Disclaimer
This is an Alternative Doctor Who story. All rights belong to the BBC. I am only borrowing the characters for a while and will put them back where they belong when I'm finished. No flames please, only constructive criticism
Doctor Who - Rebirth
The casino on Alderas 2 was packed to the rafters and Ultimus Prime was pleased. The more punters walked into his casino, the more money he could make, the better his chances of paying off his creditors.
Prime was born on Earth. His parents ran most of the illegal activities for more than three decades before they were forced to flee after their biggest scam exploded in their faces. As they moved from place to place dodging authorities and Daleks alike, they began to wonder if any place was safe. Then they landed on Alderas 2.
Alderas 2 was like the wild west of the nineteenth century. It was completely lawless with gangs marauding the planet stealing from any unfortunate enough to crash land. His Mother and Father were savagely beaten and tortured in front of his eyes before being killed. He was about to suffer the same fate before he was rescued by Icol, a giant with savage features but a sensitive nature. He took Prime in, treated his wounds and became his bodyguard, adviser and right hand man all in one.
With him at his side, Prime began to stamp his authority on the planet. He pulled the gangs together and started to turn them into an organised criminal unit. Then dodging first the corporations, then the Space Marines, he began setting up his empire.
His main love was the casino. He had started it from scratch and turned it and the area surrounding it into the second Las Vegas with mug punters flocking there from across the galaxy. He loved watching the old adage 'a fool and his money are soon parted' being proved time and time again.
However, this man dressed in a penguin suit was not a mug punter. He entered with a red headed woman wearing a long white dress and began winning at every game that he participated in. Now he was on the roulette wheel and winning a great deal of money. Prime watched the screen in fascination. He was annoyed that this person was taking him to the cleaners, yet there was something about him he liked. His nerve, that was it, he liked his nerve. His concentration was disturbed by the sound of his manager crashing into his office.
"I told you to knock!" Prime retorted.
"Sorry, Mr Prime, but we have an emergency."
"I've guessed that already," Prime said glancing at the screen "The question is what do you plan to do about it?"
"Close down the wheel," The Manager offered.
"What a novel idea. Why don't we close down the entire casino while we're at it." Prime got to his feet "Set up the ultimate challenge."
"Are you sure?"
"Better than being taken to the cleaners. Set it up."
The Manager nodded and hurriedly left the office. Prime allowed himself a smile. It had been two years since there had been an ultimate challenge. He hadn't lost one yet and he wasn't about to lose one now.
"John, you've got enough!"
Jackie Lowell was becoming nervous. She was becoming more and more concerned by John's fever pitched attempt to wipe out Ultimus Prime. She didn't know why except that he had a score to settle from an earlier life. Whatever that meant.
Jackie was an actress who had just had her hit show 'Living Together' axed due to falling ratings. On the day the show was axed she met John whilst drowning her sorrows in a Los Angeles bar. He seemed charming, witty and debonair and they hit it off instantly. What she didn't know was that he was some sort of intergalactic troubleshooter who is in Los Angeles to prevent a master criminal turning the city into a bankrupt hole in the ground by stealing all its money and flattening it with a nuclear device. The ultimate revenge for a man who had been robbed of his business by a combination of the FBI and the city financiers. After helping him stop the man, Jackie decided that life on Earth held nothing for her. So she accompanied him on his travels. Which at that moment seemed to be a bad career move as she watched John, without any fear, place the chips on number 32 red. She watched the ball spin around the roulette wheel and closed her eyes whilst muttering a prayer as the ball slowed down and headed for its home. The loud cheer made her open her eyes. The ball was nestling in 32 Red. The cheer then turned into pandemonium with everybody whistling, clapping and cheering as the chips were stacked in front of John. The only person who wasn't amazed was John amazed.
"Jackie, help me with the chips," He said getting up.
Jackie breathed a sigh of relief as she helped scoop up the chips. This action stopped when Ultimus Prime himself appeared at the table. The clapping and cheering halted as expectation grew. They knew that Prime wasn't going to stand for such a loss.
"Ladies and gentleman, I would like to congratulate our friend on a fine win. Because of the skill he showed tonight it is my privilege to offer a challenge."
The audience began to mutter. It was the ultimate challenge. They knew that in the five times that Ultimus Prime had offered this battle of wills, he had won all five challenges. Jackie grasped John's hand as tight as she could.
"The game is 'Conquest'."
Theatrically the lights came on to reveal a three-dimensional map of the planet Earth.
