1
He arrived with a thud, and a cloud of dust.
It had taken him a few moments to realize he was alive, which really surprised him. His mind felt fuzzy, like it was woven in cotton. He shook his head to fling the cobwebs from him, but when that failed to do anything but raise more dust, he laid silent for a moment, trying to figure out just what in all that's holy had gone on. He tried to think, but was rewarded with a sharp pain to his temples, like a thousand pieces of glass being shoved in all at one time.
He decided that he'd avoid thinking, at least for the time being. When he opened his eyes, he failed to see anything. For a brief moment, he panicked. Then he drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment. Then he let it out quickly. He attempted to look around, assuming that he was not blind. It was just dark, like a nightmare with no ending. He closed them again. His senses careened like wheel out of control. He decided to listen, hoping this would not make his mind explode with anymore pain.
He heard the sounds that were unfamiliar to him, yet he felt, for some unknown reason, that they would not hurt him. He listened like a blind person, his ears trying to piece together the sounds, but his thoughts seemed to be broken in a million fragments, like a shattered planet.
After a while, he slept. He dreamed, and those visions were filled with images he failed to understand or recognize. But soon enough, his sleep became deep, and for a few hours, his body was still, and so was his mind.
He awoke with light streaming overhead, and he tried to focus on its source, but realized he wasn't in the right position. With trepidation he decided to move. When no shooting pain came roaring through his head, he sat up. Dust and small debris fell into his lap. The light grew, and turned towards it. The window, as it seemed to be, was covered in dust and dirt, but what light came through made him think of time he had spent at a beach.
Now where did that come from, he suddenly thought. A beach? He tried to reason this out, but soon failed to figure what it meant. He turned away from the window, and looked at his legs, and for the first time realized he was naked. He closed his eyes, once again trying to figure out just what in the hell happened to him. When nothing came, he made an attempt to stand. It took a few moments of concentration, and some deep breaths, but he finally found himself on his bare feet.
He brushed the dust from his hair, which he noticed, was quiet long, and was brown in color. He heard the clatter of rocks and other things fall to the floor. Then, after a moment, all was quiet. He stood for a while, trying to figure what to do next. His brain began to wake up, and images were beginning to form. They were disjointed, but he sensed that in few moments, he would start to make those jig saw pieces fall into place.
With great effort, he began to walk. At first it was small steps, and mostly because the floor was covered with trash, and didn't want to step on anything that might break the skin on the soles of his feet. He moved towards the window. He suddenly found the need to find out where he was. For he feared that he was far from home. He did not know where the sensation came from, but he knew, somehow he knew, he was not where he should be.
With his bare hand, he rubbed the dirt from the window. Bright light broke through the grime. He looked at his now dirty hand, and rubbed his fingers together, feeling the scum. Quickly bored with this, he returned his attention to the window. He peered out through the clean area. He saw little, beyond some trees and bushes. He guessed that he was looking at some sort of meadow. He looked up and saw a big tree, its branches waving in the wind. The he saw the animal. It was big, and brown. It had a long snout and a black patch of hair leading toward its back. Its tail flopped in the air, but it wasn't being blown by the wind.
It's a horse.
The thought tumbled into his brain, and he turned away from the window, as if he was struck. A terrible idea was forming in his head, and it instantly scared him. He realized at that moment that not only was he far from home, but he was not from this planet. A name suddenly popped into his, as if some one had turned on a light. A name of someone he had foolishly trusted and admired. Like a waterfall full from heavy rain, his past rushed over him. His mind was filled images of a place he had grown up in, of a place that meant great things to him. But over all, a man who he loved like a father filled his thoughts. A man who showed him great wonders, but in the end betrayed him.
Barusa.
2
After a few moments of silence from the small group of people, the Doctor had finally spoken. It took a few moments to calm the young man down, but soon this Caleb Parker, as he introduced himself, and the Doctor were walking away, and in deep conversation, leaving Turlough and Tegan trying to catch up.
They came to a park area surrounded by Michigan Ave, Pearson Street & Chicago Ave. It was lined with tall trees, which seemed to be drooping in the July heat. She knew how they felt. Towards the center of this park and facing East towards Lake Michigan stood a cream-colored monument. Tegan wanted to know what this was, but the strange young man drew her attention away. They sat down on a park bench. Turlough, for some odd reason, wandered away.
The Doctor watched Turlough for a second, suddenly overcome by the oddness of this all. He was missing something, that he knew. As the young red haired man made his way over the large marker, the Time Lord shook his head, hoping something would fall into place. When that failed, he turned his attention back to the young man.
The Doctor looked in to Caleb's dark brown eyes, trying to see what was lurking behind them. Despite his unease of earlier, the Time Lord felt safe with this boy. He may, he thought, give him the answers he was seeking.
"Now," the Doctor spoke slowly, "can you explain again how you knew I would be here, and how you knew my name."
