Post by John Darnacan on Mar 9, 2011 13:34:11 GMT
Part 4 - Bargain with the Devil
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Teach was slowly regaining consciousness.
“Faye, take Lady Catherine into the other cabin,” the Doctor ordered. Lady Catherine gave no argument, as Faye hustled her out. After slowly waking, Blackbeard turned with a start
“Who are you?” growled the waking giant.
“Oh, I’m the Doctor. Haku prevailed upon me to tend to your malady.”
“What bewitchment is this?”
“You’ve suffered a stroke. There’s a loose clot or particle in your head.” Teach didn’t seem to understand what the Doctor had said.
“Where is that wench?”
“Under my protection.”
“Your protection?” Teach scoffed.
“You’ll need my treatments, if you want to live and recover the use of your arm and leg. My fee is the safety of the Lady Catherine and my nurse, Faye Austin.” The hulk of a man considered this.
“Very well. But if your treatments fail, I’ll keelhaul you,” snarled the pirate through his gritted teeth.
“Fair enough.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the HMS Pearl set sail out of the Jamaican harbour, the sails billowed magnificently in the morning wind.
“You’re sure that Blackbeard sailed north?” demanded Maynard.
“That is the way the ship turned when it left the harbour,” Deiter reported.
“It makes sense; he’s returning north to the Carolinas.” concluded Maynard. “Mr. Creighton, set the course accordingly. Teach has half a day’s lead on us!” The crew hustled about resetting the sails, while Deiter looked on helplessly. As he tried to help, he found he was more of a nuisance than an aid. He listened to the wind whip by his ears. He could almost hear an echoing voice saying ‘you will be like us’. With a start, Dieter realised he was overdue for his neural relaxant. He hadn’t thought to retrieve some from the TARDIS. He had been too afraid Maynard would sail off without him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Doctor had been attending to Teach’s treatment most of the day. It was a delicate balancing act, as he didn’t want to complete the treatment too fast, so Teach didn’t recover too soon. Teach was sleeping now.
The Doctor came up on deck to take some air. He leaned against the rail taking in the setting sun. Faye came out on deck to join him. She found the cool breeze quite refreshing.
“How’s Lady Catherine?” asked the Doctor.
“Still nervous. She still believes Blackbeard will take his revenge on her. So, she’s laying low.”
“I’ve convinced Captain Teach, that he needs my services, so she’ll be fine for the moment,” he answered while looking out at the sun dropping to the horizon. Faye noticed a relaxed expression.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“It’s a beautiful sunset. What do they say? Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
She smiled back at him. “That’s not what I meant. I bet as a child you used to play pirate.” Faye tried to imagine the Doctor as a child.
“No, Gallifrey never had pirates.”
“Never? Not even before the ‘dark times’ in prehistoric Gallifrey?” she teased.
“Not likely.” He turned to her and shrugged, “no oceans.”
“Gallifrey had no oceans, none at all?”
“None, lots of lakes though, big deep lakes, even vast underground aquifers and reservoirs, but no oceans.” The Doctor explained. “Probably why it burned so easily,” he added in subdued tone.
Ever since learning of the destruction of the Doctor’s home planet, Faye had become more aware of the loneliness and pain he always carried with him, just beneath the surface of his eccentric character. Faye knew what was coming next. He would rebury his pain as quickly as it surfaced.
“But of course, on Earth. Earth has all these fantastic oceans, four at last count. You don’t know how rare in the universe that is. And are humans daunted by this? No, they build SHIPS! Tall ships with great billowing sails!” he added while he banged the rail with his hand, and grinned. “Brilliant.” They both smiled as they watch the sunset.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deiter lay exhausted in his hammock. He had spent most of the day learning how to be an 18th century sailor. While a strong man, Deiter had not had to work so hard since he was a soldier. The continual swaying of the Pearl, did not make it any easier. The crew had not readily accepted him, some because he was German, others because he was a ‘landlubber’ civilian. But by the end of the day, most realised he would work hard and more than pull his weight. Some, especially a deckhand named Hurley, still mocked him by affecting fake German accents. He did not mind as he had mission: to rescue Faye and the Doctor. They had not abandoned him to the Cybermen on Andronos Solarsphere. He would not abandon them now to pirates in the 18th century.
