Disclaimer: "Doctor Who" is the property of the BBC. No infringement is intended.
The marketplace was bustling with activity. Rose's eyes were wide as she watched the many shoppers who stopped at the stalls to haggle with the sellers. In her short time traveling with the Doctor, she had seen a fair amount of variety in life forms, but the sheer diversity of the crowds who congregated here was still impressive and a bit surprising to her twenty-first century Terran eyes.
Creatures somewhat resembling the Slitheen trudged past her. There were other patrons with four arms and six small eyes. Some shoppers had blue skin, which she had seen once before, while other had silvery scales, something less familiar to her. Rising up from the crowd were several beings that stood at least three meters tall, heads seeming to wobble on gangly necks. At the opposite end of the spectrum were the tiny critters that rushed about past her feet. They were quick, almost too fast for her eyes to process, as they dashed through the dense crowd as easily as if it had been an open field.
The noises were of every kind, too. It seemed that all of the consumers and merchants were talking, but their voices and languages spanned every conceivable pitch, speed, and rhythm, and then some.
Rose felt a bit disoriented. She stood still for a few minutes to figure out just where she should go and how to get there. She had lost sight of the Doctor some time ago. He'd said he would go to the left and sent her to the right. They were looking for a compound he called Divurcistine; he'd told her he needed it to improve the interface in the communications panel, or something like that. He'd given her a small disk that he said would pay for the material if she found it. Apparently it was rather rare, but the Doctor thought that the Kavzendorian Marketplace would have it if anywhere would.
Rose made her way to a stall and asked the turquoise-haired man (she used the term loosely, because really he resembled a cow more than anything else, with his long ears, wide snout, and large eyes) if he knew where she could find Divurcistine. He mooed (really, it did sound just like bovine lowing) then told her to try some of the vendors clustered beneath a bright orange awning about twenty meters down the line.
Rose thanked him and jostled her way through the crowd toward the awning. After several more inquiries, she was directed toward the stall at the back of the grouping. The quick, diminutive creatures seemed to operate this area, and most stood up on high chairs or even ladders to be at eye level with their customers. Their movements, Rose noticed, were equally swift as they took items from boxes, accepted payments, and made change. She could hardly see their hands moving, just a flash then the requested object would appear in the customer's hands.
"D'you have any Divurcistine?" she asked the nearest vendor.
He made a squealing noise and darted onto the table to leap up and look all around.
He said something, but his words came out too fast for her to understand. Funny, the language translator capabilities that the TARDIS gave her didn't seem to work on these creatures. She would have to ask the Doctor about that later.
She repeated the question, this time watching the little vendor's wide mouth carefully. His lips moved, then he twirled about and was back before her in an instant. He held out a small box. She began to reach for it, but he jumped up again then scurried back toward the edge of the tent, beckoning to Rose with motions almost too rapid to see.
She stepped around the table, took the box from him, and opened the lid. Inside she saw a greenish lump of faintly glowing goo. "This is Divurcistine?" she asked.
The tiny salesman was gesturing at her. She had the feeling that he was purposely slowing his movements, but still his hands were a blur to her. He seemed to be pointing at her jacket pocket.
She reached inside and removed the payment disk. He snatched it out of her hand—or at least she thought he did. She didn't actually see the motions, but suddenly the disk was gone. He was jabbering at her again, his voice strident but still incomprehensible. She held out her hands, palms up, to indicate that she couldn't understand.
In a flash another disk appeared in her hand. This one was slightly smaller, and it was hot. As a matter of fact, it seemed to be burning her hand. With a small gasp she dropped it to the ground.
The vendor gesticulated wildly, and another tiny salesman appeared at her side to swoop down. He pointed at her pocket. She tucked her hand inside and found that the disk had been placed in there.
With apparently great effort, the vendor spat out, "Change!" or at least that was what Rose thought he said.
With a shake of her head, Rose backed around the table and turned away from the tent. She nearly bumped into a very large man who lumbered out in front of her. He appeared human, at least almost so, but his huge head sat atop an extremely sturdy neck, and his massive hands were impressive extensions of his brawny arms.
"'Scuse me," she stammered.
He glared at her with small, intense eyes then bumped past her into the tent. She heard him bellow and turned back to look. The little creatures were nowhere to be seen. With a shrug, she hurried away.
All the movement, all the high-pitched, staccato voices were making her slightly dizzy. The day was very warm, too, and she was tired, sweaty, and hot. She held the box in one hand and made her way back through the crowd.
"Oi, Rose!"
The familiar voice was very welcome. She peered through the people and other life forms and caught a glimpse of a black leather jacket.
"Doctor! Over here!" she called.
He hustled his way through the throng to stand before her.
"Is this it?" she asked, opening the box.
"Yep. Where'd you find it?"
She pointed. "Back that way, under the orange canopy."
"Good work." He turned and began to walk.
Rose trotted after him. "Back to the TARDIS now?"
"Yeah. Unless there's something else you want to look at here. They've got just about everything under the suns… Muwerddy porcelain, Quoxicallian jewelry, full collections of the works of Tpleticamamanon the Great, though most are fakes—"
"I think I've seen enough."
He glanced down at her. "Really? You're not curious about what else is here?"
