Title: Pet Rock 3/3
Author:
![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
castrovalva9Rating: PG
Characters: Five/Turlough, Black Guardian, Tegan
Summary: The Black Guardian sets Turlough a seemingly impossible task.
Part One |
Part TwoThey passed the bulk of the ensuing day exploring Telva. Turlough, deciding to let Tegan work as she pleased, deliberately avoided her and the Doctor as much as possible. He did occasionally see the two in passing (Tegan was always glued to the Doctor's side) but exchanged no more than a handful of words with them. He returned to the TARDIS late that afternoon to find the Doctor poised in the console room.
"Turlough! Finally! I've been waiting almost an hour for you to come back. I was on the verge of going outside to hunt for you."
Turlough stared at the Doctor, who looked the very personification of desperate. His eyes were wild, his breathing tortured, his hair rumpled as if by a mighty wind--or possibly Tegan's fingers. Something truly terrible must have happened between him and Tegan, but when Turlough opened his mouth to press for details, the Doctor shook his head. "I'm not talking about it, and that's final. I
am, however, asking for your help with Tegan, if you're still willing to give it."
Turlough hesitated, using that small gap of time to inject the appropriate amount of doubt and sympathy into his voice. "But you said my idea wasn't right and you didn't like it. I'd feel horrible if you did something that violated your moral code just because I suggested it."
"Sometimes the wrong thing
is the right thing, Turlough. Situations like the current one encourage me in that belief, and I only wish I'd realised it a little earlier. Now, do I have your help or not?"
Figuring that he had put up sufficient argument, Turlough relented. "You know I'll do whatever I can. When do you want to try--"
"Immediately," the Doctor interrupted.
"All right," Turlough agreed. "But you do know Tegan can't be around when we start. Lately, wherever you've been, she's turned up within two minutes."
The Doctor shook his head. "Not this time. Tegan got lost in the TARDIS. I may have had something to do with that."
"Good. That gives us some time to set the stage."
"Where do we do it?"
Turlough studied their surroundings. "All things considered, it's best if we stay right here. This room is probably the first place Tegan will come looking for you, and we need her to find us easily. The way we do it is, we wait until she gets close, and then we start the act."
"Yes. The sooner this is over, the better," the Doctor said. "I've allowed it to go on for too long as it is. So, the location is decided. How do we know when Tegan is close enough that we should begin in earnest?"
Turlough considered. "A warning system would be best. Can we count on the TARDIS to alert us when she's approaching?"
"Not reliably, and we'll only have one valid opportunity to attempt this ploy. These are very delicate circumstances. If Tegan even suspects an act..."
Turlough nodded. He, even more than the Doctor, needed this scheme to play out exactly according to plan. If Tegan guessed that it was a setup, the Doctor would survive. Turlough, on the other hand, would be doomed. "Since the TARDIS isn't reliable, we'll have to modify the plan a little. We need to get ready immediately and stay ready until Tegan arrives. Because that could be anytime. Maybe in five minutes, maybe in two hours."
"Yes, well." The Doctor hesitated. "Exactly how believable does this need to look?"
Turlough regarded him with disfavour. "She won't buy it for a second if you're still wearing all those clothes when she comes in. At least get rid of some of them."
"Oh. Right." The Doctor set about peeling the layers of clothing from his upper half, afterwards neatly folding the items and arranging them in a pile by his side.
"Wrong. All wrong," Turlough scolded. "Do you want Tegan to think you're doing your laundry, or you're in the middle of a tryst?" He picked up the shirt and tossed it in a random direction. The jumper ended up splayed across the console, and the frockcoat, celery and all, was left hanging askew from the hatstand.
"Of course," the Doctor acknowledged, assessing the results. "Your way looks much more... convincing. Except that you're still fully dressed."
"That is true," Turlough agreed. "Why don't you help me out with that? It'll look good for Tegan if she walks in on us at the right moment," he added enticingly, noting that the Doctor's eyes were riveted to his tie. Turlough's fingers crept towards the knot, then halted. "Maybe you should take it off for me," he suggested. "It would be good practice."
The Doctor abruptly stepped back. "Suddenly I'm not so certain this is a good idea."
"What? We've come this far. You can't quit now, when we're so close to success. Trust me," Turlough urged as he continued to fiddle with his tie. For some reason, the sight of Turlough's fingers on the knot appeared to unnerve the Doctor to distraction. The mood was quickly escaping, so Turlough turned away and swiftly undressed only to the same extent as the Doctor had, sensing that going further would be a risky move.
