CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE MEANING OF PAIN

‘Smell that air!’ Raljex declared as he led them into a dank stone-walled room.
‘It smells like something died in here,’ The Fourth Manager grunted.
‘Plenty of things have died in here,’ Raljex chuckled. ‘That’s sort of the point of a
torture chamber.’
The Supreme Being snapped his fingers, igniting torches all around the large
room. The light illuminated a spread of horrific-looking torture devices, most of which
still glistened with fresh blood. There were several withered corpses languishing in small
cages around the walls, all of which seemed to have had their arms ripped out of their
sockets while they were still alive.
‘I think I’m going to be sick,’ The First Dr. grimaced as he watched his seventh
incarnation lick the face of one of the skeletal forms.
‘Chicken,’ The Seventh Dr. nodded to himself.
‘Ah, the Medieval Zone,’ Raljex said as he ran a finger over a rusty manacle that
dangled from the ceiling. ‘Such a wonderful period in any civilisation’s history. It
always happens. Barbarism takes over at one point and then every sadist worth his
salt suddenly finds a roaring trade to occupy themselves. Even the mighty Video
Lords went through a shocking period of savagery. You’ve never seen the like of it
… that’s a week I’m sure every one of them old enough to remember it would
rather forget … Actually they’re all dead now so it’s a rather moot point.’
Raljex looked up to find the remaining Dr.’s and Managers staring impatiently at
him – all except for the Seventh Dr. who was trying to pull the same face as one of the
grizzled corpses.
‘So, we need a new game,’ Raljex said airily.
‘Damn right we do!’ The Tenth Dr. shouted, taking out yet another bottle of whiskey.
‘Where the hell do you keep pulling those from?’ The Fourth Dr. remarked inquisitively.
‘A Physical Game!’ The Twelfth Manager spoke up abruptly. ‘We won the last contest. It is
our turn to choose.’
‘A Physical Game in the Medieval Zone?’ Raljex considered, patting his featureless
chin. ‘Why, there is only one thing for this! A game that only the most chivalrous
and brave of souls will be able to even contemplate! A task that requires such
cunning that anybody who attempts it would need to be part Fox!’
‘Really!’ The Fourth Manager huffed. ‘Are you going to go on all day? Should I get out a
chair while you finish prattling on and on like some … like some.’
‘Like one of me?’ The Thirteenth Dr. offered as he examined the blood spatter effects
around the base of a rack.
‘Exactly!’ The Fourth Manager bellowed. ‘You’re infectious, Dr.! The Universe will be a
much saner place when you’ve been resigned to oblivion forever.’
‘Nothing lasts forever,’ The Thirteenth Dr. retorted, casting his gaze towards Raljex and
narrowing his eyes.
‘You’ll get six assistants,’ Raljex said simply, breathing in a sigh of delight as each of
the Dr.’s – aside from Seventh – gave a pained look of grief that more of their associates
were being dragged into the games. ‘Now, who will play?’
‘If it is chivalry, cunning and bravery you want,’ The Tenth Dr. said, gulping down the
rest of the whiskey and throwing the bottle against one of the stone walls so that is
shattered in a shower of shards. ‘Then, you’d better take Twelfth.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Twelfth said, standing even more upright – if that were at all possible
– ‘You are volunteering me without consulting beforehand?’
‘I figured this’d be your kinda deal,’ The Tenth Dr. shrugged, pulling the cork from a
bottle of wine with his teeth and spitting it out into the ribcage of a skeleton in a cage
across the room. ‘What with you being our golden boy and what not.’
‘You have nothing but scorn for me, you repulsive blaggard,’ Twelfth spat back ‘Do not
attempt to sway me with false flattery.’
‘Fair enough pal,’ The Tenth Dr. shrugged. ‘But, seriously, this one’s your gig.’
