The Writings of Lady Sci-Fi

Here's the soundtrack for FTTF2, available for download.






( Track Listing and Link here... )

I’m not a fan of soundtracks with songs with ‘real’ lyrics, like rock or pop songs. That said, I did make one exception. I’ve changed the song titles to make sense of where they belong in the story. This list tells what the real titles are and what CD they’re from.
( Read more )

With name


without name

Venusian Lullaby, a wonderful DW novel, once you get past the almost unpronouncable names. The Doctor, Ian, and Barbara are in top form once again. There is something i have noticed in regard to Ian and Barbara, though. It seems as though everyone who writes 1st-Doc episodes, BBC books, or Missing Adventures likes to make my two fave DW characters suffer somehow.
Paul Leonard is not at all restraining himself here. The story takes place over three days. In that three days, Barbara is: fed brains that makes her think she is a Venusian half the time, blown up by a firecraker, trapped in the sewers when a cave-in happens, concussed, kicked in the chest by a huge powerful venusian that results in a near-fatal wound, nearly drowned in mud, captured by the other aliens, tortured, and possesed.
Ian is: kidnapped by a group of Venusians, shoved in a cage way too small for him, trapped in the middle of a burning forest with exploding fruits and dirt, inflicted with burnt hands from the fire, shot with darts, fed brains that makes him act like a venusian child some of the time, nearly drowned, kidnapped again by another group of venusians, nearly decapitated on a train, caught in the middle of a harpoon battle, sentenced to death, paralyzed in the legs, contemplates suicide, caught in a grenade battle, and accidently left behind on the planet for three weeks when the Doc and Barbara take off without him.
Still, all this adds action and urgency to the story. I love all the character interaction. like Ian looking away while taking care of a dying Barbara because she is naked, Barbara not shaking hands with a venusian until Ian lets go, the comapnion ship Ian and Barbara have with two Venusians.
*hugs Ian and Barbara for putting up with the various ways of suffering writers come up with.*

I just finished reading the Face of the Enemy, a book with Ian and Barbara, and the Master, helping UNIT with a mysterious plane crash. Great book with Ian/Barbara stuff... but, i felt cheated at the end. Ian and Barbara, having each gone through hell to get back to each other, don't even get a reuniting kiss. :/. Ah well, i guess i'll read the Eleventh Tiger again for that. Still, i love the emotions this novel. (Ian nearly kills himself after they find "Barbara's" burnt body in a car wreck. He remains believingly grieved and filled with a vengeance to find her killers throughout the rest of the story.) Well-paced, with a bunch of good supporting characters. A rather interesting part is when the Master talks Ian out of killing himself and persuades him to get on with his work.
But, one part put a nice image in my head. Ian walks up to the Brigadier to report his findings... wearing glasses and a lab coat, with a clipboard of notes in hand.
Hmmm... i need a photomanip of ScienceGeek! Ian.

So... what did happen at the end of Dreamland? I mean, Josh is dead or dying and SJ and Josh can't be rescued from the spaceship. What does everyone think happened?

sequel to my previous SJA story Dalek Invasion of Earth: 2007.

Prologue

 “Tegan, Bry, are you there?” called Alan Jackson’s voice from my laptop.

 “Yes, Alan?” I yawned, sitting down at the table to find his face on the Instant Messenger webcam. I had just gotten out of the shower. Bry had just gotten in. “Do you know what time it is here?”

 “Sorry about that. Anyway, Sec called us a few minutes ago. He said he found something in the Australian Outback that he wants us to investigate,” Alan explained.

 I grinned. “Anything for him.”

 “We thought you’d say that.”

 “Where’s Sarah?”

 “She and the rest of them are packing for a few days in Australia. I have to do that soon too. Will you and Bry be joining us?”

 “Of course. Give us an hour before we T-mat over.”

 “I’ll tell Sarah. See you in an hour,” Alan waved before logging off the webcam.

 I finished drying my hair, then banged on the bathroom door.

 “What is it?” Bry shouted over the running water.

 “Hurry up! We have to pack.”

 “What?”

 “Just hurry up.”

 Bry came out fifteen minutes later, towel wrapped around his waist as he walked into the bedroom. “What’s going on?” he said, after seeing my half-filled suitcase. “We haven’t been invited to any digs, have we?”

 I shook my head. “Alan called. We’re going to Australia. I told him we’d be over in an hour.” I threw a pair of his boxers, jeans, and a shirt at him. “Please put some clothes on.”

 “Oh, so now you don’t like me in the buff?” Bry teased.

 I smiled and shook my head before going back to my packing. We were ready forty-five minutes later. We materialized in Sarah Jane’s attic after calling ahead to have Clyde operate the T-mat controls on their end.

 “Ah, hello, Tegan and Bry,” Sarah greeted before turning to her supercomputer. “Mr Smith, I need you to book seven tickets on a flight leaving for Sydney, then a connecting flight to…” she looked over to Maria and asked, “Where did Sec say he was?”

 “Perth,” answered Maria.

 Sarah turned back to Mr Smith. “Make a connecting flight from Sydney to Perth.”

 “One moment, please,” said the pleasant masculine voice of the alien supercomputer.

 “K9,” Sarah addressed her robotic dog.

 “Yes, Mistress?”

 “I can’t take you with us. Will you be a good dog and guard the house?”

 “Affirmative, Mistress,” replied K9, his metal tail wagging.

 “Sarah Jane, I have booked both flights. The flight to Sydney leaves in three hours,” said Mr Smith.

 “Thank you very much. Right, is everyone packed and ready to go?”

 A chorus of “Yes” answered Sarah.

 She nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

 I drove Sarah Jane’s car with Sarah in the passenger seat and Bry and Luke in the back. Alan and Maria went in their car. We arrived at Gatwick Airport with an hour and thirty minutes to spare. While waiting to board the plane, we discussed what Sec could possibly have in store for us.

 The flight to Sydney wasn’t eventful, other than a bad bit of turbulence. The connecting flight to Perth had even more turbulence. If I hadn’t been so excited, I would have listened to the potential foreshadowing.

 Sec Diagoras met us at the airport and took us to two desert jeeps that he had rented. He explained that it would take about a day-and-a-half to reach the site. Sarah, Sec, Luke, and I were in the first jeep, with Sarah driving. Alan was driving the rest of our group across the desert terrain.

 Bry’s voice crackled through the radio link between the two jeeps. “So, Sec, what’s the surprise you have planned for us?”

 “I was walking through the Outback a few days ago when I saw a purple light streak across the sky. I followed its trajectory and found that the unidentifiable object had crashed into a mountain,” Sec explained. “But it did not really crash… it’ll be easier to show you.”

 We had to spend a night sleeping under the stars. I stayed up, talking with Sec. we had taken off his holo-projector wrist strap when we had left the city of Perth behind. Truth be told, I preferred seeing him as a Human-Dalek. It made me more comfortable.

 We woke up early the next morning and made it to our destination in the afternoon. Sec led us on a climb partway up the mountain.

 Alan and Clyde let out a low whistle. In the side of the mountain was a gaping hole. It was too perfectly round to be from a natural cause.

 “I haven’t gone inside yet,” said Sec. “But I did find this.” He took a crystal from his pocket.

 The crystal was of good size, but it was constantly changing colors. It was also emitting a high-pitched whine. Sec explained, “It only changes color and makes that noise when it’s in the light.”

 “Well, why don’t we go in?” said Bry before lowering himself into the large hole and dropping down into the darkness. We heard him curse. He called up, “Be careful. It’s a big drop.”

 I followed and immediately turned on my flashlight to get a look around. Once we were all in the perfectly-rounded tunnel, we started walking. After a good ten minutes, we didn’t need our flashlights. The tunnel was now illuminated by an eerie purple light.