"As you can see, the planet Earth has four distinguishable continents. All of them has monetary value. For example, the country called the United States Of America has a value of five million credits."
The outline of the United States was enhanced with its value emblazoned in gold across the middle.
"This is like that James Bond movie," Jackie commented.
"Thunderball" John finished.
Jackie thought for a moment.
"Are you sure? I thought it was Never Say Never Again."
John smiled and placed a knowing arm around Jackie's shoulders. It was never too late to learn.
"Never Say Never Again was a remake of Thunderball."
Jackie thought again and clicked her fingers theatrically.
"So it was."
John, oblivious to Jackie's sarcasm, held a finger to Jackie's lips. He could see that the description had reached an interesting stage.
"The game is quite simple," Prime sat down in one of the chairs to the right of the three-dimensional map.
"Each player takes turn to attack a country occupied by your opponent. The winner will gain the money that each country is worth. The loser will have to pay a price."
John and Jackie had could see that Prime was looking at them with a certain amount of interest. Jackie in particular was gaining a great deal of attention. She smiled uncomfortably as Prime's eyes lingered on her body.
"The winner will be the person who claims all territory, the loser will lose everything."
Jackie shivered. From the way Prime was looking at her, everything would mean everything.
"I accept." John said.
Jackie looked at him in astonishment.
"I'll be all right." he said reassuringly.
As he took the seat opposite Prime, Jackie again offered up a silent prayer. She moved to a position behind John, trying to give him all the moral support she could. He wasn't only gambling with his life, he was gambling with hers as well, and she was in no position to argue about it.
An hour later, her heart was in her mouth. Despite giving it his best shot, John was losing. What was worse, the pain that he was experiencing every time he lost a country was becoming more pronounced. She moved behind Prime. She could feel that he was cheating in some way. John's reflexes were usually excellent. At the present moment however, he was lucky to be still in the game with one major card left. Jackie wanted to know how Prime was doing it.
"I fancy some coffee." Prime said winking confidently at Jackie "Let's try Brazil."
Jackie saw that the country was worth one million credits. She watched John place his hands firmly on the joystick and give it all that he had. Prime won it, even though Jackie was convinced that John had scored more hits than Prime. She could see John cling onto the joystick and could feel the surge of electricity charge through his body. She willed John to let go, but could see that his pride wasn't going to let him do that. Then she saw how Prime was doing it. She could see a button under his right foot which changed things when things got sticky. Deciding to stop him somehow, she wrapped her arms around Prime as if changing sides whilst at the same time mouthing to John 'Trust me'.
"Looks like you've lost your girlfriend," Prime gloated.
"No big loss" John said unkindly "She was just a small time actress in a second rate American show."
"How dare you!" Jackie snapped.
In making to reach for John, she 'accidentally' kicked Prime's foot and pressed the button with her foot. The hologram began to go haywire, giving off massive electric charges on both sides of the table. Jackie could see that John was in a great deal of pain but was just holding on. Seconds almost became hours as both men, their egos refusing to budge an inch, continued to hold on. Eventually, as John was about to release, Prime lost his grip and almost fell backwards to get away. John, despite the pain he was feeling, took his hand away slowly.
"I think you owe me twenty million credits," he said calmly.
"I was distracted by your girlfriend," Prime returned "This match is void."
"Then you still owe me ten million credits, unless you care to go again."
Prime looked at the blister on his hand and then the calm look in John's eyes.
"Give him the money."
The place erupted with celebration. Both John and Jackie were hugged and given a slap on the back by jubilant punters who had seen history being made. After all this was the first time that Ultimus Prime had been held to a draw.
As he watched John being handed his money, Prime called Icol over.
"Bring me back their heads," Prime scowled with venom "Nobody does that to Ultimus Prime and gets away with it."
Icol bowed and moved away. Out of earshot he muttered.
"Of course not, nobody humiliates Ultimus Prime."
Quite liking his sarcastic wit, the big man chuckled.
Jackie had a hell of a job getting John to their hotel room. As they walked through the Alderas night, John had insisted that he was going to be all right, he was only tired because of the exertion that his body had taken.
"You had several thousands of volts go through your body, nobody could survive that." Jackie told him.
"I've had worse."
It was then that he stumbled for the first time. Jackie hauled him to his feet and shook him. A brief second passed before John stirred.
"Are you all right, John?"
"I'm fine."
To prove it, he touched his toes and then jogged on the spot. Then he started walking briskly. Jackie shook her head in concern and caught up with him. Somebody who was trying that hard to impress was in a great deal of trouble. She had seen the signs before when her ex husband tried to make out that he wasn't drunk when anybody could see that he was pissed as a newt.
