Chapter 22
Fighting the pounding headache, the Doctor led Sam back into the TARDIS. As he moved, his long strides made it necessary for Sam to quicken his pace. "Infirmary," he ordered as he walked, his hand cradling his forehead as his own voice exacerbated the pain. At his command, a door immediately opened on his left, leading him into the requested room. Marching in, he moved to an available chair and slumped into it, apparently unwilling to go any further. Closing his eyes against the onslaught the lighting was bringing, he called out once more, "Limnus Powder, extra strength... and turn down the bloody lights!"
Sam watched as a cabinet opened across the room.
"You going to stand there and gawk or get me the powder?" the Gallifreyan groaned as the lights dimmed to a gentle orange hue.
"I... um... yeah... sure," Sam offered as he moved closer to the cabinet. He was surprised to find the bottle in question clearly marked. "I take it this is for your headache."
"No, it's for making jelly babies. Of course, it's for the bloody headache! What kind of doctor are you?"
"One who's never treated a grumpy Gallifreyan before. I've never even heard of Limnus Powder. I certainly didn't want to make anything worse," Sam snapped back.
The Doctor hissed slightly. "Volume," he pleaded. "Besides, you're the one that shot me with the sonic. You've already made it worse."
"Sorry. Now what do I do with this stuff?" Another cabinet opened with bottles of purified water and a drawer open with both a small measuring scale and a beaker.
"Ever made Kool-Aid?" the Time Lord questioned.
"Of course. I did grow up in the 50's. And I assume I'm to measure out an amount of the power in the water. Just tell me how much to mix in."
"Three grams in eight ounces of water. And please be precise. It's very rare stuff... now."
"Right." Sam went to work and a few minutes later brought over a reddish orange liquid. "Here you go."
The Time Lord gently took the beaker and downed the concoction rapidly before handing the empty container back to the leaper. "Gah!" he complained. "At least it's better than the marmite. And no time for a cup of tea to drown the taste either." He jumped up and immediately started for the door. "Are you coming?"
Sam looked down at the beaker and then at the retreating man. "Yeah. Coming." He put the beaker on the closest counter he could as he followed the Doctor out of the room.
The Gallifreyan returned to the room that they had occupied before and approached the case that held the museum's armour. Picking it up, he carried it over to the nearest table and opened it. Inspecting the medieval-like outfit, he nodded with approval. "It's in fine condition. What about the sword?"
Sam turned to the case that held the Vorpal sword. "It's over here." Opening the case, he raised the sword and looked at it closely, admiring its beauty. Looking as animated as a boy playing "the knights of King Arthur," he took the hilt in hand and swung the sword. "Take that, Dragon!" he voiced using his best dramatic voice.
The Time Lord disarmed Sam with extreme skill. "And you were the one accusing me of playing 'Twas brillig and the slithy toves...' One: this is not a toy; it's a weapon. B: I don't intend to use this unless I absolutely have to. I don't want to kill Krazan; I want to prevent his escape and, if he does escape, recapture him without any loss of life. Is that abundantly clear?"
Sam, looking suitably chastised, murmured, "Sorry." He looked up afterwards. "...and I already apologized for that."
"That being the case, it would seem proper that you would know not to do the very act you had accused me of doing, especially after your apology."
Having come into the Imaging Chamber a moment before, Al called out. "Hey. This whole leap is strange enough without you raining on Sam's joy. It's not like he was going to break it." He then noticed the suit of armor. "What is that? Are you planning your Halloween costume already? I guess you think you can stop Godzilla with a good chuckle."
"Says the man going as Peter Vincent the Great Vampire Killer," the Doctor protested. "That is state of the art armour, I'll have you know! One of the finest works of Gallifreyan craftsmanship."
"Hey, my choices are logical, but that looks like something that some strapped costume designer would have used in one of those low budget 70's Sci Fi TV shows."
"No, Al. It's like medieval armour. Well, alien medieval armour. Well, maybe not medieval but definitely alien," Sam said in the Doctor's defense.
The Doctor, for his part, grinned at Sam's words. "Like he said," he agreed. "And far superior to anything made in the Middle Ages, I can assure you." He raised the sword to get a closer look at it, putting on his glasses as he did so. "Looks good..." he commented as he examined the tip and then slowly made his way to the hilt. "Uh oh. Trouble," he grumbled once he got to the hilt.
"What's wrong?" asked Sam. "Don't tell me we committed grand larceny for nothing."
"We might have. Hope not," the Doctor told him.
"Grand larceny?" Al questioned. "Are you saying you stole this?" He pointed to the sword.
"Nah," the Time Lord contradicted. "Of course not. Well, it depends on your definition of larceny. I mean, we aren't going to sell it for a profit now, are we? This is more of a... an annexation."
"Call it what you want," the leaper finished.
"Be that as it may, the power source is damaged," the alien told him, turning the sword so that it pointed downwards, allowing him to view the hilt better.
"Oh. You mean that jewel-like piece?"
Al looked at the part in question. "Looks fine to me."
