Doctor Who’s End Game - Did Someone Call a Doctor - 7/8
Title: Doctor Who’s End Game - Did Someone Call a Doctor - 7/8
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, The Doctor (10), OFC, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton
Parings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Neither Torchwood or Doctor Who are mine
Summary: The Rani wants revenge
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
A/N: This is a sequel to Doctor Who’s Nightmares
Prologue here
As the sun rose above the horizon Louise Ruth could see the asphalt on the roads, cracked a long time ago under the relentless hot sun. Along the pavements small bushes and grass sprouted up in places showing what lack of care can do over the years. Breakfast tables were still set and washing still hung on lines.
The explosion of energy weapons thudded inside the hotel opposite causing them both to retreat away from the open window. Leaving the Doctor’s casket where it lay, they ran out of the rear of the building and hid under a group of trees that offered shelter from any casual observer. Through the empty windows Ianto could still see the entrance to the Argo as the sun lifted above the horizon flooding the entire area with light.
An explosion caught their attention as a group of Ogrons ran from the building, a female figure running between them.
‘It’s the Rani,’ Louise Ruth announced as the female turned her back on them and accepted a box from one of the Ogrons. Opening it she removed a small circular device and twisted the top.
‘What is she going to do with that?’ Ianto asked as the Rani took five steps away from the Argo, and then turned ready to throw it. As she was just about to release it she froze and quickly turned back to the building they’d just vacated. Running, she entered the front door and disappeared from view. She then ran from the building and headed back into the Argo reception area.
As Louise Ruth looked on a fire fight broke out and a number of Ogrons fled the building, firing back the way they had come. Standing, they watched as the last of the Ogrons disappeared and Jack immerged from the entrance way looking across at them.
Frozen to the spot, Louise Ruth and Ianto watched as Jack ran towards them. Putting a hand to her mouth Louise Ruth almost burst out laughing at the sight of Jack’s naked form, until the world lit up then went silent.
When she regained her faculties Ianto was helping her to her feet. Looking at him she smiled almost laughing. Ianto’s mouth was moving but no sound came out. What was he doing that for, she wondered?
She felt his hands checking her for injuries but felt no pain. Pushing him away she told him to stop fussing but stopped half way through the sentence. She hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Shouting at the top of her lungs she realised that she was deaf.
Touching a hand to her right ear she felt warm sticky blood. Her nose had begun to bleed as well and retrieving a handkerchief from her bag, she cleaned herself up. Ianto put a hand into her bag and handed her the bottle of Evian. Taking a mouthful she washed her face with what remained. Slowly her hearing began to return as the numbness wore off. Ianto looked across at her and smiled,
‘Having Fun?’ With a sigh of relief she smiled,
‘You don’t know what you’re missing,’ she said moving her jaw as her hearing returned.
‘It’s the pressure wave of the explosion. It affected your ear drums causing temporary deafness.’ Louise Ruth nodded,
‘Why didn’t it affect you?’ Ianto looked a little sheepish and smiled.
‘If you open your mouth the pressure of the explosion isn’t that great… I opened my-’ Ianto stopped as he remembered the explosion. Turning, they both ran through, what was left of the house, jumping over obstacles as they ran. As sunlight hit the streets illuminating everything Ianto was the first to see Jack, his face in his hands.
Running over to him Ianto knelt down and watched as Jack opened his eyes. Throwing his arms around his friend, Jack hugged him so tight Ianto almost went dizzy from lack of oxygen.
Sergeant Barrett took a step backwards and looked at his men. ‘Not again… is this some kind of gay club?’ Benton walked unsteadily into view, a look of concern on his face.
‘If it is I’m not a member.’ Looking around at the soldier that had helped him a look of pleading flashed across his face. ‘I’ve nothing against them… it’s just… I’m not gay.’ One of the soldiers approached Benton with a smile.
‘Pity… you’ve got a cute ass,’ the soldier said and slapped Benton on the rear. Benton, whose hands were firmly covering his crotch, moved out of the soldier’s way, tutting to himself.
‘UNIT wasn’t like this in my day.’
Louise Ruth walked out of the demolished building tears running down her face. She’d seen the broken casket scattered across the road and knew what it meant. Looking around she knew that his body must be somewhere. It couldn’t have been disintegrated by the blast. At least something must be left, some part of him. Looking across at the dead Ogrons she felt an undeniable urge to run up to one of them and give it a good kicking.
‘The place is full of aliens… I hate aliens,’ she screamed as she walked towards Jack and Ianto.
‘Is there anything I should know?’ Jack asked as he looked up at Louise Ruth.
She smiled and nodded towards his nakedness. ‘Yes, the name of a good tailor.’ Looking down at Jack’s beaten and bruised body she shook her head, ‘You need a doctor.’ The irony of what she had said wasn’t lost on her as she grimaced.
Turning towards Benton, Jack, with the help of Ianto, stood and took hold of Benton’s hand as he did so. He was just about to shake it when the centre pillar in the lobby of the Argo began to glow and, with a whirring noise, disappeared. It wasn’t the disappearing column that took his breath away, it was the rather skinny man, with spiky hair, wearing a tight blue suit and brown overcoat, standing behind it that caused his heart to race.
