The Stolen Earth Incident - Chapter Twenty-Six

Author: Milady Dragon

30 April 2009

The Dalek Crucible

Rose's heart rose into her throat as the TARDIS vanished. What had the Daleks done? And what was going to happen to Donna and Clint?

The Doctor had whirled back toward the red Dalek, horror on his face. "What have you done? Bring her back!" His body was quivering in rage, and it was all Rose could do not to back away. She'd rarely seen the Doctor this angry, and it was truly frightening.

But the Dalek would not be persuaded.

"The Crucible has a heart of Zed-Neutrino energy," it said, almost gleeful. "The TARDIS will be deposited into the core."

"But you can't!" The Doctor took several steps toward the Dalek, ignoring the guns all aiming in his direction. "You've taken the defences down! She'll be torn apart!"

Rose gasped, feeling the blood drain from her face. That meant…

That wasn't possible. The Dimension Cannon had pointed out Donna and Clint for a reason. Surely it couldn't be because they were both destined to die within the Dalek space station, trapped within the disabled TARDIS!

"Donna and Clint are still in there!" she cried, terrified for the two people she'd only known for a couple of minutes.

"Let them out!" Jack shouted. His hands were clenched by his sides, and Rose wondered just how he was holding himself in check. He'd always been a bit of a hot-head, and knowing that a friend of his was going to die had to have him ready to leap onto the nearest target.

She remembered him dying on the Gamestation, a victim of the Daleks' rampage, and once again had that terrible feeling of déjà vu.

"Your companions and the TARDIS shall perish together," the Dalek proclaimed. "Observe."

A large, holographic screen flickered on, and all three of them watched as the TARDIS slammed into the space station's core, sinking into the sun-like ball of energy. It bobbed along the surface, sinking a little and then rising, as if trying hard to keep afloat.

Rose felt tears gather in her eyes. The TARDIS had been a special part of her life, and now it was going to be destroyed and there wasn't a thing any of them could do about it. With her would die Donna Noble and Clint Barton, two people who hadn't stood a chance the moment the time machine's doors had shut them inside.

Had the TARDIS known what was going to happen? Had she kept the pair of them inside for a reason, but that reason hadn't meant anything when the Daleks had dumped her into the power core?

Was this why the Dimension Cannon had picked them out of everyone else in this universe?

The Doctor had his hands outstretched toward the red Dalek. "Please, I'm begging you! I'll do anything!"

He would, too, if it meant he could save those two people, even though he'd barely known Clint.

"Put me in their place!" he beseeched, slapping himself in the chest with both hands. "You can do anything to me! I don't care! Just get them out of there!"

The Dalek sat there, and if a machine could look pleased, this one certainly was. "You are connected to the TARDIS."

"Yes," the Doctor admitted, gritting his teeth.

"Then feel it die."

Rose was shocked when he broke out into a sweat, despite the fact that she was very aware of the special connection between time machine and owner. She had no idea what he was feeling, but it couldn't be good.

Was the TARDIS screaming in agony as the energies within the core ate her alive? Could the Doctor actually sense that the TARDIS was dying in that horrible pool of destruction?

The sheer pain in his eyes said, yes, he could.

Rose reached over and took his hand. He grasped it like a lifeline, almost hard enough to grind her bones together, but she didn't care. He needed her to be there, as he witnessed the death throes of the one companion he'd had for almost as long as he'd been alive.

"Total destruction of the TARDIS in ten rels," another of the Daleks intoned.

The breath hitched in Rose's chest at the countdown. This wasn't right! This shouldn't be happening! She'd believed that the Doctor would kick Dalek arse and save the universe, but he was helpless as his time ship was devoured by the small sun at the heart of the Crucible, as the head Dalek had called it.

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

As Rose watched, the TARDIS faded away, subsumed into the energy of the core.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. It was like losing a best friend. She'd lived within the TARDIS for so long, had felt her living mind within her labyrinthine halls.

And now she was gone.

As was her two passengers.

"The TARDIS has been destroyed," the red Dalek rejoiced. "Now tell me, Doctor…how do you feel?"

Rose had known that the Daleks were cruel, but this was obscene. She wanted to scream and beat her fists against the hard metal shell of the monster that was before her, but it wouldn't do any good, and would most likely get her killed. One more companion, dead. She didn't think the Doctor could handle it.

"Anger?" the Dalek went on. "Sorrow? Despair?"

She watched as the Doctor swallowed convulsively, his face dark with age and pain beyond anything Rose could even imagine. "Yeah." His voice was a mere whisper.

She wanted to comfort him, but in her heart of hearts she knew it wouldn't help. She wished more than anything to have the Bad Wolf back, to be able to reach into the inferno and pluck the TARDIS and her precious cargo out and save them.

But she was just a normal human being. She didn't have that power any longer.

"Then if emotions are so important," the Dalek gloated, "we have surely enhanced you."

"Yeah?" Jack challenged, his voice incandescent in rage, "then feel this!"

The gun had come out of nowhere. Jack must have had it in a holster on his belt, but Rose hadn't paid any attention. Several shots rang out, bullets ricocheting off the red Dalek and not doing any damage.

The Dalek returned fire.

Jack's body whitened out, his skeleton showing through his skin as the energy bolt struck him down. He had enough time to scream before he was falling to the floor, the gun clattering against the tile-like material as its owner folded down beside it.

Rose couldn't breathe.

As she went to her knees beside the friend she'd just found once again, Rose felt as if she'd been shot as well. Her hands rested on the wool of that ridiculous coat that Jack had pulled off with aplomb, feeling the lack of movement as an abomination in someone that had been so full of life.

She thought about the boyfriend Clint had mentioned. Would he even know that the man he'd been dating had died a hero? Had they been in love? She wanted to think that was true, if he'd sent Clint to look after Jack. Clint might have failed, but it hadn't been his fault. There would have been no way to do anything, once Jack had decided to lash out, even if Clint had been there, and not eaten away with Donna and the TARDIS.

Rose made a vow that, if they got out of this and defeated the Daleks, that she'd make certain that Jack's boyfriend would know. Perhaps she could go to his Torchwood, and they would know where this boyfriend was…Ianto, wasn't it?"

And then it hit her. Jack's boyfriend was Ianto Jones. This universe's version, the Second in Command of Torchwood.

Rose wanted to giggle, to make some crack about Jack sleeping with his employees, but it only came out as a choked sob.

She couldn't save him this time. She didn't have the power.

The Daleks had managed to kill him after everything she'd done to turn it back the first time.

"Rose."

It was the Doctor. His hands were on her shoulders, trying to pull him away from Jack's body. She didn't want to go.

"They killed him," she whimpered.

"I know." His voice was utterly calm, as if he'd been through far too much and nothing was registering with him any longer.

Maybe he had.

Donna…Jack…Clint…the TARDIS…all gone.

What were they going to do now?

The Doctor gently drew her to her feet. She tried to struggle against him, but she was simply too emotionally wrung out to do much of anything.

"I know," he repeated. "Come on."

She let him lead her from Jack. They were leaving him with the Daleks.

It was wrong.

She could do nothing about it.