ARCADIA

Chapter Nine

"So…is this wise?" Jack said as he, Ianto and DoctorRose followed Pagos and Tek while they slid through a large hole in the ground.

"No," the Doctor said. "But we have no choice at the moment."

Jack went first after Tek. He sat down on the ground with his legs dangling through the hole and slid. There was a large ramplike structure that was filled with loose sand so Jack slid easily down into the darkness. The ramp went down for about twenty feet before stopping. When Jack stood up and stepped forward, he saw glo-balls affixed to the sides of the dirt tunnel. The balls were numerous enough to provide ample light for everyone. He looked over his shoulder as Ianto slid down and held out his hand, helping him to stand up. Then DoctorRose came down the ramp and stood up. The Doctor dusted Rose's body off while he looked around. Pagos motioned for them to follow him and he led the way down the tunnel that was now gently sloping down, taking them further underground.

So are they going to listen to you since you're now female, Rose thought to the Doctor while he followed Jack and Ianto.

I hope so, the Doctor thought back. Although, I don't recall them being so dismissive of women. It's true there weren't any other women soldiers besides Tiana but no one minded her fighting alongside them or said anything that made me thing her being a soldier was odd. Something must have changed since I was here.

Jack suddenly slowed his pace and waited till the DoctorRose caught up with him before walking again.

"By the way, what does Kel'shak mean?" Jack muttered to him.

"It means Protector of the Weak," the DoctorRose said to him.

"Ah, so they do revere you then," Jack said.

"Yes, except the problem is getting them to understand it's me in here," DoctorRose said, pointing to Rose's body.

The tunnel finally leveled out when they were forty feet below the surface and now they could see other round openings along the way while they walked. Jack looked inside some of them as they walked by. Some had other tunnels but there were a couple of living areas and one had a startled Anthrosis female inside it. She was naked and had a smaller Mohawk than Pagos did. She stepped outside into the tunnel after they passed and stared at them with curiosity. Jack looked back at her, waved and winked.

"Stop it," DoctorRose said, poking him in the back. "We're here to find Jackie and find Tiana, not find a date."

"Can I help it if green is my favorite color?" Jack said innocently.

The tunnel went on for about a half mile before it opened up into a huge room. There were several more holes going off in various directions but Pagos stopped them and told Tek to watch them while he went to get the elders. Tek turned and watched them while Pagos went into a tunnel off to the left.

"So…you're becoming a man now, eh?" Jack said to Tek.

"I hate mammals," Tek growled at them.

"Okay then," Jack said, turning back to the DoctorRose. "Charming. It must have taken a lot of persuasion to get these people to fight alongside you."

"No, just my reputation was enough," DoctorRose said smugly.

Jack frowned when he noticed his friend suddenly had an odd look on his face.

"What's wrong?" he said to DoctorRose.

"Rose is being…silly," the DoctorRose said dryly.

In truth, Rose was fantasizing about having sex with her lover and letting the Doctor see it while laughter echoed insider her mind. The Doctor was glad he didn't have his male parts at the moment since the last thing he wanted was for Jack to see his enormous erection.

Stop it, Rose, the Doctor thought to her.

I'm bored sitting back here and watching, I'm daydreaming, Rose thought back to him. I thought I'd entertain you while we wait for Pagos to come back.

Rose, you deserve a smack bottom for this, the Doctor though.

Rose laughed and showed him an image of him smacking her ass repeatedly while they were both naked. Rose was standing by the console, leaning over with her hands on it while the Doctor stood behind her, smacking her with his hand and saying, "Bad Rose, naughty Rose," while sporting a huge erection.

Jack raised his eyebrow when he saw DoctorRose blush deeply.

"Something else going on inside there?" he said, pointing to DoctorRose's forehead.

"Um, no…just silly nonsense," DoctorRose said, trying to get Rose's body back under control.

Meanwhile, Ianto was standing beside his lover, staring at Tek who was clearly upset about having to guard the mammals while his father went to get the elders. He looked at Ianto's face with disgust.

"Pink skin is gross," he informed Ianto.

Ianto didn't know what to say to that. He didn't want to hurt the delicate truce they had by telling Pagos's son to piss off and shut his mouth so he shrugged and tried to ignore the little brat. Fortunately, Pagos returned with several older Anthrosis who had a bit of grey in their green Mohawks. Even though they were older, they still had fit, muscular bodies and looked like they could more than hold their own. The skin on their faces was slightly wrinkled, giving them a wizened appearance. Pagos walked over to DoctorRose and pointed to her.

"This one says she harbors the spirit of Kel'shak inside her," Pagos said to them.

One of the elders stepped up and examined DoctorRose.

"Is this true?" the elder said in a slightly quavering voice.

"It is. I am Kel'shak," DoctorRose said.

"Prove it," the elder said.

The DoctorRose then described his first meeting with the Anthrosis and what happened during the making of the first alliance. Jack studied the elders and noticed they were impressed by the DoctorRose's story and he figured the Doctor was proving himself sufficiently since the elders were all nodding and murmuring their agreement with DoctorRose's story.

"There was no other mammal here that day, Kel'shak," the lead elder said when he finished. "You have proven yourself. I am Vak. I was a teenager when you came here and I was not permitted to fight alongside you. But I remember that day clearly."

"You were a teenager when the Doctor was here?" Ianto said in shock. "How long has it been since this Time War?"

"Oh, many years, mammal," Vak said while the other elders nodded in agreement. "Pagos wasn't born yet but he grew up hearing the legend of Kel'shek and the Time War. We never forgot."

"Thank you for letting me have the chance to explain," DoctorRose said. "This is an unusual circumstance for me."

"Yes, Pagos told us what you said to him," Vak said. "I'm afraid we have no mammal here as a prisoner or otherwise. This person who stole your body lied to you, I'm afraid."

"Doesn't surprise me," DoctorRose said.

"As for Tiana, Pagos will take you to her but she lives a few miles away, far beyond the main tunnels."

"What happened?" DoctorRose said. "I don't recall anyone having any objections to her fighting alongside me. Why was she exiled?"

"Because she tried to become the leader after you left," Vak said. "She figured since you favored her, that she was somehow better than the rest of us. She caused trouble so we exiled her and made a decree that no other woman would fight like a man ever again."

Oh, but if a man gets a swelled head, that's perfectly fine, Rose thought to the Doctor.

"I would like to see her and speak to her," Doctor Rose said to Vak. "I need her help again."

Vak looked at the other elders and they got into a huddle for a moment before they broke apart and Vak came back to them.

"Very well, we will permit this," he said to them. "Pagos will lead you to her."

"Thank you," DoctorRose said.

"And Kel'shak, if it really is you, thank you for all you have done for us. We are eternally grateful that you chose to protect us from the metal beasts," he said.

DoctorRose bowed deeply.

Pagos waited till the elders left and he motioned for his son and everyone else to follow him before they headed into a tunnel off to the right.

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