Notes: This story was written while I was going through my qualifiers for
my doctoral program last year. I was doing a lot of questioning. So,
unfortunately, the story might be a little less than happy and maybe a
little deep. Someone asked about the quotes at the beginning of the
chapters. I made those up too.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to BBC. I just use it to stretch the imagination. I don't make any money from this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Morality? A discourse on morality? You stand here and give me. Me! A lecture on morality, Zoe? It should rather be legality, young lady. Something might be illegal, but it can be as far from immoral as can be. Do not confuse the two. Illegal is a commentary on a species' ability to level laws to construct their society; immoral is something like a crime against self. Society- self two concepts as different as your Sun and your Moon. Now, run along.find Jamie.
Second Doctor to Zoe.
Smith back wheeled as he came around the corner into the personnel wing. Trenton followed him into the wide corridor and skirted to one side. A simple gasp and not a physical recoil, however, managed his shock. The corridor, and what rooms they could see, were torn apart. Items of errant clothing, broken furniture, and scattered food supplies all spilled from the doors and littered the hallway like the remnants of a wild party.
Or a ransacked and seized castle.
Trenton ran forward, passing Smith who still stood his mouth agape. "Angela!"
Smith followed suit. At the other end of the hall the other door slid open to show the rather small, but efficient security force that was stationed on the Genesis Project. Trenton waved to them and continued down the hall. With an equally loud voice, Smith was calling for his wife: "Georgie!"
The corridor filled with men scrambling along, carrying guns and sticking heads in various doors. Smith made for the third door on the left immediately, wedging open the door with his body weight. The lighting was sparse and the hallway was washed in red as he stumbled back into the space leading his wife by the hand. She was as tall as he was, her brown hair matching the dull jumpsuit that she wore. Georgia held her head in her free hand, and her face was a mask of pain.
A short search of the area produced ten wives and three complete couples.
But no children.
And one unconscious strangely dressed stranger.
**
"Through here, Trisk, move it."
The solider bringing up the rear waved his gun over the heads of the children and all but prodded them with the business end of it as they piled through a service corridor. Four of the twelve children were crying, two were in hysterics and the others appeared to be too much in shock to do much more than march. The last child, the unaccountable, as Elaine Trisk had come to call the child, was the strange one. It walked with an air of calm and arrogance that only the most arrogant young children possessed.
"Ah.hold up, Marw."
Marw reached down to grab one of the young girls about the shoulder and nearly threw her over the door threshold. "Too much heart, that is what you have. Move it!"
"But."
"But nothing, Trisk.the only thing that matters is the Great Plan.the Great Assistance, which these chattel will help us accomplish."
Trisk nodded. She had signed onto this mission because she believed in the Plan. She believed in the Church.Eternal Light. She believed it with all her soul.
Looking down at the children she tried to forget their small questioning faces and trust. They were abominations. Cursed. Chattel, indeed.
Turning, Elaine glanced over her shoulder to check their backs and shoved one of the children over the door threshold.
**
"If I remember correctly," the Doctor called over his shoulder to Tegan and Turlough. "The bridge is either at one end of the station or the other. We'll just have to take our chances that it's at this end and not the other."
Tegan was just getting used to the lessened gravity and the ease with which she was able to accomplish a six foot stride. Her pride bubble was burst as the Time Lord turned a particularly quick right angle by holding onto a railing. She flew past the corridor turn only to be grabbed by the Doctor to anchor her and turn her with ease. He smiled and asked in what she thought was his infuriating manner: "Are you all right?"
"Perfectly. Just remember that I wasn't raised in space, Doctor."
"It's not a hard thing to do," Turlough called, landing from a stride and holding onto the railing. "You'll get used to it after a while."
Tegan frowned and balanced for a moment before joining the men in striding down the hall. As they turned another corridor, the Doctor tilted back his head and held a finger to his lips. "Shush."
"But we weren't saying anything," Tegan pointed out unnecessarily.
"Quiet," he warned and waved his hand in the air. Turlough tilted back his head as well, holding both hands in front of his crotch. After a few seconds he rolled his eyes. He heard it as well.the sound that the Doctor's stronger auditory system was hearing with increased acuity: a red alert alarm.