‘Doctor… you’re… you’re all right,’ Jack shouted as everyone turned to see what Jack was looking at. Louise Ruth entered the hotel lobby at a run, brushing Jack to one side as she approached the Doctor, his arms outstretched ready to accept her hug. Pulling up short Louise Ruth looked the Doctor in the eye and shouted,
‘Where the hell have you been? I’ve… we’ve been worried sick!’
***
The Doctor felt sick. The pain in his chest had diminished to something more manageable but his mouth and throat were still sore. His head had cleared and his thought processors seemed to work fine despite the discomfort he was experiencing. The problem was, he hadn’t a clue where he was. Lying in the dark felt comfortable, warm, safe and quiet but, disconcerting never-the-less.
Reaching out a hand, his fingers touched something directly in front of his face. Moving it around like a mime artist he realised that there was a lid directly above him. Panic momentarily flashed across his mind. He wondered if they’d thought him dead and had buried him, then dismissed the thought as soon as it arrived. If the Brigadier had thought him dead he’d be waiting for him to regenerate. After all he’d seen it often enough.
Moving both hands to the side he realised that he was in a box, but not one of wood. It didn’t smell of wood, he knew that. Then it hit him, the smell, where he’d smelt that before. It was the TARDIS, and if this was a box then he must be in the Zero Cabinet. He remembered giving the Brigadier the cabinet to look after in case anything ever happened to him. At the time he’d worried about problems occurring when he regenerated, but the Brigadier must had bungled him in as soon as he’d collapsed.
A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the pain he’d gone through because of the Rani’s injections. She’d wanted to steal his remaining regenerations but all she’d done was stop his hearts, killing him. Then he remembered the pain in his chest outside the Angel pub in Durham. He remembered collapsing and that he’d also stopped breathing. Despite the state his body had been in, ready to shut down and regenerate, his mind was still active.
Louise Ruth had tried to start his hearts and had filled his lungs full of oxygen, keeping his body alive, stopping it regenerating naturally. Then there was the pain in his chest again and everything went black. She must have found a way to stop the regeneration process. Quick thinking Brigadier will have insisted on putting him in the Zero cabinet, thus helping his body mend itself. He was probably lying on a table in a UNIT morgue with attendants checking for any movement every five minutes.
‘Brilliant,’ he thought, ‘now all I have to do is get out of the cabinet.’ Running his hands down one side he found the release catch and activated it. Slowly the front section of the cabinet slid back filling his lungs with warm salty air.
Sitting up he licked his lips and smiled, ‘I could just eat a packet of fish and chips… not on a plate… in an old newspaper… with vinegar, salt and other things that could potentially kill a normal human.’
Stepping out of the Zero Cabinet he dusted himself off and smiled. ‘Now I know how Dracula felt.’
Looking around he was mystified as to where he was. The room was bare to say the least. The stone walls it had been built with showed clearly through the peeling paint. The carpets were none existent and the tile floor looked as if it hadn’t been dusted for years.
Thinking you were in a nice clean morgue and finding that you’d been left in a derelict building caused mixed emotions.
Hitting the close button, on the side of the casket he watched as the lid slid back into place. ‘Brings back memories…Nyssa, Tegan and… Castrovalva... what a strange, mythical place that was. It was like Maurits Cornelis Escher’s drawing of the ascending and descending staircase. Poor Adric…’ The Doctor’s eyes reddened as if he had lost his friend all over again as memories came flooding back to him.
‘I liked Escher… strange sort of chap but a damn good artist,’ the Doctor said as he looked around the room for clues as to his whereabouts. ‘Castrovalva… ah yes… I remember describing the town to him. He didn’t believe me but was fascinated by the description. That’s where I’d met him back in… oh 1930, or was it 1931. I told him to head for a small town on the Amalfi Coast called Atrani. I think he did a lithograph of that as well…’
The realisation that he was talking to himself didn’t stop the Doctor as he gazed out of numerous glassless windows. It helped him think if he pretended he had a companion with him.
Stopping, he gave the room one more glance and came to a conclusion and grinned. ‘Marvellous… I haven’t a clue where I am. I love not knowing… then I can find out and know.’ His smile ever widening, he turned and headed out what passed for the front door.
The night was black and the streets were lit only by moonlight as he walked down the grass strewn street. ‘I’ve got it,’ he almost shouted. He remembered where he’d tracked the Rani’s signal to, Varosha, in Cyprus. This, he mused, must be the ghost town in Famagusta.
Thrusting a hand inside his coat pocket he pulled out a pair of 3D glasses and put them on. Looking around he searched for background radiation from the Void which can surround and infuse an object or person. If there were anything out of the ordinary he’d spot it first. He didn’t have long to wait. Ducking inside an empty building three Ogrons walked passed the front entrance oblivious to his presence.
‘Well…’ he said quietly to himself. ‘This means I am in the right place.’ Thrusting a hand inside his jacket pocket one more time, he removed the TARDIS key and gripped it tightly in one hand. He could use the perception filter properties the key possessed to sneak passed the Ogrons and head in the direction they were coming from.
The scent of the sea grew stronger as he walked. As his feet touched sand he realised that he was on the coast. Careful to hug the building walls as he moved, he looked on as beast after beast passed him by. The Ogrons he knew from old, lackeys of the Daleks or, in fact, anyone that could pay what they demanded.
