Chapter Three

Home Truths

Usually the Doctor felt rejuvenated after his regeneration. He felt fresh, alert, ready for anything. This time, however, he felt terrible. He ached all over, his head was spinning and even though the bullet wound in his stomach that had felled him was gone and healed, it still tingled uncomfortably. His memory was spotty and jumbled, but he could still faintly remember the events in the TARDIS that had lead to him feeling like this now. It felt like a dream. He had hoped it had been a dream… but he knew it wasn't.

The room he had woken up in was small and dim. The walls looked like they had once been a vibrant white, perhaps one of the most decent cells around – but now it was dusty and old. There was no furniture and he had woken on the hard floor, which hadn't helped his aching bones. After a moment of looking around blearily, he realised he knew this place. He had been in a cell like this before. He racked his jumbled memory, and then remembered.

This is where Crowe had kept them the first time around, when they had first arrived at the BLFC.

The Doctor got to his feet unsteadily, wincing at the pain in his stomach. He looked down at his clothes, realising that he was still dressed in the black jumper and leather jacket. He poked at the blood encrusted hole where the bullet had entered and grimaced.

'Could have at least put me in hospital greens.' He muttered, and then returned his attention to the room he was in. There was a control panel on the wall and he approached it, favouring his left leg as he went. He reached in his pocket for his sonic screwdriver, and realised he did not have it. He frowned thoughtfully, but knew he could do nothing without it. Defeated by the dead control panel, he moved to the door and pushed it. As expected, nothing happened.

'Ashley?' he called, thumping his hand on the door. 'Are you out there?'

There was a moment when nothing happened, and then there was a series of clanking and clanging from the other side. He stepped back and waited for the door to open. When it did, two blank faced soldiers looked in at him, rifles pointed at him.

'If you don't mind,' the Doctor told them. 'I'd very much like you to put them away. I was never a very big fan of guns to start with and I must admit that I'd be very, very happy if I didn't see another one in my life.'

The soldiers made no move to lower their weapons. They moved in, took one of his arms each, and led him out of the cell. He didn't argue with them.


Ashley snapped her head around to the door as it opened and stood up quickly, causing her chair to scrape noisily across the stone floor. Two soldiers entered with a very ill looking Doctor between them. He looked around the room before seeing Ashley.

'Doctor!' she cried, starting forward.

One of the soldiers swung his gun around at her, making her stop in her tracks. Crowe leaned back in his seat and clasped his fingers.

'Now as much as I love a good old run and hug reunion,' he sighed. 'I'd rather we didn't do it just now.'

'Are you okay?' the Doctor asked Ashley, ignoring Crowe completely. 'Has he hurt you?'

Ashley shook her head. 'No. I'm fine. But… look at you, Doctor. You're a mess!' She shook her head and fought back the tears that began to rise. 'I'm so sorry…'

'Oh now come on,' Crowe frowned, standing up. 'No one likes teary apologies. They make everyone uncomfortable.' He perched against the side of the table and looked at the Doctor, half smiling. 'Nice to see you again, Doctor.'

The Doctor glared at him. 'I would say the same, but I don't believe there is anything nice about seeing someone with a face like yours.'

Crowe's eyes darkened. 'Yes, I bare the scars from our last meeting.' He ran his fingers over his scarred face. 'Reminds me not to underestimate the pair of you this time around.'

'I'm going to give you one chance,' the Doctor told him darkly. 'Let us go, now, and you might live at the end of this.'

Crowe laughed. 'Oh, was that a death threat, Doctor? Goodness, I had you pegged as the kind of man who would send me away with a slap on the wrists.'

'Oh I let you off lightly the first time,' the Doctor told him. 'This time I'll pull no punches.'

'Good to know.' Crowe smirked. 'Now… I've just been having a wonderful conversation with your friend here. I find it strange that she still doesn't know who she is, despite the fact you've known since you found my bounty ship. Now really, Doctor, there should be no secrets between friends.'

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. 'I'm warning you-'

'No,' Crowe growled. 'You're in no place to be warning, Doctor. Face it, you're dead. You're both dead. Now don't you think before you both perish that you should tell her? Tell her everything? Does she not have a right to know?'

'She doesn't have to!' the Doctor yelled angrily. 'It won't achieve anything!'

'What gives you the right?' Crowe asked.

'What gives me the right?' the Doctor shot back incredulously.

'Oh shut up!' Ashley cried, causing the two of them to look towards her. She covered her face with both hands and stood like that for a moment, before running them back over her head and through her hair. She looked directly at the Doctor and swallowed hard. 'I need to know.' She said, quietly. 'I need to know now.'

Crowe smirked and crossed his arms, saying nothing. The Doctor looked at her, speechless for a moment. He glanced away nervously, and then shook his head. 'Ashley, it's not going to help anything-'

'Just-' She spoke harshly and then stopped herself and sighed. 'Just tell me.'

