Chapter Fifteen
Leading the way through the ductwork Sarah emerged first, followed by Victor Bergman and then one by one the remaining Alphans. The first thing she saw immediately in front of the opening were two of the Dalek drones lying on the ground. She wasn't sure what had transpired but decided not to look for trouble and be grateful for her good luck. As soon as Sarah was sure everyone in her party had climbed out, she allowed them the brief luxury of massaging their tired and aching limbs. After just a few minutes though, she urged the group forward. "We have to get out in the wasteland. We're not safe here." 'We're not safe there either', thought Sarah though she decided not to share that with her friends. "Remember we have to move as quickly and silently as possible."
Sarah looked back and exchanged a quick smile with the Professor to encourage him on. She was privately worried about him. All the Alphans were suffering but with his advanced age and mechanical heart it was worse for him. She gave Frazer a quick look and an almost imperceptible nod of her head toward the Professor which he picked up on immediately. He walked closely by the Professor and would be there if he needed assistance.
Around the bend up ahead Sarah could hear talking. Was it the Mutos? She remembered being attacked by them before. That was when she met Sevrin. Sarah smiled to herself when she thought of Sevrin. He was such a nice person. The talking was louder now. Looking back she put her finger to her lips in an attempt to silence the group.
About seventy feet ahead, she could see two Dalek drones holding one of the Dalek guns on the Commander, Alan Carter as well as someone with their back to them. She was momentarily stunned. She could feel…something…something wonderful emanating from this stranger. It was a sense, no it was a feel, no it was a scent, no…it was…the Doctor! He wasn't the same as the last time she'd been with him which meant he'd regenerated. But even if her eyes had been closed, she would have known she was in his presence, she'd have known this feeling anywhere. Flashes of the two of them fighting side by side were painting pictures in her mind, Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Wirrn, Ice Warriors, Sutekh, the Krynoid, Zygons and so many more.
Behind her the Alphans could see Commander Koenig and Alan Carter up ahead as well. Without a thought, they drew their weapons as one and yelled, "Down!" at the hostages ahead. The Commander reached forward and pulled the Doctor down as the Alphans fired on the Dalek drones. As they fell, one of the drones squeezed the trigger of his gun. Sarah could see the beam heading for the Professor and stepped in front of him, shielding him with her body. As she fell to the ground, she could hear the anguished cry of the Doctor scream, "No!"
Sarah could feel her body being lifted and enveloped in the essence that was 'her' Doctor. She could feel wetness on her face as he clenched her to his chest. He pulled her back and looked at her.
"Tears Doctor?" she asked.
"Where have you been?" he said as he settled them down on the cavern floor.
A convulsion of pain wracked her body and then as it passed, she answered, "The Tardis didn't tell me to stay on Earth. I've got to talk to her about that." Then another spasm gripped her, this one not as violent. "Where have you been?"
"Well, you know me. Here, there, everywhere, every when. Tried to get back to you as soon as I could but…"
"But something was always happening, right?" He was about to answer when Sarah added as she closed her eyes. "Need to take a little nap. Up too early." Her voice faded with the last words.
The Doctor checked her and knew she was barely hanging on. Looking up at the group he quietly said, "We need to get out of this cave and find shelter."
Ed Spencer moved in. "My name is Ed Spencer. I'm a doctor. Is there anything I can do?"
"Thank you but no. It's more up to her now than anybody." the Doctor answered, leaving some of the group wondering if this alien hadn't been overcome by grief with his strange response.
Victor moved forward and quietly said, "I'm so sorry. I can't believe she did that for me."
"It's who she is, my Sarah." The Doctor carefully lifted Sarah and led the group out of the cave. Looking back he said, "No more shooting in this cave. We're lucky the roof didn't come down on us."
The Alphans looked to Commander Koenig. They didn't know this person and without verification from him they weren't going to follow anyone else's orders.
