Unto the Universe
Chapter Twenty: Saving Hitler: Daniel
By Lumendea
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material, and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
AN: Vortex Manipulators are really all over the place in canon. This is me trying to bridge some of the gaps.
….
The Doctor's mind was whirling with every step. His instincts warred. As a Time Lord, he felt the jarring ache of something pressing on the timelines, the fragile weave at this point in time that everything in the future was built on. Some things could recover, some events could unfold in a slightly different way, but not this. But he also wanted to bundle Rose and Jack away in the TARDIS just in case this went wrong. The TARDIS could help keep them both intact if the timelines collapsed. That option would make him feel better, and Jack might go along with it for Rose's sake but would insist on coming to help himself. And locking Rose in the TARDIS had already failed.
Was that what this was about? If the Monk still served the Eternals, then perhaps that was the plan to create a temporal event so devastating that there would be no recovery. Hitler and World War II had shaped the world Rose grew up in. There was no two ways about that. He remembered the Eternal in the mirror, trying to scare him about Rose. There were still so many questions there, things he was worried about looking at too closely. Cassandra's death and the reaction of the Neverwere towards Rose were only the latest.
Maybe this was about Rose. He glanced back at her. Rose's sharp brown eyes were sweeping across the shops and people, no doubt noting the smallest of details. He almost smiled. That was his girl, always alert and noticing the things he missed. Had she noticed something else he'd missed? He'd be shocked if not.
"We're getting close," Jack said softly.
"How soon can he use the Vortex Manipulator?" the Doctor asked as they walked briskly down the pavement.
"Honestly, I can't be sure," Jack admitted. "The Monk is a Time Lord like you, so he could have modified it. Judging from his entrance and using the Vortex Manipulator to get away, I'd say that the Monk has a short-range teleport so that his companion could use the Vortex Manipulator."
"I'm surprised they didn't switch that around," Rose admitted. "I would have thought the Monk would keep that."
"If he's still working with the Eternals, which seems likely, then he has another trick up his sleeve," the Doctor said. "Reckless fool."
"And it isn't good for his human accomplice," Jack added. When Rose looked at him in confusion, Jack sighed and groaned. "Using Vortex Manipulators isn't exactly… the healthiest thing."
"They're dirty time travel," the Doctor said, feeling his lips twitch into a smirk. "Lacking all the protective measures of the TARDIS."
"But portable," Jack reminded him.
"Yes, portable. Pity all that exposure to the Time Vortex isn't good for you. And addicting. Using it too often can kill a person."
"But he could probably do another jump any time now," Jack said. "Provided he isn't worried about his health. Vortex Manipulators do have some advantages when it comes to being able to get into unstable temporal areas. Though… it would be questionable if he'd survive."
"The man using it might not know all that," Rose pointed out. "If the Monk didn't explain it. Or he might not care. He might see it as a noble suicide mission. We have no idea when or where this person is from. Unless your scans told you something?"
"He doesn't show the mutations that Jack carries," the Doctor said. "Pure human, so he's either from before or very early into human space colonization."
"I doubt he's from before World War II," Jack offered. "It would be hard to get someone to commit an assassination if they had no context for the crimes."
"Agreed," the Doctor said with a nod. He glanced down at the sonic screwdriver. "Could be from right after… someone who lost someone."
"I hope he isn't Jewish," Jack sighed. "That would be a mess. We need to try and talk this guy down."
"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "But…"
Jack nodded, and the Doctor held back a sigh. The knowledge that Jack was carrying his firearm nagged at him. It almost ached, but he stayed silent. Under the circumstances, he could understand Jack's desire to have it and wished he could muster the anger and righteous fury to object.
He was tired. This was the Monk. The only other Time Lord was tearing at the Web of Time and trying to topple a critical supporting point of the whole of human history. One of his own, a being that had gone through the same training as him and even performed better at school. How had their shared doubts and concerns about Gallifrey and their policies regarding time traveled them here? Him with the last TARDIS seeking to protect a monster and the Monk using a Vortex Manipulator and serving the Eternals trying to topple time? Yes, it made him tired.
Then Rose's hand slipped into his as she stepped up beside him, directing Jack ahead of them. He caught a glimpse of Jack's smile as he sped up his pace to give them some breathing room. Rose's hand was warm despite the gloves she was wearing, and the Doctor's two hearts slowed to a more reasonable rate.
