Chapter 33
When I open my eyes, the Doctor is watching over me, worried, and slightly relieved when I blink. "Doctor, I just met-".
"Yeah. Felt his presence for a while. I was trying to warn you".
"I think… I think he knows everything".
"Yeah", he smiles bitterly, rubbing his eye. "Yeah, he knows", he repeats.
Jack pulls my hand and I stand up, stretching. We're in a small room, still inside the building. The Agency is sloppy, but at this point it makes three Time Lords just wandering around the premises. How long can it last?
"Is… is he gone?" I ask, looking around and scratching my head. "You let him go?".
"You know, being on a completely different mission and all, we left that behind, if that's what you're asking", Jack says. "Also, I did knock him out for a while".
I wonder if Jack's hit was, in fact, strong enough to actually knock him out. He senses that I'm worried.
"Who is that guy anyway? Should we all be as worried as she is?".
"Doctor-" I try.
"Not now, Zoe. We have more pressing matters now".
Oh, right. For a moment there my own personal issues made me forget about the whole vortex manipulator affair.
I follow them through the door to the corridor. "So, I think Ray is-".
"Ooooh, yes" he cuts me off. "He's been hiding waaaay more logs than what the Captain here is aware, and quite cleverly. I mean the code was very well written, almost impossible to catch if you're not a genius. Which I am", he adds. "Also, Chloe was arrested".
"What- why?".
"Carol and Justin are ahead on that, but we're going to sort that later too. First", he says, opening a door to a waiting room, "we're going to have a chat with this Ritter lad".
The office door opens. A clerk shows us inside, but I'm more sort of stumbling, still processing. "Chief Ritter, the captain brought the… guests", he introduces.
"Hello there!" The Doctor says to Ritter, who didn't even stand up from the big chair behind the big desk. The whole place looks like a Mad Men set. He's hanging up a desk phone, then sprints up.
"Hello, welcome", he says. He's very formal. "Captain", he nods.
"Sir, these are the guys I was talking to you about. The Doctor, and Zoe".
He shakes our hand. Firm handshake. He looks at me, stops a second. "Zoe", he repeats. "You're a trainee?". He glances quickly at Jack.
"No, no, sir, you have her confused with…" an actual trainee who's just been arrested. "Never mind", he replies.
He looks at me again. He's still holding my hand. "Hm. You're the Time Lords", he states. "Of course".
"Sir, I have to say, you have quite the mess here", the Doctor starts, cutting to the chase. "I'm not sure of… how much we can help".
"Especially since it looks like we're… not welcome", I add.
"Right. We'll lift any pending charges against you two right away", he says gesturing to the clerk, who nods and starts typing on a tablet.
"Thanks. Now, we've talked with your task force all day, and there's something weirdly off about this whole thing. Anything you can add" I ask, "from your… experience?".
Ritter looks like an old person who looks very young. Or the opposite. Something is mismatched about his age.
"Not really". He thinks. "Of course, I would help if I could, but I don't have any more information than what the Captain and agent Ray have given you".
"Say, sir, how's the campaign going?" The doctor asks, looking at some pamphlets and flyers on his desk.
"I shouldn't be the one telling you this, but you know… well", he smiles. "You already know how this ends, right? Time travelers and all. Maybe I make my mark in history?" He offers.
"On good days, we do see all the possible timelines" The Doctor admits. "Even if we did, we wouldn't tell you. But the anomalies here make anything possible". He looks around. Then he rolls his eyes and starts rambling about history giving minor spoilers. "Well, your national team will win the world cup next time, if I remember right, or the next next one. Or the following one, I was at the celebration, blimey, so long ago".
My head starts spinning again.
Jack's tablet beeps. He glances at me sideways. "Sir, if it's okay by you, we have… to get back to work", he says.
"Of course, don't let me keep you", he smiles. "And keep me posted".
"Sure". We all nod, and get out.
I fail to see the point of meeting this guy, who gave absolutely nothing useful, except that now we're no longer on the wanted list. I let out a breath when we're in the corridor, finally not hiding, not running.
Jack starts updating us. "Message from Carol. They're at the museum, and-"
"Doctor", I call, stopping. He turns, casually, then sees my face and comes back a step.
"Zoe, I know", he starts, then signals Jack to wait a moment. He nods and stays a few steps ahead. The Doctor sighs and puts up his let's-let-Zoe-rant face, which is a little annoying. My mind is doing cartwheels at the moment.
"Come on. We take a random trip, and… first Jack, then Chloe, now the Master's here? How can that be a coincidence?". Yeeeeah, I'm ranting. "And I can't see the timelines unfolding. And I tried to resist, but he took the shields down anyway. He knows all that's going to happen, about me, about… Chloe, and you, oh my! All about you, and, and…".
He quietly cups my face between his palms and sighs again. "No, you're right, we don't know. It's quite a riddle, but, but, we're good at riddles, and we'll figure this one out too, so I'm really, really sorry, but I need you to keep it together a while longer, okay?".
