"How does a television save London?"
Once they arrived at one of Mary's safehouses, the Doctor became acquainted with her 'co-workers'. Wally, a man who was muscular in places that could be a delight or nightmare depending on the company and mood with eyes that burned with loyalty for his 'M'. Alice, the woman who 'borrowed' Mary's clothes when heading to London, she deceptively hid short blonde hair and being even slightly shorter quite effectively, a talent either built on her own or possibly taught by the older thief. Freddy, a lean man of imposing force gathering weapons that appeared to have non-lethal rounds. Todd stayed away from the table, fiddling with a tech that Mary used on heists; the Doctor never saw the curiously quiet man do more than nod if he even blinked behind his goggles. A brief survey of gear, companions, and overall style gave the Doctor confidence in knowing they may be chaotic but never too cruel in their methods.
What came next demanded a solid crew of heist experts, and he managed to find the best ones for the job. Sadly, it required them being able to trust a complete stranger. It also did not help he needed to explain the importance of using television to stop effectively a magic eyeball of doom.
"Well, I thought I explained it pretty well."
"You really didn't, how the Hell does a TV stop some supervillain's magic eye?" Alice stressed her question more. "I mean, it makes no sense, right, Todd?"
A slightly nod between tinkering.
"Yeah, he thinks it's bogus too."
"But M doesn't," Wally's voice and figure seemed to grow with every word to tower above all in the space, he already succeeded with two. "If she trusts the Spaceman, we trust him. I saw those things on the roof, people don't vanish with light. That things could get crazier is all I need to know. But I agree, you need to make it make sense for us 'Earth folk'."
A fine companion, the Doctor thought. He admired people who forged that absolute connection that challenged the universes greatest dangers. Of all the group, Wally was truly the most devoted. Great when needing someone to back what was planning, but the calmness of his face promised that if any peril befell Mary… Mr. Raven would be a mercy by comparison. Improving his usual way… would not cut it with Wally.
"Right," the Doctor nodded several times to shake off the dread and Mary's bemused smirk while they all leaned in to study their target: Tondal Security Headquarters. A massive tower that housed the future of all protection according to their advertisements. Inside, according to Todd's blueprints of the building and grunts while pointing out ideal spots for entry, was the location of Mr. Raven's second eye. "So… I'll try explaining the plan again, and hopefully it'll be clear enough that no one will get hurt.
TWO HOURS AFTER EXPLAINING THE PLAN
The Doctor and Mary were slammed onto the concrete floor of the basement, hard plastic bit his wrists.
"Doctor, have you ever heard about the things best left unsaid?"
"Nope."
"Shame," Mary muttered as she noticed a black hooded cloth starting to descend. "You usually have to live long enough to appreciate the irony of jinxes."
The cloth swallowed her head and his vision soon was obscured. Hauled up with disturbing ease, they were quickly dragged up several flights of stairs. It was hard to keep track of how far they ascended before being marched down an extra long hallway.
"Halt!" A man called out from a distance. "What's going on here."
"Word from the Top," the man who held the Doctor growled. "The woman's a person of interest, she pulled the robbery on the Farris Estate. This punk's her little helper. I figured the higher ups would have to plenty to ask them both."
There was silence.
"Did you call it in?"
"Can't, the witch trashed our radios. We barely managed to hold them down. So, listen, it's a Lot of stairs between my station and here, mind if we use the phone?" He stressed in a way that was not asking a question.
A more dragged-out pause filled the air. The Doctor guessed their questioning guard was taking in the bruises on their captor's faces. A slight shift in the muscles from the man holding him gave off an aura echoed across the passageway, impatience giving off a silent boom of pressure.
"O-Ok," the guard stammered. "L-Let's call it in together."
They quickly rushed across, almost carried until they heard the loud groan of a security door opening. Once past the doorway, the Doctor immediately dropped to his knees when let go. The guard could barely call out before he grunted after several sharp hisses filled the air. Swift steel sliced through his plastic restraints after the chaos quickly died down.
"We're clear to play, Spaceman." His guard, Wally in a Tondal uniform that barely contained his figure. "You alright, M?"
"Perfectly fine, Wally," Mary said as she pulled the hood off herself and the Doctor. Her demeanor shined in the heart of danger; renewed life finally eased off the earlier dread… for now. "Alright, Doctor, Wally and Fred are good to babysit here awhile, shall we go see about lights?"
Her excitement brought a grin to his face as well.
