The Stolen Earth, Part 1.
The Doctor and the Hatter raced around the console, hitting buttons and pulling different leavers here there while Donna could only stood back, watching them work, holding on to a bit of railing, still quite shocked by what little they had told her. Suddenly, the time machine seemed to come to a stop and the Time Lords immediately ran to the doors, throwing them open, leaving the red head to follow after them.
Outside appeared to be an ordinary, Earth Street. Nothing strange or different about it, from what could be seen.
"It's fine…" the Doctor breathed, sounding slightly surprised, but relieved as they looking up and down the street, "Everything's fine".
"But…but…no, that doesn't make sense," the Hatter frowned, looking around in confusion before glancing at Donna apologetically, "Not that I would want anything bad to ever happen, it's just that…well, that something should be happening…"
"But…nothing's wrong, all fine," the Doctor remarked, stilling looking up and down the street, just as a milkman pulled up in his truck just across the road from them and climbed out, "Excuse me!" he called over to the man, catching his attention, "What day is it?"
The man paused, frowning slightly at him, clearly unsure if he was just having a laugh, "Saturday".
"Saturday!" he nodded, "Good!" he turned back to the girls, "Good, I like Saturdays".
"To bad Sunday follows after it," the Hatter commented, her eyes trying to find the slightest thing out of place. She was even tempted to take a sample of the dirt, just to run a scan on it to check for anything odd. You could never be too careful.
"So…I just met Rose Tyler?" Donna asked, glancing at them.
"Yeah," they both replied.
"But she's locked away in a parallel world," she frowned.
"Exactly," the Doctor turned to face her, both him and the Hatter looking very serious, which only made her feel more worried, "If she can cross from her parallel world to your parallel world, than that means the walls of the Universe are breaking down".
"Which, need I say it, is a very bad thing, Donna," the Hatter nodded along with the Doctor, her hand reaching up to fiddle with her bowtie, a nervous habit that the red head had noted she did whenever she was deeply worried, nervous, or deep in thought, probably all three this time, "Everything is in danger, absolutely everything," she continued, "But…" she looked around them, frowning, "…how? That's the question".
"Come on," the Doctor cast one last look around the street before hurrying back inside the TARDIS, the Hatter and Donna close behind him as the Time Lords set to work on the console again.
Donna walked around the side of the console, cautiously approaching the Doctor, "The thing is, Doctor…" she began quietly, "No matter what's happening, and I'm sure it's bad, I get that, but…Rose is coming back. Isn't that good?"
The Doctor paused in what he was doing and looked up at her, smiling, "Yeah".
"I'm not quite sure that 'good' is the right word to be using, though," the Hatter spoke up, still clearly worried about everything that was going on, "Don't get me wrong, despite our differences, I'm glad that Rose is coming back," she told them, looking over at them from the other side of the console, "It's just…everything else that comes with that arrival. That's not a good thing, I'm afraid".
Donna went to open her mouth when there was suddenly a loud crash and the entire room began shacking, shuddering all over the place, sending them crashing to the floor before it seemed to settle down again, "What the hell was that?" she exclaimed, straightening herself, and whirling around to look at the Time Lords.
"It came from outside!" the Time Lords shouted, alarmed, helping each other up off the floor and running over to the doors, throwing them only to be meet with space. They were floating in space with rocks dotted around them were the Earth street should have been.
"What in Rassilon…" the Hatter breathed, her eyes wide in shock as she stared at the sight in front of her. That couldn't…but, no…
Donna frowned in confusion as she joined them at the door, looking out into space, "But…we're in space…" she blinked, "How did that happen?" she looked at the Time Lords, "What did you do?"
"For once, nothing," the blonde replied, quickly shaking herself out of her shock as she ran back to the console and grabbed the monitor, checking it, "But…no, that can't be!" she thumped the side of the screen.
"Hey, you always tell me off for hitting things!" the Doctor called to her, pointing a finger at her in a mock accusing manor.
"Sweetheart, we've suddenly found ourselves in space when we should still be on Earth," she hardly glanced at him, her eyes still fixed on the screen in front of her, "Just this once, I think I'm allowed to get away with hitting something, and it's not as if it was a hammer, like you prefer to use".
