A/N: While I'm pretty sure work should take precedence… I'd like to thank DoctorWhoey for take time out to read my work! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much,, you're review gave me a big of an ego boost. I hope this chapter is up to standard too!
Chapter 7
Strange Perspectives
Now I was clearly going in and out of consciousness at this point, as well as being stuck in that chair, so what I could see won't really add to the events of what truly happened. Now I will admit what I tell you next won't be the whole truth, though I don't really want to get into the existential problem of what is truth, how we can define truth and the problem with memory decay. Instead I will claim that this is as close to the truth as I'm going to be able to record. I've put together the accounts from Chrissi, Joanna and The Doctor, and extrapolated from that to find what actually happened. I will admit to taking a few liberties, partly due to the Doctor's tendency to be flippant with events after they happen, Joanna's habit of exaggerating events and Chrissi's attempt to make himself sound braver than he perhaps was (though I will admit this time I was breath taken by some of his actions).
It turns out that after I left him, the Doctor stood there for a moment, still stinging from the slap that was making my hand sting. He admitted to have underestimated my closeness to my uncle. Immediately he became agitated, pacing back and forth on the patio, occasionally looking up to see if he could see me, making sure I was still within sight.
He knew he was right about the danger I was in (still hate it when he's right), he still wasn't entirely certain of why he was right about this. The fact that they only followed to capture, no attempt to kill her, meant she was important to them. When someone was important to a hostile alien species there was rarely a good reason for it. That and there was something very wrong with the… what was it called? The Devisor? The Diviner? Fundamentally a future viewer. Or so they claimed, there was something wrong with it- something was missing from it. Or it was something worse than that. He couldn't jump to too many conclusions until he had seen it in the flesh.
Something else struck him as he glanced up again, finally catching sight of the slight woman sitting at the bar. There was something strange about her. He was pretty sure he knew what she was, but that didn't exactly help with her time zone, as it were, by that point she had assimilated too well into the time she had ended up in for him to be any where near the sort of time she may be in. Not only was he not completely sure how she got there, but there were little things about her that didn't make sense. Her senses were a little more heightened than someone of her heritage, just enough to make her unusual, but not weird. Her pulse was significantly faster than he had expected, after they had been running her had been a little worried her heart would have jumped from her chest. Finally the way she moved… it was as though she were subconsciously trying to hold herself back from doing… well something. Beyond that… he had more to learn.
Sitting outside pondering this, trying to link all the parts of this mystery together, he noticed that Christoforo had approached me and I was getting up to follow him. Following his nose, he immediately deduced that I was likely to be going somewhere he couldn't reach me. Personally I think he just didn't want to be left out on what was happening right under his nose.
He re-entered the hall, and slipped anonymously through the people around him. He was unknown so he wasn't about to be stopped for conversation.
His plan was scuppered by my well meaning, beloved cousin Joanna. Perhaps she wasn't always the most perceptive of people, though my standards may be a little to high, she wasn't moronic. Clearly the Doctor's voice was not as guarded as it normally was. She read the worry on his features like an open book, and then realised I wasn't with him. Because of her previous assumptions, I suppose her reactions weren't all the silly.
She bowed her head towards the person she was speaking to, likely to have been a politician or business man and their wife, excused herself very politely, and quickly followed the Doctor. She had always been better with guests at this sort of party than I was, I was always grateful to have her with me. Meant I almost never had to communicate with the people I could barely stand.
I don't know how she moved to deftly through the throngs of people, and caught up to him so fast, especially on those shoes, but she did, and grabbed his sleeve to get his attention.
"John," she said, in an sort of quick staccato.
Feeling the jerk on his arm and his pseudonym, he rounded and found himself looking at Joanna. He looked surprised, he had completely forgotten he had been introduced to her, now he was quietly annoyed about that. "Yes, Joanna… correct?"
She smiled at him politely, "yes. John… where's Zizi gone?"
