Series 1: Episode 10: The Doctor Dances Part 2:
10 minutes earlier:
"Rose? Doctor? Where am I?" Valarie asked, looking around as she found herself in the bed of the same ship she had fallen into. Literally. "Jack?" She called out warningly. She found nothing but a red flashing light. "Red flashing light. Means something bad." Valarie squirmed before racing to the controls. "Oh I've wanted to do this for ages!" She giggled excitedly, getting to work. She found the source of the problem, the bombs were getting too close and the ship's defence systems didn't like it. "Ok, if I just reprogram the protocols, find the correct key, stop the anti-grav circuits from starting and then I can replace it once we're all on board." She smiled, tapping the last key on the remote triumphantly.
"Well that's impressive." Jack commended from behind her. She jumped, turning around.
"You scared me." She stated grumpily, turning back around.
"Sorry." He apologised in his American accent making Valarie smile as he sounded quite normal. Well, instead of an alien from the future.
"Why did I get teleported back first? You're the primary Captain aren't you? She asked, turning back around as she closed down the computer, her work done.
"The nanogenes liked you." He explained and Valarie deadpanned, looking at his with her disbelieving look. "Why can't you take that as an explanation?" He asked and Valarie's expression turned sour as she pursed her lips at him. "Do you want a kiss or something?" He asked teasing her and Valarie turned around to hide the blush that was taking over her face. "Fine," He conceded, taking her turning away as a sign she was annoyed.
"The nanogenes saw you are hurting the most and you were instantly taken in as the main Captain, the one to call first. They think that whoever gets hurt the worst in the ship has spent the most time there and is the new Captain. They still keep the others but you are the primary Captain now." He explained, making Valarie turn back around with the mention of Captain. She smiled. "Congrats." He spoke, void of any compassion.
"This is my ship now. Will the AI recognise me as Captain?" She asked excitedly.
"Try it." He told her and she looked around, fingering the controls as lovingly as she had seen the Doctor with the TARDIS. Valarie had always understood the connection but knew the TARDIS and the Doctor's was something special, something bonded over years but Valarie felt that almost immediately with her new ship.
"Hello?" She asked, waiting for a response that came almost immediately.
"Hello primary Captain. What is your name?" A smooth female voice asked and Valarie giggled in her seat, swivelling around to face Captain Jack.
"Laser Beam. I am Captain Laser Beam." She smiled at Jack who laughed at her choice.
"Hello Captain Laser Beam." The voice greeted. "Call me Computer. What can I do for you?"
"Could you confirm the changing of protocol 567, Computer?" Valarie asked.
"Yes, your work on the protocol 567 is complete and understood." She replied.
"Thank you, that is all for now." She smiled graciously and turned back around to her controls.
"Of course Captain Laser Beam." She seemed to walk away as the ship became quiet again.
"Oh my God! I've got a ship! My own ship!" Valarie squealed, ducking under the chair and unscrewing the panels to see the wires.
"You alright there Captain Laser Beam?" He asked and Valarie ducked back out.
"Yes Captain Con Man!" She smiled before fiddling again. "Wait! We need to get the Doctor and Rose!" She shouted, coming back up. "Did you use your teleporter?" She asked, getting to work.
"Yes…" Jack answered carefully.
"Well, we need to reroute it to their DNA which is hard because they are different species." She considered, tilting her head. "Wait, body heat. Focus on that single room, teleport anything with body heat in to the ship." She spoke, tapping on the controls and talking to the lady at the same time. "They need to be standing somewhat close together to get a clean transport." She thought to herself. "I need to go down there, they are too far apart. You could use Om-Com but that might not work. I'll go down there, she can use backup energy for me and use the bulk of it on the Doctor and Rose." She programmed, getting up and ready to teleport before she realised she still had bare arms and Rose might try and hug her.
"Well, you seem to have everything under control. I'll just Om-Com them for you shall I?" Jack teased.
"Do you have any clothes?" She asked, talking to Jack who had sat in the chair, re-screwing the panels in.
"Why, do you want to take those off?" He asked, flirting again and Valarie sighed.
"No, I don't want anyone to get infected remember?" She asked and as if on cue she groaned, holding her ribs. Jack moved towards her and she put a hand up stumbling backwards. "Stop!" she shouted, still groaning. She breathed heavily, coughing taking over. Jack flipped the switch and the nanogenes appeared, circling around her before stopping and dispersing.
"What? What's wrong with them?" Jack asked, getting desperate and she coughed and coughed, trying to breathe heavily to make up for it.
