Chapter 4
As the group went to dinner at the restaurant, the topic of communications came up.
"You know, we need to make sure that we have a means of keeping in touch with each other on this mission, whatever we come up with," Jack brought up. "Since I have a mobile and Sam has one, namely Rose's, I suggest everyone have one. They're hard to listen in on since there are so many signals in the air at one time."
"I'm not getting a phone," Maggie said adamantly. "I hate those things."
Sam looked at her. "No surprise there," he said drily.
"It's not just that I think they're utterly useless personally," Margaret countered. "Do you know how often they go off in my classes? They're annoying."
"You might need to get one regardless of your personal feelings on the matter," the Doctor told her bluntly.
"I want a phone," Glad said giddily. "I want a camera phone, a pink one with those shiny stones on it."
"You are not getting a mobile," the Time Lord replied emphatically.
"What? Why not?"
"Because you don't need one and you are far too young for one. Why would you want a camera phone anyway? Where did you even hear of camera phones?"
"When I went shopping with Mrs. Doris I saw a lot of people using phones in Lima. Besides, I'm sixteen. Some of the girls I saw with the phone were younger than me!" she exclaimed.
"I'm sure they were but I remember what it's like to have a sixteen year old girl around the TARDIS, other than you, I mean. All those magazines and opinions. These days it's only more bothersome when a teenager spends every waking moment chatting away on a mobile... or even worse, texting. Do you know how often that causes carpel tunnel syndrome? Sixteen and in need of splints..." He noticed that everyone was looking at him again as he went off on his most recent tangent. "Anyway, I'm not letting you change into a happy slappy hoodie."
"What's a hoodie?" Glad asked.
Jack laughed at the question. "He thinks you might turn into a regular hooligan."
"Oh... I wouldn't be like that nurse. She likes Frank Burns and I like Hawkeye better. Or B.J."
"That's Hoolihan, not hooligan!" the Doctor told her with a roll of the eyes as they stepped out of the car, Jack leading the way.
"I always thought a hoodie was something you wore on your head," Sam commented.
Jack turned back to Sam. "That's a beanie you wear on your head."
"I'm not thinking of a beanie, Jack," he replied with a glare. "I mean... I know it's some kind of piece of clothing."
"Touchy, touchy," Jack said before turning to the Doctor. "You, though, need a mobile for sure."
"I suppose," the Time Lord conceded as he scratched his face briefly. "Never had a mobile before. Never had the need for one."
"For this operation, I think it's going to be key. We've got a bit of a problem with this communications plan, however."
"The Pi Network," the Doctor agreed.
"If you could sonic a phone so that it works throughout time and space, couldn't you just sonic one to work outside the range of the Pi Network?" Sam questioned.
"Not quite that simple but... I could isolate all the phones to be on a different bandwidth than the Pi Network. No matter the width of the band, there are pockets that may not be utilized. I think I could find a thin segment that four people could use."
"What about me?" Glad questioned.
"I told you... no phone for you."
"Back of the line," Jack murmured, gaining a smile from the Time Lord.
Glad frowned at the two of them. "You're no fun."
"Don't worry, Glad. I bet when Rose comes back, she'll make sure you get a phone."
"Rose used her phone to keep in contact with her mother. Who does Glad need to call ultra long distance to?" the Gallifreyan complained.
"Doctor, you're going to have two females on your TARDIS and both will actually want to use mobiles then," Sam pointed out when Maggie raised her eyebrows. "If nothing else, they'll want to talk to each other. Trust me, I dealt with twin teenagers on one of my leaps."
"Rose isn't a teenager! She's twenty years old."
"Close enough."
Sighing, the Doctor just shook his head at the possible future he would face with Rose Tyler and Galadriel Thatcher. Turning to Maggie, he asked, "Where can we procure a couple of mobiles?"
"At a mall kiosk?" Jack suggested.
"Mall?" perked up Glad.
Maggie huffed slightly. "Tourists," she muttered. "I may not have a phone and may not want one, but even I know you go to a phone store. We can do that after dinner."
As the troupe entered the restaurant, a dark haired man met them. "Hello, Dr. Hawthorne. I see you've brought guests this time. Table for five?"
"Yes," the woman answered. "Preferably as isolated as possible, please."
The proprietor nodded, then lowering his voice he asked her, "Your friends... do they think Harold Saxon is a good man?"
