Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who that goes to the BBC
Later that night, the streets were empty with the town's bell tolling as the streetlamps sparked. And inside the Marshall's office, Jex was standing in his cell again as the Doctor was sitting just outside, watching him. Rose, Rory and Amy were at the desk when they suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," the Doctor told the person that was knocking on the door as he looked at it before the door opened to reveal that it was the Preacher as he entered the building and removed his hat with his right hand.
"Marshall," the Preacher said, greeting the Doctor before he looked at Rose, Amy and Rory, "Ma'ams. Fella." He then looked back at the Time Lord, "You need to come outside."
"Why, what's wrong?" The Doctor asked him.
"Just come outside," the Preacher told him before both Gallifreyans and their companions stood up as he gestured to a holster that was hanging on a hook next to the Doctor with his right hand's index finger, "And you should put that on." The Doctor then looks at the holster and the pistol inside of it.
As they left the Marshall's office and onto the porch of the building, a group of townsfolk were standing in the street including Docherty and Sadie as the Doctor hooked his thumbs over his belt and placed his Stetson back over his head.
"What's going on?" The Doctor asked the townsfolk.
"He in there?" Docherty asked the Doctor, nervously as he walked towards the left side of the porch, "Leave the keys and take a walk with your wife. Time you and her get back, this'll all be done."
"I promised Isaac I'd protect him," the Doctor told him.
"Protecting him got Isaac dead," Docherty stated, "Tomorrow it's gonna to get us all dead."
"We thought Isaac was right to fight. But it's different now," another man added as the Doctor walked towards the left edge of the porch, "We gotta say, 'All right, we lost,' and give that thing what it wants."
"What it wants is to kill our friend," Sadie stated.
"Look, we don't got ill feeling toward the doc," Docherty told the Doctor, "We just thinking about our families. Hand him over and we all safe again."
"You know I can't do that," the Doctor stated as he was now leaning against one of the porch's pillars.
"Then we got us a problem," Docherty told him as he pushed back his coat to expose a holster around his belt before the Doctor lifted the right corner of his jacket to show him his holster with its gun inside of it.
"Please don't do this," the Doctor pleaded with him.
"Why?" Docherty asked him, "Reckon you quicker than me?"
"Almost certainly not," the Doctor answered, "But this, lynch mobs, the town turning against itself, this is everything Isaac didn't want." Docherty then drew his pistol from his holster, "How old are you?"
"Nearly 19," Docherty answered.
"That's 18 then," the Doctor stated as he slowly walked down the porch's steps, "Too young to have fought in the war, so I'm guessing you've never shot anyone before, have you?"
"First time for everything," Dockerty said as he cocked his pistol.
"But that's how all this started. Jex turned someone into a weapon. Now that same story is going to make you a killer, too," the Doctor told him, "Don't you see? violence doesn't end violence, it extends it. I don't think you want to do this. I don't think you want to become that man."
"There's kids here," Docherty stated.
"I know," the Doctor told him, "Who I can save if you'll let me."
"He really worth the risk?" Docherty asked him.
"I don't know," the Doctor answered, "But you are."
Docherty then lowered his revolver and walked away, followed by most of the men. The rest of the population then drifted off in different directions. The Doctor shuddered before looking up at Rose, Amy and Rory as the Time Lady walked up to him.
"Are you all right, Theta?" Rose asked her husband.
"Nothing that I couldn't handle, Love," the Doctor answered, "Frightened people. Give me a Dalek any day." He then smiled as they walked past Amy and Rory.
As the Doctor and Rose both reentered the Marshall's office, the Time Lord looked at Jex in his cell. He then put his right leg up on the rail to untie the holster. Abraham then entered the room with two steaming cups in his hands.
"Fresh coffee, Marshall and peacekeeper," Abraham told them as he handed them their cups, "For what it's worth, I know you're going to save us, Marshall. Isaac made you Marshall for a reason, and if you're good enough for him, you're good enough for me. Reckon you should know that."
"Thank you," the Doctor said as he toasted with his cup before he took a sip of his coffee from it before he set it down and leaned on the railing.
"We'll do our best," Rose assured him as she nodded at Abraham and took a sip of her coffee.
Abraham then took out his tape and held it to the Doctor's shoulder before he turned his head towards him as he noticed what he was doing.
"Oi! Get out of it!" The Doctor ordered the Undertaker.
"Give him some space, would you?" Rose requested as she laughed, softly and nudged him away before Abraham left the building as the Doctor removed his Stetson and rubbed his forehead with his right hand.
