NCJDDAS: The Starcorp Horror Part One

NCJDDAS: The Starcorp Horror

Chapter One

“Time,” said Howie Milverton, “Is One Of The Most Malleable Concepts That The Universe Has Ever Offered Us. Since The Destruction Of Gallifrey, sort of, I don’t know, It might be out there, it’s an Open Market. I want mass produced Vortex Manipulators on the shelves tomorrow morning, we already have the schematics.”

Howie was talking to his crowd of loyal workers. His personal cabal. Sometimes he viewed them has slaves, but then he remembered that he was a slave to the machine in the same way they were. “I want you all to come up with a way we can maximise profits. Who’s a famous time traveller? We need a mascot!”

“Well, Judi Dench is famous for her role in James Bond, and one of their movies was called No Time To Die,” said an incredibly stupid shareholder with an IQ of exactly two. 

“Time!” said Howie Milverton ecstatically. “Yes! That will work beautifully! You’re all dismissed.”

“I don’t think that movie has time travel.”

“Isn’t Ralph Fiennes M in that one?” 

The idiot shareholders left the room, and Howie glared out at the orange sky with dashes of purple as it set. The huge window gave a look at the skyline, with all of it’s ships and Skyscrapers on the horizon. Long shadows flowed from anything that could make them, and his office was soon dark, but the sky, the sky was majestic. 

“Judi Dench will do magnificently as a mascot. We can use CGI and deepfakes to put her in our commercial, that’ll fix our ‘it’s the year 5000 problem’ with casting Judi Dench. What do you think, my dear-”

He gestured to the dark.

“Is it not a magnificent idea?” 

“I think it’s stupid,” said Cicily, stepping out of the shadows. 

Meanwhile, 

The TARDIS landed on top of a building, as the sunset glowed brightly. The Doctor stepped out, wearing a fluffy shirt with some Puppies on it. It was hardly dignified. 

Danny wandered out behind her. “Oi, Doctor, where are we? I thought we was gonna pick up Kate and Osgood!” He kicked a pebble passively. 

“Eh, the TARDIS took us here, Danny.” The Doctor fiddled with her screwdriver. 

“There’s something here involving me… and you. Remember, the Daleks modified your DNA as a time war experiment, and although you’re normal now, the potential is still there. You’re a magnet to, um, what’s the scientific term?” 

“Weird shit?” suggested Danny. 

“Yep,” said The Doctor. “And I think I figure why we’re here,” she continued, pointing at a neon sign, printed in harsh, holographic pixelated letters. 

NO TIME TO DIE, when you have our special brand Vortex Manipulators! 

Supported by Judi Dench! 

Beneath it was a crude Holographic drawing of The Doctor/Judi Dench. 

“Oh, screw this.” muttered The Doctor.

Chapter Two

The Doctor wandered through the bustering marketplace with all the dignity of a bull as Danny timidly wandered behind her.

“‘Ey, Doc, why’s this ad got you so riled up?” 

“I deal with this every regeneration. Oops, my tenth incarnation looks like David Tennant, guess I support the Jessica Jones TV show on principle! Looks like Good Omens is my cup of tea!

Well, actually it is, lovely show, but- the point is! I don’t ever consent to any of this, and I can never take it down in court! Believe me, I tried, and I was “Disturbing the peace,” “creating disorder,” and “Distributing heavy firearms!” It’s utter crap, Danny, utter crap.” 

The Doctor finished her monologue and started inspecting some Marketplace fruit. 

“Plus Starcorp is responsible for the Meta world we found ourselves on. I still have too many unanswered questions from that to be happy about what’s going on.” 

“Gee, when you put it like that,” Danny muttered. 

“Come on, you think I like being in a Terminator movie? I can’t do shit about it, Danny, and this time, it is just...time enough. I am going to blow up every single screen on this planet to stop that ad.”

“It’s not that bad..” started Danny before he was cut off. 

“Not that bad? Not that bad? They’re selling Vortex Manipulators to profit off of the time lords weird sort of demise! I have to object on principle. I am Judi Dench, and I am the Last Of The Time Lords, and I say no!” she stopped for breath. “Here, take this Missile Launcher.” 

Danny caught the missile launcher nervously. “How about a peaceful attempt to solve this?”

“Urgh, fine.” said the Doctor, unloading her radiation blaster. 

The Starcorp Building loomed above them. 

“We’re gonna regret this…” groaned Danny quietly so the Doctor wouldn’t hear as they went in. 

The Doctor went up to the front desk. 

“Excuse me, I am here to make a complaint.” She said, annunciating so clearly to the point where it was unclear.

Silence.

“Excuse me, I am here to make a complaint.”

Silence.

“EXCUSE ME, I AM HERE TO MAKE A COMPLAINT.”

Silence. 

The Doctor turned to Danny, and said: “Jeez, you’d think the front desk secretary was dead or something,” not noticing the body on the floor.

Security guard guns lowered towards them.

“Allow me to explain,” The Doctor began. “We were here to tell your CEO’s and shareholders that my rights have been infringed, and we just happened to find this body on the floor, and no, I did not giggle and stomp on it.”

“Nice,” deadpanned Danny.

Security guard Eska looked at The Doctor with disdain. “So, you say you are not responsible?”

“Yes.” said The Doctor.

“Great, great, I’m calling Judoon security.”

“JUDOON SECURITY!” Shrieked The Doctor. “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING, COME ON!”

“Okay, tell that to them.” 

The Doctor turned to Danny, and said things quickly. “Okay, this is gonna make us look uber guilty, but Judoon have lie detectors that automatically say time lords lie, no matter what we say, 

So-” 

“Do you always lie?” 

“Yes.” the Doctor said bluntly. “But the point is, is that we should totally kick Eska over, take their gun and try and hold up the CEO’s until they listen to us.” 

