Hey everyone. This is a series of stories about how the Doctor looks after his companions. This one features the Third Doctor and Mike Yates.
If you've never seen the Third Doctor's era, two things: 1.) You're missing out. Try watching some! 2.) Mike Yates is a Captain who works at UNIT with the Doctor.
This is set between "The Green Death" and "Time Warrior" In the Green Death Mike is hypnotised to kill the Doctor and the Brigadier, but the Doctor snaps him out of it before he can. This is my take on what happened afterwards.
I don't know if Mike can actually be considered a companion, but I like him so here's the story. I hope you enjoy it.
"Oh not again!" The Doctor shouted as flames began to consume the whole of his work bench. Why did this always happen? No matter how careful he was, there always seemed to be fire. Quickly he grabbed a cloth and soaked it with water, then placed it over the flames. That should put it out he thought smugly, but it didn't. The flames burst straight through the cloth, burning it to a crisp. "This isn't good." The doctor whispered to himself, he needed to put this out quickly.
"Jo, go and get and get a fire extinguisher!" He yelled, then suddenly he remembered, Jo wasn't here anymore. She'd chosen to stay in Wales with Professor Jones. Her fiancée. He still couldn't believe that little Jo Grant was getting married. Would she return to UNIT? Would the marriage last? So many questions... But now wasn't the time to think about that, he had to get this fire put out! Pulling the lab doors open he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I need a fire extinguisher! NOW!" He was certain someone would hear him, and he was right. A few seconds later he heard footsteps quickly making their way to the lab. The doors burst open and a man in uniform came running in. Raising the fire extinguisher they quickly put out the flames, revealing the charred wood of the bench below.
"Thank you," The Doctor said, as he brushed the ash off of his olive green smoking jacket, "for a moment I thought the whole building would go up in flames." As he finally looked up, he found he recognised the man in front of him: The immaculate UNIT uniform, the sandy well groomed hair and the baby blue eyes, it was Captain Mike Yates. "Hello Mike," He said , giving him a friendly smile, "it's been a while since I've seen you."
Keeping a stony face Mike looked at the Doctor, "Sir." He whispered bowing his head politely. That's odd, the Doctor thought to himself. Normally Mike was a happy, talkative person, but now he seemed so miserable. "Are you alright Mike?" He asked, concerned about his young friends well being. "Yes sir," Mike replied in an emotionless monotone voice, but the Doctor wasn't going to let the matter go, "It's just, I haven't heard one sarcastic comment yet. That's not like you." Mike simply shrugged at this, and excused himself, leaving the Doctor to think it through.
There was definitely something wrong with him. He was a friend, and the Doctor could always tell when one of his friends was in trouble. Thinking about it, Mike had looked very pale and he was sure he had seen dark bags under the young man's eyes. What could have done this to him? Then it hit him, that business in Llanfairfach a couple of weeks ago. The poor boy had been completely brainwashed, he was totally prepared to kill him and the Brigadier. Mike probably would have, if he hadn't had the blue crystal from Metebelis 3 on hand to snap him out of it. That had to be what was bothering him. The Doctor seemed to remember Mike was quite upset about it at the time, but like the good soldier he was, he'd carried on regardless, and now it was catching up with him. The way Mike was now, he'd never talk about it, but his silence about what was going on in his head could seriously affect both his physical and mental health. Right, he'd made up his mind, he had to talk to the Brigadier about this right away.
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The Doctor never bothered knocking when he entered the Brigadier's office, and he wasn't planning on starting today. Pushing the door open, he allowed it to thump closed behind him. The Brigadier was sitting behind his desk with the phone in one hand and a pen in the other. "Brigadier I need..." The Doctor started, but the Brigadier silenced him with a wave of his hand, he couldn't just be fobbed off like that, "Brigadier! Listen..." He started again, but again the Brigadier raised his hand and silenced him, then spoke into the receiver. "I'm very sorry Prime Minister, something has just come up," Then there was silence while the person on the other end spoke, "No sir, the scientific adviser." Again there was a pause, "Thank you for understanding sir. I'll get back to you when I can. Goodbye." With that he hung up and turned all his attention to the Doctor, "This had better be important."
