The Christmas Poison

By Lumendea

Chapter Seven: Aboard the Sontaran Ship

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

….

The Doctor squared his shoulders and stared right at the cameras that were now linked to the Sontaran ship. "This is the Doctor."

Staal almost smiled at the sight of him. That didn't bode well. "Doctor, breathing your last?"

"Not exactly," the Doctor replied. "You must know that the gas levels are holding stable."

"Delaying tactics will not save the planet," Staal huffed.

"Which leads me to my question: when did the Sontarans become cowards?"

"Doctor, you impugn my honour," Staal snapped onscreen.

"You do that just fine yourself, Staal. Really, poison gas? That's the weapon of a coward and you know it." Kate gave him a warning look. "You could blast this planet to dust or invade and take it in mere hours. Instead, you've worked with a human traitor and you're waiting for Earth to die from above. When did you lose your stomach for war?"

"I have not, Doctor!"

"So there's something else," the Doctor said. "Something about the gas and Earth." He nodded to himself. "You need it for a plan."

"A general would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing forces," Staal said.

"I have been trying to stay calm," the Doctor growled. "I have been trying to stay in control while you lot play with my favorite planet, but I'm running out of patience and mercy." He was aware of Kate moving back from him. There was a jolt of guilt, he should scare her, but a bigger part didn't care. "Leave now. This is your only warning."

"The Sontarans are not intimidated by your threats, Doctor."

"That's a lie," the Doctor said. It almost made him laugh. "I've stopped you lot again and again and again. You're afraid of me. You're right to be."

"You are alone, Doctor. The human weapons cannot harm us."

"So the Sontarans really have become cowards."

"Cowards?" Staal snapped. "We have fought the Rutan for fifty-thousand years! We sought to join the greatest war-"

"Don't talk about the Time War," the Doctor warned. "You don't want to make me burn you. The Time War is over. I ended it and if you think that I won't end this then you very mistaken." The Doctor glared at the screen, noting with pleasure that Staal looked a touch uneasy. "Leave now, you will not win this confrontation."

"But you lack your ship, your tools, and your tricks, Doctor. Behold we are the first Sontarans in history to capture a Tardis," Staal said. "You would be wise not to threaten us!" The camera shifted and the blue box was revealed to be sitting in a corner of the bridge.

The Doctor laughed and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "You're an idiot showing the TARDIS to me, Staal." He pointed the sonic screwdriver towards the screen. "I've got the remote control."

"Cease transmission!" Staal snapped.

The screens went black and Kate took a soft step towards him. "Dare I ask what you were trying to achieve?"

"They'll move the TARDIS off the bridge now," the Doctor said. "Rose will be able to move around."

"The Enterprise is near Mars," Kate said. "They're testing the engines and probe releasing on the Martian surface." Shaking her head, she looked at the screens. "Should I call it back?"

"No," the Doctor said. "Nothing on the Enterprise can stand up against the Sontaran weapons. You bring something else into the solar system that can fight them and Earth will just get caught in the middle of the firefight."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Kate said. "I'm all for us working on our own problems, but I wouldn't mind the Durmino Empire sweeping in right now."

"The last thing you need is a firefight right above Earth," the Doctor said. "And the Sontarans will not stand down for the Durmino Empire. Even the Shadow Proclamation can't do much with them. Usually, the universe just relies on the Rutans and Sontarans keeping each other busy."

"I'm keeping our men away from the factory," Kate said. "But if they got the TARDIS then they must have some way to move around without us knowing."

"Or you're looking for the wrong thing," the Doctor said. He frowned thoughtfully. "Just hold position, Kate, and have everyone stay in groups. It's likely that the Sontarans have cloned at least a few of your men."

"Clones…" Kate's frown deepened and her eyes swept around the room. "How can we tell them apart?"

"They'll smell different," the Doctor said. "Like clone feed… the TARDIS' report… those elements make up Bosteen and Probic five. Clone feed." Shaking his head, he smiled. "So that's it. Well… I can sort that."

"Doctor?" Kate blinked at him. "Do you know what they're doing?"

"Yes," he answered in a low voice. "But there could be clones nearby. Do you trust me, Kate?"

"I do," she answered without hesitation.

"Good, I need you keep people calm. Keep your men out of the factory. They'll never make it through the Sontaran defenses."

"I don't like just sitting here, Doctor," Kate said.

"Your science department bought me time and has kept people from dying," the Doctor reminded her. "That's not just sitting here. Science leads, Kate, let it." He touched her shoulder and smiled. "And let me finish this." Turning to look at Mickey, he grinned. "And you, come on. Time to jump back in that SUV."

"Where are we going?"

"Back to Rattigan's. That little worm has something I need."

