The TARDIS clock

The second hand ticked in the same spot for a full five minutes before Shade took any notice. He snorted to himself, fumbling in his drawer to see if he could find any new batteries that had not been used. Trust a new clock to run out of battery a week after it had been bought. Not that he'd bought it, but Rayne had said that she'd bought it the day before his birthday.

Using an old simple circuit to see if they still had any juice left in them, he tested one battery after another.

Gone.
Gone.
Almost gone.
Gone.
Almost gone.
Dead.
Another dead one.

He needed to keep track of time or he would be late for the concert and Rayne would just about kill him if he missed her play the solo. Glancing at the handful of batteries in the bin, he frowned. Wait a moment. At least half of those batteries had been new last week. He looked at the TARDIS-shaped clock Rayne had given him for his birthday and growled. He'd better replace the battery before Rayne came over tonight... but he had to finish his report first. It was more likely he would remember to get the new battery if he put the clock on his desk, so that he would see it later. By his estimation, he still had 3 hours left.

Lifting the blue rectangular clock down, Shade noticed a little crack in the glass. Blast! How did that get there? It hadn't been there before. He rubbed the crack with his finger and reminded himself to make sure Rayne didn't take too close a look at the thing. Might as well take out the battery while he was at it.

Click and slide, Shade flipped out the old battery and laughed when he saw the space behind the battery. Rayne must have called up a favour to have his picture painted where the battery went. He ran his finger over the painting only to find... it was no painting.

The crash of broken glass went unnoticed in the empty apartment. The neigbours figured somebody had accidentally dropped a glass or something.

Shade gasped and coughed, blinking hard. What on earth? He couldn't move his hands or feet and there were wires sticking into him. Wires held his arms up above his head and wires came out of his chest, abdomen, head - there were wires all over him.

Then came a thunderous sound.

Tick.
Tock.

Scattered glass regrouped like clear jelly and reformed over the clock face.

Shade felt energy being drained from him. A small but constant stream. What on earth? Was this a nightmare? He couldn't even pinch himself. Through the curved glass, he could just make out a crack of light and through that crack he could see giant sized furniture. What the-?

Hours later, Rayne stormed into his flat, her face a black cloud of anger. Opening her mouth to let loose a torrent, she spotted the clock on the floor and the neat pile of paper on the table that declared Shade had finished his report. Where was Shade? Why was the clock on the floor by his desk? Leaving presents she had given him was very unlike him.

Picking up the clock, she returned it to the wall where it's comforting, 'tick, tock' could be heard clearly. Nearby, a battery rolled and she stooped down to examine the red spots that dotted the carpet. It looked like blood.

On impulse, she took down the clock and turned it over to look at the battery compartment and was surprised to find it empty. Black and empty, just as she had found it when she'd bought it. Strange.

Tick.
Tock.

Maybe the clock had an internal battery and Rayne shrugged. She'd have to remember to replace the battery before the clock's internal one ran out. Where was Shade?