1x02 Disappearance in Deadwood
Title: Disappearance in Deadwood
Author: Malana
Rating: PG
Pairing: Rose/Ten II
Summary: What was supposed to be a quick jaunt to into the 1870's American West gets more complicated when Rose and the Doctor learn that townspeople are disappearing.
Author's notes: Many thanks to shinyopals for organizing this, and for all the help with my episode. Also a big thank you to Kelly for all the helpful beta work. This story changed direction so many times before ending up in its current form, thanks for sticking with it through all of them.
Episode 2 of a virtual series at the_altverse, following Death at the Museum by shinyopals last week.
Virtual Series Masterlist
August 16, 1879
Deadwood, The Dakota Territory, USA
Yao Daiyu stood near the butcher’s stand that marked the unofficial border between Chinatown and Deadwood proper, watching the unloading of yet another stagecoach. It was an occurrence that happened at least a few times everyday, and yet, in the three years her family had lived here, Daiyu never grew tired of watching it. The camp had grown a great deal since they first arrived. It was the one thing that Daiyu liked about the place. It was always changing. There were always new things to see, new people to watch.
Not that she would ever really interact with the people she observed. Chinamen’s Alley, they called it. Daiyu didn’t understand much English, but she understood those words, and the contempt with which they were usually spoken. Except for the hotel workers who regular dropped off their bedclothes at her parent’s stall to be washed, and the occasional few who wanted to explore the more ‘exotic’ goods, Daiyu didn’t really see white faces on her street. And she rarely ventured out into the main camp. Her parents insisted that it wasn’t safe, and Daiyu wouldn’t have wanted to anyway, uncomfortable with the looks that’d she’d draw.
“Daiyu!”
Daiyu turned from the watching the trunks being unloaded and saw her mother hurrying toward her. Daiyu could tell right away her mother was annoyed about something. Her normally perfect hair was falling from the knot on the top of her head, and her usually smiling mouth was creased in a frown.
“Where have you been?” Her mother asked. “I sent your sister to fetch you. The new hotel that opened last week is hiring us. You’re father wants your help with all the extra work.”
Now it was Daiyu’s turn to frown. At 17, she was eight years older than her younger sister, and had always been protective of her. “Jaio?” Daiyu asked in surprise. “I haven’t seen her since breakfast.”
Her mother’s expression went from that of annoyance to worry. “I sent Jaio to find you almost an hour ago. You haven’t seen her at all, you’re sure?”
Daiyu shook her head, fear griping her heart. Jaio wasn’t the type to wander off, and everyone in Chinatown knew her. If anyone had seen her getting her into trouble, they would have intervened. And word would have gotten back to her parents right away.
Even under normal circumstances, Daiyu would have been worried. Everyone knew Dayiu’s family, and people in the community tried to keep an eye out for one another, but Deadwood was by no means a safe place. The camp could be rough, and violent. However, lately, things had been even worse. People had been disappearing. It wasn’t that unusual for people to give up and leave Deadwood. It may be a growing town, but it still was a hard place to make a living. Families would often move on with little notice. But this was different. It wasn’t families moving on, it was wives disappearing without a trace, husbands gone leaving all of their possessions behind, and children vanishing in the middle of the night.
Daiyu griped her mother’s hand tightly. “Don’t worry,” she said with an assurance she didn’t feel. “She’s around here somewhere. She probably just got distracted by something. We’ll find her playing with some of the other children, or splashing around down in the stream. We’ll find her.”
A determined look on her face, Daiyu set off to find her sister.
-------------
“What in the world are you wearing?”
Rose stood in the doorway to the Control Room, staring at the Doctor, her mouth agape.
He turned to face her, grinning as he gestured at his outfit. “You like it?”
She stared at her husband, eyes wide as she took in his look. Boots, a long tan colored coat, and an honest-to-goodness cowboy hat.
“Why are you dressed as a cowboy?”
“You said you loved cowboys!”
Rose’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “When did I say that I...” Then she remembered. “When Tony was dressed up for his friend’s costume party. He asked me if I liked cowboys, what else was I supposed to say?”
The Doctor’s grin faded slightly. “You don’t love cowboys?”
Her hand’s covered her mouth to hide her giggle. He looked for all the world like a sad little boy. She had to put him out of his misery.
“Oh, Doctor. It’s not like I hate them or anything.” She smiled as she looked him over once again. “And if I didn’t love them before, seeing you like that has won me over.”
Her husband’s smile returned. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She crossed over to where he stood, running an admiring hand along the brim of his hat before placing a quick kiss on his lips.
“I take it this means we’re headed for the Wild West?”
The Doctor nodded happily. “1879 Deadwood. In the Dakota Territories.” He paused, before adding, “At least, if things are the same here. I’m not expecting any* large differences in the timeline, but some of the details always seem to be changed a little. “
He looked at his wife, concern in his eyes. “Please be careful, Rose.It’s an interesting time period, and there’ll be plenty to see, but it can be dangerous. Deadwood’s only a few years old. It started out as a camp during the gold rush. The time we’re traveling to, it should have just been officially made part of the United States, rather than being on Native American territory. Technically there’s law there, but not much.”
Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm always careful," she insisted. Seeing the look on his face, she relented, squeezing his hand. "Okay, okay. No running off on my own. But the same goes for you. The sonic-screwdriver might be handy, but I don’t think it’ll do you too much good in a gunfight.”
The Doctor laughed. “Alright, it’s a deal. You don’t go off on your own, and I don’t get involved in any duels.”
“That sounds fair,” Rose agreed, sealing the deal with another kiss. “Okay,” she said after she pulled away. “You’ve got your Wild West outfit, but what am I wearing? I’m assuming jeans and a jumper won’t cut it.”
The Doctor grinned and pointed across the room to where a dress was hanging. It was a deep red with a bodice that buttoned all the way to the neck, long sleeves and a slightly gathered skirt. It was beautiful, if not exactly the most practical thing for the dust and heat of the American West.
Rose scooped it up, thanked her husband, and hurried off to go change.
----------------------------
August 16, 1879
Deadwood
Rose and the Doctor left the TARDIS in the woods a little way outside of Deadwood itself. The trip had been a bumpy one and Rose was happy to have her feet on solid land again.
The Doctor had said that wagon trains were arriving frequently in Deadwood, and it shouldn’t be any problem to blend in. Even their accents wouldn't be a problem. People arrived here from all over; everyone looking to make their fortune or to find a good piece of land.
Rose wrinkled her nose as they made way down the path that lead into town. She had been expecting dust but not quite this much. It must have been all the wagons and coaches kicking it up, but it seemed like the air was thick with it. She snuck a jealous look at the Doctor, with his trousers and coat. She was trying to keep the bottom of her dress out of the dirt, but it was a pain.
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t just make the dresses shorter!” Rose complained.
“It’d be improper,” the Doctor explained.
Rose rolled her eyes. “But having a dress covered in dust and mud is totally okay?”
“Hey, don’t complain to me. I didn’t design the dress.”
“But you did pick it for me,” Rose pointed out.
The Doctor looked at her with a sly smile. “Well, I could have picked something shorter, but it might have given people the wrong idea.”
“What do you mean?” Rose asked before realization hit her. “You mean people would think I was a-“
“A woman of negotiable affection?” The Doctor finished for her. “Yes. There’s a lot of that here, actually, just to warn you.”
“Yet another reason not to go wandering around on my own, I guess,” Rose said with a sigh.
She readjusted her dress once again. “So, are we going to see anyone famous?” she asked. “Wyatt Earp or Wild Bill Hickok, or any of those other guys from the movies Dad likes?”
The Doctor shrugged. “Could do, I suppose, but I’m not sure. Back in the other universe Wild Bill was killed a few years ago. Assuming it went down the same way here we could see the place it happened. It’s something of a tourist attraction.” He thought some more. “The Earps did pass through Deadwood. And Calamity Jane was in and out of town a lot. Of course, she’s not supposed to have been that pleasant of a person to be around.” He shook his head. “None of them were, really. America tends to romanticize this period in their history. Hollywood tends to make them swaggering tough guys with hearts of gold, but more often than not, that’s all rubbish.”
Rose’s pace slowed as they got nearer to town and she took it all in. It was larger than she expected, and more solid somehow. The Doctor had referred to it several times as ‘Deadwood Camp’ and that’s what she had been expecting. She thought it’d be all tent stalls and other temporary structure. From what she could see, there were plenty of those, but that was hardly the whole of it. The main street was lined with buildings, some looking decidedly more rickety than others. It was a mishmash of shapes and sizes, packed close together. She could hear the sounds of hammers that signified more were being built.