I gaze into his eyes. He's lost for words, but… honest. He wants to help me and he feels bad for me but he also wants me to save this for later, because this is all a mess and I need to be focused on what we're doing. Which was… what?
Jack comes closer, smiling reassuringly. He passes me a bottle of water. I smile back.
I close my eyes, take a sip, breathe and look at the Doctor again. "Okay". I say quietly. "What's next? Shouldn't we go get the vortex manipulator from the museum?".
Jack shakes his head. "Yeah. Carol and Justin were trying to retrieve that, but… since it's our lucky day, that's gone too".
"No", the Doctor and I say, in unison. My head spins again, this time trying to solve the riddle. There's something big we're missing, something in plain sight.
The Doctor is on my same speed. "What, wait… no. Yes? No. Wait. Chloe", he says, manic. "Yes!"
We start walking downstairs. "Carol, Justin", I say. "Do you know them well?".
"Only from work. Carol is an excellent agent. Sometimes, she just… It's like she tries to give this all cold, all firm attitude, but she's also very emphatic. Justin, he's just starting out, but he has potential. And he's loyal".
"Good to have them on our side", I say.
We get to the familiar holding cells corridor and Jack gestures to the guard, who lets us come through. Apparently, nobody cares that a girl that looks like one of their prisoners is just going around the building.
The guard points us to a cell. The glass panel is white, and while we wait for them to adjust the opacity, the Doctor takes my hand and squeezes it gently. "Ready?".
"Blimey", I say, taking a deep breath. "Ready, yeah".
When the glass becomes transparent, I take a proper look at her. She's sitting on the small bench, looking at her fingernails while singing a nursery rhyme in boredom. Her hair is much longer than mine, she's almost ginger, and young. She must be in her early twenties? I don't even remember being that young.
"Ahem", Jack says.
"Oh! There you are!". She cheers gleefully, jumping up. "Doctor, Captain…?".
The Doctor blinks, confused. "Oooh, we've met before, right!".
"That hasn't happened for you yet? Wow, this time travel thing is so amusing!", she happily says.
I am speechless. I don't understand if she's genuinely happy to see us or if it's just one - the first? - of her many tricks.
"Well it's going to happen soon, apparently. So what documents have you been stealing? You've been all over the alarm systems". The Doctor says, unfazed.
"Documents? I didn't steal any documents", she says, puzzled.
"Actually, uhm, that was me", I say, unfolding a paper sheet that I slipped from Crane's desk.
"What is it?", Jack asks.
"It's the printed list of the evidence he had to file. Ray went to the crate with all the items and the prototype wasn't there. But-",
The Doctor snatches the paper from my hands. "But… it's on the list".
Jack groans. "Good thinking, Richards. This could actually be something useful".
"Richards?" Chloe repeats, then looks at me. "Oh. Right".
She stares at my face, and I suddenly feel judged. "How further along is this for you guys? Forty years?", she giggles.
"Hey", I protest. "It's… later. No spoilers".
"Yeah. So now you set me free and what? I come back here years later, to today, to steal a piece of paper? I'm not buying it".
Of course she's not buying it. She's too smart. Also, she really is young, and I feel terrible at the idea of lying to her and pretend we're the same person. She did that to me and it drove me insane and it was a horrible feeling, and I don't need that guilt.
"Of course you're not buying it", I sigh, then flash her a smile, trying to think. "I don't know what my friend told you, but as strange as it sounds, my name is Zoe, and we are two different people".
"Zoe!" The Doctor shouts, running his hand on his face.
"Knew it", Chloe shrugs. "I wouldn't be caught dead in those vintage 35th century clothes".
"We just said… no spoilers", he says, looking sideways at Jack. "I know your mind is a little wild right now, but there is a lot going on".
I bite my lips, actually a little sorry. "Oh Doctor ,I don't know anymore. The fact that we're still standing here means what has already happened still is… happening? I don't know what tense to use. Maybe… oh shit. I'll shut up". Jack is actually the one who went through a lot of trouble to reassure me that Chloe and I were two different people, so I do wish it's all still… happening.
"Good idea", the Doctor says, throwing his arms.
"Still, why would I trick her?". I insist. "She also got arrested instead of me".
He stares at me. He's not happy and cheerful. "Zoe…".
"I've said this before, I don't know what you two are going on about, but we better hurry up. The more we stay here, the longer Ray has to do… whatever he's up to". Jack says.
"Right", the Doctor swifts, changing his mood. "So, if Zoe stole the documents, why did they arrest you for?".
"Uhm, I don't know, hello?", she says, swinging the vortex manipulator around her finger. "You're the one who showed up this morning and instructed me to get this".
"Is that…" from the museum?" I am honestly impressed.
The Doctor looks impressed too. "Oooh, good. Perfect! That is something useful. Let's go. How do we get her out? Can you open this cell, Captain?".
Ugh. I know what he wants to do. "Really?", I say, rolling my eyes.
"Just temporarily- once we're out, me or… the Captain will come back and explain that you're a Time Lady and that the charges against you have been lifted".
I glare at the Doctor, he stares at me blankly.
"You're a Time Lady? But how-", Chloe asks.
