Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty One
The light flashed as Little Alan looked up from his Tree Fu Tom coloring book when he ran to the door and peeked out of the window. Smiling, he opened the door as the Doctor smiled down at him and knelt down on his haunches.
HELLO, IS YOUR DADDY HOME? the Doctor signed.
YES, HE IS IN THE BATHROOM, Little Alan signed as the Doctor stood up and Little Alan opened the door wider so he could come in. The Doctor patted him on the head as he walked by and Little Alan closed the door. He watched Little Alan go upstairs when the Doctor walked to the couch and sat down. A few minutes later Adam came down the stairs with Little Alan behind him as they walked to the couch and Little Alan sat back on the floor, returning to his coloring book.
"And what can I do for you?" Adam asked with a blank look on his face and the Doctor smiled, placing his hands on his knees.
"Well, as you know, it comes a time in every Time Lord's life when he or she has to do their duty and it comes to my attention that it is YOUR turn to come with me to the….," the Doctor said and Adam's eyes widened.
"No! Tell me I have to go to….THE INTERGALACTIC SENATE?" he gasped and the Doctor smiled, nodding his head. "But….but….but I can't go! I have to babysit!"
"Where is your wife? Shouldn't she be here raising the young one while you're off doing your Time Lord duties?"
"Well, YOUR wife came and took her, Rose, Rosie and Frankie on a shopping trip!" Adam said and the Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Blast, I should have known she had alternative motives in taking my TARDIS!" the Doctor said as he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Still, it doesn't excuse you not doing your Time Lords duties! Get your coat and let's get going!"
"What should I do with him?" Adam asked as he pointed to Little Alan, who had his tongue sticking between his teeth while coloring on the page of his coloring book, and the Doctor smiled while placing his hands behind his back.
"He can come with us," the Doctor said as Adam sighed then nodded his head and the three of them left the house a few minutes later.
Councilor Xashon smiled while the Doctor and Adam walked down the hallway and Adam adjusted the headpiece on his head. The Doctor had found a small, white robe and skull cap for Little Alan to wear as they walked closer and Councilor Xashon nodded her head.
"Greetings, Val'yak," she said as the Doctor blushed and Little Alan looked up at her. Councilor Xashon knelt down on her haunches as he looked at the headpiece on her head as he blinked his eyes a few times and she smiled at him.
HELLO, ALAN, DO YOU REMEMBER ME? she signed.
YES, YOU ARE THE PRETTY TIME LADY, he signed while a soft blush moved across her cheeks and she stood up, patting the top of his head.
"Sorry about bringing him with me, but I didn't know who to leave him with. My wife and older kids are off planet and Alan has a cold," Adam said as she nodded her head and Little Alan took his hand.
"Well, seeing that he's brought his children from time to time, I don't see why not. If he gets bored, I can have someone take him to the children's center," she said as Adam nodded when four Ewoks walked by and Little Alan's eyes widened.
DADDY, WHAT IS THAT? he signed after pulling on Adam's hand and Adam looked at the Ewoks, smiled and knelt down on his haunches.
THOSE ARE EWOKS, he signed and Little Alan smiled.
YOU MEAN LIKE IN RETURN OF THE JEDI?
YES, Adam signed and Little Alan watched the Ewoks going down the hallway.
"Shall we go find our seats?" Councilor Xashon asked while pointing with her hand and they nodded their heads then followed her as she headed down the hallway.
"Oh, Doctor! It is so good to see you again!" Alpha Centauri said while moving toward them and the Doctor softly smiled.
"It is good to see you again, too," he said with a nod of his head and Alpha Centauri looked at Adam.
"It is good to see you as well, Doctor!"
"Sorry, but I'm not my brother. I'm Adam," Adam said with a soft smile and Alpha Centauri gasped.
"Oh, I am so sorry! "
"That's alright," he said and Alpha Centauri looked at Little Alan, who had a confused look on his face. "This is my son, Alan."
"Greeting Little One!"
"Um, he can't hear."
"Oh, I seem to be making all sorts of mistakes today!"
"No, that's alright," Adam said then knelt down on his haunches and Little Alan looked at him.
WHO IS THAT, DADDY? Little Alan signed.
