Forever Darkness

The Doctor nodded, thanking the woman for her help before turning his attention to the unconscious girl he held in his arms, "I always like them" he mumbled, thinking back to all his past friends that traveled with him. After allowing all the people to board his time machine, The Doctor gently set Harleen down next to the control console, his attention now shifting to the controls and the next destination. Suddenly, something caught his eye on the scanner, a black dot appeared on the radar. The Doctor froze, raising an eyebrow before turning to the woman who had helped Harleen earlier, "Keep an eye on them for a moment will you?" he asked her before dashing down the ramp, tossing his trench coat onto one of the supporting coral columns to the side of the doors. Flipping out his sonic screwdriver, The Doctor activated it, scanning around the room for a moment until getting the spike he was looking for.

There he followed the reading, weaving through a few mirrors before finally stopping by a medium sized control panel, wires feeding throughout the entire console lead to a small black floating box in the center of it. The Doctor slowly knelt down and grabbed the box, his eyes danced across the object. The box was freezing cold at the touch, almost too cold to hold but there was a odd warmth about it. Something inside of it that gave off a slight feeling of heat. "Dark matter..." The Doctor concluded in a mumbling tone, "But why is it here.......why does the shade have a dark matter cube? More to the point...where did he get it?".

The woman smiled at The Doctor before following the people into the time machine and she looked around in awe. She looked to The Doctor and nodded, "I will keep them safe, don't worry..." She smiled at him reassuringly before watching him leave down the ramp of the TARDIS. She walked over to Harleen, "The Doctor is a lucky man to have such a famous, pretty woman by his side..." She smiled at Harleen before walking off to see the other people to make sure they were coping well.

Harleen groaned a little before waking up a few seconds after The Doctor left and she slowly sat up on the chair she was laid on and she rubbed her eyes a little as she eventually got her vision back. Was that a dream? She asked herself before looking around and seeing a few people, she smiled in relief that they were okay but she didn't see The Doctor so she began to worry, she slowly got off the chair and wandered down the ramp and she opened the door slowly and looked out, she slowly walked around until she saw The Doctor holding a black cube. "Doctor? What's that?" She asked curiously as she slowly walked over to him.

"Well for starters it's practically impossible" The Doctor replied with a sniff, standing up as he turned around to face Harleen, "This. Is a Dark Matter cube. The Time Lords forged these in dark times...it was used as a fuel source until the power became too great. They discovered that by using Dark Matter it ripped holes in the fabric in space and time around where it was being used...well...not immediately but over time. So they stopped using it. The technology to harness Dark Matter was lost completely to time...well...until recently it appears". Handing the cube to Harleen, The Doctor turned his attention back over to his TARDIS, "It shouldn't be here...none of this should be".

The doors of the TARDIS opened, the older woman welcoming The Doctor and Harleen back into the time machine, "Sorry, some of them are getting a bit impatient. I was wondering if...we could go now or soon. Not rushing anything though". The Doctor nodded, "Course. Yeah...be home in a tick" he replied, dashing up the ramp and dancing around the controls before yanking the main lever down. The TARDIS maneuvered elegantly through the time vortex thanks to the hard work of The Doctor who continuously worked around the control console as it flew. By now the people had massed themselves into two main groups, each taking their respected spots around the control console, their eyes following The Doctor as he worked. Finally the TARDIS landed and The Doctor opened the doors with a snap of his fingers. The people rushed out, some shoving others just to get out into the cold air for the first time in who knows how long.

"Thank you" The older woman said, coming into view of The Doctor as she turned to him, "Thank you for rescuing us". The Doctor simply nodded, leaning back on the controls as he crossed his feet and arms and with a smirk he watched the woman turn her attention to Harleen, "Keep him out of trouble will you? Seems he has a nack for that sort of thing". She chuckled before she too, like all the others, exited the TARDIS leaving Harleen and The Doctor alone inside of the time machine.

Harleen looked at the cube curiously and listened to what The Doctor said about the dark cube. "It is quite fascinating really." She smiled slightly before looking to The Doctor, "How is this all impossible? That is a word you told me never to say, you said it was a bad word..." She looked to The Doctor in some worry, the way he talked about the cube seemed like it was something that shouldn't exist but it does. Harleen then followed The Doctor back into the TARDIS and held onto the railings as the TARDIS bounced as it went through the time vortex and she smiled at the people who had massed themselves into two main groups and she watched them as they held on for dear life and she couldn't help but giggle to herself.

As they landed and the people began to leave, Harleen smiled at the older woman and she nodded, "I will make sure he doesn't hurt himself or anything." She giggled slightly with a grin and watched the woman leave with the others before she looked to The Doctor and she smiled at him. "I am so glad you're okay!" She exclaimed with a grin and she hugged The Doctor tightly, "I-I thought the Shade was going to kill you... and I am so glad you were there to help me..." She looked to him and smiled at him gently, looking into his eyes. "Thank you." She said softly before leaning up and kissing his lips gently.

The Doctor kissed back unconsciously, "What else am i here for?" he replied with a grin before spinning and madly beginning to pilot the TARDIS, "That's why i've decided! To take you some place no danger or trouble can occur! Well...partial danger..well...maybe some...well...a little. But otherwise, completely silent and restful and nice!". Glancing back at Harleen, The Doctor paused, his eyes meeting the face of the Dark Matter cube that rested in Harleen's hand, "Impossible is a bad word" he replied, walking back over to her from the opposite side of the control console, "And being quite honest, that is bad. Great big thing of bad badiness mixed in with another pot of bad.". Stopping, The Doctor smirked, "Alright, forget i just said that" he said with a slight chuckle, pointing at her with his index finger as he took the cube with his free hand then turning back to the control console, "Dark Matter is everything in between in the universe. It's like yin and yang. On one side you have gravity, pulling everything together, but on the other side you have Dark Matter which pulls everything apart. Black holes consist of mainly dark matter but imagine that power. Controlling something so powerful and manipulating it to your will.".

