After the strange spirit had left, the Doctor changed out of his pajamas and into his suit. He couldn't rest any longer, he had to find these people. He wasn't sure why he felt this need, surely he couldn't fix this mess. And how would finding these people solve anything? But it gave him a sense of purpose, something he needed and had sorely missed. It's not like he had anything better to do anyway. Also, and he didn't want to admit it, but on some level he wanted to meet these strangers that he knew everything about.
The first he would search for was Donna Noble, the woman he had allowed be taken to be sold into slavery. The memories he held of her were painful ones, mainly because she had had a habit of slapping him. But he would go after her nonetheless, and then he would move onto the next.
He envisioned her two ways: one was the way he had seen her in reality, in rags being dragged away to be sold, and the other she was wearing a wedding dress. This whole thing was very confusing, hopefully it would all be over soon.
He crossed over to the Tardis console, which had collected dust from years of no use. It took him a moment to remember how to work it, but not long. He fired it up and it came to life, bright lights shining, buttons blinking, machines whirring. He entered in the location of the prison camp the Slitheen were running.
The Doctor opened the door and peeked out, and found that he was just a few yards away from the camp. Before he left the Tardis, he took an umbrella instead of his cane and his secret weapon with him. He stepped out and looked back at the Tardis, and saw that it had disguised itself as modern telephone box that had taken a lot of damage. It would fit in perfectly with the scenery.
The prison camp had once been a regular prison, but had been taken over by Slitheen and upgraded with alien technology. The Doctor had never ventured in any of the prison camps and so wasn't sure what he'd find inside.
He took out his sonic screwdriver, which was rusty with disuse. It took a few tries to get it to work, but by the time he reached the gate surrounding the camp he had it working and it unlocked the latch.
The Doctor snuck through the gates and stealthily crept towards the camp. He didn't see any Slitheen, but knew they were on guard inside. They were big and bulky and could easily overpower a human. But a human mob might be a different story…
He soniced the lock on the door and snuck inside. There were no Slitheen in the room either, but they were definitely nearby somewhere.
The first thing he saw were the cages. There were two cells on both sides that had once been separate rooms, but the walls had been knocked out, creating two big cages that were packed with filthy humans. The Doctor was disgusted by the way the humans were being cared for. He knew they wouldn't be allowed out or be cleaned until they were taken to be sold on a market day. So every day in between they were left to sit in their own filth and squalor, with little food and many beatings, if the Slitheen grew bored. He could only hope Donna hadn't been sold yet, because if she had it would be too late to save her.
The Doctor used the screwdriver one more time on the control panel, opening the cages. But surprisingly, no one moved.
"What are you waiting for?" he whispered loudly. "Your captors will be here any second, get a move on!"
"They'll just capture us again," said one man bitterly. "It's no use running."
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but this is your last chance at freedom, so I suggest you take it!" He could hear thundering footsteps from upstairs and knew he had seconds at best.
They all looked to each other, waiting for someone to take the lead. A teenage boy darted out and ran for his life, and that was all it took to get the others moving.
"Yes, yes, run!" he shouted as he scanned the crowd for Donna. He was forced to move with the crowd to keep from being trampled, and when they were outside, he finally caught sight of her on the other side of the mob.
"You there! Donna Noble!" he called out.
Somehow in all the chaos she heard him. She turned her head in different directions, looking for the source of the voice that had called her name.
He made his way through the crowd to her and grabbed her wrist and pulled. "Come with me, I'm here to help!" he shouted as a large pack of Slitheen ran out to try to round up their escaped prisoners.
When the crowd had finally begun to disperse, the Doctor asked, "Are you all right?"
Her face was covered in dirt and bruises and her clothes were ripped and filthy, but otherwise she appeared to be okay.
In answer, she slapped him, making his face sting. "Am I all right? Do I look like I'm all right? You let them take me and wait until the night before we leave for space to grow a conscience?"
"At least I came back! I didn't have to, you know!"
"I suppose so, but since you waited so long my Gramps came to rescue me and got himself captured, too!"
"He must be somewhere around here."
"No, he's on the upper level with the Slitheen! How are we supposed to get him out now?"
"The Slitheen are all out trying to reclaim their property, we should be able to get in and get out without a problem."
