A Whole New Wormhole....

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 21458

The Brigadier

I turn back, still shocked at what I saw, only to see that Elrondir...is an elf! That is, I see that the recoil of the pistol had caused it to smash him across the face, cold-cocking him! His human seeming failed him upon his losing consciousness....

"Elrondir.....Elrond," I say to myself in a scattered manner, "Of course...."

I then shake myself, recovering my wits enough to call for a medic. His friends, meanwhile, have already gathered around him and helping him back up and recover.

The medic, also having been frozen by the shock of it all, meanwhile, has mistaken my call for Morgaine and runs out (giving wide berth to the now again human appearing Sigin) and over to the softly cursing Morgaine. From what I learn later she had yielded and had every intention on yielding before her pet demon had broken lose. The offset of this incident, however, pretty much ruined her and her cause with her followers. Gilmuriel explains it to me later when I ask about it, you see.

Being familiar with the mind set of those knights (having been brought up one himself), he tells me that a lot of them were driven by honor.....and will not follow a leader who either appears to be a coward or an oath breaker. That explained that trial by combat, I now see. As for that unfortunate incident with the demon, it appeared to her followers that Morgaine had broken a cardinal rule of "code duela" and was going to have that demon kill Sigin before she lost. Well, that is not what actually happened, but Sigin and the others weren't going to do anything to dispel that mistaken notion. Now those knights who'd gathered behind her out of opposition to King Arthur's rule will have to find some other leader to gather behind, I guess. Not my problem. They and Morgaine (and her son) are getting handed over to a still rather rattled Ancelyn and associates. A lot of them are still shaking their heads, muttering that nothing had been said about this having been fortold.

"This is not how the war was to end," Ancelyn protests, looking at us as Sigin limps over after having given a Sargent some kind of list (which will turn out later to be a list of "spell components") "Does this means the quest....is over?"

Whilst Ancelyn is protesting, I see behind him that Sigin has somehow gotten one of the soldiers to round up what turns out to be perfect for his needs.....for casting spells through spell components. Exhausted of his normal reserve of magic, he can still do magic via that means (which is much less draining on a mage, I am told).

The Doctor, meanwhile, shakes his head softly and claps a comradery hand on the distraught knight's shoulder and reminds him that the tomb of Arthur still remains. Now we just didn't have to worry about unwelcome interruptions, that was all.

As we of UNIT have done in the past we do yet again. Witnesses are found and sworn to silence by several means (financial or other helpful ways). The Doctor's curing the blind barkeep's wife's blindness was a real help, I must say.

Again we see that life is imitating Betty's TV show. The Doctor, somewhat chagrined, finds a note at an archeologist's dig sight addressed to him by this mysterious "Merlin" (some kind of "analog" I guess). Inquirer gives Ace one of her spare explosive charges which proves to be up to the task of opening a hole up to the tomb (and rather upsetting the otherwise charming archeologist, I fear). Nothing for it now, I fear. Will take care of it in good time. See, we still have to get down to the tomb and do something down there in order to get rid of that interference that's keeping Brigadier Bambera's convey bogged down!

So we go down and down. And down....

Rather long trek.

I'm getting too old for this sort of thing, blast it!

That is when we find what we came to find....and then some! Oh, no King Arthur, alas. Might have rather enjoyed meeting that chap. Did not even find the body of that great king, I fear (much to Betty and Ragan's surprise). Rather we found....

Rather we found an oddly dressed chap that nobody seemed to recognize right away except for Ancelyn!

"Merlin?" he whispers, blinking.

We stare first at him, then back at the smiling "Merlin". If he is that fellow, then that would mean....

"Doctor?" I venture, stepping forward a few steps as if to touch him.

"Professor?" Ace asks, looking up at the chap in question.

"Been a while in a way," he smiles softly, "At least in one way, I guess."

We talk and find out that this "Merlin" is the Doctor that Ace is a Companion of. After thanking "my" Doctor about keeping Ace safe (and asking him to return her to "him" soon after this is over, backtime), he hands Ancelyn a note from none other than Arthur himself!

Will never know exactly what is in the note, but whatever it is makes the young knight turn pale and run off after muttering something about "All things serve the Beam" or some such.

"Arthur Eld?" Inquirer asks Merlin, gesturing first at the now empty "King" ship and then back at the way that the knight ran off.

"Yes, he's gone to gather the others to aid Arthur who's moved on to come back out of his Pyramid to rule," Merlin sighs, as if that explains it all.

