Hello, friendship! So this is my first ever real fanfic…go easy on me please? :3
So after watching Asylum of the Daleks, I've seen many theories on tumblr about Oswin, and I thought I'd just try it out and write a fanfic about her xD
It's probably impossible that this is going to happen, but whatever. That's why it's fanfiction! Okay, now I'm rambling so I'm gonna stop. Enjoy the story!
River Song took in her new, unfamiliar surroundings. Just a few minutes ago, she was in her cell at Stormcage, writing in her diary about her latest adventure with the Doctor. He had taken her to Asgard, where they picnicked.
Tonight, he took me to Asgard…lovely planet, it was. Tall, majestic buildings and mountains…lots of mountains. He managed to find an open field however, where we picnicked and watched the sunset. It was so romantic-
And suddenly, she wasn't in Stormcage anymore, and her diary was left behind. "Where the hell…" she wondered aloud. Suddenly, music from the widely known opera, Carmen began playing from out of nowhere (or, so it seemed). River looked around, completely confused. The place was dark and everything was made of metal…definitely not somewhere she had ever been before. "Is someone there?" This place was making her uneasy…
The music crackles and stops, and is replaced with the voice of a girl. "Hello? Someone there? Hello?"
River pauses before answering, slightly shocked by the voice. "Yes, yes…I'm Professor River Song…" Why would a young woman be here, of all places?
Then again, she remembered her own life…the things she had seen and the places she had been when she was around this girl's age (or, the age that she sounded at least). River then felt sorry for the girl; she didn't want anyone to have to go through what she had, so many years ago. No one deserved that.
"Wonderful to speak with you, River. I'm Oswin. Oswin Oswald. Did you get my distress signal? Is that why you're here?"
This made River feel even more sorry for the poor girl. A distress signal? What could have brought her here, and what sort of trouble could she be in? "I…no, actually. I don't even know why I'm here myself, to be honest…but, I'll help you if you need me to…"
Oswin smiled to herself; it worked!
"Thank you so much, Miss River. I'll lead you to me and you can help me out, yeah?"
"Alright…" River waited for her next response. Oswin's voice sounded so familiar to her…too familiar. She knew that she had never met anyone named Oswin…she would remember a name like that, wouldn't she? Yet, even just by hearing her voice, River felt like she's known this girl for a very long time…
"Okay. See that door to your left? I'm going to open it. Go on down that hallway and I'll give you directions from there."
River nodded and walked over to the door Oswin mentioned, and it opened. She continued down the hallway, still completely confused. "How can you see where I am?" she asked, looking up at the ceiling as she walked down the corridor.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask that. It's sort of a long story…I'll explain everything once you're here. In the meantime, take a right at the next bend."
She nodded silently and turned right, continuing on down the hall. "So, Oswin. What did happen to you?"
"My ship crashed and I've been stuck here for a while. Someone else tried to help me but…" the voice pauses for a moment. "It didn't exactly work out. It took me ages, but I finally found you and I knew that you would help me…oh! Through that door on the right."
River walks through the door as she said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You…found me? Why me though?" Someone else had tried to help her…who could refuse to help such a sweet sounding girl?
"Oops…spoilers. I've said too much."
"…spoilers?" River stops when she hears her own usual catchphrase. Nobody used that word, except for herself and the Doctor. Of course, anyone could use the word, but it was just too strange for River's taste.
"Continue down this hallway. You're almost here…when you get to the end, go through the door."
She obeys reluctantly, extremely curious as to who Oswin Oswald really was.
When she walks up to the door, it opens, just as the other one had before. River walks inside and immediately stops in her tracks, her eyes wide.
"…Oswin…?"
"Yes…River…?"
The sweet, young voice she had heard only moments ago was replaced with that of a Dalek's.
"Oswin…you're a…" River trails off, looking warily at the Dalek. She couldn't decide whether she should run or shoot it. Or both.
Oswin looks at River on the giant screen in front of her. "River, you've got to believe me…I'm not a Dalek, I'm human! This is exactly what happened the last time someone tried to save me…" she sighs, running a hand through her hair. "Look. I've been stuck in here for so long and I really just want to leave…"
River continues to stare at the Dalek. "Oswin, I'm sorry…" she takes a step back, shaking her head. "You're a Dalek. You've made all of this up…you're not real." She hesitates in the doorway, waiting to see what the Dalek would do.
"No…please, save me…mum…"
Mum?! Why had she…it call her mum?! She never had any children (particularly Dalek children…was that even possible?). "I-…I'm sorry…?" She looks at the Dalek, her eyes wide with shock.
Oswin immediately covers her mouth, tears springing to her eyes as soon as the words slip from her mouth. 'How could I let it slip out like that?! Now she really won't believe me. She's too young to even know that she ever even had me. Great going…
When she finally speaks again, she speaks firmly. "River….mum, please just believe me. I've been stuck here for so long, and I just want to come home…please save me." Her tears begin to fall as she gazes at the screen.
Her eyes narrow slightly, looking the Dalek up and down. "How can I trust you? How do I know you're not just playing games with me, trying to get me to let you out? I don't even have any children."
