Stitches in time 5.0 Present Tensions pt2

[tangent]

Title: Stitches in Time 5.0 Present Tensions pt2
Description: A crossover between Buffy and Doctor Who
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit etc.

Previously

Someone or something is travelling through time trying to eradicate Buffy's influence on events in Sunnydale. So far they've tried to stop her meeting Giles, Xander and Willow and by doing so stop their interventions in her life. They've even made a direct attempt on her life themselves although during this attempt The Doctor and Rose managed to capture the would be Assassin, who much to Giles' surprise appears to be Quentin Travers; a man he thought long dead.

Now read on...

_________

“It would seem that reports of my death are a little exaggerated” Travers paraphrased with a humourless smile. “Although I’m sure that they were less than unwelcome in certain quarters.”

Giles continued to stare at the man, obviously having difficulty believing what he was seeing “But how..? You were there when the bomb went off. I mean the records, the security logs we found…”

“Oh I was there alright.” Travers began “But I managed to avoid the fate of the rest of the council… thanks to young Adam here.”

“Time travel.” The doctor said quietly.

Adam smirked, treating the doctor to a hate filled look. “That’s right Doctor. Leaving the implant in my head was a mistake. I worked out how it works, managed to rescue the remnants of some of the information it had transferred and I used that information. I needed money to fund my little project and I found out that the Watchers council had plenty squirreled away. I just needed someone with access to that cash.”

“And that’s where I came in” Travers continued “Adam had managed to build himself a prototype device that allowed him to travel in time; but it had a limited shelf life. In fact it was, I believe, a one time only variety of deal. So he used that single opportunity to rescue me from the Council buildings seconds before the explosion.”

“Your welcome.” Adam cut in.

Travers shot his young companion a look that spoke volumes as to the nature of their relationship and continued.

“After he brought me back here and explained the nature of things to me I quickly realised that our situations were not that different and that there was a possibility that we could combine our forces to achieve our goals”

Giles frowned “And what goals would that be Quentin? What exactly is it you want to achieve here?”

Travers smiled again at the question “Don’t you see Rupert,” he said “The Council was destroyed. The council, an institution as old as civilisation with traditions dating back thousands of years; a proud servant in the war against the forces of darkness that existed only to keep humanity safe from the forces that would destroy it was wiped out in a single night.”

“Yes but…”

“And that was directly attributable to one person, Buffy Summers. She was the one that changed history Rupert; she was the one that should have died not the brave men and women of the council. It was simple really. In order for the Council to survive Buffy Summers had to die so that the chain can continue and another can take her place.”

“And it falls to you does it?” Giles asked starting forward “Tell me, what right do you have to decide who should live and who should die? What gives you the authority to decide what is right or wrong?”

“That’s close enough I think.” Travers said producing a pistol from his pocket “I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’m not letting any of you anywhere near me. This time I will shoot. Now why don’t you just back up a little?”

Giles looked at the gun and then into the calm, expressionless face of them man in font of him and took a step back.

“Good. You know you disappoint me Rupert. I thought you of all people might understand. I suppose I should no better by now.” He paused “I have the authority of the Watchers Council of Great Britain. I have a duty to see that its work continues and that gives me all the right I need.” He smiled and indicated the Doctor “At least as much right as your precious Timelord.”

“No.” The word was said quietly, almost whispered but it carried a power that meant there could be no argument and that power was what made everyone turn towards the speaker.

“You know nothing about what you’re doing here” The doctor continued, staring at the floor. “You think that time can be altered to suit your view on what should and shouldn’t be? That it doesn’t matter what else happens as long as your Council survives? You’re wrong. Sometimes people have to die, sometimes things have to end. That’s just the way it is. It’s a lesson I wish I hadn’t learnt but sometimes you have to sacrifice everything in order to protect everything else. Sometimes you don’t get a choice.”

He looked up, meeting Travers’ gaze. “You think that your Council is necessary to protect the world, but I know different. I’ve seen your future Quentin. I’ve seen what happens without Buffy summers. Without her your Council is useless. Without that one girl, the demons win. Without her the world ends.”

“Don’t listen to him!” Adam cut in excitedly “He always does this. He twists things around, makes you think he knows it all.”

“Don’t worry Adam.” Quentin replied without taking his eyes from the Doctor’s “I know a lie when I hear one.” He spoke to the Doctor directly “Well ‘Doctor’ I think it is high time we took our leave from you.” You know how it is things to do, slayers to kill.”

