Doctor Who: ALBION
Chapter 4 - Revelation
Disclaimer - I don't own nothing or nobody you know/recognize. Doctor Who is intellectual property of the BBC, afaik.
Characters: Doctor, Capt. Jack, Gwen, Rhys, alt-Lake/Tosh/others, OCs, and counting…
Gwen Cooper tried her suite's door again. Still locked. She turned and glared at her husband, still groggy from lack of sleep as he pulled on his shoes.
"Don't look at me, I'm not the one who locked us in or set off the alarms," he groused.
She strode up to him. "I'm just worried that Jack or the Doctor have done something horribly wrong and we're all going to be executed for it."
Rhys scoffed. "Please, this is Jack we're talking ab-oh, hell, you're probably right."
She sat down next to him on the bed as they both nervously waited for word of their companions. He put one arm around her shoulders and the other hand on top of the ones clenched in her lap as he kissed her head.
"W-Will?" Markham wheezed as the ginger man knelt over him, straddling his torso and pinning his arms to the side. He positioned his feet so they were pointed into Markham's crotch, forcing him to spread his legs and pressing uncomfortably against him as he shifted his weight. If the man hadn't put a bullet in his shoulder seconds earlier, he might have enjoyed a bit of rough foreplay (even though he would still claim even now that Jack Harkness had thoroughly drained him earlier). However, this situation only added to the pain he was feeling. "How could you-?"
"I'm not William," he said simply, drawing the barrel of Jack's gun along the bristled jaw line of the Royal Guard. "I liked you, Will. I really did." He stopped and looked the burly man in the eyes. "You have his scent on you. Tell me what you did, Will. Tell me, was he better than-"
"Get off me," he pleaded, fighting the pain spreading from his right shoulder. He could feel the creeping wet warmth beneath him. He tried not to think about it.
"You don't get it, do you, Will?" the young man asked. "You're already dead," he cooed.
Markham's eyes widened in fear.
"It's a shame, really. I would have liked to have kept you as a personal pet," he shrugged, "but you will get the pleasure of knowing you won't have to live with what's coming next." He held Will's eyes for a moment. "Besides, even your name is a reminder of him, and I can't have that in my New World Order, now can I?"
Will Markham's eyes narrowed. "W-what are you talking about?"
The young man smiled and leaned closer, seeming to inhale the growing panic emanating from the wounded man. "Simple, really. I'm going to take the Crown and then we're going to destroy the world."
Markham caught his breath as the man straddling him laughed, then forced a kiss on his lips. Will shook his head, rejecting this stranger with the familiar face. He finally settled for kissing down the bodyguard's thick, stubbled neck, continuing to inhale his scent while he could.
"We could have had a full life with each other," the double whispered into his ear. "I had a collar already picked out for you."
Will fought the urge to retch. This had to be the Other, the 'clone' they had tried to prevent from taking William's place. He had given in to Will's advances a few times on the pretense of exploring his sexuality, or had that been this double? Or had this man merely seen recordings of him and Lake, or even with his own wife? Had he made Markham into some fantasy lover delusion? Will couldn't begin to understand. Besides -and more importantly- when had the switch been made? This man had intimated he apparently switched places with William at least once before. He knew it had been Prince Will with them in the forest and the return trip to the castle grounds and later, dinner and their conference, following. The prince had rarely been out of his sight in that time. It was only later, when he and Jack-
Jack! Will realized Jack had taken several hits from this man and still kept coming. Where was he now? The boy was kissing his neck again as he lewdly ground their bodies together, so Will took the opportunity to squirm as a way of checking out the dim light of the room for Harkness. His injured shoulder was wracked with pain as he did, but he endured it. He saw a shadow slowly rise near his feet. How had the man been able to survive being stabbed and electrocuted this long? That would have to wait for another time as he saw what was happening.
"Do you two want some privacy?"
The Other-Prince stopped and looked into Will's eyes, but he shut them. "What did you say?"
"Get off me," he grunted again, keeping the man's attention for a few moments more. He was having trouble breathing now, and it wasn't from the external weight. Suddenly, he felt the man being pulled back off of him.
"I said get the hell off my friend!" Jack announced as he put the young man in a sleeper headlock and pulled him off the wounded guard. The ginger started thrashing, flailing wildly at the recuperated Time Agent. "Go ahead, fight all you want. I can wait," he urged their assailant.
When the duplicate had finally succumbed to Jack's sleeper hold, he tossed him to the side and knelt down to tend to Markham. "Will! Are you alright? Is it bad?"