"Oh it is," The Doctor assured him, sitting in a chair on his side of the desk, "unless of course, you no longer care about the well being of your men." This seemed to anger the Brigadier, "Of course I care about them!" He said with a passion. "What's happened Doctor?" The look on the Brigadiers face told him that he would take all he said very seriously, "Well, I've just seen Mike Yates..." He tried to explain, but the Brigadier cut in, "Yates again," He said with a sad expression, "Doctor you're the 10th person since that business with the maggots to talk to me about him." There was silence in the office as the Doctor took in this information, it wasn't just him then, others had noticed it as well, "So you know there is something wrong with him?" The Doctor asked cautiously, "Yes I know," The Brigadier replied, " I've been told he's not talking to anybody, not eating, and that people have heard him crying out at night from his quarters. I've asked Benton to have a word , but he got nothing from him."
"Have you any idea what might be wrong?" The Doctor asked, he had his own suspicions, but he wanted to know what the other man thought, "I think he misses Miss Grant." The Brigadier told him, "They were very good friends, maybe he wanted them to be more than just friends. Now she's getting married to Professor Jones, he doesn't have the chance. Doctor I fail to see what is so funny!" While the Brigadier had been speaking, he'd burst into a fit of laughter that he simply couldn't control. "Oh Brigadier," He spluttered through his laughs, "you really are a sentimentalist. Love that can never be! It sounds like a bad melodrama." The Brigadier blushed at this comment, hearing his theory back like that, it did seem quite ridiculous, however he wouldn't show the Doctor how embarrassed he was, "Have you any idea what's wrong with him?" He asked, trying not to sound too annoyed, "Well," The other man replied, returning to his usual serious tone, "though you're idea is quite charming, I think it may be a bit more serious. You remember of course that he was brainwashed by that monstrous computer." By the look on the Brigadier's face he could tell he hadn't, "Well, he nearly killed the pair of us. His superior and his friend, that's bound to have affected him. I think that he can't quite come to terms with what happened to him, and what he nearly did. For all we know, that computer may still have some hold over him."
"Hang on Doctor," The Brigadier said, stopping his train of thought, "We destroyed that blasted thing when we blew up Global Chemicals. How could it still have a hold over him?" The Doctor could only sigh at this, honestly human's could be so dim sometimes, "Just because something is destroyed doesn't mean it's completely gone," He explained simply, "When somebody dies, the memories of them still exist in your mind." The Brigadier nodded, though it was clear to the Doctor that he didn't understand, "Anyway," he went on, "I think the best thing for Mike at the moment would be for him to get it all out of his system. To talk it through. That should help him come to terms with everything that's happened to him." Once again the Brigadier interrupted, "Doctor you said yourself, Yates will hardly say a word to anyone, you'd be better off talking to a brick wall. How are you planning on getting him to talk about all of this?" The Doctor gave a sly smile that made the Brigadier feel a little nervous, "I have a plan Brigadier, don't worry. If you would be so kind as to go over the intercom, and ask Mike to go to my lab, I will be more than happy to tell you about it. After all, I'll need your help." Quickly, the Brigadier lifted the microphone from the corner of his desk and thumbed the "Power" button, "Captain Yates to the Doctor's laboratory." He said clearly into the device in his hand, " I repeat Captain Yates to the Doctor's laboratory. That is all." He then thumped the button again, turning the microphone off. "There Doctor. Now tell me this plan of yours." The Doctor obliged, and quickly began to explain what he was going to do, and how the Brigadier could help.
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10 minutes later, the two men returned to the lab, knowing exactly what they were going to do about Mike. The man himself was already there, though it was clear from the look on his face, he didn't want to be. Seeing the Brigadier enter after the Doctor, he automatically jumped to attention. This annoyed the Doctor, the military acted more like robots than men, it was ridiculous! No matter, he'd let it be, he had to keep Mike relaxed in order for his plan to work. The Brigadier however seemed to have forgotten, "At ease!" He shouted, louder than was really necessary. Mike immediately tilted is head down to look at the floor, not wanting to meet their eyes, every muscle in his body still tense. The Doctor could easily see how uncomfortable he was in their presence, but he decided to ignore it, "Mike," He said happily, "good of you to come so quickly. Now down to business." He and the Brigadier sat down, leaving Mike standing. The Doctor knew there was only two chairs in the lab, but he decided to play dumb, he didn't want Mike to figure out what was going on, "Oh Mike," He said standing up, "Just a moment, I'll find you a seat." He hurried off and quickly returned, pushing a gurney in front of him, covered with a pillow and blanket. The Brigadier gave him a curious look, "Jo used to sleep in it when we were working late." He explained, moving it over near his and the Brigadier's seat, "There you are Mike." He sat down again, and indicated the younger man should do the same. Mike perched himself on the end of the make-shift bed, still keeping silent and still staring down at the ground.
