CHAPTER SIX
"There she is," Charley said, pointing to the little girl in the pink dress on the scanner.
"Happen to know the man she's talking to?" the Doctor asked, keeping one eye on the little girl and the other on the tearful reunion taking place only a few yards away. The Tardis was out of sight from that angle, he was pretty sure. And so far, he felt no uneasy shifting about in his mind and memories. They would probably go unnoticed.
"I've never seen him before," Charley said, studying the man. "But I can guess."
"Can you? Good." He cast her a sideways glance. "Enlighten me."
She hesitated. Whether she was unsure of her response or just unsure of how many blanks he was asking her to fill, he couldn't really tell.
"He's a... bounty hunter," she finally blurted out. "I mean, if I had to guess."
"And he's after you."
She looked straight at him. "Quite possibly. Why does it matter?"
"It doesn't." In fact, he'd already known that much by what the Matrix had shown him of Grybon. He threw the lever on the Tardis doors, opening them to the sunshine outside. "Though you and I are definitely going to need to have a little talk about that. Preferably sometime soon."
She was already halfway to the door. He followed a step behind, out into the bright sunlight where he paused to close and lock the doors behind him. "Charley, stay back," he warned as she ran to catch up with the man who was leading the child away. "While we're still near our other selves, we don't want to make a -"
"Oi! Julia!"
The Doctor sighed inwardly as his warning fell on deaf ears. "- scene."
He'd been hoping the man was simply a pedophile or some equally disturbed but harmless-when-caught individual. He'd been distinctly hoping against Charley's bounty hunter assumption. But as the man turned, grabbed the girl by the arm, and pulled a laser pistol from his jacket, the Doctor knew today was not his lucky day.
"Charley, get down!"
The sound of the shot - distinct and fear-inducing - sent the park's occupants scrambling like ants in all directions. It attracted the attention of his former self, and he winced at the brief pain as the fresh memory was overwritten with a paradoxical one. But he didn't have time to think about that.
"Is he seriously shooting at us in the middle of a crowded park!" Charley cried with indignant anger.
"Yes, it would seem that way."
Another shot in their direction barely missed his head, and he ducked down lower behind the park bench. It certainly wasn't the greatest cover, but in the confusion and chaos of people running in every direction, it wasn't the worst, either. Crouched down beside him, Charley gave a frustrated growl.
"Just let me at him," she snarled. "I'm gonna kill him, I swear it!"
Pushing himself up, the Doctor checked through the slats of the bench before he scrambled to his feet. "Come on!"
The man had used the confusion to run. But the Doctor was fairly certain they could catch up when he not only had a child to slow him down, but had to keep an eye out for the police who would almost certainly be looking for him now that he'd attracted so much attention to himself. But as soon as they had him in sight, he simply turned and started shooting again, impervious to the fact that they were on a fairly busy street. Ducking behind the wall, in the alleyway, the Doctor's brow furrowed.
"This isn't going to work," he said firmly. "Innocent people are going to get hurt. Who is this guy, anyway, Charley? I'm beginning to think he's not a professional at all."
"I didn't say he was a professional; I said he was a bounty hunter."
"Bounty hunters don't generally shoot at their targets. Much less at the risk of innocent lives. We need a -"
Charley tried to push past him, tried to run again, to follow. But he caught her by the arm. "Charley, wait!"
"I'm not losing her, Doctor!"
"I know that. But this isn't working. There's too many innocent bystanders."
"Well, what do you want me to do, call the police?"
"Under the circumstances, that might not be a bad idea."
"What!"
He held her arms, focusing her attention on him for a moment. "Listen, Charley, just calm down."
"Calm down!" she cried, angry and indignant.
"You're reacting without even thinking and it's clouding your -"
"What are the police going to do besides ask a lot of difficult questions once it's all over? He's getting away!"
"Charley!"
Her eyes widened at his raised voice, and he dropped it again.
"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? Ever!"
She swallowed, her eyes welling up with tears from the adrenaline overflow. Her hands were shaking. But she swallowed hard and finally shook her head.
"Then trust me now. I'll get her back."
She nodded tightly.
"Stay right here and call the police. Keep them on the phone. I have an idea, but I need you to trust me; I need you to not follow me."
"What!"
"Stay here. Call the police. Can you do that?"
She shut her eyes hard, set her jaw, and deliberated only for a moment before she nodded. Well aware that he was losing time, the Doctor turned and positioned her against the wall as he slipped out into the street and followed behind the retreating man.
*X*X*X*
It had been a while since he'd tailed someone. This sort of thing was all a bit cops and robbers for him - not normally his bag. Not that he didn't enjoy a good chase every once in a while. Especially on the rare occasion that he was the one doing the chasing and not the other way around. And besides being a good exercise in alertness, it gave him time to think.
