Chapter LXXXIX
Mira
Thoughts were racing through her head, but none of them seemed to provide a way out. She could not get her hands on their weapons and she herself was unarmed. With a weapon she would probably be able to take out Jenny or Clark. But she could only take out one of them, which would mean either Martha or Joan would die. Not that one of them would die anyway from the looks of it; but she would not make that decision; not force a decision when there still might be another way out of it. But where?
They hadn't figured out on their own that Mr Smith actually was the Doctor. So there was no way for them to tell if it was him or not, other than Martha claiming it. Could she then offer herself instead? Tell them it was actually her, and she had used Mr Smith only as a distraction, to keep them off her back? One thing was certain, she could cause enough confusion so Martha could get away, hopefully with the Doctor. Then they would be after her, but as she couldn't change back, for she was as human as anyone could be, she would make up some story to keep them busy. Then all her hopes would lay on Martha, Latimer, and finally the Doctor. At least right now as things were - with the Doctor human and almost paralysed by fear - it would be better if they were after her, not him.
"Make your decision, Mister Smith," Jenny said, her gun still pointing at Martha's head.
"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge," Baines added.
Well then, just like in – not so – old days.
Only this time she had not the backup of any of her old friends, instead she had to rely on Martha, a young boy and the Doctor who would be of no real use whilst being human. Suicide in other words.
"That's enough," she said and stepped forward whilst lowering her mental barriers again, hoping Latimer would get a glimpse of her plan. "If anyone in here gets so much as a scratch, I'll never change back."
Baines turned his head around, staring at her. Time, just a little more time was all she needed. And the guns off Martha's and the Nurse's heads.
"I know you weren't the brightest candle on the cake, for all your stolen technology," she continued, sensing Baines confusion. "But I didn't expect you to be that dumb. I mean, really? You think he's a Time Lord? Look at him! He's so scared he can hardly move."
Baines sniffed at her and finally said, "But you're human."
"Oh, really? Yeah. I knew you could sniff me – a quite disgusting habit by the way – so I had to hide somehow. And it almost worked out. But enough is enough. You let them go, all of them, or you'll never get what you came for."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Baines asked.
"Seriously? How'd you think I know all that? You're aliens, you don't belong on this planet and in this time as less as I do," she replied, arms crossed, watching Baines with her head slightly tilted backwards. "And you're hiding your spaceship on a field quite close. Behind a deflective shield."
"Then prove it," he said with a nasty smile. "Change back. Now. Or those stupid humans will die."
"I would, if I could," she said lightly. "But I can't. It's not that easy, you know? I need my ship for that."
"Well then, lets go!" Baines said, waving his gun at her.
"I don't know where it is," she replied in the same light tone. "Made me forget it. Precautionary measure. It'll come back when the time is right," she added, pointing at her head.
"Maybe killing them will help your memory," he replied.
"It won't. Kill any of them and I will not change back."
"That's a lie."
"Is it?"
Baines didn't say anything. For a long moment he only stared at her whilst she tried to figure out what he was about to do. He was so alien and she wasn't quite sure what to make out of the cold and so foreign emotions which flooded her mind. Did he believe her? Did he refrain from killing anyone in here? He did not care about anyone in here at all, but he also was not a sadist, that much she thought she could tell – though he seemed to get a certain kind of pleasure out if this.
Then, finally, the distraction she had begged for came. It took her a moment to realise what it was, but then she knew. It was him, his Time Lord self. Latimer. Had he opened the watch? But then-
"It's him!" Bait said, tilting his head.
In that moment of distraction Martha managed to get the gun off Jenny, using her as a shield. Well done Martha, she thought, she just hoped she would not shoot. Maybe the people those aliens had possessed weren't dead yet.
"All right! One more move and I shoot!" Martha yelled.
"Oh, the maid is full of fire," Baines said.
"And you can shut up!" Martha replied, and she could see how she bent her finger.
But, thankfully, she only fired into the ceiling.
"Careful, Son of Mine," Clark said to Baines. "This is all for you so that you can live forever."
"Shoot you down," Baines said, his weapon pointing at Martha.
"Try it. We'll die together," Martha replied.
"Would you really pull the trigger? Looks too scared," Baines said with a teasing voice.
"Scared and holding a gun's a good combination. Do you want to risk it?" Martha said.
"I should warn you," she said, pointing at Martha, "She tends to lose it when she's scared like that. Wouldn't be the first time. Actually, the third time – at least."
Finally, they reluctantly lowered their guns.
