Shadows (Doctor Who)

***Shadows*** is the fourth episode of the first series of *Doctor Who* produced by *The 56Studios*. It introduces the Darkness, a major force of evil in the Universe. It also marks the first appearance of Kate Stewart, Pretronella Osgood, Wilson James, and U.N.I.T.

## Story

“Is the camera on yet, Dave?” the woman asked irritably, looking at the warehouse behind them.

“Yes it is, Alice,” the man replied, adjusting the focus.

“Alright, good,” she said, brushing her hair with her hand before holding up the microphone. “On three.”

“On three,” he repeated.

She nodded. “One… two… three...”

Forcing a smile on her face, she began.

“Hello. I’m Alice Nichols, and welcome to *Paranormal World*. Today, we’re investigating the long-abandoned Global Chemicals warehouse. Ever since the company was shut down in the mid-seventies after an incident involving toxic waste and giant maggots in a refinery, there have been numerous reports of paranormal activity.”

She smiled again. “So after numerous requests, we at *Paranormal World* have decided to see if there are truly any ghosts in this warehouse.”

Nodding, she turned around and walked towards the massive building that loomed overhead, the camera following her. Reaching a door, she put her hand on it. Looking back at the camera, she pulled it open. An ear-splitting creaking bit their ears as the door clattered against the side of the structure.

“Alright,” she smiled at the camera. “Here we go.”

With perfect dramatic timing, she stepped over the threshold and into the darkness, followed by the cameraman. They were submerged in complete darkness except for the light mounted on the camera illuminating the woman.

Holding her hand out towards the camera, an arm came from behind it, holding a large flashlight. Taking it, she clicked it on and shone it into the dark. The beam trailed across the stone floor, several blotches and burns, pieces of cardboard, and large crates.

“It doesn’t seem like they cared to take everything with them,” she commented as they moved through the shadows. Their footsteps echoed.

As they continued walking, she looked back at the camera. “Kinda spooky in here, huh?”

Continuing to walk, they stopped as they heard something clatter to the floor. A wave of static washed across the screen. Flashing her light towards the sound, they saw nothing except for a hammer lying on the ground.

“What was that?” she asked, walking towards it.

Crouching, she set down her light and picked up the hammer. Showing it to the camera, it glinted dimly in the light.

She was about to stand back up when something moved in the light of her flashlight. The hammer clattered to the ground again as she grabbed the lamp and shone it in the direction of the movement. The camera shook as it tried to peer into the dark.

“Who’s there?!” the man behind the camera called out.

The woman got off the floor and looked around, shining the light in every direction. As she turned back towards the camera, her eyes were wide and she shook with fear. She turned around again, looking into the dark.

“Let’s get out of here-,” she said when her flashlight settled on something several feet in front of her.

A man stood there, something like smoke pluming from his form. His clothes were stained with a dark substance. There was a massive gash in the side of his head, where more of the dark substance trailed. His eyes were pitch black.

“Who… who are you?” the woman backed up slightly towards the camera.

He tilted his head at them when his jaw began to shake. Opening his mouth, it extended far lower than any human could achieve. A second later an earsplitting screech rang out before it lunged forward. His arm shot forward, stretching and bridging the twenty-foot gap between them.

The woman screamed as the dark limb wrapped around her torso. Looking back at the camera, she was suddenly dragged into the dark, disappearing completely into the shadows, her screams vanishing as she did. The flashlight fell to the ground, shattering into a million pieces.

“ALICE!” the cameraman yelled into the dark. The flashlight mounted on the camera appeared to be useless, the screen completely black.

His ragged breathing was heard as he stumbled backwards through the shadows, desperately trying to get back to the door.

Dave abruptly stopped as a figure appeared in the dark. The flashlight on his camera illuminated the form of Alice Nichols walking towards him, her appearance identical to the other man.

“Alice…?” he gasped. “What… what are you?”

Her jaw quivering the same way as the first man, her mouth fell into an unnatural scream. At that moment she thrust her arm forward and it flew at him. He screamed as it wrapped around him and pulled him towards her.

The camera fell to the ground, the lens shattering as it looked into the black, the man’s screams ending instantly. Static covered the screen before it cut to morning, light spilling in through the windows. The warehouse was as abandoned as they had left it.

The Doctor finished watching the tape. He simply stood there, his pale blue eyes staring at the monitor in deep concentration.

