CHAPTER FIVE
A/N: Davin and Rose are in another location, bound and chained. The Doctor is about to meet the beings who contacted him in the last chapter. What do they want the Doctor, Davin, and Rose for? What are their overall intentions? Let's find out….
"What do you want?" the Doctor asked.
"You," was all the Doctor heard before three security guards came into the office.
"Is there a problem?" the Doctor asked nonchalantly.
"Put your hands where we can see them!" One of the guards shouted. The Doctor placed his hands in front in a gesture of surrender. "Now, turn off that computer!"
"You must be new," the Time Lord said in an effort to placate the guard. "I am Doctor James Sanders. You'll find that I registered downstairs." He switched off the machine.
"Well, my friend, I'm old," the Doctor heard a voice say. From behind the guards, the Doctor saw the man with the blaster emerge. "And I believe you're trespassing." To the other guards, the man said, "Leave this to me. I'll deal with him."
"Right, Mr. Kagan," one of the guards said. The guards left the room, leaving the Doctor and Kagan alone.
Kagan fixed the Doctor with his cold, black eyes. He commented, "It seems we keep running into each other, Dr. Sanders…if, of course, that's your real name." He kept his blaster on the Gallifreyan.
"What makes you think it isn't?" the Doctor challenged, staring at Kagan with icy grey eyes.
"I looked further into the computer database, and beyond your name and job title, you don't exist. I don't even know how you were able to fool the security guard downstairs," Kagan answered. "Now, you tell me: who are you, really? What are you after? Why aren't there any records on you?"
"Quid pro quo, Mr. Kagan," the Doctor replied. "I will give you some information, if you give me some."
"You do realize, I could take it by force," Kagan replied, holding up his blaster for emphasis. The Doctor stared at the weapon, studying its design more closely.
"Tell me…" he began, ignoring Kagan's threat, "where did you get your little toy from?"
"I won't tell you squat!" Kagan shouted. "Suffice it to say…I have friends in high places, the same friends who will deal with you!" He aimed the blaster at the Doctor's hearts. "All right, whoever you are, let's go!"
"Where to?" the Doctor asked, feeling no fear.
"To a holding area; I am done with you!" Kagan said with disgust. The Doctor raised his arms in surrender and made no move to attack. His curiosity at wanting to know more about his captors was at a fever frenzy. They made their way to the elevators.
XXXXX
Meanwhile, in Rose's cell, the fifty-year-old woman glanced around, looking for a way out. She saw a window, sitting high on the opposite wall. If I could just reach it…she thought. She jerked her chains, but they weren't loosened. Her door opened suddenly, and one of the henchmen walked in.
"Forget something?" Rose asked sarcastically. The man walked over to the middle aged woman, appraising her with his eyes.
"You more amenable now, Ms. Tyler?" the man asked. "It may go better for your friends and your brother if you are more cooperative…"
Rose finally seized on a way she could escape. She said in what she hoped was a seductive voice, "I won't give you any more trouble. Please…" Rose whispered breathlessly, "I only want to get out of here."
The man said, "That's better. My superiors told me not to do anything to you, but…well, I don't think they'll be displeased if I give you to them somewhat, shall we say, in a better mood?"
Rose purred, "You think you can get me that way?"
"Sure thing, baby," the man confirmed. He walked over to Rose's chains, jerking her to him as close as humanly possible. Before he could claim her lips, Rose put two fingers in front of his.
"I can't have you like this," Rose said. "I mean, it's hard to have a party chained up like this…"
The man thought a moment. If word of this got out, even to his immediate supervisor, he could be in a world of trouble. But, sometimes, he decided, looking at Rose's moist, brown eyes and beautiful chest, things were worth the risk. He might even get her as his reward, he mentally reasoned. He procured a key chain from his pocket and undid her chains.
Rose massaged her wrists, saying, "I can't tell you what this means to me…and to you!" She let her leg fly, kicking him with a high heeled shoe, in effect knocking the man out. Grabbing the keys, Rose lugged the man's body over to the wall. She chained him to it.
The former Torchwood director left the room, pausing to check that no one was around. She walked down the hall, checking various doors. When she reached the fifth door on the right side, Rose glanced through the tiny opening on the door. Sure enough, Davin was inside, still fully chained.
