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Doctor Who: The Internet Adventures
#27 - The Apan Way
Chapter 7
By Aron Toman
"You know what?" said the Doctor, to nobody in particular, as the ground
resumed its insane rushing toward him at a speed that would make a Concorde
weep, "I'm bored of this now. I'm waking up."
And he woke up.
***
Vivi stared down at the form of the Doctor, sprawled on the floor. "I
wonder if I should slap him?" She glanced at Jolyon for approval. "Do you
think I ought to slap him?"
Jolyon returned with a slightly sadistic grin. "Oh, please, let me. I've
had a bad day, I could use some light relief."
"How about there will be no slapping of the unconscious Time Lord on the
floor?" The Doctor sat up, rubbing his neck gingerly. "Well, recently
unconscious at any rate. My consciousness must have ejected itself from the
bomb at the last second. Remind me to thank myself for the boost next time
I pop in to see him."
"Bomb?" asked Jolyon. "What bomb?"
"The one the Apans just dropped outside there, it'll be mixing with the
first one, I'd guess."
"First one?"
"Yes." The Doctor paused for a moment, his face suddenly turning very
grave. "And it'll be turning the population of Verdant into mindless Apan
drones, as we speak. Making them do the bidding of Queen Zenza!"
He suddenly leapt to his feet and rushed over to the window, glancing out,
searching for damage. "I hope we're not too late for me to devise an
antidote."
Vivi gave Jolyon another glance. "Maybe he hit his head when he fell?"
"I did not!" the Doctor exclaimed, his eyes not leaving the window. "I'm
perfectly fine. It's the rest of the world that's ... umm ... Is this a
window? It's not a computer generated photo-image of an idyllic landscape
is it, because otherwise I'd be expecting a lot more ruin and carnage."
Jolyon opened a communicator channel. "Yates, send in a medic, stat."
"But I'm sure it happened," the Doctor continued, totally ignoring Jolyon.
"The bomb dropped, Queen Zenza dropped it. Both of them. And Greh was an
SSS agent. And I used to wear a cravat and a greeny browny coat."
"Doctor -" began Vivi.
"And I know that part happened, because I still have the shoes that don't
fit remotely. Don't know if he got me drunk though."
"You're not thinking clearly - nothing like that has happened. The Apan
Hive hasn't even gotten here yet."
The Doctor spun around with an intensity that made Vivi jump. "But they
did, don't you, don't you ..." he tailed off, and glanced back at the very
ordinary sight outside the window. None of it had happened, yet it felt so
real...
"I don't understand..." he said, almost to himself.
Jolyon joined them over at the window. "Ignore him, Vivi, he was like this
last time he was here. It's easier to remember he's clinically insane and
keep doing your own thing."
"Insane?" The Doctor gave Jolyon a glare. "I may be many, many things,
Commander, but insane I think you'll find will not be on my resume.
Recently. I know I experienced it all. It was all real, even the bits
where Morrell -"
He stopped, as Vivi visibly tensed at the name. Jolyon seemed to have
missed it, but the Doctor certainly didn't. He was on to something.
"Doctor, for pity's sake -" began Jolyon.
"A vision!" the Doctor interrupted in a loud voice, this time making both of
them jump.
"Bless you" said Jolyon archly.
"That's what it was!" the Doctor continued. "Precognition is generally
impossible, of course, everyone knows that, but when within the confines of
INspace..."
"Being the opposite of OUTspace, I suppose?"
"Yes, exactly, stop being sarcastic Jolyon, it doesn't suit you. Yes, for
some unfathomable reason, our current enemy has decided to give me a quick
tour of a possible future. Not sure why, surely he knows I'd immediately
start working to avert the catastrophe?"
Jolyon spun around and screamed toward the door. "Yates, where's that
medic?"
She was given a reply in the form of her communicator beeping. She strode
over to her desk testily and answered it. "Yes?"
"Sorry to interrupt, Commander" said Yates, "but we have a situation 17
here."
"Define 'here'."
"Sorry, Commander, control deck."
Jolyon sighed. "That's all we need. All right, initiate phase one
disarmament protocols, I want that building surrounded. No further action
to be taken until I get there, understood?"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am." and the line went dead. Without another word, Jolyon
strode towards the door and left the room, leaving the Doctor and Vivi
alone.