Caleb smiled sheepishly, his mind working overtime to gather his thoughts. "It's a long story, sir," he finally said. The Doctor turned to Tegan, then back at the boy. He smiled slightly.
"We seem to have some time."
The young man turned away, his face falling like an avalanche. "Yeah, but Harry doesn't"
"Who is this Harry? " Tegan asked. The Doctor gave her a recalcitrant look.
"Look, sir," he looked over to the lady with the Australian accent.
"Tegan Jovanka." She said with a slight smile.
"Doctor, Tegan. I first want to understand that I'm not crazy." he looked at the Doctor." I now realize that. At one time I was confused and thought that maybe, he was crazy. He said he was from another planet, but you know, when you're in love, you'll listen and believe anything. That, I think is why I fell in love with him. He was a mystery to me and everyone he came in contact with."
The Doctor raised his hand. "Caleb, forgive me. You have us at a disadvantage. I need to know how you knew my name, and how you knew I would be here."
"That's the easy part. He made you come here."
The Doctor leaned back, a look of surprise on his face. "I beg your pardon?"
"He said he could interrupt your travel, and make you come here."
The Doctor looked for line of untruth in the young man's eyes, but he found nothing. What this Caleb Parker was saying, as much as he knew, was the truth. Could this unknown person, this lover of this young man, have the power to divert his TARDIS? Tegan poked the Doctor on his shoulder. He turned to her.
"Doctor, we did arrive 80 years later than you wanted. Could this guy cause this?"
"Not in this time. The technology of this period is not advanced. As a matter of fact, it'll take eons before it will."
"So how?"
"That, my young lady, is what I'm trying to figure out." Tegan mouthed an O and let the Doctor return to his conversation. She turned to see Turlough wandering around the stone marker.
The Doctor drew in a deep breath, and quickly let it out. His mind raced with unanswered questions. He tried to assimilate all the questions, and then spoke. "It seems you know a lot more than I do." He turned to Tegan." Which I grant you, is a first," he added, turning back to Caleb. Tegan frowned, but said nothing. "But, you must understand something; it's not everyday that someone walks up to me and tells me what you said."
"No, they usually pull a weapon on us," commented Tegan. She regretted it instantly, for she got an acrimonious look from him.
For sometime now, the Doctor has wondered why Tegan continued to travel with him. Or better yet, why he let her continue with him. Ever since she wandered into the TARDIS, she had been nothing but irritating. She had a short temper and had a knack for getting him into more trouble than he thought necessary. But at the core level, he knew that he was just as big a troublemaker as she. And he did care for her; Nyssa used to say Tegan was the yin to the Doctor's yang. Another words, they both needed each other.
"Despite my traveling companions ability to say the wrong things at the wrong time, she does have a point." The Doctor paused. The young man was watching the interaction, and was quite fascinated by it. This was not turning out to be very useful conversation. He guessed he had to get to the point, but his brain appeared to be on overdrive. Why, Harrison, have you put me into this position? But, ever since they had met, Harrison was always doing that.
"Listen, I'm not sure what to say. What I can really say. This has been all confusing to me as well".
The Doctor inhaled and held his breath for a moment, trying to focus his thoughts on this boy, while the traffic noise tried to push them aside. He let out a sigh and felt better. Now he had to get the boy to start his tale. "Listen, I need to know what is going on. You obviously hold the all the cards. Please tell us what you know."
"We met at this business dinner that my company gave. I saw him across the room. I know this is so cliched, but as soon as I saw him, I knew we would be more than friends." He turned to Tegan, " Have you ever been in love?"
What on odd question to ask, Tegan thought. And rude, to top it off. What right does this person have to even ask me such a question? "I just met you. I don't think I have to say anything. "
"Please, I'm trying to be contemptuous, but for some reason, I sense only you could really answer that question." Caleb turned back to the Doctor, "No insult intended, Doctor."
The Time Lord smiled and shrugged his shoulders in acceptance of the boy's apology. Still, it did sting. He indeed had been in love once, along time ago. It was a love so intense and passionate, that when it went all away, he wrapped it up in the folds of his memory and stashed it away.
"It was that he such an air of mystery about him. I know it sounds hackneyed, but he looked like he had a secret, and I was determined to find out what it was." Caleb paused, and looked over to the Doctor's other companion, the one called Turlough. An eyebrow went up. The man was not unattractive. He was lean and his eyes glowed with intense knowledge. Tegan watched the boy's shifting eyes, wondering what he was thinking. "Well, anyway, I was introduced to him. He was some high up engineer in Chronotonics, a high tech computer company." The Doctor wanted the man to get to the point, but felt that Caleb's discourse was something he had to do. "We talked. Or better yet, I talked. I have a tendency to dominate a conversation,
(no kidding, Tegan mused)
telling my life story, like anyone wants to hear it. It was a glorious meeting, but after the night came to an end, I never got his number. And despite calls to where he worked, I could never get a hold of him. But, over the next few months, we kept running into each other. I'm not a bar hopper, but I soon began spending most of my Friday and Saturday nights checking out every queer bar on Halsted until I found him."
