Gallifreyan Nature: Chapter 27

[nevermoreraven]

Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: Teen
DISCLAIMER: Other people have actually read this one before the internet.  Yes, I know.  It's weird.
Summary: This is a rewrite of the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter, because I really liked Latimer.  It's long.  I liked it pretty well at the time, as did the other readers, so let's see how well it held up.  ...so far, so good.  also I actually bothered to tab for once on this one.
It's not finished, but it's fairly close.

 

The Doctor let his mind get into the Family’s spaceship, leaving a message for them.  He didn’t try to do this sort of thing very often-it gave him a headache.  He frowned upon learning that they hadn’t found the TARDIS yet.  They were more thick than he’d thought.

“Hallo.  It’s me, the Doctor-you remember, the one you keep trying to absorb the essence of.  I’m sure you’ve heard of the games of Time Lords, that they just watched the universe while it burned.  I have a proposition for you.  I’ve got four who might be me.  Decide which of them you think is me.  If you’re right…I come with you.  One of the others gets to go free, but you can do what you like with the rest of them.  If you’re wrong…then I get to destroy you.  Fair enough?”

Son-of-Mine started hitting buttons next to the screen, determined to figure out what-and how-the Doctor was on the screen.  Every reading they could take was telling them that this was the essence of the Time Lord, and he looked as he had when they’d caught a glimpse of him, as he was fleeing into his spaceship.  Nothing he could do was giving him any results, however-which was exactly as the Doctor wanted it.

“Yes.  All right.  We agree to your terms.”  Father-of-Mine spoke before Son-of-Mine even got the chance.  Son-of-Mine glared.  The Time Lord was trying to pull something over them.  He just knew it.  He was smart, and capable-a fine, if tough, quarry.

“Here’s the game, then.  One of you for each of the possibilities.  Yes, one of them’s a woman.  I’m clever, and just a little bit bored, so don’t think I mightn’t try something like that, just for kicks.  I’ll tell you the locations, and one of you goes to each place.  Of course, that means that you won’t have a clue about who’s where, but that’s all part of the fun.  I suppose two of you could go to each location, but if you don’t show up soon, all of me are instructed to leave.  And then you’d run the risk of missing me entirely, and forfeiting the win.  Be seeing you.”

The Doctor threw an ironic salute at the screen before disappearing entirely.

 

Martha was getting a little bit bored.  Oh, she knew that soon enough one of the Family would come waltzing along, checking whether she felt like a Time Lord, but it was taking far too long.

Suddenly she perked up.  Someone was walking down the road towards her.  She finally saw that it was Baines.  She noticed a faint rustling behind him and noted the scarecrow army following surreptitiously.  Martha felt a stab of fear enter her, but called out nonchalantly, “You know, the Doctor specified you were to come alone.  Call off your straw men.”

His teeth showed in a snarl, but he waved them off with one gesture of his hand.  Martha smiled sweetly.  “That’s better.  Now, I’m assuming you know the contest rules.  Fair is fair.  Sniff away, Son of the Family of Blood.”

He ignored her, instead sneering at her.  “So…who is this Daniel Winters, anyway?”

She shook her head, still smiling through the terror that was trying to overwhelm her.  “That’s cheating.  Small talk is all right, but you’re just pushing it.”

“He’s different.  Unlike.  He’s not like you-cannon fodder.  He’s watched worlds burn.  He said he could stop us.  I want to know who he is.”

“Yes, well, you have to decide who I am.  That’s your only task.  So, come on-what’s your diagnosis?”  She was being confrontational about it, because she didn’t want to give him the time to think.  She was nervous, but even more than that, part of her felt excitement trickle through her.

She’d hidden the watch in her jacket pocket and hoped it wasn’t too obvious.  She’d thought about concealing it elsewhere, but changed her mind last minute.  Considering that it had contained a piece of the Doctor’s consciousness, she felt it would be awkward to place it anywhere else.

“He said he could stop us.  And he has an emotional attachment to you,” the creature that used to be Baines mused.

She smiled widely, trying to provoke him without making him go over the edge.  “Yes, well, there’s nothing you can do about that, because if you lose your temper and kill me and I end up being the Time Lord, you’re sunk.  You die in a couple months, there’s no escape.  You’re trying to get away from your mortality, but it’s constantly creeping up on you, and sooner or later it will find you-unless you make the right choice.  That’s not something you want to hurry about, is it?  You want to think things over, not rush into it.”  She was proud of her speech-she’d sprouted it at almost the same speed as the Doctor, and it was just the sort of thing he’d say, too.