"Oi! We are not their property!"
"You know what I mean! Now come with me if you want to save your grandfather."
They went back inside the dark jail, the sounds of screaming people and angry Slitheen still audible from outside.
As they were running, Donna said, "What's the umbrella for?"
"I have my reasons. Very good reasons, at that. Is that really your main concern, right now?"
"I hate this place," muttered Donna as they went. "If I never see it again it'll be too soon."
They found a lift that took them to the upper floor where they found more slaves. The Doctor released them all once more, and as the freed slaves escaped, Donna found her grandfather.
"Gramps!" she said as she ran over to him and embraced him. "Are you okay?"
"I will be, once we're out of here. How is this happening? What's going on?"
"There's no time, we've got to get out of here!" said Donna.
They made to run, but before they could reach the door, a Slitheen stepped in their way.
"So, you're the one who let our money out of their cages," it drawled. It looked to Donna and her grandfather and said, "You two will go back to your cells. I'd teach you a lesson first, but then you wouldn't be worth as much on the market without your limbs. As for you," he said as he fixed his gaze on the Doctor. "Petty change is all I'd get for you, so I won't even bother. You can take the other two's punishment as well as your own."
"All right then, do with me as you wish, but let them go free," replied the Doctor, raising his chin and squaring his shoulders in defiance.
"What do you care for the humans? The smell of Raxacoricofallapatorians is the best in the Galaxy, and though you smell of earth from your time here, I can tell that you are not from this planet."
"You're an alien?" asked Donna incredulously.
"Not from where I'm standing," replied the Doctor.
"Well, why didn't you say anything?!"
"What would you expect me to say? Hello, I'm the Doctor, I'm an alien? Please woman, let a man keep some things to himself."
The Doctor turned back to the Slitheen and said, "I have no love of these humans, but anyone can see that what you are doing here is wrong. You have no right to be stealing and selling sentient life forms."
"Oh please, humans are mere pigs. Primitive, unintelligent, scared of their own shadows. And that's being kind."
"Oi! Don't you talk about us that way!" fired Donna.
"Not helping," muttered the Doctor. "Perhaps if I purchased these two from you, would that would settle this?"
"Of course it would, assuming you have enough credits to pay for every human you let loose tonight."
"So what you're saying is, is that we're trapped?" said the Doctor.
"I thought that would be obvious, but if you need me to spell it out, then yes, you are trapped. You're a Time Lord, yes? Yes, it's not a scent I've smelled often, but it's very distinct. That means you have twelve more lives. That means I get to kill you thirteen times, in thirteen different ways. I do believe this will be the most fun I'll ever have."
"All right, just making sure." Before the Raxacoricofallapatorian could stop him, the Doctor reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small bottle of vinegar, twisted off the cap, and hurled the liquid onto the creature. He then opened his umbrella and used it to shield the three of them from the exploded parts of the Slitheen.
"That's disgusting!" said Donna as the Doctor lowered the now-soiled umbrella.
"Let's get out of here!" said Donna's grandfather urgently.
They raced back outside, where the Slitheen were still trying to recapture the humans. Some had been caught, but they wouldn't be able to catch them all.
Donna and her grandfather followed the Doctor to the Tardis. They didn't stop running until they'd reached it and the Doctor unlocked the door.
"Why've we stopped running?" asked Donna breathlessly. "They'll catch us if we don't move it!"
"Quiet Donna, this is our ride home," declared the Doctor as he gestured to the phone box.
"Are you daft? You expect us to all fit in that tiny box? And then what? You just gonna drive it home like a car?"
"Just get in, you'll see."
Donna was still skeptical, but her grandfather said, "Whatever he plans to do with that box, I'd rather be in there than back in that camp." He then opened the door and gasped. "Donna, you've got to see this!"
Donna hurried inside and exclaimed, "Oh my God! How is it so much bigger on the inside? Is it magic?"
The Doctor couldn't suppress a grin at this. Silly humans, and their silly little brains. "Sure, let's call it magic."
Before he followed her in, he saw the little girl with the unusual white hair again. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but she turned and walked away before he could utter a sound. This unsettled him a bit, but he forced himself to forget about it and went inside the Tardis, locking the door after him.
