Chapter 3
Author's Notes:
As if we don't have enough going on in this story, I thought I'd throw a few more balls into the air to juggle. Let me know what you think. Happy reading!
At eight o'clock both Rose and Mickey returned to the Doctor's lab. Rose had grown tired of Mickey's attempts to cheer her up. She knew that Mickey wasn't to blame for her foul mood, the Doctor was. Well…from her perspective in any case. She grew weary of trying to keep up with the conversation that Mickey was bound and determined to have with her. All she wanted to do was think things over and quite possibly sulk. Still, none of this was Mickey's fault. So she tried to make peace with Mickey by slipping her hand in his and asking, "Do you think they'll break for dinner now? I don't know about you, but I'm starved." Rose said as she looked up into his hazel eyes.
Mickey had just about given up trying to cheer someone up who was so set on feeling sorry for herself. But to his utter surprise she slipped her hand into his and was looking up into his eyes. He was so grateful for the few crumbs that Rose had thrown him recently that he decided not to set her off again. If Rose only knew how little time she had to make a commitment one way or the other. After this adventure Mickey had decided that he was going to ask the Doctor to take him home. He couldn't bear to see Rose keep throwing herself at the Doctor. "So am I Rose, so am I." Mickey replied as the pair entered the Doctor's lab.
The lab looked as if a paper factory had exploded in it. There were star charts, wiring diagrams, an unbelievable amount of technical manuals for what must be every part of the Tardis, stacks of papers whose purpose could only be guessed at and in the middle of it all sat the two Doctors. Each had his mind on the papers in his hands as they leaned over the counter on their stools. Neither seemed to notice as Rose and Mickey entered the room.
Mickey cleared his throat to alert the pair that they had returned. "Still fighting that terrible throat problem Ricky?" the Doctor (9) asked with a slight smile.
"My throat is fine. Are you two ready to break for dinner? Rose and I are starved." Mickey replied, noticing that Rose still had hold of his hand.
"For once I agree with you. What do you say?" the Doctor (9) asked the previous version of himself.
"I completely agree with myself." the Doctor (4) replied with a big grin on his face. "I know a wonderful little Italian place. How does that sound to everyone?"
"Now you're talking." Mickey replied with a grin as he let go of Rose's hand and slapped his hands together.
"Great, I'll just go get Sarah." the Doctor (4) said as he crossed the floor and went into the small inner room and entered the Tardis.
"Sarah are you still in the library?" the Doctor yelled as he walked through the main hallway toward the library. "That's strange." he said quietly to himself when he didn't hear Sarah's reply. The Doctor walked through the library door and noticed on the large table in the center of the room next to the printer were quite a few stacks of carefully labeled papers, each with their multiple copies stacked crisscross under the original. On top of each stack were two labeled CDs. "She's really not taking any more chances." the Doctor said with a smile. Looking around, he still didn't see Sarah. He was about to leave, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted what looked very much like the toe of one of Sarah's sneakers. He knew there was a sofa behind that last stack. Maybe Sarah had taken her laptop back there.
Rounding the corner he found her, asleep. She was laying on her back, with a pillow on her lap that she had apparently been using to tilt the laptop up so she could work on the reports from there. Her bare feet were inviting him to tickle them. He quietly lifted the laptop from the pillow and quietly placed it on a nearby low bookcase, carefully closing it. Sarah never even flinched. He turned back around to find the couch now empty. Confused he spun around to see Sarah standing behind him with a huge grin on her face.
"I bet you thought you were going to tickle me, didn't you?" Sarah asked, barely able to control her delight at pulling a fast one on the Doctor.
"Yea, you really showed me. But did you count on this?" he asked as he quickly lifted Sarah by the waist and deposited her back on the couch. The one thing he didn't count on, was the momentum of their two bodies hitting the couch. Nor did he count on the couch tipping over, which caused Sarah to fly through the air and land on top of him. Never one to pass up a chance to kiss Sarah, he quickly reached out and encircled her in his arms and kissed her tenderly at first, then each kiss after was getting a little more passionate. As usual when the two were together he was only interested in one thing, the amount of her skin he could touch and taste. The pair were so caught up in each other that everything else was forgotten.
"What are they doing? It's been fifteen minutes. How long does it take to get one girl and a coat?" asked Rose crabbily as she looked at her watch. Rose was really getting hungry now and she decided to take some action. "I'm going to find them." she said with determination, leaving the Doctor and Mickey looking at each other with confusion.
"Rose you can't just barge in to their…!" the Doctor started but it was too late. Rose was already out of sight. "Why do I bother?" he said as he threw his hands up in the air.