The Doctor told me he ended up feeling split. He didn't want to be rude to Joji, he wanted to keep her safe but he also didn't want to loose where I was going, which is what he was doing fast with Joanna speaking to him. More than that, he found it a little difficult to lie to someone who was so naïvely innocent, a little oxymoronic considering the family she was born to.
"Uh…" he came up with something quickly, "she… she needed a break from all these people," he babbled, speaking quickly, "you know, with all these people here she tends to get flustered. For as long as I've known her she's always preferred time with her family or a small group of friends rather than large parties."
Joanna nodded, deciding that the Doctor had known me for a while, it sounded like a pretty accurate description. "I suppose."
"Could you excuse me? I'd like to make sure she doesn't get into a fight with one of the bouncers."
She agreed with him again and he sped off. Joanna told me that it took only a few seconds, but in that time she realised that he had spoke a little too quickly, and moved off at a speed that was certainly not just of someone checking on another. There was a desperation in all that he did that bothered her, and she didn't feel she could let it go. So she followed him, at a slower pace, able to see where he was headed.
The Doctor on the other hand was surprised he had gotten away with a vague description of what he had seen of me already, combined with the tendencies of someone like me. He didn't let that bother him as he unceremoniously pushed his way through the people in the giant room and out into the lobby.
But by then it was far too late. Chrissi and I had already entered the conference room. I think. Though I'm not sure, I was at about the point where the Thenta's revealed themselves as what they were to us… but I can't really be sure.
The Doctor mean while was flummoxed. He had no idea which way I could have gone and no real way of being about to figure out. He would have used his screwdriver, if he thought there was anyway to use it to track me. Instead… he tried using logic to think it through. The first thing that bothered him was the disappearance of the Thentas, where were they? Assuming they were with uncle Ricky, the room would have to be big. But near by… he was pretty certain their disguises were still deactivated from his own interference. More than that, he was sure it involved the machine, so it would have to be a room that could take the weight and size of how big the actual thing was. Which came to the question… what did uncle Ricky what with me?
He ended up pacing the lobby, alternating between going around in circles and going from one side to the other.
Joanna had reached the door by then, and was standing just outside it, grateful that the bouncers still hadn't returned yet. As a result she witnessed this cycle two or three times. She was somewhat confused about what he was doing exactly. She actually remembered physically shaking herself, almost muttering aloud to remind her that she wasn't here to stare at the eccentric, she was here to speak to him.
And at the same time, she was hesitant, questioning her reasons for wanting to speak to him, a complete stranger and yet she felt compelled to. And she was utterly unsure of how to start such a bizarre conversation.
Finally, she swallowed all embarrassment, and just coughed. Only just loud enough for him to be able to hear him, get his attention without being too obvious to anyone who may have been about.
The Doctor looked up, having to take a moment or two to focus on her, far too lost in his own thoughts to come to reality too quickly.
As he looked at her, without even realising it, he compared to her to a little girl, standing in the doorway to admit to a teacher that she had done something bad and was embarrassed by it. That was even with her very grown up, womanly shape, high heels and short fitted dress. She stood before him with her feet pressed firmly together, her hands were clasping and unclasping with her elbows pressed into her sides, her eyes fixed on the floor, or to the walls or ceilings- anywhere but looking at him.
"I- I really think I have to tell you something."
Slowly, steadily, he walked towards her. "Yes?" he said kindly. He needed her to speak, he needed that information and rushing her was going to get him there any faster, in fact it was likely to scare her off. He needed to coax it out of her, treat her like she was, a scared young woman.
Though to be honest, I could almost see him vibrating with the effort it took to halt all is insane energy he would let fly about him when he got excited, angry of even worried!