"Davin…can you hear me?" Rose whispered.
"Yes," came a soft reply from the Doctor's son. "Am I glad to see you!"
Rose proceeded to work on the lock with the stolen keys. "Hang on a mo'. I'll have you out in a jiffy!" She finally got the door open, going through each key to try to open the locks on Davin's chains.
"I've got an easier way," Davin said. He jerked his head to the left pocket in his jacket, saying, "this pocket…reach inside. My sonic screwdriver is in there. Pull it out an' set it to 355." Rose did as she was instructed.
As she worked on the chains, she asked, "Why didn't they grab this when they chained you?"
Davin chuckled, "Very deep pockets! They weren't exactly taking their time to search me when they grabbed me. Besides, even if they had done a more thorough search, they'd only find what I wished them to."
"Come again?" Rose asked, slightly confused. Each of Davin's chains fell off one-by-one.
"A Time Lord trick. If need be, we can control the dimensions in our pockets…that is why our pockets are always bigger on the inside than on the outside, like the TARDIS," Davin explained. "We can shift the matter in there so that anyone poking about doesn't find anything important." The last of the chains fell off. Using his sonic screwdriver, Davin disabled the cameras and scanners like he had in the Torchwood Towers building. He grabbed Rose's hand, muttering, "it won't take long for the one you overpowered to tip off the world. We better go somewhere where we can hide, or escape this place!"
Rose felt the familiar touch of the Tenth Doctor's fingers when Davin's hand encircled hers. She wondered again about the connection she felt whenever she was around Davin. It went beyond looks or even personality…she felt as though she knew him on some other level. Rose hoped she'd get a chance to find out why she felt such a strong bond with the junior Time Lord.
XXXXXXX
Kagan's men placed the Doctor in the small room in the basement after checking to make sure there were no ceiling panels the Time Lord could escape through.
"You should have stayed asleep, Sanders," Kagan snarled. He took out a pair of handcuffs and secured one of the Doctor's wrists to a chair. Searching the Gallifreyan's pockets, he pulled several articles out, including a key chain, a ball of twine, a fish hook, a banana, tissues, some jelly babies, an old pair of glasses, a bubble gum wrapper, a bluetooth device from the year 2008, and a notebook.
"You sure you don't have a bicycle in your pockets, Dr. Sanders?" Kagan mocked.
The Doctor said calmly, "You never can tell. I very well could have a bicycle in there."
Kagan reached deeper, pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. He turned the device to and fro, his eyes relaying his confusion.
"And what is this thing?" Kagan asked, pressing a switch. He watched, fascinated as a small blue light shined out of one end.
"Just a light I use for reading," the Doctor replied glibly. Kagan placed all the items into a nearby filing cabinet and, taking a key out of his pocket, locked the cabinet.
He put the key in his pocket, saying, "I've got some business to attend to, but I'll be back. You try escaping again…you'll wish you'd stayed in this room!" Kagan left, as the Doctor regarded him silently. The Time Lord sprang into action, searching for any means of escape. Voices surrounded him, just as before.
"You said you want me," the Doctor said. "What precisely do you want me for?"
"We observed you with the Tyler female," a voice said. "You will get her to do our bidding."
"Oh, really?" the Doctor said sarcastically. "I don't think so."
"You will not aid us, human?" one voice said.
"I will not," the Doctor answered defiantly, "unless you tell me who you are, and what this is all about."
"WE WILL TELL YOU NOTHING!!" A voice roared. The Doctor winced at its loudness.
"IF YOU DON'T AID US, YOUR FRIENDS, AND THE TYLER WOMAN WILL DIE!!"
"Is that meant to scare me?" the Doctor challenged. "Because it won't work."
"Meaning?" A feminine sounding voice asked.
"Meaning," the Time Lord said, "that if you were going to kill us, you would have done so, already. You strike me as being possibly desperate, but not bloodthirsty killers."
The voices murmured as the Doctor waited. "We are the Cidovar," a third voice answered. "Our cause is of no concern to you, human!" The last word was pronounced in disgust.
