It's All Downhill

By Sonic Jules

.

Previously, in chapter one...

Rose walked at a normal pace, a bit miffed at the Doctor and his sudden excitement. He had a plan, obviously, but still she felt a little left out as he ran ahead of her. Normally he would be running circles around her, explaining his ideas. Not this time.

But that was it, wasn't it? So much of his efforts had been wasted on trying to repair the dam's mechanisms, and the people who inhabited this small planet were already running out of time. The Doctor had to act fast or the very existence of these folks would vanish, just as the rain had.

.

Chapter Two:

Helping Hands

.

Rose continued to follow the Time Lord as he walked quickly toward the TARDIS. His stride was quick and long while hers was short, reflecting her weariness from the heat. She began walking faster, then slowed down with a sigh, thinking. She supposed it was the heat that was responsible for her sour disposition of late. That realization did not make her feel any better, but it did make her feel obliged to try to be more cordial toward the Doctor. Perhaps she could apologize later, after sitting in the coolness of the time ship for awhile. Maybe she could take a quick shower...

When the door to the TARDIS slammed closed as Rose approached her jaw dropped open, her arms went across her chest, and she stilled her steps. Deep down, Rose realized the Doctor was so preoccupied with his new plan to save the day that he was thinking of nothing else. But still her heart had clenched.

Pushing the doors open with a flourish, Rose glanced at the Doctor as he looked up, his face sheepishly reflecting the knowledge of what he'd just done.

"Sorry," he offered.

Rose nodded. "'S all right," she sighed. "Can I help with anythin'?"

"Not at the moment. Let me tell you about the action we'll take thanks to your brilliant thoughts..." he began, dashing around the console in preparation as he talked a mile a minute.

Rose smiled as she sat down and listened.

-o-

Rose hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep on the jump seat until she awoke, hearing someone knocking on the TARDIS doors. Confused for a moment, she watched as the Doctor's head popped up from below the grating beside the console.

"Have a good kip?" he asked as he pulled himself up.

"Seems like," Rose responded as she rubbed beneath her eyes.

When there were another few raps of knuckle against wood, she remembered why she'd awakened in the first place.

"Best see who's there." The Doctor grinned as he wiped his hands on a cloth then walked swiftly down the ramp.

As the door opened, Rose recognized the older man whose name she remembered as Efrim. He was one of the elders of the community who had persuaded the rest of the men to let the Time Lord try to work on the dam.

The Doctor stepped outside of the ship as Efrim began talking excitedly. Rose couldn't hear the old man's words clearly enough to understand what he was saying. When their conversation ended, the Doctor came back in and shook his head as he walked up the ramp.

"I've got to head back to town," he spoke as he approached her.

Rose stood immediately, all sleepiness vanishing. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"

"No, nothing like that. The men are congregating for an emergency meeting. Seems they'd rather go ahead and try blasting the dam than wait any longer for me to fix its mechanism." He shook his head in obvious exasperation. "This is why my people made sure advanced cultures didn't leave their technology behind when they visited less developed planets. Even with a basic explanation of the machinery, the people here weren't capable of understanding the dam controls. They should never have been expected to maintain the unit, and knowing how to repair it..." He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "The only option they can see is using their primitive explosives. They're meeting now to get a majority approval on the plan."

"But don't they know how dangerous it'd be if they try that?"

"Apparently not," he began, unrolling his shirt sleeves as he talked. "They're impatient, the lot of them. They don't realize that there is no way to blow apart only a little piece of the dam. If they try anything like that the structure will weaken and the whole thing will collapse."

"I think they're just scared. I mean, they don't know you like I do - haven't seen how good you are at savin' the day and all that. I could tell them about -"

"No, Rose. You can't."

"What? Of course I can! I've seen the miracles you pull off countless times. They just need to understand what you're capable of."

The Doctor urged her to sit back down on the jump seat as he joined her, holding her hand in his.

"Rose, you've seen this place - the way these people live. This is a patriarchal society. The men make the decisions, do the heavy labor, and the women cook and clean and help with the planting and harvesting of the crops. They live very simple lives, really. We can only interfere and influence so much, and trust me, if you stood up and made those men listen - which I have no doubt you would - you could possibly alter their history more significantly than I'm doing right now."

Rose rolled her eyes. "What you're tryin' to say is that the town's meetin' hall is 'men only' and I can't come, is that it?"

"Pretty much, yes," the Time Lord replied.

"S'pose I'll be out in the fields with the other women then, pickin' the weeds, yeah?"

"You could stay here, get caught up on your rest and be comfortable. You still look a bit tired."

Rose shook her head. "I think I'd be better off goin' out there. Maybe if I get my hands dirty I'll at least feel like I'm helpin' somehow."

The Doctor smiled approvingly. "You always help, Rose."

Together they stood and walked out of the TARDIS, the oppressive heat surrounding them instantly.

"Be careful," the Doctor said. "Don't let yourself get dehydrated."

"I won't. You be careful too, all right?" Rose spoke, a hand over her eyes to block the bright sun's rays as she watched the Time Lord turn and walk away from her.

"Always," he answered, waving his hand as he continued his forward trek.

Rose turned toward the houses, eager to help the women, and perhaps offer a few hints on speaking their minds as well.

-o-

To be continued...

-o-