Chapter Text
It was starting to rain. A steady, lazy drizzle that seemed to come not just from the sky but from every direction. The ground was already soaked from storms the night before, making the pavement shine. The air had that distinct smell of damp Earth, springtime. Everything was new again; tiny flowers were starting to pop up along the roadside and through the fields. It would have been beautiful, even in the rain if one was interested in admiring such things. However, she was not.
She was running at a steady clip along the deserted road, oblivious to the fairy tale like charm of Scottish countryside. All she wanted was to run, to escape the oppressive walls closing in on her. To be able to breathe again. To put distance between her and that place. Everyone looked at her so expectantly, as if she held all the answers they sought. She had no answers, not for them and not for herself. All she had was a broken heart and soggy running shoes. She paused to catch her breath and looked up the hill that presented itself. Lightening split the sky and backlit a crumbling castle.
“Dramatic, even for Scotland,” she muttered to herself, just as the clouds broke open on a thunderclap and released a downpour. “Oh hell!” she took off running again, this time with a destination in mind.
The massive front door was half rotted off its hinges and gave way easily when she pushed it open with her shoulder. She shook her head and combed her fingers through her dark, chin length hair shaking out the excess water. Pulling her oversized glasses from her jacket, she scanned her surroundings. The castle looked to have been deserted ages ago, holes in the roof let the rain pour in, the few pieces of furniture left were in tatters as were the wall hangings. Lightning struck off in the distance and illuminated the great room, her attention was drawn to a small, arched doorway beside the fireplace. Straining her ears, she could hear a strange, high pitched electric whirring sound. Curious, she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. No signal this far out, but the flashlight feature was handy. With the rain not likely to let up any time soon, exploring a musty, falling down castle seemed oddly appealing.
Through the doorway was a long corridor that narrowed and curved into a spiral staircase. She followed it down, it went deep, far below the castle walls. Several feet below the main level, the stairs stopped and opened into a wide cavern; a pleasant contrast to the constricting stairway. The cavern was massive, strewn with large shipping crates and the air was different. It was almost balmy, the touch of salt hinting that it opened to the sea somewhere. Primitive lights held up by extension cords flickered along the walls, adding to the impression that this was a temporary operation. At the far end of the cave stood an enormous carved stone with three cloaked figures gathered in front of it.
Careful to go unnoticed, she crept closer and slid behind one of the crates to get a better look. The hooded figures began to chant in unison, starting softly and growing louder, the words were spoken in a language that could not be distinguished. The intensity grew, voices rising, empowered together and the great stone began to glow. From the shadows came a young boy escorted by a fourth hooded figure. He looked no older than nine or ten and seemed to be hypnotized. He stood silent and unmoving in in front of the glowing stone while the four worshipers backed away.
She watched in dismay as the boy stepped forward and placed his hands on the rough, stone surface. A scream ripped through him as a blinding light exploded through the cavern. When the light faded, the boy was gone. A pile of bones and ash stood in his place.
Horrified, she tried to stifle the shocked gasp that escaped her lips. She took a step back, then another and another. She was almost to the stairs when her sneaker caught on a pebble. She grunted as her backside met with the cold, damp ground. All four figures turned, obviously surprised that their activities had been witnessed. One stepped forward as the leader; he pulled back his hood to reveal a face with metallic skin and glowing eyes which narrowed as they found hers.
He lifted and arm to point her out and snarled, “Stop her!”
She scrambled to her feet and sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time in an attempt to put distance between herself and her pursuers. She cleared the top stair and could hear them closing in behind her. Halfway down the hall, a strong pair of hands reached out and pulled her into the shadows. One long arm snaked around her waist and a hand clamped down over her mouth, stopping any pleas for help. She struggled, desperately trying to escape. Her heart pounded in her throat as panic swiftly took hold.
Her captor leaned down and whispered in her ear, urgency evident in his voice, “Quiet now, I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me I promise, now be still until they pass.”
She stopped her squirming and nodded, willing herself to be calm. She needed to keep her head if she wanted to get out of this. She didn’t trust this stranger of course but hiding with him seemed preferable to being the next stone sacrifice.