Other beasts were less familiar to him and on closer examination noted the Rani’s hand in their creation. Gene splicing had always been her vocation and would stop at nothing to further her experiments. Nothing was too great a sacrifice, people, towns, even worlds. She had to be stopped once and for all and the Doctor knew that he was the only one that could do it.
His thoughts were momentarily stopped as the Doctor picked up an enormous glow of background radiation given off by a single building. Carefully he waited until a rather large group of Ogrons headed out of the entrance and marched, in formation, away from the hotel and parallel to the sea, heading the way he had just come. Quickly he ran across the road checking both directions as he moved.
As the majority of the Ogron force had left he was free to move about in the building. The 3D glasses picked out the Rani’s TARDIS immediately. Pocketing them he walked around the pillar feeling it as he moved. Pulling out a second key he used it to open the rear door and step inside.
He’d acquired the key the last time the Rani had visited. While inside her TARDIS he had sabotaged the navigational system and velocity regulator, causing it to spin out of control. Because of a time spillage caused by the sabotage, a dinosaur embryo grew at an accelerated rate in the control room of the Rani’s TARDIS. While the Master and the Rani were trying to deal with the agitated Tyrannosaurus Rex he had pocketed the key and left.
Getting into any Time Lord’s TARDIS had never been a problem for the Doctor or any other Time Lord. The more secure a Time Lord made it, the more likely it was to be broken into. Time Lords loved a challenge and would break into each others time ships on a regular basis, just to say they could. Leaving the door unopened, the Doctor had found, was the best defence against a Time Lord. Denied the challenge, the aspiring time Lord would head off for richer pickings elsewhere.
Walking round the Rani’s control room always amazed the Doctor. It was more advanced than his own and had been filled with all the latest technology at that time. Using a Stattenheim remote control she wore on her wrist, she could move her TARDIS anywhere she wished.
As he walked round the centre consol that had no middle section which, on his TARDIS, moved slowly up and down. Instead two circles, joined at one end, spun round when the TARDIS was in motion. At the moment the circles were still and the control room was quiet. Surrounding the centre consol were different sized plinths, each holding a jar containing, probably, her latest experiments. To his left the Doctor noticed a small table strewn with alien technology she had either found or stolen. Picking up an energy transducer he checked that it was operational and then pocketed it.
‘I haven’t seen one of those in years.’ He said with a smile. Kneeling in front of the control panel he realised that a number of anti tampering traps had been set on the centre consol. ‘There’s nothing like been expected to ruin your day,’ he said with a smile.
Standing he removed the cover from the main control panel and, using the energy transducer, began activating a number of circuits on the panel. Left alone he began to rewire the panel and adjust the coordinate selector. Nothing major, but it would cause her a few headaches until she realised what had happened. If she was too late then her defence system would fall just as she materialised in the centre of the sun. The trick would be to make sure the Rani didn’t see him. That way she would dematerialise without checking her systems. Finishing off as quickly as he could he headed back towards the exit and ducked out of the pillar and walked towards the rooms opposite.
Quickly he ducked into an empty room a group of Ogrons passed with an unconscious Benton being dragged between them. His face was a mask of blood and only recognisable to the Doctor because of the bracelet he wore on his arm. The Doctor noted that the red light was flashing indicating that the battery was dangerously low.
Silently following behind, and with the perception filter key round his neck, the Doctor noted the room the two Ogrons threw Benton. As they left the Doctor checked behind him and sneaked into the room without a sound. With a look of sadness on his face he realised that Jack was lying next to him. Smiling he shook his head, not believing the extent of what he saw.
‘Is there never an occasion where leaving your clothes could be a course of action you would consider?’ The Doctor said while checking Benton’s pulse. ‘You’ve even got poor Benton in on the act now.’
Removing the energy transducer from his pocket he placed it on Benton’s bracelet and activated the relay. In seconds the red light had stopped flashing and the bracelet was totally recharged. A noise from outside alerted him to a group of Ogrons that were heading down the corridor. Quickly he ducked out of sight in the far corner, the TARDIS key held prominently.
With a look of surprise he realised, too late, that the Rani was with them. As long as she didn’t look in his direction he was ok. Not wishing to look, in case eye movement on his part might attract her attention, he lowered his head and gazed at his own feet, letting the Rani’s words wash over him.
‘Kill him and bring his body to the lab,’ were the last words he heard as the Rani walked out of the room. A single Ogron stood in the doorway, drawing his energy weapon as he gazed down at the unconscious Sergeant Benton. A noise from outside distracted the Ogron, tuned to fear strange noises over the years the Rani has had them working for her.
Turning back towards the felled Benton he was just about to open fire when Benton beat him to the punch. The Ogron was thrown back against the wall outside the door, slid down the pealing plaster then fell to the ground. The Doctor had been using the energy transducer to drain the Ogron’s weapon but realised that he needn’t have bothered. Retreating back into the corner in case Benton gave the game away he waited for the injured man to stand and hobble from the room.
Gun fire and the sound of energy weapons exploding brought his attention back to what was going on around him. Jack must have had a back up troop and was taking out the Ogrons. Realising that the Rani would run at the first sign of trouble the Doctor waited next to the open door.
Within moments he watched as the Rani, still on the run, headed for the reception area and her TARDIS. A group of Ogrons joined her, one passing her a small box as he wobbled by her side. Opening the box the Rani produced a cylindrical explosive device from its depths. Activating the bomb she returned it to its box and walked off with her party of Ogrons in tow.