THIS IS ALPHA CENTAURI, Adam signed.
WHAT IS IT?
ALPHA CENTAURI IS A HEXAPOD FROM ALPHA CENTAURI.
IT LOOKS LIKE A WORM, Little Alan signed and Adam smiled, rolling his eyes.
YES, I KNOW, Adam signed and stood up, taking Little Alan's hand.
"Well, it is time to go inside," Alpha Centauri said while pointing toward the doors and they went inside the meeting room then the doors closed behind them. The room spread out around them as the boxes rose from the floor to the ceiling and a large platform sat at the center of the room. Adam looked at the wide variety of aliens and humanoid beings entering the boxes while chatting with one another when the boxes floated into the air and settled in their assigned places. "Ah, I must be going. Farewell."
"Farewell," the Doctor said as he slightly bowed and they watched Alpha Centauri moving away while Little Alan looked up at the boxes floating overhead.
"This way," Councilor Xashon said as they walked to the metal box with six, high back chairs inside then the Doctor opened the door and they walked toward the chairs. Three other Time Lords were already sitting on the chairs at the back of the box as they nodded to them and Councilor Xashon sat down on the middle, high back chair. The Doctor sat to her left while Adam sat to her right and he picked Little Alan up, placing him on his lap. The box slowly rose into the air as Little Alan looked around and smiled, leaning against Adam. The box slid into the assigned spot with a soft clicking sound as the Doctor picked up the small data pad off the hook in front of him and pushed the button.
DADDY, CAN I GET UP? Little Alan signed and Adam nodded his head. Little Alan got off his lap as he walked to the front of the box and could just see over the railing. Looking around, he saw Alpha Centauri with the other Alpha Centauri as he waved and Alpha Centauri waved back. Suddenly the lights dimmed as he turned around and Adam wiggled his fingers for him to come back. Little Alan sat on Adam's lap when a light appeared on the center platform and the head of the Intergalactic Senate placed his hands on the podium. He was a tall, humanoid male with an oval shaped face and white ridges made of bone arched over the sides of his head. He was bald and his skin was a bright blue color. His eyes were blood red in color and two teeth poked out from his thin lips. The overhead light shimmered on his silver robe as his long fingers draped over the top of the podium and he sighed, looking down at his notes.
As the head of the Intergalactic Senate started speaking, Little Alan looked over at the aliens in the box to the left as he blinked his eyes a few times. The aliens were tall with stark white skin and black bone ridges arched up from between their eyebrows up to the top of their heads and long, yellow claws clicked as they used sign language to talk to each other. Adam had been teaching him all forms of sign language as Little Alan watched them then titled his head to one side.
"Someone please shoot me!" Adam softly moaned as Councilor Xashon gently poked him in the ribs and he sighed, closing his eyes. "Wake me up when it's over."
Adam pretended to snore when Little Alan's eyes widened and he knelt on Adam's lap, gently slapping his face with his hands. Adam opened his eyes when he saw the fear on Little Alan's face and Little Alan placed his hands on the sides of Adam's face while gently pulling his head toward his. Placing his forehead against Little Alan's forehead, Adam closed his eyes as Little Alan showed him what he saw and Adam quickly opened his eyes, looking over at the Doctor.
"Brother, we have a problem," Adam thought after placing up a privacy block and the Doctor looked at him with a confused look on his face.
"What's wrong?" the Doctor thought. Adam showed him what Little Alan saw as the Doctor slowly stood up and Councilor Xashon looked up at him.
"Where are you going?" Councilor Xashon whispered as he hushed her and set up a privacy block.
"Don't react, but those aliens to your left have planted a bomb somewhere in the room," he thought then showed her what Little Alan saw and she glanced with her eyes at the box to the left.
"What do you want me to do?" she thought.
"I want you to signal security and tell them what's going on and I'll go defuse the bomb," the Doctor thought as he headed for the door at the back of the box when he saw Adam get up, place Little Alan on Councilor Xashon's lap, and walked to him.
"Where are you going?" the Doctor whispered.
"I'm going with you," Adam whispered.
"No," he whispered while elongating the "o", but Adam frowned and folded his arms over his chest. Sighing, the Doctor nodded his head as they left the box and the door closed behind them.