The Doctor carefully removed a part from the end of the hilt. The power source very much resembled an egg-shaped ruby that had dulled with age and lack of care. "There are several hundred striations throughout the crystal," he informed them.
"And that means... what?"
The Doctor lowered his hands, carefully placing the sword back in its case with his good hand while cradling the crystal with his bandaged right hand. "Imagine if this really were a jewel, like a ruby or a diamond. You'd expect a few flaws here and there. It's a jewel, after all. But too many flaws in that jewel..." He pressed the crystal between his hands, causing it to shatter into hundreds of small pieces.
"Oh," the hologram commented.
"Great!" Sam said as he looked at the sword. "You said that was the only thing we could use to stop the Dragon if you can't capture him. Speaking of which, how do you plan to capture an eight foot four hundred pound creature that secrets toxic goo?"
"I'm working on it. Right now, I'm more concerned about this sword because, if capturing him fails, we need a back-up. Actually, we need the back-up more than we need a plan to capture Krazan because, if we run out of time to come up with a plan on how to capture him, we'll need to use this sword. That is, of course, if Krazan doesn't listen to reason and just passively surrenders without a fight."
"You think that last is even a possibility? From what you've been telling me as well as the Shades, I figure playing St. George, whether he killed a Dragon or not, is our best role model."
The Gallifreyan looked into Sam's eyes deeply, willing him to understand. "I have to give him a choice."
"A choice. Fine. And if he doesn't make the right one?"
Dusting off his hands from the remains of the crystal he had crushed, he looked around. "That is why we need a replacement crystal. Otherwise we only have an ordinary sword. A sword made of metals not found on Earth, mind you, but still just a sword. All we'd do is upset him."
"I don't think getting Godzilla upset would be a good thing," Al stated the obvious.
"Indeed not," the Doctor agreed, examining the various boxes and shelves in the room as he spoke. "Xanian power crystal... Xanian power crystal..." he muttered to himself as he searched. "Blimey, you'd think in all this there would be one somewhere."
"Yeah, you'd think so," Sam agreed, sarcastically. "After all, you keep everything else! I mean, you had the converter box in a pile of rubber ducks! It's got to be a sure bet you have another Xanian power crystal in an Easter egg basket or something."
"Rubber ducks?" Al questioned with a frown.
"I don't have an Easter egg basket," the Time Lord commented without missing a beat in his search. "I have a Quarturian Artig Festival basket but not an Easter egg basket."
"Rubber ducks?" Al repeated, his confusion growing.
"Do you put eggs in it?" Sam questioned.
"No."
"Then never mind."
"Rubber ducks?" Al queried, his eyebrows furrowed. "What would an alien be doing with rubber ducks?"
"What?" Sam asked his friend. "What are you talking about?"
"You're the one that mentioned the rubber ducks. What? Does he have a fetish for bath time or something?"
"I don't think so..." Sam answered Al. He looked over to the Doctor who was still searching. "You sure there's nothing else we can use to stop Godzilla?"
"His name is Krazan the Terrible," the Doctor pointed out to the leaper. "And I told you only this sword works on a Dragon. That is, unless you have a handy dandy supply of a rival Dragon's secretion to poison him with, which we don't. And it isn't exactly the safest thing to carry on you either. So we need a replacement for that crystal. Now then... power source," he muttered. He looked about the armory for the item in question. "It has to be here somewhere... As you saw it's shaped like a reptile's egg... kind of ironic, really, if you think about it." He winced strongly, his hand once again going to his head. "Bloody hell. When will that powder kick in?" he complained before rubbing his hand over his face. A moment later, realization came to him. "Of course! It's in the refrigerator!"
Al was confused. "Ok, you have the power supply for a weapon in the refrigerator? What kind of yo-yo does that?"
"The kind that keeps a converter in a box of rubber ducks," Sam put in.
"It looks like an egg, doesn't it?" the Time Lord pointed out as he left the armory, his companions following. "What does it matter how it got in the refrigerator? The point is, that's where I remember leaving it." Entering the kitchen, he marched to the appliance in question and opened the door. Reaching in, he cried out triumphantly, holding the reward of his search aloft only to, once again, wince strongly and suck in a breath of air through his teeth. "Migraines. I don't know how you humans put up with them on such a regular basis! Feels like someone's trying to drill into the center of my brain."
Sam sympathized with the Doctor. "Yeah. The migraines I've had have been doozies."
The Doctor raised a shiny mauve colored egg in his hand with a broad grin on his face. "Xanian power crystal!" he informed them, tossing the object in the air and catching it with his other hand. "And guess what?" Like a magician performing a trick, he flicked his wrist and a second crystal appeared. "There's two of them."
"He kept two power crystals in a refrigerator?" Al said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well... they were safe there," the Time Lord replied, looking a bit perturbed at being questioned in his methods. "And it preserved their structural integrity."
"See? It makes sense in a weird kinda way, Al. The point is, the power source is what makes this Vorpal sword work. It's the only way to kill a Dragon."
"Vorpal sword, Sam? Like the one in 'Through the Looking Glass'?" Al asked, with great patience. He let out a breath before stating factually. "A Vorpal sword is just a nonsense item from the poem 'Jabberwocky.'"
Sam shook his head. "Yeah. That's what I always thought too. Actually, apparently, 'Jabberwocky' has more truth to it than we guessed."
The Doctor gazed at the red power sources in his hands. "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe / All mimsy were the borogoves / And the mome raths outgrabe," he quoted. After a moment, his eyes widened with realization. "Oh, of course! It makes sense now! The whole poem is a mixture of English and Elysian! And the first stanza..." He took a deep breath. "Things were growing towards the darkness and something had to be done, To prevent those who sowed hatred and bloodshed, From doing their horrid deeds freely, And the Shades chose the good." The Doctor looked at Sam, stunned by the revelation. "It's about the Last Great Time War. A battle here on Earth."
Sam's forehead creased. "On Earth? In Victorian England?"
"Why not?" the Doctor stated, tucking the power sources into his jacket pocket. He turned to exit the kitchen to return to the armory. "A 51st century tyrant took refuge in Victorian England. Why not a Dragon fighting a Time War?"
"I don't know." He considered that and shrugged as he followed the Time Lord. "I guess it's no stranger than a 20th century man leaping into the Civil War."
Al shook his head as he walked beside Sam. "The poem is a fantastic collection of words Carroll created, Sam. This guy's pulling your leg."
The Doctor gave him a dark look. "The poem tells of how the Shades had intelligence that there was a Dragon on Earth, one that took the side of the Daleks. They told a Time Lord General about their intelligence and the General sent a Time Lord to go kill the Dragon. And he succeeded, sending back word to the General of the Dragon's defeat."
Sam turned to Al. "Why are you questioning this? You know Godzilla's been in the basement. Everything the Doctor's said thus far fits into that scenario." He looked at that Doctor. "You didn't know about the meaning of the 'Jabberwocky' poem until now?"
"Well, it's not exactly written in any language I was aware of until ten minutes ago. Telepathic contact with the Shades must have allowed me to translate it."
Sam's looked puzzled. "But you said you met Carroll. Took him to tea on Rextar Seven which I believe because... well, now I know the inspiration for Wonderland having been there." Pausing for a moment, a light suddenly came to him. "Carroll must have met this other Time Lord after he met you. That's the only thing that makes sense."
"He probably even witnessed the whole incident," the Doctor commented before walking into the armory and going to the sword's case. Lifting the sword, he carefully slipped the red power crystal into the base. "Now, let's see if this has enough power in it." Turning with the sword in hand, and brandishing it with obvious skill, he faced a mannequin and neatly sliced it in half, though it seemed to need some effort on the Gallifreyan's part.
Sam, realizing they were almost ready based on his observing the alien's actions, made a request. "Al, center yourself in the cellar of the house. Let us know if Krazan appears."
"You want me to face down a Dragon, Sam?"
"You're a hologram, Al. It can't hurt you."
"Yeah... well... you don't know that for sure. It could have some of those psychic links that could..." He saw Sam's face. "Okay, I'm going. I'm just saying."
"Unless, of course, he has a holographic disruptor," the Doctor said. "In which case..." He stopped, seeing the glare coming from Sam. "Oh, please! He deserves it."
Al's eyes were wide. "A holographic disruptor? I told Jack there was a possibility of something like that and..."
Sam looked at Al, rolling his eyes. "He is pulling your leg, Al. As a hologram, you can't be hurt."
"Sam's right. You're quite safe," the Gallifreyan assured. "You'd have to be a hologram originating from an actual projector in this current time." The grin on the alien's face was like a child who'd just opened his favorite Christmas present.
Al's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Doctor. "Ha ha." He punched in the code and was gone.
The Doctor gave Sam a little grin. "Blimey, he's wound up tight."
Sam pinched his nose and nodded. "Yeah, well, Al's best talent is the ability to deal with the concrete. Even though this is science to you and me, although I'm still learning the principles, for Al this stuff is hinky. He's doing the best he can."
The Doctor went over to Sam and took his shoulders. "I understand that. And to be quite honest, which I know seems like a rarity in itself coming from me, the reason I taunt him is because I'm terrified of what we have to face very soon. Laugh in the face of danger. Plus, it's a way for him to redirect his feelings from being terrified of the Dragon to being annoyed with me."
"Yeah. I guess that makes sense." Sam paused. "I've got to admit, I've never had to deal with a leap that if it doesn't work out, there will be no timeline, at least for Earth. I'm about as scared as when I found myself at the Battle of Shepherdstown." He took a breath. "But right now, I can't think about that either." Sam looked at the two power sources. "So those will make the Vorpal sword go snicker-snack? Or zicccccer-snnnnatck to be more precise?"
"Yup. Well, they're a little low on power. I should have been able to cut that mannequin in half the time I did. They need to be charged up."
"And how long will that take?"
"Not sure. Depends on how depleted these are. The one in the sword has some power but I doubt it will last through a whole battle. Couple of hours to charge them both perhaps?" the Doctor supposed, looking at the crystal in his hand.
"I hope the Shades can hold Krazan that long."