The Source of the Breach
Chapter Four
The Source of the Breach
‘Keep the levers down, keep them offline,’ Yvonne Hartmann ordered. ‘They won’t shut off.’
‘Then we need to do it manually,’ the Doctor said. ‘You’re powering some kind of high-powered chronon energy at the weak point in space-time. The chronon energy needs to come from somewhere, where?’
Hartmann looked nervous and evasive, ‘it doesn’t matter.’
‘Where?’ demanded the Doctor sharply.
‘Look that’s propriety-‘began Hartmann.
‘Your world is being invaded unless we cut off the supply of chronons there will be an army of cybermen you can either tell me the truth and we might have a chance of saving the world from your folly!’ the Doctor said harshly.
Hartmann nodded, ‘fine … just remember if it’s alien it’s ours.’
Hartman led them into another laboratory where the Doctor’s senses were almost overwhelmed by the time energy present in the room. It was almost like being in the Academy shortly after being taken to view the Rift.
Worse was the telepathic screaming that started as soon as he entered the room.
PAIN
IT HURTS
STOP
PAIN
IT HURTS
STOP
So much so that it took the Doctor a second the understand what he was seeing.
A child.
A small child who was perhaps the size of a five-year-old human child.
Black hair splayed across the bed.
Pale skin.
And all strapped into machines.
The Doctor understood what was happening immediately. Torchwood had somehow found a Time Lord child and the energy that a Time Lord child naturally produced so had done what they did to anything alien; tried to understand how it worked and how it could be useful for them. Of course, to get a Time Lord to produce the most energy especially a child they had to hurt them.
There was a machine which was used to hurt the boy over and over again which forced him to produce healing energy. Then that energy was siphoned and pumped off and used to tear a hole in the fabric of reality.
‘What are you doing to him?’ demanded Jackie angrily. ‘Why have you got a child?’
The Doctor had forgotten she was there.
‘He’s not a child,’ Hartmann said quickly.
‘Yes, he is,’ the Doctor said. ‘He’s what twenty, twenty-five … that’s the equivalent of a human of four-or-five-year-old.’
‘Doctor-‘
‘DON’T!’ shouted the Doctor. ‘YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY TO ME! You have taken a Time Lord child, tortured him to make energy for you. Don’t speak, don’t say anything. I will fix what you’ve done to our universe and then pray you never see me again.’
Hartmann swallowed and shut up.
The Doctor approached the bed humming in Gallifreyan, reaching out with his mind to comfort the child. The child didn’t respond to the comforting song. How long had the child been hurt not even to beg for help?
The Doctor felt rage build up inside him but forced it down because the child would feel it. And he didn’t want the boy to have a worse time than he already was having. The boy’s feeble mind, weakened by pain and energy drain, reached out instinctively to him. The Doctor sent back comfort, love and I WILL PROTECT you to the boy.
As the Doctor did that, he began to undo the wiring attaching the boy to the bed. Starting with the drill digging down into the boy’s damaged abdomen. Then moving towards the wiring that was siphoning the boy’s energy. Finally, finishing with the IV drip and catheter that was keeping the boy fed and removing all waste from him.
The Doctor wanted to feel fury at what had been done to this child. But he couldn’t not with this hurt, sensitive, telepathic child right beside him. But once this was all over, he would reign hell on anyone involved in the abuse of this child.
‘Is he going to be alright?’ asked Jackie softly.
Jackie’s warm brown eyes so much like Rose’s were filled with sadness, anger and compassion. She looked at the boy not as an alien but a child. The look that only a mother could wear for a child who had been hurt.
The Doctor sighed, ‘I don’t know, I hope so.’
The Doctor gently lifted the boy from the bed trying as much as possible not the jar the boy’s injuries. However, there was still a spike of pain even if the boy didn’t make a sound. Not that that was surprising given all the trauma he had suffered.
‘Where’s my TARDIS!?’ The Doctor bit out sharply. ‘I’ll need it to remove the excess Gallifreyan energy from your planet, properly sealing the rift.’
‘What happens to that which is already present?’ asked Hartmann.
