Ok to make up for a short prologue this chapter is longer. Although am really unsure about this chapter, please review and let me know. I might end up taking it down and re-doing it :/ but I hope you like it :p
Disclaimer: no….i don't own doctor who…..yes….i am getting sick of being reminded….stupid legal terms and conditions blah blah blah .
Mickey continued to stare at the bed in front of him, though his eyes were glazed over as he was lost in thought and calculations. Trying to distract himself by focusing on the facts that were right in front of him, yet by all calculations and speculations shouldn't be.
He had left a message with Jack, but god knows where he is. He hasn't been in contact since the wedding. A great weight seemed to settle further onto Mickey's stomach. Jack and Mickey hadn't always got on when they first met. In fact, Mickey had been slightly jealous of flirtatious, courageous and down right gorgeous captain who managed to sweep every man, women and seeming living creature of their feet with a single wink. But Mickey had a strong respect for him, and secretly almost idolized the man.
However that soon dissipated when Mickey realized why Captain Jack Harkness was the way he was. He always moved his life forwards, because he didn't want to look back. Ever since loosing Ianto and his family, Jack hadn't been the same man. And it was that that scared Mickey. Jack Harkness was always meant to be alright. It was who he was. Yet when he saw him at his and Martha's wedding, he had been the shell of a former man. Forcing a simple façade that was fooling no-one, yet no-one dare question or approach for fear of shattering what little remained.
"You really should get some rest you know." Mickey physically jerked as Martha's voices echoed around the large medi-lab. A small smile appeared on the women's lips as she descended the stairs to approach her husband. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump. But seriously, you need rest. And don't make me use my doctors position at torchwood to make you do so," she threatened, looking deep into Mickey's eyes.
Mickey sighed and rubbed the palms of his hands down his face. "I know babe. Its just…" he faulted for words as he gestured towards the bed. Martha's eyes travelled to the occupant of the bed before returning to her husbands. "I know. But you've done all you can. At the moment she's stable. But there's nothing more we can do. And you sitting here just trying to work out impossibilities you can't begin to comprehend are going to achieve nothing but a migraine," she said sympathetically but with an air of authority she often used to ground her partner in times of crises.
Mickey sighed once more but nodded, slowly getting to his feet and following his wife out of the medi-bay and into the overnight sleeping quarters.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ Three days earlier *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
She shut her eyes tight as she fell uncontrollably. She felt cold and disorientated. A huge weighed seemed to be pushing solidly against every angle of her body at the same time she herself felt weightless. She wanted to scream but she couldn't move, she couldn't breath. All she could do was try and focus on her goal. But what was her goal? What could possibly be worth this much pain? She felt a recognisable tingle flow through her, lessoning the extent of her discomfort and one word then echoed in her mind. Determinedly repeating, strong and resound. Doctor.
As she slowly came back into consciousness, the first thing she noticed was the cold, damp and uncomfortably solid surface beneath her. She groaned, her brows knitting together as she rolled her head slightly, trying to find a temporarily more comfortable position for her cheek against the uneven, rough surface until she had gathered enough strength to do more.
She was going to wait a little while until she was sure of the what, whys, when's and how's before moving and formulating how to continue. Of course things wouldn't be that simple. Sharp shrill screams radiated from somewhere near by and caused her eyes to fly open. Pushing herself to her feet, swaying only slightly as the adrenaline kicked in. She was in a darkened dead-end alley, 'of course' she sighed to herself before assessing her situation. A brief glance into the zeppelin free sky and a check of her vortex manipulator told her she was indeed in her home universe. But of course, John like Doctor, she had been landed in the middle of something big.
Ok, so 3 hours since landing back on her home planet and she was already trying to think of ways to save it against alien invasion. Some things just never change, and she couldn't help a small, even if it was accompanied by a deep sigh. Saltarians were invading earth. Rose had some previous experience as they had tried to invade Pete's World and use it as a breeding planet for more worries. From what she could gather, same when for this earth with similar out come as the Saltarians talked strongly of revenge of their brethren and regaining honour.
The only problem she had was no weapons, no allies and only a back-up plan but no original. She had tried to teleport onto their mother ship, but annoyingly they had their shields up blocking any and all teleportation. Sensible on their part, but this didn't help her in the slightest. The invasion however was in full force, people were dieing in large numbers and Rose could think of only one way out, except she didn't know the repercussions it could have for her…ok, so she did know, but she didn't want to face them.