She shook her head. "I've got a pretty good idea."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. But the Orxtellanese taffy really can't be beat—"
Rose continued walking, still watching the crowds. "I got back change," she said, reaching into her pocket.
"Keep it. You may want it for something later."
The TARDIS had landed some distance from the main marketplace, and by the time the blue box came into view the throngs had diminished. There were still shoppers strolling about, but the atmosphere had calmed considerably. The Doctor had pointed out various items to her as they walked, but none really interested her. He did not purchase anything, either, saying that he had piles of souvenirs and knickknacks stashed away already—"probably about five hundred years' worth," he added.
As he reached into his pocket for the key, she asked, "Why didn't the TARDIS translate the vendor's language for me?"
He glanced at her with surprise. "It didn't?"
She shook her head. "No—except for the last word he said."
"What did the language sound like?"
"Really quick and shrill. Just a bunch of jabbering."
He patted the side of the police box. "She translated it, but it was just too fast for you to understand."
"Yeah?"
"Some species' communication is more rapid than ours. The TARDIS normally just translates the words, not the rhythm or pace. Were they small, about like so?" He held his hand at thigh level.
"Smaller."
"Yep. Probably Nermisticans. Very skilled with chemistry—this'll be good stuff," he held up the box, "but not very patient with other species. Their minds work so fast that they tend to get annoyed with most everyone else—and they aren't very good at making friends."
"How fast do their minds work?"
"Their neurons fire fifty times for every one of yours."
"An' yours?"
He arched an eyebrow. "Depends. I can adjust mine as needed."
"So you would've been able to understand them?"
"Yep."
He opened the door, and they stepped inside. Rose was glad to be back in the lofty console room. The entire shopping experience had left her head spinning. The sheer variety of species… She supposed she'd get used to such things, eventually, but for the moment she was glad that her only companion here was the Doctor.
He fiddled at the console for a minute or two then retrieved Rose's purchase from the box before settling onto his back on the floor. Sonic screwdriver in one hand and Divursticine in the other, he reached up beneath the console.
Rose flopped down in a chair and picked up a magazine. She flipped through it for a few minutes, but the articles she began to read made her yawn. She leaned back to rest her head against the cushion. In a minute she had drifted off to sleep.
"Wake up, Rose."
Someone was shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes, feeling disoriented at first. Everything was blurry, as though she were still half asleep.
"Come on, Rose. I need your help."
She blinked, roused by the urgency in Jackie's voice. "What is it?" she asked.
"Get up. Come on!"
Jackie was pulling her arm, tugging her out of her bed.
"What's going on, Mum?" Rose asked sleepily.
"There's a leak. Water's runnin' out all over the kitchen—ruinin' that new rug and the tile, too."
She was dragging Rose through the house, toward the kitchen. The floor beneath her feet was wet, and her socks squelched over the soggy carpeting. Jackie was talking a mile a minute, grabbing towels and handing a stack to Rose. Once inside the kitchen, Jackie began sopping up the water from the floor.
Rose looked around, eyes fixing on the sink, but she couldn't see where the water was coming from. Something smelled a bit funny, and her nose wrinkled in disgust. There was a faint odor of blood, and the water pooling at her ankles had a red tinge to it.
"Mum! Something's in the water," Rose began.
"Rust," Jackie cut in. "Must've eaten through the pipes." Water was gushing out from beneath the sink now, and Jackie threw up her hands. "Damn it! We'll never get this all up!"
She thrust the remaining towels into Rose's hands and sloshed out of the kitchen.
"Where're you going?" Rose asked.
"Next door for a wrench."
"But if the pipes are worn through, a wrench won't do any good."
"I'm going to shut off the valve." Jackie hurried toward the front door.
Rose stood in the rising water for a minute, confused. Cold was seeping up from her feet and ankles, and the smell of blood had grown stronger. She felt her stomach churning as she looked down to see that the water was deep red now.
She had to get out of it, out of the house… She turned, but the water seemed to suck at her ankles, holding her in place. She moved her legs, twisting them with more and more force until they were aching from the effort. The water level was rising, and now the liquid was thick and opaque, and the stench was overwhelming.
With one final burst of effort, she freed her left foot and took a step toward the living room. Her right foot slipped out of the liquid with a plop, and she thought she felt her ankle pop as a spark of pain twisted up her calf.
She had to get to the door, away from the smell and the heat and the flood… She gripped the couch, pulling herself along as the blood flowed out of the kitchen, lapping at her ankles again. Her calf was throbbing, and the pain was making it hard to move, but she had to go, to get out.
She reached the door. It was open, and she could see Jackie standing in the hall.
"Mum! We have to get out of here! Water's rising, an' we—"
Jackie turned to her, and Rose froze in horror. Her mother's face was twisted in agony and dread. Her clothing was soaked with blood, which was swirling all around her legs. She was pale, white in fact, and her features were locked in a mask of abject terror.
"Mum!" Rose cried, reaching out, but Jackie stood still. The blood was up to her waist now, and her eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing.
"Oh God, Mum!" Rose panted, desperately wading through the thick sludge, but the pain in her calf held her back, and even as she tried to move ahead Jackie fell, floating on the blood, washing away… and then the blood pulled her down, sucking at her shoulders, trying to envelop her head.
Clenching her fists in frustration and rage, Rose screamed.