(DW) Undecim. Eleven Doctors fic

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

An Eleven Doctors fic. I own nothing. Some Companions will show, others not. 'Psychotic pepperpot' is used with permission from Jedi_Ben from theforce.net

Here we go!

Chapter One: Excitement?
For once, there was no crisis to go to. For once, a small blue police box flew along the corridors of space and time with little or no direction. The last remnant of Gallifrey, a type-40 TARDIS, meandered along close to the Kurgon Wonder, a distortion in time.

Aboard the transdimensional craft, a pair of humans by the names of Amy Pond and Rory Williams-Pond swam around in the pool. Amy glided up to her husband and splashed him, giggling all the while. “Come on, then!” she shouted, flashing her love a toothy grin.

Rory splashed back, moving closer to Amy. “And what would the spunky Misses Pond have her centurion be doing to her?” he asked, holding his arms out and enveloping her in a hug. He leaned in for a kiss...

“Excuse me, are you two busy?” A tongue was clicked. “I've got some good news for the both of you-a vacation!”

Both Amy and Rory drifted apart slightly and groaned, looking up as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor skipped in. He stood over the pool and grinned. “I've got a perfect place for us to head off to,” he said. He turned and walked away, waving over his shoulder. “Well, come on then!”

Amy leaned over the pool's edge. “Well, give us a few minutes to dry off and change!” she shouted after him.

The Doctor paused and turned around. “Why? Do you really think some water is going to harm anything in the control room?”

Rory spoke up. “You mean around the exposed wiring and other electrical stuff?” He sniffed slightly. “Oh, yeah. Perfectly safe.”

A sigh escaped the Time Lord. “Okay, get dressed and dried up. But not in that order, since it would defeat the purpose of drying up.” He spun around on his heel and marched out of the pool room.

Amy planted her hands on the tiled edge of the pool and pushed herself up and out of the pool, Rory following. She held her hand out to him and they followed the Doctor out and eventually to the control center. Amy let go of Rory's hand and circled around the Doctor's flank, leaning over one of the consoles. “So, where to Doctor? Back to Earth, Barcelona, Skaro?” She waggled her eyebrows as he turned to her and shrugged. “What? Might be a nice little jaunt.”

The Doctor gave her a wall-eyed stare before returning to the controls. He pulled down a lever and pulled back on a plunger. “I was thinking of something with a little less radiation. Well, less lethal radiation.” He looked to Amy, then to Rory who had settled on the opposite side. “I was thinking of the Eye of Orion, actually.” The image of a tranquil glen appeared on several of the monitors. “Positive ions bombarding the entire surface of the planet,” he exclaimed, suddenly jumping back. He spun around on his heel and ran off around the outer perimeter of the control center. “Peaceful, tranquil, and will lift your spirits to the outer edges of the universe!”

The Scottish redhead crossed her arms and snorted. “Boring, you mean.”

Rory nodded in her direction. “We're not exactly looking for certain death, but something that won't put us to sleep.” He made eye contact with Amy. “Well, a bit exciting, right? Not too much.”

Amy nodded. “Yeah, just a little.” She held up her hand brought her thumb and index fingers together. “Just a little bit of excitement?” She stuck her lower lip out. “Please, Doctor?”

A sigh escaped the Doctor as he walked around to another part of the console. “I suppose-” He was interrupted as the entire deck tilted, sending him spinning away from the console. “Well, this is fun!” he shouted, tumbling to the wall and one of the roundels.

Amy and Rory grabbed onto the console, Rory inching over to Amy. “What the hell's going on?” he half-shouted over a very loud screech.

A large sphere of translucent energy suddenly flashed into existence in one of the open areas, fifty-six golden hemispheres dotting the surface. As the sphere contracted, the hemispheres following and concentrating on the lower half of an object in the center. The sphere 'boiled' away, disappearing and leaving an object.

It was almost two meters tall, conical with a rounded dome on top. A metal tube capped by a blue-tinted optic sensor and two lights topped the dome. Right below was collared grating, and below that was a midsection with a tubular weapon and a rounded manipulator arm. The fifty-six hemispheres latched onto a burnished hoverskirt as the Dalek suddenly sprang to life, moving about. The eyestalk waved around, looking up, down and all around. “Where am I?” it screeched out, words harsh and machine-like. “This is a TARDIS! Why am I on a TARDIS??!”

Rory stepped forward and pushed Amy behind him. “Stay behind me,” he breathed out. “I'll cover-”

“Not a chance,” Amy said, taking his hand. She glanced over at the Doctor, on the other side of the control pedestal. “Doctor, what is-” She stopped as he ducked down and rolled. “Okay, that's just great.” She looked back at the Dalek as it rolled around, spinning about. “Why isn't it firing?” she asked, nose scrunched slightly.

Rory took a step forward, hand held out. “You're on the Doctor's TARDIS,” he said in low tones. “My name is Rory and this is my wife Amy. We don't mean you any harm, Dalek. We're not sure how you got here, but-” He backed up as the Dalek advanced. “Whoa, whoa! Okay, plan B?'

Amy cleared her throat. She briefly grabbed onto the console edge to prevent her knees from giving way. “He's not shooting. That's good, right?” She looked to Rory. “Right?” She looked to the Dalek and let go of the console, kicking lightly at it as it moved forward. “Hey, hey! Personal space, mate. Look it up!”

The Dalek's eyestalk swiveled to her, backing up slightly. “Daleks have no CONCEPT of personal space.”

Amy snorted and nodded. “Really? Could never have told,” she said, waving her hands around. She looked to Rory. “He would've shot by now, right?”

Rory shrugged. “Not a clue.” He swallowed. “Where and or when did you come from?”

The Dalek's optic sensor irised shut for a moment. “Last location was-”

The Doctor suddenly appeared behind the Dalek, brandishing a gladius. He lifted the short sword and swung it at the Dalek's dome. “DIE!” he shouted, mouth frothing. He kept on swinging, sliding on the deck plating all the while. “WHY!” clang “DON'T!” clang “YOU!” clang “DIE!!!”

The Dalek's sections turned to face him. First his sensor dome, then his midsection and finally his hoverskirt. “Cease attacking me!” it screeched. “Why am I here, Doctor? You KNEW I wished to die!”

The last Time Lord dropped the sword with a clatter, louder in the ensuing silence. He panted a bit and looked over the Dalek. “You-Daleks don't wish to die! It's...” he trailed off as he looked the Dalek over. “Oh, no. O no!” He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Oh, I am very stupid!” he leaned over and glanced to Rory and Amy. “Rory, Amy, I'm stupid!”

Rory opened his mouth, then shut it. “Too easy,” he muttered, earning a swat from Amy. “Hey!” He looked back at the Doctor. “Okay, why are you stupid?”

The Doctor focused on the Dalek's casing. “This is high-density delakanium. Not pretty but the densest armor they've ever or ever will have.” He patted the manipulator arm and gunstick. “Rotating midsection, with 360 degree targeting...” He stood up and looked the Dalek right in the eyestalk. “Advanced targeting sensors with telescoping vision. Oh, you'd exterminate the new Dalek Paradigm by the thousands!”

He let out a sigh. “Dalek, where and when were you last?”

The Dalek backed up slightly. “I was in the uppermost level of Van Statten's torture chamber. It was 2012 AD, Earth calendar. You pointed a weapon at me and Rose Tyler stopped you.” The eyestalk swiveled around, taking in the entire control center. “Where is Rose Tyler?”

The Doctor's shoulder sagged. “Safe in an alternate reality,” he mumbled, his eyes taking on a distant look even for him. “Been a while since I thought of her,” he sighed. He looked the Dalek over. “I thought you killed yourself. How did you get here?”

Amy spoke up. “Doctor, is it safe to be... talking to the psychotic pepperpot?”

The Doctor made brief eye contact with her. “He's all right, Amy. He's not a pure Dalek anymore.” He patted the Dalek on the dome. “Isn't that right?” His face straightened. “So, like I asked. How'd you get here?”

The Dalek's eyestalk lowered. “Internal diagnostic commencing. Self-destruct mechanism has been crossed with emergency temporal shift!” The eyestalk jutted up. “I can NEVER self-terminate!”

The Doctor smiled. “Right, you can't. And all those human emotions are now rolling around in your blobby little... blob.” He sighed and motioned to Amy and Rory. “Come on. He won't kill you.”

Amy's eyes widened. “And how are we supposed to believe that?!”

The Doctor knelt down and looked directly into the optic sensor. “Last time we met, you told me and Rose and Van Statten you needed orders. Well, here's an order for you. A nice simple order for you.” He stood up, jumped back and spun around on his heel. “No more killing for the Dalek! No more killing for you,” he shouted, grabbing the dome of the Dalek on the apex of his spin. “No more, Dalek. No more killing. Now you live for life, understand? You live for life and you. Don't. Kill!”

The Dalek backed up. “No killing? No exterminating? But what would I-”

“OBEY!” the Doctor shouted. “You wanted orders, Dalek. Now I'm giving you orders! So take them!”

There was a pause before the Dalek's dome spun around. “You mentioned a new Dalek Paradigm. Perhaps I would go and serve them?”

“Oh, no you won't,” the Doctor said. He turned to the control console and flipped several switches. Every screen lit up with images of multicolored Daleks with altered midsections and pronged eyestalks. “Here's the new Dalek paradigm,” he said, sneering. “Ready to serve them?” He looked back to the Dalek. “They exterminated the ones who gave birth to them. Although you they might use as cannon fodder.”

The Dalek backed up, bumping into Rory and Amy. “THESE ARE THE NEW DALEKS???!” it screeched out. “IMPOSSIBLE!”

Amy's mouth opened slightly. “Is it that bad?”

The Doctor nodded. “Even like this, the Dalek can't stand anything off from the ideal.” He looked down at the Dalek, shaking his head. “I'm sorry.”

The Dalek looked to the Doctor. “I shall do what you ask. Whatever you wish, I will do it without question. Please... just let me kill these things when we encounter them.” The manipulator arm waved about.

Rory tilted his head to the side. “Might as well, Doctor. Not like we'll be looking to run into the Daleks any time soon.” He looked to the Dalek. “I... almost feel sorry for it. It's scared.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Oh, Rory. Sometimes too big a heart.” He paced a bit. “All right, Dalek. If we get rid of you, bad news for the rest of the universe. Really, really bad news.” He clapped his hands together. “All right, Dalek! From now on, unless you're facing down one of the Dalek skittles, no killing.” He paused. “Skittles, now I'm hungry.” He waved his hand. “Also, all of my orders must be obeyed. Just to avoid any confusion. Now, got it?”

The Dalek's eyestalk bobbed up and down. “I obey!”

Rory's jaw canted slightly. “Oh... this isn't going to end well, is it.”

Amy shrugged. “Oh, it won't be that bad.” She looked at the Doctor as he patted the Dalek and grabbed at the manipulator arm. “Or we're gonna die horrible deaths. Then come back to life and reboot the universe. Either one. Or both.”
*****

Please read and review.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Okay... let's try some more?

Here we go!

*****
Chapter Two: Stealing Time
The Doctor ran around back to a typewriter implanted in the control pedestal and began typing at it. “Right, then! Off to the Eye of Orion!” He jabbed a finger at the Dalek. “It is time for you to learn how to have fun, Dalek! Alpha, Beta and Omega can't be the only Daleks to live and laugh and have fun!” he ran across the console, jabbing at buttons, pulling levers and stopping to play some pinball.

The Dalek moved forward, eyestalk never wavering from the Doctor. “Daleks have no concept of 'fun'. We perform our duties and then await further orders. What does a Dalek need of fun?”

Rory and Amy walked up behind the Dalek, Amy leaning on the back of its casing. “Well, the Doctor just mentioned three Daleks who had fun! Come on, give it a chance!”

The Dalek's dome rotated around to face Amy. “The Heretics were given a human factor that enabled them to feel emotions beyond hate. It sparked a civil war that nearly ended our species.” The eyestalk swiveled around again. “You did that to them.”

The Doctor kept his eyes on the controls. “It was either that or have the Dalek factor implanted into humans. Human Daleks. Humans with the mindset of Daleks and hands. Why would I want that?” He held up his hand and waggled the fingers around, staring at them. “Do you know what you can do with a hand, much less two?”

Any response was cut off when the Doctor suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his abdomen and gritting his teeth. His eyes opened wide and he stumbled back, ending up against one of the railing separating the inner perimeter from the outer edges.

Amy and Rory were by his side in seconds. Amy grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down to the deck. Rory touched the side of his throat, then let out a groan. “I don't have a clue what's normal for someone with two hearts,” he admitted. “Not to mention the probably two billion or so other differences between a Time Lord and a plain ordinary human.” He glanced up as the Dalek approached. “Can you scan him with your eye thingie?”

The Dalek's eyestalk lowered and the iris opened. “My 'eye thingie' is more advanced than any diagnostic tool you would have available!” it spat out. “The Doctor is experiencing temporal distention. Parts of his past are being removed.”

Amy and Rory slowly turned their heads to it. “Could you be a little more confusing?” Amy asked, eyebrow arching. “I almost understood a word or two there!”

