Rover Strike: The TARDIS Affair

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
All Doctor Who names © British Broadcasting Corporation
Wes © Wesley Montgomery
Tamias © Adam Chapin

Any question, comments, complaints, feedback or suggestions can be 
sent to gnaude_@hotmail.com.

Cal-Tech Research Facility
Northern London City Limits
United Kingdom
14 July
11:14 PM:

The Cal-Tech Research Facility is a sprawling campus of offices, parks
and scientific laboratories and facilities. A high security fence
surrounds the campus just outside of London. Normally the facility would
be quiet with only a few security guards on duty. Tonight, however, most
of those guards are outside the gates along with dozens of officers and
squad cars from the London Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard. Flood-
lights turn night on the campus into day. Sitting on the roof of one of
the main buildings is Parvo's distinct bulldog-shaped ship. Occasional
flashes can be seen through the windows of the buildings around the
campus.

Administration Offices
Cal-Tech Research Facility:

The corridors of the administration block are clean, white walled and
decorated with potted plants, couches and occassional paintings. Red
doors with name tags appear at intervals. Right now all the corridors
are lit up by flashing red lights while an alarm blares throughout the
building. Shephard, Corsair and Merit(in his battle shell) come running
out from one corner, lasers flying past them. Not far behind them is a
pair of pursuing cano-mutants.

Corsair:"Man, that was a stupid move on your part Merit!"

Merit:"I do not think so. Repairing the damage to the facility security
       alert system caused by Parvo was within my duties."

Corsair:"Yeah, and it alerted Parvo and his goons when you switched it
         back on!"

Merit:"Then it is operating perfectly. I do not understand your outburst
       over it."

Corsair groans and covers his face with one hand. Shephard turns to fire
a few rounds from his Desert Eagle, and then reloads.

Shephard:"What I don't get it is why we are here fighting Parvo."

Corsair:"Well, it is our job. Road Rovers and all."

Shephard:"Not this part, it ain't. We're supposed to deal with the KH
          Military or the GONV or some of the big guns. Instead here we
          are doing the usual Parvo Roundup."

Corsair:"Hunter and his team got tied up elsewhere. Besides, we get paid
         for doing our jobs."

Shephard mumbles something. As they pass a fire extinguisher, Shephard
fires a few shots at it. The bullets rupture the pressurised tank, causing
foam to spray out of the holes and fill up the corridor with a white fog.
The cano-mutants enter the cloud, then stop and turn back, coughing and
rubbing their irritated eyes. Merit stops and begins to turn back to the
spraying fire extinguisher.

Merit:"What a mess. I will clean this up immediately."

Shephard and Corsair turn around as Merit rolls towards the white cloud.
They grab him and start pulling him away.

Corsair:"Man, you're an even bigger millstone than Blitz is!"

Merit:"I am not a millstone. I am the Mechanical and Electro..."

Shephard:"WHATEVER! MOVE!"

The trio moves on while the cano-mutants keep coughing and chocking on 
the other side of the fog.

Space Research & Development
Main Laboratory
Cal-Tech Research Facility:

The Space R&D division of Cal-Tech is a large, hangar-type laboratory
with several levels of catwalks, cranes and raises offices and cubicles.
Computers, work benches, tool cabinets, lab equipment and trolleys are
visible everywhere. Dominating the center of the room is a large and
highly sophisticated satellite suspended by wires from a crane above.
Right now the lab is overrun with cano-mutants, who are both keeping
watch and trying to load the satellite onto a flatbed truck to take
outside. Parvo and the Groomer are standing on an overhead catwalk and
watching the operations.

Parvo:"Isn't that a fine piece of technology, Groomer?"

Groomer:"It does look very fancy, General. But what does it do?"

Parvo:"Oh, I don't what it was designed for. Something about weather
       and rain and other unimportant stuff. What is important is that
       it uses a very powerful device that can send out energy waves
       from orbit down to earth."

Groomer:"And what are we going to use it for?"

Parvo:"With a few minor... adjustments and upgrades, I can turn this
       fancy rainmaker into an orbital cano-mutator. It will be able to
       turn ANY dog in a large area into loyal cano-mutants with a simple
       point and click. No more chasing down dogs and bringing them to
       my base and no more time wasting. This new Mutator Satellite will
       be able to create a GLOBAL army for me in a few hours!"

He starts to make an evil laugh, but he is cut short when he goes into
another fit of coughs. Parvo turns to the Groomer.

Parvo:"Lozenge!"

The Groomer holds up a dispenser and fires a lozenge into Parvo's mouth.
He quickly chews the lozenge and his coughs pass.

Groomer:"You know you could see a vet about that cough, General."

Parvo's eyes goes wide. He quickly grabs the Groomer and shakes her with
an anrgy look on his face.

Parvo:"Don't EVER make that suggestion!"

Groomer:"Sorry, General."

Parvo puts Groomer down, then turns his attention back to the satellite.

Parvo(to himself):"Visit a vet..."

He shivers from the thought. Meanwhile, watching from the skylight windows
above, is Striker, Phoenix and Illanov. The three of them are observing
Parvo's goons working down below.

Phoenix:"They're already loading the satellite. And there's quite a lot 
         of Parvo's goons on guard duty."

Illanov:"They would have been easy to neutralise had the alarm not gone
         off for some reason."

Striker:"That's why we are going to try a new approach. Parvo and Groomer
         are staying more or less in the same spot, so I think we might
         have a chance of easily grabbing them. Phoenix, see if you can
         get the others on the radio."

Phoenix:"Okay, Dear."

Striker:"Alex, here is what I want you to do."

Illanov listens carefully as Striker explains his plan to him. Down below
the cano-mutants continue their work of loading the satellite onto the
truck. A few of them start to handle the device a bit rough. Parvo shouts
down at them.

Parvo:"Hey, careful with that thing! Don't drop it, you morons!"

The cano-mutants nod fearfully and work more carefully with the satellite.
The Groomer grins teasingly at Parvo.

Groomer:"Worried about scratching your new toy, my General?"

Parvo nods, turning to the Groomer while jerking one thumb at the device.

Parvo:"That, and I saw some warning labels on that thing. I don't know
       what these Cal-Tech eggheads put in that thing, but one too many
       hard knocks and BOOM! Gone is this whole lab."

Groomer looks alarmed at the satellite.

Groomer:"What on earth were they smoking when they built that thing?"

Parvo:"I don't know, and I wouldn't want any of it. Once we get it back
       to my base I want to open it up and see what it is. Maybe I could
       design a new type of bomb or weapon for my future army with it."

While they are talking, up on one of the higher catwalks a cano-mutant is
on patrol. He hears a squeaking noise behind and whips around, laser
weapon at the ready. However, all the mutant can see is that an overhead
skylight window is being held open by a latch. The mutant walks up to it,
keeping his laser pointed at the opening. He examines it for a few more
seconds, then pops the latch with his rifle and closes the window. Now
satisfied, the cano-mutant resumes his patrol. Unbeknownst to the cano-
mutant, someone had managed to sneak through. Dropping down from the cat-
walk, Illanov just manages to hide behind a stack of plastic barrels
before his invisibility power wears out. Illanov looks around to make
sure hasn't been spotted, and then uses his Watchcom to contact Striker.

Illanov(whispering, into com):"Comrade, I'm in."

Striker(over com):"Goed. Cut the power. We're in position and will come
       in once the lights go out."

Illanov(whispering, into com):"Dah."

Illanov looks around again to make sure nobody is looking his way. He
then begins to sprint from cover to cover, hiding behind trolleys,
computers, cabinets and other equipment as he makes his way to a big
utility box in one of the corners. At one point a bulldog cano-mutant
appears right next to Illanov but doesn't see him. Anxiously the German
Shepherd holds his breath as the bulldog looks around, mostly behind
him.

Bulldog:"I ain't sharin' dis."

The bulldog pulls out a big candy bar. Licking his lips, the cano-
mutant unwraps the candy bar and begins to chew on it. Illanov watches
nervously, as the bulldog casually glances around and nearly spots him
several times. After a minute or so the bulldog finishes the candy bar,
belches loudly and casually tosses the wrapper so that it lands on
Illanov. The cano-mutant then walks away, leaving Illanov to breathe
out.

Illanov:"Bolshoi..."