"Let me guess, the good folk of Mercy wanted me to take a little stroll into the desert," Jex surmised as he stared at both Gallifreyans from his cell, "You both could turn a blind eye. No one would blame either of you. You both would be heroes."
"But we can't, can we?" The Doctor asked the Kahler as he walked towards the cell, "Because then Isaac's death would mean nothing. Just another casualty in your endless, bloody war." Jex then laid down on the call's bunk, "Do you want us to hand you over? Is that what you want? Do you even know?" He then turned away in frustration.
"And what about the people you've hurt to create your cyborgs to end your planet's civil war, Jex?" Rose asked him as she stepped forward, "Do they get a say in this?"
"You both think I'm unaffected by what I did? That I don't hear them screaming every time I close my eyes?" Jex asked them as he propped himself up on one arm as Rose walked away from his cell, "It would be so much simpler if I was just one thing, wouldn't it? The mad scientist who made that killing machine, or the physician who has dedicated his life to serving this town. The fact that I'm both bewilders the two of you."
"Oh, I know exactly what you are," the Doctor told him as he walked back towards his cell, "And I see this reformation for what it really is. You committed an atrocity and chose this as your punishment." He then paced around the room, "Don't get me wrong, good choice. Civilised hours, lots of adulation, nice weather. But.." He then walked back over to the cell, "But, justice doesn't work like that! You don't get to decide when and how your debt is paid!" He then sighed and leaned against the wall with his back facing the cell as he crossed his arms again.
"And we can't play judge, jury and executioner either," Rose added, softly to her husband.
"In my culture, we believe that when you die your spirit has to climb a mountain, carrying the souls of everyone you wronged in your lifetime," Jex said as he sat back up, "Imagine the weight I will have to lift." The Doctor then lowered his arms as he turned around towards him, "The monsters I created, the people they killed." Both Gallifreyans then walked towards the cell, "Isaac. He was my friend." The Doctor then walked towards the cell's bars, "Now his soul will be in my arms, too. Can you both see now why I fear death? Doctor, you want to hand me over. There's no shame in that. And Rose, I respect that you want another way. But Doctor, you won't. We all carry our prisons with us. Mine is my past, yours is your morality." He then laid back down on the bunk.
"We all carry our prisons with us," the Doctor repeated, "Ha!"
"Jex, you just gave us an idea," Rose told the Kahler.
Later that day, the Doctor stood with Rose in the centre of town right in front of the bank as the Time Lady now had a holster with a pistol inside it around her waist as he cracked his neck as the clock behind them moved closer to noon.
Inside the town's church, the Preacher was kneeling in front of the altar with a group of parishioners.
"Help me. Help me to keep…" The Preacher prayed to himself.
The parishioners also prayed quietly, including a little girl with light skin, brown eyes and hair.
Back outside the church and on the town's street, the Doctor and Rose remained alone as they stood together with no one else.
Inside the saloon, Sadie wiped down the bar with her right hand as she watched the street outside.
Inside the Marshall's office, Amy looked at the clock as Jex sat on the bunk in his cell. They heard the loud displacement of air that heralded the arrival of the Gunslinger. Jex then stood up and gripped the bars of the cell door with both of his hands as Amy turned towards the door.
Back on the town's street, the Gunslinger arrived and stepped over the boundary as soon as the bell of the town's clock rang, indicating that it was now noon. Both Gallifreyans took up a classic showdown position against the Gunslinger as their right hands twitched by their pistols inside their holsters.
The bell finished tolling the hour as the Gunslinger raised his high-tech gun arm with a grunt. Rose then took out her sonic screwdriver with her left hand and raised it high above her head. The Gunslinger groaned in pain as the windows were blown out. The Gunslinger began shooting wildly as the Doctor and Rose both ran for cover as the Gunslinger began looking around for his target.
"Ready?" Amy asked Jex as she walked towards his cell in the Marshall's office with the key to the cell in her right hand before she unlocked the cell and let Jex out of his cell.
Back outside the Marshall's office and on the street, Rory and Docherty were standing by one of the buildings. They both had a copy of Jex' tattoo painted on the left side of their faces.
"Ready?" Rory asked Docherty before he nodded as he ran off.
The Gunslinger strode through the town and saw a figure running through the shadows. He zoomed in on the face with his computer system as he saw the tattoo on their face as he rose his high-tech gun.
In another section of town, Jex sneaked down the street.
