Of Assassinations and Reunions
Pete's World—The Beginning of the End
Rose walked the empty halls of the Tardis, stumbling in the darkness. Her hands clung to the rail, the knuckles surely white. The lights were gone, extinguished and she was beginning to think that perhaps the Tardis itself was flickering out. Fingers brushed the cold coral walls, searching for any sign of life. There was nothing. Her bare feet slapped against the floor as she started into a frantic run.
"Doctor!" she cried.
Everywhere she turned was darkness. It was impossible to find her way through the twisting labyrinth that was the Tardis. She sped up, whimpering whenever she tripped over herself, but she pushed on. She had to find him. He had to be there. Faster and faster she ran, desperately calling out his name. Tears stained her cheeks, and his name turned to sobs in her throat. She sunk to her knees, lost in utter despair. He was gone.
Rose woke suddenly, her breath heavy and fast. Sweat tickled her neck and her palms were absolutely soaked. She sat stock still, thrusting away the loneliness and loss of her dream as her breathing gradually slowed. When her trembling subsided, she reached for her phone, dialing the first and only number she could use at a time like this.
John's side picked up, and she started before he even had a chance to speak.
"It's the Doctor, John."
John ambled around his apartment, grabbing a nail from the wall, and book here, a wad of tape there. Nearly midnight, and he still was going at a million miles an hour. Half human though he was, John only slept for five hours a day, give or take a few. The rest of the night was filled with his 'creativity time' as Pete called it. Everyday, From ten at night until two in the morning, John worked ceaselessly on his projects. He was currently working on a revolutionary steering mechanism for Torchwood's planned time machine. Granted, he could have whipped up a wrist model of a vortex manipulator faster than they could make the body of their silly machine, but he was determined not to accelerate Earth's scientific capabilities too much.
Two minutes to twelve, as John was stripping down an old computer, his heart leaped unexpectedly in his chest. He clapped a hand to his chest, frozen with shock. That's when the the searing pain pounded in his head. Crying out in agony, he fell against the couch. For several moments, he struggled against himself and the pain ripping through his body, until he finally regained control. His hand shook as he ran it through his hair. His eyes were tightly closed perhaps to ward off the terrible image he had seen just moments before.
A soft ringing in his pocket pulled him away from his dark thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief to see it was Rose calling. If anyone could make him feel better, put his fears to rest, it was Rose. However, the moment he heard her tear-filled voice, he knew it was only the beginning.
"It's the Doctor, John."
"I know," he whispered. "He's dying.
A/N Okay, first off an apology to my 100 songs people. I know I'm being slow, and this... whatever it is, is just making me slower. I really want to have this done before the sixth season, and I don't know how motivated I'll be so I have to get as much of it done as soon as I can. More details will come with the next chapter. But for now, just know this is my precious theory, that I've nurtured and developed with much love and pride. What that theory is... you'll catch on pretty quick.