“There’s going to be a fire in a about a month,” the Doctor said. “Half the town burns to the ground.” He shook his head. “Not surprising, really, when you see how packed together it all is. And no one was too concerned with fire safety when they were building. “
“That’s terrible.”
“Deadwood survives though. Rebuilds, grows...I suppose that’s what they refer to as frontier spirit, so maybe the movies don’t get it all wrong after all. People packed up their entire lives. Crossed the country, crossed oceans some of them. Faced all sorts of hardships and dangers all to get a chance at a new life. A life which, by the way, would also be full of hardships and dangers. The amount of sheer determination these people had was remarkable.”
“So, what's our story here,” Rose asked.
The Doctor shrugged. “Oh, nothing too complicated. The bored, rich, city gentleman looking to prove himself on a gold claim. That shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, it was common enough.
“Look out!” The Doctor grabbed Rose’s arm and pulled her aside as a coach barreled past. They both coughed at the dust that swirled up.
“It’s not exactly the quaint little prairie town I was expecting,” Rose admitted.
“But all the more interesting for it,” the Doctor assured her. “Come on, let’s go see the sights.”
---------------
Even with her husband’s warnings, Rose wasn’t expecting quite the hustle and bustle that awaited them in Deadwood. There was so much to see. They were walking down the main thoroughfare, and Rose barely knew which way to look.
Wagons full of all manner of goods were being unloaded, merchants were strolling the streets hawking their wares and people were hurrying everywhere. Up the street two men were involved in a scuffle that looked likely to turn into a full-blown brawl at any moment. There were people of all seemingly every class, all picking their way carefully along the muddy street. On the balcony of one of the buildings, Rose saw what could only be one of the ‘women of negotiable affection’ that the Doctor had referred to earlier.
“What do all these people do?” Rose asked. “I mean, they can’t all be panning for gold, right?”
“Well, that’s certainly how the place started. The Black Hills were the setting of last real gold rush.” the Doctor explained. “Businesses moved in to support that, and the town just grew from there.”
"It really is surprisingly diverse," he continued. "England, Germany, Norway, China..." He pointed down a densely packed side street. "The locals refer to it as 'Chinaman's Alley,' but it's really just a smaller version of the sort of Chinatown you'd find in London or New York." He paused for a moment. "Well, minus the touristy bit."
"We should check it out," Rose said determinedly.
"We might get some odd looks."
She elbowed him playfully. "We always get odd looks."
"True enough," he said with a grin. He doffed his hat and offered Rose his arm. “May I have the pleasure of escorting you, Ma’am?”
Rose let out a laugh. “Why thank you, Sir. I believe you may.” She linked her arm through his.
-----------------
The Doctor had been right. They certainly did get some weird looks, although they were less 'weird' and more outright suspicious and wary. It was readily apparent that they didn't often see white faces browsing their stalls.
Even more apparent was the fact that they weren't used to white people who (thanks to the TARDIS) could understand every word they were saying.
The look on the stall owner's face when the Doctor order a bowl of a rather delicious smelling soup in what appeared to them to be perfect Mandarin was priceless. “The cautious looks took on a more appraising nature.”
They stood at the food stall for awhile, the Doctor slurping up noodles, Rose picking at a skewer of pork, occasionally stealing bites from each other as they watched people going about their lives. Rose liked watching people. It hadn't always been something that interested her, but her travels with the Doctor, both in the other universe and more recently in this one, had taught her how much you could learn about a place and time just by watching the crowds.
What struck Rose about Deadwood was how busy everyone was. A few people seemed to just be chatting with friends, or throwing dice, but mostly the place was a whirl of activity. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, whether they were buying things at the various stalls or stirring giant vats of laundry.
Rose and the Doctor seemed to be the main topic of conversation for those who did take the time to talk to their neighbours. They saw several people in conversation nodding or pointing in their direction, though the voices were mostly too low to make out.
"Something tells me most of the non-Chinese residents of Deadwood don't speak the language," Rose observed with a wry smile.
"That is very true. I can't imagine that many prospectors taking the effort to learn any Mandarin. Or anybody in the rest of town taking the time or interest to teach English. Mostly, on the occasions they do interact, I imagine it's done the same way people always try to overcome language barriers. Lots of hand gestures, pointing and, for reasons passing understanding, thinking that speaking very loudly will magically make the other party understand you."
He drank down the last of his soup, returned the bowl to the cook with his thanks, and turned back to Rose. "So, are you ready to explore the rest of town?"
"Sure."
As they were headed back to the main street, a voice from behind stopped them.
"Excuse me! Sir. Ma'am! Excuse me!"
The duo turned, surprised to see a man in what appeared to be Church garb hurrying toward them, with a young Chinese girl following in his wake. He was a short, thin man with deeply tanned skin and an excited expression on his face.
He stopped short in front of them, tipping his hat briefly and nodding his head toward Rose.
"You'll excuse me, I hope, for my forwardness, but I'm in need of your assistance. You speak Chinese?"
The Doctor exchanged a glance with his wife. "In a manner of speaking," he said with a shrug.
"Well, regardless, I gather you speak it better than my own halting words, or young Miss Yao's English." At that, he gestured toward his companion. "We can make ourselves understood enough that I know she's asking me something about her little sister -I think she may be looking for her-but the greater details are beyond my understanding, I'm afraid." He paused before continuing. "Oh! I appear to have forgotten my manners all together. I'm Reverend Tucker. And this young lady is called Daiyu."
“I’m the Doctor. This is my wife, Rose.” The Doctor shook the Reverend’s hand while Rose smiled sympathetically to the girl.
“Daiyu,” Rose said. “Something happened to your sister?”
Daiyu nodded fiercely, obviously fighting back tears. “Jaio. She’s only nine. We can’t find her anywhere. My mother sent her to get me a few hours ago. No one here has seen her since. We’re trying to check out the rest of town as well. But it is difficult for us. I thought the Reverend might be able to help. People respect him, will listen to what he has to say. But his Mandarin is worse than even my English.”
Rose’s heart went out to the girl. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel with something happened to Tony. “Daiyu, I’m Rose. This is my husband,” she said pointing at the Doctor. “We’re going to help you, okay? We’ll help you find Jaio.”
The Reverend watched the interaction, fascinated. “It really is remarkable. You both speak the language so fluently?”
The Doctor smiled at the Reverend. “We’re pretty well travelled," he said by way of explanation. Before the man could press him for further details he continued. “She says that her sister is missing. Has been for hours. She’s hoping that you’d be able to ask around the rest of the town.”
The Reverend shook his head, frowning. "I was so hoping that I was misunderstanding something." He briefly removed his hat to run his hand through his hair. "She is not, I believe, not the first one to go missing, although I do think she is the first child."
He turned to Daiyu. "I'll ask," he said, pointing at himself, and then in the direction of the main street. "Stay here with your parents, keep looking around here. If she turns up you can send someone to get me."
He looked at Rose. "Can you tell her that for me?"
Rose nodded. "Of course."
While Rose was talking to Daiyu, Tucker turned to the Doctor. "I'm afraid it probably won't do much good," he said Doctor quietly. "Most of the townspeople won't care much about a missing Chinese child. I doubt they'd have paid any attention even if they did see her."
"We'll help you look," Rose insisted as she turned back to the adults. "Right, Doctor?"
"Of course we will," the Doctor agreed.
"What does she look like?" Rose asked.
Reverend Tucker scratched at his neatly trimmed beard. "Jaio? She's a small child, about this tall," he said waving a hand around waist height. "She has long hair. It's always been in braids whenever I've seen her. With red ribbons at the ends." He shook his head sadly. "But again, I just don't see us having much luck. Not in town anyway. She was a very shy little girl. I think the main part of town scared her. As far as I know she never left the Chinese section."
"Sorry if this is rude," the Doctor began, then stopped when he heard Rose snort.
"What?" he asked her defensively.
"If this is rude?" Rose asked. "If? If you, of all people, feel the need to say that, then it is most definitely going to be rude."
"I'm not always rude!" The Doctor was indignant.
Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying you're always rude. I'm just saying that if it's rude enough that you actually take note of it, it will be, by anyone's standard, rude."
The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it, and turned back to the Reverend. "Alright. Well. This is most definitely a rude question. But what exactly is your involvement in this? I'm surprised to see an outsider taking an interest in what happens to the Chinese population. You're even attempting to learn the language?"
