[Fic] Fuzz In Time - part 2
Well, here's part two. And yes, I'm posting this while at work. ^_^ It's been a while since I used my disks.
Part One
Part Three
Fuzz In Time - part two
Fandom: Doctor Who/Hot Fuzz
Pairings: Doctor Ten/Nicholas Angel
Rating: PG-13 (this chapter; rating will go up later)
Warnings: AU, slash, crossover, slight fluff, some drama
Notes: My muse wanted to write this ever since I saw Hot Fuzz. I’m just starting in the Doctor Who fandom also, so please let me know if I got anything wrong.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to those people at the BBC and Hot Fuzz belongs to Working Title and the lovely, hot, and creative Simon Pegg and friend Edgar Wright.
.-.
“What’s happening? What’s going on?” Doris said, panicking.
“We’re leaving,” said the Doctor.
“We’re what?” gasped Doris, eyes going wide.
“You mean we’re in space?” said Danny, awestruck.
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” said the Doctor. He fiddled with the console’s button and knobs. “Ah, we should be there very soon.”
“Where?” demanded Angel. “Where are you taking us?”
“Dunno, actually,” smiled the Doctor. “Wherever the TARDIS wants to take us.”
Angel suddenly snatched the gun out of Danny’s holster and pointed it straight at the Doctor. The Doctor slowly looked up, face staying neutral.
“Nicholas!” Danny gasped; he had forgotten that he still had his gun on him.
“Take us back this instant or there will be alien guts decorating the inside of this ship!”
“Sergeant, no!” Doris pleaded.
The Doctor raised his chin. “You really don’t want to do that.”
“Really? Give me one good reason not to.”
“Actually, I can give you two. First off, you’ll be stuck on another planet without a way back home. The TARDIS will only respond to me.”
Angel was reluctant to admit it, but the Doctor had a very good reason. “So, what’s the other reason?”
The Doctor smiled. “If you shoot me, I won’t die; I’ll regenerate.”
“You’ll what?” said Danny.
“Regenerate,” repeated the Doctor. “It’s a way we Time Lords cheat death.”
“That’s what you’re called?” said Doris. “A Time Lord?”
“Yes,” said the Doctor.
Angel lowered the gun, but kept his gaze on the Doctor. “Take us back.”
“And be your prisoner? So you could figure out what makes me tick? So you could imprison me simply because I’m not human?”
Angel kept staring, apparently at a loss of words.
“Oh, come on, Nicholas,” said Danny. “He seems harmless enough.”
Angel turned to face his friend. “You call kidnapping three police officers harmless?”
“You were going to arrest him only because he’s an alien.”
Angel was about to argue, but then he spun to face the Doctor when he spoke up.
“I won’t harm you, I swear,” said the Doctor. “I’ve had many human assistants before.”
“Oh, and what happened to them?”
“Brought them back home, of course,” said the Doctor, not wanting to elaborate or get into the details of his assistants.
“Safely?”
Again, the Doctor didn’t wish to get into the details. “More or less, yes.”
“Who was your last assistant?” Danny asked.
The Doctor smiled. “Martha Jones. She was something else.” He smiled at the memory, but then it slowly faded. “She wanted to be a doctor.”
“Are you an actual doctor?” Doris asked.
“Not exactly, but I’m a man of science.”
“Why call yourself the Doctor then?”
The Doctor smiled softly. “I like making others better, and help them whenever I can.”
“Aw, isn’t that great, Nicholas?” said Danny.
Angel sighed; he knew he was overruled in the issue, so he set the gun down on the console, sat heavily on the sofa, and put his head in his hands.
“I think it’ll be great,” said Doris. “Exploring other worlds, helping other beings! What do you think, sir?”
Angel grumbled, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Well, we are police officers,” said Danny. “Just think of the lives we’ll save.”
“What about those on Earth?” argued Angel. “The team needs us.”
“It’s taken care of,” said the Doctor. “Besides, when I bring you back it’ll be as if you never left.”
“What do you mean?” Angel asked.
“You know,” the Doctor wiggled his fingers around. “Wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey.”
Doris giggled.
“He’s rather cute, isn’t he?” she whispered to them. Danny shrugged one shoulder in nonchalance, but it made Angel look up into the Doctor’s face. Yeah, the Doctor was rather attractive, for a bloke; and skinny. But he was still an alien, right?
