A Town Called Mercy
The Doctor, Annabelle and I stood on a dusty road in the Nevada desert. In front of us was a typical western town. We looked up at the sign that marked the entrance to the town. We saw the population had been crossed out and added to. There was also a "Keep Out" sign nailed to the post
""Mercy, 81 residents.'" said The Doctor
Amy and Rory were standing off to the side, "Look at this," said Amy, "It's a load of stones and lumps of wood." I looked and saw a line of stones and branches that seem to ring the town. I took out my sonic, kelt down and ran it along the line, "What is it?" asked Amy.
"A load of stones and lumps of wood." I said.
The Doctor stepped over the line and Annabelle and I followed, "Er, the sign does say, 'Keep out.'" said Rory.
"I see keep-out signs as suggestions more than actual orders," said The Doctor, "Like dry clean only."
"Which is why you are not in charge of laundry anymore," I said, as we walked into town.
As we walked down the main street of the town. I looked around and saw we were being stared at from behind windows and doorway. A woman held onto her daughter closely as we walked by. We saw streetlamps with a power line connecting them together lining the street and one sparked as we got close, "That's not right," said Annabelle as she scanned it with her sonic.
"It's a street lamp," said Rory.
"It's not just a streetlamp, Rory," said Annabelle, "It's an electric street lamp about ten years too soon."
"It's only a few years out."
Annabelle rolled her eyes, "That's what you said when you left your phone charger in Henry VIII's bathroom."
"Doctor, um…" said Amy.
"Anachronistic electricity, keep-out signs, aggressive stares…" said The Doctor, "Has someone been peeking at my Christmas list?" he took a toothpick from his jacket pocket and put it in his mouth.
"Doctor!" said Amy as we walked into the saloon. It sounded like there as a lot of activity going on inside as we walked up. But, when The Doctor pushed the doors open and we walked inside, the music and talking stopped.
The Doctor walked over to the bar and put his hand down, "Tea. But the strong stuff. Leave the bag in," he said. I rolled my eyes. Then he tries to flip the toothpick but it got stuck.
"What you doing here, son?" asked the female bartender.
"Son?" The Doctor laughed, "You can stay."
"Sir, might I enquire who you is?" I turned in the direction of the voice and saw a black man wearing a nice suit with a clerical collar.
The Doctor turned, "Of course. I am the Doctor, this is…" Just then every male in the saloon stood.
I looked at Annabelle and I saw her eyes looking around and all the men. I could tell she was snapping into solider mode. I took her hand and said to her telepathically, "Just hang tight…"
She looked at me, smiled, and replied, "Okay… But, if anyone makes a threading move toward us they are going down…"
I nodded. The Doctor saw all the men stand and he said, "No need to stand." He turned to us, "You see that? Manners." Another man walked up behind The Doctor and measured his shoulders. The Doctor turned toward him, "Oh, thank you, but I don't need a new suit."
"I'm the undertaker, sir," said the man.
Then a young man stepped forward, "I got a question. Is you an alien?"
My eyes got big. These people shouldn't know anything about aliens The Doctor looked just as surprised as I was, "Well, um... Bit personal. It's all relative, isn't it? I mean, I think YOU'RE the aliens. But in this context, yes. Yes, I suppose I am."
Then, men rushed at us and before any of us could react, they picked up The Doctor and carried him outside. The four of us ran up to them and tried to get them to put him down. But we only found ourselves restrained and being pulled down the street following the men carrying The Doctor, "Doctor!" shouted Amy.
"Put him down!" I shouted to one of the men holding the Doctor.
"Don't think we won't kill you," said a man
"I'd like to see you try!" shouted Annabelle.
"Doctor!" called Amy.
"Leave her alone!" shouted Rory.
"Don't worry!" said The Doctor, "Everything is completely under control!"
"Get off me!" said Amy.
They took us to the line that surrounded the town, "Guys! Guys! Oh, dear." Then the men threw The Doctor over the line, "Whoa!" he stood and cracked his back, "Aargh. Ow." The Doctor turned back to face the town and the men drew their guns at him. The Doctor raised his hands.
In the distance I saw behind him I saw a man teleport in walk a few steps then teleport closer. The man was tall and broad. He was dressed all in black. He also had a large gun attached to his hand and a cybernetic eye patch over his right eye, "He's coming," said the Preacher, "Oh, God. He's coming."
"Preacher... Say something," said the young man.
