For the Sake of an Angel:
Chapter Two: Tigress
Rather anticlimactically, the Doctor had actually only shifted the TARDIS into space, as the three of them had decided to recuperate in favor of traveling later. While Addie had wanted to swing open the front doors to look outside as soon as the shaking had stopped, she had been much too scared of falling out. Of course, she was well aware that they would be facing much scarier things than the danger of an open door in the near future, but she hadn't been able to muster up the energy to try at the time.
Besides, Addie had a feeling that it had only been because of her that Martha and the Doctor had chosen to postpone their victory trip, so she decided that exploring the TARDIS would have to wait until she got some sleep. Addie would be of no use to them in her current state.
Unfortunately, she was having trouble finding her room. When she had asked where she could take a nap, the Doctor had just gestured at a hallway before claiming he had to fix some things on the console. Martha had already disappeared at that point, heaven knew where, seemingly assuming that Addie would know her way around.
She didn't. She really didn't.
"Um, hello? Sweetie, could you please help me out?" Addie pleaded. In response, she received a small shock, and she flinched, feeling miserable at the thought that the TARDIS hated her. "The Doctor let me stay, didn't he? I swear on my life that you can trust me."
The sound of a low hum filled the air, as if the TARDIS was mulling over her proposal. For a few seconds, there was no evidence that the TARDIS had chosen to believe her, but then a door morphed into being a few feet ahead. Addie hurried to the room and touched the wall gratefully. "Thank you."
And, for the first time, the TARDIS only warmed the surface of the wall; no electric zings. With a hopeful smile, Addie pushed the door open and felt the wind rush out of her at the sight of her dream room. The walls were a dark green, patterned with golden vines, and the floor was made of oak. A lovely smell drifted past and she took a deep breath in; it was jasmine, with just a hint of vanilla. The queen bed in the center of the room looked luxurious, and the big closet doors on the other side of the room seemed to burst with possibility. She made a mental note to check that out later.
There was another door that Addie deduced to be the way to the bathroom. Against one wall was a desk, directly adjacent to a window. The curtains were drawn, and Addie's curiosity was piqued. Dropping her backpack on the floor, she made her way over to the drapes and pushed them to the side.
Addie was speechless.
An endless night sky filled with swirling galaxies and white pinpricks danced in front of her. Once again, Addie could not believe her eyes. She had to pinch herself a couple of times, just to be sure that she wasn't dreaming. "It's real. It's all real." She laughed in disbelief, not knowing if she would ever get over that fact.
After a few minutes of staring dreamily outside, Addie reluctantly closed the drapes and curled under the covers of her bed. "Thank you, sweetie." She yawned.
Hearing a pleasant hum in response, she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
Addie had a bit of a rude awakening as Martha knocked once on her door and then barged in without permission. She sat up blearily and looked at the other girl in question.
"We've landed. I don't know where, but I thought I'd let you know." Martha announced, giving her the once over. "Do you want me to show you where the closet is? I'm sure you want a change of clothes."
"I think I have a closet, here." Addie swung her legs off the side of the bed, suddenly feeling more alert at the prospect of stepping out onto alien terrain. "How long was I out for?"
"You've got a closet?" Martha asked jealously. "I haven't got one in my room. Anyways, you were asleep for seven hours. Me too, for about half that time."
"Seven hours?" Addie's voice called incredulously from the depths of the closet. She was nicely surprised by the clothes hanging inside, which were all her style. Slipping on an olive green dress and black tights, she stepped out and shut the door. "I'm so sorry!"
"No, believe me; we both needed it." Martha reassured her as the two left her room. Addie cast a doubtful glance back at the door, praying that she would be able to find it again later, as they walked to the console room. "I was this close to hitting him, I swear."
"Oi!" The man turned to them as they entered, arching an eyebrow. "Are you two going to gang up on me now?"
Addie snorted and instantly averted her eyes once the Doctor turned his attention towards her; she was much too nervous to even talk to him, let alone tease him. Her atypical audacity from seven hours earlier could only be attributed to adrenaline.
"No promises." Martha joked, leaving Addie's side and making her feel even more exposed under the Doctor's suspicious gaze. "So, are you going to tell us where we are?"
He finally looked away from Addie, and she let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Cardiff."
"Cardiff?" Martha repeated incredulously.
