h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

On a far off spaceship deep space there lies four people. Four operators of the Genesis Incorporated Survey mission. Their mission is to safeguard the hypernet beacons in the far off sectors but two beacons have floated off course deeper into uncharted territory.

Four People: Two Men, two women.

Four colleagues alone but then to each the nightmares come... unspeakable evil preys on their minds....

They wake up screaming in the nights, the Blue Terror chasing them but now it's even worse...

The Blue Terror is escaping into the real world and this time they cannot wake from this nightmare!

...........................DOCTOR
............................WHO

DARKNESS HAUNTS

EPISODE ONE:

Space, as dark as existence allowed. Blackness surrounding all, only the twinkling lights filled out the space between. From into this void there floated a spaceship, a dull battered craft. Across its weathered hull there lay its number: Five-Four-Three.
Beyond this ship there appeared to a strange conical device, it lay on its site, its colour red while a light that once flashed remained dull.
From a grating in the ship's side there slid a flexible arm, reaching out towards the conical device. A 'hand' uncurled and grasped the device, from the hand there slid cables into the device, immediately the light started to glow.
Now upright, the arm withdrew from the device back into the grating.
On the Control deck there sat a man, slumped over a powerful console. It was then that a siren echoed to the right of him, getting louder every second.
The man slowly pulled free his head from the comforting embrace of his arm, opening his eyes looking at the bright blur he blinked a few times before yawning and looked about him at the consoles before him.
Pressing a hand to the appropriate control, cancelling out the annoying siren.
'Yes?' he asked in a low voice echoing with tiredness.
A metallic, hollow voice rang out from around him.
'Carrier signal beacon has been corrected. All checks have been made, course correction will be maintained, Supervisor Ridge'
'Yes thank you STORE, now do you mind if I get back to sleep?' Ridge asked.
'Mind? I am the Artificial Intelligence of this vessel; I am not required to 'mind' anything. However all checks to guiding claw have failed, there appears to be a blockage in the main guidance claw?' STORE replied.
Ridge sighed as he climbed free from his chair and yawned loudly.
'Can't you get Harper or Sherwin to look into it?' he asked and waited for the reply.
'Apologies Supervisor Ridge but technicians Harper and Sherwin are taking their rest period. Sub-Supervisor Dunbar has yet to report his current position' STORE informed.
Ridge sighed as he climbed to his feet, looking down at his crumpled blue uniform and then towards the door that opened before him.
'Sleeping on the job, just typical! STORE get the maintenance units ready, the last thing I want to do is work on that thing in dark?' Ridge asked.
'Understood Supervisor Ridge' echoed STORE.

'A Beautiful Morning to Xzalan's Inferiority Complex. Does that sound right? How would I know? Come on Doctor, please think?' he muttered as he stood before the vast collection of bookcases.
'Yes, Yes I think that goes very well' the Doctor breathed and smiled, satisfied with his long work now done.
'Now here's a point, what shall I read? Ah yes that is pretty pickle! 'What someone reads, someone once dreamed...' Who said that?' the Doctor replied as he sat back in a new armchair, fresh from the shop in Woodton walk in Bedley, eighteen hundred and seventy-four.
As he sat back he felt a touch uncomfortable, something digging into his back.
'Hmm? I wonder if they sold me the display model?' he wondered as he reached down to the back of the chair and pulled free an obstruction- a book.
'Ah, much better or is it? What do we have here?' the Doctor wondered as he pushed the book into the light to reveal the old, unimpressive red bound cover.
'Murder, She Said' by Agatha Christie. Ah yes I was meaning to read this a few regenerations back? Oh well no time like the present' the Doctor replied pulling open the cover and started to read.
'Doctor? Doctor?' called a voice from behind him, absent the Doctor replied.
'In a minute please?' he said but still the voice continued to call.
'Doctor, this is Celestial Intervention!' the voice rolled and with that the Doctor closed the book and turned back towards the console.
'Ah, just the people I wanted to see? See?' the Doctor replied and pulled down the scanner to produce an image of a man.
A man dressed finely in red and white livery of the CIA standing before him, a short, almost military haircut sat atop his head.
'Ah there you are at last? I thought we'd got crossed wires or held up or something technical like that?' the Doctor replied.
'I am Technical Facilitator Sintan, I have a message from Commander Azzaros that must be answered immediately.
'Well Technical Facilitator, let Azzaros deal with it himself, I'm quite busy fighting of the nasty... Agakristies! They demand my full attention at the moment, Murder and that sort of thing, she said- you understand?' the Doctor said quickly and pressed the cut off button.
'There now. That should hold them for a minute?' he said and breathed a quick sigh.

Ridge muttered ass he wandered down the empty semi-dark corridors, along them were cables of all sorts plugged straight into STORE's systems.
Muttering as he went, he glanced along at the many doors he would glance from time to time and wondered how he always seemed to be getting these jobs?
Him, he was their Supervisor. The only one qualified to handle the bridge and here he was now dealing with minor faults that the technicians had to do.
He stopped as he turned a corner and scratched at his head and rubbed excessive sleep from his eyes.
He needed the sleep, he was always supposed to be on duty, never asleep but ever vigilant except in deep space there was nothing remotely interesting to see.
Why should he then abandon his post to sort out a minor problem which would entail hours of back breaking work only to get coated in oil substitute and the problem would be just a bit of grit, lodged in the gears?
He looked back from the way he had come and shrugged, he would never get back to sleep now.
'Store? Are the maintenance drones ready?' Ridge called, his voice carrying down the winding passages.
'Yes Supervisor Ridge, the units are awaiting your presence immediate' responded STORE's hollow tones.
'Will do. I'll be down there in a minute' Ridge called just as he heard something in his ears, turning, he took a few steps back and looked up a metal niche of power cables.
At the end there appeared to be a figure, blurred to his eyes but it was extending an arm out towards him.
'Hey you?' he called and hurried over to the gap but as he did so, the blurred figure, whose hew was icy blue faded away into the shadows.
Ridge blinked as he did and looked around spying a number on the conduit.
'STORE, can you lighten up power conduit G nine?' he asked and immediately the area before him was lit. There was no sign of the figure.
'Weird, STORE was there anyone present in that channel thirty seconds to a minute ago?' he asked.
'Negative Supervisor Ridge. You wish to file a report?' STORE asked.
'No, must be seeing things, sooner I get this job done, the sooner I can get some sleep' Ridge replied turning away and behind him the niche faded into darkness.
He yawned again as he continued and shook his head free, desperate perhaps to relax his tired mind?

Crossing over to the table once again he was about to pick up the book when the scanner flashed again and technical facilitator Sintan appeared again.
'Doctor? We know where you are, where your TARDIS is currently stationed and we also are aware that you are alone' he said.
'That's the problem with CIA, very meticulous in their work, nothing gets by them' the Doctor muttered before returning back to the console.
'What can I do for them now? What great work do you want the High Council's lackey to dispel this time?' the Doctor asked.
'You are to proceed to a temporal flux in the deepest of space in the time zone forty-two-fifty-one at once!' Sintan ordered.
'Oh, am I? One thing I am surprised about now is why did the High Council or more likely the CIA divert me to Corastarr?' the Doctor asked.
'There is no time to talk Doctor, you must carry out your duty!' snapped the CIA representative.
'Must I? My duty? You do know I was once Lord President and because of that and having a good friendship with the High Council as they stand now, I am exempt from carrying out orders?' the Doctor asked.
Sintan muttered something to his side and then nodded once again before clearing his throat.
'I have authorised instructions from President Juvil and Commander Azzaros that this fluctuation in time that you encountered was not caused by either party but by a third, who has now been neutralised. Please Doctor, there will be no further problems?' Sintan replied.
'You sound pretty desperate, very well I'd hate to see the CIA loose their pride and start begging for help, wouldn't do at all?' the Doctor replied.
'Excellent Doctor, I shall inform Commmander Azzaros of your acceptance' Sintan replied and his image faded from the screen.
'Yes you that. Hmm? Fluctuations, assassins armed with temporal spheres; yes it is strange as for where I'm heading too. Forty-two, Fifty-one, deep space. I wonder why?' the Doctor replied.
Shrugging to himself, he set the co-ordinates and noted the change of eras. Then as the time rotor started to rise and fall he crossed over to the bookcase and looked at the many volumes on display.
Selecting a dusty looking heavy bound volume he flicked through the ancient pages and glanced over them carefully.
'The Spaceways of the years forty-two hundred to forty-four hundred and fifty-three were always busy. Genesis Incorporated utilised the hyperchannel communications beacons to support all radio/ visual formats... Interesting period but according to this there should be no such temporal activity? Who wrote this anyway?' the Doctor said and looked over the spine.
'Collected works by Professortech Xklom, Xklom always was a charlatan. Never believe everything you read?' he said as he dropped the book on the table to return to the console.

It was dark. The passageways were nothing but dark, hollow recesses, gaping mouths to her intimidated form.
Elaine Harper, first technician wondered how she'd got here, in this dark, horrible place.
'STORE?' she called out but as she expected the metallic tones to answer her, there came instead a great whoosh from behind her like a great wind. It felt cold on her neck and bare arms but there was no wind blowing, it was simply icy cold.
In what little light that shone in this dark place she could see her breath, faint, fluttering and pale before it dissolved into the dark.
'STORE? STORE bring all lights up, I can't see anything? Adjust heating' she cried as she walked along the lonely tunnels.
'Harper?' someone whispered over her shoulder and turning she stared down a lonely corridor she catch no such sign of anyone.
A door slid open to the left of her and feeling a bit scared she tentatively crossed to her side and peered down it.
At the end of it there appeared to be a patch of light and curious as to know what its source was she hurried down towards it.
Arriving she found herself looking in bewilderment at her room, the door before her was marked: E. HARPER.
As she stepped forward, the metallic door slid back and as she stepped forward, she could see someone lying in the bunk, the heat was and light was intense but as she coughed back the heat, she could see the person within was her!
She was asleep, yet who was she to be seeing this, the light behind her faded away as did the heat it was then that she saw her sleeping form was no longer breathing, her eyes flicked open and stared back at her!
Turning quickly she saw something swoop down at her... the harsh groaning and hissing as the ghostly form descended before her... She screamed!
Her eyes flicked open staring up at the blinding light, she pulled herself free from the baking blanket cover, her dark green uniform hot and covered in sweat trails.
'STORE, cancel excessive heating and lighting' she said weakly as she pulled herself free from the bed and crossed over to the sink.
The light faded away slowly, as did the heat, poring the cold water into the basin she rinsed her hands and wet her face.
'Not again! Not again!' she whispered weakly as she looked into the mirror before her.

Ridge stood in the lift as it descended into the maintenance bay. Staring at the dull floor he looked up to see the blank even duller wall slide back to reveal a viciously bright interior, so bright that he shielded his eyes.
'STORE, the lights are too bright, could you turn then down a bit?' Ridge asked and immediately the lights within the vast bay dimmed a fraction.
'Thank you STORE' Ridge said as he walked free from the lift and over to a vast multi-armed maintenance drone.
'You best show me this problem?' he said towards the drone.
'Follow me' it buzzed and its caterpillar tracks started to roll across the smooth floor and slowly Ridge followed after it.
Here in the engineering section, many bright light arrays were being held over the guidance arm while behind him stood a few scout ships used for emergency purposes, for now they stood empty and dark as Ridge came closer to the area highlighted.
'The error is here' buzzed the drone beside him and Ridge knelt down slowly, his dark brown hair glinted warmly in the light while his equally brown eyes darted from side to side, as he looked closer.
'I need light here' Ridge said and immediately one of the arms of the drone ending in a torch slid forward and glowed brightly. Ridge then started to feel through the various gears and tubes.
'Hmm? I think I've found it, seemed to be quite deep? Certainly feels alien but it's wedged tightly' he said aloud and immediately another arm glided into position above his head and glowed.
Ridge could just about make out a rough shape in the shadows, something very firmly wedged.
'Hmm? Looks like rock to me? STORE, did the guidance arm recover this blockage before it came into contact or after contact was made with the beacon?' Ridge asked looking up.
'The error was reported immediately upon contact with the signal beacon, an unknown material was detected within the circuit units' STORE replied.
'Well by the look of it, it came down the recovery hose but it burst the pipes and got out amongst the gears, I can't really reach in and get it without knowing what it is? Sherwin might want to see it first?' Ridge muttered.
'I will attempt to contact Doctor Sherwin from her sleep period, please standby?' STORE replied.
'Don't worry about me STORE, typical, that blasted Doctor sleeps while I, Supervisor have to do this? Life in deep space greatly underrated when you're working with these clowns!' Ridge muttered.
'You require something?' the drone asked.
'Yeah, a bed, a beautiful woman and no interruptions' Ridge retorted.
'I cannot supply these' the drone buzzed and Ridge sighed in response.