"Feels like he clipped a lung, mate," Will wheezed. "How are you still going?"
"Long story, no time. We need to get you some medical attention," Jack said, inspecting the wound. "Where's the hospital wing? You mentioned healers before?"
Will shook his head. "No, something's gone wrong. We've been compromised. Can't trust anyone."
"You're going to die without medical attention," Jack told him.
Markham waved him off. "Find the Prince, make sure William's the right one they Crown tomorrow." He grabbed Jack, pulling him close. "It's up to you and your friends, Jack," he coughed. "Protect the Prince and the Regent until the Coronation. The world depends on you." The words sounded intimately familiar as he said them.
Jack forced a smile. "It wouldn't be the first time."
Markham smiled back. "One more thing." Jack nodded. "Tell my wife she was right."
"Let me get you to help, Will," Jack insisted. "Don't make her a widow."
Will forced a raspy laugh and pulled Jack closer. Jack could hear the blood in his lungs as Will whispered in his ear.
"You're sure?" he asked, looking into the man's eyes.
Will nodded, mouthed "thank you" and kissed Jack before falling back, unconscious. Jack picked him up and placed him in the Prince's bed, using what little he had at hand as a makeshift bandage. He then turned and trussed up the other man and threw him over his shoulder, stepping over the fallen guard, he kicked the door open and headed out. The other two guards that had come with them were nowhere to be found, yet Jack still found himself on the wrong end of trouble with a familiar face.
Toshiko Sato waited until Jackson Lake had left the suite before she allowed Lady Miranda to leave her Safe Room. The first thing Miranda wanted was to know her son was safe. Tosh paged Markham's wrist-comm. "There's no answer," she admitted.
"Why would that be?" Miranda inquired.
Tosh thought for a moment. "The only reason we would lose communication is if we were dead and the body gone cold or the comms were sabotaged. Since it hasn't even been ten minutes since Will was here-" she trailed off, almost afraid to admit the castle could be under attack.
"Find my son, Toshiko," Miranda ordered her. "Make sure he's alive."
"Stay in your Safe Room," Tosh replied. "Do not leave until I give you our password. Do you understand?"
Miranda nodded and returned to her room. Tosh quickly dressed and locked the suite behind her, just in case. She found new guards posted in the hall outside.
"Why are you here?" she demanded.
"Orders, ma'am," one guard explained. "We're to keep the Regent's family lockdown safe until after the Coronation, tomorrow."
Tosh wasn't sure what to think. This could be a necessary precaution, but she would have been given a briefing on it. She decided to play along for the time being.
"Very well, the Lady Miranda is not feeling well," she lied. "Do not let anyone in without my permission. That includes the Regent and the Prince, himself. No one, not even Lake. Do you understand me?"
"Our orders were to guard the Lady Miranda, ma'am."
"It is my sworn duty to protect her with my life. Therefore, you take your orders directly from me," she corrected him. "Is that understood, soldier?"
They saluted. "Ma'am! Yes, Ma'am!"
Tosh wasn't sure to believe him, but decided to take her chances. She had to check on the boy's quarters. She turned on her heel and marched off to her destination. As she entered the Prince's private hall and neared the rooms, the door kicked open. The man who had earlier identified himself as 'Captain Jack Harkness' exited with a body slung over his shoulder. It looked to her like the Crown Prince.
"Don't you move!" she ordered, pointing her weapon at him. "Put the prince down! Slowly!"
Jack sighed and turned to look at her with pleading eyes. "Tosh, I know you don't know me, but I know you," he said. "Trust me on this."
"I'm not trusting anybody right now," she replied, noticing what seemed to be a smudge of blood on his lips.
Jack's face went slack. Will Markham had been right, something else had happened. How deep were they in, right now? "How's the prince's mother? Is she alright?"
"Put the Prince down and I'll tell you," she ordered.
"This isn't the Prince, Tosh," Jack informed her. "It's the double. Somehow, they managed to switch off overnight."
"Yeah, right, and I'm the Queen of China," she shot back. "I'm not going to tell you again: put. the Prince. down."
"We're wasting precious time, Toshiko," Jack warned her. "This is not the Prince and Markham is dying in there."
This took her by surprise. "W-What?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "He said you were right."
Her face went slack. "oh my gods!" She ran past Jack into the bedroom. "Will? Will, wake up!" she pleaded with her husband. His breath was weak and shallow. She could see a thin trail of bloody spittle on his cheek.
"We need to get him medical attention, Tosh, but he thinks the whole castle has been compromised," Jack told her as he dropped the Other-Prince's body into a chair. "His wrist-comm seems to be down?"
"It's not the only one," she replied, fighting back tears over her husband's body. She turned her head towards Jack. "Lake told me to keep you and your friends away from the Family, but suddenly, I think that you are our only hope."
Jack came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "The Toshiko Sato I know was pretty smart, too, but I'm going to need your help doing this. Is there anyone you can trust?"
She nodded. "One of the medics and I go way back. I can trust her to help heal Will without Lake finding out."
"It's not Suzie or Owen, is it?" he inquired.
"No, her name is Martha," she replied. "Martha Jones."
He smiled. "That would have been my second guess."
"You stay here and guard 'His Highness', I'll fetch Martha," she said before turning to leave. "And Jack?" He turned to look at her. "Did he say anything else?"
"Ianto's a good man," he told her, giving her a sad smile. "I can vouch for that."
She gave him a puzzled look, but smiled back at him and giving her husband a last longing look before hurrying off.
"We should be landing at Heathrow in about ten minutes," the pilot noted over the intercom. "The weather is clear and a balmy 75 degrees."
"Thanks, Cap Norris," Charles Hampton Jones replied before turning to his aide de camp. "That is Norris, right?"
"Yes, Sir," Ianto Jones replied. "Capt. Lapidus is the co-pilot, today. His voice is gruffer."
"What's wrong with that?" he winked, mock-offended in his own gruff tone, as he strummed the guitar in his lap.
Ianto bristled at the accent, which sounded more like "Whut 'rong wit dat?" He always reverted back to a more Cajun influence after spending time back home. Ianto suspected he often did it on purpose as he sighed and replied, "Nothing, Sir," not missing a beat and handing the Regent the day's schedule.
Charles tossed it aside and slapped a large hand on his assistant's back, getting a stifled 'oof' as always. "That's what I like about you, Jonesy. You're the stiffest of stiff upper lips." Upon seeing the man's displeasure, he confessed, "Don't worry, my hands are clean and I didn't wrinkle your jacket."
Ianto forced a half-smile and went back to his paperwork.
"After all this hubbub and pageantry, why don't you take a couple weeks off?" he suggested.
Ianto gulped. "Sir?"
"g'wan. My job will be over, so you can take a couple weeks to yourself. Go relax, do whatever," he goaded. "Take the lady out to Aruba or Jamaica, some nudie beach or wherever. My treat."
"W-well, that-that's very nice of you, Sir, but I really must get the Prince's schedules in order, and besides, I don't really have anyone-"
"Psh!" the Regent scoffed. "Oh please, everybody knows about you and Tosh. Will don't mind, so, y'know, go get drunk and get-" he mimicked gyrating his hips in his seat, fondling his guitar as if it were a lover, finishing in a lewd tone "-laid. Uh-huh! ooh, baby, that's what Big Daddy like! Yowza!" He bumped elbows with his prim and proper assistant, who only got annoyed when it knocked papers to the floor. "Right darlin'?" he turned and asked Cindy, who was retrieving the last of their drink cups before landing.
"Whatever you say, Champ," she replied with a wink as he handed her Ianto's unfinished coffee mug over his protestation. She had long ago learned to take the Regent's good natured, flirtatious attitude in stride, unafraid of letting him know when he was being inappropriate. He liked having her around for that reason. Her predecessor, Tegan, was the same way, he had told her.
He blew her a kiss in return before turning back to his assistant. "Well? Whaddya say?"
Ianto's face turned red and his mouth started working, but no sound came out. "I-I-I-um, that is-" He began shuffling papers.
"What are ya, part fish?" the large man teased. "Like I said, Will's okay with you and Tosh, and it's my treat. Hell, I'll send Will along just to make sure you don't even touch a piece of paper!" He leaned closer. "Except any 'papers' you stuff in some g-strings that is!" he guffawed.
"W-well, that's nice of you Sir, but totally unnecessary," he protested. "I-I certainly wouldn't dream of taking time away from William and Toshiko's marriage much less-"
"Dude, unclench," he chuckled. "My boy's already got a staff ready to tend to his every need, and what little help they need for the transition, I can handle myself. I did run a successful business before y'all came lookin' for me, y'know," he reminded the uptight man.
"Be that as it may, Sir, there will be details that I can handle and-"
"It's settled. Next week, Tosh is taking you boys to the getaway of her choice. Will can chaperone to make sure you don't work on your vacation," Charles insisted. "Hell, you might get lucky and he'll teach you a few moves," he winked.
Before Ianto could protest further, Norris clicked on the "Fasten Seatbelts" sign and announced their final approach, forcing Ianto to hurriedly stash all his now scattered paperwork and buckle in as Charles placed his guitar in it's case.
He still argued his job came first over such 'trivial details' like a vacation. Charles ignored him and texted Toshiko and Will they were on vacation as of the following week.
He glanced back at his wrist-comm PDA a moment. "Hmm, either this thing ain't working, or they didn't go through?"
Ianto held his hand out. "Are you sure you sent it right?"
"Yes, I'm sure I sent it right," he mocked. "Here, I'll send it to you so you can add it to your calendar."
Ianto glanced at his own PDA with a curious expression.
"What, didn't that one go through, either?"
"It might just be reception because of the landing, or it might be something else," he muttered to himself.
Charles scoffed again. "Paranoid much?"
Ianto gave him a stern look. "A little paranoia is a good thing, Sire. Especially for the next few days."
Charles gave him an annoyed look out of the corner of his eye as the man tucked the device back into his wrist-comm.
After their private hover-jet had landed and taxied to their secluded royal hangar, Cindy allowed them to get up to disembark. Charles strapped his wrist-comm back on his thick forearm, then grabbed his suit jacket and tie to dress as Ianto gathered up his business papers and such. Charles then invited the crew to come back to Wyndham Palace for the celebrations, but only Norris could get away. It also helped that he could fly the hover-copter there, Charles insisting on co-piloting, as usual.
As they neared the palace, Ianto sensed something amiss. "Was the Guard stepped up today as well?" he asked, leaning forward.
"Aren't you supposed to know these things?" Charles asked.
"They were supposed to be," Ianto informed him, "but I barely see anyone patrolling the grounds?"
"Hardly anyone was on duty at Heathrow, either," Norris added.
"You sure they ain't keeping it all on the down low, undercovers and such?" Charles asked. "It's not like people don't know what's going on."
"That's exactly why they should have stepped up the uniformed security, Sir," Ianto informed him.
"Well, nothing we can do up here. Set 'er down and we'll talk to Lake and Markham about it," Charles decided.
"Torchwood Tower's not responding, and sensors say the palace shielding is still up," Norris replied. "What do you want me to do?"
"Well, we gotta land, might as well set it down nearby," he replied. "The hunting preserve should be fine."
"As you wish," Norris said and corrected his course, setting the hover-copter down a mile from the palace in a clearing in the hunting preserve. The trio couldn't help but notice the large blue box further down as they circled to land.
"Is that a new guard post, Ianto?"
"I have no record of it, Sir," he replied. "I'm sure we can inquire of Lake and Markham when we get inside."
No sooner had they set down than a small squad of guards filtered out of the woods and surrounded the small aircraft.
"Well, I'm glad someone is finally recognizing the fact I need protection," Charles greeted one of the squad as he disembarked the copter. "What the Hades is going on? No one would answer our hails?"
"Sir, you will come with me," the squad leader informed him, leading the Regent to a waiting carriage.
His demeanor instantly set off alarm between the three men, especially when several of the guard herded Ianto and Norris away from the copter and into another carriage. A few fleeting glances between Charles and Ianto were all that was needed for them to communicate what needed to be done.
"What's all the hubbub, bub?" Charles asked in a forced smile as their carriage pulled away from the landing site.
"My orders are to convey you to the rightful heir of the Kingdom, sir."
"My son?"
The squad leader did not reply. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and Charles was not surprised by their destination: Lord Greaves' residence. He also saw that his companions had not followed them. He trusted Ianto Jones to do what was needed.
Toshiko quickly ushered Martha into the Prince's suite, where she did not question why they apparently had the Crown Prince bound and gagged in a chair while she tended to Markham's wounds.
"Who in Hades still uses bullets?" she asked, injecting a sedative after pulling the slug from the guard's shoulder. Tosh sat opposite, holding her slumbering husband's other hand.
"Well, what do you use here?" Jack inquired.
She gave Jack a double take. "Tasers, stun bolts, crossbolts, and sed-darts," Martha rattled off, giving him a questioning look. "You sound like a Colonist, but you aren't, are you?"
Jack smiled. "Is it just me, or are you all smarter in this world?"
"This world?"
Jack sighed. "Long story short, ladies? My friends and I were time traveling, and somehow 'jumped' time lines. You two, among others, were-are friends of ours, back home." He mentally kicked himself for that slip. "However, among other things, the technology here and the Royal Family are completely different from what we know."
