Doctor Who, Lost Memories: Thrill Seeker [fireandblood & Villain]

Started by fireandblood, January 07, 2013, 07:27:02 PM

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fireandblood

Robin found herself blinded by the mist as well, automatically freezing on the spot and trying to stay calm. She gasped when the Doctor started speaking right by her ear, clapping her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Instead, she nodded, turning toward the wall he was pointing the strange object at. When the wall disappeared, she was stunned again, wondering how it had happened.

Then, however, she found herself being propelled forward, and if she had learned anything by now it was to do as the Doctor said. And so she ran, her feet flying under her as she made for the TARDIS. Screams issued from her as the Daleks began shooting their beams at her, and a few very narrowly missed her as she ran. When the Doctor came to her side, she blindly reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Doctor, please don't die!" she shouted through the chaos, clutching at his hand as though it alone could save her from the screaming, hateful Daleks.

Villain

"I won't, as long as you promise me the same thing," the Doctor yelled over the sound of the Dalek's cries and the explosions that were caused by their weapons as they shot the ground around them, sending blast of fire shooting into the air as the beams scorched the earth. "We're getting out of here alive Robin, I swear!" The Doctor cried, his fingers lacing around hers as he held on tight and pulled her along towards the TARDIS.

"Stop the Doctor! The Doctor must be EXTERMINATED!" He heard a Dalek roar from behind him before another beam shot across his head and drew a flaming scar into the wall of one of the houses.

Screams were coming at them from every direction. Whatever had stopped the Dalek's from wiping out the entire village before had now become obsolete. Now the village was just a graveyard waiting to be filled with the unlucky residents. The Doctor wanted to do something, but he knew that right now the only way he could help would be to survive and plan his next move.

With a sigh of relief the Doctor and Robin reached the TARDIS and forced open the doors. Just before slamming the doors shut and racing to the controls, the Doctor took one last glance at the carnage.

The entire village was burning. The screams had stopped and all that could be heard was the sound of the flames licking at the wreckage and the electronic hum of the Dalek's levitation systems. The Dalek's had ceased firing and now stood in a ring in the middle of the village in an almost ritualistic fashion.

Standing in the middle of the ring, clutching his damaged shoulder and scolded hand, was the old warrior from earlier. Spewing cursing at the Dalek's and whimpering over the loss of his daughter and damaged limbs.

For a moment the Doctor believed that the Dalek's had saved the man, taking pleasure in their final kill as they watched him morn the loss of everything he had once held dear, but then the Dalek's began to glow and cast a ring of light around the old man. With one final cry of outrage, the man disappeared in a column of light, followed closely behind by the Dalek's.

"Now that's interesting," the Doctor muttered before turning back into the TARDIS. "They didn't kill him."

He sprung at the console and began flicking at the controls with renewed vigor. His eyes were fixed in a blazing stare of determination as he hammered at the controls, causing the TARDIS to emit strange unearthly noises as it warmed up for it's next journey.

"Go on," the Doctor spoke whilst battering the controls. "You want to know what they are don't you?" He asked Robin, trying to keep his voice calm despite the anger that exploded inside of him. "Ask me if you want. You have a right to know," the Doctor said before stepping back from the controls as the centre of the TARDIS began to glow with golden light.

"So long as you fly with me. You have a right to know the name of my arch enemy," the Doctor spoke bitterly before turning to meet Robin's eyes.

So many emotion swirled within his caramel eyes. Lifetimes of anger and pain, built from countless conflict with the destructive species, glowed within the deepest pits of the Doctor's gaze and seared all good humor from his face. It was clear that this enemy was not as simple as a plasmic entity seeking revenge or a greedy alien willing to murder for profit. This was a grudge that had been formed through a lifetime of war.

fireandblood

Once again, Robin found herself smiling as they ran. Death, destruction, and fire were raining down all around them, and yet... She was at the Doctor's side, running and screaming and trying to save the day. The smile vanished as a beam nearly hit her squarely in the chest, and she focused on running, breathing, and holding the Doctor's hand as tightly as she could.

She had never felt so relieved to be anywhere as she felt when she ran breathlessly into the TARDIS. Immediately, she sank to the ground, panting and wiping sweat from her face. Her feet were dirty, bloody, and sore, but she was alive and that was all that mattered. Well, that and the Doctor. As he paused and looked out, though, she stood again and looked with him.