Now three collapses and sixty long minutes later, Jackie had managed with the help of a concerned bell-boy to get John to their room.
"I can handle it now," She told the bell-boy.
"Are you sure? He looks pretty gone to me."
"Quite sure."
She took out her purse and give the bell-boy a hundred credits, enough to make eyes pop out of his head.
"If you need anything...."
"I'll call for you."
Jackie shooed him away abruptly and then locked the door. Seeing John trying to get to his feet, she rushed over and guided him to a chair.
"Where are we?" He stammered painfully.
"The hotel room."
He tried to get up, but Jackie pushed him back down again.
"We have to get out of here," John protested.
"We will after you've rested. I'm going to take you over to the bed now. I want you to stay there until you are properly rested."
"You don't understand,"
John struggled to get up but Jackie forced him back down again.
"Ultimus Prime will try to get his money back," He said "We have to leave now."
"I can handle Ultimus Prime. Now, are you going to rest or do I have to tie you down?"
John looked into Jackie's eyes and saw that she meant business. Conceding that there was no point in arguing with her, he let her take him to the bedroom. Then without fuss, he allowed her to take of his jacket, shoes, socks and trousers and help him into bed.
"Promise me you wont move."
"Promise me you wont do anything stupid," John croaked painfully.
"Scouts honour."
"Then I promise as well."
John settled down into bed and took Jackie's hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze and waited patiently for him to drop off to sleep before gently releasing her grip. She kissed him on the forehead.
"I'm not going to do anything stupid," Jackie whispered "but, we are going to need some help."
She picked up his jacket and went through all the pockets, taking out all the little nick-nacks that John had collected over the years. Eventually she found what she wanted - a small antique ring with an emerald acting as its centrepiece. She tapped it three times and then replaced it in John's pocket.
"Forgive me, John!"
She sat down in a chair opposite him, vowing not to fall asleep. She was going to be the last line of defence in case anybody tried to hurt them.
Ace threw the stone into the calm river and watched it skip three times before disappearing into the lake. She didn't know why the Doctor had made a particular point of returning to Earth at the end of the twentieth century. She thought she had finally got rid of the era. The twenty fifth century had brought her new life. She had killed Daleks in their droves. She had combatted and defeated most of lives nasties - both physical and mental. However, returning to the twentieth century and its memories still made her shudder.
She got to her feet and replaced her wrap-around shades and began walking. She still wore her combat suit, but had it toned down on the Doctor's advice. He was worried that the sight of wrist computers and laser rifles would have them stopped by every cop from London to Sydney in fear that they were terrorists plotting to blow up the House Of Commons or the White House. Ace chuckled about that one. She had forgotten about the paranoia that afflicted the era. She had forgotten that even the slightest cold had people jumping up and down in fear that they had caught some incurable disease. She had forgotten that people had beaten up innocent actors because they had played characters that had threatened physical harm to their favourite soap characters. With all that going on she decided she was better off out of it. She approached the station she was due to meet Bernice with her mind clear.
Professor Bernice Summerfield on the other hand was having the time of her life. This place was an archeologists dream. She had heard that twentieth century Earth was the era of adventure, invention and trouble. She had already seen enough to make the mouth water, like the steam train that she had just got off. She saw Ace step onto the platform and waved to her. Ace walked casually towards her and saw the puppy dog look on the Professor's face.
"Enjoy yourself?" She asked when they met.
"Marvellous!" Bernice said "I can now see why little boys wanted to be train drivers when they grew up."
"I didn't!" Ace replied.
They began walking towards the exit.
"Where did the Doctor say we should meet him?" Bernice asked.
"That pub we passed on our way here," Ace answered "You're buying."
Ace quickened her speed. Bernice shook her head and then chased after her.
This was the first time the Doctor had attended the funeral of a beloved friend. He could have attended the funeral of any of his friends at any time, but this particular person was special. It was this woman and the grey haired man standing opposite him with his head bowed in grief that made him release that he had a duty to protect Earth and to get involved in events that he would never had got involved in under any circumstances. Their relationship got a little tempestuous at times, but when the chips were down, her bravery and skill always pulled them through. He trusted Barbara Wright in the same way he trusted the rest of his companions. As he began to walk away he heard the grey haired man call out to him. He stopped and allowed Ian Chesterton to catch up with him.
"Thank you for coming, Doctor."
"She meant too much to me to miss this."