"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done…"
As the Preacher continued to pray, The Doctor slowly turned and saw the man getting closer. He tried to get back over the line but the men refused to lower their weapons. Just then we heard a gunshot. We all turned and at the man who fired the gun, "You. Bow tie.
The Doctor pointed at himself. Then the man said, "Get back across that line." The man pushed his jacket back and we could see him reveal the badge on his chest, "Now."
The Doctor stepped back across the line. The man then stopped and disappeared, "Isaac, he said he was a doctor... an alien doctor," said the young man.
"That a reason to hand him to his death?" asked Isaac.
"But, Isaac, it could be him!"
"You know it ain't," He turn and walked way and gave a nod to me, "Ma'am." then a nod to Annabelle, "Miss," Then a nod to Amy, "Ma'am," The Doctor brushed himself off and straightened his jacket before we followed after Isaac.
We followed Isaac into the Marshall's Office as he walked over to his desk. The Doctor asked, "What was that outside?"
Isaac sat on the corner of his desk, "The Gunslinger. Showed up three weeks back. We've been prisoners ever since. You see that borderline, stretching round the town? Woke up one morning, there it was. Nothing gets past it, in or out. No supply wagons, no reinforcements. Pretty soon, the whole town's going to starve to death."
"But... he let us in," I said.
"You ain't carrying any food, just five more mouths to feed. We'll all die even sooner now."
"What happens if someone crosses the line?" asked The Doctor. Isaac tosses him a Stetson and he caught it, "Ah, well…" he said as he put a finger through a bullet hole, "He wasn't a very good shot then."
"He was aiming for the hat," said Isaac.
"He shoots people's hats?!"
I rolled my eyes, "I think it was a warning shot."
The Doctor handed the hat to Rory, "Ah. No. Yes. I see. Hmmm."
Rory passed the hat to Annabelle, "What does he want?" she said as she looked at the hat and passed it to me, "Has he issued some kind of demand?"
I passed the hat to Amy, who passed it back to the Doctor, who threw it back to Isaac, "He says he wants us to give him 'the alien doctor'" said Isaac.
"But that's you. Why would he want to kill you? Unless he's met you," said Amy.
"And how could he know we'd be here?" said Rory. He whispered to The Doctor, "We didn't even know we'd be here."
Amy looked at Isaac, "We were aiming for Mexico. The Doctor was taking us to see the Day of the Dead Festival."
"Mexico's 200 miles due south," said Isaac.
Just then the lights flicker, "Well, that's what happens when people get toast crumbs on the console."
"Yeah," I said, as I folded my arms across my chest, "You just keep telling yourself that…"
The Doctor looked at me "Anyway," Then he looked at Isaac, "I think it's about time I met him, don't you?" said The Doctor as he sat on a railing with his back to Isaac.
"Who?" asked Isaac.
"The chap outside said I could be the alien doctor, but you said I wasn't. So you already know who it is. Two alien Doctors! We're like buses. Resident 81, I presume. So beloved by the townsfolk, he warranted an alteration to the sign. Probably because he rigged up these electrics. And I'm guessing he's in here because if half the town suddenly wanted to throw me to my death... this is where I'd want to be." He hopped off the rail and headed for the cell behind us.
"I don't know what you…" said Isaac as he tried to stop The Doctor.
"It's all right, Isaac," said a voice behind us. We turned and saw a man wearing a bowler hat covering himself with a blanket" I think the time for subterfuge has passed." The man got up from the bunk. He was wearing a nice suit and had a long squiggly blue tattoo on the left side of his face. He walked up to the bass and said, "Good afternoon. My name is Kahler-Jex. I'm the doctor."
After Isaac let Jex out of the cell he walked over to us and The Doctor shook Jex's hand vigorously, "The Kahler. I love the Kahler. One of the most ingenious races in the galaxy, seriously. They could build a spaceship out of Tupperware and moss."
I walked up to The Doctor and gently pushed him down into a chair and let go of Jex' hand, "So, how did you get here?" I asked.
Jex took a seat behind Isaac's desk, "My craft crashed about a mile or so out of town. I would have died if Isaac and the others hadn't pulled me from the wreckage."
"And you stayed? As their doctor?" asked my uncle.
"On my world, I was a surgeon, so it seemed logical and it gave me an opportunity to repay my debt to them."
"Listen to him," said Isaac, "Talking like it was nothing. Tell them about the cholera," he slapped Jex on the back.
