A/N: I'm thinking of starting a tumblr for this Fanfic account, for extras of my stories and whatnot, what do you guys think of that idea?
Review Replies:
NeoMulder: I'm glad you're liking it! I'm rather fond of this episode myself.
deathb4beauty: Yeah, Rose isn't my favorite companion, if I'm completely honest. It probably shows.
-8-
"Mum!" Isla came running into her Flat. Her mother stood leaning against the counter, watching the news with wide eyes. "Mum, get your stuff, we have to go."
"Isla!" Audrey gasped, "There's a ship!"
"Yes, mum, I know. Aliens, so horrible. We need to go!" As Isla spoke, she was moving through the house, stuffing a duffel bag full of both her clothes and her mother's. She didn't let her mother protest as she dragged her out of the flat and towards the TARDIS at a rapid pace. She got there just as Rose and Mickey were dragging the Doctor towards the door.
"Isla!" Rose tossed her the key, "open the door!"
Isla caught it in her free hand, opening the door quickly and pushing her mother in before turning to help Rose and Mickey bring the Doctor in.
"No chance you can fly this thing?" Mickey asked, and Rose shook her head.
"Not anymore, no."
"Well you did before."
"I know, but it's sort of been wiped out of my head like it's forbidden."
"That's probably for the best. We don't want to be detected by the aliens. Mum!" Isla looked up to see her awed mother about to push a button, "don't touch, yeah? Why don't you help Jackie with the rest of the food?"
"Here we are, a nice cup of tea!" Jackie handed the thermos to Mickey.
"Mm, the solution to everything," Rose snarked.
"Cut the shit Rose. Grow up." Isla scolded, kneeling down to check on the Doctor.
"I'll get the rest of the food," Jackie said, "Now, then, Audrey, come and help, love?"
"Jackie?" Audrey asked, as Jackie pulled her from the TARDIS, "What on earth was that room?!"
"Tea, like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British. Oi! How does this thing work?" Mickey asked, slapping a monitor, "It picks up TV, maybe we can see what's going on out there?"
"I dunno, just sort of tunes itself." Rose pressed a few buttons. A signal sounded when she did. They sat there in silence, listening for a bit.
"What is it, like a distress signal?"
"Fat lot of good that's gonna do."
"Jesus," Isla stood up, frowning at this stranger that had once been her friend. "You've changed quite a bit, Rose, not necessarily for the better."
"Oi!"
"No, don't act like it's not true. You've been a miserable, useless lump this whole time. Why are you so keen to give up and lose hope?"
"Because what hope is left?!" Rose shouted back.
"He's not dead! One of his hearts is still beating and he's still breathing. You think he's dead just because he's changed his face. But you don't realise that he's gonna save the day as soon as he wakes up."
"Yes, well not everyone can be as optimistic as you!"
"Well maybe they should be, instead of being a bitch to everyone trying to help," Isla turned away from Rose.
There was a tense silence, before Mickey cleared his throat.
"Look at it this way," he said, "We're stuck in here with Jackie Tyler's cooking."
"Where is she?" Rose asked, realizing it shouldn't be taking so long to get the food.
"I dunno," Isla sighed. "I better go help them. My mum's probably too weak to hold the bags."
"Oi, tell her anything from a tin, that's fine!"
"Tell her yourself."
"Oh, but Xena, you're braver than I am!"
"Got that right!"
"Wait, Isla, I'm coming with you!" Rose came down the stairs. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "He's just...different."
"I know." They walked out of the TARDIS, realizing a second too late that they weren't at the Powell Estate anymore. They were on the ship. Rose shrieked as they were grabbed. Isla elbowed one of the ones holding her, but pain rocketed through her arm as she hit the bone-like armor.
"Rose!" Mickey came running out, leaving the door wide open. Isla glanced over her shoulder.
The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through those doors, and believe me, they've tried.
"The door, close the door!" She cried. Mickey jumped and turned, shutting the door seconds before two aliens grabbed him as well.
"Rose!" Harriet Jones grabbed her as she and Isla were led forth. "Oh, my precious thing. The Doctor. Is he with you?"
