Chapter Ten
This had just gone from worst case scenario to an unmitigated disaster. He couldn't decide if it would have been better if she had died or if she were in the custody of the Daleks. Either way was tragic. "First the planet's actual name is Skaro. That," he hesitated as he pointed to the planet on the screen in a threatening way, "is not King Sorvad. There is no King Sorvad. I'd know that evil voice anywhere. It is the voice of the creator of the most evil beings in any universe and any reality. And believe me when I say I've come across quite a few. His name is Davros. Right now my Sarah and your people are in the hands of the Daleks. Things couldn't get worse." He started pacing again as he took both hands and scrubbed angrily through his short hair.
"Doctor, who are the Daleks? What do they want with my people?" John asked.
"How can we get them back?" Tony asked urgently as both he and John approached the pacing Doctor.
"The Daleks are the most diabolical and homicidal race in the universe. When Sarah and I were there before, the Kaleds were humanoid like us. That was the race of people that Davros turned into the nightmarish monstrosity that are now the Daleks. They had a genetic mutation and Davros turned that mutation into an army. He took what was left of the Kaleds and took away all emotion, all except hate. He created the Daleks, the most feared race in any universe. With our help, his people rose up and overtook him. That's when we left. But something has gone wrong. They should be years away from this stage of development. The Tardis said it had only been a few short months since Sarah and I left." He pounded his fists on the desk in front of him in anger. "I need to go back to my ship. Someone has interfered. It's the only thing that makes any sense. They have to recognize Sarah and that means they'll be looking for me."
"But what about?" Helena started only to be cut off.
"We don't have time for this!" he said explosively. He started for the corridor. "If you have any other questions I suggest you follow me to my ship. I need to do some quick calculations and Alpha's not equipped. He disappeared around the corner leaving the Alphans in Command Center stunned.
Alan headed for the door. "Where are you going?" John yelled at him.
"I believe he's the only chance we have at getting our people back. So, aren't you coming?" He stopped and looked back at the shocked faces.
"He's right John." Helena said. "I know we barely know him, but he did bring proof. My letter was real. No one knows the things in my letter but my father. You know I'm right."
"I agree John." Tony added. "I know we've been fooled in the past but I believe he's telling the truth."
"He handed me a great deal of proof. He even has Alpha's security codes. If he wanted to destroy us he could have. All right, we go." He held his hand up. "Only Alan and I go." He turned to Helena, knowing she would be the hardest to say no to. "Helena I need you here in case he decides to go to Skaro. If this place is as bad as he says it is, there may be casualties."
"I don't want you to be one of them." Helena replied her eyes slightly wet.
"Hopefully I won't be." He squeezed her shoulder and turned to the others. "Tony, I need you here to assume command. And Maya, this may be a more advanced race than we have ever faced. I need you here in case we need help from this end. That wonderful Psychon brain of yours may help save us." Looking deeper into the room, he said, "Sahn, Tony's in charge."
"Yes Sir." Sahn replied. She shivered and pulled her jacket closer to her small frame.
"Good luck everyone." John said before meeting Helena's eyes once again. He clasped her hands briefly and said quietly, "It'll be all right." She squeezed his hands and he and Alan left.
Around the corner stood three bewildered crewmembers and upon seeing their Commander and chief pilot, they straightened up. "Did you see…?" Before John could finish the group as one pointed to the door marked Computer Section.
The pair entered the room to find a blue Police Box. John and Alan stared at each other. "My grandpa used to tell me stories about these." John said. As they approached, they noticed the door was ajar.
They entered and were amazed. "I know. It's larger on the inside than the outside. I'd normally let you go on a bit about that but time is short. I've picked up an older time signature." the Doctor said, hoping they'd get over the shock of the Tardis and catch up with the information he was giving them fast.
"Time signature?" the Commander asked as he climbed the metal ramp and joined the Doctor at the console.
"Yes, when something travels through time it leaves a time signature. The Tardis leaves them all the time but it takes a special ship to read them." He stroked the console and said, "The old girl here is special." He patted the Time Rotor and asked, "Aren't you old thing?" The Time Rotor brightened up at that and moved up and down slightly. Both John and Alan looked surprised. "I told you she was sentient."
"Can you tell where or when or who they are?" Alan asked, still trying to take in everything before him.
Tapping various keys, flipping switches and turning dials the Doctor finally answered, "No, no, no, no, no! This can't be!"
"What's happened?" John asked with distress. The Doctor seemed to be the type of individual that could handle just about anything that came his way. So if he was this worried and upset it must be bad. He felt so out of his element. Here he was depending on this complete stranger to possibly save his base and his people, rescue his crew from the planet and with any kind of luck survive this whole thing and get everyone back to Earth.
"The time signature shows that it's Dalek ship and worse yet, a Dalek ship from the future. It arrived on Skaro just minutes after we left. This shouldn't have happened. Who knows what they taught the first Daleks. Fresh off the production line they were homicidal maniacs, but add seasoned Daleks into the mix armed with what they are capable of in the future and they may just be unstoppable. They could rewrite history, and Sarah and your people are smack dab in the middle of it."
"What are we going to do? If they're as formidable as you say, what can we do?" Alan asked.
"I've never let sheer numbers or the Daleks for that matter stop me in the past. We'll have to stop them." He fell back against the jump seat that was next to the console and sighed, "Oh Sarah, you were right. I should have wiped them out when I had the chance."
"What?" the Commander asked.
