The drive to Rosehill Cemetery was quiet and fraught with worry; they knew Sutekh would do his best to stop them from interfering. Whether or not they would succeed would be entirely dependent on how the Doctor fared in his mental duel with Sutekh.
As for his part, the Doctor was also wondering how he could possibly fare, as well; he didn't want to admit that his future self—therefore his more experienced self—hadn't been able to defeat Omega. And in the back of his mind was the looming question—if he was no match for a fellow Time Lord, how could he possibly last against an Osirian?
He exhaled. He would have to hold Sutekh at bay long enough for the others to do something—if for no other reason than that there simply wasn't any other choice. If Sutekh had his way, the entire galaxy would be in danger. That was something the Doctor simply could not allow.
The cultists were already there, standing amongst the gravestones as Carl drove the Mustang into the cemetery. The Doctor could spot one of the three gems—the Sapphire of Thoth—balanced upon a small obelisk, glittering slightly in the moonlight. The other two gems were, no doubt, already in position.
"So, Doctor," the distorted voice of the medallion-wearer said, as they approached. "You have arrived to witness my return?"
"Not quite," the Doctor said. "We aim to stop it. Your presence here will bring nothing but ill! You do nothing but destroy things!"
"I do not deny that, Doctor," Sutekh said, without a shred of remorse. "But do you honestly think your presence in this world benefits it in any way, Doctor?"
"I should think so!" the Doctor huffed, indignantly. "While you endeavor to destroy this world, I endeavor to protect it!"
"And all in vain. And that is why it will be most satisfying to force you to watch as I claim this place for myself," Sutekh replied.
"Ye're nae claiming anything!" Jamie said, angrily brandishing his knife at the puppet. "We're here t' stop ye from coming back!"
"And you have proven yourself to be a nuisance—all of you," Sutekh hissed. "You endeavor to stop my return, but what you fail to realize is that you are nothing compared to my mental strength. And don't think that I don't see you, you fool!"
Tony abruptly turned around to see Carl attempting to retrieve the Sapphire of Thoth from the obelisk. His hand was almost touching it as a large, lumbering mummy appeared from behind the obelisk. Carl let out a yell of fright and backed away as more mummies began to surround them, backed up by the robed cultists.
"How… how are they…?" Tony stammered, pointing at the mummies. "How's he doing that!?"
"He's controlling them mentally—it's the only explanation!" the Doctor exclaimed. "If I can engage him in a mental duel, it should stop them! Sutekh!"
"You challenge me, Time Lord?"
"Yes!" the Doctor said. "Until you escape from the Nethersphere, your mental strength is limited enough to give me a fair chance!"
Sutekh chuckled.
"As you wish, plaything of Sutekh," he sneered. "You will provide me much entertainment until I am able to return. And then, I'll be able to break you the moment my spirit is freed!"
"No, ye won'!" Jamie yelled.
"Jamie…" the Doctor said, as he now sat on the ground in a lotus position.
"Aye?"
"Once this duel begins, I shan't be able to talk to you; anything that causes my concentration to break will be disastrous," he said. "So I need you, Mr. Kolchak, and Mr. Vincenzo to know what to do."
"Get those gemstones to stop him from coming back, and then smash the medallion?" Carl asked.
"Quite right, but don't put yourselves at too much risk," the Doctor said. "You're outnumbered, but those cultists are only human—just. If you can get past them, you can grab the medallion from the puppet's neck. But do try to go for the gems, as well; moving them just out of alignment will prevent the door from opening."
"Aye," Jamie said. "Good luck, Doctor."
The Doctor nodded and closed his eyes; the puppet did the same, and the mummies stopped in their tracks as Sutekh focused his concentration. Jamie stepped back from the Doctor, realizing that there was a great battle going on that he couldn't see. More than anything, he yearned for a chance to help the Doctor fight.
"You can't help him that way, Kid," Carl said, seeing the look in his eyes. "Just do what he told you."
"Aye," Jamie said. "Ye and Mr. Vincenzo go for the gems; I'll go and smash the medallion."
"Just you try it," the lead cultist sneered. "With the Time Lord being a sitting duck, it should be easy to get him to lose this little battle."
The female cultist who had attacked Jamie at the museum was now approaching the Doctor, who was oblivious to her incoming attack. The piper immediately put himself between her and the Doctor, holding out his knife.
