A/N: *emerges from the darkness* Oh god! What year is it!? *checks calendar* Sheesh! Wow guy, I am so sorry. First let me just get these out of the way. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Happy April Fools! Happy May Day! Happy May the Fourth be with You! *giggles at pun* Congratulations on your graduation! Happy Birthday! Happy any other holiday I missed! Right, so I completely understand if you're all mad at me, I was under a bit of pressure and going through a rough time since some bad memories got pulled up. Everything's okay now. I still have some graduation parties to attend, but otherwise, I am wholly and completely, free. WOO! ^^ Right, you just want the story, mind my ramblings. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: SON (If you even still remember what that means)
Chapter 28
"Shrinking? As in the planet's just… shwoop!" Mickey supplied, pulling his hands together in a similar motion.
"Yes, exactly that." The Doctor numbly nodded, not really paying attention to him as he continued rechecking the sonic.
"Hold on, let me look this up. Twenty-nine forty, right?" Luna muttered as her eyes twitched back in forth in a blur before pulling herself back out, looking only more confused. "Strange, there's not much on the planet's history."
"Why's that? I thought every book was in your head." Rose asked.
"Yeah but that doesn't mean everything in the universe was recorded, everything about Crispal was written down by people who came from other planets. Their clay may have more uses than most resources but they don't have books, they can't, there's nothing to make them with. That's why they have no sense of culture besides what they say and pass on."
Crack
"We're lucky we landed during the age of respect and civility, we were just a century off of them headbutting us in greeting." Alli interjected before she was cut off as well.
Crack
"Focus."
Crack
"Right, sorry. Anyway, I found a physics lesson book revolving entirely around this planet and they ran a worst case scenario on the loss of mass on the planet. If anything more than thirteen-thousand feet of clay is subtracted from the circumference of the planet, the moons get thrown all out of whack, sending them crashing into each other until eventually they all just turn in and crash into the planet."
"And that's a whole other level of bad because it should be impossible. Mass doesn't just disappear." The Doctor stressed, finally pulling himself out of it and running a hand through his hair, turning over towards Krix. "You said that all the head architects of the planet are already gathered?" He nodded his globular head. "Right then, Rose, you're with me, we're going to find out what we can from them while you two search the area and see if they find anything alien that shouldn't be there. Luna, you keep yourself and Mickey out of trouble, moment you find anything, let us know."
"Wait a minute! How comes she's the one who's supposed to keep me out of trouble?" Mickey whined, getting an eyeroll from him.
"She's a walking library with billions upon billions of years worth of history in her head, she knows what she's doing."
Crack
"And yet I'm grounded from the console." Luna grumbled. Rose looked at him and Luna questioningly as they stared the other down, deciding to have a little talk with the both of them after this.
"Right!" Rose chirped somehow menacingly, halting their glare-down. "We'll call you, try and stay out of trouble. Doctor?"
He nodded and linked arms with her, silently gulping out of fear from the look he recognized in her eyes. Him and Luna were in for it now.
Luna took a deep breath to sooth her frustration and looked to the protectors that were assigned to watch over them. She couldn't imagine what they would need protecting from though, something more was happening than just clay disappearing. Sounds like something you can handle, Alli.
Crack
"Is there a reason that we need protected?" She asked straight out. Once again, real subtle.
Instead of getting the answer right away like she was used to, they awkwardly rotated their heads away and avoided really answering the question. "We are not at liberty to discuss the reason under the orders that were placed in your best interest."
"In other words, you're not gonna tell us?"
"Affirmative."
Alli huffed in frustration. "What if we see something happens that we should be on the lookout for?"
"We will be the ones on the lookout, so you need not worry. With your permission, we would take pleasure in showing you our more prized tourist locations that have been recently created."
She begrudgingly nodded her head that set the two guards on their way to escorting them down the street with Mickey and her in tow, although he seemed pretty optimistic about the unnecessary detour.
"Well that's useless." Alli whispered to Mickey. "How are we supposed to help with them not letting us know what's going on?"
"Rose said she'd call us once she and the Doctor got information from them." He said, not seeming to worry very much about anything. "I mean, we're stayin' out of trouble aren't we?"
Crack
"He also said to let him know if we find anything. Now, how do you suggest we do that if we're out sight-seeing when there's a potential alien threat that could be prevented?"
Mickey had the decency to look sheepish at what Luna pointed out, finally listening when she pulled him in for a plan. He wasn't one hundred percent positive that this was what the Doctor had in mind for wanting them to find out what was going on, but at least they were doing something, right?
The Doctor gushed at the beautiful architecture in the building that was housing all the gathered head architects. Sure, something that shouldn't be here was accelerating it to make it be decades ahead of its time, but blimey was the attention to detail staggering.
"Oh, Rose! Look at the level of talent that mosaic is at! That could probably last nine years on its own it's so intricate." He jittered out, bringing his face up close to the sculpted wall. Rose playfully swatted his arm to pull his attention back.
"Doctor, you can swan over the buildings later, we have work to do." He made a thoughtful face as they were directed over to a bare platform with another guard posted at the entrance.
"I've never thought of it as a job before. That'd be interesting to have on a resume though, eh?"
He grinned wider at her laughter as she spoke. "Oh yeah, 'What's your current job?' Oh, just protecting the universe. More of a hobby really."
His hands suddenly jolted to her waist and gripped her tightly as the ground beneath them shot up a number of floors, the makeshift elevator halting after they approached the tenth floor. His hands didn't let go as he looked down at her to check if she was alright.
"You alright?"
She nodded mutely before she stuttered her voice out, very conscious about the close proximity. "Y-yeah I'm … fine. Good."
He seemed to notice how her face was just a couple centimeters from his own. He tried, and failed, to not glance at her perfectly sculpted lips that were parted ever so slightly, or her whisky, doe-eyed look that left him intoxicated in her gaze. He inhaled in a quick manner to clear the tension and straightened up, releasing her from his hold.
"Right then, sorry bout that. I forgot that the lifts here were a bit disorienting."
"Right... yeah, no, no. S'fine" She replied in a defeated tone that was poorly hidden. The Doctor searched her eyes once more and thought he saw a hint of disappointment in them before they blinked away behind a tongue-touched smile.
"Better get goin', can't leave them waiting." She briskly made her way over to the room leaving the Doctor standing in the lift longer than he noticed. It took a polite throat clearing from the alien working the lift to get him to work his legs again.
"Sorry." He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. He stepped off the platform and earned a sympathetic nod from him.
"It is quite alright, sir. Please pardon my brashness, but you are quite lucky to have such a lovely wife and still be so besotted. Have a good day."
The alien stomped a number of feet and vanished down to the floors below, leaving the Doctor opening and closing his mouth to object with no words to follow. He eventually made his way into the massive room of clay that was filled with apprehensive head architects and his Rose.
No, not my Rose, just Rose. She's not mine and I'm not besotted. I'm a Time Lord! We don't get besotted. He pouted and made his way over towards hi-… Rose, and listened in on all the, somehow, polite shouting.
"I despair to imagine the travesty of our world should this happenstance continue!"
"For the sake of our precious time, might I recommend we-"
"Pardon my interruption but this can only lead us down an unnecessary-"
"I forgive you interruption, and please pardon mine, but I have been delivered news of additional assistance from outer worlds brought forth by Head Architect Clayarn."
"Please do not take in my words as rude, but what can other-worlders do for us that the most competent Heads of all of Crispal cannot manage on their own?"
"I don't know why, but this feels wrong to watch." Rose whispered conspiratorially to the Doctor, making him snort a bit before he composed himself.
"Everybody could you please be quiet!" He hollered, earning a respectful hush. "Right, hello! My name's the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler, and we are here to help. We may not be architects but we are known for solving these kinds of situations so a little trust in us would be much appreciated."
Rose held in her snicker as all the architects blushed a deep tan and shuffled in embarrassment. "Our deepest apologies, we beg your forgiveness. It's times like these that we must hold onto our manners and demeanor."
"It's quite alright, we forgive you." He calmed them. "Now, straight to business although, I would like to go sight seeing some of your architecture after this because Rassilon is it brilliant! I mean the mosaic in the foyer alone was-"
"Ahem." Rose cleared her throat, cutting off his rambling.
"Right, right. Sorry, but first! When did the buildings first start falling?"
"It began just one month ago, we have lost hundreds to the clay already."
"Have you picked up on anything strange or out-of-the-ordinary since then?"
"Nothing I'm afraid."
"Well has anybody gone missing or reported strange sightings?"
"Well, in fact yes! We've been hearing of cases where middle-class were not reporting to their assigned duties."
"Where did-"
KLACK!
Everyone fell into a hushed silence, cutting the rapid questioning off. The Doctor looked around the room, his hearts picking up just a bit quicker when he saw everyone else looking around for who made the interruption.
KLACK!
Rose shuffled closer.
KLACK!
"Doctor?"
KLACK!
"Yes?" He swiftly answered, grabbing her hand to calm her and know where she is.
"S' that coming from inside?"
KLACK!
He paused a moment, thinking better of himself and deciding to just tell her."Yes."
KLACK! KLACK!
"What happens if someone takes the clay out of a building?"
KLACK!
"Same thing I imagine if you take a joker from a house of cards. If it loses the infostructure and integrity then… " He turned towards her, seeing fear in her eyes and full well knowing it must be showing in his too. "It's gonna be absorbed."
KLACK!
Everyone held their breath, not daring to move through the echoing stillness. It felt like an eternity when just a few seconds passed, when the rumbling began to shudder in the air it sounded as loud as thunder to them. Screams started howling in everyone's ears as the features in the room surrounding them began melting away towards the ground, the floor losing it's solid texture and sucking their legs into it.
"Everyone out! Go!" The Doctor shouted, motioning for them to make their way to the elevators and see if it can somehow make it up. The entryway out of the room had other plans as it collapsed and sealed them off in the shrinking room. "The windows!"
"Doctor!" Rose shrieked, he spun and tasted fear on his tongue seeing Rose sinking into the clay.
"Hold on! I've got you!" He slid towards her and squished a bit into the ground as he grabbed her arms tightly. He tugged and felt the clay move around underneath him before moving back in on Rose's body. His head light up with an idea and he instantly stood up, still holding her arms.
"Rose, puff your chest up!"
"What?!" Rose hollored, hands grasping desperately to his sleeves as he stood over her.
"Puff up your chest! Trust me, I got a plan!"
She looked up at him, knowing the look on his face meant he would get her out. She put her trust in him and took as large a breath of air as she could, struggling to make her chest bigger against the constricting clay. When she breathed in as deeply as she could he raised his foot and stomped the ground, immediately hardening around her.
"Perfect! Now suck in! Quickly!"
She complied and sucked in her gut enough to show her ribs, his arms gripping tighter on her as he pulled and slid her up through the hole. She stumbled when she regained her footing on the shaky ground and lost her breath when he pulled her in for a hug. He pulled back a miniscule amount and ghosted his hand on her cheek, just barely touching her to check for any injuries.
"Hey, you alright?" He questioned softly, close enough to her for her to hear him. She could barely speak, not because her chest felt bruised.
"Yeah, we should probably get everyone out though."
"Right!" He spun around was met by a shocking sight. "What?"
"Doctor? Where'd they all go?" Rose asked when the melting room was devoid of anybody in it. She couldn't help but jump when a bright flash of light popped in the room, seeing an odd alien appear in its place, pointing a futuristic gun at them.
The Doctor started groaning. "Oh not you. I should have known you lot would do something as stupid as this."
"Silence!" It hissed before an electric, white light zapped around them, teleporting the remaining people out of the building just before it collapsed into the ground.
Mickey had told their protectors they would enjoy to see the building where Rose and the Doctor were taken and enjoy its architecture. Which, to Luna's satisfaction, was exactly where she wanted them to go. Hopefully, they had some form of records in the building of what was really going on, otherwise she would have to look up some information of this time period and find a way to charm it out of them. But for now, the real challenge was having Mickey act genuinely interested in architecture.
"Wow, that's some… very nice er, trimming?" Mickey stalled, trying to distract them from seeing her sneak away. She just about made it to the intricate archways when an extremely rough shaking brought her down to her knees.
"Alli!" Mickey shouted, alerting the guards where she was and sending them running for her. She let herself be carried away as the building was sucked into the ground, the distant wailing from the locals in the air almost unheard to her as the rumbling grew louder. The sound collapsed all at once with a final pop, leaving her staring in horror at the ground where the building that Rose and the Doctor were in.
"What happened? Where'd they go?" Mickey questioned, looking for answers at an enraged Luna. She forced herself down out of the protectors grasp and stomped over towards him, promptly punching him over and over in the leg. "Ow! Oi! Stop it! Cut it out!"
"You! Idiot! Why! Did! You! Show! Them! Where! I! Was!" She punctuated between punches. Just as he opened his mouth to justify himself his legs were taken out from under him by a forceful kick, sending him flat on his back into the absorbent clay.
"Oi! What was that even for?" He hollered from his position on the ground, cowering a bit further when she loomed over him with a glare.
"My name, is not, Alli." She whispered in a terrifying tone, kicking him once more before the protectors finally pulled her back.
"Please child! This is not respectable behavior! We are sorry for the loss of your parents, but you must try and remain composed!" His deep voice rolled, causing her head to snap towards his direction. He appeared to be unphased but the instinctual shuffling of his many legs away from her showed he was scared.
"Three things. One." She held up her finger as she counted them off. "I will not control my behavior. Two. You will not be sorry because three. They are alive and well and we are getting them back. Understood?"
Everyone nodded their heads in fear at the anger swirling in her eyes, she popped her knuckles to ease the soreness from her punching fit and addressed the protectors once more.
"Now, you're going to tell us what's going on so we can get back Rose and the Doctor whether you like it or not. So start from the beginning, tell us everything you know."
A/N: Yup. Ended this month long drought of no chapters on a cliffhanger. I am just terrible. -_- By the way! I will be trying to get some time to respond to your PM's to some of you. I've just been buried for the longest time, just need a little bit of a breather and I'll be good to go. Until next time, my little companions!
