The night in this world differed from the planet it mimicked. Though the sky was dark and one's breath was visible in the cold night air, there was no moon. Instead, patterns of artificial stars sparkled in the evening sky. Their beams of light completed the tranquility of the street with a fairytale feel. Streetlights that dotted the odd corner were replicas of early '20s models from the original Earth. They were of a rectangular shape and appeared to be rusting. Despite this, the light inside was purely electronic. Each emitted a warm glow; though they were purely for decoration as the mass of stars spanned so vastly up above that they lighted the entire area.
A fountain, centered in the middle of the road, was illuminated in the light. It was a freshly painted white and had four spouts that drizzled the water in a curved fashion. The water that spouted from it deemed a dark blue, with hints of glittering purple. Dozens upon dozens of pennies lay in the pool of water beneath, each of them containing a wish that a hopeful soul had longed for.
Whether fate had taken notice of this action of tossing a coin into a magical fountain was left to one's own thoughts.
Upon the edge of the fountain sat the Doctor, grimly observing the stillness of his surroundings. His old, tired eyes that were concealed by his young, fresh face took in each little detail of the street. Beyond the supposed peace,there lay a dozen secrets; ones which the Time Lord desired to uncover. He swore to himself that he had to get to the bottom of things.
Rose Tyler's feet ached as she staggered up the street. She had been walking for so long that she had lost track of time altogether. Upon seeing the man she had been searching for, she sighed and headed towards him.
"Where the hell have you been?" she cried, gasping for breath.
"Busy," The Doctor replied, unapologetic. His eyes were looking at her, yet his mind was elsewhere. "Thinking."
"Thinking?" she scoffed. She reached him, putting her hands on her hips. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were glaring. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I thought you'd abandoned me, until I saw that the TARDIS was still here. I searched there- no luck. So, I end up roaming the streets, asking people where the tall man in the brown suit is. No luck, again."
"You can't control life and death," he told her again.
"I did something good."
"You did something impossible."
"I did something that saved a man's life."
"Resurrection has its negative side. Some people are meant to stay dead."
"Oh, like who? Like my family?" She choked on the last word.
Knowing that he had struck a nerve, the Doctor's tone became sincere. "Rose…"
"Forget it," she snapped. "You're superior. The almighty last surviving Time Lord decides who lives and who dies."
"It was a fixed point, Rose. You know what happened when you tried to save your Dad."
"They were everything to me. Did they deserve to die? Does anybody deserve to die?"
The Doctor stood and embraced her.
Broken, she accepted the hug; allowing the emotion to pour out of her, and the tears to fall. The two stayed in each others arms for a while. They only broke apart when Rose's breathing became steady once again and she pulled away.
"There is nothing we can do to save your family," eased the Doctor. "Sometimes, we can't save everybody."
"I know," said Rose. Her voice still sounded broken and she was shaking ever so slightly, but she understood the words. Her denial faded and she accepted the truth.
"So long as you travel with me you have to understand that there are laws we have to abide to. The restoration of life is complicated and can lead to devastating consequences. Promise me that you will not resurrect anybody else."
Rose did not reply.
The Doctor shook her shoulders in urgency. "Rose?" he pressed.
"I won't," said Rose. "I promise."
"Good." He released his grip on her shoulders. "Now," his tone became noticeably more upbeat. "A replica of your home planet. Everything harmonious. Fashion and surroundings based upon a range of different points in time. No need to strive for perfection when you've got it right here. Everybody is treated equally. There is no government, as everybody agrees unanimously upon how the society lives. Happy days!" The Doctor clasped his hands together. "But there's one problem."
Rose wiped the tears from her eyes. "What's that?"
"Dial the police."
Rose arched an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Just… do it," His voice was noticeably higher pitched than usual, in what Rose presumed was insistence.
With a sigh of defeat, Rose pulled out her phone and dialed nine-nine-nine. She placed the phone to her ear, and waited for a few seconds. It rung out.
"Nothing," she stated. "No answer. Maybe this planet's got a different number for emergencies. Like maybe 911, or some intergalactic number."
"I've circled the neighbourhood and I've asked the neighbours where I can find the nearest policeman. They said I'd have hard luck because the last station in the country shut down over five years ago."
"What about the criminals?"
"Exactly."
"What- do they just roam free? Like the guy with the gun?"
"Seems so," The Doctor sniffed. "But that, Rose Tyler, is our mystery. How can these people be so happy when there is such a lack of security?"
"Maybe they don't need security. Maybe that guy was just one of the very few criminals out there."
"Face the facts, Rose. In a world where everything is dull and boring, there must be a select few that cannot stand the lifelessness."
"What, like you, then?" she joked.
The Doctor flashed a hint of a smile. "Dangerous criminals roaming the streets freely and you're cracking jokes?"
"Like the good ole' days."
The Doctor's grin grew wider. "Take a look at the street," he said.
