Sorry for the major delay. The next few chapters have to be JUST RIGHT as they are the groundwork for future events in the story. Also, I've been very busy with work and household obligations.

Chapter 14

As it turned out, working for Lord Pateros and gaining his trust wasn't very difficult for Alex. The half-Gallifreyan found that he didn't need to make any changes to how the household was operating and that Martin the butler was doing a fine job in his role, so much so that Alex left him to managing the household as he saw fit.

That allowed the Doctor plenty of time to get into Pateros' good graces. He organized the Time Lord's records, kept his schedule up to date, and made sure that the office was so well-kept that the Gallifreyan started to rely on Alex. In less than ten days, the Nere'i had become Lord Pateros' most trusted servant. Even so Alex was never allowed to even glance at the papers he was filing for his master. It appeared that there were some things even the most trusted slave couldn't be privy to.

What Pateros didn't know was that the Doctor was spending what little free time he had planning his break into the Hall of Science and Technology. Ranetl somehow had obtained a map of the building and details concerning its security system as well as a security card, apparently at great expense. Once he received it during their previously agreed meeting, Alex reviewed it every night in search of a way into the building.

From what he could tell, the Hall was indeed very secure. The only way in and out was with the use of security passes, retinal scans, and handprint scans. Ranetl had hacked the security card to give Alex access to the computer room. The only thing Alex needed to do was find a way into the secure building. However, the more Alex examined the map and security, the more he realized that there was only one way in. He needed Lord Pateros to let him in.

Getting the Time Lord to go to the HST wasn't a problem; he went there every day, usually returning with papers to examine and for Alex to file properly or send electronically to another Council member, not once being able to read the documents. Convincing the Time Lord to allow him to accompany him was an entirely different matter. While the most loyal slaves were allowed to enter the HST, Alex learned that occasions for them to do so were rare for security reasons.

It was only on the seventh day of his service to Pateros when Alex learned the reason for the Gallifreyan needing an assistant and for his frequent visits to the Hall.

"Alexander," Pateros beckoned as he entered the study, ignoring that the latter was in the middle of filing another collection of sealed folders the Time Lord had left for him earlier that day.

Alex immediately halted his activities to give the Gallifreyan his attention. "I'm at your service, sire."

"Have Martin prepare my luggage with enough clothing for three days. Pack your own bag as well."

"We're going somewhere, sire?"

"The Committee for the Development of Science and Technology is meeting in closed session for at least three days. The household can run itself without my presence but I need a servant to tend to my needs. You've proven yourself to be a reliable servant of great discretion, which was what I was looking for when I procured you. You will come with me to the Hall of Science and Technology and remain there for the duration of the conference."

The Doctor buried the smile that threatened to make itself seen. Well, there's one problem taken care of, he thought as he gave the Time Lord a bow. "It would be an honor to serve you in such a capacity, sire. Are there any other arrangements that need to be made?"

"All other arrangements have already been made. Go prepare our necessities."

"Yes, sire," Alex replied with another bow. He allowed himself to finally smile away from noticing eyes as he left to obey.

Three days' worth of Time Lord clothing, especially those of a member of the Imperial Council, meant a large trunk filled with elaborate gowns and headwear. While Alex was glad that he didn't have to pick out which clothing to pack for the Gallifreyan, he wasn't so thrilled that he had to be the bearer of the trunk, as well as his own bag, during the journey to the Hall. The fact that the trunk had wheels to ease the burden did nothing to prevent how tired he was when they arrived. Nonetheless, he passed through the security check with his current master and into the building, maintaining his composure all the while.

The building was opulent and luxurious, reminding Alex more of a high-end hotel than the center of Gallifrey's scientific community. Then again, he reminded himself, there were a great many Time Lords and their slaves coming to stay for three days and the map that Ranetl had given him indicated that there was an entire section of the building dedicated to living quarters. It actually made sense that a society focused on their own comforts would make living quarters to suit their hedonistic needs.

Refocusing his attention on the matter at hand, Alex followed Lord Pateros as they were escorted to the suite that had been prepared for them. Once inside, he opened the trunk and unpacked it, ensuring that everything was appropriately hung, shelved, or drawered. He put his own bag in the smaller bedroom which was far less luxurious than the Gallifreyan's bedroom.

Once Alex had finished his tasks, Pateros ordered that meals be brought up from the kitchen, an order which Alex obeyed with a request over a communication device in the room. He then saw to it that Pateros was fully aware of the schedule he had for the next day, an itinerary they received upon their arrival.

The meals were delivered and the two of them ate, Alex away from Lord Pateros. The empty dishes were left in the hallway to be retrieved by the cleaning staff. Then Pateros excused Alex to his room for the night, allowing the Time Lord to review documents that had been waiting for him on a computer in the suite.

Alone in his room, the Doctor unpacked his own clothes, making sure that the staff uniform he'd stolen from Pateros' household was well-hidden. Briefly making sure that Pateros wouldn't disturb him, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to help recall the map and the security details he had memorized. Based on the map and Lord Pateros' itinerary, the best opportunity to gain access to the main computer room was that evening when all the Time Lords and their slaves were sleeping.

Setting his internal clock, he tucked himself in bed and rested for several hours. Waking at his intended time, he first made sure that Pateros had gone to bed before getting the items he needed, changing into the staff uniform, and slipping quietly out of the suite. Going down the hall, he found the service area and then the service lift. He stepped into the lift and descended to the floor that housed his destination. Once there, he made his way to the main computer room, grateful that his activities hadn't been noticed. He then pulled out his hacked security card and inserted it into the appropriate slot. The door unlocked with a satisfying click and slid open, allowing him to slip in and close it behind him with a touch of a button.

Giving a smile of anticipation, he moved to one of the computer terminals and took a seat.

"Now for the hard part," he commented to himself, cracking his knuckles.

It took about an hour and a half for the Doctor to hack into the system while avoiding setting off any alarms. However, once he had access, it was relatively easy to search the database for the information he needed. He was able to confirm that the disease infecting the camp was created by the Time Lords, the Keeper to be more precise. Also, the Keeper had developed a cure which had already been tested and distributed to certain loyal slaves. What was more, there was a large supply ready to be distributed further and the supply was stored in the HST.

Deciding that stealing the cure would be faster than manufacturing it under less than ideal circumstances, Alex memorized the composition of the cure – just in case – and then looked up the location of the cure on the database. He knew he would have to act quickly. The morning staff would come on duty soon and therefore the chances of being caught would increase.

Having obtained the necessary information, Alex logged out of the system, covering his digital tracks as he did so. Then making sure that the hallway was clear, he exited the computer room and headed back to the lift. Once again, his sojourn was unimpeded as he found the cold storage area. He pulled out his stolen card and slid it into the necessary slot, again getting a click and an open door.

Inside there was another computer terminal as well as three walls of small locker-sized doors with Gallifreyan writing on each. The Doctor immediately went to the computer terminal to determine which locker held the much-needed cure. He hacked the system, this time finding it a much easier task. He quickly located the cure and unlocked the locker. Without hesitation, he gathered as many vials as he could carry in his uniform – even putting a few in his boots – before shutting the locker.

Assured that the locker was sealed, he returned to the computer as a thought struck him. Stealing the cure and memorizing the chemical structure took care of the immediate problem but what about the future? What about the millions of people all through the Empire at risk of death from the disease? What if the Time Lords decided to use it on Earth? He couldn't let the disease be used again. It had to be destroyed and so did the research to develop it.

Resolutely, he accessed the database to locate the needed information and the location of any vials of the disease. As he did so, he was startled by the sound of the door opening. He turned to see two figures silhouetted by the hall's lighting.

"Oh, shit," he muttered to himself, at once berating himself for his carelessness.

There were some uniforms that a person could identify regardless of customs, nationality, or planet of origin. As such, it was easy for Alex to figure out that the two men currently restraining him and removing his pilfered goods were members of the Imperial Chancellery Guard. As the guards fulfilled their duty, two other men entered the room. The first was a Time Lord, though Alex sensed there was a little bit of Human in him. The other was a full-blooded Human who had a very familiar face.

"Jack," Alex blurted out in surprise, gaining nothing but a glare of contempt from the man who resembled one of the Doctor's best friends in a whole different universe.

"Jakobb, do you know this man?" the Time Lord questioned, an eyebrow raised to emphasize the query.

"My lord, I have never seen this man in my life," the Human replied, his eyes still on the Nere'i who was now on his knees and being bound with his hand behind his back.

The Gallifreyan regarded his prisoner for a long moment before recognition brightened his eyes. "It's you. I almost didn't recognize you. You looked so distinguished the last time. Now you just look… pathetic."

"I'm certain I haven't had the pleasure," Alex replied. "But I know who you are by reputation, Lord Keeper. You likely remember me from when you kidnapped me from my home world."

"I always suspected that you were extremely intelligent but I had thought that you'd be smarter than to associate yourself with Lord Rega. Nevertheless, you are here and I now have the opportunity I have been hoping for ever since I first examined you." The Keeper gave him a cruel smile. "This is going to be fun." He turned his attention to the guards holding Alex. "Take him to my laboratories."