"What's going on?" Donna asked, raising her voice before the Doctor could say anything else, knowing that if she didn't do something they would just keep at it for hours. Sadly, they didn't have hours.
"We haven't moved," the Hatter told them, finally looking up from the screen as the Doctor frowned again, hurrying to join her to look for himself, "The readings, there fixed. We haven't moved!"
"It can't have…no…" the Doctor breathed, his eyes widening as he exchanged looks with the blonde, both running back over to the door, "The TARDIS is still in the same place, but the Earth has gone," Donna's mouth fell open in shock as the Hatter grew even more concerned, "The entire planet. It's gone".
The Doctor closed the door as he and the Hatter ran back to the console, trying desperately to figure out where the Earth could possibly have been taken to and who had done it, because there really wasn't that many species that would have the technology or any real reason to do it.
"But…if the Earth's been moved…" Donna gasped fearfully, slowly moving around to them, "They've lost the Sun!" tears began filling in her eyes, "What about my Mum? And Grandad? They're dead, aren't they?" she swallowed thickly, "Are…are they dead?"
"Oh, I am so, so, sorry, Donna," the Hatter stopped what she was doing and quickly pulled the red head into a tight hug, "I wish, I truly do wish that I could give you that answers, but the truth of the matter is that the Doctor and I…" she took a deep breath, pulling back from the red head, putting her hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "We really don't know. We're trying our best to find out, but we don't know".
"That's my family," she cried, "My whole world".
"Donna, look at me," the Time Lady told her firmly but gently, meeting her eyes, "Your family's alive and until we know differently, that is how it is going to be, okay? They are alive and well, just remember that".
"But…"
"Whoever did this, they have a plan," she cut her off gently, "There's lots of planet's out there, Donna, and some of them are quite similar to Earth. There must be a reason for why they would pick Earth and it's not as if grabbing a planet and taking it somewhere is easy," she shook her head, glancing over at the Doctor still working, "They must have atmospheric shell, they also must be moderating the temperature on the planet, otherwise the entire planet would freeze without the Sun".
The Doctor nodded along with her, frowning at the screen, "There's no readings," he informed them, clearly frustrated with the lack of answers, "Not a trace. Not even a whisper," he straightened, running a hand through his hair, "Oh, that is fearsome technology".
Donna took a deep breath, looking at them, "So what do we do?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
The Hatter sighed heavily, meeting the Doctor's eyes, "You know that we have no other choice," she said to him, sounding as if she very wish that what she was saying wasn't true, "We'll have to go and get help…"
"From where?" Donna stared hopelessly at them.
"Donna…" the Doctor took a deep breath, turning to her, "We're taking you to the Shadow Proclamation. Hold tight," he pulled a lever and sending the TARDIS off, shacking and shuddering, seeming even more violent than normal as even the Time Lords struggled to control the time machine.
"So, go on then, what is the Shadow Proclamation?" Donna called over the sound of the TARDIS, gripping tightly to the side of the console as they were tossed around.
"Posh name for police," he replied, reaching over and flicking a couple of buttons, "Outer space police".
"Honestly, sometimes I think that they could have given Time Lords a run for their money," the Hatter remarked, rolling her eyes, "That is, if the Time Lords weren't too busy making speeches that go on for fifty years…"
"They didn't go for that long," the Doctor shook his head, but he still looked quite amused.
"Oh, I forgot I wasn't allowed to invite you to my wedding…well, first marriage, I should say," she quickly corrected herself, flashing him a bright smile and a wink, making him grin, "Anyway, just my Father's speech alone lasted for three hours. Three hours! And then there was my Mother's, my brothers, my father-in-law, mother-in-law…"
"Here we go!" the Doctor suddenly called, cutting off the Hatter as he pushed one final button.
The TARDIS lurched forward, titling on an odd angle that pushed them back into the console, Donna let out a yelp before they were sent crashing to the floor as the time machine seemed to right itself.
The Hatter groaned as she rolled onto her back, her hand immediately reaching over to were her hat had rolled off, "We should make a formal complaint," she commented as the Doctor pulled himself up and started helping her up, "Actually, forget the formal part, I can't stand formalities," she waved her hand dismissively and started brushing herself down, glancing at the Doctor.