"Ah, but the thing about Cardiff, it's built on a rift in time and space, just like California and the San Andreas Fault, but the rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel."
Addie suddenly felt a sense of deja vu. This conversation sounded uncannily familiar, and she mentally went over the parts of the episodes she remembered. She really shouldn't have postponed that Doctor Who night.
"Oh, that's right." She mumbled, feeling a sense of dread. Shoot, she had forgotten about the Master, the end of the universe and all that. Not wanting to think about it, Addie let her eyes drift along the console until they sharply darted to a man running on a monitor. She got closer to see who it was, not noticing that the other two had gone quiet, and then the screen went blank.
"See anything interesting?" The Doctor dared her to say something, but Addie left it alone, knowing that Jack would end up coming along anyways. Satisfied, he started to flip some switches as he prepared the TARDIS to take off. "Finito. All powered up."
As soon as the Doctor finished speaking, a shudder tore through the TARDIS. "Whoa, what's that?" Martha exclaimed, grabbing onto the railing. Sparks flew all around them as the Doctor put his foot on the console in disbelief. Addie was tossed against the chair and she desperately clung to the armrest for dear life.
"We're accelerating into the future." The Doctor's eyes were wide, wild with panic. "The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion? What? The year one hundred trillion? That's impossible."
"We should've let him on." Addie stated without thinking, then regretted it as he pointed a finger at her. "Sorry, sorry."
Martha looked between the two of them curiously. "Who? Let who on?" When neither of them said anything, she demanded, "What happens in the year one hundred trillion?"
"The end of the universe." The Doctor said grimly.
With that warm and fuzzy statement lingering in their minds, the TARDIS arrived with a final tremble.
All was quiet, and the scene was rife with possibility.
"Well," The Doctor broke the silence, "we've landed."
"So, what's out there?"
"I don't know." He admitted.
Martha gave a weak laugh. "Say that again, that's rare."
If possible, the Doctor stiffened even more. "Not even the Time Lords came this far. We should leave. We should go. We should really, really… go." His eyes flicked over to Martha, then Addie, who was nearly trembling with skittish excitement. Almost as if she were a cue, a terrific grin beamed on his face and he bolted for the door, grabbing his signature trench coat along the way.
Addie tumbled out after him with Martha close behind her. Immediately, she spotted Jack and rushed over to his prone body, hearing an intake of breath from one of the other two. Addie prodded his face a bit, not too concerned about his currently dead state. That definitely had to be one for the books, though: death via time vortex.
The corners of her lips turned down when she remembered that Jack hadn't been the only one to die that way, and she shot a cursory glance over her shoulder at the Doctor. He was watching her, a frown on his face, and Addie felt incredibly awkward. Her shoulders tensed beneath his gaze. What was she doing wrong?
"He's not dead, you know." He said offhandedly, searching for a reaction. Martha had run back inside to grab the medical kit, so he felt safe enough to test the waters. He really didn't know much about this girl, after all. She was being ridiculously timid and it was starting to bother him; he knew she was brilliant, or at least had the potential to be, and here she was, too afraid to push his buttons. He made a mental note to fix that in the near future.
"That doesn't mean he isn't hurting." Addie countered quietly, feeling that she was being tested. "He deserves at least some sympathy."
"Eh." He scrunched up his nose. "Not really."
Martha came charging back out and Addie moved away from the body. "Here we go. It's a bit odd, though. Not very hundred trillion. That coat's more like World War Two."
"Yeah, well, he came with us."
Martha paused, stethoscope in hand. "How do you mean, from Earth?"
"Must have been clinging to the outside of the TARDIS all the way through the vortex." The Doctor reflected. "Well, that's very him."
"What, do you know him?" Martha asked in surprise.
"He's one of the Doctor's old friends." Addie interjected absentmindedly, then clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry."
The Doctor gave her another unreadable look as Martha sat back on her heels. "But he's… I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat." She shook her head. "There's nothing. He's dead."
All three of them jumped a bit when Jack dramatically came back to life (particularly Martha, whose arm Jack had grabbed). "Oh, so much for me." Martha's voice quivered in relief. "It's all right. Just breathe deep. I've got you."
Instantly noticing that he had company, an award-winning, toothy smile appeared on Jack's countenance. Though he was still recovering from death, Jack had enough energy to flirt. He touched Martha's chin lightly, and said sultrily, "Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?"
