And here's a new one for you! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty One: Rose

Ember decided she needed to get the ash and dirt off her skin and hair, and ended up spending nearly half an hour in that shower. Thankfully, she didn't jump, so she was able to get cleaned up. When she was done, she got dressed in a pair of white denim shorts, black leggings, a new red top and red all stars. Her denim jacket, which she'd feared was ruined, was found neatly hanging over the back of her desk chair, clean and dry. She thanked the Tardis for that.

When she returned to the console room, she found the Doctor working under the grill floor that surrounded the console, one section lifted up to give him access. Ember moved to kneel above him and look through the grating. "Heya, Doctor."

"Ah! I was beginning to think you'd jumped!" The Doctor looked up to grin at her. "Enjoy your shower?"

"Oh yeah. Needed to get all that ash out of my hair." Ember replied, shifting to sit cross-legged on the floor beside the open grate. "I'm just glad I didn't jump mid-shower again."

"Ah, I remember that. The look on Jack's and Rose's faces were priceless!" The Doctor laughed, though it didn't last long. Ember sent him a look and a raised brow that told him that she wasn't buying it, and he sighed. "You knew I'd destroy Pompeii, didn't you?"

"Of course."

"I really wish you'd told me."

Ember tilted her head. "So when you were saying that Pompeii had to be destroyed, you expect me to have jumped in and said 'oh, don't worry, you're the one that blows it up'? You know I couldn't tell you." She hesitated, and then reached out to put her hand over his where it was on the edge of the grate. "Look, I'm sorry you were the one to push the button. Doing that once is something no one should ever have to do, never mind more than once. But I know that you didn't do it to keep the timelines intact, or to kill thousands of people: you did it to save them. If the Pyroviles succeeded, who knows what would have happened, how many millions they would kill or convert."

The Doctor nodded, moving his other hand to cover hers. "Yeah. Thanks... for being there."

"I'll be there whenever I can," Ember promised. Then she sat up, ready to change the topic. "So! What's next?"

"Well, Donna's having a nap, but once I've finished this repair work, I was thinking... mystery tour?"

"Not a mystery for me: I already know where you're going." Ember said, then looked thoughtful. "Oh, and by the way, when the next me appears, I'm gonna need some help, if I remember right."

"Help? With what?"

"Heartburn. Kind of."

The Doctor nodded, seemingly knowing better than to push for answers. "Speaking of remembering, I know where you're going next too. I remember that outfit."

"Oh? And where am I going?" Ember felt the burning sensation appear right at that moment. "Guess I'm about to find out."

"Meet me by the elevator."

The brunette was puzzled by that, but she jumped before she could ask. When she landed next, she looked around to find herself in what looked like a basement, complete with metal pipes on the ceiling and concrete walls. Ember pushed herself to her feet and turned around on the spot, quickly spotting a large, metal door that looked like an elevator. "Ah. So that's what he meant."

Just as she reached the elevator and pressed the button to call it, the double doors on the other side of the room burst open, and in ran none other than Rose Tyler and the Ninth Doctor. They both stopped when they saw the brunette at the elevator, but only the latter recognised her.

"Ember!" He said. "Ah, so that's what you meant when you said to meet you by the elevator."

Ember blinked. "But you said that to me just before I got here."

"No, you said 'meet me by the elevator' just before you up and left. Kind of expected a bigger show, if I'm honest."

"Well, it feels worse than it looks. Kind of like getting heartburn but worse." Ember looked at Rose, who looked so confused right now. "Attack of the killer dummies?"

Before Rose could answer, the doors they'd come from opened again, revealing shop window dummies that were walking on their own. At the same time, the elevator dinged and opened its doors for them. The trio were quick to get in, the Doctor pressing the button, but just at the doors closed, one of the dummies stuck it's arm in. The Doctor was quick to grab it, and after a few tugs was able to yank it off, allowing the doors to close and the lift to move.

"You pulled his arm off..." Rose finally spoke, staring at the arm in shock.

"Yep." The Doctor nodded, tossing her the arm. "Plastic."

"Very clever. Nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?"

"Why would they be students?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you said it. Why students?"

Rose shook her head. "Cause... to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students."

The Doctor nodded at that logic. "That makes sense. Well done."

"Thanks..."

"They're not students." The Doctor said at the same time as Ember, which made the former raise a brow at the latter.

"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police." Rose said.

"Who's Wilson?" The Doctor asked.

"Chief electrician."

"...Wilson's dead."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, allowing the Doctor to step out. Ember and Rose followed as the latter spoke. "That's just not funny. That's sick!"

"Hold on. Mind your eyes."

"I've had enough of this now." Rose said, stepping back when Ember urged her. The Doctor pointed his Sonic at the buttons for the lift, which sparked. The doors remained open even as they left. "Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there? I said, who are they?"

"They're made of plastic." The Doctor said as he led the way through the corridor, the girls following. "Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He held up what looked like a big remote. "So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast." He opened a fire door and ushered Rose out. "Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed."

With that, he shut the door, only to turn and nearly bump into Ember. The brunette raised a brow at him. "Don't you want to know her name?"

The Doctor tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because you'll see her again."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but then he turned and pushed open the fire door again, finding Rose still standing there. "I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Ember. What's your name?"

"...Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!" He waved the device in his hand and then closed the door again, smirking at Ember as he passed her. "Better?"

"Yep." Ember said, turning to follow.

"Dunno how I'm gonna see her again, though."

Ember shrugged as they headed for the stairs. "You bump into her again. And a third time. That's all I'm saying." They were quiet as they ran for a few minutes before she spoke again. "So... this is the first time I've jumped for you?"

"Yeah. You told me not to tell you much, though. You travel up and down my timeline, can see one possible future and have certain powers that you might not have right now." He looked back at her. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Well, I... actually haven't kept track." Ember admitted, realising just that. "One day I just woke up and you were there, hugging me and knowing me. Had a bit of culture shock. If I have to put a number on it, I'd guess... maybe a year and a half? Close to two?"

The Doctor nodded as they reached the stairs. "So, still not gonna tell me where you came from?"

"Don't know myself yet. Still getting riddles about it. Even got another nickname in the last jump."

"What's that, then?"

"Gaia."

"The Greek Goddess of the Earth and primordial deities. Said to be the creator of the earth and the universe." The Doctor rattled off the quick description. "How'd you get that name?"

"By doing things people thought only gods could do." Ember smirked. "Can't say any more. That's a long way in your future."

"So I don't blow up tonight? That's nice."

The two laughed as they reached the roof, easily spotting the large satellite dish that was there. The Doctor was quick to set up the little bomb and then grab Ember's hand as they ran, going down the stairs as quickly as possible. They'd barely reached the exit they'd sent Rose out of when there was a massive explosion from the roof, big enough to take out the top floor of the building as well.

"You love to start the party with a bang," Ember teased as the Doctor led her to where he'd parked the Tardis, not realising that Rose had passed it just minutes before. "You realise that this isn't over, right?"

"Figured as much when I saw the relay," the Doctor said as he unlocked the Tardis and let the brunette in first. "It was just a booster. We need to find the main controller."

"I can give you a hint: you can track it if you got something that receives the signal."

The Doctor, puzzled, walked up to the console and pressed a few buttons and switches not only to set the Tardis into flight but to try to find what he was looking for. He looked at the monitor and grinned at what he saw. "You're right! I can't get a fix on where the signal came from, but I can track where it's going. Then we just get whatever is receiving the signal and backtrack it. Simple!"

"Maybe not as simple as you think." Ember pointed out. "So, let me guess: We're headed for the Powell Estate, London."

"No! We're going to..." the Doctor paused as the location came up on the screen. "... some flats."

"Which is where?"

"... the Powell Estate, London. Hush, you."

Ember smirked as they landed, letting him lead the way out and onto a normal looking street. She let the Doctor lead her until they reached a familiar council estate that had a block of flats reaching about twenty floors up. The Doctor, using his Sonic to track the signal, led them into the building and up the stairs, though Ember knew exactly where they were going.

Sure enough, they reached the front door of one of the flats, where the Sonic was reacting the strongest. Ember glanced down at the cat flap and nudged it with her foot, knowing who was on the other side. The Doctor, having seen the move, knelt down to try to look through the flap, only to spot a familiar blonde woman looking back at him. He jumped to his feet just as the door opened and Rose looked at them.

"What're you doing here?" The Doctor asked.

"I live here." Rose replied.

"Well, what'd you do that for?"

"Because I do. I'm only at home because someone blew up my job."

"I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you?" The Doctor looked at his Sonic before reaching out and knocking on Rose's forehead like a door. "No, bonehead. Bye, then."

Rose grabbed the back of his jacket as he turned to walk away. "You. Inside. Right now."

Ember followed obediently, closing the door behind her as Jackie called from her bedroom. "Who is it?"

"It's about last night." Rose said, glancing in the bedroom where her mother was doing her making while wearing her dressing gown. "He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes."

"She deserves compensation." Jackie called as the Doctor and Ember passed the doorway.

"Oh, we're talking millions." The Doctor replied. Ember moved slightly further down the hall.

Jackie paused, looking at the Doctor. "I'm in my dressing gown."

"Yes, you are." He didn't quite get it yet.

"There's a strange man in my bedroom."

"Yes, there is."

"Well, anything could happen."

Now the Doctor caught the flirtatious tone, and shook his head. "No." He moved on, catching Ember biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Hush, you."

The brunette shrugged, following him to the living room, where they could see Rose in the attached kitchen through the serving hatch in the wall.

"Don't mind the mess." Rose was saying. "Do you want a coffee?"

The Doctor looked around the room curiously. "Might as well, thanks. Just milk."

"Not for me, thank you." Ember added.

Rose began to set up drinks for herself and the Doctor. "We should go to the police. Seriously. All of us."

Ember moved to the Doctor's side as he picked up a magazine from the coffee table, flicking through the pages until he stopped at an article about a celebrity couple. "That won't last; he's gay and she's an alien."

"Hmm, didn't expect it to be them," Ember said, looking at the photo. "Wonder who had the harder time coming out with it?"

Rose didn't seem to hear them, as she kept talking. "I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong..."

The Doctor picked up a book and flicked through it. "Hmm. Sad ending."

"They said on the news they'd found a body..."

"Rose Tyler." He read the name on the letters he'd found on the coffee table before catching sight of himself in a small mirror that hung on the wall. "Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears." He turned when he heard Ember snort in an attempt to hide the laugh. "No jokes."

"Not one," Ember promised.

"All the same, he was nice." Rose continued. "Nice bloke. Anyway, if we are going to go to the police, I want to know what I'm saying..."

"Luck be a lady..." The Doctor picked up a deck of playing cards, though he was only able to do a shuffle once before he sent the cards flying on the second attempt. "Maybe not..."

Ember heard a scuttling sound behind her, and moved to look over the back of the sofa while the Doctor looked around and asked "What's that, then? You got a cat?"

"No. We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate."

At the same moment, the plastic arm that the Doctor had ripped off the dummy earlier leapt out, not from behind the sofa where Ember had expected, but from behind the chair to grab the Doctor by the throat. He made a choked sound and flailed as Ember quickly ran to help.

Rose came in from the kitchen carrying two mugs, though she merely rolled her eyes at the sight of the plastic arm. "I told Mickey to chuck that out. You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand. Anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?"