The two men walked down the pathway leading out of the graveyard united in their grief.
"How did you know it was me?" The Doctor asked.
Ian smiled.
"You may have changed appearance, but your mannerisms haven't. You still have that arrogance that so annoyed me."
The Doctor nodded with a smile. He was a little aloof when he was younger. It had something to do with his mounting isolationism amongst his own people and his protective nature where Susan was concerned. He trusted nobody then.
"A lot has changed since then. I've changed, both physically and in my attitude to life."
The alarm in his watch went off. He looked at it and switched it off.
"Sorry about this. Your fellow man has just pressed the self destruct button again."
As the Doctor hurried out of the graveyard, Ian grinned and shook his head knowingly.
"No Doctor, you haven't changed. You never will change."
Icol entered the hotel and looked at the lush splendour of the interior. The ceilings he thought would not be out of place in the stately homes Prime had shown him in a book from Earth. He wondered how a race so war-like could build things of such beauty. Then he realised that Earth people and his race were not so different. They were both keen in getting involved in a scrap but, had such an artistic streak that they created such masterpieces out of the ruins created by their weapons. He walked up to the reception desk and saw that the Manager had seen him and was cowering with fright. Good, he thought, that will make him more manageable.
"Mr Icol," The Manager stammered "How good it is to see you."
"Don't worry, Lucas. I'm not here to remind of your debt to Mr Prime. I just want some information."
"Anything."
Icol laughed inwardly. Prime was right about Lucas, he would sell his own grandmother to save his own skin.
"I would like the room number of Doctor John Smith and Miss Jackie Lowell."
"Why do you want that?"
"They took something belonging to Mr Prime, he wants it back."
The Manager looked nervously around him and then showed him the book.
"Miss Lowell and my Bell-Boy had to carry Doctor Smith to his room, he had a little bit too much vinol."
"In your opinion?"
The Manager nodded. Icol patted the Manager on the cheek.
"This will be remembered."
Icol moved away from the desk and the Manager breathed a sigh of relief. He signalled to his assistant to take over and then hastily departed.
"What's the matter with him?" A Female Clerk asked.
The Assistant held his nose and made a face.
"He hasn't!"
"He has!"
They both burst into uncontrollable laughter.
The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into the alleyway. He took in the depravity and smiled a superior smile. Benny, on the other hand, could smell the overpowering stench of evil. She had seen and even tolerated the sickness on this type of planet before, but never in this quantity.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"Alderas 2."
"So that's why this stench is in the air."
Ace stepped out of the TARDIS and took in the air. This was her scene. She could sense the bad guys and with bad guys goes action, adventure and danger. She could do with all three right now.
"We're not here to have fun," The Doctor warned.
As the Doctor strode away, both Bernice and Ace could see the urgency in his stride. There may be plenty of action, adventure and danger, but this was going to be no picnic either. The Doctor was in one of his moods and when that happened, heaps of trouble usually followed.
With that chilling thought Ace and Bernice followed.
Jackie looked at John sleeping peacefully and saw that he was like a child who had finally settled down for the night. She watched him curl up in the foetus and got to her feet. Hearing him muttering something, she sat beside and stroked his gently.
"It's okay," She whispered "Mummy's here."
Not that it made much difference to his condition. Whatever was causing this had worsened to the point where she didn't know what to do. Without John she was alone on a planet where everybody was a threat. She wished that John had never gone off on this personal crusade. She wished that he had never dragged her into this. It wasn't fair on her.
Seeing that John had calmed down, Jackie could feel herself relaxing and the more she relaxed, the more she began to realise that she hadn't slept for more than forty eight hours. She had been too scared to sleep. She had been convinced that some lunatic was going to break in and slit her throat while she slept. John had promised her that they would leave once he had hurt Ultimus Prime. However, he was in no state to go anywhere. Even so, she felt herself closing her eyes and forced herself to stay awake.
"Must stay awake," She told herself "John needs me."
She got to her feet and began to walk around, each step becoming more laboured the tireder she felt.
"Come on Jackie Lowell, you've got to stay awake."
On hearing the sound of breaking glass she stopped walking and strained to listen. She could hear the door being opened and felt her heart pound. Being born and bred in New York, she had developed a habit of carrying a gun in her purse, something that John had ticked her off about on more than one occasion. She reached for her purse and opened it up. She took out the gun - a Smith and Weston circa 1991 and checked that it was loaded. Any bastard who tried to get in here was in for a rude awakening, she thought.
