Chapter 42: When You've Got Trouble
A/N- Hey all! Just wanted to say that this story hit 100 followers! I wanted to thank everyone for following along and giving my story a chance. It means so much to me. I never thought I'd get to 100 to be honest. I'm hoping after this chapter this story also gets 100 reviews. So again, thank you everyone for following, favouriting, and reviewing this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, it belongs to BBC
Can't Cheat Death- The Ballroom Thieves
Hands to your hymnals
Hell's at the door
It bellows and it growls and it roars
I was snared by a sickness
Some fever in my lungs
Hold my language like an armor
And thin brand on my tongue
Kit was thrown to the ground violently thanks to the forceful shaking of the Tardis, or maybe it was the ground outside the Tardis that was shaking. Kit wasn't sure. All she knew was something was very wrong.
Right after the green light turned red, the Tardis was thrown into chaos. The board that they took from Margaret and attached to the Tardis, suddenly sparked and started to smoke. The next thing Kit knew the Tardis started to shake. It was now making a weird sound, sort of like the one it makes when traveling but it sounded off and broken.
Kit picked herself off the ground as best as she could. She looked around for Jack and when she spotted him, he was frantically working on the board. His face was a mix between panicked and troubled. She went over at the console and desperately looked it over, hoping to do something to help. Just when she was going to fiddle with it, the Tardis spark and Kit jumped back covering her face. The lights in the Tardis suddenly started to flicker on and off. The whole thing reminded her of her time with the Judoon, when the Tardis was out of control.
"Jack! What the hell's happening?!" She yelled over the wheezing of the Tardis.
"I'm not entirely sure," he replied, shaking his head. "The only thing I can tell you for sure is that this board," he explained. "It's doing something to the Tardis."
Margaret, Kit thought as icy fear started creeping up on her. Margaret has to be responsible.
Just as she had that thought, the Doctor burst through the door with Margaret. The Doctor looked around in shock and then back at then with his eyes wide.
Kit looked over at Margaret. There was a level of shock on her face but that was it. While the rest of them were fearful and frantic, she was just shocked. No, shock wasn't even the best word to describe it. It was more like awe and that bothered Kit greatly.
"What the hell are you two doing?" The Doctor yelled, pulling Kit away from her thoughts about Margaret. The Doctor's eyes darting between herself and Jack accusingly.
"This isn't our fault!" Kit retorted. "I swear, this thing started going crazy on its own!"
The Doctor ran up to the console, looking it over with the same panic in his eyes that Kit had. "It's the rift. Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's going to disappear!"
Kit's eyes widened and her thoughts raced. Do something! Her mind screamed at her. Don't be as useless as last time! But she was paralyzed on the spot. She didn't know what to do. Everything was in chaos and she was having trouble thinking over the noise and flashing lights.
The console suddenly sparked again. These sparked though were a lot bigger and they hit Kit's arm as she raised it up to cover her face. It burned slightly and she cursed under her breath.
She felt the Doctor pull her back. "Kit, I need you to stay away from the console. It's too unstable. I have no idea what it's going to do next."
She wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him that she could help. She wasn't useless and she could do something. Anything! To the Doctor, she was a twelve-year-old girl he had to keep safe but she didn't want to be kept safe. She wanted to help. She could help!
"Kit!" The Doctor snapped at her. The look in the Doctor's eyes told her that he knew she wanted to argue.
Reluctantly she nodded and descended the stair, standing near the door. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew this was not the time nor was this the place to argue.
"It's the extrapolator," Jack yelled over the chaos as he tried to explain. "I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine! It's using the Tardis. I can't stop it!"
Kit looked over to Margaret to see her reaction. She was in a state of calm now; way too calm for what was happening right now. In fact, Kit could swear she saw a hidden smile on those lips. She narrowed her eyes on Margaret. This had to be her.
Suddenly Rose burst through the door. She seemed out of breath and in complete shock and in a state of fear like the rest of them. A much more appropriate reaction than Margaret.
"What is it? What's happening?!" Rose looked to Kit then to Jack and the Doctor.
"Just a shot in the dark but I think she did something," Kit bit out, pointing at Margaret. Long gone were her feelings of sympathy for the creature. She felt anger again. It wasn't as harsh as before, she knew it was about survival for Margaret at this point, but she wasn't going to play nice now that she was trying to doom them all.
Margaret grinned wickedly. "Right you are, little pup."
Before Kit could even react, Margaret took the human skin of her arm off to reveal her giant green Slitheen arm. In a blink of an eye, Margaret grabbed Kit by her throat and lifted her slightly off the ground. Kit felt her windpipe close as Margaret started to choke her. Kit's eyes widened in fear. Okay, maybe now she needed the Doctor to protect her.
"Kittredge!" Rose screamed as she tried to help her. Jack and the Doctor also both rushed towards her.
Margaret pulled Kit back before any of them could do anything. "One wrong move and she snaps like a promise." She tightened her grip on Kit's throat and she started gasping for a breath.
The Doctor gave her a panicked look for a brief second before turning his eyes to Margaret. As they landed on her, his eyes suddenly went cold. "I might've known."
Margaret started to make her way towards the Doctor and Jack, dragging Kit with her. Kit was trying to keep her mind calm but as less air was getting in her lungs, the less logical her brain became. She needed to think of something. She needed to get out of Margaret's grip, so the Doctor didn't have to do what she said. Unfortunately, nothing was coming. Just a scream of panic in her head.
She was suddenly hit with déjà vu. Once again this reminded her of when she was with the Judoon. It was the same panic she felt when they dragged her to her cell, ready to execute her. She looked at the Doctor ice-cold eyes. Last time she didn't have the Doctor but this time she did. Maybe the outcome would be different.
"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it," she snapped. Her eyes darted to Jack. "You, flyboy, put the extrapolator at my feet."
Jack's face was clearly conflicted. He looked from Kit to Margaret. She must have seen this conflict as she tightened her grip on Kit's throat even more until Kit couldn't breathe at all. She tried to claw at Margaret's hand. She needed air. She couldn't die. She gasped like a fish out of water. She could see the absolute distress in Jack's eyes as he looked over to the Doctor for guidance. The cold eyes that the Doctor wore before were slowly fading back into terror. She could tell that he was trying his best to hide it but as Kit continued to gasp for air, his disguise was disappearing.
The Doctor nodded and Jack jumped towards the extrapolator. Once Margaret saw that they were doing what they were told, she loosened her grip on Kit's throat. She gulped down the small amount of air she was allowed. Jack pulled all the wires from the board and brought it to Margaret's feet.
She smiled far too sickly sweet. "Thank you. Just as I planned." Jack glared at her like he was ready to move into action but then looked at Kit and his eyes softened. His jaw tightened and he slowly moved back towards the Doctor.
Kit scowled at Margaret. "Fuck you," she managed to croak out. She wasn't docile and she wasn't going down as such.
Margaret glared at her and tightened her hold on her throat. "I would be more respectful if I were you. I do have your life in my hands after all." She tightened Kit's throat even more until Kit felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head.
"Wait!" Rose spoke up. "I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station." It was clear to Kit that Rose was trying to take Margaret's attention away from Kit.
It worked, thankfully, as her grip loosened once again. "Failing that, if I were to be arrested, then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. So the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan B. To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift. And what a power source it found."
Margaret squeezed on her throat so hard this time, that the pain of her windpipe being crushed, and the lack of air was making her ready to faint. She could see Jack using all his willpower not to jump in and help.
"I'm back on schedule, thanks to you," Margaret finished with a wicked smile.
Jack's jaw tightened. "The rift's going to convulse. You'll destroy the whole planet."
"And you with it!" She laughed. Once again Margaret loosened her grip on her throat. Margaret then forcefully dragged Kit to the side and stepped on the extrapolator. "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back, boys. Surf's up," she hissed.
The lights on the console started blinking rapidly and Kit braced herself for the worst, thinking it was going to explode or something. Instead of fire and explosions like she thought would happen, part of the console opened to reveal a bright white light.
Kit was taken aback. She had never seen the console do this… whatever this was. Was this part of Margaret's plan?
Part of her really wanted to look at it. There was something beautiful about the light that she couldn't explain. There was a whisper of a voice in her head though and it said don't look! Close your eyes, child. She didn't know why but she listened to it and shut her eyes tight.
"Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart," she heard the Doctor say.
"So sue me," Margaret sneered.
"It's not just any old power source. It's the Tardis. My Tardis. The best ship in the universe."
"It'll make wonderful scrap."
