Bud's Blog: Doctor Who in the Land of the Lost Continued...

Note: I've been working on this story over at FanFiction.net and have met with some success and popularity there; I posted the initial chapter of this story here, last October, but will update all that's followed here, now:

in the

II.

Early the next morning, Will and Holly commissioned Chaka with the task of informing Enik of the Doctor’s arrival, and setting up a meeting time with him. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to venture into what they’d always referred to as the Lost City to see him, and Enik would be able to steal away under the cover of darkness to meet them in their stone lodgings. As they waited for the Pakuni to return, they told the Doctor of the many Pylons they’d discovered all over the mysterious terrain of the Land of the Lost, and when the Doctor heard of the configuration of the standing control platform in the center of each structure, his face took on a look of both surprise and seeming recognition.

“How soon can you show me the interior of one of these Pylons?” the Doctor asked, forming the word ‘Pylon’ in such a way that implied he seemed to recall the word..

“Why are you so curious about them, Doctor?” Holly wondered aloud.

“Well, let me take you into my TARDIS, and I think you’ll understand.”

The Doctor, Will, and Holly calculated how long it would take Chaka to return from his jaunt to see Enik, and decided they had just enough time to make a dash to the Doctor’s craft and back before Chaka arrived with his news.

Upon arriving, the Doctor unlocked the big blue box and extended his arm with a welcoming gesture that assured the siblings that they were being allowed to enter. Once they crossed the threshold of the ship, their wide-eyed wonder reminded the Doctor of the many companions he’d introduced the ship to, and Will and Holly made the same exact comment that all the others had: “It’s…bigger on the inside than on the outside!”

The Doctor laughed softly to himself, and smiled as he led the brother and sister to the main console of his time machine. Their reaction to the set-up, he felt certain, would be the same as his would be once he finally saw the interior of a Pylon.

“Doctor,” Will remarked with shock on his face, “there aren’t any crystals here, but the way your dials and switches are placed -- this is like a more advanced version of what you’ll see in the Pylon!” He walked around the configuration and added, “Do you think there’s a relationship between the two? Could the Pylons be some kind of a primitive form of TARDIS?”

”I’m not sure,” the Doctor replied, “But from what you tell me, one Pylon was used to transport your father back in time, and another may have allowed Holly to see a future version of herself. The only thing is…” he trailed off, looking into the distance.

“What, Doctor?” Holly asked.

The Doctor turned and looked at her. “Well, I don’t recall ever being aware of a TARDIS that could manipulate the weather, or alter the alignment of moons or stars. Then again, if a TARDIS could be reprogrammed to extend its energy outward, instead of inward…” He trailed off again, deep in thought.

A large growl in the distant jungle rattled everyone’s minds back to the time restraints they were under, and they opted to head back to the cave. Hopefully, Chaka would be waiting for them with good news.

Dusk settled in, and as the Doctor, Will, and Holly sat around a fire warming away the chill, Chaka entered their compound.

“Enik come tonight. Later” Chaka replied, nearly out of breath. “Sleestaks in uproar, holding council. Something upset them. Something bad.”

“What do you think it is, Chaka?” Holly asked.

“Don’t know,” said Chaka, shrugging his shoulders. “But Sleestaks meeting in Library of the Skulls. Enik want hear what they say. Then he come.”

Chaka sat down in front of the fire, too, and an awkward silence fell over the room. A short time passed, and outside the cave walls a commotion could be heard, its sounds rising in volume. The Doctor, Will, and Holly could hear what sounded like limbs cracking, and brush being tossed aside. Then their hearts began to thump as they heard the sound of the stone entrance to their enclosure being slowly but surely removed from its moorings…

III.

Outside the interior of their cave, the stone doorway to the Marshall enclosure slammed to the ground with a vicious thud. Dust swirled into the faces of Will, Holly, the Doctor, and Chaka as they coughed and sheltered their eyes. When the air cleared, everyone was shocked to see a small robotic dog roll into view, scanning each of them in turn. It was very similar to the Fourth Doctor’s K-9 unit, but it was a glossy black, and sported an angular head with short ears that spiked backward in a devilish fashion. Its eye port looked something like black cyclopean sunglasses with a dark red lens, and on its side was emblazoned the name XR-6 in bold letters. The robots’ back was also angular, and instead of being boxy, like K-9, it was more angular and curved; everything about it, even its arched, metallic tail, smacked of something sinister, and when it rolled over to the Doctor and spoke, its scratchy, electronic tone made everyone’s skin crawl.