"When we were here before, the Time Lords sent me. They told me to destroy the Daleks. But I was so young then and full of hope. Genocide wasn't a thought I entertained back then. So many races were brought together through their mutual hatred of the Daleks, races that would have started wars with one another laid their grievances aside to fight against the Daleks as one. In those days, that's what I saw. Now through these eyes, I see things differently. Sarah told me to destroy them then. She saw how murderous they were. But I was a young and arrogant Time Lord who thought he knew better. Now that the timeline is corrupted, I have to make a choice."
"But what you said is true. I've had to make choices for my people that were painful and many didn't agree with them but they were for the greater good." the Commander sympathized.
"I'm sure you've had to Commander. And while I can appreciate that, I have to do what the Time Lords asked me to do so long ago. While I won't be able to completely wipe them out, I can stop what's going on right now. I'm going to destroy the Daleks that are right here and right now. Will you help me?"
The two Alphans looked at each other grimly. Like the Doctor, this wasn't an act they took lightly. Both knew what they had to do to save their people and countless more that may come in contact with this planet as well as those on it. "Yes Doctor, we'll help. Where do we start?" John asked.
"We start by going to Skaro. Better inform your crew Commander." the Doctor said as he rounded the central console and pulled various levers and turned an assortment of knobs. The time rotor began to move up and down and the sounds of the Tardis dematerializing began.
Realizing they were taking off, John asked, "Will my commlock work from here?"
The Doctor rounded the console and approached the two Alphans with his hand extended. "Here, give it to me. Yours as well." he said to Alan. Both gave the Doctor their commlocks. The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket.
"What's that?" Alan asked.
"That's my sonic screwdriver. It can do almost anything, anything but shoot someone that is and get it to work on wood. I'm still working on that one." He began to adjust a few settings on it and one at a time aimed it at each of the commlocks. "There, just a bit of jiggery pokery and you should be able to reach your base from anywhere." He handed the commlocks back to the Commander and Alan and went back to the console where an incessant buzzing was coming from the console. "We're approaching Skaro and she's not happy about it." The Tardis was slightly rocking and the lights had started flashing. "Hold on!" the Doctor yelled to the two Alphans. "I know it's Skaro and you don't want to land but we have to save Sarah, so you must." he explained to the Tardis. The rocking soon quieted down to a minimum as the ship approached the planet.
John and Alan had both grabbed the railing surrounding the central console in order to maintain a foothold. John raised the commlock to his face and began, "Tony we're going to the planet now. Stall for as long as you can. Make plausible excuses for my absence. Do what you have to, but keep the base and everyone on it safe.
"Understood John." Tony answered.
"Be careful John." Helena leaned forward into John's field of vision, her face full of worry.
John knew she would be angry with him later, if there was a later after all he'd heard about the Daleks. But if they survived this, the Doctor would return them all to Earth and Helena could be as mad as she liked. "I will." he answered her with as much compassion as his voice would allow, then added, "You be careful too."
"Always." Helena answered simply with a small smile before moving away from the screen at Tony's desk. She didn't want to make this harder for him than it had to be…still she wished she were with him. If they all survived this they may never have to be separated again.
"Koenig out." John stated as the screen returned to its normal Moonbase Alpha insignia. He looked to Alan and the pair shared a knowing look of determination. Both knew the stakes were possibly higher than they had ever been. The pair in turn watched the Doctor circling the console, flipping switches a turning dials as he went. Something about watching him and the way he moved with such determination was reassuring to the pair.
The Doctor glanced at the pair and said smiling, "I'm afraid you two are going to be a bit…loud in the wasteland." The Doctor looked the pair up and down taking in their orange jackets and light colored uniforms.
"Exactly what does 'loud' mean?" the Australian pilot asked as he exchanged a confused look with John.
"We'll be landing in the wastelands of Skaro. It will be night and the Mutos…" the Doctor began.
"Mutos?" John asked as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Mutos are scarred versions of the Kaled people." When the Doctor could see that more explanation was necessary, he continued, "They were scarred by chemical weapons used in the Thousand Year War. They live in the wasteland where they scavenge like animals. Sarah had the good fortune to meet one that…well…wasn't beyond helping someone. His name was Sevrin." The Doctor continued to turn dials as he talked, never taking his eyes off the Tardis readings. The old girl truly wasn't happy about going back to Skaro but he again mentally reminded her that it was to get Sarah and he knew that she understood because she wasn't fighting him any longer. "With any luck he's still alive and willing to help us again. Now, back to your appearance..."
"Yes, you said that before. What's wrong with our appearance?" Alan asked with a smirk on his face. His appearance was generally not a problem. In fact, in his lifetime it had charmed his way through several doors that would otherwise be closed to him.
"In the moonlit night of Skaro, the pair of you in your orange jumpers will stand out like a…a Dalek in Trafalgar Square." he finished, pleased with himself that for once he'd used an analogy that the humans with him would understand. Sarah would have been pleased with that…Sarah…they 'would' find Sarah and the rest of the Alphans. "All right you two, the wardrobe room is through that archway," he stopped his explanation briefly to point, "first left, second right, third opening on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins and fifth door on your left. Find something dark to wear." He turned back to the reading he was getting from the Tardis and with her guidance, would try to find somewhere near a mountainside to land. He could feel the eyes of the two Alphans on him. He looked over his shoulder and said, "What?"
"The directions were…?" the Commander began only to be interrupted by the Doctor.
The Doctor scrubbed the top of his head with both hands. "Tell you what," he began with a sympathetic smile, "why don't I show you." He began walking toward the archway thinking that this regeneration was definitely going to need to work on patience. The trio disappeared into the Tardis.