Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it nor do I get paid.
A/N Hey guys! Welcome to the final story of 'Nothing Else Matters'. It is called 'Downfall of the Daleks' and is heavily inspired by the Big Finish Audio 'Sirens of Time'.
There are two people whom I want to thank: 'Z-King' who helped me narrow down the details for this adventure and MayoTango131 who has literally been THE PERFECT HUMAN BEING by helping me with the whole of 'Nothing Else Matters' and has had a huge part in helping me plan the sequel. I have no idea what I would have done without you.
Also, I would like to be very clear that I ADORE EVERY SINGLE ONE of the Harry Potter movies. The argument in question is between Rose, Rory and the Doctor.
Happy Reading!
Downfall of the Daleks: The Separation
"There's no way," Rose snapped at Rory.
"I am from your future. I am telling the truth," Rory argued, equally stubborn.
"I don't believe you," Rose huffed. "There is no way that any of the Harry Potter films are bad."
"Well clearly you haven't seen movies 5 and 6," Rory said smugly.
"Oi, just because you are from 2010 doesn't make you right," she argued, crossing her arms.
"Of course it does," he said. "I have seen both of those movies and I am telling you, they're not as good as the other ones."
"I quite have to agree with Rory," the Doctor said absently, examining the vector tracker which was humming 'Can't buy me love' by the Beatles for some reason. "Now, the last two, they are quite amazing."
He wished he hadn't said anything when Rose's eyes snapped to him. Great, now she was mad at him as well as Rory. Why hadn't he kept his mouth shut? It was like he couldn't help himself interfering.
He offered her a nice smile but Rose's glare remained icy as ever. Rory mouthed 'good luck' to him behind her back.
Thankfully, the vector tracker went silent right at the moment and a large mauve beacon on the console lit up. The Doctor's smile vanished as he ran towards the beacon and pressed the switch next to it.
"This is the Doctor. Whatever you want, I'm not going to do it," he said.
"What's that about?" Rory asked Rose in a whisper.
"Must be from Gallifrey," Rose said. "He hates getting those messages."
The two of them jumped when the Doctor banged his fist against the console. "I can't hear a word," he snapped. "Speak up."
To their greatest astonishment, Romana's voice came over the speaker next to the beacon. "Doctor...out...TAR...DIS...Impo...rtant..."
"Romana, what was that?" the Doctor asked. "I can't hear you. Ask one of those idiots in the Chancellery to get you a better microphone."
"Please...go out...TARDIS."
"I should go out of the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked. "Why?"
There was no reply from the other end; merely static. The Doctor growled in frustration. "Useless idiots, why won't you ever stop bothering me?" he asked the beacon that was still flashing mauve.
"Doctor," Rose interrupted. "What was that?"
"Annoying little twerps on Gallifrey," he answered snappishly. "Go outside, indeed. Do I look like I am to be ordered about?"
"Blimey, he has issues with them doesn't he?" Rory muttered to Rose.
"You have no idea," Rose said.
"Go outside," the Doctor was still muttering angrily to himself. "Why should I go outside? There is nothing outside."
"Uh, where are we?" Rory asked cautiously, not wanting to annoy the Doctor more.
"I don't care," he said. "I am not going outside."
"Maybe you should just see," Rose suggested with a bright smile. "Might be important."
"If it is so important, then those idiots can see it for themselves," he said petulantly.
"But Romana has asked, Doctor," Rose said, knowing that this would work.
The Doctor grimaced childishly but nodded. "Fine, stay here," he told them. "I'll only be a moment and then we can actually go somewhere fun." He opened the TARDIS doors and went outside still muttering to himself. "Think of me as an errand boy. Go outside, they tell me."
"Boy, he's really pissed off," Rory said.
Rose giggled. "Yeah, his people really annoy him sometimes. With good reason, too. They can't seem to make up their minds about him. Sometimes they exile him and sometimes name him President."
