CHAPTER 7

"DO YOU TRUST ME?"

After covering an extensive amount of ground, the Eagle/Jason landed on a fallen log at the top of a ravine. He needed to rest…and think. So far he'd seen absolutely nothing. No trace of the Doctor for miles. It was very discouraging.

Jason sighed, wondering what to do next. He couldn't just give up. Suddenly his sharp eyes caught sight of a group of Terrellians below heading in his direction. An alternative! he thought, and immediately changed into a Terrellian; dark green in color with light green veins, golden hair and rust colored markings. "Perhaps now I can find out what's really going on in that Research Center," he muttered.

As he looked for a way down the ravine, Jason spotted the hunters hiding directly below him, their weapons poised. It was obvious they were waiting for the unsuspecting villagers to move into range. Looking around, Jason snatched up the largest rock he could find and hurled it down the ravine. It crashed noisily into the foliage, surprising the hunters and alerting the villagers, who promptly scattered.

Cursing at having missed the opportunity to capture the first group of its size in months, Ellis fired angrily up at Jason—and missed. The Alterran flung himself out of the way, rolling down the hill and jumping to his feet when he reached the bottom.

The other hunters had gone after the fleeing figures.

Willa had reluctantly accompanied her brother with those delivering the ultimatum. Unfortunately, she was also the smallest of the group and could not keep up. She was stunned almost immediately. Baker started to bind her while his fellows continued to give chase. Laurel hesitated when he saw his sister fall, making himself an easy target. He realized his error too late when he saw a hunter taking aim at him and stood rooted to the spot, meekly accepting his fate. Jason, however, was less than submissive and suddenly appeared out of nowhere, lifting the hunter off of his feet and throwing him into a clump of particularly spiky bushes several feet away.

The fleeing villagers heard the hunter's cry of alarm and turned back to see what they though was one of their own people actually fighting back. And doing quite well! They all stopped and watched in amazement as Jason eluded the next hunter's shot, darted around a clump of bushes and reappeared on the other side, throwing the astonished man to the ground with such force that he was knocked unconscious.

The enraged Jason then turned to Baker, glaring at him with a murderous look in his eyes. He stormed over to the thunderstruck hunter, reaching out to grab him when he was suddenly bathed in a red glow. He realized his mistake a split second too late, letting out a cry of anger before falling to the ground, unconscious. Behind him stood Ellis, gun in hand.

"I think Lilith will find this one of particular interest," the Hunt Leader observed as he looked down at the crumpled form. "Tie him tightly, Baker. I don't want this one to get away."

The scattered Terrellians returned to the village and went directly to the meeting hall, the largest mound in the center of the hidden community. It had become customary whenever a group was attacked for those who escaped to return to the hall in order to determine who had been captured. This time it turned out to be Willa alone. Since she had only just been taken, her people were relieved. The white-coats couldn't use anyone for four weeks after having taken their blood and would therefore release her.

For reasons that were unclear, the Doctor had been included in the gathering. He was taken over to a wall with a number of rings set into it. His hands were then tied to the rings so that his arms were pulled slightly away from his sides. He observed the villagers in silence, taking in every scrap of information he heard. As the meeting progressed, he got an uneasy feeling he would eventually become more than a casual observer.

No one could identify the individual who had fought so courageously against the hunters. Some thought he might be one of the villagers who had been lost when the humans first arrived, while others speculated that Dr. Jordan had finally managed to breed her own hybrids. They all knew this was her ultimate goal. Perhaps this stranger had managed to escape. There were numerous speculations by the younger, less reserved members of the village as to what might be happening to this "hybrid" because of his retaliation. It was at this point that the Doctor noticed the meeting was getting progressively more hostile toward the human colonists, which did not bode well for him as several unpleasant suggestions were put forth about putting him to death.

There was a door leading to an adjoining room not far from where the Doctor stood. A heavily bandaged Dillon came shakily to the doorway, holding a blanket around himself in a vain effort to keep warm. He waved off Marjora's insistent pleas that he return to bed, accepting the seat that was offered. He rested a moment before finally addressing the assembled Elders and villagers. Dillon told of the strange human he had encountered in the lab and what had transpired between them. He commented on how completely different the young man was from the other humans, telling of his anger when he saw the ID number on his forearm.

"His words were kind and gentle. And…" Dillon paused before saying, "He said he would help."

A ghost of a smile passed across the Doctor's face. "My dear Jason," he said softly, "what have you been up to?"

Marjora held out a hand. "The Doctor told us of another who went for help when he was struck down by the trura dust."

"My traveling companion, Jason," the Time Lord injected.

Dillon looked up sharply. That was the name! "What does he look like, this companion of yours?"

The Doctor smiled. Now there was a question. Jason's true appearance was nothing like the human form he had adopted as his own. He described his companion and Dillon verified that it was the same person he'd seen in the lab.

"I'm not surprised you found him extraordinary," the Doctor went on to say. "He has the rare quality of compassion and is exceptionally gentle with those in need."

Dillon rose to his feet and walked slowly over to stand in front of the Time Lord. "He said—he promised—he would help."

"As will I." Glancing pointedly down at his bound hands, the Doctor added, "If you'll let me, that is."

