Defender of the Earth

By Lumendea

Chapter Eight: Horath Academy: The Standing Stones

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

….

"Me," Rose asked in a more frightened tone than she meant to. "Why did you need me?"

"Not you exactly," the Colonel replied. They walked down the long middle row of the sarcophagi and Rose tried to avoid looking at any of her unconscious classmates. "When Horath was buried on Earth, the power to restart Horath was sealed away separately within the Key and must be charged to awaken it."

"Charged how?"

The Colonel gave Rose an amused look, "You can't stop us, Miss Tyler."

"The Doctor will stop you," Rose snapped back at him.

"He can't," the Colonel laughed. "He doesn't even know about Horath being on Earth. You see Miss Tyler when Horath was buried on Earth, the human race was made his jailors. Only human minds can recharge the key to release Horath and the prison is almost invisible to alien technology. Horath has been under the Doctor's nose for centuries and he never noticed so believe me that he isn't going to show up now." Adams gave her a nasty smug look."Besides, only humans can even enter the burial site. Anything not originating from Earth is repelled which is why Lord Apep needs me and my men. Even if the Doctor found the burial site and discovered what we were doing he couldn't get close to me." He smirked at her and said, "So forget any delusions of a rescue. I've ensured that everything will work in our favour.

The Colonel reached a large glowing control panel, covered with controls and circuits that had an Egyptian style. Rose frowned at the designs she recognised from the British Museum.

"Why does all this look Egyptian?"

"My Lord Apep was feared in Ancient Times as the God of Chaos and Darkness and his people shaped that civilisation." The Colonel had a far off look in his eyes and answered her distractedly while he adjusted the controls. "I was only a young private in UNIT when Apep's mind was released by my hand. It was an accident in the Black Archives and he called to me from his buried ship in Egypt. Together we were able to free his ship and bring it to the burial site of Horath, I personally hid it from UNIT's scans. Lord Apep is weak now, but he will be able to control the power of Horath to reshape the Milky Way Galaxy into a new Empire. Then the universe will fall to his power."

"And what do you get?" Rose asked. "You and your men betray Earth and children of your own species, for what?"

"Power Miss Tyler. Lord Apep will renew the Osirian species as their new King God and we will all be elevated to godhood in the universe." The Colonel didn't look back at her as he motioned to one of the other officers, a captain by his uniform. "I spent years working my way through the ranks, Apep's knowledge helping me at every turn and I built up the United Kingdom UNIT to serve this purpose. I handpicked my top men who shared my dream of the universe." The Colonel turned and gave Rose a dark look. "There is nothing on Earth for men like us."

Rose shuddered at the look on his face and gasped as another sarcophagus rose from the floor of the ship. This one was larger and wasn't transparent, but looked like the sarcophagi that she had seen in museums. Rose struggled against her captors, twisting one of them enough for a shoulder throw only to be caught in a hold by another one.

"The ship's systems have identified you as the mind that resonates with the Key the most. Horath's jailers knew that he couldn't be contained once humankind reached a certain level. The Key was designed to be recharged by intelligent, but good minds which are why young and intelligent humans were our best option. And as I suspected your knowledge of aliens added just the final push the Key needed to be convinced that humankind was ready to take responsibility for Horath."

Rose bit at one of the soldier's hand and kicked frantically at one of the others as they raised her up. Throwing her limbs about, Rose tried to free herself from the four soldiers that were shoving her into the sarcophagus. She hit the bottom with a thud and tried to sit up quickly, but screamed as the heavy lid slammed shut. Rose tried to calm her breathing as she was encased in darkness, but started pounding against the lid a moment later when some kind of vapour spilt into the air. Shouting, Rose yelled at the Colonel despite knowing it wouldn't help as she felt her limbs start to grow heavy. A moment later her arms fell to her sides and she couldn't focus enough to yell, then her eyes slid shut and everything stopped.

Rose groaned as someone smacked her face and her eyes flinched closed at the sudden bright light from above her. "Rose," a voice she couldn't place called out. "Rose Tyler, wake up right now!" Her heavy eyelids slowly opened as she drew in a deep breath of fresh air. She was vaguely aware of her arms being pulled carefully and her upper body being lifted up.

"Easy Rose," another voice said, "Mickey lift her legs over the edge."

"I'm trying," a masculine voice hissed. "She's dead weight right now. Come on Rose wake up."

"Mickey…" Rose groaned as she turned her head towards the voice and tried to focus her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Sharon and Shareen called me saying you were in trouble." She heard him give a weak scared laugh. "Unconscious in a big coffin in the middle of a spaceship is definitely trouble."

