Out of Time

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 It was standing room only in the tiny shack as Adam Tallis stood back and marvelled at this wonderful moment, it turned out that the Doctor had a few friends in time and space. And Adam Tallis knew two of them as he warmly greeted Perdita, the female cat kind and Lorca Magenta who was also blue but he wasn’t a native of Verdopolis, this was just a coincidence, they were once the time travelling companions of Ed Edensor.

 “Agent Carrie Ezelda.”  The Doctor hugged the government agent from the Supernova Hotel.

 “Liking the new face Doctor.”

 Imperial GalacticAgent Ezelda beamed, resplendent in her leather cat suit but then the smile fell as she spotted Ivana, the twin sister of Evan Steinway, the time terrorist who had murdered her family. Agent Ezelda strolled over to the assassin, the Doctor gulped nervously but Alfred sat rocking in his chair, a smile of calmness twitching across his lips.

 “I believe it’s me you’re looking for. Your vendetta is with me and not the Doctor.”  Agent Ezelda voice was hard and uncompromising. “I was the one who killed your brother.”

 The two women stood face to face, the diminutive but fierce figure of Agent Ezelda with the butch and angrily defiant assassin. Ivana nodded and glanced over in the Doctor’s direction in acknowledgement as she offered gracefully.

 “I am aware of that now agent, I was misinformed. And now I know otherwise might I take this opportunity to make amends for what my brother did to your family.” Ivana held out her hand and bowed her head with humility. “My brother deserved death at your hands…” Ivana’s gaze of calm acceptance wondered over to Alfred’s. “I see that now.”

 Agent Ezelda took the assassin’s hand and returned the goodwill.

 “In another life I’m sure we could have been great allies but let us leave the past behind…The Universe is at stake and we need to work together.”

 The Doctor who had finished greeting Perdita and Lorca clapped his hands together, rallying the troops.

 “Right everyone shall we begin our quest?”

 The three guests all stared at each other and smiled knowingly with varying degrees of amusement, they had a big surprise in store for the Time Lord…

 “We’re not ones to turn up to a party empty handed.” Lorca grinned roguishly.

 “You could say we’ve been a little busy…” Perdita purred at the Doctor. 

 The three of them emptied the pouches they all carried upon their belts. Adam and the Doctor both stared in equal measure of gob smacked shock and amazement as Agent Ezelda, Perdita and Lorca each held a piece of the time key, a glittering fragment of crystal liquid. They threw their pieces into the centre of the room, the three pieces melded together and fused into a quivering mass.

 “Alfred is this cheating?”  The Doctor suddenly looked very solemn but Adam could see a mischievous glint in his restless eyes as a great big smile broke out on his face. “Oh who cares!…My friend’s you have been busy…But how did you all know where to look?” The Doctor exclaimed with wonderment, looking as though all his nine hundred years of Christmases had come all at once.

 “I think you’ll find they had a little help from my people Time Lord.”

 Adam and the Doctor both turned round to see a towering and iridescent figure that had suddenly materialised in the room. The light emitting from his skin sparkled like thousands of encrusted diamonds, it hurt Adam to look as he averted his gaze though it was most beautiful being he had ever seen.