The Jailhouse Scene 6: Rescue
Tirlene hauled back and slapped the Doctor.
“Do you mind?” he asked. “That hurt.”
Shrieking with rage, she struck him again and again. “I may not be able to force you inside me,” she conceded between blows, “but I can do just as well in other ways. Release vertical restraints.”
Suddenly the manacles let go of the frame, and he fell to his knees, dizzy from her attack. Before he could get to his feet, she activated the bed restraints, and he was being pulled toward it. Though he tried to fight, she kept pushing him, and he soon found himself splayed out on the bed, limbs locked to the posts.
“You will not defy me,” she growled, tearing off her clothes. “You will not challenge me! You are mine!” She climbed on top of him and locked one hand around his throat. He pulled against the manacles, trying to get free, but it was to no avail. As her fingers and thumb dug into his carotid arteries, he could feel both heartbeats weakening, trying to relieve the pressure. The blood to his brain was slowing. Just when he thought he would lose consciousness, she relaxed her grip.
“I want you awake for this,” she breathed. “Every minute.” She began to grind against him, slowly at first, moaning with pleasure. He tried to focus on the motion of the planet, but he could not keep himself from feeling her. She was vicious, sadistic, uncaring… and she was making his body desire her. He wanted to retch.
“Stop,” he choked. “Please stop.”
“Oh, yes,” she gasped. “Beg me for mercy!”
“Please stop,” he begged. “I can’t…” He would not take her; she could never force that, but she could still send him over the edge, and if she did, he would not be able to block out her cruel mind. He would go mad. He squeezed his eyes shut, searching, searching for the time streams, but he could not sense them.
“Open your eyes!” she snapped, slapping him with her free hand. “You will look at me! I am your master!”
He obeyed, and when his eyes met hers, they both froze. The slap had shocked him out of the last of his resistance, and the empathic link was complete. At last she saw beyond his defiance, and he saw beyond her pathology.
“Who was it?” he asked softly. “Who hurt you?”
She was too amazed to answer. She felt his fear ebbing away, letting his true nature shine through. “How can anyone possibly feel such joy?” she breathed. “Especially on top of such grief?” Her hand slipped away from his throat, and then several things happened at once. The door slid open, the restraints deactivated, a weapon discharged, and Tirlene cried out as it struck her in the back. She fell to the floor, and the Doctor scrambled after her.
“Tirlene?” he called, patting her cheek.
“Doctor,” she croaked, reaching for him, and then went slack. He looked up to see Camille and several other people with guns scurrying into the room.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I came to rescue you,” she said as if it were obvious. “I came to rescue everyone.”
“But why did you kill her?”
“I had to stop her. I couldn’t let her…” She knelt in front of him and grabbed his forearm. “Doctor, did she hurt you?”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “Yes, she hurt me, but it’s all right now.”
“Did she have you?” she hissed vehemently, her hand digging into his arm.
He did not answer right away; for a moment he could only look at her. Her anger was a thin veneer over visceral fear, not for herself but for him, and he couldn’t imagine why. “No,” he said at last.
She exhaled with such profound relief that it took her a few more breaths to recover. “Thank Kali-ma,” she sighed. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, I’m all right,” he insisted, standing up. “I’m fine. I’m fantastic!” He glanced down. “I’m naked. Get out!”
Camille turned around, stood in front of him, and waved her crew into the hall. “So you’re a mutant, too,” she said as the Doctor scrambled into his pants. “I thought you were from off-world.”
“Mutation happens on lots of planets,” he shrugged. “Can I have my jacket back?”
“Of course.” She took it off and tossed it to him, keeping the sonic screwdriver to release him from the manacles, then handing it back as well.
“I don’t suppose you know where they put prisoners’ shoes?”“No idea,” she shrugged. “And we don’t have time to look; there are over a hundred cells here, and more guards on the way. We have to get moving if we’re going to free everyone.”
“Nah, just get me to the main controls, and I’ll unlock all the cells at once.”
“The main controls? In the waiting room? But if Vargas managed to activate an alarm, it’ll be crawling with guards by now.”
“No, that’s just the business console. The main controls are underground; I analysed the whole system when I was posing as a customer.”
“You’re incredible,” she breathed, shaking her head. “How long have you been planning this?”
Before he could answer, a siren started wailing, and the room went black.
Scene Selection
1. Delavega 5. Break-in 2. Room Twelve 6. Rescue 3. Sentencing 7. Escape 4. Testing Commentary