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Chapter 25 – The File

Legate, wearing a pair of jeans and a jumper, transported on to the Doctor's ship.

Lewis stood in front of him holding baby Arles on his shoulder and patting his back. He wore a pair of dark brown trousers and an oxford shirt with a jacket, "Shower, huh?"

Legate stepped off the platform and ran his hand through his short, wet hair. "Yeah, I got a trim and all of these little hairs were irritating me. I wanted to make sure I got it all off."

They started to walk down the hall together.

Lewis nodded, "Yeah, I get that, mate. I'm the same way."

"So, what's the emergency?"

"John wants us all to go over this file. Since you are from there-"

Legate sighed and stopped walking.

Lewis turned and looked at him. "Legate?"

Legate closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Do you know what's in that file?"

"No. I gather it's bad."

Legate pat Lewis' shoulder. "Okay, as long as you are prepared."

They walked into the ship's control room. The Earth filled the screen and illuminated the room. Timon turned and waved at them. "Morning. They are just in there." He pointed towards the Doctor's office.

They walked inside together.

Legate saw the Doctor sitting on a sofa with the files in his lap. Summus lay on the other sofa and held Samuel in his arms. He was lifting him into the air and then bringing him down to kiss his tiny face. Samuel was laughing at him.

Lewis walked in and sat next to the Doctor. "And he's out of the shower!"

The Doctor grinned. "Well, I'm grateful for hygiene."

Legate chuckled, "Yeah, I had just stepped into the shower when Summus asked me to come up. Great timing, mate."

The Doctor smiled at him, "Nice haircut."

Lewis pat Arles' back. "I'm impressed with Legate, John. He said he that Genie, young Genie, would find it hard for him to have disappeared. So, he's trimmed his hair."

"To keep from looking like a greasy pirate." The Doctor teased.

Legate smiled and nodded his head. "Whatever helps."

Summus' booming voice laughed. "Keeping Logan up all night?"

Legate laughed and pressed the button to close the door. "We had a nice chat while playing cards with some of the other Quauthin on Ashena's ship." Looking around the room, there wasn't any other place to sit. So, he sat down behind the Doctor's desk and drummed his knuckles on the desktop.

The Doctor grinned, "How did you do?"

Legate continued to drum his knuckles on the desktop and began to smile. "I'm not one to brag."

They all laughed under their breath at him.

Lewis asked, "So, explain this to me about Logan. Has he reached Quauhtin status, yet?"

Summus rose up and sat baby Samuel in his lap. "He's nearly to the last level-"

"Already?" Lewis asked in disbelief.

"Logan is motivated. John and you had already done a lot with him. The fighting….it's amazing."

The Doctor looked back at Lewis. "How about that?"

"They wanted to go down to the surface tonight together. There's no threat there….as long as they are on the island. So, I told him that she was his Primary, and let them go."

Lewis nodded his head and looked impressed. "Wow. Logan. The first human Quauhtin."

"He's not there, yet. But, so close." Summus smiled. "And he will be a hell of a Quauhtin."

The Doctor nodded his head. "The haircut. That's thoughtful, Legate. Thank you."

Legate ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. "It's just a trim."

The Doctor opened the file. "Alright. Well, I've looked this all over, and guys. This is something that simply cannot be allowed to happen."

Lewis propped his feet up on the table in front of him as Arles' head nearly fell off of his shoulder. He quickly caught it and brought him down to lie in his lap. "Well, let's start with what did happen."

The Doctor crossed his arms and sighed. "Legate. If any of this is different, stop me."

Legate sighed, "Let's hope it is."

"Jackie, Pete and Tony were all taken and held for three days. Jackie was killed after that first day, but Pete was tortured to death."

"And Tony Tyler?" Summus asked in shock.

"He was made to watch."

The Doctor looked back at Legate. He nodded to tell them it was true. "We couldn't find them. They had them in a….underground, metal lined box on this moon. The file probably goes into more detail about that. Jackie's body was never found. Just, her hand."

"Hand?" Lewis asked.

"They cut her bracelet off." The Doctor informed them.

Legate rubbed his face. "The report shows it was while she was still alive. No one knows what happened to it. Thankfully, Pete's was taken after his death. The network had already been shut down on all three of them though, so they weren't able to get anything of off them. The bracelets in the future contain a lot more than they do now. The information on them, could not be compromised."

Lewis shook his head. "No. That can't happen. They are protected by a force field."

"The room had an Electro-Magnetic Pulse that was generated by nuclear blast nearby." Legate told them. "This star, that was beginning to supernova. That's what we kept looking for. The reports believe the blast was purposeful. The radiation burns on Pete and Tony go with that explanation. Samuel was able to remove most of it from Tony once we found him. He was …..well, he was in bad shape. We're lucky to still have him."

Lewis shook his head. "But, no. The force field doesn't have a back up?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not against an EMP. That bracelet, was nothing more than a bracelet."

"This is just madness. Who did this?" Summus insisted.

