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3.
The Mandragora of Fear The
TARDIS is navigation system is still faulty leading Holmes and Xara
to a to Exmoor, England in the year 1932.
Episode One
Holmes walks the corridors of
TARDIS in deep thought, finding himself resting in the Cloisters.
The stone pillars were overgrown with moss, Holmes noted he should
tidy the room someday. Touching one of the columns he could
feel the ship, and something was wrong... furthermore, it had just
landed.
Holmes rushed back to the
console room calling for Xara, then noticing the door was ajar.
Homes checked the scanner, but it was dark and misty outside, he
would have to check for himself.
Outside, the TARDIS had landed
at night on the moors. Holmes was sure this was Earth, likely
southern England. He called out for Xara but no response.
He closed the doors behind him and set off in search of his young
friend.
Holmes
finds himself at the gates of a large manor house. It is late,
but his missing friend is a concern and there is a light flickering
in a window, so he knocks. There is no answer. Her tries
the door and it is unlocked. Holmes enters a large hallways
with doors to left and right, and a large staircase before him.
The door to the left is ajar and is the source of the light.
Holmes investigates and to his
alarm discovers the lifeless body of what appears to be the butler.
"Perkins, are you still up?"
calls out a voice as a man enters the room behind Holmes, seeing him
over the dead body he jumps to conclusions.
"Why sir you cad, I'll see you
swing for this!"
Holmes "I can assure you I did
no do this, I entered and discovered this poor fellow. I am
Homes. And to whom am I addressing?"
"I an Earl Fortesque, and the
poor fellow you have killed was Perkins my butler."
Holmes "Sir, it was not
me. Look at him, the blue tint to his skin, how could I
do that to a man?"
The Earl is puzzled. He
tries to dial the police, but the telephone is dead.
Holmes "I was with a
young girl, she is lost on the moors. I came here looking for
assistance. Please sir, we can do nothing for this man now,
but if whoever or whatever killed him is out there then she could be
in danger."
Reluctantly the Earl agree and
wakes several of his stable hands to help search for Xara.
The Search goes on for a
coiple of hours but there is no sign of Xara. Alas there is no
sign of anything, nothing malicious at all.
Holmes "Sir, I fear
whatever danger there is, is not on the moors, but back at the
house."
Earl "Good grief man, my
wife is asleep!" The Earls calls all hands to return to the
house and search for any further intruders and Xara.
Xara wanders in the darkness
of the moors, glad there is no full moon. She curses herself
though, she's lost. But not alone, a man's silhouette can jusy
be made out ahead of her.
Xara "Holmes? Holmes is
that you...?..."
Back in the House Homes and
the Earl are back in the study. Homes examines Perkins body.
Holmes "This is not
good. Look at him, tell me what you think?"
The Earl examines Perkins, the
odd blue hue to his skin, but no injury.
Holmes "His internal
organs have been disrupted. And energy weapon maybe?"
Earl "A what?"
Holmes "A Ray Gun."
Earl "I fear you've been
reading too many stories from Verne and Wells... although... I
cannot think of any weapon on Earth that could do this to a man."
Holmes "Exactly my
point. Nothing from Earth could do this."
Earl "Good grief man,
it's almost like the stories of that Baskerville place over Dartmoor
a few years back." *
Searching the room Homes
discovers a secret passage behind a bookcase.
Earl "Good heavens, I
did not know about that."
Holmes "Almost too
clichéd, it had to be there."
Homes and the Earl take a
candle and follow the passage, steps leading down to a cavern below
the house. The cavern is small, dusty with a musky smell.
A small stone altar is several meters away. Holmes shines the
light about the cavern when suddenly a birght red light starts to
flicker, growing bigger and bigger before them!
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Episode Two
The glowing ball of energy grows
larger, Holmes pauses just long enough to identify the entity,
Mandragora Helix, Homes turns and flees back along the passage
to the mansion study.
Sitting calmly in a leather bound
armchair sipping from a brandy glass is Holmes nemesis...
Moriarty!
Holmes "I presume this mess is
all your doing?"
Moriarty "Well deduced my
dear Holmes. You are not even shocked I'm still alive are
you?"
Holmes "I presumed you would have
some escape plan. Now what is all of this?"
Moriarty "It is quite
simple. You surrender to me and the girl lives."
Holmes "And what would you
do with me?"
Moriarty "Why, you are to
become a host to the Mandragora Helix. And in trade it will
share it's unlimited energy with me. I give you 30 minutes to
make up you mind and meet me back in the cellar.
With that Moriarty activates a
teleport and disappears. Earl Fortesque was watching from the
doorway.
Earl Fortesque "Good heavens...
where did he go?"
Holmes "That is not
important. Send out your men again, we must find my friend.
I do not want to be sacrificed to the creature in the cellar... and
more importantly I don't want to give it the power of a Time Lord."
Earl Fortesque "Creature?
Time Lord?"
Holmes "Not now. Go.
Find Xara. I will help."
The search party head out onto
the moors again, searching in vain in the fog. Homes heads to
the stables and finds a coil of copper. Taking it he heads
back to the house.
The 30 minutes pass quickly.
Homes is waiting for Moriarty in the study.
Moriarty "Are you ready to
surrender?"
Holmes "I am."
Earl Fortesque "I say.
No one is surrendering..." Homes cuts him off.
Holmes "First. Xara."
Moriarty activates his teleport
and Xara appears looking a little shaken. Holmes checks she is
okay.
Holmes "Two Minutes."
Moriarty "What?"
Holmes "Two minutes is what
it took to beat you the last we met. I wonder if I can do
better?"
Holmes clicks the stopwatch on
his fob watch then leads the way into the cellar, followed by
Moriarty.
Moriarty Smiles in triumph
"Here, just as I promised, a Time Lord. Take him and fulfil
our agreement."
Nothing happened.
Moriarty "Mandragora!
He is here! He is yours."
Nothing.
Holmes "Oh, sorry, did I
forget to mention I dealt with your little friend. It was
after all but a fragment of Mandragora energy, nothing a little
copper wire around it couldn't deal with."
Moriarty runs back upstairs.
"Then the girl dies!"
Unfortunately for the renegade
Time Lord Earl Fortesque was waiting with a loaded shotgun. As
he sees Moriarty pull a weapon the Earl shoots, the shot just grazes
Moriarty but hits his teleport and the Time Lord disappears to
unknown coordinates.
Holmes calmly enter the study and
clicks his stopwatch. "One min forty-nine seconds. An
improvement."
Holmes thanks and apologises to
the Earl. He and Xara stay for a drink then head back across
the moors to the TARDIS.
Holmes "What was that the
Earl said now about a hound on the moors? Baskervilles was
it?"
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