DW OC 8_P4_Dead Men Tell No Tales

Full title: (DW OC adventures) Holly and the Doctor adventures~ Dead Men Tell No Tales
Featuring the 10th Doctor
My OC: Holly Rosenburg
Rating: G/pG-13

Part 4


         The days past on and Holly started to get a real feel for the ship's layout and of the crew. Over small chatter, she had learned that everyone treated each other like family because for most this was the only home they knew. She grew accustom to the stairs and glaring eyes of Ranerik, but he never made a move so long as Dante was in the same room. One night during the dinner meal preparation, Holly swore she saw Ranerik add a vial of some sort of red liquid to the soup pot. She had spoken to the Captain about it and when confronted, Ranerik showed that it was a vial of cooking wine. He claimed it was to add a more fragrant flavor. Needless to say Holly and Dante went hungry the night, as well as the Doctor after Holly had warned him. Besides playing card games– she played a wicked game of Slap– Holly spent the better part of her evening with the Doctor in the holding room.
         She did her best to keep his mind entertained before he became mad from boredom, though at times it was truly a challenge to keep him focused on having any sort of conversation for long.
         "I don't think I can go on much longer," said the Doctor as he laid on the ground with his coat under his head for a pillow. "You have no idea... at least you can sleep nearly half the day away. Me, I'm starting to feel like this is a time traveler's version of Hell. It's just soooooo sloooow."
         "Oh, stop being such a drama queen. You'll live you big lump of lazy."
         "No, seriously, I don't think I'll make it. I'm just so bored. I wonder if I can regenerate from death by boredom. At least it whole make things interesting for a well... until I get bored again."
         "How about this, we can swap stories, they can be real or fake and then we have to figure out who's bluffing. Eh? That ought to past the time a bit. I'll go first."
         "I thought Dante warned you about thinking of the past?"
         "Do you want to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock for the hundredth time?"
         The Doctor's absence of an answer was all she needed.
         "I thought so."
         Holly sat down next to the bars as the Doctor pulled himself to sit up.
         "The craziest thing I've done, well crazy in a good way and before I knew anything about you, was when I was on a camping trip with my class– a sort of senior class thing– and we hiked to the tallest mountain in the state park. Well, silly me, I didn't pack my hiking shoes and all I had were my converses, which by the way have absolutely no traction on dirt covered rocky trails. Anyways, so there we were, literally on top of the world on this steep narrow pathway that we had to hold onto chains to keep from falling. There was a powerful gust of wind and who got caught by it? Me. The wind knocked me down and my feet slipped over the steep path. I had enough sense to reach and catch a chain link that I slid by. When the rest of my group reached me, we had already started to laugh about it. However, when I had tried to stand I realized I had broken my ankle. Of course, that wasn't funny and frankly it hurt like crap and I had to stuff my pride when I had to get air lifted out of there. But you know what? It was worth it. Being up there and seeing that view, the whole world miles and miles away, it gives you perspective." Then she paused and looked at the Doctor. "Your turn. The craziest thing you've done."
         "Okay. The craziest thing I've done, now let's see. Hah! I happen to have been one of the knights for King Arthur. Well, more or less an honorary knight. Actually. I wasn't really a knight at all, they all thought I was Merlin, but I was knighted –again. Anyways, Arty needed help with a little alien intrusion. It so happened that Camelot had the case of the Sniffles. Literally, that's what the little creatures I found hiding inside the castle. Sniffles are little pink creatures that look a lot a Tribble on a bad hair day. Oh and their teeth! Like rows of little rotating blades."
         "You're just making this up."
         "Am not. One of them little buggers bit me and nearly sawed my foot off, but they couldn't bite past the chainmail. Funny, you would think a little pink hairball with hundreds of tiny teeth could chow through metal. Nope. Only wood and fleshy organic stuff– like my foot if I wasn't wearing the chainmail. Long story short, I saved Camelot from hungry cotton candy hairballs that wanted to make lunch out of the round table."
         "Nope, not buying it. Your are so totally bluffing."
         "I'm telling you it happened."
         "No, you're lying about something."
