Tangled Skein, Chapter 7/?
Title: Tangled Skein, Chapter 7/?
Characters: Rose Tyler, The Doctor (10th), Jack Harkness, Jenny and many others
Raiting: All
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They belong to RTD and the BBC.
Spoilers: up till JE
Continuity: sequel to "Universe is Cruel"
Summary: Rose's regenerated into someone achingly familiar...
Previous
“River?” Rose asks incredulously. “But how did she end up here? I mean she did her own bit of traveling but it’s nowhere near 51st century.”
“That’s the question,” the Doctor answers quietly and quickens his pace.
After that they move in silence observing empty streets and unbroken shop windows, undamaged trees and buildings. Nothing is destroyed, it’s like everybody was removed from the picture. All at once cars lost their drivers and shops-their assistants. They pass a church and Rose shivers at the recognition of the place. She watches a woman come into view a hundred feet further along the road. She’s never seen this street from this point but she recons this must be quite a de ja vu for the Doctor. Rose glances at the Time Lord to see the well-known “I’m alright” mask on his face as he stops. She turns to Jack and swallows as he pulls his gun from its place. Nor Jenny nor Cathie understand the sudden change of plan and keep glancing from one to another.
“Doctor,” Rose touches his hand tentatively. He jumps at the contact and turns around to face her. The moment his eyes focus on her she sees all the panic and hope and pain and happiness and utter horror of what’s about to happen. “It’s going to be okay. No Daleks here,” she says and he manages a shaky smile.
“How did she get here? Why HERE?” he asks looking from Jack to Rose. It’s so unlike him to show this vulnerability that nobody really knows what to answer him.
“Why don’t you ask her…” Rose starts saying but half way through she is interrupted by a blinding flash. She opens her eyes to see it doesn’t make much difference. “…yourself,” she finishes smirking. “Doctor? Cathie? Jenny? Jack?” she asks the darkness. “No one?” she tries again after a few moments of silence. With a sigh she stands up from the floor. It’s been years since she was last locked somewhere, even more since she was held in total darkness. She stretches her hands in front of her and tries making tiny steps. She can’t say how much time passed when she finally reaches a wall. The surface is cold and even. With one hand she pulls her TARDIS key and tries to scratch it so that she would notice if she makes a full circle, then puts it back in her pocket and moves right. It feels safer walking now touching the wall and it only takes her a few steps to hit the wall right in front of her. She turns again and makes a few steps along it until she finds a gap. The wall suddenly disappears. Rose holds her breath and stretches one of her hands but lets it out loudly when her fingers reach another surface. This one is even colder and somehow familiar. She scratches her nails on it and the sound makes her shiver. “Glass,” she breaths staring into the darkness. She runs her hands down and suddenly finds a shelf just as the glass ends. She tries to move her hands sideways but they hit something and a loud bang tears the silence of the room. Rose moves her hands slowly again, finding other objects, tracing fingers along the edges and freezes as familiar but impossible shape fits itself into her hand. It’s been far too long since she’s seen this thing and she is not completely sure it’s what she thinks it is. She moves her fingers along the cold metal round object with a hard chain attached in two places. It’s all so wrong so very wrong that she’s quite sure this device can still be working. She doesn’t dare pressing the button though. She pulls the chain around her neck and returns to exploring the objects on the shelf. A windowsill she thinks. Something rectangular falls at her touch and she thinks it must be a photo frame. It’s strange. Of all the strange places to keep someone hostage this is yet the most inappropriate. Next thing she finds feels like a paper folder. She wishes it wasn’t that dark and she could read the documents or whatever she’s holding. Suddenly her hands run to the edge of the windowsill and with a sight she moves to continue walking along the wall but her hand catches a string. It doesn’t seem like this room or whatever it is was designed as a trap so she pulls at it and is slightly disappointed when nothing happens. She traces one of her hands up and finds a handle. With hope of escape she pulls on it and the next moment Rose’s blinded by the light of the rising sun. It takes her a breath to recognize the view. “It can’t be! No, please… It just can’t” she chants stumbling backwards until she hits the desk.
***
“Mum?” Cathie cries as the light fades revealing no Rose on the street.
