Fear Her
The Doctor walked down the corridors in the TARDIS, looking for Allyson's room. He felt terrible about how he had to mute her mind but it was all he could do to keep the demon from harming her. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have to wait for her to completely heal before he could change it back for her. She's been even more reclusive since she got out of the med-bay. She felt even more like a third-wheel, he knew how she felt. She's always had strong emotions and he can't help but be effected by them occasionally. He came up to her door and knocked before walking in and freezing. All the time she's traveled with them he's never seen her room.
He gaped at the stimulated dome glass that covered all of the room except for the wall that his back was against and the floor. In the middle of the room was a bed that was set into the floor and sitting on the bed was a familiar curly head of hair, Allyson. She sat facing the window, her blue eyes taking in the slowly changing scenes. The Doctor walked up and sat right in front of her. They sat cross legged, knee to knee. Her blue eyes flickered to the Doctor, curiosity shining in the clear pools. "Allyson, I want to fix you." He told her simply. She smiled, her roses lips revealing her brilliant white teeth. She lept forward and hugged the Doctor. He felt her relief and joy flood over to him and he beamed. He wanted to see her happy.
He reluctantly pulled back his smile falling as he brought his mind into focus, but Allyson was silly with joy and she giggled. She had butterfly's in her stomach and they tickled. The Doctor chuckled at her and she giggled more. The Doctor straightened his face, feigning seriousness, as he placed his fingers on her face. Her skin was smooth and hot to the touch. He tried to focus on her synapses but he could feel her smile and it was rather distracting to him. He leaned in and focused more, resting his forehead on hers as he altered her mind. When he pulled away, Allyson had her eyes closed and her smile was nearly gone. "Allyson?" He called out to her.
"Hello." Her mind reached out but quickly shrouded itself, her emotions were reigned back as she put up a minimal block. The Doctor smiled, glad to see her back to how she was. "Doctor, I have a question." She bit her lip and stared off out of the window. "Back on Kroptor I spoke. I barely remember it, but I know I did. How?" The Doctor let out a sigh and scratched his neck.
"Well, it's not your vocal cords that are damaged. It's the speech center in your cerebrum. It is damaged, I'm not sure how, but it is. Physically you can speak, but your mind just can't comprehend how." The corner of Allyson's mouth inched up but quickly fell again, disappointment on her face. "But, maybe with time it will heal on it's own." He tried to cheer her up but he could tell she wasn't buying it. Even he didn't buy it. They sat in silence for a while when the Doctor held out his hand expectantly. Allyson glanced at it and raised a brow. "I fixed you, now gimme back my screwdriver!" He playfully demanded. Allyson rolled her eyes, pulled it out from under her pillow and dropped it in his waiting hand. A smirk on her face the whole time.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
The TARDIS materializes right in-between two gates. Posted on one was a sign "DANGER - KEEP OUT" and on the other was "NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THESE GATES". When the TARDIS gives a final 'bang' the Doctor opens the door, but finds that the TARDIS was parked the wrong way. The gates blocked the Doctor from leaving. "Ah." He shut the door and the TARDIS dematerializes and re-materializes again, this time facing the proper way. The Doctor opened the door and smiled as he walked out. "Ah!" After the Doctor had stepped out Rose followed close behind. She caught sight of a poster on a pole, it was of Shayne Ward and it was advertising his greatest hits album.
"So, near future, yeah?" Rose asked as Allyson stepped out of the TARDIS, still in her white shirt and blue jeans.
"I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass, it stopped." The Doctor, Rose, and Allyson all walk down the street simply looking about when they see a large banner strung up. ''LONDON 2012". "30th Olympia." The Doctor smiled. Rose gave a squeal of delight and linked her arm through the Doctor's, leaving Allyson alone on the other side.
"No way! Why didn't I think of this, that's great! Ah!" Rose's grin was infectious and the Doctor beamed.
"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about. Wrestling each other in the sand with crowds standing about, begging...no, wait a minute. That was Club Med." He laughs at his own joke and gives Rose a nudge. "Just in time for the opening doo dah - ceremony. Tonight, I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again. Fella carrying the torch. Lovely chap. What was his name?" Rose disconnected her self from the Doctor as she caught sight of 'MISSING' posters coating a pole. "Mark? John? Mark? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet."
"Doctor -" Rose tried.
"And in those days, everybody had a tea part to go to." He continued to prattle on in his own little world.
"Doctor?" Rose tried again.
"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top-" Allyson gives the Doctor a good smack on the arm and he stops mid-sentence, his attention focused on her. She points to Rose who was still staring at the posters, appalled.
"You should really look." Rose told him, waving him over.
"Do you know those - those things?" He saunters over to her, continuing on his little rant about edible ball bearings. "Nobody else in this entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius." His eyes finally land on the posters and he becomes serious. again. "What's taking them, do you think?" He and Allyson quickly scan the street, but it seems entirely normal. "Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this. Why's it so cold? Is something reducing the temperature?"
"It says they all went missing this week. Why would a person do something like this?" Rose asked, heartbreak evident in her voice.
"What makes you think it's a person?" Allyson looked at the posters, memorizing the children's faces. The sound of a door opening attracts their attention and they all turn to see a woman dumping a recycling sack on the pavement outside her house. She quickly shuffles back inside, looking around suspiciously all the while.
"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death. Doctor, what .." She turns to face the Doctor but finds he's already half way down the street. Rose gapes at him but looks over at Allyson who stood by her, waiting. Allyson could only shrug, who knew what that man thought sometimes.
The Doctor walked into a seemingly random yard and crouched down in front of a mini football goal. He held out his hand and hovered it over a patch of grass. The girls were walking along the road, trying to reach the Doctor when a car shutters to a halt close by. They both stop to watch as a council worker stops his work to help the driver. "There you go. 5th today. Not natural, is it?" The council worker asked the driver.
"I dunno what happened, I had it serviced less than a month ago." The driver stepped out of the car, distraught.
"Nah, don't even try and explain it, mate. All the cars are doing it. And do you know what? It's bonkers. Bonkers." The service man explained, seeming to have accepted the odd behavior of random cars. "Come on then, pal. I'll help you shift it. Quicker you're on the way, happier you'll be." The council worker walks back and begins to push on the back of the car while the driver pushes from his door.
"There we go." The driver smiled as the car began to move. Rose and Allyson walk over to the two struggling men.
"Do you want a hand?" Rose asked them.
"No, we're all right, love." The council worker politely declined. Rose and Allyson both put their hands on their hips and smirked.
"No you're not. We're tougher than we look, honest." The man shifts over, making room for Rose and Allyson to push. The 4 of them push on the car, moving it along at a good pace when it suddenly roars to life. The council worker falls over as the car takes off. He quickly jumps up and brushes himself off. "Does this happen a lot?"
"Cheers, mate!" The driver hollered back before he drove off.
"Been doing it all week." He replied, disgruntled.
"Since those children started going missing?" Rose pried.