Checking to see that the coast is clear, Illanov sneaks over to the
utility box. He opens it and finds a large switch with several smaller
switches and labels. The label above the large one says "MAIN LABORATORY
POWER".

Illanov:"Lights out, Parvo."

Illanov grabs the switch and pulls it. Immediately the entire laboratory
is plunged into darkness as the lights go out. Startled shouts come from
the various cano-mutants. Up above, Parvo and Groomer are caught by
surprise.

Parvo:"What the? Who turned off the lights?! Groomer!"

Groomer:"I don't know, General! Short circuit?"

Parvo:"Get the lights back on, NOW!"

Groomer:"Yes, General!"

Amid the confusion nobody notices two of the skylight windows and one of
the lab doors opening up. Several objects are thrown through the openings
into the lab. Several seconds later those objects go off. The ones from
the door are flashbangs that detonate with a blinding flash and a loud
bang, stunning many of the cano-mutants and briefly turning night into
day. The ones from the windows, being smoke grenades, emit thick clouds
of gas that fog up the lab and obscuring visibility. With the chaos
going on, the rest of Unit STRIKE springs into action. Striker and
Phoenix rapple down from the open skylight windows, while Shephard and
Merit charge in through the door. The Strikers quickly move to take
out those stunned cano-mutants closest to them. Merit uses his battle
shell's cannons to shoot out the cano-mutants' guns from their hands
while Shephard kicks and rifle butts them to the ground. Corsair comes
in behind them and begins to secure the downed mutants with plastic
handcuffs.

Corsair:"Just another tag and bag day."

The bulldog cano-mutant is one of the few cano-mutants who are not
stunned and sees Phoenix coming down with her back towards him. Sensing
an easy shot, the bulldog takes aim with rifle. Illanov comes up behind
the cano-mutant and elbows him in the back. The bulldog yelps in pain
and accidentally drops his rifle.

Illanov:"Not so fast, comrade litter bug."

The bulldog growls, jumps and takes a swipe at Illanov with his big
fist. Illanov simply ducks and punches the mutant in the stomach. The
cano-mutant gasps and doubles over. Illanov then stands up and hits the
bulldog on the back of the head, knocking the mutant to the floor. He
then moves on to take down the next nearest mutant. Up above on the cat-
walks Parvo and Groomer are rubbing their eyes and coughing as they
struggle to recover from the effects of the grenades. When they finally
do manage so, they look up and find Striker and Phoenix standing with
them on the catwalk. Striker points his sonic rifle at them while Phoenix
has a pair of fireballs in her paws.

Striker:"Just come along quietly, Parvo. You know the drill."

Phoenix:"Yeah. You too, Groomer."

Parvo:"You foolish mutts! Can't you leave your wet noses out of my
       business?"

Phoenix:"It's our business to stick our wet noses into your business,
         Parvo."

Striker:"Just surrender. It will happen one way or another."

Parvo:"Well, I choose a third way. Groomer, let's go!"

Parvo and Groomer turn around and begin to run. Striker simply nods at
Phoenix. The pomeranian throws her fireballs at the fleeing duo and sets
their feet on fire. Parvo and Groomer immediately stop running and start
dancing around, hopping about and trying to put out the flames.

Parvo, Groomer:"Ow! Hot! Ouch! Hot! Hot! Owie! Hot!"

While the two of them dance around, Striker and Phoenix run up to them.
The couple wait until Parvo and Groomer have put out the fires, then they
both land a pair of punches to the villains' jaws. The two of them fall
down on their backs. Striker and Phoenix then put their boots on the
villains' chests, Striker going with Parvo and Phoenix with the Groomer.
Parvo grunts and looks up, finding himself staring at the business end
of Striker's Sonic Rifle.

Striker:"Tell your troops to stand down, Parvo."

Parvo:"How dare you order me around like that! You mongrels have no
       authority over me!"

Striker charges up his Sonic Rifle, the humming noise startling Parvo
and making him sweat.

Striker:"Don't tempt me, Parvo. Hunter and the others might go for the
         'do not harm', but me and my team are not afraid of 'shoot to
         kill'."

Parvo gulps, then quickly turns his head and shouts loud enough to be
heard by everyone in the lab.

Parvo:"Cano-mutants, stand down! Stand down immediately!"

The confused but obedient cano-mutants all briefly hesitate before they
lay down their weapons. Shephard, Merit and Illanov come out of cover
to round up the cano-mutants into a neat group while Corsair goes around
and puts all the dropped weapons into a neat pile.

Shephard:"No funny business, you lot. Your heard your commander."

The cano-mutants growl at Shephard but obediently do as they are told.
Up above Phoenix and Striker are pulling Parvo and Groomer back onto
their feet while Phoenix takes out some plastic cuffs. Striker steps
back, still keeping his Sonic Rifle aimed at the two villains.

Striker:"Don't try anything, Parvo."

Parvo:"Yeah, yeah. I heard."

As Phoenix begins to secure the duo, Striker looks down towards Illanov,
who is standing watch over the cano-mutants.

Striker:"How are things down there, Alex?"

Illanov answers without looking up, keeping his eyes on the mutants.

Illanov:"All's well, comrade. We just need to get them tied up."

Striker:"Goed. Once we have everyone here secured we can call in Scotland
         Yard and round up the stragglers in the rest of..."

Suddenly there is a strange groaning sound and a small light pulsates in 
the middle of the air. The light gets brighter as something starts to 
materalize in a empty spot. Everybody shields their eyes for a second to 
let the light fade. Slowly, they all open their eyes to see what caused 
the flash. To their amazement, standing in what used to be an empty spot 
on the lab floor is a large red booth. It has six sides and a large 
Victoria-era electric lamp on top. On a sign hanging by the door are the 
words "OFFICIAL POLICE BOOTH". For a brief moment they all stare at the 
police box.

Illanov:"Mother Russia, where did that come from?"

Merit:"I say, that was not there before."

Corsair:"Wonderful observation, Merit."

Before anyone can say anything, the door on the booth opens. Stepping out
of the booth are two very unusual characters. One is a male Fox with
green eyes and blond headfur dressed in a green coat, brown suit and 
pants that look out of fashion, holding a walking stick in one paw. His 
companion is a male chipmunk with long brown hair and brown eyes along 
with glasses who appears to be dressed like a native American tribal 
member, with a large headdress, loincloth, bands and markings. The 
chipmunk also has a necklace with two feathers on it with a large blue
crystal dangling from a spot on the necklace. The two of them look around 
at the astonished groups in the lab.

Fox:"Oh, well this quite a surprise. Wouldn't you agree, Tamias?"

The chipmunk named Tamias nods his head, looking around the lab.

Tamias:"It is, Wes. But WHERE are we? This place looks so... strange."

The Fox called Wes rubs his chin as he looks around the laboratory.

Wes:"Indeed. This does not look like Buckingham Palace. Perhaps these
     fine gentlemen can give us better directions."

But Parvo immediately sees an opportunity. He quickly points at the two 
newcomers and shouts at his cano-mutants.

Parvo:"Seize them and get that booth!"

Shephard:"Ah, s***!"

The cano-mutants immediately rush at Wes and Tamias.

Wes:"Have we come at a bad time?"

However, Shephard and Illanov reach the two newcomers first. They grab
the two while Shephard drops a smoke grenade onto the floor, stopping
the mutants in their tracks. Parvo and Groomer take this chance to punch
Phoenix in the stomach and throw her at Striker. The couple is knocked
over onto the catwalk. Corsair finds himself facing a rush of mutants
while holding an armful of weapons.

Corsair:"Oh crud!"

He drops the guns and ducks behind several computers while fumbling for
his firearm. Shephard and Illanov drag Wes and Tamias behind the cover
of several stacks of plastic storage crates. Wes looks at Shephard, who
is firing at the mutants with his Desert Eagle.

Wes:"Did we come at a bad time?"

Shephard:"Yes!"

Tamias:"What's going on here?"

Illanov:"Comrades, are you two all right?"

Wes:"None too bad. Oh! I'm Wes, I'm a Time Lo..."

Illanov:"Now is not the time for introductions, comrade! Keep your heads
         down!"

Illanov takes out his Plasma Rifle and joins in the gunfight. Tamais looks
at Wes.

Tamais:"Wes, we have definitely come at a bad time. There seems to
        be a war going on."

Wes:"So it seems."

Wes moves closer to Shephard to peer around the corner to look at the 
booth. The fox can see several cano-mutants are trying to picking up
the booth from the floor. He then taps Shephard's shoulder to get his
attention. Shephard fires a few shots and then ducks back under cover.

Wes:"Pardon me."

Shephard:"What is it?"

Wes:"Those fellows shooting at us. I take it they are not on the right
     side of the law?"

Shephard:"That's a pretty safe assumption, sir."

Wes:"Oh dear. Because I see they're trying to steal the TARDIS."

Shephard looks at Wes in confusion.

Shephard:"TARDIS? You mean the giant satellite here? We know that already,
          sir."

Wes:"No, I mean the TARDIS. That police box we arrived in with."

Shephard:"That thing?"

Wes:"Yes."

Shephard leans around the corner to fire again and take a quick look at
the police box. The mutants are still trying to get it off the floor by
tipping it over. Shephard ducks back and looks at Wes.

Shephard:"Is that police box actually a weapon, sir?"

Wes:"Not really, but it can be used as one."

Shephard:"Don't worry, sir. I'll shake them off."

Shephard pulls out a flashbang and takes out the pin.

Shephard:"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

He tosses the flashbang towards the police box while the other Strikers
take cover or shield their eyes. The cano-mutants around the police box
see the grenade flying towards them. They leave the police box alone as
they run away for cover. The flashbang detonates with a blinding flash
of light and a very loud bang. One of the mutants, blinded by the blast,
begins to shoot wildly about. A shot strikes one of the cables holding
up the satellite's back end, causing it to plummet to the floor with a
loud thud. Up above on the catwalks Parvo is rubbing his eyes while the
Groomer keeps hitting on Phoenix and Strikker, keeping them pinned to
the floor.

Parvo:"Groomer, send out the order to retreat! We're getting out of
       here!"

Groomer:"But what about the satellite?"

Parvo:"Leave it! We'll come back and pick up after all the fuss has died
       down. Now let's get out of here!"

The Groomer steps back, pulls out a radio and sends out the message. Then
she, Parvo and the cano-mutants rush for the nearest exits. Striker and
Phoenix try to scramble to their feet, trying to ignore the pain from the
blows they've received. They get up just in time to see Parvo go out a
door and push a button to close. The couple rush to the door, but it
closes just as they reach it. Through the glass they see Parvo messing
with the control panel before smashing it with his metallic fist. He then
turns to the couple.

Parvo:"This isn't over, Rovers!"

Parvo then runs after the Groomer. All around the lab cano-mutants manage
to run out of the various exits before they automatically close. Striker
tries to kick the door open, but it is firmly shut.

Striker:"Blikskottel! He's locked us in."

Down below, Wes comes out of cover and goes over to check on the police
box. The fox looks it over carefully.

Wes:"Ah, good. Not even a scratch."

The rest of the team appear. Illanov and Shephard go to check on the
exits to see if they can open them. Corsair goes over to Wes and is
joined with Tamais.

Corsair:"Okay, who are you guys? And what the heck is up with this red
         phone booth?"

Wes stops checking the police box to turn to Corsair.

Wes:"This is not really a phone booth, it is a police box. But that
     would be incorrect also. It is actually my TARDIS, which only
     resembles a police box on the outside."

Corsair blinks, then turns to Tamais while pointing towards the fox.

Corsair:"Do you have any idea what he's saying?"

Tamais:"Wes tends to do that. I was very confused when he first explained
        to me that this is a time machine."

Wes:"Er... yes, that is basically what the TARDIS is."

Corsair stares at the two newcomers, then at the police box, then back at
the two again.

Corsair:"I think you guys are nuts."

Before Wes can reply to Corsair, Merit comes rolling up to Corsair.

Merit:"I am afraid I am unable to repair the damage."

Corsair:"Damage? What damage, Merit?"

Merit:"The damage to the orbital platform that Parvo was attempting to
       procure through non-official means."

Corsair frowns, then turns to look at the satellite. Whisps of smoke are
coming from between the seams and the outer shell of the device is glowing
a faint red colour. Sparks fly from an open side panel. Corsair's eyes
widen.

Corsair:"Uh oh."

He quickly whips around to call for Striker while Wes steps forward and
rubs his chin as he observes the satellite.

Corsair:"Boss! We got a problem down here!"

Striker quickly runs over and looks down at Corsair.

Striker:"What's fout?"

Corsair:"That!"

Corsair points to the smouldering satellite. Striker gasps. He runs down
down some steps that lead him down to the ground floor, with Phoenix
right behind him. They rush up to Corsair and Merit.

Striker:"What's going with it? Merit?"

Merit:"My scans have revealed that the orbital platform's internal
       systems have become unstable due to impact damage. Despite my
       attempts at repairs I forecast that it will detonate within
       approximately two minutes."

Striker:"How big will the explosion be?"

Merit:"Estimated radius of detonation will be 100 metres."

Corsair:"In other words the whole d*** lab!"

Striker:"We have to get out of here! Merit, how long will it take for
         you to cut open one of these doors?"

Merit:"Estimated time is eight minutes."

Phoenix:"But you said that we only have two minutes before the satellite
         explodes."

Merit:"That would cause a clash on the timetables."

Shephard and Illanov rush up to the group as the satellite glows redder
and smokes more.

Illanov:"Comrades, all the exits are locked down. We can't open them."

Shephard:"And I can't blow them open without some C4, and I'm all out."

Striker bites his lower lip, looking at the unstable satellite with
visible concern. At this point Wes turns to the group.

Wes:"I can get you all out of here with my TARDIS before this explosion
     occurs."

The Strikers look at Wes.

Phoenix:"What is a TARDIS?"

Shephard:"He seems to be referring to that phone booth of his."

Striker looks at the police box, then back at Wes.

Striker:"I appreciate your offer, but I doubt that... er... TARDIS of
         yours will help."

Wes:"It can, actually. Come."

Wes quickly goes over to the police box and opens the door. Curious,
Corsair walks up and looks through the door.

Corsair:"Holy cow! There's a whole big room inside this booth!"

Illanov comes up behind Corsair and looks inside.

Illanov:"Bolshoi! How did you fit that in there, comrade?"

Before Wes can answer a loud crash gets everyone's attention. They turn
to see that the satellite has broken free from the other cables and is
now glowing very red. Fires are coming out of panels that are starting
to melt.

Merit:"I estimate that detonation is imminent."

Striker:"Everyone! Inside the booth, nou!"

Corsair wastes no time and rushes into the police box. Illanov, Shephard,
Merit and Phoenix follow in next. Tamais, Striker and finally Wes then
climb into the booth with the fox closing the door behind him. Moments
later pulsing lights engulf the booth while a groaning noise comes from
the strange box. It then materializes out of sight. A second later, the
satellite's core explodes, engulfing the entire laboratory in a massive
fireball.

Interior
The TARDIS (The Celestial Harmony) 
Console Room
Current TARDIS Location: Somewhere in the Time Vortex
11:37 PM (Relative Time):

The inside of the TARDIS is much than what it looked on the outside. The
entrance opens into a large, circular room with a dome that covers it
and a floor covered with big wooden tiles. The walls appear to consist
of a series of rivited frames that enclose a decorative and colourful
panel of marble. The dome has larger rivited seams that run up to the 
center with decorative engravings between each seam. The one side of the 
room has three expensive couches, an old-fashioned black and white 
television box standing to a fireplace, a standing lamp with a green 
shade, a potted plant standing on a Grecian pillar-shaped stand and a 
big framed map of the United Kingdom hanging from the wall. There is also 
a small rotating antique globe, a telescope and another sofa. On the 
other side is a bigger fireplace with a clock on the mantle. Two rows of 
shelves filled with books stand here with a carpet between them. On the 
carpet is a leather chair with a stand with a reading lamp on it. Nearby 
on a wooden table is a gramaphone player. At the end of the area with the 
shelves is a much larger and more ornate fireplace. On the right side of 
that there is a small area with another table with a large candlebra and 
an old fashioned radio, along with a tea set on a larger table near a 
sofa and a smaller chair. Nearby is a large red grandfather clock and a 
large floor lamp. The centerpiece of the entire room is a metal platform 
with six metal pillars around it that hold up an odd machine. Just under 
the machine is a console-like apparatus with a beam of light shining from 
the center of it up through the machine and then up again to the center 
of the dome. Inside of the glass tube is a Jacobs Ladder-like appratus 
with two round parts on the top and bottom that are connected together 
by four rods: two on either side of the round parts, positioned like a 
cross, with electrical arcs passing downwards from the top "pole" to the 
bottom. It also rotates and dips up and down into the conosle itself. 
Unit STRIKE is standing by the entrance, looking around in awe and 
amazement at what they see. Wes and Tamias are standing right behind 
them and walk out in front. Wes turns to the Strikers and spreads his 
arms.

