Snowfall (Doctor Who)

Snowfall is the first Christmas Special of Doctor Who produced by The 56Studios, as well as part of the first series. It introduces April Leigh-Morgan as a companion and features the Ice Warriors as its main antagonists.

Story
The snow fell gently through the night. Sodium-vapor lamps burned in the darkness. Any stars that could have been seen were drowned out by glow of the city.

April Leigh-Morgan’s footsteps echoed through the empty streets as she made her way home from work. Her coat was pulled tight around her, her scarf covering her mouth, and her mitten-covered hands were buried in her pockets. Another blast of cold air hit her as she turned a corner.

It was times like these that she wished that she was able to buy her own car. Or, at least, have someone to drive her home. She wasn’t much of a social person, which made it hard for her to get to know people. Still, she wished that there was someone who could give her a lift.

Her former husband would have a laugh at her current situation. He would say that she never knew how to manage her resources, and always ended up being strapped for cash. Now, while she did have more of a disposable income, he was still somehow right.

She shook her head at the thought. She hadn’t divorced him because he was right, but because he was wrong.

Turning another corner and traveling down the street, she finally arrived outside her apartment building. Unlocking the front door, she entered the lobby, and ascended the stairs to her floor.

April eventually came to her door, which she quickly let herself through. Once inside, she fell against her door, took a deep breath, and took off her jacket and kicked off her shoes. She hung her scarf up alongside her coat, and threw her mittens on her coffee table. She then crossed to her kitchen and retrieved a beer from her fridge.

Cracking it open, she took a few sips, before returning to her living room and looking out one of her windows. Snow fell on the other side of the glass, and the city glittered in the night. The Washington Monument towered in the distance.

Washington D.C. hadn’t been her first choice when she decided to move to America, but after her divorce, she knew that she couldn’t stay in London anymore, or England, for that matter. She wanted to start a new life for herself in a big city in the western world, and after opportunities in New York City and Los Angeles fell through, she settled on the District of Columbia.

She was currently employed as a sports journalist at one of the newspapers. It was good work, but she wanted to write about things that actually mattered around the world, instead of how a team did during a game. But it was the only work she could get in the field that she wanted, and she had had to take it.

It had only been a little over a year since she had arrived in America. She was still getting used to living here. When she was younger, she and her family used to travel here to visit family on her mother’s side.

She missed those days.

Turning away from the window, she came to a stop in front of a large board with several pieces of paper pinned to it. It was littered in photographs and maps, with notes attached them. To anyone else, it would look like the work of a crazy person.

But to her, it was a map of disappearances in the city. It was a map tracking disappearances in a particular part of the city, which she was investigating. The police hadn’t done much to find them, so it was up to her now.

There was a knock on her door. Turning, she walked to it and pulled it open. Standing there was Harry Noord, her friend and partner. She smiled at him, and he faintly returned it.

“Harry!” she said happily. “Glad you could make it!”

“Sorry if I’m a little late,” he replied, stepping in.

“Oh, no worries,” she closed the door as he took off his coat. “I just got home myself. Want a beer?”

“Nah. It’s too late,” Harry shook his head. “Plus I can’t hold my alcohol like you can.”

“I don’t drink that much,” April said as they crossed to the living room.

“You drink more than I do.”

She shrugged.

They came to a stop in front of the board. Both of them looked at it for several moments before they spoke again.

“Any new theories?” April asked.

“A few,” he said, taking a seat.

“Well,” she set her beer on the coffee table and sat down across from him. “What are they?”

“Well, one, it could always be a massive government conspiracy, where they’re kidnapping people for all kinds of insidious experiments,” he said.

“Really think that the President would allow that?”

“Carter’s a weird guy,” Harry replied.

She rolled her eyes. “What else?”

“Could be aliens.”

“I think I have some tinfoil in my kitchen if you need to insulate yourself,” she buried her face in her hand.

“Hey! Aliens are real!” he protested, obviously offended.

“Whatever you say, buddy,” April leaned back in her chair.

Harry sighed and looked down. She leaned forward again.

“What else do you have?” she asked. “For real, this time.”

He took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about this all day. All the disappearances took place in the same area, right? Well, I know we’ve talked about a serial killer, and I have an idea as to where they might be.”

“Oh?” her interest was piqued.

Harry edged closer to her. “There’s an old building out in that part of town. Three stories. It’s been abandoned since the Fifties, I think.”

“What makes you think that the building is important?”

“It’s along the route each of the missing people took. I think that it could be where whoever’s doing this is working from.”

“Seems possible, but why would they want to live there?”

“Maybe they’re homeless. Maybe they’ve got no place to go. This city is full of homeless people.”

“That’s true,” she nodded. “But why?”

“Psychotic, probably. It doesn’t take much to drive someone over the edge,” he replied. “Depression and insanity are two of the big ways that you can fall.”

She thought about it for a moment. “Do you have the address?”

