Author's Note: Next chapter. I hope to have another one up later this week.
I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated. :)
Chapter Thirteen
The Doctor crept along the passageway to the cellar, his arm still held out behind him in order to keep Jamie from maneuvering out in front.
From what he could sense, there weren't very many Sontarans within the hacienda. The Doctor figured that they would try to keep their presence secret lest they alert others who may be watching their movements in this galaxy. Thus, it figured that they would keep their numbers small. The Doctor guessed that there was probably two, maybe three at the most. More than he would like to think about on Earth, but still not too many for him to handle.
However, the unwelcome news that some of the station's Androgums had teamed up with them put a spanner in the plans he had started to piece together during his scouting of the hacienda. Androgums were known for their enormous brute strength and their disregard for life. The fact that Dastari had actually augmented one of them to possess vast mental abilities still astounded him.
'Has he gone mad? What in all the seven galaxies could have convinced him that that was a good idea? Does he have any regard for his personal safety anymore? He should have known that the Androgums would eventually turn on him and kill him as soon as he stopped being useful to him.'
'Unless…unless Dastari is in on this too. And that he and this…creation of his are working together to try to learn more about the secrets of time travel.'
The Doctor grimaced as he slid his feet along the floor to avoid making the old wood creak. By now, he had guessed that it was this augmented Androgum who had engineered this entire plot. However, he had still been reluctant to assume that Dastari could have a voluntary role in this plan. That reluctance was swiftly falling away as the Doctor began to realize that this possibility was more than likely the truth. He hated to think that he had betrayed by his old friend, but the evidence was piling up in that direction.
Distant sounds registered in the Doctor's ears. He stopped moving and motioned Jamie to do the same. He could hear the distinct timbre of Sontaran voices rising in anger along with other voices he couldn't discern. He inched closer so he could try to listen to what was being said.
"There was no reason for you to stop working!"
"Chessene heard someone at the door. They might be here to inquire about the Dona."
"So what if they are? That has nothing to do with us. Get on with your work!"
"No, we wait until we know for sure."
The Doctor smiled. Peri had succeeded in her mission to distract them. Now, it was up to him and Jamie to do the rest.
"Come on," he whispered to the piper. "We should be able to make it into the cellar now with them noticing us. But make sure to stay behind me."
Jamie nodded and waited for the Doctor to advance before moving again. The Doctor had expected more of an argument or at least a scowl from him. When they didn't come, the Doctor felt a twinge of sorrow.
When he pointed out the impression left by the Sontaran space craft, the Doctor noticed the way the piper had flinched and clenched trembling hands in response. He knew that Jamie was far from cowardly, but the fear was there nevertheless.
The Doctor had anticipated this. Jamie was strong, but he was also neither superhuman nor devoid of emotions. The brutality the piper had witnessed from the Sontarans along with the belief that his previous self had been tortured to death and having been trapped with all those corpses for almost two weeks had probably traumatized Jamie. The Scot was doing his best to deal with what he could and to ignore what he couldn't, but the Doctor could still sense the raw wounds in his friend's soul just the same. When they had finally arrived on Earth, a part of him was worried that he had made a mistake in encouraging Jamie to join him in the fight against the Sontarans.
It was a persistent concern, but the Doctor rejected it. He knew that Jamie was the type of person who needed to confront his problems directly rather than retreat. He could have easily given in to the piper's request to complete this mission without him, not because he doubted Jamie, but so that he could keep his dear friend safe. But the Doctor was aware that, in the long run, that approach would do more harm than good for Jamie's psyche. Jamie needed to face this battle for his own sake, and the Doctor was determined to give him every opportunity to conquer his doubts and fears.
However, giving Jamie a chance to confront his fears did not mean leaving him unguarded and open to attack. At least, not in the Doctor's mind anyway. It hadn't been a totally conscious effort, but when he took the time to think about it, the Doctor noted how protective his behavior toward Jamie had become. In fact, he would have to admit that it bordered on being excessive at times. He refused to let the piper out of his sight or to allow him to go anywhere without checking to see if it was safe first. He wouldn't even let Jamie climb down into the passageway in the icehouse first, much to the piper's amusement when the ladder toppled and he ended up on the dirt floor.
"A wee bit rickety. Is that what ye were goin' to say, Doctor?"
The Doctor frowned and rubbed his lower back again. As annoyed as he was at jibes Jamie was sure to keep giving him, he was glad to see that the Scot's sense of humor was still intact. It was a good sign, a sign that Jamie was on the mend and just needed time and support to recover from his experiences. The Doctor knew that his second self would give the piper that care in abundance once this affair was over. It was just a matter of making sure that things worked out so that that could happen.
