Chapter 8 (The Chase)
“Leave her alone,” said the Doctor, getting to his feet but still shielding Lilly and Caleb.
The old men and Phil, the barman, were cowering in the corner.
“She is nothing to do with you, Doctor,” said the Master, stepping a little in the pub.
“She’s under my protection now.”
“She’s my daughter!” spat the Master.
“That doesn’t entitle you to take her with you. Just because you’re blood it doesn’t mean you are the right person for her.”
“I am warning you. Step away from her or I shall kill these microbes,” he said, pointing to the cowering men.
“Listen to me-”
“Wait,” said Lilly, stepping forward and standing beside the Doctor.
“Lilly-”
“Please be quiet,” said Lilly. She lifted up her head and looked at the man claiming to be her father. “Why should I go with you?”
“Because you are my daughter.”
“Strange how you didn’t care for the last 24 years of my life,” said Lilly.
“I had my reasons.”
“Which were?”
“I can’t tell you that. Not yet.” His voice had taken on an almost pleading tone. “But you are my daughter and I care for you.”
She shook her head. “No you don’t. A real father would never leave their child in the filth and squalor that I’ve been living in all my life. With those horrible siblings and nasty father.” She started to cry. “Do you know how it is that I found that dagger?”
The Master didn’t say anything.
“I was standing in the lake because I was going…” She closed her eyes and then recomposed herself. “I was going to end it all. I was going to walk into the lake and finish all of this.”
The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder and she shrugged it off.
“How many father’s would screw up their child’s life so badly that they didn’t want to live anymore? And my one and only friend - Craig - was just some twisted robot that you sent to spy on me.”
The Master didn’t answer.
“So no, I will not be going with you. I’m sorry. You’ve had a wasted journey.”
The Master still didn’t say anything.
“Say something then!” shouted Lilly.
But he didn’t. He simply turned and walked away.
The Doctor ran to the broken doorway and looked down the street as the Master disappeared around the corner.
When he looked back Lilly was curled up in the corner, her head buried in her hands, sobbing her heart out. Caleb looked between the Doctor and Lilly and shook his head, unable to find the words to say.
The Doctor took one last look down the street and then said darkly to himself. “He’ll be back.”
The Master was standing in an alley way, his back against the brick wall. There was the smell of rotting fruit somewhere in a broken, wooden packing case. He closed his eyes. He could feel the change coming now. He had been like this for long enough. If he was going to bring his daughter home then he needed to do it in a form that she felt comfortable with, not as a flaming, burning man.
He had to finish the regeneration. He held his arms outstretched and then allowed the change to come. The flames flickered and flared outwards and he screamed to the heavens as he felt his face twisting into a new form, the bones cracking and the skin stretching to accommodate new dimensions.
And then the flames began to die down and slowly a face emerged from them. It was the face of a stern looking man. He had a high forehead and slightly receding hairline. His eyes were dark and his face thin.
He cracked his knuckles and then shifted his shoulders around in his suit. He needed to find a new one. He needed to sort out his plan of action, and then he would be back.
He went to his pocket and pressed down on what looked like a small, TV remote control.
The sound of engines filled the air and a huge dumpster materialised. He looked back down the alley way and then clambered into the dumpster, closed the lid, and then, with the same sound as before, it dematerialised leaving nothing but the rotting fruit smell in the alleyway.
The Doctor was walking next to Lilly with his hands in his pockets. Caleb stayed a little behind them, looking at Lilly cautiously.
“So what do I call myself?” said Lilly, realising that it wasn’t really the most important question of the day.
“You’ve always been Lilly,” said the Doctor. “Why don’t you stay Lilly?” He smiled at her,
She looked back at him with sad eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose.”
“Look, are you sure you want to do this?” said the Doctor. “You don’t have to, you know?”
Lilly nodded. “I do. They may have been the worst family on the planet, but I want to look them in their eyes and tell them that I’m leaving.”
“You’ll love it in the TARDIS,” said Caleb from behind them.
“I’m sure I will,” she said blankly.
The Doctor and Caleb had gone into much more detail about the TARDIS after the Master had left. It had taken some time for it to sink in for Lilly, and she still doubted some of it, but anything had to be better than the life she had been living.
Just an hour ago she was ready to end it all.
They turned into Wardieburn Terrace and Lilly went to the door. She turned back to the Doctor and Caleb. “You two wait out here,” she said.
The Doctor nodded. “Take your time.”
When Lilly had gone inside Caleb walked to stand next to the Doctor, a frown on his face.
“Penny for them?” said the Doctor, noticing the look on his face.
“Do you think she’s gonna be okay?” said Caleb.
“She’s damaged,” said the Doctor. He pointed to his temple. “In here. She needs to heal. Only then will we know.”