“Looks like a transmat,” Jenny says. “Do you think your sonic can trace it?” she turns to the Doctor who’s staring at the empty street.
“She’s gone,” he says.
“Yeah, we’ve all seen that,” Cathie yells at him. “Gone with the flash of light right in front of us! Dad!”
“So there was another flash?” the Doctor asks his daughters.
“What other flash? Only this one, the one that’s taken Rose. What’re you talking about?” Jenny answers him puzzled.
“But she’s gone too,” the Doctor says glancing along the road again.
“Who’s gone, Dad?” Jenny asks. “There was nobody there. Why did we stop anyway? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Nobody?” the Doctor asks looking at Jack who seems to be as lost as him.
“Something’s wrong here, Doc,” Jack says eventually.
It takes the Doctor another minute to pull himself together enough to feel the stress and fear emanating from Cathie and send her reassurance. “Let’s get back to the TARDIS. I think she can help. Cathie, Rose’s going to be okay. I promise,” he says as he pulls his daughter in a hug and takes of in the direction they came from.
***
As the first shock wears off Rose picks the things she dropped in the darkness. This time she studies the objects. Her mum’s smiling at her from the photo. She’s holding Tony, who’s playing with a big red car he got for his fourth birthday a few days before this photograph was taken. Rose took it herself. She smiles at the memory. Her Doctor proposed that day. It’s been so long ago. She sets the picture on it’s place and picks another token. It’s a tennis ball. She can’t remember why she kept it. She hears voices from outside the office and rushes to the door. She’s nearly there when the door opens and her younger blond self walks in. She’s so astonished she freezes on the spot.
“Oh, hello,” younger Rose says. “Are you here for an interview?”
She searches the walls for an always-present calendar glad she managed to hide the disk still hanging around her neck. It’s June, 16th 2015. It was her fist day at HR. And the first person she picked to work with her was…
“Yep, I am. Donna Noble, You must be Rose Tyler?” she says quickly noticing the suspicion in her previous self’s face.
“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you. I’m sorry for making you wait. Sit down please,” the blonde gestures her to the chair.
It’s strange to be on this side of the conversation. For all she knows she’s not staying but if all that time it was her working for Torchwood with her younger self. How could the Doctor ever talk about reapers? Oh, it’s so not right! She knows that she has to find her way back, to find her daughter and save the Earth from whoever took over it. Well, most likely the Doctor’s already solved that problem. If only he was here to help her get out!
Her train of though is interrupted by a knock on the door and an all too familiar voice saying. “Rose, how’s your new… Oh, sorry.”
She feels the familiar niggling at the back of her mind and is shocked. Never before has she had this kind of contact with the Doctor. She used to have such bond only with Cathie. He’s staring at her while younger Rose introduces him to you as Doctor John Who she’ll be probably working with. She feels him reach with his mind while he’s talking to the blonde and the older Rose can’t help the joy she feels at seeing him again sip through her barriers.
“So, Donna. What can you tell me about your past job experience?” she hears the interviewer ask and she snaps out of the staring contest with the Doctor.
“Well, mostly temping,” she answers desperately trying to remember what Donna told her all those years ago. “But I think it’s time to quit and start something more permanent.” The conversation flows seemingly effortlessly through another few minutes. The Doctor, is still standing behind her back boring holes in her scalp with his gaze and it would probably be intimidation if it was somebody else.
“John, do you want to ask Donna some questions so that you both have the idea of what she will be doing if she accepts the job?” Rose asks him and stands up to leave. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
It’s strange to be with him again. Even more so with this mental connection they share.
“Doctor?” she asks when younger Rose leaves.
“Donna?” he replies. “It’s you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… probably. Not sure yet. It’s all a bit complicated,” Rose, or Donna-better get used to be called that way-answers.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story, and I’m not sure I can tell you yet. Paradoxes and all,” she chuckles.
“It’s not funny.”
“Yes it is. When you live in one big paradox,” she sighs. “So, do I get the job?”
The Doctor gives her his best smile, “Donna Noble, welcome aboard!”
“God, What’s with you and this phrase?!!!” she replies shoving at him playfully.
“You’ll have to tell me once, you know,” he’s serious once again.
“And you’ll have to help me get back,” she replies just as serious. “Don’t want them getting killed.”