"The nanogenes can detect nothing wrong Captain Jack." The Computer replied and Jack got angry.
"There's obviously something wrong, check again!" He shouted and the nanogenes appeared, highlighting her pale complexion as she sank to the ground, resting wearily.
"The nanogenes can detect nothing wrong Captain Jack." The lady replied again as Jack hit the side of the hull, angrier.
"Jack, JACK!" She shouted, getting his attention. "It's the gas mask thing. It's working, changing my DNA. I'll be changing soon. Give me a coat or something, I have to get them first and then drop me off somewhere far away." She ordered as Jack hastily took off his coat and draped it over her with his gloves still on, making sure he didn't get infected before stopping as he processed her words.
"What? I'm not going to leave you!" He shouted, kneeling down beside her.
"Yes you are. You have to!" She shouted back, grabbing his arm, fully clothed.
"No! Look, this is my fault! Ok? It was my fault! I let the scarf trail, if I hadn't you wouldn't have gotten caught!" He shouted as Valarie closed her eyes wearily.
"Jack," She interrupted his rant. "This may have been your fault, but that does not make me your problem. I signed up for this when I went travelling with the Doctor and Rose. It was my decision and I refuse to let anyone else suffer because of it." She told him, defiantly standing up, coughing and bending over slightly, grabbing her stomach. She leant on the sides of the ship and looked up with a deep breath. "Now, take care of my ship Captain Con Man." She warned him jokingly as Jack reluctantly stepped back.
"Be back in 5 minutes." He told her and she smiled at him, pretending to roll her eyes before waving and then diverting her attention to the AI she was now Captain of.
"Hello Computer? Could you teleport me to the room I told you to track?" She asked and she was gone without a goodbye.
10 minutes later:
"Why did Valarie teleport back first?" Rose asked, leaning on the hull of the ship.
"The nanogenes he used to fix me up, they locked onto my DNA signature and the ship needed a pilot. It sensed incoming, probably the bombs and teleported me back. Jack came after he saw what had happened but I had already stabilised everything. I just had to leave him so he could work on getting you two back." Valarie explained.
"Nanogenes?" The Doctor questioned.
"Yeah, hanging from a barrage balloon thousands of feet above London and you think I wouldn't get at least one cut?" Valarie asked, showing him her hands.
"Your DNA as in human DNA? I forgot about that." The Doctor smiled.
"Wait, so if it locked onto human DNA why didn't it take me? I mean, I know every DNA is different but I'm human." Rose asked, finding the flaw in Valarie's lie.
"Because it's something to do with my blood type? I have weird blood." Valarie spoke, not being able to think of anything else. She had said she wouldn't tell Rose about what happened and she still wouldn't.
"What blood type are you?" Rose asked, making Valarie swallow as she looked at Jack for help.
"O Negative." He answered as Valarie nodded along.
"O Negative." She repeated, not knowing if it was true or not but just nodding along.
"This is a Chula ship." The Doctor spoke up, looking around.
"Yeah, just like that medical transporter." Jack replied and Valarie's blush turned to an accusing look as he ducked back down into the bowels of the ship. "Only this one is dangerous." He added and Valarie crossed her arms.
"Chula Warship?" She asked, tilting her head and Jack nodded. "Idiot." She murmured, using his coat to slap him around the head.
"Ow!" He shouted and Valarie stuck her tongue out at him. "Very mature." He commended, ducking back down. The Doctor snapped his fingers and the nanogenes circled his hands.
"There's millions of them in here." Valarie explained gesturing around. "The nanogenes." She spoke as the Doctor looked at her with his intense stare.
"Burned my hand on the console when we landed. All better now. They activate when the bulkhead's sealed, check you out for damage, and fix any physical flaws." He explained to the captivated Rose who was watching, in awe of them. The Doctor flicked his hand and they dispersed. "Take us the crash site." He ordered to Jack. "I need to see your space junk." He told him.
"Soon as I get the nav-com back online." Jack conditioned. "Make yourselves comfortable." He invited, nodding to the two of them suggestively. "Carry on with whatever it was you were… doing." He finished.
"We were talking about dancing." The Doctor spoke up.
"Didn't look like talking." Valarie cut in.
"Didn't feel like dancing." Rose finished. Valarie walked over to the chair which Jack was sitting in and moved around it, reaching a button on the ceiling which brought the computer online.
