Aaaaaaaaa!!! This chapter is VERY overdue! I know!! So sorry!!! I have had a total blank when it's come to uploading recently!! But that hasn't stopped me writing so you lucky readers have a great supply of new chapters for this and other stories!
Anyway, I know it's very late, but if you could find it in your heart to give me a little review once you've finished reading this chapter that would be quite wonderful!!! Even if you just want to tell me off for being so lazy in uploading!!
Enjoy!! x
Silence surrounded them. There was no noise. At all. The whole place was just… empty. Completely deserted of all life. Rose shivered in the Doctor's arms as a cold wind blew past the figures standing on the hill. What was once beautiful now merely looked sinister, and the slightest movement in a still and silent world was enough for Rose and the Doctor to tense up in less than a second.
It was so quiet, and the creature, whatever it was, had long gone, but the two of them were still unwilling to move should it come back. Tears had dried on Rose's cheeks where they had been cried at the thought of losing her Doctor, but as no danger seemed to be lurking, they had ceased to fall. The Doctor's breath had slowed, and he was standing so still he might have been made of stone, had it not been from his beating hearts, pumping out a rhythm through his chest and into Rose's, keeping her alive as well as him.
Eventually, they could hold on to each other no longer, and they had to reluctantly break apart, watching all around for any signs of movement. Once they were apart, their hands flew instinctively to the other's, clinging with all their might. Rose didn't ask what would happen now that the Doctor had looked at the creature, and he didn't tell her. We're both afraid of the answer, she thought, the one that knew and the one that only half wanted to, both were afraid of what would happen next.
Rose was scared, because the Doctor was. He did get scared, she knew this, even though he tried to hide it, Rose always knew when he was afraid, but she was still frightened by him today. The raggedness of his breathing, the way he was looking everywhere for something to come jumping out at them. She knew he would never admit it, but even to an outsider she was sure it would be obvious that something wasn't right with him today. On top of that, she had no idea what had just happened, and the Doctor didn't seem to want to tell her. There was a legend that she was meant to save them, but neither her nor the Doctor actually knew what she was meant to do, and she was meant to do it alone. What had started as a simple trip was turning into something much darker than it had first appeared.
"Well… What now?" she whispered, still clutching the Doctor's hand tight in her own.
"I… I don't know," the Doctor admitted, and Rose felt the guilt in his hearts as though it was in her own, the guilt that he may not be able to save her this time, "That thing… it should've killed me. It should've destroyed me the second I looked into it's eyes…"
"But it let you go…" Rose pointed out.
"Yes. And that's what I'm worried about…" at that, the Doctor let out a scream and doubled up as his body tried to resist some invisible force that was working it's way inside him. Rose stood next to him, unsure of what to do. Cautiously, she stepped towards him, placing one hand on his back and the other slipped around his, her face one of deep concern for the withering Time Lord.
"It's okay Doctor, it'll be okay. I'm here, I've got you," gently talking to him, Rose managed to sit him down on the ground, wrapping her arms around his fighting form. His face was consorted with some deep concentration, and Rose could only imagine what was trying to access his mind at that moment.
Of course, she knew that something was trying to get into his mind, for she had seen this same expression on her Doctor's face many times before, on many planets, with many different aliens all trying to get in there, to hurt him, but none succeeded, as a Time Lord, the barriers he could put up in his head were simply too strong for anyone to break. Nonetheless, the Doctor was clearly struggling to keep his mind his own just then, but there was nothing Rose could do. So she sat there, rubbing his back, whispering words of support when the Doctor's expression weakened, making sure he knew she was there for him. Once or twice he tried to open his eyes, and Rose smiled softly at him, but each time he shut them instantly again, his whole self repulsing against this unseen force battering at his mind.
.o0o0o
"He is putting up quite a fight sir, the creature is in pain."
"But it is getting there?"
"Slowly sir, the man will not be able to continue to keep it out for much longer. But we fear for the creature too, it has never experienced such mind power before, and it is suffering greatly by trying to get through the barriers this man has put up."
"Will it survive long enough to break him?"
"Normally I would say yes, of course, but I'm not so sure with him. And even if it does get through, I doubt it would remain alive long enough for us to use the man's open mind."
"What would happen to the creature if we said let go?"
"Well, it would take some time to recover, but recover it would."
"And the man?"
"His defences would be damaged, certainly, no man can withstand this kind of mind torture without coming out worse for it, even if they do manage to keep the creature out, but how long it would take him to recover, we can only speculate about without knowing more about where he comes from."
"I presumed Earth, like the girl."
"As did we, however, no human could keep the creature out of their minds as he is doing."
"What of the girl?"
"She has not sighted the beast, but she is with the man now, supporting him as he fights. She is afraid."
"Good. Can we make her look at it?"
"It would not be recommended sir, the legend would be better fulfilled if she is untouched."
"Very well. The creature is trying to get in now?"
"As we speak it is fighting his mind, but I do not know how much longer it can take this."
