It’s hard to shock or surprise a college town, even in the usually quiet and calm Midwest of the United States. Along with the diversity of students from all over the world there are the usual activities of fraternities, sororities, sporting events and the rest that make the out-of-the-ordinary ordinary. People with no hair, green hair, pink hair, spiked hair or striped hair become common and very little can attract the attention of the students or professors as they go about their quest for knowledge.
It was a May afternoon and many of the students were on their way home with thoughts of either an evening’s studying or partying. That was why very few people noticed the wheezing and groaning sound of the Doctor’s TARDIS as it materialized midway down a dead-end alley. The even fewer people who heard the sound shrugged it off as either an old ventilation system failing or perhaps the hourly signal from the hydroelectric power plant that straddling the river nearby. Either way they soon forgot the unusual sound.
* * *
"Yes," the Doctor said as he flipped a switch on the console on and off. He purposefully flipped another, "Yes," he smiled, then another. "Yes. Yes. Yes."
"Come on, Doctor" Tegan said impatiently. "You know you’re beginning to sound like a parrot?"
"Yes," the Doctor said as he tried some of the console dials.
Turlough entered the console room and stood behind Tegan, watching the Doctor as he tested each and every control on the TARDIS console. Finally he turned to them and waved his hand grandly.
"Yes," the Doctor said. "Looks rather splendid, doesn’t it?"
"The last time you said that the door wouldn’t open," Tegan pointed out.
"You have little faith, Tegan." The Doctor proudly pulled the door handle and they opened quietly and steadily behind him. Just to prove his point he operated the control again and they closed smoothly.
"So, the doors work," Tegan said, unimpressed. "How about the rest of it?"
"Everything works perfectly," said the Doctor. With that a red warning light on the far side started flashing. The Doctor slapped it off with a wave and smiled as if nothing had happened. "Perfectly."
"That’s very well," said Turlough. "But won’t the Time Lords come looking for you?"
"Probably not," the Doctor said as he wiped away some dust from the central column. "They won’t have realized that I’m not coming back yet. They might consider coming after me when they work out I’ve been gone too long. Chances are, by that time, some of them may have begun to think that a renegade as President of the High Council of Time Lords may not be such a good idea. Remember, nothing changes as swiftly as the winds of politics."
"So where are we?" Turlough asked.
"And what are we going to do?" added Tegan.
"’Where’ is Earth in the spring of 1999. What we’re going to do," the Doctor smiled mischievously. "Well, that’s up to you. I, personally, am going to see a play."
"A play?" Tegan asked sarcastically.
"Yes, a play, in the theater," the Doctor said. "I’m sure you know what I’m talking about."
"I know what a play is," Tegan protested angrily. "But what are we going to do?"
"Whatever you like. Go to a museum, an art gallery, or see one of those dreadful films they show these days." The Doctor pulled two cloth bags out of a jacket pocket handed one each to Tegan and Turlough.
"What’s this?" Turlough asked.
"Remember, this is Earth in the 20th century and there is something you must have," the Doctor teased him.
"Money?"
"Exactly." The Doctor pulled the handle to open the doors and automatically marched toward them. They stood silent and unmoving in defiance. The Doctor quickly turned back and pounded his fist lightly on the console. The doors opened and he marched outside.
Tegan and Turlough smiled at each other and hurried out to catch up with him. After they had left and the doors closed the red warning light started flashing again.
The Doctor stepped out of the alley the TARDIS had landed in and surveyed their surroundings. Sure that they were exactly where he had intended, he smiled. Tegan and Turlough came up behind him. They both showed a sense of relief that they had actually arrived somewhere that wasn’t overtly hostile.
"Exactly," the Doctor allowed himself to boast. "Up there is the Pentacrest, the original state capital," he said as he pointed west. "North is the science area of the campus, east is the residential part of the city. And south, if I smell correctly, is a batch of freshly cooked bagels. Let’s eat."
"But where are we?" Tegan and Turlough questioned.
"We’re at the University of Iowa."
"Iowa?" Tegan puzzled. "Isn’t that near Canada?"
"Well," the Doctor frowned. "Galactically speaking I suppose it is."
"Not another dreadful college," Turlough said.