         "And how would you know, you were even there."
         "I can tell because you like to tell fish tales. There's a lot of talk, but you rarely give details unless it's to your fitting. Or, it's to distract anyone listening to steer them away from the real facts."
         "What do you mean?"
         "The real fact of the matter is that you just wanted to be a knight in shining armor."
         "Okay, you caught me. The armor was really cool though. Lancelot wasn't too pleased."
         "Oh?"
         "He chased me out with the rest of the knights after Guinevere snogged me."
Holly laughed, which was rare these days, and looked at him. "Oh-my-gosh, you're blushing."
         "What, no."
         "Dude, you totally are."
         "Let's talk about something else, like... how many more days am I suppose to stay cooped up in here."
         "Well, if you're really desperate, I could check the TARDIS to see if she hasn't burned up on the inside. Technically Captain says it's mine since you're in here and I don't think she'll object to me poking around our own ship, plus it's not like we can really go anywhere in this Cloud."
         "And how would this help me?"
         "Well, if you were to ask and say please, I can pick these locks and you can hideout in the TARDIS."
         "Oh."
         Suddenly they heard a chilling scream echoing from down the chambers along with the thunder of people running towards the cry.
         "What was that," Holly said as she looked around.
         Dante rushed in from his post at the door to check on them. "You guys alright?"
         "Yea, what's happening out there?" The Doctor asked.
         "Ranerik's first victim."

~~~

         A crowd had gathered quickly to the scene and Shalanra was in no mood for people to qwack at a dead body.
         "I'll give you lot three seconds to clear out before I start issuing orders that involve cleaning my toilet among other unfortunately jobs!"
         That did the trick to get everyone's attention and within seconds not a soul stood in her way as they retreated to their duties. The only ones by her side now were Drake and Ranerik.
         Shalanra slowly blew out a breath before stepping over that mental threshold that helped blocked out her emotions in times like this. She knelt down to be eye level with the body of one of our crewmembers. . Tyler was his name He had been a relatively new member to the crew and worked as Sullivan's right hand man in the helm.
         "Jezzz, what happened to you?" She asked quietly as if his spirit would whisper back an answer.
         His sandy hair was spewed over his face and his head hung to the side as he slumped over against the wall. His blue eyes were looking down lifelessly at the red blossoming wound in his gut where a slim knife stuck out. Shalanra looked without touching his hands, they were red with his own blood that pooled and had already started to thicken from cooling with the air and metal.
         "As anyone touched him," Shalanra asked coldly as she refused to let emotions tighten her throat.
         "No." Francis answered just as cool and lacking of reaction. "It's just as he was found."
         "By whom?"
         "By me." Ranerik said. "I found him like this and I immediately called for helped, but it was too late. Was he important to you?"
         Shalanra stood and glared at him. "Yes. As is everyone on my crew is. We were the only family he had. The only ones to miss him. So, go ahead, make your fun at the dead, it's not like you can hurt him anymore."
         "I'm sorry if I had insulted you or him. It was merely a question leading to my next inquire."
         "Which is?"
         "Who would do this to him?"
         Silence fell between them and Shalanra finally answered after some thought.
         "I don't know, but one thing's for sure. It's someone on this boat and I intend to find out who. Francis, escort our gust to his room. We're going into lockdown."

~~~

         Dante paced back and forth like a caged animal. Actually, he was a caged animal. The Captain ordered a complete lockdown and forced everyone to his or her rooms if they were not critical to keeping the ship flying. Holly laid in hammock and tried to count the number of bolts in the ceiling above her.
         "Can you stop that please? It's very annoying." She sighed and tried to ignore him.
         "I know he's behind this, but I can't figure out what's he got to gain. There's always something for him to get out of every action he does. Nothing is random for him."
         Dante suddenly stopped in his tracks and just stood there in the middle of the room.
         "It's a message."
         Holly pushed herself up and asked, "What message?"
         He looked up at her and said in the most chilling way possible. "For you. He meant it for you."
         Holly shifted in her seat and looked away briefly before speaking. "How, I didn't even know the guy. Maybe I said hello once or twice."
