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CHAPTER 5

DARK SAR-CHASMS

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"No, don't do that. You can't die. YOU CAN'T!"

I jerk myself awake with this last shout, whatever dream I had slowly dissipating. Slightly disoriented, I blink and look around, trying to get my bearings. I try to guess how long, if time has any meaning in this place-less place, we've been out, but soon give it up. For all practical purposes, we seem to be in some sort of a spaceship. After realizing this, next step was trying to remember what had happened and how we got here. As I start thinking for a bit, the memories return. Rusty and I were in jail. Ryt appeared and tried to transport us out of there.

As I turn my head, I see Ryt leaning on a metal wall and gasping a bit, sweat drenching the fur on his head. Glancing down and to my right, Rusty is also slowly coming to.

"Uggghhhhh..." I suddenly close my eyes and hold my head for a moment, "...this is why I prefer travel by TARDIS."

Rusty shakes his head a bit and gets up slowly, yet still faster than me. "Oh, right. Like we didn't just experience this same thing when we first got here to Chessis...IN THE TARDIS? By the way, what happened and where are we?" he asks?

"In a secret base...*pant*...across the rift...*gasp* ...where I was rescued from my...*pant*...execution", Ryt replies while trying to regain his strength. I can see that he is weakened, but still holding on. He continues. "I phased us out before the cameras went back online and transported us here, though it took longer than I expected."

I slowly get up and walk over to Ryt to help him up. "Are you all right?"

Ryt waves away my help. "I'm fine...just a bit exhausted from that attempt. I've never phased 3 people before, much less transported them that distance." He wanders over to the medical bay and lays down on a flat metal table. As he does, a scanner moves back and forth over him, bathing him in a green light, before metallic arms snake around and attach themselves to his arms and legs and head. "Don't worry, Linda is helping me recover. Anyway, Cheshires don't normally phase out more than 15 minutes, except for those who work in certain military fields. They can phase out for hours."

"Please do not speak. Just relax. This will facilitate your recovery," a feminine voice calls out from the table. Ryt complies and shuts his eyes. I can see his muscles relaxing after a few minutes.

"Who was that?" Rusty asks, looking around suspiciously.

"I am Linda," the voice replies.

"Hmmm...that must be the computer Ryt was referring to," I tell Rusty.

After a few minutes, the arms retract and Linda scans him again. "Recovery complete. You are back at 100% efficiency Ryt. You may get up and move about."

"Thank you, Linda." Ryt replies and opens his eyes. He gets up and stretches a bit. "That feels SO much better." He looks over at us. "Either one of you want to try?"

"Rusty might want to, as he is from Earth. I, being a Time Lord, have different internal make-up than either of you two, with my two hearts. With all due respect to Linda, I don't really trust her to get me right."

Rusty looks a bit skeptical at the medical table, thinks for a bit, shrugs, and then lies down on the table as well. "Sure, I'll give it a go."

"Scanning," Linda states flatly.

While it is scanning, I take a moment to look around the place. "Hmm...interesting ship. How old is this place we're in?"

"Species: Equine. Home planet: Earth. Records accessed. Recovery process beginning." Again, the metal tentacles slithered out and attached to Rusty just as they had Ryt. Rusty closes his eyes and relaxes.

"From what Linda told me when she first saved me from my execution," Ryt answers, "it's approximately three thousand five hundred years old."

I look quickly back at Ryt and blink a few times. "I'm sorry...but saved you from your execution? What was the crime?"

"Our Cardinal Law: 'A Cheshire must never kill another Cheshire.'"

"Recovery complete. You are back at 100% efficiency. You may get up now."

Rusty gets up and you can see the energy in his eyes and his stance. Turning to Ryt, he joins in the conversation, which he obviously heard while in recovery. "So...let me get this straight. The Cheshires punished your killing another Cheshire by killing, or trying to kill, you? Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"

This time, it's Ryt's turn to snort. "Well, I was a special case. I evidently was the first Cheshire to murder another one in a long time, even if it was warranted, or at least the first caught and tried. They will not allow a Cheshire who has killed one of its own kind to kill again."

