A RARE BREED

Chapter Three

Rose stared at the Kar'Koch while she lay back down on her side. She faced Rose and blinked. Her forked tongue flicked in and out while Rose gave her a sad look.

"You poor thing. Are you the last of your kind as well?" she said, putting her hand on the case. "The Doctor will help ya."

"This is inexcusable!"

Rose turned her head and saw the Doctor walking back towards her with Gorsh. He was pointing at the Kar'Koch.

"Sir, I only work here. The building is so vast, I have no idea what all's in here," he said. "I didn't know about this thing."

"She's a Kar'Koch and she is a sentient being. Not that things like Treasure aren't sentient but the Kar'Koch had a civilization and this is tantamount to slavery. I want to speak to the owner and get her out of here as soon as possible! Who is the owner?"

"His name is Darius Malfacto."

"Then why is the shop called Benny's Pet Shoppe?" Rose said.

"I think he liked the name Benny and named his shop after it."

"Can I speak with him?" the Doctor said, calming down. "I get that it's not your fault but I want this girl freed. Please can you help me?"

"Let me check, sir. What is your name?"

"I'm called the Doctor."

Gorsh nodded and asked them to wait by the case. The Doctor agreed and he stood by Rose while Gorsh went back to the teleport.

"D'ya think this Darius will let her go?" Rose asked.

"He better or he'll be on my bad side," the Doctor said, turning to the Kar'Koch.

He knelt down and Rose frowned when he spoke to her again in the unintelligible language.

"How come the TARDIS isn't translating?" Rose asked.

"Because she's Gallifreyan and the TARDIS is set so it won't translate any language from Gallifrey. It was set up for my privacy because the Kar'Koch and the Time Lords never really interacted."

"Why not?"

"Because the Kar'Koch were the original inhabitants. They were pushed underground eons ago by the first of my people. They've lived underground ever since and evolved into this form. They used to look more like dragons before their evolution."

"Are they friendly?" Rose said.

"Not to Time Lords. But perhaps I can convince her I'm trying to help."

The Doctor spoke with her in the Kar'Koch language while Rose looked around. Treasure started squirming, trying to get out of her grasp so she set her down on the floor and walked her around with the leash.

"Her name is Sela," the Doctor said to her.

"Will she trust us?"

"Working on it," the Doctor said before he resumed his conversation.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Sir?"

Darius Malfacto was sitting in his swivel chair enjoying a large cigar as he looked out a large plate glass window behind his desk. He took a drag on it and held the smoke in his lungs while he turned and faced his executive assistant. She was mousy looking…literally. Zora was a humanoid brown mouse. She was dressed professionaly in a beige pantsuit with a white blouse. She was timid like a mouse but her mother worked for him when he started the shop and after she died, she hired her daughter as a favor to his friend. Her mother had been a loving, gregarious woman while the daughter was timid and aloof. He blew the smoke out of his mouth and waited for her to say something else besides sir.

"Yes?" he said, annoyed, when she didn't speak.

"Sir, one of the sales associates says a man wishes to speak with you."

"Sales rep?" Darius said.

"No, sir."

"Supplier?"

"No. A customer."

Darius smirked and took another drag on his cigar.

"Sir, do you want to see him?" she said as Darius expelled the smoke.

"What is this regarding?" Darius said.

He sighed when Zora gave him a blank look.

"What does the man want?" Darius said, thinking the woman was also a bit of a simpleton.

"He wants you to release a creature to him."

"Has he got credit? I'd be happy to give him this creature if he pays for it," Darius said.

"I'm not sure, sir. I think he wants it for free."

Darius let out a barking laugh and flicked the ash from his cigar into a metal ashtray on his desk.

"So…he wants to be a thief but needs to ask permission first?" he said to her.

"No, Gorsh said that he…"

"Gorsh? The youngster we hired a fortnight ago?"

"Yes, sir. Gorsh said that the man is upset because the species is a sentient being with a civilization. He says that the man said it came from his planet."

"I see and which sentient being is this?" Darius said mockingly.

"The Kar'Koch?" Zora said hesitantly.

"The Kar'Koch? It's from Gallifrey and Galilfrey is destroyed. The only other being capable of a civilization on Gallifrey was…a…"

He trailed off and mouthed Time Lord while Zora watched him.

"Yes, I wish to see this man!" Darius said suddenly. "Now!"

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Yes, I'm sure, you silly girl! Now go and get him before he leaves or have Gorsh do it. Someone, go get him!" Darius roared.

Zora fled from the room and Darius snorted when she slammed the door behind him.

"Time Lord, eh?" he said, looking at his cigar. "I believe I might just add this Time Lord to my breeding farm and make a fortune off of selling his kind in the shop. Ah, providence is smiling on me."

He chuckled and took another drag on his cigar while he waited.

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