John Koenig knew the sentiments going through their minds. But Sarah had stepped in front of Victor and took the shot and that spoke volumes about her loyalty to the Alphans. If she hadn't it would definitely have killed him. How she was still alive, he wasn't sure. But the Doctor seemed to know this planet and its inhabitants and at this point he felt if anyone could get them back to Alpha alive it would be the Doctor. He looked to his people and gave them a nod.
At the entrance of the cave, they found Sevrin waiting. "Doctor, I had to know. Did you find Sar…?" When the group moved into the light and Sevrin could see the Doctor clearly he was shocked. In the Doctor's arms was an unconscious Sarah Jane. Sevrin wasn't a medic but even he could see how deathly pale she was. The look on the Doctor's face was one of total and complete misery.
"Sevrin, we need to find shelter for everyone. In broad daylight the Daleks will find us for sure." the Doctor said, rarely taking his eyes off of Sarah's prone form.
"On the other side of this hill," Sevrin pointed across the field to their right, "there's an abandoned cave some of my people once used to hide in. The Daleks know my people have deserted it. As long as we're quiet, I don't think they'll check there again."
As one, the group began the treacherous journey through the wastelands. They had only traveled a short distance when a voice called out to them from behind. A voice that sent chills down each of their spines. A voice the Doctor wished he would never hear again.
"Halt! All humans will halt!" A bronze colored Dalek ordered. Joining him were four other Daleks, their dark grey casings shining in the daylight.
The four Daleks indifferent to one another, each mechanically filtered voice yelling at the same time, "Halt, you will halt! All humans will halt! You are prisoners of the Daleks."
Before the Doctor could stop them, several of the Alphans drew their guns and fired. The Doctor yelled, "Down!" But not before the Daleks had activated their personal force fields and the shots fired by the Alphans, were now projected back on them.
John Koenig looked around him. Lying dead on the ground were two of the security force, hydroponics head researcher Brian Mitchel and geologist Gabriel Swanson. Alan placed a reassuring hand on John's shoulder. "I didn't give the order to fire." John lamented.
"John, there was nothing you could have done." Victor said as Alan helped him up.
"We don't have a choice now." the Doctor said dejectedly. "Do as they say and hopefully the opportunity to escape will present itself."
"You will drop all weapons! You will drop all weapons!" the Daleks screeched.
The Doctor looked back at the Alphans and said, "Do what they say. Drop your guns." The stun guns were pitched to their side. Without hesitation, the Daleks fired on them and destroyed them. When they began to reach for their Commlocks as well, the Doctor met John and Alan's gaze, and with a small sharp jerk of his head, motioned them to drop their Commlocks nonchalantly at their feet. With any kind of luck they might be able to get back to retrieve them and call for reinforcements if necessary later.
"Doctor what exactly are they?" Alan asked, echoing a question in the Commander's mind.
"Quiet! You will not speak! You will not speak!" the Daleks yelled.
The Doctor holding Sarah in his arms led the group of six Alphans and Sevrin toward the Daleks. As the Doctor passed Dalek Jast, the Dalek spoke, "After interrogation you will be exterminated Doctor."
"I've heard that before. Yet here I still am. Why are you here Jast?" the Doctor asked inquisitively.
"My plans are of no concern to you." Turning to address the other Daleks, he ordered, "Take them to a holding cell. You are to remain outside of the cell. No one has authorization to speak with them."
"Davros has ordered…" one of the Daleks began only to be cut off by Dalek Jast.
"Davros no longer has authority over any Dalek. You will only take orders from me. Is that understood?"
"We obey." the four Daleks replied as one. One of the four Daleks went to the back of the line while two of the four placed themselves on each side. The Dalek in the front yelled, "Move, you will move! You will move!"
