The Buccaneer Chronicles:
City of Gold
By Tony Gallichan (despite interference by Keith Dunn and Adam J Purcell)
Part One - Your shadow falls on me revealing a silhouette reality.
Chapter Three - "What do you want from me, it's not how it used to be. You've taken my life away, ruining everything."
Now, most people, when coming face to face with a bloody huge dinosaur would likely soil their undergarments. Not Cre'at - no body, see? And not Macfadyan, either, though some serious clenching might have been seen by any curious observer.
The beast roared again, and paused in it's charge towards the Time Lord and his Sot'm companion. In the silence that followed, all that could be heard was the rasping of the creature's breath and, from a distance away, a curious fluting noise, three notes repeated.
The beast turned with a snort and slowly lumbered away. There came the sound of oxygen being released from a Time Lord's lungs after being withheld for far too long.
"Now, that was - interesting, wouldn't you say, Cre'at?"
* It gave off the most unpleasant odour. Not unlike the one you are now emitting, Macfadyan. *
Macfadyan slowly took stock of himself. He was covered in dinosaur dung. He began to bluster about having higher things to consider and was very, very surprised at Cre'at's next words.
* You should take far more notice of things happening under your nose and not stare too hard into the sky. Sometimes the important things happen where you fail to look. *
If anyone else had spoken like that to Macfadyan, they would, if they were very lucky, have just received a dressing down. If they weren't that lucky, then they would probably have been maimed or killed. However, coming from Cre'at, this was so out of character that it gave Macfadyan pause for thought.
"You may have a point, old friend. I'm - I'm sorry. I find that I have a lot on my mind nowadays"
Cre'at looked at him closely.
* I have noticed that you seem more preoccupied of late. I have also noticed other aberrations in your behavioural patterns. Would you like to discuss them? *
For a moment it looked like Macfadyan would take the Sot'm up on his offer, but then a shadow appeared to pass in front of the Time Lord's eyes and he shook his head.
"Thank you, but now is not the time. Come on. I want to follow that dinosaur."
* The reptilian? Why? *
" It's 'behavioural aberrations', my dear Sot'm. Dinosaurs do not come when whistled for. They aren't dogs, you know. They simply do not do that sort of thing. Chase you, bite you, eat you, yes. All good, healthy pursuits for a dinosaur, er, if a little unhealthy for it's prey. But that was very unusual." he began to walk across the clearing towards the trampled undergrowth left in the dinosaur's wake.
They followed the trail for fifteen minutes. From time to time they would spot other reptilian creatures. These, according to Macfadyan, were behaving properly. Then the foliage began to thin.
"Alright. I'm impressed."
They were looking down onto a flood plain. And there, sitting proudly, was a city. Ancient and crumbling, overgrown and apparently deserted, the huge tetrahedral buildings still stood proud.
* You were expecting this? *
"No. Well, that is to say, I knew we are in South America, so we could well have seen an Aztec city. And you have to admit, for such a primitive race, the Humans do build some quite lovely structures." he began to set off towards the city, moving down a narrow path. Then he stopped and paused.
"Do you feel a little...odd? Almost like your being pushed away from the place?"
* I feel...something. I am unaccustomed to a feeling like this, however, so I am unable to clearly define it. *
Macfadyan suddenly knelt down and, reaching into one of his waistcoat pockets, retrieved his spyglass, and began to lazily scan the city.
"Hmm,. no sign of life. It looks abandoned. Interesting. By my reckoning, there should at least be tourists here. They get everywhere. Chatting and ignoring local customs, buying silly hats, eating sticks of rock..." he tailed off, realising that he had started to ramble.
* Are we to investigate this city in closer detail? *
"Well, what do you think?"
* I think you still smell. *
It took the two of them an hour to arrive at the city. Cre'at could have gone ahead but had decided to hang around with Macfadyan. He wanted to keep an eye on the Time Lord.
They stood and stared for a while, impressed despite themselves. However, the feeling at the back of Macfadyan's mind had grown stronger. It had an almost...familiar feel to it. Once again he used his spyglass, but it was Cre'at that spotted them.
* Cables. *
"What? Where?"
* There appear to be power cables running up the side of that ziggurat. *
"Well, I never. Your right! We need to get to the top of it. Cre'at! A lift, please" said Macfadyan, holding out his arms.
* Do you think that is wise? You have expanded since we last tried this. *
After a little haggling, a curious sight could have been seen. That of a Sot'm lifting Macfadyan and slowly, very slowly carrying him up the side of the edifice. There were a couple of hairy moments. As Cre'at had pointed out, this Macfadyan was considerably larger then the previous one. Eventually they got to the top. Once there. Macfadyan began a close inspection of the cables.
"Hmm. Interesting. Heavy duty and though made of materials that are found on Earth, the design is not Human. It's too clever for them." muttered Macfadyan with a small smirk. He was a little pleased with that, and it took a moment for him to register that Cre'at was calling him. Curious as ever, the Sot'm had explored further and had found an entrance to the interior oft he ziggurat. What he had found there had disturbed him.
And when Macfadyan saw it, it disturbed him too. It disturbed him greatly.
"No. No, no, no, no...." he muttered.
For there, sitting amidst a tangle of cables, her innards ripped out and canibalised, was the console from his TARDIS...
