Chapter Seven
"Dad, we need weapons."
He paused in donning his tuxedo. "Tech, you know how I feel about weapons"
"I know, but we WILL need them. The day after tomorrow they take Diz. I assume they intend to use us as 'insurance' you don't become a problem. They plan on catching us and addicting us to sparkle. They try for all of us. They get Diz. We won't have time to be nice. We'll be real close."
"Order them." The Doctor's voice was grim. There was no cure for addiction to the drug known as sparkle and addiction came with the first dose. It was death quickly without it, slowly with it. Not even Time Lords were immune. No one was fool enough to use it intentionally. It was a drug of coercion, used to control. It would have been wiped out, but the plant from which it was extracted was also the source of three life-saving medications that could not be duplicated.
It was time to break the syndicate. There hadn't been any reports of sparkle on the planet. If it was brought in, the world was lost. They had found how the drugs were coming in, but not who shipped them. The Doctor planned on creating a shortage. He knew he wouldn't find the sparkle. Fifty grams was enough to addict a world.
"Dad, there's one more thing."
"Tech, this sounds like bad news."
"It is. We won't be able to save the two girls with Diz. Doc and you are going to get hurt. Dad, download Data into the TARDIS memory banks. Get his complete specs. Make sure the files are complete. His brain won't be damaged, but his memory will be wiped. It's going to take outside help to reintegrate his personality. The only reason it can be done at all is because the TARDIS won't lose any of the 'flavour' of his memories. Make sure you get well acquainted with the man in the next box tonight. He's the one we'll need. You're going to have to get him to come back here with us. He'll have to stay in the TARDIS and you'll have to tell him who you are. All of who you are."
"Tech, I can't do that."
"Yes you can. You will. It's safe with him. He's an old man and he's dying. I don't know what you tell him. No one will ever know what you tell him, but it will make him help us save Data. Dad, we can't save Diz without Data and we can't save Data without Professor Daring."
"Doctor."
"Coming, Data! I'd say that call was about your evening wear. Get changed. I'll have to tell Data why."
"I know. Tell him I said he won't lose anything. He'll actually gain a little. The TARDIS can't resist, I guess deepening is the best word, his experiences, but she won't actually change him. Professor Daring is a different story. He's a genius. He's going to die before he finishes his life's work. He's very close to creating a positronic brain. He's going to want to give Data an emotive circuit. It's why you have to tell him who you are. You have to stop him."
"Yes, it would change him. He wants to feel as we do so badly. All right, Tech. I'll tell the professor. Now, get changed. I have a date."
"Yeah, and you're really going to enjoy it."
Christian Paris picked up the corsage and contemplated it. Why did he have to send a Sylvan rose? She knew the flower, more commonly known as a mood rose, was rare and expensive, but at the moment she would have preferred a local weed. No one else would realize what it was, but he would know.
She sighed and attached it to her white gown. The door beeped and she went to answer it. He too wore white and a rose. He smiled and she blushed. His rose was white, but hers was deep red.
"Hello, Christian. I thought we'd walk. I hope you don't mind."
"I had rather hoped we would, Captain. It's a beautiful evening."
"And you are its perfect complement. Shall we go?"
She took his arm and he led her to the stairs. She was surprised. He'd chosen to escort her down the showpiece of the hotel, the great, two story, carpeted, curving, white marble staircase. He had learned it was the last night of her holiday. He would make it one she would always remember.
"I believe you told me you are a teacher on Edith. Carnival seems a rather distant vacation choice."
"I won the trip. My class entered me in the contest. I didn't know anything about lt. I still don't believe I won. I'm not sure why they chose me. I think my students exaggerated."
"This sounds interesting. May I know more?"
"Every year the Mandac Travel Corporation holds a contest. The prize is an expense paid, first class, trip to one of their destinations. The contest is called, "The World's Best Teacher". Students write essays on why they think their teacher is best. Winning was an honor, but the real prize was their accomplishment."
"This story gets more interesting as it progresses. Tell me what they accomplished."
"They obtained the contest forms, followed the rules and wrote an essay. They all worked on lt. I checked and none of the other teachers or their parents helped. My class is very special. I teach severely developmentally disabled children, most with multiple handicaps."
"You, beautiful lady, are a very special person. One more question. Usually, such trips are for two, why are you traveling alone? That question bothered you. I'm sorry."
"It's all right. My husband died of Penalen's syndrome a year ago. I did invite another teacher, but, at the last moment, she had to cancel. I couldn't not take the trip. Not after the work my students did. So, I came alone."
"Penalen's syndrome is a birth defect."