"Would you recommend we release it, try again when it is stronger? You know more about these creatures than I."
"Well, if I may be frank, the creature would be in much better strength if it let go of the man's mind now, whereas the man would continue to suffer for a while, that much we know."
"As you say. Release the creature and bade it sleep. Get it's strength up again. But don't be long about it! We must attack again before the man recovers his strength too."
"Yes sir. Thank you sir."
.o0o0o
Rose kept her arms tightly around the Doctor, her body close to his. She could feel every goosebump down his arm, every shiver he couldn't help but make. She sat next to him, kneeling in the damp grass, no longer caring as the soft, cold moisture seeped through her thin jeans, stroking her flesh. She forgot how easily the pale blue picked up colour and stained, and that she would really rather not have great purple stains down her legs. she didn't care anymore, all she could do was hold the Doctor, gently rubbing his arms and rocking him slowly back and forth, back and forth.
She could've told you the exact moment when the being left his mind, although he didn't visibly change at all. He didn't stop shaking. Didn't open his tightly closed eyes. Didn't untense his muscles. But she knew. Somehow, Rose Tyler knew that the Doctor's mind had stopped being invaded. And she knew that he had won; he was still the Doctor.
Rose closed her eyes tightly and concentrated on the double heartbeat in the Doctor's chest. She listened as it gradually increased to make up for earlier, and then decreased again into a steady rhythm. It was the only sign of what the Doctor was thinking, and the only way she could tell that he was coming back to her.
After what seemed like forever, the Doctor stopped shaking so much and slowly opened his eye to be greeted immediately with arms around his neck so tightly he could barely breath. With a laugh, the Doctor returned the hug, holding himself close to the blond woman by him. It felt so good, the Doctor was reluctant to let go, although he knew what Rose would think if he didn't, but still, he held on for as long as he possibly could, only grudgingly releasing her when he felt her pull away slightly, but he still kept his hand tight around hers.
"It's good to see you!" she laughed, squeezing his hand,
"I didn't go anywhere," he replied, but secretly he was overjoyed to see Rose too, especially after fearing he might never see her again.
"I thought…"
"No." he didn't even let her finish. He wouldn't have let them win, he was stronger than that and he had a Rose to look after, no-one was getting inside his mind without a fight, and a fight that he nearly always won!
… Although, whatever had been trying to get in his mind had been strong, much stronger than he had anticipated, he knew the creatures that dwelled in the skies of Knox, and he had known their skills at getting inside people's minds, and, although they rarely did it, they could keep a prey at their disposal for months without suffering. The Doctor had faced these creatures before, and they were strong, no match for a Time Lord, not intelligent enough to know how to get into a Time Lord mind, but they were strong. The Doctor knew already that there were darker forces at work here than what meets the eye, not creature would've done what they did to him without burning themselves out, but with control, they would've stood a much better chance. He knew there must be a pretty brilliant mind at work here, behind the scenes, especially to get the creature to pull out of the Doctor's mind at that moment, leaving the Doctor tired, and weak to mind invasions for about 4 days, whereas the creature would recover after 48 hours, giver or take. In other words, the creature would be ready for a second attack before the Doctor, and if it succeeded in breaching the Doctor's mind, then Rose was in danger.
"Come with me," he whispered, pulling Rose by the hand to stand them both up. Once on his feet, the Doctor wavered a bit, and Rose had to hold onto him to stop him from falling straight back down. He tensed at her touch, knowing full well that once that creature struck again, especially with that kind of help, then he would be no good to Rose. He had seen inside it's head enough to know their goal, and it wasn't good for his companion. He grabbed her hand and together they began to stumble down the hill towards the town, her supporting him every time he stumbled – which was quite a lot.
.o0o0o
They were walking for ages. Rose had long ago given up trying to get the Doctor to sit down, to rest for a while after his ordeal with the intruders, and they walked in silence. She had tried a few times to make conversation, but had quickly stopped when the Doctor's face consorted with pain every time he tried to speak without stopping – something he refused to do.
She just carried on, half following, half carrying the Doctor as they made their way through the deserted town.
They passed a park, the swings moving eerily in a gust of wind, their old chains squeaking as they moved. A roundabout turned slowly, as though ghost children still played there and the low gate swung open and closed with a sharp bang on un-oiled hinges. Rose shivered as the see-saw turned and slammed the other side down on the old, purple grass, bringing the first side to the top. Together, Rose and the Doctor stopped, mesmerised by the creepy emptiness of the place. There was something about it, something that they couldn't quite place their finger on. They both turned as the memory of a baby crying came to their ears, it sounded far away and it was, it was from another place.
Rose looked at the Doctor, but he didn't return her gaze, he just stared at the park, he echo of a memory playing across his face. Slowly, she slipped her hand out of his and walked towards the swinging gate, holding it still against her hip as she considered.
The Doctor watched her with unseeing eyes, images dancing behind them.
