Jonas felt more and more certain that the destination lay ahead of him, very near now in the night that was approaching. None of his senses confirmed it. He saw nothing ahead except the endless ribbon of road unfolding in twisting narrow curves. -Lois Lowry, The Giver

Chp. 23

"Capture"

Wearily, Jonas hugged Gabe to his chest, in order to conserve warmth. Across vast distances of space and time, Jonas figured this journey was uncommon. No, he decided. Just the community. Jonas recalled the phrase the Giver had so frequently used to describe the time before sameness. Back and back, and back. Jonas thought of the community, ruefully deciding that he would rather die here than live bound to meaningless society.

Gabe weakly stuck out an impeding finger at the sky. "Plane." Came the childish baby voice. Jonas was abruptly alert. He attempted to conceal the shivering newchild behind a particularly branching tree in a small niche. As a million crystals, Jonas experienced a sensation that was unknown to him. He seemed to be hovering in an section of atoms which were anti gravity. The atoms formed molecules which transformed to a semi translucent covering. Jonas' senses began to fade, he was drifting away, free of the burden of memories.

Something disturbed him. Jonas sat up, and found himself in a room whose color Jonas recognised as black. It was black to the extent of being off putting. A startling memory occurred to him. Gabe! He had left the newchild beneath the rocks in the wilderness. Jonas sank to the ground, his knees buckling, weak with exhaustion. The most obvious question which everyone asks, however probably most important, How did I get here? This question had been asked for centuries, and you can interpret your situation almost entirely from this simple question. Questions like this thundered his brain. Was he in the community? Was the Giver here? What happened?

"Ex-receiver of Memory?" Came a noise through a speaker. Jonas' worst thoughts were confirmed. Jonas waited. "Please respond." Came the usually falsely cheery voice. "Wumf?" Jonas murmured a sound barely audible, but clearly audible enough, for the Speaker returned. "You shall be executed, roughly around 3:00. I shall be here for your convenience. Jonas was beyond caring. Why they had taken time and energy to search for Jonas who would most likely perish Elsewhere just to execute him afterwards was beyond his capacity to understand.

"Why?" Jonas asked. As if recited countless times before, the Speaker began.

"After the devastating apocalyptic nuclear war that had spread upon the battlefield of Earth, like a poisonous cloud, civilization was gone. All that remained were the rampant remnants of bombshells, and those of the strong cities of New York and London, that once stood valiantly, as pillars of glass, which diminished into clouds of swirling dust. The remaining people joined forces and created a communal, perfect society, one to be admired for centuries afterwards. The terrible nuisances of recollection-" Memories thought Jonas. Were abolished in order to emerge from gross anarchy."

"You, Ex receiver-" This was aimed at him. "have violated and jeopardized our second chance in perfect society, and therefore should be viewed as a potential threat to our community."

Jonas gave no acknowledgment to this piece of intelligence. "Gabriel. Did you abduct him too?" Jonas said sarcastically. The newchild is to be released tomorrow." Anything else, ex-receiver?" Came the voice. "Where is the Giver?" Jonas asked imploringly. "The former receiver wishes to see you, however that is not permitted at this time." The voice had almost concealed a hint of annoyance. "What time am I permitted?" Jonas asked. If at all? He thought to himself grudgingly. "I apologize to the Ex-receiver for causing confusion, and arising false hope. It is not permitted at any time." Came the voice. Jonas refrained from speaking. So far, that had only caused him discontent.

Chp. 24

"The Daleks"

"Where is Jonas?" Lily asked in shocked awe that night at Jonas' domain. "Lily. Reprimanded her mother, who shot a worried defeating glance at Jonas' father. "You know the rules. We are not permitted by the committee to discuss this." Lily fervently maintained her silence. "Jonas." She said in a mournful, almost whimpering voice. She placed her palm longingly on the smooth pane preventing her from running for her brother.

Jonas slept silently on the sleek blackness that was the accursed room's floor. Giver. He whispered in a voice that was barely audible. Gabriel. He thought sadly of the newchild whom he had so desperately attempted to save. If anything, he must prevent Gabe's release. He wondered what his family unit would do without him. Probably go about their daily procedures,

Jonas thought bitterly. He fell into the darkness that embraced him willingly to sleep.

