XXIX
Messy relationships
Parallel London
March
April receives a phone call from Jason around midday, telling her that himself and Ireen will be coming over to Hotel Soelife in the next hour to see the puppets in the restaurant. There is no explanation as to what they are going to do other than to see the puppets. However April is surprised to hear that Ireen is returning to work, but says nothing about it as she agrees before ending the call. As she waits for Jason's arrival, she starts to pack the last of her possessions, thinking that she will stay with Will from now on, not wanting to spend another day in the hotel. If they finally get to understand the puppets, she no longer has a reason to be there at the hotel. It is far too dangerous to stay there any longer.
The last thing April packs is her handheld gun UNIT allows her to keep with her at all times. However, as she packs, she suddenly feels the sense of being watched. Not being able to shake off this feeling, she checks to see if the gun is loaded before hiding it in her hoodie.
Then after getting bored of waiting around for Jason and Ireen to turn up, April swings her rucksack on her back and goes to leave her room. She thinks that she might as well get a heads start with the puppets.
Sunny Blythe said to April that the puppets will explain about the Hotel and why the workers there are drugged. Although she knows the answer to what is going on and already has a grasp on what the nursery rhyme is telling her, she wants to see if they have anything else to say. The only problem is seeing if they will respond to her this time as they only responded to the Doctor the last.
April steps out of her room and locks the door behind her. Then looking down both ends of the corridor, she swiftly turns and starts to walk through the corridor, heading for the lifts. She keeps her eyes fixed on the room spray sitting just under the ceiling but is quite surprised when no gas is released. Still, she quickens her pace. But as soon as she turns the corner, a large hand suddenly clasps over her mouth and pulls her backwards.
April yelps in fright and she slams back into a tall figure. A knife is pointed to her throat and through the reflection of the blade she can see it is one of the hotel workers that has grabbed hold of her.
April trembles under the man's grip, remembering the times when Bruce did this to her, but she clenches her fists. This time she will fight through it.
"Where is the Doctor?" The man asks deeply.
"Why should I tell you anything?" April growls.
"Because I will kill you!"
April keeps her eye on the knife. "What use would that do? Kill me now and you'd never get an answer." She then stamps harshly on the worker's foot before elbowing him roughly in the stomach and then hitting him in the face. The worker is unprepared with this sudden attack and stumbles backwards. April pulls out her gun with a shaking hand.
The man cups his hand under his nose to catch the stream of blood for a moment, before he looks at April who points her gun to him.
"Oh you are a stupid girl!" The man hisses before charging to April.
He is very fast on his feet and manages to pull April to the floor before she even has time to pull the trigger.
"I dare you to tell us where the Doctor is!" The worker commands but April continues to fight back. She manages to push him off her and get back on her feet. The worker only comes at her over and over again, threatening her with the knife, but April refuses to stop fighting back. She narrowly misses the knife as it is thrown in her direction.
April momentarily takes cover behind the wall in the corner to get her breath back before aiming her gun down the corridor to shoot. But the corridor is empty.
April narrow her eyes, breathing heavily, but the moment she makes a move to stand up, the man grabs onto her and pins her against the wall. His hand firmly around her throat and April helplessly wriggles in his grip.
"We can easily snatch the Doctor and kill him ourselves, but seeing as he isn't in the Tardis, we don't know where to find him. It would be far easier if you told us." The man hisses.
"I won't say a word!" April manages to say but the man clenches his hand tighter around her throat, stopping her from breathing.
Seconds later there is a sharp whirling sound as if something has been fired through the air. But then April suddenly notices how the man's eyes widen as his mouth falls open, letting out a gasp. His grip on her throat loosens and finally his eyes roll back into his head before he falls forward, releasing April.
April crumbles to the floor, coughing and gasping for breath. There is a long UNIT made arrow stuck in the man's back as he lays dead on the red carpet.
"April, get up!"
Someone shakes April's arm and when she slowly comes back to her senses, she finds Ireen pulling her up to her feet. Ireen looks frightened and April rubs her eyes. Jason pulls the arrow out of the man's back and then keeping his gun at aim, he scans round the corridor to make sure that there is no one following them.
Ireen pushes April into the hotel lift and April shakes herself awake.
"The battle is starting soon, April. We need to get rid of these workers before they advance." Ireen says gravely as the lift takes them down.
