"The Benevolent Doctor"

8. Mask of Benevolence

Sometime in New New York

Now that they were actually starting to notice them, it seemed the good doctor's former subjects were all over the place. Some would display more noticeable symptoms, making them easier to find, while sometimes the Doctor would only see them and get a strong and undeniable feeling. He would say nothing aloud, but he would tap Martha's shoulder or meet her eye and he would direct her to look. She was counting them out just as he was, he could tell, and he didn't know whether she was starting to notice the same patterns he was, but he had a feeling she was.

They'd gone out after lunch, both of them insisting despite Valerie and Brannigan attempting to steer them away from the entire situation that they needed to see more. At one time or another, they were going to have to stop tiptoeing around what they knew and speak the truth. Knowing how Benedict had been so vital to saving both Valerie and the children after he came to New New York, the Doctor was not without sympathy and understanding, truly. But that wouldn't stop him from seeing things through. He knew he had been called here for a reason, and until he could let his old friends in on this, he had to keep digging.

He didn't have to dig much further. They were just coming back to the house when they swarmed in, four feline boys and girls and one human girl, all of them alarmed. They were all speaking at once, so fast and loud that there was no making sense of any of them.

"Quiet!" the Doctor's voice broke over the din, silencing every last one of them. "You," he pointed to Santana. "Speak."

"They're gone, we looked for them, Brittany, and…" she looked back to the cats, still trying to remember all their names.

"Agnes and Alfred," Alexander volunteered.

"We looked, we swear we did, for hours, and they were nowhere!" Abigail jumped in.

"The screen, tell them about the screen," Alexander nudged his sister.

"What screen?" Martha asked.

"You took them to the General Twenty-Four, didn't you?" Valerie frowned. "They're not from here, why would you do that? They must have gotten lost." Again, Alexander nudged Abigail.

"We ran the locator, it said they were on fifty-six, we looked and we didn't find them, and it still said fifty-six. They wouldn't hide. That means…"

"What if it's him?" Santana cut in, looking at the Doctor, the only one she could believe would be able to help her get her friend back at this point. "That guy you don't like."

"Now, hold on…" the Doctor started to reply.

"It's not the first time they've gone off," Valerie shook her head. "Last year, they charged themselves a couple of beds, didn't come back until morning."

"Valerie…" Brannigan looked at his wife; he wasn't as convinced as she was that it wasn't what it looked like. He was worried.

"Fine then, let's go and have a look. I'll find them, give them a talking to, and it'll be sorted," Valerie stepped to the four of her children still at hand and guided them off back away from the house, the way they'd come from. "What are you waiting for?" she called back without turning. Martha moved toward Santana and they walked after the others together, with the Doctor and Brannigan taking up the rear.

"Doctor," the man took hold of his arm for a moment, stopping him. "I know who you are, I know what you've done and what you can do. That man Benedict came in like… well, like you did, all those years ago, and changed our lives. I owe him my family, but I will not give a blind eye if they are in trouble. Do you think he has to do with my Agnes and Alfred disappearing with your young friend?" The Doctor looked back to the rest of the pack, which was quickly distancing itself from them. He signalled to Brannigan that they should catch up.

"I've been vague and I apologize, but you see I didn't come here on a social call, I came at your call."

"I don't understand, I… I've made no such call, why would I?"

"You haven't, not yet. It seems I've… arrived early. You haven't had need of me…"

"So it might be that I do now?" Brannigan took a breath; the Doctor could practically feel him tensing by his side, now that he had as close to confirmation as he could get that his son and daughter were at risk.

They made it to the General Twenty-Four, where Valerie went with Abigail and Alice one way, Brannigan went with Alexander and Allen, and the Doctor lead Martha and Santana straight up to the fifty-sixth floor. Santana showed where the cats had attempted to locate their missing siblings. The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver, motioning for the two girls to keep a look out if anyone should start wondering what he was up to.

"What's that thing?" Santana asked Martha, sneaking a look back.

"It's a, uh…" Martha hesitated. She knew that just saying 'screwdriver' would not inspire understanding in the girl, but it wasn't the time for long chats and all. "It's a tool, the Doctor uses it for anything from opening doors to scanning computers." And about half a million other things in between. For now it was all the girl needed to know. Santana gave a short nod, and Martha returned it, hoping it had satisfied her curiosity, but then the Doctor was muttering to himself behind them, and she could see the girl was finding it constantly harder not to know what was going on.

"Did you find them yet?" Santana called while trying to keep her voice low. If the Doctor had heard her, he was not reacting, which only unnerved her. Eventually she walked back up to his side, crossing her arms before herself and staring at him until he finally paused and turned his head toward her. "Well?"

"Nothing so far," he replied, and staring between the time lord and the fourteen-year-old girl, Martha wasn't entirely sure who was in charge anymore.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't taken her away back at the Canyon," Santana went on, and the Doctor looked at her, seeing the concern beneath her scowl.

"Wherever she is, I, we… we'll find her, alright?" he told her, his tone kind and encouraging. Santana stared at him for a moment, then quietly walked back to where she'd been standing. She didn't have to stand there very long that the Doctor suddenly sprang from the screen, looking around.

"I think I've got…" he frowned, thinking. "Well, it's definitely something, and I've got it, so… this way," they headed back on to the lift, down to the ground floor and out of the General Twenty-Four. He walked, Martha and Santana followed. He was going fast enough that there was not much need to try and ask him what he'd found; it was quicker to go with him and find out.

The chase lasted much longer than they would have anticipated, but they couldn't stop, and they carried on, until the Doctor stopped, looked at the screwdriver in his hand, then turned and went another way. At long last, he stopped, and the other two stopped, at either side of him. They had reached a gated mansion property, standing out among the rest of the New New York landscape.

"Are they here?" Santana asked, out of breath.

"Trail got us here, and look there," he pointed to the top of the entrance gate, which like the rest of the mansion already appeared heavily guarded. Martha and Santana looked up to what he'd pointed to, three great letters forged into the metal: EWB. Everett Wallace Benedict.

TO BE CONTINUED (TUESDAY)