Welcome to part one of the exclusive Christmas story! Part One is much longer than each of the other parts, so there won't be as much to read for tomorrow, ect.
Sometime in 2005
Holcroft waited for the light to turn off outside his room. He could see the bright yellow seeping through the rim of his bedroom door flash off, and then paused to hear his guardians room gently close, not to wake him, two doors away. He sat back up, hurled his knees against his chest and pulled out a torch and a book from under his pillow. He was a eight year old prodigy, and already knew what his life would lead him to. He fiddled with the torch in the dark until he found the switch, and continued with 'Quantum Gravity and the Planck constant'.
Winter, 2010
".. And I proudly introduce, from the 'Einstein Approximate', his very first global market invention, at the age of only thirteen... ", the host opened.
Samuel Holcroft straightened his back to face the magnitude of the audience. Posing on the stage at the Universal Sciences Academy, as the youngest ever member, he declares across to thousands of spectators waiting for that very moment, ".. The Matter Transmitter!!" He had raised himself to become a worldwide phenomenon, even at his age, with knowledge beyond humanities imagination, yet with completely understandable science. He had found where the line crossed, and balanced heavily across. "The Matter Transmitter will accept the parameters of species with DNA similar to those of llamas, camels and rabbits. Each specific being will need to be processed, to allow the Transmitter to re-create the being in another location. As the original copy will be destroyed in order for the copy to be made, this injection will allow them to be transported from anywhere..."
Christmas Eve, 2020
"You've done it, sir. Winter has now been saved!" proclaimed the lowly assistant of Holcroft Dynamics. The latest invention was to cool down the planet, to become the first proper snowing winter that the entire planet has had for centuries, while timed to only be effective during the season. The Atmospheric Biome had been the main project, in Samuels mind since his birth. The multi-billion pound project, funded by himself was to encase and replace the entire planet with a new atmosphere, from ozone to condensed matter. Holcroft Dynamics was the worlds largest scientific research corporation, spanning across the world. An Atmospheric Biome Emitter was installed in each of the 62 stations, and was ready to bring Christmas back into it's old self. He had cameras flicking in his lab, crews of people filming the historic moment. Holcroft stepped back and pulled off the front of the sheets, with behind and the sides wrapped in, just above a circular tube. It revealed an ice-flake, hovering gently in the air. He explained, "It's crystallised hydrogen, the sheets all around it is lined with non-ionising fibre of rip tungsten. If my... ornament was left unattended by the sheets, and by putting M-Theory, and the concept of 11th dimensionality into practice, I can temporarily shift matter through the dimensional membrane, that way, objects can increase mass, but maintain the integrity. It may take 40 to 50 years to have this creation fixing the planet for the foreseeable future, but my my, will this be worth it. When I adapt more research and understanding, I will be able to create even more world-saving inventions, ridding world hunger, creating more oils, while keeping the emissions low, and even stopping wars!".
By the fire, Augustus and Tabetha Pond sat watching the world in repair, with the television on only just loud enough for them to hear. "I'm 68 now, Tabby, I won't be here long enough to see this invention to restore our planet completely.
Tabetha lightly patted him on his hand, "Don't be daft, maybe he'll invent something to get you living". They both laughed, light heartedly, sitting next to the window. They looked outside to see snow beginning to fall onto the dry land. "Look, Tabby, look's like it's going to be a white Christmas".
***
The TARDIS beamed onto the planet, during the longest blizzard the world had ever known. The wooden doors and walls immediately began to freeze, with frost piercing inwards, and began cracking the windows.
Amy stoop back up straight, after a rocky ride, and turned to the doors where she heard a crackle. "Doctor? Look at the window", she warned, as a crack began splitting one into two, but the Doctor was too focused on the TARDIS screen. He then bolted around the console, pulling levers and pressing keys. He typed a figure into the typewriter and the windows began to heal. "What on Earth is going on, Pond?"
"I'm sorry what? Where are we?"
"Earth. At..", he looked at his watch. The numbers scrolled down, illegibly from 0's to 9's, and back again, flicking through from December 2010 until 25th December, 2030. It slowed down right to the 24th of December, "Yeah, Christmas Eve, 20 years in the future. England".
The pair stepped outside, onto the ground. The TARDIS had melted 4 square meters in a perfect circle around the ship. Amy put her purple Russian Ushanka hat on, around her layers, "A woolly jumper? Really!?" Amy exclaimed.
The Doctor looked down at his new look, of knitted trees and snowmen, wrapped around his tweed jacket, "What's wrong with it? It's Christmas". They gazed out in the distance, to see London caped with ice. Figures could be made out in the vast fog, of bodies standing still. The pair carefully treaded on the icy ground, in suspense. As they reached closer, they could discern hundreds of people standing all over the streets. Completely frozen. Their clothes and pets and emotions were all as still as the world around them. Even the wind was still. Amy tightened up her hat, breathed into her gloves and asked "Doctor. What could have done this?"
"Samuel Holcroft."