“Scans indicate that you are a fellow Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. The Master requires your presence. There will be no hesitation. You shall follow me immediately.”

The Doctor looked at Will and Holly with a grave expression on his face. “I’m going with him,” he said. “Stay put. I’ll be back when I can. Try not to worry.”

Will and Holly didn’t know what to say or do, so they simply watched as the robotic dog led the Doctor out into the jungle. As they disappeared from view, Enik made his approach.

“Greetings, Marshall siblings. I have come as you have requested. How may I be of assistance to you?”

Will and Holly led Enik inside their now compromised home and informed him of all they had recently witnessed. As they talked, the Doctor and XR-6 continued their journey in the distance, walking ever deeper into the forest.

---

“XR-6, did you say that your master required my presence, or the Master required my presence?” the Doctor inquired as they made their way through the darkness.

“My master is known as the Master, among other titles. How are you known, Gallifreyan?”

“Is that as important as my home world of origin?” asked the Doctor.

“Negative,” responded XR-6. “The Master is in trouble, and only a being with Gallifreyan DNA can assist him. Personal monikers and affectations are inconsequential.”

“Assist him in accomplishing what, exactly?” asked the Doctor.

“You shall see when we arrive at his TARDIS,” responded XR-6.

Moments later, they approached what seemed to be a stone column, as out of place in the Land of the Lost as a giant ape would be in Times Square.

A beam of light shot from the snout of the XR-6 unit, and a portal opened in the middle of the column. “Enter,” a voice called out from inside. “Enter. Quickly, please.”

The Doctor could discern that whoever was inside the TARDIS was in physical pain, and based on where the voice was coming from, they were, in all likelihood, pinned underneath something rather large. He dashed inside, and was surprised to see his old arch-nemesis, the Master, trapped underneath a large and weighty mound of rocks. Even more shocking was the fact that this incarnation of the Master was not the one the Doctor had last encountered. Instead, it was the second bearded incarnation of the Master, complete with lacy collar, black uniform, and black hair and goatee.

“Help me, please,” groaned the Master, who watched with surprise as the Doctor reached into a pocket and withdrew his sonic screwdriver. After adjusting its settings, he carefully aimed it at the center of the rock mound, and with a loud screech, blasted it to pieces with a wave of sonic energy. The Doctor then adjusted its settings once more, and did a quick scan of the Master’s body.

“You’ve possibly bruised a rib or two,” the Doctor reported, “but you should be alright over time.” He looked around the interior of the Master’s time machine. “How did you wind up in this predicament, and what led you to this particular location in space and time?”

“It’s a long story,” the Master responded as he carefully stood to his feet with the Doctor’s help. “But the fact of the matter is, I was performing some experiments on this slab of stone I materialized into my ship here, and I apparently did something it didn’t like.”

“Fascinating,” the Doctor noted, placing a hand to his chin.”So the rock cried out, did it?”

“Quite,” said the Master.

“So,” said the Doctor. “Sentient rock, then, or is it possibly an unstable amalgamation of matter and antimatter?”

“I’m not sure,” said the Master. “But I won’t experiment on it again. At least, not up close and personal.” He extended a hand for the Doctor to shake. “I am known as the Master. And to whom do I have the honor of thanking for my rescue? I programmed my K-9 unit, XR-6, to alert any Time Lords it might have noted on its scanners, and it seems to have more than done its job. After encountering all the many lifeforms this place has become a haven to, I assumed it was only a matter of time before another Gallifreyan arrived.”

The Doctor smiled, and noted that he had become known of late as “John Smith,” and the Master seemed to find this acceptable without question. The Doctor was curious about this fact, but hoped he wasn’t being paranoid.

