'39 - Dr Who, 8th Doctor

[Heathcliff]

There's no sneezing in this yet, so I don't know if it will stay up. But it's a Dr Who story I've been writing all day with old characters, inspired by the latest series with Jodie Whittaker. But my Doctor is Paul McGann.

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'39

In the year of '39 assembled here the volunteers
In the days when lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen

And the night followed day
And the story tellers say
That the score brave souls inside
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried

Queen

----------

2039

Professor Randall left her laboratory, walked down the stairs, said a quick "See you tomorrow." to the door attendant, and stepped out into the muggy summer air.

It had been a good day - her latest graduate students seemed to be coming along well, and the new financial grant from the European research fund was looking very hopeful. She shrugged off her jacket and put it over her arm. Despite the heat, she decided to take a walk by the lake before heading home.

There were a few people around, but the lake still seemed wide and open. The heat caused the air to shimmer, and the sand-coloured gravel on the path to almost glow. Your vision could almost play tricks on you - on the far bank, where she had seemed something odd years before, was a blue shape.

She stopped and stared. It couldn't be... on the far side of the lake was a blue police box, and leaning against it was a man wearing a plum-coloured jacket and consulting an old-fashioned pocket watch.

"Doctor!" she said. "I- I don't believe it!"

"Hello, Jacqui," said the Doctor. "Though I believe it's Professor now, isn't it?"

"You- know about that?"

"I keep up to date sometimes." said the Doctor. "I saw the news about that vaccine you worked on in 2020, and the awards you won." He smiled. "You did an amazing job."

Despite herself, Jacqui smiled too. "Thanks. But you know it's not about awards."

"You saved lives, Jacqui." said the Doctor, "Believe me, I know what that is about, and I know we often can't do it."

The Doctor tried to smile again, though Jacqui realised he couldn't quite manage to do it convincingly. Something was bothering him, in a way she had never seen before.

"Why are you here Doctor?"

"I told you," he said, faking a laugh, "I'm just catching up with a few old friends."

"No you aren't." said Jacqui. She took his hand and squeezed it. "I haven't seen you in ten years, but I can see something's wrong. What is it?"

The Doctor sighed, then gave her a weak smile. It was the first expression that looked genuine.

"Soon I'll be coming to the end of this life. I'll have to regenerate, and become someone else."

Jacqui gasped. "But... how do you know? It might not-"

"It might not, but I can see the signs Jacqui." said the Doctor gravely. "On the other side of the universe, a million years away, there's going to be a war." The Doctor absent-mindedly fiddled with his pocket watch. "Maybe there already has been. And I can't tell!"

"Doctor, what war?" said Jacqui. "And why can't you tell? If it happened, it happened. Can't you go back in time and stop it?"

The Doctor put his watch away. "I'm sorry Jacqui, no. This war will be between the Time Lords - my own people - and the Daleks."

"Daleks? Those creatures in metal shells that you told us about?" Jacqui felt a shiver run up her spine. "Good God!"

"Both have been spoiling for a fight for decades. But now I don't think anyone can avoid it. And it will spill over through the years - a Time War."

During her time of travelling with the Doctor, she had seen him as several things- a friend, a scientist, sometimes even a clown. Now, for the first time, she saw a world-weary man who was contemplating a problem he couldn't hope to solve.

"Doctor- look." she said. "It's not your job to solve everything."

She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and hugged him. The Doctor said quietly in her ear "I wish I could."

------

Inside the Tardis

"So, what was this idea?" said Jacqui. "A quick holiday, before everything else overwhelms you?"

"A last trip, with all of my friends." said the Doctor, pulling levers and pushing buttons, dashing about the controls like an exciteable child. He looks just the same, Jacqui thought. "Before the war. Before... I'm changed."

Jacqui felt such a sense of sadness from the Doctor, and realised how much had changed. Not even when the world was in danger from triffoids and the Cybermen had he looked like this.

She coughed. "Joel works in Germany now I think - he's a lecturer at Heidelberg."

"Heidelberg!" said the Doctor, fussing over the controls again. "Heidelberg, Heidelberg..."