Mickey thankfully didn't ask and Kate nodded in a mixture of resignation and aggravation. At the mention of Rattigan, his expression darkened and the Doctor knew he wasn't the only one at risk of yelling at the teenager. What kind of fool helps the Sontarans and expects them to honour their agreement? Pulling on the gas mask again, the Doctor just hoped that they'd be able to drive to the Academy without any trouble. It took a few minutes to find the SUV in the thick haze of orange. They piled in and took off, rushing away from the makeshift base.

A few miles out the smoke began to clear as they left the lines of UNIT jeeps behind. The Doctor opened the window to let the last of the smoke in the car escape and pulled off his gas mask. In the distance, a thick cloud hung over London making him frown.

"So, do you know what all this is?" Mickey asked after pulling off his own gas mask.

"It's clone feed," the Doctor said.

"Alright, the name provides some information, but not enough," Mickey said."

"The Sontarans are clones, all of them, and they've been at war a long time. The Rutans must have destroyed a clone world because now they are trying to remake Earth's atmosphere so they can clone here."

"Bugger," Mickey huffed. "Really? They couldn't find some other planet. What about Mars?"

"No, Mars is a bad idea. Sooner or later the Ice Warriors will want it back," the Doctor said. "Anyway this new atmosphere will kill humans, leaving all your carbon behind which they can use to jump-start the cloning process."

"Can I just say, gross," Mickey said. He glanced at the Doctor. "Maybe you should check on the girls."

The Doctor looked at Mickey, but nodded in agreement, pulling out the phone. He quickly found Rose in the speed dial and pushed down the jolt of jealousy. Mickey was just a friend to Rose. Almost like her brother, he told himself. They'd never been involved, he had no reason to be jealous of the ape. And it wasn't like he had any claim on Rose. His stomach tightened as he waited for an answer.

"Hello," Rose greeted. She sounded calm. That was good.

"Rose, you alright?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, we're fine. We just had some tea while we were waiting," she said. Almost too calm then, he decided. Did nothing throw her off? "What do you need me to do?"

"Got the mallet?"

"Yes, but I will be hiding it again. Or maybe giving it to Sharon and Shireen as a trophy," Rose said. "So, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to go out of the TARDIS and reopen the Sontaran teleport link," the Doctor said. "I'm on my way to Rattigan's Academy with Mickey."

"Why are you going back there?" Rose asked.

"There is a link to the ship in Rattigan's office," the Doctor reminded her. "The factory is too well protected to access that link and it isn't worth the risk."

"I assume you need to the link to get the TARDIS down from here?"

"Something like that."

"Doctor, answer the question," Rose said. Her voice was sharp and stern. "What are you planning?"

"Rose… I don't want to talk about it over the phone," the Doctor said. "The Sontarans might be listening."

"Fine, what do you need from us? How do I reopen the link? Please keep in mind that this is my first time on a Sontaran ship," Rose said.

The Doctor was proud of how calm she sounded. He stayed on the line impatiently. There was a heavy thump and he smiled, knowing that a Sontaran had been taken down. A few silent moments later there was another thump. Mickey kept glancing worriedly at him.

"She's fine so far," the Doctor said.

Mickey nodded and looked ahead. Rattigan Academy loomed in the distance and as they approached, the Doctor noticed that a group of young people in uniforms were jogging down the road. To his surprise, he recognized them as Rattigan's students. Apparently, they'd just up and abandoned him. Not really a shock.

"Okay," Rose said. "Three Sontarans down. I have more freedom of movement now. What am I looking for exactly?"

"A circular panel on the wall," the Doctor explained. "It has a symbol that looks like a T with a horizontal line through it on the front."

Up on the ship, Rose nodded her understanding and relayed the information to Sharon and Shireen. They crept through the hallways as quietly as they could while Rose tried to remember the way back to the TARDIS. Sharon and Shireen stayed close behind her as they peeked around a corner. Another Sontaran was standing guard with its back to them. Rose signaled the others to stay back and slowly crept forward. Her heart raced as she carefully stepped on the smooth floors, very grateful that she had sneakers on. In her left hand, she was still carrying her mobile phone.

The Sontaran didn't move and Rose brought up the mallet. With a grimace of sympathy, she swung it forward and struck the probic vent. It crumpled to the floor just as the first two had and Rose let out a sigh of relief. Behind her, Sharon and Shireen let out matching sighs of relief.

"Rose, the panel," Shireen said. She pointed near the fallen Sontaran to panel that matched the Doctor's description.

"Found the panel."

"Good, now flip the switches," the Doctor said. "It's similar to a fuse box."

"Right." Rose quickly opened the panel, it wasn't even locked.

"How do I get the TARDIS back to Earth?" Rose asked. "Rattigan's pod is too small for it."

"The ship will be fine," the Doctor said. "I can teleport it down."

"Doctor, that brat is insane. I'd rather have the TARDIS there when I arrive," Rose said. "Just in case."