The Doctor suddenly sat up straight, gasping. “No, nono!” he screamed. “They're taking them away-all away!”
*****
“What you're doing is illegal, immoral, against the laws of time and just plain wrong!”
*****
“Oh, my giddy aunt! Jamie, Zoe, help me!”
*****
“Unhand me you ruffians, unless you'd like me to flip you onto your backsides and skewer you with my rapier!”
*****
“Jelly baby?”
*****
“No, it can't end this way!”
*****
“You stupid-get your hands off me!”
*****
“I didn't see this coming.
*****
“Get your hands off me or I'll shoot myself! No?”
*****
“You can't take me! Rose is gonna wake up and she's not gonna be happy when I'm gone!”
*****
“This is your only chance to stop this! Okay, this is your only chance. Now this is your only chance. Is this your only chance?”
*****
The Doctor's eyes slowly focused. He looked around at Amy, Rory and the Dalek and cleared his throat. “Right, then.” He bounced to his feet. “Dalek, take Rory and Amy to the Zero Room. Maintain an audio link to the outside but nothing else. Understood?”

The Dalek's eyestalk bobbed up and down. “I obey.” It moved forward and extended its manipulator arm, touching Amy's hip. “You will follow me to the Zero Room! The Doctor has commanded!”

Amy snarled and pushed at the suction grip of the Dalek's arm. “Hey, hey!” she shouted, stepping back. “Get a concept of personal space, you pepperpot!” She started as the interior lighting dimmed. “What was that?”

The Doctor turned a monitor to him and glanced at the screen. “I will say this once, Amy and Rory Pond. The TARDIS is being invaded, and I cannot stop it. If you stay here, you will die.” he glanced up at the two humans as they stood together. “But in the Zero Room, you're mostly isolated from the outside world. You'll be fine there.” Amy started to open her mouth, but his eyes flashed. “GO!”

He watched as the trio walked down to one of the doors and exited the control room. His eyes glanced down at the console and a flashing red light. After a few minutes, it went to green and he sighed in relief. “Good.” The Doctor walked to the door as it swung open, smiling. “Ah, about time you made it!”

Two beings entered the TARDIS' control center. The first one wore black with silver trim, matching his neatly-trimmed beard. His maniacal eyes danced with an inner fire his counterpart lacked. The second sat in the lower half of a Dalek casing, his left arm bent and useless. His right was encased in a metal gauntlet, with wires and tubes running from it to the inner recesses of the casing. His bald head was supported by red braces with a single blue optic sensor over his forehead, replacing his useless eyes.

The Master placed a hand over his left heart and grinned. “My dear Doctor, you seem much calmer than your previous two incarnations. A good sign that you're mellowing with age.” His face fell. “Now be a good fellow and come along quietly.”

The Doctor's gaze drifted from the Master to the one in the Dalek casing. “Davros, last time I saw you the Crucible was collapsing all around you. Did you splice some cat genes into your genome when I wasn't looking?”

Davros tilted his head slightly. “A what?” he asked before shaking his head. “No, Doctor. After seeing how well Dalek Caan's emergency temporal shift worked, I had one installed in my life support systems.” His functional hand rubbed along the metalwork. “Impressive, is it not?” his face suddenly hardened. “I have six Dalek drones standing by, Doctor. We need you alive, not unharmed!”

The Doctor raised his hands. “Not protesting, Davros. Not at all.” He leaned back and looked to one of the doors. “Not protesting at all! Going off with the renegade Time Lord and the omnicidal psychotic in the lower half of a mark III travel machine!” He looked back to Davros and the Master and winked. “Ready?”

The Master's already beady eyes narrowed further. “What games are you playing at, Doctor?” He strode a bit to his left, looking at the door the Doctor glanced at. “Our scans showed no one else in here,” he said, adjusting his glove. “But then again, one can never fully trust the Doctor.”

A bark of laughter escaped the Doctor's mouth. He walked past the Master and Davros to the door leading outside the TARDIS. “Well, that's just silly! A couple of geniuses like you, wrong? How can that be?” He suddenly stopped and spun on his heel, smile dropping from his face. “Then again, considering how many times I've outfoxed, stymied and stopped you, it's probable-”

“YOU HAVE NEVER DEFEATED ME!” Davros shouted, jabbing his good hand at the Doctor. “EACH SETBACK WAS SIMPLY A STEP IN MY GREATER PLAN, DOCTOR! YOU WILL NOT TRICK ME THIS TIME!!!!” His chair moved forward. “Come, Master! We shall beat the Doctor at his own game!”

The Master chuckled and tipped an imaginary hat to the Doctor. “Excellently played, Doctor. But I won't fall for it!” he said, lips curling. He stepped forward and grabbed the Doctor's arm, hauling him off. “In ninety-six hours, when our plans reach their apex, you will never be able to make me fall for anything again!” And with that, he dragged the Doctor out of the TARDIS, the door shutting behind.
*****
Ten minutes earlier
Amy and Rory followed the Dalek down the winding and rather art deco corridors or the TARDIS, both quickly getting lost. “Mind telling us where we're going and what a Zero Room is?” Rory asked as he turned a corner, staying step behind Amy.

The Dalek stopped in front of a door. His manipulator arm extended and the suction cup pressed against a control panel about halfway up the wall. “It is a room designed for Time Lords to deal with faulty regenerations. It can be isolated on various levels from the outside universe, therefore is perfect for the Doctor's plans.” The door slid open and he entered. “Hurry! Hurry! HURRY!!!”

Amy and Rory followed, the door closing right behind them. They stood in an empty room with a glowing, pink floor and similar walls. Amy walked up to one of the walls and touched it. “Gonna listen in on what's going on with the Doctor?”

The Dalek pressed its manipulator arm up against a pinkish roundel in the wall. “Correct, Amy Pond. Now be quiet, if that is possible.”

Amy stuck her tongue out at him, but remained silent. Rory walked up to her and the two humans held hands while tense, silent minutes passed. Finally, the Dalek backed up from the roundel. “There are no sonic emanations from the control room. We are clear.”

The Dalek moved to the door, followed by Amy and Rory. Once more they followed the Dalek down winding and nearly identical corridors to the TARDIS' control room. Amy's head darted about. “Where is he?” she demanded. She half-ran up to the Dalek and grabbed its casing. “Where's the Doctor?!” She shrugged off Rory's hand and knelt slightly, looking the Dalek in the eyestalk. “Who took the Doctor? Weeping Angels? The Dream Lord? The Silence?” she asked, upper lip curling. “ANSWER ME!!”

Rory reached out to her, placing both hands on Amy's shoulders and pulling her back. “Amy, that's not gonna do any good.” He nodded as she stepped back and wrapped his arms around her before looking down at the Dalek. “All right, who took the Doctor?”

The Dalek's eyestalk rose. “The Master, a renegade Time Lord, and Davros, my creator. They have kidnapped the Doctor and in ninety-six hours, subjective time, their plans will reach an apex. Therefore, we have that amount of time to stop them.” Its manipulator arm extended and touched one of the control consoles. “But more importantly, there are members of the new Dalek Paradigm for me to exterminate!”

Amy threw up her hands. “Wait, ninety-six hours subjective? What the hell does that mean?” Her face scrunched up in confusion. “We have a time machine, Dalek. We've got all the time in the universe!”

The Dalek's dome rotated so the eyestalk faced the door. “There is a chroniton trail leading from the TARDIS to wherever the Doctor was taken, but we are chronally locked in sidestep with whoever took him. Every second that passes for us is a second that passes for them. My internal chronometer is now synced and we have ninety-five hours and fifty-five minutes... mark.”

Rory rubbed his temple and leaned against the railing. “I hate time travel,” he muttered. He looked around the suddenly silent room. “We're not enough to take these people on,” he observed, shaking his head. “We need help.”

Amy nodded, then looked to the Dalek. “Dalek, plot a course for River Song!”

The Dalek turned back to the console, but paused. “Who is River Song?”
*****

Please read and review.

[Vic]

I am all aquiver.......I love the Dalek/Pond interaction.

[Captain Seafort]

Looking good so far. Which Master is it? Ainley?

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Vic-Thanks! I love writing them because they can snark at each other so much!

Seafort-Thank you! Yeah, it's Ainley. He's the one I'm most familiar with. I envision him post-Survival here.

The post after this one is a bit difficult to write, as it features the Brigadier. But I shall persevere!

Here we go!

*****
Chapter three: Getting Together
Stormcage Containment Facility, 51st century. T-minus ninety-five hours subjective time
Father Octavian glanced back at the two young humans as they walked along the cold steel corridors of the most secure prison planet in the Human Empire. Two guards trailed further behind, weapons at standby. “Normally for a prisoner such as this, we wouldn't even consider the request,” he explained as they approached a cell. He pulled a small card from his flak vest. “But for the Doctor, yes. I can shoot the datawork through for this one time.”

Amy nodded, keeping her head down and blinking rapidly. “Yeah, thanks,” she mumbled, cursing fate that Octavian was the one who met them there. Did he die? Will he die? Will the Byzantium happen here?

Octavian looked through the cell bars at the lone occupant of the prison cell, a woman just passing youth but retaining her youthful energy. She had short, wavy, light-red hair ending just before the shoulders. She looked up from a book and smiled tightly. “Hello, sweeties,' she said, snapping the book shut and standing up. “Father, you're looking well.”

Octavian grunted and slid the card along a reader built into the bulkhead. The cell bars retracted into the bulkhead while the two guards readied their rifles. “River Song, you are being remanded into the temporary custody of Amy and Rory Pond.” He looked to Amy and Rory. “This is temporary and she must be returned to this time and place after this mission is complete. Do you understand?”

Amy nodded. “She'll be returned.”

River stepped out, hugging Amy and then Rory. “It's good to see you.” She turned to Octavian and nodded. “Don't worry, Father. I'll be back in my cell after this little jaunt.”

Octavian nodded to the guards and they lowered their weapons. He then turned on his heel and marched back down the way they came, eventually arriving back at the TARDIS nestled in a corner. He looked to Amy, Rory and then River. “Good luck to you,” he said, stepping back.

Amy looked to River. “So, why'd you leave your diary behind?” Her eyebrows waggled a bit. “Spoilers? Because this time, I'd like some assurance it all works out.”

River chuckled and tossed her head back slightly. “Where's the fun in that, Amy?” Her smile fell away. “Tell me something, when's the last time we saw each other?” she asked, glancing at Amy and then Rory.

Rory's eyes narrowed. “The Pandorica and basically hitting the reset button on the universe. Why?” he asked, lips curling as he gestured slightly.

A sigh escaped River's lips. “Just as I thought.” She held up her hands and pointed in opposite directions. “Usually it's like this for us, Amy. The farther along in your personal timeline, the farther back it is for me.” She turned her left hand around so it pointed in approximately the same direction as her right. “I remember the Pandorica, though. And endless repetitions aboard the TARDIS. So no spoilers from me this time. At least not in my diary.” She stepped forward, brushing past the pair. “So, what's happened to the Doctor?”

Amy and Rory both grabbed her by the upper arm, stopping her just before reaching the TARDIS' door. “He's been kidnapped, but that's not the big surprise,” Amy said. She reached out and unlocked the door while Rory pushed it open. “We've got a new passenger. Well, an old passenger the Doctor knew. He's really nice, though! When not learning how to be sarcastic.”

River gave her an odd look as she stepped through the door into the TARDIS' control room. She gasped and her eyes widened as she saw the Dalek standing near one of the consoles, manipulator arm extended. Her head whipped around. “Are you two INSANE?!” she shouted, eyes the approximate size of tea saucers. “That's a Dalek!” she shouted once more, jabbing a finger at it.

Amy and Rory held tight onto her arms. “Whoa! He's a good guy, River. Well, not exactly 'good' and I'm not sure if Daleks have gender... Rory!”

Rory grunted and dug his heels into the deck plating. “I don't exactly have Auton strength anymore, Amy!” His eyes slid to River. “River, he's got some sort of human factor inside of him. He's had a lot of opportunities to kill us but he hasn't. The Doctor knows him and trusts him.”

River halted her momentum and looked up at the Dalek. “Where are you from?”

The Dalek's dome rotated around and the eyestalk lowered slightly to lock its gaze onto River. “I am from Van Statten's torture chamber, Old Earth in 2012. You are River Song, from the future and past of the Doctor.”

River's struggles ceased entirely. “All right, sorry. Just wanted to be sure.” She looked to Amy. “You can let go, now.”

Both Amy and Rory let go of River, who walked forward up to the Dalek. She looked down slightly at the Dalek. “All right, so what happened? Who kidnapped him and how soon can we get there to make them be very sorry?”

“Davros and the Master kidnapped the Doctor, River Song. Mention was made of an attack squad of Daleks from the Paradigm, but they don't count.” His dome turned back and his arm moved across the console, the cup changing shape as it interacted with various controls. “I am starting up the engine. We have ninety-four hours and fifty-five minutes subjective time before their plans reach an apex.”

The central column began moving up and down as the characteristic voorp, voorp, voorp sounded throughout the chamber. The TARDIS shuddered slightly as it transcended time and space, disappearing from Stormcage.

River paced about. “So we've got the Master, Davros and Daleks. And who knows what else wherever they are.”

Rory walked up to the control console. He pressed a few buttons and two of the monitors lit up, showing images of Davros and the Master. “They both sound and look pretty nasty.”

The Dalek's eyestalk twitched. “The Master is the Doctor with no morals, essentially. Davros' genius almost matches the Doctor's as well.” The optic sensor's lens narrowed. “We are not enough to stop them, especially if they have help.”

River's eyes darted around before she sighed. “Hate to agree with it, but it's right. Normally this is the type of situation actually requiring the Doctor. Now we have to rescue him.” She walked over and leaned against the central console. “Lords know where they took him.”
*****
Elsewhere, Elsewhen
The Doctor sat, blindfolded and tied to a chair. He rocked a bit, feeling the vibrations rattling through his bones and core. “Type-one hundred TARDIS, Master? Saying something about the old girl I've been flying?”