"Hatter, I think we have a little more important things to be concerned about right now," the Doctor replied, trying hard not to smile.
"That doesn't mean that after this is over we still can't make a complaint".
"You almost sound as if you want to make one".
"Sweetheart, anything that I can do to annoy these people and I can do without being arrested or committing a crime, is what I want to do. Just imagine all the paper work they would have to go through," she flashed him another smile, this one full of mischievous that made him feel nervous, since he knew better than anyone just what could follow after that smile.
"Ah, Doctor, Hatter," Donna voice brought there attention back to her, to see her looking at the console monitor, clearly alarmed.
The Hatter grabbed her arm, gently pulling her towards the door were the Doctor was now waiting for them, "Don't worry about it, Donna," she calmly told her as they stopped in front of the doors, "Just do as we do and all should be fine. I promise".
"Ready?" the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrows at the girls. Donna slowly nodded, taking a deep breath as the Time Lady gave her an encouraging smile. With one last look at them, he opened the doors and carefully stepped out, raising his arms in the air, the girls doing so as they stepped out behind him and into a hallway.
Immediately, the small group of armed Judoon, or in other words there welcoming party, pointed their guns at them. Only the leader of their group, clearly defined by the fact that he was the only one not wearing a helmet and standing in the middle of the semicircle they had formed, didn't have his gun aimed at them.
"Sco bo tro no flo jo ko to to!" the head Judoon began.
"No bo ho sho ko ro to so," the Doctor replied as Donna's eyes widened and she cast him a sideways look.
"Did I mention that he's brilliant at languages?" the Hatter leaned towards the red head and whispered, smiling fondly, "And I mean, really, really brilliant. It was always the only classes he ever put any effort in and would actually do his homework without too much whining".
"Bo-ko-do-zo-go-bo-fo-po-jo," the Doctor quickly finished, Donna shot him another look as the Time Lady struggled not to laugh. She understood what they had said, but she had never quite got the hang of actually speaking it. If she had tried it, it probably would have sounded like gibberish.
Judoon lowered their guns and the red head almost sighed in relief.
"Mo ho," he nodding thankfully at them.
….
"Time Lords are the stuff of legends," a tall, albino woman dressed in black robes, the Architect, began as she stared at the Time Lords and Donna, who stood a short distance away from her, clearly highly sceptical as she slowly paced around the room. Once they had spoken with the Judoon, they were led down a serious of passage ways until they reached a large, quite modern room that had tables and chairs, bits of equipment scattered around the place, "They belong in the myths and whispers of the higher species," she continued, eyeing the Time Lords, "You cannot possibly exist".
"Yeah…" the Doctor nodded slowly, dragging the word out, "More to the point, we've got a missing planet".
"Then you're not as wise as the stories would say," the woman replied, "The picture is far bigger than you imagine," the Time Lords exchanged looks, "The whole Universe is in outrage, Doctor, Hatter. Twenty four worlds have been taken from the sky".
"How many?" the Time Lords gasped, both looking startled, "Which ones?" they ran over to the computer that the Architect was standing in front of, the Doctor slipping his glasses on, "Show us".
"Locations range far and wide," the Architect told them, bringing up the information on the screen for them to see as they leaned closer towards it, "But all disappeared at the exact same moment, leaving no trace".
"That's…that's some impressive power and technology," the Hatter breathed, her eyes wide as her mind raced, "I mean, just look at this…Callufrax Minorr, Jahoon, Shallcatop, Woman Wept, Clom…"
"Clom's gone?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows, glancing at the Time Lady beside him, scoffing, "Who'd want Clom?"
The Hatter nudged his side, "Don't be rude, sweetheart," she scolded lightly, even though she did have to admit to having similar thoughts.
"All different sizes," the Architect continued, "Some populated, some not. But all unconnected".
"What about Pyrovillia?" Donna asked suddenly, making them look up at her.
"Who is the female?" the woman shot Donna a glare, as if she was a bug or below her. The Hatter went to open her mouth, looking annoyed, but the red head bet her to it.
"Donna," she replied, giving her a glare in return, "I'm a human being. Maybe not the stuff of legend but every bit as important as Time Lords, thank you," the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged grins, the Time Lady making a mental note to high five her later on, when the red head turned to look at them, "Way back, when we were in Pompeii, Lucius said Pyrovillia had gone missing," she reminded them.
"Pyrovillia is cold case," the head Judoon that had lead them into the room earlier informed them, making Donna jump in surprise, "Not relevant".
She frowned at him, "How do you mean, 'cold case?'"
"The planet Pyrovillia cannot be part of this," the Architect replied, shaking her head as she glanced at the Time Lords, "It disappeared over two thousand years ago".
"Yes, yes," Donna cut in, nodding as the woman, "Hang on," she turned back to the Time Lords, "But there's the Adipose breading planet, too," the Hatter's eyes widened in realisation, nodding slowly, "Miss Forster said that was lost, but that must've been a long time ago," she frowned slightly.
"Oh, of course!" the Time Lady exclaimed, looking as if she was about to slap herself, but restrained herself, "Brilliant, Donna, you are brilliant!"
"That's it!" the Doctor grinned, jumping up on the spot in his excitement, turning to the Architect, "Planets are being taken out of time as well as space".
"Let me just do something…" the Hatter muttered as she moved in front of the computer and set to work typing something, "Let's put this into 3-D, make it nice and simple to look at…" she twisted a dial and holographic images of the twenty four missing planets popped up, floating in the middle of the room, "Ah, there we go," she smiled, glancing over at them.
"Now…if we add Pyrovillia and Adipose Three…" the Doctor added, leaning over to the computer and typing something in, making two more holographic planets pop up, "Something miss," he muttered, glancing at the Hatter, "Where else, where else, where else? Where else lost, lost, lost, lost…"
"The Lost Moon of Poosh!" the Time Lady called, recalling Dee Dee having mentioned doing research on it while on their trip to Midnight, "It's even in the name!"
"Of course," the Doctor flashed her a grin and typed it in, making another planet pop up.
The Time Lords walked around the computer, moving to stand in the middle of the planets, looking around at them when they suddenly seemed to rearrange themselves, making them blink in surprise.
"What did you do?" the Architect asked, looking over at them.
"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head, not looking away from the planets around him and the Time Lady, "The planets rearranged themselves into the optimum pattern".
"Isn't it beautiful?" the Hatter smiled brightly, turning slowly around on the spot, staring up at them, "It's just…you've can't tell me that this isn't wonderful. I mean, twenty seven planets all in perfect balance".
"Come on, that is gorgeous!"
"Oi!" Donna called sharply to them, looking tired, "Don't get all spaceman and lady-time," she sighed, gesturing to the planets, "What does it mean?"
"I'm sorry, Donna," the Hatter gave her a slightly sheepish look, smiling faintly as they moved to join her, "I suppose that we did get a little carried away…" she glanced at the Doctor before shaking her head, continuing, "All these worlds fit together like pieces of an engine, acting just like a powerhouse. Correction, it is a powerhouse, but…what for?" she frowned, looking around thoughtfully.
"Who could have designed such a thing?" the Architect wondered, looking over at them.
The Time Lords exchanged looks, "This wouldn't be the first time someone's tried to move the Earth…" the Time Lady remarked slowly, paling slightly.
"Hmm, a long time ago…" the Doctor nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he grabbed the Hatter's hand, "Can't be…"
….
Donna sniffed quietly to herself, whipping her eyes as she sat on a set of stairs that were off slightly to the side of the room while the Time Lords were busy talking the Architect, seeming to be in the middle of a serious discussion. She sighed and looked away, staring off into space for a long moment, an odd thumping sound running through her head when she was startled back to reality by an albino woman offering her a white tray.
"You need sustenance," the woman told her as the red head forced herself to calm down from her surprise at her sudden appearance, "Take the water," she continued, offering the tray to her again, "It purifies".
"Thanks," Donna nodded slowly, taking it, but the woman didn't leave, if anything she leaned in closer to her.
"There was something on your back".
Her eyes widening in alarm as she looked up at her quickly, "How do you know that?"
"You are something new".
Donna looked away, shaking her head, "Not me," she replied quietly, "I'm just a temp…"
"Donna, stop it," the Hatter suddenly called over to her, her voice stern as the red head blinked, looking over at her, not having realised that they could hear her from over there, "I don't know what you're saying, but whatever it is I can tell that it's not true…somehow. Don't ask me how," she shook her head, turning back to the discussion that she and the Doctor were still having with the Architect.
The red head stared after her, unsure of quite what to make of the Time Lady, but at least she felt slightly amused now. She shook her head and turned to the albino woman, "Shorthand, filing, hundred words per minute," she continued, sighing, "Fat lot of good that is now. I'm no use to anyone".
"I'm so sorry for your loss," the woman told her.
"Yeah…" she breathed, glancing down, "My whole planet's gone".
The woman leaned closer towards her, "I mean the loss that is yet to come," she whispered to her as Donna looked up at her, feeling even more alarmed and afraid, "God save you".
Donna stared after her as she began making her way upstairs, just as the Time Lords called to her, "Donna," they walked over to where she was sitting, leaning against the railing, "Come on, think. Earth. There must've been some sort of warning," they tried, "Was anything happening back in your day, like…electrical storms, freak weather, patterns in the sky?"
"Well, how should I know?" she asked a little too sharply, before she sighed, feeling bad for her tone when they were only trying to fix things as she rubbed her forehead, "Um…no," she shook her head, "I don't think so, no".
"Oh, okay," the Doctor sighed, sounding disappointed he began to turn away, "Never mind".
"Although…" Donna began, making him turn back to look at her, the Hatter looking at her curiously, "…there were the bees disappearing".
"The bees disappearing?" the Doctor repeated sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at her, "The bees disappearing?"
"Oh, I am so stupid!" the Hatter suddenly exclaimed loudly, making both Donna and the Doctor jump in surprise, but she ignored their reactions, "It's been there all along, right in front of us, and I was to bloody thick to put any of it together!" she turned and grabbed the Doctor's shoulders, giving him a small shake that made him blink, "Think about it! The Bees are disappearing!"
"The bees are…" he trailed off, his eyes widening in realisation hit him, "…disappearing!" he finished, his voice raising as he grabbed the Time Lady's hand and ran back over to the computer.
"How is that significant?" the Architect asked, frowning at them as the Time Lords set to work back on the computer.
"On Earth we had these insects," Donna quickly started explaining, running to the Time Lords side to see the screen, "Some people said it was pollution or mobile phone signals…"
"Or…they were going back home," the Doctor cut in, his eyes fixed on the screen as the Time Lady typed.
"Back home where?" the red head frowned, looking at them.
"The planet Melissa Majoria," the Hatter answered, not pausing.
"Are you saying bees are aliens?"
"Don't be daft," the Doctor rolled his eyes at her, "Not all of them," Donna shot him a glare, looking as if she dearly wish to say something.
"But what If the migrant bees felt something coming," the Time Lady wondered aloud quickly, still typing, having caught the look on Donna's face, and really not wanting to have to deal with a whining Doctor after he was slapped, "A sense of some sort of danger, and they escaped?" she and the Doctor meet each other's eyes, saying at the same time, "Tandocca".
"The Tandocca Scale," the Architect breathed, her eyes widening.
"Tandocca Scale is the series of wavelengths used as a carrier signals by migrant bees," the Doctor quickly explained, both he and the Hatter getting more and more excited, "Infinitely small. No wonder we didn't see it. It's like looking for a speck of cinnamon in the Sahara, but look!" he pointed at the screen were a light blue trail was shown on it, "There it is!"
"The Tandocca trail!" the Hatter grinned, almost jumping up and down on the spot as she grabbed the Doctor's arm, "Oh, this is brilliant! The transmat that moved the planets had to have been using the same wavelength, and now we can follow the same path!"
"And find the Earth!" Donna called, already running towards the TARDIS that had been moved off to the side of the room, "Well, stop talking and do it!"
"We are!" the Doctor shouted after her as he and the Hatter ran right after her, throwing the TARDIS doors open and racing up to the console, "We're a bit late," he commented as he and the Hatter immediately set to work trying to lock on to the trail, flicking levers and hitting buttons, "The signal's scattered, but it's a start!"
"It's a bit more than a start, sweetheart," the Hatter shook her head at him, smiling widely, practically dancing around the console as she fiddled with the controls, getting it all ready to take off in a moment's notice. And knowing the Doctor, that would prove to be very useful as she watched him run back outside.
"We've got a blip!" he called as he poked his head outside to find the Architect standing just outside, looking very serious, well, more so then before, and surrounded by a semicircle made up of the Judoon, "It's just a blip, but it's definitely a blip!"
"Then according to the Strictures of the Shadow Proclamation, I will have to size your transport and your technology," the Architect replied quickly.
"Oh, really?" the Doctor frowned, appearing slightly taken aback, "What for?"
"The planets were stolen with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Doctor, right across the Universe, and you and the Hatter will lead us into the battle".
"Right…" he said slowly, nodding carefully, his mind racing, "Yes. Course we will," he swallowed, gesturing back inside the time machine, "I'll just go and…get you a key".
He carefully edged inside and closed the doors behind him, but as soon as the door was closed behind him, he pulled off his trench coat, running back up to the console as he threw his coat over the Y-beam. As he joined the girls standing in front of the monitor, the Hatter flashed him a bright, slightly cheeky grin as she pulled lever, sending them off.
"You knew they wanted to take the TARDIS and go to war, didn't you?" the Doctor smiled slightly, glancing at the blonde beside him.
"Of course I did, sweetheart," she replied, still grinning, "Honestly, I'm shocked you didn't see it coming before. After all, it's a logical assumption to make".
The TARDIS jolted, forcing them to hold on tightly to the edge of the console, when the time rotor suddenly stopped and everything calmed down to a complete stop. Even the usual wheezing stop, making them pause and look up.
"It's stopped…" the Doctor frowned, his voice soft as he stared down at the controls in front of him.
"What do you mean?" Donna looked at them, her eyes wide, "Is that good or bad? Where are we?"
The Hatter took a deep breath, glancing at the monitor, "The Medusa Cascade".
"We came here when we were just kids, ninety years old," the Doctor recalled, putting his arm around the Hatter's waist, his eyes fixed on the screen, "It was the centre of a rift in time and space…"
"Yeah, school trip," the Time Lady nodded, recalling the time in question, not to mention the forty page essay that followed. That part really wasn't so much fun.
"So…where are the twenty seven planets?" Donna asked, not really paying attention to a word they were saying.
"Nowhere," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head, "The Tandocca Trail stops dead," he leant back against one of the beams, "End of the line".
The red head opened and closed her mouth, staring at them, "So…what do we do?" she swallowed, glancing back at the controls and back to them, "Doctor, Hatter, what do we do?"
The Doctor and Hatter remained silent, both staring at the console, looking hopeless and defeated.
"Now don't this to me," she pleaded desperately, her voice trembling as she tried to force back tears, "No, don't. Don't do this to me," she shook her head, "Not now. Tell me…what are we going to do?" but they remained silent, just staring in front of them, "You never give up. Hatter, please, you've always got something! Please!"
The Hatter took a deep breath and closer her eyes a moment before opening them and looking at Donna, "Your right, Donna," she finally said, forcing herself to sound a bit more like her normal, everyday self, "We can't give up, not when there's far too much at risk. We will find a way to fix this, no matter what," she took another deep breath, glancing at the Doctor, "But…we're not going to be able to do much from here. I just hope that our brilliant, clever friends are already working on that, and knowing them, they will be".
Next chapter, the Hatter's sweet tooth makes an appearance, is the Time Lady shaking from fear or rage, and just what will happen when she and Rose come face to face?
Oh, dear, we're getting closer to having to say goodbye to Donna. I'm not looking forward to that, but having Jack, Martha, Mickey, Jackie, Sarah Jane, should be fun. Tell me what you thought, please review :)
Guest reviews:
Doctor who fan: Aww, thank you so much, it always means so much to me to hear that people like the story, and we certainly will be seeing the Hatter in season five and beyond. Well, sadly, we won't be able to find out fully what Rose reaction will be, since the Daleks have to dealt with first, but we might see a bit of what she thinks is going on, and we will be seeing what the Hatter's thoughts on seeing Rose again and what that might mean in the next chapter. Thanks for the review :)