Stumbling, Jonas winced as he tried to strain his back, for the blackness of the floor had been uncomfortable.

"Ex receiver!" Came a strange, almost electronic sounding voice, as if it were being amplified from a low technology speaker. Jonas shuddered. He decided to remain silent. "Ex receiver!" The voice repeated. Jonas curled himself on the floor, chills running down his spine. Between his fingers he made out a strange creature. Was it a creature? Or a machine? Trembling, he took his hands of of his face. It had a strange cone shape, the wide end completely covered in semi-spheres. directly above, the shiny crevices gleamed, extending a plunger-like device, adjacent to a menacing whisk like utensil. In contrast to the shiny crevices below, the rusty cap projected a telescope, which the creature maneuvered in all directions. Jonas was expecting anything but this. "Ex receiver?" Emitted the voice menacingly. Jonas shrank back against the inky blackness of the wall. "Respond! Or you shall be exterminated!" Came the voice, this time with expressed annoyance. The creature directed its telescope at Jonas. All that escaped Jonas was, "Wumf?" I am not familiar with this type of speech." The voice emitted. "You are a threat to the Daleks! You shall be soon exterminated!" The emitted voice screamed.

Jonas was now deeply confused. His mind rushed to formulate questions. Who are the Daleks? How did the community connect with the Daleks? Anyways, he was a threat to the community, not the Daleks. How many more secrets and lies did the community possess? Am I being told the truth, or being lied to, as I had my entire life? Jonas crushed under the weight and seeming impossibility of his task. The deadly silence that the creature stood was excruciating. "Your extermination begins at three o'clock community time!" The creature emitted, and swiveled swiftly out the panel. Jonas sank back into the inky blackness of the floor and sat stunned. Briefly, his mind slipped to the Giver. Help, please. He thought hopelessly.

As if in answer, the panel dissolved simultaneously. Jonas stood expectantly. A strange man walked in good naturedly. "Hello! You must be Jonas! Now keep your voice down! Unless you wish to be caught! Well, to be frank daleks have considerably better hearing than your ears." The man said enthusiastically. There was something alien about this man. Jomas decided. The beautiful ancient looking eyes possessed an entire millenium of memories…..

Chp. 25

"The Doctor"

"By the way, I'm the Doctor." the strange man said, standing uncomfortably among the midst of the ominous black room. "You called?" He walked straight to the floor lay down on his stomach, and drew out a strange device that Jonas had never seen before. The man called the Doctor pressed a button on the strange device, which made it emit a strange beeping noise. A wonderful one. Jonas decided. "I-I didn't call sir. Are you part of the community?" Jonas asked doubtfully. "Well I once… was." The said with sudden serenity. "Now you aren't?" Jonas said incredulously. The man drew from his pocket an odd looking, now what was that?

"Sir? What exactly is that?" Jonas asked him questioningly. The Doctor waved his hand with annoyance. "Please, don't bother with all that 'sir' nonsense. Call me the Doctor. And I shall explain in due time. Humans, always so impatient." The Doctor looked affectionately at Jonas. "Do you mean to imply sir, that you are not human? Jonas asked this jokingly. "Follow." The Doctor told him, without answer to his question.

Now Jonas was hesitant of following this man. However, alternatively he would be 'exterminated' by the strange machine looking things, so he decided he didn't have much choice in the matter. Jonas trudged behind the doctor wearily as the Doctor motioned for him to keep up. They snuck from corridor to corridor, and eventually into the old familiarity of the annex. Swiftly, the Doctor shut the door with his odd device.

The doctor again held out the odd object that Jonas couldn't identify. "What is that?" Jonas asked again. "Why its a watch." The doctor said with a note of surprise. "A special watch." "In what way? I urge you to tell me the truth." Jonas returned. "Watches were a way of sequentializing time. Seriously, time is more of a big bowl of wibbly-wobbly, timey wimey...stuff." Jonas stared at the Doctor, confused. These terms were unfamiliar to him. Wibbly-Wobbly? Timey Wimey? Who was this man, really? "Watches were often used, back, and back, and back… The doctor winked.

