Chapter 12: "You took my son off the planet?"
"One trouble with trouble is that it usually starts out like fun." Uncredited
"It seems the goings on in the kitchen of Amy and Rory Williams is of interest well beyond the bounds of this planet. Now that is worrying," the Doctor voiced his thoughts, frowning as he considered what they'd talked about most recently in that very kitchen.
"You mean, like aliens?" Anthony asked.
The Doctor blinked – for a moment he'd been so caught up in the discovery he'd forgotten the boy was there. "Perhaps," he allowed, unsure just how much the Anthony's parents had shared about the Doctor they'd travelled with years back. It suddenly occurred to him that the youngest Williams, despite the evidence of the TARDIS they currently resided in, had no true idea of who the Doctor was. "Nothing wrong with aliens though, right?" he said with a forced smile.
"Not the good ones," Anthony agreed. "The bad ones are probably just like bad people here, like Tommy Baker at school. He picks on the little kids until they give him their lunch money."
"Well, that doesn't sound very nice at all," the Doctor frowned, distracted for a moment. "But in general yes, you're right. Good and bad comes in pretty much every variety of intelligent life there is. You're well up on the game working that out for yourself at this age."
"My mum says I'm precocious," Anthony shared.
The Doctor laughed. "I can see why."
"So are we going to go up there?" Anthony pointed to the still pulsing dot on the screen.
"We are, but when we get there you'll have to do exactly what I say and stay in the TARDIS," the Doctor gave the boy a stern look, "and no waiting until my back's turned to sneak off. Your Mum was always doing that and it caused me no end of trouble."
"I'll stay here," Anthony promised, his whole demeanour so earnest the Doctor had to believe him.
"Very well." Springing into action the Doctor fired up the controls, playing the instruments like a master pianist as he directed the time machine out into space. He glanced over to see Anthony watching him intently, his face full of wonder. "There's time for a quick spot of sight seeing," he told the boy.
Deciding showing was better than telling, the Doctor hurried to the door and swung it open. "Come and have a look," he encouraged when Anthony looked apprehensive.
"How?" Anthony moved forward cautiously and then stopped, his eyes glued to space, for all intents and purposes within easy reach.
"The TARDIS can project a bubble of atmosphere around us," the Doctor explained. "Technically we'd still be inside if we stepped out – of course because otherwise we'd be subjected to the vacuum of space and even I can't survive that for more than a few minutes."
"Wow," was all Anthony could manage.
"Look at you, Anthony Williams, space traveller," the Doctor said gleefully, "and a full decade and a half before anyone born in your time managed it!"
He let the boy have a few more minutes to appreciate the wonder of floating in space before regretfully closing the door. "Best have a look at our listeners, before they detect us," he said, bounding back to the controls to see what the TARDIS could tell him about their destination.
"It's a large ship," he announced, "which is good because it means I can land us inside. Lucky for us there's no evidence of shielding - it being 1953 and all they probably assumed no one nearby would be able to detect them, let alone board their ship." Putting actions to words it only took a few moments before the sounds of a landing time machine echoed through the control room. "Right," the Doctor regarded Anthony intently. "I'm going to have a quick look around out there while you stay in here and hold down the fort."
"Okay," Anthony agreed in a small voice, looking worried.
"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked.
"What if you don't come back?" Anthony asked. "What do I do then?"
"Don't be silly, of course I'm going to come back," the Doctor scoffed, grinning. "You really are a great deal like your Mother though, so I'll humour you. I could be quite a while, given it's a big ship and it might take me some time to find the interesting parts. If you're worried and it's been, oh I don't know, let's say four hours just to play is safe, then the TARDIS will take you home." He punched in the commands to make sure he could live up to that.
"What about you?" Anthony persisted.
"I'll be fine," the Doctor insisted. "If I get held up and you end up back home without me, the TARDIS will return back here immediately – she'll be ready and waiting for when I finish up. Now, is that satisfactory?"
"I suppose so," Anthony agreed, not looking completely mollified.
"Since you'll probably get bored waiting for me, the draw to your left has a few harmless gadgets you might enjoy trying out," the Doctor added. "See how many of them you can figure out the purpose of before I get back."
"Neat," Anthony turned immediately to the draw, eager to begin.
Sure that everything would be taken care of in his absence, the Doctor left the TARDIS, moving swiftly and silently from the room he'd parked the ship in and down the narrow corridor outside. The design and materials of the vessel didn't give away its origins – it was the stock standard grey metallic finish many races seemed to favour, the height to the ceiling comfortable for anyone of a similar stature to his own.
He had his suspicions though, based on recent events. Rather than oust the perpetrators the Doctor simply wanted to find out more about their motives. Was River still in danger or had he done enough to ensure she'd make it to the library without further incidence? Was it crazy to strive so hard for River's safety when he knew full well how short lived it would be? Deep down he knew it was just a way to remain important to River, to keep her close … a means by which he could justify not letting go just yet.
At the end of the corridor he came to a t-junction and had to decide whether to go left or right. He decided on right, for no particular reason really, other than that it had always been his favourite direction. Continuing forward, he silently passed a number of closed doors – crew quarters possibly – until he came to a set of doors that could only lead to an elevator of some sort. The doors opened smoothly as soon as he stopped in front of them for more than a moment. Peering inside first – he'd learned from experience that it paid to check whether there was a floor and a ceiling before proceeding inside – he stepped forth.
"Just your average ordinary internal transportation capsule," he muttered to himself, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and scanning the control panel. There were no buttons so it was probably operated by voice command. The system would no doubt register immediately that he was not a part of the crew were he to request they take him to the control room or bridge or whatever they were calling the place where all the action took place. He'd have to provide his own controls. "Ah, there you are," he smiled, aiming the sonic and activating it purposefully.
The effect was immediate, the lift zooming upwards, hopefully taking him to the command centre of the ship. The doors swished open a minute later onto another non-descript narrow corridor. The Doctor stepped out and continued his journey forward - it was a risk, the chances that someone would stumble across him ever present, but he didn't let that stop him. At best all he could do was minimise the time he spent out in the open. After a few minutes he came to an access door barely visible in the wall that would suit his purposes. Prying it open he ran the sonic over the general area. Not detecting anything of concern he stepped into the small space, designed to allow engineers to work on repairs and maintenance of the systems all hidden away behind the walls. It looked somewhat like scaffolding for a building site, all metal poles attached to the walls with narrow walkways suspended above and below. Replacing the access hatch so that his presence wouldn't be detected by someone passing by, the Doctor looked around, finding a metal ladder that appeared to lead up.
He had to hunch his shoulders so that he didn't hit his head – the engineers must be quite a bit shorter than he was if they could work comfortably there. Grabbing a metal rung he pulled himself upward until he was standing on one of those metal causeways. Giving it a testing bounce – it shook a little and swayed more than he liked but seemed to be stable, the Doctor proceeded forward again. From the scan he'd taken in the lift he had a general idea how far he needed to go. His intention was to find a vent or something similar that would allow him to listen to what was going on in the command area. He found just the thing about where he'd expected to find it – all he had to do was lie down on the metal scaffolding, and then hang over the side to get his ear in the right place. It was uncomfortable and it was lucky he was a time lord and not a human otherwise the effects of having blood rushing to his head would have been most uncomfortable.
At first all he could hear were the general sounds of the ship in operation. One voice, he dubbed them Navigator, reported that their geosynchronous orbit was stable. Another, dubbed Security, added that monitoring of Earth channels confirmed that their presence had not been detected.
"It's 1953," a snide, all too recognisable voice sneered. "These people haven't worked out how to slice their bread automatically or how to colour their televised programming. We could park ourselves on their front lawns and they'd still be unable to work out what we are."
"Oh, that's a bit harsh," the Doctor whispered, taking offence on behalf of his favourite planet. Madam Kovarian was human but from the very distant future, he'd never bothered to work out exactly when. Sometime after the 53rd century, because she'd had no trouble getting to River at the university in that time line, setting the Lake Silencio events into motion. Kovarian was obviously comfortable with Earth locations but her attitude suggested she wasn't born there. Probably on one of the many human colonies scattered across the universe in the future, the kind that imagined themselves better than the people from their original home.
"What are we getting from the listening devices?" Kovarian demanded. Well, it probably wasn't a demand. She just had that kind of voice and a manner than made everything she said sound impatient and out of sorts.
"It's all quiet at the moment," a third voice, Listener, replied. "They made tea but there were no biscuits so they went out to get some."
"Are we sure this Doctor is a past version?" a fourth and hopefully final – he was running out of ways to distinguish them all - voice asked. This one seemed less subservient than the others, a second in command perhaps? The Doctor decided that must be the case; even someone like Madam Kovarian had to have someone she conferred with.
"Of course I'm sure," Kovarian snapped. "You were there – you saw him fall. You saw his regeneration cycle halted before it could be completed. Oh yes, the Doctor is dead – what little there is left of him is at the bottom of a very deep lake. And the irony that he was murdered by a woman he already knew was dead herself. The dead, killing the dead." She laughed then, not quite an evil 'mwha ha ha' but close enough. "Finding out that little gem makes this trip worthwhile all by itself."
Ignoring for the moment what that last comment implied with regard to the knowledge bugging Amy and Rory's kitchen had provided, the Doctor grimaced. He'd dearly love to drop down and prove Madam Kovarian wrong – imagine the look on her sneering face then! With a sigh he refocussed on the scene below – perhaps there'd be time for comeuppances later, if he were very lucky.
They'd been monitoring the Lake – it made sense, otherwise how else would they have known River succeeded. That's why he'd been able to move about freely since then, because they'd stopped looking for him. Obviously Kovarian had been keeping track of River too – they must have followed her here to Earth in this time frame, and set up whatever tools it was they used to keep River under surveillance.
"I know," Second replied. "It's just weird, listening to him walking and talking now when we know he's dead."
"No weirder than us being here millennia before our own births," Kovarian replied. "With River out of the picture here, once we're sure he's gone we can move on too."
"To the library planet," Second agreed, making it clear their plan of action had already been discussed and agreed to.
"Have we made progress on a defence against the Vashta Nerada?" Kovarian asked.
"We have Ma'am," Security replied. "It's a bit cumbersome but we've created a set of personal light emitters, set to a frequency that simulates strong natural sunlight. As long as you wear the emitters, the creatures should leave you alone."
"Excellent," the Doctor could tell the woman was grinning. "So typical of River to sacrifice herself for individuals so much weaker than she. You know, I'm really looking forward to illuminating her on the many errors she's made."
"She should have joined us," Second agreed. "Still, it's lucky for us she decided to throw her life away, and that we were able to install our listening devices in the Pond's residence after she and the Doctor escaped from Coe Hall to find out about it."
The Doctor winced. It seemed that spilling his guts to Amy and Rory, while cathartic for him, had provided a whole shipload of new fuel for Kovarian's sick mission. He'd be in trouble with River if she ever found out!
"Escaped," Kovarian sneered. "I don't know how they knew about the eye drives but they won't get away from us so easily next time. The answer is still out there for others to seek unless we put a final end to the knowledge."
That was all the Doctor needed. It had been one thing to think that younger versions of River might still be in danger, to amuse himself to an extent stepping in to help her, but it was something entirely different to learn that the River he'd transferred into the database at the Library was in danger too. It wasn't the existence he would have wished for her, but at the back of his mind the idea that a River of sorts would always be there, eternal as long as the Library systems lasted, had been a comfort to him. Now, Madam Kovarian and her obsession with making sure the first question could never be answered, put that eternity at risk.
Making his way slowly but surely back the way he'd come, the Doctor managed to get back to the TARDIS without being detected. On a scale of one to ten, where one was bad, and ten was perfect, his adventures usually ended up on the low side of middle. This time he was almost a ten - almost unheard of in his experience!
"Time to leave," he announced to Anthony, striding into the time machine, all business.
"But I still haven't worked out this one," Anthony held up a sphere with Gallifreyan symbols engraved all over it.
"Imaginary friend," the Doctor shared, barely giving the device a glance. "You have to be Gallifreyan to make it work. Like me," he added, just in case the boy was still in the dark about his non-humanness.
"Imaginary friend?" Anthony gave the device a longing look before reluctantly setting it aside to move to the Doctor's side.
"Yes, only this one is a holographic projection with a personality module that grows and adapts to fit the child," the Doctor explained. "Designed to only come on when no one else is in the room."
"Neat," Anthony exclaimed, clearly wishing he was of the Doctor's people so he could make this one work.
"Yes it is, but I've come to realise that real, flesh and blood friends are far more satisfying than imaginary ones, even though they don't always do things as you'd like them to." He gave Anthony an intent look. "Hang on to your friends young man – they'll be your greatest treasure, better than all the bits and bobs in that drawer put together."
"Yes Sir," Anthony responded. He gave a sigh. "Are we going home then?"
"We are," the Doctor agreed. "I have to get your back before your parents realise you've gone, and then I have a spot of business to attend to."
"Will you come back?"
"If I can."
Of course his 'ten' on the mission success scale took a downward turn as soon as the TARDIS materialised back in the same spot – where Amy and Rory stood, their arms crossed in a combined show of annoyance.
"Doctor," Amy said pointedly, looking behind him to see her son edging out with a guilty expression.
"It wasn't his fault," the Doctor said quickly, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder to draw him forward. "I practically kidnapped him, isn't that right kid?"
"Um, kind of," Anthony began, "but not really. We went into space Mum. Space," he said again, just to make the awesomeness of that plain to all. No way would any boy worth his salt not take that kind of opportunity when presented with it!
"You took my son off the planet?" Amy exclaimed, her anger all too clearly escalating.
"Well, yes, yes I did, but I had to," the Doctor scrambled to explain. "They have bugs – listening devices – in your kitchen definitely and elsewhere as well. I had to track one back to the source while I had the chance or we'd never know who and why."
"Our house is bugged?" Rory got in, frowning in confusion. "In 1953?"
"Yes, although those responsible don't belong in this time any more than you do," the Doctor agreed.
"Okay, I'm listening," Amy said in a more reasonable tone, her arm around her son now, holding him close.
"It's Madam Kovarian," the Doctor said, suddenly grim. "It's about River."
"But she's gone," Rory reminded them all unnecessarily.
"Ah yes, but not completely. Everything she was inside, her knowledge, her experiences, her memory is preserved within the Library systems." He gave his friends a regretful look. "I'm sorry Amy, Rory. Because of me your daughter still isn't safe, even in the Library."
