The ninth Doctor and Sarah spent the night in Unit's VIP room waiting on the Tardis to reenergize herself and were now on their way home. Knowing it was General Ploket after their child made the Doctor more than nervous. Most Sontarans were methodical, doing everything for a reason and an end result. Ploket from the Doctor's past encounter with him, showed him to be insane. Insanity in a Sontaran was a dangerous thing. He apparently had no regard for the men in his command according to Strax; they were simply disposable once they served their purpose.
Sarah was once again attached to the central console awaiting their return to their reality. She could see the Doctor frowning and asked, "What's wrong?"
He looked up and decided honesty might be a friend this time and admitted, "I'm concerned that Ploket might be more than we can handle on our own."
Sarah was surprised. They'd faced a lot worse with fewer numbers in the past. "Why, what's so special about Ploket?"
The Doctor rubbed a hand across his short cropped hair. "Well for one thing, he's insane. Insanity turns up the dial on the scale from just being a dangerous five to a seriously risky ten. So I'm going to attempt to send a message to Vastra, Jenny and Strax to be delivered as soon as we enter our reality but before we land. Once we land her circuits," the Doctor stroked the console lovingly, "will be exhausted and we'll have to wait till she powers up again. Just sending them the coordinates for the old Unit base and there." He smiled at Sarah and asked, "Ready?"
"Let's go get our daughter." Sarah said with nervousness that she hadn't felt before getting this new information on Ploket.
The Doctor flipped the switch and the trip through the rift began as the Tardis began to flip end over end and shake. Sarah could just make out the Doctor's words over the roar of the Tardis, "Sending the message…now!" She saw the Doctor reach forward and pull a lever down. Once again just when Sarah thought she couldn't take any more of the spinning and flipping, it was over. She looked over at the Doctor and saw him untangling himself from the makeshift harness.
"Here let me." the Doctor said as he unclipped Sarah from her harness and then held on to her as he remembered the effect on her the last time. "Sit here." He led her to the jump seat and helped her to sit. "Get your balance back while I check the readings before we completely lose power." As he circled the console the lights were getting dimmer. Before they completely went out he was able to determine from the scanner that they were indeed in their universe and at the old Unit base. He returned to Sarah's side and held out his hands. "Are you okay to move?"
She reached out and took his hands and answered, "More than ready. Let's go find her."
They walked down the metal ramp and opened the door. They had parked next to an identical Tardis. They looked at each other and smiled broadly. "They're here." Sarah said in awe.
"Let's go find them." the Doctor said taking Sarah's hand in his. They looked through the base ending with Sick Bay. As they approached what was left of the doors, they looked at one another in horror.
"Are we too late?" Sarah asked, barely loud enough to be heard.
The Doctor didn't answer as he led her through the doorway. There were blast marks all around but no blood. "They got away." the Doctor concluded aloud. He looked to his right to find Sarah wasn't there. He spun around to find her standing at the foot of a bed, her back to him. "Sarah?"
Sarah turned around to show him what she'd found. She was holding a pale pink blanket reverently in her hands. "She was here." She had tears in her eyes as she brought the blanket to her nose and inhaled. It smelled of her baby, a scent that was imprinted in her memory still and always would be. She handed the blanket to the Doctor who was now in front of her. "Smell this." He took the blanket and inhaled and smiled. "That's her, that's Hope."
The Doctor looked around and could see the path of destruction. "They went this way." They turned to go but were stopped by a voice.
"We're here Doctor, how can we help?" the Silurian asked, now dressed in a black leather tightfitting vest and pants and tall black boots. Standing at her side was Jenny, the long maid's dress now replaced with a black figure hugging leather jacket and patterned black leather pants with short black boots. At their side stood Strax, his Victorian butler suit replaced with his Sontaran battle armor.
The Doctor smiled gratefully. "Thank you for coming. General Ploket is here and after our child. They went this way." The Doctor led the group through the Sick Bay and past a destroyed cabinet that had apparently gotten in the Sontarans' way. They went through the doorway and found themselves outside.