Chp. 26

"The Giver"

The Doctor looked at Jonas, as if hinting to him, imploringly. "Giver?" Jonas whispered breathlessly. "Yes. Well, sort of. Its complicated." The Doctor said. Jonas ranted. "But, thats impossible! In my science and technology classes before the ceremony of twelve the directors informed us-" "Nothing absolutely." The Doctor finished, and grinned at Jonas. Again, he held up the object that Jonas now knew to be a watch. "So you're really the Giver?" Jonas asked in a hushed voice. "Sometimes, but he is conserved somewhere within." The doctor said distractedly, tossing the small brass watch into the air, and catching it in his palm.

Now this was getting impossible. Jonas thought to himself. Ironically, this wasn't the strangest occurrence today. "Within? Who are you?" Jonas pressed. "The doctor was preserved in this watch that I am holding before you. For longer than expected." The doctor stared impassively at Jonas, who turned away. "Sixty years, the Giver lived." The Doctor said. "Do you mean, that you were him?" "Yes, and he is me." The Doctor put simply. "Well, there is one problem. If you were to use that logic, then how could that be? Your appearances are different. Jonas shot at the Giver. "I regenerated." The doctor said. Jonas laughed. This had to be the most obscure thing he had encountered or in this case heard today. He sobered up quickly, when he realized that the doctor was staring at him, unamused.

"You're Mad!" Jonas said forcefully. "Or a liar." He decided. "Actually, I'm a time lord." The doctor said matter of factly. "A time what?" Jonas asked incredulously. "Lord. Let me show you." The doctor said quietly. An ancient tired yearning look was held in the doctor's eye, however he appeared to be young. "Doctor, how old are you?" Jonas asked. "Wait." Came the Time- Lord's voice. He opened the watch.

Jonas experienced a sensation similar to the memory transference. Violent images flashed through his mind. The daleks. A rusty brilliant red sky. Screaming children. War. Carnage. Not quite like the battlefield that he experienced with the Giver. More terrible. An entire race was being wiped out, an act of genacide. His location was told to him through the memory. His senses informed him that this was the planet of the Time Lords, Gallifrey. The beautiful wise race emerging from the Matrix. The people of Gallifrey cowering in terror before the Daleks. Jonas learned the creature was pure hatred. The word planet was defined for him. He experienced the pure hatred and terror that the daleks seemed to be built of. The doctor was there. What was he doing? He was murdering them!

"Stop! Stop!" Jonas screamed, writhing on the floor uncontrollably. "You asked." The doctor said sullenly, and terribly, as if recalling the terrible incident. "I am sorry." Jonas said regaining control of himself. The doctor didn't acknowledge this. "Why are you here?" Persisted Jonas. "The daleks ran your community. They created it! Basically, they controlled you!" The doctor quickly snapped out of his mood. This processed in Jonas' brain. "All the things they did, was to prevent you and future generations from remotely being individualistic!" The doctor said quickly and with almost impenetrable sincerity.

"But the front buttons at six." Jonas tried feebly. The doctor stared at Jonas long and hard. It was difficult to interpret his analyzing gaze. "Was that of importance?" The doctor said. Jonas shook his head. "I am here to bring down the daleks, once and for all." The doctor informed him.

Chp. 27

"The Tardis and the Plan"

"How?" Jonas asked.

"Its usually improvising," the doctor said defensively. "First, Jonas you're brilliant, second, run!" Jonas was suddenly aware of the Daleks emerging through the back door of the annex.

"Doctor! Exterminate!" came the dreaded, mechanical voice.

Blindly, Jonas ran, following the doctor. Soon, they abruptly stopped at an odd blue box, a mile from the annex. Panting, Jonas held his side. A thought occurred to him. "Gabriel!" He shouted. The doctor looked at him quizzically. "The newchild I was attempting to save from release, Jonas explained. He is all meaning I have found left in life. The community will release him in thirty minutes." The doctor seemed to be calculating in his head. "We will save your friend," he said finally. "Well come on then, in!"