After a few minutes, he turned to the blonde woman watching him from a table in her office. She had a cup of coffee in her hand.

“What was that?”

“We don’t know,” she said, getting off the table and walking behind her desk. “That’s why we called you here,” she sat down.

“You didn’t call me here,” he shook his head, beginning to pace around the office. “I felt like accepting your invitation.”

“Of course,” she nodded.

“So, what do you think I can bring to the table on this little investigation, Kate?” the Doctor leaned on one of the stairs in front of her desk.

“Do I need to replay the footage?” she raised an eyebrow.

“No,” he waved her off. “That was upsetting. I don’t like being upsetted.”

Kate turned the monitor back towards her. “So what’s your opinion on it?”

“Two paranormal investigators, or as I would call them, two fools wasting their time, go to one of the old Global Chemicals warehouses-.”

“You actually helped shut them down in the seventies,” she added.

“Yeah, with your dad. I remember,” he looked up at her. “Anyway, they go there, in search of paranormal activity, and they see an entity. Then one gets taken and turned into a host, and the other is taken and I’m presuming the same things happens.”

“Why do you say ‘host’?”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? I mean, she’s obviously not her own entity. She’s being possessed. Along with that worker.”

“So what’s controlling them?” she asked.

He pushed off the chair and began to pace around the room again.

“There are a lot of possibilities in terms of possession,” the Doctor said. “But this one is… unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Except for…”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”

Slowly, he turned towards her.

“I’ve heard legends – and I have no idea if they’re even true – of a creature, a force, if you will. This force is said to have existed since the dawn of time, having watched the universe grow and evolve. It is known by many names, but most people call it ‘the Darkness’.”

“’The Darkness’?” she repeated.

He nodded. “No one is sure if it is the shadows made manifest or simply something living in it. I encountered something similar in my fifth incarnation, or whenever it was,” he came back to the chair. “But beings across the universe have – or alleged to have – encounters with the Darkness. Many of them didn’t survive. But that isn’t the end of it.”

Her expression hardened again. “Alright,” Kate crossed her arms. “What did it do?”

“It’s said to have destroyed planets, which is what it does apparently. None of the legends explain why, only that it does. Some say that it judges them unworthy to continue their existence.”

“Sounds like a god complex.”

“Indeed.”

Kate stood up and put her hands in her pockets. “So. You’ve seen the tape. You have a theory on what it was. Now, what do you want to do?”

The Doctor stroked his chin before looking up at her.

“I’ll need to speak with my consultant.”

The bell rang.

“Alright!” Clara shouted over the roar of the students getting up and packing their things. “That’s it for today. Remember to read pages seventy to eighty-eight!”

Watching them quickly leave the classroom, she smiled and turned around. Grabbing an eraser, she walked to the glass board and wiped away the notes she had written down during class.

She felt she was adapting better to this job than when she had first started there, which was a good thing. The students were beginning to like her, she could tell. And her travels with the Doctor weren’t interfering with her work, so that was a bonus.

As she reached the last line, a man appeared on the other side of the glass. This sudden appearance made her jump, the eraser hitting the ground. Looking up, she saw that it was the Doctor. She breathed an irritated sigh of relief.

“Doctor!” Clara hissed. “What are you doing?”

“I came to get you,” he replied innocently.

“You scared me!”

“I didn’t mean to.”

She rolled her eyes before picking up the eraser. “Well, you did anyway.”

“Sorry,” the Doctor replied before looking at the last line.

“That’s wrong, by the way,” he pointed to it.

Annoyed, she quickly strode up to the board and wiped away the last bit of information. Setting the eraser down, she crossed her arms and looked at the man.

“So,” Clara said. “What is it?”

“What? Do you want to know what’s wrong with that line?”

“No,” she put her head in her hand. “What did you want?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “I have a job.”

She looked up at him. “A job? What kind of job?”

“U.N.I.T. has a case for me, and I need your help.”

Clara raised an eyebrow. “What’s the case?”

The Doctor looked at her with his piercing look.

“The Darkness.”

“How can the darkness be alive? Is that even possible?” she crossed her arms as the five of them stood around the table.

“At this point, you should know that nothing is impossible, miss Oswald,” he replied, sitting down.

Kate walked around the table. “What is it?”

He ran his hands across his face. “As I told you before, it is said to be the literal force of darkness in the universe.”

Colonel Wilson James, who had been leaning against the wall, let out a chuckle. “’The literal force of darkness’? You can’t be serious.”