The Doctor finally got the hand off of his throat and threw it back, but it stopped in mid-air and turned to go for Rose. Only she was pushed aside at the last moment by Ember, who ended up with a plastic hand over her face. Almost instantly, she couldn't breathe, and she flailed. She felt someone trying to pull it off.

"Hold still!" The Doctor called to her, which made her force herself to stop moving so that he could use his Sonic on the hand without dealing with a struggling person. Just as Ember felt her respiratory bypass kick in, the plastic hand left her face, allowing her to drop onto the couch and take a deep breath as the Doctor pressed the Sonic against the palm of the hand. The fingers twitched and then stilled. "It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless."

Ember jumped slightly as she caught the arm he tossed at her. "Oh really?" She swung the arm to hit his, making him flinch back with a yelp. "You're lucky I can hold my breath for longer."

"Sorry, you alright?" The Doctor helped her up. He glanced at Rose, who was leaning against the far wall and staring at them in shock. "Bye, Rose."

With that, he took the plastic arm from Ember before he grabbed her hand and led her out of the flat, going right to the stairs they'd come up. They were barely one floor down when Rose caught up to them.

"Hold on a minute!" She called after them. "You can't just go swanning off."

"Yes we can. Here we are. This is us, swanning off. See ya!"

"But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me!"

"But it didn't, thanks to Ember. Nine out of ten for observation."

"You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on!"

"No, I don't."

Rose still followed even as they reached the bottom of the stairs and out onto the estate. "All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or... I'll start talking."

The Doctor looked at her. "Is that supposed to sound tough?"

"...Sort of."

"Doesn't work."

"Who are you?" Rose asked.

"Told you. The Doctor."

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor.

"The Doctor."

"Hello!" The Doctor waved.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of."

"Come on, then. You can tell me. I've seen enough. Are you the police?"

"No, we were just... passing through. We'rea long way from home."

Ember took his hand, squeezing it twice to lend him some comfort. He returned the gesture.

"But what have I done wrong?" Rose asked, not noticing just how sore the spot she'd poked was. "How comes those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around you." The Doctor retorted. "You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all."

"It tried to kill me!"

"It was after us, not you. Last night, in the shop, we were there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking us down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met us."

"So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"You're full of it."

"Sort of, yeah."

Ember held up a hand. "But he does it brilliantly, I want to add."

Rose couldn't help a smile at that as they passed the garages for the estate. "But, all this plastic stuff... Who else knows about it?"

"No one."

"What, you're on your own?"

"Well, who else is there?" The Doctor asked. "I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

Rose took a breath before she spoke, taking the plastic arm off of him. "Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with the living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal; dead."

"So that's radio control?"

"Thought control. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. So, who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story."

"But what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about?" Rose giggled despite her question. "Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?"

The Doctor chuckled as well. "No."

"No."

"It's not a price war." The Doctor then turned serious. "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?"

Rose looked at him. "No."

"But you're still listening."

"Really, though, Doctor." Rose stopped walking. "Tell me, who are you?"

Ember stopped, making the Doctor do the same as he hadn't let go of her hand. When he looked at her, she nodded her head towards the blonde. He rolled his eyes but spoke. "Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still." He moved closer to Rose, taking her hand. "I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it."

Ember closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling the earth shifting beneath her feet, turning just like he said.

"We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go..." as if to demonstrate, the Doctor dropped her hand. "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler." He then took the plastic arm and waved it at her. "Go home."

With that, he walked away, taking Ember with him as he headed for the Tardis that was just on the other side of the street now. He let Ember in first and went right to the console to leave and begin attaching the arm to wires.

"She won't forget, you know," Ember said after a few minutes. "She'll try, but it'll come back to her."

"How so?" The Doctor asked, not looking up from his work.

"Why did the arm go after her?"

"Because she... met me..." The Doctor looked up at that, meeting the brunette's gaze. "It's going to go after her again, isn't it?"

Ember nodded. "But they'll have figured out by now that an arm won't be enough. They need to step it up."

"Then we need to track it. Any hints where they're going to be?"

"Pizza restaurant. Tonight."

The Doctor frowned as he read the results from the scan on the screen. "Can't track it back through the arm. It's too simple."

Ember smirked. "You need something better. Like a head."

"Another hint?"

"Yep."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, moving to unplug the arm and toss it aside. "You could have told me that earlier, you know."

"But then we wouldn't have run into Rose again."

"And what's so special about her?"

"Spoilers."

Once they'd found a signal they could track, the Tardis landed in a back alley behind a restaurant at night. Ember was quick to lead the Doctor to the back door to a corridor, which led to the kitchen - flashing the psychic paper at the staff to avoid questions - which then led to the public area of the restaurant. People were minding their own business, eating and chatting, which included a familiar blonde sat at a table with a dark-skinned man... who looked a little too shiny.

Ember pointed them out to the Doctor, who in turn put a finger to his lips before he grabbed a champagne bottle from a bucket of ice. He then approached the couple, now able to hear them talking.

"I'm not going on about it, Mickey." Rose was saying, oblivious to the fact that the thing sitting in front of her was not her boyfriend. "Really, I'm not, because, I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous."

"But you can trust me, sweetheart-Babe-sugar-babe-sugar." 'Mickey' said, twitching weirdly as he spoke. "You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart-babe-babe-sugar-sweetheart."

Rose blinked at the twitching and sudden changes in pitch. "What're you doing that for?"

The Doctor reached their table and held out the bottle. "Your champagne."

"We didn't order any champagne." 'Mickey' said without looking up, his hand tightening over Rose's on the table. "Where's the Doctor?"

The Doctor went round the table to stand beside Rose. "Madam, your champagne."

"It's not ours." Rose told him distractedly. "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to find out how much he knows, so where is he?"

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" The Doctor asked.

"Look, we didn't order it-" 'Mickey' finally looked up and saw who it was. "Ah. Gotcha."

Rose looked up at the Doctor as he began to shake the bottle. "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!"

He pulled the cap off, sending the cork flying at 'Mickey's' head. Instead of bouncing off a normal forehead, it sunk into it, his face morphing around it until he spat it out of his mouth. "Anyway..."

The plastic imposter stood up and held out his hand, which morphed into a flat chopper, which he then slammed onto the table to make it collapse as Rose jumped back with a cry. Other customers screamed as the Doctor lunged forward, grabbing 'Mickey' in a headlock. He tugged once, twice and then a third time before the head came off with a pop!

Then 'Mickey' opened his eyes and glared at the Doctor. "Don't think that's going to stop me."

The now headless body stood up and flailed around blindly, making more people scream. Ember, who was next to Rose, used her elbow to set off a fire alarm next to them.

Rose caught on as the alarm blared. "Everyone out! Out now! Get out! Get out! Get out!"

Ember grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen, the Doctor following with 'Mickey's' head as the body stumbled after them. They ran through the kitchen and down the corridor to the back door, where the Doctor closed and locked the door with his Sonic. Less than a moment later, there was thudding from the other side, and dents were already forming in door.

Rose ran right past the Tardis in favour of the gate, but it was locked. "Open the gate! Use that tube thing. Come on!"

The Doctor calmly walked towards the Tardis. "Sonic screwdriver."

"Use it!"

"Nah. Tell you what, let's go in here." He smiled at Ember as she opened the door for him, and then he went straight to the console to plug the head in.

Ember watched with amusement as Rose ran into the Tardis, stared for a whole second, and then ran out again. Then she came back in about twenty seconds later. "It's going to follow us!"

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried." The Doctor said, working away at the console to follow the signal to the plastic head. "Now, shut up a minute. You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source." He finally turned to face the shocked blonde. "Right. Where do you want to start?"

"Uh... the inside's bigger than the outside?" Rose said, somewhat lamely.

"Yes."

"It's alien."

