A/N: new chappie! Time Heist my way! yay! enjoy!
Chapter 37: Thirty-seven Worms
"Oh, come on, Liv! Amelia would love Aurora!"
"Not before she's old enough and big enough to run away from monsters we will inevitably encounter when we land."
"I keep telling you, darling: Nothing ever happens on Aurora."
"Where one Doctor brings trouble to tranquility, a Doctor's daughter is doubly insured to do the same."
"You sound like a fortune cookie."
"And I have a point."
The Doctor sneered as he turned back to what he was doing on the console, Olivia next to him looking to the monitor.
"Hard to believe we've been here for months," Olivia smirked, looking at the monitor on the TARDIS console. "I'm surprised it took this long for us to get back in the TARDIS."
"Well, after that last one, I needed a…slow pace," the Doctor replied, working on the console next to her. He turned a knob then looked to the monitor. "How's that?"
"Better," she nodded, keeping her eyes on the screen. "It's stabilized."
The phone on the console suddenly began ringing, making the couple look to it in confusion before looking to each other.
"That…That phone never rings," Olivia breathed, staring wide eyes at it as the Doctor slowly stepped toward it. "Mom doesn't have that number and Aaron would call me, not the TARDIS."
"Hardly anyone in the universe has this number," the Doctor murmured, curious beyond words as he stopped next to the phone.
"Could be Jack," she guessed, trying to explain it.
"Could be Martha," he added, also trying to explain it.
"Sarah Jane?"
"Winston Churchill."
"River?"
"She knows I don't answer it."
"But you're gonna answer now," Olivia noted as he inched toward it, still staring at it. He lifted his hand toward it, but stopped short when she called, "Theta, don't."
He turned to her with a frown, asking, "Why not?"
"Because…something will happen," she replied, warily.
"Like what?" he asked, trying to get at what she might mean.
"I don't know…a thing. Something always happens with you, remember?"
"Liv, it's just a phone," he insisted, lifting it from the console and pressing it to his ear. "Nothing is going to happen if I answer it."
The Doctor shouted in terror as he dropped the wriggling worm he was holding as if he were holding a phone to his ear. Olivia screamed as she dropped the same kind of worm to the floor and looked to the Doctor as he shot from the chair he was sitting in.
"What…the…hell was that?!" she snapped as she remained in her seat.
"Whatever you do, don't touch it!" he ordered.
Olivia looked around the dark room and the table she sat at…with two other people.
"Who are you?!" the young man with white hair and violet eyes filled with panic, demanded, and Olivia noticed the machinery attached to his neck and head.
"Olivia?!" the woman with white hair and unnatural white eyes called in confusion, making Olivia frown at her in wonder.
"Eona?! What are you doing here?!" Olivia cried.
"What is that thing?!" Eona snapped about the worm she'd been touching.
"It's a Memory Worm," the Doctor explained, as everyone began calming down. "Deletes your memories. It's actually…one of mine."
"Are you serious?!" Olivia snapped before throwing her arms up. "Wait, what am I thinking? Of course you would have memory wiping worms just lying around."
"Don't be so dramatic! They're not just lying about!"
"How many of these things do you have,exactly?"
"Thirty-seven, and they are all securely contained. Hang on a minute…Liv, you know her?"
"Torchwood," Olivia explained in one word.
"How did I get here?" Eona asked her. "Did I fall through another rift?"
"Not this time, E," Olivia assured her. "Pretty sure we all got here the same way."
"But we've all forgotten," the Doctor added.
"I'm so sick of this!" the young man snapped. "Who are you?!"
"I am the Doctor," a recording of his voice replied, coming from a metal case at the center of the table. "A Time Lord from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
"I am Olivia Felton. A human from Earth. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Are you seriously gonna make me touch that thing?"
"You have to, Liv. Dax, go on."
They all looked to the recently nameless young man as his own voice announced, "I am Dax. Augmented human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
"The hell I did," Dax growled, reaching for a piece of machinery on his skull and removed a piece to examine it, but it only made him frown in absolute confusion as he breathed, "Memory compromised?"
"I am Eona. Mutant human from the Gamma Forests. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will," Eona's voice came up next.
The case in the center of the table unlocked and slowly opened to reveal a screen and the image of a hooded man.
"This is a recorded message," the hooded figure explained in an altered voice. "I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing." The screen changed to follow the Architect's explanation as he continued, "This is the Bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated. Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorized. A team will have been dispatched to terminate you."
They all jumped when they heard pounding on the door, and a man shouting, "Bank security! Open up!"
"Oh, great!" Olivia growled, standing to get ready to escape, but the Doctor grabbed her wrist to keep her still. "What—?!"
"Your survival depends on following my instructions," the Architect explained as the pounding to the door continued.
"Open up and you shall be humanely disposed of!" the guard outside demanded.
"I don't even wanna think about what that means," Olivia confessed.
"There's another exit, over here," Eona noticed, looking behind her.
"All the information you need is in this case," the Architect resumed, and Dax grabbed a chip attached to a wire from his head to plug it into the case.
"What are you doing?" the Doctor questioned as he watched.