Three-year-old Julia was an unexpected addition to this reunion. He hadn't been sure whether he expected Charley to be happy to see him or angry, whether she had moved on and didn't need him anymore or whether she would welcome him back into her life with open arms. But in no scenario had he foreseen a three-year-old little girl. She had to be Charley's child; she looked just like her, for one thing and the maternal instinct was too strong for it to be otherwise. Had Charley settled down, at one point? Fallen in love? Whose child was it?
It was physically impossible that the child could be his. The fact that he even had that thought to begin with startled him. Even when they'd been travelling and living together as lovers, driven by lust for the experience of what that love could feel like, they had never allowed the possibility of a child. But this little girl, whose face he had never even seen up close, was a part of Charley and so, in a way, was a part of him. What a strange feeling it was, to have such an immediate bond to someone he didn't even know. And the logic in his reasoning, why he felt that way, was no less strange.
The man was moving more slowly now. He'd put away the weapon, and was walking with the little girl, glancing over his shoulder every few steps to make sure Charley wasn't following. It was Charley he was looking for, not the Doctor. All the Doctor had to do was avoid eye contact, to blend in, to be unremarkable. He smiled to himself as he followed at a distance. He was good at blending in...
Julia, it seemed, was surprisingly calm. No tears, no fits, and yet walking of her own accord, holding his hand as she looked around. Did she know the man? Did she not notice her mother's panic? Did she have no fear of the laser pistol? There were so many questions the Doctor had. But there was certainly one that stuck out above all the rest: Where was the getaway vehicle?
The man didn't have a teleport device. If he had, he would've simply used it in the park. But he had a plan; he was well-organized. Even if the child went with him willingly, he had to have a destination in mind, a place to take her. If he was a bounty hunter, and assuming the bounty was issued from somewhere other than New Earth, he was going to need a ship. So where was it?
It wasn't a ship. It was an automobile. A plain, ordinary hover car with a plain, ordinary license plate and a limited range teleportation field if the primitive looking contraption on top of it was any indication. Limited range teleport meant he would probably drive close to his ship, then teleport on board. And even if that wasn't his plan, the Doctor had what he needed. He ducked back as the man put the little girl in the backseat. By the time he made it around to the driver's side, the Doctor was in a dead sprint down the street, back the way he'd come, back to Charley.
She was startled to see him, still on the phone, as instructed. Her eyes widened as she saw him. "Doctor! Where is -"
"He's in a car, Charley."
"A what?"
"Dark blue Fitzer 105 model, maybe 106..." In spite of the fact that he was in excellent shape - the kind of life he lived more or less demanded it - he had to pause a minute to catch his breath. "The registration is 8-2-2-4-franchise yellow. Tell the police and let's go!"
She repeated the information as quickly as she could, and took off after him as he headed back to the Tardis. The police were at the park already, talking to people about the shooting. Quick response; he was impressed. Luckily for him, they were hardly observant enough to notice anyone slipping into the blue box in the trees.
"What the hell was all that about!" Charley demanded as he headed for the console. "Call the police? Since when has local law enforcement been your solution?"
"Only part of the solution, Charley," he answered, casting a smug grin in her direction. "Listen."
As he turned the dial on the console, the slightly crackling sound of radio transmissions filled the console room.
"The police scanners?" she guessed.
"Wherever he was going, he wasn't going to get there on foot. We were too far from the Tardis to get back and then catch up to him; we would've lost him, not known where to look. And these short range time jumps wreak havoc with the poor girl's circuits, anyway. But with a few more pairs of eyes, and the entire satellite surveillance system tracking his movements..."
She pushed her hair back, holding it between her fingers as she watched him circle the Tardis console. "And what makes you think he's going to some secret base here on New Earth? What's to stop him from popping off to a larger ship and leaving the planet before they have a chance to stop him?"
"Oh, I'm counting on it. And when he does -"
"Suspect engaged teleport at 1-0-3-X, 8-3-2-1-Z."
"Coordinates," Charley muttered.
"The Tardis can follow a fresh energy signature to the ends of the universe," the Doctor said smugly. "And we can pretty much guarantee he hasn't gone that far."
"But you could've gotten those yourself. With the Tardis. Just jump back to where you saw him disappear and follow the energy signature."
He raised a brow as he glanced at her. She was telling him what his Tardis could do? This was new... He wasn't entirely sure he liked it. "You know, Charley, I have done this before," he answered, a little indignantly. "Well, maybe not this, specifically, but I'm not entirely unfamiliar with making quick decisions to ensure the best possible outcome. Have a little faith."
