The Doctor's Doctor
Chapter 5 – Landing Lights
McGillop powered off the connection to the Nestene telepathic network but doppelgangers remained in their place. "They're calling our bluff," Ianto muttered. "And we don't have a Doctor to show for it."
"We will," Sky said confidently. "So where is Nestene Consciousness transmitting from?"
"Well…" Osgood adjusted her glasses as read her screen. "Unless they're somehow masking their origins it would appear that their based right under Trafalgar Square."
"How is that possible? There's nothing there that could emit a signal," Kate shook her head.
"Pull up an aerial view of the square," Sky requested and McGillop changed to show an overhead shot of the popular London landmark. "Of course," Sky whispered. "Look," she pointed to the roundabout. "The statue of Admiral Nelson."
"It's made of stone, it can't conduct a signal," Kate explained.
"Well for stone it sure is shiny," Jenny remarked and true enough, the top of Horatio Nelson's head was reflecting the light of the sun.
"Impossible," Kate breathed. "There is no record of that statue being touched since it was built and placed on the tower unless it happened before…"
"You're dealing with time travellers Kate, get used to this," Sky pulled out her cellphone. "My guess is that the lions are a part of the transmitter as well like an antenna. Now to call the Doctor." She dialled his number and waited for him to answer.
While this all had been happening, the Doctor was desperately trying to figure out how to navigate the veritable hurricane London was currently caught. He tried every possible angle but time storms were just that, time storms. It wasn't a geographic problem as much as it the whole time frame encapsulating Earth, England just happened to be at the epicentre. From what he tell, it wouldn't pass for months, far too long to wait out. River was helping him at the console while Amy and Rory stood off to the side helpless to do anything. The phone began ringing and Doctor jammed a button with vengeance, "What?" he growled.
Sky was momentarily stunned and looked at the phone before returning it to her ear, "Judging by that tone, I assume you're not having much luck getting here?"
"No," Doctor replied curtly, frustration still palpable in his voice.
"Isn't there anything we could do from our side?" Sky offered. "There has to be way to get you in."
The Doctor ground the heel of his palm into his forehead, "There's nothing you can do unless…" he was suddenly struck with an idea. "A time signature!"
"A what?"
"A time signature," the Doctor repeated. "Basically when you leave your mark anywhere, you create a signature, a kind of time spot where your timeline and something intersected."
Sky's brows furrowed, "Like a fixed point?"
"Not quite, those are actions, these are more likely to be objects that have been modified by a person in some way. It's a smaller version of fixed point. If there was something with my time signature I can lock on to it, it can help bring me in like landing lights for a plane."
"We're in the Tower of London, I don't think anything has been modified by you specifically," Sky looked around dubiously. Then she stopped and closed her eyes, "Oh wait."
"Wait what? Is there something with my signature? I don't remember," the Doctor said.
Sky covered the receiver for a moment, "Of course you don't." Taking her hand away she said, "Doctor if I tell you what it is, you have to swear you won't ask too many questions. Spoilers."
River and the Doctor shared a long look. The Doctor licked his lips and steadied himself, "Alright, I promise. What is it?"
"Do you happened to remember the activation code for Jack's vortex manipulator?"
"Yes…" the Doctor said slowly.
"Well in one of the cells here at the Tower, you carved the coordinates into a pillar," Sky silently prayed he would not push.
Of course her prayers were ignored, "When did I do that? Why would I do that?"
"1562 if I am not much mistaken and for the same reason that you need them now," Sky replied with what she hoped was a final tone.
The Doctor shook his head, "That can't be right, I've already been there and I certainly wasn't incarcerated in the Tower. I left before Elizabeth could -" River raised an eyebrow and Amy and Rory stared, the Doctor coughed, "Needless to say, I got out of there."
"You had a little help. Now Doctor PLEASE, just lock on and get here, the others are in trouble," Sky begged.
"Do as she says Doctor," River warned severely, knowing he was treading on dangerous ground.
"Doctor please," Amy insisted.
The Doctor growled, "This is not over Sky!" and began tracking the signature and sure enough there it was. The TARDIS locked on and the Doctor and River worked together to pilot the turbulent ship. "Definitely not over Sky," He added.
"Didn't think it would be," Sky huffed. She snapped her phone shut and gestured for Jenny to follow her, "Come on, the rest of you stay here in case something changes. Where are the cells Kate?"
"In the next building," Kate showed it to them on layout plan of the Tower. "Majority of the cells were here, I'll let the guards know you're coming."
"Perfect," Sky and Jenny took off running for the building. They earned a few stares from various visitors but ignored them. The guards let through wordlessly and without them breaking stride. They knew they were on the right track when the inside of the building was suddenly filled with wild wind and a rumbling, wheezing noise like a strange storm. Both girls grinned, "Yup," Sky soaked in the sensation with delight, "he's here."
A/N: Hey guys, I've always considered it a bit of a plot hole that the Zygon-Kate knew to search the cells and exactly what to look for or for that matter, how the Doctor knew to carve something like that into the walls. Realistically real Kate and the Doctor probably wouldn't have thought about it unless they'd had some foreknowledge which was then given to the Zygon that impersonated Kate. The Zygons didn't know at the time (1562), but the one that took Kate got the information and tried secure the manipulator presumably to stop anyone from interfering. It knew somehow the Doctor escaped in 1562 and now understood the numbers on the wall and the manipulator had something to do with it. At least that's my interpretation of it, let me know what you think. ENJOY! R&R PLZ!