Lyra and The Doctor

by Silver Inkwell

The Game- Part Two

The Game- Part Two

The Doctor was too stunned and shocked to even move for a moment, but when he finally did he decided to approach this the calm way around. “Look, I'll give you one chance and one chance only, leave my Tardis, return Lyra Heartstrings to me safely otherwise I will hurt you, I won't kill you since we’re brothers, we’re of the same race, but I will still hurt you nonetheless.”
Kronos (The Doctor decided to call him that rather than The Librarian all the time) laughed cruelly and it echoed coldly in the room. “Well, what are you going to do to stop me now, eh? You don't have your Tardis, and I can kill Lyra at any moment, and you see Doctor, I don't want to kill you either, I just want to be a part of history rather than just writing it, storing it, organizing it, it’s all just so boring and old to me now, but now with you, even if I fail I shall be a part of history, notable history rather than just a small insignificant being on the side.”

“Well did you ever consider that maybe that is not your place?”

“I have, and I just don't care anymore,” Kronos said.

“But why?”

“Because I want to have some fun,” Kronos giggled.

“You’re despicable.”

“I know!”

“You really don't care, do you?”

“Nope, not at all!”

“I hate you,” the Doctor said with as much malice as he could.

“Me too, Doctor! But now it’s time to have some fun!”

“If you hurt Lyra…”

“I have no plans for that, yet, if you will play my game.”

“What will it take to save her?”

“Play my game,” Kronos said.

“What do you want?”

“I already told you, play my game,” Kronos said.

“Stop saying that!”

“No, play my game, or else,” Kronos said.

“Or else what?”

“Trust me, you don't want to find out,” Kronos smiled.

“Okay, fine then, I will play your game.”

“Excellent, we begin at once, the first test is the game of chess,” Kronos said.

“Wait, what, chess?”

“Yes, you heard me, the game of chess, do you have a problem with that?”

“No, none at all.”

“Excellent, then please just give me a moment…”

“The Tardis whirred but remained relatively in place before Kronos and the Tardis vanished and then returned just barely a moment later,

“Come in Doctor,” Kronos said opening the door, “Lyra is safe, for now, unless you change your mind, but I must warn you, if you do then you will regret it very much.”

“How dare you threaten my friend! How dare you threaten her and me too!”

“Relax, calm down Doctor, all I intend to do is to see if you are really great as the stories of you tell, I’ve read everything on every time lord that I myself have nothing that you can possibly know or exploit.”

“If you know anything about me then you know I will win.”

“That’s exactly what I am hoping for, Doctor,” Kronos said.

The Doctor walked inside his Tardis, “Whatever you’re planning, you will lose.”

“And I already planned on that, I’m one step ahead of you Doctor.”

“That’s what you think.”

“I knew you would say that,” Kronos said.

“You’re really annoying.”

“I already knew that,” Kronos said.

“Let me guess…”

“Tell me something that I don't know.”

“Yeah, I knew you were going to say that,” both said.

“Now that’s just weird,” both said again.

“Stop that.”

“No, you stop first, okay?” Kronos said.

“No, why don't you?”

“Oh, never mind!”

“Finally, thank you!”

“Don't thank me just yet,” Kronos said.

“Oh, trust me, I had no plans to do that, like ever.”

“Oh, I already knew that too,” Kronos said.”

“Is there anything, something that you don't know?”

“Your name,” Kronos said.

“Okay, you have a very fair point there.”

“I do,” Kronos said.

“Enough, let us play the game.”

“I couldn't agree any more with you, Doctor.”

They got out a chess board and started to play in silence with a few occasional comments and taunts, mostly from Kronos who just wanted to test his enemy, he poked and prodded him for an answer, but nothing ever came of it.

Eventually, the game came to an end and the Doctor was victorious.

“Well Doctor, so far you do not disappoint me, but you still have many more tests to come, and you must pass all of them in order to win back Lyra, but why don't you try to surprise me for once and lose one of them at random.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see if you can handle losing when you win so much.”

“Trust me, whatever the challenge is, I will win.”

“Unless it’s losing,” Kronos said.

“We shall see, won't we?”

“Yes, I guess we will, Doctor,” Kronos said.

“I hope you don't mind losing to me then.”

“Trust me, I won't,” Kronos said.

The next game or test that they moved onto were card games.

The Doctor passed all of those games and moved onto the next big thing

They played for hours as Kronos kept pressing the Doctor on about what he knew, who he loved, what he cared about, the Doctor faced a maze, a 3D real life image simulation projector where everything felt real but was just a fake hologram instead, he faced monsters and demons that could only come from his own worst nightmares, they talked on for hours and it never stopped.

Eventually, the Doctor started to figure out what Kronos really wanted, or so he thought, if he was wrong about this then he would never get Lyra back, but after all the games and tests that he had done he was willing to take that chance.

“I give up,” he said. Kronos paused at this random outburst.

“What did you say? Do my own ears deceive me?”

“You heard me, I give up.”

“
So, in other words Doctor, you quit?”

“Yes, I do, I want to quit.”

“What if I told you that by quitting you will lose Lyra forever?”

“I think you want me to quit,” the Doctor said.

“Do I? Why don't you quit Doctor? And then see what happens to Lyra.”

“I can get her back even if I do decide to quit.”

“Very well then, I accept your choice to quit, and guess what, you win.”

“I do?”

“Yes, the whole point was to see how selfish you were, and you surprised me, you never stopped even when it seemed reasonable to do so, but now at a point where it would be insane to stop, you do, because of her, and loyalty to your friends is very admirable and worthy of honor and respect. But you see, there is one slight problem Doctor, I had fun playing these games with you, I really did, but the General has been watching, and now he will know your weaknesses just like I do, and I had to give her to him, he has her Doctor, not I.”

“You lied to me from the very start.”

“Indeed, did you expect anything less?”

“No, I didn't, but why did you do this?”

“I dare not defy the General, and also, I was bored, I wanted to have some fun.”

“And you decided to have some fun with me?”

“Yes, you are wise, smart, clever, and funny, use that against the General, be random, odd, strange, unpredictable, chaotic, that’s what I love about you.”

“Is there anything more that you like about me.”

“Oh, a whole lot more, but I have not the time for it.”

“Very well then, take me to the General.”

“I don't think I need to, he will find you, and if he wanted me to say that you should come to him, he probably would have already said it by now.”

“That’s okay, but how long do I have to wait then?”

“Not long, he is coming very soon.”

As he said that a blue and golden yellow light appeared.

“Or, he could already be here.”

“That is always a possibility.”

“No, wait, he is already here.”

“Then I can't wait to meet him.”

“Oh, trust me, you shall Doctor, you shall, he is most anxious to meet you.”