She lowered her eyes, jaw tight. But she didn't argue.
The landing onboard the ship's cargo area - right beside the getaway car - was smooth. The scanner was on, and the startled expression of the man outside was confirmation that he had not anticipated the possibility of being followed. And the pistol in Charley's hand made the Doctor do a double take.
"Charley, do you really think that's necessary? Or wise?"
"I'm going to get my daughter back."
"Yes, but with that?" He wasn't quite able to hide his disgust. "I perform a fantastic maneuver, flawlessly materialize the Tardis right in the middle of this ship, and you want to go out there and wave a gun at him?"
"You have a better idea?" she challenged, brow raised.
"Usually."
She studied him for a moment, her eyes cold. The more he watched her, the more he realized that she was not quite the same Charley he remembered. This Charley was older, harder, and more scarred. "What about right now?" she challenged. "Do you have a better idea right now?"
"Yes."
She hesitated for a moment, as if evaluating his tone. But it was cold and flat, a simple statement of fact, without a hint of persuasion or encouragement. He wouldn't stop her, but he wouldn't respect her either. Not if she went out there and shot that man down, bounty hunter or no. Not when there was a better way.
She took a slow breath, then set the pistol carefully on the console. "Alright, Doctor. We'll try it your way first."
"Good."
He cast one more glance at the weapon, gave it a furrowed look, then returned his attention to the scanner and the man who had just discovered he was caught between an invisible force field and the big blue box that had generated it. Eyes wide, still caught off guard, he spun to face the Tardis, grabbing the little girl by the hair and pressing the barrel of his own pistol to the side of her head. The Doctor frowned at the scene. It wasn't just the display of violence that concerned him. It was the relative calm of a three-year-old child in the clutches of a threatening stranger. He had seen a lot of things. He had never seen a child look quite so blank. Was she drugged? Under some form of mind control?
"Let the girl go and we let you go," the Doctor said calmly, holding down the transmission button that would override any shortwave broadcast system in the area -including the ship's own PA system. "We can forget that little fiasco on the planet below; I won't even send you back to face the charges I'm sure the police would love to file against you. Just let her go, and we can all be on our way."
"Get off my ship or I blow her bleedin' head off!"
The Doctor had no chance to respond. Charley was leaning across the console, holding down the transmission button herself. "You do that and you'll never get your bounty. I'll bloody well make sure of it."
"Thank you, Charley," the Doctor said under his breath, not the least bit grateful for the interruption. He cast her a worried look as she stepped back, seething with anger. She was glaring hard at the scanner as the man debated his options.
"How sure are you that she's no good to him dead?" the Doctor asked cautiously.
"Not as sure as I am that he'll die if he harms one hair on her head."
"Yes, I believe you, Charley, but the problem is, revenge won't bring her back."
"Revenge isn't the point, Doctor. If he kills her, he's committing suicide. He'd best think about that very carefully before he decides to pull the trigger."
"That's rather a defeatist attitude, don't you think?"
"Defeatist!"
His eyes narrowed at her, matching her fiery anger with ice. "I was under the impression that the goal here was to get your daughter back alive. If he shoots her, regardless of how you vent your anger after the fact, she's still dead, Charley!"
Jaw tight, Charley stood glaring back at him, and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Your ship's not going anywhere," the Doctor said firmly, opening the transmission once more. "And I'm not letting you out of that force field until you let her go. Do it now, you lose your bounty but you make a clean getaway. Do it later, you still lose your bounty when the police show up, only they take you into custody for kidnapping, at the very least. Kill her, and I rather think my friend here is serious about putting a bullet in your head. In any case, you've already lost your bounty. And if you care to try your luck, please be aware that I've got all the time in the world and you've got three patrol ships heading your way. Choose carefully."
The man was trapped; it was painfully obvious. But like a liar who couldn't see the truth for all his deceit, he stumbled and stuttered his way through one bargain attempt after another before finally, frantically, he let go of the little girl. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't until the police had already threatened to board that he made his move. A frantic attempt at escape lay ahead of him, and he needed all the time he could get.
"Stay away from the door," the Doctor warned as he opened it. "Just in case he starts shooting."
"Julia, come inside, honey," Charley directed the little girl.
With a step that was a bit more toddle than walk, the girl walked forward, in through the doors without incident. Charley let out an audible sigh of relief as the Doctor closed the doors, lowered the force field, and left the man to his own efforts of persuasion with the local law enforcement.
"Are you alright?" Charley asked as she smoothed the girl's hair back.
The child nodded, looking around her with innocent curiosity - the walls, the ceiling, the console. She barely seemed to notice the Doctor.
"Mummy?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Why is it bigger on the inside?"