It was strange, what the Daleks were doing. With them looking like this, it was easier to see how a primitive culture could view them as messengers from a higher power. And when the man disappeared, she gasped, wondering what in the world a supremacist species like the Daleks would want with a human. Then, the Doctor slammed the door closed and went to the console. A little frightened, Robin stayed back, not wanting to encroach on his personal space.

After he spoke, she waited a minute. There was so much anger, hurt, sadness, and loss in his voice it was hard to bear. Robing didn't know how to even go about asking the questions she had... It seemed like speaking at all would break something inside the Doctor. So, she walked forward slowly, and when she reached the Doctor she grabbed his hand. She tugged him to get him to look at her, and when he did, she tried not to be afraid of the timeless anger in his usually amiable eyes.

"I know what they are," she said softly, avoiding eye contact. "I've seen it in your memories. They've caused you a lot of pain and sadness. But... what did they do in the beginning? I haven't seen that. What makes you hate them so much?"

Villain

The Doctor took a moment before answering Robin's question. The memories he had regained through the partial regeneration still stung his mind and stabbed at the old wounds of his heart. It seemed almost extraordinary how he could forget about the Dalek's despite all they had done to ruin his life.

"A Dalek is a mutated organism that hails from a planet called Skaro," the Doctor began, taking a step back and sliding down the console until he was sat on the floor of the TARDIS, but at no point did he let go of Robin's hand. "They're a race that has been bred for one reason only; to wipe out anything that isn't like them. To them, different is ugly and must be purged from the Universe."

The Doctor shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, exhaling slowly as he prepared himself for what he was about to say next, "My race, the Time Lords, they took a stand and battled the Dalek's in a war. The worst war in all of history... The Last Great Time War."

His eyes opened and he looked up at Robin with a sad smile on his face, "And we lost Robin. We lost badly," he spoke softly, his voice cracking a little and his gaze dropping to the floor. "The Time Lords. My home planet of Gallifrey. It all went up in flames. And for a while... I thought the Dalek's burned with them."

He shook his head grimly, his voice heavy as the next words left his mouth. "I was so wrong Robin. The Dalek's survived and since then I've battled them again and again and again and again! Just as I have a thousand times before. Every conflict seeming as if it could be the last and yet every time I find myself facing them again and losing more every time."

The Doctor let out another heavy sigh and held Robin's hand to his forehead, taking comfort from the contact. "I hate them so much Robin. And they hate me even more."

fireandblood

Robin didn't know what to say. She saw everything as he explained: the fire, the Time Lords screaming, the horrible screeching of the Daleks... A shiver worked its way down her spine. This was a race truly dedicated to destruction. And so it amazed her even more that the Doctor remained with the entire race of terrifying mutants hell-bent on killing him.

A completely different sort of shiver made her tremble as the Doctor pressed her hand to his forehead. Adrenaline was pumping through her, she was still breathing hard, and her hand was pressed against his cool skin. So without even thinking, she moved forward, pulling the Doctor's chin up with her free hand, and kissed him on the lips. Just for an instant, she felt nothing other than her lips on his; no memories intruded, there was no sound... Just this.

But after about a second, she realized what she was doing, and pulled back, taking her hand with her. She clapped both hands to her mouth, standing there in shock.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she said softly, taking a few more steps away. "I never do things like that. I'm sorry. Really. Anyway, so, the Daleks. You've beaten them before, right? Well, how do we do it this time?" Her cheeks were a shocking color of red, and she turned around, looking toward the door.

Villain

The Doctor's words were silenced by the kiss. He made no move to end it or return the kiss, he was but a statue, still and unfeeling. When she pulled away his mouth hung open a little, but Robin wouldn't be able to see the look on his face, for his eyes were hidden by strands of thick blonde hair.

Eventually, the Doctor got to his feet and turned to the controls, where he began to work on them in silence. Letting a minute or two pass before he spoke to her.

"Robin," he began, his shoulders slumped as he looked back at her. "You can't do that again," he said softly. "Don't think I'm not flattered or perhaps... tempted, but I've been down this road too many times," he said before pressing a button on the TARDIS control pad. Images of pretty young women began to line the walls of the TARDIS.

