Moving Forward Series Part 04 - Chapter 29 - Confrontations
Title: Moving Forward Series Part 04 - Chapter 29 - Confrontations
Author: othermewriter
Chapter Rating: PG - Series Rating: Adult
Characters: 9/Rose Disclaimer: not mine, and so not making money from this I try not to dwell on it too much :(
A/N: As always my deepest gratitude to lostwolfchats Who continues to hang in there with me as my awesome beta and who I can never can thank enough for her wonderful feedback without which this would not be nearly so readable! Also many thanks to you my patient readers who have stuck with this long epic.
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Everything has been so chaotic since we landed and watch through Rose’s eyes as Theta puzzles at the problem of why the werewolf has moved off and I wonder what it is he has thought of has he contemplatively touches a carving of mistletoe on the door.
I can practically feel him thinking through the legends about werewolves as he suddenly turns to Sir Robert “Mistletoe... Sir Robert, did you father put that there?”
The poor man looks dejected and confused I feel sorry for him all the more so knowing how short is his time as I hear him respond. “I don't know, I suppose...”
I can tell Theta isn’t really listening though as he notices the door behind Sir Robert “On the other door, too... a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder...”
With that, he does something I wouldn’t expect from him and can tell from Rose’s surprise she hadn’t considered as he suddenly leans over the chair barricade and licks the woodwork.
His declaration though of “Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe, it's been worked into the wood like a varnish! How clever was your dad? Powerful stuff, mistletoe.”
I explain to Rose, ‘Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins.’
Rose asks aloud of us both “And the wolf's allergic to it?”
“Well, it thinks it is. The monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things.” With that I feel a burst of hope from Rose only for it to be squashed a moment a later by Sir Robert.
“Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon.”
“Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?” Theta state acerbically.
I smile to myself as I hear Rose think ‘Being rude, again.’
I realize Theta has heard her as he replies “I meant that, I mean really can he be more of a stupid ape?’ as he strides towards the book shelves.
“You want weapons Sir Robert? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world.” With that, he begins to peruse the texts lining the walls. “This room's the greatest arsenal we could have.”
With that he pulls some books off the shelf and chucks some to Rose surprising us both as her mind had wandered to his harsh words when he had been recovering from the shopping planet and she had inadvertently been disparaging of our library.
“Arm yourself.” Comes his command, as he gives us a stern look.
With that we all move to the shelves to look over the books only to move those that look promising to the burnished table in the middle of the room to begin looking them over.
As Rose reads the titles of some of the books that Sir Robert has brought over “Biology, zoology... there might be something on wolves in here...” I begin to look though my reference files on earth animals.
A moment later I am distracted as Theta chucks a book in Rose’s direction stating. “Hold on, what about this?”
I note Sir Robert is looking at another book mumbling aloud ... some form of explosive...
Theta mumbles in response “Hmm, that's the sort of thing. Ooh...” suddenly he jumps down from a ladder he had climbed up on to get to one of the higher shelves holding a very old looking book which he puts down on the table stating. “Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth.”
As Rose looks over Theta’s shoulder, I see on the open page there is an illustration of a rock falling to Earth from the sky as Rose asks “A spaceship?”
“A shooting star.” Sir Robert interjects then begins reading from the text.
"In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit." He pauses for a second then state “That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery.”
Rose asks the question I am wondering “But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?”
Theta explains, “Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans. Host after host after host.”
“But why does it want the throne?” asks Sir Robert dubiously.
Rose states, “That's what it wants. It said so, the... the Empire of the Wolf.”
Suddenly the image of what could happen develops in my minds eye even as Theta verbalizes the same picture “Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated... starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake...” I feel a shiver of fear as I think what could happen to the future my Rose is from if that should happen and the consequences to us if it did.
Suddenly Victoria interjects “Sir Robert!”
Sir Robert goes to her quickly as she has been so quiet as we have been sleuthing, but I am alarmed by her words.
“If I am to die here...”
Sir Robert is quick to protest, “Don't say that, Your Majesty.”
“I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself.” At which she opens her bag.
“Hardly the time to worry about your valuables.” Comes Theta’s quick interjection.
I can tell she is touched by his concern but resolute, “Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this.”
As she takes the Koh-I-Noor from her bag and holds it in the palm of her hand, I can feel Rose’s amazement as she asks “Is that the Koh-I-Noor?”
