Drummy ™©
327
"A Shard of Time"
"But how does someone steal time!?" Penny yelled,as the Doctor piloted the Tardis
in a frenzy, flipping levers and switches.He fastened down the clock with a belt and a
blanket,leaping back to the controls just as an emergency sound went off. "It's not a concept
you can easily understand! its..well..if you take...its like if you ...AGGH!" the doctor cried in frustration
as the fought with the controls.The Tardis slammed to a stop,throwing both of them to the deck.
the Doctor jumped to his feet and grabbing the clock,was out the doors. "is it Dangerous!?"
Penny asked,hurrying after him.she skidded to a stop behind him,and her eyes widened
as she took in her surroundings.In every direction, large jagged mountains, like purple ice,and at the
base of them, orange rivers running into waterfalls that fell off into black pits.she took a deep breath
and stared in awe. "time isn't this straight line,"the doctor said, looking back over his shoulder at her.
"its never simple,but its also not complicated.its an infinite number of lines, crossing, curving, sometimes
doubling back.time can be erased.. and re-written. but when it's stolen.. he grimaced... When time is stolen
it leaves a hole.it removes it from ever existing.it plucks it out like the first slice of cake at a birthday party.
ok,maybe a bad analogy" he said as he rubbed his forehead. "So if someone stole time,we can just put it back
right? is that how a Terralon key is...?"Penny asked.he seemed to be thinking it over in his head..."no...
No a Terralon key is .. its like a prison,for time.you can seal it up,and unless you can time travel back to that moment
and release it ,it's never going to fit in again.getting it wrong could.. it could do things i don't even understand."
"it could be a weapon.. it could even be someone messing with things they know nothing about.. i brought it
here because it would be safe.we could leave it here.or.. i should detonate it. i don't know." he paced around
apparently talking to himself now. Penny had never seen him act so uneasy.
After a few more minutes the Doctor picked up the clock and examined the face.
"So you have seen a key like this before?" Penny asked,sitting down on a rock. "once... a long time ago."he
replied,squinting at the dials. "being as how they take 800 years to make,its not the kind of thing you find
laying around in the street" Penny's mouth fell open "800 years?! why on earth would anybody do that?"
The Doctor smiled and set the clock down. "a very long time ago.. it .. well,it was considered an honor to be part
of a family chosen to craft and build a Terralon key. it would take generation after generation. not so unlike
the Egyptian wall carvings of earth." he noted with a smile" fathers would grow old,and the sons would take over
and hand it off to their sons.. and most of the time the finished keys were given to Emperors. Rulers of not just
one world,but whole systems.it was the only version of Immortality they could get a grasp on,i guess" he mused
as he dusted off his knees and walked back towards the Tardis. Penny jumped up after him, looking back
at the clock. Once back inside she asked "So what is in it? did you see?" He shook his head, "seems harmless
enough,it still has room in it,meaning there isn't much inside.i figure we can remote open it from up above,and
make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.they hovered a few hundred feet above and he flipped a few switches
and watched on the monitor as the lights began to glow on the clock again,and suddenly a burst of blue light
shot out of the top. Penny and the Doctor watched as ghost like streams floated out,a figure of a man and a
woman embracing.the woman appeared to be laying down in a bed,the man kneeling beside her,holding her close.
they heard him whisper "good bye,my love". they began to fade,as he reach out an arm beside him.
"thats when he shut the gate on the key ..." The Doctor said quietly.. a little taken back by the revelation.
"So ..."penny thoughtfully spoke "he was .. saving his last moments with her?"
"it appears so".. He replied,a slight tone of sadness in his voice. "he locked the moment
away and kept it. i still have no idea how he got a key,and what it was doing on earth in the first place... but i am
betting that Moment is at least 100 years old."
"and the other key you spoke of.. was it like this?" She asked,smiling slightly..
The doctors eyes became full of sorrow and a darker tone was in his voice," No.. the other
key was... much different. it was used to capture a moment,and hide it away from all of time. from everywhere
and everyone.to make what had been done, lost and unchangeable forever ." Penny gave a shudder of fear from the
doctors words. "but,as i said... a long time ago" he feigned a smile at her,and flipped a couple switches.
327
"A Shard of Time"
"But how does someone steal time!?" Penny yelled,as the Doctor piloted the Tardis
in a frenzy, flipping levers and switches.He fastened down the clock with a belt and a
blanket,leaping back to the controls just as an emergency sound went off. "It's not a concept
you can easily understand! its..well..if you take...its like if you ...AGGH!" the doctor cried in frustration
as the fought with the controls.The Tardis slammed to a stop,throwing both of them to the deck.
the Doctor jumped to his feet and grabbing the clock,was out the doors. "is it Dangerous!?"
Penny asked,hurrying after him.she skidded to a stop behind him,and her eyes widened
as she took in her surroundings.In every direction, large jagged mountains, like purple ice,and at the
base of them, orange rivers running into waterfalls that fell off into black pits.she took a deep breath
and stared in awe. "time isn't this straight line,"the doctor said, looking back over his shoulder at her.
"its never simple,but its also not complicated.its an infinite number of lines, crossing, curving, sometimes
doubling back.time can be erased.. and re-written. but when it's stolen.. he grimaced... When time is stolen
it leaves a hole.it removes it from ever existing.it plucks it out like the first slice of cake at a birthday party.
ok,maybe a bad analogy" he said as he rubbed his forehead. "So if someone stole time,we can just put it back
right? is that how a Terralon key is...?"Penny asked.he seemed to be thinking it over in his head..."no...
No a Terralon key is .. its like a prison,for time.you can seal it up,and unless you can time travel back to that moment
and release it ,it's never going to fit in again.getting it wrong could.. it could do things i don't even understand."
"it could be a weapon.. it could even be someone messing with things they know nothing about.. i brought it
here because it would be safe.we could leave it here.or.. i should detonate it. i don't know." he paced around
apparently talking to himself now. Penny had never seen him act so uneasy.
After a few more minutes the Doctor picked up the clock and examined the face.
"So you have seen a key like this before?" Penny asked,sitting down on a rock. "once... a long time ago."he
replied,squinting at the dials. "being as how they take 800 years to make,its not the kind of thing you find
laying around in the street" Penny's mouth fell open "800 years?! why on earth would anybody do that?"
The Doctor smiled and set the clock down. "a very long time ago.. it .. well,it was considered an honor to be part
of a family chosen to craft and build a Terralon key. it would take generation after generation. not so unlike
the Egyptian wall carvings of earth." he noted with a smile" fathers would grow old,and the sons would take over
and hand it off to their sons.. and most of the time the finished keys were given to Emperors. Rulers of not just
one world,but whole systems.it was the only version of Immortality they could get a grasp on,i guess" he mused
as he dusted off his knees and walked back towards the Tardis. Penny jumped up after him, looking back
at the clock. Once back inside she asked "So what is in it? did you see?" He shook his head, "seems harmless
enough,it still has room in it,meaning there isn't much inside.i figure we can remote open it from up above,and
make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.they hovered a few hundred feet above and he flipped a few switches
and watched on the monitor as the lights began to glow on the clock again,and suddenly a burst of blue light
shot out of the top. Penny and the Doctor watched as ghost like streams floated out,a figure of a man and a
woman embracing.the woman appeared to be laying down in a bed,the man kneeling beside her,holding her close.
they heard him whisper "good bye,my love". they began to fade,as he reach out an arm beside him.
"thats when he shut the gate on the key ..." The Doctor said quietly.. a little taken back by the revelation.
"So ..."penny thoughtfully spoke "he was .. saving his last moments with her?"
"it appears so".. He replied,a slight tone of sadness in his voice. "he locked the moment
away and kept it. i still have no idea how he got a key,and what it was doing on earth in the first place... but i am
betting that Moment is at least 100 years old."
"and the other key you spoke of.. was it like this?" She asked,smiling slightly..
The doctors eyes became full of sorrow and a darker tone was in his voice," No.. the other
key was... much different. it was used to capture a moment,and hide it away from all of time. from everywhere
and everyone.to make what had been done, lost and unchangeable forever ." Penny gave a shudder of fear from the
doctors words. "but,as i said... a long time ago" he feigned a smile at her,and flipped a couple switches.