The Doctor looked down into Sarah's unconscious face in time to see a wisp of golden colored air escape her lips. They may get out of this yet. He just had to hope he'd done enough all those years ago. He hadn't been kidding earlier when he said it was all up to Sarah. She was gravely wounded. If she didn't regenerate, she wasn't going to survive and everything they went through would have been for nothing. He saw another golden wisp of regeneration energy escape her lips. But was it enough? According to the information he'd gathered all those centuries ago from his mentor this should work. It would work, he decided. He'd fought too long and too hard for a life with Sarah. Sarah herself had sacrificed a great deal as well.
He knew the Alphans and Sevrin behind him were feeling beyond hopeless. He looked back and winked at John Koenig. "Not over yet Commander, cheer up." the Doctor smirked.
"Why is that?" John asked. This had gone from bad to worse quicker than even he had thought possible. Six of his people were dead and the rest would more than likely join them in record time. He thought of Helena. He'd had such high hopes for a future with her and now he wondered if he'd ever see her again.
"Silent! You will remain silent! Move! Move!" the Daleks screeched in their mechanical voices.
Davros was feeling more and more nervous. In times like these, Nyder would have been more than adequate to carry out Davros' orders. The Dalek drones, regardless of what Dalek Jast had said were less than what he considered competent to carry out orders. He'd sent two teams of them so far to retrieve the Alphans and neither had returned. He flipped switches on his chair, scouring the security cameras in hopes of finding his lost hostages. "Where can they be?" he said aloud.
The doors to his private office slid open to reveal Dalek Jast. Davros spun around and even as he prepared to admonish him, he was in awe of the creature. A creature he had been responsible for creating or their descendant in any case. "I did not authorize this intrusion!" Davros' almost mechanical voice wailed.
"I did not ask your permission." Dalek Jast answered.
"What do you want?" Davros asked with aggravation. "I have experiments to attend to."
"Yes, we are aware of your experiments."
Davros could almost hear a demeaning tone in the Dalek's voice. "What do you mean you are aware? Have you been spying on me?" Davros advanced his chair forward, accusing Dalek Jast.
"I know about your prisoners as well as the negotiations with the Alphans. I allowed you to have them but your incompetence required me to intervene. The Doctor's companion was allowed to escape by you." Dalek Jast stated.
Davros was livid as he sat and listened to one of his children reprimand him. "You are to take no action without my authorization!" Davros yelled.
"The Emperor decreed you were to be saved. That is all. You will be given what you need to survive, no more. The prisoners are being returned to the city. We have also captured the Doctor."
Davros inhaled sharply. "You would not have captured him if not for me." Davros beamed. "Now we can get the information that was stolen from me before."
"Inconsequential." Dalek Jast answered as he turned to go.
"What do you mean? Report! Report!" Davros demanded.
"I am from the future. Everything that was created in error will be repaired. The Daleks will not fail as they move forward. They will evolve. The mistakes of the past will not affect the Daleks' future."
"But the Doctor…" Davros began.
"Will be exterminated."
"I demand to be the one to destroy the Doctor!" Davros started to follow the retreating Dalek.
"You were unsuccessful in the past. You will not be given the opportunity to fail again." At that Dalek Jast left the room, the door shutting behind him, all but hitting Davros' chair as he rolled forward.
Could it be? Could he have lost all control over his children? No, he decided. He may not have any control over Dalek Jast but… He rolled back over to the viewscreen and flipped some switches on his desk. The Dalek nursery appeared on the screen. Davros typed the password that allowed him to work in the background on the bio filters of the Daleks. After just a few keystrokes, Davros sighed. He hated adding a contaminant back into the species that he'd so cleverly eliminated before. But he needed a way to realign the Daleks minds, giving him control over his next born children. Dalek Jast may be from the future but he was certain he knew nothing of this. This was a way back into the Daleks' mind that absolutely no one knew of. If Dalek Jast was the future, his children needed quite a bit more guidance. In his mind, he'd already begun the calculations. Dalek Jast may need to be eliminated, after his knowledge of the future had been added to Davros' private files.