Stories of Who Series 2 Episode 2: Council of Delor

Janet Wilkinson arose inside of a capsule on the planet Delor. She had no recollection of what had happened to her previously. Her vision was blurry. She could not see a thing. Within time her vision slowly came back to her. In front of her she could see a woman checking if she was awake. Janet was confused.

“Who are you guys? What the hell am I doing here? Where is the Doctor?”

The three women looked at each other before glaring at Janet. Janet was still as confused as she was before. She needed answers.

“I’m so sorry,” Replied one of the women, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Janet chuckled. “I haven’t lost anyone. Apart from Lydia but-”

“The Doctor. The Doctor is dead.”

Janet looked confused. She didn’t think the Doctor could die. She believed he could regenerate whenever he would be put in a position when any ordinary person would drop dead. She was still as confused as before.

“What do you mean the Doctor is dead? The Doctor isn’t dead. Are you sure you’ve got the right man? Where am I?”

“Things have changed, Janet. We can see differences in time, but now the Dimension Bridge is beginning to open due to the change of specific actions. From what we can see these actions haven’t happened yet in your timeline but they have here.”

“So the Doctor-Is he here?”

“The Doctor’s dead. We told you.”

One of the women shifted towards the capsules which Janet had been stored inside. She opened one of them, revealing a body unfamiliar to Janet. She shrugged. He was a tall dark haired man in his early thirties.

“This isn’t the Doctor you are aware of, Janet. This is a Doctor in the past. Times have changed. Times will change for you too.”

Janet looked in shock. “The Doctor can’t be dead. It’s a trick. It must be.”

“I wish it was, Janet. The Doctor has come here a few times in his lifetime, but at least he can rest knowing that you are safe and well. Of course, the TARDIS is here so you can pilot your way back home to wherever you come from.”

Janet couldn’t quite believe what she had heard. She sat down. “You people seem to have cosmic powers of some kind. Can you tell me how he died?”

“If you knew that, then the events will never happen. These events need to happen in order for the great game to pan out.”

“The great game? Sorry, you’re talking nonsense.”

“You’ll see, Janet. The great game shall come to us all.”

Three of the members of the council of Delor emerged inside of a courtroom type building centred in the core of the planet. One of which was the Leader of the council-Warlock, who knew desperate measures were needed in order for the safety of the council to be kept. The great ancient scrolls of Delor had prophesied that an invasion on this very date would potentially wipe out the Council of Delor, unless they killed the residents of the planet.

The Council needed to continue, even if it meant sacrificing the lives of everyone else on Delor. They had made the decision that the deaths of the citizens was a necessary approach. They had to do it without making it obvious.

During the greatest parade ever known to the people of Delor, the Time Lord known as the Doctor strolled along the streets of the planet. Suddenly, a gunshot emerges, forcing the Doctor to duck below a table. He tapped a woman who was also ducking behind this said table to protect her and her child.

“Hiya, excuse me,” He whispered, “What’s going on?”

The woman cried. “The day has come. The Council have to make their sacrifice.”

A gunshot killed the woman and her child. The Doctor leaped out from under the table and waved towards one of the Guards who were shooting the residents.

“Excuse me, Hiya, my name’s the Doctor and I’m here to ask you what the hell you think you’re doing? Is this some act of terrorism or something?”

The Guard remained silent. The Doctor moved closer.

“Did you hear me? I said: Is this some act of terrorism or something?”

A figure emerged from behind the Guard. “We need to do whatever is necessary to bring the continuation of the council. My name is Warlock, leader of the Council of this planet. If the prophecy comes true and we don’t kill the civilians of this planet, we die.”

“But what if the prophecy isn’t true? What if this rumour you’ve been hearing all this time is just a stupid trick? You don’t need to kill any more people here today. Whatever danger you will face today, I shall help you.”

“Very well. Your name was the Doctor, wasn’t it?”

The Doctor nodded before following Warlock towards the Council chambers. The chambers were a grand old place filled with tapestries and great art, with architecture beyond your wildest dreams. It was a vivid, wondrous place which was a joy to behold. The Doctor followed Warlock through the corridors of the building before reaching the main room, where the other two leaders of the Council sat.

“Welcome, Doctor,” Another member of the Council began, “We foresaw your arrival here in Delor today. It seems you are quite a legend.”