"Listen to the voice of experience mate." Mickey said. "The less you question or try to second guess Rose, the smoother your life will be. Rose is like a force of nature."
"Is that force of nature an earthquake or a tornado?" the Doctor asked Mickey grimly.
"Depends on the amount of the devastation." Mickey replied.
The Doctor and Mickey entered the Tardis. Both, like Rose before them were standing in amazement, staring at the Tardis' smaller and stark white console room.
"Why is it so small?" Rose asked, now on the far side of the room looking around.
"It served my purposes at the time. I liked it like this for quite some time, it was cozy, comforting." the Doctor replied.
"So why did you change it?" Mickey asked. Now he was watching the Doctor. It was obvious to him that this room was taking the Doctor back to a previous time, a previous life. He was smiling and Rose was frowning.
"I needed a change. Something with less mem…something to make new memories in." he finished with a smile to Rose. He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't buying it.
"She said something about the library didn't she?" Rose said, quickly turning away and with a flip of her blonde hair and disappeared.
The Doctor looked back at Mickey and frowned, but not before he saw Mickey's smile. There were times that he wondered why he carried such immature individuals through time and space. And could 'it' be happening? Could 'he' finally be growing up? No, couldn't be, he smiled to himself as he and Mickey followed a stomping Rose through the Tardis.
The last thing on the Doctor and Sarah's minds were the newly arrived visitors. A fact that was blatantly obvious to their visitor's eyes. Rose, Mickey and the Doctor (9) were lined up with their mouths open in shock at the sight that met their eyes.
The first thing they noticed was the couch, now turned upside down, cushions strewn across the floor. The Doctor's (4) coat was on the floor, his shirt was no longer tucked. Sarah's clothes were in a similar state of disarray. And the pair had no idea they had an audience in attendance.
The Doctor (9) was beside himself with indecision. Part of him knew he should speak up and let them know they were there. But a larger part of him watched. Wondering if that's what he and 'his' Sarah looked like. What they could still look like. Looking back, he and his Sarah had 'christened' as many areas of the Tardis as possible. With shock, he realized that if he didn't put a stop to this it would be obvious to everyone what he was thinking. Looking to his right, the Doctor (9) said to Mickey, "Aren't you going to clear your throat Mickey?" Further right, Rose was carefully watching him. And from the look on her face, they were giving her some ideas.
At the sound of the Doctor's voice, the surprised pair quickly looked up. The Doctor (4) slowly sat up allowing time for Sarah to get behind him. "I'm so sorry." the Doctor said, his face turning very red. "I was distracted. Actually it was all Sarah's fault!"
That earned him a slap on the arm and a push forward from Sarah whose face was now equally as red as the Doctor's. "It was not!" Sarah defended herself as she climbed to her feet and started looking for her shoes. "He didn't tell me," she hesitated to swat his arm again, "that anyone was waiting for us. I'll be right back." Sarah ran passed the trio.
"Well," the Doctor (4) said, his face still blushing, "do you feel at home?"
"It does indeed bring back memories." the Doctor (9) admitted.
"I think ours is bigger." Rose replied as she looked around.
The Doctor (4) was about to reply when his eyes met his counterparts. "You'll never win." the Doctor (9) said conspiratorially. "Pick your battles with this one."
"Ready?" Sarah asked as she swung around the doorway, her embarrassment now all but forgotten.
"For you, always." the Doctor (4) replied as he finished tucking in his shirt and joined Sarah at the door and reached out to take her hand.
The group piled into Bessie and arrived at The Olive Pit a short time later. The group entered and were met at the door by the restaurant's owner, Guido Rizzolli himself.
"Doctor and Miss. Sarah! How good to see you, and you brought friends." he added after shaking hands with the Doctor (4) and giving Sarah his usual 'welcome to the family' hug.
As they were seated at their table the Doctor (4) said, "This is my…" he started and caught Sarah's eye.
"His brother, his older brother. Nice to meet you Guido." the Doctor (9) said, catching the exchange between the Doctor (4) and Sarah while shaking the older gentleman's hand.
"How wonderful! Family, there's nothing that beats family." Guido replied, looking confused.
"This is Mickey, 'friend' of the family." the Doctor (9) said. Mickey shook Guido's hand before returning to his seat and taking a drink from his water glass.
Guido circled the table and stopped next to Rose who was sitting between Mickey and the Doctor (9). "And you, you must be the brother's wife."