The Doctor hadn't run like that in years, and it had been on adrenaline. Now it was all catching up to him, and he had to sit down before his legs gave out.
"Thank you sir, for rescuing my Donna and me," said the old man as he saluted him. "I owe you for this."
"No, you really don't," replied the Doctor as he cast his eyes to the floor.
"What's your name, Doctor?" asked Donna.
"The Doctor."
"No, I mean your real name."
"Who's to say that isn't my real name?"
"Well, what kind of mother would name their kid Doctor?"
"My mother didn't give me that name. It's just the name I use for myself."
"I think it suits him," commented Gramps.
The Doctor finally took the time to get a good look at the man, and found that he recognized him. He had once been a good friend of his, in that strange other life.
"Your name is Wilfred Mott," he said, not meaning to say it aloud.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
"Lucky guess."
Wilf didn't look convinced, but didn't press the matter further.
"What's a Time Lord?" asked Donna curiously.
"By your standards, just an alien race. That's all you need to know."
"The Slitheen said you have thirteen lives. How do you manage that?"
Tiring quickly of her questions, he replied, "Just think of me as a cat, but with four extra lives."
"You're completely mental, aren't you?"
"I must be, to have agreed to this," he muttered under his breath. Having rested for a bit, he set the controls to the little lot he had been living in.
"So what are we going to do now?" asked Wilf.
"For now you'll be staying with me. You'll find bedrooms in that direction," he said as he pointed to his left.
Fortunately, neither one of them protested this. He attributed this to exhaustion and relief after having just barely escaped the custody of aliens and a life of slavery. Humans always assumed that if aliens ever abducted them, that they would be subjected to probing. If only that was all they had to worry about from them.
It was a good thing the Doctor had rested up all those nights, because he sure needed them now. Two so-called "companions" down, now he was on to the next. He searched for the one that was the closest and found his or her location to be even worse than Donna and Wilf's had been. He wasn't sure which one he would find there, but whichever it was, their reasons for being there couldn't be good.
"I suppose it's time I paid my old friend a visit."
Besides the Doctor, there was only one other Time Lord in existence, that he knew of. His childhood friend, the Master, had also escaped the Ultimate Sanction. He didn't know why he'd chosen to flee or what he'd been up to exactly since the last time they'd met, but he hadn't heard anything good from the rumors.
According to the rumors, the Master was trying to start a new line of Time Lords by fertilizing human eggs with Time Lord DNA. While the Doctor missed his people terribly and wanted them back, he didn't think that was the right way to go about it. Not to mention, Time Lords raised by the Master were likely to become just as mad and ruthless as he was.
He'd never said or done anything against it, and he didn't plan to today. He would retrieve his companion and be done with it, nothing more, nothing less. He didn't know which one it was, but with the Master, it was probably female. She was probably an egg donor, or worse, was being used to spawn the Master's children. He really hoped it wasn't that.
While Donna and Wilf were sleeping, he parked the Tardis outside the Master's mansion. It was huge and beautiful, yet at the same time showed signs of neglect. It reflected the Master's fractured mind.
He left the Tardis and noticed the white-headed girl peeking out at him from behind a furnace with a crackling fire inside. He was momentarily tempted to go after her and demand to know why she was following him, but he had to put his companion first. He would deal with the child later, if he saw her again.
The night air chilled him to the bone, so he took a moment to warm himself by the fire. He didn't know why the Master would have such a large furnace outside, until he noticed the bones inside. Tiny, human bones roasting inside, clearly those of infants.
The Doctor's legs nearly failed him when he realized what he was seeing; he jerked back in horror, the image seared into his mind. He knew the Master was unstable, and according to the new memories he had done many terrible things in that other life, but could he really have killed all these children? Of course he could, but why?
He felt something stirring within him. Feelings he hadn't felt in decades, centuries, even. Anger, outrage, and the need to do something about this, the need to avenge these children. Where had they come from? Did the new memories have something to do with it?
He marched to the Master's front door and rapped on it with his cane, his previous plan to sneak in having been discarded. He needed to confront the Master face to face.
A minute or two passed, and just as the Doctor had been about to pound on the door again it was opened by the Master. He had almost expected a butler, given that this was a mansion.
The Master's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. I knew you'd come visit me sooner or later. My, you're old. Come in, come in, you're just in time for the ceremony."
