Chapter 9
Zygons Ahoy
"You highjacked a Land Rover," John commented as she saw the car in the distance, "Didn't you?"
"I'm an opportunist," The Doctor defended.
"I wasn't judging you," She stated in an apologetic tone, "You are talking to the person who highjacked a fishing boat with their cousin who always wanted to be a pirate."
"You don't seem the type," He commented.
"That's the secret," She winked at him while gently tapping her nose, she then seemed to realize something and dug around in her bag, "I got you something at the candy shop, be careful while eating them."
She handed him a bag of Jelly Babies that said every flavor on it. He had a feeling that he should take that seriously. The Magical community seemed to enjoy wordplay. He placed it in his coat pocket and gave her a tilt of his head in thanks. She smiled at that and placed her hands into her pockets.
He really was enjoying how open she was. He was learning more about the woman who had messed with time to the point where she had split herself into atoms. She was entertaining, but he knew that he shouldn't put her into the same category as humans. She was something new that had been created by looking through the time vortex. Rewriting her entire genetic code and causing her to create Huon particles as if they were normal red blood cells. If he looked at her wrist, at the veins that were visible through the skin, they would look normal which is what threw him for a slight loop. He reckoned the vein itself hadn't changed, but the object flowing through it did.
"I believe the search party has shown up," John joked.
She had raised a hand and waved at the car that had stopped at the Land Rover. A small figure stood up and was waving back enthusiastically. John let out a grin and hurried her pace. The Doctor watched her with a slightly surprised expression on his face. A smile, not one of his manic grins, spread across his face at the sight. She came across the Land Rover and Sarah popped out from the front seat with a slightly confused expression that was mixed with amusement.
"John, how'd you find the Doctor?" Sarah asked the witch.
"I could walk across England when in deep thought," John admitted in a sheepish tone as she scratched the back of her head, "How'd you lot find us so quickly?"
"The Doctor left a trail," Sarah motioned towards some skid marks on the pavement.
"Of course, he did," John muttered in slight amusement, "So, what were you looking for?"
"A signal," Sarah answered.
"Did you locate the base?" The Doctor asked as he entered the conversation.
"The signal seemed to be coming from the Loch Ness," Sarah answered with a small nod, "It seems very unlikely, but not impossible."
"Well then, ready, Brigadier?" He asked the man who had been driving the Land Rover that Sarah was in.
"Ready for what?" The Brigadier asked with a slight frown.
"To visit the Duke," He answered, "We're going to Forgill castle."
He opened the door to the back seats and climbed in with ease. John headed towards the other side and did the same. Once they were situated the Brigadier took off. He drove the speed limit, so it would be a while before they made it to the castle.
The Doctor fiddled around with his runestone while John read her book. He was running a finger along the surface of the stone. He was trying to judge how deeply the runes were carved into it. It was a few centimeters at least. He placed it back into his waistcoat pocket, this time it was tartan along with most of his clothes. He sometimes liked wearing local colors, he wasn't too taken with the hat if he was being honest.
He looked towards his seatmate and grew interested in her book. He discreetly moved closer so he could read over her shoulder. He missed the slightly fond smile on John's face as she moved her book down so it was easier for them both to read. He would probably gleam more from it than Sarah did, it seemed like time lords were able to do some magic of their own with science. A dimension stuffed inside a small ship was a fantastic example of that.
She was surprised when he didn't even hide the fact that he was reading over her shoulder anymore. She didn't realize that the Doctor didn't care much for personal space, it didn't bother her either. It was making it hard to read though, his hair kept brushing against her cheek. She was surprised at how soft his curls were.
She looked out the window for half a second and watched as a dreary castle began to appear in the distance. She looked back at her book to see the Doctor turning the page on her, or at least trying to. She picked up her thumb and the old thick parchment turned. He continued to read as she distractedly stared at the pages. He had placed his hand on top of hers to hold onto the book, so he had a bit of a better angle. She didn't know why it was distracting her so much.