"Not us," he turned to the Doctor.
"I sincerely hope not," the Doctor answered, sighing. "But it could be my other self."
"Lord," Tegan whispered. "But why isn't that alarm sounding here."
The Doctor began to stride again and then slowed under a deactivated alarm speaker. With a smile, he fingered the sparked and blackened casing. "That, Turlough, looks to have been done with a sonic device."
Turlough glanced up at the casing and moved aside a slightly hanging panel. "A powerful one."
"Yes, quite," the Doctor answered, jumping slightly to bring his eyes level with the panel. "Looks rather like the damage caused by a sonic screwdriver."
Tegan brightened. "Like yours.er.used to be."
"Yes, well." the Doctor looked pained. "That's neither here nor there."
"But if it's a sonic screwdriver then that means it's one of your former selves, right?" Tegan pressed.
"Or one of my future selves, Tegan." He held up a finger before turning to walk down the hall again. "Mine might've been destroyed, but that doesn't mean that another didn't make one or acquire one later."
"Wonderful."
The Doctor reached out and pulled on Tegan's arm to get her moving down the hallway. "Come on, you two. This is obviously the way."
**
The future self that had caused the damage was, at that moment, slowly coming around. Before he opened his eyes, he could feel blood, both dried and wet, on his face, around one eye and down the bridge of his nose. His arms were also in a most uncomfortable position: tied behind his back across the spine of the metal chair.
"Doesn't look much like a space terrorist," one the guards said.
"I don't care what he looks like, I want answers as to what happened to my boy. And I'm quite sure that Smith wants answers about his daughters and the other guards want to know about their children as well. If he is responsible, I won't care what he looks like."
"I've had that said before.learned a long time ago that looks really hold no weight, although." the Doctor opened his eyes slowly. ".in certain circles.look, can you let my arms free so that I can tend to my wounds?"
"Your wounds?" Trenton shouted, leaning forward into the Doctor's face. "Your wounds? My child's missing and you're talking about a head wound?"
"Well, it is rather hard to keep my eyes open to talk with you with blood dripping into them," the Doctor muttered. "I understand about your emotions. They took my child as well."
"Your child?"
"Well.one in my charge who does mean a great deal to me. Not my biological child," the Doctor answered, blinking to keep the blood at bay.
"I don't believe him!" Smith shouted, pulling the gun and shoving it the Doctor's face, making him recoil ever so slightly.
"Believe the truth!" the Doctor answered loudly, the muscles and veins in his neck standing out. "They took Michael as well as your children. I only just arrived here when."
"Arrived?" Another guard pressed. "Arrived then? We have had no docking orders.no.communications."
The Doctor grimaced, his brown hair falling into his eyes. He blew out a breath and arched his back a little. The gun, however, did not move from his face. "The TARDIS, I'm afraid, never asks for permission." He grinned widely. "Quite a lot like me, the old girl is."
"He's daft."
The Doctor blinked his eyes again; his grin did not waver. "Look.release me and I'll show you I am telling the truth. I've pictures..er.old fashioned ones."
Trenton groaned, but a guard next to him grabbed his arm to pull Smith and he back. "Wait."
"Is the Captain on his way down?" Smith croaked.
"As fast as he can. He should be here any moment," the guard answered, shaking his head. He was the only unmarried, non-parent of the crew. "But I'm going to recommend that we throw this man in the brig. He might have information."
"Information! He might be responsible." Trenton growled.
"But if we kill him," the guard said, logically and sanely, "we won't find out anything anyway. Calm down.if we want to find your children, we have to keep calm."
"And you are a security officer, Johnson?" Smith spat out.
"Original schooling in philosophy and religion, sir." Johnson answered. "I won't let us kill him, but I'm not going to release him either."
**
Turlough rounded the corner only to be collared and pulled back by the Doctor. Ahead was a small group of men and women surrounding a man who was tied to a chair. The man wore a longish green coat and gray pants.
"Hmm.seems we've found the party," the Doctor stated under his breath. The corridor looked in shambles with papers, furniture and weeping men and women.
