The Brigadier was slumped on a couch in the console room of the TARDIS, he was blinking something had just woken him up with a start. His head ached terribly, and his eyes were just starting to focus. Sunlight was streaming in through the open TARDIS doors. He stood up and straightened his uniform, it was in a rather creased state. He was slightly miffed, what had they been drinking last night. He looked more closely at the view through the TARDIS door. That certainly wasn't the Doctor's lab. Another booming of ordnance had him rushing to the door. He stumbled out to see the Doctor and Miss Smith being held at gun point by a soldier. As he got to the door the soldier swung around and pointed his rifle at the Brigadier.
Alistair was about to bark an order to the man when Sarah grabbed a lump of fence post and swung it around catching the man on the side of the head. It landed with a sickening thud and the man keeled over, but not before his finger had squeezed the trigger. The bullet missed the Brigadier but hit the central console of the TARDIS.
The Doctor gave a Yelp and pushed the Brigadier out of the way to check what damage had been done to his craft. The Brigadier looked from the Doctor to a slightly worried looking Miss Smith who was kneeling next to the man she had struck. He headed over to examine the man. It looked like his cap had protected him somewhat but he was certainly out for the count. If the Brigadier was any judge of head injuries, in his long career he had seen and suffered more than a few, this man wouldn't be on his feet for the rest of today at least.
Sarah muttered "Oh, Dear," in a worried voice "I don't think this is good!"
Alistair looked at Sarah puzzled, then looked down at the man. He felt sick when he realised he was looking at Lance Sargent Clifford Murray! He rushed back to the door of the TARDIS.
"Doctor, where are we and more importantly when are we?"
The Doctor was under the console muttering away to himself.
"DOCTOR!" the Brigadier yelled.
The Doctor hit his head as the Brigadier's yell made him jump. "Check the screen!"
"Oh Christ!" the Brigadier said as he saw the date and time. He turned and dashed out of the door.
Sarah was putting Murray into the recovery position.
"Miss Smith," the Brigadier said hurriedly "get his putties off!"
At Sarah's puzzled look he pointed at the bands of cloth around the mans ankles.
As Sarah was unwinding them the Brigadier sat the man up and removed his tunic.
Sarah watched fascinated as the Brigadier took off his own tunic and laid it over the man and replaced it with Murray's he then wrapped the putties around his own legs. He took his hat off and placed it on Sarah's head then put the Lance Sargent's hat on.
"Close?" he asked.
Sarah gave the Brigadier an unsure look.
The Brigadier wiped some mud onto his face.
"Yes.. I suppose so... " she said confused.
A shout went up, "Officer's down!"
No commands or orders could be heard. Suddenly the Brigadier Bellowed "GUARDS, HOLD POSITIONS!"
He took another deep breath and in a broad Scottish accent yelled "PLATOON LEADERS TO ME , AT THE REAR OF THE KIRK!"
The Brigadier grabbed Murray's rifle and ammo belts. Then looking at Sarah and smiling worriedly he said "Take care of those two and yourself, Miss Smith, keep your heads down this is a nasty battle!" With that he was up and out of the crater that the TARDIS had landed in.
Sarah watched him go, her mind suddenly understanding. The Brigadier was going to lead the charge to stop the German counter attack! She remembered what the Archivist had said about what Murray had done that day. She felt sick knowing the Brigadier was going to try and take Murray's place.
Sarah left the deeply unconscious Murray in the recovery position. She entered the TARDIS to find the Doctor was still fiddling about inside the console. He was muttering reassuringly to his craft. Sarah could hear the whirring noises of the sonic screw driver and saw bright flashes of light as the Doctor soldered wires together!
Sarah kneeled down and peered in at him.
"Doctor," Sarah said worriedly.
The Doctor caught the worry in Sarah's voice. "Nothing to worry about Sarah, nothing that can't be fixed. We'll all be out of here in a jiffy!"
"Err.. Doctor, it's the Brigadier..."
"What's wrong with the man now!" the Doctor asked in an annoyed manner as he rubbed his head where he had hit it when the Brigadier had yelled.
"He's just changed uniform with Lance Sargent Murray and gone off to lead the charge to capture the machine gun!" Sarah said worriedly.
"He's Done What!" the Doctor demanded hitting his head again as he sat up quickly in a confined space.
Sarah and the Doctor were stood looking over the edge of the crater, they could hear the rattle of machine gun fire. They could also hear orders being barked in a broad Scottish accent.
"That's the Brigadier," Sarah said.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "I know he said he'd been brought up in Scotland and had elocution lessons as a boy, but I never thought he..."
A bullet skidded past their position and they ducked back down into the crater.
The Doctor stood and looked at Murray then quickly headed back into the TARDIS. He got all the information he could find about Clifford Murray winning the VC out of the Brigadier's files.