Once outside they could all smell the scent of something burning. In the distance they could see black smoke rising high in the air. Without hesitation Sarah set off running toward the fire. "Sarah!" the Doctor yelled as the group ran after her.
When they finally caught up with her they found her staring at the charred remains of the cabin. It was obvious that had anyone been inside they wouldn't have made it out alive. Other than the stone foundation there was little left other than ash. Sarah was sitting on the ground clutching the blanket to her chest, inconsolable.
The Doctor closed his eyes and placed his hands in front of him, seemingly in a trance. Jenny had run forward and wrapped her arms around Sarah hoping to console her in some small way. Vastra and Strax exchanged frowns and bowed their heads. Bringing them all out of their grief was the Doctor's voice, "He got away." He approached Sarah and pulled her to her feet. "Did you hear me, he got away?"
Sarah attempted to shut down the panic that threatened to overtake her. "What do you mean 'he' got away?"
"The other Doctor, I can feel him. And if I know me and I do, Sarah and the baby are with him. We still have a chance." He stared at her to make sure she hadn't given up. Before this was over he knew he'd need each and every one of them to be at their very best if they were to come out of this with their daughter.
"Which way?" Sarah asked as she brushed back the tears with the back of her hand.
"That's my girl." The Doctor rubbed her back and pointed eastward. "That way." The group began their trek through the woods.
The Doctor looked back to make sure Sarah was still with him. He adjusted the baby in his arms as they weaved their way through the trees. They'd been walking for the better part of an hour now and even he was beginning to wonder if the caves really existed. They kept talking to a minimum to insure that the Sontarans wouldn't hear them. Finally he saw what looked like a shadow in the hillside directly in front of him. He passed the baby to Sarah and motioned her to stay still. He moved some of the thickly blanketed vines to the side and shined the flashlight he produced from his pocket inside.
It was indeed a cave, a large and apparently deep one. He went back to the entrance and held the vines aside, motioning Sarah to come inside. Sarah entered the cave and turned to speak only to have the Doctor put his hand over her mouth. They heard twigs breaking and loud footstep outside. Shocked, Sarah had no idea they had been that close to catching up with them. Looking down into the baby's face, Sarah was grateful she was asleep.
They were still for almost fifteen minutes, barely daring to breathe. They heard General Ploket order one of the Sontarans to stay there in case the 'fugitives' doubled back. He would lead the rest of the group further up the hill.
The Doctor waited another ten minutes before reaching in his pocket and producing a small jewelers' hammer. Sarah looked at him in shock, trying to dissuade him from his actions with a look. He mouthed, "Don't worry." to her. Sarah rolled her eyes and grabbed his sleeve and mouthed, "Be careful." to him. He smiled at her and kissed her as passionately as he could in the situation.
He carefully and quietly crept out of the cave; hammer in hand at the ready. He crept up behind the Sontaran standing at attention. He aimed the hammer at the probic vent and hit it square on. The Sontaran collapsed to the ground. As he stood there smiling and pleased with himself, General Ploket appeared from behind a large tree.
"It's never enough to kill you once Doctor. With any luck, I'll get to kill you twice. Tell your consort to bring the progeny forward." Ploket said as the remaining Sontarans came forward surrounding the Doctor.
Sarah could hear everything going on outside and looked down into the sleeping baby's face. She could almost hear the Doctor in her head, shouting to get away. If she were alone she would have already been out there by his side. But she wasn't and she knew what they would do once they had the baby in their hands. Sarah stepped back further in the cave and felt a breeze. Her eyes had now adjusted to the darkness and she thought she saw a small bit of light bouncing off a rock somewhere in the back of the cave. In the back of the cave there were two openings leading to two passageways, one to the left and one to the right with the bit of light showing and hopefully a possible way out. Sarah pulled off one of her light blue knit gloves and laid it in the left hand opening. With any luck they'd think she went that way and give her time to get the baby away.