 The tunnel opened into a small, perfectly-shaped cavern. The purple light was coming from an alien spaceship that had been parked in the middle of the cavern.

 “Well, they couldn’t have crashed,” concluded Alan. “The perfectly rounded tunnel and cavern prove that.

 “Or maybe they did make an emergency landing, and their weapons system had enough power to make a safer landing,” Sarah replied.

 We walked around the ship, admiring it. We looked inside the pilot station through the large front window. I noticed an orange light silently flashing inside.

 I remarked, “No matter where or when you are, flashing lights are always a bad thing.”

 “Did we trip a silent alarm somewhere?” asked Maria when they all noticed the light.

 “I say we get out of here before whoever this ship belongs to comes back,” said Bry.

 “We will have to find another way out,” Sec responded. “The way we came earlier is too high to climb back out.”

 Clyde mumbled, “Of course, you tell us this now.”

 We followed the Human-Dalek, who had put his wrist-strap back on in case of any trouble.  It wasn’t long before we heard angry cries and weapons fire behind us.

 “Maria, we definitely tripped an alarm,” her father said.

 Our hurried walk instantly became a sprint. We were nearly to the opening of a cave that led to the outside when several streaks of blue went over our heads and into the rocks above the cave mouth. A rumble filled the tunnel and the ground shook beneath our feet. All the weapons fire was causing the tunnel and cave opening to collapse. Rocks started to fall from the ceiling. One hit Alan on his head. He was able to stumble into the cave before falling to the rocky floor. I tripped and fell to my knees. Sec noticed Alan and I on the ground and stopped to help us up. By the time I was back on my feet, the tunnel and cave mouth had caved in. And our five friends were nowhere to be seen. I knew that they hadn’t seen the three of us fall and kept going.

 My guess was confirmed when Sec, Alan, and I heard Bry, Sarah, Maria, Clyde, and Luke call our names from the outside.

 “They have us trapped in here,” I stated to Sec and Alan.

 Sec shouted to our friends, “We’re alright.”

 “Hang on, we’ll get you-“ Bry started to say.

 Sarah yelped in surprise and pain.

 A feminine voice threatened, “Touch those rocks and the woman dies.”

 Sarah replied, “Please, our friends are in there. One of them might be injured.”

 “Be silent,” repeated the voice.

 “But-“ Sarah started.

 There was the sound of a firearm being shot and a startled scream.

 “Maria!” Alan called through the rock wall.

 “I’m alright, Dad,” she called back.

 More rough voices joined the group outside. Rocks shifted behind us. The aliens who had directly chased us were getting through. We were cornered.

 “I’m sorry,” said Sec. “I should not have-“

 “No, Sec, you did the right thing by calling us here,” I interrupted. “We just weren’t prepared.”

 Sec’s Human face was the last thing I saw before the aliens broke through the collapsed tunnel. 

This is it. 4 months, 50 pages, and 19,123 words later. I'm finally done. I really enjoyed writing this story. Now   I have to finish the other stories that I started waaay before this one. :)

Chapter 14

 I awakened with a stretching yawn and turned my head to the side. My brown eyes met Sec’s blue one. he slightly jumped, as though startled. The Human-Dalek was sitting in a chair by the bed I was in. his black satin tie was gone and the top few buttons of his black shirt were undone.

 I assessed my situation. I knew that we were in an infirmary of some kind in the Doctor’s TARDIS. I was still in the white hospital clothing, but my sling was missing and I could feel that my bandages had been changed. There wasn’t a mirror, but I knew I probably looked like hell. After all, who didn’t after a life-or-death hostage situation and being shot twice?

 I refocused on Sec. He lowered his head and avoided my gaze. I swung my legs around to let them hang off the side of the bed. I gently tipped his head back up so that he was looking at me again. Before he could say anything, I asked, “What did they do to you?”

 “They injected several chemicals into me. It felt as though my blood was burning…. Why did you step in front of those bullets?”

 “Do you want to logical reason or the emotional reason?” I asked in reply.

 “Both.”

 I nodded and took a deep breath. “Logical: Those guns were aimed at your heart. I am shorter than you, so the bullets wouldn’t have hit mine. It was still pretty close though. Emotional: I made a promise that everyone, including you, would get out of there alive. Sec, there is nothing I would not do for a friend. Keep in mind that I don’t have very many friends.”

 “But, I-“

 “No,” I said firmly. “No more self-depreciation. You are not Dalek Sec.” I ran my hand through my hair. “What was the name of the Human who served you?”

 “Diagoras.”

 “Then, from now on, you shall be Sec Diagoras. A Dalek name and a Human name. You’re a new man.” I smiled and glanced at his clothing. He had probably been wearing the black suit since his transformation. “And a new man needs new clothing attire,” I told him.

 A confused expression fell upon Sec’s face. I got up out of the bed and encouraged, “Come on. Sarah said that there was a wardrobe somewhere on this ship.”

 Sec followed me as we wandered around the corridors, opening doors and peeking inside. We found the wardrobe about fifteen minutes later. I let out a low whistle upon entering. There were racks upon racks of clothes from different time periods, countries, and even planets.

 “I do hope you have some plan of where to start,” Sec remarked.

 I looked him up and down and nodded. I grabbed his hand and led him to the twenty-first century Earth section, then refined my search to Tibetan clothing. I found what I was looking for. I just couldn’t reach it. Stretching was still a bit painful to do.

 “Sec, would you get that down for me?” I asked and pointed to the hanging outfit.

 Sec reached up and pulled down the attire set. It was tan pants with a beige tunic. “This one?” he inquired.

 “Yeah. Go on, try it out,” I encouraged.

 Sec laid the clothes on the floor before starting to take off his black shirt. I quickly turned around to give him some privacy.

 “Why did you turn away?” asked the Human-Dalek.

 “Sec, for future reference, don’t change your clothes in front of females.”

 “I am sorry. Is it wrong?”

 I resisted the urge to turn back around and take a peek at the shirtless alien man. “It’s not wrong exactly. It’s just… just not very modest. You’ll understand as you experience society.”

 “Oh,” was his response.

 I waited until the sound of rustling clothing ceased. “Are you done?” I asked to make sure.

 “Yes.”

 I turned around. “Very nice,” I commented. “Now, you’ll need something…” I found what I was looking for on a lower rack. I took it off the hangar and handed it to him. It was a brown Jedi-ish robe. He put it on and adjusted it.

 I couldn’t help but smile. “You look very nice. Handsome, even.”

 “I do?” was Sec’s reply.

 A sudden thought came to me. “You’ve never seen yourself before, have you?”

 Sec shook his head. He was already picking up Human gestures.

 “Well, I’m sure that there is a mirror around here somewhere.”

 “Are you certain that you should be exerting so much physical energy with your injuries?” was the Human-Dalek’s concerned response.

 “I feel fine, as long as I don’t stretch my arm. Now, come on,” I said, taking his hand.

 We quickly found the mirror. When Sec saw his far-off reflection, he slowly stepped forward, entranced. I followed a couple of steps behind him.

 “Is this really me… what I look like?”

 “Yes. Why? What did you expect?”

 “I do not know… something….”

 I came up behind him, rested my chin on his shoulder, and held him close against me. “You expected something ugly and horrifying,” I stated.

 “Yes.”

 “Well, that’s not what you got,” I told our reflection. “Believe it or not, you are a very beautiful person, both inside and out.”

 “But-“

 “No, Sec. No more self-depreciation. No matter what anyone else says, you are a beautiful person. I can’t tell you about other societies, but most Humans will judge you by your physical appearance. Do not listen to those people, whether they’re from Earth, Mars, Alpha Centauri, or the Andromeda Galaxy. Do you understand?”

 Sec nodded his head. I released my hold on him. He went over to the chair a few feet away, sat down, and let out a long sigh. Once again, I followed, and sat across from him.

 A moment of silence passed before Sec asked, “How do you judge people you do not know, Tegan?”

 I leaned forward in my chair until I could touch him. “I judge people by what is in here…” I touched his forehead. “… and by what is in here,” I touched the left side of his chest, where his heart was.

 A puzzled look fell upon the Human-Dalek’s face. “My heart? But there is only blood-“

 I explained, “In Human cultures, we see the heart as the center of all our emotions.”

 “Ah, I see. But, you cannot physically look inside my heart and brain and see what kind of person I am.”

 I looked into Sec’s blue eye. “There is a phrase that I believe in. ‘The eyes are the window to the soul.’ Eyes are very expressive. Looking into them is how I judge people.”

 “I understand.” After another minute, he let out a frustrated groan. “Things are much more complex now. I am much more complex now. Everything used to be so simple….”

 “Would you like to go back to that?”

 “No. Not if it means I must go back to what I used to be.”

 I nodded my head. “Your life is your own now. You don’t have orders or pressure from anyone. You’re free to be the man you want to be.”

 Sec raised his head as he digested this statement. “Yes,” he replied after a long moment. “I am free.”

 We were both startled by the knock on one of the clothing racks. Sarah Jane stepped from behind it.

 With a smile, she said, “I thought I’d find you both here. Mind you, this room has definitely gotten bigger since I was last in it. Did I interrupt anything?”

 Sec and I shook our heads. I said, “Just helping him get in touch with his humanity.”

 “Where is everyone else?” asked Sec.

 “It’s been quite a few hours since Harry dropped us off. Bry, Martha, and the Doctor got you two situated before we took off. They’re all in the Console Room, asleep, except the Doctor. He decided to release sleeping gas into the room. I woke up first ad decided to check up on you two.”

 I smiled. “And you knew that we would be here… how?”

 “Not many people like to stay in hospital gowns.”

 “True, that.”

 Sarah glanced at me, then Sec, then me again. I understood what she implied.

 “Sec, do you mind waiting outside for a few minutes?” I asked.

 “Did I do something wrong?” asked the Human-Dalek.

 “No,” I said with a smile. “It’s a modesty thing.”

 “Oh, I’ll be outside then,” he answered before getting up and going.

 “A modesty thing?” Sarah repeated when he was out of earshot.

 “I gave him some clothes to change into, and I had to tell him about not getting dressed in front girls and about modesty.”

 “Sec reminds me of Luke,” Sarah commented.

 I nodded. “Everything is new to him. I’m sure you didn’t tell Sec to leave just so we could talk about him.”

 “You don’t mind if I check your bandages, do you? I’m no doctor, but-“

 “I don’t mind. Who changed them earlier?”

 “Martha. She’s training to be a doctor.”

 “Yeah, she told me that,” I replied while ripping open the thin collar and sleeve of my white hospital shirt.

 Sarah started gently unpeeling the white bandages. “You didn’t tell the Doctor anything I told you, did you?”

 “Of course not. You implied that I shouldn’t, so I didn’t,” I responded. When she took a look at the gunshot wound, I asked, “Well, what’s the verdict?”

 “Yours will definitely heal better than mine did,” my friend answered. She rewrapped the bandages, then held up the ripped sides of my sleeves. She said with a mocking glare, “Since you’ve already expressed your dislike for these clothes, I guess I’ll help you get into something else.”

 “Thank you,” I said before getting up and following her.

 It wasn’t long before Sarah Jane held up a matching black tunic and pants set embroidered with silver from “Vorzyd”

 I nodded in approval. “Very nice.”

 Sarah helped me change into the tunic and pants. We looked at my reflection in the mirror.

 Sarah complimented, “I like it. Do you?”

 I smiled and nodded. I turned to face her and pulled her into a one0armed hug. “Sarah, I am so glad I met you.”

 Sarah held me against her with both arms. “I think I’ve finally figured you out.”

 “Oh, really?”

 “You’re like someone took the best bits of the Doctor and the best bits of me, and made a whole new person.”

 “Should I take that as a compliment?” I teased.

 I felt Sarah’s smile before she let go of me. Her facial expression turned to seriousness. “Tegan, the Doctor might ask you to join him in his travels.”

 “Am I not too young to be gallivanting around the galaxy?”

 “No. I was only twenty-three. There was an Australian woman named Tegan Jovanka, she was only twenty-one. with her was a fifteen-year-old boy named Adric.”

  “Well then, I guess I’m not too young. And what about Bry?”

 “I must admit, the Doctor wasn’t too fond of Harry at first, but soon warmed up to him.”

 “If he does ask, how should I answer?”

 Sarah Jane took a deep breath. “I think… I think you should accept his offer. I know that you would want to, and opportunities like this happen to a rare few people. You should take this opportunity.”

 There was a light shudder underneath our feet. Sarah said, “We’ve landed.”

 

Chapter 15

 “I do believe that Sec has waited for us long enough,” I remarked. “How about we go see where we are?”

 Sec, Sarah, and I went to the console room, only to find it empty. But the door to the outside world was partly  open.

 “Allo,” The Doctor greeted when we stepped out of the TARDIS onto blue-green grass. “I thought we could all use a little good vibes, so I brought us to the Eye of Orion.”

 Before I could say anything, Bry ran up to me and lifted me off my feet by my waist, spinning me around. I surprised him when he started to lower me. I pressed my lips to his and initiated a long and passionate kiss. We heard the Doctor say to Sarah, “Looks like the good vibes are already working.”

 We were all glad for the feeling of peace on the Eye of Orion. Aswe sat watching the sunset, the Time Lord said to the Human-Dalek, “Well, Sec, what will you do now? Where will you go?”

 “I would like to travel Earth, in your time, but-“

 Maria asked, “But what?”

 “I am not like you. I do not look Human, like the Doctor does.”

 We said nothing more on the matter, but I noticed the small thoughtful smile on the Doctor’s face.

 We reentered the TARDIS. Soon after the Doctor set the controls to “One hour after we left,” he promised. He opened the door about ten minutes later. We exited to find ourselves on a heavily forested hill, overlooking a village.

 “Where are we?” Bry was first to ask.

 The Doctor answered with, “Earth. Argentina, to be exact. The perfect place for someone to start exploring this planet.”

 Sec was taken aback. “But, I cannot-“

 “Yes, Sec, you can. And you won’t have to worry about anyone seeing you and using you for experiments,” the Time Lord told him. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a black wrist strap and handed it to the Human-Dalek. “Put it on,” he encouraged.

 Sec fastened the strap onto his wrist. Almost instantly, his face and hands changed. His brown-green skin went to a light tan color. The fused fingers on his hands separated into five fingers. His face now had two eyes, a nose, and two ears. Short black hair appeared on his head. Sec was a… Human man, and a rather handsome one at that.

 Martha recognized the Human that he looked like. “Diagoras,” she said. “Doctor, what did you do?”

 “It’s only a hologram,” the Doctor answered.

 “Only a hologram?” I echoed. I pressed the palms of my hands against Sec’s. “But, this feels so real.”

 “It’s Rovain technology. They’re very good with their holographic projections. They look, feel, taste, smell, and sound real,” the Doctor explained. “Take it off for a minute.”

 Sec took off the wrist strap. Almost immediately, his familiar Human-Dalek features reappeared. he studied the strap for a moment before putting it back on.

