Worth A Thousand Words - Chapter Nine [9/9]
'I got you away from that other time, didn't I?'
DISCLAIMER & OTHER WARNINGS
‘You always think the worst of me,’ the Master mused in a light tone that he meant to be disarming, but which made the Doctor tense reflexively. ‘Why would I bother with your little goldfish?’
‘You’ve done it before every chance you had - should I list the number of my friends that you’ve killed over the years?’
‘Oh, let’s not, that’s rather dull,’ the Master said, wrinkling his nose and examining his nails. ‘Although, on reflection, you do have a thing for blondes, don’t you?’
‘If you’ve hurt her -’
‘Why would I hurt her? There would be nothing in it for me - especially as I’m perfectly aware that I’m only an echo to you right now,’ the Master remarked innocently. ‘Our timelines are quite out of sync - or can’t you sense it?’ The Master considered him coolly, his usual madness banked behind deceptively deadened black eyes. Realisation sparked in them. ‘Oh, no, you can’t, can you? Because you’re ignoring your time sense - now why, oh, why would you do that?’
‘Echo or not, you stay away from Rose,’ the Doctor growled.
The Master snorted. ‘I’ve no intention of doing anything to your little bit on the side -’ The Doctor started to speak, but was cut off. ‘And before you start moaning and groaning about not being able to trust me, I’ll tell you why: I owe her.’
‘You… what?’
‘Quite. Let it never be said I don’t honour my debts, and she’ll do me a great one. Or already has done, from my perspective at least, seeing as I’ve got absolutely no idea when you are in your timeline right now,’ the Master went on.
‘And you won’t.’
‘Yes, yes, Laws of Time and all that boring nonsense,’ the Master sighed. ‘You’re so predictable, Thete.’ The Doctor flinched, and the Master grinned at him, shark-like. ‘Actually, I suppose it would be best to say I owe you. Because if not for you, she wouldn’t even be there in the first place.’
The Doctor tensed at this, and as usual, the Master noticed. His grin widened.
‘I bet that makes you feel so much better. You, with your constant, unending guilt and righteous notions - now what do you do?’ the Master adopted an exaggerated, thoughtful expression. ‘I can hear the rusty old cogs in that brain of yours whirring - you want to discover what I mean! Should you take her back home? Drop her off into whatever mediocre life you plucked her from? Or is that exactly what I want you to do? Is that how I get to her? Perhaps you should keep her close, stick to her like a burr - only that wouldn’t do either, because it’ll drive her away. It always drives them away when you hold on too closely, Doctor, or don’t you remember?’
The Doctor clenched his fists.
And then, as usual with the shifting, mercurial moods of the Master, his old friend and enemy had pulled away from him and gazed out across the sea.
‘The most painful is yet to come, and I fully intend to let you both live to endure it.’ The Master looked up, smiling unpleasantly to the Doctor. ‘You might want to go save your assistant now. I saw a rather suspicious looking character wandering around here earlier.’
The Doctor made an aborted move toward him. The Master sniggered at that; it was an incongruous action for his sombre looking body.
‘Oh, but you have a decision to make now, don’t you? Do you stay and babysit little old me? Find a way to control and contain me - and trust me, I’ll kick up a fuss. This sack of meat is a rather important businessman at the moment, and you’ll attract so much attention you might derail the history of this lovely ship.’ Off the Doctor’s surprised expression, he chuckled. ‘What, you thought I didn’t realise? Give me some credit, Doctor, I chose this ship to escape the fuss in Europe specifically because of the tragedy about to unfold here. Can you imagine all that chaos and pandemonium? It will be easy for me to find a new body and set myself up in a lucrative position. Did you hear that Jack Astor’s here tonight? Such an important man… the whole of the twentieth century would be different if he survives, I think.’
‘You wouldn’t.’
‘Well… I might. Depends on who else I find on this little dingy. Now, you can stay and play with me as I know you’re dying to - really, we can investigate the Turkish baths. Delightful what the prosaic little cockroaches can come up with in the name of sloth - but I have a suspicion you will want to find your friend.’
The last was said with such lewdness that the Doctor had to force himself to keep from attacking the Master.
‘You said you wouldn’t harm her!’ he snarled.