Son of Mine studied her, narrowing his eyes.  He doubted that the Gallifreyan would hide inside of a female-but perhaps that was exactly why it would make sense.  If a fugitive soul was that desperate, it might end up taking refuge in any place it might think would be safe.  And the dark face was somehow-glowing, possessed of more power than Baines had ever seen in the servant girl.  It seemed calmer, more assured, annoying him with thought and deed.  The fire in her eyes was less nagged by worry than it had been in the dance hall.  It was certainly possible that she had something of the immortal in her, after all…

 

Before this had all started, Latimer had felt that he’d be apprehensive about the future meeting with one of the Family of Blood.  Unlike the others, he’d seen a glimpse of what was to come, enough that shivers ran down his spine upon the landing of the fallen star, enough that every bit of him felt like running away from the aliens.  When the time came, however, he felt completely serene, for once not anxious about anything.  Homework would never bother him again, and, of course, with Dan’s air of calmly taking everything that life threw his way, neither would bullies.  And that’s all these were, perhaps a little better armed, perhaps from beyond his realm of knowledge, but still bullies, beating up anyone who got in their way for the latest toy.

He felt the love of adventure sweep through him, and a strange thrill as he saw a little red balloon bobbing towards his clump of trees down the road.  With the strength of the Doctor backing him, counting on him, he felt ready to face anything.

“Hullo!  Nice night, isn’t it?” he called out politely.

The balloon stopped moving, and in a second a sulky voice called out, “It would be if silly boys like you weren’t spoiling things and playing games.  I don’t want to play.”

“Too bad.  Don’t play, you don’t win,” he countered cheerfully.

She edged closer to him, trying to keep her own face in shadow.  “I want to win,” she confided, a sharp tone to her voice betraying a possessive, eager expression that didn’t wear well on a young girl.  If he’d been at all in the mood to be unsettled at this point, he would be.  Instead, he just raised an eyebrow.  “How do I smell?”

She sniffed, the creepy action that the Family all seemed to copy.  “Like an alien.  I don’t know about the essence of a Time Lord, though.”

He grinned.  “I thought I used too much soap the last time I took a shower.  Messes with the smell, you know.”

            Daughter-of-Mine tilted her head on the side.  This boy was certainly strange enough that he might be a Time Lord.  She didn’t quite follow the logic, but as long as her Family could find the correct spirit of the immortal, it wouldn’t bother her-although if this annoying brat didn’t end up being the Doctor, she would kill him for his impudence.  It wasn’t necessary, but it would make her feel better.

 

Smith felt worries eating away at him, but knew that he couldn’t let them control his actions like they had in the past.  If an alien boy could be so courageous in the face of such uncompromising evil, then surely a man of England could hardly show cowardice.  He was in the abandoned house, and had left the window open, however chilly, in order to leave an escape route open, just in case.

Jenny, or the woman that had been Jenny before her body had been stolen, entered slowly.  “Ah, the schoolteacher.  Did you take our advice?  Did you change back?”  She sniffed, then laughed heartily.  “Nope. Still human. Which of your colleagues is the Time Lord?”

John narrowed his eyes, trying to get the woman to think twice about her approximation.  She was oblivious, however, letting a green light play over her face.  From what Tim had told him on the walk, this was how the Family communicated without even being close to each other.  He didn’t need to know how it worked, but he had an idea that she was relaying her hasty guess.  She was far too eager for the power that was the prize in this game.

“Are you sure about that?”  Smith thrust his face directly in front of hers, acting completely unafraid.

Startled, Mother-of-Mine stared at him, completely thrown off guard.  Perhaps this would be the sort of cards the Time Lord would play.  She was unfamiliar with his species, but it would make sense that, as a last-ditch defense, he would take the offensive.  She would take out her enemy, if she could, and she was dying.  But once they chose correctly the possibility would never arise again…

 

Daniel Winters leaned against the fence casually, hands in his pockets.  He was quite enjoying himself-apart from the fact he hadn’t died, as he’d believed he would.  And he had Martha, finally.  He’d yearned for her, to some extent, since he’d met her, and now they’d actually gotten to tell each other how they felt.  How lucky was that?

He didn’t bother to turn around, addressing ‘Mr. Clark’ behind him.  “Well, have you had a good enough study back there, or would you like a closer examination?”

He knew that he’d thrown his opponent off guard.  Father-of-Mine hadn’t believed that he’d noticed him standing on the other side of the wooden barricade, half-hidden behind a tree.  Good thing he was an observant man, he thought, smiling to himself.

He heard the head of the Family approach him slowly, as if suspecting a trap.  “What’s the trap here, Time Lord?”

“You’re addressing me as ‘Time Lord’.  Made up your mind then?” Dan asked mildly, quirking an eyebrow at nothing in particular.  The man was still behind him, on the other side of the fence.

“Answer the question, Time Lord,” Father-of-Mine growled.

Daniel smiled.  This was really going well.  They really didn’t know what direction to jump in.  His plan was working perfectly.  It was a case of inducing chaos.  The Family wouldn’t be able to agree, and he was driving a wedge between them, amplifying the differences between them.  He felt himself roll his eyes, inside.  After all the time he’d spent railing against the unyielding, textbook ways of Gallifrey, he was falling back on their advice this time, just trying to increase his advantages.  If they were off-balance, even slightly, they wouldn’t notice the trap when it came.