She watched them carefully, thinking how nice it would be to have one of their guns. But asking them to give her one would definitely take things a bit far.
"Everyone out of here!" she yelled, her eyes on Martha who was still holding Jenny. They undoubtedly would fight back the moment Martha let go of her. "Hurry," she added as she saw the confused people hardly moving. "There's a door at the side. Mr Smith, go on, get them out! I know you can, you helped me before! Move!"
Finally the crowd started to move towards the doors, not without the help of Joan. And then, at last, the Doctor shook off his frozen state and helped her. Then, as the hall was empty apart from herself, him, Joan, Martha and the aliens, he hesitated.
"Get out!" she yelled at him.
"What about you and Martha?"
"Just move! Get Joan back to safety, you can't leave her here, can you?" she said even though by now it really hurt her seeing – and feeling – how font he was of that nurse, and it became harder and harder to remind herself that it was not him. Was it? When he changed back, would he remember his feelings?
Not now!
Finally he was out with Joan, and with a long stride she was next to Martha who could not hold Jenny any longer.
"Give me the gun," she whispered as they were facing all four members of that weird family. The scarecrow, where was it? And who was it? It seemed to be less intelligent than the other four and apart from that she could hardly sense it, leaving her unsure if it even was alive. Even the positronic-biological robots with their living plasma in her universe seemed to be more alive to her.
"Don't try anything," Martha said to them, ignoring her completely. "I'm warning you, or Sonny boy gets it."
"She's almost brave, this one," Baines said. "But we don't need her. The Doctor comes with us and we search for this ship of yours."
"Good luck with that. I said I can't remember where it is. It could be anywhere – anywhen," she replied, backing away with Martha as the aliens approached. She held out her hand as a silent prompt to hand over the gun.
"What happened to Jenny? Is she gone?" Martha asked, not letting go of the weapon.
"She is consumed. Her body's mine," Jenny replied nastily. Maybe she should reconsider them not being sadists, she thought.
"You mean she's dead," Martha said.
"Yes. And she went with precious little dignity. All that screaming," Jenny replied.
Well, they definitely were incredibly stupid, for it was more than clear that Martha was just trying to figure out what she herself had thought earlier. Making sure if Jenny was really dead before killing her body. Suddenly something was rustling behind her, followed by a smell of wet straw, then Martha was grabbed and the next second the scarecrow had the gun.
So much for the gun, she thought and grabbed Martha by the hand, pulling her over to the door and out of the hall.
...
Outside the Doctor was still standing there with Joan.
"Don't just stand there, move!" Martha yelled at him, "God, you're rubbish as a human. Come on!"
"Martha, you have to find Tim, and get the watch!" she said to Martha as they were running towards the school. "I'll go back to them and keep them distracted."
"They'll kill you," Martha replied.
"No, not unless they figure out I've lied to them," she replied, being everything but certain they hadn't already.
"You're not going back to them, Mira," the Doctor fell in. "What is all this about? All this talk about aliens and-"
"Never mind," she said, hoping he would accept it.
"But what do they want from me? And why-"
"Never mind, I said," she replied, throwing open the door to the school. "Just stay away from them. And do what I say, I just try to protect you. I'll explain everything later, just trust me!"
He didn't reply, just shot her a long look and she could feel that he was full of mixed emotions. He slammed the door behind them, saying, "Anyway, you're not going out there again," grabbed a bell and started to ring it.
"What are you doing?" Martha asked.
"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together. Take arms! Take arms!" he said.
"What? That's madness," she replied, trying to grab his arm. "We're not going to fight them. They have a bloody spaceship, we have to get them away from here!"
"She's right, you can't do that!" Martha fell in.
"You wanted me to fight, don't you?" the Doctor replied. "Take arms! Take arms!" he yelled.
"I say sir, what's the matter?" Hutchinson, who happened to be first to arrive, asked.
"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson," the Doctor replied. "Enemy at the door. Take arms!"
...
"We can't fight them here!" She had no idea how many times she had already said it, watching how the guns were handed out to the boys. "They have energy weapons. And a spaceship!"
"Redfern, maintain position over the stable yard. Faster now. That's it," the Doctor said to Joan, ignoring her.
"They're just boys," Martha fell in. "You can't ask them to fight. They don't stand a chance."
"They're cadets, Miss Jones," he replied. "They are trained to defend the King and all his citizens and properties."
"What in thunder's name is this?" the Headmaster barked as he rushed through the door, looking at the chaos. "Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?"
"Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack," the Doctor said.
"Really? Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in private."
