The Cure
By Angel Pallet
Chapter 1
The Man with No Name
A young man filling his basket with herbs heard a strange sound just over a hill. He dropped his basket as he witnessed a police box materialize. The shock caused him to slip in his footing. As the young man rolled down a sandy and rocky slope, he landed on the bottom of it. From the impact, he hit his head against a rock.
Rory was the first to come out of the Tardis followed by Amy. Being a nurse, Rory spotted the wounded young man immediately.
"Doctor, come quick."
Rory checked the young man's pulse. Then he looked for any obvious fractures. The young man woke up with a groan.
He was delighted to see a young lady with red hair, dressed in faded jeans and a blue plaid shirt with a black vest over it. Rory was dressed in blue jeans, shirt with magenta and black stripes overlaid with a jean jacket.
The young man spoke in a language Rory did not recognize.
What the young man said was, "You are strangely dressed, especially him."
He was pointing toward the Doctor dressed in his regular brown jacket, white shirt, and burgundy tie.
Although Rory could not understand the injured man's words, the Doctor could.
"To translate, he said that my tie is in impeccable taste."
The Doctor straightened his tie in pride.
Amy jabbed him with her elbow.
"He did not say that."
The Doctor bent down to speak to their new patient in his native language.
"Are you able to move?"
The young man wearing nothing more than a chiton. which is a fabric of wool, moved his arms and legs slowly.
The Doctor helped the young man to his feet.
"Are you able to walk to your village?"
The young man dusted himself off but still felt dazed.
"Yes," he answered.
"But, where am I supposed to go? Do you know where I am from? For that matter, what is my name? Do I know you?"
In English the Doctor mumbled, "Oh, dear me."
Amy asked, "What is wrong with him, Doctor?"
The Doctor placed his arms on his new patient's shoulders for reassurance.
"You have some amnesia. Your memory should come back within hours…or days, it depends."
Amy crossed her arms.
"We can't just leave him here this way."
Rory added, "Where are we Doctor?"
Looking at his surroundings the Doctor answered, "I would say between 400 and 500 BC in Greece, in Earth's history."
The Doctor clapped his hands momentarily in trying to be optimistic.
In Greek the Doctor said, "Right, it seems the Tardis brought us here until you regain your memory."
Rory caught the young man from below the arms because the young man fainted.
"He could have a concussion."
Amy helped Rory take the young man to the Tardis. Then Rory took him to a room where the young man would sleep. Rory also bandaged the head wound.
"Great, we just kidnapped someone from Greece, from 500 BC!"
Amy disagreed, "No, Rory, we're just borrowing him."
Chapter 2
Heraclides
The Tardis took the Doctor, Amy, Rory and their new guest to an uncharted galaxy that even the Doctor was not familiar with. When they landed, he was a bit hesitant. Usually he would anticipate every challenge. If the Tardis, however, felt that this planet needed a doctor and what's his name, then so be it.
Their new guest in his sleeveless chiton woke up.
In Greek he said, "You have a rather unique house. Who is your architect?"
The Doctor checked his panel to check out the planet's environment and if it was breathable. The atmosphere was similar to earth's.
Amy asked the Doctor, "What do we do with this guy?"
"Well, we take him with us. The Tardis felt we should and we will discover why."
The young man examined all the levers. He became too curious.
The Doctor warned, "Ah, don't touch that button unless you want a launch that will turn your stomach inside out."
"A launch?" asked the young man.
Amy leaned against the console to speak to the Doctor.
"You know, he reminds me of Walter who was in my Chemistry class."
Rory gave the young man a pat on the back.
"Yeah, he was the smartest kid in class. Shall we call you Walter?"
The Doctor gave the interpretation.
The young man frowned.
Pointing toward himself he said, "Heraclides."
The Doctor asked him if he remembered his name.
"I am not sure," the young man replied, "It's just a name I like."
In English the Doctor said, "He prefers the name Heraclides so that is what we will call him."
Amy said, "How do you say that?"
Rory replied to his wife, "Just practice saying Heraclides, and you'll get the hang of it."
The Doctor felt inside his coat jacket to make sure he had his sonicscrew driver.
Amy pointed toward herself to introduce herself to Heraclides.
