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

After an extended absence the Penny and Mills Guide is now back with the multi-Doctor epic, Enigma. Take it away Martin...

Kanderaan. The planet was a ravaged wasteland, or at least it had been once. Now the planet had been colonised by the forces of the evil organisation known as Semblance.
A giant tower was erected in the middle of the dry wastelands, thunder crashed across the sky. At the top of the tower there was a large round office. Inside this office there was a vast window stretching across the room revealing the dry panorama outside. Rasputaltron stood at the window looking out with a solemn expression on his face. The failure of his last plan and the loss of Barok had cost him dearly but now he had rebuilt and would strike.
A voice came over the communicator on the wall. "Sir, they are here!"
"Good, show them in." Rasputaltron hissed.
The doors slid open and seven figures entered. The first was The Meddling Monk, the Second was the Cybercontroller, the third was the Master, the fourth was Davros, the fifth was the Black Guardian, the sixth was The Supreme Dalek and the seventh was the Rani. Each of these beings all as evil as the next sat down around a large table with Rasputaltron at its head.
"Ok, people thank you for coming all this way-" the skeleton started off.
"Get to the point!" shouted the Black Guardian banging his fist on the table.
"Shut up!" Rasputaltron hissed.
The Black Guardian backed down.
"Now, I suppose your wondering why I called you all here, well I shall tell you, you are all here to contribute to the destruction of the person we hate most, The Doctor!" Rasputaltron informed them and immediately got their undivided attention.
"Now, each of you will use my temporal transference machine to go back in time and destroy each of the Doctors regenerations, that way he will never have a chance to interfere with our plans!"
"A well conceived plan, but what happens if we fail?" Davros asked.
"Then one Doctor survives, which is no real threat. Now The Monk will destroy the first Doctor, The Cybermen the second, The Master the third, Davros the fourth, Black Guardian the fifth, the Daleks the sixth and the Rani the seventh!"
All of them nodded in agreement.
"Good, now I suggest we begin at once, I shall monitor your progress with my temporal scanner."
A servant poured the guests apart from the supreme Dalek and the Cybercontroller a drink.
The Master raised his glass. "To the death of the Doctor!" he announced.
"The death of the Doctor!" the others added in unison.
The communicator bleeped and Rasputaltron left the table and picked it up, "Yes, yes! a replacement for Barok has been found, oh excellent, show her in!"
The doors slid open and a familiar face entered. Mhssca.
"Welcome Mhssca, I hope you are going to enjoy your work!" Rasputaltron asked.
"Certainly, it will be a pleasure!" the woman hissed in glee.
* * * * *
S119 was the most secure space station created in history, at least that's what the top scientists would tell everyone. It was so secure that anyone who knew of it had any memories of it removed from their minds when they had to retire. People who still worked there were kept in special onboard cabins. But why was it so secure? you may ask, because it was testing ground for a human experiments into time travel.
In a small service corridor in the bowels of S119 a blue box had appeared in a handy little alcove. The doors creaked open and an old man with slicked back white hair stepped from within, followed by another man,
"Come along you two" he turned to face the man but someone was obviously missing, "Stephen my dear boy, where on Earth is Dodo, hmmm?"
"Don't worry I'm hear" called a young dark haired woman in sixties get up as she ran from the box.
"Put your hands in the air!" ordered an American voice from the corridor to their left. It was impossible to make out the man's features as he was totally encased in a grey plastic material that totally sealed him from the air and on his head he wore a solid silver plastic helmet with three cylinders arranged near the base and two large clear eye lenses. However, more off putting was the slender gun that he was pointing right at them.
"Typical" Steven sighed, sitting in yet another cell. As cells went it wasn't the only one he'd been stuck in. The walls were barren with three beds lined up along its length with a stylish sink set into one of the walls. The Doctor was standing by the door, examining the locking mechanism. "Doctor, do you have any idea how long we are going to be in here?" the Doctor didn't reply, he merely moved his face closer to the lock, "Doctor!" Steven called,
"Yes, yes in a minute young man" the Doctor waved a hand, irritated. After three more minutes he straightened up and grasped his lapels confidently, "I think we have no worries about being left in here indefinitely"
"Oh very reassuring I'm sure" Steven called. The Doctor looked highly offended by this but Dodo saved the day,
"I think what Steven was trying to ask; was if you could use your expert knowledge to pin-point how long we may be in here?" The Doctor didn't smile, but his expression certainly became less hardened.
"I think we can be assured of very little wait" the old buzzard smiled. The door opened.
"Move" ordered the guard outside. It may well have been the same guard that put them in here but it was hard to tell as their features were entirely obscured by the plastic helmet.
"And where, may ask are you taking us, hmm?" asked the Doctor, clutching at his lapels and standing up straight and proud.
"Move" the guard ordered again,
"Now look here" said the Steven, striding up to the guard and placing a defiant hand on their shoulder, "The Doctor asked you a question and you'll answer it! We've been cooped up here like chickens and I think we deserve an explanation!" The guard's head turned slowly to face Steven,
"You will move or be eliminated"
The Doctor walked up to Steven and patted him on the back.
"Dear boy, your compassion is most amicable, but I think our purpose would be best served if we did as the young ma- it is man isn't it?" he asked the encased soldier.
"Negative" the soldier chanted,
"Ah, my apologise madam,"
"Negative" the guard repeated, "I am neither male or female" it reached up and slowly removed the helmet. Beneath was a mass of wires, circuits and cables.
* * * * *

