The Forgotten

Chapter 6

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Back in a UNIT cell again; it would be pathetic if it wasn't so ironic, only this time Osgood very much doubted Missy would be coming to save her. Some back up she was, she had one chance to help The Mistress and she blew it. Now Missy might be dead and she would never know.

Yet Osgood had been so sure that The Doctor would help. That despite their differences over the years the Time Lord still cared enough about his old friend to want to help, even if it was Osgood asking and not The Mistress?

"Pssst."

Turning her head, following the annoying noise that was far less subtle than the originator hoped it would be, Osgood tried her best to smother the smile that played about her lips as she caught sight of The Doctor slipping through a supposedly locked and guarded door.

"I've been thinking about what you said..." The doctor began without any word of greeting.  "Can't stop thinking about it actually." He added his blues eyes darkening as if clouded by inner demons he was still fighting. "This is more than likely a trap you do realise that."

And Osgood felt her confusion melt away into relief, a smile lighting up her face as one time hero climbed back up on to his pedestal. "But you'll go anyway won't you Doctor?"

"Yes Ms Osgood, we will." The Doctor added his eyebrows jiggling as his face took on a younger more mischievous expression as he returned her smile.

Pointing his sonic at the jail cell it unlocked a moment later but Osgood paused before making good her escape. "What about the cameras?"

"Static some totally unexpected and fortuitous system's failure." The Doctor japed, waggling those eyebrows as he pulled open the door for Osgood as if it were a perfectly natural thing jailbreaking before hurrying her out of the cellblock.

Ducking into doorways to avoid UNIT personnel Osgood could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest as they somehow made it around undetected. The Doctor had clearly covered their route as Osgood could see the security cameras appeared locked in position allowing them a safe route to follow. Still she was more than a little relieved to make is safely into the storage room where The Doctor had left his Tardis.

"Doctor wait they took my vortex manipulator, it has the coordinates we..." Osgood began only to stop as the now grinning Doctor pulled the very same device out of his pocket.

"Jailbreaking, sabotage and theft Doctor you really are on a roll." Osgood joked. "I suggest we leave before you add any more to your rap sheet."

"How about betrayal of trust, or is that so minor in both your opinions it is not even worth recording." A familiar voice cut in and The Doctor and Osgood took a step then two back as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart appeared from where she had been hiding behind The Tardis her gun drawn.

Eyeing the gun with genuine surprise and then disappointment The Doctor said softly. "You are not going to use that Kate, you couldn't..."

"Doctor of the two of us which one was prepared to destroy London during the Zygon invasion? Do not presume to lecture me on what I can or will do."

"Yes but that was different." The Doctor interjected his hands raised, half in surrender half placating "You thought there was no other way to stop an invasion then, nobody is in danger now."

"No one?" Kate scoffed her blue eyes drifting over to Osgood. "You forget Doctor I stood by once before and let a Time Lord take Osgood away and just look at how she came back, beaten and bloody. I have a duty of care not only to this planet but to those under my command, even if that means saving them from themselves."

"Kate it won't be like last time, I will be there..." The Doctor began only for Kate to cut him off angrily.

"You cannot absolve me of my duties Doctor, I took an oath, and besides with your track record of returning your companions safe and whole I doubt very much you are up to the task." Offended The Doctor pulled his hands down; it was only Osgood's hand on his arm that stilled him from forcing Kate's hand.

"Look I don't want anyone falling out over me. Kate is right I do fall under her jurisdiction." Osgood sighed before fixing her boss with a sad smile. "So I guess there is nothing else to do...I resign Kate."

Horrified Kate could only shake her head. "No I refuse to accept your resignation, you are not in your right mind Osgood, you can't be throwing away your career and potentially even your life to save a monster."

"Just because you cannot understand someone does not make them a monster Kate. That is the sort of primitive thinking that simply enforces The Mistress opinion that all mankind are apes rolling about in the dirt." The Doctor sniped.

"And insulting or belittling me will not make me change my mind either Doctor." Kate insisted her fingers twitching around the handle of her revolver, nervous sweat making it harder to maintain a steady grip.

"Now Osgood I am not ordering you but I am asking you as a friend and a mentor to just turn around, just go back to the cell. I can still sort this out if you give me time..."

"I can't, I'm sorry Kate but I can't just leave her there. Please if you really are my friend don't make me choose."

Watching the conflicting emotions play over the UNIT scientists face The Doctor added gently. "The choice is yours Kate, we are leaving now, if you are going to stop us then you have to shoot us both and it will take every bullet in your gun to keep me down."

Kate's hand on her gun steadied but the battle was instead being fought across her face and in her eyes. After a long tense moment in which Osgood held her breath Kate finally dropped her arms and re-holstered the gun.

"There now much better. I knew you weren't really a pudding brain." The Doctor exclaimed his tone teetering between smug and just a tiny bit patronising.

With a glare Kate pushed passed him approaching Osgood who swallowed nervously at the look of weary resolve on her bosses face. "Kate I'm..."

Yet the sudden clip of a handcuff around her wrist cut Osgood's apology off, and the snap of the other cuff around Kate's own wrist even caused The Doctor to frown in confusion.

"I told you both I have a duty of care for my staff." Kate offered by way of explanation.

"No...No...No." The Doctor shook his head as he quickly caught on to Kate's intention.

