The Second Homecoming

Chapter Thirteen

THIRTEEN

 The Doctor’s whistle rang out across the ruins of Victoria square, the monster spun round distracted by the sound. I grabbed hold of Mike, who was screaming like a girl and pushed him into the TARDIS. Slamming the doors shut behind us, I ran over to the console and switched on the screen. With my heart in my mouth, I watched as the Doctor and my dad ran for their lives. The creature was chasing them, it appeared to have hundreds of legs but floated just above the ground as they ran round the back of the museum, and I zoomed in closer and saw the Doctor carrying the box and dad shouting frantically into his phone. They disappeared from view, then the smoke creature turned back and began circling the museum, leaping up to the rooftops as though it was trying to find a way in. It looked as though the Doctor and dad had made it, I wondered if the creature was a pet of the shadow army or perhaps a beast from their world that had accidentally fallen through a portal. There must have been an opening just below the pavement surface, it must have caused the earth tremors…I wondered how we were going to get back to the others… I wanted to be with my parents and friends. I closed my eyes and listened to the TARDIS breathing quietly and felt my own breathing slow down to match its pace. I turned round, Mike had been awfully quiet.

 “Mike are you are alright?”

 I ran round the console, Mike was crouching by one of the coral struts, the one nearest to the entrance. He had his back to me and appeared to be staring beneath the mesh flooring to the deep recesses and the inner workings of the TARDIS. Upon hearing my voice, it was as though his reflexes had kicked into place as he slid his hand in his pocket quickly and stood up to face me. Mike stared at me vacantly, his glassy eyes looking right through me but then he shuddered, snapping out of his trance and he was “back in the room.” Now whenever I recall that moment, I wished I had trusted my instincts and found out what Mike was doing. But I was caught up in the events of what was happening in the museum and the imminent destruction of our world. And it was too late there was nothing I could have done to have stopped Mike’s actions. For the Doctor, his TARDIS and I, our fates were sealed…But I run on ahead of myself, that story is for another time. Before I met the Doctor I never believed in fate or a person’s destiny but whenever I remember our adventures that story was still to come and had been waiting for me from the moment I met the Doctor…

 “I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me there…” Mike shook his head and for a moment he looked terrified. I put his strange actions to the back of my mind, I told myself that he was traumatized.

 “Well it’s not every day that you nearly get eaten by a giant, smoke, alien Centipede.” I smiled even Mike Hilton deserved a bit of pity and all fairness to him he’d taken the experience pretty well.   

 “Yeah thanks for rescuing me Anna, it turns out you don’t completely hate me after all.” I raised an eyebrow and glared at Mike, he quickly changed the subject. “Well I finally made it inside the TARDIS at last… Have to admit, I’m impressed Anna.” Mike smiled back and fully took in his surroundings. “How could any man compete with all this?”

 “Now don’t start, you know it’s not like that with me and the Doctor.” I wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense as I began to ring to check if everyone was alright. I had a missed call from mum, she would be out of her mind with worry.

 “New phone, very flash. What happened to one I brought you?” Mike couldn‘t disguise his resentment.

 “Brought me, are you having a laugh Mikey!” I raised an eyebrow as I waited for someone to answer and then added. “It got blown up by laser welding, psychotic robots.”