Chapter Six: Blue Gas
"Hold that one down!" the Doctor shouted from across the console.
"I'm holding this one down!" Rose shouted back.
"Well, hold them both down!"
"It's not going to work," Rose muttered as she stretched across the console.
"Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?"
"What happened in 1860?" Rose asked.
"I don't know! Let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" The TARDIS shook and rumbled and eventually stopped, but roughly enough that Rose and the Doctor fell down on their backs.
"Aww, I missed all the fun," Chloe whined as she walked into the console room and looked down at the Doctor and Rose on the floor. "That's so not fair."
"Well, you wouldn't have if you hadn't picked an awful time to go to the bathroom," the Doctor said with his typical snark.
"Are you alright?" Chloe asked, ignoring the Doctor. She held a hand out to help Rose uo.
"Yeah. I think so," Rose replied, taking Chloe's hand and standing up. "Nothing broken. Did we make it? Where are we?"
The Doctor stood up and walked over to the monitor. "I did it. Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860."
"That's so weird," Rose mused. "It's Christmas."
"All yours," the Doctor said with a proud grin.
"But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago." She smiled slightly. "No wonder you never stay still."
"Not a bad life," the Doctor nodded.
"Better with three," said Rose. "Come on then." She took Chloe's hand and made for the door.
"Hey, where do you two think you're going?" the Doctor asked.
"1860!" the girls said together.
The Doctor shook his head. "Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!" Rose and Chloe rushed off, while the Doctor went under the console to make sure the rough landing hadn't damaged his precious ship.
A few moments later, Rose and Chloe came back into the console room. The Doctor slid out from under the console, and upon seeing them, immediately exclaimed, "Blimey!"
"Don't laugh," Rose half-begged.
The Doctor grinned. "You look beautiful, considering."
"Considering what?" Rose asked.
"That you're human," the Doctor said casually.
"I think that's a compliment," Rose mused.
"Aren't you going to change?" Chloe asked.
"I've changed my jumper. Come on." The Doctor made for the door, but Rose stopped him.
"You stay there," Rose ordered. "You've done this before. This is mine." She took Chloe's hand again and opened the door.
"Ready for this?" the Doctor asked. Chloe nodded eagerly. "Here we go. History."
They walked down a street and listened as a choir sang "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen." Chloe smiled softly as she remembered the time her school chorus went caroling and sang that song.
Meanwhile, the Doctor was buying a newspaper. "I got the flight a bit wrong," he announced, pulling Chloe from her daydream.
"I don't care," said Rose, excited that she was in the past.
"It's not 1860, it's 1869," the Doctor continued.
"I don't care," Rose repeated.
"And it's not Naples."
"I don't care." Rose's tone became a hint more annoyed.
"It's Cardiff."
Rose stopped in her tracks. "Right…"
Suddenly, they heard screams. "That's more like it!" the Doctor exclaimed. He grabbed Rose's and Chloe's hands and they took off towards the sound.
They reached a theater and walked inside to see a strange blue entity coming through the nostrils of an old woman and flowing around the room. Within a few seconds, the woman collapsed. Chloe screamed and hid her face in the Doctor's side.
"Fantastic," said the Doctor, wrapping his arm around Chloe's shoulder. Rose grinned at the use of his catchphrase before giving Chloe's hand a gentle squeeze. A man came running off the stage and towards them. "Did you see where it came from?" the Doctor asked.
The man glared at him. "Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!"
Meanwhile, another man and a young, dark-haired woman about Rose's age were picking up the woman who had collapsed. "Oi! Leave her alone!" Rose exclaimed. "Doctor, I'll get them." She ran out of the theater.
"Be careful!" the Doctor called after her before turning back to the man from the stage. "Did it say anything? Can it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Chloe." He nodded toward Chloe, who mumbled a hello, still freaked out by the blue… stuff.
"Doctor? You look more like a navvie," said the man.
"What's wrong with this jumper?" asked the Doctor. Chloe giggled. Just then, the blue stuff flew into a gas light. "Gas! It's made of gas!"
"What're you doing?!" Rose exclaimed as the old man and younger woman made their way over to their coach.
"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss," the girl explained quickly. "Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary."
Rose touched the old woman's hand. "She's cold. She's dead! Oh, my God, what'd you do to her?" Suddenly, the old man came behind her and stuck a chloroform-soaked cloth to her face. Instantly she collapsed.
"What did you do that for?" asked the girl.
"She's seen too much," said the old man. "Get her in the hearse."
"Rose!" the Doctor shouted as he and Chloe ran out of the theater. Chloe's eyes were filling with tears, but the Doctor didn't notice.
"You're not escaping me, sir," the man from the stage said as he followed them. "What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"
"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks. Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" He helped Chloe into the closest carriage before climbing in himself.
"I can't do that, sir," said the driver."
"Why not?" the Doctor asked.
"I'll tell you why not," said the man from the stage. "I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach!"
"Well, get in, then," said the Doctor. "Move!"
The man from the stage glared pointedly at the Doctor before climbing into the coach.
"You're gonna have to sit on my lap, Chloe," said the Doctor as the driver cracked the whip. Chloe nodded and sniffed lightly as she climbed into the Doctor's lap. "There's a good girl. Come on, you're losing them!"
"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?" asked the driver.
"No! It is not!" shouted Dickens.
"What did he say?" asked the Doctor.
"Let me say this first," said Dickens. "I'm not without a sense of humour."
"Dickens?"
"Yes," Dickens sighed.