 “There’s nothing to stop you from doing what you want to now,” I told Sec, stroking his smooth tan cheek with my hand.

 A Human smile brightened his face. “Then I shall travel and explore this world, with a new mind, a new perspective.” He hugged me tightly. “Tegan, thank you for saving my life.”

 “It was the least I could do,” I replied. “I’m going to miss you, Sec Diagoras.”

 “We’re all going to miss you,” Sarah said.

 We all said our good-byes to this alien of a man. With one last nod to us, Sec Diagoras strode down the hill to his new life.

                                       *******************

 The next time we exited the TARDIS, we were in the back garden of a large house.

 “Wow, Doctor. Not only did you get the street right, you also got the house right,” Sarah commented.

 Maria was the first to go arounf to the front yard of the house. “Dad! Clyde!” we heard her shout in excitement. Luke quickly joined her.

 “Sarah Jane, before I go,” the Doctor said before he lifted her off her feet with a tight embrace. “It was great to see you again. The circumstances could’ve been a bit better, but…”

 “It was great seeing you too, Doctor,” responded Sarah.

 Then the Doctor and Martha turned to Bry and me. “Tegan, Bry, there is something I want to ask you,” said the Time Lord. “Will the two of you do me the honor of joining me and Martha on our travels?”

 Bry was a little shocked, to say the least. I glanced at Sarah, who nodded, before answering, “Yes, we will,” to the Doctor.

 Bry was still digesting the Doctor’s offer. He smiled and nodded his head after a minute. Bry and Martha shook Sarah’s hand before going into the TARDIS. The Doctor nodded to her before following them.

 I threw my arms around Sarah Jane. “I’m going to miss you,” I told her.

 “I’ll miss you, Tegan. Just remember, when you’re done, to come visit me.”

 “I will. I love you, Sarah Jane,” I said before releasing my hold on her.

 “I love you, Tegan. Now go on. Have the adventures of your life.”

 

Epilogue

 Year: 2016.

 Bry and I had spent two years, TARDIS time, with the Doctor. True to his word, the Time Lord had brought us back home about two hours after we had left. Our families noticed that we had come back from the hostage situation changed. We knew we couldn’t tell them about any of our adventures in time and space. We had gone to visit Sarah Jane about a week after we came back.

 It had been nine years since the Dalek hostage situation. Bry and I graduated from university with a PhD in archaeology each. Three days after that, we had gotten married. Sarah Jane and I had built a transmat link between our two houses, since we lived in different countries. With a quick call, we could visit each other almost instantly. Maria, Luke, and Clyde attended the university near their homes

 Right now, the two of us were heading a dig in Egypt, near Cairo. We had found, despite what all the other archaeologists had told us, a temple, lost in the sands of time, until now. And, in the temple, we had found-

 “Tegan! Bry!” called the voice of an Egyptian boy named Aziz.

 “Down here, Aziz,” Bry called back.

 Aziz scrambled through the tunnel that led to the area of the temple we were excavating. He dusted himself off when he stood up. “There you are. There is a man at the tent who wants to see you.”

 “Did he say why?” I asked.

 Aziz shook his head. “Nothing specific. But he did want to see you two in private.”

 Bry and I glanced at eachother and shrugged. “We’ll take a break in a few minutes. We’ll see him then,” Bry replied.

 With a nod, Aziz clambered back through the tunnel. My husband and I followed a few minutes later. We entered the enclosed break room tent. We were alone except for a man wearing a long brown Jedi-ish robe. The hood concealed his face.

 “Are we alone?” he asked.

 “Yes,” answered Bry.

 The man took something off of his wrist, then pushed back his hood.

 “Sec!” I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. I kissed his tentacled cheek. Bry shook our friend’s hand in greeting.

 “It has been a good nine years for you two, hasn’t it?” Sec said after I let him go.

 “Definitely,” Bry and I said in unison.

 “You?” I asked.

 “There are still many places I have not been. But, I heard that the two of you would be here.”

 “You’re lucky you came when you did,” I replied. “We’re getting on a plane to London in about five hours.”

 “Why?”

 “We have to take a few artifacts to the London Museum of Archaeology. And we’re going to see Sarah Jane while we’re there,” Bry answered.

 “We have a couple extra seats on the jet,” I informed.

 “I have never been on an airplane of any kind before,” Sec hesitantly said.

 “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. That reminds me, I was going to ask Aziz if he wanted to come,” I said.

 “Aziz? Are you sure about that?” my husband asked.

 “Yes. He’s been asking me to take him to London for the past month. I might as well indulge his wish.”

 “Uhhuh. As long as you claim responsibility for him. A fifteen-year-old formerly homeless boy…”

 “Oh, he’ll behave, I’m sure. Sec, we leave for the airport in about three hours. You can relax here until then. Please don’t wander off.”

 The jet landed in Heathrow Airport five hours after we took off from Cairo. Most of the artefacts we brought with us were in our suitcases. But the special ones were in our carry-ons. Our contact with the museum was waiting for us. He led us to a van.

 “I’m sorry, Mr Ackerman,” I said. “But my husband and I won’t be joining you.”

 “Why not?”

 “We need to go see our advisor about a few things. I’m sure you understand,” I told him before Bry and and I took out the bubble-wrapped artifacts from our suitcases and putting them in the seat next to Aziz. “Can I trust you to take care of these?”

 Aziz enthusiastically nodded his head.

 With a wave, Mr Ackerman drove away.

 We called a taxi and told the driver Sarah’s address. It didn’t take very long to get there. As soon as I paid the driver, he drove off. We lugged our backpacks and suitcases to Sarah’s front door. I knocked.

 It took a moment before a young brown-skinned man answered the door. “Hello, Clyde,” I greeted.   

 “Tegan? Bry?” he asked. “But you always come by transmat.”

 “Clyde, who is it?” we heard Alan Jackson ask from inside.

 Tegan and Bry and… some other guy,” Clyde answered. He helped us get inside with our luggage and closed the door. Sarah, Luke, Maria, and Alan came to greet us. Before they could say anything about us always using transmat, I drew their attention to the hooded Sec.

 “Everyone, say hello to Sec Diagoras,” I said.

 We spent dinner playing catch up, mostly with Sec. Afterwards, I took out the Special artifacts and laid them on the table.

 “We have discovered that there were Star Poets in Ancient Egypt,” I announced.

 The evidence of that statement was painted and engraved on the stone tablets. Clyde let out a low whistle.

 “Of course, we can’t exactly put this on display,” said Bry.

 “I know what you mean. You’d be laughed out of house and home,” Alan remarked.

 “Exactly,” I replied. “Still, there was a lot of things in the temple that wasn’t alien-inspired.”

 “Was there anything else about the Star Poets?” asked Sarah.

 I shook my head. “We found evidence of a fire. We think that anything else related to these tablets were destroyed.”

 “That’s a shame,” Maria commented. “Still, at least we know they were there.”

 At that moment, K9, Sarah’s robotic dog, came up to us. “Mistress, there is a situation in Cardiff that requires your attention.”

 “Thanks, K9.” Sarah turned to us. “Well, what do you say?”

 “Time for an adventure,” we all said in unison. Sec nodded his head after a moment.

 We were a family, all of us. We carried on the Doctor’s work on Earth. In secret, of course. But that didn’t make us any less important.

 My best friend, Sarah Jane Smith, said it best. “I saw amazing things, out there in space. But there’s strangeness to be found wherever you turn. Life on Earth can be an adventure too. You just need to know where to look.”

 

 

 

 

Chapter 13

 Blurry vision. Muffled sounds. These are the senses that greeted me upon awakening.

 Sight and sound cleared. I was in a white-sheeted hospital bed, wearing white hospital trousers and gown. I could feel the bandages over my gunshot wounds.