“Yes, I think I am. Now, you’ve got a problem. The prophecy claimed that you have to kill the people of Delor otherwise you will die?”

“No, Doctor. There was no prophecy.”

The Doctor looked confused. “Sorry, what? You said there was a prophecy?”

Warlock interrupted. “We created the prophecy many years ago when we first foresaw your arrival. You see, me and the other members of the Council need life forces to survive, and if we gain a Time Lord’s, then we could potentially be infinite. We created the prophecy as something to grab your attention. If we started killing people, you would make a stand and do anything to stop it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. You created scrolls and killed your people just so you could get me here to expand your life force?”

“Yes, Doctor. This is your decimation.”

Suddenly, the Doctor vanished. The three members of the Council looked around. The Leader of the Council in particular was stunned.

“The Doctor has disappeared. He must have found a way to escape. We must find him, as if we don’t our council shall become extinct.”

Meanwhile, the women handed Janet a hot drink. She was still struggling to cope with the news of the Doctor’s apparent death. She refused to believe it. It wasn’t possible, it can’t have been. She had seen the Doctor change his whole form before, so why couldn’t he just cheat death by doing it again? And the body she had seen did not resemble the Doctor in any shape or form. He wasn’t dead, Janet believed. He couldn’t be. One of the women sat down next to her.

“Tell me, Janet. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that all of this is ridiculous. I mean the last thing I remember we were on the planet of the Chair people and then, I just woke up here and you told me the Doctor was dead. That man in the casket isn’t the Doctor.”

“It is the Doctor, Janet. The Time Lords-his people-they can change their form. But one of the Doctors enemies found a method of killing a Time Lord permanently so they could never return. Sadly, during his tenth regeneration, he was killed using this method.”

“I don’t know how many incarnations in the Doctor was when I knew him. He could be the second, or the seventh, or the ninth.”

“Well, the Doctor died during his tenth incarnation on the ship called the Valiant. Your planet, Earth, had just been invaded by the Master, and he found a way to kill the Doctor.”

“This Invasion, when did it happen?”

“2007,” The woman responded.

“But the Invasion must have ended, unless it took place on one of the Alternative universes. I live in the year 2019 so-”

“Time isn’t a set course. Anything can happen.”

Suddenly, three humanoid beings burst into the area armed and deadly. They were the three leaders of the all powerful Council which contains Warlock, Zandar and Percival. The women held their hands up in surrender.

Warlock chuckled. “Do you think surrendering yourself will make a difference.”

One of the women frowned. “What do you want here Warlock?”

“The Council is dying out. We need life force in order to keep us alive. However, we need a life force which could sustain us, so we came to the Sisterhood of Delor, the Immortal and all powerful beings. You could grant us eternal life.”

“Do you know why we have eternal life, Warlock? Because we keep on surviving. We are only immortal if nobody kills us.”

“I have thought of that.”

“Yes, but that’s the thing. Nobody can kill us. We may look like weak and feeble old women, but really we are all powerful. We are invincible. We shall survive forever, but the council shall not.”

“Is this gearing up for a battle then? You believe you are all powerful however we have more power than you could ever imagine. We have weapons.”

“And we don’t need them.”

One of the women points towards a grenade a few metres away and throws it towards the three council members, killing them instantly. Suddenly, a whole host of the Councils Guards emerged. One of the women shifted towards Janet.

“This is our battle and not yours. The Council have been a plague to this planet ever since they formed. It’s the Sisterhood’s job to rid Delor of said plague. This is our battle, but you have your own. You must fight. Go, find the Doctor. Save him, there’s still chance.”

Janet looked at her. “But you said the Doctor was dead?”

“Time can be rewritten, Janet. If you don’t know that by now, I don’t know how you’ve been travelling with the Doctor. Now go.”

Janet leaped inside of the TARDIS. She clicked a few buttons causing the ship to dematerialise. She looked around her as she struggled to figure out what to do next. She had to find the Doctor somehow. Hung up on a nearby cloak hanger was one of the Doctors clothes which she placed inside of one of the sections of the TARDIS console. The ship then piloted its way to its next destination. She opened the door, but it led to nothingness. Sheer nothingness. It seemed that the Doctors current incarnation had somehow ceased to exist. She didn’t understand how yet, but she was determined to. She had to find the Doctor. She couldn’t survive without him. Or she could just return to Manchester, but that’s not what one of the Time Lord’s companions would do. She had to do something.