"Get out." She told Jack who looked at her offended. "Get out." She repeated. "I can get this thing online in 5 minutes flat. You want to make yourself useful, go and entertain the guests." She told him, nodding the silent Rose and Doctor. Jack dramatically groaned and got out. "Thank you. Much appreciated dear." She smiled as he walked away. He grinned, a bit chuffed with himself and Valarie laughed, sitting down.
"Hey, how's it going?" He flirted with Rose, leaning of the side of the hull looking at her as Valarie got to work on the nav-com.
"Fine." She smiled back, showing off her teeth in a beautiful smile. Valarie looked back and smiled, wondering if the Doctor would get jealous. "So you're trying to con the Time Agency?" She asked.
"And he used to be one of them!" Valarie called back from under the control panel, her voice muffled because of the wires in her mouth. She held the remote under her armpit as she tried to sync up the controls.
"If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money." Jack sighed, obviously tired of the disapproval. Valarie came up at his words, her arms supporting her as she hung from the grating.
"For what then?" She asked, startling him.
"I thought you were working?" He asked and Valarie shrugged, the moving of her arms meaning the remote fell. She let out a sound of surprise and dropped back in to pick it up before putting it on the grating on top to keep it safe.
"I'm doing both. Still 4 minutes to go." She smiled, bringing up a few wires and pulling herself up, sitting on the grating to listen to his story.
He sighed before sitting back down in the chair Valarie was leaning by on the floor. "Woke up one morning when I was still working for them, found they'd stolen 2 years of my memories. I'd like them back." He spoke bitterly, the revelation making Valarie drop the wires.
"Sorry." She apologised, scooping them up, although no one was really listening to her.
"They stole your memories?" Rose asked, entranced with his story.
"Two years of my life." He sighed, leaning back. "No idea what I did." He emphasised. "Your friend over there doesn't trust me and for all I know, he's right not to." He swallowed, looking around.
"Ok, we're good to go!" Valarie jumped up, breaking the silence when she heard the beeping of the nav-com. Jack swivelled round and she replaced the panel, getting up next to him. "Jack, you alright?" She asked, placing a tentative coated hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, good enough I guess." He mused, setting the controls. Valarie smiled slightly at him, trying to muster some courage when she let out a pained breath, closing her eyes and holding her stomach again. "You?" He asked, trying not to raise any alarm as Rose looked to the Doctor. Valarie grit her teeth, pretending to smile.
"Fine, yeah. Completely fine." She breathed, opening her eyes and getting up again. She swallowed and saw Jack's face, lined with worry. "Fine." She emphasised and he nodded warily.
"The crash site?" Jack asked, turning back around.
"Yes." Valarie confirmed and they set on course, the ride silent and gloomy at first. Once they got out, everyone was in a much cheerier mood, as cheery as could be in the circumstances. They walked into the railway station and leant by the stacks of seed, Valarie staying behind in the ship of her own accord. She had patched up earpieces and hacked into the security camera so she could run surveillance from the ship, not wanting to risk hurting anyone else. She watched as they hit their first roadblock, guards.
"Well there it is. Hey, they've got Algy on duty. Must be important." Jack saw, noting it down.
"Ok, there's cut barbed wire. Someone else had tried to get in here and you can use that." Valarie told them and the Doctor and Rose looked up.
"Nancy!" They shouted together.
"Keep your voice down! What are you talking about?" She whispered furiously into their ear as they ducked down to keep out of sight.
"Nancy, she's a young girl of about 15/16. Check for earlier traces of anything, she could've been caught." The Doctor told Valarie who got to work right away, cutting the sound on the earpieces before vomiting violently into a bucket she'd found. She wiped it away quickly as the computer brought up the information and she scanned it, switching the communications back on. "You alright?" The Doctor asked, not having said anything about the gas mask infection until then.
"Fine." She dismissed. "Yes, from the heat signature and height looks like a girl, about 4/5 feet tall, seems a bit older than you said but apart from that it matches." Valarie told them, trying to keep her voice calm and not as heavy and jolting as she knew it must be.
"Where is she?" The Doctor asked.
"I don't know. The heat scanners trace her to the barbed wire where she seems to have cut it, then she got to the bomb but her signal gets mixed after that. She must've got taken away with the guards." Valarie deduced, thinking out loud.
"We've got to get past." The Doctor resolved, looking at the guards.
"Are the words, "Distract the guard?" Heading in my general direction?" Rose asked, adjusting her hair.
"I don't think that'd be such a good idea." Jack interrupted.