Having disposed of his discarded clothing in the same haphazard fashion he had applied to the Doctor's things, he resumed talking. "It could be a little while. Why shouldn't we entertain ourselves while we're waiting? Come on, what harm could it do? You're going to have to be able to do a lot more than just look at me if you want to fool Tegan."
"This is a very awkward and difficult situation," the Doctor protested. "Even though we're only pretending--"
At this point, Turlough launched his long-delayed move. "Is that
all we're doing? Because it could be so much more, if you wanted."
"That would be extremely improper, Turlough."
"I didn't ask if it would be proper. I asked if you wanted it."
"That isn't a fair question," the Doctor countered, glancing away and then back.
"I'll take that answer as a yes. You know, you're way too good for Tegan. You're way too good for me, too, but I don't care."
"It isn't that I'm not attracted to you, Turlough. It's that I shouldn't let myself be."
"Why not?"
The Doctor rattled off a string of excuses. "This really isn't right. I'm so much older than you--I'm in the position of mentor--I'm in authority--my travelling companions look to me for guidance. That's why I always try not to get involved. It's a power imbalance."
Turlough shrugged. "I know. I don't care about any of that, either."
The Doctor dropped his protests with alacrity. A second later, Turlough found himself pinned against the wall, the outline of a roundel being impressed into his back. He would have bruises tomorrow, but this would be worth it. Then suddenly, all thoughts about the Black Guardian, obeying orders, and ensuring his own survival dissolved from Turlough's mind. It was about just him and the Doctor, locked together, alone. The sounds of harsh breathing and scrabbling fingers filled the room for long moments, until, inevitably, a much more unpleasant noise intruded.
"What the hell is going on in here?"
The rude awakening came in the form of Tegan's voice. The scene certainly must have appeared damning from her viewpoint, Turlough reflected: clothing strewn about the room, heavy breathing, hands in entirely inappropriate locations. Too bad Tegan hadn't been delayed for even another two minutes or so, but she always did have the most terrible timing. For a few moments he had actually forgotten she would be showing up. Judging from the look on the Doctor's face, the memory lapse was mutual.
"Tegan... I..." The Doctor's voice faltered and he hastily withdrew his right hand, Turlough letting it go with reluctance.
Tegan's gaze followed the movement. "So this is why you stranded me on the cricket pitch--so you could run away and fool around with
him. I waited ages for you to come back with the bat!"
"Sorry, Tegan, but it must be obvious that he doesn't like girls in that special way," Turlough helpfully chimed in.
Attention averted, Tegan turned on him. "You tricked him into this," she accused wildly.
"I must be awfully persuasive, or he was really willing to be convinced," Turlough pointed out.
"Perhaps we should..." The Doctor gestured vaguely, then gathered up his scattered clothing, and began to dress. Turlough followed suit. There was a brief moment of confusion as Turlough untangled his blazer from the Doctor's shirt--he had no idea how the blazer had ended up at that end of the room--and Tegan
hmphed impatiently and the Doctor looked away and then they all started to talk at once.
"This really isn't what it looks like," the Doctor began.
"I feel like being sick," Tegan contributed.
"It really
is what it looks like," Turlough offered.
Turlough and the Doctor stopped speaking. Tegan did not. In fact, her objections resumed with even more vigour than before. "Doctor, what were you thinking? Turlough can't be trusted. I thought you'd realised that by now. I mean, I've told you often enough that he's using you."
"It goes both ways," Turlough muttered.
Ignoring him, Tegan continued to address the Doctor. "I knew Turlough was trouble from the second I saw him. He'll turn on you and then you'll be sorry. He doesn't deserve to be here and he never will."
The Doctor paused in the act of smoothing his shirt and looked at her. "That's enough, Tegan. Turlough is welcome on board and I won't have you talking that way about him. Is that understood?"
Turlough was taken aback by the sternness of his tone. He hadn't known the Doctor was capable of sounding so firm and commanding.
It seemed like Tegan hadn't, either. Her mouth flapped open and shut. Then, thwarted by the Doctor, she directed her wrath at Turlough. "You tricked him. You played on his weaknesses and lured into your trap. This is really low of you, Turlough. Unbelievably low."
"If you can't speak civilly, don't speak at all," the Doctor coldly cut in. "Turlough is as welcome on board as you are."
Tegan glared. "Obviously a lot
more welcome. You wouldn't even kiss me, but you had your hands all over his--" As the Doctor opened his mouth again, she changed tack. "Fine, have it your way. I won't say another word. But sooner or later you'll find out for yourself that everything I've said is true. Then you'll wish you'd done a lot of things
very differently." She whirled and stalked away.
In her wake, Turlough finished dressing. Despite himself, he found that he was oddly touched. The Doctor had defended him to Tegan. It was more than he had done on his own behalf--a lot more. If Turlough hadn't come under attack, he doubted the Doctor would have spoken a word to protect himself. Abruptly feeling the need to utter a supportive statement even if he didn't really believe it, Turlough volunteered, "She'll get over it."
"I hope so. I suppose it's up to her now." The Doctor shrugged into his frockcoat and tipped his celery at a jaunty angle. "Thank you for helping me, Turlough. I'd say we accomplished our goal, so I owe you quite a favour now."
"Favour. Right." Thus rudely brought back to reality, Turlough recalled the true purpose behind his charade. He had to follow the Black Guardian's orders, or he was as good as dead. He took a deep breath and went on, "As a matter of fact, now that you mention it, there
is something I'd like."
Looking intrigued, the Doctor replied, "Name it."
"I'd like to visit a certain place," Turlough elaborated.
"Oh. I had anticipated a much different request." Frowning slightly--did Turlough imagine the gleam of disappointment in his eyes?--nevertheless, the Doctor walked over to the console and poised his hands over the controls. "The TARDIS is ready, so I suppose we can leave now. Where to?"
Turlough quickly repeated the location the Black Guardian had imparted to him. Despite the Guardian's concerns, he recalled it perfectly.
Without asking so much as a single question first, the Doctor slowly began to program the coordinates. Then he spoke in a very calm voice. "Turlough, are you absolutely certain about everything you just told me? According to the main identifying factor, the area you want to visit is highly unstable. If you're off by even the slightest degree with as much as one element, the TARDIS could be destroyed."
Turlough reviewed the coordinates in his mind. He had committed the exact words to memory and was positive he had correctly recited the entire string. "I'm sure."
"Very well." The Doctor resumed his actions at the console, slowly and steadily sealing his doom. He was taking Turlough's word for it. He hadn't even asked why Turlough wanted to visit this dangerous place, had taken him on faith. And it was going to kill him.
Turlough was going to kill him.
Turlough felt a surge of a rather strong, somewhat unfamiliar emotion known as guilt. It did not feel good, or right. Before he could censor himself, he blurted, "Wait!"
The Doctor halted and looked up enquiringly. "Yes, Turlough, what is it? All I have left to do is to press two more buttons and we'll be on our way."
Turlough remembered how the Doctor had welcomed him on board. He had accepted Turlough as a member of the team and had defended him to Tegan. Then he thought of the Black Guardian and his fearsome presence, his belittling and threats. The only things the Black Guardian had ever given Turlough were an evil crystal, some nightmares, and dreadful tasks to accomplish. Boiled down to those terms, it really was no contest. "I suppose there may be the smallest chance that I could be just the tiniest bit wrong. It isn't worth risking our lives, is it?"
"Under the circumstances I would say no, but the choice isn't up to me. It has to be your decision."
Turlough had been hoping to take the easy way out, but the Doctor had picked the worst time to develop a backbone and refuse to decide for him. He was already having second thoughts. It was one matter to
want to do the right thing, and quite another to actually
do it, especially when said action was likely to result in one's protracted and agonising death. He looked at the Doctor once more and sighed. He just couldn't do go through with the Black Guardian's plan. Obviously he'd never make a proper villain. "Forget the whole thing. It isn't worth it."
"If you're certain."
"Yeah, I am."
The Doctor nodded. "Very well. Then we'll just remain here on Telva for a bit longer, if you don't mind. I never did get to visit that diamond mine I wanted to see."
As he watched the Doctor wipe out the coordinates, Turlough experienced an odd sense of relief. Of course, now the Black Guardian would probably kill him in the most painful manner he could devise, but at least it would all be over. Finally over.
"By the way," the Doctor added, "this may seem a bit of an unusual question, but I was wondering if you've met any especially unpleasant individuals lately."
Not for the first time, Turlough questioned whether the Doctor possessed mind-reading abilities. "You could say that," he replied guardedly.
"And one of them didn't by any chance have terrible fashion sense and what looked like a duck attached to his head, did he?"
"Now that you mention it, he might have," Turlough admitted.
