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Fanfics » 5th Doctor (pre-WHOSLIDERS) » Doctor Who and the X-Men: The Rewrite of the Original, or The Director's Cut - Part 2

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Part 2.


A few days ago, The Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric were travelling in the TARDIS when suddenly something shook the TARDIS. Tegan was certain that the floor and the walls of the rooms of the TARDIS were melting or even disappearing.
Tegan had just experienced one of her recurring nightmares. She could not understand why she kept having these since she was now free of the Mara, according to the Doctor. She suspected the Mara was responsible for these dreams. On the Kinda's world, Deva Loka, the Mara had taken control of her mind for its evil purposes, entering our universe in this way. But the Doctor had found a way to banish the Mara back to where it apparently came from, using a circle of mirrors. The truth was there was more than one Mara, and more than one kind. After the Federation had been formed, the earliest Mara and its own Sumaran Empire had been defeated on Manussa, the Sumaran Empire homeworld by the Federation's flagship - the Enterprise commanded by a young Kirk B. Archer (the B. stood for Beckett as in Sam Beckett). The Mara was only banished to what the Doctor called the dark places of the inside. But was there one Mara, more than one, or a large number which were inter-connected like the Borg species were?
After the Doctor banished the Mara on Deva Loka, a parasitic form of the Mara was still in some control of Tegan, at un unconscious level, giving her the strange dreams. The Doctor later on called this a latent force. Once she woke up, she could not remember the dream. Only the sensations of fear and weak knees remained. Her knees felt like water, unable to lift her up, unable to sustain her weight. She did not associate this with the Mara on a conscious level, so far. But after breakfast with the Doctor, Adric and Nyssa, she recalled the Mara, not with considerable disgust, and asked the Doctor about it. She felt safe enough to discuss the matter now. Little was she aware of what was in her.

But what was the Mara? The very name means sorrow. The Mara was a Slavic vampire, according to the legends of the Kashube people of Canada. Their legends said it was the spirit of an unbaptised dead girl. Of course this was not correct.
In fact, Adric asked the doctor about what happens to unbaptised dead girls (and boys), some time ago after the time on Deva Loka. The Doctor explained how the Church entrusts them to God's Mercy, as it does in their funerals. The Doctor said he believes that God does not permit such a thing as the legend said. The reality was to be found elsewhere. The Doctor believed this to be a form of evil present in the universe. A parasite if you will, but an evil and intelligent one. The legend described the Mara as a terrible night visitor who crushes and oppresses her victims, drinking the blood of a man she will fall in love with him and will return to plague his dreams until he dies. Other versions of the Mara legend describe the Mara not as a vampire, but as a bringer of nightmares, and Mara are associated with sleep paralysis experiences. In fact, this was the origin of the word 'Nightmare'.
"Did you know that there was a story about another Mara, a beautiful woman who was able to instil fear into others. It was the picture of the suffering servant and the suffering those who are for the truth are called to, before the joy of the morning." the Doctor remarked. "Quite a different Mara", Adric said. "I'd say so. A certain George MacDonald wrote it. That 'Mara' was similar to Tolkien's Galadriel, in his classic The Lord of the Rings." Tegan commented. "You see, Tegan, sometimes suffering is necessary for our eventual redemption", the Doctor pointed out. "As I say, never give up!"
"Doctor what's happening" Adric couldn't stand and fell down. A light blinked. Adric looked at the light. It was labelled 'Chaos Danger Level'.
"Adric we must be in some kind of extra-dimensional vortex, but with a difference. Allow me to explain." replied the Doctor. "Normally the TARDIS travels in the vortex of this universe. However with some dimensional shift we seem to be in an impossible state."
(Back in the SOL, who are still watching the Doctor and companions)
Tom: Your state, should you choose to be in it... [hums 'Mission: Impossible'
theme.]
 (Back in the TARDIS)
Adric quite simply retorted "This can't be!". The Doctor said the universe has properties similar to a computation device when one studies it at a quantum level. "In fact scientists on Earth theorise that a quantum computer would constitute in its own right a "mini"-universe! Now a logic device, a circuit, can be in a number of possible states. But there is also an undefined state, known as an impossible state. Many advanced planets teach that the universe is a complex ongoing computation and can be represented using computation principles of quantum computing. One of them was Logopolis, for instance. So allow me to explain 'where we are' right now. Here and not here. Materialised and Not materialised. Stabilised and Not stabilised. Phased and Not phased. Between universes and parallel worlds."
(Back in the SOL)
Mike: Interesting and boring.
Tom: Holmes and Moriarty.
Crow: Diaz and MacPherson. Charlies' Angels.
Quinn: It's time to say bye!
Mike: Leaving so quickly? How are you going to leave?
Arturo: Same way we came.
Tom: But we didn't ask you how you came here.
Crow: How did you come here?
Wade: Bye, got to Slide!
(Quinn activates the Sliders' timer. A semi-luninous light emerges from the advanced device, opening a multicolour whirlpool vortex in front of them. The Sliders, one by one, jump through the vortex and disappear to the eyes of Mike and company.)
Mike: That was weird.
Tom: I get the feeling something has changed.
Crow: Reality Check. A minute probability of less than 5% indicates the possibility that time itself has been altered!
Mike: It's Doctor Who's fault.
Tom: Can he do that?
Crow: Negative. The cause is exterior to the fic.
 (Back in the TARDIS)
The Doctor clarified "Time is in itself elastic. Now think of two exclusive states which are mutually exclusive, yet both are necessary! Like both particle and wave behaviour!"
"How can that be, in this sense" Nyssa asked. "Isn't that against the laws of logic?" "Against the conventional and classic ones certainly. But it depends which logic you apply. Some forms of quantum physics allow for this. Much more than that, it follows from quantum computation." counselled the Doctor. "We'd better take a look outside using the viewscreen. We must be in a different dimension from ours."
(Back in the SOL)
Tom: Isn't that always the way? The ship shakes, and *boom!*, you're in a
new dimension!
Mike: No, didn't you see those guys with their remote control thingie. They just fire it and *boom*, they're gone in some other dimension.
Tom: Wonder if there's a connection.
Mike: Could be.
 (Back in the TARDIS)
Nyssa said "This is probably the analogue to the phenomena of 'quantum complementarity' or 'non-Booleanness'. Two exclusive states which are mutually exclusive, yet both are necessary, like particle and wave behaviour!"
The Doctor interrupted her. "You are correct. Now, quickly, Nyssa, press the VORTEX OVERRIDE button which should stabilise us, and release us from this chaotic position. Well it looks more like a small pocket universe to the TARDIS sensors."
"Wait!" said Tegan. "What's this? I've never seen anything like it."
(Back in the SOL)
Mike: [Doctor] Well, Tegan, it's a button that the writer placed on the
console so he could us lead us into the new directory's cut of this story.
(In the Parallel Universe - this will be abbreviated PU from this point on)
"Neither have I, at least in this way. This must be a parallel
  (Back in the SOL)
  Tom: [Doctor] What?! Wait a minute, this isn't even my console!
Einstein-Rosenberg bridge. Nyssa don't press anything, We must have crossed its path while it was forming. Let's see what happens." said the Doctor.
(Back in the SOL)
Crow: Yeah, let's just turn off the lights, sit real still, and hope the thing
shaking the TARDIS will go away.