It was too much for Mickey. The look of contentment on Rose's face. The look of shock and fear on the Doctor's (9) face. The smile exchanged between the Doctor (4) and Sarah. Nope. The water wasn't going to go down. He was going to laugh. The result was, the water sprayed from Mickey's mouth hitting Guido square in the chest. Mickey's eyes met Rose's. If looks could kill, Mickey would be more than dead, which made the laughter that was already uncontrollable all the worse. "Mr. Rizzolli, I can't tell you how sorry I am." Mickey apologized profusely. He tried to take his napkin and dry the older man's jacket.
"Don't worry about it. Really. Come along friend of the family Mickey. I'll show you where we can both dry off. He'll be righta back. So, Mickey tell me…" Guido was saying as he lead Mickey away.
It was then that their waitress approached. "Hello, can I get you something to drink?"
"I think that sounds like a great idea!" the Doctor (4) said beaming.
"A 'fantastic' idea!" the Doctor (9) replied with a smile. Now it was his turn to be blushing.
At the end of dinner, Sarah's cell phone started vibrating. Sarah and the Doctor (4) both checked the caller ID after Sarah pulled it from her purse. It was Sergeant Benton. Sarah apologized, excused herself and left the table.
"That's Sergeant Benton." the Doctor (4) explained. "He must have received the message we left him about retrieving your Tardis."
"Isn't UNIT a military base? Someone's always there right?" Mickey asked.
"Well, yes but…" the Doctor (4) started.
"But the Tardis is a very…" the Doctor (9) said.
"…delicate piece of machinery." both Doctors chimed together as one.
"So we'll be moving the Tardis tonight?" Rose asked, her words ever so slightly slurred.
"Probably not before morning at the earliest Rose." the Doctor (9) answered.
Both Doctors and Mickey stood up when Sarah returned to the table. "What did the good Sergeant say Sarah?" the Doctor (4) asked.
"He said that he requisitioned the lift you requested, but he can't get the men together till three in the afternoon. He said to remind you that he and Harry would pick you and the Brig up at ten tomorrow. And I told him, that considering everything you might want to reschedule." Sarah said as she sat back in her seat and took a drink of water.
"There's really nothing we can do before we get both Tardis together anyway. Besides, I've decided I'm going to make shopping for this suit fun." the Doctor (4) replied as he reached over and squeezed Sarah's hand.
"Tux and fun for who?" Sarah corrected.
"Not suit? And fun for me." the Doctor (4) asked.
"Nope. Still a Tux. And are you going to torture them? " replied Sarah with a smile. She knew he was playing with her.
"So is there an event to go to or something?" Rose asked. She was right all along. This Sarah was posh. Well, if that's what he wanted, she could be posh. Well almost. Was it getting hotter and darker in here, she wondered?
"No, a wedding." the Doctor (4) replied after exchanging a smile with Sarah.
"Close friends?" the Doctor (9) asked, taking a sip of his wine.
"So close I can touch them." he said as he took Sarah's left hand and showed it to them.
"You're getting m…m…m…married?" the Doctor (9) stammered as he struggled to keep the wine from coming out his nose. "I mean it was obvious the two of you were… but…you're really getting married?"
"Yes, two weeks from yesterday, isn't it?" the Doctor (4) answered, turning to Sarah for confirmation.
"Well, I think that's great! Congratulations!" Mickey said happily.
"Yes. To Sarah and the Doctor!" Rose said raising her glass as well as herself before downing the complete glass of wine all at once, and literally falling back in her seat.
"Is everyone finished?" the Doctor (9) asked as he looked around the table, eager to get Rose back to the Tardis before she drank any more.
"I think everyone is ready." the Doctor (4) replied standing and helping Sarah from her chair.
After their coats were retrieved and goodbyes were made to Guido the group piled in Bessie.
As Bessie pulled into her assigned parking space in the underground garage the Doctor (4) glance back in the rearview mirror to see Rose was asleep. After shutting off the car, he turned around to his counterpart and said quietly, "Rose is asleep, why don't you all stay in our Tardis tonight. It seems a shame for you to have to walk back through the woods. You know we have plenty of room." the Doctor (4) finished with a smile.
The Doctor (9) looked over at Rose who was more passed out than sleeping, and he was definitely not looking forward to carrying her back to their Tardis. "Well Ricky, what do you say?" he asked, as Mickey frowned knowing he hated it when he used the wrong name. But after the looks and spit take at dinner he deserved any annoyance he could muster.
"I think that sounds inspired." Mickey said.
The Doctor (4) had exited the car and was opening the door for Sarah when the Doctor (9) looked over at Mickey and said, "Great, and as you appreciate it, that should inspire you to pick up Rose and carry her to the Tardis." The Doctor (9) followed Sarah out of the car after smiling at Mickey.
