Chapter Two: Mothman
The Doctor, Rose, and Jack practically fell through the doors of the TARDIS, landing in a heap. Jack kicked the door shut with his foot just as something crashed against it. Outside, voices were yelling at them in German. The three of them caught their breath and slowly got to their feet. Jack checked the lock on the TARDIS door- which was, of course, fine- and then realized that both the Doctor and Rose were staring at him.
"What?" They continued staring. "What? How was I supposed to know? He was giving me all the signs."
"Didn't you see his wife, sitting right next to him?" Rose asked.
"Oh come on. Marriages don't mean much in this time, not for people like them. The two of them got married to keep their countries from fighting and to make their parents richer."
"Typical 51st century man," the Doctor said, turning back to the controls of the TARDIS. "Well, it's over now." Outside, Prussian soldiers were still banging on the door of the TARDIS. "And now I think… off to Proxima Centauri. A certain scientist there should be realizing about now that he owes me a drink after all."
"Hold on, it's my pick," Jack said.
"Your pick? After the mess you got us in?" The Doctor said incredulously. "No thanks, I'd just as soon avoid being chased by an angry army for a few days."
"Ah, too bad. I had a good one." Jack leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.
"What was it?" Rose asked.
"I wanted to investigate an urban legend," Jack said. "Heard about it while I was travelling through the States. Always wanted to go look into it myself, but never had the chance. And, I guess I never will."
"An urban legend?" Rose asked, walking over to Jack.
"Rose, don't talk to him," the Doctor said. "Remember the army? The one that's still right out there?" Something heavy smashed against the TARDIS door.
"Yeah," Jack said, ignoring the Doctor. He pushed himself off the wall and stood right in front of Rose. "A thing called the Mothman. Terrified this small town in West Virginia for about a month. There were all kinds of strange things happening around there at the time. Then it all just stopped." Jack smiled and turned away from Rose. "I figured it was an alien of some kind, but I could never find any records on it."
"Wow, so he's like Bigfoot?"
"Bigfoot wasn't alien," the Doctor said. "He's more of a-"
"Could be," Jack interrupted. "Guess we'll never know now."
Both of them looked at the Doctor.
"No," the Doctor said, walking to the TARDIS door. "I hate to keep bringing up the army, but." He cracked the door open a little. The Prussian soldiers, who had been taking a breather, let out their war cries and charged the door just as the Doctor closed it.
The two of them kept staring at him, unmoved. "No. Absolutely not."
.
The TARDIS materialized by the welcome sign to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The door opened and three of them stepped outside.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," the Doctor said, shaking his head.
"Oh, come on," Rose said. "You love urban legends. You said so the other day."
"Not anymore! They always wind up being aliens. Aliens that want to kill me."
"But you still love it," Jack said.
The Doctor sighed and finally smiled. "Alright, I do. Let's go find an alien."
Jack rolled his jacket sleeve back a little and punched some stuff into the device on his wrist. "There's a sighting in about an hour, roughly a mile that way." Jack pointed down the road a ways. "Let's get going."
.
"I don't think it's going to show," Rose said.
Jack looked at her. "Oh, I'm sorry this mythical, mysterious being isn't keeping to a schedule." That, more than anything, told Rose how annoyed Jack was getting. So far, all they'd done was walk around in a cold field in the middle of West Virginia, looking for weird things in the night. The Doctor had said nothing, but Rose had the feeling that he was slightly enjoying the fact that Jack's destination had turned out to be a bust. Visiting Emperor Barbarossa had at least been interesting.
Rose pointed at something in the distance. "What's that?"
Both Jack and the Doctor jerk toward her finger when she spoke, but relaxed when they saw it was only a building.
"Some sort of factory," the Doctor said. "They were common in America during the war. That one looks run down."
"A munitions factory," Jack went on, looking at the device on his wrist. "Went out of business at the end of the war, but no one got around to tearing down the building till the 80's. A lot of the sightings were centered around there. None actually inside it though."
"Well, did anyone ever look?" Rose asked.
Jack tapped on his wrist thing again. "There's no record if they did, anyway."
"So no one ever tried?" Rose asked.
"Or they never came back," Jack said grimly.
"Or they were too scared to talk about it," the Doctor put in. He seemed reinvigorated now that they at least had a creepy old building to explore. He'd already started to walk toward the factory. "Well, what are you standing there for? This was your idea," he called over his shoulder.
Rose had never really been inside a proper factory, but this one looked more or less like she imagined it would. They passed through a small reception area in the front before moving into the heart of the factory. Catwalks cris-crossed above assembly lines that could have been taken out of an old picture. Conveyor belts of various sizes running in and out of big machines. Rose couldn't tell where it all started or ended. Most everything had been taken out of the factory, save the odd desk, chair, or box. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, offering small patches of light here and there. All three of them had their torches out as they descended to the factory floor.
"They really cleaned the place out," Rose said.
"Leave no penny behind," Jack said as he looked up at one of the machines. "Someone'll come for these, too. Copper sells."
The Doctor felt something crunch under his boot. He crouched down and saw it was glass. He looked up and saw one- just one- of the windows had been smashed in. It was roughly fifty feet up. He tapped Jack on the shoulder and pointed. "How big do you think that window is?"
"Mothman size," Jack grinned. He looked around for something to climb up and investigate further, but the wall was smooth. The Doctor enjoyed watching him try anyway, but eventually turned around and realized Rose had wandered off, deeper into the factory.
Once she got used to it, the factory wasn't very scary at all. There was nothing there but old machines and some boxes. She'd decided that the Mothman had been a bust- there was nothing to it. She was already trying to think about where to go- it was her turn to pick next. She remembered something about the Colossus at Rhodes and had seen the little of it that remained in a book once. She really wanted to see the whole thing.
Her torch flicked over something in a corner. It looked almost as black as the rest of the shadows, but it seemed to have some texture. She took a step forward and nearly took another before thinking better of it. How many times had this gotten her in trouble? She stepped back, keeping her light toward the thing- it looked like a pile of clothes- without shining it directly on it.
"Doctor," Rose called softly. They'd been right behind her a second ago. Why did he find it so hard to keep up? "Doctor." A little louder this time, but she got no response. "Doctor!" as loud as she dared.
The piles of clothes spread open, revealing a creature that looked like a cross between a man and a giant bat. It had no head, but two large eyes in either side of its chest. It had large, leathery wings instead of arms, which were extended out toward her.
Rose turned and ran as the Mothman let out a screech. She felt a gust of air rush past her as the Mothman flapped its wings, lifting off the ground.
"Rose!" The Doctor and Jack called in unison. She ran towards their voices and soon found them.
"What happened?" the Doctor asked. He had his sonic screwdriver in hand, while Jack and drawn the old revolver he'd picked up a few trips back and had it pointed toward where Rose had just come from.
"I found it," Rose said, breathing heavily.
"The Mothman?" Jack asked without looking toward her.
"Yes," Rose said. Her eyes widened. "Look out!"
Jack threw himself backwards as the Mothman silently swept in on him. The razor sharp claws on its feet missed Jack by inches as it swooped by. Before it could ascend back into the dark, Jack rolled to his stomach and fired two shots with his revolver. He creature let out a shriek at the second shot and Rose saw a brief shadow pass over the broken window.
She turned as the Doctor grabbed her by her upper arms. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Rose said. Her breathing was starting to slow down.
"I'm fine too, by the way," Jack said, pushing himself up off the ground. "Come on!" Jack took off across the factory floor, back towards the stairway.
"Alright. Let's go." The Doctor grinned as he took Rose's hand and they followed Jack. Seeing his goofy grin always made her feel better right after she'd almost been killed.
"It's gone," Jack said, letting his arms drop. He holstered his gun and turned back to Rose and the Doctor. "Can your sonic-thing track him down?"
"Maybe," the Doctor said, already scanning with it. "It's not really good at that, but if it's-" The Doctor cut himself off mid-sentence. I was wondering when you'd catch up.
"Not good with what?" Jack asked. Who is your new friend?
"What are you doing here?" The Doctor demanded. I was hoping you'd be happy to see me. "What are you doing here?" The Doctor repeated.
"Doctor, is it him?" Rose asked. She had not forgotten the large pale man with the huge grin. The Doctor nodded. I'm stilling following the creature from the sea. It just flew by here.
"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked. "Have we met in the right order?" Yes. You helped me try to capture a creature in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 2005. I followed it here. I have been tracking it for several days.
"None of this makes sense. How could it be the same thing?" The Doctor asked. He was looking around, scanning, trying to find where the Grinning Man was.
"Is it the thing we saw in the ocean?" Rose asked. A cloud passed over the moon and Rose grew frightened again. The Doctor mouthed that he didn't know.