"Oh yes," he said, quickly taking out the pair of uniforms from their equipment bag Fred had carried along from the 'ambush'. "Sounds like a plan."
They quickly suited up, the Doctor practically thrown out of the room while Wally and Fred joined him, blocking the door while Mary got privacy. When dressed in atrociously gritty grey, the two men made sure to lock eyes… after Wally bent over slightly.
"…You really care for her."
"Far more than I do you, Spaceman."
"Wally," the Doctor stressed. "Whatever happens, I promise she'll be safe. People like her and you are why worlds truly shine. And I will never let monsters like Mr. Raven dare to snuff out that light."
They held their stare for a full minute. Within it, professional grit softened in the taller man's face. A grin formed.
"You remind me of my old mentors, always older than they looked, but no hiding what those eyes have seen." With a firm nod, he stepped back a moment to cross his arms more candidly. "Alright, Doctor, you got your shot, but you better back those words up."
"He can, Wally," the door opened to a disguised Mary who managed to make irreverent grey look… stunning. "Just remember, those lights in the bag are beyond necessary, start flashing them the second shadows start growing out the walls."
As their comrades stepped into the security station, Mary and the Doctor charged down the hallway. They climbed the emergency stairs, eventually reaching one of the top floors. Wally would handle the surveillance but the main security for the safe storing the second eye could only be accessed by the office of Arthur Lionel.
And apparently, he never left the building.
Halls of empty cubicles where the blanks screens of computers illuminated their stroll over to Arthur's office with an unease worthy of ghostly lanterns. The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out, having explained how his toys were tools that helped saved planets. Mary chose to rely on her tranquilizer gun, he had no criticism… knowing how effective it was.
"What exactly is this company," the Doctor asked while unlocking the door with a flash of his sonic screwdriver. "Tondal Security, not knowing about a business usually means it's going to be a big problem."
"I don't know," Mary sighed as she searched for some kind of access panel to the safe. "Only heard about it a year ago. Todd couldn't even access their intel, and that's his whole thing. They just plopped down in the middle of London without any warning."
"Yep, definitely a problem." The Doctor started searching for furniture. When nothing immediately stood out, it was clear from Mary's explanation of the man that he had no input in the business. Instead, he started thinking less like a human and more like a being who had very little use for an office. Then why keep the space, he thought, especially when there was…nothing in it.
Arthur was a tool, nothing more, so why would Tondal give him an office where no computers work and no files were within reach. The only thing left was an impressive view. A clear window, walls clear too, that made him curious. Using his screwdriver, a small frequency radiated through the space.
"Mary, cover your ears."
The older spy didn't hesitate, and when she cupped her head between both hands, the Doctor slammed his screwdriver down onto the clear table. Arthur's whole room functioned with sonic waves, a styled tuning fork. Gritting his teeth as bones started to vibrate, a shrill groan roared all around them until the floor started to shake. A small shift made him increase the frequency until his vision blurred. A sudden click made the Doctor turn off his screwdriver. The sound rolled around until the floor opened up just behind Arthur's desk.
"Is… that our way to the safe?" Mary stammered while shaking off the sonic waves.
"I g-guess," the Doctor muttered while he leaned over to see only shadow below. Then he glanced up at the window. "…We need to move."
"Why?"
"Because Mr. Raven is coming."
Mary followed his gaze, and tried not to scream. The pale nightmare of man who nearly killed them decided to not take the stairs. By some horrific power, he started to march up the side of the building facing the Thames. Impossible couldn't even begin to describe the action, but it was more pressing to realize that avoiding stars, elevator, and walls meant he could easily reach their floor in moments. The Doctor almost imagined the menacing figure tip his hat. Before he could suggest it Mary, was already on the radio.
"Wally, no time to chat, the lights, use the li—"
The whole building's power drained in seconds. The Doctor shuffled in what dim light could be attained by the moon to quickly seal the door. Shadowy hands started to press against the class.
"The moonlight, it'll hold them off a bit." The glass started to crack in several spots. "So long as the sky is clear."
Mary directed his gaze to the semi-cloudy sky.
"Jinxes, Spaceman," she muttered. "Nothing good comes from inviting possible harm."
She shoved him towards the stairs. Quickly descending, they kept to the sides to prevent the shadows getting too thick from being close together. When they reached the bottom steps, darkness awaited them.
