Stories of Who Series 2 Episode 3: Dangerous Allies

Victorian England was a wondrous time for the planet Earth. Queen Victoria was the Monarch, and the world was graced with so many new technological advancements that would change the planet as we knew it. It was not all positive though. Looking back on it now, the treatment of the poor was rather unacceptable, as surveyed in various literature texts. The Victorians were memorable for many things, some honourable, some not. The Time Lord known as the Doctor had just arrived in the period. And he’d already been stabbed, carried away and kidnapped.

Two men, wearing traditional Victorian male costumes, carried the Doctor away through the streets of Victorian London. Everybody else just carried on their usual business. They carried him away, chucked him on the back of a cart and leaped inside as they dictated the horse leading the carriage. It led the two men, and the now blindfolded Doctor, to a country house.

When they reached the house, the two men released the Doctor’s blindfold and carried him towards the front gate. They were walking incredibly slowly. A woman stood at the gateway, but they managed to enter without her noticing. The men carried the Doctor through the hallways of the Country house before reaching a living room type area, where they chucked the Time Lord on the floor. A posh looking man entered, occupied by two women, who were his daughters.

The man stepped forward. “Ah we have another one! He looks like a strong applicant-we could use him well.” He gave out his hand to help the Doctor up off the floor. “There you go, dear chap, you must be rather confused. We can tell you everything here because there’s no chance you’ll leave. My name is Reginald Scott, the owner of this house. You should be grateful that my men took you here. Only a select few have an honour of reaching this house to serve the purpose that you shall be achieving.”

“I applaud your plan. How did you get me here without anyone noticing?”

“We used something called a perception filter. People know you are there but they just can’t quite recognise you. It’s a nice bit of technology we gained from a thing called the Torchwood Institute which Queen Victoria recently established. May I ask for your name?”

“My name is-” The Doctor wanted to know what was going on so did not want to reveal his true alien identity yet. “My name is John Smith.”

“John Smith. Your mother and father must not have been the most creative of people, but at least they made sure that you could serve your purpose. Today, John, you shall be blessed with serving Reginald and the other members of the Scott family-something very few people get to do. You may not enjoy what will happen to you today, but you should be honoured that you have received this opportunity.”

“So what exactly are you doing?” The Doctor asked.

The two men carried the Doctor through the corridors of the Grand country house until they reached another room. The doorway was more advanced than anything he had seen in Victorian London before. It was alien. Or at least futuristic. Reginald typed in a code which released the door. A woman, with a black mask on her head, lay in a room which surpassed any technology the Doctor had witnessed in Victorian London to this time.

“I’d like you to meet my wife, Doctor,” Reginald continued, “She’s been very ill recently, so she won’t be able to talk to you. I’ll do all the talking for you.”

The Doctor pointed at her. “Why does she have the black cloth draped over her?”

“If you saw her, you wouldn’t quite believe it,” One of his daughters interrupted.

“Oh, I’m sure I will. Sorry, we haven’t been introduced.”

Reginald smiled. “Oh yes, these are my daughters-Kate and Elizabeth.”

“Nice to meet the two of you,” The Doctor remarked. “I’d just like to know which purpose I’m going to be serving here. What do you need me for?”

Reginald grinned. “As I told you, my wife has been very ill recently, and I have been mourning. I couldn’t quite cope with her loss. I found a way to bring her back. Not entirely, but there’s a way to resurrect her. You are the way.”

Reginald tore the black cloth off her face revealing an empty skeleton. The Doctor panicked. He backed away towards the exit of the building

“Look, Reginald, I’m sorry for the death of your wife and everything, but that happens. I’ve lost people recently and the only option for that is to move on. There’s no way to bring her back, I’m afraid.”

Reginald frowned. “Oh, yes there is. You, Doctor.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not interested. Please find someone else who is.”

The Doctor continued to back away towards the exit of the room but the two Guards stopped him from leaving. Reginald grabbed him and threw him to the ground.