"What's that light?" Rose asked what everyone was thinking.
"The heart of the Tardis. This ship's alive. You've opened its soul," the Doctor explained.
Kit was dumbfounded. She had never seen this before, and the Doctor had never once mentioned it. She knew the Tardis was alive so it made sense that it would have a heart. Still, she didn't understand why the Doctor never said anything about it. What was it really? She wondered if it was dangerous and that was why the Doctor never said anything to her. Although really, she shouldn't be that surprised. The Doctor did love to keep his secrets.
She heard nothing from Margaret for a while and Kit was curious as to why. She opened one eye to see Margaret staring at the white light dreamily. "It's so bright," she said but she sounded a million miles away.
"Look at it, Margaret," the Doctor coaxed like a snake charmer to a snake.
"Beautiful."
"Look inside, Blon Fel Fotch. Look at the light."
She was so captivated by the light that she slowly relaxed her grip on Kit's neck. She relaxed it so much so that Kit was able to get free. Kit took a giant breath in. Having little air for so long made her woozy and she almost fell to the ground. She felt two arms help her up and she looked to see Rose. Rose gave her a look that asked if she was alright, and Kit nodded. Thankfully, other than being lightheaded and her neck hurting, she was completely alive.
Rose helped her move out of the way and towards Jack. Jack took her right away, helping her stand, and wrapped his arms protectively around her.
Kit looked back at Margaret, who was still staring at the bright light in awe. She then did something that completely surprised Kit, she looked up at the Doctor… and smiled.
"Thank you," she said in the most sincere and true voice Kit had ever heard from the alien. Suddenly, the light got even brighter. Kit shut her eyes. What the hell was happening now? She wondered. What other tricks did this Tardis possibly have that she didn't know of? She wondered if what was happening was a good thing? And a better question, she thought as the light got brighter. What was going to happen to Blon Fel Fotch?
Kit finally got her answer when the light started to dim, and she was able to open her eyes. She expected a lot of things when her eyes opened but Blon Fel Fotch not being anywhere to be seen was not one of them. All that was left of her was her human skin suit.
Kit's mouth hung open. She didn't know what the hell just happened. Where did Margaret go? What did the heart of the Tardis do to her? Why did she say thank you? All those questions ran through her head but unfortunately, the Doctor didn't let her think about them for too long.
"Don't look. Stay there. Close your eyes!" The Doctor ordered. Part of her really wanted to look but another part knew it was a bad idea. The Doctor ran to the console and started pressing buttons until the part of the console that was opened closed. "Now, Jack, come on, shut it all down. Shut down! Rose, that panel over there, turn all the switches to the right. Kit, on the same panel press that big green button to Roses left."
They all did as they were told. Kit ran to where he said and pressed the green button. The Tardis sparked a couple more times until it started to settle down and the ground stopped shaking. The lights in the Tardis turned back on and the console became its usual colours. Kit breathed a sigh of relief and the others did the same.
The Doctor closed his eyes for a minute and then looked around at everyone. "Everyone okay? Kittredge, are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm good," she said although her voice came out weak and very hoarse. "Throat hurts a little but I'm alive."
The Doctor nodded and then slowly made his way over to where Margaret's skin still lay. He looked down at it then back up at them. "Nicely done. Thank you, all."
Rose looked at the skin cautiously. "What happened to Margaret?"
Jack shrugged. "Must've got burnt up. Carried out her own death sentence."
The Doctor shook his head. "No, I don't think she's dead."
Kit gave him a curious look. "What do you mean? Do you think she teleported somewhere?"
The Doctor shook his head again. "No, I don't think that's it either. She looked into the heart of the Tardis. Even I don't know how strong that is. And the ship's telepathic, like I told you, Rose. Gets inside your head. Translates alien languages. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts."
Kit was intrigued. She was also surprised that the Doctor himself didn't know. Or was that why her Doctor never said anything? Because he wasn't even sure what could happen? "So, what happened to her?" Her curiosity getting the better of her.
The Doctor knelt down to the human skin and dug around in it for a moment. He then pulled out a strange-looking egg. "Here she is."
Kit opened her mouth then closed it not understanding. "So… she turned into an egg?"
"Regressed to her childhood," the Doctor explained.
"She's an egg?" Rose exclaimed, just as confused as she was feeling.
