Travels in Time and Space
By Lumendea
Chapter Nine: The Unquiet Dead: The Rift
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.
…
Rose hated feeling helpless. The Doctor had shifted into full stubbornness and when Gwyneth returned with a cage with seven large dead rats, she knew she was out of time. He wouldn't look at her now and tension hung on his shoulders. She'd gotten a little too close and now he was running the best he could. Two steps forward and one step back or maybe in this case one step forward and two steps back.
Their small group made the way down into the cold underground room that housed the corpses. There were a few slabs with sheets covering the bodies, but it wasn't too full. Rose eyed the rats, she just hoped that this would work. She really hoped that she was wrong, but the memory of those hands just kept nudging at her. At least Mickey would have agreed with her.
"Doctor please they've killed people," Rose whispered to the Doctor. She caught his arm and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "They're manipulating Gwyneth into helping them and…" Rose hesitated but pressed on. "We don't know what will happen to her?"
"They've looked after her all her life," the Doctor countered, but he didn't look at her.
"Because they need her, that doesn't mean they care about her."
"Doctor," Dickens called. "I think the room is getting colder."
In the archway in front of them, the blue gas gathered together to form a figure. "You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him."
"Promise you won't hurt her," Rose called, reaching out to squeeze Gwyneth's shoulder.
Again the Gelth ignored her. "Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth."
"We have rats here to house you," the Doctor said, gesturing at the cage. He strode closer to the gas creature. "That will allow me to take you somewhere else after the transfer. A planet all your own, alright?" Rose almost smiled, maybe he was listening a little.
"My angels," Gwyneth breathed. "I can help them live."
"Okay, where's the weak point?"
"Here, beneath the arch," the Gelth answered.
"Beneath the arch," Gwyneth repeated. She stepped forward, her body suddenly inside the gas form of the Gelth.
"You don't have to do this," Rose reminded her. She brushed her left hand over her gold bracelet nervously as she stepped closer to Gwyneth.
"My angels," Gwyneth said. She reached out and touched Rose's face with a cold hand.
Then the Doctor's pulled her back.
"Establish the bridge," the Gelth ordered. "Reach out to the void. Let us through!"
"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!" Gwyneth cheered, her voice sad and hopeful all at once. "Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!"
"It is begun. The bridge is made," the Gelth said. Gwyneth's mouth began to glow and as she opened it, blue gas poured forth. Dozens of blue creatures began to swirl around them. "She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend."
Then the blue apparition changed. The soft blue flames turned red and sharp teeth filled its mouth. It's innocent child-like voice was gone, dropped deeper and hardening. "The Gelth will come through in force."
"You said that you were few in number," Dickens protested.
"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses."
The rats in the cage began to squeak and shake the sides of the trap. Rose gasped and looked around as the bodies began to rise and pull back their own sheets. Giving one more look to Gwyneth who was still just standing with her mouth open, Rose took a defensive position. She flicked her wrist and her sword appeared in her hand.
"Gwyneth, stop this," Sneed said sternly. Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone, I beg of you."
One of the corpses moved for Sneed. Rose lashed out, slicing off its hands. There was a dull roar and blue gas fled from the damaged body. They were closing in around them.
"They mean to kill us to give themselves more bodies," Rose shouted in warning.
"We need bodies," the Gelth said. "All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead."
"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back now!" the Doctor shouted, but nothing changed.
Sneed made a sound of panic. The corpses were moving closer. Rose sliced off the head of another corpse as it came too close. The Doctor pulled her back, but Rose realised that they were on the wrong side of the room. Sneed screamed and ran for the staircase.
"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so-" Dickens shook his head and rushed up the staircase after Sneed.
The Doctor pulled Rose back as one of the corpses came up on her flank. He pushed her back into a tiny side room and slammed the grate door shut. Rose's back hit the wall behind them and she breathed out slowly. There wasn't enough room through the grate for her to damage the bodies beyond use. They were trapped.
"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth."
"I trusted you," the Doctor shouted. "I pitied you!"
"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all its flesh."
"Not while I'm alive."
"Then live no more."
"I'm sorry, Rose," the Doctor said. "I should have-"
"Don't," Rose said, chuckling nervously. "Plenty of time for that later. We don't go down without a fight." Rose looked up at him. "Not us."
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. He laced their fingers together and to Rose's surprise smiled. "I'm so glad I met you."
"Me too," Rose replied. She felt herself smile despite the danger.
Clanging on the door of their little makeshift cell made Rose jump. Proper zombies. Mickey would have been thrilled. Around the room, the ghostly forms of the Gelth were flying through the air and Rose swallowed in fear.
…
Outside the house, Sneed ran away from the house. Dickens stopped to catch his breath on the front steps. Blue gas seeped out of the house forming another humanoid form in the air. Sneed screamed again, shouting for God to save him. Both men ran from the creature down the street, but as they passed a street light the Gleth suddenly stopped.
"Failing! Atmosphere hostile!" the Gelth screamed. It vanished into the street lamp.
Dickens caught Sneed's shoulder as the man tried to run. "Gas!" Dickens cried. "The gas! Come on man! We can still stop this."
"But I-"
"You will come with me or so help me-" Dickens began. Sneed nodded meekly and they began to run back to the house.
Dickens crashed through the door first and began the turn the gas lamps off. Then he opened them full blast. Sneed copied him on the next gas light and began to cough. Pulling out a handkerchief, Dickens kept moving and Sneed once again copied the action. The pair made their way back down to the morgue.
"Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas!" Dickens shouted. "Now, fill the room, all of it, now!"
Sneed whimpered as he passed two of the zombies, but turned off the flame in the nearby lamp. He was coughing badly now and Rose glanced his way in concern. In the centre of the room, the rats were still squirming in their cage.
"What're you doing?"
"Turn it all on. Flood the place!" Dickens shouted as the corpses began to turn their attention towards him.
"Yes!" Rose cheered. "They're gas. If the room is gas then they can't hold onto the hosts!"
"Like sucking poison from a wound," the Doctor agreed.
He turned and pulled out the gas line from the wall.
The Gelth began to collapse as blue flares of light were pulled into the air. Sneed swayed on his feet and Rose began to cough.
"It's working," Dickens cried in relief.
Rose rushed out of the alcove and caught Sneed as he collapsed. Putting the man's arm over her shoulder, she began to pull him towards the stairs. She glanced towards the Doctor who was telling Gwyneth to send them back. Rose wanted to go back to her, but Sneed's legs gave out. His breathing was shallow and Rose grit her teeth. She leaned down for a moment to grab the rat cage with the Gelth and hauled Sneed towards the door.
"Doctor, help her!" Rose shouted.
"Charles, get them out of here!" the Doctor shouted.
Dickens was next to her in an instant, helping support her weight and Sneed's. Rose tried to look back as they climbed the stairs, but she could no longer see the Doctor. The edges of her vision were darkening by the time they made it upstairs. Dickens rushed ahead to open the door. Rose gasped at the fresh air and the three of them fell out into the snow. The rats squeaked and Rose shoved the cage away with an angry growl.
….
The Gelth were still circling around Gwyneth. They were still linked to her. The Doctor stared at Gwyneth, urging her to close the connection. "Look at me. If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!"
"They're too strong."
"Remember that world you saw? Rose's world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift."
"I can't send them back," Gwyneth said. "But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here." She reached into her pocket. "Get out." Gwyneth pulled out a box of matches.
"Come on, leave give that to me," the Doctor said gently.
Gwyneth just stared at him. She wasn't blinking. It finally hit him and the Doctor reached forward to check for a pulse. There wasn't one. She was icy to the touch, but something still burned in her eyes. Something had held on long enough to save them all.
"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. 'Thank you," he told her.
Then he ran, leaving the dead girl behind to make sure that way was closed. The Doctor leapt out of the building, spotting Rose, Dickens, and Sneed across the street. Everything exploded behind him, shattering the windows and sending rushes of fire into the night. He hit the ground and covered his neck, waiting for it to be over.
Rose was there a moment later. She offered him her hand and helped him to his feet. Then she looked behind him and he saw it dawning in her eyes. Rose's eyes closed for a moment and she swallowed.
"She was already dead wasn't she?" Rose asked softly. "Her hand was cold when she touched me."
"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. Sneed came limping up with Dickens. "You're right, she was dead the moment she stood in that archway." He turned and looked over his shoulder. "But she closed the rift."
"At such a cost. The poor child," Dickens said gravely.
Sneed swallowed and was looking at the house with grief. "She was a good girl," Sneed said. "Always was. Humble, hardworking and a good heart." He shook his head and Rose saw tears in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. 'But she spoke to us, Doctor. How?"
"She held on," the Doctor said simply.
Dickens nodded. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor."
"She saved the world," Rose said. "A servant girl. No one will ever know."
"Maybe not," Sneed said. "But I'll be sure that the girl has a burial next to her parents." He nodded slightly. "Purchased the plot years ago for her. Thought I'd be leaving it to her in my will though."
There was a distant sound of shouting and the Doctor took Rose's hand, pulling her away from the burning house. In the corner of her eye, she spotted the fire brigade coming and Sneed waving them down. Dickens followed along with them, an extra spring in his step as they made their way back to the TARDIS.
It took the Doctor longer than Rose had thought it would to notice the cage. The rats had gone silent though they were still moving. "Rose? Why did you-?"
"Figured they had to be stopped, but they didn't all have to die," Rose said simply. "Didn't feel right, just leaving them there. But I hope you know where to take them because they can't stay with us."
"I've got a place in mind," the Doctor said gently. He took the cage from Rose with a cautious expression. "Well done."
Rose sighed in relief at the sight of the TARDIS. Charles Dickens, however, looked very confused. The Doctor turned to the famous author and smiled.
"Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, er, shed. Won't be long." The Doctor said.
Rose chuckled and looked at Dickens. "What are you going to do now?" she asked.
"I shall take the mail coach back to London, quite literally post-haste," Dickens replied with an eager smile. "This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all, I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital"."
"You've cheered up," the Doctor said.
"Exceedingly! This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world. Now I know I've just started. All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor. I'm inspired. I must write about them."
"Do you think that's wise?" Rose asked.
"I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this Earth," Dickens said lowly. "The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word, tell the truth."
"Good luck with it," the Doctor said. He shook Dickens' hand. "Nice to meet you. Fantastic.
"It was an honour to meet you, Charles Dickens," Rose said honestly. "Thank you very much." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"Oh, my dear. How modern. Thank you, but, I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye?" Dickens asked. "Where are you going?"
"You'll see. In the shed."
"Upon my soul, Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this. Who are you?" Dickens asked.
The Doctor hesitated and for a moment Rose thought he might answer truthfully. "Just a friend passing through," the Doctor said instead. Well, that was true too, Rose supposed.
"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?"
"Yes," Rose said passionately.
The Doctor smiled at her answer, but Dickens still looked distressed. "For how long?" he asked.
"Forever," the Doctor answered. Dickens stared at him hopefully. "Right. Shed. Come on, Rose."
"Very well," Dickens said with a slight chuckle. "I wish you and your wife good fortune, Doctor. A very Happy Christmas."
The Doctor's jaw dropped open a touch and Rose smiled sweetly at Charles. "Uh, see you then," the Doctor said quickly.
The Doctor all but ran into the TARDIS. Shaking her head fondly, Rose gave Dickens one last smile and followed the Doctor inside. If only he knew how close Dickens was. Still, she wondered what about their behavior had led him to that conclusion. The Doctor set down the cage. Rose followed him up to the controls.
"Won't that cause trouble in history if he writes about this?"
"In a week's time it's 1870, and that's the year he dies," the Doctor said. "Sorry. He'll never get to tell his story."
"Oh… that's a shame," Rose said. "He was such a wonderful man. Even better than I imagined."
"But in your time, he was already dead. We've brought him back to life, and he's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie boy." The Doctor grinned and turned the monitor screen showing Dickens outside. "Let's give him one last surprise."
Grinning, they watched the shock and awe take over Dickens' face as he watched the TARDIS vanished. Then Rose leaned to the side and rested her head against the Doctor's shoulder. He brought a hand up to give her a one-armed hug. Then he released her and stepped away.
"Right, you get cleaned up and I'll deal with the literal and metaphorical rats."
"Doctor?" Rose asked, thrown by the sudden shift.
"I should have listened to you," the Doctor said. Rose shifted closer to him and laid her hand over his. After a moment's hesitation, she rested her head against his shoulder once again. He tensed briefly, but then slowly relaxed. "When they mentioned the war-"
"It's okay," Rose said gently. "I meant what I said and I'm not angry at you." Rose tried to smile for him, but she was too tired. Instead, she shifted around in front of him and put her arms around his shoulders. "We promised each other that, remember, right here in Cardiff. That we'd look after each other. That's part of being partners, looking out for each other's weak points."
"Not sure you've got any." The Doctor down at her, his blue eyes dark and filled with pain.
"Everyone has them," Rose assured him, not saying that hers was him. And their children not yet born. "Besides we were able to save some of them. A species survives and hopefully, their descendants will do better." She nodded to the cage on the other side of the console.
"Yeah," the Doctor sighed. "We can only hope."
"I like hope," Rose said. The Doctor looked back at her and Rose saw the beginnings of a smile in his eyes. "Hope is good."
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. His voice was a touch lighter this time. "Hope is good."
….Next Time: Star Knights…
"Welcome to the planet Eritha," the Doctor said. "About ten thousand years in your past."
"Eritha," Rose repeated. She frowned a little. "Why does that sound familiar?" Rose shook her head, dismissing the thought. "It's beautiful." Rose tightened the jacket the Doctor had suggested she wear a bit. "It isn't dusk though is it?" She turned and found a reddish sun just over her shoulder. "Just a dark sun, right?"
"Red sun that is smaller than yours and a bit further from its star than Earth," the Doctor confirmed. "But warm enough for you, even at night."
"It's beautiful," Rose repeated with a smile. "And populated apparently." Looking up at the Doctor, she noticed his thoughtful frown. "So any idea what drew the TARDIS here?"