A child swung on the nearest swing, laughing and chatting to his friend. He kicked his legs and went flying up into the air, with her not far behind. They looked at each other and grinned, both trying to reach the top, neither afraid of falling, for they knew the developing wings hidden beneath their clothes would be enough to stop them from hurting themselves. The girl picked up speed and flew over the top of the set, the new chains squeaking in protest as she suddenly brought out a pair of beautiful, pail blue wings. Fluttering them slightly, she stopped, nearly at the bottom and hovered there, holding herself in her seat. She looked at the boy and laughed, tilting her head back so the light of the sun shone on her white neck, illuminating her blue eyes perfectly so they matched her wings. Slowly, she lay further back, her wings working harder to keep her in her seat, and she let go of the chain, the boy watched enviously, his own bottle green wings now out, not quite strong enough yet to support him like hers. carefully, she pushed herself up and back over the top of the swing, taking hold of the chain once again to keep from losing it as she brought herself up. The Doctor could see the concentration on her face, her wings weren't quite strong enough yet for her to fly, and she knew that should her mother come around the corner she would be in big trouble for trying this. But she wasn't afraid, and she brought herself to a controlled halt at the bottom, her wings folding back neatly behind her and her heals digging into the soft ground. Had anyone walked around the corner now, they would have had no idea of the skills that little girl had just shown, and the boy reluctantly folded his back too, as the girl reassured him it would only be a matter of time before they would both be able to fly. They pulled themselves back and began to swing slowly again, chattering contently.
There was a scream in the Doctor's head, and the swings were empty, moving only by the wind. He tore his eyes away and watched the roundabout instead.
Chubby little children held on tight to the bars, squealing for the ginger man flying beside them to create more air with his powerful, red wings, he laughed, and wrapped a strong hand around a metal bar on the side of the apparatus, and beat his wings hard, whizzing the children round and around until the couldn't tell which way was up. The parents on the bench sat their, rocking prams and chatting. One shouted at the man not to go to fast with the kids, but he just laughed, insisting that they didn't see him often enough! All the children had their little wings out, wings that couldn't support a chair yet, but were not developed enough to fold safely away and out of sight, their eyes, hair and wings stood out brilliantly against the haze of colour that the roundabout was turning into as the man flew faster around in a circle. The kids all looked up at him and longed for the day when they could fly as well as that. Their little hands clutched at the cold metal, some of their legs pulled out from under them as they seemed to lose all sense of movement. There was a scream, and the roundabout was empty, the fast rhythm reduced to a slow turning as the multitude of colour faded from view to become an old, unused play thing.
An empty pram rolled through the park, crashing quietly into the bars on the other side as Rose opened the gate and stepped in. Then the Doctor saw.
They were running, those that could flew, mothers forgetting their children as they were blinded. They knew they could only look after themselves. There had been legends about these creatures, and every child, every adult, every being on the peaceful planet knew of them, and knew what to do. Once, they had been everywhere, and then, suddenly, without warning, they had all disappeared. This was about 1000 years ago, and, since the oldest Knoxien was only 500, this had all happened before any of their lifetimes. Still, they all knew the stories, they all knew what to do, and even if next to none of them believed it, they had all memorised each and every step. The first was get out of there. Don't worry about anyone else, not even your children. Just run. Run away. So that was what they all did. They left, running. There was barely any noise as they all left, just the sound of wing beats and footsteps , and the sound of the gate swinging slightly to let everyone through. The boy and the girl on the swings jumped over the fence, their wings just strong enough to keep them air borne for a moment or two, before their feet landed softly back on the ground. They didn't worry about the landing, as that knowledge came naturally to all Knoxiens. Both wings pumped furiously, trying to bring the two not-quite-children-anymore into the air for a quicker getaway, but both were just about still grounded. The girl leapt high, and her wings filled with air for a second, then lost it, she closed her thin eyes, waiting for the ground to hit her, as she knew that she had not thrown herself well and that her wings were not advanced enough to keep her up or to correct her flight enough to lend her safely. She knew she was dead. But the ground never came, she opened one eye, the cat-like slit of her pupil searching quickly for the reason she had not yet hit the ground, and she found herself supported by long, slender wings, wings that's brightness had suddenly increased. She looked down to meet her friends green-eyed gaze, he did not look envious of her flight, he looked happy that she could get away. She grinned at him, for a moment forgetting the dangers around them, and she pulled herself lower, closer to the ground and closer to him, but his face turned to fear and he shook his head. She screamed, but knew it was no use, he shouted at her to get away and she listened, pulling herself out of a dive as a dark shape flew past her, covering him in its darkness. She could still hear him even as she screamed for him, his last words yelling at her to get away before they got her. She screamed, calling for her friend, shouting his name. Closing her suddenly clouded eyes, she batted her newly-found wings and soared away. Away from the park. She knew in that instant that she could never return, this was the darkness, come back.
Rose screamed and the Doctor came out of his trance, just in time to see Rose's frightened face, and then nothing as his world was enclosed in darkness.
.o0o0o
"We have the man sir."
"Excellent. Bring him in."