Both women caught his correction from past to present tense, but decided not to press the issue. "How do you intend to get home, then?" Martha inquired.
Jack shrugged. "Hopefully, find the spot where we skipped over and back track from there. In the time I come from, time travel is still an imperfect science, accomplished with luck as much as technology." He held up his armband. "I did happen to notice a lot of these going around. I'm curious as to their origins, considering mine is from the 51st Century."
"These wrist-comms have been common tech for a good thirty-odd years, now," Tosh explained. "They were invented by Lord Greaves. The Royals and other Elite have the most advanced and secure versions, but you can walk into any market and buy a cheap one. They've been commercially available for longer than we've been around."
"At least," Martha agreed. "Quite the fashion accessory back then, for those who could afford them."
"This world's version of our cell phones, eh? No Steve Jobs or Wozniak, or Bill Gates to reinvent the tech back then, huh?"
"Bill who?" Tosh asked. "You know Jobs and the Woz? Big fan, me. Woz is a total Woof," she chuckled, glancing at her husband, and rubbing his leg. Jack smiled at this, remembering his earlier exchange with the newly regenerated Doctor.
Martha laughed. "Everybody knows you're a Bear hag, Tosh, or should I say Goldilocks? The question is what you see in Ianto?" Jacked perked up at this.
"Ianto is just-," she paused, blushed, and chuckled.
"Ianto is Ianto," Jack finished for her, remembering his late lover.
"You know Ianto Jones, too?" Martha inquired, ready to rib her friend about what a slag her lover was.
"Yeah," he replied somberly. The girls knew not to press the issue from his tone. "But we are changing the subject. Who's taken over the Palace, and how do we regain control before the Regent returns and/or the Coronation tomorrow?"
"Well, the Regent should be back by, well-" Martha glanced to the Prince's bedside alarm clock, "-now?"
"Ladies, I think we need a rescue plan," Jack announced. "Tosh, do you know which quarters my friends were put in?"
"Three rooms were set aside in the guest wing yesterday," she informed him. "Will let me know which one he spent the night in." She raised an annoyed eyebrow at him. Jack smirked, unembarrassed, glancing down at the slumbering form of his most recent lover and her husband.
Ten minutes later, Tosh found herself in the guest wing. Seeing two rooms under guard, she chose the one with two guards, Jack having mentioned Lake had positioned one guard outside the room the Doctor had been assigned to.
"Her majesty wants a word with our guests," she informed the pair.
"No one gets in without permission from Commander Lake," one guard informed her.
"Her majesty outranks Lake and myself," she reminded him, "and I am acting under orders from her."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Sato-" he began. He never got to finish as Toshiko quickly dispatched both men in one swift move.
"I'm sorry, too," she said, stepping over them and unlocking the door. "You two, come with me if you want to live," she ordered the couple inside.
"Tosh?" came the amazed duet from the couple who quickly joined her in the hall as the third guard succumbed to her attack.
"Save it for later, we need to regroup with Jack and Martha," she told them as she headed back the way they had come. She hoped they could pull this off as Gwen echoed "Martha?" behind her.
Elsewhere, Jack and Martha carried the now sedated royal double along, draped in Jack's coat as Jack had taken the jacket of the fallen Palace Guard as a temporary disguise to cover his bloody shirt.
They had barely gotten out of the Royal Quarters wing when another guard stopped them. "What happened to the Prince?"
"Totally trashed," Martha lied. "The pressure of the big day tomorrow was getting to him, so now we're taking him down to medical to sober him up before Champ finds out," she continued.
Luckily for them, this particular guard wasn't under specific orders from Lake. "Allow me?" he offered to assist. A panicked glance between the two conspirators before they allowed him to do so.
Once they had gotten him to the medical wing, they reminded their friend not to say anything for the Prince's sake. When he proved hesitant, Jack promised to 'make it worth his while,' later. After a brief hesitation, he finally agreed, letting Jack know he liked it rough. "The rougher the better," Jack teased back.
When the guard finally left, they got down to business. Martha prepped the drugs she intended to use on him to get his story as Jack tied him down after taking his coat back and draping it over a chair.
"Wake up, sunshine," Jack said, slapping the double lightly.
"You're going to die for this, you know," he growled, trying to focus on Jack's smirking face. "You and all your friends. We'll take your magic box and strip it of all it's secrets. We've done it before, we'll do it again."
"It's not my 'magic box', it's the Doctor's," Jack informed him. "It doesn't like to be handled by anyone but him."
