Sphere of Freedom (audio story)

 was the first story in the audio anthology Ravagers, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Nicholas Briggs and featured Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, Camilla Beeput as Nova and Jayne McKenna as Audrey. This story marked the first time Eccleston reprised the role of the Ninth Doctor for Big Finish.

Publisher's summary
On the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He’s assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails... And who exactly is Audrey?

Plot
The Doctor communicates with Nova whom he is waiting on to escape the tunnels after she manages to destroy the central arc. He waits outside the TARDIS for her after promising. Just then the TARDIS detects time eddies and just as Nova arrives and the Doctor reaches out for her hand she disappears.

A merchant, named Audrey, who had been speaking to the Doctor earlier, attempts to resume her conversation and the Doctor explains to her his current predicament, and when questioned about Nova, says that she's no friend of his and just someone he happened to be working with over a spot of bother. He explains that the time eddies should not be occurring and that his trouble started with the planet Earth. Just then he finds another eddy and attempts to pursue it.

The Doctor arrives in 1959 London to find that a bomb has gone off in Piccadilly Circus as well as the startling appearance of 80 Roman Centurions seemingly displaced in time. He meets with Captain Hallorin and Lieutenant Farraday who suspect it to be the work of the Russians. The Doctor calms the situation down before it escalates as he realises the Centurions can't understand the instructions of Hallorin's men because they aren't speaking Latin. The Doctor, thanks to the TARDIS's Translation Circuits is able to communicate with the scared Romans but negotiations go awry when they decide to attack anyway. The Doctor, however, detects time particles on the Romans and realises he can stop the situation from ever occurring. He heads back to the TARDIS and is followed by Farraday when another time eddy hits.

Farraday gets lost in the time eddy and is transported to a futuristic arena. The Doctor, meanwhile, lands somewhere else and due to inopportune circumstances ends up meeting Nova, which Audrey comments on back in the present. The Doctor continues recounting his story to Audrey. He asks Nova about where he is and she tells him he's landed on the "Sphere of Freedom" and that the central arc controls everything for all gaming experiences. He convinces Nova to take him inside.

Once inside, the Doctor realises that the central game, Fugitive, a game reserved for rich aliens, is emanating time eddies and causing problems all throughout history. In the present, Audrey presses him for details which he explains. The Doctor goes into the TARDIS and when he comes out, three weeks have passed according to Nova. The Doctor gives her a device he rigged up, saying that her job is to plant it in the sphere. The Doctor explains in the present again to Audrey that the plan succeeded, however, Nova was swept up in a time eddy as had happened merely moments ago. The Doctor and Audrey talk some more and as they do he becomes even more suspicious of her as she is not all she appears to be. At last Audrey reveals her deception and the Doctor is transported in his TARDIS to a supernova which Audrey reveals through their communication link is actually alive. After confirming this with a scan, the Doctor tries to find out Audrey's plans but she merely strands him somewhere else with a time eddy.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Christopher Eccleston
 * Nova - Camilla Beeput
 * Audrey - Jayne McKenna
 * Lieutenant Farraday - Ben Lee
 * Captain Hallorin - Jamie Parker
 * Marcus Aurelius Gallius - Dan Starkey

Continuity

 * The Doctor uses psychic paper to gain access to the central arc. He would use it on several other occasions such as on Platform One, Satellite Five and many other places. (TV: The End of the World, The Long Game et al.)
 * The Doctor is able to speak Latin to the Roman Centurions due to the TARDIS translation circuits. He would later use this ability to communicate with the people of Pompeii when taking Donna Noble there in his tenth incarnation. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii)