Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Fifteen: Family of Blood: Caged

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.

…

The Father was tense. His shoulders were tight, and the other two had shifted closer to him. Alistair frowned as he studied them. There were shock and fear on their faces. He suddenly wondered if they were aware that the Mother was gone. A sense of satisfaction rose in his chest. Their ship was gone, and now one of their number had been dealt with, the fun was over.

"Careful," Alistair warned Kate. "Trapped and injured animals are dangerous."

"The men are pulling out tasers," Kate said. "Electricity worked on Rose; maybe it will help here as well."

The soldiers had encircled the Family. Every fourth man carried a large riot shield with special reinforcement that would hopefully protect them from the alien weapons. Each small team had a tech carrying argon gas, another armed with firearms, and the last with taser weapons. Alistair wasn't sure what would do the most good.

The Family was shifting, suddenly paying far more attention to the soldiers than before. If they were aware of the death of the Mother, it would explain them suddenly taking them seriously. Thankfully, the troops were all in position before that fear and worry could settle in. Slowly, the line was moving in. Suddenly, the Father raised his weapon and blasted off a volley of shots into the line. Men ducked out of the way, and the Father started shouting. The Son raised his weapon and fired shots, but the blasts only shook the riot shields that the men ducked behind. Slow and steady, they kept moving.

Kate spoke into her radio. Alistair stayed still and breathed slowly. No panic, he told himself. They had this well in hand, and Tyler was safe despite her stubbornness. Still, he was braced for that moment when it all went wrong. Beside him, Kate shifted nervously, and Alistair almost chuckled. It was the same for his daughter too it seemed.

"What did you do to Mother of Mine!" A Daughter shot at the men again. One man had to drop to avoid the shot but managed. He was armed and shot at her, making the Daughter yelp as she jumped. The shot hit the Son who stumbled. The Daughter started to turn towards her brother in horror.

A burst of gas hit the Daughter in the face. Alistair leaned forward, regretting that he wasn't out there. One of the soldiers grabbed the woman and disarmed her. The weapon fell to the ground as she coughed and tried to twist away from the gas. Alistair held his breath. If the argon did its job, she wouldn't be able to jump bodies.

"We'll destroy you!" The Son shouted. "Father!"

"Stop!" The Father screamed. "Stop!"

The two males opened fire at the troops, but it was too late. Three men ducked behind the nearest shield while the Daughter was wrestled towards a cage. A few men held their guns out around the shields and fired a few rapid shots. Thankfully there were no fatal shots. He didn't want to push their luck. Containing the aliens in their gas forms would likely be even harder. Alistair grimaced as the beams from the alien weapons struck the shield. He could see the metal twisting under the assault. A firearm went off, and the Father grabbed his shoulder.

Good, Alistair thought, nonfatal shot. The men were doing exactly what they needed to. His eyes jumped back to the Daughter. She was in the first Cage with more argon gas being poured in.

"Daughter of mine!" The Father extended his hand towards the cage, but it was already locking into place. The soldiers in their breathing masks didn't hesitate to slide the door into place. "No!"

It was getting hard to see anything. The soldiers to packed in around the Family now. The Son tried to get away. His weapon was ripped from his hands, and he lashed out, trying to punch a soldier, but the alien lacked the skill of the UNIT troops. Alistair tried to track the firearm as it was picked up by a soldier. A shot from the Father made one of the soldiers fall to the ground. They twitched and tried to stand with little success until one of the other soldiers helped them up. The pair retreated.

"Father of mine!" The other male shouted. "Help me!" He was being shoved into another clear cage being filled with gas. "Release me!"

There was no hesitation in the soldiers. They quickly moved the cages away from each other and towards different vehicles. Techs held the canisters of gas at the ready and stared out beneath protective masks. Alistair almost smiled at the display. For all of their bluster, the Family was falling apart quickly. The Father was left standing alone. One brave tech blasted the Father's face with argon gas. The alien sputtered.

In a final rush of activity, the Son's cage was slammed closed and locked as the alien slammed against the clear sides. Soldiers piled onto the Father and a cheer of victory echoed up from them. The alien firearm was held up and passed back. The Father was pulled to his feet. The Father's stolen brown eyes were wide with shock and fear. Pushed towards the final cage, the Father was helpless as argon gas was blasted in bursts around him.

