Travels in Time and Space

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Oracles of Eternity: First Attack

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

…

The large staircases that had seemed so graceful and almost calming before were suddenly a hindrance. From lower in the Core, Rose could hear screaming and voices rising up. Her mind was racing, trying to look for clues and piece something together, but she had no data. Anger came next and Rose wanted to hit something. The Verlans were peaceful. They were an endangered species with only 650 members. They were the equal of a small village in England and someone was trying to hurt them.

Something in Eve's dress beeped and her friend stopped, panting slightly. Eve pulled out what looked like a golden makeup compact and snapped it open. From her position, Rose couldn't see anything inside the device but guessed that it probably had some sort of video link capability based on how Eve was holding it.

"Eve?" a voice asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright. I'm with my friend, the Star Knight Rose Tyler," Eve said into the communicator. "She came here with the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" the voice on the other end repeated. "THE Doctor?"

"Yes, that's the one," Eve said. "We're on our way to his TARDIS. Do you know anything about what is going on?"

"Sensors have detected two unknown ships in the outer atmosphere. They aren't responding to any hailing channels and haven't sent any identification codes. We can confirm that this isn't seismic activity."

"Very well," Eve said. "Then I shall go and see the Doctor. Without the Ortharans, we don't have any real planet defenses. I believe that he is our best option. Reach out to the Ortharans and see when they can send help?"

"We've already done so, ma'am."

"Good, keep me informed. Hopefully, we'll be on our way to you soon." Eve closed the small device and slid it into the pocket of her dress. "Let's hurry."

Nodding, Rose shoved away her questions and grabbed Eve's hand. They climbed up the staircase as another tremor shook the building. So far there was no damage and Rose wondered what the attackers were trying to do. Were they seeking to destroy or something else? Her mind kept tripping over her worry for Eve as she tried to think.

They finally reached the TARDIS, but even the white room it was parked in seemed huge. Rose noticed properly for the first time that the room was devoid of furniture. How many empty rooms were in this building waiting for people to be born to help fill them. Eve was staying remarkably calm as Rose unlocked the TARDIS. The building shook again and Eve made a small hiss of alarm.

"I can bring the Doctor somewhere-"

"No," Eve said. "No, I need to speak with him. We need his help."

Rose nodded but stopped the movement when a sharp pain behind her eyes made her flinch. Closing her eyes, she held back a groan of pain and stubbornly pushed past it. Her hands turned the key of the TARDIS by memory and she pushed open the door.

"Rose?' Eve said softly. "It's okay, it'll be okay."

Opening her eyes, Rose looked at her friend in surprise. The sudden pain was fading quickly and Eve looked only a touch worried. Her friend offered her a soft smile and then turned her attention to the TARDIS. A hint of nervousness appeared on her face and Rose wondered just what the Verlan histories said about the Doctor. Stepping inside ahead of Eve, Rose reminded herself that they had a problem. The Doctor wasn't in the console room and Rose grimaced at the idea of searching for him.

"TARDIS, please alert the Doctor that I need him in the console room immediately," Rose said.

The lights flashed in response and a soft hum echoed in the console room. Rose turned to look at Eve who was lingering in the doorway. "He'll be here soon."

"She's beautiful," Eve said softly. She peered into the TARDIS, awe filling her face. "I can feel her… it's amazing."

"You can… feel her?"

"Can't you?" Eve asked, looking truly curious. Rose blinked in surprise and shook her head. "Well, I suppose that between my time sense and telepathy, I would be very aware of a TARDIS. I'm glad that you're happy here, it means a great deal to her."

"You can… hear her?" Rose asked softly.

"Hear no… it's more of an empathy," Eve explained. "And I'm sure that it's nothing compared to your Doctor's awareness of her."

"Yeah well, a thousand years together isn't a small feat." Rose moved around the console to the screen and tapped it impatiently. "Let's see if she'd got anything for me." She glanced up to find Eve still in the doorway. "You can come in… at least I'm sure the Doctor won't mind."

"Rose!" The Doctor called from behind her and she heard his heavy boots against the floor. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

He was at her side in a moment, his left hand coming up to touch her arm as he scanned her over with wide worried blue eyes. Rose nodded quickly and tried to smile reassuring for him.

"I'm fine, but something is going on outside."

The Doctor's body tensed and he reached for the screen. Nothing came up and his frown deepened. Then he looked towards the door and spotted Eve. His breath caught. Touching his arm gently, Rose braced herself for whatever came next. The Doctor rallied and strode towards the doorway. Even stepped back to let him out of the TARDIS.

"What's happening?" The Doctor asked.

The ground and building shook in response and Eve had to grab the corner of the TARDIS to stay upright. "I'm not sure," she said. "But two unknown ships have been detected nearby and we have confirmed that it isn't an earthquake. I believe we are being attacked."

"Sounds like a good guess," the Doctor said drily. "Any defenses?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Eve said. "our culture is peaceful. We rely on the Ortharans fleet and reputation to keep others away. Sadly, the Ortharan fleet is not in the area."

"Right, so no defenses, no fleet and being attacked," the Doctor muttered. "Control room?"

"Downstairs," Eve said. "Do you want to use the stairs or…" she trailed off with a cautious look at the TARDIS.

The room shook again. Rose lost her footing and the Doctor grabbed her arm, keeping her mostly upright. Eve screamed as the floor began to crack beneath them. Grabbing her friend, Rose pulled her away from the TARDIS. The floor gave way and the TARDIS began to drop Overhead, large sections of the roof began to crack and collapse down. Pulling them all back, the Doctor headed for the doorway. Beneath their feet, the floor kept cracking and was starting to slope.

Rose looked back to see the TARDIS vanish in a shower of rock. She sank down with the floor and the rubble from the ceiling buried her. There was only a brief flash of blue before the dust completely hid her. The Doctor made an irritated noise and pulled them out into the foyer as the shaking finally stopped. He released Rose and she finally let go of Eve.

"Alright then," the Doctor huffed. "No TARDIS. We'll have to dig it out and there isn't time."

"I'm sorry," Eve said softly. "She'll be alright… won't she?"

"It'll take more than a collapsing roof to hurt her," the Doctor said. "You don't need to worry."

"Then what now?" Rose asked. "If the building is starting to come down…"

"You have time sight," the Doctor said. He was all business and turned to look at Eve. "Can you see anything?"

"No," Eve said. "I didn't see them attacking. It's… odd. I have my communicator," Eve said. She held up the device from earlier. "If that helps."

"Aren't you lot telepathic?"

"Yes, but many of us are still very young… Verlans reach puberty between fourteen and thirty. I was an early bloomer. Others are still very sensitive due to growing up in isolation. It isn't very safe to use in the city."

"Fine," the Doctor said. He nodded and walked to the railing, looking straight down into the core. "Anything special about this building?"

"It was the first one built," Eve said.

"Anything else?" the Doctor asked. "It reminds me of something… not sure what."

"I'm not sure," Eve said. She glanced towards Rose with genuine confusion on her face. "It's just… the traditional style."

"Fair enough," the Doctor said. He nodded them forward, grabbing Rose's hand automatically just before she grabbed Eve's.

They made their way down the core on the stairs. There were a few more shuddering quakes, but the worst seemed to have passed. Part of a staircase had collapsed and there were signs of other structural damage here and there. Thankfully, thus far, most of the building was intact. Other Verlans were making their way down to the lower levels, a couple of them holding tiny red children that made Rose's heart jump.

Large doorways leading outside were flung open and the darker sunlight of the planet was pouring in. Eve gestured quickly for the rest of the Verlans to head outside before she directed the Doctor and Rose towards another set of doors.

"The planetary command post is through here," Eve said. "Below the main building."

"Is it safe?" the Doctor asked. "Where are the evacuees going?"

"The farms," Eve answered. "There are smaller buildings there which will be less vulnerable."

"Also easier targets," the Doctor said darkly. "DO you have any tunnels or hiding places?"

"No," Eve said. "I'm sorry, no. We thought we were safe here." Her voice caught for a moment, but she pressed on. "When this is over, I'll add safety shelters to the list."

Rose said nothing in response. A safety system would have been her first course of action after a near extinction event, but then again they'd thought the Daleks were all dead. Rose hadn't had the heart to tell Eve that there'd been a survivor in Utah. It was terrifying to think that it had been on the same planet as her friend.

The command post was just what Rose expected. A large underground room filled with screens, holograms of the planet, and rows of machines. There were only five Verlans in the room, a mixture of males and females who all looked relieved when Eve walked in.

"Anything from the Ortharans?" Eve asked.

"Yes, ma'am," one of the men at a computer-like machine answered. "High command confirmed that they are across the sector, holding back a Sontaran attack of another protected planet."

"Bloody Sontarans," Rose hissed.

"So they can't help," the Doctor said. "I bet your attackers knew that the Ortharan fleet was tied up." He took a step closer to the screen. "Have you got anything else?"

"No," Eve said. "There really isn't much in the way of defenses. We're fairly deep in Ortharan space and basic infrastructure was the priority."

"So no weapons, no TARDIS, and no plan," the Doctor said. "No response to hailing?"

"No sir," the Verlan at the controls said. He turned slightly in his chair to look up at the Doctor nervously. "There seem to be two ships. I've put them through our identification database, but no luck yet. The license information that the ships automatically send out belong to ships that were reported destroyed a few years ago."

"Pirates," the Doctor said. "Trying to hide behind old license information. What would they be doing here?" he looked at Eve. "You haven't received anything odd from the Orthanans, have you?"

"No," Eve said. "There is nothing of value here. Even the minerals in the planet are fairly common in the area. We only do a little trading. There is only one manufacturing site and it is small. Everything else we just grow."

Rose flinched. Pressure was building in her head sharply. It was too fast for a headache, at least she thought so before she couldn't think anymore. A dull humming filled her ears for a moment before it started to ease. She looked back at the screens, glaring at the hazy images of the ships that the Verlans were picking up.

"There is nothing on this planet," Even insisted to the Doctor.

"There's you and your people," the Doctor said softly. He flinched at his own words. "You're one of the only temporally sensitive species left in the universe now."

Horror took over the Verlan's faces. Eve sucked in a sharp breath and held herself together for an extra two heartbeats before her own fear began to show. Rose stepped closer to her and caught her friend. Eve swallowed and then nodded slowly.

"I think that you might be right," Eve whispered. "Oh gods, last time something came for us we were almost completely destroyed."

"I won't let that happen," the Doctor said. His voice echoed with authority in the control room. "But I need information."

"Anything," Eve said. She looked over at the others on the controls. "Give the Doctor access to everything."

"But-" one started to protest.

"We are not going to die here!" Eve said. "He stopped the Daleks last time and kept them from coming after our pods. We must place our trust in him this time."

There was a slight shudder in the Doctor's shoulder. Rose reached over and touched his arm, suddenly feeling frightened for a whole other reason. His expression was stern, but the anger hadn't taken over yet, Rose hoped that was a good sign.

"Right, first things first," the Doctor said. He moved to the nearest control station but was still close enough that Rose could stay near him and Eve. "What kind of ship-"

A high-pitched buzzing filled Rose's head. She grimaced, but it wasn't too bad. However, the Doctor shuddered. Eve collapsed, grasping her head and whimpering in pain. Her eyes were glowing red and her whole body shook. Dropping to her knees, Rose reached for her friend but then hesitated, remembering the last time Eve had been in pain. She'd been part of the cause then. Moving her hands uselessly, Rose looked up at the Doctor. He was watching the screen with a dark and angry expression. His own fists were clenched tightly at his side. Eve whimpered again but turned her head towards Rose. One hand reached out for her.

That was good enough for Rose. She shifted forward and carefully gathered Eve up, placing her friend's head in her lap and taking her hand. As another soft whimper escaped Eve, Rose heard the other Verlans groaning. One started screaming. She looked back to the Doctor as the painful pressure built up in her own head again. Rose ignored the small jolt of pain, she had more important things to worry about.

"Doctor?"

"They're being mentally attacked," the Doctor growled. "We all are."