He looked at the TARDIS clock. At any time now Murray should be charging the Machine gun post.
They heard the rapid firing of the machine gun pause. Then after a few minutes it started up again. The Doctor sighed with relief. Obviously the Brigadier had captured the machine gun and was using it to hold back the German forces.
Sarah was also reading the file over the Doctor's shoulder.
"Well if everything goes to plan, the Brigadier should be back here in about 20 mins with nothing more then a head injury!" Sarah said relief edging her voice.
The Doctor swung around and looked at her puzzled.
"It says there that Murray was found in a crater and he had nothing but a head injury." Sarah said.
The Doctor pointed at Murray, "Yes Murray is found with nothing but a head injury, he's there waiting to be found! But Alistair, isn't Murray!"
Then a very worried look crossed his face. "That Colonel said eye witnesses say the man who led the charge was shot as he rescued the Major!"
The Doctor and Sarah exchanged worried looks.
They heard the shouts as relief troops from the Coldstream Regiment came to support the troops on the left flank.
As they left the crater they saw a tall figure carrying another man in a fireman's lift jogging towards them. Suddenly a shot rang out and the man fell.
Sarah gasped.
"Alistair!" the Doctor cried and rushed towards his friend.
Bullets whizzed around them and the Doctor dropped to his knees next to the Brigadier. He could see a dark stain spreading on the Brigadier's left thigh. The Doctor removed his belt and tightened it around the leg above the injury. Then picking up his friend he carried him back to the crater.
Sarah grabbed the Brigadier's tunic off Murray and helped the Doctor change the tunics over so the Brigadier had his own uniform back. As the Doctor Bandaged the Brigadier's thigh and administered some pain relief Sarah removed the putties and wound them back on Murray's legs.
"What about the Major?" Sarah asked.
The Doctor made a sad face, he was already dead before the Brigadier was shot.
"Oh," Sarah said sadly.
"That wound of the Brigadier's is quite nasty I think we should get him to a proper hospital."
The TARDIS landed outside the rear entrance of St Thomas's hospital at 7 am. The Doctor had chosen the time to coincide with the shift change at the hospital. Sarah collected a trolley and putting on a white coat the Doctor wheeled him into the Casualty department and started to issue orders. As soon as a trauma team took over the Doctor and Sarah left the room. They waited to hear that the Brigadier was not in any danger before returning in the TARDIS to the Laboratory at UNIT HQ just minutes after they originally left. Sarah still had trouble getting her head around all the changes in time.
UNIT HQ was contacted about their injured CO at 7.30 am the next morning. The Doctor and Sarah who were known to be the last people to have been with the Brigadier were questioned by the Captain. The Doctor made up some story about the Brigadier being called to a meeting with an informant about a possible threat to the Royal family's safety.
"We better get down to the hospital and tell the Brig the cover story." Sarah said after the Captain had left them.
As they travelled to the hospital in Bessie the Doctor was unusually quiet.
They got to the hospital and using their UNIT passes got taken to the Brigadier's room. He was heavily sedated, but the surgeon who had repaired his leg was pleased to say that the Brigadier should make a full recovery.
"So, was it Murray who originally won that VC?" Sarah asked.
The Doctor rubbed his chin and looked at his friend who seemed to be sleeping.
"No Sarah. Bravery like that comes from very special people, the man who held us at gun point hadn't got the makings of a hero." He said quietly.
"So who did win the VC that day?" she insisted.
The Doctor nodded at the man in the bed.
"But how is that possible?" Sarah asked amazed.
"I think something has been changed by one of my future selves that has effected this war before. I also think my future self tried to put it right and somehow the Brigadier has ended up in a time loop!" the Doctor said.
Sarah squeezed the Brigadier's arm. "So the Brigadier should have won the VC, it was just given to another man, Murray infact because he looked like the Brigadier."
The Doctor nodded.
"That 's not fair!" Sarah said.
The Brigadier opened his eyes, it appeared he had heard the conversation.
He swallowed hard, "It's good to know you are brave enough to deserve the medal Miss Smith. Actually being awarded one is not so important. I can't imagine being awarded a medal you know you don't deserve. That must be sheer hell." The Brigadier said reflectively
"So what are you going to tell the Colonel about Murray?" Sarah asked the Brigadier.
He thought for a while then said, "That I could find no soldier serving in the army in 1918 who could been mistaken for Murray!" at Sarah's disappointed look he said "That is the truth Miss Smith, I wasn't even born then!" he chuckled softly.
The Doctor squeezed his friends arm. "Alistair, there is no award I can think of that you don't deserve. I've never met a braver soldier!" the Doctor said as his friend fell back to sleep.
Sarah decided she could and would do something about getting the Brigadier the recognition he deserved. Well deserved from a certain person.