The static cleared and Romana's voice rang clearly from the speaker. "Doctor, if you can hear me. Do not go outside your TARDIS. This is important. Stay inside. I repeat: do not go outside."
The beacon stopped flashing and the instrument went silent. Rose ran towards it and pressed the switch. "Romana? Romana! What's going on?" she demanded as Rory ran for the doors to get the Doctor back inside.
There was no answer from Romana and as Rory reached the doors, they slammed shut and the time rotor began to move. "What did you do?" Rory asked Rose.
"I didn't do anything," Rose said. "It just started up on its own."
They heard a banging on the doors. "Rose! Rory! Open the doors!" the Doctor yelled.
"We can't!" Rory said, tugging on the doors. Rose ran up to him to help but the doors wouldn't budge. The dematerialisation sound started building up.
"Doctor, use the key!" Rose yelled.
"It won't work!" the Doctor yelled back. "What's happened?"
"There's danger, Doctor," Rose yelled. "Romana said..."
It went quiet and Rose knew that dematerialisation was complete. She met Rory's gaze in horror. "Oh god," she murmured.
"What do we do now?" Rory asked. "Do you know how to fly us?"
"The Doctor only showed me the basics," Rose admitted as they ran over to the console. She pressed the few switches she remembered the Doctor showing her. They displayed their destination and Rose inhaled sharply and looked at Rory.
"What?" Rory asked.
"We're in the vortex," Rose said. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do."
Rory put an arm around her shoulder in comfort. "It's okay," he said. "We'll think of something."
There was a zapping sound behind them and they turned around quickly. A hologram of a woman had propped up in the console room. She was shorter than Rose and a few years older. Her dark hair was cut in a pixie hairdo and she was dressed in dark trousers and a blue blouse.
"You have to listen," the hologram said.
"What the hell?" Rory muttered as he and Rose approached the holographic woman cautiously.
"There isn't time to explain. Follow these space-time coordinates. 7-2-10-8-0 by 3-8 from the Galactic Centre. The TARDIS will help you," the holographic woman said.
"Hang on," Rose said as Rory scribbled down the coordinates. "Who are you? And why should we do this?"
"But you must," the woman insisted. "It's the only way to save Grandf-the Doctor. Everything is at stake. You must do this."
The hologram vanished and Rose and Rory looked at each other in confusion and shock. "What was all that about?" Rory asked.
"No idea," Rose said, remembering the slip the woman had made. Was she about to say Grandfather? She didn't voice it to Rory but looked at the coordinates that he had scribbled. "We should do as she says I suppose?"
"I guess," Rory said doubtfully. "We don't have many options unless we want to float in the vortex forever."
Rose nodded and went to the console. "The coordinates go here," she said, pointing to the right component.
Rory nodded and started entering the coordinates. "Now what?" he asked.
"We're already in flight so we don't need to dematerialise," Rose said trying to remember what the Doctor had taught her.
"Uh, Rose is this supposed to flash?" Rory asked, pointing to a series of buttons that were flashing golden in a fixed pattern.
"No," Rose said, sounding relieved. "It's the TARDIS helping." She pressed the buttons in the order that they lit up and the TARDIS gave a long hum and lurched. "It's working!"
"Great, now what?" Rory asked, clutching the console.
"The helmic regulator," Rose said. "That thingy there. Pump it."
Rory pushed and pulled the knob as Rose instructed. The TARDIS stabilised a bit and Rose ran over to the other set of switches that had started glowing. "And now the landing sequence," she said, pressing the switches in order.
"What now?" Rory asked as the materialisation sound started up.
"The brakes. Pull the handbrake," Rose said and Rory let go of the helmic regulator to pull the handbrake. The TARDIS tilted violently, throwing them both down to the floor but the materialisation sequence had worked and despite the shaky landing, they had successfully arrived at the set coordinates.
"Are you alright?" Rory asked Rose.
Rose nodded as she sat up slowly and then took Rory's offered hand to get to her feet. "We've landed, I think," she said.
"Right," Rory said. "Do you think it's safe to go outside?"