The Doctor placed his glasses on and looked into the view screen. “Ah, we’ve arrived. Well, are you all ready for this adventure?”
“Do we have a choice?” Angel sighed.
“Come on, sir,” said Doris, nudging him. “Don’t keep that stick up your butt.”
Angel glowered at her, and she looked away innocently. Danny clapped him on the shoulder.
“Come on, let’s have a new adventure with the Doctor!”
“I’m outnumbered, aren’t I?” Angel grumbled, standing up to follow them out.
It was the most extraordinary sight he had witnessed yet: the forest they were in was more than green, it was also blue, pink, violet, red, orange, yellow, and silver. The sky was a pale red, almost red-orange near the horizon, and the trees were bent in the oddest shapes. They didn’t even look wooden.
“By the power of greyskull!” muttered Danny as he stood by Angel’s side. Doris stood on Angel’s right.
“It looks like we landed in a Dr. Seuss book!” she said, gobsmacked.
“Not quite,” said the Doctor behind them. “But there is an odd resemblance. Good man, Dr. Seuss. Brilliant writer.”
“You knew him?” said Danny, awed. The Doctor smiled at him. Angel nudged him.
“Let’s not get off course,” he said. He stared at the Doctor who was walking around and gazing at everything. The Doctor really looked out of place in the colorful plantlife with his brown trench coat and pin-striped suit.
“We should stick close to the Doctor, right?” said Doris.
“Yes, that would be wise,” said Angel. They followed the Doctor around the strange woods.
“Where are we, Doctor?” Danny asked excitedly.
“Not too far from the Milky Way.”
“What planet?”
“Terra-cotta, if memory serves me correctly.”
“Terra-cotta?” said Angel, staring dubiously at the Doctor. “Isn’t that another word for clay?”
The Doctor cuffed Angel on the chin lightly. “You’re better than advertised, aren’t you?”
Surprisingly to Danny and Doris, Angel floundered for something to say, cheeks flushing light pink.
“All right?” Danny asked him, gripping his arm.
“Yeah, fine,” said Angel, not taking his eyes off the Doctor.
The Doctor smiled, and Doris swooned faintly and Angel continued to stare. Danny, however, was looking at something else entirely.
“Who’re they?” he said weakly.
They turned as one and became face to face with a small band of riders. The horses on which these people rode on looked to be made of fabric: all patchwork and quilts, and the riders themselves were grey or light brown in skin tone.
“They would be the natives of this planet,” said the Doctor.
The one considered the leader came forward and aimed a very sharp spear at them.
“Under the law of my people, you are under arrest.”
“On what charge?” Angel said.
The leader smirked. “For being aliens.”
Angel scowled.
“Ooo, told you, hadn’t he?” said Doris.
“My good man,” said the Doctor. “We really mean no harm. We’re just passing through.”
“You,” said the leader, training the spear at the Doctor, “have no say. You have parked your… blue box in an illegal area.”
“I’m terribly sorry for that,” the Doctor replied. “We shall be on our way, if that’s what you wish.”
“I guess I didn’t make myself very clear: you are our prisoners.”
The other riders produced spears or crossbows and aimed them at the Doctor and his police companions. Out of habit, they raised their hands in surrender. Angel swore under his breath: he left his gun in the TARDIS!
“Now what, Doctor?” Angel sneered.
“Now, we go with them peacefully.”
.-.
They were taken to the city on the off skirts of the forest. As they left the colorful woods, the Doctor noticed a sign by the path they walked out from.
“Keep out,” he read. “Signed, the King. Oh, that explains things.”
“What’s gonna happen to us?” Danny asked, feeling a bit more scared now.
“Chin up, Danny,” said Angel. “Don’t lose your head.”
“Too right, Sergeant,” said the Doctor. “I’m sure once we explain our situation to them they’ll let us go.”
“Are you sure, Doctor?” said Doris. “Have you had enough experience that you can tell these things?”
“Well,” the Doctor began. The outer urban like town was before them, and a few miles passed the town was the big city. It almost felt like they were following a yellow brick road. “You can never judge a book by its cover, that’s what I’ve learned.”
The trek through the town was long and boring; at least it would be for those who were born and raised there. To the newcomers, it was quite amazing to see a civilization on a different planet. The people there looked human enough except for the skin tone and obvious texture; these beings weren’t made of flesh like the Doctor, Angel and his partners were… they were made of clay. Maybe not just clay, but soil, earth, ground, and bits of rock. These people were literally from the land.
