Chapter Eight
“It’s My Job.”

Jason did not know he wasn’t the only one to witness the Major’s fall. Eroica had also witnessed the event, and now believed the officer dead.

Eroica had gotten to the hut and was just about to peek in one of the windows when the Major suddenly burst from one of the doors. As with Jason, he was incredulous to see the Major on the glacier. He heard the sound of raised voices and dropped to the ground, watching from the shadows as three men burst from the building in hot pursuit of the Iron Major.

Eroica chanced a quick peek in the window and saw Agents A and B sitting on the floor, bound hand and foot. Another KGB man was watching them from the far side of the room. The sound of raised voices on the ice returned his attention to the Major and he followed, being inwardly grateful that he had chosen to wear all white on this outing. With any luck, he would blend in with the glare and be invisible to the KGB men currently haring after the Major.

He could see the men far in the distance, waving their arms, the sound of their raised voices floating back over the ice. Then he saw the Major fire and one of the KGB men went down. A shot from another sent the officer spinning over the edge of a fissure in the ice. Eroica had to fight to keep from screaming as the Major vanished from sight, a hand clamping over his mouth to keep the sound from escaping.

Eroica stood staring, not quite able to get his mind to accept the reality of what he just seen. Dead. Iron Klaus was dead. As he continued to watch, he felt tears starting to burn his eyes.

As Jason watched from below, Eroica watched from above as the men laughed over their victory, igniting a flame of anger inside him. He saw Mischa the Cub picking up the Major’s gun as a trophy and rage overcame his grief. How dare he touch the Major’s prized possession!

As he moved to hide himself among the jagged chucks of ice, Eroica vowed to recover the trophy from the Russian. After that, he would decide on how best to avenge the Major’s death.

* * *

The Doctor gave a small cry of delight at the sound of a click. The hatch gave a small pop and hissed open slightly. He was just putting his fingers in the gap when he heard his companion‘s voice.

“Doctor…”

The Time Lord did not even turn. “You’re just in time. I’ve got it open.”

“And I’ve got the Major,” Jason replied calmly.

“What?” The Doctor turned sharply and was taken aback by what he saw. His companion was in his true form and holding the severely injured and now unconscious Major Eberbach. “Good grief. Where on Earth…?”

“For an inaccessible ice cap, this place is turning into Grand Central Station,” the Alterran remarked before saying seriously, “Doctor, I’ve got to get the Major to the sickbay. He’s in really bad shape.”

The Doctor nodded and held out his arms, allowing the Alterran to entwine him. Since the TARDIS was on the side opposite the ladder, the only way up or down was with his companion’s assistance. “Can you handle the both of us?” the Doctor asked as the tendrils tightened around him.

“Just hold still and I should be able to manage. It isn’t that far to the top.”

“Jason, it’s nearly eighty feet.”

“Then hold still so I don’t drop you,” the Alterran said as he started to rise into the air, carrying the Time Lord and his precious cargo with him.

“I’m not sure how thrilled the Major is going to be when he learns who we brought with us,” the Doctor remarked as he was gently set on his feet.

“To be honest, Doctor, I don’t really much care what the man thinks one way or the other,” Jason replied bluntly.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder as he led the way to the TARDIS. “Jason, I know you and he didn’t get along—”

“Save it, Doctor. The man is a Major League Pain-In-The-Ass and couldn’t get along with anyone if his life depended on it.”

“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

“So sue me.”

* * *

As soon as the Doctor had the TARDIS door open, Jason was inside and making straight for the sickbay. The Doctor tried to assist the Healer as best he could, although in his true form, Jason could move incredibly fast and at times left the Time Lord behind.

It was nearly an hour later before Jason announced that his patient was out of danger. It was only then that he slowed down, his seemingly frenzied movements taking on a more normal pace.

It took a few hours more before the majority of the Major’s injuries were treated and healed. His bones were set, grafted and repaired with a device even the Doctor was unfamiliar with. The bullet was removed from his shoulder, the wound treated and sealed with a synthetic skin. To the Healer’s relief, the injury to the officer’s spine was not as severe as he feared. It was very badly bruised, but none of the vertebrae had been damaged. The only thing Jason could not heal completely was the concussion, which would have to heal on its own. He even went so far as to clear out the filth that years of smoking had deposited in the man’s lungs.

When he finally finished, Jason took a seat and waited for his patient to wake up.

“Do you want me to sit with him?” the Doctor offered.

Jason gave it very serious consideration before shaking his head. “No, like it or not, it’s my job.”

The Doctor nodded. “I’ll be in the console room.”

* * *

While Jason was working on the Major’s injuries, Mischa the Cub was calling for a helicopter to transport the agent who had been killed in the exchange of gunfire. After informing the horrified Agents A and B of the death of their superior, he ordered them back to the artefact to continue digging it out.

Eroica watched all this from a window and slipped into the hut on one side when the KGB dragged the protesting alphabets out on the other. He knew he had only a few minutes before the Russian returned to lounge in the comfort of the warm hut while his men froze their asses off in the cold.

Hearing the Russian thundering orders, Eroica made a quick visual sweep of the room, seeing the Major’s gun lying on the top of an open duffle bag. With a smile, he retrieved the weapon and slipped it into a pocket. Now it’s my trophy, he thought in satisfaction.

Suddenly Eroica heard Mischa just outside the door and looked around. There was nowhere to hide! He looked down at the bag in his hand and prayed that for once Jason was wrong.

* * *

“Aside from a mild concussion, you’re completely healed,” Jason was saying to the Major, adding, “And I even cleaned all that glop out of your lungs, so you’ll find breathing is a bit easier, too.”

When the Major had finally regained consciousness, the Alterran Healer told him what had occurred and how he came to be in the TARDIS sickbay. He also told him why he and the Doctor were there and that they had brought Dorian with them. While the Major was irritated that Eroica was there, he found himself amused that the KGB would soon find their base camp plundered by him. If nothing else, he was a very good thief.

The Major suddenly realized that he was wearing only a long hospital-type gown. “Where are my clothes?” he practically demanded.

“Over there. The TARDIS laundry got all the blood out and repaired the damage from the bullet hole.”

The Major gave a snort of disapproval and struggled to sit up. When Jason tried to help, his hands were slapped away.

“You’re welcome,” the Healer snapped impatiently.

“Do you expect me to become like that pervert and fawn all over you now?”

Jason crossed the room, taking the man’s clothes and throwing them at him. “No, Major. But I did just save your life. Again! Would it really kill you to say thank you?”

“I should thank you for doing your job?”

Jason gave a low growl. If he did not leave now, the Major would be requiring his services again. “K-9 will take you to the console room when you’re ready.” So saying, he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

The Major heard the sound of a second door slamming. He got shakily to his feet, and put a hand to his head. Yes, he most certainly had a concussion. He pulled out a cigarette and looked at it a moment before finally lighting it up. Then he checked over his clothes and was amazed to find they had indeed been cleaned and repaired. There was no sign of the bullet hole anywhere.

After the Major was dressed, he found K-9 patiently waiting for him outside the room. “Take me to the…” He frowned. What was that room called again?

“The Young Master has ordered that I take you to the console room, Major,” K-9 informed.

The Major nodded approvingly. Finally, something in this ship that could follow orders.

* * *