"We became friends, of a sort. As I found out, he didn't make friends easily. He had a dark past, and as much as I was determined to find out what it was, he was equally adept at keeping it hidden. Two years later, we became lovers. We were together for five years. We broke up a year ago, after I found out about an affair he had." Caleb's eye's darkened with emotion. "That's also when I found out he had gotten the HIV virus."
"What's that?" Tegan asked.
Caleb looked over at her with an astonished look. "Where have you been, Miss Jovanka?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Parker," the Doctor put up his hand. "We travel a lot, and Tegan comes from a time before HIV."
"I wish that I did, also." Caleb muttered.
"Now, Caleb, this Harrison you were involved with, how did you get the information you got?"
"We had a big argument, and some where in our anger toward each other, he blurted out stuff about his past. How I really didn't know him and all the stuff you say in a fit of anger. After he calmed down, he told me he was from a planet called Gallifrey."
The Doctor straightened up, and looked at Tegan, who looked quite surprised herself. Turlough had finally wandered over, and was astounded to hear those words from this human.
3
A warm breeze blew from the west; rustling the trees, their fall colored leaves scattering to ground like children throwing stones. He smelled the air, noting the dryness. He looked around the barn, for that was what he realized he was in, and tried to filter out all the new information that seemed to be pushing into his head like water down a drain.
Barusa.
He tried to remember what had happened. It was a little fuzzy, but that he could recall, seemed broken and disjointed. He had been in the Capital, in some hidden area of the throne room. Barusa, dressed in black from head to foot, looking thin and old. He was talking about someone, a Time Lord who was known to be a renegade.
The naked man shook his head; almost hoping the action would make things click into place. Renegades. The Master, the Rani, The Monk, the Doctor. So many, yet they will pale in comparison in what Barusa has plans for. That was it! Barusa, President of the High Council, who had ruled from behind the scenes more than in front, had discovered the darkest part of Time lord history. A part that made the few renegades of Gallifrey look like choirboys. Now he wanted the ultimate secret. The ultimate power in the universe. He wanted immortality.
And I helped him, the man thought. I, Harit, had helped him.
* * *
Harit stood in the small chamber that held the power room of the Dark Tower on Gallifrey. He was trying to free one of the Doctors incarnations, and his Time Lady companion, Romana, from a freak Time Eddy. Behind him, Barusa was using the Time Scoop to gather further people who had been associated with the Doctor.
The Game of Rassilon was in motion.
At first, when Barusa had secretly called Harit to help him, he was blinded by the President's power. He thought it an honor to help such a great man and found no menace in keeping the knowledge of the Death Zone, and all its history a secret from the rest of the High Council. At least at first. Besides, the Council had done little for him, so he felt what he was doing was not wrong.
Frustrated at his current task, he turned from his computer screen; his old and wrinkled hands fell to his side.
"Lord President, I can not rescue the fourth incarnation of the Doctor from this time eddy, that is with out draining more power from the Eye, which I am sure the High Council will be able to track."
Barusa turned and frowned. "I'm so close." The President walked over to Harit, and looked at the readouts. At first he seemed to talking to himself, then he nodded at Harit. "Still, you are quite correct. The idiots on the Council are already aware of the drain on the Eye of Harmony. If we exert anymore power on the Fourth Doctor, they will tack us down." Barusa turned and walked over to the large table that held the play area of the Death Zone. The First, Second and Third Doctors were already in the Game, their figures stood like chess pieces on the table, with the Dark Tower at the center, like some evil specter. "But," he added, "there are his fearless companions. Once I get them, and the Fifth Doctor here, I will not have to worry about the one caught in time."
"Lord President" Harit spoke suddenly." May I speak?"
Barusa turned to him, noting the old man was looking frail and just a little pale. He smiled slightly. When he had recruited Harit, it was for his unwavering ability at Temporal Mechanics; he knew the ins and outs of maneuvering through the Space/Time continuum. He knew that Harit's usefulness was close to an end, and he also knew that the foolish old man had no idea he was going to die. Of course, Barusa did not know how he was going to get rid of the man. He thought of just using a staser, but felt getting rid of the body would be to complicated. Besides, a staser was not enough kill a Time Lord assuredly. He could regenerate, and still point a finger. No, what Barusa needed, was a way to get him completely out of the picture, so there would be no evidence to point back to him.
"Why, of course, Harit" Barusa oozed. "You are very important to me, and I need to know what is going on."
Harit swallowed, and began to collect his thoughts. He realized a few hours ago that his alliance with the President had been a strategic mistake on his part. Barusa had laid the plan out like five course meal. He knew of Harit's displeasure of the High Council. He had used his dislike for Flavia and the Castellan against him. So like a hungry wolf, Harit grabbed at the chance to prove them wrong. But now, all too late in this game, did Harit realize what a fool he had been. Now he had to figure how he was going to get out of this alive.
"Barusa, I think.... well..." his throat dried up."...I think what you are doing is going to far."
The President's smile vanished. "What do you mean?"
"When you first told me of your plans at getting back at the High Council, you never mentioned that you would be re-activating the Death Zone and stealing the Doctor's companions from their time streams. You are risking a Temporal explosion that could destroy a star system." Harit stopped talking, and looked into the eyes of man he long trusted a man who, despite being a little rough around the edges, could be trusted with anything. Now those eyes beamed hatred and fear.
"That is why I brought you here, fool." Barusa spat." The Death Zone is a risky place. It plays havoc with time lines. I know all this. Your knowledge of those problems was what brought me to my attention." The president paused, trying to figure out what to do next. With three Doctors now in the Death Zone, a fourth one caught in some freak time disturbance, Barusa's own time line would be pushed up. His fellow Time Lords will soon begin to see what was unfolding. Barusa realized that the fifth Doctor would soon arrive to save his former selves and companions. What was once a two-person operation, would now have to be whittled down to one.
Harit looked away briefly, now wondering what was going to happen. Time Lords could read minds, but most kept their thoughts buried. Besides, it was not good sense to tiptoe through other people's memories. When he turned back, Barusa had wandered over to the wall that held the instruments for the time scoop. Harit stood up, abruptly. But it was way too late. Barusa turned with a speed that belied his aged look. In his hands was a black device, and a gloved hand was touching the keypad. Instantly the lights began to dim and Barusa cursed. From the device, blue electric light lanced out and struck the other Time Lord hard in the chest. With a audible "whoop", Harit was flung across the small space in the control room. He slumped to the floor, dead.
The lights returned to normal, and Barusa swore again. The power he was using would make the other Time Lords aware that evil was going on. He would only have a few moments. He imputed some new numbers into the hand held box, and then plugged it into the time scoop.
In a few seconds, a bright red glow enveloped the dead Time Lord on the floor, and then a crackle of blue energy went over the body. There was a big, bright flash of light, and Harit was gone, sucked into a vortex.
Barusa smiled, and for a brief moment, wondered where and when this meddling old fool would turn up, or would he just burn up in the vortex?
Then the Time Lord turned back to the project at hand, Harit already forgotten.
* * *
Harit looked at his new hands. They were young, thin and long. They were elegant and looked very strong. His legs were sturdy, and covered with a light layer of blond hair. His stomach was flat and smooth. His chest was well defined and hairless. He smiled, despite this situation. While the staser had killed the old Harit, the combination of that and being sent through the vortex caused him to regenerate. A new body, at last.
One big question was: Where am I and at what point in time?
He turned to the window again, and walked over. He saw some cloths hanging from a line just with in his reach. Some how he knew that going around naked would draw a lot of unwanted attention. Once he got dressed, he would explore this new place.
4
"You expect us to believe all this nonsense?" Tegan asked suddenly. The Doctor turned to her, a look of shock on his face.
Caleb also had that same look on his face. He sputtered briefly, looking at the Doctor then Turlough then Teagn and then back at the Doctor. Finally he spoke, and his voice was small, like a child who's been caught telling the truth, when everyone around you believes it to be a lie.
"Well, yes".
The Doctor turned to Caleb, ignoring Tegan's look. "Now, young man, you seem to be taking this all rather well. Most humans don't take well to aliens invading this planet." He turned to Tegan, who gave the Doctor a questionable look. It seemed his sarcasm either went over her head, or she chose to ignore his comment.
"Well, at this time and place, I'll believe anything. Especially if it will help Harrison." Caleb looked away from the three travelers, wondering what to do next. Taking them to Harrison would be the obvious choice, but now that all that has happened, Caleb began to wonder if he was going through the same dementia that his former lover was going through.
The Doctor stood, a thousand thoughts running through his mind. He looked over to the small marker that stood in the center of the small park, and raised an eyebrow.
"Now that's odd", he muttered. He walked over to the cream-colored marble and stared at the writing that appeared on it. It was a historical marker dating back to the Great Chicago fire. For a moment, he was lost in thought. Lost in time. Something was not right, he could feel it in his Time Lord bones. But for the lives of him, he could not put his finger on it. It was seemed to be just out of his reach.
"Doctor?" came Tegan's voice. The turned to her, but said nothing. "Doctor" she repeated this time a statement. He muttered something, and then blinked his eyes, his thoughts were pressed back.
"Yes?"
"Maybe we should go and see this Harrison?"
The Doctor looked at her, then at the traffic on Michigan Ave. He turned and looked at the handsome man named Caleb, who still sat on the bench. Turlough stood close by him. The Doctor sighed and turned back to Tegan.