         "No, you don't see it. He looked like you. The short blonde hair, blue eyes, young and new to this sort of life. Ranerik is trying to get under your skin, to show you what you would look like when he kills you. He wants you to feel alone and helpless."
         "Well, I'm not alone and I'm not helpless, so that's a minus two points for him."
         "Holly, the Captain is talking about having everyone questioned separately, even the Doctor. I can't be in the room with you when they question you. What if Ranerik plans to meet with you without the Captain? What then?"
         "Okay, you have a point. If I can get to the cargo hold, I can slip inside the TARDIS and lock the doors. No one can get in there, not even Ranerik."
         "She wouldn't let that happen. The cargo hold doors are locked tight."
         "Oh come on, there's more than one way to move about this boat. It's a smuggler's vessel, there's vents and all sorts of hiding places. Or..."
         "Oh, I don't like that face. You're planning something."
         " Your perception filter can copy the form of other people, right? I mean if it works at all even in this Cloud."
         "Oh, I see, you want me in there with the lizard. Okay, that I can handle, we just have to hide you."
         Dante creep to the door and pressed his ear against it. He could hear the ship's engines and a couple people speaking in whispers in the hall, but no footsteps coming towards them.
         "Okay, we better be quick and quiet about this . Move the bed."
         Holly nodded and helped Dante shift his cot over. Underneath the cot was metal plate, which Dante quickly pried up with his metal hand. Under that was a small but hidden compartment, enough for Holly to crawl up to stay safe.
         "Down you go. Oh, before you hideout, I need a blood sample for the filter to copy your look. Also, if Ranerik tries to smell me, he'll smell your blood instead of me."
         "Fine, do it quick."
         Holly held out her hand and Dante pricked her finger with a sharp claw. A drop of blood began to slowly bead on the tip of her finger as he took a gadget from his belt. He rubbed the gadget onto her finger and looked at it to inspect it.
         "Okay, that should work. If this at all works."
         He clipped it back to his belt and pressed a button. Like magic, the black wolf-man became a human girl, a complete copy of Holly.
         "Wow, that is cool and a bit freaky at the same time," Holly said in amazement that it worked.
         "me, whatever."
         "So, mind telling me how you can work that but my phone is dead?"
         "I've got a theory, but not now. Get down. Someone's coming."
         Holly climbed down and Dante covered her up with the plate. He finished moving the cot into place when he heard a knock on the door.
         "Open up."
         Dante opened the door and found Quartermaster Drake standing there.
         "Capt'n says it's time to question you. Where's that dog Dante?"
         Dante, in Holly's image now, shrugged his shoulders.
         "Fine, follow me then."

~~~

         "So, I'm sure you've heard of the horribly tragic news." Shalanra watched the girl from across the metal table. "One of my crew was found dead with a knife stuck in his gut. Would you care to tell me where you were yesterday, shortly past noon?"
         The girl said nothing as she glared intensely at Ranerik, whom was sitting to the Captain's left.
         "It's really simple. Answer my questions and you can go back to your room."
         Nothing, not even a flinch.
         The captain quickly stood out of her chair and slammed her hand on the table.
         "Crystal Williams! Where were you yesterday after the lunch bell?!"
         Finally, the girl flicked her eyes to her, but she remained silent.
         "Captain, I think it'll be best if I do this my way. If you like, you can question the Doctor while I handle her."
         Shalanra remained fixed for a few moments until she caved in.
         "Fine, whatever gets me answers do it. So long as my medic can patch her up."
         Shalanra left the room and silence fell around the two as they continued their glaring contest. Ranerik's lip curled as a chuckle grew in his throat.
         "You know, I'm not sure if I should be surprised or worried for you Dante," he said as he stopped laughing. "Honestly, you taking the girl's form? That's a new low for you. It's quite priceless."
         Dante press the gadget on his belt and the air shimmered around him until the image fade.
         "I knew it wouldn't pass for you, but it worked fine with everyone else and that's what counts. You'll never get her."
         "You seem sure of yourself."
         "I am as a matter of fact."
         "Well, I'm sorry to inform you that your little swap plan has fail. I've warn the Quartermaster that you two might have done something like this and he is currently tossing your bunker apart to find her. Oh and I've also planted a few knives under your bedding, so they'll have unreasonably doubt that you killed the sorry sap. Face it, you can't win and you never have when up against me. I am –was– your superior. Now then, tell me where she is. If you do, then I wouldn't have to kill everyone on this boat."
         "Doesn't matter what you promise does it? If his Lordship Sir Hinny Pants orders you to do a clean slate operation, then you will kill everyone on this boat and I can't let that happen. So, sorry mate, but I'll just have to decline your broken offer."
         Then a knock came and the Draconian stepped in.
         "You were right Agent Ranerik. I found a set of the exact same knives and another thing. There was a hidden compartment under the bed, but I'm afraid to inform you that the girl wasn't there."
         Ranerik shot a deadly glare at Drake and stood up as he hissed.
         "What do you mean she's not there? That's the only place she could have gone."
         "She was there, yes, but she escaped. There was a cut out on the bottom, she must have slipped through there and be anywhere on the ship."
         "Then go find her! She couldn't walk out into open space, so she's trapped here somewhere."
         Francis left them and Ranerik heard Dante chuckling.
         "What's so funny Wolf?"
         "Oh, did I forget to mention, she's armed and very resourceful."
         "Well, at least I have you. I'll have the pleasure of telling your Captain that she was harboring a rouge agent aboard her ship and that Drake found the knives under your bed. You know want his Lordship asked when I find you?"
         "What? To skin me and bring back my pelt so he could warm his cold dead toes on it?"
         "To let you watch while I kill everyone before letting you rot in a hole in the ground on some primitive planet."
         Dante made a move to jump over the table towards the lizard, but Ranerik anticipated his move and drew out a syringe that he plunged into Dante's arm.
         "Nighty nighty. Don't let the pirate bugs bite."

~~~

         Holly, though she knew she could trust Dante with her life, however, she didn't trust hiding under a bed and hoping that the room wouldn't be searched. She had watched plenty of crime shows to know that it was almost an unwritten procedure to toss the suspect's room while they were taken in for questioning. It would only be a matter of time before they find her and frankly she wasn't a fan of tight dark spaces ever since her nightmares of being trapped in one.
         Holly drew the knife from her boot and started to quietly tap the walls and flooring for a weak spot. She hit a nice hollow echo and dug the tip of the blade into the sheet metal. The knife was not made for this type of labor, but it held well as it pierced through the thin metal repeatedly and bending back the jagged sharp edges. Once she had a fairly decent size for her to slip through, Holly sheathed the knife into her boot and pushed the metal down to create her escape. She slipped through carefully and dropped down into a vastly huge dark room.
         Well, now what are the chances that Dante knew he was sitting right over the cargo hold, Holly thought as she looked around at the crates of protein bars, water tablets, and other assortments of the crew's storage.
         She looked around –well, more like felt around– the cargo until she found what she was looking for.
         "There you are." Holly said when she found the TARDIS at the back end of the hold. Even from a short distance, Holly could hear her humming pleasantly and even some of the soft lighting poured from the windows as she walked towards the blue box. "Hope you're feeling better 'cause I could really need you right now."
         She plucked out her key and turned the lock. She then held her breath in a silent pray before opening the door and slipped in. Holly shut the door and looked around. Everything seemed all right, a bit dim, but she just assumed that was a power saving setting. Stepping up to the console, Holly gently stroked the glass pillar and the light grew just a tad brighter in response.
         "Hello, I've missed you too. You might know this already, but the Doctor is a bit preoccupied being a captive, but don't worry, he'll manage. As for me, well, I'm playing hide and seek. There's a really nasty lizard out there who is trying to get me so, yea... figured this was the safest place for me at now."

~~~

         Shalanra stepped down into the holding room quarters and found the Doctor lying on the ground and not moving. Panic quickly rose in her and she rushed to the bars while calling him.
         "Doctor! Hey, wake up!"