"Now, Isaac, I'm sure our guests aren't…" started Jex.
"Two years after he arrived, there was an outbreak of cholera. Thanks to the doc here not a single person died."
"A minor infection we'd found a treatment for centuries ago."
"No, no, no. What do you call them? The lectricks?"
"Using my ship as a generator, I was able to rig up some rudimentary heating and lighting for the town."
"So why does the Gunslinger want you?" asked Annabelle.
"It don't matter," said Isaac.
"I'm just saying, if we knew…"
"America's a land of second chances. We called this town Mercy for a reason. Others... Some round here don't feel that way."
"Now, Isaac, we've discussed this," said Jex.
"People whose lives you saved are suddenly saying we should hand you over," said Isaac.
"They're scared, that's all. You can hardly blame them."
"Them being scared, scares me. War only ended five years back. That old violence is still under the surface. We give up Doc Jex, then we're handing the keys of the town over to chaos."
"Did you try to repair your craft?" asked The Doctor, "Surely someone with your skills…"
"It really was very badly damaged."
Then The Doctor stood up, "We evacuate the town. Our ship's just over the hills. Room for everyone." he sat on the desk, "Teddy and I'll pop out, bring it back here. Robert's your uncle."
"Really? Simple as that? No crazy schemes? No negotiations?" asked Amy.
"I've matured. I'm 1,200 years old now. Plus, I don't want to miss 'The Archers'" He stood and picked up the Stetson and head for the door.
"Teddy, you can't tell me your not even a tiny bit curious?"
"Why would I be curious?" I said, "It's a mysterious space cowboy assassin. Of course I'm not curious." I smiled then Doctor and I stepped outside.
"Son? Ma'am?" called Isaac. We walked back in and he said, "You've still got to get past the Gunslinger. How you going to do that?"
The Doctor put the Stetson on, "With a little sleight of hand.." Then, we went back outside
The Doctor's plan was fairly simple. Rory and Annabelle escorted Isaac out of town wearing Jex's coat and hat to distract The Gunslinger, while The Doctor and I headed to the TARDIS.
We walked up to the preacher who was at a hitching post with his horse, "Can we borrow your horse, please?" I asked,
"It's official Marshall business," said The Doctor as he mounted the horse and helped me up.
"He's called Joshua," said the preacher as he unhitched the horse, "It's from the Bible. It means 'The Deliverer.'"
The horse neighed, I smiled, "That's not his name," I said.
"What?" asked the preacher.
"We speak horse. He wants to be called Susan."
"And he wants you to respect his life choices," said The Doctor as we galloped out of town.
We went down the dirt road that would lead us to the TARDIS when I saw something to our right, "What's that?"
The Doctor looked and brought Susan to a halt, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa."
Susan neighed, "Yeah, I know we're in a hurry. We just want to check something out."
I got off then The Doctor followed, "Two ticks. There's something niggling us."
Susan storted as we walked over to what we saw, "Yes," We got down on our knees, "Yes, it could be important."
Susan whinnied, "Oi, don't swear." said The Doctor. Then we found what we saw. It was a hose running along the ground. The Doctor held it up and sniffed then he tugged on it, "Come on"
We got back on Susan and started to follow it. We reached a mound where there was something some what buried in the ground but it was mostly covered by a brown tarp, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." said The Doctor he brought Susan to a halt. Susand snorted as we got off, "Yes, I wear a Stetson now."
We went up to the mound and a spark came from the line. Then we pulled the tarp off to reveal an egg shaped craft. The Doctor and I looked at it and Susan snorted, "Yes, good point, Susan," I said, "Where IS the damage?"
The Doctor and I climbed on top of the capsule. He knocked and tapped on it and we could hear it was hollow. He jumps on it and even slaps it before he took out his sonic and scanned the top. Then, a loud alarm went off. The Doctor and I covered our ears as the hatch slid open. Once the hatch was open The Doctor and I went inside. The control center of the pod was small but there was just enough room for The Doctor and I to fit in the one seat. Then the onboard computer announced, "Security breach. You have ten seconds to enter the pass-code or this vehicle will self-destruct. Thank you for choosing Abaraxas Security Software. Incinerating intruders for three centuries. Nine, eight, seven. I pulled put my sonic and pointed it at the screen, "Self-destruct over-ridden."
"This is an awful lot of security for a titchy spacecraft…" said The Doctor.
"Awaiting command." said the computer.