"No, I promise you, sir," the Doctor replied. "I was in the village with Matron. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mister Clark from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen."
"Matron, is that so?"
"I'm afraid it's true, sir," Joan confirmed.
"Murder on our own soil?"
"I saw it. Yes."
"Perhaps you did well then, Mister Smith," the Headmaster said. "What makes you thing the danger's coming here?"
"Well, sir, they said"
"Baines threatened Mister Smith, sir," Joan added. "Said he'd follow him. We don't know why."
"Very well. You boys, remain on guard. Mister Snell, telephone for the police. Mister Philips, with me. We shall investigate."
"I wouldn't go out there, Mister Rocastle," she said.
"Mister Smith, it seems your secretary is giving me advice. You will control her, sir," he said and headed for the door.
Ignoring him she followed the Headmaster and Mr Phillips outside with a little distance, trying to stay in the shadows.
"So," the Headmaster said as he approached the aliens. "Baines and one of the cleaning staff. There's always a woman involved. Am I to gather that some practical joke has got out of hand?"
"Headmaster, sir. Good evening, sir. Come to give me a caning, sir? Would you like that, sir?" Baines mocked him.
"Keep a civil tongue, boy," the Headmaster said calmly.
"Now come on, everyone. I suspect alcohol has played its part in this," Phillips tried to de-escalate as well. "Let's all just calm down. And who are these friends of yours, Baines, in fancy dress?" he added, pointing at the scarecrows behind the aliens.
"Do you like them, Mister Philips?" Baines asked. "I made them myself. I'm ever so good at science, sir. Look." He pulled off the arm of one scarecrow and continued, "Molecular fringe animation fashioned in the shape of straw men. My own private army, sir. It's ever so good, sir."
"Baines, step apart from this company and come inside with me," the Headmaster said.
"No, sir," Baines declined. "You, sir, you will send us Mister John Smith. That woman is already standing behind you, as I can see. Then we can figure out which is the right one. That's all we want, sir, Mister John Smith and that woman and whatever they've done with the Time Lord consciousness. Then we'd be very happy to leave you alone."
"You won't get him," she said and stepped forward, slightly ahead of the Headmaster and Phillips, feeling relatively secure. They wouldn't shoot her until they were certain she was not the Time Lord.
"Go back inside, woman," the Headmaster said with an angry voice, before he addressed Baines again. "You speak with someone else's voice, Baines. Who might that be?"
"We are the Family of Blood," Baines said.
"Mister Smith said there had been deaths," the Headmaster wanted to know.
"Yes, sir. And they were good, sir."
"Well, I warn you, the school is armed," the Headmaster said, making her head fling around to him.
Armed? Seriously?
"All your little tin soldiers," Baines said, seemingly thinking the same. "But tell me, sir, will they thank you?"
"I don't understand," the Headmaster replied.
"What do you know of history, sir? What do you know of next year?" Baines asked.
"Don't, Baines. Just leave it," she tried to stop him.
"You're not making sense, Baines," the Headmaster said, completely ignoring her.
"1914, sir," Baines said. "Because the Family has travelled far and wide looking for Mister Smith and, oh, the things we have seen. War is coming. In foreign fields, war of the whole wide world, with all your boys falling down in the mud. Do you think they will thank the man who taught them it was glorious?"
"Don't you forget, boy, I've been a soldier," the Headmaster replied. "I was in South Africa. I used my dead mates for sandbags. I fought with the butt of my rifle when the bullets ran out, and I would go back there tomorrow for King and Country!"
"Doesn't make it any more glorious," she said silently, earning an indignant look from the Headmaster.
"Et cetera, et cetera," Baines said and, without any further warning, shot Mr Phillips. "Run along, Headmaster. Run back to school. And send us Mister Smith!"
"You don't need him!" she yelled, trying to convince them to leave the school alone. "I am coming with you, if that's what you want!"
"Oh, we don't believe you," Baines said, closing in on her. "We want you both. Now go inside and find Mr Smith."
He pointed his weapon at her, leaving not much room for interpretation. He most likely had figured out that she was bluffing. And she hastily followed the Headmaster. Where was Latimer? She hadn't heard from him in a while, and the last thought she had gotten from him had been filled with doubt.
Martha
She had watched in horror how Mr Phillips got murdered and now she rushed over where the Doctor, Mira and the Headmaster were standing.
"Mister Philips has been murdered, Mister Smith. Can you tell me why?" the Headmaster wanted to know.