“We will stop you Quentin.” Giles said.

Travers turned his attention back to his former employee “Good luck with that” he said levelling the pistol at him once more “And good luck getting out of this building. There’s a binding spell in place that should even stop your Timeship from leaving.” He backed away, making his way towards the door followed by his young colleague, “Oh, but don’t worry we’ve left you a little surprise that should be more than enough to keep you busy.”

[tangent]

"I think I've found the surprise." Rose said as she turned away from the room's entrance. "It looks like a scene from Alien in there."

Giles peered over her shoulder and caught sight of the slimy looking objects that had been placed in the middle of the room's floor. "Ah," he said "that would be a bad thing."

"You know what they are Rup'?" The Doctor asked, joining them at the doorway.

Giles took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes I'm rather afraid I do Doctor." He said "They're the eggs of a rare and particularly vicious demon called a Suvolte. A demon that, once hatched, does nothing but kill and kill until it's stopped"

"Stopped how?"

Giles walked a little way from the door "Well the traditional way is to kill them, although that in itself does tend to come with a high risk of being killed oneself."

"Any chance of just destroying the eggs?" Rose asked.

"Well, they tend to be as hard as iron and any attempt to tamper with them could result in the demons hatching early and all together. If you have a flame thrower or a couple of hand-grenades tucked away in the T.A.R.D.I.S. though, that may just do the job."

"So that would be a ?no' then." The doctor said thoughtfully "Of course there's always the sonic?"

"I'm afraid not." Giles cut in "In fact I believe that would almost definitely speed up the hatching process."

"I could probably knock together something with a laser?"

"Sadly that could also lead to some unfortunate effects."

"Right then; well I suppose we'd better just concentrate on getting out of here." the Doctor said marching away "coming?

"How are we going to get out?" Rose asked "We've already tried the T.A.R.D.I.S. as well as all the doors.

Rose and Giles exchanged a glance and followed the Doctor's resolute progress. "There's some machinery I found." He shouted over his shoulder "Back in the main room. I think we might be able to use it."

"Use it how, exactly?" Rose asked "Its magic that's got us trapped in here not anything technological or whatever."

"Bah!" The Doctor said "Potatoes, potahtoes. It's all just different ways off looking at the same thing really. The way I see it, it shouldn't be impossible to cobble together something that can get us past whatever force-field Giles' mate's put in our way."

"Quentin Travers is not my ?mate" Giles said "he is, was, the head of the Watchers Council and quite possibly the most tradition bound, short sighted, manipulative bastard I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Well no-one likes their bosses." Said the Doctor. "Ah here's the equipment."

"And what about the other, Doctor? What about this Adam? It's obvious he knew you."

It was Rose that answered. "Adam worked for a man that collected alien technology. We got caught up with him when his employer collected something? dangerous. Anyway, after we sorted it all out he travelled with us for a bit but he decided to try and send information back to his own time so he could make money from it."

"That would make two manipulative bastards then." Giles observed.

"You could say that." The Doctor agreed, running the sonic screwdriver over a bank of flashing lights. "And of course they both have incredibly large axes to grind with us. It looks like they've got quite a lot in common really."

"What's the verdict then?" Rose asked "Is there anything we can use?"

"Well Adam hasn't done too badly with what he had to work with" The Doctor began "but the technology is primitive to say the least. It can't have been anywhere near safe for the traveller and the range would only have been effectively the life time of the man using it." He pursed his lips thoughtfully "Plus I think some of the soldering's second rate at best.

"Yes, but is there anything we can use?"

The Doctor sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Weeeell, if I'm very, very clever, which of course I am, I might just be able to use it to channel some of the artron energy contained in the T.A.R.D.I.S into the field Augmenting it's temporal hold on us until it sends the whole thing out of balance and weakens its spatial barriers enough for us to get through."

"Eh?"

The Doctor turned and looked directly at Rose "We'll be able to shift through space but not time." He said. "Now, who's for a spot of D.I.Y?"

[tangent]

The air outside the warehouse was cool. A light wind bushed through the few trees and the smell of dew-damp grass danced lazily on the breeze.