Theta comes around the table quickly “Oh, yes... the greatest diamond in the world.” Even as I feel Rose also drawn to it in fascination.
“Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die.” Victoria announces.
“Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?” and I can feel his excitement at being so close to the famous diamond. He holds out his hand for the diamond, and I watch as Queen Victoria gives it to him with only a slight hesitation. He looks at it closely. Rose prods it, eyes wide. “That is so beautiful.” He states as he gazes at its sparkle.
“How much is that worth?” is Rose’s amazed question.
“They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week.”
I can’t help the amusement I feel as Rose quips “Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing.”
“And she'd win.” Is his snarky remark as he unconsciously rubs his cheek then smiles at us as her laughter rings out.
The momentary lightness is broken though as Sir Robert asks, “Where is the wolf?” as he walks toward the door “I don't trust this silence.”
Theta asks “Why do you travel with it?”
“My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewelers at Hazelhead. The stone needs re-cutting.” I watch as she gets a sad distant expression as she speaks of her late husband.
“Oh, but it's perfect.” I hear Rose say.
“My late husband never thought so.”
“Now, there's a fact… Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting.” and I smile as he shifts into teaching mode.
“He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished.”
“Unfinished... Yes!” and I can tell he has thought of something as he tosses the Koh-I-Noor back to Queen Victoria, who catches it surprised at his sudden outburst.
I can practically see the pieces of the puzzle coming together for him and I enjoy his excitement. “There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, all these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! What if… This house, it's a trap for you, is that right, Ma'am?
“Obviously.” is her confused answer.
“At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?”
“Explain yourself, Doctor.”
“What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true and they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you... but for the werewolf.
I feel Rose look up as a fine sprinkling of plaster falls from the ceiling. I am horrified to see the werewolf is walking over the glass dome above our heads at which he looks down at us growling.
At which I hear Theta mumble “That wolf there…”
A second later I hear the glass of the dome start to crack, and we all run for the door as I hear Theta shout “Out! Out! Out!” as he ushers us before him.
Seconds later the Werewolf crashes through, smashing the table we had been working on even as they hurriedly pull apart the barricade they had constructed.
I hear Sir Robert yell in concern “Your Majesty!” as they move off down the hall and we look back to see Theta staring at the wolf again before slamming the doors closed and shouting “Gotta get to the observatory!”
As we careen down the hall I suddenly know that it’s going to catch us up, and Rose looks back just in time to see it about to leap on us and I feel our hearts hammering in our chest in terror.
A second later Lady Isobel throws the pan of mistletoe water onto the wolf even as a scream of terror bursts from Rose. But, instead of pouncing the werewolf bounds back down the corridor away from them.
Numbly I hear Theta shout “Good shot!” even as he wraps us in his arms and I wonder how they can continually feel this terrified and still keep doing what they do. No wonder he’s so often been a wreck when he returns to me for comfort. I had always thought his nightmares were just amplifying his waking fears but now I know exactly how much he endures and I am amazed again; not only by his strength, but also that of his companions.
I hear Lady Isobel say behind me “It was mistletoe!” even as I see Sir Robert following the werewolf a way down the corridor, only to return as he hears his wife.
He shouts “Isobel!” as he runs back to her and kisses her desperately, and I feel Rose’s great sorrow as she looks away from their tender reunion knowing soon he will be lost to her. All too soon though I hear him say “Get back downstairs.”
I hear her entreat him “Keep yourself safe.” At which he nods and gives her another quick kiss, knowing that the wolf will not stay away long.
This time I hear real regret as he says, “You go.”
With that, Lady Isobel and the maids go past Sir Robert, as I hear her state “Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen, quickly!”
As they run off, I see the longing in Sir Robert’s eyes, almost as if a part of him knows that these are to be his last glimpses of his wife.
“Come on!” I hear Theta state as we head off at a run down the hall.
At the end juncture Sir Robert shouts “The observatory's this way!” and leads us down a hall to the right. It doesn’t take us long to reach the central staircase and we hurry up it as fast as we can but the werewolf soon returns to the chase.
As we finally arrive at the observatory, Theta is in the lead and I hear him mumble “No mistletoe on these doors” right before he turns and states, “Your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Now get inside I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?”
