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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 14:24:42 GMT
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 14:31:42 GMT
Chapter 1 – New Friends and Odd arrivals .
The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis doors first. His white converse trainers touching down on grey gravel in some sort of clearing in the middle of thick woodland. For some reason, which he couldn’t quite put his finger on, the dash to get out the door before his companion had been more than the usual joyful tussle. He felt uneasy. The fact that this wasn’t the destination that he had originally picked out for himself and Martha didn’t concern him.
The Tardis had this knack for going where she wanted and not where he told her to (not that he would ever admit that to anyone). But for some reason during their flight through the time vortex, it had felt like they had be ‘plucked out’ and put here, like it was unnatural. Though saying that, there was nothing natural about what he did for a living and it wasn’t like his censors had picked up on anything. But maybe that was what was bothering him, the fact that this destination didn’t feel like the Tardis’s doing. Or maybe it was that Tardis cooked meal Miss Jones had forced him through mere hours before. He did try and tell her that him and Rose usually got take out, and that he wasn’t much of a sit down and eat type (not for most people anyway) and that it looked green and squirmy, and food should defiantly not be squirmy. And after said meal he had not changed his mind on that. Food should never ever, ever, EVER be green and squirmy, he defiantly did not do sit down meals with anyone other than Rose, and she was gone. Anyway take out was much better (especially chips), and he feared anything that came out of the tardis fridge. So on second thoughts, landing with a queasy tummy was bound to make him feel a little uneasy, and it was almost defiantly the reason he felt at odds right now.
Right, time to explore, he thought. Realising that he had been uncharacteristically quiet, and not wanting to worry his slow coach of a companion he shouted to her to ‘get a move on before the sun explodes’ and started off down the path. He wasn’t worried, she’d catch up with him, even though there was a rustling in the trees, which was odd considering the lack of wind.
A man, clad in a black leather jacket and clutching an EMT bag, races into the clearing, then stops as if he's seen a ghost. He wheels around, trying to make sense of the change of scenery. "What the..." He said to himself as he drew his gun and dropped the bag almost all in one movement. "Jack? Gwen? Ianto?! Anyone? Hello?" The Doctor watched him as he warily he approached the blue box from behind, stepping as quietly as he could, safety off.
Upon hearing the commotion the Doctor span around, determined not to be taken by surprise. Striding back, owning the place, defiantly not showing any fear, (not that he was feeling any of course) he approached the TARDIS. “Hello!” he called out, not waiting for a reply he carried on, “you know it’s rude to sneak up on people? Rude and a little bit ginger. A bit like me really, though I’m not ginger, I’m the Doctor by the way, who’s there?” The man visibly flinched at the Doctor's voice. "Sorry, mate.” He said, “You first. Preferably with your hands behind your head. Nice and slow-like." "Tut," said the Doctor, "what is it with humans and guns. Always waving them around and pointing them at folk. Shoot first ask questions later. Though I do realise you aren’t shooting me which is kind of you, though seriously…” The gun was thrust towards him again indicating he should shut up and put his hands on his head. The doctor sighed and did just that, leaning on the Tardis in a manner that indicated to his attacker that, yes, he had done this before, and yes he was very bored with the whole thing. The man, keeping the gun trained on him patted him down. “Are you done now? Or you going to do a more thorough job?” he wrinkled his nose,” I don’t really like guns. All shooty and loud. I don’t carry, though if I did there are 26 places I could have hidden it that you didn’t search just now…” from the man’s glare, he quickly shut up. The man approached the Doctor, gun still trained on the him. He aimed to maim, not kill, but was willing to aim a little higher or lower as need dictated. “Right. Here's how this is gonna work. First thing, I'm gonna want an introduction. Next, I'm going to ask you really nicely to drop any weapons you might have in that coat of yours. Third thing, you're going to tell me where the hell I am. Because this is not where I was ten minutes ago. And that makes me nervous. And believe me, when I get nervous, I make bad choices.”[/blockquote]“Ooookey” The Doctor said, as he turned back to face the guy, leaning sideways against the Tardis and making a point of seeming not at all disturbed by the situation. “I’m the Doctor, as I just said, had you been listening.” The man frowned. In response the Doctor cocked his eyebrows slightly and eyed the gun warily, taking a less cocky stance and deciding to be straight with the guy. Last thing he needed was a bullet to the chest and having to explain to a very late Martha Jones that he was in fact the Doctor, and yes he had changed, though was the same, but different, but really the same, and as he thought about he realised just how confusing it really was. “Right, I’m not carrying a weapon, I’m one of those good guy types…” he chewed on his bottom lip slightly and raised an eyebrow looking up to the heavens. “Yah, I’m a good guy. I don’t know where we are. I was brought here to. Don’t know why, or by who. Though I’m sure we can investigate. You know, Inspector Morse and Lewis, Dalziel and Pascoe… Mulder and Scully? No? Right ok then… who are you?” After he had looked the Doctor over. With more than a little bit of trepidation, he lowered the gun and clicked the safety. “Owen Harper.” He introduced, “Doctor Owen Harper, that is. Cardiff, ah, police. Heddlu even. Yeah. And what do you mean taken? Like picked up?” Owen wondered idly if he needed to check himself over for a recent probing. Frustrated, he pressed the button on his earpiece. “Jack? Anyone? Hello?” He pulled the earpiece out of his ear and tucked it in his jacket pocket. “No signal. Sh-t.”
Jack viewed his change of scenery with some regret, things had just been getting interesting with the contortionist and the strong man... trees were rather tame in comparison. It was quiet, eerily quiet and Jack really really wasn't an eerily quiet kinda guy. He was almost happy when Owen's shout reached his ears, though why it had to be Owen of all people. Pinpointing its direction, Jack moved cautiously through the undergrowth.
Jack looked on with amusement at the little scene playing itself out in the clearing, somewhat sighing that Owen was facing Torchwood's number one prime threat and hardly batting an eyelid. "Jeez you just can't get the staff these days, put the gun down Owen. Hello Doctor fancy meeting you here, now shall we get on and find out where here is I have a rather pressing appointment to get back to" “I bet you have!” The Doctor smiled his 900 watt smile. “Jaaaaaaaaaack! How are you?” he hugged the man, holding him at arms length for a moment before grinning again. The Doctor smiled as he saw Owen’s jaw drop as Jack appears and just starts talking to the Doctor. He holstered his gun and gritted his teeth before wandering over to retrieve his EMT kit. He did not like this. Not at all.
“Lets go detect!” Said the Doctor. Jack returned the Doctor's smile and looked about him. "OK,” He said, “We all arrived here and we don't know how, the Tardis too, that's gotta take some power right, grabbing the TARDIS from the vortex?" Jack attempted to scan with his wrist comp. "Picking up a signal off to the north, but it's odd sort of intermittent but hey it's a start" “To the north you say captain? Weeeeeell, who am I to argue with a captain. Shall we then?” The Doctor looked over his shoulder at Owen, who was gritting his teeth somewhat and retrieving something from the ground. “You coming Scully?” he called back to him before making eye contact at Jack and sharing a grin.
Owen grumpily picked up his kit. Jack and the Doctor were chattering away. "Oh well," he thought. "At least that's two of us found." He was jerked out of his reverie by the sounds of sticks breaking in the woods nearby. Footsteps, maybe? He spotted a depression in the grass, as if an animal had slept beneath a half-fallen tree. He sighed. Woods make him nervous. He'd said it before, he hated the countryside. Still, knowing Jack, he'd have a few minutes to go out, maybe figure out where they were. "Nah.” He said, “I'm going to make sure things are alright back here. You go ahead. I'll catch up." The Doctor, who was chatting away with Jack, explaining how he had saved Rose, destroyed the Cybermen and the Daleks, and being all together impressive, came to an abrupt stop suddenly. “That’s weird…” he muttered to himself, before grinning at Jack, “weird is a good word. Not as sinister as creepy, but defiantly more strange than strange. Good intermediate…” But he was just babbling. He hadn’t stopped babbling since he had bumped into Jack. Truth was he was a little afraid of him. A little perplexed by him. He couldn’t die. He was a fixed point in time. He was wrong. This was not what had stopped him now. Something else was wrong. Definitely wrong. More than a little weird, definitely creepy, and maybe in the bad sense. The doctor had stopped, not because of his shoe being undone, or stitch in his side, but because he could hear something. Something on the inside. Drums beating in his head. Whispers in his ear. A sound that he hadn’t heard since the time war. A sound which he shouldn’t be hearing right now. Not unless there was another Time Lord present. And that was impossible. The Doctor didn’t know if he liked impossible.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 14:55:20 GMT
[Chp 1 - Pt 2]
Not far away, in a dripping and rather rocky looking room a dark haired man lay unconscious. He groaned quietly as he came to. Through his brain rushed a multitude of thoughts. “Man –“ He thought. His head hurt. Everything was a little hazy, and pretty damn blurry. It took him a moment to even remember who he was.
His name was Peter, “Peter Petrelli,” He thought, and he was generally thought to be a nice guy; but he had his moments. When he had woken up, it seemed like years since he had closed his eyes. He was cold as ice. He checked his arms, his legs, ran his fingers through his hair and jumped to his feet. He was dizzy. He was alive. He was…intact. He was “…hell,” He thought. “I’m naked. This can’t be good.”
But where was he? Last thing he remembered…last thing he remembered?
He was hot, crazy hot. And he was flying. Was that a dream? He had these amazing dreams sometimes. “No…” He thought, “I think I can fly. No, wait, it’s coming back now. It was with Nathan, that’s my brother,” He reminded himself, “and he was flying. We were high enough in the sky to see only the faintest glimmer of New York’s city lights. It was so beautiful. And then I…Oh God!” The memories flood back. Now here he was. “Is this heaven? Is this me dead now?”
No. It couldn’t be. He didn’t think Angels carried weaponry. And the one standing in front of him was definitely locked and loaded. “It’s kinda rude to sneak up on a guy in his birthday suit.” He thought.
He does it without even taking time for breath, before he knew it the ‘Angel’ was against the wall, pinning him motionless with just his will. He didn’t know how, which was pretty damn scary. Then it came back to him: “I’m special. I can do amazing things, when I put to my mind to it.” There have been people that he had met in the past few months, and they could do amazing things too, like his brother. “I can do what they can do, all of it. I start to wonder if anything has changed since…” He didn’t want to think about that, just in case. But it was important, he figured, to test out what he could still do. Carefully!
First things first. The walls of this room were rough, rocky. He grazed his arm against its surface and watched it heal up pretty damn quick. He sighed in relief and tried to make himself invisible as quick as he could, which too seemed to still work, he needed to preserve his dignity and keep himself off this guy’s radar. Next thing he did was let him down. He looked around the room in wonder then snuck up behind him as quick and as quiet as possible and threw a fist in his direction – It surprised him how fast this guy went down…then he remembered he was pretty strong these days too.
Peter felt kind of bad though, ”Just ‘cause this guy is different lookin’ “, he thought, “doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy”. But then again he did have a gun pointed at him. He tried not to look at him, not only because he was still feeling a little…unstable, a little unpredictable, but because…well, he didn’t think this guy was human and that was just a whole lot more weird than he can deal with right at that minute, even for Peter. He had to focus, not get distracted; he had to get home, somehow, find his brother and make sure everyone was alright.
Thankfully it seemed even gun-wielding aliens had the need for clothing too. A warm pair of, slightly roomy, black army pants later he grabbed hold of the gun he had been pointing in Peter’s direction and he was on his way; trying not to think about or look back at the thing that he had left unconscious behind him. Visible again, and freezing cold, he walked out into an expanse of darkly lit, stony corridors. “Now,” He thought “If only I could find a pair of shoes…" "Damnit." Thought Peter as he emerged into the fresh air. He couldn't hold onto his invisibility. His heart raced like crazy and it was gone. "No!" He yelled at himself as he saw his flesh begin to glow, just a little too warmly. "Keep it calm. Don't Panic! Don't Panic...” He said to himself, “There has to be someone around here. Keep walking. Keep going.” He decided to risk it, before he passed out, even if another of those creatures came after him, even if it was the same one. He had to know whether or not he was really alone. He couldn't cope with the idea he was alone here in this dark and cold place. "Hello...Please! Is someone there!" "Yes!” came a reply. “I'm here! Someone's here!"
Martha had heard the voice and began to run toward it. It was all very odd to her. One minute she was with the Doctor, the next she awoke in the middle of the woods. She had thought there was no harm in looking around. "Doctor?" She asked as she walked through the woods, pushing away the branches and shrubs that were in her way. "Doctor, where are you?" It wasn't like him to just leave her like this. “I bet if I were Rose, he wouldn't dare walk off without me” she thought. She felt her sadness growing and tried to suppress it, she couldn't afford to go into hysterics right yet. “A voice!” thought Peter, “Definitely a reply...a woman." He couldn't see her anywhere. “And foreign too. Must have landed somewhere outside New York then" He momentarily disregarded the strange thing that was probably coming too right now. Could he risk showing himself? Maybe, he thought, she had shoes.
"Hello?" Martha stopped once she reached a small clearing but saw nothing. "Anyone there?" She backed up, scanning her surroundings as the Doctor told her to do whenever she felt in danger. "I heard a voi -- " She bumped into something and quickly turned around to see what it was. To her surprise, there was nothing but the ground behind her. "Doctor!!!" She screamed, terribly scared.
On the other side of the trees the door slowly opened to a Blue Box identical, if a little less scratched, than the one the Doctor had recently emerged from. It was in a way exactly the same box, except that from this door way a young blood peered out. She turned to look back inside to see if the Doctor was following her. He had disappeared out of sight. She shrugged slightly and walked fully out of the Tardis. Surely he would be able to find her. She began to walk, unsure of exactly where she was going. Oh well, she had always liked mystery tours.
Her ears pricked up as she heard a scream and she ran in the direction she thought it was coming from. She knew for sure the Doctor would find her now. He would come straight to the source of trouble. She ran and ran, her long blonde hair getting in her face. ”I really should get this cut some time.” She thought. She ran to the area she was sure she heard the scream coming from.
In the distance Jack and the Doctor heard Martha scream too, it snapped the Doctor out of his almost trance like state. He opened his mouth agape for a moment. How on earth had she gotten into trouble already? And screaming as well, how very, wimpy of her… and that was very rude. He really needed someone to pull him up on that. But he remained froze in space.
“Doctor?” Jack was looking at him puzzled and somewhat concerned.
He didn’t know what to do. Obviously Martha was in some kind of trouble, or afraid or something. But he had also just caught whiff of another Time Lord and he couldn’t just turn his nose up at that.
Of course he could. Martha was his responsibility, and he had gone a good long while without any Time Lords around. If they were stuck here like he was then they could wait. Though saying that, it was almost a Time Lordy thing to bring them here like this… Nah, they wouldn’t interfere… not unless they were evil type Time Lords, and he had met a few… He cut himself off, realising his own personal monologue had taken to rambling as well. He dashed off into the forest in the direction of the screaming.
"Who's there?" Demanded Martha, there was a definite sense of fear in her voice, but with good reason. Taking a few steps back from where she had just mysteriously ran into nothingness, she grabbed a fallen branch and held it in front of her.
"Stand back a second will you" Peter said to the pretty woman who had just thumped him in the face. Although it was dark he was certain she couldn't see him materialise behind her. He was intent to keep his cards close to his chest. Who knows who she was, what she could do?
"Hi." He smiled, he best and most friendly smile, no reason to be hostile.
"Who's there?" There was a definite sense of fear in her voice, but with good reason. Taking a few steps back from where she had just mysteriously ran into nothingness, she grabbed a fallen branch and held it in front of her. "Wooah there!" Peter said quickly before he got himself a face full of sticks. "Hey hey...I'm not going to hurt you. Look I know it's tough to see. I promise, look, I'm holding out my hand. Just my hand. Are you lost? My name's Peter...Peter Petrelli. I'm from New York." She seemed to still be backing away, a look of irony in her face. But she was backing into a path of light. Peter smiled sadly, his heart ached. It had to be said that she looked like..."Simone?" He asked... No it couldn't be, he corrected his thought, she died. He lowered his hand. "Never mind. I think I mistook you for someone else. What's your name? Where did you come from." He knows the Alien-Angel isn't far away...far enough away, he seemed to be able to hear great distances these days. But he could hear it breathing. Suddenly the blonde girl ran from the trees straight into toward Martha. She swallowed and slowly walked forward. "Urm, are you alright?"
Martha turned towards the girl who had just run into the clearing, still holding the branch in front of her. Noticing the girl's slight smile and the same lost expression in her eyes, Martha dropped the branch and smiled at both her and the man who spooked her. "I'm Martha. From London." Martha realized how tight she was holding her arms to her sides and quickly leaned forward to shake hands. "You seem like a nice enough girl." She said as she shook the blonde's hand.
“Can one of you guys tell me where the hell we are?" Asked Peter.
The Doctor veered off the path taking the shortest route, running through trees as he sped on. Twigs and leaves slapped and scratched his face, drawing blood he was sure. He barely risked glancing over his shoulder in case he ran into a tree, but he could not see Jack behind him. He hit something solid but somewhat human shaped, his vision going blurred as he lost balance, covering his face with his arms as he hit the ground, just glimpsing a streak of blond. He rolled onto his back groaning and peering up.
“Jeepers Rose you…” he stopped, gaping at her, rubbing his eyes in case he had suffered a head injury. “ But you…?” he was speechless absolutely speechless.
“Oh God I’m sorry.” She said taking his hand and helping him up. He could see it in her face, she didn’t know who he was. She was smiling not quite catching on just yet that she had known who she was. Maybe she didn’t hear, maybe the excitement had frazzled her slightly. A lump rose into his throat, cutting off words he was about to speak. She was beautiful. More beautiful then he ever remembered.
“I heard screaming.” He said, “Are you… are you hurt?” he smiled gently at her, trying not to come off at intimidating. Trying not to show his disturbance. If she was here, and she didn’t know who he was then… well that explained the Time Lord in his head. "Doctor?" he looked to his right, and there was Martha Jones, and Mr. Pretty Boy by the looks of it, he thought, “This isn't good he thought. Rose can't know who I am...”
"Hi, Doctor John Smith." he smiled at Rose, then towards the man beside Martha. "Picking up strays are we?" Rose blinked, slightly bemused by the man who had ran in. He already knew her name? "Rose...Rose Tyler," she said, confusion wrapped in her tone, "I'm fine. I just heard…Martha…” She checked she had her name right, “scream, thought I would come check if she was alright. Are you okay? That was a nasty fall you had there." Rose felt a strange twinge in her brain, almost as if she knew who this man was but couldn't exactly place where from. All Peter was concerned with was that whoever these strange people were who had just clattered into him, was that this Doctor had a coat! Peter had never been so happy to see a guy in his life. He wondered if he could swap it for this weird weapon he's laid his hand on...he didn't really need it after all. He held it out in his hand. "Hey...hey. Hi! Look man I'm freezing... I landed here with just my wits. Couldn't lend a guy a coat could you?"
When the Doctor suddenly noticed the half nakedness of Peter in front of him, and what stellar abs he had, he thought it probably best to cover them up before Rose fell for him and insisted on dragging him on board the Tardis. He knew his other self would not approve, but like him, he was unable to refuse her anything. He couldn’t help but look back at her. Could see she was noticing things. Working things out in her mind. Always the bright one was his Rose, so much brighter than anyone with A levels or GNVQS. He sighed. She wasn’t his Rose though. Not this one. Not anymore. He had the overwhelming urge to find his other self. To tell him, to insist he held on and never let her go. It would break all the laws of time, he knew that. She noticed him looking and gave her a sheepish smile. The lump in is throat was back. He coughed it away and squeaked a small “Yes” to the half naked handsome man. Pete for short, and handed it over. “Be careful with it.” Snapped the Doctor, eyeing up Martha. Now why couldn’t she give this Pete fellow some attention instead of looking at him all the time? He thought, “Janice Joplin gave me that. Irreplaceable…”
Rose turned around slightly, looking behind her, hoping to see the friendly face of her Doctor. She sighed when she realised there was no sign of him. She turned back to face the crowd again. Dr. Smith was staring at her again. She was slightly uneasy by it, but just gave him a bright smile.
The moment the Doctor had looked at the other girl, Martha knew something was up. She had seen as his eyes had opened wide, as his breath had caught in his throat. He had shortly become a gaping idiot. The Doctor knew who this girl was, from where, Martha didn't have a clue.
"Rose...Rose Tyler." Rose said, introducing herself to the Doctor. Martha's heart sank. She realized, this was the girl the Doctor loved. This was the girl who had died and left the Doctor alone. This was the girl she would never measure up to. Jealousy seeped into Martha's veins. Her blonde hair and pouty lips. Her cute little nose and her tiny little waist.
"Doctor?" Martha wrapped her fingers around the Doctor's arm, "Can I talk to you for a second?" She dragged him back into the woods, out of earshot of the others. "Rose Tyler?"
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 14:56:05 GMT
[Chp1 - Pt 3]
As they did so Peter slipped the coat on without a moment's hesitation, it fit like a glove, almost like it was built for him, or at least seemed to grow to fit round his shoulders. And he noted, as he slipped the weapon in the pocket (for the tall Doctor simply refused to take it) that the pockets were also surprisingly roomy. He couldn't help noticing that this guy was acting pretty strange. Intermittently smiling at the blonde and then the woman beside him, who had yet to lower the branch. "You have NO idea how grateful I am.” He called. “Seriously, thanks. So look, there's this thing,...back in the tunnel, I knocked him out, but it won't be long before he's on our tail." But before the sentence was out of his mouth the girls had turned away and were disappearing into the distance, the Doctor was not paying any attention to him (watching both girls intently) and from somewhere in the distance another guy was coming and seemed to by eyeing Pete up with a little over-familiarity.
After getting over his original shock of seeing Rose and then giving a quick shake of the head to Martha and stepping back into the thick of things. The Doctor notably did not reply to Martha’s question and instead turned on his heals and smiled at Peter.
“So Petey boy”, he had slipped right back into Doctor mode, he was after all the only proper doctor here… that was if Pete wasn’t a doctor, and should act in such a manner. He slapped him on the back, “So how did you get here then? Slide down a magic stripper pole into the land of Narnia? Now those were good books. Old C. S. Lewis new a thing or two. Had the sight… or near enough. Actually met Aslan once, he was a lot less lion like, and was more power sun God like, but even so, Aslan it was. And it was always winter and never Christmas.” He sighed again, and then winked at Rose before going round the back of Pete, taking in his army gear and big gun. “That’s a big gun I see. Shot anyone good with is lately? Though I guess its all alien tech, it could be a hair dryer and you wouldn’t know.” He grinned. “So Petey Pete Pete Pete, what’s the whatty what?”
Peter smiled humouringly and though that perhaps this guy was insane, he had met a lot of people on the wrong side of their mind, and had even been there hinself; but not quite in the same way that this guy was. He tried to read his mind, but he couldn't get anything, it was as if there was too much going on in there - every thought was like static. Plus it made his head hurt... and the man looked at him as if he was aware Pete was fishing around in there. "I have no idea.” He said, “I was in New York. There was an explosion..." He thought if he few skirted truths would probably mean this guy and his friends didn't abandon him, he couldn't bear to be left alone. " And I woke up in there, down in that cave... in a room, and I was..." He tried not to blush " slightly you know...naked." The Doctor's eyebrows rose to a terrifying level. "There was this guy...this thing...pointing a gun at me. I did what any naked man would do. I took his gun. I took his pants. But he'll be back any minute now. You should get your friends and we should get out of here.” Suddenly, he thought he heard his name on the air, as if someone was saying it repeatedly on the wind... he knew that menacing voice, those intent and maniacal thoughts. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. The Doctor saw Peter tense, his ears prick slightly. He had heard it too. It didn’t sound friendly, or even human. “We should probably head back to the path. My friend is up there somewhere, I think I lost him in the trees. Safety in numbers and all that jazz. Shall we leave?” he grabbed Peter’s arm before he could answer and headed off after Rose and Martha. He hated to think what they were talking about. Flash backs to that day at the school made him smile slightly. Then that smile turned into a frown. He hoped Martha wasn’t busy spilling all the details about who he was. If Rose found out he was the Doctor, time would change. Things would be different. Oh how he wished they were different, but he knew that he was not the man to mess with things. He was too close. And that meant he’d mess things up. He couldn’t bare to lose Rose from his memories as well as his future.