“Very.”

“But how can it be alive?” Patronella Osgood adjusted her glasses.

“I don’t know,” the Doctor replied. “And that’s always a problem”

“Oh that’s bad,” she said.

“But how would we defeat it?” Clara asked.

He turned towards her. “What makes you think we would want to defeat it?”

“Well, I mean, it’s killed dozens of planets, it’s threatening Earth,” she looked around the room. “Need I list more?”

“No. Of course you’re right,” he said. “I was just making sure we were on the same page.” She rolled her eyes.

“So what’s the plan, Doc?” the colonel said, unfolding his arms and walking to the table.

“First: don’t call me ‘Doc’,” the Doctor replied sharply. “Second: we take a convoy to the warehouse and check it out.”

“You can’t be serious!” he exclaimed. “You’ve seen first-hand what this creature can do! We have to eliminate it before it destroys the planet!”

He shook his head. “There’s so much we don’t know about the Darkness. If we go in guns blazing, we’re sure to get the planet destroyed.”

“A convoy sounds incredibly dangerous, Doctor,” Kate replied.

“I agree with that,” Osgood and Clara said together.

“Well, I’m not going to fly the TARDIS in there!” he glared. “I can’t let the Darkness get its hand… whatever it uses to grab things, on it.”

The colonel crossed his arms. “What kind of convoy were you thinking about, then?”

“Me, Clara, and a couple of U.N.I.T. scientists with sensory equipment so we can find out what it is,” the Doctor said, walking around the table.

“That’s all?” Kate raised an eyebrow.

“That’s all,” he answered.

Osgood raised her hand. “Um, Doctor?”

“Yes?” the Doctor turned towards her.

“Could I come?”

He looked at her, his piercing gaze shining. A moment later, he nodded.

“Sure.”

She nearly jumped in excitement. “Oh good! Thank you!”

Her two superior officers were eyeing her with raised eyebrows while Clara stifled a smile. Seeing this, she quickly collected herself and adjusted her large glasses. Straightening her lab coat and multicolored scarf, she cleared her throat.

“What I mean is that I would be honored to come on the mission,” she said in a dignified tone.

The Doctor gave a smile before clapping his hands together.

“Alright then. Let’s get going.”

There was a soft humming as the Doctor riffled through the console room of the TARDIS, apparently in a craze. Clara watched from the doorway, her arms crossed as she watched him with a curious look on her face. She watched as he barely knocked a stack of books over on the top deck of the large room.

“What are you doing?” she asked after a while.

“Looking,” he replied simply.

“For what?”

“A book.”

She rolled her eyes. “What book?”

“A book that will hopefully help us,” he said as he knocked over a particularly tall stack, which fell over the railing and dropped down onto the lower deck.

Continuing to rifle through his collection, he eventually pulled one out. Dusting it off, a broad smile appeared across his face.

“Ah ha!” he exclaimed in triumph.

“You found it, then?” Clara asked as he made his way back down to the console.

“Yes,” the Doctor replied, holding up the book. He then flipped it open and began looking through it.

“What is it?” she came to his side, peering at the contents of the book as he casually flipped through it.

“A book about the ancient universe. It was published in 2891 by Alexandra Wellington. I’m hoping it’ll have something on what we’re facing.”

He continued to riffle through it when he suddenly stopped on a page that was situated towards the back. Opening it wide, he began to read the contents of the page aloud.

*“Before the light, there was the dark. Before the dawn, there was the night. Before the day chased it away, there were shadows. But, as we all know, darkness is never really gone. It just lingers, waiting for its time to emerge again.*

*“This is the case of out next subject: the entity known as the Darkness. No one knows where it came from, or what it wants. It seems to have existed since the dawn of time; since the first star was ignited in the universe.*

*“It comes and goes as it pleases, ravaging those it comes across. Whole civilizations have fallen before it. Nothing can survive its wrath. It is ruthless,*

*“No one knows how it can be destroyed, or if it can.”*

“Well, that sounds helpful,” Clara groaned.

He snapped the book shut. “Actually, it is quite helpful.”

As she watched him walk around the console and toss the book onto the upper level, she raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“Because it gives us a better look into what the Darkness is,” the Doctor replied.

“The only thing I got out of that book is that nobody knows anything about the Darkness,” Clara crossed her arms.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he smiled. “If you had been paying attention, you would have seen that she implied that it has a pretty big god complex.”

