Chapter Three
The Doctor's interest was piqued. There was certainly a voice – a voice that was ordering the Daleks. This day was becoming very strange indeed. The Doctor knew he was walking on a delicate tightrope with the need to satisfy the Dalek's – or their leader's - commands and the need to find out about who the Daleks were working for.
The Doctor, flamboyantly feigning caution stepped closer to the band of aliens further up the corridor. "The Time Lord must not proceed any closer!" screamed one of the Daleks, while another raised its screen arm.
The Doctor slowed his pace. "Well, I need your assurances that this meeting is strictly for talking. And my leaders must talk to ALL of your leaders otherwise it will be incredibly offensive to my people and may inflame this delicate situation."
"That is agreed." One of the Daleks screamed. The Doctor had continued to creep closer and was a single pace away from Dalek Sec at the front. The Doctor took another step, but the massive metal cocoon did not shove. Instead of violent retaliation that the Doctor was expecting, the Dalek whined straight into the Doctor's ear saying "You must leave now or we must resort to other measures."
The Doctor, having already experienced the Time War wanted the consequences to be different this time. He pondered seriously for a few moments, then turned around. "Daleks be warned – I will be coming back, oh yes. And there will be more of me. And I hope you will be ready for what's waiting for you!"
The Doctor, who was familiar with this hospital found an exit and the road to the Citadel of the Time Lords. He took out River's Pineapple ePad and phoned her.
River picked up the blue phone in the TARDIS console and was surprised that the Doctor could not wait nor stop the outburst of words.
"I can't believe… After all of this
"River, I'll be quick, that woman you saw before is called the Nurse. Get it I'm the Doctor and she's the Nurse. We were going to be married – well the equivalent of that on Gallifrey, and well the War got in the way. She sacrificed herself to save us, to save the world. Her actions were…just…
"During the War before, we opened the time lock, I fudged messages between the Daleks and the Time Lord leaders – lied, altered the truth and so on – and all I wanted to do was to rescue the Nurse. Well, that led to bad things, really bad things.
"You know I can't ask this of you, but just… I mean it would be the world to me if I could get the Nurse back, after all this…" the Doctor's voice went high pitched and it sounded like he was crying, "I NEED HER BACK. I know you, River, incredible River, know you can slip past the Daleks and get her into the TARDIS. I'll be back soon."
River was struggling to get a word in, but she seized the sudden opportunity, "Doctor, you're not thinking of bringing the Time Lord leaders into a certain blood bath are you?"
The Doctor answered and it sounded like he was smiling, "Don't worry about me River, take care of yourself and look after the Nurse. You know me."
River put down the phone and said to herself, "Unfortunately, I do know you, Doctor."
Framed by silver leaved trees and the burnt orange sky, the Doctor caught his first glimpse of the Citadel of the Time Lords in centuries. The sphere covering vast networks of towers, full of knowledge, of power, of the love and passion of his people. The Doctor gave it the moment of reverence it deserved before putting his head down and hurrying to its gates. It had been so long, there was much pain and longing. The Doctor knew many things, and he knew that now he needed to be careful.
The Doctor, although on a strict timeline, basked in the atmosphere of the Capitol. The older Time Lords giving amber gems of knowledge to little ones, sellers of the newest computer networks, rogue Time Lords selling vacations to exotic planets. It smelled of freedom, respect, knowledge, adventure and home.
But the gates of the Academy were looming closer. Although this is not where the older Time Lords leaders were supposed to gather, several often gathered here to share their wisdom, as Time Lords believed this was the best way to lead. The Doctor entered between the massive spiral arches that had the newest Matrix systems running through them powered by the black hole in the centre of the Capitol.
A tall man wearing a dark cloak, the uniform of the Time Lords on trial working for the Capitol stopped the Doctor, or rather halted his advance by bumping into him.
"I'm sorry, sir, your access has been denied by the Matrix Arches. A time loop error has been detected. Have you used any experimental teleport or time transport vessels recently?"
The Doctor glanced behind him, "A time loop error you say?" The Doctor said to the man, then whispered (rather loudly) to himself, "Now why would the Matrix Arches say that? That's very not good."
After River had consulted the TARDIS controls to ensure that nothing was lurking immediately outside the TARDIS, she opened its doors and crept out. She could not hear anything, but that did not mean that the Daleks had gone away.
Using her rather astute intuition, River hurried along the centre corridor, hoping that the labyrinth followed a predictable pattern that would bring her to the captive – and the Daleks. Unconsciously, River felt for the laser gun at her belt. She was relieved by its presence, but knew that its use would only acerbate the tense situation at the present – worlds on the brink of a disastrous war.
River made her way to her destination and only had to backtrack once. She crept up to the back of the Daleks, hidden by another corridor, only one Dalek facing her direction would see her if she exposed herself into the open. River peered out. The Nurse was there, and having sensed River's presence slowly turned her head. The two women made eye contact and the Nurse mouthed something to River. River understood the message the first time – 'make a distraction'.
Having a talent for causing commotion, River backed down two corridors, took out her gun and began shooting the walls. Predictably, having heard the commotion, all of the Daleks save two were coming to investigate the source of the sound. River ran off another passage to where the two Daleks would be presumably guarding the Nurse. However, when River returned, the Nurse was out of her chains and running a few metres ahead of the advancing Daleks. She was motioning River to continue running.
"Follow me!" yelled River who had grown accustomed to the patterns of the hospital, trying to grab the Nurse and going down a small passage. The Nurse resisted, "No, I know this hospital, there's a good hiding spot not far off." With that, the Nurse ran ahead, River running behind her. After two minutes of criss-crossing, dodging and sharp turns, the Nurse had shown River to a discreet broom closet (or the equivalent of it in a Gallifrey hospital) that would go undetected if an alien was not looking for it. The Nurse closed the door, quietly.
The two women had escaped the Daleks and could finally catch their breath. And talk. "How did you escape the chains," asked River, perplexed.
The Nurse gave her a spry look, "Don't laugh," she said, "but I have a way with locks and keys and tight escapes."
"Wow" said River, surprised and exasperated, "Sounds like someone I know. So, Nurse, do you have a real name, or is it …" River noticed the grave look on the Nurse's face and turned silent.
"I know locks and keys. I made a time lock to imprison the Time War. Have you found a large time lock to unlock this time loop of the Time War?"
The River was surprised and in awe and wondered how the Nurse knew how she and the Doctor got here. River must have given the truth away, because the Nurse continued, "This, all of this," she gestured around with her hands, "this world is no longer real. From my understanding it's based on the Doctor's memories. If he doesn't do something, you could all be trapped here and the space… well I don't know exactly what will happen but it won't be good."
River took a deep breath, calling for the calm that gave her edge in situations like these.
"What can we do?"
The Nurse fretted with her hair, "Can you get in touch with the Doctor?"