"My name is Amy and this is my husband Rory."
The Doctor interpreted for Amy. Heraclides seemed disappointed that Amy was married but tried not to make it too obvious.
"I am glad to meet you Amy and Rory."
Facing the Doctor, Heraclides asked, "And what is your name?"
He shook hands with Heraclides as the poor young man did not understand the gesture.
"I'm the Doctor."
The ground shook beneath them. The Doctor went to his console immediately.
"Hold on! We seem to be experiencing an earthquake!"
Chapter 3
Selymbria
Amy had not experienced an earthquake in a long time. Heraclides on the other hand must have had some experience with them for he hid under the console covering his head. Amy held onto Rory while Rory tried to stand with sure footing to no avail since he came tumbling to the floor with Amy tumbling with him. The Doctor held onto the rails.
Finally the tremors ceased.
The Doctor assured Heraclides that the earthquake had passed. Since this was not earth what else would the quake be called? He was soon to find out.
"It's time to find out where we are."
He helped his friends up from the floor then motioned them to follow him to the outside. Even Heraclides would be strangely dressed to these locals.
The Doctor explained, "To be exact I estimate we are the year 3050 in Earth time."
The women had hair length that reached the ground or decorated straight up like an ice cream cone swirl. Other women had hair sculptures quite tall. The locals had heads but it was attached to bodies of dim light as if they were spirits. Their clothing was made of different colored lights as if it was a Christmas display only on their bodies. Patterns for the women were of every geometric shape imaginable. For the men, their fabric was plain with mostly blue, brown or green lighting.
When the women would walk by Amy, they showed great respect and bowed to her as if their Queen had just arrived. The men would kneel until Amy walked past them. Amy felt flattered, but did not understand why she was treated so special.
The atmosphere though breathable seemed cold from the waist up and hot from the waist down. To the newcomers this was an unusual sensation. The Doctor observed the magnificent architecture in this civilization with skyscrapers reaching outer space itself. Public fountains were every kilometer, magnificently large with kinetic sculpture that moved with the wind displaying different shapes each minute as the wind blew. The only forms of transportation were aircraft and trains. That is why the air was so crisp and clear. There was close to zero pollution. In this instance the sky appeared light green, thus the water was light green. The grass was what was blue as well as trees.
This would seem like paradise. Musicians played chimes and lyres at restaurants. Such species drank hot fluids or frigid drinks that appeared to have nitrogen liquid fog come out of the glass. Food was especially different than that of earth. They needed chemicals more than solid food.
A woman with more human qualities dressed in rags begged at a street corner. Unfortunately, poverty had not been eliminated. Furthermore, why didn't this woman look like everyone else? It appeared that those who passed by merely mocked her. She was skin and bones as if she were starving and no one cared. Another frightening aspect was that the woman was completely bald. The Doctor surmised that a woman's hair was a measure of prestige in this society. For all intents and purposes, this woman was the lowest rank in society.
The Doctor kept crackers in his coat pocket and gave her some. She ate it up as if this was the biggest treat of her life. She drank from the water that came out of a gutter. Rory felt so bad for her that he gave her his jacket. Kindness from strangers is unheard of for women like her.
Heraclides kneeled down to observe her condition.
"This woman has a disease, her pupils appear dilated and she has dry flaking skin. She needs a doctor, right away."
Rory asked what Heraclides said of which the Doctor gladly interpreted.
Then the Doctor knealt down to speak to the woman soothingly.
"We would like to help."
She grimaced some words in her own language.
Heraclides said to the Doctor, "She has also had some brain injuries, because her speech is impaired or slurred."
A man confronted the Doctor as if to say "Stay out of our business, stranger."
The Doctor recognized some of the dialect. On a hunch he tried to communicate with the man.
"She needs a doctor, what is wrong with her? We would like to help."
The man said, "I am the girl's father and there is nothing you can do. My daughter is cursed of the gods."
He helped his limp daughter to walk handing her some crutches.
With warning he said, "It would be best if you left us alone for your own sakes. Don't get involved, for your own safety, just don't."
After that they walked away. The Doctor and his companions followed them from a distance.