"No," the Doctor informed him. "This is not just another boys’ school like Brendan that you were in. This is a university. Students from all over the world come to a university such as this. I think you’ll find it most interesting." As the Doctor spoke two young students came jogging past them. One, a tall blonde female, winked at Turlough and politely commented on his tie as they passed. Turlough smiled and watched them go until his attention was regained by the Doctor. "I meant the university," the Doctor said as he marched away. Turlough nodded and followed.
Not far off the Doctor found a bagel shop. He was treating them both to an excellent, freshly cooked meal when a second TARDIS arrived in the alley. Its louder and slightly different tone also went almost completely unnoticed. A small man stepped from his TARDIS and walked out to the street. He pulled a small reader from his pocket and pointed it in every direction and studied the results.
* * *
Tegan, the Australian, was still thinking of the weight restrictions from the time she was an airhostess and politely declined after a second bagel. Turlough, from the planet Trion, had eaten heartily and enjoyed three bagels and a cup of piping hot soup. The Doctor, one of the ancient and sophisticated Time Lords of Gallifrey, ate like it was his final meal.
"Have you had enough?" Tegan asked. She had lost count of the number of times the Doctor had reordered.
"Perhaps," the Doctor said. "I was considering a bagel with chives, cream cheese, onions, pickles, and cheese toasted for a few minutes."
Tegan felt her stomach turn and swallowed hard. Even Turlough shuddered at the thought.
"You’ll most likely eat your celery next," Tegan said with sharp tones.
The Doctor looked confused for a brief second and then glanced down at the stalk on his lapel. "Of course," he said. "Celery instead of onions. I’ll be right back," the Doctor smiled as he got up and marched away. Despite the considerable amounts of food he had taken in he was apparently suffering no physical side effects.
"Why did you have to encourage him?" Turlough goaded her.
"Do you think it would have mattered?"
Turlough considered the fact that she was right but decided not to give her the satisfaction.
After a few moments the Doctor returned. He had a wrapped bagel in his hand and stuffed it carefully into his pocket. "Ready to go?" he asked.
"Finally," Tegan said as she and Turlough rose and followed him out the door.
Once outside the Doctor looked at the sun and calculated the current time. "It's late afternoon," he announced.
The Doctor led them a few short blocks to the walk mall in the center of the business district. Three T-shaped City blocks had been bricked over into pedestrian-only area with plants, small sales stands, a fountain, and kiosks dotting the area. The Doctor examined the notices stapled or thumbtacked on the kiosks closely. On the second one he found what he was looking for. He looked at it and then approached a student sitting on a bench nearby."
"Excuse me," the Doctor queried, "could you tell me which day of the week this is?" The student looked at him in surprise and confusion and rolled his eyes before he told him that it was Wednesday. "Why does that astound you?"
"You’re the second person in about 5 minutes to ask me that," the student said and went back to his reading.
The Doctor shrugged it off and went back to the poster.
"’Weary with Hunting’ by John Bliss was last night," the Doctor read aloud. "’Blue’ by Kel Adey is tomorrow... Ahh, yes," the Doctor smiled triumphantly. "Two one-act plays by Frederick Norberg are tonight. That is where I am off to. I’ll meet you back at the TARDIS in several hours. In the meantime the city is yours." The Doctor looked at their faces and stopped suddenly. "I don’t have to tell you to be careful, do I?" he asked as he propped his hat on his head.
"No," Turlough said confidently.
"We’ll be fine," Tegan added.
"Will you? Good! I’m sure of it. If you need me just come to the theater."
"Where exactly is it?" Tegan asked.
"Just go that way," he pointed west, "a few blocks until you get to the river, then go right. It’ll be on the opposite side but you won’t be able to miss it." The Doctor smiled at them again and then headed off confidently.
Tegan and Turlough didn’t say anything and looked up and down the walk mall for a few moments.
"We’re by ourselves. Now what do we do?" Tegan asked.
* * *
In an open field, next to the Student Union, a spring festival was in full swing. The Unification Festival was a weeklong celebration of the different cultures of students from all over the world. Music, contests, food, art, and many other aspects of each country were brought out and shared with fellow students and neighbors. With all the movement and spectacle it was difficult to keep track of everyone and easy to blend in with the crowd. That was exactly why the small man was there.