Wes:"Welcome to my home. Welcome to my TARDIS; The Celestial Harmony."

Phoenix:"But, the booth we entered was smaller than this room it leads
         to. How is this possible?"

Merit:"I do find that discrepancy very confusing."

Wes:"That's because it is a TARDIS. It's designed like this."

Corsair:"There's that word again. What IS a TARDIS."

Wes smiles and puts his walking stick on the floor, resting his paws on
the handle.

Wes:"The TARDIS is a time machine that is used by Time Lords such as
     myself."

The Rovers stare at the fox, their looks full of skepticism.

Corsair:"A time machine."

Shephard:"A time machine? Time Lords? Really?"

Merit:"I believe I should point out that time machines are in the realm
       of speculative science fiction and that time manipulation is not
       a scientific theory."

Illanov:"Dah, I find this hard to swallow."

Wes is surprised by the reactions.

Wes:"You honestly don't believe me?"

Tamias taps Wes' shoulder to get his attention.

Tamias:"Uh, Wes. I think you should explain them everything from the
        beginning like you did the first time I got here. You tend to
        forget not everybody knows about the TARDIS automatically."

Striker:"Your chipmunk friend is reg, Meneer Wes. You are talking about
         things that are going over our heads and were are still strung
         up on adrenaline. So I think you need to explain yourself."

Wes rubs his chin again, thinking. After a few seconds he nods.

Wes:"You're right. I've gotten ahead of myself again. Come, let's sit
     down and talk. Follow me."

The group follows Wes towards the couches located by the television set
and fireplace. Wes offers them to take a sit. Striker and his team sit
down. Corsair stares at the nearby television with one eyebrow raised.

Corsair:"Dude, your television is seriously old."

Wes:"Ah. You like it?"

Corsair:"That thing still uses tubes! And look at that tiny monitor. 
         I know some good shops who can sell you a nice widescreen
         plasma television at a cheap price."

Wes politely shakes his head.

Wes:"No thank you. I prefer it this way. Those plasma televisions really
     wouldn't fit here."

Corsair looks around him.

Corsair:"Yeah, what's with this whole steampunk theme? Are you from
         Victorian England or something?"

Wes:"I admire the British Empire, but I'm not really from there."

Striker looks at the human.

Striker:"David, asseblief. We need to start from a point. We're getting
         sidetracked here."

Corsair:"Sorry, boss."

Striker turns back to Wes.

Striker:"I think we should start with three questions, Meneer Wes. Who
         are you? What is this TARDIS device? And what were you doing in
         that laboratory in the middle of a firefight?"

Wes:"All right. Let me start with the first question. As I said, my name
     is Wes and I am a Time Lord. My race is called so because we are
     able to manipulate time through technology to a far greater degree
     than anybody else. We are one of the oldest and most advanced races
     in the universe."

Striker:"So you are basically the self-appointed custodians of time?"

Wes:"Yes, but our policy with regards to time is most of non-interference
     and exploration. The only time we step in is when a Time War breaks
     out, usually with the Daleks."

Shephard:"The Daleks?"

Wes:"They are a race of mutants integrated into robotic shells bent on
     universal conquest and domination. Fortunately, things have been
     relatively quiet so you need not fear of being dragged into conflict
     with them."

The Strikers look at each other.

Corsair:"Hey, Russian. You get any of this?"

Illanov:"Neyt. This sounds like some bad science fiction show."

Striker:"I would be tempted to agree, but I am willing to give Meneer Wes
         the benefit of a doubt. Especially considering we just entered
         a room that is far bigger than the booth that had mysteriously
         appeared in that laboratory. So you say this is a TARDIS, Wes?"

Wes nods and spreads his arms expansively.

Wes:"That's right. This is my Time And Relative Dimensions In Space
     vehicle, or TARDIS for short. This what we Time Lords use to travel
     through time in space. Basically, it can disappear here and re-
     appear there."

Phoenix:"Like what it did in that laboratory?"

Wes:"Exactly, though it seems my timing was a poor one."

Corsair:"That's an understatement."

Phoenix:"Wait. If this thing is a time machine, why does it look like a
         phone booth on the outside?"

Wes:"Oh, that. That is the TARDIS's chameleon system you saw. What it
     does is change the outer appearance of the TARDIS to make it look
     like any kind of everyday object. In my case, I choose the look of
     a Victorian era police box to go with my style. But if I need to
     hide my TARDIS I can make it look like a rubbish bin, a phone booth,
     a shipping container, a parked vehicle, an outhouse, excetera. One
     of my colleagues had a problem with his TARDIS' chameleon and it
     ended up stuck in the shape of a blue police box. It gave the poor
     fellow no end of trouble."

Merit:"That is highly advanced technology, good sir. Certainly it would
       have great military value."

Wes chuckles.

Wes:"True, but we Time Lords prefer not to get into fights."

Shephard:"Yet you ended up with one anyway. I'd hate to think what Parvo
          would do if he had gotten hold of this TARDIS thing."

Wes:"Is this Parvo fellow not a good person?"

Shephard:"That's like saying a tsunami is wet, sir."

Illanov:"Do all of you Time Lords like foxes from our world?"

Wes shakes his head.

Wes:"Not really. I was originally a fox from parallel Earth, somewhere 
     in Wales, ten thousand years into the future."

Illanov(surprised):"The future?"

Wes:"Yes, but like I said not really the future of this world. Anyway,
     I had happened upon a Time Lord who had gotten into trouble with
     the Daleks and was dying. He made me a Time Lord and allowed me to
     use his TARDIS by mixing my DNA with his."

Phoenix:"Mixed your DNA?"

Wes:"He had my merged DNA included in the TARDIS' Briode nebuliser, a 
     kind of finger print device for the TARDIS' owner. It allows only 
     the Time Lord who owns the TARDIS to use it."

Corsair shakes his head and looks Merit.

Corsair:"This is so out there. Merit, can you scan this guy and see if
         he is really telling the truth or just making stuff up."

Merit:"Executing organic scanning. Please wait."

Merit focuses on Wes and does a top down body scan of the fox. Wes just
waits patiently, smiling as he watches the drone do its thing. When Merit
finishes he turns to the others.

Merit:"Scanning complete, with the most unusual results."

Corsair:"Oh? What have you got for us, tin can?"

Merit:"It would appear our host has a binary cardiovascular system."

The other Strikers look confused at the robot, trying to figure out what
he means by binary cardiovascular system. Phoenix gets it first. Her eyes 
go wide and she quickly turns to Wes.

Phoenix:"You have a second heart?!"

Wes:"That's right."

The fox taps his chest, much to everyone's surprise. Even Tamias is
taken aback a bit by the revelation.

Tamias:"You told me about this, but I still didn't believe you until that
        robot confirmed it."

Wes:"It was strange for the me the first time, but you get used to it
     after a while. If you wish, you can put your ear to my chest and
     listen."

Phoenix shakes her head politely and nervously.

Phoenix:"No thank you. I'd rather not test my sanity right now."

Merit:"My results also indicate that our host has DNA with a triple
       helix."

Corsair(surprised):"A triple helix?"

The human looks incrediously at the fox.

Corsair:"What did that Time Lord do to you? Stuff you into a nuclear
         reactor at full blast?"

Wes:"Not at all. All Time Lords' DNA are like this. That third helix
     is what makes our regeneration possible."

Striker:"Regeneration?"

Wes:"When a Time Lord has died or is very close to death, he can rege-
     nerate into a new body and a new life. Basically, it renders us
     praticially immortal, barring accidents of course."

Shephard:"So you guys are basically gods?"

Wes chuckles and shakes his head.

Wes:"No, not at all. Powerful, yes. But we are not deities."

Wes then looks to the Strikers and smiles. 