Author's Note: "Arthur Eld" is, of course, referring to King Arthur (or considering the cross reality nature of Battlefield.....a King Arthur). This one, in this case, is the one mentioned in Stephen King's series: the Dark Tower. :) Arthur Eld in that series was the ancestor of almost every Gunslinger of Midworld (Roland the Gunslinger included).

After extracting a promise from Ace to not tell his "younger" self backtime anything about these adventures here (and giving her an appology for not having told her enough so as to not make a mistake about some chess game), he turns back to us. He then explains that the glowing portal at the end of the corridor behind him leads to the next part of this puzzle. It will prove to be another source of worry, blast it! Says that he's been able to stabilize it enough so that it will not go haring off to yet another point on Earth (or another world even). See, Farscape 1 can make the trip back easily enough....but Merlin suggests that it might be a good idea to keep it here (keeping this wormhole open though it does) because a rather bad sort named "Scorpius" would just love to get his hands on it.

"Bad enough what little Timelord technology he's been able to salvage from your wrecked TARDIS as it stands," Merlin sighs, truly sorrowful, "It's not enough for time travel, thank goodness, but still....bad enough.

"I know what it is like to lose a TARDIS," I hear him whisper to the Doctor, "So I understand the pain. That and why you didn't tell me about.....when dopplegangers actually meet....."

The Doctor lost his TARDIS? Then what the bloody hell was that he.... Oh, he got another one, I gather.

Still.... And what is this business about dopplegangers?

There is a lot of questions I'm going to have to ask him after this is done.

Handing the Doctor one last thing (his old diary from what I see), the older Doctor/Merlin (11th incarnation I'll be told by one Walker later) then...calls to somebody in the shadows named Compassion. They disappear around a bend, out of sight. A familiar grinding sound tells me that they had left by TARDIS.

Author's Note: Merlin calling to somebody named Compassion was a nod to some of the "later day" novels of Dr. Who. In one novel, you see, the Doctor in his 9th incarnation had a serious incidents and his old TARDIS was utterly destroyed. It was later replaced by a *living* TARDIS who sometimes takes the form of a woman. That woman's name is "Compassion".

Well, for some at the time it this business seems to answer questions did, but it sure didn't do it for me! The others look like they've taken a punch in the gut.

The Doctor is muttering about how Roland telling him how "ka" (?) is like a wheel and only smiles a bit when I ask him what that means.

"Remember what I said about realities being reflected in fiction?" he asks me, "Well, read that one series by Stephen King: The Dark Tower. Read it and when you read enough you'll understand. That and I suggest a strong drink afterwards to calm your nerves."

"Might suggest you don't try the ale back at the bar," Sigin puts in from the side, looking back at us, "Frankly, I served better stuff to the dogs back at my inn!"

Oh, I remember that he'd been a tavern owner (as well as a ship captain) back in his human disguise on his home world....

....

Right.

Inside the dairy the Doctor finds what I would guess to be coordinates of some type. The Timelord then rushes off, his Companions in hot pursuit. Muttering a curse I suggest to Bambera that this chamber be secured until I get back!

Yet another thing to cover up!

I rush off after the Doctor (wishing I had kept in better shape) but wheezing I soon catch up. Ace is at least able to get them to slow down by running ahead to get them to do that much.

And that's when I finally.....get a trip in the TARDIS.

Well, if nothing else I am getting that adventure I always had fond memories of in my younger years.

.....

Hmm, you know what? I'm beginning to believe that my fond memories have been rather adulterated by wishful thinking. I seem to now recall how unthrilled I had been whenever adventure came calling.

Ah, but then again....it's nice to feel....useful.


Another place....another reality.... Thing have followed a similar path as yet another TV show's scripted is being mimicked up until they had changed. Oh, there are differences, but for at least one fellow....

His tormentor has left him in the middle of things. Right before the point his memories would have become....interesting to the viewer. The tormentor had been interrupted by some nameless technician with some interesting news about the "anomalous equipment" from the last extraction. Maybe it had something to do with that rather mundane (Earthlike) woman they had dragged out of here right before John had been seated?

Right now he's too out of it too really think too deeply on that matter. Seems like there are some kind of explosions in the distance....and a lot of screaming and cursing. He doesn't even think much about how his stomach seems to lurch as the lights flicker....and things seem to suddenly come floating from off the floor.

"Houston we have a problem," he raves as he sees a weightless object float on by, "What? They never lost gravity back on Star Trek!"

He then turns a little to look at a spot where an asthmatic elephant has taken roost.

He blinks dully and then giggles a little, not believing what he sees come into existence. The blue police box opens and....

  1. "Hey," the prisoner blinks, confused, "Where's the guy with the mile long scarf and jelly babies, huh?"

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11/3/2002 7:24:29 PM

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