Chapter 10: Together We Stand
'' You're the convertor,'' the Doctor whispered, his brown eyes swimming with sadness.
''The what?'' croaked Wolfgang, his shaking hand gripping the Doctor's.
''The Daleks needed a method to convert the hatred of Nazi Germany into a life force for them to use. A human was needed for that; you're the link that processes the hatred people have, into a life force the Daleks then harness to create an army. Like I said, your wife being taken triggered the system, you turned against the state, against the Party, against Hitler himself! They've planned this from the beginning.''
''Why me?'' stammered Wolfgang, shakily getting to his feet, supported by both the Doctor and Donna, before turning to the Supreme Dalek.
''Why choose me? I have children!''
''YOU WERE CHOSEN AT RANDOM. WE HAVE NO RECOGNITION OF FATHERHOOD, IT IS IRRELEVANT. YOUR EMOTION IS UNRECOGNISED.''
Unrecognised. The word shot through the Doctor's brain, and ignited a beacon of hope inside him. Time to save the world.
''Well then, great plan, honestly, stone cold brilliant, I could applaud,'' he mockingly began clapping his hands. ''So, I presume I die now? Donna's grief, and all that.''
The Dalek, instantly suspicious at the apparent lack of care for humanity, regarded him with silence, as the Doctor began to pace the room.
''By the way, I noticed you'd taken my TARDIS. Guess you want me to stick around; so what's so great I get to bear witness?''
''A TIMELORD HAS INFINITE BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OVER HUMANITY. IF YOU WERE USED AS A CONVERTOR…''
''Ah, I get you,'' he interrupted. ''Turn me into a convertor, eh? I'm loving the pragmatism, first you say I'm getting shot, then I'm becoming a convertor. Like getting an upgrade, I suppose. Great plan, honestly, it is. What about Wolfgang?''
''HE WILL LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN IF HE WANTS HIS SON TO REMAIN ALIVE,'' reiterated the Supreme Dalek.
''Okay, now I know where we stand. Brilliant. Bye then Donna.''
''Doctor, what the hell are you doing?'' Donna hissed.
The Doctor ignored her. ''Can I have just three final words?''
Once again silence.
''First word: idiot. Second word: idiot. And, finally, third word: unrecognised.''
''Have you gone mad?'' googled Friedrich.
''Not at all,'' breathed the Doctor, and in one effortless bound he returned to Wolfgang and grasped the man tightly.
''Wolfgang, you trust me, don't you? You trust me to get you and Rudy home, right?''
Wolfgang once again looked into the Timelord's eyes, and once again found himself fearing and loving the man stood before him.
''I do,'' Wolfgang whispered.
''Good, now listen to me, and listen hard. You have to remember everything the Daleks have taken from you. Your wife, your hope, and now your son. Feel that anger, let it burn your soul, and aim all that emotion at the Daleks.''
Wolfgang took a deep breath, nodded and concentrated hard.
''THE LEVELS OF HATRED ARE RISING,'' shrieked a Dalek, its eyestalk glaring into the data bubbling onto the screen.
Friedrich had too walked over to the console displaying the data and smirked. ''Does he hope to survive by helping us?''
Donna glanced nervously at her friend, and felt worry pierce her heart. What was he doing?
''Now,'' continued the Doctor, taking note of the preoccupied Daleks, ''you have to forgive them.''
''What?'' spluttered Wolfgang. ''Doctor, how can I?''
''You have to, Wolfgang. These creatures, these people, they only understand anger, and hatred, and inflicting pain. This world will always be full of people hating each other, and the only way to defeat it is to love them and forgive them. Only with forgiveness can we heal this world, and progress to a better future. It's tough, it should be, but it's always the best way.''
''But, they took my wife,'' whispered Wolfgang, tears running down his weary face, a face who had seen too much of the world. ''How can I possibly forgive?''
''Because if you don't, Wolfgang, your son will die. Save him.''
An eerie silence had now fallen, all eyes were on the two men. Wolfgang had closed his eyes, thinking and doing the impossible.
''Enough,'' spat Friedrich. ''Kill him.''
The Supreme Dalek lowered its gun, and in one fatal move shot the Doctor dead.
Only it didn't.
Nothing happened. The gun didn't fire. The Doctor dared to smile.
''WHAT IS HAPPENING?! EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!''
''I think, your convertor has just resigned,'' whispered the Doctor, delight dancing in his eyes.
Before anyone could register the new information, the dark space was plunged into a crimson glow as alarms began to emit from all corners of the room. Sparks began to fly from the consoles and various Daleks began to back away in confusion.
''Doctor, what have you done?'' screamed Friedrich, staggering as flames erupted from a circuit behind him.
''I did nothing,'' hissed the Doctor. ''Wolfgang, your little convertor, has just brought down your entire plan. You rely on his hatred to convert your energy, but he just forgave you. All that evil and all that destruction, all stopped by one little conscious act. He forgave you, and now all that energy has nowhere to go. It can't power your guns, it can't build an army, in fact, I'd say it's probably going to go to the only place it can go.''
''ALERT! ALERT! CASING IS OVERHEATING! MALFUNCTION IN MAIN CHAMBER!'', shrieked the Supreme Dalek.
All around the room Daleks were beginning to spin and shriek as their casing began to buckle, and steam rose like a nefarious cloud.
''All that energy is feeding back into Dalek systems,'' shouted the Doctor, his long coat flapping as sparks flew from all corners. ''Take that for 'unrecognised', next time, don't think you know humans better than they know themselves!''
Wolfgang gasped as he opened his eyes and gazed at the destruction engulfing the room. ''Rudy, I'm coming!'' he shouted, sprinting to where the boy was pressed against the bars of the cage.
Donna, followed by the Doctor, quickly joined him, kneeling on the cold floor as smoke turned the room into a furnace.
''Where's the key?'' yelled Wolfgang, desperation evident as he clawed at the rusted lock.
''Doctor, sonic it,'' cried Donna.
''I don't have it, the guards took it earlier,'' he whispered.
''We have to save Rudy,'' squawked Donna, jumping to her feet, and searching for anyone to help. Nazis were pouring out of the only door in the room, some fell over, and others ran into walls, anything in a bid to escape the hell forming around them. Friedrich remained glued to the spot he had stood in for the last few minutes.
Donna ran over, grabbed the man and shouted in his face. ''Where's the key?''
For a moment the question barely registered on his face, then he looked at Donna and almost smiled.
''It's here,'' Friedrich took the invaluable metal from his pocket, and placed it firmly in Donna's hand.
Not waiting a second longer, Donna sprinted back to the cage, and jammed the key in the lock. She twisted the hot metal, and with a creak almost atone to the one her cell door had made all those hours ago, the cage released its victim. Wolfgang threw his arms around his son, and picked him up in an endless hug.
The Doctor took Donna's hand, a tiny glimmer of reassurance as hell rained behind them. Smoke, sparks and fire had now consumed the Daleks; eager flames now tugged maliciously at the small group.
''Run,'' bellowed the Doctor. The pair began moving, and Donna felt her arm tugged sideways as the Doctor ran to the still motionless Friedrich and grabbed his arm.
''How do we get out?!''
Friedrich turned from statue to man in one second and motioned for all to follow his lead. ''This way!''
Together, the Doctor and Donna still holding hands, Wolfgang still carrying Rudy, and Friedrich, confidently leading the way, sprinted out of the crimson chamber. They passed glorious halls and corridors decked with various portraits and fine arts, yet in their blind panic, no one payed too close attention.
Finally, they emerged into daylight, taking two steps at a time, sprinting up to and out of the gates of the New Reich Chancellery, before spinning around to watch as an explosion ripped the far right side of the building. They all duck as pieces of stone and glass cascade down the side of the structure, creating a waterfall of debris and smoking chunks of metal.
The Doctor grinned, straightened up, and laughed and Wolfgang gleefully hugged his son, and people stop with mouths gaping. A suppressed sense of joy gathered in the air, and the Doctor watches wistfully as Friedrich slowly slips into the jabbering masses of people.
''Where's he going?'' growled Donna. ''I'd like a word.''
''He did just save Rudy,'' pointed out the Doctor, an eyebrow raised.
''And? He nearly killed me.''
''Actually, if my history serves me well, I seem to recall a Friedrich taking part in Operation Valkyrie.''
''Operation what?''
''A plot to kill Hitler in 1944,'' explained the Doctor. ''Maybe, just maybe, we had a greater affect than we thought…''
''Pfft, doubt it,'' sniffed Donna.
The Doctor shrugged and turned as Wolfgang and Rudy slowly approached them. Wolfgang was beaming and embraced the Doctor in a hug.
''Doctor, I can't thank you enough for what you've done. You've given me hope, hope to keep living no matter what.''
''You had that hope within you all along, I just showed it to you,'' protested the Doctor, pulling out of the hug with a wink.
''And I think you're going to do great things,'' he continued, kneeling to make eye contact with Rudy, who also embraced him in a hug. ''Never give up, Rudy. Not ever.''
''I won't,'' smiled the boy. ''I'll always forgive people, no matter what.''
''Good boy,'' nodded the Doctor standing up.
Donna said her goodbyes as the Doctor glanced around distractedly.
''How will you get home?'' asked Wolfgang, a frown forming.
''In the event of danger, the TARDIS returns to its previous position,'' affirmed the Doctor. ''So, where ever that alley is.''
''I'll show you,'' smiled Wolfgang, taking Rudy's hand and leading the two time travellers away from the smoking building.
''What about your sonic, by the way?'' interjected Donna. ''Hasn't it now been destroyed?''
''Yes, but you honestly think I don't have spares.''
''Thank god for that,'' laughed Donna. ''I can't wait to get home, and sleep for a day.''
''Talking of home, Doctor, does Germany recover from this? Do we have a future?'' interrupted Wolfgang, his face hopeful and fearful all at once.
''Ah Wolfgang,'' the Doctor breathed, gazing one last time at the yellow stars, terrified looks, and gleaming SS uniforms. ''Why don't I show you?''
With that, the small group vanished into the crowd as if they had never existed.
A/N: Thank you for reading, especially considering the length! This is the final chapter, although I will post an epilogue, so please review. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and enjoyed this story. I hope I told it right.