Chapter LI
Doctor's POV
He was still wondering why this place seemed so awkwardly familiar. But he just couldn't figure it out. Maybe he had been here before, maybe not. There was nothing special about this place, so maybe he was wrong. But he was never wrong. Well, almost never. Hardly ever. Just sometimes. But it wasn't really important now, was it? He had to find a way around these rocks somehow. It was only good that these Anti-Radiation-Pills lasted longer than the ones he had had when he had been here with Romana, ages ago.
Then it finally dawned on him. Romana. Anti-Radiation-Pills. Skaro.
"Wait. What?!"
He looked around him once more. That's it. Now he realised it. How didn't he notice that before? He knew it, all the time, he just hadn't realised it. Just hadn´t drawn the right connections. But why? Maybe because the mere thought of being here again was too absurd. Why would the TARDIS bring him here, of all places?
But he had no time to think about that now, he had to find Mira and leave, as soon as possible. No way he - or Mira - could meet his former self or Romana.
Romana.
He really had enjoyed her company, very much actually. It had been the only time he had traveled with one of his own people. But now she was gone, like all the others. Dead and gone. Because of him.
He shook his head in an attempt to get rid of these thoughts. There were more important things at hand. He continued following the small path until it widened to an open field. In some distance he could see the ruins of some buildings. It was also the way back to the TARDIS. For he hadn't seen Mira by now, she had either gone back to the TARDIS or maybe was exploring these ruins. As far as he knew her by now, most likely the latter.
So he basically hat two options. He could look for her inside the destroyed buildings, but this were also the buildings were he had gotten buried by that column and were Romana went to look for him. If Mira had went inside, she had met him already. Or he could go back to the TARDIS, even though he doubted to find her there.
As he was considering what to do next, he heard steps from inside. Was it her? It could also be Romana, she had come back to help him. Well, Romana didn't know his current regeneration, so maybe taking a look wouldn't hurt.
"Who's there?" he suddenly heard a voice from inside.
Too late.
She had heard him.
"Oh, just me!" he said and entered the building. Romana was in the back of the room, next to a shaft. She spun around and looked at him, and for a moment he could do nothing but stare. He hadn't expected that it would bring back so many old memories. Old, and in the shadow of the recent events even more painful. For a second he wished she would recognise him, that he could just talk to her for a moment, just like back in the old days.
"Who are you?" She asked and took a few steps backward. She was afraid, he could see that, and he knew what was going to happen next. Just the first time it hadn't been because of him. But-
And there he was. He heard steps behind him, but even without turning around he knew who it was. A man named Tyssan, Deep Space Fleet of planet Earth. He would try to rescue Romana, but she had been so frightened that she tried to run away and fell into that shaft. She had never told him how scared she had been, but he had always known it.
"I? Oh, I'm Mr Smith. Careful, there's a shaft-"
"Stay back, both of you!" she yelled and took another step backwards.
"Romana, don't-"
"How do you know my name?" she asked, merely one step away from the shaft now. She was supposed to fall down there, he knew it. Supposed to fall down there, survive, get captured by the Daleks and then escape.
The next moment, before he himself knew what he was doing, he was at her side and tried to hold her back, just when was about to take that one last step backwards. She struggled to free herself, completely unaware of the fact that she was about to fall. Then she finally lost her balance and, with him standing so close to the edge, she dragged him down with her. The fall didn't last long, then the whole world went black.
Mira's POV
"What's it with Skaro?" Mira tried it again, but the Doctor had already turned his attention back to the Commander.
"Commander, you must tell me what you're doing here on Skaro. It's vital," he urged the Commander to answer him.
"Why? What do you know of Skaro?"
"Well, I'll tell you when you tell me what you're doing here," the Doctor replied.
Mira was about to roll her eyes – this could take a while – but then the Commander suddenly gave in.
"Very well. I don't see why this should compromise us. Our mission is directed against the force known as the Daleks. A race of evil-"
"Yes, thank you, thank you, I know," the Doctor interrupted him.
"You know the Daleks?"
"Oh! Better than you could possibly imagine," the Doctor replied and then stared silently into space.
She observed him from the side. She had still no idea if this man had survived the Time War of if he was from a time before it. But if he was from before the Time War, why had the Doctor never went back and prevented it with his knowledge? Sure, it was dangerous, more than that, but yet - she herself wasn't sure if she would be able to resist the temptation to save her own people by going back in time, if she could. Or save at least some of them. These two maybe. Suddenly she became aware of the responsibility not only the Doctor was holding, but also she herself. Should she warn this other Doctor? Would it even be possible to warn him, or would time just find a way to let happen what was supposed to happen?
"Commander, the Daleks-" he finally continued and pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Yes?"
"I'm very familiar with their methods. It's vital I know what they're doing here."
"That's precisely what I would like to know, too."
"But, Commander, what-" the Doctor said, but they got interrupted by a member of the crew.
By now she doubted that they would ever find out what exactly those people were doing here. Directed against the Daleks. But why? Had they been attacked as well? But they couldn't stand a chance, if they weren't mightier than the Time Lords.
"The patrol has found a prisoner."
"Yes. Bring him at once," the Commander said and a man in ragged clothes was brought in. He was in no good condition, that was plain to see, even though he tried to hide it.
"Starship engineer Tyssan," he introduced himself. "Serving with the Deep Space Fleet out of the planet Earth. By my time scale I've been taken captive two years ago and since then I've been a prisoner of the Daleks." He hardly managed to finish his speech before he collapsed. Two members of the crew caught him and placed him on the big lounge-sofa in the middle of the control room. The Doctor bent over him.
"Tyssan. Tyssan, what are the Daleks mining for? Mmm?"
There it was again. The way he was talking, the phrases he was using, the way he was looking at the other man – for a moment his face and shape seemed to blur and she felt stronger than ever that she knew him from somewhere. But then the moment was gone, and she tried again to focus on the situation at hand.
"Tyssan. Tyssan, what are the Daleks mining for? Come on," the man who called himself Doctor continued.
"They don't take prisoners into their confidence," Tyssan whispered weakly.
"You were on a work party. You fell unconscious," the man who had brought Tyssan in the control room said.
"I was left for dead. I've been on the run for days," he replied.
"Yes," the Doctor said, inviting him to talk.
"I spotted you and the girl."
"Good man, good man, yes. Why didn't you speak to me?"
"I lost you for a while. Then I picked up the girl again. She seemed afraid. A man was with her this time. She backed away, he tried to hold her and they both fell down a shaft."
"A man?" she said, suddenly alarmed. "Tall, skinny, brown hair, pinstripe suite?"
"Yes, do you know him?"
"God dammit. What happened to them?" she said instead of really answering his question.
"Were they hurt?" the Doctor asked now.
"They were alive," Tyssan replied.
"Good, good," she heart the Doctor say, but she knew that Tyssan was about to say something bad.
"But the Daleks got them," Tyssan said and proved her right.
"What?" the Doctor gasped.
"Shit. Where are they now?" she asked.
"I went to help them. They took them away," Tyssan said.
"Yeah. But where? Ty-" she started to say.
"Tyssan, it's vital I get into Dalek control. Can you show me a way?" the Doctor interrupted her.
"You'd be taking a tremendous risk."
"Never mind. Can you do it?"
"I think so."
"Good."
"Great. Then we're going to Dalek Control Centre," she said and was about to get up, as the Commander joined them.
"I quite agree, Doctor, Mira. We'll go with you. Agella, get some weapons. Give us a few moments."
"Hurry!" the Doctor said to them.
"A bomb would be good," she added, "For we're going to go to their control centre." The Commander didn't answer and she also missed the look the Doctor gave her as she was staring into space. She would indeed place a bomb there, if she would get the chance. After what they had done on Earth, she wouldn't think twice about it.
And there was another thing she wouldn't think twice about. If her Doctor would ever do that - using this dammed randomiser - again, he'd be for the high jump. Caught by the Daleks, maybe injured. Great. Just great.
"You're quite a long way from home, hmm?"
She turned her head to the Doctor and directly met his bright, blue eyes. She hadn't been aware that he was staring at her.
"Why?" she said slightly irritated. How did he mean that?
"Well, Earth is quite some way from here. You're from Earth, aren't you? What're you and your friend doing here?"
"Doing? Nothing. Nothing in particular. We're just travelling. Sort of..."
"Ah, travelling companions then? Just like me and my friend. There's nothing like travelling, hm? As long as you're not alone, at least."
"Frankly? Right now I would prefer home above anything else," she instantly said quietly before she could stop herself. True enough, she really missed home. But wishing for something that she couldn't have didn't help anything right now.