There was silence, followed by the vibrations dying down and stopping. A door slid open and a pair of hands grabbed his arms, dragging the Doctor to his feet and guiding him away. He took a dozen steps-and then it hit him. His senses both physical and temporal nearly overloaded at the smell of silver leaves and the feeling of an orange sky upon his skin. “NO, nononono!” he cried out. “This is beyond impossible! This can't be happening!”

The blindfold was torn away and he looked up into the burnt-orange skies of Gallifrey flooded his vision. He stood still for a moment, drinking in every sight and sound. His mouth drooped slightly. “How?” he finally whispered.

The Master walked over to him and motioned in front of him with a gloved hand. The Doctor looked down and saw a large, metal ring with a blue, swirling vortex inside. Blue and white energies tumbled around inside. “The Untempered Schism,” he said. “A gap leading to the Vortex itself.” He chuckled slightly. “Not even the Time Lock can stop such raw, untempered power “This is where it all began, and where it will all end.”

The Doctor's eyes darted about and his mind shifted. There's a woman-long, reddish hair and a look of disdain-the Rani-standing next to a desk. It's wooden, with a young humanoid male sitting in front of a monitor. He's got an IV drip attached to his arm, indicating long hours at work. And no wonder. Those symbols-the Skasis Paradigm. With that and the Untempered Schism, no one could stop them-not even me. Twenty-four Dalek drones and one Eternal, along with Davros. The field extends one kilometer in every direction. And there are eleven posts around the perimeter... wait, what?

He focused on the pillars. Each one was a simple steel post about two meters tall, with a humanoid male shackled to it-each one quite familiar to him. “Well, a bit of a family reunion-of one man if he's the family of one.”

The first one was an old man with shoulder-length, grayish hair and wearing a pair of tartan trousers, a bow tie and frock coat. His eyes twinkled as he winked at the Eleventh Doctor. “It seems I've finally gotten my fashion sense back,” the First Doctor said.

The second one sighed, wrinkling his somewhat long face. He wore a pair of baggy trousers and a cravat and had rumpled brown hair. “Oh, my giddy aunt. It seems I've finally gone senile,” the Second Doctor muttered.

The next one was taller, wearing a frilled shirt, velvet smoking jacket and bow tie. His hair was blond and slightly curly. “You would know,” he muttered, rolling his eyes to the Second.

The next one's face nearly split as he grinned, showing off a toothy grin as his already-wide eyes seemed to expand past his face. His eyebrows pushed his floppy hat up a bit as he spoke in a manic voice. “Oh, ah ha! I think this one has a touch of myself in him,” the Fourth Doctor said. “Although his neck is missing something... a scarf perhaps?”

The fifth one sighed. He wore a long, beige coat with red trim and a stick of celery. His rather youthful face still carried signs of age as he spoke. “He's missing something, all right. We all were when we got captured. Don't feel too hard on yourself, old boy,” the Fifth Doctor said in a somewhat soft voice.

The sixth one rolled his eyes. He was taller than most of the others, with a loud waistcoat of clashing colors that hurt the eye unless viewed askance. His curly brown hair and intense eyes contrasted with the buffoonish outfit. “Oh, he didn't miss anything but the blindingly obvious,” the Sixth Doctor spat out. His eyes traveled down the line. “It seems I lost quite a bit when I regenerated.

The seventh pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. His panama hat wobbled a bit as he spoke. “The only things we lost were your arrrogance, stupidity and inability to underrrrstand basic emotions,” the Seventh Doctor said. An umbrella hung with a question mark-shaped handle leaned against the pole he was tied to, next to the sand-colored tweed trousers he wore. “What an oaf.”

The eighth shrugged, bouncing against his restraints. His hair was curly and brown with blue eyes. His dress was Victorian like many of the others, consisting of a green velvet jacket, a waistcoat with a pocket watch. “Oh, don't worry,” he said. “I have a feeling we'll get help when we need it. From those we-”

“Oh, SHUT UP!” the ninth shouted, frothing at the mouth. He squirmed and rocked, testing his restraints. His hair was cut short, almost a buzz cut. His eyes were wide, but from something bubbling within. He wore a plain leather jacket, a green jumper underneath and plain black trousers. “If you can see the future so well, you won't want to!” the Ninth Doctor said, sneering. “Oh, come on, Master. Let me loose and I'll show you a real good time. Your last time, too.”

The tenth sighed and rolled his eyes. “I was so young, then. Well, kinda young now too. Only a little difference in age.” His hair was longer then the previous and wore a dark brown suit with blue pinstripes and brown t-shirt. He looked to the Eleventh Doctor and groaned. “Still not ginger?” he exclaimed.

The Doctor tilted his head slightly as a pair of Dalek Drones rolled over, escorting him to the last pillar. “I thought I was a girl for the first few moments,” he confessed. He winced as cuffs were closed over his wrists. “Oi, not so tight!” He looked to the person at the desk and the monitor. “Who is he?”

The Master chuckled and walked over. He grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around, showing the youthful face to the Eleventh. “Davros picked him up before Briggs' freighter crashed into Earth. A rather lucky find, I think.”

The Doctor's hearts skipped beats as he saw the round face of Adric. His eyes were dull and his fingers twitched, hitting imaginary keystrokes. “I never saved you,” he murmured. “And I'm sorry, Adric. I am so, so sorry.” His gaze drifted to the Master. “Oh, but others? They'll be far, far sorrier. And do you know why? Because you did the one thing you never ever do to me. You harmed a friend of mine-and you're not going to get away with it.”

The renegade Time Lord snorted. “And what, pray tell, can you do chained to a post while we unlock the secrets of creation?!” he half-shouted, grabbing Adric's chair and spinning him around forcefully. He paced around, looking at all the incarnations of the Doctor. “How can any of you DO ANYTHING?!!!”

The Ninth smirked. “Oh, naturally.” He glanced around. “No plans, no resources of any kind and eleven bickering incarnations of the same person. Up against two renegade Time Lords and an army of Daleks. It'll be fantastic!”
*****

Please read and review.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Okay, past my writer's block.

Here we go!

*****
Chapter Four: Old and New Friends
Thirteen Bannerman Road
Sarah Jane Smith let out a weary sigh as the tea kettle let out a whistle in the kitchen. She rose from her seat in the living room and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a mitt before taking the tea kettle by the hand and placing it on a tray with two cups. She went back to the living room and sat in a chair opposite a couch. She placed the tray down on a table between the two pieces of furniture. “I think this is your favorite kind of tea,” she said, sighing. “Sorry, bit of a busy day today. Luke and Clyde had to deal with a Slitheen while Mister Smith wrote a cover story. And I still had to get my article into the paper in on time!”

Her guest reached over and picked up the kettle. He poured first her cup and then his cup and picked it up, taking a sip. “It's quite all right,” Sir Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart said, taking a sip. “It's rather good tea.” He settled his eighty-one year old body back, sighing. “Reminds me of the time Yates and I were working with this rather pleasant American chap back with UNIT. It involved a Sontaran, two Daleks and-”

His reverie was interrupted when a rather familiar grinding noise sounded out. He and Sarah looked to a large bay window looking out and saw a shadow appear. “I do wish he'd call,” the Brigadier remarked. He turned to Sarah Jane. “Shall we see what the old boy's up to?”

Five minutes later, the two old friends were out in the driveway in front of the TARDIS. Sarah Jane walked around the exterior, patting down the wooden panels. “Last time I saw him he had regenerated.” She stopped circling next to the Brigadier. “He looked like a young college professor starting out. He was even wearing a bow tie.”

The Brigadier chuckled. He looked to the door and cleared his throat. “Come out, Doctor! I don't have exactly time for any theatrics...” He trailed off as time ticked by. “Miss Smith, do you suppose something's wrong? I remember when you first witnessed his change after the incident at Metebelis III?” he stepped forward and pounded on the door. “Doctor? Doctor, are you all right?”

The door opened, forcing the Brigadier to step back. A young, pale woman with long, flame red hair and wearing a short skirt, calf-high boots and a red sweater. “Oi, do yah mind?” Amy Pond said, snarling slightly. “It took us a second to synchronize our watches.” She held up her arm and flashed her wrist. “Have you ever tried synchronizing a watch?”

Sarah Jane's eyes narrowed and she finally snapped her fingers. “Are you Amy Pond?” she asked. “The one on the honeymoon with Rory?”

Amy smiled. “Aye, and you're Sarah Jane Smith, right?” At Sarah Jane's nod, Amy's smile fell away. “Well, the Doctor's got himself in a right fix this time. Two blokes named the Master and Davros boarded the TARDIS and took off with him.”

Sarah Jane gasped. “Davros?”

The Brigadier's hand clenched. “The Master? Oily-looking with a beard and beady eyes?”

Amy's mouth opened and closed before she cleared her throat. “I... I'm not sure,” she confessed. “The Doctor locked us in what he called the Zero Room while he was snatched. We've been a bit busy pulling up old files to get a good look at him.”

Sarah Jane's mouth set in a grim line. She walked up to the TARDIS and patted the exterior. “Oh, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” She looked back to Amy. “I suppose you've come to ask for our help in rescuing that scatterbrained old man in some impossible task that involves time travel, possibly meeting multiple versions of ourselves and head-scratching paradoxes?”

Amy placed a finger on her chin and furrowed her brow before nodding. “You forgot possible universe rebooting and dying in the past and staying alive.”

A smile tugged at Sarah Jane's mouth. “Sounds like old times.” She looked to her house. “I've got to get something in the attic and leave Luke a message on his phone.” And with that, she ran off up the steps and back inside her house.

The TARDIS' door opened again and Rory stepped outside. He looked to Amy, then the Brigadier. He swallowed and held his trembling right hand up in a salute. “Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, I presume?”

The Brigadier smiled and returned the salute, dropping his arm and holding his hand out. “Retired, young man. Though thank you. And you are?”

Rory's mouth twitched in an approximation of a smile and shook the Brigadier's hand. “Rory, sir. Amy's husband.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mister Pond,” the Brigadier said. He looked to the TARDIS and let out a sigh. “I've never actually taken a trip inside the TARDIS. I suppose one last adventure can't hurt. I only hope Doris doesn't find out from someone other than me.”

Rory let out a small sigh, but nodded slightly. “I read a bit about you in the computer. Is it true you were basically the Doctor's boss for a while?”

The Brigadier nodded, chuckling. “He was exiled to Earth by his people and worked for UNIT as a scientific adviser. We had a bit of a stormy relationship, but got on well enough when it really counted.”

Sarah Jane appeared once more, carrying a rectangular, metallic approximation of a canine. It had antennae for ears, a red band where the eyes would be and wheels for legs and feet. She placed it on the ground. “I called Luke and left a message on his cell phone,” she said. She looked down at the metallic canine and smiled. “K9 and I are all ready to go!”

Amy and Rory's head tilted as they looked down at K9. “Why do you have a tin dog?” Amy asked, right eye twitching. She motioned to it. “It looks so... so...”

“Old?” Sarah Jane finished, placing her hands on her hips. “K9 may be a bit on the weathered side, but he's very advanced and willing to fight!” She knelt down and patted K9 on the head. “Aren't you, boy?”

K9's antennae-ears waggled back and forth as his optic band lit up. “Affirmative, Mistress! I am ready to rescue the Doctor!” He rolled to the door. “I need the entry opened, please! I possess no limbs to open the entry!”

Rory's jaw canted slightly. He let out a short breath. “There's something you should know,” he said, glancing to the door. “We have a passenger aboard who might startle you-at first!” He waited until both Sarah Jane and the Brigadier were looking at him. “It's a-”

A sudden flash of movement caught everyone's eye as a rather large BMW traveling down the far side of the street made a sudden U-turn, tires skidding on the pavement. It stopped in front of a pair of cars before the tires burnt rubber on the asphalt, kicking up smoke. It sped up to the edge of Sarah Jane's driveway, stopping short and main chassis bouncing.

The driver-side door slammed open and a redhead stormed around, green eyes blazing from her snarling face. She stopped in front of the TARDIS, panting hard. “I've seen that in my dreams!” Donna Temple-Noble bellowed, jabbing a finger at the blue police box.

The passenger door opened and an old man stumbled out, dropping to the ground and shaking his head. “Next time I drive, Wilfred 'Wilf' Mott mumbled. He suddenly sprinted around the front of the car, skirting the bumper. “Donna, no Donna!” he shouted, waving his arms at her. “You can't see it, my dear!”

Donna swallowed and her legs wobbled. “That... that thing!” She swayed on her feet, leaning against the hood of her BMW. “Oh, my.”

Sarah Jane ran up to her and grabbed her shoulder. She looked to Wilf. “Wilfred Mott?” At his nod, she looked back to Donna. “Donna, it's not what it-”

“Don't you patronize me, Sunshine!” Donna bellowed. Her eyes widened and she winced. She brought her hands up to her forehead and rubbed it. “I'm not feeling so well...”

Amy, Rory and the Brigadier appeared around Sarah Jane. “What's going on with her?!” Amy asked. She looked Donna over, then snapped her fingers. “Oh, no! You're the one the Doctor went to see, to make sure you're all right. You're Donna Noble!”

The Brigadier's head shot back and forth. “What's the matter with her? Shouldn't we be calling an ambulance?”