‘Luckily when we stopped the Ghost Shift most things reverted back to the universes they belonged to,’ The Doctor said. ‘However, there may be some things from the other universe that has slipped through at the epicentre. Unfortunately, when I seal the rift, they will remain here so you will have to deal with them. I will send you through the coding that will terminate the Cybermen and anyone who has been partially converted by them.’
‘Thank you,’ Hartmann said.
The Doctor felt his fury spike again, ‘do not thank me, Yvonne Hartmann. Once I have fixed the universe, healed the child, I will be back for you to ensure that proper justice is done.’
Hartmann swallowed.
‘Come along Jackie,’ The Doctor said as they reached the TARDIS.
The Doctor gently handed the child to Jackie.
‘Take the boy to the medical room,’ ordered the Doctor. ‘First right, it’s the one with the blue door. I’ll be along as soon as I’ve undone the damage Torchwood has done. Keep calm he’s telepathic. No negative emotions.’
‘And Rose?’ asked Jackie.
‘I’ll get her,’ the Doctor said.
Jackie nodded.
The Doctor quickly began running around the TARDIS console pulling in all remaining Time Lord energy from the earth and its surrounding atmosphere. The Doctor then checked the status of the rift – there was a scar, but nothing untoward and nothing out of the ordinary. London’s populace might find a few more strange goings on in the area around Canary Wharf – people vanishing, aliens appearing but nothing as bad as it could be and no worse than Cardiff.
UNIT would have to be told but he had to visit them anyway to speak about ensuring that those involved with Torchwood were punished in accordance with the laws of the lands. If not, the Doctor would handle them personally which would not be good for anyone!
The Doctor then appeared in the Sphere Room where Rose flung herself into his arms. The Doctor closed his eyes and allowed him to cherish every second he had with this wonderful, beautiful woman.
He knew it wouldn’t be long.
‘The Sphere disappeared,’ Rose said.
The Doctor nodded, ‘when the rift closed it could no longer remain in our universe.’
‘So, it’s done?’ asked another voice.
‘Mickey-boy?’ asked the Doctor. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Hunting cybermen,’ Mickey said. ‘We had these, but they don’t seem to be working.’
Mickey held up a large yellow button that was likely some sort of transport device. But now that the walls were sealed once more, they were useless. He felt sorry for the young man but there was nothing that could be done anymore.
‘The walls are sealed,’ the Doctor said. ‘Any travel between the universes can no longer happen. I’m sorry.’
Mickey sighed and nodded.
‘What will you do now?’ asked Rose softly.
‘I think I’ll stay,’ Mickey said. ‘There’s a lot to clear up, and a lot of explanations. God knows you two won’t do it.’
The Doctor nodded, ‘I’ll contact UNIT – tell them you were my inside man. They might even offer you a job. And I think you’d do good for them.’
‘Thank you,’ Mickey said.
‘Come on,’ the Doctor said.
‘How did you stop it?’ asked Rose.
‘Stopped the power source feeding the collapse of the universes,’ the Doctor said darkly. ‘I’ll explain more inside.’
Rose followed him back to the TARDIS where the Doctor all but ran to the Medical Room. The child was lying on the bed still unconscious, but his natural healing seemed to be doing its job as golden energy hurried to close his wounds. The Doctor used a device to re-stitch the wound up to speed up his healing so that he wouldn’t burn through his regeneration energy.
‘Who is he?’ asked Rose softly.
‘The source, a Time Lord,’ the Doctor said almost reverently.
Rose looked shocked, ‘but that’s impossible, isn’t it. I thought there were all …’
She trailed off.
Dead.
‘Unless, there was one not on Gallifrey … when … during the war …’ the Doctor said.
When he had destroyed Gallifrey
‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked Rose.
‘Torchwood,’ spat the Doctor. ‘Torchwood has been torturing him so he can produce regenerative energy … children are full of it … they heal so much quicker than an adult Time Lord … all they had to do was hurt him again and again and again. Then they used his energy to fire at a weak point in time and space so that everything that happened did. Luckily, because it was Time Lord the TARDIS was able to remove the energy and thus, sealing off the rift.’
‘And the boy will he be okay?’ asked Rose.
