Cat and Mouse (comic story)

Our yearlong celebration of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary continues! The Seventh Doctor takes the spotlight in this issue of a 12-part epic adventure featuring all 11 incarnations of the Doctor! In a 19th-century Scottish castle, a live-in nurse's concerns about the elderly couple in her care are allayed by a visiting doctor and his curiously modern female companion.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Scotland, 1830. Maid Mackenzie serves two elderly patients in bed, and is hoping the two patrons will get better. She has just sent for the doctor to figure out why they are both so sick. She looks up and spots that the Seventh Doctor and Ace (Ace is wearing 18th century attire, with her jacket) have entered the room.

The Doctor comments that Ace gets the chills quite easily and that she loves her jacket, and won't leave it behind. The Doctor examines the patients (including listening to their feet and smelling their arm-pits) trying to find out what is wrong with them.

The master of the house, Alan Campbell, arrives, and states that the Doctor is not the doctor he sent for. This raises Mackenzie's awareness, saying that she thought that the Doctor was their family physician, which the Doctor states that he never said he was.

Campbell states that it doesn't bother him, and that the Doctor was recommended by their own physician, Dr Lewis.

The Doctor then asks Campbell to fill him in on the patients background. Campbell said they're his Great Aunt and Uncle, Ruth and Gibson Campbell, and that they fell ill about 3 months before the Doctor's arrival.

The Doctor also enquires that the grounds and estate belongs to them. Campbell states that the grounds are part of the Campbell ancestry, the Doctor also enquires if it belongs to either himself of the two patients in bed.

Campbell starts to get annoyed, saying that the estate is theirs, and if anything should happen to them, he'd get their estate. The Doctor doesn't cause to defend, saying that he is "The Master of the house", which Campbell agrees with a smile.

The Doctor and Ace leave, apparently to read a few texts he brought with him in his carriage, and with Campbell's permission, heads off. Ace starts to enquire as to why the Doctor was asking so many questions. The Doctor states, that he needed to cut straight to the bone, and shed some light on the situation. He also learned the fact that Campbell isn't the person he says he is. He also states that the 'aunt' and 'uncle' are not human. They head to the TARDIS to examine a spoon that the Doctor has stolen from the bedroom to find out exactly who they are.

The Doctor sends Ace for a walk around the castle with a device that picks up on the same energy that dragged the TARDIS off course.

Ace walks into the kitchen, and the detector goes off. Pointing at a small door at the back of the room, Ace decides to investigate, despite the Doctor saying not to take any risks. What she finds leaves her flabberghasted.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is confronted by Miss Mackenzie, who states that the Doctor had no right to talk to Campbell the way he did. The Doctor reminds her that something is not right, and then enquires as to how long she's been working there. She says two months, and that nothing has changed in their condition since she arrived. It's also the reason why she didn't question him when he arrived, all she wants to do is help. Mackenzie is suddenly overcome with fear, saying something is not right about Mr Campbell.

Ace runs out of the house, saying she has found what the Doctor was looking for. He then asks Ace to lead the way.

Ace and the Doctor walk down the back steps find a fully decked out computer room. They then figure out that the door was left unlocked, meaning that they were meant to find it, and could possibly be a trap. The Doctor then states that only the Master could come up with something like this.

They both investigate the equipment, only for a massive one-eyed creature with razor sharp teeth appear before them, but it's chained up. The chain snaps, and The Doctor orders Ace to run. They manage to beat the Beast up the stairs and lock the Doctor. But the creatures strength breaks the door with ease. Ace then throws a can of Nitro-9 at the beast,and it explodes, killing the creature. And the patients stir in front of Mackenzie.

The Doctor examines the body of the creature, determining that it's a Gulwort, stating that its a creature that drain the life force of its victims, and would have certainly have killed both the Doctor and Ace easily.

Mackenzie runs down to the Doctor to tell him that the Campbell patients have stirred, but haven't awoken.

The Doctor, Ace, and Mackenzie run back into the building and up the stairs. only to have Mr Campbell block their path. He then shifts into the Master. The Doctor just degrades him by calling him cheap. He then also states that he knew all along. The Tremas Master then reveals that he's been working with a new partner, or companion of the Doctor's, to which the Doctor doesn't have a clue what he is talking about.

The Master then states that he hasn't met him... yet! And that he's been siphoning the life force from the "Campbells" to transmit power to his partner, helping him conduct a revenge scheme against the Doctor. The Master gloats, saying that he loves causing the Doctor pain. The Doctor then tells the Master that both himself and Ace have killed his main supplier (the Gulwort). But before the Master can retaliate, the Doctor pulls out the device that has been keeping the Campbells asleep. and subsequently deactivates it.

The "Campbells" revert back to their true form, Aeroliths, whilst the Master curses vengeance. The Aeroliths recognise the Master as the one who trapped them and chase after him.

Mackenzie cannot take it in, that everything she's been told was a lie. The Doctor explains that the Master would never lower himself to be a nursemaid, and that the creatures will catch him eventually, and that he has made new enemies for himself. He also states that this will only fuel the Master's vengeance against him, and that he'll now be deadlier than ever.

As the Doctor and Ace bid farewell to Miss Mackenzie, the Cloaked Figure arrives, and snatches Ace...

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Aeroliths are creatures of light and wind.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Master is wearing the coat that he was wearing in GAME: Destiny of the Doctors.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Seventh Doctor and Ace had previously met the Master on the Cheetah World. (TV: Survival)
The Master says to the Doctor, "Say my name." He would say a similar thing to the Tenth Doctor in a later incarnation (TV: Utopia) and again to the Thirteenth Doctor in an even later one. (TV: Spyfall)