She blinked as it dawned on her. A silent curse went through her thoughts and she tried to focus on the rune that allowed her to freeze water. It was hard to focus when he was right next to her. She took a very quiet deep breath and looked at her book once again and began to read. She only stopped when the car began to slow down. She slowly closed the book and the Doctor simply sat up straight in his seat as she put it into her bag.
The car came to a stop and the occupants got out. The Brigadier was having just the slightest troubles in getting out due to the kilt he was wearing. John shot him a slightly amused look as she closed the car door behind her. She quickly removed the expression from her face when he looked towards her. He gave her a look as they all walked up to the castle. She completely ignored it, a little too amused by his situation.
It was his turn to be amused when the Doctor brushed past her and she turned a light pink before moving out of the taller man's way. Leave it to the alien to have girls falling for him, he had been like that with his past face as well. It wasn't his looks, but his personality that drew people in. He was about to rescind that compliment when the Doctor opened the door to the castle and waltzed in.
"One of these days someone is going to shoot you," John informed the Doctor, her slight moment of fluster forgotten.
As they moved around the room the Doctor simply grinned in amusement at that. She narrowed her eyes at him before moving to look at the suits of armor. She knew that they didn't move like the ones at Hogwarts, though she was still under the impression that the house-elves moved them. It sounded like something the small creatures would do to make some of the first year's smile.
"I really don't think we should just walk in unannounced," The Brigadier informed the Doctor as he stood near the front door with his hands behind his back.
"Well, there's nobody to announce us, is there," The Doctor stated without missing a beat.
"Most of the staff left to work for the oil company," Sarah informed them as she looked at one of the books and frowned at the title, "I can't say that I blame them."
"They probably get treated better at the company then they do here," John stated, "Old families like this one are pretty horrid, there are very few that are wonderful."
"There you are," The Doctor stated as he opened a door and a man was shown to them.
"Perhaps you'll explain this intrusion?" The man asked as his dark brows raised in surprise.
"Nobody opened the front door," The Doctor answered.
"He really is going to get shot one of these days," Sarah mumbled to John.
"He still wouldn't learn anything from it," John added with a teasing grin.
"Do you have a reason for calling?" The man questioned.
"Yes," The Doctor confirmed.
It was silent for a few seconds and the man gave him a look to continue. As funny as the silence was, it was starting to annoy John. She looked at the Doctor and then the Brigadier as the man waited for more information. She made a face before sighing.
"We have reason to believe that there is something unusual in the Loch Ness," John stated, and all eyes turned to her, "What, the conversation was lulling."
"Don't tell me you've found the monster," The man said as he chose to ignore that last part.
"As it happens, your Grace, that's just what we do mean," Sarah confirmed.
"I do believe you're serious," The man stated, John supposed that was Duke Forgill.
"We are," The Doctor confirmed, "Very."
"Depth charges?" The Duke questioned them.
"With your Grace's permission," The Brigadier nodded, "As you own part of the shoreline."
"The problem is you can't explode depth charges in Loch Ness," John stated as she tapped a finger against her chin in thought, "I believe several laws are preventing such things from occurring."
"It's the only way," The Brigadier informed her, "The creature must be destroyed."
He backed away at the dark expression that passed over her face at those words. The creature was just being used by someone else. It just wanted to live its life in peace and now someone wanted to blow it up. She felt bad for it, not that it would understand her pity.
"Doctor, are you a party to this militaristic nonsense?" The Duke questioned.
"I'm not a party to any kind of nonsense, your Grace," The Doctor answered.
John gave him a look at that. He was a party to his own special brand of nonsense and couldn't help but find those words rather humorous. She looked away from him and noticed the indecision on the Duke's face. It was his responsibility to make sure the Loch Ness remained alone, not that he had much help to do that since the oil company sprouted up in the area. Something like this could be brought up to parliament to see if anyone had any ideas on how to handle the Skarasen, or rather Nessie.
"There's no proof," The Duke stated, "There has never been any actual proof that the monster exists."
"Of course it exists," Sarah defended, "It chased the Doctor half across Tullock Moor."
"Wait, that's how far I walked?" John murmured in surprise before turning to the Doctor, "Half across Tullock Moor?"
"It was quite a chase," The Doctor informed her in amusement.
"We believe it's been destroying these oil rigs," The Brigadier added.
"Are you suggesting that the creature walked overland without being seen?" The Duke questioned.
"An underground river," The Doctor stated.
"The Loch Ness is fifty feet above sea level," The Duke said in a dry tone.
"I know, your Grace, I know," The Doctor said in the politest tone he could manage, "But there's a subterranean channel leading from Loch Ness to the Devil's Punchbowl, a small Loch near the village, it's near the sea and would make a useful back door for the monster, wouldn't you say?"
"I've never heard such nonsense," The Duke exclaimed, "Are you seriously suggesting that the creature commutes between here and the North Sea whenever it feels like it?"
"Whenever it's ordered to," The Doctor countered, "We know it's controlled by a signal system."
"Controlled? By whom?" The Duke asked.
"Aliens," The Doctor answered.
"It sounds like nonsense, but we do have substantial evidence to support this claim," John said in a tone that was equal parts stern and serious.
"Nonsense? It's completely mad," The Duke stated as he lifted his homburg hat and ran a hand through his dark hair, "You lot are in here talking about aliens as if they exist."
"I know exactly how you feel, sir," The Brigadier said to try and calm the Duke down, "Before I joined UNIT, I was highly skeptical about these things."
"You are all utterly unhinged," The Duke informed them as the Doctor and John shared a look being the only two nonhumans in the room, "Must be to think of aliens with wireless sets."
"Well, it takes all sorts to make a galaxy, your Grace," The Doctor stated.
"Half of these books are devoted to the subject of the monster," The Duke said as he motioned towards the bookshelves full of books with a flourish of his hand, "There have been reported sightings since the Middle Ages and now you're saying that aliens have been living under the Loch for centuries?"
"Yes, I'm saying exactly that," The Doctor grinned.
"Then why have they suddenly become aggressive?" The Brigadier questioned.
"Something to do with the oil, perhaps?" Sarah suggested.
"I thought that too at first," John admitted before frowning in thought, "It's more like the Oil company built a base in the middle of its path and making it go around the village."
"Which is why its masters released nerve gas and why you went to sleep, Brigadier," The Doctor added as the phone rang and the Duke went to answer it.
"That doesn't seem a good enough reason to start attacking oil rigs," The Brigadier countered.
"Well, perhaps not in itself, maybe, but perhaps their plans may have changed recently," The Doctor stated.
"A change in plans could be disastrous," John muttered to herself as she eyed the Duke.
She didn't trust him, not a bit. She was agitated by the man and she knew that was because of the unknown. This was a story about the Zygons, she didn't have that one though she did have most of Sarah Janes run with the Doctor. She moved a little bit away from the group and turned her attention towards the books. She didn't touch them but scanned the titles.
"John, stay here and keep an eye on Sarah," The Doctor quietly said in her ear.
"I'll make sure to keep her safe, keep yourself safe will ya?" She murmured back at him as she took one of the books off the shelf and eyed it before putting it back.
"I do believe that you would raise me from the dead just to kill me again, Miss Watson," The Doctor joked, and he got an amused smile from his words.
"You aren't wrong, but magic like that is forbidden and I'd rather not be sent to Azkaban for necromancy," She informed him.
He had a few hundred questions at those words. He started to leave with the Brigadier but stopped and pulled something from one of his pockets. He pressed it into the palm of her right hand and her fingers wrapped around it. She didn't look at it until he was gone. She shared a look with Sarah as they both turned to the books. She took a chance to see what the Doctor had pressed into her hand. He had given her a pocket watch of all things, she placed it in the pocket of her jeans and looked up at the books on the shelves.
"Your Grace," John called and got the man's attention, "What are the large volumes up on the top?"
"Monastic records," He replied, "There has been a monastery on this site from the eleventh century onwards."
"May I have a look?" She asked.
"Certainly," He smiled as he tugged on a bell pull before giving her a slight smirk, "I trust you can read Medieval Latin?"
"Yes, I can," John nodded, giving a small smile as she looked towards the large volumes in thought, "It was a curriculum at the school I had gone to."
He didn't seem to have anything to say about that and she heard Sarah ask him if he had ever seen the monster. She had a feeling that the answer would be no. She barely raised her brows as she turned out to be right. She reached up and made to grab one of the large volumes, her fingers grazed the spine. She bit her lip slightly and looked around.
"Priorsus." She hissed.
The book flew into her outstretched fingers and she almost fell at the force. She felt her ears burn as she opened the book and began to speed read. It was written in cursive, and Latin and cursive mixed as well together as oil and water. She frowned as she had to study each word one by one. The Duke's servant, Caber came by with a stool for Sarah and the two were left alone in the room.
"Something seems off about those two," Sarah commented.
"Yeah, I don't know what though," John stated as Sarah headed up the small stool, "It's like they have something to hide, too bad I've never been one for Legilimency."
"I'm sorry, what?" Sarah questioned.
"A type of mind reading," John answered, "I know of the arts, but I never had time to practice it."
"I'm glad you didn't," Sarah muttered.
"My sentiments exactly," John smiled as Sarah leaned forward.
She let out a yelp as one of the shelves moved. A secret passage was revealed to them. John abandoned her book to investigate with the shorter brunette. She brought out her wand and gave it a quick flick. A small ball of light flew from the tip and illuminated the passageway.
"Brilliant," Sarah grinned.
They went into the passageway and the smell of damp stone hit their noses. Sarah crinkled her's slightly while John simply kept her wand at the ready. She was used to the smell because of potions. The dungeons got rather damp during the springtime when the snow melted. Ferns caressed the sides of their legs as they walked down the passage. It seemed like a rather short walk until they came across a large door.
"Five quid says it's a spaceship," Sarah stated with slight humor.
"I would be an idiot to bet against that," John chuckled as she made the ball of light wait outside the door as they entered, "But it does explain why we think there's something off about the Duke."
It was silent between the two and the humming of the ship filled the air. John looked up at the overhead lights and winced at how bright they were. She looked back down as they entered a strange hallway. Cells were lining the hallway and inside were people. The Duke and the Sister from the hospital. Well, she supposed that explained what had attacked her back at the hospital.
"Harry!" Sarah exclaimed and they both hurried forward.
"Sarah! John!" Harry exclaimed with a surprised smile, "Well, come on, open the door we need to get out of here."
"Stand back," John warned the two.
Sarah took a step back while Harry took several. She made a sudden jabbing motion and the lock to the door exploded in a shower of sparks. The door slid open and Harry coughed from the smoke billowing from the lock. He stared at it for a few moments while John holstered her wand.
"Well done, old girl," Harry stated.
"It's him," John smiled as she caught sight of the cuff links, "Those cuff links would never work for a copy."
"Someone's coming," Sarah hissed as the smoke cleared.
The three sprinted into the room that Harry had been in. John closed the door behind them and hid behind a bit of metal wall that stuck out in front of the door. She knelt and kept an ear out for any conversation. She shared a look with Sarah who was doing the same.
"Soon we shall revert to our normal form," A voice said in the distance.
"Good, I loathe this abomination of a body," A female voice stated as the voices grew distant once more.
"All clear," Harry whispered, "I think they've gone."
"Well, let's find the Doctor and Brigadier and fast," Sarah stated.
It didn't take them long to find the entrance to the secret passage once again. Sarah and John were in the lead and as such Harry was content to just follow behind. They hurried through the spaceship doors and the ball of light quickly shot ahead of them. They moved so fast that they didn't notice the surprise on the Brigadier's face as they burst through the door that led to the secret passage.
"Brigadier! We've found the aliens. They've got a spaceship under the loch!" Sarah exclaimed.
"We're going to need reinforcements, sir," Harry added.
"The Duke we met is an imposter," John put her bit in, "Him and his servant."
"Is he?" The Doctor questioned.
"Doctor!" Sarah exclaimed in surprise as John nodded.
"Hello," Harry greeted.
"Yes, it leads to the spaceship," John answered him before he could even ask, he grinned and headed in while she turned to the Brigadier, "I'll look after him."
"Nice of you to join me," The Doctor stated as John easily caught up with him.
"Ah, I missed exploring dungeon-like tunnels," She grinned, "One of the things Sherlock and I got into trouble doing."
He didn't get to question what she meant by that when they were both taken down by a beam of light. The Doctor was out for the count while John looked around in slight annoyance. She couldn't really move, besides the slight twitch of her fingers. She felt something grab her ankle and drag her across the moss-covered floor all the way to the hallway in the spaceship. At least she got to share a room with the Doctor.
She felt the paralysis wear off after a few minutes and grabbed her wand. She flicked it towards the Doctor, and he bolted upright. She sent her wand back up her sleeve as began to brush off her clothes. Moss fell to the ground as the Doctor fixed the hat on his head.
"We're being watched," She warned the Doctor in a low tone.
"It seems like it," He commented as he looked towards the Zygon that was standing guard.
John simply sent him a look and he knew that she couldn't really get him out of this situation without getting either of them hurt. She went and sat in a corner and he watched as her metal rod was brought out and a stone appeared in her hand. In all honesty, she knew that the Brigadier would make a distraction for them to escape. She just had to be patient. She didn't even react when the Doctor decided to take a seat next to her and watch as she inscribed runes on the stone.
"Do you always make protective stones?" He quietly asked her.
Her hands stilled for a few seconds and he watched as she contemplated answering. It was one of the few things that he could tell was a sensitive topic to her. He watched as her pointer finger on the rock tapped in a short rhythm. He was tempted to press a hand against her finger to stop the tapping, it was the rhythm of his heartsbeats.
"It's a force of habit," She muttered, "Do I need to stop?"
"No, I was merely curious," He replied with raised brows, "Is it safe to ask what happened?"
"I would tell you to read the books, but not all of the information is in there," She replied with a slight frown her tone growing quieter as she was brought back into memories she'd rather forget.
"You made Kellman feel what you had," He commented, "It was enough to shake a man who was ready to double-cross cybermen."
"I don't know if what I did to him would work on you," She muttered in deep thought, "I'd rather not test that right now."
He simply stared at her and she simply looked at the stone in her hand. She rubbed a thumb across a rune that was used for healing, it was a family rune one that she had recently acquired. She would rather not make him feel what she did. She didn't want anyone else to feel what like this. It wasn't fun, it wasn't rewarding. It had made Armageddon a staple in her life, she didn't doubt that if there had been no war Armageddon would be something that she could easily ignore.
The ship gave a harsh lurch to the right and the Doctor crashed into her. She put out an arm to stop her momentum and ended up with a tall man on top of her. He did stop their momentum. He barely glanced at her as he kept them from falling as the ship lurched once again. There was no reaction when her left hand found a place on his person.
"Sounds like the Brigadier," The Doctor stated with a grin.
"We're being attacked!" A Zygon announced, "Prepare for flight!"
"Do you think you could get the door open?" The Doctor asked John.
"Not while the guard is still there," She answered him, "But, I can be one hell of a distraction while you get the door open Mr. Science man."
He didn't even react to that as she moved toward the door. He simply watched as she was paralyzed once again by the Zygon, who turned and left towards the pilot's cabin. He let out a low chuckle at her expression as she laid on the ground. He headed towards her and met her eyes. She sent him the dirtiest look he had ever gotten from a companion and he let out another chuckle. The ship had lurched again, and he almost lost his balance, a slight snort hit his ears and he looked towards the down woman. Her eyes were glinting in amusement.
"I'm surprised you went down that fast," He commented.
She simply got up and sent him a look. With a click of her fingers, the lock on the door let out sparks. She headed out and he couldn't help but stare after her. He was just wondering where the confidence had come from. It was oddly…attractive? He supposed he could say that about her in general as well. He looked towards the wall and had a sudden idea.
"John," He called for the witch and she turned to face him with a raised brow, "I have an idea, do you think that half power is lethal?"
"Depends on how much comes with half power," She answered as she rejoined him in the small holding cell.