"Yeah."

"...Are you alien?"

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "Is that all right?"

"...Yeah."

Ember held up her hand from where she was leaning against the console. "I am too, by the way, but I'm a bit more complicated."

"It's called the Tardis, this thing." The Doctor nodded to the interior. "T A R D I S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space." He watched as Rose suddenly burst into tears, Ember going to her side to lend a shoulder to lean on. "That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us."

"Did they kill him? Mickey?" Rose asked. "Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh. I didn't think of that."

"He's my boyfriend! You pulled off his head! They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" The Doctor looked bad at the console, to find the plastic head was indeed melting. He ran to it to try to stop it or track the signal before it was too late. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

Rose would have fallen over at the sudden lurch if it weren't for Ember grabbing the railing to keep them upright. "What're you doing?"

"Following the signal! It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there!"

Ember pulled Rose to the railing so that they could both hold on. "It's always a bumpy ride. And don't worry about Mickey: he's alive!"

The Doctor was almost frantic. "Almost there! Here we go!"

The Tardis landed with a thud, and the Doctor ran to the doors. Ember quickly followed.

"You can't go out there! It's not safe!" Rise called as she ran out after them, only to pause as she realised that they were no longer in an alley, but on Westminster Bridge, near the north bank of the River Thames.

"I lost the signal, I got so close." The Doctor was muttering.

"We've moved... Does it fly?"

"Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand."

"If we're... somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose!"

"It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?"

"I'll have to tell his mother." Rose felt her temper flare at the puzzled look on the Doctor's face. "Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right, you are alien."

The Doctor bristled. "Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey-"

"Yeah, he's not a kid."

"-It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?"

"All right!"

"Yes, it is!"

Ember moved to stand between them. "Settle down! Rose, Mickey is fine. He's not dead."

"How do you know?" Rose asked.

"Let's say I have a thing for knowing what's going to happen."

"... you mean you know the future?"

Ember tilted her head. "And I've been there."

"If you knew this was going to happen, why didn't you warn me at the flat? Or at the shop?"

"Because things had to go the way they did. Just because I know bits of the future doesn't mean I can change it."

The Doctor stepped forward. "Foreknowledge is dangerous. In the wrong hands, it can lead to disaster."

"But I can give hints to help." Ember added.

Rose didn't look convinced. "Prove it."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Alright. I know what happened between us crashing your flat and then your date at the restaurant: You looked online about the Doctor and found a man named Clive, who showed you what he collected about the Doctor. Meanwhile, Mickey was kidnapped and replaced by the plastic dummy. When Clive told you his theory about aliens, you left and decided to get pizza."

"And the future?"

"Here's a hint: under 7's gymnastics will be more useful than you expected. As for right now, there's a question in your head that you want to ask the Doctor."

"What question?" The Doctor asked.

Rose looked at him for a long moment. "If you are an alien, how comes you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a north."

"What's a police public call box?"

"It's a telephone box from the 1950s. It's a disguise."

Rose took a breath. "Okay. And this, this living plastic. What's it got against us?"

"Nothing. It loves you." The Doctor shrugged. "You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!"

"Which would probably be good for the planet if they didn't want to wipe out the human race first," Ember said.

"Any way of stopping it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor held up a small tube with dark blue liquid inside. "Anti-plastic."

"Anti-plastic?"

"Kinda like antifreeze," Ember piped in again.

"But first we've got to find it." The Doctor took a few steps away, looking around. "How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

Rose blinked. "Hold on. Hide what?"

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."

Ember moved to Rose's side, looking past the Doctor. "One massive wheel in London. Wonder where we'd find one of those?"

Rose had spotted it as well: the London Eye, standing tall and proud on the south bank of the river.

"What?" The Doctor asked, looking behind him but missing the obvious. "What?"

Rose and Ember pointed as the brunette spoke. "As an old friend is going to say: penny in the air."