With an enormous thump the Tardis lurched to a stop. The Doctor carefully opened the door. They appeared to have landed in the corridor of a building. At the far end was a dark-haired man with a short beard wearing a yarmulke, conversing with a female student.

"Joel!" gasped Jacqui.

"Hmm... seem to have done a bit too well this time." said the Doctor. "I meant to land outside the building, looks like we almost landed on top of him."

The student finished her question, and left. Joel turned, and saw the Tardis door. His mouth fell open.

"Joel! Joel!" Jacqui said, as loudly as she dared. "It's me!"

"What the-" he squinted in disbelief. "The Doctor!"

"Get in!"

Joel walked quickly down the corridor, until he was almost running, and jumped into the Tardis. The Doctor threw a lever and they all stumbled as they began the journey to a new location.

"Jacqui!" said Joel. "It's been - how many years? I haven't seen you since that conference in France!"

"It's been too long!" said Jacqui. "I've never seen you with a beard before!" She quickly held his face and kissed him on the lips.

"Jacqui!" said Joel, a little flustered. "I'm married now! But thanks."

"I was just thinking of old times - when we used to travel with the Doctor."

Joel nodded, and hugged her. He had become much more relaxed about showing his emotions than when they first met.

"It's good to see you."

"I'm glad you're getting reacquainted!" said the Doctor, glancing up from his screen.

"Doctor!" said Joel. "So, where are we going. Jacqui says a last trip, for time's sake?"

"For time's sake..." said the Doctor, chuckling. "Well - I wouldn't show this to everyone, but you two are scientists, so I think you'd appreciate it."

"Oh God, we're not going to a museum or something are we?" said Joel. Jacqui giggled.

"And what's wrong with museums?" said the Doctor. "But no - we're going somewhere I've always wanted to go, to see the first space pilgrims from Earth. The year 2139. The colony was called Heaven's Hope"

Jacqui sat up. "You are kidding me! In just 100 years? Is that what I think it means?"

"Yes!" said the Doctor. "The first settlement on a planet other than Earth. And I think we are just about to arrive..."

"I can't believe it!" said Joel. "This should be worth seeing!"

The Tardis lurched and bumped, announcing that it had landed - somewhere, at least.

"This should be fascinating," said the Doctor, "One of the key events of Earth's history, and supposedly a big success."

They opened the doors of the Tardis, and a hot desert wind blew inside.

----------

2139

"Hmm..." said the Doctor, treading out across the sand. "Maybe I landed in the wrong place."

"Doctor..." said Joel, hopping back and forth as the heat of the desert penetrated his shoes, "Are you one hundred per cent sure this is actually where you wanted to take us? Because, call me grumpy if you want, but this isn't my idea of a good send-off!"

Jacqui smiled and put her arm around him. "You're so different Joel, so much more confident."

"Am I?" He looked surprised.

"Yes. It's good."

"Maybe those people can help us." said the Doctor. A dozen people, the men stripped to the waist and the women wearing slight clothing in the heat were now standing at the ridge of the sandy hill on the horizon. "The colonists! It must be!"

The Doctor waved at them with both arms.

"Hello! We're here to help!"

One of the men was consulting a computing device in his hand, sand-stained and battered. He spoke to the woman at his side, who seemed to gasp in surprise.

"Hello!" shouted the Doctor again. "Come on, Jacqui, Joel, let's go and meet the people who -"

A bolt of green light hit the Doctor in the chest, from a tiny gun produced by one of the women on the hill.

"No!" shouted Jacqui. "Doctor!"

The colonists rushed down to meet them.

"Get the two-heart!" one of the men shouted. "He is the priority! But leave the others unharmed as well."

As well... so the Doctor wasn't hurt? Jacqui only had time to think it before she was grabbed, manhandled and felt ropes being tied around her hands and feet. Someone was now putting a pneumatic injection device to her neck. She struggled.

"Relax, you will sleep." said a voice.

A moment later everything faded to black.

------------

Heaven's Hope

Jacqui woke up. The heat of the desert was still around her, but somehow it wasn't as bad. She was in the shade. She felt water touch her lips.

"Can she drink? Can you drink this?"