"Yeah, I s'pose so." He shrugged, not really seeing how one pertains to the other. Allyson frowned but walked over to where the Doctor was, knowing she wouldn't be much help in a conversation. The Doctor was still feeling something invisible over the grass when Allyson walked up and squatted next to him.
"Find anything?" She asked casually. The Doctor giggled.
"Put your hand right here." She complied and hovered her hand over the patch of grass. "Can you feel it?" He watched her closely as she focused on her hand. She furrowed her brows as she felt a small wave under her hand, she wiggled her fingers and the feeling became more detailed. The small wave started to feel more like little tendrils of air and energy mixed together. It tickled her hand and she began to giggled at the strange sensation. The Doctor giggled too as he put his hand back. "It tickles!" He laughed.
"What's your game?" A man had stepped out of the house they were in front of, and he didn't look very happy. They both spin around and stare at the man.
"My.. um.." The Doctor looks like a fish out of water, "Snakes and Ladders? Quite good at.. uh Squash. Reasonable." Allyson smacks his arm again and it seems to snap the Doctor out of his floundering. "I'm being facetious, aren't I? There's not call for it." He begins to back away as the man approaches him dangerously. He subconsciously pulls Allyson behind him, not wanting her to get hurt. They begin to stumble back towards the sidewalk as the man stalks them.
"Who are you?" He asked, glaring at them.
"I'm - I'm a police officer! I've got a badge - and -"
"Doctor." Allyson's warning voice echoed in his head.
"And a police car! You don't have to get -" The Doctor continued to fumble with his words, "I can- I can prove it! Just hold on-" He began to fish around in his pockets, looking for physic paper. Allyson crossed her hand and rolled her eyes.
"We've had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you two don't look - or sound - like any of them." The man said roughly. While the Doctor was fumbling with his coat he spotted Rose.
"See, look! We've even got another colleague! Lewis." Rose quickly acts her part and give the man a policeman-like wink. While the man was distracted by Rose, Allyson quickly stepped in front of the Doctor and started searching his pockets with him.
"This is why you don't need pockets bigger on the inside." She lightly scolded him. She reached into the inside breast pocket and managed to pull out the psychic paper. She handed it to him with a mocking smile.
"What would I do without you, Allyson?" The Doctor grinned and winked at her before stepping between the man and Rose.
"Training. New recruits." He answered for Rose. "It was either that or hairdressing, so -" He flashes him the psychic paper, "Voila!" He beamed.
"What are you going to do?" A woman, who had just joined them, asked.
"The police have knocked on every door - no clue, no leads, nothing." The woman who Rose was talking to, spoke up.
"Look, kids run off sometimes, All right? That's what they do -" The man who had confronted the Doctor theorized, seeming like he was trying to convince himself more than everyone else.
"Dale Hixon in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then -!" She mimics a gesture of someone disappearing. "Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us." The older lady looked very upset.
"Why don't we -" The Doctor started but someone else interrupted him.
"Why don't we start with him?" He pointed at the council worker. "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."
"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" The man defended himself.
"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it." Tommy's dad accused. Allyson, Rose, and the Doctor all frowned, watching the small group turn on an innocent man.
"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is just -" The Doctor tried to calm them down.
"You don't - what you just said, that's slander!" The road worker and everyone else ignored the Doctor.
"I don't care what it is!" The neighbor cried out.
"I think we need to just -" The Doctor tired again.
"I want an apology off her!" The worker demanded
"Stop picking on him."
"Yeah, stop picking on me!"
"And stop pretending to be blind! It's evil!"
"I don't believe in evil."
"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van-"
"Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying."
"Would you stop ganging up on me?!"
"Feeling guilty, are we?"
"Fingers on lips!" The Doctor shouted above everyone, effectively shutting them up. He put his finger over his own lips to demonstrate and everyone reluctantly followed suit. Allyson stood beside the Doctor and Rose with an bemused look on her face. She glanced at the Doctor and saw him looking at her expectantly. She frowned and looked at Rose, seeing her with her finger over her lips Allyson glared at the Doctor.
"Really?" She asked flatly.
"Really." He replied with a light nod. Allyson rolled her eyes and put her finger up to cover her lips, still glaring at the Doctor. The Doctor looked around to make sure everyone had their lips covered before speaking himself.
"In the last 6 days, 3 of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?" The Doctor looked around and saw the old lady who looked unsure if she should raise her hand or not.
"Err, can I?" The Doctor motions for her to speak and replaces his own finger to his lips. "Look around you. This was a safe street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers - maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?" Allyson felt like someone was watching her and she looked up, In the window of one of the houses was a young girl. She nudged Rose and she followed her gaze. One of the women in the group caught what they were looking at and hurried into her home, shortly after the girl disappeared from the window.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
The Doctor was on his hands and knees in Tommy's dad's yard, sniffing. Rose and Allyson stood back giving him odd looks. "Want a hanky?" Rose joked.
"Can you smell it?" The Doctor continued to sniff, though not as intensely. Rose and Allyson both kneel down in the grass and lean in for a deep sniff. "What does it remind you of?"
"Sort of... metal?" Rose guessed. The Doctor nods.
"Mm-hm!"
"Oooh!" Rose grins from the excitement that's beginning to form. Allyson frowns and takes another sniff before getting up and walking a few feet to sniff another area. A small concentrated frown on her face.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
The trio walk down a narrow alleyway. The Doctor and Rose in front of Allyson, who was occasionally sniffing in random places. "Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other." He holds up his hand again. "Whoa, there it goes again!" He shows Rose the back of his hand. "Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand." Allyson rolled her eyes at him but Rose looks intrigued. "Go on! Hold out your hand." He tells her. Rose bits her lip before hesitantly sticking out her hand. The Doctor grabs her wrist and hovers her hand over the area. "Can't you feel it?" Rose frowns, but isn't to upset as she tries to bite back another smile.
"No, I don't feel anything." She gazed up at the Doctors baffled look.
"Allyson?" He asked. The girl wormed her way past Rose and stuck out her arm. The Doctor gently dropped Rose's hand and investigated Allyson's. Little hairs on her arm stood at end, she obviously felt the little tendrils of energy like he did. His eye's quickly looked between the two girls, an confused look on his face. "Odd." He let Allyson drop her hand and Rose took a deep breath, not thinking to much on what just happened.
"And there's that smell... It's like a um.. a burnt fuse plug or something." Rose made a slightly disgusted face.
"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this." The Doctor looked around a bit after he tore his gaze from Allyson who was confused. She didn't understand why he was reacting so weirdly to her being able to feel the energy in the air. Surely some people were just more sensitive to things like this, right?
They walk out of the ally and back into the main street. The Doctor looks around, thoroughly confused. "Aren't you a beautiful boy?!" Rose cooed and walked away from the Doctor who had his back turned. Allyson remained by the Doctor, glaring at the pussy cat. The Doctor beams.
"Thanks! I'm experimenting with back-coming." He turns to face Rose but finds her talking to a cat. "Oh." He frowned, slightly disappointed. Allyson stifles her giggles, but fails. A small snort of laughter caught the Doctor's attention. "What're you laughing at?" He glared. Allyson immediately sobered up, aside from a few giggles and feigned innocence.