"Ahh, the Cidovar," the Doctor said. "I've heard of you. You usually keep to yourselves. Why are you so interested in Torchwood? Why have you taken an alien you believe is a Time Lord?"
"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" One of the voices shouted.
"I'm making it my business. The one you captured before is not a Time Lord," the Doctor replied flippantly, lying to save his son.
"Our informant said that he IS!!" A voice protested. The Doctor raised a brow.
"Really? How do you know you can trust the information?" He asked.
"We have no choice," another voice said sadly. "We will do whatever it takes to save Cidovarna Major!"
"A worthwhile goal, to be sure," the Doctor replied, "but if you kidnap all of these people, do you think you'll be treated fairly, let alone receive whatever tools it takes to save your planet?"
The voices whispered in the Doctor's mind. He could tell that some were weakening, but others were not inclined to trust him. "Let me help you; I'll take you to a real Time Lord. You don't need Ms. Tyler, or the other Board Members."
"We will keep them," a voice returned. "They will be hostages until you cooperate."
"You are right that we are not killers," another voice said, almost pleaded, "but if we have to, we will kill you all, and take what we need."
"So now we get down to it," the Doctor said. "You kidnapped Rose Tyler, her brother, an alien, and the other Board Members to insure the treaties would be modified to your specifications?"
"Correct," a male sounding voice confirmed.
"And I suppose you also erased the computer records I, and Ms. Tyler, looked at earlier to cover your tracks?" the Doctor half asked, half accused.
"WE ERASED NO COMPUTER RECORDS!!" A voice yelled.
"If you didn't, then who did?" the Doctor asked.
"One of the Torchwood members did," a young sounding Cidovaran voice accused.
The Doctor mulled over the accusation; he realized that, even if the Cidovar had circumstantial evidence that the computer records were erased by one of the members of Torchwood, he couldn't ignore the fact that it was, more than likely, a human who had screwed the alien abductors.
"I propose a new deal: reject your plans to kidnap everyone, leave this world, and I will help you to the best of my ability," the Doctor said.
"We do not barter with humans! We trusted them once, and we will not do so again!" the second voice cried.
"But you trust your agents to carry out your demands," the Doctor reminded the voices.
"We have no choice," another voice bit back.
"Why?" the Time Lord asked, then answered before they could respond, "unless…" he laughed before he continued, "ahh, I get it! You need humans to do your dirty work, don't you? You're nothing but disembodied shadows, and you need arms and legs to carry out your plans! And, I suppose, the one you think is the Time Lord will help you change history somehow so that your world is saved?"
"You are clever, human," one of the voices whispered.
"What went wrong, exactly, with regard to the Torchwood treaties?" the Doctor wanted to know.
There was silence before a voice responded. "We were promised agricultural products if we exchanged some of our technology with Earth. Our galaxy is on the brink of starvation…Earth has an abundance of plant life and water that is adaptable for our home world. We gave the Earthers weapons and superior computer technologies and showed the humans how to use them."
That explains the blasters and other advanced technology…The Doctor thought. Aloud, he said, "then they didn't live up to their end of the bargain, typical of most humans, I must say, so you took the Torchwood members to force them to comply. But I'll wager Rose Tyler had nothing to do with the treaties. Even if she did, she might not have known what effect the laws would have on you."
"You say the Tyler woman is innocent; we would like to believe you, but we cannot," another Cidovaran said. "We were present at the conferences where the treaties were signed into existence. Later, it was discovered that they not only endangered us, but the lives of our galactic neighbors. We will not allow the Earth people to destroy us!"
The Doctor thought a moment before replying. "I don't for one moment believe that she would conspire to do something against you. If you're right about the others, though, who knows how many other aliens have paid some price for the advancement of the human race on this planet. I might be able to put my hands on some temporal technology to aid you, if and only if, you agree to leave Earth alone, after I help you."
The Gallifreyan heard the voices whispering, but he could not make out their discussion that time. Would they go for his solution, and if they didn't, what would his next move be?
XXXXXXX
Davin and Rose ran down the hallway, only to be met with a dead end. Rose glanced around, then saw a small opening behind them to their right. "Back this way!" She commanded. Both ran through the opening, looking for any guards. When they spotted none, they went down another identical passage way, past several unoccupied prison cells.