"The reason for the alarm?" Turlough asked, whispering back as he regained a place at the wall next to the Time Lord.
Tegan wormed past the two men and glanced around the corner much to the Doctor's chagrin. After a second, she leaned back around. "The one in the chair has got to be you, Doc.he's got your dress sense. Regency clothes in space."
The Doctor grimaced. "Quiet. What do you think happened here? Why did the alarms sound? What happened in that corridor?" he asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. He removed his hat and wrenched it between his hands. "And if you are correct, Tegan, what am I doing there and what I have got to do with this mess?"
Tegan shook her head. "And why are most of the adults crying? Something momentous must have happened."
"Exactly.why indeed," the Doctor half-pursed his lips in contemplation.
"So?" Turlough asked, glancing sideways at the Time Lord.
"We explore and investigate," the Doctor answered, turning around.
"Oh will we, mate?" answered a guard right behind him, holding a gun up in the Doctor's face. "Not on my watch, let's move."
Turlough immediately turned to walk along the corridor, his hands behind his neck. The Doctor glanced at Tegan as he went to do the same and found her glaring at the man with the gun. He twisted her by a hand at her back and sighed: "Now isn't the time to show your spirit, Tegan. Later. Our friend wants us to attend their little soirée and so we shall. Move along."
**
The man in the chair looked up at Turlough as he approached. There was a short flash in the man's eyes that showed recognition. Turlough seemed taken aback, and his worries were reinforced when in the next breath the man called out: "Turlough! So good to see you again!"
The fifth Doctor squinted and lowered his hands from his neck. The man behind him shoved and the tall Time Lord stumbled a few steps. He drew himself up as he neared the band. "Oh no."
Tegan appeared around the fifth Doctor and glanced at the Doctor in the chair. "You?"
"Most definitely."
"Undoubtedly." The stranger in the chair said quietly. After a tight swallow, he continued: "Hello again, Tegan."
The Captain, who had arrived minutes before shook his head as if to clear it. "I want these four prisoners in the Central Brig five minutes ago. I'll be in to interrogate them soon."
The eighth Doctor glanced up at the fifth and with a small nod to the side asked: "I don't suppose they will employ the mind probe, do you think?"
**
Disclaimer: It all belongs to BBC. I just use it to stretch the imagination. I don't make any money from this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Morality? A discourse on morality? You stand here and give me. Me! A lecture on morality, Zoe? It should rather be legality, young lady. Something might be illegal, but it can be as far from immoral as can be. Do not confuse the two. Illegal is a commentary on a species' ability to level laws to construct their society; immoral is something like a crime against self. Society- self two concepts as different as your Sun and your Moon. Now, run along.find Jamie.
Second Doctor to Zoe.
Smith back wheeled as he came around the corner into the personnel wing. Trenton followed him into the wide corridor and skirted to one side. A simple gasp and not a physical recoil, however, managed his shock. The corridor, and what rooms they could see, were torn apart. Items of errant clothing, broken furniture, and scattered food supplies all spilled from the doors and littered the hallway like the remnants of a wild party.
Or a ransacked and seized castle.
Trenton ran forward, passing Smith who still stood his mouth agape. "Angela!"
Smith followed suit. At the other end of the hall the other door slid open to show the rather small, but efficient security force that was stationed on the Genesis Project. Trenton waved to them and continued down the hall. With an equally loud voice, Smith was calling for his wife: "Georgie!"
The corridor filled with men scrambling along, carrying guns and sticking heads in various doors. Smith made for the third door on the left immediately, wedging open the door with his body weight. The lighting was sparse and the hallway was washed in red as he stumbled back into the space leading his wife by the hand. She was as tall as he was, her brown hair matching the dull jumpsuit that she wore. Georgia held her head in her free hand, and her face was a mask of pain.
A short search of the area produced ten wives and three complete couples.
But no children.
And one unconscious strangely dressed stranger.
**
"Through here, Trisk, move it."
The solider bringing up the rear waved his gun over the heads of the children and all but prodded them with the business end of it as they piled through a service corridor. Four of the twelve children were crying, two were in hysterics and the others appeared to be too much in shock to do much more than march. The last child, the unaccountable, as Elaine Trisk had come to call the child, was the strange one. It walked with an air of calm and arrogance that only the most arrogant young children possessed.