He looked at her for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded sheet of paper. “Here it is,” he said, handing it to her.

April opened it up and looked at it. “This is even on the same street that the disappearances happened on.”

He nodded. “That’s why I think there has to be a connection.”

“When do you want to check it,” she said, putting down the paper.

“Well, I was kind of hoping that we could have a look tonight yet,” Harry suggested. “I could drive us there.”

“I can’t. Not tonight. I’ve got to get up early in the morning for work,” she replied apologetically. “Could we try on the weekend? I’m free on the weekend.”

He looked disappointed, but quickly regained his composure. “Alright.”

“I’m really sorry,” she reiterated.

“It’s alright. I’m free on the weekend, anyway,” he said.

Silence hung between them for a moment before Harry stood up and straightened his clothes. He cleared his throat as April stood up.

“I should be going,” Harry began moving towards the door.

“Really? Already?” April was disappointed.

“Yeah. It’s getting late and I gotta work in the morning. I mainly just wanted to stop by and tell you about the building,” he put on his coat.

She set her beer down on the kitchen counter. “Well, have a safe drive home, and I’ll see you on Saturday.”

He smiled at her. “See you then.”

Opening the door, Harry stepped out, and with one last look at April, disappeared as the door closed. April watched the closed door for a moment before grabbing her beer and taking another sip from it. She smiled faintly to herself before setting the bottle down next to several others and heading to her bedroom.

Outside, the snow still fell.

Harry drove his car down the snowy streets of the city. The radio played the unmistakable tune of Christmas music. The light of the sodium vapor lamps reflected off his windshield.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it. Ever since he had discovered that building, he had been thinking about it. It was the key to solving the mystery of the disappearances – he just knew it. Of course, he wanted to solve it with April, but he was also excited. Something about being so close to cracking the case gave him a rush. It was the feeling of needing to see it through.

Rounding another corner, he continued on his way. Could he wait for April? The weekend was a few days away, and more people could have disappeared by then. It was his responsibility to do everything he could to save them. He would be betraying his friend, but he also had to save lives.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to head for the building.

Several minutes later, he came to a stop on curb outside the building. The three-story building towered in the night sky above him as he got out. Opening his trunk, he retrieved a flashlight. Clicking it on, he shone it down the dark street. It was eerie. This part of the city hadn’t be maintained since the 50s, and most of the street lights had burned out years ago.

Why anyone would want to come down here was a mystery to him. It was as if they were asking for trouble.

He walked towards the building. Climbing over the deteriorating wire fence, he came to one of the side doors of the structure. The handle had rusted off, leaving the door to swing limply in the wind. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on it and pushed, causing it to fall open, revealing darkness within. A deeply unsettling creaking noise followed it.

Harry gulped. Maybe I should wait for April, he thought.

Curiosity overcame fear, however, and putting on a brave face, he stepped over the threshold into the darkness.

His footsteps echoed as he walked through the empty building. The light of his flashlight glinted off metal containers and fell across wooden crates. Random objects lay strew amongst the dirt and rubble on the ground. Above, he could see the illuminated sky through an opening in the roof that penetrated all three stories.

The man continued his journey through the abandoned building. Reaching the far side of the large room, he found an old stairwell leading up to the next floor. Slowly, he ascended the steps. They moved uneasily underneath his feet as he climbed them.

Finally, he reached the second floor. This room was in even more disarray than the first, and appeared even more damaged. The floor shook slightly as he stepped across it. Dust filled the air, looking like falling snow as his light illuminated them.

A crack appeared in the floor. He looked down at it in shock. Retreating several paces, he watched as the piece of floor he had been standing on gave way, falling down to the story below.

That was it. He was leaving and coming back another day. It was too dangerous to be exploring on his own. Turning on his heel, he made his way back down the disintegrating stairs. His footsteps echoed again as he made his way back towards the door.

However, as he walked, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Stopping, he turned to look. There appeared to be an unnatural split in the wall. Approaching it, he ran his hand along the surface. It seemed that there was some kind of hidden doorway in the wall, but with no way to access it.

“What is this?” he said, trying to pry it open.

A hissing voice responded. “You’ll never know.”

Harry spun around, being met with a towering figure standing before him. Their scaly green armor glinted as his light fell over it. Their large red eyes stared at them.

“What are you?” he pressed himself against the wall, horror filling his face.

“This building is property of the Ice Warriors,” the monster hissed. “You will be executed for your transgression.”

Raising his arm, the Ice Warrior charged its sonic weapon. Harry jumped out of the way as a sonic blast hit the wall where he had been standing. His eardrums exploded from the sound, causing him to cry in pain. He fell to the ground, blood running from his ears. The warrior however turned to aim at him again, causing him to get to his feet.

“Please,” he said in pain, tears running down his face. “Please-.”

Another sonic blast erupted from the Ice Warrior’s and hit the man. The shockwave ripped his body apart, killing him instantly.

