“These are genius you know that?”
“What, slurpies?” Blaine asked.
“Only humans would think of putting food coloring and flavoring in ice. It’s a wonderful treat after saving the day again, too.”
“We didn’t save the day,” argued Kurt, “they were just having trouble with a fuse. It wasn’t another electrical ghost.”
“Stop being such a killjoy.”
The trio headed across the parking lot of the gas station to where the TARDIS was parked near the Dumpsters out back. The man running the store had given them free slurpies for their help in finding and fixing the problem with his lights.
When they were only three feet away from the TARDIS a stark blue-white light enveloped them and they stopped in surprise.
“What is that thing?” asked Blaine, blinking up at the bright light.
“It looks like a searchlight,” Kurt said, eyes screwed up against the powerful beam.
“A searchlight wouldn’t stay in place,” the Doctor said slowly. “That’s a spaceship if I ever saw one—and trust me, I’ve seen a lot.”
No sooner had he spoken these words then the three of them were suddenly jolted off their feet as beam of light lifted them off the ground and into the air, a feeling of weightlessness overtaking them as they were sucked into the ship.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Kurt woke up slowly, his brain fighting through the haze clouded his thoughts and
actions.
He was staring up at bright, white lights and first he thought he was in the hospital. Then he noticed the metal ceiling and wondered if the TARDIS was going for a new look.
He squeezed his eyes shut and snapped them open again as his vision started to go blurry again.
He tried moving his arms to push himself into a sitting position to find that he couldn’t do it. He suddenly realized how cold it was in the room he had been placed and his brain started piecing together flashes of how he had ended up where he was.
…the spaceship…the bright light…the levitation…
Panic swept through him: Oh God, you’ve got to be kidding me. We were abducted by aliens?
Sluggish images of the stupid programs his dad liked watching came to him and he was hit with the eerie idea of ending up on one of those dumb ‘documentaries’.
Then again you’ve been having an encounter of the first time for who knows how long.
Very slowly he tried to turn his head and discovered that he could only move it to the right. His heart sped up and his breath hitched in his throat as he saw Blaine laying a couple of feet away from him on a cold, metal table.
Kurt could tell the other man’s eyes were open and he cleared his throat of bile before saying Blaine’s name, the sound coming out only as a soft whisper.
Nevertheless, Blaine seemed to have heard him because he turned his head to look at Kurt, fear shinning in his eyes.
They stared at each other for a few beats before Blaine mouthed: Are you okay.
All things considered, I think so, Kurt mouthed back.
Blaine cleared his throat and his voice came out in a soft whimper, “Have we really been abducted by aliens?”
“It looks like it,” Kurt managed to croak.
“Do you think they’re going to make us…you know?”
Kurt cocked an eyebrow, “What?”
“Have sex.”
“Why would they do that?”
Blaine swallowed, “I heard they’ve made people do that.”
“I had no idea they were so kinky.”
Blaine didn’t seem to appreciate the joke, giving Kurt an annoyed look.
“Where’s the Doctor?”
“I have no idea. I’m sure he’ll get us out of here though.”
/////
The Doctor groaned and opened his eyes, blinking a few times to bring everything into focus.
You were not affected by our paralysis.
The Doctor stirred, lifting his head and squinting to bring a short figure into his line of vision.
“N-no,” he said slowly, “I doubt I would be since you seem to have mistaken me for a human.”
You are saying you are not?
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Then what are you?
“I’m a Time Lord.”
A beat, then: Impossible, the Time Lords were destroyed.
“Shows how much you know.”
He pushed himself into a sitting position, grinding the heel of his hand into his forehead as he tried to fight off a headache. “Where am I? Who are you?”
We are the Grays.
“Grays? I thought you lot were a myth. What have you done with my friends?”
This is none of you concern.
“I beg to differ,” he said, glaring at the Gray in front of him. “If you’ve hurt them in any way you will regret.”
Are you threatening us?
“What do you think?”
The Gray stared at him with its huge black, almond-shaped eyes before stating: You cannot harm us.
“More terrifying creatures then you have made that mistake.”
The Gray stood there for a few more minutes before leaving the room. The room was small and the Doctor had no way of knowing where the Gray had gone, but that was alright with him. It had just made the mistake of leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He reached into his pocket and discovered that his screwdriver was missing.
“Oh, that might not be such a good thing…”
He moved over to the door to examine it, running his hands along it and trying to
figure out where he had seen such a design before.
Finally, it dawned on him. The door was operated by pure will of thought that
could only be controlled by a superior mind.
“And I’ve got the most superior mind in the universe,” he muttered to himself with more then a hint of arrogance.
////
Kurt felt the heaviness lift from his body and he was able to struggle upright, Blaine sitting up as well.
“What are they doing?” asked Blaine.
“How should I know?”
Presently a large panel slide away in front of them, revealing a tunnel leading away into darkness.