"What was the sentence?" Rusty asks.

Ryt stares at Rusty with a withering look. "Death by execution, of course. Weren't you paying attention? If you're asking how they perform those executions then the answer is by being thrown into The Deep, a split in our planet almost as deep as the planet itself. Before I hit bottom, Linda rescued me."

"I see. Let me guess, nobody knows you're here. They think you're dead, don't they?" I ask.

"Yes. And I have NO desire to relieve them of that illusion."

Rusty tilts his head and scratches behind his right ear. "Are you bitter about their attempted execution of you?"

Ryt shakes his head. "No. What I...would have gotten, if things went their way, I believe I deserve." He shrugs a bit. "What I AM bitter about is the fact that, according to Linda, I wasn't the only execution, just the only JUSTIFIED execution."

"Well, this is all very interesting," I interrupt, "but do you have a way of tracking my TARDIS."

"Your TARDIS? What the heck is a TARDIS?"

"My time-machine. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Big blue box, 5 by 5 by 7 (at least on the outside), light on the top. We need that to try and get out of Void Space."

"You're kidding, right? A blue box is going to help you out of Void Space? That's impossible. It's not time you have to worry about, it's space...and there IS none in Void Space."

"Oh Ryt, I delight in the impossible. We BEING here should be impossible. We SURVIVING a black hole should be impossible. 'Impossible' is just another word for 'improbable' to me." I look smug and smile while Rusty buries his face in a hoof and snorts, shaking his head.

Ryt tilts his head. "So, how exactly DID you get into Void Space, by the way?"

"Oh, it's a long story." I wave one paw dismissively.

"Well, I don't remember any of us being on any sort of schedule," Ryt retorts.

I think about that for a moment then shrug and relate all that I know regarding the incident. Ryt, leans against a wall with paws crossed, one footpaw crossing another and listens attentively. When I finish, one of Ryt's eyebrows raises up and he puts on a skeptical look. "That's how you got here? Hmmm...doesn't seem like much of a chance to get back. There's only our sun here and there is NO chance that it will go nova. And every Cheshire, including me, will try to stop you if you try to induce it to go nova. As far as we know, there is NOTHING else here, no other planets, no other suns...NOTHING."

"Well, I didn't do it in the first place, and I don't go around making black holes. I USE a black hole for my power, but the transit here has drained it somewhat." I take out my sonic screwdriver and hold it close to my ear while I push a button. A low whine is emitted and the tip grows green. "Yes, it's still recharging. Almost done."

"Well, maybe Linda can calculate how to get out."

"Why would you help us anyway?"

"Well, to get you out of here. Sooner or later, my government would decide you can't be trusted and execute you. Being loyal to one's people is one thing. Condoning everything its government does is another. You ARE going to keep our existence a secret, aren't you?" Ryt's eyes narrow dangerously as he growls this last part.

"Yes, yes. I'm a Time Lord...we have lots of secrets that we don't let other races know. As for Rusty here, he can be trusted. I mean, who on Earth (literally) is going to believe him, even if he DID say something about your existence...which he won't, of course," I add hastily.

"Very well, then. Let's see what Linda can do. Linda?"

In the medical bay, one the grey chairs swivel around, then the surface starts to bulge outward. The bulge takes somewhat of a humanoid shape, like the chair is trying to blow a bubble, almost. The shape becomes more distinct and slowly changes to a shiny metallic color that shows everything like a well-polished mirror. Head (but without eyes), arms, legs, torso...all seem to emerge. The fingers protrude from the hands, feet from the legs. Finally a rough humanoid is formed. "I am currently searching the Chessis databases and video feeds." Linda says in a soft, yet still synthesized voice. "It seems they searching for your...TARDIS, I believe you called it."

