FIC: The Rutan Relics - Chapter 11
May. 18th, 2009 10:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nentariTitle: The Rutan Relics - Chapter 11
Author: Me
Beta-Reader:alouzon
Fandom: Doctor Who/M*A*S*H
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4177
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all its characters belong to the BBC; M*A*S*H and all its characters belong to Twentieth Century Fox. I own nothing - not even the Fourteenth Doctor.
Summary: The Doctor returns to a place he has visited in the past to stop some old enemies from recovering something that is best left forgotten.
Warning: Spoilers for Abyssinia, Henry/Welcome to Korea.
Chapter 11
"I don't understand," Hye said, standing at the door. "What's the problem with the rain?"
"That's no ordinary rain," the Doctor replied, rushing back with the plastic squares and sitting on the floor, the same way Jamie's first Doctor did on that fateful day when he sacrificed his own freedom, and that of his companions. Once again the young Highlander felt a wave of terror overtake him. What if the Shadow Proclamation separated him from the Doctor again?
"Would you care to explain?" Captain Hunnicutt asked, seeing that the Doctor was now focusing her whole attention on the squares and had forgotten about the rest of her explanation.
"This is the first stage of the method used by the Judoon to move a building to a different location," the Rutan said. "This building, to be more precise. We can only hope that the Doctor contacts the Shadow Proclamation before the rain begins to go upwards, otherwise..."
"...we'll most likely all be dead very shortly," the Doctor concluded. "Now quiet, so I can do this."
"But-" Captain Pierce was about to start, but a loud "Shush!" from the Doctor silenced him.
The Doctor was once again sitting on the floor, having arranged the square cards in front of her. The moment everybody went quiet, it happened - the moment Jamie remembered so well, and which he hoped he'd never witness again: the cards began to move of their own accord and attached themselves to each other until they formed a cube. This done, the Doctor stood up, holding the object.
"What's that?" Captain Pierce asked incautiously.
"A message," the Doctor said. "Let's hope it will work."
"Doctor, hurry!" the Rutan pleaded as he looked out the window. Jamie could see that the rain had increased in intensity.
"All right, all right!" the Doctor said in a tone that sounded both anxious and impatient. Once again, she closed her eyes in concentration, and the cube began to emit a pulsating sound. Everyone around her gasped as it vanished.
"Gol-ly," one of the patients uttered.
"W-what happens now?" Kim asked, still clutching at her brother.
"We wait," the Doctor said, approaching the window. The others gathered at the window behind her or in the open doorway, watching. For a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, nothing happened. Then, the rain began to dissipate at an unnaturally quick speed. Both the Doctor and the Rutan let out deep sighs of relief.
"That's it?" Hye asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
"That's it," confirmed the Doctor. She gave Jamie a reassuring smile as she squeezed his hand. A wave of relief came over him. No Time Lords, he thought. Nobody to take him back to France, or tamper with his memories again. And the hospital was safe.
"Well, thank God for that," Captain Pierce said. Jamie saw him give the Rutan a funny look, but he couldn't blame him after everything that had just happened. "Now can anyone please explain to me what's a Shadow Proclamation, and what's a Judoon?"
"I think you can call them 'space police'," the Doctor said, as she sat down on the bed and began to hurriedly stuff the many objects on it back inside the tweed coat's pockets. "The Judoon are like big, ugly, stupid MPs, but more efficient."
"And more ruthless," the Rutan added.
"Exactly," the Time Lord confirmed, before adding, "Because they have no jurisdiction on Earth, they would have moved this building to another point in space where they would be free to conduct their investigation. This would very likely have caused a great deal of damage to the rest of the camp and..." She trailed off, as she picked something else from the pile. "Hello?" She lifted it, and Jamie could see that it was another white cube. She smiled. "We got a reply."
"What...?" Captain Hunnicutt asked, as the Doctor raised the hand holding the cube and released it. The cube rose and began to dissolve into a glowing mist that revealed the image of a pale woman with white hair and red eyes in a long dress, surrounded by half a dozen armoured beasties. One of them had its helmet off, and Jamie could see that it had a monstrous face with thick, wrinkled grey skin and a horn protruding from its long snout. It strongly reminded Jamie of an animal he had once seen in a book in the TARDIS library.
"We received your message, Doctor, and accept the veracity of your testimony," the woman said. "We extend our condolences for the loss of our two Rutan allies, and commend them for the non-aggressive methods they employed to handle their affairs, in spite of the danger they faced."
Jamie had to suppress a derisive snort. The Rutans' "non-aggressive methods" had involved the kidnapping of two humans and an attempt to electrocute the Doctor - though the Doctor seemed to have forgotten all about the latter since she learned about the treaty.
"Furthermore," the pale woman continued, "we will take measures against General Kaall and his men, and ensure that the Sontarans do not violate Earth's sovereignty in the near future. It is still a Level Five planet."
"Hawkeye, there's... Gee whiz!" Jamie turned to see where the exclamation had come from. Radar had just entered the ward and was gaping open-mouthed at the image of the pale woman and her companions.
"-body will be removed from the area, together with any other signs of the Sontarans' presence," the woman continued. "We count on our Rutan allies to ensure they do the same with their own possessions." The woman raised her hand in what Jamie assumed was a gesture of peace. "Farewell, Doctor, and thank you for your cooperation."
