The Prisoners of Wonshu
Part two of a two part story by Mark Simpson

Fifth Season 6B story and part of the Second Doctor Fiction collection

"Big ship. Small box. Very clever."

"Glad you like it, Kesk," the Doctor said, moving past the small alien towards the TARDIS console. "It's dimensionally transcendental, you know."

Damon frowned. "Should we be showing the TARDIS to a non-Gallifreyan?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, I'm sure Kesk won't use the secrets of multi-dimensional engineering to further the scientific knowledge of his race."

Kesk blinked his slitted eyes slowly. "Me pilot, not techie." He tapped the side of his head with a curved claw. "Brain not big enough."

The Doctor smiled slightly at their guest. "I'm sure you're being too modest."

Turning back to the controls, he brought up the diagram of the area once more. The weaker life sign had vanished, as Kesk was now with them in the TARDIS. That just left the pulsing light in the middle of the screen.

"Why was Kesk's signal weaker than the other one?" Damon inquired. "He seems fit and healthy."

The Doctor shrugged. "Maybe the other trace is a larger life form. Or a number of them grouped closely together. Either way, we should soon know."

He zeroed the scanner in on the ship that housed the stronger life trace.

"The centre," Kesk whispered.

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "I recognise the design of a lot of the ships here, but that one I've never seen the like of before. It looks old and probably is some kind of organic technology."

"You sure this good idea?" Kesk asked.

The elder Time Lord scratched his head. "It's the only one I have."

The alien grinned, showing pointed teeth. "Low blaster power," he said, patting his gun. "Me not able to fight forever. We go to centre."

"So we're agreed then?" the Doctor asked. His companions nodded.

The diminutive Time Lord busied himself around the console, locking the TARDIS' tracking systems into the main drive and navigational consoles. As he pushed home the final lever and set the craft in motion, Damon had a thought.

"Couldn't we just materialise on the other side of the vortex?"

The Doctor shook his head. "If only it were that simple. No, we need to find a physical way out and pilot the TARDIS through it to reach normal space again."

The time rotor stopped and the console chimed. They had arrived.

"The TARDIS and I are getting rather good at these short hops," the Doctor said, grinning. "Now, shall we see what's outside?"

***

Damon stepped out of the TARDIS first and looked around. He glanced at the Doctor over his shoulder.

"A well lit spaceship corridor. At least it's a bit of a change, Doctor."

The Doctor beamed as he locked the TARDIS doors.

Beside them, Kesk dropped into a crouch, drawing his pistol in one fluid movement as a robot floated around the corner ahead of them.

As Kesk's finger tightened on the trigger mechanism, he felt a hand on his arm. Looking up, he saw the Doctor shaking his head.

"We come in peace, remember?"

Kesk nodded, holstering the pistol. "Me remember. Force of habit."

The Doctor smiled at the alien, then turned and faced the robot, which was floating towards them. He squared his shoulders and grasped the lapels of his crumpled frock coat.

"We are unarmed and peaceful," he said loudly.

"Identify yourselves!" the robot commanded.

"I am the Doctor, this is Damon and our new friend Kesk." Then the Time Lord flushed slightly. "I know this is a bit of a clich, but take us to your leader."

"Wonshu will wish to converse with you. Follow this unit." The droid floated away down the corridor.

The three travellers fell in step behind it. They walked through a number of corridors, passing many of the floating robots but no other humanoids.

They stopped before a pair of large, plain doors set into a bulkhead. The robot made a chirping sound and the doors opened slowly inwards.

"Come into my parlour..." Damon heard the Doctor mutter as they stepped through.

The chamber beyond was massive. Banks of equipment lined the distant walls on three sides. On the fourth wall was the throne area.

An ornate dais, reached by a flight of steps, housed a gilded throne, upon which sat a figure in a plain brown flight suit.

It was a bipedal humanoid. Tall and thin, the flight suit covered the torso, arms and legs entirely. Feet were encased in boots and hands in gloves. The head and face were hidden from view by a mirrored helmet.

"Greetings, Doctor," said a voice which echoed across the chamber, issuing from speakers in the four corners of the room. Above the throne was a screen, on which a line peaked in time with the voice as it spoke.

"Erm, hello," the Doctor replied. "I assume I have the honour of addressing Wonshu?"