I feel Rose shudder as I hear Sir Robert state “Just do your work and I'll defend it”
I can tell Theta is still trying to think of a way for Sir Robert, to avoid his fate as I hear him say, “If we could bind them shut with rope or something!”
This time Sir Robert states forcefully, “I said I'd find you time, sir.”
Both Rose and Victoria stare at him, aghast, even as I feel his timelines lock on a course of self-sacrifice. As he tells us, “Now get inside.”
I feel Theta’s pain as he too knows that this is the only course left open and he states “Good man.” As Sir Robert closes the door. Theta wastes no time and runs to the Queen and without preamble demands “Your Majesty, the diamond.”
Suspicion crosses her features at his abruptness “For what purpose?”
His response is brief and to the point, “The purpose it was designed for.”
She nod as if suddenly beginning to grasp what it is he has in mind and hands over the diamond from her bag at which Doctor runs over to the mechanism for the telescope.
A moment later he is shouting to us “Rose!” and we run to him unsure of what he needs and he gestures toward the adjustment wheel.
“Lift it! Come on!” he shouts at it as we struggle to turn the wheel and the cogs start to shift the telescope that isn’t a telescope.
Victoria stares as us as if we have gone mad “Is this the right time for stargazing?”
“Yes, it most definitely is!
I feel Rose look up hopeless as Sir Robert issues his final screams and I note Queen Victoria is holding up her crucifix even as the werewolf can be heard battering at the door. As the gears continue to grind I hear the Queen murmurs a prayer under her breath. Finally, in distress I hear her ask. “You said this thing doesn't work!”
As Theta is struggling with some setting, I give Rose the information for her to explain, “It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is! It's a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!”
“But with what power?” is her distressed cry.
“Moonlight!” then does a double take as she realizes what she has just said. “But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!”
Theta’s reply is simple “You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!”
As we continue to struggle the Light Chamber finally starts to align with the moon and I hear him growl again in frustration “Come on!”
At last, it is properly aligned and Rose and Theta step away from the gears as the moonlight bounces off the prisms. Just then, the Werewolf breaks through the door, the light spews forth from the end of the light chamber onto the floor far short of the werewolf and I watch in horror as the werewolf advances on the Queen.
But Theta dives across the floor and throws the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light. At which a fantastic, prismatic beam of light hits the werewolf causing him to be lifted off the floor to hang high up the wall caught in the wash of moonlight. As we look on, the werewolf retakes human form.
“So doctor you have evaded the me, but still you are ensnared by the wolf.” With that, he gives Rose an evil sneer. “Have you figured out how she has lied to you yet?”
“She wouldn’t…” Is Theta’s loyal reply and I suddenly feel a cold chill of premonition.
“Have you regained the memories your lady wife stole from you yet, of the man Jack Harkness who you call friend yet she abandoned?” Suddenly I feel a rush of memories flow back in about Jack and I feel nauseous even as I see the shock of betrayal on Theta’s face.
His damage done I watch in shock as the figure changes to that of a small child and an equally child-like voice then emerges from what a very short time ago was a raging man-eating werewolf. “Please help me! Make it brighter. Please free me before it comes back.”
Shaken from his anger for a moment he stares at the pitiful creature pinned to the wall and slowly walks across to the light chamber and flicks a switch. With a final howl, the creature vanishes and the light shuts off and the room is eerily silent.
I move to his side and gently touch his leather-clad sleeve. “I didn’t remember Doctor I swear I didn’t know ‘ntil jus this moment. Please…”
He just shakes his head and walks over the queen who is staring intently at some wound on her wrist. “Your Majesty? Did it bite you?”
I see her look up in panic as his words “No, it's... it's a cut.”
“If that thing bit you…”
Her denial is a bit too quick as she states. “It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart.”
I hear the steel creep into his voice “Let me see.”
Pulling her hand away sharply she states, “It is nothing.”
For a long moment, he stares at her then relents. “It’s late your majesty and you need your rest.”
A moment later, three of the guards that had been drugged earlier burst into the observatory explaining that the monks have suddenly left and are insisting on taking her majesty to her quarters for her protection.
Victoria’s parting comment to us though is very telling. "It appears you and your..." and with that she gives Rose a long assessing look only to continue "Wife have much to discuss. We will talk more in the morning." Then addressing one of the guards "See to it that they are shown to a guest room as I would rest now."
Chapter 30 -Remembering
Moving Forward Story Index 1
Author: othermewriter
Chapter Rating: PG - Series Rating: Adult
Characters: 9/Rose Disclaimer: not mine, and so not making money from this I try not to dwell on it too much :(
A/N: As always my deepest gratitude to lostwolfchats Who continues to hang in there with me as my awesome beta and who I can never can thank enough for her wonderful feedback without which this would not be nearly so readable! Also many thanks to you my patient readers who have stuck with this long epic.
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Everything has been so chaotic since we landed and watch through Rose’s eyes as Theta puzzles at the problem of why the werewolf has moved off and I wonder what it is he has thought of has he contemplatively touches a carving of mistletoe on the door.
I can practically feel him thinking through the legends about werewolves as he suddenly turns to Sir Robert “Mistletoe... Sir Robert, did you father put that there?”
The poor man looks dejected and confused I feel sorry for him all the more so knowing how short is his time as I hear him respond. “I don't know, I suppose...”
I can tell Theta isn’t really listening though as he notices the door behind Sir Robert “On the other door, too... a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder...”
With that, he does something I wouldn’t expect from him and can tell from Rose’s surprise she hadn’t considered as he suddenly leans over the chair barricade and licks the woodwork.
His declaration though of “Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe, it's been worked into the wood like a varnish! How clever was your dad? Powerful stuff, mistletoe.”
I explain to Rose, ‘Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins.’
Rose asks aloud of us both “And the wolf's allergic to it?”
“Well, it thinks it is. The monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things.” With that I feel a burst of hope from Rose only for it to be squashed a moment a later by Sir Robert.
“Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon.”
“Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?” Theta state acerbically.
I smile to myself as I hear Rose think ‘Being rude, again.’
I realize Theta has heard her as he replies “I meant that, I mean really can he be more of a stupid ape?’ as he strides towards the book shelves.
“You want weapons Sir Robert? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world.” With that, he begins to peruse the texts lining the walls. “This room's the greatest arsenal we could have.”
With that he pulls some books off the shelf and chucks some to Rose surprising us both as her mind had wandered to his harsh words when he had been recovering from the shopping planet and she had inadvertently been disparaging of our library.
“Arm yourself.” Comes his command, as he gives us a stern look.
With that we all move to the shelves to look over the books only to move those that look promising to the burnished table in the middle of the room to begin looking them over.
As Rose reads the titles of some of the books that Sir Robert has brought over “Biology, zoology... there might be something on wolves in here...” I begin to look though my reference files on earth animals.
A moment later I am distracted as Theta chucks a book in Rose’s direction stating. “Hold on, what about this?”
I note Sir Robert is looking at another book mumbling aloud ... some form of explosive...
Theta mumbles in response “Hmm, that's the sort of thing. Ooh...” suddenly he jumps down from a ladder he had climbed up on to get to one of the higher shelves holding a very old looking book which he puts down on the table stating. “Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth.”
As Rose looks over Theta’s shoulder, I see on the open page there is an illustration of a rock falling to Earth from the sky as Rose asks “A spaceship?”
“A shooting star.” Sir Robert interjects then begins reading from the text.
"In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit." He pauses for a second then state “That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery.”
Rose asks the question I am wondering “But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?”
Theta explains, “Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans. Host after host after host.”
“But why does it want the throne?” asks Sir Robert dubiously.
Rose states, “That's what it wants. It said so, the... the Empire of the Wolf.”
Suddenly the image of what could happen develops in my minds eye even as Theta verbalizes the same picture “Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated... starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake...” I feel a shiver of fear as I think what could happen to the future my Rose is from if that should happen and the consequences to us if it did.
Suddenly Victoria interjects “Sir Robert!”
Sir Robert goes to her quickly as she has been so quiet as we have been sleuthing, but I am alarmed by her words.
“If I am to die here...”
Sir Robert is quick to protest, “Don't say that, Your Majesty.”
“I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself.” At which she opens her bag.
“Hardly the time to worry about your valuables.” Comes Theta’s quick interjection.
I can tell she is touched by his concern but resolute, “Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this.”
As she takes the Koh-I-Noor from her bag and holds it in the palm of her hand, I can feel Rose’s amazement as she asks “Is that the Koh-I-Noor?”