They were all different. One was a picture of a young black woman with dark eyes and dressed in red leather. Another was a women with brown hair and draped in a black jacket with colorful badges. One was a beautiful brown haired woman dressed in an old fashioned woolen sweater. Another was a blonde in casual sweats with pretty red lips.

The faces went on and on. Each of them smiling cheerfully, but yet the story behind the faces was all to clear.

"I loved them all in one way or another," the Doctor said, turning back to the controls and running his fingers over them tenderly. "They were the people I lived for. They were my best friends and my greatest loves. Each of them irreplaceable and so very precious to me."

"And I lose them all. Every time," He said bitterly. "A Time Lord like me can be friends with humans. I can open your world and in return you can honor me by being your wonderful self...but I can't give you true happiness. It never works."

He flipped a lever and the TARDIS began to play that grinding other wordly tune that signaled that it was in flight. The glowing tube in the centre of the room began to flicker a little as the sounds became louder. Whatever it was doing was certainly more complex than the usual trips through time.

"So please...don't do it again," the Doctor whispered. "I want to be best friends with you, partners in crime, amigos, that's all. I desire nothing else."

fireandblood

Robin began feeling more and more dejected as the Doctor spoke, and embarrassment flooded her instantly. She really had never done anything like that before; usually she was painfully shy. The urge to just up and kiss someone like that was completely foreign. The whole time he was talking, she didn't turn around, until the pictures of the women began appearing on the walls.

She looked slowly at each girl in turn, exhaling slowly. Her expression was a mixture of shock and sadness, seeing all these beautiful faces that had preceded hers... Some of them were familiar - the black woman, the blonde with the brilliant smile, the redhead with the disdainful expression... But one jumped out at her. It was the woman she had been seeing. The one with the light brown hair, small nose, and bright pink jacket.

She turned back to the Doctor as he stopped talking, hoping that the redness had faded a little and hoping she hadn't damaged their relationship forever.

"I want to be friends too," she said softly, not looking directly at him. "I don't know what made me do that. Really, I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Promise. And I'm sorry about all your friends..." After letting silence hang in the air for a moment, she walked to the picture of the woman she'd been seeing.

"Who is this?" she asked, placing her hand gently on the image.

Villain

The Doctor was quiet for a short moment as he flicked a few levers and took a quick glance into the periscope. His gaze drifted to the picture she pointed at before a small smile crept over his lips.

"One of the most annoying people I have ever traveled with. The biggest know it all of them all as well as a first class snob," the Doctor spoke before walking across the floor of the TARDIS to join Robin at her side. He looked at the picture fondly and buried his hands into his pockets as he began to pace around Robin and tell the tale of the pretty young woman.

"Her name was Romana - well, no, actually her name was actually Romanadvoratrelundar, but I called her Romana because that's a ridiculously long name for one person to have," the Doctor spoke before grinning at the picture. "She was a Time Lord or I suppose a Time Lady if you want to be politically correct about it. As a young woman Romana traveled with me on many adventures, we explored galaxy's, new planets and got put in the strangest of situations, seriously there was this really weird moment when we encountered a minotaur in a beret down in France. He would ask riddles to poor unfortunate souls that ended up in his lair by falling through the cracks in time. It was such a strange-"

He stopped as he realised he was getting carried away and cleared his throat. "So...anyway... we parted ways after a while and Romana got involved in Gallifreyan politics and climbed the ladder until she became the Lady President of Gallifrey. By then we weren't on particularly great terms, Romana had become a bit grumpy during war times. But she was always a good friend to me....even in the end, when she had been booted from her throne."

The Doctor smiled sadly before pressing his fingers against the picture, "She was the only one in those final moments on Gallifrey that said to me..." his voice trailed off for a moment. He swallowed and licked his lips as he forced the words from his mouth. "Go ahead, you big idiot. This needs to end."

fireandblood

Robin smiled as he spoke of the woman, feeling the nostalgia in his words. He spoke of her with reverence and annoyance and tenderness, like one would a sister or cousin. It was strange, but Robin felt a sort of pull from the woman... Like she knew her somehow. As he continued speaking, she realized something very odd.