Caleb was about to reply when there came a scream from inside the house - Lilly.
The Doctor and Caleb raced up to the door and piled inside. They turned the corner and saw Lilly standing beside the fireplace, her hand across her mouth. They followed her gaze down to the sofa where a man and woman - Lilly’s father and sister - were sat next to eat other, still and lifeless and with bullet holes in their foreheads.
“Oh my god…” said Caleb. “Did…did he do that? The Master?”
“No, pal, no,” came the leery voice. They turned and standing in the adjoining room looking through the sliding double doors was Colin Dunlop, a gun trained on Lilly and blood splattered on his face.
“And who are you?” said the Doctor.
“Colin Dunlop,” said Lilly, managing to find her voice. She was shaking as she removed her hand from her mouth. “Why?”
“I’ve got nothing to lose,” said Dunlop, his hand shaking as he kept the gun trained on her. “I ran. After I killed your brother.” He smiled at the memory. “Thought I’d finish the rest of you off.”
Lilly held no lost love for her family, but they didn’t deserve to be murdered in cold blood.
“She is not a part of this,” said the Doctor.
Dunlop turned and aimed the gun at the Doctor. “I don’t know who you are, mate, but you’re the one who’s not a part of this. Turn around and leave.”
“She’s not even related to them,” said Caleb, quickly. “She was adopted.”
Lilly hadn’t really seen it as adoption, more that she was being kept as a prisoner. Adopters wouldn‘t have mistreated their child so cruelly. “It’s true,” she said. “I hated them. You know I did.”
“What have I got to lose?” said Dunlop. “Tell me!” he shouted.
Lilly shook her head. “Nothing, I guess.”
“Please, Mr Dunlop,” said the Doctor, edging a little closer.
“Listen to him,” said Dunlop, laughing and nodding towards the Doctor. “Mr Dunlop. Mr Dunlop. Don’t make me laugh.”
“We can work through this,” said the Doctor.
“Too late.” He steadied his arm and pointed the gun in the vicinity of Lilly’s head. She closed her eyes.
“MOVE LILLY!” came Caleb’s voice.
And everything else was a blur. She heard the shot ring out - it was louder than she had expected it to sound, and she opened her eyes. In a split second Caleb had grabbed Dunlop’s arm, making him miss her head. But she still felt an impact. She was knocked off her feet as the bullet tore through her chest. Through her heart.
And the world dissolved around her as she saw the ceiling flash up in front of her. Her head hit the fireplace hearth and she drifted out of consciousness.
Caleb had struck Dunlop over the head with a glass vase and he had been knocked out cold.
“Tie him up!” shouted the Doctor as he raced over to the fallen Lilly.
Caleb searched around for something to tie Dunlop up with. There was nothing. He took off his shoes, undid the laces and tied Dunlop’s hands and feet together and then laid him on his side.
“Is she alright?” said Caleb.
“Call the police. They can come and lock this monster up.” He lifted Lilly up in his arms and marched towards the door.
“Is she alright?” said Caleb again.
“We need to get her to a hospital.”
“I’ll call an ambulance,” said Caleb.
“No. We need to take her somewhere other than an Earth hospital. She’s been shot through one of her hearts. We have only a small window. Get moving, Caleb!”
When they arrived back at the park the police were still in attendance, investigating the crater, and a crane had lifted the TARDIS up onto its side. A policeman noticed them heading towards the box.
“Excuse me, sir!”
“Listen,” said the Doctor, nodding back towards where they had come from. “Go to No. 4 Wardieburn Terrace. There’s been a murder. The suspect is tied up and unconscious.
“Just a minute-”
“Go now!” growled the Doctor as Caleb unlocked the door of the TARDIS and he kicked it open with his boot.
“What’s up with her?” said the policeman, going for his radio.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. She’ll be absolutely fine. Absolutely fine,” he said, disappearing into the darkness of the box followed by Caleb.
The Master stood in his darkened console room, his hands spread out on the controls as he tried to fight off the aching in his head.
“Everything okay?” came a voice.
The Master looked up. It was Craig, his arm now reattached. He was stood in a black suit, similar to the Masters, and looked emotionless.
“I failed,” said the Master. “She wouldn’t come with me.”
“I like your new look,” said Craig. “You should have let me deal with it.”
“You’re a robot, Craig,” he said. He looked at the readings. “And the Doctor has just taken off with her onboard. That meddling cretin,” he said, thumping the console.
“Chase him then,” said Craig, as if it was an obvious thing to do.
“He’s already masking his time traces. It’ll be difficult to track them down.”
“Then we’ll work on it,” said Craig. He put an affectionate arm on the Master’s shoulder. “Yeah?”
The Master nodded. “Yes. And then when I finally have Illithia with me, I’ll kill the Doctor.”
To be concluded...
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