The Reverend smiled softly. "You're not the first person to ask me that, certainly. I'm a man of God, Doctor. I can to Deadwood when it was barely established as a camp because I believed that was my calling. I don't think that it extends only to the white people here. The language barriers are too much for me to be able to spread the words of Jesus Christ to them, but charity and good works are above such barriers."
"Jaio is a delightful child, as is her sister. Unlike adults, they have the patience to try to teach me. And in return I'm teaching them some English. It is not much, I know. I've been told many times that I'm wasting my time. But if I'm improving the lives of the people of Deadwood even a little...well, there are worst ways to spend one's time."
The Doctor nodded in thought. "Yes, I'd say there's something quite admirable in that."
"We should start with the Sheriff, I suppose," the Reverend said, pointing out a new-looking building. "For all the good it will do."
"You don't think he'll want to help, or you don't think he'll be able to?" Rose asked.
"As I said earlier, Jaio is not the first person to go missing. I told the Sheriff about the others, but he didn't much seem to care. He just said that people leave Deadwood all the time, and that he'd 'look into the matter as his time permitted'."
"He is right about that first part though, isn't he?" the Doctor observed. "People do leave here everyday, often with little or no notice, I imagine. Seeking their fortune somewhere else?"
"That's very true," the Reverend conceded. "And if it wasn't wives disappearing leaving their husbands and children behind, or old men vanishing without a word to their sons."
"And now a little girl," Rose added.
"As you say, Ma'am," Reverend Tucker said somberly.
Whoever had built the Sheriff's offices had obviously taken some care with it. The floors and walls were smoothly sanded, and two windows let in the fading evening light. There was the scent of fresh sawdust in the air. But, Rose realized, wrinkling her nose, there was something else too. A faintly sulfuric odor.
Despite the serious mood, Rose had to hold back a smile when they entered the Sheriff's office. The man in question was tall and well muscled, with what looked to be a days with of stubble on his tanned face. He was leaning back in his chair, his booted feet propped on a desk. His hat was tipped forward, tilted down over his eyes. He looked like he had been transferred directly out of a cowboy movie.
"Sheriff!"
The man slowly lifted his head, pushing his hat back as he swung his legs off the desk.
"Reverend Tucker," he drawled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Another of this town's citizens has gone missing, Sheriff Wayne. I thought you'd like to be informed."
The Sheriff sighed. "If the 'citizen' in question is another Chinaman, Reverend, I've told you before, they don't care too much for a white man getting involved. And leaving town ain't the same as going missing."
"This time it's a little girl," the Doctor said quietly. "I hardly think she's decided to strike out for California."
"And who might you be?"
"I'm the Doctor." He motioned to Rose. "And this is my wife. And both of us are quite confused as to how the Sheriff can not care that people in his town are disappearing."
Sheriff Wayne tipped his hat to Rose before glaring at the Doctor. "Doctor what, exactly?"
"Just Doctor will do fine."
"Well, Doc," he said, the word dripping with sarcasm. "As you said, this is my town and I don't think I quite appreciate someone blowing in from god knows where and telling me how to run it. Now, if a child's gone missing, that really is a shame. But I'm not seeing my role in any of it. It's a fact of life out here. Bad things happen. Now like I've already told the good Reverend here, those people there in Chinaman's Alley have made it quite clear that they want nothing to do with me or my badge. And even if they did, I'd find it tad difficult to question them, given that gibberish they speak. We don't even know a crime's taken place. Girl mighta just wandered off. Maybe that wolves got her. Or the heathens grabbed her."
The Reverend started to speak, but the Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, mate. We obviously aren't going to be getting any help here. It'll be dark soon. We should start asking around the rest of town."
The Reverend took a long steadying breath before nodding curtly and heading back onto the street, the Doctor and Rose close behind him.
"I know that wrath is a sin," Reverend Tucker said quietly as they walked on. "But that man has tried my patience ever since he got into town... I think one day I might just hit him."
"It's alright, Reverend," Rose offered sympathetically. "I just met him and I already want to hit him. But for now, let's just keep looking."
"How long has he been here?" the Doctor asked.
The Reverend thought for a moment. "About three months now. No, exactly three months. He showed up right after the lightening storm that nearly burnt down Thomas Murphy's Saloon."
--------------------------
THAT NIGHT
Rose sank down on the hard mattress, elbows propped on her knees, head in her hands.
"I just wish there was more we could do," she said with a sigh.
They had spent the last several hours asking about Jaio, and about the others who had disappeared. As far as they could tell, about half a dozen had gone missing over the past few months. But no one had any ideas. They'd gone off on various tasks or chores and simply never returned. No bodies were found...nothing.
At last, the Doctor suggested that they called it a night. No one wanted to give up, but they were simply out of ideas. He and Rose had check into a hotel, hoping that the morning would somehow shed new light on things.
"We'll start again in the morning," the Doctor said, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and stood, starting to pace around the room. He stopped at the window, staring into the dim light of the street below.
"There goes the town's illustrious Sheriff," he said mildly. "What a fine representative to his field he is."
Rose shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. So far he's the one person I met who lived up to expectations."
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.
"Well, he's practically right out of one of the movies Dad made me watch. The clothes, the accent, the speech patterns. I'm surprised he didn't call you 'Pardner'."
The Doctor rubbed his chin in thought. "He was rather a cliché, wasn't he?"
Rose nodded. "And a git I couldn't wait to get out of his office. Especially with that smell."
"Smell?"
"Like rotten eggs, you know? Or sulfur. You didn't notice?"
"You're right," the Doctor said quietly. "It did. Sulfur....You're brilliant!
Rose smiled wryly. "Not that I mind the compliment, but mind telling me how, exactly, I'm brilliant?"
The Doctor looked at her excitedly. "The lightning storm right before he arrived...the sulfur smell...how stupidly clichéd he is!" He began pacing again. "I said Deadwood didn't see much in the way of tourists, but I was wrong about that." He grabbed Rose in a fierce quick kiss then held out his hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come on! Let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow him."
"The Reverend said he's staying at the place right next door. Should we get him?"
The Doctor shook his head. "No. No. I don't want to drag him into any danger if we don't need to."
The pair raced out of their room, down the stairs and into the street. The Doctor looked wildly around for a moment before grabbing Rose's hand and pointing to the Sheriff in the distance.
"Where's he headed?" Rose asked. "He's at the edge of town, there's nothing out there."
The Doctor pulled her along. "There's something out there. In a cave probably. Or a disused mine shaft. Something like that anyway."
"Would you please tell me what's going on?"
"The good Sheriff is a Ceronian."
"A what?"
"Alien race with Time Travel technology. They're basically an entire race of tourists. They like to...to role play...to immerse themselves in a place by taking an role in it. But they almost always get it a little wrong, because they get most of their information from pop culture. They'd normally only stay in a place for a few days, but they have notoriously badly built ships. The storm must have damaged his and left him stranded here. They also happen to have sweat that gives off a sulfuric odor."
"Okay," Rose said. "But why the missing people?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I haven't quite gotten that part worked out yet," he admitted. "Now shhh!"
They had approached the outskirts of town, watching as the Sheriff disappeared into the trees. They followed carefully after him, letting him stay a safe distance ahead. The Sheriff was carrying a lantern, but the Doctor and Rose had only moonlight to guide them. More than once, Rose stumbled on a rock or tree root, only to be steadied by the Doctor before she could fall to the ground.
They had been following him for almost an hour when Rose grabbed the Doctor. "There!" she whispered.
Up ahead was a light source of some sort. As they closer, they could make out the mouth of a cave of some sort in the side of a hill.
They stayed back as they watched Sheriff Wayne go in, then crept to the entrance, peering inside.
"I'm assuming that's his space ship?" Rose asked. The ship was vaguely spherical, with two wings extending at the sides. There was a quiet humming emanating from it.
The Doctor nodded, studying it. "Look,' he said pointing. "You can see where it got hit in the lighting storm."
"What's that?" Rose pointed to what appeared to be copper wring hooked into an open panel on the wing closest to them. It ran along the cave floor, disappearing some place behind the ship. An occasional flicker of light could be seen as well, lighting the ship from behind.
The Doctor's face went pale. "I think I know how the missing people fit into all of this," he said darkly.
Rose was going to ask for an explanation, but he waved her silent.
The doors of the craft slid open and the Sheriff stepped inside. Once he was out of sight, Rose and the Doctor entered the cave.
The Doctor motioned for Rose to follow him, and they moved around to the far side of the ship.