"Martha Jones." She replied easily, picking up on his tone.
"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones."
The Doctor retched immaturely, deciding he'd had enough. "Oh, don't start."
With Martha's help, Jack staggered to his feet. "I was only saying hello!"
"I don't mind." Martha supported him, both physically and metaphorically. He sent a smile down in her direction, and then he finally noticed the other girl standing a few feet away from the Doctor.
"Oh, and who's this fiery woman?"
Fiery, indeed. Addie's face turned red as she introduced herself. "My name is Adelaide, but you can call me Addie."
"Addie, huh?" Jack toyed with the idea, a strange twinkle in his eye. "Nah, I think I'll call you, 'Vixen.' That ginger hair and American accent mean you've gotta have a rough time of it keeping all those boys - and girls - away, hey?"
If possible, she got even darker. Addie, a vixen? No, she didn't think so; neither did Martha or the Doctor, going by their amused expressions.
"Eh, more of a mouse, really." The Doctor interjected. Addie's blush faded away, replaced by indignation. How dare he! A mouse? He had only talked to her all of two times - not nearly enough to judge her character! "Or a turtle."
Oh, he would pay…
… if she ever got the courage to face him head-on.
"You're being awfully rude, Doctor." Jack turned his attention over to the other man, and Addie heaved a sigh of relief. "Still, it's good to see you."
"And you. Same as ever." The two men definitely had some tension between them. "Although, have you had work done?"
Clearly offended, Jack retorted, "You can talk."
It took a minute for his words to register, then a lightbulb went off in his head. "Oh yes, the face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"
"The police box kind of gives it away." Jack grit out bitterly. "I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me."
"Did I? Busy life. Moving on." He said emotionlessly. Addie marveled at the stone-cold apathy he was emitting and reminded herself not to make him angry.
"Just got to ask. The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler."
At the mention of her name, the Doctor's face transformed. Rose still had so much hold over him, even now. "Oh, no! Sorry, she's alive."
"You're kidding." Jack was unable to believe his ears.
"Parallel world, safe and sound. And Mickey, and her mother." The Doctor listed off.
"Oh, yes!" Jack hugged the Doctor tightly, and, just like that, the ice was broken.
While the two had their moment, Addie heard Martha whisper, "Good old Rose." Addie could only look over helplessly at the other woman, not knowing what to say. She had just shifted closer to Martha when the two men finally broke apart.
"Right, then. Shall we have a bit of a wander? End of the universe, who knows what's out there." The Doctor arched an eyebrow. Addie and Martha nodded and the four started off into the unknown.
Martha, evidently intrigued by Jack, made her way up to him and the two began chatting. This left Addie alone with the Doctor, and she felt distinctly uncomfortable. Here was this man, whom she idolized and whose life story she knew almost by heart, and she was struck dumb in both awe and the fear one feels when they are in the presence of something utterly sublime. How did she even begin talking to someone whose life was so painful and yet so wonderful? The man whose very name struck fear into his enemies' hearts, and wonder in all others'?
The Doctor decided for her as he aggressively shoved his hands in his pockets. "Stop it."
Addie's heart rose to her throat. "Sorry, stop what?"
"Withdrawing." He kept his steady gaze forward. "Treating me and Martha, but particularly me, like we're some type of gods. Being too scared to speak up. Acting like a meek, little rodent. Pretending to be someone you certainly are not." The Doctor turned his eyes on her and she quailed under his disgusted expression. "I vehemently abhor liars, you know that?"
Addie looked down, not denying his claims, but also getting infuriated. There he went again, labeling her without even knowing her.
"What, you can't even say anything? Can't even defend yourself? Are you just going to be silent the entire time?" His voice started to rise in volume. "Rassilon, I'm starting to regret having invited you along, not that I had much choice in the matter. I thought you had a backbone, or at least some sort of defense mechanism, but clearly, I was severely mistaken. All you do is apologize, on and on and on and on. Is there anything you don't regret?"
That was it; she'd had enough.
"How about leaving home for an idiot Time Dunce with a faulty box, for starters?" Addie exploded. Now, nothing could stop her fury.
"Ah, but I said don't regret." The Doctor corrected snarkily. Ahead of them, Martha and Jack fell silent.