Like Greece, the windows had no glass in them so the breeze could come through. The man did not seem rich like the others on the planet. The further they walked, the more the setting changed. It's not that it was bad, simply not as elaborate as the city.
Heraclides said in between breaths, "Doctor, I'm beginning to remember something. This village reminds me of back home."
The Doctor agreed.
"Yes, it has some similarities to a Greek village. Interesting."
The man led his daughter inside the house. Then he went outside walking straight toward the Doctor.
"I already know you are there."
Irritated and reluctant, he invited his guests to sit at a table with some unrecognizable fruit. What looked like grapes were red. What looked like blueberries were more the color of orange.
The girl collapsed on a cot on the floor. She looked middle aged or older but she could not have been older than 17. Amy sat with her placing her head in her lap. It was like she was singing a lullaby to a girl who was dying.
The Doctor sat at the table analyzing the fruit and all surroundings.
"When everyone else is rich, why are you treated like this?"
The man started eating the orange berries.
"My daughter was once beautiful like her mother. Her hair was fair and glowing, longer than anyone else's in the city."
Heraclides simply took a taste of the fruit. To his surprise it tasted similar to a strawberry and a banana mixed together. It was actually quite pleasing to the pallet. The other fruit had a similar taste of grapes. There seemed to be enough food in the house, so why is this poor girl starving?
The girl reached for Amy's hair in admiration and the feeling of loss. She stroked it.
The girl said some words.
The Doctor replied, "She is saying your hair is beautiful. You are so lucky."
Her father agreed.
"In the city, the color red is the highest honor among women."
He stifled some tears.
"But, to lose your hair is to be lower than a tilginemy."
The Doctor gave an interpretation, "To lose your hair is to be lower than a snake in human terms."
Rory used his handkerchief to soak some cool water. Touching the girl's forehead she was running a fever. He placed the handkerchief on her forehead.
The Doctor asked, "How did your daughter get like this?"
The man nervous of anyone eavesdropping said in a hushed tone, "I was once one of the top chief physicians in Selymbria. Things changed once I discovered a terrible secret among our highest officials. There was a cure for the Solian flu but the cure was kept away from anyone contacting the disease."
The Doctor leaned forward.
"Why would such a thing be done if it could help so many of your people?"
The man pounded his fist on the table in anger.
"Our highest ranked official of physicians said that if we had a war with the Solians, we could cure the majority of the masses, and our race could survive. The cure is kept away from the people for now to make the most money off of the diseased. That is how the rich are kept from higher taxes, simply afflict the masses for profit."
The Doctor interpreted what the man said to Heraclides. The young man became indignant.
"That is not the conduct of a doctor! A doctor should take an oath to never harm others!"
A memory came to Heraclides. He waved his hands excitedly.
"My father was a doctor! And his father before him! Doctor! I am studying to be a doctor!"
The Doctor encouraged him while everyone else wondered what the commotion was about.
The Doctor explained to Amy and Rory, "Heraclides is starting to remember who he is. He is studying to be a doctor."
Rory realized, "I thought he sounded like one because he examined her symptoms. I know she has a name."
Amy pointed to herself and said, "Amy."
The girl pointed toward herself weakly and whispered, "Linella."
Linella's father offered his name, "I am Doctor Rochan, or at least I used to be."
The Doctor leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs then folded his hands across his slim waist. His thumbs seemed to touch each other in rhythm.
"What happened, Doctor Rochan, to cause you to lose your right to be a practicing physician?"
The man reached over to get what appeared to be a liquored beverage to drown his sorrows. He filled his glass that did not seem washed in days.
After a gulp he finished his story.
"I threatened to go public with the truth. My people deserved to know the truth. I discovered too, that the deadly virus was placed in random food products. The farmers were unaware of this. If one or two farmers found out, someone like a mob took their life making it look like the farmer committed suicide. I took the cure in case I would be a target. I think I caught the sickness through the air ducts in my office. I caught the flu, was reduced to this form losing my higher form, and barely had enough of the cure to save myself."
Doctor Rochan took another drink.