"Ye willnae touch him," he hissed.
She didn't seem to be concerned at all by this; a smirk played about her lips as she stepped closer, distracting him as another one of the cultists—this one wearing a mask beneath his hood—approached the Doctor from behind with a magician's stage sword.
The piper did hear the man's footfalls, however; he whirled around at the last minute, parrying the sword blade with his knife. Immediately, he followed this with a left hook, sending the cultist backwards; the cultist dropped the sword as he went tumbling backwards over a gravestone; Jamie retrieved the blade and whirled back around to face the female cultist. Now alarmed that Jamie was armed with a more intimidating weapon, she did step back from him and the Doctor.
Carl and Tony, in the meantime, were standing back to back as the other cultists approached them.
"Tony, you know something about fighting, right?" Carl asked.
"Eh, well I boxed once. A long time ago," the editor said.
"In that case, I really hope you remember something about it," the reporter responded, throwing the first punch.
The brawl broke out immediately; Carl was hoping to get past them long enough to move the Sapphire of Thoth—still the nearest of the three gems. Jamie stood by the Doctor's side, brandishing the stolen sword at anyone who neared him.
It was Tony who was able to plow free of the mob of cultists; to his alarm, Carl was still in the middle of the fray.
"Carl-!"
"Tony, forget about me—get that medallion!"
A scrawny cultist now leaped at Tony; the editor batted him away with a backhand before looking around, briefly, for the other gems; the Sapphire was out of reach—he'd have to go back through the brawl to get it.
The lead cultist now charged at him; Jamie leaped out of nowhere, giving the cultist a warning slice on the arm while cursing in Gaelic.
"Protect the Doctor," Jamie said to Tony. "I'll get the medallion."
"If you're sure, Kid…" Tony said, taking the post in front of the trancelike Doctor.
Carl was desperately clobbering at the cultists surrounding him with the metal cross he always carried with him; Tony did look as though he was ready to abandon the post to help, but Carl once again insisted for him to stay back; the reporter knew that the Doctor's safety was paramount in this case.
Jamie, who had been brandishing the sword at anyone who dared approach him, now neared the puppet. He had just reached his hand out to grab the medallion when it suddenly began to glow, rising out of its own accord.
The puppet fell to the ground, comatose, as the medallion abandoned him, floating in midair. And, somewhere nearby, a clock tower chimed midnight.
"No!" the piper exclaimed, realizing what it meant.
A light from each of the three gems struck the floating medallion; the cultists now stopped their brawl, watching the sight. Carl chose the moment to break free from the crowd, hobbling to Tony's side.
"Don't gawk at it, Kid!" he yelled to Jamie. "Smash that thing!"
"Aye, right!" Jamie exclaimed.
He raised the sword he had been holding, aiming at the medallion when it became surrounded by a bright, rectangular light that expanded from the sides, just like an opening doorway.
The medallion was still suspended in the middle of the doorway, and Jamie would have followed through with hurling the sword at it had he not found himself staring into the face of a woman he hadn't seen since her death, when he had been just a child-
"…Mum…?" he asked, his voice reduced to a mere squeak.
"My dear, wee James…" she responded, a sad smile crossing her features. "Look at ye—how ye've grown…!"
Other Highlanders were reaching her side; Jamie recognized them all: his father and brothers, and his old best friend, Alexander McLaren—all of whom had fallen at the hands of the Redcoats at Culloden.
"Oh, great; we're toast…" Carl said, recognizing their Highland garb. "Sutekh's using them to distract the kid until he can make it through the gate! Tony, it's up to us now…" He trailed off as he noticed that the editor was staring at the gate as well—not at the assembled Highlanders, but at someone else—a teenage boy—who was visible beyond the open doorway. "Oh, no. Tony, no…"
"It's Eric…" Tony said.
Carl gave the grieving father a sidelong glance. His shoulders slumped; he couldn't ask Tony to go smash the medallion now. And Jamie was out of it, as well—talking to his family and to Alexander.
Carl glanced behind him, making sure that the Doctor was okay; he was, though beads of perspiration were pouring down his face—Sutekh was getting closer, meaning that the fight was becoming more and more difficult.
The cultists appeared to be frozen in shock; the female cultist even appeared to be searching for someone beyond the doorway—someone she had lost, no doubt. Carl determined that they were no longer a threat and that the time to act was immediate and limited. He pressed forward, freezing in his tracks about halfway there when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.
"Carl!"
"No…" the reporter winced, shutting his eyes. "No, we can't do this. Not now." But the temptation to look was too much. Despite himself, he glanced at the doorway, his heart skipping a beat as he saw her—the wife he had lost in a brutal robbery and homicide at a convenience store years and years ago. "Louise…!"
That was it, he decided. All three of them had been hooked, gaffed, and hauled aboard by Sutekh's bait. How could they possibly shatter the medallion now, knowing that the doorway would close, and they could no longer see their departed loved ones again?
And there, behind all of the gathered spirits, the jackal-headed Sutekh was approaching the doorway.
"Sentimental fools," Sutekh sneered. "How easy it is to manipulate you—all that needs to be done is to give you a chance to speak to those you lost! And my return is at hand—with every step I take, my power grows!"
The Doctor suddenly let out a cry. Jamie, at last, turned away from his family, staring in horror as the Doctor began to clutch at his head in pain.
"Doctor!" he cried, horrified that he had fallen for Sutekh's trick and allowed the Doctor to suffer for it.
"The Time Lord is nothing compared to me; he cannot save you or your precious little planet now! But fear not; you will be forever reunited with your loved ones momentarily. I can grant you that."
"No," Louise said, coldly.
Carl, who had also been glancing back at the Doctor in guilt and horror, looked back at his wife, who was glaring daggers at Sutekh.
"You're not going to hurt my dad or anyone," Eric added.
"Aye," Donald McCrimmon added. "We're nae here t' serve ye, ye great beastie! I came t' see my wee lad, nae t' allow ye t' kill him—or that Doctor who saved him!"
"Aye, the Doctor saved my sister and my father," Alexander hissed. "I will repay my debt t' him!"
There were more spirits showing up now, ones that were unfamiliar to Jamie, Carl, and Tony—a redheaded woman flanked by a man in a Centurion's armor, a short brunette holding onto the hand of a much taller man, a boy with a gold-star badge, a long-haired woman dressed in traditional Trojan garb, a woman wearing a Space Security Service uniform… All of them were standing in front of Sutekh's path, angrily telling him that they were going to defend the Doctor from him, as well. And as Sutekh found himself distracted by all of them, the Doctor's pain seemed to lessen as Sutekh further lost focus in their duel.
Alexander's spirit now drew his claymore.
"Creag an Tuire!" he roared, as he furiously ran at Sutekh. Jamie's father and brothers were right behind him, but his mother hesitated.
"James…" she said, and the piper turned back to face her. "James, ye know what ye must do."
Jamie looked back at the Doctor once more, seeing him still fighting with all of his mental strength. Next, he looked to Carl and Tony, as though silently asking them for permission; they both nodded. Jamie then glanced back at his mother's spirit and nodded to her, as well, raising the sword in his hand and echoing the war cry that Alexander had just shouted moments ago—
"Creag an Tuire!"
He hurled the sword at the suspended medallion; with a crack, the blade pierced it, dead center, and the medallion broke apart.
Sutekh's roar of utter frustration filled both sides of the doorway as the light shrank back down, signifying that it was collapsing shut. And Jamie stared at his mother's face until she was no longer visible, his heart twisting in his chest as he saw her smiling proudly, just before the doorway collapsed.
Then, there was nothing—nothing but the sword and pieces of the medallion laying on the ground in front of him. Around them, the cultists were running for the hills; the lead cultist was yelling at his followers to grab the three gemstones, and the former comatose puppet was now reviving—very confused and running away in a blind panic. Jamie stood there, blankly, not reacting to it; Carl was the first to snap out of it and try to pursue the cultists before they got the gems, but it was only a half-hearted effort, and they'd had too much of a headstart. Tony now hobbled to the Doctor's side as he came out of his trance; the editor helped him up.
"Oh, my word…" the Doctor said, shaking off the last of the mental cobwebs. "Thank you. Well, then! We've done it! Sutekh is trapped in the Nethersphere and will never pose a threat to…" He trailed off, seeing the pained look on Tony's face. "What happened?" The Doctor looked to Carl next, who was leaning against an obelisk for support, emotionally drained from what had just transpired. The Doctor then looked to the piper, who was turned away from him, looking at the fragments of the medallion. "Jamie…?"
The Doctor had not been prepared for the pain and guilt—and tears—in the young Scot's eyes as he turned back to face him. The Doctor was at his side in an instant, and Jamie responded by clinging to him tightly, shaking with suppressed sobs.
It only took the Doctor a moment to use his touch telepathy to understand what had transpired while he had been locked in the mental duel.
"Oh, Jamie…" he sighed.
It was a victory for them, he realized—but a very bitter one indeed.
Epilogue: To Absent Friends
It was a quiet and somber discussion that ensued between the Doctor, Jamie, Carl, and Tony as they sat at a table in a nearby bar. They were all drinking scotch—even Tony, who knew that milk wasn't going to cut it this time.
The breaking news report on the TV in the bar announced that the comatose people had now awakened; they had suspected this, having seen the puppet in the cemetery wake up and run after the medallion had been shattered.
Despite this, there was a rather glum aura around the table, and there didn't seem to be much to celebrate. The events at the cemetery had left them all upset—and bitter that they couldn't have done more.
"I've fought against demons with illusionary magic, vampires with superhuman strength, a servant of the Devil himself…" Carl sighed. "And tonight, of all nights, is when I freeze up—when the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake!"
"You couldn't help it, Carl," Tony sighed. "I was just as useless."
"None of you can possibly be blamed for what happened!" the Doctor insisted.
"How can ye say that?" Jamie asked, bitterly. "Ye were being hurt by Sutekh because I didnae smash the medallion right away."
"You're only human," the Doctor said. "And, even then, I'm not sure if I had been conscious of the fact that some people I knew were there, too, that I would have been able to break it myself. I'm afraid I don't recognize the descriptions of all of the other spirits you saw, but I do recognize two of them—Katarina and Sara Kingdom. They traveled with me for some time…"
"What happened to them, if you don't mind my asking?" Carl asked.
The Doctor's expression now had a flicker of guilt, as well.
"Katarina thought I was Zeus, ready to transport her to my Palace of Perfection," he said. "Nothing I said dissuaded her from that. When she was taken hostage and used as a bargaining chip against me, she simply decided to sacrifice herself so that I… wouldn't have to choose." He sighed. "Sara Kingdom was lost to me because she wouldn't follow my instructions; I'd told her to stay behind as I needed to activate an extremely dangerous Time Destructor… She followed me and was affected by it."
"Ye ne'er told me…" Jamie said, surprised.
"Well, now you know," the Doctor said. "So I hope you'll actually listen to me the next time I tell you not to wander off!"
The piper's response was a rather noncommittal sigh.
"You did your best," Tony said. "When they don't listen to you, there's nothing you can do. Doesn't stop you from blaming yourself, though." He shook his head. "Couldn't save my own kid from that, and tonight, he stood up to Sutekh to save me."
"And Louise was ready to protect the idiot reporter husband who wasn't even there for her when she needed him most," Carl sighed.
"Yeah, well…" Tony said. "I always said she was a saint for putting up with you."
"I believe it," Carl said, without a trace of irony.
Jamie was silent for a moment before realizing it was his turn next.
"My mother died of the pox when I was a bairn," he said. "The rest of my family were killed by the Redcoats in 1746. Alexander, too—I'd been traveling with him and his family after I'd lost mine. Then the Doctor showed up and we were all suspicious of him, but then the Redcoats attacked 'cause that idiot Ben shot a gun off and alerted them t' our position. Alexander tried to fight them off. He di'n e'en last thirty seconds against them…"
Jamie didn't bother explaining who Ben was; though he knew that Ben hadn't meant to shoot the pistol off, the possibility still haunted Jamie that, if he hadn't done so, Alexander might not have been killed.
"Well," Carl sighed, raising his glass. "Here's to those on the other side who saved all our lives tonight."
Tony, the Doctor, and Jamie followed suit, and they fell silent for a moment as they drank to their memories.
"What are we going t' do aboot the coven?" Jamie asked, at last. "They ran off with the three gemstones."
"Hmm," the Doctor mused. "Well, I do wonder if they intend to sell those gems or attempt to find another of the two surviving medallions and summon Anubis or Anput. I doubt that either of the two remaining Osirians will end up not betraying them… But I am concerned about the notion that Anput requires a sacrifice of fifty souls. The last thing we would want is for innocents to suffer, after all."
Tony winced.
"Can you guys leave me out of this one?" he asked. "I think I've had more than I can take."
"Understandable," the Doctor said. "I doubt those cultists will stick around Chicago anyway."
"Good," Carl murmured, going over something on his smartphone now. "I've seen enough of them to last a lifetime…"
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Tony said. "Look, I'm gonna go call for some cabs for us."
"And I'm going to freshen up this drink with a little ginger ale," the Doctor sighed. "Would you like another, Jamie?"
"Nae really…" Jamie said.
The Doctor gave Jamie's shoulder a squeeze as he and Tony got up from the table. Carl, who had still been looking over his phone, now let out an "Aha!"
"What?" Jamie asked.
"I was wondering whether either of the last two medallions were around somewhere…" Carl said. "Didn't get anything on the Anput medallion, but it turns out the Anubis medallion is currently in the possession of a young businessman in Domino, Oregon."
"Och, if ye could find that oot that quickly, the coven is probably on the way there," Jamie said. "Assuming that they want t' revive Sutekh's son as a replacement. It's the one aboot the fifty souls that scares me, though—Anput."
"As it should…"
"Aye, but, the coven knows that the Doctor has thirteen souls. They may still go after him since that'll make it easier for them," Jamie said. "I cannae let them do that after I nearly let him doon tonight. I have t' stop them."
"…You're going to Oregon?" Carl asked, stunned.
"Aye, I think so," Jamie agreed. "I'll have t' talk to the Doctor aboot it. I'd like t' go withoot him, in case they're already there, but I don' know if he'd like the idea of me going alone."
"I doubt he would," Carl said. "But why do you want to get yourself in deeper with these guys? I don't ask for all these supernatural happenings to fall on me; if I had the chance to avoid them, I'd do it."
"The Doctor once said that 'there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things.' And that they must be fought. And it's nae e'eryone who'll do that."
"So you've taken it upon yourself?" Carl asked.
"Ye seem t' have, too."
Carl gave him a look. Jamie did have a point.
"…You're alright, Kid," he said. "Here; give me your phone for a sec."
"Oh, aye. The password—"
"I figured that out already—back at the museum," Carl informed him, with a wan chuckle. "Okay, I'm programming my number into your contacts. If you do end up heading out to Oregon and things start happening over there, let me know. I'll try to help you out in any way I can."
"Aye, thanks," Jamie said, as Carl handed him his phone back.
"And hey, who knows—even if Oregon turns out to be a big red herring, we might end up crossing paths again," Carl mused.
"I hope so," Jamie said, sincerely.
The two of them looked up as the Doctor and Tony returned, talking among themselves until they reached the table.
"The cabs will be here in a couple minutes; we should wait outside for them," Tony informed them. "Are you going to be sticking around town, Doctor?"
"That's doubtful; Jamie and I are rather nomadic, as it were. But I must thank you for letting me hide the TARDIS in your office," the Doctor replied.
"Oh, sure," Tony said, shaking the Doctor's hand again. "Just do me a favor and lock up before you warp out of there, huh?"
"Certainly," the Doctor promised.
"Thanks. You two take care," Tony added, shaking Jamie's hand, as well.
The piper nodded in response.
"Hey, wait a minute, Tony; I'll go with you," Carl said, deciding that Tony probably could use his company, even if he'd never admit it. He, too, shook the Doctor and Jamie's hands farewell as they all headed out to the sidewalk.
The cabs soon arrived, and both parties exchanged one last set of farewells as they went their separate ways. Though the future remained uncertain and that they had been reminded of those they had lost, the fact remained that Sutekh was no longer a threat to the populace of Earth—and the rest of the galaxy.
They could take heart in the fact that it definitely counted for something.
The End
Notes: And, it's done! Thanks to everyone who followed this! Like Tony's son (whose name was never specified in canon), Carl's wife Louise is also from the Kolchak EU; the details on Jamie's family are sketchy at best, and only his father, Donald McCrimmon, was specified in the Doctor Who EU; I gave him two more brothers, and went along with an assumption that they all perished during the Battle of Culloden, which was my explanation as to why Jamie was traveling with the McClarens instead of his own family when we first see him. And I realize that I've left this in a rather open, semi-downer ending; I intend to complete this "arc" of the medallions at some point in the future, so I apologize for this; I'm aware it's nothing like the feel-good endings I usually write.