“She didn’t say that.”

“But that’s what it means,” the Doctor walked over to her. “And that’s something we can use against it. After all, we all know if you get too full of yourself, you’re going to burst. It also works with a theory I already had.”

“No one knows that,” she replied.

“Ah, you see,” he pointed a finger at her. “That’s where you’re wrong. You could do with the losing of a few pounds of egotism.”

Clara rolled her eyes before sighing. “Alright. What is the plan, then?”

“I just told you,” the Doctor said, walking towards the double doors of the TARDIS. “Try to keep up, miss Oswald.”

“Oh, this is absolutely fantastic!” the woman said as she was introduced to the Doctor. “I’ve always wanted to meet you!”

Seeing the Doctor’s shocked expression, Clara intervened. “He’s very happy to meet you too.”

“No I’m not,” he whispered to her, taking her aside.

“Yes,” she replied sternly. “You are.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to these terms,” he said. “I hate people.”

“I know you do,” Clara nodded. “But for this one, you’ll have to act like you like people. Okay?”

He looked at her for a moment.

“Fine.”

She patted him on the back. “Good.”

They turned back to the woman, and the Doctor mustered a smile.

“It’s good to meet you,” he said, almost looking pained. “What’s your name?”

The woman looked as if she was going to have a heart-attack from the way she was shaking with excitement. “Rebecca. Rebecca Jasper,” she held out her hand.

He looked at it for a moment, and seeing Clara’s glare, he reluctantly took it. She shook it exuberantly, almost giggling with each shake.

At that moment, Kate Stewart entered the room, followed by Colonel James and Osgood.

“Ah,” Kate said, turning to the Doctor. “I see you’ve met miss Jasper.”

“Yes,” he replied, managing to get his hand out of hers. “I have.”

She chuckled. “Well. Are we all ready?”

“We just need to wait for Aaron and Carl-,” Rebecca said when suddenly a side door in the room crashed open and two men in their mid-twenties came through with several bags of equipment. They looked up at the group.

“Hi,” they said awkwardly.

“Hello, mister Williams and mister Jacobs,” Kate nodded.

“Hello, ma’am,” they both replied.

“Are we ready to leave?” Aaron asked.

Kate looked at the Doctor, who merely shrugged. She rolled her eyes.

“Yes. Yes you are.”

“Alright!” Rebecca clapped her hands together. “This is going to be fun!”

She then went to help Aaron and Carl with the equipment. The Doctor turned to Clara, his expression full of irritation. She nodded.

“Okay you’ve got a point. But she seems sweet.”

“I’m a two-thousand year old Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey,” he replied. “I don’t care about ‘sweet’.”

“Well, you should. Sweet people might make you not so bitter,” she smiled.

He sighed. “Let’s go.”

The twin SUVs rolled to a stop outside the ancient warehouse. The doors swinging open, three figures emerged from each; three men and three women. Surveying the structure, the Doctor stepped. He pulled out a strange copper-colored device from his inner pocket and pointed it at the building. The tip lit up with a green glow and a soft humming was emitted from it.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything peculiar about the warehouse,” the Doctor said, turned the device off.

“It has to be on the inside, then,” Osgood replied.

He nodded. “Indeed.”

“What are we going to do if we find the Darkness?” Clara crossed her arms.

“Get it to leave this planet,” he turned to her.

“You’re just going to ask it leave?”

“No. I’m going to tell it to.”

“How do you know that’ll work?” she asked.

The man smiled. “Because I’m the Doctor.”

“That’s not a good answer,” Clara replied.

“It’s the only answer I need,” he said, walking towards the building. “Now. Let’s go inside and find our enemy.”

“Don’t we want to make sure that the facility isn’t radioactive?” Rebecca asked. “You know, especially after all the stuff in the 70s’?”

“No,” the Doctor waved her off. “Where’s the adventure in that?”

She glanced at Clara, who merely shrugged.

The Doctor strolled up to the door, and activating his device, he unlocked it. Pulling it open, he was confronted by complete darkness. Glancing back at the group, he held out the Sonic, and stepped into the shadows. Clara quickly followed him, joined by the others.

As they all stepped inside, the U.N.I.T. members produced large flashlights. Switching them on, they shot powerful beams of the light which cut through the darkness. The Doctor scanned around with his tool before looking at the readings. His eyes narrowed as he looked. Clara saw this and tried to read them herself.

“What does it mean, Doctor?” she asked.

“It means,” he said. “That this place is impossible.”

“Yeah but a lot of things are impossible, and we’ve seen them,” Clara replied. “What do it mean it’s impossible?”

He looked at her. “I mean: this place is impossible.”

Osgood came up to them. “Impossible? Shouldn’t that be impossible?” she asked, glancing at the Doctor’s sonic. “I mean, you said that after everything we’ve seen, that impossible shouldn’t be possible.”

The Doctor looked at her, his expression blank.

“You’re right. But this place is impossible,” he said, looking around the darkness. “And impossible really should be impossible.”

To their left, Rebecca, Aaron, and Carl were using devices to scan the warehouse.

“We’re getting normal readings here,” Carl said. “Nothing seems out of the ordinary.”

“That’s only because my device is scanning for a very particular energy that yours can’t read,” the Doctor said.

“How’d you find that energy signature?” Osgood inquired.

“Found it in a book,” he replied.

“Could we, like, have that frequency?” Rebecca asked.

“No.”

“You’re not being helpful,” Aaron said.

He looked up at him. “Why thank you.”

“It would be helpful to them to have that frequency,” Clara told him.

“I’m not just going to give my frequencies out to anyone,” he replied. “Think of what could happen.”

“Someone could help you?”

“Exactly.”

Suddenly something moved in the darkness. Swinging around, they pointed their high-powered flashlights at the spot. As the beams cut through the black, they saw nothing there. The Doctor quickly crossed over to the spot, scanning it with the Sonic.

“What was that?” Osgood asked.

“I don’t know,” he looked around. “But I don’t like it.”

Again, something moved in the darkness behind them. Turning around, they saw nothing except abandoned warehouse equipment. Quickly, the Doctor made his way over to the spot and scanned around. Nothing. Anger spread across his face like wildfire, his teeth barred and his eyes fierce. Turning around, he looked into the shadows surrounding them.

“Alright!” he exclaimed. “This ends now! I will not be toyed with!”

For a moment, there was nothing, just the confused looks of his companions. Then, there was a low rumbling like thunder. It sounded like laughter.

“***Who are you?***,” said a booming voice, which seemed to be coming from all around them. “***Identify yourself.***”

“I’m the Doctor,” he replied. “And you don’t belong here.”

“***Darkness is everywhere, Doctor. You cannot command where I shall and shall not be.***”

“You’ve killed three people that I know of on this planet,” the Doctor replied. “Which I tend to take issue with.”

“***People die everyday. Do you take issue with that?***”

“I do, yes.”

“***Then what is three more deaths? This whole universe is dying.***”

The Doctor walked around, the U.N.I.T. personnel following him with their beams of light. “If I can help it, I would prefer it that *nobody* died, by any means.”

“***Death is the natural order of things,**” the Darkness said. “**You cannot help it, and neither can I. Darkness consumes all, eventually.***”

“We have very different philosophies, then,” he replied.

“***Yes. We do. Or, at least you think you do. Deep down, we’re both the same.***”

The Time Lord let out a dry laugh. “We are hardly the same.”

“***Really? Because, from where I’m standing – if you will – we are* very *much the same.***”

“No. We’re not.”

“***You may believe that, Doctor, but you cannot hide from the truth forever. One day, you may even become me.***”

“Well, I’m not here to chit-chat about my future,” the Doctor walked around. “I’m here to tell you that you are not allowed on Earth, now and forever.”

The Darkness chuckled. “**But, darkness is everywhere, and where darkness is, so am I.**”

At that moment they noticed movement in the shadows around them. Looking around, they saw that it seemed that the shadows themselves were moving. The group backed together as the shadows moved closer. The Doctor scanned around with his Sonic Screwdriver.

“What are you doing?” he yelled at the black.

“**Removing any future problems.**”

Figures began to emerge from the darkness, their forms flickering slightly, as if they weren’t entirely stable. Coming into view, their features were clear. The group gasped as they recognized a few of them. The reporter Alice, her cameraman Dave, and the man who had appeared on the tape, were all approaching them accompanied by a few other figures they didn’t know. Black smoke plumed from them.

“It can’t be...” Osgood muttered. “It can’t...”

“Yes,” the Doctor said grimly. “It is.”

“How? How is this possible?” Clara asked.

“The Darkness is using them as puppets,” he replied. “Its using their corpses to scare us.”

