Hey, sorry for long wait for this installment! Should be back to normal posting times now and I'm full of ideas!
Thanks for the lovely reviews, please keep them coming! Xx
Oh, and about romance… lol, the genre for this applies for the whole series, rather than individual episodes, so you will get romance, but a little later on! Promise!
Once again, please read the 'episodes' before this or it wont make sense!
"Amber," the Doctor said, peering over the console from his spot on the floor. He was making more repairs to the TARDIS, which to Rose seemed to make more mess than they did good, but everything with the Doctor seemed reversed, maybe messing stuff up in the TARDIS was actually fixing it. You never could tell…
"Yes?" Amber asked, looking up from her seat in her ship where she was also making repairs, but hers at least seemed to be improving the condition of her ship, which was currently just large enough for her to sit in comfortably.
"Wouldn't happen to have a laser cutter would you?"
Amber looked down at her utility belt and, after rummaging through several tools, selected a small cylindrical device that looked not unlike the sonic screwdriver, only smaller and gold.
"What do you want doing?" she asked, dropping her other tools and walking over.
The Doctor held up several loose ends of wires.
"That needs to be reattached to that, which needs to be reattached to that, etc," he said, throwing random wires at her.
"Why don't you do it," Amber said, throwing him the laser cutter. The Doctor looked at it blankly, twisted it a couple of times, before shrugging helplessly. Amber snatched it back impatiently.
"I thought it was a cutter," Rose said, coming over.
"Well, it is really," Amber said, turning it on. Two thin lasers shot out of it at angles so they crossed over about six inches from the tip of the cylinder. Amber adjusted it so they crossed a little further away.
"The two lasers separately, are entirely harmless," she explained, passing her hand through both, "but cross them over…"
She took a piece of cloth out of her pocket that she had been using to clean her ship, and held it with the tips of her fingers, moving it towards the laser crossing point. As soon as it touched, the cloth burst into flames. Amber shook it out.
"It burns hotter than any known element, perfect for cutting or soldering tough wires, among other things," Amber finished, turning the device off.
"Everyone has a gadget," Rose said huffily, "Jack has his watch, you have the sonic screwdriver, Amber has a fancy laser cutter. I don't have a gadget!"
"What about your super phone, doesn't that count?" the Doctor asked.
"Great," Rose said, "If I find myself in a life-death situation, I can phone my Mum and play Snake…"
"Snake?" Jack asked excitedly, "Oh Retro classic! Can I have a go?"
Rose rolled her eyes and threw him her phone.
"Simple things…" Amber said, looking at the bright eyed expression on Jack's face. Rose laughed.
"All done!" the Doctor said, dusting himself off and standing up, handing Amber back her 'gadget', "How you feeling today Amber?"
"Better," she said, gingerly placing her hand over her wound. She healed faster than the average human, but she wasn't much better off. She was mobile though, and that was all she really needed.
"Good, feeling up to a trip? We'll start off somewhere gentle."
"You could throw me in a volcano for all I care, lets just get off this ship, not that your ship isn't nice of course…" Amber said, making Rose laugh again.
"I think someone is bored," Rose said.
"I think suffocated would be a better word for it…" Amber said, glancing over in Jack's direction, glad he was otherwise occupied with a game of Snake.
The Doctor had a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Right then, I'm going to go and have a look in my library, try and refresh my brain about a few friendly star systems. I don't spend much time in them you see," he said.
"There's a library in here?" Rose asked, looking curiously towards the door at the back of the console room.
"So, how old are you?" Rose asked Amber as she helped her work on her ship, mostly by passing her some bizarre looking tools when she asked for them.
"S.U.Y., about fourteen, S.E.Y. roughly twenty three," Amber replied from somewhere underneath her ship, "Can you pass me the kinetic reflux bypasser?"
"This wonky looking wrench?" Rose asked, passing it to her, "And that means?"
"S.U.Y. Standard Universe Years, a rough average of all the planetary orbits, like a standard. No one really uses it though. S.E.Y. Standard Earth Years, the measurement used by the Human Empire," Amber replied.
"Why is everything in the Universe so complicated?" Rose asked with a grin.
"Because it's run by a bunch of old, senile men," Amber replied, emerging from beneath her ship.
"That would explain it," Rose said.
"I mean, look who they employ at the Time Agency," Amber said, indicating Jack, who was still captivated by Snake.
"Yeah," Rose said, biting back a laugh.
Amber wiped the dust from her face and leaned back on her ship.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"Nineteen. Standard Earth Years," Rose added as an after thought.
"Still a teenager," Amber said with a smile.
"Yeah, still a baby really. Hey, how old do you reckon Jack is?" Rose asked.
"About three I reckon, ask him," Amber said.
"Hey Jack, how old are you?" Rose called through laughter.
"Old enough to know better, young enough not to care," Jack replied with an air of practice.
"Thirty seven," Amber said.
"Hey!" Jack said, looking up from Rose's phone, "No mind reading, that's cheating!"
"Thirty seven?" Rose asked, amazed, "but that's nearly forty! I had you pegged at about twenty five!"
"We live longer when I'm from," Jack said, "And we stay younger longer."
"How long do you live?" Rose asked.
"About four hundred, if you're lucky and eat plenty of vegetables," Jack replied with a shrug, "But I happen to know a nice little planet with health and youth restoring water…" He added with a mischievous smile.
"What about you?" Rose asked turning to Amber.
"Five thousand, give or take a century or two," Amber replied.
