Chapter 4: End game
The doctor stopped, disappointment then fear spreading on his face as they reached Jack and the other three still unconscious agents. Jack stood in the grass brandishing his gun. "Stop right there," Jack said. The man, he had only known as almost happy-go-lucky when he met him, had an angry expression on his face. He had seen expressions like these before down at the pub just moments before a brawl.
The Doctor stopped and eyed the Time agent seeming to size the depth of his anger. "Jack, listen, this has all gotten out of hand. Can we help with anything?" the Doctor asked obviously shocking the man.
"What? Out of hand, are you insane? It is too late for your help. Nelly is dead, no one could survive a fall like that," the black haired man rambled staring the direction where a humanoid figure had fallen into the jungle from the crashing space ship. Still a weight lifted from his heart for a moment until he realized that Rose wasn't amongst those ejected safely by the space ship. He immediately mirrored the Doctor in staring horrified in the direction of the smoke and dust plume rising from the jungle beyond the other end of the landing strip.
Jack said, "she tried to grab Nelly's gun. It went off disintegrating the whole side of our ship."
"And did you even try to help her. Rose knew nothing about your war. We only wanted you to stop. You captured her, tortured her. Oh, don't try to deny it. There is only one use for a H'Fahni in a room with a tied down prisoner. Of course she would try to escape, but when she fought back... you didn't even have decency to help her, did you?" the Doctor was subjecting Jack to a glare and the man was seemingly unable to look him in the eye.
"Thought as much, Rose is from the 21st century Jack, she had no idea about how to eject from a 51st century space ship and you offered her no help. No, you had to be petty. Fine, if she is dead, you've killed another innocent," the Doctor thundered and took a threatening step towards the Time Agent.
There was a thump and a bit of grass exploded in front of the Doctor. "I have the gun," Jack said and he remembered having dropped his rifle next to the TARDIS as he saw the space ship with Rose aboard crash. "And I haven't killed a single innocent person to date," Jack answered.
"Really, oh boy are you deluded. I've registered no less than 8 manipulation of the time stream leading to the death of untold millions. What the hell has the Time Agency come to these days. The Agency I knew was dedicated to the upholding of the correct flow of time and space not the wholesale slaughter of billions by manipulating their history to make them destroy themselves in unnatural wars or accidents which they can't defend against. Tell me Jack when did that change," the Doctor asked.
Jack looked really uncomfortable now. "I don't like it either, but if we don't stop the Chtonians they'll cause a war within a hundred years that will mean the end of the Time Agency. That's why we were ordered by command to go on a deep undercover mission to weaken the Chtonian Empire's hold on this entire sector and there by ensure that the war won't happen," Jack explained.
"But you've failed. The Chtonians have connections with time travellers as well. They've found out about your sick little plan and now they've amassed their main fleet in Eridani equipped them with Time Shields and if I am not wrong they're probably headed towards Time Agency HQ on Mars as we speak. You've stopped nothing. The war is still coming and for that a lot of innocent people had to die," the Doctor replied. He could barely himself comprehend the monstrosity of killing a people an entire race and it seemed somehow it was only dawning on Jack now as well.
"All for nothing. It can't be, you have to be lying. It can't have been wrong. All those dead... haunting me, unending bad karma," Jack seemed to bend forward and gasped for air as if unable to process it. He was sure he could see tears dropping into the grass. After a few moment he sank into the grass seemingly unable to keep himself up.
"What happened?" he whispered to the Doctor.
"Jack is a sensitive guy. His mind is trying to cope having to face all those he has killed," the Doctor replied.
"Why didn't it bother him before," he mumbled.
The Doctor grabbed him and gave him an intense scare for a few seconds. "Brilliant Mickey, of course that is it." His expression grew dark again and he grimly turned to face in the direction. "But first Rose." He ran off again. It seemed there was a good reason for Rose staying in shape. There was a lot of running when travelling with the TARDIS.
The trip into the jungle seemed frenetic and more than a little dangerous once it occurred to him that they were rushing through plants and animals all of which could kill him maybe even by touch. The Doctor seemed undisturbed as they powered on. They came upon a patch of tall trees and a clearing made by the still intact looking ship. There was a faint bleeping from some mechanism inside the space ship. It looked weird he realized as he approached. It had holes in the top from the ejection seats and dents which he would rather associate with a banged up car. "Stay back for a moment," the Doctor said and went in alone. He pressed a button like he knew all about this model of space ship and went inside the door that had just slid halfway open then gotten stuck on a dent.
A minute passed and the bleeping noise disappeared. There was a loud whine as the engine went from emitting a super sonic whine to one he could actually hear. Then it too died. "It is safe," a distracted sounding Doctor called out. He ran up and ducked into the darkness of the cabin. It was smaller than expected really only one room all in all not at all like the TARDIS. He looked around there, was extensive damage, a lack of chairs except two and a massive hole in the side opposite the door. But what there wasn't, was a single sign of Rose.
"Where is she?" he asked looking around.
The doctor sounded heartbroken when he explained, "she was probably thrown through the wind shield, something heavy went that way."
He swallowed a lump in his throat and decided reluctantly to go outside. He didn't want to think it, but it sure looked like Rose had been killed. Jackie had been right, it was not safe. It was reckless. He decided to seriously consider asking to go home again. He looked around finding small bits of debris and a large chair in the undergrowth but no Rose, no tracks nothing else indicating that she was around. He went further and further away, still finding nothing. "Doctor, she is not here," he yelled.
The rush of air suddenly stopped, there was a strange hum and then silence. "Don't move," a voice told her. She dared opening her eyes, while she realized she was no longer clutching a steel post for dear life. She was in another space ship much like the one she had just been crashing with surrounded by 5 humans and an alien just like the one that had tortured her only thinner. Two of the black armoured uniformed Time Agents were pointing rifles at her, while the alien behind her regarded her with its black glistening eyes.
"Listen, I..." she started but felt stumped for a moment trying to puzzle out her situation. She was in a space ship another one that meant teleportation. She was a prisoner again. These people weren't to be trusted just yet, but being obnoxious would be dangerous.
"What is she thinking, Li'Rane," the voice from before asked.
"Oi, get out of my head. I am the only one allowed in there," she protested.
I have some difficulty reading her thoughts. Ah there we are, she seem to be confused by her situation. She was aboard the crashing ship. Jack and the others except Lieutenant Nelly Anders got away. The Lieutenant can possibly be counted as a casualty. This one caused a commotion and a disintegrator fired within the ship. It would also seem that the other prisoners escaped and are the entire reason for the destruction of our precious base, a telepathic voice declared in her head and probably everyone else's in the ship. She wondered if telepathy worked like either talking to one person or all. Still she wanted the alien out of her mind.
"Damn it, this is unacceptable. Land now, we will pick up Jack and his team, ensure the safety of our base then set about completing our mission," the voice said again. She turned to lie on her bum and look up at the speaker. He was an older man, black haired with grey hairs peppering the hair. He was strongly built and had the look of determination in his eyes. She had seen a look like that a few times before while travelling with the Doctor, usually on men absolutely set on doing something without any regards for any one or anything like the leader of the Slitheen or the creepy Editor on Satellite Five.
"What about her," one of the other agents equally gruff asked.
"I don't know, she is obviously dangerous. We're not equipped or ordered to keep prisoners. She is also responsible for the death of an agent. I am inclined to just execute her," the leader explained.
"Please no, it wasn't my fault. I just ducked. She tried to shoot me," she explained.
It speaks the truth, the brownish mouthless alien said. The other agents kept looking at her with intent however.
Shouldn't we just be rid of her, they would be easier to control if they get their pound of flesh, another voice replied telepathically. It was weird how that sounded like a private conversation she thought to herself.
True, however my mate has disappeared and this one was near him when it happened. He told me, he had found something of interest in her mind before we left. I do not sense him below us. You'll be lenient Barnard. I will question her for my own purposes, the voice she knew as the alien's replied.
As you command, the guy replied mentally sounding just like the guy who spoke and who was apparently named Barnard.
"However we do not have all the details and operational laws demand we follow due process even under these circumstances. Agent Echolls set us down please," Barnard said.
"Why did I hear their mental communication?" she wondered then thought, "and why doesn't the mind reading alien know?" Confused she looked on as they sank towards the planet in a vertical descent.
He looked up as soon as he sensed it. A time displaced object descending through the atmosphere. It would seem the other Time Agents were arriving. He focused on the TARDIS and through his constant connection with it he asked it to kindly lock the doors. It was a meagre hope but Rose seemed to have disappeared from the crash site. Maybe just maybe the other team had tried to rescue what they must have thought was their friends in mortal danger and teleported her out. Maybe it was just a false hope, but he didn't mind a hope to alight the bleakness of his thoughts. "Mickey, come on, we have company coming. Let's go see them," he said and headed of a brisk walking pace, while looking in the direction the ship would come from.
They walked for a few moments before Mickey asked, "What about Rose?"
"I believe that might be answered by our arriving friends," he answered just as they popped out of the undergrowth and saw Jack surrounded by his buddies at the other end as well as a ship slowly hovering down from the sky. He changed course ever so slightly and opted to head for the ship first. They were unarmed and outnumbered but they had right, ethics, moral and intelligence on their side so they were vastly better off.
The ship barely set down before he felt it. It had been faintly there with Jack, but rapidly disappearing. There was a powerful psionic presence in the ether and it was clearly coming from inside the ship. It was a good while since he had met a powerful one like this, could it be another H'Fahni, a rare species at the best of times... Oh of course now he understood everything.
They had sprayed her hands with a chemical and now they were wrapped in a white cuff like foam structure that she couldn't even budge but which felt warm and soft against her skin. "Sir, it's them the prisoners her companions," one of the agents said. Her heart almost skipped a beat with happiness. Her doctor hadn't been thrown off. He was here back for her back to stop these cold hearted people from killing more people. She heard several weapons heat up with a high pitched whine and suddenly changed her opinion. She wanted the Doctor and Mickey safe. She might be able to get away alone. Her luck seemed strong anyway if she could just forget the buzz in her head and the memories of her earlier torturous interrogation.
"Okay people, look alive, standard dispersal pattern when we step out. Watch your firing arcs. We'll surround them and subdue them. This time we won't let them wake up before we need them to," Barnard said and with a glimmer all the agents disappeared as the transmat process ran.
However strangely enough they immediately reappeared looking rather confused. "What?" Barnard said and looked at the controls he had just activated. She smiled a bit. The Doctor was really good with transmats.
"It's him," the man next to Barnard pointed out the windshield towards the Doctor standing with a smile and his sonic screwdriver in his hand. She felt like cheering but given her company she decided against it. She couldn't stop a rather cheeky smile though.
Barnard flicked a switch and spoke, "What do you want?"
"I want to talk to the H'Fahni you have aboard. If you'll be reasonable, I will allow you to teleport out here so we can talk," the Doctor's voice explained over the internal speakers.
Barnard looked over his shoulder then said, "Alright, we're coming out. Both sides will refrain from hostilities. However we will keep your companion in here under guard."
"No problem," the Doctor replied. She hoped he wasn't betting on her getting free and escaping on her own. The chemical cuffs still weren't budging.
The agents and the alien disappeared leaving Barnard's pilot behind. Unconcerned with her he focused on what was going-on outside. She glanced around and spotted their first mistake. They had left the cuff chemical spray on the floor close to her. She studied it looking to see if it had some kind of switch that might spray a removal chemical.
Mickey nervously watched a group of armoured people, looking a lot more like battle hardened soldiers than the ones with Jack, appeared below the equally menacing hovering space ship. They encircled them. There was an alien with a flat brown face, no mouth and black eyes. It remained standing at a distance underneath the space ship. That had to be the H'Fahni the Doctor had mentioned unless it was some kind of title like Captain or something. "I am addressing you under peaceful banner as proclaimed the Eternity treaty. I am the Doctor, Time Lord, you have made multiple infractions against the consistence of the Time Line as well as severely damaging the development or existence of several races against the code agreed upon in the Eternity treaty. How do you plead, H'Fahni," the Doctor said with authority as if he had some kind of power to back up his accusations.
It was the oldest agent that replied, "All actions we have taken have been officially sanctioned by the Time Agency and are in the best interest of the Agency and Humanity. No alien can make me doubt that and no outdated treaty made by aloof or long dead races interests me."
"Your manipulations of these apes doesn't impress me, H'Fahni. Your race was warned. Your destiny is set in the Time Line. You are not allowed to change it. Is this an officially sanctioned act by your race? Should the Time Lords intervene and remove your race from the universe to protect it? We have done it before. We have the means, do you want that?" the Doctor threatened. He held his tongue and tried not to look surprised. Wasn't the Doctor the last one?
The Time Lords are no more. I will not accept your judgement. You are puny compared to me and I have already sacrificed too much to stop now. I will have my race secured against the horrors that the future will bring. I do not care if the Humans and Chtonians destroy each other along the way. The less of them the better. I have made these pathetic fools fight the battles of my races. As the stupid apes they are I've lead them around and used them. They think they are on a mission for their agency but there is no such mission. That station was a find of my mate. Together we joined with the pathetic agency and took these their agents as our pets and used them to murder billions, a telepathic voice yelled triumphantly in his head causing him to yelp in surprise.
"I will stop you," the Doctor said and held up his screwdriver. He heard a whine that seemed to resonate with his ears causing him great pain. The other humans the agents stumbled around equally in pain. Then suddenly they stiffened and recovered looking even colder and stone faced than before, while he could barely stand.
My control is stronger than you pathetic disruption. If I recall my legends correctly not even Time Lords are immune to disintegration. We might have to fire a few times, but this should be a simple matter. Now Time Lord it is time to, the telepathic voice was suddenly cut off as the ship free fell on top of the alien with a moist splat. He had to look away with a wince. All the Time Agents toppled over like they were puppets with their strings cut.
The pilot had heard the hiss of the chemical spraying on her cuffs and into her chest. She had barely freed her hands before he made a lunge for the spray. She had thrown it behind her before he had ended up on top of her.
The trained soldier and pilot easily grappled her, however she was determined to get free especially with her friend and her Doctor surrounded outside. "Let go off me," she yelled as she struggled with her captor. She tried to kick off something to topple them both down and maybe get free. She hit the console in front of the windshield.
Suddenly she felt weightless for a moment then there was a massive metallic gong noise. The pilot let go of her and lay limp on the floor. She rushed forward hoping for some sort of simple English console or at least some sort of accessible voice interface with the ship, when she saw the other agents outside lying in the grass and the Doctor walking calmly with Mickey towards the ship. She waved frantically at them. The Doctor smiled and waved back before disappearing from view. A moment later a door in the side of the ship slid open. She turned and ran over giving her Doctor a warm hug ignoring Mickey's look as she saw his face over the Doctor's shoulder.