R/Revolution, Chapter Six
The Doctor threw himself over a table and pulled Jameson along with him just before the gunfire broke out. Under a barrage of bullets and breaking stemware, the Doctor had just enough presence of mind to locate the exit.
“That way!” he shouted before Rose flipped over the table to join them.
“No!” Rose interjected. “The front will be barred. The roof is your only chance. I’ve got a chopper on the way.”
Rose reloaded her gun hastily and sat up to return the copious fire coming their way.
“You gonna tell me what’s going on?” the Doctor asked testily. “Who is that woman? How can she recognize you?”
“That’s Roma LaFeria,” Jameson shouted over the din. “She was a special agent of elite squad for the resistance until she defected last year. After her husband died, she turned against the agency and joined up with Vitex. And unfortunately, she’s bloody brilliant!”
“She and I…” Rose cried out between volleys, “are not on very good terms! She blames me for James’ death!”
The Doctor tried to glance over the partition but nearly got his head shot off before Rose pushed him back down.
“I’m gonna need to create a diversion so you two can get out of here,” she shouted. “When I make my move, I want you to head up to the roof. The helicopter will rendevou with you in about two minutes.
“I’m not leaving here without you!” the Doctor insisted.
Rose smiled and rolled her eyes before pulling the Doctor into a brief but searing kiss.
“Not on your life,” she promised. “I’ll be there. Just get yourselves there in one piece, alright?”
The Doctor couldn’t protest because Rose had started to run, pulling the gunfire with her as she ducked behind tables closer to the door. He spied a staircase on the other side of the room and grabbed the back of Dr. Jameson’s jacket.
“That way!” he commanded.
The two men scrabbled toward the stairs while Rose kept LaFeria occupied. When they had made it to their goal, the Doctor stopped and turned to watch Rose, who he realized was completely…
“Magnificent,” he breathed aloud.
Rose artfully dodged her enemy’s fire and moved expertly as she attempted to move closer to the enemy agent. She rolled from one table to another, trying to get a better position in front of the podium.
“Long time no see!” LaFeria taunted when Rose nearly took a bullet in the leg. She was able to dodge it at the last second, however, and shot back at LaFeria who only narrowly escaped.
“Can’t say I’m happy to see you!” Rose shouted back as she took out three armed guards flanking LaFeria. “How’s Vitex treating you?”
“Just great!” LaFeria sneered. “Of course, it’s always better on the winning side!”
Rose struggled with one of her garters, and brought out a small capsule that she lobbed toward the stage. It hissed and emitted dark black smoke.
“Shit!” LaFeria cried. “You never did appreciate a fair fight!”
Rose laughed despite herself and crawled under the smoke to reach her target, but when she got to the podium, LaFeria was nowhere to be found.
Rose’s heart stopped for a moment when her eyes were drawn across the room to find her arch enemy holding a gun to the Doctor’s head.
“To be honest,” LaFeria continued, “I guess I never liked them much either. Handsome bloke you’ve got here. And you two have amazing chemistry! I think he’s a keeper!”
“Roma!” Rose pleaded as she dropped her gun. “You don’t have to do this! Let him go!”
“And miss all the fun?” LaFeria taunted. “No I think you owe me one, Agent R. Seems like a fair trade!”
Jameson had gone further up the stairs and was now trying to sneak back quietly, holding a large vase over his head. Rose kept her face neutral as she approached the turncoat agent.
LaFeria tightened her grip on the Doctor’s shoulder as she pressed her gun harder into his temple, making him wince.
“Pardon me um…Roma? But I don’t think I should be the locus of your attention right now,” he chimed in.
LaFeria frowned and shook the Doctor.
“Shut up!” she demanded. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this, and I’m not going to let you-“
She broke off as Jameson brought the vase down over her head, causing her to crumple to the ground in agony. Rose was upon her a moment later, and grasped a pressure point in her neck to make sure she passed out. The Doctor lifted his attention to a loud sound emanating from the roof at the same moment, and Jameson followed suit.
“I think that’s our ride!” the scientist announced.
At the same moment, a bevy of armed guards trooped in through the front door.
“Just in time!” Rose cried, urging them all up the stairs. “Let’s go!”
