DOCTOR WHO - The Enemy of Eternity

Written by Huw Davies

Mission Report: Part 1

CELESTIAL INTERVENTION AGENCY

MISSION REPORT – REF. ΘΣ/09

This report concerns a case undertaken by the agent known as 'The Doctor', whom the C.I.A. have assigned the codename Theta Sigma. Said agent had been enrolled under orders from the High Council, after a trial had found him guilty of interference. Part of his sentence entailed a set period of work for the C.I.A. before an enforced exile to the planet Sol 3, in Mutter's Sprial. The mission account that follows was the ninth that Agent ΘΣ undertook for the Agency, and was performed on the planet Sol 3 in the galaxy Mutter's Sprial.

Before Agent ΘΣ was sent on the mission, it was decided by the Agency Collegiate that he would require assistance on the mission. Said agent is known to work especially well with inhabitants of the planet Sol 3, known as "humans"; in fact he travelled with many on his various wanderings through the Universe before his capture. So before he was briefed on the mission, Agent ΘΣ was asked to select two past companions to assist him.

Chapter 1

Briefing

The Doctor plodded wearily into the waiting hall of the C.I.A. operations complex and threw himself into a chair, huffing and puffing like a bored child. His thick, black, mop of hair covered his eyes, and his shirt had become untucked and his tie skewiff, but he was not at all bothered to correct them. This would be his ninth mission for the Agency, and he was becoming thoroughly bored with the field work.

At his trial he had been offered the chance to start work for the Agency immediately, or begin his enforced exile to the planet Earth. He had chosen the former with eagerness – it would mean continued, if monitored, travel, rather than a restraint to one time and place. Now he was wondering whether he had picked the correct option.

He stared around the small room he was sitting in. It was bare, dull and empty, save for himself and an automatic secretary device mounted on the wall next to the door opposite him. He had wondered on more than one occasion whether this Agency had been set up solely to send him on dull missions with dunderhead Time Lord companions merely as a punishment for him – indeed, before his flight from Gallifrey all those years ago he had not once heard of any "Celestial Intervention Agency". Anyway, if it was made up as a punishment, a deterrent, it was certainly working: this had been more boring than even Borusa's most tiresome lectures at the Academy, when he had blabbed on about Chancellery Guard processes, Gallifreyan security measures and voice-print locks: totally off topic, of course.

His mental wonderings ceased with a loud buzz from the automatic secretary device. On his Earth travels these automated voices were always young- and attractive-sounding women, however on Gallifrey the Time Lords seemed to be content with the boring old duffer.

"Agent Theta Sigma – please enter."

Dull, short and boring, the Doctor thought – just as this next mission will be no doubt.

The Doctor stepped through the doorway which had opened in front of him, and sat down in front of that creased, wrinkled face he had grown to hate so much: Director Kassius, head of the C.I.A.. Over the last few months the Doctor had sat in this office to be briefed, debriefed, chastised and on occasion meekly congratulated for his various missions. This man had become personally responsible for the Doctor's security, wellbeing, and discipline, and knowing him was one of the experiences the Time Lord would prefer to one day forget.

"So, Theta Sigma," the Director started,

"You know perfectly well it is pronounced "Doctor", Mr. Kassius," the Doctor retorted.

"And you know perfectly well to address me by my proper title!"

The Doctor did not bother apologising – despite his large frame and booming voice, Director Kassius was a weak-willed man who was hardly forceful.

"Anyway," he continued, "it is time for me to brief you on your ninth mission."

"Whoopee…" the Doctor muttered in sarcasm, "what delights are you serving me up this time?"

Ignoring the backchat, the Director continued; "You know – Doctor – I think you're going to like this one."

"What makes you think that? You said that for mission number 5 and what was it? A harmless political issue on Androzani Major! You could have sent one of the Shobogans to deal with it and they would have produced near-identical results!"

"Now, come, Doctor, we all know the skill that that Conglomerate negotiation required!"

The Doctor leaned into the Director, their noses almost touching over the hard metal table.

"Don't bother with flattery!" His tone of voice was terse and his diction was heavily enunciated.

"Forgive me, Doctor, but still, I think this mission will be of considerable interest to you." The Doctor continued to feign interest and was now letting his eyes wander around the bare-walled office. "For a start," the Director added, "the planet Sol 3 is involved…"

The Doctor shook his head quickly and stared at the Director.

"Earth? Hmmm… tell me more." The disinterested frown on his face was rapidly becoming a far more interested grin.

"C.I.A. agents have been monitoring the planet during the Earth year of 1969, and have detected major temporal anomalies. They have also been observing anachronistic behaviour occurring on the land mass of Manerica, I believe it is."

The Doctor snorted loudly. "America, you fool! Don't you anything of Earth geography?"

"Frankly it's the last thing on my mind, Doctor. Anyway, we would like you, with your expert knowledge of the planet," (the Doctor rolled his eyes at the new instance of flattery) "to investigate. However, we have noticed recently your… delay in completing some missions."

"Well what do you expect? If you plonk me in a time-space location of which I know incredibly little about, with either no-one to assist me or some bookworm undergraduate from the Academy, then I think you should be glad that I even return from these missions!" The Doctor sighed heavily after his loud rant. The Director was passive as always in his response.

"That is what I was coming to, Doctor. We have decided to allow you the choice of one of your past companions to accompany you on this journey."

At this the Doctor's face cracked into a wide grin. He even briefly jumped from his chair excitedly, before quickly sitting back down again.

"Really? Oh my word, how kind…" The Doctor started gazing into space, trying to bring the faces of the humans whom he had shared such wonderful adventures with. For a brief moment he was even able to visualise his own granddaughter, Susan, with whom he had first left Gallifrey with, all those years ago. This Agency business was part of the punishment for that very escape.

As the Doctor daydreamed, the Director continued. "There are a few of your… associates whom we cannot allow you to travel with. The two youngsters, Ben Jackson and Polly Wright, for a start…"

Ah, Ben and Polly, the Doctor thought – the two lovebirds. Always mildly flirting with each other, though both fiercely protective of the other, and hardy souls to boot. "Hm, what about them?" the Doctor answered.

"Due to the timescale of this mission – Sol 3 year 1969 – we thought it unwise to remove them from a time briefly before that, only to have them reappear a year later. The Sol 3 authorities may well have something to say about that."

"Yes…" the Doctor said, "that would make sense."

"The same would go for Mr. Ian Chesterton, Miss Barbara Wright - oh, and Miss Victoria Waterfield. Also your granddaughter, Madame Susan." The Director paused briefly, much to the Doctor's irritation.

"Well?"

"Her position in Sol 3 history in the year 2157 is so pivotal that it would be dangerous for the C.I.A. to attempt to remove her from that time period."

"Oh, OK, then." The Doctor was slightly disappointed, but judged that it would probably be better for Susan if she were to stay with her beloved David, rather than face her grandfather again. Besides, he'd regenerated since she'd last seen him – not that the explanations would be difficult, but she would have to get to know a whole new man. It would be just too hard for her.

"Well I must say," the Doctor added, "it doesn't leave me much room for manoeuvre! I'm guessing you're going to tell me that Jamie and Zoe are off-limits also, what with you Time Lords wiping their memories and all that!"

Director Kassius smiled and shook his head. "Not so, Doctor, not so. Mr. Macrimmon and Miss Heriot are to be chosen if you wish. Along with them, that leaves Miss Vicki Pallister, and…" a brief pause as the Director filed through the reams of paper littering his desk, "and of course! Mr. Steven Taylor! Well, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled gleefully as he made his choice. He decided that having to explain the concept of regeneration to young Vicki and Steven would be too much, so he disregarded them. As much as he cared for Zoe, he felt she was much needed in the Earth's future, cleaning up after the Cybermen's attack on the Wheel. So that only left…

"Jamie, please!" the Doctor's face cracked into a mild grin, but there was still something on his mind. "However I do have an issue with just Jamie. He can be a trifle... brash at times; hard to control, even for me. Would it be too much to ask to have Victoria with us? I mean, if I'm to go to America, and she's in England, surely it wouldn't be too much for the continuum to cope with?"

The Director considered for a moment. It would be breaking one of the lesser Laws of Time - but hey, he was the head of the C.I.A.. He enforced the rules - who could stop him mildly breaking one once in a while?

"Very well, Doctor, we shall activate the Time Scoop and bring the two of them up here to the Agency. Mr. Macrimmon's memory will need adapting, of course, and I believe a little explanation to young Miss Waterfield could be in order, no?"

"Yes, yes, whatever," the Doctor said, "now – what is this mission you are going to be sending me and my friends on? Jamie and Victoria won't care for dull bureaucracy and political issues, you know!"

"The… challenging nature of the mission is one reason we decided you needed assistance. And anyway, Doctor, don't you listen? I have already explained the nature of the mission – to investigate temporal anomalies in the year 1969!"

The Doctor slumped into his chair, sulking like a small child. "Hmm… so you did. But still – it's hardly a lot to go on!"

"It is all we have, Doctor," the Director insisted, "you and your companions will be sent, via your TARDIS, to a location as near to the anomalies as we deem necessary. There you will investigate the problems and the anachronistic behaviour, and either report back, or preferably fix it. I'm afraid that is all we can go on. As you pointed out earlier – Sol 3 is not the speciality of Agency staff."

"Yes…" the Doctor said. "Very well – I'll do it!"

The Director laughed. "You say that as if you have a choice. But worry not, I am glad you are happy to accept."

"So then," the Doctor enquired, "when do I begin?"

"Well…" the Director said, gazing into the corner of his office, "any moment now…"

And as he finished that sentence, a wheezing, groaning sound emanated through Director Kassius' office, as what appeared to be a blue, police telephone box, materialised in the room.