Arcadia Falls
I don't usually post fanfic.
But I spent yesterday home sick with a head cold, thinking about The Day of the Doctor.
You can't sleep properly with a head cold. The snot keeps you awake. And, if you're me, you distract yourself thinking about what you wanted to see with John Hurt's War Doctor.
DOCTOR WHO: ARCADIA FALLS
EXT. SPACE
A small green planet floats against the stars.
CAPTION: ARCADIA, THE TIME WAR
Dalek saucers swoop towards it. Hundreds of saucers. Thousands. All firing their lasers.
We follow them as they dive towards…
EXT. ARCADIAN CITY, DUSK
In peacetime, this would be a beautiful city of glass domes and lush gardens.
But this isn’t peacetime. The saucer fire relentlessly. The domes shatter. The gardens burn.
A crowd of Arcadians try to flee the destruction.
A lone woman pushes her way against the crowd. Her name is KALA. She clutches a pile of books like her life depends on it.
KALA
Let me through! Let me through! I have to save the library!
The crowd suddenly parts. Kala stumbles.
Out of the smoke and debris glide three DALEKS.
They train their blasters on her.
KALA
Please. These are the Sagas of Arcadia, the original copies. Kill me if you have to. But let these books survive.
DALEKS
EX-TER-MI-NATE.
Kala shields the books with her body.
A VOICE (off screen)
If you insist…
Kala looks up. Behind her stands the WAR DOCTOR. He raises an enormous blaster rifle.
WAR DOCTOR
Well duck, girl. Duck.
Kala ducks. The War Doctor opens fire.
Energy bolts fly. The Daleks explode.
The War Doctor strides past Kala, and kicks the smoking shell of a Dalek.
WAR DOCTOR
You tried to reason with them.
KALA
I’m a scholar. That’s what we do.
WAR DOCTOR
Do you have a name, little scholar?
KALA
Kala.
WAR DOCTOR
Kala. Kala. Right. This way, Kala.
He strides off. Kala scrambles to follow him.
KALA
Are you a Time Lord?
WAR DOCTOR
For my sins.
KALA
The Time Lords are invading Arcadia too?
WAR DOCTOR
Invading? Invading? We’re trying to protect you. Look!
He points where they’re going: a Time Lord Defense Tower, like a cross between a gunnery emplacement, a radar tower and a medieval castle.
A Dalek saucer swoops towards the tower. The tower and saucer exchange fire.
KALA (taking cover)
When was that built?
WAR DOCTOR (not taking cover at all)
Three hundred years ago.
KALA
It wasn’t there this morning.
WAR DOCTOR
Time travel. Come on.
They race through the battle to the tower.
INT, DEFENCE TOWER CONTROL ROOM, DUSK
Lift doors open. The War Doctor and Kala step out.
Time Lord soldiers work frantically at the battle console. Behind them, panoramic windows show the battle in progress.
An explosion shakes the tower. Kala staggers. Bumps into something. Looks.
It’s a scarred and battered Police Box.
She stares, bewildered.
WAR DOCTOR
Captain, report.
CAPTAIN
It's not good, sir. Shields breached. Time locks broken. The Daleks are rewriting this timeline as we speak.
WAR DOCTOR
Well, outflank them, man. Go back further.
CAPTAIN
We can’t. There’s too many. Arcadia is falling, Doctor.
WAR DOCTOR
Don’t call me that. Never call me that.
CAPTAIN
Sorry, sir. But you need to give the order.
KALA
Order?
The War Doctor doesn’t answer her.
KALA
What order?
WAR DOCTOR
The Daleks are rewriting your past. Ten thousand years of peace turned into a weapons factory.
KALA
That’s impossible.
WAR DOCTOR
Is it?
He gestures at her books. They glow with time energy, then transform into Dalek blasters. Kala drops them in horror.
KALA
This is madness.
WAR DOCTOR
I know. I’m sorry.
He takes her hands. He looks into her eyes.
WAR DOCTOR (to Captain)
Do it.
CAPTAIN
Protocol Zero engaged.
KALA
Do *what*? Tell me. What are you doing?
WAR DOCTOR
Saving Arcadia. By wiping it from history.
Outside, through the windows, the domes and gardens and Dalek saucers flare with time energy, then vanish.
Kala sees them go. Tears stream down her face.
KALA
You people... You’re not Time Lords. You’re Time Monsters.
The time energy consumes her. She disappears.
The War Doctor stares at his empty hands, too exhausted to mourn.
CAPTAIN
Sir?
WAR DOCTOR
Retreat to Gallifrey. We’ve lost this battle. Let’s not lose the damn war.
EXT., SPACE.
For a moment, the planet Arcadia floats against the stars.
Then the time energy devours it, and it’s gone.
Crossposted from sharplittleteeth.dreamwidth.org
You can comment here, or over there using OpenID.
comments there.