Wes:"Well a Time Lord usually has only 12 regenerations in his or her
     life, but because of the nature of my 'hybridization', I only have 
     half of the regenerations of a typical Time Lord."

Corsair:"That's still a big advantage over us squishy mortals."

Striker:"Let's move on to a less headache-inducing topic. How about you
         introduce your chipmunk friend to us, Meneer Wes."

Wes:"All right."

Wes puts a paw on Tamias' shoulder.

Wes:"Tamias here is from the chipmunk kingdom, about 10,000 years later 
     in a parallel earth."

Phoenix:"Just like you?"

Wes:"Something like that."

Tamias:"Allow me to make further introductions, Wes."

Wes:"If you wish, certainly."

Wes steps aside as Tamias begins to give his introduction to Unit STRIKE.

Tamias:"My name is Tamias Orenberg and I hail from the Chipmunk Kingdom,
        about 10,000 years into the future of this world's parallel
        counterpart. I am the leader of my people as well as the cus-
        todian of the Synergy Crystal, our most holy artifact. I try
        to main diplomatic and peace ties with other animal kingdoms
        while fighting off the HSO."

Striker:"The HSO?"

Tamias:"The Human Supremacist Organization. They are our arch enemies."

Corsair groans and looks at Shephard, who is rolling his eyes.

Corsair:"Man, I would love to hear a story where we humans aren't the
         biggest jerks in the room."

Shephard:"I agree."

Tamias smiles as he looks at the two humans.

Tamias:"Not all humans are members of the HSO and are not hostile towards
        our kind. In fact, I was raised by a human family when I was but
        a kit."

Phoenix:"You were brought up by humans despite the HSO?"

Tamias:"Yes. They treated me with love and taught me a great many things
        that would help me eventually become leader of the Chipmunk King-
        dom."

Phoenix:"But I take it some of your political enemies don't like the idea
         of having a human-raised chipmunk leading the kingdom."

Tamias(nodding):"Indeed there are... concerns over my parentage and up-
      bringing, but that hasn't stopped me from leading my people and my
      kingdom as best I can."

Illanov:"If you are such a big leader, then what are doing here time 
         travelling with Wes? Won't your absence create problems back
         in your kingdom, comrade?"

Tamias:"I have put someone in charge of my kingdom. I brought back one
        of my kingdom's greatest heroes and my idol to lead the Chip-
        munk Kingdom."

Illanov:"You convinced him to come out of retirement?"

Tamias:"In a way. I had to use the Synergy Crystal to bring him back from
        the afterlife."

Shephard looks confused at Tamias.

Shephard:"Wait. You brought him back from the dead?"

Tamias:"Yes, but it was no small task. Fortunately, I managed it and
        now he leads the Chipmunk Kingdom in my stead."

Corsair shakes his head.

Corsair:"This is so weird."

Merit:"Actually I do find this ability to restore organics back to full
       operation quite fascinating. Perhaps a further study is recom-
       mended."

Corsair shakes his head quickly.

Corsair:"Nope, I'd rather not get into the details about this Supreme 
         Divinity or whatever its called."

He quickly looks at Wes

Corsair:"You said this TARDIS thing is a time machine. Can you show us
         how it works?"

Wes nods and stands up.

Wes:"Sure, I'd love to show you. Come on and follow me."

Everyone else gets up and follows Wes as he leads them to the strange
device in the middle of the circular room. The fox climbs onto the
podium where the hexagonal-shaped control console is. It is largely
made of wood, though the buttons, pipes and other critical components
are made of various metals. Sitting on top of the middle of the console
is a strange device with a blue tube inside the glass container. Wes
turns to the others as they gather around.

Wes:"This is the console where I control the TARDIS' various functions,
     among them time travel. Using this console I can send the TARDIS
     to any location any time."

Striker:"With good accuracy?"

Wes:"As long as you know where you want to go, yes. Obviously, I got my
     directions a little wrong today. Now, let me give you a demonstra-
     tion of the TARDIS' time travel ability. I can see you are still
     very sceptical and I can understand that. Coming out of the blue
     and claming I can travel through time in a police box must really
     stretch credibility, I suppose."

Striker:"That about sums it up, Meneer Wes."

Wes:"Okay. I ask you all to go up to the entrance and open the door when
     I say so. I think it lay to rest any scepticism about the TARDIS."

Striker:"Goed dan. Come on, team. Let's see what Meneer Wes has in store
         for us."

Striker, accompanied by Tamias, leads his team to the entrance where they 
entered the TARDIS. They gathered around it while Wes gets to work on
the console, pressing various buttons on it. The console and then the
entire TARDIS emit a soft humming noise and a mild vibration. Illanov
looks at the others.

Illanov:"Do you really think he's serious about this time travel thing,
         comrades?"

Phoenix:"He looks sincere to me."

Shephard:"I think this whole time travel business is bulls... sirs."

Corsair:"Yeah, I'm not buying it either. As cool as it may be, I'll
         believe it when I see it."

Merit:"I find all of this highly intriguing and fascinating and worthy
       of observation."

Shephard looks at Merit.

Shephard:"You find everything fascinating, Tin Man. Even the dirt you
          sweep up."

Striker:"I'm more inclined to believe Wes, but I think the jury is out
         until I see more proof."

Tamias:"I was also very sceptical about Wes. What he's about to show
        you will definitely change your minds."

Illanov looks at the chipmunk.

Illanov:"Did you see it before?"

Tamias(nodding):"Yes, and it was something to behold."

Just then Wes calls out to the others.

Wes:"Right, you can open the door now. But don't step outside."

They all turn their attention to the entrance. Striker reaches up to the
door handle and grabs it. He opens the door and swings it open. Through
the doorway the group stare at the new landscape in front of them. The
rocky terrain is pocked with pools of boiling water, the steam creating
a mild fog. The sky above is covered in clouds with lighting streaking
down to the ground in wide arcs.

Illanov:"Mother Russia."

Corsair:"Man, someone left the hot water running."

Merit:"Actually my scanners indicate that this appears to be a field
       of volcanically heated water springs."

Phoenix reaches out and picks up an oval-shaped piece of rock lying just
by the open door. She looks at it.

Phoenix:"This looks real to me."

Striker looks back at Wes, who remains with the console.

Striker:"Where are we?"

Wes:"We are currently on top of Mount Everest."

Shephard looks incredulous at Wes.

Shephard:"Everest? Everest is the world's tallest mountain! This looks
          more like the countryside in Iceland or maybe Japan."

Wes:"Yes, but at the moment Everest hasn't been formed yet. What you
     are looking at is the Himalayan Mountain Range, 3 billion years
     ago."

Everyone looks back outside again.

Illanov:"It is not the laboratory we were in, that I know."

Corsair:"Especially if you consider that the lab, you know, exploded."

Wes:"Now let's take a journey to the Everest you know. I would ask that
     you don't step outside of the door while we are moving."

Striker nods and looks at his team.

Striker:"Let's do what he says. Step back, almal."

The Strikers and Tamias step back from the door, which remains open. Wes
begins to operate the console. A few seconds later there is a humming
noise and a soft rumble as the TARDIS activates. At first nothing seems
to happen. Then the landscape undergoes a transformation. The hot springs
all dry up and the landscape becomes flatter and flatter before the
group's eyes.

Striker:"Ai yai yai..."

Corsair:"Whoa..."

The landscape flattens out and appears to turn into a grassland, only for
a jungle to rapidly form in its place. A river cuts its way through the
jungle, quickly digging a canyon that erodes into a large valley. The
valley grows deeper and wider, then suddenly fills with water until the
valley completely vanishes under an ocean. As this happens, Phoenix takes
the rock she picked up and holds out the one end out the door. The piece
of rock that is outside begins to erode right before their eyes. Phoenix
pulls back the rock and she and the others look at the end that had
eroded into a thin piece.

Merit:"It would appear that the stone had undergone several million years
       of corrosion by natural forces within a compressed period of seven
       point two five seconds."

Phoenix:"I think this is proof for me that our strange friend is not
         making all this up."

Corsair:"I'm sure sold."

Outside, the ocean has given away to land again that quickly becomes
covered in forests. But the forest slowly disappear as the land rises.
First it is small rises, then they become big hills and then become
towering mountains. The plant life dies away and snow begins to move in
on the peaks. The mountains grow taller and taller until one the TARDIS
is on breaks the clouds. At that moment everything stops and the TARDIS
stops vibrating.