The two Doctors and Sarah stepped away from the car while Mickey was unloading Rose. Sarah looked from one Doctor to the other. "You know," started Sarah, "I get it now. Mickey to you," she pointed to the Doctor (9) is like Harry is to you." she then pointed to her Doctor (4).
"You know Sarah, I think you're right." the Doctor (4) said as he wrapped her in his arms. "Mickey come on, it's cold out here." the Doctor (4) said grinning.
Twenty minutes later Rose and Mickey were in their assigned bedrooms. Both Doctors had their heads under the central console attempting to determine if both Tardis' were in the same shape. Sarah didn't bother to take off her coat. She had retrieved her copies from the library and was distributing them to the correct sections, leaving the Records Department where the servers were located to last..
As she left the last set of reports in the empty Records Room, she looked at the servers she could see in the back. "One more time, one more lost record and I'm coming for you." Sarah said with a smile as she turned to leave. She had almost made it to the door when she heard a sound. "Hello?" Sarah called. "Is anyone there?" Sarah slowly approached the counter. It was dark in the back. The only light coming from the dimly lit hallway outside. "This isn't funny. Come on out, game's over you've sufficiently scared me. Ha, ha!" Sarah stopped moving, even held her breath in an attempt to hear better. Nothing. Sarah stepped beyond the counter. Still nothing. "It was just your imagination Sarah. Nothing is here. I'm losing my mind. I'm even talking to myself now!" Sarah leaned forward on her tiptoes in an effort to look as far into the back as she could, without actually going back there. "This will teach me to have three glasses of Guido's 'special' wine." She turned to leave when she heard it again. But this time it was louder, closer. Whatever it was, Sarah decided she wanted no part of it.
She turned around quickly and faced the source of the sound. It was blue, and nearly three feet long with a tale that had to be another two feet long. It reminded Sarah of a reptile she had observed when doing research for an article. Only the reptile she saw didn't have the mass of thick and greasy looking black fur that this one had. Nor did it have the rows of razor sharp teeth that this one had. Sarah weighed her options. No purse, so no cell phone to call for help. The door's blocked by whatever that thing is. She heard what she assumed was another one coming behind her in the dark. This was it. Sarah wasn't going to stick around and see the size of the one behind her. The coat closet was to her immediate right. She decided that was as good of a place as any to hide and wait for the Doctor to come looking for her.
In three quick steps she had reached, opened and slammed the closet door shut behind her. Sarah released a breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding. Sarah felt along the dark walls of the closet for a light switch. Maybe there was something in here she could use to defend herself if the creatures tried to break in. Sarah found the switch and turned it on.
"We meet again Miss. Smith." the Master said so close to Sarah's ear that she could feel his breath. Before she could react she felt something icy cold against her neck. The effect was immediate. She was unconscious and now supported in the Master's arms.
The Master opened the door and walked out carrying Sarah. Unknown to him Sarah's engagement ring dropped from her finger. He stopped in front of the creatures. "There, there my pets. We can find you something better to eat than this. She's mostly bones, very little meat. Come along." The Master turned and walked to the back of the room opening the door of his Tardis. It was disguised as one of the servers. Smiling down at his bundle he held the door open for the short furry creatures. "Let's deposit our little package to its new home." he said to the creatures. "This will be the last home you'll ever have, you and your little friends." he said looking down into the unconscious face of Sarah.
The two Doctors were still deep in the underside of the central console when the Doctor (4) realized an hour had passed. He pulled his head from under the console and took a quick look around the room. That's odd he thought, Sarah usually stopped to let him know she was back. He stood up and left the console room taking a quick look through the Tardis. First he checked her room to find it empty, her coat wasn't even on the bed. Next he went to the entertainment room. Same there, empty. Next he checked the library, the same, though her purse was there. As he headed back to the console room, panic was starting to settle in. Something was wrong. He removed the cell phone from the shelf on the console. He hit speed dial one. It rang but no one picked up. He could hear the phone ringing in Sarah's purse in the library.
The Doctor (9) was now watching his counterpart with nervous interest. "What's wrong?"
"Did you see or hear Sarah come back?" he (4) asked, pacing.
"No, did you check…of course you checked." he said to himself. Now he could feel the panic rising. She was so much like 'his' Sarah. It was hard to believe seeing her here in 'this' Tardis that he hadn't stepped back in time and they were together again. "Let's check over the base. She was delivering reports, right?"
