Journey Amongst the Stars
By Lumendea
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Doctor Dances: Pleas
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.
…
They beamed down to the surface, and thankfully it didn't make Rose's head spin. Up ahead, the compound was being patrolled by guards and spotlights were searching the area. The area was out of place to Rose. This wasn't a city; this was something else altogether. Then again, this was World War II, not the London she grew up in.
"What's the plan?" Rose asked.
She and the boys moved behind a small wall of sandbags, keeping out of the light and watching the soldiers. There was only a small number of them, but they were all armed. Rose searched her memories, but she wasn't sure if everything that fell was guarded like this. If they thought it was a bomb that didn't explode then surely, they would have defused it.
"Think they know it's the source of the plague?" Rose asked.
"Not sure," the Doctor said. "They're keeping people away, but no gas masks on the soldiers or other protective gear."
"Well, they've got Algie on duty," Jack said. "So they consider it important." He nodded at an officer near the gate into the area.
"The words distract the guard to mind," Rose said. She glanced down at herself and sighed. "Not exactly dressed for this era."
"Oh, I don't know," Jack said. He was smiling a little again. "That shirt would certainly get some attention, but trust me distracting Algie is likely to go better if I go."
"You sure?" Rose eyed the man. She knew what Jack was saying, but she wasn't sure if he was right about the man on duty. "If you're wrong-"
"I've got to know Algy quite well since I've been in town." Jack stood up and dusting himself off, slipping back into hiss confident and charming mask. "Trust me; you're not his type. I'll distract him. Don't wait up."
"Be careful," Rose said firmly.
Jack paused and looked back at her with an uncertain expression. He seemed truly surprised at her being worried about him. Rose tried not to grimace at the idea that he might be. Jack recovered quickly and winked at her before swaggering towards the gate. A soft sigh escaped Rose. She just wasn't sure how to proceed with him. Jack reached the main gate, and the officer on duty immediately took notice of him.
"He's your friend?" the Doctor asked. "Really? I don't see it."
"It's a bit weird," Rose agreed. "So what's your plan for when we get to the ship?"
"Not sure," the Doctor admitted. "I need to see the ship and review the controls. If we're lucky, there'll be an easy way for me to update the nanogene's database to include humans like the ones on Jack's ship do."
"Can we use the ones from Jack's ship?" Rose asked. "If they're a hive mind would they update directly from those ones?" Hope flared in her chest. "Like a synching system."
"No," the Doctor said. "Different network pattern, I'm afraid. They're tied to the ship's systems. We'd have to completely reprogram them to get them to even work outside the ship and then have to change their network pattern to get them to the talk to the others."
"And no time."
"No time," the Doctor agreed. "We need a fast way to deal with this."
Rose inwardly agreed, but she didn't think it was going to be that simple. DNA was complicated. Even in her own time, what they thought they knew about it was being expanded and reevaluated. In this period, there was a limit to what tools were even available to them.
"What if we knock out the guards and get the TARDIS?"
"We haven't much time. That bomb is due soon." The Doctor glanced up at the sky. "Which means another bombing raid."
"God, I can't imagine." Rose shook her head and looked up at the nearby balloons. "You hear about it, growing up in London, but seeing it is something else. Bombs falling, and people keep living their lives."
"Not much else they can do." A soft sigh escaped the Doctor. "That girl, Nancy, she'd been looking after the children living on the streets. Using bomb raids as a chance to steal food. Once it starts, she'll likely be out searching again."
"Better than her being here," Rose said.
The Doctor made a soft unconvinced noise that Rose wasn't sure what to make of. Suddenly Algie collapsed on the ground, and Jack stumbled back from him. The Doctor raced towards the gate, and Rose bolted after him. As they came to a stop beside Jack, Algie was lifting his head, but his face had already been transformed into a gas mask. More soldiers began to rush forward.
"Stay back!" the Doctor snapped.
"You men, stay away!" Jack ordered. His uniform made them pause.
"The effect's become airborne, accelerating," the Doctor said.
Air raid sirens began to sound, filling the night's sky. "What's keeping us safe?" Rose asked nervously.
"Nothing," the Doctor answered.
"Ah, here they come again," Jack groaned. Gas mask zombies were beginning to appear around the compound, held back only by the fence. "What now?"
"If the contaminants airborne now, there's hours left," the Doctor said.
"For what?" Jack asked.
"Till nothing, forever. For the entire human race," the Doctor answered. Then he paused for a moment. "And can anyone else hear singing?"
…..
