Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Twelve: Family of Blood: Cornered

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Okay, now on to the second part of this story! Oddly enough with this set of episodes I'm counting the first one as a rewrite and this one as an original due to how much it diverges. That's a first. Of course, I originally intended this to be one episode, but seriously underestimated the time it would take to tell the story so even my planning occasionally falls apart.

…

Rose couldn't focus on the mess of noise around her. Reports were being relayed to Kate and Alistair, and the technicians were trying to adjust the cameras as much as they could. They'd lost over half of them and all of the sensors around the ship in the explosion. But the Family was leaving the burning wreckage rather than trying to head in for the ship. Rose hoped that was a good sign. Hopefully, UNIT's explosives had destroyed the ship completely. Unfortunately, it now meant that as far as the Family knew, they had no more reason to stay in this area. Surely, they had to know that there were more soldiers nearby.

The Family were all staying close together around their gaseous member. One of the females was gone, but Rose wasn't sure if it was the Mother or the Daughter that the explosion had dealt with. The smiles on their faces were gone, replaced with narrow, tight frowns. Then the three remaining members of the Family of Blood lifted their weapons and opened fire. Soldiers ducked for cover, leaning out to fire wide shots intended to keep the Family of Blood back. Rose looked to Kate who was talking into her phone with someone about the Argon gas and trucks. It was a rapid-fire exchange. Next to her, Alistair had a radio and was giving orders to the soldiers in the field.

Her chest was tight from worry. K-9's information about the Protesians had helped, but she'd been hoping for a quick solution that they didn't have to wait for. As it was, if they jumped again, then they'd be on a time crunch to maybe save them. Rose hated this. Her hand went to the watch, and she once again considered restoring the Doctor.

It was tempting. A car could be sent to collect him, and he could be briefed quickly about what was going on. But… but then if something went wrong and the Family of Blood got him, then this would all be for nothing. The poor souls killed by the Family would just be the first victims. Rose could hear the Doctor's whispers. He wasn't telling her to release him; he was warning her to be careful. She'd take that as agreement and let go of the watch.

"What now?" Luke asked.

"We need to evacuate you two," Kate replied. "One of them needs a new host, and I'm not risking you."

"Mum, are you sure that you'll be okay?" Gordon pressed. "I mean-"

"We have containment units and the gas on the way," Alistair said. "Along with protective suits. They'll be here soon."

"But they aren't here now." Gordon looked at the screen. "Mum, I don't want to-"

"Gordon, this is my job, and I will be fine." Kate gave her son a soft, reassuring smile. "I'll have a car take you home, and you can help watch James. I'd feel better knowing you were there."

Gordon's face was hard to read as he shifted into parade rest. Given that he'd never been in the military, Rose could only assume that he'd learned it from his grandfather. A stubborn expression appeared, and Rose braced herself for a fight. She could already see Luke's shoulders shifting into a tense and ready to battle stance. They were both too much like their mothers for their own good.

Suddenly the vehicle lurched. Rose grabbed onto the edge of a monitor to try and stay upright. Alistair huffed as he was thrown against the far wall and Kate barely grabbed the back of a tech's chair. They skidded to a stop, and everything was silent.

"I think they hit us," Alistair said. He pulled out his sidearm and marched to the exit door, standing guard as Kate rushed to the front of the unit. "Be ready."

Rose spun back to the monitors. Sure enough, the Family were heading for them, still firing their weapons towards the lines of soldiers tucked behind barriers. The glee was beginning to return, and Rose wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. The greenish mist was still floating behind them.

"K-9, you said it would take two hours for it to die in Earth's atmosphere."

"Affirmative. It is likely that it will seek another host despite the toll that a rapid overlay will take."

"Unfortunately, I agreed with you," Rose said.

"Dad," Kate called. "They hit the motor. We're just sitting here." She touched the boys on the shoulders. "Come on; we need to crawl out through the front. Everyone out. We need to keep falling back while we can." Kate's voice was calm and controlled, but Rose detected the sharp note of worry. She didn't' blame Kate. Her oldest son was in the line of fire. "Gordon, come with me."

"I'll cover the back," Alistair said. He nodded to his daughter but kept his eyes on the door. "Rose, where are they?"

The Family was drawing close, but there was no urgency to their actions. "Getting close," she answered. "They don't seem worried."

"Mistress Rose, please leave the area," K-9 said. He rolled over to Alistair. "Sir should depart as well. I will cover the escape." Alistair looked down at the dog with a hint of confusion. "I am equipped with a phaser weapon," K-9 added. "And I cannot serve as a host. You can."

"But-" Luke started to protest only to fall silent. "Be careful, K-9."

Guilt roared in Rose's chest, but this was the smartest move they could make. But it still hurt like hell to leave the loyal dog behind to cover their escape. Alistair moved closer to her and touched her arm. His dark eyes met Rose's, and she knew that he understood. Nodding, Rose headed after Kate towards the front. There was a small door that separated the mobile command unit from the cab of the truck. It was easy for Rose to forget sometimes that despite all the technology crammed into the back, it was essentially a camper. She crawled over the front passenger seat to the passenger door. A man in uniform was waiting and quickly helped her down.

Kate was on her radio a few feet away while also gesturing Luke and Gordon towards a jeep waiting a few feet away. There were dozens of people in sight now, and Rose glanced back. She could hear the Family getting closer as they laughed. Alistair jumped down beside and took her arm, firmly leading her away from the mobile unit. Behind them, Rose heard K-9's beam weapon discharge and flinched.

"Keep moving," Alistair said firmly.