Their houses were also made from the ground, but mostly stone, wood, and leaves. Their gardens were filled with flowers of all kinds, and fruit trees and vegetables fields could be seen beyond their backyards.
“If we ever questioned these people we’d definitely get the dirt.”
“Ha! Good one, Doris!” laughed Danny.
“Thanks.”
“I’m surprised that joke was decent,” said Angel.
“Oh, I could have said the obvious; like how dirty I’d feel shagging one of these…”
“Shush,” the Doctor warned. “You’re as bad as Jack.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Jack Harkness… you don’t know him.”
“Sounds like someone I wouldn’t mind knowing!” she snickered.
“True. You’d probably get on well.”
“Is he a friend of yours?” Angel asked.
“Yeah,” said the Doctor.
“Same thing you are?” asked Danny, still a bit awestruck by all this.
“No, he’s human… just not a normal human.”
“Kind of like our sergeant here?” said Doris, smiling.
Angel leered dangerously. “Watch it, Constable.”
“Sorry. It was only a joke.”
“To answer your question: No, Jack is an immortal.”
“Cor, there really are immortals on Earth?” said Danny. “Can we meet him when we get off this planet?”
“If we do, yeah,” said the Doctor.
“What do you mean ‘if’?” said Danny, frightened again.
“Stay calm, Danny,” Angel reminded.
Danny took a few deep breaths, trying to do as he was told.
When they arrived at the gates to the castle, located in the middle of the city, the leader of the riders-whom the Doctor guessed was the Captain-ushered them inside with his spear pointed at their backs. The other riders stayed outside with their horses.
“Have a weapon on you?” Angel quietly asked the Doctor.
“Yes, but let’s not resort to violence,” he said seriously. “We need to show them we mean no harm.”
“You know, if you had just come along quietly with me this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You think so?”
“Yes!” Angel hissed. “Instead of just coming with me and my partners on Earth we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“You called me partner!” Doris beamed, having overheard what Angel said.
Angel sighed. “Not now, Doris.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Well…” said the Doctor. “I’ve had many relations with humans, so I figured once I showed my sincerity in another time and place, you’d be more understanding and let me go. If I was stuck in your jail, I wouldn’t get much of a chance to prove my worth, and besides that you’d try to dissect me to see what makes me tick, and that, my dear Angel, I could do without.”
“Where as these aliens might dissect us all,” Angel said.
“Well, no. I don’t think they would do that.”
“How do you know?” asked Doris.
“They have other methods besides cutting bodies open.”
“They seem primitive to me,” said Danny.
“Yes and no,” said the Doctor. “The townsfolk might seem a bit like cavemen to you, but these city folk, the royalty, are very advanced in their technology. It’s just the way they are; the rich and noble get the goodies while the poor and ordinary get…”
“The sticks and stones?” Danny provided.
“Er, yes. That’s one way of putting it.”
They’re put into a lift, along with the Captain and his pointy stick. The lift rattles a little before rising to the top.
“I thought you didn’t know about these people?” Angel said.
“Did I ever say that? No, it’s just that I’ve never visited this planet before, but I’ve learned of its culture and people. Well, it was so long ago since I read about them back on Gallifrey.”
They stepped off the lift and followed the guards to the double doors at the end of the hallway. The Captain with his pointy stick was still behind them.
“Is Gallifrey your home world?” Danny asked.
“Yes,” said the Doctor. When he didn’t elaborate, Danny opened his mouth to ask, but when Doris saw the grievous expression on the Doctor’s face she elbowed Danny and shook her head.
“What?” he whispered, but they were interrupted by the double doors of the throne room being opened and a voice announcing, “May I present the ruler of Terra-cotta: His Majesty, King Jasper Honewort.” They entered the room mostly without their consent.
The Doctor did as his instincts told him: he bowed on one knee. Doris decided to follow the Doctor’s example, and then so did Danny. Angel stood there for a second before realizing he was gaining himself a bad reputation for not bowing, so he quickly went down on one knee and bowed low.