And with this, the image faded and the mist dissipated, trapping itself within the cube, which had reassembled itself and was hovering once again. The Doctor quickly snatched it out of midair, and put it inside the tweed coat's right pocket.
"Wow," Jamie heard Radar gasp, before adding in a louder voice, "What was that?"
"The confirmation that your problems with the Sontarans are finally over," the Doctor replied, beaming.
"We hope," 'Spalding' added, gloomily.
"Boy, I sure missed a lot," Radar muttered, making notations on his clipboard out of nervous habit.
"Nah, it was nothing much, really," Captain Hunnicutt said, trying to restore some good humour.
"Kidnapping, electrocution..." Captain Pierce added.
"Potato-headed aliens..."
"False identities..." Pierce gave the Rutan a black look.
"You know, the usual."
"Er, if you say so, sirs," Radar said, his eyes still wide with surprise.
"What did you want to tell us, Radar?" the Rutan then asked.
"Well-"
"Attention, all personnel," a voice was then heard through the sound system. "Incoming wounded."
"That," Radar said. "Nothing big, though - just a couple of wounded, coming by chopper."
"That's a couple of wounded too many," Captain Pierce said, standing up. "And we're fresh out of nurses."
"And Frank's not here, either," Captain Hunnicutt added, also leaping to his feet and heading for the door.
"Well, there's always a silver lining."
The Rutan reacted the same way as the two Captains. "You get the patients," he said, "and I'll go and scrub."
This made Captain Pierce, who was already almost out the door, stop in his tracks. "No," he said firmly.
"What?" the Rutan asked, more surprised than Jamie thought he should be after all that had happened. However, Jamie himself felt surprise, as the Captain turned and, instead of the anger or resentment Jamie was expecting to see in his eyes, had once again the same serious determination he had displayed while tending the Doctor.
"Listen," Pierce said, "I can accept that you're not human, and I can accept the reasons why you were pretending to be one. I don't really understand it, and I don't like it, but I can accept it. However, unless you come up with a medical diploma, I don't want to see you touching a patient again. Got that?"
The Rutan sighed. "Yep."
Radar was staring at them with a confused look. Jamie wondered why, if the young Corporal truly had the second sight (or whatever confusing scientific name the Doctor had used earlier) he didn't realize that 'Spalding' was a Rutan. But then again, if 'Spalding' had been this way from the start, Jamie could see how his alien qualities might have eluded Radar.
"However," the Captain eventually said with a sigh, "since we're short of nurses and you do know your way around the OR, I don't think there's a problem with you giving us a hand with the instruments and all that. Just... You know... Don't operate on them when we're not looking. We've had false doctors in the camp in the past, and no matter how good they are it's always a liability."
This made the Rutan smile. "You got it."
"You," Captain Pierce then turned to the Doctor, "are you a real doctor, or is it just a nickname?"
"I'm a scientist, not a surgeon," she replied with great dignity. "I did study medicine, but that's not my area of expertise."
"But can you assist us? We're short a nurse."
"We're short of all nurses," Captain Hunnicutt added.
"Speak for yourself, I was never short with them."
"Well, since you are six foot four, that's hardly surprising."
The Doctor raised her hand, trying to stop them before they really got going. "All right, all right," she said, before turning to her companion. "Wait here, will you, Jamie? Depending on the injuries, this might take a while."
"Aye, if you say so, Doctor."
Hye jumped to join the others. "I want to help too."
"Hye-" Kim was about to start, reproachfully, but quieted when her friend shot her a glare.
"Well?" Hye insisted.
Captain Pierce shook his head. "You're not qualified. I'm sorry."
"Hop'ung," she snapped. Either the translation circuits of the TARDIS had failed again, or the ship had decided it was better not to touch the word; nevertheless, given the way she said it, Jamie had a pretty good idea of its possible meaning, and blushed at the thought of a young lady using such language. "You've had villagers help you in the OR before, and there were nurses then!"
"They were just watching," Captain Pierce insisted.
"Well, I want to watch too!" she pleaded.
Captain Pierce sighed, and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry." She glared in response.
"Oh, let her watch," the Doctor said. "What harm can it do? She clearly just wants to learn." Hye shot her a grateful look.
"I think that might be the problem," Captain Pierce said warily, before adding, "Listen, I feel that under the circumstances, it's better not to have visitors in there. You should wait until the nurses are back. I tell you what, though. You check up on the patients," he gestured to the beds. "They're still anxious, and I'm sure they don't want to be left alone after what just happened."
Having said this, he gave her a small smile and rushed outside. "Radar, get the jeep!" Jamie heard him call from outside.
"Right," the young Corporal said, running to follow - though not without looking confusedly at the others for a small moment.
The Doctor looked at Hye, who was staring after Hawkeye, seething. "Don't worry, he's just nervous after all that's happened. I'll see what I can do." And with this, she followed Captain Hunnicutt through another door.
"Where are they going?" Jamie asked.
"To scrub," the Rutan replied. "They need to be sterile before they operate." He looked at Hye. "Are you OK?"
"Hawkeye's not nervous," the lass grumbled. "He doesn't want me there because it might encourage me."
The Rutan sighed, and followed the other two. Hye immediately proceeded towards the beds, talking to each of the patients in low, soothing tones. Jamie couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever it was it seemed to be working; the nervous old man was still a bit fidgety, but now he seemed more willing to lie down again and try to get to sleep, while the others were trying to sit up straight on their beds and talk among themselves.
"Look," Jamie asked, approaching Hye as she tucked in the old man. "I dinnae understand. What's the problem with you becoming a doctor?"
The lass took a deep breath before turning to him. "Besides your Doctor, do you know any others who are women?"
"Oh aye," he replied quickly. "Quite a few." He thought of Dr. Corwin back on the Wheel, and one of the UNIT doctors who treated him after he'd been shot. And there was also Pandora Pugh, who as a young girl had travelled with the large, tweed-clad Doctor; he had recently met her in the late 21st century, at the age of 70, working for Torchwood alongside Zoe and Captain Harkness as a doctor and scientific advisor. He had found her a bit unsettling, as she acted as if she knew him well, and not just from hearing the Doctor mention him.
"But none of them are in Korea, right?" Hye asked.
"Well, we only arrived today." He explained, scratching his head bemusedly.
Having checked up on the few patients in the ward, Hye slowly walked through the door which the Doctor had exited by earlier with Captain Hunnicutt and the Rutan, gesturing at Jamie to follow her. On the other side of the door was a corridor connecting the ward with another room, this one with large swinging doors, next to which stood a couple of chairs and a gurney. Hye was now sitting on one of the chairs and Jamie decided to join her, sitting on the other.
"You won't find any lady doctors here," she finally said. "Not Korean-born, anyway, though I haven't met any American ones either. The closest thing you'll find are healers." She sighed. "I respect old medicine, and I'm happy to learn it, but that's not what I really want to do." She paused, before adding, "That's not how my father has raised me."
"Aye, you said something about him being a doctor too," Jamie said, coaxing more details from her.
Hye became wistful. "Yeah. He studied in America, you know. Stanford. Got some ideas there that are different from the way people think in Korea." She started to play with the trailing cuff of her sleeve. "When I was little, I decided I wanted to be a doctor like him, and instead of trying to convince me to think of becoming a wife like other girls, he encouraged me. Maybe it was because my mother died when I was little, and he didn't know how to teach me how to act like a normal girl. I'm not sure." She paused. "The rest of the family was shocked, but they did not argue with his decision because he was the eldest of the family, and was to be respected."
She looked at him. "Then, a year ago, he got sick. Pneumonia. We were already at war and there wasn't enough medicine available to cure him."
"Oh, I'm sorry, lass." Jamie didn't know what else to say, and awkwardly patted her arm.
Hye looked at her sleeve again. "Before he died, he made my uncles promise him they'd send me to school when the war was over. He felt it wouldn't take long." She looked up again, and her expression hardened. "But my uncles had a lot of debts, and used the money my father had saved for me to pay them. And they refused to let me go to school because I was a woman and so I should tidy things up for them. I was angry, but because they were my elders I said nothing. And then..." Her eyes widened, and she blinked rapidly. Jamie had seen Victoria and Polly do this on a few occasions, in an attempt to stop unwanted tears from escaping their eyes. Hye continued, her voice in a lower, shamed tone. "And then... they sold me."
Jamie gasped in disbelief. "They sold you?"
"They had debts again, and it's not uncommon for families to sell their daughters as servants." Her voice was still low. "Musume, they call us. Or moose." She looked at Jamie again, and he could see some anger behind the tears she was refusing to let flow.
"But you dinnae do such to your kin!" he said, outraged. "You're their niece; was it not their place to protect you?!"
"Women are not important," she said. Feeling that the battle against the tears was about to be lost, the wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"But they couldnae-"
"I know they couldn't. They had made a promise to my father, and they broke it. They dishonoured our family by doing so, even if they didn't agree with his wishes." Now that her eyes here no longer covered by her tears, anger seemed to be the strongest emotion in them. "I shall never forgive them."
"What did you do?"
"What could I do? I ran away. By doing so, I disgraced myself, which is why no school in Korea will ever take me, even if I manage to get enough money to study in Seoul."
Jamie was shocked. "But they were the ones who sold you!"
"I told you, I'm a woman - selling girls is acceptable, but my running away is seen as a disgrace. Even if it was accepted for women to study medicine, no Korean school would take me - I will forever be seen as the moose who refused to do her duty. I can't go to America either, because with the war people don't like Koreans that much there now." She looked at him. "But there's always Tokyo."
"What's so special about Tokyo?" Jamie asked. He sincerely doubted that she would not be able to attend school somewhere in Korea - it seemed a vast enough land (big enough to contain a war where soldiers were flown into camps), and if there was one thing he had noticed in his travels with the Doctor, it was that people were usually unaware of anything that did not directly involve them - quite often to their detriment. Given how Hye seemed to feel about it though, he also doubted that she would get through the admission process without blurting out the tale of what she considered to be her personal shame.
"It's not Korea," she said with a shrug. "And the doctors here are always going there when they have a break, and are always telling such wonderful things about it, so I want to see it. Have you ever been to Tokyo?"
Jamie paused for thought. "No, I don't think I have. The Doctor-"
"Make way!"
He was cut off by the sudden arrival of Radar and Klinger (still in his yellow crinoline), carrying a soldier on a stretcher. They went through the swinging doors and disappeared. Immediately after them came Captain Pierce with another man, both carrying another patient.