“Only the inherent trap within the setup itself,” he answered, feeling the tension in the air shoot up about a thousand degrees.  Father-of-Mine became even more trigger-happy, but Dan wasn’t worried.  The only thing that might get him hurt would be reflex-the older man was looking for an easy way out, and he wasn’t willing to let go of any chance at immortality, no matter what the cost.  He continued, as if completely oblivious to the danger he was in, “It’s a gamble.  You have to make a choice, and stick with it.  You have to place your bets.  And no one lets you change them in the middle of the race.  You have to watch, and see who finishes first, and take what comes.  You have to use your intelligence, and the odds are pretty good anyways.  Twenty-five percent?  You don’t run into that much in any casinos you go into, the universe over.  But you have to choose one.  Have you studied me enough?  Or would you like a closer look?”

Father-of-Mine stepped up right behind him, so close that the Doctor felt uncomfortable-but he wasn’t about to show it, not in front of one of the Family.  He felt the chill as the Father sniffed him, even felt the slight probe that the sense of smell sent out.  He’d never noticed it before, but then again, he’d never been this near when they’d been using it before.

Slowly, he turned around, letting Clark see everything-the school clothes, the boyish face, and his ancient, wise brown eyes.  He even opened his arms, letting his flamboyant instincts take over.  “Well?  I thought you weren’t that patient, that you needed to make a decision quickly.  The sand in the hourglass of your life keeps running, you know,” he taunted.

Father-of-Mine glared, but nodded.  “I will consult with the rest of the Family…”

The Doctor watched, fascinated, as a green light flickered over the face of Father-of-Mine.  As he suspected, they couldn’t agree, since it took at least two minutes for the telepathic conference…

 

Baines had had enough.  The bickering of his Family was tiresome, and this Time Lord was behind it, he was certain.  He’d set this up, just so they’d argue amongst themselves, maybe kill each other off, or at least hurt each other so that they’d be easy to finish off.  The Doctor was deceptive, and very good at this.  And he wouldn’t put himself in danger like this.  Oh, he was amusing himself, watching the mortals struggle with his insidious trap, but the bait was just that-merely bait.  He’d convinced the others, but they were more willing to believe in stupidity.  Daniel Winters had been chosen as his lieutenant, the one who would carry out his schemes, which meant that he would also trust Martha-and one of the two had to be carrying the watch.  The watch still held the consciousness of a Time Lord, so it was the only essential bit.  Part was a desperate bid to save the lives of humans, apparently dear to him, but he wouldn’t stop at sacrificing one of them if it came to a choice between their lives and his.  Another was just his meddling.  He was determined to sport with all he encountered, but Son-of-Mine would have none of it.  He was not willing to lose, following the house rules when he was sure to lose.

She may not have been the cause of this trickery, but she was in on it, and it was his turn to shed some blood and divide the Time Lord from his lieutenant.  He wanted to see how the Doctor felt when he was stripped of all support.  Winters wouldn't go along with the Time Lord's games when his move had lost a pawn so dear to the second in command.  While the rest of the Family babbled uselessly in his mind, debating their choice, he had a lesson to teach and a watch to fetch.  Whether it was on this servant or her lover, either way, he would find it and take it.  His head came up and he stared into the human’s eyes.  He smelled her startled response, though she was trying not to show it.  “Enough of your pathetic games.  It’s not you that we need, but the watch…”

Daniel saw Father-of-Mine react violently to something one of his Family had said.  At first, he thought that this was still a continuation of his plan, that one of them had insulted the Head or something.  But then he heard Clark gasp in shock, “No, Son-of Mine!”

With a sudden, darting motion Baines moved forward and thrust a dagger into Martha’s side.  She gasped-she certainly hadn’t been expecting that-and fell.  She felt Baines’ rough, dirty hands search her for the watch, and laugh evilly when he’d found it.  He kicked her prone form and ran off.  As her eyes rolled back into her head at the pain, she called for the Doctor, needing him more than ever now.

Dan felt her fall, like a sudden agony in his mind.  In a split second, he was off running.  He didn’t care, now, that his plans were falling apart around him, like a house of cards.  His only thoughts were for beautiful, sweet Martha, that he’d knowingly put in harm’s way, and then wasn’t there for her when she was hurt.  Once again, the consequences were higher than he’d let himself realize…if he let them come to pass.  He'd underestimated the Son of the Family.  Every bit of him wanted to blame himself for the hurt he could feel in her thoughts, the pain that she was going through.  But he didn’t even have the strength to muster a bit of self-reproach.  Every extra little ounce of strength was being cast into getting him to her.  Only he could help her now, and he needed to go to her so much, to heal her and hold her hand and tell her that it was all gonna be okay, that she would survive this, because the strength inside of her could overcome anything.  The rocks on the road flew up under his trainers, spraying the area behind him.  The coat flapped around him, a giant bird of prey ready to carry his frustration to those who deserved his wrath.  It was a little big on him, but however fast he was running, he wouldn’t trip.  He couldn’t afford to, not now, of all times.  He’d never run quite like this in his life, but the strange thing was that, for once, he was running toward something, not away.  It was his brilliant, daring Martha that had brought about this change in him, and if she died, there wouldn’t be enough mercy left in the universe to stop him…