An Important Announcement

It's with a hint of sadness, and relief, that I have to make this post.

After very careful thought and consideration I have decided that it's time to end my "Future Worlds" series of Doctor Who adventures.

I began this journey many, many years ago. The ideas and stories have been with me since I was a child and it was only in 2012 when I finally translated my thoughts and ideas properly to the page.

But the time has come. It's no exaggeration to say that I've been struggling to write just recently. After eight years of continuous writing it was bound to happen. There are many other reasons though. I've always said I write for the enjoyment

of it, not for how many readers I get. But I currently have maybe one or two readers (who I absolutely appreciate) and I'm

not enjoying it anymore. It's a chore to churn out stories and when it becomes a struggle the stories suffer. Personal life has also taken over. I get very little time to myself these days and I have to spend that free time on things that make me happy. I also didn't take into account how difficult it would be to stop writing for certain characters. The team of McAvoy's Doctor with Holly and Lilly was my all time favourite TARDIS crew to write for and I have missed writing for them so much that anything else just doesn't give me that same feeling anymore.

So, where to now?

The good news is that I'm not going to leave everything hanging. I did that many years ago with the original incarnation of the series (back when it was called the NDA's), and I'm not going to let that happen again. I have always had a very clear direction for where "Elysium" was going and I'm too invested in ongoing character and story lines to just drop it. So I'm going to finish it off, with a few modifications.

Initially there was going to be a run of around 15 or 16 stories with a number of arc-heavy "tent-pole" stories coming at intervals. Well the small stories are now getting abandoned and the series will end with three larger than normal stories. I suppose you could see it as the "Name of the Doctor / Day of the Doctor / Time of the Doctor" trilogy at the end of Matt Smith's run.

As it stands the next story will still be "A Town Called Freedom", which will see us catch up and say a final goodbye to Thor's resistance crew. It's more important than that though. The story will change the Doctor as he finally finds out some huge truths about what has possibly been happening to him. Events in this story will change the Doctor forever.

We then lose the story "Mary", which will have some elements rolled into the previous story. We will also lose "Carry On Camping", which, although I had some fun plans for, was again just a filler story.

The second of the big stories will be "The Windows to Nowhere" which will see the return of UNIT: X as they investigate holes in the fabric of space and time. It will also see the return of Holly Dangerfield and Lilly Galloway as they go looking for a broken Doctor.

Elements from that story will then tie into the grand finale, which is currently titled "The Army of Elysium". But I can't say much about that at the moment. The series and the entire saga will end here. There are no plans for any follow-ups or new series or any new Doctors. The only thing I might do is something with Holly and Lilly, but that's a big "if".

Don't be sad for me though. This is a happy moment for me. I finally feel like I am completing something and I look forward to finally bringing things to an end.

More details to come...

3.17am, Part Four

PART FOUR: BETWEEN THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT


Current Time: 3.17am


Sadie opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief…and then instantly regretted it. She was lying on top of a particularly thorny bush, which had broken her fall somewhat, but she still had managed to bruise her right arm and leg as she had fallen. She must also have had the wind knocked out of her judging by the pain in her chest. She was thankful that her nose had stopped bleeding.

She remembered falling off the wall at the back of her house when she was little and this felt infinitely worse, although similar. She had gotten into trouble that day. Jason had lost a model airplane up on the shed roof and she was trying to retrieve it for him. Somehow she always seemed to get into trouble because of things her little brother had done. She couldn’t help but love him though.

For a moment she drifted off to thoughts of being far away from here in the hustle and bustle of the city…and then the pain brought her back to reality. She was very much still in danger here.

She rolled herself over the bush and then fell to the ground, howling in pain. Her hands were covered in a sticky red substance. She panicked for a moment before realising what it was.

“Blackberries…” she said to herself sniffing at the sticky squashed fruit. And she suddenly felt very hungry.

She gazed up at the bridge, but Mary was most definitely gone and so, thankfully, was the hooded creature. She looked up and down the platform of the little railway station and then looked towards a stone staircase that led up the embankment and back towards the road.

She’d mourn Mary later, but for now she had to try and find the Doctor and Jason.

With much pain she made her way towards the steps, slowly and very gingerly.


Current Time: 7.30am



Mary was sat on the wall of the bridge, peering down at the platform below. There didn’t seem to be any trains due, but she wondered how long the Pel could stay until a member of the public spotted them.

A small metal craft was sat just inside the tree line of the forest on the other side of the bridge. It looked like a huge, metallic cone. It was sleek, smooth and didn’t have any obvious entrance or windows.

“It’s our shuttle craft,” said Vashta, noticing Mary staring at the craft.

“And you came from a bigger ship?” she said, looking to the sky.

Vashta nodded. “As soon as we realised Elita had escaped we brought the ship to full stop and launched our shuttle towards the planet. The rest of our crew are on the mother ship in orbit of your planet.”

“You’ve seen a spaceship before?” asked Ulther.

“Sort of. The Doctor and I visited a rather large station in space not too long ago. It was beautiful...” She frowned. “Your ship is…interesting.”

“It serves its function,” smiled Vashta. “You seem a little at odds with us.”

“You have to forgive me,” said Mary, smiling at the strange, alien female, “but I’m just getting used to travelling with the Doctor. I came from a very isolated village, a long time from here.”

Vashta nodded. “If you want we can let you rest in our ship.”

“No,” said Mary, jumping down from the wall. “The most important thing is to try and rescue the Doctor, Sadie and Jason from this time bubble.”

“And we need to be quick,” said Ulther. He was looking down at a small device with a tiny monitor screen. Mary frowned and crossed over to the large man. The screen showed a black and white fuzzy image of a church.

“How are you seeing this?” asked Mary. “Do you have a film camera?”

“Not exactly,” said Ulther. “The time bubble projects the image of the inside and we’re able to pick it up here.” He turned a dial on the device but the static didn’t clear up. “Elita has lured them into this stone building I believe your people call a church.”


Current Time: 3.17am



“I will not advocate killing anyone,” said the Doctor. “And certainly not without first seeing them for myself.”

Elita frowned and walked towards where they were sat. Jason looked uncomfortable and looked from the Doctor to the strange, golden angel.

“Do you doubt me, Gallifreyan?” asked Elita.

“I don’t doubt you,” said the Doctor, folding his arms, “but I’m also not willing to take one persons word for it.”

“You are a Time Lord,” said Elita.

“That’s correct,” said the Doctor.

“What’s a Time Lord?” asked Jason.

“You have the power to help me,” said Elita. She crouched down in front of him and stared into his eyes, her head tilted curiously to the side. “I am powerful but it will not take them long to break in to this bubble. That’s why we must strike first.”

“Again, I only have your word for it.”

“To be fair,” said Jason, “the dark fellas don’t look too friendly.”

“Jason,” said the Doctor, turning to him, “all I see are shadowy blurs. We have no idea what their true form is.”

“That is true,” said Elita, smiling and moving away from them, her back turned, “the technology they use is simply a way to try and push into my bubble.” She turned back to them. “But they are evil.”

“The angel said they were bad,” said Penny.

The Doctor frowned at her. “You have the ability to bring down this bubble. Why don’t you?”

“They would destroy me.”

“Again,” said the Doctor, “how do we know that?”

“Because I know!” she spat. “They were going to throw me into a white hole!”

“Easy,” said Jason, flashing the Doctor a concerned glance.

“No, Elita, you are a powerful creature. If you wanted to destroy them you could have already shut this bubble down yourself and dealt with the problem. Something isn’t right here.” He sniffed and rubbed his nose. “And I thought you said they were going to throw you into a black hole.”

Before Elita could answer there came a faint hum of energy from back towards the door of the church.

The Doctor, Jason and Penny turned to face it. A cloaked figure slowly blurred and shimmered into view. Except now there were two. The first one had the familiar blue eyes and pale, yellow skin, but the second one…the second one looked more human.

The Doctor frowned and got to his feet, walking towards the area where the two figures were attempting to materialise.

The second figure was female and the Doctor could make out long, dark hair…and a dress.

“Be careful, Doc,” said Jason.

“It’s okay,” said the Doctor. He peered more closely at the figure and then smiled. “I don’t know how, but I think that’s Mary.”

As if suddenly enraged by the Doctor’s realisation Elita let out a loud, angry cry.

The three of them turned to face her. Her face no longer looked angelic. It was twisted into an evil, angry looking face, jagged teeth lined her mouth and she shimmered a dull silver colour now, her wings fully unfurled and crackling with energy.

“And there we have it,” said the Doctor.

With one movement Elita ran and jumped into the air. She sailed towards the figures at the back of the church. The Doctor leapt out of the way as the demonic angel crashed into the blurred figures causing them to dissolve.


Current Time: 7.53am



On the bridge, beside the Pel’s spaceship Mary and Vashta were both wearing silver cloaks and both of them wore packs strapped to their backs. Cables snaked from the packs into the shuttlecraft.

Ulther was pacing up and down, watching the small image of the monitor.

Mary and Vashta staggered backwards, Mary gasping for air as she threw the cloak off from her head.

“Are you okay?” said Ulther, as he knelt down to help the young woman.

“It was Elita,” said Vashta, also removing her hood. “She has them in the church.” Vashta shook her head. “Her power is still too great for us to fully materialise.”

“Wait!” said Ulther, spotting something on the monitor, “we may have another chance.”


Current Time: 3.17am



Elita bore down on the Doctor and Jason as Penny ran to the doorway. She was about to open it when the door burst open and Sadie ran in, battered and bruised from her fall.

“Sadie!” said Jason. “What happened to you two?”

“All in good time,” said Sadie. She was about to continue when she spotted the silver angel, glowering down at her. “What…the…holy…?”

“All in good time as well,” said the Doctor. “How did Mary get out?”

“What?” said Sadie, terrified at the sight that floated before her.

“Mary? How did she get out?”

“I…I don’t know,” said Sadie. “One of those cloaked things came for her. We were up by the bridge. By the edge of the barrier.”

“Then that’s where we need to go,” said the Doctor. He looked at Penny. “Come on, you three, let’s get out of here.”



It hadn’t taken them long to get to the bridge, but the Doctor was concerned. He kept looking back towards the church as it disappeared into the distance, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

“What is it, Doc?” asked Jason.

“I don’t understand why she isn’t following us,” said the Doctor. “Something about this doesn’t feel right.”

“What does that matter? Sadie says she found this barrier. Surely if we’re gonna break through then it’s the best place to do it.”

“I don’t know,” said Sadie. “I mean it’s probably the best place, but they got Mary, remember?”

“I don’t think they did,” said the Doctor. “That was Mary stood with the other creature in the church. I think she was with them and trying to communicate with us.”

“Maybe.” Sadie shook her head. “I don’t know what to think anymore. This night has just gotten too weird for me.”

“But it still doesn’t explain why she isn’t following us.”

They were nearly at the bridge when Penny suddenly screamed in agony and fell to the floor, clutching at her stomach.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” asked Sadie, dropping to check the girl.

Penny’s head suddenly looked up, Her eyes had turned blue and she had an evil sneer on her face.

“Get back Sadie!” said Jason.

Sadie stumbled backwards and fell on her back as Penny stood up. She narrowed her eyes and surveyed the three of them. “You will not escape,” said Penny’s childlike voice. It’d taken on a strange, singsong quality.

“Penny, what’s going on?”

The girl licked her lips. “You are a fool, Time Lord.”

The Doctor closed his eyes. “Of course. You’re not real, are you, Penny? You’re merely an extension of Elita? An avatar.”

“You mean she’s possessed her?” asked Jason.

“Not exactly,” said the Doctor. “Elita is in the church – in the centre of the village. It’s taken an enormous amount of energy to generate her time bubble. I suspect she can’t leave there without the bubble collapsing so Penny is an extension of her.” The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. “We didn’t really get to the bottom of where she came from.”

“And she lured him into the church?” said Jason.

“She lured me,” said the Doctor. “Penny didn’t appear until I arrived. I suspect that Elita can only keep this time bubble up for so long. With me inside she could feed off me. Use me like a battery.”

“Clever boy,” said Penny.

“But that won’t work, because the Pel are trying to get us out.”

“They will never succeed.”

“Oh, but they will,” said the Doctor.

Before the Doctor could react the little girl had leapt at him. He collapsed to the ground as she drew back her fingers, long nails extended from her pale hand. She threw her hand down and dug down as hard as she could into his neck.

The Doctor yelled out in pain.

“DO SOMETHING!” yelled Sadie.

“I can’t…” said Jason. “She’s just a little girl.”

Slowly Penny’s features began to morph into those resembling Elita’s. Her body grew in size, large, silvery wings unfurling from behind her. The sky above them crackled with tendrils of golden energy as the Doctor screwed his eyes shut.

Globules of light flowed from the Doctor’s neck into the fingers of Elita and the creature closed her eyes in satisfaction.

And then there was a moment. A beat.

Elita opened her eyes and frowned. A look of worry flashed across her face. For a moment she wasn’t sure what she was feeling.

“Something…something wrong?” said the Doctor, panting and looking up at her.

“There is something there,” said Elita, looking down at him. And then without warning she suddenly broke free from him, scrambling backwards on her elbows. She looked petrified.

“What are you?” asked Elita, frowning and shaking her head. “What has resided within you?”

“I beg your pardon?” said the Doctor, touching the open wounds on his neck and wincing in pain.

“You are not what you seem,” she growled. “You are ancient.”

“I’ve been around for a long time, yes.” The Doctor laughed. But it was a nervous laugh. Something about this didn’t feel right.

Before he could get any more answers out of Elita there was another hum of electricity. This time three cloaked figures appeared.

“Do we trust them?” asked Sadie.

“We have to,” said Jason, as the sky flashed orange.

“Wait, I need to know more,” said the Doctor, as Elita cowered from him.

“Too late!” said Jason as the three, cloaked figures each grabbed the Doctor, Jason and Sadie.


Current Time: 8.03am



The Doctor, Jason, Mary, Sadie, Ulther and Vashta were stood in the cold, empty church. The three Humans were drinking from a flask of tea, the Doctor was idly scratching at his chin and the two aliens looked uncomfortable.

“So the bubble has gone?” asked Mary.

“It has,” said Vashta. “It seems that Elita finally lost concentration when she broke free from the Doctor.”

“But where is she?” asked Jason. He looked at his tea. “I think I need something stronger than this.”

“Well it was always our intention to extract her safely and continue transporting her to the safe planet. We hadn’t anticipated the bubble collapsing around her.”

“So was she destroyed?” asked Mary.

Ulther held his hands up. “Honestly, we don’t know. We have to assume so.” He shook his head. “Such a waste.”

“But the bubble has definitely gone?” asked Jason. “No more 3.17am?”

“No more 3.17am,” smiled Vashta.

“Doctor, that’s good, isn’t it?” said Mary.

The Doctor’s eyes momentarily flicked towards his companion. “Yes. Yes it’s good. A shame though that she probably died.”

“What was she on about when she suddenly became scared of you?” asked Jason.

“I suppose I will never find out,” said the Doctor.

“I’m sorry we ran from you,” said Sadie.

“The cloaks are new technology,” said Ulther. “We didn’t anticipate the fear it might have caused you.”

“Mary, we need to get going,” said the Doctor, making his way across the flagstones and towards the church door.

“But…but wait, what about everyone else?”

“I assume you’re leaving?” said the Doctor to the two Pels.

“Momentarily, yes.”

“And you two need to get back to your divorce proceedings,” said the Doctor to the siblings.

“Well, yes,” said Jason, his thoughts suddenly going back to his soon-to-be ex husband.

“Then we don’t need to stick around.” He put his hands in his trouser pockets and marched out of the door.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Mary, looking concerned.

“Not to worry,” said Sadie. She hugged the dark-haired woman. “Take care, won’t you?”

“I will,” she said. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” said Jason.



By the time Mary had caught up with the Doctor he was halfway up the hill leading to the country lane where the TARDIS had landed. Ulther and Vashta, complete with cloaks to hide their appearance were walking either side of her.

“Is he alright?” asked Vashta.

“Something frightened him,” said Mary. “Sadie said that Elita was terrified of him.”

“He is a Time Lord,” said Vashta. “Maybe she bit off more than she could chew.”

“Maybe,” said Mary. “But I guess I don’t really know him that well. Not yet.”

“Take care of him,” said Vashta. “Time Lords can be complicated beings. He may need you to help him through whatever he’s got going on in his head.”



Jason was stood at the altar, his hands in his pockets. Sadie came from behind and put an affectionate arm around him.

“You alright, bro?”

“I will be,” said Jason. “I just…well I wish I didn’t have to go back to this.”

“To what?”

“To being back to normal.” He sighed and shook his head. “As freaky as it was it’s opened my eyes. Maybe there is more to the world that this little village.”

“Now you’re not having second thoughts about this divorce are you?” asked Sadie as she took his hand and led him towards the exit.

“All I’m saying is that maybe I might be able to see another point of view from now on.”

“Oh, Jason…” groaned Sadie.

“Come on, we need to drive to the city and sort this out once and for all.”

He pulled out his phone and checked the time – 8.15am. Jason wasn’t sure, but for a single millisecond he thought the clock had read 3.17am. He shook his head, laughed and headed towards his future.




Later….somewhere in time…



“Why is she awake, Doctor?” asked Mary, her arms folded as the teenage Kyla stood beside her stasis tube, staring straight ahead.

“Something isn’t right with her,” he said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Well we don’t really know much about her. Where did she even come from? You said she was a refugee?”

“Where she comes from isn’t what’s concerning me. She comes from a war that my people had a long, long time ago. It’s what is happening to her now that’s concerning me. She should be healed. She should be better, but instead she’s…well, she’s not all there.”

Mary stepped back a little. “It’s like she’s waiting for something.”

The Doctor nodded. “But waiting for what?”


Epilogue



“Where am I?” asked Elita. “I’m cold.”

“You’re in a suppression field,” came the softly spoken, almost child-like voice. It was female.

“A suppression field? I do not understand.”

She couldn’t make anything out in the gloom and she felt almost paralysed.

“I rescued you from your time bubble as it collapsed.”

“So you’re not with the other Pel?”

“Not at all. They are fools anyway. To take a creature as powerful as yourself and abandon it on a deserted planet…it’s a ridiculous idea.”

“Why is it ridiculous?”

“All of you powerful beings together in one place…imagine what one could do with you all.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t understand now,” said the voice. She was closer now, but Elita couldn’t see her. “Let me explain to you – I am putting an army together. An army that will strike fear into this entire universe and beyond. And I want you and your people to be a part of it.”

Elita thought for a moment. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“No.” The woman laughed. “No, but you will know and soon the Doctor will know. If only he realised what he helped to create here.” She laughed again. “For now, Elita, you must sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us, and soon this universe will crumble beneath us.”




The End

The Doctor and Mary return in the new year in "A Town Called Freedom".

3.17am, Part Three

PART THREE: THE GOLDEN ANGEL


Current time: One minute before 3.17am



The spaceship was smooth and sleek on the surface. It’s metal looked like it had been moulded and carved rather than bolted together by various smaller parts. It was shaped like a sunflower seed and there was no discernible windows or doors or even any engines.

The ship had broken out of hyperspace and was sailing past a small blue, white and green planet below.

As the ship began to pass the planet a small hole appeared on the underside of the ship and a bolt of energy shot out from the opening, streaming down towards the planet.

As it entered the atmosphere the clocks in a small English village turned 3.17am….

Current Time: 3.17am



Mary and Sadie had knocked on numerous doors in the area, but so far nobody had answered. They had even thrown a few stones up at some of the windows to get the attention of someone, anyone, but even that didn’t seem to rouse any occupants.

“It’s like the entire village is deserted,” said Mary.

“But where have they all gone?” said Sadie.

“It’s not the people that have gone I don’t think.” She sat down on the garden wall of a small bungalow. “I think it’s us, if I understand the Doctor correctly.”

“How do you mean?” asked Sadie, sitting down next to her.

She frowned, almost as if she was trying to work it out herself. “I think time has moved on for everyone else except for us. It’s like we’re frozen in this one moment whilst everyone else has continued to move through time.”

“Then why is it just myself and Jason, that little girl and that woman that didn’t move with time?”

“Now that I can’t answer,” said Mary, sighing. “I’m only just beginning to get used to this time travel business myself.”

“Yeah, the Doctor said you’re from another time. What the hell does that even mean?”

“I’m from 1949,” said Mary. She smiled at Sadie’s blank face. “And as odd a that is for you, it’s even odder for myself. Imagine finding yourself in the future!”

“I’d hardly call 2019 the future,” laughed Sadie.

“It is to me,” she said. “My brother used to read storybooks that showed depictions of the Earth fifty years from my time and it was all spaceships and silver robotic men. That’s not what it is though, is it?” She sighed. “I don’t even know if I’m still alive now.”

Sadie smiled sadly and then shook her head. “It hardly seems possible.”

“That’s what I would have said a little while ago. It’s all still the same though really, isn’t it? Your world. I mean some things are different – your brother has a husband!”

“I suppose that’s a bit modern for you, isn’t it?” said Sadie, smiling at her innocence. “Don’t you have any family that are missing you?”

Mary looked distant for a moment, her eyes glassy. “This village reminds me of my home a little bit. I suppose my mother has long gone now as well.” She shook her head. “I had a brother and a father who were both killed in the war.”

“I’m sorry,” said Sadie.

“They were stationed in Coventry. They had a night off when the bombs started falling. They were near the cathedral when…” she trailed off.

“It’s okay,” said Sadie. “I can’t imagine what it was like.”

“My mother must be missing me,” said Mary, getting up off the wall. “The Doctor says he can take me back to the moment I left, like she would never know I was gone, but I have gone, haven’t I? If I die tonight -”

“Don’t say that,” said Sadie.

“But if I do; if I do tonight then I will never get back to her in that moment.”

She continued to stare out into the distance when Sadie gasped and gripped her arm tightly. Standing a few metres away was a cloaked figure. It was that close that Mary could make out more this time. The cloak seemed to be shifting in and out of focus, and beneath the hood was a blurred, yellow face with two piercing blue eyes.

Mary and Sadie began to back away as the thing raised its arms.

“Run!” shouted Sadie as they leapt from the wall and bolted down the road.



The road that led to the church was on a gentle incline and standing at the top was a low-walled graveyard and a medieval church within. They had managed to keep sight of the little girl, but she had disappeared into the darkness.

“I cannot believe I’m creeping round this graveyard at this time of night,” said Jason. He wasn’t frightened easily, but graveyards were naturally scary in the dark.

“I’ve been in my fair share of graveyards and cemeteries,” said the Doctor, whipping out a strange, tubular device and whirring it around them as they pushed open the iron gate into the graveyard.

“Where they always this creepy?” asked Jason, keeping close to him.

“Actually…yes,” he said. He turned to look at Jason and then smiled, clapping him on the back. “We’ll be alright.”

“Normally I’d say it was just irrational fear, but we’re stuck in a frozen moment in time with cloaked figures chasing us. I’m not sure I can believe that we’ll be alright.”

There was a bang from up ahead and the Doctor pointed his device towards the church.

“Sounds like the church door,” said Jason.

“How did she get inside?” said the Doctor, frowning. “Does the verger usually leave it unlocked.”

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” said Jason. “Mind you I’m not a particularly religious person. I don’t attend church. Well, apart from christenings and weddings and stuff.”

“You Humans always fascinate me,” said the Doctor. “Surely the age and mystery of a building like this is enough to warrant interest out of people.”

“Nah,” said Jason. “They’re all too busy staring at their smart phones these days.”

They made there way past the mostly eroded gravestones until they reached the old wooden door. It was slightly ajar so the Doctor pushed it slightly. It creaked as it swung open giving way to darkness within.

“Hello?” whispered the Doctor. “Are you there, little girl?” Nothing but silence. “Come on, you don’t have to be scared. We’re friends.”

“I know you are,” came the little girls’ voice. She was standing right next to them, her hopeful face looking up at them.

“Jesus!” said Jason, nearly jumping out of his skin.

“Hello there,” said the Doctor, crouching down in front of her. “What’s your name then?”

“Penny,” said the girl.

“And where do you live in the village?” asked the Doctor.

“Down the road from your friends house,” said Penny, nodding towards Jason.

“Where are your parents then?” asked Jason.

She shook her head and bit her lip. “I don’t know. I woke up and they were gone. One of those nasty men was in my room, but I heard the angel.”

“The angel?” asked the Doctor.

“The golden angel. She says her name is Elita.”

The Doctor looked at Jason and then back to the little girl. “Did you say you heard the angel?”

“Yes. She’s over there.” Penny pointed into the blackness of the church.

The Doctor and Jason squinted into the darkness but couldn’t make anything out.

“I can’t see anything, Penny,” said the Doctor. “You say you woke in your bed?”

“Yeah.” Penny looked between the Doctor and Jason. “Don’t you believe me?”

“Believe her,” came a silky, female voice from somewhere in the darkness.

For the second time in five minutes Jason nearly leapt out of his skin. “What the hell?!”

“Is that Elita?” asked the Doctor, his voice calling into the dark.

As if to punctuate his question there was a flare up of light towards the front of the church. The stonework of the church was suddenly bathed in a golden light and the Doctor and Jason were momentarily blinded. When their eyes adjusted to the light they could see a female figure stood beside the alter.

The Doctor frowned as stepped into the aisle. The closer he got the more he could make out. Her skin was golden and she was wearing a white robe lined with gold and silver embroidery. Her hair was brown with flecks of silver and hung down in intricate ringlets around her shoulders. As the Doctor approached two huge wings unfurled from her back, each one spanning around two metres.

“Good morning, Madame,” said the Doctor, nodding his head.

“Welcome to my sanctum,” said Elita, smiling at them. Her eyes were a piercing blue colour.

“Your sanctum?” asked the Doctor.

“You mean the church?” asked Jason.

“I mean the minute.”

“The minute is your sanctum?” The Doctor nodded. “You created this frozen moment, didn’t you?”

Elita smiled and indicated to the pews in the front aisle. “Please, sit.”

“You’re not like the one in the cloak outside,” said the Doctor.

“The Dark Ones are not to be trusted. You must find your peace with me.”

The Doctor, Jason and Penny sat themselves down, the three of them still dazzled by her light.

“The Dark Ones are the ones in the cloaks, yes?” said the Doctor.

Elita nodded, but continued to smile. “They are monsters. Killers. They will kill you just as they have tried to kill me.”

“Wait, wait,” said the Doctor, holding his hand up. “Back up a bit. What exactly happened to you?”

“Have you ever heard of the Ash City, Doctor?”



“Where exactly are we running to?” asked Mary, completely out of breath now. She classed herself as being physically fit, but she had never run so much in her life.

“As far away as possible,” said Sadie. “Maybe this time warp thing is only affecting the village. If we can get out then maybe we’ll break free from it.”

Mary splashed through a muddy puddle and nearly slipped on the ground. “But what about the Doctor and your brother?”

“If we can find a way out then maybe we can come back and help them.”

Mary turned back. The cloaked figure was only a few metres behind them and gaining fast. It seemed to flicker and blur. Every now and then it looked like it would judder as if it wasn’t really there.

“There’s a bridge just down this road,” said Sadie. “It’s one way out of the village.”

The bridge crossed over a tiny railway station. Mary peered down over the edge of the bridge as they continued to run.

And then.

WACK!

Mary felt the pain in her forehead first and then fell back against the road going over the bridge. Sadie must have done the same because she was on the ground next to her with blood trickling from her nose.

“What happened?” asked Sadie.

Mary got to her feet and fell forwards until her hands reached something solid. Except there wasn’t anything visible in front of her. It was thin air.

“What is it?” asked Sadie, scrambling to her feet as she heard the cloaked figure coming up behind them.

“Oh no,” said Mary. “I’ve seen something like this before. It’s a barrier. It’s invisible and keeps people in.”

“You mean we can’t pass through it.”

“This must be where the edge of the frozen time is.”

“Well we have to try!” said Sadie as she began hammering on the invisible wall.

The two girls had forgotten all about the creature behind them. Mary glanced to her side just as the cloaked figures blurred, yellow hand grabbed her shoulder.

Sadie cried out in fear and spun around, falling against the invisible barrier.

Mary backed away as the figures cloak seemed to billow out into something that looked more like smoke. The smoke surrounded Mary until she vanished completely.

The figure turned to face Sadie and held out its hands towards her. Sadie frowned. There was nowhere to go.

Nowhere to go but down.

Stealing her nerve she climbed up onto the small wall at the side of the bridge, said a little prayer, and jumped off the bridge.



“The Ash City is my home,” said Elita, looking down at her audience. “It is on the planet of Pellax.”

“I’ve heard of Pellax,” said the Doctor. “It was ravaged by a great disaster millennia ago.”

Elita nodded. “The planet orbits too close to the Medusa Cascade.”

“Hang on, this is getting a little bit out of my reach,” said Jason. “Medusa Cascade?”

“It’s a nebula close to a rift in space and time. I sealed it once, but the planets nearby were ravaged by the time winds.”

“We live underground in great cities. The surface of the planet is uninhabitable.” Elita looked sad. “Every now and again a child of the Pell is born, infected with this.” She held up her arms.

“You mean infected with time?” said the Doctor, looking sad.

Elita nodded. “It’s a freak occurrence. There are only a few of us born every few years, but when we are, we are transported off world to get us away from the planet. We are considered freaks because they do not believe we are in control of our powers.”

“I’m sorry,” said the Doctor. “But I can understand why they take you from the planet. Having time and space running through your veins is…well, it’s not the safest affliction to have on a heavily populated world.”

“But it does not excuse what they do to us.”

“Which is?” asked Jason.

“They take us as far away as possible from Pellax and then throw us into a black hole.”

“That’s abhorrent,” said the Doctor, disgusted.

“Yes,” said Elita, “but this time I was able to escape my prison ship. We were passing this planet when I broke free from my chains and fell to Earth.”

“Where you landed in this current moment in time?”

“Yes,” said Elita, “and sealed myself away so that they couldn’t find me.”

“Except they have found you,” said Jason, “and they’ve found us as well. We’re in the crossfire of it all.” He shook his head angrily.

“But that doesn’t explain where everyone else is in the village,” said the Doctor.

“It’s not an exact science, Time Lord,” said Elita, shaking her head. For the first time the Doctor and Jason noticed that she looked frustrated, that almost serene look on her face had faltered. “Most people in the time bubble continued beyond 3.17am and escaped, but there was always a chance some of you would remain trapped.”

“Like myself and my sister,” said Jason.

“And little Penny,” said the Doctor, giving her a smile.

The little girl frowned up at him.

“Exactly,” said Elita.

“So what now?” asked Jason.

“Now you must help me defeat the Dark Ones. The Pel will not relent until they have killed all of you and killed me.”


Current time: 7.15am



Mary opened her eyes. It was daylight and she was lying on the same bridge she had been standing on a moment ago. There was the faint hint of rain in the air and it was cold.

Standing in front of her was the cloaked figure, except now it looked clear and fully formed. The figure pulled down its hood to reveal a bald, yellow head, piercing blue eyes, pointed ears and angelic good looks.

Mary panicked for a moment before the newcomer held out her hand. “Please, don’t be frightened. My name is Vashta.” She was softly spoken.

“Don’t panic?! What on Earth is going on here?” Mary got to her feet and rubbed at her bruised arm. “You’ve been trying to kill us.”

“Do you look dead?” asked Vashta.

“Well, I suppose not,” said Mary. “Wait, it’s daylight. What time is it?”

“I believe it is 7.15am Earth time,” said Vashta. She smiled at her hopefully.

“You mean I escaped the time bubble?”

“Of course,” said Vashta. “Why do you think my partner and I have been chasing you?”

“To kill us?” said Mary.

“Not at all,” said Vashta. “We’ve anchored ourselves to the frozen moment in time and have been trying to rescue you and your friends.”

There was a flash of light and another cloaked figure appeared. This alien was a male with red tattoos on his face.

“You got the Mary woman I see,” said the male.

“Welcome back, Ulther,” said Vashta. “What’s going on in there?”

“We have some major problems,” said Ulther. “They’ve made contact with Elita.”

“Who’s Elita?” asked Mary, trying to remain levelheaded.

“She was the person we were transferring to the sanctuary planet,” said Vashta. “But if she’s made contact with your friends brother and the Doctor then they are very much in danger.”

“What kind of danger?” asked Mary. “Elita is a killer and she will use them. She will use them to kill all of us.”

To be concluded...

3.17am, Part Two

PART TWO: STUCK IN A MOMENT



Sadie and Jason stepped away from the window, Jason sitting on the end of his bed and Sadie leaning against the doorframe, her hands to her temples as she thought about what she had seen.

“Okay, okay, so that’s not normal.”

“Are you sure we didn’t imagine it?” asked Sadie.

“What, both of us at the same time?” laughed Jason. “Perhaps it’s a dream.”

“That sounds even more stupid.”

“We need to call the police,” said Jason.

“Finally! I’ve been saying that for the last few minutes!”

Jason went to his mobile that had been connected to the charger. His eye caught the clock on the side and he frowned. It still read 3.17am.

“What are you waiting for?” asked Sadie.

“I think my clock’s stopped working. It was 3.16am when I woke up and now it says it’s only 3.17am.”

“So?”

“So we’ve been awake for more than a minute, sis,” he hissed. He shook his head and went to unlock his phone. His face froze.

“Again, what are you waiting for?” said Sadie, growing more impatient. “That thing might still be out there.”

“It’s my phone. The time on it says 3.17am as well.”

Sadie shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

He unlocked his phone and called the emergency number, but there was no dial tone. “It’s dead.”

“Let me try mine,” she said, hurrying out the room and returning with her own phone. She looked pale as she looked down at the screen.

“Let me guess – it says 3.17am as well?”

Sadie nodded slowly and turned the screen to face him.

