13 O'Clock (comic story)

Part One
The Doctor is surprised when the TARDIS lands outside in the grounds of Croxton Hall instead of inside the house. He is visiting Lord and Lady Tubbs on the wedding anniversary before midnight, but the house is locked up and no lights are on. Using his sonic screwdriver, he breaks in and finds it empty apart from Daisy White, hired help for the party. As the Doctor explains he is an old friend of the Tubbs, often attending their annual wedding anniversary parties, Daisy explains she has no one apart from silent ghosts. She warns the Doctor that she has seen what the ghosts can do; one touch and you die, coming back as a ghost. The Doctor is unconvinced and Daisy rugby tackles him to the ground to avoid touching one of the ghosts. The Doctor identifies it as a “partially phased spectrum-shifted waveform”. They flee to the clock room, a room in the house that houses Lord Tubb’s collection of clocks, when suddenly the 'Ghost' of Lord Tubbs appears and lunges at the Doctor

Part Two
As the ghostly figure of Lord Tubbs lunges towards the Doctor, Daisy pushes the Doctor aside only to be touched by the figure and is herself turned into a ghostly form unable to hear or speak to the Doctor. As all the ghosts appear in the Clock Room before fading away, the Doctor looks around for a clue to find out what is happening. On the floor he finds the broken bits of a clock, not just any clock but a special clock the prize of Lord Tubbs’ collection. The ghostly figure of a a youth wearing a hoody and carrying a large bag appears. The Doctor watches as the ghosts re-enact the theft of an Ancient Horologe, a timepiece used to measure the passage of time across different dimensions. As he watches, the Doctor sees the thief stealing several clocks. He is caught by Lord Tubbs in the act of the theft and in the scuffle, the Ancient Horologe is dropped and breaks. Those nearest to it slip into a different kind of time which creates a terrible strain on the damaged horologe. If the Doctor can’t repair the clock he knows they will all disappear forever. The Doctor sets about repairing the clock using his sonic screwdriver with the broken bits that are still visible in the real world around him. As the ghostly figures prepare to disappear forever, the Doctor manages to fix the horologe and time corrects itself. All the ‘ghosts’ are returned at the moment they left, with Lord Tubbs apprehending the thief with Daisy’s help. The Doctor leaves the next morning after Lord Tubbs thanks him for fixing that “ridiculous clock” - a wedding gift from the Doctor.

Characters

 * Tenth Doctor
 * Daisy White
 * Lord Tubbs
 * The Thief

Original print details

 * Publication with page count and closing captions


 * 1) DWA 22 (6 pages) DON'T MISS NEXT ISSUE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!
 * 2) DWA 23 (6 pages) A BRAND-NEW ADVENTURE STARTS NEXT ISSUE!

Continuity

 * The Doctor says that he “always fancied collecting clocks [myself] – only I could never find the time.” Maybe the collection of timepieces seen aboard the TARDIS in the 1996 TV Movie wasn’t impressive enough to count.

Timeline

 * This story takes place after DWA: The Hunters
 * This story takes place before DWA: Green Fingers