‘I wouldn’t be to quick to assume anything of the kind,’ Raljex said silkily, turning to
address the Twelfth Dr. I’m surprised you have remained with us for so long. In your
condition, I expected you to enter the first game and get as far away from here as
possible.’
‘If I did that,’ The Twelfth Dr. frowned. ‘I would not be able to keep an eye on you.’
‘What’s he talking about?,’ The Fourth Dr. asked his Twelfth incarnation. ‘What
condition?’
‘It is nothing,’ Twelfth replied. ‘Raljex underestimates my resolve.’
‘What condition?’ Fourth demanded hotly. ‘If there’s something wrong with you, then you
should have said so.’
‘It is none of your concern!’ Twelfth snapped.
‘The hell it isn’t!’ Fourth shouted. ‘If you can’t compete properly then you shouldn’t be
playing!’ He rounded on Raljex. ‘You should not have brought him here when he is not fit
to do battle!’
Raljex shrugged simply. ‘We are dealing in Relative Time, Dr. You are the one
who called for a contest at this time. So, this is how your incarnations appear.
Besides, the most noble Twelfth Dr. declared that he was perfectly capable to
compete in these games.’
Fourth span on his heels to glare at Twelfth. ‘You selfish bastard!’ He said sourly.
‘You could have waited until you were fit and healthy! There’s no shame in it! Is your
pride worth that much?’
‘It is nothing,’ Twelfth said plainly. ‘The condition that Raljex speaks of is no issue for
me.’
‘NO ISSUE?!’ The Third Dr. stepped in, fists clenched.
‘Me’s, me’s, me’s,’ The Thirteenth Dr. came between them. ‘There is nothing that can be
done now, we are here and that is the end of it. Twelfth could not have simply waited.
His affliction is an ongoing problem.’
‘What happened to not discussing each other’s future?’ Third said sharply.
‘We don’t have time to argue,’ Thirteenth said, remaining calm. ‘This is something that
we can discuss at a later date.’
‘We can discuss nothing if Twelfth plays the game,’ Third grunted. ‘Once he’s in there we
can’t talk to him and even if he wins he’ll be around for all of two seconds to get his
crystal.’
‘Then perhaps it is best that I do enter this contest,’ Twelfth said with his usual stony
resolve, marching forwards to meet The Twelfth Manager.
The Manager grinned as his rival approached. ‘So,’ he asked slyly. ‘What is this
disability I hear so much about?’
‘It is my concern and my concern alone,’ The Twelfth Dr. replied.
‘Oh, come now,’ The Manager persisted as Raljex opened the door for them. ‘Don’t be a
spoil-sport. What is it? Trick knee? Do you have some kind of ravenous flesh-eating
plague?’
‘No,’ Twelfth grunted.
‘You have some sort of prosthetic limb?’
‘I will not discuss this with you?’
‘Is it some sort of severe constipation?’
‘Why do you persist when I have already explained that I shall not reveal anything to
you? Let the matter drop.’
‘Where’s the fun in that?’ The Manager sneered as they both entered the game room.
Raljex closed the door on them and peered through a barred window in the dungeon wall
to observe the proceedings.
‘Seriously,’ The Fourth Dr. turned to his Thirteenth incarnation. ‘Is it something that we
need to worry about?’
Thirteenth didn’t answer right aay. He stroked his brow and considered his
response for some time. ‘In truth,’ he said quietly. ‘Yes.’
‘How much should we worry?’ Fourth asked quietly.
‘You will not remember when the games are over,’ Thirteenth sighed. ‘But Twelfth has
sustained an injury that will eventually cost him his life. Even now, he will be feeling the
effects. He puts on a brave face, his pride will not allow him to appear weak, even for an
instant. You know what he is like.’
‘An arsehole,’ Fourth nodded.
‘An arsehole that rights more wrongs and does more heroic things in his one life than the
rest of us put together. He is the saviour of the Universe. Every waking hour is dedicated
to justice and helping those in need.’