"Let's go." was all he (4) said as he turned and they hurriedly left the Tardis.
Both men spent the next hour searching the base high and low. They searched from the roof to the basement. They questioned the guards in the Guard Shack, the maintenance crew as well as all the guards. No one remembered seeing her.
Meanwhile on Masina Minor a barren, desolate planet, known as the harshest of all the prison mining communities due to its barren conditions. The prisoner miners extracted the ore, Xandia with crude picks. The temperature in the mines never reaching more than thirty degrees. The surface temperature only reaching ten degrees on a 'hot' day.
The Master's Tardis landed on Level Six their so called 'Executive Level', the Warden's Offices known to the rest of the Universe as the Xandia Prison Colony. As he exited his Tardis with the unconscious Sarah in his arms, two guards were awaiting his arrival. The guards were over seven feet tall, covered in dark, dense fur. They were the one true native of this cold, bleak world. Their species had adapted over the centuries to survive the harsh conditions of this planet. Even so, they also required clothing to keep warm. The Master handed over Sarah to one of the guards, who treated her as if he were carrying a bag of grain. He flung her over his shoulder as the other guard showed the Master the way to the Warden's inner office.
The Master entered the office to be greeted by not only the Warden, Wrekean Dahari but his counterpart in this crime, Morbius. Wrekean Dahari was not a native of this planet, though his height was almost the same as his guards'.
"Wonderful, another recruit for my cause. Not bad gentlemen, not bad at all." Wrekean said as he left his desk and crossed to the guard. He raised Sarah's head up, examining her as if he were examining a favorite toy. "I know exactly how I will be using this one." he said with a laugh as he let Sarah's head drop. "Take her to Level Twelve, give her to Dr. Shable. He'll know what to do with her." As the guards left with Sarah, Wrekean returned to his desk. "As always Morbius, I thank you for the, shall we say 'new blood' that you so often leave with us. And Master, will you now be a regular contributor to our little group?"
"Tonight anyway. You're positive your 'establishment' is secure Wrekean?" the Master asked. Too many suppositions in the past had been the end of many ingenious, in his opinion anyway, campaigns.
"We are very secure. The one person that escaped the Colony died on the surface. Poor planning really. The surface temperature that day was a steamy two degrees." he said leaning back in his chair as the trio laughed together.
"Thank you for your help Wrekean. We will return soon with more 'recruits'." the Master said as he and Morbius left the office and left the Colony in the Master's Tardis.
Once inside the Master's Tardis, Morbius reached inside his jacket pocket. He pulled out a paper and handed it to the Master.
"What's this?" the Master asked.
"The remaining information on the Reliquary and the Gragier." Morbius replied. "This wasn't easy to come by. In fact a few paid for it with their lives." Morbius smiled as he leaned against the central console while the Master read it.
"Wonderful! That's one thing you and I have in common Morbius, you're very thorough. Now let's see what we have." the Master said, unfolding the paper and then read aloud.
"Two identical and yet two unlike,
The forces of time will yet unite.
Bonds will be stretched and alliances formed.
But to the owner, the final storm.
Hidden from life and hidden from time, hidden for endless flow.
It can only be found when realization has been reached,
for it alone the bell will toll.
Its offering is eternity for the one who takes hold.
Its power is endless, the dreams untold.
Be sure you want this endless flight,
Swirling and twirling, one within one time will rewrite."
At UNIT the two Doctors had just arrived back from the woods surrounding the base. The two were no longer talking, each intent on listening and searching for Sarah. As they entered UNIT's main lobby doors, both were now running for the Tardis as their thoughts were now of Rose and Mickey.
The pair ran through the Tardis door, each heading for the bedrooms where they had so recently left Rose and Mickey. Rose's room was exactly as they had left it, minus Rose and her coat. In Mickey's room it was obvious that a small struggle had taken place on the bed. But as with Rose and Sarah before, the result was the same. All were missing.
Both Doctors were now in a state of complete panic. Between them they had two Tardis that were grounded. But as both realized, even if both were working perfectly, where would they begin to search?
"If we could just contact Gallifrey, maybe we could get some idea from them. Though to be honest, and I don't have to tell you, the Time Lords are useless when it comes to finding companions. They're really not happy about my upcoming marriage to Sarah. I've been keeping the date under wraps so we're not disturbed." the Doctor (4) finished his rant and pacing to stop and look at his counterpart. The Doctor (9) had a look of shock and surprise on his face. "What's wrong? If you have any information, tell me! Do you have any way that I'm not aware of to reach Gallifrey in your reality?" the Doctor (4) begged.