Peter ran through the woods, and although his feet throbbed with the stones and the tundra beneath he was glad to be avoiding a confrontation with that monster Sylar. He thought he had heard him so clearly. What was he doing here? What could he possibly gain by following Pete? How did he manage that - last time he looked Sylar was shishkebab. So many questions! This strange man, who seemed to be practically tearing Pete's arm from his socket (would it grow back, thought Peter) seemed like he might have the answers. "S'cuse me!" he called toward the Doctor in desparation, "Who are you!"
The Doctor could feel the voice in his head, blocking out everything else. It was twisted with evil and pain, and power corruption. He hated it with every fibre of his being. It was strong forcing its way in to his mind, and yet he knew the message wasn’t for him. This Peter was some sort of telepath. He suddenly realised that he had not been told everything. He looked at Pete hard, ignoring his question, before letting go of his arm and marching into the trees ahead. He didn’t trust him, but he wouldn’t abandon him. This place and now was not the place to deal with this. Back at the Tardis, or maybe, thinking of Rose, he should bypass the Tardis and head straight for Jack. Rose would know Jack he figured, but Jack was smart enough to play along with the John Smith thing. Maybe he could find the other Doctor. Maybe together they could sort this out. He had crossed his own timeline before, and as long as Rose didn’t find out who he was, he could trust the Doctor, the other Doctor not to ask any questions about his future. Maybe with his help he could get his Rose back. He picked up speed. There was suddenly an incentive to stay alive.
They had completely vanished - the girls had gone into the forest and gone.
Pete sat down and nursed his sore feet. "I think we lost them." He told the doctor and was met with quiet and intense stare, one that, to be honest, scared him. "They can't have gone far." said the Doctor and took out a flashing blue pen thing from his suit pocket. He flashed it amongst the trees and look disappointed. Pete shrugged. "So how did you get here?" he asked the Doctor, "you weren't in New York."
“That would be telling now wouldn’t it…” he paused, frowning at the readings the screw driver was giving him. Martha wasn’t heading towards the Tardis, that was a good thing. But she also wasn’t heading towards Jack. “Other than creepy Mr Voices-in-my-head over there, and that in one alien guy with the hair dryer… you haven’t seen anyone else have you?” The place seemed safe enough, he himself hadn’t run into anyone bad, just frightened people who didn’t know where they were. Rose could deal with any of that. Martha was a little less broken in, and had a tendency to panic, but would hopefully follow Rose’s lead. It was time to find the Doctor, all he had to do was follow the sounds of the drums. “I’m heading this way. You can come with me, and tell me everything,” he glared,” and I mean everything. Or you can do whatever you want.” The Doctor was hoping Peter would be too afraid to stick around here by himself, but he also had the feeling that this man was strong. A hero at heart. Despite not wanting to, he found himself trusting him. Jack blinked his eyes and looked around and tried to figure out what had happened, one minute he was running with the Doctor into the trees after the scream and the next he was at a quaint English pub quiz. Clearing his head he looked at the ground and saw the path the Doctor's footprints had depressed into the undergrowth, he had a brief twinge about Owen maybe he should go back and find the guy. Nah Owen was a big boy and Jack was fairly sure this mess was as always tied up with the Doctor. Checking his gun just to be on the safe side, Jack marched off down the path of footprints.
"You heard Sylar!" Peter asked.
"Of course I did, I'm brilliant." said the doctor with an impish laugh. Peter looked Doctor Smith deep in the eyes. It was a strange sensation, one he had certainly never felt before in his entire life. He knew the Doctor had incredible depth, and in the peace of the small clearing he conceded, he had to tell this man what he could. "Have you ever thought you were special?" Peter asked, suspecting the answer might be yes. "It all happened a few months ago..." he began. He told him how things started. He told him something changed inside, something was different, special; he told him about the Cheerleader, allowing himself to smile as he thought of Claire and how brave she had been in the end. He told him how he had lost control, how he had learnt to hold back. He told him so many things he never thought he could tell anyone; and finally he revealed what had happened at Kirby Plaza.
"Blimey..." began the Doctor. A wry smile on his face.
Jack heard the Doctor's voice long before he saw him. "Subtle as usual Doctor" he murmured as he approached. As the Doctor came into view Jack's eyes immediately turned to the other man with. "Heeelllooo Captain Jack Harkness and what's your name?" he said flashing a wide smile.
“Oh don’t you start!" “I was just saying hello!” Jack defended himself. “I know you Jack. Don’t ever forget that.” The Doctor pointed at him, face somewhat threatening in a mocking, but not really mocking kind of way. “Jack, I’m glad I found you. You know what I was saying before… about Rose?” Jack just nodded, willing him to continue. “Well, she’s here. But not our Rose. Rose from the past. And she’s here with me. But not me. You know?” Jack nodded again. Peter stared open mouth at the two of them, eyes wide. “What are you talking about?!” Jack laughed.
“It’s a looooong story Petey Pete Pete Pete. Much longer than your very long story. Just trust me ok. Oh and please don’t tell Rose anything. Time will unravel if you do, and I hate it when that happens.” Replied the Doctor.
Peter shook his head, then nodded, then frowned. “I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”
Jack needed a little clarification from the Doctor. "So Rose is here with not you, this is getting more serious by the minute. Someone or something is crossing your timestreams. What the heck is going on? we've got you, me, Rose, Peter here, and Owen what's the link? And wait a minute... if Rose and errrr him are here where have they gone?" “Rose is with Martha. Which is risky in itself. I’ve kind of told Martha about Rose. Abit.” Explained the Doctor. “A bit?” said Jack with a cocked eyebrow. “A smidgen… smidgen… is that even a word? Anyway. She knows Rose was my companion, and she’s somewhat… jealous of her.” “Oh the good Doctor playing the ladies off against each other.” “Enough of that.” the Doctor frowned. “You know Rose was…” he swallows hard. I don’t know where the other Doctor is, but he’s here, I can feel him. I imagine he can feel me too. I need to find him.”
“Is that wise.” Jack was all serious now, no more fun and games. “He knows not to ask me about his future. I’ve done this before. Its just important Rose doesn’t find out. And I don’t know if Martha will have taken my hint not to say anything to her.” The Doctor grimaced,” It wasn’t much of a hint, and she’s only got a tiny human brain. But I have to find the Doctor. The other Doctor. We could figure this out. Maybe with two of us here we can get into the other dimension, I never really thought of it before. You need at least two Time Lords, but there’s nothing to say it has to be different Time Lords…” he paused realising how absurd it was to be thinking of all this now. “For another day perhaps. First off we need to find out what’s going on… and maybe stop Martha from babbling to Rose… and possibly not get killed…”
Peter pulled the Doctor's coat tight around his chest, he knew just what this other American was thinking, and not because he could read his mind (No - there was a curious absence of anything when he listened which creeped him out no end). "I have a friend who talks just like you guys, name's Hiro. All time lines and string theory and sh*t like that. So trust me I know what you're talking about...I think. But...there's one thing I'm still a bit clueless about. Where the heck am I?"
Jack glared at Peter, setting his face inches away from the other man’s. "Since our friend here,” he gave Peter a little push in the chest, “keeps trying to read my mind, why don't we put him to better use and get him to find your other self. A telepath can surely do that right?" He said then returned his glare to the darkness.
"You are brilliant!" He exclaimed before leaping up and kissing Jack on the forehead. "Absolutely brilliant!"
"Look - I'm not great at this yet. Just getting a handle on it, and there's so much noise here. I can only tell you what I hear." He closed his eyes and tried to filter through the noise, the static from ‘Doctor Smith’, the terrifying emptiness from Jack and the rather stern guy hiding some way off.
"I can hear someone. Someone scared, really quite terrified and...there's someone I can't understand and...someone. Definitely someone else looking for your friend Rose..." Peter pulled a face as if to suggest that was the best he could do, for now.
“Someone else looking for Rose? Does his mind sound like mine? Can you hear the drums? The song of my home world? What do you hear!” His mood changed like quick silver. Flowing and perfect from one emotion to another. From cheeky to anger, as he grabbed Peter shook him lightly and demanded to know more. “I need to know if it’s the other me, or if something else is looking for her”
"Someone else looking for Rose…” shrugged Jack. “Well that's a start but what do you mean someone you can't understand?" Jack was now really confused... last time they met the Doctor was telling him he was wrong and now he was kissing him on the head, something his old self would never have done. Then Peter added, "Oh - and by the way - there's a guy behind that tree wondering about his suit."
The Doctor suddenly cottoned on to what Peter had said. He had tuned him out whilst he dealt with the problem at hand... "His suit? Where? Is it a special suit? What?” The Doctor spun round. Jack followed his lead and aimed his gun at said tree. "Why don't you come right out here and say hello"
“Hey hidey mac tree man… what ya doin’?” He bounced on the balls of his feet like a child. “I hope you’re not up to any naughtiness.” The Doctor grinned. This was fun.
“Oh … what was in the coffee Ianto?” Toshiko Sato mumbled as she slowly came to her senses. She winced as she tried to sit up only then realising, the ground wasn’t carpet but dirt and leaves. Her head ached and her whole body felt strange. Toshiko wiped her face with her shirt sleeve and shivered. She was cold and very dirty. She fumbled in her pockets and found a old tissue and wiped her face to remove some of the grime.
Her mind tried to piece together what had happened to her. The last thing she had been doing, was working in the hub and trying to figure out that little device Jack had brought in for her to inspect. Then Ianto had brought her a coffee and she had sipped the brew while she examined the metal disc with the peculiar markings.
Toshiko suddenly scrambled around in the dirt in a blind panic looking for the disc Jack had trusted to her care. She had lost it – now she was in trouble.
She was in deeper trouble when she looked around her new environment and didn’t recognise the flora and shivered. Had she been transported somewhere other than Earth? Nothing around her was familiar except it was cold and the vegetation smelt similar to Earth. She heard noises in the distance, moving closer to her position. She hadn’t her jacket and she was unarmed but she found her empty coffee cup – not that it would help her. Toshiko cowered back into the bushes hoping she would be able to hide herself from what she thought could be approaching danger. She was sure she was on her own. Where were her team-mates when she needed them most, she wondered. Toshiko heard a loud thump…Followed by another one…she broke out into a sweat. Although her mother would have said it was a healthy feminine glow. Her throat was dry and the noise of the thumps got louder and louder till she felt like screaming. It was only as the pounding appeared to be in her head she realised she was having a panic attack and it was the sound of her own heartbeat! Closing her eyes tightly to try to calm herself Toshiko winced from being so scared of her own shadow. She was glad Owen Harper wasn’t around to see her, acting like - now what words would he use - a scared piece of skirt.
She waited and listened, but the approaching sounds she had heard earlier, had stopped. Toshiko wondered if it was safe to come out of her cover. She got up slowly and kept down in a crouch as she waddled out of the undergrowth.
Showing the utmost caution she skirted around the area where she had been hiding and to her delight found her laptop. It was open but thankfully had been switched off. She felt like jumping for joy – but on second thoughts decided just to smile - safer that way.
Toshiko did a quick check of the battery and was grateful she had charged it earlier that day … was it the same day? She wondered unsure of the timeframe but shook her head … answers would come later, she was sure.
For safety she thought it best to return to her hidey hole and she could try to use some of the tech she had on her lap top It wasn’t just a simple lap top – this had Tec on it out of this world. She wondered if the scanning software would work for her? She decided to give it a try.
Toshiko had buried her head in her laptop and her fingers tapped rapidly over the keyboard. She was concentrating on using the transmitter in the laptop that she didn’t hear anyone approach till it was too late.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 14:57:56 GMT
Chapter 2 – The trauma of the Nitro 9
[Pt -1]
Dirt. Grass. And daylight.
Not the wet tile of the manor house. Nor the stormy night of last memory. How many hours had past? Six? Twelve? Days? Why can't I remember any of the time between? Any of the time since Mailer... The world spun and went suddenly cold...since Mailer pulled me through the back window of the Black cab. How long since Rage-infected Mailer bit, clawed, and bled all over me? Cautiously, he probed at himself. His wounds were still fresh. The blood still wet and crimson. Why hadn't I bled out? How long? How long? Fifteen seconds passed. And fifteen more. And nothing happened. Save the breezeless swaying of the trees Secure and assess.
No hostile forces were apparent in the area. Surrounding brush would provide a modicum of cover. None of the wounds were life threatening. In the absence of proper field-dress, bandages made from scraps of cloth would have to suffice. Inventory seemed to be limited to one pair of boots, one tattered dress uniform, one multi-purpose pocket knife, and whatever stones and twigs could be gathered from the surrounding area.
Quite a fix you've found yourself in, Major. Still, you're alive. That's saying something.
Slowly, he extended his attention farther into his surroundings. Minutes passed before his heart calmed enough to hear anything besides its own beating. But there. In the distance. Voices. At least two. Possibly male.
Yet unwilling to trust his sense of balance, Major West belly-crawled through the brush towards the distant conversation. Stealth, not speed, being of the essence.
"It's like some bloody family reunion," Major Henry West muttered to himself from behind a tree.
Obviously, many of these people knew each other. Equally obvious was that their arrival here was just as much a mystery to them as it was to the major. Still, there was no sign of organisation. No real sign of any control. Or competence. Short of a few small arms being pointed in generally effective directions. What I wouldn't give to have my boys back. His jaw clenched and eyes hardened with thoughts of the slaughter at the estate. Everything had been going so well. Plans were progressing. Civilization was being preserved. Some women had even arrived. And then, disaster. Disaster through lack of discipline.
Futilely, his blood-stained hands straightened the hem of his uniform. Appearances were everything, but he only had so much left with which to work. It would hardly be becoming of a major to arrive on the scene looking like a refugee. "Surely there is some form of civilization nearby where a man can clean himself up." He said to himself. Careful to show that his hands were empty and with a perfectly controlled smile upon his face, Major West stepped out from behind the tree.
"Hello then. Major Henry West of the Manchester Blockade. Seems we're all in the same boat here."
His eyes flickered from person to person, lingering accusingly upon Peter.
"Please pardon my appearance. War being hell and all." The Doctor let go of Peter instantly and turned, all fake smiles, to the military man. "Aaaaaaah. Mr Tree-Hugger so glad you could join us."
"If one of your party is missing, might I suggest we organize a search party?" Major West offered.
"My thoughts exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed with false cheeriness. "Hop to it folks. On the double. Quick march." The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at West. "So you... are you lost too? You're human, so I don't suppose you're the one who brought us here. Despite the military uniform. I make it my resolution never to trust a man in military garb. They usually pull guns and chase you. No matter what world you go to it's always the same. Running for your life, hopping for your life, one time I had to make a quick get away on my hands!" he paused. "So you are?"
The major speaks with even tones as he approaches the group, "Personal issues with the military... Doctor, was it? We are only here to protect the general populous. But no, I am not your reason for being here.”
"As I said,” He continued, “I am Major Henry West of the Manchester Blockade. Sole survivor." Again, a hardness at the memory. And the slipperiness of a half-truth. Turning his thoughts back to the duty at hand, "We should form a line abreast. Five meter spacing. Steady pace. No one should leave the sight of their neighbours." "Weeeeeell... Most militaries seem to exist to uphold evil dictatorship, but I'm sure whatever time you are from you are a fine example of incorruptible innocence." the Doctor winced, "And I liked the guys at UNIT. They were an ok bunch." he sighed. "As for your plan, I was thinking we might try following the guy with a tracking device in his head." He pointed at Peter. "lead the way!" Glancing towards Peter, "May I assume that you have a bearing to the missing persons?"
"Not a bearing no." Peter replied to the military man. "Tardis!" Peter suddenly said, having grabbed the only word he could out of the ether. "Does that help?" He always had a faint distrust for military men, as much as he had loved his father, and respected his brother; there was something wrong about it. "I don't even know who I'm looking for. I can tell you this though he's just as confused as the rest of us. Look, I really need to work out where I am... give me a few minutes. Don't go anywhere I'll be right back." And with that, his hand forced, Peter flew into the sky to look about him and try and work out, somehow where the hell they all were.
Claude stared around him, moments ago he had been safely walking pavement streets, now he felt vulnerable. Every move he made left an impression in the grass or moved leaves, warning anyone…or any thing exactly where he was. He didn’t like being at a disadvantage, and this place (where ever it was) seemed to stack the odds against him.
He could hear the faint sounds of people shouting, and see slight movement off to his left, trouble was if he could see them, then they must know where he was too.
Looking around quickly he spotted a tree that had partly collapsed, He wrapped his coat tightly around him and wriggled underneath it for protection, whoever it was seemed to be getting closer, he waited for a split second longer, then faded into invisibility.
Now a man was approaching him, Claude waited, His breathing shallow and silent. The man was standing next to him, he shouted to somebody, how many of them were there? The man suddenly backed towards him, then stepped heavily on his ankle. "Ow...bloody `ell" Claude was on his feet, yelling and clutching his foot- and visible.
Claude turned to face the stranger, forcing a smile he leaned over, and rubbed his ankle, "You could at least watch where your puttin’ your bloody great feet"
Owen was about to protest when the man suddenly disappeared. The next second he was disarmed, Claude had his left arm hooked around his neck, forcing his chin up so that all he could see was treetops and sky, His own weapon pressed into his neck. "Right mate, let’s get to the bottom of this shall we? First things first, I’d hate to shoot holes into a complete stranger...so what’s your name?" tightening his armlock, he added, " Who were you talkin` to?" He prodded Owen’s neck with the muzzle of the gun with the intention of giving the impression that he would be more than happy to use it, if answers were not forthcoming. Shifting his hold slightly he glanced around, looking for somewhere he could back into, he was vulnerable from all sides like this, if this man’s friends came back.
"Well, this is a change," Owen thought. He held very still, gritting his teeth, trying in vain to see anything other than sky. He recognized the man's accent. That was good. "Owen Harper.” He announced for the second time that evening. “I'm a doctor. Just, ah, put the gun down and we could have a proper talk, eh?" The jab of the pistol barrel into his jaw was not an encouraging sign. "Alright. Okay. I was talking with my boss. Jack. And his friend. Another Doctor. Strange bloke in a big coat. We -- none of us know what's going on, see. We're trying to piece it out. I was just coming back here for my kit and to look for the rest of the team." Owen was breathing in short bursts. The hold the man had him in was beginning to hurt quite a lot. "Listen, if you're hurt, I can help you. But for me to do that, you're going to have to let me go. I don't do my best work trussed up like a Christmas goose."
Oona walked a path of silvery light. Around her was darkness and more pathways. They formed a tree of sorts, with branches splitting off, becoming smaller, others tangling, the trunk moving up or down through the planes of existence. Around her others walked. Fellow travellers. They sometimes nodded at her, or waved if they had come across her before. There were perhaps a thousand people throughout all realities that could walk the Moonlight paths between the planes of the Multiverse. Through time and realities. She walked them to bring Balance to places where the scales of Chaos and Law were tipped to far. Where battles were fought for control of the Multiverse itself. Sometimes she walked these paths to trade dreams and nightmares at those gathering places where such things could be bartered and sold. Something tingled, and the silver path beneath her feet flickered, became unstable. Her mouth opened in shock. The Silver paths were one of the foundations of all things. They could not be tampered with. Nothing should make them fade. It took a moment to realize it was not the path, but herself that was fading, being pulled from the Silver Road. Oona fell four feet to the ground. The quick reflexes of her father’s people allowed her to land on her feet, mostly. She did stumble to the side, then land on her hip. Better than on her head, or to break a bone. Oona’s ruby eyes blinked against the sudden light after the darkness of the paths. Standing once more he unslung her bow from across her back and notched an arrow. Her white hair, in hundreds of tiny plaits to the small of her back was woven with golden beads the clicked as she swung her head, taking in her surroundings and any threat. She was vulnerable and exposed in a burgundy silk sari, which would draw as much attention as much as her albinism. She had not been planning to seek danger, but a familiar market. It was only long training that assured she took her bow and sword with her at all times. Right now, the biggest threat seemed to be how she had come here, and the sun overhead. She muttered a small spell to protect her white skin from burning. One threat taken care of. Now to find where she was, and how she had been brought here.
She heard a faint trace of what might be voices to her left. Some distance yet away. As this was her best chance of gaining answers, she started to stride purposely in that direction, her bow and notched arrow relaxed, but now relaxed. Oona followed the voices to find a bearded man holding a gun on a smaller, unarmed man. She did not know what was going on, but she had caught the last part of the conversation. Her bow came up as she stepped from the brush.
"Please put down the weapon. You see, I find myself quite lost as well, and I do not believe meaningful conversation can be held at the end of a gun, sword, or arrow." Her hand was nothing but steady. Her tone calm and reasonable. Her accent a curious mix of German, French and something close to Welsh. "I will lower my weapon, Sir, if you will lower yours. "
Owen caught a glimpse of Oona out of the corner of his eye. "Effing Hell," he thought. "I'm gonna have my face blown off by the invisible effing man, and now the bird from Farscape is going to start pelting arrows in my general direction." He did his best not to squirm.
Oona carefully moved to stand directly before the two men. "If I place an arrow in your eye at a twenty degree left angle, you will be dead before the nerve impulses can even tell your finger to pull the trigger. You may think a bullet is faster than an arrow, but you have never seen me shoot."
Owen was looking distinctly uncomfortable with the situation. Not that having a gun shoved under your chin hard enough to bruise was something to inspire a feeling of confidence and well-being. But he looked at her with no little fear as well.
She was used to such looks. She knew her appearance was far from the norm to most humans. Albinism was rare, and one with perfect eyesight and no freckling was rarer still. Her sharply pointed ears were usually hidden by her hair, but the current style she wore revealed them. She had not planned to be in this place. She looked again at the bearded man with the wild hair. "This is your last opportunity to put down your weapon, sirrah. Otherwise you will force my hand."
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 14:59:20 GMT
[Chp 2 - Pt 2]
"Come on girl, come on..." said the Doctor, hopping over his leather jacket cast carelessly on the ground, was going about the usual Tardis coaxing routine. The ring of the mallet on metal punctuated the insistent beeping console, both sounds ricocheting around the control room walls. There was a heave as the floor became the wall and deposited the Time Lord onto a railing. He gave a maniac whoop of "Time eddy! Fantastic!" and scooped up his jacket with a lanky grace as the Tardis landed. The beeps had become a high-pitched hum now, each pulse indistinguishable, and followed the Doctor out the door. “Hmm. No burnt orange sky,” he thought. The Doctor didn't know why he kept checking, every time he stepped out of the Tardis - it wasn't as though he visited his home planet that often- and now, he didn't know whether to be sorrowed or relieved when all he saw were trees. Earth trees, he thought.
The time eddy might have been from that solar flare. He'd go over the calculations later; he turned around and locked the Tardis up. Twiddling the sonic screwdriver in his pocket, he followed the itching in his mind through the wood. There was trouble to find. It wasn't an itch. It was a whisper, a roar...though one mind in the back of the Doctor's head was like a small child in a cathedral. A cathedral that was once filled with hundreds of worshippers. And it would have to be a clearing in the middle of a wood, didn't it?
...just dandy. And that was very British. The voice took on a dual tone quality as it was spoken both in his head and in the air. And it was English. Oh, today was going to be just fantastic... Concentrating, the Doctor cautiously prodded the other voice with his mind.
After having had a quick reccy Peter, who found it difficult and sometimes quite unpredictable to use more than one of his 'gifts' at once, landed in a clearing next to a strange looking blue box. He followed the word in his head. This was apparently, or so the voice he can hear thinks, is the Tardis.
"Cool." he said as he looked at it. A man in a leather jacket stepped out from behind it.
