Broken: A Time Lord's Story (Doctor Who Novel)

Chapter 15 The Return to the Hub

"Tbrae!" K'Nar screamed with joy when she saw her friend in the company of one of H'Tarle's officers, and took off to meet her. She stopped short when she saw the empty expression her friend's face. She had the same lifeless eyes and blank look that her lord had when she'd found him. "Oh TBrae, I'm so sorry." K'Nar sobbed as she pulled the numb girl into her arms.

H'Tarle looked at his officer who smiled. "I found her hiding in a cupboard. Smart little thing, she'd locked the door from the inside. Took me ten minutes to prove that we were the good guys."

"See if she can pick out her attacker, and then get them all to the medics for transport to the Healing Centre. A female prisoner from the cells said they took her daughter. Send a team to scour the man --" H'Tarle didn't get the chance to finish the order. A piercing scream cut across the chatter filled hall. He looked up to see one of his men carrying a child no more than five and watched the relieved woman rush to retrieve her daughter. The success of this raid was a source of immense pride for the tired Inspector. The evil beings in this mansion would go away forever, and no one died. He felt terrible for the four humans, though. He knew they considered their mission a failure.

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H'Tarle stood with Jack outside the K'Nar's healing centre room, watching Amy and River try to comfort the child. For two hours, the two human women cajoled, rocked, and even sang lullabies in a vain attempt to calm her down, but weeks of her own torture combined with seeing her Lord and T'Brae brutalised, finally came crashing in on the child. K'Nar collapsed in grief when she watched T'Brae collapse, screaming in terror at the sight of her abuser. Each time, the two women stepped away from her, she would descend into hysterics. Finally, the healers had no choice, but to sedate her. He understood why the two women wanted to sit with her, but it was time to go.

"I'm sorry ladies," he said softly, "but I must get back to the station, and finish processing the last of the prisoners."

"We're coming as soon as she is asleep," River answered softly.

"Poor little thing, I've never had so many victims requiring sedation." H'Tarle shook his head and looked at Jack. "They tried to take the little girl for an exam and her mother attacked the healer. She thought they were stealing her again. Half a dozen of the servants had to be sedated when they found out they were free. They just fell to their knees crying. The stories, my men are getting from them, will put that -- what did Amy call her?"

"Bitch," Jack replied. "It's not a nice term."

"So I gathered," H'Tarle replied with a chuckle as Amy and River joined them.

"What?" River asked.

"Nothing, linguistics education," Jack quipped.

"Well, let's go, then." River whispered.

With her private attendant sitting next to her, stroking her head, the foursome cast one last look at the now sleeping teen. "How long before her parents get here?" River asked as they walked out the door.

"Three days, maybe four, and I promise you, Curly Top -- she will have protection around the clock. The healers assigned a private caretaker to her and to T'Brae."

"What about T'Brae; what will happen to her?" Amy asked sadly.

"We'll find her parents and hopefully ... hopefully -- she'll recover, but .... Anyway,  we have to go."

By Jack's chronometer, it was one in the morning when the four walked out of the healing centre to the waiting hover. Too exhausted to do more than grunt their responses, the short trip to the Justice Centre was made in silence. The day's events were difficult to process. The four humans leaned back against their seats trying to wrap their brains around their dismal failure. Processing K'Nar's story gave them as much trouble. If it were true, they had no idea what the consequences would be for the Doctor. Murdering NaV0 in as many fascinating ways as possible played against the backdrop of his suffering. No one cared about the Doctor's rules against revenge.