‘Oh, I said I wouldn’t. But hungry vitavores “jonesing for a fix”? They’ll go after even the older apes if they have to. See, you were so clever finding the other two, but there’s a third vitavore in my back pocket. And this one’s a lot better at getting the job done than the others,’ he lowered his voice conspiratorially. ‘You know how mated pairs are - so desperate to save one another, they stop following orders. But the third one? Well, he’s a bit more of a free agent. Rather like you and me, eh, Doctor?’
The Doctor knew the minute he turned the corner, the Master would disappear. He would track down his next victim, and now that he knew the Doctor was on the ship, he would stay hidden.
But no matter how many bodies the Master stole, he was bound for the Time War the same as every other Time Lord had been.
And the Doctor had promised Jackie Tyler he would keep her daughter safe.
Mouth set, he deliberately turned his back on the Master and walked away.
‘Well, can’t say I’m surprised,’ he heard his old enemy taunt. ‘It’s what you do best, isn’t it Doctor? Running away?’
‘Maybe you should try it sometime,’ he replied quietly, ready to let that echo from what had never been fade to the back of his mind.
He should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy.
‘Officer! Officer!’ he heard the Master cry out suddenly. ‘That navvy there has picked my pocket!’
Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw several white-clad White Star personnel head for him. He let out a Gallifreyan oath that had the Master giggling and took off through the crowded decks in search of Rose.
· ΘΣ ·
Rose wasn’t quite sure how she’d ended up in the cargo bay of the Titanic. She didn’t even remember how she’d gotten the idea, or how she’d found her way through the confusing corridors below decks. All without being caught by any of the crew members!
The last thing she recalled was talking to that strange German bloke with the Doctor, and then it all went blank.
‘Nothing for it then,’ she decided, staring around the crates and pausing to admire the car she’d ended up in front of. It looked exactly like what she remembered from the movies. She couldn’t help having a bit of giggle at the idea of perhaps sneaking inside and pressing a handprint into the window.
Not that anyone but the Doctor would get the joke, she thought with a shake of her head.
There was a clattering sound from somewhere nearby, and she froze.
She wasn’t alone.
Oh, not this again, she thought, looking around the shadows and dark spaces of the cargo bay. I swear, if I run into any more Autons -
There was a flash of movement, and Rose found herself thrown up against the cold wall of the cargo bay.
She barely caught her breath before her assailant appeared in front of her - another vitavore!
The creature was right there, in its feeding form, its spindly fingers clawing at her shoulders while it tried to pry her mouth open.
Her jaw clenched shut, Rose struggled to reach for something - a weapon, anything heavy - to get it off of her, but she already suspected there was no use.
Her lips parted and she felt something being drawn out of her, almost as if all the sensation in her body was being dragged out through her mouth. As a cold, empty numbness took hold of her, the world went grey around the edges of her vision.
So this is how I go… she thought grimly, even as she tried to call up the last of her energy to hit ineffectually at the thing killing her. No chance to say goodbye to Mum… to the Doctor…
There was a slamming noise somewhere to her left.
‘Awful forward of you, making a lady dinner without being introduced,’ the familiar and very much welcome voice of the Doctor intoned coolly.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she made out his silhouette and the bright blue light that suggested he had the sonic screwdriver pointed at the creature.
‘Now - I’d be much obliged if you let my companion up. You’re doing as much harm to yourself as her,’ he declared. ‘If you give yourself up, I can help you! I can bring you back to where you’re supposed to be. My ship can -’
Rose saw right away that the creature would not listen because its grip on her tightened and it turned its head back to face her. The cold, sucking feeling began again and she continued to struggle against the thing.
‘Doctor -!’
Just when she was wondering what he was waiting for, there was another familiar noise - the whirring of the sonic- and a loud clang.
A metal pipe from up above burst free.
It swung downwards at astonishing speed, impaling the creature and sending it backward with a muffled shriek.
With the weight gone, Rose scrambled away on her hands and feet, gaping at the thing.
The Doctor was at her side instantly, turning her to examine her.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked. The screwdriver whirred again. ‘Hm, your cortisol levels are higher than I’d like, but that’ll sort itself out on its own.’
