TRTSS2: The Trek of Ranma Who! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 50
Later, after the defeat of the Sontarans, a preliminary interrogation of General Skar, leader of this renegade band of Sontarans, is performed…
"I don't understand it," Martha said. "That Sontaran is resistant to our drugs, Brigadier."
Brigadier Tyler looks at the Sontaran with hatred.
"Leave it to me," Brigadier Tyler said, as she takes off her jacket. "I'll have the information extracted."
"Brigadier, we can't use harsh measures on a prisoner," said Col. Mace. "I will have to remove you from command, if necessary for violation of his-"
Brigadier Tyler slowly turns towards Mace.
"Colonel Mace, go ahead. And then look at the faces of those people who lost their love ones and livelihoods because of these aliens."
Pause.
"Or you can leave right now. The choice is yours. Either way, my conscious is clean on this subject."
Mace purses his lips. He wants to be a good soldier, but if he were to publicly humiliate his superior, the blowback could affect HIM.
"Now, if you excuse me, I have someone to…talk to," Brigadier Tyler said, as she enters the holding cell…
General Scar scoffs, as he was held in an invisible field. Like all Sontarans, Scar had a Napoleonic complex…
"You humans will rue the day that you allowed me to live," Scar said. "I have powerful friends-"
"As far as you friends are concern, you disappeared during your world's time of need, 'General'," Brigadier Tyler said, as she closes the door behind her, before putting earplugs into her ear…
"Ah, the Moon Princess, and in a 'flesh suit', no less," Scar said. "I was wondering when you would show up."
"Well, then I am happy to oblige, General Scar," Brigadier Tyler said, as she bends over slightly. "Now, I would like to have your cooperation."
"Never," Scar said, as he looks away. "You will NOT get any cooperation from me."
"I was hoping you would say that," Jackie said, as she presses a button on a device that was as small as a car key.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!
A high pitch sound filters into Scar's brain, causing him to freeze up. Veins could be seen along Scar's head…
"Funny how this little device works," Jackie said smoothly. "In the old days, Stark Industries would take on contracts from the American government that would allow interrogations to be more…effective. Right now, your brain has become susceptible to mental suggestion, and you will have no choice but to do as you are told."
Pause.
"Do you understand?"
"You are…violating…your…own rules of conduct-!"
"Considering the fact that you want to kill my people, even after breaking the rules concerning the Shadow Proclamation—and, yes, I know what that is—I seriously doubt that you are in the position to judge MY actions."
"Arrrgh-!"
"So, once again, do I have your cooperation?" Jackie asked.
"Y-yes…"
"Good. I look forward to reading your interview, General…"
Elsewhere, Donna and Rose see this via a hidden monitor.
"Oh, my god!" Donna said. "She's torturing that…alien!"
"Yes, she is," said Rose sadly, as she turns off the monitors. She had one of her agents put in a hidden surveillance system in order to monitor UNIT's activities.
"And it wasn't suppose to be this way…"
"What do you mean?" Donna asked.
"Donna, look by your neck," Rose asked.
"What are you talking about?" Donna said, as she sees a strange looking tattoo on neck. "What the hell is THIS?"
"This is called a 'Cursed Seal of Heaven Mark'," Rose said. "With this, you are connected to my mother in a fundamental way."
"Did you do this to me?" Donna asked accusingly. "You didn't slip something in my drink one night, so you can have you lesbo way with me, eh?"
"Of course not!" Rose replied. "Don't be daft."
"Then what is it? In fact, I find it strange that whenever you are around, I see this…bug in the corner of my eye."
"Fine, I will tell you the truth," Rose said. "Let's go for a walk…"
A short time later, Rose and Donna are sitting on a park bench. The night sky was clear, and full of stars…
"Have you ever felt that you were running in circles?" Rose asked. "I don't mean with the job thing, but felt that you know, in a fundamental way, that something felt wrong?"
"Well, sometimes I do," said Donna, as she puts her hands in her pocket. "It's like, I missing something while the world around me feels all wrong…"
Pause.
"But that doesn't still explain this mark."
"Donna, this may sound strange, but the world you are living is a lie."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Focus on the mark on your neck. Touch it, if you must."
