Chapter 4
Finally managing to convince the major that he needed his TARDIS to trace the disturbances in time back to their source, Major Tibbets allowed the Doctor to return to his ship. With great reluctance, the Doctor agreed to let Malcolm go along with him. The major insisted on accompanying them both back to the alleyway where the Doctor had left the TARDIS.
Just as the three of them turned into the alley, walking several paces to get to the TARDIS, which was parked halfway down the pavement, the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks. He stopped so abruptly, that Malcolm ran into him, smooshing his nose against the back of the Doctor's tweed jacket.
"What the devil are you doing, Doctor?" Major Tibbets shouted, as he quickly side-stepped to avoid crashing into Malcolm's back.
"Did you hear something?" The Doctor responded, holding up his finger to shush Malcolm, before the scientist had barely opened his mouth to speak.. "Shhh—listen!" Then, they all heard an odd sound, totally out of place with the normal sounds of a modern-day high street. It was the thunder of hooves, gunfire and artillery fire, punctuated with hoarse shouts of "Viva Villa!"
Without warning, out of the far end of the alleyway, right though a solid brick wall, charging two abreast, came half a dozen horsemen. The dusty riders sitting tall on their colourful mounts rode determinedly towards the Doctor, Malcolm and the major. The galloping men were dressed in an assortment of short jackets, most of which had crossed cartridge belts over them, and wore tall, wide-brimmed fancy-embroidered Mexican sombreros. All of them were brandishing either six-shooters or Winchester repeating rifles. The major started to unholster his own pistol, but some new sound stayed his hand. From up in the sky, came the rough drone of what sounded like a very loud lawn mower.
Malcolm and Major Tibbets looked up and gaped at the sight of a bi-plane with a mounted machine gun on the front of it, swooping down towards the alley. As it flew lower, the major could see that the plane was bright yellow, with a big red, white and blue star in a circle painted on its side, as well as the legend "1st Aero" painted in black. A leather jacketed pilot with goggles, was flying right towards the horsemen alleyway.
"Quickly, run!" The Doctor called to the two men, dashing for the cover of the TARDIS. It was parked so that there was about a meter of space between it and the wall of one of the buildings.
The three of them sprinted down the alley, as the aeroplane opened up with it's machine gun, chipping a line of holes in the pavement as the bullets followed close behind the trio as they ran towards TARDIS.
The Doctor, Malcolm and the Major all squeezed in between the ship and the brick wall. Bullets should have been ripping apart the blue wood, but the major was surprised to see that they seemed to be bouncing off, instead.
"The TARDIS' safety protocols are functioning properly, I see. Thank heavens I didn't bother to deactivate them while I was working on the antediluvian torque converter yesterday." The Doctor said to himself, nodding his head in satisfaction. He turned and looked at Malcolm and the major. "The TARDIS has automatically activated the outer forcefield. Nothing can penetrate that. We're safe." He informed the others.
Peering around the TARDIS, the Doctor saw the horsemen sweep past...and then disappear. Cautiously, the three of them emerged from hiding.
"What the devil was that all about?" The major spluttered, looking slightly shaken.
"Off-hand I'd say we just got in between some sort of skirmish between the followers of Pancho Villa, and a plane from the First Areo Squadron of the American Military."
"Who?" Malcolm asked, puzzled.
"If it's nineteen fifteen," The Doctor reasoned, "that means that Woodrow Wilson has pledged U.S. support of an interim Mexican political leader and former revolutionary named Carranza, whom Villa believes has designs on becoming a military dictator. In retaliation for this, Villa and his revolutionaries stage raids on American citizens living in and around northern Mexico. Much like today, sensational media coverage causes national outrage at this affrontery of its citizens. This in turn prompts Wilson into ordering General Pershing and hundreds of American troops to cross the border, to engage and force the surrender of Villa and his revolutionaries. But, even with mounted cavalry and artillery units, trains, planes and tanks, against what amounted to a rag-tag army of mounted guerrillas, Pershing never won a decisive victory against him. Ironically, a century later, Pancho Villa is considered by many Americans to be some sort of western folk hero."
"Thank you for the history lesson, Doctor." The major said dryly. "Yet, as preposterous as I find all of this, I think you're quite right." The major looked down at the bullet holes in the floor of the alley, "Certainly those bullets were real, at any rate."