"All right," Jamie heard the Captain say once they too passed through the doors, "prep 'em. Beej, this one's yours."
"Right," Captain Hunnicutt's voice was then heard. "Major, you're with me."
"Right," the Doctor's voice replied.
Then, a man Jamie hadn't seen before entered. He seemed rather youthful, with fair hair, glasses, and a gentle, nervous manner. Jamie couldn't help but notice that he straightened what appeared to be a priest's collar as he walked.
"Goodness me," he said in a nasal, almost comical voice. He then noticed Hye and greeted her. "Hello, my child. How many wounded are there?"
"Only two, Father," she said.
The priest looked through one of the swinging doors' windows. "And the nurses are gone..." he said, worriedly, before adding, "Well, I'll see if I can be of any assistance." And with this, he took a white mask from his pocket and held it against his face, and entered.
"That's Father Mulcahy," Hye told Jamie, clearly noticing the look of confusion in the Highlander's face. "He's the camp chaplain, I think that's what they call it." She stood up and looked through a window. "Come and look," she said, gesturing for Jamie to come closer.
He moved onto the other window and peeked inside. Captain Hunnicutt was already operating on one of the soldiers, while the Doctor was holding what looked like a gas mask against the man's face. Radar, who like them, was masked, gloved and completely covered in white, was trying to hand instruments to the Captain, but kept on hesitating between them.
Meanwhile, Klinger was assisting Captain Pierce with his gloves. "Just the leg," Jamie heard him tell the other soldier, who looked fully conscious. "You'll only need a local. Get it, will you, Father?" he added to the priest, who was walking past them.
"Oh. Right," Father Mulcahy said, quickly stepping away to retrieve the requested item.
"The anaesthetic is for me," the Captain then said to his patient. "I've been suffering from terrible insomnia these past few days."
Jamie was surprised to see the soldier smile through his pain. He turned to Hye. "The Captain seems to be a good man. Why does he not want you in there?"
"I don't think he believes I'll be able to do it," she said with a shrug. "He tries to help me whenever he can, but I feel that he worries I might become too obsessed with going to Tokyo that I might end up doing something stupid. Or that I might end up there alone and without any way to support myself." She sighed. "He worries too much. That's his problem."
Jamie thought about that, as he looked at the Captain working on his patient's leg. He was still not sure he liked Captain Pierce, not after that disastrous first encounter, but he was aware that the man really was a serious and dedicated doctor, and that despite his erratic behaviour and questionable sense of humour, he truly cared for the people he was in charge of. He couldn't see why Hye would think such concern for others was a problem, though.
"What's happening here?" a voice behind them demanded.
Both Jamie and Hye turned, and found themselves face to face with the two missing Majors, who were dressed in what looked like long coats trimmed in feathers (Major Houlihan's in blue, and Major Burns' in pink) that Jamie could easily guess as being part of Corporal Klinger's unusual wardrobe. Behind them was the Monk, whom Major Houlihan was pulling along by the arm.
"Major, what's happened to you?" Hye asked the older woman.
"Never mind that," Major Houlihan said sternly. "Where's Major Smith?"
"In the OR," the lass replied. "A couple of patients have arrived."
"What?" Major Houlihan blurted while trying to drag the Monk with her to peer through the window, concern written on her face.
"And they've started things without me?" Major Burns said in a screechy, outraged tone. "I'm the CO!"
"I know that voice," Captain Pierce was then heard from the other side of the doors, his tone clearly filled with relief. "Frank, is that you?"
"No, it's Amelia Earhart!" Major Houlihan snapped.
"It's nice to hear from you too, Margaret," Captain Hunnicutt said.
"Now scrub, will you?" Pierce said. "Radar's a lousy nurse and Klinger's dress gets in the way."
"Some welcome," Burns grumbled.
"What were you expecting, Frank?" Houlihan snapped. "There's wounded!"
"But surely they could have shown some apprecia-"
"Oh, shut up." She then turned to Jamie. "Lieutenant, I believe this is your prisoner," she said, pushing the Monk toward the young piper. "With the compliments of the 4077th."
"Er, thank you," Jamie said, as the two Majors walked past them into the operations room, sleeves covering their faces. Loud whistling greeted their arrival, followed by a shout of "Knock it off, Pierce!" from Major Burns.
"Well," the Monk started, giving Jamie his most innocent face, while trying to shuffle unobtrusively towards the exit, "I think I'll just be going-"
"Oh, no," Jamie said, putting a hand on the Time Lord's shoulder. "You'll not go anywhere until the Doctor joins us." He scowled. "And dinnae think I forgot about the wee tap you gave me on the head, either." The Monk let out a small whimper at the Scot's foreboding expression. Again, Jamie was reminded of a small child caught doing something naughty.
"He was the one who hit you?" Hye asked incredulously, subconsciously raising her bat as if ready to administer a retaliatory blow on Jamie's behalf.
"Aye, so it seems." He glared at the cringing Monk, trying to mimic the "stern parent" pose the Doctor had assumed earlier while talking to her fellow Time Lord. "What d'you have to say for yourself, eh?"
"Er... I'm sorry and I promise never to do it again?" the Monk suggested in a half-mocking, half-hopeful smile. Jamie and Hye glared. "No," he said, "I didn't think it would work."