"Hey there..." Called Peter, "You the guy lookin' for Rose?" The man in front of Peter looked up from the sonic screwdriver. "Oh, hello! Don't suppose you know if there's a dimensional leak around here? Or if you've seen a blond human, about your height- no, a bit less- anyway, her name's Rose, she just came out of the Tardis...ah right, lead the way! I'm the Doctor by the way, what's your name?"
"Peter, Peter Petrelli.” He introduced, “And you are...?"
"I'm the Doctor." The man in the leather jacket smiled proudly. "Riiiight." Peter shook his head. " So this is a forest full of medical personnel."
"By which you mean?" said the Doctor curiously.
Peter indicated to himself, "Nurse Petrelli, last time I checked in, though I haven't been to work in months. And there's another Doctor I just left, Doctor John Smith. Tall, skinny guy, and he's pretty darn eager to meet you. Seems you've got the same pen. Do you work at the same hospital?"
"Ah- same residency. This," the Doctor twirled the screwdriver, "was a graduation present from the hospital. It's quite the clever little thing."
"That explains some of it I guess." Peter smiled. Nice to meet you, he held out his hand, which the Doctor took, slapping him on the back.
"Fancy a quick flight?" Peter asked. Somehow he felt at ease around this guy, as if he trusted him as much as the other Doctor, which was damned weird. But he'd already had to cope with a whole lot of strange and amazing things this night. Least of all telling complete strangers he could fly.
The Doctor looked slightly surprised. "Got a ship around, have you?" Only time travellers had both a ship and anachronistic clothing- except for the revival of twenty-first century culture in the late fifty-second century. "Don't suppose you could show me where Rose is, while you're at it..." His expression still had the mask of friendliness, evaluating whether Peter could be friend, foe, or something in between.
Peter smiled lopsidedly and ran his fingers through his hair. "Not as such..." He said, "a 'ship' I don't have." He laughed a little to hear himself say it. "Nor can I help you with Rose. Wherever she is I can't hear her. There's a guy called Jack. And I met your friend earlier - though her and the other girl went off wandering, and there's an Army guy, though he creeps me out a bit. I'll tell you what, if you can get me a pair of shoes and a t-shirt I'll give you a 'lift' to the others..."
He stood in front of Peter with a calculating gaze, then broke into a grin.
"Shoes and a shirt, I can do. Come into the Tardis, and we'll have ourselves a little talk..." One foot inside the door, he leaned back to add, "Don't worry, it's bigger on the inside."
He really couldn't stay very long. Being inside that Blue Box was setting him off. His head was spinning, visions of his past flashing before his eyes, but terrifyingly no visions of his future - as if there was no such thing in this place, as if, if he didn't find a way out there would be no future, for any of them. That just made him feel even worse inside. He tried to make hasty apologies to the Doctor, who came up to him almost immediately.
"Relax mate." Said the man with an incomprehensible smile. "You're full of bounce aren't you. Best get you out of here before you..." He laughed as if he knew what Peter was capable of, a faintly familiar laugh. The Doctor, rewarding Peter with what he needed pushed both of them outside into the clearing. He held Peter's head tightly and told him to relax again. It was like a wave of relief came over him at that moment, as if somewhere inside, something was switched off for long enough for him to regain control.
"Time you did me a favour, I'm happy with where I am right now and despite the look of me I have to say I'm REALLY not good with heights. Fallen from far too many of them for my liking. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go back in there. Tell the other...Doctor Smith, I'll find him later. I know he'll take care of Rose, if he knows her." He smiled a knowing smile, a sad smile as if he had realised something that Peter could never comprehend. "Two heads are better than one!" He exclaimed quickly and wide, toothy grin stretching from ear to ear, "Tell him I think one of use should take advantage of the fresh air, while the other uses what little power we have scan the surface, get us a map - or at least see if I can find out what brought us all here." He jumped up on his heals and swaggered towards the door of the box, leaving him to regain his clarity in the breeze, the sun seemed to be coming up, fighting against something that was desperate to keep it back. In the sky, a familiar eclipse hung above them all.
He shut the door, Peter was alone again, but only for a moment. The Doctor stuck his head out of the box once more..."And!" he added as a rapid fire afterthought. "It doesn't need to be said, but for my own piece of mind, tell him to take care of Rose and MAKE SURE to tell Rose to trust him...she can be a little wiry sometimes."
"Oh! And Peter..." Laughed the Doctor, "I may be some time." And he was gone.
As Peter watched the dark eclipse pass away from the sun he was overjoyed to feel some form of warmth; and with the passage of the mysterious cloud he saw in the distance a strange confrontation unfold itself. Pulling the Doctor's coat back on (for he did promise to keep it safe) he made his way towards the cluster of people, quickly making himself invisible in case he was about to inadvertently walk into danger. He had a habit of doing that, he noted to himself. He would return to the clearing later - the Doctor, he hoped would wait, or at least understand that someone needed his help.
Claude smiled to himself, time to go to ground, he shifted slightly to one side he whispered in owen`s ear " Oh I`m sure you`d prefer it over there...but I wouldn’t". He pushing him suddenly towards the new arrival he dived to one side, faded out, and then moved as quickly as he could to solid ground. Owen stumbled roughly into Oona, then whirled around in time to see Claude vanish with his gun. “Sh*t.” He said as grabbed hold of his EMT pack and ran back into the clearing. He had a feeling Jack wasn't going to like this.
Oona blinked and kept her bow not on the man shoved at her, but where the unseen one had been. Then the former hostage took off. "That is male gratitude for you." Oona muttered and considered her options in two heartbeats. If she followed the invisible one she would have to expend magic to find a way to make him a bit more visible, a small wind with dust and such, or a gentle rain. But he also had a gun. The coward was a better bet. The man who had been in a spot of bother only moments before ran ahead of Peter, and Oona, as the sun began to show its face, seemed to drop her arms and dive for the covering of trees. Peter had very little desire to strike up a conversation with this strange person - he came to the rapid conclusion upon seeing her that she too may very well have been alien. He never thought he would ever have need to come to such a conclusion.
Nathan thought he was crazy enough as it was, he hoped he would get a chance to tell him what was happening, and that Nathan was still around for him to accuse him of 'Going off the rails again.' But, comforted by the feeling that there was at least one other human ahead of him, he (remaining invisible until he was out of sight of the pale faced archer) ran a little way behind the man in the leather jacket. Oona ran after the wiry Owen, slinging her bow back across her back and replacing her arrow in its quiver. Her left hand fell on her sword while her right gathered up a fistful of her Sari to lift it up enough to run freely. The man left a clear trail. He had no survival instinct at all. A blind man could follow this.
Picking a patch of bare hardened earth Claude stopped, he froze, something was going on off in the distance, but not near enough to bother him. Shedding his invisibility he took a deep breath, “that was close!” he thought. What the hell was that archer, she...well he presumed it was a she...sounded like she meant business, from what Owen had said it sounded like they were all in the same boat, trouble was where? Seemed to be enough doctors about, that wasn’t good as far as he was concerned, doctors meant trouble for him, give a doctor a smell of something different and they couldn’t wait to get going with a scalpel, "Not on me you won’t mate" he mumbled to himself, turning the gun over in his had, he tested the balance, impressed, he checked the magazine-never hurt to know exactly how much help it was likely to be.
Peter wondered whether Owen had any idea where he was going. He resolved that he was instead just blundering wildly into the trees with little hope of ever finding the others. Without revealing himself, and knowing full well that Jack was nearby, Peter made for Jack, making as much noise as possible and hoping the stray would follow.
Owen emerged from the trees to discover that the entire make-up of the crowd had changed. And that Jack has disappeared from view. He felt a curious combination of relief and nausea at this. And anger. "The invisible ‘effing man has my gun," he thought to himself. "What else could possibly go wrong?" He kept looking behind him, watching for the trees and brush to displace themselves. Waiting for the bullet that could very easily come. He half regretted getting free. At least that way he knew where the guy was. He feels naked without his gun. The sound of a Torchwood laptop starting up shatters his concentration. "Tosh?"
Peter was trying his best to stay quiet. To keep silent. It was no use.
"It is a good thing a coward has friends to protect him. He cannot always rely upon the good graces of random strangers." Oona announced herself, made Peter jump and he lost concentration. Right in the middle of the Owen and his studious looking friend with the computer. He became visible.
Needless to say they were stunned. He tried to smile, but the leather jacketed Owen looked at him suspiciously. He seemed to make for a weapon at his side.
Instinctively, though it has to be said not intentionally, Peter knocked him to his feet and began to search in the deep pockets of the Doctor's coat. Immediately he laid his hands upon the gun he had earlier stolen, it looked unscarily like a hairdryer (as if the coat knew that was exactly what he was looking for), he began to raise it in defence, as much at the white faced Oona as the grimacing man ahead of him.
The words were out of Owen’s mouth before he could stop them. "Oh, just what I need. Another bloody invisible man with a gun." Owen ducked into a crouch and launched himself shoulder first at Peter. With any luck, he thought, he could level the field a little bit.
Peter didn't want to hurt him, really he didn't - he had a feeling if he even tried to hit his assailant might take his head off. He resisted, managed to through him off, and regain his composure without 'going up'. Out of breath he looked over at his leather jacketed attacker, the alien's gun had flown free from his hands in the brief scrap.
Peter had only just got the words "Another invisible man?" Out of his mouth when he heard a whir and a crackle and something distinctively other-worldly activate. Turning he saw the girl in the glasses pointing the strange weapon directly at him (she seemed rather intent to protect her friend). Peter, wary that he did not want to get shot - not knowing if this weapon would kill him or not - put his hands cautiously in the air. But the woman, nerves getting the better of her, dropped the gun. Owen carefully edged over to the space where the alien device had landed. Without taking his eyes from Peter, he picked it up. This was more Tosh and Jack's department, but he had a fairly good sense of which end was the handle. After all, it was hard to mistake these things after having one pointed at you.
"Right. Nice and slow. Oh, and tell your little friend not to get any ideas.” “Three stand-offs in less than an hour”, he thought to himself wryly. “That's got to be a new record.” "Mind filling me in on what those little vanishing acts are about? Who you are? That sort of thing? Because honestly, the novelty of the situation's wearing off."
"I could say the same right back at you. What do you mean "Friend", I landed here on my own - I'm just trying to find out where I am - did you come with the others?"
"I mean your mate back in the woods. Scruffy. No sense of humour. Doesn't like being seen. Nice trick, by the way. Invisibility. Can think of a few instances I wouldn't mind knowing how to do that." Owen smirked, leered almost, before going serious again. "And what do you mean, landed? Like in a ship?" "Landed..." Peter smirked a little, trying to hold onto at least some of his secrets - who knows who these guys were - but, then again - maybe they too were 'special'. "...as in woke up in a cave system not some way off."
Then he thought about the description of the man who the man in the jacket had described. He wasn't alone! Then he panicked - what if Sylar found Claude before he did. He had to help him. He made a move, as if to lower his hands. Neither would let him...it seems they were both a bit trigger-happy. But he wouldn't leave he wanted to know more - what's more he could swear he could hear someone in the distance contemplating his behind.
Owen sighed. "Any more cryptic," he thought, "and this man could hold his own with Jack." Still, Peter had no poker face at all. Owen watched his eyes widen and dart around for...something. "As the man with the gun, I'd strongly advise you to keep the information coming. Starting with an introduction." Knowing how hot headed Owen could be Toshiko kept silent but tried to figure out what was going on as all around her appeared to be going down the tubes. Owen had got his mouth in gear that was for sure and before it could turn nasty Tosh decided she had, had enough. “Quiet!” she roared, surprising herself, and nervously straightened up her glasses as she stood up still hanging onto her Torchwood laptop. Owen’s eyes darted over to Tosh for a split second before returning to Peter. "Oi. Little help here, Tosh?"
"So," Said Toshiko, wanting answers and thought she needed them quick so stood defiant not meeting Owen's glare. "What is this ship? How did you all get here?" Tosh hoped the outcome would be positive but she thought by her gut feeling that this wasn't good. Not good at all.
Who did this guy think he was? Peter considered. Only for a moment, he contemplated showing him what he was capable of, but he decided against it - this was not a place to be making enemies. Nevertheless it seemed like all he was doing was introducing himself and yet he knew nothing about these people he kept bumping into. Seemingly half a hospital; strange, stoney silent, white faced aliens he had no idea if he could trust; random girls and army majors and... what was the use, he shrugged. "My name's Peter. And that's all your gettin' till you tell me about the two of you...and whether either of you know what that is." He nodded at the direction of Oona.
“I’m Toshiko Sato and the hot head with the gun is Owen Harper!” Tosh said with a smirk and knew she would regret it later.
"Doctor Owen Harper. Police." Torchwood. The word bubbled up as he settled on sticking with the whole police story. " She's on my team. And I've got no idea about that white-skinned bird with the bow other than she doesn't know to shoot for the weapon before shooting the assailant. 'Course, that's why I'm the doctor and she isn't."
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 15:00:48 GMT
[Chp 2 - Pt 3]
"Well -" Peter smiled, "At least I know you're both telling the truth. Are you with the other Doctors then?" He really hoped the answer was yes.
Toshiko chuckled as Owen and she spoke at the same time. She wondered if he had even heard her? On second thoughts she hoped not. "I don't know who she is or why we are here." She looked at Owen for more information.
"Other doctors?” Said Owen. “What like that bloke in the big coat back by the antique callbox?"
"You mean this coat?" Peter indicated the coat the Doctor had lent him to keep him warm not long ago. "I’ve seen a box, but it wasn't him. It belonged to another Doctor. Is that it, we're all medical staff - I figure we've been brought here - but I've no idea why - I'm a nurse, or at least I was, back home." His arms were going numb. "Look, can you stop pointing those things at me, I'm not going to do anything - I just promised I'd fetch Doctor Smith's friends for him."
Owen nodded, lowering the alien device a little.
"I was sort of wondering about that, yeah. Listen. Tell you what. You go find your furry friend and talk him into returning my pistol, I'll give you this thing back, and we'll all four go sort this out together." He gave Tosh a smirk as if to say, "See? Diplomacy!" Claude considered that this was not a good place to be alone, gun or not, usually he preferred his own company to anyone else’s, but he didn’t want to be alone when the light started to fade, He kept hearing sounds that were unfamiliar enough to make him uneasy about what could be making them, and he hated surprises.
The sounds were getting closer, he slowed and tried to make out where the perimeters were likely to be, coming in from the far side was probably best, should give him an idea how large the camp was, and how many people were likely to be there.
Claude paused, the tree next to him marked the boundary between the woodland and the clearing, it wasn’t safe to go any nearer while he was still visible. Wandering right down the centre of the path, confident that he was invisible and nothing was likely to give him away he slowed, seeing a group of people just in front of him. Amongst them was one familiar face – Owen. His attention was suddenly distracted by a movement, the silver archer was here, great! Then he noticed someone else... he closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. Peter! As if there wasn’t enough danger around, he` d got lumbered with the amazing exploding boy again. That decided it, he’d have to keep out of Peters sight for as long as he could, the longer he didn’t know he was around the better, hopefully he could find out who the others were before he spotted him.
Weapon and not the assailant? Thought Oona, The little man was an idiot, and she was beginning to strongly regret not letting the other invisible one shoot him. "Ah yes, brainless one. I should have shot the weapon right under your chin. Because then the arrow would not at all gone through your throat. Although, now it seems it would have been the better option," she smirked. "If it didn't kill you it might have hit a vocal cord and made you silent.” Oona did not care for so many guns pointing at people. But none were currently pointed at her. "My name is Oona. I was pulled from the Moonlight Paths to this place. A feat that takes some doing. "
Oona held her empty hands off to her sides, showing that she currently held neither of her weapons. However, her sword hilt was close to her left hand. “"And you, Peter is it? One of your people was holding a gun to yon yapping pup's chin. When I attempted to intervene, he too, turned invisible and ran off. But then, so did sir Owen of the yellow streak. Seeing as that one," she jerked her chin in Owen's direction, "left a trail a blind man on a horse could follow through the wood, I followed him. And here I am." She looked to the other two. "Police? Late twentieth, to early twenty first century Earth, by language and dress. England? But you seem comfortable with weaponry not of your plane. Most interesting." Owen ignored her and, realising that Peter wasn't cooperating, concocted a plan. Frankly, Owen was getting sick and tired of it. “Standoff after sodding standoff”, he thought, “Once in a while was exciting. Three in rapid succession? Oh no.” "Okay. Fine." he said. He approached Peter, lowering the weapon and taking it by its barrel and moving it to his off-hand. He tried to look friendly, almost. "I believe this is yours." He held it out a little, shifting his stance. He'd only done this once or twice before. He watched as Peter lowered his hands and moved to take the alien pistol. Owen grinned. Waited until Peter's fingers made contact with the metal.
Perfect.
Owen's fist struck quickly enough that Peter didn't have a chance to be surprised. Owen held the alien gun firmly and watched as Peter crumpled to the ground. He felt a twinge of concern at the matter of the coat; the other doctor was a friend of Jack's, which meant he might regret this later, but better safe than sorry. He handed the alien gun to Toshiko before cuffing the Peter's hands behind his back with a pair of anti-weevil clamps. The kid would wake up with no feeling in his fingers, but chances of any real harm were slim to none.
"Uncooperative little sod." He said. With some effort, Owen managed to haul the unconscious man over to the now-deserted police box and push him inside. He didn't bother to look inside, he'd seen one of these before, knew it was basically just a closet with a phone, but he was careful to pull the door closed. He didn't want to leave the man too vulnerable. He'd be safe enough. "Come on, Tosh. Let's go find Jack. My guess is he's gone off with that other doctor. And give me your pistol. That alien thing gives me the creeps."
Jack, bored of waiting for Peter, emerged from the trees with a grin.
Oona's lips twitched as the fellow dressed Owen spoke up. She considered that he looked like an RAF officer, now there was a uniform, modified though it was, that she had seen and dealt with before. His flirtatious manner in the midst of this mayhem was amusing, and no doubt diversionary.
"You command these people?" She said to Jack and indicated to Tosh and Owen. "And is tackling, disarming and then knocking out said disarmed man standard in your occupation? And shoving them into a box and not locking it seems rather pointless." She gave Owen another disparaging look.
"Ah, but how did you find yourselves in this place? You all sounded as if you were as lost as I."
At which point Peter's head began to throb. Not only with the pain of the fist which had met quite painfully with the bridge of his nose but the power of whatever was in the blue box seemed to multiply it. He knew where he was though the headache was blinding. He called out for the Doctor. No one came. He would have to drag himself out of the box himself. Attempting to stand he found whoever had taken the liberty of breaking his nose (it was now healing quite nicely) had managed to cuff him with something that was a lot stronger than it seemed. No matter how he struggled he was unable to free himself. He would certainly have to try and make friends a bit better. Although he had a feeling no one was really his friend. Dragging himself out the door he was pulled himself up and smiled at the gathered few. "Hi again," he said to the American.
"Hey Pete, the tousled look is great for you. Look people lets ditch the attitude shall we, I think we can all safely say we're here and we don't know why and what we'd all like most is a ticket on the first bus home right"
Owen winced.
"Jack? You know him?"
"Hey back at you. " said Peter. It felt good to see a friendly face again, even if this one smiled a little too friendly at him, "I was on my way back when this guy jumped me. You couldn't do me a favour could you - I'd rather not be arrested."
“As much as the idea of handcuffs appeals.... I think we'll pass on the law enforcement for the time being. Now fly boy see anything useful up there?" Jack gestures vaguely toward the horizon. Owen dutifully unlocked the weevil clamps, then shuffled off to retrieve his kit. He was going to hear about this for a week, and that was before he got 'round to explaining the bit about the other invisible man, and his gun.
Though Peter was not particularly keen on 'showing his stuff' Peter, dutifully, in thanks to Jack looked around the party. He shrugged, tucked his hair behind his ear, took a look into the sky and took flight.
"Right people, the Doctor was headed that way" Jack said, pointing into the wooded area. “My take is we follow, trouble finds the Doctor naturally and trouble may just be the quickest way of getting to the source of our situation. Owen, Tosh come on, coming Oona?"
But Owen's jaw had dropped at the sight of Peter taking flight. Might have fallen clean off. Lost and gone forever. "Well that's new. Can the other invisible bloke do that?"
"What other invisible bloke?" asked Jack.
Owen took a deep breath. He knew that there was no avoiding it now. He shouldered the bag and rammed his hands into his pockets, then looked vaguely downward, not at all willing to see the look on Jack's face. "The, ah, one that took my pistol. Scruffy. Your friend got a look in his eyes when I mentioned him."
Jack tried his very, very hardest not to smirk, with only marginal success. "Sorry didn't quite catch that Owen, I could of sworn you said someone had taken your pistol. I'm really, really hoping there isn't an invisible guy with a pistol in the near vicinity because that would just be whole new levels of bad"
Peter kept an eye on the crowd below him, the flashing white skin Oona, was a perfect way to keep them in the corner of his eye. He surveyed the surrounding countryside in the soft light (now that the eclipse had passed). From where he was he could see the vast wild wood stretching into the distance, a mountainous outcrop from where he thought he must have started, the foot of which was washed with trees and woodland. There were a number of clearings, in two of which were parked the Doctors' Boxes. He had become confused when Owen hit him, thinking there was only one...but it seemed there were two. The Doctors were more similar than he had first thought. In the distance he caught the sight of smoke, of lights, of people - perhaps a city; and far in the north there was something strange, something distinctly eerie that was glowing upon the horizon. He saw from the clearing that the Doctor and the Major had not waited for him, he didn't blame them, after all, how were they to know he was going to run into trouble, they didn't know him at all. Finally, before he lost sight of the others he returned to the ground.
"In fairness, Jack, I was trying to sort it out when your friend in the army pants materialized right in front of me and pointed that thing in my face." Owen indicated the device he'd passed over to Tosh.
Claude crept up behind Owen, flicked his ear and whispered quietly into it "who you callin scruffy."
"Claude!" Yelled Peter, as he landed, seeing his old friend behind Owen.
Claude swore under his breath, damn. "Peter" he forced a smile "Fancy meetin you here!”
"Man you have no idea how glad I am to see you. Look...I'm sorry." Said Peter.
Owen tensed and jerked around. His eyes tracked back and forth, unable to see who Peter was speaking to. Claude sighed, there seemed little point now in staying invisible, although the temptation to make them think Peter was barmy was a huge temptation! Appearing suddenly next to Jack, he grinned at him " World War 2 fettish...nice!"
"Guys -" Even Pete thought he was being over familiar - but he was just so happy to see Claude. Last time they saw each other...well - Claude had been less than happy and Pete had been stuck in a place he'd rather not get back to. How could he tell him everything that had happened - would he even want to listen. He desperately needed someone to talk to, but he knew Claude, he knew he would shout him down. "This is Claude...don't get too close. He might bite." He smiled, his idea of a joke. It idn't go down well. Claude stared at him. Owen raised his eyebrows. He thinks Toshiko only laughs out of politeness. However, the one thing he could say about Jack... at least the man has a sense of humour.
That's him, Jack." Owen sighed, feeling ever more like a colossal idiot. "Just watch," he thought to himself. "Jack'll be all Intergalactic Manwhore and things'll be just effing peachy." Claude waved his hands in mock horror "oohh...that’s him Jack" he said aping Owen`s voice but more high pitched. Owen gritted his teeth and squinted at Claude. "Yeah. Because you were so sedate when I stumbled on your little hidey hole. Or is putting a guy in an armlock and threatening to blow his face off a friendly greeting on your planet?"
Claude leaned towards Owen, poked him in the chest, and said "Don’t know mate...what planet do you recon I’m from " "Dunno. But judging from your accent, I'd say it's got plenty of sheep to go around." Owen clenched his fists. Claude nodded towards Owens hands. "You want to watch what you aim them at, one of these days you might actually hit something...oh and there’s no sheep in my neck of the woods, you have to go over the border into the wilds for them" What a great idea, thought Peter, the two most argumentative people he had ever met were now picking on each other. Whoever pitched them all against each other must be laughing their ass off right about now. From what he could gather Claude had already got the better of Owen (he felt mildly good about that) at least once.
