Doctor Who fic: The Other Side of the World (15/31)
Title: The Other Side of the World (15/31)
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas: joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen.
Jack’s long legs carried him faster down the corridor and Rose had to struggle to keep pace beside him. She had so many questions, but she couldn’t ask them, not now, not when the lives of billions were depending on them. But she yearned to know the truth. What had happened after she and the Doctor left Jack on Satellite Five? After she returned in the TARDIS, everything that had happened was a messy blur, and the Doctor only filled in a few gaps; his descriptions had been vague at best.
They burst into the control room, catching Atillo off guard. The lieutenant had been talking with Yana on the monitor. Rose could see him and Martha, appearing between bursts of static, explaining the situation.
“Get onboard the rocket,” she told him. “We’ll finish up here.” Atillo looked reluctant to leave but he nodded his head and left the control room.
Jack flung off his long coat and approached the chamber door. Two out of the five couplings had been fixed before Atillo’s man died. He reached to open the door, but Rose quickly grabbed him around the arm and placed a brief kiss on his lips.
Rose pulled back before either of them could let the kiss develop. She wasn’t pushing him away, but now wasn’t the time to indulge themselves either. Jack reached out and cupped the right side of her face, the touch echoing back to another adventure. “We kissed before I died the first time.” He turned away from her without warning and pulled the chamber door aside, exposing the radiation inside. Before it could spread, and before Rose could say something to Jack, he dashed inside.
The door clanged shut, the thick metal separating them. Rose went to the observation window in the door and looked in. Jack was bathed in red light, and likely stet radiation, but he appeared fine. He took a second to orient himself before going to work on the first coupling.
She watched him work in silence but it soon became too much for her. She needed answers. “You died on Satellite Five?”
“Took a hit from some Daleks.” Jack strained to get the handle of the coupling twisted in the right direction. “Then I woke up, like nothing had happened.”
The glass of the window was warm, heating Rose’s skin as lay her forehead against it. She had always wondered what happened after she had looked into the heart of the TARDIS. The memories were seemingly blocked from her mind, like she wasn’t supposed to remember, but for days after the defeat of the Dalek fleet she had hazy dreams, of a blinding light, hot tears running down her cheeks, a wolf’s howl in her head.
And the words “I bring life” echoing across the stars.
“Oh god.” She bit back tears as the realization hit her full on. “It was me.”
“The Doctor sent you back home.” With a grunt, Jack twisted the coupling handle into position and the lower section dropped down. He looked up at Rose as he went to work on the next one.
“I came back. I couldn’t just leave you and the Doctor behind.” She had believed it wholeheartedly then, but now the consequences were staring her in the face. “I looked into the heart of the TARDIS.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“I dunno. I never thought about what would happen. I just wanted to get back and save you both.”
“You did save me, Rose.”
She lifted her gaze and stared at Jack, really looked at him. He was the same man she had met while dancing on an invisible spaceship in the middle of the London Blitz; dashing, kind, and a little bit mischievous. But at the same time, he wasn’t. She had changed him, made him something else. “You can’t die, Jack. How is that saving you?”
Jack had no easy answer. He gave the coupling handle a hard tug and a resounding clang sounded from the bottom section. “I always thought that if I met the Doctor again he could help me. Do you think he makes house calls?”
Rose took a deep breath, dreading her next words “The Doctor’s not coming back. He’s not just in parallel world; he’s trapped there.”
It was like someone had punched Jack in the gut. He doubled over the last coupling, his hands gripping it on either side. Any hope in his expression disappeared, crushed under the weight of reality. His gaze lost focus and his usual upbeat smile faded away. He remained like that for a second or two before he roused himself and started work on the coupling. “I’m sorry.”
It was hard to tell what Jack was apologizing for. Was he sorry for her loss? Or was he sorry that he hadn’t been there? “He saved the world. He saved the world and lost everything familiar. He found a way to say good-bye, but he disappeared before I could…” Their last moment in the TARDIS swarmed Rose from the depths of her memory. She closed her eyes, but she could see everything playing out in her mind’s eye.
“I told him I loved him.”