The passageway grew lighter, and the Doctor could hear one of the Sontarans yelling. The other voices were not as loud, but they definitely did not sound pleased either.
'Sounds like this little alliance is already on shaky ground,' the Doctor thought. 'Not that that's any shock given the treacherous nature of both species. Now, I wonder what would happen if those Sontarans thought that they could get their hands on a functioning time machine without Dastari or the Androgums' help.'
A canny smile appeared on the Doctor's face. It would be easy to play these factions against each other, and a plan to do just that was already forming in his mind. He waited until he heard the Sontarans stomp away before signaling for Jamie to follow him into the cellar.
As they dashed in, the Doctor saw that Dastari and what looked like another Androgum were busy lifting his former incarnation into a wheelchair. He darted in further to get a better viewpoint with Jamie staying close behind him. Eventually, they made their way to a set of barrels and watched as his former self was wheeled out of the room.
'Doesn't look like they've done anything to me yet, thank Rassilon,' the Doctor mused. 'Looks like we got here just in time. But why are they wheeling him upstairs now? Is there some kind of problem with the operation?'
Once Dastari and the Androgum were gone, the Doctor stood up from his hiding place, intent on finding out more about what was going on. Jamie clearly had other ideas, and the Doctor had to snatch the piper by the arm before he did something foolish and potential lethal.
"We're nae goin' after them?" Jamie said, incredulous.
"Let's have a good look around here first," the Doctor said, making sure to keep his hand on Jamie's arm.
"But there's only two of them. We could…."
"But one of them is an Androgum, Jamie," the Doctor interrupted. "He could break us both in half with one hand."
Jamie did not look entirely satisfied with this explanation, but he nodded his assent. The Doctor patted the piper's shoulder as he headed over to the operating table. He saw instruments that he recognized as ones used to experiment on the brain. Then he saw an empty vial on a nearby tray and picked it up to examine it.
'A motor inhibitor? They didn't even give me a full anesthetic! That means that I would have been conscious and aware while they dissected me.'
The Doctor sat the vial down, horrified. He was sure that his other self would have felt every moment of the preparation for the surgery and could only imagine how terrifying it would have been to experience all that while lying there, unable to move or speak. He glanced over at Jamie and decided that it would be best not to inform the piper of any of this. If his former self wanted to tell Jamie what happened to him, well, that was up to him. But the Doctor doubted that that would ever happen.
"Come on, Doctor," Jamie said, urgently. "What are ye lookin' for anyway?"
"Something that will tell me exactly what their plans are and how much they've been able to achieve so far," the Doctor said. "Aha! I think I just found what I was searching for."
The Doctor marched over toward a tall, diamond-shaped machine. He examined the control panel on the outside, his hypothesis swiftly confirmed.
'Just as I thought. Their goal was to isolate the symbiotic nuclei of a Time Lord and find a way to compensate for cellular destabilization while traveling through time. Question is, if Dastari had gotten a chance to operate on me, would they have been able to take it to the next step?'
Jamie paced back and forth impatiently while the Doctor studied the machine more carefully. It didn't take long for him to realize that Kartz and Reimer had indeed been on the verge of a major breakthrough in time travel.
"They've got it almost exactly right," he said, stunned. "Even down to the briode-nebulizer. Look…."
The piper walked over, clearly unimpressed until the Doctor informed him that it was a time-space machine like his TARDIS.
"A TARDIS?" Jamie replied, surprised at last. "Will it work?"
Just as he was about to answer, the Doctor heard the faint echo of heavy footsteps from behind him. He knew that this would be his best opportunity to put his plan into action, so he proceeded to give Jamie a short lecture about how time modules had to be primed by a Time Lord in order to work. Normally, he would have given Jamie a more thorough and truthful explanation, but the Doctor wanted to be sure that the Sontarans only heard enough to pique their greed.
"That, of course, is what they didn't understand," the Doctor said, making sure to lean conspiratorially toward Jamie. "They simply copied the technology without realizing that old Rassilon had a second trick up his sleeve."
The Doctor was secretly congratulating himself on his performance when one of the Sontarans finally made their presence known.
"A most interesting lecture, Time Lord."
The Doctor and Jamie turned around to see a pair of Sontarans standing behind him. One of them raised his laser pistol toward Jamie. The Doctor looked over to see the piper pale in response, his breaths hitching slightly. He could tell that Jamie was scared, but was also trying to remain stoic in the face of the enemy.