"No, I understand the difference between 'do' and 'do not,' thank you, Mister Space Man! Don't make me start to regret the fact that I don't regret any of it! Not at all!" She pointed at him irritatedly. "You haven't even given me a chance! What gives you the right to call me a mouse? I'll show you who's meek, and it's certainly not me." She sent him one last burning glare and strongly wished she could give him a good slap before she stomped up past Martha and Jack. "Imbecilic Time Lord."
Jack placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, but she whacked it off immediately. "Bite me." She snarled, going ahead on her own. She needed some time to cool off, but she'd prove herself. Yes, she had been withholding, surely anyone would have in her situation, but if the Doctor wanted fire, she'd give it to him. In fact, she'd set him on fire. Maybe that would be enough for him.
As Addie steamed up ahead, the Doctor was still reeling from her sudden anger. Had he imagined that? Had he actually managed to break her shell? "Oh, Doctor, you are good." He patted himself on the back, a delighted smile spreading across his face. He couldn't believe that his plan had worked; he had purposefully baited Addie to see how long it would take for her to react, and react, she had.
"That's debatable." Martha called back, a crease in her brow. "I don't know if that was one of your best ideas, Doctor."
"It wasn't." Jack said. "It was definitely one of his worst, right up there with leaving me stranded in the year two hundred one hundred, ankle deep in Dalek dust."
"What?" Martha's jaw dropped. "You're joking."
The three of them continued talking as Addie gradually started to cool down. Now that she was in a slightly better state of mind, she could clearly see that the Doctor had been pushing her buttons. Clever, but infuriating. However, she did feel more comfortable around him, now that he hadn't left her behind after she'd blown up at him. For someone without experience in any sort of psychiatric field, the Doctor had shown alarming skill with reverse psychology.
Her thoughts came to a halt as the ground just ahead of her dropped away into a ravine. "Ah, the conglomeration." Addie observed, recalling the term. She didn't notice the Doctor catch up with her until his trench coat brushed against her arm.
"That's one word for it." He agreed. She locked eyes with him, searching for something that she must have found, because she turned away without comment. Feeling oddly reassured, he continued. "But look, there. That's like pathways, roads? Must have been some sort of life, long ago."
"What killed it?" Martha asked cautiously, coming up next to them. She was still wary of Addie's new temperament, but the Doctor seemed to be managing fine.
"Time." Addie answered, earning both of their surprise. "Everything has its time, and everything dies." She smirked challengingly at the Doctor, who recognized her (or, rather, his) words from Platform One.
Ah, so that's how it would be between them; the Doctor was pleased with this new dynamic. He winked at her, no longer doubting her foreknowledge, and added, "All the great civilizations have gone. This isn't just night. All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing."
"They must have an atmospheric shell. We should be frozen to death." Jack commented.
"Well, Addie, Martha, and I, maybe. Not so sure about you, Jack."
"What about the people?" Martha despaired. "Does no one survive?"
Addie saw movement in the valley below and pointed it out to them. "He does, apparently."
A call echoed up to their ears as another figure appeared, calling: "Human!"
"And him." Addie added. Dots of fire blinked into existence as well, and she edited her statement. "And them."
"Is it me, or does that look like a hunt?" The Doctor growled, and Addie suddenly felt a hand in hers. She stared at it almost confusedly and nearly fell over as the Doctor yanked her along. "Come on!"
The four time travelers broke into a sprint towards the man who had clearly been designated as prey. Even though his body screamed exhaustion, an expression of panicked confusion was on his face. Jack managed to pull forward and crashed into the other man, who instantly pushed him away.
"Alright, seems I'm not too popular today." Jack huffed, but was ignored by the others.
"They're coming! They're coming!" The man shouted, clearly antsy at the fact that they weren't moving. Seeing the threat approach, Jack hoisted his gun out of his coat pocket, but Addie smacked it down with her free hand.
"No time." She gasped, not used to all the running. He sent her a disappointed look, and shot the gun into the air anyways. It turned out to be quite effective, as the enemy halted at the unfamiliar noise.
Addie took the time to inspect them and was both intrigued and terrified by the tattoos and attire they wore. They really did look like savages; although they were humanoid in shape, their wild eyes and sharpened teeth said otherwise.
"What the hell are they?"
Clearly, Martha had the same train of thought.
"There's more of them. We've got to keep going." The man declared shakily.