"Well, hopefully the perception filter is still there."

"Perception filter?" Ryt asks?

"It's sort of a low-level psychic field that causes the object to be...well, not so much invisible, as just ignored. Like you see it, but you don't pay any attention to it." I explain.

"I see."

"TARDIS has been found," Linda announced. "Sector 5, garden area."

"Hmmm...are you able to boost the signal on my sonic screwdriver? If so, I might be able to auto-pilot the TARDIS to materialize here. The Void Space is interfering with the signal."

I put the sonic screwdriver in her hand. It seems to melt into her hand like it was liquid. After a few minutes of silence, the screwdriver reappears and hums a bit.

"I believe I have boosted the signal by 75%."

"Thank you, Linda."

I hold the sonic screwdriver to my ear and push a button. It whines a bit and the end lights up, but then it fades a bit. "Come on, not now." I whack it against my fist a few times and try again, this time the whine is louder and the light brighter than before. "Gotcha!"

A few seconds later, a wind seems to blow from nowhere and a labored groaning sound is heard. Ryt backs up and goes in a defensive position, slightly hissing at the "intruder". A light appears, followed by the rest of the TARDIS. But, suddenly, everything seems to fade a bit.

"No, no, no, no, NO! No you don't." I push another button and aim it where the TARDIS is trying to materialize. The sound gets louder again, the light stabilizes and the TARDIS fully appears, then is silenced. "Whew, that was close. This travel through Void Space is really taking its toll on it."

Ryt remains in the position, his muscles coiled and ready to attack. But I try to calm him down. "Easy there, big fellow. That's just my time machine. I really need to put in for its 500 year or 12,000,000 mile tune-up one of these days."

After a while, Ryt relaxes a bit. "That's your TARDIS?" He looks at Rusty, looks at me and back at the TARDIS. "That is your time machine?"

"Well, it's bigger on the inside than the outside. That's Time Lord technology." I look smug.

"Looks a bit decrepit to me," he mutters.

I gasp and look incredulously at him. "Decrepit, DECREPIT? This is the finest piece of time and space travel ANYWHERE!" I pat the TARDIS affectionately. "There, there, dear. Pay no attention to the mean kitty. He doesn't know you like I do."

" 'Mean kitty'?" Snorting again, this time more derisively, "I was going to call it a rusted out piece of junk." Ryt turns to Rusty with one eyebrow raised. "Does he do this often?"

This time it's Rusty's turn to snort and he rolls his eyes. "You have NO idea how often. Sometimes I think he is more concerned with the TARDIS than with my safety...or where, or when, we land."

Ignoring the other two, I turn back, give my sonic screwdriver a flip in the air, catch it and put it back in my jacket pocket. "Now we just need to find a way to get out of Void Space."

"There's no way to get out the same way we came in?" Rusty asks.

"Well, yes and no. If there was a black hole nearby, we could make a control entry into instead of just being accidentally sucked into it like last time. But this is Void Space. The only star is the one Chessis used to revolve around, and I have no intention of trying to make IT into a black hole."

"But, didn't you tell me that the TARDIS is powered by a black hole? Couldn't we use that somehow to create...I don't know, a wormhole or something into normal space?"

"Brilliant! Rusty, you are a genius!" I pull his head close and kiss his forehead. "That's a wonderful idea."

"I believe I can help you with that, if I may connect to your control systems," Linda offered.

"Well, I don't know if Cheshire and Time Lord Technology is compatible, but things really can't get any worse than where we are now. Go right ahead."

I snap my fingers and the door opens. Linda walks in, followed by me, Rusty and Ryt.

Inside there are a few lights glowing, some blinking, and a bit of beeping, but it's definitely quieter and darker than usual. I kneel down, crawl under the console and push a panel open, revealing an input port. "This should help you get access to the controls."