“Do they want us to go in there?” asked Kurt after a few minutes had passed and there was no sign of life anywhere in the tunnel.
“Probably…”
“They must idiots if they think we’re just going to go in there and—
Suddenly the tables they had been lying on sank into the floor and the wall behind them began to slowly move towards them.
“Yeah, I don’t think they’re going to give us much of a choice…”
The wall started closing in on them faster and the duo darted into the tunnel just as the wall shut them inside.
A bank of dull, white lights kicked on overhead and they were able to see that the tunnel branched off into two different directions.
“They’re treating us like rats in a maze,” observed Kurt as the boys slowly headed down the tunnel.
“Which direction do you want to take?”
“I don’t see how it will matter.”
They hovered at the crossroads for a few seconds before heading down the right fork.
////
The Doctor moved as silently as he could through the numerous corridors as he searched for his companions.
Having no idea where they might be was not helping at all and he racked his brains for all the information he had on the Grays.
They were a strange race—grown in a lab if memory served—and had been sent to Earth on multiple occasions in order to collect DNA for their overlords, the Reptos.
The Reptos needed the genetic material of both humans and bovines in order to complete gene sequences that they themselves were lacking in. Although how material from mammals were supposed to help reptiles was beyond him—something that didn’t come up very often and certainly nothing he would admit out loud.
Armed with the knowledge from his review of both species he figured his best bet would be to locate the genetic laboratories of the ship.
////
“This is stupid, they keep changing the hallways,” Kurt complained. “They’re using as like rats in a maze.”
“That’s probably are we are to them,” Blaine pointed out as they came to another
fork in the tunnel.
“Which way you want to take this time?”
“Let’s go left, we’ve taken the right the last three times so maybe we’ll have better luck with it.”
Blaine seriously doubted that, but he didn’t say anything.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
As the Doctor moved down the corridors he happened upon a room filled with what looked at glance to be junk. Then he noticed something unmistakable; the sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor looked around to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying over to the room and sending a thought wave towards it. It slide open under his command and he slipped inside.
He nearly ran over to the table where the sonic rested and he grabbed it, slipping it into his pocket as he turned to leave.
Just as he was moving back to the door, it slide open and two Grays stood before him, one of them holding a needle filled with a blue liquid.
“Oh, hello,” he said.
You must come with us.
“Now look, I’m useless. What good would I be to either of you?”
You are a Time Lord.
“Yes, I believe I established that when we first talked. Why the sudden change of heart though? You didn’t think I was telling the truth earlier.”
Our masters have confirmed it.
“You mean the Reptos?”
Yes.
“Where are these masters of yours? I’d like a word.”
The masters do not speak with anyone but us.
“Surly they could make an exception for someone like me.”
Suddenly, the Doctor felt his body go rigid and he was rooted to the spot. The Grays approached him and he tried fighting against the invisible shackles to no avail.
The Gray holding the syringe plunged it into the crook of the Doctor’s arm and injected him with the liquid.
The Doctor felt his brain grow fuzzy and he collapsed to the floor.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“Kurt, look, is that an actual room?”
Kurt squinted into the distance and grinned, “I think it is.”
“Let’s hope it’s not a mirage.”
The boys grabbed each other’s hands and sprinted down the corridor, putting a burst of speed as they neared the room. They dashed inside and gave whoops of delight as the maze reached completion.
“Ha, we beat it!” exclaimed Kurt.
“Yeah, you stupid aliens, let us out!” added Blaine.
The wall behind them slide closed and a door opened up in front of them, revealing two of the Grays.
“Give us back our friend and put us back on Earth,” demanded Kurt.
The aliens gazed steadily at him and Blaine and the two boys suddenly felt the
sensation of immobilization.
Damn it, not again, Kurt thought as the pair fell unconscious.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Kurt opened his eyes slowly, discovering that he could not move save for his eyes.
He swiveled them in their sockets and saw that Blaine lay on his right and the Doctor was on his left.
At least they were all together again.
Kurt heard a door slide open and the sound of bare feet pattering on the steel floor of the room.
Suddenly Kurt found he could turn his head and he did so now to see that Blaine and the Doctor had done the same to follow the movements of the Grays.
“What do you want with the three of us?” demanded the Doctor.
Our masters have deemed the three of you suitable for their new experiment.
“Experiment?” repeated Blaine, “Oh, God…”
“What is this experiment?” demanded the Doctor.
“To turn you into the first in what we hope to be a line of mutant soldiers,” came a hissing voice.
The three Grays dropped to their knees and pressed their bulbous heads against the floor. Kurt heard the click of claws on metal and craned his neck around to see what he could only describe as a humanoid komodo dragon striding into the room.
“Hello, Time Lord,” it hissed at the Doctor.
“Hi,” replied the Doctor with a cheeky grin.