Jack smiled. "Scruffy chic, not really doing for me. Though invisible does seem to be the in thing round here" Jack hoped his jump hadn't been too visible, “So Peter, what did you see?" " A city I think, or at least some life....It's in the North East. Sorta..." He looked around him..." That way." He was unsure. "Yeah, definitely that way."
"Fantastic, I'm a big city kinda guy. Lets get this show on the road people" With that Jack set off in the direction Peter had pointed. Oona considered for a moment. There was definitely safety in numbers, if only in the herd mentality. But this... Jack was at least polite, and not too trigger-happy. And the woman, Toshiko, although mostly silent, did not seem so quick to attack others either. Although, Oona admitted to herself, she had been rather fast with her bow in trying to free a hostage. One mistake she may already be living to regret.
"I would be glad of the company. And I have not seen such as that, "She pointed up to where Peter flew, "without the aid of wings." Finally she wrapped her arms about herself. "I do not feel as if travelling this place alone would be wise." Indeed, Oona felt a sense of foreboding. The scales were tipping rapidly one way and the other in this place. They were not settling in balance. Law and Chaos were about to collide. "Something is coming. I can feel the conflict arising. But what form it takes I cannot tell." Oona had almost drawn her sword this time as Claude appeared, but the interaction between Peter and Claude gave her hope he could be controlled. He definitely could bite. And she would have to watch him. His actions toward Owen, while slightly amusing, made her wonder if he was mad. Was he in Peter's charge? He had mentioned being a nurse. "If your charge is always so violent and unruly, perhaps you should see that he is at least partially sedated," she looked to Peter. "And definitely not allowed around weapons. He could endanger himself as much as others."
Toshiko chuckled and had to cover her mouth with her hand at Oona's comments. Wickedly Tosh decided to chip in. "Well, Owen is a Doctor. Maybe he should reply to that question?" Owen turned and glared in Tosh's direction and his quick tongue lashed out at her.
"Oh it can talk - but not making sense as usual!" Owen glared at her then dismissed her with a sharp huff.
"Now, now children, behave!" Commanded Jack who took Tosh's arm and urged her to walk beside him.
"We should follow. Owen don't start on Claude, you'll come off worse, trust me. The man's already thrown me off a building, and I'm his closest friend." He smiled, turning to Toshiko and Oona. "You two coming?" he asked. He had to admit, the girl in the glasses was pretty cute, and he didn't think she should be left on her own, even if she could type her way out of a crisis. He had a funny feeling (like all those strange prophetic feelings) that she might well be the most useful one of them all...and she had a pretty smile.
Claude burst out laughing, "If he goes nuclear I’ll need more than a nurse "
"Please guys! I beg you. We have to work together. I know it's not you style, either of you. But it's important - just for now. Claude you can hit me later. Owen - do your worst. Let’s find the doctors..." He whispered to Claude as best he could, he was hoping the 'nuclear' comment had fallen on deaf ears for the rest of them. "I've got a handle on the whole bomb thing...well sorta." Claude raised his eyebrows enquiringly at Peter "Blimey....wonders never cease!" he said under his breath, then paused waiting for a reply. Owen turned to Peter, then to Jack, then to Peter again. "Fine, whatever. Just tell him to give me my sodding gun back." Owen sighed. This was not his day. Not his day at all.
"To civilization, then, shall we?" Oona swept her arm in the direction Peter had pointed and Jack had already started to walk. "The sooner I can get out of these clothes, the better." She was thinking of easy she was to spot in the rich red in the wood and had not really minded her wording.
They were all looking at him. He turned to Claude "Come on,” He said, “Another story, another time, unless you want to tell these nice people I could go up any minute. I'm not a puppy any more Claude..."He whispered. Though he was aware they all saw the two of him colluding, and he didn't need another reason to make them all suspicious - but how do you tell strangers you can explode? Claude shrugged, sprinting slightly to catch him up, he whispered to Peter "Ok ...whatever -but do us a favour, keep your hands to yourself, if you suddenly turn silver I won’t have a hope in hell of helping you to talk your way out of that"
Peter shrugged and headed North West, and hoped that at least Jack had the sense to follow. He let Claude walk in front, knowing he like to think he was in charge. It felt right to let him lead the way and Jack was content to trot alongside to keep him company. Somehow Pete didn't think they would end up in too much of a fight. He bypassed talking to Owen, it would take hima while to forgive the man for knocking him out and tying him down, even if he did understand. No he wanted to talk to Toshiko, he sensed she felt a bit stranded, plus; and he didn't know why he had a feeling they were quite alike. In the distance he could hear Rose and Martha, for the first time in a while he knew she was nearby, and looking for the Doctor. If only she felt brave enough to come close.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 15:01:24 GMT
[Chp 2 - Pt 4]
He wanted to keep talking to Toshiko, he liked her, and had a feeling she was a little underestimated, a little mousy, that underneath her polite exterior there was a little bit of nerve inside her. He was about to ask her if she was 'special' in the same way he was when he distinctly thought he heard voices. "So this Doctor John Smith of yours ...” He heard Martha say he's quite friendly, isn't he?"
"Oh yes, definitely friendly! Always chatting up the ladies, you know." Martha was still bitter about being stuck with Rose and it showed in her voice. Rose refused to play along though, and continued to be nice.
"Smart, too! Reminds me a bit of my own Doctor." He looked to see if any one else heard them. Clearly not. Toshiko walked along with Jack and glanced back towards Owen once or twice then forgot about him. She had lots of questions still unanswered. Jack wasn't being of much help but she thought the men in the group were only keen to see who could be alpha male. It was amusing for a time but that time had passed. Tosh was cold but no one seemed bothered by that or her shabby appearance. Taking time to look at her new companions, Tosh felt the only one she felt drawn too was Peter. He looked very different and she liked his long coat. She of course wondered about the other invisible person named Claude who seemed to be another strange character. What a motley Crew she thought as she saw Peter glancing at her.
“Shoo!” Whispered Jack in Tosh’s ear. Tosh blushed and looked back at Jack and mouthed “What?”
Jack rolled his eyes and chuckled then whispered in her ear. “Think the gent wants to talk with you.” He gave Tosh a little shove in the general direction. "Did you hear that?" He asked Toshiko. She was so small, she must have been cold. He looked at the coat he wore, he had promised to look after it...really promised. But she was so cold...He slipped it from his shoulders and handed it to her. "This is the Doctor's. I'm officially now not letting you out of my sight. He made me promise to look after that coat, and if you're in it then it look's like I have to keep an eye on you too." She smiled, nervously. "So...tell me i'm not mad. I could have sworn I heard voices" "No, your friend is mad. The voices are from over there." Oona pulled up the rear. She had been smiling at the interaction between Peter and Toshiko. They looked sweet together, and Peter, at least, had the makings of a gentleman.
"Both female. But I can't make out actual words yet." Tosh buried herself in the coat and felt the warmth from it's previous wearer help her to take off the chill. "I'll keep the coat safe but maybe you best do what you suggested." Tosh smiled warmly up at Peter. "Thank you for the loan of the coat." She listened and nodded. "Yes, I did hear something earlier . You are not going mad."
Not far off Gwen Cooper woke up and rubbed her head. "Where is everyone? Jack! Owen! Tosh?! Ianto?!" She could her vague voices in the distance, but her head hurt so it could just be the concussion. "HELLO?!" She yelled before collapsing in a heap on the floor.
“There do you hear it again?” Peter had his head up and Tosh listened turning her own senses to point in the same direction. “Yes,” she smiled and asked. “We going to investigate then?” Her eyes brightened at the thought and her tiredness had given way to a burst of excited energy. She wondered if the coat had special properties? "Come on then!" Pete said with excitement, turning to Oona behind him he gestured that he could do with her following her behind, and he headed off in the direction of the voices, they were not far off and he knew that they were near the edge of the forest; both he, Toshiko and Oona could easily find the girls (how grateful would the Doctors be? Why did he want so desperately to impress them both - they were both clearly insane) and then get to the city and meet the others. Jack could easily keep Claude and Owen apart...he hoped. Toshiko bounced happily and tugged the jacket firmly around her she trotted along with Peter at her side and Oona taking up point at the rear. “There, over there!” Tosh pointed off towards the right and Peter grinned as he reached down and tugged at her hand. “Come along … lets go see who it is?” "Oh thank God!" Martha exclaimed, and Rose was cut off mid-sentence when Martha spotted Peter and some others, one of which was wearing the Doctor's coat. Martha ran towards them, not caring if Rose was following.
Gwen opened her eyes again and saw figures coming towards her."Who's there?" She reached down for her gun just in case, then saw who was approaching, "Tosh! Thank God!" Gwen pulled Tosh into a hug. "Where the hell am I? One minute I was ... and then the next I'm…My head hurts, is there a particular reason for that?"
"Well, that's not the voices I heard." Oona announced when a much closer voice called out just ahead. It was a lone woman on the forest floor up ahead. Neither Peter not Toshiko appeared armed, although Oona suspected both would be more competent than they first looked in a fight. However, as she was the armed one, Oona moved around her companions and approached the woman. "Are you alone? Are you hurt?" This could be a trap. A lone, wounded appearing woman was perfect bait. Or a child. She had seen such trickery used before.
"Me either..." Peter smiled at Oona. "You know, " he leant down to Toshiko, "For an Alien she's funny."
"Why are we here? What's going on? Who are you?" Gwen looked at the man standing next to Tosh. It was only then that Gwen noticed a strange lady standing a bit away from them. "Who are you?" What the hell was going on? Gwen thought to herself. "Alien? I hope you're not talking about me?! I'm not alien! I'm human, Tosh will you tell him!" Gwen laughed a little and looked at Toshiko.
As Gwen sat up from the ground embraced Toshiko, Oona noted that from the side came two more females. One a young blonde, the other a only slightly older woman with coffee coloured skin. "Now those are the voiced I heard." Oona pointed to the two.
"Peter, will you see to them, please?" Oona knelt beside Tosh and the dark haired woman she seemed to know. Fishing in a pouch at her side Oona produced a very small cloth bag.
"This will ease your head. It has powdered willow bark and some other ingredients you would not know. It will taste bitter on your tongue at first, then like mint. But the headache should be gone within a minute." Indeed, if she had any bruising on her brain, it too, should clear up. Oona often found her head hurting after a major casting, and had six such packets with her. "And to allay, any fears, your friend here will doubtless serve retribution if this should offer you any harm." Oona indicated Tosh while handing out the packet. "I have to water to make it easier to take, but it can be swallowed dry."
"Thanks..." Gwen took the powder with the water and grimaced, but the taste soon turned to mint, just as the lady had promised. "Who are you? And...where ...and what...You know I'm confused, very confused." Gwen got up and looked at her surroundings.
Oona stood upright with Gwen and nodded. "I was confused as well. I suspect we all were. I was travelling between realities when I found myself here. I am Oona. I do not know where here is."
Jack turned his head to find Tosh and Pete had wandered off, great he was left with grumpy and grumpier. His thought process was interrupted by Gwen's voice coming clearly through the trees. "Claude, Owen come on", checking to see that Owen at least followed him he set off to find Gwen. Jack quickly found the group, crossing quickly to Gwen. "Are you alright?" As Jack, Claude and Owen entered form the side Peter double checked with Toshiko that he look after Martha - at least see where she and Rose had been all this time - Tosh seemed to smile, as if it was silly he was even asking. He sidled off to see Martha, "Hey there" he said, smiling and trying to keep his hair out of his eyes, "You have no idea how glad I am to see you two. Where have you been?"
Tosh was delighted to see her friend Gwen but knew Oona was suspicious. Then she was startled by seeing two females coming towards them. Martha was glaring right at her. Toshiko looked around her in case she was looking past her but by her dark glare it was directed right at her. Martha ran right up to Tosh. "That's the Doctors coat - why are you wearing it?” Tosh was perplexed but stood as tall as she could and replied. “I was given it and it is no business of yours unless it is your jacket which it is not.” Peter chuckled and wondered if more sparks were about to fly. Oona noted that by now the dark skinned beauty was arguing with Tosh, while Rose stood a bit apart, but watched with sharp eyes. Why did everyone squabble? Thought Oona, Oh, yes... like she had not let her opinion of the little man be known. Ah well.
"But it's my friend's. I think that friends have more dominion over property than complete strangers, so hand over the coat." Martha held out a hand, expecting the woman to comply and return the coat. "But I'm cold!" Defended Toshiko. "Do I look like I care?" Martha turned towards Peter. "And where do you get off giving the Doctor's things away? He trusted you with his coat and you give it to the first pretty girl you see?" "Matha - she was cold, she landed here with nothing...not quite as bad as me but..." He smiled. “Trust me, I'm not going to let it, or her, out of my sight, I swear. I promise I’d return it and I will. Tell me, you reckon your friend as gone to this city?" Peter said as he looked at Jack who was observing him with a wry eyebrow and Claude who seemed to find everything laughable, and Owen who seemed to want to hit him again. "We're heading in that direction if you want to come..." He leant down to Martha, "I'd be really grateful if you would, I think half these guys want to jump me."
Jack watched Rose wearily unsure whether this Rose had encountered him yet or not. "Hey girls, we've just been wandering around and squabbling here. But Pete is right we're city bound and I suggest we get a move on" Jack stepped gently in front of Tosh, "Martha, we are all stuck in the middle of nowhere on a planet that could be anywhere for all we know. Lets try and stick together shall we, not bicker about coats. If you really want one, you can wear mine" Jack proffered the great coat. Martha scowled, but took the Captain's coat and followed Peter and the woman with the Doctor's coat ... Martha didn't even get her name.
They set off - Peter assured Jack they really weren't far from the perimeter of the city. He made sure Rose was following on behind - after all her friend the (other) Doctor had been so concerned for her, it was the least he could do. He smiled at Martha - though she seemed to be in a mood - and then leant over to Jack.
“So - another American, where are you from?" He asked. Jack looked sadly at Peter, "Somewhere and somewhen so far away I try not to remember these days" Jack instantly plastered his smile back. "How about you? that sounds like a New York city accent to me."
"Born and bred there; 30th district." Peter smiled as he thought of home, it was safe, the thought, that as what as important. "So...look, you know about me, what about you... you're not a Doctor too are you or are you special in some other way?"
"Not a doctor, a captain." Martha offered and exchanged a smile with Jack.
Jack laughed. "No I'm not a Doctor, I leave that to Owen there. I'm what you might call a technology recovery expert" Jack replied evasively, the New York City thing had proved this guy was human on some level and revealing Torchwood may not be smart. Not that the guy couldn't pluck it straight out of Tosh, Gwen or Owen's heads he thought wryly. "So do me a favour." Lent Peter, having a feeling Jack and Martha, mostly because both of them seem far more familiar with the only man who seemed to know what was going on around here, knew more than he did about why they were here, or at least had the brains to work it out " Can you tell me why we're all here, what we have in common, and what's so special about you all?" He shrugged, "I mean, as far as I can tell none of you are like me...”
Jack's competitive edge got the better of him before he even thought. “Well hey special one, I can't die and both Martha and I have been to the end of the universe." Peter laughed. "End of the Universe...the END of the Universe...that's just not possible." “It’s possible, it's just not very nice" Jack stopped dead in his tracks. "Everybody quiet. Listen I can hear voices and look there through the trees campfire smoke".
They walk out of the forest, the perimeter of a city looms before them, not quite the way Peter had seen it from the air. Martha, Oona, the quiet Toshiko, the amusingly mute Owen and Claude (who clearly thought it was better to keep out of each other's way) Rose and the new dark haired woman stepped out in a line and were met be a growling four legged creature.... "Cute," said Jack, and for the first time Peter sensed he was being sarcastic.
"So erm... running sound good to anyone?" Jack continued. Martha barely had time to nod before the group started running, all nine of them barrelling through the trees, getting cut and scraped on any skin that was exposed. She grabbed onto Peter's hand, not wanting to get lost amidst the chaos. Pete took hold of Martha's hand gladly. He didn't mind the cuts and the scratches - as painful as they were. He knew they would heal. He barrelled through the forest as fast as they could, so fast it seemed that before he had even noticed he was in the air, Martha in his hand, they soared above the crowd running below.
Oona had to really hike up the skirt of her sari to run, but standing there shooting arrows would have been suicide with no backup. "Don't you people have guns?" She panted as she ran. One of the creatures leapt at them, where Oona and Toshiko were bringing up the rear. "Pyrotius!" Oona shouted, directing the flow of magic at the thing leaping towards them, even as she knocked Tosh down, placing her own body on top of the other woman. The thing screamed as it was covered with flames mid leap and it crashed to the ground not a foot from Oona and Tosh. "Right, back to Running." Oona helped Tosh to her feet, quickly as they made it to the gate as Jack made his strange introduction. Oona felt drained a bit, like she had run twice as far as the rest. The price of magic.
Peter really hadn't meant to take off, Claude would be so disappointed - he thought he'd got to grips with his gifts by now. "Are we ... flying?!" Martha looked at the stunned faces below them then back up at Pete. "You're not normal, are you?" Peter smiled and pulled Martha to his side, as best he could, he held her tight, which wasn't easy. "Sorry - didn't mean to do that - I can take you down if you'd like. Survival instinct I guess...like jumping at a loud noise. We could go back down or head to the centre of the village...your call."
It felt strange to be like this, clinging to Pete, high above the earth, strange, but good. Like flying in the Tardis. Except she knew where they were going. "Uh, the village, I guess. I'm sure the Doctor's down there somewhere." Pete nodded and brought them both down, making sure Martha was steady on her feet before letting her go. If there was one thing Peter regretted - it was leaving Toshiko behind. He saw her below with the Captain, and the collection of creatures and people that seemed to emerge from the huts in the valley. He wondered if Doctor Smith was amongst them. But he was just a pilot, and after all Martha hadn't asked for a lift. They landed and, expecting the others join him shortly, decided to look around for her friend.
Jack watched Martha and Peter soaring into the sky with relief, two less people to worry about. Breaking through another copse of trees Jack saw a gate and charged towards it, a funny goat like creature turned towards him aggressively. Jack despite his ragged breathing kept his fingers crossed and said, "Hi, we're with the Doctor and I'm just betting he's here already" The creature glared suspiciously at Jack and demanded "How did you get here?”
"Wish we knew" replied Jack. "One minute sitting at home and next bang lots of trees" The creature appeared to ponder and eventually said, "you will be taken to the Mayor to see if your Doctor can verify your story" with that several diverse species of creatures not so subtly escorted them into the compound. Toshiko stared up at the sky as Peter soared up in the air with Martha. She didn’t realise she was in danger as she had stopped running to gaze upwards. Then missed Jack talking to a Goat and also didn’t realise the beast that was creeping up behind her till it was too late.
The hair pricked at Toshiko’s neck and she turned as she caught the acrid smell of sour breath. Then she ran!
Unfortunately Tosh ran off into the trees and tried to outrun the slobbering animal that was chasing her. She let out a scream of fear as jaws snapped at the Doctors Coat but she managed to run faster and still gripped the jacket not wishing to give it up to the beast as Martha and Peter would never forgive her for the loss of the Doctors coat – not that she knew the bloke. Being small gave Toshiko the edge as she swerved in and out through the undergrowth. She was fast on her feet and her quick reflexes held her in good stead.
Cover was good for her but also the beast managed to snap at her leg and she felt the blood run but this spurned her on to run faster. Soon she was slowing but he beast was gaining and it’s horrible howling made her aware she was in big trouble. A tree ahead looked climbable and she sprinted for it and jumped grabbing onto a limb to pull herself up. She started to climb. Unfortunately the beast bayed around the tree jumping and snapping as it tried to leap up to get to Toshiko.
The limb she was on didn’t feel that stable and as she heard the cracking noise she knew her time was up. How was she going to get down from the tree – falling wasn’t the option she had in mind as this would mean the beast would get her.
She slid along to the main trunk of the tree and tried to find a new limb to climb onto but her luck was out. She searched her pockets and found nothing. She then looked inside the Doctors coat pockets hoping he’d not mind. She found a jelly baby of all things, a lump of play dough and a cube of blue pool chalk. She wondered who this man was as by the contents of his pockets he appeared to be a little strange. She looked into the inside pocket and found a small can. She peered at the canister but couldn’t see the writing for the poor light so she lit the lighter that was in the pocket next to it and read Nitro 9. “Never heard of it, thought Toshiko and then…BOOM
The echo of the explosion could be heard for miles. Toshiko felt herself flying up in the air. For a second she wondered if Peter had come to rescue her - then as she hit the ground she realised – no! She was smattered with dirt wood and other things including the blood from the now dead beast. "What was that?”, Peter shouted towards Martha, who shrugged. He said, holding out his hand and hoping against all hope she would take it. He had to follow the sound of the explosion. "It's always go-go-go with you, isn't it?" Martha smiled as she ran with Pete. "Wait! The Doctor's coat!"
He took her hand and up they went. He liked flying with her, this was the first time he had ever flown with anyone...after all the last time is was Claude and the man had been unconscious at the time. It felt like he was sharing something special with her...but now wasn't the time to let his emotions get the better of him, Lord knows that was easy to do. They followed the smoke, the smouldering treeline, the sound of coughing and finally...Toshiko, crouched in a smouldering heap, but thankfully, and surprisingly, intact. "Thank god you're okay" he screamed and ran up to hug her! Martha let her medical training take over, checking for a pulse and holding an ear against the woman's chest, trying to detect a heartbeat. She wasn't breathing, so Martha proceeded to do mouth-to-mouth, Peter stood idly by. "You're a nurse, isn't there something you can be doing?" "I don't think I have to ... " He said, the woman coughed and sat up as Peter knelt to hug her. Toshiko coughed and returned Peter's hug and thanked Martha with a croak. Toshiko rubbed her hands over her ears.
"What's wrong?" Asked Martha to Tosh.
Tosh stared at Martha and shook her head then pointed to her ears. "I can't hear you Martha. My ears are ringing and I feel rather ... queasy a bit dizzy too!"
Peter crouched next to her and turned her to face him. "You will be okay." He mouthed slowly but Tosh just shook her head not understanding. Peter caught Toshiko's chin and caught her gaze as he lifted a finger from his eyes to ears and back. Tosh got the message to watch him. She nodded and said Okay I've to watch you?
"Okay!" He signed with his fingers O and then the K using his left index finger and a bent right finger to form the K. Toshiko struggled to stand and was assisted by Martha ad Peter. She felt safer with Peter and although Martha had helped her she still felt awkward about the Doctor’s coat.
He couldn't carry the two of them back to the centre of the city. Oh well, he thought, at least he had good company for the walk. They would have to head in the direction of Jack and the crowd, the others (he hoped) were still by the Captain's side. He pointed in the direction of the crowd for Tosh's benefit, touching her shoulder to stop her from investigating the sodden mess that was whatever had been destroyed by the explosion, and smiled at Martha softly. "Looks like we'll have to go the long way after all." He said.
Owen and Claude had been having another argument. Owen's ego still stung, and while he wasn't entirely sure what set this latest round of words off, or how precisely they'd been left behind, he wasn't going to back down. At least, he hadn't planned to before the sound of the explosion had rattled through the forest.
"We'll finish this later." He said securing his EMT pack, he ran in the general direction of the sound and tried to spot smoke. "Jack? Tosh?" He strained to remember the other names. "Peter?" Owen swore. He thought he saw a curl of something on the horizon, but the trees were too thick. He flailed around a bit, trying to get his bearings until Claude grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him toward a path. "Oi. This way." Owen followed.
A very dazed and smoldering, wait, smoldering?!, Toshiko wobbled among the trees wearing the Doctor's big coat. Owen rushed to her immediately, only just fighting down the urge to push Peter and the others aside.
"Tosh, are you okay?" He asked. She squinted and shook her head in confusion. "Of course," he realized. "Explosion." He pursed his lips, then indicated his bag. Then, for good measure, he smirked and mouthed the words "Playing Doctor" with a wink. He hoped, a little perversely, that Peter might see. With deft hands, "Hands with plenty of training thankyouverymuch Mr. Nurse," he thought, he gave Toshiko a quick once over, checking for sprains and burns, cleaning up a couple of scratches, and confirming with his penlight that she did not, in fact, have a concussion. Satisfied, he packed up his bag and looked to the others. He ignored their faces. Instead, he shouldered his bag and gave Claude a quiet nod. It wasn't a "thank you", but it was as close as Owen Harper cared to come to civility with the man who still had his gun.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 15:02:44 GMT
Chapter 3 – The life and death of Major West [Chp 3 - Pt 1]
Watching Peter rocket skyward, West barely managed to retain his composure.
"Well that was...odd." The Doctor was quiet for a moment. He turned to the Major "Where'd you get the blood? If you don't mind me asking?" Once again the image of Rose getting torn apart by some beastie entered his mind, followed by the guilt of not thinking of Martha first. His Rose was lost to him. This Rose had her own Doctor to look after her. He needed to put Martha first. Oh but he knew he couldn't, not really, not ever.
He quickly returned his focus to the Doctor, "I got this blood in the fighting. Some of it is mine. Most is not. We based ourselves in a manor house in Manchester. I thought our defences were sufficient. Apparently they were not. The infected got inside. Everyone died. Except me, of course. Though I can't tell you how or why." Noticing the Doctor's reaction, the major realised this group might not know about Rage. "I gather our lot comes from many different places. And times. My time and place was affected by a virus called Rage. It travels in the blood. Once infected, a person has fifteen seconds before they become mindless killers. Clearly, I'm not infected. Otherwise, you all would be dead by now."
The Doctor's eyes opened really wide, rubbing the back of his neck he replied, "I guess not... Thankfully." He looked at Jack, who was still watching the cloud line where Peter had disappeared.
"The Rage you say? Funny I haven't heard of that. You're from Earth you say... Manchester..." The Doctor ran his hands up through his hair, ruffling it before letting his hands drop to his side." He looked back at Jack.
"Your guys didn't... I don't know... Open the rift by any chance did they?"
"Erm... I guess that might of happened yes." Jack answered sheepishly.
"Oh.. yes... now that’s brilliant! Humans, give them a bunch of really cool alien tech and what do you do? Try destroy the space /time fabric. That’s just dandy. And that was very British." Major West stood at the ready, observing. "Shall we begin searching? The sooner we find our lost sheep, the sooner we can concentrate on securing food. And shelter."
"Food and shelter... yes. Weeeell... Peter can find him the Doctor that is, and he can look after himself. As can Rose. I'm sure Martha is just fine too. Those two are remarkable. I am famished though." his anger had subsided. As annoying humans could be sometimes, they were curious critters, and it warmed his hearts somewhat. He sighed. "Lets go for a wander, do some investigating. Jack can you wait for Peter..." "Sentary duty..."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Jack's obvious distaste of the baby-sitting task he had just given him. "Jaaaack." "But I wanted to find me some grub. No one can hunt and skin a rabbit like I can."
"I'm sure." the Doctor slapped Major West on the shoulder, "Let's go for a wander. And lets go that way." He pointed north, remembering the signal from earlier. He didn't disclose the information mind, he still wasn't entirely sure he could trust the soldier.
"Oi! Don't I get to place an order?" Jack shouted after them. The Doctor grinned. "You'll get what you're given!" "Very well then, Doctor," emphasising the honorific title. "I suppose until reinforcements arrive, this is a civilian operation. Lead the way. But if we should happen across a tailor shop..." West smirks and gestured at his own ruined clothes. The Doctor looked the Major up and down and smiled to himself. He did look like he had seen some action. He decided to offer an act of kindness in hopes that the Major might not turn out to be quite the double crossing swine he expected to be. "I do have a box you know... A blue box. Bigger on the inside." He paused rubbing the back of his neck. "A Tardis, it's a ship, a sky ship. I have a wardrobe on board, may find something to fit you... though you can't keep the scarf."
"Scarf?"
"You'll know the one when you see it." He veered off to the right towards the Tardis. He could fix some grub whilst he was there, possibly scan the planet surface for a settlement, or another Tardis.
Major West followed the Doctor into the Tardis. Moments later, he emerged and walked around the big blue box. "It is bigger on the inside. Interesting." Promises of food and proper attire more than steel the veteran's nerves against the weirdness as he again disappeared inside.
The Doctor stood hunched over the consol, running program after program. Henry West, who had now managed to find some camo gear which fitted him in the wardrobe hovered by his shoulder. “This is odd, very odd, oddly odd.” The Doctor chirped, leaping around the consol. He looked up and grinned at Henry who was looking a little confused and disorientated.
“Don’t forget to breathe Major.” He waggled his eyebrows somewhat, “Can’t have you turning purple, you’ll glow like a Christmas tree, give away out location. I don’t know why people have Christmas trees at Christmas. Twice now I’ve had one try to kill me.” He shook his head as if the motion would shake the thought away.
He ran back round to the screen he was looking at before. “Yes that’s it, there’s the other Tardis.” He pointed to the screen, “and something else there. It could be another Tardis.” He ran his hand up and down his face, and then down the back of his neck. His voice quietened momentarily as if sharing a secret. “I do hope not, that would be one hell of a paradox.” But as suddenly as the mood had shifted it shifted back. “So I say we head in that direction. There seems to be a settlement there, which is where I imagine the other Doctor is going to go. And if we aim a little to the… that direction” he made swift motion with his hands, “We can maybe check out the Tardis as well.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for reinforcements, or go back for your friends?” West cautioned.
“Weeeeell… We could…” He grabbed the Eskimo coat which had taken from the wardrobe to replace his other coat and flung it on. “But where’s you sense of adventure.” He gave a little twirl and looked expectantly at the Major. “I don’t think so.” He said with a nervous laugh. “Yeeeep. You’re probably right.” She shook it off. “Time to vamooooose.” Fresh clothes and a full belly do wonders for helping a man accept his fate. As such, the major seemed content to just follow along and play the role of "military advisor". For the time being. Running ahead the Doctor checked over his shoulder. The Major seemed to be keeping up nicely. He came to an abrupt stand still, West running into his back.
“Where did we say we were going?” West asked the Doctor, somewhat annoyed at having to do this much exercise on a full stomach. “Well, I thought we would find Rose and Martha. Can’t help but feel that danger is afoot. And if there’s going to be danger, you just know that Rose will be in the middle of it, hanging from a barrage balloon.” Laughed the Doctor. The Major looked at him as if he had gone completely mad. He didn’t quite want to tell him that after 900 years, he probably was quite insane by now. He turned to leave, and suddenly caught view of smoke rising from the skyline.
“Oh, civilization.” The smoke seemed to be coming from the settlement. Thing is, was it full of bad guys, or a place where others like himself had set up shop. He turned on his heal and headed in that direction. After all, Rose and Martha would most likely head towards smoke, assuming people would be there to help them. He sighed, “One of these days I’m going to find someone who doesn’t wander off…” though he knew he would never have had it any other way.
The Major rolled his eyes. “Now where are you going?” Smoke wasn't something that the major had associated with civilization for quite some time. “When you've seen an entire city burn, smoke usually means an end to everything you've known” he said. Even if this was civilization, there was no guarantee they would be friendly. "Always one to go rushing off into the lion's den, Doctor?"
"Why, of course. We're not mice, are we, major? No. We are men. As such..."
The Doctor, who West considered to be a very strange little man, proceeded to tromp towards whatever village or camp lay ahead. With little choice or say in the matter, the Major followed, wondering why he even bothered wearing camouflage. Itchy camouflage at that. Shifting over wounds as they tried to heal. His composure was all that kept him from scratching himself furiously. The Doctor crouched behind some bushes, waving at the Major to do the same. A head of them was a village, full of lots of little huts made out of materials scavenged from the forest. People of various races from across the universe wandered about carrying wood and stones and other things. it was odd, some of these races the Doctor was sure had died out many, many lifetimes ago. It was almost like, some kind of zoo, for endangered species. The Doctor turned wide eyed to the Major. "You any good with diplomatic relations Major?" He grinned. Oh this was going to be fun!
“Mutants”. Thought the Major. “Survivors of a nuclear war. Or... aliens. Yes. Aliens. Probably no danger of radioactivity. Probably.” With a blink, West squinted at the Doctor, "Diplomacy? Of course I've been trained in diplomatic procedures. Unfortunately, at the moment, I'm rather short on weapons. So we'll just have to improvise." The soldier's tension buried any sense of humour he may have attempted. He studied the milling villagers a moment, they did not appear threatening. A few of them seemed alert, possibly sentries, but this was hardly a proper, defensible position. "We are significantly outnumbered. Are you sure we shouldn't regroup with the others?"
The Major knew that it would be so simple to annihilate the village. Send a couple boys to the left flank. Ignite a few of the huts. The fire would flush the villagers right. Where a pair of machine gun emplacements would eliminate the fleeing targets. But his boys were all dead. If only he had a mortar. With white phosphorous rounds. High-explosive would also do, in a pinch. Drop a few into the centre of the village. Walk the shells up the line of huts. Greater chance for survivors that way, but...but these were just people. Trying to survive. Bringing civilization to the wild. Wasn't that the same objectives he had back in Manchester? How dare they, these alien refugees, succeed where the pride of the British military has failed? Sunlight beat down atop the major's head as he idly scratched his aching side. "Are you coming?" said the Doctor, who was already marching towards the settlement.
"Right behind you, Doctor." The Major replied, though his head was musing over a concern. Something within told him that the eclipse earlier this day was no common occurrence. On this world, eclipses could possibly be common occurrences. Given the vast possibilities of astrophysics, it was entirely possible for there to be a world where eclipses happened every day. But it was not, in fact, any product of natural astrophysics at all. Sure, one could make the point that stellar navigation and orbital mechanics are simply controlled astrophysics. But then, that's hardly "natural". No, today's eclipse was caused by a ship. A large, stony, pie-shaped ship. Quite ingenious, really. Take an asteroid, hollow it out for living space, and flatten it a bit to aid with aero braking. And had the motley group below been on the night-side of the planet, they would have witnessed a huge, fiery streak across the sky instead of the eclipse. So someone flew this large rock pie to this planet and parked it in orbit according to the universal laws of physics. But the laws of physics appear to be the only laws in observance today as spiney, egg-shaped pods begin to drop from the Mothership.
The Doctor marched into the village. Some people looked up from there work, but most carried on ignorant to them. He approached one man, tall, about 6 foot, broad shoulders, redish orange skin and massive goats horns. He suspected that under his trousers were fluffy little goats’ legs to. A Fawn by the looks. Now those he knew were extinct. The Fawn in question looked up. The Doctor put his hands out in a non threatening way, grinned and said, "So, take me to your leader!"
Standing just off Ten's shoulder, the Major kept a close watch on the village's inhabitants. Didn't they care that two strangers just waltzed right into the middle of their town? Unless... this was a trap? Casually, his heel tamped at the dirt path. Seems solid enough. A quick glance upwards reveals no nets or boiling oil about to fall on them. Surely the townsfolk would be seeking cover if hidden weapons were about to open fire. So until the situation changes, West is content to let the Doctor do the talking.
The Fawn looked at the Doctor as if he was mad. "You want to see the Mayor? Why?"
"Weeeeell... I guess the Mayor would be handy. We seem to have been kidnapped and placed here. We were hoping your Mayor might know something about that."
"Oh yes!" said the Fawn, "We all do. Every single one of us here was brought here. We just showed up one day. Most folk here are the last of their kind, and the ones that aren't are the families of those that are."
The Doctor looked shocked. "How long has this been going on now?"
"Oh for years. We get newbies from time to time. When that happens we all pitch in and help them settle. It's a nice place here... erm... you're name?" "John Smith."
"John, it's a nice place here, you'll be quite happy here with your... er... partner."
"He's not my partner." West piped up from behind the Doctor. The Doctor just glared at him, and then turned and smiled to the Fawn.
"Oh he's just shy, aren't you love?" He winked at the uncomfortable looking Major. "Don't you ever try and escape?" "Why should we? We are at risk out there, here we are quite safe. Just don't wander too far from the Village, and you'll be safe from any Poachers. They know not to come here, this Village is protected."
"Protected?" "Oh yes by the ones that brought us here." "And they are?"
The Fawn shrugged and picked up his piece of timber he had been carrying. "Look I'm pretty busy. If you go see Irene at Sign In, she's sort you two out with somewhere to stay." And with that the Fawn was gone.
The Doctor turned to the Major. "I think we've found base camp don't you." His cheery demeanour soon faded however. "I think we should find Rose and Martha. If there are poachers out there who knows what kind of trouble they are in."
An alien preserve, clocked the Major. With invisible protectors. This is really getting to be too much. "Honestly, Doctor, I think your magic blue box would serve us better. Assuming you have ample supplies stashed away inside. If not..." West shrugged. Then worked a crick out of his neck. "Tell you what, Smith. If you'll check in with... Irene, I want to patrol the perimeter. Just to make sure this place is as safe as the goat-man says. I'll join up with you in a few minutes." Not agitated. Not even uneasy. But very tense. Almost an anticipation. Major West about-faced and marched towards the outskirts of the village.
The Doctor nodded, understanding the Major's need to set up security. He was from Earth in a time when aliens were just fairy stories. This must be all very odd for him. Also understanding the need for a base, and not wanted to walk aimlessly hoping to find trouble he headed towards where Irene was supposed to be situated. He hoped the others would have sense to head to the settlement and maybe find them here.
"That's weird.” Thought the Major, “How could I understand what the big, orange, goat-man was saying? Surely the chances of some random alien species speaking the Queen's English were infinitesimal.
"Something must be inside my head. Translating. That would certainly explain the pressure behind my eyes. What have you gotten yourself into, Major Henry West? Still, it's better than your previous situation.” West circled the camp counter-clockwise. Not through any strict military protocol, but rather at random. To better throw off 'the enemy.' He didn't really expect to encounter anything out here. Not that he bought the whole "invisible protectors" story. He just needed time away from the Doctor. Thinking of the man made his brain throb and his teeth ache. Out here, away from all the people (if one can call them that), he was able to breathe a little easier. Not until he reached the northern edge of the village did he wish he'd kept his mind on his assumed duty. The thing had four legs. About dog-sized. All scales and thick, tenticle-like whiskers covering its body. It had no eyes. It did have two large, flared nostrils. And a mouth. With distinctly carnivorous teeth. Though, thankfully, they were not 'unreasonably' sized. With a high-pitched keening, the lizard-dog sprinted forward, nostrils breathing in the Major's warm, blood-laden scent. It snarled. West remained motionless, eyes affixed on the predatory thing. It leapt.
Blankness. The major found himself crouching. The beast was bounding away through the forest, high-tailing northwards. Yelping, if the sound it made could be called that.
One of its whiskers remained clenched in West's hand. Bits of green gooey... flesh? were encrusted under his nails. And he had the distinct taste of Bad Fish in his mouth. Collapsing to the ground, it took five minutes for the shaking to stop. Major West stood and returned directly to the village. His patrol wasn't as pointless as he thought.
Back in the village Doctor Ten emerged from Irene's Registration Hut just as Major West returned.
"Ah! Major! I've gotten us registered with the local census and... My. You seem to have a spot of..." the Doctor gestured at West's chin, "Red on you." West wiped his chin and stared at his gory fingers. "Yes. I was attacked. Some sort of wild canine." He held out the severed whisker, "It left this." The Doctor grimaced distastefully as he took hold of the green-dripping thing between his thumb and forefinger, "Ah. AH! Whiskered dog, you say? Scaley? No eyes. Got to be Koinu. Wonderful tracking animals! There are several top-rated kennels in your Galaxy... But..." The joy of enlightenment faded to the dread of understanding, "I doubt they're here to be preserved. We should talk to the mayor right away!"
West nodded and followed the Doctor down the dusty street towards the grandest hut on the block.
The Doctor, who had spent most the afternoon chatting to Irene, a nice portly woman, with a big mass of grey curly hair and blue silvery scales, about anything and everything, though nothing at all helpful, heard an almighty explosion. It had shaken the ground. He grinned, looking over to Irene, over his 14th cup of coffee, who had not seemed the slightest concerned by the racket, and proceeded to tell her all about Ace, his travelling companion of his 7th incarnation.
"Oh she used to love Nitro 9. Could always be counted to blow up something at some point during any adventure. Lovely girl." He sighed, missing her slightly. "She perfected the mix and it worked a charm. Even now I carry a canister in my coat pocket." He stopped suddenly, realisation dawning on him.
"My coat!" He exclaimed leaping up from the table and knocking over his chair. "If he's ruined that coat he will pay." He muttered to himself as he ran in the general direction of the explosion.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 15:03:27 GMT
[Chp 3 - Pt 2]
Of course Peter was concerned about the coat, but he was more worried about the woman inside it, she had yet to regain not only her hearing but her balance. Peter held her upright as they walked. This seemed to make his new 'friend' Owen jealous...he considered stopping and letting Owen take over, returning to Martha, once maybe he would have (fear of stepping on anyone's toes) but the sound of the explosion had hardened his senses and his fears. No, he continued to help her.
"Perhaps you had better give me that coat back?" he asked Toshiko, who seemed to be fussing about it. It wasn't singed (apparently the thing was amazingly fire retardant as well as roomy) but it was a good bit grubby, she didn't understand. Peter pointed at the coat and then pointed at himself.
"No, no." she shouted back at him. "It will be fine." She stopped, holding her hand into the air and lent into her "Don't Worry!" Owen looked over at his friend. "Shut up Tosh," he screamed, flapping his hand like a puppet and then running his finger across his throat. "You want us all to get mauled by those dog things? No? I didn't think so."
"Don't shout at her." said Peter - "She can't help it.” In the corner of his eye he saw Jack and the others and smiled thankfully, perhaps the Captain could help. Martha ran over to him and met him with a hug ( did they really both go to the end of the Universe...that was pretty special) Peter held that little Jealousy monster inside and continued to help Tosh. Owen eyeing him up and down suspiciously. What would he have to do to get this guy to give him a break?
The Doctor ran as if for his life across the village and out towards the tree line. The first person he saw was Jack. As he hurried over to him, he spotted the others with him, including Rose and Martha. The Doctor instinctively grinned at Rose and pulled her into a hug, before realising his mistake, releasing her and proceeding to hug Jack and Martha in the same manner to imply that’s how he greeted everyone after 14 cups of coffee. He grinned, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "Hey guys! I can't leave you lot alone for 5 minutes with out someone blowing something up."
Owen raised his eyebrow, gives Jack a questioning look. "Nah," he chuckled to himself under his breath. "Not in a million years." So there they all were, thought Peter, smiling as best as he could, given the circumstances. He watched as the rather bouncy Doctor hugged Rose and then quickly planted a hug on Jack - who was more than surprised, but not exactly ungrateful, and he watched sadly as Martha, by Jack's side was not hugged immediately. Some friend this Doctor Smith was, yet he must know, by now, where they were and what was happening. But Peter had found them all, everyone that he sensed he could trust - though he would trust all of them only as far as he could throw them - then again he could throw things pretty far.
Claude stood idly by, scratching his beard as if he was less than impressed by this grinning maniac; Tosh mouthed to Peter “'Who's that?" and Peter, in all honesty, shrugged. Truth be told, he had no idea who this guy was really.
The Doctor looked about then, his wide eyes darting from each of the motley crew. His eyes rested on Oona, who bowed, as if the two knew something of each other, or could at least sense something. He could read neither of their minds to work out what.
When the Doctor's smile saw Tosh Pete's pre-empted his question (which might have been something like ' my coat?) drew Tosh closer to himself to suggest he had a handle on the situation and announced proudly: "So Doctor Smith - I found your friends, all of them, fancy telling us what you have been up to and who these people are?" He indicated the crowd of strange creatures about them and kept a sharp ear out for any of the creatures in the wilderness.
Out of the forest edge a dark faced creature prowled, his eyes on his prize. It would be a complicated process extracting the genetic material from Peter, he didn't want to break the body too badly - nevertheless he knew he had to pluck him from the multitude.
Toshiko tried to follow what was going on. She was surprised to see the skinny – but cute - man arrive and hug Jack and the blonde she now knew was Rose. Body language was the only way she had of figuring out what was happening around her. The skinny Guy advanced on Peter but his dark brown eyes were on her. She shivered and tightened the coat around her. By his gesticulations he was angry with Peter. She wasn’t sure why and wondered if it had something to do with her?
The trouserless alien picked up a long sharp branch, and with terrifying accuracy threw it at peter. He just hoped the prize's new friends thought he was dead when the poacher came to claim him. The branch pierced right through Peter.
Tosh screamed.
Claude laughed.
Peter fell to the ground.
Toshiko screamed a piercing scream she couldn’t hear as she watched in horror as a branch speared Peter. His blood splashed onto her hand and she stared at it as all around her was in chaos. Blood wasn’t strange to her in her field but she was still in shock after the explosion and was rooted to the spot.
The poacher, uncaring that he was only half clad approached the captives cautiously, and unarmed. "Cattle!" He called. "I mean none of you harm, my prize is the boy who as you can see is no longer of any use. Step away and I will leave you." And Peter's last thought, before he momentarily 'died', "Thank God I wasn't wearing that coat..."
Owen sprang into action, tearing into his EMT kit. Jack had a gun. Tosh had to have something. Hell, Claude had his pistol. They could cover while he worked.
"It's okay. Just breathe. Breathe and try to hold still." He didn't bother with gloves. There was no time. Instead, he tugged an Israeli trauma bandage and a pair of heavy clippers out of his bag. Looking at the injury, he was doubtful for the kid's survival. Especially if the branch had pierced the younger man's guts. That was a long, painful death. Fortunately, Owen carried plenty of sedative. He could put the kid out if he had to. "Peter. Peter, look at me! Sh*t!"
The man was going into shock. He'd have to do something about the spear. Owen did his best to ease Peter into a proper shock position, mostly upright with knees flexed, and covered the boy in his coat. He sat behind, supporting him. Peter's blood soaked into his jeans and t-shirts. "Let's just hope you don't have anything I don't want," he thought to himself.
"You stay with me, Peter. Get your eyes open."
Peter wasn't wearing enough clothing to loosen. He couldn't remove the spear, not here, anyway but he could try and stop the bleeding.
"Come on, mate. Stay with me. Stay wi --" He wasn't breathing. No pulse.
"No, no, no, no!" Owen called. Toshiko watched as Owen rushed in to assist Peter. Tosh knew, he would be first-class in these circumstances.
Claude looked up at the sky and laughed loudly. The others turned angrily on him, disgusted at his response to Peters death, Claude smirked and began backing away, he’d forgotten they didn’t know as much about Peter as he did. "I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you...regular little magpie our Peter." Glancing down at Owen he added " Don’t think he needs any help from you Doc...you did say you were a doctor?" not waiting for any response he said " If I were you I’d be more worried about the rest of this happy little band of ours...how are you on genetic engineering by the way ?"
"Genetic engineering? I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm sort of covered in your friend's blood. Time and place, mate!" Owen refuses to yield Peter's body. “Step aside Cattle!" The poacher demanded, did they not know who he was or where they were? "The cow is mine. Dead or alive. Dead will satisfy me." He took firm hold of the limp and lifeless body of Peter and attempted to drag him from the medical-cow's arms. "Forego your friend..." He demanded, "And I will spare the rest of you should my fellows come." The life of a Void-poacher was a hard one, he had, after all only himself to care for. "Woah woah woah!" The Doctor leaped in front of the crazy semi naked stick throwing... thing with all the hostility of a playful puppy. "What was that all about? Don't you think it's just a little tiny bit rude to impale someone with out introducing yourself first?"
"Excuse me?”
"Excuse you? Excuse you!" The Doctor darkened, showing the true nature of the on coming storm. He stepped into the creature’s personal space and brought himself to his full height. Though shorter the Doctor was still very intimidating. "This man has been a great asset to me. I don't take kindly to people killing my assets." he burst into laughter, "Killing my asset?! Was it me or did that come out all wrong." He turned to grin at the folk behind him, winking at the slightly agape Martha and noting the not really that surprised look on Rose Tylers face. He did begin to wonder how much she had cottoned on to. He turned back to the beast. "I'm not really one to fight. But this hand..." he waggled his hand in front of his face, "Oh this hand has proven itself in combat. Oh yes, you should be afraid of this hand. Very afraid. Very, very afraid. The Poacher, that’s what he assumed he was anyway, did not seem all to bothered by his threats. That was never a good sign. Maybe it was time to let Jack do his shooty bang bang thing.