Next
Characters: Rose Tyler, The Doctor (10th), Jack Harkness, Jenny and many others
Raiting: All
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They belong to RTD and the BBC.
Spoilers: up till JE
Continuity: sequel to "Universe is Cruel"
Summary: Rose's regenerated into someone achingly familiar...
Previous
“River?” Rose asks incredulously. “But how did she end up here? I mean she did her own bit of traveling but it’s nowhere near 51st century.”
“That’s the question,” the Doctor answers quietly and quickens his pace.
After that they move in silence observing empty streets and unbroken shop windows, undamaged trees and buildings. Nothing is destroyed, it’s like everybody was removed from the picture. All at once cars lost their drivers and shops-their assistants. They pass a church and Rose shivers at the recognition of the place. She watches a woman come into view a hundred feet further along the road. She’s never seen this street from this point but she recons this must be quite a de ja vu for the Doctor. Rose glances at the Time Lord to see the well-known “I’m alright” mask on his face as he stops. She turns to Jack and swallows as he pulls his gun from its place. Nor Jenny nor Cathie understand the sudden change of plan and keep glancing from one to another.
“Doctor,” Rose touches his hand tentatively. He jumps at the contact and turns around to face her. The moment his eyes focus on her she sees all the panic and hope and pain and happiness and utter horror of what’s about to happen. “It’s going to be okay. No Daleks here,” she says and he manages a shaky smile.
“How did she get here? Why HERE?” he asks looking from Jack to Rose. It’s so unlike him to show this vulnerability that nobody really knows what to answer him.
“Why don’t you ask her…” Rose starts saying but half way through she is interrupted by a blinding flash. She opens her eyes to see it doesn’t make much difference. “…yourself,” she finishes smirking. “Doctor? Cathie? Jenny? Jack?” she asks the darkness. “No one?” she tries again after a few moments of silence. With a sigh she stands up from the floor. It’s been years since she was last locked somewhere, even more since she was held in total darkness. She stretches her hands in front of her and tries making tiny steps. She can’t say how much time passed when she finally reaches a wall. The surface is cold and even. With one hand she pulls her TARDIS key and tries to scratch it so that she would notice if she makes a full circle, then puts it back in her pocket and moves right. It feels safer walking now touching the wall and it only takes her a few steps to hit the wall right in front of her. She turns again and makes a few steps along it until she finds a gap. The wall suddenly disappears. Rose holds her breath and stretches one of her hands but lets it out loudly when her fingers reach another surface. This one is even colder and somehow familiar. She scratches her nails on it and the sound makes her shiver. “Glass,” she breaths staring into the darkness. She runs her hands down and suddenly finds a shelf just as the glass ends. She tries to move her hands sideways but they hit something and a loud bang tears the silence of the room. Rose moves her hands slowly again, finding other objects, tracing fingers along the edges and freezes as familiar but impossible shape fits itself into her hand. It’s been far too long since she’s seen this thing and she is not completely sure it’s what she thinks it is. She moves her fingers along the cold metal round object with a hard chain attached in two places. It’s all so wrong so very wrong that she’s quite sure this device can still be working. She doesn’t dare pressing the button though. She pulls the chain around her neck and returns to exploring the objects on the shelf. A windowsill she thinks. Something rectangular falls at her touch and she thinks it must be a photo frame. It’s strange. Of all the strange places to keep someone hostage this is yet the most inappropriate. Next thing she finds feels like a paper folder. She wishes it wasn’t that dark and she could read the documents or whatever she’s holding. Suddenly her hands run to the edge of the windowsill and with a sight she moves to continue walking along the wall but her hand catches a string. It doesn’t seem like this room or whatever it is was designed as a trap so she pulls at it and is slightly disappointed when nothing happens. She traces one of her hands up and finds a handle. With hope of escape she pulls on it and the next moment Rose’s blinded by the light of the rising sun. It takes her a breath to recognize the view. “It can’t be! No, please… It just can’t” she chants stumbling backwards until she hits the desk.
***
“Mum?” Cathie cries as the light fades revealing no Rose on the street.
“Looks like a transmat,” Jenny says. “Do you think your sonic can trace it?” she turns to the Doctor who’s staring at the empty street.
“She’s gone,” he says.
“Yeah, we’ve all seen that,” Cathie yells at him. “Gone with the flash of light right in front of us! Dad!”
“So there was another flash?” the Doctor asks his daughters.
“What other flash? Only this one, the one that’s taken Rose. What’re you talking about?” Jenny answers him puzzled.
“But she’s gone too,” the Doctor says glancing along the road again.
“Who’s gone, Dad?” Jenny asks. “There was nobody there. Why did we stop anyway? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Nobody?” the Doctor asks looking at Jack who seems to be as lost as him.
“Something’s wrong here, Doc,” Jack says eventually.
It takes the Doctor another minute to pull himself together enough to feel the stress and fear emanating from Cathie and send her reassurance. “Let’s get back to the TARDIS. I think she can help. Cathie, Rose’s going to be okay. I promise,” he says as he pulls his daughter in a hug and takes of in the direction they came from.
***
As the first shock wears off Rose picks the things she dropped in the darkness. This time she studies the objects. Her mum’s smiling at her from the photo. She’s holding Tony, who’s playing with a big red car he got for his fourth birthday a few days before this photograph was taken. Rose took it herself. She smiles at the memory. Her Doctor proposed that day. It’s been so long ago. She sets the picture on it’s place and picks another token. It’s a tennis ball. She can’t remember why she kept it. She hears voices from outside the office and rushes to the door. She’s nearly there when the door opens and her younger blond self walks in. She’s so astonished she freezes on the spot.
“Oh, hello,” younger Rose says. “Are you here for an interview?”
She searches the walls for an always-present calendar glad she managed to hide the disk still hanging around her neck. It’s June, 16th 2015. It was her fist day at HR. And the first person she picked to work with her was…
“Yep, I am. Donna Noble, You must be Rose Tyler?” she says quickly noticing the suspicion in her previous self’s face.
“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you. I’m sorry for making you wait. Sit down please,” the blonde gestures her to the chair.
It’s strange to be on this side of the conversation. For all she knows she’s not staying but if all that time it was her working for Torchwood with her younger self. How could the Doctor ever talk about reapers? Oh, it’s so not right! She knows that she has to find her way back, to find her daughter and save the Earth from whoever took over it. Well, most likely the Doctor’s already solved that problem. If only he was here to help her get out!
Her train of though is interrupted by a knock on the door and an all too familiar voice saying. “Rose, how’s your new… Oh, sorry.”
She feels the familiar niggling at the back of her mind and is shocked. Never before has she had this kind of contact with the Doctor. She used to have such bond only with Cathie. He’s staring at her while younger Rose introduces him to you as Doctor John Who she’ll be probably working with. She feels him reach with his mind while he’s talking to the blonde and the older Rose can’t help the joy she feels at seeing him again sip through her barriers.
“So, Donna. What can you tell me about your past job experience?” she hears the interviewer ask and she snaps out of the staring contest with the Doctor.
“Well, mostly temping,” she answers desperately trying to remember what Donna told her all those years ago. “But I think it’s time to quit and start something more permanent.” The conversation flows seemingly effortlessly through another few minutes. The Doctor, is still standing behind her back boring holes in her scalp with his gaze and it would probably be intimidation if it was somebody else.
“John, do you want to ask Donna some questions so that you both have the idea of what she will be doing if she accepts the job?” Rose asks him and stands up to leave. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
It’s strange to be with him again. Even more so with this mental connection they share.
“Doctor?” she asks when younger Rose leaves.
“Donna?” he replies. “It’s you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… probably. Not sure yet. It’s all a bit complicated,” Rose, or Donna-better get used to be called that way-answers.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story, and I’m not sure I can tell you yet. Paradoxes and all,” she chuckles.
“It’s not funny.”
“Yes it is. When you live in one big paradox,” she sighs. “So, do I get the job?”
The Doctor gives her his best smile, “Donna Noble, welcome aboard!”
“God, What’s with you and this phrase?!!!” she replies shoving at him playfully.
“You’ll have to tell me once, you know,” he’s serious once again.
“And you’ll have to help me get back,” she replies just as serious. “Don’t want them getting killed.”
Next