"You have indeed," intoned the voice.

"Good, good," the Doctor said. "Now, what can we do for you?"

"I have been here for such a long time," Wonshu told them. "Beyond the vortex, civilisations have risen and fallen again. Stars have been born, flourished and burnt themselves out. All that time I have been imprisoned here."

"Hmm. You have been here a while. Imprisoned you say? By whom? What did you do?"

"My own people placed me here. My crime was to provide them with great power and success."

The Doctor nodded, grim faced. "Conquest, you mean. That's how most races measure power and success."

"We swept across star systems like a plague of insects, taking what we needed and destroying what we didn't. We were unstoppable."

"And I assume that you were a tyrant among your own people too?"

"I was the greatest leader my people had ever had," Wonshu boomed. "But others were envious of my status. They plotted against me, tricked me and placed me here, alone for the rest of eternity."

"Only you are not alone any more."

"A side effect of the vortex that powers this ship and the space around it. It draws in surrounding energy, but also matter. I have had numerous visitors." Wonshu chuckled. It was an unpleasant sound.

"What about the robots?" Damon asked. He had been standing with Kesk, behind the Doctor. His curiosity had overcome his silence.

"They were left by my people to make my exile more comfortable. The fools were too weak and spineless to execute me."

"That brings me back to my earlier question," the Doctor reminded. "What can we do for you?"

"You will do what every other traveller to visit my realm has done. You will work to find a way out for me. Or I will have you punished!"

***

The Doctor, Damon and Kesk were talking together quietly in a corner of the throne chamber.

"This not good," Kesk decided. "Should have stayed and fought."

The Doctor patted the little reptile on the arm. "I've been in worse situations than this."

"Yeah? How worse?"

"Well," the Doctor flustered, "it's difficult to recall a specific incident. But we will get out of this. I promise."

"Me comforted," Kesk replied with more than a hint of irony.

Damon sighed. "Do you have a plan, Doctor?"

The elder Time Lord looked thoughtful. "Yes, I think I do."

The younger man's face brightened. "What is it?"

Now the Doctor frowned. "You really don't want to know!"

***

"Wonshu, I think I have a way out for you."

"Others have promised me freedom, Doctor. Be sure you are correct, or you will rot in my dungeons like they did."

The little Time Lord smiled slightly. "Oh, I know what I'm doing. Now, near where we encountered your robot is a tall blue box. I'd like it brought here."

"Why?"

The Doctor's smile broadened. "The box is my ship, and the key to your escape."

Damon tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "Are you sure this is wise?" he hissed when the Doctor turned to him.

"I do have a plan, Damon," the Doctor assured him.

"So you said, but you wouldn't tell me what it was."

"Don't worry. I'll get us out of here."

Ten minutes later two robots with an antigrav unit brought in the TARDIS. The Doctor walked over and patted the Police Box affectionately.

"Well, Doctor?" rumbled Wonshu.

The Doctor turned, addressing himself towards the throne. "This is my TARDIS. It can travel anywhere in time and space. I can use it, with interfaces to some of your technology, to collapse this pocket dimension and free you, Wonshu. But I ask one thing in return."

"What do you wish of me?"

"That you take us with you when this space collapses."

Wonshu considered the deal. "I accept." There was a pause. "Did you say your box was capable of time travel?"

The Doctor frowned. "I did. What of it?"

"I would have revenge against those who imprisoned me. You will give me your travel box when we are free and show me how to work it. I will then have my revenge."

"And what of me and my friends? What will become of us?"

"I will spare your lives. Once you show me the secrets of time travel, I shall leave you all on a habitable planet."

Now the Doctor gave the matter some thought. "I have enemies in the Universe. I would ask one more thing of the mighty Wonshu."

"What now, Doctor?"

"I would like you to use my TARDIS to perform a service for me, after I have taught you to use it."

"What service?"

"I would like you to destroy the planet Gallifrey!"

"No!" Damon declared. He had been listening to the conversation with mounting horror. Now he could hardly believe his ears.

The Doctor turned towards him, his face a mask of sadness. "It's the only way, Damon. We cannot escape without Wonshu. He demands the TARDIS, so I must give it to him. Imagine what the Time Lords will do to me for giving up my TARDIS. The only way out for me is to ask Wonshu to destroy the Time Lords."

"But they are your own people!" Damon protested.

"And what have they ever done for me?" the Doctor retorted. "Held me back, hunted me down, sentenced me to exile and forced me to work for their shadowy intelligence service. I owe them nothing!"

"This is wrong!"

"Silence!" Wonshu demanded. "Droids, take these two away to the dungeons. Leave the Doctor with me."

"Please reconsider," Damon shouted to the Doctor as he and Kesk were dragged from the throne chamber.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly, turning away from the young Time Lord.

***

The dungeon area was a converted cargo bay. It was also packed with beings.

Damon was relieved, despite the events of a few minutes before. He had assumed that the only living creatures in this space were himself, the Doctor, Kesk and Wonshu.

Kesk too looked happy. There were three of his own kind, stood in a group in one corner. He and Damon made their way across to the other small reptiles.

The three were members of Kesk's crew, which had numbered six. The other two had been killed fighting the droids.

"What we need is a prisoner rebellion," Damon suggested.

"You think we stand chance?" Kesk asked.

"It's the sort of thing the Doctor would think of." He paused gloomily. "Well, it's the sort of thing the Doctor would have thought of, before he sold out to Wonshu."

"You not expect that," Kesk deduced.

Damon shook his head. "I had come to respect the Doctor. I suppose I didn't realise how much freedom means to him and how much he hates the Time Lords. It seems he will do anything to be free of their influence."

Kesk patted the tall Time Lord on the arm. "Not worry, Kesk and friends save day."

The corners of Damon's mouth turned upwards in a smile. "You're right. Let's see if we can organise these people and take the ship. Then we might be able to stop Wonshu and the Doctor."

Kesk grinned. "That spirit. Nothing stop us now."

***

"So, Doctor, where do we start?"

The Doctor frowned, deep in thought. "I see you have a telepathic interface system," the Time Lord replied, moving over to a nearby console. "I have something similar in the TARDIS. I will need to link my mind to your mind briefly so you can operate the old girl."

"Very well," Wonshu said. "Proceed with caution though, Doctor. My mind is strong. Beware you do not get swamped by my intellect."

"Oh, I'll be careful," the Doctor said with a slight smile.

Carefully, he placed his hands onto the metal disks on the console before him. He gasped as pain exploded behind his eyes and quickly he withdrew his hands.

"I did warn you," Wonshu rumbled.

"Yes, you did," the Doctor replied, shaking his head slightly. "Right, now you have all the knowledge needed to pilot the TARDIS. All we need to do is slave your power systems into my navigational controls and the combined power of the TARDIS engines and the vortex powering your ship should be enough to dematerialise both from this space and put us outside in the real Universe."

"Then you should get on with it, Doctor," Wonshu intoned.

The Doctor nodded, fishing in his pocket for the TARDIS key. "Yes, I suppose I better had."

***

"And the robots deliver food three times a day?" Damon repeated.

Tosk, one of Kesk's crewmates, nodded. "They are due shortly."

"Always two robots?"

"Yes, two robots and a large food cart. And always with mechanical efficiency and timing."

"Good," Damon replied. "So we all know the plan and our parts in it?"

The group of prisoners nodded in agreement.

"Right, everybody to their places." As he spoke, the door slid open. "Right on time."

***

The Doctor dragged a large cable from the TARDIS and set it down next to an opened panel in the throne chamber. He paused for a moment, wiping his brow with a green and white spotted handkerchief.

"Is there a delay, Doctor?" boomed Wonshu.

"No, no delay," the Doctor muttered, pocketing the handkerchief and bending to insert the cable into the panel. He fitted the universal connection and backtracked into the TARDIS.

A few moments later he emerged again, this time with a complex piece of machinery. This he took over to another panel, which he unhinged and placed the device inside.

"How is the work progressing, Doctor?"

The Time Lord banged his head on the underside of the panel. He stood, rubbing the sore spot carefully.

"It's progressing, Wonshu," he replied. "It's progressing."

"How long until I am free?"

The Doctor frowned. "When you've been here for so long, I would have thought you might have had the patience to wait a few hours longer."

"I have patience, Doctor. Just be careful not to try it too far."

"I won't," the Doctor assured his captor, stepping back into the TARDIS.

***

The robots floated through the open doorway, guiding an antigrav cart between them. The prisoners closed in around them.

The droids didn't stand a chance. The prisoners were armed with pipes, metal bars and anything else they could find. Kesk had even been allowed to keep his blaster, which he used to good effect, given the low strength of the charge.

Leaving the destroyed shells of the two robots behind them, the former captives left their cell.

"Where now?" Kesk asked Damon.

"Well, I'm going back to the throne chamber to try and reason with the Doctor."

"Me go too," the alien replied.

"But what about this lot?" Damon indicated the newly freed group of beings behind them. "They need leadership. They need to find a way off this ship."

But Kesk was stubborn. "Me go with you. They go too."

Damon sighed. "Very well. Come on." He led the ragtag army towards the throne chamber.

***

"Any news for me, Doctor?"

The little Time Lord had just stepped out of the TARDIS again, a box of components in his arms.

"Nearly there," he promised, setting the box down on the floor. "Another few minutes and we will be ready."

"You had better be right, Doctor," intoned Wonshu.

At that moment there was a commotion outside the main doors. They swung open, to reveal a group of beings brandishing an assortment of weapons. Damon and Kesk led them.

"Damon!" the Doctor exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Were taking over this ship, Doctor," Damon replied. "I won't let you destroy our world."

To reinforce the point, Kesk brought his pistol to bear on the Time Lord. The Doctor raised his hands.

"Droids! Eliminate these prisoners."

Robots appeared from around the chamber, heading towards the prisoners.

"Stop!" the Doctor shouted.

"What is wrong, Doctor?" Wonshu demanded.

The Doctor turned to face the throne. "If you harm any of the prisoners, I will withdraw my offer of help."

"Then you will be eliminated, Doctor," Wonshu promised.

The Doctor drew himself up to his not so impressive full height. "Destroy me and you lose your chance of freedom. It might be millennia before anybody as clever as me gets sucked through the vortex again."

Wonshu considered his words. "What do you propose?"

The Doctor let out the breath he had been holding. "Let me talk to the prisoners. I'll try and persuade them to leave in a shuttle. You do have shuttles on board, I assume?"

"We do," Wonshu confirmed.

"And you will allow them to leave?"

"If you promise to stay and fulfil your bargain."

The Doctor nodded. He moved over to the group of aliens. He stopped in front of Damon.

"Your work, I take it," the Doctor inquired, gesturing to the freed prisoners.

Damon nodded. "I had a good teacher. Once."

The Doctor frowned. "I will do what I must. Wonshu has agreed to let these prisoners take a shuttle and leave this ship. I suggest they do just that."

Damon turned to Kesk. "What do you think?"

The little alien looked over the prisoners, who were giving signs of agreement. "We will do it," he told the young Time Lord.

The Doctor smiled. "You've made the right choice."

"We not do it for you," snapped Kesk. "We do it for us." He began to usher the other beings out of the throne chamber.

"Are you not going with them?" the Doctor asked Damon.

"No. I came here for a reason."

"And what was that reason?"

"I came here to stop you, Doctor!"

The Doctor's face fell. "Damon, I have a job to do. Please let me get on with it."

"No," Damon replied, shaking his head. "I can't let you help this...monster."

The Doctor looked deep into his young companion's eyes. He saw grim determination staring back at him.

The elder Time Lord sighed. "I really didn't want to do this." He glanced over at the throne. "Wonshu, could you get one of the droids to restrain Damon?"

Their host issued a command and one of the robots floated towards them. Damon looked shocked at his former friend.

"And please be careful with him," the Doctor added as the droid bound Damon's wrist behind his back.

"I never thought you would betray your heritage," Damon snarled.

The Doctor shook his head as he returned to work over a console. "My heritage has betrayed me, Damon. I'm just returning the favour."

There was silence between them for many minutes as the Doctor completed his task. He turned from the panel when he was finished and addressed the throne.

"Have the former prisoners left the ship?"

"A shuttle departed ten minutes ago. It had all the remaining life forms from this vessel aboard."

"Good," the Doctor replied. "We are now ready to free you from your own prison."

"At last," Wonshu exclaimed. "To taste freedom again. I hunger for an end to my exile."

"Quite. Well, my TARDIS is ready and waiting. Why don't you step inside?"

There was a long pause. The figure seated on the throne did not stir.

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor asked mildly. "Freedom beckons."