“What are you going to do?” Rebecca panicked.

He couldn’t answer. Looking around, he saw the shadows closing in on all side. Clara grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. The Doctor looked down at her, and saw that her face was splashed with fear. The others bore similar expressions.

In front of him, the shadowy figures drew closer, their arms outstretched. Pulling out his Sonic, he pointed into the darkness. A blast of sonic energy flew from the tip, hitting the puppets. Their forms rippled, but quickly reconstituted themselves. He fired again, but with a similar outcome. Again, but to no avail.

“**Goodbye, Doctor,**” the Darkness said as its slaves reached them. “**It is a shame we weren’t on the same side.**”

The Doctor was about to respond when suddenly the figures liquefied, their forms becoming dark and fluid. They hovered there for a moment, and then lunged at them. The group yelled before they were completed submerged in darkness.

He awoke with a start. Pushing himself off the stone floor, he looked around. The room around him was dark. Only enough light was afforded him to see the cobblestone floor he was on, and that the walls were of similar make. Standing up, he pulled his Sonic Screwdriver from his coat and scanned around. It was useless, however, as the readings came back with nothing.

“Great...” he muttered to himself.

Instead, he activated the flashlight setting on his device and shone it around the room. The walls were also made of cobblestone, and covered in moss. Walking over to one of them, he ran his hand across the rough surface.

“Definitely not on Earth,” he said. “At least, this shouldn’t be.”

Looking around some more, he came across a doorway, leading further into darkness. Walking forward, he shone his light into it. The light illuminated a corridor. It was made from the same mossy cobblestone as the room.

“Clara?” he called into the darkness. His voice echoed down the corridor.

No reply.

He sighed. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. Wherever he was, the Darkness had obviously brought him here for a reason. Most likely to torment him. People seemed to think that it was a good strategy to do that to him.

Of course, the Darkness was hardly people, so he had no idea what to expect.

Venturing into the darkness, he only had his echoing footsteps for company. He moved slowly as he shone the light of the Sonic ahead of him.

“Where are you, Clara...” he muttered to himself.

He knew his first task was to find Clara, Osgood, and the others, and get them as far away from here as he could. They were most likely here with him; struggling to find their way through the dark.

The second task, if he completed the first, was going to be much harder.

As he contemplated these things, he journeyed deeper into the darkness.

“Doctor?” Clara called into the shadows. “Doctor? Where are you?”

She had woken up in this strange place; no memory of how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was being swarmed by the Darkness. After she had woken up, she found that she was surrounded by shadows. Using the light on her phone, she saw that she was in some kind of ancient stone building.

Having no idea where the Doctor was, or anybody else for that that matter, she began exploring the area, looking for them. So far, she had found only more cobblestone hallways.

Her footsteps echoed softly as she went. Her heart raced the further she ventured into the darkness. She wasn’t sure what this place was, or what could be hiding in the black. But, in her experience in traveling with the Doctor, she knew she had to be ready for anything.

A moment later something moved behind her. Swinging around, she shone her light into the darkness. Nothing. Her breathing was heavy, her heart racing. Sweat formed on her brow.

“Doctor?” she said.

No reply.

“Who’s there?” Clara called. Nothing.

“Who’s there?” she said again.

Silence.

She began to back up when she heard a familiar voice.

“Miss Oswald?”

Emerging from the black, she saw Aaron. His clothes were dirty and his right arm was bloodied. He also had a nasty gash on his forehead.

“Aaron?” she gasped. “Are you alright?”

“I think so,” he nodded. “What happened? Where are the others?”

“I think the Darkness brought us here,” Clara replied. “I don’t know where the others are.”

“Well,” the man said. “We’d better get moving if we want to find them.”

“Yeah,” Clara nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Come on,” Osgood said. “This way.”

Shining her flashlight down the corridor, she led Rebecca and Carl through the darkness. Their footsteps echoed on the ancient cobblestone floor, and their light glinted on the moss that covered the walls. They walked slowly, shaking slightly. They didn’t know where they were, or where the others were, or what kind of dangers might be lurking in the shadows.

“Where do you think the Doctor is?” Rebecca whispered.

“I don’t know,” Osgood replied. “But we have to find him.”

“What if he’s dead?” Carl asked.

“He’s not,” she assured him. “He can’t be,” she added in a mutter.

They continued down the dark corridors. They had no idea where they were going, but they knew they had to keep moving.

