Emergency Program One - by Sian

Synopsis: Meeting with his old enemy, forces the Doctor to realise the danger Rose is in.
Characters: The Doctor (nine), Rose, Adam
Episode/Spoilers: Post Dalek
Rating: PG


"How does it work?" Adam asked as he gazed in awe around the console room.

"Which bit?" the Doctor replied.

"All of it. It's amazing. How does the inside fit into the wooden box? How does it fly?" Adam looked worried. "How will it get out of the bunker?"

"It's already out of the bunker," the Doctor told him.

"Really?" Adam sounded skeptical. "How?"

"It dematerialises in one place and rematerialises in another," Rose replied and smiled when the Doctor gave her an approving look.

Adam was still looking around the room. "Where did you get it?"

The Doctor saw Rose grin. "From my home planet," he told Adam.

"Right. Wait. Your home planet? Not Earth?" Adam stared at the Doctor. "You're not Human? You're an alien?"

"He cottons on quick dunt he," the Doctor said

"Where are you from then? It can't be in our solar system."

"Take him somewhere will you," the Doctor pleaded with Rose.

"Come on. I'll show to your room and we'll get something to eat," Rose took Adam's arm and led him to the door. "You want anything?" she asked the Doctor who shook his head.

Once he was alone, the Doctor's expression darkened. He'd long ago become resigned to the Daleks being the bane of his existence, but after the war, the one glimmer of hope had been that they'd all gone. Every last stinking one of them. That thought had kept him sane, well almost sane, through the last few months. He may have destroyed his planet, his people, most of his solar system may have gone, but at least the plague of the Daleks had been wiped from existence.

Now it turned out one had survived, and if one had survived who was to say more hadn't. The thought that one day he might have to fight the Daleks again terrified him. Not for himself, frankly he didn't care what happened to him, but for Rose. So while she was off showing her lost puppy around the ship, he set to work creating a new program - Emergency Program One.

If a time came, and something told him the time would come, when he had to face the Daleks again, he didn't want Rose being there. This program would send her home, back to Jackie and Mickey, back to safety. He finished tweaking the controls, gave the program a Gallifreyan name, couldn't have Rose stumbling upon it by accident. Then he checked Rose was still on the other side of the ship, and started recording the message. 'This is Emergency Program One. Rose, now listen, this is important... '

END