 Four people were standing at the foot of my bed, talking.

 “The two soldiers who shot her are Torchwood operatives,” the man with dirty-blonde hair reported.

 “How did they infiltrate us?” asked the brown-skinned woman.

 “And I thought that UNIT was supposed to e a bit more secure than it was in my day,” commented an older mustached man.

 “By the way, her friends are very anxious to see her,” said the blonde-haired man.

 The man with short brown hair looked to me. “Well hello, old girl. Glad to see you’re awake,” he greeted. “I’m Doctor-“

 “Harry… Sullivan,” I finished. “Sarah must’ve been… ecstatic to see you. After all, you went… missing.”

 “She and the Doctor were both very… wait a minute, how do you know-“

 “Hello Alastair… Lethbridge-Stewart, Brigadier Winifred Bambera, and… I’m sorry, I don’t… know your name.”

 “Ancelyn,” the blonde-haired man supplied.

 “Ancelyn,” I repeated.

 “How do you know about us?” asked Bambera.

 “It’s amazing what you can… find on the internet. Now, I know… that I’m in hospital. Where are my… friends?”

 “Floor below,” Sullivan answered. “They’re all fine. Sarah is the worst for the wear, but she’ll recover fine.”

 “My friend Sec, the Human-Dalek…?

 Silence and some fidgeting was the answer I received.

 “Does Torchwood…?” I assumed.

 “Yes. They took control of him for questioning,” Bambera answered.

 Ancelyn added, “They aren’t being pleasant with him either.”

 I quickly sat up. “After what I did to… stop them from killing… him? I want to speak with…” I struggled to remember the name. “With… Captain Jack Harkness.”

 “We already tried that,” said Lethbridge-Stewart. “Harkness and his team are unavailable. The way that woman made it sound, I don’t think they even know what’s been going on these past days.”

 I winced in pain and slumped back against the pillows. “My near-self-sacrifice means… nothing to Torchwood?”

 “They believe that Sec mind-controlled you into taking the bullets for him,” explained Sullivan. “After all ‘no young woman in her right mind would sacrifice herself for a hostile alien,’” he sarcastically quoted.

 “So… there is nothing you can do?”

 “Nothing proper and legal,” the doctor replied before taking my pulse and respiration rate.

 I was tired, and fell asleep as he changed my bandages.

                                  *********************

 I awakened to someone picking me up. I slowly opened my eyes.

 “Hello, Ancelyn,” I sleepily greeted. Ancelyn was holding me against his chest. “Will you put me down now?” I requested.

 “Doctor Sullivan said that you’d be weak and drowsy from your injuries and the medications,” Ancelyn explained.

 “Oh. And where are you taking me?”

 “We’re going get you, the Doctor, and the rest of your friends out of here,” answered Bambera.

 “Sec…?”

 The Brigadier smiled at me. “Yes, him too.” To Ancelyn, “Let’s go.”

 Because my injured shoulder and aching arm were in a sling, I only had use of one arm. I put it around the blonde man’s neck to hold on. He carried me to the elevator. We got off on the fourth floor and went to a door being guarded by three UNIT soldiers. They nodded at us and opened the door, allowing us entrance.

 Bry, Sarah, Luke, Maria, and Martha were all asleep in the hospital beds. The Doctor came over and asked with a signature grin, “Is it visiting time?”

 Bambera rolled her eyes. “Doctor, we’re going to get you all to your TARDIS. We found it, but it’s still where you left it.”

 “I trust that we’re not going to leave Sec in Torchwood’s hands?” the Doctor replied.

 “Of course not,” Ancelyn responded as the Doctor and Bambera started waking everyone up.

 “Hello, Bry,” I greeted when Bambera none-too-gently shook him awake.

 “Tegan!” he cried in delight before hurrying over and kissing my forehead. “How do you feel?”

 “Better,” was my simple answer.

 Bry looked at Ancelyn. “Thank you. I’ll take her from here.”

 Ancelyn nodded before carefully handing me over to Bry.

 “I’m not fragile, you know,” I commented.

 “You are until the Doctor says otherwise,” Bry retorted as I wrapped my arm around his neck.

 “So, what’s the plan?” asked Martha.

 “Doctor Sullivan is waiting for you  with a troop transport truck. He’ll sneak you into the ‘no-civilians’ zone were the mall and your TARDIS are,” the Brigadier answered.

 The Doctor in approval.

 Sarah asked, “Won’t you three get court-martialed or something?”

 “Not me,” Ancelyn replied. “Technically, I’m a civilian.”

 “Besides, the powers that be can’t make a big scandal out of it,” added Bambera. “That’s one of the advantages of being part of a secret government organization. Come on, Sullivan is waiting.”

 Bambera and Ancelyn led the way to the second floor. Two Torchwood guards met us as we exited the elevator.

 “I’m sorry,” one of them said. “No one is allowed on this floor until further notice. Not even military personnel.”

 Without a word, Bambera and Ancelyn struck the two guards once with their fists. The Torchwood operatives went down and stayed down.

 “I hate to use violence against my own species,” commented Bambera before leading on.

 We turned a corner and were confronted by three guards. Before they could say anything, the Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver. The earpieces the guards had on gave off a brief electric current, just enough to shock them into unconsciousness.

 Then the Doctor turned the door handle that the Torchwood operatives had been guarding. “Hmmm. Where’s the only place in a hospital that the door is locked?” he rhectorically asked before using his sonic screwdriver on the lock.

 When the Time Lord opened the door, I suddenly jumped out of Bry’s arms and stumbled to the center of the room.

 Sec was slumped forward in a steel chair, his hands cuffed to the armrests. He was bent over so much that I couldn’t see his face. I gently pushed him back against the chair. His head lolled to the side.

 “Please… I don’t know… I’m telling you the truth…” Sec mumbled. Without warning, his eye snapped open and he tried to leap up from the chair. The handcuffs stayed taut and did not break under the stress.

 I fell backwards into Bry from Sec’s unexpected ferocity. The Human-Dalek stared dead ahead for a few seconds before collapsing back into the chair, unconscious.

 Bry helped me up. The Doctor set to work on undoing the cuffs with his sonic screwdriver. He cursed and switched the setting on his tool. I went back to the now calm and comatose Sec and slowly peeled back his eyelid.

 “Doctor, his eye is clouded,” I said.

 “They’ve drugged him,” the Doctor concluded.

 Sarah studied a few bottles and syringes on the counter. “He was seriously drugged.” She read off the labels on the bottles.

 “If he were Human, he’d be dead,” the Doctor gravely replied. “Still, the only hope for his full recovery is to get him to the TARDIS.”

 “Doctor, what’s taking so long?” Bambera impatiently asked from her look-out position at the door.

 “Torchwood has gotten more tech-savvy since last time I met them,” was the Time Lord’s explanation. “… maybe setting 132?” he asked himself. He let out a whoop of victory when the cuffs sprang open. “And all systems are go,” he said.

 The Doctor motioned to Bry, who picked me up. “Do you mind?” I complained. “I do have legs.”

 “Well, you’re still weak and tired from the meds you’ve been on,” was Bry’s reasoning.

 I muttered, “I’ll show you weak….”

 The Doctor and Ancelyn placed Sec’s arms over their shoulders and hauled him into an upright position. The Human-Dalek’s bare feet dragged across the cold linoleum floor. “Alrighty, Brigadier, lead on,” the Doctor instructed.

 Bambera led our little group, with the Doctor and Ancelyn half-carrying, half-dragging Sec at the rear. There were no further run-ins with Torchwood members or any hospital workers. Bambera brought us to the parking lot, where Sullivan was leaning against the side of a UNIT troop transport truck. He held open the green canvas flap at the back and helped us in. Bambera and Ancelyn said their good-byes and wished us luck before hurrying back into the hospital.