Turning he headed back towards the entrance way when his eye caught movement from his right. Ducking back into the room he saw two more Ogrons head out of a second room and moved off towards the retreating Rani. With his curiosity getting the better of him he glanced into the room and was stunned at what he saw.
He noticed, in the centre of the room, what looked like a centre consol for a TARDIS. This time the red, plastic centre consol was moving up and down. ‘You beauty… what do we have here then?’ Unable to contain himself he almost ran towards it. Removing his sonic screwdriver he let it play across the active machine taking readings as he moved.
‘It’s a rift manipulator, if I’m not mistaken, normally used to control rift activity and monitor access.’ Gazing at the machine from all sides, the Doctor moved fast and began taking readings and checking data as he went. ‘You, my little sweet, have been designed to hold open the rift and drag out anything that the Rani wants.’
Examining it more closely the Doctor realised where the Rani had got it from. With constant access to time and events she had used a trans-mat to remove it from Torchwood three, in Cardiff, just before the explosion that destroyed it, ripped through the building.
It was typical of her need for technology to be put above people’s lives, he thought. Looking at how old the manipulator was the Doctor concluded that she had picked it up from Torchwood Three then travelled back in time to 1974, when the Turkish attacked Cyprus, and had used it to drag anything and everything through the rift to scare off the locals.
‘Talk about forward planning,’ he said as he used the sonic screwdriver to disable the manipulator but give the appearance that it was still working, just in case the Rani or one of her minions decided to check in on it. With the manipulator still active, it would build up pressure until it eventual exploded from the resulting rift energy. Gradually the rift would begin to close stopping anymore abominations from entering this space and time.
As quickly as he could he ran down the corridor away from the manipulator’s room. The explosion wouldn’t be large, but it would destroy most of the building and everyone in it. He’d have to find Jack and Benton and get them out fast.
Running through the reception area he realised with horror that the Rani’s TARDIS was still there. Hiding behind it he felt the ground vibrate as the pillar the perception filter had disguised it as began to glow and fade. As he focused on the scene in front of the hotel, he realised that Jack and Benton were both lying in the roadway. Smiling he began walking forward until he saw Louise Ruth running towards him.
***
Louise Ruth looked at the Doctor and stepped forward and, while still angry and upset, hugged him. Remembering the impending explosion the Doctor looked back the way he had come and turning towards Louise Ruth said in a low, controlled voice,
‘I think we should run.’ Without another word both Louise Ruth and the Doctor ran, joined quickly by the others as they headed away from the entrance to the Argo hotel. The detonation, when it came was anticlimactic to say the least. A small crack was heard from within and grey smoke bellowed from the entrance way, but no major explosion occurred.
‘What did you blow up Doctor?’ Jack asked looking across at the Argo. ‘The Rani’s TARDIS is long gone.’ Turning to face the group the Doctor smiled his look of sadness finally gone. Then noticing Louise Ruth’s wandering eyes addressed Jack rather sternly.
‘If a situation occurred and… it was absolutely necessary… would you ever consider keeping your clothes on?’ Jack smiled and accepted Ianto’s army jacket to rap around his waist. The Doctor looked across at Benton and shook his head. ‘He’s got you at it as well.’
Benton sat on the grass covered pavement, covering up his embarrassment. The Doctor winced inwardly as he noticed the bruises and cuts that littered his body like an alien landscape. Sergeant Barrette removed his shirt and passed it to his men who carefully helped Benton to fit it around his waist.
Changing the subject the Doctor turned back to Jack. ‘She had a Rift Manipulator keeping the Rift artificially open. That’s why this place is swarming with alien life forms.’ Jack nodded his understanding.
‘That would explain Hendon,’ he added with a grimace.
‘Nothing explains Hendon… not even the people that live there,’ Louise Ruth said, voicing her opinion. Jack held back his laughter that was dying to break free.
‘No I meant the Cybermen and all the other beasties. She was getting whatever fell through and sending them to Hendon to kill us… or you should I say.’ The Doctor nodded.
‘It was a brilliant idea. Open the rift and see what falls through, then pick them up and send them through a transport scar on mass. She’d have an endless army of soldiers.’
‘She’d need a hell of a lot of power to transport army’s of soldiers through transport scars. That form of teleportation was banned long ago because of the drain on recourses,’ Jack said as he adjusted the shirt around his waist.
‘No… that’s the sheer genius behind it. With the rift being artificially opened the rift energy is bleeding out all over the place and constantly charging her TARDIS to give her enough power to use the transport scars.’ Looking around the smell of the sea filled the Doctor’s lungs reminding him how hungry he was. ‘You know… the last time I had fish and chips was in Cardiff.’
Jack looked at the Doctor and remembered. They’d been hiding out in an abandoned warehouse and Martha had been with them. The Master had been Prime Minister and he was using his recourses to track them down.
Using Benton’s wrist communicator Sergeant Barrett contacted the Brigadier, informing him that the hostages were ok and the rift had been closed.
‘We’re on our way Sergeant, well done,’ the Brigadier added as his convoy of armoured personnel vehicles headed off into the forbidden zone, tearing down fences and barricades as they cut through. With 50. cal machine guns ready to cut anything down that impeded their progress.