Theta comes around the table quickly “Oh, yes... the greatest diamond in the world.” Even as I feel Rose also drawn to it in fascination.
“Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die.” Victoria announces.
“Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?” and I can feel his excitement at being so close to the famous diamond. He holds out his hand for the diamond, and I watch as Queen Victoria gives it to him with only a slight hesitation. He looks at it closely. Rose prods it, eyes wide. “That is so beautiful.” He states as he gazes at its sparkle.
“How much is that worth?” is Rose’s amazed question.
“They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week.”
I can’t help the amusement I feel as Rose quips “Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing.”
“And she'd win.” Is his snarky remark as he unconsciously rubs his cheek then smiles at us as her laughter rings out.
The momentary lightness is broken though as Sir Robert asks, “Where is the wolf?” as he walks toward the door “I don't trust this silence.”
Theta asks “Why do you travel with it?”
“My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewelers at Hazelhead. The stone needs re-cutting.” I watch as she gets a sad distant expression as she speaks of her late husband.
“Oh, but it's perfect.” I hear Rose say.
“My late husband never thought so.”
“Now, there's a fact… Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting.” and I smile as he shifts into teaching mode.
“He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished.”
“Unfinished... Yes!” and I can tell he has thought of something as he tosses the Koh-I-Noor back to Queen Victoria, who catches it surprised at his sudden outburst.
I can practically see the pieces of the puzzle coming together for him and I enjoy his excitement. “There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, all these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! What if… This house, it's a trap for you, is that right, Ma'am?
“Obviously.” is her confused answer.
“At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?”
“Explain yourself, Doctor.”
“What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true and they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you... but for the werewolf.
I feel Rose look up as a fine sprinkling of plaster falls from the ceiling. I am horrified to see the werewolf is walking over the glass dome above our heads at which he looks down at us growling.
At which I hear Theta mumble “That wolf there…”
A second later I hear the glass of the dome start to crack, and we all run for the door as I hear Theta shout “Out! Out! Out!” as he ushers us before him.
Seconds later the Werewolf crashes through, smashing the table we had been working on even as they hurriedly pull apart the barricade they had constructed.
I hear Sir Robert yell in concern “Your Majesty!” as they move off down the hall and we look back to see Theta staring at the wolf again before slamming the doors closed and shouting “Gotta get to the observatory!”
As we careen down the hall I suddenly know that it’s going to catch us up, and Rose looks back just in time to see it about to leap on us and I feel our hearts hammering in our chest in terror.
A second later Lady Isobel throws the pan of mistletoe water onto the wolf even as a scream of terror bursts from Rose. But, instead of pouncing the werewolf bounds back down the corridor away from them.
Numbly I hear Theta shout “Good shot!” even as he wraps us in his arms and I wonder how they can continually feel this terrified and still keep doing what they do. No wonder he’s so often been a wreck when he returns to me for comfort. I had always thought his nightmares were just amplifying his waking fears but now I know exactly how much he endures and I am amazed again; not only by his strength, but also that of his companions.
I hear Lady Isobel say behind me “It was mistletoe!” even as I see Sir Robert following the werewolf a way down the corridor, only to return as he hears his wife.
He shouts “Isobel!” as he runs back to her and kisses her desperately, and I feel Rose’s great sorrow as she looks away from their tender reunion knowing soon he will be lost to her. All too soon though I hear him say “Get back downstairs.”
I hear her entreat him “Keep yourself safe.” At which he nods and gives her another quick kiss, knowing that the wolf will not stay away long.
This time I hear real regret as he says, “You go.”
With that, Lady Isobel and the maids go past Sir Robert, as I hear her state “Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen, quickly!”
As they run off, I see the longing in Sir Robert’s eyes, almost as if a part of him knows that these are to be his last glimpses of his wife.
“Come on!” I hear Theta state as we head off at a run down the hall.
At the end juncture Sir Robert shouts “The observatory's this way!” and leads us down a hall to the right. It doesn’t take us long to reach the central staircase and we hurry up it as fast as we can but the werewolf soon returns to the chase.
As we finally arrive at the observatory, Theta is in the lead and I hear him mumble “No mistletoe on these doors” right before he turns and states, “Your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Now get inside I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?”
I feel Rose shudder as I hear Sir Robert state “Just do your work and I'll defend it”
I can tell Theta is still trying to think of a way for Sir Robert, to avoid his fate as I hear him say, “If we could bind them shut with rope or something!”
