I hope you enjoy the chapter! R&R please :3
Unknown to Athena, the Doctor had been pulling her along after the other Doctor and Rosita. She didn't notice until they stopped and followed the Doctor's gaze. Standing on the corner was the other Doctor and Rosita. She and the Doctor could hear everything they said from the alleyway, she just hoped they couldn't see them. Rosita and her Doctor were already deep in conversation.
"God rest his soul." The other Doctor said. "Now, with the house empty, I should effect an entrance at the rear while you go back to the TARDIS. This is hardly work for a woman." They watched as he began to walk away from Rosita.
"Oh, don't mind me saving your life, that's work for a woman, isn't it?"
"The Doctor's companion does what the Doctor says. Off you go." Rosita and the other Doctor went their separate ways.
"I see why I left you now," Athena began, "you turn into a jerk." She teased.
"For all I know that could be thousands of years in the future."
Athena shrugged, "Still a sexist pig, Doctor. I've saved your life, Rosita's saved his. Why would you treat her so differently?"
"Don't know. Blimey, I really hope that isn't my future. It's one thing to be protective but that…wow."
"Well you'd recognize a past self, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah I would…"
"But he didn't recognize you." Athena reminded him.
"Yeah…come on, let's follow him." The Doctor led Athena out of the alleyway and they followed the other Doctor.
They located the house the other Doctor was trying to get to. They sped up a little bit and went around the front. They made their way through the house to the backdoor and let the other Doctor in as he was trying to pick the lock.
"Hello!" The Doctor and Athena said in unison. The other Doctor looked up at them, dumbfounded.
"How did you get in?"
"Oh, front door, I'm good at doors. Uhm…would you mind me asking, is that your sonic screwdriver?"
"Yes, I'd be lost without it." The other Doctor held up a screwdriver, but there was nothing sonic about it. It was just a plain screwdriver, nothing special. Athena cast a glance up at her Doctor who was too fixed on the other Doctor's screwdriver to notice.
"That's your screwdriver? How is it sonic?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, it makes a noise." He tapped it against the doorframe a few times, "that's sonic, isn't it?" Athena did her best to keep her poker face, as did the Doctor. It wasn't the Doctor's screwdriver. Athena had a feeling that this man really wasn't the Doctor after all.
The other Doctor's voiced snapped her back into focus, "Now, since we're acting like common burglars, I suggest we get out of plain view." He pushed his way past Athena and the Doctor and into the house. The two of them exchanged confused looks and looked back towards the other man. The Doctor shrugged and shut the door.
"This investigation of your's?" The Doctor started, "What's it all about?"
"It started with a murder." He began rummaging through some drawers and papers.
"Oh…good." Her Doctor absentmindedly said. The other Doctor stopped what he was doing and looked up and gave him a confused looked. Athena slapped her Doctor in the arm and shook her head at him before correcting him, "He means bad, but…whose?" "Mr. Jackson Lake, a teacher of mathematics from Sussex. Came to London three weeks ago," he slammed a drawer shut and looked back towards the Doctor and Athena, "and died a terrible death."
"Cybermen?" Her Doctor asked.
"It's hard to say. His body was never found." Athena's eyes widened as she took a deep breath. "But then it started," the other Doctor continued, "more murders. Secret abductions. Children, stolen away in silence." Athena's eyes began to water. Her Doctor squeezed her hand before posing another question. "So, whose house is this?"
"The latest murder." The other Doctor responded, dryly. "The Reverend Aubrey Fairchild. Found with burns to his forehead, like some advanced form of electrocution."
"But who was he? Was he important?" Her Doctor asked while leaning back on a desk.
The other Doctor turned to face him and stared him down, "You ask a lot of questions."
"We're your companions!" Her Doctor responded. The other Doctor stared at him for several moments before continuing. "The Reverend was the pillar of the community, a member of many parish boards, a keen advocate of children's charities."
"Children again." Athena whispered to the Doctor. He nodded and she directed her attention to the other Doctor, "But why would the Cybermen want him dead?" The Doctor picked up on her question, "And what's his connection to the first death, this Jackson Lake?"
"It's funny…I seem to be telling you two everything as though you engendered some sort of trust. You seem familiar, Mr. Smith. I know your face, but how?"
"I wonder…I can't help noticing you're wearing a fob watch."
"A what?" Athena asked. Her Doctor pointed to the other Doctor's pocketwatch. "A fob watch." He repeated.
"Is that important?" The other Doctor asked.
"Legend has it," her Doctor pushed himself away from the desk and slowly walked towards the other Doctor, "the memories of a Time Lord can be contained within a watch. Do you mind?" Her Doctor held out his hand. The other Doctor eagerly handed over the watch. "It's said," her Doctor continued, "that if it's opened…" He opened the watch and the face sprung out and fell to the floor, "Oh, maybe not." Her Doctor finished, embarrassed.