‘Yeah,’ Fourth nodded. ‘I agree, the man needs a hobby. But what sort of injury are we
talking about? Will he be able to play this game?’
‘Depends what the game is,’ Thirteenth shrugged.
‘It looks like Jousting,’ The First Dr. said from where he had perched on the shoulders of
an Iron Maiden to see through one of the higher windows.
‘Then, no,’ Thirteenth shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t think it would be possible for him.
Though I don’t doubt he’ll try.’
‘How did he get hurt’ Fourth asked.
‘He tried to kill me,’ Raljex said suddenly over his shoulder as he turned listlessly to
face them. ‘I could not let him go unpunished for it.’
‘He tried to kill you?’ The Fourth Dr. exclaimed.
‘A foolish notion,’ Raljex shrugged. ‘He came to my sanctum with the notion to
destroy me. He declared that I was the greatest threat to the safety of the Universe
and had to be eradicated.’
‘What did you do to him?’ The Third Dr. snapped.
‘It is no business of yours,’ Raljex shrugged. ‘What transpired is between me and
your foolish incarnation. As it will continue to be until the day he dies … a day
that is fast approaching …’
Raljex waved a hand at the door of the game room.
‘Hey,’ The First Dr. – who had been keeping an eye on the game – said suddenly. ‘They’ve
stopped … frozen in time.’
‘I’ve paused the proceedings,’ Raljex said, drumming his fingers on a set of
thumbscrews. ‘I never could resist a good story.’
‘I thought you said it was none of our business,’ The Forth Dr. folded his arms.
‘Oh, it isn’t,’ Raljex humphed. ‘But The Last Dr. is going to tell you regardless.’
‘What makes you say that?’ The Thirteenth Dr. bristled.
‘Because if you won’t,’ Raljex said, leaning against a cage. ‘Then I most certainly
shall. You know how much I enjoy throwing spanners into the works.’
‘Look,’ The Fifth Manager hissed. ‘Is this Soap Opera going to take long? You’re all
wasting precious time!’
‘Nigel,’ Raljex mused. ‘You do not want to hear of The Dr.’s defeat at my hands?’
‘Oh, well if it’s a story with a happy ending,’ The Fourth Manager grinned. ‘Do go on.’
‘If I tell them,’ The Thirteenth Dr. said sternly. ‘Then I’ll tell them everything.’
‘No you won’t,’ Raljex replied simply. ‘You will tell them what you remember of the
event in question. Everything is a relative concept that need not concern us here.
Now, if you do not wish to tell this tale …’
‘Looks like I have no choice,’ Thirteenth sighed, seating himself of a set of Stocks. ‘Gather
round kids so we can get this over with.’
‘Like I said,’ Raljex said with a chuckle. ‘I do love a good story.’

***

Raljex leaned back in his giant throne and gazed upwards through the
transparent dome where the particles that would one day be the Galaxies of the Universe
were spiralling off in all directions.
Things had been much simpler before The Universes had come into being. He
enjoyed being here, before everything. He was aware that he could only occupy his
citadel in this time while the Raljex who actually belonged in this time zone was
otherwise occupied. He never ran into himself accidentally. Raljex was far too intelligent
for that. The only time he ever occupied the same space as his past and future selves
was in the void before the Universe. But there, there was no time and the paradoxical
laws that governed its flow through the Universe were non-existent at that point.
He gave a fleeting glance at the black crystal meteorite that smoked and fumed on
its pedestal next to his throne and would have given a fond smile if he had a mouth to do
so.
He had known of the RETARDIS’ arrival long before he heard the drone of its
ancient engine. He had known of The Dr.’s survival of the Time War. It was
inconsequential that there were loose ends. That was what Richtocorricas Alpha was for.
Apparently, Alpha’s progress would need to be monitored more closely from now
on if The Dr was allowed to roam this freely. Raljex considered destroying him there and
then. It was well within his power to do so, and entering his Citadel without being
summoned was a crime punishable by death.
Raljex steepled his fingers and waited as the figure clad in grey and black strode
purposefully down the length of the Citadel. His long black hair bounced wildly, such
was the ferocity with which he marched at Raljex.
‘Why, Dr.,’ Raljex said smoothly. ‘To what do I owe this most unwelcome and
unpardonable intrusion?’
‘I have come to right a wrong,’ The Twelfth Dr. stated simply, taking his large laser sword
from its scabbard and igniting the blade.
‘I see,’ Raljex said without moving. ‘Am I to assume that you have come in an
attempt to destroy me?’
‘I live my life to protect The Universes against evil,’ The Dr. declared. ‘But the Universes
can never be safe as long as the ultimate evil exits … nobody can never be truly safe until
you are gone.’
‘You think you can kill the Supreme Being?’ Raljex chuckled.
‘You are no more Supreme than I,’ The Dr. barked. ‘I know what you are, I know who you
are, and I have come to end your reign of terror.’
‘You cannot vanquish what is eternal,’ Raljex replied.
‘Nothing lasts forever,’ The Dr. retorted. ‘You have lived this long by leeching from The
Lords of the Universe. Casting those you call dissidents and recidivists into the void you
created, The Eye of Harassment. I know the truth. You feed from those imprisoned there.
You steal their Degeneration energy for yourself.’
Raljex had no face with which to scowl, but the stars that swirled inside his
incorporeal form bristled.
‘Your power is stolen, your longevity is leeched. You are a parasite Raljex. A lowly worm
with ideas above his station. Sat at the dawn of the Universes pretending to be god.
You’re pathetic.’
‘You think you know all there is to know about me,’ Raljex nodded sagely. ‘Then
come, Video Lord, if you are so sure. If I am nothing to be feared then strike me
down and prove to The Universes that I am what you have always suspected. But
know this … If you make a move against me, it will be the last mistake you will
ever make. Your lives may nearly be over, but I shall see to it that all you know is
suffering, for all of your days. I promise you this as I know it is the truth.
‘I am to die eventually Video Lord, as all thins do. But you are not the one
who will end my life. You might try, but I have seen my demise with my own eyes,
and as such, events cannot be changed. The Paradoxical laws of time itself will not
allow it. There is nothing you can do.’
‘You could always be lying,’ The Twelfth Dr. said darkly. ‘We know that’s not beyond you.
All your claims of being the First Entity, your claims that you created The Lords of the
Universes, your lies are never-ending.’
‘Perhaps,’ Raljex shrugged. ‘But is it worth your life to take the risk?’
The Twelfth Dr. considered the point for the briefest of moments before he rolled
his shoulders, raised his sword and charged.
Raljex sighed with boredom and raised his hand lazily, swiping at the air before
The Dr. and sending The Video Lord hurtling through the air. The Dr. rolled and came up
on his feet, his eyes filled with deep determination. There was no anger in his gaze. Anger
released an enzyme that temporarily lowered the IQ and The Dr. no longer had time for
such things. This was strictly business as was always the case. Once it became personal,
the battle became that much more difficult. There was that added element that could
easily pertain to failure.
‘Care to try again?’ Raljex asked with a yawn. ‘If you do, please, put some effort into
it. You don’t really believe that a direct assault will work against somebody as
powerful as me?’
‘Not at all,’ The Dr. nodded, as he turned his head away and shielded his face with his
cloak.
Raljex was blasted from his throne and sent careening from the dais on which he
had been overseeing the proceedings. He had not spotted the Hydra Grenade that The
Dr. had dropped. The Video Lord’s reckless charge had been a ploy.
Raljex regained his composure quickly, but was still surprised as The Dr.
advanced upon him. The laser sword hummed as it cut through the air where Raljex had
been moments before. Fists and kicks followed it, driving The Supreme Being back cross
the Throne Room.