 “Everyone ready?” asked Sullivan.

 We all nodded.

 With an affirming nod in response, Sullivan closed up the canvas, leaving us in near-darkness. The only light that filtered through was that of the street lamps.

 Bry hadn’t let go of me and securely held me in his arms as he sat on the bench. I decided not to fight it. I was too tired and reveled in his presence. The beat of his heart lulled me to sleep.

here we are. kinda short, but very crucial chapter

 

Chapter 12

 Bambera and her soldiers started firing their weapons over our heads. We crouched low and ran, scattering our positions as we did so. The Daleks above us came into play, flying over the railing and firing their own weapons. A few of them, the ones with seriously decreased mobility, were only able to stay in flight for a couple of seconds. They didn’t even clear the railing and toppled over it, breaking into pieces as they crashed to the floor.

 Someone tackled me from behind. I rolled from their grasp and sprang up to my feet. Beard charged at me again. I stopped him with a jump-kick to his head, which knocked the headset cell phone from his head. Beard shook his head, then refocused on me.

 “What are you doing?” I asked. “You’re free. Run away from all this.”

 Beard shook his head. “You and your bitch-“

 I punched his nose, making it bleed, to shut him up. “Don’t you dare talk about Sarah like that.”

 Blonde suddenly picked me up from behind and held me still.

 I looked into Beard’s eyes and saw the emotion there. “You fear me, “ I stated. I dodged the blow to my face. I saw a flying Dalek coming up behind Beard. I had to keep him distracted. “Kill me. Kill the thing that makes you afraid,” I enticed.

 Beard was too engrossed in making a decision to hear the Dalek behind him swoop down. Beard screamed when the blue light-beam struck him I kicked Blonde’s knees, to make him let go of me. I dove to the floor as the Dalek let off another shot. I heard Blonde thud to the floor.

 I got up on my knees and glanced around after the Dalek flew away. Beard and Blonde’s eyes stared up at me from their lifeless faces. I quickly closed their eyes and started running, dodging bullets and ray-beams.

 I heard an almighty crash as the floor above the bookstore collapsed. A scream and cry of pain instantly followed. “Maria! Sec!” I shouted, running faster to help my two friends.

 Sec had once again somehow freed himself from his restraints. The Human-Dalek cried out again as Maria tried to lift the huge slab of wood that had once been the check-out counter and large pieces of ceiling tile off of his legs.

 “Maria, the rest of the ceiling is going to collapse soon. Get out of here. Save yourself,” Sec said.

 “No,” Maria and I objected when I hurried over to help. “On three.”

 I counted and Maria and I tried lifting the counter in vain. “Again.” Once again in vain. I heard the ceiling cracking, starting to split open. The two of us lifted again, this time gaining enough space for Sec to wriggle his legs out from underneath the rubble. We dove out of the way of the collapsing ceiling. With a crash, it fell to the floor, barely a few inches from us.

 “That was close,” commented Maria after we got up and surveyed the damage.

 Outside the bookstore, we heard Caan and the Doctor. No more weapons were being fired.

 “Give it up, Caan,” the Doctor said. “It’s just you and me now. There are no more Daleks or Time Lords. And genocide isn’t on my to-do list.”

 “Then you are idiotic, Doctor,” Caan replied. “Time Shift.”

 I was about to ask Sec what that meant when two UNIT soldiers appeared in front of us, guns raised and aimed at Sec.

 “Slowly put your hands up, all of you,” one of them commanded.

 We did so. I noticed that their guns were aimed at Sec’s heart. I made my decision in the second that the soldiers’ fingers tightened on their gun triggers.

 I took one step to the left and in front of Sec.

 Pain blossomed in my shoulder and chest. The momentum of the bullets made me spin around to face Sec. He caught me and gently, but quickly, lowered me to the ground.

 “Back away from her, Alien,” the soldiers ordered.

 The Human-Dalek obeyed. Maria dropped to my side, took off the black suit jacket, and pressed it against my wounds.

 “Don’t just stand there, get help!” she shouted to the two UNIT soldiers. When they didn’t move, she called for Sarah, the Doctor, and Bambera. Then she started to comfort me. “You’ll be fine, Tegan, you have to be…”

 My vision and hearing faded. Yet, I was completely calm as I felt my life trickle away from me.

new chappie up and ready.
 thank you SJS for reviewing. *hugs*

 

Chapter 11

 It had only been a couple of hours. Bry was already sick of waiting.

 “You know, I really wish I had my ipod right now,” he complained.

 I looked up from the updated alien encounters book I had started reading. “Bry, only you could get bored in a bookstore,” I commented.

 “I’m too wired to read,” was his reply.

 I rolled my eyes and put down the book. I went to a more spacious area and started practicing karate.

 The Doctor showed interest and watched. After a few minutes, he asked, “Kuk Sool Won, right?”

 I nodded in answer.

 “I know Venusian Akido. Trained under the best, I did.”

 “So have I. Master Daren Hart.”

 “Ah, I met him once. Quite by accident, of course. He nearly kicked me out of a formal party for ‘disturbing the peace.’ As if the Gregarites weren’t going to do that anyway.”

 “I was there, Doctor, “said Sarah. “Big Australian man, very intimidating. He was ready to tie you up in your scarf, kick you out the door, and call the police. You never did thank me for getting you out of that rather delicate situation.”

 “I never thank you for a lot of things,” the Doctor responded.

                   *********************************

 We didn’t have to wait very long- only three more hours- before something happened.

 Caan’s bodyguards- Jast and Thay were their names- came in. “The youngest female will come with us,” ordered Jast.

 Sarah was first to react. She jumped up to her feet and protested, “She most certainly will not!”

 Thay moved forward and trapped Sarah between his plunger-arm and the counter edge. “Would you rather she be exterminated?”

 Sarah quickly shook her head. “But-“

 “Sarah, please, I’ll be alright,” Maria spoke up, grabbing Sarah’s hand in assurance.

 “Let Martha go with her,” the Doctor said.

 “What?” asked Thay.

 The Doctor went up to Thay and said slowly, “Martha will go with Maria.”

 Jast and Thay glanced at eachother. “Very well, Doctor,” Jast replied. “You two will come with us.”

 Maria hugged Sarah and Luke. Martha nodded to the Doctor. The two Daleks led them out of the bookstore.

 Sarah aimlessly glanced around before starting to pace the area in front of the counter. She had made several tracks in the carpet when the Doctor silently stepped in her path. Sarah stopped about a foot-and-a-half from him and turned the other way to continue her pacing.

 The Doctor reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back to him.

 “Doctor, please let go of me,” requested Sarah.

 “Sarah, treading the carpet isn’t going to bring Maria back any faster. Trust me, Martha will take of her.”

 “It isn’t you or Martha I don’t trust,” Sarah sighed. She cocked her head, then looked up into the Doctor’s eyes and grinned. “Sorry for getting blood on your jacket.”

 There was indeed spattered red blood on the Doctor’s tan jacket from when I had brought the injured and near-unconscious Sarah in yesterday. I smiled in realization.

 “Don’t worry, I’ve got another-“ the Doctor stopped and grinned when he also realized what Sarah implied. “Ah, so you can see now?”

 “It’s not all back yet.”

 “But with a little time, it will be,” the Time Lord said before tightly hugging her.

 Maria and Martha came back nearly thirty minutes later.

 “They’re going to let the rest of the hostages go,” Maria said at once.

 “They’re going to let us go?” asked Bry. “Just like that?”