"Ceremony?" questioned the Doctor as he followed him inside and closed the large wooden door. The Master didn't elaborate.
"I saw the bodies in the furnace outside," said the Doctor. "Infant bodies. Care to explain why that is?"
"As you've most likely heard, I am bringing the Time Lords back to life. I'll show you what I mean," said the Master with a hint of eagerness as he gestured for him to follow him.
Every room the Master led him through had one thing in common; fancy but falling apart. But then, the Master seemed to have more important things on his mind than keeping his house tidy.
He led him to a room where every wall had shelves and shelves of books. Inside were seventeen children of various ages from two to twenty busy studying. They looked up to see them, but then turned their heads back to their books. Even the two year old was intently flipping the pages of a book.
"These are my children," said the Master with a smile as he closed the door. "The future kings and queens of the universe."
"Where are their mothers?" asked the Doctor.
"They don't have mothers. The women who volunteered were women looking to make some easy money. The surgery takes less than an hour and they don't feel or remember a thing, and when they leave they never have to remember what they've left behind. Even you must be satisfied by that, eh Doctor?"
The Master led him to another room with a large window. The Doctor looked inside and saw five cylinders filled with bubbling fluid, each cradling a sleeping, unborn baby.
"This is wrong," said the Doctor, barely able to comprehend what he was seeing. "Time Lords are meant to be grown, not born in a lab. They may have two hearts, but they will never become what the Time Lords were." He paused, then said, "What of the ones I saw burning?"
"My children are half human, with their Time Lord genes dominant. Much like you, Doctor. Most are born Time Lord, but there are always a few who are born with their human genes dominant. They are of no use to me, and so they are disposed of. If it makes you feel any better, Doctor, they are dead long before they reach the flames."
The Doctor's hands were balled up in fists. It wasn't like him to involve himself in these matters, or to even care enough to do so, but he was so angry now that his hands were shaking.
"But why kill them? Why not give them back to the humans?"
"Who would take them? They'd just be more mouths to feed. Besides, the earth doesn't need any more humans. They're good for some things, yes, but overall their existence is pointless."
The Doctor had been about to reply when all of a sudden, he heard bells ringing.
"We'll have to carry on this little conversation of our later, Doctor. Come now, we're going to be late."
"Late for what?" asked the Doctor as he followed the Master back the way they had come.
He was led to a room that appeared to be the living room. A priest stood in the center, looking tired. It was then that the Doctor noticed that the Master was dressed in a tuxedo, a bit fancy for home use.
Suddenly it all clicked into place.
"Martha darling, you may come down now!" called out the Master.
One of the many girls he had seen in his dreams descended a spiraling staircase. Her dress was long and white, and tears streaked down her dark-skinned cheeks.
Martha Jones was the Master's bride.
"Martha Jones, what on earth are you doing?" he shouted at her.
She shot him a confused glance, but then returned to keeping her head down over a bouquet of red roses.
"Oh, do leave her alone," said the Master dismissively. "The poor girl has been through enough already. I brought her in off the streets and in return she agreed to be my wife. I only pray that she is the right one, that she will be the one to end the torturous noise in my head."
"You mean the drumming?"
"What else?"
"A wife can't take away the sound of the drums, they're a figment of your imagination brought on by madness, and you know it!"
The Master's eyes narrowed in anger as he said, "I know you'll never believe me, but they are real, as real as you and me." He took a deep breath and said, "I know it's a long shot, but I've tried everything else. I believe that if I can find a wife that I can truly love, that it will take the drums away. But if she's not the right one, then she can join the others."
"Others?" said the Doctor.
The Master nodded and went over to a large, ornate wooden cabinet. He unlocked the doors and opened it, and when the Doctor saw it he couldn't believe his eyes. Just when he thought the Master couldn't sink any lower.
Lined up side by side were human skulls, each one wearing a bridal veil. Sitting next to each one was a bouquet of dead flowers and a jar with a heart inside.
"What have you done?" asked the Doctor in a dangerously quiet voice.
The Master shrugged and said, "They couldn't take away the drums."
"Martha, are you seeing this? You need to get out of here, now!" yelled the Doctor.