Looking at the bloody and oozing remains on the floor for a moment, the Ice Warrior turned and walked away, leaving Harry’s mutilated corpse behind.

The Doctor danced around the console, pulling levers and pressing buttons, piloting the TARDIS as it transited through the swirling tunnel of energy that was the time vortex. Clara sat in an armchair on the upper deck, reading a book. The hum of the engines and the strangely comforting groaning of the ship.

After a while, Clara lowered her book to look at the Doctor. She smiled as he continued to man the controls. It had taken some getting used to, but she was now comfortable with the new Doctor. She no longer felt abandoned or alone when with him. She felt at home.

Clara continued to read her book. Suddenly, something dawned on her and she lowered her book again.

“Doctor?” she said.

He looked up from the console. “What is it, Clara?”

“Christmas is coming up, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Time is irrelevant here, my dear,” the Doctor began to dance around the console again. “Yesterday can be Christmas, today could be Christmas, tomorrow could be Christmas. A hundred years in the past or in the future could be Christmas.”

“Yeah, but from when we left, Christmas was coming up, right?”

“I suppose it was.”

“Could we do something for Christmas, then? Go somewhere special?”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because otherwise my Christmas is going to be really dull,” she replied. “You remember my family.”

“Yes,” he muttered. “Quite dreary…”

Silence hung between them for a moment, filled only by the sounds of the ship.

“So,” the Doctor said. “Where do you want to go?”

Setting down her book, Clara got up and descended the stairs to the main deck. She joined the Doctor at the console, leaning on it as he continued to pilot.

“I… don’t know,” she answered, seemingly at a loss.

“Well, why would you suggest it if you didn’t know where you wanted to go?”

“I thought that you would know a good place to go.”

“What makes you think that?”

“You’ve traveled the universe more times than I have,” Clara replied.

“That’s true.”

He began moving around the console room, pondering. Several times he seemed about to say something before he stopped himself. This went on for several moments before his face lit up.

“Got it!” he said excitedly, going to the console again. The ship shuddered as he changed direction.

“Where are we going?”

“Earth. Christmas Day 2782. Best Christmas in human history. Absolutely brilliant, as you would say.”

“I don’t think I’d say that.”

He ignored her. The ship continued to shake as it transited through the time vortex. They held on when suddenly the lights in the room went red and a blaring noise filled the room. The two of them looked in surprise when several warnings appeared on the monitors. He pulled one towards him and looked at it with a grim face.

“Impossible,” he muttered.

“What is it, Doctor?”

“The TARDIS is detecting a catastrophic gravitational disturbance coming from Earth in 1979.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that Christmas is canceled.”

Rushing to another part of the console, the Doctor entered the new coordinates and pulled the lever. The ship shook once more as it reversed course, traveling backwards in time through the swirling vortex.

The wheezing of the TARDIS filled the street as the blue box began to materialize against the wall. Snow was blown through the air by the breeze that the ship was causing. There was a thump as the ship became solid. It stood still for a moment before the door opened and the Doctor and Clara stepped out. Clara pulled her coat around her as she was hit by a gust of cold air.

“I guess it’s winter,” she said.

“We’re in Washington D.C. December 18, 1979,” the Doctor replied, looking up and down the street.

“Well, that’s pretty close to Christmas,” Clara was trying to warm herself but rubbing her arms.

“No sign of the gravitational disturbance, though,” the Doctor took a few steps away from the TARDIS.

“Are we in the right place?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“So what do we do? How do we find it?” she came up next to him.

“Look for something – anything – out of the ordinary.”

“That’ll be hard in this city,” she quipped.

He didn’t respond for a moment when the sound of sirens filled the air. Looking at each other, they then saw a police vehicle coming down the street, its lights and siren blaring. They stepped back as it rushed by, heading down the street and out of sight.

“Is that out of the ordinary?” Clara asked.

“Close enough.”

Together, the two of them rushed down the street after the car. They footsteps echoed as they pounded on the pavement. The large city passed by around them as they ran. Several people gave them strange looks.

They followed the car for blocks, coming into an older and out of use part of town. Old, broken-down buildings surrounded them. They had to watch their steps because of numerous potholes that filled the street.

Finally, they came to a stop across the street from a large building. It was surrounded by several police cars, including the one they had been chasing, as well as an ambulance. There was a line of yellow police tape bridging a gap in an old fence in front of the building. Several officers stood outside, while others filtered in and out of the entrance.

They watched the scene from behind a corner.

“What’s going on there?” Clara asked.

“I don’t know,” the Doctor replied. “Want to find out?”

He produced the psychic wallet from his jacket and held it up. She looked at it and smiled.

Crossing the street, the two of them approached the scene. As they did, one of the officers, the Sargent, turned to meet them.

“This scene is closed to civilians,” he said. “You’re going to have to turn back.”

