Prologue
London.
Old London, not new London. This is a historical, don’t you know?
The then small city of just 40,000 people, all minding their business.
For now, anyway.
A woman (we’ll call her Anne) walked down a street. It was evening, so light was becoming scarce and she needed to get home with the vegetables she had bought at the market. They had cost her far more than she would be willing to pay normally, but times were hard, and she had a husband and daughter that needed food on the table.
As she made her way down the street she turned into an alleyway – a shortcut she usually took on her way home. Her house was two rows back from the main street, and the alleyway took her almost to her front door. But this night was different.
As she made her way along the alley Anne noticed something in the distance.
Two strong lights.
Glowing brightly.
Too bright to be candles.
Anne assumed it must be a joke one of the chaps from the market had set up.
“George?” she shouted.
No reply.
“Come on, this isn’t funny George.”
Again, no reply. But this time the lights had begun to grow closer to her.
“George…”
The lights were close enough that she could see what they really were.
Not lights, but eyes.
Eyes glowing in the dark. And a body like a raging fire.
“Oh, no…”
Anne turned away from the creature and began to run in the opposite direction, screaming, hoping someone would hear her and come to her rescue.
But they didn’t.
The creature opened its mouth and a fireball raged from within it, engulfing Anne in flames.
A few seconds passed, and the fireball dispersed itself to reveal Anne. Or what was left of her anyway.
She was no longer alive.
Just a charred, burned corpse.
And the creature retreated into the shadows as if it was never there.
Chapter One
History
Jasmyne closed the TARDIS door.
She and James looked around the vast control room which teemed with life. The Doctor said nothing, so she thought she should.
“What happens now?” she asked.
The Doctor span around to face her and James. He clapped his hands together and smiled.
“Whatever you like,” he answered.
James looked over at Jasmyne and exchanged a little smile before turning back to the Doctor.
“It’s our choice?” James asked.
“It’s your choice,” said the Doctor. “Anywhere, anywhen. It’s all right here at my fingertips. I can take you to the beginning of time, and with the same ease I can take you to the end of it. And everything in between.”
“How does it work?” asked Jasmyne. “Like, how does it know where to go? Is it magic?”
“The TARDIS uses trans-temporal coordinates to locate the exact time and place of where you wish to go.”
“Huh?” puzzled Jasmyne.
The Doctor sighed.
“Yes, it’s magic. Anyway, time to choose. Past or future?”
James and Jasmyne both thought about this, but James was the first one to reach a verdict.
“Let’s take a look at the past,” decided James. “I’ve always wanted to see a bit of history.”
“Your wish is my command,” smiled the Doctor, now tapping several numbers into the controls. “History here we come.”
The Doctor pulled a lever on the console and the TARDIS began roaring into flight.
Mere seconds passed before there was a room-shaking thud. The Doctor returned the lever on the console to its upright position. He turned to look at his companions.
Silence.
“Well go on then!” he exclaimed. “I’m not stopping you.”
James and Jasmyne both raced to the doors of the TARDIS and paused before yanking the door open.
They stared out into the new world they had been presented with.
Stepping out of the TARDIS, they gazed in awe at where the TARDIS had brought them. The Doctor followed them out and closed the TARDIS door behind him.
He raised his arms, presenting them with this new time period.
“History,” he said. “Just as you asked.”
“What year is it?” asked James.
“I think its… 1212,” said the Doctor, his excitement drifting to worry as he stated the year. “Oh, no.”
“What’s wrong?” Jasmyne asked. “What is it?”
The Doctor wasn’t listening. He ran over to one of the locals who happened to be passing by and stopped them.
“Excuse me,” the Doctor began. “What’s the date?”
The man looked confused.
“You been drinking or something?” he asked the Doctor.
“Please, I just need to know the date. It’s very important.”
“It’s July,” replied the man.
“July what?” asked the Doctor.
“The tenth,” said the man. “The tenth of July.”
The man walked off, looking back to give the Doctor a glare. The Doctor returned to his companions.
“Oh no,” he said.
“Doctor, tell us what’s wrong,” demanded Jasmyne.