“Well there’s gotta be a simple explanation for it. Maybe there was a power surge and it fried the electronics in the house.”

“Let’s try the landline.”

They made their way downstairs and Jason grabbed the receiver of the phone mounted to the kitchen wall, but there was nothing. It was completely dead as well.

Jason shook his head, his eyes wide with fear.

“Maybe it’s gone,” said Sadie, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything.

Jason turned to the front window and grabbed the thick, blackout curtains. He swallowed and then slowly pulled them open. To his relief there was nothing there.

“It’s gone,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“We need to go next door and see if their phone is working,” said Sadie.

“We can’t wake up Mr and Mrs Peppers.”

“Look, I don’t know what that thing was and I don’t know what it did to that poor woman, but you know there’s been some weird crap going on over the last twenty years or so all over the world. I reckon we might be in danger.”

“You’re right,” said Jason. “Let me get our coats.”

Jason headed through to the kitchen and the little utility room that led to the backdoor. He grabbed his and Sadie’s coats and was just putting his trainers on when something caught his eye.

Something right in front of him.

Jason looked up, and standing looking at him through the frosted glass was the bright blue eyes of the shadowy figure.

Jason staggered back and nearly collided with Sadie who had also come to grab her shoes.

“Oh shit!” she said.

“Run!” shouted Jason.


Current Time: Unknown



Mary woke up and, amazingly, felt refreshed. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep for, but more items had materialised in the room since she’d fallen asleep. She went to the wardrobe and found a plain, black dress with a white belt. It still didn’t completely suit her, but it would have to do for now.

She made her way back through the maze of corridors until she located the console room again. The Doctor was sat in an easy chair with his feet up on a small pouf. He was reading a leather bound book – Tales from the Ancient Days – and was nodding to himself.

“Good morning,” said Mary as she wandered into the console room.

“Oh, finally!” he said, slamming the book shut enthusiastically and popping it down on the top of the pouf. “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

“How long was I asleep?”

“Hard to tell,” said the Doctor, rushing to the console. “Time is so difficult to track on board the TARDIS, but I’d say….hmmm…maybe three days.”

“Three days!” she said, aghast and plonking herself down on the easy chair.

“Yes, about that I think. I was beginning to think you’d never wake up. I’ve managed to film an episode of a game show with a previous version of myself, save a race composed entirely of grass and avert World War 22 in the time you’ve been asleep.”

“Goodness,” she said. “I must have needed it.”

“The TARDIS can do funny things to a person.”

“About that,” said Mary, “are you any closer to getting control of this ship? I mean you did promise me you’d take me home.”

“Mary, are you so desperate to return right now?”

“Well, eventually,” she said. She thought for a moment. “It’s just…well, my mother is alone. She’s been so lonely since my father and Peter died. She tries to smile her way through the days, but I know she’s not smiling when her back is turned or when she knows nobody is looking.”

The Doctor looked down at the console. “You have a strong bond with your mother, don’t you?”

“We’re all each other have left.”

The Doctor’s mouth curled into a sad smile. “I know how much family can mean. I’ve had family members I’ve lost and I’ve had friends as well. Friends that have become family to me. It’s always so hard to leave them behind.” His eyes narrowed as if he was remembering something. “And sometimes we can do the most desperate things to get family back…”

The TARDIS suddenly lurched backwards. The Doctor fell back towards the doors and he banged his head on the wall while Mary stumbled forward and fell against the console.

“What was that?!” she yelled, as the TARDIS lurched back again.

“I don’t know,” said the Doctor, getting to his feet and rubbing the back of his head.

He frowned at the digital clock readout on the time zone panel of the console. It’s numbers were randomly jumbling up and not settling on anything.

“Doctor, you might want to look at that,” said Mary, pointing towards an ornate clock, its hands spinning around and around.

“We seem to be caught in some kind of time anomaly,” said the Doctor as the TARDIS lurched again.

“Meaning what exactly?” said Mary, as she gripped the console again.

“I’ll explain later,” said the Doctor, looking from side to side and then making a decision. He raced around to the other side of the console and flicked a switch. The central column stopped its usual rise and fall and the TARDIS engines suddenly fell silent.

“What’s happening?” said Mary, casting her eyes towards the ceiling.

“We’re riding the anomaly down to its source.”


Current Time: 3.17am



The TARDIS materialised on the dark country lane relatively quietly, save for it’s usual wheezing and groaning. After a few moments the door opened and the Doctor stepped out followed by Mary, who had found herself a black, knee-length wrap-around jacket.

“Seems rather peaceful,” said the Doctor, looking up and down the lane, which was flanked by tall trees on one side and a hedge and dark field the other.

“I thought we were going to blow up for a moment.”

“Nonsense,” smiled the Doctor, patting his box, “she’s been through worse scrapes. Just recently in fact.”

“You said you’d explain the anomaly.”

“Yes,” said the Doctor, “although it’s hard to explain something when I don’t know where it’s originating from, or how.”

“Try,” said Mary, as she squinted her eyes to see if she could see anything in the dark.

“The TARDIS travels through the space/time vortex – I suppose you could call it a shipping lane. We were sailing along quite nicely until we hit the anomaly – think of a whirlpool.”

“Whirlpools in time and space…” said Mary, mulling it over in her head.

“The TARDIS tried to escape but that just caused an opposite reaction to the whirlpool. The easiest solution was to ride the whirlpool down to the point of origin, which is here.”

“And where exactly is here?”

“I’m not sure,” said the Doctor. He checked his watch and frowned. The face was cracked and the hands were stuck on 3.17am. “But at least we know the time.” He showed it to Mary.

“So do we take off again?” said Mary, shivering in the night air.

“Unfortunately we won’t be able to until we can solve this little problem.”

“I see. So we have to wait until the whirlpool is gone,” said Mary. “So where do we start?”

As if to answer her question they heard a yell from down the lane complete with two sets of squelching feet running down the muddy lane.

“Who’s there?” asked the Doctor.

Two terrified people – a young man and woman – appeared from out of the darkness, their faces white with fear.

They looked just as surprised to see Mary and the Doctor and the male stopped dead, the woman nearly colliding with her partner.

“Calm yourself,” said the Doctor. “What are you running from?”

The man bent over and clutched as his side. “I’ve…I’ve got a stitch.”

“It’s back there. It’s coming,” said the woman, trying to get her breath and pointing towards the darkness.

The Doctor walked past them and peered into the night. And then he saw it. It was moving rapidly towards them. All he could make out was the ice-blue eyes.

“What are your names?” asked the Doctor.

“Jason and Sadie,” panted the man. “But we’ve gotta run.”

“I don’t run,” said the Doctor. “Well, sometimes I run. But today.” He went in his pocket and pulled out a small device that looked like a firework.

“What’s that?” said Mary. She was peering into the darkness to try and see what it was that was pursuing the two people.

“It’s a galactic glitter,” said the Doctor. He took out a lighter and lit the end. The fuse sparkled and spluttered with sparks. When the blue-eyed-something was almost on top of them he threw the glitter towards it.

It exploded with a little “crack” and the blue eyes closed. The creature and surrounding lane was illuminated just long enough for the four of them to see a black-cloaked figure running back the other way before fading into the darkness.

“That’ll frighten it off for a bit.” The Doctor smiled and turned to Jason and Sadie. “Good morning, my friends. I’m the Doctor, this is Mary and before you ask any more questions this is my time machine. And I’m here to help. All okay?”

Jason was about to respond when his eyes rolled back and he collapsed into the mud.



When Jason opened his eyes it was still dark, but his bedside lamp was switched on. He wondered if it had all been a horrible nightmare. He turned to look at his clock and he let out a pained groan. It was still 3.17am.

The strange man who had introduced himself as the Doctor was sat on a chair in the corner of the room. If he hadn’t already been freaked out by the blue-eyed creature today he would have been freaked out even more by the strange man sitting in his room.

“You’re awake,” said the Doctor. “That was most inconvenient of you.”

“What?” said Jason rubbing his forehead.

“I said that was most inconvenient of you.”

“What? What was?”

“Passing out in the middle of the lane.”

“How did I get back here?” he asked, realising that he was covered in nearly-dry mud.

“We carried you back. Myself, your sister and my friend, Mary, that is.”

“Sadie…is she?”

“She’s fine,” said the Doctor. “She’s downstairs with Mary.” He leaned forward. “She’s given me her account of what she saw. What I need to know is what you saw.”

“Exactly the same thing,” said Jason, sitting up and wincing in pain. “Exactly the same thing as Sadie.”

“A cloaked figure with blue eyes?”

“That’s the one.”

“Hmmm,” he said, tapping his chin. “That bit is fascinating in itself, but I’d like to know what else you saw. I’ve met cloaked beings before. I need to make sure they aren’t the same creatures. So, again, what did you see?”

“You mean the woman?”

“Your sister – Sadie, did you say her name was? – says the woman disappeared.”

“That’s right. The thing seemed to just…I don’t know…engulf her.”

The Doctor got up from the chair and rubbed his chin. He crossed over to the window and stared down at the orange, street-light-bathed street below. “Again I’ve met creatures in cloaks that engulf their victims before. A long time ago.”

“You have?” Jason threw his bed covers back and sat up. “What sort of creatures?”

“Oh, creatures that are long gone. Poor, unfortunate creatures. But these can’t be the same ones.”

Jason got out of bed, rubbed at his aching head and then walked over to the Doctor. “Really, Doc, I’m scared, okay? I don’t have the faintest clue of what’s going on here.”

“Then maybe we should head down to the kitchen and we can collate all the information we have.” He clapped Jason on the back and smiled. “Come on, old son.”



Sadie finished pouring the tea and sat down at the table opposite Mary. “Yes, poor Jason has been through a lot just recently. He’s going through a pretty difficult divorce. I’m not surprised he flaked out like that.”

“Then I’m assuming it’s your brothers wife that wants the divorce and not him?”

“His wife?” Sadie chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart, he’s never even taken a second look at a woman. Jason’s married to a man.”

Mary’s raised her eyebrows so high that Sadie thought they were about to drop off her forehead. “Oh…I mean…oh, how modern.”

“Modern? Where are you from, sweetheart, the 1940’s?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“Mary is a child from another time,” said the Doctor as he entered the kitchen followed by a bewildered Jason.

“I beg your pardon?”

“That’s a story for another time, Sadie,” smiled the Doctor.

“How you doing, bro?” asked Sadie, as Jason sat himself down and took a sip of tea.

“Totally and utterly confused.”

“I’ve got to be honest. I feel the same,” said Mary. “Doctor, what on Earth is going on here?”

“Firstly we need to dispense with the usual questions,” said the Doctor. “If you can just accept that aliens and monsters and time travel exist then we can move on and deal with the situation at hand. I really don’t have time for it all.”

“To be fair,” said Jason, “time is essentially what we do have, especially if we’re stuck in this one single second.”

“And how long, Mr Harwood, do you expect us to live in this single second?”

“How do you mean, Doctor?” asked Mary.

“Well apart from that cloaked thing out there, we can’t stay here forever. We’re frozen in one moment in time. We can’t live here forever.”

“Then what do we do?” asked Sadie.

The Doctor frowned and held his finger up. He got up from the kitchen chair and ran through to the living room. The lights were all off so he peeked through the curtains. Sure enough there was the sound of running footsteps. Little footsteps.

The other three followed him through.

“What is it?” asked Mary, trying to peer over his shoulder.

“It’s a child,” said the Doctor, his voice almost a whisper.