Her words came out softly, spoken before she had a chance to think about it. She hoped the thick metal of the door had muffled her voice, but when Rose opened her eyes, she saw Jack staring at her with deep sorrow. The handle of the last coupling was held in his hand, but it was completely ignored.
“He knew, Rose. I think he always knew.”
With a twist, the last coupling fell into place. Alarms and lights outside of the chamber began to sound and twirl. The rocket was ready to fly.
Rose backed away from the door and grabbed the radio from off the wall. There were more important things to do. She had to wait a few seconds before she was connected to the rocket. “Lieutenant? Is everyone on board?”
“Ready and waiting.”
Behind her, the chamber door opened and then closed, and Jack exited no worse for wear. He pointed to one of the monitors as he put his coat back on. “You’ve got two minutes to ignition.” The numbers on the monitor began to count down. Around them, the control room began to shake.
“We have to monitor the feeds,” said Jack. “Whatever this footprint thing is, we need to keep it stable.”
It was simpler to follow Jack’s lead than to ask questions. Rose stayed beside him, flicking switches and turning keys when he said. As the countdown neared zero, a loud rumble above them caused the whole room to quake. Ten seconds later, the rumbling stopped and the countdown was done.
Jack yanked the radio off the wall. “Lieutenant, have you achieved velocity?” Unable to hear the other side of the conversation, Rose watched Jack’s face. The moment he broke out into a large grin, she knew the rocket was on its way to Utopia.
“Back to the TARDIS!” She grabbed his hand and they ran out of the control room back to Yana’s lab. With the remainder of the human race inside the rocket, the corridors were empty.
It was painfully obvious they weren’t alone.
A group of Futurekind were waiting at the far end of the corridor. They had appeared confused but when they noticed Rose and Jack, their gaze took on a hungry gleam. As one, they started running down the corridor towards them, taking up a battle cry in their garbled language. Rose didn’t need to be told twice to head in the opposite direction. Fear and adrenaline granted her speed as she and Jack tried to find another way back to the lab.
The pounding footsteps continued to follow them as they rounded corners and took flight up stairs. She should have questioned how the Futurekind had got into the Silo, but surviving was her main concern.
When the footsteps became louder, she knew there was more than one group of Futurekind inside the facility.
“Here!” Finally reaching the corridor that led to the lab, Jack pushed Rose in front of him. He pulled out his gun and fired off as many shots as he could while he ran. It was doubtful any of the bullets hit a target, but the loud bangs seemed to slow the Futurekind.
“Martha! Get inside the TARDIS!” Rose could see inside the lab now. Martha, Yana, and Chantho had been celebrating the rocket’s successful launch. Her urgent cry quickly ended that.
“Chan-what is happening-tho?”
Rose burst into the room. “Futurekind,” she said between gasps. “Right behind us.” She pointed to the TARDIS. “Inside.”
“Come on, Professor.” With a gentle hand, Martha guided Yana towards the time machine, but the old man refused to move.
“How did they get inside?”
The echo of gunshots announced Jack’s arrival. He continued to fire his gun until it began to click on empty chambers. “There’s dozens of them.” He looked around the lab. “Why are we still standing around?”
“TARDIS, now!” Forgetting kindliness, Rose pushed Yana towards the TARDIS. Martha went ahead to open the doors. “Jack, Chantho.”
“Chan-go-tho.” The blue alien reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a small gun. “Chan-I will buy you time-tho.”
“Everyone’s coming,” Rose insisted. Looking out the door, the Futurekind were only seconds away.
Chantho raised her gun and positioned herself in the doorway. “Chan-tell the Professor thank you-tho.”
Rose felt a tug on her arm. Jack was pulling her towards the TARDIS. Framed in the door of the time machine was Yana, his attention on Chantho. He took a step forward, but Jack shoved him inside. Once Rose was over the threshold, he closed the doors and ran for the console. Just as the doors shut, Rose caught one last glimpse of Chantho before the Futurekind swarmed around her.
The TARDIS powered up its engines, drowning out any noise from the outside. Beside her, Yana leaned heavily on the ramp railing, his cheeks wet with tears.