‘What…’ she coughed, clearing her throat. ‘How’d I get down here? Last thing I remember… Doctor, that man….!’
‘I know,’ the Doctor said grimly. ‘Don’t worry about it. S’all been dealt with.’ He nodded over at the dead vitavore.
‘Doctor, why…’ Rose trailed off, a bit unsure how to ask the question. ‘Why did you give it a chance? I mean, it probably killed the steward and all those kids. Probably more people we don’t even know about.’
There was a pause a bit longer than was standard before the Doctor spoke.
‘I needed to find out if there was any hope of saving it,’ he told her, voice heavy. ‘Their kind might survive by feeding on the life-forces of sentient beings, but if it’s the wrong sort, it makes ‘em sick. A bit like existing on junk food and cigarettes. They crave it, but it warps their bodies and minds every time.’
‘Like an addiction?’
‘Exactly. And just like with an addict, there’s sometimes a point during which they can still be saved. But this one… this one was already at the point where it just didn’t care anymore. It was too warped.’
There was such a heavy sense of resignation in his voice that Rose turned to him. ‘Doctor?’
He was staring off into the middle-distance, eyes hard and jaw clenched tightly. She had come to associate this particular haunted look with memories of his past. ‘If it had taken the chance… I might’ve been able to save it. I’m so tired of bringing death wherever I go.’
She didn’t know what to say to that, and so reached out and grabbed hold of his hand.
‘You don’t,’ she said after a moment. ‘Just saved my life, yeah? Counts for something.’
‘Yeah, but with you, that’s almost as easy as breathing - you’re always in trouble,’ the Doctor quipped back, and the haunted look faded somewhat. This time when he faced the dead body, he looked resolved. ‘Gotta take care of that.’
They hid the body in one of the crates within the cargo area, considering the ship would sink anyhow. The Doctor left it open so that the salt water that eventually filled the area would eliminate any further trace of the vitavore.
‘I’m exhausted,’ Rose groaned as they slipped back out into the main hallways. They made their way down the walk, moving casually and with all the confidence that they belonged there. ‘I can’t wait to find a nice bed and sleep until -’
‘There might be a problem with that plan,’ the Doctor said, sounding a bit sheepish.
Before she could ask what he meant, the silence was broken by a loud, ‘Oi! You there!’
‘Run!’ the Doctor ordered, grabbing Rose’s hand and hauling her after him.
‘Take it they found out we’re not who we said we were?’ Rose gasped as they took off in the opposite direction.
‘Something like that!’
People ducked aside, trying to avoid what was turning into a full-fledged chase scene on the famous decks. Rose wondered dimly if anyone would write about this in the accounts of the Titanic’s maiden voyage. She couldn’t help grinning at the idea that she was part of such a landmark occasion.
Trouble and running for their lives aside, she loved travelling with the Doctor!
Inevitably their luck seemed to run out. There were only so many places one could run on a ship before people noticed, or before one’s pursuers got clever.
As they ducked down an outer staircase on the promenade they found their way blocked by a barred door. The Doctor rummaged through his jacket, trying to find the sonic or the psychic paper, but Rose could tell he wouldn’t get to it in time.
She noticed a dark, shadowy corner beneath the stairs and pulled the Doctor into it. It was only at the last second she noticed that the entire scene was being watched. Several yards away, a floppy-haired young man in a tweed coat and round spectacles gaped at them.
Bollocks! Rose thought, stomach sinking even as the Doctor pulled her around, shielding her with his body. Maybe he thought if he got her far enough into the shadows, no one would notice her when they finally found him. Fat chance of that with a witness.
She could still see everything unfold, though, peeking through a gap between the Doctor’s arm and his body.
The stewards that had been following them paused in front of the young man when he flagged them down. There was a flurry of movement and wild gestures, and then he pointed in a completely different direction from where the Doctor and Rose were sequestered.
There was another outburst of sound, and to Rose’s disbelief, suddenly the pursuing crew-members disappeared.
The strange young man turned around and stared directly at where they hid - and was it just her, or did he seem a little familiar? More than familiar, she could have sworn - he put a finger to his grinning lips, and then turned and sauntered away.