Outside the little girl, wearing pink pyjamas adorned with fluffy white sheep, a blue dressing grown, red slippers and a grey bobble hat, ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She was panting and out of breath. She stopped just outside the Harwood home and her brown eyes flicked up to the Doctor’s face, mostly concealed in shadow.

She seemed to frown at him and she brushed her wet, blonde hair out of her face.

The Doctor tapped on the window and beckoned her to come inside.

But before she could do anything another sound came. More footsteps. This time heavier on the rain-soaked tarmac of the road.

The little girl turned to look back, then back at the Doctor, shook her head and bolted up the road.

A few moments later the same, cloaked figure came running past the house. It slowed slightly and then looked at the Doctor, who took a step back, but this time the figure didn’t head towards the house. Instead it carried on its pursuit of the little girl.

“Where’s she going?” asked Sadie. “We’ve got to help her.”

“Agreed,” said the Doctor. He turned to Jason. “Will you come with me, Mr Harwood?”

“Out there?”

“Yes, out there,” said the Doctor, nodding. “What’s at the end of this road?”

“St. Joseph’s,” said Sadie.

The Doctor frowned.

“The church,” said Jason.

“Then that’s where we’re heading,” said the Doctor. “Go and wrap up warm. We have to help her.”

“What about us, Doctor?” said Mary, feeling a little helpless.

“You and Sadie go and take a look around the village. If that little girl is stuck with us then there may be more villagers. And be careful - I’m not yet sure what we’re dealing with, but these creatures can’t be allowed to take anymore innocent people.”

To be continued...

3.17am, Part One

PART 1: SEPARATIONS

Current Time: 9.43pm



“Oh, come on Sammy,” said Jason Harwood, slamming down his tepid cup of tea down on the kitchen side. “What is that even supposed to mean?”

He frowned as he listened to his soon-to-be ex husband continue to rant to him down the phone.

“I never said that I wouldn’t want to do it, I just didn’t see the need to do it now.”

His mouth opened wide and he shook his head.

“No, just not now. Look…look will you let me finish.”

He took the phone away from his ear, closed his eyes and breathed in. He had to remain calm. This was exactly what had gotten them both into this situation in the first place.

He put the phone back to his ear. “Listen, Sammy. Sam, will you just listen. There has to be another way of working this out in a civil manner.”

He closed his eyes again.

“Yes, and that’s why I fell in love with you as well. But we can get back on track. We can get back to that. No…no, just listen. Sammy? Sammy!”

But it was too late. Sammy had already hung up. Jason looked down at his phone and then threw it across the kitchen work service, cracking the upper corner of the screen.

“Bad time?” came a voice.

It was his sister, Sadie. She had been staying over to help support Jason through his divorce. She had taken two weeks off work and, after the particularly intense conversation with Sammy’s side of the family earlier on in the day, she had gone to bed early.

“I’m sorry,” said Jason, “did I wake you?”

“I’m stood here in my PJ’s, little brother,” said Sadie. She indicated her messy red hair. “I also have bed-hair. So, yeah, you woke me.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, resting his elbows on the work surface with his head in his hands. “I’m a mess.”

“Hey,” she said, walking over and laying her arm around his shoulders. “You’re my little brother. You can wake me up at any time.”

“How did this become such a mess?” he said, shaking his head.

“We all know the answer to that,” said Sadie. She looked at his half-emptied cup on the side. “Fancy another cuppa?”

“I’ve already got one.”

“And it’s cold,” said Sadie. “Come on. I can sleep later.”



Current Time: 10.05pm



Jason took another sip from his Earl Grey tea and closed his eyes as “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You?” by Michael Bolton began playing on the radio.

“Why are you listening to Smooth Radio?” asked Sadie, shaking her head.

“I just love all the old classics,” said Jason.

“All the old classics that are bound to get you caught up in your emotions.”

Jason downed the rest of his drink and put his mug down on the coffee table. “Fancy something stronger?”

“Oh no. You’re not touching a drop of that JD in the cupboard. Four or five glasses of that and you’ll be on the phone to him again apologising.”

“But that’s what I want to do. I want to apologise,” said Jason. “I still love him.”

“And he still loves you, but you’ve both been through this countless times. You both want two totally different lives.”

“When we moved out here it was supposed to be for the rest of our lives. Maybe I can change.”

“Yeah, and I get that,” said Sadie, “but you were never a city boy and Sammy was never a country bumpkin.”

“I’m not a bumpkin either!” said Jason, frowning at his sister.

“Oh, come off it! You were always playing in the fields when we used to visit Auntie Bella. You and Peter Hempstead.”

Jason looked uncomfortable at the mention of Peter Hempstead.

“I knew you were destined to move to a little cottage like this right from that moment.”

“Maybe Peter Hempstead is on Facebook.”

“Going in for the rebound isn’t going to help you either,” said Sadie, with a wry smile.

Jason shook his head and his shoulders slumped. “Why do divorces have to be like this?”

“What, full of heartbreak? Full of anger and hatred? It’s because neither of the parties want it, but they know it has to happen.”

“I’m not gonna fall for anyone again.”

“Oh, you will.” Sadie got up from the armchair and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s a cliché, but believe me, time is the greatest healer. You’ll love again, little brother.” She finished the last of her tea. “You need to get some sleep. Round two is tomorrow, remember?”

“I know, I know.” He looked at the clock. It was nearly ten past ten and they had to be up to make the journey into Sheffield for the afternoon meeting. He got up from the chair and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He tried to convince himself that he’d meet someone again. He was handsome with his swept back dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes, but right now all he wanted was Sammy.

Sammy and some sleep.


Current Time: Unknown



Mary was lying in bed. She had no idea what the time was. She had no idea how long she’d been lying here. But no matter what she did she wasn’t able to fall asleep. It was a strange bed in a strange room in a strange place. And everything just felt…off.

She had been tired when they had returned to the TARDIS of course. She had been that sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. And then it had hit her. She had gotten up that morning to meet the Doctor for her trip to the woods and hadn’t really slept since then. The Doctor had told her that people tended to lose time whilst they were on board this weird and wonderful craft and you just had to grab some rest wherever you could.

She had been to the crystal station, to Hallean, to a future graveyard and then to see that rather odd bunch of musicians called the Beatles, and in all that time she had barely slept.

After lying there for another few minutes she eventually gave up on sleep. She swung her legs out from under the bed covers and rubbed at her eyes. She frowned as she looked at the room bathed in dim orange light. There were items there that she was sure hadn’t been there when she had attempted to go to sleep.

Her discarded clothes she had folded and placed on a small wooden chair in the corner of the room, but there now seemed to be a large wardrobe and a chest of drawers beside the bed. She frowned as she noticed a picture sat on top of the chest of drawers. There were three people that she didn’t recognise; a pretty, dark-haired girl, a cute but grumpy looking blonde girl and a man with short, brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard beaming wildly between them.

She remembered that the Doctor had told her that this room used to belong to an old friend of hers. She also remembered – although she didn’t quite understand it – that items that used to belong to the time machine were beginning to return from the ether. She assumed that this is where the picture frame and furniture had come from. She didn’t really understand it herself. It all seemed like magic to her.

She got up and crossed over to the wardrobe. Inside was a collection of various items of clothing all lined up neatly and all of it looking a little too wild for her. Where were all the plain dresses?

She did note, however, that there was what looked like some form of stylised pyjama set hung up, albeit adorned with a large, white duck. She breathed a sigh of relief. She could hardly continue to sleep in her clothes and it seemed like she wasn’t heading home just yet.

She took out the pyjamas and put them on, examining herself in the full-length mirror. They more or less fit, even though she felt silly. It’d do for now. She wondered what year this Holly girl had come from and she wondered where she was now. Since arriving Mary hadn’t really had much time to ask the Doctor many questions. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the answers.

After going through some of the more sensible clothes she finally decided to try to sleep again.

This time she drifted off.



The Doctor was standing in the medi-bay, a look of concern on his face. The young, dark-haired girl called Kyla was standing in front of her stasis tube, her eyes closed and her arms hanging down limply at her sides.

“Kyla, how did this happen?” he asked.

She didn’t reply.

“Kyla, you’re not ready yet. You’re not fully healed.” He stepped towards her and her eyes snapped open. The Doctor took a half step backwards and frowned. “You’re restless, I know. I understand. You and my TARDIS are connected with each other now, but you need to rest. You need to sleep. It’s the only way you’re going to heal.”

“Where is my father?” came her croaky voice. Her hand went to her mouth and she frowned. She was hearing this voice for the first time. Her eyes remained closed.

“You regenerated, didn’t you?” asked the Doctor. “First time?”

She nodded slowly.

“You’re so young. You shouldn’t have even had regenerative powers.”

“My father did a deal with…with people who are in charge.” She frowned, touching her lips. “It’s…so strange.”

“And that’s why you need to rest,” said the Doctor. He walked over to her and guided her back towards the tube, taking her hand and helping her back into it. “Rest is the only way to make you feel better, my dear.”

“But….my father…” She was already starting to drift off again.

“We’ll get to the bottom of it all in time.”

“We were escaping from the War…”

“The Time War,” he nodded. “Yes. But Kyla, it was so long ago now. You don’t have to be frightened anymore.”

“Where is everyone else?”

He looked sad. “All in good time. For now you need to rest. You need to heel.”

He closed the front of the tube as she slipped back under. The Doctor exhaled and shook his head. “Sleep, Kyla.”

As he turned to leave he felt a searing pain through both of his temples and he collapsed to the floor. There was a niggling pain in his leg again and he rubbed at it. It was like an itch he couldn’t get to and it was burning.

He looked up and saw billowing white curtains again. There was sunlight and then the face of a dark-haired woman loomed into view.

“Just rest,” he heard her sat at the edge of his hearing. “Rest is the only way to make you feel better, Dr. Smith.”

And then he was aware of his own hand reaching up and grabbing the woman’s wrist. “Do not patronise me, woman!” he growled.

He felt such anger. Anger he had never felt before. Feelings he was sure weren’t his own.

The woman looked scared and then the sunlight blazed in, everything around him being washed out in bright light…and he was lying on the floor on the medi-bay, the soft humming of the TARDIS and the gentle breathing of Kyla the only things to be heard.


Current Time: 3.13am



Jason sat bolt upright in his bed. He was sweating and threw the bed covers off him without hesitation. He was breathing heavily and felt sick. He got up off the bed and staggered unsteadily across the landing to the bathroom where he threw up in the toilet.

He took a few moments to make sure he wasn’t sick again and then made himself a glass of water. No sooner had he been sick then he was feeling better again.

He frowned and went back to his bedroom. The digital clock beside his bed changed to 3.17am and the air in his room had gone cold. He checked that the window wasn’t open – it was closed. And then he checked the radiator. It wasn’t on. He cursed himself. He was sure he had left the heating on when he came to bed.

He then heard a sound from the bathroom. It was Sadie – and she was also throwing up.

He went back out of his bedroom and caught her coming back from the bathroom, looking pale.

“You okay?” he said.

“Just feeling a bit queasy,” she said.

“Yeah, me too,” said Jason. “It must have been that quiche you made us earlier.”

“My cooking is fine,” said Sadie, raising her eyebrows. “It’s your bloody home made trifle that’s done it.”

Jason smiled. “Feel better though?”

“Yeah, weirdly,” she said. “We best get back to sleep, yeah?”