She was crying. Tears were pouring soundlessly down her face, though she wasn't sad or overly happy. Tentatively, she reached up and wiped her cheeks, laughing a little at the sight of the wetness of her fingers. This whole thing had been so strange... Laughing and crying and kissing some random alien she had just met. Something was seriously wrong.

His last words confused her a little, and she looked at him with puzzlement with tears still running over her face.

"Go ahead and do what? What did you do?"

Villain

"I ended the war," the Doctor spoke, his voice as hard as stone. He dropped his hands to his sides as his fists clenched. "The final days of the Time War were...insane. The plans that the High Council had come up with were beyond madness. They wanted to break the natural order of creation all for the sake of survival."

The Doctor frowned before turning back to the TARDIS's controls and crossing over to them. "I had to stop them, but the only way to stop them was to bring fourth Gallifrey's destruction and kill every single Time Lord and Dalek in the hopes of ending the war and saving the rest of creation from our madness."

He leaned over the controls and placed his hands against the pads, steadying himself against the only thing that he could possibly trust. "My loneliness is my punishment for the crimes I committed... but as you can see my act of genocide was only mildly successful. The Dalek's still survived. It ended only one of many wars that had yet to be fought."

fireandblood

She felt sad as he told his story... To have to make a decision that huge, that important... It seemed something only the Doctor could ever do. She felt an immense respect for him in that moment. Even after having to do so many horrible things, and after seeing so many people die... He could still hide his ancient sadness beneath a silly, reckless demeanor.

Robin walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his again, hoping he wouldn't take the gesture the wrong way. Squeezing his fingers gently, she tried to smile up at him through her tears.

"Hey, at least one good thing came of all of it," she said, "you got to meet me." She laughed weakly at her lame joke, but grew serious again. "Doctor, you made the right decision. Imagine the repercussions if you hadn't stopped the war. I know you always make the best decision... Even if it's hard." She glanced back again at the image on the wall, as if for some reason that statement made her think of Romana.

Villain

The Doctor didn't say or do anything for a moment, but eventually a smile broke across his face and he grinned at Madelin before squeezing her fingers. "I think that meeting you was definitely a good thing to come out of all of this," he said before gesturing to the TARDIS. "Humans always seem to be able to remind me, that even in my darkest moments, there are still-"

The TARDIS let out an almighty roar as the whole world spun before their eyes. They felt weightless for a moment as they were tossed into the air before they suddenly came crashing down with a hard thump. A loud alarm was blaring through the TARDIS, the controls were smoking and steam was pouring from every pipe and vent in view.

"Ow..." the Doctor mumbled against the floor. "Just....ow..." He groaned before sitting up, very slowly and looking around him. He stretched out his arms and legs and winced as cracking noises filled the air from his bones grinding together. "We've arrived."

He slumped towards the TARDIS controls and slammed his hand down on a large red button that silenced the alarm. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep before gazing over at Robin. "Sorry about the journey. I had to lock on to that old coot from earlier in order to navigate the TARDIS through the distorted Time Vortex. It required a lot of power from the old girl and a very rough landing."

fireandblood

Robin was smiling along with the Doctor, ready to say something in return, but she was soon hovering in the air. She had only an instant to look shocked before she was flung to the ground. Her head rang as it made contact with the floor, and her body felt like it had been squeezed in a vice. She moaned, unable to fathom how the Doctor was able to get up.

After a few moments, she sat up, putting her hands on either side of her head. "Owwww," she groaned, trying to stand. It was hard, but by bracing herself against the console, she managed.

"So... Where are we?" she asked, feeling more nervous as her soreness wore off. "Are we... Going after the Daleks?"

Villain

"Of course. I can't let my archenemy abduct ancient Viking warriors for some unknown nefarious purpose," he said before groaning in pain as he hoisted himself to his feet and stretched his arms high above his head. "I don't know what time traveling heroes you've been hanging out with Robin, but if I see my archenemy stealing viking warriors for nefarious purposes, then I'll stop them."

He crossed the floor and helped Robin to her feet before walking to the doors and pushing them open slightly. He poked his head out the door, little by little, preparing himself for the worst. With any luck he wouldn't need to immediately dive back into the TARDIS in order to avoid the blast of a Dalek cannon.