After a while, their hearts pounding inside their chests, they stopped. They heard something moving in the shadows, and became very still. Holding their breath, they listened as the sound of footsteps grew closer, and closer, and closer…

“Osgood!” the Doctor exclaimed.

The three nearly jumped to the ceiling. The Doctor was standing before them, obviously as confused as they were.

“What are you three doing?” he asked.

“Looking for you,” Osgood answered. “What’re you doing?”

“Looking for Clara,” he answered.

Her expression dropped. He realized what he had forgotten to say.

“Oh, and you of course. Of course,” he added hastily.

She looked at him for a moment before sighing. “What now, Doctor?”

“We have to find Clara and the other guy – Aaron – and get out of here.”

“But how’re we going to find them? They could be anywhere,” Rebecca said.

“There’s only one way to find them,” the Doctor replied “We start looking.”

“That could take forever!” Carl exclaimed. “What if the Darkness finds us first!”

“Clara is important to me. If we don’t find her, we don’t leave,” the Doctor turned to him. “Understood?”

He gulped. “Yes. Yes sir.”

A broad smile appeared across his face. “Excellent. Let’s get a move on,” he said, walking into the darkness.

Behind him, the trio looked at each other in confusion before following after him, shining their lights into the shadows. As they walked, their footsteps echoed. But, strangely, they felt much more at peace now with the Doctor leading the way. It was as if all their worries had been defeated. They now had confidence, it seemed.

After walking for a while, the Doctor suddenly stopped. He was looking at the corner of the hallway. They stopped behind him, puzzled.

“Uh, Doctor?” Osgood began. “What’s wrong?”

“Blood,” he said.

Shining the light closer, they saw that there was indeed a sliver of blood on the corner of the wall. It was as if something had been struck against it.

“It looks fresh,” Carl observed.

The Doctor took some on the tips of his fingers and tasted it. “Because it is.”

“Who could it belong to?” Rebecca asked.

“It tastes like… O-,” he took another sample.

“Is Clara O-?” Osgood said.

“No,” Rebecca answered. “But Aaron is.”

Silence fell on them. Carl was the first to speak.

“...Could he have survived a blow like that?”

The Doctor examined the corner before standing up. “No. Blow like that, he probably died instantly.”

“Dammit,” Osgood muttered.

“We have to find Clara,” the Doctor said. “Now.”

“How are we going to find the Doctor in this place?” she exclaimed. “I mean, it’s massive!”

“We’ll find them, don’t worry,” Aaron replied. “We’ll find them all.”

Clara looked at him. “Are you sure that gash is okay? It looks pretty bad.”

“It’s fine,” he said, awkwardly rubbing it.

He turned away and continued walking, but she kept looking at his wound. As she looked longer, she saw that she could see his skull. Then she realized she could see his brain.

She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing heavily. He noticed she had stopped and did the same, turning to face her.

“Clara? Are you alright?”

“Oh my… my… you’re dead… oh my…” she stuttered.

“What are earth are you talking about?” he replied, looking confused.

“That gash… it goes straight to your brain… you couldn’t’ve survived that. No… you couldn’t’ve…”

Aaron took a step towards her, but she took a step back.

“Clara…” he said but was cut off.

“Don’t come near me!” she yelled. “Do not come closer!”

“Clara please-.”

“No! I don’t know what you think you are, but you are not Aaron! You are just using his body!”

He stopped and smiled. “***You are quite perceptive,***” he said, but his voice was not his own. “***No wonder the Doctor likes you.***”

She backed herself to the wall, looking around. The voice was coming from all around her. She flashed her torch around, watching the man as he stood there.

“Why did you bring us here?” she asked.

Aaron’s body shrugged. “***I like to play with my food before I eat it, to say.***”

“You’re sadistic,” Clara spat.

“***Thank you.***”

She gulped. “So you’re going to kill me then?”

There was a rumbling as the Darkness chuckled. “***Yes, yes I will.***”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” a voice suddenly came from the shadows. Clara – and Aaron’s body – turned to see the Doctor standing with Osgood, Carl, and Rebecca. He had his Sonic Screwdriver in hand. His expression was fierce, fiercer than she had ever seen it.

“***Ah, Doctor,***” the Darkness spoke through Aaron. “***It is good to see you.***”

“If you touch one hair on her head,” the Doctor said. “You will find that there will be nowhere in the universe you can find to hide from me.”