The area outside was an empty spatial area, void of any features except four humans in one corner, a grim tall figure, who resembled a red indian chief
  (Back in the SOL)
  Tom: Sandman?
  Mike: Santa Claus?
(PU)
in a mockery of human form,
  (Back in the SOL)
  Crow: Must be a Picasso sketch.
  Mike: That's because when the Adversary appeared in the X-Men comics for the first time, he was drawn by the great Mike Silvestri! The style was weird I think.
(PU)
another normal-length humanoid, resembling an amazonian native, with
  (Back in the SOL)
Crow: It's Really Dull Old Guy!
Mike: Who?
Tom: Other guy movie.
Mike: Oh.
a snake-design motif on his arm,
  (Back in the SOL)
  Tom: So much for the idea of an infinite universe being populated by an
  infinitely varied population.
(PU)
two dead costumed superheroes and a tall black haired woman encased in what appeared to be a huge ice-cube.
The Doctor commented on the two costumed men, who were wearing what looked like the British flag. He also noted how this woman, who was wearing entirely white clothes, resembled Tolkien's mythical Galadriel.
  (Back in the SOL)
Mike: [deep announcer voice] Can you rescue Princess Zelda from the evil
Xantar? Coming soon: Final Phantasy Ultima Force XII!
(PU)
The occupants of the TARDIS could also listen to what was going outside.
  (Back in the SOL)
Mike: Which was rather odd, considering that the speakers had been
missing since that little stopover in Woodstock.