Rose's hand flew to her mouth the cover her gasp. There, strapped to a platform of some sort, was a small Chinese girl. Her eyes were closed, her face gaunt, her braids hanging limply off the edges of the platform. There was a rather complicated system of metal coils attached to it; sparks fired along the copper wire that hooked into the ship.
"What is that?" Rose whispered urgently. "And what is it doing to her?"
"It's a Veridian Engine. Or at least a crude approximation of one," the Doctor explained as he looked it over. "He must have completely fried the engines in his ship. This thing converts a person's energy into energy that can fuel the ship. And what it's doing is killing her. He must have done the same thing to the others, but it doesn't make sense. The conversion ratio is better than that. He shouldn't have needed so many people."
"Like you said, Doc. It's rather crudely made."
Rose and the Doctor spun around to see Sheriff Wayne. He had a pistol leveled at them.
"Unfortunately I had to make do with the tools at hand. But this girl here should be the last one I need, so why don't you and your little lady just step away from the machine."
The Doctor positioned himself between Rose and the gun, holding his hands up placatingly. He glanced back at Rose and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Come on now. Shooting an unarmed man and woman in cold blood. That's not playing the part of Sheriff very well, is it?" the Doctor asked.
The Sheriff rolled his eyes. "I've been playing this part for three months now. I think I've gotten the full experience. As soon as she's done," he gestured in Jaio's direction, "I'm going home."
"So you've had the full Western experience?"
"More than I wanted," he answered in disgust.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Have you had a duel yet?"
The Sheriff hesitated. "What?"
"A duel," the Doctor continued. "You know a sunrise showdown, drawing guns at five paces. That sort of thing. Little more sporting than shooting me right now."
The Sheriff looked him up and down. His eyes fell on the sonic screwdriver the Doctor had holstered to his belt.
"You're not even armed."
"That's my worry, not yours. Come on. How is the Wild West act complete without a duel?"
Again the Sheriff hesitated, his eyes flickering between the gun in his hand and the Veridian Engine. "Alright," he said at last. "But we're not waiting until sunrise. We'll do this right now."
Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm. "What in the world do you think you're doing?" she hissed.
"Whatever happens, just stop the machine. I'll distract him," the Doctor said quietly. "Destroy it, it doesn't matter how, just get her unattached from it before it drains her life completely."
"Come on!" the Doctor said to the Sheriff. "Tradition says this happens outside." He strode toward the mouth of the cave.
The Sheriff motioned Rose away from the machine with his gun. "You stay where I can see you."
With a last glance back at Jaio, Rose followed them back outside, staying as close to the entrance as she dared.
"What now?" the Sheriff asked.
"Now we do this properly. No point in doing it if we don't do it properly. Just like in the movies." The Doctor grinned manically and put his hands on the Sheriff's shoulders, positioning him so his back was to Rose and the cave. "Now, we stand back to back. We count off five paces, we turn, and we draw. Come on, come on, gun in the holster, no fair cheating."
He gestured to Rose and watched as she quickly raced back into the cave. He stood with his back against the Sheriff's pausing for as long as he dared, his hand hovering above his screwdriver.
"Right," he said, taking a steadying breath. "Five paces. Beginning...now!"
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"Four."
The Doctor heard a loud thud and spun around to see the Sheriff slumped to the ground. Daiyu stood above his prone body, a thick branch grasped tightly in her hand, Reverend Tucker standing at her side.
"I hope you don't mind," the Reverend said rather weakly. "Only I was visiting Daiyu when we saw you heading out of town and thought we'd follow. He motioned to a nearby tree. "I was waiting for the right moment to reveal myself, trusting God would provide an opening. It seems that young Daiyu found an opening of her own."
The Doctor looked from Daiyu to the body and back again. "Well, as far as openings go, you certainly found a good one."
Daiyu smiled grimly. "I should have hit him harder. My sister, is she all right?"
"Doctor!"
Rose came out of the cave, Jaio's small form cradled in her arms.
Daiyu rushed to meet them, taking her sister from Rose.
"I got her out." Rose said.
"Yes, I see that. Good job too." He saw Rose looking at the Sheriff's body. "Daiyu and the Reverend appeared at quite an opportune moment."
"Good." Rose said, giving her husband a hug. "Only..." Rose trailed off, looking at the ground.
"What is it?" The Doctor looked at her suspiciously.
"Only, we might want to get out of here. Because I destroyed the machine, but it started smoking and making a rather lot of noise."
The Doctor quickly dashed into the cave, surveyed the scene and ran back out.
"What in the world did you do to it?" he asked her in amazement.
"I found an ax," Rose said with a shrug. "Did I do anything wrong?"
The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Not as such no, but I think you're right about the getting out of here bit."
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm fairly certain the whole thing is going to explode."
"Ah," Rose said flatly.
The Reverend was standing, staring into the cave, his mouth agape.
"Come on," the Doctor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Explanations can come later. Now is a good time for running."
He hurried over to the Sheriff's body, relieved to see that he was still breathing. The Doctor grabbed the pistol from the man's holster, tossing it carefully into the trees. Then he nudged the man with his foot. He looked back at Rose and the Reverend. "You two go ahead. I'll bring him." Daiyu was already headed into the trees with her sister.
He watched as Rose and the Reverend hurried away, then kicked the man again. "Wake up," he said loudly. "I'm not leaving here and I don't fancy carrying you all the way back to town."
The Sheriff groaned, struggling to sit up. He put a hand to his head. "What's going on?"
The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Well, you're going to get a chance to play a new role in Deadwood now. Arrested murderer. I think that one might fit you better than Sheriff.
"No!" The alien shot to his feet, staring in horror at the smoke that was beginning to billow from the cave. "No!" he pushed the Doctor to the ground, running towards his ship.
"Wait!" the Doctor called after him. "It's not safe!"
The man paid him no heed.
The Doctor started after him, then stopped when he heard Rose. He turned to see her standing at the tree line, waving frantically towards him. He glanced back at the cave, and shook his head. There wasn't time. There just wasn't time.
"Doctor! Come on!"
With one more glance behind him, the Doctor began to run towards his wife. He just reached her when the explosions started. He grabbed her hand and ran, feeling the heat of flames at his back, the force nearly knocking them both to the ground. They looked back toward the cave to see that it had completely collapsed
"That might raise a few questions," the Doctor said mildly.
"Speaking of questions..." The Reverend had walked back towards them.
"Ah. Yes. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions."
"Actually," Tucker said to the Doctor, "I only have one."
The Doctor stopped, looking at him in surprise. "What? Only one?"
"Will she be okay?" the Reverend nodded at Daiyu and Jaio's retreating forms.
The Doctor grinned. "Oh yes, she'll be quite alright. Weak for a few days, surely, but she'll make it." His smile faded. "The others who went missing though..."
The Reverend nodded. "Yes, I assumed as much," he said soberly. "But at least the girl is all right. I thank you for that." He started towards town once again.
"You really don't have any other questions?" the Doctor asked, hurrying after him. "Not who we are, or where we came from, or what was going on in that cave?"
"I know who you are," the Reverend said quietly.
"What?" the Doctor asked, astonished.
"I prayed to God to send me help. You and your wife were the answer to those prayers."
The Doctor just stared at him. "What? But that's-"
He stopped when Rose put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Doctor, is there any harm in him believing that if he wants to?" she asked softly.
He considered this, then shook his head. "No. No, I suppose there isn't, but-"
"Okay, then shush," Rose commanded, cutting him off yet again. "In his view we did get sent by God, so it doesn't really matter what we think. Anyway, you owe me one."
He blinked. "How do you figure?"
"We had a deal," Rose said simply.
"But-"
"I kept my part. I didn't go running off on my own. You on the other hand," she jabbed him the chest with a finger. "You got in a duel."
"That's hardly fair!" he protested. "Under the circumstances."
"Did you even have a plan?" she demanded. "He had a gun. You didn't."
"Of course I had a plan."
"What was it?" Rose asked, folding her her arms.
The Doctor hesitated. "I planned on coming up with a brilliant last-minute plan," he said eventually.
"I knew it!" Rose said triumphantly. She fixed him with a glare. "You really did have me worried, you know."
He sighed, pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Rose. Really I am." He looked down at her, brushing a stray piece of hair from her face. "But I'm all right. And you're alright. And that's what matters. We saved that little girl. You saved that little girl."
"Yeah," Rose said, with a small smile. "Yeah, we did."
He reached down, taking his wife's hand in his once again. "Come on. Let's go take the girl home."
And so they walked, hand-in-hand, back toward the town.
Next week: The Mind Marauder by cassandra_elise
Author: Malana
Rating: PG
Pairing: Rose/Ten II
Summary: What was supposed to be a quick jaunt to into the 1870's American West gets more complicated when Rose and the Doctor learn that townspeople are disappearing.
Author's notes: Many thanks to shinyopals for organizing this, and for all the help with my episode. Also a big thank you to Kelly for all the helpful beta work. This story changed direction so many times before ending up in its current form, thanks for sticking with it through all of them.
Episode 2 of a virtual series at the_altverse, following Death at the Museum by shinyopals last week.
Virtual Series Masterlist
August 16, 1879
Deadwood, The Dakota Territory, USA
Yao Daiyu stood near the butcher’s stand that marked the unofficial border between Chinatown and Deadwood proper, watching the unloading of yet another stagecoach. It was an occurrence that happened at least a few times everyday, and yet, in the three years her family had lived here, Daiyu never grew tired of watching it. The camp had grown a great deal since they first arrived. It was the one thing that Daiyu liked about the place. It was always changing. There were always new things to see, new people to watch.
Not that she would ever really interact with the people she observed. Chinamen’s Alley, they called it. Daiyu didn’t understand much English, but she understood those words, and the contempt with which they were usually spoken. Except for the hotel workers who regular dropped off their bedclothes at her parent’s stall to be washed, and the occasional few who wanted to explore the more ‘exotic’ goods, Daiyu didn’t really see white faces on her street. And she rarely ventured out into the main camp. Her parents insisted that it wasn’t safe, and Daiyu wouldn’t have wanted to anyway, uncomfortable with the looks that’d she’d draw.
“Daiyu!”
Daiyu turned from the watching the trunks being unloaded and saw her mother hurrying toward her. Daiyu could tell right away her mother was annoyed about something. Her normally perfect hair was falling from the knot on the top of her head, and her usually smiling mouth was creased in a frown.
“Where have you been?” Her mother asked. “I sent your sister to fetch you. The new hotel that opened last week is hiring us. You’re father wants your help with all the extra work.”
Now it was Daiyu’s turn to frown. At 17, she was eight years older than her younger sister, and had always been protective of her. “Jaio?” Daiyu asked in surprise. “I haven’t seen her since breakfast.”
Her mother’s expression went from that of annoyance to worry. “I sent Jaio to find you almost an hour ago. You haven’t seen her at all, you’re sure?”
Daiyu shook her head, fear griping her heart. Jaio wasn’t the type to wander off, and everyone in Chinatown knew her. If anyone had seen her getting her into trouble, they would have intervened. And word would have gotten back to her parents right away.
Even under normal circumstances, Daiyu would have been worried. Everyone knew Dayiu’s family, and people in the community tried to keep an eye out for one another, but Deadwood was by no means a safe place. The camp could be rough, and violent. However, lately, things had been even worse. People had been disappearing. It wasn’t that unusual for people to give up and leave Deadwood. It may be a growing town, but it still was a hard place to make a living. Families would often move on with little notice. But this was different. It wasn’t families moving on, it was wives disappearing without a trace, husbands gone leaving all of their possessions behind, and children vanishing in the middle of the night.
Daiyu griped her mother’s hand tightly. “Don’t worry,” she said with an assurance she didn’t feel. “She’s around here somewhere. She probably just got distracted by something. We’ll find her playing with some of the other children, or splashing around down in the stream. We’ll find her.”
A determined look on her face, Daiyu set off to find her sister.
-------------
“What in the world are you wearing?”
Rose stood in the doorway to the Control Room, staring at the Doctor, her mouth agape.
He turned to face her, grinning as he gestured at his outfit. “You like it?”
She stared at her husband, eyes wide as she took in his look. Boots, a long tan colored coat, and an honest-to-goodness cowboy hat.
“Why are you dressed as a cowboy?”
“You said you loved cowboys!”
Rose’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “When did I say that I...” Then she remembered. “When Tony was dressed up for his friend’s costume party. He asked me if I liked cowboys, what else was I supposed to say?”
The Doctor’s grin faded slightly. “You don’t love cowboys?”
Her hand’s covered her mouth to hide her giggle. He looked for all the world like a sad little boy. She had to put him out of his misery.
“Oh, Doctor. It’s not like I hate them or anything.” She smiled as she looked him over once again. “And if I didn’t love them before, seeing you like that has won me over.”
Her husband’s smile returned. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She crossed over to where he stood, running an admiring hand along the brim of his hat before placing a quick kiss on his lips.
“I take it this means we’re headed for the Wild West?”
The Doctor nodded happily. “1879 Deadwood. In the Dakota Territories.” He paused, before adding, “At least, if things are the same here. I’m not expecting any* large differences in the timeline, but some of the details always seem to be changed a little. “
He looked at his wife, concern in his eyes. “Please be careful, Rose.It’s an interesting time period, and there’ll be plenty to see, but it can be dangerous. Deadwood’s only a few years old. It started out as a camp during the gold rush. The time we’re traveling to, it should have just been officially made part of the United States, rather than being on Native American territory. Technically there’s law there, but not much.”
Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm always careful," she insisted. Seeing the look on his face, she relented, squeezing his hand. "Okay, okay. No running off on my own. But the same goes for you. The sonic-screwdriver might be handy, but I don’t think it’ll do you too much good in a gunfight.”
The Doctor laughed. “Alright, it’s a deal. You don’t go off on your own, and I don’t get involved in any duels.”
“That sounds fair,” Rose agreed, sealing the deal with another kiss. “Okay,” she said after she pulled away. “You’ve got your Wild West outfit, but what am I wearing? I’m assuming jeans and a jumper won’t cut it.”
The Doctor grinned and pointed across the room to where a dress was hanging. It was a deep red with a bodice that buttoned all the way to the neck, long sleeves and a slightly gathered skirt. It was beautiful, if not exactly the most practical thing for the dust and heat of the American West.
Rose scooped it up, thanked her husband, and hurried off to go change.
----------------------------
August 16, 1879
Deadwood
Rose and the Doctor left the TARDIS in the woods a little way outside of Deadwood itself. The trip had been a bumpy one and Rose was happy to have her feet on solid land again.
The Doctor had said that wagon trains were arriving frequently in Deadwood, and it shouldn’t be any problem to blend in. Even their accents wouldn't be a problem. People arrived here from all over; everyone looking to make their fortune or to find a good piece of land.
Rose wrinkled her nose as they made way down the path that lead into town. She had been expecting dust but not quite this much. It must have been all the wagons and coaches kicking it up, but it seemed like the air was thick with it. She snuck a jealous look at the Doctor, with his trousers and coat. She was trying to keep the bottom of her dress out of the dirt, but it was a pain.
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t just make the dresses shorter!” Rose complained.
“It’d be improper,” the Doctor explained.
Rose rolled her eyes. “But having a dress covered in dust and mud is totally okay?”
“Hey, don’t complain to me. I didn’t design the dress.”
“But you did pick it for me,” Rose pointed out.
The Doctor looked at her with a sly smile. “Well, I could have picked something shorter, but it might have given people the wrong idea.”
“What do you mean?” Rose asked before realization hit her. “You mean people would think I was a-“
“A woman of negotiable affection?” The Doctor finished for her. “Yes. There’s a lot of that here, actually, just to warn you.”
“Yet another reason not to go wandering around on my own, I guess,” Rose said with a sigh.
She readjusted her dress once again. “So, are we going to see anyone famous?” she asked. “Wyatt Earp or Wild Bill Hickok, or any of those other guys from the movies Dad likes?”
The Doctor shrugged. “Could do, I suppose, but I’m not sure. Back in the other universe Wild Bill was killed a few years ago. Assuming it went down the same way here we could see the place it happened. It’s something of a tourist attraction.” He thought some more. “The Earps did pass through Deadwood. And Calamity Jane was in and out of town a lot. Of course, she’s not supposed to have been that pleasant of a person to be around.” He shook his head. “None of them were, really. America tends to romanticize this period in their history. Hollywood tends to make them swaggering tough guys with hearts of gold, but more often than not, that’s all rubbish.”
Rose’s pace slowed as they got nearer to town and she took it all in. It was larger than she expected, and more solid somehow. The Doctor had referred to it several times as ‘Deadwood Camp’ and that’s what she had been expecting. She thought it’d be all tent stalls and other temporary structure. From what she could see, there were plenty of those, but that was hardly the whole of it. The main street was lined with buildings, some looking decidedly more rickety than others. It was a mishmash of shapes and sizes, packed close together. She could hear the sounds of hammers that signified more were being built.