         She pulled the keys out of her pocket, swiftly opened the barred cell door, and rushed over to the man hoping he was all right. When she reached for him, she heard a soft noise, like a gargle or a snore.
         "Doctor?"
         She shook his shoulder lightly at first, but after the third time she stood up and gave him a quick kick at his feet as she yelled at him.
         "Wake up!"
         The Doctor shot awake and babbled something about someone stealing his bananas before realize he was awake.
         He blinked a couple times as he tried to figure out why the Captain was in his cell. "Hello?"
         "Well, nice of you to wake up. For a second I thought I was going to have to call the medic down here for a second body."
         "Oi, it's not my fault you caught me sleeping. I do sleep you know, but only about an hour or two a day. Thanks for the caring though. Now what is it that you want? "
         "Was just checking up on you."
         "No, I mean what are you doing in here? You could have just banged on the bars to wake me up."
         "I... You looked... Blast it, I thought you were dead and I was going to check your vitals. Wouldn't want to upset your daughter if you died on my watch, and let alone lose the bounty reward. You're my golden ticket, remember?"
         "You know what I think? I think you just like to put on a show that you're some ruthless pirate when you are actually just trying to keep your family safe after a tragedy. That and you don't want to see anyone hurt, so let me ask again: Why are you here?"
         "I want to know why the Golden Hourglass wants you. It's been gnawing at me for the very start and I just can't think why they have gone to such lengths for your arrest. So, I want to know the truth. Whatever info you can give about you, your daughter, and whatever else you think can help me to figure out who would kill one of my crew."
         The Doctor leaned his back against the bars as Shalanra listened to his story. "It's a bit lengthy, but I'll give you the short version. First thing you got to know is that Crystal isn't my daughter. Second, she's not Crystal, it's Holly. Third, don't believe a word Ranerik tells you."
         After telling her about his several encounters with Ranerik, Dante, and whatever the Golden Hourglass threw at him and Holly, the Captain started pacing the floor and shaking her head.
         "So, I was a fool then and Drake was right. I brought this on my crew and already they are paying the price for it."
         "It's not too late. We can stop Ranerik before he kills us all."
         "Well, well, well," Ranerik said as he came down the stairs pushing Dante, gagged and bound before him. "Seems I caught you scheming behind my back, Captain. Now, step away from him or see another one of your crew die."
Ranerik held a slim knife to Dante's throat as both the Captain and the Doctor slowly stood up.
         "You don't have to do this Ranerik. You got me, what more do you want?" The Doctor asked.
         "The girl, where is she? I know you lot are hiding her."
         "Holly? She's missing?"
         "So, I guess you didn't know. How about you Captain?"
         "Haven't the faintest clue."
         "You don't? Well, that's a pretty shame. Guess I'll just lock up all three of you."
         Ranerik shoved Dante into the cell and slammed the door.
         "Keys or I'll kill one of you."
         "Oh, that's your answer to everything isn't it. Kill this, kill that. You must have had a troubling childhood," the Doctor spat his mouth off.
         Before anyone could react, the Captain screamed and dropped to the floor as a knife stuck out from her shoulder.
         "The next one goes to her head if you don't shut it and toss me the keys," Ranerik hissed.
         The Doctor picked up the dropped keys by Shalanra and tossed them to Ranerik.
         "Thank you. Now then, I have a ship to command and a girl to find. Talk to you soon, Doctor."
         He left them locked inside the cell and slammed the holding door shut.
         The Doctor told Shalanra to lay down and once he helped Dante out of his bounds they both got to work to help the Captain stop her bleeding.
         "Dante, you pull the knife and I'll bandage. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"
         Dante yanked the knife out of Shalanra with one hand while the other held her down. Shalanra screamed and fought but she knew this had to be done if she wanted to live. The Doctor was quick to plug up the wound with the Captain's sash, but he knew that wouldn't do much. She needed to be stitched up but there wasn't anything to help her.
         "Dante, look for anything to help stitch her wound."
         "What if we cauterization it?"
         "That would work too, but where do you see fire?"
         "This." He held a tiny vial of yellow glowing liquid. "It's Fireworm spit. I was going to use it later to get out of here, but she needs it more."