Wes:"Here we are. Mount Everest circa 2010."

Tamias shivers and wraps his arms around him as a cold wind blows in
through the open door.

Tamias:"I can definitely feel this cold! Brrr!"

Shephard reaches out the door and scoops up some snow in his gloved
hands. He can feel the stuff in his hands, pressing his fingers into
the white snow.

Shephard:"This is real snow."

Phoenix:"And I guess those guys are real too."

Phoenix points out the door. Opposite the team on the other side of the
peak stands a pair of mountain climbers, who are staring bewildered at
the sight of the police box on top of Everest. Corsair waves and shouts
at them.

Corsair:"Don't mind us! We're just looking!"

Striker looks back at Wes.

Striker:"Meneer Wes, you have proven yourself. This TARDIS really does
         travel through time, and I think the rest of my team doesn't
         have anymore skepticisms about it."

Wes smiles and nods approvingly.

Wes:"Glad I could change your minds. Please close the door so we can
     leave those gentlemen to their business."

Striker nods and closes the door, leaving the startled mountaineers
behind. The TARDIS hums again as Wes takes it away from Mount Everest.
The group returns to the fox as he turns to them.

Wes:"Satisfied?"

Corsair:"Yeah, pretty much."

Shephard:"I can't say what I saw was some kind of special effects. This
          TARDIS thing is real in every way."

Merit:"It is very fascinating and informative lesson."

Wes:"Excellent! Now, how about a nice cup of tea or two?"

Illanov clears his throat loudly to get everyone's attention.

Illanov:"Forgive me comrades, but we were still busy trying to stop Parvo.
         We need to go back and get him before he escaped."

Remembering the events in the lab, Striker nods his head and turns to
Wes.

Striker:"Alex is reg, Wes. We cannot afford to relax now. Our mission is
         not completed and Parvo is still at large."

Wes:"And just who is this Parvo fellow and what was he doing before I
     accidentally intruded?"

Striker begins to explain to Wes and Tamias who Parvo is, what he was
doing at the research facility and what Unit STRIKE was doing to stop
him. Tamias and especially Wes listen carefully to the cocker spaniel.
When Striker finishes Wes thinks for a moment before replying.

Wes:"Then this fiend should be brought to justice. And I can use my
     TARDIS to help you do that."

Striker:"That would be greatly appreciated. How do you intend to use the
         TARDIS to help?"

Wes:"Do you know what the interior of Parvo's aircraft looks like?"

Striker:"We've seen it enough times to have a goeie idea."

Wes:"Is there a cargo hold?"

Striker:"Ja, there is."

Wes:"Good. I bring in the TARDIS into the cargo hold from where we can
     launch a surprise attack."

Striker looks skeptical at Wes.

Striker:"I don't know if that is possible, Wes. Your TARDIS caught a lot
         of attention when it first appeared in the laboratory, and I'm
         sure Parvo's mutants will quickly notice a police box standing
         in his cargo hold."

Wes:"Ah, but you forgot..."

The fox pats the TARDIS' control console.

Wes:"... that my TARDIS can disguise itself with its chameleon unit to
     look like any kind of object besides a police box. A fridge, an
     ATM, a car, a closet or a crate."

Striker:"A crate? Miskien a cargo container of some kind?"

Wes:"Including cargo containers."

Striker:"In that case we could perhaps devise a plan here."

Wes:"Let's put our heads together and see if we can't get the drop on
     your opponent, shall we?"

The group gathers around to begin discussing a plan of action.

Bulldog Ship
Somewhere Over England
11:58 PM:

Parvo's Bulldog-shaped aircraft is flying over the English countryside,
staying low to avoid radar detection. In the cockpit Groomer is at the
flight controls, looking nervously at Parvo while piloting the aircraft.
Parvo is in his command chair, grumbling and resting his chin on one of
his hands. He occasionally coughs.

Parvo:"Cursed Rovers... cough... always sticking their noses in my...
       cough... my business, I mean. I wish I could sue them and send
       an army of lawyers at them... cough... cough..."

Parvo goes into an extended fit of coughing. Groomer takes out a dispen-
ser from one of her pockets.

Groomer:"Lozenge, General?"

Parvo:"Yes... cough... please! Cough Cough!"

Groomer takes aim and Parvo opens his mouth. She fires a perfectly aimed
lozenge into the general's mouth. He quickly chews it for a bit. His
coughs disappear after a short while.

Groomer:"So what is the plan, General? Do we make our escape and head
         back to base?"

Parvo shakes his head.

Parvo:"Not just yet. Let's wait until the heat around the facility has
       died down. Once most of the police have left the scene we can
       go in and grab anything that is still worth stealing there. Plus
       I'm hoping to see if that phone booth is still there."

Groomer:"You really think it survived the explosion, General?"

Parvo:"I'm almost positive! And I'm all but certain it was no ordinary
       phone booth. That thing must have some highly advanced technology
       in it, and I want to get hold of it. I could it use in my plans
       for world domination. If not..."

He shrugs.

Parvo:"There's always people in the black market who pay good money for
       fancy knick knacks like that."

Meanwhile, in the cargo bay of the Bulldog ship, a rottweiler cano-mutant
has just finished partolling the bay and inspecting the large, metal
containers stored here. As he heads for the door there is a flash and
a strange noise from behind some of the crates. Growling, the cano-
mutant rushes over to inspect, weapon ready. Instead, all he finds is
even more crates. The rottweiler looks around and then scratches his
head in confusion. After a few minutes of looking around he shrugs his
shoulders and proceeds to make his way out of the bay. But soon as the
door closes behind him, the side of one of the "crates" swings open like
a door. Shephard comes out, holding his M249 ready as he looks around.
He scans the bay a few times, then turns back to the disguised TARDIS

Shephard:"All clear."

The rest of the team, along with Wes and Tamias, climb out of the TARDIS
and into the cargo bay. Corsair sees the GEN-PAR logos on the sides of
the other crates.

Corsair:"Yup. This definitely is Parvo's ride."

Striker:"This way, follow me."

The team moves to the door that leads into the main body of the ship.
Striker tests the door, but finds it has been locked.

Striker:"It's been locked. We'll need to breach it."

Tamias:"Let me open it."

The others step back as Tamias walks up to the door. The chipmunk takes
the crystal around his neck and holds it to the door's lock. He says
something and in a few seconds the crystal starts to glow red hot. The
lock also turns red, then quickly melts into slag. Tamias takes away
the crystal and lets it and the slag cool.

Merit:"Oh dear. That will require considerable repair."

Illanov:"I think that was the point, comrade."

Striker examines the slag and sees that it is no longer glowing red.

Striker:"Looks like it worked."

He pushes against the door and it swings open. The others ready their
weapons as they enter the main body of the ship. They find themselves
in a corridor that goes around a single room in the middle.

Striker:"Reg, that middle room is the commons room. We take out the
         patrols in the corridor, then we deal with the troops in the
         commons room. Alex and Shephard, you go ahead and deal with the 
         patrols."

Illanov:"Dah, comrade."

Illanov heads down the left side and Shephard down the right. They peer
around the corners. Shephard immediately ducks back as he spots a big
labrador cano-mutant coming right towards him. He waits a few seconds,
then jumps around the corner and tackles the mutant. Caught by surprise,
the cano-mutant falls backwards and lands on his back. Before he can get
up, Shephard rushes him and gives him a solid kick in the head. The blow
knocks the mutant out.

Shephard:"Goal."

At the other end, Illanov sees the rottweiler cano-mutant walking away
from him. He sneaks up towards the mutant until he is right behind him.
Illanov smacks him with the butt of his plasma rifle, causing the mutant
to drop to the floor. Illanov moves on and peers around the next corner.
He sees Shephard giving him the thumbs up from the other end. Illanov
returns the gesture and heads back. The two of them rejoin the others.

Illanov:"All clear, comrades."

Striker:"Goed. How many doors are there?"

Shephard:"One on each side for a total of four, sir."

Striker:"Goed. We all split up into four teams of two each for every
         door. On my signal we charge in and deal with the mutants
         inside. Got it?"

They all nod in agreement.

Striker:"Reg. Phoenix and I will take one door. Wes and Tamias can take
         the next one, Illanov and Corsair the third door and Shephard
         and Merit the last one. Let's go."

