Title: Discordant (10/13
Author: sinecure
Character/Pairing: Rose, Pete, Jackie, Mickey
Rating: Adult
Genre: Action/adventure, mystery, drama, angst, romance
Summary: Rose Tyler traveled through universes to get back to the Doctor. What did she see in those universes, and how did they affect her?
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: to JennyLD for the beta.
Beyond the drapes hanging from her front window, beyond her street, and even beyond the cars parked there, Rose knew he was out there, waiting, and watching. He was there every night, keeping an eye on her, spying on her, telling Pete all about how mad she was. Writing up her actions and behaviors just so that he could prove that she wasn't fit for jumping.
That the fog wasn't real. That the darkness the Doctor had warned her of wasn't anything more than her imagination running away with her.
She'd seen him nightly now, staring up at her window, not even bothering to hide from her unless Mickey came over or her mum stopped by. Only then did he stay out of sight. Right now, he was standing on the sidewalk opposite her flat, camera in hand. Every once in a while, there was a flash from it, brightening the night sky.
Grabbing the edges of the drapes, she yanked them closed and walked away from the gently swaying material.
Pete didn't really believe her. She'd warned him. Warned him that Santiago was bordering on obsession when it came to proving she wasn't fit for duty.
But, Pete merely brushed off her concerns with a scoffing noise, burying himself in real concerns, the ones facing the entire planet, and possibly the universe. And, yes, when put into that context, she realized that her unease with Santiago didn't measure high on the scale of Pete Tyler's worries, but it still bothered her, left her restless most nights and irritable most days.
Making sure the front door was locked tight, she went into her bedroom and sat in the middle of the bed, then realized that her drapes were open in here as well. Jumping up, she crossed the room quickly, yanked them shut, then dropped to the bed again, picking up a folder with Torchwood stamped in the corner of it.
The bedside lamp was warm and bright, casting a pale yellow tinge over everything, turning her red bedcovers a dark orange color. All the folders, and the pages and pages of files in them, were spread around her like a bizarre fan with alien creatures sketched and photographed on it.
She'd jumped earlier that morning and had the next day off, so she was catching up on some work Torchwood had sent her. It was still interesting to do, but it frustrated her as well. She wanted to be out there, among these aliens, finding out about them through discovering, and traveling, not picking them out of a paper lineup.
Rubbing the back of her neck with her hand, she tilted it from side to side, working the tense muscles. Footfalls sounded in the hall, and she glanced up with a smile. "Hello."
He stopped in the doorway, peering at her through his dark-rimmed glasses as he leaned against the wood frame. "You know this isn't helping, right?"
Rose squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before forcing them open again. "I'm almost done."
Pushing further into the room, he crossed to her bed and leaned over it, pressing his hands into the mattress, crinkling papers and skewing her folders. Lips centimeters away, he warned her, "Stop doing this to yourself. Please."
Resisting the urge to jerk away and snap at him, she lifted her hand to the back of his head, enjoying the sensation of his cooler skin, and brought him closer for a kiss, then dropped her hand, resuming her work. "Why don't you go fix the microwave you busted last night?" Picking up a file with a photo of an alien with a particularly nasty set of claws and teeth, she held it out to him. "Look familiar?"
His eyes grazed the paper for mere moments before he was up and leaving. "Larwurkin. They're harmless."
Slipping the file back into its folder, she sighed and flipped it closed, setting it in the Identified Pile. "Right. How could I forget? We ran into two of these guys near Blackpool right after I first..." she trailed off when she realized he was gone. He was becoming more and more irritated with her lately because she wasn't sleeping, but she didn't know what she was supposed to do about it.
Rubbing her forehead, she glared at the darkened hallway.
What did he expect her to do? When sleep didn't come, it just didn't come. No amount of irritation or him telling her to slow down was going to make it happen.
She'd sleep when she slept.
Shoving the folders aside, she climbed off the bed and stood up, pacing her room. Did he think she was a machine? Sleep when he said, work when he said, don't do this, go do that?
Well, she wasn't a bloody machine. And just because he could get by on so little sleep and not have it bother him, and decide when exactly to sleep and how long, didn't mean she could.
Flicking the curtain aside just enough to peer outside, she glanced down and saw him. Santiago. Watching her.
Always watching her.