"Yep."
"An egg?" Jack emphasized.
"She can start again. Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell them to bring her up properly, she might be all right!"
"Or she might be worse," Jack pointed out.
The Doctor shrugged. "That's her choice."
"She's an egg," Rose stated, still in disbelief.
"She's an egg," the Doctor retorted smiling.
Kit shook her head. "So weird."
Before anyone could say another word, Rose jumped up and gasped, "Oh, my God. Mickey." She then ran down the stairs and out the door.
They all looked at each other in confusion. "Does anyone know what that's about?" Kit questioned staring at the door.
Jack shrugged. "Not a damn clue."
The Doctor stood up with the egg. "Probably some romantic goodbye she wants to give him," he grumbled placing the egg onto the console.
Jack rolled his eyes and mouthed, jealous to her. Kit bit her lip trying not to laugh.
"Kit," the Doctor called getting her attention. "Come here. Let me see your neck."
"It's fine," but her voice was still very harsh and hoarse.
Jack shook his head. "Sounds fine," he said sarcastically. "Don't forget, you got choked out by a slitheen."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."
She walked over to the Doctor. He took her chin and lifted it, getting a better look at her throat. He touched it slightly and Kit winced in pain. He moved his fingers near her windpipe and pressed down a little harder. She sucked in a sharp breath, trying not to look like it hurt too much even if it really did.
The Doctor frowned. "It's a bit swollen and you're going to have some bruising on your throat but no serious damage."
"Good," Jack jumped in. "You had us scared back there."
"You were scared? Try being in that thing's grip. I seriously thought I was going to die," Kit complained rubbing her neck.
"But we're glad you didn't," Jack smiled coming up to her and kissing the top of her head. "If you did, then who would I make fun of for being short?"
Kit pulled back from him and punched his arm. "Don't be rude." Jack just rubbed his arm and laughed. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the Doctor. "So, what do we do with the egg now?"
"I told you, we're bringing her to a new family that'll raise her right."
She frowned. "And that's it?"
He shrugged. "What else is there?"
Yes, she thought. What else is there? What am I waiting for? She gulped when she realized. She was waiting for this to still end badly. The whole thing—this whole event that transpired—reminded her of her experience with the Judoon and just like that, she was waiting for it to go wrong. But it didn't, she pondered. Because of the Doctor. Yes, the Doctor fixed it. Did the right thing. Knew what the right thing was. Not like her.
She wished she could do it all again. Wished she could take back her mistakes and save the day as the Doctor does. Wished she was better.
She had told Jack that she could take care of herself but look what happened. She got choked out by a slitheen and the Doctor had to save her. What about with the Judoon? She was alone and she destroyed everything. She couldn't manage a single thing. She was useless… no worse than useless, she was hopeless.
She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. Fortunately, before the tears fell from her eyes and before the Doctor or Jack could notice her upset face, Rose entered the Tardis.
Rose wore a disheartened face. Kit could see fresh tears on her cheeks. She looked like she was trying her best not to sob. Kit guessed she wasn't the only one having a hard time. She wondered what happened between Rose and Mickey.
"We're all powered up. We can leave. Opening the rift filled us up with energy. We can go, if that's all right," the Doctor told them.
"Yeah, fine," Rose said weakly, and Kit just barely managed a nod.
There was silence for a moment and then the Doctor asked, "How's Mickey?" Kit could tell that he was trying not to sound jealous.
"He's okay. He's gone."
"Do you want to go and find him? We'll wait," the Doctor said and then glanced at Jack then at her. It was clear that he was asking them what was wrong with Rose. Kit just shrugged. She had no idea what went down between Rose and Mickey.
Rose couldn't meet their eyes and seemed to stare distantly. "No need. He deserves better."
Kit frowned and was about to ask her what she meant, when the Doctor simply said, "Off we go, then. Always moving on."
Kit winced at that. 'Always moving on.' That's what they did. That's what she did. Just kept moving on. Just kept running away. But you can't always move on. Kit knew that.
"Next stop, Raxacoricofallapatorius. Now you don't often get to say that," Jack joked.
"We'll just stop by and pop her in the hatchery. Margaret the Slitheen can live her life again. A second chance," the Doctor told them.
"That'd be nice," Rose muttered, her voice sounding distant.
Kit had to agree. "Yeah, that would be nice."