"I'm sorry," Rose whispered. "That's he's what you have."
"Yeah," the Doctor said. "Could be worse. Could be the Master." The statement was weak to his ears. He knew deep down that he'd be terrified but still a little grateful to see the Master despite their ugly history.
Rose laughed nervously. She'd probably heard too much about the Master from his former companions. To them, it was all bad. To him… well, to him, there was a long history in their childhoods and the damage of the Time Vortex. It had driven the Master insane and shown him things that made him run. The Doctor almost laughed. How many times had Rose looked into the Time Vortex at this point? He doubted even she knew.
"Doctor, Rose," Jack called softly. "Got a lock on the man."
"The Monk called him Daniel," Rose offered. The Doctor smiled. That was exactly the sort of detail that Rose would not. "What about the Monk?"
The Doctor looked up at the building in front of them. It was simple and unassuming. The Doctor took it for a flat building based on the small decorations he could see here and there in the windows—a good place to blend in and hide. Near the center of Berlin, only a few blocks from the Chancellery, but far enough that it wouldn't be searched after a quick escape. Exhaling, he lowered his shields just a fraction and let himself feel the area.
"I don't feel him there at the moment." The Doctor took a moment to build up his shields in case the Monk had a trap waiting. "At least not at this moment, but that could change in a second. Be on guard; this is likely a trap."
….
Rose stayed close to the Doctor as they entered the building. A doorman looked their way, but Jack pulled out his psychic paper and flashed it to the man. He paled and nodded, turning to look firmly at the front doors. Rose figured that they were now part of the secret police with that reaction.
Jack led them in silence up the staircase. The building was quiet. Rose could hear low voices here and there, but it lacked the loud energy of the flat building she'd grown up with. She wasn't sure what to make of it.
"It's very quiet," Rose observed.
"This is already a police state," the Doctor whispered. "People stay quiet, so they aren't overheard. Thanks to the Hitler Youth, people are turned in for disloyalty by their own children if they're overheard saying the wrong thing."
Rose's stomach turned. "Ah," she managed. The psychic paper would likely help them avoid some trouble, but she noted the warning as Jack led them to a door.
They stopped in front of it. The door was numbered 32, and nothing seemed unusual about it. Rose, Jack, and the Doctor exchanged a look before the Doctor flicked reached out to grasp the doorknob. It was locked.
"Can you sonic it?" Jack whispered.
"Too primitive."
"Let me," Rose said softly. She reached out and pulled out two of the hairpins that Jack had used to fix her hair in place. "I'm rusty, but I remember the basics."
Kneeling down, Rose straightened the pins and pulled the protective plastic at the ends off. She fitted them into the lock and listened carefully, both for movement on the other side and for the click. Holding her breath, Rose fiddled with the lock, calling on the old skills. The lock turned and clicked, unlocking, and she carefully pushed the door open an inch as quietly as possible before rising to her feet. Jack nodded at her and, before Rose could argue, gently pushed her behind him with a word.
She didn't argue. Rose couldn't be surprised. Jack had always leaned towards protective, and now that he knew he could get back up, she suspected that this was going to be a consistent thing from now on. Jack drew his pistol and raised it to show the Doctor the setting was still on nonlethal. Swallowing, she looked to the Doctor, who nodded, and Jack pushed open the door.
The room beyond was bare of any decoration. The small flat had hardwood floors and a simple wooden table with two chairs in the middle. No other furniture was in sight, but there was a closed-door beyond the table. Stepping inside slowly behind Jack and the Doctor, Rose eyed the kitchen, which had cabinets and vaguely familiar but much less refined appliances, to their right. Still nothing.
Someone coughed beyond the door. Rose could hear muttering. She carefully shut the door behind them. They waited, all three of them standing still and silent. The noises were a bit louder now, sounding a bit like sobbing. Rose's fingers twitched, unsure of which instincts she should listen to right now. Someone was hurting, but based on where they were…
The door flew open, and Daniel stumbled out. For a moment, he didn't see them, rubbing at his eyes and using his fingers to comb his hair out of his eyes. Despite the short time since they'd seen him, the man wasn't looking good. Jack raised his firearm and stepped forward.
"Hands where I can see them," Jack ordered.