She bit down on her lip, glancing round the wall at the death and destruction that lay there. The sharp thud-thud of the Saltarians march defended her. Her mind flashed to the similar sound of the Cyber men's march and the last time she had fought them. Her heartbeat seemed to mimic the haunted sound that seemed to occur in times that she would loose everything. A child's whimper brought Rose back to reality. Her eyes homed in on a young girl, her face dirty and tear stricken and her tiny body seemed to run on pure adrenaline and fear. Her feet came to a skidding stop as a strangled cry caught in her throat. Rose's vision was obscured by a car, but the child's choked sobs and fear stricken eyes where enough to tell Rose that the young girls path was blocked. Yet before she had time to react a laser shot burned through the air. Time seemed to freeze as the girls eyes grew wide and her body jerked before falling to her knees and finally to the cold concrete beneath her.
Rose seemed to become an observer of her own body as her mind divided into two. The conscious part refused to accept the cold blooded murder of an innocent child, trying to comprehend any possible and rational thought that her natural motherly personality could comprehend justified such an act. Her un-conscious mind took over her body which was currently fuelled by her anger, rage and hatred and slowly pulsed. Awakening the Bad Wolf cells that lay in her body. The power surged through her as she stepped out from her hiding place and confronted the Saltarians who moved in unison to take aim and fire upon their newly found opponent. With a sharp thrust of her arm, their shots froze in mid-air before being thrown back towards their point of origin causing the guns to backfire into their masters.
A golden light spread across the lands of the earth, taking every Saltarian and disintegrating them. The native, naive little humans who occupied that planet chose to see the golden light in a different form. Each trying to force some form of understanding and therefore control into the situation. Some chose to see it as an act of God, purifying the planet of evil. More scientific minds claimed it was some type of solar flare that effected the ships mainframe which must have been connected to the aliens themselves.
None of them would have suspected a small, used-to-be-but-not-quiet-so-much-anymore human girl standing on a small street in Cardiff, using her body and mind to channel the pure energy of time itself to save the home she had missed to much. No rational thought had entered Rose's mind as she wiped out the millions of invaders that had dared to interfere with her planet.
The faint sounds of sirens and alarms reaching the woman's ears as the slight haze of rain clutched at her pale skin. Dirtied clothes clung to her dainty, weakening form. A slight frown plagued her face as she glared at the night sky. She'd never felt like this before. She had died many times since finding out about Bad Wolf, but she had never died from over use of that power. And stretching said power so vast in order to destroy the Saltarians, the power itself that she could normally feel inside her, pulsating and giving her strength was dwindling, failing as it tried to heal itself along with the damage it had done to Rose's mind and body. Maybe they'd been wrong. Maybe she was capable of dieing and staying dead.
The moon seemed to reflect her cold, desolate and absolute isolation as it hung so quietly and delicately, lost in the dark abyss. It also seemed to symbolise her goals and dreams; in site, but so desperately out of reach.
Her concentration shifted to the soft twinkle of the stars that seemed to taunt her. They didn't seem concerned by her twisted fate. They would continue to twinkle and glow in all their splendour, not knowing what injustice was taking place in the universe around them. She took guilty pleasure in knowing that some of these stars are just remnants of their past selves. Light that has been travelling for so far and only just reaching earth's surface, when the actual source of this light burnt out and perished long ago.
Her breath was laboured as her eyes lost focus on the stars that taunted her so. As her eyes felt weighted she thought she heard the faint whisper of her name being called upon the wind. Apparently she wasn't even aloud to go into death peacefully. However the whisper drew faint as consciousness was snatched away from her. Her eyes closed, allowing her to escape the reality that lay around her as she faded into darkness.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*And Back To Mickey^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Mickey slapped his hands against the keyboard in frustration. "It doesn't bloody work!" Martha walked slowly up behind him as he ran his hands over his face. "Mickey, you've been going through this for days, give it a rest. Its not going to suddenly sort itself out and magically make sense just by starting at it all day," Martha chided. She was beginning to worry about her husband. Ever since the defeat of the Saltarians he hadn't left the hub, working endlessly to try and help his friend.
