Episode 6: The Man Who Was Thursday Part 1

“When Frank Carter bought the Upper Mount Monastery, he didn’t realise quite how ill he was. A few days afterwards, he moved into the Monastery with his daughter, Tracy, and looked after the Monks that lived there. Tracy was eleven years old when her father died of a brain tumour, and she was left to look after the Monastery. But years of relaxation and being spoilt had already taken their toll, and Tracy Carter was a villain.”

Angela Hawkins placed the story on the bedside table, and pulled the covers up to her son’s chin. She kissed his forehead, and he glanced admiringly at the story his mother had written.

“Why don’t you like Tracy Carter, mummy?” he asked.
“Well, Xander, she isn’t very nice to the Monks, is she?” Angela said. “Now, you make sure you don’t grow up to be like Tracy. Eat your vegetables, and listen to your father. That’s what’s important, son. I love you.”
“I love you too, mummy,” Xander smiled. “And I’ll do my homework and be nice to daddy. But why do you have to go away?”
“Tracy Carter wasn’t very nice to my father, when he was a Monk,” Angela explained. “And I need to talk to her about it. I won’t be coming back, Xander, so you’ve got to make sure daddy’s okay. You can do that, can’t you?”
“Yes mummy,” Xander replied. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Angela said.

She left the room, and switched off the light. As she walked down the stairs, her husband Drake reached for her hand.

“Don’t go,” he pleaded. “Tracy Carter will kill you. Everyone knows it was you who wrote those things about her all over the place – it’s treason, and she will make you pay.”
“She won’t,” Angela assured him. “Tomorrow I’ll visit the Monastery, and Tracy Carter will die.”

Title Sequence

“Right!” the Doctor beamed, running around the console. “Where do you want to go now?”
“A museum,” Georgia suggested.
“What?” Conner frowned. “You hate museums – they’re boring, you said.”
“They are,” Georgia grinned. “But when has the Doctor ever taken us to the place we actually wanted to go? We’ll end up somewhere way more exciting, all because of the Doctor’s rubbish flying of the TARDIS!”

The Doctor let out a small smile, before giving a mock sad face. He began to set the TARDIS in motion, determined to prove Georgia wrong and make her pay by taking her to the world’s most boring museum.

“We’re here,” he said. “Why don’t you go first, Georgia?”

Georgia raised her eyebrows, but headed to the doors nonetheless. She opened them and sighed.

“We. Are. At. A. Museum.”
“Is something wrong?” the Doctor asked innocently.
“Nothing,” Georgia smiled sweetly. “Come on Conner, let’s go explore.”

Conner hesitated, so Georgia shot him a glare. He looked at the Doctor, and hurried towards the doors. Stepping out of the TARDIS, he looked around, and saw a very old room, with high ceilings and boxes containing ancient books and scrolls.

“World’s most boring museum?” he asked the Doctor, who was locking the TARDIS.
“Yep,” the Doctor grinned satisfactorily.
“Hey, look!” Georgia called from where she was stood beside a glass box nearby. “They have an iPhone in here!”

Conner headed over to have a look, and sure enough, an iPhone sat in the glass box. He read the description underneath, which talked about an unidentified object from many centuries ago.

“They don’t even know what an iPhone is,” he laughed. “Doctor – this must be a long time from the 21st Century, right? What year is it?”
“It’s the year 7154,” the Doctor announced. “And we are in the public sector of the Upper Mount Monastery, which is currently owned by either Frank or Tracy Carter.”
“Do they argue about who owns it?” Georgia smirked.
“No, I just can’t remember the date of Frank’s death,” the Doctor said. “Tracy is his daughter. I’ve heard the years under her command were particularly turbulent.”

Angela Hawkins entered the room, walking past various people, heading over to an exhibit.

“Sorry,” she muttered, as she knocked into the Doctor.
“No problem,” the Doctor smiled. “Listen, you don’t know – oh, you don’t.”

Angela had ignored him, and was now pretending to examine something the Monks believed to be called a CD. She read the description, which explained that the CD contained something called Like a Prayer by someone called Madonna. All Angela had to do was wait until the museum emptied, and the Monks went to sleep for the night. She would hide from any guards, go to Tracy’s room, and make her pay.

“Go ask someone who owns this place,” the Doctor said to Georgia.
“Why me?” Georgia moaned.
“Fine,” the Doctor sighed. “Conner, go ask someone who owns the Monastery.”
“Oh, but I’m having such fun here,” Conner said sarcastically. “If it means I don’t have to look at this iPhone anymore… I mean, come on, we have these at home! Are you telling me we travelled to the 72nd Century to see something we could see at home?!”

He headed to the furthest people, causing the Doctor to groan – he was just about to make a fool of himself to a couple who were busy having a romantic time looking at Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

“Hello,” Conner smiled, reaching the couple. “You couldn’t tell me who owns the Monastery, could you?”
“Of course,” the woman replied. “Tracy Carter.”
“Thanks,” Conner said. “It’s just I thought her dad owned it…”
“Not for several years,” the man explained. “Are you a tourist?”
“Something like that,” Conner shrugged. “I’m Conner, by the way.”
“Paolo Moretti,” the man smiled, shaking Conner’s hand. “You’ve got a nice firm grip, that’s good, that is.”
“Carla Moretti,” the woman added. “We recently got married, so it feels pretty new saying that!”
“Congratulations,” Conner nodded. “Oh, there’s a Monk, I’ll go find out more from him. Thanks!”