"An excellent idea." he said with a smile.
* * *
The hum of the bus, and the fact that the air conditioning was not working, made Tegan wonder why the didn't just take the TARDIS. Chicago was hot and humid, and people were being smashed into this bus like so many kids in a telephone booth.
She turned to the Doctor, who sat on her left. His face was drawn, and he looked like had a stomachache. She wondered for a moment if she should keep quiet, but them decided she needed to ask some questions.
"Doctor, what is HIV?"
He closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. He realized once again how he was influencing the timeline. How much should he tell, and what the effect would this be by telling Tegan? He had such limited experience with this disease. He decided to tell her what he did know. "During the early half of the 1980's, a virus of some kind began to invade the T cells of the immune system of humans." He paused, wondering if Tegan was going to question him further on it. When none came, he decided to continue. "It was characterized by increased susceptibility to infections." He looked over at Caleb, and his voice rang like a regretful oboe, "its first victims were discovered in the gay communities through out the world, with the United States being hardest hit first. The scientist isolated the virus that made the normal T cells fight off many infections. The virus was called HIV, and was prime reason people eventually came down with AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome."
Tegan turned to the Doctor, and then she too looked over at Caleb. She really had no opinion concerning gay people. Her Uncle, Auntie Vanessa's younger brother, was gay. She had only met him a few times growing up, mostly because he lived here in the States. He seemed to be a nice man, yet the Church also taught her that gay people sinned against God. The church was right, wasn't it? Uncle Jack had died a few months ago, from what appeared to be a rather bad case of the flu. Tegan began to wonder if there was a connection to his death and this AIDS.
"Where did this virus come from?"
The Doctor turned his eyes back to the seat in front of him. "The scientist were able to track its origin to somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. "
"How did it come in contact with these people?"
"Mostly through the exchange of bodily fluids, but others got it through blood transfusions and drug users got it by sharing dirty needles. Once in the blood stream, the virus seemed to mutate at will. I became a killer with a million disguises. But how it got started, is still a controversy. Some say it jumped species, from an ape to a human. While religious leaders said this was God's punishment for such a decadent lifestyle."
"But you said it started in the gay community."
"Yes, but to put all the blame on them, is recklessness at its best." The Doctor looked back over to Caleb, who seemed to have drawn the usually quiet Turlough into a conversation. "AIDS was first discovered there, but that doesn't mean gay men are accountable for it."
Tegan looked at the Doctor. "So this Harrison has this disease? I guess this means its still around?"
The Doctor sighed. "Yes, and will be for some time. It will kill hundreds of thousands."
"What about drugs", she asked. "I mean, even in 1981
doctors were making advances in cancer treatment. The Doctor looked out the window, watching people, buildings, cars, pass by in an eye blink. Much like the way humans exists. In a blink of an eye. While he would eventually die, either at the hands of an enemy, or of old age, he would outlive all his companions he's had since he left home, and all that will come after his current crop. Sometimes, it was hard to think about it, but on the other hand, he decided a long time ago, it wasn't going to rule his life. Finally, he spoke, but he didn't turn from the window. His voice was low, and a bit sad. "Sure, there was many drugs created to help. But the discipline to take them and the cost to get them were exorbitant. There were plenty of people for whom the drug didn't work, for the virus could mutate around the drug and create a drug resistant strain. It will destroy the lives of men, women, and children. It kill strike down gays, straights, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and everything in between, before it is finally eradicated by the middle of the 21st century."
Tegan looked away from Caleb, her mind racing. She had ventured into the TARDIS in early 1981, and had spent almost three years with the Doctor. She had never wondered what would be waiting for her when she decided to leave the Doctor. She knew that soon, she would have to make a decision, like Nyssa; to stay or to go. Up until now, she always felt that when she did leave the TARDIS it would be Earth and she would be safe.
Not anymore. It seemed there was no safe place anymore. Death and destruction were the one constant in the universe. Earth, despite its checkered history, always seemed the safest. Now, Tegan realized, it was as dangerous as anyplace she has traveled with the Doctor.
As the hot bus clanked on through the traffic, Tegan felt a shiver go down her spine.
It was very unsettling.
5
They were dropped off at Belmont and Halsted Streets. Tegan looked around and took the menu she took from Ma's. As the bus drove away, she began to fan herself. She looked down Halsted, taking notice of the buildings. Their beauty and age struck her. Many looked to well over a hundred, while some may just are just over twenty. They were all thrown together like toy soldiers, some taller than others, some older than others. The street was bumpy, and the sidewalks were crumbling; yet Tegan took a liking the look. She always appreciated antiques, and she had always one day hoped then she got her first flat, it would be filled with old,
cozy articles that were made decades before she was born.