"In my reality…I don't even know if I should say this. What if it occurs in your future? I would be breaking my vows as a Time Lord." the Doctor (9) pleaded.
"This is us." the Doctor (4) said pointing from himself to his counterpart. "When do we 'ever' follow the rules? We need help! We have to get them back!" the Doctor yelled.
"We don't!", the Doctor (9) shouted back. "I don't have a way to contact Gallifrey. And even if I did, there is 'no Gallifrey'!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Then quietly said, "There is no Gallifrey. They're all dead and Gallifrey is gone, destroyed." the Doctor (9) hung his head.
The effect of his statement was profound to the Doctor (4). "I don't understand. How is that possible?" the Doctor (4) asked his counterpart as he walked to stand before him.
"There was a war. To my knowledge, I am the last survivor of our race. If we can't figure this out…they're gone! Sarah, Rose, Mickey they're gone! It's up to us." the Doctor (9) said as calmly as he could. Everything in him wanted to explode, but that wouldn't get them back.
"All right." the Doctor (4) started calmly. "Let's start from the beginning of this nightmare."
"All right. For me it all started when I was locked in battle with a Sontaran battle ship. I had put up the Tardis' deflection barrier and I thought we…" the Doctor (9) began the discussion that would keep the pair going through scenarios all night long.
Back at the Xandia Prison Colony the Master and Morbius had delivered Rose and Mickey.
"Well, well, well." Wrekean said as he checked the contents of the guards arms. "This one looks like she couldn't lift a pick, to say nothing of swinging it. Take her to Level 19. Tell Swax to put her to work in food service." Walking over to the next guard, he lifted Mickey's unconscious head by his hair. "Not much to work with here either. Take him to Level 22. Give him to Kran. Maybe he can repair tools." As he watched the guards leave with their charges, he realized how little he knew about this species. What he did know was that Xandia was a big place. They would be helpless on their own. He would make sure none of their paths ever crossed. Besides, with the level of radiation here, they probably wouldn't last long enough to be trouble to anyone.
Morning had arrived at UNIT. Both Doctors had spent the night going over their individual stories time and again. They came to the same conclusion, the accident that landed the Doctor, Rose and Mickey in this reality was caused for a purpose. The same purpose also included the taking of their companions as leverage.
"It has to be the Master, but how?" the Doctor (4) asked as he paced.
"But you told me he was imprisoned on Gallifrey." the Doctor (9) replied. He couldn't believe he was once again speaking of Gallifrey and the Time Lords in the present tense.
"He was, or is supposed to be. Don't you find it odd that not only have we become stranded on Earth together, but we have no way to check on the Master's whereabouts? Councilor Batin promised me that he would contact me the minute the Master was freed. I would bet that not only are we cut off from Gallifrey but that Gallifrey is cut off from us." the Doctor (4) finished feeling some sense of accomplishment, however small.
"Say you're right and I'm beginning to believe you are, why doesn't Gallifrey simply send someone to tell you. They must be aware by now that the Tardis isn't able to receive a signal." the Doctor (9) said as he circled the central console one more time.
"Who's to say? Maybe there are problems at their end too! What time is it?" the Doctor (4) asked.
"About five in the morning I think." he (9) answered as the same thought occurred to him.
"Where are the Brigadier, Harry and Benton then?" the Doctor (4) asked. They had contacted the men when they realized they would need help, hours ago now. Both men left the Tardis and called the guard shack from the Doctor's lab.
After speaking briefly with the guard, the Doctor (4) quietly set the phone back down. "The guard said they haven't arrived yet." he stopped and faced his future self. "The Brigadier's wife called an hour ago. She wanted to know if he made it here safely. The police found the Brigadier's car abandoned on the side of the road, engine still running and the driver's door open. I think we can assume that whoever took Sarah, Rose and Mickey have taken the Brigadier, Benton and Harry. We really are on our own." the Doctor (4) said.
"If this 'whole' thing has been engineered in order to get us together so that the Master could take all of these people as collateral, it must be something big, very big. And if he engineered this, then chances are what we went through was not a rip in time and space, but some unnatural doorway." the Doctor (9) concluded.
Before the Doctor could comment, one of the UNIT security guards came through the door stopping in front of the Doctor and stood at attention. "Sir we have searched the base again and haven't been able to locate Miss. Smith or any of the others. However one of the men found this Sir." the soldier said, holding his open hand out to the Doctor (4). In it was Sarah's engagement ring.
"Where did you find this?" the Doctor (4) asked with barely concealed rage.
"Sir it was found on the floor near the counter in the Records Department Sir."
