"Rose River" AU
'Shattered'
Chapter Twelve
- Plans Within Plans -
A/N: Writing on my laptop is a test of patience... of which I seem to be lacking. All the damned keys aren't where I left them.
Also... the chapters are coming out of order again. -sigh- Sorry.
Oh! I whipped this together from different official DW songs, and listened to it over and over while writing out River's reveal chapter. If you want to listen to it, just remove the spaces and it should work: mediafire. com/? 70dw9ckug247hg0
Clothed once again, and more than a teensy bit incensed over Donna's lack of clothing – regardless of the fact that she was covered by a sheet – John had shooed everyone out of the room to tend her on his own.
While Rose wasn't at all surprised by that spouting of over-protectiveness, especially since the Doctor shared that attitude when it concerned herself, Jack and the rest were somewhat put out by his abruptness over the whole ordeal. The only one placated was Jenny, who'd received a hugging 'thank you' and a kiss to her forehead for the trouble.
The four of them were halfway to the kitchen-come-galley before one of them broke the worried silence. "My God, Doc. He's worse than you," Jack said somewhat more petulantly than he intended.
A smirk flit over the Doctor's face. "You really have no idea," he mumbled before speaking up. "He's entitled though, don't you think? I mean, I was completely beside myself and more than bereft when Rose and I were separated, so I completely understand what he's been going through. Then to have all that happen once he found her? You have no idea how hard it was to ignore the impulse to simply squirrel Rose away from anything and everything to protect her from both real and imagined monsters, so leave him to it. He's earned it."
Rose snorted at that. "You kinda did, there. Jenny and I both were hid in here while you two filled our heads with 'book larnin'." She ended that with an absolutely horrendous American accent.
"Quite right, too!" he half shouted.
Jenny rolled her eyes with a hefty sigh. "Oh shut it, Dad. We know how much you love us."
Jack looked at her with shock on his face, and the Doctor wasn't that far behind him in the head snapping department. "I beg your pardon?" the Doctor ended up sputtering. Eyeing her, he realized there was something else going on. "What's the matter?"
"Waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I don't know where it's going to fall, when it's going to fall, or the bloody size of it," Jenny said with a frown. "I'm at the end of the warning bells that the TARDIS told me about, and it's making me nervous."
Barely suppressing a snickering snort, the Doctor completely sympathized with her. "Welcome to my world," he muttered as they returned to the others in the kitchen.
As for John, after triple checking the equipment he ended up pacing the floor. Walking back and forth from the foot of Donna's bed to the head of it, he was going round and round in his head. Coming to a stop at the head of the bed, he looked up. "Okay, I give. Where, how, and why do you have so many genetic structures in your database?" he asked the ship.
There was a low hum in the room. Oh my darling boy, the TARDIS said quietly in his head. I know it's confusing. Just remember that I see far more than any of you. I prepared for this moment long before your brother and I stole each other from Gallifrey.
"Seriously?" he asked with his mouth open. "But that would mean that you were self aware at that point. I... we always thought that you came to full awareness round about the time that Gallifrey, well, ended."
There was a slight chuckle in the air. You both needed me just as much as I needed you. You remember what it was like, when the silence came. It was much the same for me. The only thing that kept either of us going at that point was each other. I was not about to let him go down with the Titanic. So, after that cosmic level of alcohol made him pass out, I brought him on board by hijacking his motor functions, then sent us into the vortex. You'd be surprised what a cold shower will do.
"So You did it!" John shouted, pointing at the ceiling.
Silly boy. Of course I did. Why else do you think I got more verbal after all that? I couldn't afford not to.
John's face was awash of confusion. "But, sentience wasn't put in until the type one hundred and two's, I thought?"
The grumbling was less than kind, and her voice sounded a bit aggravated. It's not your fault, but we were always sentient; every one of us. The so called 'problems' that the technicians had in the beginning were due to being fought by the first ones. Personally, I had enough of that twit who wanted to start paradoxes just so he could 'study' them, and ended up in that museum. He wasn't my pilot, so I didn't feel the need to pay attention to him.
"Always sentient," John said quietly, missing the inference. Looking down, he took Donna's hand. "Does he know, my brother?"
If not, he will soon enough. I'm sure you'll let him know.
"Got that right," he muttered. "All right, enough of that. Thank you so very much for Donna. I don't know what I would've done had she..."
Be calm. You can remove the Arch now. She should wake up relatively soon.
"Right." Clearing things away from the bed, John pulled the helmet like thing from Donna's head and let it spring upwards toward the ceiling. "Is it safe to move her yet?" Hearing the approving hum, he grinned. "Do me a favour and clean up my room, please. Move all the paint and clutter and whatnot to storage, then see about making a cupboard for her. Oh, might be good to move her current clothes in there. I'd like it if she woke up in the bedroom, so if you don't mind..."
The TARDIS giggled. Open the door, Mr. Babbles. I already moved you. I'll let you carry her though.
"Brilliant." Grinning, John opened the door to see his room on the other side of it. "You are stellar," he praised. Moving back to the bed, he gently lifted Donna into his arms and carried her to his... their bed.
The Rani led the Master into the medical bay of her TARDIS and switched the emergency lighting on. Helping him sit on one of the beds, she moved to one of the open shelves and retrieved a portable scanner.
Coming back to the bio bed, her head snapped up when she felt the old boy weakly prod her mind. "No, I can handle this. No, I wont stop. I'm not about to... What? You're delirious! Go back to power saving mode," she griped.
"Problems?" the Master asked, somewhat amused. "Surprised he's conscious."
Running the scanner over the bump on his head, she grumbled. "Wasn't anything coherent. Kept saying 'they're coming', whatever that means. Poor dear is so low on power, that he's not making much sense." Reading the scan, her frown went deeper. "You have a hairline fracture? Strong girl." Pursing her lips, she went after a bone mender.
"Rather angry one as well," the Master mumbled. "Could swear she hit me with a telepathic volley in addition to the rifle."
Coming back to him, she snorted. "Maybe she knocked some sense into you. Hold still now. This is going to sting." Putting her left hand on the back of his head to keep him still, she held the mender to the affected area.
He winced as it whirred to life. "Gruh, you weren't kidding," he complained.
Rassilon had been circling the room with his head down, deep in thought, for the better part of an hour. While the Time Lock was discovered over a month ago, research into it determined that it encompassed the entirety of the war; impervious to all of their machinations and abilities.
That's not to say he didn't try. He wasn't successful, but he had set himself into a week long time loop for an effective year before he gave up on that prospect. Then again, most of that focus was on locating the Doctor.
Pausing at that thought, he realized that while there was no way to go beyond the final day, there was nothing preventing him from reaching into the past. Discarding the idea to tamper with the Doctor's personal timeline – too volatile – something about the other two sparked recognition in his mind. A brief review of the Rani made him set her aside for the moment to look at later.
What is it about the Master that has everyone so perplexed? Turning to his aide, he needed information. "Azmael, attend me."
Setting down his examinations of the prophecy scrolls, Azmael stepped over to him. "Yes, my Lord?"
"Koscheivaridamarille pae Oakdown: The Master. What were the specifics of his exile?"
Azmael blinked once, then closed his eyes to interface with the computer core with a slight tilt of his head. When he spoke, his voice had drifted into an inflected monotone. "Do you require a full detailed report of his exploits, or is there something in particular you wish to know?"
Turning to face his quite literal living matrix interface, Rassilon explained. "I do not require what he has done after his exile. I need information as to the different infractions that led to it, including a psychological profile."
Nodding once, Azmael's head lowered as he compiled the relevant information. A few moments later, his head raised into the slightly tilted position again. His eyes opened to reveal rapidly changing Gallifreyan words over his pupils.
Standing straight, Azmael began to recite. "First indication of instability occurred four point eight years after initiation. No recorded evidence supported the claim, yet he was accused of the murder of Torvicllmaro pae Mirraflex: male classmate who plunged to his death from the top of the Prydonian Academy Tower. Second indication..."
"Stop," Rassilon interrupted. "Query, Psychological File: Access records of the inquiry of Torvicllmaro's death. Results of mind probe of Koscheivaridamarille."
Azmael's head ticked to the side. "Error. Use of the mind probe is forbidden on individuals under eighty years of age."
Sighing, Rassilon tried again. "Results of questioning of Koscheivaridamarille," he demanded.
There was a pause. "References of auditory hallucinations, labelled as drumming by the boy. Deemed insignificant by the arbiter, yet warnings of mental instability are noted in the arbiter's personal logs. Koscheivaridamarille cleared of charges."
There was the spark of recognition. Rassilon's eyes flashed. "Query: Origins of auditory hallucinations."
"Subject reported first noticing them during initiation," Azmael recited from the notes.
"There it is," Rassilon whispered.
"Restate request," Azmael droned.
Looking up with a grin, Rassilon suppressed his need to chuckle at him. "Describe the auditory hallucination."
"Subject reports it as a beat of four," Azmael recited.
"The heartsbeat of a Time Lord," Rassilon smiled evilly. "Excellent. Stand down, Azmael."