What Is Going On?

What Is Going On?

Well, that was bizarre! she thought as she gazed around the room and noticed two strangers and one familiar face in the crowd.  Awkwardly, she tried to sit up but one of the strangers told her to stay put.  The familiar face remained passive.  Bored.  The two strangers were girls.  One slightly younger and one possibly a little bit older!  Wow, did her head hurt.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“You might well ask!” the slightly younger girl said.

“I feel a little sick!” she said.  The outlines kept blurring and hazing around the corners of her vision, “really!” she exclaimed making a retching sound.  Quickly the one that was older than her found a bowl.  She took it gratefully but it turned out to be a false alarm and felt quite silly, “where are we?”

“God knows!” the slightly younger one said, “one minute I was running through the forest with the Doctor and the next he was knocked out cold and I was grabbed before I had a chance to aim some Nitro at the scumbag that did that to my Doctor!”

“The… The Doctor?” she said wrinkling her brow, “I should …” but when she tried to think it caused her to become dizzy.  

“I was sitting amongst the trees on Gallifrey,” the older one said, “thinking of my eventual marriage and same, before I could stick a janus thorn in his hand I was taken and next thing I know we’re here!”

“What about you?” the first girl said.  “What do you last remember?”

The girl’s head flopped down as she tried to mutter something but it just resulted in drool coming down her chin.  The familiar faced one rolled his eyes and whisked a handkerchief to wipe her chin and sat down opposite her: “Concentrate!” he demanded harshly, “you are better disposed than this to faint!”

“How … how do …” this time she did vomit, all over the man’s shoes.

“Savage, get her some water!” the man said.

Immediately the Savage appeared with a big glass of water and the teenager offered her a paracetamol for the pain whilst the man obviously went to clean himself up.  She hiccoughed and looked around, her hands trembling around her mouth: “All right now?” the Savage asked her.

“Not really!” she replied, “I just feel as if I have eaten something I should not have!”

“We were all sick, including Dracula!” the teenager said with a slight giggle to her voice, “it was hilarious!”

The Savage helped the latest acquisition to sit up and she was able now to hold her head up: “What was that?”

“Chloroform!” the teenager said.  She noticed that the girl was wearing some sort of pulverised animal skin around her upper body, “at least that is what Dracula said!”

“I am sorry, where are my manners,” the other girl said, “I am Nyssa of Traken,” Nyssa blinked.  “Who may you two be?”

“I am Leela of the Sevateem!” the Savage said.  

“I’m Ace!” the teenager said.

“Really?”

“All right,” the teenager sulked, “my name’s Dorothy but I ‘ate it!”

“Why?” Nyssa asked, “it is a beautiful name.  Poetical and ancient.  If the Doctor’s education taught me something it is analysing the importance of one’s name!”

“What is the importance of yours?”

“Nyssa was the name of my father’s mother, every other generation was given the name.  It meant Beloved of Many! On Traken,” Nyssa sighed.  “Thy - The - Thea … could Dorothea be a derivative?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I once visited Ancient Greece - Dorothea was a name of honour - it meant Loved of God … or Zeus!”

“From what I heard Zeus was a cheating scumbag who could not keep his toga straight!”

“Do not understand the illusion!” Nyssa exclaimed.

“You will!” Ace sighed, “all right, if it’s that important for you to call me by my name it’s Dorothy, but only when we’re alone!  Besides, it’s all very well for you.  Your name is actually pretty!”

“I guess it is just a matter of personal perspective,” Leela muttered.  “I do not think my name has any such meaning, we had short names so we could yell quickly to each other, to protect ourselves from the TESCH!”

“Sorry,” Nyssa sighed, “did you call yourself Leela?”

“Yes!”

“The Doctor talks of you,” Nyssa sighed, “what does yours look like?”

“Tall, a face of evil but hearts of gold, long coat, long scarf and…” Nyssa smiled, “you have the look of one who knows him!”

