The New Universe: Part 4 (9th Doctor)

What do you mean? The Doctor said in shock.

"You heard me" Exelicos said impatiently.

"It was the ultimate project the great minds at this facility were working on. The creation of an entire universe in a lab. What they didn't count on was that one day, the life forms in that universe would find a way to escape." Exelicos continued as he worked on the controls.

"What are you doing. Perhaps I can help." The Doctor said.

"I doubt it."

"Well not to toot my own horn but I am a rather clever."

Exelicos screamed in frustration. "Damn it. There's nothing I can do. They're blocking the power. I'm sorry, I truly am."

"Why?" The Doctor asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"The invaders don't intend to just overrun this world. They're using all the power they can to teleport armies onto billions of worlds across your universe. They've already overrun our reality. Yours will be next."

Dana, Sleera and Reosa meanwhile were completely outnumbered by the aliens on the first floor who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. All three tried to fight back, but the monsters were too fast for them. Even if any of the three had managed to land a hit then it wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

Dana knowing that they couldn't outfight the monsters, tried to bargain with them with the only thing she had.

"If you kill us you'll die too" Dana screamed which caused all of the monsters to suddenly stop. "Yeah that's right, what you freaks don't know is that you've all been poisoned. It's part of a security system here. In a few hours you'll die just like the previous wave you sent. Only we know where the cure is."

The largest of the monsters, clearly their leader walked slowly towards Dana. It struck her right in the face.

"You will tell me where the cure is, or else I will make you. Do you understand? It's not about if you die. Its about how much fun we have with you first!" The monsters believed Dana about the poison. They had no idea as to why their predecessors had died, but they hadn't found anything in the records.

Dana clearly terrified, still stood her ground. "You don't know how stubborn I am do you? I might die first, your eh boys might get a bit too carried away, or after you've torn my legs off, I might lie to get revenge and direct you to some poison instead? You don't have time to take that chance."

The leader knew she was right and reluctantly agreed. "Fine. I promise that when we get the cure, I'll give you a five minute head start to get away."

Dana knew that the alien would most likely go back on its word even for that, but she had bought them all a few more minutes anyway. Or so she thought.

Two of the monsters suddenly dragged Sleera way from Reosa towards the end of the hall.

"What are you doing" Dana asked.

"Well" the leader said with a sadistic glee. "I can't let it be known that people can just blackmail me and get away with it. I only need two of you. One who knows where the cure is, and another to threaten for a bargaining chip. The other you can watch die now. You need to see who you are dealing with."

"Please, I know exactly what you are capable of." Dana said. "I know there's no low you won't stoop too. Please don't do this."

"Apparently you still underestimate me, as you still think you can beg me for anything!"

The monsters tore open Sleera's guts, and pulled out his intestines, whilst two more bit into his throat. Another two broke both of his legs, whilst two more pulled on his arms, and bit off all of his fingers! Both Dana and Reosa tried to stop them, but they were restrained. More and more monsters piled on top of Sleera until eventually after a few minutes all that was left of the former soldier was a few pieces of mangled flesh and broken bones on the floor.

"Now you know what will happen to either of you if you cross me" the monster said with a perverse pleasure to his two frightened and disgusted prisoners.

The Doctor tried to figure out the controls. It was too much to take in at once, even for someone like him. Exelicos meanwhile just simply sobbed in the corner.

"Now come on man. That won't get us anywhere. Please you have to tell me more about this place, about your people." The Doctor said.

"Why bother. In a few moments billions more worlds will go through the pain my people did, all because I failed. I was hand picked for this mission, and I failed."

"Now look, I've been in far worse situations than this before now, and I don't intend to die or even regenerate here. You can either wallow in self pity or help me do something about it. What's it going to be."

"You're right. I'm sorry, it was just the thought of other planets going through what we did."

"What happened to your world?"

"We were taken advantage of and then abused. The monsters you see now may seem savage, but they were all once the masters of our universe."