"Tell me everything you can about the Gunslinger," I asked.
"File not found." said the computer. The Doctor groaned, "Please choose from – Technical Specifications, Flight Recorder, Personal Files, Maps and Charts."
"Personal files of Doctor Kahler-Jex," said The Doctor.
Jex's face appeared onscreen along with some text. Then Jex's voice said, "Names of deceased subjects can be found on the drop-down menu."
Then, the files started to scroll across the screen. There were videos of people screaming in pain and agony. I could feel the tears form in my eyes. I turned away from the screen and covered my ears. I couldn't take any more.
Neither could The Doctor because he turned off the computer and opened the hatch. When we stood up, we heard a click and the sound of something powering up. We turned around and saw The Gunslinger pointing his gun right at us. We both quickly ducked back in, "Don't shoot, don't shoot!" We said. Then we stood up and faced The Gunslinger, "We know who you are!" said The Doctor, "And who Jex is too!" The Gunslinger lowered his weapon, "Now what we don't understand is why you haven't just walked into the town and killed him?"
"People will get in the way," said The Gunslinger.
"Look, you want justice, you deserve justice, but this isn't the way," I said, "We can put him on trial, we can…"
The Gunslinger pointed his gun at me, "When he starts killing YOUR people, you can use YOUR justice." Then he lowered his weapon." No more warning shots. I'll kill the next person to step over that line. Make sure it's Jex." Then he walked away. The Doctor and I looked at each other.
The Doctor and I headed back to town to confront Jex with what we found out. When we got to the Marshall's Office. Jex was standing in front of a wall, with Annabelle, Issac, Rory and Amy facing him.
"It was stupid of me, I realize that now," we heard Jex say, "I just thought I'd put you all in enough danger, perhaps if I left…"
We walked in and walked over to Jex, "He's lying," said The Doctor, "Every word. Everything he says, it's... all... lies. This man is a murderer."
"I am a scientist." said Jex.
"Sit down," I said to him. Jex refused, "SIT DOWN!" I shouted. He sat down, "Tell them what you are."
"What am I? A war hero," said Jex.
"OK, somebody want to tell me what's going on?" asked Issac.
"The Gunslinger is a cyborg." said The Doctor.
"A what?"
"Half man, half machine. A weapon. Jex built it."
"You see, he and his team took volunteers and told them they'd be selected for 'special training'" I said, "Then they experimented on them, fused their bodies with weaponry and programmed them to kill!"
"OK, why? Why would you do that, doc?" asked Issac.
"We'd been at war for nine years," said Jex, "A war that had already decimated half of our planet. Our task was to bring peace, and we did. We built an army that routed the enemy and ended the war in less than a week. Do you want me to repent? To beg forgiveness for saving millions of lives?!"
"And how many died screaming on the operating table before you had FOUND your advantage?!" asked The Doctor.
"War is another world," said Jex, "You cannot apply the politics of peace to what I did, to what any of us did."
The Doctor and I walked over to the other side of the room by the cell. I stood there fuming. Annabelle walked over to me, "Mom…Are you OK?" she asked.
"No, Sweetpea… I'm not…" I said as I leaned against the wall, and stared daggers at Jex.
Rory looked at Jex and asked, "But what happened then? How come you're here?"
"When the war ended, we had the cyborgs decommissioned. But one of them must have got its circuitry damaged in battle. It went offline and began hunting down the team that created it, until just two of us were left. We fled and our ships crashed here"
Rory looked over at The Doctor and me. He reached a hand out and if he was pleading for The Doctor and me to listen, maybe help. But, we just stood there. Rory turned to Isaac and Amy, "So what do we do with Jex?" he asked.
"What do we do with him?!" asked Isaac.
"Yeah, I mean he's a war criminal."
"No, he's the guy that saved the town from cholera, the guy that gave us heat and light."
"Look, Jex may be a criminal and yeah, kinda creepy…" said Amy.
"And still in the room!" said Jex.
"But I think we should put aside what he did and find another solution."
"Another solution? It's him or us!" said Rory.
"Amy's right," said Annabelle as she looked at The Doctor and me, "When did we start letting people get executed? Doctor? Mom?"
"It's not up to me…" I looked at The Doctor.
The Doctor looked up, "Hmm? Yes. I don't know. Whatever Amy said." He looked out the window.