He stood a little away from the crowd and briefly looked at the instrument in his hand. As fast as a wink he slid it back into his pocket before anyone could notice.
He scratched his ear and scanned the area. The time tracer told him that the other Time Lord, whoever he was, would be somewhere in this field. It wasn’t accurate enough to tell him if he would be, was, or had been there already, so he had to stay alert. He shielded his mind from the others thoughts but waited and hoped that an unprotected mind would be easy to hear.
* * *
Following his own advice the Doctor had headed west to the river. Then he turned north towards the arts and entertainment area of the campus. He had originally intended to cross the river on the train bridge and was surprised to find that, now, there was no such structure. He knew there had been one here the last time he visited and he was puzzled for a few moments. Of course, he thought, that had been almost 20 years ago, local time.
It wasn’t impossible that the rail had been abandoned for other routes or by the shrinking number of rail lines. It wasn’t a big surprise that no one would have wanted a rusty old bridge in the middle of the city and had it dismantled. He had to admire the workmanship and landscaping that had removed any trace of its existence.
Following the river he was surprised and delighted to come across the festival in progress. Guessing that he still had some time before he needed to be at the theater, the Doctor enjoyed the smells and sounds of the event. So impressed was he that he even got caught in a chorus of singers from China and joined in their songs without realizing it. Before leaving them a young woman honored him by adding a flower to his hatband and the Doctor smiled proudly.
Eventually the Doctor made his way to other end and found himself on a footbridge that crossed the river. He crossed halfway and then allowed himself a moment’s peace. Behind him, downstream, he could hear the vehicles from two traffic bridges and the hydroelectric plant. Facing upstream was the quiet end of the campus with the Art Museum, the Mabie Theater, and Hancher Auditorium just on this side of the city park. The Doctor leaned against the railing and took a long deep breath of fresh air.
Once again, thoughts of the recent events on Gallifrey and the Dark Tower came back to him. It wasn’t so much the meeting of his former selves that echoed to him but the fate of Lord President Borusa. In the past Borusa had been a mentor, confidant, and friend of the Doctor’s. He was struck by the sadness of his friend's actions. Though Borusa had never held the same wanderlust that the Doctor had he had still surpassed the Doctor in knowledge and wisdom. The Doctor had sometimes felt a touch of jealousy at the other Time Lord’s knowledge and reasoning abilities. Yet, the Doctor thought, someone that strong and intelligent had been corrupted. The taste of absolute power he had had for a short time was enough to take away his reason. Though Borusa had never turned totally evil during the conflict the Doctor couldn’t deny the probability that, had he been free and achieved immortality, that darkness would have been a part of his future.
The Doctor took off his hat and held it closely as he purposefully brought good thoughts of Borusa to his mind. In a quiet memorial to his friend he held the Chinese flower into the air and let it drop from his hand into the fresh water. Quietly, soberly, he continued on his way to the theater.
The small man watched him go and considered following him but decided against it. The other on the bridge had been so unaware of his presence that the man had sensed his thoughts unnoticed. What he had heard left him confused. It had been many centuries since he had been to Gallifrey, but could things have changed that much?
He decided to try and question one of the non-Gallifreyans that had arrived. Since they were not as time-sensitive the tracer would have difficulty finding them but, eventually, it would pick up their time lines.
* * *
Tegan and Turlough had separated not long after the Doctor had left them. Tegan had spent an hour or more just walking through some of the shops and investigating the new world. At times she had to remind herself that there were almost 20 some years Earth time difference between when she had originally stepped onto the TARDIS and now. The clothing styles were interesting and she was learning that it was true: fashion trends do go in circles.
She was a bit bemused by the music shops. The bands she saw and the music she heard was totally different from what she had known. Tegan realized that she was thoroughly enjoying herself and wondered how long it had been since she’d been able to say that. Then she came around a corner and felt her happiness slip away.
She was standing in front of a travel agency and the display out front was plastered with advertisements and photographs of Australia. Home! She hadn’t thought about home for so long and she suddenly felt a great hole in her heart as she missed it. The poster showed tourist spots and Tegan lightly touched the paper.
She realized that her hands had instinctively tightened on the moneybag the Doctor had given her. She realized that there was more than enough for her to buy her way home right now and the temptation called for her to do so. She forced herself to think about the time difference and how out of place she would be even in her own homeland. Would anybody there remember her? Would anybody she had known still be alive?
Tegan fought back a tear and swallowed hard. She took some of the display folders and marched off.
After a few minutes of wandering Tegan found herself walking through the mall just a few blocks away. She tried to get the homeless feeling out of her stomach when she saw a poster that flashed her eyes and she smiled. She read the rest of the poster and started walking to the door. It may not be home, but at least for a few hours she could come close.
"Is it to late to get a ticket for the next showing of ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?’" Tegan asked at the box office.
"The 5:00 show starts in 5 minutes," the cashier said. "You’ll just make it."
Tegan gleefully handed over the money and walked in to the theater.
* * *
Turlough had also spent his afternoon wandering through the new landscape. Having no ties to earth as Tegan had, he had seen things very differently. When he saw the compact discs in the music stores he rolled his eyes and smiled. He had really hoped that the technology would be beyond that by now.
Genuinely interested in what was happening at this time he wondered into a newsstand and leafed through the major magazines. Sports was still big, politics hadn’t changed, and civil rights had only improved slightly as prejudice was still apparently a problem. He shook his head and thought "If they only knew" as he left the store.
Next Turlough decided to look for some more of those attractive joggers he had seen earlier. He found himself walking slowly and purposefully along the walk mall for several minutes and then turned up one of the streets. He settled on a nice bench to just watch the people go by for a while. He was considering getting up when a man sat next to him and started talking.
* * *
The Doctor started blinking and shaking his head as if something had just gotten in his eyes. He purposely blinked for another few moments and then his vision cleared. He looked up to make sure the lights were working properly. Perhaps that was why his vision had suddenly darkened. Shaking his head clear he moved on.
The Doctor had taken the time to visit the Art Museum on campus. Some of the work there was pretty impressive in its scope but wasn’t much to his taste. He did know a lot about art and did know what he liked. This style definitely wasn’t it.
The Doctor walked through the gallery for another half-hour then realized it should be about time to get seated for the evening's performance. He reluctantly finished his browsing of the museum and moved to the theater building next door.
* * *
As the lights rose in the theater Tegan felt fully refreshed. It had been more than a nostalgia trip back home for her. Even though some of the contents of the film surprised her she did get a chance to see some of the locations of her current homeland again. Australia never looked better, to her, and she was proud of it.
She waited patiently until the last credit faded out before moving out. She walked slowly and gingerly and took the time to revisit the scenes on screen that she had liked.
There were four screens at this theater and Tegan wondered if there was another Australian movie showing. She looked at the posters in the hallway. She saw that one screen was closed for ‘technical problems’ so she looked closely at the advertisements for the other two. She was so engrossed with her search that she didn’t notice the man come up behind her until it was to late.
The small man, with a surprising strength for his size, clamped her mouth shut and started pulling her backwards. Tegan briefly tried to fight but the man was very agile and swift and she soon succumbed to his strength. The man pulled her into the darkened, closed theater and then stopped.
"Why did you come here?" the man whispered in her ear from behind.
Tegan stopped for a moment. There was something familiar about the voice and she decided to slow down for a few moments.
"I just came to see a movie."
"No," the man growled at her with a threatening voice. "I mean, why did you come to this place in time and space?"
Tegan steadied herself and said, "I don’t know what you mean."
The man’s grip on her tightened considerably as his anger rose. "Don’t play a fool! Why did the Gallifreyan bring you here?"
"We just came to relax a while," Tegan said. If the man knew the Doctor was a Gallifreyan then there was no reason for her to deny it.
"Relax?" the man said. Tegan could tell he didn’t believe her. "I think you’ve come looking for me. You want to take me back," the man said with rising anger.
"Who are you?"
The tall man quickly forced her to move further into the theater. Tegan knew that the sound proofed walls would prevent anyone from hearing her screams. She felt her fear starting to rise. The man stopped and twisted them quickly so her back was against the wall and they were now face to face. Tegan recognized the man and froze in shock. She had just seen him before on Gallifrey leaving with the Brigadier. They had called him ‘the little fellow’ and while he was physically the same his manner was completely different.