But I spent yesterday home sick with a head cold, thinking about The Day of the Doctor.
You can't sleep properly with a head cold. The snot keeps you awake. And, if you're me, you distract yourself thinking about what you wanted to see with John Hurt's War Doctor.
DOCTOR WHO: ARCADIA FALLS
EXT. SPACE
A small green planet floats against the stars.
CAPTION: ARCADIA, THE TIME WAR
Dalek saucers swoop towards it. Hundreds of saucers. Thousands. All firing their lasers.
We follow them as they dive towards…
EXT. ARCADIAN CITY, DUSK
In peacetime, this would be a beautiful city of glass domes and lush gardens.
But this isn’t peacetime. The saucer fire relentlessly. The domes shatter. The gardens burn.
A crowd of Arcadians try to flee the destruction.
A lone woman pushes her way against the crowd. Her name is KALA. She clutches a pile of books like her life depends on it.
KALA
Let me through! Let me through! I have to save the library!
The crowd suddenly parts. Kala stumbles.
Out of the smoke and debris glide three DALEKS.
They train their blasters on her.
KALA
Please. These are the Sagas of Arcadia, the original copies. Kill me if you have to. But let these books survive.
DALEKS
EX-TER-MI-NATE.
Kala shields the books with her body.
A VOICE (off screen)
If you insist…
Kala looks up. Behind her stands the WAR DOCTOR. He raises an enormous blaster rifle.
WAR DOCTOR
Well duck, girl. Duck.
Kala ducks. The War Doctor opens fire.
Energy bolts fly. The Daleks explode.
The War Doctor strides past Kala, and kicks the smoking shell of a Dalek.
WAR DOCTOR
You tried to reason with them.
KALA
I’m a scholar. That’s what we do.
WAR DOCTOR
Do you have a name, little scholar?
KALA
Kala.
WAR DOCTOR
Kala. Kala. Right. This way, Kala.
He strides off. Kala scrambles to follow him.
KALA
Are you a Time Lord?
WAR DOCTOR
For my sins.
KALA
The Time Lords are invading Arcadia too?
WAR DOCTOR
Invading? Invading? We’re trying to protect you. Look!
He points where they’re going: a Time Lord Defense Tower, like a cross between a gunnery emplacement, a radar tower and a medieval castle.
A Dalek saucer swoops towards the tower. The tower and saucer exchange fire.
KALA (taking cover)
When was that built?
WAR DOCTOR (not taking cover at all)
Three hundred years ago.
KALA
It wasn’t there this morning.
WAR DOCTOR
Time travel. Come on.
They race through the battle to the tower.
INT, DEFENCE TOWER CONTROL ROOM, DUSK
Lift doors open. The War Doctor and Kala step out.
Time Lord soldiers work frantically at the battle console. Behind them, panoramic windows show the battle in progress.
An explosion shakes the tower. Kala staggers. Bumps into something. Looks.
It’s a scarred and battered Police Box.
She stares, bewildered.
WAR DOCTOR
Captain, report.
CAPTAIN
It's not good, sir. Shields breached. Time locks broken. The Daleks are rewriting this timeline as we speak.
WAR DOCTOR
Well, outflank them, man. Go back further.
CAPTAIN
We can’t. There’s too many. Arcadia is falling, Doctor.
WAR DOCTOR
Don’t call me that. Never call me that.
CAPTAIN
Sorry, sir. But you need to give the order.
KALA
Order?
The War Doctor doesn’t answer her.
KALA
What order?
WAR DOCTOR
The Daleks are rewriting your past. Ten thousand years of peace turned into a weapons factory.
KALA
That’s impossible.
WAR DOCTOR
Is it?
He gestures at her books. They glow with time energy, then transform into Dalek blasters. Kala drops them in horror.
KALA
This is madness.
WAR DOCTOR
I know. I’m sorry.
He takes her hands. He looks into her eyes.
WAR DOCTOR (to Captain)
Do it.
CAPTAIN
Protocol Zero engaged.
KALA
Do *what*? Tell me. What are you doing?
WAR DOCTOR
Saving Arcadia. By wiping it from history.
Outside, through the windows, the domes and gardens and Dalek saucers flare with time energy, then vanish.
Kala sees them go. Tears stream down her face.
KALA
You people... You’re not Time Lords. You’re Time Monsters.
The time energy consumes her. She disappears.
The War Doctor stares at his empty hands, too exhausted to mourn.
CAPTAIN
Sir?
WAR DOCTOR
Retreat to Gallifrey. We’ve lost this battle. Let’s not lose the damn war.
EXT., SPACE.
For a moment, the planet Arcadia floats against the stars.
Then the time energy devours it, and it’s gone.
Crossposted from sharplittleteeth.dreamwidth.org
You can comment here, or over there using OpenID.
comments there.