He pulled on a cable that had been poking out of the wall and turned to her with a manic grin. She sighed and closed the door. He moved towards her and reached for the door. She was biting her lip slightly in worry. His hand touched the door and an electric current went through his body. He let out a cry in pain and she watched as sparks shot out of the lock. After a few seconds, it stopped, and he fell to the ground. She rushed forward and started to search for a pulse.
She dropped to her knees and let out a sound of disbelief. He had to make it through this since he had more adventures to come. She just couldn't believe that he would willingly electrocute himself to create a diversion. She pushed some of his hair back and winced when the door slammed open. She found herself shielding the Doctor with herself a glare on her faces
"Is he dead?" The Zygon wearing the Duke's face asked with a slight sneer.
"Yes, commander," A Zygon answered as he scanned the Doctor with a small device, "The power destroyed him."
"This one will stay in here with the corpse," The Duke stated as they left the room.
The door slammed behind them and John flinched at the sound as it echoed in the quiet cell. She slowly moved away from the Doctor as the sounds of footsteps grew fainter. She let out a soft sigh and ran a hand through her hair. She found herself sitting against a wall staring at the Doctor and hoping that he would get up. She jumped as she got her wish. He had bolted upright and was looking around with wide eyes.
"So, how much was half-power?" She asked with a slight grin.
"Almost too much power," He replied as he sprung up to his feet and walked over to her.
He held a hand out to her and she accepted it. He pulled her to her feet with ease, and she looked to the door. She wasn't going to point out to him that he was still holding onto her hand-not that she really noticed it herself- even as they left the room. It was when her hand began to grow warm that she even noticed that he had a hold of her.
"What are you looking for, Doctor?" She asked him with a slight frown.
"The real Duke," He answered.
"Right," She muttered as they moved further into the ship, "He was towards the back here."
She took the lead and led him to the Duke's chamber, now that she thought about it was a bit more like an alcove in the wall. The Doctor released her hand and began to mess with some of the controls that were next to the door. John watched as the Duke woke up and looked around in a dazed fashion. She felt bad for the man, being kidnapped by an alien had to be hard. Waking up in a different place was just annoying, in her opinion.
"Who are you two?" The Duke asked them.
"His Grace the Duke of Forgill, I presume?" The Doctor asked.
"Yes," The Duke answered in a short tone, "Where the blazes am I?"
"On a spaceship," John answered in a blunt tone and at his skeptical look she smiled, "No, really, you're on a spaceship."
The Doctor had taken that time to release the others that had been taken by the Zygons. The Duke was eyeing John with slight skepticism and she simply smiled at him as he then began to study his surroundings. She looked away for a few seconds and the Duke looked back at her and gave a slightly appreciative look as he looked at her profile. She had one of those noses that were straight and jutted out from her face. Stronger features than he was used to on a woman. A sudden siren made him jump.
"John," The Doctor called for her.
"What did you do now?" She asked him in a calm tone, and he sent her a look.
"Why do you assume I did something?" He questioned.
She simply raised a brow at that.
"Right, everyone back to the alcoves," He ordered, and the newly woken people ran back to their alcoves and closed the doors, "Let's see how good their fire drill is."
"I hope you have a plan this time," John whispered to him as they both hid in an alcove.
He simply tapped his nose at her, and she felt her eye twitch at that. He looked out of the alcove and moved back a bit. John sent him a look as he pulled her back as well. She simply rolled her eyes and pulled her wand out. With a wave, the Doctor gave a shiver. It felt as though someone had poured a glass of ice water on his head and the ice cubes had slipped under his clothing.
"Now you are invisible to the eye, but still audible," John told him, and he looked at her.
She was a bit surprised at that. If one was under any illusion than they couldn't be seen, yet he could. It was something she would have to ask him about later. If he was willing to answer her questions, then she would answer his. They had yet to even have a small session of twenty questions where he got his questions answered. The Zygons walked through the room and the Doctor moved out from the alcove as they exited. He felt his body become warm as the illusion was removed from him and John.
"Okay, everyone quick," He quietly stated, and the others came out of their Alcoves, "It won't take them long to realize it's a false alarm."
