For the first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened…
Nothing at all.
Then I met a man called the Doctor.
A man who could change his face and showed me many wonderful things…
He took me with him in his amazing time machine…
I though it would never end.
But then, came the Army of Ghost…
Then came Torchwood and the War…
That was the story of how I died.
My name is Rose Tyler.
This is my life after death…
As the Bad Wolf.
The darkness was only punctured by the bright moonlight. She moved steadily so as not to attract attention, but with a mission in mind. Her footsteps were heavy with exhaustion, but on she walked -- her goal not far now.
Her breath caught as the soft buzz started behind her. Her eyes widened as the ancient instinct set in. Every nerve on end. Every muscle tense. She looked ahead, praying that she was closer then she believed at first. Panic and desperation set in when she realized it was not. The buzz grew louder and the instinct grew too. She gave in.
She ran.
"This is impossible," Tosh breathed, "Simple impossible."
"Glad you like it," the Doctor teased and then laughed with Jack. The Doctor had arranged with Jack to take his team on a "field trip" with the TARDIS. Currently, the two men were standing at the controls, while the team wondered around in awe.
"Bigger on the inside, then on the out," Ianto mumbled. Jack nodded.
"A living machine," Owen questioned again.
"Yes," the Doctor repeated.
"So, basically," Gwen started, before spinning around to face the two, "You two are just showing off." The Doctor and Jack both looked up her. The Doctor smiled.
"Oh, I like her! She's smarter then you," the Doctor told Jack. Jack's jaw dropped, but before he could retort…
"Thanks," Gwenn grinned cheekily.
"Cheeky, too! Ha, ha, I love it," the Doctor laughed. Jack sighed and smiled.
"Glad you approve," Jack joked, "I liked her too… until now."
"Can't get rid of me, Jack," Gwen retorted, "You know you don't want too."
"And amnesia pills don't work," Owen supplied, "we'd have to kill her. Bit messy really." Gwen grinned at him.
"Stuck with her I suspect," Ianto finished, before looking away with concern, "You alright, Tosh?"
"Impossible," she mumbled. The Doctor sighed and Jack grinned.
"Sit her down Ianto," Jack instructed, "she's got a good case of 'culture shock,' that's all. Far stronger people have fared much worse then her, at the TARDIS…"
"Screams, shock, awe, complete disbelief," the Doctor listed, before mumbling, "Rose cried..,"
"She cried?! Rose Tyler? Our girl, Rose," Jack questioned.
"Well, don't know for sure if it was the TARDIS," the Doctor explained, "or the fact that we were being chased by a plastic, headless Mickey."
"What happened to his head?" Gwen questioned.
"I pulled it off," the Doctor explained, "needed it to find the Nesteen Consciousness controlling it. A head was the best way too."
"Was he alright," Tosh asked slowly. The Doctor smiled and started to answer…
The sudden jarring was massive. All six passengers went flying. When is was over, about ten minutes later, all were left battered, bruised, and in some very different positions.
Gwen and Ianto had landed together – feet up and backs on the floor.
Owen was somewhere under the consul floor gratings– not exactly sure how he managed that.
Jack was tossed into the interior halls – landing somewhere close to the kitchens.
Only the Doctor and Tosh were left standing – he holding on to the consul and she onto he.
But everyone, everywhere, took a moment to right themselves, straighten out, escape, and fetch a quick snake (Jack) before asking the Doctor what had happened – well, everyone but Tosh.
"Alright there, Tosh?" the Doctor questioned, when she said nothing and didn't move her arms from around his waist or even crack open her eyes, "You've had a rough time since coming aboard, suspiciously short time too," he rambled on. Tosh peaked out one eye and looked cautiously at the Doctor.
"Would it be strange," she asked, "to want to do that again?"
The Doctor laughed.
Gingerly, she picked up and uncovered her head. Blinking rapidly, to dislodge any remaining dust from her eyes, and forced them to adjust to the scene before her. The thing before caused the most odd sensation she had ever felt.
Something akin to a strange hope or passive wariness -- truly nothing would ever be the same.
In the back of her mind, she could still hear the oncoming buzz. Unconsciously and instinctively, she registered the ever-nearing danger – but she openly didn't care…
I mean, how often does a blue box fall out of the sky and crash land in front of you while your running for your life through the middle of a graveyard?
Soon (after assuring themselves and each other that they were all alright and a few jibes at the Doctor's "impeccable" driving skills from Jack) the four Torchwood members were standing opposite the Doctor and Jack who were close together facing the screen, but only one was actually reading.
The screen said that everything inside the TARDIS was working and operational and the outside conditions were as follows:
LOCATION: Milky Way, Solar System, Planet Earth, Europe, United Kingdom, Cardiff
ENVIROMENT: Safe
ATMOSPHERE: Breathable
I could go on, but the fact is the rest is pretty boring. Actually the only thing that caused the Doctor's eyebrows to rise behind his glasses was…
"Well, Doc?" Jack interrupted the Doctor's thought, and once the spectacle-wearing alien was looking at the Captain he continued, "Where and when are we?"
"We are exactly where we started," the Doctor answered.
"We're still in Cardiff?!" Jack exclaimed.
"But 500 years in the future," the Doctor finished, "Actually November 3, 2507 at 7:48 in the evening, to be exact."
"We've traveled five hundred years into the future," Gwen asked, having overheard them, "Is it always this bouncy?" Jack laughed and the Doctor sighed. Owen was snickering too, but summoned himself together enough to ask…
"But why? What happens in five hundred years? What are we here for?"
"Don't know," the Doctor answered honestly, before grinning madly, "let's find out."