“We need to leave,” the Doctor said, ushering them subtly in the direction of the TARDIS.
“Leave?” asked James. “Why?”
“We can’t be part of the events here,” the Doctor told them.
“What events?” questioned Jasmyne. “Doctor, just talk to us.”
“Well, you know all about the great fire of London, yes?” asked the Doctor.
“Yeah,” said James. “1666.”
“Plot twist,” announced the Doctor. “That wasn’t the greatest fire of London. This was.”
What do you mean?” asked James, looking around. “There’s no fire here.”
“Today is the day it happens,” explained the Doctor. “The tenth of July 1212. Today is the day that three thousand people get killed. This is the day that London bridge burns to the ground.”
The Doctor, James and Jasmyne peer around the side of the TARDIS, and there stands London bridge.
Intact.
For now.
Chapter Two
The Body in the Alley
The Doctor looked out at the bridge. He couldn’t become embroiled in yet another major historical event. Just look at what happened with Pompeii…
He turned to his companions who were stood by the TARDIS, still completely clueless.
“Get in the TARDIS,” bellowed the Doctor.
“But why?” asked James. “Can’t we just have a look around first? We’ll leave if there’s any sign of fire.”
The Doctor looked frustrated and anxious.
“James, that’s not how this works. If you want to travel with me then you need to understand that I’m in charge. When I tell you it’s too dangerous, it’s too dangerous.”
“Why is it too dangerous?” asked Jasmyne. “I mean, if it hasn’t actually started yet?”
The Doctor sighed.
“I don’t really have a great track record when it comes to major historical events.”
“What do you mean?” pried Jasmyne.
“I seem to have this habit,” began the Doctor. “Whenever I turn up at a major event in history it always seems to go wrong. Usually because of alien involvement. First Pompeii, then the Great Fire of London. Even the pyramids!”
James and Jasmyne look confused.
“The Pyramids?” asked James.
“Yeah,” said the Doctor. “You know people think the Egyptians had aliens to help build them?”
“Yeah…” replied Jasmyne.
The Doctor raised his hand and waved it slightly.
“Hello.”
“Right…” said Jasmyne.
“Anyway, the point is we can’t be here,” said the Doctor as he began ushering his friends towards the TARDIS. “So, come on. Let’s go.”
As James grabbed the handle of the TARDIS door to push it open, there came an incredibly high-pitched scream from far off. James and Jasmyne turned to look in the direction of the scream, and both instinctively began running towards it, pushing past the Doctor in the process.
The Doctor attempted to call after them, but he had learnt by now that it was no use. He pivoted on his heels for a moment before promptly following suit.
A crowd of people were huddled together in the middle of an alley. It was the same alley that Anne had walked down. At the feet of the crowd members was the charred remains of a skeleton. Anne’s skeleton. The people muttered about how it had gotten there and whether the person had been killed or if it was some sort of elaborate joke from one of the market boys.
The Doctor pushed through the people to get a better look at the remains. James and Jasmyne followed through the people via the path the Doctor had created before them. The Doctor looked at the skeleton, his face sinking.
“Oh, no,” he said. “Every time. Every time I stay something bad happens.”
“What happened to him?” asked Jasmyne.
“Her,” replied the Doctor.
“What?”
“It’s okay,” announced the Doctor, now speaking to the crowd, reassuring them. “I’ll make sure this is sorted out right away. It’ll be cleaned up in no time.”
The crowd, still muttering to one another, began to disperse from the scene, giving the Doctor a better chance to examine the body.
“What did you mean her?” asked Jasmyne.
“Exactly what I said,” replied the Doctor. “It’s a woman, not a man. Look at the pelvis. It’s far too wide to be a man’s.”
“What’s happened to her?” asked James. “Like, physically?”
“The body has been burned,” explained the Doctor. “Burned right through. Normally with this level of cremation I’d expect the body to have been on fire for hours.”
“For hours?” asked James. “But surely people would’ve noticed that?”
“You’re right,” admitted the Doctor. “This woman looks as if she was on fire for hours, but in reality, it could’ve only been a few seconds.”