"Tea?" The Doctor asked innocently, his eyes never leaving Mike's form, "Yes please Doctor." The Brigadier said a little too quickly, the Doctor had told him to say yes, but from the way the older man was looking at him, he assumed he'd said something wrong, "No thank you." Mike mumbled, still not looking up. "Oh nonsense!" The Doctor said cheerfully, jumping to his feet and making his way to the tea pot in the corner, "You have not lived until you have tried tea from the 6th moon of Krontos!" 5 minutes passed in silence as the Doctor made the tea. Once or twice the Brigadier tried to start a conversation with Yates, but his answers would be quiet and short, and the conversation ended almost as soon as it had begun. Soon the Doctor handed Mike a teacup, then gave one to the Brigadier before resuming his own seat with his own cup. The tea was a light pink colour and very sweet, some would even say over powering, but it was good at covering up other tastes. That was the reason the Doctor had chosen it. He quickly drained his cup and put it on the work surface, he then returned his gaze to Mike. The young man had also finished his tea, and was holding the cup in his hand, though he was acting decidedly odd.
Mike was blinking rapidly, and shaking his head as if to clear it. That's good the Doctor thought to himself, it meant the pill he'd slipped him was taking effect. The pill wasn't strong enough to make him fall asleep, just strong enough to make him drowsy, relaxed and a little more suggestible. "Right Mike," the Doctor said calmly, "there is something I want to show you." He pulled something from his pocket and held it in the air. It was a crystal pendant. He held it by the chain, at eye level. "Now Mike," he continued in the same gentle voice, " I want you to watch this. Watch it carefully Mike." He began to swing the pendant slowly, backwards and forwards. Mike's eyes followed the gentle movement of the object, and soon they slowly glazed over as the constant movement began to mesmerize him. While this was happening, the Brigadier had slowly made his way over to the Captain. He gently took the teacup from the man's hand, but he didn't seem to notice. All his attention was focused on the Doctor as he continued to swing the pendant, and whisper soothingly to him.
After about 10 minutes the Doctor seemed happy about the young man's condition, "Mike," he whispered gently, "sleep now. Let you eyes close and sleep. Sleep Mike. Sleep." At the last word Mike's eyes fell shut, and he drifted off into a deep slumber, his head falling forward. The Doctor quickly pushed the pendant back into his pocket, then looked past Mike at the Brigadier who was standing behind him. He nodded at him, and the Brigadier reached forward and placed his hands on Mike's shoulders. He slowly pulled his body back so he was laying down on the bed, his head resting on the pillow. The Doctor moved over and stood beside the bed, he and the Brigadier stood on either side of the young man, looking down at his sleeping form "Mike," The Doctor said calmly, "Can you still hear me?" Looking down at the man, the Doctor could tell he was right about his health, Mike's face was so pale, he looked positively ill. "Yes." He replied softly, his voice heavy and thick. "Right Mike," The Doctor continued in the same gentle tone, "can you tell me what is bothering you?" There was a brief pause, then the Captain responded, "The BOSS," through the thickness of this voice the fear was clear to hear, "I hear it in my head. It tells me I have to kill..." he trailed off at this point, but the Doctor knew he needed to say it, "Kill, who?", there was a few seconds silence, then at last the answer came, "You. You and the Brigadier."