"It's sentient, then? AI?"
"From what I hear, it was old before the Doc stole it years ago," he replied. "But you're changing the subject. First topic: how did you switch off this morning? Where's the real Prince?" he asked as Martha injected the first needle into him.
"I am the Real Prince," he claimed. "That poser was nothing but eye candy for our adoring public."
Jack slapped him. "Where's the Real Prince?"
"Right here," he smiled.
"Where is Prince William?"
The double smiled crazily. "Ate him up, now I am him and he is me, as we are we, as ever we shall be. Forever and ever and ever."
Jack paused. "He's feeling the drugs now, he shouldn't be lying."
"He's telling the truth, but it's a riddle," Martha noted.
"He's quoting the Beatles. You do have the Beatles here?" he asked, realizing she may not understand when she gave him a quizzical look.
"Music group, big from the Sixties on in my world, helped establish rock and roll," he explained. "Turned the world on it's ear. Lennon, McCartney, Ringo?"
"Don't be daft, of course we have the Beatles here," she replied. "The Regent is a big music fan. As for the Beatles, Pete's cute, but I'm a Johnny Cash fan, so I'm not totally versed in the Beatles catalog."
"It's Johnny or the Beatles, here, huh? No Elvis Presley?"
"There was an Aron Presley, and an Elvis Costello?"
"Different twin survived, here? Too bad, E was great back in the day," he mused, looking over their prisoner.
"No, Da, I can do this," he slurred. "I'm good enough. I can handle this on my own," he insisted.
Jack and Martha looked at each other in surprise. Jack bent down, "Tell me the plan again."
"I switch places, take the crown, then play along for a few months until they see I'm doing a good job. Then we change the nuclear access codes, set the bombs off in Moscow, Shanghai, Kyoto, Toronto, New Amsterdam, Cape Girardeau, Los Angeles, Oahu, Toronto, Rio, Panama City, Capetown, Chennai, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Ilia, Vatica, Sydney, and Hague. The shattered world turns to us for help, we rule over them with an iron fist."
The pair had matching looks of horror on their faces at the extent of the devastation. Jack realized several of the cities mentioned lay on fault lines in his world. He swallowed hard before continuing. "Very good, my son. Now when do we set the bombs off?"
"Winter Solstice Day," he replied. "You said it would be appropriate since the Regent dies on his birthday, on Summer Solstice he dies at midnight."
Martha reeled back, dumbstruck. "no!"
Jack checked his emotions. "And where will we see him meet his fate?"
"The ceremony is scheduled at the Altar of Glastonbury, as it always is."
Jack looked to Martha. "Glastonbury? Does he mean Stonehenge?"
She nodded.
"The Sword of Slayers lies there," the faux-prince continued. "It will feed on his blood as it has all those who betray the true lineage of the Kings of Albion."
"This does definitely not happen in my world," Jack informed Martha. "And not here, if I can help it." He turned back to the prisoner, "Tell me more about the sword."
"Only the Pure Blood can handle it," he explained. "It moves for no man but The Chosen King."
"The Sword in the Stone?" Jack asked. "The sword is Excalibur?"
"That's just a legend!" Martha exclaimed. "Arthur, Merlin, the Knights of Avalon, it's all Legend and Myth!"
The young man nodded. "The descendants of Arthur will rule as they have always ruled," he continued. "Only the True Merovingian Kings rule. As it has always been, as it shall always be. Even Pippin and Charlemagne fell before the Sword. They were not pure enough to wield it. No False King can defy it's power, not the Sicilian, not the Austrian, not the Transian, not the Mongol, not the Egyptian. The Purity is the Strength and the Power of Albion."
Jack felt like retching, he was so disgusted with this man and whoever was behind him. "How do we stop this plan? How do we end it?"
"There is no stopping the plan," the man replied. "I shall take the Crown, the False Champion shall die, then the world will tremble before us."
"Champion? What Champion?"
"The Regent is the Champion, False tho he may be."
Jack looked to Martha. "Well, his nickname is 'Champ', something he's always had," she explained. "His birth name is Charles Hampton, Champ for short. If he dies before the Coronation, then Lord Greaves takes the throne instead of Prince William."
"Then we make sure he doesn't die," Jack declared.
"Too late, too late, you're much too late," their prisoner sang.
"That's getting annoying," Jack scowled. "Why are we too late?"