“There’s going to be a fire in a about a month,” the Doctor said. “Half the town burns to the ground.” He shook his head. “Not surprising, really, when you see how packed together it all is. And no one was too concerned with fire safety when they were building. “
“That’s terrible.”
“Deadwood survives though. Rebuilds, grows...I suppose that’s what they refer to as frontier spirit, so maybe the movies don’t get it all wrong after all. People packed up their entire lives. Crossed the country, crossed oceans some of them. Faced all sorts of hardships and dangers all to get a chance at a new life. A life which, by the way, would also be full of hardships and dangers. The amount of sheer determination these people had was remarkable.”
“So, what's our story here,” Rose asked.
The Doctor shrugged. “Oh, nothing too complicated. The bored, rich, city gentleman looking to prove himself on a gold claim. That shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, it was common enough.
“Look out!” The Doctor grabbed Rose’s arm and pulled her aside as a coach barreled past. They both coughed at the dust that swirled up.
“It’s not exactly the quaint little prairie town I was expecting,” Rose admitted.
“But all the more interesting for it,” the Doctor assured her. “Come on, let’s go see the sights.”
---------------
Even with her husband’s warnings, Rose wasn’t expecting quite the hustle and bustle that awaited them in Deadwood. There was so much to see. They were walking down the main thoroughfare, and Rose barely knew which way to look.
Wagons full of all manner of goods were being unloaded, merchants were strolling the streets hawking their wares and people were hurrying everywhere. Up the street two men were involved in a scuffle that looked likely to turn into a full-blown brawl at any moment. There were people of all seemingly every class, all picking their way carefully along the muddy street. On the balcony of one of the buildings, Rose saw what could only be one of the ‘women of negotiable affection’ that the Doctor had referred to earlier.
“What do all these people do?” Rose asked. “I mean, they can’t all be panning for gold, right?”
“Well, that’s certainly how the place started. The Black Hills were the setting of last real gold rush.” the Doctor explained. “Businesses moved in to support that, and the town just grew from there.”
"It really is surprisingly diverse," he continued. "England, Germany, Norway, China..." He pointed down a densely packed side street. "The locals refer to it as 'Chinaman's Alley,' but it's really just a smaller version of the sort of Chinatown you'd find in London or New York." He paused for a moment. "Well, minus the touristy bit."
"We should check it out," Rose said determinedly.
"We might get some odd looks."
She elbowed him playfully. "We always get odd looks."
"True enough," he said with a grin. He doffed his hat and offered Rose his arm. “May I have the pleasure of escorting you, Ma’am?”
Rose let out a laugh. “Why thank you, Sir. I believe you may.” She linked her arm through his.
-----------------
The Doctor had been right. They certainly did get some weird looks, although they were less 'weird' and more outright suspicious and wary. It was readily apparent that they didn't often see white faces browsing their stalls.
Even more apparent was the fact that they weren't used to white people who (thanks to the TARDIS) could understand every word they were saying.
The look on the stall owner's face when the Doctor order a bowl of a rather delicious smelling soup in what appeared to them to be perfect Mandarin was priceless. “The cautious looks took on a more appraising nature.”
They stood at the food stall for awhile, the Doctor slurping up noodles, Rose picking at a skewer of pork, occasionally stealing bites from each other as they watched people going about their lives. Rose liked watching people. It hadn't always been something that interested her, but her travels with the Doctor, both in the other universe and more recently in this one, had taught her how much you could learn about a place and time just by watching the crowds.
What struck Rose about Deadwood was how busy everyone was. A few people seemed to just be chatting with friends, or throwing dice, but mostly the place was a whirl of activity. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, whether they were buying things at the various stalls or stirring giant vats of laundry.
Rose and the Doctor seemed to be the main topic of conversation for those who did take the time to talk to their neighbours. They saw several people in conversation nodding or pointing in their direction, though the voices were mostly too low to make out.
"Something tells me most of the non-Chinese residents of Deadwood don't speak the language," Rose observed with a wry smile.
"That is very true. I can't imagine that many prospectors taking the effort to learn any Mandarin. Or anybody in the rest of town taking the time or interest to teach English. Mostly, on the occasions they do interact, I imagine it's done the same way people always try to overcome language barriers. Lots of hand gestures, pointing and, for reasons passing understanding, thinking that speaking very loudly will magically make the other party understand you."
He drank down the last of his soup, returned the bowl to the cook with his thanks, and turned back to Rose. "So, are you ready to explore the rest of town?"
"Sure."
As they were headed back to the main street, a voice from behind stopped them.
"Excuse me! Sir. Ma'am! Excuse me!"
The duo turned, surprised to see a man in what appeared to be Church garb hurrying toward them, with a young Chinese girl following in his wake. He was a short, thin man with deeply tanned skin and an excited expression on his face.
He stopped short in front of them, tipping his hat briefly and nodding his head toward Rose.
"You'll excuse me, I hope, for my forwardness, but I'm in need of your assistance. You speak Chinese?"
The Doctor exchanged a glance with his wife. "In a manner of speaking," he said with a shrug.
"Well, regardless, I gather you speak it better than my own halting words, or young Miss Yao's English." At that, he gestured toward his companion. "We can make ourselves understood enough that I know she's asking me something about her little sister -I think she may be looking for her-but the greater details are beyond my understanding, I'm afraid." He paused before continuing. "Oh! I appear to have forgotten my manners all together. I'm Reverend Tucker. And this young lady is called Daiyu."
“I’m the Doctor. This is my wife, Rose.” The Doctor shook the Reverend’s hand while Rose smiled sympathetically to the girl.
“Daiyu,” Rose said. “Something happened to your sister?”
Daiyu nodded fiercely, obviously fighting back tears. “Jaio. She’s only nine. We can’t find her anywhere. My mother sent her to get me a few hours ago. No one here has seen her since. We’re trying to check out the rest of town as well. But it is difficult for us. I thought the Reverend might be able to help. People respect him, will listen to what he has to say. But his Mandarin is worse than even my English.”
Rose’s heart went out to the girl. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel with something happened to Tony. “Daiyu, I’m Rose. This is my husband,” she said pointing at the Doctor. “We’re going to help you, okay? We’ll help you find Jaio.”
The Reverend watched the interaction, fascinated. “It really is remarkable. You both speak the language so fluently?”
The Doctor smiled at the Reverend. “We’re pretty well travelled," he said by way of explanation. Before the man could press him for further details he continued. “She says that her sister is missing. Has been for hours. She’s hoping that you’d be able to ask around the rest of the town.”
The Reverend shook his head, frowning. "I was so hoping that I was misunderstanding something." He briefly removed his hat to run his hand through his hair. "She is not, I believe, not the first one to go missing, although I do think she is the first child."
He turned to Daiyu. "I'll ask," he said, pointing at himself, and then in the direction of the main street. "Stay here with your parents, keep looking around here. If she turns up you can send someone to get me."
He looked at Rose. "Can you tell her that for me?"
Rose nodded. "Of course."
While Rose was talking to Daiyu, Tucker turned to the Doctor. "I'm afraid it probably won't do much good," he said Doctor quietly. "Most of the townspeople won't care much about a missing Chinese child. I doubt they'd have paid any attention even if they did see her."
"We'll help you look," Rose insisted as she turned back to the adults. "Right, Doctor?"
"Of course we will," the Doctor agreed.
"What does she look like?" Rose asked.
Reverend Tucker scratched at his neatly trimmed beard. "Jaio? She's a small child, about this tall," he said waving a hand around waist height. "She has long hair. It's always been in braids whenever I've seen her. With red ribbons at the ends." He shook his head sadly. "But again, I just don't see us having much luck. Not in town anyway. She was a very shy little girl. I think the main part of town scared her. As far as I know she never left the Chinese section."
"Sorry if this is rude," the Doctor began, then stopped when he heard Rose snort.
"What?" he asked her defensively.
"If this is rude?" Rose asked. "If? If you, of all people, feel the need to say that, then it is most definitely going to be rude."
"I'm not always rude!" The Doctor was indignant.
Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying you're always rude. I'm just saying that if it's rude enough that you actually take note of it, it will be, by anyone's standard, rude."
The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it, and turned back to the Reverend. "Alright. Well. This is most definitely a rude question. But what exactly is your involvement in this? I'm surprised to see an outsider taking an interest in what happens to the Chinese population. You're even attempting to learn the language?"