The Doctor looked again, but still missed it. "What? What is it? What?"

"Oh, for the love of..." Ember moved to his side and turned him around, pointing to the famous landmark. "Really big wheel, by any chance?"

Now the Doctor saw it. "Oh. Fantastic!"

"And the penny drops," Ember laughed.

"Oh, hush, you!" The Doctor took her and Rose by the hand and ran, crossing the Westminster Bridge to reach the other side of the river. "Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables-"

"The breast implants." Rose joked.

"I can see the headlines of gossip magazines now," Ember said. "'My boob job almost killed me!'"

The Doctor gave a small laugh at that. "Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

Ember walked over to a parapet and looked over, seeing a large manhole hatch at the bottom of the steps. "Best way to hide? In plain sight."

The Doctor and Rose followed her down the steps to the manhole, which the Doctor opened. Instantly, they were bathed in red light, but they ignored it as they climbed a short ladder down. The area at the bottom had brick walls and chains hanging here and there, and there was a door to the far end. The Doctor led the way as they went through the door and down another set of steps before they reached a large chamber with multiple level, chains and machinery. Far below was what looked like a massive vat of molten lava that churned and gurgled.

"The Nestene Consciousness." The Doctor said, keeping his voice low. "That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

"Well, then, tip in your anti-plastic and let's go!" Rose said.

Ember shook her head. "Then we wouldn't be any better than them."

"I'm not here to kill it." The Doctor agreed. "I've got to give it a chance." He moved to another set of steps that led down to a catwalk overlooking the vat and spoke clearly. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

The molten goo flexed, making a gurgling sound.

"Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?"

"Is he really talking to living plastic?" Rose asked Ember.

The brunette nodded. "He speaks thousands of languages. Apparently one of them is plastic." She caught movement on one of the lower levels. "Oh, and look who else is here."

Rose followed her gaze, only to gasp when she recognised the person huddled against the wall. Oh, God!" She ran over to her boyfriend. "Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's all right..."

"That thing down there, the liquid." Mickey stammered, terrified. "Rose, it can talk!"

"You're stinking. Doctor, they kept him alive, just like Ember said!"

The Doctor gave a half shrug as he walked to their level and then to the next set of steps. Ember followed, choosing to stay by the humans. "Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

"You knew that and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" He moved down to next level, closer to the edge of the vat. "Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"

The molten plastic shifted, forming what might be eyes and a mouth as it gurgled.

The Doctor shook his head. "Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." Another gurgle tried to cut him off. "I am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."

Rose saw them before he did; two shop dummies coming up behind the Time Lord. "Doctor!"

It was too late, though. The dummies restrained the Doctor, one of them holding him from behind while the other reached into his pocket and pulled out the tube of blue liquid. The Nestene Consciousness made a sound that resembled a growl.

"That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it!" The Doctor said. "I was not attacking you! I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy, I swear, I'm not!" Another gurgling growl. "What do you mean?" A door far above them opened, revealing the Tardis. "No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship... That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

"What's it doing?!" Rose asked as the place began to shake.

"It's the Tardis! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!"

Ember moved to do something, but her head suddenly throbbed, making her hold it as a vision came...

Rose swung across the room using the chain she'd cut loose, and kicked the nearest dummy into the vat. But there wasn't enough momentum for her to swing back, leaving her trapped, hanging above the angry Nestene Consciousness...

Ember was brought out of the vision not only by the violent shaking of the room, but of the menacing voice that filled the air.

"Time Lord!"

The brunette looked up at where the humans were huddled against the Tardis, just in time to see Rose stand and go to the wall where a chain was being held back by a rope.

"Just leave him!" Mickey was yelling to her. "There's nothing you can do!"

"I've got no A Levels, no job, no future." Rose said, picking up a nearby fire axe. "But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I've got the bronze!"

