𝔘𝔱𝔞𝔥, 𝔘𝔫𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔰, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔍𝔲𝔩𝔶 2012
If you had asked four-year-old EJ Thompson what he wanted to be when he grew up, it was to be an astronaut. His mother had told him stories about the stars, about aliens, and planets he couldn't even imagine existed. Of course, she had no idea what was really out there, but it made him wonder for the rest of his life. Earth couldn't be the only thing out there with life... it just couldn't.
But if you had asked a thirteen-year-old EJ what it was he wanted to be, it would have been a much different reply. He didn't have as much of that childhood innocence anymore, and had come to the forced realisation that being an astronaut was not a rational dream. Instead, he would reply with somethings academic: a biomedical scientist just like his father.
Now twenty, and a full time tattoo artist, EJ hadn't expected his profession to be so aloof. Although, he that there must have been something missing.
It was universe.
Space was, as he had always hoped, brilliant. EJ never thought he would be given the opportunity to spend even a second surrounded by the stars. His mind and heart had both been stolen within only a moment, and it felt like there could never be anything to compare to it. He had always been in love with the stars, and one day they would come to love him too.
The Doctor took him to the Horsehead Nebula, which was his first experience outside of Earth, never mind the Galaxy. All colour seemed to explode into the atmosphere, creating a sort of bubble for them to observe its wonder. For a moment, he was content with just this, and the idea that this might be all he got to see of space.
As soon as he decided that, the small void inside of his chest reopened, just when it was attempting to heal. He wanted to see more, and he couldn't wait for it much longer.
EJ wasn't exactly sure where they were heading when Tardis changed course. They had received a signal, one that the Doctor decided that they couldn't ignore, because it meant that someone was in need. But he and Rose were assured that it was only a slight detour, and it wouldn't take too long.
When they landed, it was not the sort of thing that they were expecting at all. The Doctor went first, if only to scope out the area.
"What is it?" Rose followed him swiftly, ignoring his guidelines to stay inside of the ship. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know."
"Fat lot of good you are, then." EJ rolled his eyes, copying Rose, and closing the door to the Tardis, gently.
The Doctor just shook his head at the boy, and continued. "Some sort of signal drawing the Tardis off course."
"Where are we?" The girl asked, proud of herself for remembering to even ask.
"Earth." He replied swiftly, with more ease than breathing, it seemed. "Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."
"What about when?" The Thompson boy raised his eyebrows, beginning to wander slightly, his eyes catching glimpses of objects which almost impossible to see in the dark. "Because if this is 2005 still I'm gonna be so annoyed, you have no idea."
"2012." The Doctor clarified, also becoming slightly distracted by the objects.
They were glass boxes, each holding something different, and out of the ordinary. Even when there was very little light, their shadows were easy to spot.
"God, that's so close." Rose gasped in wonder. "I should be 26!"
"Ha!" EJ taunted, playfully. "I'd be 27!"
"Yeah, but that just means you're old." She retorted, earning herself a quick slap on the arm.
The blonde boy shook his head, and groaned to himself. "It's my bloody luck, though, isn't it? Got in a time machine for the first time, and the first place I go is fucking America in... seven years."
Clearly, Rose didn't share his frustrations. She had actually been places. Although, by the reaction of her mother the day that they had met, she hadn't been travelling with the Doctor for too long. They were all still new to each other, which meant EJ was much further behind the others, which he was not a fan of. It felt like he was out of the loop.
The lights turned on as they started to move; they must have been automatic.
"Blimey!" The blonde girl was taken by surprise as hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of the cases were revealed. "Like a great big museum."
"An alien museum." The Doctor corrected.
EJ raised an eyebrow. "In 2012?"
"Someone's got a hobby." Their guide remarked, passing by different showcases, and looking at them, clearly knowing more than they ever could. "They must have spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorite. Moondust." With a grin, he drew their attention to a metal disc which looked no more than a glorified compass. "That's the mile-o-meter from the Roswell spaceship."
"You're kidding?" The Thompson boy was in awe of it. "Roswell happened? Like, actually?"
"Course it did." The Doctor shrugged, moving on, and further down the corridors.
"That's a bit of Slitheen!" Rose squeaked. "That's a Slitheen's arm- it's been stuffed!"
"As have most things." EJ scrunched his nose. "Bloody aristocrats. I hate taxidermy."
"Ah, look at you!"
"What is it?"
"An old friend of mine."
This old friend that the Doctor was referring to, was a metal head, with what looked like massive headphones attached over its ears. The body was missing, probably so it could fit in the exhibit, but EJ wondered what it might have been like to see it in action. A real one.
