Chapter Ten

The guards saw the horse coming closer when the horse stopped and a young man got off the horse and headed for the large iron doors. The young man was dressed in a tan shirt, brown breeches and black boots and he took the brown hat off his head.

"Who goes there?" the guard asked from the parapet and the young man looked up at him.

"I'm Jesse Burke. I need tae see the warden," Jesse said as the guards looked at each other and one of the guards leaned slightly over the parapet.

"Why do you need to see him?"

"I have word of his daughter."

"His daughter is dead."

"No, she's alive. Please, I must speak with him," Jesse said and brushed some of the black hair from his green eyes. Jesse watched as the guard walked off and Jesse gently stroked the horse's nose. A few minutes later the large iron door opened and the guard walked to him.

"This way," the guard said as they walked to the large iron door and went inside. The prisoners glared at him as the guard led Jesse to the stairs and they headed up the stairs. Holding his hat in his hands, Jesse looked around while the guard led him down the hallway then stopped at the door and the guards looked at the guard then at Jesse. "The warden is expecting us."

Nodding, the guard opened the door while the other guard led Jesse into the office and Greggs was standing in front of the window, looking at the landscape spreading out before him. The guard softly coughed when Greggs turned and looked at them. He slowly blinked as he walked toward them and Jesse lowered his eyes.

"Why are you here, Burke?" Greggs asked with a cold tone in his voice.

"It's Miss Erica, Suhr," Jesse said and Greggs glared at him.

"My daughter is DEAD!" he growled and Jesse shook his head, holding tighter onto his hat.

"No, Suhr, she's nae. She is at the house. Mrs. McDouglas saw her, she did."

"How can this be?" he asked and Jesse sighed.

"I dinnae ken, Suhr, Mrs. McDouglas just told me tae come an' tell you that Miss Erica was home," Jesse said and Greggs placed his hands behind his back.

"What about the prisoner, McCrimmon? Was he with her?"

"Aye, I think he is, Suhr," Jesse said with a nod of his head. Greggs paced for a few minutes then looked at the guard and sighed.

"I want my carriage made ready and select several guards to accompany me," Greggs said and the guard nodded.

"What about McCrimmon?" the guard asked.

"Tell the men that they have my approval to kill him," Greggs said and the light of small disc embedded in the skin behind his left ear twinkled on and off.

"STOP!" Tegan shouted as the horse raced down the trail and she held the reins tightly in her hands. She silently cursed the Doctor for suggesting they take a ride on some of the horses and heard something coming closer.

"Toss me the reins!" Jamie said as she tossed the reins to him and Jamie lightly pulled on the reins, making the horse Tegan was riding on stop. Tegan panted as Jamie got off the horse he was riding and he stroked the other horse's nose. He whispered something to the horse in Gaelic and the horse calmed down.

"What did you say?"

"I just told her tae hush an' that she was alright," Jamie said as he patted the horse's nose and Tegan smiled.

"Wish I was alright. I'm rubbish at horse riding," she said and he softly laughed. Patting the horse, Jamie got back onto the horse he was riding and they headed down the trail. They rode in silence when she looked at him and blinked. "So, are you happy to be home?"

"This isnae my home," Jamie sighed and she felt her heart hurting.

"I mean being back in Scotland."

"Aye, I ken what you mean."

"Look, I know things look bad now, but things will get better."

"I ken that as well, but I just dinnae ken what tae do. I could just run an' go off tae Paris an' try tae find my laid, but I would have a price on my head an' I wouldnae want anything bad tae happen tae him because of me. I could stay here an' pray that Erica's father doesnae take me back tae prison or kill me. I could just run off with you an' the Doctor, but I dinnae want tae travel through time anymore."

"Sounds like you have a lot to think about," she said and he nodded, seeing Nyssa, Adric and Erica waiting for them at the bend of the trail.

"There you are," Erica said as she made the horse she was riding move toward them and rode up next to the horse Jamie was sitting on.

"Ionndrainn mi, Sassenach?" Jamie said in Gaelic and she looked at him with a confused look on her face. He knew that calling her "Sassenach" would have been a cause for laughter, due to the fact it was like calling her something crude and vile, but he said it with such sweetness in his voice and she titled her head to one side.

"What did you say?"

"I asked if you missed me in Gaelic," he said and a soft blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Um, no, I didn't miss you. I thought you and Tegan had gotten lost," she said and Jamie smiled, nodding his head.

"Can we please go back to the stable?" Tegan asked and Jamie took hold of the reins of the horse she was sitting on then they headed down the trail. Erica led the way but glanced back at Jamie every now and then and blushed when he smiled at her.

The Doctor didn't hear the others come in as he looked at the screen when Jamie tapped his shoulder and the Doctor looked at him.

"Ah, you're back," he said when he noticed that Tegan was walking funny and frowned. "Tegan, are you alright?"

"No, I am not alright. I can't feel my bum," she said then left the room and Erica covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"What are you looking at?" Adric asked while looking at the screen and the Doctor sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

"I don't know. All I know is it's coming from the direction of the prison."

"An' you want tae go there an' find out what's going on," Jamie said and the Doctor nodded. "Well then, let's get going."

"Jamie, you're not going," the Doctor said and Jamie blinked, giving him a hurt look.

"Why cannae I go?"

"For one thing, you used to be a prisoner there."

"Which means I ken the place better than you do," Jamie said and folded his arms over his chest.

"The other thing is someone needs to look after Erica," the Doctor said and Erica's eyes went wide.

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," she said and folded her arms under her breasts, glaring at him.

"I know that you can, but you are not coming."

"Doctor, the prison is huge, you're going tae need all the help you can get," Jamie said as the Doctor looked at them and knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Fine," the Doctor sighed as he moved around the console, pushing the buttons, moving levers and flipping switches then moved the main lever. The TARDIS dematerialized as Erica slid her hand into Jamie's hand and he smiled, wrapping his fingers around hers.

Doctor Miller walked into the room while the lights blinked on the consoles and he closed the door, moving the bolt into place. A sheet covered a body on the table while tubes and wires stuck out from under the sheet and Doctor Miller walked to the console, looking at the screen. He read the information when loud footsteps came closer and he turned, looking at the figure behind him.

"Report," Doctor Miller said.

"Squadron Six is operational," the figure said as he nodded and slowly blinked.

"Have there been any problems?"

"Negative."

"Very good, you're dismissed," he said as the figure walked away and he walked to the table, pulled the sheet half down the body. Sergeant Mullins was lying on his back and most of his body was encased in metal. Doctor Miller checked the tubes when Sergeant Mullins' eyes snapped open and looked around the room.

"Where am I?" he asked as Doctor Miller picked up a syringe and Sergeant Mullins' mouth fell open. "What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm going to put you back to sleep."

"What are you doing to me?" Sergeant Mullins demanded while Doctor Miller held him down then something came into the room and Sergeant Mullins gasped. "What, in the name of Heaven, is that?"

"That is what you'll be once I'm done with you," Doctor Miller said then injected the sedative into Sergeant Mullins' neck when Sergeant Mullins closed his eyes and Doctor Miller looked at the figure standing on the other side of the table.

"This one is resisting the upgrade," the figure said and Doctor Miller shook his head.

"No, he'll be fine," Doctor Miller said as the figure turned, leaving the room, and Doctor Miller looked down at Sergeant Mullins then sighed, picked up one of the scalpels off the tray near the table.