“That’s okay,” the Doctor replied, holding up the psychic wallet. “We’re not civilians.”

The Sargent read the credentials. His eyes widened.

“Oh! I didn’t know that the FBI was going to be involved in this!” he exclaimed, seemingly irritated.

“The FBI wants us to look over this one,” Clara added as the Doctor pocketed the wallet. “Not take over. Just observe. You know how it is.”

He scratched his chin. “I suppose that I do.”

Silence hung for a moment. The Sargent straightened his tie.

“So,” he said. “Do you want to see the body?”

The Doctor nodded. “Yes. We do.”

“Come on, then,” he sighed, turning and walking towards the police tape. The Doctor and Clara glanced at each other before following.

Across the street, a woman watched them from around the corner.

Inside the dirty and disarrayed building, several officers stood in the middle of the room around an unseen object. The Sargent led them towards it.

“Earlier today, a city worker was coming to inspect this structure for demolition,” he explained. “They want to rebuild this part of town, you know.”

The crowd of officers parted as the Sargent led them towards whatever they had been gathered around. They saw a lump of something covered by a white sheet. The sheet was covered in several dark stains. Clara knew what it was.

“He found a body that had been severely mutilated,” the Sargent said, stopping several paces from the corpse. Clara stopped with him, covering her nose, while the Doctor slowly approached it. “Completely torn apart. Never seen anything like it.”

“It reeks,” the woman disgustedly observed.

“From our estimations, he’s been here for almost a week,” he replied. “All identifying features have been removed, and we can’t find his wallet. We don’t even know how he got here.”

“What do you mean?”

“If he came here in a car, we can’t find it.”

The Doctor knelt down and lifted the sheet. Several flies flew out from under it. The smell seemed to get worse. With a grim face, the Doctor reached into his jacket and produced a blue, silver, and bronze object. Pressing a trigger on it, the sonic screwdriver blazed into life, creating a whirling noise. He held it down over the body and began to scan.

“Uh, what are you doing?” the Sargent asked.

“It’s a medical scanner,” Clara lied. “State of the art. New FBI issue.”

He shook his head. “You feds get all the good stuff.”

A moment later the Doctor stopped scanning. Holding up the device, he frowned at the readings.

“What do you have, Doctor?” the woman inquired.

“This man’s body was ripped apart by some kind of sonic blast,” he said, replacing the sheet and standing up, still looking at the body.

“Sonic blast?” one of the officers repeated.

“Yes,” he replied. “A condensed wave of sound. Incredibly deadly. Essentially like getting hit by a shockwave at close-range.”

“What could have caused it? How is that even possible?”

“It shouldn’t be. Not now, anyway,” the Doctor said. “But we’ll be looking into it.”

“Does that mean that you’re taking over the case?” the Sargent asked.

“No,” he shook his head. “I’ll leave to you. Thank you, Sargent.”

He then walked forward through the officers, leaving the scene behind. Clara stood for a moment before following after him. The Sargent looked confused.

“Is that all?”

“That’s all,” he replied.

The Doctor and Clara left the scene, leaving the officers bewildered.

They walked down the street back towards the TARDIS. The Doctor was obviously troubled.

“Doctor,” Clara began. “Do you know what caused that?”

He stayed quiet for a moment before responding. “Yes. I do. And you do too.”

“What?”

“An Ice Warrior weapon did that, Clara,” he said. “The Ice Warriors are here in the city.”

“Why are the Ice Warriors here?” she gasped. “How are they here? That shouldn’t be possible, should it?”

“We should stop saying that things are impossible, my dear.”

They continued walking.

“So, if the Ice Warriors are here, what are we going to do about it?”

“Obviously we’ll need to find them and try to reason them into letting us take them back to Mars. Hostility should be avoided at all costs. We don’t know what their agenda is.”

Clara thought for a moment. “What’s the plan?”

“Yes,” said a new voice. “What is the plan?”

Stopping, the two of them turned to see a woman approached them. She came to a stop a few feet from them.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I can ask the same about you,” the Doctor replied.

“I’m someone who just overheard you talking about ‘Ice Warriors’ and Mars,” the woman shoved her hands in her pockets. “I’m also a reporter, so you probably don’t want that getting out.”

“Nobody would believe you,” he answered.

“These are interesting times. Mysterious things are happening all across the globe. I wouldn’t be the first to talk about it.”

He frowned before moving to pull out the psychic wallet again.

“Oh, don’t try that with me,” she said. “I know that you’re not federal agents of any kind. I saw you arrive in that big blue box a few streets over.”

He and Clara exchanged nervous glances.

She stepped forward. “Are you aliens?”

They were both surprised by the forwardness of her question. They hesitated to respond, which prompted her to take a step closer.

“Are. You. Aliens?”

“Well…” Clara trailed off.

The Doctor cut across her “I’m the Doctor and she’s Clara Oswald. I’m an alien. She’s not. We’re time travelers. That blue box is our time machine. It can go anywhere in time and space. Together, we travel the universe.”