There were murmurs of opposition from the crowd. After so many years of abuse, it was too difficult to believe any human would want to do more than just use them. Perhaps this was just an elaborate trick to get the entire village captured at once. After all, weren't the hunters waiting for them when they tried to go to the settlement? Perhaps they suspected that they'd try something and were prepared for it. They might even be reaping their vengeance on the stranger and poor Willa.

Dillon ignored the furor going on behind him, intently studying the Doctor's face instead. Some of what had gone on in the lab was still fuzzy, but he was sure he remembered Jason mentioning the Doctor by name. He tried to recall exactly what had been said, forgetting the fact that he was still weak from his ordeal. After a minute, he started to sway on his feet.

The Doctor had also been studying the Terrellian, and realized immediately what was happening. He made a fist with each hand and pulled the rings from the wall just in time to catch the exhausted Dillon as he collapsed.

"Dillon!" Laurel gasped as his helpless friend was swept off of his feet and carried into the adjoining room, the Time Lord's long legs taking him the distance before anyone had the chance to react, let alone stop him.

Laurel was the closest and dashed after them.

Iris and two others were in the room and were so stunned when the Doctor strode in that they could not even cry out. They watched in horrified silence as the equally stunned Dillon was gently placed on a bed, the Time Lord sitting down beside him.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked concernedly, pulling the blanket around the shaken Terrellian.

Dillon nodded slowly, now exactly sure if he should be afraid or not.

"You're much too weak to be out of bed, you know? Much less wandering about," the Doctor said reprovingly as he removed the ropes from his wrists. "Mind you," he grinned, "I do appreciate the timely interruption to my death sentence."

Laurel had gotten as far as the door when he realized he had no idea what to do next. Most of the Elders had come up behind him and were just as uncertain. While the Doctor was restrained, they felt in control, but now that he was free, although still in their midst, none of them knew exactly how to go about overpowering him. They had no way of knowing that, once he had been released from the bedposts, the Doctor could have escaped at any time. Only his curiosity about the Terrellians themselves had kept him their prisoner.

Oblivious to the turmoil he had caused among the villagers, the Doctor was calmly taking in the room, suddenly noticing the others who were there already. "Hello," he chirped brightly.

Across the room, a section of roof had been raised slightly, apparently to let in air and sunlight. Sunlight! The Doctor had a flash of inspiration and turned sharply back to the frightened Terrellian. "Dillon, do you trust me?" he asked suddenly.

"I…I…don't know."

The Time Lord flashed a broad smile. "Well, at least you're honest. I think I know a way for you to get your strength back quickly. Will you let me try?"

Dillon blinked back at him in astonishment, glancing over to the others before asking, "Are you…asking my permission?"

"My dear fellow, you don't think I'm going to force you, do you?"

"Aren't you?" came the blunt reply. "That's how it always is with you humans."

"Well, that's not how it is with me!" the Time Lord stated categorically, rising to his feet. "And, as it happens, I'm not human."

Now more confused than ever, Dillon stared up at him. Should he put this strange man to the test? he wondered. Was it possible he really wouldn't force him to do something against his will? Taking a deep breath, and in as even a tone as possible, Dillon said, "Then…I…I withhold...my permission." Then he, and the entire village, held their breath.

Nothing happened.

The Doctor sighed heavily, but wasn't really surprised. He knew exactly what the Terrellian was doing, and actually admired his having the courage to attempt it. Turning away from the bed, he went over to stand in the sunlight, gazing up into the clear blue sky. "Pity," he said at last, "I think it might've worked."

What followed was a long silence. The Terrellians had absolutely no idea what to make of any of this, while the Doctor stood lost in thought, trying to figure out how he could help these peaceful beings.

By this time Marjora had managed to push her way through the assemblage at the door. After her brief conversation with the Doctor her every instinct told her he wasn't a threat either to her or her people. She made a quick check on Dillon's condition and then looked over at the silent Time Lord across the room. "He won't hurt you, Dillon," she assured quietly. "He has no evil in him."

Dillon swallowed his fear and ventured finally, "Doctor...?"

"Hmmmm?" The Doctor returned to reality and turned.

"Wh…what…did you…have in mind…exactly?"

The Time Lord beamed back at him. "Oh, I was just going to have you join me for a little sun. I've a feeling it'll do you a great deal more good than it'll do me."

"Why?" This was Laurel, who had finally found his voice.

The Doctor explained that most green plants were sustained by water and sunlight, and he suspected that this might also be true, at least in part, of the plant-like Terrellians.

"Just water them…and put them in the sun for a few hours," Dillon said dreamily, finally realizing the significance of Jason's remark. Seeing an astonished look on the Doctor's face, he smiled. "That's what Jason said about me to the white-coat."

"I'm sure he meant no offense…"

"Yes, he did." With a wry smile, Dillon added, "He offended the white-coat."

The Doctor laughed, turning to the door. "Give me a hand, would you, Laurel?" he requested. He then carried Dillon across the room while Laurel placed a seat in the sunlight. The Doctor placed the injured Terrellian in the sun, instructing him to drink as much as he could manage. After only a few minutes, Dillon was visibly stronger. Within half an hour, his wounds started to heal over.

"It's working!" Laurel exclaimed. "I don't believe it! It's actually working!" He hugged his friend, his mother and then, before he realized what he was doing, he hugged the Doctor as well.

Dillon laughed at the expressions on both their faces. He then turned to Iris, who looked inquiringly over to Marjora. The physician nodded. "I think you should get some sun, too."