"I'm worried about Zizi," she admitted, quite suddenly, "uncle Ricky has been acting- completely weird! He doesn't even talk about Zizi like she's one of us any more… I thought at first it was because he was a little angry with her for showing him up… but it was only once or twice and she always apologised for it afterwards. And then he's never been one to hide his dislike for someone, and there he always treating her like his own. On top of that he's been getting more and more obsessed with this project. And I want to say I think he's being taken for a ride about this, so now I feel like this machine and Zizi are linked in some way. I don't like it! At all! I don't know why I'm telling you this… I just feel like… like you can help in some way."
Her words came tumbling from her lips, each falling faster and faster, the Doctor was only just able to follow what she was saying. When she finished, she was breathing heavily, trying to collect herself, and finding herself near tears.
"Joanna," he reached out and gently rested his hand on her shoulder, simply to give her comfort. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time since she had entered the lobby. It may not have been that long, but it felt an age for Joanna.
I do still want at what she saw in those eyes. If she saw the same insanity, adventure and care that I did, the same age old and timeless quality I still see. But when she spoke of that moment, she skipped over any details she felt. I know her well… so I'm pretty sure that she saw and felt the same things I do when I see his intensity, drowning in pools of the infinite recesses of time.
At the same time, I think the Doctor saw her for what she was, and rather than be brutal and blunt like I usually see him, he treated her like he would any family member involved in a crisis, sugar coat everything! Not necessarily lie… but coating was involved.
"Joanna, I need to get to the bottom of this too. I'm worried about Zizi too. And I'm more than happy to help you… but I want to know where she is."
Despite her worry for me, she still had her links to uncle Ricky, and she couldn't betray him. Not to a man who was a complete outsider. She looked away from him, suddenly embarrassed and tried to stammer out a reply.
Sheepishly, the Doctor admitted that he had in fact gripped her elbow tighter in his desperation to keep her cooperation, ducking his a little to trying to get her to meet his eyes again. Then remembered the nick name I used for her. "Joji," she looked straight at him, eyes wide and a little misty, he had her attention. "We both want to help her… so I need to know where she is so that we both can do that."
Still clearly hesitant, she told me later that she was still very apprehensive about what she was doing. Still unsure of why she had felt she needed to tell him anything, this bizzare, eccentric, strange… stranger!
Even so, she nodded, raised her chin, a little defiantly, as if proving to herself that she can do anything and she too has a right to know what was happening in the family. She indicated for him to follow her, and lead her towards the conference room where I had been lead several minutes previously.
Walking up those decadent stairs, they were almost at the floor where the conference room was, and they were faced with Chrissi. He can be an imposing figure when he's drawn himself up to his full height, already standing a step or two above the people he was trying to intimidate, his arms crossed, his eyes partly closed as he looked down on them, one eye brow raised in distain.
At the same time the Doctor told me he could detect some worry in his features, his fingers shook a little, Joanna coo-berated this while Chrissi denied it utterly. At the same time, with the sounds that were no doubt coming from the room, I'm more inclined to believe Joji and Doccy. Though he still seemed very determined to carry out his job set for him by his father, which ended up being trying to stop any one from getting anywhere near the conference room.
He glanced at the Doctor, then looked passed him, straight at Joanna, who flushed under his critical gaze.
"And who is this?" he snarled, the snarl more for the Doctor than her.
"He…" she swallowed hard, before continuing, "he's a friend of Zizi's." She didn't want to imply any more than that. Chrissi is very protective of his family, if he got the sense that Joanna had about the doccy and I then I doubt the story would go any further.
"Well," he lifted his head, looking down at the Doctor, "she's busy at the moment," there was a nasty curl to his lips, a very well practiced snarled, "social calls can come at a later date."