Sarah Jane shook her head. “Remember when the Daleks stole Earth?” At his nod, she continued. “Donna received the full knowledge contained inside the Doctor's head. A human mind isn't large enough for all that, so he had to wipe her mind or else it'd burn out.” Her expression fell. “Oh, this is awful!”

Donna gasped, a puff of orange smoke suddenly shooting out from between her lips. She looked up as it wound its way through the air. “Ooh, that's pretty!” Her eyes suddenly crossed and she slumped against the hood. “I feel funny...”

The Brigadier looked her up and down, his eyes widening. He grabbed Sarah Jane's shoulders and tugged at her. “I think we'd better stand back, everyone. I've seen this before and it's not good. It can be rather... dangerous for those around.”

Wilf looked up and over at the Brigadier. “Eh, what're you going on 'bout? I'm sticking with my granddaughter until the end!” He grabbed her right hand and held it up, but gasped as it began glowing. “What the?”

The Brigadier and Sarah Jane stepped back as Donna abruptly stood up, Amy, Rory and eventually Wilf following. Donna's arms shot out and her head tilted back as orange energy engulfed her. Streams shot from her limbs as it swirled around her, melting some of her wrinkles. It faded away, leaving a Donna Temple-Noble still recognizable, but also younger. She coughed, letting loose one more burst of energy.

Rory blinked twice. “What just happened?”

The Brigadier cleared his throat. “If the Doctor passed on more than knowledge to Miss Noble, if he passed on some sort of Time Lord biology along with his mind. Then this young woman might have just regenerated!”

Amy and Rory turned around to face the Brigadier. “Regenerated?” Amy asked. She scratched the side of her head, brushing some of her reddish hair from her face. “Is that like-well is it...” She trailed off and grunted. “Okay, just lay it out for us who haven't known the Doctor for more than a year and a half!”

The Brigadier cleared his throat and walked over to the still-wobbly Donna. “If a member of the Doctor's species is injured, old or sick, they... they basically gain a new body. I've met several different versions of the Doctor, each one the same but not the same.” He held out a hand. “Are you all right?”

Wilf stepped forward, his forehead creased. “D'you mean Donna's all right?” He grabbed his granddaughter's right arm. “Sweetie, what do you remember? Do you remember the Doctor, all you did?”

Donna's head shot around and stared at everyone all around her. She focused on Sarah Jane, first. “He didn't want to leave you behind,” she said. She blinked and looked to Wilf, smiling. “Thank you,” she said, eyes watering slightly before looking to the TARDIS itself. “And I will KILL you!” she suddenly launched herself from the hood, brushing past Rory and the Brigadier. “Ever hear of a damned chameleon arch?!” she shouted, banging on the doors. “Come on out so I can whallop you one!”

Rory and Amy lurched after her, grabbing her arms and hauling her back... or trying to. “Do Time Lords have super strength?” Rory grunted out as Donna continued pounding. He and Amy eventually lifted her up, carrying the thrashing Donna away.

The TARDIS' door opened and River's head peeked out. She looked around, finally focusing on Amy, Rory and Donna. “What's going on out here? We've got less than ninety hours and our pilot's getting testy,” she said, head bobbing back to the interior. Her eyes narrowed as she focused her attention fully on Donna. “Wait, Donna Temple-Noble?”

Donna's eyes focused on River. Her head bobbed back and forth a bit and a grain appeared. “Hey!” she shouted, waggling a finger at River, “you said you never met me! Well, you've met me now! Isn't time travel fun?” She looked around and her smile fell away. “Well, it is for me!”

Amy and Rory exchanged a glance. Rory checked his watch and flashed his wrist at his wife, who placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled for a good ten seconds, drawing everyone's attention. She waited for a few seconds and cocked her head to the side. “Okay, we all done now? Good!” She placed her hands on her hips. “Just to bring everyone up to speed, the Doctor's been kidnapped by the Master and Davros. According to some time travel mumbo-jumbo, we can't simply arrive when they do and have eighty-nine hours and thirty-five minutes until whatever they're planning can't be stopped.” She waved a finger at them all. “So we're flying around space and time gathering up people who have traveled with the Doctor who can be useful.” She looked to Rory. “Am I forgetting anything?”

Rory nodded. He let out a breath and squared his shoulders before speaking. “Our pilot is rather... unique.” he held up his hands, palm out. “The Doctor trusts him, mind you. He's... he's a Dalek!” he blurted out. “With actual non-psychotic emotions!”

Sarah Jane's jaw dropped. She looked to the TARDIS, then whipped her head around to stare at Rory and Amy. “A Dalek?! You have-”

“Sarah Jane, the Dalek's had plenty of opportunities to kill us and hasn't!” Amy blurted out. She walked forward and placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder. “Believe me, Rory and I were freaked out when he showed up. But if it wasn't for him, we'd never have found you.” She looked around. “The Doctor's saved the universe a lot of times, and now he needs saving.”

Wilf straightened up and saluted. “Wilfred Mott reporting for duty, ma'am.”

Donna looked to Sarah Jane. “Any chance I can park my car here while we go off? I'd rather not get a parking ticket while we go off pulling off some damned miracle and saving the Doctor's bacon.” She then snapped her fingers and dug into her coat pocket. “Better give Shaun a call and let him know Granddad and I might be a bit late.” She glanced to the TARDIS and blew a strand of hair from her eyes. “Knowing this thing, I'll end up in France during the Revolution!”

Sarah Jane tossed Donna a curt nod before kneeling down and gathering up K9 in her arms. She winced slightly when standing up. “Oh, I'm getting too old for this.” She walked up to the door as River swung it open for her. “Thank you.”

Rory and Amy followed, Donna trailing close behind. Wilf and the Brigadier exchanged glances. “Military man?” The Brigadier asked, looking Wilf over.

Wilf snapped to attention. “I was at Palestine in 1948. During the end of the mandate. You?”

The Brigadier returned the salute. “Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Former head of UNIT and the Doctor's boss for a while.” He turned and walked off to the TARDIS, Wilf right behind. He hesitated a moment before stepping over the threshold. “I've never actually flown in the TARDIS,” he confessed.

Wilf's mouth opened slightly. He blinked and looked around. “Looks different than the last time I was... here...” He trailed off as he saw the Dalek at the control console. “I don't like that,” he admitted, lowering his voice.

The Dalek's dome swiveled around and his eyestalk stared straight at Wilf. “The Doctor ordered me not to kill anyone barring Daleks of the Paradigm. I obey his orders, Wilfred Mott!” The dome swiveled back and the manipulator arm extended. “Our next target, River Song?”

River marched up a ramp and across to the Dalek. She grabbed a monitor hanging down and swiveled it around. Rory, Amy, Sarah Jane, Wilf and the Brigadier gathered tightly around it while Donna hung back on her cell phone. She finally snapped it shut and stepped forward, looking up at the monitor. “Those two?”

A pair of headshots were on the flickering screen, both of blond humanoids. The first wore a cheeky, mischievous grin with inquisitive, bright eyes. She wore a pink jacket and long, white scarf that seemed to match perfectly. The second, younger, had her hair tied up in a bun and harder eyes, her mouth set in a somewhat grim smirk. She wore a black leather jacket with various patches sown onto it and had a baseball bat resting against her shoulder.

River nodded. “Romanadvoratrelundar and Dorothy 'Ace' McShane.” A small smile crossed her lips. “Those two.”
*****
Please read and review.

[Foxfyre]

I like so far, can't wait until Ace meets the Dalek.......

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Foxfyre-You won't have to wait long...

Here we go!

*****
Chapter five: Nitro-nine and Long Scarves
A Charitable Earth headquarters. London, England
“Hello, A Charitable Earth. Please hold. Hello, A Charitable Earth. Your call is very important to us. Please hold. Hello-”

The secretary glanced up as a loud grinding noise echoed through the foyer. The TARDIS appeared next to a pair of potted ferns. The door opened and Amy and Rory stepped out. They looked around, waving at some passersby before spotting the desk and walking over.

The secretary pressed a button on her phone and waited a moment before speaking. “Miss McShane? We have a code seven in the lobby. Yes, they're making their way-I'll tell them. Yes, thank you.” She looked up as the two approached the desk. “Please have a seat,” she said, motioning to some chairs set up against a wall. “Miss McShane will be ready for you in a few minutes.”

Amy and Rory looked to each other, then to the secretary. Amy chuckled nervously and her eyes narrowed slightly. “Ah, how did you know-”

“Miss McShane has briefed all her personnel on what to do if the TARDIS appears,” the secretary said. “I have contacted her and-”The phone rang and she pressed a button on the main unit before picking it up. “Main reception? Yes, Miss McShane. I'll take them there.” She placed the handset back down on the cradle before standing up and walking around the desk. She paused in front of Amy and Rory. “If you'll follow me, please,” she said before turning on her heel and walking to a door recessed in the wall.

Amy and Rory mutely followed her through the door and down a long, gray-walled corridor bereft of any decoration. The secretary paused at an armored hatch with a control panel and inputted a nine-digit combination into the keypad on the panel. Lights above the hatch blinked from red to green and the hatch groaned open. She stepped through, Amy and Rory on her heels. She walked down an equally long and drab corridor before coming to a hatch and control panel identical to the one before. She keyed in another combination and pulled down on a lever before turning her head and looking to Rory and Amy. “Miss McShane is inside. Have a nice day.” And with that, she turned and walked out.

The hatch slid open and Rory and Amy slowly stepped inside. A round table made of solid oak dominated the room, with large flatscreen monitors on each wall. Both Amy and Rory quickly spotted the other occupant of the room. Amy arched an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. “Well, what do we have here?”

Dorothy 'Ace' McShane stood across from Rory and Amy, clad in black pants, white high-top sneakers, a striped shirt and a black leather jacket covered in patches. She wore her blond hair in a ponytail, with bangs just above her mischievous eyes. One hand clutches the strap of a backpack slung over her shoulder, while the other hefted an aluminum baseball bat with a large weld running around the center of it. She walked around the table to the pair. “So, what's the Professor got himself into this time?”

Amy's eyes narrowed and she exchanged a glance with Rory. “The who?” she asked, mouth curling slightly. She looked Ace over and her mouth curled. “And why do yeh look like a refugee from the 1980's?”

Ace's mouth fell open. “I am from the 1980's!” she half-shouted. She looked Amy over. “Why do you look like a kissogram?”

Rory piped up. “That was her main source of income for a while.”

Amy looked back at him and rolled her eyes before looking back to Ace. “Okay, fair enough.” She held up her hands and waved them. “But-just-we've got a problem. The Master and Davros have the Doctor and we've got-” She checked her watch. “-eighty-nine hours and ten minutes to rescue him.” She placed her hands on her hips. “So, coming or not?”

Rory pointed at the bat. “Umm, what are you planning on doing with that?”

Ace's grin grew. She wheeled around and brought the bat down on the table. A loud CRACK echoed through the room as energy arced from the contact. The bat continued down, through the table and to the floor. “Killing Daleks,” Ace replied. She looked back to Amy and Rory. “So, the TARDIS?”
*****
It was somewhat quiet in the TARDIS control room as the ship's main engines idled in standby. Wilf and the Brigadier were in a room directly adjacent, sitting at a table and having lunch. Wilf dug into his steak and potatoes, barely pausing to drink some juice. “I wonder how this was made,” he wondered between bites.

The Brigadier chewed on some steamed carrots and shrugged. “I'm more concerned about where it came from.” He looked over at his eating companion. “So the Master actually tackled this Rassilon back into the Time Lock after the Doctor shot the diamond?”

Wilf rubbed his mouth with a napkin and nodded. “Oh, yeah. I was sort of trapped inside a glass booth at the time, but I could still see it. Oh, what a row!” he glanced to the door, then his watch. “What's taking Rory and Amy so long? Should've been easy to get this Ace to come along, from what I've heard about her.”

The Brigadier nodded. “I remember meeting her during a time with a bunch of extra-dimensional knights, Morgaine and the Dextroyer.” He looked up at Wilf's shocked face and waved him off. “Oh, rather boring story. There was a time with a robot-” He stopped as Sarah Jane entered the room. “Ah, Miss Smith. Any word from our intrepid duo?”

Sarah Jane shook her head. “Nothing, but I was wondering if you two could come out and confirm something for me? River's taking a nap and Donna's having a chat with K9 about old times-although how she remembers these 'old times' is something of a mystery. And the Dalek...” She glanced away and shuddered slightly before looking back at them. “Just for a moment?”

Wilf nodded and stood up, the Brigadier quickly following. Both old soldiers disposed of their meals before walking out to the control room. “What is it, dear?” Wilf asked, his eyes immediately latching onto the Dalek at the control pedestal.

Sarah Jane placed a hand on one of the outer safety rails. “There's a faint vibration coming from somewhere. I just don't know where at the moment.”

Wilf breathed out before stepping from the outer perimeter to the main control pedestal. “Hey, Dalek!” he half-shouted. “Anything wrong?”

The Dalek's dome whipped around, the eyestalk's optic sensor wobbling from the inertia. “There is nothing wrong! All systems are operating at peak efficiency. I am sitting here, doing nothing out of the ordinary and not being aggressive in the slightest! I am simply piloting the TARDIS, nothing more!” The dome turned back and its manipulator arm pressed against some controls.

The Brigadier blinked. “He's nervous. He's-”

“I AM NOT NERVOUS!” the Dalek shouted, vocalizer lights blazing. “Dorothy McCshane can do nothing to me, Brigadier Lethbrige-Stewart! She does not have her-”

Donna and K9 entered, River on their heels. Donna marched right up to the Dalek and smacked it across the dome. “Oi, will you shut up!” she shouted. “You're loud enough to wake a Cyberman!” She shook her head, then looked around as everyone stared at her. “What? Not my fault Ace is setting off warning bells in his squishy little brain.”

