AN: Thank you all for your continuing support. Your reviews always make my day.
This story is near the end now. There will be one more chapter. And I'm already planning a sequel.
As always a big thank you to Persiflage for beta reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
Chapter 11
Martha pushed a few buttons next to the display on one side of the capsule. She had seen similar stasis capsules on a spaceship she and the Doctor had visited a few months ago, so she knew how to operate it. But the access to the program that would wake the Doctor up had been restricted. Fortunately, Anres hadn't really thought it possible that anyone could get down here, so he hadn't used anything too complicated. Martha would be able to bypass the restriction with the sonic screwdriver.
"Firala, I need to find an object the Doctor had with him. Hopefully it is still down here somewhere. Can you help me find it?"
"Sure," Firala said. Martha explained to her what the sonic looked like and Firala immediately started searching for it.
"Keep an eye on him," Martha told Kilas, indicating Giranlo, who was leaning against the opposite wall. Kilas nodded and turned back towards Giranlo with his weapon in his hand.
Martha began to search around the room for the sonic herself but only two minutes later Firala came back through a door that led to a small laboratory with the sonic in her hand.
"Did you mean this," she asked. Martha ran towards her.
"Yes! thank you Firala," she said smiling, taking the sonic from Firala. Then she turned back to the capsule. She changed the setting on the sonic and used it on the terminal. A moment later she had access to the program and could activate it to wake up the Doctor. She was really glad the Doctor had explained the different settings of the sonic screwdriver to her a few months ago.
Martha stood in front of the capsule, watching the program doing its work while keeping an eye on the display to see if everything went as it should.
A few minutes later the Doctor started breathing on his own again. The capsule opened itself and the Doctor slumped into Martha's arms, who'd stepped forward when the capsule had opened. Martha eased him to the ground carefully and checked his pulse.
"Doctor, can you hear me?" she asked.
The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and then squeezed them shut again against the bright light in the room. "Martha?" he whispered hoarsely.
"I'm here," Martha replied, softly stroking his face.
She looked up and saw Firala smiling at them. Kilas still watched Giranlo, who was still leaning against the wall, seemingly deep in thought.
Martha's gaze returned to the Doctor who was looking back at her. His eyes had finally adjusted to the light.
"Hi," he said, grinning at her. Martha retuned the grin and helped him into a sitting position on the floor.
"Careful," she advised. "Take it slow. Your body needs to recover from the stasis"
"Yes, Dr. Jones," the Doctor said, still smiling at her. "I knew you'd find me," he then said more seriously and leaned forward to embrace her. Martha returned the hug, happy to have him back.
In that moment they heard the sound of the iron door opening. Giranlo used the moment of distraction to move towards the open door where Anres now walked in, a gun aimed at Kilas, who was the only one with a weapon in the room. Giranlo stood next to him and accepted the gun Anres gave him.
"No one moves," he said.
"Stop it, Anres. It's over," the Doctor said. He slowly stood up leaning heavily on Martha for support.
"I will not let you destroy my collection," Anres said.
"How did you know we were here?" Martha asked.
"I set off an alarm while you lot were distracted," Giranlo answered her with a smug smile. "And I think now you have the disadvantage." He raised his gun and shot at Kilas. But the ex security guard just managed to jump aside and behind a glass case. The beam of Giranlo's laser gun hit the wall behind him.
Giranlo shot again and this time he hit Firala at the shoulder. Firala let out a scream and fell to the ground.
"Firala!" Martha shouted and tried to reach her friend, but the Doctor pulled her into the opposite direction behind a glass case. And not a moment too soon because the next beam hit the glass case next to the stasis capsule she had been standing in front of only a moment before.
Giranlo made to shoot again but Anres gripped his arm and forced it down. "Are you insane!" he shouted. "You hit a glass case! You could have damaged the exhibit."
Kilas used the moment to act. He shot Giranlo with the gun he had set on the stun function nearly an hour ago and Giranlo slumped to the ground.
"He is only unconscious," Martha whispered to the Doctor. She knew how much he hated guns.
Anres moved behind the open door to keep from being shot himself.
"Anres," the Doctor called. "Stop this. You don't want to damage your exhibits so you can't shoot at us. It's over. You can't keep your collection but at least it will be safe."
"Why can't you just leave? I'll let you go. Just leave and I can keep the rest of the collection."
"This was not the first time you kidnapped someone for you collection. There are other prisoners down here. This has to stop," Martha said.
"If we start shooting at each other we will destroy some of the exhibits," Kilas said. "Put down your gun."
They waited for a long moment before Anres let go of his gun. It fell to the ground and he kicked it to the middle of the room. Kilas walked towards it, his own gun still raised.
Martha ran to Firala and knelt beside her to check on her wound. She had a nasty looking flesh wound but it was not life threatening. Wounds caused by laser guns didn't bleed much but she needed to get to hospital soon or she could lose the ability to use her left arm.
Martha fetched a medical bag from the TARDIS and tended to the wound while Kilas chained Anres to a table with some handcuffs he found in the other room, then he and the Doctor put Giranlo into the stasis capsule. After they where finished the Doctor knelt down next to Firala.
"How is she?" he asked Martha.
"Not good. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible."
"We can take her there with the TARDIS," he said and stood up. Together they carried Firala into the TARDIS and eased her down onto the floor.
"Kilas," Martha called and walked back to the door. The Doctor followed her. "Are you coming with us?"
"I think I will stay here and search for the other prisoners. And then I will call the authorities and they can handle the rest of this. I don't think they can turn a blind eye on this, but maybe I'll call the press as well to make sure they can't cover it up. I'll come to the hospital later."
"Okay. Thank you for everything," Martha gave him a short hug. "This will give you access to the terminals on the stasis capsules," she explained, giving him the sonic screwdriver. "Just point it at the display and press this button. I'll see you later." With that she turned and walked back into the TARDIS to check on Firala.
The Doctor shook Kilas hand. "Thanks for your help," he said. "And good luck with finding everyone." He followed Martha inside the TARDIS. On the threshold he turned back and said: "Oh and I want that back" pointing at the sonic. Kilas saluted him comically and watched as the Doctor pulled the door shut. A moment later the TARDIS started to dematerialise. Kilas smiled, then turned around and started his work. He'd seen at least one other stasis capsule already in this room and he would not rest till he had saved everyone Anres had kidnapped.
AN: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you think and review.