"Alright," the Doctor said. She could hear him rolling his eyes. "You still need to activate the switches. There will be another panel nearby that has coordinates in it. You'll need to adjust them all to match Rattigan's pod since we don't know which one will align to the TARDIS."

"Okay, I'm looking at the panel," Rose said.

"Rattigan's should be labeled as they've been using it a lot."

It wasn't completely clear how it all worked, but the one consistent transmat point was labeled as Rattigan Academy. Rose hummed thoughtfully. She would have thought the Sontarans would put something insulting down. Still, it provided the coordinates that she needed. Rose pulled out the sonic pen and began unlocking the different settings so she could reprogram them.

"There's no windows," Sharon said as Rose worked. She rubbed her arms nervously. "I hope everyone is okay."

"The chemical sinks were working," Shireen reminded her. "Levels haven't reached a fatal point yet."

"Yeah, but people have got to be panicking. It's Christmas and this happened. People are traveling and their cars start trying to kill them… god, all the children must be so scared." She looked at Rose and asked, "Did you talk to your Mum?"

"No," Rose admitted. "I should, but I don't want to scare her. I'm not sure how to stop this yet, but I have faith that the Doctor will figure it out."

"The issue isn't just stopping the release of more gas," Sharon said. "We also need a way to get rid of it. Even if it isn't at fatal levels for humans yet, its got to be hurting smaller animals and affecting the vegetation. If it hangs around too long then there will be side effects as it spreads to farms."

"He'll sort it," Rose said firmly. Her fingers kept moving across the different controls, synching all of it up. "I really hope that I'm not about to teleport down a division with us."

"It'll be fine," Shireen said. She smiled at both of her friends. "He really does know his stuff," Shireen said. She watched Rose carefully enter the sequence of numbers. "I mean, knowing what all this looks like and how it works."

"He's a very intelligent man," Rose said with a smile. "Plus he's been around a while." She entered the last number and tensed, waiting for something to light up or explode. Nothing did. "Okay, that's all of them."

"How do we trigger it?" Shireen asked. "We can't activate it from inside the TARDIS. Or can we?"

"No," Rose said. "You two go back to the TARDIS, I'll send you down and follow."

"Are you sure?" Sharon asked. They were both frowning at her.

"I'll be fine. Do you remember the way back?"

"Yes," Shireen said. "If you're sure?"

"I am."

Rose smiled at her friends who flinched slightly and exchanged looks. Nonetheless they nodded.

"We'll text you once we're back inside," Sharon said.

"Good, here, take the mallet just in case," Rose said. She handed it over and brought her phone to her ear. "Okay, Doctor, we're getting this show on the road."

"I'm almost back to Rattigan's Academy," the Doctor said.

"Alright, I'll see you there," Rose said and she finally ended the call.

A text came through a moment later and Rose sighed softly in relief. Sharon and Shireen were secure in the TARDIS, hopefully not putting the mallet back on the hook. She flipped the last switch and pulled out the sonic pen again. There was a whirl and Rose held her breath. She really really hoped that she'd gotten the TARDIS down okay. Then her phone beeped with another text. It was Sharon and they were on Earth. Rose activated the other points on the panel. The third one made her skin tingle and the world went bright for a split second.

She was in Rattigan's office, in that weird pod thing. Rattigan was at the desk, his hands shaking and his eyes wide. His eyes were wide and Rose took a careful step forward. The TARDIS was a few feet away and she could see Sharon and Shireen peeking out.

Lashing forward, Rose snatched the gun from Rattigan's hands. With deft fingers, she removed the magazine and flicked the chambered bullet out of the weapon, tossing the pieces away. They slid across the floor while Rattigan gaped at her. Behind her, the doors of the TARDIS opened with a soft creak.

"Are there Sontarans here?" Rose asked. "And do not try to lie to me. You're on my list you little worm!"

"No," Rattigan gasped. "They tricked me, it wasn't my fault!"

"It was your fault," Rose said. "And don't you dare pretend otherwise. I was on that ship, I heard you. Oh, Rattigan, so clever that he can't see an obvious trap and is willing to trade his planet."

"They deserved to die!" Rattigan shouted. "They laughed at me! They laughed at all the clever ones! I was trying to build a better world!"

"You can't build anything, especially not on a foundation of bones. Now you are going to sit down and shut it or I'm going to start breaking some bones."

"She will," Sharon said. Her arms were crossed across her chest. "Rose Tyler doesn't get angry often, but when she does you'd best stay out of her way."

"There's trouble," the Doctor said.

Rose turned sharply and grinned as the Doctor strode into the room with Mickey right behind him. His soft smile for her quickly fell away and he walked over to check the teleport.

"Alright," he said. "This will work."

"What will work?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor didn't answer him. Instead, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. Rose blinked at the action and stared after the Doctor for a moment. Then she went after him, wondering just what was going through his head.