"It's more for decoration." The other Doctor said, somewhat giddy.
"Yeah." Athena responded, drawing out the word to make her Doctor even more embarrassed. He rolled his eyes, "Anyway, alien infiltration!" The two Doctors began walking away from each other to search the room and Athena got dragged along by her Doctor.
"Yes, just look for anything different, possibly metal. Anything that doesn't seem to belong."
Her Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver out from his coat pocket. Athena's eyes widened and she shook her head, "You can't use that, he'll hear it. He doesn't have one."
"All the more reason to use it! I'll find something he doesn't." He whispered back.
"Perhaps," The other Doctor shouted over them. "a mechanical device that could fit no earthly engine."
The Doctor turned on his sonic screwdriver, and with the help of Athena blocking the other Doctor's view, began to scan the room.
"It could even seem to be organic!" The other Doctor continued. "But unlike any organism of the natural world—Shh!" The other Doctor had heard the sonic screwdriver and he straightened up. Athena's Doctor quickly shut off and returned his sonic screwdriver to his pocket. "What's that noise?" The other Doctor asked. He began scanning the room, as if maybe the noise was coming from whatever he was looking for.
"Oh, it was just me." Athena's Doctor responded. She shot him an incredulous look, crossed her arms over her chest, and cocked an eyebrow. The Doctor saw her, her look said 'How are you going to get out of this?' he swallowed and came up with an idea. "Whistling." Athena dramatically rolled her eyes as her Doctor began to whistle similarly to the sonic's buzzing. He cut off, "I wonder what's in here, though!" He exclaimed while jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.
He turned around and opened the desk and pulled out a silver canister. "Different and metal, you were right." Her Doctor smiled at the other Doctor. "They're infostamps!" He explained to Athena as he tossed one in the air and caught it. He turned to face the other Doctor, "I mean, at a guess. Uhm…if I were you, I'd say they worked something like this." He pushed the button on top and a series of golden images played on the mirror behind them. "See? Compressed information, tons of it." He put his glasses on as watched the pictures. "That is the history of London, 1066 to the present day." He told Athena and the other Doctor. "This is like a disk, a Cyberdisk. But why would the Cybermen need something so simple?" Athena jabbed him in the ribs, giving him a look to tell him to shut up. He turned his attention back to the montage of pictures, "They've got to be wireless." Neither of them noticed that the other Doctor sat down in a chair, a little distance from them. "Unless they're in the wrong century!" Athena's Doctor exclaimed, "they haven't got much power. They need basic old infostamps to give them updates."
He turned to the other Doctor and noticed he wasn't right by his side anymore. "Are you all right?" Athena asked.
"I'm fine." He said hoarsely.
"No, what is it?" Athena moved over and knelt down in front of him. The Doctor followed and stood behind her. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"I've seen one of these before." The other Doctor had a grim look on his face. He seemed to get lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "I was holding this device the night I lost my mind." He looked up from the device and towards the Doctor and Athena. "The night I regenerated." Athena placed her hands over his and her Doctor crouched down next to her. "The Cybermen, they made me change!"
"It's okay, Doctor." She whispered at him. "It's all okay, you're safe now."
"My mind, my face, my whole self!" He growled over Athena's voice. His hand shot up towards Athena's Doctor's face. "And you were there. Who are you?" He growled.
"A friend, I swear."
"Then I beg you, John, help me." The other Doctor pleaded. He was on the brink of tears due to his sudden realization of his past.
"Oh…two words I never refuse." Her Doctor tried to calm down the other man. Athena smiled up at him and he placed a hand on the other Doctor's shoulder. "Never." He smiled and sprung up. "But it's not a conversation for a dead man's house. It'll make more sense if we go back to the TARDIS."
"Your TARDIS." Athena corrected, shooting a look at the Doctor to try to keep him in line.
"I just need to do a final check!" Her Doctor started before running around the room. "Won't take a tick!" Athena left the other Doctor's side to catch up with her Doctor. "Cause there's one more thing I can't figure out!" He said to both of them. As Athena approached him he lowered his voice so only she could hear. "If this room's got more infostamps then maybe, just maybe, it's got something that needs infostamping." He opened another closet and the two of them were staring up at a metal man. "Okay!" The Doctor shouted before shutting the door just as quickly as he opened it. He looked down at Athena, "I think we should run!" He pulled Athena back and ran them over to the other Doctor. "Run, Doctor!" The Cyberman kicked down the door and started marching after them. Athena's Doctor grabbed the other Doctor by the shoulders and pulled him up.
"Delete! Delete!" A cold metal voice shouted.
They ran through the house. It didn't take long before the trio ran straight into the Cyberman. "The Doctor will be deleted!" Athena and her Doctor both spun the other Doctor around and started running the opposite direction.