She coughed. A man was cradling her and putting an earthenware jar filled with water to her mouth. She felt scared, but was so thirsty that she drank. The water was good - surprisingly cold.

"That's good - you were out in the sun for a long time."

"Where- where have you taken me?"

"You're safe here, ma'am. You're in Heaven's Hope."

"Where are- my friends?"

"The young man is resting. The Two-heart is busy seeing the Knight."

Jacqui sat up and looked around.

It had once obviously been a town - no, almost a city. On the orange sand and rocks, a mess of grey-paved streets had been created, and grey-stoned buildings. Locally, they looked like a rural village, but in the distance she could see something more mechanically put together. Streets like a grid, and the ruins of a factory and power plant. Ruins, though.

Jacqui tried to sit up, and felt her body ache all over. "What- what..."

"Don't talk just yet." said a woman bending over her. "A little more water first."

Jacqui drank, and felt better.

"What happened in Heaven's Hope?" she said. "I was told this colony was a huge success, but it's- it's in ruins."

The colonists exchanged glances. The man next to Jacqui sighed.

"We don't really remember." he said, sounding ashamed. "What we know is that we caused a terrible accident in the power plant - it blew up most of what we had built, and caused us to have amnesia. We can't remember it."

It had been years ago, but Jacqui had travelled with the Doctor. This had taught her not to be overwhelmed by space travel - and had given her an instinct for nonsense when it was told to her. But she realised these people believed what they were saying. But... amnesia?

"It ruined us." said the woman next to him. "It nearly finished us off, but then the Shining Knight came down from the sky..."

Several people around them bowed their heads.

"The- Shining Knight?" said Jacqui.

"We prayed for help- for hope-" said the man, his eyes wide. "And hope came! A spaceship crashed here, and a man like a shining knight in armour came to help us. He shared his food, his tools, his science - we are Heaven's Hope, and he came from God. He saved our lives."

"A man... in armour?"

"A different man from us, though we are all his brothers and sisters. He says so." said the woman. "Look up there-" she pointed out a large metal container on a cliff behind the town, leaning at an angle. "The Knight's old ship- we now keep it as a holy site. Those who pray there are blessed."

The woman sat Jaqcui up and put a thin cotton blanket around her shoulders. "One day, his ship may be able to lead us out of here, though I think that will only happen in my children's time- not in mine."

"Where is this Knight?"

The woman pointed to a tall stone building at the back of the courtyard.

"He takes audience in there, today. But you will need an appointment. He is not finished with your two-heart."

But Jacqui was staggering to her feet. So many thoughts were swimming around in her head, she had to sort them into some kind of order.

"The two-heart and I go back a long way. I must see him now."

Jacqui stumbled towards the building, wrapping the blanket around herself for comfort.

"My lady, you risk his wrath!" One of the coloniists grabbed her shoulder, but Jacqui took his hand and threw him off.

"You let go of me!"

She struggled, then got free, and pushed the doors open to the building in front of her. The inside wasn't what she had expected. She had assumed it would be like a church or a village hall - but it was like a doctor's waiting room. Whatever these colonial buildings had been meant for, the idea had been long lost.

The Doctor sat on one of the seats, looking miserable. He turned his face up and reached out a hand.

"Jacqui - " he said "Sit down and hear what this man has to say."

Jacqui looked across the room, to the thing sitting on a raised chair behind the reception desk. The Shining Knight.

"JACQUI. PLEASE SIT. I AM HONOURED TO MEET YOU."

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, she thought. And yet- you didn't know it. He's not like you thought.

He was a Cyberman.

-----------

The Shining Knight

The Cyberman looked at her. He was in a terrible state- half of his face-plate had crumbled away, she could see scarred flesh and a bloodshot eye underneath. His right arm's covering was cracked, and his left leg was corroded. As he rose from the seat to walk towards her he limped. Jacqui couldn't help but flinch as he got closer.

"YOU FIND MY APPEARANCE - UPSETTING?"

Jacqui swallowed and decided to be brave. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"WHY?" said the Cyberman.

"Because..." Jacqui was terrified, but forced herself to meet the Cyberman's eyes. "I think you must be in a lot of pain."