"Where?", Inquired Jonas.

The doctor raised his eyebrows and lifted the small silver handle nailed to the blue box.

"Here? But… it's barely large enough for one of us, let alone both!" Jonas pointed out incredulously. The doctor smiled mysteriously, and gestured Jonas in. Jonas uncertainly fumbled with the handle, and stepped inside. He stared in awe. It was larger on the inside! He also noticed a control panel that indicated that he was in some sort of plane.

"The Tardis!", the doctor proclaimed, and smiled at Jonas as if he was enjoying Jonas' look of wonder and confusion.

"How is that, how could it be larger on the inside?", Jonas demanded. Time Lord Technology," stated the doctor factually. "This is the Tardis. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. I can travel all over time and space, given that their is no transfer to alternate dimensions." Jonas was stunned to silence. The term alternate dimension held no meaning for him.

The doctor sat at what Jonas had presumed to be the controls, and the Tardis began to emit a whirring noise, a beautiful groaning noise, as if stars were being ground into nebula. "I love that noise," commented the doctor. Jonas silently agreed. "Are we moving?" Asked Jonas tentatively. "Yes, where do you suggest?",the doctor inquired. Jonas thought for a moment. He recalled the release of the twin that he had viewed. The serum that they injected, maybe they could somehow transmit the serum to the daleks over one device!

"Doctor! the serum they inject in release! What if we could transmit the serum to the daleks?" Jonas said.

"Jonas, you beauty! Thas brilliant!" The doctor exclaimed. The doctor ran to various compartments, scrambling around for parts it seemed. Jonas watched with interest as the doctor attached wires, and applied microchips and some unrecognisable objects.

"Now this, this is a beauty!", announced the doctor again. The finished device, as Jonas recognised it, was unrecognisable.

"What does it do?", asked Jonas excitedly.

"It transmits serum to each strand of DNA in a dalek!", pronounced the doctor. He returned to the controls, and the whirring noise was emitted again. "Right. To the Daleks!", Announced the doctor, and with that, he raced out of the blue rusting doors.

Chp. 28

"Death and Rebirth"

Jonas and the doctor raced along the once colorless paths of the community to the back door of the annex, allowing his feet to drag slightly. They were attracting very confused glances from the onlooking community members.

"Wait, doctor!" Jonas shouted. Why not just abolish the daleks now?"

"I need to give them one last chance." The doctor said both quietly and grudgingly. A deadly silence was swept upon them as they entered the annex. They entered the back door. "Daleks!" the doctor addressed them with hatred.

"Doctor! The sworn enemy of the Daleks! Exterminate!" Came the screeching mechanical voice.

"Hah. exterminate. There is an unanswerable question. Why is the Dalek's only motive to kill and destroy? I will tell you why! Each strand of damaged cloned DNA from the daleks attempts to destroy every living thing. The are not human. That is the answer. They are not evolved, and they are not human. The doctor said with a sort of hatred glee. Now this project, this community shall be your downfall, unless you choose to accept defeat."

"The Doctor shall not beat us! We will win the war!", came that mechanical voice, indifferent to the Doctor's accusation. The doctor looked sadly at the daleks. Another race that he must kill. He couldn't. Shaking, he transmitted the serum through the device. The Doctor looked away.

"Goodbye daleks!" The doctor shouted, victorious tears running down his face. An ancient beauty, sadness was visible as the doctor set down the device, and simply walked out of the dull grey room of the annex. Jonas sat, thinking of his community, and the birth of a new. No more sameness. He pictured his sister Lily prancing about, basking in the color, love, and beauty that the entire community shall be embraced in.

He thought of Gabe, the newchild he failed to save, and realized that was definite. Somehow he had known long ago when his was conspiring with the Giver that Gabriel would be the sacrifice in order to save the community. He whispered Gabe's name, and let it etch into his heart, slowly filling it with Gabriel, preserved forever inside of him.