Doctor Who: The Beast of the Wear

Part 1: Wheatsheaf

11th of March, 2028
Sunderland, The United Kingdom, Earth

Not that far from the Stadium of Light was the Wheatsheaf, a public house. A new bartender, an American woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, a white vest, and bright blue eyes, simply known as "the Doctor," was serving a pint of Stella Artois to a patron of the pub. "Here you go, Mister Khaldun." she said, handing the pint over to a bearded Arab man, "If there's anything you want from me, just come back to the bar."

"Thanks, Doc." Mister Khaldun replied before heading towards a table where a group of his fellow football fans were.

As the Doctor was quickly cleaning the used glasses, a redheaded woman came to the pub, a resident of one of the villages in the City of Sunderland and a good friend of the Doctor. "Hey, Doctor." she said.

"Hey, Jessica." the Doctor replied, "How's working in the city?"

"Well, my skills have been out to good use, so after only less than a week since I came into the job I got a promotion."

"Huh." The Doctor was preparing Jessica's typical order of a pint of Guinness. "That's pretty neat."

Jessica leaned forward and decided to speak in a more hushed tone. "How's life outside of galavanting around in time and space?"

"Surprisingly good. I guess that I'm more suited to a slower-paced lifestyle than I thought that I can be." The Doctor gave Jessica the pint and looked towards the table Mister Khaldun was at. "You see those guys over there?"

Jessica turned around and saw the group the Doctor was referring to. "Aye."

"One of the guys there is Ibrahim Khaldun, descendant of Ibn Khaldun, someone who wouldn't be there had I not saved his family, mainly by you and him prodding me to do so and risking reality falling apart."

"And he is..."

"A football-obsessed social worker who despite being the descendant of a legendary Muslim scholar, is actually a Christian."

"That's a bit of a downgrade."

"Oh, no. Ibrahim's a lovely man who's just a bit excitable. Besides, every family changes from generation to generation. Your family could be well-known for their military prowess one generation to another generation mutilating themselves to avoid conscription, or they could go from unimportant plebeians to an imperial dynasty."

"Ooh, let me guess. Gens Furia and Gens Flavia respectively, both Roman families."

"And that is why I have you as my companion, even if I'm not around you all that much these days. We still have three weeks after this before we're recruited by the White Guardian again, so let's take this opportunity to slow down." It was then the Doctor noticed Ibrahim coming towards the bar again. "Hey, Ibrahim. What's wrong?"

"Look outside, Doctor."

The Doctor looked outside and saw people wandering towards the River Wear, where Sunderland was built. The rest of the pub joined her as she went outside to follow the crowd towards the river. She had to go to lower ground as the bridge was too crowded for her to potentially get a good look at what was going on. It was then and there that the Doctor saw what was residing in the river: a giant black snake with a head resembling that of a dragon and a long mane running down all of its back.

The Doctor had a determined look on her face. "Jessica," she said, "let's get to the TARDIS."

The Doctor and Jessica got through the crowd as fast as they could so they could get back to the Wheatsheaf, where the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor got the hair clip off of her ponytail, letting her hair hang down. "What do you think that is?" Jessica asked.

"Wait, a resident of the North East region of England who doesn't know what that creature is?" The Doctor replied as she put on a grey sweater, "A long, black, snake-like creature with the head of a dragon and a mossy mane going from the base of the skull all the way to the tail's end. What does that sound like to you."

Jessica thought for a moment while the Doctor fined her shawl. "Wait, you don't think..."

"Oh, I do." The Doctor got her blue satchel over her shoulder as she smirked. "We're facing a replica of the Lambton Worm."

The Doctor and Jessica both got out of the TARDIS. "You're kidding me, right? How could you be so giddy about all this?"

"Because it's one of those things where I already know who's responsible at least somewhat for what's happening. I can only think of one person who is willing to cause trouble via creating genetic monstrosities, though you've not seen that part of her yet."

"...wait, you don't think that-"

"Why yes, you redheaded ignoramus." A woman said behind them. She had raven hair, blue eyes, and a strong chin, all in a relatively casual style for her clothing. "I am back."

"Rani!" The Doctor walked towards the Rani in a confrontational manner. "I've dealt with your projects at Killingworth and Lakertya before, but you're trying to kill us here and now, and I'll find a way to stop your beast from poisoning this city!"

"Oh, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. Paranoid over what I might do due to past experiences. Let it be known that this time, I didn't create this hybrid to kill this city or country or planet, nor did I do it to get back at you for dumping me on Sontar. It was a humbling experience, to be sure, and they do have nice chocolate."

Jessica walked towards the Rani. "Then why is it resting in the Wear, then?"

"Well, Redhead and Shaggy, I made it to protect Sunderland."