Chapter Twenty-six
"I think it would be best for everyone if you just got some rest. Everything will be different in the morning. Day is going to break on a whole new start for us both. I promise."
Sitting on the edge of the cot that River was laying on the Valeyard leaned down and affectionately kissed her forehead. Locked in an unnatural sleep River couldn't respond. When her breath became laboured as she fought to regain consciousness the Valeyard carded his hand into her hair to calm her. River opened her eyes momentarily with a look of fear but her blue eyes rolled back to white as the Valeyard forced her back into senselessness.
"You are a difficult one to control." The Valeyard chuckled. "Just one of the many reasons why I love you. Don't worry, once the Doctor is gone I won't be forced into hurting you any more. I know I've been messing with your memories and timeline a lot lately, but after today I'm going to stop, I promise."
River didn't even try to surface this time. With her chest rising and falling slowly she slept peacefully. Confident that she'd stay that way this time the Valeyard kissed her once again before getting to his feet. Going over to the heavy metal door of the small solitary cell he inspected the weld that currently held the door sealed. Melting the door permanently shut had not taken long, but it would take even the most advanced plasma laser a day to slice it open again. This particular cell in Alkinar had been designed to keep the Doctor in during his first stay here and as a result it had built in safeguards against landing the TARDIS directly inside. Safegaurds put in place by Rassilon himself.
"You'll be safe in here, River." The Valeyard announced pointlessly to River. "Now then, I would have to think that we got the Doctor's attention. I'm just surprised it's taking this long for him to get down here. For a man with a Time Machine he has absolutely no sense of punctuality."
The Valeyard chuckled to himself and then fell silent as he stared at the sealed door, waiting. It wasn't too long before the Valeyard caught the sounds of careful footsteps in the hall outside. Closing his eyes to focus his attention the Valeyard smiled when he heard the telltale squeal of a sonic screwdriver. With the door physically welded closed the sonic wasn't going to have any luck with the lock.
Although feeling confident in his plan the Valeyard found himself hesitant to face the Doctor directly. Having second thoughts he paced a few steps back and a forth. Everything he set up could be placed in motion from his place safe in the reinforced cell. There was no real need to physically reveal himself other than the pure satisfaction of seeing the look on the Doctor's face. The Valeyard dragged his hands through his hair as he became increasingly torn with indecision.
"River?" The Doctor's hushed voice came through the heavy door. "River, can you hear me? Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of there. I promise."
Hearing the Doctor promise rescue to River caused an instant flare in the Valeyard's temper. With his blood suddenly boiling the Valeyard's indecision vanished. Determined to defend his rights to River the Valeyard bared his teeth at the Doctor through the thick steel door like a wolf ready to meet a rival that had trespassed on his territory to challenge his dominance.
Using his new found skill of slipping directly into the Vortex the Valeyard vanished and stepped back into time and space about six feet behind the Doctor. The transition didn't make any noticeable sound however the Doctor froze the instant the Valeyard materialized behind him. Sonic in hand the Doctor slowly turned around to face the Valeyard. The pair stared at one another for a minute. At first the scene was practically frozen in time as neither one of them was quite sure what to think now that they were actually face to face.
"Doctor." The Valeyard growled in disgust as he broke the silence.
"Valeyard." The Doctor greeted warily in return.
An uncomfortable silence fell back over the scene. The Doctor and the Valeyard kept their eyes locked on each other, not daring to lose sight of one another for even a split second. Although still fully confident that he had the upper hand the Valeyard knew better than to underestimate this particular enemy. The Valeyard noticed the Doctor's quick breathing which betrayed his fear, but at the same time the Valeyard feel his own hearts pounding revealing the fact that he wasn't as calm as he wished he could be.
"So you do know who I am, you accept freely that I am the next regeneration." The Valeyard finally said with a hint of respect in his voice. "I thought we were going to have to fight over that."
"I don't want to fight you at all."
"Of course you don't, because you're pathetic."
"I was thinking more along the lines that no matter how the fight ends we both lose." The Doctor pointed out. "I was hoping to talk this out, find a solution that works for us both. But I'm not willing to take one step towards an agreement until you release River."
A smile twitched the corner of the Valeyard's lips at the mention of an agreement. He relaxed his confrontational stance causing the Doctor to relax slightly as well. Knowing that they were as equally matched as any two opponents could ever be neither one of them was ready to throw themselves into a tooth and claw battle just yet. The Doctor still had the sonic in his right hand which his slowly changed over to his left. The Valeyard noticed the subtle move but didn't think twice about it. Seeing how tense the Doctor was the Valeyard doubted that there was any truth to him wanting to find a 'solution' peacefully. The Valeyard suddenly broke into a bright smile and put his hands up in a sign of peace.
"Doctor, I will gladly release River."
"I'm sure that comes with some kind of 'condition'." The Doctor growled.
"Of course it does." The Valeyard snapped angrily. "However all I ask in return is that you return what you took from me! Simply give me what is rightfully mine to begin with!"
"Rightfully yours?" The Doctor replied confused. "You mean the Matrix? Fine, have it."