Author: Me
Beta-Reader:
alouzonFandom: Doctor Who/M*A*S*H
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4177
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all its characters belong to the BBC; M*A*S*H and all its characters belong to Twentieth Century Fox. I own nothing - not even the Fourteenth Doctor.
Summary: The Doctor returns to a place he has visited in the past to stop some old enemies from recovering something that is best left forgotten.
Warning: Spoilers for Abyssinia, Henry/Welcome to Korea.
"I don't understand," Hye said, standing at the door. "What's the problem with the rain?"
"That's no ordinary rain," the Doctor replied, rushing back with the plastic squares and sitting on the floor, the same way Jamie's first Doctor did on that fateful day when he sacrificed his own freedom, and that of his companions. Once again the young Highlander felt a wave of terror overtake him. What if the Shadow Proclamation separated him from the Doctor again?
"Would you care to explain?" Captain Hunnicutt asked, seeing that the Doctor was now focusing her whole attention on the squares and had forgotten about the rest of her explanation.
"This is the first stage of the method used by the Judoon to move a building to a different location," the Rutan said. "This building, to be more precise. We can only hope that the Doctor contacts the Shadow Proclamation before the rain begins to go upwards, otherwise..."
"...we'll most likely all be dead very shortly," the Doctor concluded. "Now quiet, so I can do this."
"But-" Captain Pierce was about to start, but a loud "Shush!" from the Doctor silenced him.
The Doctor was once again sitting on the floor, having arranged the square cards in front of her. The moment everybody went quiet, it happened - the moment Jamie remembered so well, and which he hoped he'd never witness again: the cards began to move of their own accord and attached themselves to each other until they formed a cube. This done, the Doctor stood up, holding the object.
"What's that?" Captain Pierce asked incautiously.
"A message," the Doctor said. "Let's hope it will work."
"Doctor, hurry!" the Rutan pleaded as he looked out the window. Jamie could see that the rain had increased in intensity.
"All right, all right!" the Doctor said in a tone that sounded both anxious and impatient. Once again, she closed her eyes in concentration, and the cube began to emit a pulsating sound. Everyone around her gasped as it vanished.
"Gol-ly," one of the patients uttered.
"W-what happens now?" Kim asked, still clutching at her brother.
"We wait," the Doctor said, approaching the window. The others gathered at the window behind her or in the open doorway, watching. For a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, nothing happened. Then, the rain began to dissipate at an unnaturally quick speed. Both the Doctor and the Rutan let out deep sighs of relief.
"That's it?" Hye asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
"That's it," confirmed the Doctor. She gave Jamie a reassuring smile as she squeezed his hand. A wave of relief came over him. No Time Lords, he thought. Nobody to take him back to France, or tamper with his memories again. And the hospital was safe.
"Well, thank God for that," Captain Pierce said. Jamie saw him give the Rutan a funny look, but he couldn't blame him after everything that had just happened. "Now can anyone please explain to me what's a Shadow Proclamation, and what's a Judoon?"
"I think you can call them 'space police'," the Doctor said, as she sat down on the bed and began to hurriedly stuff the many objects on it back inside the tweed coat's pockets. "The Judoon are like big, ugly, stupid MPs, but more efficient."
"And more ruthless," the Rutan added.
"Exactly," the Time Lord confirmed, before adding, "Because they have no jurisdiction on Earth, they would have moved this building to another point in space where they would be free to conduct their investigation. This would very likely have caused a great deal of damage to the rest of the camp and..." She trailed off, as she picked something else from the pile. "Hello?" She lifted it, and Jamie could see that it was another white cube. She smiled. "We got a reply."
"What...?" Captain Hunnicutt asked, as the Doctor raised the hand holding the cube and released it. The cube rose and began to dissolve into a glowing mist that revealed the image of a pale woman with white hair and red eyes in a long dress, surrounded by half a dozen armoured beasties. One of them had its helmet off, and Jamie could see that it had a monstrous face with thick, wrinkled grey skin and a horn protruding from its long snout. It strongly reminded Jamie of an animal he had once seen in a book in the TARDIS library.
"We received your message, Doctor, and accept the veracity of your testimony," the woman said. "We extend our condolences for the loss of our two Rutan allies, and commend them for the non-aggressive methods they employed to handle their affairs, in spite of the danger they faced."
Jamie had to suppress a derisive snort. The Rutans' "non-aggressive methods" had involved the kidnapping of two humans and an attempt to electrocute the Doctor - though the Doctor seemed to have forgotten all about the latter since she learned about the treaty.
"Furthermore," the pale woman continued, "we will take measures against General Kaall and his men, and ensure that the Sontarans do not violate Earth's sovereignty in the near future. It is still a Level Five planet."
"Hawkeye, there's... Gee whiz!" Jamie turned to see where the exclamation had come from. Radar had just entered the ward and was gaping open-mouthed at the image of the pale woman and her companions.
"-body will be removed from the area, together with any other signs of the Sontarans' presence," the woman continued. "We count on our Rutan allies to ensure they do the same with their own possessions." The woman raised her hand in what Jamie assumed was a gesture of peace. "Farewell, Doctor, and thank you for your cooperation."