Prime watched Icol ease the door open and step inside. Following the big man inside he looked around and began to get the feeling that he had seen these belongings before.
"Are you sure this is the place?" He whispered.
Icol nodded and held his finger to his lips. Signalling that Prime kept behind him, he moved slowly to the only closed door in the whole room. Sensing that somebody was waiting for them with a weapon, Icol decided that the best approach would be a lightening attack.
"Stay back," He mouthed to Prime.
With that, he forced the door open.....
"Gunshots!"
The Doctor, Ace and Bernice stopped dead in their tracks as the echo of six shots bounced around the alleyway they were in.
"From up there."
The Doctor pointed up to an open window and was immediately breaking into a run. Ace and Bernice followed, Ace keeping her hand close to her side arm for safety reasons.
The bullets had been flicked away as if they were flies. Even then Jackie had no time to gape in wonderment at the marvel she had just seen, they were under attack. She launched into the big man and rocked him backwards. She tried to follow up with a quick knee to the groin but found that the big man had recovered from her initial attack. He caught her leg and threw her backwards, he then tried to follow up but Jackie rolled out of the way from his lunging attack and trapped his legs in a scissor lock, she twisted hard and watched the big man fall to the floor. She picked herself up and prepared to deliver the final blow.
"Enough!"
She could see that Prime was holding a weapon to John's head and saw that he was quite willing to fire it. Reluctantly she stepped back from the attack and allowed Icol to stand up.
"Where's my money?"
"We won that fair and square," Jackie protested.
Prime nestled the weapon in John's ear.
"The money."
Jackie looked at John and saw that he was in no position to help. His breathing had become more laboured and if he didn't get help soon he would die.
"If I give you the money will you get help for Doctor Smith?"
"Of course."
Jackie looked into Prime's eyes and knew that she couldn't trust him to keep his word. However, she had no choice. She threw her purse to Prime and he caught it like a cricketer making a safe catch.
"It's all in there, now help my friend."
"Icol, take them both to my special infirmary."
Icol looked blankly at Prime for a moment and then smiled knowingly.
The Doctor approached the reception and doffed his hat.
"Doctor John Smith and Miss Jackie Lowell, what room are they in?" He asked.
"Who wants to know?"
Ace took out her weapon and placed it to the receptionists ear. The man swallowed and then flicked through the ledger.
"Room 617."
"Thank you," Ace commented sarcastically.
The Doctor and Bernice virtually pulled Ace away from the desk.
"Did you have to do that?" The Doctor scolded as they headed for the lift.
"You needed an answer to your question, that was the quickest way to get it."
"I think you and I are going to have a long chat when this is over," The Doctor promised. Seconds later the other lift door opened and Prime, Icol and Jackie walked out. Icol was carrying John leaving Prime to cover Jackie with his laser pistol.
Stopping the Doctor and Bernice from entering, Ace primed her weapon and entered very carefully. After briefly looking around, she signalled the Doctor and Bernice to enter.
"Is she always going to do this?" The Doctor complained.
"It's the military mind," Bernice answered "Ace just wants to be in control."
The Doctor frowned at the thought and began searching the room.
"What are we looking for Prof?" Ace asked.
"Anything anachronistic."
Ace headed towards the bath cubicle whilst Bernice went into the bedroom.
The first thing that Bernice noticed on entering the bedroom was that the door had been forced open. The second thing that she noticed was that the bedroom was a tip. The bed was a mess, there was broken furniture and there was smashed crockery. All the signs of a brief but devastating fight. There was also the acrid smell of gunfire which Bernice tried to forget as she looked around. Her eyes fastened onto a small metallic shape lying underneath the window. Crouching down she could see for the first time that it was an old fashioned handgun.
"Doctor!"
The Doctor entered hurriedly with Ace close behind. Bernice carefully picked the gun up and handed it to the Doctor. He examined it and sniffed the barrel.
"Recently fired," The Doctor pronounced.
"Must be what fired the shots we heard," Ace said.
The Doctor nodded his agreement prompting Ace to look around the bedroom with her trained eyes. She crouched down and picked up an empty bullet which she handed to the Doctor. The Doctor examined the find carefully whilst Ace and Bernice, without instruction, attempted to find the other six bullets. Finding all of them they handed them to the Doctor who examined them one by one.
"Can't have been a very good shot," Bernice commented.
"Jackie Lowell was a very good shot," The Doctor returned.
He handed Bernice handed the weapon.
"Pretend to fire at me."