"Honestly, sir, I have no idea," the Doctor replied. "And the telephone line's been disconnected. We are on our own."
"If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall," the Headmaster said. "Hutchinson, we'll build a barricade within the courtyards. Fortify the entrances, build our defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them."
"That's madness," Mira whispered to her. "They can't hold the school against them. And I'm afraid my plan failed; they still want him."
"So what now?" she asked.
"Find Latimer. He has the watch. Then we have to bring the Doctor away from here, best somewhere close to the TARDIS and make him change back."
"Finally," she said, unable to help the slight sarcastic tone in her voice. Well, Mira's plan hadn't been that bad, she had to admit that, but if it had been for her, the Doctor would be his old self for quite some time now. "I thought you can find Latimer? Sort of detect him?"
"Yes, well, he seems to be evading me. Either him or the Doctor in the watch, I don't know. Find him. I'll try to keep Mr Smith out of trouble. He's a great teacher, but definitely not a soldier."
...
She had ran into Joan who, as there had been no way to keep her out of it, was following her. Now they were searching the school for Latimer, but if he really was hiding, she would never find him.
"So why do we need this watch?" Joan asked again.
"I know it sounds mad," she replied, deciding that it was of no use to keep anything secret any more, "But when the Doctor became human, he took the alien part of himself and he stored it inside the watch. It's not really a watch, it just looks like a watch. And now Latimer has it."
"And alien means not from abroad, I take it," Joan said.
"The man you call John Smith, he was born on another world."
"A different species."
"Yeah."
"Then tell me. In this fairy tale, who are you?"
"Just a friend. I'm not- I mean, you haven't got a rival, as much as I might. Just his friend."
"And Mira?"
"Well, if I only knew. She was already with him when I met him. I asked her if there- well, if they'd been together once, but she said no."
"Why did she say it's her they're after?" Joan asked. "They could have killed her."
"Yeah, I guess... She wanted to protect him."
"And you're human, I take it? Both of you?"
"Human. Don't worry. And more than that, I just don't follow him around. I'm training to be a doctor. Not an alien doctor, a proper doctor. A doctor of medicine."
"Well that certainly is nonsense. Women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your colour."
Her head flung around to Joan. Seriously? "Oh, do you think? Bones of the hand. Carpal bones, proximal row. Scaphoid, lunate, triquetal, pisiform. Distal row. Trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate. Then the metacarpal bones extending in three distinct phalanges. Proximal, middle, distal."
"You read that in a book."
"Yes," she said in frustration and disbelief. "To pass my exams. Can't you see this is true?"
"I must go," Joan said suddenly.
"If we find Latimer with that watch, then we can stop them!"
"Those boys are going to fight. I might not be a doctor, but I'm still their nurse. They need me," Joan said and went off.
Mira
She watched how the school prepared to fight back. It was so ridiculous. They really thought they could stop those aliens with bags of sand and machine guns? And barricading the doors with wooden bars? As if that could stop their energy weapons. She went out to the courtyard, watching the Headmaster issuing commands at the boys who hurried to get ammunition and machine guns.
Children.
She went back inside, only to find Martha and Joan at the Doctor's side. Martha slightly shook her head at her, and she couldn't blame her – it was easy for someone to hide in this chaos, even more so if they knew the grounds. And, above all, even she was unable to locate him. Probably due to the emotional turmoil around her, but she was also still convinced something was blocking him out.
"You're with Armitage and Thwaites," the Doctor just said to some boys. "They know the drill. Joan, it's not safe," he added as he spotted Joan.
"I'm doing my duty, just as much as you. Fine evening we've had together," Joan replied.
"Not quite as planned," he confirmed sheepishly.
"Tell me about Nottingham," Joan said.
"Sorry?"
"That's where you were brought up. Tell me about it."
Martha must have convinced her. Or at least, almost. She could feel that Joan was suddenly quite suspicious, her beliefs shaken. She was testing him.
"Well, it lies on the River Leen," he replied reluctantly, confusion and fear in his voice. "Its southern boundary following the course of the River Trent which flows from Stoke to the Humber."
"That sounds like an encyclopaedia. Where did you live?" Joan asked.
"Broadmoor Street. Adjacent to Hotley Terrace in the district of Radford Parade."
"But more that facts. When you were a child, where did you play? All those secret little places, the dens and hideaways that only a child knows? Tell me, John. Please tell me," Joan insisted. "And what about Mira? What about her husband and her father, your mentor?"
"What is with them? I- I..."
"They both died, and you promised her father to care for her," Joan said.