"He's already on his way to his execution," the man laughed. "He's already dead and he doesn't have a clue!" The interrogators shared a grim look as their prisoner continued singing. "Kings and Queens and Guillotines, taking lives tonight," he crooned before shouting, "It's Execution Day! Whose Blood on whose hands? Whose Blood? Whose hands?"
Jack grimaced, partly glad some familiar music still existed here, but disgusted this man twisted it to his own ends. "Tell me, when you take the crown, what will your name be? How will the world know you were the one who destroyed it?"
"My name shall be echoed through the Halls of Eternity as George VII, not that Pretender, William V!" he declared, cackling. "Poor old Charlie, he'll never get to see me rule! He was never fated to take the Throne!"
Jack looked to Martha, who nodded her confirmation of the Coronation name.
"The madness of this King George will be stopped. Right here, right now," he informed their prisoner. "Who are you, really? What's your claim to the throne?"
"I am King George!" he snapped. "The throne will be mine, as has been promised and prophesied since the dawn of time! The Ginger King shall bring the world to it's Apocalypse!"
Jack looked to Martha. She nodded confirmation. "Another myth, and the reason no gingers were ever allowed to take higher power," she informed him. "Prince William slowly turning in his teen years from blond have had the Doomsayers up in arms."
"The ancient prophecy will come true," George exclaimed. "The Time of the Ginger King brings only ruin!"
Jack turned away, disgusted with the man and his plans. "Put him out," he ordered. "How high is your security ranking? I need some information."
For a prison cell, the Doctor mused he had one of his better accommodations in a while. It was the size of a small apartment, including a stocked fridge and vid-screen, which at the moment, almost all the programming was concerned with the Coronation, it's history and what so-called 'experts' expected of William's reign. The Doctor found it mildly educational, noting when divergences occurred from his own preferred timeline of Earth. Of course, there were cameras everywhere, including the privy, to spy on every movement he could make.
He heard a clanking and looked out the barred window of his cell. A vaguely familiar looking large man was lead into a cell across the hall by Royal Guards. He didn't look too happy. As soon as the guards left, he called over to the Doctor. "What'cha in for?"
"Attempting to prevent an insurrection," he declared. "How about you?"
"Fathering the next King of Albion," he laughed, half-heartedly. "You married? Got kids?"
"Once or twice, and...a few," he recalled. "Not sure I'm ever going to see them again, mind you." The Doctor scrutinized the man once more. "Hang on! That's where I know you from, the files in Lake's office! You were just on the Telly."
"You just now figured out who I am?"
"William's father, the Regent?"
"How do you know my Will?"
"His aide Markham shot and nearly killed me yesterday. Quick reflexes, that one," he noted. "Ah yes. I've met your wife. Blimey, good luck with that one," he replied.
"You look fine to me," the Regent noted.
"I'm a bit hard to kill," the Time Lord explained. "Well, up until now, I suppose. You could say I was a bit reckless in my younger days. Used up all my, well, do you have that saying here, a cat having nine lives? It's a bit like that, really."
Charles shook his head in disbelief, chuckling at the man's erratic train of thought. "Where you from, stranger?"
"Gallifrey. You can call me the Doctor."
"Never hoid of it, Doc. I'm from N'awlins, myself," the Regent replied in a Southern drawl before switching back to a more proper tone. "Charles Hampton Jones, Regent of the Royal Wyndham line, at your service. My friends call me Champ."
"Pleased to meet you, Champ," the Doctor smiled. "How long are you in for?"
"I don't think I'm staying long," Charles informed him. "Now that my boy is going to be crowned King, they don't need me, anymore. They're putting this old stud out to pasture."
"Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about retiring back to New Orleans?"
Charles gave a grim smile and chuckle. "I wish I was, my friend. I wish I was."
The hall door opened again and the elder, silver-grey haired Lord of the Manor entered and stood between the two men. "I see you two have met. It's just too bad the two of you will now have to die."
"Give it a rest, Geoff," Charles snapped. "You've been sabotaging this whole succession from the start, over thirty years ago. You know it, I know it, and Wilf knew it long before he died."
The Doctor caught the name and briefly wondered how common it was here. Obviously, it wasn't his friend, Wilfred Mott, who had a lineage in the British world, including his insufferable granddaughter, Donna Noble. Then again, he realized, Wilf always had a certain nobility about him, so it could have been possible, he wondered briefly. That matter would have to wait for another time, though.
"You wanted to be king over him," Charles continued, "but he was always one better than you. In lineage, as a person, and just in general. It's all sour grapes," he accused. "Let me go and I swear I won't have you executed for treason. You know full well I never wanted the damn throne anyway. My family is all I want and need."