Both Clara and the woman were shocked by this. The woman seemed to be at a loss for words.

“Doctor…” Clara muttered.

“Trust me,” he replied.

“Now you,” the Doctor then stepped towards the woman. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“I’m… I’m April Leigh-Morgan. I’m a journalist and that body that they found in that building is of my partner, Harry Noord. We were investigating disappearances in the area and he went there in search of answers and never came back.”

“Disappearances? What kind of disappearances?”

“People going missing. All in that part of town.”

“Do you have any data on these disappearances?”

“Yeah. Loads. In my apartment.”

“Show us.”

“Sorry about the mess.”

In her apartment, April cleared a spot for the Doctor and Clara to stand in front of her board. Immediately the Doctor began examining it. April watched him.

“The disappearances started in March,” she explained. “There have been seven in total since then. All in the same part of town, within a mile or so of each other.”

“Why don’t the police investigate it?” Clara asked.

“They did initially, but they couldn’t spare the resources after the first three,” April replied. “Too expensive.”

“That’s terrible.”

“It is what it is,” she shrugged.

“What’s the significance of that building? Why did Harry go there?” the Doctor inquired.

“He thought that it was where whoever was doing this was operating from. We agreed to investigate last weekend, but I think that he must’ve gone there himself after we met for the last time.”

“He probably saved your life,” Clara replied.

“Yeah. That idiot,” her voice shook slightly.

Clara watched her for a moment. “Were you two… an item?”

“No, no,” April shook her head. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a bit of a crush on me. We work together at the paper.”

“This is some solid work,” the Doctor interrupted. “If a bit primitive.”

April stepped towards the board, her arms crossed. “We were serious abut it. And Harry literally devoted his dying breath to this case. I want to see it through.”

“As do I,” he nodded.

“So Doctor. Since you know what’s going on now,” Clara crossed her arms. “What’s the plan?”

“I think Harry was right in assuming that that building is where they’re hiding. It’s old, from the Prohibition era. There are probably several hidden passages there. I want to have a thorough look at it. Maybe he found something there before the Ice Warriors killed him.”

“What are the Ice Warriors?” April interjected.

“Cyborg warrior race from the planet Mars,” the Doctor responded quickly.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa.”

“Anyway,” he continued, “I think we should go there and try to find the Ice Warriors and reason with them. If we reason with them, we can spare any further bloodshed. We also need to find what caused that gravitational disturbance.”

“It’s going to be dangerous,” Clara said, before a smile broke across her face. The Doctor returned it.

April watched them. “You’re both mad. Absolutely mad.”

They turned towards her.

“But I want to come.”

Their footsteps echoed through the large room of the building. The police had removed the body and cleared their tape.

“The police packed up and left pretty quickly,” Clara observed, shining her flash around the clutter.

“Yeah. That’s how been with this investigation,” April sighed, walking alongside her. “It’s unfortunate.”

“You should get new police,” she remarked.

“Probably.”

They continued walking. As they did, a large stain appeared on the floor before them. April came to a stop and looked at it. Clara joined her. The Doctor watched for a moment before turning to look around more. The beam of his flashlight fell across the wall the walls and crates. As he looked, he saw that a large chunk of the wall appeared to have been blasted away.

“This must have been where Harry was standing when the Ice Warrior attacked him,” the Doctor said, stepping towards the damage.

“What is it?” Clara asked.

“Looks to have been hit by a sonic blast,” he ran his hand over the rough surface.

“Does it mean anything?” April inquired as the two women came up beside the Time Lord.

“It means that he was probably looking at something when the Ice Warrior attacked him,” he then moved to the part of the wall to the right of the damage, running his hands across that part.

“What would he have been looking for?” Clara asked.

The Doctor’s hand stopped on a split in the wall. A smile broke across his face.

“That.”

Taking a step back, the Doctor produced the sonic screwdriver. Pointing it at the split, he activated it. The top part of the screwdriver ignited with a green light that was accompanied by buzzing noise. He stood pointing it at the wall for a moment before there was a grinding as the door slid open to reveal a dark passageway.

“Prohibition,” the Doctor pocketed the screwdriver. “What a time to be alive.”

Taking up his flashlight again, he shone the light into the opening. It illuminated a set of stairs that descended down into darkness. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor looked to his companions.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” the two women replied.

Together, the three of them walked forward towards the opening. Crossing the threshold, they began to descend the stairs into the shadows. Their flashlights illuminated cobwebs and dust that filled the air. The sound of their footsteps reverberated as they went.

Eventually, they reached the bottom of the stairs. They were in a narrow corridor that extended to the right and to left into the black. Popes lined the wall, stretching as far as they could see.

“Spooky,” Clara said. Her voice echoed into the abyss.

“These tunnels could lead anywhere,” April shone her light down the corridor. “Where do we go?”