A sigh of relief that Alistair would deny escaped him as the Father was secured. He heard a similar sound escape Kate. After a moment of debate, Alistair strode out towards the soldiers. Medics were rushing out with him, but he was optimistic that the injury numbers were low. Rushing the Family had worked very well once they knew how to prevent body swapping.

"Release my children!" The Father pounded on the side of the clear cage. His voice was muffled. There was desperation in his eyes that tugged at Alistair. "Release them!"

"I can't do that." Alistair straightened his shoulders. "You'll be placed under guard in the same room. The argon gas will continue to pump into your cages and the room to prevent escape."

"No, no, they'll die!"

"All things die. It's a mercy that I'm allowing you to stay together."

The Son's eyes were wide and fearful. It was a new expression on the face. Pressing his hand against the side of the cage, he looked towards his sister who had slumped down onto the floor and was cradling herself. For an instant, Alistair considered putting them all in the same cage before dismissing the idea. They'd be able to talk to each other, but allowing them to be too close would be dangerous. That would be enough.

Soon enough, they moved the cages back towards the trucks. Luke, Gordon, and K-9 came forward to study them much to Alistair's irritation.

The cages muffled the voices of the Family. The Father's distress and anger were clear on his face. The Son seemed to be in shock, staring out at the soldiers. The Daughter had slumped in her cage and was hiding her face. K-9 was beside Kate, his sensor extended as his ears moved. Rose started to walk towards them.

"No weapons detected," K-9 said. "The Son is carrying some technology."

"We'll keep an eye on all of them," Kate promised. "Gordon, back to the jeep."

"But mum-"

Kate set her eyes on her son and Alistair watched in amusement as his grandson quickly retreated. It was good to know that the lad had some sense, especially if he was serious about joining UNIT.

….

Rose's body was sore, but she didn't want to stay on the table. Swinging her feet down, she focused on the silence outside. Sharon and Shireen were right next to her, gently supporting her arms. Giving them a soft smile, Rose basked in a wave of affection that crashed through her. This was nice. Her friends were here to help her. Sometimes, she had a tendency to forget how much they were willing to do for her.

The crisis was over now. She could hear the soldiers celebrating and slowly headed for the doorway. Two men were being brought in. One had a badly burned leg, likely from the energy weapon and the other's shoulder was burned similarly. She turned away and made her way outside to where Kate was watching the cages being secured.

"We're moving them to a secure site," Kate said. She turned Rose and nodded in greeting. The trucks were rolling away, the cages covered and men in the back alongside them. "Luke's agreed to let K-9 scan them every week or so until this is over. At least eventually we'll have the bodies for a funeral."

"I'm sorry," Rose said softly. "I'm very sorry, Kate."

"Me too." Kate closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. For a moment, Rose thought that the science division director might turn on her and demand answers. "But… we owed him. A hundred times over."

"It's not a ledger. That's not why he does it."

"I know." Kate offered her a sad smile. "Which made it even more important that we protect him." Then she shook her head and schooled her features into a calm if slightly irritated mask. "But next time, keep my son out of it, Rose!"

"I didn't try to pull him in!"

"I'm fighting as it is to make sure that Gordon at least finishes university before joining UNIT," Kate said. "And this didn't help."

"He's a good kid," Rose said. "I'm sure if you talk to him that he'll understand."

"I might have to ask Dad to have that talk," Kate admitted. Then she shook her head and sighed. "Well, it's done now. We'll keep them in containment." She looked towards the burned-out ship. "Pity about the ship though. Enterprise could use some upgrades."

"Enterprise is wonderful as is," Rose protested. "Besides, they had a vortex manipulator in there, and the Doctor would never suffer you to have that."

"I'll try not to take offense at that."

"We trust you," Rose promised. "And your Dad, Kate, but that doesn't extend to everyone who might ever lead UNIT. The last thing I want… the hardest thing is the days when my own species in my enemy."

Kate made a small noise of understanding. Then she turned to Rose as the Family were wheeled away to separate trucks and hugged her. Rose was surprised at the act but quickly relaxed. Sometimes she forgot that Kate was a mother as well as a member of UNIT.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

….

Somehow Rose settled back into life at the university. She took tea to Professor John Smith almost every day and felt the weight of the watch every time that he smiled at her. A rumor that they were having an affair reached Rose's ear, but she didn't care about it. UNIT had stationed a couple of soldiers in the area, and Mickey called almost every day to check in with her.