"These corridors seem to go on forever!" Rose said.
"That they do," Davin agreed. They ran down another long one, the junior Time Lord muttering, "I don't remember this building being this large! How is it that we're running non stop but not getting anywhere?"
"Because you are not in a corridor," a voice said. Davin and Rose turned around to face the owner of that voice, but they saw no one, save for some shadows.
"Who are you?" Davin asked. As soon as he spoke, the young Time Lord felt the stirrings of ramblings all around him.
"We are the Cidovar, Time Lord," a voice declared. "You will not leave here until you have served your purpose!"
"What do you want with me?" Davin questioned. "What is your business with Rose Tyler and the Board Members of Torchwood? How did you know I was a Time Lord?"
"We have information which clearly identifies you as the Time Lord who defeated the Cyber attack of 2006!" A voice said.
"Then you are incorrect!" Rose shouted.
"State your position…" a voice urged.
"My position is that you have been lied to…Davin is not a Time Lord," Rose asserted. Davin stared at his mother, his eyes warning her not to say any more. "The Time Lords are all dead," Rose bluffed, hoping they didn't decide to dig any further into the Doctor's background. "Their race is long since gone, and they won't be coming back…so all you have in the end are some humans, and some alien technology we barely know how to use," Rose told the shadows.
The voices murmured, saying, "We shall let you know what our decision on this matter will be. If what you say is true, you will not be harmed. If not, you will wish you had told the truth!" Just then, the Welsh woman emerged with the two henchmen, the one Rose had chained looking at her with murder in his eyes.
"Perhaps they need a demonstration of our determination to save our planet," a voice murmured. "Bring the prisoners in!"
Davin and Rose looked as a young man followed by other men and women were brought in.
"Jamie!" Rose exclaimed to one prisoner who resembled Pete Tyler. She started to run toward her brother, but a guard held her back. The voices drew closer to Davin, their impressions shouting in the air around him and Rose.
"YOU WILL COMPLY WITH OUR DEMANDS, ALIEN," a voice threatened, "OR THE CAPTIVES, INCLUDING THE TYLER WOMAN, WILL SUFFER OUR WRATH!"
Davin's eyes clouded with worry. He could try to make a break for it, and he knew his mother could take care of herself, but he wasn't sure about her brother, or the others. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. He scanned the room to see how many of the Board members were with them. Besides himself, Jamie and Rose, he counted six. He came to the rapid conclusion that the best scenario was to buy as much time as he could.
"You still haven't told me why you need me," the young Time Lord said.
"If you are a Time Lord, you will use your time technology to affect history so that our planet will not witness its catastrophic destruction," a voice responded. "If you are not, you and Rose Tyler will convince the others to change the treaties."
Davin wondered what treaties the Cidovaran was talking about. He suddenly thought about a more pressing issue: the lesson his father had told him about drastically altering the time lines, and the reapers.
Davin pouted; Rose thought he resembled her second Doctor so much. "Even if I were a Time Lord, I don't have access to a time travel device that would be able to help you," Davin said truthfully.
"DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DELAY OUR PLANS!!" A voice thundered. Jamie's eyes witnessed the exchange with rapt interest. He peered at Davin, studying his every move. Although Jamie looked for all the world as though he was at a casual dinner party, he was most interested in Davin.
Oblivious to Jamie's perusal of him, Davin inquired, "what about the Torchwood people? I can't in all consciousness help you if they are harmed."
"They will be held so that you don't deceive us," a voice told him.
The other Board Members glanced from the Cidovaran shadows to Davin to the henchmen with the Welsh woman either fearing for their lives, or praying silently that the stalemate that they were all in would be ended one way or another.
"I'm sorry…but I must have time to come up with the technology you need," Davin replied. "You must give me at least one hour, during which time you promise not to do anything to Ms. Tyler or the others."
The voices considered Davin's offer, saying, "Very well." To the Welsh woman and her henchmen, they commanded, "take him to holding cell three with the Tyler woman. Take the other humans to the main holding chamber. Restrain them all!"