In a bitter tone he said, "Then those savages inoculated my wife with the sickness and she became sick. I could not get back into my office or into the clinic. My card was cancelled and my privileges stripped in one day. My wife died in one week. Days after my wife's death, my only child…my beloved beautiful daughter became sick. My own people cursed her calling her a traitor to the enemy and that is why the gods struck her."
The Doctor repeated these words to Amy and Rory, then in Greek to Heraclides. The room became silent.
Scooting the chair behind him, the Doctor stood up.
"Doctor Rochan, you are coming with me."
The man shook his head in a drunken stupor.
"No no no. You don't understand. You can't get inside the clinic where the cure is kept. It can't be done."
Rory recognized that mischievous grin on the Doctor's face. When anyone tells the Doctor he cannot do something that never deters him.
Amy and Rory stayed behind to tend to Linella. The Doctor led Doctor Rochan and Heraclides back to the Tardis. When Doctor Rochan entered the Tardis he was amazed. His society was aware of other planets with various life forms but he had never encountered a time machine. Explaining the circumstances to the Tardis, she understandably landed the Tardis inside the clinic. The Doctor, with the help of Doctor Rochan, took all the vials of the cure as they can get their hands on.
Some security guards spotted the thieves. Heraclides scooped up as many vials as he could as well. The guards had no need for any weaponry for their hands emitted the electricity destroying their opponents with precision. One security guard aimed at the Doctor.
Chapter 4
Linella's Cure
The Doctor fast on his feet dodged their target. Doctor Rochan wasn't far behind him with a bowl full of vials. He bent behind counters, knocking out every security camera with a push of a button on what looked like a remote control. Heraclides dodged what felt like a bolt of lightning to him. This is one adventure he would never forget though he had forgotten so much.
The threesome entered the Tardis before the security guards could cause any damage. The Tardis landed behind Doctor Rochan's house. First things first, get the cure to Linella.
Doctor Rochan said, "Here my dear, I'm going to give you an injection."
After administering a shot to his daughter he added, "We may need to escape in your Tardis again Doctor because the soldiers will be coming to my house in a few minutes."
Rory and Heraclides carried Linella to the Tardis. The injection gave her strength by the minute. Doctor Roche and the Doctor soon joined them closing the door fast behind them. Just as the search lights surrounded the home, the Tardis disappeared.
Linella's skin became normal. Her breathing became more natural without wheezing. Doctor Rochan embraced his daughter with joy.
"Your hair will grow back my daughter."
These are the moments when the Doctor has great satisfaction of a happy ending.
After the hugs, Linella bowed before Amy. Amy blushed slightly.
"Please, I'm just Amy I'm not all that."
The Doctor pulled a few levers.
"To Linella you are. You showed her kindness when many of her countrymen and women scorned her."
The Doctor said, "So, Doctor Rochan, what do you plan to do now?"
Doctor Rochan placed his arm around his daughter.
"I will give you the coordinates to a neighboring planet I plan to defect to."
He added, "As for me, I plan to examine these vials to make more of them. After that I will start an underground movement to give cures to the masses on my planet. The fear of a worldwide war stops with me."
The Doctor was delighted to hear that. He gave Doctor Rochan a big pat on the back.
"I like that plan. In fact I have a feeling you will go down in history on your planet."
Doctor Rochan and Linella arrived at the closest planet in a remote jungle received well by the villagers. Many of them again admired Amy.
"What! Again?"
Rory enjoyed her attention despite her.
Chapter 5
The Oath
The time came when Heraclides had to go back to Greece. By then he did get his memory back.
"Doctor, thank you for all the enlightenment. To shape the minds of doctors, I shall devise an oath."
The Doctor gave his laugh realizing who it really was he took on their trip to Selymbria.
Heraclides said, "I give my oath to prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone."
The Doctor interpreted his speech in English.
Rory hit his head with his hand.
"Of course, you're Hippocrates! You come up with the Hippocratic Oath!"
The Doctor smiled, and said, "That he is. The name Heraclides is the name of his father. So during amnesia that was the name familiar to him."
Amy slugged Hippocrates on the shoulder, playfully.
"Way to go Hippocrates."
Hippocrates said to the Doctor, "The universe is a big place. I would have never believed it."
Hippocrates went back to his village called Cos, with a different perspective than before he met the Doctor.