Fire With Fire (First of The Creators Saga)

The Doctor Dances

The Alchemist looked around as the patients drew closer and automatically backed Rose up behind her so she was blocking her. The patients were within touching distance when the Doctor stepped up. "Go to your room," he told them. The Alchemist blinked, looking at him in shock. What the hell was he doing? But the patients stood absolutely still, as if they were listening. "Go to your room," the Doctor repeated, louder and firmer. "I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room!"

The patients all hung their heads as if in shame and retreated to their beds. The Alchemist looked around at them all before looking at the Doctor in shock. "How did you - ?" she asked.

"I didn't," he replied with a startled laugh. "I'm really glad that worked, though. Those would have been terrible last words."

The Alchemist shook her head. "Bozo," she muttered, patting his shoulder before stepping away.

"Why are they all wearing gas masks?" Rose asked curiously.

"They're not," Jack told her. "Those masks are flesh and bone."

"How was your con supposed to work?" the Doctor asked.

"Simple enough, really," Jack replied, shrugging. "Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put fifty percent up front, oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed sarcastically. "Perfect."

"The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners," Jack added. "Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it, though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day." He grinned, but it faded when he was faced with two identical glares, the Alchemist's stronger than the Doctor's. ". . . getting a hint of disapproval."

"Take a look around the room," the Alchemist told him. "This is what your harmless piece of space junk did!"

"It was a burnt out medical transporter!" Jack insisted. "It was empty!"

The Doctor shook his head. "Rose," he beckoned.

She followed him, the Alchemist behind her. "Are we getting out of here?" Rose asked.

"We're going upstairs," the Doctor replied.

"I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living!" Jack continued to protest. "I harmed no one! I don't know what's happening here, but believe me, I had nothing to do with it."

"I'll tell you what's happening," the Doctor told him, folding his arms. "You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

A siren wailed above them, and the Alchemist looked up. "That'll be the all clear," she told them, heading for the door.

"I wish," the Doctor muttered as they headed out.

***

"Mr. Spock?" Jack called as they went through the ward.

"Doctor?" Rose called. "Ali?"

"Missed a spot!" the Alchemist called down, and the two looked up to see both of them on the next floor up.

"Have you got a blaster?" the Doctor asked.

Jack grinned. "Sure!" he replied as the two of them ran up.

"The night your space junk landed, someone was hurt," the Doctor told him. "This was where they were taken."

"What happened?" Rose asked.