"Mary," the Doctor didn't need to say more than he name, the thief quickly pulled out several orbs the Doctor personally designed with Todd's help. Tossing them, they melted when the Doctor waved his sonic in their direction. Quickly pooling on the floor, ceiling and walls, the dull green glow illuminated their way. Shadows seemed to slink back with demented ease. Walking forward, the dread on Mary's face grew worse in dim lighting, the possibly images of her closest comrades needing to use flashlights to fight off certain death must have been agonizing. But something else caught their attention before he could, poorly, try to reassure her the plan was still working. Using more illumi-gels, they round a corner to a massive room with jars on pillars. Each one had a plate beneath showing many names even the Doctor recognized as prominent business leaders all over the planet.
"What's in them?" the Doctor wondered.
"DNA," Mary said with a shiver. "One of the few things my crew found out about while searching for details to get to Arthur was how Tondal collects the DNA of its clients. A bit of blood, saliva, and a few over fluids… but I don't think there's a jar's worth demanded, that would get some attention."
"Cloned probably," the Doctor guessed. "Enough to make a proper genetic control. That's what the eye does. It makes sure that even if the mind's gone, the body is still effective so they can keep the money."
They even came across Arthur's pillar, but then they noticed something…concerning.
The jar was empty.
A small flicker of shadow was their only warning before a fist barely missed them smashed the pillar. Its owner, Arthur, towered over them, flesh a deathly shade of pale with milk-white eyes and mouth in perpetual grimace. Genetic puppets, the Doctor hated when being right meant something would try to kill him, which was often the result.
"How's he got muscle," Mary muttered as Arthur's greyed figure started to rise for another attack. "The man's the type whose exercise is waiting for a butler to carry him up the stairs."
"Genetic manipulation," the Doctor ducked a punch that cracked the stone wall where his head had been. "Unrestrained by mental blocks to avoid pain, the body can easily do some damage, especially if the flesh is reinforced to endure dam—"
A hand grasped the Doctor's outfit, lifting him with terrifying ease. The blank face almost had an echo of their former owner's sneer when raising a fist that would not miss. The fist swung forward, but a sudden lurch make it swoosh inches by him. Arthur released the Doctor, jittering from shock. Mary's tased still pressed into his side.
"Took you long enough," the Doctor muttered. "Why didn't you use the darts?"
"Well, the thought had occurred to me."
Arthur collapsed, eights black darts covered his back.
"Not that it seemed to matter, but I did use up my ammo before trying shock treatment. So, what now, Doctor? I assume our prize is behind that?"
Past the jars was a massive door made of sleek metal that promised to shrug of shrug off anything that could possibly destroy a whole building. The Doctor raised his screwdriver, it buzzed while hovering over the console next their final obstacle. After a moment, he lowered the tool and glared at the indifferent appliance.
"Of course, sonic proof," the Doctor muttered. "Well, what does the professional thief sa—w-what are you doing?"
"As you said, 'professional'," Mary grunted while struggling to drag over Arthur's limp form. "Care to lend a hand, Spaceman?"
Running over, they hefted to surprisingly heavy load of a former aristocratic loaf and dragged him towards the console. The ghoul that now possessed the body grumbled, awake but thankfully too dazed to become a problem, for now. "If Arthur had any use, it was that he demanded to be involved in all levels. My guess, this door is for another safe, and the first was DNA locked. Aliens might have spruced him up, even the personality is an improvement, but if the core remains the same… we might have a key."
When they were closer the console lit up. A screen especially seemed quite appealing, showing an outline for where a human hand could be placed. Together, trying not to be crushed under Arthur, the two managed to eventually press the hand to the outline. A quick ding of approval, the loud groan of internal gears shifting free, and they watched the door pull itself inside. Excitement died when they moved closer.
The second eye was OPEN
"Mary, don't look!"
While she followed his warning, what remained of Arthur… didn't. He locked eyes with an unholy iris and something human within him almost screamed before his body burned into ashes. Mary and the Doctor rushed into the second safe, a burning graze searching for direct contact to new victims. The interior had reflective surfaces, Mary staggered while trying to avoid certain annihilation. A vicious presence roared in the Doctor's mind, urging with rage instead of words that greater pain will be suffered if they don't look. A partial glance at Mary showed her covering her eyes but their palms looked to be turning bright with burning agony. They wouldn't last much longer, but… the internal voices gave him an idea.
"Hey," the Timelord called out. "You want something to look at? Trying reading this!"