"Well, enemy." That made more sense. "The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."
"Is that where the signals coming from?"
"Looks pretty dead to me." EJ shrugged.
"Stone dead." The Doctor confirmed. "The signals alive. Something's reaching out. Calling for help."
As he touched the glass, an alarm blasted through the air, hitting them with an unexpected force. There was no need for it to be so loud, and it seemed like a waste. Within seconds, they were surrounded by soldiers, tens of guns being pointed directly at them. EJ considered making a break for it, but the odds of them all missing enough for him to escape were millions to one. So, rather quickly, his hands shot up.
"Bloody hell." He groaned. "You can tell we're in America, can't you? Guns, guns, and more guns."
Rose copied his actions, and grumbled beneath her breath. "If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A."
Clearly her words were intended for the Doctor, but EJ couldn't help the sick feeling that crept into his stomach. Aliens were everything he had ever wanted, but there was something wrong about a museum dedicated to their lost and deceased.
The three were taken into custody by the soldiers almost immediately until they were called into a room not too dissimilar to the White House's Oval Office. It was extremely fancy, with patriotic flags and decor all around. There wasn't anything less appealing to EJ, and he wouldn't have even classed himself as someone who was dedicated to his own country.
There were two men at the large mahogany table. The elder looked to be balding and sported a black goatee whereas the younger wore his hair in a slight quiff, and generally seemed nervous. He was, however, slightly gorgeous.
From where they were, it seemed that the younger man was showing the elder new objects he had acquired. Quite clearly, they were not of human origin. EJ was confused... how could these have been on Earth all this time and he had no idea? It wasn't that far into his future.
"And this is the last." The younger clarified as he held up a metal-looking thing. As far as the Thompson boy was concerned, it looked like a roof tile. "Paid $800,000 for it."
"What does it do?"
"Well, you see the tubes on the side? Must be to channel something, I think, maybe, fuel."
A woman was following them in, and prompted they be brought before the desk. It didn't annoy EJ so much as it angered him. Personally, he wasn't a fan of the vice-like grip that both the man and cuffs had on him. A scowl crossed his face.
"I really wouldn't hold it like that." The Doctor commented, swiftly.
The woman commanded. "Shut it!"
"Really though," He continued, cheekily. "That's wrong."
The sense of clarity he brought must have broken through, even if it was just a little, because the boy questioned. "Is it dangerous?"
"No, it just looks silly." EJ snorted, involuntarily, not embarrassed in the slightest about his unwelcome interruption.
When the Doctor reached out for the object, naturally, as he was going to correct them on its function, all of the guns in the room pointed to him. His movements froze, and EJ held his breath, sharing a baited look with Rose. However, the elder of the men held them off with one show of his palm, and stood from his chair, passing over his alien exhibit.
"You just need to be..." The Doctor let his fingers gently drag along the spines of the metal, and smiled as it hummed. It was ethereal, and beautiful, and made even EJ grin. "Delicate."
When his fingers moved across the different spines, the pitch changed, and it almost sounded like a song. The man seemed endeared by him and his ability. "It's a musical instrument."
"And it's a long way from home."
Without a care, the man snatched it from his hands. "Here, let me."
"I did say delicate." The Doctor sighed. "It reacts to the smallest fingerprint." Because of all the touches it was receiving, the instrument was having some sort of technological breakdown. "It needs precision." Finally, when the man altered the pressure of his touch, it hummed smoothly. Surprised, the Doctor smiled. "Very good. Quite the expert."
"As are you." Then, with no care for his new things, he threw it to the side and the Doctor gritted his teeth. "Who exactly are you?"
"I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"
"Like you don't know!" The man replied, clearly quite full of himself. "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extraterrestrial artefacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake?"
"Pretty much sums me up, yeah." He grinned like a child.
"Question is, how did you get in? Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat-burglar accomplice. Quite a collector yourself- she's rather pretty."
Rose shook her head, and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "She's gonna smack you if you keep calling her a she."
"She's English too!" It was like some great revelation, and he was excited by it. "Hey, Little Lord Fauntleroy, for you- a girlfriend."
"What am I?" EJ scoffed, obviously fed up because he was being completely overlooked. "Chopped liver? I know I don't have tits but I thought I was somewhat attractive."
The man silenced him with a word. "Quiet."
"This is Mr Henry van Statten." Said the younger man, like they should have known, but they didn't.
"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose sighed.
"Mr Van Statten owns the internet."
"Don't be stupid." She laughed to herself, covering EJ's poorly timed snort. "No one owns the internet."
The elder of the men just smiled, grossly. "Let's just keep the world thinking that, right, kids?"
