Reunion, Rose Mix: Broken Boys, Part One
This is Reunion from Rose's POV, Part One (of Three, I guess). Tenth Doctor, Rose, Jack, rated PG for buckets of blood. Feedback extremely welcome.
They let her come on the rescue mission. She pleaded and argued and ranted, but what made the difference in the end was that he was a Time Lord and she was his companion and they were actually a little bit scared of her.
The team running the rescue ship was hand-picked, eight members of the Venatic Fleet, pledged to give their lives if that's what it took to destroy the last Vampire in the universe. She was the only civilian.
The Venators were humanish, apparently, various shades of purple with dark hair. There had been four Vampires left when they started their mission, a millennium ago. It all had something to do with the Time Lords: the Doctor seemed to consider it his personal mission to get rid of this Lyt person. They were delighted to see him - gave them both the full VIP treatment - but he seemed more annoyed than anything about them.
They didn't know that Captain Jack had been hunting the Vampire too, not until they got what the Doctor called Lyt's message to them. To him, personally. He had been bloody rude about it, shouting at her and railing at the Fleet people until they let him go by himself.
Almost by himself. The rescue ship was never more than a few thousand kilometres away, ready to teleport itself there and then teleport the Doctor (and hopefully Jack) to safety, and seven soldiers to Lyt's ship to finish him off. The eighth member of the crew was a medical technician, a petite woman in green coveralls peppered with pockets.
The rescue ship was the size of her mum's living room - bigger ships couldn't teleport and Lyt would probably spot them. She and the crew were crammed together into that space for two days.
The Argus Panoptes was the size of Henrik's. It was all long curves, painted deep purple and green. An alarm sounded, and a warning light flashed, and then they were right next to the Vampire's ship, summoned in by the beacon.
The soldiers vanished.
The Doctor arrived first. There was a swirl of hot blue light too harsh to look at, and then he was standing there, and then he slumped onto the metal floor of the ship as though someone had sliced through his strings.
Rose fell to her knees beside him, staring. He was covered in blood. The paramedic was ripping open his shirt. There were bites on his long neck and down his chest, deep rips, out of which blood was thickly swelling.
'Oh my God,' whispered Rose. 'Is he even alive?'
The paramedic grabbed Rose's wrist, stuffed a small, thick towel into her hand, and shoved it in place over one of the worst bites. 'Keep the pressure on!' she shouted. 'Do it, or get out of my way!'
Rose snapped out of it, and pushed down, hard, using both hands. The Doctor didn't react as the paramedic tore off strips off some kind of tape and started slapping them over the other wounds. His eyes were open, huge and brown - no, black, the pupils enormous, as if he was on drugs. Had the paramedic given him something? Or was it something to do with the Vampire?
The paramedic shoved her out of the way and started taping the last, worst wound. Rose knelt beside the Doctor and waved her hand in front of those empty eyes, then tried stroking his cheek, his hair. She could see his bare chest falling and rising, fast, as though he was struggling for breath. There were sticky swirls of blood caked in the hair.
'Doctor!' she shouted, over the sound of a whole lot of noise in the background. 'Can you hear me? Are you all right?'
She wanted to grab his face and scream for him to wake up, but she didn't dare. The paramedic had finished sticking tape all over him and was sitting back, her arms and chest covered in blood, staring intently at some Spock device. Rose's own clothes felt warm and wet; she didn't want to look down and see his blood all over her. She could smell it. She tried wiping her hands on the towel, but it was already soaked through.
One of his arms was flung out. Rose reached for his hand. 'Oh my God, he's moving!' she shrieked. "Look!'
'Rose,' said the Doctor hoarsely. 'Jack.'
Rose twisted in place. Captain Jack was lying on the metal floor behind her, shaking. Blood had gushed from his nose and dried. His eyes were red-rimmed, tears leaking down his face.
'I want them both in the mothership's infirmary, stat,' said the paramedic.
The Doctor's fingers caught the fabric of Jack's sleeve. For a moment, they were staring into each others' faces. Then the soldiers hauled them up and took them both away.
The hold of the rescue ship was suddenly silent, almost empty, except for the paramedic - slumped against the metal wall, breathing hard - and Rose, on her knees.
Her two beautiful men. Both broken. Broken so badly.
Rose staggered to her feet, blinded by tears, wiping frantically at her face with the sleeve of her spacesuit. She stumbled towards the airlock, feeling as though she'd run a marathon. It did its automatic rumbling and hissing around her while she fought down the panicked sobs. She was still holding the blood-soaked towel.