The Doctor looked down, brow darkening. Crowe watched, grinning. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the Doctor looked up again, head tilted and eyes cast to the right, averting her gaze.

'Before… before my people perished in the Time War they would keep order in the galaxy. There were many wars between many different lifeforms. Many different planets, systems…' He paused, wondering how to continue. 'There was one race who… their numbers were swelling too quickly. They were spreading across planets like wildfire, wiping out whole civilisations to house themselves. The Time Lords had to intervene. The um… There were attempted negotiations but they were such a primal race, so uncivilised, that they refused every attempt to settle the situation peacefully. Eventually the Time Lords had no choice but to…' He stopped and swallowed, lowering his head.

'Go on, Doctor.' Crowe nodded. 'Make it to the end please.'

The Doctor shot him a look that could have melted concrete. He turned his eyes on Ashley. 'They had no technology of their own,' he told her, almost pleading with her. 'But they wouldn't stop. It was like… like they had a death wish or something and… and there was just no choice. If they weren't stopped then…'

Ashley shook her head, teeth clenched beneath her pursed lips. She looked to Crowe and the Doctor. 'I don't see what this has to do with me. It has nothing to do with me.'

The Doctor shook his head sorrowfully. 'It does. Ashley, it does. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'

'What?' Ashley cried hysterically, throwing her arms up. Tears coursed down her cheeks. 'You trying to tell me that I'm one of them? That I'm an alien? That you destroyed my home planet?' She spoke animatedly, like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world – which to her, it was.

The Doctor just looked away. Crowe beamed and clapped his hands. 'Wonderful!' he cried. He turned to Ashley, maniacal grin on his face. 'Isn't that just wonderful? This man who you claim is such a hero, such a magnificent person… He is nothing more than a lowly exterminator.'

The Doctor turned angrily on him. 'It wasn't like that! I didn't even take part in it!'

Crowe clicked his tongue in disappointment. 'Oh now Doctor. At least shoulder part of the blame, would you?' He glanced to Ashley, who was staring in shock at the Doctor. 'See that? He can't even take the blame for what he did to you. You would have had sisters and brothers you know. Aunties, uncles, grandparents… They all burned. Every single one of them.'

'Shut up.' The Doctor snarled through gritted teeth.

Ashley shook her head, waving her hands. 'No. You're all… just no. That's not true. I have a family. On Earth. My mum and…' She laughed nervously, her voice hitting a high pitch. 'That's just ridiculous! I think I would remember being on another friggin' planet.'

'Oh I imagine you would if you had been there,' Crowe nodded. 'Turns out though that your family shares a trait with the Doctor here.' He turned and glared at the Doctor. 'Cowardice. Fleeing from war.'

The Doctor glared back at him, saying nothing.

'No.' Ashley shook her head. 'No. I have a family. My mum's name is Katherine Chambers…' She sniffed and wiped impatiently at the tears tickling her nose. 'My dad was called William Farrow and he walked out on my mum when I was just a baby-'

'No, dear,' Crowe told her. 'That's very wrong.'

The Doctor decided to blank out Crowe completely. 'Ashley, I'm sorry, but it was a long time ago. It couldn't be prevented, you must understand that-'

Ashley scowled suddenly, advancing two angry steps towards him. 'So then it's okay!' she cried. 'So, you Time Lords just went about banishing and killing various life forms that were doing things you didn't like, huh? Same as those Verschlings? Kick them out of the universe where they won't get in the way? Sounds like you dealt in nothing but pest control!'

The Doctor shook his head. 'Ashley, no-'

She sobbed angrily. 'Why didn't you just tell me?' she cried. 'It wouldn't have been so bad if you had just told me!'

'I'm sorry- I just… I didn't think you needed-'

'I didn't need to know I was part of a race that had to be wiped out! What did you say they were… Primal? Uncivilised? Is that why you called me scum?'

Crowe rubbed his hands together, grinning. 'Wonderful.'

'I didn't mean that,' the Doctor insisted. 'I was… I was someone else…'

'You were you.' Ashley shot back. She stared at him for a moment, and shook her head. 'I can't… I just can't do this…' She started to run for the door, but one of the soldiers grabbed her. She struggled with him and shrieked shrilly.

'Let her go,' Crowe said, waving his hand dismissively. 'Let her run it off. I believe there's someone who wants to see her anyway. She'll find him by herself.'

The soldier let go of her and she ran out of the door. The Doctor called her name and tried to follow, but the soldiers kept a hold on him. He turned to Crowe, eyes blazing.

'There,' Crowe smiled. 'Doesn't it feel better to get it off your chest?'

'I gave you your chance.' The Doctor told him darkly. 'There's no more. No mercy.'

Crowe smiled thinly. 'I hope to get your best, Doctor.' He glanced to one of the soldiers. 'Go and make sure she gets down to room 614.' He settled his eyes back on the Doctor and grinned. 'Time for a little family reunion, don't you think?'