Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

You might be surprised to know there were ordinary days on the TARDIS. Oh yes, it is quite shocking knowledge, but it's true!

The day began like most. Rising after a refreshing six hours of sleep - I overslept a bit - I made a quick trip to Ankh-Morpork to get some breakfast.

Yes. Ankh-Morpork. One of the little benefits of being a guest faculty member of Unseen University is access to the proceeds of the kitchens, specifically the wonderful pastries produced in the Night Kitchen. I've even gotten Liara used to the occasions when I return wearing the wizard robes and hat.

But I am digressing. A warm and enjoyable breakfast for myself and my Companions and a good book on hyperdimensional physics was all I needed to make the morning swell. Liara was busy with a 20th Dynasty Chugmerian pottery shard, giving it the once over with her omni-tool - ever the dutiful xeno-archeologist - and Katara was indulging in morning calisthenics in the swimming pool. Waterbending calisthenics, so there were swirls of water moving about above the pool.

Now, you may be asking why I am establishing such a plain, ordinary, and oh so very boring morning for us. I should think the answer is self-explanatory.

It began when I clapped my book shut and enjoyed the last of one of Miss Sugarbean's delightfully delicious baked goods. As soon as I'd swallowed I clapped my hands together and said something I really should never say. "Well. It looks to be a quiet day. Anyone have a thought on where to go next?"

Liara and Katara looked at me with some bewilderment. "Well... is there anywhere we need to go?", Katara finally asked.

"Nothing on the beacons. Cracks not showing up on the scanners." I shook my head. "We are, for the moment, free and clear. Now, we're not technically on vacation anymore, but a stop somewhere fun clearly won't hurt. How about... the Crystal Mountains of An'ram? Hrm? Or the city-moon of Solaria, if you want something a bit more lively."

"I wouldn't mind a return to Kurl," Liara spoke up. "I would like another look at some of those artifacts. Perhaps when that nice Professor Galen was around?"

"Oh, even better!" I looked at Katara. "And you?"

"Um, well..." Katara shrugged. "I'm... not sure?"

No surprise there. Katara hadn't yet gained an interest in our travels. Well, a partial interest had developed, I should add. But it was one she was still processing and wanted some time to consider.

"Well, think on it while we meet with Professor Galen. Next stop, Kurl!" I walked briskly to the TARDIS control room, sometimes managing a run from simple enthusiasm, and started inputting the coordinates as soon as I got to it. The others were at my side by the time I pulled the lever.

Now, I know what you're thinking. And yes, obviously we didn't show up on Kurl. Today was going to be far more exciting - and dangerous! - than mere archaeological curiosity would have provided.

I opened the TARDIS door and stepped out into a smelly alleyway. I groaned and looked back to the others. "I know I carried that two," I sighed. "I know I did. " The TARDIS clearly thought I needed to be here.

The others stepped out with me. "Earth, 21st Century," LIara said. "Early 21st Century."

I nodded. The air was summer hot. I looked around at the trash, looking for a clue on where we were and other specifics.

Katara reached down and picked up several sheets of paper. "What's this?", she asked.

I turned and took it. "Ah. Newspaper. Don't think I've shown you these before." I took the time to examine it for any dampness before pulling the pages open. When I saw the name of the paper, it became clear where precisely we were."

"Chicago Tribune... oh bloody hell."

I didn't get a chance to say more before we were attacked.

Lithe forms erupted from a nearby building with screams from behind them. The figures that landed around us were feline in shape and form. Given the malevolent intelligence glinting in their eyes, I knew these weren't normal animals. "Malks," I said. "Why did it have to be..."

The first one leapt at me, claws out and fangs slavering. Liara caught it in mid-air with a biotic burst that threw it back. This gave me time to pull the sonic disruptor out and generate a kinetic surge that threw two more back.

"Behind us!" Katara's arms extended and water shot from the bottles on her belt. The water slammed into two more malks and sent them flying into the far wall.

Liara threw out a biotic singularity that caught another malk and held it in mid-air. "Can't you do the 'iron in the air' trick on these?", she asked.

"Wrong fae," I replied. "That only worked on the Elf Queen's people because their weakness to iron is related to electromagnetic senses. These fae have to make physical contact with iron." I had to switch to the deflector mode to knock another malk back. The impact nearly jolted the disruptor from my hand. "Alright, you lot. This is broad bloody daylight, what are you doing attacking people. I bid you to answer!"

Much to my surprise, one voice hissed from among the malks. "Who are you, mortal, to bid us to do anything?"