The Doctor starred down the Beastie in front of him. He seriously hoped this didn't come down to a fight. He hadn't looked at all manly back on the Sycorax ship in his jim jams, and he thought that this might look as bad, considering how much bigger this guy was, and looked like he may have a love of wrestling. And not WWF. The real kind. The real kind in which spines got snapped over knees like twigs. More importantly, his spine got snapped over thing guys knee like a twig. Most people backed off when he gave them his mean and moody look. What was wrong with this guy.
Claude glared back at Owen, "Oh your very quick to try and save lives, why? ease your conscience does it? " "Your a doctor, that’s what you do isn’t it? give you a microscope and a centrifuge and you think your god, never met one yet that didn’t."
Claude waved his arms vaguely in the direction of Peters attacker, " Look at that thing, look at all of us, notice anything do ya ? women of the right age, men with abilities what does that suggest to you then doc?"
He paused waiting for his words to sink in, " course there has to be a normal male somewhere (or is that you) they’ll need one for our favourite archer, unless they’re planning on making another bloody bomb...there’s a dirty great big neon sign over us mate, flashing away, do I really have to spell out what it says?” Sadly he added under his breath " Peter Petrelli-the ultimate lab rat.”
The Void-poacher bared his multitudinous teeth at the irksome man - he had no desire in fighting him; few people stood up to him, and the nerve of this one suggested power... "I am Fallin, Void-poacher of the highest order, the Master Caste clan, and you ....you! " He looked down at the little blood soaked creature gripping on to his prey and growled. “You are keeping me from my prize" Disappointed - he must work fast - it seemed his prize was warming.
Rose stood staring at Dr. Smith. There was something very familiar about him. The way he was acting. Almost like her Doctor. "Lab rat? What sort of lab rat? What's wrong with him?” The Doctor rounded on Claude. "Look I don't know who you are, but if you know something I suggest you start talking." He span back round to the Poacher, "And don't you go thinking I have finished with you!” Jacks gun was aimed carefully at the beastie. He turned to Peter and Owen on the floor.
"Look I'm a Doctor..." Owen opened his mouth to protest. "I'm from your future, " he lied, hoping not to raise mush suspicion from Rose as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.
"That’s weird. Very weird. Oddly odd." He sniffed and ruffled his hair with his free hand. "It's telling me that the tissue is regenerating." He raised an eyebrow and looked at Jack. "That’s impossible. This is impossible. Though I do like impossible." His eyes were firmly back on Claude. "What do you know? And I insist you tell me everything." Rose's eyes widened as she noticed the sonic screwdriver. "Where...Where did you get that?" She demanded from him. Suddenly, it all came into place. Sonic Screwdriver. The way it felt right when he looked at her. When he hugged her, she knew she was meant to be there. 'I'm a Doctor.' "Doctor?" She whispered.
The Doctor stood gaping at Rose for what he knew was mere seconds but felt like forever. He could tell her everything, have the sense of closure he dreamt about and desperately needed, or he could try and play the numbly. He new he should take the second option but he knew his mind was already made up. He moved to her, touching her shoulder, ready to explain everything to his other self and perhaps remove her memories when this was all done. He knew that was unfair, and he hated doing such a thing to Rose.
People around Toshiko were gesticulating and moving in to protect Peter as another alien arrived on scene. Tosh moved in to give her own protection to Peter and laid a hand on his shoulder and gulped as she met the worried eyes of Owen. This new alien was a threat that was for sure but Tosh was pleased although the group may have their differences they instantly had gathered around Peter as one body to protect him.
Tosh watched taking in the menacing stance from the Doctor with the mop of unruly brown hair. He still looked cute but in a very dangerous way. He was brave that’s for sure thought Tosh as the man moved slightly forward to face the threat from the intruder. Tosh fumbled once more in the jacket pockets and to her delight and trepidation she found something in the pocket of the Doctor’s coat and she poked Jack in the ribs with her elbow and got his attention. He cottoned on instantly and he kept his face serious but squeezed her hand in acknowledgment. As she passed over the object and slipped it into his hands. Toshiko had a sudden brainwave. The Doctor who had threatened Peter earlier had been angry. Was it his coat she was wearing?
Owen moved to dislodge the spear from Peter's body. "Of course I moved fast, you fat northern git.” He said to Claude. “I'm a doctor. I didn't hardly know him, but you know what? It's my job, alright? So just effing lay off already.” He gave Claude a stricken look, then returned to Peter's body. Owen is wet with blood and shivering, but does not retrieve his jacket. "I thought you two were friends. Pretty cheap if you ask me." There was definitely a distinct tingling in Peter's toes. He lay still, as still as he possibly could and tried to bare the pain as Owen began to, quite brutally, remove whatever it was that had impaled him. Did the man treat all his patients this way, or just the dead ones? Man, he really hated being impaled. What was more, he had lost a lot of blood, he would be dizzy for quite some while. It took all his strength to 'play dead' a little while longer, in the hope that the Doctor might get something valuable out of Claude or the strange Alien tugging firmly at his shoulder.
Owen pried a stone from the ground with his left hand, then bashed it into the alien's shoulder, hoping to cripple it. “Oi! I said you're not having him!”
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 18, 2007 15:04:39 GMT
[Chp 3 - Pt 3]
Worthless.
Upon explaining the danger to the village and its people, both Irene and the Mayor insisted that they were 'protected'. No amount of explaining, no amount of gory evidence, would convince them otherwise. All the while, the Doctor chatted incessantly about nothing.
Then the explosion.
Explosions are unmistakable. A sudden release of energy. The overpressure of the shockwave. Somewhere nearby, unbiased power was unleashed.
As the Doctor ran off, Major West remained behind. The sound echoing in his mind. Like a heartbeat. His own heartbeat. Strong. Purposeful. Unstoppable. "Excuse me, Irene. Mayor," his voice dead flat as he slipped out of the hut.
He headed after the Doctor, marching steadily at first. His eyes were hard and fixed straight ahead. Then he began to run. Footsteps falling heavily in the dirt. Tiny puffs of dust burst from under his feet, in time with his pounding heart. Faster, until his movements were no longer human. A gurgling shout exploded from his throat, red-black blood dribbling down his chin. His eyes, still staring forward, were blood-red.
"There certainly is a lot of anger in that man," Irene commented of Major West to the Mayor.
"Indeed. Let us hope that he is not consumed by his rage.” But the Rage was already burning inside him. Very few people are immune to it. And for those that can resist, it can still be triggered. For the Major, that trigger was violence... conflict... war. The frustration at the village's unwillingness to defend itself had only built pressure within the major. The explosion had popped the cork. The Rage was loose, mindlessly driving the major to kill anything in his path.
He wasn't sure if the void poacher saw him coming. He would never know. But the slavering, blood-crazed creature he had become was hard to miss as it burst from the foliage and leapt towards the trouslerless alien...
Owen wrapped his arms around Peter's corpse and pressed close to the ground as Major West shot past. It was terrifying. He'd never heard sounds like that coming from a human throat. He was pretty sure he never wanted to again.
Jack recoiled as the figure leapt from the tree line and started tearing at the poacher, he could see it was a human well just about anyway but not something even the immortal Jack was keen to encounter, "Back off Owen, everybody get as far away from them as you can! Owen grab Peter’s legs, lets get him and us outta here.”
Just before grabbing Peter, Jack aimed his pistol at the mess of limbs and bodies of the Major and Poacher and loosed off several shots which all hit the mark. The Major in his bloodlust didn't even flinch.
Owen hooked his arms under Peter's and dragged him away from the Major. He was low to the ground, and barely flinched when Jack pulled the trigger. He was in his element, now. Well, sort of. When the Major burst passed the Doctor sending himself and Rose to the ground in opposite directions he was silently glad. After all they had been through he couldn't invade her mind like that. It was the equivalent to mentally raping her. Oh, but he so desperately wanted her back. Wanted to drag her off to the Tardis, open his mind to her, show her everything they had been through together and whisk her away to a far away place. He lay on the ground, starring at the sky, hoping the others would take his slow recovery as him being dazed. He wasn't he just needed to clear his thoughts. When he finally pulled himself from the ground, everyone was watching the Major rip apart the poacher that attacked them. Only Rose was watching him. He looked at her sadly, a small smile touching his lips.
"Yes I am a Doctor. But I'm not your Doctor." She nodded. He didn't think she fully understood what he meant, but he could see the complete trust in her eyes, he had seen it many times before from a future version of her. A version he had let down and lost. He nodded in return and turned to the graphic scene in front of him.
"Erm... so what's got into the Major? He seems a little... tense."
Tosh thought that Jack would have used the extra canister of Nitro 9 she had handed to him. With the addition of another maniac entering the fray. Toshiko realised that Jack was being cautious. She didn’t hear the gun being fired and missed it as she was looking at Rose and the Doctor at that moment. She turned when the hairs on her neck stood upright, only then did she notice the blood smatter on the two brawling creatures. She was shoved then dragged along by a frightened Martha. She got the idea and that was to run.
Gwen didn't know who aim her gun at. There were people shooting people, wild dogs, people being impaled, explosions. " I'll take it that I'm not going to make it home in time for dinner with Rhys then, shall I?" she muttered not loud enough to be heard.
The Doctor was soon at Jack’s side. "You know what Captain, I always thought you'd be a better aim than that."
"Hey!" came Jack’s indignant reply. "My shot was perfect. This blasted guy just refuses to die."
"You have something in common then." The Doctor quickly responded with a cheeky grin. Jack responded with a glare, and started backing up, giving the guys cover with his gun. Not that it was any good. It looks like a well choreographed military operation, and the Doctor all hand’s-in-pockets strolled after them.
Grunt. Grunt. Thrash. Rend. Splatter. The man that was Major West tore apart the flesh of the Poacher. Gwen was running again. Always running. Although she was interested in what juts happened with the Doctor and Rose, but now was definitely not the time to ask. "Which way?!" She gasped to Tosh, then realising Tosh was still a bit deaf yelled the question again.
As the organisation a head of him fell apart as people lost their nerves and started to run, the Doctor couldn't help but grin and gallop along too, grabbing Rose's hand as he went so she didn't fall behind. It felt good to have her hand in his again, and when he dared a quick glance over his shoulder he noticed her smile to. He could almost see her imagining her Doctor pulling her along, and she loved every second.
Like watching a marionette show through a periscope. West's consciousness watched, powerless, as events unfolded. He realized he'd been living on borrowed time since Mailer plucked him from the back seat of the cab. The itching. The headaches. It was all the Rage, trying to break free. It was inevitable. Part of West wanted the Rage to go on and on, until everything on the planet lay in crimson ruin. But despite everything, everything he'd seen and everything he'd done, there was still some humanity left in the old soldier. So it was a great relief when one of the bullets found its way into his brainpan.
All these doctors, and yet....
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 19, 2007 12:03:46 GMT
Chapter 4 – Just a walk in the park? [Chp 4 – Pt 1]
"Son of A...!" Exclaimed Peter suddenly fully coming too and gasping for breath the life plummeting back into his body like a waterfall.
He coughed up a handful of his own blood and realised he was being carried - sans impaling device - across the wilderness... He was about to struggle to break free when he realised the arms in which he was being carried were at least not hostile....
Jack, a knowing smile creeping across his face, dropping his legs." Looks like you're good enough to run for yourself my friend...we must talk." Owen let Peter stand on his own. He'd seen Jack do this, or something like it, with Abaddon. He didn't like that memory, it made him feel very small, but it did mean he wasn't entirely unaccustomed to dead people standing up again. “Nice trick.” "Didn't take." Peter attempted to smile, pushing his bloody forelock out of his face. Nonetheless he thought it might be a while until he was fully up to health again; he certainly wouldn't be flying anywhere soon. He smiled at Martha, who watched him agape - and tried to avoid Owen's gaze. Though he had to thank him soon, he might have been dragged into that bloody fray they clearly had all just narrowly avoided, had Owen not dis-impaled him so effectively. "Thanks," He said, "though I wouldn't recommend it on an empty stomach." as he began to lollop towards the village after the Doctor and his friend. He took Martha's hand; she helped him as best she could. He slurred, running at pace and letting Peter keep the jacket.
By the time that Peter had fully woken up Gwen nearly ran into him as she ran full pelt with the others. "Sorry!" She stumbled and nearly fell if it wasn't for Jack propping her up. "Run!" He grinned.
The others had run. But Oona had stayed behind. She was neither shocked by the violence of the human things attack, nor afraid overmuch of the so-called poacher. She had placed herself along with the others between him and poor Peter. The human wretch bit and clawed at the thing that had slain a now resurrected Peter. The man had been touched by darkness and it had devoured his soul. She looked over her shoulder as the others ran. From two foes. One half dressed and wielding a tree limb, and one a hell creature but lost to rational thought and planning.
She drew her sword, resolutely. It was more a matter of dodging flailing limbs as the former human bit through the skull of the half naked non-human. One swing and the head came clear, rolling a few feet away. The non human was trying to stop the bleeding from it's open skull, ignoring the other hideous wounds. Its eyes were going black.
It was a mercy, really, when she relieved it of its head as well. With a word and a gesture, both bodies were enveloped in flame. She was only mildly concerned that she had a few drops of blood on the hem of her Sari, her sword strokes had been swift. She used a fallen leaf to wipe the few streaks from the blade and had tossed it into the fire.
"Woah there guys" Jack said as he had realised the animal sounds had stopped behind them, "They're are either dead or in search of new prey, either way thrashing through the undergrowth like a herd of elephants ain't gonna help us" He began looking around for the Doctor, "Doc you learn anything yet to get us the hell outta here?" Peter stopped to catch his recently regained breath...which was thin. He looked pale, terribly pale, blood soaked, he hoped it was all his, there had been a lot of the red stuff crashing about it seemed. And it was such a shame - he had really liked this shirt. He pulled it off, and checked with pleasant surprise upon his fully healed middle. Spitting up another handful of his own blood, and hoping it was his last and that he had fully healed, he attempted to smile at the gathered few. "Can someone tell me what the hell just happened?" Jack called back with a smile, "Apparently you're top of the menu for genetic transfer material my friend, our attacker without his pants back there thought you'd make a good kebab."
By now the Doctor had sharply changed course and plummeted towards the village. And plummet was a good word to use. The way he had his weight thrown forward and his body was travelling faster than his feet were moving, he was in free fall and barely keeping his balance. He dashed past the others, Rose still in tow, hoping they would take the hint that the village was the place to be. No matter how inconvenient it was to be removed from your normal everyday business, and plopped down into a forest on a strange world, he honestly the believed that 'the entity' meant them no harm, and that the village would be safe from poachers, and probably whatever had taken over Major West. Really he needed to know more. He needed his Tardis. He needed to run tests and make deductions. He needed the old team back.
Jack growled, as he watched the Doctor plough on past to the village Sighing, "Seems the Doctor feels we haven't run enough, shall we…” He jerked his thumb in the Doctor's direction in an authoritative manner he set of after the Doctor. Gwen watched as the Doctor practically zoomed past, heading for the village. She looked around at the others as they began to run again. Peter still looked half dead, Tosh was getting out of her shell shock, and Jack was still alive. The all were, at least that was one good thing. Gwen skidded to a halt at the edge of the village. Breathing deeply to catch her breath she turned to Jack. "What now? They're all still out there." "Hi." Groaned Peter, as he and Martha sidled up alongside the new girl and the Captain. "Sorry, didn't catch your name?" He asked. Hi, I'm Gwen Cooper" Gwen grinned and offered her hand to Peter. "I take it you're Peter." He smiled and nodded, "Last time I checked," He smiled, "Petrelli," he finished, as if the certainly and reality of his surname might ground him a little in this insane place of aliens and dust. It didn't, he felt just as stranded. "I suppose, trying to make small talk in dire situations is sometimes hard!" he laughed, his insides still hurting. Martha held him up for fear he would stumble all over the place otherwise. Having Claude nearby helped, like some kind of big, fleshy comfort blanket. Nevertheless, he was aware that the people around him probably now thought he was a bit of a liability, some kid that couldn't keep out of trouble. Claude must have been finding it all very amusing. They all stood at the edge of the village, the many 'things' (Peter guessed they must think the same about him) poking their heads out of windows and doorways to take a look. He saw the suited shoulders and rubber plimpsoles of the Doctor in the distance, the blonde hair of the quiet girl waving in the windless air behind her. "I guess he wants us to follow?" He said. Gwen offered her arm, he took it gladly, they hobbled towards the Doctor, Jack and Claude.
The Doctor had reached the parameter quickly, whooping with joy and turning to spin Rose around and around. They celebrated the end of their flea from impending doom for a moment before melting into a fit of giggles. He didn't realise he was starring at her. He didn't realise that she was starring back. And then suddenly they both realised and they were letting go of each other and moving away. He sighed looking over Rose's shoulder to see Jack coming out of the trees. He hoped the others had followed. He looked back to Rose.
"All safe and sound now." He started to head away, back to Irene and her never-ending pot of coffee. "I wonder where the Doctor’s gone?" Rose called after him. "Oh he'll be around here somewhere, getting into trouble no doubt." He smiled at her, comforting. "You know him don't you?" she asked.
His hearts momentarily stopped, and he thought he should get that looked at, after all the last thing that he wanted was for them to stop sometime drastic. And then he realised his stupidity and realised he hadn't yet answer the wonderful Miss Tyler. He should have realised she wouldn't actually think it was him, even if she saw the familiarity. After all regeneration was something far beyond her imagination, and almost her intelligence to grasp properly. He was so glad that she would soon prove him wrong about all that. "I do yes. And he'll be ok. He always is."
She shook her head. "But I haven't actually seen him since we landed. He could be hurt." The Doctor starred at her like she had just grown two heads. He didn't think he'd have to look after himself too... His other self, that was. If something happened to him, then he would fade out of existence. And there were far too many pronouns in that sentence... "So then Doc, aside from finding yourself - very hippie, what next?" Jack asked as he trotted up along side the pair. The others had come to a standstill pretty much on the perimeter. The choice for the Doctor, between skulking away to get more coffee and reminisce with Irene, and going to the situation head on almost came down on the side of the former. He was so tired these days. Sometimes he thought that all he wanted was an easy life, a normal life. A life he shunned back on Gallifrey, so many years ago. A life he almost allowed himself to have with Rose. Part of him wanted to sit down in the quiet and wallow in self pity. But he had this over whelming sense of duty to the Universe, and the internal knowledge that if he let himself stop, even for a moment, that he would come apart and would be completely inconsolable. He headed over to the group, leaving Rose and her concerns behind him. He needed some distance from her at the moment. Looking at her reminded him of everything he had lost. He walked straight up to Claude and poked him in the chest.
"You have answers. I want to know why these folks are coming here to take us out, and to take these folks out. And I need to know now." He ignored the Captain’s comments. He looked mean. He felt mean. He was the Oncoming Storm. He gritted his teeth and growled to himself. Growled! Did he just growl? Oh now that was embarrassing. He was a growler... Ugh. Well you learn something new every day he considered before following the team over to some benches.
Martha seemed to busy herself looking after Pete, as did Tosh and Gwen. Some guys got all the luck. Thankfully for his ego, Rose hung around slightly behind him, but still in close enough to his own personal space to think about placing claim on her. She was his. He mentally checked himself. No, she really wasn't.
Oona approached. She made her way across the field at a more sedate pace. The others were so busy talking in a group, they had not noticed her remaining behind, nor her dispatch of the source of their desperation.
She looked from this Doctor Smith fellow to Claude and back as she approached. Two madmen in the group. But the scruffy fellow apparently knew of Peter's little problem with death. Something the Captain had also claimed.
The Doctor acknowledged her with a smile and a nod of thanks and then, with a change of mood that could make a spinning sixpence blush, turned back to Claude. "You didn't answer my question." "He never answers questions," Peter said snidely, "Trust me I've asked him a fair few myself. Best try him later Doc," he coughed. "I have a few things I need to ask him myself...that's if he doesn't get the hump and walk off. He's been known to do that too, haven't you friend? Can we find somewhere to sit?" Peter asked as they reached the others. "I don't want to be a pain...but I'm a bit dizzy." Jack looked at Peter sympathetically, "Yeah its always a bit dicey when you first come back isn't it, kinda like somebody hasn't put your insides back right!” "Wait...are you like....like me??" He asked the Captain, oh how he hoped he wasn't alone, wasn't the only one. Jack arched his eyebrows, and began to count the various things he had seen Peter accomplish upon his fingers, "You can turn invisible, you fly and your scraggy friend there is worried you'll explode. So in that sense no, but I can't die if that's what you mean" Jack wondered what Peter's reaction to the fact he'd caught Claude's drift earlier would be. He eyed Jack out of the corner of his eye...clearly he wasn't all sly innuendo and wry smiles. He would confide in him later - clearly they had more in common than just National allegiance. The Doctor frowned, and noticed Owen's face harden. He had noticed Claude’s lack of concern over Peter's death earlier and it obviously still didn't sit right with him. He shook his head. It probably wasn't important the Doctor knew a lot already. He wandered a little away from the group muttering to himself, pulling violently at his hair. "What do we know... what do we know... AHA! Yes! Fawn boy said we were all lasts of our kind, endangered species if you like. And that here, in the village we are safe. Protected was what he said." he started to pace back, "So what of, what if whatifwhatif... what if, the thing, the entity that protects this village brought us all here. Not to hurt us, but to keep us safe. An Intergalactic safe haven or nature reserve. That means... what does that mean? I guess it means that's not who we need to fight. Sure we need to find them, whoever they are, I think we are all agreed we don't want to stay here. These creatures that are attacking us, they're something else. Something else entirely. The Fawn mentioned poachers, I guess that's all they are... poachers. They come here to take back the carcasses of endangered species. YES THATS IT!"
He looked up from his rambling, expecting everyone to be watching, everyone to be thinking he was absolutely brilliant. Seemed like only Rose was listening. He smiled a little sadly to her. he understood now, all he needed was to find a way out. He didn't need anyone else for that, not really. Jack put his hand in the air like a cheeky student at the back of the class and the Doctor acknowledged he could speak, "erm Doctor, slight hitch in your theory there. yeah fine you're the last of your kind and maybe Oona is too I have no idea. But Rose, Martha, Owen, Gwen, Tosh, Peter, Claude and I are all human"
Oona caught the tail end of the observations being made. "Half human. I am half human. My father was Melnibonean. The last. The Emperor. I suppose you could say I am the last of my kind as well. And I am one of the few in the Multiverse who can walk the silver roads between realities, worlds and times. Add being a Dreamthief to the mix, and I will admit to a certain uniqueness if you will." She began studying her companions more closely. She was aware that the Doctor was of a race older than her fathers. Much, much older. The Masters of time. She had thought them all gone now. Only whispers remained, half formed tales echoed through the Multiverse. There had once been a fixed point. A world that existed in all realities, but was also a reality onto itself. It was destroyed so utterly, even the memory of it was lost to most. As if it never was. Unfortunately, while this man had somehow survived, the last most like, the loss had apparently taken something of his sanity with it. With hope, perhaps not his intellect. He seemed to have known what she was, even as she recognized his kind.
Confusion crossed Rose's mind. This Doctor wasn't human either? Her Doctor wasn't human. And on top of that, they were do familiar. She stared long and hard at the Doctor, try to suss out exactly what was going on. The Doctor thought for a moment. "Yes not the last, but unique. And the Fawn said often the families of the ones taken are taken too. Maybe this entity, whoever it is, is just trying to relocate to protect, and the ones who are closest go too. That way they can start a new home and not miss their old life. However I do miss my old life, and I'm very keen to get back to it." “Hey Doctor!" Peter called over to the man pacing in the dust. "Probably best I let you know..." It had just come back to him, the light he saw when he last went up for a better view... "There's something big and glowing in....that direction...on the horizon" (He had completely lost his bearings since he had been stabbed, who knows where he was now, but he thought he was about right. "Northways. Wanna take a look?" Wait, thought Peter, the Doctor wasn't human?