She headed down the right hand passage and followed the tiny bit of light that was barely visible at the end. Sarah covered the baby with the blanket completely and then shielding her with her body pushed her way through the thick brush. Much to her surprise they were on the other side of the hill. Sarah carefully laid the baby down on a pile of leaves and covered over the opening she'd just gone through. Seeing a small downed tree limb that still had some leaves attached, she carefully placed it over the opening in an attempt to block out the small amount of light that had guided her outside.
Sarah picked up the baby and looked around. She knew that on the other side of the hill ahead of her was a sheer drop. 'The only safe place is the Tardis', she thought. So she decided to take the long way back to Unit. As she walked she prayed that the Doctor would be able to get away from the Sontarans. She pulled the blanket back from Hope's face to see her waking up. "We're going back home." she whispered to the baby and began the long walk back.
Author's Note: From this point on, the Sarah married to the fourth Doctor will have (a) next to her name while the Sarah that is with the ninth Doctor will have a (b) next to her name. Just to keep our Sarahs straight. The Doctors will also have a number next to their name to denote their regeneration number.
The Doctor leaned against a rock, his hands tied behind his back as a Sontaran trained a blaster on him. He was trying his best to be nonchalant about the fact they were searching for Sarah and the baby but it was tearing him up inside. He had hoped she would have found a way out of the cave. He'd seen a tiny light in the back of the cave but hadn't had the time to convey the information to her. Sarah was smart; she would have found a way out. He'd stalled them as long as he could; hopefully it had given her enough time to get away.
General Ploket and three of his men marched out of the cave. Ploket marched up to the smiling Doctor. If Ploket was mad that meant Sarah had gotten away. Ploket leaned over and put his face a few inches from the Doctor's. "Where is she?" he yelled.
"As if I would ever tell you, even if I did know. What has that baby ever done to you anyway?" the Doctor demanded loudly.
"I don't answer to you. You claim to have no information so you are useless to my mission, therefor you are unnecessary." He pointed to the pair that had guarded the Doctor when he entered the cave. "You two, kill him. We will go find his consort." He marched off.
"Well now that he's gone is there any chance either of you have a thermos of coffee? I've had a very long night you see and…"
"Quiet! You will stand." one of the Sontarans yelled, his blaster raised.
"Oh yes, of course." The Doctor kicked the end of his scarf forward with his foot. "I'm sorry; my foot seems to have fallen asleep. Could one of you be kind enough to help an old Time Lord up?" the Doctor asked from his slumped over position on the rock.
One of the Sontarans approached the Doctor, walking on his scarf as he came closer. The Doctor quickly stood, pulling the scarf end up as he stood. The Sontaran went flying on his back. The Doctor bent over again and ran into the other Sontaran head first, sending them both flying. As he was climbing to his knees, his hands still tied behind his back he saw a pair of tall black boots. He looked up into the eyes of a Silurian. "Uh…hello, you don't happen to have a sharp pair of scissors or a steak knife or a…?"
Vastra pulled a long silver sword from its golden scabbard. "Perhaps this will do Doctor." she said as she easily sliced through the ropes.
The Doctor smiled up at her. "I'm sorry have we met?"
"No." said a male voice to his far right, a voice he recognized. "She's a friend of mine." The Doctor (9) approached his counterpart, helped him to his feet and they hugged. He turned to the group that was now watching the reunion of the two Time Lords. "Doctor this is Madame Vastra."
"I've heard a lot about you Madame Vastra. It's wonderful to finally meet you." the Doctor (4) said, his hand extended.
"I have heard a great deal about you as well Doctor. May I introduce you to my wife, Jenny Flint?" Vastra said as she placed her free hand on the small of Jenny's back.
"Jenny it's very nice to meet you." the Doctor (4) said and then looked over at Strax.
"And this is Strax. He's a friend." the Doctor (9) explained. "It was only with Strax's help that we were able to find out it was your reality that our baby was sent to." The Doctor reached behind him and Sarah took his hand as he pulled her to his side. "And this is 'my' Sarah."
The Doctor (4) looked at Sarah. The two Sarahs were exactly alike. "I'm very glad to meet you." He clasped one of her hands between the two of his.