She tried to do the same thing with another piece of the Doctor’s clothing but again opened the door up to nothingness. She was beginning to lose all hope. Suddenly, the engines of the TARDIS began to reconfigure and the ship dematerialised. When the TARDIS arrived at its destination, she stepped outside to see that she had returned to 21st Century Manchester. She strolled through the streets of the city until she reached her house. She opened the door to her home but it was empty. A few seconds later, she heard a knock on the door. It was Charlotte Wilkinson.

“Hello, Janet, can I come in please? I’ve got some of your stuff.”

She chucked a bag on the floor. Janet grinned.

“Look, Janet, you haven’t had the chance to speak to me about the Divorce after we made a decision. I had the chance to talk to you but that doesn’t matter. Look, I’ve had a long period so I’d just like to get all of this out of the way.”

“I’m confused, Charlotte. Look, the Doctor’s dead.”

“No, he isn’t. Time’s just slightly more complicated than you think. Look, I need to talk. After all that happened between the two of us I decided to take a job at UNIT. It’s been a busy while for us recently here, and my brain has practically melted. Just open the bag.”

Janet knelt down to unravel the bag. The Doctor leaped out of it and grinned.

“Doctor?” Janet grinned. “The sisterhood told me you have died.”

“You can’t always trust the Sisterhood of Delor, Janet. Do you really think I could die?”

“There was this man who they said was you. This guy in a brown suit. They said somebody had found a way to kill you. I don’t understand.”

“Oh you will understand. It’s a long story, isn’t it, Charlotte?”

Charlotte nodded. “A very long story.”

“Anyhow, Charlotte, it’s been nice to see you again. I hope the next times we meet it won’t be in the midst of an Invasion, but you’re a member of UNIT so it probably will. And Janet, let’s go to the TARDIS. The universe awaits us!”

Janet paused. “Yeah, just a minute. I need to talk to Charlotte.”

“I understand, Janet. Come to the TARDIS when you’re ready.”

Janet and Charlotte looked at each other but remained in silence for a moment. Even after everything the two of them had experienced during life with the Doctor and at UNIT, the worst thing they had faced were the consequences of the divorce. They still stood in silence, unsure what to say. It was Charlotte who started the conversation again.

“Look, Janet, I know things are awkward between us but I’m sure after a while it’ll get easier. Travelling with the Doctor doesn’t make anything easier because you’re putting everything on delay, and you’ll find out that delay is never a good thing. Time cannot heal wounds. The TARDIS cannot heal wounds. The only thing that can heal the wounds that we face are ourselves. We need to move past this. We need to live our lifes.”

Janet nodded. “I know. On the day we got married, I thought the two of us were meant to be but it’s clear we weren’t. We never loved each other. But in many ways, we were meant for each other. I mean, I get to travel with the Doctor and you get to work at UNIT. Those things wouldn’t have happened if the two of us didn’t meet, I’m sure. I will deal with the rifts left by our divorce, but the Doctor and the TARDIS await me first.”

Charlotte sighed. “I understand. I know how exciting travelling with the Doctor can be sometimes. Just be safe, because even after all that has happened in the last little while between the two of us, I still care about you.”

Janet smiled briefly before departing her house. She saw the TARDIS in front of her and ran towards it. She hurried towards the console but before she could reach it, it departed its destination. Charlotte rushed out to see the TARDIS leave, but it was already gone, without Janet this time.

Inside of the TARDIS, the Doctor couldn’t figure out why the TARDIS had done this. He had lost power over the controls. Soon, the ship materialised at its next destination.

“Janet will think I’ve left her of my own accord. Why did you do that, old girl? Why do you always have to do things like that to me?”

He left the ship where in front of him he saw the people of Victorian London living their lives. He had a joyous expression on his face. The Victorian era of the planet Earth was one of his favourites. He hurried back inside, grabbed some Victorian getter and departed the console once again. He was wearing a Victorian top-hat, a fancy suit and black trousers, all of which suited him. He shifted through the streets of Victorian London. A man, wearing similar clothing to him, stood in front of him. The Doctor tapped this man on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, sir, what year is this?”

The man stabbed him, knocking him to the ground, as he carried the Doctor away in his hands.

Next Week: Dangerous Allies