Wilf raised his hand and waved slightly. “Wait, Ace? What's this got to do with that young lady? She looks tough, but I bet-”

“There are two emotions non-altered Daleks feel, Wilfred Mott,” the Dalek said, dome swiveling around and eyestalk focusing squarely on the old man. “Anger, and fear. We fear failure, because it means we are not at the apex. We fear the Doctor, for what he has done to our plans of conquest. He is known as 'the Oncoming Storm'. Ace is known as the Demon with the Bat. The demon who can kill us, who will not back down from us, who humbles us and has no fear of us.”

There was silence for a bit before the door swung open. Amy and Rory dashed inside ahead of Ace. “All right, Dalek!” Amy shouted. “Set a course for G-space!” she shouted, running around to his spot at the control pedestal.

Ace followed on her heels. She approached the Dalek and held her bat in a two-handed grip. “You're sure he's all right?' she asked, waving the silver bludgeon around slightly.

Amy waved her off and curled her lips slightly. “Oh, yeah!” She patted the Dalek on the dome. “He's a sweetheart under the armor, aren't you?” She popped back up and skipped slightly to Ace. “So, what was this about a rocket launcher?”

Rory walked over to Wilf and the Brigadier. “They've been like this for a while,” he muttered. He shrugged and waved his hand about. “Ace has been telling us about Iceworld, some bloke named Fenric.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and she's from Perivale! Can you believe that?”

Wilf blinked. “Oh, yeah. I think I can.” He walked forward and cleared his throat. “All right, so where to next? That other space where this Romana is?” His brow wrinkled. “Who is she, anyway?”

River grabbed a monitor and swung it over in Wilf's direction. “A Time Lady, from Gallifrey.” She noticed Wilf's shocked expression and waved him off. “Don't worry, sweetie. She's a nice Time Lady.”

Sarah Jane wandered over. “And she's in E-space, which is why she wasn't sealed away like the rest of Gallifrey?”

River grinned as the central power column began moving up and down while the engines came to life. “A pocket reality, part of the universe but also apart from it. It's why we can get there, since true parallel realities are pretty much impossible to get to.” The TARDIS suddenly shook. River grabbed onto a railing with one hand and Sarah Jane's shoulder with the other. “Well, this should be fun!”

The lights flickered and the Dalek's dome rotated around. “Warning! Dimensional turbulence detected! Assume a seated position and apply appropriate restraining gear!”

Rory looked around the control room and spotted one seat. “Okay, one seat and seven-” K9 suddenly let out a burst of static. “-Okay, sorry. Seven people and one dog from the future. No wonder I hate musical chairs!”

There was a sudden crash as the entire deck tilted. And then everything turned black.
*****
E-space, the Gateway
It was many minutes before anyone spoke in the pitch-black control room. “Where are we?” Ace whispered, clutching her bat tightly.

The Dalek's manipulator arm whirred quietly as it pushed several controls and gripped a lever. “Entry into E-space successful,” it reported, flashing lights illuminating the area immediately around him. A few lights blinked on and a monitor lit up, showing a white, featureless void. “We are at the Gateway-the path between N-space and E-space. One humanoid and small machine approaching.”

Amy slowly walked over and patted the Dalek on the head. “Nice flying,” she commented, effecting a half-smile. She looked around, eyes focusing on Rory. “Think it's her?”

Rory shrugged. “Can't be her, Amy. That would make it easy. And no way it can be easy.” He walked over to the monitor and pulled it around into his view. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Romana and another robotic canine approaching. “Or maybe it is?”

Amy was by his side in an instant, followed by River and Sarah Jane. “She's got a K9 too!” Sarah Jane exclaimed.

K9 rolled around, ear-antennae waggling back and forth. “Another K9 unit? How wonderful! Perhaps he and I can share data files!”

Sarah Jane looked down and shushed at him before looking back up. “She hasn't regenerated.” Her eyes narrowed. “A bit of gray at her temples, though. And the hair's shorter, too. No scarf, either.”

Rory snorted. “How the Doctor didn't trip over that scarf he used to have is beyond me.”

The Brigadier looked over from one of the safety rails. “Oh, wasn't his worst fashion choice. There was one who wore an outfit that seemed to be at war with itself.”

Wilf nodded and waved his hands around his head. “Oh, the one with the curly hair?”

The Brigadier nodded. “That's the one.”

Amy, Rory and River walked to the door. “Well, if you'll excuse us, we've got a Time Lady to recruit. Should be fun!”
*****
It must be a dream, the second incarnation of Romana thought as she approached the all-too familiar blue box. Her footsteps echoed on the featureless void as she reached out to it. “K-9, is this the TARDIS?”

K9 mark-II's sensor snout extended. “This is indeed the TARDIS, mistress,” he intoned. “All parameters match up precisely!”

The door swung open and Romana stepped back. Instead of a manic Time Lord with an impossibly-wide grin and even longer scarf, a young redheaded female appeared. She brushed back a lock of her long red hair as a male with short, brown hair followed and another female with curly blond hair. “Who are you?” Romana asked.

The first to appear stepped forward, “Hi, there!” she said, waving and smiling. She looked down at the void and swallowed. “Okay, this is odd. How do you know-” She cut herself off and looked to Romana. “My name's Amy Pond. This is my husband Rory and our friend River Song,” she said, pointing to each one. She clapped her hands together. “We kind of need your help-well, the Doctor needs your help, but we need your help to help the Doctor.” Her brow wrinkled and she looked to the man-Rory. “Did that make sense?”

Rory nodded, then bobbed his shoulders. “I think you got it across.”

River stepped forward and extended a hand. “Sweetie, it's an honor to meet you,” she said, grinning. “I've read and heard so much about you!” Her grin fell away as Romana stood there. “Are you all right?”

Romana's nose wrinkled slightly. “I'm fine,” she said. She looked to Amy. “What did he get himself into this time?”

Amy looked to River, who had dropped her hand, then back to Romana. “He's been captured by the Master and Davros and some Daleks and is there a problem?” She looked to River, then back to Romana and finally to Rory. She leaned in close to her husband. “It's not just me, is it?”

Rory shook his head. “Nah, not just you.” He stepped forward and slapped his hands together. “Listen, you two. I don't know what transpired in the... two minutes since you've met, but a mutual friend is in some deep trouble that could involve the end of the universe. Again.” He looked at the two, then looked to Romana. “From everything we've read about you, you're ever bit the equal of the Doctor's-but if you can't work with River, then there's gonna be trouble. So whatever is rubbing you the wrong way, drop it. All right?”

Romana looked him over. “No wonder the Doctor chose you to travel with him.” She looked to River and her head bobbed up and down. “I don't know what it is, but I'll work past it. For you and for the Doctor.” And with that, she walked past River to the TARDIS door.

Amy walked up to River. “Did I miss something-and don't say spoilers, either! This is too important!” she hissed out.

River shrugged. “I can tell you later, but not now. It's not important, but it will be.” And she turned and walked to the door.

Rory bit his lip and shook his head. “I think she just said 'spoilers' in a very roundabout way.”

Amy placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “If those don't get along I'll make sure they're very sorry. And then we'll all die.” She looked down at K9 mark-II. “Coming?”

K9 mark-II rolled forward. “Of course! Please help me up. I cannot traverse the edge without assistance.”

Rory knelt down and picked the robotic canine up, wincing slightly. He turned to the door, then stopped in his tracks and looked to Amy. “Think we should've told her about the Dalek?”

Amy's jaw dropped before she hurried past him through the doors into the main control room. Romana stood right in front of her, eyes locked on the Dalek. “It's not what it seems!” she half-shouted. “He's a good Dalek, a nice Dalek! He hasn't killed anyone here!”

The Dalek's dome swiveled around and the optic sensor irised shut, leaving a pinprick of blue light. “Thank you, Amy Pond,” he said, metallic voice dripping with sarcasm. He focused on Romana as she held up a sonic screwdriver. “Put that away, please. I am the only one able to pilot the TARDIS with any degree of accuracy. And we have little enough time as it is.”

Sarah Jane and Donna approached her. Donna tapped the side of her head. “Love, I've got a lot of the Doctor's memories inside this tiny little head of mine. I know how he saw you and what you meant to him. And that he thought you were utterly brilliant.” She reached out and placed a hand on Romana's outstretched arm. “And I know you can trust us, to save him.”

There was a pause before Romana's arm dropped, flicking off the sonic screwdriver. She slipped it into her pocket and walked up to the control console. “How rough was the passage through?” she asked, pressing a few buttons and pulling down on a lever.

“Power was lost and stabilizers damaged,” the Dalek reported.

Romana pulled a monitor around and looked at it as graphs appeared. “Extrapolator shields need power rerouted to it.” She looked around. “I can relay instructions if anyone wants to move some power couplers around in the lower levels.”

Rory raised his hand. “I helped the Doctor with that a few times.” He walked to one of the doors. “Make sure to shout clearly while I'm down there!”

Wilf followed after him. “Might as well make myself somewhat useful,” he joked, half-smiling.

Rory slowed down a bit to let him catch up. “Ah, don't do that! Come on, I'll show you the power wiring. Just make sure to get the goggles on. And don't drop anything!”

Amy walked up to Romana. She tilted her head to the side a bit. “Top of yer class, eh?” She looked to the monitor and leaned against the console. “So, can you make it less like a roller coaster ride going back to... “ She looked to the Dalek. “What'd yah call it, N-space?”

The Dalek's eyestalk focused on her. “Correct, Amy Pond.” His manipulator arm grabbed a dial and turned it. “Extrapolator shielding at one hundred-twenty percent! Please supply coordinates for next retrieval!”

River was at another console a few seconds later. She leaned over it, hiding a smile. “He's learned how to say please!” she crowed before looking up. “Dalek-and Romana,” she added when the Time Lady glanced up and glared, “set course for Space Station W3, in the Sol System.” Several of the monitors lit up, showing a young woman with short, black hair framing a pixie-like face. Bangs partially obscured her eyes and shimmering silver fabric covered her shoulders. “Zoe Heriot, everyone. When you absolutely need someone smarter than even the Doctor!”
*****

Please read and review.

[Foxfyre]

Love the Dalek's reaction to Ace. Romana and River was interesting......going for the River being a future incarnation of Romana?

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Foxfyre-It'd be about right for her. And maybe... maybe not. Not gonna spoil it.

Here we go!


*****
Chapter Six: Helping Oneself and Getting Help
The Untempered Schism

The Tenth Doctor's wrists chafed against the rope tied around them as he strained and stretched against his bindings. He grunted and made odd faces as he struggled. “Come on!” he half-whispered. He looked to his left, then his right. “Aye, what's going on with you two? Lend a fellow a hand, eh? Come on, where's our maturity?”

The Ninth's head bobbed up and he regarded his future self. “What are you blabbering on about?” he asked, sneering. “We're all tied with no weapons and a platoon of Daleks pointin' their weapons at us.”

The Tenth rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on! Where's that bluster and bragging from before?” he asked, voice squeaking. His shoulders bobbed. “I mean come on, assets!”

There was a pause before the Ninth's head whipped around. “Okay, what do we have? We got nothing! Well, that was productive!” He looked back to the Tenth. “SO, what can we do with nothing?”

The Tenth's face fell and his head lolled slightly. “Oh, come on! We're the mature ones!” He nodded to the Ninth, then to the Eleventh. “We're not brash young upstarts who thumb their respiratory bypass systems at authority!” His face nearly split from the grin forming. “So, come on eh! Let's get it together and show those whippersnappers how to do things!”

The Eleventh slowly looked up. His head cocked to the side and his brow furrowed. “I have a very important question, first.”

“Oh, what is it?” the Tenth asked. “Our tactics? Our strategy? How to get the young ones in line?”

The Eleventh pursed his lips. “Did I leave the iron on?”

The Tenth's eyes widened and he banged his head against the pole he was tied to. “Oh, I've gone senile,” he muttered. “Old age has finally caught up with me!”

A chuckle escaped the Eleventh's lips. “What, old age? I'm not you, remember?” His wide eyes narrowed. “Nope, you died and I took your place. But if you're the Doctor and you're dead, what does that make me?” His head leaned as forward as possible. “I am the Doctor, and no amount of self-pity from you will make that any different!”

The Tenth nodded. “Oh, yeah. Wait until you're the one dying and about to change. Then we'll see if you sing a different tune about regeneration.” He looked back down the line to the younger Doctors, stopping on the Second. “What's he doing?”

The Second Doctor's eyes were screwed shut and a look of concentration was on his long face. “Quiet!” he hissed out the side of his mouth. “I am attempting telepathic contact with beyond Gallifrey.” He hummed slightly. “I might be able to pierce this damned Time Lock-”

“And what has happened that caused an actual Time Lock placed on Gallifrey?!” the Sixth shouted. “This is inconceivable, unimaginable and just plain odd! I demand to know what happened!”

The First gasped. “You know tampering in events is not a good idea, and is rather bad! History can't be rewritten, no matter what.” He rolled his eyes and looked away. “And what are you wearing, my dear boy? Did you get dressed in the dark?”

The Sixth snorted. “I am merely transcending fashion!” he said, eyebrows quirking. “I don't see-”

“WILL YOU BE QUIET!” Davros shouted, floating over. He jabbed his gauntleted hand at them, forehead-mounted optic sensor flashing. “Jabber all you want, Doc-tors! But in the end, all you can do is watch as we gain omnipotence and omniscience!” He tilted his head back and laughed. “And there is nothing you can do!”

