Dal:
I can't stop dreaming of her. Most of her thoughts are sad. She wonders if she deserves to be imprisoned. I see other faces, all male, except one woman. And a child in front of a gate, she is obsessed with this child. I think this child used to be her.
"You aren't sleeping well," Nara said, after the third night of restless sleep.
I rubbed my eyes.
"This new case, I don't know why it feels so personal. She won't leave my head."
"Maybe some sleeping meds wouldn't hurt?" Nara said.
"You know I don't like the way they fog my mind," I said.
"You're going to run yourself down though," she said. "We can't have you rundown."
"I know, I just, I think I'll take a deep dive into the case today. Maybe a few answers will bring me peace."
A look of concern appeared on Nara's face. She's been acting odd lately. Checking her phone more frequently, a little harsher on the kids. Something about these actions read as fear. My wife was afraid something. What, I didn't know, but I got the sense it might have to do with the Doctor case.
The kids bounced into the kitchen.
"Daddy don't forget about my recital Friday," Sem said. "I play the lead dancer this year."
"And don't forget I'm presenting at the science fair on Saturday," Ese said. "My robot is going to win!"
"Like I would let your father forget about any of those things," Nara said.
"But he has in the past," Sem said.
"That was the past," I said. "I'm trying to do better, and I won't forget any of your special presentations, okay?"
They both nodded.
As much as I hated slumming it in Judoon court, I am a better father. I'd forget my kid's events constantly. It was a mixed bag.
I grabbed my suitcase, hugged the kids, and kissed Nara. As I was about to leave, my eyes lingered on the hourglass. More than ever, I felt drawn to it. Another thing, I couldn't explain.
Nara was watching me. I smiled assuredly and left. The world was tilting, and I was only beginning to understand how much it was.
…
I was going over the Doctor's case when I noticed something odd in the medical records. For gender, it listed twenty letters. Most of them were M but a handful were F. Usually there was one or the other.
The only secretary in the Judoon court pool was an ancient Gastraineris woman named Peller. She hated my guts as I treated her like dirt the first year I was stuck down here. This promised not to be pleasant.
She had four orange arms and three feet. All four arms were busy on various computers.
"Hi Peller," I said in my nicest tone.
"What do you want, Dal?" she asked irritably.
I held up the file with the gender notation.
"Is this a typo?" I asked.
She looked at it for half a second.
"You've got a Gallifreyan timelord for a client," she said. "Usually they only regenerate twelve times. But I'm not up on the current data on Timelords, so I could be wrong."
"Thanks," I said and turned to walk to back to my cubicle.
"Make a FOIA request and the Judoon should give you the rest of the information they have on the other regenerations."
I stopped and looked at her.
She didn't miss a beat.
"I like telling you how to do your job. I'm busy now."
"I won't forget this, Peller," I said.
She snorted and continued to work.
…
I met with a former mentor of mine for lunch that day while waiting for my information request to go through. The Judoon were obsessed with collecting information, I expected to have the rest of the file by the end of the day.
"So, what's up?" Clarion asked as we settled in for a meal at a café.
Clarion was a Botelan, they lived to be about three hundred years old. He was two hundred now. He was one of the few lawyers who'd agree to be seen with me after my fall from grace.
"You used to do work on Gallifrey," I said. "You're the only lawyer I could find who has any experience with Timelords."
"Wow that is going back a hundred years," he said. "They did not like outsiders. I was only invited as they needed a non-Gallifreyan to represent a foreign alien, per their laws."
"What do you know about them?" I asked.
"Not much," Clarion said. "What is this about?"
"I have a timelord as a client," I said. "She doesn't remember committing thing the crime. Could a previous incarnation be responsible?"
"This is Judoon court," he said. "They only care about having someone in a cell for the crime committed. The thing about Timelords is, versions are constantly traveling throughout all of time and space. The Judoon probably picked her as she was the first version they could get ahold of. Judoon aren't law enforcement at their core, they're hunters."
I sighed.
"How do I get her out?" I said.
Clarion raised an eyebrow.
"No offense, but you rarely care this much about your clients. What's changed?"
"I feel connected to her, and I can't explain why," I said. "Nara's been acting strange. It all feels like a puzzle I can't put together."
"I don't know what's going on," Clarion said. "But be careful. The Judoon don't hesitate to pull triggers. Make sure you know what you're doing, or you might end up in big trouble."
"Okay, legally," I said. "What do I do if I find out another regeneration is at fault?"
"That's a big if, but I'll bite," he said. "You'll have to take the argument to the Judoon high court. Timelords usually remember their actions from previous regenerations, but 'usual' is the key word. You're going to have to prove that regeneration is not responsible for actions of a previous persona."
"I like my odds," I said.
Clarion smiled.
"Take the hotshot out of the high court, and he's still a hotshot. Even in the bowels of Judoon court."
"Thanks, Clarion."
"Just stay safe, okay?"
"I will."
…
The file, I got was massive. It threatened to overwhelm my tablet. I decided to take it home with me.
Nara was dusting when I arrived.
"You're home early," she said.
"I thought I'd work better from home," I said. "Save a plate of dinner for me for later. I'll be in my office."
She smiled. "It's just us tonight. Ese is work on his robot with his friend overnight, and Sem is spending the night at her friend's house, to go through last-minute changes to the program."
"Okay," I said and headed to my office.
I could hear Nara sighing. It might have been a fun night, but I had other things on my mind.
In my office, I began to take notes. Meer Telon was killed on the planet Hypaxia. I'd try to find anyone in the area at the time.
It wasn't exactly tedious reading, as the Doctor got into plenty of skirmishes. Saved civilizations, planets, Earth at least two dozen times. He/she defeated alien menaces. The known associates were mostly human, but a handful were alien, others were android. The way she looked changed dramatically over the years. There weren't always photos though, sometimes it was just a sketch or height dimensions. It was interesting and overwhelming at the same time.
Three hours in, I found something. No picture, but a last known sighting on Elono, a moon/shuttle station of Hypaxia. He had curly dark hair and was oddly my height. I guess an enemy recognized him, but he disappeared into the crowds with two women, who were his associates. Their names were…
I nearly fell over. It was starting to lock into place. Everything that had felt off, was leading to this, my connection to the Doctor. I left my office.
Nara waved from the kitchen.
"I was just about to bring you some dinner," she said.
"Nara, what were you doing on Elono, ten years ago?" I asked.
She laughed. I could tell it was forced.
"That's a long time ago."
"Tell me!" I shouted.
"I was taking the shuttle to see my nan," she said defensively.
"You lie too easily," I said. "What are you hiding from me? Your nan lives south of Elono, you had no reason to be there."
I turned and my eyes settled on the hour glass.
"Dal no!" Nara cried. "Think of the children!"
"All I can think of is that woman rotting away in jail for something I might have done. I can't let that continue!"
"Since when do you care about fair play!?"
"Because it is who I am!" I shouted. "I feel it rippling through my skin. I can't do this. I can't let another version of me suffer."
I grabbed the hourglass as Nara screamed. I flipped it over and embraced my past.
…
I found her sitting against the wall staring vacantly into space.
"Doctor," I said kindly.
She didn't react.
"Doctor you're free," I said.
Again, she didn't react.
I got on her level.
"Doctor, it's okay. Nara has agreed take you in until my trial. She's mad, but don't mind her. In the end she knows this is the right thing to do."
She looked into my eyes. The Doctor searched them, and slowly, realization came.
"You're me?"
"Yes," I said. "Now go. You're free."
"But I'm safe here," she said. "Don't make me go!"
The Judoon appeared and dragged her out.
"No!" she screamed. "NO!"
I sighed.
"You could have given me a little more time," I said.
They slammed the door on me in response.
I took the place of the Doctor against the wall. This was the right thing to do. It was who I was. Everything would be sorted out. I didn't doubt it. I was the Doctor.