He let his hand slip from her mouth, seemingly satisfied that she wouldn’t do anything to give away their position. They both held their breath as the scuffle of footsteps rushed past their hiding place then back again. Once he was certain they had gone for good, he released her all together.
He stuck his head out into the corridor and found it empty. “Looks like we gave them the slip.”
She followed the stranger into the passageway. She made a quick study of the man and found nothing familiar about him. He was tall and lean, dressed in a blue pinstripe suite, brown trench and burgundy converse trainers. His dark, brown hair stood on end in a slightly trendy, bed-head sort of way. He had the look of a modern-day mad scientist.
Not exactly the most threatening person in the world, but after what she’d just witnessed, she wasn’t taking any chances. “Who are you?”
He pivoted on his heels and faced her. She was guarded but no longer frightened, a positive step. “Right, well, first things first. Introductions. I’m the Doctor.”
She raised an eyebrow, “The Doctor? Doctor Pepper, Doctor Strangelove? Doctor what?”
He had the audacity to grin at her, “Just the Doctor.”
She frowned, obviously not content with his explanation.
“How about you?” he asked.
“How about me what?”
The Doctor smiled, his brown eyes twinkling, “What’s your name?”
She chewed her bottom lip as she considered her options. Technically he was a stranger and not to be trusted. But there was something about him that her instincts picked up on. Something in her recognized him as a good guy. And like it or not, she needed someone to help her. “Alyssandra. My name is Alyssandra Barrett.”
“Alyssandra! Beautiful name,’ the Doctor said, shaking her hand with enthusiasm. “And an American to boot! Love an American!”
She blushed self-consciously. Her accent had been commented on by everyone from the cab driver to the pub keeper. She guessed rural Scotland didn’t see many Yankees.
The Doctor shoved his hands in his front pockets as he strode around, studying the crates, “So, tell me Alyssandra Barrett, what has you running for your life?”
“Those hooded guys that were chasing me, they have this huge stone… thing in the basement.” She shook her head trying to explain the bizarre scene she had witnessed. “They sacrificed a little boy to it! I know how crazy this sounds, but I swear that stone it alive.”
“Living stone,” the Doctor repeated, his eyes reflecting the wheels turning in his head.
“I know, I know, but its true. I swear its true, they killed that child!” Alyssandra pulled out her phone and checked for a signal again, “We’ve got to call the police or Scotland Yard or whoever is in charge of that sort of thing out here.”
His reply was quick, “We can’t do that.”
“What?” her tone was colored with disbelief. “We can’t just let them get away with this! What if they hurt someone else?”
“I am not going to let that happen,” he assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “Now, what else can you tell me about the stone?”
She wasn’t sure exactly why, but she believed him. “It was big, massive. Maybe fifteen feet tall with these swirly patterns carved into it. At first, I thought it was one of those standing stones, you know? Like the ones that are scattered all over the countryside. But then it started to glow with this gold light. When the boy touched it… it triggered a reaction. Light exploded everywhere.”
The Doctor’s face was grim, “Ogri.”
“Ogri?” she repeated, “What’s an Ogri?”
“They’re a parasitic plasma race from Ogros in the Tau Ceti system,” he explained, “They survive by absorbing the blood of other creatures and using the plasma cells as fuel.”
“Well, they absorbed more than just blood this time. There was nothing left of that boy except dust and bones.”
“The Ogri can survive for hundreds of years in a state of hibernation. Coming in contact with flesh and blood after that long would trigger an intense reaction.” The Doctor ran his hand over the back of his neck, “Ogros is thousands of light-years away from Earth, and the Ogri are little more than hired thugs, they never go anywhere without orders. What are they doing here?”
Over the past few years, the existence of aliens had become more accepted if still highly unusual. The Christmas Star, army of ghosts, all made it impossible to deny. Given what she had just witnessed in the cavern, Alyssandra was certainly willing to entertain the idea. “So, if the Ogri are here on orders then who’s calling the shots?”
The Doctor glanced over at her in mild surprise, “Very good question, let’s go and find out, shall we?”