"I am the Dark Knight of Time," the man said. "I am the Doctor!"
* * *
The 5th Doctor had just finished eating his bagel when everything went black for a second time. He stopped in mid-swallow, froze until everything returned to normal, then finished off the meal.
He rose and checked the room around him. Everyone else continued what they had been doing and had, apparently, not noticed anything unusual.
This second event, much stronger and disturbing than the first, bothered him greatly. He tried to replay it in his mind and see if there was anything different or significant enough to give him a clue as to what was happening. His sensitivity to time picked up echoes of what had happened but gave him no more information.
The Doctor was in the lobby at the theater. He had purchased a ticket for the show he wanted to see and had decided to wait outside and relax a while. He watched the two hundred other patrons as they gathered and waited.
For a brief second the Doctor thought it was happening again as the lights dimmed slightly. He breathed a sigh of relief as everyone else in the lobby reacted to the traditional signal to the audience that indicated the play was about to start. He went in to the theater and found his appointed seat.
As he waited he considered what could cause the disturbances. Was it natural? Was it made by someone or something? If he couldn’t find the cause he somehow knew it would find him.
* * *
Turlough hadn't even thought about Tegan or the Doctor for some time. He had spotted a small bar and had tentatively ordered a beer and was surprised that the waitress never asked for an ID.
After that, feeling much more relaxed, he went back to the mall for a while. He spotted a large crowd of students headed into another bar and decided to join them. They were checking for identification at the door but Turlough managed to sneak past in the rush of the crowd.
Once inside he found a comfortable table with a great view of the dance floor, ordered a drink, and decided to have fun watching the scenery go by. After a while, feeling a bit more relaxed, he decided to get involved. He challenged some young men to a darts game and defeated them soundly. Happily they bought him a drink and he moved on.
He had just passed the dance floor when he actually collided with an attractive redheaded female who introduced herself as Becky. Turlough offered to buy her a drink to apologize for the collision. She smiled and said she’d prefer a dance instead. Turlough had graciously accepted and immediately forgotten the reason he was there.
He didn’t know what time it was or how long he had been there, he just noticed that the sun had gone down and it was dark outside, when Becky led him to a small booth to one side of the main window. Once there she threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. He kissed her and pulled back but failed to hide the surprise in his eyes.
"I haven’t seen you here before," Becky said.
"Well," Turlough stumbled for a decent excuse. "I’ve been traveling, with my studies, frequently lately. I haven’t had much time for anything else."
"Oh," she smiled. "Did you like it?"
"Very much," he laughed.
She kissed him again and moved a little closer to him.
"You know," she teased him, "I don’t think I’ve ever met a man with red hair, like myself. I’ve known lots of women with hair like mine but never men."
"I guess that makes us soulmates," Turlough smiled and consciously ran his fingers through his hair.
"Exactly," she agreed. "There’s something different about you."
"Different how?"
"Different in a mysterious way," she whispered to him. "I bet there’s some pretty interesting secrets in your background. Some things you don’t want anyone around here to know." Turlough was surprised at her accuracy and couldn’t answer. "I can see it in your eyes."
"I’m afraid there’s not much excitement in my life, these days," he tried to bluff. Turlough swallowed more of his drink and felt his resistance starting to fade.
"I bet there is," she protested. "Tell me something about you that would surprise me." She cuddled closer to him and put her hand upon his leg.
"I’m from Trion," he blurted out before realizing it.
"Trion? Where’s that?"
Turlough turned to look out the window to see if the night sky was visible from where they were. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and kissed his ear.
"It’s out in the middle of nowhere," he said as he forced control of his feelings and passions.
"Well, you don’t look like a country hick or a small town kind of guy, Turlough," she said. "I guess that does surprise me for a start." Becky took the last of her drink in one gulp and for a long moment she and Turlough stared deep into each other’s eyes. Finally, she nodded as they broke eye contact. "I’d really like to be alone with you right now," she whispered to him.
All thoughts of how and why he was here faded away and Turlough found himself nodding in agreement.