They began to rush from the room and headed down a hallway. Their footsteps echoed against the metal walls and John winced at the sound. It wasn't very stealthy. It was something that would have gotten her in trouble with the caretaker back at Hogwarts. Staying in the library after hours was something that she had a problem with, the librarian didn't mind her, but the caretaker sure did. They ran into the control room and the Doctor turned to her.
"Break the vacuum mechanism to jam the door," He ordered.
"Right," She nodded and went to do so.
She grabbed onto the control pseudopod and ripped it off the wall. He looked at her for a few seconds and Sister Lamont had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't chuckle at the two. John had impressed him with that one and he caught the control pseudopod when she tossed it to him. A small grin on her face.
"That broken enough for ya?" She asked him as her grin turned cheeky.
"More than enough," He answered as he gave a slight cough, "Right let's see what other damage we can do, anybody know what this is?"
He was holding up a piece of metal that was orange and glowing. It was covered in lumps and John tilted her head slightly. She was trying to think of what it was. She snapped her fingers as it hit her.
"A self-destructor," She answered, and he grinned as he messed with the lumps on the metal.
"Right," He stated as the orange light began to oscillate, "We've got about sixty seconds before the whole ship blows up."
That got everyone into action, and they rushed towards the nearest escape hatch. John had to applaud the Zygon's engineering. It was rather smart to have the escape hatch inside the control room and nowhere else. Did she say smart? She meant a bit mental. Who put the escape hatch in the control room only? She had to ignore that line of thought as the Doctor landed on the earth below the spaceship. They were in a quarry of all places. The Duke was next and his servant Caber. The Doctor held out a hand and helped the sister out and then reached for John. She accepted his hand and he pulled her out of the ship.
"Run!" John yelled towards the others, "Head to shelter!"
They began to rush towards the line of UNIT cars that were parked near the ship. It took them a few seconds until they came across a sandbank. They jumped behind it and took shelter. The sounds of footsteps rushing about hit their ears as the UNIT soldiers took shelter from the explosion as well.
A loud boom sounded through the area and wind whipped around. Sand rained down above the five in the sandbank. Raven hair slowly turned into a light grey as sand got caught in the thick strands. The Doctor jumped when she jolted slightly as more sand rained down on them. Her eyes were wide, and she was staring ahead with a distant look. He blinked at that and realized what was happening as she started to shake. He slowly grabbed her hand. It took her a minute until she responded by holding his hand. He got a thankful grimace from her as she calmed down for a few seconds.
The wind calmed down and the smell of burning metal filled the area. The five got up from the sandbank and headed towards the UNIT soldiers. The Doctor had yet to release John's hand and the Brigadier simply raised a brow at that. The woman seemed a bit off sorts compared to what he knew about her.
"Was that bang big enough for you, Brigadier?" The Doctor asked him.
"Nicely done, Doctor," Harry commented as he and Sarah walked up to the group, "That's the end of the Zygons, eh?"
"Not entirely," The Doctor replied, "Broton escaped and he still has control of the monster, he plans to attack some target in London."
John didn't want to know how he knew that. She had a feeling that he had most likely looked through the computer while he had the chance, or he asked one of the victims. She sighed and moved away from the topic and looked towards the taller man. He looked thoughtful.
"Is he attacking close to the Thames?" Sarah asked as she tapped her chin in thought.
"Yes, and this time it'll be spectacular," The Doctor answered.
"He's going for spectacle, something people will remember," John stated as she frowned.
"When I spoke to the prime minister earlier, she was about to leave for Stanbridge house," The Brigadier informed them, "And that's on the river."
"I'm guessing you lot have a woman prime minister right now," John commented, "From what I remember it was a man named Harold Wilson, how strange, but no matter, what's happening at Stanbridge House?"
"The Fourth International Energy Conference," The Duke answered, "The place'll be full of VIPs from all over the world, it's a meeting of crucial importance."
"Ah," The Doctor stated, "That could be it."
"Yes, but he'd need a pass to get in," The Brigadier commented, "The security's very tight."
"But he'll have a pass," Sarah piped up with a mischievous grin, "The Duke, the real Duke, he's President of the Scottish Energy Commission."