         "You are not usin' that goop on me you hear!"
         "Captain, I'm trying to save your life, so shut it. Doctor, you hold her and I'll drip the spit into her wound. It's gonna hurt like heck so hold her tight."
         The Doctor nodded and they swapped places. The Doctor pinned Shalanra's unharmed arm with one hand and placed his other hand on her stomach. Dante counted off, but only went to two when he moved the bloodied cloth wad and tipped the vial, dripping the fiery hot solution onto the open wound. Shalanra kicked and screamed but the Doctor held her down as Dante continued to cauterization her wound. Luckily, it wasn't deep enough to create and exit wound, so after the bleeding stopped Dante tore a new bandage to wrap around her shoulder. Shalanra was so weak from her ordeal that she passed out once they laid her back down. The Doctor balled up his coat and placed it under her head for a pillow. Dante offered up his coat as a blanket and covered her to keep her warm.
         "So, what happened to Holly?" The Doctor asked as he looked up to Dante.
         "She hid in a spot under the bed, but they said she escaped from there. The reason I chose that room was exactly for that reason. The metal flooring was weak, weak enough to punch through it, but also because it's right above the cargo hold. My bet is that she found the TARDIS and is safe and sound in there."
         "If that's true, then there's not a safer place for her. I don't think I can say this enough, but thank you for keeping her safe this far."
         "Hey, you're the one that told me too."
         "I did?"
         "Yea, you don't have to hide it any more, I know it was you."
         "Hide what?"
         "Oops, so I guess technically you haven't hired me yet."
         "I did what?"

~~~

         Quartermaster Drake didn't like taking orders from the sick deranged Agent, but he knew that Ranerik would keep his word and kill the Captain if no one followed his orders. Just to make should the message stuck, the lizard had killed another crewmember right in front of everyone. After that, Drake found himself in a vain attempt to search the decks for any holes of the girl's escape and to see where she had gone from there. That was when he found the hold in the ceiling of the cargo hold.
         "Good work Drake," Ranerik said as he held a lantern up to see the crudely cutout. "You said the Doctor's ship was here somewhere?"
         "Aye sir. Back behind there. If she's foolish enough she'll be hiding in there."
         "Good, very good. Load it to the docking bay. It's about time this mess of a mission gets cleaned up. Oh I do love taking out the trash."
         "Wait, you mean to flush the box with her inside into space? She'll die. What sort of satisfaction do you get for killing a harmless girl?"
         "She is anything but harmless. And who are you to question me? Or have you forgotten about your precious Captain?  Get to it!"

~~~

         The Doctor's head shot up when he heard the holding door open and a jangle of keys as Ranerik and Drake came down.
         "Ah, the lizard graces us once again with his presence. What is it this time?"
         Dante snorted a laugh as Ranerik glared around at them.
         "I have something to show you, Doctor. Come and watch my victory."
         Hearing that, his hearts almost skipped a beat at the thought of Holly in danger. He knew he had to see what Ranerik was talking about and so the Doctor willingly came to the door and allowed Drake to bind his hands.
         "This way."
         Ranerik led the Doctor up through the ship to a section he hadn't seen before, the cargo hold. Ranerik stopped before a glass window and beckoned the Doctor over to him.
         "I think that belongs to you."
         The Doctor looked through the window of the blast door and saw his TARDIS sitting alone on the platform beside the bay doors. Instantly he knew what was about to happen.
         "Ranerik please, I'll do anything you want, just don't open the doors. Please, I beg you."
         "Oh, the great Doctor now begs for mercy. Tell me, did you show any mercy for the many Silurians that only wanted back what was ours? You stood by as many of my people died by your pet humans."
         "Please, don't do this. That ship is my life."
         "Well, you should have taken better care of it. Drake, open the bay doors."
         "No!"
         But it was too late, the outer doors opened and the Doctor watched in horror as his craft was sucked out into the black void of space.
         "What have you done," the Doctor breathed quietly as the little blue dot came smaller and smaller.
         "This is my way of hurting you where it counts without lifting a finger against you. Take him back to his cell."