"It will be done," the Welsh woman assured the Cidovar.
"And one more thing," one Cidovaran voice instructed. "Make certain that no one escapes this time! You will pay dearly if they escape again!"
If the woman was afraid, she gave no sign of it. "It will be as you command," she said. She poked Jamie with her blaster, signaling for him to follow. Her guards rounded up the other Board members, and then they all left the room, except for two guards, Davin, and Rose.
Davin faced the henchman Rose had chained up earlier. He regarded Davin with a sardonic expression. "Don't try anything, alien, or you…" he started saying.
"…I know I know…I will pay, right?" Davin asked, giving the thug a pitying glance. "You really have to develop more original dialogue."
The guard rammed his blaster into Davin's stomach. Davin cried, "Oooff!" wincing in pain, but righted himself again a second later.
"Don't harm him…" Rose said as one guard shoved her out first.
"Come on, space man," the other guard ordered, pulling Davin's hands behind the junior Time Lord's back. He thrust Davin forward, his bulk propelling the Doctor's son to his cell. In the cell, Davin was secured to a table with tight leather restraints; Rose was completely tied with rope and chained to another one.
"Now, you won't escape again," the guard Rose had chained said.
"Promises, promises…" Davin taunted.
The guard came closer to the junior Time Lord. "You know, I'm gonna have fun with you after all this is over," the guard jeered, his tongue extending in Davin's direction.
"'Can't wait," Davin muttered. When the guards left, Davin commented, "Humans. Always thinking with their groins instead of their brains."
"I resent that," Rose said.
"Present company exempted," Davin replied. He flexed his wrists in an attempt to loosen his bonds. After a moment, he proclaimed, "these may look like leather, but they don't feel like it."
"I doubt we'll be able to escape so easily this time," Rose said.
"Father always told me you and other companions he traveled with tended to state the obvious," Davin mused, flexing and trying to work his hand through his bonds. "Is that a common human trait?"
Rose snorted, saying, "Are you trying to be sarcastic, or is it your arrogant charm?"
Davin was immediately cowed. "Sorry…sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain when I'm trying to work out a solution to a problem," he said. "Father said I get that from my mother…but I think I get it from him, too."
Again, Rose wondered about Davin's mother. She knew this wasn't the right time to ask about her, but she decided maybe this would be a good time to get to know the Doctor's son a little better.
She asked conversationally, "I'm wondering if the Doctor told you about our travels together?"
"I know everything about you," Davin answered.
"Really?" Rose asked. "That's a little disconcerting."
"Well," Davin muttered, "maybe not everything, everything, but I know enough."
"What about the TARDIS? How has she been? Has she changed since the last time I was in her?" Rose queried.
"Somewhat," Davin answered, "but then, the TARDIS is always changing. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that it is alive, do I?"
"No, you don't," Rose assured the young man, smiling. Davin freed one wrist, then set to work on the other one. Her expression changed to a thoughtful one. "I wonder if the Doctor has met the Cidovar?"
"I'm sure they've contacted him by now," Davin responded, trying to break the other restraint.
"So, how long have you and your father been together?" Rose questioned.
"About 250 years," Davin said.
Rose looked at him, astonished. "That long?" she asked. "I mean, I know the Doctor has a long life span, but I figured you were somewhat…"
"Younger?" Davin asked. "I get that quite a bit…when he takes me out o' his bloody ship, that is. This is more adventure than I've had in a long time." The young Time Lord started flexing his feet. Rose admired the way he could do that; she thought back to a time when the Tenth Doctor had done something similar when they had been captured.
"Your father never lets you go anywhere?" Rose asked. She could see Davin's frustration as he worked his foot out of one restraint.
"No, he doesn't. He says that I'm not ready to go anywhere significant, but, dammit, I am practically grown! I've been trained to think and act the way he does! When does he think I'm going to be ready, when I'm 1000?" Davin's voice was growing louder.
