The Doctor wasn't a professional negotiator. He had spoken to some of his enemies face to face several times before. Though some of his enemies were still inclined to betray him and some weren't keen on dealing with their enemy, the Doctor managed to talk to the few who would listen. The Doctor had a very short list of enemies who took the time to listen to him and several lists made of enemies who were only interested in their own prospects and of course, killing or enslaving him. It was something someone would expect if they were the Doctor. And for the Doctor, it was normal to him. Some say years of traveling in his little blue police box did that to him while others say it was one of the Doctor's permanent traits. He endured the betrayal done to him by those he thought he knew and those he didn't.
This will be a test, though. A test whether or not the Doctor could strike a peace between the scientists and the Alphas. While some argue the Doctor could've easily just taken the scientists and Sherlock away from the destruction of Utopia and left the Alphas to their fate, few ever knew the Doctor personally. Certainly, it crossed his mind when it came to the likes of the Daleks and Cybermen, but even the Doctor wasn't that type of person. But the Doctor wasn't dealing with them now, no, he was dealing with those who endured decades of pain and misery and the people who caused it. Though the Doctor agreed that stealing bodies was horrible, even he couldn't deny that wasn't the worst to come out of this.
The Doctor's two hearts were beating against each other as he walked along the quiet path to the observatory. It took time for him to realize that it was only him walking and his mind had been playing tricks on him. In his mind though, he was afraid of what would happen when he and Frank finally speak after what feels like years. Some scenarios presented themselves and that Frank would be agreeable to the Doctor's pleas while others pictured Frank becoming violent with the Doctor. The Doctor prayed for the latter.
He stopped at the large rounded door and stood in front of it. Behind this door was Frank. Frank doesn't know that the Doctor and Sherlock came to Utopia. And so far as the Doctor knew, he didn't know that they were working with Beth. The Doctor cleared his throat and pressed the only button on the side of the door. The door split into two halves as it opened and the Doctor entered.
The observatory was a large room, as wide as two Oval Offices and long as a four rugby fields. At the end of the room was a long and wide two-way glass that overlooked an area where people were brought down and converted. The Doctor's eyes moved around the room until he spotted a figure in the center of the glass looking down into an area. It was Frank.
The Doctor tried to calm his hearts as he walked slowly toward Frank. He tried to parse sentences together as he took every step. Why he was here, why Sherlock was with him, what they were here for, all those sentences were forming and the Doctor hoped to get them out in a timely matter that would be enough to give him time to plea with Frank.
He stopped short of Frank and cleared his throat. He said slowly, "Frank."
Colton's ear cocked as he turned his head slightly toward the Doctor. His silver eyes met the Doctor's eyes and narrowed as he said, "Doctor."
"I thought you were dead," the Doctor pointed. Colton waved a hand as he said, "I was dead, Doctor, but not now."
"I mourned for you," the Doctor continued. Colton scoffed as he replied with, "You needn't mourn."
"Whose body did you steal?" the Doctor watched Colton turn back to the Doctor. He said to the Doctor, "The only other loose end."
"Grissom, you stole his body?" the Doctor stood there. Colton nodded as he said, "He had every opportunity to help us and he didn't do so. He took his money like a greedy pig he was so yes, I took his body. But that's for the ethics class. Why are you here?"
"I came here because someone was asking for help," the Doctor recounted. Colton tilted his head and frowned, "Who'd ask help?"
"The scientists, namely," the Doctor eyed Colton. Colton stared at him as he said, "Do you know what they did to us to make us the Alphas, Doctor?"
He gestured for the Doctor to stand beside him. The Doctor stood beside Colton as he pointed to the area below the glass. The Doctor's eyes moved around, it was equipment that he never seen before. It was akin to an assembly line with hoses and tubes running along equipment. "We were turned here, Doctor," he heard Colton. "It was a pain that felt like death."
"This was where you were converted?" the Doctor looked up to Colton. Colton nodded. "They brought us down there. We were so drugged we couldn't fight. They stuck us in that device there and went on their merry way to watch us," Colton pointed to the device that looked like the iron maiden. The Doctor's eyes widened when he visualized the way it worked in his mind. Colton said to him, "We didn't die then, Doctor. Amber kept us alive long enough for us to become what you saw."
"Why they do it?" the Doctor looked at him. Colton shrugged, "Fear does things to a man, Doctor. I thought a man like you would know that. The Cybermen in this universe are far aggressive than the ones you come across. Logically, it would seem the only way for anyone to do anything was to be as aggressive as them. We know what happened then, don't we?"
"So, what about the kidnappings?" the Doctor continued. Colton answered, "The Cybermen was doing the same thing, Doctor. They themselves gone into other universes to collect those unfortunate to keep their numbers up, we neither clean in this, Doctor."
"I didn't know the Cybermen were doing it, too," the Doctor flinched. Colton shrugged as he said, "What one expects is likely to not be the case, Doctor."