April leans against the wall to the lift, breathing heavily. The day started off so well as she spent the early hours of the morning with Will. But now it is time that they all get down to business. The battle is starting and they have to do everything they can to keep the Doctor safe.
"He was demanding to know where the Doctor is." April eventually says, looking at Jason.
Jason nods. "The tracker device lit up around Antarctica like a fucking Christmas tree. If we don't do something now they will migrate here and get to him."
Ireen looks down at April's hands. "And we'll get someone to fix that up for you when we return to the base."
April glances down at her hands and all of a sudden she feels a stab of pain. Her hands are bloody and covered in cuts and grazes. She is aware of the blood slowly oozing out from the cut in her lip and the cut right across her cheekbone from the fight. April very slightly starts to feel quite light headed.
There is a loud ding as the lift reaches the ground floor. When the doors open, they find the reception is eerily quiet for the lunchtime period.
Ireen steps out of the lift first, a gun clasped in her hands. She surveys the silent reception and carefully makes her way towards the restaurant doors. Jason and April follow, watching each other's backs and making sure that nothing is going to jump out from the shadows.
But the reception is completely empty of hotel workers and guests.
Ireen opens the glass French doors to the restaurant and ushers April and Jason inside before stepping in herself. The puppets remain motionless as Jason weaves in and out of the round tables. They sit there, occupying every seat as the ticking sound from inside each puppet continues. April knows that they have not moved since she last went to see them.
"Last time I was here," April says as she walks around the restaurant slowly. "They only responded to the Doctor. Nothing I did made them move until the Doctor showed his face."
"I'm not here to let them talk." Ireen mutters sternly as she storms over to one table.
There is a difference to Ireen's character since Harry died. She seems angrier as if she wants to take revenge, to avenge her husband.
Ireen reaches over to one of the puppets sitting at the table and rips off its face as if it is a mask. There it reveals an egg shaped glass dome sitting on the neck to the puppet's body. Inside the glass dome is filled with clockwork ticking loudly away.
"They're clockwork droids." April says aloud as she examines the clogs turning away in the dome. She recognises it from the drawing in her Time Book. "Masters of time."
"We can only guess it is this lot that controls the timing of the cold weather and our twelve month limit from the nursery rhyme." Jason says as he squeezes in between two chairs to have a closer look at the clockwork.
Ireen narrows her eyes. "Time heals itself often." She mutters under her breath.
"But time is a man-made concept," April says as she stands to Ireen's right. "The nursery rhyme was created to confuse us. That's what the Nobody's had planned all along. They wanted us to be confused to the point we end up doing what they want us to do."
"And that's to do what the nursery rhyme said," Ireen says as she looks at the clockwork in thought before looking at April. "And have we done anything the nursery rhyme says?"
"But with the advice,
She took no heed of under the ice.
And thou it suffice,
It is not to be nice," April recites the last stanza. "I was warned by Aaron not to let the Doctor go to Antarctica and I ignored it."
"And it said that you threw the dice twice." Jason says.
"It means that I will take the second gamble by letting the Doctor go to Antarctica which is exactly what they want."
"We have to make sure that the Doctor stays here until this is all over."
"You will do no such thing!" One of the hotel workers bellows as he storms into the restaurant.
Jason, Ireen and April jump in fright before instantly aiming their guns at the worker. But before they can shoot, there is an ambush as all the other workers start to attack them from their hidden places.
Ireen, Jason and April fights back as much as they can, often proving that they are stronger than the hotel workers. April finds herself knocking the workers out as she smacks them around the head with her gun, but one worker manages to pull her arm behind her back and pin her flat down, face-first to one of the tables. For a moment April hesitates from the blow of her head hitting against the table top, but she soon starts to frantically wriggle in the worker's strong grip. As she does so, she finds a terrified looking Sunny Blythe hiding in the corner with the man who had been put under quarantine in the restaurant.
Jason has resulted to shooting some of the workers that starts shooting back at them from behind the bar and Ireen throws a small hand grenade, blowing up the workers shooting. April keeps her head down on the surface of the table as shrapnel and bits of wood from the bar table flies over her.
With her ears buzzing from the small explosion, April manages to push the worker off her before shooting at it with her gun. In the spur of the moment, April turns and using her gun, she smashes the glass dome on one of the puppets.
