Crossfire

Featuring the Alternate 4th Doctor and Ellie Finch

John Harkard was sat on Harry Monkhouse's brown leather sofa, glass of brandy in hand. He was smiling at Harry, who was stood nearby also with a glass of brandy in his hand.
"Can I tell you a story, Harry?" John asked him, sipping his brandy.
"No, John. I know that you've got all the dirt on us, so no. I already know the story."
"Please, Harry? Can I tell you a story?"
"No. You'll get nowhere by doing this."
"So why don't you want me to tell you it?"
Harry sighed and gave in.
"Go on then."
"Splendid."

Let's imagine a character. A desperate, tough, fighting man who doesn't care how he survives as long as he survives. Let's say he's your boss, Walter Tyrford, and so our story begins at a cafe in Soho. Don't ask me which cafe because it doesn't matter: what matters is the conversation that he's having with the antagonist of the piece...

Walter Tyrford was sat on an old wooden chair, sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea. He was a middle-aged man with short brown hair and a serious face. He was dressed in a tweed suit and, unknown to the person sitting opposite him, he had a gun in his pocket. Sitting opposite him was Thomas Selensky, a Serbian gangster wearing a brown leather jacket and red t-shirt.
"You know why I called you here." Thomas said to him.
"Yes. You wanted to discuss the fugitive. Yet it is not for sale."
"You don't know what you're dealing with."
"Do you?"
"We can offer a reasonable price."
"I told you before. He is not for sale."
"Are you sure about that?"
Walter clicked the gun in his pocket.
"Yes. I am. Allow me to show you what I did to the last guy who asked to buy something from me."
In a matter of moments, Walter stood up, hurled the table aside and aimed his gun at Thomas, who was cowering on the floor.
"I am the King," Walter yelled at him, "and don't you forget that!"

And now the war begins. Our protagonist, Walter, has one advantage on his side against our antagonist, Thomas, who bursts onto the scene, angry and determined to win. And in the middle, we have the enigmatic Doctor Smith and Ms Finch...

A few months after the cafe incident, Walter noticed that a new shop had opened near his main headquarters: the sign above the shop read 'DOCTOR SMITH'S MUSEUM OF CURIOSITIES' and it looked to be some sort of antiques shop.
"Can I help you at all?" asked an old man, who was dressed in a red jacket, green waistcoat, white shirt and beige necktie. He looked to be the owner of the shop, as he held the key to the door in his hand.
"No. No thanks." Walter simply said, walking back to his headquarters.

On his way back, Walter bumped into a young blonde woman who was walking towards Doctor Smith's shop.
"Oops, silly me." the woman said, "Are you Walter Tyrford?"
"How do you know who I am?"
"You were in the news a few weeks back. Don't you remember being interviewed by Laura Tavvis?"
"Ah yes. That interview went well."
He remembered shooting Laura and inventing the cover story that she had been shot by a sniper.
"Can I invite you to lunch?" she asked him, interrupting his thoughts.
"Of course. Shall we go to the Ritz? The Savoy?"
"I'd actually prefer Magucci's. It's an Italian place that's just down the road from my, erm, grandfather's shop."
"That sounds nice. Shall we meet at Magucci's at twelve o'clock tomorrow?"
"I'll be there."
She then walked off with a smile.

And it's about to really kick off. There's an attack on Doctor Smith's shop, yet Doctor Smith and Ms Finch seem to survive. That's why they are able to meet up for lunch with Walter the next day...

It was five past twelve when Walter arrived at Magucci's, only to find that Doctor Smith and Ms Finch were stood outside with expressions of gladness on their faces.
"Walter," Doctor Smith exclaimed, "it's good to see you after our brief encounter yesterday."
"Doctor Smith, I'm sorry to hear about your shop." Walter apologised.
"There's no need to apologise. It wasn't you who attacked my shop. Shall we dine?"
"Certainly."
They sat down at a table near the window, overlooking the ordinary suburban street outside.
"Tell me, Walter, why you've taken in an alien fugitive into your gang." Ms Finch asked, gazing at the menu.
"How do you know that I've taken in an alien fugitive?"
"Thank you for confirming my suspicions."
"Mr Tyrford, tell us how you found the alien." Doctor Smith demanded.
"Very well. I was examining an unused junkyard in Totter's Lane when it walked over to me: it was a blood red humanoid with three fingers on each hand and an
almost human face. The only difference was that, for hair, he had tentacles that were constantly moving, like sensors or perceptors, directly connected to his brain. I asked if he wanted a home and he said yes, so I took him in."
"It sounds like you've taken in a Tytheenian." Doctor Smith deduced, before thinking and then saying, "Meaning that you're harbouring Jaxxo the Planet-Burner."
"Who the devil is Jaxxo the Planet-Burner?"
Doctor Smith glanced at Ms Finch, who nodded, before speaking.
"I've had experience with aliens before. Jaxxo the Planet-Burner is a criminal wanted on twenty-seven other planets and he has come here probably to get entangled in some nefarious scheme. You need to let him go to me, so that I can bring him in to the authorities."
Walter aimed his gun at the pair of them.
"I won't agree to that. I don't believe you, you nutter."
"You have to believe me, Walter. If you don't, then your future will not exist by next Wednesday."

That was a very intense lunch. That led to Walter interrogating Jaxxo the next day, where the truth was revealed...

Walter stood outside Jaxxo's cell. Jaxxo was looking at him, bound by handcuffs, and his tentacles were moving rapidly.
"Tell me the truth, Jaxxo." Walter demanded, adding, "I know who you really are."
"Who told you who I am?" Jaxxo replied, trying to avoid the question.
"Doctor Smith. The man that owns a nearby museum of curiosities."
Jaxxo laughed and sighed, realising who Doctor Smith really was.
"I am a fugitive and I crashed on this world after murdering the queen of Dephron Alpha. I am an assassin for hire, so that those who need to die are killed without the paymaster ever being arrested." Jaxxo explained.
"So what Doctor Smith told me was true?"
"Yes. Him and I are old acquaintances."
Walter then left.

Cut forward a few days and the flame begins to burn. Walter has taken Doctor Smith and Ms Finch to Jaxxo's cell and you are standing nearby, watching the conversation take place...

Harry watched as Doctor Smith, clearly some sort of expert with aliens, was talking to Jaxxo.
"Jaxxo, I'm here to take you to the galactic authorities," Doctor Smith said calmly to him, "and I will not harm you if you don't harm me or my friend Ms Finch. Do you
understand?"
"Yes. I do." Jaxxo simply said.
"I'm going to unlock the cage and you are to follow me back to my, erm, blue box. Do you understand?"
"I am not an animal, Doctor. I understand what you are saying."
Doctor Smith then unlocked the cage, but Jaxxo did not calmly walk out: instead, he rushed out, punching Doctor Smith and Ms Finch, and made his way out of the building, screaming.
Harry quickly took a machine gun and rushed outside, finding himself face-to-face with the creature.
"I can tell a lie easily, human," Jaxxo snarled smugly, "and that gun is not loaded. Put it down or else I will kill you."
Harry raised his gun into the air and fired, bullets flying upwards and then landing back onto the pavement below.
"Real enough for you?" Harry replied, making Jaxxo, for the first time, quiver in fear. Jaxxo turned, only to find Doctor Smith and Ms Finch running towards him. Doctor Smith held some sort of buzzing-glowing metal stick in his hand and was activating it at Jaxxo, making his tentacles writhe in agony.
"Jaxxo, it's over. You won't escape this time." Doctor Smith yelled at him, before turning off the device and saying, "You can't get out of this one."

And then, a few days later, Ms Finch invites Walter to Doctor Smith's blue box, where they say goodbye to one another...

Walter stood outside the tall blue police box that was parked on Sheldon Drive and watched, as what he described as several space rhinos escorted Jaxxo under armed guard to their ship and left. Ms Finch and Doctor Smith then walked back over to him.
"Hi Walter. Thanks for keeping Jaxxo under lock and key for us." Ms Finch said, then adding, "And thanks for the lunch."
"No worries. But what do I do now? There are a dozen gangsters who want Jaxxo and what do I tell him? That the space rhinos took him?"
"Tell them that you don't know what they're talking about." the Doctor instructed, "And if they think you're lying then, well, you'll know what to do."
Walter smiled at him, understanding what he meant by that, and nodded.
"Goodbye Walter and good luck. In the future. One thing's for certain now you know." the Doctor said.
"And what's that?"
"That it won't end next Wednesday. Not if I have anything to do with it. Come on Ellie, we have work to do."
The pair of them then entered the police box and closed the doors behind them. Walter then walked back to his headquarters, but, when he looked back, he could have sworn that the police box had vanished.

"So, did I get it right?" John asked Henry, having come to the end of his story.
"Unfortunately you did." Henry replied.
"Excellent. I'll send you an advance copy of the article then."

THE END