Rose tried to placate the younger-looking man, saying, "He's a parent…he just doesn't like to see you growing up," she said with surprising clarity. "If I had any children, I'd feel the same way." Davin suddenly grew quiet. Rose saw a touch of sadness cross his handsome face. She wondered why he experienced a touch of melancholy. Was his mother dead? Is that why he was sad? She determined that, when they got out of this, she would press the Doctor for some answers. Now, though, she reasoned, Davin needed to focus on the task ahead: escaping the clutches of the Cidovar.
"Did your father ever tell you about the first time we met?" She asked. Davin shook his head.
"We met in the basement of a department store called Hendricks," she answered. "From the moment he told me to run, my life has never been the same."
Davin chuckled as he freed himself from the last cuff. "I know what you mean about life altering moments with Father," he said. He jumped off the table, feeling in his pockets for the sonic screwdriver. After disabling any cameras or scanning devices, Davin worked on Rose's restraints.
"How did you end up in Universe 11002?" Davin asked, all scientific. He checked to make sure the setting for burning through the chains wasn't too high. When he was satisfied releasing his mother wouldn't scorch her wrists, he started aiming the screwdriver at her bonds.
"Got sucked into a void," Rose responded. "I've been here thirty years this Tuesday." She regarded Davin, saying, "If you're as old as you say you are the Doctor must have been trying to get back here for…"
"Almost three hundred years," Davin told his mother as if the time table meant nothing. Rose gasped, totally surprised. "It seems like forever, huh?" he commented.
Rose nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. She realized that, counting in the Doctor's and his son's terms, the Doctor was probably 1200 years old, if he was a day. Oblivious to her summations, Davin continued, "In the end, I helped him."
He found the words he thought she would comprehend; then, he explained, "see, universes are really, in the final analysis, full of mathematical formulae, affecting Time, affecting Space."
"That doesn't make sense," Rose said. The chains fell to the floor. Davin undid Rose's ropes.
"Doesn't it?" Davin asked. "What about Einstein's theory of relativity, or the transcendental equation of pi in your universe? How about the Quantum theories humans on your world are only just beginning to discover? They are chock full of mathematical equations."
Rose regarded the young man for a moment, saying, "Go on."
"You know about the Time War, I'm assuming?" he asked. She said softly, "yes."
"My father told me that prior to that time, his people had all of the different formula and strategems for crossing into other universes. After they died, that was wiped away," Davin said softly. "It was only by pure determination and luck that I hit upon the right formula that would enable the TARDIS to jump into this space without causing it to collapse on itself, or collapse your old universe."
"So now you can go to any universe you want?" Rose inquired. Davin shook his head sadly.
"No, we only have the formula to cross back to your old universe, and get to this one," Davin answered. "Of course, we can't cross indiscriminately."
"But, if you have the formula…" Rose said, confused.
"It doesn't quite function that way," Davin said slowly. "The alignment of stars and planets, even time zones has to be right for us to cross. It's kind of like a recipe, of sorts. If you use different ingredients…"
"You might not come out with the same type of cake…so to speak?" Rose finished. Davin grinned, saying, "Yep!" He grabbed his mother's hand again, wondering aloud, "I wonder why our shadowy friends haven't followed us in here?" He went through each possible scenario in his mind as they made another attempt to escape.
XXXXXXXXX
The Doctor wondered the same thing as Davin as he waited for the Cidovar to decide. "We have made our decision," said one of the representatives. "We must have more information about you. If your intentions are honorable, we will consider what you have said."
"Hurry up and wait for us to decide, is that what you're saying?" the Doctor taunted. "How bureaucratic of you!" He rocked back and forth on his heels, saying, "Would you be able to scan me to discover my genetic signature?"
"Our technology would enable us to read your genetic blueprint, yes," one voice answered. "But the alien known as 'the Doctor' disabled our scanner. We cannot read you."
Good old Davin, the Doctor thought admiringly. He hoped his son and Rose were all right.
Aloud, he said, "Let me return to my ship. I will be able to give you all the answers you wish after I rescue Rose and the others."
"We will not surrender the Time Lord, nor will we return the hostages," one of the voices declared.
The Doctor said icily, "Makes no difference to me. If you don't let me go peacefully to save the others, you won't receive any assistance from me, nor will you get any Time Lord cooperation." He could hear the voices musing.
Finally, one spoke up. "It will be as you say," the voice said.