He nodded. He was about to turn and go back to bed when there came a blood-curdling scream from somewhere outside. Sadie and Jason both shot each other a look and then ran to his bedroom and pulled back the curtains.

The little village of Chedwell sat in total darkness, save for a few orange streetlights, every single person in the village was fast asleep. All except for one woman in a white coat who appeared to be running down the road.

“What the hell?” said Sadie, clearing a patch of condensation away. “Who is she?”

“I don’t know everyone in the village, you know,” said Jason.

The woman had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail and she looked to be in some distress. She stopped and looked up at the two siblings looking down at her. It was a fatal mistake. Whatever was causing her to look so distressed was almost on top of her.

Jason and Sadie heard footsteps from back the way she had come. It was a dark figure, mostly keeping to the shadows and trying its best to avoid the streetlights. The woman backed away from the dark shadow.

“No, please, no,” she sobbed.

“Call the police!” said Sadie.

But it was too late. The shadowy figure seemed to throw it’s arms open and they noticed that it was actually wearing a hood and a cloak. The thing hovered over the woman and then closed in on her, it’s cloak enveloping her.

The woman screamed and then silence.
When the figure stood up the woman was gone.

“Shit!” said Sadie, pulling the curtains closed quickly.

“What the hell was that thing?” said Jason.

“I don’t know, but we still need to call the police.”

“Sod the police,” said Jason, his eyes wide with fear, “we need to call frigging Mulder and Scully.”

“Do you think it’s still there?” asked Sadie, trembling with her hands still holding the curtains together.

Jason looked towards the curtain and then nodded for Sadie to open them. The two of them nearly jumped out of their skin. The shadowy figure was still standing where the woman had fell, but it was now looking right up at them.

And the only thing they could make out amongst the mass of hooded shadows were two bright blue eyes staring up at them.

To be continued...

Preview: 3.17am

Current Time: 3.17am

A village.

A brother and sister.

A little girl.

A cloaked figure.

Two time travellers.

An angel...

It's 3.17am forever....

This is the sixth in a series of ongoing adventures for the Doctor (Sean Pertwee) and Mary Auckland (Antonia Clarke)

The Road to Freedom, Part Two

PART TWO



Eve closed the door as quietly as she could and hefted the heavy rucksack onto her back. She was torn between travelling light and scavenging along the way, or taking what supplies she had now and being lumbered with the extra weight. Suffice to say she was stuck out in the country and there weren’t many supplies going.

This was her only realistic option.

She checked that there was nothing coming as she opened the front gate to the cottages garden and then made her way right down the silent street. As she passed rows of little houses she wondered how many people were still sheltered in them, hiding from the patrols and just waiting for their lives to come to end. Trying to seek out some form of life.

They didn’t know what she knew. They didn’t know that there was hope out there.

For five years before the initial invasion she had worked with her boyfriend, Paul, at the London Chronicle. Life was good. The parties were even better. The world had been heading towards some kind of all-out peace and the stories she was covering were joyful and filled with hope.

And then the plague had come.

Paul had battled it for two months before he’d eventually passed away. It had been happening all over the world. People dropping down from the mysterious illness brought in with the meteorites. Whilst that was horror enough, nothing could have prepared them for that nightmare that followed.

The world was on the brink, but not everyone was dying out. Some say there was a medicine that the government had put into the water systems to try and cure as many as possible. Some say the virus only affected a certain amount of people, but one thing was certain – there was no cure against the creatures that came to the planet – the Daleks.

London was on its knees when Eve had decided to leave. The saucers had started to descend. People were rounded up and executed. The Daleks wiped out most of the government and others were converted into mindless Robomen. Anyone else who survived were captured by the Daleks and taken somewhere.

But Eve had known there was hope out there. Somewhere out there in this battered world was a man who could save them all.

“Stop,” came the monotone voice.

Eve froze. She hadn’t been concentrating. She silently cursed herself as she turned to face the direction of the voice. Standing there in a ragged white shirt and jeans was a tall man with an unkempt beard and blank, emotionless eyes. On his head was a horrible, cumbersome head attachment. It almost looked like it was clamping his skull together.

“You don’t need me,” said Eve, her voice barely a whisper.

“You are my prisoner,” said the Roboman, as it raised its arm, a nasty looking whip in his hand.

Eve didn’t really have time to react or make sense of what happened next. There was a flash to her right, which temporarily blinded her. There was a loud crack and then the smell of smoke. She fell to the ground as she heard the sound of struggling coming from where the Roboman had been stood.

And then nothing.

Eventually her vision – and her hearing – cleared. Standing above the unconscious Roboman was a tall man in black jeans, jacket and hat with a scarf covering his face.

The man stepped forward and slowly unraveled the scarf. Eve let out a gasp.

“Goss!”

The man was unshaven with piercing blue eyes. He was handsome but rugged and when he spoke he had a northern accent. “You alright, love?”

“Goss where’ve you been!” she said, as he extended his hand to help her to her feet.

“Looking for you,” said the man.

Eve brushed herself down and looked him up and down. She could hardly believe he was standing here in front of her. They’d been separated back in Stevenage when a Dalek platoon had attacked the train station.

“I kept moving,” said Eve. As if she had forgotten she hadn’t seen her friend for around a year she suddenly threw her arms around him and held tight.

“Easy, lass,” said Goss, rubbing her back, “it’s alright now.”

“But…but what happened? You were in that ticket booth…it exploded.”

“I dived out before that Dalek hit it.” He smiled wryly at her. “I tried looking for you but there was smoke all over. I fell off the platform and cracked me head on the rails.”

Eve shook her head. “Typical.”

“At least this time it wasn’t the alcohol doing it.” He laughed.

Eve wasn’t amused. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” he said, grabbing her bag and hefting it onto his back.

“For leaving you behind.”

He shook his head and put his arm around her as the two started moving down the road together. “I always told you to keep focused. You needed to leave me.”

“I thought you were dead,” she said, her eyes flashing up to his briefly.

“Very nearly was,” he said. “I’m lucky I fell really otherwise I’d be taken prisoner or probably be converted to one of their Roboblokes right now.”

“We’ve gotta get out of this village. Why are the Daleks here?”

“No Daleks, Eve,” said Goss, glancing around him, “just Robo’s.” He turned on the spot and scratched at his bearded cheek. “You’ve gotta cover your tracks better than this though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been following you since Leeds.”

“You didn’t do a very good job of catching up with me.”

“Until now.” Goss smiled. “As far as I can tell the Robomen are just doing another sweep. I’ve noticed they do that a lot. Travel to random small towns and villages and gather up any survivors trying to hide. Bastards.”

“Like me.”

“Like you.”

Eve sighed. “Well we can’t be far off from Thornsby now, can we?”

Goss pulled out an electric pad and switched it on. The screen showed a digital map with a blue dot flashing in the middle of the location of the village.

“Where’d you get that from?” said Eve.

“Surely the question you should be asking, darling, is where I got the power from.”

“Okay, well both questions are valid.”

“From this.” Goss turned the pad over. Connected to it was a thin metal strip with clips and wires attached to the inside of the device. “Dalek power slat. It can store power for up to three months. I nabbed a load from a Dalek supply shuttle that crashed near Wakefield.” He winked and tapped his rucksack.

“Nice,” said Eve. “And the pad?”

“Well…bit of looting, you know.”

“Goss!”

He grinned at her. “Needs must. As to answer your question…” He tapped on the pad and it zoomed out. “We’re only a few days away if we keep moving.”

“Then let’s get out of here. I don’t want to run into anymore Robomen.”

“Or…I have another proposition.”

“You’re not gonna ask me to marry you again, are you?”

Goss laughed. “You’re too young for me, sweetheart.”

“Then what?”

“How about we skip Thornsby completely.”

Eve frowned. They’d been heading towards Thornsby and this potential resistance leader since they’d left London. “Why? Where would we go? You heard about what happened there. There was a bloke that helped them destroy a saucer.”

“Because I’ve found something even more interesting.” He tapped the pad and the blue dot moved up the map towards somewhere just past the Water Hills. “Have you heard of a town called Freedom?”

Eve laughed. “Oh, not you too, Goss.”

“What?” he frowned.

“Freedom is a made up name for a town that apparently is free from the invasion. There are no Daleks there. Apparently.”

“It’s true,” said Goss. “Honestly. It’s all true.”

“And how do you know that?”

He put the pad back into his pocket and sat down on a small, rock wall. “Because I met two blokes from there. They were on their way down to London.”

“And why would they be leaving this mythical place if it was such a safe haven?” Eve raised her eyebrows.

“Because they were going to get their families out of London. They were going to take them back to Freedom so they could be safe.”

“I don’t know about this,” said Eve, shaking her head. “We’ve been on course for Thornsby for months. It’s a massive deviation.”

“But one that’s worth checking out?” said Goss, a twinkle in his eyes.

“But why would an entire town be free and totally untouched from the Daleks?”

“Why don’t we find out?” smiled Goss.

Eve sighed, hefted up her rucksack and then started making their way up the road. “You’ll be the death of me Gossy, my friend.”

As Eve and Goss made their way towards the outskirts of the village a lone Roboman stood watching them from the shadows.





Thor and Millie had gathered up as many supplies and belongings as they could and had exited the factory building. It was in a built up, industrial area of Thornsby so the large brick warehouses and factory buildings meant it was easy to sneak around. They crossed one of the roads and headed down an alleyway between a former biscuit making factory and a cotton mill.

It was starting to rain now and Millie wiped the raindrops off her glasses as the quartet flattened themselves against the wall, keeping in the shadows as a group of six Robomen came marching past the entrance to the alleyway.

A cat hissed at Millie and then scuttled away, making her jump.

“Stay calm, Mills,” said Thor, his voice a whisper.

“Are we sure we’re gonna be able to get these prisoners out?”

“We have to try,” said Thor. “Roy, where’s Sammie?”

“A few blocks away, but I don’t reckon he’s gonna make it.”

“You let me worry about Sammie,” said Thor. He looked at the blood-smeared man, the large rocket launcher hefted onto his back. “You concentrate on getting that thing ready.”

“Thor, is this really wise?” said Peter. “We should make our escape now.”

“You can’t really mean to leave our friends?” said Millie.

“Of course not, but what if they catch us as well?” Peter shook his head. “I’m no coward, but this is a nearly impossible situation.”

“Pete’s right,” said Roy, nodding, “it’s a suicide mission.”

Thor turned to face them, his face looked furious. “Look, I’m fed up of losing my friends. First there was Sam and Molly, then the Jones brothers and now the rest of the gang. I’m not gonna lose anymore people.”

A bright light suddenly illuminated their position in the alleyway. They were temporarily blinded. Thor shielded his eyes against the light and positioned himself in front of the other three. Standing at the end of the alleyway was a Roboman; in his hand an ultra-bright torch.

“Stop,” drawled the Roboman.

“We’re not moving, mate,” said Millie.

“Sod this,” said Roy, grabbing the rocket launcher from his back.

“Roy, no!” said Peter.

But it was too late. There was a blast of energy. Roy screamed out, his arms in the air as a secondary light caused his body to appear as negative for a moment or two. He then dropped to the floor limply.

Standing at the opposite end of the alleyway was a silver and blue Dalek, it’s gun-arm still twitching from the kill.

“YOU ARE MY PRISONERS,” grated the monotone Dalek voice. “YOU WILL MOVE AHEAD AND STANDBY FOR PROCESSING.”

Thor looked from Millie to Peter and then back to the Dalek. “And if we refuse.”

“We already know the answer to that,” said Peter.

“IF YOU REFUSE YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”

“Now might be a time to use those hidden powers of yours, Millie,” said Thor under his breath.

“I can’t,” said Millie, her brow furrowed. “It’s too much of a risk.”

“She’s right,” said Peter. “We’re just going to have to find another way out of this.”

“MOVE!” shouted the Dalek as the three of them made their way past Roy’s body and towards the Roboman.



Sam had carried Molly up to her bed and had made her comfortable. He sat beside her dabbing her forehead with a cold flannel whilst Chloe stood in the doorway, her arms folded and with a look of concern on her face.

Molly’s eyes slowly flickered open and she looked up at her father. “Dad.”

“Hey, baby,” he said, running his finger along her cheek. “How you feeling?”

“On fire,” said Molly, blinking slowly. “What’s happening?”

“You’ve got a fever,” said Sam. “You said you were feeling off at lunch time.”

“I just thought it was your bad cooking,” said Molly, managing half a smile.

“Cheeky,” he said. He pursed his lips together. He couldn’t lose her. This was how the other plague victims had started – with a fever followed by skin rashes and in most cases mania. “I’m going to find you help, sweetheart.”

“Where from?” said Molly, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“There are a few places I can go,” said Sam.

“You mean those secret underground bases with miracle cures?” said Molly sarcastically.

Sam shook his head. “I’m serious Molls.” He stroked her hair back again. “We heard about that place not too far from here.”

Chloe shifted uncomfortably by the doorway. “Sam, we don’t know if this Freedom Town thing is real or not. And how are we gonna get there?”

“There are cars in the village,” said Sam, trying not to vent his frustration at her.

“You’ll get caught,” said Molly.

“I have to try something, sweetheart,” said Sam. He closed his eyes and squeezed her hand tighter. “They said that Freedom is safe from the Daleks, and not only that, but there’s a cure.” He smiled at her, tears in his eyes. “But you’re gonna have to stay here. You’re gonna have to hold on.”

“I…I want to come with you,” said Molly, looking suddenly upset.

“Chloe will look after you.”

Molly was about to protest when Sam held his finger up to her lips. “She will look after you. You’re too ill to move.”

Molly looked from her father and then to the end of the room where Chloe was standing looking upset. She nodded slowly. “Okay, but you better come back soon.”

“I will. I promise,” said Sam. He knew the fever would ease off a little and she’d be feeling a little better soon, but it wouldn’t last. Molly was a fighter and she’d hold on as long as she could, but as far as he knew, without the mysterious cure, nobody had survived the plague.

“I love you, dad,” said Molly.

“I love you too, darling.”

He gave her one more kiss on the forehead, pulled the covers over her a little more and then made his way to the doorway.

Chloe put her hand on his shoulder. “You know how nearly impossible this is going to be, don’t you?”

“Look, I have to try. There might be something. I’ve got no other choice. If this place exists then we need to at least take a risk.”

Chloe looked pain. “This is going to sound horrible, I know, Sam, but have you thought about, you know, staying with her?”

“Then how am I going to get her help?”

“What if something happens whilst you’re gone,” said Chloe.

Sam looked down at her and held a finger up to her. “You don’t talk like that, Chloe. She’s going to be okay. She’s going to survive this. You stay with her and keep her with us.” He couldn’t bring himself to say ‘die’.

“Yes, yes, I will,” said Chloe. She wasn’t going to push the matter any further. “But you’re gonna have to hurry. It’s a few miles out and you’ll have to get back here too.”

Sam took one more look back at his daughter who had now fallen asleep. He nodded. “Take care of her, Chloe, please.”

“I promise I will,” said Chloe. “You just take care of yourself.” She leaned in for a kiss but Sam turned his head and she kissed him on the cheek instead.

Sam smiled at her sadly and then made his way towards his room. He had a long journey ahead of him and he had to get a move on.



Thor, Millie and Peter were barely out of the alleyway when there was a flash of bright light followed by yelling voices. Millie shielded her eyes against the light and then felt people bustling past her. She fell against the wall and then fell over. She scrabbled around trying to get back to her feet, but she felt something hit the back of her head.

As she lay on the ground, her vision started to blur and she could hear voices. A female voice and a male voice.

“Do you think they’ll fit in?” asked the male.

“With us?” asked the female. “Who knows. But the Mayor seems to think so.”

“Okay then,” said the male. “Let’s get them loaded onto the van.”

“Where…where are we…going?” mumbled Millie as she felt herself hauled to her feet. She was now being carried by the male.

“We’re taking you to some place safe. A place that needs your help. A town called Freedom.”



To be continued…

Next time...the Doctor and Mary returned in "3.16am", where the TARDIS team find themselves stuck in a moment that they can't get out of.

The cast of "The Road to Freedom" will return later this year in "A Town Called Freedom."

The Road to Freedom, Part One

PART ONE



“My name is Millie Fieldgate-Parker. I’m 18 years old and I like cats, squirrels and millipedes. At least I used to. That was a long time ago. Back before the Daleks invaded.

Actually it was probably further back than that. Back when I was at school in fact. When I owned a cat. I never owned a squirrel or millipede though. I just liked them.

Anyway I’m going off on a tangent here.

As I was saying, my name’s Millie Fieldgate-Parker. It’s a double-barrelled name. There’s a reason behind that. My ancestors were two people very much in love and when they married they kept both names. When their baby was born (Alison her name was), a new family was born out of the Parkers and Fieldgates.

It’s a bit of a mouthful but there you go. You don’t choose your name and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There’s a bit of a story attached to myself, actually. No, really. It’s actually quite interesting. Turns out two of my ancestors had special powers – they could manipulate time and space. It sounds crazy, I know, but then I’m descended from a pretty crazy bunch of people.

As a result every one born from that original great great whatever had these powers passed down to them. To be honest I never really bothered to use my powers. They kind of just stayed dormant inside me. Sleeping.

So let’s skip ahead a bit to when this nightmare started. I was 16 and just starting a medical course at college. It was early one morning. I was at work placement at the local hospital and my parents had gone to buy tickets for some band or show or something at the auditorium. That’s when the meteorites came.

One hit the auditorium and killed my parents and everyone else instantly. One hit the front of our house and demolished the entire living room and my parents’ room. I used to curse the auditorium for trying to sell the tickets so early, but then I realised that if they hadn’t left early they still would have died in the house anyway.

This nice bloke with huge muscles rescued me from the hospital – Thor he called himself. He still calls himself Thor actually. He was an LSO (stands for Local Security Officer), and his team took me in whilst I tried my best to help the injured.

Then I found out about my parents.

I was sad. I was distraught. I’d lost my mum and dad. I tried to contact my twin sister to tell her, but she’d left home when we were 14 and hadn’t been in touch since. Carly, by the way, is a little cow. She hated that she had these powers. She resented the entire family for it and cleared off with her dickhead of a boyfriend who, let me tell you, was and still is way too old for her. We never saw her again.

And then the plague came. Just as we were beginning to pick ourselves up people started dying. It was a nightmare. Three quarters of the town caught it. I was lucky. I didn’t catch it, but the world was hit hard.

And then they came. Their flying saucers came out of the sky. They targeted the major cities, absolutely obliterating some places, like Manchester, and leaving other cities standing for them to conduct their experiments in. People were terrified of them. They fled the cities and towns and ran to the countryside. I had no choice. Thor, his team and myself holed ourselves up in a disused factory.

The invaders called themselves the Daleks. They were – and still are – strange, rounded metallic things covered in blue spots. They have weird sink plungers and egg whisks instead of arms, but the egg whisks can kill! I’m not sure what the plungers do, but Thor reckons he saw one suck a man’s face straight off. They scream and shout their orders out all the time and it makes me wonder if there is something trapped inside them wanting to get out.

When they first arrived they took some people as slaves. They executed others and the rest they converted to mindless Robomen.

And that’s how it’s been ever since. Thor and the rest of his team have tried to fight against them. About a year ago I met this bloke who knew a lot about me – his name was the Doctor. He helped me to channel my powers and we blew up one of their flying saucers. But he also told me that I needed to keep my powers hidden. If the Daleks were to find out what I was capable of they’d use me, and I’m definitely not becoming a battery for their invasion force!

And then the Doctor left and we were on our own again. There’s just myself, Peter, Thor, and a handful of LSO’s now, and to be honest I don’t know how much longer we can go on for. I know what the Doctor said, I know, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s time I started using my powers to defeat the Daleks. The Doctor reckons it’ll all be over in eight years, but some of us might not last that long.

Why should I hold back a way to defeat the Daleks just to preserve some predestined end to all of this? Why should I let all those people die between now and then just to preserve some mythical web of time?

It’s a good job I’m not in charge of things, isn’t it? I’d burn out every single one of the horrible little pepper pots from our world forever.

This is our world and we need to take it back.



Eve Walker opened what remained of the raggedy curtains and cleared the condensation from the one windowpane that wasn’t cracked to look outside. She wrinkled her nose – it was raining. Again. It always seemed to be raining these days. The street outside the house was mostly deserted, apart from a couple of Alsatian dogs trotting up the cobbled street looking for any scraps of leftover food.

She felt sad for a moment. She used to own a dog back in London.

She shook away thoughts of Groundhog and headed out of the small cottage living room to the kitchen. She had heated up some water on a portable stove and made herself a very watered down black coffee and one fried egg. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep her going for most of the day. What she lacked in food she made up for in determination.

She then headed upstairs with a pan of boiled water, which she tipped into the sink in the tiny bathroom and gave herself a wash. She turned to look at the mirror and smiled at her reflection before quickly wiping the smile off her face.

She would turn 36 this year. Her birthday was one of the things she still tried to cling on to, not because she wanted to celebrate, but because it reminded her that time was ticking. This invasion had started two years ago. She wanted it to be over before she turned 40. She used that as her motivation, as silly as it sounded.

She tied her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and gave her face a quick clean with a flannel. She wiped any remnants of sleep out of her grey-blue eyes and then breathed out. She stared for a long time at her pale features. She so much wanted to cry. To cry about everything she’d lost. To cry about everything the world had lost. But she couldn’t break down now. She’d had had her months after the meteorites had come to get scared, to panic and to worry, and then she had run through the emotions of fear and bewilderment when the monsters had come. She had done all of that. She couldn’t succumb to them again.

She remembered back to what her friend, Goss, her said to her before they’d been separated the other year. “You keep on fighting. You stay focused. You lose focus and you lose everything.”

She straightened herself up, changed into her combat trousers and grey jumper and then headed downstairs. When she reached the foot of the stairs she heard some gunfire and quickly ran to the window, making sure she kept low.

She couldn’t see anything, but could hear frantic running on the cobbles, followed by a number of heavier boots. They were obviously chasing someone again. She’d have to be careful out there. It would be nightfall soon (she always travelled during the night and slept during the day) and she had a long way to go.

And so she sat and waited with her stuff packed away. She had to get out of here. She was so close now that she could feel the anticipation. Just a little while longer.



“Back from your jaunt?” said Thor, as Millie sat herself down on a beaten up mattress in the corner of the factory hideout.

“Yep. All sorted,” she smiled.

“Planning on disappearing again?” asked the blonde-haired man. She could tell that he was concerned for her well-being.

“Nah. That’s all finished with now. I’ve done what I needed to do.” She looked around the factory floor. “Where is everyone?”

Thor finished eating his cold tin of bins and then threw it in the corner. “Well, Peter’s up on the roof trying to fix the antenna and Roy and the rest are out scavenging for supplies.”

There came the sound of footsteps from an outer corridor and Peter White emerged in the doorway. He was an older gentleman, in his early seventies. He was thin with short white-grey hair and wire-rimmed spectacles. His eyes looked tired, but other than that he looked quite fit for his age.

“Well, it’s finished,” he said, shaking his head.

“Finished?” said Thor, getting to his feet.

“The antenna. It’s completely shot to pieces. That pulse wave from the saucer must have knocked it out permanently.”

Thor half-sighed, half-growled. “I knew they’d get us eventually. Those saucers have been doing sweeps over nearby towns for the last few weeks.”

“What sweeps?” said Millie, feeling a little out of the loop.

Thor headed towards the corner of the room and started rummaging through a backpack. “We’ve heard rumblings of the saucers flying over towns and sending out pulses which wipe out all communication.”

“We don’t know how they’re doing it,” continued Peter, “but it’s making it near enough impossible to communicate with any of the other resistance groups.”

“And now we can’t communicate with our own people out there?” said Millie.

“Exactly,” said Thor. “The saucer came over a few hours ago.” He pulled out an old-fashioned walkie-talkie from his bag and shook his head, throwing it to the ground in anger. “Yep, fried.”

Millie hadn’t seen Thor this downbeat for around a year. A year ago they had made their first move against the invaders and had blown up a saucer. That had sparked on a few local groups to start fighting back and they had hoped word would have gotten up and down the country – maybe even across the world – but they had done absolutely nothing in the past year, save for a few skirmishes with the Robomen.

“Thor, maybe it’s time we moved on,” said Peter, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Moved on to where?” said Thor, shaking his head. “Everywhere we go there’s always going to be the same problems.”

“I know that, but we may find a place where they haven’t been.”

“They’ve been everywhere, Peter,” said Millie.

‘What about that town up north? The one they’re calling Freedom?’

‘Freedom?’ said Millie, with half a laugh. ‘What sort of a name is that?’

‘Apparently there are no Daleks there. None at all. And nobody but the people living there no why.’ Peter shrugged.

‘It’s all just a myth though,’ said Thor. ‘And we don’t have the resources to chase after myths.’ He sat himself down on the mattress and ran his fingers through his long, blonde hair.

Millie put an arm around him and rubbed his back. She hated seeing him like this. He was their rock in this mad world. He was her rock. She couldn’t see him fall apart like this. “Let’s wait for the others to come back, yeah, and then we can see what’s for the best.”

“The others should have been back thirty minutes ago,” said Thor, looking even more concerned. “They were only going a few streets away to raid that frozen food factory.”

“And of course we have no way of communicating with them,” said Millie, feeling Thor’s pain.

There came a crash and a bang from the outer corridor, followed by staggered, hurried steps. The double doors leading to the factory floor burst open and a young man, in his 20’s, with a shaved head and deep-set brown eyes stumbled through the doors. He had blood smeared on the right side of his face and it had stained his dark, combat suit.

“Roy! What happened? Where are the others?”

Peter was at his side with a crumpled plastic cup of water. Roy took a few sips before sitting down on the ground, cross-legged trying to catch his breath.

“Roy!?” said Thor, at his side instantly.

“Give him a minute, James,” said Peter, using Thor’s first name.

Millie smiled. If Thor felt like her big brother then Peter was like a father to the group. He only used Thor’s real name when he made use of that fatherly nature.

Roy caught his breath and then looked up at his leader. “We were ambushed somewhere round Suggitt’s Street. It was a group of Robomen. They were just waiting for us.”

“They must have been monitoring our communications,” said Peter, looking up at the ceiling as if expecting to see the antenna.

“We need to go out there and help,” said Thor, getting to his feet.

Roy grabbed his arm. “It’s a waste of time, Thor. They killed Katy and Ben and took the others prisoner. Me and Sammie got away but Sammie collapsed down Intax Lane. He’d been shot in the back.”

“But we can still rescue the others,” said Thor.

“Then we best be quick,” said Millie. “They’ll already be heading to the saucer pick up point.”

Thor had an idea. “Peter, do we still have that rocket launcher?”

“Yes, but…”

“Good,” said Thor, getting to his feet. “You and Roy get that thing set up on the roof. Millie and I will get to the prisoners, break them out and then when that saucer flies in you shoot it down.”

“We don’t know if the rocket launcher will have any effect, Thor,” said Millie.

“We don’t have much of an option.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” said Peter. “It’ll light up our location straight away. We’ll have to abandon the place regardless. They’ll swarm on us.”

“Then pack up your stuff and get ready to move out. I’m sick of sitting around doing nothing. They’ve gone too far this time. Let’s start resisting again!”



Sam Hasthorpe was lying on the grass. He could feel the sun beating down on his face. There was a gentle lick of breeze on his bare feet and he could smell flowers. He turned his head to look at his wife, a dazzling blonde with piercing blue eyes and a huge, beaming smile. He reached out for her and ran his hand through her soft, blonde hair.

“I love you, Hannah,” he said.

She reached out and touched his face. “I love you too, Samuel.”

There was a rush of wind, the screeching of tires followed by the sensation of heat. Sam sat up quickly, but instead of sitting in a field he was on a flat mattress in a darkened room. He was panting heavily and turned to his side. Underneath a woolen blanket was a woman in her late twenties with dark hair.

“Hannah,” he said under his breath, remembering back to the day his wife had died. It had been two years ago. He and their daughter, Molly, had been in the car heading for a weekend away in the country.

Then the meteorite storm had happened. One of them had hit the back of the car, killing Hannah instantly. An old man –Peter White – had rescued Sam and Molly but that seemed an age ago now.

The horrors that had happened after that day had never gone away.

“Sam?” said the woman, groaning and turning over to look at him. “You okay?”

Sam looked down at the woman, almost with revolt in his eyes, and nodded. “Yeah, Chloe, I’m fine. Just a dream.”

Before he knew it Chloe had drifted off to sleep again. When he was sure she was asleep he slipped out of bed and headed downstairs.

He wasn’t surprised to see his daughter, Molly, sat at the kitchen table with a candle illuminating an old book. She brushed her brown hair out of her eyes and smiled at her dad. It was too much for a fifteen-year-old girl to go through, but he was pleased she was still able to take some pleasure in reading.

“Still up?” said Sam, sitting down opposite her.

“Couldn’t sleep,” said Molly. “I heard you shout out.”

“Just a dream,” said Sam, smiling at her sadly.

“About mum again?”

“The same one,” nodded Sam. “And it’s always the same. The grass and the flowers and the sunshine.”

“And Mum.”

“And Mum.”

“Did you wake her?” asked Molly, glancing towards the wooden staircase.

“There’s no need to be like that, Mols,” said Sam, looking a little embarrassed.

“You know how I feel about her,” said Molly. “You remember what she did to us. To the rest of them.”

“I remember. I haven’t forgotten.”

“She sold all of our friends out to the Daleks,” said Molly, staring her father right in the eyes. “And now she’s living under the same roof as us.”

Sam couldn’t excuse his daughter’s anger. In the year since Chloe had betrayed them, Molly had gone from being an angry teenager sulking that her father was seeing another woman to a teenager who had morals and knew right from wrong. “It was a year ago, Molly. We all make mistakes.”

“Yes, but as far as I can see she isn’t being punished for her mistakes. You and she are back together.”

“We’re not together, sweetheart.”

“Oh, come off it, Dad,” said Molly. “I’m not a little girl anymore. You both share a room together. You’re with her.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven her, and you’ve gotta realize that we’re at war here.”

Molly rolled her eyes. “It’s not a war. Those things are just enslaving us. The human race is on its way out.”

“Don’t talk like that. And besides people do stupid, stupid things, including Chloe, and we have to move on for the greater good.”

“Thanks, Sam,” said Chloe from the top of the stairs, “but Molly’s right. I’ve made mistakes. I need to make up for them.”

“I didn’t hear you up there,” said Sam as she headed down the stairs.

“I can’t sleep. I can never get back to sleep after you’ve had a dream.”

“He was dreaming about my Mum,” said Molly, spitefully.

Chloe smiled at the girl. “I’m gonna make a cuppa. Anyone want one?”

“I want a smoke,” said Sam, getting up from the table, grabbing his last two remaining cigarettes and heading for the kitchen door.

Sam and Molly had left Thornsby straight after Chloe’s betrayal, but Sam had taken pity on her and picked her up before heading into the country to the Water Hills. Chloe’s grandma had owned a house up here and it was as far away from the Daleks as they were likely to get. There was only one house up here and nothing else for miles around. Occasionally Sam would head to Tinford to raid for supplies, but they didn’t eat much.

They were content to just survive. The small house would have looked quite picturesque back in the day, but now it was cold and uninviting. But it was somewhere to stay safe.

Sam leant against the doorframe and lit up his cigarette. He had smoked before he had met Hannah, but she had asked him to stop for the sake of their daughter. The invasion had done funny things to people. He was glad that all he had done was take up smoking again. He looked out at the dark fields and hills in front of him. Somewhere, miles away, the Daleks were busy making plans, taking prisoners and turning people into mindless Robomen. Although they were safe now, he wondered if that would always be the case.

Chloe appeared at his side and touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“You say that every single day,” said Sam.

“It’s because I mean it, Sam,” said Chloe. ‘And I will go on saying it every single day.’ She stood in front of him and he looked down at her. Even without standing on the doorstep he was a good foot taller than her. “I was an idiot. I know that.”

Sam nodded. “I know. I also know how screwed up this world is. It can do things to you.”

“I still shouldn’t have sold everyone else out to them.” She looked down at the doorstep. “They’re most likely stuck at that mine now.”

Sam took another drag on his cigarette and then threw it to the ground. “They’re not.”

She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I heard they escaped. I don’t know how, but not long after we left that saucer went up in flames.”

“That was a year ago, Sam,” said Chloe, her face a mix of confusion and hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you had to let your guilt stay with you. If I had told you everyone was safe you wouldn’t have learnt anything. You’d have gotten a get out of jail free card, wouldn’t you?”

Chloe was angry. She wanted to slap Sam and call him all the names under the sun, but he was right. She deserved it. She felt relieved now, but this year of hell had been her punishment.

He could see she was visibly upset and he put an arm on her shoulder. She closed her eyes. He hadn’t even touched her for over a year now. Not since the night before she had been found out.

“I care about you, Chloe,” said Sam, “but we’re stuck in the middle of the frigging apocalypse. I don’t know where to turn or what to do. I can’t act normal because there is no normal.”

“I understand,” she said.

“And that’s why I can partly understand what you did.” He took his hand off her shoulder. “But when it boils down to it Molly is the most important thing in my life. The only important thing.”

She nodded. She knew she’d never take the place of his long-dead wife, and she didn’t want that. But she knew that people were going to have to try and find comfort from wherever they could now.

She was about to respond when there came a crash from back inside the kitchen. Sam spun round on his heels and then bounded through the hallway to the kitchen. He dropped to his feet. Molly was laid out on the floor. She’d toppled off the kitchen chair and was unconscious.

“She’s got a fever,” said Sam, feeling her sweating brow.

Chloe closed her eyes. She didn’t want to say it, but she’d seen the symptoms before. They all had. “She’s-”

“No,” said Sam, holding a finger up.

“Sam, she’s got the plague,” said Chloe.

To be concluded...