"No. We're on our own. But I have got one thing."
"And what's that?"
"Isla Pierce." Rose turned to her friend, "you have got to help us."
"What are these aliens called, Prime Minister?" Isla asked. Harriet eyed her up and down, before looking at the leader of the aliens.
"We believe they're called the Sycorax."
Isla nodded, and bit her lip, thinking about what she could do. They were vastly outnumbered, this much was obvious, so it wasn't like she could fight them. The Doctor was unconscious, no help to anyone at the moment, but with some carefully chosen words, she may be able to distract the Sycorax long enough for the Doctor to wake up. But if he didn't, she'd need to come up with another idea before all of them were killed.
With another, more firm nod, Isla made a decision.
"Oi!" She stepped forward, hands on her hips. The Sycorax started rumbling loudly. "I seek peaceful treaty with the Sycorax, under Article 15 of the Shadow proclamation!" They were the words the Doctor used with the Nestene Consciousness, and Isla hoped they applied here. It appeared to get the leader's attention, as he looked down at her, eyes narrowed.
"Yeah!" Rose stepped forward. "We command you to leave this world with all the authority of the...Slitheen Parliament of Raxacoricofallapatorius, and um...the Gelth Confederacy?" the leader strode towards her, "A…as uh...sanctioned...by the Mighty Jagrafess...and...oh, the Daleks! Now, leave this planet in peace! In peace..." She cleared her throat awkwardly as the Sycorax started laughing at her.
"The yellow girl is very funny. And now...she will die." Harriet's Personal Assistant spoke, reading from a tablet, which was translating Sycoraxic into English.
"Leave her alone!" Harriet snapped, at the same time Mickey cried, "Don't touch her!" They were both held back by Sycorax. Isla placed an arm in front of Rose and pushed her behind her protectively.
"Did you think you were clever with your stolen words?" Harriet's PA continued to translate what the Sycorax leader was saying. "We are the Sycorax, and we stride in the darkness. Next to us, you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet has to offer as a champion-"
"Then your world will be gutted, and your people enslaved."
"Then your world will be gutted and your people enslaved- hold on, that's English."
"He's talking English?"
"You're talking English," Rose repeated.
"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile."
Isla scoffed, "Is that right?"
"That's English." Rose breathed, backing up, "Can you all hear English?"
"That's definitely English."
"I SPEAK ONLY SYCORAXIC!"
"If I can hear English, it's being translated, which means it's working. Which means-" Rose and Isla both turned around as the TARDIS doors opened up. The Doctor stood there in his pajamas, grinning slightly.
"Ladies!" He greeted Isla and Rose, "Did you miss me?"
The Sycorax leader roared and attempted to lash the Doctor with his whip, which glowed with energy. The Doctor grabbed the end of the whip, letting it wrap around his arm, and yanked it away.
"You could take somebody's eye out with that!"
"HOW DARE-" The Sycorax raised his staff, but the Doctor took that away too, snapping it over his knee.
"You just can't get the staff. Now you," he pointed at the leader, "just wait! I'm busy!" He approached the group, a grin growing on his face. "Mickey, 'ello! And Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North! Blimey, it's like 'This is Your Life!' TEA!" He turned to Rose, "that's all I needed, a good cup of tea. A superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing synapses. Now, first things first." He looked between Rose and Isla. "How do I look?"
"Uh.." Rose blinked, "Different."
"Good different, or bad different?"
"Good. Good, definitely good." Isla responded, and the Doctor grinned at her, "Not that you didn't look good before but-"
"Am I ginger?"
"No...Just...Sort of brown."
"Oh, I wanted to be ginger, I've never been ginger. And you, Rose Tyler! Fat lot of good you were! You gave up on me! Ohh that's rude! Is that the sort of man I am now- am I rude? Rude and not ginger."
"You were a little rude before," Isla admitted, "but it's more like blunt, I suppose."
"I'm sorry," Harriet cut in, "who is this?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"He's the Doctor," Rose agreed.
"But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it just a title that's passed on?"
"I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face. Well...New everything."
"But you can't be."
"Harriet Jones. We were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own. Sound familiar, Isla?"
