The
enemy was defeated, caught in their own trap. The shattered remains
of their travel pod littered the green hillside. The aliens, pitiable
in death, blankly regarded the sky. That should have been that, Ace
thought later, but then a familiar sound began to build around them.
The Professor grabbed her hand and they ran to the tree-line as
another Tardis materialized.
She
didn't need to ask. She knew. This was one of them,
the younger Doctors.
The
Professor hushed her questions so she watched in silence as a
red-haired man in a gold coat and two girls -- twins, Ace guessed –
studied the wreckage. The man knelt by one of the corpses and closed
its eyes. The twins, long-haired and delicate, held hands and bowed
heads.
Their
inspection finished, he ushered the two sombre girls into the distant Tardis,
and even here his voice sent chills down Ace's spine.
So warm, so wise, so joyous. She glanced at the Professor, hunkered
behind the wall. His frown was unreadable, his eyes fixed on a faraway
place. Compared to the vibrant stranger he seemed small, drab
and threadbare. For the briefest of seconds she wanted to run and
escape with the other Doctor. But then she imagined herself beside
the willowy twins. No, no. She reached and found his hand and he
squeezed. His ancient eyes found hers.
'Every
now and again something happens, and the clock shifts,' he said.
'Time
shifts?'
He
nodded. 'And we see, clearly, what we once were, but from the
outside. The observer, not the observed.'
The
stranger on the hill now stood patiently outside his Tardis.
No, Ace thought, the Tardis.
But what was he waiting for?
Reading
her mind, the Doctor stood from behind the wall and tipped his hat to
his counterpart. Ace stood too and when the stranger saw her Ace
thought his knees weakened a little.
'They
are strange moments, but beautiful,' murmured her Doctor.
The
stranger indicated the wreckage, the carnage, and shook an
admonishing finger. But at that moment the heavy clouds parted and
brilliant wet sunshine bathed the scene. Red hair blazing, he
surveyed the green countryside. Then he faced them and bowed deeply.
Doffing an invisible cap, he entered his ship and was gone.
'Gordon
Bennet, that was weird!' said Ace. 'So, which one was that? One, two,
five?'
The
Professor smiled, then grinned.
'I've
no idea, Ace. Never seen him before!'
written
by
JULIE KAY and AL DICKERSON
JULIE KAY and AL DICKERSON
copyright
2013
artwork by
artwork by