Linda stretches out one arm and it becomes a cable, which slithers over and connects to the port. She stands perfectly still as the connection is made and information passes between the TARDIS and her. After a few minutes, the cable retracted and re-formed into an arm. She turns to face us.

"A solution has been found. By using my teleportation ability on black hole that powers your TARDIS, we can create a temporary wormhole some distance from the planet that should get you back to your original place. I cannot guarantee the time you'll get back."

"Well," I said, "that's my cup of tea, so to speak."

"Wait a minute," Rusty interrupted. "What about the other Cheshires?"

"What ABOUT the other Cheshires, Rusty?" I asked.

"If they see the wormhole, they'll know THEY didn't create it as evidently they don't need it, being able to phase and teleport. They obviously don't realize he's still alive," Rusty points to Ryt, "so, they know we've gotten out. Won't they be able to follow us? If they do, and catch us, they'll just capture us again, won't they?"

"Hmmm...a valid question. Any ideas, Linda? Ryt?"

Ryt thought for a while, then turns to Linda. "Can the wormhole be made just temporary? Or maybe kept locally so they don't see it?"

"Yes," Linda answers. "I can create the wormhole around the skin of your TARDIS so that it is undetectable. And it should collapse once you are through."

"When can you have the wormhole ready?" I ask.

"Computations have already started. It can begin whenever you like. Once your TARDIS powers up, I will start the wormhole. Ryt, it is advised that you stand clear before it starts."

"Well, then. No better time than the present. Ryt," I say as I turn to him and extends one paw, "thank you so much for your rescue. Under normal circumstances, I'd love to stay and chat. But, your species being rather xenophobic and secretive and all that, I think its best we get going."

"It's been...interesting, Doctor, Rusty," he says as he shakes my paw and Rusty's hoof. "Just promise that you won't tell ANYONE about us."

"We won't...we promise," Rusty says as he shakes Ryt's paw. "Who would believe us anyway?"

"True. Well, good bye Doctor. So long, Rusty."

We both wave and enter the TARDIS. I look at the controls and toggle a lever. "Rusty, around the opposite side of the control column, there's a green switch. Flip that switch, please."

Rusty goes to the console, locates the switch and flips it. The lights come on, the column starts moving up and down, and the TARDIS groans and shakes, then things slow down a bit. "No you don't, baby. Don't give up now, we're almost home." I turn a few dials, and give the TARDIS more power. I turn on the viewer and we see the inside of the ship with Ryt a distance away. Then after a while, there is a bright flash and everything jumps, nearly causing us to lose our balance, but we hang on to the column. The brightness fades and stars are once more visible.

I check the readings and frown a bit.

Rusty looks at me with wide eyes. "What? Don't tell me we're in the wrong universe or in a different time or something!"

I look at him for a few seconds, then suddenly grin and chuckle. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't pass up the chance to see a true look of horror on your face. I was wanting to mention something like...oh the end of the universe or an anti-matter dimension or something like that. But, no, we're approximately right where we started, but just a few hundred kilometers away, so we're safe from the black hole. And," I check the readings on the console, "still at the same year that we left."

Rusty gives me a dark look. "You have a funny sense of humor, Doctor."

I look at him with mock innocence. "What? I can't have a little fun? Come on, where your sense of humor? Anyway, are you ready to get back home?"

"Yes! Most definitely. In the future, can we NOT do that again?"

"Yes, well, we shouldn't have been able to do that in the first place. And we REALLY don't want to go back there again."

I twist a dial, ding a bell, and throw the main lever up, the whole TARDIS tilts a bit and we head off to Earth and relative safely. On the way, I think about the Cheshires on Chessis in the Void Space and wonder where they'll pop up next. Hopefully, they will never see either of us, or the consequences could be dire. But, with all of the universe, and (for me) all of time, chances are astronomically small. And I silently vow to never speak about their existence...to anyone. I don't want to end up...out of time and out of space again.

THE END