The Cyberman nodded. Did Cybermen usually nod? This was not what she had expected.

"I THANK YOU, JACQUELINE." said the Cyberman. "YOUR TIME LORD FRIEND HAS TOLD ME ALL ABOUT YOU. I HAVE THE GREATEST RESPECT FOR A SCIENTIST. ESPECIALLY ONE OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS."

Jacqui glanced at the Doctor, who was unusually quiet. He raised his eyebrows and simply said "Talk to him more, Jacqui."

The Cyberman held out a rusty hand to her.

"I AM PLEASED TO MEET YOU." he said. "MY NAME IS ADAM. I HAD TO GIVE THE NAME TO MYSELF, THOUGH IT IS AS GOOD AS ANY."

Jacqui cleared her throat.

"Where is Joel?"

"PERFECTLY SAFE. NOBODY COMES TO HARM ON MY WATCH IN HEAVEN'S HOPE."

"You aren't like other Cybermen I've seen. Why is that?"

The Cyberman looked away, and she saw pain in the fleshy half of his face.

"I AM IMPERFECT. I WAS BEING CONVERTED, BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE SHIP I WAS ON. BUT THANKFULLY I WAS BROUGHT DOWN TO HEAVEN'S HOPE, WHERE I HAPPILY FOUND MANY OF MY HUMAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS."

"I see..." said Jacqui. "And you were able to feed them, and offer them help with the tech on the ship? Even though they don't realise it was your ship crashing that destroyed their colony."

"HOW DID YOU - ?"

Adam looked across the room to the Doctor, and saw him grinning.

"I told you Adam - she's a bright person. The colonists blew up their power plant and it caused them to lose their memories? Rubbish! Now that we know a Cybership crashed here, that explains the damage - and some remote psychic weapons used for Cyber-conversion can have a hypnotic effect. If used badly, or by accident, they can wipe memories."

"WHAT? NO!" Adam stood up, his metal fingers splintering the wood of the desk in front of him. Jacqui swallowed - this Cyberman was... scared?

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!"

"It even wiped your mind, Adam, or partly..." said the Doctor. "Because you aren't a full Cyberman."

"THE CYBERMEN ARE MY PEOPLE." he said, a hint of desperation creeping into his mechanical voice. "THE PERFECT PEOPLE!"

"There's too much human in you" said Jacqui. She gingerly tried to touch Adam's face, where she could see it through the mask. "It's not a weakness. Please, Adam..."

Adam paused for a moment, then his hand shot out grabbed her wrist.

"NO."

He twisted it and Jacqui screamed.

"Doctor, help me!".

"Adam!" said the Doctor. "Let go of her now!"

"DOCT-TOR!!" said the Cyberman. He spoke the word in such a mechanical way that it stirred up a horrifying memory in Jacqui's mind, and she shuddered. "YOU WILL COME AND PRAY WITH ME AT THE HOUSE OF MY BROTHERS! MY FAITHFUL SHOULD HAVE PREPARED EVERYTHING BY NOW."

"The house of your brothers? What?" said Jacqui.

"STAND IN FRONT OF ME. WE WILL NEED TO GET WATER. YOU MUST WALK."

"Where are we going?"

---------------

Outside, both carrying a canteen of water round their necks, they began to trail up the hill. Soon, they were joined by another party of colonists, carrying a small black machine and what seemed to be an endless thick cable. There was also a very uncomfortable looking bearded man with dark hair with them.

"Joel- oh my God, Joel! Are you ok?"

Joel laughed, though he was sweating and red-faced. "I think I'll live. I didn't get to see the Knight though."

"It's a Cyberman!" she said, pointing to the figure of Adam at the head of the party. "But a really weird Cyberman."

"Everything here seems weird." said Joel.

They walked for thirty minutes, and then came upon the large, grey metallic structure that was on the top of the hill. Up close, it looked to Jacqui like nothing more than a container you would see on the back of a lorry, shipping goods across Europe. Adam and the Heavens Hope colonists bowed in prayer to it, but Jacqui heard the Doctor mutter "Oh, please, no..."

"THANK YOU, MY BROTHERS" said Adam. He held out his hand and took the black device from the colonist carrying it, and opened one side of it. He plugged several wires into the side of the grey container, then motioned to the person carrying the end of the extremely long cable. Adam took it and plugged it into the device. A light appeared on the container door, and it swung slowly open.

"AND NOW, WE SEE... NOW, WE MAY ASCEND!"

"Adam!" said the Doctor, suddenly angry. "What is that cable getting its power from?"

The half-formed Cyberman looked at him and smiled.

"WHY DO YOU ASK QUESTIONS TO WHICH YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND?"

"You're getting the power from his Tardis!" shouted Joel. "You bastard, you have no right!"

"Calm down, Joel." said the Doctor.

"YES, CALM DOWN, JOEL." said Adam. He turned to the colonists.

"MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. MY FLESH AND BLOOD. WE HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME. NOW, WE CAN ENTER THE PLACE OF ANGELS. WE CAN ACCEPT THE WE HAVE BEEN OFFERED."

---------

The colonists surged forward, but waited for Adam to give the sign. He gestured with his broken metallic arm, and they began to walk upwards on the ramp into the container.

"Doctor- " said Joel. "What's going to happen?"

"WAIT!" screamed the Doctor. It was the only time Jacqui and Joel had ever heard him shout. "I AM TELLING YOU, STOP!"

The people stopped and looked scared. Adam turned to him and now Jacqui could see his one human eye was narrowing with fury.

"DOCTOR. DO NOT EMBARRASS ME IN FRONT OF MY DISCIPLES."

"Ah ha- spoken more like a true Cyberman than I've heard up until now."

"I HAVE THE POWER OF YOUR SHIP. THE ANGELIC CRAFT HAS OPENED. YOU ARE EXPENDABLE NOW."

"Adam..." said the Doctor. "I've always been expendable. But don't you see that you are too, now?"

The most unusual Cyberman stopped, and the crowd on the ramp mostly stopped too. Jacqui was struck - the crowd respected Adam. It was not too fanciful to say they loved him.

"MY BROTHERS - I APOLOGISE. LET US HEAR THE DOCTOR SPEAK."

There were mutterings of "My brother." from the crowd. A silence fell. Jacqui and Joel waited for the Doctor to speak, but he didn't.

There was a metallic creaking noise from inside the container.

"Can I have a little water? My mouth is so dry." said the Doctor.

"IT SHALL BE DONE" said the Shining Knight.

The Doctor took two gulps of water from a canteen he was passed, and sighed with relief. Then he looked Adam in the eyes.

"Master Adam - do you know what you are?"

Adam looked confused. "I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION"

"You are not ignorant. Answer as best you can."

Adam thought for a moment, and looked grim. "I AM A WRETCHED CREATION, PUT INTO THE GALAXY TO LEAD MY FRIENDS AND BROTHERS TO PERFECTION"

The Doctor looked round at Jacqui and Joel.

"Would a typical Cyberman say that?"

"Hmm, no." said Jacqui.

"Nope." said Joel.

Adam snarled. "YOU MOCK ME!"

"I don't mock you!" shouted the Doctor. "You don't even realise what you are- a Cyberman who can think for himself. You've spent your life looking for a miracle of God, well - YOU are that miracle of God."

Adam stopped. He didn't know how to respond.

"And that ship," said the Doctor. "Do you really understand what's in it? You know, really, don't you?"

"I... THEY LOOKED SO PERFECT..." said Adam.

"That's what they thought on Mondas." said the Doctor. "I'd have pulled the plug out- though a few minutes' power and the damage is done."

There was a sudden enormous noise from the metal container, and steam billowed from the door. The colonists were beginning to look at each other in panic.

"Where is my Tardis?"

"Don't ask stupid questions Doctor, it's on the other end of that sodding cable!" said Jacqui.

Kah-chumph.
Kah-chumph.
Kah-chumph.
Kah-chumph.

The sound of steam and metal on metal. It was instinctive to Jacqui and Joal, they both began to panic.

"Doctor! They're Cybermen! But they don't look the same."