 Martha shook her head. “Everyone except us. Caan wishes to ‘negotiate’ with Brigadier Bambera and UNIT.”

 “And we are to be the leverage,” I understood.

 “But doesn’t the Brig know that Daleks don’t negotiate,” Sarah asked the Doctor.

 The Time Lord nodded. “Caan is trying to lure them into a false sense of security. I don’t expect Alastair and Bambera to be fooled, though.”

 “Releasing the hostages is a show of good faith,” Luke put in.

 “Exactly. Trying to build up a temporary trust between the two species,” replied Sarah.

 “Too bad for them that the eight of us are their high-security hostages,” the Doctor finished. “Also good that your sight decided to come back now. It makes things a lot easier.”

 “Naturally,” Sarah said.

 The rest of the hostages were all out of the mall fifteen minutes later.

 “Are we all ready?” the Doctor asked.

 We all nodded before Caan, Jast, Thay, five other Daleks, Beard, and Blonde came in. we all noticed the headset cell phones on the two Human’s ears.

 “Looks like they’ve been doing a bit of phone-modifying of their own,” the Doctor muttered under his breath. Then he went up to Caan and asked, “Are you going to let us go now?”

 “Do not overestimate your importance, Doctor,” Caan replied. “I can exterminate any of you with no consequence.”

 “No consequence? Aw, now tell me you don’t really believe that.”

 “Humans are predictable. They will do anything to save even one person. Of course, they will be much more cooperative with seven.”

 “There are eight of us,” I pointed out.

 “There are six Humans and one Time Lord who Brigadier Bambera will negotiate for.”

 Beard and Blonde quickly grabbed hold of Sec’s arms and half-dragged him to the counter. Sec fought back. Blonde elbowed the Human-Dalek’s head, making him dazed enough to stop resisting. Beard handcuffed Sec’s wrist to the counter.

 “What are you going to do to him?” Maria and I asked.

 “He will be dealt with later. Enough delay. Come,” the Dalek leader ordered.

 The Doctor nodded to us. We followed behind him, the other seven Daleks and the two traitors encircling us. I glanced back at Sec, alone and cuffed to the counter. His face was one of apprehension… and hope.

 We stopped near the fountain. I looked up and around at the surrounding second floor. Daleks were positioned up there, ready if needed.

 Dalek Caan had his troops ready. Brigadier Bambera had her troops ready.

 Bambera’s brown-skinned face betrayed little emotion as we were lined up in front of the guarding Daleks. The Doctor had already predicted this line-up and had earlier told us to scatter when he gave the word.

 “Brigadier Bambera,” Caan addressed.

 The UNIT commander and her troops tensed, hands resting on their firearms.

 Caan continued. “For every condition of this negotiation that I do not approve of, one hostage will be exterminated.”

 A man with shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair initiated a briefed hushed conversation with Bambera. She agreed to Caan’s terms a moment later.

 The ‘negotiation’ hadn’t gone on for very long when Caan became displeased with what Bambera said.

 The Dalek behind Luke shoved him forward onto his hands and knees.

 “No!” Bambera and Sarah protested. Sarah dropped to her knees and held Luke close to her.

 “Bambera, you agreed. One disagreement costs one hostage’s life. although an extra hostage wishes to sacrifice her own life as well,” Caan reminded.

 As the Dalek said this, the Doctor and Bambera established eye contact. The Time Lord gently patted his tan jacket pocket, then slipped his hand in.

 When Caan finished speaking, the Doctor gave a small nod to the UNIT brigadier. Then he shouted, “Scatter!”

 

 

 

once again, i hope this chap isn't too shippy, except where it's supposed to be.

Chapter 10

 I decided not to wake Sec and Maria unless there was something to really worry about. Taking a deep breath, I started searching through the bookstore for Sarah.

 I found her a couple of minutes later, in the graphic novels section. Sarah was sitting with her back against the bookshelf, the Doctor’s overcoat around her shoulders. She was hugging her knees, sightless brown eyes staring straight ahead, tears caressing her cheeks.

 She must have heard me approaching. “Tegan,” she greeted in an almost-whisper.

 I sat down next to her and slid my arm over her shoulders.

 “Luke and Maria… Caan and that man were hurting them. I-I couldn’t see them, but I could hear their cries and screams of pain.” Sarah paused for a moment. “Then Caan ordered for extermination. Luke and Maria screamed again… then there was silence. Absolute silence….”

 “Sarah, it was a nightmare, nothing more,” I assured.

 “Where are they?”

 “Maria and Sec are asleep behind the counter. Luke is with Bry, Martha, and the Doctor. You see, they found a way up through the ceiling to the floor above us. I found a few boxes of cell phones and the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver in that jewelry store. His original idea of slowing down the Daleks to give UNIT a fighting chance is back on again.”

 Sarah nodded her head and breathed deeply. “How did you know about Brigadier Bambera?”

 “It’s amazing what can be found on the internet,” was my reply.

 Sarah wiped the tears from her face and stretched her legs out in front of her. “A lot of what happened in the jewelry store is fuzzy, but I do remember you kissing me.”

 “Ah,” was all I could say.

 “Why did you kiss me?”

 “Well… that man came back and…”

 “And…?” Sarah prompted.

 “Sarah, he wanted… he wanted to…”

 “I understand.”

 “I asked him what I could do to prevent that. Basically, I had to be very intimate with you.”

 “Well, I’ll admit, you did a very good job. No one has ever kissed me quite like that.”

 I couldn’t help but smile and briefly squeeze her tightly. “Are you sure? Because, I’ve had absolutely no experience with intimate kissing.”

 “Oh, come on. Certainly, you and Bry-“

 “No, not yet.”

 “Past boyfriend?”

 “Bry’s my first one.”

 “I must congratulate you.”

 “Why?”

 “These days, most seventeen-year-old girls have had several boyfriends.”

 “True, that. I’m the exception to all stereotypes of teenage girls, aren’t I? I don’t like shopping for clothes, don’t wear any make-up, don’t like cell phones…”

 “And you believed in aliens before all this.”

 “Ah yes, can’t forget that.”

 “I take it that you’re not very popular at school?”

 “How do you figure that?”

 “I wasn’t either. I was more of… a ghost, you could say.”

 “You’re right. I am too. My only real friend is Bry. And now you guys, of course.”

 “I’m honoured.”

 I let out a small laugh, then tried to stifle a yawn.

 “Was that a yawn?” asked Sarah.

 “No,” I denied.

 “Yes, it was. Come on, lay down.” Sarah leaned over to lie down on the carpeted floor.

 “What? Why?”

 “One: you’re in the way of my leg space. Two: sleeping against a bookshelf isn’t good for your back.”

 I sighed and shook my head before lying down in front of Sarah, my back nearly touching her front. She propped herself up on her elbow and covered us both with the Doctor’s tan overcoat. Then she slid her arm around my waist and held me closely against her. I could feel her cool breath against my ear.

 Sarah leaned over me and kissed my ear. Realizing that, she tried again and kissed my cheek. “Tegan, thank you.”

 “For what?”

 “For everything. Now, do try to get some sleep.”

 With a sleepy, content sigh, I said, “I love you, Sarah Jane.”

 “I love you, too, Tegan,” was the last thing I heard before I fell into sleep.

                          ***********************************

 I woke up to Sarah gently shaking me from behind. “What?” I asked.

 “Listen,” was her reply.

 There was a rattling and a muffled curse from the back of the store.

 “They’re back,” I said, getting up and helping Sarah up after me. I guided her to the back.

 Everyone else was already there. The Doctor was standing on Bry’s shoulders as he replaced the ceiling tile. As soon as it was secure, the Doctor lost his balance and they both crashed to the floor. I let go of Sarah’s hand and helped Bry up to his feet.