To Sarah this was a dream come true and a nightmare at the same time. She was with the Doctor she first fell in love with. She was also with the same incarnation that had left her and her baby to fend for themselves. She told herself this was another Sarah's Time Lord. Her own Time Lord had explained things to her; still…it didn't make seeing this version of him any easier. But she had bigger problems, the reason they were here. "It's good to see you, where is my daughter?" Sarah asked.
"Sarah and the baby got away. There's nothing for miles around on these grounds…" the Doctor (4) started.
"Except for Unit." the Doctor (9) finished.
"Sarah would head for the Tardis." the Doctor (4) said as he led the group back through the woods.
"General Ploket will have conducted a thorough reconnaissance of the property before he arrived. That is where he will be going too." Strax volunteered.
"We had better hurry then hadn't we?" Madame Vastra stated as the group picked up speed.
Sarah arrived at the disused Unit base. The baby was starting to get fussy. It was past time for her feeding, but Sarah didn't dare stop. She could hear the Sontarans crashing close behind her in the woods. She entered the base the same way they had left before.
She quietly entered the base through the Sick Bay, tiptoeing every step of the way. She made it to the door and slipped into the hallway. She felt that if she could just get back to the Tardis they would be safe. She knew that's where the Doctor would expect to find her. As she crept near the hallway that led to the Tardis, she peered around the corner to see a Sontaran guarding the lab entrance.
She pulled her head back quickly. So, she couldn't hide there. She could hear someone coming down the hallway she'd just come down. The only place open to her now was the Mess Hall. She quietly entered the room and headed for the back and into the kitchen. She tried the door leading outside but it wouldn't budge. There was a long row of stainless steel cabinets forming an L shape diagonal to the door. Sarah realized her choice was to hide behind these or make a run for it. Had she been alone she would have run for it but gazing into the infant's clear blue eyes, her decision had been made for her. She would keep this baby safe at any cost.
There was a huge crash in the Mess Hall's seating area. They were getting closer, Sarah realized. She had nowhere else to run. Then she heard blaster fire and yelling. Who were they yelling at?
Both Doctors led the group back to Unit. They reached the front of the building first and saw the doors lying on the ground, their locks destroyed by blaster fire. "It wasn't like this when we arrived." the Doctor (4) said concerned.
The further they walked into the building the more destruction they saw. As they reached the first junction in the corridor they heard more blaster fire and more doors hitting the ground. Sarah tried to break free from the group but the Doctor (9) stopped her. "They're going to kill her!" Sarah said in a hushed frantic voice.
"They haven't found her yet." the Doctor reasoned.
"You don't know that." Sarah fired back.
"Yes I do. If they had found her they wouldn't still be searching the other rooms, would they?" the Doctor (9) took both her hands in his. Once we find them, we need to keep them busy and give Sarah the time she needs to get away. She'll keep the baby safe till we can catch up with her. Agreed?"
"Agreed." she said quietly.
Vastra and Jenny ran ahead of the group searching for anyone that might be guarding the halls. They found a lone Sontaran guarding the pair of Tardis'. Jenny rolled an office chair in front of the doorway, sending it sailing down the hall. The Sontaran came out the door and looked in the direction the chair had rolled. Vastra took her sword and used the ornate pommel to tap the probic vent and the Sontaran went down. Strax came from around the corner and pulled the Sontaran into the lab's small inner room.
The Doctor (4) went into his Tardis and checked the reenergized console. He quickly returned to the group. "She hasn't come back here."
"That means she's somewhere here on this base hiding." the Doctor (9) said.
Jenny and Vastra came back into the room. "They have just blasted their way into a room two corridors over." Vastra stated.
"The Mess Hall." both Doctors said at once.
"Sarah and I were there earlier. There's an exterior door in the back of the kitchen. She might go there." the Doctor (4) volunteered. He wished he'd given her the Sonic Screwdriver. If the door was locked, she'd be trapped. "We better go." Without waiting for the others he took off at a run. If Sarah or the baby had been hurt, all bets were off.