"I..." Wonshu stammered.

The Doctor approached the throne. "Here, let me help you."

"Keep away," said Wonshu, the once strong voice reduced to pleading. "Do not approach any further."

"Why not?" asked the Doctor, ignoring the request. "Afraid I might discover the truth?"

He reached out, grasping the helmet. It came free easily, revealing a horned skull underneath.

"No..!" wailed Wonshu.

Damon gasped. "What's happening?"

The Doctor turned to his companion, but he was addressing Wonshu.

"Your body died long ago, Wonshu. At some point before this happened, you must have downloaded a print of your consciousness into the main computer. When your body died, the mind print in the computer just took over."

"So Wonshu is an artificial intelligence?" Damon asked.

"No, it's not true!" Wonshu declared.

"I'm afraid it is," the Doctor contradicted. "You didn't realise you were just an artificial intelligence, you really did think you were the real thing. But you're not."

"It's not true!" screamed Wonshu. Around them, the ship started the shake. Panels exploded and robots started to spin around, disorientated.

The Doctor dashed over to Damon, releasing him from his bonds. The younger man rubbed the circulation back into his wrists.

"Were you planning this all along?" he asked the Doctor.

The Doctor just smiled. "We need to unhook these cables quickly, before the whole ship disintegrates," he said, urging his companion to help him.

They worked fast as around them the ship started to fall apart. The Doctor rescued the final component and pushed Damon into the TARDIS, which dematerialised.

***

The scanner slid back, to reveal Wonshu's ship. It was obvious that the ship was dying.

Nearby was a smaller craft, which was powering towards them and away from the ship.

"Kesk's shuttle," the Doctor deduced. "Another short hop coming up."

The TARDIS dematerialised again, this time appearing on the flight deck of the shuttle craft.

The Doctor stepped out, to find Kesk's pistol jammed against his head.

"Not good idea, coming here," the alien said.

"It's all right," Damon told him, following the Doctor out. "It was all a bluff. Wasn't it, Doctor?"

"Of course it was," the elder Time Lord replied, as Kesk lowered the gun. "I deduced that Wonshu was an A.I and couldn't leave the ship. But he didn't know that. So I flattered him and told him I could free him."

"But you couldn't," Damon said.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not strictly true. I gave him the only freedom he could gain. Total destruction."

"But what about us?" Damon asked. "We're still stuck here."

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Again, not strictly true. When Wonshu's ship finally implodes, the vortex will collapse and we will be free."

All eyes turned to the screen as Wonshu's ship folded in upon itself and winked out of existence.

***

The transition was not as violent this time. It was more like a change in air pressure, Damon realised as his ears popped.

"Well, goodbye Kesk," the Doctor said, shaking the little reptilian by the paw. "And good luck."

"You not stay? Me good host."

"We really must be going," the Doctor replied, bouncing on his toes as if he were ready to start running at a moment's notice. "Come along, Damon."

The young Time Lord said his hasty goodbyes to Kesk and the former prisoners and followed the Doctor into the TARDIS.

"What's the rush?" he asked when he was inside.

The Doctor had already set the TARDIS in motion and was reaching under the console.

"You'll see," he told Damon, activating the control he wanted and standing up.

The TARDIS engines took on a different note, more strained.

"Co-ordinate override," Damon deduced.

The Doctor nodded. "Once the vortex and the space beyond collapsed, we became visible again to Gallifrey. This is our one chance to escape!"

***

"Status?" Ferain barked as he swept into the monitoring section in response to the message he had received.

"The vortex is collapsing," the technician reported.

Ferain frowned. "Any sign of the Doctor's TARDIS?"

"Not yet, sir. No, wait. There it is!"

"Course?"

"Direct to Gallifrey, sir," he said.

Ferain arched an eyebrow. "Really? I am surprised."

He was about to leave when the technician swore softly in ancient High Gallifreyan.

"What is it?" Ferain asked, alert for anything.

"Course change! Heading randomly through the vortex."

"Activate the recall circuit," Ferain snapped.

The technician worked quickly, but not quickly enough. "It's no good, sir, the trace has gone. The Type 40 has exited the vortex and we can't get a fix on where."

Ferain thumped his fist on the console in an unexpected show of frustration. "Keep watch. They have to take off again some time. We'll watch until they do."