"Are you sure they're gone?" A frightened Malcolm asked. "Suppose they come back?"
"Yes, I'm quite sure it's safe, Malcolm." The Doctor answered, placing a reassuring hand upon his friend's shoulder. "The crossing over of the time line would require an enormous amount of energy. I don't think it can be maintained for more than five or ten minutes, at most."
Unlocking the TARDIS door, the Doctor opened it and smiling, grandly gestured to Malcolm that he should enter. He was like a proud homeowner, showing his guest a newly decorated home. As Major Tibbets started to walk over the TARDIS threshold, the Doctor quickly blocked the entrance. Reaching behind his back, he shut the door.
"What are you doing?" the major protested indignantly.
"Sorry, but you're barred, mate." The Doctor told him sternly, crossing his arms and standing firmly in front of the TARDIS doors. .
"What?" The major exclaimed. "You can't do that!"
"Erm—In case you hadn't noticed, I believe I just did, major." The Doctor said calmly.
"Doctor, you don't understand." The major said urgently. "Malcolm is my own personal responsibility. The truth is, he's invaluable. U.N.I.T. needs him. I cannot risk losing our best and brightest scientist, whatever the reason."
"I'm sorry major. Final answer: no, I will not permit you to come aboard my ship." He answered.
"For heaven's sake, why not?" The major said, clearly getting frustrated by the Doctor's implacable attitude.
"Because I said so." The Doctor responded with finality.
"That's no sort of answer. I want you to tell me why I can't come along!" The major demanded sulkily, like a teenager being denied borrowing his dad's car for a date with the hot new girl at school.
"Oh, Alright." The Doctor, relenting with a patient sigh. "Because you're carrying a gun. I don't allow weapons in my TARDIS. As in never. As in never-ever-ever. As in only over my dead body." The Doctor told him.
"But, I'm a military man, we all carry guns. It's regulations, a time-honoured tradition, even. Doesn't mean I have to use it." The major argued.
"No guns. Never any guns. Guns bad. Bad, bad guns." The Doctor said, as if trying to reason with a small child.
"This is ridiculous." The major snorted. "How am I supposed to protect Malcolm without a weapon?"
"I suppose you could always buck military tradition and be clever and imaginative." The Doctor shrugged.
"Stuff and nonsense!" The major told him.
"My TARDIS, my rules." The Doctor retorted, crossing his arms and legs and leaning his back against the doors. "If you don't like it, go back to U.N.I.T. and wait for us there. I'll even pay for for the taxi, if you wish, my treat."
For a full minute, the major prevaricated with the Doctor about losing his trusty sidearm. Then, with a final sigh, he realized that it was a lost cause and relented. Major Tibbets regretfully handed over his pistol. Taking out the bullets first, the Doctor sonicked the gun, rendering it useless. He then tossed it away in a nearby rubbish bin. The major cringed when he saw this, but held his tongue. It was only then that he was allowed to enter the TARDIS.
The Doctor had just set the TARDIS into flight, when the phone on the console rang again. Admonishing the delighted and amazed Malcolm, and the more stoic and slightly sulky Major Tibbets not to touch anything, the Doctor answered.
"Hello!" He spoke anxiously into the phone.
"Doctor, sorry to bother you, but. I'm afraid we have a wee problem here." Came Amy's apologetic voice from the other end of the phone.
"Actually, she's understating things a bit, Doctor." Interrupted Rory's anxious-sounding voice, It's a blinking enormous problem. We need you, right now."
Meanwhile, far away from the Doctor and his problems, River had issues of her own. She restlessly paced a room which barely had space for a narrow bed and a sanitary facility. Shiny steel walls reflected the dim blue-tinted security lighting in the hallway outside the bars of her cell. A tall figure stood silently, an indistinct shape in the black shadows between those lights. She couldn't hear anything, but River knew the guard was always there. She'd tried talking to the guard, but got no response, except for one time, the day they'd brought her here.
"I'm guessing hallucinogenic lipstick won't work this time." An angry River had told her jailer, her hands gripping the bars. "Not that it matters, I suppose. I'm willing to bet that a kiss would be wasted on someone as ugly as you."
The moment she spoke, the guard swiftly and silently turned to face her, and a fatal looking weapon which River was all too familiar with, was pointed directly at her. She took the hint. With a chill of fear creeping down her spine, River slowly backed away and sat down on the bed, without another word.