"I live in a sorority and we can’t go back there," Becky said. "Let’s go back to your place."
* * *
"Borders? Borders? There are, in some corners of this universe, intelligences so totally evil that they have torn down the borders between good and bad, light and dark, white and black... Only infinite shades of gray..."
That was followed by total darkness and silence. Then the audience erupted into applause. As the lights came back on, the lead actress, Nancy Donnell and the playwright/director, Fred Norberg, took to the stage. The Doctor was on his feet, leading the ovation.
After the performance there was a half-hour or so of comments and questions from the audience. This process was part of the Playwright’s Festival’s appeal and the Doctor stayed to participate. As the meeting was winding down the Doctor felt it was time to head for home and started to work his way out of the crowd. He shook hands with the playwright and the actress and told them it had been one of the most enjoyable plays he had seen since "Romeo and Juliet." He stopped himself before pointing out that it was the original performance in England that he was referring to.
By the time he left the theater it was well past sunset. The changing temperatures and the closeness to the river had created a great fog in the area and the Doctor headed back to the TARDIS. Feeling exhilarated by the performance the Doctor marched and whistled as he went.
When he got to the main footbridge he paused briefly. Ahead in the fog, in the middle of the bridge, there was a couple caught in a romantic embrace. The Doctor was slightly embarrassed but decided to charge on. He tried keeping his head down and whistled louder. He hoped that, as they heard the approach, the couple would break from their kiss and let him pass.
He was only a few yards away from him when he heard the sound of a muffled shout. He froze in his tracks and looked up at a terrible sight. The two had been embracing but it was not of a romantic nature. Tegan was facing him with the man’s arms around her neck in a stranglehold. The small man, wild-eyed and angry, was staring at him.
"You are a Gallifreyan, I know," the man said. He had tried to read Tegan’s mind after he had kidnapped her, but his undeveloped powers had only shown him confusing images that made no sense. He wanted details and he wanted them now.
"Yes," the Doctor said cautiously to his former self. "I can tell that you are, too."
"What do you want?" the Dark One demanded. "Why are you here?"
"My friend and I were just passing through" the Doctor said. His mind was lost in the confusion of what he was seeing. There was no doubt about it. He was facing his previous incarnation in physical form but, even without a mind link, he knew there were some grave differences between them.
Tegan was breathing heavily and trying to keep her knees from buckling.
"Did the Time Lords send you?" the Dark One asked.
"No, the Time Lords did not send me. Look," the Doctor said as he took a half-step forward. "I don’t know what it is but there is something terribly wrong. Let her go and we can talk about it."
"No," the man called and took a step back. His grip on Tegan tightened as he produced a small weapon from his pocket and held it against her chest. "Do you know what this is?" he taunted.
"It’s a Tissue Compression Eliminator," the Doctor said and caught the surprise on the Dark One’s face. "I’ve seen them around," he explained and he took a step sideways.
"Then you know what I can do to her if you come forward."
Tegan also knew what a TCE could do and was flooded with the terrible thoughts of what had happened to her Aunt Vanessa.
"Yes, I know." The Doctor nodded and took a step sideways, scanning the area around them and caught something, ever so briefly, that could help them. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to open your mind to me fully. I need to know. Have they come after me?" the man sounded desperate.
"No" the Doctor said calmly. "We recently left Gallifrey and there were no plans to come and find you," the Doctor said. He took another step sideways. "They didn’t even know you were here."
The Dark One moved with the Doctor and twisted Tegan accordingly.
Before anyone could speak the quiet night air was shattered by the hourly release of steam from the hydroelectric plant. This was followed by the opening of the floodgates and the water beneath them visibly picked up speed.
The Doctor saw his opponent’s attention change to the river for a brief moment and took another side step. That his attention back with a start and he backed away a few more steps.
"Any closer and I’ll get rid of her."
"I’m not coming after you," the Doctor protested. He could sense the other’s will starting to break and knew that he had to tread carefully. He took a step sideways.
"Open your mind to me," he ordered again. "I must know what you know."
"I can’t do that," the Doctor calmly refused.
The water beneath the bridge started moving rapidly.
"Why can’t you open your mind to me?" the Dark One man said as he involuntarily took a step backwards.