 “Luke? Maria?” Sarah asked, reaching out.

 “Mum!” Luke hurried over to embrace Sarah.

 “Sarah Jane!” Maria and the Doctor said in unison, joining Luke in a group hug.

 Sarah winced. “Not so hard. I still feel like a walking bruise.”

 “Sorry,” they said, letting go.

 “At least you’re up and coherent,” said the Doctor, cupping her face in with his hands and looking into her eyes. “How’s your vision?”

 Sarah shook her head. “Still as blind as a Tarisian. But enough about me.”

 “Right,” the Doctor replied before leaning against a bookshelf.

 “We would’ve been back a lot sooner, but a couple traitors decided to camp out in front of the shop above the jewelry store,” Bry said after sliding his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

 “The fire escapes are a no-go,” Martha put in. “They’ve been magnetically sealed.”

 “But the phones have been modified and distributed throughout the entire mall,” said Luke.

 The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver. “I activate this, and they all start working. The only thing is that not every Dalek will be affected in the same way. Some will have decreased weapon power, shielding, mobility, or different mixes of the three.”

 “That’s still better than facing thirty-three fully-capable Daleks,” replied Sarah.

 Sec spoke up. “Doctor, Sarah, are you certain about UNIT’s capabilities? If they are not-“

 “Sec, I know Brigadier Bambera. And the old Brig Lethbridge-Stewart is out there as well,” the Doctor responded. “Between the two of them, I say our lives are in very good hands.” The Time Lord gave a small smile. “Now comes the hardest part.”

 “What’s that?” Martha and Maria asked.

 “Waiting for the Daleks to make the first move.”

 After a couple of minutes, Bry led me a few shelves away from our friends.

 “Tegan,” he said seriously. “I have a feeling that this’ll all end in a free-for-all fight for our lives.”

 “I have that feeling as well.”

 “I know that we just got together a couple of weeks ago, but you’ve been my best friend for a long time.” He firmly placed his hands on my shoulders. “If this ends in a fight, please, please don’t do anything stupid.”

 “I wasn’t planning to.”

 “I just… I just don’t want to lose you. I love you.”

 My response was a half-smile. Bry leaned in to kiss me. I pressed two of my fingers against his lips to halt his progress.

 I told him, “Not now. After all this is over and after we all survive. Think of it as my promise.”

 Bry kissed the two fingers resting on his lips and nodded in understanding. “The Doctor was right, though,” he said.

 “The Doctor is right about many things. Be a little more specific.”

 “After all this pain and preparation, waiting is going to be the hardest thing.”

 

 

Chapter 9

 I told the Doctor nearly everything, leaving out what Beard had made us do. The Doctor was barely containing his anger.

 “Did you see exactly what he used to blind her?”

 “It looked like… like a TV remote, only tiny.”

 “Damn it!” the Doctor swore, punching the bookshelf. “I don’t know if her blindness will be permanent or not.”

 I hugged him in an attempt to calm him a bit. It worked.

 “Sorry. How did you keep her awake for three hours?”

 “We… talked.”

 “About what?”

 “Sarah… she doesn’t want you to know.”

 “Why?”

 “I can’t tell you that either.”

 The Doctor nodded in understanding. A moment of silence passed. Then I remembered the items I had hidden on me.

 “You know, Doctor, not only bad has come from this.”

 “What do you mean?”

 I took out the two phones from the waistband of my jeans and gave them to the Doctor. Then I reached down and took the silver blue-tipped cylinder from my shoe and handed it to him as well.

 “No way. How did you get these?”

 “When Blonde threw me over the counter. There are a few boxes of phones in working order in that store under the counter. Not to mention your…sonic screwdriver.”

 “Haha! Tegan, you are brilliant,” the Doctor said, picking me up in a hug and spinning me around a couple times. “You’ve just given us a fighting chance.”

 “I believe that your plan of shorting out the Daleks is back.”

 With an excited nod, he went back to the counter, where the rest of our group was. “Okay, team, we’ve got a plan. Tegan got my sonic screwdriver and a couple phones back. We can short out the Daleks, if we can get more phones and distribute around the mall.”

 “But, unless we’ve also got a TARDIS key, we still can’t leave this shop,” said Martha.

 “We can still leave,” Bry spoke up. “I’ve been thinking about Tegan’s original ventilation tunnel plan. This is a two-story mall. We could get to the store above us through this ceiling. It’s not a very thick layer, and it can’t all be solid.”

 “And from there, we’d have access to any part of the mall. We could even try the fire escapes,” Martha finished. “Well, Doctor, what do you think?”

 “I think its genius. We should try the area above the vent,” the Doctor replied. “I’ll need three volunteers to come with me.”

 Martha and Bry raised their hands. Luke did a few seconds later. The Doctor nodded approvingly.  

 “But, what if Caan comes back?” Maria asked.

 “I don’t expect any of them to poke their heads in until tomorrow morning at the earliest,” the Doctor answered. “We should be back way before then.”

 It only took a few moments for the Doctor to undo one of the roof tiles. “Well done, Bry,” he complimented when we saw that the space above was indeed hollow. “Boost me up.”

 Bry held his hands together at waist height and the Time Lord stepped onto them. Then Bry hoisted him up into the crawlspace. He helped Luke, then Martha up as well.

 Before Bry reached up for the Doctor’s hands, he turned to me and kissed me.

 “I’ll be alright,” I assured him. “Just don’t get caught.”

 “That’s not in the plan,” he replied, kissing me again.

 “Oi, kiss her later. We’ve got work to do,” the Doctor said from above our heads.

 Bry rolled his eyes, smiled, and joined the Doctor, Martha, and Luke. The floor tile to the higher level was replaced and my friends were on their way.

 With a sigh, I looked to Sec. Maria was still sitting on the counter, holding Sarah’s hand. With an almost sad smile, Sec came over to me and unexpectedly enfolded me in a hug.

 “Sec?” I said.

 “I believe that this is the appropriate reaction to helping someone in emotional distress,” was his explanation.

 Maria and I let out a small laugh. We couldn’t help it. After my laughing subsided, I held onto the alien man tighter.

 “Thank you, Sec. I really needed that,” I said after I let go.

 I wasn’t one to pace the floor, so I sat cross-legged on the counter.

 “Do you think she’ll be alright?” asked Maria.

 I sighed. “The question is: will any of us be alright after all this is over?”

 “I still haven’t asked,” said Maria. “How are you and Bry?”

 “I’m seventeen, he’s eighteen.”

 “You’re obviously American. Are you tourists on holiday?”

 I couldn’t help but smile. “No. We live in England. Our parents are military. Anyway, Bry and I came down to London to see The Phantom of the Opera. We were early, and decided to do a little walking around. Then we saw Sarah and you know the rest.”

 “Do you think about what your families are thinking right now?”

 “I haven’t started that yet. I’ve been thinking about us, about how to make sure we all get through this.” I glanced at the Human-Dalek. “Even you, Sec.”

 Sec looked slightly taken aback. “But I… I am not like you.”

 “I don’t care. All of us are going to get out of this alive. I promise you.”

 A few minutes passed in silence.

 “Is it me, or is it getting colder?” asked Maria.

 “It’s steadily been getting colder,” I answered as the girl shivered.

 Sec shrugged off his tattered black suit jacket and draped it around her. He then held Maria closely against him to use his own body heat to warm her up.

 I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. With a small smile to Sec and Maria, I went off to wander around the bookstore and think.

 I came back to the counter around midnight, unable to sleep. Sec and Maria were asleep behind the counter, but Sarah Jane was gone.