CHAPTER 28. NO REST FOR THE WICKED

Most of the Rich Quarter was taken up by sprawling villas with splendid gardens and legions of servants and armed guards to manage and protect all that wealth. The Ashur Mansion enjoyed no such special attention anymore, being abandoned a long time ago.

The property sat alone in its lonely squalor, detached from the other houses by a large overgrown garden. As Rose and the Doctor approached the house, the air of loneliness became even more pronounced; one wing partly ruined by fire, any exterior valuables looted long ago.

'I wonder why nobody claimed this place,' Rose said. 'Must have been gorgeous once. It could be rebuilt.'

'Aleas said they're afraid. The place is supposedly haunted.'

'It sure looks like a ghost house.' Rose climbed the steps towards the gate, or what was left of it. Part of the bannister had rotted away and some of the steps had gaping holes. They moved inside, careful not to dislodge the last of the hinges the door was hanging on. The hallway must have been an impressive entrance once.

'According to Aleas, the fire started after some sort of lightning strike.'

'Funny lightning,' Rose said as she looked up at the roof. If lightning had really struck, there should have been some sort of damage to show for it, but except from the fire damage, there was nothing. It was as if the lightning had struck from inside the house.

'Look at this,' the Doctor called. He had gone ahead and was busy exploring the ground floor. 'Those looters didn't do a very good job.' He indicated a locked room to the side of the hallway.

Rose came up beside him. 'Can we get inside?'

The Doctor pointed his sonic and the door lock clicked open. 'Voila.'

Rose peered inside. All the furniture and treasures were still in place, with a thick layer of dust and some residual smoke damage from the fire. On the right wall hung a painting depicting a richly-dressed man holding a staff with a jewel mounted on the pommel.

'Look at the setting,' the Doctor said. Rose stepped closer to study the jewel, wiping away some of the dust with her fingertips. There it was again, clear as day: the symbol.

'That must be one of the keys, made into a jewel long ago, the meaning lost over time.'

They both startled as voices came from outside. The Doctor motioned for Rose to keep quiet as they peered into the hallway. Someone, or rather multiple someones, had entered the house and were now looking around. Rose could hear boots and the clang of weapons. The Doctor gripped Rose's hand and led her out of the secret room back towards the main hall, then up the stairs. They hadn't even made it half way up when a voice called out.

'Turn around slowly.'

Rose lifted her hands in the air, the Doctor following her example.

There was a group of men standing at the bottom of the stairs, some of them wearing scarfs hiding their faces. All of them were heavily armed. To Rose's chagrin it seemed they were about to be kidnapped. Again. The front gate slammed open and more people poured into the hallway. From the men calling to each other, it was clear that these two groups weren't exactly friends. Rose glanced at the Doctor just as he mouthed something to her. Before she could acknowledge him, he had already grabbed her hand and pulled her away. The groups, presumably members of the two families, hardly noticed their escape.

The Doctor dragged Rose further up the stairs, then halted. They looked down, now with a clear view of the warring parties facing off against each other. They already seemed to have forgotten about the two interlopers.

'Look at the symbols on their tunics,' Rose said.

The face-off suddenly entered the next phase as the leader of one group called out to his rivals. 'I demand to know the terms of your surrender.'

'Our surrender?' The other leader scoffed. 'We received word that it was the Zaqar scum who wanted to lay down their weapons.'

Rose startled as the Doctor suddenly called out to the feuders.

'Hello there.' All eyes turned up towards them. 'Yes, you people. My name is the Doctor. It was actually me who sent those messages. Both of them. I do have to say, you're right on time. And as long as I have your attention, I've got something very important to say.'

A wave of confusion rippled through the two groups as they stared up at the madman on the gallery. The Doctor was only too happy to use the confusion to his advantage.

'I know what happened on the day you started your feud. I know what happened to Bumuz, Tamare and Imseti.' He grinned broadly. 'Sit back, because you're gonna love this.'