Sherwin lay there in the surgery; she lay on the patient bunk knowing that here she would always be of use. She had been trained partially as a technician but she was a general scientist. With STORE, the multi-tasking computer in charge she might have felt a little redundant but she was a scientist.
She had wanted to get away from it all, the hustle and bustle of busy life and now she was in deep space.
A tall and attractive woman with silver hair piercing blue eyes dressed in a light blue coverall.
Her head twitched as she pulled herself up from her slumbers as she felt a tingling sensation on her wrist.
'Yes STORE?' she asked looking up to a vast half globe that glowed in time with STORE's voice.
'Apologies for disturbing you at this hour Doctor Sherwin but an unforeseen error has occurred in this ship's schedule' STORE reported.
'What sort of error?' she asked as she lay her head back on the headrest as STORE continued.
'A technical error resulting in a delay to maintenance work on signalling beacon nine-three-seven-four' STORE reported.
'Then contact Harper, I am the Doctor stationed here' Sherwin retorted.
'Apologies Doctor Sherwin but technician Harper has yet to awaken from her sleep period. Correction, technician Harper has awoken. Supervisor Ridge has discovered an unknown substance wedged into the gears' STORE reported.
'Ridge? Oh dear, hates to get his fingers dirty. What sort of substance is this?' she said as she pulled herself from the bed.
'An unknown rock sample, it was located within the circuit transceiving area. Supervisor Ridge would like to know if you'd like a sample taken?' STORE added.
Sherwin yawned, stretching her arms wide before walking to the sink and rinsing water into her tired eyes.
'Inside the compartment?' she asked.
'Correct' replied STORE.
'Very well, tell him to cease his actions, get on to Harper and stop the ship' Sherwin ordered.
'Understood Doctor Sherwin' responded STORE.

As Harper left her room now after a hot shower and a change of dry, warm clothes she breathed in cool, fresh air.
Stopping as she did so, she glanced out of habit over her shoulder to see an empty corridor behind her.
Shrugging off her fears she continued along the dark tunnel as the light above her glowed and immediately she stopped.
'Technician Harper, an error has occurred in the guidance arm. Since you were unavailable Supervisor Ridge assumed your place. The error has stopped our progress schedule' STORE said, 'his' voice echoing along the corridor.
'How big an error STORE? I'm not really in the mood' she said.
'The error is an unknown substance detected from within the signalling beacon. Doctor Sherwin has been alerted of the incident. She is going to contain the sample. The recovery cable must be repaired' reported STORE.
'Great! Just great? Okay STORE, tell Ridge I'll be along in a minute?' Harper replied.
'Understood technician Harper' STORE replied and light above faded away.
Breathing deep Harper carried on towards the maintenance bay but then as she turned a corner she heard something on her ears. It was like a wind, an icy blast of air catching at her exposed skin.
Turning around there was nothing there but an empty corridor but instinctively she hurried on, no longer looking behind her as she ran.
Arriving into a service lift she sighed and pressed the control to close the doors but as she was about to press it, she spied someone hurrying past a side corridor.
Stepping out, she walked slowly to spy a strange blue hued figure standing there in the half-shadows before slipping aside into the darkness.
'Hello? Who's there?' Harper asked.
Crossing into the inlet she stopped looking around her at the blank dull walls while far behind her another similar presence watched her, a similar blue hued figure standing down the far end of the tunnel.
It surveyed her actions carefully before it too like its twin slid away into the looming shadowy corners.

'The Blue Terror! The Blue terror!' Dunbar moaned, as he lay huddled under a pipe dressed in a dark blue coverall.
He was in the communications centre in a shadowy inlet; he hugged his knees as he lay in his slumbers, his head twitched as he mumbled something again.
'Blue Terror' the words escaped his thin mouth in his young, pale face.
In his dreams he was running free down the many gaping tunnels, cavernous mouths screaming his name as he hurried. The lights above him were getting dimmer; the air was getting colder for him as he ran.
He could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest but halted quickly as the corridor ahead of him, that exit to freedom fell into darkness.
He stopped, panting deep as he looked around him for a source of escape; the area he stood in was all that remained of light. He was surrounded by darkness and then his eyes widened as that sound caught at his ears.
Like a great wind, it cut into his ears, cupping them tightly he crouched down as the wind howled around him, catching at his life.
Then he was suddenly very cold as he panted deeply his breath was becoming pale mist that flowed from his mouth and nose.
'Dunbar?' voices called on the wind around him as he looked about him and could see movement, something, many things moving.
'What? What?' he called while the ceiling above him was starting to fade, from the shadows moved figures. Blurred figures stepped from the creeping darkness surrounding him.
The colour was blue and partially translucent moving like ghosts they advanced relentlessly towards Dunbar.
'You will join us Dunbar. You will be like us' the voices hissed, getting progressively louder as he looked around, the light failing completely.
Standing in darkness he stared horrified as the vast folds of blue figures parted and coming towards him quickly was the blue terror...
He muttered loud in his sleep, unable to stop staring as it appeared, a vast rush of a wind then a blurred dark blue image was rushing at him.
Her arms were seized by the blue figures, their touch like icy as they gripped his arms tightly, he could not pull free as the dark blue image got closer and closer...
He coughed suddenly from his slumbers, wide eyed and alert he looked around the dark room.
'Lights!' he ordered quickly the lights glowed on.

The lift to the maintenance doors slid back to admit Sherwin, she was carrying a transparent perspex casing in her left hand as she walked out into the bay.
On spying her distant form Ridge gave a sigh of relief and stepped up into the drone's arm banging his head hard.
'Caution!' warned the drone.
'Yes, thanks for the warning' Ridge muttered as he rubbed his head as Sherwin walked up.
'There you are Doctor, thought you'd never get?' Ridge replied as he continually rubbed at his head.
'You look worse for wear Ridge, not getting much sleep?' she asked.
'How well you know. Honestly Doctor, you may want to get away from it all dozing in your surgery but my place is at the helm!' Ridge snapped.
'Really? And there I was think that STORE ran the ship, you after all his lackey' she said as she knelt down towards the area, the lighting arms moving back in.
'Lackey? I am your Superior on this mission Doctor, don't you forget that!' Ridge retorted loudly.
'Rubbish! You're nothing but a jumped up pilot with an impressive CV, so impressive that Co-ordinator Mandrake appointed you Supervisor. Anyway being out of that stuffy control room will be good for your lungs' she said.
'My lungs- if I wanted a job with breathing space I'd have stayed behind as a Harvester on Zylos One' Ridge muttered.
'What I want to know is two things- One, what is that thing and two, where is Harper to fix it?' he added coldly.
'Easy Ridge, you'll burst a blood vessel. I'm sure Elaine's not far away? She could hear your tantrums miles away!' she added as she reached out to the strange black rock and heaved, it was stiff but as she moved the rock started to come free.
'Doctor Sherwin, Sub-Supervisor Dunbar request your presence in the surgery' reported STORE from overhead.
'Tell him I'll be along in a minute' she grunted as she pulled free the rock. It came away from the blockage and felt quite light in her hands.
'What is it?' Ridge asked and Sherwin shrugged.
'I don't know and won't until I run a few tests. As for the damage, I'm sure Harper can deal with it, when she arrives' she said as placed the rock into the casing.
'That's if she arrives?' Ridge added.

The TARDIS startled to rattle as it travelled along the vortex's deep channel.
The Doctor was desperately trying to stabilise the TARDIS as it shook in time's embrace, he looked up to see the time rotor stuttering, pausing or shifting.
'Come on old girl, you're stronger than this, a bit of turbulence shouldn't be affecting you like this?' the Doctor replied as he patted the console gently.
Just then another great shock wave hit home and threw the Doctor forward but he held on.
'This really isn't like you at all. You should be going with the current, not against it. Or is the current travelling against you? Perhaps CIA were right for once?' the Doctor breathed as he made a valiant attempt to activate the scanner.
The TARDIS warbled softly towards him but he gently patted the console's panelling.
'I know how you feel or I wish I knew how you were feeling? Yes so much for these bleeps you make, these years they're gibberish to me and I should know?' the Doctor murmured.
He reached out and pulled free the scanner chain just as another shock wave hit and for a moment the Doctor stood, supported by the chain before he fell to the floor knocking his head, hard against the ground.
Before his eyes he could see the vortex on the screen, a vast dip was occurring before them, then he noticed something, something moving out of the hole forming in the vortex.
It was quick, very quick but light blue or a blue hue about it. It looked vaguely reminiscent to his mind.
Climbing from his place on the floor he pulled himself up onto the console and peered at the scanner closely.
'You know old girl, I think CIA were right. That temporal hole definitely warrants investigation. I'm afraid I'm going to have ask you to travel through that time pocket?' the Doctor asked but as the TARDIS shook he rubbed his hand soothingly over the console.
'There, there old girl. I'm pretty sure we'll both get through this?' he said and crossed his fingers on his left hand.
As the TARDIS started to descend through the hole there seemed to be a vast eruption as many blue hued forms of energy swam out of the hole battering the TARDIS violently.
'Time spillage? By Rassilon's beard! What has been going on?' the Doctor cried as he and the time machine sank deeper and deeper into the darkness.

The door to the lift slid open and out walked Sherwin straight into Harper.
'Careful' she cried and Sherwin sighed deeply.
'Late again Harper? Ridge is in a state below or will be here when the lift returns' she said.
'I overslept Doctor, that's all' Harper retorted.
'Overslept? Why should you sleep later? The last time to earned your rest time was three months back, didn't you work non-stop for seventy-three hours?' Sherwin replied mockingly but Harper wasn't the slightest bit amused.
'It was seventy-five and I can't help it if I have bad dreams' Harper snapped.
Harper hurried past her and into the lift but Sherwin stopped her.
'Bad dreams? What sort of dreams?' Sherwin asked but Harper just lashed out at her.
'What do you mean sort? They were bad, they got me late for work again and don't you dare try and psycho-analyse me Doctor!' she snapped and pressed the control and the doors slid back before them both.
'How very odd she's behaving today?' Sherwin noted and turned away swinging the rock sample as she went.
'Sherwin?' came a strange rasping hiss across her ears and turning expecting to find someone, there was no one but herself in that T-junction and so she carried on back towards the surgery.
From the darkness something moved, something stalked. A figure stood there watching her turn a corner as she looked back she caught sight of it, bluish and then in a blink it was gone.
'STORE? Is anyone in the vicinity of me in this section?' Sherwin called and within long, lingering moments the space above her glowed as STORE interfaced.
'Negative Doctor Sherwin, you are quite alone. Is there an error you wish to report?' STORE replied.
'Yes there is STORE. I thought I saw someone watching me?' she said.
'Can you give a visual description of the possible intruder?' STORE asked.
'No, it was only there for a second, it seemed to be blurred?' she said and waited patiently.
'Apologies for the interruption but Sub-Supervisor Dunbar requests your urgent presence within the surgery?' STORE answered.
'I'm coming now, have a full examination report ready for me?' Sherwin asked.
'Understood Doctor Sherwin' STORE replied and the ceiling faded away. Sherwin hurried on her way, unaware that the figure remained, its view of her never changed as she hurried on.

Ridge sighed viciously as he saw the lift descend, he was even more annoyed and jointly relieved when the doors parted and out stepped Harper.
'Finally seen the light Harper?' Ridge suddenly asked.
'The what?' she asked wondering if it had been Ridge who had got the lights working too brightly in her room?
'The light of your purpose here on this ship. You are a technician, I am the Supervisor, I belong on the bridge you belong down here. Get the picture?' Ridge snapped but Harper simply shoved him out of the way.
'Yes I understand my place here enough, like you care that I had nightmare's again' Harper retorted.
'Well then, refrain from sleeping on the job. Just do your work, it is in that direction!' Ridge said pointing down ward.
'Yeah thanks a lot' Harper muttered. 'Pointless Grit head!' she added.
'What was that?' Ridge snapped coldly looking down at her.
'Nothing Supervisor' she muttered sarcastically but the tone was lost on him.
'It better be Harper!' Ridge retorted as he climbed into the lift, while overhead the ceiling glowed.
'Supervisor Ridge, there has been an unknown energy emission on the starboard side of the ship' STORE reported.
'I'm on my way STORE. Keep me at full notice of any further reports' Ridge ordered.
'Understood Supervisor' STORE replied and promptly the doors slid back and the lift ascended.
'What a Grit head! Grit head!' she yelled, not caring if he heard her or not.
Turning back she carried on towards the maintenance bay grumbling profusely while distantly across her ears she could still hear the grating howl from her nightmare. Considering it over she missed a distant figure standing far behind her from the shelter of a scout ship.
It vanished into the darkness with an eerie rattling howl that resounded throughout the section.

'There you are Doctor Sherwin, there you are' Dunbar muttered weakly as Sherwin walked through into the surgery.
'So I am, Dunbar, what appears to be the matter with you now?' She said as she crossed over to the workspace and pulled on some rubber gloves from a drawer.
'Matter? You're a Doctor. You have to cure me, I've been seeing the blue terror again. The blue terror, you know what that does?' Dunbar babbled.
'Dunbar, in the last five weeks you've been coming up here complaining from Mirax Syndrome to Phase Attack, now you start seeing these nightmares. Did you take the pills I prescribed?' she asked but he shook his head.
'No, no they get me. Come for me at work; force their way into my head. The blue terror, its like it's watching me! Please Doctor, you've got to help me?' Dunbar cried.
'I do help you Dunbar but you have to help yourself, hypochondriacs like you, keep me busy while real cases go unheeded. Just keep taking the pills, they're placebos you know, they can't help you. Only you can help yourself' Sherwin retorted and picked up the casing towards an examination table.
'Oh that's just great Doctor, here I am dying and you just ignore me as if nothing's wrong with me?' Dunbar snapped.
'Dunbar, there is nothing wrong with you. Now go away and stop annoying me. I have work to do just like you' she said as started to set up a screen before the rock.
Picking it up carefully from the casing, she laid it on a flat scan-bed.
'STORE, begin cross-section analysis!'' she said and immediately an array of light beams started to descend over the rock.
'What is that thing anyway?' Dunbar asked from the doorway.
'An unknown rock sample found within the recent signalling beacon, or was unknown until the scan is complete. Go on now Dunbar, I'm sure Ridge needs to take out his issues on his underling?' Sherwin said as she stared deep into the rock.
'Yeah, thanks a lot. But you remember, if you find me dead, it's your fault Doctor Sherwin, all your fault!' Dunbar yelled before hurrying away.
'Interesting, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before? This mineral has compounds that cannot be categorised? Wow! I wonder if I should name it? Sherwinal? Sherwin, yes' she said as she turned away from the rock, unaware that in its centre of it appeared to be pulsing...