"Who?"
"A genius. Haven't you heard of him? Nah, he became global back in our time. Right now, in fact. And you're not there to see that, are you?"
"No, because you pulled me to this piece of hell."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know about this. Where's your Christmas spirit then?"
"No, because you pulled me to this piece of hell."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know about this. Where's your Christmas spirit then?"
"It's frozen."
The Doctor and Amy looked in horror as they stepped through the winter wasteland. A row of houses were all dead. The decorations were off, with frozen lights and Santa decorations looking dull. As they walked on, they saw one house with a faint light inside. Amy quickly rushed over, "Doctor, look." The Doctors hair began to stiffen into ice, and mumbled "I should have brought a fez." They headed for the house, and knocked. A few people shuffled inside and mumblings could be detected. The door gently opened, with a man inside, pointing a device at them. "Just a scan", he said.
As they stepped inside, a couple of people sat around the room, with a few candles, barely flickering. "So we're clean?" The Doctor asked.
Amy looked over her shoulder to face the Doctor, "Clean what?"
"From the infection. Or virus. Or even parasite. Whatever's spreading the ice, it's obviously not natural."
The man introduced himself, "I'm Keiran. Come on. And yes, you're clean, " he pointed around the room to the others sat inside, "That's Mia, Will and Caitlin." The Doctor raised an eyebrow for the unnamed sitting in the corner in handcuffs. Will stoop up and scoffed, "Oh come on, you must know who he is". The Doctor looked again, "Ah, right. Obviously, er... Will"
Amy sighed to wait for the Doctor. He turned to her "Sam Holcroft", he closed the door behind him, "I'm the Doctor, and this is Amy. Amy Pond."
Immediately, the chained scientist lit up, dropped the handcuffs, and lunged at Amy. Caitlin sprung towards Sam, to restrain him, as Mia asked, startled, "How did you break free??".
Amy reflexed backwards to the door and the Doctor stepped in front as Holcroft took out a knife and continued forwards. He shoved his way out of Caitlin's grasp and reached around the Doctor.
Amy fell to the floor with the knife pulled out from her chest. The Doctor helped her down as she stuttered. The group restrained Sam once again, but he just laughed frantically and let go of the handcuffs once again, and ran straight through Keiran. His body phased in and out of Keirans, and ran out through the door. The handcuffs dropped to the floor. Amy breathed rapidly, and her chest began to turn blue. The Doctor clutched in anger, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?? There's no blood, it was not a knife".
Amy fell to the floor with the knife pulled out from her chest. The Doctor helped her down as she stuttered. The group restrained Sam once again, but he just laughed frantically and let go of the handcuffs once again, and ran straight through Keiran. His body phased in and out of Keirans, and ran out through the door. The handcuffs dropped to the floor. Amy breathed rapidly, and her chest began to turn blue. The Doctor clutched in anger, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?? There's no blood, it was not a knife".
The group shook their heads, knowing Amy's fate. Mia spoke up, "It's... sort of a hand-held ABE, I think."
"You mean the Atmospheric Biome Emitter?", the Doctor came to a realisation, "He's freezing her? Like the people outside. Like everything outside?"
Mia just paused, to give the Doctor the answer. He was shaking in fury as Amy began freezing. She fluttered as the ice began slowly creeping across her whole body. "Doctor. We can't help her here, but I know where Sam would've gone. Doctor, you have to come with us, we can stop him."
He stood up, "Fine, but we have to go now."
Will stepped up from his seat, "I'm coming with you. I work for him, I have clearance to enter the building."
The Doctor kneeled down to Amy, and told her, "I'll be back. I'll get you sorted, don't you worry."
"I'm not worried, Doctor", Amy uttered, "Just cold s'all."
The front door slid open, as Will's finger was scanned. They stepped in the building. Hundreds of the worlds greatest scientists worked inside, but the place was cleared. A few droids drove past, in the main centre area, where a field of technology was displayed. The sides were glowing with lights, on the largest scientific research station in the world. Will guided them towards the boss' lab, and tried to open the door, "I can't get in here. Only certain people have access."
The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and the door was open. As expected, Samuel Holcroft was waiting inside. He had modified a machine, that was standing tall, with wires and gaps throughout.
The Doctor stood forward, and proclaimed, "So who are you really? I mean you obviously came to this planet looking for something, so why freeze us? What better use would you have if the entire planet was-"
"If you may know", Sam interrupted. He held a small device in his hand, and explained, "My plan. In a nutshell. Is basically to-", he then pressed a button on the device and his entire body began eroding. His atoms began to break away and everything he was fell onto the floor in a pile of dust. He had died in an instant. But it wasn't the end. The Doctor stood in awe and confusion, "Where did he go? What happened to him?" he faced Mia then back at Will, who was biting his gums, "I.. I think-"
"WHAT HAPPENED??"
"WHAT HAPPENED??"
No, that's not the end of the story! Part 2 will continue tomorrow, in the meantime, happy 4 days to go!
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