"Homesick?"
"Nah," she said and looked away when she felt hot tears in her eyes.
Not now.
"We're ready. Let's go," the Commander appeared and spared her any further explanations.
...
Not much later they had reached the mining shaft were Romana and the Doctor had fallen down.
"Come on!" Tyssan whispered, but she was already jumping down the shaft which was about nine feet high.
"Go back now. No more chances," the Doctor told Tyssan, but he seemed determined to follow.
"No, I'll stay. I've nothing to lose. Ever since I was brought here I've had an awful premonition I'd die on Skaro," he said.
"Well, you wouldn't be the first," the Doctor replied, seemingly accepting that Tyssan would stay with him.
"But why should the Daleks come here, Doctor? What is the connection?" the Commander asked.
Mira turned around, where he was standing next to the two crew members who accompanied him. One of them was a woman called Agella.
"The connection?" the Doctor said, "This is where they were created thousands of years ago. They ravaged the place and left it for dead, as you can see."
"So that's their homeworld?" Mira asked him.
Cult of Skaro. That was how the Doctor had called the Daleks who had come with the Void Ship.
"Yeah. What do you know about the Daleks?" the Doctor replied.
"I? Nothing. Why do you think I now anything about the Daleks?" she asked. "More interesting, what do you know about the Daleks?" She had to find out somehow if it was before or after the Time War. Before she accidentally said something wrong.
"That doesn't tell me why they should return," the Commander said before the Doctor had a chance to answer her question.
"No. No, indeed. Burrowing into the ruins of their own city, for what? For what? Oh!"
"What?" she asked.
"You have an idea?" the Commander fell in.
"No. No. It would be too fantastic, even for the Daleks. We'll find the answers we want in the control room. Come on," the Doctor said and went on.
They had no choice but to follow him.
"You know, it would be easier if you'd just share your thoughts. No matter how abstruse and fantastic they are," she said to the Doctor after they were walking for a few minutes.
"And you could just use your little brain," he replied. "Think!"
"Really? You know what, I know someone you would get along with just great!", she said. "Don´t know what they want here. Maybe here´s something they want?"
"The main control centre, about five-hundred metres up there," Tyssan said interrupted them and pointed upwards.
"Good," the Doctor said.
"The place will be crawling with Daleks," Tyssan expressed his concerns.
"Don't worry," the Doctor said and then turned around to where they came from.
She noticed it as well now, the Commander and his people had stayed behind. The Doctor went back the few steps, leaned nonchalantly into their group and said, "Are you three coming?"
The Commander and Agella were following, the man stayed behind, apparently to guard the corridor.
...
Little time later they finally reached the control room. At least it seemed to be the control room, it was full with electronic stuff and consoles.
"Agella, cover this entrance," the Commander said to the woman.
"Tyssan, Mira," the Doctor said and waved at them.
She went to him, Tyssan at her side.
"Explosives and timers, and powerful too. They use them in excavations," Tyssan explained.
As she was still studying the things the Doctor had just found, he was up again and pointing at something.
"That looks interesting. Aha. Floor plans of the old Kaled city," he said.
"Kaled? Really? Dalek is an anagram of the name of their city? It is their city, isn't it?" she asked.
"Ah, never mind about that. This is the first underground level where we are now. That's the second. And if I'm right, the Daleks have penetrated to level... there." He pointed at a red-circled area on the map. "Which means that their objective must be the third section."
"Yes, but what is it?" the Commander, who had joined them, asked.
"I have an uneasy feeling I know," the Doctor said and walked away from the plan. "Now... that's odd. There's no plan of the fourth level."
"Perhaps it's been destroyed," Tyssan suggested.
"Yes, yes," the Doctor said, but she could here he was just saying something, whilst thinking about something else. "There's a shaft leading directly from the surface to the fourth level which the Daleks can't possibly know about. Otherwise they would have come from the surface to the fourth level and burrowed to the third. I wonder..."
"Daleks!" Agella yelled and came running into the control centre.
"Stay calm," the Doctor said as he hurried to the door, to have a look for himself. "Quick! take cover!"
She and the others did as he told, even though they really didn't need someone to tell them. Only second later the first Daleks appeared. Incredibly blind Daleks, they just rolled pass them.
"Come on!" the Doctor said and waved at them.
The Daleks finally noticed them as they were out of the control room, and an alarm sounded.
"INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS!"
She heard the Daleks firing as she was hurrying to follow the others. As they reached the point were the guard had stayed behind, he was gone. Literally so, as she looked down to the floor, she could see his corpse. Although – something about it was strange, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"Let me see!" the Doctor said and tried to reach the corpse.
"No!" the Commander said and almost jumped in the Doctor's way in an attempt to stop him.
"I'm a doctor."
"He's dead."
"He is?"
She could hear the doubt in his voice. He seemed to have noticed it as well. Something was odd.
"We cannot allow aliens to see us in death. it is against- it is against our code of honour. I'm sure you understand," the Commander explained.
"Yes. yes, of course. It's a privilege to meet such honourable people. Lets keep moving," the Doctor suddenly gave in and they went on.
"What's all that about?" Tyssan asked.
"I don't know. It'd be fascinating-" the Doctor said, but got interrupted by the sound of approaching Daleks.
"Quick, hurry up the shaft," the Commander said.
They all hurried to the shaft as Tyssan asked them, "What about your friends?"
"We have to get away from the Daleks first. We're of no use when we're dead or captured," she said.
"Good plan," the Doctor said approvingly. "Never just give up, hmm?" he added, and then said to the Commander, "After you."
"No, doctor, after you," she heard the Commander say, as she was about to climb up.
"You're too kind."
"Oh bloody hell, get up! Both of you!" she finally told them.
"No reason for swearing," the Doctor said, and then, lying in the shaft, looking down at the Daleks, "If you're supposed to be the superior race of the universe, why don't you try climbing after us? Bye bye!"
Finally they were outside again. Only to discover two piles of stones, that looked suspiciously like graves to her. And indeed – there were two gravestones with names on them.
'Romana'
'Doctor'
"Oh my God," she whispered. That couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
Doctor's POV
The Doctor and Romana approached the little group that had gathered around their graves. He eyed his former self closer. Had he really been that tall? Obviously. It had never felt that tall.
Right at this moment, is former self turned around and spotted them.
"Romana!" he said and laughed.
Well, he himself remembered that moment. The relief he had felt when he saw Romana again.
"I thought you were dead!" his former self continued.
Well, at least right now everything was going as he was remembering it, just like he had managed to keep the timelines as they were supposed to be down with the Daleks. But it didn't had to stay that way, he knew that. Him being here could change everything. It was high time for him and Mira to leave.
Now Mira spun around as well, just as Romana explained, "Well, the only way to escape the Daleks was to feign our death. I'm lucky they didn't know we were Gallifreyan."
"Good," his old self said, but he missed the rest of the little conversation, because Mira first punched his arm, said, "Never do that again!" and then gave him a bone crushing hug. He returned the hug and whispered in her ear, "We have to leave. Now."
"Oh? So now you want to leave? Why?" she freed herself from his arms and looked at him.
"Later. Just come. We have to go."
"We can't just leave. Not yet! You know there're Daleks here, don't you? And besides..." she nodded over to his former self and Romana.
Certainly, she had noticed it, he thought. They were Time Lords, just like him. Or a Time Lady, as for Romana.
"So, you're her travel companion?" his former self suddenly said to him. He turned his head and faced himself. It wasn't the first time he had been in that situation, but it was weird, every single time.
"Say, do we know each other?" his former self continued.
"Uhm.. No? I don't think so." he said and ran his hand through his hair. "Listen, it was nice meeting you, and nice meeting your companion, Romana, but we have to go. Mira, come on," he said and grabbed her hand, but she pulled it away. Oh well, he had seen it coming. Nothing could ever be easy, could it?
"Do we?" she asked and looked at him provocatively, before she turned to the rest of the group. "Excuse us for a moment."
Then she walked away and he had no other choice but to follow her.
"Hurry, would you?" he heard his former self calling after them, then he reached Mira who was standing behind a half demolished stone wall.
"What's this all about?" she asked. "We're at a time before the Time War, aren't we? Because those two definitely are Gallifreyan."
"What did you tell him?"
"What?"
"Mira, it's important. What did you tell him?"
"Whom? The man who says he's the Doctor?" she looked at him even more provocatively then before, her arms crossed.
"Did he say that? Really?" he replied and scratched his neck. Did she know? "Anyway, did you tell him anything about the Time War? About me?"
"No, dammit. I didn't tell him anything. Who is he? Your brother or something like that? Because frankly, he's a bit like you in some ways."