Thunder and lightening crashed across the skies on Kanderaan. From his office Rasputaltron watched the storm, particularly enjoying it. The doors slid open and Mhscca entered taking a bow before she made her report.
"Well?"
"The First Doctor is in the Monks sights, we shall have him before the day is out." she said.
"Good." the black skeleton waved a hand at her and she turned and left.
He pressed a button and an image of a man in a white lab coat and thick rimmed glasses appeared on the large viewscreen of the wall of his office.
"Success your excellency!"
"What is it this time professor?" Rasputaltron sighed clearly having heard all this before.
"My time wraiths are ready!"
Rasputaltron arose from his chair. "What!" he said excitedly.
"I have created the creatures you desired, they can drain time and engulf time Lords!"
Rasputaltron smiled. "Transport a Time Wraiths to the meddling monk, instruct him to trap the first Doctor and bring him to me!"
"Yes sir, at once!"
The Image faded. Excellent, with these time wraiths I can trap each Doctor, I need not kill them, I can use them to open a gateway to all evil in the galaxy, I can unleash hell across the cosmos! I will be victorious!"

****

The door to the space station whizzed open and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo stepped through into the control room.
"Doctor, how good to see you my dear fellow!" cheered the familiar cowled figure,
"And what are you doing here?" asked the Doctor indignantly,
"My dear Doctor is that anyway to treat an old friend?" the Monk asked him,
"Friend?" asked Steven, "Not the word I'd use,"
Suddenly a rippling wind breezed through the room and a bleached yellow skeleton in long purple robes formed itself from the black mist. Set into its chest was a clear glass cube.
"This Doctor, is a Time Wraith,"
"A Time Wraith! you fool they haven't been used since the dark time! the time of chaos!" The Doctor shouted to the Monk in shock and disgust.
"Well, in truth I didn't really create it, it was created to seal your doom my dear Doctor!" said the Monk. "Wraith!" The Monk waved a hand and stepped back as the Wraith dived at the Doctor, it engulfed him in a bright blinding light and then a small shard of crystal fell to the ground with a clang. The Monk bent down and picked up the shard putting it into his pocket.
Steven glared at the Monk and lunged at him taking him by the throat Dodo tried to pull him away but it was no use.
"What have you done to the Doctor!" he demanded shaking the Monk wildly.
The Monk managed to push him away. "Sealed the Doctor away forever, now I am afraid you are a liability dear boy!" The Monk waved an arm at the wraith and it dived towards steven and Dodo, a minute later another shard of crystal dropped to the ground with a blinding light, the Monk picked up satisfied and waved an arm at the wraith, it followed him into the temporal transference device and a second late he vanished.