Bernice shrugged and went to where Jackie would have fired from if she were Jackie. The Doctor took up a karate pose and, as Bernice fired pretend shots, flicked them away with lightning speed.
"That's impossible," Ace said "Nobody's got that fast a reaction, at least one bullet would have got through."
"Under normal circumstances, yes," The Doctor answered "But if you train your mind to act instinctively, you could become virtually indestructible."
"That's terrifying," Bernice said.
The Doctor nodded his agreement thoughtfully.
"There's only one other person I know with such reactions."
"Who?" Bernice asked.
"A member of a dying breed that calls themselves 'The Gozan Knights'. If I'm right, then Doctor Smith and Miss Lowell could be in a great deal of trouble."
"So what do we do?" Ace asked.
"We find out if anybody has seen a tall black man with white robes."
The Doctor hurriedly departed from the bedroom leaving Ace and Bernice looking at each other.
"That's perfectly clear, Doctor," Bernice commented sarcastically as she and Ace followed him out."
As the cell door shut, Jackie pummelled her fists on it.
"You bastards," she shouted "you promised to help John."
She gave the door one more savage kick and then went to sit beside John. She could see that his breathing was becoming more and more laboured and felt totally and utterly useless. The only thing she could do was keep him warm and hope that Prime somehow developed a conscience. The chances of that were as good as her returning back to her comfortable Los Angeles apartment.
"Jackie!" John's voice sounded croaky and weak.
"You must rest."
"No time, we must leave."
"We're not going anywhere."
John sat himself up and saw a distressingly familiar sight: A locked door.
"I see what you mean."
With Jackie's help, he lay back down again. He grasped her hand and squeezed it.
"I'm not going to make it, Jackie."
"I'm a little too scared for melodramatics at this moment."
John smiled. As usual Jackie's spiky manner got to the heart of the matter. That was probably why he liked being with her. She was practical and level headed, not a screamer like most of his other male and female companions. He wished she had managed to get through to his thick skull the dangers of what he was attempting. But his desire to put Ultimus Prime in his place after he had wrecked the life of his oldest friend and contributed to his suicide, had almost certainly cost him his life and may have cost Jackie hers. He could regenerate, but Jackie couldn't.
"This has to be done," He said "I'm past the point of no return."
"Rubbish!"
John took a deep breath and carried on.
"I will not die the normal way, I will be reborn."
"Get a new body?"
John nodded tiredly. He was feeling the energy slip away from him and he knew that Jackie could feel it as well.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Jackie joked bravely.
John squeezed Jackie's hand tighter. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.
"Look after my new self," John asked "make sure I don't come to any harm."
"You're serious aren't you?"
"Please Jackie, promise me."
Jackie closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She found that even that couldn't stop the tears flowing down her cheeks.
"I promise," she choked.
John released his grip and lay down flat on his back. Without even being asked, Jackie stepped back, her face reddened with tears.
"It feels different this time," John whispered.
His eyes widened in surprise, which then turned into a broad smile.
"Corpus Kanai, would you believe it! I'm experiencing Corpus Kanai."
"What's Corpus Kanai?" Jackie asked.
She could see it was already too late. John was hardly breathing. She was about to step closer when suddenly an aura of light appeared around his body. The light grew stronger and stronger, its intensity causing Jackie to turn away. The split second it died down, Jackie turned around to see a slightly smaller body, still dressed in John's shirt and underwear. Jackie stepped nervously closer, her heart pounding, her pulse racing, her mind in a spin.
"John?"
The new body sat up, seemingly full of energy and almost definitely female as suggested by the breasts which Johns shirt only barely covered.
"You must be Jackie." She said in a broad Scottish accent.
Jackie looked at the new body in bewilderment. What she was seeing physically impossible. Nobody can change from a dark haired man to a well built brown-haired woman just like that.
The woman jumped to her feet and began looking around the cell.
"Got ourselves locked in again. Soon put that right."
The woman patted around her body and coloured slightly after noticing her state of undress.
"You haven't seen my screwdriver have you?"
"It was destroyed by the Dren," Jackie answered.
"Destructive lot those Dren. Must remember to do something about them," The woman chuckled "That rhymed. I actually got something to rhyme."
The woman saw Jackie's face and stopped dead.
"What's wrong?"
"I think Corpus Kanai has happened."
"You're kidding."
The woman undid John's shirt and felt her newly formed breasts. She then slipped John's underwear down enough to see the incriminating evidence. She looked at Jackie and then slid back down onto the bed.
"John?" Jackie said.