The Seventh tilted his head to the side and frowned. “Yes, verry dangerrous idea, omnipotence,” he said. He looked to Davros, then the Master and finally the Rani. “So, amongst you, who will be the more powerful? Who's the 'most' omnipotent?”

The Rani walked over from Adric's workstation and shook her head. “That won't work, Doctor.” She spread her arms out. “All I wish for is a planet and an endless supply of subjects for my experiments.” She looked to Davros and the Master, smiling widely. “I'll leave the universe-conquering to you two.”

The Master raised his hands and slowly clapped. “Well played,” He said, smiling. “Turn us against each other and have us at our throats so you may swoop in and take us out?” The smile fell away. “I think not!” He stalked forward to the Seventh Doctor. “Oh, yes. After ultimate power is gained, we shall see who wins out. But not before.” He raised a gloved hand and waggled a finger at the Seventh. “A wonderful effort, but wasted on us.”

The Tenth leaned forward, straining at his bonds. “Listen, Master. I know-I know what's in your head. The drums! I know them and I can help you!” he said, eyes bulging. “Please, let us help you and save you endless years of... misery...” His voice trailed off as the Master walked up to him. “Please?”

The Master shook his head and smiled. “Oh, Doctor. You have no idea what's in my magnificent mind,” he said before turning and walking off to Adric and the Rani.

The Third looked over from his post, leaning as far forward as he could. “I say, what do you mean exactly? Drums in his head?”

The Tenth locked eyes with him. “He's got a double drumbeat echoing in his head. Had it ever since he looked into the Untempered Schism.” He looked to the black, starless sky and grunted. “Rassilon sent a signal back through a white-point star that drove him mad. All so... “ He let out a sigh and looked back down to the Third. “Sorry, not sure how much I can say, even with the time differential sorting this all out in the end.”

The Third nodded, his brow wrinkling. “Quite all right, Pythia knows how this mess is going to get sorted out. Even if time is in flux.” He twisted his arms a bit, but paused as a pair of Dalek drones rolled by. “I must say, their new decor's rather odd.”

The Eleventh looked at the drones. “Oh, yeah! The new Dalek Paradigm, same as the old. Just blood and killing and hate and fear.” He stopped as a drone turned its eyestalk to him. “Your great victory, Dalek. More of the same. Just more of the same that you're ever capable of.”
*****
The Sol System, T-minus eighty hours subjective time
Amy paced around the control room, her body weaving as she made her way to the Dalek. She paused and pulled a monitor down, staring at the image of a space station hanging in the blackness of space. She looked to the Dalek and kicked her foot into the air. “So, mind tellin' me why we can't simply teleport onto the station and get Zoe?” she asked, leaning over the Dalek's dome.

The Dalek's eyestalk jutted up and the iris narrowed. “An ion storm displaced by temporal wake currents has rendered the TARDIS unable to materialize aboard Space Station W3.” Its manipulator arm shot up and the grabber at the end extended. “It is beyond my control, Amy Pond!”

Amy leaned back and flipped a switch near the typewriter. She picked up a phone off the cradle and held it to her face, pressing on the hook. “Ace, can ye come up here for a moment?” she said into the receiver. “The Dalek's being a bit fussy and uncooperative.” She paused and her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, sorry? Didn't mean to interrupt batting practice and-”

Romana appeared behind her and snatched the phone from her hands. “You're not even talking to anyone,” she said. The Time Lady clicked her tongue. “As much as I hate to admit it, the Dalek's right. W3 is out of reach even with my help and technical skills.” She walked over to a typewriter and tapped at the keyboard, looking up at the monitor. “We should be arriving shortly after the Time Lords... deposited Zoe there.” She looked down and blinked. “The Time Lords... who resurrected Rassilon as their president.”

Amy crossed her arms and leaned against the central pillar, eyebrows furrowed. “I-I'm sorry. The Doctor made some references to the Time War, but most of what happened we've learned from the Dalek.” She glanced to the glass floor and sighed. “I'm not sure if there's anything I can say, or do, but if there is, just let me know, okay?” she said, reaching out and placing a hand on Romana's shoulder.

Romana pointed to her head and flashed a tiny smile. “I have a door in my head, Amy. Behind it is my mother and father, and Gallifrey and Time Lord Academy. And all my memories of home. I keep them there, locked away.” The smile fell away. “But the door is not closed all the way. And the lock won't catch all the way.” She closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly. “I'm sorry, Amy. I'm so sorry, but...” Her voice hitched slightly and her shoulders heaved One hand raised and she pointed to her temple. “I couldn't hear them in E-space, and I got used to it because I knew Gallifrey was still all right. But now...” Her voice trailed off and she leaned against the console, head dropping low and long hair shrouding her face.

Amy tightened her grip on Romana's shoulder, but remained silent for several minutes. She looked to the doors as they opened, revealing Donna and Sarah Jane. Her mouth opened halfway, but clamped shut as the two older women walked up to Romana. She let go of the Time Lady's shoulder, but stayed by her side.

Donna let out a sigh as she walked up the ramp to Romana's side. “I've got fragments of memories,” she began. “Not all of it. It's filtered through my mundane human senses and the mindwipe he gave me.” She held up her hand even as Romana opened her mouth. “And don't go off on that topic. Anyway, I can empathize-somewhat. There's echoes of what you've lost bouncing around in this great big empty head of mine. And if what you're experiencing is anything close...” Her voice trailed off and she glanced to the side, wiping her eyes.

Romana grunted and looked to Donna. She locked eyes with her before smiling and poking at the console. “Not empty,” she said. “Not if the Doctor chose you to come along.” She looked back to the console and pulled down on a lever, grunting slightly. “We should be able to materialize onto the Wheel in an hour, once we pass the last of the currents.” She glanced to the side suddenly as the Dalek approached from behind Amy. “What?”

There was silence from the Dalek before it extended its manipulator arm to her. Its eyestalk lowered before bouncing up slightly, staring straight into Romana's eyes. “I am... I do not know what to say, Romana.” The optic sensor widened and blue light spilled from it. “It is an odd feeling, painful that twists my shriveled form. What is it?”

Amy slapped her hand onto his dome and shook her head. “It's called guilt, ye blob,” she said, sighing and rolling her eyes. “When you did something that's wrong, and you wanna make up for it! Didn't they teach you anything at... Dalek school?”

The Dalek rolled back slightly, bobbing from side to side. “Guilt is not an emotion we are designed to have, Amy Pond. Hate, of those different, anger to the universe, fear of our superiors. Those define a Dalek's emotional range. To feel shame and guilt is not something many of us know of, if ever.” Its dome rotated about. “Does the feeling ever go away?”

A voice from below piped up, startling half the people in the control room. “No, not really,” Rory said, emerging from the lower level. He slid a pair of goggles off his eyes and looked up, gaze drifting to Amy. “Some things you do you can't ever get over, or move on from. Some-”

“Oh, will you shut it?” Amy half-shouted, choking slightly. She half-ran down the ramp from the upper level to the lower, throwing her arms around her husband and almost sending him into the tangled mess of wires and couplings jutting from the central control pillar.

The Dalek's eyestalk lowered and it backed off, returning to the monitor and controls it had occupied since starting out on the journey. It extended its manipulator arm and grasped a crank. “We shall materialize on W3 in ten minutes. It should be just after the Time Lords deposited Zoe Heriot onto the Wheel and erased her memory of her adventures with the Doctor.”

Sarah Jane blinked and her mouth slightly opened. “Then... how will she know us?” She groaned and shook her head. “All the rest of us at least remembered the Doctor. Oh, poor girl.”

The Dalek spoke up. “Her first encounter with the Doctor was not erased, Sarah Jane. She still remembers meeting him and Jamie McCrimmon when the Cybermen attacked the station. Her mind is also extremely advanced. For a human, at least.”

Amy let go of Rory and looked up at the Dalek, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. “Then why'd it read she's smarter than the Doctor when we looked her up?” She smirked slightly and bounded back up the ramp to the Dalek's position. “Why, I bet just seeing the old girl will jog her memories back!”

Sarah Jane stared across Romana at Amy and chuckled slightly. “We can only hope so. I don't think we have enough time for a lengthy explanation of what's transpired. Especially since we don't even know all the details.” She looked up at a monitor and the image changed from the stars outside to one of Zoe's profile. “All that knowledge crammed into her head. No room for emotions. I wonder how she and Luke would get along.”

Donna's mouth opened slightly before she spoke. “Your son, Sarah Jane?” She looked to the monitor and then to the older woman, eyes narrowed slightly. She waved her hand a bit. “I don't think we're gonna have time to shoot back to Bannerman Road for a little meet and greet between the two.”

A sigh escaped Sarah Jane's lips and she swatted at Donna's arm. “I don't mean that, but as friends! She's about the same age... physcially.” She leaned in close to Romana. “Luke was only 'born' in 2007 when he woke up in...” She trailed off and leaned back. “I'll explain later.”

Romana nodded before pulling on a lever and flipping some switches. The central core began moving up and down as the engines powered up. “All right, everyone,” she announced. “Next stop, Station W3 and Zoe Heriot!”
*****

Please read and review. Up!

[Foxfyre]

Sorry for the late review. So far so good, loved Amy's attempt to wind up the Dalek by saying Ace was doing some "batting practice". MORE! MORE I SAY!

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Foxfyre-Thanks. I figure Amy would know how to get under its shell, so to speak.

The dialogue from Zoe and Jamie's opening scenes are from the Second Doctor serial 'The War Games'.

Here we go!

*****
Chapter seven: Is the Gang All Here?
Station W3, the 'Wheel'
Zoe Heriot walked down the Wheel's corridor, looking around with sharp eyes. She wore her usual spangly jumpsuit and an Alice band in her short, dark hair. An older woman-Tanya Lernov-walked up from around an intersection, wearing a black jumpsuit and white coat. She smiled, but it turned into a frown. “Oh, Zoe. Zoe, you all right?”

Zoe looked up and forced a smile as thoughts at the back of her mind tugged at her brain. “Oh, yes!”

Tanya nodded slightly. “Have the Doctor and Jaime gone?”

Zoe's brow furrowed as the thoughts and half-formed memories struggled with what she knew was right. “Yes, I've just seen them off.”

The astronomer looked down. “Well, we'd better get back to work, you know,” she said, shaking her head and sending her short hair whizzing about. “There's a lot to be done if we're gonna get the Wheel back to normal.” She looked up at Zoe's face. “Are you sure you're all right?”

The mask of confusion dropped and was replaced by a smile. “Oh, yes. I thought I'd forgotten something important, but it's nothing.”

Tanya nodded and turned on her heel, marching off. “All right. Come along, then.”

Zoe began following. “All right, I'm coming.” She followed Tanya as she rounded the corner, but stopped. The wisp of a girl half-stumbled to a bulkhead and held a hand out, leaning against it. She blinked as the 'nothing important' came back to her. Bits and pieces floated behind her eyes of Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors and even the Karkus himself.

Her reverie was broken by a deep grinding noise coming from behind. The repressed memories exploded in her mind and she brought both hands up to her head, screaming out in pain. The pressure built up and up... and then released as the electrical storm inside her head died down. She spun about just as the TARDIS appeared. “I knew it,” she whispered. “They erased my memories, or tried to...”

Tanya appeared by her side, worry on her face. “Zoe, are you all right?” she cried out, grabbing the younger girl's arm. She looked up and gasped. “Oh, my!”

The door on the big blue box opened and Sarah Jane stepped out. She glanced around before settling on Zoe and Tanya. “Are you all right?”

Zoe nodded and cleared her throat. She rubbed her temple and smiled weakly. “I'm better, thank you.” She stepped forward. “The rush of memories must have produced some sort of feedback or...” She trailed off. “Excuse me, but who are you?”

Sarah Jane chuckled and extended her hand. “Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Sarah Jane Smith. I'm a friend of the Doctor, and he needs our help,” she said, smile falling away.

Tanya glanced to Zoe, then to Sarah Jane. “Wait, why did you come back here? What memories?”

Zoe looked to her friend. She collected her thoughts, organizing them before speaking. “When the Doctor and Jamie left, I snuck aboard and had a lot of adventures with them. But eventually, the Doctor's people were summoned to deal with the Warlords.” She glanced off to a bulkhead, far past it and sighed. “Oh, Jamie.” She suddenly blinked. “They returned me to this point right before I left and repressed my memories of everything that's happened!” She looked to Sarah Jane. “What's happened to the Doctor?”

Tanya held out her hands in front of her, palms out. “Okay, I don't know what's going on, but we can't spare Zoe. We just had a major battle with Cybermen and we lost a lot of good crew. Until we get replacements from Earth, we're understaffed and can't spare Zoe!”

Sarah Jane locked eyes with Tanya and let out an almost imperceptible sigh. “Miss Lernov, I am sorry about the loss of life, and I can assure you Zoe will not be missed while she's gone.” She stepped back and motioned to the TARDIS. “This fantastic machine can travel in space and time after all.”

Tanya stepped back and looked the big blue box over. She then looked down to Sarah Jane and crossed her arms. “I need proof,” she said. “Not just words, some sort of proof.”

The older woman nodded and took a step back to the door. “Fair enough.” She opened the door wide and motioned to the interior. “All the proof you need is inside.”