“I met him on my home Planet before my father was murdered!”

“By whom?”

“I do not wish to talk about it.  Suffice it to say my father was as gentle as he was handsome.  Well disposed to treat everyone as a friend,” she gulped down, “and still the best of men!”

“What does your Doctor resemble?” Leela asked.  

“Tall, but I do not think as imposing as yours was,” Nyssa smiled a little.  “Blond hair as the colour of wheat.  Eyes as blue as the summer sky and as warm, a smile to break heart’s and… and handsome!” the one called Ace sat the other side of Nyssa, “he has been so good to me since …”

“Sshh!” Dorothy bundled Nyssa into her arms from around the shoulders and hugged her.  “Mine is short, scottish, wears a ridiculous sweater carries an umbrella, and as cunning as a fox but cares -  he once told me that magic swords are ten a penny but Ace’s are rare.  He makes me feel special and important!”

“Mine does too!”

“Mine showed me that science was far better than superstition!” Leela sighed, “at one time I felt that we were bonding for another reason.”

“I wish he was with me!” Nyssa said.  “I would not say no if he decided to stay with me!”

“Mine is like the father I never had!” Dorothy said, “though, his voice is kind of sexy!”

“Whom is the one you refer to as um, Dracula?” Nyssa asked.

Dorothy was about to answer but the man walked in and stood there looking at the three girls in front of him: When Nyssa gazed up she threw the girls arms off, fire in her eyes and stood up.  “Get out!” her voice had lowered and become very sibilant.  “You two had better cover your eyes!”

“Nyssa, my dear, I see you have not lost your charm and gained a few more I notice with great pleasure!”

Before the other two could stop her she ran to the man and, with fist ready, she went in for a punch but the man had grabbed her by the wrist: “You arrogant,” Leela and Dorothy watched with amusement as Nyssa aimed a kick in his shin, causing him to grab hold of her other arm and he turned her around, that was a mistake, “obstreperous,” she managed to elbow him in the ribs, “conniving,” another shin kick, “no good, treacherous snail!”

“Snail?” Dorothy was disappointed in the last word, she was hoping for something spicier.

“You do realise that I am impervious to your little kicks and thrusts,” the man retorted, “also you have just complimented me, my dear, rather than insult me!”

“You are not fit to be alive let alone using my father’s body to prolong your worthless hide!”

“You mean Dracula was the scumbag that killed your people?” Dorothy said.  

“My step-mother, father, THEN my people! He stirred distrust in paradise!” Nyssa was still trying to hit him where it really mattered, “let go of me you underhanded, disgusting, ugly, duplicitous murdering Tyrant!”

“Nyssa, if you will just stop wriggling!”

“Why, what are you to me but the man that hated my people enough to destroy them?” she spat in his face. “What would stop me from giving you the same treatment now?”

“The Doctor!” the Master sighed.  “We are all here because of him.  Now, will you …”

“Somehow I find that statement preposterous!” Nyssa said still trying to hit him but he had thrown her straight into Leela’s arms.  Nyssa saw a knife glinting in Leela’s belt and grabbed the handle and was about to run at him again with the attempt to stab him but Leela had wrestled her down: “I want him dead!” she muttered into the floor as the knife fell out of her hand.

“If you still want him dead then I shall happily assist you when the time is right, Nyssa of Traken, but my instincts are saying that he has as little choice in this matter as we do.  Are you going to be calm now?”

“Yes!” Nyssa promised.  Leela rolled off Nyssa’s back and picked up her weapon then helped Nyssa up.  “Just do not let me too close to him!”

“I will stand between you and Dracula!” Ace said.

“I prefer to be called The Master!”

“Really?” Nyssa scoffed narrowing her eyes at the man before her, “I never would have guessed!”

“Droll, my dear, very droll!”

“I am not, your dear! I am no one’s dear!” Nyssa said through gritted teeth.  

The Master was about to respond back: nice to see there was a spark there in her eyes.  If ever they get split in twos he’d go with Nyssa any time!  