"And I'm EJ." The blonde interrupted, almost offended that no one had asked him. "Just in case anyone wants to know."
No one reacted to him in the slightest, and focused upon the Doctor. "So you're an expert on everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."
"And you claim greater knowledge?"
"I don't need to make claims." The Doctor smiled cheekily. "I know how good I am."
"And yet, I captured you right next to The Cage." Mr Van Statten seemed sceptical of them, obviously having no idea why they were there. And, in all honesty, EJ didn't really know either. "What were you doing down there."
"You tell me."
"The Cage contains my one living specimen."
"And what's that?"
"Like you don't know." The man scoffed, pretentiously.
Confidently, never breaking his gaze, the Doctor replied. "Show me."
"You wanna see it?"
"Blimey." Rose sighed. "You can smell the testosterone."
"Is that what it is?" EJ joked, childishly, nudging his new friends side. "I thought someone had pissed themselves."
"Goddard!" Van Statten called out, and the curly haired woman rushed forwards. "Inform the Cage we're headed down. You, English, look after the girl. Go and canoodle, or spoon, or whatever it is you British do. We'll take the boy and you, Doctor with no name. Come and see my pet."
Thoroughly creeped out by the man, he just groaned. "My name's EJ. It's not that hard to remember. Two letters. Just two."
"I'd shut up now if I were you." Rose called to him as they walked out, a cheeky grin on her face.
"Yeah, I will, thanks."
EJ had always hated lifts. Of all of the things to be scared of, a lift seemed rather ridiculous and out of place, but he had his reasoning. Before he had moved in with Angel, the Thompson residence had been where he slept at night, and it was not welcoming in the slightest. Four floors of horror, and hatred. The only down to the basement where his father's workshop resided, was down an old, rickety lift. It creaked, and groaned, like a ghost. He'd never been able to rid himself of the mental image.
He'd managed well to avoid them for so long, but he hadn't taken into consideration that he might be handcuffed and forced. EJ breathed in deeply, and counted to ten before exhaling.
It took them down a few floors, or more, he wasn't really sure. They entered a grey room, where they undid the handcuffs, and allowed the Doctor to swan about as he pleased. Though, he stayed behind, and observed for a while.
"We've tried everything." Van Statten announced to them as he hit a series of buttons beneath a slide away panel. "The creature has shielded itself, but there's definite signs of life inside."
"Inside?" The Doctor queried, his mind scouring the millions of aliens he'd ever encountered, trying to make a match. "Inside what?"
Sarcastically, EJ retorted. "The shield... obviously."
He genuinely didn't know why he was there. He knew as much about aliens as Rose did, probably even less. EJ expected that the only reason he was with the Doctor instead of with the boy was because of the casual sexism Henry Van Statten almost definitely had built in him. She would have been a much greater asset to... whatever it was they were doing.
"Welcome back, sir." A man in an orange protective suit approached them. "I've had to take the power down- the Metaltron is resting."
"Metaltron?" The Doctor's ears pricked.
"Thought of it myself." He bragged. "Good isn't it? Although, I'd much prefer to find out it's real name."
"Here, you'd better put these on." The man in orange held out a pair of leather-looking gloves. They reminded EJ of the sort of thing that someone working in a nuclear power plant might wear. "The last guy that touched it... burst into flames."
The Doctor just smiled. "I won't touch it, then."
"Go ahead, Doctor." Van Statten held an evil grin that EJ didn't appreciate it. "Impress me."
When he began to walk towards the door which would open so he could enter the Cage, EJ grappled for his hand to try and keep him close. "No, no, no, don't leave me here-" He grumbled under his breath. "With the Americans."
It was hard watching the Doctor walk away from him, especially when he was in a room full of complete strangers. He'd get used to it, he had to, because when he was gone he could see Van Statten conspiring, with no idea what was being said.
There was a small tv in the room where they could watch everything that happened inside of the room, but the only issue was that it was so dark that the Doctor was barely visible. Beside him was a trolly holding, what EJ presumed were, torture implements. But the focus was clearly the blue dot in the centre of the room. He didn't know whether that was the alien, or a machine.
"Look, I'm sorry about this," The Doctor apologised. "Mr Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor."
"Doc... tor." The word left it like it might from a robot.
His entire demeanour changed as he tensed, and his expression fell. "Impossible!" It was like he was afraid.
"The Doctor?"
The lights switched on, and revealed to them what the Metaltron really was. A big tin machine with bobbly bits. It was hardly a terrifying sight, and it was chained to the walls so that it wasn't able to move. If the Doctor was frightened then it really had to be something.
