Chapter 6
The Doctor swallowed, foot tapping impatiently as he tried to avoid the glare Rose was burning into him. Rocking slightly, he glanced around.
"Nice rig they got here. Solid steel." He rapped his knuckles on the wall behind him. "Good and sturdy, this."
"Well that's a relief. Hate to think we were being held prisoner in a van made out of tissue paper."
He flinched. "Rose, I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know there was a curfew?"
She quirked an eyebrow. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe in that paper you picked up. I know you found something interesting in there. Care to share it with the class?"
"Rose, you're angry. I get it. But it's not like it's the first time we've been taken prisoner."
She tilted her head, looking at him like he'd dribbled on himself. "It's not that, Doctor. I'm used to us being taken prisoner. That's Tuesday for us. No, my problem is that you didn't even try to resist or talk your way out of it. You just went with it! And what about Martha? She's out there, all alone, on a strange planet. Did you think about her?"
He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Yes, of course I have, Rose. I'm sure she's fine. She probably got picked up by soldiers, too, and will be there when we meet with the commander."
"What if she wasn't? What if someone else got to her? She just met us, has no reason to trust us." Rose frowned. "Why did you bring her with us, anyway? Do you really think it's a good idea to drag someone else into this search?"
The Doctor startled, blinking. He hadn't really thought about it; just seemed like the right thing to do. He shook his head, mirroring Rose's frown as he stared at the wall beyond her.
"I don't know. There was just something about her." His eyes focused back on her. "You're not angry about her coming with, are you?"
Rose deflated slightly, shaking her head. "No, I'm not. Don't understand it, but that's nothing new when it comes to you." She smiled when he huffed. "Don't try to pretend that you aren't constantly doing things that make no bloody sense at the time." She shrugged. "Generally works itself out in the end. I'm just worried about her, and Kari, of course."
He nudged her with his foot and smiled, doing his best to comfort her while having his hands cuffed behind him.
"We'll find her, Rose. Both of them. I promise."
She nodded, fighting back tears. "Yeah, I know."
He leaned his head back against the wall of the van, eyes closed, as he tried to gain a bit more focus on the timelines. They were so convoluted; it was giving him a headache. Opening his eyes slightly, he watched Rose, curious if she could see it, too. She should. But would she know it if she did? He sighed, letting his eyes slip closed again.
"Doctor?"
He quirked a brow, opening an eye. "Hmm?"
"Earlier, you asked me if I thought anything was odd." She frowned, worrying her lip. Sitting up, he gave her his full attention, nodding for her to continue. "Ever since we got here, I've had this knot in my stomach. I just figured it was the search for Kari, but now…" She shook her head and met his gaze. "I don't know. It's weird. Feels like I'm car sick." She gave a short laugh and looked at the ceiling. "Probably just from riding in this thing."
The Doctor opened his mouth to respond when the vehicle came to a halt, rocking them both to the side before settling back down. Glancing quickly at the door, he met Rose's gaze.
"It's not motion sickness, Rose." His eyes flicked to the doors again as they flew open. "I'll explain as soon as I can, okay? Just don't fight it."
Eyes wide, she nodded as they were dragged out of the van. Surrounded by soldiers, he gave little resistance as they were led down a hallway. Periodically, he'd glance at Rose, relieved to see that she was doing what she normally did, taking in the scenery. He looked at the soldier at his left elbow.
"So who's this commander, anyway? Why does he want to see us when all we did was break curfew? Surely that just deserves a slap on the wrist and sent to bed without dessert." The soldier tightened his grip on the Doctor's arm in response. He pouted. "Ah, come on! Nothing? Not even a 'silence, scum!' Well you're no fun." He looked to his right when he felt Rose bump her shoulder into him. His hearts clenched as she smiled up at him, tongue caught in her teeth. He loved that smile. Beaming, he bumped her back.
"Stop poking the bear, Doctor. Least they're not just throwing us in a cell."
He raised his eyebrows. "How do we know that wouldn't be the ideal situation, Rose?"
She shrugged. "Don't. Just usually a good sign when we're taken to their leader first."
Both were silenced as their escorts jerked their arms, causing them to choke back laughter. They remained in silence until they were brought into an office with a large, imposing man behind the desk. He stood as they entered.
"I am Commander Tanar of the Royal Guard. How did you get your ship onto Ri'Ciao without going through one of the ports?"
The Doctor smiled, stepping forward. "Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler." He glanced around the office. "Ri'Ciao! Haven't been here in ages." Frowning, he looked back at Tanar. "Royal Guard? What happened to the democracy I helped setup? Oh, unless this is before that!"
Tanar glared. "Answer the question! How did you get onto Ri'Ciao without clearance?"
"Same way I normally get onto planets. I landed. Why? Is that not how you do it here?"
Rose bit back a giggle as Tanar rubbed the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes closed. The man took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Opening his eyes, he leveled a gaze on the Doctor.
"Ri'Ciao is on the eve of civil war and thus on planetary lockdown. No one is allowed on or off planet without clearance through one of four highly guarded ports. Ships shouldn't even be able to enter our atmosphere outside of those areas, let alone land."
The Doctor nodded as he started to wander around the office.
"Well, see, there's the problem. My ship just kind of appears; doesn't need to enter the atmosphere." He turned back toward Tanar. "Civil war? Last time I was here, Ri'Ciao was about fifteen years into one. If this is the start of that one, we need to go. Now."
Tanar shook his head. "You're not making any sense. We haven't had a civil war here in a hundred years. There's no way you could've been here for that."
Turning to look at a picture on the wall, the Doctor tilted his head. Nodding toward it, he spoke over his shoulder. "Lan Plat. First elected leader of Ri'Ciao. Taken on the day he was sworn in." Moving to another, he glanced over his shoulder to Rose. "Anyone in the picture look familiar?"
Moving to stand by him, she studied it for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Is… Is that Sarah Jane?"
He smiled. "Yup. And that bloke next to her, all hair, eyes, and teeth? That's me!"
She looked between him and the picture a couple of times. Tilting her head, she bit her lip. "I can see it. Although, that scarf…"
"Oi! That scarf was great! Helped me out of a lot of jams. Loved it so much, had a second one made to match my hat and coat."
Rose looked up at him. "Has there ever been a version of you that wasn't vain?"
He was about to respond when a throat cleared behind them. Turning, he smiled at a very annoyed Tanar. "Right. Sorry. Just reminiscing a bit. Always an interesting trip down memory lane." Smile dropping, he pulled himself to his full height. "What's going on here, Tanar? Why are you on the verge of another civil war? And what happened to the democracy Sarah and I helped bring in?"
Tanar looked him up and down, studying him. Shaking his head, he turned toward the soldiers in the room.
"Take them away. Throw them in one of the cells in the lower levels." He turned back toward the Doctor and Rose. "I think I need a bit of time to figure out what to do with you two."
The Doctor beamed at Rose as they were led out of the office.
"Look, Rose! We're being taken to that cell you mentioned earlier."
"Oh, gee, just what I've always wanted."
He bumped her shoulder. "Hey, could be worse. At least we're not being sent to be executed."
Sighing, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Remember that bear you were poking earlier? I think I just heard it growl."
"Nah, that was my stomach. I'm famished!"