"Thank you. Let us know if you find anything else. That's all." the Doctor (9) told the soldier. As he watched his other self, it was obvious that he was in great pain.
Suddenly, the Doctor (4) had an epiphany and jumped down from his work bench. "I know someone that can help us. If he's still on Earth that is. Let's go!" he said as he flew from the lab, Sarah's ring clenched tightly in his hand. His counterpart now running behind to catch up.
Thirty minutes later, both Doctors entered the grounds of the Meditation Center, the site of a previous mystery solved by the Doctor (4) and Sarah. The trip there had been a quiet one. Each man lost in his own despair. The sign that had directed them to the Monastery on their previous trip was now missing. "Sarah and I battled the Spiders from Metebelis Three and it all began here." the Doctor (4) said to his counterpart. Here we met one of our, well one of mine in any case, old mentors from Gallifrey. When I knew him, his name was Vaughn. When we came here his name was Abbot K'anpo Rinpoche and then he regenerated into Cho-Je. Did this happen in your timeline?"
"Sarah and I fought the Spiders of Metebelis Three, but it didn't start here for us. As for the old mentor, yes he was one of mine too." the Doctor (9) replied.
The Doctors parked Bessie in the circular drive. As they exited the car they were met by Tommy. "Cho-Je has been expecting you Doctor, Doctor. He is waiting for you both." he said as he held the door open for the pair. Tommy showed them to a room in the front of the building. Sitting cross legged on a meditation mat was Cho-Je.
"Welcome Doctor, Doctors." he said with a small smile. He climbed to his feet and directed the men to seats in front of a roaring fireplace. "I had a feeling you would be coming. Where is your companion Sarah?" Cho-Je asked with concern.
"She has been kidnapped along with my other self's companions. We believe the Master is behind this. We also believe…" the Doctor (4) started.
"That he is responsible for your other self to be in this reality also? Yes he is." Cho-Je stated.
"I'm sorry Cho-Je, but how do you know this?" the Doctor (4) asked getting a little irritable that he could see this.
The Doctor (9) flashed a look of aggravation with his other self. There was no one in this room that was more angry than him. It wouldn't do them any good to upset Cho-Je.
Cho-Je placed his hands out in front of him in a gesture of calmness. "Gentlemen, to bring them back we must remain calm. In answer to your question Doctor, my gifts are many. I too am, how do they say it, am out of the loop in regards to Gallifrey. Using our technology in any case. But my gifts aren't dependant on technology." Seeing both men now looking somewhat calmer he continued, "Am I right in assuming that both of your Tardis are not working still?".
"Yes, it is imperative that we get our companions back." the Doctor (4) pleaded. The panic he had controlled earlier was now rising to the surface. He wouldn't allow himself to picture all of the terrible things that may be happening to Sarah and the others.
"Doctor I am aware of your special relationship with Sarah. This information did not come from my many gifts I must admit." Cho-Je stated, and seeing their confused looks added, "Sarah sent me an invitation to your wedding. She has a pure heart, much like both of yours. We 'will' get her back." and turning to the other Doctor continued, "We will get them all back. Now I must meditate. It will help me collect the information that will help us begin our search." He watched both men look to one another, and answered their unspoken question. "Yes, my Tardis is working. Now please, allow me to locate them. Tommy?" Cho-Je called.
Tommy came through the door immediately. "Yes Abbot?"
"Tommy please take our guests and get them some refreshments. Doctor, could you please allow me to hold Sarah's ring while I meditate?" Cho-Je asked, the look given by both of the Doctors' was that of astonishment.
"Yes, of course." he (4) said removing it from his inner pocket where he had placed it before the trip to the Monastery.
Cho-Je took it from the Doctor carefully holding it, giving it the same respect he knew the couple had. The material symbol of their love and hopefully their reunion. With one final look from the Doctor (4), both men left the room with Tommy.
On Masina Minor, more deliveries were made to the Xandia Prison Colony. Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart's body was unceremoniously deposited on the floor of Level 23. Standing over his unconscious form was Bax. Bax was in charge of the floor whose job it was to sand and refine the tools that the miners used. Bax was humanoid in form, but there the resemblance stopped. His skin was covered in fine blue scales. He gave the impression of a fierce fighter with his bulging muscles and six foot, ten inch frame. "Take him to the pit." Bax stood and watched the guard drag away the new recruit. Unknown to anyone on Masina Minor, Bax didn't enjoy the power he held over the prisoners. His only hope of surviving this damning world was to keep this to himself. After all he thought, what choice did he have? He was here for life. He turned and left the prisoners behind returning to his own quarters, the one bit of luxury on Masina Minor, privacy.