"I didn't think they were unintelligent. They all showed signs of sentience, but at times they were so brutal that it was hard to believe they were anything but monsters." The Doctor winced as the images of the invaders past victims went through his mind.

"They were once the creators of our universe's chosen people."

"You mean the scientists of this facility?"

"Yes. The people of this strange place, they created our universe as a simple experiment. They replicated the same explosion that created your reality. The big bang as they called it, but on a smaller scale and in controlled circumstances and created a mini universe. It may have seemed small to you on the outside, but from our perspective, it was a full reality filled with planets, stars, and galaxies just like yours."

"Fascinating" the Doctor replied.

"For years I wasn't sure what to make of our creators." Exelicos continued. "I hated them for interfering, I hated them for not interfering. I hated them for making us just for an experiment, something to show off in a lab, but looking at what these monsters have done to them now. I can't help but pity the fools."

"Yes I understand. I'm disappointed in this facility for taking such a huge risk. In fact I can scarcely believe it, but well its no use now. Its not like you change the past. You really can't. I know that better than anyone." The Doctor said.

"Well whatever the reason, at first when they created our universe the scientists only observed. Time ran differently in our reality. Millions of years in our universe would only be a few months here. According to the legends, they wanted to help, when they saw how much we suffered, but they always felt it would stunt our development if they did. They were worried that we couldn't handle the truth, that we were just an experiment."

"Eventually however" Exelicos continued "several races across our universe reached a technological level where our creators thought that they could handle the truth. For years our creators shared secrets with these chosen races as we came to refer to them. Collectively the chosen people built a massive Federation, and would help to elevate other races across the universe. Our people were among those species. At first the chosen races treated us apparent lesser beings with kindness, but as time went on, well, they started to exploit us, under the justification that we were apparently created to serve them."

"It seemed the so called chosen people still weren't ready to hear the truth" the Doctor said with regret.

"Quite so. Eventually wars broke out between their Federation as the races tried to settle who was the one chosen race. Our creators tried to tell them not to fight, but it didn't matter. Whole planets, solar systems were destroyed by the wars, the Federation fell, and the chosen races degenerated into savages, monsters.

The creators were ashamed of what they had done. They abandoned us once again. Eventually when they saw how degenerate their chosen people became, they stopped monitoring us altogether and wrote the experiment off as a failure. They didn't pull the plug on it thankfully, but they didn't bother with us again, which turned out to be a mistake.

The chosen races remained savage, degenerate, monsters, but unfortunately the technology from their ancestors, and the secrets about how the universe worked the creators had given them still persisted. Eventually one of the chosen races was able to conquer the others. The Liexsha.

"Which aliens are they?" The Doctor asked.

"The giants. They were able to conquer the other races and unite them into a new empire that spread out across our universe. Once they were done with us, they sought to conquer the creators themselves. The knowledge of their universe the scientists gave the Liexsha many centuries ago allowed them to shield themselves from the creators, who hadn't bothered to check our universe for a long while anyway, but just in case they did, the Liexsha were able to operate in secret and eventually find a way to project themselves into your reality. They're not really here, neither am I. Those are simply solid projections controlled by those in our reality, and created by the energy that our universe is made of. Whole planets are being sacrificed to create those projections, which are so closely linked to us that if anything happens to them. They die. My body in my home universe is being stored in a special chamber, but I took the place of their lackeys. As long as this projection of me eats then I don't have to in my world, you see."

"I get it. It's fascinating technology. Well beyond even what my people are capable of, at least by the standards of this universe, which for all I know also exists in a lab." The Doctor said.

Exelicos continued. "The first wave the giants sent here were killed by that plague. I was part of that wave. I tried to help the scientists, but the monsters found out I was a double agent along with some others. They killed most of the other members of my team and the scientists we found, but not before we were able to steal most of the cure and destroy barring I think a few samples below. A few others escaped. I don't know if they are still out there or."