The group followed him down the hall, all that is except Sarah. She ran back to the front of the building and then headed around back. She knew that if the other Sarah was hiding in the kitchen, she could be trapped. She pulled her hand out of her jacket pocket and looked at the Sonic Screwdriver she now held. When the Doctor was comforting her, she'd lifted it from his pocket. She realized he'd be mad but she had a feeling that she might need it later and she was right. If the other Sarah was locked in the kitchen, she could free her and finally get her baby back.
Sarah peeked around the corner. No sign of anyone outside. She bent over and all but crawled under the windows in the Mess Hall's dining room. She could here movement inside. They were going through cabinets, searching everywhere. Sarah crept around the corner of the building, the metal door to the kitchen now in sight. Sarah could hear yelling and furniture breaking loudly in the dining room. Apparently the Doctors had found the Sontarans. Sarah continued on with a single objective, to find her baby.
Sarah climbed the four stairs to the kitchen door. She tried the handle and found it locked. She pulled the Sonic Screwdriver out, adjusted the setting and aimed it at the door. The lock clicked open. Listening again at the door and hearing nothing but the echo of fighting outside the kitchen, she slowly opened the door.
Sarah took a few steps inside, her eyes constantly scanning the room. She quietly closed the door behind her and walked toward the end of a row of stainless steel cabinets. She had just reached the end of the row when she heard the outside door opening. Before she had time to process the new information someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her back around the corner behind the cabinets.
She stared into eyes that were her own. The other Sarah was there with her finger to her lips. Sarah must have looked the question she wanted to ask because the other Sarah pointed to the shelf that was inset in the cabinet next to them. Inside it was her baby, bundled up in a blanket and sound asleep. Without even thinking Sarah reached forward and embraced the other Sarah, tears streaming from each of their eyes.
The pair didn't have long to celebrate though. The Sontaran that entered the kitchen was none other than General Ploket and he was walking toward them.
Both Doctors, Vastra, Jenny and Strax entered the Mess Hall. The six Sontarans were tearing the doors off the cabinets looking for any and all places that the Doctor's consort could hide in, looked up. Before the Sontarans had time to fire a blaster at the group, Vastra and Jenny were doing an acrobatic midair cartwheel flying through the air and landing behind them. As they were landing they pulled their swords from their scabbards and used the pommels to hit two of the Sontarans in their probic vents, sending each unceremoniously to the floor.
Strax was in hand to hand combat with one. They rolled across the ground time after time until Strax saw a piece of metal that had been broken from one of the tables. He grabbed it as he passed it and placed it at the Sontaran's neck. He held it tightly against his neck, constricting his breath. He held it there till he saw the Sontaran's eyes roll back in his head.
The two Doctors were arguing with each other which confused the two Sontarans. The two Doctors were circling the two Sontarans, seemingly arguing. "I just can't believe it, how could you be so stupid?" the Doctor (9) taunted his counterpart as he circled the Sontarans.
"How was I to know? I thought there would still be some here!" the Doctor (4) fired back hotly as he circled the Sontarans. One more trip around the pair and they should be at the right position to hit the Sontarans' probic vent.
"Well if you had timed it better…" the Doctor (9) yelled as he stopped and moved forward as if he were going after his counterpart.
"If I had timed it better! How was I to know they wouldn't leave any meatloaf in the freezer!" the Doctor (4) stepped forward at the same time as the other Doctor.
Each reached in their pocket and pulled out a reflex hammer and struck the Sontaran in front of each of them in the probic vent. After the Sontarans fell to the ground each Doctor held up his reflex hammer and said, "Ahhh!" and smiled at each other.
"Let's go get our Sarahs and your baby." the Doctor (4) smiled.
"I can't believe she stole my Sonic Screwdriver." He (9) shook his head. "And how many times have I told her to stay with me?"
"I have the same problem. Though Sarah had a good idea."
"What's that?" the Doctor (9) asked.
"That she should have her own Sonic Screwdriver. I'm going to make her one as soon as we get back." the Doctor (4) smiled.
"That's an idea." the Doctor (9) said as they approached the kitchen door.
Author's Note: Only one chapter to go. As always reviews are greatly appreciated.