deep breath and said in a whisper. "The truth is... I'm carrying Rolf's child. I found out just before the first loop began. I was going to tell Rolf, but then we got stuck in this time-loop. I held off telling him, and when we realised we were trapped here, I decided I could never tell him. I did not want to add to his own torment by the knowledge that our child would never be born to live outside of this eternal cycle of death. So now, every time I hear that dreadful explosion, every time I feel those flames, I mourn for the future we could have had together, for every moment that will never be."
Seeing the anguish on Cassandra's face and the tears in her eyes, Jenny took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Cassandra. Your secret's safe with me. And we will get out of here, I promise."
Cassandra gave a small grateful smile, just as the Doctor gave a triumphant cry of "A-ha!", and bulky door drew back to reveal the bridge on the other side.
"You did it!" said Rolf in some disbelief.
"Naturally," said the Doctor a little smugly, as she led the way onto the bridge. "Comes from years of experience at escaping locked cells."
Considering that it had no particular crew, the bridge was surprisingly spacious. At one end was a large viewscreen that gave a panoramic view of swirling cosmic fog that surrounded them. In the centre was a large control panel with various complex controls, flashing lights and screens, all displaying various pieces of data related to the smooth running of the ship. Other than that, the room was empty, save for the pilot seated in front of the control panel.
The pilot was not, as one might first expect, a human being, but rather an elephant-faced robot. It was roughly humanoid in shape, but with powerful, bulky arms, a gleaming gold-like trunk that connected up to the steering controls of the ship, and large, round eyes that glowed a soft blue on its metallic face. It paid its visitors no heed as it calmly continued with its work at the controls, all according to its programming.
"So the pilot's a robot?" said Jenny.
Rolf shrugged. "Well, sure. Human pilots went out of style thirty years before we left home... whenever that was."
"Yes, as I recall, that was a rather short sighted philosophy that caused a great number of space accidents and collisions," said the Doctor. "Robots, computers and AI's can be useful tools, at least when they behave themselves and don't develop disillusions of grandeur. But when they break down and you don't know how to fix things yourself, then you're in a real pickle!"
"Do you think that's what's happened here?" asked Jenny. "The pilot has developed a fault?"
A little unexpectedly, an electronic voice emanated from the robot pilot, making Jenny jump a little.
"I AM STILL IN FULL WORKING ORDER," said the pilot, in response to Jenny's queries.
"Very glad to hear it, mate," said the Doctor, giving the robot her most charming smile. "Now, what's the situation?"
The pilot gave a clicking, whirring sound for a moment, then spoke: "BLOWOUT IN MAIN TANKS 2 AND 3. INSUFFICIENT FUEL TO REACH DESTINATION. PROBABILITY OF REACHING ANOTHER HABITABLE PLANET: ZERO. EMERGENCY OVER-RIDE SWITCHED IN: SAFETY OF PASSENGERS MUST TAKE PRIORITY OVER ALL OVER CONSIDERATIONS. HAVE DETECTED AN UNSTABLE SPATIAL VORTEX ON VECTOR 543. SENSORS INDICATE GRAVITIC WARPING OF NORMAL TIME-PROGRESSION, RESULTING IN LATERAL STASIS."
"What the devil does that mean?" asked Cassandra.
"He's talking about the time-warp field," explained the Doctor. "Time, in a way, stands still here. The pilot did not have enough fuel to get you to any planets or nearby space stations, and he knew that eventually the resources onboard to keep everyone alive would run out. So he brought you in here, in order to keep you alive and safe."
"AFFIRMATIVE," confirmed the pilot. "I HAVE STEERED THE SHIP INTO THE VORTEX AND AM USING THE REMAINING FUEL TO MAINTAIN OUR POSITION THEREIN. THIS WILL PRESERVE THE PASSENGERS' LIVES UNTIL WE ARE PICKED UP. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ACTION."
"Well, that explains why the ship is in this cloud," said Jenny. "But why does it keep getting blown up?"
"Yes, why indeed?" said the Doctor ponderously, having just quickly scanned the pilot and the controls with her Sonic Screwdriver. "As far as I can tell, everything-else is in perfect working order here. Perhaps there's a fault somewhere-else on the ship. Pilot, show me the schematics for this vessel, and also do a scan for anything even remotely unusual."
"AFFIRMATIVE," responded the Pilot, its blue eyes dimming and brightening as it processed the Doctor's commands. The central display on the control panel flickered to life, displaying a detailed layout of the Flying Dutchman II. The Doctor's gaze darted over the schematics, as she memorised every part of the layout of the cruiser, as well as searching for some clue as to the cause of the time-loop.
As everyone waited with bated breath, Jenny glanced at the clock. The time was now 7:04, which just left three minutes to find the answer, before the fateful explosion would occur.
A red light began flashing on the pilot's control panel, and the pilot said urgently, "WARNING. DANGEROUS ENERGY FLUCTUATIONS DETECTED IN ENGINE ROOM. SAFETY SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN OVERRIDDEN."
Leaning over the pilot's shoulder, the Doctor quickly took in the readings on the screen. "So that's where the trouble is. In the engine room a few decks below. And unless I'm very much mistaken, someone is down there already, causing mischief!"
"You mean this mess is the result of deliberate sabotage?" said Jenny. "But why? Who would want to do such a thing?"
"I don't know, but I fully intend to find out," said the Doctor firmly. "We need to get down to the engine room."
"There isn't enough time, Doctor," pointed out Rolf, gesturing to the clock. "We have less than a minute before we explode!"
"Then we'll just have to wait for the loop to start again, and get down to the engine room before the next reset," said the Doctor pragmatically.
"Which means we'll have to let ourselves get blown up again," groaned Jenny.
"Yes, Jen, I'm afraid it does," said the Doctor with a regretful look.
"Ah well," said Leonart calmly. "Here we go again then. At least things are a bit more interesting now than what we've been doing for the past... however long it's been."
KA-CHROOOM!
The explosion was as sudden and tremendous as the last time, and once again, the Flying Dutchman II was enveloped in a blast of fire, destroying everything in its wake. When it cleared, the blackened, twisted debris of the ship floated there in space, along with the bodies of the dead...
To Be Continued...