They let her come on the rescue mission. She pleaded and argued and ranted, but what made the difference in the end was that he was a Time Lord and she was his companion and they were actually a little bit scared of her.
The team running the rescue ship was hand-picked, eight members of the Venatic Fleet, pledged to give their lives if that's what it took to destroy the last Vampire in the universe. She was the only civilian.
The Venators were humanish, apparently, various shades of purple with dark hair. There had been four Vampires left when they started their mission, a millennium ago. It all had something to do with the Time Lords: the Doctor seemed to consider it his personal mission to get rid of this Lyt person. They were delighted to see him - gave them both the full VIP treatment - but he seemed more annoyed than anything about them.
They didn't know that Captain Jack had been hunting the Vampire too, not until they got what the Doctor called Lyt's message to them. To him, personally. He had been bloody rude about it, shouting at her and railing at the Fleet people until they let him go by himself.
Almost by himself. The rescue ship was never more than a few thousand kilometres away, ready to teleport itself there and then teleport the Doctor (and hopefully Jack) to safety, and seven soldiers to Lyt's ship to finish him off. The eighth member of the crew was a medical technician, a petite woman in green coveralls peppered with pockets.
The rescue ship was the size of her mum's living room - bigger ships couldn't teleport and Lyt would probably spot them. She and the crew were crammed together into that space for two days.
The Argus Panoptes was the size of Henrik's. It was all long curves, painted deep purple and green. An alarm sounded, and a warning light flashed, and then they were right next to the Vampire's ship, summoned in by the beacon.
The soldiers vanished.
The Doctor arrived first. There was a swirl of hot blue light too harsh to look at, and then he was standing there, and then he slumped onto the metal floor of the ship as though someone had sliced through his strings.
Rose fell to her knees beside him, staring. He was covered in blood. The paramedic was ripping open his shirt. There were bites on his long neck and down his chest, deep rips, out of which blood was thickly swelling.
'Oh my God,' whispered Rose. 'Is he even alive?'
The paramedic grabbed Rose's wrist, stuffed a small, thick towel into her hand, and shoved it in place over one of the worst bites. 'Keep the pressure on!' she shouted. 'Do it, or get out of my way!'
Rose snapped out of it, and pushed down, hard, using both hands. The Doctor didn't react as the paramedic tore off strips off some kind of tape and started slapping them over the other wounds. His eyes were open, huge and brown - no, black, the pupils enormous, as if he was on drugs. Had the paramedic given him something? Or was it something to do with the Vampire?
The paramedic shoved her out of the way and started taping the last, worst wound. Rose knelt beside the Doctor and waved her hand in front of those empty eyes, then tried stroking his cheek, his hair. She could see his bare chest falling and rising, fast, as though he was struggling for breath. There were sticky swirls of blood caked in the hair.
'Doctor!' she shouted, over the sound of a whole lot of noise in the background. 'Can you hear me? Are you all right?'
She wanted to grab his face and scream for him to wake up, but she didn't dare. The paramedic had finished sticking tape all over him and was sitting back, her arms and chest covered in blood, staring intently at some Spock device. Rose's own clothes felt warm and wet; she didn't want to look down and see his blood all over her. She could smell it. She tried wiping her hands on the towel, but it was already soaked through.
One of his arms was flung out. Rose reached for his hand. 'Oh my God, he's moving!' she shrieked. "Look!'
'Rose,' said the Doctor hoarsely. 'Jack.'
Rose twisted in place. Captain Jack was lying on the metal floor behind her, shaking. Blood had gushed from his nose and dried. His eyes were red-rimmed, tears leaking down his face.
'I want them both in the mothership's infirmary, stat,' said the paramedic.
The Doctor's fingers caught the fabric of Jack's sleeve. For a moment, they were staring into each others' faces. Then the soldiers hauled them up and took them both away.
The hold of the rescue ship was suddenly silent, almost empty, except for the paramedic - slumped against the metal wall, breathing hard - and Rose, on her knees.
Her two beautiful men. Both broken. Broken so badly.
Rose staggered to her feet, blinded by tears, wiping frantically at her face with the sleeve of her spacesuit. She stumbled towards the airlock, feeling as though she'd run a marathon. It did its automatic rumbling and hissing around her while she fought down the panicked sobs. She was still holding the blood-soaked towel.