Chapter Three…
/
/
The Master's laugh echoed throughout Serenity, slowly fading away.
"OK, I can fix this," The Doctor said, looking around, "I just need something from my ship."
The Doctor strode across the cargo bay, and attempted to open the TARDIS with his key.
"Rrrg!" The Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver up and down the doors, "Not again! It's been deadlocked from the inside!"
"Is that a problem?" Mal asked
The Doctor thought for a moment.
"No, not this time," The Doctor remembered, "Wash, Jayne, give me a hand?"
The three of them moved the TARDIS forward a few feet. The Doctor walked behind it.
"This time I can get to the back door!"
The Doctor easily slid aside the back door, and stepped into the console room. The cloister bell was ringing, very loudly.
"OK, I can hear you!" The Doctor replied, throwing his overcoat on one of the support columns
/
Mal and Simon walked into the back of the TARDIS.
"Doctor, you have a plan?" Mal asked
"Yeah, but I'll need your help," The Doctor said, "If I can put enough power into the helmic regulator and exert it into a Class Omega black hole, then I might be able to jumpstart time. Simon, hold that lever down!"
Simon did what he said.
"Good. Mal, kick that panel twelve times then ring that bell."
As Mal slammed his leather-and-steel clad feet against the strong coral-like paneling, The Doctor began pulling several levers. The time rotor ascended and descended, whirring and grinding. Finally, it stopped.
"That should have done it. Now…" The Doctor stopped mid-sentence, "Is there a reason you guys are both wearing chains? In fact, I've noticed that everyone on your crew wears one."
"What chains?" Simon asked
The Doctor tugged on the chain Simon wore; it was a dainty silver one, going from his left pocket to his right pocket.
"This chain…" Simon looked at it, "I knew that I had it, but I never noticed it."
Mal pulled on his chain (going from his suspender strap to his pocket), revealing a fob watch with intricate detail on the lid. The Doctor's trademark grin came back on his face.
"Martha, this watch is me…"
"It has been said that the memories of a Time Lord can be stored in a fob watch…"
"No, no, no, it's this thing, this device, it re-writes biology. Changes a Time Lord into a human."
"Oh, brilliant!" he said, gleefully
"What is it?" Mal asked
The Doctor could feel the watch's power; he could hear the extra heartbeat that was contained inside it.
"Nothing…" The Doctor was so happy he almost broke his sonic screwdriver
/
"Did River come in here?" Zoe stuck her head in the TARDIS backdoor
"No, why?" Simon asked
"She's not on the ship."
Simon looked to Mal. Mal looked to The Doctor. The Doctor lunged forward to the TARDIS console.
"Her energy signal disappeared just when The Master did," The Doctor concluded, "The Master has River."
/
With Jayne's held, The Doctor disconnected the TARDIS console from the time rotor and brought it into Serenity's cargo bay. It was still connected to the TARDIS by a long black cord.
"OK, The Master has a limited teleport range," The Doctor explained, "He can only make one long range teleport every week. Captain Reynolds, can you show me a map of the Verse?"
Mal nodded, reached into his pocket, and took out a folded up piece of paper. He tossed it to The Doctor, who opened it up; it expanded out to be three feet wide.
"Mal, what's the scale?" The Doctor asked
Mal told him.
"Oooo…" The Doctor cringed
"What's wrong?" Kaylee asked
"I thought the Alliance was bigger," The Doctor explained, "But judging by this map, he could be on any civilized world."
"Is that a problem?" Simon asked
"No…" The Doctor got back up, and flicked on a console switch, "I've got a backup plan."
/
A small console panel opened up; out of it came a noise like two hearts beating at the same time.
"What's that?" Simon asked
"Shush," The Doctor ordered, "I've got to concentrate."
The heartbeat got louder; The Doctor closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Then suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he grinned.
"I've got her!" The Doctor said triumphantly, "Right to the last square centimeter!"
The Doctor yanked on a wrist-strap attached to the TARDIS, and eight wrist-straps came out of the bar around the console.
"You might want to hold on," The Doctor advised
/
The TARDIS and the still separated console rocketed through space, bobbing and weaving until it reached its destination, the Pax Research Center on Osiris. It materialized in an operating room. There was a thick metal table in the center of it, with River strapped onto it, apparently unconscious.
"River!" Simon let go of the console, and ran towards her
"Wait!"
The Doctor reached into his pocket, and took out a cricket ball; he hurled it at Simon, knocking him out for the count.
"What did you do that for?" Jayne asked, "Not that I'm complaining."
"Things are never what they seem with The Master," The Doctor explained
/
The seven of them (Simon was still down) crowded around River.
"She's still breathing," Mal said
The Doctor placed his stethoscope on his ears, and listened to River's heartbeat.
"Heartbeat's good," The Doctor noted, "Almost too good. Her heartbeat should be ecstatic, considering her emotions."
The Doctor listened to River's breathing.
"Breathing's too good," The Doctor noted
"Has she always had those scars?" Wash asked
"What scars?" The Doctor asked
Wash pointed to a cut on River's temple, and one on the mirror side of her face. The Doctor touched them, and something shocking happened.
"Look away, look away!" The Doctor ordered
It was too late. The top half of River's head opened up; there was a hissing sound, and the inside of her head was revealed. There was a mass of wires and circuit boards inside, but no brain…