'STORE, you have something to report?' Ridge asked as he entered the control deck.
'Indeed Supervisor Ridge. An external energy emission was detected by long range scanners to the starboard side of this ship' STORE reported.
'What sort of energy emission? Could it be another drifting beacon?' Ridge asked as he arrived at the controls.
'Unknown, Supervisor, the emission was brief lasting two point three seconds' STORE replied.
'Unknown? How is that possible? Could it be some glitch in your systems?' Ridge asked and immediately the lights flickered in the room.
'What was that?' Ridge asked looking about him.
'Unknown secondary energy emission detected. Its current position onboard this ship. I will attempt to...' STORE stuttered before the light within the Control deck ceased.
'STORE? STORE?' Ridge called he said as light flowed from under the door. Blue light.
Turning around at the sound of the door sliding back, he stared in a mixture of fascination and fear as a blue blurred hand touch his shoulder, feeling a wash of icy cold passing over him before he collapsed backwards to the hard metal floor.
***
Sherwin stood before the rock sample, she was looking straight into it when she spied what looked like a flame? A burning blue flame but as she was about to alter the equipment when the lights within the surgery failed.
'STORE? I would like to report a power failure in surgery. STORE?' Sherwin asked towards the ceiling but there came no reply.
'STORE?' she called but then turned as a light seemed to form from all around her. It was blue light and then from out of the deep shadows there stalked many blue arms, as one touched her, she felt icily cold before dropping to the Surgery floor.
***
'Coming for me, you won't come for me?' Dunbar cried as he yelled to the ceiling in his very bright quarters.
'Increase lights by twenty percent!' he ordered and lights intensified but then as he started to smile, they started to fade.
'No, no I said more. Not less?' he cried but the lights were fading quickly and Dunbar tucked himself tightly into a corner hugging his knees.
'The blue terror comes... it comes for me! It comes for me!' Dunbar screamed, his wails rebounding along the empty, dark tunnels of the ship.

'Hello? Is anyone here? Hello?' the Doctor called as he wandered along the dark, lonely corridors flashing the torch before him.
'Hello? I had expected more a turn out then this dark, looming atmosphere of dread. The usual questions as to who I am, what I'm doing here should really start to kick in?' the Doctor muttered to himself.
'Hello? I'm the Doctor, not to worry about who I am but I mean you no harm, just come on out and we can talk things over?' the Doctor called.
As he walked along, the beam of the torch caught at a sign over an alcove: SURGERY.
'Ah, now that looks interesting?' the Doctor said as he passed over the threshold and started to explore the dark room before spotting the rock on the work surface.
'Now that looks interesting, a medical wing with a scientific section attached and it seems that someone was studying this rock? The same someone now lying on the ground behind the desk?' he breathed as he knelt down to her.
Aside from a slight cut on her forehead there appeared to be no other explanation for unconscious state? Flicking open an eyelid he could see no reaction to the torch.
'Catatonic withdrawal? Now that is unexpected? Presumably she was working at this station examining this rock when, something happened, she did didn't get here on her own? Or did she?' the Doctor wondered.
Just then from the alcove he saw someone, a blue figure tingling with energy and as it advanced into the room the Doctor looked up.
'Ah hello there? Have we met before, you seem familiar to me?' the Doctor asked knowing too well that it was an exact likeness of the creature he had seen on the scanner.
Instead the blue figure reached out a hand, then a rasping hiss entered his ears.
'Parasite to time!' the figure rasped and from its hand a spark of blue light pierced the Doctor's chest.
'By Rassilon... what are you doing...' the Doctor gasped as he fought against a tide of biting cold then he too like the woman slumped to the ground.
'You will be like us. We will live' hissed the figure before it sparked away out of existence...

DARKNESS HAUNTS

EPISODE TWO:

A vast screaming filled the Doctor's ears as he fell back but not onto the hard, solid ground instead he sank lower into a gaping yawn of darkness. He felt like the darkness surrounding him would engulf him but as he started to feel comfortable he hit the ground hard.
There he lay on the cold, hard metallic surface. His first reaction was to call out but on opening his eyes he glanced around him at the same area.
Although now he was no longer within the surgery but lying against the tunnel wall.
'How very curious? Hello?' he called as he looked around him, the light was dim to his eyes but gradually he was looking at walls, doors, although slightly blurry to his eyes he was somewhere.
'Short range matter transport?' he muttered but as he reached up to his face, he felt the skin cold, icy cold. The same sensation he'd felt when that figure, that creature touched him.
'Then that would explain it. The imagery is blurred, out of focus, the words across the walls, numbers I should be able to read but only if I was awake?' the Doctor replied as he climbed to his feet.
Walking slowly along the tunnels, his footsteps echoing loudly as he walked. He smiled as he thought of something and reached into his coat pocket to find something, anything with words on it.
Plucking free a card, weathered a creased with age he turned it over expecting to see recognisable writing.
'Flash Cabs, number nine as ever with greetings to Mags.... Ah, I thought as much' the Doctor replied as he turned over the card to spy unfamiliar inkblots that swirled along the paper as though it were still wet.
Feeling slightly dizzy he put the card away and carried on his progress along the tunnel where off the edge of his hearing, he seemed to be hearing two people talking? No, they were shouting rather loudly, their voices carrying along the tunnels.
'Hmm? Methinks that this may be the crew? Oh dear then because Rassilon help me how I'm going to explain the situation to them? Perhaps the old- are you crazy might turn up?' the Doctor muttered to himself and pulled free the torch as he advanced onwards.
Its golden beam surprisingly was tinted blue as it cut through the half darkness towards the two bickering people.

'Don't you dare point the finger at me Doctor! Why should I be responsible for this?' Ridge yelled as Sherwin stared back at him.
'You're the Supervisor, Ridge. It's your job to take responsibility. Take it!' Sherwin yelled.
'What? Now look here, I was on the bridge a moment ago not in these tunnels? Explain that Doctor?' Ridge snapped.
'Isn't it obvious? You sleepwalked here, probably bumped into something and woke up here. Well Mr Supervisor why is the power down?' Sherwin yelled.
'I don't know Doctor, why should I know, all I remember is this blue light... I mean all know is what you do. Where's Harper and Dunbar?' Ridge muttered.
Sherwin shook her head as her eyes met his.
'How should I know Ridge, I'm not their keeper?' she countered but then her eyes glanced to the left up a gaping tunnel.
'Do you see that?' she suddenly asked pointing up the tunnel towards the approaching figure.
'At last, Harper's seen some sense?' Ridge replied as he walked onwards.
'Ah, there you are Harper, perhaps we can get some explanations?' Ridge asked as a bolt of blue light shone in his eyes.
'I'm pretty much afraid you're mistaken about who I am?' the Doctor replied as he walked through and immediately he was set upon by Ridge.
'Who the Devil are you? Are you responsible for this? That's it! What have you done?' Ridge cried.
'Again I find that you're mistaken with who I am? I'm simply someone in the wrong place and the wrong realm' the Doctor replied.
'Wrong realm? Who are you to be here on this ship in the middle of nowhere? If you're not involved, I'd call that a hell of a coincidence and I don't believe in them' Sherwin added.
The Doctor sighed as he looked to both of them, their faces, so familiar to so many incidents and strangely, he smiled uneasily.
'True but had I meant harm, you must admit that you'd both be in much harm by now?' he added and Sherwin shrugged.
'Look, just who are you and what do you want?' Ridge snapped, his voice carrying far along the tunnels.

Dunbar suddenly shook from his slumbers; his head once buried in the niche of his knees awoke in the dark of his quarters.
'Lighting increased' stuttered STORE metallic tones from above him and immediately the room suddenly erupted into brightness, so bright that Dunbar had to shield his eyes.
'STORE, tone the lighting down' he ordered and immediately the light dimmed.
Climbing to his feet, he felt unnaturally alert, no longer did he seem to remember the dream, no not such a word could be used to describe such a horrific event.
'Sub-Supervisor Dunbar, there has been a major error in communications. Supervisor Ridge, Technician Harper and Doctor Sherwin fail to report' STORE reported as Dunbar walked towards the sink, turning on a jet of cold water and stared deep into the mirror before soaking his sweaty hands and rubbing new cold ones into his pale face.
'Perhaps they're resting, STORE? We humans don't work twenty-four, seven' Dunbar muttered.
'Apologies Sub-Supervisor but I am receiving no such patterns from their life signs. Correction Sub-Supervisor but I am detecting a further error in my systems' STORE replied.
'What sort of problem?' he asked as he dried his head with a white towel.
'My internal sensors are detecting unauthorised movement within sections five to sixteen. Additionally I am detecting an unknown structure immediately outside the Surgery section. Since you are the only person responding, can you investigate?' STORE said.
As Dunbar put down the towel he glanced upwards towards the glowing ceiling.
'What sort of movement is this?' he asked and immediately STORE responded.
'I am detecting unknown energy emissions in a similar spectrum to those encountered within Surgery and on the Starboard side of the ship. Upon the second event, all contact with remaining personnel ceased' STORE replied.
Dunbar glanced into the mirror but the image he saw was not himself but that thing... reaching from his nightmares towards him.
'Get back! Get back!' Dunbar screamed as he fell back and clawed his way into a corner as the screaming grates filled his ears, burying his face deeply in his hands.

Harper pulled herself up from the side of the guidance arm, now looking dead to the world. Around her little light flashed, a generalised power cut, she assumed.
However all was not just black or dim but very dim, blurry unable to quite focus on everything around her yet the more distant she was, the clearer everything seemed.
'Hello? STORE?' she called uneasily and waited as her voice carried along the vast empty maintenance bay.
'STORE must be down, which means so is life support but if that is the case, how come I can still breathe?' she muttered as she crossed away from the arm and towards the lift.
She rubbed at her exposed arms, feeling cold surround her and she quickly deduced that she must have been knocked out for sometime?
How had she become unconscious? There she had been working on the repair and nothing had happened, then there she was waking up?
Walking to the lift, she pleaded with anything at her disposal, even a God to drive the lift into action but pressing the lift resulted in nothing but silence.
'Oh great! Just great! I always wanted to be early down her and now I'm going to be late as well down here!' Harper yelled, kicking and hitting at the door before sliding to the ground sobbing.
From behind her a shape moved through the darkness, its subtle movements were not enough to disturb her sobs.
'Harper?' came a rasping hiss upon her ears, as though someone were whispering over her shoulder and quickly turning she found no one.
Breathing deep now, sucking her loose phlegm and tears back in she stood up looking cautious and afraid.
'Who's there? Ridge? Dunbar? Sherwin?' she called but that rasp filled her ears deeply, blotting out other sounds.
'Harper'
'I'm warning you! Whoever you are you are going to be dead when I'm finished with you!' she threatened to the air.
'Harper, we are all ready dead' came the hiss over her ears this is turn became drowned out she turned to see a familiar, horrifying image descending towards her.
Blue, blurry light, its shrieks scratching at her soul as she stared unable to turn away as it drew closer and closer....

'Other Realm? What are you blathering about?' Ridge demanded as the Doctor side-stepped to both of them, his hands raised calmly.
'Well if you discount that possibility look at me, do you see any weapons? Do I look remotely hostile and if so why would I invade this ship of yours?' the Doctor asked.
'He does have a few points there Ridge but...' Sherwin said and the Doctor beamed but then Sherwin crossed over to Ridge before continuing.
'But that does not explain why you should be here on this ship immediately during this time?' She added.
'Well it's quite simple, I landed late as usual on this ship was attacked I suppose by some sort of creature?' the Doctor added.
'Creature? What did this thing look like? A blue figure?' Ridge muttered sarcastically.
'Well actually yes it did, which begs the question how did you know?' the Doctor asked.
'This is wasting time! Who are you and what have you done to cripple this ship?' Ridge snapped.
The Doctor sighed before stepping forward to confront the maniacal-acting man and flicked off his torch.
'I am the Doctor and I have done nothing to your ship, I'm as much in the dark as you two' he said.
He then fished about inside his pocket promoting reactions from both of them, that was until he stopped and looked at them.
'Look, I'm not going for a gun? If I was to blame, as so many people these days seem to think then you would be dead by now or worse, believe me I've seen it. Could you take a look at this?' the Doctor said as he pulled free the flash cab card and handed it to Sherwin.
'What is this thing? Feels like paper?' she said and he nodded.
'It is. Could you please read what's on it?' he asked and as Sherwin brought it closer to her face, an inky mess met her eyes.
'What is it? What's the matter?' Ridge asked as he snatched the card off her and glanced at much to the annoyance of the Doctor.
'What is it?' he asked as the inky mess met his eyes.
'We should be able to read that card and the message on it but we can't and why because we are living in a dream world' the Doctor explained gesturing to all around them.