'Come on, Jamie,' the Doctor silently encouraged him. 'These Sontarans are nothing special. Not compared to say a Dalek or a Cyberman. Don't let the memories of what they did intimidate you.'
The Doctor laced his fingers behind him and relaxed his posture. He remembered that his previous self had a tendency to panic and to be more open about the things that frightened him. Even though, he had gradually begun to understand why that incarnation embraced his fear, the Doctor was convinced that this was not the time to let Jamie know how nervous he was. This was the time for confidence.
The other Sontaran pulled out his weapon and told the shorter one to go tell the others that a Time Lord had shown up. For a moment, the Doctor wondered how such a variance in height between these Sontarans had happened given that they were a cloned race, but he soon decided to save that question for another time. Once the Sontaran referred to as Varl walked away, the taller of the two turned his attention back toward them.
"I am Group Marshall Stike," the Sontaran announced. "Commander of the Ninth Sontaran Battle Group."
"Long way from the war, aren't you Stike?" the Doctor quipped. "Going badly is it?"
Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor could see that Jamie was looking at him with amazement over his jocular demeanor. He hoped that the piper was getting the right message from all this.
"And thanks to the information you've just given me, I shall be back in time for the crucial battle," Stike said triumphantly. Not that the Doctor was going to let his ego have that victory.
"My money's still on the Rutans," he smirked.
Stike, clearly unmoved by his attempt at humor waved his weapon threateningly. The Sontaran ordered him into the time module, and the Doctor knew that his ruse was working. Still, he couldn't afford to appear too eager to go along with his request.
"You don't really expect me to give the Sontarans the power of unlimited time travel, do you?" he said with the proper amount of disdain.
However, even though he had been prepared to give a calculated series of responses to Stike's demands, the Doctor had not anticipated the moment when Stike grabbed Jamie and wrenched the piper's arm around his own neck.
"Do it! Or your comrade dies," Stike hissed at him.
The Doctor's eyes widened, his hearts raced. The sight of Stike pressing the muzzle of his laser against Jamie's temple had almost broken his resolve to maintain this charade. All the panic that characterized his second self suddenly rose to the surface as he watched Stike move his digit closer to the trigger button and listened to Jamie's hoarse grunts of pain as the Sontaran yanked his arm. He now understood perfectly why his previous incarnation had been so desperate to keep Jamie out of the Sontarans' line of fire.
'No, no I must not panic,' the Doctor told himself. 'Panicking will just get Jamie killed. I need to stick to the plan and let Stike think he's won for now.'
The Doctor climbed into the Kartz-Reimer device and allowed Stike send him off on a brief trip through time. While he was there, the Doctor tried to work out some way to distract Stike long enough to give Jamie a chance to escape. Unfortunately, no ideas were coming to mind. Within seconds the module rematerialized in the cellar. The Doctor slowly got out, hoping that he would find a last second solution to his problem.
Just then, he caught Jamie staring at him and met his gaze. It had been centuries for the Doctor since the two of them pulled off any of their little schemes to outwit their enemies, but he still recognized the look in the piper's eyes. Jamie had a plan of his own. The Scot's eyes flickered down toward the dirk tucked in his boot. The Doctor's immediate suspicions were quickly proved when he saw Jamie carefully move his right hand down to his side.
"Now, I will execute your comrade," Stike said.
"Wait!" the Doctor interjected. Jamie's hand was still heading down toward his knife, his movements slow. The Doctor knew that he needed to keep Stike's attention focused on him and buy Jamie time to get to his dirk. He fell back on his tried and true tactic of disparaging the Sontaran code of conduct. As expected, Stike lapsed into the rhetoric that was typical of his race.
"We have no need of allies," Stike declared. "Sontaran might is invincible!"
That turned out to be the distraction the piper needed. Jamie curled his fingers around the handle of his dirk and thrust it deep into Stike's thigh near the knee joint. The Sontaran bellowed and loosened his grip on Jamie, giving the Scot a chance to maneuver around to face him. Stike still gripped his weapon and was struggling to aim at Jamie's head.
The Doctor's lips curled into a snarl and he joined the fracas. With Jamie's help, he was able to shove the Sontaran off to the side.
"Run, Jamie!" the Doctor shouted, unable to hold back his panic any longer.
Jamie complied, his feet flying across the cellar floor. The Doctor was close behind and placed a hand on the piper's shoulder once they got close to the exit. They both looked behind them to see Stike raising his laser to fire at them. Showers of sparks rained down on the Doctor as he lightly pushed Jamie along.