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas: joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen.
Jack’s long legs carried him faster down the corridor and Rose had to struggle to keep pace beside him. She had so many questions, but she couldn’t ask them, not now, not when the lives of billions were depending on them. But she yearned to know the truth. What had happened after she and the Doctor left Jack on Satellite Five? After she returned in the TARDIS, everything that had happened was a messy blur, and the Doctor only filled in a few gaps; his descriptions had been vague at best.
They burst into the control room, catching Atillo off guard. The lieutenant had been talking with Yana on the monitor. Rose could see him and Martha, appearing between bursts of static, explaining the situation.
“Get onboard the rocket,” she told him. “We’ll finish up here.” Atillo looked reluctant to leave but he nodded his head and left the control room.
Jack flung off his long coat and approached the chamber door. Two out of the five couplings had been fixed before Atillo’s man died. He reached to open the door, but Rose quickly grabbed him around the arm and placed a brief kiss on his lips.
Rose pulled back before either of them could let the kiss develop. She wasn’t pushing him away, but now wasn’t the time to indulge themselves either. Jack reached out and cupped the right side of her face, the touch echoing back to another adventure. “We kissed before I died the first time.” He turned away from her without warning and pulled the chamber door aside, exposing the radiation inside. Before it could spread, and before Rose could say something to Jack, he dashed inside.
The door clanged shut, the thick metal separating them. Rose went to the observation window in the door and looked in. Jack was bathed in red light, and likely stet radiation, but he appeared fine. He took a second to orient himself before going to work on the first coupling.
She watched him work in silence but it soon became too much for her. She needed answers. “You died on Satellite Five?”
“Took a hit from some Daleks.” Jack strained to get the handle of the coupling twisted in the right direction. “Then I woke up, like nothing had happened.”
The glass of the window was warm, heating Rose’s skin as lay her forehead against it. She had always wondered what happened after she had looked into the heart of the TARDIS. The memories were seemingly blocked from her mind, like she wasn’t supposed to remember, but for days after the defeat of the Dalek fleet she had hazy dreams, of a blinding light, hot tears running down her cheeks, a wolf’s howl in her head.
And the words “I bring life” echoing across the stars.
“Oh god.” She bit back tears as the realization hit her full on. “It was me.”
“The Doctor sent you back home.” With a grunt, Jack twisted the coupling handle into position and the lower section dropped down. He looked up at Rose as he went to work on the next one.
“I came back. I couldn’t just leave you and the Doctor behind.” She had believed it wholeheartedly then, but now the consequences were staring her in the face. “I looked into the heart of the TARDIS.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“I dunno. I never thought about what would happen. I just wanted to get back and save you both.”
“You did save me, Rose.”
She lifted her gaze and stared at Jack, really looked at him. He was the same man she had met while dancing on an invisible spaceship in the middle of the London Blitz; dashing, kind, and a little bit mischievous. But at the same time, he wasn’t. She had changed him, made him something else. “You can’t die, Jack. How is that saving you?”
Jack had no easy answer. He gave the coupling handle a hard tug and a resounding clang sounded from the bottom section. “I always thought that if I met the Doctor again he could help me. Do you think he makes house calls?”
Rose took a deep breath, dreading her next words “The Doctor’s not coming back. He’s not just in parallel world; he’s trapped there.”
It was like someone had punched Jack in the gut. He doubled over the last coupling, his hands gripping it on either side. Any hope in his expression disappeared, crushed under the weight of reality. His gaze lost focus and his usual upbeat smile faded away. He remained like that for a second or two before he roused himself and started work on the coupling. “I’m sorry.”
It was hard to tell what Jack was apologizing for. Was he sorry for her loss? Or was he sorry that he hadn’t been there? “He saved the world. He saved the world and lost everything familiar. He found a way to say good-bye, but he disappeared before I could…” Their last moment in the TARDIS swarmed Rose from the depths of her memory. She closed her eyes, but she could see everything playing out in her mind’s eye.
“I told him I loved him.”
