Health and Safety: Chapter 22 – And Your Enemies Closer
Solland takes a step towards us, but makes no threatening motion, offering the Doctor his hand instead.
"Please, I am not that wretch Kelvia. I am Solland Sollran, the Margrave of the Sun. I stand before you as a gentleman, and will deal with you both as such." He protests, appearing offended by our reaction to him.
"So you're going to ask nicely for someone to be sacrificed as your new power source instead of kidnapping them? How noble of you." The Doctor retorts, leaving Solland's hand untouched.
"As I said, I am not Kelvia. Her methods were absurd, especially when she need only have secured my landing as instructed."
"And why would things have been any different? You both want the same thing, don't you?" I ask, stepping from around the Doctor's shoulder.
"There would have been no needless body snatching were I consulted properly to begin with, because I would have known you the moment I saw you, my dear." He says reverently, giving me a sweeping bow, observing me carefully. I can almost feel the weight of his eyes on me, examining my clothing, my posture, my face… taking in every aspect of my appearance like he's committing it to memory.
"Solland, what is going on here?" Hikaru interrupts, sounding concerned.
"Nothing less than the salvation of my home: this remarkable woman is the key to it all." His voice comes out just above a whisper as his eyes stop roaming and fix on mine. I want to move away, or try to guard myself against his stare, but there is something almost transfixing about the way he's looking at me. It's unsettling- no, predatory, but I can't seem to move.
"You will not touch her." The Doctor promises, each word hanging in the air like a threat.
"Might you possibly wait to bully me until you have properly introduced yourself sir?" Solland asks, almost tiredly, as if the Doctor isn't worth his time. His eyes grudgingly leave me for the briefest of moments, and I find my feet shuffling closer to the Doctor again, using his body as a shield. One of the Doctor's hands runs over my wrist, fingers locking with mine.
"I thought you said you knew us immediately." The Doctor challenges, free hand briefly twitching for his bowtie before he remembers it isn't there.
"I said I would have recognized the lady immediately, but not by name. Her beauty was immortalized by my great-great grandfather in his finest work, a relic of my family, passed down through generations. He crafted it after providence led him to her, and her glorious box, nestled in an irrelevant suburb on Earth of all places. Your power, my dear, destroyed all scanners my forbears had. You are a miracle, and it gave them the impossible idea that you could be our miracle. If you could retain such energy, and if your ship could orbit our dying sun, why could you not be our salvation? The answer to our lost light? What is more powerful than the energy of time?" He reasons excitedly, teetering on the edge of composure and in a rush before anyone has time to interject. The Doctor's hold on my hand tightens, which makes me notice my arm had been quivering…
"So, my ancestors returned home, and the brilliant minds of our race began work. We have been searching for you for nearly four hundred years; long enough to complete the Artron Engine. Now all we need is its heart." He finishes in a hushed tone, eyes straining around the Doctor to bore into me again.
Wait, did he call the TARDIS my ship? And say that they'd seen her before?
"As I said, you will not touch her." The Doctor reasserts.
Solland takes a step to the side of the Doctor, briefly regarding him with distaste as he stops to leave me under his sight again. "We have no intention to harm our salvation sir! No, she would simply be placed into a tranquil state, dreaming for eternity. We offer her immortality sir, and safety! She defines our past, our hope, and will be our future!"
"You call putting someone into a permanent coma, lost inside their own mind not harming them?" The Doctor growls, sounding disgusted.
"Yeah, can't say I'm too keen on the idea." I say in a smaller voice than I wanted to. If that happened, I probably wouldn't be dreaming, I would be remembering: living and dying across time and space all over again. I'd be lost forever; in a place no one could come and find me, not even my Doctor.
"Dear lady, please, may I know your name? And your guard's as well?" Solland implores, open hands reaching for me seemingly of their own accord as his body stays put, still disregarding the bristling Time Lord.
"You call me the Doctor." He informs him darkly.
Solland's eyes don't leave me for a second. His expression sours as I remain silent, breath becoming audible as his chest rises and falls in anticipation of my reply. Part of me doesn't know why I'm not telling him; how much difference can knowing my name make at this point? And it might be worth it if only to make him stop looking at me…
"Take a walk Doctor; we can have a proper conversation when you calm down. Thank you Hikaru for the most excellent tea, it is certainly one of your world's credits. Now, if you will all excuse me, I ought to locate my ill-mannered countrywoman. She and I have much to speak about." Solland grumbles, tearing his eyes off of me and strutting towards the door.