The Doctor looked to Peter. "What did you see exactly? And where?" Finally Peter could be useful. "North, definitely North. A very bright light, resting on the horizon, like dawn coming, only the sun is already up. I don’t think it's a city. It's something else. But it is certainly, most definitely the other side of the forest, and a mountain (well - damn big hill). The other Doctor said he was going to run some scans...not sure whether he's found anything yet. He said..." And he remembered the words now ..."Two heads are better than one."..."Oh, and look after Rose."
"Going in that direction would involve leaving the village. Should we do that?" Gwen looked back at Peter "Peter's still pretty weak, and the light seems some way off..." "Well staying here forever isn't going to help us, conservation projects are all very well but If I have to be preserved anywhere I'd kinda like it to be back home right. Pete will be alright, not like its gonna kill him is it" Jack said with wink. "Hummmmmmm" the Doctor rubbed his neck thoughtfully. "Weeeell... the good Major kept telling me it was best to keep us all together. However, Peter is weak, may make sense to split into groups." He looked at the sky, sniffing slightly. If only he could taste... 60% of taste was smell though, and he took another sniff, "I'd say we've only got a few more hours of daylight. Might be wise to wait." He looked to Jack to make the decision. This wasn't his domain. He didn't position troops and dispatch, not in a long time. He ran in, made it up as he went along. He couldn't do that with so many people though. Gwen grinned "I s'pose, but we're going to have to work out some kind of system that'll keep everyone safe. We don't want poachers turning up again and trying to kill us." She looked around at everyone waiting for some ideas. Jack was shocked that the Doctor was taking his say so over this, he normally sat in the background whilst the Doctor lead. "Right. Peter, Martha, Rose, Tosh and Gwen you stay in the village but no sitting on your backsides talk to the other aliens find out anything and I mean anything that could help us. Patterns of people being brought here, any handle at all on the technology. Tosh you've got your laptop put it to good use" Jack threw Toshiko an alien device. "This scans for energy traces, analyse the local power spectra and see if you can work out how we got here. The rest of us... Oona you're armed, Claude your invisibility will be great for recon, Owen, Doctor and myself, lets go climb a mountain" With a grin to sink a battleship Jack gestured towards the north. Rose jumped out of her trance. "Oh no! No way are you leaving me here to do the discussions! I wanna go with you lot!" Jack rolled his eyes, he had so known he wouldn't get away with that. He was just surprised only Rose had objected thus far, "Rose, sweetie, if your Doctor is gonna turn up anywhere it'll be here. We need someone he's gonna trust to be here and bring him up to speed" "He'll know what's going on! He always does! Besides, if this Doctor is anything like my Doctor, he's going to need me to keep him out of trouble! I'm going with you!" "Okay, then I'll come. Tosh can cope here." Gwen walked over to join the group about to set off. Peter was never good at taking orders, but given the circumstances...he could barely walk, Tosh kept looking to him to translate, and after the exertions of the day (and the hole that had recently been gorged in his middle) He was starving. "Your friend said you have to look after her..." He pointed to the Doctor. "...I'm sure he'd rather she go you than stay here with us." Jack sighed, "the idea was to break into two even size groups people, safety in numbers an all that. I don't want to leave a group weak, we have no real hard evidence to say this place is safe. Oona you’re armed you stay with Pete, Martha and Tosh. The rest of us lets move out. Claude you take point, signal us if you even get a hint of trouble. I got the rear, Gwen keep your gun out of your jeans pocket and cover our middle right. Let’s move quickly and quietly and keep our eyes and ears open people. Gwen got out her gun out and clicked the safety on, ready for any shocks that might jumps out at them. Rose grinned when she was told she could stay with them. She looked over to the Doctor, trying to see what his reaction to it was. After all, he did seem rather protective of her earlier on.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 19, 2007 12:06:33 GMT
[Chp 4 – Pt 2]
The Doctor looked at Oona with the intensity of the death of a star. She could travel the words between dimensions? Maybe it was possible to get his Rose back after all. He let his feelings wash over him, determined not to become a slave to them, and then plastered on a big friendly grin, offered Rose his arm."It seems you're Doctor friend wants me to take care of you." he said. he would let nothing bad happen to her this night.
Things would go on, she would return to her Doctor, and he would remain alone with the memories of the time they shared. He was slightly jealous of the other Doctor, but then on reconsideration he thought perhaps not. This younger Doctor had yet to lose Rose, or face Christmas dinner with her mother. "Shall we then?" He looked over to Martha. "Be careful, and do what you do best." On her quizzical look he shook his head and added on, "Doctor." Before turning to leave.
Okay, thought Peter, so this guy liked to change his mind. He's go with that, if only he could get hold of some food. He looked over at Martha, she seemed to be feeling a bit left behind. He felt more than guilty for leaving her. He knelt down. "I'll be back for you." He said, "I promise."
Tosh too jumped up, she handed him the Doctor's coat. "I think I found a Satsuma in there earlier." She shouted. Peter smiled. He swapped Owen's coat for the Doctor's and set off behind the others to get food and clothes, as quickly as he could.
"Okay,” said Gwen, “so we all know what we're doing, let’s get to it before nightfall, because I don't know about you but the thought of being caught by poachers at night, in a strange place isn't very appealing." Gwen gave a small smile before slowly walking off with her gun at the ready. Claude seemed to have ignored Jack completely; he was staying behind, safer that way.
Gwen looked over her shoulder and watched as Peter went back to the village. Sighing she turned back around and ran after the group. "Peter's gone back to the village." She addressed all of them "I guess he was feeling too weak to come with us." She kept her gun trained on the darkness between the trees. She was positive she had just heard a crunch.
Owen was being uncharacteristically quiet. He wasn't used to losing a patient, and while he was pleased that his casualty turned out to be the sort of man to get back up, it was still unsettling. At least at Torchwood most of his patients started dead. He contented himself with following Jack, and sneaking glances at the others. He was still unarmed, but he at least had his kit. That was something. "Owen? You alright? You seem a bit quiet." Gwen said as she caught up to Owen and walked along beside him. "Haven't you got a gun?" “I, ah... No. Not at the moment. Ask tall, scruffy, and invisible about that. He's sure to give you a good time.” He replied as he tried to flake some of Peter’s blood from his arms. "I would but being invisible I can't see him. Are you intending on being moody for the entire time?" “What's wrong, Gwen? Can't take it when I'm showing a little bit of emotion? Or are you disappointed that your one woman campaign to prove that Owen's got feelings doesn't turn up what you're looking for? Because between having three stand-offs in ten minutes, having my gun taken, and getting myself covered in blood for no good reason? I'm just bloody peachy.” Owen kicked at a stone and adjusted the shoulder strap on his pack. He wanted a shower. He wanted his gun. And most of all, he wanted to do something right for a change.
Ahead the Doctor walked arm in arm with Rose. He told her things about the trees and various species they spotted through the trees. He missed this. The warmth of her against him, the way she hung on his every word. But she kept calling him Doctor, and he kept insisting she called him John. Maybe, just maybe, for a little while he could have that kind of life. John Smith, Doctor, lover, friend. Well maybe not the lover part. Well, probably not.
He asked her about her Doctor. He wasn't really surprised that even now she was in love with him, though she never said it, it was clear in the things she didn't say. This Doctor was special to her. It made him smile on the inside. It meant she had loved him too.
She kept trying to wheedle information about how he knew the Doctor. Eventually, she said something that surprised him."I know he's not human. I know he's the last of his kind. Or maybe." She looked at him, "are you like him?" All he did was nod, and they lapsed into silence. It was perhaps a good thing, the hill was getting steeper and the trees less dense, it would be harder to hide, best not draw attention to themselves.
Much to everyone’s dismay, night seemed to be arriving a little earlier than expected. For another hour they continued to walk, but it became so dark amongst the trees that it was impossible to keep ones footing. The Doctor nearly twisted ankle twice in small burrows, and Rose seemed to be constantly falling against him. "Maybe we should stop and set up camp?" He suggested, before nudging Rose with his shoulder, "We can have a camp fire and tell scaaaaaaary stories." They both grinned. "I'm not easily frightened, you'd be surprised at some of the things I have seen." said Rose. "No I wouldn't" the Doctor replied almost soundlessly.
“Last time we went camping, we nearly got eaten by a pack of cannibals. Good thing Ianto's not here. He'd be a right mess over it.” Owen glanced at Gwen. He remembered Brynblaidd. He remembered what happened after. ”Pity we don't have any tents.”
A small argument over where to set up broke out, but was soon settled by the Captain using some obscene flirtatious remark, making Rose and Gwen blush, and causing the Doctor to laugh almost hysterically. No tents, but they set up a fire and all settled round. Owen went first telling a story and making glib comments to Gwen. Rose leant her head against the Doctor’s shoulder. He couldn't help but stiffen at first, but then relaxed. Rose was kind and friendly to everyone, and overly flirtatious with any pretty boy, and he had to admit, he was rather pretty. He missed his Rose, and determined to make the most of his final time with her he let his arm drift round her shoulder, holding her in a sideways hug. Owen's story wasn't at all terrifying, he could think of at least sixteen ways available to him to kill the evil alien character He opened his mouth to say so when Rose, who had apparently been watching him elbowed him in the gut and whispered that he was being rude. His hearts did that stopping thing again.
Once camped, Owen set about trying to clean himself up. It was cold, but the fire went a long way toward making the experience of peeling away his t-shirts more pleasant. He was tempted to get out of his jeans as well, but in the absence of a pot of water, he'd mostly be working with wet wipes and antiseptic pads, and that would be an exercise in pointlessness. "Right, so anyway, there we are in this building, and these moth things are coming out of the deep freeze..." Plus, well, it was cold. A man had his dignity. "...and Jack, there, he just goes in blazing with -- I kid you not -- a pair of fire extinguishers. And he's stripped down. Like, basically naked." He'd not taken much notice of the blonde girl until they were all seated. She had a London accent -- not quite his, but neighbourly -- and seemed a bit of a flirt. He did his best not to creep her out with all the blood, though he was fairly certain that was a lost cause. Pity. She looked like a good time in bed. "But hey Owen I looked good" Jack said with a smile. "Come on Doctor, there’s got to be some marshmallows in those pockets of yours"
Owen quirked a brow and broke into a grin for the first time in a while. "Don't listen to him, ladies. Man comes out starkers, covered in that awful talc stuff. We had to hose him off for an hour just to get it all off. Meanwhile Gwen here is trying to keep the police from coming in getting covered in moth stuff and fire extinguisher powder." Owen's stomach wrenches a bit at the thought of marshmallows. Or any food at all. Or coffee. “Would you like a jelly baby?" Asked the Doctor. "Yeah I'd love one..." Jack started to say. Than stopped himself and groaned "Come on people this is turning into boy scouts, we should set a perimeter and keep watch and let those people who need sleep get it.”
The Doctor made a point of ignoring Jack. He wasn't a soldier and he wasn't one of his torchwood guys. His senses were keen and would spot the arrival of anything new from miles away.
He wafted the brown paper bag in front of Rose's face. "Ooooh do you have any pink ones?" "Of course, I always save them for..." He stopped. He always saved them for her. Even after she had gone, any pink jelly babies were kept safely in the bag ready for when she came back. He was so in denial. "Thank You." She popped the jelly baby into her mouth, smiled and snuggled against him. "warm" she muttered before drifting off to sleep. The Doctor looked at Jack. His chest hurt, or ached, or something. He needed some distance. "So Jack? Patrol?"
Jack eyed the Doctor, " sure lets go, Owen, Gwen guard duty here take turns and don't let the fire go out.” Walking out of the circle with the Doctor, Jack considered the can of worms he was about to open, "Doctor, you do know you can't get close to her again right. It'll only cause her and you pain.” "She doesn't know who I am Jack. And...well...seeing as I don't remember this happening when I was with her, I can only assume that at some point we get our memories wiped. Maybe, I dunno, the other me deals with it." He sighed. "I know what I'm doing. I told her I was like him. She seems to have accepted that. and it's not really a lie. I am like him. It's just so strange seeing her again."
He stopped suddenly. He hated baring his soul to all. But he hadn't really talked to any one properly since Rose had left. She had always been a crutch for him. Someone to hold on to when there was nothing else. As much as he liked Martha, cared about her intensely, Rose had been something special. Now he needed someone to take on her role, because again he had lost his home. But anyone other than Rose just felt wrong. It hurt, and it was confusing. As much as Jack scared him, being all invincible and such, he was glad for the other mans company. He knew a little about what he went through. He knew a lot.
Jack was worried, the Doctor had never been very successful at hiding how much Rose meant to him. Losing her again might be more than he could bear. Outwardly Jack smiled reassuringly, not really sure what the right thing to say was. "Just be careful Doctor, that is all I'm saying for your sake and hers.” He said with concern. Jack went to rest a reassuring hand on the Doctor's shoulder but stopped himself as he hurriedly remembered how wrong the Doctor thought he was. Face sagging briefly Jack tried not to remember the hollow feeling of being left behind.
The Doctor gave a small smile. He was touched by Jack’s concern, and it was radiating off him in waves. Here was Jack, all wrong and left behind, but understood him better than most, well anyone. He grabbed Jack and pulled him into a bear hug, a very manly bear hug to clarify that. "Thanks Jack." He murmured, slapping him on the back and then letting him go. "I know it's wrong but I can't quite keep away from her." A massive grin spread out onto his face. "Maybe we can run into that other self of mine. Danger is sure to follow." Owen groaned and pulled his crunchy t-shirts back on. “Right.” Owen gave the area a good look-round. He armed himself with a large stick and pocketed a scalpel from his kit. It wasn't a gun, but it would have to do. Jack accepted the hug gratefully, the thought of seeing the old Doctor really cheering him up. Despite the goodbye Jack had given him on the Gamestation, he really wanted a second chance to part properly. "Yeah sounds like a plan, though two Doctor's worth of trouble are you sure this planet is big enough!" Flashing his grin Jack lengthened his stride, his hope at finding the other Doctor making his pace more rapid.
They walked in silence for the longest time. The Doctor, in this incarnation anyway, had always felt the need to cover up how he felt with continuous babbling, long streams of words that seemed to mean so much but actually mean nothing. But with Jack here, like this, now, he suddenly felt little need to. He lost himself in thought. Covered so many things. But mostly those last few days with Rose, then losing her, and now, all those ways he could lose her again. And he would lose her again he knew. Gah! When did he turn into such an Emo? This life of his was taking so many twists and turns. Part of him hoped for regeneration again. Maybe then would wounds be healed. The other part of him hated this. He couldn't stand the idea of living in a body that didn't hurt at the memory of Rose Tyler. And maybe, something he couldn't even voice to himself, he couldn't stand the thought of Rose Tyler finding her way back to him an rejecting who he had become. He sighed inwardly. "Jack? Do you ever sleep?"
Jack looked up in surprise, he'd been lost in his own thoughts, "no not really since the Gamestation, I don't seem to need it and well…” Jack paused, "well lets just say my brain seems to get over imaginative in the night" Jack almost laughed at the understatement as he thought of the horrors he had dreamed up when he tried to sleep. "I can imagine..." The Doctor replied, though it wasn't really for Jacks benefit. He had seen so much in his long life. Been so hurt, and had lived because he kept himself isolated from the people he knew and cared about. Even then his dreams were haunted. Jack was different. Jack let so many people in. It must drive him insane. "I don't know how you stand it Doctor, I've only got 150 years worth of losing people that come back to haunt me, 900 years that must be like..." Jack couldn't find the words and just made an expensive gesture near his head. He offered Jack a sad smile and then, as a distraction, he grabbed hold of tree branch and exclaimed. "Beautiful! I thought these were extinct. Seems out little entity of the north likes to save more than just people!" Jack smirked, "A real collector we have here then, you still think this is some kindly conservationist and if we find him/it/her and ask nicely they'll let us go?" "Yep" The Doctor popped his ‘p’. When Jack accepted it without question he frowned. "Jaaaaaack. What's happened to you? Since when has it ever been that easy? We all know the kindly conservationist won't let us go. He may be collecting us for the 'moral good' but he's still a collector. How many collectors do you know will part with their prized possessions. I could be wrong though. Does happen. Weeeeell. Every now again. Well I say now and again I mean... once. And even then I was half right, stupid human apes not knowing their chemistry well enough... I'm being rude Jack. You need to stop me when I'm being rude. It gets me into trouble. And we don't like trouble. Trouble is bad."
"When you can't die, trouble just tends to get lost in the detail Doctor. aaarrrrrr I hate having so many civilians along, to many people to keep safe" Jack instantly regretted letting his frustration get the better of him. Blanking his face off again, he added, "hadn't we better circle back round and check the other are OK?" "Probably." The Doctor replied. Jack was right. He hated having civilians along. Rose was one thing. She knew what to do, just kind of instinctively did the best thing. But the others, they were frightened had no experience, and he couldn't expect them to act like soldiers. Had it been just him and Rose, they would have laughed their way to the top of the mountain, and ran giggling all the way back down. But this felt oppressive, and he didn't want to be in charge. Last time he did something like this, his world died. He didn't need to go through that again. "Whatever you think best ‘Captain’." He smiled. Jack laughed and gave the Doctor a nudge. "Do you know during my extended stay in the early 20th century I actually earned that title, then I lost all my men to some sadistic ancient faerie, life is just peachy sometimes isn't it" The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "Oh I hate faeries. And humans are so easily fooled by them." Jack pondered their situation, it felt remarkably like they'd been going round in circles all day "How long do you figure till day break?” He shook his head, and sniffed the air, ran his tongue over his index finger and held it up to the sky. "Not long now. Did we actually patrol or just walk? Cos I'd feel pretty bad if all our guys are dead right now ‘cause we been chatting away like old maids..." Jack laughed but somewhat half heartedly, "Erm yeah what say we get a move on back to the camp, wake those guys up and get ready to go" The Doctor agreed, his excitement level increasing at the idea of seeing Rose again. He could keep himself together. He knew he could. If was anything it was good at self-preservation. His mode of transport could only be described as a bound on the way back to the camp. The image of Rose all curled up and fast to sleep by the fire brought a warm honest smile to his face. He sat down beside her, stroking hair out of her face and resting his coat over her to keep the morning chill off her. He sat down beside the fire, fingers playing idly with her hair as he watched the dawn arrive. They returned to camp to find Owen sidling lecherously in Rose’s direction, “Owen, anything happen I should know about?" Jack scowled.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 19, 2007 12:14:27 GMT
[Chp 4 – Pt 3]
"Nothing, Jack. It's quiet." Owen said as he leant back on his stick and shrugged innocently. "Find anything out there?" "No not a whisper, guess these poachers need their beauty sleep. At least this camping trip beats cannibals right." "Yeah. I'm only half as filthy and disarmed as I was that night. Though if we're taking stock, we're short a Teaboy and an SUV." Owen joked. The Doctor who had been sat in silence for some time listened to the exchange between Jack and Owen. "I don't like it. " the Doctor surmised, voice barely above a whisper. "Feels like a calm before the storm. Considering the people in the village won't leave for fear or poachers, and we have seen... what? one? Seems odd." He quietened again, deep in thought, fingers still stroking Rose's scalp, twisting strands of hair between his fingers. He looked down at her and uttered four words, which he had spoken before and brought terror to his hearts. "A storm is coming." The Doctor raised his eyebrow at Jack, "You're whole team is here except for one person? Doesn't that strike you as a little odd?" "Yeah, actually. But it's pretty damn strange for most of us to be here. I mean, Tosh and Gwen and me? We're not like Jack. I'm just a doctor. Gwen here's just an ex-copper. Tosh is kind of a geek. And Ianto's just sort of good at organizing things and making the coffee." Owen felt a moment of dread. "Christ. If he's out there on his own..." Rose began to stir as a nightmare hit her. All the monsters she had seen so far; the shop window dummies, the Slitheen, the Dalek. They were plaguing her dreams, not stopping to let her rest. She cried out as they got ever so close, yelling for her Doctor. It startled Owen out of his concern for Ianto in a flash he took a quick step over to the sleeping girl and crouched next to her. He glanced up at Jack, hesitated as he saw the look on his boss’s face, then touched her shoulder. "Hey. Hey. It's alright. You're dreaming." Rose jumped as she felt him touching her shoulder. Her arm came up quickly, coming into contact with someone's face. She opened her eyes, and immediately felt guilty when she realised she wasn't under threat. "Oh I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Owen cracked a smile. "Was about to ask you the same thing, love." He wondered what had happened to his jacket. He'd offer it to this girl in a heartbeat. Well, if it wasn't covered in dried blood. Rose smiled. "Oh I'm fine. Are you sure you're okay? Looks like there's a tiny bruise coming up." He rubbed at his cheekbone as the Doctor laughed at him. “Oh, a bit. Wouldn't be the first time I've been punched by someone as pretty as you.” Owen put his stick down on the ground, then seated himself next her. “That looked like quite a nightmare.” Rose blushed slightly at the compliment. "Oh so you make a habit of making sure you get hit by pretty girls then." She smiled at him. "Oh and forget about the dream. I have them a lot. Things I've seen that only seem to scare me when I sleep. But do me a favour. Don't tell him." Owen nodded. “Your secret's safe with me. So, ah...tell me about your friend. What's he like, then?” Rose grinned. "Amazing. He can be so annoying at times. Incredibly quiet. But then there's times he looks at me as if I'm the only person worth looking at. And I guess he's a bit of a trouble magnet. Like me I suppose." Owen suppressed a twinge. Looks down. “Sounds nice. I mean, must be.” He cracked a smile and looked at Jack, “Oh, and trouble magnets seem to be all over the place tonight. Jack, for example, couldn't stop being trouble if we put him in cryo storage. In fact, I seem to remember pretty distinctly him getting up to plenty the last time we tried...”
Rose laughed and looked at Jack. "I can imagine him being a trouble maker. The Doctor...my friend...he would probably hate him." Rose turned back. "Sorry, I've been talking to you for a while and haven't even asked your name!" “Yeah, he is. You'd like him. Everyone does, I think." He chuckled and shrugged, then extended a hand to Rose, "Owen Harper. "
The Doctor who had backed off when he felt Rose stir watched them talk, leaning on the tree behind. He knew he could trust Rose not to give much away. She had seen her Doctor countless times say things like, 'Just passing through', or ' We're from out of town.' 'The Doctor plus one', he grinned at the memory. However he wasn't to sure abut this Owen fellow. Seemed a bit on the superficial side, he hoped Rose didn't like him so much that she gave the game away. However he couldn't help but melt at her fond description of her Doctor. He was after all, him. He pushed himself away from the tree and wandered over, sitting quietly on the other side of her. He could feel Jack's eyes boring into him, but he refused to make eye contact. He was feeling petty and jealous and he had no right to. But he knew, for a fact, that his other self would be doing the same if he were here, and in his absence, he would play the part. Or that was his incredibly well thought out excuses anyway. The roll of Rose's eyes surprised the Doctor. It was almost as if she expected him to do just this, say exactly that. They looked at each other for a moment, and the he abruptly stood. There was no way she could know. No way. But he had often under estimated her before. It was possible. No nonono no NO. It was a completely unimaginable concept. She knew nothing of regeneration, should couldn't guess something like that. Maybe she thought they were related or something. That would make sense. And then when all this was done, he was disappearing off and she would forget all about him. He knew that wasn't true. Who could forget him? Not Rose defiantly not Rose. Something would happen to their memories when they left. It had to, or he would know exactly where his other self was, and know exactly what he was doing. What ever had brought them here was powerful enough to take the Tardis out of the time vortex, and willing to take away their memories to protect the place. This whoever, was not a whoever they ought to mess with. So obviously, his desire to continue the hunt intensified.
"So lazy bones. Shall me move? You humans spend so much time sleeping and lazing about. You know there’s the whole of space and time out there. Marvellous, and if you just got up and stopped eating...quiche... you'd be out there by now, playing in the star light, instead of down here in the dirt. Come on." He waggled his eyebrows incisively. He needed to get moving.