And with this, the image faded and the mist dissipated, trapping itself within the cube, which had reassembled itself and was hovering once again. The Doctor quickly snatched it out of midair, and put it inside the tweed coat's right pocket.
"Wow," Jamie heard Radar gasp, before adding in a louder voice, "What was that?"
"The confirmation that your problems with the Sontarans are finally over," the Doctor replied, beaming.
"We hope," 'Spalding' added, gloomily.
"Boy, I sure missed a lot," Radar muttered, making notations on his clipboard out of nervous habit.
"Nah, it was nothing much, really," Captain Hunnicutt said, trying to restore some good humour.
"Kidnapping, electrocution..." Captain Pierce added.
"Potato-headed aliens..."
"False identities..." Pierce gave the Rutan a black look.
"You know, the usual."
"Er, if you say so, sirs," Radar said, his eyes still wide with surprise.
"What did you want to tell us, Radar?" the Rutan then asked.
"Well-"
"Attention, all personnel," a voice was then heard through the sound system. "Incoming wounded."
"That," Radar said. "Nothing big, though - just a couple of wounded, coming by chopper."
"That's a couple of wounded too many," Captain Pierce said, standing up. "And we're fresh out of nurses."
"And Frank's not here, either," Captain Hunnicutt added, also leaping to his feet and heading for the door.
"Well, there's always a silver lining."
The Rutan reacted the same way as the two Captains. "You get the patients," he said, "and I'll go and scrub."
This made Captain Pierce, who was already almost out the door, stop in his tracks. "No," he said firmly.
"What?" the Rutan asked, more surprised than Jamie thought he should be after all that had happened. However, Jamie himself felt surprise, as the Captain turned and, instead of the anger or resentment Jamie was expecting to see in his eyes, had once again the same serious determination he had displayed while tending the Doctor.
"Listen," Pierce said, "I can accept that you're not human, and I can accept the reasons why you were pretending to be one. I don't really understand it, and I don't like it, but I can accept it. However, unless you come up with a medical diploma, I don't want to see you touching a patient again. Got that?"
The Rutan sighed. "Yep."
Radar was staring at them with a confused look. Jamie wondered why, if the young Corporal truly had the second sight (or whatever confusing scientific name the Doctor had used earlier) he didn't realize that 'Spalding' was a Rutan. But then again, if 'Spalding' had been this way from the start, Jamie could see how his alien qualities might have eluded Radar.
"However," the Captain eventually said with a sigh, "since we're short of nurses and you do know your way around the OR, I don't think there's a problem with you giving us a hand with the instruments and all that. Just... You know... Don't operate on them when we're not looking. We've had false doctors in the camp in the past, and no matter how good they are it's always a liability."
This made the Rutan smile. "You got it."
"You," Captain Pierce then turned to the Doctor, "are you a real doctor, or is it just a nickname?"
"I'm a scientist, not a surgeon," she replied with great dignity. "I did study medicine, but that's not my area of expertise."
"But can you assist us? We're short a nurse."
"We're short of all nurses," Captain Hunnicutt added.
"Speak for yourself, I was never short with them."
"Well, since you are six foot four, that's hardly surprising."
The Doctor raised her hand, trying to stop them before they really got going. "All right, all right," she said, before turning to her companion. "Wait here, will you, Jamie? Depending on the injuries, this might take a while."
"Aye, if you say so, Doctor."
Hye jumped to join the others. "I want to help too."
"Hye-" Kim was about to start, reproachfully, but quieted when her friend shot her a glare.
"Well?" Hye insisted.
Captain Pierce shook his head. "You're not qualified. I'm sorry."
"Hop'ung," she snapped. Either the translation circuits of the TARDIS had failed again, or the ship had decided it was better not to touch the word; nevertheless, given the way she said it, Jamie had a pretty good idea of its possible meaning, and blushed at the thought of a young lady using such language. "You've had villagers help you in the OR before, and there were nurses then!"
"They were just watching," Captain Pierce insisted.
"Well, I want to watch too!" she pleaded.
Captain Pierce sighed, and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry." She glared in response.
"Oh, let her watch," the Doctor said. "What harm can it do? She clearly just wants to learn." Hye shot her a grateful look.
"I think that might be the problem," Captain Pierce said warily, before adding, "Listen, I feel that under the circumstances, it's better not to have visitors in there. You should wait until the nurses are back. I tell you what, though. You check up on the patients," he gestured to the beds. "They're still anxious, and I'm sure they don't want to be left alone after what just happened."
Having said this, he gave her a small smile and rushed outside. "Radar, get the jeep!" Jamie heard him call from outside.
"Right," the young Corporal said, running to follow - though not without looking confusedly at the others for a small moment.
The Doctor looked at Hye, who was staring after Hawkeye, seething. "Don't worry, he's just nervous after all that's happened. I'll see what I can do." And with this, she followed Captain Hunnicutt through another door.
"Where are they going?" Jamie asked.
"To scrub," the Rutan replied. "They need to be sterile before they operate." He looked at Hye. "Are you OK?"
"Hawkeye's not nervous," the lass grumbled. "He doesn't want me there because it might encourage me."
The Rutan sighed, and followed the other two. Hye immediately proceeded towards the beds, talking to each of the patients in low, soothing tones. Jamie couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever it was it seemed to be working; the nervous old man was still a bit fidgety, but now he seemed more willing to lie down again and try to get to sleep, while the others were trying to sit up straight on their beds and talk among themselves.