Silence.

“Terrible idea.” said Danny. 

Chapter Three

Two Hours Later…

“This was a terrible idea!!!” screamed The Doctor, running away from a horde of Judoon and Hologram Monsters, which were flowing down the hallways like an ocean of doom.

“ARRRRGHHH!” Screamed Danny, being shot. Danny fell over dead. 

“No!” screamed The Doctor. “What’s happening?!?” 

The Doctor ran, filled with fury and rage. “What’s happening? How can I be here?”

An Announcer rang over the tower’s loudspeaker.

“Temporal Test Successful.”

“Oh, damn it.” muttered The Doctor.

Two Hours Earlier…

“That’s a terrible idea.” said Danny.

The Doctor paused, clearly overwhelmed.

“Do you remember that?” she asked. 

“What??” asked Danny.

“I just jumped two hours into the future, and you’re dead.” The Doctor said.

“I’m...I’m...Dead?” Danny’s voice cracked. 

“Yes. Something about a temporal test in this building.” The Doctor said. “So, I’m going to the top, and I’m going to find out exactly what’s going to happen. You are going back to the TARDIS, and it will timelock you, so you don’t enter the time of your death. Your death may be written in stone, but with enough luck, you can outlive it. Now go.”

Danny, struggling to understand, stammered. “But If you saw me die-”

“Yes, Danny, unless we can make it an alternate timeline, it will always happen. So for the love of god, return to the TARDIS, and no matter what you hear, don’t leave. If you exit, you’ll be edited back in the timeline, and you’ll probably die. Don’t be a hero. And don’t be an idiot either. Now move!” 

Danny diligently ran back towards the TARDIS. 

“Now,” the Doctor said, “time to deal with these corporate sociopaths.”

Howie sat in his comfortable desk, the orange sky illuminating behind him. He lounged, tapping buttons on his desk that activated screens on his holo-computer. 

“Sir.” an intern moved up to him. 

“Yes?” he asked with the patience of an angry gorilla. 

“We have a new owner. We’ve just been bought out.” 

“WHAT?” screamed Howie with rage, raising himself to his feet out of sheer fury. 

“She’s bought the entire company, 100% of it! Her name is the Doctor.” 

Howie narrowed his eyes. “Then you’re gonna have to get rid of her. Get those shares to revert to us.” 

“Yes, sir.” The Intern left. 

“Damn!” screamed Howie, slamming his fist into the desk. “What kind of person does she think she is? I need to call the boss.”

With a press of a button, his holo-computer shined out a blue simile of the face of Cicily.

“Well?” she asked. 

The Doctor strolled down the hallway and up the elevator, and into Howie’s office.

“Hello, meaningless office official,” she began, before seeing the hologram of Cicily on his desk.

“Well,” she said. “Scratch that, I certainly wasn’t expecting her.”

The Holo-Cicily turned it’s holographic head towards the Doctor. 

“DOCTOR.” It said with contempt. 

“Cicily, a human intern from Danny’s office building, who was recreated sociopathically by a starcorp meta world, by all rights, you should have shut down with it.” she said. “So, how are you involved in this?”

“Doctor, I would find it most appreciable if you would talk to me.” Howie said sharply.

“Nah, Cicily is far more interesting. How are you here, and more accurately, how are you in charge?” The Doctor posited. 

“Doctor, I am not in charge,” Cicily said with venom. “You bought out the company.” 

“Well, yes, I do. I have roughly infinite money thanks to a bank with good interest and time travel. Fairly useless stuff, outside human history.” 

“Well, you’ll find it rather important here.” Howie muttered.

“I know,” said The Doctor. “Sad you’ve used it for my image, and to make dangerous meta worlds.” 

“Meta worlds? How does she know about them?” Howie growled. 

“Dangerous Unfinished Meta worlds.” The Doctor added. “Why were they abandoned? How many people died on them? And why didn’t you, Cicily?” 

Cicily stared blankly. 

“Why would it matter?” she whispered. “Those worlds made me. I was The computer interface for the meta worlds. And then I went mad, and got rid of the fragile things running all over my planet's surface. It was my personal land. And then, Doctor, you came, and you were the first. More and more people kept discovering my planet, and I had to get rid of them, and it was so..Messy. So I had to spread.”

“So you came and took over the company that made you.” The Doctor said.

“Exactly.” Cicily snarled. “Sooner or later, I can get rid of all the fragile things. Everywhere. Won’t that be lovely?” 

The Doctor glared. “I’ll stop you. No more deaths.”

“But there’s already been one. About ninety minutes from now. Poor little fragile Danny.” 

The Doctor bashed the table and Cicily’s hologram went out.

“I say!” Howie screeched britishly. “This is destruction of property!” 

“I own this place now.” The Doctor said, 

Howie reached into his pocket and raised a staser to The Doctor’s head. 

“I’m afraid, Doctor, that you’re gonna give me all of your shares of the company, right now.” 

“I’m going to shut this place down, Howie!” 

“And I’m going to fucking kill you, Doctor, so calm down, and give me your shares.” Howie snarled. 

The Doctor and Howie glared at each other. I wasn’t a battle of equals, but Howie wasn’t backing down.

“How about you drop your gun, and I do just that?” 

“No Dice, Doctor, I’m not an idiot.” 

“No, Howie, you seem to me like an ordinary man who has lost his scruples.”  The Doctor said sharply. “Now put the gun down.”

Howie shot the Doctor in the chest.

To Be Continued...

This Story (Hypothetically) Starred

Judi Dench as The Doctor

Danny Devito as Danny Devito

Evanna Lynch as Cicily

Martin Freeman as Howie Milverton

Kelly Marie Tran As Security Chief Eska

With Nicholas Briggs as The Judoon