The Time Machination (comic story)
Promotional summary
London, 1889 and a time-stranded Doctor needs the help of an old friend to fix the Tardis... but is beset by pursuers sent by Queen Victoria herself! How is this connected to a previous tale of the Sixth Doctor -- and a Fourth Doctor adventure that hasn't happened yet? And what will happen if the Doctor is captured by the Torchwood Institute? A special standalone tale!
Plot
London, 1889: two men are talking. One is H.G. Wells and the other is a man known as Jonathan Smith, and they are talking about the Doctor. They enter a little passageway to see the Tenth Doctor. The Doctor states the TARDIS is out of power, and would go to Cardiff to fuel up, but can't do that due to threats such as Torchwood.
Elsewhere two Torchwood agents are tracking Chronal signals. They finally figure that the doctor is trapped.
Jonathan touches a device which sends out chronal energy. The doctor decides he needs to go and find some things, changing into Victorian clothes along the way. They then exit only to come across the two Torchwood agents. Luckily, they escape without being seen, but the power on the chronal energy detector goes mad. The Torchwood Agents know the doctor is there. They are chased, but the male Torchwood agent fires, hitting H.G Wells stunning him. The two agents take H.G Wells back to the Torchwood Base at the West Indian Docks.
At the West Indian Docks, Herbert is interrogated about the Doctor. Wells tells them about his meeting with the Sixth Doctor and his "Young Assistant", who appeared out of nowhere and took him to the planet Karfel. He tells them that they fought Morlox and the Borad and then sent him home after.
The male Torchwood agent asks if the assistant was female, young and indecently dressed. Herbert replies yes and asks how they know this. The man says Queen Victoria met the doctor after he saved her from a werewolf ten years ago in Scotland. The female agent then says Torchwood has followed the Doctor to places like America, Kraktoa and Perivale and miss him every time. They discover the doctor has changed, fitting their description of him.
Inside the TARDIS, Jonathan and the Doctor are busy. Herbert arrives and tells Jonathan about Torchwood and how they are wating for the Doctor outside. Jonathan confronts the Doctor, saying that once Torchwood captures him, Jonathan will be able to have tea with Queen Victoria. Outside, Wells shows the Torchwood agents where the Doctor is. They surround the TARDIS, demanding the Doctor comes out.
The Doctor figures out Jonathan is a time traveller from the 51st century. He wants revenge for what the doctor did to Magnus Greel. The Doctor says he did not kill Magnus Greel; cellular regeneration killed him and technically it has not happened yet. Jonathan says he is here to stop the Fourth Doctor from killing him; he found the secret diary of H.G. Wells on the planet Biblios documenting the Doctor's death. The Doctor outsmarts Jonathan and the TARDIS fades without him, revealing Jonathan to the Torchwood Operatives. they think he is the Doctor and stun him.
As Wells is walking he bumps into the Tenth Doctor, who encourages him to write War of the Worlds. The Doctor leaves, but Wells is stunned to find the TARDIS arriving again, with the Fourth Doctor and Leela walking out. He wonders to himself how many Doctors there are. The Fourth Doctor and Leela walk off to see Li H'sen Chang, master of magic mesmerism, and Wells decides to write a book called The Time Machine.
Characters
- The Doctor
- H. G. Wells
- Jonathan Smith
- Eliza Cooper
- Robert Lewis
- Fourth Doctor
- Leela
- Sixth Doctor (appears in flashback)
References
- The story ends with the first moments of DW: The Talons of Weng-Chiang and the arrival of the Fourth Doctor and Leela. The Doctor makes mention of wanting to see Little Titch.
- The Doctor makes a veiled reference to Jack Harkness, although at this point in time, Jack had not yet joined Torchwood.
- The Torchwood agents refer to the Doctor's visits to Krakatoa and Perivale. The latter is a reference to DW: Ghost Light and the former to DW: Rose.
- The Doctor refers to Professor Chronotis.
- H. G. Wells appeared in DW: Timelash.
Planets
to be added
Notes
- Announced by IDW Publishing at the New York Comic Con in February 2009, The Time Machination is set in Victorian London and reportedly features the first Doctor Who comic book reference to the Torchwood Institute. That fact Queen Victoria is involved would make this a followup to the televised story DW: Tooth and Claw.
- The Doctor is travelling alone so the story presumably takes place post-DW: Journey's End and IDW: The Forgotten.
- Reprinted in the graphic novel Through Time and Space.
Continuity
- The story is a semi-sequel to both DW: Timelash (and arguably Tooth and Claw) and (due to time travel) both a sequel and prequel to The Talons of Weng-Chiang. A reprise of a scene from the last-named appears from the point of view of H. G. Wells.
External links
to be added