"Look," Jamie asked, approaching Hye as she tucked in the old man. "I dinnae understand. What's the problem with you becoming a doctor?"
The lass took a deep breath before turning to him. "Besides your Doctor, do you know any others who are women?"
"Oh aye," he replied quickly. "Quite a few." He thought of Dr. Corwin back on the Wheel, and one of the UNIT doctors who treated him after he'd been shot. And there was also Pandora Pugh, who as a young girl had travelled with the large, tweed-clad Doctor; he had recently met her in the late 21st century, at the age of 70, working for Torchwood alongside Zoe and Captain Harkness as a doctor and scientific advisor. He had found her a bit unsettling, as she acted as if she knew him well, and not just from hearing the Doctor mention him.
"But none of them are in Korea, right?" Hye asked.
"Well, we only arrived today." He explained, scratching his head bemusedly.
Having checked up on the few patients in the ward, Hye slowly walked through the door which the Doctor had exited by earlier with Captain Hunnicutt and the Rutan, gesturing at Jamie to follow her. On the other side of the door was a corridor connecting the ward with another room, this one with large swinging doors, next to which stood a couple of chairs and a gurney. Hye was now sitting on one of the chairs and Jamie decided to join her, sitting on the other.
"You won't find any lady doctors here," she finally said. "Not Korean-born, anyway, though I haven't met any American ones either. The closest thing you'll find are healers." She sighed. "I respect old medicine, and I'm happy to learn it, but that's not what I really want to do." She paused, before adding, "That's not how my father has raised me."
"Aye, you said something about him being a doctor too," Jamie said, coaxing more details from her.
Hye became wistful. "Yeah. He studied in America, you know. Stanford. Got some ideas there that are different from the way people think in Korea." She started to play with the trailing cuff of her sleeve. "When I was little, I decided I wanted to be a doctor like him, and instead of trying to convince me to think of becoming a wife like other girls, he encouraged me. Maybe it was because my mother died when I was little, and he didn't know how to teach me how to act like a normal girl. I'm not sure." She paused. "The rest of the family was shocked, but they did not argue with his decision because he was the eldest of the family, and was to be respected."
She looked at him. "Then, a year ago, he got sick. Pneumonia. We were already at war and there wasn't enough medicine available to cure him."
"Oh, I'm sorry, lass." Jamie didn't know what else to say, and awkwardly patted her arm.
Hye looked at her sleeve again. "Before he died, he made my uncles promise him they'd send me to school when the war was over. He felt it wouldn't take long." She looked up again, and her expression hardened. "But my uncles had a lot of debts, and used the money my father had saved for me to pay them. And they refused to let me go to school because I was a woman and so I should tidy things up for them. I was angry, but because they were my elders I said nothing. And then..." Her eyes widened, and she blinked rapidly. Jamie had seen Victoria and Polly do this on a few occasions, in an attempt to stop unwanted tears from escaping their eyes. Hye continued, her voice in a lower, shamed tone. "And then... they sold me."
Jamie gasped in disbelief. "They sold you?"
"They had debts again, and it's not uncommon for families to sell their daughters as servants." Her voice was still low. "Musume, they call us. Or moose." She looked at Jamie again, and he could see some anger behind the tears she was refusing to let flow.
"But you dinnae do such to your kin!" he said, outraged. "You're their niece; was it not their place to protect you?!"
"Women are not important," she said. Feeling that the battle against the tears was about to be lost, the wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"But they couldnae-"
"I know they couldn't. They had made a promise to my father, and they broke it. They dishonoured our family by doing so, even if they didn't agree with his wishes." Now that her eyes here no longer covered by her tears, anger seemed to be the strongest emotion in them. "I shall never forgive them."
"What did you do?"
"What could I do? I ran away. By doing so, I disgraced myself, which is why no school in Korea will ever take me, even if I manage to get enough money to study in Seoul."
Jamie was shocked. "But they were the ones who sold you!"
"I told you, I'm a woman - selling girls is acceptable, but my running away is seen as a disgrace. Even if it was accepted for women to study medicine, no Korean school would take me - I will forever be seen as the moose who refused to do her duty. I can't go to America either, because with the war people don't like Koreans that much there now." She looked at him. "But there's always Tokyo."
"What's so special about Tokyo?" Jamie asked. He sincerely doubted that she would not be able to attend school somewhere in Korea - it seemed a vast enough land (big enough to contain a war where soldiers were flown into camps), and if there was one thing he had noticed in his travels with the Doctor, it was that people were usually unaware of anything that did not directly involve them - quite often to their detriment. Given how Hye seemed to feel about it though, he also doubted that she would get through the admission process without blurting out the tale of what she considered to be her personal shame.
"It's not Korea," she said with a shrug. "And the doctors here are always going there when they have a break, and are always telling such wonderful things about it, so I want to see it. Have you ever been to Tokyo?"
Jamie paused for thought. "No, I don't think I have. The Doctor-"
"Make way!"
He was cut off by the sudden arrival of Radar and Klinger (still in his yellow crinoline), carrying a soldier on a stretcher. They went through the swinging doors and disappeared. Immediately after them came Captain Pierce with another man, both carrying another patient.