"Do you?" Jack questioned in return, having heard the man despite the soft query.
"I asked first."
"I would say that," the Doctor put in, "based on this gentleman's reaction, he has the same aversion to television, radio, and mobiles that Maggie has, or at least has some mental properties that allow his subconscious to protect himself from the effects of the Pi Network."
"Margaret," the woman stated dryly again.
The man looked gratefully at the tall lanky man. "You're not one of his sheep?"
"No, we do not believe Harold Saxon to be a good man. Just the opposite, in fact." He grinned at the proprietor with obvious pleasure, extending his hand. "I'm the Doctor."
"Juan Torres," the restaurateur said taking his hand. "Good knowing not all of Australia is insane."
"Not at the moment," Jack stated bluntly. "Just ninty-five percent of it or so."
Glad moved to stand beside the Doctor. "Do you have tiara mastu?"
Sam let out a breath. "We talked about this, Glad. Balance. It's all about balance."
"It's tiramisu," the Doctor corrected her. "And I'm sure that he does. This is an Italian restaurant after all. Run by a gentleman of Hispanic descent. Don't see that very often, now, do you?"
Maggie smiled. "The best part is, though, Juan's got good Chianti." She looked at the proprietor. "I might just need an extra bottle to take home."
"Hard day, Dr. Hawthorne?" Juan asked.
"Hard last few days, Juan, and not getting any better."
"Well, I have a very nice, secluded table perfect for you." The group followed the man to a back room. "No one will bother you here."
"Ah! Molto bene!" the Doctor complimented.
The group all found their places. Maggie put down her menu first after a quick scan.
Jack looked at her. "Aren't you going to decide what you want first?"
She smiled. "Already know what I want."
"I think I'll have the shrimp fettuccine alfredo with broccoli and tomatoes," the Doctor replied. "And a lime soda."
Maggie smiled. "And the Doctor does too."
"Tiramisu," Glad decided abruptly.
Sam looked at her. "Eat something with vegetables first."
She tugged on her shirt. "I don't have to," she told him stubbornly.
"Yes, you do," the Doctor instructed her. "Either that or you don't eat at all. You're choice."
She sighed melodramatically. "Yes, Doctor."
"You'd probably like the spinach lasagna, Glad." Sam suggested.
She grimaced slightly at the suggestion. "Spinach?"
"Yeah. When made into lasagna, spinach can be really good. Mom used to make that and Katie said it was her favorite."
She looked around the table to see if anyone else thought the suggestion was a bit odd. The Doctor had a look that said he was seriously considering changing his mind about his choice of meal. Jack and Maggie seemed certain about their choices. That left Glad wondering if this was an elaborate practical joke on Sam's part. "I don't know..." she started.
Maggie spoke up. "Small world. It's always been one of my favorites too. That's what I'm ordering."
"I guess I'll try that," Glad finally decided. "I still would rather have tiramisu."
"So, everyone's decided?" the Doctor questioned. Getting a nod from each person, each in turn made their order when Juan returned. Then, once alone again, he looked on the group. "Let's use our time wisely and work on our plan." He leaned back in his chair. "According to one of my sources, the best chance for defeating the Master is Galadriel's pendant."
"My pendant? How can we defeat the Master with jewelry?" Glad asked.
"Your pendant is very special, Glad. Remember the explosion that Jack caused when he put those two slivers of rock... well, not really rock but they look sort of like rock so, as not to confuse you, we'll call them rocks... remember how they reacted against each other? The Master has a meteorite which that sliver came from. Both Merlyna and Berega indicated that your pendant is the weapon we need to defeat the Master. That was why Merlin gave it to you in the first place."
"Who's Merlyna?" Jack questioned.
"Merlin's grandmother. She was a Time Lord. Talked to me in a dream and gave me cryptic messages via Merlin's Zero Room and a riddle Merlin told me."
Maggie looked at the Doctor. "So now you expect me to believe a fictional character like Merlin was the grandson of one of you lot." She picked up her Chianti. "We just might need another bottle if this keeps up"
"I doubt that another bottle of Chianti will help us stop Lothos or the Master from accomplishing their goals," the Doctor responded. "Now let me think. How did that so cryptic message go? 'There will be a time when a force for good will be bound together on a great mission. The Storm will lead an elf, a reader of the rocks, and two knights in battle against the ones who use the Evil Eye to enslave all time. One knight shall be clothed in rose petals and the other knight is one whose life renews repeatedly. The key to salvation shall be in the elf's eye.' Well, we have a reader of rocks... namely you, Maggie..."