“I told you, John, there’s no way of escaping this place.”

“And I told you, Reginald, that I’m not interested in serving your purpose.”

“I don’t need you to be interested, John.” Reginald replied. “My wife is dead, and I will do anything to resurrect her. Luckily, I’ve found a way.”

“I know more than anyone, Reginald. I’ve lost so many people in my time, but we’ve got to move on. Maybe it’s hard, maybe we don’t want to, but we have to. Grief is natural, there’s no reason to be ashamed of it. Death is natural, there’s no way to help that. Life is natural too, and the only way to live is to move on. Lots of things happen to us during our lifetime, and part of that is losing most of those whom we love. I know it’s been hard, Reginald, but killing more people won’t make you feel any better.”

“I’ll do anything to bring her back, John.”

“I know you will. I’ve gone to greater extremes than you could imagine to save those who I love. She’s dead though, and replacing her body parts by killing more people won’t bring her back. Not really. She’s just a carcass now. I’m sorry.”

Reginald paused for a moment. “I know what you mean, John. Trust me, I understand. But nothing will stop me from bringing her back.”

Reginald grabbed a cloth and placed it on the Doctors neck, knocking him unconscious instantly. Kate and Elizabeth helped him carry the body over to an operating table next to the remains of Reginald’s deceased wife. Reginald continued to speak to the Doctor while he was unconscious.

“You know, John, me and my wife spent a lot of our days together. Her name was Victoria. She had the honour of sharing the name of the monarch. She was a lovely woman from the start, and we shared the best of times.”

The Doctor woke up. “Did you just drug me? I don’t like being drugged.”

“Nobody does, but you weren’t going to back down without a fight. We’ve restrained you to the table so you cannot get up. Now then, I think it’s best to put you asleep again. We don’t really want you to feel the extreme pain.”

Before Reginald could begin to extract the Doctor’s body parts, the Time Lord managed to loosen his grip slightly. He grabbed the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and used it to create an explosion to distract the others. While they were distracted he released the restraints, but Elizabeth chucked him straight back onto the operating table.

Reginald clapped his hands together. “I knew there was something different about you, John. Your name isn’t John really, is it?” Reginald grabbed the sonic screwdriver and placed it on the side while Elizabeth and Jane restrained him once again. Reginald looked at the screwdriver. “This is an intriguing device, Doctor. I’m going to rather enjoy keeping it. Now, my daughters, I think the humane thing would be to kill him first and then extract the body parts. But I’m not the hummane man that I used to be. I shall take the eyes first.”

“Wait!” The Doctor demanded. “I’ve just got a few last words to say before you do what you’re about to do. What about the unique elements of Victoria that are irreplaceable? You won’t be able to replace those with parts of me.”

Reginald groaned. “I suppose you’re right.” He moved over to Elizabeth and touched her cheek. “I always said that Elizabeth was the dead spit of her mother.”

“You couldn’t sacrifice your daughter surely, Reginald. What if your plan doesn’t work out and you lose everything?”

“Then I’ll know that I tried my best but I didn’t succeed. I would do anything to succeed. I’m sure my daughters would die happy deaths if they knew their mother would return.”

“You’re not the nicest person I’ve ever met, I must lie.”

Reginald grabbed the cloth from nearby and touched the Doctor’s cheek. He then moved towards Elizabeth and did the same. Kate stood hopeless, not sure of what to do next. Reginald carried Elizabeth towards another operating table.

“I have tried so hard for so many years to bring my sweet Victoria back from the dead, and now look where I am. The two of you shall make a worthy sacrifice. Me and my dear wife will be back together again. This is the day I always dreamed of.”

The Doctor woke. “Please don’t do this, Reginald.”

“You can’t convince me not to, John. This is something I’ve been aspiring to do ever since the day my wife died. Now, I finally have a chance to pull it off. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?”