Lord Geoffrey Greaves fumed. "He wasn't better than me! You're not better than me! You're not even a true son of Albion!" he screamed, spittle flying. "My heir will take the Throne! And you, you will be dead, as will yours!" He then turned on the Time Lord. "And so will you and your friends, Doctor. My agents have already rounded them up!" He faced Charles again. "All opposition to my ascension will be eliminated! I have your heir! His guardian is dead, as he soon will be, joining you on the Altar!" he declared. "I will make this world bow down before me and worship me!"
"You're mad," Charles replied calmly, still holding the window bars of his door. "As mad as Caesar Caligula and all those who came before and since. You can never take the throne, only pull the strings behind it. Once your so-called heir takes the crown, what makes you think he'll keep listening to you? Besides, you're an old man. You'll be lucky to make it another decade, if not a full year, if he allows it."
Greaves snarled and hit a button on his wrist-comm. Charles yelled out and jumped back from the door, wringing his hands. The Doctor wisely pulled his own hands away from his door's window bars, just in case.
"I wish I could make it last an eternity, you poor excuse for a...a Colonial," he spit at the Regent before turning and leaving.
"I think that went rather well, considering," Charles finally chuckled before turning serious again. He looked across to his fellow inmate. "I'm sorry you got pulled into this madness, Doctor," he shrugged.
The Doctor waved it off. "I've been in worse situations, Charles," he admitted. "One thing I've learned is to count on your friends, and right now, there's no one I'd rather have on my side than Jack Harkness and his crew."
Charles glared at him. "Did you say Jack Harkness?"
"You know about Jack, already?" the Doctor asked, incredulous. "I'm almost afraid to ask how?" he said nervously.
"You see, Doctor," he began. "Jack is-" He stopped when the hall door unlocked again. Two men entered. Prince William was escorted by a man who looked vaguely familiar to the Doctor, but he couldn't place where he had seen the man before in his world.
"Will!" Charles shouted in greeting, but it was obvious the prince was still drugged from his walk and slow reaction to his father's voice.
"Let's make this quick, shall we?" his escort somberly urged as he let the prince into his father's cell.
Charles waved him down as he hugged the boy in a tight bear hug. "Just let me be with my son in our final hours, is that too much to ask, Alonso?"
The man nodded he understood and turned to leave when the Doctor shouted, "Alonso? Alonso Frame?" The man stopped and returned to the Time Lord's cell. "It is you, isn't it? What are you doing on Earth?"
"Sir? I was born here?" he replied. "How do you know my name, anyway?"
"Oh, you could say we met a few years ago and a lifetime away from here," he chuckled. "Why are you working for such a horrid old man, anyway?"
Alonso glanced to Charles, who was watching him intently, then up at the hall security camera. He winked at the Doctor.
"Oh, brilliant!" he beamed. "We may survive all this yet!"
"Keep your voice down!" Alonso hissed. "Be prepared when they come for you," he advised, then left the hall with a nod to Charles.
The Doctor looked across to the Regent. "Package has been delivered," the man informed his new ally with a wink.
The Doctor smiled broadly. He was afraid the boy would be searched after their earlier encounter upstairs. Now, he hoped Jack and his companions would be able to find them in time. Although, if what Greaves had said about the prince's guardian being dead were true, that didn't bode well for his friends. Will Markham was a prominent part of the Royal entourage, what were a handful of newcomers to this world? Less than nothing and easily expendable, to be sure.
He looked across the aisle to see the Regent was now sobbing softly as he hugged his son tight, kissing him on the head. The man nearly dwarfed his son in size, even if they were almost the same height. He briefly wondered if the tears were concern over his son's current state or the fact that they were facing imminent death. He hoped for the former.
The Doctor now realized why Gwen and Rhys were so determined to return home and their own child. He suddenly felt lonely, missing Susan, Sarah Jane, Rose, even Jenny and the incorrigible River Song, among others, wherever and whenever they may be. He realized his own time was running out.
TBC...
A/N:
Cast updates: yes, a few familiar faces from another series, as well as shout-outs to other companions.
As for the Regent? You really have to ask?
A note about the wrist-comms: think of the basic design as matching Jack's VM, but more like a cell/mobile/PDA with text capabilities. This is how Charles and Ianto can remove their PDA sets from their straps, while the rest leave them strapped in. Having Greaves as their "inventor" is one clue to his identity. And yes, you should pay very close attention to the details that seem trivial. SPOILERS!