"Ah.hold up, Marw."
Marw reached down to grab one of the young girls about the shoulder and nearly threw her over the door threshold. "Too much heart, that is what you have. Move it!"
"But."
"But nothing, Trisk.the only thing that matters is the Great Plan.the Great Assistance, which these chattel will help us accomplish."
Trisk nodded. She had signed onto this mission because she believed in the Plan. She believed in the Church.Eternal Light. She believed it with all her soul.
Looking down at the children she tried to forget their small questioning faces and trust. They were abominations. Cursed. Chattel, indeed.
Turning, Elaine glanced over her shoulder to check their backs and shoved one of the children over the door threshold.
**
"If I remember correctly," the Doctor called over his shoulder to Tegan and Turlough. "The bridge is either at one end of the station or the other. We'll just have to take our chances that it's at this end and not the other."
Tegan was just getting used to the lessened gravity and the ease with which she was able to accomplish a six foot stride. Her pride bubble was burst as the Time Lord turned a particularly quick right angle by holding onto a railing. She flew past the corridor turn only to be grabbed by the Doctor to anchor her and turn her with ease. He smiled and asked in what she thought was his infuriating manner: "Are you all right?"
"Perfectly. Just remember that I wasn't raised in space, Doctor."
"It's not a hard thing to do," Turlough called, landing from a stride and holding onto the railing. "You'll get used to it after a while."
Tegan frowned and balanced for a moment before joining the men in striding down the hall. As they turned another corridor, the Doctor tilted back his head and held a finger to his lips. "Shush."
"But we weren't saying anything," Tegan pointed out unnecessarily.
"Quiet," he warned and waved his hand in the air. Turlough tilted back his head as well, holding both hands in front of his crotch. After a few seconds he rolled his eyes. He heard it as well.the sound that the Doctor's stronger auditory system was hearing with increased acuity: a red alert alarm.
"Not us," he turned to the Doctor.
"I sincerely hope not," the Doctor answered, sighing. "But it could be my other self."
"Lord," Tegan whispered. "But why isn't that alarm sounding here."
The Doctor began to stride again and then slowed under a deactivated alarm speaker. With a smile, he fingered the sparked and blackened casing. "That, Turlough, looks to have been done with a sonic device."
Turlough glanced up at the casing and moved aside a slightly hanging panel. "A powerful one."
"Yes, quite," the Doctor answered, jumping slightly to bring his eyes level with the panel. "Looks rather like the damage caused by a sonic screwdriver."
Tegan brightened. "Like yours.er.used to be."
"Yes, well." the Doctor looked pained. "That's neither here nor there."
"But if it's a sonic screwdriver then that means it's one of your former selves, right?" Tegan pressed.
"Or one of my future selves, Tegan." He held up a finger before turning to walk down the hall again. "Mine might've been destroyed, but that doesn't mean that another didn't make one or acquire one later."
"Wonderful."
The Doctor reached out and pulled on Tegan's arm to get her moving down the hallway. "Come on, you two. This is obviously the way."
**
The future self that had caused the damage was, at that moment, slowly coming around. Before he opened his eyes, he could feel blood, both dried and wet, on his face, around one eye and down the bridge of his nose. His arms were also in a most uncomfortable position: tied behind his back across the spine of the metal chair.
"Doesn't look much like a space terrorist," one the guards said.
"I don't care what he looks like, I want answers as to what happened to my boy. And I'm quite sure that Smith wants answers about his daughters and the other guards want to know about their children as well. If he is responsible, I won't care what he looks like."
"I've had that said before.learned a long time ago that looks really hold no weight, although." the Doctor opened his eyes slowly. ".in certain circles.look, can you let my arms free so that I can tend to my wounds?"
"Your wounds?" Trenton shouted, leaning forward into the Doctor's face. "Your wounds? My child's missing and you're talking about a head wound?"
"Well, it is rather hard to keep my eyes open to talk with you with blood dripping into them," the Doctor muttered. "I understand about your emotions. They took my child as well."
"Your child?"
"Well.one in my charge who does mean a great deal to me. Not my biological child," the Doctor answered, blinking to keep the blood at bay.
"I don't believe him!" Smith shouted, pulling the gun and shoving it the Doctor's face, making him recoil ever so slightly.
"Believe the truth!" the Doctor answered loudly, the muscles and veins in his neck standing out. "They took Michael as well as your children. I only just arrived here when."
"Arrived?" Another guard pressed. "Arrived then? We have had no docking orders.no.communications."
The Doctor grimaced, his brown hair falling into his eyes. He blew out a breath and arched his back a little. The gun, however, did not move from his face. "The TARDIS, I'm afraid, never asks for permission." He grinned widely. "Quite a lot like me, the old girl is."
"He's daft."
The Doctor blinked his eyes again; his grin did not waver. "Look.release me and I'll show you I am telling the truth. I've pictures..er.old fashioned ones."
Trenton groaned, but a guard next to him grabbed his arm to pull Smith and he back. "Wait."
"Is the Captain on his way down?" Smith croaked.
"As fast as he can. He should be here any moment," the guard answered, shaking his head. He was the only unmarried, non-parent of the crew. "But I'm going to recommend that we throw this man in the brig. He might have information."
"Information! He might be responsible." Trenton growled.
"But if we kill him," the guard said, logically and sanely, "we won't find out anything anyway. Calm down.if we want to find your children, we have to keep calm."
"And you are a security officer, Johnson?" Smith spat out.
"Original schooling in philosophy and religion, sir." Johnson answered. "I won't let us kill him, but I'm not going to release him either."
**
Turlough rounded the corner only to be collared and pulled back by the Doctor. Ahead was a small group of men and women surrounding a man who was tied to a chair. The man wore a longish green coat and gray pants.
"Hmm.seems we've found the party," the Doctor stated under his breath. The corridor looked in shambles with papers, furniture and weeping men and women.
"The reason for the alarm?" Turlough asked, whispering back as he regained a place at the wall next to the Time Lord.
Tegan wormed past the two men and glanced around the corner much to the Doctor's chagrin. After a second, she leaned back around. "The one in the chair has got to be you, Doc.he's got your dress sense. Regency clothes in space."
The Doctor grimaced. "Quiet. What do you think happened here? Why did the alarms sound? What happened in that corridor?" he asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. He removed his hat and wrenched it between his hands. "And if you are correct, Tegan, what am I doing there and what I have got to do with this mess?"
Tegan shook her head. "And why are most of the adults crying? Something momentous must have happened."
"Exactly.why indeed," the Doctor half-pursed his lips in contemplation.
"So?" Turlough asked, glancing sideways at the Time Lord.
"We explore and investigate," the Doctor answered, turning around.
"Oh will we, mate?" answered a guard right behind him, holding a gun up in the Doctor's face. "Not on my watch, let's move."
Turlough immediately turned to walk along the corridor, his hands behind his neck. The Doctor glanced at Tegan as he went to do the same and found her glaring at the man with the gun. He twisted her by a hand at her back and sighed: "Now isn't the time to show your spirit, Tegan. Later. Our friend wants us to attend their little soirée and so we shall. Move along."
**
The man in the chair looked up at Turlough as he approached. There was a short flash in the man's eyes that showed recognition. Turlough seemed taken aback, and his worries were reinforced when in the next breath the man called out: "Turlough! So good to see you again!"
The fifth Doctor squinted and lowered his hands from his neck. The man behind him shoved and the tall Time Lord stumbled a few steps. He drew himself up as he neared the band. "Oh no."
Tegan appeared around the fifth Doctor and glanced at the Doctor in the chair. "You?"
"Most definitely."
"Undoubtedly." The stranger in the chair said quietly. After a tight swallow, he continued: "Hello again, Tegan."
The Captain, who had arrived minutes before shook his head as if to clear it. "I want these four prisoners in the Central Brig five minutes ago. I'll be in to interrogate them soon."
The eighth Doctor glanced up at the fifth and with a small nod to the side asked: "I don't suppose they will employ the mind probe, do you think?"
**