Designs of the Dust (comic story)

Opening narration box
Strange things have been happening to the Doctor since he visited a prison …

Summary
Arriving at the Asteroid Bazaar, the Doctor finds that his now dusty suit has taken on a life of its own. He struggles to control his movements and causes havoc around him.

The suit has been turned into a surrogate body by Skalesh, a dictator of the planet Delossa who was deposed and imprisoned by his own people after being disassembled, to exist only as raw matter. Fed by the Doctor’s kinetic (motion) energy, Skalesh grows stronger, imbuing the Doctor’s suit with his own life force. Skalesh directed the TARDIS to the bazaar to acquire weapons that he may exact his revenge on his homeworld. The Doctor’s suit or Skalesh’s new body has been atomically altered to withstand assault.

In a nearby notorious den of arms dealers, the Doctor finds he is impregnable to weapon attack. The suit, as well as defending him, alter its shape to snatch a gun from one of the dealers. Throwing a can of lemonade over himself, the Doctor reminds Skalesh that he is still dust and doesn’t mix with liquids. Skalesh turns the arm of the suit holding the gun towards the Doctor but the Doctor throws himself in front of a engine, putting out a nearby fire.

The water weakens and disorients Skalesh long enough for the Doctor to take off the suit. Skalesh recovers, having absorbed enough energy to make his escape, and head off to take his revenge on the people of Delossa. The Doctor, responsible for Skalesh’s release, is determined to stop him.

Characters

 * Tenth Doctor
 * Skalesh – Former dictator of the planet Delossa. He was deposed and disassembled by his own people into a raw energy that was imprisoned for eternity. Having been disturbed by the Doctor and unwittingly freed, Skalesh hitched a ride on the Doctor. Feeding off of kinetic energy Skalesh adopted the Doctor’s clothing creating a new body for himself.

Original print details

 * 3/4 DWBIT 40 (4 pages) TO BE CONTINUED…
 * No reprints to date.

Continuity
to be added

Timeline

 * Designs of the Dust takes place after DWBIT: Cold Assassin
 * Designs of the Dust takes place before DWBIT: A Suitable Showdown