"Looking at you and your niece, Doctor, is like looking into a mirror," said Jax, "Almost. There's rage there, like me. Guilt, like me. Solitude. Everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done. Thank the Gods my people weren't relying on you two to save them…"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Oh yeah?!" I said. The Doctor and I rushed up to him and I yanked him out of his chair, "But these people are!"
The Doctor pushed him toward the door, "OUT! OUT! OUT!"
The Doctor and I pushed him through the town, "MOVE!" I shouted at him.
"No."
"MOVE!" shouted the Doctor.
A group of townsfolk followed us as we headed toward the boundary. The Doctor shoved Jex over line and he fell to the dirt. We started to walk back into town, but The Doctor stopped and grabbed a gun out of a man's holster and aimed it at Jex's as he tried to cross back into town. Jex put his hands up, "You wouldn't."
The Doctor cocked the hammer, "I genuinely don't know…"
"Doctor," called Isaac," Doctor."
We turned with the gun still pointing. Everyone ducked except for Amy and Annabelle. Amy then fired a gun into the air. She lowered the gun and aimed it at us. The Doctor lowered his gun.
"Let him come back, Doctor!"
"Or what?" said The Doctor, "You won't shoot me, Amy!"
"How do you know?! Maybe I've changed," said Amy cocked the gun, "You two have clearly been taking stupid lessons since I saw you last," she waved the gun around and accidentally shot the ground, "I didn't mean to do that!" then she fired again.
"OK, everyone who isn't an American, drop your gun," said Isaac.
The Doctor and I walked over to Amy and Annabelle, "We could end this right now. We could save everyone RIGHT NOW!" I said.
"What are you talking about, Mom?" asked Annabelle, "This isn't how we do things. When did killing someone become an option?"
"Jex HAS to answer for his crimes."
"And then what?" asked Annabelle, "Instead of traveling through time and space for fun, Are we going to hunt down everyone who's made a gun, a bullet or a bomb? Because if we are you might as well take me home to Grandma and Grandpa."
"They keep coming back, don't you see?" said The Doctor, "Every time we negotiate, we try to understand. Well, not today! No! Today we honor the victims first! His, The Master's, the Daleks', all the people who died because of OUR MERCY!"
"See, this is what happens when we travel without companions for too long," said Annabelle, "Well, listen to me, you two, we can't be like him. We have to be better than him."
I looked at my daughter, "You're right…" I walked up to her and smiled, "When did you get so grown up?"
"Well, I am 295..."
I laughed and gave her gave her a hug and looked at The Doctor, "She's right, Doctor… This isn't the way to do this…"
The Doctor looked at me, Amy and Annabelle and said, "Fine. Fine…" He walked back to Jex, "we'll think of something else." He handed the gun back to the man he took it from, "But frankly, I'm betting on the Gunslinger." Just, then we saw the Gunslinger appeared and started to walk closer. The Doctor held out his hand to Jex and motioned for him to move, "Now"
The Gunslinger appeared behind Jex and raised his gun to the back of his creator's head. Jex turned and faced him, "Make peace with your gods," said The Gunslinger.
"Kahler-Tek, isn't it?" asked Jex, "I remember all your names, even now. Please. I'd never hurt anyone again. I'm even helping people here."
"Last chance. Make peace with your gods." The Gunslinger prepared to fire.
"No!" said Isaac. Then he pushed Jex out of the way and ended up getting shot himself.
Isaac fell to the ground and The Doctor and I rushed over to him and knelt beside him. "Isaac!" called The Doctor as he scanned Isaac with his sonic, "Isaac, Isaac, it's OK, it's OK. It's OK, we can get you to Jex's surgery, he can save you."
Isaac grabbed The Doctor's hand, "Listen to me, you've got to stay, you've got to look after everyone."
"It won't come to that, Isaac," said The Doctor.
"Protect Jex. Protect my town," Isaac gasped, "You're both good men... You just forget it sometimes…" The he died.
The Doctor let go of Isaac's hand and saw the Marshall's badge in his hand. He pinned it on his lapel and stood. The townsfolk were in shock. The Doctor looked at Annabelle, "Take Jex to his cell. If anything happens to him, you'll have me to answer to." said The Doctor.
Annabelle nodded and she took him back to town. The Doctor and I looked at the Gunslinger, "This has gone on long enough," I said.
"You are right," he said. Then he aimed the gun right at us, "You've got until noon tomorrow. Give him to me, or I'll kill you all." The Gunslinger turned and teleported away.