Then things went wrong. A stray green beam from one of the Family's weapons hit one of the old powerlines leading towards the factory. There was the sound of twisting metal. People scattered. Alistair pulled Rose back sharply just before the mass of metal crashed down in front of them. Alistair twisted around, shielding Rose before she could stop him. A shout of alarm from Kate and Luke echoed in Rose's ears, and she heard laughing.

Ears ringing, Rose blinked several times to clear her vision. The metal ahead of her was sparking with downed lines. Kate was on the far side, keeping Luke back while Gordon was pulled back by another soldier.

"Dad!" Kate shouted.

"Keep moving!" Alistair ordered. "We'll go around!"

"Mind the downed cables!"

Another blast behind them made Rose flinch. The mobile unit started to tip before shifting back on its wheels. Kate and the boys piled into a jeep and drove off towards the west. Alistair and Rose started jogging. The lines were sprawled around them, still sparking, and the mass of metal was twisted into vicious looking shapes.

They had no choice, but to creep around the mobile unit. The shots had quieted a bit, and Rose didn't want to guess what the meant for K-9. She and Alistair didn't speak but shared a look as they moved around the back of the mobile unit.

"What an interesting little machine," one of the male Family members said.

"Oh, Father of Mine, don't hurt it," the remaining female said. She giggled in a high pitched voice. "Just think, I could have a puppy."

"Don't get attached, Daughter of Mine. The machine is dangerous."

"It could be reprogrammed easily enough, Father of Mine," the Son said. It was smiling at his sister, almost gently. "And it is a machine. We could fix it when needed and not have to worry about Sister of Mine losing a pet."

Shockingly, the Father seemed to be considering it. Rose blinked at them, stunned and distressed by the almost normal family interaction. Still… they had killed people and had no problems attacking the innocent in their quest for immortality. She had to remember that for the Doctor's sake. And at the present moment for her own sake and the sake of all the UNIT personnel who were scattered around.

"We're too exposed," Alistair whispered. He was looking around. "We need to work around."

Rose frowned and looked around. The power line structure had been at least fifteen feet tall. The power was still on so they couldn't climb over it without being electrocuted. It was bad luck. Or maybe the Family had realized they were escaping that way. She watched the jeep in the distance and breathed a little easier. Alistair pulled on her hand, and they slowly moved away from the mobile unit. From this angle, Rose could see the Family. Hopefully, they couldn't see them. There was another vehicle moving towards them from across the complex. Her nose filled with smoke from the still burning factory and Rose feared she'd start coughing.

They reached a cement barricade and ducked out of view. Rose's heart was pounding, and they hadn't even been running. Alistair poked his head around the side for a split second before leaning against the barricade.

"Blasted."

"We're almost to the jeep," Rose said softly. She shifted her right hand, ready to summon her sword.

"This has all gone wrong."

"We couldn't make much a plan since we didn't know about them," Rose whispered.

She wanted to look around the barricade to see what had happened to K-9 but didn't dare. Then she heard footfalls.

"I'll take good care of my doggy, Father of Mine."

"We need to reprogram it," the Father said darkly. "And you are not to repair the weapon."

"Ah, but Father of Mine, I rather like the idea of Sister of Mine having a properly armed guard dog."

"It will be discussed with Wife of Mine." They stopped moving. They had to be only a few feet away.

"Release me," K-9 demanded. Rose's eyes closed in relief.

"No," the Daughter said. "You're my doggy now. Not to worry, Brother of Mine will reprogram you. You'll be Doggy of Mine."

Alistair shared a look with her. The Family were close. Rose could almost smell them. Their hiding place wasn't much help. The jeep was nearby, and a soldier was leaning out the window with his weapon. Even from here, Rose could see how scared the man was. She and Alistair must have been a sight. Ducked behind a cement barricade, hiding from three humanoid figures and a green cloud.

"Keep it quiet, Daughter of Mine," the Father said. "I understand that you want to keep it, but our immortality remains the most pressing issue."

"The scent is muddled," the Son said. "These people have been exposed a great deal to the Time Lord."

"A pity we weren't aware of that," the Daughter said. "We could have set a trap here. But then, it wouldn't have been as much fun."

"No," the Father said. "We have only a little time, and the Doctor never lingers. We might not have caught him." There was a loud sniffing, and Rose eyed the jeep. She was considering just making a run for it. "I thought I smelled the Time Lord," the Father said. He sniffed the air loudly, tilting his head up while the children did the same. "No, not the Time Lord, but something else."

"That pretty blonde lady," the Daughter said. "She smells like Time."

Rose held her breath. That explained a lot. Too much in fact and she looked around, trying to figure a way out of this situation. Maybe she should just run for it. Alistair touched her arm and nodded to her. They both started to shift slowly.

"Yes," the Son agreed. "Strange creature. Smells not just of Time, but more."

"Much more," the Daughter echoed. "Pleasant and scary all at once. A predator like us, but not. A Big Bad Wolf."

Rose barely kept in her gasp. But the words helped drive away some of her fear. Around her neck, the watch was heavy, but she didn't reach for it. They were too close right now. Then Alistair stood. Rose followed, and they ran. Shouts behind them came from the Family. Rose kept an eye on Alistair. He might be younger again now, but he wasn't the expert on running that she was. Glancing over her shoulder, she noted with alarm that the Family were raising their weapons, but hesitation was on their faces. The green mist was moving.

"Rose!"

The frightened shout was the only warning that Rose got. The green mist crashed towards her. There was a faint echoing laugh in the air that might have only been in Rose's head. She summoned her sword and swung at the green mist as she backed away. It was moving too fast to run, and Rose recognized that much. A brief, panicked thought told her to open the watch or throw it to Alistair, but it was too late.