On Level 39, the purpose was ore separation. The ore would first be sent through the furnaces on this level. Their job was to skim the small but precious amounts of Diaxan from the top. The imposing wide frame of Devlyn, whose job it was to keep the prisoners and the ore moving, stood above the unconscious form of Harry Sullivan. "Take him to the pit. Let him get to know his new friends." The pit was what many of the level managers called the prisoners' sleeping quarters. Devlyn laughed as he retreated to his own quarters.
On Level 45, the roar of mining equipment was all but drowning out the voice of the level's leader, Strok. "They must be scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one. He won't last long. Take him to the pit!" Strok said in reference to Benton as he stomped away. They want to see production stepped up, yet they won't send the type of prisoner I need to get the job done, he thought as he kicked a bit of rock across the floor. The rock hit the wall and shattered as Strok slammed the door to his quarters shut.
On the executive level, Wrekean was receiving another transmission from one of his customers cancelling their order. If it kept up at this pace, he would have no income. Then what good would all the prisoners be? When he was given this prison, he was told to run it as he saw fit. Do whatever you want with the prisoners. In geological reports he had discovered he was sitting on a Xandia mine. They had been the first to use prisoners as miners. He bankrolled this operation with every bit of cash that he could beg, borrow and steal. He had paid every bit of it back too. Unfortunately he had also gone through his profits, much faster than he could replace them.
In the beginning, only a small group knew of the Diaxan that could be skimmed from the Xandia. Diaxan was what many referred to as a 'miracle drug'. When you used Diaxan, you felt like you could do or be anything. Of course there had been a few deaths from overdoses and other accidents, but it was to be expected with such a recreational drug. Because it was banned, the demand for it was higher than ever. Xandia was a powerful energy source, once you shielded its radioactive nature that is. But to his surprise the request for the ore was greater than he could supply. Now with the recent discovery of Xandia on Trey 5 and with a new competing prison colony, he was no longer the only source for the valuable ore and black market drug. The new prison colony was mining the ore at an amazing pace and he was losing customers at an equally fast rate.
Wrekean felt unexpectedly tired. Odd he thought, a moment ago he was fine. It was almost as if someone were stroking his mind, calming him. Before another thought could form he closed his eyes. He saw the events of the last twenty four hours go by as if he were watching a film. The images stopping at random as he listened to certain parts of the past day closely, reviewing them intently. Then as quickly as it happened, it was over. Wrekean opened his eyes and wondered what happened. It's probably the stress of this damnable planet, he cursed. He decided to go to his quarters and get some rest.
At the Monastery both Doctors were awaiting the arrival of Tommy, letting them know that Cho-Je had some information. But each knowing how treacherous and truly evil the Master is, found it was having a bad effect on their patience.
"I cannot believe that the Time Lords let him slip through their fingers again!" the Doctor (4) ranted as he once again started pacing. "How many times do I have to deliver him to them? Is it so hard to believe that one of our own race could be this evil? How egotistical! Of course one of their own couldn't be capable of such deceit. Well if they think they are going to…what, what's wrong?" the Doctor (4) stopped as he caught sight of his other self.
The Doctor (9) was holding his head in his hands. He wanted to be ranting, raving and throwing things too. But he had left that part of him behind several regenerations ago. Still, it was really starting to appeal to him. His thoughts were of Rose. The way she looked at everything, to her everything was bright, shiny and new. Rose could possibly use her looks to keep her safe, but he had a feeling she would use her mouth first. And that thought alone was doing nothing to assure her safety in his mind. And Mickey, he would try to protect Rose therefore guaranteeing his death. As for the others… "I've just been sizing up Rose and Mickey's chances of surviving this, but I've just realized we know nothing. They could be de…" he (9) stopped when he saw the look on his previous regeneration's face. "I'm sorry. I just…"
"I know, I know. We can't let ourselves think that way. I refuse to believe that Sarah and the other are…no, they can't be. I have to believe they are still alive. The Master wouldn't take them and kill them. He'll want to use them as hostages. Remember, he wants to inflict as much pain, for as long as possible on us. I believe this. Because if I didn't…" the Doctor (4) stated, turning away out of fear that his emotions would take over. He was brought out of his reverie quickly as he heard the door open.
Tommy stepped into the door, a look of hope on his face. "Doctors, the Abbot is ready for you." He stepped back allowing the pair to pass. As they reached the Abbot, Tommy stated, "I will make sure you are undisturbed. I wish you peace." Tommy bowed as he left the room.
