× Make your TwitLonger posts ad-free For just £1 a month, you can support TwitLonger directly and remove ads from your posts

Click here to make your TwitLonger posts ad-free.

Doctor Who - The Dispersion Diversion

DOCTOR WHO: THE DISPERSION DIVERSION



Following the Doctor, Nardole and Bill



A red school bell bursts into life, ringing obnoxiously in the ears of the young adults as they stride by, chattering and mumbling, a sea of deodorant and snapchatting. All were anxious to return to their dorms and make the most of the remaining daylight hours until their lectures and lessons the following day.







As the bell began to ring, Professor McAdams ushered his class from their seminar seats, rubbing away the chalk from the last 2 hours. One man, pale in complexion with a stare that seemed most unnerving, slowly removed himself from the bench, moving with grace towards the door. McAdams sniffed the air, grimacing at the hint of a peculiar smell diffusing across the lecture hall. He bent down, examining the ventilation built into the lecture stand from which he enlightened the generation of tomorrow. The man frowned , with a slither of ice in his eyes as he watched his professor investigate. He span his right foot sideways, making for the door, but unbeknownst to the man, his foot landed on a crumbling stick of chalk that went awry when McAdams brushed down his board. The chalk cracked into dust and crumbs, alerting McAdams to the sound.







McAdams span around, his brow hanging low. 'Oh! Russell, isn't it? Blimey, I had no idea you were there! If you're here about the assignment submissions, they aren't open until--'.

'Aah, oh no, Professor, its fine, thats okay. Just wonderin' what it was you were doing down there.'

'The most peculiar smell, Russell, thats all. It was fine earlier, but now it smells like petrol in here!'

Russell's eyes darted quickly.'Its probably fine Sir. You know the university. All kind of spooks and creaks around here.'

'Well I've had enough of this! This time every day, the smell occurs! I've been tolerating since term started but this is getting ridiculous! I've had a word with the head, and they're determined to look into it, I hope.'

Russell started to breathe heavily, despite his internal protests. He didn't want McAdam to interfere, but he couldn't give them up either.

McAdams' frown turned into confusion.'Russell, you're looking..peaky. Are you ok?'

Russell, startled, replied, trying to hide the squeakiness of his voice 'Oh yes, no Professor, I'm fine. I'd best go, turn these notes into something useful.'

Russell kept his eyes on McAdam's face, detailing his movements and headed for the door on shaky knees. He quickly closed the door as he left, and ran as inconspicuously as one can run when trying not to act as if they are running, which of course is a hard task.

The red bell rang a second time, signalling the end of the day.







He found the lavatories and opened the third cubicle along; only this one had access to the vents. He climbed onto the far from clean cistern of the toilet, ignoring the juvenile messages crammed on every conceivable surface. He slipped his fingers in between each metal plate, making sure at least 3 could reach the internal walls of the ventilation shaft.

He began to tap the metallic walls, each press of his fingers echoing and reverberating along the vents. He waited until he heard the light humming given off inside. He smiled a kooky, toothy smile and opened up his bag. Combing his bag, he pushed to find his special gift. Ah! He pulled it out. It glowed a silver and green like a faded jade jewel, emplaced into a crowning golden circle, with engravings of other wordly art highlighting the talisman. He scooped the rest of the chain, and held it to the vent, its green glow highlighting the vent walls. 'You know what this is yes?' He chuckled. The thing inside snarled in retaliation. 'Its okay! Its fine, just calm down. Today,m you don't need to protect yourself. You'll be fine. Don't do it today!'







McAdams had stopped investigating the vent, and had bent down to pack away his lecture pages, refraining from stuffing the pages into the folders, as to not crease them. He placed a page to the floor, and stopped. He sniffed the air, and rolled his eyes, that all too familiar smell lingered. His brow stiffened. This smell was too much, the most it had been in a while, ever since Professor Docherty had left the university. He sniffed the air, suddenly his lungs felt as if they were burning. His eyes wide, tears streamed from his face and his arms flailed, looking hopelessly for water or some nourishment and comforts. His hands clasped his neck, noticing his hands were turning a shade of purple.

