CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE PUFFBALLS
"Doctor, I'll be staying here this time."
The Time Lord frowned at her. "It's going to be fun! Don't you want to wear a flapper? I thought it would be to your style."
She shook her head. "I like them, but I am not feeling well, right now. Still recovering."
"Maybe we shouldn't go, yet," the Doctor started.
"Go without me. Have fun. Rose will want something to distract her from losing Mickey."
"Are you sure?"
"Just go, Time Lord!" She laughed at him. Even to her, it sounded oddly hollow and that did not go unnoticed by the Doctor. "The TARDIS will be able to look after me if anything goes wrong, right girl?"
The TARDIS hummed in accordance.
With one last look, he finally agreed, but made her promise not to wander off. She obediently agreed, glad that he did not persist any longer.
As soon as the TARDIS door closed, Anna plopped into bed and closed her eyes. It was not a lie when she said that she was not up to any trouble they would encounter, but that was not the only reason.
"How much longer?" It had become a habit, asking the TARDIS how much longer she had to live.
She furrowed her brow and tried to feel the TARDIS. Ever since she touched the crystal, she could hear the TARDIS every once in a while.
'It seems that the electrical charge had not only saved your mind from behind consumed by the vortex, but it also gave your dormant powers a jolt. The healing factor has increased and had been slowly replenishing your lost tissue cells around the major organs. At this rate, there is a good chance that it can cancel out the negative effects of the vortex.'
Could she allow this to raise up her hope? Over the weeks, she had come to accept the fact that in less than a year, Anna would no longer exist. Would she tell the Doctor? No, not yet. She should keep it out of his mind. It doesn't seem to be to anyone's advantage to even mention that she may be dead, soon. Perhaps he had already forgotten. Normally, Anna would be the one to beg him to let her outside, but today, he was acting like his previous regeneration - before the incident - letting her go wherever.
'Or perhaps he is well aware, but is keeping your suggestion in mind,' the TARDIS stated. 'He is worried, I can feel it in his mind. He knows that there is nothing he could do short of giving a second attempt to absorb the vortex into himself.'
"But he can't!"
'And that has become the problem, Anna. He is feeling helpless. All he can do is to show you as much of the universe as he could in the allotted time.'
Anna sighed. "I want to tell him. I want to tell him that I am not going to die, but... what if the effects from the power surge wears off and my healing factor diminishes? There is nothing worse than false hope."
'I understand, Anna. I will continue to monitor your conditions and when it is certain that you will live, you must tell him of the good news.'
"Of course." She quickly broke the connection. Her head was already starting to her. She had held the conversation far too long and it was putting a strain on her.
Hours passed as Anna took the time to recover in bed. She was Seraphixian, a being that could live for centuries. It could've been forever, Anna as the Doctor's companion. Why did it end up this way? Why couldn't she stay with him? No. She shook her head. She still can. If the Doctor would have her, that is. Would he? Would he let her stay with him?
Was this how Rose felt? Maybe the Doctor would let her spend the rest of her life with him. That would be nice... Anna didn't think she'd mind having a shorter life if it meant spending all of it with the Doctor. There was just something so spectacular about him. He drew people to him. Irresistible. Not just because he could show them from one end of the universe to the other, but him as a person. He was so vibrant. The world was so much brighter when he was there. Every little aspects of life, he cherished. It was impossible not to learn from him. Impossible to not see the world in a different paradigm.
What if she really did survive this? How much time did the Doctor have? He had a way of cheating death by changing, but these regenerations, were they infinite? Could he do it over and over, again? Did he truly live outside of death.
What if she survived the power of the vortex, but he was still plaguing her. Those eyes so cold, they seemed to bore straight into her soul.
"He doesn't care. He has Rose. Rose, a beautiful blonde without the baggage. Why would be choose you?"
Anna shook her head and gave herself a slap to the cheek. "Stop it. Even if he did choose Rose, it does not mean that I would not be able to stay with him." She gave herself a second slap. "Anna, stop being insecure. You are going to be nothing but a liability to the Doctor." With those last thoughts, Anna fell into a light, fitful slumber.
Not long after, the Doctor and Rose arrived through the doors of the TARDIS.
The rage that the Time Lord had felt when the detectives brought Rose into the station without a face and her mind completely wiped, that was frightening even for him. He wondered if this anger could only be compared with the one in the parallel world when Anna's body fell limply to the floor. It was so dark... So dark...
"Doctor." He turned to Rose and was met with a warm body against his. "Thank you. I knew you would come and save me." Her dark brown eyes oozed with trust as they looked upon his own melted chocolate orbs.
His lips quirked upward. "And I will always come to save you. I have an obligation, Rose. I promised your mother that no matter what, even at the risk of my own life, at the end of the day, I would bring you home safely to her."
"Would that be the only reason, Doctor?" the blonde frowned up at him. "Did you save me only because of your promise to mum?"
"Of course not!" He frowned back at her. "I would never just do something because of someone's mother said so!"
A dark eye brown arched upward.
"Well... Maybe your mother. She has one hell of a slap." He grimaced, rubbing his face in remembrance. "Better check on Anna, now." The Doctor made to leave, but Rose kept her grip on him.
"Just a little bit longer, Doctor?"
He gave the doorway a glance, but didn't tug away. "Just a little bit."
They stayed in each other's embrace until a soft gasp reached their ears. Two sets of brown eyes looked towards the doorway.
Anna was staring at them, wide-eyed. "S-sorry! I... I did not mean to- Sorry!" She turned around and darted back the way she came, leaving the two stunned.
The Doctor tried to break away from Rose, but the girl did not wish to part. Why did she? She hadn't done anything wrong! It wasn't as if the Doctor was taken by anyone. Besides, Rose had known him longer! The girl had no priority over her.
"Doctor, maybe she's still recovering," Rose said, burying her face into his suit. "A bit of sleep will probably help."
He opened his mouth before closing it, again. "Right, well... I should... I will go set the coordinates to our next place."
With his fervent attempts to separate from her, Rose could do nothing but comply.
"How about Knox? Knox is a nice place! Never really day; never really night. Wonderful place to be."
"Oh. Ah... sure..." It was impossible for Rose not to feel disappointed. It was so unfair that the Doctor was always surrounded by women who are competing for his affection! When she took up the offer to be his companion, he thought that it would only be her. He didn't even ask Anna to join! The girl just barged into their life and stole his attention!
Without a word, Rose stomped off for a shower, leaving the Doctor to another one of his monologues.
From the corner of his eyes, he waited until the girl was gone before slumping into the jump seat. This was why he never had two companions at the same time. Trouble! But he couldn't, however, imagine going on these adventures without both of them together. He enjoyed Rose's childish fascination for adventures and her fiery side that always made things more interesting, not that Anna didn't share those aspects, but the Seraphixian was a bit more... mellow. The platinum blonde-haired girl brought forth the calmer side of things, yet an alternate way of seeing the universe. It was true that he had not intended to take her as his companion when they first met in Paris, but he couldn't refuse when those shining grey eyes looked upon him, seeking for freedom. He felt sorry that he had completely plucked her from her life. He wasn't, however, sorry to have her as his companion.
But time was growing short for her, it seemed. He wouldn't be able to bear watching her die. One would think with all the mishaps that surrounded the girl, he'd be prepared, but that was not the case. He knew she was an alien, different from the fragile human lives, but at her current predicament, there was no telling how much time was left. If he wasn't strong enough to handle it, there's a chance that he would have to send her back home before anything else happened. Yes, that would be a good idea. He should send her off to William where the man could take care of her fully - give her a peaceful send off.
Was that possible? Could he just leave her like that, especially knowing her feelings towards him? Could he ignore all that he fought for just to protect himself? Did that make him any better than the Cybermen and the Dalek - sacrificing his emotions to keep himself sane?
He tugged at his ear for a minute, pacing around, completely forgetting about the coordinates. Was he going mad - more than usual? Comparing himself to a Dalek! Mad. Mad. Mad!
Suddenly, the TARDIS gave a large rumble, followed by continuous tremors. "Oh, no no no!" He looked at the status screen, watching as the coordinates fluctuate.
"Doctor!" He winced at the angry screams of two females. Rose was drenched in water, her clothes still on, while Anna was holding her nose in pain with a glare on her face.
"Did you not pass your flying license?!" Anna growled.
"Well... It's been a while, you know."
"You didn't pass did you, Doctor?" Rose grinned at him.
He gave her a sheepish look, which made Anna groan, shaking her head. "You will end up getting us killed in the TARDIS..."
"Don't be ridiculous!" He waved his hand at her in dismissal. "Still alive after more than nine hundred years."
"And how many regenerations have you gone through?"
"Tenth one!"
"Any of them related to death in the TARDIS?"
"Of course not!" He stared at her as if she was completely insane. "Don't be silly!"
Not wishing to continue this pointless conversation any longer, she plopped down on the jump seat while the Doctor went back to righting the TARDIS. Once they finally landed, Rose rushed to look outside, but the Doctor stopped her. "No, no. Wait. I'm not too familiar with these coordinates. Let me go first."
The blonde backed off, but stayed close behind him. As the door opened, they were greeted with a large stretch of barren land. There was nothing but sand and rock. The Doctor tested his first step, prodding the ground gently with the tip of his shoe. The sand moved, but it was relatively solid, no giant worm came out to eat them.
"Look, Doctor!" Rose pointed into the distance where thousands of specks bouncing towards them. Tiny. They were no bigger than two fists next to each other. White and brown fur covered its entire body. "They're puffballs!"
"No, Yervepoxialitaverians," he corrected."
"Yer-Yervexia-what?"
"Yervepoxialitaviarns, but I guess puffball isn't too far off. They're completely harmless, but the last time I saw them... they were in the Moratier System, far, far from here."
"And where is here, Doctor?" Anna had finally gotten off her chair and peeked over his other shoulder.
"We're in the Kalisio Regiola - completely opposite of where they should be." He frowned and put on his glasses, looking at the sole Yervepoxialitaverian that was brave enough to stand so close to his feet. "The landscape of Yervepoxialitarverus was a luscious span of grass that covered the entire planet. Nothing like this wasteland." He picked up the small creature, which felt like a furry gelled-ball in his hand. "Hello, there. I'm the Doctor and who might you be?"
"Malio, Mr. Doctor," it said in a squeaky voice.
"It's so cute!" Rose gushed, taking another one into the palms of her hands. "I'm Rose!"
"Right, yes, cute," he absentmindedly agreed. "What are you doing so far away from your home?"
"It has been taken over, Mr. Doctor," Malio replied. It's coffee-brown eyes could barely be seen from under the white fur.
"Taken over by what?"
"Banulas, Mr. Doctor."
"What? Why? They don't even like grass! They live in water!"
"We don't know, Mr. Doctor," the little one in Rose's hands said. "They just invaded our planet one day and we were force to leave."
"But why here? Why so far from the Mortier System?"
"They gave us a choice of dying or being teleported here using the transmat," a third had joined the conversation. It was white with brown spots.
"Look, Anna! There's one for you, too!" Rose whispered to the other blonde-haired girl who had shrunk back when she had a closer look on the Yervepoxialitaverian. "Here!"
"No, Rose, I am aller-" Anna sneezed. "-gic..."
The Doctor turned his head and looked at her. His face was oddly scrunched up. "Allergic? You're... You're allergic?" Then, it was gone. A burst of laughter ruptured from his mouth. He froze when he noticed the death glare on her face. "You're a Seraphixian! Only humans have allergies!" Even as she continued to glare at him, he let out a second round of laughter.
"And I am part human, Doctor!" She sounded like a little child, pouting, which only made him laugh harder. "Stop it! It is not funny! Stop laughing!"
He snorted before trying to clear his throat, only to unsuccessfully cover up his mirth. "Allergies," he mumbled. "Allergies!" He finally stopped when a hand slapped him in the back of his head. "Hey! That hurt!"
"I told you to stop!"
"Sorry. Sorry!" As if he actually meant those words. "Alright, so... Malio! Give us a bit of time and I think I'll be able to sort this out for you. Gonna need to give those Banulas a visit and come straight back! We'll return so quickly, you wouldn't even notice that we were gone."
"Thank you, Mr. Doctor!" they all said in unison as the Yervepoxialitaverians were set back to the ground and the Doctor closed the door to the TARDIS.
He set the coordinates to Yervepoxialitaverus, waited for the TARDIS to land, and was happy that nothing went wrong. He stomped to the door, ready to give the Banulas a piece of his mind. As the door opened, however, he was met with a torrent of water, exploding into the TARDIS. The doors were closed, once more. "Alright, something is definitely wrong," he said to Rose and Anna, completely drenched from head to toe.
"Did you land us on the wrong planet, again?" Rose asked as Anna threw him a towel.
"No. No. Right planet. See?" He tapped the screen. "Yervepoxialitaverus!"
"But you said Yerve-Yervelit-"
"Yervepoxialitaverus."
"Yes, that, was completely covered in grass!"
"Oh, but I also said the Banulas lived in water." He pushed Anna off the jump seat, ignoring the surprised cry, and sat on it himself. "Somehow, they managed to change the entire geography of this planet, but how? Where did they get all this water from?"
"Could they have use the transmat?"
"Nah! Too much trouble when they were fine on their own planet, so why even bother?" He pressed a few buttons and did a rough scan of the planet's surface. "That's odd..."
"What is it, Doctor?" Rose inquired, taking her place by his side.
"It says that it is completely devoid of life."
"So the Banulas just came and left?"
"It can't be!" he said, shaking his head.
"What if they never invaded Yervepoxialitaverus?" Anna whispered as the other two looked at her. "What if the Yervepoxialitaverians lied to us? You said it yourself, Doctor. They lived in water, it wouldn't make any sense for them to leave their own planet and move here, especially when there is only grass. Could they even live out of water? Are they like fish?"
The Doctor stared at her before a large maniac grin spread across his face. "Brilliant!" He grabbed her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Absolutely brilliant!"
"What is? Why would they do that?" Rose did not like to see the two so close together.
"The Yervepoxialitaverians must've eaten more than the planet could replenish! I should've noticed, but they had definitely grown in size from the last time I saw them! Ten times! Twenty times! Fifty times! They've expanded to the point where the planet just couldn't sustain them any longer, so they move on after the land has been reaped of all its riches, but what was on that planet before they took over?" He darted through the hall with the two females following in confusion. They entered the library where the Doctor threw books at them. "Look for the fifth planet of Kalisio Regiola!"
Page after page, they frantically flipped through the books, until finally, Anna spotted the words. "Doctor!" she called him over. He towered over he for a second before snatching the book from her hands.
"Oh, yes! The Doraes! Doraes on the planet of Dor." He grinned widely. "Never met one, but have heard stories! Many stories! Wonderfully brilliant stories! One of the most amazing species. Their voices could only be compared with angels! If the entire population sang together, all the neighbouring planets could hear them. I've heard a recording once, might've made a copy of my own..." He threw the book over his shoulder and took both girls by the hand. Once at the control room, he pressed a few buttons and flipped a few switches. Soon, a harmonious melody filled the room, putting all its occupants at ease.
When it faded to a close, Anna felt more at peace than she had ever been before.
"But it's all gone, now," she heard him whisper. "Wiped out by the Yervepoxialitaverians."
"Could they only be hiding?" Rose inquired.
"Not on that planet," he replied. "Nothing for them to survive on."
"What if they left to another planet?"
"A few perhaps, if lucky, but the Dorae's were not well known for their technological advancements. No one really thought it was worthwhile to invade a planet with no technology, so they were safe. Until, now, that is." He stared blankly at the ceiling. "Well, I guess we should head back."
"Can't we just leave them? They've got their new home, should be able to last them for a few centuries." Rose still couldn't imagine those puffballs destroying an entire species. What could they do - suffocate them to death?
"No, I'll give them ten years if their population keeps growing like this."
He set the TARDIS back to Dor. When the door opened, the Yervepoxialitaverians had already surrounded them. "Hello!"
"Hello, Mr. Doctor," they said in unison.
Malio bounced over to him. "Did you free our planet, Mr. Doctor?"
"Well... we got to Yervepoxialitaverus. Didn't find anything, though. No Banulas anywhere. Odd, isn't it? They took over the planet and apparently just left after flooding it."
"Must've wanted to destroy any evidence, Mr. Doctor."
"Yes, cover up evidence... Don't want the Judoons on their tails..."
"No one would want them to interfere, Mr. Doctor."
"No, no, of course not." The Doctor's eyes had grown dangerously dark. "But what I don't understand is what happened to this planet? What happened to its inhabitants?" There was only silence, so he continued. "This planet was very similar to your own, wasn't it? That's why you came here. You came here. Drove the natives into extinction and destroyed the planet."
The Yervepoxialitaverians tittered amongst themselves before exposing their teeth.
Rose, now, understood how the Doraes were defeated. The puffballs had large teeth that were long and sharp. They no longer looked like the cute little creatures that had greeted them in their first meet.
"We have no choice, Mr. Doctor. Our population continues to grow. We need to eat."
"And you couldn't have eaten in moderation? How long did it take you to clear this planet? I remember when I first arrived at Yervepoxialitaverus. Fifteen years ago. At that time, your numbers were still small, what happened? How did it grow so quickly?"
"We are small. We need to be able to defend ourselves, Mr. Doctor."
"Defend yourselves?" Anna shivered at the anger in his voice. "This is not defense. This is an invasion. You destroyed an entire species because of your greed. If you had caught me in my other regenerations, any of them, I would've let it pass, but not now. There has to be consequences and you will see why I am calling the Oncoming Storm."
Darkness. So much darkness. "Doctor, please..." she whispered, placing a hand on his arm. "Give them a second ch-."
"No more second chances."
"Give them another option." She turned him to face her. "Teach them how to sustain themselves. No more deaths, Doctor."
He stared at her pleading face and felt his own soften. "I'm so tired, Anna. So tired. Sometimes I wonder why I do this. Why do I travel and try to fix things that can never be fixed."
She could feel his pain leaking through his tearless eyes. "Do not say that. You are amazing. You save lives. Without you, how many would have died? How many would have been killed by the Daleks? Cybermen? Everything you touch becomes better."
"Anna-" He stopped when he felt her arms envelope him into a hug. "Thank you."
"Now, go use that brilliant brain of yours and find them a way to live without having to move!"
He let out a grin that calmed the hearts of both girls and the Yervepoxialitaverians. "To the library! Allons-y!"
Once again, they flipped through dusty books. "Oh! Yes! No... Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Why didn't I think of this? Glocoporots! These plants grow like Earth weeds and still have all then nutrients than the Yervepoxialitaverians need!"
He stuck his head out and told the inhabitants that they'd be right back with the solution. "Off to Utorpaxio!"
Quickly they retrieved several plants and thousands of seeds before materializing back. When they stabilized, however, there was no ground beneath them. The TARDIS hovered in space, leaving the Doctor and both his companions perplexed. "What?" He stared at the screen.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Another original chapter. I hope things are going to have a similar theme to the canon episodes.
I reread more of my chapters and whatnot and bloody hell... I had so many discrepancies. I'd be eternally grateful if someone could tell me these, so I can correct them for future readers. :D The problem with past chapters is that... First, I worked on them years ago before Matt Smith. Second, I started changing things after I picked it up recently. I made a lot of important and not so important changes. Hopefully, everything is clear. If not, ask me and I'll try to clear it up for everyone.
Anyway! Thank you for reviewing Destiny Xavier16, Amelia, TeamTHEFT, and pineapple lover!
My appreciations to you:
Destiny Xavier16: Not very fluffy, yet! Buuut it'll get there eventually, I promise!
Amelia: Here's the next chapter! Which... you already know since you must've already read it... to get to the end... Hmm... Thank you for reviewing!
TeamTHEFT: Yay! My faithful review, I love you lol
pineapple lover: Meep! I don't mean to make Rose too bitter or cold hearted. I really, really appreciate this review. I'm going to need to look out for this kind of thing, since I hate it when characters are too OOC.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has read, favourited, and followed this story thus far. It's been a huge motivation to continue my next installation!
I'm also looking for suggestions for a new pen name! I love EchoSerenade, but I love having options. Suggest me something? Thank you!
I will see you guys next week!
S.A.K. (EchoSerenade...?)