She put her hand against the wood and felt the vibrations under her fingers – as if this strange blue box was alive somehow. She was so fixated on the strange blue box the fell from the sky, that she almost didn't hear the buzz go silent and the thump of heavy footfalls behind her.
Almost.
Her breath stopped. Her eyes widened. She was absolutely frozen with fear. She knew she was going to happen. She forced herself to swallow and leaned completely against the blue wood.
And then the door opened.
The Doctor opened the TARDIS's front door and reached down in time to catch the small girl that had literally fallen into his ship and his own arms. He looked down at her, and then up again at the others that were behind her – and apparently hunting her.
"Hello! Can I help you?" he said pleasantly.
The beings before him were dressed in armor similar to that of the Judoon, but they were all taller and leaner then the Judoon. The weapons in their hands were long and thin, but glowed at both ends with obvious power and ferocity. One of them stepped forward.
"Hand over the human child," a high-pitched metallic voice it ordered and the Doctor had to fight to keep a straight face.
It didn't last. Bursting out laughing the Doctor was inconsolable for a brief moment and Jack, shaking his head, took over.
"What seems to be the trouble," he paused for a moment, "officer?" The being didn't seem to take note or either the laughing Doctor or the slightly confused Jack.
"The human must be returned to her place," the being continued, "she is in the wrong place. She must be returned." It stepped forward to take the child, but she only clung harder to the Doctor, who in turned sobered up and put a comforting hand on her back.
"Now, hold on a moment," the Doctor said, "Doesn't seem like she wants to go with you and personally I'm not apt to letting her."
"What she wants is irrelevant," the being answered, "As is your own beliefs. She is out of place," it paused and seemed to be looking at the Doctor (not that anyone could tell), "As are you. Identify yourselves."
At this the Doctor pushed the girl into Ianto's (who happened to be behind him) arms and gestured for Jack to get back.
"Sorry, just remembered. Previous appointment to keep, but don't worry we'll all make sure that she gets home all right. Thanks for you great service. Keep up the good work and all that," and with that, the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors and locked them, before racing up to the controls and then looking back at the girl he had just brought inside. Gwen was speaking to her.
"Are you alright, sweetheart? Are you hurt?" she asked softly.
"No, miss," the girl, whispered. Her voice soft with exhaustion and awe at her new surroundings. Tosh recognized it and smile gently.
"It's bigger on the inside?" she asked and the girl nodded and Tosh nodded too, "Yeah, it was a shock to us too." The girl gave a tired smile before looking up again, this time at the Doctor who was standing patiently with his hands in his pant pockets.
He smiled gently when she looked at him, before moving forward and extending a hand to her. She looked at it a moment before taking it and letting him lead her up to the Captain's chair in front of the consul. He sat her up on the seat and then stood before her arms crossed.
"Why were they chasing you," he asked gently. The girl shifted and looked sheepishly up at him, but his gaze was steady and calm, but determined. Through it all, she really felt like she could trust him.
"I wasn't where they think I should be," she answered, "according to them, I'm supposed to be processed at the Orphan Girl's Place…"
"You're an orphan, then," Gwen asked, her heart going out to the small child before them. The girl nodded and mumbled.
"What was that," Jack asked, coming up on her other side, "oh, come on now! My father always said if it was worth saying once, it was worth repeating," but the girl wouldn't repeat. Jack smiled and touched her shoulder, but quickly withdrew when she flinched.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, but the Jack assured her it was all right. The Doctor cleared her throat and redirected her attention back to him.
"What do you mean 'because of them'?" he revealed, much to everyone's (especially the young girl's) surprise, "Who are they? What have they done?" The girl's eyes went wide and she looked at them all, but none showed any sign of knowing what she did. She turned back to the Doctor and saw the same on his face.
"Are you serious?!" she asked, "You really don't know?"
"We're new to the area," Jack said by way of explanation, but the girl was not comforted.
"But they are his! They are everywhere! All over the world! He owns the world and all of it and us!" she continued in awe, "How can you not know?"
"Who is he? Who – what are they?" the Doctor continued to push.
"And who are you?" Ianto interjected, causing every head to turn to him. He just shrugged.
"Thought it would be nice to know."
"Good thinking, Ianto," Jack commented, before turning back to the youngest, "So? Let's hear it. And start with your name." The girl looked at them all before finding the Doctor's own calm façade once again. She sighed and sat up a little straighter, before beginning.
"My name is Rebecca Stanhope," she said, "I am 7 years old and those things are called Kankoor. They killed my parents and two bothers under the orders of our – no, their Lord and Master." Rebecca looked at them all, and while their seemed to be a bit more understanding, there was still some uncertainty. Jack and the Doctor looked at one another – a series of foreboding feeling come over them both.
"Who is this 'Lord and Master,' Rebecca?" Gwen asked, before either man could, but they both nodded wanting to know. Rebecca got an angry face, but took a deep breath before speaking.
"He owns everything," she whispered, "and everyone. He says his name is Adam Van Staten." Jack released his held breath, but the Doctor didn't seem to calm much. It was Owen who asked his next question.
"What were you doing running through a graveyard? I get that you didn't want to be killed…"
"They won't kill me," Rebecca interrupted suddenly, "they want me for something. My mummy and daddy knew what it was, but wouldn't tell me. All they said was that I had to get somewhere safe – the only free place…"
"Where's that," the Doctor asked quickly, suddenly interested in this rebel place. Rebecca looked up at him and said one word.
"Torchwood."
Like it? Love it? Want anymore of it?
Don't tell me until you read the next chapter, though!
Unless you wanna do it right now?! Then who am I to fight off a review???
The Princess of Peas
;p