One of the armed men drew his weapon and headed for the stairs. He would have made it, too, if it hadn't been for his own leader blocking his path. Now Rose could see that he was actually a she—an older woman, her demeanour making it clear insolence would not be tolerated.

She addressed the Doctor. 'My name is Malesis Shala. If you speak the truth, I want to hear it. If you lie, you will never leave this house again.' She threw a condescending glance at Rose. 'And neither will your servant.'

Rose leaned over the balustrade. 'I'm not his servant!'

'Mistress Shala, pleased to meet you.' The Doctor nodded an acknowledgement. 'I can assure you I will speak nothing but the truth. You have been at each other's throats for centuries over nothing but a tragic mistake. There's no one to blame here, and it's time to set things right.' He looked out over all the faces staring up at him. 'I'm going to show you something, but keep your weapons to yourself. Nothing bad is gonna happen.'

He took out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the other side of the gallery. The stunned onlookers watched as the air suddenly shimmered and a human shape began to materialise—a handsome man, in fact, not quite young but with a strong face and body. He did look somewhat shocked.

'My good man, can you please tell these people your name?'

The confused man opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if he were someone not used to talking anymore. 'I am Bumuz Shala,' he finally managed.

Below, another ripple of surprise went through the already rattled gathering.

The Doctor turned to speak to them again. 'Lord Bumuz here was the very unfortunate victim of a natural phenomenon.' He turned to Bumuz who was still a little confused. 'Isn't that right?'

'He speaks the truth,' Bumuz spoke up. 'I came here on that fateful day...' He turned to the Doctor. 'How long has it been?'

The Doctor shrugged apologetically. 'About three hundred years.'

Bumuz took in a raspy breath. He needed a moment to let the truth sink in, then turned to address those waiting. 'I was here to meet Tamare Zaqar for... an important political parlay. As we wanted to meet on neutral ground, it was the widow Ashur who allowed us to use her house.' Bumuz looked momentarily taken aback as the memories rushed at him. 'A freak thunderstorm must have struck, for Tamare and I were both suddenly knocked down. When I regained consciousness, I discovered that Tamare was dead. Next, I found myself unable to touch any solid object, or even communicate with any other living being. For a while I believed that that infernal storm must have killed me as well, but that the gods hadn't seen me as fit to join those in the afterlife.'

'What about Imseti Ashur?' someone called out. 'She didn't die of any thunderstorm. The Shalas are to blame for her suffering and death!'

'No.' Bumuz shook his head again. 'It wasn't long after I became a disembodied ghost that I discovered, purely by chance, that the lady Ashur was the only person able to see me. I tried to contact her, but she became afraid, believing herself to be haunted. Once I noticed how distressed she was becoming, I ceased any attempt at contacting her.' Bumuz hung his head. 'Sadly, it was too late by then. She had gone insane. When I learned that she had taken her own life, I was distraught.'

The Doctor touched Bumuz on the shoulder and Rose could see tears in the man's eyes. 'No one was to blame,' the Doctor said. He turned back to the families, a stern look on his face now. 'You have all seen what I can do, so you better believe me when I tell you this. A disaster of epic proportions is coming, and the Zaqar and Shala and Ashur families are the only ones who can stop it.'

~x~

Both the Shaqar and Shala families had sent most of their soldiers home, only a handful of them remaining. Malesis Shala had paid respect to her ancestor as had Amuteb Zaqar. The ruined villa had once again become a quiet place. In turn, Bumuz had assured each leader that he had no interest in reclaiming his former leadership. What he had insisted on was a pledge from both parties to finally call a truce. To Rose's surprise, Maelesis and Amuteb had agreed without protest. The Doctor must have made one hell of an impression, she thought.

The Doctor stood facing both leaders as they now wanted to know what came next. 'You have another battle to fight,' he said gravely. 'A justified one, this time.'

The Doctor quickly set out to explain the issue of the keys. 'Uniting your amulets won't create a weapon,' he insisted. 'It won't provide you with wealth or status. What it will do is stop a monster from devouring your world, and you along with it.'

It was clear from their expressions that both leaders understood what was at stake.

Amuteb raised his voice. 'There is one problem, Doctor. As you know the Ashur family has no living descendants, not since the dead of Ana, the last daughter.'

The Doctor smiled at Amuteb, something behind his eyes that made Rose feel like cheering. She knew that look.

From the back of the house two figures appeared: Aleas and Niyoli, both looking somewhat anxious.

'I asked for them to come as well.' The Doctor grinned. 'Better late than never, I always say.' He motioned for Niyoli to join him. She seemed at a loss. 'Well, now,' the Doctor began, 'this here is Niyoli, trusted Guardian of the revered Keeper. They picked her out for that job because she was an orphan. No family, no connections, nobody to miss her.' He raised a hand. 'But in fact, there's a little more to that story than meets the eye. Niyoli, what do you remember of your family?'

With everyone now staring at her, Niyoli hesitated. 'I don't remember my father, but my mother had this gorgeous hair, all the way down to her hips. She smelled of apricots.'

'And what about the place you lived?'

'I had a wooden toy horse that I used to play with in the garden, under a large tree. It was the largest tree in the entire neighbourhood.'

One of the Shala people suddenly spoke up. 'That's Timon's house's she's describing. Ana Ashur, the last daughter, she was engaged to Timon, but the wedding never took place because she died when visiting a relative outside the city.'

The Doctor nodded. 'But that's not really what happened, is it? If we tried very hard, I believe we could find someone to tell you the real story. But that is going to take an awful long time, so perhaps we should just believe that Niyoli's parents were too much in love to wait until their wedding. Not the first time that a rich young woman is sent away to relatives and comes back, say about a year later.' He turned to Niyoli. 'Where things went wrong is that your mother died when she should have enjoyed a long and happy life, with you and your father by her side. Fortunately, your aunt, the lady with the beautiful hair, stepped in and raised you herself, but life is often unfair and she died as well. You were handed over to the Temple, and that was it.'

The Doctor straightened himself. 'For those of you who are still on the fence, show them your bracelet, Niyoli.'

As Niyoli lifted her hand, the others gasped. The thin metal bracelet had a small round disc embedded in it, the Fourth Amulet clearly visible.

The Doctor glanced around. 'Now it's time to act.'

~x~

The light of the sunset reflected off the buildings, making them appear constant and eternal, but the Doctor knew better than that. Ultimate destruction was only a heartbeat away—one mistake and it would all come crashing down. Again.

Rose came up beside him, her quiet footsteps barely making a noise. The last rays of the sun highlighted the look of determination on her face. That look told him nothing would ever be wrong as long as they were together, the look that said that she could jump off a cliff blindly knowing he would be there to catch her. The Doctor felt insanely proud to have her by his side. It of course frightened him as well, as it always did, but he would gladly bear that fear, as long as it meant she was still with him.

If Rose sensed his complicated feelings, she responded to him in the instinctive way he always loved so much; she simply put her arms around him and lay her head against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and wrapped her in his embrace. This was comfort and understanding, both of them knowing they weren't out of the woods yet, but not wanting to feel lost either. The Doctor could feel the evening approach, the warmth on his back slowly cooling. Rose looked up at him, her hazel eyes reflecting his own growing calm. He placed a kiss on her forehead and she smiled.

'When this is over,' she said softly, 'we should take a long vacation, make up for lost time.' He smiled at the thought. 'I already have a few places in mind.'

'Or,' said Rose, 'we could stay in for a while. Watch movies, eat popcorn. Stay in bed all day.'

The Doctor's smile became a grin now. 'In bed all day long, with Rose Tyler next to me in her pj's? Don't think I would be able to concentrate on any movie.'

The pink tip of her tongue appeared between her teeth. 'Never mentioned anything about wearing pj's…'

'Cheeky girl.' The Doctor felt his contentment and mirth change into something else, and he quickly put a lid on his thoughts before they got out of control.

Rose took his hand, and together they headed for the House of Ceremony.

~x~

At the Doctor's request, the families had gathered in the central chamber, underneath the House of Ceremony. This time it was only Maleisis and Amuteb and a handful of trusted allies. Despite their combative history, the leaders were now firmly committed to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Aleas, asked by the Doctor to witness the truce, still regarded them with suspicion. Rose put a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her.

'It's okay,' she said, 'but you have to give them a chance. The Doctor can be awfully convincing if he wants to. I'm sure they really get it by now.'

The Doctor, ahead of the group, looked up towards the vaulted ceiling and spread out his arms. 'This,' he exclaimed, 'is what the ancient Time Lords created to contain the Rift.'

The central chamber looked quite similar to the TARDIS console room, except everything seemed designed to intimidate. The room was flanked by several large metal walkways circling the construction at its heart, reaching up to the top of the chamber near what resembled several enormous turbo engines. On the lower side the construction was flanked by transparent panels protecting the technology behind.

The computer terminal closest to them was obviously the main hub. At the top of the construction, behind the panels, they could see a box-like shape, suspended by an invisible force field.

'It's the Object,' the Doctor said, 'in effect the heart of the entire planet. I hope it's still intact. If the technology is corrupted, that will make repairing the Rift almost impossible.'

Rose wanted to know why, but the Doctor had already moved to another part of the construction. The two leaders had carried their amulets with them. For the first time in hundreds of years, these deceptively powerful items were reunited.

The Doctor led the group to one of the panels and began issuing instructions. There were four pads on the terminal, each allowing room for a hand to be placed there.

'Don't worry,' the Doctor said. 'It tests your DNA against the known database, determining if you really are who you say you are.'

Out of the Four, Niyoli was the first to touch the panel. As soon as it made contact, the machine sprang to life. The others followed and the machine responded accordingly, verifying each ancient identity and assembling their DNA patterns. As it finalised its data, a hologram of the city appeared. The Four stood in collective awe as the top of the panels automatically rearranged, allowing the use of the Keys.

Rose watched as the Four placed their Keys in the appropriate slots, and yet another panel opened and the machine awaited the final verification: that of a Time Lord.

The Doctor entered a series of commands and the hologram turned from static to animated. From several locations spread out across the city, energy transferred, culminating above their heads and bringing the ancient machine back to life.

The Doctor watched with pure glee as the machine began to repair the Rift. The others seemed as enraptured as he was, staring up at the spectacle unfolding.

The screen in front of him flashed. No one else seemed to notice, so he assumed it was for his eyes only. He touched a series of buttons and information appeared. These seemed like status reports. The Object had been deactivated for a long time, and the Doctor still didn't fully understand why. He quickly perused the reports and concluded there had been some problems in the days before the Rift was deactivated. Apparently the Time Lords had attempted to communicate with the Rift itself, using the Object. The Doctor frowned. An attempt had also been made to change the Object's configuration, making it less powerful. Shortly afterwards the entire installation had been shut down.

There was no further information to explain why. The Doctor scrolled through the remainder of the report. His eye was caught by a strangely out-of-place piece of code. Being eternally curious, he couldn't help but access the hidden file beneath. It didn't give up its secrets easily, but the Doctor poked at the digital screws and bolts until, not without a sense of pride, he managed to pry it open. To his disappointment there wasn't much to see, so he scrolled through it quickly. His hand suddenly trembled as he read the final segment.

The machine abruptly announced that all repairs had been completed. The Doctor quickly closed the hidden file and brought up the progress report.

'It's done,' he said. 'You've saved the world.'

'What does this really mean?' Malesis asked. 'We do not have the knowledge to maintain this… machine on our own.'

The Doctor answered by handing the leaders back their individual keys. 'I will teach the shapeshifters how to manage things. They will teach you in turn. And it also means you'll have to start working together from now on, to continue to protect the Rift, as Bumuz and Tamere wanted. No more fighting.' He smiled. 'But for now, you can celebrate.'

The Doctor handed the final two keys to Aleas and Niyoli. 'Just go back to the Temple,' he said to Niyoli. 'You still need to protect the Keeper, but I will try to help you.'

Niyoli drew herself up. 'Guarding the Keeper is the reason I live and breathe. I do not need help.'

'Oh no,' the Doctor said, 'I meant you and Aleas. You two represent three parties, the shapeshifters, Time Lords and Caliuns. Your children will enjoy a very unique genetic heritage.' He smiled as Aleas went red in the face. Niyoli looked extremely worried. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'your secret is safe with me. Just give me a little more time.'

As everyone was leaving the building, the Doctor looked up at the Object. Everything seemed to function as it should. He shuddered as he remembered the status report and what it had revealed. He silently thanked whatever powers had prevented that particular scenario from taking place.

Rose said, 'We should head back to the barracks. Adam won't arrive until tomorrow, but perhaps it's a good idea to scout the location, make sure we haven't missed anything.'

The Doctor nodded and made to follow Rose and the others outside. Just before leaving the chamber, he threw one last look at the Object. Not today, he told himself. Not today.

Rose and the Doctor exited the House of Ceremony, trading the underground darkness for that of the night. Rose breathed the fresh air and let it fill her lungs. As they made their way to the last Rift site, the Doctor was unusually quiet. Rose decided it probably had to do with being so close to home, and yet so far away.

The Doctor pointed to an unobtrusive-looking building. 'The Temple of Zaraz was built on the Fourth Site. It should be here.' He seemed confused suddenly. He scanned the area again.

'There's nothing here,' Rose said. 'Only houses, and a few shops.'

The Doctor halted. 'It must have been destroyed,' he said. 'These houses were built over the underground location.'

Rose studied the houses closer. 'Most of these are abandoned.' She pushed on the door to the building the Doctor had pointed out and it opened without hindrance. Inside were a set of dingy rooms, a broken chair in the corner, and some households items still lying around.

'No wonder they left,' the Doctor said. 'It can't have been pleasant, living on a site connected to all that Rift energy. People who lived here probably believed they were haunted.'

The Doctor examined the floors and quickly discovered a trapdoor. Rose helped to pull it open, dust and years of neglect having rusted away the hinges. The Doctor used his sonic as a torch and they descended the stone steps. The further down they went, the more obvious it became that the hovel was indeed built on top of a much larger structure. Massive metal beams, some exposed, all indicated that this had once been more than a house.

'I've seen enough,' the Doctor said. They headed back upstairs.

'I still think it's weird,' Rose said, 'that Adam will come back here, when we arrived in a completely different place.'

The Doctor shrugged. 'It's a Space-Time Continuum thing.'

Rose leaned against a wall, drumming her fingers against it. 'How are we going to stop the Shadow?'

The Doctor hesitated to answer. 'There's one sure way to do that, but it would mean a slow painful death for Adam. Whatever he did, he doesn't deserve such a fate.'

'There has to be another way to get that thing out of him without killing him.'

'Actually, an exorcism isn't the problem. That part is easy. Containing the Shadow afterwards, that's more difficult.' The Doctor glanced at Rose.

'He will need a new host… And you're a Time Lord.'

The Doctor nodded as Rose voiced the core of their problem. 'I would rather not be on the menu,' he said. 'I could construct a special kind of prison, to at least hold him until we come up with a better idea, but there's not much time left.'

They quickly left the hovel and headed along the street, which was almost deserted now. They hadn't gone very far when a scream sounded from behind. Rose wheeled around and ran towards the sound.

There was a woman standing in the middle of the street, pointing towards the site of the old temple. Rose felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. From the house came an incredible ruckus. The Doctor approached first and Rose looked over his shoulder. Inside was total chaos, scattered household items flying across the room as if caught in a tornado. Part of the roof was already caving in. The whirlwind of light and debris suddenly turned in on itself. Rose gripped the Doctor's arm, wanting to pull him out of the danger zone, but he seemed rooted to the ground.

'I got it wrong,' he shouted over the din. 'The timing. I got it wrong. Adam is returning right now!'