By then Martha had reached the end of the stairs. She stared at the cabinet of skulls, her eyes wide with shock and fear. But she didn't run. She tore her eyes away from the skulls of dead brides and forced herself to look upon the Master's face.
"I'm ready to be married, my love," she whispered.
"Wonderful. I shall have a new wife, and my children shall have a mother. Martha my darling, you shall be the mother of the new kings and queens of the universe," he said as he took her hands in his. "Father, begin the ceremony," said the Master with a broad smile. "With my old friend as the witness."
The priest looked like he wanted to bolt, but knew he probably wouldn't make it to the door before he was caught. So he began in a shaky voice, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"
The Doctor couldn't control himself any longer, not after all the horrors he'd seen in just this one house. He threw himself on the Master, knocking him to the floor. He wrapped his fingers around his throat and roared, "Run, Martha, run!"
The Master punched him in the face and rolled over him on top of him, gaining the advantage. Clearly, he had been expecting this. He copied the Doctor by wrapping his own fingers around his throat, cutting off his supply of air. Time Lords could go without oxygen longer than humans, but if he didn't get air soon it wouldn't matter.
As the Doctor struggled against him, he heard a loud crack, and the Master fell down on top of him. He pushed him off of him and saw the priest standing over him, holding his cane in his hands, now broken in two.
"I'm sorry about your cane," he said as he extended his hand and pulled him to his feet. "But I just couldn't do another ceremony when I know what the outcome will be."
"Thanks for the help," said the Doctor as he regained his composure. The priest fled the building without another word.
He had calmed down, but nearly lost his temper again when he saw Martha. Not only had she not run away like he'd told her to, she was now tending the Master.
"What are you doing? Are you daft, girl?" asked the Doctor.
"I have to marry him, I have to," she replied mechanically.
The Doctor grabbed her by the wrist and attempted to pull her away from him, but she resisted.
"Let me go!" she cried.
"Did you not see the skulls? Do you want to end up with your head in a cabinet?"
"You don't understand! I have to do this, to save my family. The Master promised my family a dowry in exchange for my hand that would keep them fed for months. If I run, they'll starve." A sob escaped her lips and her voice broke on the last word.
"I'm sure they would much rather have you than any amount of money," he replied.
"You think that matters to me? I'd never forgive myself if they died because I was a coward. I'll do whatever it takes to save them."
"Do you really think the Master will hold up his end of the bargain if you're not the right one, which of course you won't be? He doesn't care about your family, and if you turn out to be a disappointment he won't lose any sleep over your death or the death of your family."
By the look on her face, he could tell she knew he was right, but she still wouldn't listen. "What choice do I have? This is the only option I have left. If my death keeps my family alive then it'll be worth it."
"Well, it seems we've reached an impasse, then," said the Doctor. "Because I'm not leaving without you."
"Then you'll be waiting a very long time," she retorted.
She turned her face away from him in defiance, and he took advantage of the opportunity. He took a piece of his cane in hand and raised it high in the air. He then brought it down hard against her head. She let out a cry of pain before collapsing at his feet.
It took all his strength, but he managed to lift her and carry her back to the Tardis. He couldn't shake the images of all those children, dead and alive, from his mind, but that wasn't his problem to deal with. He still didn't want to get involved, all he wanted to do was to free the companions from the new memories. He still wasn't sure why, though.
By the time he dragged her into the Tardis, she had begun to come to. "What's going on? Where am I?"
"You're in my time machine," replied the Doctor simply. "Don't even try to escape, because I've set up a security system that will keep you here unless I shut it off, and I'm not about to do that."
This was a lie of course, and a bad one at that, but she seemed to believe it. Fresh tears ran down her face as she said, "Then you've doomed my family."
"We're all doomed, dear."
The Doctor walked over to the console, trying not to hear her sobs echoing around the room.
This was wrong. He had just kidnapped a young woman, assaulted her with his cane, lied to her, and condemned her family to the long and painful death of starvation. It wasn't fair; he'd saved her life! Shouldn't that count for something? But it didn't matter. She hated him, as she should. He was a monster for what he'd done, why had he involved himself in the first place?
But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't quit now. He had others to find, others to rescue from whatever hell this world had put them in. But first he needed a long rest. These people would be the death of him, he was sure.