Doc10/Fred story 
A Place in the Void


	"The Doctor's gone, K9!"
	"Affirmative."
	"Do you know where he is?"
	"Negative."
	Fred shook his head wearily. "You're a big help, K9."
	"Affirmative."

	The Doctor looked around at the dark cell he suddenly found
himself in.  "I think this is not the TARDIS."
	"That is correct, Doctor.  You are in my domain of pain, misery,
suffering, bad music and darkness now," said a mysterious voice.
	"Who said that?"
	The mysterious voice laughed softly.  "Who do you think, Doctor?"
	"Fred?"
	There was a brief silence.  "No..."

	Fred paced around the TARDIS console, flipping a few random
switches.
	"Suggestion," said K9.
	Fred turned to K9.  "Yes?"
	"Stop flipping random switches on the console."
	"I thought maybe if I fooled around with enough switches, the
Doctor would suddenly reappear."
	"Unlikely."
	"Well, you never know.  Besides, what's the worst that could
happen?"  Fred flipped another switch, and the TARDIS slowly faded from
existence around him.  "Um..."
	"This unit will refrain from saying anything."  K9 paused.  "You
idiot."

	The Doctor fiddled with the cell door lock.  "Doctor," said the
mysterious voice, "stop that."
	The Doctor sighed and put his violin back in its case.  "All
right, who are you, and what do you want?"
	"You'll find out."
	"How long will I have to wait?"
	"A long time."
	The Doctor stretched out on the cell bench.  "In that case, I'll
get some sleep."
	"No sleeping!"
	The Doctor took his violin back out of its case.
	"Oh, all right.  Go ahead and sleep."

	Fred moved through the void, trying to find anything that didn't
look like the void.  "K9, what can you tell me about this void?"
	"Insufficient data."
	"Yes, I had figured that part out myself.  What else?"
	"It is a green void."
	"Green?"  Fred looked around.  "Looks red to me.  Are you sure
we're in the same void?"
	"Insufficient data."
	"I guess we must be."

	The Doctor woke up as several figures in purple robes suddenly
burst into the cell.  "Ah!  I suppose you've come to take me away, ha-ha?
If you have, you're wearing the wrong color robes."
	The cell door slammed behind them.  "No, Doctor," the mysterious
voice said.  "Meet your new cellmates, the Strangling Cult of Lower Thok."

	A man in an orange suit swam to Fred through the void.  "Hi there!
New to the void?"
	"Yes..."
	"How do you like it so far?"
	"Well, I guess it's a nice shade of red."
	"Red?  Looks purple to me.  Are you sure we're in the same void?"
	"No."
	"Then we probably are.  Come over this way, the party's just
getting started."
	Fred held up his hand.  "Wait!  I can't leave K9."
	"I guess he can leave you, though."
	"What?"
	"He's already at the party.  Having a great time."
	"Oh."

	K9 watched as Fred slowly faded from the void.  "Master?"

	The Doctor played his violin as the members of the Strangling Cult
of Lower Thok danced around the cell.  "Doctor," the mysterious voice
said, "this wasn't what I had in mind when I moved these guys into your
cell."
	"I know," the Doctor replied.  He finished the tune he was
playing, and the Strangling Cult members came to a stop and applauded.
	"Now what?" asked a cult member.
	"Hmmm."  The Doctor thought for a moment.  "Why don't we leave the
cell?"
	"I don't like that idea," the mysterious voice complained.
	"Why not?"
	"I feel a lot safer with all you guys in the cell."
	"I see.  Here's an idea.  Why not let us out, and we'll discuss
it?  If you still feel that way after the discussion, I'm sure we'd give
some consideration to any requests you might have for us to return to the
cell." 
	"Hmmm."  There was a scream, and then the door swung open.  "Okay,
I guess that's fair."

	Fred followed the man in the orange suit over to a large banquet
table.  "You sit over there, by the Doctor and K9," the man said, pointing
to the other end of the table.
	"All right."  Fred swam over to the chair between the Doctor and
K9.  "What do you think of this place, Doctor?"
	The Doctor tapped his plate with his fork.  "It's a place in the
void for you and me, and me and you, and K9 for all of us."
	Fred turned to K9.  "Is the Doctor all right, K9?"
	K9 nodded and grinned.  "Hey, he's better than all right.  He's
fantastic.  Have a cigar!"
	Fred shook his head.  "No thanks.  I feel like I've already been
smoking too much.  Pass the mustard?"

	The Doctor looked around, as the cult members ran off down the
hallway.  "Hello?"
	A small figure emerged from the shadows.  "Hello, Doctor."
	The Doctor took a close look at the figure.  "Do I know you?"
	"Of course!  I'm Fonira.  From Gallifrey, remember?"
	"No."
	"Oh.  Wait a minute."  Fonira pulled a small book out of his
pocket and flipped through it.  "We haven't met yet.  My mistake."
	"Are you a prisoner here, or are you the mysterious voice?"
	"Oh, I'm a prisoner, just like you."
	"You sound a bit like the mysterious voice."
	Fonira coughed.  "Um...  yes.  So I've been told.  But I'm not,
really.  Never met him."
	"Him?"
	"It?  Whatever."
	"Right.  And I suppose that's not your Hallucination Matrix box
over there?"
	"Not exactly."
	"Then you won't mind if I switch it off?"
	Fonira waved his hand impatiently.  "Be my guest."
	The Doctor walked over to the Hallucination Matrix box and
switched it off.

	Fred blinked as the Doctor and K9 suddenly stopped explaining how
edible carpets were the wave of the future, and he found himself alone in
a cell with the TARDIS.

	The Doctor turned back to Fonira.  "So, if you're not behind this,
who is?"
	"I am."
	"As I suspected."
	"Actually, I should say I was.  I'm not behind it now."
	"Who is, then?"
	"Nobody."
	The Doctor shook his head.  "Okay.  Let's start this again.
Name?"
	"Fonira."
	"Are you behind this all?"
	"I was.  Now I'm not."
	"Why not?"
	Fonira pulled a sour face.  "Your robot dog made me regenerate."
	"What?"
	"There I was, having a great time with my evil plan, when suddenly
your dog turns up, and zap!  I regenerate, and suddenly I'm not interested
in the evil plan.  I let you out of the cell.  I was on my way over to
turn off the Hallucination Matrix machine."	
	"So, why did you claim to be a prisoner?"
	"Well, I wasn't quite sure how you'd respond to 'Hi there!  I'm
the evil guy who was keeping you prisoner with the Strangling Cult of
Lower Thok, but I'm better now, really I am.'"
	"I'm not sure exactly how I'd respond either."
	"Oh well."
	"Anyway, I'd like to be on my way now.  It was nice meeting you
again.  For the first time.  Whatever.  Can you show me where Fred and the
TARDIS are?"
	K9 rolled up behind Fonira.  "Your robot dog can show you the
way."  He kicked K9.  "Can't you, dog?"
	"Affirmative."  K9 rolled down the hallway, and the Doctor
followed.

	Fred looked up as the cell door opened.  "Doctor?  I've got a
great idea.  Edible carpets!  They're the wave of the future."