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.”
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...
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