They split up into their respective teams and go to the four doors that
lead into the middle room. Once everyone is in position Striker radios
them all.

Striker:"Reg, on three. One... two... three!"

The teams force the doors open and rush inside. The commons room is
full of tables and chairs for various breeds of cano-mutants to sit
around, chat, drink or play cards. A few drink and snack dispensers
line the walls. The mutants look up in surprise as the Rovers barge
in. A few of them are shot down before they can grab their own weapons.
Some of the mutant overturn the tables to shield themselves from the
shots coming their way. From there the fight turns into hand-to-paw
combat. Tamias finds himself squaring off against a mutant twice his
size. The mutant cracks his knuckles in anticipation for the fight.

Tamias:"Don't think your size will be enough to beat me."

The mutant throws a punch at Tamias, but the chipmunk easily ducks under 
it. The mutant tries to land a big blow, but Tamias deftly jumps to one 
side. The chipmunk throws a few punches of his own at the mutant's guts.
The mutant yelps a bit, but is not entirely subdued. Growling, the mutant
kicks Tamias. The chipmunk flies into a soda dispenser, the impact stun-
ning him a bit and causing a few cans to fall out. Tamias shakes his head
and sees the mutant charging in for the finishing blow. He sees one can
and picks it up, feeling its weight.

Tamias:"This should make a good weapon!"

Tamias takes aim and throws the can at the mutant. The mutant is unable
to shield himself in time and the can strikes him right between the eyes.
Dazed, the mutant staggers around before collapsing flat on the floor.
Tamias stands up, picking up two more cans.

Tamias:"I wonder if these are supposed to be weapons, but I guess if they
        cause so much pain then they have to be."

He gets up and rejoins the fray. Wes is engaged in combat with poodle
cano-sapien, both of them in battle stances. The mutant is growling at
the fox.

Wes:"Such aggression. You should really learn to manage your anger better
     and use your energy for something more constructive."

The mutant stares befuddled at Wes for a second, then snarls and prepares
to throw a punch at the fox. But Wes makes a powerful jab at the mutant's
exposed throat. The blow hits the mutant in the neck, causing his eyes
to go wide and making him grab his neck as he gags. Seeing the opening,
Wes throws a series of rapid punches and chops at the mutant's exposed
middle section. The poodle staggers back, unable to defend himself. Wes
then lands a final punch on the mutant's cheek. The mutant stumbles back
against a wall, then slumps to the floor. Wes shakes his hands a bit.

Wes:"You should have taken my advice, my friend."

Wes then goes and rejoins the fray. Meanwhile, up in the cockpit Parvo is
still going on about his plans for the TARDIS.

Parvo:"And then I will appear in front of the President in the Oval Office
       and make him hand over the United States to me on a plate. And to
       let me take some souvenirs. I always wanted one of those pens they
       write with in the White House."

But the Groomer hears something going on beyond the doorway that leads out
of the cockpit. She frowns and looks back.

Groomer:"General, do you hear that noise coming from back there?"

Parvo stops rambling and cups one hand around his ear. The general can now
also hear the commotion behind him. He looks at the doorway.

Parvo:"What's going on? They better not be having another food fight down
       there!"

He points at the two cano-mutants flanking either side of the doorway.

Parvo:"You two! Go see what is that noise."

The two mutants nod and go through the doorway. They immediately come
flying back in, courtesy of a powerful sonic blast. Parvo jumps to
his feet in surprise.

Parvo:"What the? What's going on!"

Parvo finds the Strikers, Wes and Tamias standing in the doorway. The
Groomer sits up in alarm.

Corsair:"Heya, Parvo! How's it going?"

Parvo jabs a finger at the group.

Parvo:"How did you get on my ship?!"

Wes:"I brought the TARDIS to your ship's cargo hold, allowing me and my
     friends to launch a surprise attack."

Striker leans over to the fox.

Striker:"Wes, I think that is the kind of information that Parvo does
         not need to know."

Parvo's eyes narrow as he looks at Wes.

Parvo:"Hey, you're the one who came in that big red phone booth."

Wes:"That's right."

Shephard looks behind the group.

Shephard:"Sir, we got more hostiles inbound!"

Striker:"Phoenix, Wes and I will deal with Parvo and Groomer. The rest of
         you keep the cano-mutants at bay."

The rest of the group head back through the doorway. When Striker and
Phoenix turn back, they find Wes walking calmly towards Parvo.

Wes:"Am I correct to assume that you are Parvo?"

Parvo:"That's right. And it's General Parvo to you."

Wes:"My apologies, General. Now, you look like the civilized sort so we
     can perhaps have a talk."

Parvo looks confused at Wes.

Parvo:"A talk?"

Striker walks up to Wes in alarm.

Striker:"Wat are you doing?!"

Wes looks at Striker.

Wes:"Calm down, Striker. I am merely trying to negotiate with this
     gentleman here."

Striker is flabbergasted while Parvo stares at Wes. The fox turns back
to the large human.

Wes:"Now, General Parvo. I believe we can resolve this whole matter in
     a peaceful and constructive way without having to resort to further
     violence. You can surely see that it can be of benefit to us all if
     we sit down and talk about it."

Parvo blinks, still staring at Wes. After a few seconds he looks at
Striker while pointing at the fox.

Parvo:"He's from the United Nations, isn't he?"

Striker has his face covered with one paw.

Striker:"Fortunately not."

Parvo looks back at Wes, pounding his metallic fist into the palm of his
other hand.

Parvo:"Well, if you want to talk then allow me to introduce my negotiating
       partner. He goes by the name of Mister Fist, and he talks like
       this!"

Parvo throws a punch with his metal fist at Wes. The fox dodges it with
surprising quickness.

Wes:"Now that is a shame. We could have talked this over."

Parvo:"No dice! I'm going to pound you to pulp and take your fancy
       machine for myself! Groomer, take care of the others!"

Groomer puts the ship on autopilot before getting out of her seat.

Groomer:"Yes, General!"

Striker is about to turn to Groomer to respond, but Phoenix puts a paw
on his chest as she walks by.

Phoenix:"I'll deal with her, Strikie."

Striker:"If you say so, Firefly. Just be careful."

Phoenix and the Groomer approach one another until they are standing face
to face. Groomer looks the canine over.

Groomer:"You're a Pomeranian, aren't you?"

Phoenix:"What's it worth to you?"

Groomer:"Poms have lots of fluffy hair. Hair that I would love..."

She pulls out an electric razor and starts it up. The device buzzes in
her hand.

Groomer:"... to shave off."

Phoenix(growling):"Just try it, Groomer."

Groomer swings the razor at Phoenix's face, but Phoenix quickly steps
back to avoid it. She kneels down and swings a kick at the Groomer's
legs. The impact knocks the Groomer off her feet and causes her to land
flat on the floor with a loud thud. Phoenix grabs the dropped razor and
climbs onto the Groomer, pinning the woman down. The Pomeranian smirks.

Phoenix:"My my. Look at this long hair. When was the last time you had
         a haircut, Groomer?"

Groomer gasps as Phoenix removes her helmet and grabs her hair with one
paw while holding the razor in the other.

Groomer:"You... you wouldn't!"

Phoenix brings the razor to the tips of Groomer's hair and begins to
cut a few strands. The Groomer panics.

Groomer:"No please, stop!"

Phoenix:"Only if you promise to keep lying still."

Groomer:"Okay, I'll do it."

Phoenix chuckles, wagging her tail in satisfaction and letting go of
Groomer's hair.

Phoenix:"Good girl."

The Groomer sighs and grumbles, lying still while Striker comes over to
help Phoenix tie up the human. Wes is still dodging the punches Parvo
throws at him.

Parvo:"Stand still, will you!"

Wes:"You won't make this easier on yourself, Parvo."

Parvo:"Quit lecturing! Why don't you just fight back instead of just
       mouthing off?"

Wes shrugs.

Wes:"If you say so."

Parvo throws another punch and Wes sidesteps it. This time, however,
Wes makes a strong jab under Parvo's arm with such speed that Parvo
cannot react fast enough. Parvo shouts in pain and staggers back. Wes
comes up and punches Parvo several times in rapid succession in the
chest. Again the big man stumbles backwards, caughing up a hairball
that lands at Wes' feet. The fox looks in disgust at the hairball.