Her words came out softly, spoken before she had a chance to think about it. She hoped the thick metal of the door had muffled her voice, but when Rose opened her eyes, she saw Jack staring at her with deep sorrow. The handle of the last coupling was held in his hand, but it was completely ignored.
“He knew, Rose. I think he always knew.”
With a twist, the last coupling fell into place. Alarms and lights outside of the chamber began to sound and twirl. The rocket was ready to fly.
Rose backed away from the door and grabbed the radio from off the wall. There were more important things to do. She had to wait a few seconds before she was connected to the rocket. “Lieutenant? Is everyone on board?”
“Ready and waiting.”
Behind her, the chamber door opened and then closed, and Jack exited no worse for wear. He pointed to one of the monitors as he put his coat back on. “You’ve got two minutes to ignition.” The numbers on the monitor began to count down. Around them, the control room began to shake.
“We have to monitor the feeds,” said Jack. “Whatever this footprint thing is, we need to keep it stable.”
It was simpler to follow Jack’s lead than to ask questions. Rose stayed beside him, flicking switches and turning keys when he said. As the countdown neared zero, a loud rumble above them caused the whole room to quake. Ten seconds later, the rumbling stopped and the countdown was done.
Jack yanked the radio off the wall. “Lieutenant, have you achieved velocity?” Unable to hear the other side of the conversation, Rose watched Jack’s face. The moment he broke out into a large grin, she knew the rocket was on its way to Utopia.
“Back to the TARDIS!” She grabbed his hand and they ran out of the control room back to Yana’s lab. With the remainder of the human race inside the rocket, the corridors were empty.
It was painfully obvious they weren’t alone.
A group of Futurekind were waiting at the far end of the corridor. They had appeared confused but when they noticed Rose and Jack, their gaze took on a hungry gleam. As one, they started running down the corridor towards them, taking up a battle cry in their garbled language. Rose didn’t need to be told twice to head in the opposite direction. Fear and adrenaline granted her speed as she and Jack tried to find another way back to the lab.
The pounding footsteps continued to follow them as they rounded corners and took flight up stairs. She should have questioned how the Futurekind had got into the Silo, but surviving was her main concern.
When the footsteps became louder, she knew there was more than one group of Futurekind inside the facility.
“Here!” Finally reaching the corridor that led to the lab, Jack pushed Rose in front of him. He pulled out his gun and fired off as many shots as he could while he ran. It was doubtful any of the bullets hit a target, but the loud bangs seemed to slow the Futurekind.
“Martha! Get inside the TARDIS!” Rose could see inside the lab now. Martha, Yana, and Chantho had been celebrating the rocket’s successful launch. Her urgent cry quickly ended that.
“Chan-what is happening-tho?”
Rose burst into the room. “Futurekind,” she said between gasps. “Right behind us.” She pointed to the TARDIS. “Inside.”
“Come on, Professor.” With a gentle hand, Martha guided Yana towards the time machine, but the old man refused to move.
“How did they get inside?”
The echo of gunshots announced Jack’s arrival. He continued to fire his gun until it began to click on empty chambers. “There’s dozens of them.” He looked around the lab. “Why are we still standing around?”
“TARDIS, now!” Forgetting kindliness, Rose pushed Yana towards the TARDIS. Martha went ahead to open the doors. “Jack, Chantho.”
“Chan-go-tho.” The blue alien reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a small gun. “Chan-I will buy you time-tho.”
“Everyone’s coming,” Rose insisted. Looking out the door, the Futurekind were only seconds away.
Chantho raised her gun and positioned herself in the doorway. “Chan-tell the Professor thank you-tho.”
Rose felt a tug on her arm. Jack was pulling her towards the TARDIS. Framed in the door of the time machine was Yana, his attention on Chantho. He took a step forward, but Jack shoved him inside. Once Rose was over the threshold, he closed the doors and ran for the console. Just as the doors shut, Rose caught one last glimpse of Chantho before the Futurekind swarmed around her.
The TARDIS powered up its engines, drowning out any noise from the outside. Beside her, Yana leaned heavily on the ramp railing, his cheeks wet with tears.