"Fine," Donna says in a huff, as she touched the mark on her neck. "I don't see how this is going to help me-"
FLASH!
Donna could see someone staring down at her. She wanted to scream, but seemed to be unable to move her lips.
"Donna, wake up!" said an Asian young man with a pigtail. He then turns around towards another man. This one had "good hair", wore a trench coat and suit of clothes with sneakers.
"Doctor, Donna is out of temporal synch with her own mind."
The one referred to as "Doctor", kneels in front of Donna. He takes out light pen and hover it over her eyes.
"Well, there is brain activity, Ranma," said the Doctor said. "For all we know, she is not in this timeline…"
A woman who looked like a softer version of Brigadier Tyler comes running into the shop.
"Doctor, the fortune teller got away," Jackie said. "But, I did get information that the Spider Guild is involved."
"Why would they be involved?" Ranma mused. "And use time manipulation against Donna?"
"Or maybe it's something to do with what happened back on Earth," the Doctor said. "Think for a moment: when we fought against the Red Spider Queen, who was instrumental in turning the tide of that particular fiasco?"
Ranma thinks for a moment…
"Donna!" Ranma said, as he snapped his fingers. "If Donna hadn't warned us of what the Red Spider Queen was about to do-"
"Precisely. We would have been killed."
Silence.
"Okay, so now what?" Jackie said. "They use time to manipulate everyone, but for what reason…?"
FLASH!
Donna jolts herself back to reality.
"So…it's true," Donna said. "I'm living a lie…"
Donna then turns towards Rose.
"But why? Why ME?"
"Because the Devourer is coming," Rose said. "You were instrumental in the defeat of the Red Spider Queen, because you warned the Doctor and Ranma, my father, before she had a chance to detonate her booby-trap. However, by not being there, neither the Doctor nor my father would be present to…temper my mother."
"What does your mother has to do with this?" Donna asked.
"My mother is destine to bring about a new way for Earth," Rose said. "However, because my father was not present to temper her, she will ushering a fascistic, human-only empire that will make what Adolph Hitler had done pale in comparison."
"But…why?"
"Because the man she loved, above all else, was taken away from her by aliens. I don't want my mother to be that. That is, if she defeats the Devourer."
"The…what?"
"From my investigations, it appears that the enemy that my father and the Doctor are destined to face took a pre-emptive strike…of sorts. So, he used the Spider Guild to do his bidding, so that when the time comes, there would be no one to stop him."
Pause.
"Donna Noble, you are the lynchpin that will decide the fate of the Universe, which is why you have the Spider on your back."
"Fine, but answer this: who is the Devourer?"
"Take a look at the stars," Rose said, as she points up at the night sky.
Donna entertains Rose's request, and looks up at the night sky.
"The stars!" Donna said. "They're…disappearing!"
"That is the Devourer, Donna," Rose said. "My mother will have to face him, and even if she wins, it will be a pyrrhic victory, as she becomes the very thing she fights against."
"So, I wasn't imagining anything?" Donna said with relief. "All of it?"
"No. That's why I was with you this whole time, so that I can figure out a way to help restore the natural flow of things."
"And this mark on my neck?"
"My mother originally gave you that mark in order to control you, when she went nuts," Rose said. "Although it is unfortunate that it's permanent, I was able to use it maintain the link between this timeline and the real one."
Pause.
"Whatever happens now, it's up to you."
Donna looks away for a moment. She then turns towards Rose.
"Then, let's undo whatever that Spider Queen or whoever did this to me," Donna said. "And Rose?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
Pause.
"But we're going to need help on this one," Rose said, as she and Donna gets up.
"Whose help?"
"Who else?"
A short time later, Rose and Donna was having a private conversation in one of the ATMOS conference room.
"Rose, I am very busy," Jackie said tiredly. "What is it?"
"Mum, I believe I've found a way to get Dad back," Rose said.
"Rose, your father died with the Doctor," Jackie said. "I don't have time for these games-"
"You used to believe in possibilities, when you were 'Sailor Moon'."
"Rose, I don't want to HEAR that name ever again, do you understand me?" Jackie said angrily. "SHE failed to save her beloved. As far as I am concerned, she's dead to me."
"But it doesn't have to be that way, Brigadier," Donna said. "See? I have this mark because of you…"
Jackie squints her eyes, as she sees the cursed mark.
"Where did you get that?" Jackie asked.
"In another life, in another timeline, you gave me that mark," Donna said. "Who else could have done that?"
"Hmmm," Jackie mused. "Even if I believe you, what makes you think that this is the supposed to have happened?"
"Because I KNOW that you aren't a fascist, Mum," Rose said. "Look beyond your pain, and see the truth."
With that, Rose turns Donna around and shows her mother the Time Spider.
"No," Jackie said quietly. Thanks to Rose, she now can sense temporal energy coming from it.
"Yes, Mum," said Rose sadly. "The Spider Guild manipulated Donna's history so that the Doctor and Dad can be killed, so that they would not be around to temper your desire to protect others, as well as prevent the Devourer from winning his gambit."
Jackie merely blinks her eyes.
"Mum?" Rose asked. "Are you okay?"
"Then…Ranma didn't need to die?" Jackie asked softly. "It wasn't supposed to happen?"
"No, Mum, it wasn't, and neither the Doctor's…demise."
"How do you know this? How can you be sure?"
"When the time change occurred, I was with the Prophets."
"You're talking about…THE Prophets? Of the Celestial Temple of Bajor?"
"Yes, Mum."
"'Prophets'?" Donna asked. "What are you talking about?"
"The Prophets are alien entities—gods to the inhabitants of the people of Bajor—exists non-linearly," Jackie said, as she looks away. "They exist outside of what we know as linear time, that is, past to the present to the future."
"You know, I can't event THINK what that means," Donna said, as she rubbed her head with her fingers.
"Think of their perspective this way," Rose said. "You are looking down from a cliff, and at the bottom is a river. Upstream is the past, and downstream is the future."
"Wait, I think I got," Donna said. "These…Prophets can see all of Time at once, even though they are not part of the flow of Time."
"Brilliant," Rose said with a smile.
"Okay, so what were you with the Prophets?" Jackie asked.
"I decided to take up Dad's offer to learn about Time and Space," Rose said. "When the timeline changed, I was with them. That's why I can remember the old timeline."
"And, you're going to restore it?" Jackie asked.
"Yes, Mum. The Doctor and Dad are need, otherwise your future will…not be as bright."
Rose didn't want to tell her mother that she was destined to be a fascist, even if she defeats the Devourer…
"Then…all will be well," Jackie said, as she clutched her herself. All at once, Jackie's bottled emotions burst, as the strong-willed Brigadier, leader of the UK's UNIT office began to cry.
"Ranma-!" Jackie cried, as she collapsed.
"It's okay, Mum," Rose said, as she comforted her mother. "It's okay…"
With new information in hand, the Brigadier arranged to send Donna back to the point of origin, where the decision to turn right, instead of turning left, was made.
"Now, Ms. Noble, as soon as I kill that thing, you should be sent back where you need to go," Jackie said, as her technicians prepared the energy coils around Donna. Coils, running from the recovered TARDIS, which Rose showed her in detail, would contain any excess temporal energy, thereby allowing a safe journey home. She was disturbed by the bug appearance, when it was shown to her…
"When you return, please tell Ranma…that I'm sorry for failing to live up his standards."
"I will," Donna said.
"Donna," Rose said, as she steps up to her friend. "Whatever happens, above all else, tell everyone this one phrase…"
Rose whispers into Donna's ears.
"You want me to say that?" Donna asked, as she made a face.
"They'll know what that means."
"We're ready," Jackie said, as she signals the technician to activate the quantum accelerator. "Now, remember, Miss Noble, you have to prevent yourself from making the decision that will lead you to work for Mr. Chandry at exactly one minute pass. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, this process is both unstable and unpredictable."
"Great, just great," Donna said sarcastically. "No need to worry about MY safety…"
"Don't worry, it will be fine," Rose said with a giggle.
"So, you're coming with me?"
"Actually, I catch up with you later, on an account of existing on multiple dimensions can be a nuisance."
Donna was about to ask what Rose meant, but dismissed the thought.
"Okay, let's do this," Donna said. "See you soon."
"Activate the machine on my mark," Jackie said, as she takes aim at the creature that ruined her with her gun. "Ready…NOW!"
BANG!
FLASH!
"I'm sorry, Donna," Rose said sadly. She wasn't sad about what she would need to do, but what she will have to do later, even if she succeeds in her mission to stop herself from making a mistake. "I'm so sorry…"
The next thing Donna realized, she was in the middle of London. After first, she was happy, until-
"Oh, crap!" Donna said, as she realized her predicament. She then glances at a nearby window, and sees her reflection. She wasn't looking at herself, but someone else.
"Why do I look like some teenaged girl with pink hair?" Donna said. "Never mind that! I got to prevent myself from making a big mistake-!"
As Donna raced to stop herself from making a mistake, her past self is arguing with her mother…
"Hey, we're Rini going?" said Clyde, as he and his friends Maria and Luke looked to see Rini run down the street at tremendous speed.
"Let's go after her!" Maria said, as she and her friends took off after their friend.
"Turn right, Donna," Sylvia Noble said. "It'll only take a minute to talk to Mr. Chandry about a job."
"Mum, I like working at my job, even if it's a temp position," Donna said with annoyance.
"The only reason why you want to work there is because you want a man."
"So? It's MY life, Mum."
"If you want to have a career, make a right here," Sylvia said, as she admonished her headstrong daughter.
"Mum, I know what I am doing," Donna replied. "It's in London, it's posh, so enough…"
Meanwhile, Donna races to the intersection. She looks at the time. Unfortunately, time was running out.
"I got to do something-!" Donna said with frustration. "The fate of the Universe is depending upon me…"
Donna sees a truck on approach.
"Damn," Donna said, as tears fell from her eyes. "I hope this doesn't hurt…"
All at once, summoning her personal courage, Donna jumps in front of the truck…
BAM!
The truck stopped, causing traffic to stop in the middle of the street.
As Donna closes her eyes, she smiles, thinking that if she has to die, she will do so as a hero…
FLASH!
Rini blinks her eyes, as she sits up.
"What the heck just happened?" Rini said with annoyance. "Somebody molest me or something…?"
"You okay, little girl?" the truck driver asked.
Before Rini could respond, Maria and their friends come running down the street to her.
"Rini, are okay?" Maria said with worry.
"I guess so," Rini replied.
"Oh, thank god," Maria said, as Maria hugged her best friend.
"Wow, you're tougher than I thought, Pink," Clyde said.
"That is because she is a metahuman, Clyde," Luke said.
"Not so loud, okay?" Clyde said. "If people know about her, then they'll go after us or something."
"Way to think about yourself, Clyde," Maria said sarcastically.
Meanwhile…
FLASH!
Donna finds looking up to see the Doctor, Ranma and Jackie staring down at her.
"Donna?" the Doctor asked. "You okay?"
Donna nods her head in reply. She then sees Ranma.
"You didn't take advantage of me, did you 'wonderboy'?" Donna asked accusingly.
"Yeah, like that's hard do," Ranma said, as he scoffs. "I probably need just a ball yarn to get you in the sack-"
POW!
As Ranma falls back, Donna clenches her fists.
"Humph!"
"Well, she appears to be fine," said Jackie, as she stands up, while the Doctor helps Donna up.
And then, a thought pops into her head.
"Wait, I remember something," Donna said. "That fortune teller-"
"We know about time spider being used by the Spider Guild," the Doctor said.
"Um, yes, but I was told to tell you something, something that will let you know who was behind that."
"Who?" Jackie said, as she helped Ranma up to his feet.
"A girl named Rose told me tell you one name: 'Bad Wolf'."
All three faces of Donna's friends went white.
"What?" Donna asked.
"He's back," Ranma said.
"Who's back?"
"The Devourer," Jackie said.
"WHO is the Devourer?" Donna asked frantically.
"Davros," the Doctor said grimly.
"…"
Tbc.
Next Time: "Stolen Earth"