The king was larger and heftier looking than the others. It was only logical that the ruler of Terra-cotta was bigger in stature than the peasants. The crown on the king’s head was the only bright thing on him: it was gold with blood-red jewels all around it. The outfit he wore was dark browns, reds, and oranges. His eyes were cold and hard, and his mouth was cracked and crumbly from age. He pointed a grey, sharp finger at them as he spoke.
“State your names and business,” he boomed. “And what were you doing in my color-wood?”
“Your Majesty,” said the Doctor respectively, looking up. “I am the Doctor. We didn’t mean to trespass in your land.”
“The Doctor?” said the king. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Well,” the Doctor grinned, slowly getting up to his feet. “I’ve been around your galaxy, but I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting your planet yet. Well, until now anyway.”
“You are from outer space?” the king said, shocked.
“Yes,” said the Doctor. “I’m a Time Lord.”
The courtroom murmured and whispered to themselves at the revelation. The king looked thoughtful.
“I believe I’ve heard of your kind.”
“Brilliant!” the Doctor beamed.
“And I don’t care for it.”
“Oh,” the Doctor’s smile faded.
“But there is one good thing that can come out of this.”
“Oh, is there?” said the Doctor hopefully.
“Yes,” said the king, smiling mischievously. “Your powers of regeneration.”
The court whispered more excitedly now, the king smirked, and the Doctor stared in disbelief.
“I don’t understand,” said the Doctor. “Just how do you think you can gain these powers I have? It can’t be done.”
“We shall see, Doctor,” the king smirked. “Guardsmen, take the Doctor and his friends to cell One.”
“Wait, we’re not Time Lords!” Angel protested loudly as a guard manhandled him.
“Oh, yes,” said King Jasper. “That’s right. Guardsmen, put his three friends into cell Two.”
“No, wait!” the Doctor cried, trying to yank himself away from the guard. “Let them stay with me… wait!”
“You’ll see them in good time, Doctor,” said King Jasper.
Angel looked back as he and his partners are roughly pulled to the opposite side of the room. The Doctor met his gaze.
He didn’t know what came over him; he had no idea he’d feel fear like this before, and seeing the Doctor get torn away from them brought dread into his stomach. What was to become of them now? What was to become of the peace-loving Time Lord?
“Doctor…” Angel mouthed softly.
“Angel,” the Doctor mouthed back. He feared for the sergeant’s life more than himself.
TBC
Part One
Part Three
Fuzz In Time - part two
Fandom: Doctor Who/Hot Fuzz
Pairings: Doctor Ten/Nicholas Angel
Rating: PG-13 (this chapter; rating will go up later)
Warnings: AU, slash, crossover, slight fluff, some drama
Notes: My muse wanted to write this ever since I saw Hot Fuzz. I’m just starting in the Doctor Who fandom also, so please let me know if I got anything wrong.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to those people at the BBC and Hot Fuzz belongs to Working Title and the lovely, hot, and creative Simon Pegg and friend Edgar Wright.
.-.
“What’s happening? What’s going on?” Doris said, panicking.
“We’re leaving,” said the Doctor.
“We’re what?” gasped Doris, eyes going wide.
“You mean we’re in space?” said Danny, awestruck.
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” said the Doctor. He fiddled with the console’s button and knobs. “Ah, we should be there very soon.”
“Where?” demanded Angel. “Where are you taking us?”
“Dunno, actually,” smiled the Doctor. “Wherever the TARDIS wants to take us.”
Angel suddenly snatched the gun out of Danny’s holster and pointed it straight at the Doctor. The Doctor slowly looked up, face staying neutral.
“Nicholas!” Danny gasped; he had forgotten that he still had his gun on him.
“Take us back this instant or there will be alien guts decorating the inside of this ship!”
“Sergeant, no!” Doris pleaded.
The Doctor raised his chin. “You really don’t want to do that.”
“Really? Give me one good reason not to.”
“Actually, I can give you two. First off, you’ll be stuck on another planet without a way back home. The TARDIS will only respond to me.”
Angel was reluctant to admit it, but the Doctor had a very good reason. “So, what’s the other reason?”
The Doctor smiled. “If you shoot me, I won’t die; I’ll regenerate.”
“You’ll what?” said Danny.
“Regenerate,” repeated the Doctor. “It’s a way we Time Lords cheat death.”
“That’s what you’re called?” said Doris. “A Time Lord?”
“Yes,” said the Doctor.
Angel lowered the gun, but kept his gaze on the Doctor. “Take us back.”