"I saw one of them in the cave" The Doctor said. "Sadly he was dying. I'm sorry."

"I didn't think any would survive. My people are an expendable workforce. There are so few of us left. The giants eat those of us that aren't deemed of any use."

He paused for a minute before continuing. "I was able to hide information about the cure from the first wave after the scientists refused to give up. Even with the torture they didn't reveal its existence to save themselves, though one of them did to us and I used it on myself and some of my allies. Unfortunately however I evidently wasn't able to stop a second group from arriving. I spent days in here trying to place a force field around the universe, but I couldn't manage it. I was able to block the first wave's communication devices so they couldn't warn their masters back home about the plague. Sadly I had to damage our own in the process, leaving any potential survivors of my team separated. Still the second wave eventually came here and they decimated the rescue team sent by this galaxy."

The Doctor looked at the monitors which covered various rooms in the facility, though not as many as the safe room. "You saw the team had arrived. Why didn't you warn them."

"There were bodies of creatures like me up there. I didn't think they would trust me. Besides I was worried that if they figured out what was going on, they might pull the plug on my universe."

"I understand" the Doctor said. "But we can't let billions more of those creatures infest this universe."

The Doctor looked closely at one monitor of a lower level where the giant was throwing a tantrum at having failed to kill the Doctor. He noticed a large power generator next to it.

A plan began to form in the Time Lord's mind.

"Tell me why can't you create the force field around the other universe above?" The Doctor asked.

"It can't sciphon off enough power from the core around it. This facility is powered by a compacted star at the bottom of the mountain."

"So that's what that blue light was?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, I hoped I could take part of it to use for the force field, but leave enough for our universe to be powered. Unfortunately however a few of their party managed to make it down to the caves, where the generator is and they managed to block my attempts. I suspect it won't be long before they trace me here. The chosen races will use all of the power of the compacted star to send all of the other members of their kind into your universe, to strategic planets, centres of empire, isolated worlds they can build power bases on in safety. They need a combination of all the energy in their reality, and some from yours to send all of their armies through. This won't be like the projections however. Their consciousness will actually be transferred into the new bodies permanently, thanks to the extra energy from your universe." Exelicos explained.

"I suspect that once they are in my universe, they won't care about the one they leave behind?" The Doctor asked.

"Correct. All the energy from the star will be used up, and my universe will fizzle and burn into nothing. All of my people and the other races who have suffered under their rule for thousands of years will vanish, except for a few they'll use as foot soldiers to help conquer other worlds.

"Well like I said I think our friend can help us out here. If what you said is true, then the giant is the leader of their little group which means we can use him as a bargaining chip." The Doctor said smugly as he clutched his lapels.

"How?"

"Let me show you."

Dana and Reosa were taken to the 6th floor where the cure was by the blue aliens who climbed down the elevator shaft now that the lift was gone. Two of the monsters carried Dana and Reosa on their backs like small children. On the sixth floor the giant creature Dana and the Doctor had faced earlier and its children were warded off by the blue creatures as Dana and Reosa led their captors to the room with the cure.

"Well here it is. I take it that five minute head start is off the table?" Dana asked already knowing the answer.

"Oh of course not" the leader grinned. "I'm afraid though that my friend out there won't want to do the same. She seems to want a piece of you."

Dana looked at Reosa to signal her, though for what Reosa wasn't exactly sure, but she knew Dana was planning something.

"There is a thing you should know about the cure though." Dana said?

"What"

Dana suddenly jumped towards the cupboard that contained the cure. Though the leader attempted to stop her, Reosa attacked the leader from behind. He managed to shake her off quickly, but it was enough to distract the leader long enough for Dana to knock all of the samples of the cure off of the shelf to the floor where they smashed except for one, which she grabbed.

"Just one sample left in the entire facility. If you want it you're going to let us out of here now." Dana threatened.

To Be Continued