“How do you know?” wondered Jasmyne.
“Look there,” the Doctor replied, pointing at the wicker basket that lay a few feet from the remains. “That’s her basket there. Completely unscathed. She was running from something. Something that can cook you just like that.”
“Oh, god…” uttered James.
The Doctor, squinting slightly.
“What’s that?”
He scooped up something from next to the skeleton and showed it to James and Jasmyne.
“What is it?” asked Jasmyne.
Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor analysed the readings from what he had scooped.
“It’s stone!” he exclaimed.
“Stone?” asked James.
Jasmyne was irritated.
“You brought us all the way back to the TARDIS just so you could analyse some stone?”
“No, but look,” the Doctor began. “It’s not just stone. Its-“
He was interrupted by the TARDIS warbling. On the scanner screen read “Species identified as”. The species name was taking a little time to reveal itself. But then it did.
“Oh,” said the Doctor in a very worried tone.
“What is it?” asked Jasmyne.
“Pyrovile,” stated the Doctor.
“What’s Pyrovile?” James asked.
“Bad,” said the Doctor. “You know what I said about being in Pompeii?”
“Yeah,” replied James.
“It was Pompeii 79AD. The day Mount Vesuvius erupted. And they’re the ones who caused it. One of them must’ve survived and found its way over to London.”
James realised.
“But you said that today was the day London burned.”
“Yes,” replied the Doctor. “I did. And I think we’ve found the reason why.”
“So, what do we do?” asked Jasmyne, slight worry in her voice.
“We find it,” answered the Doctor with certainty in his.
“Wait, what?!” asked James. He was starting to wonder if the Doctor knew what he was doing.
“Find it and do what with it exactly?” Jasmyne asked, putting it more politely than James had. “It burnt that woman to a crisp.”
“We find it, we find out what it’s doing here, and we deal with it,” the Doctor explained.
“Deal with it?” asked James. “Does that mean killing it?”
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t come to that,” assured the Doctor. “But if it does, and that’s the only other option, then yes.”
James and Jasmyne understood the plan. They weren’t sure if they liked it, but it was the only one they had.
Chapter Three
The Creature
A cold, dark room.
Damp.
Slow breathing came from one corner.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
There was a rattle to it, like a growl.
No.
It was a growl.
The door to the room opened, and a man of small build walked in. He was in his late thirties. At least. But he looked older. He began to speak.
“I have taken care of the body, master,” the man said sheepishly.
The growl from the corner of the room got louder, as if it was communicating with him somehow.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing this,” the man continued. “How much longer I can mask your actions.”
And then it spoke.
“Until I can return home,” the creature bellowed.
The man hated that voice. It always hit him like a tonne of bricks.
“But where are you from?” the man dared to ask.
The creature growled even louder.
The man cowered.
“My apologies, master,” the man said fearfully. “I’ll continue.”
The man scuttled off out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The creature growled again, but this time, softer. It felt bad?
Apologetic for being angry?
Sad…
Chapter Four
Dead End
“I need to take another look at that body,” said the Doctor as he walked out of the TARDIS.
James and Jasmyne followed after him, closing the TARDIS door behind them.
They walked along to the alley way where the body was.
But it wasn’t.
The body had gone.
“Where is it?” asked Jasmyne.
The Doctor looked worried.
“Someone’s already taken it,” he said.
“Taken it where?” asked James.
“Probably thrown it into the river by now,” said the Doctor. “They’ll have wanted it to be a fairly swift clean-up job.”
“They?” asked James.
The Doctor turned to face him.
“Well, it wasn’t the creature,” he stated. “Someone else knows it’s here, and they’re protecting it.”
“So, what do we do, then?” asked James.
“We haven’t got any way of tracking it, there’s no body to examine, and no trail of breadcrumbs to follow,” added Jasmyne. “We’re at a dead end, Doctor.”
“Nah, don’t say that,” the Doctor replied. “Dead ends are only a problem for wide vehicles, and the last time I checked none of us were wide vehicles.”
James and Jasmyne glared at him.
“What?” asked the Doctor.
“You really need to work on your motivational speeches,” answered James.