The Gunslinger zoomed in on a figure as they hid for cover behind a building.
Back with Jex, the Kahler used the distraction to make his way out of town.
The Gunslinger saw a figure on a balcony, but his computer gave him an 'Error: Invalid Visual Match' in regard to the tattoo.
"Disengage," the Gunslinger stated, "It's a trick."
Back inside the church, the little girl got up and watched as the Gunslinger walked past the building.
"Save us, O, Lord," the Preacher muttered as he continued to pray.
The little girl then backed into a table and accidentally knocked over some books as they fell to the floor. The Gunslinger stopped walking as he heard the books within the church fall. The Preacher then went over to the girl and hugged her protectively. The Gunslinger used his high-tech gun to blast down the doors to the church, causing the parishioners to scream.
Inside the Saloon, the Doctor and Rose were in the building as he was getting the tattoo painted on the left side of his face by Sadie as Rose stood next to him with the same tattoo already painted over the left side of her face. They then turned at the sound of the explosion.
Back in the town, Jex stopped running as he turned around towards the explosion.
Inside the church, the Gunslinger scanned the faces of everyone in the building.
"Uh…" Jex muttered on the street as he hesitated as the Doctor and Rose suddenly ran out from the saloon with the Time Lord now having the tattoo over the left side of his face.
"Go! Just go," the Doctor ordered the Kahler, "We can't save them while you're here."
"Listen to him, Jex!" Rose said, agreeing with her husband, "This is your chance to make things right. Run, and don't look back!"
The Doctor and Rose then headed for the church as Jex ran into the desert.
Back inside the church, the Gunslinger waved his high-tech gun, trying to get a read on the faces of the church's occupants. He got no facial recognition on his computer system and with no one to match, he lowered his high-tech gun and left the building.
In the desert, Jex ran through the desert to his capsule before he pulled off the tarp with both of his hands.
Back in the town, the Gunslinger walked through the town when he suddenly noticed two figures running in the distance, causing him to raise his high-tech gun and aimed it at the figures as he saw them run past a podium before he got a facial recognition, those being of the Doctor and Rose.
"Nine, eight, seven…" the computerised voice of Jex's capsule said as Jex hurriedly pressed the keys to it as he was now sitting on its seat as he panted, "Self-destruct overridden."
"Deactivate automatic targeting," the Gunslinger said, "Switch to manual." He then zoomed in on the Doctor and Rose's heat signatures as he slowly walked over to them and aimed his high-tech gun at both Gallifreyans just as the Doctor peered around the corner.
"Right," both Gallifreyans muttered as they stood back up with their hands raised.
"Where is he?" The Gunslinger asked them.
"He's gone," the Doctor answered.
"He's taken the chance we gave him, just like we hoped," Rose added, "Now it's time to let this town heal."
"Where?!" The Gunslinger demanded, "Answer me!"
"Away from here. Look up. Any second now you'll see the vapour trail of his ship," the Doctor answered as he and Rose backed into the street, "This is their home, not the backdrop for your revenge! Look up. Go after him, take this battle away from…"
"Kahler-Tek!" They suddenly heard Jex's voice say as they heard a loud radio feedback with his voice coming over speakers.
"Kahler-Tek!" Jex repeated from his capsule.
"Jex! Coward!" The Gunslinger said with anger in his voice as he looked around the town for him.
"Where are you?!" The Gunslinger asked Jex from Jex's capsule.
"I'm in my ship," Jex answered.
"Jex, what are you doing?" The Doctor asked Jex as he and Rose evaded the Gunslinger, "Just go!"
"Jex, you've got a chance to end this without more bloodshed," Rose told the Kahler, "Don't waste it!"
"Where are you from?" They heard Jex ask the Gunslinger.
"Where on Kahler?" Jex went on from his ship.
"Now?" The Doctor said with disbelief in his voice, "You're asking him this now?!"
"Doctor, let him speak," Rose urged her husband, "Maybe there's a method to his madness."
"Gabrean," the Gunslinger answered.
"I know it," Jex told him from his capsule, "It's beautiful there. When this is over, will you go back?"
"How can I?" The Gunslinger asked him from the ship's communications system.
"I am a monster now," the Gunslinger added from the town.
"So am I," Jex stated after a few seconds of silence from his ship.
"Just go! Finish this!" The Doctor ordered Jex.
"He's right. Jex, you have a chance to make a different choice," Rose said, agreeing with her husband, "Don't let it slip away."
"I will find you," the Gunslinger told Jex, "If I have to tear this universe apart, I will find you."
"I don't doubt that," Jex stated from his ship, "You'll chase me to another planet and another race will be caught in the crossfire."
"Then Face me!" The Gunslinger ordered Jex.
"Countdown to self-destruct resumed," the computerised voice of Jex's capsule announced as Jex pressed some more buttons inside his capsule.
"Face me!" The Gunslinger repeated himself as both Gallifreyans looked around the area.
"No. You've killed enough," Jex told him.
"I'm ending the war for you, too," Jex went on from his ship.
"Countdown to self-destruct resumed," the capsule's computerised voice repeated itself.
"What's going on?" The Doctor asked himself as he and Rose heard the countdown of Jex's ship.
"Ten…" the computerised voice of Jex's ship began counting down as Jex removed his pince-nez from his eyes.
"The countdown," the Doctor muttered, "What's going on, Jex?"
"It sounds like Jex is trying to end this once and for all," Rose answered, "He's initiating his ship's self-destruct sequence."
"Thank you, Doctor and Rose," Jex told both Gallifreyans from his ship, "But I have to face the souls of those I wronged."
"...five, four…" the computerised voice of his ship went on.
"Perhaps they will be kind," Jex added.
"...three, two, one. Zero," the computerised voice of his ship finished counting down as Jex closed his eyes and braced himself when the capsule suddenly exploded.
Back in the town, the Doctor, Rose and the Gunslinger turned their heads towards the explosion and saw smoke rising above the buildings. The Doctor and Rose both looked at the Gunslinger, who sighed and lowered his head.
"He behaved with honour at the end," the Gunslinger told both Gallifreyans, "Maybe more than me."
"We could take you back to your world," the Doctor offered the Gunslinger as the cyborg began walking away from them as they began to follow him, "You could help with the reconstruction."
"I will walk into the desert and self-destruct," the Gunslinger told them, "I am a creature of war. I have no role to play during peace."
Amy and Rory then joined the Doctor and Rose as the townsfolk came out onto the street.
"Except, maybe, to protect it?" The Doctor suggested.
"If so, you could help this town heal," Rose added, "You've seen the damage that war can do. Maybe it's time for a different path." The Gunslinger then stopped walking as he heard them say that.
A while later, the Doctor burst from the saloon followed by Rose, Amy and Rory as both Gallifreyans and Rory now had the tattoo that resembled Jex's marking removed from their faces along with the Doctor no longer having the Marshall badge onto his jacket's lapel and both Gallifreyans no longer having the holsters around their waists as the TARDIS was now in the middle of the street rather than outside of the town.
"Okay, so, our next trip…" the Doctor told both humans, "You know all the monkeys and dogs they sent into space in the '50s and '60s? You'll never guess what really happened to them."
"Really, Doctor? Space-faring monkeys and Dogs?" Rose repeated with disbelief in her voice as the Doctor opened the TARDIS' door with his left hand, "Now that's a story I've got to hear. Lead the way!" She then paused for a moment, placing her right hand over her stomach for a second, "Just give me a moment, though. I think the food from the saloon is disagreeing with me."
The Doctor then turned to look at her, his eyes filled with concern as Rose removed her right hand from her stomach. He watched her for a few seconds, his brow furrowed. Then, as if deciding it was nothing serious, he dismissed his worries with a shake of his head and a bright smile. "Alright, take your time, Rose," he said, his usual cheerful demeanour returning.
"Um, could we leave it a while?" Amy asked both Gallifreyans, "Our friends will start noticing that we're ageing faster than them."
"Another time. No worries," the Doctor assured Amy as he clapped his hands.
"Fair enough, Amy. After all the excitement, a bit of normalcy for you and Rory sounds good," Rose told their ginger companion, "And Doctor, we'll hold you to that space-faring monkeys and dogs story!"
Amy and Rory then waved goodbye and stepped inside the TARDIS with Rose following them. As Rose walked towards the TARDIS, she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as if gathering her strength, before continuing on.
Docherty then smiled at the Doctor as they shared a small laugh. They then drew on each other with their fingers before the Doctor 'shot' Docherty, causing him to place his right hand over the centre of his chest for a second before he lowered his right arm.
Docherty then tapped the brim of his hat with his right hand. The Doctor saluted him with his right hand before he entered the TARDIS and closed the door behind him. Docherty and the Preacher, who held his jacket's lapels with both of his hands and his hat back on watching as it dematerialized.
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