"Shouldn't have said that, yeah", he admits, "blimey, we're going to have to do a lot of… that thing later, have you practiced?", he winks at me.
"It's weird, you speak our language and yet it sounds like gibberish" Jack says, typing fast on the cell control keyboard. "Anyway, I don't think we have that many options".
I sigh. "Have fun without me, don't get lost", I say ironically. "And you", I point at Chloe, as she walks out, "you better- Doctor!".
I cry in pain as I curl up, unable to speak. My head burns and I fall to the ground. I'm breathless. The Doctor is already at my side, helping me up, his hands quickly going to my temples.
"Whoa, whoa, gotcha". He says. "Gotcha. I like that, I should say that more often".
"He's… looking for me", I pant. "We can't let him… find us… not here".
"Shh, shh, don't talk, just breathe", he says quietly, looking in my eyes. "I'm trying to put some other psychic shields up", he explains, and I feel his calming presence in my head.
"What's going on here?", the guard says, running into the room.
"Whoops", Chloe says, and in one quick movement she snatches the water bottle from where I dropped it and throws it at the guard, who falls back hitting his head on the wall. "Whoops, as I said", she shrugs. "See? And now you don't have to put her in the cage too, win-win. Shall we go?" She says cheerfully.
The Doctor, Jack and I look at her terrified, then we all start running out. "Come on", Jack says.
"Feeling better?", the Doctor asks me, still holding my shoulders.
"Actually, yes", I tell him. "I didn't know you could do that", I admit.
"Well I'm nowhere as good as him, but it will buy you some time".
I nod. The whole situation is already a disaster, I sure don't want to be the one who brings Chloe and the Master together. But at the same time, something I don't want to tell the Doctor- I actually kinda want him to find me. I don't think I'm good enough for memory wiping, but at least I want to try and speak with him, reasonably.
Finally, we're out of the building, on our way to the Tardis. We're still running when Jack's radio speaker starts buzzing. "Carol? Justin? Come in?", he says.
"Captain, where are you? Urgent debriefing needed".
"Capitol Street. Let's randez-vous at the park entrance".
"Copy that", Carol replies.
When we get to the park entrance, Carol is waiting for us, with Justin. And, unexpectedly, Ray. Who is smiling and joking with them.
I halt when I see him, stopping the Doctor with my arm. "Wait-".
"Carol!" Jack groans. "I thought I made it clear that Ray is a suspect. Yet it doesn't look like you're turning him in".
"I was, sir", she says, "but we talked, and it's been just a misunderstanding-", she starts.
"Yeah? How so?", he asks, not convinced.
"Well, it's complicated, but", Justin starts.
"Let's hear it from him directly, shall we?", the Doctor says, rising his eyebrow. Carol looks at us expectantly. Jack and I are also glaring at them. Chloe is just amused.
"And return the prototype, please" I ask him.
"Not until I know my charges", he smiles. "Because you see, all I've been doing was just following orders. Chief Ritter himself instructed me to delete the anomalies logs and-".
"Oh, right", I say, realizing what's happening.
Jack rolls his head. "I was put on a task force of two people and the second one was a double agent? What the hell", he shakes his head. "But what for?".
The Doctor looks at the grass beneath our feet, leaning on his toes, then he tilts his head to Jack and whispers something, before turning to all of us. "Well. First thing's first, Chloe, nice meeting you, I will have seen you shortly when we're done with this".
"What?", she says, still smiling. "Come on. You drop out of nowhere to give me instructions for a theft, I trust you and you expect me to just… let this go? Your time lady friend has my face, it can't be a coincidence!".
She's right, of course. But I still feel the Master trying to force the psychic link, so I really want her to get away from us as soon as possible.
The Doctor turns to her, softly, and reaches for her temples with his hands. I feel for her, honestly.
"Chloe, you're right. This doesn't end here. Honestly. We will see each other again, but it will all happen very far away in your future. Thank you, and believe me", he pauses, "I'm sorry".
He closes his eyes, catching her when she faints between his arms, "I'm really, really sorry".
"Did he just-", Jack whispers in my ear.
"Yep", I reply, a bit shocked. "Wiped her memory of today".
"Are you going to do that to all of us?", he asks, glooming. I look at him with the blankest expression. I actually don't know.
"Just like that? Doesn't it hurt? She looks almost dead", Carol states, worried. "Who are you people?", she bitterly asks.
"She'll be fine", I say. "I swear. But, Justin, do you know where she lives? Can you take her home?".
Jack nods at him, uneasily.
"Yes, my Lady", he says, saluting.
The Doctor and I can't hide our disgusted faces, but we thank him and he leaves, holding unconscious Chloe with him. I wish him well. With the corner of my eye I spot Ray trying to run. Carol goes immediately after him, calling. Jack and I start too, but the Doctor stops us.
"Let her handle him. I bet I know where he's going".
"To see Ritter? Cause I would like two words too", Jack says angrily in the Doctor's face, shoves him off and runs after them. I try to go after them, but he holds me back.
"There's something else we need to do first." He looks at me, serious now. "Come on".