Legate drummed his knuckles on the desk. "A man had paid some Vesuos to do it. Now, you lot are having Vesuos problems here. I'm not a master strategist like Primus Lewis, but, I have to think there is a connection."

Lewis looked at Arles, "The Vesuos now want Soler. The Vesuos in the future want….what?"

"The file is inconclusive as to their intentions." The Doctor told them.

Legate sighed, "We feel that it wasn't a completely, random attack. If they managed to get their hands on someone, close to Soler, then they could use them as a ransom. Tony said they thought they were Tony, Pepper and Soler….and became enraged when they discovered it wasn't."

The Doctor nodded. "Two males, and a female. Two Tony's. Makes sense."

Legate continued, "Two Quauhtin, were lost when they took them. The ship they were in, was pulled into a much larger craft. Which is how they got them. There had been no trouble for many years and there was no reason to think they should be in that situation. We were so wrong. They broadcast a signal for Soler to bring himself to them, but we only found it after we found them. You, decoded that, John."

Summus swore. "What does something like this do to a man?"

The Doctor sighed. "My question now is: how much of this do the older children know?"

Legate nodded his head. "Most of it. There are parts that Lewis and you have asked us not to inform them of. Samuel and Arles were directly involved in the search, but I didn't allow them to come down when we first found Pete's body. I identified it and had it transported to another ship where there was no chance that they would see it. It was…rather. Well, they didn't need to see that. Tony Tyler was transported directly to your ship, John."

"Genie?" Lewis asked.

The Doctor added, "Genie was already there."

Legate nodded. "Genie has been recovering from Sluyahiri. She had it, in her head. She lived in the Med Bay on John's ship for several weeks. She still is unable to use her telepathy because of it." He pointed at the Doctor. "I'm not sure if that's all in there, or not."

Lewis sighed, "Damn. Sluyahiri. I've not heard of that in years."

The Doctor nodded his head. "I have a note in here about it."

Legate drummed his knuckles on the desk again. "Samuel has been keeping a close eye on her. Well, we all have. But, Sammy knows when we should worry. He tells us that she's alright. She tells us that she's fine." He smiled, "She tells us that she's tired of everyone worrying about her."

"And Tony Tyler?" Lewis asked.

Legate shook his head. "Tony speaks to Genie more than any of us. The first few days, he was angry and told her that we shouldn't have saved him. That we should have let him die with Pete and Jackie."

Lewis shook his head. "I had no idea. He's laughing and smiling."

Legate sat up and rubbed his hands together. "I assure you that he's drunk. That's the only way he's been coping with this. Well, that and Sam helps. I'm not completely certain that John didn't do something to his memories of the event. Genie would know. Well, maybe. She has told me that he is having trouble sleeping, talking about revenge, and has discussed harming himself with her."

The Doctor shook his head. "That's not all."

Legate sighed, "The reason, according to Genie, that they took the TARDIS is because he was so hell bent on changing this that he demanded of Samuel to pilot it. It started as a dare, and escalated. He didn't intend to come back this far, but he did want to go back to stop it. He begged Genie to talk to the TARDIS to let them pilot it. Genie is the TARDIS' favorite out of everyone, and will do anything she asks her. It didn't surprise me that she made such a jump."

The Doctor tossed the file on the desk. "Which leads us to our next problem. The TARDIS is now damaged because of this jump."

Legate asked, "Really?"

The Doctor nodded, "Oh yes. I did a complete diagnostic on her. She's…..cross. Proper cross."

"What does that mean? We can't keep these children for a long time." Lewis insisted.

"We don't really have much of a choice. I've already spoken to myself about it. And-"

"Hang the hell on. How did you do that?" Lewis asked.

The Doctor grinned and picked up the file. He flipped through the pages and pointed on a page with untidy writing. "My brother, Braxiatel, did this a lot. Because I've already sent this back to myself, I'll send it with the children, or Jack when he resurfaces. I write down my questions and he can answer them. And vice versa."

Lewis looked at the writing, and then at the Doctor. He tossed the file on the desk. "John, you get stranger with every conversation we have."

Legate laughed.

Summus smiled, "What's that?"

Legate laughed, "You said the exact same thing before this entire thing happened."

Lewis shook his head. "I don't even want to know what about."

The Doctor noticed Legate drumming his knuckles on the desk top. "What's with you, Legate? Tease?"

Legate stopped and put his hands in his lap. "Nothing. Sorry, John."

The Doctor looked curiously at Legate and then continued to speak. "Well, sending the children back with the Vortex Manipulator is not an option. The TARDIS will need time, but also a lot of repair."

"What should we do with them, then?" Lewis asked. "We can't let them be with their counterparts."

"I've had a think on that. As long as the reapers are out of the picture, I believe we're fine. But, I don't think it's a good idea….at all….for the pairs to be together. And the younger ones need never know the older ones are here. Otherwise, it will encourage them to do such a thing as they grow older."

Legate held out his hands. "So, where does that leave us?"

"Tell me about the children. In your time. Where do they all live?" Lewis asked.