The Reverend smiled softly. "You're not the first person to ask me that, certainly. I'm a man of God, Doctor. I can to Deadwood when it was barely established as a camp because I believed that was my calling. I don't think that it extends only to the white people here. The language barriers are too much for me to be able to spread the words of Jesus Christ to them, but charity and good works are above such barriers."
"Jaio is a delightful child, as is her sister. Unlike adults, they have the patience to try to teach me. And in return I'm teaching them some English. It is not much, I know. I've been told many times that I'm wasting my time. But if I'm improving the lives of the people of Deadwood even a little...well, there are worst ways to spend one's time."
The Doctor nodded in thought. "Yes, I'd say there's something quite admirable in that."
"We should start with the Sheriff, I suppose," the Reverend said, pointing out a new-looking building. "For all the good it will do."
"You don't think he'll want to help, or you don't think he'll be able to?" Rose asked.
"As I said earlier, Jaio is not the first person to go missing. I told the Sheriff about the others, but he didn't much seem to care. He just said that people leave Deadwood all the time, and that he'd 'look into the matter as his time permitted'."
"He is right about that first part though, isn't he?" the Doctor observed. "People do leave here everyday, often with little or no notice, I imagine. Seeking their fortune somewhere else?"
"That's very true," the Reverend conceded. "And if it wasn't wives disappearing leaving their husbands and children behind, or old men vanishing without a word to their sons."
"And now a little girl," Rose added.
"As you say, Ma'am," Reverend Tucker said somberly.
Whoever had built the Sheriff's offices had obviously taken some care with it. The floors and walls were smoothly sanded, and two windows let in the fading evening light. There was the scent of fresh sawdust in the air. But, Rose realized, wrinkling her nose, there was something else too. A faintly sulfuric odor.
Despite the serious mood, Rose had to hold back a smile when they entered the Sheriff's office. The man in question was tall and well muscled, with what looked to be a days with of stubble on his tanned face. He was leaning back in his chair, his booted feet propped on a desk. His hat was tipped forward, tilted down over his eyes. He looked like he had been transferred directly out of a cowboy movie.
"Sheriff!"
The man slowly lifted his head, pushing his hat back as he swung his legs off the desk.
"Reverend Tucker," he drawled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Another of this town's citizens has gone missing, Sheriff Wayne. I thought you'd like to be informed."
The Sheriff sighed. "If the 'citizen' in question is another Chinaman, Reverend, I've told you before, they don't care too much for a white man getting involved. And leaving town ain't the same as going missing."
"This time it's a little girl," the Doctor said quietly. "I hardly think she's decided to strike out for California."
"And who might you be?"
"I'm the Doctor." He motioned to Rose. "And this is my wife. And both of us are quite confused as to how the Sheriff can not care that people in his town are disappearing."
Sheriff Wayne tipped his hat to Rose before glaring at the Doctor. "Doctor what, exactly?"
"Just Doctor will do fine."
"Well, Doc," he said, the word dripping with sarcasm. "As you said, this is my town and I don't think I quite appreciate someone blowing in from god knows where and telling me how to run it. Now, if a child's gone missing, that really is a shame. But I'm not seeing my role in any of it. It's a fact of life out here. Bad things happen. Now like I've already told the good Reverend here, those people there in Chinaman's Alley have made it quite clear that they want nothing to do with me or my badge. And even if they did, I'd find it tad difficult to question them, given that gibberish they speak. We don't even know a crime's taken place. Girl mighta just wandered off. Maybe that wolves got her. Or the heathens grabbed her."
The Reverend started to speak, but the Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, mate. We obviously aren't going to be getting any help here. It'll be dark soon. We should start asking around the rest of town."
The Reverend took a long steadying breath before nodding curtly and heading back onto the street, the Doctor and Rose close behind him.
"I know that wrath is a sin," Reverend Tucker said quietly as they walked on. "But that man has tried my patience ever since he got into town... I think one day I might just hit him."
"It's alright, Reverend," Rose offered sympathetically. "I just met him and I already want to hit him. But for now, let's just keep looking."
"How long has he been here?" the Doctor asked.
The Reverend thought for a moment. "About three months now. No, exactly three months. He showed up right after the lightening storm that nearly burnt down Thomas Murphy's Saloon."
--------------------------
THAT NIGHT
Rose sank down on the hard mattress, elbows propped on her knees, head in her hands.
"I just wish there was more we could do," she said with a sigh.
They had spent the last several hours asking about Jaio, and about the others who had disappeared. As far as they could tell, about half a dozen had gone missing over the past few months. But no one had any ideas. They'd gone off on various tasks or chores and simply never returned. No bodies were found...nothing.
At last, the Doctor suggested that they called it a night. No one wanted to give up, but they were simply out of ideas. He and Rose had check into a hotel, hoping that the morning would somehow shed new light on things.
"We'll start again in the morning," the Doctor said, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and stood, starting to pace around the room. He stopped at the window, staring into the dim light of the street below.
"There goes the town's illustrious Sheriff," he said mildly. "What a fine representative to his field he is."
Rose shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. So far he's the one person I met who lived up to expectations."
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.
"Well, he's practically right out of one of the movies Dad made me watch. The clothes, the accent, the speech patterns. I'm surprised he didn't call you 'Pardner'."
The Doctor rubbed his chin in thought. "He was rather a cliché, wasn't he?"
Rose nodded. "And a git I couldn't wait to get out of his office. Especially with that smell."
"Smell?"
"Like rotten eggs, you know? Or sulfur. You didn't notice?"
"You're right," the Doctor said quietly. "It did. Sulfur....You're brilliant!
Rose smiled wryly. "Not that I mind the compliment, but mind telling me how, exactly, I'm brilliant?"
The Doctor looked at her excitedly. "The lightning storm right before he arrived...the sulfur smell...how stupidly clichéd he is!" He began pacing again. "I said Deadwood didn't see much in the way of tourists, but I was wrong about that." He grabbed Rose in a fierce quick kiss then held out his hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come on! Let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow him."
"The Reverend said he's staying at the place right next door. Should we get him?"
The Doctor shook his head. "No. No. I don't want to drag him into any danger if we don't need to."
The pair raced out of their room, down the stairs and into the street. The Doctor looked wildly around for a moment before grabbing Rose's hand and pointing to the Sheriff in the distance.
"Where's he headed?" Rose asked. "He's at the edge of town, there's nothing out there."
The Doctor pulled her along. "There's something out there. In a cave probably. Or a disused mine shaft. Something like that anyway."
"Would you please tell me what's going on?"
"The good Sheriff is a Ceronian."
"A what?"
"Alien race with Time Travel technology. They're basically an entire race of tourists. They like to...to role play...to immerse themselves in a place by taking an role in it. But they almost always get it a little wrong, because they get most of their information from pop culture. They'd normally only stay in a place for a few days, but they have notoriously badly built ships. The storm must have damaged his and left him stranded here. They also happen to have sweat that gives off a sulfuric odor."
"Okay," Rose said. "But why the missing people?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I haven't quite gotten that part worked out yet," he admitted. "Now shhh!"
They had approached the outskirts of town, watching as the Sheriff disappeared into the trees. They followed carefully after him, letting him stay a safe distance ahead. The Sheriff was carrying a lantern, but the Doctor and Rose had only moonlight to guide them. More than once, Rose stumbled on a rock or tree root, only to be steadied by the Doctor before she could fall to the ground.
They had been following him for almost an hour when Rose grabbed the Doctor. "There!" she whispered.
Up ahead was a light source of some sort. As they closer, they could make out the mouth of a cave of some sort in the side of a hill.
They stayed back as they watched Sheriff Wayne go in, then crept to the entrance, peering inside.
"I'm assuming that's his space ship?" Rose asked. The ship was vaguely spherical, with two wings extending at the sides. There was a quiet humming emanating from it.
The Doctor nodded, studying it. "Look,' he said pointing. "You can see where it got hit in the lighting storm."
"What's that?" Rose pointed to what appeared to be copper wring hooked into an open panel on the wing closest to them. It ran along the cave floor, disappearing some place behind the ship. An occasional flicker of light could be seen as well, lighting the ship from behind.
The Doctor's face went pale. "I think I know how the missing people fit into all of this," he said darkly.
Rose was going to ask for an explanation, but he waved her silent.
The doors of the craft slid open and the Sheriff stepped inside. Once he was out of sight, Rose and the Doctor entered the cave.
The Doctor motioned for Rose to follow him, and they moved around to the far side of the ship.