"I am the Doctor, malk," I answered. As I did so, I kept an eye on the TARDIS. The malks were starting to move to come between us. At least one was in position to pounce on any of us that tried to go in. Maybe another. This would make escape tricky. "And here I find you, in broad daylight in the middle of a mortal city."

"We are hunting, Time Lord." A slightly larger malk emerged from the ranks of the others. "And you will make fine prey."

I blinked at that. Malks, hunting in the streets of Chicago? In broad daylight?

The leader gave me no more time to consider that. He pounced as I brought my disruptor up with setting 42 active.

It was a good thing too. I do so hate getting sprayed with ectoplasm.

Because as the malk jumped, another voice rang out in the alley. You can guess what voice it was.

"Fuego!"

A lance of fire intercepted the malk in mid-air and blew it into chunks that swiftly transformed into ectoplasm.

I turned and saw three figures appear out of nowhere. The one my height had his right arm raised with a wooden stick in his hand still smoldering from heat. "Ah, Harry," I said. "Excellent timing as always."

"Same to you, Doc," Harry Dresden replied. "Now let's get out of here!"

"To the TARDIS!"

As we retreated the malks jumped. Liara caught some with another biotic singularity. A burst of light and sound acted to further cover our escape, courtesy of Molly Carpenter.

Two other malks pounced, looking to cut us off from the TARDIS. Katara caught one with a burst of water that sent it flying. As for the final one... I'm quite sure it didn't enjoy the result as thundercracks sounded in the air and bullets with at least some iron in them pierced its flesh. The malk screeched in agony and completely failed its pounce, easily dodged by the ever-superb footwork of Karrin Murphy.

Karrin and Katara were the first ones to the TARDIS, which opened for them. Molly came in after them and reached out. Light wavered around us. She was trying to veil us.

Granted, veiling against supernaturally strong psychotic killer fae cats, beings well familiar with glamours and illusions, usually doesn't work well. So they kept coming.

I sought to dissuade a pair with another kinetic burst that sent them flying backward. Harry's favored fire magic came to life with another "Fuego!", turning one into flaming ectoplasm. Liara's biotic energy pulsed and knocked several back. Karrin's gun barked out again and caught another malk square between the eyes.

The malks continued to gather. And if not for the TARDIS, I'm quite sure they would have ripped us apart.

We escaped across the TARDIS threshold. I snapped my fingers and shut the door. There was a thump, then another, as the malks slammed into it to try and force it open. "Alright, anywhere special, Harry?", I asked.

"Yeah. Not here," he answered.

"Right. Not here." I input some coordinates into the TARDIS and pulled the lever. We shifted out right after another thump sounded on the door.

For a moment we all just stood around, regaining our breath and winding down from the close call we'd just hand. I looked over the new arrivals. Harry was sporting a bruise on his left cheek and jaw. Karrin had bags under her eyes and a cut on her neck. Molly wasn't showing any signs of physical damage but looked fairly exhausted.

Oi, that didn't look good at all. I had a fairly bad feeling about things now.

"This isn't just about the malks, is it?", I asked. "Because you three look horrid."

"Well, gee, thanks for the compliment, Doc."

"So what happened to your cheekbone, Harry? Get into a fistfight with a troll?"

"You shoulda seen the other guy." Harry put a hand on the bruise and winced. "Flipping Winter Sidhe servant. I thought I was a step ahead of her."

"Well, she was female, and you have a certain weakness there," I needled.

Karrin barked out a laugh. "I see why Harry says you have a knack for timing, Doctor," she said. "We could use the help."

"Oh?" I tapped something on the TARDIS. "So the malks are a symptom of a larger problem." I looked to the others and sighed. "So much for a quiet day. Alright, what seems to be the problem?"

"Undertown," Harry replied.

I nodded. Undertown was essentially what the name said. Chicago's lakefront terrain lent itself to sinking, so the modern city was essentially built over older structures from earlier in Chicago's history. These older structures had become a veritable hive of underground tunnels, structures, and haunts, and most had been claimed by creatures of a supernatural sort. Very nasty ones too, like the malks we had just tangled with.

"What about Undertown?", I asked.

"Something's going on down there," Harry answered. "I'm not sure what. But whatever it is, it's got the creatures down there scared and running."

I blinked. "You mean that is why the malks were out during the day? They've been chased out?"

Harry nodded. "Yep. Something's been chasing out every malk, troll, ogre... just about everything in the upper to mid levels of Undertown has come to the surface to get away."

My first thought was sheer shock at the idea. And horror at what it meant for Chicago's citizenry to have that many supernatural predators chased to street level.

My second thought was realization. "You think something came through."

Harry nodded. "I've never seen anything this bad. Hell, nobody has. Something's got the entire Undertown spooked."

"And you think something came through the Crack before we closed it," I said.

Harry nodded. "So, Doc..." He grinned. "Think you're up for an investigation?"

"An investigat...." I widened my eyes. "You're... not seriously saying you're going to..."

"Yep," he answered. "If we're going to get to the source of this problem, we're heading into Undertown."






We all stood there for the moment while I processed what Harry was saying. All of the dangers inherent in the course of action he was promoting. My expression locked into a look of quiet contemplation tinged, perhaps, with the incredible amounts of surely healthy concern... okay, maybe fear too... on the risks of that course of action.

Liara and Katara exchanged looks. They didn't know what Harry was suggesting. I'd never had cause to talk about Undertown with them.

"You're going to go down into Undertown," I said, staring at him. "Because of all of the reckless, foolish things I can imagine you doing..."

"You don't have to tell me," Harry answered. "I know. But I've got to find out what's going on down there."

"Did storming Arctis Tor go to your head?", I asked pointedly. "Because..."

That prompted Harry to roll his eyes at me. "Oh, come on Doc, I'm desperate, not stupid. This is beyond insanely dangerous. I'd tell Karrin and Molly not to go if I thought they'd listen to me about it and not follow me under veil."

Molly tried to look innocent. Murphy simply let a smirk cross her mouth.

"Ah. Well, so long as you're being realistic about it." I clapped my hands together. I wasn't one to miss these sorts of things, after all. And the prospect that something had come through the Crack was concerning, to say the least. "Need to go get any gear before we make our foray?"

"Excuse me, where are we going again?", Katara asked.

I looked to them. "Well, I'm joining Harry on his madly dangerous expedition into dark tunnels beneath the city where horrible gribblies will want to eat us or destroy our minds or do other unspeakable things to us. Don't worry, you two can stay up here in the TARDIS."

Liara rolled her eyes, as if to say "Oh please, you know we're going". Presumably wanting to make sure I got that part, she outright stated, "I'm going. It can't be any worse than anything else you've subjected me to."

"You might be surprised," I sighed. And since Liara was going, of course Katara would. She felt better after our sojourn to Beach City, but I knew there was still a part of her that wouldn't mind kicking the bucket, so to speak. "Anyway, introductions. Harry, this is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Picked up someone from Korra's world, huh?" Harry nodded. "How's she doing?"

"Better," I replied. "Moving on.... Katara, this is Harry Dresden, Wizard for Hire, and his apprentice Molly Carpenter, who has saved my life several times with her work on my suit's vest..." That prompted a beaming smile from Molly, who I noticed had purple highlights in her blond hair again, much to my approval. "...and Sergeant Karrin Murphy, a detective and one of Chicago's finest."

"Finest what?", Katara asked.

"She's with the police," Liara answered, already exchanging a handshake with the shorter Murphy. "I'm afraid I didn't get to see you during my last visit to your city."

"Hey, I keep busy." Karrin Murphy nodded her head at me. "Let me guess. He needs someone to watch him like Harry does?"

"Oh." Liara looked to me and smiled thinly. "Not so much," she said, although I could tell she was understating the case for herself.

I smiled in thanks to that and kept on the subject of Katara's vocabulary. "Yes, Katara's still not up to a lot of the lingo in various worlds," I explained.

"Sounds like some wizards I know," Harry said while accepting the handshake. "So, do you have the same elemental magic that Korra has?"

At first Katara seemed confused by the question, but she put it together quickly enough. "Oh. Yes, I'm a waterbender."

"Healing too?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've always been horrible at healing magic." Harry winked.

He was being kind to be kind. But soon enough, he'd know more. Given time Harry would undoubtedly realize Katara was hurting, if he didn't know the scope. If I could, I'd explain it to him. For now, I thought it best to get things started before I had any second thoughts about the basic course of action. "Anyway, on to business, I suppose." I clapped my hands together. "Were you preparing to head into Undertown yet?"

"Actually, I was trying to talk to the malks and get some information," Harry clarified. "But they decided ripping my head was a better use of their time."

"Ah." I nodded and let an amusing remark come to mind. And to my tongue. "Must be your charming personality."

As usual, Harry was quick to respond. "Yeah, can't imagine how they'll react to a smug Time Lord. Oh, right, they heard a couple of words come out of your smug Time Lord face and wanted to kill you."

"The burdens of being a charming, hyper-intelligent alien," I sighed with faux wistfulness.