"Well, if you happen to encounter that particular nasty-tempered fellow ever again, you should know that he's powerless as long as you make the choice to ignore him. Essentially, he's a bully who can be faced down, with the proper resolve. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment..." The Doctor slipped out of the room before Turlough could react.
He stood there, thinking. He was alone. If he was going to die, it might as well be here and now, with no one around to witness the scene. In Turlough's estimation, the only thing worse than being slaughtered by the Black Guardian would be to be slaughtered by the Black Guardian while Tegan or the Doctor watched.
Tentatively, Turlough pulled the crystal from his pocket. Nothing happened, yet he had more or less expected to be struck down by lightning on the spot. Maybe the Black Guardian was delaying the move to lull Turlough into a false sense of security. Or maybe, just possibly, the Doctor had been right about the Guardian now being powerless. True, he hadn't specifically mentioned the Guardian by name, but his description had been telling. If more than one individual in the universe went in for the duck look, Turlough didn't want to know about it.
He stared at the crystal; there was no reaction. "It's over," Turlough said in as firm a voice as he could muster. "I won't listen to you anymore. You have no power over me, and I don't care if you kill me. You still won't get what you really want." He hesitated for several seconds, during which the crystal lay silently. It looked as defeated as he supposed an inanimate object could appear to be. It seemed the Doctor had been right.
He wasn't giving the Black Guardian another chance to work against him. Turlough pulled the door lever on the console, strode to the opening, and hurled the crystal as far away as he could. As he watched it arc through the air, a refreshing wave of freedom swept over him. The crystal landed at a considerable distance from the TARDIS and did not move. Satisfied, Turlough turned from the doorway, only to almost collide with Tegan.
"I'm going for a walk," she announced as she dodged him. "And for the Doctor's sake, I hope there's some good in you
to be found." Head high, she marched outside.
With a mental shrug, Turlough moved back to the console and hit the lever to shut Tegan out. He hoped her walk was a very long one indeed and that he wasn't anywhere nearby when she came back.
He paced about the room for a few moments as an empty sensation settled over him. By all rights, he should be feeling good. No more Black Guardian. No more evil assignments. Those were positive things. So why did he feel so very at a loss? Was it because he had left Earth? Had hurt Tegan's feelings? Missed Nyssa? Was homesick for Trion?
After a bit of thought, Turlough figured out the problem. Lately the quest to do terrible, twisted things to the Doctor had consumed all his waking hours. Without that mission to guide him, he'd have to come up with a new purpose to occupy his barren social life.
As if on cue, the Doctor walked back in. Well, Turlough reflected, there were far worse distractions in the universe. He could still do terrible and twisted things to the Doctor, but now they would be of his own volition. "We're all alone now. Tegan decided to go for a walk," he offered, stepping closer.
The Doctor nodded. "I know. She told me as much when she saw me in the corridor." From the look on his face, it was not the only information Tegan had shared. "I think she may remain outside for a considerable amount of time. Understandably so, given the circumstances. It might be a good opportunity for me to tour that diamond mine."
"Or," Turlough suggested, "you could stay here with me."
"I could," the Doctor conceded. "Which reminds me, Turlough, I wanted to thank you again for your help."
"It wasn't a hardship," Turlough assured him. "More like a pleasure."
"Well, that's good to hear. Oh, and Turlough? Remember when you asked me if I ever get lonely? I do."
This time when Turlough's hand wandered towards his tie, the Doctor did not move away.
*****
Tegan plodded along on the surface of Telva, fuming. She still knew, she absolutely
knew, that Turlough was up to no good, but no one (read: the Doctor) would listen to her. When she had cornered him in the corridor only moments ago, he had brushed off her very real concerns yet again. Insanely enough, he thought she was just trying to ruin his happiness out of sheer jealousy, or some such nonsense. As if anyone could be happy with
Turlough, of all people!
Tegan snorted and kicked at the ground with particular vigour, then yelped and stopped in her tracks. Whatever object her foot had connected with, it was hard and it had hurt.
She studied the area and spied a familiar-looking shape. It was the crystal Turlough had been carrying around, the one she had just seen him cast out of the TARDIS for no reason. Well, it didn't deserve the treatment it had received at his hands, and it definitely couldn't help the fact that it had once belonged to Turlough. On impulse, Tegan bent and scooped it up. It certainly was a pretty sort of thing and it glowed in a most attractive manner, as if delighted to be in her possession.
end