Turning from the window, she kicked her chair. The wooden leg hurt her foot more than she'd hurt it. Shoving it aside, she tripped over her blue jacket. She'd been looking for that for months. Must've fallen behind the chair.
Scooping it up, she jumped back as an object fell to the floor with a thunk. Eric's jumper. Closing her fingers around it, she picked it up and turned it over a few times, mind whirling.
"Don't."
Sighing, she stood up and stared at him. "Don't what? I'm not doing anything."
He crossed quickly to her side and took her by the shoulders. "I know what you're thinking. Just... just please don't, Rose." Pulling her closer, he wrapped his arms around her, smoothing his hands down her back. "You're in no condition to--"
Pushing out of his arms, she left him and her bedroom behind. He didn't know what she wanted to do, or what condition she was in. She was just fine, thanks.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Dr. Luis Santiago straightened his tie as the man before him went over the files he'd brought with for him to read. Glancing at his watch, he stretched his shoulders a little bit, then smoothed the wrinkles out of his pants.
He wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to do this, never having gone over a superior's head before, but it was something that needed to be done.
Rose Tyler was a dangerous woman.
Pete Tyler didn't see it, Ari Rendell didn't see it. Certainly her best mate Mickey didn't see. None of them did. They didn't see the desperation on her face, the dark circles under her eyes, the amount of weight she'd lost over the past few months. Since her first jump.
That's when it had all started. He'd been her doctor before the project, and during, and he was, perhaps, uniquely qualified to notice the changes in her. Rose was losing her mind, and she was taking Torchwood down with her. She had all of them believing her with very little evidence, and they were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
All because she'd seen a phenomenon in one universe that didn't look normal to her. It might be normal for that Earth. It might be an hallucination, or a delusion.
And that she'd spoken to the famous 'Doctor'... there was no proof of that either.
Breathing in deep, he calmed himself, settling his hands on the arms of his chair. This meeting was important, very important, and if Dr. Brons didn't see what he, himself, saw, then he was on his own.
And Rose Tyler's sanity and life were at stake.
Another minute passed in silence, then Dr. Brons closed the thick folder stuffed full of notations and photos and observations, as well as medical records, and crossed his arms over it, leaning forward with a sigh. "I believe we have a very serious problem here, Dr.."
Santiago breathed a sigh of relief.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sometimes, her job sucked. Today was one of those days.
Trudging through a marsh, filled with bugs and animals--ones that apparently howled very loudly and were very close to where she and Ari were--that she'd rather not think about, Rose glanced over at Ari and curled her lip up in disgust. He was covered, head-to-toe, in marsh water. And he stunk.
But then again, she was in just as bad a shape as he was. After all, they'd both dropped straight into the marsh with the jumpers. No Powell Estates in this universe. Barely anything recognizable at all. Plants, trees, animals, fish and bugs, yeah. Blue sky, tall yellow grass, green stalks here and there, but no buildings. This Earth looked like it'd broken free of hers long before humans came about. Although, there could be humans just on the other side of the marsh where the tree line cut off the swamp.
"Can we go now?" she asked, slapping at her cheek as another bug bit her. It was miserable here, hot and humid and... swampy. There were no signs of the fog that they could see; everything was still alive and thriving. But if there were a chance that it was headed their way, that it was somewhere around, then they needed to know, to be able to study it.
Pete's top priority for these jumps was to find the fog, and to contact the Doctor.
This planet held no hope for the Doctor, just like every other jump she'd done since first being contacted by him. And she didn't understand it. Occasionally, when she was at home, alone, she wondered if she'd imagined his call. There'd been no record of it, as Santiago felt compelled to point out to Pete several times, but that didn't mean anything.
Slipping her mobile free from her flak jacket, she opened it and held it up, trying to get a signal above the tree line. She'd tried three times already since arriving here, and there'd been nothing but static.
One more try wouldn't hurt.
Squinting into the bright afternoon sun, she pressed the number for the TARDIS, then held the phone to her ear, idly watching Ari go about his tests. When it actually began to ring in her ear, she nearly dropped it into the swamp.
"It's ringing," she yelled to Ari, mud-covered, but dry now on one of the sandbars a dozen meters away. Pulling the phone from her ear, she peered at it, then pressed it even harder to her ear. "Doctor!"
Excitement rang in her, making her heart double its beat. Her grin couldn't be dimmed and her fingers itched to grab someone and jump up and down with him or her.