Tears were now trickling down the young man's cheeks, and sweat was beginning to form on his brow, absent minded the Doctor pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began to gently stroke it across the younger man's face. This the seemed to sooth him slightly, as his breathing became less shallow and his brow less creased. "Is that why you haven't been acting normally Mike?" The Doctor asked as he continued to administer gentle strokes to his forehead, "Yes," he whispered quietly, "I don't want to kill you. The BOSS says I'm weak. I'm pathetic. He punishes me." As the Brigadier was listening to this, he felt very confused. How on earth could something in his head punish him? He opened his mouth to ask the Doctor, but the other man raised his spare hand and silenced him. "How does The BOSS punish you Mike?" The Doctor asked softly. As he asked Mike's breathing began to get more and more shallow again, "He hurts me." Mike whimpered, sounding like a lost child, "I can't eat because it makes me sick. I can't sleep because every night my mind is full of awful images." The Doctor felt so sorry for the poor young man lying in front of him. What had he done to deserve this? "Why didn't you talk to someone about it, Yates?" The Brigadier suddenly interrupted. The Doctor shot him a glare and the other man fell silent. However the question had been asked, and Mike was going to answer, "I couldn't talk to anybody," he answered, the strain clear in his voice, "people would think I was mad."
The Doctor now had everything he needed, and had pieced together what was going on the young man's head. "All right Mike," he said looking down at him, "sleep. Sleep until I address you by name again. Sleep." At the final word all of Mike's facial muscles relaxed and his breathing became calm and level. Then there was silence as the Doctor wiped the left over tear from the man's cheeks. At last the Brigadier could take it no longer and broke the silence, "Did you know what's going on here Doctor?" He asked hoping the older man may be able to explain , it had all sounded like nonsense to him. "Yes Brigadier, I think I do." And with that he walked away from Mike's sleeping form and resumed his seat, the Brigadier following closely behind. "I believe Brigadier, that while Mike was being conditioned that monstrous computer transferred a section of its," he paused, as if unsure of what to say next, "well for lack of a better word consciousness into him." The Brigadier was now beginning to see what the Doctor was on about, "You mean that a part of this thing is still in him." He couldn't believe it, surely Yates would have been able to resist this sort of thing, "That's exactly what I mean Brigadier," The Doctor replied seriously, "obviously the BOSS would want us dead, so that little piece of it left in Mike is trying to make it happen. It's trying to make Mike do it by essentially torturing him." The Doctor then smiled sadly, turning to look at the sleeping man, "He is very strong, or he would of succumbed by now." The Brigadier couldn't help feeling a pang of pride at the strength of his Captain, "Is there anything you can do for him Doctor?" He asked, unsure of the answer, "There is something I can do." The Doctor replied happily, before quickly moving back over to the make-shift bed.
"Mike," the Doctor said softly, as the Brigadier made his way over, "can you hear me?" It took a few moment, but finally Mike responded, "Yes." He answered quietly, all fear missing from his voice, "All right Mike listen very carefully," the doctor said to him gently but firmly, "you don't need to obey the BOSS any longer. You do not have to follow the BOSS's orders Mike, you are your own person. You are free Mike." After a few moments Mike's mind seemed to process the message, "I'm free." He muttered quietly, relief clear in this voice. "Yes," The Doctor said smiling, "you are. Now rest. Sleep as long as you need to. Only wake when you are ready. Do you understand Mike?" Looking down at the young captain, the Doctor couldn't help but notice the small smile on his lips, " Yes." He replied, though it sounded distant as if he didn't even realise he'd said it. Then as soon as the word had left his lips, he was fast asleep, oblivious to the world around him. "So it's finished now, is it Doctor?" The Brigadier asked looking down at the slumbering soldier in front of him. "Yes Brigadier, until he wakes up." The Doctor responded thoughtfully, "Then again, I'm not sure when that will be. I told him to sleep for as long as he needed to. It could be a while." The Brigadier nodded slowly, understanding some, if not all, of what the Doctor had just said, "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked the older man, "Yes Brigadier," The Doctor replied looking up at him, "help me get him back to his quarters, He'll probably be more comfortable there than he is here." The Brigadier nodded, then gently lifted Mike into his arms. Once he was sure he had a good grip on the young man's limp body he walked out of lab and into the corridor beyond, the Doctor just a step behind him.
