a/n: Hello all. I think this is the second to last chapter. I've said this before but I think it's true this time. Thanks to my reviewers and those who favorite and follow this little tale. Please review.
Chapter 35
"Sigma, I have a crazy idea," Rose said as she walked into the library of her TARDIS. Sigma was sitting on the sofa, reading a book Rose had no interest in.
"You have many ideas, Ms. Tyler. Most of them are crazy."
"Ha ha," Rose replied sarcastically, sticking out her tongue. "Do you want to hear my idea or not?"
"Please, do enlighten me," Sigma told her with a small bow. It was odd seeing one perform a bow in a sitting position. Sigma pulled it off quite well. He had picked up the ability to be sarcastic in his time with her. It made Rose smile every time.
"I want to go rescue the Ood on Krop Tor. The Doctor wasn't able to save them before the planet was sucked into the black hole. They were under the control of the Beast. They were forced to do things your kind would never willingly do. I can't stand the thought that their last moments are those of fear. I want to go rescue them and I believe I will need your help to do so."
Sigma was silent for a moment. Anxiety spiked within Rose. Would he tell her no? She wanted his help but she refused to give up on this mission. She was going to save those Ood whether he came with her or not. There was no stopping her.
"That is a very crazy idea," he said finally.
"I told you. You don't have to come but…" her voice trailed away.
"No, I don't have to come. But it would probably go more smoothly if I did. And you're going to go even if I don't."
"It's going to be dangerous."
"Naturally. I could die, we could be sucked into the black hole, we could run into the Doctor which would cause multiple issues, the list goes on."
"I'm so glad you can so easily put it into perspective," Rose said dryly. "Will you do it?"
Sigma stood, "Yes, Rose, I will come with you and save them."
Rose beamed. "Well then, we must figure out a plan so we have at least some chance of success."
The plan was more than crazy. It was absolutely, positively, completely insane. It was fraught with complications and the likelihood of successfully fulfilling their mission was not high. Still, Rose would not be dissuaded. She was bound and determined to do this thing. It felt like it was something she was meant to do.
The first complication was the Doctor. He couldn't see or even detect her TARDIS. The visibility issue was easily solved. The handy cloaking chameleon circuit was turned on. They would blend into the planet. It was the Doctor actually detecting another TARDIS in the area that was the problem. The only thing she could do was contact his TARDIS and ask politely to keep him ignorant. Unfortunately this meant she would have to be close enough to telepathically communicate with his ship. Sending a message was out of the question.
Slowly, over the course of a week, Sigma and Rose managed to work something out. She would put a Time Stop around the planet the instant the Doctor was out of range, Sigma would use the TARDIS to telepathically call the Ood while Rose focused on keeping the planet from succumbing to the pull of the black hole, then they would depart once everyone was on board. It was simple and anything more complicated was bound to go wrong.
"Let's get this show on the road," Rose said to Sigma.
Sigma nodded and Rose pulled the lever, sending them into the Time Vortex and towards Krop Tor.
The TARDIS did not want to land. It was understandable. The planet was creepy and deadly but they didn't have a choice. Rose gently guided her beloved ship and landed near the mine shaft. Sigma took over the controls while Rose focused on the Doctor's TARDIS.
Please, do not let him see us. Rose sent to his ship. She outlined what she was doing and his TARDIS happily agreed. If the Doctor did a scan, he would not detect their presence.
She stayed in contact with the ship to know when they were out of range. She sensed the time was coming so she looked to Sigma.
"Are you ready?"
He had set up the telepathy boost and had his hand on the switch. "Tell me when."
The Doctor was out of range and the planet was on the verge of being swallowed. Rose sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Now."
The Time Stop surrounded the planet. Pain lanced its way through Rose's body. The black hole pulled at her, not caring that Time stood still for the moment. This black hole ate Time for breakfast and asked for more. She struggled to hold the planet in place. She clutched the console with white knuckled fingers as her knees hit the hard floor. Fire screamed its way through her veins. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She couldn't even scream. She was burning up from the inside. The well of power, her connection to the Time Vortex, was being drained away by the Eater with its endless appetite.
The only thing that kept her going was the thought of the Ood. She had made a promise to herself and she would not go back on that promise. She was going to save the poor creatures who had been left stranded. The Doctor may not have been able to save them but she would fucking do it. She was Rose Tyler and she'd be damned if she ever gave up.
Her power was fading. She could feel the planet start to inch ever closer to the Eater. She wasn't strong enough to combat its pull. In her mind's eye she could see the sphere of gold light that surround Krop Tor begin to fracture. In that moment she realized that she didn't want to die anymore. She wanted to live. She wanted to race against the starry skies once more. Life was worth living again. She had no chains dragging her down. Her past pain didn't define who she was and who she would become.
I'm free at last, she thought and it felt truer than it ever had before. Slowly, a soothing darkness took her under, carrying the TARDIS's happy song along with it.
The first thought that came to Rose's mind when she woke was pain. She hurt everywhere. Even opening her eyes seemed to be a daunting task. She did it anyway. Sigma was standing in the doorway to her bedroom. She turned her head slightly and saw Bad Wolf curled up next to her. The wolf barely lifted her head.
"What happened?" Rose croaked.
"You fainted as soon as I sent the TARDIS into the Time Vortex. We carried you into this room. You and Bad Wolf have been in bed for the past three days," Sigma explained.
"Three days?" Rose repeated. She desperately wanted water, and a shower, and she really had to pee. "Well, did we save everyone?"
"Yes. All who still lived were saved and all have been introduced to the Mind. Do you need help?"
Rose's pride wanted her to say no. Her realistic part told her refusing would be a stupid idea. So she sighed and accepted Sigma's help to the bathroom where a toilet, a sink, and a shower awaited her.
"We did it," she said with a small smile. Joy leapt in her heart at their success.
"Yes, we did. Now, enough talking. Let's get you taken care of. The Elders would like to speak with you when you are fit enough."
"Ah. It's not anything bad is it?"
"I believe they wish to thank you. I thank you as well, Rose Tyler."
Rose winked, an action that took way too much effort at the moment. "Anytime, Sigma."
Rose sat on a lawn chair overlooking the Crystal Canyon, the snow glistening in the sun. Not far in the distance she could see the capital of the Oodsphere. The sun continued its slow movement overhead. According to her time-sense, it was a few hours past mid-day.
Sigma sat next to her in a lawn chair of his own. They often came to this cliff together, both finding peace in the beauty of the land. Sometimes they talked. Sometimes they stayed in a comfortable silence. Sigma had become the best friend Rose could ever have asked for. He'd kept her grounded. He'd been the support system she'd needed. His friendship had helped heal her heart. What remained was a jagged scar, sometimes painful or uncomfortable but not the agony it had once been.
"I could stay here forever," she said, breaking their three hour silence.
"You will be leaving soon," Sigma replied.
Rose turned and faced her friend with a frown. "This is my second home. I will always come back."
Amusement rolled across her mind. Sigma was laughing at her. "You are always welcome here but you will be leaving this planet soon."
"What makes you say that?" she asked tentatively.
"I am dying," Sigma replied simply.
Rose looked away, holding back the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes. She knew he was dying. She could see it, feel it. But she'd been doing all she could to not see it. Losing Sigma seemed unimaginable. So much had happened to her in her life, couldn't she keep one good thing?
"I can save you," she said quietly.
"You wouldn't be saving me, Rose. The wheel continues to spin and you would be stopping the wheel for me. It would be selfish of you to keep me alive."
"Sigma!"
"You know this."
Rose crossed her arms like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Of course she knew it but how did he?
"You're broadcasting everything you're feeling at the moment."
Shit. She had learned to build a strong mental shield but around Sigma she usually relaxed a little bit. Checking herself, Rose realized she had a tissue-thin shield that could break at the slightest nudge.
"I'm sorry," she told him. "It's just...the idea of living without you seems impossible. I don't want to be alone again."
"Rose, you knew this day would come." He reached over and grabbed her hand. "You won't be alone. You will have a life. You will find the Doctor. Do not allow yourself to succumb to self-pity. That is not you."
"No, it's not." She placed her other hand over his and looked him straight in the eyes. "Without you, I would still be lost. I cannot find the words to thank you enough. You know that, right?"
"Of course."
They stayed there, holding hands and looking into one another's eyes. Rose opened her mind to his, sharing her memories of their time together and how much she appreciated everything. Sometimes words can't capture feelings. She wanted him to know everything he meant to her. In return, Sigma opened his mind to hers and together they remembered. It was intimate in a non-romantic way. She doubted she could ever share a connection with another being and she didn't think she would want to again. This was enough.
Sigma died one month later. Rose was by his side when his heart stopped pumped and his chest refused to rise. His soul was gone and all that remained was his shell. Tears burned their way down her cheeks but sobs did not wrack her as she had expected.
It was a perfect day for his Passing ceremony. She helped the Ood carry him to the funeral pyre and touched the torch to the wood he lay on. The fire greedily attacked the wood and soon Sigma's body was a simple shadow in the dancing Ood who knew him best stood in a line and clasped hands. Rose joined them as Bad Wolf appeared next to her.
They sang.
They sang the Song of Life. It spoke of his years as a slave, his time assisting the Doctor, his time with Rose. His life was sent to the Mind of the Ood to forever be remembered.
Rose left with the others but paused outside the gates. A storm was coming but it would not hit until Sigma's body became ash. So she stood with Bad Wolf at her side, watching as he disappeared. When she couldn't see him anymore, she walked straight to her TARDIS. Sigma had been right. It was time to leave.
She brushed the Mind and sent her goodbyes. They echoed back to her and she smiled sadly. She had a crazy idea of where she would do go next. She'd talked it over with Sigma about a year before he died.
"There are more Ood out there that are enslaved?" Rose asked after their most recent trip. They'd found out about an Ood still enslaved to a wealthy man. Rose had kindly asked him to release the Ood. He declined. She threatened him. He had been quite happy to surrender him to her after that.
"Sadly, yes. Many were unhappy about losing my people as slaves. It's illegal now but it doesn't stop them," Sigma said.
"Then I'm going to find them all. You can come with me. We will rescue every Ood in the universe."
Rose planned to follow through with her promise. There were those out there who needed her and she was going to do her damnedest to help them. If she ran into the Doctor along the way...well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
The thought of the Doctor brought an idea to mind and a smile to her face. She went to the controls and sent a message to the Doctor.
The Doctor landed on a moon with a marketplace. He was looking for a particular part for the TARDIS and he was hoping this place would have it. As the TARDIS landed, an alert sounded, signalling that he had received a message.
See you around, Doctor.
The message's signature was that of a wolf print with a small, blooming rose in its center pad. He couldn't help but smile.