Entry Fifteen - Jacowitz (3)

They looked like gigantic upright crocodiles, their thick tales sweeping behind them heavily. They had on what appeared to be some sort of Dutch clogs, painted bright colours and made, not of wood but, of some sort of synthetic wood like material. The style of shoe made sure that they had to shuffle down the walk rather than walking properly and on their heads they appeared to be wearing some sort of headdress that brought an afro to mind. I might’ve started laughing then and there if the Doctor hadn’t looked so perplexed and they hadn’t been sporting some killer jowls and tails that looked like they could break my neck if swung properly. They looked a little like this:

Only standing up. And with afros.

In a moment the largest and most colourful lizard creature, henceforth called the Lizard King, opened his massive mouth and started speaking. My mouth hung open for several reasons. Firstly, he spoke in a high clipped accent, sort of sounded like Tony Blair actually, and not the gruff growling I had expected, and secondly, because I could not understand a word that he was saying. I blinked several times and then glanced at the Doctor for some sort of explanation. He didn’t have to answer before I realised, it was because the TARDIS wasn’t translating.

“Um, hello, yes. Uh, my friend here only speaks English, I don’t suppose-” the Doctor started, scratching at the back of his head in the way that he did.

“Of course, Doctor,” the Lizard King said and then nodded politely in my direction. I started. How did these creatures know who he was?

The Doctor didn’t look all that comprehending either though, in fact his eyebrows drew together in that confused expression that he gets and his mouth started to form words that never came out. Finally, fairly true to form, he said; “What?”

“Ah, I see,” said the Lizard King taking another step forward and the Doctor, probably unconsciously, stood in front of Ari and myself. “You do not remember us, it’s not a surprise, but we know you. You travel from planet to planet, meddling in the affairs of others. It was through these meddlings that we became aware of you indirectly. And how you caused the horrible deaths of thousands of our kind.”

“I’m sorry?” All three of us said at the same time.

“The Antalusians, us of course, had a very close working relationship with the Sisters of Plentitude, perhaps them you recall.”

Well, I certainly did. “Ah,” was all the Doctor said.

“They were good workers, willing to do work that would only sully our hands, but they did not have the technology they required. We developed this. The greater part of our economy was in conjunction with the experiments and progress that the Sisters created. For years and years all was well, people were cured, healed, treated, we understood that there were several malfunctions with the Flesh, as the Sisterhood began calling them. Their brainstems began to function quite on their own, but things like these are necessary. Sacrifices must be made in order to progress the universe. From our research it would seem that you should understand this, Doctor, you who have killed thousands.”

“Hold on!” I said, getting a bit outraged there, but the Doctor put a hand on my elbow to quiet me. Didn’t surprise me.

“The Sisterhood was killing thousands of innocent people, that is not right, even if it’s saving others. I will never apologise for that.”

The Lizard King looked a bit angry at that, “Because of your meddlesome actions, Doctor, thousands of Antalusians have perished. The Sisters incarcerated, the Flesh catalogued and sent free to roam New Earth.”

“I’m sorry,” Ariella said, speaking up for the first time in awhile, “New Earth?”

The Doctor looked at her confused, and I had to admit I was a bit surprised that she’d not heard of it either, the Nyklus were among the higher beings and thus were rather informed about most systems in the universe. The Doctor opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, “Oh,” he said, “Hold on, New Earth doesn’t exist in this time, not as New Earth and the sisters wont come into existence for about a million years.”

“Yes, we have followed you,” the Lizard King explained, “through time and space.”

The Doctor racked his massive brain, “Antalusia, Antalusia… you don’t have that sort of technology. You can’t travel in time and while you’re pretty impressive on the technical end I sort of think that a telepathic inhibitor is beyond you too.”

“Nothing is beyond us,” the Lizard King snarled, “but you are correct, this technology is not ours. We have a benefactor.”

“A what?”

“That is unimportant. Now, Doctor, you will come with us.”

“Um, well, thank you for the kindly invitation but I’ll pass.”

“It is not a choice. You will come with us or we will activate the telepathic inhibitor. You and every living thing on this planet will suffer from an onslaught of every negative thought, every sorrow, every bad experience that you’ve ever suffered. For the Nyklus and their extensive lives that should be quite a few, and for you Doctor, after doing our research that should be a particular punishment.”

The Doctor looked a little paler but, well, he is the Doctor so he stood firm. “I can help, your economy can be restored-”

“It’s too late for that now. If we let you go now, with an empty promise to help us, then we will lose you forever. We can not risk that.”

“But wait!” Ariella chimed in, “If you’ve done research on the Doctor than you’ll know that he helps people! That’s what he does!”

“We can not be certain of anything,” the Lizard King looked rather resolute.

Up until this point, I’d been rather quiet. My brain was working at a million miles per hour, but, not being the Doctor and all, that just meant that it was going in circles. I couldn’t think our way out of this, not like he could. And I didn’t want him getting on that ship with them. Who knew what they’d do to him. But I also knew that given the choice that was presented to him he would never cause the Nyklus any pain. He would go with them. He would subject himself to whatever they had planned for him. I couldn’t let that happen. If I couldn’t save the world, I could save the Doctor, and I suddenly found myself speaking without thinking at all.

“Take me,” I said, “he can help. He’ll find you what you need, he can do anything, I’m just a human being, but he’ll come back for me. He wont just leave me.”

“Rose!” the Doctor and Ariella said at the same time, both of them looked quite horrified. But really, without the Doctor I was back at Christmas, with the Sycorax and my stolen words, and now I wouldn’t even have the TARDIS to hide in. The Doctor could fix it, it was what he did, there wasn’t anything that I could do. I was the much better choice.

He took a hold of my wrist, circling it with his thumb and forefinger and all I could think was ‘this is the last time he’s ever going to touch me’, startling myself. I had to shake my head to push the thought away. “I’m not letting you do this,” he said.

The Lizard King looked me up and down. I could see that he was thinking about it seriously. If he’d done his research the way he’d said he might not know of me, but he might know of Sarah Jane or that Romana who he took to Paris or any of the other companions that he’d taken through time and space. The King would know that he wouldn’t leave me. And if he hadn’t done his research as well as he seemed to think then the Doctor’s currently display might do it. I looked the lizard in the eye, and I could tell that he believed me. “It’s already done,” the he said, and then took a thick band, strapped it around my wrist, and before I could say anything I could feel my molecules start to shift in that familiar teleporting feeling, and the next thing I knew I was staring at a metal wall.

More tomorrow...