TRIAL OF A TIME LORD: THE VALEYARD

Chapter Twenty Two

A special destiny?

Hamish had wondered why he, out of all of Jamie's children from his first life, had been picked to come to the future and become a part of all this.

He held the stick tightly in his hands as he followed Mirza down the hallway and wondered just how he was going to distract the Valeyard from harming the Doctor and the others. Mirza led Hamish to a door when the door opened and they walked inside a semi dark room. Sitting at the center of the room were thirteen cylinders surrounded by frosted glass and the lights on the cylinders sparkled in the dim light.

"Where are we?" he asked softly as Mriza led him to the first cylinder and Hamish heard the light hissing sound of the air being pumped into the cylinders.

"This is where Master put the others so they can sleep," Mirza said and Hamish placed his hand on cool glass. "The old one with the stick is in this one."

"But what am I supposed tae...?" Hamish said when something flashed through his mind and his body became ridged, the stick dropping to the floor with a soft clunk.

"Are you alright, dear boy?" a voice asked when Hamish blinked and was stunned to see the face of the first Doctor looking back at him.

"Who are you?" Hamish asked as the first Doctor helped him stand up and Hamish looked around at the barren landscape that stretched out before them. "Better yet, where are we?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," the first Doctor said then smiled. "You're Scottish, aren't you?"

"Aye, Sir, my name is Hamish," Hamish said and the first Doctor nodded.

"I can also sense something familiar about you. Are you a Time Lord?"

"Aye, I am."

"That would explain how you can access this place."

"Where are we, Sir?" Hamish asked and the first Doctor smiled.

"This is the mindscape of the Time Lords, my dear fellow. Though, to be honest, you are not the first one I've seen traveling through here."

"You've seen others?"

"Well, it was only once, about twenty years ago. He was...well...let me show you," the first Doctor said then closed his eyes and Adam suddenly appeared in front of them.

"I ken who that is," Hamish said and the first Doctor opened his eyes and blinked.

"You do?"

"He is my Uncle Adam," he said and the first Doctor nodded.

"Well, Hamish, are you up for a little exploration, hmm?" the first Doctor asked then tapped the walking stick on the ground, causing tiny flakes of the ground to fly into the air.

"Aye," Hamish said as the first Doctor nodded and they started walking. Hamish could hear the ground crunching under his feet and the air blowing in his ears but couldn't understand why he could suddenly see and stopped.

"What's wrong?" the first Doctor asked and Hamish sighed, brushing the hair from his eyes.

"This may sound strange, Sir, but I need tae take your hand for a second," Hamish said and the first Doctor looked at him with a stunned look on his face.

"Whatever for?" he asked and Hamish rubbed his knuckle along his bottom lip.

"Well, that is the strange bit. I'm blind."

"You are?"

"Aye, and the only way I ken what is really an' what is nae is for me tae touch what's in front of me."

"And you don't think I'm real?"

"No," Hamish said when the first Doctor held his hand out and Hamish reached out his hand, his fingers passing through the first Doctor's hand like he had placed them in water.

"Oh my, I'm a ghost!" the first Doctor said with a start and Hamish shook his head.

"No, I think you're just sleeping," Hamish said then got an idea and smiled. "Sir, do you think you can wake yourself up?"

"I think so," the first Doctor said when he closed his eyes and faded away. Hamish smiled when he heard Mirza calling his name and Hamish closed his eyes, fading away.

"Can you hear us, dear fellow?" the first Doctor asked as Hamish opened his eyes and blinked. The first Doctor helped him stand while Mirza placed the stick in Hamish's hand and Hamish placed his hand on Mirza head.

"You were amazing, Teacher, he woke up and I let him out," Mirza said and Hamish softly smiled.

"One down, twelve tae go," Hamish said as he listened to the soft hissing sound of the cylinders and gripped the stick tightly in his hand.

"Good morning," a female voice said as Duer frowned and heard a soft beeping and dripping sound. Half opening his eyes, he blinked then saw someone standing near the bed and whoever it was brushed the hair out of his eyes. After blinking a few more times, he saw red fingernails fluffy his fringe as he moved his head away and Lucy Saxon sighed, leaning on the bed. "Someone's cranky."

"Lucy?" he asked as she smiled and patted the top of his head.

"Ah, good, your memory is still intact. Harry will be so pleased!" she said and his eyes went wide.

"Harry? Are you talking about Harry Saxon?"

"Well, yes, Silly, who else would I be talking about?" she said and the lights on the heart monitor moved faster, causing the alarms to ring out. "Oh, dear, now you're upset. Frankie, get in here!"

Duer turned his head when the door opened and Frankie walked slowly into the room. He could see the fear in her eyes but couldn't feel her in his mind and he blinked.

"Rassilon, what is going on? I can't feel her mind," he thought when she stood next to the bed and he suddenly realized he couldn't move but his head. "No, this can't be happening! Not this!"

"Wait," he said as they looked at him and Duer sighed. "How did I get here?"

"Well," Lucy said as she sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "I was looking for you when, ta-dah, we get a ping on the radar. You were in Norway, of all places, and were lying face down in the sand. Your TARDIS was all smoke and fire, though."

"Oh, shit, this is when I was caught in the time storm. But that was centuries ago. What is going on?" he thought and swallowed hard, which made his Adam's apple bob up and down.