Rose's hand flew to her mouth the cover her gasp. There, strapped to a platform of some sort, was a small Chinese girl. Her eyes were closed, her face gaunt, her braids hanging limply off the edges of the platform. There was a rather complicated system of metal coils attached to it; sparks fired along the copper wire that hooked into the ship.
"What is that?" Rose whispered urgently. "And what is it doing to her?"
"It's a Veridian Engine. Or at least a crude approximation of one," the Doctor explained as he looked it over. "He must have completely fried the engines in his ship. This thing converts a person's energy into energy that can fuel the ship. And what it's doing is killing her. He must have done the same thing to the others, but it doesn't make sense. The conversion ratio is better than that. He shouldn't have needed so many people."
"Like you said, Doc. It's rather crudely made."
Rose and the Doctor spun around to see Sheriff Wayne. He had a pistol leveled at them.
"Unfortunately I had to make do with the tools at hand. But this girl here should be the last one I need, so why don't you and your little lady just step away from the machine."
The Doctor positioned himself between Rose and the gun, holding his hands up placatingly. He glanced back at Rose and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Come on now. Shooting an unarmed man and woman in cold blood. That's not playing the part of Sheriff very well, is it?" the Doctor asked.
The Sheriff rolled his eyes. "I've been playing this part for three months now. I think I've gotten the full experience. As soon as she's done," he gestured in Jaio's direction, "I'm going home."
"So you've had the full Western experience?"
"More than I wanted," he answered in disgust.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Have you had a duel yet?"
The Sheriff hesitated. "What?"
"A duel," the Doctor continued. "You know a sunrise showdown, drawing guns at five paces. That sort of thing. Little more sporting than shooting me right now."
The Sheriff looked him up and down. His eyes fell on the sonic screwdriver the Doctor had holstered to his belt.
"You're not even armed."
"That's my worry, not yours. Come on. How is the Wild West act complete without a duel?"
Again the Sheriff hesitated, his eyes flickering between the gun in his hand and the Veridian Engine. "Alright," he said at last. "But we're not waiting until sunrise. We'll do this right now."
Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm. "What in the world do you think you're doing?" she hissed.
"Whatever happens, just stop the machine. I'll distract him," the Doctor said quietly. "Destroy it, it doesn't matter how, just get her unattached from it before it drains her life completely."
"Come on!" the Doctor said to the Sheriff. "Tradition says this happens outside." He strode toward the mouth of the cave.
The Sheriff motioned Rose away from the machine with his gun. "You stay where I can see you."
With a last glance back at Jaio, Rose followed them back outside, staying as close to the entrance as she dared.
"What now?" the Sheriff asked.
"Now we do this properly. No point in doing it if we don't do it properly. Just like in the movies." The Doctor grinned manically and put his hands on the Sheriff's shoulders, positioning him so his back was to Rose and the cave. "Now, we stand back to back. We count off five paces, we turn, and we draw. Come on, come on, gun in the holster, no fair cheating."
He gestured to Rose and watched as she quickly raced back into the cave. He stood with his back against the Sheriff's pausing for as long as he dared, his hand hovering above his screwdriver.
"Right," he said, taking a steadying breath. "Five paces. Beginning...now!"
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"Four."
The Doctor heard a loud thud and spun around to see the Sheriff slumped to the ground. Daiyu stood above his prone body, a thick branch grasped tightly in her hand, Reverend Tucker standing at her side.
"I hope you don't mind," the Reverend said rather weakly. "Only I was visiting Daiyu when we saw you heading out of town and thought we'd follow. He motioned to a nearby tree. "I was waiting for the right moment to reveal myself, trusting God would provide an opening. It seems that young Daiyu found an opening of her own."
The Doctor looked from Daiyu to the body and back again. "Well, as far as openings go, you certainly found a good one."
Daiyu smiled grimly. "I should have hit him harder. My sister, is she all right?"
"Doctor!"
Rose came out of the cave, Jaio's small form cradled in her arms.
Daiyu rushed to meet them, taking her sister from Rose.
"I got her out." Rose said.
"Yes, I see that. Good job too." He saw Rose looking at the Sheriff's body. "Daiyu and the Reverend appeared at quite an opportune moment."
"Good." Rose said, giving her husband a hug. "Only..." Rose trailed off, looking at the ground.
"What is it?" The Doctor looked at her suspiciously.
"Only, we might want to get out of here. Because I destroyed the machine, but it started smoking and making a rather lot of noise."
The Doctor quickly dashed into the cave, surveyed the scene and ran back out.
"What in the world did you do to it?" he asked her in amazement.
"I found an ax," Rose said with a shrug. "Did I do anything wrong?"
The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Not as such no, but I think you're right about the getting out of here bit."
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm fairly certain the whole thing is going to explode."
"Ah," Rose said flatly.
The Reverend was standing, staring into the cave, his mouth agape.
"Come on," the Doctor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Explanations can come later. Now is a good time for running."
He hurried over to the Sheriff's body, relieved to see that he was still breathing. The Doctor grabbed the pistol from the man's holster, tossing it carefully into the trees. Then he nudged the man with his foot. He looked back at Rose and the Reverend. "You two go ahead. I'll bring him." Daiyu was already headed into the trees with her sister.
He watched as Rose and the Reverend hurried away, then kicked the man again. "Wake up," he said loudly. "I'm not leaving here and I don't fancy carrying you all the way back to town."
The Sheriff groaned, struggling to sit up. He put a hand to his head. "What's going on?"
The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Well, you're going to get a chance to play a new role in Deadwood now. Arrested murderer. I think that one might fit you better than Sheriff.
"No!" The alien shot to his feet, staring in horror at the smoke that was beginning to billow from the cave. "No!" he pushed the Doctor to the ground, running towards his ship.
"Wait!" the Doctor called after him. "It's not safe!"
The man paid him no heed.
The Doctor started after him, then stopped when he heard Rose. He turned to see her standing at the tree line, waving frantically towards him. He glanced back at the cave, and shook his head. There wasn't time. There just wasn't time.
"Doctor! Come on!"
With one more glance behind him, the Doctor began to run towards his wife. He just reached her when the explosions started. He grabbed her hand and ran, feeling the heat of flames at his back, the force nearly knocking them both to the ground. They looked back toward the cave to see that it had completely collapsed
"That might raise a few questions," the Doctor said mildly.
"Speaking of questions..." The Reverend had walked back towards them.
"Ah. Yes. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions."
"Actually," Tucker said to the Doctor, "I only have one."
The Doctor stopped, looking at him in surprise. "What? Only one?"
"Will she be okay?" the Reverend nodded at Daiyu and Jaio's retreating forms.
The Doctor grinned. "Oh yes, she'll be quite alright. Weak for a few days, surely, but she'll make it." His smile faded. "The others who went missing though..."
The Reverend nodded. "Yes, I assumed as much," he said soberly. "But at least the girl is all right. I thank you for that." He started towards town once again.
"You really don't have any other questions?" the Doctor asked, hurrying after him. "Not who we are, or where we came from, or what was going on in that cave?"
"I know who you are," the Reverend said quietly.
"What?" the Doctor asked, astonished.
"I prayed to God to send me help. You and your wife were the answer to those prayers."
The Doctor just stared at him. "What? But that's-"
He stopped when Rose put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Doctor, is there any harm in him believing that if he wants to?" she asked softly.
He considered this, then shook his head. "No. No, I suppose there isn't, but-"
"Okay, then shush," Rose commanded, cutting him off yet again. "In his view we did get sent by God, so it doesn't really matter what we think. Anyway, you owe me one."
He blinked. "How do you figure?"
"We had a deal," Rose said simply.
"But-"
"I kept my part. I didn't go running off on my own. You on the other hand," she jabbed him the chest with a finger. "You got in a duel."
"That's hardly fair!" he protested. "Under the circumstances."
"Did you even have a plan?" she demanded. "He had a gun. You didn't."
"Of course I had a plan."
"What was it?" Rose asked, folding her her arms.
The Doctor hesitated. "I planned on coming up with a brilliant last-minute plan," he said eventually.
"I knew it!" Rose said triumphantly. She fixed him with a glare. "You really did have me worried, you know."
He sighed, pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Rose. Really I am." He looked down at her, brushing a stray piece of hair from her face. "But I'm all right. And you're alright. And that's what matters. We saved that little girl. You saved that little girl."
"Yeah," Rose said, with a small smile. "Yeah, we did."
He reached down, taking his wife's hand in his once again. "Come on. Let's go take the girl home."
And so they walked, hand-in-hand, back toward the town.
Next week: The Mind Marauder by cassandra_elise