The Doctor pulled out his packet of psychic paper and aimed it at the eye. Never in his many centuries of travel, had he never imagined the tool could actually experience in pain, but now heard a voice crying out in his mind. The papers burst in flames, the Doctor had to let go of it and fell to his knees. Eyes closed, he tried willing his greater mental powers to smother the deathly gaze. Gritting teeth, a sensation worthy of his skull being spilt apart with a chainsaw filled the Doctor's mind, but he stayed focused. After all, he just needed to be a distraction.
Mary finally recovered and kept to the plan, the Doctor sensed the second eye caught a glimpse of their but swiveled too late before the Thief covered it with a reinforced grey cloth. The small orb swished about but felt not while Mary held firm. A greater energy of psychic terror raged, reflective walls cracked under the pressure. The Doctor, wiping a bit of nose of his nostrils, pulled out the phone. Nodding to Mary, she pulled the cloth away.
It only glared directly into a phone screen, taking in the sight before the device exploded.
Dropping down next to the pillar, the tow couldn't even hit the floor before shadowy hands grabbed them all over. Mary and the Doctor were pinned against opposite walls by faceless beings. No greater harm was inflicted. It would not be needed as heavy footsteps approached the safe.
"Before things get too unpleasant," Mr. Raven strolled inside, looking at his two captives. "Would anyone care to explain what their plan was after getting my other eye?"
Looking between them, his glasses no longer hiding a burning eye gleam coming from behind one lens. Before the other eye could deliver more agony, its owner tenderly grasped it in his hand. The thin alien's demeanor promised he would not gentler to anyone else. Especially when approaching the Doctor. Letting go of his cane, which stood tall without any assistance, Mr. Raven used the freed hand to search the Doctor's coat. Pulling out a curious syringe, the liquid solution appeared to be bright orange. Squeezing out a quick spritz of the chemicals, he sniffed the air and grimaced.
"Liquidized Hazoqel," he growled. "You actually invented a poison for my biology. I thought such cruelty was beneath you, Time Lord Prime."
"I'll do what I must to protect the planet from threats like you," the Doctor grunted as the shadowy limbs kept him pressed harder against the wall while Mr. Raven broke the syringe. "If you intend to end me, why not use both eyes? My little distraction went too quickly, I couldn't administer the shot, but I'm certain I can handle your cruelty."
Mr. Raven grinned, leaning in so the Doctor could see his determination reflected back.
"You think you can handle my cruelty?"
"Do you worst."
"Very well," Mr. Raven nodded. "Bring Mary over here."
The Time Lord fought viciously but remained immobile as his companion was dragged to kneeling position in front the vile figure, positioned so he would see the horrors completely.
"Mary Cinder," the alien said with vile eagerness. "For getting involved in Tondal, allow me the courtesy of showing you what's currently going on downstairs." Snapping his fingers, a security monitor screen appeared in his hand. It was large enough to show off a vicious fight. Mary rushed leaned forward, eyes full of panic. Lights blasted away shadowy hands but there was barely any light left in the space, she could only see agonized faces.
"Wally! Freddy!" She screamed.
"Sorry, the video is muted. But I assume you can see from their struggling forms that my shadows will easily consume them very soon. Find comfort knowing, in order, you die, they die, and then London's next."
"But, before you experience a very grim sight in your future, a question."
He knelt down to look more directly at the tormented woman's anguished face.
"What do you know of Rekeza? Do you know why she's trying to take part in the
Grand Steal?"
The Thief's face turned stern, no fear as brutal anger burned down Mr. Raven. The nasty figure's grin soured slightly under her fury.
"Is that her name? Good, when I'm done with you, I'll eventually find her."
Even the Doctor shivered by the rage shown.
"…Fine," Mr. Raven tried to shrug off the silence from a moment ago. Standing up while Shadow Men forced Mary's head to be turned up with no away to look away. The glasses were removed, dropped to the floor while looking up at the ceiling. "I guess you wouldn't be expected to know her plan. Perhaps this might even be a kindness compared to what could have come next."
The eye was slowly placed into its rightful socket. For the briefest moment, one of the universe's greatest horrors was complete.
And then Mr. Raven screamed.
The vicious foe could barely do anything except howl in agony while struggling to remain standing. Hands clenches and shook violently while the agony quickly infected the Shadowy men. Mary broke free of hers first, diving towards the nearby bag and vaporized them when she turned around with two flashlights. She then extinguished ones holding the Doctor, catching him before he could stumble to the floor. They both looked at the writhing monster, the Thief looked at the Doctor with a curious look.
