Path: netnews.upenn.edu!blue.seas.upenn.edu!cliff From: cliff@blue.seas.upenn.edu (Cliff K Chen) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: "Fugitive" DrWho/XFiles X-Over (1/3) Date: 6 Dec 1994 18:09:55 GMT Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 399 Message-ID: <3c29dj$302@netnews.upenn.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: blue.seas.upenn.edu Hi, everyone, I'm reposting this from alt.drwho.creative, since the author has no access to this newsgroup. So comments should be sent to him at the address in the story, not to me. He wants everyone to be aware that he's a writer in the UK (ergo he's probably only seen the first half of season 1) with more experience writing Dr. Who than with X-Files. This is his first X-Files story. Cliff cliff@eniac.seas.upenn.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and X-Files belongs to someone else blah blah blah... Fugitive A Doctor Who/X-Files Crossover by Richard Salter richs@cogs.susx.ac.uk Part 1 She ran for her life. She could hear them coming after her, the sound of the dogs barking and yelping, hungry for the kill, eager to find the source of the scent that aggravated their sensitive nostrils and drove them into a frenzy of activity. She could also clearly distinguish the sounds the men made, yelling orders and shouting locations to each other. The dark did little to inhibit her flight, though she guessed that it would work against her pursuers. They had to have found the body by now, it would explain their eagerness to find the culprit. She hadn't intended to kill him but he had threatened the little ones. The standard issue combat rifle slammed painfully into her upper solaris quartex as she scrambled up and over the featureless wall that was twice her height. She landed lightly on the other side, like a cat jumping from a roof. Glancing about, she identified a small rodent, crawling over the remains of some convenience food packaging, as well as several billion bacteria vainly attempting to break down the non- degradable material. She moved off quickly, smoothly accelerating until she had covered the same distance as the small insect that followed her, vainly trying to buzz around her head, in half the time. The insect eventually caught up with her and began to circumnavigate the wide dome of her skull. She creased the sides of her face in pleasure. The creatures would have to be really good to catch her. With a slightly less pleased expression she realised it was just a matter of time before someone did. She sped off into the night. It was not turning out to be a good day. FBI Special Agent Dana Scully had known this from the moment she had set foot outside her front door that morning. For a start it was pouring with rain outside, and the puddle Dana had stepped in as she'd left home had sparked off warning bells about this day. This was the kind of Wednesday that was conspired against you from its inception. Somebody very high up had picked today as one she should never have got out of bed for. Upon her late arrival at the office that morning - after her car had broken down and she had had to call someone out to restart it - she had been handed a memo to let her know her medical checkup was due. Dana hated medical checkups. All that probing, all those intimate questions, the humiliation of it all. She mused that she would rather spend three solid hours talking with Harry, the man she'd met at her favourite bar last night, and had entirely failed to fall desperately in love with. Shaking memories of drawling speeches about plumbing and the state of today's U-bends from her mind, Dana returned her attention to the next piece of bad news that constituted a week that would go down in history as one of the low points in her life. She glanced once again at the paper clutched in her hand and shook her head slowly, muttering to herself as she descended the staircase. As she passed an interview room she caught sight of her own reflection in the observation window. God, what a sight. Her usually immaculate, shoulder length, flame red hair was now bedraggled and darkened with water. She vainly tried to brush some of the dampness from her clothing, but it was a wasted attempt. Great. Not only was she going to have to present her 'partner' with exactly the evidence he had been searching for, she was going to have to do it looking like a drowned rat. She reached her destination, and knocked on the door. "Come!" came the reply. Setting her shoulders and running a hand through her damp hair, she turned the handle and walked in. Fox Mulder was a strange man. She knew that. Working with him for however many months it was now had taught her never to try and predict what he would try and do next. He was known throughout the Bureau as 'Spooky' Mulder, because of his obsession with all things paranormal, and the X-Files: a collection of inexplicable mysteries relegated to the dusty vaults of unsolved cases. During her time assigned to assisting him in his often bizarre investigations, Scully had seen things that would make the most hardened sceptic think again. Scully was a particularly tough sceptic. None of her experiences of this strange agent prepared her for the sight that greeted her upon entering his office. Mulder was an average looking man, with dark, slightly greying hair, and an innocent, wide-eyed expression. He was slightly taller than her, but made less of an impact on the eye. Everything about him was understated, and he revelled in blending into the background; being the observer. He smiled at her. "Is it raining?" he asked without a trace of sarcasm, in a voice that suggested total disinterest in the simple, explainable physics of water falling from the sky. She ignored him. She hadn't quite been able to come to terms with the fact that he was standing in the middle of the room, his feet planted squarely on the floor with his eyes closed and his hands outstretched to the sides. He was surrounded by a circle of lit candles and had drawn a pentagram on the floor with a piece of discarded chalk. "What are you doing?" She wished she hadn't asked the moment the words had left her mouth. With a grunt, Mulder dropped his arms and opened his eyes. "I was simply trying a new method of meditation Scully," he explained. "You should try it sometime." "Aren't you supposed to be working?" "I am working." Dana couldn't quite believe she was having this conversation. She decided to get down to business. "I have something that might interest you." He raised an eyebrow, but showed no other reaction. She sighed. He was in one of his pensive moods. Never mind. "The British police force have arrested someone you might be interested in. They're holding him in London and you and I have been given clearance to go and interview him." "Who, Scully? Who are you talking about?" "A man who calls himself, 'The Doctor'." Mulder's face exploded with curiosity. "The Doctor!" he exclaimed. "They've caught him?" "That's what it says here." "Any photo, description? No," Mulder caught himself, "that probably wouldn't help. Scully, do you know who this man is?" "I had an idea you might be interested, but I can't say I know much about him." "A man known as the Doctor has cropped up so many times during history I've lost count." "I take it there's an X-File?" Scully knew the answer to that one even before Mulder had launched himself at a battered filing cabinet standing in the corner. He threw it open and pulled out a file so thick it was in danger of spilling its contents all over the floor. He took it over to his desk, clearing away various reports, documents, files, computer disks and photographs to make way for the tremendous bulk that landed in their wake. He opened the file, breathlessly sifting through the information stored within. "Y'see Scully, in the past intelligence agents have made the mistake of separating all the occurrences of the Doctor's name into different files according to the way he looks." Scully leaned over the file, interested despite herself. "Why? How many of them are there?" "I've details and accounts on at least six different men, all calling themselves the Doctor, and there are probably more." "But who are they?" "He, Scully. He is a man, or an alien or whatever, who keeps cropping up at times of crisis, helping out and then disappearing again." He pulled out a bunch of papers from the main group, these all stamped with the acronym 'UNIT' on them. "A man called the Doctor worked for UNIT. You've heard of them?" The question took her by surprise for a moment, before she answered, "Yes, yes of course. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce." "Well, he worked as an unpaid scientific advisor for the British division from 1976 to 1981, and helped out in situations that have remained highly classified since that time. But, and this is the important part, he is said by some people I've interviewed to have changed into a different man in 1980." "Changed?" "One day he was a tall, elegantly dressed white haired man, the next a flamboyant, tall man with dark, curly hair and a different face, not to mention dress sense." Scully brushed back a strand of damp hair that fell in front of her face and frowned at him. "A replacement surely?" "Then what happened to the white haired man? Why is there still the police box connection?" "The what?" But Mulder was already pulling out other files. "1981," he said. "A young, blond haired man helped recover the crew of a missing Concorde aircraft. The crew later said they had travelled backwards in time. 1986, a white haired old man arrived at the International Space Command Antarctic tracking station and helped avert an invasion of Cybernetic men..." "Mulder, you're talking rubbish. You don't have any proof except for garbled reports from a bunch of half insane people." "But there are consistencies, Scully. There are some elements which are always constant. That's why I must talk to him. I must see if I'm right." Dana breathed a heavy sigh. "I've already booked the flight." Ace padded out into the console room, bare, wet feet slapping on the cold, white floor. She pulled her towel more tightly around her for warmth, and wandered over to the mushroom shaped console that sprouted from the centre of the bright, white room with its roundelled walls. She reached out and twisted a dial on the console and smiled contentedly as she felt a noticeable rise in the room temperature. Something on the scanner screen caught her eye, and she looked up suddenly, nearly letting the towel drop to the floor. All she could see was the trees beyond, with no movement other than the wind rustling the foliage. "If you must walk around the TARDIS half naked, at least make sure nobody else is around," came another female voice from behind her. Ace gripped her towel more tightly and grinned sheepishly at Professor Bernice Summerfield. "I'm glad you're not the Doctor," she quipped as she padded past her companion and through into the corridor beyond the inner door. "I doubt he'd even notice. Enjoy your bath?" she asked pleasantly. Ace nodded. "Any word from his royal highness?" Bernice shook her head. "Nothing. Not since he disappeared yesterday." She raised an eyebrow. "You're not worried are you?" Ace shrugged. "No, not really. He can look after himself. He's just very good at getting himself into trouble." "Well why don't you get dressed, and we'll go look for him." Ace smiled. "No hurry," she said, and headed for her room. Dana Scully put down the umpteenth document and gazed out at the wing of the Boeing through the tiny portal. Mulder sat next to her, eyes closed, seemingly asleep. She had to admit he had a point. As bizarre as it seemed, all six of these men seemed to be connected. Apart from their collective name, obviously a codename, each Doctor had at one time or another been associated with a Police Public Call Box that had been described as everything from a storage cupboard to an odd curio to a time travelling space ship. Other recurring phrases included the mention of time travel, alleged alien invasions and predominantly female companions. Scully's mind conjured up images of a man who tricked young women into his police box whilst distracting everyone else with talk of alien invasions, having his way with them and then disappearing, only to turn up again later with a different face. Her musings were interrupted by a Flight attendant offering her a drink. She asked for a coffee - she didn't fly too well on alcohol - and returned her attention to the setting sun casting a red glow over the tops of the clouds. She was intrigued by the idea of this Doctor, and was most eager to meet him, if only to explain who he and the other men were, and what they're operation was. Anything to stop Mulder from getting insufferably smug. "Checkmate!" Bernice exclaimed triumphantly. Ace snorted derisively. "Never was any good at this," she lamented. Chess was a game of prediction, cunning and manipulation, traits more akin to the Doctor rather than herself. She preferred games which involved blasters, like Dalek hunting for example. "Another game?" Bernice asked. Ace shook her head. "I'm bored of waiting for him, Benny," she admitted. "I reckon he's in trouble." Bernice rolled one of Ace's lost knights in her palms. "He said he'd be a while. I'm sure he's alright." Ace wasn't convinced. "I'm going after him. Coming?" The archaeologist shook her head. "I have some reading to do. I'm going to ask the Doctor to take me to the Farrel system sometime. There's a wonderful dig going on there two hundred years from now and I've always wanted to be there when they unearth the Crystalline Tepherus..." Her voice trailed away as she became lost in her private thoughts. "Suit yourself." Ace stood up and walked out. Upon reaching her room, Ace strapped on her wrist computer, buckled on her belt and blaster and checked herself in the mirror. She was glad she'd shed those extra pounds during her time in Space Fleet; she looked damn good in jeans and T-shirt as a result. Shame she couldn't take her body-armour: it might raise a few eyebrows. It was a risk taking the blaster, but she refused to be without it. Looking in her wardrobe, she eventually selected a black, bomber jacket with her name emblazoned on the back. "Jesus," she whispered to herself, examining the garment for moth- attacks. "Now there's a blast from the past." She slipped into the jacket. It was like welcoming back an old friend. She abandoned the holster, favouring the wide inside pockets of the jacket which served to conceal her blaster. Ready for action, Ace strode from her room, picking up her backpack as she went. She said goodbye to Bernice and left the security of the TARDIS. "Lucky you people got here so quickly, we've been ordered to release him." Dana smiled gratefully as the guard opened the door that led down to the cells for her. He was middle-aged, with a fair spread around the midriff. He wore the uniform of the English police force, and Dana found it a refreshing change that there was no gun hanging from his belt. "Who by?" Mulder asked, his eyes flitting around for anything out of the ordinary. "UNIT," the guard replied in his thick London accent. Scully raised an enquiring eyebrow. "They're still operating?" "Not really. The command came from a Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart." The name rang a bell for Scully. She'd read something about this man and his connection with the Doctor in the X-Files. She glanced at Mulder and could tell that the name confirmed things for him. "What's he doing here?" Scully asked the guard. "You can ask him yourself," he said, coming to a halt outside one cell. Scully had been expecting someone impressive looking. She was disappointed. In the centre of the cell, sitting cross-legged on a stool, was a little man in a cream linen suit, white silk shirt and checked trousers. His face was obscured by a battered white fedora with a patterned hat band, making him look like some sort of cross between a private eye and a garden gnome. He seemed totally unremarkable until he lifted his head to greet them. It wasn't his lined owl-like face, nor his slightly pouting mouth that set him apart from a crowd. Rather it was his incredible eyes. It was difficult to specify any one colour they might be. They were deep pools of fiery intelligence that took her breath away. There was a quality to those eyes that would make her tell him anything he might want to know - should he ask. There was something else too, a tinge of sadness, regret, as if there were some heavy burden on his shoulders. He smiled and his face lit up like a clown's. "Company!" he said happily. "How nice." His accent was hard for Dana to place. Was it Irish? Scottish? She wasn't too familiar with European accents. When the guard opened the cell door, the Doctor made no move to escape. He simply continued to beam at Mulder and Scully as they entered. "If you need anything just yell," the guard told them and ambled off. Mulder came forward, hand outstretched. "Agent Fox Mulder," he said, "FBI. This is Special Agent Dana Scully." She nodded. "A pleasure to meet you at last, Doctor," he added. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You know of me?" "You certainly get around," Mulder told him. "I've read a great deal about you." "So have I," Dana interjected. "And I can't say I believe much of it." The Doctor stood up, smiling ingratiatingly at her. "I'm sure my role in any... strange... occurrences, is purely coincidental." Mulder was not to be put off. "I don't believe that, Doctor. If I may, I'd like to ask you some questions about some unexplained mysteries?" "Of course," he said, turning his back to them and regarding the far wall with sudden interest. Mulder reached into his jacket pocket for his notebook, and motioned for Scully to take the weighty X-File from her brief-case. "My my," the Doctor congratulated them, looking at them over his shoulder, "you have been busy. Is all that on me?" "There's some hard evidence, some wild speculation and some strange reports," Mulder explained, taking the file from Scully and opening it. There was a more immediate question at the forefront of Scully's mind however. "May I ask why you've been arrested, Doctor?" she asked, wondering what possible harm this little man could have done to anyone. The Doctor's reply was straightforward as he walked over to the side wall, and Scully couldn't detect any trace of a lie or fabrication in his account, despite its fantastic content. "I was found near to the body of a man who had been killed by a concentrated beam of energy, emitted from a multiple band phase rifle." He paused, peering out through the bars of the cell, watching the feet of the people as they passed by on the street above. "He was dead of course, there aren't many who can stand one of those on a kill setting. I had simply confirmed my suspicions before heading back when the esteemed ranks of the Metropolitan Police Force showed up." He turned to them and scratched his nose thoughtfully. "Well of course they had to arrest me since I couldn't explain who I was. Only doing their job." Scully rewound the monologue in her mind. "Multiple band phase rifle?" she repeated quizzically. Mulder pre-empted the Doctor. "An energy weapon. Is it alien?" "If you mean 'not of this Earth' then yes, certainly." "Now wait a minute..." Scully began. "Then where did it come from?" "It's probably one of the rifles used by the Ragamon Dynasty. I believe a scout ship landed here not so long ago, your time." Scully was having none of it. "Excuse me!" "Our time?" "Well time is relative, Agent Mulder." "I can't believe I'm hearing this." Mulder's eyes had glazed over. He was in his own private heaven. "Where's Ragamon?" he asked, the questions coming automatically, his mind probably filing away the obviously useless information and analysing it whilst his conscious brain left his head to take a stroll by the lapping waters of insanity. "In the Datrish system. Quite a way away from here, but then the Ragamon perfected the hyperdrive several centuries ago, relatively." "That's it," Scully snapped. These two had been born for each other, and she'd heard enough to convince her that she didn't want anything more to do with either of them. She walked to the bars and banged a fist on them. The guard arrived and opened the door for her. "I'll leave you two to it," she said and left the cell. As they walked down the corridor, Scully asked the guard where the body of the victim was stored. Before he could answer, Scully was deafened by an almighty explosion from behind her. The earth-shattering blast blew great clouds of brick dust into the corridor and filled the place with smoke and debris. Scully dropped and spun, bringing her gun to bear on the Doctor's cell. The guard had thrown himself in the opposite direction. "Mulder?" Scully called, coughing to rid her lungs of the debris. No reply. As the dust settled, Scully moved closer to the cell. The bars were still intact, though the door had sprung open. A gaping hole now existed where the top of the far wall had once stood, a rope ladder extending down into the cell from the street level above. Mulder was crouched in one corner with his hands clamped over his head. Of the Doctor there was no sign. "How the...?" she let the question fade away as Mulder climbed shakily to his feet. "What hit me?" he asked, brushing the fallen debris from his clothes and hair. Scully moved over to the gaping hole in the wall and hurriedly climbed up the ladder. On the street above her senses were assailed with sirens and screaming people running this way and that. Of the Doctor there was no sign. Mulder climbed up beside her. "He's gone," she told him simply. "Scully," Mulder said, the excitement in his voice undampened by the explosion and the debris he was forced to cough from his lungs. "I have to take a look at that body!" Dana let out a deep sigh. It was going to be another long day. [End Part 1]