"But it doesn't work. These equations are fact, they are the set things in this universe and cannot be changed without the universe falling apart." Mickey seethed, gesturing wildly at the long string of equations on the computer screen. "Yet it is also a fact that Rose is laying in the infirmary. But the rift activity's been normal, the only spike was during the Saltarian attack and I can only guess that was her, but there should be more. If she travelled through the void, the universe, and the parallel should be crashing together. But I find nothing that says it is. And then there's Rose's condition itself…" he took a deep breath and relaxed back into his chair in temporary defeat. "It feels like running head first into a solid concrete wall to try and get through to the other side. Its impossible."
Martha let him rant, waiting patiently as her husband finally unloaded his burden and get this out in the open. "Mickey, you and I are used to dealing with things that seem impossible." Martha started, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder whilst holding his gaze. "'Seem' impossible. But there's always been an explanation. This, this 'is' impossible." Mickey interrupted. Martha bit back as her irritation grew. She did sympathise with Mickey, but he was getting no where just by sitting around complaining that things were impossible.
However before she had a chance to retort, a sharp blue light flickered behind them as a recognisable figure appeared in the centre of the hub, arms out to steady himself as he recovered from the time jump.
"Jack!" Martha smiled, running up to the new arrival to greet him. An echo of a smile etched its way onto the captains face. "Martha" he greeted before putting the woman down. "You took your time," Mickey stated as he approached, although one look at his face told Jack the there was no bad intent. He could see the relief in the man's dark, tired eyes. That, gave him some small hope that he had managed to get here in time to sort out what was needed.
"So, what's so important that you needed to call in the pro?" Jack asked, fake happy-go-lucky mask in full swing. The smiles faded slightly from the married couple's faces as they recognized the now familiar routine. They exchanged glances, having a conversation with their eyes only some couples could manage before Mickey took the lead. "I think I should show you rather than try and explain something that's doesn't make sense." Mickey stated, gesturing for Jack to follow.
As the wondered through the hub, Jack took in his surroundings. The Hub had been re-build pretty much the same as the original before the events of the 456. There were subtle differences as in it was a lighter and a more traditional homely feel to it, but the general layout stayed the same. Worried eyes met Mickey's as they entered the medi-bay but Mickey still with held any information, determined to show rather than explain. He gestured down towards the occupied bed in the centre of the circular room.
Jack's body froze as he recognised the blonde hair and heart shaped face. He glanced back at Mickey, waiting for some form of explanation. Mickey had been watching Jacks reactions, he gave a shrug to Jacks questioning gaze before slowly following the captain down the stairs to Rose's bedside.
Jack caressed his fingers gently across her forehead. The contrast between flesh was blinding. Jack was often more tanned than others, but his current complexion just made her deathly pale skin scream out, combined with its icy temperature implied that she was close to death. "We found her after the Saltarians vanished. She was just laying in the middle of the street. By the time we got her back here, she wasn't breathing, no heart beat, nothing. She was by all medical statistics dead. We tried everything, but there was nothing we could do." Mickey started to explain.
Jack looked up in surprise and then back at the equipment that was hooked up to Rose's frail form. "That's the thing," Mickey started before Jack could even ask. "Her body's dead, but there's still brain activity. It's weak, but there, and we didn't find that until 6 hours after we got her here."
Jack's eyes held Mickey's as he tried to understand what the man was telling him. "But the human brain can only remain slightly active for 7 minutes after death," Jack pointed out. "I know, that's why we're lucky we found it. And its normal activity, we've scanned for possible parasites, alien infection, anything. But it's her. Though you might want to have a look at the test results Martha got. She ran them six times before she accepting that they were right." Mickey suggested, handing Jack a file from the bedside table.
Jack flicked through the file examining Martha's findings before his brows knitted together in confusion and running back through them. His finger gently brushed across the page as he read the results. "I compared them to what we had on the records we recovered from the old hub. Its not an exact match, but the only thing we can find that's even close. What happened at satellite 5 Jack?" Mickey asked. His voice unsure but desperate to find out anything that could help.
Jack sighed, he had told the story many times but it still didn't make it any easier. "You know we were facing the Darleks. That the Doctor couldn't see a way out with us surviving, that's why he sent Rose home." "But she got back, me and Jackie helped her get back to you and the Doctor," Mickey interrupted. A ghost of a smile etched itself onto Jacks face. Not to long ago, Mickey had hated the fact that Rose had been so determined to get back to the doctor, willing to leave everything she had and that included Mickey. But the boy had grown a combination of the parallel world and Martha had done him some good and Jack was proud of who the man had become. "That she did. She looked into the heart of the TARDIS, absorbed the power of time and space itself." Mickey gapped at Jack, trying to fathom that amount of power in the confines of his friends human body. "That type of power would have corrupted most, but not our Rose. She used it to navigate her way back to us on satellite 5 and wipe of the Darleks. In that one moment she had the whole of time and space running through her head. She saw that I had already been exterminated, but she brought me back. She just couldn't control it, she brought me back for good."