"Woah," Rose said.
"If I don't get killed of course, which is highly likely," Amber said with a wry smile.
"So optimistic!" Rose said.
"I'm the last of my kind, I'm living on borrowed time…" Amber said.
"You're travelling with the last Time Lord," Jack said, joining them and handing Rose back her phone, "That puts you on doubly borrowed time."
"I know," Amber said, brushing her hair out of her face, "Especially when Time Lord enemies include Cybermen and Daleks…"
"Let's not go there…" Rose said, shuddering.
"You've encountered a Cyberman or Dalek?" Amber asked.
"I said let's not go there!" Rose repeated, holding up her hands. Luckily the Doctor chose this moment to reappear.
"I have the perfect place!" He said, "We are going to visit the planet Sertia, where the dominant life-forms, Sertains, are well known for top class hospitality and good treatment of visitors and guests. I reckon we try their capital city, Corfeil. It's right up in the mountains, beautiful place, judging by the pictures. Would be good for a nice relax!"
"Sounds good to me," Rose said, jumping up to join the Doctor beside the console.
"Anything to get a bit of fresh air!" Amber said, getting up with a little more laboured effort.
"Whatever suits everyone," Jack said, assisting Amber as she straightened herself up.
The Doctor looked round at his three companions, all raring to go and ready to assist him. The TARDIS was definitely more comfortable with company. It wasn't meant to be operated alone.
"Here we go then," he said, twirling a few dials and pumping the bicycle pump, "Sertia here we come."
Rose stepped out of the blue doors into a foggy yet beautiful scene. The sun was shining brilliantly in the sky, and large towering buildings were peaking above the heavy layer of fog. Only it wasn't fog, she realised, but cloud.
"Corfeil," the Doctor said, "The mountain city, the Cloud cover should clear in an hour or so," he said, consulting his watch which seemed to tell the right time wherever he went.
"Nice place to get a suntan," Rose said, shrugging off her jacket.
The Doctor stole a glance at her bare shoulders, wondering for a moment what it would be like to be able to touch them. Thoughts like this surprised him, and he shrugged them off, but nothing could stop him taking Rose's hand as they walked off together to explore.
Jack and Amber followed the 'happy couple', as Jack called them, locking the TARDIS behind them.
"They're so sweet," Jack said, shading his eyes with his hands to watch Rose and the Doctor walking together.
"Sickening," Amber said with a grin.
Jack looked down at her. Some time during the last week she had discovered his old hat from Nineteen Forties England and adopted it, along with the coat as well, but rather than wearing Jack's she cultured her own – it fit better. She was wearing it now at a jaunty angle on her head, over two plaits Rose had put in her hair just before they had ventured out. She wasn't wearing the coat, it was too hot.
"You look really cute in my hat you know," he said.
"Well, I bet I look better than you did anyway," she said.
"Hey, I looked dashing and handsome in that outfit, just you ask Rose!" Jack said.
"Wouldn't dare," Amber said, "Wouldn't want the good Doctor to get jealous now would we?"
The company walked towards the large gates of Corfeil city, admiring the buildings as the clouds slowly rolled away, revealing more of the city. The entire place was built on the edge of the mountain, a large mountain stream running through the centre and over the edge, forming a beautiful waterfall, the noise of which formed a relaxing background hum. The air was fresh, the area clean and the people looked interesting. They were humanoid, and could have easily passed for humans, if not for the magnificent wings spreading from their shoulder blades. They looked to Rose like Angels.
"Wow," she commented as they came close to the first Sertains.
"The colour of the wings is like a hierarchy system," the Doctor said, "The more pure white they are, the higher social class the bearer is, with pure white being royalty. Some have specific colours, like children born with pink wings are trained as nurses and doctors, black for the Police Force etc."
"Interesting," Rose said, looking around with the air of someone who wanted to absorb everything they were seeing.
They arrived at the gates and they swept open, seemingly by themselves. Rose felt like royalty herself, even without pure white wings, sweeping down the cobbled streets through the shining buildings. It was all very romantic.
"So you like?" the Doctor asked.
"Like, I love!" Rose said, hugging the Doctor.
"Do I get a hug?" Jack asked Amber.
"I'm sure if you ask him nicely he will give you one," Amber said.
"So, where to now?" Rose asked as they arrived in the city centre, marked by an elaborate fountain.
"Wherever you like!" the Doctor said, "We can buy ice cream, or the closest Sertian equivalent, shop for funky souvenirs to decorate the TARDIS, anything at all!"
"Someone's in a good mood," Jack said.
"Anything to do with that hug you reckon?" Amber said back.
"I don't think you need to be psychic to tell that…" Jack replied with a grin.
"I could go for ice cream," Rose said.
"Ok, let's get going!" the Doctor said.
"Halt right there!" An echoing voice called.
Instantly the company found themselves surrounded by black winged Sertians, armed with guns and plastic anti-riot shields.
Amber reacted instantly, taking out the pistol like gun she carried with her everywhere. However, in her weakened state she was in no shape to fight off a troop of armed officers, and her possession of a gun only seemed to make things worse. The officers bristled their wings and gathered closer.
"Put that down," Jack said, placing a hand on Amber's shoulder to draw her out of instinct mode.
Amber realised her mistake and held up her hands in surrender, dropping the gun as she did and kicking it towards the police officers.
"Sorry," she said, "It's a habit I can't shake."
"Who are you?" demanded the echoing voice, "and what are you doing here."
"So much for top class hospitality…" Rose said.