His breath caught in his throat when he looked at their surroundings. His eyes bulged in their sockets and his mouth dropped as he looked up at one of the most amazing sights he had ever seen.

The ground that the TARDIS was perched on was a solid rock cliff face that led up to a dense forest which surrounded the base of a humongous mountain, almost twice the size of Everest. It was an breathtaking sight, but that wasn't what amazed the Doctor. What stunned him was what was growing out of the mountain.

"I don't believe it..." he whispered. "....that's a Gaia Tree," he said with awe, looking up at the gigantic mass of branches and leaves that towered stretched over there heads thousand upon thousands of miles in the air above them. In the distance they could see a great tree trunk sprouting from the top of the mountain, it's bark the color of granite and surface riddled with bumps and grooves that probably resembled the Grand Canyon up close.

"And someone's been building something into it," the Doctor said before pointing up at the base of the tree.

Sure enough, a mass of buildings lay at the bottom of the tree, nestled within it's roots. It was tiny in comparison to the rest of the great tree, but yet it still managed to make its presence known by shining brightly in the light as the sun hit it's silver walls.

"And look, they've got visitors," the Doctor spat before pointing at the swarm of blue machines that flew through the sky in the far distance.

fireandblood

"Well, there was this guy once," Robin said sarcastically, "He had an archenemy and let them steal lots of Vikings for completely unknown purposes." She winced as the Doctor helped her upright, knowing there would be more bruises where her others had just faded. Such was life with the Doctor, she supposed. And she smiled, because she knew that she could handle a couple bruises if it meant traveling with this man.

When the Doctor was stunned into silence, Robin slowly joined him at the door. Her breath was also stolen as she stared up at the view, unable to imagine how high the tree extended into the sky. It seemed an impossibility, for something natural to get that huge. A Gaia tree... She wondered what that meant. As the Doctor spoke, she directed her gaze to the buildings in its roots, and the ships traveling toward them.

"What's a Gaia tree?" she asked, awestruck by the gigantic thing. "And who's that flying to those buildings? Are they Dalek ships?"

Villain

"A Gaia Tree is a legendary plant. So rare that it's almost mythical," the Doctor said, the grin returning as he looked up at the tree again. "Not only is a Gaia Tree unbelievably huge, but it's also a miracle in disguise. You know why?" The Doctor asked before grinning down at Robin. "Because a single acorn from a Gaia Tree is able to bring self-sustaining plant life to an entire planet. It doesn't matter if the atmosphere is toxic or the place is devoid of water, the plants will grow regardless and make even the most desolate planet a paradise."

"I never dreamed I would ever see one. Legends say that the Gaia Tree requires a very carefully balanced diet of nutrients and in large amounts, hence why they're so rare to find," the Doctor said before scratching his fuzzy chin. "But... I have to wonder why the Dalek's are interested in it. And just what is the connection between the tree and old geezers from the Viking age?"

The Doctor stepped back into the TARDIS and straightened his bolo tie. "To answer your other question; No, those aren't Dalek ships. Those are fleets of several hundred Daleks. And they're more than likely about to declare war on the tree."

Explosions rang out in the far distance as the Dalek's opened fire and began littering the side of the tree with hundreds upon hundreds of laser blasts. The Doctor winced as he watched fiery scars leap from the wood of the tree, for a moment it seemed like they were in danger of the Dalek's bringing the whole thing down on top of them.

But then, just as the Dalek's rained down another volley of shots on the tree, a bright flash of white light lit up the area. Rays of white bounced off the surface of the silver building and scanned over the Dalek fleet, causing them to burst into flame and explode into tiny balls of fire.

"Oh...now that's just incredible," the Doctor said with relish before jumping back into the TARDIS and tapping at the buttons. "A Gaia Tree that can fight back against a Dalek fleet. Now that is amazing. It's no wonder the Dalek's want in when there's so much fire power protecting that little building hidden away.

fireandblood

Robin smiled up at the huge tree. It really did seem like a miracle, there in front of her. A desire to see the top seized her, but she doubted that would ever happen. It was probably a rather dangerous climb to the top.. Especially with so many Daleks racing toward it.

"It's a beautiful tree," she said, wincing along with the Doctor as they watched the Daleks shoot the tree. "Why would they want to kill it? It seems like... if their planet was destroyed... Wouldn't they want a living seed of the tree? To maybe make plants on a new planet for themselves? Why kill the tree when they could just take a seed?"

But she saw why when the buildings at the base let go with its powerful beam, wiping out hundred of Daleks in a single second. She gasped, amazed. The war-crazed machines didn't seem so easily defeated... The power behind that beam must have been something ridiculous.

"What's going on?" she asked incredulously.

Villain

"Dalek's don't care about restoring Skaro to anything more than a radioactive wasteland of burnt red rock," the Doctor called back to her from the controls. "I seriously doubt they would ever consider growing plants on their planet, unless they were capable of gobbling up planets and shooting nuclear war heads out of their petals."

"As for how that beam took them down, I don't know. Technology that can tear through an entire fleet in one shot is hard to come by," the Doctor said before turning a crank on the board and kicking one of the pipes. "But it won't keep them down, the Dalek's will call down bigger guns and keep blasting the tree until they have what they came for."

"So why don't we go and get a closer look and see if we can find out why they're so eager to get in?" The Doctor asked before grabbing hold of the controls. "I would hold on to something if I were you. This is going to be a bumpy ride," he spoke before the room lurched and shook as if an earthquake were rocking the deck of the TARDIS.

fireandblood

"Well, I was just wondering," Robin muttered, wishing she was able to say the right thing for once. For some reason, she really wanted to impress the Doctor, and she felt she was falling short time after time. With a pout, she sat on her rail again, looking at the Doctor kicking and pushing things into place. When he told her to hold on, she did, still almost getting knocked off the rail by the excessive shaking of the TARDIS.

"Doctor," she said, her voice vibrating along with the interior of the TARDIS. "We don't have a giant Dalek blaster. How are we going to get a closer look without getting blasted by thousands of Daleks?"

Villain

"Simple!" He called over the rattling of the mechanics and the cosmic whirr of the TARDIS. "Whats a common thing for a burglar to do when he's trying to break into a house so that he won't be noticed?" He called before letting out a grunt as the TARDIS violently shook left and right before coming to a sharp halt.

"You use the back entrance!" The Doctor called before walking over to the doors of the TARDIS and pushing them open to reveal the side of a cliff face, a large gaping cave and a gigantic root the size of a subway train. "Dalek's are all about proving their dominant. They'll blast at the tree until their firepower gets them through. Anything less would embarrass them, if they were capable of such a thing."

A loud explosion rumbled the distance and a quick flash of light lit up the area when the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. He frowned and looked up at the Gaia Tree with a frown. Although he couldn't see the ensuing battle on the other side of the tree, he knew what had happened.

"They've taken down one bit of the defense measure," he said. "We to follow the path quickly. I reckon there will be other defensive measures, but the Daleks will get through them."

fireandblood

Robin simply shook her head in amazement, still holding on to the rail for dear life. Right, simple, she thought, Just fly toward the impending destruction of a giant, impossible tree... and use the back entrance to get even closer to a fleet of destructive, war-crazy mutants who have a huge vendetta against you. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?

Somehow, she kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to distract the Doctor. Wincing as he opened the door and the blinding flash of light filled the TARDIS, she nevertheless joined him just outside. The root was an astounding size, and the cave gaped open like the mouth of some prehistoric monster. When she stood next to him, she slid her hand into his, linking their fingers together.

"Okay," she said quietly, stunned by the immensity of the tree. "I'm ready." And in the back of her mind, the beeping started again, rhythmic and regular and incessant.

Villain

"Are you sure? You could always stay in the TARDIS," the Doctor said reassuringly. "I mean, you miss me being incredible and wouldn't be able to tell the story of how I managed to defeat an armada of Dalek's and save the universe, but if you really want to you can go back to the TARDIS. I think there's a nice jigsaw in there that you could complete while I'm out and about."

He grinned at Robin and waggled his eye brows before sprinting into the cave, trusting that she would follow. Who could possibly resist coming on an adventure with him? Even if it was terrifying.