Rose laughed. "Are you channelling my Doctor or something? You're so like him!" The Doctor grinned at her response. "Oh me and the Doctor go waaaaay back." The lies continue, and its hard for him. After so long travelling with her, eventually they had had no need for lies. "Best of buds, thick as thieves, two peas in a pod." And as an afterthought, "He'd want me to keep an eye on you, Miss Jeopardy-friendly. Is that ok?" With a grin that he seemed to have beaten Owen the womaniser this one time, he held out his hand and wiggled it at her, much like that first time on Christmas morning.
Rose laughed. "I'm not that bad at getting into trouble! Can take care of myself, you know!" Despite her response, she still reached out and grasped his hand. The Doctor couldn't help the tingling of joy he felt to have her take his hand. They weren't running now, and he wasn't trying to support her, it was a symbol to him that she trusted him. He grinned down at her, his eyebrows quirking to meet his hair line. "Shall we then?" And they started their walk, like to friends on a morning stroll. He called over to Jack. "Are we going then?" he said and carried on walking. He slowed his pace and nudged her shoulder with his. "Oooooh I don't know. I'd say you'd manage to keep up. Even if I started to run." and with a whoop he picked up speed, half running half tumbling through the trees, hand still grasping Rose's laughing crazily as he went. He came to an abrupt stop near a stone wall, panting slightly, but only ever such a little. He felt giddy. Today would be a good day. Rose laughed as she ran with him. As she slowed down her pace as he did, she turned. "I wonder where Owen's got to? Think he followed us?" Rose continued walking as she looked back, not noticing a loose root. She let out a yelp of surprise as she fell.
The Doctor was by her side in a heartbeat. Pulling her up and helping her to the grey stone wall, which was only about a foot and a half tall. He sat her down on it and dropped into a crouch in front of her. "Ok?" he asked. She shook her head, obviously in pain. Removing her shoe and sock he worked his way over the foot, testing bones and muscle response. "I'd say it’s a pretty standard sprain. Can have you good as new in a jiffy." He smiled at her pulling out his sonic screw driver. "I'm sorry." He added quietly. He couldn't but feel responsible. It was stupid to run like that through forestry. He should have known she wouldn't be as sure foot ed as he was. He chided her for walking backwards like that, but he knew that she knew he was blaming himself. "Oh no it wasn't your fault. I was the idiot who didn't look where she was going, so stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have prevented it from happening." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Honest. Don't go blaming yourself." The Doctor appreciated her efforts to comfort him, but truth was, after his regeneration Rose had gotten herself into more scrapes and near misses than before. He had never quite worked out if it was because he was a little more careless than before, or if it was her reacting to the regeneration. He had always assumed it was a bit of both. And yet here he was, second day into taking care of her and already she was injured.
He nodded anyway, and sat on the wall next to her.
"We seem to have lost the others. Maybe we should wait for them."
His instinct really was to climb the wall and carry on without them. Just him and Rose, the way it always was. The way it always should be. But he reasoned despite his jiggery pokery, her foot would still be stiff, and really they shouldn't cause too much trouble with the others in the thick of things.
He pulled a branch with a mass of berries attached to them and mindlessly started to eat. And then suddenly realising his rudeness offered the branch to Rose. She hesitated.
"Would I poison you?" He asked with mock aghast and a wink. Though the aghast was a little less mock on the inside.
"This would be the Joo Joo tree. And these are the berries. You're sat here eating berries off the Joo Joo tree. How about that." He smiled, hoping she would remember the children’s song, and not think he completely mad. Rose smiled as the children’s song came to her head. "My mum used to sing that to me when I was small. Whenever she wanted me to hurry up and sleep." Rose reached out a hand towards the berries. "Go on then. You said they wont poison me yet you're hogging the lot!" The Doctor who was eating them directly off the stick, tongue twirling around the wooden nooks and crannies, raised an eyebrow before apologising, popping one last one into his mouth and then passing it to Rose. He sucked the juice off his fingers and then sat back, watching her fingers pick one off one berry at a time and pop it into her mouth. So much bettered mannered than he. He smiled. Remembering all those times she had scolded him for his rudeness.
"What we need is marmalade." he said, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Marmalade on toast." His eyes went wide, "Marmalade on toast with chopped banana. Now there’s a concoction. Almost as brilliant as those itty-bitty edible ball bearings. Marmalade on toast, with chopped banana and little fairy cakes with edible ball bearings, followed by a nice cup of tea. Now that would be something..." His stomach grumbled, he didn't realise how hungry he was. One should never run on an empty stomach. Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "That's just sickening!" She smiled and went back to the berries, offering some more to the Doctor, but pulling them away teasingly. The Doctor laughed at her attempt to thwart him, and threw himself across her in an attempt to reach the berries. Tickling her mercilessly, momentarily forgetting that she wasn't as familiar with him as he was with her. Rose froze for a second as he lunged at her, but she threw out her thoughts. Somehow, she felt incredibly at ease with him. She laughed, trying to push him away.
Owen knew from the look in Rose's eyes that he'd been beaten. Well, not beaten exactly. More like forgotten. Like that. It chafed a bit, but what did he expect? At least this other Doctor wasn't wearing clothes that looked like a slaughterhouse floor. "Oi," he nudged Gwen. "I think we're on the move again." Owen and Jack were organizing the group and getting folks ready to walk. “You know, Jack, we'll need to get food and water together soon. Most people, you know, tend to die of dehydration after a couple of days.” Jack nodded at Owen, he was right of course. "plenty of flora and fauna round here, there must be a water source you'd think. Lets catch the Doctor up, that sonic screwdriver of his must be able to detect water" Jack looked at the trail of devastation the Doctor and Rose had left, so much for quiet and wary movement. Jack, Gwen and Owen made their way towards the Doctor and Rose. Jack all but slapped his forehead in horror at how familiar the Doctor was getting to her. More gruffly than he intended. " Doctor, focus please we need water at least" he said. Rose jumped at the sound of Jack's voice, nearly falling off the wall. She held on for dear life and handed the rest of the berries over to the Doctor. "Here. You can finish them." She looked like the young girl who had been caught sneaking cookies.
The Doctor froze at Jacks voice, spinning his head round to see the Captain cooing out of the trees. He looked back down at Rose, who was currently pinned underneath him. He felt a small blush warm on his cheeks, as he stepped away hurriedly and started playing with his sonic screwdriver. "Yes water, of course. Circle of life, drink to live not live to drink..." he could definitely do with a drink... a stiff one. "The berries are quite edible." He added as an after thought. What he would give for a marmalade and banana sandwich right now. Rose nodded in response to the Doctor. She held the branch out to Owen. Owen responded almost instantly to the word "edible" and makes his way to the Joo Joo tree to pick a handful or two. He knows from survival training that too much fruit will actually make things worse, wreck his digestion, probably give him the runs, but a little bit won't hurt. It occurs to him to warn the others. “We'll want to supplement the berries with something else. Too much of this sort of thing tends to give people an upset stomach. I'd say probably a handful, at a guess, should be safe.”
"They are quite nice." She jumped down from the wall, wincing slightly. The sonic screwdriver had taken away the majority of the pain, but there was still a slight sting. The Doctor noticed Rose's wince and grabbed her elbow to steady her. And then, realising that he probably shouldn't be over doing the physical contact he let go, glancing at Jack quickly before going back to changing the settings of the screwdriver.
Owen noticed significant glances going on between Jack and the Doctor. He couldn't help but smile a little knowingly. While he didn't know the circumstances exactly, he had enough training in psychology to know the basics of the exchange. He felt a little sorry for Rose. "Right, you boys going to make eyes all day, or are we going to get some breakfast together? I mean, sure, the Doctor looks like he knows what he's doing with his tongue, but..." Owen also noticed the wince. “Hey, you hurt?” He indicated his EMT pack “Mind if I take a look? I am a doctor...” The Doctor nodded, not looking up from his work. He span a full 360 degrees before pointing over his shoulder. He turned that way and headed off without a word, holding his hand out for Rose as he went. From the size of the reading it looked to be a pond of some kind. Perhaps there would be fish to supplement the fruit. All they had to do was follow the line of the wall. He felt a little uneasy, they were in plain view, and a far enough distance from the tree line that it wouldn't be much good as cover if they were attacked. Rose turned to face the Doctor. "You're in trouble then, considering the amount you ate. And the way you ate them." She smiled slightly. She was unsure as to why she felt so upset that he had quickly moved away from her. She shook her head. She'd just have to focus on the other guys then. She turned to Owen. "It's great to have a really smart doctor. Think you know the best way to stop sprained ankles from hurting?" She was really confused as to why she was trying to make the other Doctor jealous. Perhaps it was due to him being so like her Doctor.
Owen winked, careful not to let Jack see. This was thin ice if his boss was pushing one of his friends away. He doubted strongly that he'd get much more slack. Still. This one was clearly willing to rebel a little bit. He liked that. “In fact, I do.” He said as he sat her down on the stone fence and removed her shoe and sock. After a bit of gentle examination, he wrapped the sprain in an elastic bandage, then gently slipped her shoe over it. He also handed her a packet of Paracetamol from his pack. “If I had a canteen, I'd offer. But I think your friend is working on that.” Rose grinned and, making sure the Doctor was watching, pecked Owen on the cheek. "Thanks!" “My pleasure, sweets.” Owen grinned, “You tell me if you need someone to hang onto.” Rose grinned. She was definitely starting to like Owen. “Oh I will, don't worry!"
The Doctor glared at Owen. "Her ankles fixed. Just a bit stiff from the vibrations of the soft tissue regenerator. If she walks on it, it will loosen up." Still got the old green eyed monster locked up inside. It was true that you never really appreciate what you have until its gone. The Doctor though had never properly believed Rose's promise of forever, he had forgot that fact, and had always danced around his feelings, putting it off till tomorrow. Then he lost her. Now he had a chance to enjoy her company, and he'd be damned if he was gonna let some flirty little human doctor take her away. He turned on his 900watt smile and turned to Rose. "How's it going? If it feels uncomfortable we can go slowly. But you need to take the joint through its full motion." Again he held out his hand to her, and tried to squash the rising urge to turn Owen into something small and slimy using the sonic screwdriver. It was the screwdriver in the end that clued Owen Harper in to who this doctor was. It made a hysterical amount of sense, really. He gave him a wide-eyed look, then raised his eyebrows at Jack, looking for confirmation. He was on a Time Lord's territory. But something was skewed. This girl didn't know who the man was. Which meant he was constrained by the timeline. Which meant... “She should be able to get a range of movement in the bandage, Doctor. It's really just there for support. Soft tissue regenerator or not, she's still in pain and a little wobbly. It'll also keep the swelling down while the cells adjust. Trust me. I've used one before. Not like yours -- it wasn't part of some Swiss Army gadget -- but I know how they operate. No need to get uppity.”
"Swiss army gadget!" The Doctor gaped for a moment. Actually lost for words for a moment. He stepped very close to Owen, invading his personal space, pulling himself to his full height, which was a little bit taller than Owen and glared. He could feel anger bubbling up inside him.
"More than a 'swiss army gadget'." He whispered. "I'll have you know..."
Rose cut in. “It's a sonic screwdriver. It's great." She grinned pushing them apart slightly. "No more of this testosterone poisoning."
The Doctor gave one more glare before forcing a grin. "What? No. Of course not." he motioned with his head to the direction of water. "This way."
Owen was too pleased to bother being intimidated. Or even angry. He simply bore the Doctor's jealousy with good humour. He even returned the grin. It was really too delicious. “Sonic screwdriver? What, have to put up a bunch of shelves?” He let the Doctor be the one to break eye contact, then followed, humming cheerfully to himself.
The Doctor led the way, Rose's hand in his (much to his delight, take that slimeball Owen Harper. Bet he didn't even go to a proper university). He walked slowly so not to aggravate her injury. He heard Owne’s comment about shelves, but ignored it and hoped that Jack might give his number one a talking to, or a dressing down or whatever was the proper phrase in this situation.
He started to talk quietly to Rose, telling her about various forms of wildlife, and various planets where he had seen such wildlife, which occasionally turned into him telling amusing anecdotes. He was careful not to mention her in his stories, didn't need a slip of the tongue to let her in that he wasn't just a doctor but the Doctor.
Owen dug through his pack. They'd need certain things, water purification tablets, containers for water, once they arrived at the river. His supplies were many and varied, but also a little less specialized than he'd have brought if he knew they'd be in the countryside. Still, he'd learned that a bit of survival gear was useful. After a bit of digging, he found his bundle of water tablets and a roll of freezer bags. It would have to do.
At least the morning was shaping up to be much warmer than the evening before. He wondered if he'd have a chance to wash up a bit more thoroughly, or at least rinse his shirts out.
The Doctor made a makeshift fishing rod out of tree and vines and string (which he always carried with him) and a bit of circuitry (also in his pocket). The whole time he was explaining it to Rose, using language to make him sound impressive, but not to alienate her. He used his vast knowledge of bugs to set bait and then did it all over again so she would have a rod too.
They sat by the bank, her letting her feet bathe in the lake to soothe the aching muscles, and the Doctor beside her. He had also removed his own chucks and socks and rolled up his trousers half way up his shin and showed off his manly hairy legs. It wasn't often he let folk have a look at his feet, but he remembered Rose making comments about the size of his feet one night on the Tardis when she caught him wearing just a towel after getting out the shower. At the time he had wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but made no follow up, still unsure about how to act around her so soon after the regeneration. Now however he was looking for cheeky comments.
However his stomach still grumbled and he wanted dinner. He was content enough to sit chatting to her trying not to splash too much in case he scared away the fish. However a playful one in her direction every now and again was acceptable he thought.
Owen ventured downstream to prepare potable water. He filled three gallon baggies with water, dropping purifier tab into each. It wasn't 100% foolproof -- the water could be polluted, or the microbes might not be affected -- but it was an acceptable risk.
The Doctor, who had been deep into the tale of when he and Ace had thwarted the dragon with nitro 9 and given poor George some fashion tips, looked up at Gwen and then to his rod. "Aha!" before whipping the fish out of the water and onto a relatively clean rock. He looked at it admiringly. "Awwwwww beautiful. Almost a shame to eat it really." The Doctor who had been hit by the overwhelming urge to throw it back into the lake, was pushed back by Jack who, with an "excuse me" and a "thanks for the grub doc", went to work on gutting it and preparing it for cooking. The Doctor frowned somewhat as his friend, who he had christened Gary the Goldfish, was taken away. he sat back down on the rock next to Rose and added more bait. One fish wouldn't feed these masses after all. No matter how enormous it was.
The morning was warming up nicely, so Owen decided to risk a wet afternoon and took off both of his t-shirts. He submerged and squeezed them, rubbing and picking away at Peter Petrelli's blood. It would leave a stain, but at least he'd feel cleaner. He thought about doing the same with his jeans, but decided he'd rather not find himself stranded on an alien planet without trousers if something went wrong.
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Post by whodovoodoo on Jul 19, 2007 12:15:23 GMT
[Chp 4 – Pt 4]
Upstream, he could hear the Doctor and Rose chattering away. Jack and Gwen also seemed to have struck up a conversation. He'd wondered occasionally about the two of them. She seemed kind of taken with Jack, but his money was still on Jack and Ianto. Especially after Abaddon. Gwen watched what Owen was doing carefully, before crouching down next to the river. "Where do you think Ianto is? We all managed to find everyone but him." She stopped for a moment before looking up at the Doctor. Owen nearly fell in the water in surprise as Gwen approached. “Ianto? I hope he's safe in Cardiff, having a nice panic attack. If he's here...” Owen trailed off. It wasn't a good thought. “Fish?” Owen jumped back in surprise. A silvery blue fish had tangled itself into his shirts. He pulled it out of the water, wrapped in his clothes. “Oi! I've got one!” He shouted and held the bundle up where Rose, the Doctor, and Jack could see.
Gwen laughed, "who said we needed fishing rods! Just don't name it." She grinned and looked the fish over. "No way! I'm calling it --" Owen squinted. "Gary. Hello, Gary." He winked at the fish and flashed Gwen an impish grin. "Right. Let's find a pointy stick. And lots of other sticks. We'll need a fire." Gwen smiled back at Owen, and held out her hand. "Give me the fish, and I'll give it to Jack. I'll leave you to worry about sticks." Gwen carefully took the fish and gave a sly grin to Owen before walking off. "You could help with the sticks." He felt a little strange saying it. This was too close to what had happened up in the Brecon Beacons. Maybe that's why he'd said it. He wasn't sure. And anyhow, she was sure to shoot him down. Things were better with her and Rhys so far as he knew, and she'd found out about Diane, and...Ah hell, he thought, whatever.
Gwen turned around to face Owen. De ja vu. She was tempted, obviously she was, she had no idea how long they would be stuck here, or even if they would escape. Rhys was at home and she didn't know whether she would ever see him again. But no! She loved Rhys and he loved ... Diane, she supposed. "No, you're alright, Jack'll need help with the cooking." Gwen gave him a small smile "We don't want him to give us food poisoning again." And with that she turned around and began walking to the others.
Owen let free the breath he wasn't aware he was holding and nodded. ”Right.” He said, “Back in a few ticks, then. And tell Jack not to get fresh with little Gary there. I do not fancy a taste of the Captain in my breakfast.” He wandered along the rocky beach of the stream. There was plenty of dry wood here, driftwood basically, for him to gather. It would burn well, he hoped. But he also needed green sticks for cooking the fish, and some sort of tinder with which to start a fire. He edged into the forest. Owen did not like the countryside. He'd hated it before the cannibals, and he'd hated it even more after. Being alone in the woods set him fairly well on edge. He felt sick and vulnerable. He found himself going back to the scalpel in his jeans pocket, checking for it, feeling the cap that covered the blade, touching the handle. He tried not to think about how useless it would be in a fight against one of those dog things. Or another person. Or one of those alien poachers. He would find what he needed and get out quick.
Gwen handed the fish to Jack and sat down heavily on the ground. Sighing she looked up at Jack. “Owen named it Gary as well you know. I think you're spending wa-ay too much time together." She smiled slightly before resting her head on her knees. This was turning into the worst weekend ever.
He'd finished cutting all the green sticks, using the scalpel, as it happened, and was just finishing up with the tinder when he heard something a bit like thunder.}
"Oh, bloody fantastic. Just what we need. A storm."
Except that a moment later, something silver and white came crashing into the trees. He dropped the wood and bolted for the beach. He let the trees whip at him, drawing blood on his arms and chest.
"JACK! GWEN! CODE ZERO! CODE ZERO!"
He hoped they'd hear him in time to prepare.
****
The contract had arrived through the usual channels. Standard pay rate. Damage compensation. Restocking fees. Usual boiler plate.
Death's Head had accepted similar contracts before from the same client. A consortium of wealthy, intergalactic business men with too much money and not enough common sense wanted him to secure some "assets" for them.
The targets were located on a Class M world, level 8 security. Tricky, subtle defences. Mostly force shields. Mass transporters. Hidden bunkers. The contract included all the relevant security codes.
Easy money. Contract accepted.
Course set. Press the button. The star cruiser tore into the space/time vortex with a pop and the smell of ozone.
All sensors were set to intensely scan the vortex. Death's Head was not the only one to travel this way, and previous encounters in the vortex had proven to be most troublesome.
Nearing his destination, several other vortex wakes were detected. They were not clean trails and looked to have been torn, as if several time drives had been forced here.
"Time travellers... drawn here beyond their control. Most interesting, yes?"
Reality returned and Death's cruiser dropped into orbit above the planet. It's huge engines shut down, recharging.
"Let us see what we can see. But first things first, yes?"
Security codes were transmitted, giving the cyborg's vessel authorization to continue unhindered. Then sensors were swept from pole to pole, horizon to horizon.
"Large rock-hulled vessel in orbit. No power signature. Very sneaky. Someone thought to tip-toe in...steal a prize or two, yes?
"Ah, there is base on planet. Surrounded by level 5 force shell. Good even against orbital bombardment. Hard nut to crack... but not the nut we are here for, yes?"
The cyborg's eyes brightened in surprise, "What's this? Blue box? TWO? With TARDIS signatures?"
Half of the sensors on the ship were designed specifically to detect and track Time Lord technology. Death's Head's encounters with the Doctor in the past never left him sitting well, and he planned to have every advantage in any future run-ins.
"Maybe Doctor is on the planet. We will have to pay him a visit, yes?"
The Doctor had practically stranded Death's Head in 20th century New York. Only through the use and abuse of experimental technology had he been able to return to any sort of profitable era.
Yes, there was much "catching up" to do with the Doctor. How many hundreds of years? Two hundred? Three hundred? Time was so hard to track between time travellers.
At the last discussion with the Doctor, he had accused the cyborg of being "incapable of change." That "in a thousand years, humanity will have grown and evolved but you'll still be the same." Death's Head had countered with, "In a thousand years, I'll be rich and you'll be dead. Now you tell me who's better off."
Not quite a thousand years yet. But not quite rich enough, either.
A console started to beep. Somewhere on the surface, a transmitter was trying to make contact.
"We get signal. Main screen turn on." Death's Head laughed. He loved that ancient joke.
"Ah! Lovely human woman playing with strange device, yes? Tsk tsk. Maybe not such a good idea. Now I see where you are. Now maybe others see too."
Rising from the command chair, Death's Head turned to the weapons locker, plucked his favourite accessories from their cradles, and turned to the airlock.
"Time to make money."
The airlock cycled, spitting the Cyborg towards the planet.
In space, everything took a long time. Even when travelling twenty-five times the speed of sound.
I should have parked closer, yes?
But closer might have given him away to whatever eyes may be looking upwards. The cyborg, of course, knew this. Speaking to himself (or, in this case, thinking to himself, since there was no air) had rather become a habit these past few centuries.
With his spare time, Death's Head checked and rechecked all of his equipment, most of which was designed to fit into a socket at the end of his right arm: hand (currently in use), sword, axe, mace, crossbow, blunderbuss, dart gun, net gun, flamethrower, shuriken catapult, disruptor, disintegrator, quantum discontinuity ray, and sonic cannon. The last bit of kit has been in his arsenal for quite some time. Death's Head had vowed to never again be less sonic than the Doctor.
With the hand-weapons, the "freelance peacekeeping agent" was also equipped with re-entry shields (which will soon become rather important), personal force field, rocket boots, personal teleporter, remote controlled devices, and a sonic nullifier field. The last, again, in response to his previous encounters with the Doctor.
The globe of the Galactic Preserve for Wayward Species loomed closer. Why was waiting always the hardest part?
Soon Doctor. We shall meet again, yes?
The electromagnetic field around the planet spiked. More defences, designed to scramble anything more sophisticated than a digital watch. And even then, the watch would hardly keep good time.
Death's Head entered another security code, granting him access through the shield. If he couldn't activate his re-entry shield, this would be a very short trip indeed.
But the presence of the field raised two very good points:
One, anything on the planet with a bio-electric nervous system (say, humans) would have a pronounced sense of dread upon arriving on the planet.
Two, anything hunting down there must be using rocks and sticks, teeth and claws. Maybe chemical propellants in ballistic weapons. So long as the firearm didn't have any sort of digital controls.
The cyborg's metal skin grew warmer as he encountered the uppermost atoms of the planet's atmosphere.
Showtime...
The re-entry shield activated with a hum, it surface sparkling as it diverted high-energy particles away from its occupant. All of Death's Head's previously unrealized momentum bled away rapidly, the wisp of atmosphere becoming a deafening roar.
Ionized gasses enveloped his approach. Speed dropped to survivable levels. The re-entry shield deactivated, completely drained.
Freefalling at 30,000 feet, the cyborg zeroed in on the trasmitter's last location. The signal was lost, and there was no GPS system here, but he had a good, general idea of where to go.
At 5,000 feet, he popped the chute. Not a fancy parafoil, but a tried-and-true round parachute. Not good for control, but great for reliability.
At 1,000 feet, Death's Head started to worry about all the trees. The banks of a creek seemed to be a good place for growing them.
"It is never easy... is it?"
Crash.
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