HELTER SKELTER

Chapter Thirty Four

Once Tom and Charley were put in a room and the door was locked, the Doctor went to get Zak so that he could probe his mind. He told John to tell everyone who couldn't hear him to go and tell them to meet him in his laboratory. John nodded and went back to the med bay. On the way there, he ran into Paul and gave him a mock salute.

"At ease, Private McCartney," he said to Paul.

"N'yuk, n'yuk," Paul replied.

John stopped him.

"I don't know where you're heading to, but the Doctor wants everyone to meet him in his laboratory."

"I heard him, I need to go to the loo."

"Very well, carry on, pig who's about to get shipped off to 'Nam."

Paul rolled his eyes. He was about to walk away when John stopped him again.

"Wait a tic, I can see how upset you are. Care to talk about it?" he said to him.

"I'm just thinking that since I was saved, a bunch of other people have died," Paul said.

"Yeah, and…"

"And I'm responsible for that."

"How so?" John said, folding his arms over his chest, "because you were saved from dying so now all these other people are dying in your place?"

"Yes."

"And you'd rather be dead, is that it?"

Paul stared at the floor while John sighed and threw up his hands.

"Look, I hate that people have died. But you're not responsible for that, okay? It's these twisted gits who won't take a hint and leave you alone. Okay, so if you did die that night then a lot of people would be alive now but think of what would have happened. Jane would have been heartbroken and so would the rest of us and William would have remained a brainwashed slave and spent the rest of his life livin' a deluded fantasy thinkin' he was you. Would that have been better?"

"No, but I still feel responsible for all of this."

John put his hands on Paul's shoulders.

"Paul, don't. It's not your fault, it's theirs. Don't start thinking that you're to blame for all these deaths, otherwise you're gonna end up ill again. Look, I know I was hard on you before and thought you were daft for wanting to go after the Illuminati but now I see you were right to do this which is why and everyone else is here with you. If the Doctor hadn't come here and saved you then maybe these gits would have continued to get away with ruling the world and kept on killing and enslaving more people. Think of all the people they've already killed because I'm pretty sure you weren't the first one they tried to kill and replace. If we succeed with this barmy crusade of yours, the human race could not only be free but maybe makes leaps and bounds in their evolution. If we make that happen then everyone that died will not have died in vain, yeah?"

"Yeah," Paul said, nodding.

John smiled and gave him a tight hug.

"Wouldn't have been the same without ya, mate. You and I are a team," he said to him when he broke apart. "We're the greatest songwriting duo that ever was and don't let anyone tell ya differently."

"Bit of an ego, John?" Paul teased.

"No ego, just the truth. We're on the toppermost of the poppermost, aren't we?"

"I just have to ask," Paul said, "what the hell is poppermost?"

"Um…it's the place where we are?" John said.

He chuckled when Paul swatted his arm.

"Drain your bladder, Private McCartney," John said in a stern voice, "you're needed in the laboratory."

"The laboratory?" Paul said in an ominous voice.

"Yes, my dearie," John said with a maniacal grin on his face, "the laboratory, bwhahahahahahaaaaa! Hurry and urinate so you can watch the experiment come to life."

"Yes, master," Paul said in an Igor voice.

John grinned at that and gave him another hug. Paul gave him a pat on the back and they went different directions. Paul quickly went to the bathroom and after he was done, he asked the TARDIS to move things around so he could find the lab. He smiled when the TARDIS moved the door to the laboratory so it was at the end of the corridor he was in.

"Love this spaceship," Paul said to himself as he walked towards it.

He entered the lab and noticed everyone else was grouped around a table. On top of the steel table, Zak was unconscious, his arms bound to his body with leather straps and his feet tied together. The Doctor nodded at Paul.

"Good. I'm going to start now," he said as Paul walked up beside Jane and William. "I'm going to go into his mind and see if I can find what we need. Hopefully we can see exactly where this Lucifer has his hideout."

Everyone watched while the Doctor put his fingertips to the Diablon's temples and closed his eyes. Everyone waited patiently while they watched his eyes move underneath his eyelids. They noticed a frown on his face about five minutes into the mind probe.

"I see him. I see Paul's clone," he said while he kept his eyes closed. "And he's already completed or nearing completion."

Everyone groaned at that.

"He looks exactly like him?" Jim asked.

"Yes. Well…did. He obviously doesn't have the shaved head and mustache. But yes, he looks exactly like him."

"Wonderful," George said dryly.

"Zak here was in charge of growing and programming the clone which is why I can see it," the Doctor said while he kept his eyes closed. "They genetically altered his personality so his evil personality is ingrained in him. Which means that more than likely we won't be able to talk him over to our side."

"So what do we do with him?" Paul asked.

"Not sure. I'd hate to kill him but if it means protecting all of you and possibly the Earth, we may have to do just that," the Doctor continued. "Hello…I see him writing in a log book. Wait a tic; let me read what he's writing."

A smile spread over his face.

"Aha, Hades!"

"What about it?" George said.

"Hades is the name of the spaceship the Diablons are on. Yet another reference to demons and hell. And they're above the Earth, right at this moment or they were two days ago…which means…"

The Doctor pulled his fingers away and opened his eyes.

"Which means if they're nearby the TARDIS can scan and pinpoint their position and we can go up and stop them," he said to them.

He gathered Zak into his arms.

"Thanks, mate, you've been most useful," he said to the unconscious Diablon.

"Did you find out about the lorries?" Paul asked.

"Not yet, we may have to scan Altok's mind. I didn't find any clue that he knew about the lorries. He may work on that ship and not have any dealings with the Earth apart from kidnapping people. But at least we have the location of the spaceship and…the clone is up there. We can stop him before he comes down and causes trouble. Follow me, we'll put him back in his cell and then we'll find the location of the Hades."

"Report."

"Master, the Doctor has learned of the existence of the clone. Paul McCartney has altered his appearance so the others can tell him apart from ours."

"What has he done? Show me!"

Lucifer stared at the hologram that his spy took of Paul. He chuckled when he saw the crewcut and mustache.

"Lara, my dear," he said to his mate, "inform the ones in charge of our clone that the original's appearance has been altered and they must update the clone and do to him what the Doctor has done to McCartney."

"At once, love," Lara said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

She took a look at the hologram and snorted.

"The Doctor must be a simpleton to think that we wouldn't be able to make our clone look like that," she said, pointing to the hologram. "He's as thick as the humans he protects."

"Later, my dear, I'm speaking to one of our spies, just go and do as I say before the Doctor finds us."

"He already has, master. He's learned the name of the ship and now he's going to scan for your location."

"Let him," Lucifer said, waving his hand dismissively. "He and his human friends will be ours soon, it makes no difference if we capture them here or on Earth. Good work, my spy, keep monitoring them and report back to me."

"Yes, master."

The hologram faded and Lucifer chuckled as he put his fingertips together.

"You and your friends will be in for a surprise when you finally get here, Doctor," he murmured to himself.

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