“***But, you see, Doctor,***” the entity replied. “***I need not hide, for I am everywhere, and nowhere. You cannot destroy me, for I am nothing.***”

“Do you honestly want to test that?” he threatened.

“***Despite what you believe about yourself; I am the superior one. Every foe you’ve faced is nothing compared to my might.***”

“Got a bit of an ego there.”

“***I could say the same about you,* Oncoming Storm*.***”

He chuckled. “And do you know why I’m called that?”

“***Please. Enlighten me.***”

“The Daleks call me the Oncoming Storm because they know that, even though they try and try to exterminate all life, I will always be coming to stop them, and that I will always win, and leave them in ruin. And not just the Daleks know that. Ask the Cybermen, or the Zygons, or the Sontarans, or the Weeping Angels, or the Silurians, or the Silence, or the Slitheen, or the Ice Warriors, or the Judoon, or even Satan himself. Ask them who I am.”

Raw power seemed to be emanating from him. Everyone held their breath as they watched him standing against the Darkness.

“I am the Doctor,” he said. “And no matter how strong you think you are, or how powerful you think you are; I will always be more.”

Silence hung in the air. The Darkness began to chuckle.

“***Is that supposed to scare me?***”

“No. It’s supposed to inform you to make the right decision on my next demand,” he replied.

“***And what would that be?***”

“To leave the Earth alone, and its inhabitants.”

“***I am darkness. And where darkness is, so am I.***”

The Doctor took a step forward. “If you do not leave the Earth alone; I promise that I *will* destroy you.”

There was no reply. His face remained of fury before the Darkness finally spoke.

“***Fine. I will leave your precious Earth alone.* For now*.***”

“Good move,” he said. “Now, we are leaving.”

“***No. You are not.***” Aaron’s body took a step closer.

He smiled. “Yes. We are.”

Pressing the button on the Sonic Screwdriver, it hummed for a moment before there was a low wheezing that filled the air. Slowly, the groaning got louder, and louder. Clara and the members of U.N.I.T. looked around as the TARDIS began to materializing around them. The Doctor’s smile grew broader.

“***DOCTOR!***” the Darkness yelled.

“Remember what I said,” the Doctor said as the TARDIS grew denser. “I *will* come for you if you return to Earth. You can count on that.”

That was the last thing he said before the ship completely materialized around them. As soon as it did, he swung around to the other side of the console and began flicking switches and pulling levers. They wobbled as the TARDIS shook as they dematerialized back into the time vortex. They all let out a sigh of relief as Clara came around to the Doctor.

“I didn’t know you could use the Sonic like that,” she said.

“I try not to do it very often,” he replied. “I did it a lot back during the Time War, and the TARDIS doesn’t like to be ‘summoned’. She finds it demeaning. It also drains the Sonic, and I can’t risk running out of charge.”

The lights above them flickered in reply.

“Well, that was pretty impressive, standing up to the shadows like that,” Clara smiled.

“For me,” the Doctor turned to her. “The Darkness is just another threat trying to exert its force on the universe. Like the Daleks.”

“Do you really think it’ll stay away from Earth?”

“We’ll see,” he said. “We’ll see.”

Clara nodded before looking to Osgood, Rebecca, and Carl, who were standing on the outer part of the deck.

“Are you guys okay?” she walked over to them. “I’m really sorry about Aaron.”

“It’s okay,” Osgood answered as the others remained silent. “It’s part of the job.”

“But it shouldn’t be,” Clara said consolingly. “It should never be.”

“Will the Darkness come back?” Rebecca asked, obviously holding back tears.

She hesitated. “We’ll see,” she echoed the Doctor. “We’ll see.”

With that, they fell silent, listening to the groaning of the distant engines. At the console, the Doctor watched the group, before turning away and pulling lever, sending them deeper into the vortex.

## Characters

* Twelfth Doctor
* Clara Oswald
* The Darkness
* Kate Stewart
* Petronella Osgood
* Wilson James
* Rebecca Jasper
* Aaron Williams
* Carl Jacobs
* Alice Nichols
* Dave

## Trivia

* The Darkness will be a main antagonist later in the series.
* The Doctor makes reference to the 2003 Doctor Who novel *Fear of the Dark*, which featured the Fifth Doctor, who faced an entity very similar to the Darkness.
	+ The Darkness was developed before Invader39 learned of this book.