“No, Reginald. Trust me. You can’t bring her back.”

Reginald grabbed a tool from next to the operating table and started to move towards the Doctor with it. Suddenly, he let out a gasp in shock before collapsing to the ground. Kate had stabbed him.

“I’m sorry, Father,” Kate said, “John was right, you were never going to bring her back to life. I loved my mother as much as you did but she’s dead now and that’s what we’ve got to deal with. I won’t let you go on a murder spree just to get your own way.”

Reginald was gasping for breath. “But your mother would have returned-”

“At the cost of losing my sister. I know I’ll lose you, Dad, but you were never going to stop. This is the thing you’ve been dreaming of since the day she died, but I can’t let you risk everything else just so that could happen.”

The Doctor kneeled down by Reginald’s side. “I’ve faced death a number of times but the thing is I’ve always had the ability to come back. Sadly, you can’t. Sadly, there’s not a way for you to learn from all of this. Death can be hard, but you’ve got to get through it. Tell me about her. Tell me about your beloved Victoria. That’ll ease the process.”

Reginald grinned at the thought of his wife. “She was a lovely woman. I’d known her since I were a young man. When I was a much younger man, something that seems like just a blink of an eye ago, I was working at the lab. They told me I’d get an assistant, and I thought I’d get a crotechy, grumpy old man like I am now. But then she walked in: The most beautiful, kind, compassionate, considerate, caring woman I have ever met. The only woman who I ever had the chance to fall in love with. We worked together for a little while as co-workers before we decided to wed. And the wedding day was truly fantastic! Me and her wanted children together, so we had Elizabeth and Kate. I don’t know how I would have coped without them after Victoria died.”

The Doctor sighed. “I know how hard death can be. Your daughters will go through it now, and it’s a horrid thing. I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. I’m so sorry about the death of your wife and I’m so sorry for whatever you’re about to face next, but just know that your daughters will live out their lives and maybe have children of their own, and therefore will never be forgotten.”

Reginald frowned. “I haven’t done anything of merit in my life. I’ve stolen all of this from the Torchwood institute.”

Elizabeth kneeled down. “Me and Kate will make sure your memory lives on.”

Reginald grinned. “I never deserved two daughters as brilliant as you. I never deserved Victoria. I’m sorry John, I’m sorry Elizabeth, I’m sorry Kate for all I’ve done to you in the last few hours, but just remember my children that I love you. Always.”

Reginald smiled at them before his eyes closed and he passed away. Kate and Elizabeth both cried in each others arms while John, and the two Guards still meandering by the doorway were also emotional. There was silence for a few moments as Reginald’s death dawned on everyone in the room. The Doctor moved towards the exit of the room.

“John!” Kate shouted. “I’m so sorry for everything my father did to you…”

“There’s no need to apologize. I know just how hard some people try to break the boundaries of death. I’m so sorry for the death of your father, and I hope you will cope well without them. Again, I know how hard it is to do that.”

“Where are you going to go now, John?”

“Hmm, somewhere different. Somewhere exciting. I’m not like the lot of you. I’m a wanderer of the fourth dimension, but luckily none of you will understand what that means so I don’t have to explain it. I’ll come back here one day.”

The Doctor wandered off and began a long trek back towards the TARDIS. When he arrived there, he piloted the ship away from its current destination. A few moments later, the ship arrived at its new destination: The same location as before, but 5 years later. He strolled into the country manor, which was now open to the public, and looked for Kate and Elizabeth. He noticed them in front of him, looking slightly older than they were the last time. Kate noticed him, but Elizabeth did not. She ran towards him.

“John? Is that really you?” Kate asked.

“I said I’d be back, and I’m a man of my word.”

Kate slapped him, but the Doctor bounced back up again. “I’ve waited so long for you to come back. I mean, I only knew you briefly but you made a promise.”

