Doctor Who: The Grandfather Paradox

Chapter 1: The Man Who Wasn't There

Calloused feet, dirty and bruised, dug into the worn rock incline. Pair beside pair, row after row, they battled desperately for traction, yet couldn't help but slip against the enormous mass that pressed upon them from in front. Its force was imposing. Its weight was immense. But an army of bodies, caked with desert sand that clung to every bead of sweat, heaved a guttural groan under the scorching sun and pushed as a united force, gradually inching the stone weight forward with each strained step.

It was, in fact, more than just a simple weight. Cut with extraordinary precision, its yellow faces smooth as polished marble, it was a massive cube. And it wasn't just any cube, but the piece that would serve to finally complete a very large structure.

At ground level, some distance away, a lone figure squinted against the searing glare to take in its full view. There it stood, majestic. Isolated against the empty skyline, completely without competition, looking equal parts imposing and isolated. The construction ramp had extended with the building's scale, gradually increasing in height and length in order to allow the delivery of each block right to the very top, which towered into the heavens.

Stone ground against stone. With enormous effort, the final block was moved into place - into the only place it could go, with a clear gap designed for one final block to fill it, like the final piece to a jigsaw puzzle. It fit snugly into position, and the second it did, an elated cheer erupted from the hundreds who had helped it there, filtering down to the thousands who were positioned along the length of the incline. Thousands of cheers, all cheering for the same cause.

Back on the ground, their exclamations could be heard, albeit faintly. That was the signal, then. That was it. The figure held up a weathered parchment against the skyline, checking the distant structure against a sketched representation. The height, the width, it all seemed to match. It all seemed built according to specification.

A towering stone monolith. Four rectangle sides that climbed tall into the sky, with eight square panelled indentations carved into each surface. A solid square foundation, an angled peak, capped at the very top with a cylinder that emerged from its centre, as if on a mission to touch the stars.

A huge stone replica of the TARDIS.

*          *          *

"Space and time isn't safe yet. The TARDIS exploded for a reason."

Dressed in his top hat and tails, the Doctor circled the console as he addressed Rory and Amy, still outfitted in their own wedding attire. "Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date and blew it up. But why? And why now? The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to…"

His train of thought afforded a fraction of a reprieve - long enough for him to finally register the sound of a ringing phone. "Excuse me a moment," he said as he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

The Doctor's tone instantly became one of recognition, of familiarity. "Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line." A pause. His tone fell. "No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk, I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express..." A smile crept over his face as his eyes darted over to Amy and Rory. "...in space."

He paused. "Give us a mo."

Cupping his hand over the receiver, the Doctor turned to the newly-wedded couple. "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye," Amy nodded. She turned to Rory. "Do you think it's goodbye?"

"Definitely goodbye," he said.