Isla blushed and looked away, "Yeah, well..."
"Oh my God!" Harriet gasped.
"Did you win the election?" The Doctor lowered his voice, coming closer with a grin. Harriet grinned too.
"Landslide majority," she nodded.
"If I might interrupt!" The Sycorax leader snapped. The Doctor looked over at him, grin still in place.
"Yes, sorry, hello, big fella!"
"Who exactly are you?"
"Well, that's the question."
"I demand to know who you are!" The Sycorax roared.
"I don't know!" The Doctor roared back mockingly. "See, that's the thing, I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I have no clue. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy?" he winked over at Rose, who smirked, "Right old misery? Life and soul? Right-handed? Left-handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob. And how am I gonna react, when I see this." He pointed up a short flight of stairs to where a glowing button sat on a raised pedestal.
"A great big threatening button?" The Doctor continued, laughing, jogging up the stairs. "A great big threatening button which must not be pushed under any circumstances, am I right? Let me guess, It's some sort of control matrix, hmm? What's feeding it?" He opened up a small hatch under the button, and peered inside. "Blood?" He poked it and brought a red substance up to his mouth and tasted it. "Yeah. Definitely blood. Human blood, A-Positive, with just a dash of iron. Ah," the Doctor made a face at the taste and wiped his finger off on his shirt. His rambling continued.
"But that means...Blood control- BLOOD CONTROL! OH! I haven't seen blood control for years! You're controlling all the A-Positives. Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. Cuz...I really don't know who I am. I don't know where to stop. So if I see a great big threatening button which should never, ever, ever be pressed...Then I just wanna do this!" He slammed his hand down on the big orange button.
"NO!" Everyone cried, but the Doctor just grinned.
"You killed them!" Harriet's assistant shouted.
"What do you think, big fella? Are they dead?"
"We've allowed them to live." The Sycorax hissed, shifting uncomfortably.
"'Allow,'" the Doctor laughed, "You've no choice! See that's all blood control is, cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. Like hypnosis. You can't hypnotise someone to death. Survival instinct is too strong."
"Blood control was just one form of conquest! I can summon the armada and take this world by force."
"Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could," the Doctor stepped down and turned to look at the Sycorax, "But why? Look at these people," he gestured to the humans, speaking passionately, "These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than...no...Hold on." The Doctor paused, looking off to the side in thought. "Sorry, that's the Lion King! But the point still stands! Leave them alone!"
"Or what?"
"Or!" The Doctor grabbed a sword from one of the guards and ran to stand by his friends. He held it high in the air. "I challenge you!"
The Sycorax surrounding them all began laughing loudly.
"Ohh, that struck a chord! Am I right to assume that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"
"You stand as this world's champion?" The leader asked, pulling out his own sword as he descended the steps.
"I've no idea who I am, but you've just summed me up." The Doctor took off his dressing robe and threw it to the side. Rose caught it, watching the scene unfold with rapt attention at Isla's side.
"So...you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?"
The Sycorax leader hissed, raising his sword, and his fellow aliens all began cheering. They both got on their knees staring at each other. "For the planet?"
"For the planet," the Doctor agreed.
The fight commenced. Almost immediately after the first blow, the Doctor stumbled and the Sycorax leader laughed at him. The Doctor just glared and regained his balance, glancing at his companions before retaking his fighting stance. The leader swung the sword almost crudely, but he did it fast, and the Doctor almost couldn't keep up. He fell to his bum after avoiding one particular attack, and the leader's sword almost came down on him.
"Look out!" Rose yelled.
"Oh, yeah, that helps!" he called back sarcastically, getting back to his feet once again, "Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks," they started fighting again, the Doctor climbing up the stairs as he avoided the blows, leading the leader to a more open space, "Bit of fresh air?" he hit a button and a door opened, to a wide platform outside the ship, big enough for them to continue fighting on. They kept fighting, everyone following with their eyes until the leader managed to hit the Doctor on the nose with the flat of the blade. The Doctor yelped and put a hand to his face.
Rose went to go running to him, but Isla grabbed her wrist, holding her back.
"He'll be fine," she promised, "he can do anything, remember?"
"She's right!" The Doctor called, "Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet!"
Then, with determination, the Doctor gave a battle cry and ran forward, clashing swords with the leader, locking them in a dangerous dance.
They groaned as they tried to overpower each other, and the Doctor was knocked backwards to the ground. The leader seized this opportunity of distraction and slashed at the Doctor's wrist, cutting his hand off. It fell down the side of the ship, sword and all, spiraling towards the earth. The Doctor stared at his new stump, before looking back up at the leader, annoyance written on his features, "You cut my hand off!"
"JAH!" the leader shouted, thinking he had won. "Sycorax!"
The Doctor just got to his feet, "And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. 'Cuz, quite by chance, I'm still within the first 15 hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy...to do this," he held up his stump, growing his hand right back. Isla made a face, more than slightly grossed out.
"Witchcraft!"
"Time Lord."
"Doctor!" Rose shouted, grabbing one of the guard's swords and tossing it to him.
He caught it by the handle and spun it around, "Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?"
"No arguments from me!" Rose smiled.
He turned back to the leader, "Wanna know the best bit? This new hand..." he put on a southern accent, "It's a fightin' hand!" he ran at the leader and the fight resumed. They fought a few more moments before the Doctor got him hard in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, always too merciful to kill if there was a chance of redemption. The group winced as the leader groaned. The Doctor did it again and again, causing the leader to fall to the ground in the same spot the Doctor lost his hand. He pointed his sword at the leader's throat, "I win."
"Then kill me!"
"I'll spare your life if you'll take this champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"
"Yes."
The Doctor pushed the sword closer to the leader's neck, snarling at him, "Swear on the blood of your species."
"I swear."
His grin returned instantly, "There we are, then! Thanks for that! Cheers, big fella!" he stabbed the sword into the ground so that it stood upright and turned to face his friends.
"Bravo!" Harriet clapped.
"That says it all," Rose ran forward, his dressing robe in hand, "Bravo!"
Isla clapped slowly, strolling forward as Rose helped the Doctor into the robe.
"Yeah," she agreed, putting on a teasing smile, "Not bad for a man in his jim-jams. Very Arthur Dent."
"There was a nice man. Hang on, what have I got in here?" The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out- "A satsuma? Oh, Rose Tyler, that friend of your mother's, he does like his snacks, doesn't he? And doesn't that just scream Christmas? You go through all those presents, and tucked away at the end, there's always one stupid satsuma. I mean, who wants a satsuma?"
The Sycorax Leader grabbed the Doctor's sword and got to his feet, raising it and roaring. The Doctor's face grew hard as he pitched the satsuma, making it hit a button on the wall. The floor fell away from the leader's feet, and he screamed as he fell.
"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man."
They walked back into the ship and looked over at the rest of the Sycorax.
"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet...when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this: It. Is. Defended!"
Without another word, they were transported back down to Earth.
"Where are we?" Rose asked, looking around at the construction and the buildings that were unfamiliar to her.
"We're on Bloxom Road. We're just around the corner! We did it!" Mickey began jumping excitedly.
"Wait, wait," the Doctor urged, watching the ship begin to fly away quickly.
"Go on, my son!" Mickey cried, "Oh, yeah!"
The Doctor smiled, then wrapped an arm around Isla's shoulders.
"I heard you," he murmured, "when I was asleep. 'Bout your mum."
"Oh," Isla replied, looking down.
"You're never alone, Isla. Just...Gimme a call, whenever you need me. I'll come running."
"Why?" Isla looked back up at him. He grinned.
"Well, you promised you'd come back."
She let out a soft laugh. She reached a hand into her coat pocket and pulled out a box wrapped up in silver and blue. "This is yours," she said.
The Doctor took the box gently and unwrapped it. Isla took the paper from him and watched as he opened the box. He pulled out a brown tie with silver-blue lines on it. He smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Isla's head.
"Thank you, Isla. It's beautiful. I've got something for you too."
He pulled a chain from around his neck, on which dangled a small silver-gold key. He placed it in her palm, closing her fingers around it. "In case you ever get in trouble."