The small group took off toward the roof, and only just made it into the chopper when the advancing guards opened fire on them. Rose breathed out heavily when they took off, and soared high above the gunfire and the completely ruined President’s ball.
Jameson laughed shakily and hid his face behind his hands.
“You two need to learn something about subtlety,” he chided. “That could have gone a bit smoother.”
The Doctor smiled and put a long arm behind Rose’s back to squeeze her tightly into his side.
“Oh, that’s never been our M.O.,” he admitted. “And frankly, I think it would take the fun out of it. Don’t you agree, Agent R?”
Rose giggled and snuggled into him.
“Definitely, Agent D,” she answered.
Rose closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I’ve missed crashing parties with you,” she said lightly.
The Doctor grasped her hand over his lap and squeezed it gently.
“I’ve missed everything with you,” he answered in a low voice.
Jameson smiled behind his hand and stared out at the passing buildings below.
**
Back at the base, the Doctor and Jameson worked tirelessly to configure a cure for R complex. Rose watched them for a few hours, but found that her lack of a scientific background made the various tests a little dull to observe. She left to gather the rest of the elite squad to start working on strategies to distribute the cure in the likely event that the two geniuses would be able to implement one.
Rose and her team were still going over various blueprints and maps when the Doctor finally burst through the door of their conference room.
“He’s done it!” he shouted excitedly. “Or at the very least, we have a working prototype! We still need to administer primary tests, of course, but I think this is it! I really think we’ve got it!”
Rose’s attention was drawn to the green vial in his hand, and she approached it curiously.
“Is it injected?” she asked lightly.
“No, it’s taken orally,” the Doctor answered. “We’re still not sure on the dosage, but I think this sample is about the right size for an average human being. We need to run more data trials, though, just to be sure.”
“That would take hours!” Rose objected as she snatched the vial away and peered at it under the light.
“Well, yes,” the Doctor replied. “But this is sensitive stuff, Rose! The wrong dose could prove fatal, and we have to think about the larger consequences of---“
The Doctor was cut off when Rose downed the sample and stared triumphantly at his shocked face.
“The trial begins now,” she announced. “No more waiting, Doctor. People are dying!”
The Doctor froze and fixed her with his most severe ‘oncoming storm’ look.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said darkly. “We don’t even know about side effects yet. That concoction could KILL YOU!”
His anger was palpable, but Rose brushed him off with little concern.
“R complex is killing me, in case you didn’t remember,” she answered.
Behind her, the elite squad shifted uncomfortably. Rose shifted to look at them before having the decency to take the heated argument outside. She quickly ushered the Doctor out of the door and closed it soundly behind her.
The Doctor stared her down disapprovingly and crossed his arms over his chest.
“It’s this kind of foolhardy nonsense that gets people killed Rose!” he argued. “Never thinking, always in the middle of the fray! Do you ever imagine for one second that there are consequences to your actions!”
“You’re tellin’ me this?” she shot back. “I’ll remind you that you sat the bottom of the stairs tonight when I told you in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that you were to go up to the roof! And then what happened? LaFeria grabbed you and could have blown a bullet through your head! But I’M THE ONE WHO'S NOT THINKING?”
The Doctor growled and pushed her back against the wall.
“I was looking out for you!” he rebuffed. “If you’d gotten shot, I would have been the one pulling you up to the chopper! Not that you’d thank me, of course!”
“Well…THANK YOU!” Rose shouted.
The Doctor blinked and took a step back.
“Uh…you’re welcome?” he replied uncertainly.
Rose laughed; a real, uncontrollable peal of laughter that had the Doctor joining in before he realized what had happened. The two of them ended up laughing so hard that they fell on the floor under the power of their mirth.
“Rose,” the Doctor breathed between gasps. “You really are the most obstinate…”
“You are so controlling…” Rose was saying at the same time.
“Make me want to tear out my hair…” the Doctor continued.
“Can’t stand the way you always have to be right…” Rose followed.
The two fell silent as they glared at one another, but the glares were already softening and becoming something altogether adoring.
“Rose,” the Doctor sighed. “I love you. I love everything about you. Especially the things I can’t stand.”
Rose felt her eyes beginning to water, but she didn’t bother to wipe the tears away.
"Yeah," she agreed soberly. "I love you too, Doctor."