"Don't worry, I can handle it." Rose assured and Valarie cut off the sound so she could again vomit violently.
"Don't wait up!" He shouted, walking off which Valarie heard once she put the sound back on from her end to cut in, talking to only Jack.
"Don't be too long, I think we're going to need an extra person soon." She hinted, hoping he would understand it wasn't long until she transformed. Valarie heard two conversations going on at once and cut off the Doctor and Rose's. She knew it was only about what he was hinting and she already knew about it. 2012 wasn't that underdeveloped, they had moved on, nobody cared about that kind of thing. At least, not her.
"Hey tiger, how's it hanging?" Jack asked, walking up to the guard.
"Mummy?" 'Algy' asked, turning around to Jack.
"Algy, old sport it's me." Jack told him.
"Mummy?" The guard spoke again, this time less uncertain.
"It's me, Jack!" He spoke again.
"Jack, I don't think that's Algy anymore." Valarie warned, sending Jack into hyper mode as he tried to shake him out of it.
"Jack? Are you my… mummy?" The guard asked.
"Algy! Algy!" He shouted as the guard dropped to his knees, the transformation beginning. "Valarie, turn off the cameras." Jack warned as he got no response. "Valarie!" He shouted.
"Stay back!" The Doctor shouted.
"You men, stay away!" Jack shouted, giving up, knowing Valarie was already watching. He was right. The footage was grainy and not too good but there was no mistaking the groaning as a gas mask came out of his mouth, his eyes widening and the flesh and bone changing. Algy was laying on the ground once it was done, showing no signs of life at all.
"The effect's becoming airborne, accelerating." The Doctor explained as he and Rose caught up.
"What's keeping us safe?" Rose asked.
"Nothing." The Doctor revealed, making Valarie choke with sobs.
"Valarie?" Rose asked, hearing the noise.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a little bit of feedback." She lied, her voice still shaky. The air-raid siren started again and Jack changed the subject, much to Valarie's gratitude.
"Ah, here they come again." He noted, diverting the attention.
"All we need." Rose breathed, looking to the sky. "Didn't you say a bomb was going to land here?" Rose asked, pointing to the ground.
"Never mind about that, if the contaminant's airborne now, there's hours left." The Doctor spoke, dismissing her question.
"Till what?" Valarie asked, her voice steadying.
"Till nothing." The Doctor answered. "Forever! For the entire human race. And can anyone else hear singing?" He asked diverting the subject.
"Um, yeah. Sound waves are projecting off of that small shack beside you." Valarie told them, scanning the area as she choked back more sobs. "Rock a bye baby" was being sung by a young voice repeating itself as the Doctor poked his head in, telling her to keep singing with his hand gestures.
"#Rock a bye baby on the tree tops.#" She sang again. "#When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.#" Her voice was surprisingly soothing. Like a mother's. Jack and Rose followed, watching as the Doctor pulled out his sonic, moving to the handcuffs, restraining her to the table leg. Once the Doctor finished, he held out a hand to help her up and they all walked out of the shack silently. They moved to the 'bomb' and lifted the sheet.
"You see? Just an ambulance." Jack defended again.
"That's an ambulance?" Nancy asked, being held in Rose's arm as she comforted her.
"It's hard to explain… it's from another world." Rose told her as she rubbed her arms soothingly.
"They've been trying to get in." Jack noted.
"Of course they have. They think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon." The Doctor told him, looking down at the metal husk as Jack fiddled with the control panel. "What are you doing?" He asked, watching him.
"The sooner you see this thing is empty, the sooner you'll know I had nothing to do with it." He explained, working on the control panel when sparks erupted from it. "Didn't happen last time." He excused, combating the Doctor's pointed glare.
"It hadn't crashed last time, there'll be emergency protocols." The Doctor explained, watching him try again.
"Doctor, what is that?" Rose asked, looking in front of them at a red flashing light. "Doctor!" Rose shouted as she saw the first set of gates being broken open.
"Captain, secure those gates." The Doctor ordered.
"Why?"
"Just do it!" He shouted, losing his patience. "Nancy where did you cut the wires?" The Doctor asked, turning to the young girl.
"Um, over there." She pointed and the Doctor threw Rose his sonic screwdriver.
"Show Rose. Setting 2428-D." He instructed, moving back to the control panel.
"What?" Rose asked, running after Nancy.
"Reattaches barbed wire. Go!" The Doctor shouted, securing the area. "How long have you got?" The Doctor asked Valarie who sobbed.
"Not long Mummy." She speaks before clapping a hand over her mouth.