“Of course I do,” said the Doctor. “Who doesn’t? We’re a little bit faulty here and there. But when you pull together and work as a unit, we become a team. And a team is always stronger, no matter how you look at it. More brains, more hands, more motivation. When you work as a team you never have to worry, because the solution is in there somewhere. A team is a matter of trust, knowing that someone has got your back. As the saying goes, there’s no I in team, so have a bit of confidence in yourself. We will find the solution, and the fact that we’ve worked together to do it will make it all the more worthwhile.”
“Okay, I take it back,” said James. “Your speeches might not be so bad after all.”
“Of course they’re not,” replied the Doctor. “I’ve been around the block a few times in two thousand years. I’ve made a speech or five hundred.”
“Two thousand years?!” exclaimed Jasmyne.
“That’s my age, yes,” said the Doctor. “At least I think it is anyway. I’ve lost count. But that’s not important right now.”
“You’re two thousand years old,” said James.
The Doctor looked at him.
“Oh, are we still talking about that are we?”
“Yeah!” James said.
“Oh, okay then,” said the Doctor, starting to sound a little patronising. “You deal with that huge problem, and I’ll go and find the fire-breathing alien, shall I?”
“Sorry,” said Jasmyne. “There’s more important stuff going on.”
“Yes, there is,” answered the Doctor. “We need to ask around to see if anyone knows where the body was taken.”
A man walks past the three of them. The Doctor puts his hand out to stop him.
“Excuse me, sir,” the Doctor began. “There was a body, here in the alleyway. Did you see what happened to it?”
“No,” replied the man. “I didn’t even see a body. I can’t help you.”
“Are you sure?” asked James.
“I told you,” the man said, rather aggressively. “I haven’t seen anything!”
“Okay, sir. Sorry to bother you,” the Doctor intervened.
“Well that went well,” said James.
“Maybe it’s best to leave the talking to me, eh?” said the Doctor.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked James.
“Oh, nothing,” said the Doctor. “It’s just that as a two-thousand-year-old Time Lord I have quite a way with words. I know how to get people to tell me things.”
“Time Lord?” asked Jasmyne.
“Okay, we can’t keep doing this,” said the Doctor. “I’ll explain everything to you later.”
A young woman walked past the three of them as they talked. The Doctor noticed her. He recognised her from earlier. She had been part of the crowd by the body.
“Excuse me, madam,” said the Doctor, attracting her attention. “There was a body in this alleyway earlier.”
“Oh yeah,” the woman said. “I saw that. Real nasty looking.”
“Yes,” agreed the Doctor. “But it’s gone now. Did you see what happened to it?”
“Yeah,” the woman began. “Old Will took care of it. He told everyone else to leave.”
“Will?” asked the Doctor.
“William Churchende,” clarified the woman. “He lives in the house at the end of the street. Nice fella. Bit strange…”
“Strange how?” asked the Doctor.
“Oh, you know, keeps himself to himself,” said the woman. “Doesn’t like anyone getting into his business.”
“Oh, he’s going to love me then,” said the Doctor. “Thank you, madam.”
“That’s quite alright, sir,” she said, before walking away from the three of them.
The Doctor smiled.
“Right then,” he said. “Let’s pay a visit to Mr Churchende.”
“She just said he doesn’t like people getting into his business,” said Jasmyne.
“Yes, she did,” replied the Doctor.
“So…” said Jasmyne.
“So, I’m going to annoy him anyway,” the Doctor answered, a huge grin forming.
The Doctor began to walk in the direction of Mr Churchende’s house, leaving James and Jasmyne puzzled at the Doctor’s actions.
The Doctor knocked on the door three times before standing back.
“And you’re sure this is a good idea?” asked James.
“One hundred percent sure, yes,” insisted the Doctor.
The front door eased open, and the man from the cold room earlier on poked his head out.
“Hello?” said the man.
“Hello,” replied the Doctor confidently. “Mr Churchende, I take it?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Mr Churchende. “How can I help you?”
The Doctor’s smile returned.
“I’m very glad you asked.”
Next Chapter
Churchende's Son