He smiled at the newlyweds and headed over to the Monk. The Monk, who was wearing brown robes and had a shaved head, had just stepped through a door from a secure area, and was busy reattaching the rope in front of the door.

“Hello,” Conner said. “My name’s Conner Bennet and I’m writing an article for the Galactic Times, and I was wondering if I could talk to Tracy Carter?”
“She’s not available for interviews, I’m afraid,” the Monk frowned. “But myself and the other Monks are free at this moment. Aren’t you a little young to be a reporter?”
“I avoid sun beds like the Plague,” Conner explained. “I just look young and good looking – I’m actually nearly forty, and very ugly. If you would lead the way? Sorry, I didn’t catch your name…”
“Father Gabriel,” the Monk replied.

He undid the rope to the secure area, and led the way through the door. Across the room, Georgia and the Doctor watched the two disappear. There were no other Monks or guards, so they headed across the museum and went through the door.

“Where do you suppose Conner went?” Georgia asked, as she looked around. “The walls are made of stone… This is more like a Monastery, much better than that excuse for a museum.”
“I heard him mention an interview,” the Doctor explained. “Follow me.”
“You heard that?” Georgia frowned. “But he was all the way across the other side of the room.”
“I have good hearing,” the Doctor shrugged.

Together they made their way along several stone corridors, until they heard Conner’s voice, and the sound of his footsteps heading up a stone staircase.

“So, how many Monks have you got at the moment?” he was saying.
“Only the three of us,” Father Gabriel said. “A few weeks ago there were a lot more, almost twenty, but they had a dispute with Tracy Carter. Though I shouldn’t really say that, she’s having a stressful time at the moment, what with the Flood…”
“I can see how that would be a problem,” Conner lied, pretending to know what Gabriel was saying. “Is it through here? Oh, thank you. Hello, my name’s Conner Bennet, and you are?”

He had clearly met the other three Monks, and as Georgia made her way up the stairs, preparing to enter the room, the Doctor stopped her.

“Conner’s got those three covered,” he said. “And while they’re out of the way, why don’t we go and meet the infamous Tracy Carter? She’s got to be around somewhere.”
“As long as you know where you’re going,” Georgia replied. “This Monastery’s huge, and I don’t wanna be walking forever, like that time you got us lost looking for Starbucks in Padstow.”
“How was I to know Padstow didn’t have a Starbucks?” the Doctor protested.

Georgia laughed, and continued up the staircase. Meanwhile, Conner had been given a cup of something which resembled tea, and a seat. Father Gabriel took a chair opposite, while Father Noah sat on his left, and Father Isaac sat on his right.

“So, when did you first become a Monk?” Conner asked Father Gabriel.
“After my mother died,” Father Gabriel explained. “It upset me so much, and I just knew I’d find help and support at the Monastery.”
“And was that when Frank Carter owned it?” Conner wondered.
“Yes, and it was a lot different then,” Father Gabriel smiled.
“Don’t,” Father Isaac warned.
“Don’t what?” Conner asked.
“Mr Bennet, have you heard of the Flood?” Father Noah asked, changing the subject. “I suppose not. The public don’t have to worry about the Flood, but Tracy and we Monks have to be very careful indeed.”
“What’s the Flood?” Conner frowned.
“Creatures made of water,” Father Isaac said, clearly enjoying the retelling of an old story. “If you touch even a drop of water, the Flood will take over you, and you will kill everyone here.”
“An old ghost story?” Conner asked.
“No, it’s true,” Father Gabriel said. “We have to be extremely careful that we don’t touch a single drop. You make sure you don’t either.”

Conner nodded, shuddering. Father Isaac chuckled quietly, clearly pleased that the story had some effect.

“I think we’ll take a break, let you lot get on with some things,” Conner said. “Is there anywhere I can go just to think?”
“There’s the Viewing Gallery,” Father Gabriel smiled. “It has windows in the ceiling, where you can look at the stars.”
“Where is it?” Conner asked.
“Take this map,” Father Gabriel replied, handing Conner a battered map. “It’s the section marked in blue. You enter through the glass door. I expect you want to prepare some more questions… I have to say, I’m very excited for this interview to be published.”

Conner laughed a loud, nervous laugh, and left the room. Tracy Carter looked out from the tallest room of the Monastery – the Astronomy Base. The clouds were dark, and the sky twisted, as if a thunderstorm was coming. She set down her champagne glass, and looked at the ever blackening sky.

“A storm is coming…” she muttered.

Grabbing her champagne glass, she left the room, and went back down the stairs. Little did she know, she was right, and that in a short time, a great big storm would arrive – in the form of Petr Costravalos.

To be continued…