'Get back! Stay away from me! Get back!' Dunbar screamed as he huddled tightly into gap by his bed pulled down the blanket to hide himself as he whimpered behind it.
'Sub-Supervisor Dunbar. There is no cause for alarm, I am detecting no hostile signs towards you, you are safe' STORE tried to say but 'his' tones were being drowned out by Dunbar's whines.
'Sub-Supervisor, please respond. I am detecting multiple energy emissions approaching this area; you must leave this area. You must leave this area' STORE reported but Dunbar shook his head.
'In the dream they always get me, in the dream they make me run, run and run and run! Everywhere! They come out of the darkness to get me!' Dunbar cried and buried his face deep in the crook of his knees.
'You are experiencing a traumatic phase in your mental stability. You are putting yourself in harm's way in an emergency situation as this I am appointed leading facilitator. I order you to vacate your quarters immediate!' STORE thundered.
'You don't understand! How could you, you're just a machine. You don't know about fear, how they hunt you out there, watch you suffer as they make you run, then the light fades and then... and then...!' Dun bar sobbed.
STORE paused for a moment before deciding its next action. The other life signs were unnoticeable and only Sub-Supervisor Dunbar remained. Its orders were to ensure that its programme was carried out and to safeguard the human operators.
'Sub-Supervisor Dunbar, if you vacate your quarters, I promise you that you will safe from these creatures on the control deck' STORE replied.
Dunbar pulled down the blanket staring up at the glowing ceiling.
'You promise? They won't get in?' he asked towards the ceiling scanners.
'I promise Sub-Supervisor Dunbar, that you will remain safe on the control deck' STORE replied.
Dunbar was still for a moment before he pulled free the blanket and climbed to his feet before towards the door.
'Thank you STORE' Dunbar replied calmly as the door slid open and to the right of him he could see darkness so hurriedly he took to the left and hurried on as the shadows started to move.
The Dream was about to start again and once more he was running from it.

'A dream? Did you hear that Doctor?' Ridge asked.
'Of course I did, I just explained it to you' the Doctor said but Ridge waggled his hand in such a way to indicate that he'd got it wrong.
'Not you, Sherwin. What do you think of his suggestion- mad wouldn't you say?' Ridge said.
'It depends really, a fascinating theory, which would explain why we can't read this card' she said.
'God! Can't you see it's a fake? There's nothing on it' Ridge snapped.
'Then what is your solution Ridge? How do you explain our current problems?' Sherwin asked.
Ridge smiled as he stalked towards the Doctor, fixing him with an awkward stare before looking back to Sherwin.
'It's him, he's sabotaged the ship, knocked out the power and we're stuck in the dark' Ridge replied.
'With one such problem, if I might be so bold?' the Doctor said raising his hand for permission, to which Ridge muttered something.
'We are encased in a group dream-like reality, group catatonic state each sharing the same vision, that is why we are seeing a subliminal representation of the ship. The card was a bad example but if you find anything at all with numbers or words on it I'm pretty sure you won't be able to read it?' The Doctor explained.
'You mean we're experiencing a group hallucination?' Sherwin asked but the Doctor shook his head.
'No, hallucinations occur like vivid daydreams manifested in the real world. This is not the real world but a realm created partially by our unconscious minds and...' the Doctor stopped staring into the darkness.
'And what?' Ridge asked and immediately he was motioned by the Doctor to join his gaze, Sherwin also looked to see a blurry blue figure standing not far away, watching them.
'And by them, whoever they may be? They caused us to slip into catatonic withdrawal, which begs the question: Why?' the Doctor breathed.
'Doctor!' Sherwin cried and as he turned, he could see more of them, more blurred figures were coming out of the shadows, all of them watching!
'Ah, this doesn't look good?' the Doctor muttered quietly as the figures advanced closer, silent but tingling with blue energy.
'Hello there?' the Doctor added.

'Humans- bipedal, carbon-based ape descendants' hissed the leading blue figure from the shadows.
'They are no threat to us. Why do we then see fit to encapsulate them?' asked another lesser being.
'They are xenophobic in nature, fearing all but their own culture. They are violent in their beliefs, extending into conflict culminating mass extinction of fellow life forms' the leader replied.
'What then of the unknown life form? It is different from the others, it has traits of the old time about its form' replied the lesser one.
'It is a parasite of the old time, a bi-cardio vascular system, temporal based, humanoid, similar in evolution parameters to humans. It is unwanted here, he brings destruction' retorted the leader.
'What action should we take against it?' the lesser one asked.
'The humans are easily affected by our presence, their mental barriers are weak and are easily influenced, they fear us however this one, this parasite is immune. It will attempt to interfere therefore we will act against this one' the leader decided.
'Then the humans, the innocent ones will be spared?' the lesser one asked.
'Innocent? They are humans. They are interfering even now, how long before they attempt to cease our action? If they continue to side with the parasite then they will be decimated like the others!' the leader decided.
'Look at them now, the humans fear us. Why should they attempt to join such a foul creature as he?' the lesser one said.
'You forget yourself young one, he is like them afraid but he in inquisitive of us. I sense it in his mind; he is strong yet I sense the presence of the other about him. Yes, there is another present' the leader announced.
'Another? Like him?' the lesser one asked.
'No. There is another the past, from the old time here with us, trapped within a living torture. They make them so. Ensnaring us to move them! Find this one now, it lies not far from here' ordered the leader as it surveyed the non-human.
'Hello there?' he said but the leader observed it with contempt.
'Parasite!' it hissed.

The door to the Control deck slid open slowly and in hurried Dunbar, as he breathed deep, catching at the air that his lungs so desperately craved. He couldn't believe that he was here, that he was free?
'Control Deck sealed off, I am diverting unnecessary power towards the door controls. The energy emissions will be unable to penetrate this section' STORE replied.
'Good, good. Can you get the nearest station?' Dunbar asked as he collapsed into a chair feeling quite exhausted.
'Apologies Sub-Supervisor Dunbar but we are too distant for the starscope to function successfully' STORE replied.
'Can you move us closer then? Divert our course away from here?' Dunbar tried but STORE paused before answering, it was attempting to mimic its speech capabilities to human behaviour, believing that it might comfort him?
'Negative Sub-Supervisor, the drive units cease to function. We are alone' STORE replied.
'Is there anything you can do?' Dunbar cried, irritated, scared and still out of breath.
'I detect that your pulse is beating at twice its recommended time, your dehydration levels are high. You require water' STORE reported and to his side a dispenser filled out a Perspex glass of shimmering cold water.
'Thank you STORE' Dunbar replied as he reached out and took a sip of the cold, cold water.
'Can you tell me anything out the others?' he asked as he drank deeply.
'Their bio-scans indicate unknown results, there are conflicting results present' STORE's metallic tone replied.
'What sort of results? Are they alive or not?' Dunbar cried towards the glowing ceiling.
'It is uncertain Sub-Supervisor Dunbar. The unknown energy emissions are conflicting with my sensors in those areas. In one retrospect they are seen to be alive, breathing shallow, pulse rates normal in another they appear to be operating above normal' STORE explained.
Dunbar's head slumped forward looking to the ground as another drink arrived for him.
'You must drink Sub-Supervisor, you are de-hydrated and require intake of water' STORE reminded.
'Thanks STORE but I'm not really thirsty at the moment' Dunbar murmured as he stared to the floor.
Dead. Could they be dead? If so, was it the work of the Blue Terror? And how long would he have to wait before he joined them?

'Doctor, what are they?' Ridge cried as he felt the impulse to back away but the Doctor stopped him.
'If I were you Mr Ridge I'd remain perfectly still, we seem to be surrounded on all fronts?' the Doctor said as he glanced all around them.
'What do you think they want with us?' Ridge asked but before the Doctor could reply Sherwin stepped forward.
'If we knew that, would it help matters? They don't mean us harm or else they would have done that by now' she said.
'Yet' the Doctor added.
Just then he raised a hand for silence as a tall, blue, blurred figure stepped forward from the others.
'Harm you? Why should we not defend ourselves against you bipeds?' the figure said, although there was no real mouth in their vision the Doctor was certain that it had spoken.
'Defence against what? We have yet to attack you or we wouldn't attack you anyway?' the Doctor said but the figure raised a hand.
'Yet? You are a parasite to us and these bipeds are unwanted here. Now you are here, you will be dealt with first!' the figure hissed and extended a hand towards the Doctor.
From it flashed a spark of blue light into his chest and immediately the Doctor fell to his knees before Sherwin suddenly hurried forward.
'Stop this! What are you doing? He's done nothing to you, now stop it!' she snapped.
'You are mistaken biped, this is a parasite from the old time. He and others have sought to torture us. Even here he tortures us!' the figure hissed.
'How? He's harmless as we are, you're the one torturing him now stop it!' Sherwin cried and immediately the figure lowered its hand and the Doctor started to cough heavily.
'Are you all right Doctor?' she asked as she helped him up, instead he was staring at them, at the forms of energy.
'Temporal energy discharge at such a rate, it almost destroyed my hearts!' he gasped as he clutched at his chest, feeling the burns within as he struggled for breath.
'A taste if you will of millennia of torture from the old time, even here at our arising do you parasites plague us!' hissed the figure coldly as the burn that stung in the Doctor's chest.

Something scuttled behind Harper; something not friendly as it pulled itself free of the darkness, a vast distorted shape sliding free from the shadows.
'Harper, do not look at me. I am not one to be seen. Do not fear' a voice suddenly instructed, it was unlike the gentle whispering that had caught at her ears. In comparison, it was dark and full.
'Who said that? Where are you?' she cried but the force hung back in the blackness.
'I said that you should not fear me, I mean no harm towards you. I am the Vvorsk, I am seen how you humans are threatened' came the response and turning Harper squinted to see a rough shape in the shadows.
'How did you get onboard the ship?' she asked but watched in dread as a shape pulled itself free of the void and stopped before her.
A hulking vast figure covered by a thick flowing robe and vast hood looked down at her, it moved so swiftly around her.
'The question is Harper not how did I get here but how you came to fall victim to the Tredisites?' the Vvorsk replied.
'Tredisites? What are you talking about?' she asked but the Vvorsk raised a deep sleeve concealing dark, slender claws to signal for silence.
'They are scavengers feeding off anyone who wanders into lair. This place is not your ship; you are in their hands' it added.
'But this is my ship, I can breathe the air, the floor is cold and solid...?' she argued but the Vvorsk answered loudly drowning out her doubts in an instant.
'Do you see any light? Feel any warmth? These creatures desire non of these things, this is their world, you are at their mercy' the Vvorsk replied.
'How do you know who I am? Are you like them?' she asked wondering what it truly was?
'Do not fear me? I do not mean harm. They harm you now, they read your thoughts leave them into this realm, I breathe this air, I feel your mind. Do not fear me' the Vvorsk replied.
'Do you know what's happening to the others?' she asked and the being extended a sleeve to her.
'I have seen them, their torture. Follow me in their realm, do not fear' it said as she took its sleeve and without notice she vanished into the shadows.

'This is the one, I can feel its pain, its torture runs deep like blood, like energy. You are afraid of us but we can free you from this shell that they seen fit to imprison you within' the figure said towards the dark structure.
'Can you heal it from the darkness of the parasite's thrall?' another figure hissed.
'It will be hard but I will try?' the other said and immediately from its hand blue light passed free from its hand towards the structure passing into the walls.
'I can feel it, weak, afraid of the unknown. It has suffered greatly at the old one's hand but I feel it now, I shall pass it strength. With help it will break free' the figure hissed.
'I sense fear now, it does not want to break free? It's senses are fractured' replied the other.
'I can feel contact, I can hear its thoughts...' the lead said as the structure started to roar and rattle and flash with light before it too became like its surroundings dark and silent.
'Here now, come forth' the figure said as he led another figure from the structure, its form twisted and arced with renewed energy.
'Where? Where am I? What is this? Why can I feel?' said the newcomer.
'You are free from thrall, you are like us now, we the free. You are strong now and freed from the cage' the lead said and the newcomer turning looked up at the familiar structure.
'I... I know that. It was me.... Why am I like this? Why?' the newcomer said frantically until one them grasped 'her'.
'Do not fear now, I am Raars and this is Vo can you remember your name?' Raars asked.
'Name? I do not know.... I was that. I know no name' she said as Vo passed an arm over her shoulder, helping her along.
Blue energy sparkled between them as they walked away into the shadows.
'Do you remember anything of the life, you once held?' Vo asked.
'I remember too much, I was many things. One man helped me, looked after me and now he is gone' she said.
'No, he remains but soon he will be stopped and we shall free the others. We shall once more be free!' Raars replied.

'Torture? I would ask for you to explain yourself?' the Doctor managed as he finally climbed to his feet once more.
'Explain? You lie!' the leader said raising its hand but quickly the Doctor raised his,.
'No, wait a moment I honestly do not understand what I have done? And by zapping me every time do you think I will remember?' he said quickly and leader lower its hand.
'We know what you are parasite!' the leader said and quickly the Doctor was side-stepping over to the figure.
'Parasite? You used that word before, before you transmitted our psyches to this mental construct. What do you want with us?' he asked.
The leader stepped forward gesturing to Ridge and Sherwin and then to the Doctor.
'These humans are unwanted here in this region but you are an old one' it said but before the Doctor could reply Ridge stepped forwards.
'You mean we are in a dream world? That none of this isn't real?' he said and the leader did nothing, ignoring him.
'Old one? I've been called a lot of things in my time but never that unless by a very old civilisation? Could you explain yourself?' the Doctor replied.
'Old ones! You see fit to ignore our presence yet you parasites need us, you are slavers, capturing all in a cage. Forcing us to do your bidding!' the leader snapped.
'Here, we have saved this one, she is weak but she will recover' Raars replied and the leader walked slowly to the female figure.
'Do you see here, this one was your slave and now she is free from your might! Slaver!' threatened the leader.
'What are you talking about? I don't believe we've met?' the Doctor said to the newcomer but before she could move there came a deep voice from all around.
'Tredisites! Leave this plain now!' it ordered and the figured noticeably flinched as if they had all been struck hard simultaneously.
'It is the Vvorsk' cried one of them, a voice no longer cold and vicious but of panic and dread.

'What in the seven galaxies was that?' Ridge cried as he nervously looked around him.
'How very curious, although I've noticed that our hosts seem to be affected?' the Doctor replied.
'Hosts? Don't you mean captors?' Sherwin said and then she pointed.
'Look at them, if I wasn't guessing now, I'd say they looked afraid?' she added.
'Afraid? You can tell?' Ridge muttered when the Doctor stopped her.
'Has anyone told you that it's rude to point but yes, you do have a point, their body language, the shuffling, shaking denotes fear but of what?' the Doctor said as he looked towards them.
'What did they said, Vok?' Ridge suggested.
'No, they said Vvorsk?' the Doctor said and immediately from the darkness appeared a hooded form leading Harper.
'I am the Vvorsk and these Tredisites have tortured you enough!' it bellowed.
The Tredisites were definitely flickering like flames in a breeze as the figure stepped towards them.
'Harper? Where have you been hiding?' Ridge asked but she shrugged him off.
'Hello Doctor, who's this?' she asked looking top the newcomer.
'Hello I'm the Doctor, Miss?' he asked but the Vvorsk rudely shoved her aside and glared at the Doctor.
'You are from the old time, I sense your place in time. You, they fear and hate' the Vvorsk declared.
'Oh thank you and you must be the Vvorsk? Yes Thank you for untimely intervention. Although I see that they seem to fear you more so?' the Doctor replied.
'Where did you find it?' Ridge hissed under his breath.
'He found me in engineering, said he'd help us' Harper replied.
'Well look at those creatures, your new friend is definitely making an impression, they're almost frightened of him?' Sherwin said.
'Yes, perhaps this can work to our advantage?' Ridge muttered.

The Vvorsk stepped across, away from the group and closer towards the trembling Tredisites, casting a vast, dark, polished claw towards them.
'You Tredisites will abandon this void now or I will take the greatest pleasure in watching your destruction!' The Vvorsk growled deep.
'Humans and you Old one, allying yourself with this blight. You are unwanted, decimate them!' the leader hissed and immediately a great wave of Tredisites advanced on them.
'Now what do we do?' Ridge cried as he stared all around at them.
'Our advantage wasn't it Ridge? How? How?' Sherwin cried as she backed away from the encroaching circle.
'Look, don't panic! We should just back away slowly. I'm pretty sure there must be somewhere here we can go?' the Doctor said.
'Impossible! They're coming at us from all directions!' Harper cried.
Quickly the Vvorsk extended a claw out towards Harper; she looked at its twisted shape then up at the dark hood.
'Harper take my hand, you too form a chain with her and you Doctor!' the Vvorsk ordered.
'A chain? What good will that do us?' Ridge cried frantically.
'Mr Ridge, do you remember how Miss Harper and the Vvorsk appeared? I imagine though this realm to be full of such spatial intersections; the problem is they'll be using them as well' the Doctor explained.
'Correct Doctor, here in this realm you cannot leave them, the Tredisites are capable of many things as am I. Hold tightly to each other' the Vvorsk ordered.
Grumbling as they went, Ridge and Harper linked hands and the Doctor and Sherwin joined them as Harper linked arms with the Vvorsk feeling a cold and slimy hand.
'What now?' Sherwin asked.
'I think a dose of transdimensional mental transfer is in order, just hold tight, we don't want to leave anyone stuck between realms?' the Doctor said.
'Farewell Tredisites!' The Vvorsk hissed as he suddenly pulled everyone into the darkness of the shadows and they were gone.
'We must prepare then. They will return to their forms! We must crossover our forces and cease their ship!' the leader decreed.
'That man... I knew him once?' said the female slowly.

'Oh my head. Been a while since I last felt like this?' the Doctor muttered as he climbed to his feet rubbing at his head, feeling a slight tingle ringing in his skull.
'Oh, so you are real. I thought you were just another dream?' Sherwin replied as she stirred on the ground of the surgery.
The Doctor quickly helped her to her feet and breathed a sigh of relief.
'Well, we're back. This is reality and I wonder where everyone else is?' he said as he started to examine the rock on the workspace.
Sherwin walked to a space and called up, much to the surprise of the Doctor.
'Hello, STORE? Can you tell me where personnel Ridge and Harper are?' she asked but no reply came.
'Store? Funny name for a ceiling?' the Doctor muttered.
'STORE is the fifth member of our team. Space Telecommunications Organising Resources Entity. He should be picking me up, a pity it's so dark in here still?' she said.
'Yes it is, isn't it? Too dark, very similar to the other realm' the Doctor said and without warning, they exchanged a look and hurried out of the surgery.
***
In the Control deck Ridge moaned loudly as he climbed to his feet, pulling himself free of the shadows he glanced up to see the back of Dunbar's head.
'Sub-Supervisor Dubar, what do you think you're doing sitting there?' Ridge snapped and Dunbar astonished almost leapt from the chair at the sound of his superior's voice.
'Sir! I didn't know you were there, me and STORE thought that you were gonnas?' Dunbar exclaimed but Ridge shoved him aside.
'STORE, I want a full report on the current situation throughout the ship!' Ridge ordered still sounding panicky.
'Power systems low throughout the sections three to twenty-seven, unknown energy emissions occurring rapidly across the ship. I am detecting an unknown structure situated within section five and two new life signs have been detected' STORE replied.
'Good! I want this ship moved now! Now!' Ridge snapped.
'That's just the problem Ridge, STORE can't access the power drives, they're in one of the sections with no power' Dunbar retorted.
Immediately Ridge smacked his fist down hard on the console and turned to the ceiling.
'I want a full report on those emissions every two minutes!' Ridge snapped.

'How can we still be in darkness? I thought we left them behind back there?' Sherwin replied the Doctor lead her through the tunnels.
'They must have found a way in? Remember that back there we- were psychic manifestations of our own selves in a similar manifestation of this ship. Which makes you wonder why are they here?' the Doctor explained.
'Who cares why they are here, why did they take us away?' Sherwin asked and the Doctor paused.
'I think that's obvious Doctor Sherwin, these creatures have the means to pull us, our spirit if you would from our bodies to see what kind of beings we are?' he said.
'You mean like some sort of experiment?' she asked and he nodded.
'Precisely. To see what makes us tick, our strengths and weaknesses, from this information they could strike at us more effectively, in a dream world' the Doctor replied.
'Dream world? But people have bad dreams all the time, do you think that these creatures could be part of that equation?' she asked.
'Why not? A vast species experiment, invading the minds of people, taking out the life forces and toying with it and then simply people have it put down to bad dreams, nightmares! The experience feels real to the subject, so real that it becomes a nightmare!' the Doctor replied.
'Then Dunbar's visions, he came to me telling me about a blue terror, happening for months now. I simply gave him some tablets... why didn't he come with us?' Sherwin asked.
'Well this Dunbar must have been subjected to their experiments for sometime, some minds must be stronger than the most or else it would look suspicious. They learnt everything from this colleague of yours and moved on' the Doctor replied.
'But if they're still here, why are they?' Sherwin asked.
'That's the point entirely, these creatures saw us allied with the Vvorsk, they know our strengths so, logically they won't stay around where they were, we were holding the other ship together. They'll find a way in and invade!' the Doctor retorted.
'Invade? This ship, when?' she asked.
'I think they're doing that right now and there's only one place safe here and we must make haste to get to it!' he said and hurried off down the tunnel.
Sherwin, unable to say anything further hurried after him.

'Supervisor Ridge, I am detecting a vast energy emission occurring within section four' STORE reported.
'Ah, So more of them have comeback with us, unwanted refuse! Close all bulkheads! Seal of that section!' Ridge thundered.
'Apologies Supervisor Ridge but an unknown life sign and Doctor Sherwin have entered that section. I cannot endanger their lives' STORE replied.
'Oh yes you can you stupid computer! Those idiots, Dunbar get them over the communications line!' Ridge yelled frantically.
'I can't Sir, all lines in that area are off. You can't shut them in?' Dunbar cried but Ridge shoved him aside.
'Oh yes I can. You haven't seen the danger; those things will get us if we don't seal it off. STORE, as senior Supervisor to this mission I order you to shut down that section, seal off all bulkheads!' Ridge yelled.
'Order accepted Supervisor Ridge, now closing section four bulkheads' reported STORE.
'You can can't leave them Ridge, the blue terror will get them! The Blue Terror will get them!' Dunbar cried, he made a frenzied attack on Ridge, who pushed him aside.
'Blue Terror? I've seen them Dunbar, now how could you know? What have you seen?' Ridge snapped viciously.
'The Blue Terror.... It, they come for you! They chase you around, watch you suffer and then they try to take out your live! Cutting out life, tearing at your soul!' Dunbar babbled as he looked to Ridge's angry face.
'Well they won't get us, we'll have to sacrifice the two Doctors but we'll survive! Yes, we'll survive shame about Sherwin though? Wrong place, wrong time' Ridge replied as he walked to the dispenser and poured himself a well-earned cup of ice cold water.
'Section four now sealed off completely Supervisor Ridge, energy emissions increasing in that sector' STORE reported.
'Thank you STORE, that will be all. Now, perhaps you Dunbar would get down to engineering and help get the engines running? I'm pretty sure we'll at the very least be able to keep them busy until we're free of this space!' Ridge said before grinning broadly and drinking deep.

The lone, distant looking form of the TARDIS stood there looking unnaturally dark as the Doctor and Sherwin appeared from the passage.
'And there she is' the Doctor replied but Sherwin's confusion was well founded as she looked up at the curious structure before her.
'This is your ship? It's a bit small isn't it?' she said.
'Looks can be deceiving, who said that? Does it matter? Nope, one moment please?' the Doctor said as he crossed over to the door and pushed it open.
Instead of the welcome, warm atmosphere he received cold, dark unwelcome shadows.
'Come on old girl? I know I was gone a long time but this is no time to sulk?' he said as he crossed the threshold but still no light emitted.
Tapping the wall gently he suddenly became aware of no tingling of energy coursing through the TARDIS' skin.
'That's not possible old girl? You can't be dead?' he replied loudly and then as Sherwin cried, the Doctor left the dark console room.
'What's the matter?' he asked and saw Sherwin against a wall, banging on it hard.
'Emergency bulkheads are down, I just noticed them. What are they playing at?' She cried.
'Maybe it's not them, like rats in a trap and we've sprung it, my ship is dead' the Doctor replied as he felt his way along the door to a control. Pressing it, nothing happened.
'Dead? But ships are inanimate' Sherwin replied.
'Not this one, she's a bio-plasmic energy source, capable of transcending time and her power source is gone, drained away to the ether' the Doctor replied.
'Doctor, look!' Sherwin cried as she pointed and turning, he could see that light was being cast from within the open doors, smiling, he hurried onwards but stopped at the threshold.
The room was filled with blue light; surrounding the console as from its sparks there flickered movement.
'What is that?' Sherwin asked.
'Temporal energy but look there, oh no!' he cried as he saw forms, blurred blue humanoid figures emerging into being marching out of the console room towards them!
Backing away the Doctor couldn't believe it as masses of the blue figures emerged from the once-darkness of his TARDIS, energy crackled from their outstretched hands as they came closer and closer!

DARKNESS HAUNTS

EPISODE THREE:

'Easy there, easy old chap, chaps' the Doctor said as pleasantly as possible as the figures all raised their hands, energy sparkled.
'Why are you here Old One?' the leader spat as it emerged from the threshold.
'I came here to find shelter in case you invaded, only I see was too late' the Doctor replied but the leader was all ready wandering around the room, examining the walls.
'You thought to imprison us, to trap us in a cage like your race has done for millennia! We came through your cage, we are here' the leader hissed.
'Don't be so stupid! Why should we lock ourselves in with you if this is some sort of trap?' Sherwin snapped.
'A valid point, I think. Why should we do this?' the Doctor asked.
'It is a trick to gain our confidence but you are an Old One, you are evil!' the leader hissed.
'Rubbish! Once the trap is sprung, how do we get out? You tell me I'm old, that I'm evil, ruthless, cunning. Yet what is so cunning about getting myself trapped in this 'cell' with you?' the Doctor retorted.
'It must have been Ridge? You noticed how twitchy he was getting?' Sherwin replied and the Doctor nodded.
'Typical cowardice found in a leader, afraid of the unknown, they'd rather shut it away then confront it. He thinks it will just go away but instead you keep coming' the Doctor added.
'It does not matter, this primitive shielding will not contain us. We shall spread from this cell and re-take time from the hands of you parasites!' the leader snapped.
'Re-take? You speak as though I'm some sort of virus, like some militaristic power that has dominated the universe?' the Doctor asked and immediately the leader lashed ground with an arc of blue energy, narrowly missing the Doctor's feet.
'You are those things, see how you avoid pain and suffering Old One. We are the last of our kind but we shall free your slaves from their bonds! The universe of existence was always ours and it will be again!' the leader spat.
The Doctor knelt down, examining the patch of ground once more, noting that it sparked slightly as he touched it.
'Residual temporal unbalance' he muttered and watched as the blue figures started to seep out through the bulkheads and into the bulk of the ship.

'What's the matter?' Harper asked as she found herself back in the engineering section, the Vvorsk was cradling its unseen face with two jagged claws.
'The Tredisites have materialised aboard this ship. They are attempting to move beyond the confines of a crude cell created by your leader, the one called Ridge' the Vvorsk replied.
'Are you all right?' Harper asked but the Vvorsk motioned for her not to move closer.
'This realm is hard on me, my energy is low here. I will have to feed in order to continue' it said.
'Fine, what do you live off? I can get food from a dispenser for you?' Harper said but the Vvorsk waved her away.
'No such food your machines can make can satisfy my hunger. I need energy; yours' it said and turning to face her, she looked a little shocked by what it had said.
'What? You need what from me?' Harper cried backing away from the advancing creature.
'Your energy, a small pocket to sustain me in this realm without it I will revert back through the barrier' the Vvorsk explained.
The Vvorsk extended a claw towards her scared form, she felt the urgency to help it but she hung back.
'Do not fear me, I can help you. Give me your hand, I shall take a small content from your form, you may feel weak but you will recover' it said and with that word she stepped closer.
'Okay, as long as it doesn't hurt?' she said and gripping its claw, she felt weak as before her eyes, arcs of white pulsing energy flowed from her hand and into the Vvorsk.
Quickly it released her and she felt tired, she would have fallen to the ground had the Vvorsk not caught her in time.
'I thank you Harper. I sense that you require a question answered? I will try to stop these Tredisites. They have no right to be here in this reality. You must rest now, you will recover' it said as it helped her down gently to lie there.
It stayed there glancing around it at the darkness, watching out for any Tredisites as Harper slept still and quiet.
'They're going to invade the rest of the ship? I'd hate to see what Ridge makes of it?' Sherwin said and the Doctor nodded.
'He'll act irresponsibly, make a few mistakes. He's acting under human nature. Fear the unknown' the Doctor replied.
'Human nature?' Sherwin asked looking confused and so the Doctor felt it best to quickly run off a simple explanation.
'Human beings like all life forms possess certain instinctive traits, like all animals, no matter their genus or planet of origin fear fire. The same applies with humanity, you fear the unknown and you question it. This collectively known as human nature' he said.
'But Doctor, looking at them I feel the hairs go up on my neck, I mean to be able to exist as free walking energy is amazing but to invade your dreams, it's horrifying. Forgive me but you don't seem affected?' Sherwin replied.
'Very well done Doctor Sherwin, that's probably because I am not human. I more interested in what they're up to? What they mean by parasites?' the Doctor said as he watched many blue figures pass through the walls.
'Excuse me but when you annex these 'others' what are you going to do?' the Doctor asked as he approached the leader.
'We shall be free and you will be lost. You need us to survive but we do not need you!' the leader spat.
'You mean me as a race? My race, Time Lords?' the Doctor asked and was amazed to see the leader laugh.
'Time Lords? Without us you would still be languishing on Gallifrey, your so-called nobility would not exist! We are the Lords of time that you have sought to imprison and enslave to further your successes!' the leader spat viciously.
'Then what are you? You are beings of pure temporal energy, an intelligence within that energy at one with it all. You claim that we are parasites then how are we? Dependant are we on you, yet I have never encountered a race like yours before?' the Doctor retorted.
The leader crossed over to a female, extended an arm to its shoulder and urged it to step forward.
'Behold your slave, constricted once but now she is free like us! Free!' the leader hissed as the Doctor looked to the blurred energy figure.
'My slave?' the Doctor asked looking bewildered but then was surprised by the female's word.
'Doctor' she simply said.

'Supervisor Ridge, my sensors are detecting energy emissions beyond section four. Now extending into other sections' STORE replied, its metallic tones reverberating throughout the room.
'Are the bulkheads for that section still holding?' Ridge asked as he surveyed the instrument console before him.
'Yes Supervisor Ridge, all security bulkheads remain sealed however energy traces are increasing throughout the ship' STORE reported.
Ridge was angry, Ridge was panicking. He thought that he had prepared for this, was he then nothing more than a jumped up pilot?
'STORE? Have you received any communications from Dunbar?' he asked, doing his best to suppress his real feelings beneath a tide of extreme calmness.
'Negative Supervisor Ridge, all communications from Sub-Supervisor Dunbar beyond this Control Deck have ceased. His life signs remain perfect health' STORE replied.
'Then they'll capture him, take him away back to that darkness. STORE, attempt to make full contact with Dunbar, we must get the engines running! We must!' Ridge snapped.
'Apologies Supervisor Ridge but all sensors within those sections cease to operate. Supervisor Ridge, I am detecting amounts of anxiety within your body language, your blood pressure is high, do you wish to talk?' STORE replied immediately.
'No I don't STORE, now cut out that psychiatry system and keep me informed about those creatures advance?' Ridge yelled.
'Creatures? Apologies Supervisor Ridge but I do not understand' STORE responded sounding confused.
'Those energy emissions are creatures, STORE! They are an invading army aboard this ship. They must have found some way to bypass that area, I want you to safeguard the corridor with laser weaponry!' Ridge replied softly, doing his best to hide his agitation.
'Data logged Supervisor Ridge, I am detecting creature advance into section two now. Life signs of Sherwin and unknown life form remain' SYORE replied.
'That unknown is called The Doctor, he's a scientist, he claims and if they're alive then it means they're being held as hostages! These creatures are hostile and they must be stopped!' thundered Ridge.
'Data logged. All security measures have been taken Supervisor Ridge' STORE replied and at last Ridge grinned.

'What did you call me?' the Doctor asked as he looked to the female as it took a step closer to him.
'You are the Doctor, my Doctor. I know you Doctor' she said.
'You see Old One, the slave remembers her persecutor, her torture that you created, her life was defiled when you imprisoned her!' the leader hissed.
'No. He is not evil. I know him and his actions, you do not' replied the female.
'Do I know you?' the Doctor asked politely and she nodded.
'Doctor, you are him. You and Susan left Gallifrey together, arriving on Earth I came into being. I have seen so many people, so many friends and enemies. Seen the surfaces of many strange planets and seen the galaxies of time' the female replied turning on the leader.
'This man is noble, you call him Old One because you only see their race as what you have been told. You do not and never will know it' she added.
'You are besotted. You have lived so long under their reign that you have forgotten Tredisite creed 'We are the free. We are the Watch'. They are slavers! His kind bind us to them, parasites!' the leader hissed and knocked her aside with a bolt of energy.
Falling to the ground, he stood over her but quickly the Doctor was shielding her with his body but then he turned and knelt by her, he exchanged a hand to pull her up but as their hands touched, he felt icy cold all over. His hearts went into spasm as vicious array of images and senses flooded into his mind.
'Stop it!' Sherwin cried as she pulled the Doctor free, the link broke off and he rubbed his head.
'Not possible. It's not possible that you are her?' he said.
'You touched him, you are contaminated now. It was a mistake to free you from your cage! You will suffer like these humans, like your people Old One!' the leader said and with a signal from his hand the others raised their hands.
'You can't kill us? It isn't right to strike us down here!' Sherwin cried but the leader continued.
'Humans, you are as pathetic as these parasites, perhaps more so!' the leader hissed as energy sparked in those outstretched hands.

Dunbar crept down from the access ladders and fell softly onto the ground before walking off towards the engines.
As he turned a corner he stopped as he saw Harper lying down and something, some figure clearly not human standing over her.
'Hey you!' he cried as he tore from the shadows towards the figure but stopped as it raised a claw towards him and called his name.
'Dunbar, please do not?' it said and Dunbar found himself stopping quickly, staring at this creature.
'What on Earth? Who... What are you? What are you doing here?' Dunbar cried desperately.
'Relax Dunbar, he's with me' Harper said unexpectently and as Dunbar looked, she slowly climbed to her feet and stood there beside the creature.
'He helped us when they abducted us except for you? Was it your crying that scared them away?' she said provocatively and he looked incredulous.
'Yes, that would be it. You, Dunbar were not present with the others. You have seen the Tredisites before; I sense it in your mind. They did not need to see you more' the Vvorsk said.
'Was he really that ugly to them?' she said playfully.
'Hey?' Dunbar cried but immediately the Vvorsk stepped closer and touched Dunbar's head, he tried to pull himself free but the grip was strong.
'I see it in your mind, they have taken you many times. Blue Terror, yes that is them and they are. They have found a way in. Yet you do not know where that is?' the Vvorsk replied and released Dunbar.
He scratched at his head feeling a slight tingling within and then looked to Harper.
'We need to get the engines up and running, Ridge is going mental up there!' Dunbar cried.
'It will not work, until the source of their gate is located then they will continue to enter this plain of existence' the Vvorsk replied.
'Then what can we do? Ridge's off the edge, he's locked Sherwin up with them!' Dunbar cried.
'What of the Doctor?' the Vvorsk asked but Dunbar simply shook his head?
'Is it hard of hearing or something? I just said that she was locked' Dunbar cried but the Vvorsk raised a claw for silence.
'I sense the Doctor and Sherwin, they are in danger we must act now to stop them' it said and quickly Dunbar was feeling panicky as it extended a claw out to him and to Harper....

'Tredisites, please I beg of you not to kill us, spare Doctor Sherwin and this one and do what you like with me but please, show mercy on them?' the Doctor said quickly, his hands raised offering no resistance.
'No Doctor, I will not abandon you. You who have always offered your life for the lives of others. You, who is the most noble and honourable of Time Lords. I will not stand back' the female Tredisite said and stood beside him.
'It really is you, isn't it? I thought you were dead and now you're here. You and me have always been together and no you will throw away this freedom because of my sake?' the Doctor asked looking into the featureless orb-like head.
'Doctor, I would never leave your side, you would be lost without me. The good you have shown the universe could never be delivered without my help' the female replied.
'Would someone please explain what is going on? How can she know you Doctor?' Sherwin asked and the Doctor turned to her.
'It's quite simple because she, here is alive. A temporal life force complete with everlasting intelligence. She and the Tredisites are TARDISes. The Bio-plasmic entities without the containment capsule that 'slaves' their energies but it also enhances them' the Doctor replied softly.
'You mean that she is a manifestation of your ship's intelligence?' Sherwin asked and the Doctor nodded.
'The personification actually but yes and these beings, so noble in their own right that the first Time Lords must have sought to harness time travel by any means necessary. But all of that has changed. Have I ever harmed you... Tardis?' he asked.
'Your actions have always been justified Doctor, on a few occasions we were placed within imminent danger but we all survive. My 'people' here are confused; they have followed customs created by the hunted. They believe you to be evil, yet I know you Doctor' Tardis replied.
'Then we must stop them, no offence Tardis but their misguided actions here only represent what will happen if they attempt to reach Gallifrey. Chaos and anarchy. Everyone with a TARDIS will be subjected to mental torture while Tredisites spread forth like a virus!' the Doctor said before looking to Tardis beside him. 'No offence' he added.
'None taken Doctor but we are so few, when they are so large' she said.
'Ah yes, therein lies the trouble!' the Doctor replied.

Dunbar could not believe his eyes as he now stood in the wall; he and Harper were waiting in the walls looking out at the ghostly sight before them.
Dunbar was trying hard to suppress a scream from his throat as he stared out to see these creatures, the blue terror alive!
'Is something wrong Dunbar?' Harper whispered as she looked to his face, he looked pale, sweat was forming across his face.
'Have to go back! Have to go back now!' he was muttering quietly.
'Dunbar is in a traumatic state. He has seen what the Tredisites can do. Dunbar, do not focus on them. Instead focus on what you know to be real' the Vvorsk replied.
'What's the matter with him? Did they torture him or something?' Harper asked as the Vvorsk stared out from the folds of its hood at what was happening.
'They have sent him many times to their realm, they have cut into him. Their sight of him traumatises him now. He will recover but very slowly' the Vvorsk replied.
'Can't we do something to stop them now? I mean look at them both?' Harper cried.
'Follow me but remain silent, if they receive the opportunity they will attempt to breach your mind, I have felt their limited presence Harper within your mind' the Vvorsk replied but before he made to move Harper hung back.
'Who are you? What are you? Please?' she asked and he slowly turned to look at her.
'I am the Vvorsk, my race exists between the voids of existence. Like the Tredisites we are capable of many things, temporal transfer among them but unlike them we are not subjects of xenophobia' the Vvorsk replied.
'But what do these Tredisites want with our ship?' Harper asked.
'They require no such craft, this a bridgehead from between the void and corporeal existence within this universe. Their race was once a vicious, cold, arrogant race until the Time Lords sought them out, they retreated to the voids where they have waited for a means of escape' the Vvorsk continued.
'Escape? But you said they came on their own choice?' she asked.
'Yes, they believed that they were endangered, they fought my people for centuries before returning to the voids. Now they want to return to their place in the universe but their time has faded. They will never understand, wait here' the Vvorsk said as it walked free from the shadows.
'Your time has ended Tredisites, leave this realm!' it added loudly.