“I don’t know,” the Doctor replied. “We can’t afford to waste any time here. We need to find the Ice Warriors, stop them, and save the Earth.”

A voice hissed through the darkness.

“You shall not leave this place, Doctor,” the voice hissed.

Turning around, they saw two Ice Warriors towering before them. One was wearing the armor of a soldier, while the other was adorned in shining gold armor and a helmet, with a cape hanging from his shoulders. Behind the trio another Ice Warrior appeared from the darkness. Both the soldiers were brandishing swords while the adorned one stood with his hands behind his back.

“Who are you?” the Doctor growled, stepping forward.

“I am Craal, Ice Lord of New Mars,” the adorned warrior said.

He raised an eyebrow. “’New Mars?’ What are you talking about? Mars still exists. Your people still stand. What are you doing?”

“This world will be New Mars. The old Mars is of the past,” the Ice Lord replied. “This world will become the birthplace for the new Empire of the Ice Warriors. And I will be its head.”

“The Earth is uninhabitable for your species,” the Doctor said. “I’m surprised that you’re able to live here. To survive, you’d have to terraform-oh,” a look of realization appeared on his face.

“Yes. We will terraform this Earth into New Mars.”

“Unauthorized terraforming of a planet – much less terraforming a level five planet – is against every galactic law. The Shadow Proclamation will have your heads for even attempting such a thi-.”

“The Shadow Proclamation means nothing to me!” the Ice Lord spat. “When I terraform this pitiful world, I will be a god! I will be above every authority in the universe.”

The Ice Lord smiled, showing his teeth. “Not even you will be able to stop me, Doctor.”

“You know,” the Doctor stepped forward. “Many, many, before you have said that. None of them were right.”

“None of them can do what I can,” the Ice Lord replied. “They thought that they were gods. I am a god.”

“You’re a bit full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Do not mock me, Doctor. It may be the last act of your life.”

“Again. Many have said that. None were right.”

“I do not care about the past, Doctor!” he hissed. “I am forging the future!”

“You’re going to commit genocide just so you can have your egotistical rule!” the Doctor said angrily. “I will not allow you to do this!”

“You have no choice in the matter,” the Ice Lord replied. “You will be dead before the rest of humanity. Goodbye, Doctor.”

Craal stepped away, allowing the Ice Warriors to step towards them. They brandished their blades and pointed them at the trio. The three of them stood back to back, watching the massive green warriors approach.

“I will always remember you, Doctor,” the Ice Lord smiled. “Once the last of humanity is buried by the snowfall, I will remember you.”

The Ice Warriors raised their blades. The Doctor, seeing that time was about to run out, quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. Holding it up, it glowed with a blue light before a piercing noise filled the air. Clara and April yelled in pain, covering their ears. The Ice Warriors, however, keeled over, yelling in agony.

“RUN!” the Doctor yelled.

Together, the three of them bolted for the stairwell. The Doctor turned the screwdriver off as they reached the top of the stairs. Activating it again, the door slid closed. Behind it, they heard the Ice Warriors stopping toward them.

“GO!” he said, grabbing Clara’s hand dragging her towards the exit. Clara in turn grabbed April’s.

The three of them ran for the exit as the door blasted open behind them, echoing through the silence. They continued for the doorway. Reaching it seconds later, they crossed through it, coming out into the cold. They then passed between the fences and onto the street. Sprinting down it, their footsteps echoed into the night.

“Where are we going?” Clara asked.

“To the TARDIS! We have to escape!”

Behind them, the Ice Warriors had emerged from the abandoned building and were stomping towards them.

They were chased down several blocks. The city was less busy at this time of day, but the occasional car drove by or civilian passed on the other side of the street. But they kept running, their hearts pounding and their legs burning.

“There!” Clara yelled as the TARDIS came into view.

“Quickly!” the Doctor said, rushing towards it.

A split second later they arrived at the box. Rummaging through his pockets, he produced a silver key. Shoving it into the lock, his twisted it and pushed the door open. He and Clara immediately rushed inside, while April stayed outside, looking in.

“What the hell-?” she was cut off as Clara grabbed her hand again and pulled her inside, just as the Ice Warriors appeared around the corner.

Inside, April stood in awe of the console room. She watched as the lights pulsated and the engines hummed.

“This is… amazing,” she said, but was interrupted as the Doctor rushed to the console and slammed a lever down.

At once, the ship shook and the room was filled with a wheezing noise as the TARDIS began to dematerialize. April grabbed onto one of the rails to steady herself. A moment later purple lights flickered in the windows. The Doctor and Clara fell against the console, catching their breath.

“What is this place?” April asked after a while.

“This is the TARDIS,” the Doctor said. “It can travel anywhere in time and space.”

“It’s bigger on the inside,” she remarked, looking at the ceiling.

“I get that a lot.”

“How is it bigger on the inside?” April walked towards the console.