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After a few minutes of walking they arrived at Mike's quarters. Tentatively the Doctor tried opening the door, but it was locked, just as he'd expected. Turning back to the Brigadier he began to silently fish through the young man's pockets. The Brigadier simply held Mike, however as the Doctor continued to look through his pockets, he began to get more and more aware of the young captain's weight in his arms. "Any luck yet, Doctor?" He asked the strain clear in his voice. At that moment the Doctor pulled his hand out of the last of Mike's pockets, producing a small silver key. Quickly, he returned his attention to the door and after inserting the key, he soon had it open. As he stepped over the fresh hold, he couldn't help noticing how neat the room was, everything was organised with military precision and again he found himself thinking about how robotic soldiers could be.
The Brigadier then entered and walked over to the bed, carefully laying Mike on top it, he then turned back to the Doctor, "What now?" he asked curiously, "I'll wait with him until he wakes up." The Doctor replied simply, before pulling a chair away from the small desk in the corner and sitting down, gazing at Mike's sleeping form. "Hang on Doctor," The Brigadier said, realising something, "you said you didn't how long it would be until he wakes up." The Doctor looked up at him quizzically, "I know." He said slowly, as if talking to a complete idiot, "Oh all right," The Brigadier responded, suddenly very aware of the Doctor's gaze, "would you like me..." but the older man interrupted him, "No Brigadier, I know you have work to do, and if I remember correctly, don't you have to phone the Prime Minister." That had completely slipped the Brigadier's mind and he knew the Doctor was right, the Prime Minister would not be happy if he was kept waiting "Please inform me when he wakes up, Doctor." Then, without another word the soldier turned on his heel and left the room, letting the door thud softly behind him. Smiling slightly at the Brigadier's strong sense of duty, the Doctor sat down on the desk chair and waited until Mike decided to remain consciousness.
Hours and hours passed in silence, only being broken by Mike's soft breathing. The Doctor sat patiently at his bed side, he didn't mind waiting, after all he'd told Mike to sleep as long he needed to, and he was sure the rest would help the young man. At 11'oclock that evening Mike finally began to stir from his long slumber. At the young man's groan the Doctor was pulled from his silent reverie, and he turned to look at him. Mike turned his head to face him, confusion written across his feature, "Doctor?" He asked quietly, his voice thick and heavy, "Hello Mike." The Doctor said softly but cheerfully, "Did you sleep well?" The young captain didn't answer, he just stared at him his brow creased in concentration, "You and The Brigadier. You, You..." Suddenly his eyes went wide as the memorise came flooding back to, "Good God!" He said loudly, sitting bolt upright on the bed. This made his head spin and before he realised what was happening, the Doctor had gently pushed him back down again. "Easy Mike," the older man said gently, " you've had a bit of a rough day, and I don't know how much of that drug is left in your system." Mike stayed down this time, but there was so much going through his mind, "You drugged me." It was a statement not a question, and the Doctor couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed, he'd just helped get rid of an evil presence from this man's mind and this was the thanks he got. "The BOSS is gone, isn't it ?" he said, though it had come out harsher than he'd intended it to. Suddenly out of nowhere Mike laughed, it was a laugh of relief, " The BOSS is gone."
"Right Mike," The Doctor said standing up, "I'm going to go and tell the Brigadier that you are awake." After years of working with the Brigadier he knew he'd still be working away at his desk in his office, he went to walk out of the door, when he realised how long it had probably been since Mike had eaten a proper meal, "I'll bring you something to eat as well." As he went to walk away again he heard the sound of Mike's shifting weight on the bed behind him, "I'll come with you, Doctor," Mike said trying to stand up, "I feel fine now." Honestly, the Doctor thought to himself, why didn't humans ever listen to him, "No, stay here," He said firmly, walking back over to the young man and pushing him down again, "like I said I don't know how much of the drug is left in your system." As soon as he was sure Mike was going to stay put, he went to leave the room again, however as his hand rested on the door handle, "Doctor," he turned and saw Mike looking at him smiling, "Thank you." He smiled back happily and walked left the room shutting the door behind him. Mike would need time off to fully recover, but he knew he'd helped his friend all the same.
I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think. If you have any ideas for companions I can use, write those in a review and I'll see what I can do.
I'll try and add a new story soon. Til' then. Bye!