"Charles Dickens?"
"Yes."
"The Charles Dickens?" The Doctor grinned broadly.
"Is that the one who wrote all the big long books?" Chloe asked.
"Should I remove the gentleman and the child, sir?" the driver asked.
"That's right, Chloe," said the Doctor, ignoring the driver. "Charles Dickens! You're brilliant, you are. Completely one hundred percent brilliant. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"
"A Christmas Carol?"
"No, no, no, the one with the trains. The Signal Man, that's it. Terrifying! The best short story ever written. You're a genius. Chloe, can you believe it? We're sitting in a coach with Charles Dickens!"
"You want me to get rid of them, sir?
"Er, no, I think he can stay," sighed Dickens.
"Honestly, Charles. Can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan."
"A what?" asked Dickens. "A big what?"
"Fan. Number one fan, that's me," the Doctor grinned.
Dickens gave him a confused look. "How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?"
"No, it means fanatic, devoted to," the Doctor explained. "Mind you, I've got to say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean, it's rubbish, that bit."
"I thought you said you were my fan," said Dickens.
"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism," sighed the Doctor. "Go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up. No, sorry, forget about that. Come on, faster!"
"Who exactly is in that hearse?" asked Dickens.
"Rose," Chloe whispered sadly.
"Our friend," said the Doctor. "She's only nineteen. It's my fault. She's in my care, and now she's in danger."
"Why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books?!" Dickens exclaimed. This is much more important. Driver, be swift! The chase is on!"
"Yes, sir!" said the driver.
"Attaboy, Charlie," the Doctor grinned.
"Nobody calls me Charlie," said Dickens.
"The ladies do," the Doctor replied without missing a beat.
"How do you know that?" Dickens looked at the Doctor quizzically.
"I told you, I'm your number one-"
"-Number one fan," Dickens sighed.
"We're here, sir," said the driver.
The Doctor, Chloe, and Dickens exited the coach and approached the threshold of a very creepy-looking house with the words PHILLIP GARGERY SNEED, UNDERTAKER on a sign next to the front door. Chloe shuddered slightly. This was getting worse by the minute.
Dickens knocked loudly on the door and it opened to reveal the dark-haired girl they'd seen at the theater. "I'm sorry, sir. We're closed," said the girl.
"Nonsense," said Dickens. "Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master."
"He's not in, sir," said the girl.
Dickens was clearly getting impatient. "Don't lie to me, child. Summon him at once."
"I'm awfully sorry, Mister Dickens, but the master's indisposed."
Inside the house, a gas lamp flared. Chloe gulped and grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Having trouble with your gas?" the Doctor asked casually.
"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Dickens exclaimed.
The Doctor pushed the girl aside and headed towards the gas lamp.
"You're not allowed inside, sir," said the girl.
The Doctor blatantly ignored her. "There's something inside the walls," he said to Chloe. "The gas pipes. Something's living inside the gas."
Just then, they heard a scream. "Let me out! Open the door!"
"That's her," said the Doctor. "Come on." He grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her down the corridor towards Rose, still screaming to get out.
As they ran, they bumped into Mr. Sneed. "How dare you, sir! This is my house!"
"Shut up," said Dickens.
"I told you," Sneed said to the girl.
"Let me out! Somebody open the door! Open the door!" They reached the door in question, which the Doctor promptly kicked down to reveal Rose, who was in the clutches of a man who, given the fact that the room was full of coffins, was dead.
"I think this is my dance," said the Doctor, pulling Rose away from the man.
"It's a prank," said Dickens. "It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence."
"No, we're not," said the Doctor. "The dead are walking." He then looked down at Rose. "Hi."
"Hi." said Rose. "Who's your friend?"
"Charles Dickens," the Doctor said casually.
"Okay." Chloe expected Rose to be a bit more shocked, but then again, they had just seen the world explode while surrounded by blue people, talking trees, and a face stretched out like a bitchy trampoline.
The Doctor turned to address the dead man. "My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"
The man opened his mouth, but when he spoke, he seemed to with multiple voices, all somewhat childlike. "Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us. Argh!" And with that, the gas flew out of the man and back into the lamp and the man collapsed.
Hey guys! Sorry for the slow update! So many stories, so little time.
I have a few announcements to make:
First, I have a new program called Ofelia Sent Me! Ofelia Sent Me is a new project I've come up with to encourage reading other peoples' fanfic! Here's how it works: On my profile, there is a list of Ofelia Sent Me Writers. If you read a story written by any of these people and leave a review including the phrase "Ofelia sent me," you will become an Ofelia Sent Me Writer yourself and people will be encouraged to read and review YOUR stuff! How cool is that! For more information (including the instructions for how OSM writers report reviews), check my profile!
Second, I'm holding a contest! Three of my stories (Bad Boy, Start Again, and More Than Good Enough), need cover images. Make a cover image and email it to me at unshakespearean at gmail dot com, and you might win a prize so amazing I can't even tell you what it is!
Third, as usual, make sure to checkout What the Fluff!
And finally, a super special welcome to not one, but TWO new members of the Lone Shippers: KASSIE (icecreamdancer), and KAIRA (VampireKaira)!
As always, love and ducks to all of the Lone Shippers (Rachel, Emma, Seraphina, Mary, Rachel, Rhian, Ellie-Mai, Meg, Fedrogen, Caitlin, Rose, Lilly200, Kendra, Kaira, and Kassie), hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my chosen sisters, and cookies for all!
Love,
Ofelia xxx