"Situation 17?" Vivi asked.
"Well, I don't know for certain, but if my vision's correct, it'll be a
hostage situation. Four sneekers have taken control of the control deck, in
anticipation for what's about to come."
"And what's about to come?"
The Doctor sighed. "Haven't you been paying attention? A big tremendous,
monstrous bomb. The first of a two-stage plan."
Vivi blinked. "Oh."
"Indeed. You know, I think at the moment the sneekers aren't quite the most
important problem we have. I think the Apan shuttlecraft now in a cloaked
orbit around Verdant with the big bomb within is more of a concern." He
took a sniff. "Where's Greh?"
***
Greh looked at the shady figure before him with as much trust as anyone else
would give ... well, give himself most likely. "So, let me clear this up.
What exactly do I get out of this deal?"
"Why, what would you want to get out of a deal of this nature?"
Greh gave a brief whistle. "Well, it'd have to be lucrative. Twelve
thousand grotzits?"
The man chuckled. "Is that all?"
"Is this the bit when you tell me my human mind is so limited and I should
think bigger?"
"No, it's the bit where I tell you your payment. Exactly what your heart
desires."
Greh gave him a look. "Sounds shaky to me."
"I'm sure it does, my dear Greh." The man suddenly looked into the air, as
if listening to some imaginary voices. Not the trustworthiest of moves.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this meeting short, Mr Greh. If you
would like to take up my offer, then you'll know where to find me."
"Do I?" asked Greh suspiciously.
He never got an answer, the man was just gone. Not vanished, no blast of
light, not even he's there one minute, you blink and then he's gone. It was
like he hadn't even been there at all, and Greh had just woken from some odd
delirium. But before he could think about it at any depth, the door
vibrated briefly before slamming open, revealing the guy who called himself
the Doctor and Vivi.
"Greh!" the Doctor exclaimed, grinning stupidly. "Goodness me, what are you
doing in a holding room on level three?"
Greh snorted. "You're kidding right?"
"No, I'm afraid not, I've been unconscious, so I suspect I've missed out on
a lot of things. I love what you've done with the place."
Greh gave Vivi a glance. "Is he all right?"
"He's had a vision." Vivi was acting oddly. The scowl on her face whenever
she looked at him at least made him think that something was up. Perhaps
she'd found out -
"Yes, indeed I have!" said the Doctor, interrupting his train of thought.
"I've had a vision, and I found out that you, Greh, are an SSS agent."
Greh blinked. "Am not."
"Well at least you were, once upon a time. And no use denying it, I am the
Doctor and I know all. Now, follow me." And with that, the Doctor spun on
his heel and ran back down the corridor.
Greh and Vivi looked at each other again. "Follow him where?"
Vivi looked as if she didn't really feel like answering, but to ignore him
would have been impolite. "An Apan shuttlecraft."
"Ok, and this is a good idea because..."
"We need someone with your expertise on board, Mr Greh" came the Doctor's
voice from down the corridor. "You too, Vivi. Hurry up, I'll fill you in
on everything on the way."
Greh sighed. Then looked at Vivi's scowl. "After you?"
***
The shuttle was silent, as it ploughed its way through space, its orbit
getting closer and closer to Verdant's surface. It wasn't much to look at -
the Apans rarely designed anything for appearance, and this craft was
certainly no exception. Designed for a single pilot, once it dropped the
bomb to the surface, it would self-destruct to avoid analysis. It meant the
death of the pilot, but in a hive of several billion souls, the life of one
was meaningless. All that was important was the preservation of the Apan
way.
The silence was soon disturbed by the dissonant wheezing and groaning of a
dimensionally transcendental police box fading into existence. The pilot
was aware of this, but didn't react. It couldn't - locked into the seat,
all it could do was steer the shuttle and set the detonation switch. This
sort of thing was impossible.
The doors of the TARDIS swung open, and the Doctor stepped out, followed by
Greh and Vivi, looking around them in near awe.
"Hmm, quite nice, isn't it?" said the Doctor conversationally. "Not too
shabby, though I'm not particularly won over by the décor. Still, quite
nice, as shuttles go." The Doctor blinked. "Alright, note to myself, stop
hanging out with your past incarnation, it almost always results in his bad
habits rubbing off on you."