Epilogue - There and Back Again
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, The Doctor (10), OFC, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton
Parings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Neither Torchwood or Doctor Who are mine
Summary: The Rani wants revenge
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
A/N: This is a sequel to Doctor Who’s Nightmares
Prologue here
As the sun rose above the horizon Louise Ruth could see the asphalt on the roads, cracked a long time ago under the relentless hot sun. Along the pavements small bushes and grass sprouted up in places showing what lack of care can do over the years. Breakfast tables were still set and washing still hung on lines.
The explosion of energy weapons thudded inside the hotel opposite causing them both to retreat away from the open window. Leaving the Doctor’s casket where it lay, they ran out of the rear of the building and hid under a group of trees that offered shelter from any casual observer. Through the empty windows Ianto could still see the entrance to the Argo as the sun lifted above the horizon flooding the entire area with light.
An explosion caught their attention as a group of Ogrons ran from the building, a female figure running between them.
‘It’s the Rani,’ Louise Ruth announced as the female turned her back on them and accepted a box from one of the Ogrons. Opening it she removed a small circular device and twisted the top.
‘What is she going to do with that?’ Ianto asked as the Rani took five steps away from the Argo, and then turned ready to throw it. As she was just about to release it she froze and quickly turned back to the building they’d just vacated. Running, she entered the front door and disappeared from view. She then ran from the building and headed back into the Argo reception area.
As Louise Ruth looked on a fire fight broke out and a number of Ogrons fled the building, firing back the way they had come. Standing, they watched as the last of the Ogrons disappeared and Jack immerged from the entrance way looking across at them.
Frozen to the spot, Louise Ruth and Ianto watched as Jack ran towards them. Putting a hand to her mouth Louise Ruth almost burst out laughing at the sight of Jack’s naked form, until the world lit up then went silent.
When she regained her faculties Ianto was helping her to her feet. Looking at him she smiled almost laughing. Ianto’s mouth was moving but no sound came out. What was he doing that for, she wondered?
She felt his hands checking her for injuries but felt no pain. Pushing him away she told him to stop fussing but stopped half way through the sentence. She hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Shouting at the top of her lungs she realised that she was deaf.
Touching a hand to her right ear she felt warm sticky blood. Her nose had begun to bleed as well and retrieving a handkerchief from her bag, she cleaned herself up. Ianto put a hand into her bag and handed her the bottle of Evian. Taking a mouthful she washed her face with what remained. Slowly her hearing began to return as the numbness wore off. Ianto looked across at her and smiled,
‘Having Fun?’ With a sigh of relief she smiled,
‘You don’t know what you’re missing,’ she said moving her jaw as her hearing returned.
‘It’s the pressure wave of the explosion. It affected your ear drums causing temporary deafness.’ Louise Ruth nodded,
‘Why didn’t it affect you?’ Ianto looked a little sheepish and smiled.
‘If you open your mouth the pressure of the explosion isn’t that great… I opened my-’ Ianto stopped as he remembered the explosion. Turning, they both ran through, what was left of the house, jumping over obstacles as they ran. As sunlight hit the streets illuminating everything Ianto was the first to see Jack, his face in his hands.
Running over to him Ianto knelt down and watched as Jack opened his eyes. Throwing his arms around his friend, Jack hugged him so tight Ianto almost went dizzy from lack of oxygen.
Sergeant Barrett took a step backwards and looked at his men. ‘Not again… is this some kind of gay club?’ Benton walked unsteadily into view, a look of concern on his face.
‘If it is I’m not a member.’ Looking around at the soldier that had helped him a look of pleading flashed across his face. ‘I’ve nothing against them… it’s just… I’m not gay.’ One of the soldiers approached Benton with a smile.
‘Pity… you’ve got a cute ass,’ the soldier said and slapped Benton on the rear. Benton, whose hands were firmly covering his crotch, moved out of the soldier’s way, tutting to himself.
‘UNIT wasn’t like this in my day.’
Louise Ruth walked out of the demolished building tears running down her face. She’d seen the broken casket scattered across the road and knew what it meant. Looking around she knew that his body must be somewhere. It couldn’t have been disintegrated by the blast. At least something must be left, some part of him. Looking across at the dead Ogrons she felt an undeniable urge to run up to one of them and give it a good kicking.
‘The place is full of aliens… I hate aliens,’ she screamed as she walked towards Jack and Ianto.
‘Is there anything I should know?’ Jack asked as he looked up at Louise Ruth.
She smiled and nodded towards his nakedness. ‘Yes, the name of a good tailor.’ Looking down at Jack’s beaten and bruised body she shook her head, ‘You need a doctor.’ The irony of what she had said wasn’t lost on her as she grimaced.
Turning towards Benton, Jack, with the help of Ianto, stood and took hold of Benton’s hand as he did so. He was just about to shake it when the centre pillar in the lobby of the Argo began to glow and, with a whirring noise, disappeared. It wasn’t the disappearing column that took his breath away, it was the rather skinny man, with spiky hair, wearing a tight blue suit and brown overcoat, standing behind it that caused his heart to race.