The Video Lord came with alarming speed. A swiftness that was impressive even to
The Supreme Being. Raljex had not anticipated that this renegade might actually have
some fight in him.
Though, The Dr. was still only a Video Lord. Raljex was The Supreme Being. So,
when Raljex finally lashed out, The Dr. could do nothing to defend against it.
The Video Lord flew through the air again and crashed through the table where
the black-crystal meteorite was. The Dr. collided with the stone and was propelled even
further down the length of the Citadel, its power enveloping him as he flew, slamming
him painfully into the floor in a shower of black sparks.
The Twelfth Dr. was a warrior. He was master over his body. His emotions were
controlled. He had taught himself to feel no pain. But now, he screamed in agony.
He grabbed for the stone that had become embedded in his spine and tried to
prise it free. It would not move. He could feel it fusing into his spinal fluid. He could feel
it sending tendons into his central nervous system. The rock was alive.
‘I must admit,’ Raljex said, suddenly appearing in The Dr.’s line of vision. ‘Your
presence here shocked me slightly, Dr. I had thought that our fateful meeting
would be something much more dramatic than this pathetic display. You
disappoint me. This is a fitting punishment for you actions. I had been waiting for
somebody truly deserving of the anguish the stone would deliver. For somebody
whom I despise above all others to writhe in absolute agony as the stone leeches
your life energy, as it becomes more a part of you than yourself. Soon, you will die
horribly at its hands, Dr.
‘Until that day, you will truly know what suffering is. Until that day, and
hopefully long after, you will realize the true meaning of pain. It will be your world;
it will invade your every moment. Nothing you can do will prevent it … soon, Dr. …
very soon, you will feel its true effects. I only hope you live long enough to truly
appreciate it.’
Raljex cocked his head curiously at The Dr. as he screamed again and his eyes
began to fill with blood. That was not an effect of the stone, this was something else.
Somewhere, another one of The Dr.’s was having his Degeneration Energy stolen. The Dr.
would get off lightly if that were to happen. Raljex wanted him to suffer first, suffer
terribly. The Stone had attached itself to somebody now. He had to survive until the
Stone killed him. It was imperative.
Raljex was not overly concerned. Events had been set into motion that could not
be reversed. The Future was already determined. Raljex had seen it. The Stone would be
the destruction of The Dr. In more ways than one.
Raljex waved his hand and sent The Dr. back to his RETARDIS so he could bother
somebody else with his tortured cries. Such noises had always been an annoyance to
Raljex. He gained his pleasure from his victim’s plaintiff grovelling. Screams of utter
torment were all well and good in small doses, but after a while, they just began to grate
on his nerves.
Raljex returned to his throne. He had not expected events to begin so soon. They
had caught hi off guard. He was not fully prepared. There was so much to do. So very
much.
He decided he would return to the Void before The beginning and meditate upon
the matter. Time was running out. How Raljex hated time.

***

‘Good enough?’ The Thirteenth Dr. asked as he got off his perch and shot Raljex a
piercing glare.
‘I suppose,’ Raljex shrugged. ‘Though I do recall I was much more forceful than you
made me out in your story. I was rather witty in my retorts too, if I recall, but I
will not quibble over the matter.’
‘I told it how it happened,’ Thirteenth growled as he approached one of the windows to
loo into the game. ‘So, can we get this game over with now?’
‘Oh, yes,’ The Fifth Manager chuckled. ‘Let us see how The mighty Twelfth Dr. copes
under such circumstances.’
‘I still expect great things from him,’ Raljex chuckled as he waved his hand and
allowed time to flow inside the game room again. ‘I for one cannot wait to see what
surprises still lie in store in our little game,’ Raljex turned to the Thirteenth Manager
and inclined his head slightly. ‘I foresee so much entertainment in the future; I
almost can’t stand to wait.’
‘Then, why wait at all?’ The Thirteenth Manager chided.
‘Because,’ Raljex chuckled. ‘It’s so much more fun this way.’