"The results would be catastrophic," the Doctor said as he took a step forward. He maintained a steady distance between them but did not want to be too far away.
"You’re trying to frighten me," the little fellow laughed. "I’m not afraid of you. You are just an ordinary Time Lord."
The Doctor stopped as the realization came clear to him. The other self, the one he faced now, was truly mad. In the madness that had embraced his mind he had not been able to grasp what was really before him.
"All right," the Doctor stopped moving and stood up straight. "I will release my mind to you. But I warn you that you will not be able to accept it."
The Dark One stopped. A sudden calmness fell over him though he did not release his captive.
"I should warn you though," the Doctor said flatly. "I am more than "just" a Time Lord."
With that the Doctor took a step forward and slowly opened his mind to the other.
At first the images were slow and understandable -- leaving Gallifrey, on the run from the Time Lords -- and for a brief moment the Dark One believed that this Time Lord may be a renegade like him. Then images of the Doctor’s encounters with other Time Lords, and the other felt that he may have meet someone who could join him.
The Doctor could see where Turlough was waiting and slowly moving into the area. The Doctor took a step forward and the other instinctively stepped back.
"Stop!" he pushed the TCE. further into Tegan’s throat and she started to gasp for air. "Let me have it all or I will kill her."
The Doctor nodded, smiled, and then opened more of his memories.
The Dark One was shocked and overwhelmed by the images he saw. Some things that had happened, giving the ambush idea to the Trojan’s, defeating the Daleks on Vulcan. He saw himself, but not exactly himself. Then there were things that had happened to him but not to him. A meeting with Koschei that never happened. An alliance with the Intelligence that never took place. The man in the light colored coat wasn’t another Time Lord but was he! A future and different version of himself.
The Dark One’s mind was thrown into turmoil by what he was seeing. He fought to control his thoughts and reject these false images.
Tegan coughed for breath as the grip on the TCE pressed into her throat.
Turlough took a ginger step forward. He was almost within reach.
The Doctor could tell that the other was gaining control of the images and knew that he had to make the final move now.
The Doctor leapt forward and his hands tried to yank the TCE away. Tegan dropped to her knees, gulping for air, and Turlough barreled forward.
The Dark One saw the good side of him that had been suppressed for so many years. This good side had manifested itself here before him and he knew his existence was at stake. The only choice left was to kill the blond man he would become.
With amazing strength he managed to stay on his feet as the Doctor and Turlough tried to pull him down.
"Get the weapon!" the Doctor called.
The Dark One squeezed the trigger and fired a few random shots of the TCE. As he fired he swung the weapon wildly and the barrel hit Turlough in the chin. Stunned, Turlough lost his footing and dropped.
Face to face, the Doctors continued for control of the TCE. With a sudden burst of energy and speed the smaller of the two managed to swing the weapon so it was pointed at Tegan.
The Doctor completely opened his mind and the other was shocked by the wave of memories that were both his and not his. Desperate to ward off the images he tried to steady the TCE on its target and pulled the trigger.
Just as the weapon fired Turlough kicked inwards and their hands and the energy was directed downwards. The TCE’s wave struck the concrete and metal of the bridge, destabilizing the surface, which disappeared.
Turlough had been unbalanced by the kick and had fallen backwards to safety. The Doctor and his opponent dropped straight towards the water and both of them lost their grip on the weapon. The Dark One hit the water hard and was stunned by the impact. The Doctor, much to his surprise, found his fall halted as Tegan gripped his arm and held tight. The Doctor swung, his feet a few inches above the water, and tried desperately for a hold.
"Turlough" Tegan called. "I can’t hold him much longer! Help!"
Turlough scrambled over and together they pulled the Doctor up and over the remaining length of the bridge.
The Doctor looked deeply at Tegan, wanting to thank her, but knew he didn’t have the time.
"Where is he?" the Doctor asked as he looked into the dark water. Not too far downstream he could see a shape floating in the water towards the power plant.
The Doctor sprinted across the bridge to the riverbank and headed along the river. Tegan and Turlough followed.
The Doctor was able to keep up and even pass the floating body and managed to make it to the street bridge. His eyes never left the water or the figure floating toward the turbines in the power plant.
Moving faster now the body still showed no signs of movement as it went towards the churning water. Turlough and Tegan arrived and both thought the Doctor was going to try and jump into the water for a rescue. Without a word the Doctor burst out and ran to the last bridge, still watching the water.
The churning white water started to twist and encircle the figure as its pace increased.
Puffing for breath Tegan and Turlough tried to keep up with the Time Lord as best they could. When they reached the bridge directly in front of the power plant they could no longer see the figure in the water. Tegan gasped at the thought of a body being mangled going through the water-powered turbines. Turlough looked for the Doctor and finally saw him running around the corner of the building.
They followed and caught up with the Doctor after a few minutes. Downstream of the plant, his eyes scanned the waterfall from this side with an intensity neither of them had ever seen. Tegan started to ask the Doctor a question but Turlough stopped her.
So they waited while the Doctor watched.
Waited...
* * *
Several hours passed and the Doctor watched the churning water in silence.
Tegan and Turlough spoke quietly amongst themselves but did not disturb the Time Lord.
Turlough had felt rejected after meeting the woman and, knowing he could not take her to "his place," had excused himself and walked the streets of the city before deciding to look for the Doctor. He decided not to tell all of that story to Tegan.
Finally the sun rose and they could hear the sounds of birds looking for food and the amount of traffic starting to increase.
Unable to wait any more Tegan approached the Doctor and gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"He couldn’t have survived going through there."
"I know," the Doctor said. The Doctor tried to discourage her but she had to many questions to ask him.
"Yes, it was me," the Doctor finally said. "Of sorts, anyway. A different me who took a different path sometime in his life."
"A different timeline?" Turlough asked.
"Yes," the Doctor sighed. "I’ve always suspected that sometimes the TARDIS jumps a track from my standard timeline to others. Timelines that are parallel to mine but different. Sometimes there are minor differences, like the existence of a train bridge, but sometimes there can be major changes."
"Like an evil you," Tegan suggested.
"Yes."
With that the Doctor suddenly spotted something in the water and ran off. He went downstream far enough where the water wasn’t dangerous and waded in up to his knees. He had already fished out what he was looking for and returned to the grassy edge before Tegan and Turlough arrived. In his hands was the scratched TCE.
"That’s what we waited for?" Tegan asked. "Certainly it can’t work now that it’s been submerged for so long."
"No, it can’t," the Doctor said as he slipped the weapon into one of his pockets. "The power pack is empty but the design is still intact. If someone were to find this, examine it, and try to duplicate it the results could be catastrophic."
"What about the earlier you?" Tegan asked. "Is he dead?"
"I don’t know." The Doctor paused and looked at the water for a moment. "His telepathic powers weren’t as well developed as mine are. I can’t...sense...his presence but it could be just the confusion of what he saw." With a sudden glance the Doctor’s mood changed and he looked back at his companions and smiled. "Anyone for breakfast?"
* * *
By the time they reached the bagel shop it had opened for breakfast.
Along the way the Doctor had had to explain more on the difference between parallel timelines and alternate universes. For a brief moment Tegan hoped that, in this timeline, perhaps her Aunt Vanessa hadn’t been killed by the Master and was still living happily in Australia. The Doctor confirmed that that was certainly possible.
Filled with more than his share of fresh bagels the Doctor went back to the TARDIS where it still sat in the alley. Much to his surprise there had been some graffiti painted on the doors of the police box during the night.
The Doctor entered the TARDIS and was removing the paint with a special rag when Tegan and Turlough arrived.
"That’s terrible!" Tegan looked at disgust at the handiwork. "We haven’t even been here a day. You’d think that they’d have better things to do than this."
"No, no, no," the Doctor said, not in the least upset. "Someone named Silroy was here," he said as he wiped the drawing clean. "So was Caroline, who was looking for a ride."
Tegan, however, had much more important things on her mind. "Doctor," she said with a seriousness that caught his attention. "That other Doctor, one who was evil, could it happen to you?"
"I suppose it is possible," the Doctor said as he stopped cleaning the door for a second. "But not likely," he added after a moment.
Neither Tegan nor Turlough were sure but they could have sworn there was a sense of insecurity in his voice.
-30-