“And be your prisoner? So you could figure out what makes me tick? So you could imprison me simply because I’m not human?”
Angel kept staring, apparently at a loss of words.
“Oh, come on, Nicholas,” said Danny. “He seems harmless enough.”
Angel turned to face his friend. “You call kidnapping three police officers harmless?”
“You were going to arrest him only because he’s an alien.”
Angel was about to argue, but then he spun to face the Doctor when he spoke up.
“I won’t harm you, I swear,” said the Doctor. “I’ve had many human assistants before.”
“Oh, and what happened to them?”
“Brought them back home, of course,” said the Doctor, not wanting to elaborate or get into the details of his assistants.
“Safely?”
Again, the Doctor didn’t wish to get into the details. “More or less, yes.”
“Who was your last assistant?” Danny asked.
The Doctor smiled. “Martha Jones. She was something else.” He smiled at the memory, but then it slowly faded. “She wanted to be a doctor.”
“Are you an actual doctor?” Doris asked.
“Not exactly, but I’m a man of science.”
“Why call yourself the Doctor then?”
The Doctor smiled softly. “I like making others better, and help them whenever I can.”
“Aw, isn’t that great, Nicholas?” said Danny.
Angel sighed; he knew he was overruled in the issue, so he set the gun down on the console, sat heavily on the sofa, and put his head in his hands.
“I think it’ll be great,” said Doris. “Exploring other worlds, helping other beings! What do you think, sir?”
Angel grumbled, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Well, we are police officers,” said Danny. “Just think of the lives we’ll save.”
“What about those on Earth?” argued Angel. “The team needs us.”
“It’s taken care of,” said the Doctor. “Besides, when I bring you back it’ll be as if you never left.”
“What do you mean?” Angel asked.
“You know,” the Doctor wiggled his fingers around. “Wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey.”
Doris giggled.
“He’s rather cute, isn’t he?” she whispered to them. Danny shrugged one shoulder in nonchalance, but it made Angel look up into the Doctor’s face. Yeah, the Doctor was rather attractive, for a bloke; and skinny. But he was still an alien, right?
The Doctor placed his glasses on and looked into the view screen. “Ah, we’ve arrived. Well, are you all ready for this adventure?”
“Do we have a choice?” Angel sighed.
“Come on, sir,” said Doris, nudging him. “Don’t keep that stick up your butt.”
Angel glowered at her, and she looked away innocently. Danny clapped him on the shoulder.
“Come on, let’s have a new adventure with the Doctor!”
“I’m outnumbered, aren’t I?” Angel grumbled, standing up to follow them out.
It was the most extraordinary sight he had witnessed yet: the forest they were in was more than green, it was also blue, pink, violet, red, orange, yellow, and silver. The sky was a pale red, almost red-orange near the horizon, and the trees were bent in the oddest shapes. They didn’t even look wooden.
“By the power of greyskull!” muttered Danny as he stood by Angel’s side. Doris stood on Angel’s right.
“It looks like we landed in a Dr. Seuss book!” she said, gobsmacked.
“Not quite,” said the Doctor behind them. “But there is an odd resemblance. Good man, Dr. Seuss. Brilliant writer.”
“You knew him?” said Danny, awed. The Doctor smiled at him. Angel nudged him.
“Let’s not get off course,” he said. He stared at the Doctor who was walking around and gazing at everything. The Doctor really looked out of place in the colorful plantlife with his brown trench coat and pin-striped suit.
“We should stick close to the Doctor, right?” said Doris.
“Yes, that would be wise,” said Angel. They followed the Doctor around the strange woods.
“Where are we, Doctor?” Danny asked excitedly.
“Not too far from the Milky Way.”
“What planet?”
“Terra-cotta, if memory serves me correctly.”
“Terra-cotta?” said Angel, staring dubiously at the Doctor. “Isn’t that another word for clay?”
The Doctor cuffed Angel on the chin lightly. “You’re better than advertised, aren’t you?”
Surprisingly to Danny and Doris, Angel floundered for something to say, cheeks flushing light pink.
“All right?” Danny asked him, gripping his arm.
“Yeah, fine,” said Angel, not taking his eyes off the Doctor.
The Doctor smiled, and Doris swooned faintly and Angel continued to stare. Danny, however, was looking at something else entirely.
