My Doctor Who story nears its conclusion.
Previous episodes can be found in the sidebar, should you be so unfortunate to have missed them.
Here, though, is part six!
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The TARDIST hurtled through the time vortex.
Inside, Lady Helvetica was sitting on a wooden chair, staring into the distance. Flimbleby was perched on her leg, prodding her arm. “What is wrong, plees?”
Doctroo stood behind them, having a think. “She’s had a shock. She saw herself, from a different point in time.”
“How arr there one, two of Lady Helvetica?” Flimbleby waved his fingers in front of her eyes, but she did not even notice.
“One of them is from her past. Or her future.” Doctroo shook his head. “But how does it fit together? That was her in all those photos – just too fat to recognise. At some point, Helvetica Jones – art lover – decides to go round destroying the most famous and beautiful works of art in the galaxy. And eating an awful lot of pie. But why?”
Flimbleby had a think. He did not want to tell about the Big Secret. But Doctroo was sad, and Lady Helvetica was poorly and maybe he needed to tell after all to make things better.
“Doctroo?” he said. “I fink I know a bit abowt what happened.”
Doctroo knelt down in front of Flimbleby. “Go on.”
“Well, you know the big fat lady hoo is Lady Helvetica from the future or maybe the past?” Doctroo nodded and Flimbleby continued, “Well, I used to be her frend. Pleez do not be cross with Flimbleby.”
Doctroo did not look cross, but he did make his eyebrows frown. “Go on.”
“Well, rite, I used to live in this place where there were lots of Adipose, like me. But I did not like it so much. I only had one frend, and he was called Noel, and hee had angsiety issues!” Flimbleby climbed up onto the console. It felt good to talk about this.
“Enyway, one day a lady came to talk to Noel and she was beautiful and interesting and when she went away I jumped right in her hat! And she took me away wifout even noticing. I am a sneaky Flimbleby.”
“And that was Helvetica?”
“Yess! Eggsept she was a bit morr fat then, so I did not know. Her face was like a big pie! She found me in her hat and sed I could stay wif her but I must not tell enyone bekos it was a Big Sekrit.” Flimblebly looked across at Lady Helvetica, who was still staring into space. “Sorry, Lady Helvetica.”
Doctroo started to run his hands over the controls of the TARDIST. “Carry on…”
“Rite. Then wee went to all sorts of places. We met Mr. David Bowie and she gave him a right old punch on the hontas. Then to the place wif the singing lady, who you saw in the piktur in the book. And lots of other places. And every time she made a big mess and ate lots and lots of cake and pie. And at the end wee would run away!”
“Until the art exhibition…”
“Yes – then she ran away wifout me.” Flimbleby was a bit sad when he thought about that day.
Lady Helvetica had become ridiculously fat by then. They had arrived through the Magic Space Door, as always, before anyone else had arrived at the exhibition. There were tables and tables of food and wine, and Lady Helvetica and Flimbleby had had a brilliant time, running up and down eating everything and throwing food about. Then she had given Flimbleby some crayons and pens and let him draw on the paintings, while she had smashed up the statues with a massive hammer.
“It was a brilyant day. But then she ran rite off, and the Magic Door closed, and I was by myself. So I did a bit of a cry. But then everyone else came, and yoo came, and I got to be in the TARDIST and yoo are my Dady now.”
Doctroo had listened carefully, staring up into the darkness. Now he looked at Flimbleby, his eyes doing a sparkle.
“Thank you, Flimbleby. Now. That place you came from. I need you to think very hard about it. Can you do that?”
“I do not want to. It was stupid and I did not like it.”
“You’ve been very brave to tell me your story. I think the place you came from is a bad place, run by bad people. If you help me find it, I can stop them.”
Flimbleby looked up at Doctroo. He looked spooky and wonderful all at the same time.
“I will do it.” He said.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Doctor and Flimbleby stepped out of the TARDIS into a large, expensive looking office. One wall was a huge curved window, looking out over a futuristic city. Twin suns were low on the horizon, casting golden light and long shadows across the room.
A large desk dominated one end of the room. At it sat a tall blue skinned humanoid in an expensive suit. He was staring at the Doctor and his tiny companion.
“Hello!” exclaimed the Doctor, grinning madly and advancing on the man. “You must be the man in charge.” He reached the desk and read the expensive looking name plate. “Rafe Pembroke – Managing Director!” Flimbleby scampered across the carpeted floor and hopped up onto the desk.
“Who on earth are you?” gasped Pembroke. He reached for a security buzzer.
"I wouldn't do that." The Doctor's grin turned to a snarl, and he whipped out his psychic paper. "Doctor John Smith. Bureau of Intergalactic Ethics. You've been running an illegal Adipose operation from this office. And I've come to shut you down!"
“Yes!” said Flimbleby. “What do you have to say for yourself, you big stupidface? This is serious, big time!” He banged a tiny fist on the desk.
“What… how… this is perfectly legal!” protested Pembroke. “I have a certificate, here!” He pointed at a framed certificate on the wall behind him. The Doctor peered at the writing.
“ ‘I certainly don’t remember seeing anything illegal, signed Tobemory Smith, Federal Regulator’.”
The Doctor stepped away from the desk and fixed Pembroke with a penetrating stare. “All very above board. Except I think the man who gave you that had probably encountered the other illegal thing you are doing here – running a memory wipe business using the Silence!”
Flimbleby jumped up and down, excited. “Noel is a Silence! He is my friend! He is here!”
“Let me guess,” growled The Doctor, stalking around the desk, pointing at the cowering Pembroke. “You advertise your services. Tell people there’s a way they can live how they want – eat what they like, commit any crime – and then you’ll wipe the slate clean. Once in a while they’ll come here to be purged. The Adipose get rid of the fat, the Silence take away the guilt. They leave here as good as new, and you rake in the profits.”
“Curse you both!” shouted Pembroke. He slammed the security buzzer and stood up at his desk. “People want this!”
“People want all sorts of things!” shouted The Doctor. “But what about the consequences? What about the victims of the crimes they commit? And what happens to all the Adipose?”
The doors behind them slammed open. Three Silence stood at the door, hands charged with deadly, crackling energy. The Doctor and Flimbleby raised their hands.
Pembroke stared at the Silent guards in confusion. “Who the hell are you?”
The Silent in the middle sighed heavily. “Steve, sir. Head of security. You’ve got a picture of me in your jacket pocket…”
Pembroke felt in his pocket and sure enough, there was a picture. “Ah, yes. Sorry Steve. I keep doing that, don’t I?”
Steve nodded sadly.
Pembroke walked up to the Doctor, a hard look on his face. “The victims of the crimes my customers commit aren’t my concern, Doctor. As for the Adipose… we’ve been keeping them in storage. But a lovely new income stream has just opened up, as your little friend is about to find out. We’re expanding into the manufacture and distribution of soap!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Doctor tapped his sonic screwdriver on the cell door. “No good. Deadlocked. We’re stuck in here, Flimbleby.” He looked around the bare, metal room. “This is a bad place.”
The Adipose looked at his little feet. “It is stupid. It is why I ran away. I do not like it.”
“Brave heart, Flimbleby,” said The Doctor. “Come on – we’re going to escape, and we’re going to help all the other adipose run away as well!”
“How?” said Flimbleby. “We are stuck in here and they are going to make me into soap! I do not want to be soap. I do not even know what it is.”
The Doctor pointed up at a tiny grill in the ceiling. “You’re going to have to go in there. You’re small enough to get through. I’m going to give you my sonic screwdriver, and you’re going to go right into the heart of this place.”
Flimbleby shook his head violently. “No! It is stupid. I do not want to. I ran right off and I do not want to go back.”
“Yes you did, Flimbleby,” said The Doctor, “you ran off. But listen.” The Doctor knelt down and looked Flimbleby in the eye. “I ran away too. When I was little, like you. I ran right away because the place I was in was stupid too. And for a while I hid and was scared. But then I realised that I could help people. And that’s what I do. And that’s what you can do.”
“I am too scared. I am only little and my brain is quite tiny and I cannot even do sums.”
“FlimbIeby the Adipose. I couldn’t have got here without you and your tiny brain and your brilliant smile. You have been a brave and good Adipose. And I can’t do this bit without you either.” The Doctor held out his sonic screwdriver.
Flimbleby looked at The Doctor. If he could have done a wee, this would have been the time.
End of part six
Click here for part seven - the final chapter!
No comments:
Post a Comment