Chapter 2: Technology, the Highest Crime
The Doctor strolled into the great hall accompanied by Arthur and a handful of guards. The room was clad with wall hangings and a long central rug. A long table that had just been prepared for the evening meal filled the center of the room. Uther turned from where he stood studying the wall in deep thought and looked at the Doctor and his son. The smile on his face was benevolent, more of a grimace than a smile of delightedness.
"You are this doctor that Gaius has informed me of. You are oddly dressed aren't you, certainly not like any physician I have seen before," He was interrupted by Arthur.
"Father, this man was seen exiting a strange blue box in the woods near the stables on the west end."
"What manner of box is it?" Uther asked
"Well it's a blue box, says police on it, about seven feet tall…" said the Doctor as he scratched his neck. Gaius and Merlin rushed in moments later.
"Sire, this man is no threat, I assure you. He is helping me discover a cure for the plague," said Gaius in a huffing voice.
"Oh it's alright Gaius, I was going to meet the good king sooner or later. By the way, here is the remaining pieces you'll need." Out of his right pocket the Doctor produced a syringe, and out of the other a small jewel shard. "Get a sample of blood and when I am done I'll meet you in your quarters. And don't touch the metal prongs on this crystal."
"Intriguing," was all Gaius said before bowing to Uther with the assumption of dismissal.
"Gaius," started Uther, "what is it that he has given you there?"
"I am not sure, Sire." Gaius erected himself slowly, "but it seems that this doctor knows something about the plague and has discovered a means of isolating a cure. I can only guess this has something to do with it." As he said this he produced the crystal and syringe and before he could do anything Arthur scooped up the crystal grasping it fully on the two prongs. In mid-sentence, he gave a great yelp and dropped the crystal to the floor as a sharp spark arced across the steel bands of his glove.
"What foul magic have you brought into my land?" Uther rounded the table, his face squarely centered on the Doctor.
"Oi, magic again, really, you people seem so obsessed with magic. As I was explaining to Merlin magic isn't much more than another form of technology. A means to manipulate the physics of the…"
Uther reached his hand up and squeezed the Doctor's face from cheek to cheek. "I asked you about that jewel, now answer your king!"
The Doctor reached up with a hand, a finger held up as in gesturing one moment, and then tapped Uther's hand. "I dan't dalk dike dis…" Uther released his hand and waved the guards over, who without question grasped the Doctor's arms.
"It is a power source," said the Doctor as he rocked his jaw back and forth, "I need it, well, we need it, to power the centrifuge to separate the blood sample that contains the virus that is causing this plague you face. It's like a battery…"
"What nonsense, viruses, centra…centra…whatever that thing is, you are nothing more than a lowly magic user."
"As I said before I don't use…"
"Magic!" Uther said with deadly gusto, "is strictly forbidden, any user will be made example of. How do you plead to this charge?"
"Surely Sire," said Gaius, "he is innocent, I held it without a single spark, maybe it is as he says it is. Before you pass judgment, please allow me to examine the crystal. And maybe he can still help us with this plague, his usefulness is at least worth a stay of execution."
Uther had a looked of contempt stretch across his face, before he sighed, "fine Gaius, so be it. If he stops this plague from spreading, then he will live. For now, he is to be put into the dungeon like any other criminal."
"But sire, how is he to wo…"
"My decision is final, Gaius. If you want his help you can move your equipment down to his cell and work from there."
It was not long before the Doctor found himself behind wrought iron bars in a smelly dungeon cell. The hay was damp and moldy, the air was cool, and the stone floor was hardly comfortable. Gaius had erected, with the help of Merlin, a worktable in the hall. The centrifuge, syringes, and crystal were in place, and Gaius looked to the Doctor with earnest anticipation.
"Alright, well, for starters you'll notice a wire coming out of the back of the centrifuge, connect the line on the right to the red shaded metal tab on the crystal, and the other to the green."
"Do you mean this?" Gaius pulled a remote connect for a computer out and held it up to the Doctor. Merlin was looking on in confusion.
"No, the black cord on the back, that cord isn't necessary." The Doctor pointed to the back of the centrifuge, which was dangling over the edge of the table.
"Which side of the cord is the 'right' cable?"
"Oh for the love of…" The Doctor pulled out of his pocket his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the lock, a few seconds of buzzing and the door swung inward. "…I don't have time for this…ok well sort of. Right, now then…" The Doctor twisted the wires as they needed to go, "…so we need a blood sample of someone infected." Gaius looked concerned for a moment at the Doctor's screwdriver before he answered.
"Blood sample…yes right…Merlin did you get the blood sample?"
"No, I haven't had time, as soon as Arthur found us I rushed to get you, and I haven't polished his armor yet."
"This is more important Merlin. Ride and get a sample."
"Wait," the Doctor interceded, "is there a way out of here? Usually these old castles have some sort of secret passage out of the dungeon."
"Why, what for?" Gaius looked anxious, his eyebrow lifted.
"I'll need a good sample, using one of those syringes. Neither of you have any experience with it. Besides it would take Merlin far too long to ride there and back just to retrieve a sample."
"The plague is already at the door of Camelot." Merlin pitched in, "I've already seen the sick arriving here for help."
"Why didn't you say anything about this?"
"Sorry Gaius, but with everything that happened it slipped my mind. They are camped just outside of the lowest quarter."
"Great, then a sample is far nearer than I expected. Retrieve one of the infected and bring them here. It will be even easier to diagnose."
It wasn't too long before Merlin returned with an elderly woman, who's skin had turned a dark ever green.
"That isn't small pox!" said the Doctor, "Please sit so I can take a blood sample."
"No!" cried the woman, "no no…it comes…."
"What is coming?" said Gaius
"It screams in the night, a terrible…ooohhh!" the woman shook with terror before her eyes rolled back into her head and blood began to spurt from her nose. Her body quivered as she drew ever-shorter breaths, finally after a few moments her eyes closed, her breath ceased and her body fell limp.
"Another poor soul fallen dead from this disease," said Gaius.
"Hmm, but this isn't an earth based disease. No, not at all, but the question is what is an alien disease doing on earth in this century?" The Doctor picked up a syringe and placed it into the woman's arm before extracting a large quantity of blood. The liquid was not red as it should have been but a dark blue.
"Why is her blood like that?" asked Merlin.
"We'll soon find out, but for one it seems no more oxygen was being transported by her blood. Her body suffocated to death." The Doctor took the vial, placed in the centrifuge, and started it. A minute later the blood has separated, the blood cells that should have been red were a blue green on the bottom of the vial and the plasma was floating on the top, it too was a blue color.
"This disease is beyond anything I have seen before," said Gaius, "what is it Doctor?"
"It looks like the affects of the Kaliny Flu. A rare flu that only occurs once every five hundred years on New Earth, of course it shouldn't even exist on this planet at all." The Doctor scratched his chin looking at the vial, before pulling out his screwdriver and, changing the setting, he scanned it over the vial. Little bubbles formed releasing a green gas in the free space of the vial.
"What is that Doctor?" asked Gaius.
"The gas?"
"No the thing you're holding there."
"It is a sonic screwdriver."
"A what, I've never heard of such a thing. What magic realm does it come from?"
"As I said to Merlin, and Uther, and everyone else in the main hall, there is no such thing as magic."
"But there is," said Merlin, as he looked for any of the guards, to which he saw none. "Nofia ata", Merlin's eyes glowed gold as an empty syringe floated in mid air.
"Ah, power of the word. There is Cairianite power here. This is old ways of manipulating the universe. Hmm how is it that you can use this with Welsh?"
"Do you not know of Uther's struggle to eradicate all magic users?" Merlin said releasing the spell, they syringe fell to the floor shattering.
"Only rumors, it is legend by my time, many thousands of years old" replied the Doctor.
"Thousands of years?" Gaius looked puzzled, "and just where do you come from, or rather when?"
"Well, by the current calendar you use, the year twenty three thousands right abouts."
Gaius pulled away from him as Merlin stood in awe.
"You…you are a dark magic user indeed if you can come so far back in time. Even the most powerful spells cannot accomplish such a task."
"It's not magic. Look there are laws that belong to this universe. Just because there are different ways of manipulating those laws to affect the universe doesn't mean it's magic. Of course this disease isn't magic either, and you and everyone you've come into contact with have been exposed."
"Exposed…" Merlin grimaced, "Arthur."