The lizard-man growled and roved its black eyes over Blaine and Kurt in an almost hungry fashion.
“What is a member of an ancient race doing traveling with creatures barely evolved enough to rule their own planet?”
“I never pass up the opportunity to teach those willing to learn. What do you mean by turning us into mutants? What good will that do the Reptos?”
“Our home planet is dying, Time Lord. We need to find a new place to inhabit, and the best one we can find that suits our needs is Earth.”
The Doctor snorted, “Isn’t that always the case? You didn’t answer my question about the mutants though.”
“I thought that much was obvious. We need insiders to fight for us and the best way to do that is to convert human beings to do our bidding.”
“You’re going to turn us into lizards?” asked Blaine.
“No, fool, we plan to make you as mindless as bovine so that you will do what we tell you with no complaints.”
“Not if we can stop you,” threatened the Doctor.
“And what exactly do you think you’ll be able to do against us, Time Lord?”
“I’ll find something.”
The Repto laughed, “I wish you luck, but you had better come up with something fast. Pretty soon we’ll bring in the first experimental mutation serum and you won’t be able to do anything but what I command you to.”
The Repto hissed something at the Grays before sweeping out of the room, its long tail swinging in the air and producing a whistling sound.
The Grays got to their feet again and moved away from their captors, heading over to a control panel of some kind.
“You do have a plan, right?” whispered Blaine furiously.
“Of course,” said the Doctor, “and I’ll fill you in as soon as one comes to me.”
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the trio was still in the same predicament as before.
Kurt was just beginning to resign himself to his fate when one of the Grays spoke: The masters are off the ship.
Are you positive?
Yes.
“Something important about that, fellows?” asked the Doctor.
The Grays moved into the line of vision of Kurt, Blaine and the Doctor. There was a beat and movement was restored to the trio’s limbs.
Quickly, we do not have much time.
They sat up and swung their legs over the sides of the tables they had been lying on.
“What do you mean by this?” asked the Doctor.
We do not agree with the masters. We want our own planet, somewhere far away from them. If you are the Time Lord that legend speaks of then you can find us a new home.
“Yes, I could…”
Then we have no time to waste. We must leave before the masters come back.
“Can we trust them?” whispered Blaine.
“We’ll take the chance for now. At least I have the sonic with me now.” To the
Grays he said: “Lead the way.”
The diminutive aliens led Blaine, Kurt and the Doctor out of the room and down a corridor which brought them to a control room. The room was filled with the Grays and Kurt and Blaine stayed as close to the Doctor as possible as he followed the three Grays to the captain’s chair.
“Won’t the Reptos know you’ve left the area?” asked the Doctor.
It doesn’t matter if you’re going to find us a new home.
“The Reptos will still be able to find you. They have enough technology to locate you. We’ll have to do more then just find you a new sector of the universe to live in.”
Do you know of a way to do that?
“…I think so, yeah.”
Then let’s get the three of you home. Sit down.
The trio consented and the Grays hit a few buttons and flicked a few switches and a wormhole opened up in front of them. The Grays guided the ship inside and within a matter of seconds they were back hovering above the gas station they had been abducted from.
“One of you will have to follow me down there.”
I thought the idea was to take all of us?
“We won’t have to use my ship with what I have in mind.”
A Gray stepped forwards and the quartet was transported down in front of the TARDIS.
The Doctor led them inside before striding off somewhere in the back of the TARDIS.
I hope the two of you hold no scorn for our race, gentlemen, said the Gray. None of us enjoy abducting your people or mutilating cattle. I hope there are no hard feelings between us…that is the proper term your people use, yes?
“Yeah,” said Blaine.
Kurt wondered if Blaine meant that it was the proper term or if he had no hard feelings against the alien, but the Gray seemed to accept his answer.
You were both quite good in the maze. The best, actually; that was why we decided to use you in the experiments in the first place.
“Gee, thanks,” said Kurt.
“No use being sarcastic around them, Kurt,” said the Doctor coming back into the room. “It’s not in their vocabulary.”
The Doctor held out what appeared to be a floppy disk out to the Gray and the other alien took it with some confusion.
“Put that into the files of the Reptos and it should wipe clean any and all technology they have. A fatal flaw of the Reptos is the fact that they don’t bother making hard copies of anything any more. By the time they’ve repaired any kind of a tracking device you should have been able to hide yourselves away from such technology.
“If not, contact me and I’ll see what I can do.”
Thank you, Doctor. You are most kind.
The Doctor smiled and saluted the creature.
The Gray turned and exited the ship.
“You’re going to let them go?” Kurt was incredulous, “Just like that?”
“Oh, Kurt, think of how many times your race has been coerced into doing
something you didn’t like because a tyrannical leader told you to do it.
“Now, then, let’s go and get ourselves another one of those slurpies. We didn’t get to enjoy our previous ones.”