"Yes, my husband was the first disabled person I ever taught. He was brilliant, but he'd been institutionalized as unteachable. It took me two years to get him out of that place. I had to devise a whole series of new tests to prove he was capable of learning before I could convince the court to let me marry him. The tests are now used on disabled children. I like to think I've kept a lot of them from spending their lives in the kind of trapped desperation he suffered."
"I would say your students and the contest judges knew exactly what they were doing. I doubt there was any exaggeration in that essay at all."
People in the hotel watched the couple in white descend the stairs. The beautiful woman seemed to float on the arm of the handsome man. The white gown and white tuxedo were set off perfectly by the deep red roses they both wore.
Data and the boys were awaiting them in the lobby of the Grand Ballet Theater. They ascended to their box and the Doctor took note of the small elderly man seated alone in the box to his right.
"Watch him, Dad. He'll need you just before the final curtain. Check his inside coat pocket."
"Thank you, Tech. You will escort him to the ship."
"Yes, he'll help Leroy."
"May I know what that was about?"
"My children are special too, Christian. Tech has his own form of handicap. He can never know the delight of a surprise."
"I don't understand."
"He remembers his whole life. Past, present and future. From the moment of birth to the moment of death. It is a terrible burden to carry."
"I can be surprised, Dad. I'll always remember the occasion. No one else could have changed it. Only you."
"It needed to be changed."
"Is he saying you changed the future?"
"Yes. It's frowned upon, but tolerated. I get in a great deal more trouble when I change the past. I usually wind up in court."
"I don't think I'll ask any more questions. The answers are making my curiosity bump itch."
"That's probably a very wise decision."
The ballet was a classic production of Swan Lake. It was the reason he'd chosen it. Christian had never seen it before, neither had Tech or Doc. It was Diz' favorite and Data preferred it to most others. He listened carefully. The lead violinist was excellent.
During the intermission, the Doctor chatted with Professor Daring. The topics they discussed were over Christian's head, but she enjoyed listening. She wouldn't have believed her opinion of Captain Knight could get higher, but it did.
Just before the final curtain, Tech sa
id, "Now."
The Doctor leapt across the gap from his box to Professor Daring's and caught him as he was about to pitch forward over the rail. He quickly found the injector and administered the medication. He sat on the floor with the little man and told him who he was. All of who he was.
He told him what he needed and Professor Daring smiled in delight. He knew he would never finish his life's work, but he would see what it would have created. The Doctor smiled at the little man's expression of wonder as he entered the cab and sat next to Data for the ride to the ship.
"Christian, the night is young. Let's find somewhere with candlelight, fine food and beautiful music."
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea, Captain."
He stayed with her until she boarded her ship for home early the next morning. Tech had warned him the men in dark suits were waiting for a time she would be alone. He smiled and decided he'd have stayed even if he hadn't seen the men in dark suits in her hotel lobby. His smile widened. He was quite enjoying being Captain Knight.
"I see we had visitors."
"Hi, Dad. We thought they looked cute all in a circle around the ship."
"I detected your artistic flair in the arrangement, Diz. How's our guest?"
"In heaven. He has a tendency to reach out and pat Data, just to make sure he's real. How was your evening?"
The Doctor smiled and handed Diz his deep red rose. He was puzzled until it changed to blue in his hand. He held it and laughed. It turned pink.
The Doctor entered the TARDIS and hunted for Data and the professor. He found them amidst the main computer banks. "Hello, how is it going?"
"Quite well, Doctor. I successfully countermanded the wipe command on the information you gave me. Professor Daring understands the functions of my positronic brain. He has a most interesting proposal."
"Data, I'm sorry, but I must say no. We must return you to your universe essentially unchanged. You will develop what you want in your own way over time."
"That is very near the statement my creator made before he died."
"I don't see why he shouldn't be given the circuit. It was in his original design."
"Professor, you are one of six people in existence throughout time who truly know all of who I am. The others are all very far in the past. Tech told me to give you information I have NEVER willingly shared with anyone! The reason you were given that information was so that you would not ARGUE with my decision! ACCEPT it is the CORRECT ONE!"
The professor watched him storm out of the room and turned to Data. "Does he get like that often?"
"Not recently. It has been worrying his sons. I shall reassure them. He had become far too polite."
The Doctor sat in front of the viewscreen and watched the neat circle of men on the ferrocrete around the ship awaken. He initiated the tracking program and broke into the planetary comm net. If any one of them placed a call, it would be traced and recorded. He left the bridge and reentered the TARDIS. He had to find a way to change Tech's memories. There must be a way to save the two girls who would be taken with Diz. No one saw him again until that evening.