The Doctor was muttering a curse under his breath in a language Rose didn’t understand; it didn’t sound as thankful as she thought it should.
‘What just happened?’ Rose asked as they crept out of their hiding spot.
‘… just how many… on this bloody ship… chin… midlife crisis…!’
‘Doctor?’ she questioned.
‘Just the bounds of probability being tested, Rose,’ he assured her grimly. ‘Happens a lot around me. Don’t worry about it - c’mon, let’s find somewhere to hide out ‘til the ship docks.’
They spent the hours until the Titanic reached Queenstown dodging the disgruntled White Star crew-members that were looking for them. At the expected landing time, and with a bit of careful planning, they slipped aboard the small liner ferrying the Irish passengers from Queenstown onto the doomed ship.
Rose felt a little sick looking at the families piling onto the Titanic. Something must have shown on her face, because the Doctor murmured, ‘Don’t worry, Rose, we’ll get to land without being caught.’
‘I’m not worried - you always get us out,’ she answered earnestly. ‘But all those people - I saw a mum just now with five kids - none of ‘em could’ve been more’n ten. They’re all gonna die, aren’t they?’
The Doctor said nothing, but this time it was him that took hold of her hand to offer silent comfort.
It was a little easier to breathe once they were no longer trapped on the doomed ship.
Once they docked in Ireland, it was just a matter of charting a course back to London and the TARDIS. With the help of the psychic paper, the Doctor easily booked passage back to Southampton on the next steam ship out. He even procured a cabin so that Rose could sleep.
After they found their way to their lodgings - little more than a berth, really - Rose collapsed on the bunk with a grunt of satisfaction.
‘Where’re you gonna sleep?’ she asked, as she always seemed to when they spent the night away from the TARDIS.
‘Not tired, me,’ he answered. ‘Might explore the ship a bit. Foil another alien invasion if there’s one on.’
‘Mm… have fun,’ she yawned, curling onto her side.
‘What, no insisting I not do anything without you?’ he asked, half-teasing. It was a change from everywhere they had been so far.
‘Too tired. And comfy… just… don’t forget me here, m’kay?’
Her voice was small, partially from exhaustion but also with the smallest trace of uncertainty. There was a question there, one that had disguised itself as a command in the past few days after every adventure.
It wasn’t Rose asking that he not have any adventures without her - it was her asking him not to leave her behind. Breaking her out of a CIA holding cell, returning to save her from a volcanic eruption and finding her before an alien sucked the life out of her had assuaged her fears of abandonment enough that she was asking him in plain English.
The Doctor seemed to sense she wasn’t just talking about the ship, but everything - everywhere they would go and everything they would do.
‘I could never forget you, Rose Tyler,’ he told her. The words rang in her ears like a promise.
She smiled at that, and not long afterward the last strings of consciousness lost their grip on her.
To her surprise, he was there when she woke, looking at her with an expression of one trying to figure out an incredibly complicated problem. When she asked, he shrugged it off.
‘Tryin’ to predict the exact second you’d wake up. Was off by an hour. You do like to sleep, don’t you?’
Rose shook off the criticism, knowing that harping on about supposed human deficiencies was just a sign that the Doctor was functioning normally.
They took their breakfast in their cabin; the Doctor had told the crew that she wasn’t well. Once they finished, he led her back up and onto the promenade deck.
It wasn’t half as new or impressive as the Titanic had been, but the fact that she knew this ship wasn’t doomed by history made up for that.
Rose leaned out over the railing, inhaling the sea air and squinting into the distance as the shore got closer and closer.
‘Look, Doctor! I can see it!’ she cried suddenly, pointing toward the docks excitedly.
A passing crew-member gave her a funny look, but upon meeting the Doctor’s gaze, it turned into a knowing grin. Perhaps he thought the Doctor was chaperoning some dimwit that had never been on a boat before or an easily impressed socialite, but Rose ignored him. Instead, she looked up at the Doctor and her heart warmed at the slow, genuine smile of his own that appeared.
Because the Doctor understood that it wasn’t the docks Rose was gesturing at, but the distant speck of blue that was his frankly magnificent time ship.
· ΔΩ ·
TO BE CONTINUED IN PARCHED
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