And that was when the Doctor bounced into action, took his chance to try his way of getting through. "Ah! But this isn't just a social call.! You see, you have to understand that I'm the Doctor. John Smith is how Joanna here knows me. Physicist, chemist, anthropology, sociologist, historian, some biologist is in there too, but it bores me somewhat so I try not to dabble in it too much. Zizi has added doctor of the mysterious and annoying to that list too- at least I'm pretty sure that's what she said, can never be too sure when she starts muttering. See! Here's my card." He flipped open a small leather pouch and used what I would later find out was known as psychic paper. In this case he was apparently showing a card with all his listed credentials (knowing his luck, included the one I added recently). He closed it again moments later, not long enough for anyone to read through it. "I would give you one, but it's my last one and I need a copy to get more copies for while I'm here. When I get more made I will make sure you get one. Now! As a man of many talents, if you will excuse my momentary immodesty, I would very much like to see this machine you're genius father has come up with, and Zizi did promise me an audience with your esteemed uncle. So if you don't mind I'd like to-"
The Doctor tried to step foreword, onto the same step as Chrissi, still talking, trying to get passed him and get to the door. He never said it out loud, but he clearly expected those words to leave him bemused for long enough for the Doctor to slip passed and leave them outside.
He underestimated Chrissi far too much.
Chrissi is not just a thug and henchman for uncle Ricky, he is also the heir to the main part of the family's money. So while he is highly intelligent, he has gotten far too used to following fast long sentences and words with ease. Often politicians and fellow gangster members like to have the heirs tested, so they would pull something similar, to see just how much they could trust or get away with when it came to be Chrissi's turn. As such, he now has a very impressive, if very annoying, skill- he doesn't really have to listen to every word a person has said to him, he can get the gist of it without even bothering to ask for a repetition. It's not exactly eidetic memory, but it serves its purpose.
And it certainly didn't serve the Doctor's purpose at this point. Instead of looking baffled, Chrissi put his arm out to stop the other man from passing and looked down at him at him with a cold hard stare.
"I told you," he said slowly, as if talking to someone who needed the slightest thing explained to them, "Zizi is busy. Uncle Ricky needs her for something. We wait until they sort it out. Then, if and only if it is appropriate, you may be able to see them. Until then-"
His words were cut off by a high pitched sound that no one would doubt was my screaming, which managed to pierce through the door like no other sound had ever been able to, Chrissi likened it to a knife through butter.
All three of them, in perfected synchronization, clamped their hands to their ears, crouching away from the sound, features screwed up as if they were in pain, eyes watering a little.
Chrissi told me he could feel his blood turn to ice in his veins.
Joanna claimed her heart almost jumped from her mouth.
The Doctor on the other hand, just shrugged and said it was good timing and a damn good indicator that he was really needed there. Of coarse with the over use of his very stretched 'well'. All the same, it seemed to me that he was skirting around the fact that he had truly thought the worst had happened.
Of coarse after the long moments that made up my screaming, there came the sound of the resounding slap.
Then silence.
All three looked at one another. Waiting for something else to follow. Perhaps a blast of anger from uncle Ricky, the same as I had been hoping for, or some sort of confirmation that the scream had not been a human sound. Though both of my cousins told me that the sound was unmistakable. Apparently I used to make a similar sound some night when I first arrived, those nights it was hard to get me back sleep. All I remember of those nights were blurs of tears, sore throats, terror and a wishfulness that I didn't know at the time.
My two cousins looked to the Doctor, carefully moving their hands from their ears, a little worried there could be a repeat. They waited for him to move, while he looked at Chrissi. He had persuaded Joanna, now he had to achieve the same thing with Chrissi.
"I can help," the doctor said finally, "and I will do everything I possibly can to help Zizi, you have my word." He put his hand out to take Chrissi's, a human gesture of trust.
Chrissi must have studied him for a good ten seconds before he made a move. What he saw stood before him was a strange man, dressed in a dark brown pin stripped suit with a tie, a long brown trench coat, light brown hair sticking up at off angles, a large aquiline nose above with were the big, fathomless pools of brown that made his eyes. His expression was that of sincerity. The eyes that bore into his own reflected that.
So he took the same leap of faith than Joanna and I had taken before him, and took the stranger's hand and shook it firmly. Then pulled him towards him, knocking the Doctor off balance. He caught the other man (alien's) shoulder with his free hand and growled in his most threatening henchman tone, "if you're fucking with me, I'll teach you the reality of sleeping with the fishes… and believe me, it's not as pleasant as sinking to a river floor.