"Data, pull the list on calls and movements of last night's guests. Professor, you may explore the TARDIS and use any of its facilities. Please return to it now and do not leave it for any reason. Boys, accept delivery on all incoming freight, but check for my code on each item. Scan everything carefully."
"I know where the plants are, Dad."
"I'm sure you do, Tech. Scan anyway."
"Of course. That's the way it works. I remember scanning them, what I found, where I found it, and what I did with it."
"Yes, now do it. I also want our transportation moved to the freight lift in the cargo hold. Well, what are you WAITING for?!"
"You to yell. We've missed it." They grinned and left the bridge.
"Were you successful, Doctor?"
"I don't know, Data. I won't know until tomorrow. I think so. There's a six hour limit. It won't work on Diz, but it should work on humans."
"Tech has not told Diz?"
"No, I don't want him to know. Were we successfully discreet in our weapons order?"
"Yes, Doctor. I was able to intercept all notifications to our adversaries."
"Good. How many targets do we have tonight?"
"Twenty-six. The accumulated winnings and damage should reduce the syndicate cash reserve by eighty-six point three zero percent."
"Plan the route and detonation sequence. Route the list of responsible parties to cluster law enforcement agencies. Arrange for its arrival early day after tomorrow. Get a message to Albert. Let him know it's sparkle. There's not a good lawyer in the cluster who'll want to defend those nine men, not with the proof we're providing. Tell him to make sure they get good counsel. It won't be easy. He'll have to find someone with an absolute belief in the right to counsel and a strong stomach. Send him a list of all accounts and assets. Six have families. Have him arrange income, housing and identity changes for the innocents."
"I estimate it will require thirty-two minutes."
"I'm going to take a hot bath. It'll be a long night and I already feel dirty. Oh yes, make sure all those warehouses are clear of personnel when they go up. Arrange some kind of ruse if necessary."
"Only two have living beings employed in them. They will receive termination notices before they are to report for duty. I estimate an additional three minutes."
"I'll meet you in the wardrobe in forty minutes. Have the boys bring our 'evening wear' there."
The boots and wide belt were red, the pants and jacket black with red piping, and he didn't wear a shirt. The studs gleamed. Data wore all black and a red shirt. The boys wore the Doctor's colors reversed. The tailors had done well. The five sets of leathers were perfect to the last detail, zippers, chains, and Harley Davidson eagle. The Doctor looked in the mirror, smiled, and put on mirror lensed glasses. Captain Knight, Leroy and the boys were about to 'cut loose'.
There were only two motorcycles, so the boys rode grav scoots. The bikes were red, the scoots black. The modifications to the carburetors and engines had made the bikes quieter. The Doctor removed the mufflers and installed units to compensate for the loss of back pressure. Fuel wasn't a problem. They could 'fill up' at any bar in town. He nodded and Tech hit the button to lower the lift. It would rise as soon as the weight was off it.
The quiet evening was shattered by the big red bike kicking over. He rode it through the gate of the spaceport on its back wheel. Leroy stood on the tank and throttled to catch him. The three Knight boys went through the gate doing handstands on the handlebars of their scoots.
They started on the outskirts of the city and worked their way in. Leroy broke the bank at three casinos at the craps tables. The Captain laughed, threw money in the air and snapped his fingers. It didn't come down. The boys got in a brawl in a club and destroyed the premises with men in dark suits. The captain cleaned out six casinos playing roulette. He roared into a club on his bike and gunned it. The mirrored walls shattered. The captain and Leroy got into a friendly shoving match on the sidewalk and Leroy broke through the front wall of a restaurant. They kissed women, got in fights, shattered glass, won money and took bottles of liquor all over the city. Then the night got noisy.
Explosions shook the ground. Sirens wailed. Flames lit up the sky. Captain Knight, Leroy and the boys ignored them. They were out to party. They also knew there would be no destruction that hadn't been intentional.
One very conscientious constable tried to stop them. They were very careful with him. The captain rendered him unconscious with a nerve pinch and they left him lying on the steps of his precinct station holding a letter of apology to him and a recommendation for promotion to his captain.
They completed the twenty-six target run two hours before dawn, brought the lift down by remote and got a good sleep. Well, the boys did, about four hou
rs. The Doctor napped about twenty minutes and Data started tracking the results of their 'night out'.
Lawyers started screaming "suit" early in the morning. They were told to check Captain Knight's credit rating and submit bills at noon in two days. They were warned the captain paid only for completed repairs. No estimates would be accepted. The lawyers checked the rating and contractors went to work all over the city.
Knight Progenitor Page 30