Placing the cube down on the control console, The Doctor looked up at Harleen, staring at her from over the console, "The power to other throw gravity in it's normal state but imagine. Just imagine...if someone made it into a weapon. Used it to fuel. That's why this scares me" he explained, "Putting it into a cube that you can carry is step one. Next step....weapon".

Harleen blushed slightly as she felt him kiss her back and she giggled a little at The Doctor and she grinned back at him, "Wait. What you are saying sounds either like a nice planet we are going to both visit or you are dumping me off somewhere, where you think will keep me safe, but you know me Doctor... danger follows me." She sighed a little before listening to The Doctor's interesting facts.

"Well, it doesn't seem that harmful but then again the way you put it, it sort of makes me scared to hold it like I am..." She looked to the Dark Matter in her hand and she looked back to The Doctor, "I can imagine it very clearly and I don't like the images of what would happen if it was turned into a weapon..." She murmured with a sigh before looking down at the cube, "Yeah I can see what you mean Doctor..."

The Doctor nodded, "There it is then" he concluded with a sniff, his eyes staring off slightly before he shook his head and returned his attention to the cube. "The lightening skies of Cotter Palluni's world! Always wanted to go there! Had one chance to go but i got tied up...fighting off a headless horseman from destroying a town on the moon of Klom..not very pleasant place Klom..." The Doctor began again, his voice trailing off as he worked the controls, "Anyways! Sound good? Yeah course it does who am i-". Before The Doctor could finish, a large thrust sent The Doctor to the railing behind him as the TARDIS shifted completely to its right side. "We've been hit!" The Doctor exclaimed, extending his arm and grabbing the edge of the control console to pull himself back up to his feet and turn his attention to the scanner, "Laser. Low powered laser, not meant to kill us but just give us a general warning.." he mumbled as he reviewed the screen.

Suddenly the TARDIS fell silent, the time rotor stopped moving and the lights began to dim. The Doctor gazed up, taking a step back his eyes widened, "What..." he hissed, "The TARDIS stopped...". Bang Bang Bang echoed three large knocks throughout the interior of the TARDIS, all originating from the double doors. The Doctor raised his eyebrow, "Knock knock..." he mumbled as he cautiously made his way down the ramp, "Who's there?...". Slowly extending his left arm, he opened one of the doors where he was immediately met by a red blaster and five large, black outfitted, figures, "Doctor! You will let us enter!" the one in front ordered. Taking a step back, The Doctor let them enter, his eyes narrowing to a glare, "Judoon" he hissed, shutting the doors behind him after they had entered. "Why are you here?" He asked, "We have come to warn you Doctor" one replied, taking off its helmet to reveal its huge rhino like head and face, "Warn me about what?" he asked once more, "The matter you hold".

"It sounds good-" Harleen was cut off as the thrust sent her back and she kept a tight hold of the Dark Matter that was in her hands; she fell back and hit her head on the railings and she hissed a little in pain before she slowly and carefully stood up, rubbing her sore head, as she saw some black outfitted beings walk through the TARDIS doors and she stared at them blankly. Then when the one speaking had taken off his helmet, Harleen blinked with a confused look on her face as she saw a rhino that was walking and talking like a Human. She listened in to the conversation before butting in: "T-the matter...?" Harleen looked down at the Dark Matter in her hands, "Oh that matter... wait. What?!" She looked to the Judoon. "Why are you warning us about this...?" She said as she kept a tight hold of the matter just in case the Judoon tried to snatch it from her and The Doctor.

"Dark matter has been located in several parts of the universe. Growing in mass over the past few months. All dark matter has been ordered to be subjugated by the Shadow Proclamation" The Judoon explained, his arm extending out to Harleen, "Hand me the dark matter cube. Hand it to me now!". With a grunt, The Doctor stepped in front of the Judoon, causing its hand to retract and come back to its side, "I don't think so" he hissed, "If this dark matter is as dangerous as you say it is then i need to know about it! I've seen you lot steal dark matter from ships, scavenge it, but for what?!". The Judoon peered back to his brothers, nodding before turning back to The Doctor, "That information is classified. I insist. Give me the dark matter or else", "Or else what?" The Doctor replied, "Or else lethal actions must be taken".

Suddenly the Judoon extended out their blasters, all three of them and got ready to fire directly at The Doctor and Harly. Luckily, The Doctor grabbed Harleen and fell to the floor with a thud. The TARDIS controls sparked and the time machine moaned in agony as it began to spiral through space. The Judoon were sent flying across the interior of the TARDIS, gripping the rails on the sides to stop from hitting the back wall. The Doctor slid and hit the metal rails, his eyes closing tightly as the doors of the TARDIS creaked shut and the walls time vortex began to envelop the time machine.

Harleen backed up against the railings as the Judoon marched over and she shook her head as he extended his arm to her. She smiled a little at The Doctor and listened to them both argue before she saw the Judoon aim their blasters at her and The Doctor and her eyes widened, she felt herself begin grabbed and she fell to the floor with The Doctor and she kept a tight hold of the dark matter, she didn't want to drop it, and she heard the console spark and before she knew it she felt her body slide across the floor, as the TARDIS flew through space, and she slid back and hit against the railings next to The Doctor and she hissed a little in pain and she closed her eyes tightly, "Ah! Damn these railings...!" She said before she passed the dark matter to The Doctor.