"I've got a ship nearby. It's safe. It's not far, it's over there." The Doctor jerked his head over to the cliff, where more of the enemy were stationed. "Or, maybe not."
Then, a gleam of hope shone in the man's eyes. "We're close to the silo. If we get to the silo, then we're safe."
"Silo?" The Doctor questioned his companions.
"Silo." Jack affirmed.
"Silo for me!"
"Well, come on, then!" Addie was the one to pull on the Doctor's hand this time, but she let go of it once she realized how much it was slowing them down.
She didn't know how long they had been running, but it only felt like seconds in her adrenaline-rushed state. A barbed wire fence with sentries guarding it appeared around the bend and Addie desperately pumped her legs to move faster.
"It's the Futurekind! Open the gate!"
They crashed into the fence, only to be denied entry. "Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!"
Addie grimaced widely, showing off the teeth that three years of braces had perfected. The whole process had been torture, but at least she would never have teeth as terrible as the Futurekind's.
"Human! Let them in! Let them in!" The guard shouted amidst the loud snarls coming from the enemy. The gate opened achingly slowly, but finally, they were able to dash in. Addie leaned against the wall, her heart racing.
"Close! Close! Close!"
But they weren't fast enough. A sentry started shooting through the gap that remained and suddenly, the ruckus ceased. They had a face-off as the leader of the Futurekind stepped forward.
"Humans. Humani." He thumped his chest. "Make feast."
"Yeah, I don't think so." Addie muttered under her breath.
The guard cocked his gun. "Go back to where you came from."
Seeing an opportunity to gloat, Jack leaned over to her. "I don't see you smacking his gun out of the way."
She held her hands up. "Hey, I'm not against guns; I'm against using them when they don't need to be used, by people who don't deserve to use them at all. Besides, they saved us. I'm not about to go take their weapons away when we're under their protection."
Jack fell silent, conceding her point. After a few minutes, the Futurekind turned away and gradually disappeared into the night. The relief in the air was palpable.
The Doctor spoke for all of them when he said, "Thanks for that."
The guard pretended like it was nothing and waved him off easily. "Right, let's get you inside."
They all followed after him, with their new acquaintance eagerly dogging the guard's footsteps. "My name is Padra Toc Shafe Cane. Tell me, just tell me, can you take me to Utopia?"
"Oh, yes, sir. Yes, I can." The guard answered happily.
"Utopia?" Martha mouthed over to Addie. She held a finger up to her lips and shrugged. There was no way she could spill that can of beans just yet, no matter how much she wished she could.
It seemed that the Doctor had witnessed their little exchange, however, and he came closer to Addie. "Bit of a hint?" He pleaded. "Not too obvious, mind you."
Oh, fantastic; her first chance to be vague and mysterious. But, what to say? She deliberated for a few seconds, before stating simply, "You are not alone."
"Is that all you can do? Steal other people's phrases?" The Doctor joked, though he had visibly tensed at her words.
She got a bit pink. "Is that all you can do? Make fun of me when I'm trying to help you?"
He looked at her proudly, and she realized he'd tricked her again. "Ah, there she is. The tigress within."
"That's an upgrade from a turtle. And a mouse." Addie tried to hide how pleased she was at his new analysis.
"Can't say you haven't earned it." The Doctor rubbed the back of his head. "I thought you were going to murder me."
Addie laughed at the accuracy. "Yeah, well, I was seriously considering setting you on fire."
"Oi!" The Doctor exclaimed indignantly. "No driver, no destination, got that?"
She nudged his shoulder playfully. "Oh, come on, you know I'm joking."
He chuckled as they came to a stop by a staircase and then got distracted by an official-looking man. "Oi, wait! Can you get me something from outside? It looks like a box, a big blue box. I'm sorry, but I really need it back. It's stuck out there."
As they conversed, Martha sidled up to Addie. "It looks like you two have gotten pretty comfortable." She noted, her tone unreadable.
"Yeah, it seems that way, doesn't it?" Addie reflected, her eyebrows creasing. She really didn't know how it had happened; one minute, she had been moderately scared of him, the next, she had been infuriated, and now? She didn't know what their relationship was, but she was beginning to like it. "To be honest, I'm just as confused as you are."
At least one thing was certain; the next few hours would be… interesting, that was for sure.