‘Doctor… you’re… you’re all right,’ Jack shouted as everyone turned to see what Jack was looking at. Louise Ruth entered the hotel lobby at a run, brushing Jack to one side as she approached the Doctor, his arms outstretched ready to accept her hug. Pulling up short Louise Ruth looked the Doctor in the eye and shouted,
‘Where the hell have you been? I’ve… we’ve been worried sick!’
***
The Doctor felt sick. The pain in his chest had diminished to something more manageable but his mouth and throat were still sore. His head had cleared and his thought processors seemed to work fine despite the discomfort he was experiencing. The problem was, he hadn’t a clue where he was. Lying in the dark felt comfortable, warm, safe and quiet but, disconcerting never-the-less.
Reaching out a hand, his fingers touched something directly in front of his face. Moving it around like a mime artist he realised that there was a lid directly above him. Panic momentarily flashed across his mind. He wondered if they’d thought him dead and had buried him, then dismissed the thought as soon as it arrived. If the Brigadier had thought him dead he’d be waiting for him to regenerate. After all he’d seen it often enough.
Moving both hands to the side he realised that he was in a box, but not one of wood. It didn’t smell of wood, he knew that. Then it hit him, the smell, where he’d smelt that before. It was the TARDIS, and if this was a box then he must be in the Zero Cabinet. He remembered giving the Brigadier the cabinet to look after in case anything ever happened to him. At the time he’d worried about problems occurring when he regenerated, but the Brigadier must had bungled him in as soon as he’d collapsed.
A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the pain he’d gone through because of the Rani’s injections. She’d wanted to steal his remaining regenerations but all she’d done was stop his hearts, killing him. Then he remembered the pain in his chest outside the Angel pub in Durham. He remembered collapsing and that he’d also stopped breathing. Despite the state his body had been in, ready to shut down and regenerate, his mind was still active.
Louise Ruth had tried to start his hearts and had filled his lungs full of oxygen, keeping his body alive, stopping it regenerating naturally. Then there was the pain in his chest again and everything went black. She must have found a way to stop the regeneration process. Quick thinking Brigadier will have insisted on putting him in the Zero cabinet, thus helping his body mend itself. He was probably lying on a table in a UNIT morgue with attendants checking for any movement every five minutes.
‘Brilliant,’ he thought, ‘now all I have to do is get out of the cabinet.’ Running his hands down one side he found the release catch and activated it. Slowly the front section of the cabinet slid back filling his lungs with warm salty air.
Sitting up he licked his lips and smiled, ‘I could just eat a packet of fish and chips… not on a plate… in an old newspaper… with vinegar, salt and other things that could potentially kill a normal human.’
Stepping out of the Zero Cabinet he dusted himself off and smiled. ‘Now I know how Dracula felt.’
Looking around he was mystified as to where he was. The room was bare to say the least. The stone walls it had been built with showed clearly through the peeling paint. The carpets were none existent and the tile floor looked as if it hadn’t been dusted for years.
Thinking you were in a nice clean morgue and finding that you’d been left in a derelict building caused mixed emotions.
Hitting the close button, on the side of the casket he watched as the lid slid back into place. ‘Brings back memories…Nyssa, Tegan and… Castrovalva... what a strange, mythical place that was. It was like Maurits Cornelis Escher’s drawing of the ascending and descending staircase. Poor Adric…’ The Doctor’s eyes reddened as if he had lost his friend all over again as memories came flooding back to him.
‘I liked Escher… strange sort of chap but a damn good artist,’ the Doctor said as he looked around the room for clues as to his whereabouts. ‘Castrovalva… ah yes… I remember describing the town to him. He didn’t believe me but was fascinated by the description. That’s where I’d met him back in… oh 1930, or was it 1931. I told him to head for a small town on the Amalfi Coast called Atrani. I think he did a lithograph of that as well…’
The realisation that he was talking to himself didn’t stop the Doctor as he gazed out of numerous glassless windows. It helped him think if he pretended he had a companion with him.
Stopping, he gave the room one more glance and came to a conclusion and grinned. ‘Marvellous… I haven’t a clue where I am. I love not knowing… then I can find out and know.’ His smile ever widening, he turned and headed out what passed for the front door.
The night was black and the streets were lit only by moonlight as he walked down the grass strewn street. ‘I’ve got it,’ he almost shouted. He remembered where he’d tracked the Rani’s signal to, Varosha, in Cyprus. This, he mused, must be the ghost town in Famagusta.
Thrusting a hand inside his coat pocket he pulled out a pair of 3D glasses and put them on. Looking around he searched for background radiation from the Void which can surround and infuse an object or person. If there were anything out of the ordinary he’d spot it first. He didn’t have long to wait. Ducking inside an empty building three Ogrons walked passed the front entrance oblivious to his presence.
‘Well…’ he said quietly to himself. ‘This means I am in the right place.’ Thrusting a hand inside his jacket pocket one more time, he removed the TARDIS key and gripped it tightly in one hand. He could use the perception filter properties the key possessed to sneak passed the Ogrons and head in the direction they were coming from.
The scent of the sea grew stronger as he walked. As his feet touched sand he realised that he was on the coast. Careful to hug the building walls as he moved, he looked on as beast after beast passed him by. The Ogrons he knew from old, lackeys of the Daleks or, in fact, anyone that could pay what they demanded.