All of this was lost to Quentin Travers though as he stood watching the windows of the house on Revello Drive. The world had been changed, irrevocably and irreversibly changed, not by wise council and patient planning but by the foolish actions of a single girl. That one girl had defied the natural order of things, had played fast and loose with life itself and in doing so had sown the seeds that had led to the downfall of the world’s last protectors. The Council, that proud, ancient order that had steered mankind through its darkest hours; that had drawn the line between humanity and its enemies was gone. Centuries of tradition and learning had been wiped out in a single night; he himself had been left, torn and bloodied, in the shattered remains of his life’s sole work. And it was all because of that one girl. Well tonight all that would be set right. Tonight Buffy Summers would pay.

“So what do we do now?” Asked Adam; cutting into his thoughts.

“Now, we wait.” He answered “The slayer will soon be back from her patrol.

“And then?”

He sighed and reached down for the heavy looking rifle “And then, Adam she will receive an explosive round to the head and both our problems will be solved.”

“Yeah, if your demons do their job.”

Travers took a breath to calm himself. He didn’t regret making his deal with the boy. In fact if it enabled him to restore the Council he would have made a hundred such deals. Of course initially The Summers girl had been his only priority and he had had no intention of following up his promise of aiding Adam gain revenge on the Doctor. The more and more the so called Timelord had interfered with his plan though the more amenable to the idea he had become. But agreeing to help Adam didn’t mean he had to like him.

“I’ve told you don’t worry about the Doctor there’s nothing even he can do against a score of Suvolte. He’s probably dead already.”

“Yeah, well.”

An uncomfortable silence resumed disturbed only by the sounds of distant traffic and the yowl of a cat somewhere nearby. When finally it was broken it was Adam that spoke.

“Y-you don’t think he could have been right do you.” He asked.

“Who right about what?” Travers replied his eyes still fixed on the house.

“The Doctor about the slayer,” Adam looked down at the ground “all that end of the world stuff.”

“You said it yourself Adam” Travers said patiently “The Doctor tells lies”

“Yes but, what if…?”

Travers turned to face the younger man treating him to a cold stare. “Look, it’s this simple. For the Council to survive Buffy Summers must die. It is the Council that keeps the forces of darkness at bay, yes the slayer is a part of that but there will be many, many slayers as there has been throughout the years. There is but one Council and as long as the Council endures this world will be safe.”

The passion of the speech seemed to mollify Adam to a degree and the pair resumed their vigil without further comment. Minutes dragged by as they waited patiently, until the darkness of night paled with the false dawn and a lone songbird voiced its joy at the broken promise of a new day. Then just when it appeared that their wait would be fruitless a light blinked on in the distance.

“Is it her?” Adam aked

Travers raised the rifle to the firing position placing his eye to the telescopic sight. And adjusting the focus until the image of the lit upstairs window swam into sharp contrast.

“No.” He said “Wait… Yes there she is!”

“Have you got a shot?”

“Patience, Adam, patience.” Travers said “These things cannot be rushed.”

He breathed easily taking long smooth breaths in and then releasing them gently as he waited for the target to offer him a clean killing shot. Then almost as if it were fated the blonde figure came to the window and peered out, perhaps somehow sensing the eyes that followed her movements. Travers took a last breath out trying to force his body to relax and increased the pressure on the trigger, easing it gradually to the point where the rifle would simply be allowed to fire.

Which it did.

And then it was as if everything happened all at once. The bullet exploded from the gun, speeding towards its target with deadly accuracy and hit hard. Not striking the slim form of the slayer but the ghostly image of a blue police box that suddenly hung in the air between gunman and target. The impact caused the incendiary materials contained in the bullet to ignite creating a ball of flame which expanded rapidly and then just as rapidly disappeared as the ghostly image of the blue box winked out again.

Travers stared at the patch of sky in disbelief. The entire sequence of events had taken just a fraction of a second and had left such little evidence of their passing that if he had not witnessed them himself they might never have happened at all. Then, in a sudden blur, he was no longer staring at a patch of night sky but the strangely organic interior of an alien craft and hands were stripping him of his rifle

“Hello again Quentin.” The Doctor said.

[tangent]

To his credit it only took a few moments for Travers to regain his composure. His obvious anger at once again having his plans ruined by the Doctor was choked down until the only stain in his urbane veneer was a spot of colour on either cheek.

“Interesting” He said “By rights you should now be laying in a pool of your own blood as the Suvolte finish ripping you to pieces.