"I think it might be prudent if you stopped calling me 'John'. The natives might get a little confused."
Jackie took the woman's hands and looked into her eyes. John's mischievous twinkle was still there.
The Doctor could see that Ultimus Prime was in charge. Everybody he questioned kept him or herself aloof of all of Prime's activities, mainly out of fear of retribution.
"He's an old fashioned gangster," The Doctor said in a quiet moment "The type that terrorises weak people and laughs while he's doing it."
Ace took a sip of ale and looked reflectively into the froth.
"So what do we do now?"
"We're going into the lions den," The Doctor said "You and Bernice around the back, me through the front."
Both Bernice and Ace knew exactly what The Doctor was planning. It was a tremendous risk, but, what else could be done.
"We'll get them back to the TARDIS and then come back for you," Ace said.
"You just be careful," Bernice added.
"I plan to be," The Doctor smiled.
Somehow both Ace and Bernice believed him. He had that look of mischief in his eyes and that usually meant somebody was in for it.
Jackie saw the new 'John' breathing peacefully as she slept and wondered what fate had in store for her. If they got out of this cell, they still had to escape Prime's clutches. Difficult under any circumstances, but, in John's current condition, nigh on impossible now. Even if the miracle was possible, Jackie had seen enough of the new 'John' to know that life wasn't going to be the same. She heard the door open and saw Prime and Icol enter. They looked at the sleeping form of 'John' and went over to examine the body.
"What's going on?" Prime demanded of Jackie "Where's Doctor Smith?"
"There!"
Icol hauled Jackie off her seat and threatened to strike her.
"Do what the hell you like with me," she snapped defiantly "I'm telling you that is John."
She watched Prime shake 'John'. She then saw 'John' open her eyes and smile at Prime.
"Tommy! Nice to see you."
Prime looked at Jackie.
"Like I said you little shit!" Jackie snarled.
Prime nodded and smiled.
"No matter," He said "You won't live long enough anyway. Icol, take them to the cavern."
Leaving Jackie to another guard. Icol hauled John to her feet.
"Are we leaving now, Tommy?" 'John' asked.
Icol pulled her out of the cell roughly. Seeing her partner treated so roughly, Jackie to get herself free. However, on finding her captors grip to be too strong, she allowed herself to be taken away.
The Doctor doffed his hat to the Cashier and produced a wad of notes.
"Two million credits worth of chips."
The cashier glanced over to the Manager. The Manager looked at the little man with the cream jacket, patterned pullover and an umbrella and thought that this should be an easy kill. He nodded his agreement and the cashier gave The Doctor the chips.
"Have a good evening."
"I plan to," The Doctor gave a pleasant smile and entered the main part of the casino.
Ace and Benny had just spent the last ten minutes dodging low-life. So when the alleyway and the club back door came in sight, it came as a welcome relief. While Benny kept watch, Ace got to work on the lock. With each skeleton key failing to do its job, Benny began to feel a knot in her stomach, a clear sign that time was running out.
"Hurry up, for gods sake!"
"Almost there," Ace said without looking.
At last the door clicked open. Ace and Benny moved swiftly inside and locked the door behind them. They sprinted virtually on tiptoes down the corridor until they came to a half opened door. Hearing somebody coming, they ducked into hiding. Two of Prime's goons came out laughing and joking, telling Ace and Benny exactly where their targets were and what condition 'John' was in. The Doctor had come here to help 'John' get through 'Corpus Kanai'. Now that was too late, the least they could do was help 'John' and Jackie Lowell get away from these morons. Once they were gone, Ace and Benny came out of hiding. Ace pushed open the door to reveal some steps going down. She took out her laser pistol and primed it.
"You've got to be kidding!" Benny complained on seeing the gun.
"Let's get on with it," Ace replied impatiently.
Benny shrugged and followed.
Jackie felt a sharp jolt of pain as the chain link went around her wrist. She saw Prime nod to Icol and felt him pull her up using a rope and pulley. She watched Prime pull a switch on the wall and saw a door on the floor slide open to reveal a fiery pit. Her heart went inside her mouth as she felt herself being positioned over that pit. She watched helplessly as she saw 'John' being treated the same way and felt revulsion for Prime at that moment.
"Let her go you bastard!"
"Tell us where the money and Doctor Smith is and I'll let you both go." Prime answered.
"She is Doctor Smith!"
"Tommy!" 'John' was smiling at Prime, proof to Jackie anyway that 'her' mind was completely oblivious to what was going on "Why wont you believe her? She has just seen me die and be reborn."