"Do you now?" The Doctor asks, sounding almost amused.
"Indeed, she has her agents running across this wasteland after some perfectly unimportant girl and her tag along. Friends of yours I am assuming?"
"Very important friends." The Doctor contradicts bitterly.
"Well, Kelvia is a new breed of political riff raff, those extremists, crying out that we cannot go on the way we are. We have endured thanks to our ingenuity; it will not fail us now. We have no need to change our tactics."
"You just said that change was what kept you going, but then said you don't need it." I point out, my voice returned to me now that I'm not under Solland's watch.
That's all the encouragement he needs for his eager gaze to find mine again.
"All we need my dear, is you."
I really don't understand. They're just words, right? But it's his eyes that tell a different story: they're making a promise. They're saying no matter where you are, or how far you run, I will always find you…
"I shall call off the mad dogs Doctor, if that will endear me enough for us to converse properly in a short while. You won't be going far in the meantime." He calls back calmlyevenly, closing the door behind him.
The Doctor remains stiff even with him gone, keeping an iron grip on my hand.
"You are going to tell me what he meant about Ria." Hikaru demands.
"She's helping us." He answers noncommittally.
"That isn't telling me much."
The Doctor rakes a hand through his hair, giving Hikaru his consideration.
"If she wanted to lose someone, take 'the scenic' route into Bordure, do you know how she would do it?"
"She could take dozens of ways."
"Wonderful." The Doctor replies vaguely, dragging me towards the door as Hikaru shouts after us.
"What are you doing?" I ask tersely, not liking being dragged along.
He says nothing, walking more quickly if anything, down the stairs again and out the side door.
"Doctor, you need to explain what just happened." I insist, trying to pull him to a halt.
Jenny is just shutting the doors of the stable as we come closer.
"Doctor, the Madam and Strax are keeping an eye out like you asked." She tells him confidently.
He is about to reply when Walt's gruff voice calls for our attention.
"You two, I need to speak to you." He barks from the main street, arms crossed and a frown set on his face.
"Jenny, listen to me okay?" The Doctor implores.
"What's wrong?"
"I need you to take this, find Vastra and Strax, and get into the TARDIS." He tells her, dropping his key into her hand.
"What do I need this for, we've got one Doctor."
"It's not that you need to have one, it's that I need to not have one. Stay in the TARDIS, do not open those doors for anyone except us, and only if we're alone or with Victoria."
"Doctor, what's wrong?"
"A lot of things, but right now I need you to protect the TARDIS for me. Wait till Walt is preoccupied with us, then go." He instructs. Jenny nods cautiously in response, and the key disappears in her hand like a magician with a coin.
"Doctor, what is going on?" I hiss, tired of being ignored.
He faces me fully, hands finding my shoulders, gripping them softly.
"You and the TARDIS: you're both a part of their history it would seem, living legends. I can't let them get their hands on either of you, but we can't run Clara."
"Doctor Smith, I am waiting." Walt calls roughly again.
The Doctor looks down at the Marshal, then back down at me, hand coming up to cup my cheek.
"I'm so sorry Clara; I've stranded us, not that we could abandon Victoria either, but-"
"Doctor Smith!"
"We'll be okay." I assure him, hands coming up to rest on his outstretched arms in an attempt to steady us both. I think I needed to hear myself say that too…
"Now Smith!"
"Shall we?" I ask the Doctor.
He nods, offering his arm, walking side by side with me towards the main and only street in town.
"What can we do for you?" He asks Walt pleasantly.
"Tell me where Ria is, and tell me who you are." Walt orders, attracting the attention of several passersby.
"Victoria is on her way here with Émeric. They'll look out for each other." The Doctor answers calmly.
"Why the hell would she be out there on her own? What did you say to make her leave?"
"We didn't say anything; she did it on her own, and the Doctor just told you she wasn't alone."
"You obviously did something to make her go. Who are you? Amal couldn't find any record of your appointment. She's a Detective Inspector for a reason Doctor Smith, she can find anyone."
"We're not your enemies." The Doctor replies.
"You've conned a young girl into helping you fulfill your ends, and sent her off on her own while there is a rash of kidnapping going on. I think that puts you on my bad side!" He roars.
The Doctor inches forward into Walt's personal space. The two glower at each other, and I see Jenny slip away while Walt's attention is very much fixed on the Doctor, as is everyone on the street at this point…
"So take us in then." The Doctor says calmly a few seconds later, visibly backing down.