"Even though they all live apart, it always seems as if they are together. Genie lives at the school. There in New York. Sam and Arles have a place together. Well, outside in the flats. Tony Tyler is usually with them, although, he stays at the mansion some of the time. Soler and him both have a room there, with Sam and Arles, on the island. Just like it is now."

The Doctor groaned, "They still have that mansion?"

"Pete never gets rid of it. He and Jackie lived between there and Greece, but, Tony never really liked it there."

Lewis sighed and looked back at his sleeping son. "The school isn't built yet, but we could go ahead and move the children there. That would keep them from running into one another on the island."

Legate nodded his head. "We could use the ship to go ahead and sort that completely out. Genie would love to have some input on the original design of it. There are things she's always wishing were different."

The Doctor smiled, "Her school. Genie is Headmistress there, isn't she?"

Legate smiled proudly and drummed his knuckles on the desk again. "She is."

The Doctor chuckled as he looked back at Lewis. "Our little girl."

"It's not a huge surprise to me at all." Lewis laughed under his breath.

The Doctor looked back at Legate, "So. Jackie and Pete were killed."

Legate nodded his head. "Yes."

"It would seem as if my wife doesn't want this to happen. This, would have been a fixed point. I can see it...but, it's just...well, it's not now. It's, very strange."

"Bad Wolf?" Summus asked.

"Absolutely." The Doctor insisted. "I'd love to have a chat with her about it."

Lewis spoke, "What about Pete and Jackie, with these older children."

The Doctor sat back and crossed his arms. "Ugh. A gingerbread house is what we have here. Normally, I would say...no. And under no circumstances should Pete and Jackie be told about this event. When someone expects something to happen, there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. Thought, is an extremely powerful thing."

"So, you're saying they shouldn't see Pete and Jackie?" Legate asked.

He sighed. "I'm...going to say they can. In fact, in Tony's case, he really should. As Jackie told me tonight, sometimes these children just need their Grand. I think all four of them probably do. But, it will have to be handled carefully."

Lewis rose his eyebrows and sighed. "Well, for the record, I don't think it's a good idea."

The Doctor pointed at Lewis. "And I have an objection!"

"Must be doing something right." Legate smiled.

Summus laughed. "That, sounds like Lartius."

Legate propped his smiling face on his fist. "Have the Florosi landed yet? The ones where you tagged their ship, Lewis?"

Lewis shook his head. "No."

"Where do they go?" The Doctor asked.

"Venniz-Beal." Legate told them.

The Doctor groaned.

"What's there?" Lewis asked.

"About a million problems, and a billion people looking to cause trouble. Somehow, that's not surprising to me at all."

Legate started to drum his knuckles on the desktop. "I've already told Lartius that's where they are headed. He has a patrol waiting to spot them."

"Really?" Lewis asked.

"Yes. And, I apologize. I know I should have spoken to you lot about it first, I was just chatting with him about something else. It won't happen again-"

"Let it happen!" Summus insisted. "If you know of something….put the wheels in motion to stop it."

The Doctor nodded. "I agree."

"Yes, I don't see any problem with that." Lewis told him. "You can still speak to Lartius?"

Legate nodded. "Yes. He is complaining that I didn't pay more attention to things he would be betting against."

Lewis chuckled.

The Doctor continued, "Well, all of these families that we identified on the List that was taken, have been notified of the situation. Jake Simmons has surprised me and offered to give them all a new identity and location. So, they are sorted. Hopefully."

"We're completely sure they are after Soli?" Lewis asked.

Legate nodded his head. "That's their target."

The Doctor's phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and accepted the phone call. He crossed his arm and spoke to the caller in an odd language. It was clear he was getting annoyed, and wanted an answer to the reason they kept calling him. Then, suddenly, his eyebrows rose as he got an explanation. He ended the call and rubbed his mouth in surprise.

"What is it?" Lewis asked.

The Doctor told them in surprise. "Tuwo Wenck has died. I have to go to Plentitude."

"He died? What happened?" Summus asked.

The Doctor groaned. "I have to speak to Rose. Ummm…Legate. You are in charge of the teenagers. I want the school sorted out. Whatever Genie wants, Genie gets."

Legate chuckled, "I'll inform of her that."

"I want them safe, but off of my island before the shorter versions of themselves find them. Meanwhile….ummm….Tony Stark's penthouse?"

Lewis nodded his head. "Timon and Exton have been working on it all evening. It will be safe to return them there within hours."

"Good. I'll leave my ship here for Legate and the children to use. And I expect it to be here when I get back!" He pointed forcefully at Legate.

He grinned. "Don't worry about it. Building the school should keep the four of them busy enough to keep it parked."

They watched as the Doctor picked up the file and put it in the cabinet in his office. He laid his palm on the panel and locked it.

"How are you getting to Plentitude? Legate took his ship to Lenox's." Lewis asked.

"I'll ask Stark to loan me his ship. It's just a quick trip over to sign some papers and such. Ugh. Okay, good meeting." He stood up, took baby Samuel in his arms, and walked out of the door. "Keep me posted on this."

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