Episode 4: Attack of the Clowns Part 2

Kaylie fell slowly in the black. Then it stopped, but the black remained.

“Am I dead?” Kaylie muttered. “Cos death sucks.”
“You didn’t honestly think you’d go to heaven did you?” Zac asked, snorting.
“Shut up,” Kaylie said. “And what are you doing in my death? Can’t I have the afterlife in peace?”
“Nope,” Zac smiled. “And, we aren’t dead. We’ve floating.”

“What do you want?” the Doctor asked Sybil, eyeing her wearily.
“To find out how you managed to stop me; and why you changed…” Sybil said.
“Well I think we’d all like some answers,” Conner said. “Georgia? Oh!”

Conner bent down as Georgia let out a little groan. She was waking up.

“Well I propose a treaty,” the Doctor said. “Just for a while.”
“And what?” Sybil asked.
“And, we find out all we want to about one another. About everyone, in fact. Then, if we don’t like your plan, we stop you.”
“Just like that?” Sybil asked, eyebrows raised.
“Just like that,” the Doctor agreed.
“Alright,” Sybil said, nodding in thought. “I’ll agree to this treaty. For the moment. What do you propose we do?”
“We’ll have a séance,” the Doctor grinned.

“What… What happened?” Catherine asked uncertainly.
“We’re trapped,” Beth muttered. “Bradley was right.”
“Not really,” Alex chipped in. “We didn’t die.”
“And I didn’t see us being trapped inside bubbles,” Bradley sighed.
“Sybil must have them,” Beth said. “That fortune teller. She owns the clowns, so she’s capable of something like this.”

Beth, Catherine, Bradley and Alex were trapped inside a bubble each. Each bubble floated, at its own speed, down to the ground, which was growing ever closer.

“What’ll happen when it hits the ground?” Catherine asked.
“Pop probably,” Alex guessed.
“Will it hurt?” Catherine asked.
“No, I don’t think Sybil wanted to hurt us,” Beth said. “Just scare us. That’s why Bradley had the premonition.”
“But why Bradley?” Alex asked. “Why not Zac, or Kaylie? They know the Doctor the most.”
“I think she could only access me,” Bradley said. “It’s like we’re sort of connected, ever since she tried to steal my prophecy.”
“What like visions and stuff?” Alex asked.
“Sort of, faintly. It’s like I can see what’s happening to her. I think we should see the Doctor,” Bradley added. “Something’s not right.”

Pop! Zac and Kaylie’s bubbles burst apart, and Zac and Kaylie hit the ground.

“That was fun,” Zac said.
“I think I might be sick,” Kaylie muttered.

“Colin! Fetch the vase full of flowers!” Elizabeth cried.
“Yes dear,” Colin sighed, heading down the pews.

Trapped inside the church, Elizabeth was in her element.

“If we’re stuck inside the house of God, we might as well make it look as lovely as possible,” Elizabeth had said.

So now, Daisy and Mrs White were changing the altar cloth, Colin was fetching a vase full of flowers to place at the front, the Vicar was washing the stain glass windows on a ladder, and the Vicar’s wife was changing the candles in their sticks at the back of the church. Elizabeth surveyed all she could see around her with pride.

“Dear, do you think you could make us all a cup of tea?” Colin asked, knowing the answer.
“I’m afraid not dear,” Elizabeth replied sweetly. “I think I left my holiday brochures the last time we came. I must look for them Colin dear! How else will we be able to voyage on our expensive holiday to a tranquil and seldom seen destination?”
“I thought we were going to Norfolk,” Colin muttered under his breath.

“Do you want a pasty love?” Brian asked.

Lucy snapped out of her daydream. She realised she had been staring at him for at least two minutes.

“No thanks,” Lucy said. “I was actually wondering if I could borrow your car.”
“Right,” Brian said, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s for my sister,” Lucy explained quickly. “I really need to get to her.”
“Sorry, but…” Brian began.
“Wait!” Lucy said. “I know this sounds ridiculous. Can you just talk to her? Please?”
“Alright,” Brian sighed. “If you promise to leave right after.”
“I promise,” Lucy agreed.

“Hang on,” Abby said to Christina. “I’ve got another call coming through.”

Abby and Christina both had their phones out, calling each other, so the clowns that were after them froze. Christina ended the call from her phone, and Abby answered the second call.

“Hello?” Abby asked.
“Abby!” Lucy cried. “Can you talk to the bakerman? He won’t let me borrow his car.”
“Baker,” Abby corrected. “Hand over the phone.”

Lucy scowled at being continually corrected, and handed over the phone to Brian.

“Sorry about this,” Abby said quickly.
“It’s alright,” Brian sighed.
“It’s just I really need my sister to come and pick me up from the fair on Helich Way,” Abby said.
“What for?” Brian asked. “Can’t she use her own car?”
“It’s at the garage,” Abby said. “And this will sound really stupid, but I’m being chased by an alien clown, and I need to escape. I know it sounds really stupid, but it’s true!”
“If I was anybody else, I wouldn’t believe you,” Brian began.
“But?” Abby asked hopefully.
“I’ve been attacked by aliens too.”
“If you’re taking the mick, don’t bother,” Abby frowned.
“I’m not!” Brian said quickly. “Christmas 2009! All those things flying up into the sky! Then around April, I was attacked by green bog monsters in a television studio! Then this Christmas, I nearly got downloaded into a Cyberman!”
“Aliens must really hate you,” Abby smiled, hoping to prolong the conversation so the clown wouldn’t unfreeze.
“No, it’s because I was helping Georgia, and the Doctor,” Brian said, reminiscing, more to himself.
“The Doctor?” Abby asked quickly. “And Georgia… The blonde girl?”
“You know them?” Brian asked.
“The Doctor has brown spiky hair, and wears a blue suit,” Abby said. “And Georgia’s blonde, really pretty, quite tall.”
“That’s them!” Brian smiled.
“They’re with me now,” Abby said. “Last I saw Georgia was running for her life.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Brian said quickly. “Bye.”