"Ah, Christoforo!" the Doctor sounded very pleased, with hand released he put them on the taller man's shoulders, "I expect nothing less from you !So then- ALLONS-Y!" He stepped passed him, not even waiting to see if the two would follow him, and made a beeline straight for the conference room's door.
Behind him, baffled at this sort of attitude, Chrissi and Joanna just looked at each other, not entirely sure what to make of the situation. But the want to know what was actually happening was too strong for them to ignore. So they followed the doctor into the room. With my uncle studying the screen of the machine that I was strapped to and the Thenta's disguises were still deactivated.
I wish I could have seen their reactions. While Joanna and Chrissi both told me all they did was freeze and perhaps yelp a little. The Doctor told me that Chrissi went completely white, staring, his jaw dropped open as if he had been frozen mid scream. Joanna stopped, stared, blinked several times before she let out a short scream, one hand then flew upwards and clamped over her own mouth her other hand had reached out to grab Chrissi in order to keep herself up right.
Somehow I think this account is a little more accurate than the ones those two gave me. I did wander why they didn't just turn and run screaming from the room. I mean… Isn't that more logical? It's pretty much what I did. What else would you do if you were faced with two huge, worse than nightmare monsters, standing before you, quite calm, with the distinct feeling that they would kill you if they were bothered?
Instead they stayed put, Joanna holding on to Chrissi, his hand having reached up to cover hers, her knuckled turning white with her grip as he squeezed her back. Clearly not even registering the pain that he should have been in.
They finally caught sight of me. No one spoke, but Chrissi's colouring came back, he even went a little red. Apparently I was breathing in little shallow bursts, whimpering a little. Sweat across my face, my arms and legs tensed, my hands limp, fingers trying to move.
Joanna told me she had the immediate urge to try and release me from my bonds, but still couldn't move. Then noticed I was actually attached to the monstrosity, and concluded that such action may have made matters worse.
Not a bad conclusion for someone I had always thought was not all that intelligent.
Still torn she looked to the doctor. On first inspection, his fact appeared impassive. But as she looked closer, Joanna realised he was staring at me, a hint of anger growing behind the blank expression. Then his attention went to the machine that I was attached to.
It was Chrissi that found his voice first.
"What the fuck is going on?" it came out low, controlled and far more powerful than he actually felt.
It must have been the voice of his son that made him realise what had happened. Coming to his senses, he scowled at the group of people before him, one of which was put in place to prevent such things from happening.
"What did I-" he tried to start.
Chrissi simply was not having it. He had been lied to, clearly deceived by his father and these monsters. A sense of betrayal took over from his fear. "What's going on, father," he only used the formal when he was angry with his patriarch, "what's wrong with Zizi? And what in the name of Christ are those things?" With his free hand he pointed at the Thentas, still trying to formulate a coherent idea of what they could possibly be. His body still shook somewhat, trying to regain some sense of control seemed a little out of his reach. At the same time, there was no less power in his voice.
Ricky paused, assessing the situation, and took a different tact. Instead of anger, he took to trying to placate his son and niece. "It's in order to help the machine," he explained in softer tones, "she only appears that way because of the initial contact with the machine. She'll be more active when she gets used to it."
"So…" Joanna had found her voice, and it was impossible for her to disguise her horror, "so Zizi is the only reason it's working?"
Ricky shrugged, nonchalantly. "Yes I suppose so." His tone was indifferent, as though he didn't particularly care that it was the case. Instead he focused on the Doctor. "And who are you?" his tone was his usual cool, measured, calculated tone.
"Me? I'm the Doctor!" and so the Doctor pretty much sprang into action, ignoring all those around him, he walked straight towards the machine, only affording the Thentas a moment's glanced each, "you Thentas are far more resourceful than I gave you credit for. I thought I'd destroyed your disguises. I underestimated you- must remember not to do that again."