"The Matrix?" The Valeyard spat in return. "Why would I want that useless echo of the long dead? Don't play games with me, Doctor. You know who I am, so you know what I want! I want what you stole!"
"I haven't stolen anything from you." The Doctor said calmly.
"You stole *everything* from me!" The Valeyard roared. "You've taken the life that should be mine!"
"What are you talking about?"
"The Universe can not have two 'Last of the Time Lords'!"
"There wouldn't be two of us if you would stop doubling back on our time line!" The Doctor snapped angrily. "Why are you doing this? What could possibly happen to me in the future that drives me to such insanity that I would rip River from her time, that I would risk tearing the whole Universe apart in the name of revenge?! Do you even understand the damage you've done? What happens to me that twists me into you?!"
"Wait...you think I'm your future?" The Valeyard asked seriously. "Is that the misunderstanding here?"
"You said yourself that you are the next regeneration."
"And I am." The Valeyard hissed. "But I'm not the future, I am the present from your past."
"What?"
"I'm not your future, our timelines are parallel. That's why there can be no peace between us!"
"I'm sorry, I'm lost." The Doctor admitted freely as he lost his brush with anger.
The Valeyard took a step back as he stared at the Doctor, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. The Doctor looked at him with time weary eyes waiting for an explanation as to why they were enemies.
"You truly don't know, do you?" The Valeyard asked with sudden sympathy. "I am the next regeneration because you lost your fight with Jackles."
"What?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Doctor. You know you're weak! You couldn't take it, you gave up, you gave in." The Valeyard growled as his anger returned. "When Jackels came to redouble his efforts to tear the secrets of time out of your soul you chose to truly regenerate and I inherited the nightmare you left behind!"
"No, that doesn't mak..."
"I woke to a world of unimaginable agony, trapped and in the hands of a mad man. You may you have memories of what it was like when Jackles had just started his experiments, but you can not believe the lengths he went to near the end! No creature has ever suffered as I did!" The Valeyard cried as he trembled in place at the memories. "And when it was over, when I *finally* manged to free myself and had vengeance on those responsible you woke back up and stole the freedom *I* had earned! I tried to claw my way back, take back what was mine, but I was too weak. I had to get creative."
"Of course, the blanks in my memory, the lapses I was having when spiral pattern would flare, even the tearing up the memories in my library...it makes sense now." The Doctor whispered in horror. "I think I know what happened, we don't have to be enemies. Where is Aleen..."
"Don't you dare speak her name to me!"
The Valeyard made an aggressive move towards the Doctor but froze in his tracks when he saw the Doctor go to reach into his jacket. The Valeyard's blood turned to ice as he caught sight of the hilt of one of the daggers that the Doctor wore hidden in the shoulder harness. When the Valeyard didn't come closer the Doctor stopped and put his hands up to show he wasn't going for the daggers. He was still holding the sonic in his left hand and the Valeyard now understood that he had switched the device out of his dominate hand earlier in preparation to retrieve one of the deadly weapons he had concealed. Suddenly panting for breath the Valeyard glared spitefully at the Doctor.
"It's okay," the Doctor said gently "I'm not going to hurt you."
"If that's true, Doctor, then why are you armed with more than just a screwdriver?" The Valeyard hissed darkly.
"I came here expecting a fight, even looking for one." The Doctor admitted. "However, everything has changed now."
"Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not. Please, trust me, we can work this out." The Doctor tried to sooth the situation. "I'm sorry for the memories you have, but you are not who you think you ar..."
"I am the Valeyard!" The Valeyard roared. "I am the Last Time Lord, and the First Time Master! I will have everything you took away, not just River, but Amy, Rory, the TARDIS, *everything*! I will be mine once you are gone as you should have been months ago!"
"I know you're in pain from what happened, but I'm going to help you. Just cal..."
"No! I will only accept one ending to this nightmare!" The Valeyard cried passionately. "Your death puts everything right!"
"Please, I can fix this, I swear." The Doctor insisted. "However before we go any further I need you to let River go."
"There is only one way River is getting out of that cell, Doctor, and that's over your dead body!"
"It doesn't hav..."
"And I have no intention of letting her wait long."
"Please, I just want to make sure she's okay." The Doctor continued. "We do not have to kill each other."
"I'm not going to kill you." The Valeyard smiled.
"Good, that's a start." The Doctor nodded.
"You misunderstand once again." The Valeyard chuckled. "I'm not going to kill you because I don't have to."
"What?"
"River isn't the only ex-inmate of Stormcage that is currently stranded on Alkinar."
The Doctor took his eyes of the Valeyard for the first time since the confrontation had started to glance down either end of the long empty hallway. The Valeyard took the opportunity to step back into the Vortex. Snapping back into time in the main control center of Alkinar the Valeyard used the crystal embedded in his wrist to activate the console. He typed in the command that released every lock in the expansive prison complex. Leaning towards the microphone attached to the PA system the Valeyard pressed the contact that activated the system which came to life with a digital squeal that rang through every hall.
"Attention galactic warlords, vicious cold blooded murders, insane destroyers of worlds, and other various degenerate psychotic angry scum who until recently called Stormcage 'home'...the Doctor will see you now."