“It would take too long to explain,” the Doctor said, returning to the controls. “Right now, we’ve got a world to save.”

The ship lurched slightly again.

“How are we going to do that? We don’t even know how they’re going to try and terraform the Earth, or whatever they said,” Clara replied.

“Obviously they won’t be reasoned with,” April added, still looking in awe.

“The terraforming is likely what caused the gravitational surge that we detected before. Only, we arrived before the surge actually happened.”

“Why?”

“Because the TARDIS wanted us to be able to try and stop it,” he patted the console affectionately.

“So where was the surge?” April asked.

“I don’t remember,” he shook his head when suddenly the lights in the room turned red again and a blaring alert pierced their ears.

“What’s happening?” both women cringed from the noise.

The Doctor pulled one of the screens over to him. “The surge is back! Wait. No!”

“What?”

“The Earth is being pulled from its position. That’s how they’re going to terraform it! They’re going to create an ice age by taking the Earth out of its primary orbit! They’ll kill everyone!”

“Where is it, Doctor?” Clara asked.

Looking at the screen, they saw several symbols appear. The Doctor smiled faintly.

“Of course.”

A beam of purple energy shot into the sky above the city. People from all around came out to look at the flickering energy. Snow had begun to fall, becoming thicker by the minute. The ground shook slightly below their feet.

On top of the abandoned building, a massive cone-shaped machine fired the beam into the air. Several controls on it were glowing radiantly as the machine buzzed. The Ice Lord and the Ice Warriors stood before it, watching the energy with smiles on their faces.

“The dawn of a new age,” the Ice Lord declared.

The roar of energy was suddenly interrupted by the sound of wheezing and groaning. The Ice Warriors turned to see the TARDIS materializing before them on the roof. The light on top of box blazed through the night, shining light a star. A moment later it stopped, and the door opened. Three figures emerged, standing in front of the ship.

“Ice Lord Craal,” the Doctor said.

“Doctor! I knew that you would return. But it is too late! I have won!”

“You’re going to knock the Earth out of its orbit? How? This is impossible!”

He smiled. “I told you that I am a god, Doctor. Look at the work of my majesty.”

“What is powering that machine?” the Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and scanned the machine. He looked at the readings with wide eyes.

“Impossible. These readings are off the charts…”

“You shall never be able to understand by genius, Doctor!” the Ice Lord gloated. “The Earth shall fall and be covered by ice and snow!”

“I will stop you!”

“The only way to stop me is a duel, Doctor,” he replied. “If you’re up to it.”

“Alright, then,” the Doctor nodded. “I challenge you to a duel.”

The Ice Lord smiled. Clara grabbed the Doctor’s arm.

“Are you sure about this?”

“It’s the only way, Clara. I have to save the Earth,” he turned to her.

“Plus,” he added. “It wouldn’t be the first sword fight I’ve done for the planet.”

Clara bit her lip in unease. “Be safe.”

“I will.”

Taking off his coat, he handed it to her. He then approached the Ice Lord. He pulled a sword from his side. One of the Ice Warriors handed the Doctor their sword. Lifting it up, the Time Lord examined it.

“Are you ready, Doctor?” the Ice Lord dropped his cape. He settled into a battle stance.

“Born ready,” he returned, settling into his own stance.

“Then we fight.”

“We do.”

At once the Ice Lord lunged at the Doctor with his blade. The Doctor was only able to block as the attack came in. Sparks flew as the two swords ground against each other. He managed to break free, swinging around and away from the Ice Warrior. He raised his weapon again as the warrior ready.

“Scared, Time Lord?”

“Not even a little.”

It was the Doctor’s turn to attack. He swung his blade down at the Ice Lord. The Ice Lord moved out of the way and swung his blade at his head. Ducking, the Doctor tried to swipe at his leg, but missed, the momentum carrying him away from the battle. The Ice Lord took advantage, swing his blade at him again. The Doctor barely managed to dodge it, the weapon coming within inches of his arm. The Doctor stood up, en garde.

“Your own fighting weakening you, Doctor?” he taunted.

“You’re one to talk,” he replied.

The warrior cried and charged him. The Doctor parried the blow, spinning around and landing the first blow. The sword hit the back of the Ice Lord’s armor, knocking him forward and off-balance. The Doctor promptly followed with a kick, sending the Ice Lord to the ground.

“Yield,” the Doctor said, stepping towards the warrior. “Turn off your machine! Final warning!”

“Never!” he hissed. “I will never yield to you.”

As the Doctor approached, the Ice Lord swung around, slashing at him. The Doctor barely avoided the attack, being forced to jump back several paces. He stopped with his back to the machine. The Ice Lord then got up, facing his opponent again.

“I will not be defeated!”

He charged. The Doctor, watching him, sighed.

“I tried,” he muttered.