One human he could keep track of, could keep safe but two was just asking for trouble. Reaching into his pocket he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the cuffs, his frown only increasing as the damn things remained securely fastened. "But that's not..."

"Your sonic won't work Doctor, not on these cuffs we had them made special, after all it doesn't do wood. "Kate explained with a smug smile of her own. "I told you Doctor I have a duty of care so either Osgood stays behind or we both go; it's up to you..."

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The Tardis landed in the same room Osgood remembered, it appeared whatever gap in the shielding Missy had created was enough to allow The Tardis through and the Doctor practically bounced out  a bundled of nervous energy.

"Doctor be careful we don't know if anyone has found this and set traps since I was last here." Osgood warned the Doctor who merely chuckled and scanned the room as though Osgood's concerns were amusing.

Standing in the doorway of The Tardis Osgood pulled along Kate who looked decidedly green around the gills.

"Urghhh is it always like that?"

Glancing back at them The Doctor couldn't resist teasing UNIT's chief scientist. "Call yourself a scientist, you're in space Kate you travelled through time."

"Well when you have a taxi driver like you Doctor you can hardly blame me." Kate sniped back.

"That because he leaves the breaks on." Osgood explained with a sympathetic grimace, surprising The Doctor who actually paused in his bouncing and scanning to glance at back at Osgood.

"I have been in a Tardis before Doctor one operated by someone who had actually passed their test." Osgood added teasingly, enjoying the way The Doctor's expression changed from curiosity to sulky teenager in a split second. And Osgood could have sworn she heard him muttering about "bloody show off Time Lady's."

"So where are we?" Kate asked, looking around and being decidedly unimpressed with what she saw.

"Smugglers base in the Xallafrax sector, part of the wild regions, the Cartellion pirate clan run it." Osgood answered before adding "Well providing we are where we are supposed to be."

"Stop insulting your lift Ms Osgood or you can hitch hike your own way back to earth."  The Doctor huffed.

Marginally contrite Osgood did her best to hide her smile. "So what's the plan Doctor?"

Turning around from the screen that had been holding his interest The Doctor looked as though he was surprised by the question , "Oh a plan, well I was thinking we, ummm , well normally I just go in and do a bit of looking around... "

"Great I'm on the other side of the universe trying to rescue one of humanity's greatest threats and you don't even have a bloody clue about what you're doing!" Kate snapped, and The Doctor looked moderately offended.

"Half a clue Kate come on now be fair." Then The Doctor gestured for them to follow, before pausing, "You might want to go taking those off now."

He pointed to the handcuffs that still connected Kate to Osgood. "More than a little conspicuous don't you think?" 

Conceding that point Kate removed the key from her pocket and unfastened the handcuffs tucking them back into her pocket just in case. After all with two Houdini Time Lords to deal with you never knew when you might need something a little old fashioned.

They made it into the corridor without incident, Osgood taking the lead back along the hall that she remembered, Kate asking whispered questions and trying not to stare at the many different species. Everything was going according to the non-plan until they reached the first checkpoint and Osgood remembered just why Missy had sent her in alone in the first place.

"Doctor they do a full body scan that's why Missy sent me first, a human is hardly going to stand out whereas a Time Lord..."

Shushing Osgood's concerns The Doctor reached into his pocket and withdrew his Psychic paper before pushing his way to the front of the check point and thrusting it under the nose of the surprised guard.

"Look at how important I am, far too important to be expected to wait in line." The Doctor snapped and Kate and Osgood could only watch as The Doctor literally blagged his way through with bluster and pique.

"This is the earth's final line of defence?" Kate drawled not sure whether she should be impressed on concerned that the entirety of The Doctor's plan seemed to be to wear down the guard through sheer verbosity.

It didn't take long of The Doctor's rant before a sweating nervous little man appeared, he had the look of low level bureaucrats everyone and Osgood was surprised to realise that this type could survive even in a Pirate clan, but then again someone somewhere had to balance the figures.

"My most sincere apologies, we didn't realise your party was coming, we were sure we received a refusal when our envoy was exterminated before we could deliver it..."

"As if The Dark Lord of Skaro would be so obvious." The Doctor retorted, even as he felt his skin prickle at the lie. It was one thing to bluster and lie to obtain access and another thing entirely to pretend to be in the employ of Davros just to gain entry.

"Of course of course well all the other bidders currently at a party given by leader Lord Strax," with a deprecating glance at their attire "Will you be wanting to change?"

"I think." The Doctor grunted. "We've already been held up enough thank you very much and my employer really has no tolerance for delays."

Turning even paler and clammier the official nodded and ushered The Doctor and his party through the check point. "Of course please do follow me."

Turning back as he tucked the psychic paper back into his pocket The Doctor shot a look back over his shoulder at Kate and Osgood, his eyebrows waggling in what could only be described as a smug manner before he strode after their guide.

Falling into step beside Osgood Kate could only shoot her subordinate a glance, yet that one glance was enough and Osgood nodded in reply. That was too easy and they both knew it. Putting her hand to her hip Kate relaxed slightly as she felt the familiar weight of her revolver. If things went south quickly at least one of them would be prepared and Kate Stewart would be damned if she let The Doctor's sensibilities get her and Osgood killed, they didn't have the ability to regenerate.

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