The Master led the Doctor into a parlor where the two of them were able to sit in comfortable chairs and discuss the events that led them to their current location, and the Doctor was rather taken aback by the friendly demeanor the Master conveyed; it made it difficult for him to consider the man an enemy. Still, he wanted to be cautious about revealing his identity to the Master. It was impossible to say what might transpire if the Master figured out that he was sharing quality time with the one man he hated most in any and every place and time one could possibly conceive of.

“In case you’re wondering,” the Master mentioned midway through their conversation, “I’ve activated a safety protocol in my TARDIS that only allows someone from Gallifrey to cross its threshold. I’ve had difficulties, shall we say, with aliens of late, and felt it a necessary failsafe. Unlike our Time Lord brethren, I opt to travel without companions. And you?”

The Doctor smiled, wholly certain the Master was unaware of who he was. “I, too, have been travelling alone for some time now.” And he offered nothing more. The Master raised an eyebrow, as if to note that the Doctor seemed to be withholding information, but said nothing.

The Master leaned forward where he sat. “The larger question, now,” he intoned, “Is this: How shall we escape this…land…of the lost?”

“What has failed?” asked the Doctor. “Perhaps, if we try other approaches, we’ll find the success we need.”

The Master rattled off a series of attempts he’d made since he’d first arrived, and the Doctor made note of them. Then he made his leave, and headed back toward Will and Holly’s base camp.

When the Doctor arrived, Enik was waiting with the Marshalls, and Chaka had fallen asleep by the fire. The Doctor was startled by Enik’s appearance, but not because it was strange to him. The smile that fell on the Doctor’s face spoke volumes, and even before they could be properly introduced, Enik asked the Doctor why he seemed to recognize him.

“Enik,” the Doctor blurted out with a grin that he tried to hide behind his fingers. “If you’re not somehow related to the Silurian race, then I’m not from Gallifrey.”

IV.

As Enik and the Doctor discussed their theories about the origins of the Altrusian race, they were wholly unaware that they were being observed from afar on the viewscreen of a certain TARDIS..

“Ah, Doctor,” the Master spoke to the monitor. “You are trusting to a fault. Clearly, you had no idea that my little ruse allowed me to scan your DNA to confirm your identity. You are new wine in an old wineskin, yes, and I could smell your aroma from across the cosmos, even as my TARDIS captured yours with its tractor beam. Now you shall unwittingly help me escape this wretched place and, too, you shall enable me to acquire a new body. Namely, YOURS, my old enemy!” He laughed long and hard, and the cacophony of his vocal eruption echoed throughout the chambers of his ship. His private merriment was short-lived, however, when he looked down at his wrist and noted that his worn flesh was oozing from his body, and dripping to the floor in a puddle of translucent goo. He had used up all of his lives, and it was not the rock that was in stasis - it was his physical form. Unless he could find another host body, his existence would be cut short. He scuttled off into the darkness in an effort to stabilize his condition. XR-6 rolled off after him and out of view.

---

“No, Enik.” The Doctor told the Altrusian. “I do not believe the Sleestaks are your descendants. Nor do I believe they are the devolution of your race. I have met others of your kind, and they all vary in shape to certain degrees. They are called Silurians.”

Enik, who appeared emotionless, was nonetheless fascinated and inwardly excited by this news. “I have heard of such a race,” he responded. “but only in the Library of the Skulls.”

“What do you know of them, Enik?” the Doctor asked, equally curious.

“Very little, Doctor. They have been spoken of only in whispers, yet I am certain that they were once associated with what I have heard called the Creators. Who the Creators are, however, is unknown to me, and to inquire about them is not allowed. It is regarded as blasphemy.”

“You and I have a lot in common, Enik.” The Doctor said, stroking his chin. “We are solitary individuals who have been forced to walk our own path. I believe we shall become great friends.” He smiled, and Enik nodded. The Doctor smacked his hands together. “I’m sure you’ve become quite fond of Will and Holly here,” he said. “But I do believe they have been in this place far too long. Do you think you could help me figure out a way to get them home, and reunite them with their father?”

“Rick Marshall was a good man,” Enik offered. “It would be my honor. However, we are in a place where the Pylons control many things, and yet no one knows how to manipulate the crystals upon them properly. We have tried many combinations over the years, but have only met with limited success.”