Other beasts were less familiar to him and on closer examination noted the Rani’s hand in their creation. Gene splicing had always been her vocation and would stop at nothing to further her experiments. Nothing was too great a sacrifice, people, towns, even worlds. She had to be stopped once and for all and the Doctor knew that he was the only one that could do it.
His thoughts were momentarily stopped as the Doctor picked up an enormous glow of background radiation given off by a single building. Carefully he waited until a rather large group of Ogrons headed out of the entrance and marched, in formation, away from the hotel and parallel to the sea, heading the way he had just come. Quickly he ran across the road checking both directions as he moved.
As the majority of the Ogron force had left he was free to move about in the building. The 3D glasses picked out the Rani’s TARDIS immediately. Pocketing them he walked around the pillar feeling it as he moved. Pulling out a second key he used it to open the rear door and step inside.
He’d acquired the key the last time the Rani had visited. While inside her TARDIS he had sabotaged the navigational system and velocity regulator, causing it to spin out of control. Because of a time spillage caused by the sabotage, a dinosaur embryo grew at an accelerated rate in the control room of the Rani’s TARDIS. While the Master and the Rani were trying to deal with the agitated Tyrannosaurus Rex he had pocketed the key and left.
Getting into any Time Lord’s TARDIS had never been a problem for the Doctor or any other Time Lord. The more secure a Time Lord made it, the more likely it was to be broken into. Time Lords loved a challenge and would break into each others time ships on a regular basis, just to say they could. Leaving the door unopened, the Doctor had found, was the best defence against a Time Lord. Denied the challenge, the aspiring time Lord would head off for richer pickings elsewhere.
Walking round the Rani’s control room always amazed the Doctor. It was more advanced than his own and had been filled with all the latest technology at that time. Using a Stattenheim remote control she wore on her wrist, she could move her TARDIS anywhere she wished.
As he walked round the centre consol that had no middle section which, on his TARDIS, moved slowly up and down. Instead two circles, joined at one end, spun round when the TARDIS was in motion. At the moment the circles were still and the control room was quiet. Surrounding the centre consol were different sized plinths, each holding a jar containing, probably, her latest experiments. To his left the Doctor noticed a small table strewn with alien technology she had either found or stolen. Picking up an energy transducer he checked that it was operational and then pocketed it.
‘I haven’t seen one of those in years.’ He said with a smile. Kneeling in front of the control panel he realised that a number of anti tampering traps had been set on the centre consol. ‘There’s nothing like been expected to ruin your day,’ he said with a smile.
Standing he removed the cover from the main control panel and, using the energy transducer, began activating a number of circuits on the panel. Left alone he began to rewire the panel and adjust the coordinate selector. Nothing major, but it would cause her a few headaches until she realised what had happened. If she was too late then her defence system would fall just as she materialised in the centre of the sun. The trick would be to make sure the Rani didn’t see him. That way she would dematerialise without checking her systems. Finishing off as quickly as he could he headed back towards the exit and ducked out of the pillar and walked towards the rooms opposite.
Quickly he ducked into an empty room a group of Ogrons passed with an unconscious Benton being dragged between them. His face was a mask of blood and only recognisable to the Doctor because of the bracelet he wore on his arm. The Doctor noted that the red light was flashing indicating that the battery was dangerously low.
Silently following behind, and with the perception filter key round his neck, the Doctor noted the room the two Ogrons threw Benton. As they left the Doctor checked behind him and sneaked into the room without a sound. With a look of sadness on his face he realised that Jack was lying next to him. Smiling he shook his head, not believing the extent of what he saw.
‘Is there never an occasion where leaving your clothes could be a course of action you would consider?’ The Doctor said while checking Benton’s pulse. ‘You’ve even got poor Benton in on the act now.’
Removing the energy transducer from his pocket he placed it on Benton’s bracelet and activated the relay. In seconds the red light had stopped flashing and the bracelet was totally recharged. A noise from outside alerted him to a group of Ogrons that were heading down the corridor. Quickly he ducked out of sight in the far corner, the TARDIS key held prominently.
With a look of surprise he realised, too late, that the Rani was with them. As long as she didn’t look in his direction he was ok. Not wishing to look, in case eye movement on his part might attract her attention, he lowered his head and gazed at his own feet, letting the Rani’s words wash over him.
‘Kill him and bring his body to the lab,’ were the last words he heard as the Rani walked out of the room. A single Ogron stood in the doorway, drawing his energy weapon as he gazed down at the unconscious Sergeant Benton. A noise from outside distracted the Ogron, tuned to fear strange noises over the years the Rani has had them working for her.
Turning back towards the felled Benton he was just about to open fire when Benton beat him to the punch. The Ogron was thrown back against the wall outside the door, slid down the pealing plaster then fell to the ground. The Doctor had been using the energy transducer to drain the Ogron’s weapon but realised that he needn’t have bothered. Retreating back into the corner in case Benton gave the game away he waited for the injured man to stand and hobble from the room.
Gun fire and the sound of energy weapons exploding brought his attention back to what was going on around him. Jack must have had a back up troop and was taking out the Ogrons. Realising that the Rani would run at the first sign of trouble the Doctor waited next to the open door.
Within moments he watched as the Rani, still on the run, headed for the reception area and her TARDIS. A group of Ogrons joined her, one passing her a small box as he wobbled by her side. Opening the box the Rani produced a cylindrical explosive device from its depths. Activating the bomb she returned it to its box and walked off with her party of Ogrons in tow.