"Rose!" Jackie called, running around the corner.
"Mum!" Rose ran to her.
"Oh!" the Doctor mock groaned, "Talking of trouble..."
"Oh, my God!" Jackie gasped, "You did it, Rose! Oh!"
The Doctor smiled, watching as Mickey joined Jackie and Rose.
"You did it too!" Rose laughed, "It was the tea! Fixed his head!"
"That was all I needed, cup o' tea," he grinned.
"I said so!" Jackie called.
"Isla Nicole Pierce!" Audrey came storming towards her daughter, hugging her tightly. "What in the name of God is going on?!"
"I'll explain later, mum," Isla promised. "Some day when it's not Christmas."
Audrey narrowed her eyes but nodded in acceptance. The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly, and Audrey's eyes shot to him.
"And who is this?"
"Mum," Isla introduced, "this is the Doctor."
"You've got a brilliant daughter, Ms. Pierce. She's lovely."
"Yes, I know," Audrey shook his hand, "She's my perfect little dear. But she needs someone to take care of her."
"Mum," Isla groaned.
"Yes," the Doctor grinned, "she does."
"Oi!"
"Is it really him though?" Jackie asked, "The Doctor?"
"Yes, it's really him." Rose nodded.
Jackie shrugged, then caught sight of Harriet Jones.
"Oh my god, It's the bleeding Prime Minister!"
"Come here, you," the Doctor grinned, pulling Jackie, Isla, Rose and Mickey into a tight hug.
"Are you better?" Jackie cooed.
"I am, yeah!" The Doctor nodded, hugging her again.
Suddenly, green light shot into the sky from what seemed to be all directions, firing directly at the fleeing ship.
Everyone stared up in horror, at the murder they had just witnessed.
-8-
"So that man. The Doctor. He's an alien?" Audrey and Isla sat on their couch at home, after their meal with the Doctor, Mickey, and the Tylers. Outside the window, ash from the destroyed ship was falling, white and soft as snow.
"Yes, mum. But not like those ones today. The Doctor's good. He's kind and smart and he usually is forgiving."
"Usually."
"He's good, mum."
"I sure hope so. And Jackie trusts him to travel around everywhere with Rose?"
"Yes, he's very trustworthy. They always save the world."
"The spaceship that hit Big Ben?"
"That was them."
"And Downing Street?"
"Yes."
"Hm..." Audrey looked at her daughter. "Let's go on a trip."
"A trip?" Isla repeated. Surely, she wasn't serious.
"Yes! I've been saving up ever since I was a little girl, with this big dream that I wanted to go to America and travel the states. So what do you say? Let's go to America!"
-8-
Isla stared at the window in front of her, turning her phone around in her hands. Her eyes were bloodshot, cheeks turned red and head pounding from all the sobbing she'd been doing. She pressed a button on her phone, putting it to her ear and hearing it ring. It was answered within seconds.
"I'm so sorry," he said.
"I didn't call to yell at you about Rose," she promised, "there was nothing you could have done. Even if she's in a parallel world, she's safe. She's alive. That's all that matters. As far as I'm concerned that means you've kept your promise." Isla didn't have the heart to tell him that she and Rose hadn't been on the best of terms, towards the end. Rose had, essentially, forgotten all about Isla in her travels with the Doctor. There was silence on the other side of the line, and Isla took a deep, shuddering breath. The sound of it caught the Doctor's attention.
"Have you been crying?"
"Yes."
"Isla..."
"You said...You said I could call you whenever I needed you. That you'd come running."
"Isla, what's wrong?" Alarm creeped into his tone. "What's happened?"
"My mum...She was sick. Sicker than I thought. Cancer. She didn't tell me. She never told me, but I should have known. We were just back from a tour of America when she collapsed. She's been in the hospital since then, but...they couldn't help her. She's dead, Doctor. She's gone." Isla started crying again, her breaths coming in gasps.
There was a pause, and then she heard him pulling levers in the TARDIS.
"I'm coming for you, Isla, just tell me where you are."
"Royal Hope Hospital," she responded.
"I'm on my way, love."