“So what we need,” the Doctor thought out loud, “is to find the Instruction Manual. It’s been lost, somewhere, but since the Pylons are clearly patterned after Gallifreyan technology -- or maybe it’s the other way around -- there’s got to be a backup somewhere. And where better to look than in, say, a library?”

Enik stepped one pace closer to the Doctor than he’d been a moment ago. “Surely you do not wish to meddle in the Library of the Skulls.”

“Well,” said the Doctor. “It won’t be the first time I got into a Silurian’s head.” He smiled, and headed over to Will and Holly, who’d given Enik and the Doctor time to get acquainted.

“Will, Holly - I need you to compare notes with Enik so you can tell me everything you know about the Library of the Skulls and the Lost City.”

Will, Holly, and Enik compared notes long into the night, and after everyone rested, they arose in the morning with a plan. Before they would venture into the Lost City, however, everyone was in agreement that the Doctor should probably investigate a Pylon before anyone had to skulk around the labyrinths of the Sleestaks.

When they reached the nearest Pylon, a large dinosaur loped by, and Holly was delighted to see her old friend Dopey, accompanied by his mate and offspring. She watched in delight as they devoured large strawberries in the distance, grateful the dinosaur wasn't Grumpy or one of his kin. They'd had more than enough of Grumpy over the decades.

“Odd hum,” the Doctor noted as they neared the Pylon. “Sounds very much like a sensor to me.” He felt around the Pylon and noted how cool it was to the touch. Then, as Will had instructed him, he twisted the knob that allowed the Pylon to open, and he stepped inside.

“I wonder“ the Doctor said aloud, “if there’s a Chameleon Circuit in here somewhere.” He felt around the stone console, but had no luck. He pondered the layout of the Pylon, and then remarked, “Or maybe, just maybe, there’s a control panel in here, hiding in plain sight.” He ran his hand along the walls of the Pylon, and at a certain point, realized there was what appeared to be a hole in the wall, although it didn’t appear to be there when gazing upon it with the naked eye.

“How are you doing that, Doctor?” Will asked, wild with curiosity..

“The more important circuitry here is masked by a hologram, Will.”

“What? You mean to tell me we’ve been here all these years, and there were aspects to the Pylons that we hadn’t considered? I feel so…stupid!”

“Will,” the Doctor posed. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You arrived here in the 1970’s, and holograms were essentially in their infancy during that time-period on Earth. This place, however, is not of Earthly design. I suspect it’s a progenitor to my ship, and if my hunch is right, the Time Lords of old had everything to do with the creation of this place.” He stuffed his arm inside the opening he’d discovered and pulled out what appeared to be metal clipboard of sorts. He opened it and grimaced; the notations on it were unfamiliar to him. “This,” he said, “is going to take some time to decipher. But, fortunately, I am a Time Lord.” He smiled, and the small entourage headed back to the compound where they assembled a new enclosure to ensure their safety during the night hours.

In another sector of the Land of the Lost, someone else was keeping track of the Doctor’s coming and goings. A certain alien whose form was entirely composed of light. He’d been in hibernation for countless years by his reckoning, but now he was coming to life again, and this time -- this time -- he would make the Marshalls pay for their perfidy. After all, no one dares get the best of a Zarn.

___

Later that night, over a campfire, the Doctor and Holly were sharing a quiet conversation. “Tell me about your secret name,” the Doctor calmly requested. “The name you call yourself that no one knows about.”

“How do you know about that?” Holly asked, wide-eyed.

“Oh, we Gallifreyans have been around, and we pick up on certain things quite easily. We’re not necessarily psychic by any means, but we do tend to piece things together when we analyze details of the big pictures that unfold before us as we traverse through time and space.”

“What does that mean?” Holly asked, clearly puzzled.

“Well,” the Doctor expounded. “It’s similar to what happens when someone familiarizes you with a family album, and you comb through the pictures and hear the family stories, and then you begin to realize who’s who, and what’s what.”

“So, how did you know I had a secret name for myself.”

“Just a hunch,” the Doctor said with a smile. He looked into the fire, away from Holly’s gaze.

“Well,” she said. “I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt like Holly wasn’t my real name. I’ve always felt like my real name was meant to be…Rani.”