Turning he headed back towards the entrance way when his eye caught movement from his right. Ducking back into the room he saw two more Ogrons head out of a second room and moved off towards the retreating Rani. With his curiosity getting the better of him he glanced into the room and was stunned at what he saw.
He noticed, in the centre of the room, what looked like a centre consol for a TARDIS. This time the red, plastic centre consol was moving up and down. ‘You beauty… what do we have here then?’ Unable to contain himself he almost ran towards it. Removing his sonic screwdriver he let it play across the active machine taking readings as he moved.
‘It’s a rift manipulator, if I’m not mistaken, normally used to control rift activity and monitor access.’ Gazing at the machine from all sides, the Doctor moved fast and began taking readings and checking data as he went. ‘You, my little sweet, have been designed to hold open the rift and drag out anything that the Rani wants.’
Examining it more closely the Doctor realised where the Rani had got it from. With constant access to time and events she had used a trans-mat to remove it from Torchwood three, in Cardiff, just before the explosion that destroyed it, ripped through the building.
It was typical of her need for technology to be put above people’s lives, he thought. Looking at how old the manipulator was the Doctor concluded that she had picked it up from Torchwood Three then travelled back in time to 1974, when the Turkish attacked Cyprus, and had used it to drag anything and everything through the rift to scare off the locals.
‘Talk about forward planning,’ he said as he used the sonic screwdriver to disable the manipulator but give the appearance that it was still working, just in case the Rani or one of her minions decided to check in on it. With the manipulator still active, it would build up pressure until it eventual exploded from the resulting rift energy. Gradually the rift would begin to close stopping anymore abominations from entering this space and time.
As quickly as he could he ran down the corridor away from the manipulator’s room. The explosion wouldn’t be large, but it would destroy most of the building and everyone in it. He’d have to find Jack and Benton and get them out fast.
Running through the reception area he realised with horror that the Rani’s TARDIS was still there. Hiding behind it he felt the ground vibrate as the pillar the perception filter had disguised it as began to glow and fade. As he focused on the scene in front of the hotel, he realised that Jack and Benton were both lying in the roadway. Smiling he began walking forward until he saw Louise Ruth running towards him.
***
Louise Ruth looked at the Doctor and stepped forward and, while still angry and upset, hugged him. Remembering the impending explosion the Doctor looked back the way he had come and turning towards Louise Ruth said in a low, controlled voice,
‘I think we should run.’ Without another word both Louise Ruth and the Doctor ran, joined quickly by the others as they headed away from the entrance to the Argo hotel. The detonation, when it came was anticlimactic to say the least. A small crack was heard from within and grey smoke bellowed from the entrance way, but no major explosion occurred.
‘What did you blow up Doctor?’ Jack asked looking across at the Argo. ‘The Rani’s TARDIS is long gone.’ Turning to face the group the Doctor smiled his look of sadness finally gone. Then noticing Louise Ruth’s wandering eyes addressed Jack rather sternly.
‘If a situation occurred and… it was absolutely necessary… would you ever consider keeping your clothes on?’ Jack smiled and accepted Ianto’s army jacket to rap around his waist. The Doctor looked across at Benton and shook his head. ‘He’s got you at it as well.’
Benton sat on the grass covered pavement, covering up his embarrassment. The Doctor winced inwardly as he noticed the bruises and cuts that littered his body like an alien landscape. Sergeant Barrette removed his shirt and passed it to his men who carefully helped Benton to fit it around his waist.
Changing the subject the Doctor turned back to Jack. ‘She had a Rift Manipulator keeping the Rift artificially open. That’s why this place is swarming with alien life forms.’ Jack nodded his understanding.
‘That would explain Hendon,’ he added with a grimace.
‘Nothing explains Hendon… not even the people that live there,’ Louise Ruth said, voicing her opinion. Jack held back his laughter that was dying to break free.
‘No I meant the Cybermen and all the other beasties. She was getting whatever fell through and sending them to Hendon to kill us… or you should I say.’ The Doctor nodded.
‘It was a brilliant idea. Open the rift and see what falls through, then pick them up and send them through a transport scar on mass. She’d have an endless army of soldiers.’
‘She’d need a hell of a lot of power to transport army’s of soldiers through transport scars. That form of teleportation was banned long ago because of the drain on recourses,’ Jack said as he adjusted the shirt around his waist.
‘No… that’s the sheer genius behind it. With the rift being artificially opened the rift energy is bleeding out all over the place and constantly charging her TARDIS to give her enough power to use the transport scars.’ Looking around the smell of the sea filled the Doctor’s lungs reminding him how hungry he was. ‘You know… the last time I had fish and chips was in Cardiff.’
Jack looked at the Doctor and remembered. They’d been hiding out in an abandoned warehouse and Martha had been with them. The Master had been Prime Minister and he was using his recourses to track them down.
Using Benton’s wrist communicator Sergeant Barrett contacted the Brigadier, informing him that the hostages were ok and the rift had been closed.
‘We’re on our way Sergeant, well done,’ the Brigadier added as his convoy of armoured personnel vehicles headed off into the forbidden zone, tearing down fences and barricades as they cut through. With 50. cal machine guns ready to cut anything down that impeded their progress.
Epilogue - There and Back Again