Rose pulled the lever to operate the scanner but it sparked violently when she touched it. "Guess we can't find out unless we go outside," she grimaced.
Rory exhaled roughly as he and Rose opened the doors of the TARDIS and stepped outside. They had arrived in a clearing of tall crops that looked like corn but weren't really as Rory declared after touching one of them.
"This isn't Earth," Rose said, pointing at the sky where twin moons were shining silver against the inky sky.
"But the atmosphere is like Earth's," Rory said. "We aren't choking at least."
"Why did we have to come here?" Rose asked as they looked around the clearing. "There's nothing here."
"Alright! Put your hands up and turn around slowly!" A voice barked at them in command.
Rose and Rory raised their arms in surrender and turned around to see a group of three men dressed like mercenaries, pointing their guns at them.
"Don't shoot," Rory said. "We're nice."
Rose looked at him oddly but the men ignored him. "Come on," their leader ordered. "This way!" he indicated with his gun.
The two of them obeyed as they set off down the path through the not-corn. Rose and Rory tried to ask their captors where they were being taken but they just got a gun jammed in their backs for their trouble. They finally arrived at a group of tents set up in a clearing not unlike the one they had landed in.
"Captain!" the leader of their group called. "Found two intruders."
"Send 'em in," a distinctly female Scottish voice answered from the largest tent in the place.
"Go on," the leader ordered and Rose and Rory exchanged mystified looks as they entered the tent.
A tall, redheaded woman dressed in a black jumpsuit stood up and appraised them with interest. "I'm Captain Amelia Pond. Now, who are you and what the hell are you doing here?"
The Doctor stared at the empty space where his TARDIS had been. He was confused and shocked beyond imagination. Rose and Rory would know not to deliberately take the TARDIS away, meaning that something else was controlling the TARDIS.
Rage boiled within him at the very idea of someone messing about with his beloved TARDIS and he kicked a rock out of sheer frustration. He was in a deserted quarry on a planet that was most certainly not Earth. He could feel the radiation in the place and was thankful for the pills he had in his coat. He popped two of them in his mouth and then decided to take a look around the place.
He left the rocky ledge where the TARDIS had disappeared and went towards the only path through the hard rock and gravel. An odd sense of déjà vu washed over him and he tried to remember why this place seemed so familiar. He passed an odd cave and the feeling of déjà vu intensified. Frowning, he walked towards it and touched the rock at the cave's entrance.
The rock's composition was quickly determined as he broke off a piece and analysed it with a quick taste. It was nothing special; just ordinary concrete but the growing dread in the pit of his stomach wouldn't go away. He had been here before; had known this place very well.
He left the cave's entrance and went back towards the path. Lost in thought, he kept on walking until a dreaded cry rang through the air, chilling him to his very bones.
"EXTERMINATE!"
Rose and Rory exchanged a quick look amongst themselves as Captain Pond looked at the expectantly.
"I'm Rory and this is Rose," said Rory, at last. "We sort of...crashlanded."
"And you?" asked Rose, not trusting the other woman at all.
"You're my prisoners. You don't get to ask questions," Captain Pond snapped.
"Prisoners? For what, exactly?" Rose demanded.
"What did I say about asking questions?" she asked, advancing on Rose.
"Uh, ladies," Rory interrupted and the two women stopped glaring at one another. "Let's just be civil, okay?"
"You're right," said Rose. "We don't have time for this. Just let us go. We have something important to take care of," she said to the Captain.
Amelia narrowed her eyes at her. "Listen blondie, I say what you can and cannot do," she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"And just who are you exactly?" asked Rose, her glare intensifying.
"It's a good point," Rory piped up. "Who exactly are you to arrest us?"
Captain Amelia Pond glanced between them and then huffed out a breath. "My crew and I crashed here as well, okay?" she said, looking slightly embarrassed. "We thought you two might be locals."
"We don't even know where we are," said Rose, still looking a bit distrustful of her but not glaring anymore.
"This is the planet Calamity," said Amelia. "It's somewhere in the constellation of Kasterborous."
"You said you and your crew crashed here?" asked Rory while Rose tried to remember why the constellation's name sounded familiar. "Can't you call for help from your own planet or something?"
Amelia looked away at that. "We are...sort of, freelancers," she said.
"Freelancers?" Rose asked sharply. "Doing what exactly?"
"We...acquire certain items," she shrugged meaningfully.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Rory while Rose's eyes hardened.
"It means they are Space Pirates, Rory. The Doctor and I met a few of them back before we met you," said Rose, glaring at Amelia. "And you were about to arrest us? That is rich."
"Listen, pirates we may be but I prefer to be thought of something like Robin Hood," glared Amelia. "My crew and I steal from flourishing planets and drop off relief and supplies in war-ridden zones."
"Robin Hood?" asked Rory. "You're from Earth?"
Amelia looked startled before her face went smooth. "What's it to you, pretty boy?" she asked haughtily.
"You can't be from Earth, we are too far away," said Rose.
"How could you know that when you didn't even know what planet you were on?" asked Amelia.
"Because I just remembered why Kasterborous sounded familiar," said Rose. "It's the constellation that houses Gallifrey."
Amelia snorted without humour at that. "Gallifrey is a myth, sweetie," she said patronisingly. "Everyone knows that."
"It's not a myth," said Rose, in the same patronising tone. "I have been there twice already."
Amelia suddenly became interested. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Of course I'm sure," Rose snapped. "The Time Lords live there and more recently, I should say the Time Agents as well."
Amelia snapped to attention so quickly that Rose and Rory were startled. "You know about the Time Agents? Prove it!"
"What?" Rose asked, confused by the sudden demand. At Amelia's insistent look, she sighed. "Their leader was a man called Captain Jack..."
"Harkness," finished Amelia, sitting down in her chair. "Oh god," she sighed, her face ashen.
"What's wrong?" asked Rory, looking a bit confused.
Amelia looked at the two of them and then down at her hands. "I used to be a Time Agent, that's how I knew about Earth and Robin Hood," she said. "But when the big merger of CIA and the Time Agency happened, I chose to go freelance rather than join the CIA."
"What?" asked Rory in confusion while Rose understood completely.
"Then you know that Gallifrey isn't a myth," said Rose. "Why would you say that it was?"
"Because that is what everyone thinks," said Amelia, meeting her eyes. "Ever since the war with the Daleks killed all Time Lords and destroyed Gallifrey, it's like it never existed."
The Doctor turned around at the dreaded cry and saw that a Special Weapons Dalek was advancing on him. He froze in place, knowing that there was no way out of this. His jaw clenched and he got ready to face death head on when a wheezing sound reached his ears.
Startled, he started to look around but realised that the TARDIS was actually materialising around him. He stood completely still as the Dalek got increasingly confused. The console room became more solid around himself and he turned around when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
"Stay still, Doctor!" said the man who was running around the console, rapidly pressing switches and pulling levers.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" the Special Weapons Dalek was screaming. "EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!"
"Hold on, Doctor!" said the man as the console room became completely solid and the TARDIS lurched as she took flight again.
The Doctor had to hold on to the hatstand since it was the only fixture in the bare, white console room. The dematerialisation worked and the Doctor stood up slowly, brushing down his green frock coat. "What in the hell?" was all he could manage to say.
His fifth self smiled sheepishly at him and adjusted the celery on his lapel. "Well, my dear fellow," he said, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets. "It is quite a long story."
A/N End of Part 1. So, what did you think?
First off, I would like to mention that this has nothing to do with the Time War. Second off, Amy and Rose are not getting along well for their first meeting. But it gets better, I promise. Third off, we got dear old Fivey whom I adore from the bottom of my heart. Fourth off, SPECIAL WEAPONS DALEK.
Anyway, let me know how this was. Part 2 will be up on Thursday. But I should say we are off to a good start.
~ Phoenix