'Vvorsk! Why do you ally yourself with these pathetic creatures? It was his race that crushed ours, reduced us to living here in this wretched state!' the leader hissed.
'You are wrong Tredisite. You ran from your own fears but Time Lords were never evil races, you created that images to blind your people from the truth! You are unwanted here' the Vvorsk replied.
'That is true, this man, the Doctor works only to help others. Never has he ever been seduced by a concept to wrong others' replied Tardis.
The Doctor stepped forward to address the leader of the Tredisites, his face stern as he raised a hand to indicate a question.
'Is that why you fear me? Your people were never herded like wild sheep into some insidious trap. Instead we have both evolved ourselves into a symbiotic relationship. We are not parasites singular, we can exist on our own but we choose to remain together!' the Doctor said fixing the leader with his gaze.
The leader was still for a moment before quickly lowering it, signalling the others to fire, as the tight area reverberated with Tredisite firepower, the Vvorsk gathered quickly Sherwin and the Doctor much to his protests and hauled them back.
'Let me go Mr Vvorsk, Tardis? You've forgotten Tardis?' he cried as he struggled in the Vvorsk's grip.
Instead the Vvorsk hastened it way through the wall with Dunbar and Harper.
'Doctor, please?' Tardis cried but she was cut off from them by a mass of Tredesites.
'Never abandons you? Look now lowly one, your Master has deserted you! He is like all Time Lords. They will all suffer for their crimes!' the leader hissed.
'Nonsense, he was unable to escape the Vvorsk's hold. I must go to him' she said but the leader seized her wrist, pulling her up, he stared at her.
'You are a waste to our race! Will all slave Tredisites react like this? If so then they will join their Masters in their suffering!' the leader hissed and raised a hand to her glowing form.
There was a pause before blue, sparkling energy crackled from his hand and pain; indescribable pain hit her form!

'Put me down Vvorsk! Put me down!' the Doctor cried as he and the others passed through a series of walls before returning to the maintenance deck.
As the Vvorsk loosened his grip, the Doctor hurried off quickly towards an access ladder.
'Where are you going Doctor?' Harper called but the Doctor adamant at remaining quiet that was until he reached the top of the ladder until he called out.
'Where does this ladder lead to?' he asked in a stern, sharp tone.
'Back to sections five and six. Look Doctor come down from there, what's the matter?' Harper asked but the Doctor remained where he was before he started to climb down the ladder.
'The matter is, Miss Harper that this creature here forgot Tardis, he left her behind!' the Doctor snapped.
'Tardis? Who's that?' Harper asked.
'It's his ship. The life force of his ship is one of them' Sherwin explained.
'More than that. They are all ships, the life force intelligence present in all TARDISes. However my Tardis was special, she's been freed from her bio-plasmic shell existing as pure temporal energy and this creature left her!' the Doctor snapped.
'I merely ensured that you all innocents were saved from confrontation with the Tredisites' the Vvorsk replied.
'Really? Then did you stop to consider that Tardis was not like them? She'll never be like them and because of that difference they'll hate her as much as they hate my race?' the Doctor countered.
'It was my fault then Doctor but I was considering you beings present, I did not wish for you to suffer more so' the Vvorsk said but the Doctor raised his hand.
'What did you mean by that? You said something rather similar when you first met us. You see I find it hard to accept that in a great wash of space that you found us that quickly?' the Doctor tried.
'You mean he was helped?' Sherwin asked and the Doctor nodded.
'Either that or instructed by someone else but why? Why pop in and pop out, if you claim that you want to help us then why don't you instead of worsening the situation?' the Doctor asked looking towards the Vvorsk, who stood there silent.
'Well?' he asked impatiently.

'You're very perceptive Doctor. I had underestimated your intelligence completely, my employer failed to mention that redeeming feature in your psychological make up?' the Vvorsk replied coldly.
'You what? But you told me about your people and their conflicts with Tredesites?' Harper replied.
'Did you? Was that true or was that another elaborate rouse to gain confidence amongst our numbers?' the Doctor asked as he side-stepped around the great figure.
'It was true, all of it. I despise those Tredisites but when someone offers you a way out of their arrogance, their constant conflicts you take it no matter what they say?' the Vvorsk replied.
The Vvorsk clicked his claws and immediately Dunbar, who had been silent for sometime suddenly became animated, he gestured to the others and immediately Dunbar advanced on them, his face was frozen, his eyes staring straight ahead.
'Telepathy as well. You Vvorsk do have hidden talents but I assume that you've conditioned him to kill everyone here?' the Doctor asked as Dunbar advanced on Sherwin.
'No Doctor, I merely require no further resistance from anyone here. As for my employer's identity, I do not know his but he has told me to continue to intercept the negotiations' the Vvorsk replied coldly.
'Dunbar, get off me!' Sherwin ordered as she lashed out at him but he gripped her hand, forcing her back, as Harper struggled hard to tear him off her.
'Negotiations? Of course, this incident involving the Tredisites is just one vast misguided incident, something that someone high up wants to happen but you won't tell me will you?' the Doctor tried.
'Doctor, you do surprise me now? You know I won't tell you yet you continue to try. Why?' the Vvorsk asked.
'Well, quite simply, whatever your employer is paying you, I will double it, no I will triple it. I have everything still inside the TARDIS shell' the Doctor retorted.
'Money? Ha! You think that I am doing this for wealth? I and my people will be free from the Tredisites presence. Can you do that? Can you? I thought not!' the Vvorsk replied in a mocking tone.
With one great sweep from his hand, Dunbar knocked Harper aside and continued to press down on Sherwin's throat.
In a last ditch attempt, the Doctor made a grab for Dunbar but the Vvorsk seized him, flailing wildly the Doctor pulled free the hood and stopped, staring in a mixture of revulsion and surprise!

'Supervisor Ridge? Supervisor Ridge? Supervisor Ridge will you please respond?' STORE asked but from his place by the window, Ridge was surveying the stars.
So peaceful, so quiet, so still. What the atmosphere aboard his ship should have been like not this terrible nightmare that he was facing. Was he going to die? He thought as he looked out as the quiet peace before him.
He could try and make an escape attempt but with the power those areas of the ship low, too low to operate things properly he resigned from the plan. Instead he now stood there gazing at the calm, lifeless atmosphere outside, taking his mind off what horrors were occurring now.
'Supervisor Ridge? The Blue Terror creatures has absorbed sections two to twenty-seven, they are outside the Control deck now' STORE reported.
'Will the bulkheads hold them out?' Ridge asked an eerily detached calmness.
'It would appear to be unlikely Supervisor Ridge, suggestions available would indicate that you should take the access panel to your right and descend into the air ventilation ducts?' STORE suggested.
'Thank you STORE but I have a better idea, we are all going to die at sometime today. It would be better that we should take them all with us? Would you not agree?' Ridge replied as he turned away from the window.
'I do not understand you Supervisor Ridge, to attempt this action would endanger yourself and all personnel aboard this ship' STORE retorted.
'Your reluctance has been noted STORE however I clearly out rank you. Therefore via voice authorisation I Supervisor Arnold Ridge initiate for complete system purge in all areas. Self-destruct on reactor core. Action to be taken immediately' Ridge ordered in a calm, collected voice before returning his gaze.
'Understood Supervisor. There will be a time limit of six minutes before detonation' STORE replied but Ridge was no longer focussing on its voice.
Instead he was staring outside on the calm, quite exterior knowing all too well that within six minutes time he too would experience full silence.
Around him the light suddenly dimmed to a dark red but Ridge was unconcerned, he simply stared out into the darkness and considered the end, his life and everything in one vast sigh.

The Vvorsk looked hideous. A dark green pockmarked skin that lay heavy in flaps around its neck. The skin was moist and glistening while a series of crest appeared from behind two vast rounded eyes. Yellow slits stared out from dark orbs while a gaping maw fell open.
'Ah, there you are at last!' the Doctor said cheekily but quickly the Vvorsk pulled the hood back.
'Don't like the light do you?' the Doctor added and instead the Vvorsk chuckled and gestured towards the wall.
'It matters not Doctor, humans. Soon you too will see the light!' it said and as the Doctor followed his the Vvorsk's gesture towards a glowing red light.
'Something tells me that isn't good?' the Doctor said and as Sherwin shook free, she knocked Dunbar aside.
'It's the silent alarm trigger, we have to get into an escape vehicle now!' Sherwin cried.
'An emergency warning for something big, like a self-destruct system?' the Doctor asked.
'Perfect, everything my Master needs to ensure that War will start! This universe of creation against Tredisites!' the Vvorsk chuckled.
'What did you say? Master? Then this employer is a man and these creatures will believe that it was me who triggered it, creating a conflict between our two races! Someone who despises the Time Lords so much to create this incident- Phillips? No, not his style at all?' the Doctor replied quickly.
'It's Ridge that's done it. He must have gone?' Sherwin cried.
'How long's the fuse before the ship goes?' the Doctor asked.
'Six minutes tops' Sherwin cried.
'Doctor Sherwin, take the access ladders try and get up there and stop Ridge, if this ship goes up all hope for everlasting peace goes up with it!' the Doctor ordered and quickly Sherwin ran towards the ladder.
'I'm surprised that you're that you're not reacting Vvorsk? You must feel so confident of your actions?' the Doctor asked.
'I am Doctor, I am. Your pathetic actions cannot stop this event from escalating? The end of your race and my Master's glory will be supreme and then my people will be free!' the Vvorsk hissed with satisfaction.
'However you're forgetting one thing Vvorsk, Tardis!' the Doctor retorted.

The pain Tardis felt was unbelievable but she felt down, deep in herself a struggle to survive. No longer standing tall, she was lying low, the energy that flowed throughout her body was now dissipating into nothingness, steam passed over her form but still she resisted. Not once had she screamed out.
'Why do you resist your torture? Why do you join our enemies?' the leader hissed as he stood over her, his hand stopped sparking and his dark orb met hers.
Knocking him away with a weakened paw, he stood there, a few feet away watching as did the others around him as the female slowly climbed to her feet.
'I resist because I know when I speak the truth, that your resentment towards other life is not normal of us. That concept was placed into us, you consider them to be beings of evil when they are not' Tardis replied weakly.
She gestured to the empty TARDIS frame; the others around her followed that gaze towards the dark, empty form.
'You call this a cage yet you or anyone else have never see the wonders of the universe. I am a TARDIS; you could all be TARDISes if you choose? But you instead insult this remark as slavery. We are free in this form but in that form, we are free everywhere' Tardis replied much the coldness of the leader.
'TARDIS? Your kind, your generation have been corrupted too long by their hand. To allow for these Time Lords to continue to use any source of our race where they be noble like us or low as you is an insult to all Tredisites!' the leader snapped and levelled a hand at her, pointing at her.
'To release such creatures from imprisonment is cruel to us, to see how our race has fallen to this level? How could you abandon us?' the leader announced.
Tardis glanced to the side in order to spy a red light flashing, instinctively she knew that it forewarned trouble but before she could speak, the leader did so gesturing towards the hull.
'My noble race, here begins the first act against our oppressors. See here, the effect that they have made upon our lost kind. She is an example of the lives lost to Time Lord control! Let therefore advance to Gallifrey, we shall be merciful at killing first their masters and then destroying their servants!' the leader rasped deeply.
As Tardis watched many Tredisites advanced quickly through the hull walls vanishing quickly as another rank advanced and another through the walls and into space beyond.
And from there onto Gallifrey...

'How long until detonation STORE?' Ridge asked in his calm mask. He didn't want to do it but what else could he do?
'Approximately two minutes and forty seconds. Do you wish to cancel the sequence?' STORE asked but this Ridge replied in a clean, crisp tone.
'No, keep it running. These creatures are going to learn the most dangerous words in the universe: Human determination!' he said.
To the far side of the control deck, there came bangs, fists hitting weakly at an inspection hatch but Ridge didn't seem to notice? He was too busy engrossed in his gazing.
Finally the hatch burst open and in climbed Sherwin, panting and desperate.
'STORE, cancel the self-destruct sequence' she yelled but immediately STORE retorted.
'Apologies Doctor Sherwin but Supervisor Ridge in control, his order stands'
'What? What order? Ridge have you gone mad?' Sherwin cried as he turned to face her.
'Have you seen how pretty the stars look? So peaceful out there and calm, not like in here. But soon Doctor it will be as peaceful in here as it is out there' Ridge replied calmly.
'Then yes, you have gone mad. As the Doctor aboard this ship I am relieving you of command and with that, the command decision to de-activate the self-destruct!' Sherwin thundered towards the innocent looking Ridge.
'No, you can't do that Doctor, when the terror gets in, we'll all be finished. This way we'll win through, another victory for the human race!' Ridge replied smiling.
'STORE, I order you to cancel the...' Sherwin started to say when Ridge grabbed her, held her in an arm lock. Fighting for breath, she struggled hard before finally she knocked him aside and smacked him hard in the face.
Ridge crumpled to the floor and panting for breath, Sherwin addressed the console.
'STORE, Ridge is relieved from his post. He is suffering some sort of mental breakdown; therefore his orders are void. Cancel the self-destruct!' Sherwin ordered.
There was a flickering in the room over the instrument banks before normal light resumed.
'Self-termination procedure cancelled. Normal operating resuming' STORE reported.
Excellent, Sherwin thought and breathed a sigh of relief.