“Still, it doesn’t warrant a slap. You see, time for me is very different to time to you, if that makes sense. It probably doesn’t because you’re victorian. There may be an Industrial revolution but there isn’t a technological revolt, that’s for sure. Not until Twitter. Oh I hate Twitter.” He looked behind him and noticed statues of Reginald and Victoria.

“You said they’d always be remembered, John, and I wanted to make sure of that. Reginald wanted to be with Victoria again, and I wanted to make sure of that either. It’s been five years, but I’m still mourning. The mourning never really goes away, does it?”

“No, but it gets slightly easier. Although it may not feel like it, every day you get slightly more used to life without them, but you never really get used to it.”

“What took you so long, anyway?”

“As I say, things are a little different in my life than they are in yours, but I don’t think you’d understand. Anyway, I thought I’d check up on you and your sister and then go.”

He began to leave but Kate pulled him back. “There’s something about you. Something different, but I can’t put my finger on what.”

The Doctor looked at her. “I’ll go and check on Elizabeth and then I’ll go.”

The Doctor walked over to Elizabeth and talked to her for a few moments. Meanwhile, Kate hurried through the rooms of the Manor house until she reached a blue box. She looked confused. She had never seen anything like it before. She tried to open the doors but they were locked. The Doctor stood behind her.

“Oi!” He shouted. “Get your hands off that blue box that definitely isn’t mine.”

“I said there was something different about you. I’m not the sort of person to believe in aliens but you aren’t of this world, are you? I mean, John Smith-Surely you could come up with a more original name than that. And all those endless, stupid, boring speeches. You couldn’t possibly be a human. Or at least you couldn’t possibly be Victorian.”

The Doctor laughed. “Don’t be stupid. Anyhow, I’ve talked to Elizabeth so I’d best be going.

“And where are you going, John?”

The Doctor paused. “Into London, of course. Good old Victorian London.”

He moved towards the TARDIS but Kate stopped him before he could enter. “Look, John, please be honest with me. I know that silly little thing is yours, and I know you’re hiding things from me. You came here years ago. Why did you turn up here so late? I mean, you’re wearing the exact same clothes.”

“Yeah, bit of an anniversary thing.”

“The anniversary of our meeting was five months and three days ago. May be sad that I keep count but it’s a way of remembering. You turned up here on that night as a stranger and you’ve turned up here tonight as exactly the same thing. What are you.”

“I’m none of your business.” He looked at Kate. “You seem like a lovely woman, and I know you still feel guilty for the death of your father, but really it’s best you stay away from me.”

“If you wanted me to stay away from you, then why did you come back here.”

The Doctor shrugged. “I said, to check if you were okay.”

“If you were sure of the answer then why did you shrug?”

“It’s a thing I do. You do ask a lot of questions. I’ve got to be going away.”

The Doctor opened the doors of the TARDIS and tried to close them before Kate could enter but she was too quick for him. When she entered, her face was filled with glee. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. She paused for a moment.

The Doctor grinned. He always liked this bit.

“This is my TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. In this thing I could go anywhere, anywhen, anyhow, anywhy. I suppose you could hop aboard. It tends to help with the grief thing.”

Kate smiled. “Really? What about my sister?”

The Doctor chuckled. “Don’t tell her but you were always my favourite.” He pulled a lever on the console. “Are you sure you want to come? It’s dangerous.”

“I mean, I’m not sure I quite understand how any of this is possible, but I’m sure, yes. What about my sister? I mean, I’d never return here, would I?”

“Well, we’d take one or two trips in the TARDIS and then I’d return you to the exact time and place you came from. But I did say it was dangerous, so there’s no guarantee of that. You’re putting the life on the line, but it’s worth it, because trust me, this is the trip of a lifetime.”

He placed her hand on top of the Doctor’s. “Okay then.”

“Here we go, Kate. The universe awaits you. Anywhere you want to go...” The Doctor suddenly remembered Janet. “As long as it’s Manchester in 2019.”

Next Week: Return to Peladon