"I used to have one like you." Rose smiled as she pet the cat, drawing their attention back to her. The cat lets out a adorable meow as she runs her hand down its back. The Doctor watches uncomfortably and Allyson glares at the cat. Rose glances over at them and notices their looks. "What?"
"No, I'm not really a cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it." The Doctor made a slightly disgusted face as the cat rubbed against Rose.
"I hate cats." Was all Allyson left it at. The Doctor castes her a concerned look before going back to watching Rose, who was chasing after the cat as it walks over to a box.
"Come here, puss!" She cooed. The Doctor adverted his eyes, not wanting to look at the cat who reminded him of the nun's who tortured Allyson and all of the people of the flesh. "What do you wanna go in there for?" Allyson kept watching, well, more like glaring at the cat. She didn't trust them, even the devolved simple-minded domesticated versions of them. A breeze blows by them and only an echo of the cats meow sounds out of the box. Rose squats down and peers inside the box. "Doctor! Allyson!" She called to them urgently. Allyson grabs the Doctor's jacket and drags him over before he's fully able to react. Rose stands up and plugs her nose, waving her hand in front of her.
"Whoa!" The Doctor and Allyson slam to a halt as the smell reaches them too. "Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" He waves the smell away and picks up the empty box using only his index finger and thumb. He gave it a disgusted look, like it was dirty.
"Iron residue." Allyson concluded.
"Blimey! That takes some doing!" He swivels the box around so he can check the back side, an impressed look upon his features. "Just to snatch a living organism out of space/time. This baby is just like, 'I'm 'avin' some of that'." He said, putting on a rough accent. "I'm impressed." Allyson took the box from the Doctor and stuck her head in it, checking for any holes that may have took the cat.
"So the cat's been transported?" Rose looked between the two, they seemed to understand this better than her.
"It can harness huge reserves of ionic power." He roughly pulls the box off Allyson's head, ruffling up her hair in the process. She huffs and casts him a cold look. He drops the box back to where it was and points to it. "We need to find the source of that power." He looks around some. "Find the source and you will find... whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. You girls go and see what you can see." He pats Rose and Allyson on the shoulder and makes a watching gesture with his hands and eyes. "Keep 'em peeled, Lewis and err...Allyson." Rose and Allyson smile and nod as he walks off. Rose watched him walk away until he was out of view. Allyson watched a small knowing smile, but a bitterness sat in her stomach.
As they walked down the street, Rose had a dazed look in her eyes, like she was daydreaming. "I know that look." Allyson smirked, the bitterness still nestled in her belly. Rose seemed to snap out of her little fantasy and quickly tried to cover it up.
"What look?" She pretended to check out a house across the street.
"You were thinking about a certain man." Rose gave her a hard stare. "A certain, alien, man. Who happens to be a doctor." Allyson smirked, knowing she caught her. Rose looked down and blushed. "You know, I still remember when you and the Doctor rescued me. When that lady took possession of the Doctor. She said that you've been looking." Rose's face reddened even more.
"Is it that obvious?" She said slightly under her breath. Allyson gave her another smile.
"Obviously." Allyson sniffed, checking for any smell of the iron residue as she checked out a yard. "You should tell him." Rose snorted at that.
"I basically have." Allyson looked at her and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Basically?"
"Well.." Rose stuttered, embarrassed again. "Short of telling him I love him, yeah." She bit her tongue, a bit of a nervous habit of hers.
"Tell him." Allyson swallowed the bitter taste that rose up into her mouth. She thought briefly that she was getting sick but quickly dismissed it. She felt fine, aside from this growing pungent pang in her. Rose goes to reply when a loud crash catches their attention. Clattering sounded from the garage right next to them and they both walk over to check it out.
"Is that you, puss-cat? Are you trapped?" Rose kneels down by the rolling door, but another loud crash startles her. Allyson quickly pulls her up and hangs on to her, scared that it's not the cat. Rose gently pries Allyson off her and considers the door. "Not gonna open it, not gonna open it. Not gonna open it..." Rose mumbles under her breath as she slowly approaches the door handle. She turns the handle and slowly, tentatively opens it. She peers inside and is knocked back by a scribblely ball of scribbles. Allyson jumps back from the sudden movement and fumbles with her brown jacket as she searches for her sonic. The Doctor suddenly appears from around a corner and runs over to help Rose. He pulls out his sonic just as Allyson finds hers.
"Stay still!" He ordered at Rose as he points his sonic screwdriver at the scribble. It seizes and convulses before collapsing into a small ball which falls into Rose's lap. The Doctor rushes over to Rose and helps her up. "You okay?" He asked, very serious.
"Yeah." Rose gasped, out of breath. The Doctor turns to Allyson who looked like a deer caught in head lights.
"Why didn't you help her?!" He glared. Allyson had always been protective of Rose. It angered him to think that Allyson had actually let Rose go into danger without taking some precautions. Allyson jumped at his tone and wrapped her arms around herself. She bit her lip to keep back the anguish she felt. "You don't just let Rose go investigate something that you don't know what it is! We don't even know what we're up against!" Allyson felt like she had been whipped. "It could have seriously harmed her!"
"Doctor!" Rose gasped, surprised. "It's okay, I'm all right." She quickly hugs him, hoping to distract him from is rage at Allyson. He sighed and looked at the ball of scribbles that he'd picked up, deciding to change the subject.
"I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is." He pokes it with his sonic, a frown still evident on his face. "'Cos I haven't got the foggiest."
"Well, I can tell you you've just killed it." She told him as she gave Allyson a concerned look. She stood still as a stone, her arms wrapped around her, and biting her lip. She had her eyes cast down to the ground, feeling guilty. She lightly shook her head and mentally slapped herself. She should have opened the door, not Rose.
"It was never living. It's animated by energy. Same energy that's snatching people." He throws it up and down as he looks down the street, avoiding Allyson. "That is so dinky! That Go-Anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket, makes friends, impresses the boss, breaks the ice at parties." He slips it in his pocket and Rose links her arm with his and they walk back to the TARDIS. Allyson following silently behind them, still hugging herself.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
The Doctor put the scribble on a scanner in the TARDIS console for her to analyze. Rose stood close by, looking over his shoulder as he worked. "Oh - hi ho, here we go. Let's have a look." He smiled, in a slightly better mood, but was still refusing to look in Allyson's direction. They both look at the computer screen which displayed odd symbols that Rose couldn't read. Allyson walked up behind the Doctor and watched silently. "Get out of here..." He looked surprised.
"What's it say?" Rose asked, looking between him and the computer screen. The Doctor fishes around in his pockets and produces a pencil. He picks up the scribble and indicated to Rose to watch him. He rubs the eraser against the object and it begins to vanish.
"It is!" He smiles as he blows off the dust. "It's graphite! Basically the same material as an HB pencil."
"I was attacked by a pencil scribble?" Rose asked disbelievingly.
"Scribble creature." He sniffs it then lets Rose have a whiff, a familiar metal smell reaching her nose. "Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But, why make a scribble creature?"
"Maybe it was a mistake. I mean, you scribble over something when you wanna get rid of it. Like a um.. Like a drawing. Like a ..." It dawns on her. "Like a child's drawing." The Doctor glances at her, stunned. "You said it was in the street."
"Probably.." The Doctor answered, still watching her.
"The girl." Rose concluded.
"Of COURSE!" The Doctor threw his arms up in victory. "What girl?" He looked at her confused. Allyson stood back and watched the two, a sharp pain in her chest.
"There was a girl in one of the houses. We caught her watching us in the street."
"Something about her gave me the creeps. Even her own mum looked scared of her." Rose finished, the Doctor's eyes never once leaving Rose's face.
"Are you deducting?" He leaned in closer to her.
"I think I am." She gave him a conspiratorial look. The Doctor grinned.
"Copper's hunch?"
"Permission to follow it up, sarge." She beamed.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
The trio walk up to the front door to the little girls home and knock. The woman that was out on the street arguing with them before answered the door. She looks at them suspiciously and they give her friendly smiles. "Hello! I'm the Doctor, this is Rose, and Allyson. Can we see your daughter?"
"No!" She snapped at them. "You can't."
"Okay!" The Doctor smiled, unfazed. "Bye." They all turn and walk away in silence, small smiles still on the Doctor's and Rose's face.
"Why?" The lady asked when they were half way down the path. The Doctor turned on his heel, giving her a curious look. "Why do you want to see Chloe?"
"Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I just thought - well, we thought- that she might like to give us a hand." He smiled innocently.
"Sorry to bother you." Rose said.
"Yeah, sorry. We'll let you get on with things. On your own. Bye again!" They turn and walk away again and the lady continues to watch them, seeming stuck between decisions.
"Wait!" She called after them. They turn to her again and she wears an helpless expression. "Can you help her?" The Doctor smiles, always happy to help.
"Yes, I can."
..::..::..::..::..:::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Inside Trish's home the TV is playing the news on the Olympic Torch Bearer. Rose sits down the couch, Allyson right next to her and the Doctor flings his coat over the couch. "She stays in her room, most of the time. I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone." Trish explained, obviously pained by not being able to help her daughter.
"What about Chloe's dad?" Rose asked from the couch.
"Chloe's dad died a year ago." Rose gave her her condolences. "You wouldn't if you'd known him.
"Well!" The Doctor changed the subject again, a bright smile plastered on his face. "Let's go and say hi!"
"I should check on her first. She might be asleep." Trish looked down at her feet, reluctant.
"Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" The Doctor looked at her genuinely confused, but relieved that he was getting somewhere.
"I want you to know before you see her that's she's really a great kid." Trish insisted, not wanting her daughter harmed.
"I'm sure she is." He smiled at her.
"She's never been in trouble at school. You should see her report form last year. 'A's and 'B's." Trish continued to rattle on, proud of her daughter. She smile at Rose and Allyson, and they both return it.
"Can I use your loo?" Rose asked, getting up from the couch. Trish nods and tells her where it is, the Doctor watching her closely as she leaves.
"She's in the choir." Trish continued to the Doctor. "She's singing in an old folks home. Any mum would be proud. You know, I want you to know these tings before you see her, Doctor. Because right now, she's not herself." Trish's voice trailed off as Chloe came down the stairs. Allyson stood up and joined Trish and the Doctor. Chloe walks into the kitchen, the three of them following close behind. The Doctor popped his head in the door to see her getting some milk from the fridge.
"All right, there?" He asked as he walked in, Trish and Allyson behind him. The Doctor walks across the kitchen and settles himself against the counter. "I'm the Doctor." He smiled at her as she turned to face him. Allyson felt another pang, he was really upset with her.
"I'm Chloe Webber." She answered, not really interested.
"How're you doing, Chloe Webber?"
"I'm busy. I'm making something. Aren't I, mum?" Chloe looked back at her mom, expecting her to back her up.
"And like I said, she's not been sleeping." Trish said, choosing to not answer.
"But you've been drawing, though. I'm rubbish. Stick men are about my limit. Can do this, though." He held up his hand and did the 'live long and prosper' sign from Star Trek. Chloe looks indifferent. "Can you do that?" Trish nod encouragingly at Chloe, willing her to answer.
"They don't stop moaning." Chloe finally conceited.
"Chloe.." Trish sounded exasperated.
"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning." Chloe stomped her foot like a stubborn child.
"Who don't?" The Doctor's brow furrowed as he lowers his hand.
"We can be together." Chloe answered.
"Sweetheart." Trish moved over to comfort Chloe but she shy's away.
"Don't touch me, mum." She stops in her tracks, appalled at how Chloe had spoken to her. Her arms drop back down to her sides as she gives the Doctor pleading stare. "I'm busy. Doctor." Chloe then briskly leaves, the Doctor follows after her.
"Oh, come on, Chloe! Don't be a spoil sport!" He called after her, disappointed as he follows her back into the hallway. "What's the big project? I'm dying to know! What're you making up there?"
"Doctor! Allyson!" Rose's terrified voice reaches them from upstairs. They both launch forward and sprint up the stairs, determined to get to Rose. They reached the room and find Rose staring transfixed into Chloe's closet.
"I'm coming to hurt you..." A demonic sounding voice boomed. The Doctor rushed over and slammed the doors shut without so much as a peak inside. Allyson quickly grabbed Rose and checked over Rose.
"Look at it." Rose told them.
"No." They answer. The Doctor quickly walks away from the closet and begins to examine the drawings that were posted up on Chloe's wall. He whipped on his brainy specs as he inspected them.
"What the hell was that?" Trish demanded, holding on to her daughter, terrified.
"A drawing. The face of a man." Rose continued to stare at the doors, still seeing the face.
"What face?" Trish looked at her, begging for an answer. When she see's Rose wasn't going to answer her she tried to open the closet but Rose rams herself against the door.
"Best not." Allyson walked over to Chloe's desk and peaked over at the Doctor, seeing him still engrossed in the drawings on the wall she quietly put on a pair of glasses that she had stolen from him long ago.
"What have you been drawing?" Trish asked Chloe, concern in her voice.
"I drew him yesterday."
"Who?"
"Dad." Trish draw in a sharp breath, not expecting that answer.
"Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world. Why him?" Trish was surprised and upset at her daughter as she thought back to the horrible man.
"I dream about him, staring at me."
"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?" Trish looked down at her, completely taken back.
"We need to stay together." Was all Chloe told her.
"Yes, we do." Trish smiled slightly, happy to see her daughter coming back to her.
"No. Not you. Us." Chloe walked away from her mother, who looked betrayed. "We need to stay together. And then it'll be all right." Trish follows her daughter and puts her hands on her cheeks. Chloe flinches at the touch.
"Trish, the drawings - have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asked, concerned for the mother.
"Who gave you permission to come into her room?" Trish asked, suddenly becoming cold. "Get out of my house."
"Tell us about the drawings, Chloe." The Doctor asked as he walked away from the drawings, his brows furrowed.
"I don't wanna hear any more of this." Trish demanded.
"But that drawing of her dad, I heard a voice. He spoke." Rose soothed, trying to get her to see reason.
"He's dead. And these - they're kids pictures. Now get out!" Trish demanded again.
"Chloe has a power. And I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards. Dale Hicks - she's using it to snatch the kids." Rose tried again. Allyson continued to look at some of the drawings. She saw the paper that had a scribble on it, the scribble that attacked Rose. She also saw a picture of a brown haired kid with a cat that looked like the one that vanished on the street.
"Get out." Trish ground out through her teeth.
"Have you seen those drawings move?" Rose plead.
"I haven't seen anything." She replied with disdain.
"Yes you have. Out of the corner of your eye." The Doctor eyed her, watching her reaction.
"No." Trish glared at him.
"And you dismissed it, because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possible explain?" He slowly approaches her. "You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever ag-"
"She's a child-" Trish was near tears.
"And you're terrified of her. But there's no one to turn to, because who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye? No one. Except me." He gives her a stern look over his glasses and slowly Trish seems to crumble.
"Who are you?"
"I'm help."
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
They were all gathered back in the kitchen. The Doctor leaned up against the counter while Rose and Allyson stood by the fridge. Trish paced on the other side of the island. The Doctor notices a jar of marmalade and swipes it off the counter. He unscrews the lid, dips his fingers into and starts to suck the jam off. Rose and Allyson stare incredulously at him. "No." Rose mouthed to him. He pauses, looking like a scolded little school boy. He glances at Trish who hadn't seemed to notice. He quietly screwed the lid back on and slid the jar back onto the counter. "Those pictures - they're alive. She's drawing people and they end up in her pictures." Rose tried to explain to Trish.
"Ionic energy. Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kind of holding-pen made up of ionic power." The Doctor said, explaining some of the details.
"And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" Rose frowned, none of it really making much sense. Allyson bit her lip, thinking.
"How many times do I have to tell you? He's dead." Trish insisted, getting upset again.
"Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke." Rose gave her a disbelieving look.
"If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living thing..." The Doctor thought out loud.
"Just like the scribble." Allyson added, the Doctor let out a violent shiver making Rose jump.
"Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares." Realization was on the Doctor's face as he continued,"That dad seems very real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world."
"She always got the worst of it when he was alive." Trish told them, pain in her voice.
"Doctor, how can a 12 year old girl be doing any of this?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's find out." The Doctor said after a pause, he pushes himself off the counter and stride out of the kitchen, Rose and Allyson right behind him. They all enter into Chloe's room and find her sitting cross-legged on the bed. The Doctor stands before her, a smile on his face as he looks down at her. She looks back up at him and flashes him the 'live long and prosper' sign. "Nice one." He kneels down in front of her and places his fingertips on her temples. Her eyes roll back into her skull before closing. Allyson watched remembering the last time he had done that to her, and what had caused him to have to do it. He closed his own eyes, focusing, before Chloe falls backwards on the bed, unconscious. "There we go."
"I can't let him do this-" Trish moved toward them, concerned for her daughter, but Rose and Allyson stop her.
"Shh, it's okay. Trust him." Rose comforted her as the Doctor stood up straight.
"Now we can talk." He spoke to Chloe, ignoring the three girls.
"I want Chloe. Wake her up. I want Chloe." Chloe spoke in a raspy voice, obviously someone was speaking through her.
"Who are you?" The Doctor inquired.
"I want Chloe Webber!" The presence demanded with passion.
"What've you done to my little girl?" Trish cried out, upset.
"Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked, curious. The Doctor walks slowly around the bed while he watches Chloe.
"I'm speaking to you. The entity that is using this human child. I request parlez in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation." He formality was lost when she responded.
"I don't care about shadows or parlez." She raspily replied.
"So what do you care about?" He gazed down at the unconscious girl.
"I want my friends."
"You're lonely, I know. Identify yourself." He told it as he knelled by her on the bed.
"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair. And I hate it!" Her fists pound on the bed and her eyes snap open.
"Name yourself!" The Doctor demanded in a strong voice.
"Isolus."
"You're Isolus. Of course." He realized, as if her being Isolus explained everything.
"Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family." The Isolus told them, her hand found a paper and pencil and began to sketch.
"What's that?" Trish asked as she looked down at Chloe's drawing.
"The Isolus Mother, drifting in Deep Space." He jumps off the bed. "See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together. They cannot be alone."
"Our journey is long." The Isolus told them, sadness in her voice.
"The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up." The Doctor explained to them all again.
"Thousands of years just floating through space. Poor things - don't they go mad with boredom?" Rose asked, sympathetic towards the beings.
"We play." Chloe answered her.
"You.. play?" She looked at the girl, confused again. The Doctor sits on the bed again.
"Mm. While they travel, they play games. They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play." The Doctor looked down at Chloe again as he spoke.
"In-flight entertainment." Rose said, like she had to become comfortable with the idea.
"Helps keep them happy." He said nodding. "While they're happy, they can feed off each others love. Without it, they're lost." He returns to speaking to the Isolus again. "Why did you come to Earth?"
"We were too close." She rips off the piece of paper she was drawing on and starts new.
"That's a solar flare from your sun." The Doctor realized as he watched the drawing come into form. "Would've made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods."
"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there. And I cannot reach them. So alone." A tear dripped out of Chloe's eye. Allyson felt a sadness within her. This little child was so alone and all she wanted was friends, but all the beings she captured in her drawings aren't enough.
"Your pod crashed. Where is it?" The Doctor asked, wanting to help her.
"My pod was drawn to heat." Her voice drifted off, as if she were having a flashback. "And I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She needed me. And I her." The Doctor stroked her hair, soothing the child.
"You empathized with her. You wanted to be with her because she was alone with you." The Doctor had a sad tone to his voice, understanding in his eyes.
"I want my family. It's not fair." She pounded her fists against the bed again. The girls watch, affected by the alien's story.
"I understand. You wanna make a family. But you can't stay in this child. It's wrong. You can't steal any more friends for yourself."
"I am alone." A thump from the wardrobe startled everyone.
"I'm coming to hurt you." Chloe's dad threatened. Chloe starts to shake and tremble, fear gripping tight in the little girl. The pounding on the door worsens. "I'm coming."
"Trish, how do you calm her?" The Doctor looked to her mother for help as Chloe's body continued to jerk about.
"What?!" Trish asked, thoroughly confused.
"When she has nightmares, what do you do?"
"I..I.." Trish stuttered, too scared and confused to think straight.
"What do you do?" He pushed, more urgent than before.
"I sing to her." Trish finally answered.
"Then start singing." He told her, motioning for her to sit by her daughter and sing. Trish rushes to her daughters side, taking the Doctor's spot.
"Chloe, I'm coming." The voice raged again.
"Kookaburra sit in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he." Trish begins to sing.
"Chloe... Chloe.." The voice boomed harshly as the banging and thumping continues. Rose and the Doctor look over at the door, concerned and worried. Trish strokes Chloe's hair, trying to soothe her. "Chloe... Chloe.."
"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be." The banging got stronger despite Trish's best efforts. Panic raised up into Allyson's throat as she glanced at the Doctor, Rose, Trish, and Chloe before she rushed over and sat by the two girls on the bed. She placed one hand on Trish's and the other on Chloe's cheek. Trish gave the girl an odd look, but kept singing. Allyson closed her eyes and focused on creating a block in Chloe's mind with the song, barring the horrible thoughts and soothing the girl. The clatter in the closet began to quiet down as Chloe stopped whimpering and jerking around. "Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be." Chloe's chest rises and falls evenly, fast asleep. "He came to her because she was lonely. Chloe, I'm sorry." Trish said in tears. Allyson removes her hands as Trish buries her face in her girl's shoulder and sobs. She gently rubs the woman's back, trying to comfort her.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Trish was striding around the house, gathering up pencils and pens and hiding them. "Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper. When he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free." Trish told them, as she grabbed a handful of pencils Rose had gathered. "I thought it was over."
"Did you talk to her about it?" Rose asked, knowing you have to talk about issues to resolve them.
"I didn't want to." Rose sits down on the couch again, next to Allyson.
"But, maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone. 'Cos she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them."
"Her and the Isolus. Two lonely kids who need each other." The Doctor stared at the floor as he sat in a chair, opposite of Rose and Allyson.
"And it won't stop, will it, Doctor?" Rose gave him a hopeful look. "It'll just keep pulling kids in."
"It's desperate to be loved." He shrugged his shoulders, "It's use to a pretty big family."
"How big?" Rose asked.
"Say around... 4 billion?" Allyson let out a low whistle as Trish and Rose looked stunned at the Doctor. Rose turned her attention to the television which was still covering the progress of the torch.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::.::..::..::..
The three of them walk out of Trish's house, heading back to the TARDIS. "We need that pod." He said, adjusting his coat as he walked.
"It crashed - won't it be destroyed?" Rose asked, concerned.
"If her pod was drawn to heat then hopefully any heat it's been leeching in has kept it in a fit state to launch." Allyson chirped up from behind, still a bit unsure if the Doctor was upset with her.
"It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus." The Doctor nodded as the walked further down the street.
"We can scan for the same trace we picked up from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit." The Doctor explained as they reached the TARDIS. He fishes around in his pockets for the TARDIS key and opens the door. They walk inside and the Doctor begins to hunt around for random machinery. Rose takes a seat in the seat by the console and watches him rush about, looking for pieces. Allyson simply stood against the rail, knowing he wouldn't want her help.
"You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" Rose asked, trying to understand. He shoves Rose of the chair and sits down himself.
"I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the stina magnetic erm." He paused and chews on his cheek before violently pointing to her left hand. "The thing in your left hand." Rose frowns a bit confused.
"Sounds like you're on its side." She slides the 'thingy' into the device that the Doctor held between his legs.
"I sympathize, that's all." He told her as he began to check it over.
"The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for those people." Rose said, getting upset again.
"It's a child, Rose. It doesn't know it's doing wrong." Allyson explained.
"That's why it went to Chloe, two lonely mixed up kids." He continued as he blew into the device.
"Hm, feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get it's own way."
"It's scared!" He looked at her exasperated, "Come on, you were a kid once. Binary dot." He held out his hand as he returned his attention to the device.
"Yes!" She handed them the dot, "And I know what kids can be like. Right little...terrors."
"The Isolus is used to 4 billion siblings. It just wants to not be alone." The Doctor held his hand in front of Rose's mouth, she gave him confused look.
"Gum." She raises an eyebrow but complies and spits out her gum into his palm.
"I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family." She watched as the Doctor stuck her gum into a hole in the object.
"What about trying to understand them?"
"Easy for you to say. You don't have kids." Rose faces away from him, a slight smile on her face.
"I was a dad once." He told her off-handedly, like he didn't really realize what he had said. Rose gawks at him.
"What did you say?" Allyson glanced down at her feet, remembering the conversation she had with the Doctor. She bit her lip as the pain that he felt came washing over her. The Doctor continued working, not really noticing the effect his words had on Rose.
"I think we're there!" He stands up and strides over to the console. "Fear. Loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy." Rose just stands, still completely shell-shocked at the fact that the Doctor was a father but he continued on, oblivious as he pulled levers and pressed buttons. "There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe." He began pointing to random switches. "Warp drive. Wormhole refractors." Rose holds her hand out, obviously pointing at something. "You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold." He catches sight of Rose's hand and takes it, grinning at her.
"No!" Rose laughs, "Looking, I'm pointing." Allyson smiles slightly, upset that the Doctor still seemed to be ignoring her. The Doctor looks at the computer screen where Rose was pointing to see a white blinking dot.
"It's the pod!" He hollered, excited. "It is in the street! Everything's coming up Doctor!" As he scoots off towards the doors he pauses, thinking. He hands Allyson the device and walks into the depths of the TARDIS. "One moment, forgot something." The Doctor comes strutting back into the console room, looking slightly refreshed. "Ah! Much better!" They all walk out of the TARDIS and into the street. "Okay. It's about 2 inches across. Dull grey, like a gulls egg. Very light." He described while he locked the TARDIS.
"So these pods - they travel from sun to sun using heat, yeah?" They all turn and begin to walk away from the TARDIS and towards the street. "So it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?" A crash catches their attention and they turn to find Allyson and the TARDIS gone.
"Allyson?" They both ask, baffled as they noticed the TARDIS was gone too.
"Doctor?" Rose looked at the Doctor scared. "Where's Allyson?"
"The Isolus must have took her." He took a deep sniff by the broken device. "Ionic residue. Yup. It must have seen her as a threat. But why her? It could have just as easily taken me." The Doctor frowned confused.
"Well we have to rescue her!" Rose nearly screamed.
"Calm down, Rose. Panicking won't bring her back." He rested his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her as he looked her in the eye. "Let's go see Chloe. She obviously got hold of some pencils."
They rush up to the door of Trish's house and knock frantically. Trish opens the door but they barged past her and up the stairs to Chloe's room. "It's okay! I've taken all the pencils off her!" Trish yelled up at them. They burst into Chloe's room and rush over to the girl at the desk. Rose snatches the pencils while the Doctor nabs the paper.
"Leave me alone! I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!" The Isolus's raspy voice chided them. Rose gently takes the paper from the Doctor and looks down at the child drawing of Allyson and the TARDIS. The Doctor put his hands on the desk and back of the chair, effectively caging Chloe.
"Bring. Her. Back. Now." He spoke dangerously low as he stared her down.
"No."
"Why did you take her? All she wanted to do was help!" Rose yelled at her.
"Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!" Rose's face softens but the Doctor's remains hard.
"I know." Rose whispers. "I know." She looks down at the paper again. "Allyson, if you can hear me. Me and the Doctor are going to get you out of there. We'll find the pod." The Doctor pushed away from the desk roughly.
"Don't leave her alone. No matter what." He told Trish between his teeth as he stalks out of the room, Rose right on his heels. They rush outside of the house and look around. They spot Kel the council worker caressing the smooth pavement with the palm of his hand.
"You said it wanted heat, yeah? They travel on heat?" Rose looked at the Doctor, anger still bubbling up inside her.
"Yeah." He spoke, a dangerous look still in his eye. They both stomp over to Kel, determination in their step as they approached him. "Kel. Was ther anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?" The Doctor asked, wanting an answer immediately.
"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this. Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one!" Kel continued to coo to the street, seemingly in love with it. The Doctor abruptly pulled the man up by his shirt. "Yeah, well, when you've worked it out, put it in a big book about tarmacking. But answer me this, right now. Think back six days." Fear flashed through Kel's eyes as he felt the anger radiate off the man that gripped his shirt in a fist.
"Six days." He thought back, "When I was laying this the first time round!" He answered as quickly as he could, hoping the Doctor would let him go, which he did.
"Six days." The Doctor looked down at the street, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time.
"Six days ago." Rose mumbled, thinking hard. "Hot fresh tar." Kel nodded, proud.
"Blended to a secret council recipe." The Doctor quickly rushes off to the van, Kel yells after him.
"Ah! I don't keep it in the van!" The Doctor wrenches open the doors and begins to rifle through the tools. "Ay, that's a council van. Out." Kel ordered as he was about to grab the Doctor and pull him out but Rose gripped him on the arm and casted him a warning look. He looked weary but relented. The Doctor stepped out with an axe on his shoulder, a flat look on his face. "Whoa, wait, wait, wait, you just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back. No don't wait - put the axe back in the van, that's my van. Gimme the axe." Kel chased after the Doctor as he lined the axe up with the pot hole. Rose pulled the man back.
"Stay out of the way." She warned him. The Doctor swung the axe and struck the tarmac once.
"No! Wait! No!" Kel cried, obviously upset and confused. The Doctor continues to assault the road. "You just took a council axe - from a council van - and now you're digging up a council road!" Kel yelled, outraged. The Doctor stopped briefly after he dug up a hole and glared at the man.
"Report me to the council then!" He shouted back at the man as he and Rose dug around in the broken up tarmac. Rose pulls out the dull grey pod from under a chunk of tarmac and smiled, relieved.
"It went for the hottest thing in the street. His tar!" She laughs lightly, hope blossoming through her.
"What is it?!" The road worker demanded.
"A spaceship. Bring the axe." The Doctor answer blandly as he examined it in Rose's hand. The Doctor grabbed the pod and tossed it up before catching it again and standing. He grabs Rose's hand and drags her back to the house after she snatches the axe off the ground.. They nearly break down the door and rage burns deep within the Doctor again when he sees Trish alone.
"I told you not to leave her alone!" He yelled, his rage evident.
"My God. Er - what's going on here?" The TV catches their attention and see the stadium, where the Olympics are being held, empty. Kel appears at the door, still angry.
"I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there,you don't go digging up-"
"Shut up and look!" Rose interrupted him, pointing at the TV.
"The crowd has vanished! Er - um.. they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Er... um.. right in front of my eyes. It's impossible! Bob, can we join you in the box?" The screen cuts to an empty box. "Bob? Not you too, Bob?!"
"The stadium won't be enough. The Isolus has 4 billion brothers and sisters. It's gonna want more." The Doctor worked out.
"Over 80 thousand spectators and 13 thousand athletes." The announcer paused, just completely at a lost. "They're gone! All of those people. Er... it's terrible, terrible turn of events." The Doctor ruffled his hair, trying to work out what to do. He suddenly stops and turns to Rose. He dashes upstairs and up to Chloe's door. He jiggles the handle but the door doesn't move. He faces Rose a deadly serious look on his face.
"Axe." Was all he told her. She nodded and the Doctor grabbed Trish to pull her out of the way as Rose started to smash the door. Once she had a hold large enough to push the chair away from the door, she busted into the room, the Doctor and Trish right behind her.
"We've got to stop her!" The Doctor yelled out. They both advance toward Chloe but the closet rattles dangerously as a red glow emits from within.
"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out. We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair." The Isolus threatened.
"I'm coming to hurt you." Chloe's dad warned. Rose snags the pod from the Doctor and holds it out to Chloe.
"Look, we've got your pod. You can go home." Chloe looked at the pod but quickly dismissed it.
"The pod is dead." Chloe told them and she resumed drawing a large image of the Earth on her wall.
"No, it only needs heat!" The Doctor told her. He was sick of this game. He wanted Allyson back, safely.
"It needs more than heat." Chloe answered, not looking from her drawing. Kel walked into the room and looked around.
"Oh God! That image just moved!" He pointed to a random image of a child and then to another. "And that one!" The Doctor followed his hand to see Allyson huddled up by the TARDIS, fear on her face but hope shimmering in her eyes as she stared straight out.
"Of course!" The Doctor cheered as it hit him. He turned towards the TV to see where the Olympic Torch was.
"It's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon. It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of love." The commentator voiced over as the athlete ran along the street.
"Love!" The Doctor actually smiled before running out of the room. Rose stood back, a bit unsure of what love had to do with it. The Doctor came rushing back inside and grabbed the pod from her before dashing back out.
The Doctor runs out into the street as if his life depended on it but the street was buzzing with people. He runs into the crowd, squeezing his way through to the front but a policeman stop him. "Sorry,you'll have to watch from here."
"But I'm a police officer! Official Police business. I have to get to the torch!" He demanded, anger fueling him again.
"Badge?" The Doctor peered over the police officer, looking for the athlete but didn't see him. He quickly began patting down his pockets, looking for his psychic paper, again.
"Gah! Where's Allyson when you need her!" The Torch Bearer comes running down the street and the Doctor feels the pod being to vibrate and chirp. He grinned an idea striking him and he shoved out of the crowd again. He cupped the pod in his hands and began to whisper to it. "You feel it, don't you?" He asked it and it buzzed in reply. He smiles and throws the pod in the direction of the pod, hoping that it'll seek out the love. The pod fly's through the air and into the flame, causing the athlete to stumble slightly. The Doctor jumps in the air with a victorious pump of his fist. "Yes!"
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Rose was watching the Torch Bearer from Chloe's room and cheered when she saw the runner stumble. Chloe stopped coloring on the wall, her drawing nearly finished. "I can go home. Goodbye, Chloe Webber. I love you." Rose watched as Chloe's eyes rolled back into her head and a small jellyfish like creature emerges from her mouth. The Isolus zooms off through an open window and into it's pod, flying away. Chloe turns to her mum, fear evident in her eyes. The pounding in the closet gone.
"Mum?"
"I'm here." Trish reaches out for her and hugs her daughter.
"He did it!" Kel smiled but paused. "What was it that he did?" Rose just grinned and hugged the man. She rushed out of the house, Kel hot on her heels.
She ran out into the street to see children being reunited with their children and she smiled but a slightly distant look in her eye. "Allyson." She whispered. The old lady from before walked up to her and touched her arm, causing Rose to jump.
"I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you darling!" She leans up and kisses Rose's cheek, who in turns laughs. "And thank that man and other woman for me too!" And she walks away, happy. Rose continues to scan the street and the Doctor runs up to her, breathless.
"Where is she Doctor? She should be here?" Rose looked up at him, scared. He looked around, thinking. "All the drawings have come to life." Suddenly his face falls.
"And that means all of them." They both look up to see a red light glowing in Chloe's room.
"Oh, no." Rose whispers, and they run to the house. They start banging on the door.
"Trish! Chloe! Run! Get out!" The Doctor yelled through the glass.
"I can't! The door's stuck!" Trish's voice reached them from the other side of the door.
"Is Allyson in there?" Rose asked, worried about her friend.
"I don't think so!" Trish answered.
"Mummy.." Chloe cried out, scared.
"Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you." Her dad's voice boomed from upstairs.
"Please, dad. No more." Chloe cried as he continued to call her name.
"Chloe, listen to me. It isn't real, like the others." The Doctor spoke quickly. "It's just some of the residual energy left over from the Isolus, but you can get rid of it."
"Help us!" Trish screamed.
"Oh it's 'cos you're so scared that he's real!" Rose screamed back, "But you can get rid of him, Chloe!"
"Mummy!"
"You can do it, Chloe!" Rose encouraged.
"I can't!" She started to cry more.
"Chloe, I'm coming."
"I can't."
"I'm coming."
"Mummy."
"I'm with you, Chloe." Trish looked down at her daughter, wrapping her arms around the girl. " You're not alone. You'll never be alone again."
"Sing, Chloe, Trish! Sing!" The Doctor yelled as he rested his head against the door. They both quiet down, listening to Chloe begin to sing but she was drowned out by her father.
"Trish, you have to sing with her!" Rose shouted into the door. This listened again and they began to hear both of the girls singing and the shouting of Chloe's father began to diminish. Rose and the Doctor sighed with relief and slide down the door, sinking to the ground as they listened to Chloe and Trish sing.
"Doctor, where is she?" Rose asked after a brief span of silence. The Doctor scanned the street, looking for a sign.
"I don't know." He stood up. "You stay to calm these to. I'll go look for her." He walked off towards the crowd.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Rose sat in the living room with Trish and Chloe, watching the TV. The audience had returned to the stadium. "Just look at this! Utterly incredible scenes at the Olympics stadium - 80 thousand athletes and spectators, they disappeared - they've come back!" Rose sits on the couch, chewing on her nails while she waited for the Doctor and Allyson to show up. "They've returned. They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, they will certainly.." Rose shook her head, not caring about the audience. She missed Allyson. She wanted her back, now.
"80 thousand people, so where's Allyson?" She began to tear up as she thought that she might never see her again.
"The torch bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble. We did see a flash of lightening earlier which seemed to strike him..eh, maybe he's injured. He's definitely in trouble." They watch on as the runner collapses on the street. "Does this mean that the Olympic Dream is dead?" The commentator asked but a familiar arm stretches down and picks up the torch. The Doctor starts to run with the flame, the crowds following him. "There's a mystery man - he's picked up the flame. We've no idea who he is, er. He's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him." Rose cheers when she spots Allyson running next to him, her hand clenched in his and wearing his overly large coat. A broad grin plastered on her face. "It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love."
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
The Doctor was running, a grin on his face and Allyson's hand in his. He had been so thrilled when he'd found her in the TARDIS. He glanced back at her, his heart soaring to see her smiling. He'd felt awful about being upset with her after the incident with Rose. He'd apologized profusely but all she did was smile and hug him. He'd given her his coat when they'd walked out of the TARDIS. She'd left hers in the TARDIS while she was trapped and the cold London air caused her to start to shiver. It just brushed against the ground and hung loosely on her shoulders.
He refused to let her hand drop from his once they hit the stretch of red carpet that led up to where the Olympic Flame was to be. The spot light followed them as they ran on, a huge grin on the Doctor's face still. He'd lit the flame. "Go on. Join your brothers and sisters. They'll be waiting." The crowd screamed and cheered as he gazed up at the flame. The Isolus raised from the flame and into the air, zooming away in to the night. He beams as he turns to face Allyson and he pulls her into a bone crushing hug.
The Doctor and Allyson were walking down the street his hand in his pocket but his other still clenched hers, he'd refused to let go of her hand since he'd found her, Rose sneaks up behind them, a cheeky grin on her face. "Cake?" She startled the Doctor. He turns to see her holding up a cupcake decorated with edible ball bearings. He laughs and gently takes the vanilla dessert.
"Top banana!" He laughed again as he took a bite. Rose quickly pulled Allyson into a hug as the Doctor enjoyed his cake. "Mm! I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat - Masterpiece!"
"Oh, I thought we'd lost you." Rose held Allyson at arm's length, the dark haired girl just smiled back.
"Takes more than lonely extraterrestrials to keep me away from you guys!" She laughed. They all being to walk down the street.
"What now?" Rose asked the Doctor, the smile never leaving her lips.
"I wanna go to the games! What we came for!" He finished the last of the cupcake and licked the frosting off his fingers.
"Go on - give us a clue - which events do we do well in?" Rose pestered him, Allyson just smiled as Rose put her arms around their shoulders, breaking the Doctor's hold on her hand.
"Well, I will tell you this." He said, mouth still stuffed full of cake. "Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put."
"Really? You're joking, aren't you?" She giggles. "Doctor, are you serious or are you joking?" The Doctor looks down at her, giving her a secretive smile.
"Wait and see!" Fireworks explode overhead, catching their attention. They watch the colors change and splatter across the sky in silence.
"You know what." Rose said, turning to face the Doctor. "They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will." The Doctor glances down at her and stops walking.
"Never say never ever." He told her seriously.
"Nah." She smiled, confident. " We'll always be okay, you, me, and Allyson." She looked over at Allyson and smiled.
"Always." Allyson smiled back but the Doctor didn't reply.
"Don't you reckon, Doctor?" She looks at the Doctor to see him staring at the sky, thinking back. His eyes hold a troubled look to them.
"Something in the air. Something coming." He said, bit distracted.
"What?" Rose and Allyson give him a unsure scared look. He continues to stare at the fireworks.
"A storm's approaching." Was all he said, sending shivers down Rose's spine.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
A/N: Okay! Well then. That was a fun episode. I hated writing the Doctor getting upset with Allyson but well... he does still like her. I can't just cut Rose out and paste Allyson over her now can I? But this chapter did show him that he feels something for Allyson, he just may not fully realize that. And I really wanted to change up this episode a little bit.
Anywhooo, next two chapters are major ones. We find something out about Allyson and we have Rose leaving. I'm excited! I hope you guys like it!
I'm still looking for last names. Currently I have: Smith, Loranos, and Axola. In all honesty, I don't really want her last name to be Smith. I really love hearing from you guys so by all means leave a review or PM. Any questions, you can ask and I'll answer them, unless they're, you know, about what/who she is ;D
Tatty-bye, loves!