The Ice Lord ran at him with his blade out. When the warrior was within inches of him, the Doctor suddenly moved out of the way. The Ice Lord saw him, their eyes meeting as he passed, but didn’t have enough time to stop. He skidded, his blade slamming into the hull of the machine.

At once the beam of energy disappeared, and the machine began to shake and shudder. All six of them watched as it did, when suddenly it exploded into a blast of purple energy. A second later the explosion retreated, becoming a rift of light where the machine had been, which began to pull them inwards towards it.

The Ice Lord and the Ice Warriors were immediately drawn in, disappearing from view. The Doctor ran his blade into the ground, holding onto it in an attempt to stop himself from being sucked into the disturbance. Clara and April grabbed onto the hull of the TARDIS as they were lifted off the ground, holding on for dear life.

The black hole continued to burn, completely absorbing the machine and was beginning to tear apart the roof around it. The three of them struggled to hang on as the pull got stronger.

However, as soon as it appeared, it stopped. They all fell to the ground, the pull of the rift gone. Getting up, they massaged their arms. The snow was beginning to thin and the ground no longer shook. They then looked to where the machine had been. In its place, to their surprise, was a floating stone shard, which glowed with a purple energy.

“What is that?” April asked, holding her head.

“It looks like…” the Doctor approached it.

“Doctor. That looks like-.”

“It does.”

April watched them approach the shard for a moment when everything around her began to grow dark when suddenly the shadows engulfed her and she fell into unconsciousness.

-

April slowly awoke. Her head buzzed and her body ached. Rolling over, she saw that she was in her bed, and white light poured in through her window.

Getting up, she saw that she was still in her clothes from the day before. Crossing the room, she looked out the window, and was nearly blinded by the light. The entire city was covered in what appeared to be a foot of snow. Workers were clearing the snow from the streets while children played. The sky was overcast and a few flakes of snow drifted through the air.

What had happened? Where was the Doctor and Clara? Had they left? Had they abandoned her without saying goodbye?

She remembered the fight that the Doctor had with the Ice Lord, and she remembered the device he was using implode on itself, but nothing else. Had she blacked out? She must have.

The woman continued to look out the window when she saw a spot of blue among the white. Squinting, her heart skipped a beat as she realized that it was the TARDIS.

Rushing from her window, she grabbed her jacket and slipped on her boots and ran out the door. She made her way down the hallway and descended the stairs into the lobby, coming outside into the snow. The TARDIS was down the street from her apartment, shining in the light.

Coming down the street to it, she arrived and stood outside for a moment. Walking up to the door, she raised her hand and knocked on it. At once the door unlatched. Smiling, she pushed it open and stepped inside.

The warm glow of the console room bathed her as she closed the door. April continued to look in awe at the room, a broad smile on her face.

The Doctor and Clara stood by the console, watching her.

“Good morning,” the Doctor said.

“How are you?” Clara asked.

“Good, good,” April replied, still looking at the room. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

“It usually does,” he remarked.

“What happened? With the Ice Lord?” she inquired.

“They were sucked into the machine,” the Doctor explained. “When I destroyed it, it created a miniature black hole which drew them in before collapsing in on itself. The Earth also returned to its original orbit because it hadn’t been drawn too far away from its position.”

“What was that shard? Was that what caused it?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “It’s a powerful object from an unknown origin. I’ve only encountered one other like it.”

“What did you do with it?”

“It’s safe,” Clara smiled.

April thought for a moment. “Why did you guys stay?”

“For you,” the Doctor replied.

“Why? Why me?”

“Because I want you to come with us,” he answered, stepping towards her. “”

“What? You want me to travel with you?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I want you to do. I want to show you everything that ever was, ever is, and ever will be.”

She was bewildered. “What makes me so special?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling,” he smiled.

“Is last night how it always is with you?”

“Yes,” they said in unison.

April smiled broadly. “Yes. I want to come with you. I really do.”

“Excellent!” the Doctor rushed to the console, beginning to pull switches and turn knobs. The TARDIS began to shake as the room was filled with the groaning of the engines.

“What? We’re leaving right now?” April asked as she and Clara grabbed onto the console.

“No time like the present!” he said.

“Alright then!” she replied.

“Welcome aboard!” Clara smiled at her.

The ship shook as they transited through the time vortex. “Where are we going, Doctor?” April inquired.

He looked up at his two companions and smiled.

“Onward.”

Characters

 * Twelfth Doctor
 * Clara Oswald
 * April Leigh-Morgan
 * Harry Noord
 * Ice Lord
 * Ice Warriors
 * The Sargent
 * Several officers

Trivia

 * Unlike the Christmas Specials of the primary series, Snowfall will be more akin to The Snowmen, and will tie in directly with the main storyline of the series.
 * April Leigh-Morgan is the first original lead character in the series.
 * The basic attributes of April have also been present in most iterations of the series as it has developed through the years.
 * Due to scheduling, this episode was released on New Year's Day. It is still billed as Christmas special, however.