"That's a traumatic experience for anybody," Jackie added "Listen, you can have your money, just let us go."
Prime clapped.
"You two are good, It's a pity we wont get to know you better. Icol!"
Jackie saw Icol start two taps dripping and saw smoke rise from the ropes as the drips hit.
"That is acid, it should cut through your ropes in thirty minutes. It of course can be stopped if you are willing to cooperate."
"For god's sake," Jackie shouted "She's ill, cant you see that?"
Prime tapped his chronometer.
"Thirty minutes."
Prime and Icol left. Jackie looked at her partner hanging there benignly looking at her and then looked at the pit and the acid taps. For the first time in her life, she felt a need to offer a prayer up to god.
"We'll get out of this, don't you worry," 'John' said confidently.
Looking at the pit again, Jackie didn't feel as hopeful.
The Doctor was in his element. His antics on the Black Jack table was drawing a crowd. As each card was drawn from the shoe, The Doctors' concentration grew. At that moment the card on the table was an eight of diamonds, an awkward card with variable possibilities. The dealer drew a Queen, a possible Black Jack.
"Card!" The Doctor said.
A seven of clubs was drawn from the shoe. The dealer drew a ten and decided to stick. The Doctor tapped his fingers on the table and the dealer drew a three of clubs. The Doctor then glanced up at the camera and smiled to see that it was focused on the table.
"How much has he won?" Prime asked.
The computer operator made a quick calculation which resulted in the figure of five million credits appearing on the screen. He saw the Doctor push all five million credits on to the bet line and smiled. Beside him, Icol was grinning to himself. He was beginning to sense that Prime's luck was running out. The camera zoomed in on the card as it came out of the shoe. The crowd gasped as the card tumbled over to reveal the three of diamonds. The gasps turned to cheers and applause as the dealer pushed another five million credits towards The Doctor.
"Close the table!" Prime ordered.
The computer operator sent a signal down to the dealer to close the table. They could hear the groans as the dealer announced that the table was closed.
"Set up the challenge," Prime said.
"Are you sure?" Icol said.
"Just do as I say!" Prime barked.
Icol and the computer operator looked at each other, shrugged and made their out of the room.
Jackie felt the rope give slightly and let out a scream. A few seconds later ' John's' rope gave a little and Jackie let out an even bigger scream as 'John's' body jolted with the pressure. She saw 'John' look over and give her a 'don't worry' smile, but, she couldn't help feeling worried. They were possibly minutes away from losing their lives. Therefore, she had every right to feel worried.
Prime emerged from the back room just as the card dealer was closing the table. He saw the Doctor swing around and doff his hat.
"Ultimus Prime, I presume."
Prime stopped in his tacks for a second, but, then allowed himself a smile.
"You are a very lucky man sir," He said.
"I wouldn't call it luck," The Doctor said.
"A systems man?" Prime said.
The Doctor tapped his nose.
"Maybe you would like to test your system in the ultimate challenge?" Prime said.
The announcement produced a gasp from the audience. This was the second time in two days. A rare occurrence at the best of times. However, Prime had taken a battering the night before, was he up to another bout?
"Why not," The Doctor said getting to his feet "When do we start?"
With very little resistance, Ace and Benny reached the detention area. They watched as a man, obviously the worse for wear, staggered out of a room. Waiting for him to disappear around the corner, they moved to the door. From the entrance, they could see two women hanging from chains over some sort of pit. Just to their right they could see two more men drinking vinol and hurling sexual jibes at the helpless women.
"Jewel Of The Nile!" Ace whispered.
"Pardon!"
"The film this reminds me of," Ace said whilst quietly releasing the safety catch off her laser pistol. She moved behind the two men and tapped one of them on the shoulder. The man turned around and Ace laid him out with a well delivered right cross. The other man tried to react, but Benny hurled herself at him, smashing his head against the table. Benny could see that the ropes were about to go.
"There's a switch over there," Jackie Lowell shouted.
Ace crossed over to the wall Jackie was nodding to, found the switch and pulled it. The pit door slid shut just before the ropes snapped and both Jackie and 'John' fell to the ground. Benny helped them up.
"Who are you," Jackie asked.
"The US Calvary," Ace said "I think we should get out of here."
Benny freed Jackie and then 'John'. Jackie lifted 'John' to her feet. Without thinking, Benny took the other shoulder.
"We've got to get out of here, now!"
Benny saw Ace go to the entrance, fire a shot and then dive back in to avoid a bolt.
"Shit!" Ace growled in frustration.