Rose was set down on the metal floor and a bottle of water was put to her mouth. She swallowed three gulps before forcing her eyes open as she took a deep breath. A voice that she now placed as Astra's said, "That's it. Breathing will help get the rest of the gas out of your system."

Rose's eyes flew open as she remembered Astra being shot at, her adrenaline pumping. Astra was kneeling in front of her with a small smile that turned into a huge grin as she saw Rose become alert. "There you are, welcome back."

"Astra!" Rose gasped as she looked at her friend, her eyes wide at the sight of blood all over Astra's arm. "Oh my god!"

"Yeah." Astra grimaced as she looked at her arm. "I got shot and I must have hit my head when I fell because I didn't come around until after dark. I headed for the car park hoping to go to get help when these three drove up."

Rose turned her attention to her right and smiled at the sight of Sharon, Shareen and a flushed Mickey. "Why did you come?"

"We couldn't get a hold of UNIT," Shareen said.

"Yeah, they're working with the enemy," Rose hissed as she started to stand. "The Colonel must have blocked my alert."

"The number you gave us was down with no messages or signal," Sharon said. "So we went to Mickey." She tilted her head towards the nineteen-year-old man next to her. "He found a number for that Doctor Taylor you mentioned and we sent him a message. Then Mickey drove us up here, he speeds by the way."

"Aliens," Mickey reminded them. "Real aliens, can we get out of here now?"

"No." Rose shook her head as she looked around the room. "We have to stop them, I trust Malcolm, but if he doesn't get that message to someone who isn't on Adams' side soon then planet Earth is in a lot of trouble." Rose swallowed and focused on the doorway on the other side of the room. "If you lot just walked in here then that means that all of the Colonel's men are at Horath's burial site with the Key. It must be recharged now." Taking a deep breath, Rose looked at her friends. "Get the others out of here as quickly as you can, but be careful. I don't know where the alien Apep is."

"What about you?" Mickey grabbed her arm, a terrified expression on his face. "Where are you going? We have to get everyone out of here like you said."

"You're going after Adams," Astra said with a soft exhale and her lips curved into a smile. "That's crazy you know."

"Rose, the blonde always dies first in these movies!" Shareen reminded her with a frown.

"Adams said my mind resonated the most with the Key, I'm hoping that might be of some use." Rose swallowed and tried to smile. "And that might just keep him from shooting me on sight." Before her friends could object, Rose nodded firmly towards the other captives. "There are over two hundred and eighty people that have to be freed and you don't know how much time we've got."

"Rose-" Mickey started to say but trailed off at the solemn look on her face.

Sharon and Shareen both looked like they wanted to say something, but Shareen instead pulled Sharon towards the first of the sarcophagi which they started pushing open.

"Do you know where they are?" Astra asked.

"The stone circle." Rose nodded, feeling certain all the way down to her bones. "It is three thousand years old, the same time Horath was brought here and must have been made to look like other human constructions of the time. Adams kept referring to the burial site so I'm certain that is where he is going."

"Good luck Rose," Astra told her with a small smile. "We'll get them out."

"Good." Rose squared her shoulders and moved past her friends for the exit, breaking into a run.

Rose didn't stop and didn't hesitate as she rushed towards the path she had walked months earlier with Astra. In the low light from the school and the alien ship, she could see that the path had tramped down by heavy military boots. Sighing, Rose moved through the dark area as quickly as she could manage in the dark. Then a bright light flooded the area and Rose looked out in front of her towards the stone circle. Bright lights were now set up around the area and she could make out the circle far ahead of her. Taking another breath, Rose resumed running towards it.

Time seemed to crawl as she struggled to close the distance between her and the UNIT men, all the while hoping that she wouldn't be too late. Based on the darkness and the moon, Rose was sure that she had been unconscious for roughly the two hours it must have taken her friends to get to the school. It was over half an hour before she reached the stone circle and she approached it slowly, staying near the tree line. Crouching, Rose cursed her school uniform and wished she was in more practical clothing for trying to save the world.

Colonel Adams was standing next to one of the portable lights, near one of the UNIT trucks that were parked around the stone circle. Rose figured that they must have come in two groups, some to the school and some to the circle. Of course, by her mental calculations that meant that there were, even more, people here waiting to betray their planet. Adams was holding a long crystal shaped object that came to a point on each end. It was covered in softly glowing rune-like symbols and seemed to be pulsing with energy. Rose was willing to bet her life that it was the Key. Rose crept forward as two UNIT men walked past her and darted up to one of the trucks. She ducked into the shadow of the truck and made herself as small as possible.

"Are we ready Captain Brown," Adams asked another officer who walked over to him within earshot of Rose.

"Almost sir, according to Lord Apep we have to wait for the midpoint of the night. Based on the sunrise and sunset that is in ten minutes."

"Ancient rituals," Adams snorted. "Why couldn't it just be whenever the key is ready."

"Most likely another test for the advancement of humanity," Captain Brown suggested only to get a withering look from the Colonel. "I'll check the final preparations."

Rose was about to slip out of her hiding spot when a fancy black car with tinted windows pulled up further away from the circle, causing Adams to straighten up and hold the Key gingerly in his hands in front of him. Rose turned her body slightly under the truck she was hiding under to see the new arrival. One soldier rushed forward and opened the back door of the car. Rose bit her lip to stay quiet as a tall humanoid form stepped from the car dressed in a neat black suit, but he had a serpent-like head with a great hood like a cobra. The figure took one step towards the circle, holding a hand out in front of him. Rose's eyes widened when he suddenly stopped and the area in front of his hand shimmered.

"The field remains intact Colonel Adams," the figure said in an oily voice that matched the snakehead perfectly in Rose's opinion. "I trust you are ready."

"Indeed Lord Apep, the Key was charged by the students and we have them imprisoned on your ship as you requested."

"Good," Apep said, straightening his tie. "I haven't had a human slave in a very long time. What of the girl with a connection to aliens you informed me of."

"She is sealed in the main sarcophagi; I wanted to ensure she did not escape."

"Excellent," the Osirian said. "Is she attractive?"

Colonel Adams blinked at the question. "I suppose so, sire. She is young, but athletic which gives her a good form."

"Excellent," Apep hissed, but he didn't elaborate. Rose was pleased to see that Adams looked uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. "Are you prepared?"

"Yes Lord Apep, we can use the Key in five minutes," Colonel Adams said.

"Good, let nothing happen to that Key and get into position."

Colonel Adams nodded and walked away from Apep who hissed as he looked around. Rose swallowed and tore her gaze away from the strange looking alien and rolled over on the ground to start crawling her way out from under the truck. Pulling herself back into a crouching position, Rose hid in the shadows between two trucks. She paused and glanced over the large number of soldiers who were starting to form a ring around the stone circle. Adam calmly walked past all of them and into the circle. Rose noted the centre stone in the middle of the circle and saw Adams' position the Key above the stone.

Rose swallowed and whispered to herself, "Now or never Tyler."

With those words, Rose darted out from her hiding place and rushed towards Adams. She vaguely heard shouting and the sound of the soldiers lifting their guns, but none fired as she broke past them into the circle. Everything seemed to slow down as Adams connected the Key to the stone and pulse of light flashed through the area. The Key lit up and streams of light seemed to flow into the centre stone. Launching herself forward Rose grabbed the Key from the startled Adams' hands, pulling it away from the stone. Everything stopped as the soldiers all trained their guns on her.

"Don't you could hit the Key," Adams shouted as Rose pulled the alien artefact against her chest. He whirled on her with fury in his eyes. "Give me the Key Miss Tyler!"

"No!"

Rose looked around at the stone circle. Light was still pulsing from the centre stone and travelling through the ground towards the standing stones. Rose gasped as the outer stones suddenly lit up and pillars of light formed from them, reaching towards the sky. The ground began to shake and Rose looked up at Adams who started to laugh.

"It seems Miss Tyler that a moment was all the Key needed to unlock the tomb. And look now, my lord Apep approaches to claim Horath and this galaxy!"

Rose turned to see Apep slowly approaching, no field holding him back from the circle. The soldiers were no longer aiming at her, the shaking of the ground too much for them to remain stable. Rose felt the Key still pulsing in her arms and the soft heat coming off of it. Easing her grip, Rose took one end in her hand and stumbled towards the centre stone. Adams lurched after her, barely keeping his balance while Rose's time as a gymnast seemed to be proving useful.

"Apep!" Rose shouted as a high wind began to circle through the area and the glowing increased. The ground was shifting upwards as Horath was being drawn to the surface. The serpent headed alien turned and fixed his yellow eyes on Rose as she left the Key above the centre stone. Rose smirked as the alarm she saw in the alien's eyes and the sound of Adams' shouts before she brought the Key smashing down on the stone.