The cave they ran into was dark and spooky to begin with. Strange creatures that slightly resembled bats hung from the rocky ceiling and whistled like boiling kettles as he ran past. As they traveled further into the dark they began to find their way illuminated by luminous green orbs that lined the walls of the cave neatly.

"Someone was expecting us to find this place," the Doctor said as the glow washed over them. "You don't fit ever burning globes inside the walls of a cave unless you were planning to have visitors," the Doctor said before scratching his chin as he looked up at the lights. "This place gets more mysterious by the minute. The Daleks kidnap Viking Warriors and bring them to a Gaia Tree that seems to have had some sort of base built into it. It's a good idea, the Gaia Tree is a sturdy place to build a house, yet..."

The Doctor paused before rubbing his forehead as he thought over the events that had passed. "This whole set up....it reminds me of a really old tale. A legend that gets retold in every world and every faith," He shook his head before continuing onwards. "But that can't be... it seems far too unlikely."

fireandblood

When the Doctor sprinted away, Robin followed immediately. This time, there was no hesitation, no thoughts, just following. She had to see what was inside; she had to know what he was up to; she had to be part of this event that was so sure to be amazing.

"The puzzle sounded appealing and everything," she said as they entered the cave, "But I figured I might as well come with you." But she stopped talking as the darkness enveloped them, and gulped when she caught sight of the strange things hanging from the walls. It was with great relief that she saw the way ahead was illuminated by some sort of weird, green light.

The orbs were fascinating, unlike anything she had seen before. But then again, she was in a cave at the bottom of an impossibly huge tree, trying to stop an army of creatures that had survived despite countless attempts on their destruction. So she supposed a couple of orbs filled with an unwavering green light were probably the least strange things she had seen since meeting the Doctor.

As he spoke again, she listened with interest. The beeping in her head was growing louder, but her ability to tune it out was growing stronger at the same time.

"Well," she said as he finished, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. So, what's this story you're talking about?"

Villain

"Well, Sherlock Holmes, it goes like this," the Doctor spoke as they continued to make their way down the path. "There is said to be a place that exists as a reward for the best of souls. A mythical kingdom that was created for the most noble creatures in the universe to go to when they reached the end of their life."

"I know what you're thinking, this sounds an awful lot like heaven, well that may be true. For you see some people believe that this incredible place is the reason why so many cultures have a paradise. The Greeks had the planes of Elysium, the Catholics and Christians have heaven, Islam has Jannah, Egypt had Aaru and the Norse had Valhalla."

"It's a good theory, but the place I speak of isn't a location you reach in death. It's an actual physical place which many have said was constructed in the far future and then sent back into the past until it reached the very start of time,"

"And this could be the place Robin..." the Doctor said with wonder, his smile stretching across his shaggy cheeks. "This could be the kingdom of ultimate reward. The mystical place that has touched every race in the universe. Many religions speak of a shining kingdom or a great mountain or even a giant tree that connects the planes together. Heck, Norse mythology believes that the great tree is what connects Earth to several different dimensions. Their tales are the closest of all of them. It would explain why the Dalek's were able to convince the Vikings that they were taking them to Valhalla."

The green light that lit the way intensified as they stepped out of the darkness and came out in front of a huge set of metal double doors with a glowing red emblem printed on its surface. In front of the doors swirled a wall of flame that burned without smoke or heat.

"Imagine it Robin, beyond those doors could lie a heroes paradise," the Doctor said, grinning from ear to ear as he approached the swirling flames.

fireandblood

"I don't really see how this could be heaven," she said, walking forward a little. "It seems like... Well, if it's supposed to be like heaven, how come things so hateful like the Daleks can come here? It doesn't seem fair." The beeping noise at the back of her head grew louder as she approached the heatless flame, almost sounding like a warning. She shook her head in irritation.

"Doctor, this beeping in my head is really getting annoying," she said. "If it doesn't stop I might lose my mind. If I haven't already." Nonetheless, the flames in front of the door seemed to call to her. Come closer... So she did. Her feet pulled her in, closer and closer to the flames. Heaven could be behind these doors, she thought, holding a hand out...

And as she touched the flames, she was flung back violently. Nothing hurt, but she hit the ground hard, her head ringing again. With a groan, she sat up, looking dazed up at the Doctor.

"If this is Heaven, I must have done something very, very bad."