The Doctor was yanked to his feet and pushed towards the door, forcing him to walk or fall down. He glanced at Jakobb as he went, searching for a sliver of the man he knew. He sensed there was something there, something buried so deep that anyone who didn't know Jack Harkness would miss it entirely. Jakobb may not be exactly like Jack – in fact, it was impossible for him to be exactly like Jack – but Alex knew from his experiences so far in this universe that there would definitely be inherit similarities in their personalities. At least, that's the way it was with Harry Sullivan and Pete Tyler.

As Alex was being removed, the Keeper turned to his most trusted slave. "Go ahead of me and start interrogating him. Find out where the Crown Prince is. I have a few necessary engagements to attend."

"Yes, sire," Jakobb answered with a bow before leaving the room to follow their prisoner.

The trip to the Keeper's laboratories was a quiet one with Jakobb and Alex studying each other but saying nothing. The silence of the trip gave the Doctor plenty of time to consider what had happened, going over every detail of his actions. The more he reviewed, the surer he was that he had avoided setting off any alarms or drawing attention to his actions. Even if Lord Pateros had awakened to find him gone, it would have taken hours for security to figure out what he'd been doing. By then, he would have already left the building with his loot. In addition, if building security had been able to find him in less time, the chances of being caught by the Keeper himself was highly remote. And yet, that is exactly what happened. Therefore, the Keeper must have been in the building all along, waiting for Alex to act. That left only one possible way for the plan to have failed.

The moment the Imperial transport arrived at its destination, Alex was again pulled to his feet and pushed forward to walk as Jakobb escorted the group into the non-descript building. He immediately led them to a lift when took them down several levels before opening to a brightly lit and very large medical lab. He guided them to a door at the side of the room, walked through the door, and stepped aside to allow the guards to bring their prisoner in. Immediately, they secured him to two manacles hanging on chains from the ceiling. With the Nere'i now chained with his hands above his head, the guards turned to Jakobb, who gave them a bow as a thank you. He waited until they had left before turning to Alex with a smirk.

"You're probably wondering how you ended up in this situation. Perfect plan to rob the Hall of Science and Technology, didn't set off any security alerts, and yet here you are a chained prisoner."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea of what happened," the Doctor contradicted. "My contact Ranetl provided details of the plan either by coercion or betrayal. My guess is coercion. From what I've seen and heard, it's the Time Lords' favorite way of maintaining power. It explains my ease of access to the computer room and the cold storage area. It also explains how you and the Keeper were waiting for me. Do you know what I was attempting to steal and why?"

The Human blinked, slightly taken aback at how the Doctor seemed to take control of the situation despite being the one chained. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts in order to regain what he had lost. "What you tried to steal is irrelevant at this point because you failed. The Keeper knows what you were after and that's all that matters. It tells us that you work for the Crown Prince, that he sent you to procure those vials. And that, in turn, means that you know where Lord Rega is. He and his band of miscreants have been quite a nuisance with their raiding parties, stealing valuable supplies and food. So, why don't you tell me where he is? We can then arrange for him and his followers to receive the food and supplies they need without interrupting vital supply chains."

Alex huffed a laugh. "You must think I'm stupid. This has nothing to do with maintaining your supply chains or getting supplies to my people. It has everything to do with killing Rega and all his supporters. For that reason alone, I can guarantee you I will not now, nor ever, tell you where Rega is."

Jakobb sighed slightly, as if dealing with a precocious child, before punching Alex had in the stomach. The latter grunted at the impact, swallowing down the need to cry out while instinctively trying – and failing – to protect his abdomen.

"I've had worse," the Doctor gasped, coughing as a result of the attack.

"Well, then, I'll just have to be more persuasive," the Human countered before continually punching him, almost as if the hybrid were a punching bag.

After a hit to one of his kidneys, Alex couldn't stop from screaming in pain, even more so when he felt one of his ribs break from the assault. By then the chances of him staying on his feet were nil and he found his entire weight being held up by his arms. As a result, his chest muscles constricted, making it difficult to breathe.

Seeing his victim struggling to get air into his lungs, Jakobb grabbed his chin and forced him to look at his tormentor through swelling eyes. "Now do you want to tell me where Lord Rega is?"

Alex didn't give a verbal reply but it was clear from the anger in his eyes that he was unwilling to comply with the demand. The anger was quickly replaced with a grimace as Jakobb broke another rib, sending a piercing shot of agony through his chest. The Human continued his assault, disregarding the scream that bellowed from Alex's lips. After a third rib broke, the half-Gallifreyan could no longer withstand the attack. He shrieked one more time before promptly passing out.