"All right," Jamie heard the Captain say once they too passed through the doors, "prep 'em. Beej, this one's yours."
"Right," Captain Hunnicutt's voice was then heard. "Major, you're with me."
"Right," the Doctor's voice replied.
Then, a man Jamie hadn't seen before entered. He seemed rather youthful, with fair hair, glasses, and a gentle, nervous manner. Jamie couldn't help but notice that he straightened what appeared to be a priest's collar as he walked.
"Goodness me," he said in a nasal, almost comical voice. He then noticed Hye and greeted her. "Hello, my child. How many wounded are there?"
"Only two, Father," she said.
The priest looked through one of the swinging doors' windows. "And the nurses are gone..." he said, worriedly, before adding, "Well, I'll see if I can be of any assistance." And with this, he took a white mask from his pocket and held it against his face, and entered.
"That's Father Mulcahy," Hye told Jamie, clearly noticing the look of confusion in the Highlander's face. "He's the camp chaplain, I think that's what they call it." She stood up and looked through a window. "Come and look," she said, gesturing for Jamie to come closer.
He moved onto the other window and peeked inside. Captain Hunnicutt was already operating on one of the soldiers, while the Doctor was holding what looked like a gas mask against the man's face. Radar, who like them, was masked, gloved and completely covered in white, was trying to hand instruments to the Captain, but kept on hesitating between them.
Meanwhile, Klinger was assisting Captain Pierce with his gloves. "Just the leg," Jamie heard him tell the other soldier, who looked fully conscious. "You'll only need a local. Get it, will you, Father?" he added to the priest, who was walking past them.
"Oh. Right," Father Mulcahy said, quickly stepping away to retrieve the requested item.
"The anaesthetic is for me," the Captain then said to his patient. "I've been suffering from terrible insomnia these past few days."
Jamie was surprised to see the soldier smile through his pain. He turned to Hye. "The Captain seems to be a good man. Why does he not want you in there?"
"I don't think he believes I'll be able to do it," she said with a shrug. "He tries to help me whenever he can, but I feel that he worries I might become too obsessed with going to Tokyo that I might end up doing something stupid. Or that I might end up there alone and without any way to support myself." She sighed. "He worries too much. That's his problem."
Jamie thought about that, as he looked at the Captain working on his patient's leg. He was still not sure he liked Captain Pierce, not after that disastrous first encounter, but he was aware that the man really was a serious and dedicated doctor, and that despite his erratic behaviour and questionable sense of humour, he truly cared for the people he was in charge of. He couldn't see why Hye would think such concern for others was a problem, though.
"What's happening here?" a voice behind them demanded.
Both Jamie and Hye turned, and found themselves face to face with the two missing Majors, who were dressed in what looked like long coats trimmed in feathers (Major Houlihan's in blue, and Major Burns' in pink) that Jamie could easily guess as being part of Corporal Klinger's unusual wardrobe. Behind them was the Monk, whom Major Houlihan was pulling along by the arm.
"Major, what's happened to you?" Hye asked the older woman.
"Never mind that," Major Houlihan said sternly. "Where's Major Smith?"
"In the OR," the lass replied. "A couple of patients have arrived."
"What?" Major Houlihan blurted while trying to drag the Monk with her to peer through the window, concern written on her face.
"And they've started things without me?" Major Burns said in a screechy, outraged tone. "I'm the CO!"
"I know that voice," Captain Pierce was then heard from the other side of the doors, his tone clearly filled with relief. "Frank, is that you?"
"No, it's Amelia Earhart!" Major Houlihan snapped.
"It's nice to hear from you too, Margaret," Captain Hunnicutt said.
"Now scrub, will you?" Pierce said. "Radar's a lousy nurse and Klinger's dress gets in the way."
"Some welcome," Burns grumbled.
"What were you expecting, Frank?" Houlihan snapped. "There's wounded!"
"But surely they could have shown some apprecia-"
"Oh, shut up." She then turned to Jamie. "Lieutenant, I believe this is your prisoner," she said, pushing the Monk toward the young piper. "With the compliments of the 4077th."
"Er, thank you," Jamie said, as the two Majors walked past them into the operations room, sleeves covering their faces. Loud whistling greeted their arrival, followed by a shout of "Knock it off, Pierce!" from Major Burns.
"Well," the Monk started, giving Jamie his most innocent face, while trying to shuffle unobtrusively towards the exit, "I think I'll just be going-"
"Oh, no," Jamie said, putting a hand on the Time Lord's shoulder. "You'll not go anywhere until the Doctor joins us." He scowled. "And dinnae think I forgot about the wee tap you gave me on the head, either." The Monk let out a small whimper at the Scot's foreboding expression. Again, Jamie was reminded of a small child caught doing something naughty.
"He was the one who hit you?" Hye asked incredulously, subconsciously raising her bat as if ready to administer a retaliatory blow on Jamie's behalf.
"Aye, so it seems." He glared at the cringing Monk, trying to mimic the "stern parent" pose the Doctor had assumed earlier while talking to her fellow Time Lord. "What d'you have to say for yourself, eh?"
"Er... I'm sorry and I promise never to do it again?" the Monk suggested in a half-mocking, half-hopeful smile. Jamie and Hye glared. "No," he said, "I didn't think it would work."