Deiter slowly drifted off in his rocking hammock. He shivered with an unexplained chill. He was once again on the infinite plane. Standing in front of him was a pirate. He had never seen Blackbeard, but somehow he knew it was him.
“Where are my friends?” Deiter demanded.
“You mean these friends?” Blackbeard answered, as he pulled two decapitated heads from behind him with a smile. “You had your chance to join us!”
“Join you?” Then Deiter noticed the pirate’s metallic complexion and two metal tubes coming from his hat. “You will be like us. It is your destiny!”
“I will never be like you!” he yelled, as he discovered his hands around the throat of one of the sailors on the HMS Pearl. He realised he was now awake, as he released his grip from around Hurley’s neck.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackbeard lay unconscious in his bunk, actually out cold from rum. The Doctor preferred it that way. It was easier to align the sonic screwdriver with the clot. Suddenly, he felt a presence, without sound or visual cue. He turned to find Lady Catherine standing in the doorway.
“Am I disturbing you?” The Doctor paused before answering, lost in thought.
“No, not at all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I was just finishing this round of treatment.” Both he and Faye could see she was still afraid of Teach, even if unconscious.
“Don’t worry, he’ll sleep until morning,” Faye explained.
Lady Catherine smiled, and sat down near the far wall next to Faye. The Doctor crossed and sat down next to them.
“So, how did you come to be on Blackbeard’s ship?” he asked.
“I was sailing on an expedition when we were boarded by Blackbeard and his band of rogues.”
“An expedition?” the Doctor smiled. “Where to?”
“An island, perhaps it was more of a foolish myth, a fanciful story”
“Where is this island?”
“I know not. Thus, the reason for my foolish expedition. I thought if I sailed the seas, I would find sailors who would know, or at least have heard, of the illusive island.”
“Does this island have a name?”
“Gallifrey,” she said.
Faye and the Doctor looked at each other in shock.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teach was slowly regaining consciousness.
“Faye, take Lady Catherine into the other cabin,” the Doctor ordered. Lady Catherine gave no argument, as Faye hustled her out. After slowly waking, Blackbeard turned with a start
“Who are you?” growled the waking giant.
“Oh, I’m the Doctor. Haku prevailed upon me to tend to your malady.”
“What bewitchment is this?”
“You’ve suffered a stroke. There’s a loose clot or particle in your head.” Teach didn’t seem to understand what the Doctor had said.
“Where is that wench?”
“Under my protection.”
“Your protection?” Teach scoffed.
“You’ll need my treatments, if you want to live and recover the use of your arm and leg. My fee is the safety of the Lady Catherine and my nurse, Faye Austin.” The hulk of a man considered this.
“Very well. But if your treatments fail, I’ll keelhaul you,” snarled the pirate through his gritted teeth.
“Fair enough.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the HMS Pearl set sail out of the Jamaican harbour, the sails billowed magnificently in the morning wind.
“You’re sure that Blackbeard sailed north?” demanded Maynard.
“That is the way the ship turned when it left the harbour,” Deiter reported.
“It makes sense; he’s returning north to the Carolinas.” concluded Maynard. “Mr. Creighton, set the course accordingly. Teach has half a day’s lead on us!” The crew hustled about resetting the sails, while Deiter looked on helplessly. As he tried to help, he found he was more of a nuisance than an aid. He listened to the wind whip by his ears. He could almost hear an echoing voice saying ‘you will be like us’. With a start, Dieter realised he was overdue for his neural relaxant. He hadn’t thought to retrieve some from the TARDIS. He had been too afraid Maynard would sail off without him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Doctor had been attending to Teach’s treatment most of the day. It was a delicate balancing act, as he didn’t want to complete the treatment too fast, so Teach didn’t recover too soon. Teach was sleeping now.
The Doctor came up on deck to take some air. He leaned against the rail taking in the setting sun. Faye came out on deck to join him. She found the cool breeze quite refreshing.