I don't know. It is not my concern. I just need to bring it in.
"Who gave you this assignment?" Commander Jathron. "Your usual boss?" Yes. "Some help." Are you going to help me, Doctor? It has been trying to hurt the residents of this planet again. I know you like them.
"What's happening?" Jack asked Rose softly.
"The Doctor's talking to the Grinning Man," Rose answered. Jack grew concerned.
"What's he doing here?" Jack whispered urgently.
"I don't know." Jack pursed his lips and looked to the Doctor for some clue.
"Fine," the Doctor said. "Where are you?"
There was a whooshing sound and the strange ship Rose had seen before appeared in the air above them. It slowly set down on the ground and the front of it slid open partway, letting the Grinning Man out.
Jack drew his gun and pointed it at Indrid Cold. "What're you doing here?" Jack said. "I'm not going with you, I know what you do, I've seen it." I am not here for you. Jack held back a shudder, as he always had to when the Grinning Man spoke into his mind.
"He's not here for you, Jack," The Doctor explained, not knowing Cold had already told him. "It's a bit of a story, but right now, he's going to help us catch the Mothman."
"Catch the Mothman?" Jack asked, lowering his pistol slowly. The Grinning Man kept his eyes on Jack. "Why would you be interested in that?" It is not my concern why they want it. I only need to catch it. The Grinning Man turned away It went into the forest. My ship can't follow it and it will be better if we work together.
"Great," Jack said, putting his gun away.
"Doctor, I don't like this," Rose said.
"I don't either," the Doctor agreed. "But that thing's violent and I don't think it can be reasoned with. When it shrieked, all I heard was a shriek."
"What does that mean?" Rose asked.
"Either it doesn't speak any known language, or it's incapable of higher thought." The Doctor shrugged. "Whatever the case, it attacked you on site. It's dangerous, and this is the only way to stop it from hurting people." Doctor, we need to go.
"Alright," Rose said. "Let's do it."
Jack held up his hands. "What? I don't get a vote?"
"Your trip. You have to go along," the Doctor said with a wicked grin.
Jack slumped a little and dropped his hands. "Alright. Lead the way, Smiles."
The moon had kept the night fairly bright, but the forest was dark. Rose had hoped the only sounds would be their footfalls, but the forest was far from quiet. She heard leaves and bushes rustle in the wind- and sometimes when there was no wind. She tried to tell herself that was it was just squirrels and hoped that squirrels were actually noctural.
Indrid Cold led the way. He apparently had some sort of innate sense that helped it track the Mothman's location. Another part of why it was used to find people and things, she supposed. It had some sort of weapon in its other hand, a bit like a ray gun out of an old movie. It has stopped.
The group came to a halt. Cold continued to look around. I think it knows we are here.
"Well that's lovely," Jack said. He had his own gun drawn, even though the Grinning Man told him it wouldn't do much good against the Mothman. It is coming closer.
"How far?" the Doctor asked. Half a mile and closing "What direction?" Directly in front of us. It is fast. Very fast. The four of them all looked in front of them but heard nothing. She hoped the Grinning Man could tell what was going on, because it all looked like night to her. She heard some noises behind them and to the side, but the front seemed to be dead silent, save for the occasional swaying of trees. It's here. It-
Something crashed down from above. Jack and Indrid Cold tried to react, but it came in too quickly. It was the same creature they had seen in the factory. It came down on top of The Grinning Man and dug its claws into his stomach. White blood came pouring from the wounds. The Grinning Man made no sound, either out loud or in their heads. The Doctor and Jack were both shouting, but Rose found she could not look away. The Grinning Man was trying to aim his strange little gun at the Mothman but his arm was losing strength. The Mothman finally swiped at it with one of its wings, knocking it from the Grinning Man's hand.
Right to Rose's feet.
Rose picked up and pointed what she hoped was the firing end toward the Mothman, who was starting to lose interest with Indrid Cold. It had no trigger, but there were several buttons on the back she could hit with her thumb.
"Kill, how do I set it to kill?" Rose shouted. Her voice caused the Mothman to jerk toward the sound of her voice. It had been moving toward Jack, using its thick wings to shield itself from the revolver.
"Blue button!" the Doctor shouted. He was trying to get over to her, but the Mothman flailed its wings and kept the Doctor away.