"And how long have I been asleep?"

"Oh, a few months, though we weren't sure if you were going to wake up. You were a mess!" Lucy said with a grin and he sighed, half closing his eyes. "Now, you relax and let Frankie, here, take care of you."

Duer watched as Lucy gave Frankie a stern looked then left the room and Duer softly smiled up at Frankie. Her eyes were filled with fear as she reached for his hand then turned his wrist up, pressing her fingers gently against his wrist.

"Ever have a patient with a double pulse before?" he asked but she didn't say anything and he felt his hearts hurting. "Frankie, look at me."

"I need to finish," she said as he tried to move but his body was rebelling against him and tears trickled down his cheeks. He felt his body tinkle as she wiped the tears away and moved closer. "Sh, it's alright."

"No, it isn't alright," he whispered then thought of something and smiled. "Kiss me."

"What?" she asked with a shocked look on her face and he winked at her.

"Kiss me," he said again as she looked at the CCTV cameras on the walls and he gave her a sad puppy dog look. She slowly moved closer when her lips grazed his lips and her eyes went wide. Taking his head in her hands, she kissed him harder as he gently sent memories into her mind and she moved back, stroking his cheek.

"Duer?" she thought as he blinked back the tears and smiled at her.

"Hello, Darling," he thought and she placed her forehead against his.

"What is going on?"

"I don't know but, somehow, you and I are back in Denver and I can't move," he thought when she thought of something and her eyes went wide.

"Oh my god, Cameron's here, too!" she thought and he frowned.

"No, he wasn't born yet."

"I'm not talking about our son. I'm talking about..." she thought and his eyes went wide.

"Oh, Rassilon, and if he's here..." he thought and she nodded.

"Ok, now that hurt," Cameron said softly when he opened his eyes and sat up. He was dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt that said BITE ME on the front and white converse sneakers and he shook his head side to side, trying to clear his head. Looking around, he saw that he was back in his old laboratory in Denver as he blinked and frowned. "Right, what is wrong with this picture?"

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Lucy said as she walked into the room and he looked at her.

"Lucy?" he asked and she patted the top of his head.

"Ready to go to work?" she asked as he looked at her and blinked.

"Uh," he said when someone walked in the room and leaned on the doorframe. Wearing a black suit, a white shirt, a black tie and black shoes, the Master smiled at him then walked closer and Cameron's hearts thundered in his chest.

"Good morning, Sport," he said as he kissed Cameron full on the lips and gave him a wink, gently rubbing his thumb under Cameron's chin.

Hamish looked at the next cylinder while the first Doctor stood next to him and frowned, tapping the cane on the floor.

"Do you really have to wake him up?" the first Doctor asked and Hamish looked at him.

"Why shouldnae I?" he asked and the first Doctor made a ticking sound with his teeth.

"Oh, he's just annoying, is all," the first Doctor said and Hamish half smiled then placed his hand against the glass. His body went ridged as the first Doctor looked at him then at Mirza and Mirza smiled.

"This happened the last time. He's in there," Mirza said as he pointed to the cylinder and the first Doctor made a soft humming sound, nodding his head.

"I say, are you alright?" a voice asked as Hamish opened his eyes and the second Doctor tilted his head to one side.

"Aye, I'm fine," Hamish said and the second Doctor smiled.

"You sound like Jamie," the second Doctor said and helped Hamish stand up.

"That's because he's..." Hamish said then decided not to tell him that Jamie was his father and sighed. "We've met."

"Oh, that's good. Now, who are you and where are we?" the second Doctor asked as he looked around and Hamish reached over, watching his hand pass through the second's Doctor's back.

"My name is Hamish an' we're in the mindscape of the Time Lords," he said and the second Doctor looked at him.

"How would you know that? I mean, if you are a friend of Jamie's, you're from his timeline. Unless... Are you a Time Lord?" the second Doctor asked and Hamish felt fear coming from his mind. Duer had told him that, in his second life, he had been running from the Time Lords and Hamish wondered if the Doctor's second life was doing the same.

"Uh, no, you see, Sir, I ken what this is because you told me," Hamish said as he told him about the Valeyard and what he was doing and the second Doctor sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Oh, bother, I knew something was wrong," he said then tapped his foot and folded his arms over his chest. "So, how do we get out of here?"

"You have tae wake up," Hamish said and the second Doctor nodded, closing his eyes. Hamish watched as he faded then closed his eyes and sighed, fading away.

"Up you come, dear boy," the second Doctor said as Hamish blinked and the second Doctor and Mirza helped him to his feet. Mirza handed Hamish the stick while the first Doctor and second Doctor glared at each other and Hamish tapped the stick on the floor.

"Um, Doctors, before you start fighting, I suggest that we find a place tae hide before the Valeyard figures out what's going on," he said as they nodded and Mirza peeked out into the passageway.

"This way, Teacher," he said as they headed out of the room and the second Doctor looked at the stick.

"If you don't mind me asking, dear boy, but why do you have this?" he asked as he touched the stick and Hamish smiled.

"I'm blind," he said and the second Doctor's eyes went wide.

"My word," he said softly as they went around the corner and headed to where Alan and Rain were waiting for them.

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