Once again, she reflected on Caleb and who he was. She was aware that kids still made snide comments about homosexuals, even some of her school chums had made the comments, and she knew she was not innocent either. It wasn't until she got into Flight Attendant Training, was she confronted not only with gay men, but rude comments that followed them like a lost puppy. She tried to pay no attention to these people, fear of loosing her focus, but she had become friends with one man, but she never even thought about his sexuality. He was just a good bloke; fun and devilish. She suddenly realized she missed him.
Caleb smiled and raised his arms. "Welcome to Boys Town."
"Boys Town?" Turlough asked with a slight smile. On his home planet, a long time ago, many leaders and highborn males were encouraged to have a male lover. Over the last few hundred years, the practice was stopped, but to his knowledge, it was no crime to have lovers of the same sex.
"I think it's about time we met this Harrison, " the Doctor said. "Will you show us the way?"
Caleb nodded his head, and began walking down the street. Tegan noticed a few bars, some stores and few usual things you see on a street in a big city, or any city, for that matter. When the came to Roscoe and Halsted, they turned east and walked into a beautiful tree lined street. There was a lot of cars parked one way, but the flats that stood like soldiers waiting for a sign from general were gorgeous. Tegan whistled. She was impressed.
"Yes," Caleb said." This is one of the best reasons to live in the City." He added, and Tegan noted that when he said the City, it was in capital letters. You could really tell how much he loved this town.
They came to a three flat about a half block from Halsted. Caleb paused before opening the iron gate that would lead up to a walkway. He turned to his three new friends.
"I must warn you." He swallowed, and briefly lowered his eyes. "Harrison is not in the best of shape, and his mind is mostly gone. He is not the man he used to be."
Tegan gave a half smile." Who is?"
Caleb turned back to gate and opened it. "If you'll follow me." Turlough went after Parker. The Doctor followed. Tegan hesitated a moment, and just as the Doctor was turning to look for her, she began to follow him.
6
Tegan was impressed with the flat they entered. The front door opened onto a hallway. You could either left, which would take you to a dinning room, a kitchen and what appeared to be some kind of enclosed deck area. To the right was a living room, the bathroom (from which the bright sunlight filtered through a small window) and the bedroom. Tegan noticed the perfume, a sweet smell of jasmine. It filled the apartment like a cloak; obviously trying to cover the smell of death that hung in the air like the odor of a wet dog.
The three time travelers followed Caleb into this room. It was large and decorated with an old antique dresser and mirror. On top of the dresser sat an assorted collection of bottles that Tegan thought contained the medicine that was keeping someone going. A light wind rustled the sheer drapes, and a small white fan sat spinning on the sill. Despite the heat outside, a nice cool breeze of wind blew through.
On the bed, was a man who looked dead. At least that was Tegan's first thought as she saw this Harrison. He laid with covers up to his waist, his bare chest covered in a thin line of sweat. Tegan wanted to look away from this man, yet she could not. His body was thin, his rib cage showed clearly through the thin skin of that chest. His arms were drawn out, almost Christ like, that sent another shiver down her spine. Tegan moved to the foot of the bed, her eyes never leaving the young man whom looked like he was in his late 20's or early 30's. His face was drawn and gray looking, like a thin coat of ash was covering it. His dark hair was cut real short, and Tegan could see some kind of scare tissue on his skull.
When she looked into his eyes, Tegan did not see a dying man. His whole body may have given up, for she really didn't want to see what was under those sheets, but his eyes burned with intelligence.
For his part, Harrison laid there watching Tegan and her response to his condition. Despite the pain that raced through his joints and muscles, the man could not repress a smile. For looking at Tegan, then to Turlough and then the Doctor, Harrison realized that soon the pain would end. His destiny had finally showed up.
Harrison breathed in deeply, trying not to cough, but failing. Caleb went to him, and slowly raised him up to sitting position. After a few moments, the man's body eased its hacking. Caleb reached for a tissue and wiped his former lovers' lips, which were cracked and chapped, from lack of moisture, despite the humid weather. After a moment, he spoke.
"Hello, Doctor."
Harrison with an astonished look on his face. He looked into the ill man's dark brown eyes, hoping for a small clue for what was going on. What he got back, though, was an unexpectedness of his fate. He seemed to know what was going on around him, and he saw it with great amusement.
"Who are you?", the Doctor finally asked, his voice low and soft. Tegan moved closer, while Turlough stood in the doorway entrance, almost hesitant at entering the room. Harrison had noticed this, but said nothing. His concern was with the Doctor.
"I don't have much time," Harrison said. The Doctor frowned at not getting his question answered. Harrison raised a thin, bony arm, that made Tegan think of dead bodies of Jews who were killed by Hitler's cronies during World War II. She knew that this man was dead, yet his heart and his brain hadn't come to that conclusion yet. "I will try to answer all those question that are spinning through your head Doctor, but you'll have to bare with me. Where shall I begin? How shall I tell the story that I have been living during these dreadful days? My time is so very short."