They reached a staircase and another Cyberman kicked in a door. Athena groaned and shot a look of panic up towards her Doctor. He scanned the room before pushing the other Doctor up the stairs, "Stairs! Can't lead them outside!" The other Doctor obediently ran up the stairs towards the second floor.
"What are we going to do, Doctor?" Athena whispered as the two Cyberman approached.
"I have no idea." He looked down at her, mouth agape, "What are you doing down here? Get up the stairs!" He shoved her towards the stairs and she climbed halfway up.
"Not without you, Doct—John!" She shouted back.
"I'll hold them off!" He reached for an umbrella and opened it, trying to push the Cybermen back. Athena noticed a sword hanging on the wall. She grabbed it and shouted "John!" He spun around and smiled, letting a mischievous glint flood in his eyes. "Oh Athena, you're brilliant!" He took the sword from her and threw the scabbard across the room. After warming up his wrist a little bit by swinging around he shouted back towards the Cybermen, "I'm a dab hand with a cutlass! You don't want to come near me when I've got one of these." Athena beamed at the Cybermen, as if challenging them.
"This is your last warning!" The Cybermen kept approaching them. "No?" Athena's smile began to falter and she could see the Doctor start to sweat a little.
"Okay," the Doctor exclaimed as he jumped up a stair, pushing Athena behind him, "this is really your last warning!" The Cybermen started climbing the stairs. "Okay, I give up!" The Doctor pushed Athena up the stairs until she got to a landing before he turned back around. "Delete!"
"Okay, listen to me properly!" He started. "Whatever you're doing stuck in 1851 I can help!" He rushed out. One of the Cybermen made a swipe at him and he struck back with the cutlass. The Cybermen kept climbing the stairs and the Doctor kept pushing Athena back. The Cyberman swiped at him again and the Doctor blocked it with the cutlass once more. "I mean it!" He shouted. "I'm the only person in the world that can help you!"
"Listen to him!" Athena shouted just as one of the Cybermen swung at the Doctor again. "Delete!" Athena groaned and pulled the Doctor up with her, causing him to falter slightly. He fell down on top of Athena and one of the Cybermen struck down at him. The Doctor blocked him with the cutlass and shouted, "I'm the Doctor!" He began rising up to face the Cybermen. "You need me. Check your memory banks. My name is the Doctor!" The Cyberman began overpowering him again and pushed him back on top of Athena. The Doctor held the cutlass fast against the Cybermen's arm. "Leave this man alone! The Doctor is me!" Athena kicked the Cybermen and they fell down the stairs. She pulled the Doctor up with her and they scrambled to the top of the stairs to meet the other Doctor.
The Cybermen quickly stood back up and started the climb again, "Delete!"
"The Doctor, remember?" He shouted back, striking them with the cutlass again. "I'm the Doctor! You need me alive! You need the Doctor, and that's me!" He shouted. He braced the cutlass against the Cybermen once more. It pushed back, causing the Doctor to fall onto his back. Athena ran towards the other Doctor to try to get him to run, but he stood, transfixed on the infostamp.
"Delete!"
"Come on, Doctor, we need to get out of here!" She shouted at him. He still kept his focus on the metal cylinder. A light flashed in his eyes and he pushed a button on the infostamp, creating a beam of blue electricity he used to electrocute the Cybermen. They began screaming, if you could call it screaming. They collapsed onto their knees, jolting from the electricity, and then their heads exploded and they fell forward. Athena stared at the now dead Cybermen wide-eyed while her Doctor stared at the other Doctor with the same expression. He began laughing, "Infostamp with a cyclo-steinham core! You ripped open the core and broke the safety. Zap!" He turned himself towards the other Doctor, "only the Doctor would think of that." He beamed.
"I did that," the other Doctor began gravely, "last time."
"Come here, you'll be okay." The Doctor held his arm out for the other Doctor. "Let me just check." He put on a stethoscope and Athena wondered what else he kept in his pockets.
"You told them you were the Doctor. Why would you do that?" The other Doctor asked, confusion written across his face.
"Oh, I was just protecting you." The Doctor responded nonchalantly.
"You're trying to take away the only thing I've got. Like they did." He accused. "They stole something…" he broke down in tears. "Something so precious, but I can't remember." Athena came up to his side and began rubbing his arm.
"Whatever it is, we'll find it. I promise you, we will." Athena assured. The other Doctor nodded. "What happened to me?" He looked down at Athena. He turned his attention back to the Doctor, "What did they do?"
"We'll find out. The three of us, together." He pulled the stethoscope off and tucked it back into his pocket. They made to leave the house. Athena caught the Doctor's elbow and waited until the other Doctor was down the stairs. "What were you checking?"
"Just…nothing. Nothing." He had only heard one heart. He figured that he had to have a working fob watching somewhere, no ordinary human would have known what to do with the infostamp. This had to be a future regeneration, it just had to be.