"Downloading," Dax replied.
"Of course! Augmented!" the Doctor recalled as the pounding outside continued, looking into the case and taking a small item from the case to examine later.
"Why are we even here?!" Olivia snapped. "What does he want?!"
"The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable."
"Please stand away from the door!" the guard trying to get in ordered. "We do not wish to harm you before your incineration."
"Our what?!" Eona gasped.
"The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos."
"He wants us to what?!" Olivia shrieked.
"Olivia! Sonic!" the Doctor ordered, heading for the door Eona had seen and pulling out his own Sonic to use it on the door. He soon had the door open just as the guards busted through the door. "Out, now! All of you!"
They all ran out the door and into the corridor, the Doctor slamming the door behind them before they all raced down the hall as fast as they could for a few moments.
"Ok, stop!" the Doctor called, making them all slow to a stop in the middle of the hall. "That's far enough for now. You. Dax. You're a computer augmented human which means you have a mainframe in your head, yes?"
"Gamer," Dax explained then snapped, "Who the hell put you in charge?!"
"Gamer? Nope, sorry. Liar," the Doctor retorted, stepping closer to Dax and pointing to a spot on his neck, explaining, "Rather nice prison code here on your neck."
Dax glared at him before sighing in defeat and muttering, "Fine. I'm a hacker…and bank robber."
"Oh, good," the Doctor chirped. "This is a good day to be a bank robber. Now, Eona, was it? Lovely to meet you. Liv told me a bit about you. Mutant human. Mind telling me what kind."
Eona looked to Olivia who only nodded in reassurance, making the other two frown at them in wonder. Eona stepped next to Olivia and faced the Doctor before slowly forming into her.
"Shapeshifter," the Doctor smirked.
"All I have to do is have a look at someone and I can change into them," Eona explained. "If I touch them, I can completely replicate the owner down to the DNA. Even the clothes."
The Doctor pulled the object he had in his pocket that he had taken from the case, and held it out to her, explaining, "This is a slide of human cells. Probably the DNA of a customer to help get us in."
"Whoa, slow down," Olivia insisted as Eona changed back to herself. "Are you saying…we're actually gonna rob the bank?"
"Well, we've already agreed to it," the Doctor retorted. "You heard yourself on the recording, and the rest of us. Our own free will."
"Why does it always have to be trouble with you, Olivia Felton?" Eona grumbled, touching the slide the Doctor still held toward her.
"Just your luck, I guess," Olivia replied, apologetically.
Bank Lobby...
The Doctor followed Eona disguised as a grey-haired man in a suit, Dax and Olivia following after them. The Doctor stroked his psychic wedding band to find the telepathic connection with Olivia, which was quickly grasped by both of them.
Liv? How long can she hold the image? he asked.
As long as you need her to, she replied. Why not just ask her?
And have someone overhear it? No, thank you. Now, brainstorm time. Question one: Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS, so why aren't we using it?
I think question one should be: Where the bloody hell is the TARDIS?
Oh…right, yes. Good point.
An alarm suddenly sounded, the lights dimming then brightening again with the tone as the PA announced, "Banking floor locking down."
"They know we're here," Eona whispered, keeping up her disguise as the four looked to another door leading deeper into the bank.
A woman in a black skirt-suit, glasses, red lipstick and hair done up to perfection strolled in with two suits, heading toward a male customer and surrounding him. Two other men enter after her with an alien in what looked similar to a prison jumpsuit and restrained in chains, its arms strapped down by a straight jacket. It's eyes were on outstretched stalks above its head, and its huge feet only had two toes.
"W-What is it?" Olivia shuddered, grasping the Doctor's hand.
"Don't know, Liv," he whispered back as they all stared at the thing. "And I hate not knowing."
"Excuse me, Sir," the woman, Ms. Delphox, called as she stepped up to the man. "I regret to say that your guilt has been detected."
"What?" he frowned, then sputtered, "That…that's totally ridiculous."
"Is it, Sir?" Delphox retorted, mockingly. "Well then, we will certainly double-check. The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent. Good luck, Sir."
Delphox stepped aside as the four stared on in terrified wonder as the man put his briefcase down, looking just as terrified.
"How interesting," the Doctor whispered, more to himself than anyone in particular.
"What's interesting?" Dax questioned.
"A telepathic sniffer dog," he replied. "It hunts guilt."
"And our guilt?" Eona ground out, no one moving as the man lifted his hands to his head while a high pitched sound made him do so.
"That's being drowned out," the Doctor explained.
"What's he doing?" Olivia frowned, subtly nodding toward the man.
"Trying not to think of a plan he might have," the Doctor replied.
"Ever try not thinking about something?" Dax wondered, sardonically.
"Too many times to count," Olivia sighed.
"You may have to again," Eona whispered.
The alien suddenly gave a roar at the man who shuddered as he lowered his hands, staring down at the floor and Delphox strolled forward again.
"Criminal intent detected," she reported. "How naughty. What was your plan? Counterfeit currency in your briefcase, perhaps?"