"Mira, please, we have to leave," he tried it once more.
"Not before you give me some answers. Who is he?"
He looked at her. He couldn't get away that easy, not with her. And it wasn't even about telling her that this man was him, but more about what she would do once she realised that this was his former self before the Time War.
He peered around, but no one was near to overhear their conversation. "Well, thing is..." he pulled at his ear lob, "Well... That man- See, there's this process, that thing that happens when we're about to die, because- Well..."
"Please, would you get to the point?"
Well, he knew that this would happen sooner or later. He had to explain it to her. It was just that he remembered all too well how Rose had reacted. But maybe it would be different with Mira. Hopefully. He just didn´t want her to freak out. Even more so, he wanted to be accepted for who and what he was, een if that meant he changed his face from time to time.
"Fine. See... He's- He's me. That's me. My past self. About four-hundred years ago. Or so." Actually, he had been around four-hundred and fifty years at that time.
She just looked at him, then blinked. Once, twice, before finally saying, "Seriously? That's you?" Then she turned to the direction where the others were standing and slowly shook her head before she continued, "How? I mean, you have to admit that's a bit beyond plastic surgery. He- you doesn't even remotely look like you."
"It's not plastic surgery."
"So how-" She suddenly stopped and he could see how her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Oh my God."
"What?"
"You transplant your brains?"
"What!?" now it was on him to stare at her. He had expected a lot of things, but not that. "What if?"
"Uhm... Depends, I guess," she replied cautiously.
"On what?"
"Where the bodies come from."
"We're not transplanting our brains. Even though some tried it, but- Anyway. As said, there's this process, that happens when we're injured and about to die. It's called regeneration. We change, our bodies get healed, but they change in the process. Completely, as you see."
"So... He- He's really you? But- then you've met me before. You know that you'll end up here one day, meeting yourself. Don't you?"
"No. It hasn't happened, it is just about to happen right now. I couldn't possibly know it. Now I will remember it, but not before it happens. It´s just a bit timey-"
"Shut it." She looked at him, and confusion was written all over her face. "Okey, fine. I guess I have to accept that for now, otherwise I'll get a knot in my brain. Just don´t do that Timey-Whimey-thing. But how often did you change your- your face? Your body? Is it just your body that changes? Or also your brain and your mind? And what happens to your memories, do they-"
"Mira, please, not now. I'll tell you everything later, I promise, but we really have to leave. Meeting myself shouldn't happen, and I can only guess what dangers will come out of this."
"Oh come on! It's not the first time we meet ourselves, is it? Hmm? And it was always for a reason," he suddenly heard his former self say. He looked around and saw him approaching. "But I'd never have expected to end up being that skinny. But nice hair, I have to admit that. Bit more curls would've been good, but well. Just the clothes are a bit boring," his old self continued.
"Oi! My hair is fine as it is! Same goes for my clothes," he said indignantly and looked at the other man with the ridiculous long scarf..
"Oi? What's that, 'Oi'? Why would I say that? Which of my regenerations are you anyway?"
"Yes, I, and therefore you, say 'Oi' now. As often as I want to. And what's it to you which regeneration I am? Just wait and see! Spoilers, you know?"
"Stop it! Both of you! Now!" Mira yelled at them and his head flung around to her, as did his former self's head. "Could you keep your talking-to-yourself down a bit? Some may call this the first sign of madness," she continued. "Anyway. You," she pointed at both of them, "just said it's for a reason when you meet yourself. Meet your former or future self or whatever. So we stay. End of topic."
"So, we've just met your future self?" Romana said as she joined them before he could reply anything. She had addressed his former self, turned to him now and continued with a lob sided grin, "As if one version of you wouldn't be enough. But I knew that there's something familiar about you."
"Doctor?" he heard the Commander say, who had joined them as well by now.
"Yes?" he said together with his former self.
"What are you doing now?"
"Dalek hunting," they said together once more. Oh goodness, that really had to stop. But was it his fault that he knew what he had said back then?
He turned around, almost collided with himself and then they walked straight ahead, the others following them.
"Now, if I'm right, there's a shaft in here the Daleks don't know about. leading straight to the bottom level, if I'm right," his former self said.
"Oh, I am right," he confirmed.
10th Squad 3rd Seat, Bored411, oXxgeorgiaxXo: Thanks for reviewing :)