"Margaret," she corrected with a glower.
The Doctor continued as if she hadn't spoken. "A knight whose life renews repeatedly... well, that would be Jack. Sam looks like Rose so he must be the knight clothed in rose petals."
"You're obviously the Oncoming Storm," Jack put in, gaining a raised eyebrow from the Doctor.
"Oncoming Storm?" Margaret questioned.
"Nickname I picked up from the Daleks," the Time Lord told her. "You wouldn't know about them yet. But that leaves only the elf." He turned towards Glad with a smile.
"I'm not an elf," she said emphatically.
"No, you're not. But you do have rather elf-like features. Seen your ears in the mirror lately?"
"My ears are just like my mother's," the girl said. "My father said they were beautiful."
"And they are. They're lovely ears, with the little rounded points on the top. Looking elvish isn't a bad thing. According to 19th century Romanticism, elves are beautiful creatures."
"Well, I still don't get what the riddle says. I certainly don't have anything in my eyes."
"You have a sampling of the Eye of Harmony in your pendant," the Doctor told her gently. "And according to the riddle, that means your pendant is the key to our success. May I see it?"
She considered his words and took off the pendant, handing it to him.
Pulling out his glasses, he perched them on his nose and examined the pendant carefully. "Interesting. Wonder why I didn't notice it before." He seemed to try to pull the pendant apart at the edges before frowning. "Odd." Feeling the eyes of his companion's on him, he explained, "This pendant is more like a very large locket but, for some reason, it's sealed closed. And there's something unusual about this metal..." Bringing it up to his mouth, he licked the back and then looked thoughtful. "Definitely extraterrestrial. Seems more like a form of micro-technology than a solid metal... Familiar..."
Margaret blinked. "You can tell that from a lick?"
"Time Lord tongue," he told her as if that were a proper explanation. "But it's a locket. Why won't it open?" He seemed to think for a moment before handing it back to Glad. "Try opening that."
Glad took the item back and looked at the section the Doctor had tried to open. Pressing it, the locket opened immediately, revealing the opal-like stone on one side and a tiny network of metallic lines on the other. The moment it opened, the Gallifreyan quickly reached over and closed the locket once again, a startled expression on his face.
"What is it? What's wrong?" the teenager questioned, stunned by his actions.
"It sang to me," the Time Lord replied in an awed whisper.
Glad looked at the stone inside. "Sang?" She started to reach to open it again.
"No," the Gallifreyan ordered, wrapping his hands around hers to stop her actions. "Keep it closed."
"Doctor, what exactly is going on here?" Margaret questioned, confusion on her face. "How can a piece of jewelry sing to you?"
"I told you before. It isn't just a piece of jewelry. It's a piece of a condensed black hole and very likely so is the meteor that the Master took from you. And as Jack demonstrated, a positive plus a negative equals a great big bang." He took a breath. "Somehow, we have to get Glad's Eye in contact with the Master's."
"But the meteor was much bigger than that... um... singing rock."
Jack considered all he heard. "You aren't seriously considering blowing up all of Melbourne just to get to the Master, are you?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I have no intention of putting those two together unless I absolutely have to... and I have Glad's pendant around my neck and the Master's bioelectrical field around the P.I. building which can be converted into a force shield to withstand the blast and limit it to just that area."
"But you couldn't open it," Glad pointed out.
"Apparently, your pendant has isomorphic controls to prevent anyone from opening it other than you. But I'm glad you did open it for that brief moment as it allowed me a glimpse of the interior workings of the pendant itself." He gave her a smile. "Your pendant, my dear, is also a personal shield generator. Brilliant really. Should have recognized the technology immediately."
"Pretty impressive technology," Jack stated. "I'd love to have a look at the personal shield engineering schematics."
"Yeah," Sam agreed.
"Should be impressive," the Gallifreyan stated bluntly. "It's Time Lord. I'd heard rumors that we'd tried to make a portable shield. But from all the reports, the project was deemed a failure; the inventor had passed his final regeneration and the plans were lost. Some even believed that the plans had actually been stolen before being wiped from our databanks. The schematics would have been in Gallifreyan and they would be far too complicated even for either of you."
"Hey. I can read a little Gallifreyan," Jack complained.
"So can I," Sam put in.
"I'm fluent," Glad stated with gusto.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I hardly consider two full sentences as being fluent, Galadriel."
"But they're really good sentences," she replied with a grin.
As the Doctor looked at the pendant, a rather strange look crossed his face. "Rose would have to be left behind..." he said quietly as if remembering something.
"What?" Jack asked. "What are you talking about, Doctor?"
"A memory of something that won't happen."
"How could you have a memory of something that won't happen?"
"Well... it won't happen to us although I was there when it was said."
"When what was said?" Glad asked. "You're not making any sense, Doctor."
"You were the one who said it," the Gallifreyan answered. He looked at the confusion on everyone's face. "Okay... okay. Let me explain this. There are multiple timelines fighting for existence right this very minute. The Universe is in full flux. It's why I had the reaction I had. Now, I'm focused on only two. And..." His face lit up. "Oh, Merlyna! You are brilliant. Absolutely positively brilliant!"
"He's off on another earbash!" Maggie sighed. "I think I'm going to need another glass of Chianti based on how much he's beaming."
"I have every right to beam," the Doctor replied. "After all, we Time Lords have always had a marvelous ability to work with time!" He paused. "There's a 'me' in a future that's been prevented in this timeline..."
"An original history?" Sam asked. "If it's been prevented then how..."
"You're thinking linearly again, Samuel. Imagine all timelines in play at the same time, not one supplanting the other. I can remember the things that happened and will happen in the other timeline because it hasn't disappeared from reality yet; it's in a higher quantum state and the timeline that will become the final reality hasn't been determined yet. So, I remember Glad's statement that was made right about this time in the other timeline."
"No wonder you went all catatonic," Jack commented. "Just thinking about it gives me a headache and I understand this stuff."
"So you're saying that there's information in the other timeline that will help us now?" Sam said making a guess.
"Precisely! And what Glad said was Rose would have to be left behind when we stormed the Master's complex which means he's created a biofield that Rose can't exit once it's up."
"That would explain some of the news that I'd heard coming from Melbourne during the Battle of Canary Wharf," Jack said. "Reports that some of the Cybermen were falling down in the streets, though those reports were likely exaggerated slightly. If the Master has a biofield, I would bet that those reports stemmed from activity around the Prometheus Institute and that his biofield probably was what incapacitated them."
"Those nasty creatures," Maggie groaned slightly. "We had one that kept appearing in the hallways at the University and everyone was talking about ghosts. I'd gone off on a dig three days before all hell broke loose. Professor Higgenbottom was killed by that metallic thing."
"Right. Anyway my other future self has been trying to figure out this biofield." He focused intently, his forehead creasing. "If I understand myself correctly, the only way that it can be altered is from the generator on the inside. The field itself is set to detect artron energy which is generated when one travels through time. The higher the concentration in a person, the more likely they will be turned into dust if they are in contact with the field. That's what happened to the Cybermen. Travelling through the void infected them with enough artron energy to making them walking targets to the biofield. And it means that Jack and I cannot go through the field. Time Lords are imbued with this harmless energy and Jack... well... you're practically made of the stuff, given that the vortex was used to bring you back from the dead. Glad cannot go through because of her pendant; the Eye in her pendant is likely saturated with artron energy. She could go through but since she needs to keep the pendant with her, that means, Sam and Maggie, it will be up to you to alter the frequency on the generator to allow the rest of us to go through."
"You're getting all that from connecting with a version of yourself that doesn't exist?" Maggie asked, rubbing her temples gingerly.
"I exist. It's just a different timeline," the Time Lord corrected.
"Neat trick," Sam acknowledged.
"You think that's impressive? You should see him build a Delta Wave generator in less than twenty minutes," Jack told him with a wide grin. At the look of confusion that crossed the other humans' faces, he added. "It would have fried the brains of all Daleks within a several hundred miles radius." Even as he spoke, the Doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable with the reminder of what he had nearly done to the Daleks and all mankind but didn't say anything, deciding that it wasn't relevant or necessary to argue the point.
"Oh. The things that looked like pepper shakers." Sam turned to the Doctor. "So you're saying my time travels haven't generated this artron energy?"
"And correct me if I'm wrong, but the fact that we went from the Outback to my living room means I've traveled in your TARDIS. Wouldn't that generate this artron energy?" Maggie added.
"It's the way Sam traveled that has prevented him from collecting too much background radiation," the Time Lord told them. "He sort of skimmed the surface of the time vortex. Plus, he only traveled within his own lifetime and only on Earth and that makes it easier for the energy to dissipate to almost negligible levels. However, he has been traveling with me for a few months so he has some artron energy surrounding him. Sam's levels would be higher than Maggie's and Glad's - who have only traveled on the TARDIS a short time - but would be far less than either Jack or myself or even Rose if she were here. And I really would rather not be turned into a pile of biomatter dust."
"Me neither," Jack put in. "I imagine that being revived from dust would hurt at least as much as being revived from a matter/anti-matter explosion. Just a guess but I don't want to test the theory."
A look crossed the Doctor's face for a moment, his eyes taking in the wry smile of the ex-Time Agent. "That wouldn't be the best idea in the world, no," he commented, remembering in another timeline how Jack had caused his own existence to vanish from time and space.
"Let me guess," Maggie stated. "Sam and I have to find this generator in..." She looked at Jack. "How many levels did you say this building had... that we know of?"
"According to Torchwood archives we found, there are at least eight sublevels," Jack said. "But a generator like that must be putting out a pretty intense signature." Grinning at the Doctor. "And I take it you still have that Buuuultarn Flemarson Beam Generator?"
"Well, I do, but that's such a cumbersome piece of equipment to use. Sam can just use my sonic."
"You're going to let him use your sonic? You don't let anyone use your sonic."
"In the other timeline, I gave it to you."
"But I'm different," the immortal man preened.
"Oh, yes!" The Gallifreyan grinned. "But that doesn't alter the fact that for Samuel and Margaret..."
"You remembered," Maggie stated drily.
The Time Lord aimed a sardonic eyebrow at her but continued without comment, "...will need to use it to identify the location of the generator." He gave the ex-Time Agent a firm look that stated that he'd made up his mind but still was enjoying the banter with his old friend.
"Right. So, I take it you've added more settings? The last time I saw you, you'd already programmed it with over four thousand. How many more do you need?"
"I like to be prepared," the Doctor told him.
"Wise man," Sam nodded.
"More like a wise ass," Maggie put in.
Glad looked over to her. "No need to curse."
"It's only a curse if it isn't true," the Australian defended.
"Let's get back to the plan, shall we?" the Time Lord questioned. "Sam and Maggie will go to the generator and alter the frequency to four hundred six Omegas." Seeing the frown on their faces, he waved his hand slightly. "Don't worry about what the measurement means. The generator will have some sort of adjustment control." He lifted one of the crayons that had been provided for patrons and preceded to draw an intricate pattern in a circle before tearing the paper table cover and giving the drawing to Sam. "This is what the generator needs to be set to. The moment the generator is down, the rest of us will join you and together we will search for the Master and the Black Eye."
As the Doctor spoke, the waiter returned with their orders. Once everyone was served, the waiter left and the meal began.
Sam noticed Glad digging into her lasagna. "What do you think about that now, Glad?"
"It's really good! All cheesy and salty and spicy!"
"It is good," Maggie agreed.
The group continued to talk and eat, enjoying each other's companionship. Once the Doctor had eaten his fill of his dinner, he stopped eating, and slowly leaned back, a small smile on his face as he watched his friends interact. This little band of humans - amazing, brilliant humans - sharing a meal on the eve of battle. Thinking back over the many years he'd waited on the brink of battle and the humans who had helped him, he couldn't help but feel pride at this particular band. He wished they didn't have to face the Master and Lothos but he also knew that he couldn't do the job alone. The Master or Lothos by themselves would have been difficult enough to face, but going against the two of them together would make Hercules himself shudder. Yet these people were ready to take on any task if it meant they had a chance to change the future of their world for the better. His hearts swelled with the knowledge of their loyalty and bravery. Hearing them laugh and talk, he felt more optimism than he knew he had a right to feel. And he knew, without any doubts, no matter what happened tomorrow, they would prove to both the Master and Lothos that the human race would not go quietly without a fight.
Sam looked over to the Doctor, realizing he had been quiet for awhile. "What are you thinking, Doctor?"
"You're brilliant. You know that? The lot of you. Absolutely brilliant," the Time Lord told him with a smile. "Now..." he said with a clap of his hands, seeing that they all had finished their meals as they talked. "Who's for dessert?"