"But who-"
The Doctor wasn't listening, he rarely does that when he's interested in something I've realised. In this case he was examining the machine closely, talking aloud. Which by the way will probably make no sense considering the Doctor didn't really remember what he had said and my cousins were too baffled by his talk to be able to relay it back effectively.
"Funny thing about diviner machines, or divisor, what ever you want to call them, especially the ones I've seen and I have seen a lot though they seem to be from the far off distant future from here. And never before on Earth! Time travel yes, but this thing? Never! Anyway- the funny thing about them is that they always resemble mind controllers, mass mind controllers that is. Well-" his classic stretched out use of the word, as he examined, her moved around it, studying the physical workings of the machine, moving very quickly to the panel, taking everything about the machine in, without touching it. "They have a good many components in common with one another! They have to be able to access parts of the brain you don't know about and be able to manipulate the temporal warps as well as make sure they don't influence the time streams too much. Could result in damages to all involved Very caref…" He paused. No- he just stopped.
Around him, all of those there just stared at him. ALmost nothing of what he had said really made any sense to them what so ever. Even to the advanced Thenta's. Instead they just tried to listen intently and pick out any words and phrases that together could make his speech make sense to them. Even Chrissi's skill had no real effect.
On the other hand the Doctor had reached me. In my semi-conscious state all I can remember is sensing a familiar and friendly presence close to me, not that I could do anything about it, but it was nice to know that they were still out there.
"Very… very careful…" he was repeating himself, quietly, as he examined my head without touching me at all, looking close at where I was attached to the machine, watching the shackles that held me in place, watching my reactions to what was happening to me.
Then he looked up. Joanna and Chrissi told me the same thing, his entire countenance had changed, dramatically. It had been so sudden and caught them so unawares that all in that room, at precisely the same moment, stepped back, away from him.
He was staring, his neck bent a little so the shadows fell eerily across his features. The effect was that he looked gaunt, ghost like and beyond anything of human understanding. And by the looks of things, beyond some alien understanding. The old eyes were no longer pools of time, they were fiery pits of fury. To call him angry would not have been able to capture the intensity of the emotion. Both my cousins told me they could feel the hair on the napes of their neck stand on end, even though they were full aware that all this rage was not aimed at them.
They found themselves stepping closer to one another, Joanna's free hand now clamped onto Chrissi's upper arm, the contact being the only thing stopping her from feeling as though she were going mad. Chrissi on the other hand felt as though he were loosing the plot entirely.
The Doctor looked at uncle Ricky. He paled, looking almost ghostly white. He was the one who scared people, people didn't scare him. As far as we knew, uncle Ricky wasn't afraid of anything. But clearly the anger of the creature shook him to say the least.
He finally looked away from the man to the Thentas. But rather than fear, he was faced with borderline cockiness! They simply looked back at him, with arms crossed, with the same self satisfied expression that I had identified as my cousins had sensed too.
"What are you trying to do?" he said, keeping his voice low, though it shook with the effort it took to keep controlled, "this is a system's converts… an environment controller- what are you trying to do?"
"Oh I think you know what we're trying to do, Doctor," snarled the female, Joanna and Chrissi both had the same reaction I had to her voice, the desperate desire to cover their ears. "You are not a stupid male."
"But this- it'll kill her! Is what what you want?"
"An unfortunate out come," she shrugged, "but with the energy within her, by the time that happens we will have achieved out ends."
He looked back to me. Still sweating and moaning, body tensed and limp at the same time, fingers trying to move. He moved towards me, apparently his intention to free me was clear. Though he didn't notice that no one tried to stop him.
Instead on of the Thentas spoke, "I wouldn't."
The Doctor looked at it, him, I guess.
"Currently the machine is ensuring her life. If you detach her," his tone was disgustingly smug, around him the room seemed to go quiet, very still. "You detach her and you will be the one who kills her."