"What exactly was on that phone?"
"Everything," the Doctor explained over the raving cries. "Specifically, all knowledge that could be ever understood about the known universe in one-tenth of a second. Every detail, word, action, and overall experience was just swallowed up by the eye. Its built to consume and Gorfelli feed on its information, but they aren't built to process that much raw data."
"You… gave him a tummy ache?" Mary almost struggled not to laugh in disbelief.
"Technically a super headache. Even with both eyes, there's no chance he can actually use them, even looking at his own reflection is creating the nastiest feedback loop. The control, no shadows."
"…Wally!" Mary's face abruptly lit up. She rushed over to the nearby security scream from earlier. Both her friends looked roughed up but in decent shape, but incredibly confused. Realizing she couldn't actually speak to them, the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver. Understanding dawned on the Thief as both men clutched their ears in confusion. Just as Mary was about to speak, one of the other cameras on the pad lit up.
A red-haired woman appeared on the screen. Her face was concealed by a familiar black hat and a veil worthy of funerals. Yet the toxic glee contrasted perfectly with Mary's growing rage. The Doctor remembered the bridge, and now had a name to Mary's tormentor, Rekeza.
She seemed to using some device to film herself and override the whole of Tondal's security feed. The dangerous woman was standing on the main steps of the very building they were inside. Tilting the camera up, both Time Lord and Thief watched in growing horror as the whole exterior had been covered in what appeared to be explosive charges. She only giggled, holding up a stopwatch…set for five minutes, and clicked it.
Whether the time was truth or another cruel deception, Mary took no chances when Rekeza's appearance vanished and the main security screens returned.
"Wally! Freddy! Can you hear me?"
"M," Wally groaned. "W-What's all that noise? Is someone screaming?"
"Answers later, Wally, I promise," Mary stressed. "Right now, you need to run, the building is set blow, MOVE."
The man didn't hesitate, he grabbed Freddy and the two sprinted out of sight. Mary did the same, quickly grabbing the Doctor's arm and the charged out the chamber of screams. Part of the Time Lord paused, considering the idea that perhaps he could be better than the past cruelty visited on foes. But Mary insistently pulled away, and soon the screams were no longer heard once they escaped Arthurs formed glass cell of an office. Any Shadows that appeared were quickly burned with light as they reached the elevator.
"Not sure if the elevator's working." He said nervously.
"Do you know a faster way down?"
Not unless you know where to find a motorbike, of course it's easier going up than down… safely.
Mary, however, had an alternative.
"Get the door," the Doctor did as commanded and with a flick the screwdriver… followed by the added effort of actually using his hands, the doors were pulled open. The Thief then slammed a spike into the floor, locking it in place with sharp hooks. She hooked an impressive wired cable that was spilled into the elevator, a large pile that went far below. Attaching a belt to herself, she motioned for the Doctor to join her. Hooking the belt to the cable, the Doctor noticed them were leaning over side.
"We should really have helmets." The Doctor pointed out.
"Definitely," Mary agreed. "Let's complain about that more on the ground floor, hopefully our feet can break the fall first."
Before he could argue further, they dropped abruptly. Floors blurred by in seconds as wind pressed against them. The pressure on their ears was agonizing, but a greater fear came to mind. Despite the belt slowing their decent, it was still too fast for any guaranteed promise of survival. The Doctor to take the brunt of it and hopefully protect Mary with enough of him left over to regenerate afterwards. But then they suddenly… bounced?
A strong hand grabbed their belt and hauled them up. Wally easily freed them from the contraption. Mary hugged her friend fiercely, and all four rushed down the hallways towards the garage where their van was parked among other similar vehicles.
"I didn't remember this in the plan." The Doctor said.
"Well, it was in mine," Mary said. "You didn't exactly explain what would happen with the phone."
"T-That's different, I couldn't risk Mr. Raven reading anyone's mind and knowing the real attack. But why not warn me we might use the elevator?"
"Oh, that was always the plan," Wally said with a grin. "Not so fun being in the dark, eh, Spaceman?"
The Time Lord sighed, his love-hate relationship with debating how little could be known by anyone at any time always led to complications. But then again, if he was indeed back in action, it wouldn't hurt to revise the rules a bit. No reason to make things too difficult on new companions, he thought.
That thought… left an interesting taste in his mouth, that started forming… a hopeful grin.
Then the building exploded.