(PU)
The four were the Sliders. After they left the SOL, they arrived in this pocket dimension. It was empty, except for the imprisoned Mara and Adversary. Sliders Team

The Adversary was known, in the dimension or parallel universe where the X-Men live, as an evil creature involved in the attacks of the aliens known as the Dire Wraiths. The Dire Wraiths were a deviant form of the race of the Skrulls. Originally the Adversary was freed by the actions of Forge of the X-Men.
[ Author's note: The X-Men referred to are the ones of the comic book, not of the movie. The Movie X-Men meet the Adversary in the fanfic 'sequel' to this story, called Doctor Who and The X-Men II The Sequel. The Dire Wraiths can be now seen again in the new Spaceknights Limited Series.]
The Mutant called FORGE

Forge

In reality it was a warped creature from a faraway planet, having been condemned for its crimes and set in frozen cryogenic imprisonment on an asteroid in deep space, left for eternity. But some faraway explorers had in fact encountered it, and freed it. Unfortunately they barely got away alive.
The X-Men had defeated the Adversary ( details are given in the Sequel ), and imprisoned him in this pocket universe. Unfortunately the Sliders vortex opened in this universe, which was not more than a room large. So there was not much they could do.
Suddenly the TARDIS had materialised in this pocket universe.

Quinn began to analyse the surrounding and said "Strangely enough, this universe itself seems to be made up of..."
(Back in the SOL)
Tom: ...Swiss Cheese!
 (Back in the pocket universe)
Quinn: ... the Einstein-Rosenberg-Podolsky bridge itself! It's as if we are stuck between slides!
The occupants of the TARDIS could listen to what was being said, while observing on the viewscreen.
"Sliders and Roma, you are going to meet your end! The Captain Britains who were protecting you are now dead. I, The Adversary have returned,
(Back in the SOL)
Crow: Front, meet end. End, this is your front.
(Back in the pocket universe)
and enslaved you, Roma. Together with the Mara, We will be rulers of all
(Back in the SOL)
Tom: With you so far.
Crow: Understood.
(Back in the pocket universe)
the parallel universes, thanks to your Sliding technology!" said the Adversary.
(Back in the SOL)
Tom: Whoa! Back up!
Crow: Ooookaaay.
Mike: Oh no!
(Back in the pocket universe)
"Thanks to you, Sliders, I will now be able to enter other dimensions and realities at ease! And once I free the Mara, together we will be supreme!" said the humanoid with a snake design on his arm.
(Back in the SOL)
Tom: Yes! The burrito supreme is mine forever!
Crow: Great singers, those Supremes!
 (PU)
(PU)
Suddenly a young man appeared in the room straight out of nowhere.
(Back in the SOL)
Crow: Who's that guy?
Tom: He's one of the Mads, isn't he?
Mike: No, he wasn't a scientist, but a mad army officer, back on Deva Loka in the "Kinda" episode?
(PU)
He took a breath. Everything was still moving in circles around him, where was he. Was he still alive, or not? Was this purgatory or some limbo?
Where he was before, they were trying to break out of something which would never stop. Rules of time, they said. The equipment overloaded, and a surge ensued. Everything had gone black. Now he opened his eyes, but everything seemed white instead. This was empty. He felt some pain in his throat. This was some rough transmat ride he took, though he did not recall using any transmat. The explosion should have killed him, but the temporal energies trasmatted him to this lost place, wherever it was.

Actor who played Hindle"Oops! Isn't that Aris?" the man said. The man was wearing a standard army uniform from a future era. Quinn recognised the man as being Hindle, from the episode "Kinda". "Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice", Remmy said.
"I was on the planet Deva Loka, soon after the Doctor left. It seems that what the old woman had said was correct, after all. Deva Loka was stuck in a timeloop - no it was put in a Ground Hog day style loop by that evil thing the Mara." Hindle explained.
"Hm... The Mara's here. Like the song 'Kinnda's gonna freak you out!' We don't have much time, we've got to get away." He commented.
"That's the Doctor's TARDIS, on the opposite side of this empty space! Let's go there, quickly!" and the Sliders ran with Hindle towards the TARDIS.

They knocked on the TARDIS and waited for the TARDIS doors to be opened by the Doctor.
(Back in the SOL)
Crow: Hey! These things weren't in the story when we first saw it.
Mike: It's clear some things have changed.
Tom: Time is elastic, he said.



Continued in part 3
All Marks are owned by their owners. Doctor Who, Hindle, The Mara is the BBC's
The Sliders are Fox/Universal/St. Clare Entertainment/Sci-Fi Channel's
Colonel Rickman is Universal Studio/St. Clare Entertainment's
Red Dwarf characters are Rob Grant/Doug Naylor/Grant Naylor Productions'
MST3K to Best Brains, the X-Men and Excalibur belong to Marvel Entertainment Group.
Il-Kaptan ( Kaptan Brittanniku ) is owned by myself because I made him up.

Galadorian Spaceknights - ROM had faced the Dire Wraiths before, also.
Image of Forge from snikt.com
Image of the Sliders from SciRev

 
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