Tanya walked forward, steps becoming smaller as she saw the full width and breadth of the interior of the control room. She stepped over the threshold and looked around at everyone standing there. “It's bigger on the inside!” she exclaimed.

Rory looked up from the lower level and chuckled slightly. He pulled his goggles up onto his forehead and waved. “Hello, there.” His smile fell as he saw Tanya standing there. “Wait, who's that?” He looked to Wilf, standing next to him. “Is that Zoe?”

Tanya ignored him as she looked around at the entire complement, including K9 and K9 mark-II. She backed out, stumbling a bit as she left. She looked to Sarah Jane and then to Zoe. “Zoe, is this-”

“It's transdimensional physics,” Zoe exclaimed. She waved to the door. “The Time Lords managed to utilize dimensional corridors to store large spaces and matter inside-”

Tanya held her hand up and grunted. “Zoe, I believe you,” she said. She looked to Sarah Jane. “So if Zoe leaves with you, she can be back in a minute for me?”

Sarah Jane opened her mouth, but closed it and scratched behind her ear. “Well, theoretically we'd have enough pilots and at least one Doctor to-” She sighed and grabbed Tanya by the shoulders. “Tanya, if we don't get Zoe's help, the entire universe could be in great danger! I promise you, we'll return Zoe as soon as we can, but without her, the universe might be doomed.” She looked aside to Zoe. “Just like old times with the Doctor.”

Tanya let out a sigh and looked to Zoe. “Be careful,” she said before nodding to Sarah Jane. “Take care of her. She's still a young girl.”

Sarah Jane smiled, lighting up the corridor before leading Zoe inside. The doors closed on the pair and Sarah Jane motioned to the entire group, gathered in the control room. “I'm guessing with the exception of the Brigadier, you don't know anyone here. Now this is...” She trailed off as she turned and saw Zoe standing, eyes wide and mouth open. “Zoe?”

The young woman raised a trembling hand and pointed at the Dalek at the control pedestal. “I-it's a D-dalek,” she sputtered out. Zoe leaned close to Sarah Jane. “Is he... are you friends with it?”

The Dalek's eyestalk swiveled around and it locked its optic sensor onto Zoe. “I am allied with those inside the TARDIS to rescue the Doctor,” it said. “I have been infected with human emotions, making me a deviant from Dalek perfection.” It reached out and slid a lever on the control panel in front of it. One of the monitors lit up, showing the multicolored Daleks of the Paradigm. “But THESE monstrosities? I shall be happy to send them to the Bunker in the ground!”

Ace glowered at the Dalek and held her baseball bat up, shaking it at him. “Oi, watch it!” she exclaimed. “You're frightening Zoe!” She walked around the inner perimeter to Sarah Jane and Zoe, extending a hand and smiling. “My name's Dorothy, but you can call me Ace. It's nice to meet you!”

Zoe accepted the handshake and returned the smile. “A pleasure to meet you, too, Ace.” She looked at the bat and her face scrunched in concentration. “A baseball bat? From the old United States?”

Ace chuckled and held it up. “Yup!The Professor did something to it 'ith the Hand of Omega, and I can break right through Daleks with it!” She leaned in. “Just don't grip it too high or you might get a nasty shock.”

Sarah Jane took Zoe around the control room, introducing her to Romana, Donna, River, Amy and Rory, reintroduced her to the Brigadier and down the ramp to the lower level and Rory, Wilf and the two K9's. At the end, she led her back up and flipped a monitor around to face her. She pulled a lever and the Second Doctor's face appeared. “Enemies of the Doctor have kidnapped all of his incarnations across time and space for some nefarious purpose, but we don't know what.”

“Incarnations?” Zoe asked, brow furrowing slightly. “What do you mean?”

Amy looked over from across the room and tilted her head slightly, letting some of her hair fall into her face. “Didn't he ever tell ye? Time Lords have this... ability where their entire bodies go up in a puff of energy if they get too sick or injured. They change both body and mind, but it's still tha same guy.”

Romana spoke up. “Everyone, get ready. We'll be dematerializing off the Wheel and into space.” The time rotor in the central column began moving up and down as the eponymous grinding noise echoed throughout the room. The Time Lady clapped her hands together and did several other flourishes. “And here we go! Are you ready?” she asked the Dalek.

The Dalek's eyestalk jutted about as the manipulator arm extended and plugged into an indentation in the base. “Galactic coordinates set! Dematerialization in progress!”

Zoe looked over the various controls. Her head bobbed about as she looked around. “The whole room's changed! Is there some sort of reconfiguration matrix or is the entire room simply swapped out?”

Romana chuckled as she checked a monitor. “It's the current desktop theme. A TARDIS can delete rooms, add rooms and change them around.” She patted the console. “Can't you?” She looked down to Rory and Wilf. “Rory, Wilf, plug in power taps nine and ten and remove five, six and three.”

River grinned from her own console. “As the Doctor would say, Geronimo.”

A low growl came from Romana's throat. “He'd offer a jelly baby,” she muttered, keeping her head low and blond-gray hair covering her face.

River looked across as the control room emptied of everyone save her, Romana, Sarah Jane, Amy, Rory, the Dalek and Zoe. “Come again, sweetie?”

Amy coughed into her hand. “Oh, this is gonna be trouble.” She ran around and stepped in between Romana and River. “Ladies, ladies! No fighting while the TARDIS is in flight. I don't wanna end up in Roman times or... when the sun explodes. Or the Dalek's home planet.” She looked across to the Dalek and smiled sheepishly. “No offense.”

The Dalek looked up at her. “None taken.”

Zoe walked down to Rory and Wilf, both clad in heavy aprons, goggles and elbow-length gloves. She looked up to Romana, Amy and River. “They don't seem to get along too well.”

Rory pulled his goggles up onto his forehead while Wilf pulled out a cable from the central column and plugged it into another receptacle. “You should've seen them before Amy and Donna threatened unleashing Ace onto them.” He blew out a breath and rolled his eyes. “Completely bonkers.”

Wilf stepped away and sighed. “That ought to do it.” He walked over to Zoe and smiled. “Hello, love!” He pulled off a glove and extended a hand, wrapping her up in a one-armed hug. “So, you're the one who was friends with the Littlest Hobo, eh?” he said, winking.

Zoe's mouth dropped and she placed her hands on her hips. “At least he... he...” She stopped and placed a finger on her chin. “Actually, the Doctor you know... or is it the same one?” Her face fell. “Oh, I'm so confused about this!” She looked up to Amy, River and Romana, still in their standoff and still arguing. “Excuse me, Romana? What is the difference between these incarnations of the Doctor?”

Romana stepped back from River and Amy, keeping her eyes on River until spinning on her heel and looking down at Zoe. “I'm glad you asked.” She pulled a monitor over and angled it down. The screen flickered and a black-and-white headshot of the Second Doctor appeared. “This is the one you traveled with, right?”

Zoe nodded. “Yes, that's him.”

The image changed to one of the third Doctor, leaning against a canary-yellow roadster. “After the Time Lords sent you and Jamie back to your respective time periods, they forced the Doctor to change bodies and regenerate.” Her voice trailed off. “Normally for most Time Lords, regeneration is a choice at the end of a long life. There's no mental disconnect, it's peaceful. But for the Doctor, from what I've read, almost all of them were traumatic and would've killed him if not for the ability.”

Wilf snapped his fingers. “Oh, that makes it all clear!” He paused as everyone turned to him. “The Doctor I knew described it as dying, and someone else walking away.” He shook his head. “When I saw him that last time... he almost had this serene look about him, before he went back into the TARDIS. As if he was making peace with the world. Or universe in his case.”

Romana leaned against the railing. “The one who died of radiation poisoning, correct?” At Wilf's small nod, she blinked and stood up straight again. “We'll get to them, Wilf. We'll get all of them.” She turned back to the console. “We're in deep space and moving through the currents. With luck, we'll be at eighteenth-century Earth in-”

The entire room suddenly tilted, causing everyone to either grab onto something or tumble into something. Zoe hit Rory and bounced off, falling into Wilf and screaming as the two hit the central column. The Dalek clamped down with its hoverskirt while River grabbed onto her console for dear life. “Oh, brilliant!' she shouted at Romana, who also had a death grip on a piece of equipment. “Why not say you'd be retiring after to New New York with the husband and Time Tots while you're at it?!” She pressed some buttons on the typewriter in front of her. “Localized... gravity disturbance.”

Amy spun around, hitting a railing and almost flipping over before grabbing on tight. “What's that mean?” she shouted. “And why do I feel like I'm gonna puke?”

The lights on the Dalek's lights flared. “We are caught in a tractor beam!” it announced. “As for your second question, I do not know.” The suction cup at the end of the manipulator arm rotated. “Activating defense systems! Wait... there are NO defense systems on the TARDIS beyond standard temporal and physical shields!” There was a pause before the Dalek unplugged itself and began rolling to the doors. “Air shield extended beyond TARDIS doors!” it said even as the doors opened into the void beyond.

Romana craned her head around to see the Dalek rolling behind her. “Where are you going?” she shouted.

The Dalek paused and its dome rotated around, letting its eyestalk look at the Time Lady. “I am exiting the TARDIS to destroy the ship holding us in the tractor beam, Romana.”

“No!” Amy shouted. “You promised the Doctor you'd only kill other Daleks, Dalek! Is that a Dalek ship?” She grabbed the railing and spun around. “If that's not a Dalek ship, you can't kill whoever's on it!”

The Dalek's eyestalk wavered. “I will not kill the pilot,” is said, stating straight at Amy.

Amy's brow furrowed and her lips pursed. “How tha hell ye gonna do that?”

“I will destroy the ship. That will kill the pilot, not me.”

Rory ran up the ramp to the upper level and placed himself in front of the open door. He placed his hands on his hips and his face seemed to darken. “No,” he stated. “You won't go out there and you won't kill anyone. You promised the Doctor that.”

The Dalek backed up slightly. “Move, Rory. My gunstick has a stun setting, and I shall not-”

“Rory!” Amy shouted, getting his attention. She hefted his sheathed gladius and heaved the sword in his direction. “Catch!”

The Last Centurion caught it hilt-first and drew it from its sheath. He dropped it and held his sword up in a one-handed grip. “Thanks,” he said to his wife before lowering his gaze and boring a hole in the Dalek's casing with his eyes. “Now, you're going to stand down. And stand down now!”

The Dalek rolled back, eyestalk bobbing. The gunstick wavered and rotated before it rolled forward again. “I made the Doctor speechless with one sentence. You do NOT scare me, Rory Williams.”

“And you don't scare me,” Rory retorted. He lowered his sword and groaned. “We can't be doing this, anyway! We don't have time and the Doctors need us!”

Romana's console suddenly beeped. She slapped a button and pushed a lever. “Transmission coming in and lower the testosterone level!” she half-shouted. “Routing to comm system.”

A female voice came over the internal speakers, scratchy but otherwise audible. “Hey, hey! Dad, are you there? It's me, Jenny! I'm so glad! You've got the air shield extended and the door open, even! I'm coming aboard!”

A small one-person shuttle floated into view just outside the door. Rory turned just as the cockpit hatch opened and a young woman floated out. She wore camouflage pants, a gray tanktop and had short blond hair with blue eyes and a wide smile. She floated to the door and landed on the threshold. “Hi, there!” she said, waving. She placed a hand on her chest. “My name's Jenny. I'm the Doctor's daughter.”

There was silence before Rory cleared his throat and arched an eyebrow at the Dalek. He made shooing motions with one hand and stepped forward. “Okay, back to your post.”

The Dalek backed up and turned around, rolling back to its former position in front of the console. “Back to my post,” it said, dome lights brightening but only barely.

Amy walked around to Jenny and looked her over. “Oi, the Doctor's daughter?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. “He never mentioned you!”

Jenny shrugged. “He thinks I'm dead.” She looked over at the Dalek. “He's...”

Rory followed her gaze and nodded. “Oh, yeah. He's fine.” he bent over and grabbed his sword's sheath. He looked back up at Jenny as Romana, River, Zoe and Wilf gathered around her. “So... the Doctor's daughter? He... “ He looked to Amy and shrugged. “Yeah.”

Romana looked her over. She leaned forward and nodded. “Two heartbeats,” she said. “But... you're not exactly a Time Lord. You don't have that....” She waved her right hand about. “That sense that I get. Where are you from?”

Jenny chuckled slightly. “I'm actually a clone of the Doctor, from the planet Messaline. I was created from his DNA by a progenation machine to be used in a war between the humans there and another species called the Hath, but Dad managed to stop the war and bring peace between the two species.” She looked around the control room. “Where is he? Is he all right?”

River cleared her throat and swallowed. “The Doctor-all the Doctors-have been kidnapped by the Master and Davros, two of his worst enemies.” She waved to everyone around. “We're gathering some of his old friends in order to save him-or them.” She nodded to Jenny. “Are you in?”

Jenny's mouth straightened and her shoulders squared. “I'm in.” She turned to the still-open door and jumped back out to her shuttle. She entered the cockpit and grabbed a sleek rifle from behind the seat and pressed several buttons before jumping back out to the TARDIS. She landed once more and held out a small black box with several buttons on it. “A recall for the shuttle,” she explained, turning around and pointing it at the shuttle. “Recall,” she explained as the cockpit closed and the thrusters ignited. “Safety mode,” she explained. “She'll go into orbit around the nearest planet and wait until I get there.” She looked around at the room and walked around a bit. “So, never thought I'd end up here.”

Amy sidled up to Rory and leaned in close. “Did I mention how incredibly brave you are sometimes?” she whispered.