"What?" Walt barks.
"You think we are impersonating government agents, so take us in and lock us up in your well protected cells. Keep us in a safe spot until you know what to do with us."
Really Doctor? You want him to take us in?
His gaze lowers to me, silently asking if I understand, to which I give a confused nod. I wouldn't say I understand why he is doing it, but I know what he is doing…
"Well if you're volunteering, please, come with me." Walt finally huffs, extending an arm in mock courtesy.
There seems to be one major fault in the Doctor's plan of getting us locked up together.
And that is we strictly speaking aren't locked up together.
There are two separate cells: Walt shoved the Doctor into one, and me into the other…
The Doctor is not happy about that to say the least, but after handing ourselves over there wasn't much he could do about it - especially without the sonic screwdriver. The cells aren't horrible: the barred windows offer us a glimpse of the main street; we both have tiny cots, and a bench along the wall. I sit, leaning against the row of bars separating us, while the Doctor stays pressed against his window, watching every coming and going intently.
"So, why exactly did you ask for this to happen?"
"Solland can't corner us to 'talk' more while we're in here..."
"What did he mean about the TARDIS, how she orbited their dying sun?"
"She did, a very long time ago now." He says painfully, his eyes drawing closed.
"What sent you there?" I ask carefully.
"I had to say goodbye to someone..." He whispers, abandoning his vigil at the window and sitting next to me. Pushing against the bars, his hand sneaks through the gap to lace with mine.
"Did you manage to?"
He nods, looking at me with saddened eyes.
"I'm glad, that you got to I mean, not that you had to." I say, resenting the steel between us a bit more than before. Whoever this was, they must have been really… special… to him… River had insisted that he doesn't like endings. That he keeps running, not towards things, but away from them.
But then, he'd said goodbye to me once too, held my hand while I died right in front of him… He didn't have to come back to Captain Latimer's study; he could have run away from that moment instead of towards it.
"I'm glad I did too." He agrees softly.
We stay like this, leaning into the metal separating us for some time. Walt marches in periodically, ire evident on his face every time. The way he steps into the room, it's like he expects us to have vanished. On his fifth trip in, he carries a pair of tin mugs and sets them on the floor for us. The Doctor stands carefully, flexing one leg, which must have been cramped from the way he was sitting.
"Hikaru warned us about Betman's lack of appreciation for tea; she neglected to warn us about Walter." He says lightly after taking a sip, making an exaggerated face of disgust.
Getting to my own feet and taking a sip, I quite agree. The metallic tang of the cup on my tongue isn't helping either.
There is a clunk from the other room as Walt swings his boots up onto his desk.
"Blame Troves - for all his fancy schooling he sure can't cook." He tells us, giving his own cup a reproachful look.
The other Marshal in question has been absent since we got here, but when I'm halfway through my tea, he comes shouting in the front door.
"I found her Walter, about a mile out. Doesn't look like anyone's chasing them right now, but some of those off worlders are gathering on the street." Daniel calls to his partner, which has Walt up in seconds, grabbing his hat and a rifle before slamming the door shut behind the both of them.
The Doctor and I share a look before making a dash to the windows. I have to hold myself up by the bars, being a bit too short to see street level otherwise. Within a few minutes, Ria and Émeric come into sight, going at an easy pace, obviously not feeling pressed. They don't know who is just waiting for them…
She slows the horse to a walk when they get into the town, ambling down the street.
Kelvia struts into view, flanked by Naveesis, Jocaal, and several other large Etulians, blocking the whole road off.
Ria pulls to a stop in front of them, looking defiantly at Kelvia as Émeric sits up a little straighter, his arm around her waist shifting to pull her close.
"You are rather frustrating." Kelvia jeers.
"Oh she can be incredibly frustrating, doesn't make me like her any less though." Émeric replies candidly.
"According to His Right Thorn in Our Side, you two are nothing more than insignificant, ordinary humans." Naveesis goads at them.
"I wouldn't say ordinary; we're both a bit odd, but very human, yes." Ria agrees.
"So you've been one colossal waste of my time, and I don't like having my time wasted." Kelvia snarls.
"Well I don't like your tone, so I'd appreciate you getting off my street." Walt calls in response, emerging out of a shadow.
Jocaal eyes him up, while Émeric slides down from behind Ria, putting himself between her and the Etulians. Kelvia gives all three of them one last glare, before flipping her hand, directing her thugs to come with her and disappearing back the way they came.
Émeric visibly relaxes, edging closer to Ria again. They share quiet words that I can't hear, and his hand finds its way to rest on her leg. She nods her head, casting a wary glance at Walt, who is still staring in the direction the Etulians retreated. A few more words are exchanged, and the Frenchman gives her leg a gentle squeeze before striding away with a reluctant gait.
"Thank you." Ria says genuinely to Walt, climbing down from her saddle and leading the horse over to him.
"What were you doing?" He replies brusquely.
"Acting as a distraction, I'm a fairly agile decoy with Duran. Thanks for the loan by the way." She says brightly, patting the horse.
"You ran off into the plains to act as a decoy for those two imposters?" He roars.
"Imposters?"
"Yes, imposters. I've got them sitting in the cells right now until I can figure out what to do with them."
"Not a good plan! You can't keep Clara trapped right now, it's not safe for her!" Ria protests.
"So it was her you were protecting?"
"Yes, mild resemblance, it was enough; not anymore apparently, Kelvia seems to know they don't want me..." Ria answers distractedly, seeming to be stuck on the fact that Walt has us locked up.
He regards her for a moment, his face squaring into a resigned grimace as he takes a deep breath.
"I don't know what the hell is going on here, but I'm taking you into protective custody. You can stay safe in the office until this all blows over."
Ria gives him a half amused smile, like he must be kidding her.
"You're not taking me anywhere. Walt, we need the Doctor and Clara - they're trying to help us." She asserts.
Daniel steps out of a concealed place, clearly ready to back up his partner had things gone badly.
"Well, we could simply arrest for failure to uphold regulations this morning." He offers smugly.
"What?"
"You rode between Estevan and Bordure this morning Miss London, did you not?"
"You know I did, Mister Troves."
"And did you or did you not carry a functional firearm as defined by the Protection of Energy Assets Act, half way through the terms of reference, bottom paragraph, third line?" He asks her, echoing her citation of the legislation to him.
"I wasn't doing a contract run!" She protests quickly.
"So no then, you did not."
"What part of not on a contract run didn't you understand?"
"Well, you can argue that at your hearing, when it convenes in a few weeks or so. But unless someone makes bail for you, that leaves you stuck with us till then." Daniel informs her.
Walt puts a hand hesitantly on Ria's shoulder but she pulls away angrily.
"Really? The time you two are picking to work together has to be now?" She asks exasperatedly.
"It would seem so, Miss London." Daniel confirms.
"Come on Ria, just come with us." Walt almost begs, reaching for her again.
"No." She says firmly, shoving his hand away.
"Are you actually going to resist arrest?" Daniel asks mockingly.
"No, but I am going to make you actually arrest me." Ria informs him stubbornly, offering her wrists.
"You can't be serious." Walt groans.
"Oh I'm very serious. You want to do this? You're going to have to do it properly."
"Ria, come on, let's just make this easy okay?" Walt pleads softly.
"Walter MacEwan, there is nothing about arresting me that should be easy for you! Especially when you're just doing it to make yourself feel better." She seethes.
His mouth twitches and sets into a snarl, teeth clenched as he reaches to his belt, unclips a set of handcuffs and steps stiffly behind her.
"Victoria London, you are under arrest for violation of the Protection of Energy Assets Act, do you understand this?"
"Considering I taught your intellectually insecure partner which articles to charge me with, I think I do yeah."
"You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay. We will provide you with a toll-free telephone lawyer referral service, if you do not have your own lawyer. Anything you say can be used in court as evidence. Do you understand? Would you like to speak to a lawyer?" Walt asks mechanically.
"I already understand how absurd your legal basis for this is on my own, thanks." She grumbles as her hands are locked behind her back.
"Well, you don't count as counsel, Miss London. You didn't finish school." Daniel reminds her.
"Thank you for never letting me forget that." She snaps wearily.
A/N: I feel horrible about forgetting to properly welcome and thank my newly volunteered beta, the ever wonderful D Veleniet, in last chapter's author's note, a mistake I shall correct presently. In this headache of balancing a massive cast of canon characters and OC's, I can't say how much I'm appreciating you taking the time to look things over with me, catching what I miss, encouraging me to go farther than I thought I could, and asking questions about people & things that I hadn't thought of. Thank you so much DV!