Then the call was answered and she heard his voice again.
Heard the Doctor's voice. Tears burned her eyes at the simple hello he sent her, simple, but full of curiosity. Then, "Rose?! Is that you? I've been tr-- you for... --ow."
"It's me, it's me! God, it's so good to hear your voice."
"Rose," Ari shouted. He was on his feet now, waving to get her attention. "The fog. Ask about the fog!"
"Oh, right," she mumbled, waving to let him know she'd heard him. "Doctor, tell me about the fog. We need to know--"
The static grew worse, and the line crackled a few times, then a high-pitched whine sounded in her ear. She briefly pulled the phone free, and then immediately pressed it back to her ear again. "--is dange... stay-- from-- near it! ...kill y-- hear...? --of water-- elect-- ...ity. Rose..."
"But, what is it?" she asked, fighting desperately to understand him, but he was cutting out too badly for her to make sense of anything more than what he'd already told her. "Doctor?"
"The darkness. --ove..."
And then there was silence. Rose wanted to throw the phone hard into the distance, but she kept a tight grip on it, held it tight, closing it softly. "He's gone," she told Ari as he approached. Pressing the back of her hand to her nose, she sniffled and blinked back tears. She wasn't going to cry.
Not again. Not anymore.
He was there, and she wasn't going insane. It was just a matter of time before they found one another again, and when that happened... she'd hold him so tight, tighter than her phone, and she'd never let him go again.
She was going to be with the Doctor forever.
*~*~*~*~*~*
As soon as her feet were on the ground, Rose turned to Ari and hugged him, jumping in place a little. Silly grin gracing her face, she got a sudden whiff of them and pulled back. "We stink!" she laughed, hugging him again before turning to Pete and-- the empty lobby. "Where is everybody?" she asked, smile falling from her lips.
Only Tia was still around, busy behind her computer, pushing her chair from this one to that, as she collected all the data from their jump.
"Hey, Tia," Ari called out, prying his jacket off, leaving dried flaking bits of mud all over the floor. "What's going on?"
She held up a finger, typed for another few seconds before slumping in her chair with a sigh. "Bigwig meeting. Tyler sent everyone home but me. Needed someone to collect your data." Eyes falling on Rose, she darted a glance at her monitor then back. "Your heart rate spiked there near the end of the jump. Something happen?"
"Got a call," Ari said, smiling and peeling his shirt from his skin.
"Yeah," Rose said, tossing a look at Pete's office. "Who's in there?" She had a sneaking suspicion this had something to do with her. Her good mood was beginning to spiral out of control, simmering into anger. "Is it Santiago?"
She saw Tia exchange a brief glance with Ari before returning her gaze back to Rose. "Yeah. Him, Tyler, and some higher up I've never seen before. They've only been in there twenty minutes and I've heard three arguments already."
Rose nodded and headed toward Pete's office.
"Rose, you can't go in there," Tia called out in a panicked voice. "Your dad said not to let you in!" When Rose merely continued walking, she heard Tia grumble, "You are so gonna get me fired."
That was possible and she'd be sorry about it, but that was for later. Right now all Rose could think about was getting in there and hearing what they were saying about her. Hearing what lies Santiago was telling Pete now. Because she knew he was, knew he was spreading more malicious lies about what she was doing. Who she was with. What she said. What she did. All of it. He was privy to every bit of her life because he was stalking her, watching her flat at night, taking pictures of her.
He probably had a wall full of photographs of her and--
"Don't go in there, Rose." That was Ari, and she turned briefly to give him a wounded look. He was usually her supporter, didn't take any guff from anyone. Listened to her ramblings about Santiago without so much as a bad word and she knew he believed her. So why would he stop her from sticking up for herself?
Didn't matter. Right now, all that mattered was getting to Pete and pointing out how obsessed Santiago was.
Twisting the doorknob, she shoved the door open and went inside.
There were three men in Pete's office, two of whom she knew, and one she'd never seen before. He was sitting before Pete's desk, looking comfortable and relaxed, eyes on her from the moment she entered. She could almost feel him assessing her, noting her worth and evaluating her sanity. But he said nothing, did nothing. Moments later, his eyes returned to Pete.
Pete was behind his desk, and as soon as she stormed in, he stood up. "Rose, please wait out in the--"
"No," she scoffed, not letting Santiago's supercilious look down at her deter her in the slightest. She crossed to the desk, pushing Santiago aside, and stopped to face Pete and Pete alone. "What's going on?"
Pete watched her for a moment before closing his eyes with a long-suffering sigh. "Rose Tyler, I'd like you to meet Dr. Steven Brons, he's the head of medicine for Torchwood. All research, technology, and artifacts that are medical in nature go through his branch."
"And all minor cuts and bruises as well as the nasty injuries," Brons said with a small smile as he stood up, holding out his hand. "Ms. Tyler, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you."
Rose stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it, mud and all. "I'm sure you have," she told him, flicking her gaze toward Santiago.
Brons' smile widened as he brushed the dried mud from his palm. "You're quite an extraordinary young lady."
Scoffing, she turned back to Pete. "A meeting about me and I wasn't invited. Not very nice of you." Sniffing sharply, she moved to the other side of the room, away from Brons and Santiago. Only a few meters, but enough that she felt comfortable again.
"They're concerned about you, Rose. And, frankly," sitting back down on his cushy, expensive leather chair, Pete glanced down at the thick folder in front of him, "I am as well." He pulled a file free and read through it. "Did you know the retrieval devices keep vitals as well as gather information about the universes you visit?" Eyes rising to hers, she thought she saw a hint of guilt there, but she couldn't be sure.
Her heart pounded hard, wondering what he was getting at. Wondering what Santiago had told Pete to make him believe his lies. She had known about the vitals, knew that that was how they kept tabs on the jumpers, but there was something else, something Pete hadn't told them.
Or was it just her?
"Yeah," she said clearly, succinctly, crossing her arms over her chest. "We all know that."
Santiago put on his concerned-face and turned toward her, speaking for the first time. "You're unwell, Rose. Your blood pressure is high, iron levels are low, potassium levels have skyrocketed, and your heart rate has increased by a few beats per minute." Eyes on her, he moved a little closer and she had to resist the urge to squirm away from him.
He was lying, couldn't Pete and Brons see it?
There, plain on his face, was the lie that he spoke every time he opened his mouth. Every time he tried for sincerity. He had none, it was all false, and Pete was buying it.
And Tia? she thought, remembering Tia's comment about her heart rate.
Drawing in a sharp breath, she looked toward the lobby, on the other side of Pete's office door. Was Tia supplying Rose's information to Santiago? Giving him details of her jumps? All this time, she'd thought Tia was her friend. Was it possible that she was spying on her?
Turning her gaze back to Santiago, she narrowed her eyes. "Heart rate and pulse I can understand. How d'you know about that other stuff?"
"Excellent question," Pete said, closing the folder and waiting for Santiago's answer.
Santiago drew in a breath, and faced Pete. "I altered her retrieval device after her evaluation so that it tested more than vitals. Something else was going on in her physiology, something not explained by blood pressure and pulse. I needed to know more."
Rose laughed bitterly. "I can't believe you're buying into his fantasy, Pete. He's obsessed, and you and," she tossed a glance at Brons, then turned back to Pete, "him, the both of you are--" but then something struck her and she smiled smugly. "I have proof."
Pete smiled in relief, looking hopeful. "Let's see it."
Santiago shook his head and leaned over Pete's desk with a sigh. "Don't encourage her delusions, Pete."
Anger poured through her and she glared at Santiago while Brons waved a hand in her direction. "Let the girl prove herself, Dr.."
Flinching at the familiar title and burning with fury at the situation, Rose turned on her heel and left Pete's office. Tia and Ari were still there, talking quietly. They looked up when she came out. "Ari, c'mere," she called, smiling widely, thrilled that she was, once and for all, going to prove Santiago wrong. Because she wasn't mental. She was as sane as he was.
Ari straightened up from where he was leaning over the weapons table and pointed at himself. "Me? What for?"
Rolling her eyes, she gestured to him. "Just get over here."
Footsteps squeaking across the marble floor, he shrugged at Tia and joined Rose, squeezing past her and into the room. All three men stared at him, and Ari stared back with a confused confidence.
"Ari Rendell," Pete said, gesturing to Brons, "this is Dr. Steven Brons. Dr. Brons, this is Rose's jumping partner."
"Pleasure," Brons murmured and Ari did the same. There was an awkward handshake that Rose dragged Ari from, pulling him to Pete's desk.
Something in her made her want to scream at the situation. This was ridiculous. All of it, and yet, here she was being forced to prove her sanity to a trio of men. "I got another call from the Doctor," she told Pete, speaking loudly and clearly so that Santiago and Brons heard her. "On our last jump."
"Awfully convenient," Santiago said mildly. "Just when you need proof, suddenly you got another call from your mysterious Doctor."
"Let her speak," Pete told Santiago, tossing him an irritated glance. "Is he coming, Rose? Do you know if he can help?"
She shook her head, slipping her phone from her flak jacket, rubbing the screen with her thumb. "It was staticky, like last time. He said... well, I think he said something about electricity and water, but I can't be sure. But I clearly heard him say: the darkness."
"And the proof, Ms Tyler?" Dr. Brons asked, smiling kindly in her direction.
Feeling like she finally, finally had someone at least partially on her side, she stood back and gestured to Ari. "Ari was there, he can tell you."
Ari looked around at her, eyes wide. "I-- Rose," he began, shaking his head with a sickly look. "I didn't... well, I wasn't really close enough to hear you, let alone, the Doctor."
So much for him thriving on conflict, she thought. He was practically falling apart under her gaze. Scoffing at him, she turned to face the rest of them. Feeling their eyes on her, feeling them sizing her up, wondering if she were mental, wondering if, at any moment, she'd snap and start throwing things or attack them with scissors.
She couldn't deny she had the urge to do so, but not because of any mental problems. How was she supposed to prove herself sane, if nobody let her?
Turning on her heel, she left Pete's office behind, thinking it was becoming habit to storm out of Torchwood Estates. Tia started to say something, but Rose, feeling betrayed on all fronts, didn't stop, or even look in her direction.
Tia was a traitor, feeding Santiago information. Ari didn't believe her about talking to the Doctor, nor about Santiago having it in for her. All those times she'd complained to him about Santiago, she thought he'd believed her, but apparently he was just counting the ways she was crazy.
And Pete! Her own father. Sort of. Although, not anymore. From this day forward, Pete Allen Tyler was her boss, not her father.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Back at home, Rose stared out the window, wondering when he'd show up. Wondering when Santiago and his camera would come out and start snapping photos of her again. Well, she hoped he got some good shots of her drapes, because that's all he'd be seeing anymore. The drapes would stay shut from now on.
She'd sped all the way home, probably not the best idea in her current mood, but it helped to take her mind off Pete and Santiago and Brons.
And Ari.
And Tia.
Rubbing her head, she shook out a few paracetamol and downed them with water. Her list of people involved in Santiago's plans was growing, but as she began to calm, began to think more clearly, she realized that she was probably overreacting. Ari couldn't help it, he'd only been telling the truth. He'd been too far away to hear the Doctor's voice, to hear the concern in his every word.
Sighing, she moved to the kitchen and set her glass on the counter beside the microwave.
Ari and Tia weren't involved, it was just her anger that made her think of them as spies detailing her every move, her every word.
That was paranoia, and she certainly wasn't paranoid.
So, Tia and Ari were safe, and Pete... he probably wasn't really buying into Santiago's fantasy. Not completely. He was just worried about her, and if she looked at this from his point of view, she could see his concern. He was married to her mother, he was her boss, and his son was her sibling, of course he had only her best interests at heart.
So just Santiago and Brons then. They wanted her off the project for some reason. Wanted her to stop jumping. Santiago didn't believe she was in contact with the Doctor, didn't believe the fog was coming.
The darkness.
That's what the Doctor had called it. And she was terrified of it. Something so innocuous, and yet, so deadly that it killed every living thing, and devoured entire buildings, leaving behind empty shells; that was the stuff of nightmares.
And yet Santiago refused to believe it was out there, despite the proof. Despite other jumpers having seen it. Having seen the aftermath of a world devastated by it.
How could he, as a doctor, actually care so little about human life that he'd allow his own vindictive vendetta to get in the way of stopping something that would kill every living thing on this planet? It was beyond her grasp. She didn't understand. But, she didn't need to, she just needed to stay out of his way until she found the Doctor and they figured out how to stop the darkness.
Opening the fridge, she shivered at the colder air and stared at the empty shelves, sighing. She needed to do some shopping. For now though, she grabbed a can of cola and a couple of biscuits from the counter.
Walking through the darkened room, she resumed her vigil by the window, scanning the street for any sign of Santiago.