The Doctor grinned “Yeah, didn’t fancy that all that much to be honest.”

“And the containment spell?”

“Oh, that was pretty easy to get round;” Said the Doctor waving a nonchalant hand “the real problem was what to do with the demon eggs.”

“Yeah,” Rose interrupted “You never did tell us what you did with them.”

“Oh I left them with a …friend. Well maybe more of an aquaintance really.” The Doctor said avoiding Giles’ eyes. He turned back to Travers and smiled “Well couldn’t just leave them there could I? Anything could happen.”

Moving to Giles’ side he took the gun from his hands and started examining it carefully. “Course that’s your problem isn’t it” he glanced up at Adam “Anything. Can. Happen. A person can walk down the wrong street at the right time and change the course of history without ever knowing what they’re done. Wars are caused, lives are changed, huge jumps in technology are made and it’s all so arbitrary, so random.” He hefted the gun to his shoulder and squinted down the sight. “And then someone comes along who thinks that it’s all a bit too random. Maybe they don’t like the way the future leads, maybe they think they haven’t got their fair dues. So they try to change things, to make things better than they were.” He lowered the gun once more and marched over to the pair of captives his eyes aflame. “But you can never make things better, never! You can only make them a thousand times worse. Things are as things are. They happen for a reason and just because they don’t suit your view of what’s right or wrong does not give you the right to go back and change them!”

The outburst was sudden enough and vehement enough that everyone in the T.A.R.D.I.S. stood staring at the figure in the brown suit as he swept his hands through his unkempt hair.

“And by the way” he said in a calmer voice, indicating the rifle in his hand “these things? Never useful.”

The doctor gave a sad shake of his head and turned his back on Adam and Travers walking back towards the control console where Giles and Rose stood. He had barely reached them when he heard the gun ****. He turned slowly just in time to see the pistol come up to a firing position, its barrel pointed straight at him.

“Seems quite useful to me.” Travers said.

[tangent]

"Shoot him!" Adam said excitedly "Shoot him now!

"Well," the Doctor said "are you going to do what he says."

Travers smiled coldly "I think you may have misunderstood the nature of our relationship, Doctor. I am not in the habit of taking orders from mere boys."

"Really? Seems to me that without Adam you couldn't have done any of this. In fact without him you'd be dead right now, wouldn't you Quentin? You and this Council of yours. In fact it seems to me that if anyone should be in charge it's Mr Mitchell here."

""Don't listen to him" Adam cut in "He always does this. He twists things round, makes you somehow believe he's got more power than he has. Just shoot him, before he gets into your head. Shoot him!"

"Yeah Quentin, be a good boy and shoot me."

"Shut up!" Travers turned to Adam "And that goes for you as well. I must admit that you've been more than useful to me but really, do you imagine that I value your opinions on anything?" He calmed slightly and continued "Now, this is what will happen. The Doctor will pilot this machine back to the day the Slayer was called and I will finish the job; up close and personal. This will happen or I will start to shoot people."

"But?"

"And that may just include you Adam."

The rebuke silenced the younger man and left Travers and the Doctor staring at each other, their eyes locked together in a deadly battle of wills.

"Okay" the Doctor said eventually "I'll do it; just don't do anything stupid."

He turned to the console and started to manipulate it's controls, his actions lacking their normal flamboyance.

"Doctor?" Rose began.

"Don't Rose," He said cutting her words off. "I know what your going to say but just?Don't."

The T.AR.D.I.S flared into life its low moaning drone becoming more and more insistent as the alien technology bean it's work of defying the laws of time and space until eventually the noise reached a crescendo and began to subside once more.

"We're here." The Doctor Announced, his voice subdued.

Travers backed away to the door of the craft keeping his gun trained on the people gathered around it.

"Don't do this Quentin." Giles said in a quiet voice. "Don't betray everything the Council once stood for."

Travers gave a small snort "Betray the council? I think that you of all people have forfeited your right to accuse me of that. Now I think it's time I took my leave of you. Goodbye Doctor, Giles." He reached the door and reaching behind him placed one hand on it.

"Before you go Quentin," the Doctor said, not turning from the console "know that once you step through that door you and I are done. I can't take any further responsibility for you or your actions. Do you accept that?"

Travers laughed "Accept it? My dear Doctor I welcome it. You may think you have the sovereign right to these matters but I shall change this world for the better with or without your permission." He half turned but stopped as a thought occurred to him "But just in case you decide to interfere perhaps I should provide you with a more pressing engagement."

Raising the gun again he fired, the sound of the shot echoing around the cavernous interior of the control room. There was a stunned silence, no-one moved and then slowly, almost gently Adam fell to the floor his hand clutched to his stomach and Rose and the Doctor quickly rushed to his side.

"Call that repayment for your services." Travers said "I suggest that you get him to a Doctor, and I mean a real Doctor, without delay."

Giles took an angry step towards his former superior.

"Let him go Rupert." The Doctor said "He's right; we don't get Adam some medical attention now he'll die." He looked up at Travers "Go. Get out. Now."

Travers smiled; urbane to the end and turning he opened the door and left the T.A.R.D.I.S.

[tangent]

As soon as he was gone the Doctor quickly leapt to his feet and raced to the door, slamming it hard before returning to the T.A.R.D.I.S's controls, He started to frantically press buttons and flick switches, his usual flair and ?lan seemingly restored.

"Hang on Adam." He shouted "We'll be there in a jiffy."

"Where?" Rose asked.

"Oh don't worry about that." The doctor replied "I know just the man. Well not actually a man but, well, someone with the right medical know-how anyway."

"And Travers?" Giles asked "You're not really going to just let him go are you?"

The Doctor turned and leant against the control console, a broad smile lighting up his face. "Oh I don't think we need to worry ourselves with Quentin Travers anymore."
He said.

On the other side of the door Travers was looking around him in disbelief. Adam had warned him that the Doctor was tricky, warned him he couldn't be trusted but he had never expected this. He had thought he would be emerging into warm Californian sunshine or at the least the cool interior of a school building but instead he found himself surrounded by aged wood and antique furniture, the musty smell of leather bound books hanging heavy in the air. He found himself in a world of conformity and long practised tradition that was sharply, painfully familiar. Realisation of what the Doctor had done came to him quickly; a sure and certain knowledge of, not just where but when the Doctor had brought him and he pounded on the suddenly sealed door before him, driving his fists into the wood again and again, until the surface itself began to fade and disappear; leaving him alone in the Council chambers.


Before the explosion ripped through the building a last thought entered his increasingly fevered mind. He had lost, he knew that; but the Doctor could have left him anywhere, abandoned him in a million different times and places. Perhaps it was just a sense of completeness that had driven him to bring him back here; a way to put things back to how they were. Perhaps though it was more; for of all the places that he could have taken him, of all the fates he could have abandoned him to the Doctor had given him one last gift.

The Doctor had brought him back to his council. The Doctor had brought him... home.

[tangent]

EPILOGUE

The T.A.R.D.I.S hurtled through the vortex of time and space once more spanning centuries as it tumbled on. Inside it stood two figures one male one female each caught momentarily in their own thoughts. When the comfortable silence was broken it was the young woman who spoke.

“So, you going to tell me where we’re going then?” Rose asked

The Doctor grinned mischievously “Nah thought I’d keep this one as a surprise; might need your swimming cossie though.”

“Well that sounds… Actually I’m not sure whether to be excited or scared.”

“Both.” The Doctor said his smile twinkling.

“Well after the last few day’s I just hope it’s not too stressful.”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad was it? We got to visit sunny climes, meet the slayer…”

“Well we never really got to…”

“And,” the Doctor said, ignoring the interruption “hanging out with ripper again was fun.”

“Actually, yeah I’ll give you that one. He’s kind of cute for an older guy.”

Again the Doctor ignored his young assistant, perhaps a little more pointedly this time.

“Adam is safely out of harms way and getting the medical attention he needs, Travers is back we’re he started. I’d say it all worked out quite well really.” He mused “I mean yeah, it got a bit hairy when we were trapped in that warehouse with those suvolte demon eggs thingies, and we did cut it kind of close at the death but, hey, if it wasn’t for the last minute…”

“Nothing would get done.” Rose finished. She looked over at the Timelord and saw a sudden cloud pass over his sunny expression.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’m not sure; something about what I just said. I’ve got this feeling that we’re forgetting something.”

They looked at each other as they both thought back to the hectic events of the past few days. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity the Doctor Whirled away and turned his attention back to his beloved craft.

“Ah well,” he said “can’t be all that important.”

And, as a wild eternity spun around them,the Doctor and Rose travelled on.

THE END