"So where's this bomb of yours?" asked Vivi, irritably.
The Doctor gestured to the corner. "It's not my bomb, it's his. Say hello,
children."
Vivi and Greh peered in the corner. Almost on cue, the Apan drone in its
seat twitched an antenna, making both of them jump.
"Don't worry about him" the Doctor grinned, "he's stuck in that seat until
the ship blows up. Now, shall we have a hunt about for this bomb?"
"What does it look like?" asked Vivi, rubbing the back of her head.
Greh sighed. "Oh, bomb-like. Big, round, probably have red warning labels
on it. From what the Doctor says it can do, it'll probably have some form
of organic technology involved."
Vivi stared at him. "He's right, isn't he? You really are an SSS agent."
Greh couldn't meet her gaze. "I don't like to discuss it."
"Ah-ha!" exclaimed the Doctor, as he pushed aside a panel, revealing a large
compartment within. "I present to you, the very, very big bomb."
"Yes, Doctor," said a familiar voice behind them. "And please allow me to
present to you this very big pulse-rifle. Set to kill, of course."
The three of them slowly turned around to see who addressed them. It was
Commander Jolyon, her hair now set loose, holding what you could indeed call
a very big pulse rifle.
The Doctor sighed. "Oh, Jolyon. Why?"
"Why, Doctor?" asked Jolyon. "Why? Because I must. Because nothing shall
stop the advancement of the Apan way. Pilot?"
The Apan buzzed in response.
"Drop the bomb!"
TO BE CONTINUED
***
AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:
Ok, technically it is a reboot, making the past two chapters a dream
sequence, but I honestly couldn't think of another way out of it. And I
figured the whole INspace concept allowed itself for something like that, it
explained how that whole hostage/first bomb thing came out of nowhere, and I
tried to keep it so that rather than go off on a totally new direction, the
"vision" bits influence and guides it's focus. Please forgive any weird,
stupid, insane wordings that may appear, I've written this chapter partly
through an exam panic, the through the flu, so my brain is a bit addled...
Aron Toman
--
#27 - The Apan Way
Chapter 7
By Aron Toman
"You know what?" said the Doctor, to nobody in particular, as the ground
resumed its insane rushing toward him at a speed that would make a Concorde
weep, "I'm bored of this now. I'm waking up."
And he woke up.
***
Vivi stared down at the form of the Doctor, sprawled on the floor. "I
wonder if I should slap him?" She glanced at Jolyon for approval. "Do you
think I ought to slap him?"
Jolyon returned with a slightly sadistic grin. "Oh, please, let me. I've
had a bad day, I could use some light relief."
"How about there will be no slapping of the unconscious Time Lord on the
floor?" The Doctor sat up, rubbing his neck gingerly. "Well, recently
unconscious at any rate. My consciousness must have ejected itself from the
bomb at the last second. Remind me to thank myself for the boost next time
I pop in to see him."
"Bomb?" asked Jolyon. "What bomb?"
"The one the Apans just dropped outside there, it'll be mixing with the
first one, I'd guess."
"First one?"
"Yes." The Doctor paused for a moment, his face suddenly turning very
grave. "And it'll be turning the population of Verdant into mindless Apan
drones, as we speak. Making them do the bidding of Queen Zenza!"
He suddenly leapt to his feet and rushed over to the window, glancing out,
searching for damage. "I hope we're not too late for me to devise an
antidote."
Vivi gave Jolyon another glance. "Maybe he hit his head when he fell?"
"I did not!" the Doctor exclaimed, his eyes not leaving the window. "I'm
perfectly fine. It's the rest of the world that's ... umm ... Is this a
window? It's not a computer generated photo-image of an idyllic landscape
is it, because otherwise I'd be expecting a lot more ruin and carnage."
Jolyon opened a communicator channel. "Yates, send in a medic, stat."
"But I'm sure it happened," the Doctor continued, totally ignoring Jolyon.
"The bomb dropped, Queen Zenza dropped it. Both of them. And Greh was an
SSS agent. And I used to wear a cravat and a greeny browny coat."
"Doctor -" began Vivi.
"And I know that part happened, because I still have the shoes that don't
fit remotely. Don't know if he got me drunk though."
"You're not thinking clearly - nothing like that has happened. The Apan
Hive hasn't even gotten here yet."
The Doctor spun around with an intensity that made Vivi jump. "But they
did, don't you, don't you ..." he tailed off, and glanced back at the very
ordinary sight outside the window. None of it had happened, yet it felt so
real...
"I don't understand..." he said, almost to himself.
Jolyon joined them over at the window. "Ignore him, Vivi, he was like this
last time he was here. It's easier to remember he's clinically insane and
keep doing your own thing."
"Insane?" The Doctor gave Jolyon a glare. "I may be many, many things,
Commander, but insane I think you'll find will not be on my resume.
Recently. I know I experienced it all. It was all real, even the bits
where Morrell -"
He stopped, as Vivi visibly tensed at the name. Jolyon seemed to have
missed it, but the Doctor certainly didn't. He was on to something.
"Doctor, for pity's sake -" began Jolyon.
"A vision!" the Doctor interrupted in a loud voice, this time making both of
them jump.
"Bless you" said Jolyon archly.
"That's what it was!" the Doctor continued. "Precognition is generally
impossible, of course, everyone knows that, but when within the confines of
INspace..."
"Being the opposite of OUTspace, I suppose?"
"Yes, exactly, stop being sarcastic Jolyon, it doesn't suit you. Yes, for
some unfathomable reason, our current enemy has decided to give me a quick
tour of a possible future. Not sure why, surely he knows I'd immediately
start working to avert the catastrophe?"
Jolyon spun around and screamed toward the door. "Yates, where's that
medic?"
She was given a reply in the form of her communicator beeping. She strode
over to her desk testily and answered it. "Yes?"
"Sorry to interrupt, Commander" said Yates, "but we have a situation 17
here."
"Define 'here'."
"Sorry, Commander, control deck."
Jolyon sighed. "That's all we need. All right, initiate phase one
disarmament protocols, I want that building surrounded. No further action
to be taken until I get there, understood?"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am." and the line went dead. Without another word, Jolyon
strode towards the door and left the room, leaving the Doctor and Vivi
alone.
"Situation 17?" Vivi asked.
"Well, I don't know for certain, but if my vision's correct, it'll be a
hostage situation. Four sneekers have taken control of the control deck, in
anticipation for what's about to come."
"And what's about to come?"
The Doctor sighed. "Haven't you been paying attention? A big tremendous,
monstrous bomb. The first of a two-stage plan."
Vivi blinked. "Oh."
"Indeed. You know, I think at the moment the sneekers aren't quite the most
important problem we have. I think the Apan shuttlecraft now in a cloaked
orbit around Verdant with the big bomb within is more of a concern." He
took a sniff. "Where's Greh?"
***
Greh looked at the shady figure before him with as much trust as anyone else
would give ... well, give himself most likely. "So, let me clear this up.
What exactly do I get out of this deal?"
"Why, what would you want to get out of a deal of this nature?"
Greh gave a brief whistle. "Well, it'd have to be lucrative. Twelve
thousand grotzits?"
The man chuckled. "Is that all?"
"Is this the bit when you tell me my human mind is so limited and I should
think bigger?"
"No, it's the bit where I tell you your payment. Exactly what your heart
desires."
Greh gave him a look. "Sounds shaky to me."
"I'm sure it does, my dear Greh." The man suddenly looked into the air, as
if listening to some imaginary voices. Not the trustworthiest of moves.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this meeting short, Mr Greh. If you
would like to take up my offer, then you'll know where to find me."
"Do I?" asked Greh suspiciously.
He never got an answer, the man was just gone. Not vanished, no blast of
light, not even he's there one minute, you blink and then he's gone. It was
like he hadn't even been there at all, and Greh had just woken from some odd
delirium. But before he could think about it at any depth, the door
vibrated briefly before slamming open, revealing the guy who called himself
the Doctor and Vivi.
"Greh!" the Doctor exclaimed, grinning stupidly. "Goodness me, what are you
doing in a holding room on level three?"
Greh snorted. "You're kidding right?"
"No, I'm afraid not, I've been unconscious, so I suspect I've missed out on
a lot of things. I love what you've done with the place."
Greh gave Vivi a glance. "Is he all right?"
"He's had a vision." Vivi was acting oddly. The scowl on her face whenever
she looked at him at least made him think that something was up. Perhaps
she'd found out -
"Yes, indeed I have!" said the Doctor, interrupting his train of thought.
"I've had a vision, and I found out that you, Greh, are an SSS agent."
Greh blinked. "Am not."
"Well at least you were, once upon a time. And no use denying it, I am the
Doctor and I know all. Now, follow me." And with that, the Doctor spun on
his heel and ran back down the corridor.
Greh and Vivi looked at each other again. "Follow him where?"
Vivi looked as if she didn't really feel like answering, but to ignore him
would have been impolite. "An Apan shuttlecraft."
"Ok, and this is a good idea because..."
"We need someone with your expertise on board, Mr Greh" came the Doctor's
voice from down the corridor. "You too, Vivi. Hurry up, I'll fill you in
on everything on the way."
Greh sighed. Then looked at Vivi's scowl. "After you?"
***
The shuttle was silent, as it ploughed its way through space, its orbit
getting closer and closer to Verdant's surface. It wasn't much to look at -
the Apans rarely designed anything for appearance, and this craft was
certainly no exception. Designed for a single pilot, once it dropped the
bomb to the surface, it would self-destruct to avoid analysis. It meant the
death of the pilot, but in a hive of several billion souls, the life of one
was meaningless. All that was important was the preservation of the Apan
way.
The silence was soon disturbed by the dissonant wheezing and groaning of a
dimensionally transcendental police box fading into existence. The pilot
was aware of this, but didn't react. It couldn't - locked into the seat,
all it could do was steer the shuttle and set the detonation switch. This
sort of thing was impossible.
The doors of the TARDIS swung open, and the Doctor stepped out, followed by
Greh and Vivi, looking around them in near awe.
"Hmm, quite nice, isn't it?" said the Doctor conversationally. "Not too
shabby, though I'm not particularly won over by the décor. Still, quite
nice, as shuttles go." The Doctor blinked. "Alright, note to myself, stop
hanging out with your past incarnation, it almost always results in his bad
habits rubbing off on you."
"So where's this bomb of yours?" asked Vivi, irritably.
The Doctor gestured to the corner. "It's not my bomb, it's his. Say hello,
children."
Vivi and Greh peered in the corner. Almost on cue, the Apan drone in its
seat twitched an antenna, making both of them jump.
"Don't worry about him" the Doctor grinned, "he's stuck in that seat until
the ship blows up. Now, shall we have a hunt about for this bomb?"
"What does it look like?" asked Vivi, rubbing the back of her head.
Greh sighed. "Oh, bomb-like. Big, round, probably have red warning labels
on it. From what the Doctor says it can do, it'll probably have some form
of organic technology involved."
Vivi stared at him. "He's right, isn't he? You really are an SSS agent."
Greh couldn't meet her gaze. "I don't like to discuss it."
"Ah-ha!" exclaimed the Doctor, as he pushed aside a panel, revealing a large
compartment within. "I present to you, the very, very big bomb."
"Yes, Doctor," said a familiar voice behind them. "And please allow me to
present to you this very big pulse-rifle. Set to kill, of course."
The three of them slowly turned around to see who addressed them. It was
Commander Jolyon, her hair now set loose, holding what you could indeed call
a very big pulse rifle.
The Doctor sighed. "Oh, Jolyon. Why?"
"Why, Doctor?" asked Jolyon. "Why? Because I must. Because nothing shall
stop the advancement of the Apan way. Pilot?"
The Apan buzzed in response.
"Drop the bomb!"
TO BE CONTINUED
***
AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:
Ok, technically it is a reboot, making the past two chapters a dream
sequence, but I honestly couldn't think of another way out of it. And I
figured the whole INspace concept allowed itself for something like that, it
explained how that whole hostage/first bomb thing came out of nowhere, and I
tried to keep it so that rather than go off on a totally new direction, the
"vision" bits influence and guides it's focus. Please forgive any weird,
stupid, insane wordings that may appear, I've written this chapter partly
through an exam panic, the through the flu, so my brain is a bit addled...
Aron Toman
--