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Chapter Twelve
Your Time Is Up

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I want it.”

“Well, you can’t have it.”

Eroica turned to look at Jason, a downcast expression on his face. “Why not?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“We’re here to get the last bowl, not add to your collection of stolen artwork,” the Alterran said in a quiet yet forceful tone. He and the thief were standing in front of a display stand upon which was a figure of a Greek god that Eroica had identified as Apollo. It was apparently made from some rare material and was crafted by a very famous artist, neither of which Jason had ever heard of, not that this was any great surprise to either of them.

“You let me take those little trinkets in Milan,” Eroica pointed out.

“I did not! You pilfered those when my back was turned.”

A bright smile illuminated the thief’s face in the semi-darkness. “Same difference.”

The Alterran pulled on Eroica’s arm, finally tearing his attention away from the statue. “Come on, we have exactly five minutes to get in and out of here.”

Eroica frowned at him. No one had mentioned a time limit. “Why five minutes?”

Now it was Jason’s turn to smile. “According to my calculations, that’s the maximum amount of time you can stay serious and not hit on me at the same time.”

Eroica had to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh. “Just tell me you’re not flattered.”

“I’m not flattered.”

“Liar!”

“Dorian, you’ve seen me transmute. I can appear any way I like.”

Eroica looked at him through his eyelashes. “We really must discuss that later,” he cooed.

“Your five minutes aren’t up,” Jason shot back smoothly.

Eroica could not help but laugh at this. He found the room where the last of the bowls was located and stood on the threshold, scanning the interior. “There,” he said, pointing to a display case in the center of the room.

Jason adjusted his eyes and made a quick visual sweep to make certain all the laser sensors had been deactivated, which indeed they had. “Good boy, K-9,” he said approvingly, leading the way in.

In less than a minute, Eroica had opened the display and was removing the covering. Jason carefully lifted the bowl from its stand and then knelt down. He opened the satchel, pulling out the lead wrappings that would protect the object from damage and shield any radiation leakage. While he was doing this, Eroica went back to the figurine for one last look. After all, he could always come back for it later now that he knew the layout of the building. He smiled at the thought of his accountant’s reaction to this. James would no doubt demand to know why he hadn’t just taken it right then and there.

As Eroica stood gazing at the figurine, he decided that James was perfectly right. Why shouldn’t he take this exquisite piece now? Of course, the Major would be horrified at its decadence, which made the idea all the more inviting. Before he could do anything, however, he was suddenly grabbed from behind by a very large individual, who clamped a hand firmly over his mouth. He struggled briefly, stopping the instant the barrel of a gun was pressed against his temple. “Not one sound,” a voice hissed in his ear.

The astonished and confused thief was pulled away from the display and thrust, face first, against the wall. Then his hands were tightly bound behind his back with tape. It was all too obvious that this was not the police.

“Dorian…?” came Jason’s whispered call.

Eroica winced as the gun pressed even harder into his skull, the threat blindingly obvious. A piece of tape was roughly forced over his mouth. It was quickly followed by another, his unseen assailants obviously wanting to make certain he was silenced. He was then dragged into an alcove and shoved against the wall again, the gun practically glued to his flesh.

“Dorian!” Jason called again, a little louder this time. “Dammit, where are you?”

The alarms suddenly went off, all the lights in the building coming on at the same time. Jason jumped, blinking against the sudden glare and looking around in astonishment. How the hell did that happen? K-9 deactivated them. “Shit!” he hissed, following up with a stream of curses in several languages none of which were native to Earth.

Abandoning his search for the thief, Jason turned and dashed for the exit, thinking he would run smack into Dorian at any moment, probably with the wretched statue in his hands. He heard the unmistakable sound of running feet heading straight for him and he looked around, ducking into an alcove similar to the one the captive Eroica now occupied. The Alterran’s body shimmered and the base of the display was suddenly much larger.

The guards ran passed and the Alterran returned to his human form, cautiously peeking around the corner. To his relief the corridor was empty. By this time, the open display case had been discovered and he could hear the sound of the guards, all issuing conflicting orders with no one apparently following to any of them. Good, you guys add to the general chaos while I get the hell out of here. As quickly and as quietly as he could, Jason ran in the opposite direction, praying he would not meet any other guards, and wondering what the hell had happened to Dorian.

* * *

A very breathless Jason practically fell through the exterior doors and into the TARDIS control room. He had covered the entire distance from the building at a dead run. Now he stood leaning on the control console, gasping for breath. He slapped the door lever and then slid down onto the floor, still trying to catch his breath.

“Where’s Dorian?” the Doctor demanded.

“No…idea,” Jason gasped out, shaking his head at the same time. “He disappeared on me.”

“What?” The Doctor turned to the viewer and the image of the chaos Jason left behind. The lights all around the building had come on, sirens were blaring, and guards were running in all directions. “You just left him in there?”

“What did he want to steal?” the Major asked pointedly, casually lighting a cigarette at the same time.

Jason looked up sharply, his mouth dropping open. “How did you…?”

The Major just nodded, turning to the scanner. “Haven’t you learned yet? He’s selfish and impulsive. This was the last bowl we needed. So he’s stolen something for himself and gone back to have that weasel accountant of his sell it. He’ll probably be back in London before this time machine.”

“I don’t believe it!” Jason replied, pulling himself to his feet. “Are you saying he’s the one who tripped the alarm? Knowing I was still in the building?”

“Of course. He knew you would get out.”

Jason starred at him, too stunned to even think straight. He turned a pleading gaze in the Doctor’s direction. “Doctor, we can’t leave him,” he said insistently.

“I don’t see as we have any choice,” the Time Lord replied. “Dorian’s obviously made his.”

“We don’t know that!” his companion protested. “What if he’s in trouble?”

The Major gave a derisive snort. “He is always in trouble, you stupid boy. He’s a thief!” As far as he was concerned, the matter was closed. Eroica was gone, thank God, and they could continue with the rest of the mission without his irritating presence to bog things down.

“Jason,” the Doctor said calmly, “the Major told me this might happen.”

Jason was taken aback. “When?”

“In Milan.” The Time Lord threw a quick glance across the room to the uncharacteristically silent Klaus, who was looking exceptionally pleased with himself. “And he does know Dorian—Eroica’s—pattern of behavior a lot better than we do.”

The Alterran looked from one to the other. “Are you saying he’s been conning me this whole time?”

“So it would seem,” the Major replied bluntly. He was actually enjoying the fact that for once he was not the one being humiliated by Eroica’s antics.

Jason gave him a dark look and the Doctor quickly intervened. The Major had no idea of the severity of the situation, not that he would have cared even if he did. Jason was an Alterran. An expert in the art of deception. He had gotten to know Dorian and was certain he would not simply abandon him to steal a statue. The fact that this seemed to be exactly what he had done did more than just sting his pride. It betrayed his trust, which for Jason cut to the bone.

“We’ve a rendezvous with the sun,” the Time Lord said finally, returning his attention to the console. As he set the coordinates, his companion picked up the satchel containing final component to the Planet Killer device. He carefully unwrapped it and placed it in the container with the others. Then he turned back to the viewer, giving the building one last look before the Doctor switched off the scanner.

“Dammit, Dorian, where are you?” he said quietly.

* * *

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