Then news came, almost two months later that the Father had died. The body had collapsed, and his cage had been wheeled out of the holding room to the screams of the children. According to Alistair, the two remaining members of the Family talked to each other, but mostly they sat in silence. Even the television that Kate had put in the room as an act of mercy did nothing for them. It was only a matter of time.

Rose ordered take out and went straight to her flat.

Rose knew she had a selfish side despite how highly many people thought of her. While compassionate in general, she was stubborn about her viewpoint and slow to change her mind. As a teenager, she'd been outright dismissive of many of her fellow students as she feared they'd hold her back. At times, she'd even been too judgmental towards her Mother who loved her fiercely. She didn't hesitate to yell or leave if someone displeased her and normally Rose considered that a good thing, but she did know that it wasn't always the best course to take.

And she could be jealous. She hated it when the Doctor showed too much attention to others which was silly. She'd seen their future, she'd seen their children, and she knew that he loved her. Still, she had a low tolerance for sharing him. Rose hoped to do better with that in the future, but she knew it was currently a bit of an issue. Hell, she'd even been jealous of Professor Smith's wife and she wasn't even real! Despite her best attempts, there were moments that she was jealous of the Doctor's first wife.

But this might be her lowest point. Sitting here in her chair, watching the clock and being grateful for the call that the Family were all dead. Picking up her glass of wine with her right hand, Rose took a sip and gently caressed the watch in her left hand. She was waiting to release the Doctor and end the singular existence of John Smith.

John who was curious, sweet, a bit clumsy, and infatuated with her. John who would have been more than enough for any intelligent woman with his humor, wit, and vast knowledge of history. Rose took a long drink as her left thumb found the catch. She stopped herself from opening it. The Family would be gone soon, and this would all be over.

And she didn't even feel bad about it. John was home sleeping, probably having more of the dreams that he shouldn't be having and would wake up just a dream himself. And Rose was eager for it. She wanted to open the watch and get the Doctor back. She sighed and put the wine aside. Drinking had never been her thing and now wasn't the time to start. It was far better to drown one's sorrows in hot chocolate and banana bread.

Her phone chirped with a message and Rose quickly picked it up. Kate had sent a simple message: Son and Daughter now deceased.

Rose supposed that she should feel something for the Family, especially the children. They had lost their Mother suddenly and then watched their Father decay across the room. Both the Son and the Daughter must have known that their own time was winding down. Rose felt a twinge of sympathy, but it was nothing in the face of her relief.

Rose sat up and smiled, bringing the watch in front of her. The soft Gallifreyian letters etched on the sides were a total mystery to her, but she was happy just to see them. She felt something brush against her shields and considered dropping them. She didn't. Rose didn't want the Doctor to feel how little she cared about his human counterpart. It felt wrong to be so dismissive of him, but Rose had always known that she had a selfish side. John Smith was a nice enough man, but he wasn't worth losing the Doctor over.

Opening the watch, Rose stared into the glow for the few moments that it lingered in the watch. Then it faded and Rose exhaled. Setting down the watch, she stood up and began moving around the flat. She hadn't purchased much, but there were a few interesting textbooks that she was going to take with her, and she'd moved some of her art supplied into the flat from the TARDIS. Rose packed up the clothing that had made its way into the cheap dresser in the bedroom.

When Rose opened the door of the TARDIS, the control was brighter than it had been for months. It wasn't to the normal level yet, but Rose could clearly see down the far corridor. A smile took over her face, and she strode in with her bag. There was enough light for Rose to reach her bedroom. It was still a bit dark, but with the door open, Rose was able to put her things away.

Unsure of what to do with herself, Rose returned out to the flat and searched the kitchen. There wasn't much food left; she hadn't gone shopping for a few days. She put on a kettle and started scrubbing down the counters. Time ticked away. A knock on her door made Rose gasp. It was too late or far too early for a normal visitor. She almost tripped rushing to the doorway.

The Doctor was standing on the other side. He was dressed in John Smith's clothing, but it was him. His blue eyes glowed with his energy and knowledge. Rose didn't even let him enter her apartment before throwing her arms around. They were leaving; she didn't care who saw them. The Doctor chuckled softly, the sound slightly uneasy, but he returned the embrace, hugging Rose tightly to his chest. A soft sigh of relief escaped Rose even as she decided that the first order of business was getting the Doctor back into his leather jacket rather than John's suit coat.