"You've got to get down here. If I can get a cure, you have to be here when it happens." The Doctor instructs and Valarie used the teleport and transported down where Jack and the Doctor were.
"It's empty. Look at it." He talks to the Doctor, sliding it open.
"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops?" The Doctor asked. "Valarie?" He asked.
"Um, nanogenes!" She shouted, as she uncertainly stumbled towards them.
"It wasn't empty Captain." The Doctor told him. "There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species." He told them as Valarie held her stomach, tears flooding her face.
"Oh God." Jack let out, realising what he had done.
"Getting it now, are we?" He asked, patronising him. "When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them. Ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child. Probably killed earlier that night. And wearing a gas mask." He told them as they pieced everything together.
"And they brought him back to life?" Nancy asked hopefully, knowing it was Jamie who died and having returned from securing the perimeter.
"They can do that?" Rose asked, excitedly having returned with her.
"What's life?" The Doctor asked, crossing his arms. "Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene." He boasted. "One problem though." He stopped. "These nanogenes, they're nothing like the ones on your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on, they do what they're programmed to do - they patch it up. Can't tell what's gas mask and what's skull but they do their best." He commended, his voice getting dangerously low and angry.
"Then off they fly, off they go - work to be done. Because you see, now they think they know what people should look like. And it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't ever stop. They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is going to be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child, looking for its mother. And nothing in the world can stop it!" He shouted, angry at his non-solution.
"I didn't know." Jack defended himself, getting off the shell. They all sit down, defeated and Nancy goes up to Valarie, whose fall to the ground in exhaustion and pain.
"Are you alright?" She asks, sitting down next to her.
"Yeah, fine." Valarie lied, gritting her teeth as another shockwave of pain ran through her.
"I'm Nancy." She introduced, holding out a gloved hand for her to shake.
"Valarie." She introduced back, shaking it.
"Is he going to do it? Is the Doctor going to save us?" She asked, fear obvious in her voice.
"Yes. The entire time I've been with him he has. He saves everyone he can. We have to be strong but he can. We just have to be strong." Valarie reassured as the girl leaned into her for comfort. Valarie put an arm around her, holding her close but being careful to not touch her with flesh. "Don't worry Nancy, it will be alright. I promise. Just be strong." She whispered.
"I hope I can." The girl replied, her voice cracking with the weight of everything.
"How old are you?" Valarie asked comfortingly before letting out a groan and letting go of her quickly, the pain overwhelming her. "Listen Nancy, you need to get away from me. I've been infected, you can't tell the others. Run away from me, go find Rose." She told Nancy who seemed to respond right away, getting up with a reluctant and apologetic look on her face, turning around to find Rose before she noticed something.
"Rose!" She shouted, grabbing the Londoner's attention as she ran towards her. They both saw the gas mask people coming towards them in large groups and Rose ran to the Doctor in hopes of warning him before seeing the red, flashing light.
"It's bringing the gas mask people here isn't it?" She asked, putting it together.
"The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling in the troops." The Doctor explained further.
"But the gas mask people aren't troops." Rose defended.
"They are now. This is a battlefield ambulance. The nanogenes don't just fix you up, they get you ready for the front line. Equip you, program you." He told her.
"That's why the child's so strong. Why it could do that phoning thing." She pieced together.
"It's a full equipped Chula warrior. Yes." He answered, the problem final and definite, clear but what was not clear was a solution to the problem. Valarie groaned again, Jack rushing to help her. "All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical 4 year old, looking for his mummy and now there's an army of them." He told them.
"Stop! Don't touch me!" She told him as he helped her up.
"I'm not touching you with flesh and we're all already going to die anyway, what's the point?" Jack retorted, as Valarie groaned, leaning into Jack as she tried to stand.
"Jack, go. Run. Run. Ja-" Valarie groaned again, falling to her knees. "Mummy?" She asked, tears falling down her cheeks. Jack rushed to pick her up again but the Doctor pulled him back.
"It's too late Jack. We need to work on a cure." He told him, holding him back as he watched as tears rolled down her face.
"Mummy?" She asked, looking up in fear before collapsing, the transformation taking place as she slept. Her mouth opened to reveal the gas mask, forcing its way up her throat and her eyes widened until they touched the mask, flesh and bone becoming one. She slept soundly seeming as if nothing had happened, just a gas mask on her face but Jack knew it wasn't real. She was gone. From that moment on, Valarie Waters was gone. And it was all Jack's fault.
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