And then it screamed. It screamed bloody murder.
"Exterminate! Exterminate!"
"Let me out!" The Doctor ran to the door, fearing for his life as he hammered his fists against the doorframe.
It repeated, coldly. "Exterminate!"
"Get him out of there!" EJ cried out. He didn't want to see the Doctor die.
"Sir, it's going to kill him!" The curly haired woman, Diana, informed. There was some remorse in her voice. Perhaps she cared.
Van Statten just marvelled at the machine. "It's talking!"
"You are an enemy of the Daleks! You must be destroyed!" It wiggled an arm, the one which looked like the wrong end of a whisk, but nothing came of it.
They watched as the Doctor grinned, with what must have been relief, and sighed. "It's not working!" He cackled. "Fantastic! Oh, fantastic! Powerless. Look at you. The great space dustbin! How does it feel?"
It pulled again on its chains, and cried. "Keep back!"
"What for?" He bound forwards, stopping only just before touching it. "What are you going to do to me?" Clearly, he was furious; he would do more damage to it than it would to him. "If you can't kill, then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you? You're nothing. What the hell are you here for?"
"I am... waiting for orders."
"What does that mean?"
"I am a soldier." It said. "I was bred to receive orders."
The Doctor spat. "Well, you're never gonna get any. Not ever."
"I demand orders!"
"They're never gonna come." His smile was a manic one. "Your race is dead. You all burnt. All of you. Ten million ships on fire. The entire Dalek race wiped out in one second."
"You lie!" It called out, accusingly.
"I watched it happen. I made it happen!" He was becoming ruthless. It wasn't the kind of person EJ thought he was at all.
Slowly, it responded. "You destroyed us?"
They watched as the Doctor turned away, scared to face the things he'd said. It was like the words were the actions, and he'd never yet been able to look them in the eye.
His voice cracked, and he sounded truly sorry when he spoke. "I had no choice."
"And what of the Time Lords?" EJ had never heard of them before... that must have been what the Doctor was. His people.
He whispered. "Dead."
"Bloody hell." EJ mumbled to himself. It didn't feel like he was supposed to be watching this. It wasn't for his eyes.
"They burned with you." The Doctor admitted. "The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost."
The Dalek replied. "And the coward survived."
"Oh," He exclaimed, in a much brighter tone, mocking. "And I caught your little signal. Help me. Poor little thing." He was being so ruthless, it didn't come easy for EJ to admit. "But there's no one else coming cos there's no one else left."
"I am alone in the universe."
Smugly, the Doctor grinned. "Yep."
"So are you." It said, slowly. "We are the same."
At the mere suggestion of likeness, his face fell, and he spun on his heels. "We're not the same! I'm not..." It was heartbreaking, until it wasn't. "No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right! Yeah, okay! You've got a point. Cos I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve." It was like a switch had flipped inside of his mind, and he grinned. "Exterminate."
He pulled a lever on the wall beside him, and electricity shot into the machine. It cried, pain seeping into it. "Have pity!"
"Why should I?" He screamed back. "You never did?"
Van Statten bellowed, pointing his guards towards the door. "Get him out!"
"I told you before." EJ grumbled. "No one ever listens to me."
The Dalek cried out, again. "Help me!"
The men did rush in and detain the Doctor, holding his arms behind his back, unable to struggle too much. However, Van Statten still found himself concerned with his machine. There were so many other things in the world, and this was what he cared the most for.
"I saved your life. Now talk to me." He commanded. "Goddammit, talk to me!"
The electricity faded from the Dalek, but it didn't stop the Doctor calling out. "You've got to destroy it!"
"The last in the universe." Van Statten didn't acknowledge its danger, and continued his extremely pitiful rant. "And now I know your name. Da-lek. Speak to me Dalek! I am Henry Van Statten- now recognise me!"
The Dalek did not blink. Whether it could or not was another question, but it did not blink. It did not move. It did not make a single sound.
"Make it talk again, Simmons." He said, coldly. "Whatever it takes."
EJ should have been frightened by the sheer amount of guns pointed at the Doctor when he was brought through, but he wasn't. The Doctor wasn't fazed by them, so neither was he. It was the Dalek that bothered him. Something so simple, and so broken was so terrifying to him. That meant it must have been formidable in another time. If the Doctor was frightened, then so was he.
They were shoved into the lift again, along with two gunmen, Van Statten and his assistant. It was a tight squeeze, and it didn't feel as friendly as before. EJ could see the hairs start to stand up on the back of his wrists, and wondered if it was happening elsewhere too.
"The metals just battle armour." The Doctor began to rant again. He didn't feel the tension. "The real Dalek creature is inside."