Once they were outside again, the Doctor momentarily smiled in Jamie's direction. The Scot was definitely acting like his old, feisty self again and it was gratifying to see. Still, they needed to be cautious. He moved back in front of Jamie and held out his arm again so the piper would wait to start running again. Once they were on the move, they headed back into the main area of the hacienda. He could hear Jamie running behind him, but still took the time to occasionally glance backwards to make sure that they weren't being followed. Suddenly he heard Jamie stop.
"Doctor," Jamie said, a grin evident in his voice.
The Doctor turned around and followed Jamie into the side room. There he saw the piper patting the shoulder of his previous self in the wheelchair.
He sighed and moved in closer. He could feel in his mind that his other self recognized him as a Time Lord right away. It took even less time for this previous version to realize that he was a later incarnation.
"You? What are you doing here?" his previous self's voice reverberated in his mind. "Why are you crossing our time line like this?"
The Doctor frowned. He wasn't surprised at this intrusion in his brain. He just was just annoyed at the impertinent tone.
"And lucky for you I did," he replied telepathically. "Just what were you thinking, letting yourself get captured by those Sontarans? Do you have any idea what Jamie went through when you abandoned him at the station?"
"I did not abandon him," his second self replied, his tone even more brittle.
His younger self continued to eye him coldly as the Doctor went to stand next to him. It only happened for the briefest second, but there was a moment when his earlier incarnation let down his mental defenses. Most likely by accident. However, that second was all the Doctor needed to find out that his other self had actually thought that Jamie was dead.
"He's all right," he told his former self, his tone more contrite now. "At least, he will be in time. I promise…. Now, any bright ideas to get us out of this?"
"None. Shouldn't you have some by now?"
"I've been busy!" he fumed at his younger self.
"And I've been under sedation for days," his second form replied coolly. "Apparently, you haven't been too busy to get some inkling of what's going on. And yet you still haven't been able to plan very far ahead. I suppose what they say about things getting better with age isn't entirely true."
The Doctor placed his hand on the edge of the wheelchair. Their entire conversation had taken a few seconds and had gone on without the piper's knowledge. He could see Jamie's confusion over being around two versions of himself at the same time, but the Doctor couldn't get too concerned about that. He was still too irritated at his other self.
"Snap!"
"Snap!" the Doctor said, just a moment behind his younger incarnation. It seemed there was no winning with this previous self.
"I've come a long way for you," the Doctor said, indignant.
"Naturally. Don't expect any thanks," the silver-haired Doctor replied.
The Doctor was about to give his second form another piece of their mind when the sound of a door opening caught his attention. He and Jamie tried to wheel his other self out of harm's way, but the clang of cutlery and the happy chortling of an Androgum was rapidly coming closer. After instructing his earlier form to play as if he were still asleep, he motioned for Jamie to follow him upstairs. From their vantage point, there were out of view, but could still see what was going on.
The next sight the Doctor saw chilled his hearts. There was Peri slung limply over the Androgum's shoulder. He was pretty sure that she was still breathing, but this did nothing to quell the horror over what he knew was in store for Peri if he didn't act quickly.
Jamie started to head down after her, but the Doctor held him in place. He could relate to the piper's desire to rescue her then and there, however, he also knew that it would be suicide for either of them to try to get between an Androgum and his food while unarmed. Besides, he had just seen Jamie in mortal peril once today. He was determined to not let it happen again.
The Androgum went into the kitchen and a couple moments later, the Doctor was about to suggest going back downstairs when more voices stopped him. He crouched back against the stairwell and watched as Dastari and the woman who Jamie had identified as another Androgum examined the still body in the wheelchair. The Doctor listened as the woman, who was referred to as Chessene, adjusted their plans to deal with the possibility of having been discovered.
However, that adjustment did not give him the slightest bit of relief.
'They're going to turn him…me into an Androgum!? No! No, I can't let that happen.'
Jamie looked over at him. Originally, the Doctor had hoped that things would have gone much smoother than this. Now, Peri was in the hands of an inhuman butcher and his previous self was in danger of becoming an Androgum…an event that would quickly have repercussions for him as well.
'Oh and I mustn't forget about the Sontarans. Much as I'd like to….'
The Doctor swallowed hard and ground his jaw. He would have to be very careful from this point on, but remained undeterred. This wasn't the first time that things looked particularly bad for him and he was sure that he still could find a way to salvage the situation.
At least, he certainly hoped he would be able to before any more lives were lost.