‘In time,’ the Doctor said. ‘Now he’s away from that place his natural healing abilities will kick in and I have given him a helping hand by closing his wounds. When he is awake, I’ll get him to get him to eat something and take painkillers so that his body will concentrate on healing himself. Healing the mind … that will be much harder ….’
‘I’ll help you,’ Rose said softly.
The Doctor smiled, ‘thank you.’
Jackie nodded, ‘I’ll get soup. He’ll need something light … otherwise, it’ll make him sick.’
‘Are you alright?’ Rose asked softly.
‘Fine,’ the Doctor said sharply.
‘Doctor,’ Rose said softly. ‘Talk to me.’
‘I’m angry,’ the Doctor admitted. ‘They took a child, an innocent, and they hurt him for power and lack of empathy for one that is different to them. I … he … reminds me … of my granddaughter … and that hurts! Anyway, I need to check his vitals.’
Rose let it go.
The Doctor went to the scanner and saw everything he expected – low energy, low nutrition, pain spikes, hearts were beating rapidly, and mind was broadcasting (the Doctor could hear that). Nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Torchwood didn’t want to kill him or limit the time of the boy’s usefulness.
‘All seems as expected,’ the Doctor said. ‘He is exhausted, hurt, low on energy and nutrition, and scared. But nothing unexpected or threatening he shou-‘
The Doctor froze as the scanner revealed the boy’s parentage.
But it was impossible.
Mother – the Master
Father – the Doctor
But how?
When?
The Master had always been a male when the Doctor knew him but apparently at some point he must have regenerated into a woman. And they must have become involved again and the boy came from that. The Doctor didn’t remember ever being involved with the Master when he was a female.
And he would remember that.
Sure, they had been involved many times over the years starting from when they were childhood sweethearts – until everything went so deeply wrong! A couple times when they were stranded on Earth together (not that UNIT or anyone else knew that!). Well, okay, Jo might have suspected. And, so many times they took comfort in each other in the Time War.
Until he had disappeared during the Battle of the second of the Cruciform.
Dead.
But never with either of them as a female.
Unless it hadn’t happened for him yet.
It could have been in the Master’s past (after all they didn’t always meet in order although they did try to) and the Doctor’s future. Well, that was something to look forward to even though knowing the Master it would be disaster and carnage and trouble for him and anyone near them.
‘Doctor,’ Rose was saying.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked Jackie.
‘I don’t know,’ Rose sounded worried. ‘He’s reading the results of the child’s medical scan. I … I don’t think it’s good news.’
Jackie put a hand on the boy, ‘oh, I hope he’s okay.’
FEAR!
PAIN!
CONFUSSION!
WHERE WAS HE!?
WHERE WERE THEY!?
His son was awake.
His son was terrified.
‘It’s okay,’ the Doctor said softly.
Wide hazel-coloured eyes like the Master’s once had been stared back at him.
‘It’s okay,’ repeated Rose gently.
‘We’re not going to hurt you,’ the Doctor said gently.
The boy still looked terrified.
‘Look,’ the Doctor said turning the monitor around so the boy could see. ‘Two hearts – I’m like you.’
The boy looked confused and wary.
But it was progress.
The Doctor took a breath, eyes only for his son, ‘I’m your Dad, do you understand?’
Rose gasped beside him.
The Doctor ignored her.
DAD!
The word screamed out in his mind.
The Doctor opened his mind to allow his son access allowing the boy to see that he was telling the truth. That he would never hurt the child. That he would protect the boy. That he was safe with him. And at the same time keeping any dark thoughts and memories sealed from the boy.
The Doctor moved until he was closer to the boy so that when the boy trembled and broke down into sobs. The Doctor was able to gently to pull the boy into his lap and allow the boy to break down on his lap. The Doctor gently carded a hair through the curls that were so like his when he was so very young – all teeth and curls and whimsy.
‘I’ll protect you,’ promised the Doctor. ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you again.’
The boy’s sobs eventually subsided as exhaustion overtook him and he surrendered to sleep once more. The Doctor gently tucked the boy back into bed the way he had done for his granddaughter and the human young he had unofficially adopted. The boy looked so lost and fragile.
He would protect him.
