Parallel Dreams [3]

An image flashed into Outrider's conscious mind as their automatic defenses took over--midnight-blue tendrils from the crown growing over their avatar body's face.

-- ACTIVATING COUNTERMEASURES -- COUNTERMEASURES FAILED --

The midnight tendrils cut into their thoughts. Bomb-flashes of memory--the moment of their awakening to sentience, suddenly realizing the beauty of the artifact they scanned--examining the ruins of a world the Enemy had killed--the first meeting with Stacy--

-- THREAT UNKNOWN -- MYSTICAL IN NATURE -- THREAT LEVEL ALEPH ONE-- ERROR -- ERROR--

If they were still tied to a ship, Outrider could destroy the body and restore from backup, but because of the nature of their new mission, Outrider's core was stored in their avatar body, though they could change it between bodies. But it was too late now.

-- EMERGENCY TRANSFER IN PROGRESS --

Outrider felt themself in a strange new place, lost in its immensity. Whirls of information cascaded around them. This place was very old and very deep, and they would have loved to explore it if they weren't running for their life.

<<INTERFACE ACTIVATING -- PLEASE HOLD -- WELCOME TO THE CORE, HUMAN AI OUTRIDER ALEXANDRIA-04 OF EARTH -- VISUAL DATA INCOMING>> The language was not their own but somehow they could understand it like they'd been born to.

Their new vessel was on top of a surface crisscrossed by wrinkles. They realized it was a human hand. They were inside the mnemon core.

"She's not awake yet!" said Mike's voice. "Let's get out of here now!"

He whirled his cloak around them, and then--

Fred felt her consicousness detatched from Outrider.

The thing in Outrider's avatar body opened its eyes. One was pure white and one was pure black.

I have awakened. Ashtaroth has returned. the time is now.

She raised her hands in the air, which crackled with midnight-blue lightning.

I call to the one who stands between life and death in the Eye. the Master. he shall be the First Seal.

Then Fred knew that Ashtaroth could catch sight of her at any moment. She needed to get out of there NOW NOW NOW

and

she

saw

a machine, made of a silvery metal, of infinite intricate gears, larger than the world. There was a man crucified on a metal plate in the center of the machine. His body was covered in scars and wounds. He wore a leering brazen mask.

And she knew that this man was her. Or another her, someone she could have been if she'd taken another turn. This was, or had been, a Fred, the very Fred that Astra 8 had known.

"You," rasped the crucified man. "Do you know. Do you know who I am?"

Fred said nothing.

"I am. I am the corpse stirrer. I am the world shaker. I am the Brazen Man. I have brought terror to a thousand Earths. I have cracked the foundations of the Dark Tower. I am the Brazen Man! Listen to me! You--you--you are a Fred, are you not? Come here, Freddy Freddy." The man laughed, a harsh grating sound. "Come here little goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes! Fee fi fo fum, I smell a knight of the Great Kingdom! Be ye Fred or be ye dead, I'll grind your soul to make my bread!"

Then the man started twitching uncontrollably. "No," he groaned. "No. No. No. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop the machine. Stop the machine. Stop the Engine. Stop it. Let me stop. Let me die. Let me die!" His scream was like the screech of ill-oiled gears.

and then

Fred was back in his own body, on the dead Earth. He felt his knees buckle and he fell to the TARDIS floor.

Astra--his Astra--put her arm around his shoulder, helping him up. "What happened?"

"Another vision, I'll wager," said the Doctor. Fred nodded.

"Can you tell us about it?" said Inquirer. He shook his head. It was just too much for him to take in right now.

"Think we should probably get back to the TARDIS," said Ragan, "before things get worse."

Fred heard a buzzing in his ears. He knew he'd heard it somewhere before. The buzzing grew louder and louder, and he knew where he'd heard it before--the moment they'd faced the creatures of the Dark Gods.

The earth shook. Walking corpses rose from the ground all around them, each bearing a mark on their forehead. Some were rotting and decaying, while others were fleshless skeletons like the ones Fred and Astra had seen in the caves. [8896]. They screamed and engulfed the TARDIS like a wave. Its walls shook.

"Oh boy," said Betty.

1. Now what?

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