Something was heard overhead, it was a voice, the voice of Nyssa’s Doctor.

“Nyssa, are you all right?” he asked first.

“I am fine, Doctor, but wh…”

“All in good time, Nyssa!”

“I hate it when he says that!” Nyssa grumbled folding her arms in a sulk.

“Have you got yourselves acquainted with one another?” the Doctor’s voice asked, “though there was no introduction needed between you and the Master, Nyssa, I am sorry but…”

“Get on with it, Doctor, before I want to kill you too!” Nyssa said crossly.

“Nyssa, I know this will be particularly difficult for you, but he has been given strict instructions to keep you three protected at all costs!”

“I do not owe him anything!”

“No, I see that you do not,” the Doctor sighed.  “Nyssa, you must work with the Master.  The four of you have good fighting skills.  Yes, Nyssa, before you say anything the Master is good at fighting!”

“He killed you.  Made you waste a regeneration all because he had run out of his!” Nyssa said.

“It was his time to go.  My time to appear,” The Doctor said, “there shall be a day when it will be my turn to regenerate - as young Ace will attest to!”

“I like his voice!” Dorothy giggled.

“What do you want us to do?” Nyssa asked.

“Ah, yes,” the Doctor sighed, Nyssa imagined him rubbing his eyes and leaning against the consul Unit: “there are other renegades out there besides the Master, Nyssa.  Some are worse than him.  Much worse!”

“So!”

“So, there is at least one who is being more than obstreperous at the moment,” the Doctor said, “one who thinks of riches and will rip and plunder any planet apart to get at them.”

The Master arched an eyebrow, oh the Doctor has not lost his flair for the melodramatic!

“What do you want us to do?” Leela asked.

“This one is particularly wily, deranged, and little bit mad!”

“Yes, yes, yes, Doctor!” the Master was annoyed now, “who is it?”

The Doctor was quiet for a moment and then, when he had resumed his composure he breathed his revelation out: “The Time Pirate of Sand Ochra  Bay!”

The three girls gazed at each other with equal expressions of perplexity before offering a glimpse to the Master, he had turned as white as a sheet: “And you are going to make me face this bastard with nothing to defend myself with?”  

Silent, the Doctor’s voice had disappeared and they were all left in silence gazing at the Master: “What is so bad about this Pirate - so he steals jewels - but…” Ace said.

“I cannot believe I am unarmed and we have to fight this villain!”

Now it was Nyssa’s turn to calm the Master down as he was hitting and punching everything in sight apart from the girls: “One rule,” the Master said spinning around to face Nysssa, “I may have killed your planet but what he does is worse, and I am surprised the Doctor brought you into all this.  When the time comes, I face him … Alone!”

The Master had left the room: “That is all very well but where are we, when are we and what do we do?” Ace yelled out at his retreating back.  “This is all fun and games isn’t it!” she said sarcastically, “Still, I have always loved Treasure Hunts - this is gonna be cool!”

Leela and Nyssa offered each other looks of bemusement, thankfully Nyssa understood a little Earth English even without the TARDIS: “I will make some tea!” Nyssa said.  “You two sort a little strategy out.  Look for clues, anything, we need to do what the Doctor says.  Even if it is garbled nonsense!”

“Wotcha!” Ace saluted properly.

Tea normally sorted everything out but where was the tea?  Standing in the hallways Nyssa looked around trying to think sensibly, of where the kitchen was.  Down one of them she spotted the Master in the halls kicking them, scuffing his shoes in the process.  Nyssa was about to turn around, but the Master ran up to her: “Looking for tea?”

“Yes,” she said.

“After your somewhat justified attack on my person I feel that you are entitled to be the first to be on a need to know basis!”

“I am listening!” Nyssa said keeping her arms by her sides as the Master led her through the maze of corridors, or were they hedges? Nyssa shook her head and they resembled walls again.  

“It’s like this …” The Master began ...