Van Statten looked up expectantly. "What does it look like?"
"A nightmare. It's a mutation." They sounded like a horror movie wrapped inside of every bad thought the Thompson boy had ever experienced. "The Dalek race were genetically engineered. Every single emotion was removed, except hate."
"Genetically engineered? By whom?"
"By a genius, Van Statten." The Doctor spat. "By a man who was king of his own little world. You'd like him."
"Sounds like a joy." EJ grumbled, digging his heels in.
"It's been on Earth for over 50 years. Sold at private auction, moving from one collection to another. Why would it be a threat now?"
"Because I'm here." He couldn't break through Van Statten's thick skull. "How did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?"
"The records say it came from the sky like a enterprise." Diana Goddard spoke up. This must have been her area of expertise. "It fell to Earth on the Ascension Islands, burnt in its crater for three days before anybody could get near it. And all that time, it was screaming. Must have gone insane."
"It must have fallen through time."
EJ grimaced. "Sounds painful."
"The only survivor."
Diana spoke again. "You talked about a war?"
"The Time War." The Doctor said, without emotion. This was his life that they were talking about, and all of it with malice. "The final battle between my people and the Dalek race."
Van Statten raised an eyebrow. "But you survived too."
"Not by choice."
"This means the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, Doctor." A sly grin grew upon his face. It was everything that EJ was hoping would go unknown, for all of their sakes. "There's you. The only one of your kind in existence."
The lift came to a stop, and the doors opened. There stood tens of men, ready to take them away, and they did so with ease. Two men had been assigned to EJ, holding his arms behind his back so that he couldn't move, and forcing him forwards.
He watched as he was dragged away from his companion and to the back of a concrete room, where the Doctor was stripped of his jumper and leather jacket. EJ was going to be forced to watch whatever they did to him. He didn't know whether it was better or worse. Only when they pulled him again did he realise that he wouldn't have to see him in pain.
Shirtless, they strapped the Doctor onto a metal table which rotated so that when he was tied at every limb, he was completely vertical. This was a torture chamber. It couldn't be anything else. Not when there was a giant machine, which looked a lot like a weapon, pointed directly at him.
"Now..." Van Statten grinned maliciously. "Smile."
He had no time to react as the machine was set off. It whirred in the back of his head, but when it hit, it was more painful than anything else he had felt before. The scan ran over the entirety of his body, but focused upon his chest. The rays clenched at his insides. He cried out. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain.
"Two hearts." The man mused. "A binary vascular system! Oh, I am so going to patent this."
"So, that's your secret." The Doctor panted. It was all finally coming together for him. "You don't just collect this stuff, you scavenge it."
"This technology has been falling to Earth for centuries. All it took was the right mind to use it properly." His arrogance was disturbing. "Oh, the advances I've made from alien junk- you have no idea, Doctor! Broadband? Roswell. Just last year, my scientists cultivated bacteria from the Russian Crater, and do you know what we found? The cure for the common cold. Kept it strictly within the laboratory, of course. No need to get people excited. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand palliatives?"
Everything that Van Statten said was in one ear and out the other. His words meant nothing when they were so conceited and cruel. If there was something more to him then it might be different, but there was not.
"D'you know what a Dalek is, Van Statten?" The Doctor shouted, furiously, pulling at his restraints. "A Dalek is honest. It does what it was born to do, for the survival of its species. That creature in your dungeon is better than you."
"In that case, I will be true to myself, and continue." He chuckled, pompously. "Bring in the boy!"
"No!" A cry escaped him. "Listen to me! That thing downstairs is gonna kill every last one of us!"
"Nothing can escape the Cage."
His pettiness kicked in, and he switched the machine on again. It was almost as if he enjoyed the pain of the others. First, with the Dalek. Now, with the Doctor. And soon, EJ would be inside the mix as well. He knew no bounds.
"But its woken up! It knows I'm here! It's gonna get out!" His phrases were often strained and filled with agony. "Van Statten, I swear, no one on this base is safe. No one on this planet!"
He was unable to hear if there was a response or not, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the blonde boy being dragged over to a second metal table, set out especially for him. What mattered was EJ crying out, begging to be let go as his wrists were forced from his chest. What mattered was that his pyjama top and hoodie had been taken from him revealing his chest that he had fought so hard to hide.
What mattered most of all was the small metal box sticking out of his chest. All eyes were on him as his arms were tied and he could no longer conceal it. He was a monster, and now they knew.
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Disclaimer!!!
I do not own Doctor Who, it's characters and original storylines. The only things I do own are my own characters, my addition to the series and my own storylines. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental.