Chapter 21
Rose screamed, and then stopped suddenly as she felt herself stop falling and found herself staring down a tunnel of blue light. Rose clung to Angel tightly.
"Well, what have we got here?" a male American accent rang out, and chuckled.
The rope jerked and Angel lost her grip, falling. She shut her eyes, thinking it would help when she would finally land. What she didn't expect was for her decent to suddenly stop, and no pain came. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing she was looking down a long tunnel of blue light, and a voice sounded, an American voice. She also felt Rose clinging to her.
"Look, skip the formalities and get us down! If you haven't noticed we're in the middle of a fucking German Air Raid!" To say Angel was scared was an understatement.
"Ahh, an American!" the voice chuckled. "Gimme a sec, just setting your descent pattern."
"Hurry up, for cryin' out loud!" Rose yelled, and the voice laughed again.
"Alright, alright; so we've got a Brit and and American. You two are getting stranger by the minute. Right Miss America, you're coming first. I can only do one of you at a time, so London, you're gonna have to let go of your friend there. Hang on tight, Miss America!" Rose reluctantly released Angel, desperately hoping they both wouldn't die.
"No! Do Rose first. I want her safe before you do anything." She growled at the voice, if anything happened to Rose, The Doctor would have her head. "You got that? Rose goes first."
"Feisty," quipped the voice. "Alright London-girl, looks like you're coming first. Hold on!"
"Angel, wait, hold on to what?" Rose panicked; what would happen to Angel? "Wai- ahh!" Rose slid down the blue tunnel; all she could see was light at the end. Then somehow she landed in strong arms, coughing, and her body felt like it was made of jelly.
"I've got you, blondie, you're alright," a close American voice assured her, and her eyes focused on a very attractive (to say the least) male face.
"Yeah, 'm alright," she agreed, dazed, as he set her on her feet. "Well, maybe not..." Rose wobbled and passed out into the American's expectant arms. He chuckled, setting her on a bed, then went back to the loudspeaker.
"You ready, USA?" he called.
Angel watched Rose disappear into the blue tunnel. Hearing the American voice again.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" She growled a bit. "I'd rather be down before I die of old age please!"
The American chuckled.
"Yes miss, going down!" He pulled the lever and stood, and in a second, his arms were full again for the second time that night with a coughing and dazed woman. "You alright there?" he asked. He put her down on her feet, keeping his arms out in case she should fall. "The beam; it scrambles up your head a bit."
Angel shook her head to clear it, her vision was a bit blurry for a minute or two.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She sat down in the captains chair for a minute waiting for her vision to clear. Once it did clear, she got a good look at the man. Dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, high cheek bones. 'Woah, damn he looks good.'
"You're a bit far from home," he said casually, leaning against the side of the ship and crossing his arms. He looked Angel up and down, mimicking her gaze on him. "Not often I meet someone as pretty as you who happens to be one of my own all the way over here." He gave her a charming grin.
Angel smirked at him, crossing her arms over her chest gently.
"One of yours huh? One of your what?" She winked at him, oh she was going to milk this, since Rose was still out.
"An American, of course," he scoffed, pulling a leather flap from his jacket. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said, passing it to her. "Hell of a way for you and your partner to travel; you seem to handle the beam a bit better than she did." He nodded towards Rose, still out to it.
Angel took the flap of leather, flipping it open and chuckled.
"Psychic paper, should keep your mind clear when you hand it over." She smirked at him. "Angel Destler." She handed him back the psychic paper, looking over as Rose started to come to.
Rose shook the fuzziness from her head and stood up, going over to Angel.
"You alright there, blondie?" Jack asked, eying Rose, and she gave an embarrassed smile.
"Name's Rose, an' yeah I am," she answered, her eyes sweeping the interior of the ship. "Very... Spock," she commented, laughing at his clueless look.
Angel laughed at Jack's clueless look.
"Rose, you feeling alright?" She looked to her, hoping she was alright, any injury, scrape or cut and the Doctor would have her head. There was a sudden golden light that enveloped Angel, she going still, not sure what it was.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just my hands - hey!" Rose flinched away from the golden light that came towards her as well, and it was Jack's turn to chuckle.
"Nanogenes; just hold still." He reached out and grabbed her arm, gently taking hold of her wrists and holding them together. "They'll fix any injuries you two have got; looks like you both got a few rope burns, huh?"
Angel felt a tingle down her back, she shifted some.
"Captain, can they also fix cuts a few weeks old?" She shifted some, feeling the creatures fixing her back, which was a very different feeling. She felt a couple move to her neck and chest, which made her blush some, the creatures glowing through her shirt.
"They'll fix anything; great little healers, they are!" He crossed his arms and watched the two with rather a bemused expression as the nano genes surrounded both the girls, healing their injured backs mostly. For Rose, she felt as though her heart would beat out her chest as the nano genes boosted her weakened heart. "For a couple of time agents, you've gotten into quite a few scrapes," he commented.
Angel looked to Jack.
"I'm sorry, Time What?" She only knew of Time Lords, nothing else with the word Time registered to her besides Lord. Time Agent was a few one, even for her being almost three hundred and sixty years old. She felt the nano genes leave her, feeling a lot better now.
He almost rolled his eyes at them.
"Don't try and play dumb, USA, I can spot a couple of Time Agents from miles off. Good thing too; I've got something that might interest the Time Agency." His eyes flashed and he grinned winningly. "Care to take a look?"
Angel cocked an eyebrow at Jack, he didn't believe them not being time agents, or whatever he called them. But she needed to sound convincing.
"Yeah, ok, show us what you've got, Captain." She smirked at him. "By the way, its not USA, its Angel. And she is Rose." She nodded to Rose, "Not Britain."
"Whatever you say, USA. Okay then, Angel, Rose; care to join me on the roof?" He reached up into a compartment and pulled out a bottle of wine. "Business is always better with wine," he informed them with a nod, then pulled down the steps leading to the roof of the ship. He chuckled at Rose's surprised expression. "Bring the glasses." He nodded behind her, then disappeared up the steps. Rose shared a bemused glance with Angel, grabbing the glasses.
"I'm guessing we just roll with this?" she questioned quietly.
"Hang on, roof? What roof?" She looked at the hatch that Jack had just walked up. She moved over to it, looking up the steps, seeing the…..night sky above her. She looked to Rose and then back up the steps before slowly ascending them. She stepped out onto…. what looked to be an invisible ship. "Woah."
Rose followed Angel up the steps, and as she straightened up to a standing position, her mouth dropped open. She seized Angel's arm for balance; the whole sensation of standing on something invisible was rather disorienting, and Rose had no plans to go falling off any roofs.
"I'll be taking those." Jack eased the glasses from her hand and poured them each a champagne. He handed Rose hers, then gave the next to Angel, along with a wink. "Cheers." He grinned, leaning in and clinking glasses with Angel, then Rose.
Angel looked over the dark landscape, she…..had lived through the London Blitz before, had fought next to the soldiers. That was one reason she didn't like being here, it brought back unwanted memories. There had been a soldier she had…. fallen in love with, his name was James. She wondered if he hadn't been killed, would she and him have settled down after the war. 'Probably would have had a few kids too.' She thought.
Rose nudged Angel gently. "You okay?" she asked softly, noticing the far-away look come into Angel's eyes, frowning worriedly.
"Don't worry girls, we're safe up here," Jack assured them, taking a seat and motioning for them to sit. "Should we get down to business?" Rose glanced at Angel, then shrugged and sat down, crossing her legs and putting the drink to one side. She tugged on Angel's jeans until her best friend sat next to her.
Angel sat down next to Rose, crossing her legs, her duster fanning out behind her.
"I'm alright Rose, thanks." She sat her drink down, leaving it untouched. She didn't exactly drink, and right now, she needed a clear head to discuss "business" with the Captain. "So you said you had something that would interest the agency, what pray tell is it exactly?"
"A Chula warship, last of it's kind and packed to the brim of weapons technology," Jack informed them, his voice lowering unconsciously. He eyed Angel; she seemed the more official of the two, so he directed most of his information her way. "And only I know where it is. I also know that in two hours, a bomb is going to fall on it, and destroy it forever, unless the Time Agency is willing to pay." He smiled at her, and took a sip of his champagne. "You're not drinking?" he asked coyly, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't drink when it comes to business. Wait a minute, you have a true Chula Warship? How did you come across it?" Angel, in truth, had no idea what a Chula Warship was, but she had to sound convincing.
She looked to Jack. "You said a bomb was going to fall on it, well I want to see it before that happens. I want to see the condition its in before I give you a price." Angel had backed Jack into a corner, and he could either come out fighting or he could falter, it was now up to him, her arms crossed over her chest gently.
Rose eyed Angel, impressed, as Jack's grin faded. It was certainly better than anything she would've come up with, so she got to her feet and wandered over the roof of the now visible ship aimlessly, and let Angel continue dealing with Jack.
"Sure," Jack shrugged casually, taking another sip of champagne. "It's in perfect condition though, I can assure you. Are you authorised to make payment?"
"Doesn't work like that cowboy, I see it first before I make a payment." She looked to Jack, when suddenly the ship lurched, sending Angel to the side and nearly off the ship. She heard a scream and saw Rose fall. "ROSE!" She slid off the ship and dove for her. She grabbed her wrist, her wings coming out, flapping hard to stop them. "I got you, no way you're dying on me, not today."
"Angel!" Rose gasped in shock, wincing as her wrist pulled painfully, supporting her whole weight as Angel flew her back up onto the roof of the ship. As soon as she was back on her feet, the two of them completely ignoring a stunned Jack, Rose flung her arms around Angel tightly.
"Easy Rose, I got you." She hugged Rose close, ignoring Jack's stunned look. "Lets get back on solid ground and find the Doctor." She moved back down into the ship with Rose, moving towards the controls, cracking her knuckles. "Did I forget to mention Rose, that I can hack into any piece of technology."
"Might have, yeah," Rose replied, holding her wrist still as it was swarmed by the golden nano-genes.
"Okay, who the hell are you two?" Jack demanded, coming down the steps. "What are you doi-"
"We're not Time Agents," Rose interrupted him, and he gave her an exasperated look.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that when USA sprouted wings back there," he told her snarkily. "What are you doing here, then?"
"We have to go find the Doctor; he'll know what to do," Rose said cryptically, turning back to Angel.
Angel started typing on the keyboard, the ship starting up, she smirking.
"Sorry about your wrist Rose." She turned in the seat, her eyes flashing at Jack when she heard that snarky remark . "Watch your tongue around me Captain, that is your only warning." She turned back around, flying the ship, having locked onto The Doctor's signature, he was at a hospital.
"S'alright, the nano-thingys got it sorted." Rose leaned over Angel's shoulder and stared out the front window, holding on to the seat as the ship moved in the direction of the hospital.
"I'm not gonna watch my tongue, this is my ship!" Jack exclaimed, holding on as well. "Where are we going, then? You two got a prior commitment you're not telling me about?"
Angel rolled her eyes at Jack, flipping a few controls and hit a dial, landing on the grounds of the hospital with a slight bump. She shut the ship off before moving out of it with Rose following behind her, not caring if Jack followed or not.
"Doctor!" She called, her voice echoing through the empty hospital. She was relieved when he came around a corner. "Doctor am I glad to see you!"
The Doctor spun around hearing Angel's voice down the corridor; Angel was here? Did she have Rose with her? He darted around the corner and there she was.
"Angel, how did you get here?" he asked, stunned to see her, momentarily forgetting the rather dire situation he'd found himself in with Doctor Constantine and the rest of the gas masked patients. He hugged her quickly. "Are you alright? Where's Rose?"
"Here," came another female voice from around the corner, and Rose came into view. She happily flung herself into a hug for the Doctor, which he was more than happy to accept.
Then a man stepped from around the corner, not looking so happy, and the Doctor frowned.
"Blimey, you've brought a crowd. Who's this, then?"
Angel hugged the Doctor tightly, then let him go when Rose came around the corner so she could hug him as well. She rolled her eyes at Jack.
"He's Jack Harkness, some sort of Time Agent, whatever that is" There was a bang and Angel looked over, seeing people with gas masks. "Doc, don't mean to cut this short, but looks like we've got company." She pointed to the people, and immediately felt uneasy. 'What the hell is going on here' she thought as the gas mask people advanced on them.
"Hey, I can speak for myself," Jack protested, and the Doctor scoffed.
"I've heard all I need to, thanks; now move!" The Doctor took Rose's hand and herded their group down the hall, away from the oncoming tide of gas masked people converging on them. "You alright?" he asked her quickly, and she grinned at him.
"Better now," she answered, tongue snaking out between her teeth, and he squeezed her hand.
"What are those things?" Jack demanded as they ran.
"Jus' keep running!" the Doctor shouted back, dodging down another hall to avoid more gas masked patients.
Angel was right on Rose and The Doctor's heels, sliding down the hallway.
"Woah!" She almost ran into the Doctor's back, they had stopped, surrounded by gas mask people. She looked for an escape, not seeing one. She looked towards Jack, seeing him pulling something from his jacket, it was some sort of gun. She cracked her knuckles some, flexing her fingers, her claws coming out.
The Doctor desperately looked around, feeling an unwelcome pang at the sight of the gun in Jack's hands. He spread himself wide in front of Rose, who was weaponless, but he told himself it was technically in front of everyone. He didn't have a plan, but he would not let these people be infected with whatever this was. He felt Rose slip her hand through his, and suddenly an idea hit him so fast he didn't even pause to consider it. The Doctor straightened up, thrust his pointed finger towards the door and bellowed, "GO TO YOUR ROOM!"