With an effort, she cut the rope holding the chain and grabbed it, doing a run up so she could swing out over the side of the catwalk. Her momentum allowed her to kick the dummies into the vat below, which included the vial of antiplastic that one of them was holding. The Nestene Consciousness screamed in pain as it began to turn blue.

But then Rose slowed to a stop, too far away to jump and not enough momentum to move. She was hanging right above the screaming Nestene with nowhere to go.

"No!" Ember cried, putting her hand out in a vain attempt to save her friend.

Only it wasn't in vain. Something clicked in her mind. And out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind pushed Rose to swing back the way she'd come so that the Doctor could grab her and pull her to the safety of the catwalk.

"Now we're in trouble." He said, taking Rose's hand as he ran up the steps towards the Tardis.

Ember stumbled, feeling her head hurt from her latest discovery. She then jumped when the Doctor was suddenly at her side and helping her up. Together, they ran to the Tardis, where Rose and Mickey were waiting, and quickly got in the blue box. The brunette ignored the humans as she moved to sit on the jumpseat and rub her temple while the Doctor got them safely away.

When the Tardis stopped shaking, the Doctor had barely got out the words "We're safe now" before Mickey was bolting out of the doors. Rose followed at a more sedate pace, getting her phone out to check on her mother, while the Doctor and Ember waited at the doors, the former in the doorway itself and the latter leaning against the corner.

Rose hung up her phone and moved over to where Mickey was hiding behind a pallet. "A fat lot of good you were."

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy." The Doctor snapped his fingers.

Now Rose turned to look at the Time Lords as Mickey whimpered. "You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."

"Well, Ember was there too. But... Yes, I would. Thank you. Right then, we'll be off..." the Doctor hesitated when Ember gently elbowed him in the side. "Unless, uh... I don't know... you could come with us. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."

"Don't!" Mickey yelped. "They're alien. He's a thing!"

"And you are rude," Ember said, her temper flaring just a bit from the jibe. "To us, you're the aliens but we're not calling you a thing, are we?"

"He's not invited." The Doctor added, meeting Rose's gaze again. "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go... anywhere."

"...Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked.

"Yeah."

"But that's just the bits in between," Ember piped in. "And it's worth it to see all that's out there, trust me."

Rose smiled, but shook her head as Mickey clutched her around the waist in fright. "Yeah, I can't. I've... got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump," she pat Mickey on the shoulder, "so..."

The Doctor nodded. "Okay. See you around." He stepped into the Tardis, waiting for Ember to follow and close the door before he set them off. "I thought she was going to say yes."

"And she will." Ember replied with a smirk. "Didn't you forget something?"

"Like what?"

"What does Tardis stand for, and what did you tell Rose it could do?"

The Doctor paused, thinking it over, and then he groaned and slapped his forehead. "Time, of course!"

Ember laughed, only for it to get cut off by a burning sensation. "Uh-oh. Looks like I'm off again. Start her off gently, okay?"

The Doctor nodded just before she vanished. He then landed the Tardis and ran back to the door, opening it and sticking his head out to look at Rose.

"By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?"

And there we have it! Rose's first meeting with the Doctor and Ember, and Ember seems to now be able to use the wind element... or can she? Find out soon! Hope you enjoyed it!

Just to add while I'm here, that since this whole thing is going to be about 4 'seasons' long, I've been trying to keep an even ratio of each version of the Doctor. But as you well know, the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccelston) only had the one season. Therefore, I've had the split up those episodes into about three per season. But here's a tiny spoiler for you - those adventures won't be the only time's we'll see him.

Now, some of you are also probably wondering just how far into the Doctor's future Ember goes. You might have an idea by now, but there is a reason that it stops where it does. I can't tell you much more about it without spoiling it. As for after... well, I might continue it as a new saga to continue through. It's been tempting since I decided to catch up with the latest episodes. What do you think?

Next Time: Ember faces robots that don't know any better, but does she have a reason to be jealous of someone who might have eyes for the Doctor? Stay tuned!