"No," he shuddered. "Not at all. For God's sake—"
"It really doesn't matter," Delphox cut in. "We'll establish the details later. The Teller is never wrong when it comes to guilt. Your account will now be deleted, and obviously your mind."
"Did she say…his mind?" Olivia breathed as Delphox looked to the Teller.
"Suppertime," Delphox smiled to the Teller before stepping away again.
The Teller's eyes came up over its head to aim a pulsating ray at the man's head, making him scream in pain, and it seemed that Dax felt something as well as he twitched and lightly touched his machinery.
"Doctor…?" Olivia breathed.
"It's wiping his mind," he explained without having to be asked. "Turning his brain…into soup."
"Your next of kin will be informed, and incarcerated, as further inducement to honest financial transactions," Delphox announced, even as the man screamed in agony.
"Theta, can't we help him?" Olivia whispered, tears coming to her eyes and her grip tightening on his hand.
"He's already gone, Liv," the Doctor murmured back.
"But he's in agony."
"Those aren't tears…"
The Teller finally stopped its assault, and the man stopped screaming as he lowered his hands and fell back against one of the suits, showing his head caved in.
"Account closed," Delphox announced, then looked to the man holding the customer. "Take him away. He's ready for his close-up."
The men took him away as the Teller was led away also and she lifted a handheld to speak into it, amplifying her voice.
"Apologies for the disturbance," she pleaded with a polite smile. "Everyone have a lovely day."
They all watched her stroll away, waiting until she was completely out of sight before even thinking of moving. The four turned to make their way toward one of the deposit booths, Olivia's hand clamped to the Doctor's the entire way there.
"Doctor," she whispered as they still walked casually through the lobby. "She said their next of kin would incarcerated."
"Yes, she did," he replied, calmly.
"Why would his family be incarcerated?!" she demanded in a growl. "Aren't we going to stop her?!"
"One thing at a time, Liv," he assured her. "Rob the bank, then save everyone."
"Rob the impregnable bank," she muttered as they stepped into the booth.
"Deposit booth locking," the computer announced as Eona, still in disguise stepped toward a tube on the far wall. "Please exhale. Your valuables will be transported up from the vault."
Eona breathed into the tube, making it turn green before she morphed back into herself and a case arrived from the vault.
"I don't get it," Dax voiced. "If he can get in here and plant this case for us, why does he need our help?"
"Depends on the thing we're stealing," the Doctor replied, stepping toward the case and opening it to reveal a gadget in the center of it. "Hm…no expert, but I see fuses and a timer. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is a bomb."
"Hang on," Olivia ordered. "Nobody said anything about blowing anything up!"
"How else do you think we're gonna get in the vault, Liv?" the Doctor wondered before looking to Dax. "We'll need to see the bank schematic."
"Fine," Dax sighed, pulling the chip attached to the wire from his head and plugging it into the wall to reveal a screen on the schematics.
"The floor below is service corridors…veins and arteries," the Doctor noted as Olivia watched him when he paced toward the center of the room while Dax unplugged himself from the wall. They all turned to the Doctor as he stomped on the floor before jumping up and down on it, hard for a few moments before he stopped, explaining, "He wants us to blow through the floor."
"Won't we die?" Eona frowned in disbelief.
"Not necessarily," the Doctor objected, taking the thing from the case to examine it. "There must be a plan."
"Perhaps that is the plan," Eona continued. "We could be blowing up the floor for someone else. What if we're not supposed to make it out alive?"
"Don't be so pessimistic, Eona," the Doctor pleaded, still examining the machinery in his hands. "It affects team morale."
"Oh, and getting blown up won't?" Olivia shot back.
"Only very briefly," he conceded, making her roll her eyes at him.
"Nope!" Dax blurted, lifting his hands in surrender and shaking his head. "Uh-uh, sorry! You can do what you like, but I'm taking my chances outside."
"Dax, don't!" Olivia called as Dax tried to make his way to the door, but the Doctor remained in his way to keep him from exiting.
"Sorry, but your friend here is insane!" Dax shouted at Olivia.
"Dax, what do you want more than anything else?" the Doctor suddenly asked, drawing everyone's attention to him, but he kept his gaze on the young man. "Whatever it is, it must be here because you agreed to rob the most impregnable bank in history. We all must have a very good reason. So, picture the thing you want most in the universe…and then decide how badly you want it."
Dax sneered, crossing his arms as he muttered, "I still don't get why you're in charge."
"The suit and the hair," the Doctor instantly replied.
Olivia swallowed as he primed the device and set it in the center of the room, and once it started beeping out its countdown, he stood and stepped toward her to pin her against the wall, Eona and Dax finding a spot to try avoid being blown up. They all tensed as they waited what seemed like hours for the thing to go off. The beeping increased in speed before coming to a peak, then suddenly ceased, leaving it quiet in the room. They all froze and turned to see a huge hole in the floor, leading to the bowels of the building.
"Oh! Dimensional shift bomb! Of course! Sends the particles to a different plane! How could I not have guessed it?!" the Doctor grinned in awe as he knelt down to examine the floor and lift the device. "Well, come on Team Not-Dead! Down the rabbit hole, yes? Andiamo!"
A/N: reviews?