His face had become a light purple, as if asphyxiated and veins in his head pulsated in panic. Finally, McAdams' body fell to the floor, his eyes still wide, as he lay without pulse, mouth agape on the floor of the lecture hall. A small hum rose from the vent, and a faint gurgle came from within the ventilation.







'You know, I can't keep using the TARDIS like this Bill!' The Doctor, his frowning eyebrows ever present strolled round his console, pulling back the Time Rotor so that the TARDIS could finish its materialisation.

'Oh Doctor, I only needed your help this time!' exclaimed Bill profusely, fiddling with her new badge, thinking about where it would appear on her denim jacket.

'And the time before that, and the time last Thursday' murmured an anxious Nardole, frowning with all the ferocity a man could do while wearing large round spectacles and a knitted coat.

Bill smirked. 'We all know that the TARDIS is a much more sophisticated form of transport than the bus. All of those people cramped into chairs, and how awkward is it when there are no seats left, and you have to sit next to a stranger!'

Nardole nodded his head in slight agreement.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and sighed. 'Well, this is the last time Bill. I mean it this time!'

Nardole tutted. 'You said you meant it last time, Doctor!'

The TARDIS let out a final whine and a boom as it landed in the Doctor's room in the university.





The Doctor popped his head round the side of the TARDIS, staring at Nardole, who was standing by the guard rails at the TARDIS doors. 'Haven't you got better things to do? You're always complaining about guarding the vault, but I don't see anyone there now. So get to it Nardole!'

Nardole rolled his eyes and turned his back on the Timelord. 'I didn't even sign up for this, you took the oath, not me.'

The Doctor grinned as Nardole left, and turned to face Bill, who was placing back a book she was reading from a bookshelf.

'On we go, I need to check the lecture hall is locked. You've got a big lecture tomorrow!'

'Bill scarpered down the TARDIS staircase, and followed the Doctor through the doors.

She caught up to the Doctor, who was quickly moving down the main university staircase.







'So, why lecture if you have all of time and space just waiting?' Bill asked with patient curiosity.

'Oh no, I used to Bill. Supernovas, quasars, alien life, I've had a good look. I took an oath to protect the vault and its contents. That means sticking around for a bit.'

'Is that why Nardole is so intent on keeping you here?'

'Nardole is just Nardole. I should've kept him in the big robot suit if I knew how naggy he would be!' exclaimed the Doctor with a chuckle.

Bill let out a glowing grin from ear to ear.

She bumped into the Doctor's back falling backwards and catching herself from falling to the ground.

'Hey! Next time tell me when you stop walking.'

The Doctor stood silently, as he looked back at Bill and back towards the lecture door.

'This should be locked. McAdams always made sure.'

'Oooh, a big mystery' Bill said in an eery voice. 'That, or he just forgot.'

The Doctor pushed past the open door, the lights dim and the lecture hall smelling musty, as old buildings do.

'It was the former.' whispered the Doctor staring down at the cold body of McAdams.

Bill took a breath.







'What happened to him Doctor?'

The Doctor fumbled around in his top left inside pocket for his Sonic Screwdriver. He pulled it out, along with a stick of celery.

Bill, with a confused frown asked 'Why do you have celery?'

The Doctor retorted quickly, defending carrying vegetation in his pockets. 'Why do you have badges? They're decorative.'

He handed Bill the celery.

'You. Wore this?' Bill asked.

'I used to, but it had its uses. Before that it was a big scarf, but I can't tell if celery was an improvement now. Anyway, can we move onto why, a lecturer is lying on the floor please?'

Bill recoiled her smirk. 'Sorry.'

The Doctor scanned McAdams body from head to toe, trying to make out an answer.

'Posion.'

Bill, was taken aback with shock. 'Poison? In a university?'

'Yes, but not the normal kind. He wasn't just lazy about cooking chicken, Bill. The Sonic is giving readings outside of Earth's normal atmospheric make-up.'

'Its alien.' stated Bill.

The Doctor span round to face Bill. 'Why'd you say it like that?'

'Like what?' asked Bill.

'Like thats not exciting!'

'Because with you Doctor, there's usually an alien hiding round the corner--'

'--or in the vents.' whispered the Doctor.

He motioned to Bill with his hands, pointing at the vent and to his ears.

'Listen!'

Bill lightly moved towards the vents, not putting herself to close.

'Hissss....*snap* *gurgle*.'







Bill's eyes widened, and she looked toward the Doctor, who activated his Sonic Screwdriver, giving a high pitched wail as it always did.

'Have you got a quiet setting for that?' called Bill.

'Its here Bill. That poison. The Sonic is picking up fluctuations in the recycled air in the vents. Whatever it is, its potency is getting to us.'

Bill coughed, her lungs not as adept as the Timelord's.

'Run Bill, we have to go! Get out! Get out!' he exclaimed in a panic, dropping his screwdriver as they made for the door.

The Doctor closed the door, sealing the air in using rags from the chalkboard cleaner trolley down the hall.

'This should keep it at bay for now. Are you alright Bill?'

Bill caught her breath, still clutching the celery the Doctor showed her.

'Ye-Yeah, I'm fine. Your Sonic is still in there though!'

'We can't go back in now Bill. Without the Sonic, we don't know what it is in there. It could be anything. Chen-7, Dioxsis. Chen-7 can kill a Timelord in a day. Its too risky.'

Bill was about to speak, before a sound, like a pipe hitting the floor echoed in the distance.

It was Russell. The Doctor looked down the dimly lit hall with a frown, noticing Russell staring back. Russell span around and ran for it.

'HEY! Stop!' cried the Doctor, running with Bill to catch Russell.

Russell ran towards the stairs, only to be greeted with a frown by Nardole as he came up them.





Nardole pulled out an early Sonic Screwdriver, stopping Russell in fright.

The Doctor and Bill caught up to Russell and Nardole, trying to catch their breath.

'What are you doing here? And why have you got my old screwdriver?' asked the Doctor.

'I heard all of the commotion and figured it must be to do with you. No-one else shouts with that accent in the middle of the night.'

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

'Don't hurt me!' squealed Russell, his eyes fixated on the Sonic device in Nardole's hand.

'Oh this? Don't worry about it, it can't hurt a fly. See?' Nardole pressed the Sonic, only for it to spark in his hand, causing Nardole to drop it in shock and it fell to the ground, smoking.







Bill stepped back quickly.

The Doctor sighed.

'You see, Nardole! This, this is why you make small talk with the Vault. Because you break all of my lovely equipment! That's two Sonic Screwdrivers in 20 minutes.'

'Two?' inquired Nardole. 'What happened to your one?'

'Well its not broken, just lost in a room of poisonous gas.' explained the Doctor, clasping his hands together.

Nardole tutted. 'Only around you, eh Doctor?'

The Doctor ignored him and moved on to Russell.

'What are you doing here after hours? I doubt you're that eager to learn, but if you were, that would make a nice change.' mused the Doctor.

'Its not my fault! I have to be here! It chose me to protect it!' Russell squawked.

'Hey hold on a tick. Who chose you, who are you protecting?'

'It calls itself the Magara' explained Russell. 'It said it needed help! I helped it survive!'

The Doctor sighed an angry sigh.

'Always you humans! You see something out of the ordinary, something different and you go out of your way to interfere!'

'I can show it to you. It gave me a gift.' said Russell sheepishly, pulling out the faded green and gold talisman.

The Doctor eyed it carefully. 'I feel like I've seen it before, I don't know where. That shape...'

He broke his train of thought and swung over to Bill.

'Do you still have that celery?' he asked impatiently.

'Yeah, why?'

'I think I know what kind of life form we're dealing with, I just need to check.'







He took the celery and rushed towards the lecture hall door, Bill, Nardole and Russell in tow.

He opened the door slightly, holding his red coat over his nose and mouth, moving his hand and the celery with it through the door.

'Stay back!' the Doctor murmured under his coat.

The group moved cautiously back per the Doctor's instructions, until the Doctor's hand reappeared, the celery looking different.

'Its purple!' Bill exclaimed.

The Doctor grinned his toothy grin towards them.

'I was right. The gas, its from the Praxis range. An old chemistry trick. I used celery to check for gases I was allergic too. The Praxis range of gases is also very deadly to humans. After all, our vascular systems aren't that different.'

The Doctor re-sealed the door, and snatched the Talisman from Russell's sweaty palms.

'Praxis gases are only found in particular galaxies. The talisman craftmanship narrowed it down to just one system; its not a Magara, there's no such thing! Thats it's name! Its from a race called the Jikreth! They create these talismans, the green jewel is only found on their home world! Its a Rehr crystal!'







From the ventilation, an echoed gurgle and screech rang around the vents.

'It understands! And I do too! It wasn't trying to kill us! It was just scared for its life! Bill you remember, we were fine until I used the Sonic. It could have poisoned us, it had bags of time. But it only felt threatened because of the Sonic!

'And the bell.' murmured Russell.

'The bell is high pitched. It occurs every day, and Professor McAdams was in the lecture hall when it rang. He was looking in the vents. It doesn't like the bell.' It got Professor Docherty too, ages ago.'

'Of course!' exclaimed the Doctor. 'The Jikreth don't tolerate high pitched noise. It felt threatened by the bell, by McAdams. Jikreth secrete a gas when under pressure. Praxis gas. The only way to calm a Jikreth is with the talisman. Low pitched noise reverberates in the Rehr crystal, soothing the Jikreth.'

'We've got to find the Jikreth then!' exclaimed Bill, dragging the Doctor by his hand, motioning Russell to lead the way to the Jikreth.







Russell pointed towards the third cubicle. 'It will speak to you through the vents in there.'

The Doctor opened the cubicle, as it swung on squeaky hinges. He reached up to the vent slipping his fingers through the metal plates, wiggling them to no effect.

'Tap the vent.' said Russell. It likes the sound of the metal, the echoes. Its the only way it will come to you.'

The Doctor tapped the cold metal walls, and a gurgle and snap faintly echoed.

'I know who you are! You're a Jikreth! And you're a long way from home! I can help you!' The Doctor held the talisman to the ventilation, illuminating the Jikreth. Its features, an almost grotesque purple blob, like a octopus. It had no skeletal system. 'Wow, Darwin really had no idea about you did he?' chuckled the Doctor.

The Jikreth gurgled, almost in musing response.





The Doctor watched as the Jikreth slithered out of the TARDIS doors onto the blue sand of the Jirketh's home planet.

'I thought I saw the talisman before. I've been here, you know!' exclaimed the Doctor to Bill.

Nardole interrupted hastily 'I think its time we all went home, not just him!'.

Russell was still stood in wonder at the TARDIS as head been for the whole journey. He span his head around, trying to absorb the wonderment that the TARDIS presented to him.

'Time to go!' exclaimed the Doctor, spinning away from the doors, snapping his fingers as he did so.

The TARDIS door arched forwards, squeaking slightly and closing with a clack.

'Show off' murmured Nardole.

Bill let out a grin.

She shook Russell out if his trance.

'Its time to go Russell. You gonna be okay?'

His face changed form into a contorted smile.

'Yeah, I think so. But what about McAdams?'

'Ill get UNIT in to have a look. Maybe they can find an antidote for Praxis gas, rather than a weapon.'

'That'll be the day' pitched in Nardole.

The Doctor strolled over to the console, entering the space-time coordinates for the University. He pulled the Handbrake back, and the TARDIS time column began to move, the overhead sliver platforms spinning. The Doctor, his face illuminated by the orange light of the Time Column grinned a big grin, as the TARDIS made the wheezy sound it always does.



-END-

Reply · Report Post