Rory shrugged and half-smiled. “Well, once or twice. I never mind, though.”

Amy chuckled and stared at Jenny. “So, d'ye trust her?”

One of the doors opened and Donna rushed in, clad in a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her hair. She saw Jenny and threw her arms out to the side. “YOU'RE ALIVE!” she screamed, running forward and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. “Oh, I can't believe it!' She loosened the embrace and looked at Jenny. “How'd you survive?” She suddenly snapped her fingers. “Oh, I get it! You regenerated!” The smile suddenly fell away and she glanced off. “Wait, if you regenerated, why do you look the same?”

Jenny shrugged. “I think it was the Breath of Life and not any inherent Time Lord abilities.” She looked to Romana, back by her console. “She said I didn't have a 'sense' about me.”

Rory nodded. “Yeah, I trust her.” He looked at Donna and his right eyebrow quirked. “Ah...”

Donna blew out a long sigh and threw her hands up into the air. “I was takin' a bath, sunshine. We can't all be inside this stuffy control room all the time!” She looked around. “Oi, how many more we gonna stuff into 'ere?”

The TARDIS shuddered and the Dalek's eyestalk locked onto Donna. “Two more, Donna! James McCrimmon and Susan Foreman are the last we shall retrieve!” His manipulator arm plugged in. “And... I am sorry for almost killing you, Jenny.”

Amy thumped her chest and placed a hand against her forehead, swaying on her feet. “Rory, catch me!” she wailed, staggering about. “The Dalek just apologized!”

Wilf looked up at his granddaughter from the lower level and waved her off. “Oh, don't worry too much, Donna. The place is a lot bigger than it looks!”

Donna looked down at him and sighed. “Well, of course I know that!” She looked around. “Maybe we should change the desktop to neo-classical? That was big and wide!”

River shrugged. “We'll find out in about an hour when we pass though the currents.” She looked across to Romana. “Any bright ideas, Time Lady?”

Romana pasted a smile on her face and returned the gaze. “Does tossing you out the airlock count?”

Jenny walked over and down to Wilf and Zoe near the lower column. “What's with-”

“I don't know,” Wilf said, shrugging. He looked over as Rory walked down. “Hey, take a break, Rory. I've got this.” he chuckled. “It's only a jaunt to Scotland this time!”

Rory patted Wilf on the shoulder and stifled a yawn. “Thanks,” he gasped out. He walked up the ramp but stopped short of Amy. “Going my way?” he said, smiling.

Amy glared at him and waved him off. “Okay, I'll pretend you didn't say that.” She grabbed his arm and half-dragged him out. “Call us if there's any problems!” she said over her shoulder before the couple disappeared out of the room.

Zoe looked over the power taps. “The Doctor never showed me this!” She leaned forward and pointed at one of them. “Then again, the control room was a lot different when I traveled with him.”

Wilf let out a sigh and glanced up out of the corner of his eye. “Diff'rent for me too.” He looked around at the almost organic-looking walls, the spare roundels and the art-deco console itself. “I thought it'd be a bit cleaner, truth be told. More sci-fi like in the movies.”

Romana leaned down over one of the railings. “Zoe, might be a good idea to get some rest and read up on what's been happening since the Time Lords repressed your memories. We'll pass through the currents in less than an hour and will be in Scotland at the eighteenth century soon after.” She paused. “It'd probably be best for you to greet him when we arrive.”

Zoe nodded. “All right.” She turned to Wilf and hugged him. “I'll talk to you later,” she said before walking off. “And thanks!”

River glanced at Zoe as she left, then looked back to Romana. “Jamie's a smart boy, but it took a bit for Zoe to regain her memories. What do you think about him?”

Romana bit her lip before responding. “The only way to know is to find him.” She grabbed a lever and cranked it back. “Full speed ahead!”

River looked to her. “What's the magic word?”

Romana flicked a strand of her long hair from her eyes and her upper lip curled. “The Doctor.” She looked up at a monitor and tapped it. “We've got less than eighty hours before whatever the Master and Davros are planning happens.”

River tilted her head at Romana, but jabbed at the typewriter in front of her.
*****
Scotland, Eighteenth century. T-minus seventy-nine hours
It was a slow crawl back to consciousness for young Jamie McCrimmon. The young man, clad in tartan and kilt levered himself up from the grass. He rubbed his head as confusion swept over him. The young piper of the Clan McCrimmon looked around, his spine tingling...

An English soldier crept up behind him, raising his rifle, but Jamie ducked down, dodging the bullet as it sailed overhead. A snarl crossed his otherwise boyish face. The confusion earlier was forgotten. “Try to murder a McCrimmon, would ye? Well, I'll show yah!” He leapt to his feet and pulled out a claymore, brandishing it. “BRIGADOOOON!”

Jamie charged, heedless of the danger. But an achingly familiar groaning pierced the sky. A large blue box suddenly appeared. The soldier froze, eyes wide. “By God!' he screamed before dropping his weapon and running off screaming.

The claymore dropped to the grass and Jamie took a step back. He groaned and rubbed at his temple beneath his short black hair. “Wait, the TARDIS? I canna...” His voice trailed off as images and voices assaulted his senses. “Victoria? No-Zoe? No...” He backed up. “Did-did I go with ye, Doctor? Did I stay here?”

The door opened and a young woman in a sparking jumpsuit emerged. “Jamie!” she cried out, running up to him and grabbing his left arm. “It's me, Zoe! Oh, please say you remember!”

Jamie blinked. He looked to the TARDIS, then to Zoe. “Zoe... Zoe!” He grabbed her arms. “I remember! Tha Doctor and we...” He pointed to her, then him. “We were on his home planet with his people, and they sent us back and did something to our minds!” He waved his right hand around his ear. “But I remember! I remember, now!” His face suddenly fell. “Why de I remember?”

Zoe smiled, the expression not quite reaching her eyes. “I'd give you a long explanation, but sometimes your memory can be jogged by familiar objects.” She took his hand. “The Doctor needs our help.”

Jamie shifted his stance and bent down, picking up his claymore and resheathing it. “Aye, from his people, right?” he clenched his fist and shook it. “We'll show them!”

Zoe led him back to the TARDIS. “No, the creator of the Daleks, Davros, and another one of his people known as the Master...” They entered the big blue box and the door swung close. Within minutes, the grinding echoed throughout time and space as it disappeared back into the Vortex.
*****
The Untempered Schism
“So, was I color-blind or simply decided taste didn't matter this time around?”

The Sixth Doctor raised his right leg and kicked in the general direction of the Second Doctor. “You're one to talk!” he shouted. “I looked like I stepped out of a homeless shelter!” He groaned and his gaze fell upon the Seventh Doctor. “And then it got worse.”

The Seventh frowned. “What's the matter with the way I dress?”

The Tenth Doctor hemmed and hawed before speaking. “Well, not exactly subtle, is it? The question mark sweater, the question mark umbrella, the question mark-themed business cards. Mind you, could've been worse...” His head tilted in the general direction of the Eleventh, but it snapped back. “Anyway!”

The Master and Davros stood and sat, respectively, near Adric's desk. The symbols floating in the air above the computer terminal there still flashed and moved around in the holographic display. The Master rubbed his chin. “You know, it's almost a shame we have to kill them,” he remarked. “This is almost as entertaining as an episode of the Clangers.”

Davros looked up at him. “Yes...” He looked to the Rani as she stood over Adric. “Progress?”

The Rani looked back. “Proceeding as planned with him.” She shook her head. “Perhaps we should've gotten Zoe Heriot, though. She's far more intelligent than this one.”

The Master shook his head. “No. The Doctor believed Adric dead and therefore he would not have been missed.” He turned and leaned over the desk, looking at the symbols as they flashed and at Adric's hands as they moved across the keyboard. “Ah, soon omnipotence will be at our beck and call! And the universe itself shall be our playground, our clay to mold as we see fit!”

The Eleventh looked over at the trio. “Shame there's so much time to stop you. By my reckoning about-”

The Master looked over. “Oh, please. We lied, Doctor.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver fob watch. He clicked it open. “When I said ninety-six hours, I really meant twenty-four! So by my estimates...” He squinted slightly. “We have roughly seven hours before Adric finishes and we become gods.” he closed the watch cover and slid it back into his pocket. “So, tea?”
*****

Please read and review.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

All right, my apologies. I have had a few... difficult months, with my brother's suicide, illness and my old PC dying. But, this post is more along the lines of, 'not dead yet!' than anything.

Here we go!

*****
Chapter Eight: Family Reunion

Romana paced back and forth along the edge of the control room, pausing every few minutes to lean on the control pedestal and groaned. “What's taking them so long?”

River, leaning against the railing with her arms crossed, rolled her eyes. “It's been ten minutes, love. I think Rory, Ace and Jenny can handle themselves in twenty-second century Earth.” She stood up straight and walked to the pedestal and flipped some levers, pulling down a monitor. She looked at the screen as it lit up. “Rory is the Last Centurion and Ace is insane. Plus they've got the Doctor's daughter. Nothing's gonna happen!”

Romana narrowed her eyes at River. “And you chewed me out for tempting fate?”

The Dalek's eyestalk swiveled between the two of them. “A shame we cannot harness the enmity between you,” he said. “It would provide a nigh-limitless source of energy. Coupled with Donna Noble's temper, we would be invincible!”

Both Romana and River turned to the Dalek and glared at it, but it simply remained in place. It suddenly extended its manipulator arm. “Humanoids approaching TARDIS at rapid pace!”

Rory's voice suddenly sounded out over the intercom. “River, Romana? Opening the door might be a good thing at the moment.” There was the sound of laser fire and a rather large boom. “Sooner rather than-Ace, watch it with that nitro-nine!”

Romana and River exchanged another glance before the former pulled back on a pinball lever and the latter cranked a lever. The doors opened and a young woman with short, black hair and rumpled clothes was shoved into the control room, followed by Rory. Jenny and Ace backed in, Jenny firing her rifle and Ace holding an empty backpack and a silver canister of nitro-nine.

“Yeah, back off!” Ace shouted, waving the canister around. “And don't forget it next time!” She turned as the doors closed. She slipped the canister back into her backpack and held her arms up. “That was great!”

Rory leaned heavily against the railing and groaned. “Oi, that was insane!” He looked over his shoulder at Ace and glowered. “And can ye' watch it next time with those explosives? I'd prefer to have children with Amy someday!”

Ace rolled her eyes. “Ah, come on! It wasn't that bad!” She jerked a thumb at the woman, standing near the control pedestal and panting. “And we got Susan, anyway.”

Everyone focused on the young woman, Susan Foreman. Susan looked around, eyes wide. She placed a hand on the control pedestal and rubbed it. “I don't believe I've seen this desktop theme before,” she said. Her eyes landed on the Dalek and she gasped, taking a step back. “A-a Dalek.” her head whipped back and forth. “Even what y-you told me, Rory. I'm n-not sure I can stand it!”

The Dalek whipped his head around, the blue glow from its optic sensor focusing on Susan. “I am not a pure Dalek anymore, Susan Foreman! I have been infected with humanity from Rose Tyler.”

Susan looked the Dalek over. “You have a human factor?” she asked. “How did you get it?”

Rory's eyebrows quirked. “Hey, wait. How's she know about that?” he asked, pointing to her.

Susan shrugged. “Oh, it's a rather simple breakdown of bio-genetic replicative behavioral patterns ingrained into-”

Ace held up her hand. “Whoa, whoa whoa! Cut it with the fancy Time Lord talk, Susan!” She massaged her forehead. “And I thought it was bad with the Professor...”

Susan's forehead wrinkled. “Who?”

Ace opened her mouth, but waved Susan off. “Never mind.” She stretched her arms out and leaned back. “So, off to wherever the bad guys took all of him, and then we bash 'em good?”

Romana nodded. “Exactly, Ace.” She looked over to River. “If there are no objections?”

Rory wandered over to the Dalek and leaned in close to his dome. “They like this when we were gone?”

The Dalek's eyestalk swiveled around and drooped. “You have NO idea.” His manipulator arm extended and plugged into the TARDIS console. “Temporal engines powering up!”

Romana leaned over her own console. She let out a sigh. “And now off to... wherever and whenever the Doctor was taken.” She looked up as the central column began moving up and down. “Do we have enough time to fix the chameleon circuit?”

River bit her lip, but a short bark of a laugh still escaped her lips. “Okay, that was funny,” she admitted. She dialed the phone's rotary dial. “Do you think we can get the cloaking device working?”

Susan wandered down from the upper level to the lower. She shook her head. “This is so incredible,” she muttered. “How did Grandfather let it get so disorganized in here?”

Rory followed her down. He slipped on his apron, thick gloves and goggles. “Well, nine hundred years or so flitting about in a police box, small things tend to get overlooked.” He grabbed a power tap and pulled it out, but shoved it back in as the lights flickered and died. “Sorry, sorry! My fault there!” He sighed. “Labels, this needs labels!”

Susan looked the taps over. “Plug the seventh into the ninth slot and switch around the tenth and twenty-third. That should increase the power to the shields and cloaking device.”

Rory leaned back as he regarded her. “Ah, I don't know how you might think that might be-”

“Rory, she's right,” River called down from the upper level. The TARDIS bucked and wobbled slightly. “Remember, she's spent more time in the TARDIS than probably anyone else, barring the Doctor himself.”

Rory glanced between her and Susan before throwing his hands up into the air. “All right.” He pulled out the power taps and switched them around. “But if this kills me, when I come back I'm going to be very cross.”
*****

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