Bradley fell, the vision coursing through his body. Catherine clutched his arms, trying to hold him up off the ground. Beth and Alex stared on anxiously.

“What can you see Bradley?” Beth whispered.
“Zac and Kaylie,” Bradley said. “They’ll be here in a minute.”

Sure enough, Zac and Kaylie ran from around a tent, and stared at the others in shock.

“What’s happening to Bradley?” Zac muttered to Alex. “Is he having a fit?”
“No, a vision,” Alex replied, grinning slightly.
“Why are we muttering?” Kaylie muttered.
“What else do you see?” Catherine asked.
“All of us,” Bradley said. “We’re heading towards Sybil’s tent. Georgia, Conner, the Doctor and Sybil are there too. Only, the Doctor looks different. Big ears and nose. I dunno how I know it’s him.”
“He must have regenerated,” Zac said quietly.
“What?” Beth asked.
“I said he must have regenerated,” Zac said, a little louder.
“No,” Beth sighed. “I meant what’s regeneration?”
“It’s when the Doctor changes his body, his whole shape,” Kaylie said. “Last April, when Conner went missing, me, Zac and Harry researched the Doctor. Some virus had wiped out lots of the information, but we found hidden stuff. About regeneration and such.”
“It sounds like he regenerated back into his ninth persona,” Zac said, frowning.
“From the prophecy,” Bradley said.
“What?” Zac asked.
“Sybil tried to steal his prophecy, I saw it just then, in a vision,” Bradley explained.
“Let’s fulfil the other prophecy and get moving to Sybil’s tent,” Alex said. “Some clowns are headed this way.”

“What’s happening?” Georgia asked faintly.
“Waking up at last, are we?” Conner teased. “We’re going to Sybil’s tent for a séance.”
“What? Why?” Georgia frowned.
“The Doctor and Sybil want to find out more about each other. Apparently we’re all looking at our past or something,” Conner muttered, not convinced by the Doctor’s plans. “I think it’s just an excuse for Sybil and the Doctor to hold hands.”
“What happened to the Doctor?” Georgia asked. “I heard you mentioning he’d changed.”
“Long story,” Conner mused.
“Tell me on the way,” Georgia said.

“Christina,” the Doctor said. “It’s the Doctor. Don’t ask why I sound different, please. I’ve already had to explain a million times today.”
“Right,” Christina said on the other end of the phone. “What do you want?”
“I want you and Abby to meet us at Sybil’s fortune telling tent,” the Doctor said. “Abby knows the way.”
“Abby’s sister’s coming over,” Christina said.
“Then bring her too,” the Doctor replied. “Bye!”

Brian’s car pulled up to the car park. He was nervous – what would Georgia say at seeing him again? The last time they’d met, the Slitheen killed her brother Richard. Then after Christmas Elizabeth told him that her cousin Rob Slater had been killed as well. Brian remembered how they’d been close. Like brother and sister. Had travelling with the Doctor changed her? Brian whished he’d accepted the Doctor’s offer to travel with them. Still, it was too late now. He climbed out of the car, before helping Lucy out. It was awkward around her; she clearly fancied him.

“Come on,” he said.
“There she is!” Lucy said, running to the entrance of the fair.
“Wait for me!” Brian cried, tearing after her.

Abby and Christina were waiting for them at the entrance of the fair. Christina was on the phone. Abby grinned apologetically at Brian. He smiled back. Abby wasn’t as pretty as her sister.

“The Doctor told us to meet him at Sybil’s tent,” Christina said.
“Who?” Brian asked.
“She’s a fortune teller my sister always goes to,” Lucy said.
“I know the way,” Abby confirmed. “Follow me.”

“Here we are,” Bradley said, as he, Zac, Kaylie, Beth, Catherine and Alex approached the tent.

Georgia and Conner had just arrived, and the Doctor and Sybil were already inside, just as Bradley had seen.

“Hi Zac,” Conner said. “Sorry about earlier.”
“Forget it,” Zac said. “I know you meant well.”

Conner and Zac had had a fierce debate about Kaylie’s safety earlier, which Zac had won. All was forgiven now. The Doctor poked his head out of the tent.

“Come on!” he said. “We’re waiting to start!”
“I’m freezing my arse off here,” Georgia complained.
“Here come the others,” Conner grinned.

Brian, Abby, Christina and Lucy nervously sidled up to them.

“Brian?” Georgia said. “What are you doing here?”
“Long story,” Brian mused.

They all stepped inside the tent, sat down in their stools, and held hands. The Doctor was at the head of the table, and Sybil was next to him. Conner and Georgia were on the other side, sat next to Brian. Catherine had happily sat next to Sybil, and nobody else had the heart to tell her Sybil was the enemy.

“So,” the Doctor said. “Let’s begin.”

To be continued…