The Doctor looked over the body of Harrison again. "That is obvious. But, I ask again, who are you and how do you know me?"
Harrison blinked. He looked over at Caleb. "I'm sorry."
Caleb looked at Harrison; a perplexed look on sweat covered brow. Before Parker could respond, his lover spoke to him in a soft voice. A voice of love. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I should have never said what I did. I just thought this day would never come." Caleb stared at the man. A small tear ran down the right cheek. He wanted to speak, but for some reason no words came. Instead, he kissed him on his forehead, and moved in closer to him. Harrison turned his attention back to the Doctor.
"I'm a Time Lord."
The Doctor was taken aback. When they had entered the room, he tried to probe the man's mind. It was something the Doctor never did. But he discovered he could see nothing. Which did not make him an alien, but he knew few humans who could block their thoughts from a telepath. He pressed his lips tightly together. Tegan lowered herself down to the foot of the bed. She wanted to say something at that moment, but knew the Doctor would hush her up with no words. For now, what ever was going on, was now between these two people.
"Who are you?" he asked for the third time.
"My real name is Harit."
The Doctor closed his eyes, and began to try to remember name. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't place the name, or the face. Usually Time Lords can tell when they are dealing with other Time Lords. Even ones who have regenerated and look completely different. This Time Lord, if he was truly from the Doctors planet, bared no resemblance to any one he's ever met in 900 + years of existence. When he opened his eyes, he said just that.
Harrison laughed slightly. he began to cough again. The Doctor moved to help, but Caleb shot him a glance that said stay away. When the coughing subsided, the smile was still on his dry lips. "It's ironic, really."
"Oh, what is?" the Doctor asked.
"That of all the all the deadly creatures in the universe, the Daleks, the Cybermen and countless others, I would be struck down by tiny virus that even my Time Lord physiology cannot cure. I know when I die, I will not regenerate. The cells for that transformation are gone."
The Doctor sighed. "Harit, how did you get here?"
"I was exiled."
"Exiled? by whom?"
Harrison indicated he wanted to lie down, and Caleb lowered the ill man slowly. He reached for a towel, and wiped the perspiration from the man's brow. He then raised the sheet over the thin chest.
"Doctor, you must understand. I had no reason to betray you. I was angry at the High Council." His voice had become hollow, and wet. the Doctor realized he had pneumonia. His lungs must have been filled with a lot of fluids. Another Earth virus that could easily kill a Time Lord. "Borusa showed me how to get revenge."
"Borusa?" It was Teagn. And she spoke the name with bitterness that even surprised the Doctor.
It began to make some sense to the Doctor. While he failed to recognize the man, the name did ring the proverbial bell. If the Doctor was right, this Harit or Harrison was a brilliant student of Temporal Mechanics. The Doctor must've read something the man had written. He was sure of that. So Barusa used him to get to me, he thought. The High Council had wronged him somehow, and Borusa used that knowledge to get Harit to help him steal the Doctor's from their time streams.
The Time Lord smiled sadly. The first rule of assassination was assassinate the assassin. It was an old ruling guide, everyone used it. But revenge is always a deadly lover. You get yourself so entwined in its passion; one always seemed to miss the obvious.
Harit seemed to know what the Doctor was thinking, for when he spoke, his voice was strong, and just tinged with bitterness. "So, what do you think? This is my contagion, and my epitaph. The payment for my pettiness."
The Doctor regarded him with a suspicious eye. He had heard this story before in many of his travels. The Master was found of drawing him into his plans when things were not going his way. On the other hand, this Harit, or Harrison, looked deadly ill. Maybe his story would prove to be different. "I don't think you wanted me here to pass judgement." The Doctor said. "Or is it forgiveness that you seek?"
Harit closed his eyes. His drawn face, and high cheek bones gave him an eerie look." No, not that. What I seek is redemption. To redeem myself to Time Lord society." His voice trailed off.
The Doctor stood up, and moved towards the window. He looked out, and saw a group of young men walking by. Two were holding hands, and looking at each other like there was nothing else around them. The other three were laughing and talking. They seemed not to notice their two other friends. Without turning, he spoke, his voice tinged with sympathy, which surprised Tegan.
"Borusa is dead, you know. A victim of his own short sightedness."
Tegan watched the man turn his head towards the Doctor. She began to wonder what was going on between the two. What did this man want? And how did he know the Doctor would be here? All these thoughts and many others were racing through her head like an out of control race car. But, she failed to speak her mind. It seemed if she did, nothing would ever get answered.
"I had guessed. Barusa was blinded by the power he thought he had. He tried to give it to me, unaware he was not really giving me anything." He licked his lips. "Now, Doctor, I need your help."
He turned from the window and looked into those brown, hurting eyes. The Doctor's compassion weald up in him. He knew he would help this man. Why,
(Adric)
he could not reason at this time His shoulders sagged slightly. "What do you want me to do?"