Wes:"Ugh. You really need to see a doctor."

Parvo recovers from the blow and rushes Wes with the intent of grabbing
him with both hands. Wes bends down onto all fours, causing Parvo to
trip over him and land on the ground. His helmet flies off, revealing
the cat ears hidden under it. Wes looks surprised.

Wes:"Are those... cat ears?"

Parvo gasps, covering his ears with his hands while rushing after the
helmet.

Parvo:"No, it's not! It's... it's just a hairstyle! Yes, that's it!"

Wes:"I'm pretty sure those are really ears."

Parvo:"I deny it all!"

Parvo grabs the helmet and puts it back on. He turns back to Wes, now
very furious.

Parvo:"And you! You are dead!"

Wes:"Why don't you just surrender? It will hurt less and the outcome
     will still be the same."

Parvo:"Not a chance, you overdressed vermin!"

Parvo charges at Wes, fists clenched and ready to fight. Wes calmly stays
where he is, watching the big man rushing towards him. Parvo swings a
punch as hard as he can, but the fox quickly steps out of the way and
hits Parvo in the ribs. Parvo grunts and stops in his track, but Wes
keeps up the pressure. The fox throws a number of punches and chops at
Parvo's midriff and chest, striking several sensitive points and keeping
Parvo from being able to counter. It takes only a few seconds for Parvo
to be reeling and unable to defend himself. Wes strikes the finaly blow
by landing two chops on either side of Parvo's big neck. Parvo's eyes go
wide for a brief moment before he topples over and lands on his back like
a big tree. Wes shakes his one paw while look at the fallen Parvo.

Wes:"I did warn you. Egomaniacs like yourself always end up meeting a
     bad end. You're lucky today."

Parvo:"You... call this... lucky?!"

Wes:"Of course. I have seen countless worlds with countless examples of
     people just like you. Every single one of them have been destroyed
     or undone by their actions. It's your own failings that brought you
     down and I urge you to reconsider your career choice before you
     also go the same way, Parvo."

Parvo groans.

Parvo:"Somebody... arrest me already and get me away from this lecturing
       busybody... ow..."

Striker comes over and looks surprised between Wes and the unconscious
Parvo.

Striker:"I have to be honest. I really didn't think you stood much of a
         chance against Parvo. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Wes:"Being a Time Lord does give me the chance to learn many kinds of
     fighting styles and techniques from many, diverse places and times.
     I found this method particularly useful when trying to take out an
     an opponent in a non lethal manner. Parvo won't wake up for hours."

Striker:"Baie dankie, Wes. Can you perhaps tie him up while I check on
         the others?"

Wes:"With pleasure. I happen to have some cuffs that will keep him from
     escaping if he should wake up too early."

Striker nods, then uses his Watchcom to contact the others.

Striker(into com):"This is Striker. Report in, team."

Illanov(over com):"This is Illanov. We've dealt with all the cano-mutants
       and are busy securing the prisoners. How did it go with Parvo?"

Striker(into com):"Down and out, Alex. Get up here when you have a chance
       and help us get Parvo's ship back to the Cal-Tech Facility. The
       police will want to take Parvo and his group into custody."

Illanov(over com):"Dah, comrade. Will be with you in a minute."

Striker closes the communications channel and goes over to the flight
controls while Wes secures Parvo with some heavy duty Victorian-era cuffs
and chains.

Cal-Tech Research Facility
Northern London City Limits
1:18 AM:

The Cal-Tech campus is now mostly calm. The laboratory that blew up is
now a heap of debris and twisted metal. Fire fighters are busy putting
out the remaining fires while police officers cordon off the area and
go through the facility taking evidence. The Bulldog ship is now parked
on one of the campus lawns. Parvo, the Groomer and the cano-mutants are
being escorted to awaiting prison vans by the police and the Strikers.
Striker and Phoenix are with Wes and Tamias. The TARDIS, now back to its 
original shape, is still standing in the hangar of the Bulldog.

Striker:"Dankie for your assistance, Wes. We are grateful."

Wes:"You're very much welcome, Striker. It was quite a learning experience
     for both me and Tamias. Don't you agree, Tamias?"

Tamias nods, looking around the scene at Cal-Tech.

Tamias:"For sure, Wes. This world certainly is fascinating, though it is
        odd how none of these people are staring at me like they usually
        do in other dimensions and times."

Phoenix:"People in our world have gotten used to the idea of humanoid
         animals walking around, so they're probably assuming you two
         are with us."

Striker:"On that subject. Wes, you may need to be careful in future when
         you come to our world. There are a lot of hostile people who
         would very much want to kill you and take your TARDIS. It is a
         powerful machine."

Wes:"I will certainly keep it in mind. You and your friends have some
     powerful enemies. I take it one of them interrupted your honeymoon
     at one point?"

The couple look surprised at Wes.

Phoenix:"Why, yes. But how did you know about that?"

Wes:"I used my TARDIS, of course."

The couple stare at the fox.

Phoenix:"Aren't you really a wizard?"

Tamias laughs out loud.

Tamias:"Ha ha! I asked Wes that exact same question."

Wes chuckles and shakes his head.

Wes:"No, I'm not a wizard. I'm just more technologically advanced than
     your civilisation at this point in time. To paraphrase a famous 
     science fiction writer: sufficient science is indistinguisable from 
     magic."

Striker:"If you say so, Wes. But why are you nuuskurig... curious about
         our honeymoon?"

Wes:"I was thinking of offering you two a trip on my TARDIS. Since you
     missed out on your honeymoon, perhaps you would enjoy a trip through
     time and space? There is much to see."

Striker and Phoenix look at each other.

Striker:"Wat dink jy, Firefly? Do we accept the offer?"

Phoenix thinks for a moment and then nods with a smile.

Phoenix:"Why not? I'd love to travel."

Striker turns back to Wes. He holds out his paw.

Striker:"Nou goed dan, Wes. We accept."

Wes takes Striker's paw and shakes it.

Wes:"Wonderful news! I will definitely make it worth your while. When
     will you be available for the trip?"

Striker thinks for a few seconds.

Striker:"We could get some leave around November if the Master agrees
         it."

Wes:"The Master?"

Striker:"He's the leader of my organisation, the Road Rovers. He has a
         real name, but we'd rather not divulge it for security reasons."

Wes:"Ah, I see. I thought he was somebody I knew, my mistake. So November,
     you say?"

Striker(nodding):"Ja."

Wes:"Excellent! I will make sure to pick you two up by then. Now..."

Wes digs a large Victorian pocket watch from his coat and looks at the
time.

Wes:"... it's time for me and Tamias to leave. I still have to show Tamias
     Buckingham Palace. In the Victorian era, of course."

Phoenix:"You really are into the whole steampunk thing, aren't you?"

Wes chuckles and nods.

Wes:"You got me there, Miss Phoenix. I do have a soft spot for it."

He holds out his paw to the couple.

Wes:"Goodbye, Striker and Phoenix. I wish you good health and good luck
     in your future endeavours."

Striker and Phoenix shake the fox's paw.

Striker:"Voorspoed and good travels, Wes."

Phoenix:"Have a safe trip!"

Once Wes has finished shaking their paws, Tamias comes up and does the
same.

Tamias:"I hope we meet again! I would love to show you two around my
        kingdom."

Striker:"A pleasure meeting you, Tamias. Perhaps we can meet again when
         Phoenix and I join Wes on the TARDIS."

Tamias:"I do hope so. We have much to learn from each other."

Phoenix:"You and Wes have a safe journey."

Tamias:"Thank you."

Wes and Tamias walk to the TARDIS and give one final wave at the couple
before entering it. Striker and Phoenix stand back and watch as pulsing 
lights engulf the booth with a groaning noise. It then materializes out 
of sight, much to the astonishment of the nearby police officers. One of
them approach the spaniel and Pomeranian.

Officer:"What on earth was that?"

Striker shrugs.

Striker:"A wizard, Officer."

Officer:"A wizard? What next? Space hamsters?"

Phoenix laughs. Striker just shakes his head.

Striker:"Just accept it was something unique to our jobs. Meanwhile, tell
         me where the officer in charge is."

The officer points to the senior police official. As the couple walks
towards him, the junior officer looks back at the spot where the TARDIS
was. He shakes his head.

Officer:"I've got to stop drinking at night."

He walks off to perform his duties.



THE END