This time Sir Robert states forcefully, “I said I'd find you time, sir.”
Both Rose and Victoria stare at him, aghast, even as I feel his timelines lock on a course of self-sacrifice. As he tells us, “Now get inside.”
I feel Theta’s pain as he too knows that this is the only course left open and he states “Good man.” As Sir Robert closes the door. Theta wastes no time and runs to the Queen and without preamble demands “Your Majesty, the diamond.”
Suspicion crosses her features at his abruptness “For what purpose?”
His response is brief and to the point, “The purpose it was designed for.”
She nod as if suddenly beginning to grasp what it is he has in mind and hands over the diamond from her bag at which Doctor runs over to the mechanism for the telescope.
A moment later he is shouting to us “Rose!” and we run to him unsure of what he needs and he gestures toward the adjustment wheel.
“Lift it! Come on!” he shouts at it as we struggle to turn the wheel and the cogs start to shift the telescope that isn’t a telescope.
Victoria stares as us as if we have gone mad “Is this the right time for stargazing?”
“Yes, it most definitely is!
I feel Rose look up hopeless as Sir Robert issues his final screams and I note Queen Victoria is holding up her crucifix even as the werewolf can be heard battering at the door. As the gears continue to grind I hear the Queen murmurs a prayer under her breath. Finally, in distress I hear her ask. “You said this thing doesn't work!”
As Theta is struggling with some setting, I give Rose the information for her to explain, “It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is! It's a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!”
“But with what power?” is her distressed cry.
“Moonlight!” then does a double take as she realizes what she has just said. “But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!”
Theta’s reply is simple “You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!”
As we continue to struggle the Light Chamber finally starts to align with the moon and I hear him growl again in frustration “Come on!”
At last, it is properly aligned and Rose and Theta step away from the gears as the moonlight bounces off the prisms. Just then, the Werewolf breaks through the door, the light spews forth from the end of the light chamber onto the floor far short of the werewolf and I watch in horror as the werewolf advances on the Queen.
But Theta dives across the floor and throws the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light. At which a fantastic, prismatic beam of light hits the werewolf causing him to be lifted off the floor to hang high up the wall caught in the wash of moonlight. As we look on, the werewolf retakes human form.
“So doctor you have evaded the me, but still you are ensnared by the wolf.” With that, he gives Rose an evil sneer. “Have you figured out how she has lied to you yet?”
“She wouldn’t…” Is Theta’s loyal reply and I suddenly feel a cold chill of premonition.
“Have you regained the memories your lady wife stole from you yet, of the man Jack Harkness who you call friend yet she abandoned?” Suddenly I feel a rush of memories flow back in about Jack and I feel nauseous even as I see the shock of betrayal on Theta’s face.
His damage done I watch in shock as the figure changes to that of a small child and an equally child-like voice then emerges from what a very short time ago was a raging man-eating werewolf. “Please help me! Make it brighter. Please free me before it comes back.”
Shaken from his anger for a moment he stares at the pitiful creature pinned to the wall and slowly walks across to the light chamber and flicks a switch. With a final howl, the creature vanishes and the light shuts off and the room is eerily silent.
I move to his side and gently touch his leather-clad sleeve. “I didn’t remember Doctor I swear I didn’t know ‘ntil jus this moment. Please…”
He just shakes his head and walks over the queen who is staring intently at some wound on her wrist. “Your Majesty? Did it bite you?”
I see her look up in panic as his words “No, it's... it's a cut.”
“If that thing bit you…”
Her denial is a bit too quick as she states. “It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart.”
I hear the steel creep into his voice “Let me see.”
Pulling her hand away sharply she states, “It is nothing.”
For a long moment, he stares at her then relents. “It’s late your majesty and you need your rest.”
A moment later, three of the guards that had been drugged earlier burst into the observatory explaining that the monks have suddenly left and are insisting on taking her majesty to her quarters for her protection.
Victoria’s parting comment to us though is very telling. "It appears you and your..." and with that she gives Rose a long assessing look only to continue "Wife have much to discuss. We will talk more in the morning." Then addressing one of the guards "See to it that they are shown to a guest room as I would rest now."
Chapter 30 -Remembering
Moving Forward Story Index 1