“Who’re they?” he said weakly.
They turned as one and became face to face with a small band of riders. The horses on which these people rode on looked to be made of fabric: all patchwork and quilts, and the riders themselves were grey or light brown in skin tone.
“They would be the natives of this planet,” said the Doctor.
The one considered the leader came forward and aimed a very sharp spear at them.
“Under the law of my people, you are under arrest.”
“On what charge?” Angel said.
The leader smirked. “For being aliens.”
Angel scowled.
“Ooo, told you, hadn’t he?” said Doris.
“My good man,” said the Doctor. “We really mean no harm. We’re just passing through.”
“You,” said the leader, training the spear at the Doctor, “have no say. You have parked your… blue box in an illegal area.”
“I’m terribly sorry for that,” the Doctor replied. “We shall be on our way, if that’s what you wish.”
“I guess I didn’t make myself very clear: you are our prisoners.”
The other riders produced spears or crossbows and aimed them at the Doctor and his police companions. Out of habit, they raised their hands in surrender. Angel swore under his breath: he left his gun in the TARDIS!
“Now what, Doctor?” Angel sneered.
“Now, we go with them peacefully.”
.-.
They were taken to the city on the off skirts of the forest. As they left the colorful woods, the Doctor noticed a sign by the path they walked out from.
“Keep out,” he read. “Signed, the King. Oh, that explains things.”
“What’s gonna happen to us?” Danny asked, feeling a bit more scared now.
“Chin up, Danny,” said Angel. “Don’t lose your head.”
“Too right, Sergeant,” said the Doctor. “I’m sure once we explain our situation to them they’ll let us go.”
“Are you sure, Doctor?” said Doris. “Have you had enough experience that you can tell these things?”
“Well,” the Doctor began. The outer urban like town was before them, and a few miles passed the town was the big city. It almost felt like they were following a yellow brick road. “You can never judge a book by its cover, that’s what I’ve learned.”
The trek through the town was long and boring; at least it would be for those who were born and raised there. To the newcomers, it was quite amazing to see a civilization on a different planet. The people there looked human enough except for the skin tone and obvious texture; these beings weren’t made of flesh like the Doctor, Angel and his partners were… they were made of clay. Maybe not just clay, but soil, earth, ground, and bits of rock. These people were literally from the land.
Their houses were also made from the ground, but mostly stone, wood, and leaves. Their gardens were filled with flowers of all kinds, and fruit trees and vegetables fields could be seen beyond their backyards.
“If we ever questioned these people we’d definitely get the dirt.”
“Ha! Good one, Doris!” laughed Danny.
“Thanks.”
“I’m surprised that joke was decent,” said Angel.
“Oh, I could have said the obvious; like how dirty I’d feel shagging one of these…”
“Shush,” the Doctor warned. “You’re as bad as Jack.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Jack Harkness… you don’t know him.”
“Sounds like someone I wouldn’t mind knowing!” she snickered.
“True. You’d probably get on well.”
“Is he a friend of yours?” Angel asked.
“Yeah,” said the Doctor.
“Same thing you are?” asked Danny, still a bit awestruck by all this.
“No, he’s human… just not a normal human.”
“Kind of like our sergeant here?” said Doris, smiling.
Angel leered dangerously. “Watch it, Constable.”
“Sorry. It was only a joke.”
“To answer your question: No, Jack is an immortal.”
“Cor, there really are immortals on Earth?” said Danny. “Can we meet him when we get off this planet?”
“If we do, yeah,” said the Doctor.
“What do you mean ‘if’?” said Danny, frightened again.
“Stay calm, Danny,” Angel reminded.
Danny took a few deep breaths, trying to do as he was told.
When they arrived at the gates to the castle, located in the middle of the city, the leader of the riders-whom the Doctor guessed was the Captain-ushered them inside with his spear pointed at their backs. The other riders stayed outside with their horses.
“Have a weapon on you?” Angel quietly asked the Doctor.
“Yes, but let’s not resort to violence,” he said seriously. “We need to show them we mean no harm.”
“You know, if you had just come along quietly with me this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You think so?”
“Yes!” Angel hissed. “Instead of just coming with me and my partners on Earth we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“You called me partner!” Doris beamed, having overheard what Angel said.
Angel sighed. “Not now, Doris.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Well…” said the Doctor. “I’ve had many relations with humans, so I figured once I showed my sincerity in another time and place, you’d be more understanding and let me go. If I was stuck in your jail, I wouldn’t get much of a chance to prove my worth, and besides that you’d try to dissect me to see what makes me tick, and that, my dear Angel, I could do without.”
“Where as these aliens might dissect us all,” Angel said.
“Well, no. I don’t think they would do that.”
“How do you know?” asked Doris.
“They have other methods besides cutting bodies open.”
“They seem primitive to me,” said Danny.
“Yes and no,” said the Doctor. “The townsfolk might seem a bit like cavemen to you, but these city folk, the royalty, are very advanced in their technology. It’s just the way they are; the rich and noble get the goodies while the poor and ordinary get…”
“The sticks and stones?” Danny provided.
“Er, yes. That’s one way of putting it.”
They’re put into a lift, along with the Captain and his pointy stick. The lift rattles a little before rising to the top.
“I thought you didn’t know about these people?” Angel said.
“Did I ever say that? No, it’s just that I’ve never visited this planet before, but I’ve learned of its culture and people. Well, it was so long ago since I read about them back on Gallifrey.”
They stepped off the lift and followed the guards to the double doors at the end of the hallway. The Captain with his pointy stick was still behind them.
“Is Gallifrey your home world?” Danny asked.
“Yes,” said the Doctor. When he didn’t elaborate, Danny opened his mouth to ask, but when Doris saw the grievous expression on the Doctor’s face she elbowed Danny and shook her head.
“What?” he whispered, but they were interrupted by the double doors of the throne room being opened and a voice announcing, “May I present the ruler of Terra-cotta: His Majesty, King Jasper Honewort.” They entered the room mostly without their consent.
The Doctor did as his instincts told him: he bowed on one knee. Doris decided to follow the Doctor’s example, and then so did Danny. Angel stood there for a second before realizing he was gaining himself a bad reputation for not bowing, so he quickly went down on one knee and bowed low.
The king was larger and heftier looking than the others. It was only logical that the ruler of Terra-cotta was bigger in stature than the peasants. The crown on the king’s head was the only bright thing on him: it was gold with blood-red jewels all around it. The outfit he wore was dark browns, reds, and oranges. His eyes were cold and hard, and his mouth was cracked and crumbly from age. He pointed a grey, sharp finger at them as he spoke.
“State your names and business,” he boomed. “And what were you doing in my color-wood?”
“Your Majesty,” said the Doctor respectively, looking up. “I am the Doctor. We didn’t mean to trespass in your land.”
“The Doctor?” said the king. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Well,” the Doctor grinned, slowly getting up to his feet. “I’ve been around your galaxy, but I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting your planet yet. Well, until now anyway.”
“You are from outer space?” the king said, shocked.
“Yes,” said the Doctor. “I’m a Time Lord.”
The courtroom murmured and whispered to themselves at the revelation. The king looked thoughtful.
“I believe I’ve heard of your kind.”
“Brilliant!” the Doctor beamed.
“And I don’t care for it.”
“Oh,” the Doctor’s smile faded.
“But there is one good thing that can come out of this.”
“Oh, is there?” said the Doctor hopefully.
“Yes,” said the king, smiling mischievously. “Your powers of regeneration.”
The court whispered more excitedly now, the king smirked, and the Doctor stared in disbelief.
“I don’t understand,” said the Doctor. “Just how do you think you can gain these powers I have? It can’t be done.”
“We shall see, Doctor,” the king smirked. “Guardsmen, take the Doctor and his friends to cell One.”
“Wait, we’re not Time Lords!” Angel protested loudly as a guard manhandled him.
“Oh, yes,” said King Jasper. “That’s right. Guardsmen, put his three friends into cell Two.”
“No, wait!” the Doctor cried, trying to yank himself away from the guard. “Let them stay with me… wait!”
“You’ll see them in good time, Doctor,” said King Jasper.
Angel looked back as he and his partners are roughly pulled to the opposite side of the room. The Doctor met his gaze.
He didn’t know what came over him; he had no idea he’d feel fear like this before, and seeing the Doctor get torn away from them brought dread into his stomach. What was to become of them now? What was to become of the peace-loving Time Lord?
“Doctor…” Angel mouthed softly.
“Angel,” the Doctor mouthed back. He feared for the sergeant’s life more than himself.
TBC