“How’s Lady Catherine?” asked the Doctor.
“Still nervous. She still believes Blackbeard will take his revenge on her. So, she’s laying low.”
“I’ve convinced Captain Teach, that he needs my services, so she’ll be fine for the moment,” he answered while looking out at the sun dropping to the horizon. Faye noticed a relaxed expression.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“It’s a beautiful sunset. What do they say? Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
She smiled back at him. “That’s not what I meant. I bet as a child you used to play pirate.” Faye tried to imagine the Doctor as a child.
“No, Gallifrey never had pirates.”
“Never? Not even before the ‘dark times’ in prehistoric Gallifrey?” she teased.
“Not likely.” He turned to her and shrugged, “no oceans.”
“Gallifrey had no oceans, none at all?”
“None, lots of lakes though, big deep lakes, even vast underground aquifers and reservoirs, but no oceans.” The Doctor explained. “Probably why it burned so easily,” he added in subdued tone.
Ever since learning of the destruction of the Doctor’s home planet, Faye had become more aware of the loneliness and pain he always carried with him, just beneath the surface of his eccentric character. Faye knew what was coming next. He would rebury his pain as quickly as it surfaced.
“But of course, on Earth. Earth has all these fantastic oceans, four at last count. You don’t know how rare in the universe that is. And are humans daunted by this? No, they build SHIPS! Tall ships with great billowing sails!” he added while he banged the rail with his hand, and grinned. “Brilliant.” They both smiled as they watch the sunset.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deiter lay exhausted in his hammock. He had spent most of the day learning how to be an 18th century sailor. While a strong man, Deiter had not had to work so hard since he was a soldier. The continual swaying of the Pearl, did not make it any easier. The crew had not readily accepted him, some because he was German, others because he was a ‘landlubber’ civilian. But by the end of the day, most realised he would work hard and more than pull his weight. Some, especially a deckhand named Hurley, still mocked him by affecting fake German accents. He did not mind as he had mission: to rescue Faye and the Doctor. They had not abandoned him to the Cybermen on Andronos Solarsphere. He would not abandon them now to pirates in the 18th century.
Deiter slowly drifted off in his rocking hammock. He shivered with an unexplained chill. He was once again on the infinite plane. Standing in front of him was a pirate. He had never seen Blackbeard, but somehow he knew it was him.
“Where are my friends?” Deiter demanded.
“You mean these friends?” Blackbeard answered, as he pulled two decapitated heads from behind him with a smile. “You had your chance to join us!”
“Join you?” Then Deiter noticed the pirate’s metallic complexion and two metal tubes coming from his hat. “You will be like us. It is your destiny!”
“I will never be like you!” he yelled, as he discovered his hands around the throat of one of the sailors on the HMS Pearl. He realised he was now awake, as he released his grip from around Hurley’s neck.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackbeard lay unconscious in his bunk, actually out cold from rum. The Doctor preferred it that way. It was easier to align the sonic screwdriver with the clot. Suddenly, he felt a presence, without sound or visual cue. He turned to find Lady Catherine standing in the doorway.
“Am I disturbing you?” The Doctor paused before answering, lost in thought.
“No, not at all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I was just finishing this round of treatment.” Both he and Faye could see she was still afraid of Teach, even if unconscious.
“Don’t worry, he’ll sleep until morning,” Faye explained.
Lady Catherine smiled, and sat down near the far wall next to Faye. The Doctor crossed and sat down next to them.
“So, how did you come to be on Blackbeard’s ship?” he asked.
“I was sailing on an expedition when we were boarded by Blackbeard and his band of rogues.”
“An expedition?” the Doctor smiled. “Where to?”
“An island, perhaps it was more of a foolish myth, a fanciful story”
“Where is this island?”
“I know not. Thus, the reason for my foolish expedition. I thought if I sailed the seas, I would find sailors who would know, or at least have heard, of the illusive island.”
“Does this island have a name?”
“Gallifrey,” she said.
Faye and the Doctor looked at each other in shock.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued
