Ransacking the cages filled with medicine ranging from anti-psychotics to Xanax, Lovett and Theodore scoured for the items they required in preparing the bombs that'll go off once the Sabbek took their chosen victims from their rooms. Despite Theodore's attempts at finding another way, it proved futile all the same, nothing he thought about doing would've stopped the Sabbek, and would've made things worse.
Regardless how he felt, he couldn't do anything and Lovett couldn't tell him who the Sabbek wanted. He didn't know the process, but if he had to guess, they'll stalk whoever they've chosen.
They wouldn't waste time like that unless it's important to them or a last-ditch effort.
Thinking back, Theodore asked the probability that they showed themselves to whoever they chosen. Something subtle, that it wouldn't raise alarms, help influence them.
As he grabbed the last bottles of Physostigmine, Lovett answered that he heard stories of beautiful women showing themselves to people shortly before they disappeared. Never gave thought about it until they're dealing with the Sabbek.
In his opinion, they probably showed themselves to those they wanted, in subtle ways that wouldn't give off their inhuman natures, until they came and collected.
"I think Trudy saw them, she's been painting the same set of women multiple times," Theodore thought about Trudy, even with her condition, she couldn't have come up with those women on her own. In her mind, she didn't see the inhuman Sabbek, just those women.
Nodding, Lovett stated that they'll routinely come during opportune times, spying on Trudy, getting an idea, and Theodore wondered who else they take.
Lovett warned him that they take men, too, sometimes the Patriarch takes them, but Sabbek takes them most of the time.
"Only one I can think of is Tommy. He made a mask that looked like one of the Drekker," Theodore noted. Tommy's the only one he can think of because of his mask, the way it looked, no way he could've came up with that on his own, not unless he saw one outside his window.
"If it's true, it won't take long," Lovett summed that if it's only those two, it won't take the Sabbek but mere minutes finding them.
It'll be swift and once they've taken the two away from the mental hospital, he and Theodore can safely set off the bombs, scaring them off from coming back, without inciting them.
Sensing the discomfort in Theodore, Lovett tells him that he tried everything in his power, but this' the only thing he can think of that'll prevent needless bloodshed.
"Even if you can't fight them, you can still fight against the people who use them," Lovett encouraged Theodore that if he can't stop the Sabbek in the conventional way, he still has a chance fighting against people using them for their own purpose.
Chewing on his inner lip, Theodore mustered that Lovett had a point, but it still wouldn't take the sour taste out of Theodore's mouth knowing this.
"I promised you, I'd stop them. I'm keeping it," Lovett tells Theodore, causing him to stop as he eyed him curiously.
Once more, Theodore asks, "Who are you?"
Once again, Lovett told him, "Not yet."
The mysterious Lovett, pushed Theodore onward, helping him create the needed bombs against the Sabbek while they had time.
Theodore relayed the important parts telepathically to Lila, informing her that she and Al lock the security guards into any janitorial closets they find.
Then, when they're done, he wanted Lila and Al out of the mental hospital.
"Hold it, Spaceman, you're telling me we gotta turn over people to these things?" Lila didn't take the news well as expected as she heard how they're supposed to let whoever the Sabbek wanted go to them.
Theodore implored her it's the only way to save the others. He didn't want it, either, but unfolding events made it hard for him to work out a way for everyone to come out of this peachy.
The only way for them getting any satisfactory's if they made sure the people behind the conspiracy get theirs. Make them just as afraid of him and Lila as they are of the species.
Lila cursed before she conceded with Theodore's point, even if she disagreed, and she agreed to follow Al's stead as they're knocking out and dragging security guards to the safety of closets as they're trying to hurry.
Al said they heard scratching noises coming from the outside windows, like claws, and Theodore implored them to hurry.
Once they get the last few locked inside, Lila stays inside the TARDIS.
The Sabbek can't get inside, even if they spent hours clawing their way inside, so Lila should be safe.
"And what about you?" Lila asks about him.
Theodore replied with, "Trust me, I'm the Doctor."
It caused Lila to respond with, "And I'm Princess Diana!"
With that, Theodore and Lovett began creating the bombs, Theodore following Lovett's lead as he showed Theodore how he made them.
It took time, but the two managed to make enough that it'll cover the entire building in the powdery substance that'll scare off the Sabbek the moment they claimed their chosen quarry.
As they finished, they heard noises coming from the hallway, the sounds of…
"Lee! Lee! What's going on!?" Theodore tried reaching out to Lila, but she didn't respond, not initially.
He desperately called out to her until she finally answered, out of breath, Dr. Hans' shooting at them, he saw them coming back after shoving the last of the security guards into the nearest closet.
"Are you hurt?" Theodore frantically asks her and she said that Al saved her. He took all the bullets Dr. Hans fired at them and now they're running for their lives.
They can't find a save spot for Al turning back into his normal form and they can't stop for a minute, Dr. Hans' behind them.
Feeling air trapping in his throat, Theodore panicked, and Lovett sensed his panicking, going over, and telling Theodore to tell Lila and Al to come to them.
Theodore hadn't old Lovett yet and somehow Lovett knew what's going on even before he got a word out.
"Tell them," Lovett prodded Theodore into reaching out to Lila and Al, telling them to come their way. He gave directions and Lovett went over to the door of the medical cage they're in.
Instinctively waiting, Lovett immediately opened the door as Al and Lila flew inside, Lovett closing the door behind them.
"I told you to watch yourself, kid!" Al huffed as he warned Theodore that someone didn't like him snooping around, now look what's happening!
Nodding, Theodore replied that he knew that, he didn't think of it, until, now.
He asked if Al's fine and Al said that it'll take more than just a revolver penetrating his metal exterior.
Exhaling sharply, Theodore looked towards Lila and she confirmed that she's fine, but it didn't stop the aloof giant from checking her, out of concern.
Turning around, Theodore asked what Lovett's planning, but as he looked for the mysterious man, he found him gone.
Looking around like he's searching for his mobile, Theodore blinked several times as he's perturbed.
"W-where did he go?" Theodore sputtered as he tried finding Lovett, calling him, but the man wasn't anywhere in the cage with them.
Lila asked what's wrong and Theodore immediately told her that Lovett was with him, now he's not.
She searched for him, but the cage isn't set up for someone hiding, no place for him to hunker down.
Theodore swore he didn't go through the door they came through, he closed it!
He stopped when he noticed that the bombs he and Lovett made were gone, no trace of them, only thing on the table's the sheet of paper with the exact measurements and directions.
As Theodore attempted finding Lovett in the cramped cage with Lila and Al baffled as he's going over the cage with his icy blue eyes jumping around, they heard the backdoor of the hospital opening, and stopped in their place.
Under their feet, they felt the vibrations coming from at least a couple of individuals.
Al ran and turned off the cage's light, forcing them all to buckle down, and hide, stay quiet, and pray.
Uncomfortably sitting on the ground next to Theodore, Lila felt the vibrations as it felt like four legged fiends rushing through the hospital, the wood groaning underneath them.
She nearly yelped when she felt Theodore pulling her closer to him, his long arm roped around her waist, as he heard the noises coming close to the cage.
For a moment, they didn't hear anything, but then they started hearing women, muttering to themselves in low voices, incomprehensible.
Theodore covered Lila with both arms when they heard the noises of something going towards the cage.
Distinctly, Lila heard a woman muttering nearby. Couldn't hear much because the woman took shallow breaths.
Al turned himself back to the TARDIS and opened the door, allowing them inside, Theodore closing the door with his foot as they crawled inside.
"Oh god, my heart's just about ready to evict me," Lila held her chest as she felt her heart bouncing around like a madman.
Theodore helped her up as she clung to him for safety, outside, they heard the noises, the sounds of the Sabbek roaming about.
Doors further away opening, not a scream bellowed out, they haven't found the security guards.
They heard nothing from Dr. Hans, he should've been outside the cage door by now, but he wasn't.
Nothing from Lovett, how did he disappear from an enclosed room, nobody knew, but Theodore wasn't crazy.
The bombs missing, he wasn't crazy, he worked with Lovett making them. He had the recipe in his pocket!
In the distance, there's distinct popping noises, like fireworks.
They went on for a couple of minutes, before silence, as Theodore and Lila stared at the door.
Tensing up, Theodore heard something coming towards the door, then knocking, then silence.
Lila looked up to Theodore with worry in her chestnut eyes, as Theodore sucked air down his throat.
Boldly, Theodore gently released Lila's hands from him as he went towards the door, bracing as he reached out, and opened the door.
Outside, there's nothing, but there's a distinct smell in the air, cinnamon.
Forcing himself out of the TARDIS, Theodore looked around, and noticed a note on the door.
Reaching out, Theodore sees writing on it.
IN THE EVENT YOU CANNOT FIND THE KEY COMPONENTS, WE FOUND CINNAMON WORKS AS A DETERRENT. FOROGT TO MENTION THAT, YES. DR. HANS' IN A CLOSET, I DISARMED HIM PERSONALLY. THANK YOU FOR THE HELP, FRIEND. IN TIME, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND.
-SINCERELY, LOVETT.
Reading the note silently in his hand, Theodore blinked as Lila uneasily poked her head out, asking what smelled like a furniture store display.
Theodore showed her the note and she's miffed as she looked around, Lovett nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd he went?" Lila asks Theodore.
Shrugging, Theodore couldn't tell her, but he mustered they had to do their duties, and they went out to check.
Out of all the closed doors, two were open, and as feared, Tommy and Trudy, both gone from their rooms.
Dr. Hans wasn't telling them anything, not that it mattered, Al phoned police, and they arrived within minutes.
In blur, media and police arrived, demanding answers from the embattled Dr. Hans trying to talk himself out of the situation, while he's escorted to the police vehicle waiting.
Theodore and Lila snuck away back to the TARDIS, Theodore saying they didn't have anything else to do, now.
"I can't believe it, we just let them take Tommy and Trudy," Lila's tense as she looked up at Theodore.
They never settled for anything, they've fought, they talked, but they mostly fought, and here they are, basically handing over two innocent lives to the Sabbek so the rest lived.
Nodding, Theodore says it's not like he wanted it like this, either, but unfortunately, it's what it had to be, and hopefully, in the next encounter, they won't have to do it, again.
"You think all the stuff Al did; it'll make a difference?" Lila asked if Al's antics was enough for a domino effect.
Thinking to himself, Theodore wasn't sure, but he reminded Lila that they have a chance of it not working out the way they hoped.
The conspiracy's entrenched and people who support it won't let him and Lila break it, not easily.
"Lovett said he was going to do something about it," Theodore summed that the mysterious Lovett, wherever he went, wanted to break apart the conspiracy.
Sighing, Lila mustered that if they couldn't make a dent in it, what chance does Lovett have, and Theodore says, "We'll just have to trust him, I suppose."
Like that, the TARDIS disappeared from the medicine cage.
Elsewhere…
Pulling on his drab long leather coat, Lovett made his way through the woods, chaos behind him as police and medics entered the mental hospital.
He continued his trek until he found something waiting for him in the distance.
Distinct, it stood out from the evergreen, and as he approached, he heard a woman call out to him.
"You always get into awful trouble!" Lovett heard his beloved chide him for his ruse as she stepped out.
A smile crossed his face as Lovett tells her, "Well, I am the Doctor."
THE END