Jack seemed lost for a moment, in regret or just memory Mickey wasn't sure, but it wasn't long before he broke out of it and returned to the matter at hand, "But the Doctor pulled it out of her before she burned. That's why he regenerated. That power should not be in her anymore. This makes no sense." Jack insisted, gesturing towards the test results in his hands. "Tell me bout it. Nothing about it makes sense, how she's here, how she's still in some form still alive. I've been doing the maths, but its like all the equations I do don't add up. Thought an extra pair of eyes could help me shed some light on what is several impossible situations." Mickey concluded.
"Mickey…I don't know what I can do. I mean, she shouldn't be here, and she shouldn't be like this. If you wanted a miracle answer to all your questions, you need the Doctor, not me." Jack sighed, shaking his head slightly and looking back at Rose. "We tried. Haven't seen or heard anything from him since he sent her off with Doctor 2.0" Mickey said, gesturing towards Rose. Jack could hear the slight confliction in the mans voice, unsure of whether that was what was best for Rose. A long silence surrounded them, each lost in their thoughts. "Thanks…for coming when I called. I know its hard for you. I just didn't, I didn't know what else to do." Mickey admitted, his voice choking slightly towards to end. Jack looked up, surprised to see such deep set emotion in the man but nodded. "I'll run through what calculation and results you have but I cant promise results. But I will do what I can." Jack promised, glancing back down at Rose's still form. Mickey nodded and gave Rose's hand a quick squeeze before going back up to the main part of the hub.
"Ok," Jack sighed, placing his hand down on the desk and trying to collect his thoughts. "From what I can guess, some remnant of the time vortex remained in Rose. Found a home in her DNA and altered it…" a silence echoed round the room as each occupant stared at the information in front of them. "and that…still tells us absolutely nothing about anything!" he yelled in exasperation, slumping down in his chair and running his hands over his face. "Maybe if we just start again from scratch?" Martha suggested wearily. "Like we have how many times now?" Mickey retorted, receiving a dangerous glare from his wife. Jack glanced between the couple and intervened before it could escalate. "You two should go home. Get some rest, eat real food and relax a bit. Maybe we just need to approach this from a fresh angle." Jack suggested in a tone that left no room for argument. The couple finally and reluctantly agreed to go home for at least 2 days before returning, leaving Rose to Jack and torchwood to Andy and Lois.
Jack sat next to Rose, stroking his thumb gently against the back of her hand as he regressed back to when life was good. Him, Rose and the big eared Doctor travelling together. There had been initial rivalry between the Doctor and himself for Rose's affections, but Jack wasn't oblivious. He could see the connection between Rose and the Doctor even if at the time they were oblivious to it. He did love Rose, but as a younger sister, he wanted to protect her against the evils of the world, shield her from any harm. And she returned the sibling love. He knew long ago there could never be anything romantic between the two of them. And he sort of liked that. He had that with everyone. But Rose, she had been the closest thing to a constant. They had stayed up long nights on the TARDIS just chatting the time away. She would hold him in his arms and want nothing in return. She was one of the very few people in all of time that could resist him and that just made her all the more special to him.
A strong realization hit him at that moment. He needed Rose, he needed to have someone he could trust with any and all his secrets who would take it in their stride, he needed someone like Rose Tyler who wouldn't let him run away. He felt the need of her flow through his body leaving a strange tingling sensation run down his arm and intensify in his hand holding Rose's. His brows knitted together at the strange sensation as he stared at their joined hands before catching a small movement in the corner of his eye. Moving at neck breaking speed, his gaze concentrated on Rose's face as she seemed to stir. He wanted to call to her, give her his voice to home in on but his voice caught in his throat. All he could do was stare, and try and restrain the large amount of hope that was currently crushing his chest.
Ok, am really tired now so am going to bed. Let me know what you think. All con crit is welcome. If you have any suggestions or questions I am more than happy to hear them. Or even if you just wanna chat
Am currently on the thinking part of chapter 2. will try and get it up asap. Sorry though if there is a delay :/ I blank a lot :P
Reviews = eternal love :P