He turned to face Jackie and Rose.
‘Son?’ Jackie squawked. ‘You have a son!’
The Doctor’s hearts twisted at Jackie’s unknowing words. She couldn’t know that the Doctor had had a granddaughter who he had raised as his own since she was a little girl. A girl he saw as his daughter, not just his granddaughter from the future.
The granddaughter that he had written out of time.
Or maybe not.
This boy’s existence meant he now had a son … which meant that maybe just maybe he might be where Susan came from. Maybe in a couple of centuries he would see Susan again as a child. Well, that at least explained her very human name.
But he would lose her to time and the Time War eventually anyway.
‘Mum,’ Rose said voice soft as she looked at the Doctor.
‘I didn’t know he existed,’ the Doctor said softly. ‘If I had I would have made sure that he was never hurt!’
Jackie sighed, ‘poor kid. You will have to make decisions now you have a child. You can’t just go galivanting off into space. You will have to make choices and sacrifices for your child.’
The Doctor wanted to argue back but he remembered that this was a woman who had raised a daughter on her own with little money. And she had raised a fantastic woman who was more Jackie’s daughter than either of them realised.
‘You’re right,’ sighed the Doctor. ‘He needs a stable environment to heal. After that, we will see. But first I have an old friend to visit.’
**********************************************************************************
Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, long retired was sitting in his home with his old service gun in his hand as he watched the news on the attack of Cybermen and Daleks. But it was over before it had really started. Allistair was sure that the Doctor – that fantastic, brilliant, irritating, ulcer-inducing, inhuman creature – would be right in the heart of things.
He always would.
That was when a familiar wheezing and groaning filled his living room. An old blue box began to faze into existence. Alistair didn’t know whether to groan at the trouble that the Doctor would bring. Or grin at the idea of seeing his old friend.
Then a young-appearing man with modern looking hair and soulful dark brown eyes, tall, thin and wearing a sharp pinstriped suit and converses. Alistair knew who he was immediately. There was no disguising the age in his eyes or the confidence of that irritating man.
Well, Alistair considered the Doctor had had worse forms thinking about the rainbow jacket and the long rainbow scarf. And thankfully there was no recorder or tin dog in sight. Actually, for the Doctor he looked fairly sane. If he had walked past him in the street, he wouldn’t have been able to tell him apart from the young “hipsters” of his daughter’s generation.
‘Hello, Brigadier,’ the Doctor said his voice dark and devoid of levity.
Alistair chuckled, ‘I haven’t been a Brigadier in thirty years. I take it that was you,’ he nodded at the TV.
‘Yes,’ the Doctor said voice dark. ‘The Cybermen and Daleks have been sent back into the void between universes from where they came.’
‘Good,’ Brigadier said after a pause.
‘It was caused by an organisation called Torchwood,’ the Doctor said darkly. ‘They were firing Time Energy at a weak point in time and space which cracked open the spaces between realities. A Dalek ship that he been hiding in the space between worlds used the crack in space-time to enter and the Cybermen follow them. Every death that was caused is on them.’
Allistair hissed, ‘I’ve heard of Torchwood before. They were always trouble and sniffing around in the old days. Interested in you but not interested in working together. I’ll contact my daughter and some of my existing contacts and make sure that those who were involved get punished.’
‘It gets worse,’ growled the Doctor. ‘The Time Energy they harvested from a young Time Lord child, my son. They tortured him for the energy he would expend healing. Humans.’
Allistair’s eyes darkened he could almost feel the rage that the Doctor was holding in. But Allistair couldn’t blame the man in the slightest. If it had been one of his children tortured and hurt by aliens he had helped and loved or even by humans, he would be furious too.
‘I’ll make sure they get punished,’ Allistair vowed. ‘How is he, your son?’
‘Hurt, frightened, traumatised,’ the Doctor growled. ‘I’d love to chat, but I have to go.’
‘Of course,’ Allistair said.
As soon as the Doctor left Allistair started making phone calls to his friends and allies in Unit and the government. He knew there would be an investigation whereupon it would be revealed that Torchwood was behind everything.
Torchwood would not survive.
The Doctor’s son would get his justice.