"Why not use prisoners, use captured Cybermen, why take innocent people?" the Doctor's blood started to boil. Colton continued, "Because Doctor, even in this universe, prisoners have rights. Apparently, they didn't want to be branded as harshly as the Cybermen are so they decided to take a page from the Cybermen's handbook and took "volunteers" from other universes. And just before you ask me about volunteers here, no one wants to risk a viable soldier for a science project."
"My god," the Doctor only said. "As for the Cybermen, it was too dangerous. The Cybermen have a beacon in their heads and if they are out of range they can simply ping themselves to their leader and thus neither so alone in their patrols as you think. Unfortunately, the Cybermen cannot be easily contained as we were and is just as dangerous as we are. They have bomb implants, Doctor, and they aren't hesitant to using it to obliterate platoons much less a project under the sea. So yes, Doctor, all options were considered and kidnapping was the only one that was viable. War is never that simple, you of all people should know that," Colton turned away from him to look down. "Even if it means killing an innocent child to help further the war efforts, a sad day in human history I'm sure."
"Why would Sofia do that to Ciri?" the Doctor slipped. Colton's silver eyes were dead in his as he said, "It's a scientist's best interest to know everything about their little pet project. And even if that pet project can horrifically maim a person into a giant monstrosity, a scientist isn't deterred from learning. Ciri's fate was sealed when Sofia had her taken down there and put into the device."
He then stepped near the Doctor, "And how did you know her name?"
"I told you before, I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said simply. He dared not bring Beth into this. It would be foolish if he did since his doubt Colton would believe that Beth would reach out to the likes of the Doctor. Colton's eyes narrowed on his has he stared at the Doctor. In his mind, he guessed the Doctor had been prodding where he shouldn't, suppose it was to be expected from the likes of the Doctor.
"Ciri didn't deserve it, Doctor," Colton said mournfully. "Callan never forgave Sofia for what she done."
"But Ciri's at rest now, you avenged her," the Doctor tried to plea with Colton. Colton looked to the ground briefly. "She was a sweet girl. Looked just like her mother, Callan said, now they both look down from the skies above," he sighed. "God rest their souls."
"Frank, look me in the eye and tell me that the only way to live is to take the lives of the scientists," the Doctor eyed him. His eyes met with Colton's as Colton said, "They took lives of people, what difference would it make if I took theirs than if the Cybermen took them."
"Frank, you can't kill the scientists," the Doctor pointed at him. Colton balked at him, "They not as clean as you make them. They killed others before us."
"Isn't taking bodies enough?" the Doctor reasoned. "You killed Walker and took Grissom's body. You avenged Ciri. You don't have to do this!"
"Doctor, how big do you think Hal Corporation is?" Colton stared at the Doctor. The Doctor mulled over his question. He never did get those answers he needed and majority of information were wiped clean from records. The Doctor shook his head and admitted, "I don't know."
"It's quite big, Doctor. Far bigger than your UNIT I reckon, it's very big and has hands in all sorts of places, universes too. You think it as easy as stepping into another universe and taking a person?" Colton eyed him. The Doctor's blood cooled and turned to ice as he realized the implications before him. "You mean it's in other universes?" the Doctor quietly said. Colton nodded, "I wouldn't be surprised if you never heard of them until now, Doctor. Even they knew that it would be suicide to continue using the same name in each of the universe they occupy. Heed me Doctor, we're just a faction."
"This Hal isn't the original?" the Doctor held a hand over his stomach that was churning. Colton nodded. "Doctor, in every universe something changes. A corporation needs to adapt to each one in order to survive financially. It's the way business works, didn't you know," Colton sighed as he glanced at the tubes that would send currents of Amber into people in the device. "And of course before you ask, this faction is dealing with the Cybermen and relies on its associates in the other factions for support. Cybermen are quite methodical in their extermination efforts."
"So, where's the original?" the Doctor gestured. The answer to that made the Doctor cringed. "I asked that same question, Doctor. I looked and looked but I could never find my answer. I reckon that the original is far beyond all our own universes. Where is it, I wouldn't know. I wouldn't doubt it being clever though, much clever. I reckon if you were to encounter it though, Doctor, they might make you the next Subject," Colton looked back at him. "Of course, even you couldn't find it. Your little police box couldn't find it worth a damn I'm afraid."
"Do the scientists know?" the Doctor gestured. "If they don't, let them go."
"It isn't easy, Doctor," Colton tilted his head. "They done things to us that make even a Cybermen flinch."
"But you're free now," the Doctor argued. Colton responded with, "We neither free men, Doctor. We neither our own masters."
"But we are now," the Doctor continued. "You have Beth and the others, what more do you want?"
"Revenge, Doctor," Colton answered. The Doctor stared him down as he said, "Frank, for god sake listen. You don't have to kill them. They're past their prime; most of them have made amends. What do you get out of watching them die?"
"What am I supposed to do, Doctor?" Colton snapped at him as he chewed on his lips. The Doctor said, "Forgive."