"Rescue me from my past."
"Rescue you?" The Doctor moved from the window, and walked around the bed, with Tegan watching his every move. "Harit, how do you propose I do this?"
Harit exhaled with a rasp, his lungs filling every second with fluids. His two hearts were beating faster than they should. His mind began to close, as if a blanket were being thrown over his eyes. Death was marching like an aria. But, unlike an opera, Harit found no accompaniment.
Time.
In the end, it all came to time. He was a Time Lord. He could travel through the cosmos, visit any place in history, in any point in the time line, yet Harit (with irony that was as large as the universe) wondered why he could not escape this time. Was his involvement with Barusa so tragic and unforgiving that he could not escape a virus, that in the grand scheme of the universe, was just a minor blip in someone's guide to the galaxy?
"Doctor," he finally spoke." I know you are a very moral person. There is good and there is evil. There is also a gray area. One were People like me exist. We've lived a good life, never hurting anyone, living to live. But we are also ones who've made one error, that will cost us more than all the monies in the universe. I've never worried if I should jigged when I should of jagged. My life was good, until Barusa found my one weakness, and exploited for all that it was worth. Now as I near my end, I feel the need to rid myself of the guilt that has quietly haunted me, like a bad debt. My redemption is all that I seek."
Caleb watched all this with utter fascination. Harrison was talking like he used too. His voice, while rough and raspy, contained the old smugness that he remembered from years past. It was as if time had reversed itself, and come back on its self. He remembered back to their first night they spent together. He never intended to go to bed with him, but Caleb knew at the time that their relationship was going to have to go further if it was to succeed. The night they made love was one he'll always recollect. Sure Caleb remembered his first sexual experience with another man, but for some reason, this was different. It was as if it was the first time.
Tegan glanced at the Doctor for some guidance, but found the Time Lords face unreadable. Turlough closed his eyes, knowing what the man was going to ask next. The question was, would the Doctor do it? Before Harit spoke, the Doctor asked the question.
"You want me to go back in time? Prevent your entanglement with Barusa? Break every law of time that I hold dear?"
Harit tried to laugh, but it came out as a hacking cough. After a few uneasy moments, he looked at his fellow Time Lord, and spoke in a voice carried a strange quality to it. "Nothing so bold, Doctor. That would be breaking the laws of time. Like I said, your history is riddled with morality. Barusa once said that it would be your undoing." The Doctor sighed. Many people, mad and sane had told him that. He did not believe it then, and knows that it's not his morality, but the corruption of others. He was there just to put a period at the end. Harit looked at Caleb sand smiled, his white, healthy teeth looking odd against a ravaged body. "But, in a way, I need you to break a minor law of time, just as I have. I need you to return to the past to protect this future. If I survive to see this time again, so much the better."
The Doctor leaned forward. "What have you done?" For the first time, Tegan noticed the anger in his voice. It took a lot to get him hot under the collar, and one was the altering of Earth's time-line. "What did you alter to get me here?"
Harit closed his eyes. He suddenly felt very sleepy. The song of death was beginning its last movement. "The answers are right before you", he whispered. "You must only open your mind to see it."
The Doctor slammed his hand down on the dresser, knocking pill bottles and glasses over. The whole room seemed to shake with his anger. "Not good enough," he roared. "Not good enough," he repeated, but with less intensity.
Caleb stood up. He needed to protect Harrison, but before he could do anything about it, the man who claimed to be from another planet, grabbed his right arm, and with strength that betrayed his looks, pulled back to the bed.
"No," he whispered.
Caleb looked over at his lover, a shock of surprise danced over his face. "I will not allow this."
"But, you must." His voice was becoming distant, as if he was walking away from them. Harit looked over at the Doctor. But suddenly, those eyes that were so clear a moment before seemed to glass over. A slight, queer smile came over his lips. "Fire. A vast ocean of flame." The Doctor moved over to Harit, and quickly began to examine him. He put his hands on the mans chest, feeling for something. Caleb sat there, unable or unwilling to move. The Time Lord lowered his ear to the mouth of Harit, whose soft voice was becoming nonexistent.
"Harit, what are you talking about?"
"Fire," was all that came. Turlough looked from the entrance of the room where he had stood all this time. He sensed, no, he felt something leave the room. He looked around, as if hoping to see what had passed him. All he saw was small clock in the shape of a cat, its tale wagging back and forth like a pendulum. He turned his attention back to the room, and the ill man.
The Doctor leaned back on his haunches; a sad sigh escaped his lips. Tegan looked over at him, then back to the ill man. His face no longer carried a heavy burden. He looked tranquil. His eyes open, but looking at nothing.
In the morning heat, the fan on the sill continued to oscillate, unaware that the charge it was trying to cool, had slipped away into an endless night.
It was the only sound in the room.