After that habitual exchange of banter, I returned our discussion to business. "So, you're still trying to determine the best entry point to Undertown?"

"I don't want to be down there any longer than I have to be," Harry replied, affirming my supposition.

"Well." I nodded. "That's an understandable concern. So we need to find out where we're going in."

"And good luck getting anyone to tell us,,"

"I hate to say it..." And yes, Murphy clearly hated what she was about to say. "But we could ask Marcone. He's not going to enjoy having every supernatural monster in the city out on the surface. It'll cut into his business and make him look bad."

"Oh, doubly so, I imagine," I agreed. "As the Baron of Chicago, being unable to keep order will certainly make him look bad to his co-signers of the Accords."

"But he'll still try to get something out of it," Harry said. "And for all I know, he's the one who caused it to happen."

"Hrm... a remote possibility, I suppose. But thankfully, I believe I have an alternative." I started flipping switches on the controls. "Let's head back to your place, Harry."

"Can we stop and pick up my car first?", Murphy asked. "It's in timed parking and I don't want to give anyone an excuse to tow me."

"Sure. Alright..." I reached under the controls and brought out the telepathic circuit. "Let me drop you off and you can meet us at Harry's place."

"Molly, go with Murph," Harry said. "I want you to be ready with a veil if she runs into trouble."

"I got you, boss." Molly looked to Murphy, who was quite evident with her displeasure at the idea she would need help. But she said nothing in opposition while gripping the circuit to bring the TARDIS to her car.




Harry's very tiny basement apartment was not meant for large crowds. Six people didn't have a lot of room to stand about there, and he didn't have anything near the sufficient sitting space. That was why it was best that Murph and Molly weren't present yet.

Well, that, and another reason.

We left Liara and Katara upstairs and descended into the basement of the basement apartment. This was Harry's workshop and was filled with all the various tools of his wizardly trade, plus the small workspace for Molly's training in the laboratory elements of magic as it was known for this world. The main table was taken up entirely by Harry's most ambitious project; a scale model of Chicago, aptly dubbed "Little Chicago", that added as a magical double of the city for Harry to do all sorts of things with.

Tracking spells, for instance.

"So, you think this will work?", he asked me.

"Anything that came through the Crack would have a temporal energy signature affixed to it," I explained. "At least, in my experience."

"Yeah, but it's been three years, Doc," Harry reminded me. "I mean, three years for us since we first buried the Crack in Undertown. Would something keep that kind of 'signature' for that long?"

"It's temporal energy, Harry," I sighed. "What do you think?"

I was surprised to see Harry smirk. "You don't know, do you?"

"Dresden," I sighed. "There are all sorts of variables that..."

"Just admit it. You don't know. It's not that hard."

"Harry..."

"Hey, Bob!" Harry looked to a shelf filled with romance books, burnt down candles, and one data disc centered around a human skull. "What do you think?"

Twin orange lights came alive within the eyes of the skull. "Think of what? Oh, hello Doc. Let me guess, this Undertown mess?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Doc here thinks that maybe some sort of energy would still be stuck to anything that came through that Crack we found."

"The one you sealed three years ago? Hrm." Bob seemed to think it over. "Well, it does involve all sorts of multi-dimensional and temporal variables. There are good odds that some trace will remain."

"See, Harry?" I looked up. "Now, if you would please do the honors? I have the sample of temporal energy ready."

Harry nodded and went to the table, where he did his wizardly thing to activate Little Chicago. "All right Doc. Try not to blow up Little Chicago."

"Disasterous destruction is usually your handiwork, Dresden, not mine..."

I held out the sonic. First I used its energy manipulation capabilities to pull in a sample of Crack-based temporal energy - taken from a Crack I'd recently found on some 9th Century Earth in the Pacific Northwest - and then I pointed the sonic to Little Chicago and introduced the energy signature to the city. The energies of the model, connected by thaumaturgical magic to the city itself (I would call it a quantum link myself), interacted with the sample. A golden glow began to appear, mostly concentrated near the center of the city. "The railyard, at Roosevelt and Canal," Harry muttered. "It's not too far from the spot where the Crack was."

"Still is, technically," I murmured in reply. "At least, if it ever manifests in the base three dimensions again."

"So what's the plan?", Bob asked. "Blunder down into Undertown and get eaten by a bunch of trolls? Or maybe whatever's scaring them out into the streets?"

"No, Bob, the plan is to go in as quickly and quietly as we can, find out what the hell is going on, and then get out."

"Right. What I said."

"My, aren't we the cheery one?", I remarked wistfully to Bob.