The contents of the clockwork spills onto the carpet and there is a moment of silence when the ticking stops. The last remaining workers suddenly fall and disintegrate into piles of ashes. The puppets collapse forward over their knees.
April, Ireen and Jason remain motionless as all three crouch on the floor.
"What did you do?" Ireen gasps as she glances around the room.
"I think I just saved the hotel." April says, surprised by her own actions. For once, her spur of the moment choice was the right thing to do.
Jason however aims another one of his guns to the gas canister sitting up on the wall, almost hidden from their view. He pulls the trigger.
There is a loud bang as the canister falls to the floor with a clatter. The last of the gas slowly starts to move across the air before it quickly evaporates out and disappears completely.
The three remain motionless again, scared that if they make any sign of movement the gas might get to them and turn them into Nobody's. But there is nothing around them other than the silence of a now empty hotel and each other's breathing.
"We need to get them out of here." April orders as she scrambles to her feet, nodding her head to Sunny and the other man. She makes her way past the broken bar to where Sunny is hiding with the other man. They escort the two men out of the hotel and make sure that they are alright making their way to safety.
Once the three find themselves back in the lift going up to the UNIT base, they know exactly what is to be done next.
Jason pulls open the lift gates with a little difficulty and they stumble into the base which immediately grabs everyone inside the base to attention. For a moment they are silent as they see the bloody mess, April, Jason and Ireen are in from the attack.
"What the hell has been going on here?" Colonel Meath orders as he watches them walk into the base, noticing the scars from their fight. However all three ignore Colonel Meath as they make their way to the end desk.
Aaron stands up immediately as he sees the state of his friends. Martha rushes over to Jason in fear but he promises her he is okay and not badly wounded, just a little bashed.
"You've been through the wars." Aaron says in a low voice to April with a slight smirk as he looks at her cut face and bloodied hands.
"Just thank us for ridding the whole problem with Hotel Soelife." April mumbles as she is sat down in one of the seats. Aaron sits in the seat opposite her and opens up a first aid box as Colonel Meath orders everyone else to get on with their last minute work and packing.
Aaron quickly speaks first before April can ask about the packing. "What happened?"
"One of the workers just attacked me and demanded to know where the Doctor is. Then we found out that the puppets are clockwork droids before we were ambushed. But we managed to kill the rest of the workers there so that's safe."
"Yeah and you made a real mess of yourself." Aaron says as he cleans the blood from her hands.
"Well that's the price of being a soldier." April says before biting at her lower lip as the scars sting. Aaron smirks as he continues to clean her hands.
"We'd better get a move on soon," The General orders. "There's not much time left."
"Our twelve month time limit was destroyed when April smashed one of the clockwork droids," Ireen says as she folds her arms. "It's a case of now or never, sir."
"It's also a case of seeing if Jack Gruntler is okay." Aaron mutters as he wraps a bandage around April's hands.
"What's wrong with Jack?" April asks with a scowl.
Aaron sighs heavily. "He was also attacked last night. We suspect that it was a Nobody but the Doctor has gone over now to find out who it was."
April frowns as she snatches her hands away from Aaron. She rubs at her head where she hit the table. She then feels a hand squeeze her left shoulder.
Terry looks down at April, almost apologetically.
"The hotel worker that attacked me this morning wanted to know where the Doctor is just so he could kill him. The Doctor will die if he goes over to Antarctica or near any Nobody's. That's their whole plan!" April snaps. "They wanted us to become confused so we end up naturally following the steps of the nursery rhyme and putting the Doctor in danger."
"I can clarify that it wasn't a Nobody that attacked Jack last night." Terry says as she removes her hand from April's shoulder.
"And that is why we're leaving for Antarctica this evening." Aaron says deeply. When April doesn't respond, he glances at the General. The General nods and Aaron stands up as everyone else disperses to their own desks.
April looks around the base and notices that all the soldiers are packing their gear to go back to Antarctica. Most of them know that it is going to be a one way trip. When she realises that Will isn't in the base, she guesses that he must down in the stock room helping out with packing stock.
"Then I'm coming with you." April announces as she stands up.
Aaron smirks as he packs all his belongings on his desk into a black rucksack. He expected April to demand to go with them. "No you're staying here to make sure that the Doctor doesn't get into his Tardis and follow us because I know he will. Besides Jack wants you round for dinner tonight without fail."
"What?"