The Doctor was breathing frantically, and motioned for Jacqui and Joel to get behind him. "They're warrior-class Cybermen. This container must have fallen off the back of a Cyber war ship. All they needed was some power, and they've woken up."

Adam looked up to the ramp as the silver-clad men came down. "MY PERFECT BROTHERS - I ASK YOU TO TAKE US IMPERFECT PEOPLE ON BOARD, TO HELP US AND GUIDE US."

The nearest Cyberman turned it's heavily protected head.

"VERY INFERIOR SPECIMIN. DESTROY."

In a blaze of light, Adam met his new world sooner than he had expected.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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Edited June 28, 2020 by Heathcliff

[MeForever]

I'm very curious to see where this is going!

[Heathcliff]

Jacqui and Joel looked at each other and put their palms up in surrender.

"Stop!" said Jacqui. "We're not resisting you!"

One of the Cybermen rotated its shining head to her, with a grinding noise.

"WE DO NOT NEED YOU. YOU ARE SUB-STANDARD."

The Cybermen raised their arms, and the red light of laser weapons glowed on the top of their wrists.

Aaron's body lay in the sand in front of them. Jacqui looked down suddenly... had it twitched?

The Doctor stepped forward, and cleared his throat. Some of the Cyber-warriors edged closer, but without their leader's order they didn't act.

"I know you want to fight for your race, and your planet." said the Doctor. "But this is not the way to do it."

The Cybermen froze. All their weapons were now pointing at him, his face a blaze of red light.

"I can help-"

"NO. THE DOMINANCE OF THE TIME LORDS IS OVER." said the Cyber-leader. "THE TIME OF THE CYBER RACE BEGINS TODAY."

Jacqui looked to the Doctor - and to her horror he looked defeated. A dark-haired, thin man next to her stepped forward, and glanced at her. He looked worried, though there was something odd about the way he did so.

"I've fought this for so long..." he said quietly. "And it's come to this. To nothing."

"NOT TO NOTHING, DOCTOR. WE ARE THE PERFECTION OF LIFE. AND NOW WE WILL RULE THIS PLANET."

"Just this planet?" said the thin man. He raised his eyebrows.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" said the Cyber-Leader.

"I didn't mean to presume..." said the thin man. He stepped forward, towards the Cybermen... very slowly. But Jacqui realised he wasn't truly scared - he was testing how far they would allow him to go. Jacqui heard the Doctor whisper:

"Oh, please not now..."

"There is a much better planet." said the thin man. "We've told Aaron about it before, haven't we?" He turned around to look at the other colonists. Some of them raised their hands, some seemed unsure - the rest looked terrified.

"SO WHAT IS THIS PLANET?"

"It's a place called Gallifrey..." said the thin man. "And I'll help you to get there. There will be technological riches beyond your wildest dreams... but of course, you already know that, and-" he grinned, "As Cybermen, you don't dream."

"You bastard..." muttered the Doctor under his breath.

"Doctor!" said Joel, surprised. "I've never heard you swear before."

"Sorry Joel..." said the Doctor, closing his eyes for a moment. "It doesn't seem to matter much now."

The thin man was still speaking with the Cybermen, and after a few minutes they marched off towards the Doctor's Tardis. Then, the thin man strode up to greet them. He was smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania." said the man.

Jacqui looked at the Doctor, and she saw anger in his face, for one of the few times.

"Do you think you are funny?"

"Yes, actually."

"Well, I beg to differ." said the Doctor.

"What is this?" said Jacqui. "Have you two met before?"

The Doctor suddenly lost his composure.

"You're so powerful and clever!" he shouted. "You're so intelligent! Why are you still here?"

Jacqui was shocked. "Doctor - I thought you wanted me here... if you don't-"

The Doctor yealled, and pointed at the thin man.

"Not you, Jacqui- him!"

The dark-haired thin man smiled again.

"Oh, it has been a while... I've been stuck here." He said. "Working as a simple farmer. Although, do you know what a farmer is called in this time? By these colonists?"

Jacqui and Joel looked at the Doctor, but he was expressionless.

"They call you a farm-master. Appropriate, I think? Because ultimately, I will always be- the Master."

TO BE CONTINUED