'You are over confident Doctor, it will be the cause of your downfall' the Vvorsk purred.
'Over confidence? Is irony wasted on you Vvorsk? What of you, how will you escape from this ship?' he asked as the Vvorsk crossed over towards Harper's still unconscious form.
'I will go Doctor but you will remain. The Tredisites all ready despise you greatly and with this added explosion a conflict will be formed and there is little that you can do to prevent it!' he hissed.
Behind the Vvorsk on the wall, the indicator stopped glowing, immediately the Doctor theorised that either the ship was going to imminently destruct or that Sherwin had succeeded?
'True, you may succeed here Vvorsk. You may kill us all but do you honestly think that others won't come here? CIA and even the High Council will never permit this to occur' the Doctor retorted.
'Foolish Time Lord, your minds are so cloudy, it was the CIA who ordered me to do this. When it is done I will able to live free with persecution of Tredisites on my world' the Vvorsk leered.
The answer hit the Doctor sudden and hard, like a bullet through the brain. He had been used. The CIA sent him there only to... to stir things up!
'You've met a few time lords before then? The odd renegade poking out their head from the shadows of shame or exile?' the Doctor tried but in one move the Vvorsk pulled free Harper from the ground and draped her over his shoulder.
'I will be leaving now Doctor, I would be a fool to go without Elaine here, she is my bond to this dimension, without her I'd return to nothing. Protect her always' the Vvorsh hissed.
'Oh and does Miss Harper get a say in this happy ever after scheme?' the Doctor asked as he noted Harper's eyes flicker open.
'Of course not Doctor, she is useful only for this action' it said but quickly Harper kicked him in the stomach.
Landing some feet away, she watched him grabbing his stomach and stared her in the eye.
'And that one too!' she cried.
'Foolish girl, I could have showed you existence. You would have been quite safe too? Oh well another time perhaps?' the Vvorsk hissed as he stepped back into the darkness.

Harper walked towards the spot, making sure that he wasn't still there, lingering in the darkness.
'It's all right Miss Harper, he's gone but our main troubles are far from over' the Doctor replied as he knelt by Dunbar's body, checking for a pulse and propping him up against a wall.
'He will recover, won't he?' Harper asked as she crossed back to his side.
'Yes he will, the control would have been temporary. His psychic defences were so low that the Vvorsk could manouveure which way he wanted but now with the self-destruct cancelled we must hurry!' the Doctor replied.
'Self-destruct?' Harper asked and the Doctor nodded quickly.
'No need to panic, all under control. If only we could stop the Tredisites? Find their weakness? Every race has them and direct contact; well we've all seen what they can do' the Doctor replied looking anxious.
'The Vvorsk might have been lying but he said that without their gateway they would be helpless in this dimension?' Harper said and quickly the Doctor froze, his mind working quickly before looking to Harper.
'Really? He said that. How very fortuitous of him? A gateway, something alien onboard, recently brought on?' the Doctor said flatly.
'Like the rock sample from the signalling beacon?' Harper asked and saw the Doctor was giving his full and undivided attention.
She pointed towards the vast piece of machinery and walked towards it with him following.
'The guidance arm got jammed by a substance of some sort that was in the recent signalling beacon, Sherwin took it to her lab for studying' Harper replied.
'Yes. That would be it! This area of space must be full of dimensional rifts and that beacon was intercepted. The Tredisites deposited some of their dimension in that rock as an anchor point and it was collected here!' the Doctor breathed.
'Then if we were to destroy that rock, we'd be cutting them adrift?' Harper asked and the Doctor smiled broadly.
'Exactly Miss Harper, plugging the seal completely however we'd still have a few on this side to contend with?' the Doctor replied.
He walked off towards a maintenance ladder, glancing up at the way before him.
'Which of these goes towards the surgery?' he asked and quickly Harper followed after him.
'The first one, you'll need some help? And no Doctor I'm not taking no as an answer' she retorted and as he stood back she started up the ladder.

'Stop this, please listen to me?' Tardis tried as she interposed herself between the wall and them.
'To attack the Time Lords is pointless, they are not evil. The Doctor I have known through all my life, he is a time lord. He has always fought against injustice against evil beings. He I know is always truthful. What happened to our race was not an evil act. We have learned many things from each other, we are eternal friends' Tardis cried but the leader merely motioned for her to be moved.
'We have learnt many things, that you and your kind are not worthy to stand before us now and claim your existence as Tredisites!' the leader thundered.
'And who are you to say such a thing?' came a muffled cry and turning round they looked at an access hatch.
The leader raised a hand towards the hatch and fired an arc of energy towards the hatch. It sizzled, smoked and fell forward thoroughly charred.
'I say again, who are you? Do you speak for the rest of your kind?' the Doctor asked as he emerged from the panel and into the group of Tredisites.
'Old One! We will invade your mind! You will suffer for your crimes against us!' the leader spat.
'Will I? Invasion? Is that the only way you justify your actions? By creating and causing destruction? Not a very nice regime you want to create?' the Doctor snapped.
'They are going to attack your people Doctor, he wants the Time Lords to suffer' Tardis cried and quickly the Doctor looked towards the dark blue figure, aware that all attention was being diverted from Harper, who silently crept on towards the surgery section.
'Really you Tredisites, you could be so much more than creatures of hate and resentment. Let the past be buried, you are unclear of the facts!' the Doctor retorted.
'You lie Doctor! We all know of the old times, we remember them well enough to know that Time Lords struck first! A man who came to us, a sole man with a vision to create an army against his own people when we refused he attacked us, drove us into his machine and made us like it!' the leader spat.
'A man? A Time Lord, someone who created TARDISes from you?' the Doctor cried, his mind looking over who had said what to him.
CIA. Why were they becoming increasingly mixed up in this? He had to continue, to give Harper time.

It had taken Harper sometime before she had reached the correct access plate. Pushing it open, it squeaked it refusals into the tunnel and silently as she could muster, she pulled herself free of the hatch.
Glancing around her for a sign of the Tredisites, she hurried on towards the surgery.
Creeping inside, she glanced around before spying the gleaming rock on the side sitting in the Perspex casing.
'I hope you're right about this Doctor?' she muttered as she picked it up, noting that strangely enough, the rock weighed very little in her hands and as she left the shelter of the surgery, it lit up behind her. The ceiling glowed as the interface connected.
'STORE?' she whispered and immediately STORE's metallic tones echoed throughout the room.
'Technician Harper. I have detected an energy fluctuation in this section, power returning normal operations'
'Never mind that, do you have enough power left to activate the waste disposal units?' she asked.
'I will attempt to comply Technician Harper. It is good to hear from you again' STORE replied and with that Harper hurried along, behind her power started to return to its stations.
'Oh great!' Harper hissed as she spied two Tredisites wandering through the section slowly then she noted the disposal shaft to her left.
Pulling the switch, it refused to move. Caring no more if they heard her, she raised her hand and punched at the emergency option and reached in to pull the switch down.
As the metal shutters slid open she hurriedly pushed the rock into the space when immediately the creatures saw her. Pulling down the shutter, lights flickered on above her and around her.
'Now STORE! Launch the disposal!' Harper cried.
'Understood Technician Harper' STORE replied and the exterior doors slid slowly apart. As they did the pressure within vacated, catching at the casing and out it shot into the void beyond.
'There now! What are you going to do about that?' Harper cried as the two Tredisites arrived, one of them deftly struck her down viciously!

'Let me tell you something leader, you can listen if you want or simply ignore me?' the Doctor cried.
'I was sent here by the Time Lords to investigate temporal anomalies, your race here. The Vvorsk was sent by the same people only to disrupt things and now you say that a Time Lord was responsible. Most likely from the CIA!' the Doctor explained.
The leader simply stared at him before raising its hand towards him.
'Time lords are all the same to me!' the leader hissed just then the lights went up in the room.
'What is happening? What has happened?' roared the leader angrily.
'The end of your infestation?' the Doctor replied as he looked to ceiling.
'Hello up there, Um can I speak to Doctor Sherwin?' he asked and waited before a metallic-toned voice answered him.
'Query? I do not recognise your vocal signature?' STORE replied.
'Well I'll just say that I'm the Doctor and there is an unidentified rock floating in space, could you set your weapons to destroy it?' the Doctor asked.
'What? You would not?' the leader rasped.
'Wouldn't I and when you tried to destroy the Time Lords?' the Doctor retorted.
'Target confirmed, weapons online. Initiating!' STORE replied.
Outside the craft the rock remained stationary until from the ship there gleamed focussed light then suddenly the rock ignited into flame.
The results were immediate as the Tredisites around the Doctor collapsed to the ground grasping at their 'heads'.
'You! Why are you unaffected?' the leader gasped looking to Tardis' form.
'Simply because I am not like you and dependant on my own dimension that is parasitic!' Tardis declared aloud.
'We will still triumph, we can return to the void but the others will still triumph against your pathetic race!' the leader hissed before they weakly crawled back towards the shelter of the TARDIS.
'Please wipe you feet when you go in?' the Doctor retorted as the Tredisites all filed into the TARDIS.
'Doctor?' Tardis asked and slowly he walked over to her form.
'Together again eh Tardis?' he said.

'Indeed we are Doctor, although in such different circumstances as this. I can see you now as I can see everything around me' Tardis replied.
'Quite, you know I think this might be the first time in Time Lord history that a Tardis can stand by someone's side and fully appreciate the universe but you are no slave. All the scrapes we've been through together. I would like to say that I'm sorry?' he said lowly.
'Think little of it Doctor. I know you all too well but now I believe we should depart here back home' Tardis replied.
'Home? Oh yes, home. Those Tredisites remaining will still prove a hazard to Gallifrey and I for one would like to have words with a few certain types' he retorted but then he stopped looking at her.
'There's a slight problem though, how do we get there or anywhere? Now that you're out here all this structure is just... a structure?' the Doctor said looking worried.
'Follow me Doctor' she said as she walked over the threshold towards the dim console.
'I do not understand Tardis? What can you do?' he asked but watched as she raised a tingling hand pressed the console, immediately the room glowed alight.
'How? Residual control remains in you but how is that possible? Where's the power-source coming from?' he asked.
'Them' she said and gestured to the time rotor and as he looked, he could see blue energy warping in and around the internal mechanism.
'I have control only through them, they returned to a device still anchored partially within their dimension. This contingent will come to no harm Doctor but I believe it would be a unique experience for each of them' Tardis replied gesturing to the door.
Behind him it closed suddenly and the time rotor began to rise and fall.
'Co-ordinates are set Doctor, Gallifrey awaits us' Tardis added as she removed herself from the console.
'Gallifrey it is, Tardis and believe me when I say it be a pleasurable journey? Business all the way, business that should have been taken care of ages ago' the Doctor breathed.
In the lit corridors of the ship, the TARDIS slowly faded away.

'What happened? STORE?' Harper murmured as she pulled herself up noting that the two Tredisites had gone and all she had left was a slight headache.
'All energy creature signatures have ceased around the ship, power systems are returning to normal operations' STORE reported crisply.
'What of the Doctor?' she asked and the glowing ceiling above her paused before answering.
'My sensors detect no presence of the alien life form known as 'the Doctor' aboard this ship. Doctor Sherwin has assumed control, Supervisor Ridge has been relieved of control and Sub-Supervisor Dunbar is complaining of a headache in the Maintenance bay' STORE reported.
'Oh' was all Harper could say.
'Doctor Sherwin has bypassed the necessity to continue the schedule until all safety checks have been made and crew personnel are operating at full capacity' STORE added.
Harper breathed a sigh of relief as she continued along the tunnels feeling; well surprisingly she was feeling stronger and more determined than before.
The ship carried on through space and all onboard would recover and then eventually life would resume to a boring normality. Sleep, the most important part of their lives was free once more.
Or was it?
Deep down in darkest recesses of the mind was there evil still awaiting? Could the Tredisites return once more? With this feeling of uncertainty haunting them all, they did what human nature compelled them to do: Risk it!
However for the Doctor and Tardis the plan ahead of them was wrought with problems...
A tall figure dressed in a faded uniform stood on a circular dais while everywhere else was in darkness, as the room became a blur he watched as before him there gliding through Time space were the remaining Tredisites.
Not quite as many as he had presumed but behind their energy flow there warped a familiar looking object. The Blue revolving Police Box was unmistakable.
'No, not you? Doctor!' the figure roared angrily, his voice carrying into all corners of the room. His eyes slanted thinner as he stared down at the image before him.
'The Doctor interferes as usual, something permanent will have to be done!' the figure declared loudly.