"I can…tell you…anything…"
River nods, not taking her eyes off of the Dalek for one moment. "Go on."
Inside the Dalek, she looks at the screen, confidence in her teary eyes. "…My father is the Doctor. The last of the Timelords, from Gallifrey. His real name…"
When she hears the Dalek perfectly recite the Doctor's name in Gallifreyen, she is shocked, to say the very least. How could a Dalek know his name? Nobody knew the Doctor's name (except herself, of course). Small tears form in her eyes as she whispers, "Oh my God…."
"And you're my mother…Melody Pond. I guess it's too early in your time stream for you to know that…" she sighs shakily, "…but I love you…I really do. And you can't even imagine the things that have happened to me…"
~Flashback~
She sat in the pilot chair of the TARDIS, waiting for her to land. Her parents stood at the console, piloting her the entire time. "Are we there yet?"
River smiles slightly at the girl. "Not yet, my love. We'll be there soon enough, don't you worry." The Doctor nods and stands next to his wife. "Yes. Daleks aren't something to be all that excited about, you know…"
"Oh, sweetie, she's just excited to finally be allowed to fight alongside her amazing mum." She winks at Oswin, and the girl giggles. The Doctor smirks at her, kissing her cheek. "Someone's feeling conceited today, now aren't we?"
River smirks right back at him. "And if I am?" He simply smirks even more, kissing her softly on the lips. The girl groans softly and covers her eyes. "Oi, get a room!" They break the kiss to laugh, gazing at their daughter.
The TARDIS lands with a slight jolt, and the girl springs up excitedly. "We're here!" River laughs and puts an arm around her, leading her to the door. "Now, you're sure you're ready for this? I don't want anything happening to you…" Oswin rolls her eyes. "Mum, I'm going to be just fine. I'm your daughter after all!"
"That is very true…but I'm still allowed to worry." She waits for the Doctor to join them at the door. "Alright, let's get this over with then." He nods and they open the doors, stepping out onto a seemingly deserted warehouse.
Oswin looks around curiously, taking her surroundings in. River, on the other hand, analyzes her surroundings warily. "Doctor…I don't like this…" He nods, agreeing, whispering back, "I really don't either…but let's keep quiet. And, Oswin, no wandering away like you always do. Stay close to us…it's just too empty here…"
She nods, staying close to her parents as they walk through the building. Looking off to her left, her eyes widen slightly. "Uh…mum, dad…"
They follow where she's looking to see a single Dalek, all by itself. The Doctor motions for the women to stay where they are, and he goes over to sonic the Dalek. They stay there, watching him anxiously. He sonics the Dalek, and nothing happens.
"Interesting…" he circles the Dalek, studying it carefully, before shrugging and walking back over to them. "Must be dead. If it were alive, it would've reacted to that."
River nods. "Right then. Let's move along." The three of them continue forward for a moment, before Oswin glances back at the Dalek. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she makes sure her parents don't notice her absence before walking over to the Dalek. Her eyes narrow as she looks it up and down. And suddenly…
"Exterminate!" Oswin jumped back as it sprang to life. The Doctor and River hear the Dalek, panic filling their eyes when they realize that Oswin is no longer beside them. They immediately run to their daughter and the Dalek.
Before she knows it, Oswin is laying on the ground and her thoughts are being taken over by someone…or something else.
'They don't love you…nobody loves you. You were an accident'
She wanted to run away…to scream at the voice. However, whatever was controlling her wasn't allowing her to move at all.
By the time River and the Doctor reach her, she is far gone. Her eyes are closed and she is laying very still on the ground. River kneels down beside her worriedly as the Doctor frantically scans her with his sonic. "She's still breathing…but they're controlling her. They're turning her into one of them…"
Tears fill River's eyes as she gazes down at her daughter. "Doctor, what do we do…"
They both look up from Oswin as a dozen, maybe even more, Daleks enter the room, all shrieking in their robotic voices, "Exterminate!"
~End flashback~
Oswin sighs, fighting back her tears. "I don't know what happened after that. I was out for who knows how long…and I guess you and dad left. All I know is that they strapped me in a chair and turned me into one of them…and now I'm stuck here and you have to save me…I just want to go home."
Despite the fact that her daughter was talking to her as a Dalek, River felt horrible. How could they leave her like that? The Doctor never left anyone behind, no matter what. He always found a loophole in the situation to save them…so why hadn't he saved her daughter?
"I…I'm so sorry…I want to save you, really I do, but…I don't know how."
"Thought you might say that. And to tell you the truth, I don't know either…" Oswin bites her lip, gazing at her mother on the screen in front of her. 'She's so pretty…just as I remember her.'
River slowly walked up to the Dalek, eyeing it up and down. "Are you really in there?" she asks softly.
"Yes, I am. I've been here for almost a year and a half now…and I miss you and dad, and the TARDIS."
"I'm so sorry…" River whispers, gingerly placing her hand on the side of the Dalek.
Omg it's an author's note. Wheeeeeeee. I'm not sure if I should continue this or not...so review and tell me, yes?
Well, I hope you enjoyed my first real fanfiction! Reviews are appreciated :)