Rose's eyes left the Doctor's as she began to examine the street. "What about it?"
"It's empty," he said. "It's only about half past seven. It's a busy street and it's deserted. Cars are parked up beside each house. It's Saturday; you'd think people would be out at this time. All of the windows are partly open and the curtains are drawn. And it's completely silent. Not a hint of a whisper coming from any direction."
"So, there's a curfew. Question is- why?"
But the Doctor wasn't listening. Distracted, the Doctor took a few slow steps towards a house, painted a pale yellow. He watched the house, taking in every last detail. He somehow became drawn to the ground floor window. All of a sudden, the blinds began to sway ever so slightly. A pair of scared eyes appeared to peek outside. They disappeared a second later.
"People are scared," he said to both himself and his companion. "But what of?"
Then a ball of flames smashed into the pavement beside him. He fell sideways, to the ground. The noise caused his right ear to go deaf, leaving only a ringing noise in its place. He lay helpless in the rubble as he winced in pain from the impact. He had survived, though only barely, but his luck was weakening.
The Doctor gazed at the night sky. His eyes widened in fear. No, it couldn't be.
"EX-TER-MIN-ATE."
Rose screamed at the top of her lungs. She raced over to him, only to be knocked to the ground by the second explosion. The Doctor rushed over to her aid.
Another explosion. Boom.
He staggered, but he did not fall. Rose crawled herself towards him, and he helped her up. They ran for their lives, holding onto each other as tight as they could.
Two more blasts of flames.
Rose shrieked as she used her arm to shield her eyes. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?" cried Rose.
"SAFETY," exclaimed the Doctor.
A line of bins were in sight, leading to a sheltered alleyway. One more explosion was close enough for Rose's left ear to begin to ring. She covered it while she began to sob in defeat. Her legs were weak. She couldn't make it.
Noticing her slowing, the Doctor pulled her arm in encouragement. "COME ON," he commanded.
They made it. Rose was sure that it was impossible- they had survived within an inch of their lives- but they made it.
They rushed behind the bins, down the alleyway and collapsed to the floor. There was silence for a few minutes, save for their heavy breathing.
"CRI-MI-NAL LO-CAT-ED AT ONE-FOUR-FOUR BUR-LING-TON-STREET."
"EX-TER-MINATE. EX-TER-MIN-ATE."
The monotonous voices faded into the distance.
"Daleks," whispered Rose, her restless eyes searching the floor as she gathered her thoughts. "That's-That's the Daleks."
"Yes," nodded The Doctor. His eyes gravely stared down. The ruthless machines were back; and they were as cold-blooded as ever. He had lost Rose the last time he had fought them, and was not prepared to lose her again. He wouldn't be able to cope if she was trapped in another universe; or even worse. No, he could not bare to even consider the possibilities.
"They're-They're dead. They're gone. They're supposed to be gone."
"I know."
Rose turned to look at him. "How many ships were out there?"
"At the least?" The Doctor gave her a solemn look. "Thousands."
"What are we going to do?"
"There's nothing we can do. Except pray to our respective Gods that they don't find us."
"That's it? You want me to hope?" Rose sighed. Rage set in her eyes. "When has hoping ever got us anywhere, eh? When has hoping ever saved a life? When has hoping gotten us out of a dire situation like this?"
"Rose-"
"No, Doctor. You don't get to talk. You don't get to do anything. 'Cause we can't die here, alright? We can't die in an alleyway, just because you say we're out of options. Because we are not out of options. We are never out of options."
The Doctor attempted to hide the little smile forming upon his face.
"What?" snapped Rose.
"Where would I be without you?" he said.
"Probably dead. I've saved you plenty of times."
The Doctor nodded. "Daleks. Murdering any criminals roaming the streets at night. Or, if the criminals are located elsewhere, they track them down."
"And we're criminals now?"
"We were out past the curfew. Simple enough reason to be considered offenders."
"Since when do Daleks protect towns from criminals?"
"Perhaps the Daleks don't want to kill for the sake of killing Perhaps they just like to see people quiver in fear at the very sight of them."
"I don't get it. They're killers, not a police force.".
"They dominate planets. These people are their puppets. Instead of just killing at random, maybe they've found a way to enjoy their supremacy. They torture the people of this world into behaving themselves. Nobody asks questions; they just go with it. Because who would be prepared to face-off with one of those things?"
"I guess there hasn't been a handsome Time Lord in a suit to save them either," smiled Rose.
The Doctor weakened at the sight of the hope that lit in her eyes. She had faith in him and expected him to save the day, just like the good old days when he had nothing to lose. But losing Rose to the parallel universe had made him realise just how precious her life was. He couldn't risk losing her.
He had a few options. Leave and let the people of this world continue in suffering; risk losing Rose forever to the Daleks; or take Rose back to the world she was raised and then return to the artificial earth to save the day. Frankly, it was an easy decision.