Rose found the blue button and pointed it. It sent out a blue laser that caught the Mothman directly in the stomach. It let out another shriek and stumbled backwards. Rose let the button go and aimed again, this time right between the eyes. Another shriek, but the Mothman definitely wasn't dead.
"I thought you said blue was kill?" Rose shouted as the Doctor was finally able to reach her. He looked at the gun briefly.
"It should be kill." He looked up at the Mothman and drew his Screwdriver. "Again!" He pointed it at the Grinning Man's gun as she fired. This time it knocked the Mothman off its feet, but it was still shrieking. Still not dead. Rose smelled something burning.
"Are you pushing the blue button?" Jack joined them now, having given up on his revolver doing anything.
"Yes!" Rose and the Doctor said in unison.
"Do we have a plan B?"
"Run!"
Jack refused to move. "Bad plan. Trying pushing it harder!"
The Mothman stayed pinned to the ground as the three of them watched. The beam did not seem to be having any more effect than keeping it down, but Rose supposed that was better than nothing.
Then it began to glow gold, much like the monster in the ocean had. The glow became brighter and brighter till it hurt to look at. Rose kept her hand on the gun even as she shielded her eyes. The shrieking grew higher and then abruptly cut off. A few flecks of gold remained in the air, but the Mothman was gone.
"What happened?" Jack asked, looking around. Rose and the Doctor simply kept staring where the Mothman had laid a moment before. "Where did it go?"
The Doctor did a quick scan around the area with his Sonic Screwdriver. "It's gone again," he said.
"Again? What do you mean again?"
"Last time Indrid almost captured it, and it turned gold like that and vanished. It showed up here, as the Mothman," the Doctor explained.
Jack took a deep breath, calmer now, and looked at the Doctor. "So it changed into something else when it was in danger, and travelled through time?"
Rose looked over at the Doctor, but he said nothing. Indeed, he seemed completely lost in thought.
"Doctor?"
The Doctor shook his head and came back from his thoughts. "Sorry. I was thinking." He looked at the two of them Help me.
They all heard it and looked to the Grinning Man. He had survived the attack. He already looked better than when Rose had last looked at him. He'd stopped bleeding his white blood and gotten to one knee. It's getting away, I need to follow it.
"You're in no condition to travel," the Doctor said. I don't have time for this. Do you know what I can do to them?
The Doctor's face grew even more serious. "You wouldn't dare." I will if I have to. "I'd make sure you regretted it." I'm not sure you could.
"What's he mean?" Rose asked.
It was Jack who answered, whispering softly to her. "You know how he can talk right into your mind? That's not all he can do in there." He sounded frightened. Take me to my ship. Now.
"Fine," the Doctor finally relented. The Grinning Man got to his feet and held on to Jack and the Doctor. They began to walk out of the forest as quickly as they could manage, Rose following behind.
Indrid pushed the Doctor and Jack away as they reached his ship I need my gun. Rose looked down and realized she still had the Grinning Man's gun I need it now. She handed him the gun.
His ship opened as he approached it. Rose found she could not quite focus on the inside of it, no matter how she tried. She was about to says something when she remembered what Jack had said about the things the Grinning Man could do to her mind and her blood ran cold. I have to follow it.
"I'll say it again, Cold." The Doctor also seemed to be having trouble looking directly at the open door as he stepped inside. "We don't know what that thing is. It'll kill you if you go after it again. You must see that now."
The doors closed. The Grinning Man made no reply as his ship began to grow thin. A few seconds later it had vanished altogether.
"So," Jack said as they reached the TARDIS, finally breaking the silence. "The Mothman. Not boring."
"Pretty thrilling, actually," Rose said. She was feeling much calmer now that it was all said and done. Yet she had a hard time cheering up completely because the Doctor still seemed so sullen.
"I'm still curious though. More curious now, actually." Jack said. Rose got the feeling that Jack was now talking more to the Doctor, though she could not say why. "If the Grinning Man was right about it being the same creature, and I've never heard of him being wrong before, it sounds like it changed form and travelled through time when it was in danger." Jack leaned against the TARDIS console next to the Doctor, who was fiddling with some levers. "Know of anything that can do that?"
The Doctor froze in place for a moment before looking at Jack. "Can't think of a thing."
Jack shrugged and stood up straight. "Alright then. Who's up now? I think it's your pic, Rose."
Rose began to toss ideas out at Jack about destinations. The Doctor soon joined them, seeming like himself. Rose tried to join in and make a decision, but she had the feeling there was something neither of them were telling her.