"No, that- Mira, you've not been married, have you?"
"Actually, I have. But not like that," she said quietly. "I made it up. Don't look at me like that, Joan. I was married, and I am a widow. But it was- a long time ago. And my father is still alive and has never met Mister Smith. I had to make it up because the TARDIS didn't. She did not fill in all those gaps, all those little details. So when Joan wanted to know more, I had to come up with something."
"But- That's my life! I can't remember your father or your late husband. You're lying. That's almost forty years I can remember, and how can you say it's all made up?"
"That's not your life! You're not that person," she replied. "The real you has over nine hundred years of memories - though I'm still not quite convinced you didn't lie to me about your age. I think it's a bit more than nine hundred-"
"Nine hundred?" Martha breathed next to her.
Probably even more, she thought. At least he had made his fourth regeneration almost three hundred years younger.
"Joan, are you convinced now?" she addressed Joan. "He did all this to hide. I was against this plan from the very beginning, but here we are and-"
"How can you think that I'm not real?" the Doctor asked, and then turned to Joan. "When I kissed you, was that a lie?"
"No, it wasn't. No," Joan replied, her eyes cast to the floor.
"But this Doctor sounds like some, some romantic lost prince," he said. "Would you rather that? Am I not enough?"
If he would only stop. But she could feel it, at least this human, looking like the Doctor, was in love with Joan. And slowly but surely she was at a point where she could hardly stand it any longer.
"No, that's not true. Never," Joan replied.
"I've got to go," he said.
"Mira was right about one thing, though," Joan said. "Those boys, they're children. John Smith wouldn't want them to fight, never mind the Doctor. The John Smith I was getting to know, he knows it's wrong, doesn't he?"
"Mister Smith, if you please!" the Headmaster yelled.
"What choice do I have?" the Doctor said and then kissed Joan.
Unable to watch any longer she went out to the courtyard, knowing that he was following.
...
Tim Latimer was sitting in a corner, hiding, the watch in his hands. He had seen a lot – too much - about this man who called himself the Doctor. He was dark, dark and dangerous. But then again – what had Mira said? He had chosen not to fight them? Why?
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" he repeated quietly.
Surely he should try to contact Mira, but was he really doing the right thing? Could he trust her? Could he trust him? He knew they were looking for him. Martha as well as those aliens.
"Beware," the voices suddenly whispered.
"Beware of what?"
"Her!"
He looked up. There was the little girl with the red balloon.
"Keep away," he said.
"Who are you?"
"I saw you at the dance. You were with that family. You're one of them."
"What are you hiding?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"What have you got there?"
"Nothing."
"Show me, little boy."
"I reckon whatever you are, you're still in the shape of a girl. How strong is she, do you think? Does she really want to see this?"
He opened the watch and golden energy raced towards her. Not only she could see it but he as well. And, despite the images of rage and violence, he now knew what to do.
...
She knew the Doctor was following close behind her, and as she turned around, she saw he had a gun in his hands. Really?
"What in hell do you think you're doing?" she said, standing in front of him, forcing him to stop as well.
"I have to defend the school. Mira, you go inside now, this is no place for a woman, so-"
"Oh shut up! You give me that gun, now!"
"Mira, go inside, or-"
"Okay, one last try. Give me the gun. Now. I won't let you shoot anyone. Because if you do, I either have to live with you blaming me for not stopping you for the rest of your life, or, which is more likely and much worse, I have to live with you blaming yourself for the rest of your life for killing someone. So you give me that gun, now!"
"Mira, what are you talking about? We're under attack, so I'm not giving you that gun. You go inside, it's too dangerous out here."
She watched him up and down. He was human now, and not overly trained, just an average human male. Hopefully he really was completely human, and did not still possess his Time Lord strength or reflexes. Sure, even an average human male would always be stronger than her, but it was not always about strength. She would be faster and had much more experience - centuries of practising multiple kinds of self-defence techniques.
"Fine," she said and took a step forward as if to walk past him and go back inside. But instead she quickly grabbed for the gun and before he could quite realise it she had turned around his arm, winding it out of his grip.
"Ow!" he yelled after jumping back, staring at her in shock.
"Sorry," she replied. "But I can't let that happen. So you either go inside or if you have to be outside, stay behind me. And please, stay out of the line of fire."
"Why are you doing that?" he asked, confusion written all over his face. "Who are you?"
"I just try to protect you," she sighed. "And you're really not making it easy."
She turned around again, walking towards the barriers and the boys behind their machine guns, waiting for the scarecrows to attack.
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