"Hey, I don't take joy in being the downer, Doctor. But going into Undertown is always risky, and when you're not sure how far down you want to go? There's a reason mortals stay away from the entire mess, not to mention the lower levels. Things live in the dark down there for a reason, Doctor."

"And something's driving them up," I said.

"Oh yes. And whatever that is has to be even worse," Bob said. "I really think you should reconsider."

"Not an option, Bob," Harry said. "People are starting to get attacked by these things. I can't corral every malk, ogre, troll, and other Nevernever nasty in the city of Chicago all by myself, and SI doesn't have the manpower to do it."

"Alright, fine. But you'd better make sure Molly stays behind. I'll need someone to keep me busy after you get eaten alive."

Harry scowled fiercely at Bob. Before he could say anything the hatch above opened. Liara stepped down. "Um, Harry? There is someone on your communication device. A Captain Luccio?"

Harry made a face. "Aw crap."

I winced. "Ah. Always hard with the ex."

"Don't even start," Harry mumbled. He moved up the stairs and took the phone from Liara, heading back up to the living room in the process.

After this exchange, Liara stepped further down into the lab. "This is... surprising," she said.

"Oh my. Oh my." Bob's voice would have quivered if it were visible. "I had no idea. Quick, my skull, is my skull nice and polished?!"

I blinked. "Bob?"

Liara was staring. "Who... who's talking?"

"Oh, I am called Bob, my dear Asari maiden," Bob cooed. His voice's direction led Liara to look over to his skull. "And I am most delighted to meet one of your exquisite kind in the flesh, so to speak."

I narrowed my eyes. "Bob."

Liara seemed confused for the moment. And a bit irritated, I thought. "And you say that because..."

"Why, because your species produces such fine works of art! The sheer passion and energy of your works surpasses most of the torrid works of these silly mortal apes here on Earth!"

I put my hand against my forehead. "Bob..."

"Really?" Liara looked at me with some suspicion, but mostly curiosity. "What do you know of Asari culture?"

"Enough, oh quite enough!" Bob's voice reached new heights of giddiness. "Vaenia! Oh Vaenia! That alone testifies to the superb artistic acumen of your people! Such passion, such imagination!"

Liara blinked at Bob. And then she looked at me with arms crossed. "Doctor..."

I sighed. "It was a gift. Bob was helping me with dealing with the blocks on my old memories, so I got him a present I thought he would appreciate."

"Oh, I did. I did!", Bob chortled. "I would love to visit your homeworld some day, Doctor T'Soni."

"I see." Liara was still fixing a look at me. "I hope you realize there is more to Asari art and culture than that smut."

"Oh, I should hope so! Variety is the spice of life! I can only imagine the hotness of interspecies boinking you..."

"Bob," I snapped. "Please?"

"I just can't help myself, I'm quite excited."

My mortification faded when Harry re-opened the hatch. "Alright, Bob, Molly's on her way in."

"Right, boss." Bob's eyes went dim.

Liara looked to me. "He's hiding Bob from...", she asked in a low tone of voice.

"From just about everyone," I answered in a similar tone.

We went back upstairs at that point. Katara was alone in the kitchen space, preparing bowls of water for healing as Harry had requested, and Harry was at the door to welcome in Murphy and Molly. "This place is cramped enough as it is, Harry, maybe we should meet outside."

"With all of the supernatural nasties out tonight?", Harry asked. "And even worse, my landlord? Oh no. We'll survive in here just fine." He went to a chair and plopped into it. "We have a complication."

"Luccio?", I asked.

Murphy and Molly looked intently at him. "Your Warden boss?" Murphy was being delicate in not referencing Harry's short relationship with Anastasia Luccio, Captain of the Wardens of the White Council. Said relationship had died upon the discovery that Luccio, among other members of the Council, was being mentally influenced by a traitor within the ranks using a slow and subtle form of psychic tampering.

"None other." Harry sighed. "It turns out the White Council is interested in our little problem with Undertown. Some researcher wants to go down and investigate the disturbances. And they've assigned yours truly to lead the expedition."

"Well..." I crossed my arms. "That's a complication. But not an undue one."

"I don't know." Molly frowned. "Wouldn't more people make it harder for us to sneak around?"

"That's one problem, yeah," Harry replied. "But it gets worse."

"Really?" I had a sudden bad feeling about what Harry was about to say. The sort we Time Lords get when the future possibilities turn fairly grim. "And that is...?"

Harry frowned at us. "Because the team's been formed by Gregori Cristos of the Senior Council."

At that, I could only groan.

This mission had, indeed, gotten more terribly complicated than before.