Daniel jumped in surprise, his eyes widening as he finally spotted them. He reached into his coat. Jack fired, but Daniel twisted out of the way just in time. Summoning her sword, Rose shifted forward as Daniel brought up his own firearm. But he didn't point it at Jack; instead, he pointed it at the Doctor.
"Don't move!" Daniel snapped. "I can give orders too," he sneered at Jack.
"Daniel," the Doctor said calmly. "No one has been harmed yet; let's not change that."
"No one has been harmed?" Daniel repeated. "Did- did you really just say that? You don't understand," Daniel said. His eyes were wide and wild with grief. "You stopped me! If I don't fix this, then-"
"I understand hating him, Daniel," Rose said gently. "Did you lose family to Hitler's programs?"
"He's a monster," Daniel hissed, not correcting Rose's use of his name. "And you, those men, are protecting him."
"We aren't protecting him for his sake," the Doctor said calmly. "Far from it, but you can't-"
"He told me about you," Daniel said, keeping the gun trained on the Doctor. "The great Time Lord who names himself as if he's a healer, but doesn't stop human suffering! You call yourself Doctor but ignore a moral responsibility to stop suffering. If someone is in trouble and another person can save them, we expect them to try. We put moral standards on each other, we expect and demand action, but you…" Daniel shook his head, "You do nothing."
"He does plenty," Jack said. "The only reason Earth has made it this far is because he looks after it." Jack shook his head, darkness passing over his face. "Daniel, time is fragile. It can break so easily. The Doctor doesn't not change things because he doesn't care, but because he sees the bigger picture."
"Bigger picture?" Daniel hissed. "Millions of lives, Doctor." He scowled as if the name left a bad taste in his mouth. "That is the big picture. The laws, the stars… the camps." A shuddering sob escaped Daniel. "There is no bigger picture."
"I'm sorry, Daniel," the Doctor said gently. He stepped forward and put his hand over Jack's firearm, lowering it. Jack looked uneasy but didn't argue. "There is. Time… history, it keep flowing and unfolding into new things, new people, and new events. The past can hurt, but the future and the people in it deserve their chance too."
"There is no future," Daniel hissed. "Not after what they did. The Monk showed me. He showed me the real future, the distant one. The dark and the cold. And I can stop it."
"Dark and the cold?" Jack asked. "What did he show you? Really? Because that's not right."
"You only see a glimpse," Daniel mocked. "We see it all, he showed me, and he warned me. Warned me about the Doctor, a man who burned his own planet and claims to love humans." Daniel's tone turned mocking, and he sneered at the Doctor, his finger twitching dangerously on the trigger. "And you won't stop what's coming!"
"You aren't my pets!" the Doctor shouted. Then in the ringing silence, he took a deep breath. "You are not my pets. You are living, breathing, and growing beings that need to chart your own course. World War II and everything it entailed, all the horrors and war crimes from both sides, are a fundamental part of your development." Taking a step back, the Doctor shook his head. "Yes, I change time, yes, I change history, but there are limits. I can redecorate a few rooms, fix the plumbing a bit, but he can't knock out a load-bearing wall. World War II is a load-bearing wall of who and what humanity is." The Doctor exhaled slowly. "I am sorry, Daniel. I am. If I had the freedom to, if I didn't know the damage I would cause, there are so many things that I would change."
Daniel's jaw tightened. His finger shifted. Jack lunged forward, putting himself between the Doctor and the firearm. Daniel shouted something, but the words were lost in the hum of his weapon. Rose saw the blast and watched as Jack was hit before Daniel frantically hit the Vortex Manipulator around his wrist. Jack hit the ground, and the man vanished in a flash of blue.
"Jack!" the Doctor dropped beside Jack, checking his neck for a pulse with an uneasy look. "Dead." He swallowed. "Let's hope you're right about his ability." The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver with a tremble in his hands. "Daniel used a short-range teleport function. He's still in Berlin."
"Likely heading for Hitler again," Rose said softly. Kneeling beside Jack, she took his hand and squeezed it. "And now he knows who the Time Agents are. That's probably the only reason he let himself get caught earlier."
Jack gasped for air, his eyes flying open before he groaned. "That's very strange," he managed. "We need to contact the Hitler Division. Daniel's got to ready to try again. And no sign of the Monk."
"No," the Doctor agreed, looking around the empty flat. "Where is he?"