The Doctor sighed and we turned and faced the town, "Oh, my God, you're the marshal."
"Yeah. And you're the deputy." said The Doctor. Then, we headed back to town.
That night we were all in the Marshall's Office. Jax was in the cell. The Doctor was sitting just outside, watching him. Rory, Amy, Annabelle and I were sitting around the desk. Then there was a knock on the door, "Come in!" said The Doctor.
The preacher walked in and removed his hat, "Marshall…" he said to the Doctor, "Ma'am." he said to me, "Ma'am," he said to Amy, "Miss," he said to Annabelle, "Fella," he said to Rory, "You need to come outside."
"Why, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Just come outside." Then the preacher looked at The Doctor, "And you should put that on." he motioned to the holster hanging on a hook on the wall.
The Doctor stood and the rest of us did as well. The Doctor looked at the holstered gun.
We followed the preacher out of the door and when we walked onto the porch in front of the Marshall's office, we saw a group of townsfolk standing in the street.
The Doctor hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants, "What's going on?" he asked.
The young man from earlier stepped forward, "He in there? Leave the keys and take a walk. Time you get back, this'll all be done."
"I promised Isaac I'd protect him."
"Protecting him got Isaac dead. Tomorrow it's going to get us all dead."
"We thought Isaac was right to fight," said a man in the crowd, "But it's different now. We've got to say, 'All right, we lost,' and give that thing what it wants."
"What it wants is to kill our friend," said the female bartender.
"Look, we don't got ill feelin' toward the doc," said the young man, "we just thinkin' 'bout our families. Hand him over and we all safe again."
"We can't do that," I said.
"Then we got us a problem," the young man pushed his coat back and exposed a holster.
The Doctor lifted the corner of his jacket to show the young man his gun, "Please don't do this."
"Why? Reckon you quicker than me?"
"Almost certainly not. But this - lynch mobs, the town turning against itself - this is everything Isaac didn't want." The young man drew his gun and The Doctor looked at him and asked, "How old are you?"
"Nearly 19."
"That's 18 then," said The Doctor as he slowly walked down the steps, "Too young to have fought in the war, so I'm guessing you've never shot anyone before, have you?"
The young man cocked the hammer, "First time for everything."
"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. 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."
"I know, who I can save, if you'll let me."
"He really worth the risk?"
"I don't know. But you are." Then the young man lowered his gun and walked way. Then the rest of the people did as well. The Doctor shuddered and walked back up the steps, "Frightened people. Give me a Dalek any day."
We walked back in the office and The Doctor started to take his holster off, when the undertaker walked in, "Fresh coffee, Marshall. For what it's worth, I know you're going to save us. 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."
The Doctor took a cup and they toasted, "Thank you." He took a sip and set the cup down and leaned on the railing. The undertaker then took out his tape and held it to The Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor turned his head to look at him, "Oi! Get out of it!" The undertaker left and The Doctor removed his hat and rubbed his forehead.
"Let me guess," said Jex, "The good folk of Mercy wanted me to take a little stroll into the desert. You could turn a blind eye. No-one would blame you. You'd be a hero."
"But I can't, can I?!" said The Doctor as he walked toward the cell, "Because then Isaac's death would mean nothing! Just another casualty in your endless, bloody war!" Jex laid down on the bunk and The Doctor continued, "Do you want me to hand you over?! Is that what you want?! Do you even know?!" Then he turned away.
"You think I'm unaffected by what I did? That I don't hear them screaming every time I close my eyes?" said Jex as he propped himself up on one arm, "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 you three."
"Oh, I know exactly what you've been trying to do," I said as I walked up to the bars, "You committed an atrocity and you chose this as your punishment. But, justice doesn't work like that. You don't get to decide when and how your debt is paid!"
Jex sat up, "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. Imagine the weight I will have to lift. The monsters I created, the people they killed. Isaac. He was my friend." The Doctor joined me as the bars, and Jex continued, "Now his soul will be in my arms, too. Can you see now why I fear death? You want to hand me over. There's no shame in that. But you won't. We all carry our prisons with us. Mine is my past, yours is your morality." Then he lied down on the bunk.
"'We all carry our prisons with us.' Ha…" said The Doctor.
The next day, The Doctor stood in the center of town right in front of the bank. The Doctor cracked his neck as the clock moved closer to noon. Annabelle and Amy were in the Marshall's office. Rory and the young man were ready to run interference for Jex and The Doctor. They each had a copy of Jex's tattoo panted on their faces. I was in the saloon ready to paint a tattoo on The Doctor's face when it was time.
I watched from the saloon as the Gunslinger arrived. It looked like something out of a western as the two of them stood in the street. When the clock finish tolling the hour, the Gunslinger raised his gun arm. The Doctor then whipped out his sonic and set out a loud sonic pulse. I ducked down as the windows of the saloon were blown out. I heard the Gunslinger shoot wildly and destroying the clock on the bank building. Then The Doctor ran inside and I started to work painting his tattoo. I got the top part above his eyebrow done when we herd an explosion. He turned and looked toward the door and then he turned back to me, "Hurry…" he said.
I quickly finished the tattoo. Then we ran out of the saloon When we got outside we saw Jex standing in the street hesitating, "Go! Just GO! We can't save them while you're here." shouted The Doctor. Then, we started to run to the church where a bunch of the town people were hiding.
When we got near the church we saw the Gunslinger outside the church, walking around. We ran to a building and head around a corner and hid. Then, we heard and the Gunslinger say, "Deactivate automatic targeting. Switch to manual." We heard him walk closer to us. When we could tell he was a few steps away, we peeked around the corner and the Gunslinger was there with his gun pointed at us. We stood with our hands raised, "Where is he?" he asked.
"He's gone," I said.
"WHERE?! ANSWER ME!"
The Doctor and I backed into the street, "Away from here. Look up. Any second now you'll see the vapor trail of his ship."
"This is their home, not the backdrop for your revenge!" I said, "Look up. Go after him, take this battle away from…"
I was cut off by loud radio feed back and then Jex's voice, "Kahler-Tek. Kahler-Tek."
"Jex...? Coward! Where are you?!" said the Gunslinger.
"I'm in my ship."
"Jex, what are you doing? Just GO!" shouted The Doctor.
"Where are you from?" asked Jex, "Where on Kahler?"
"Now? You're asking him this NOW?!" I shouted.
"Gabrean," answered the Gunslinger.
"I know it," said Jex, "It's beautiful there. When this is over, will you go back?"
"How can I? I am a monster now."
"So am I."
"Just go! Finish this!" said The Doctor.
"I will find you," said the Gunslinger, "If I have to tear this universe apart, I will find you."
"I don't doubt that," said Jex, "You'll chase me to another planet...And another race will be caught in the crossfire."
"THEN FACE ME!"
Then we heard Jex's ship computer announce, "Countdown to self-destruct resumed."
"FACE ME!"
"No," said Jex, "You've killed enough. I'm ending the war for you, too."
"Countdown to self-destruct resumed." said the computer.
"What's going on?" asked The Doctor, "That countdown! What's going ON! JEX!"
"Thank you, Doctor," said Jex, "But I have to face the souls of those I wronged. Perhaps they will be kind."
"Three, two, one. Zero," said the computer.
Then we heard the explosion, we turned and saw smoke and fire rising above the buildings of the town. The Doctor and I turned and looked at the Gunslinger. He sighed and hung his head, "He behaved with honor at the end. Maybe more than me."
"We could take you back to your world," I said. The Gunslinger started to walk away, "You could help with the reconstruction."
The Doctor and I started to follow him, and The Gunslinger said, "I will walk into the desert and self-destruct. I am a creature of war. I have no role to play during peace."
Amy, Rory and Annabelle joined The Doctor and me, then Annabelle called out, "Except maybe to protect it?"
Then the Gunslinger stopped.
Later we walked out of the saloon and to the TARDIS, that was sitting in the middle of the street, "OK, so, our next trip," said The Doctor, "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!"
"Erm... could we leave it a while?" asked Amy, "Our friends will start noticing that we're ageing faster than them."
"Another time! No worries!" The Doctor clapped his hands. Amy and Rory waved goodbye to the town folks and stepped inside the TARDIS. The young man was standing hear the TARDIS. He smiled at The Doctor and they shared a small laugh. Then they 'drew' on each other and The Doctor 'shot' the young man. The young man smiled and tipped the brim of his hat and The Doctor saluted him. Then, we went in the TARDIS to take Amy and Rory back home…
A/N: LizzeXX is back! Words can't describe how happy this makes me! She's such a talented writer and I'm glad she's OK! If you haven't read her stuff yet you should! If you like this story however. Send me a reply in the box below and follow and favorite if you haven't done so yet.