"And you have Lady Watson-Holmes," John stated with an equally mischievous grin, "Head of two old families that can get you into any political event that you need to be in."
"Handy," The Doctor stated.
"When it needs to be, feel bad for the person sitting in my place during the meetings the ministry has," She stated with a slight wince, "I don't miss those, those are enough to make anyone become a mass murderer."
No one questioned that as they all got into a land rover. The back seat was home to the Doctor and John again. John sitting in the middle as she was squished between the Doctor and the Duke. She had an expression on her face that showed that she knew exactly how someone could take the sight of her squished between two men. It was bad enough being this close to someone, she didn't even have to be this close to someone on the train to Hogwarts, being smushed up against the Doctor who was laughing about the situation was worse.
The drive was a bit longer than they had thought it would be, traffic had appeared the closer they had gotten to the city. John hadn't thought that she would be back in London for a second time that day. Some part of her liked to ignore the fact that she had lived in London for a few years while Sherlock had been building up a reputation. She moved and "accidentally" elbowed the Doctor. He stopped laughing after that and she gained a smile to her face. They parked outside of Stanbridge house and waited for a few minutes. Eventually, a soldier came up to them and handed a piece of paper to the Brigadier.
"Three and a half minutes, Doctor, and still no sign of Broton in the conference hall," The Brigadier informed the Doctor.
"Well," The Doctor started as he looked over the paper, "He was checked into the building, what's behind the conference hall?"
"Catering section and river terrace," The Brigadier stated as they all got out of the car.
"You and John search there," The Doctor stated, "Sarah and I will take the cellar."
"Right, come along Miss Watson," The Brigadier said.
John gained an amused expression to her face as they started to walk towards the building. With a single flash of her ring, they were both in the building and heading towards the catering section and river terrace. It was quieter out on the terrace than it had been in the conference hall. John looked over the railing of the terrace and frowned. She tensed when she felt someone appeared behind her and brought out her wand as something was pressed behind her back. It was wooden.
"Whoever you are, you have a sick sense of humor," A familiar voice stated.
John paused as tears pricked at her eyes and she turned to look at who was behind her. The person faltered as well as their bright blue eyes grew wide. John let out a low chuckle at something. Sometimes the universe was cruel without needing to be.
"I told ya you'd look better than me when you got older," She teased.
"Well, a different version of you did," Sherlock stated as he gave a soft sniff and put the wand in his hand away.
"And my version of you is a Squib," She admitted, "Always found my rune assignments fascinating."
"Runes are very useful," Sherlock defended, and her eyes lit up, "My version of you was killed on the front lines, but you are completely different from her. A fighter more than a healer."
"Yet, the personality is the same," She muttered as she looked at the older version of her friend, "Deduce, Sherlock, deduce what you can about me, I want to see if you're as good as you were in my universe."
"Small burn scars on the fingers tell of someone who works with dangerous materials, scars litter your skin but are always healed by Dittany which always leaves a scar but sometimes very faint," Sherlock began, "Sweater and jeans that don't look modern indicate that you are from a very different time, short hair still doesn't suit you, and you're in love."
"I'll give you all but the last two," She stated with an unamused expression.
"I know you better than you know yourself," He replied, "Even the second personality that sits beneath the surface of your mind, Armageddon is it?"
"Not a personality," She stated, "Armageddon isn't a second personality."
"Ah," He finally got it, "Your mother had it in this universe, but you don't seem to be as bloodthirsty as she was."
"Well, I'm not human anymore," She replied, "Not only that, but it conflicts with my actual personality."
"Bloodlines are a strange thing," He muttered before clearing his throat and speaking up, "Are you staying or are you going with your lover?"
"Not my lover," She defended with a slight blush, "But, I'm going to travel with a man called the Doctor."
"Doctor Who?" Sherlock asked with a slight look of confusion.
"Exactly," She grinned before apparating back to Tardis.
She stumbled outside of the police call box and entered it. The Tardis hummed in greeting and she smiled back as Clair De Lune started playing. She removed her bag from her shoulder and headed into the bowels of the Tardis and went into her room. She wanted to create some potions. She needed to restock on them.