"I mean it, April. You said that you would save the Doctor's life and the best thing you can do is to stay here and keep him safe. We'll go to Antarctica and kill the Nobody's for good. Is that understood?"
"No!" April hisses. "It's too dangerous!"
Aaron groans feeling rather agitated with April's stubbornness. "What else can we do then, April? Sit here and wait for them to come out from under the ice and attack us, therefore not saving the Doctor at all?"
"You all know that you won't be coming back."
"It's the price for being a soldier." Aaron mumbles as he walks along the desk.
April follows.
"Why can't I at least help you? The Doctor has Rose and Terry to look after him. They've battled and saved him far longer than I have!"
"I'm not going to tell you once again, April. You're not needed!"
"The more help the better!"
Aaron turns the face April sharply. "You are not a soldier like us, April. You got it lucky in the last battle. We can do this alone. Besides, what can you do to stop us?"
Aaron's words hits a nerve as April watches him turn around to pick up some of his work from the desk. She ignores her parallel mother's words when she said that UNIT will no longer need her.
"Permission to speak, sir." April's voice wavers.
"Permission not granted." Aaron answers indifferently.
Then a sudden rush of anger overcomes April and instantly she pulls out her gun and aims it at Aaron.
Aaron freezes tensely for a moment as he hears the click of the gun behind him before slowly turning around to look at April. There is a look of hurt in Aaron's eyes for a split second as he observes April aiming the gun at him.
"What is going on here?" The General shouts as he storms over to April and Aaron. "April Hollerford, I order you to lower your weapon!"
"You don't have the right to give orders to someone who isn't even a soldier under your command." April keeps her eyes on Aaron.
"As a General I have every right to and I will not allow you to threaten my officer!"
Aaron raises a hand to the General to quieten him.
"Promise me you won't go back!" April hisses.
"What else have we got left to lose?" Aaron says calmly. "It's the Doctor's life we're saving."
"You asked what I could do to stop you."
Aaron raises his eyebrows. "You don't have the heart to shoot me."
"Why are you acting like such a prick? Is it because the General promoted you to a second-in-command officer? It's just a title! Like the Doctor is just a title but from after hearing it everyone seems to want it destroyed."
"Just like April Hollerford or the Ice Girl. They're titles but after hearing them everyone seems to get the idea that you will be a good decoy," Aaron stares at April. "Lower your gun, April. You can't pull the trigger at me."
There is a long pause of silence as tears start to fill April's eyes. Her hands shake and Jason, who is nearby, cautiously takes the gun out of her hands. April's posture suddenly relaxes as she tries to cover up her tears.
"Of course I couldn't shoot you." She says in a forced light tone before looking at Aaron who is half smiling, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. The base behind her comes back to life. "You'd miss me, wouldn't you?"
"What?"
"I mean if I died this evening..."
"Don't say that, April."
"But in all honesty, if I die today, you'd definitely miss me."
Aaron rolls his eyes before kissing her on the forehead. "I'm afraid so."
The afternoon goes by and the General makes an order to the army and UNIT that they are going to fly out to Antarctica at 1800 hours.
April spends most of the time talking to the UNIT soldiers she knows. She thinks that she might go down to the stock room to find Will, expecting Alic to be with him, but the General says that she is not to leave the base until the Doctor returns.
It is the eve of battle and everyone is nervous but eager to get to the end of it. Every so often, April takes out her Wingerdette broach and wonders why they haven't been seen for the past few months.
A couple of hours later and Will, the Doctor and Rose walk into the base.
The first thing that brings everyone back to their feet is the black bruise under Will's left eye. Then they notice a stern and angry looking Doctor.
"We've found Jack's attacker!" The Doctor says loudly before gripping onto Will's shirt and shoving him forward harshly. "Caught him in Jack's cottage. I think the black eye explains everything!"
Everyone suddenly crowds around the scene in the base curiously.
"It's not true!" Will snaps, more to the Doctor than anyone else.
"Of course it is, we caught him fair and square!"
Rose moves to stand next to April. "I think you'd better rethink your strategies." She whispers harshly.
April only glares at Rose before stepping forward. "Doctor, you've got it wrong. Jack Gruntler was attacked last night and I know that Will wasn't there at the scene. You can't put the blame on him!"
"I don't understand," The General growls. "What's this to do with our battle?"
"Oh everything, sir, because this isn't an alien invasion, it's a murder story. It was a murder that he was involved with!" The Doctor points to Will who glares at him.
Aaron quickly grabs onto both April and Rose and pulls them behind him. Terry hovers behind Aaron too; almost afraid of the Doctor's burst of anger.
"I'm telling you it's not true!" Will shouts again.
"I wouldn't be blaming you if it weren't true," The Doctor snaps. "Jack said so himself that it was you that attacked him last night. He only hit you back in defence."
"You are very narrow minded, Doctor."
"Will, what is going on?" Rex orders, stepping forward.
April pushes her way forward, pushing away Aaron's arm that holds him behind her. "No!" She shouts as everyone turns to look at her. "I know this all sounds a little bizarre and that Will was caught at the wrong time, for reasons even I cannot comprehend," she glares at him as she says this. "But I can truthfully tell you that Will wasn't the one who attacked Jack!"
"April, don't defend him." The Doctor warns.
"Oh you can shut up for the moment, Doctor, because you are so wrong!" April stands in the middle of the circle, glaring up at the Doctor. She wants to slap him out of his hatred towards Will. She isn't sure herself as to why Will even went over to Jack's cottage in the first place, but she knows that she has to stand up for him. She has to stop people from making Will out like he is a bad person when he isn't. No one else knows Will like she does. "I know that Will didn't attack Jack last night because he was in bed all night long. He was in bed in my hotel room. And I was with him," April's breathing is uneven as she suddenly feels nervous, yet she ignores the wolf whistle from someone behind her. "I was awake all night and not once did he leave."
The Doctor stares at April as his face drops with the sudden realisation.
April lowers her voice so that it is just between them. "I'm in love, Doctor. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you. I deal with you and Rose. Why can't you deal with me and Will?"
The base suddenly comes back to life as everyone returns to their packing under the General's orders.
"If you want a job while we're gone, April, you can find out who attacked him." Aaron says gruffly before pulling Will away, taking him back home. Will turns back to look at April, but Aaron pushes him forward roughly.
"Do you even know what happened that night in Leeds when Peter Bursnell was murdered?" The Doctor asks, not even looking April in the eye as if he cannot bear it.
"Yes I do because if you don't remember, I was there the night Morgarn first told us. If this is a murder story then am I right in saying that Monroe is still alive?"
"I don't know April! I don't even know what to do or think any more. We're stuck in a messed up situation because a year ago the Daleks thought they could use our help. And then you were transported here. There was so much I wanted to show you the universe, not a world you don't belong in. The moment this is over, we're leaving."
"I'm not like Rose, Doctor," April says. "Rose would spend the rest of her life travelling with you, but I can't spend the rest of mine the same."
"I'm only with you until I complete your father's promise and that will be to the end of this battle and the Battle of the Cytracik. I hope you realise that back in your world that is still happening."
"And so you hope to throw me in the gutters once you're done?"
The Doctor says nothing.
April shakes her head. "You lost my trust from the start after the lies you told me, but you don't want to lose my respect at the same time."
The Doctor runs his fingers through his hair. "I knew it would be a real challenge trying to keep you safe, never for one second did I think our friendship would turn out like this."
"Turn out like what, Doctor? The mess it is? Both you and Will have lied to me and yet I chose to have you as my friend and I chose to love Will as he is," April shrugs her shoulders. "I'm sorry for being what I am. I'm sorry if I've made your life hell, Doctor, because I often think that it would have been a lot easier for you if I had just committed suicide earlier."
"Don't say that!" He winces and then there is silence. The Doctor lowers his voice. "I'll take you to Scotland after everyone leaves."
The Doctor then turns and heads into the lift. Rose looks at April for a long moment before following the Doctor. April remains standing in the centre of the base, looking at the lift as everyone else moves around her. She can tell that glances are thrown in her direction.
Terry comes up behind April and also looks at the lift. "You know, April, sometimes I think how crap my life is. I mean the Doctor only created me to help in the Battle of the Cytracik and now I'm stuck dealing with human emotions I wasn't built for. But I guess it does put everything into perspective when I look at the state of your life. I mean you have a messed up friendship with a Time Lord, you wish for a job at an army base you can't have, and you're in love with someone who's supposed to be dead in your world," Terry nods. "Definitely messed up."
April looks at Terry, not entirely sure if she is hurt or wants to laugh at Terry's remark. "Thanks." It is all she could say.