The soldier was slumped over the table and snoring softly. His face was a horrific version of itself, now warped into the shape of a gas mask and his eyes unseeing. Nancy sat beside him, softly singing to keep him asleep as her mind raced for a way to escape. She was still bound to the table, and if anyone woke the sleeping man, she'd been the next one infected.
Tears stung Nancy's eyes as she sang softly. The song hung in the air, haunting her and the soft sounds of the sleeping soldier taunted her. Jamie was gone, and yet all of these creatures carried a part of him. Her precious Jamie was scattered. A ghost in the world, haunting her for her misdeeds and punishing the world.
Nancy knew that it wasn't her fault, but it stung. The ache and the wondering about what if she'd done things differently. She'd been revealed, so revealed when mother had told her the plan. They'd gone off to the north for a few months to stay in a little village far from London and father had visited a couple of times. Just enough times to make it seem possible that Jamie was theirs when they came back. God forgive her, but she'd been grateful not to have the responsibility of being a mother.
But now, she wondered what if she'd been honest. It was a foul thought. People would have judged her, and no one would have married her. The shame of it being public likely would have broken her parents. They might have turned her out or made her give up the baby so she'd have never seen Jamie at all. Trapped, she'd been trapped. There'd never been a happy end to her story.
"When the wind blows, the cradle will rock," Nancy sang. Someone moved by the door, and Nancy looked over in alarm. It was that strange man who'd been following her. He gestured for her to keep singing and Nancy obeyed. "When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. Down will come baby, cradle and all."
The man came closer and with a strange silver tube, opened the cuffs. Somehow, Nancy kept singing as she and the stranger crept towards the doorway. The soldier sleeping on the table didn't move. When she stepped outside, Nancy's knees buckled in relief, but she stayed upright.
"Thank you."
"Course," the man said. "I'm the Doctor by the way."
"Nancy," she replied dutifully.
"Yeah, caught on to that," he teased. "Don't wander off. There's more of them on the perimeter."
Nancy wanted to ask for details, but the Doctor was striding towards the crashed object with long strides. Another man with dark hair and a blonde woman were pulling off the tarp that covered it. The object was long and cylindrical. Nothing about it seemed dangerous at first glance. But she knew better and made no move to touch it.
…..
"Here it is," Jack said to Rose. He was shaking his head. "It looked empty, I swear. It was only an ambulance."
"I know," Rose said gently. "I know. Stay calm. We'll figure this out."
"That's an ambulance?" Nancy asked.
"It's hard to explain," Rose told her. "It's from another world. I'm Rose, that's Jack," she offered quickly. "Don't touch it."
"They'd been trying to get in," Jack said, examining the sides of the ship.
"Of course they have," the Doctor said. "They think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon."
Jack reached for the control panel. "Let me see if I can get access to the protocols-"
"No, wait," the Doctor ordered.
The warning came too lang. There was a bang that sent Jack scrambling back as spark flared from the control panel. An alarm began to sound, and the panel flashed bright red. Apparently, it's alarm was coded to red, Roes thought bitterly.
"That didn't happen last time," Jack said weakly.
"It hadn't crashed last time. There'll be emergency protocols."
"I'm sorry!" Jack shouted. His was pale, even in the darkness. "I'm so sorry. I tried to make sure that it wouldn't hurt anyone. I failed and I'm sorry." Jack took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to control himself. "Please, if you can, please help me fix this."
The Doctor's stern expression softened and he clamored up onto the ship. Rose followed him, barely able to keep her balance on the narrow top. The Doctor was near the top and was studying the access panel.
"Can you fix it from here?" Rose asked. She leaned over his shoulder and watched as the TARDIS translated the controls. "Or at least turn off the alarms?"
"Not sure," the Doctor said. "The problem isn't that they aren't working. They're working too well. They've got the wrong template for what a human being is supposed to be."
"Shit," Jack muttered. He was pacing along the ship and eyeing the perimeter. "There's got to a be a way right? We're intact!" He gestured at the three of them only to pause when he came to the Doctor. "Uh, never mind. You're not human, right?"
"No," the Doctor answered gruffly. "I'm not. But Rose is."
"So history hasn't completely changed yet," Jack argued.
"A bit of hush," the Doctor said. "I'm trying to see if I can input the correct genetic information for a human into the system."
"It'll have to be Rose," Jack said. "I'm from too far in the future."
"I'm aware of the inclinations of your ancestors," the Doctor huffed. "Just hush."
"Doctor, Rose!" Nancy called. "They're coming!"
They all looked up to find gas mask zombies slowly marching towards them. They were breaking their way through everything in their path.
"Captain, secure those gates!" the Doctor ordered.
"Why?" Jack asked.
"Just do it! Nancy, how'd you get in here?"
"I cut the wire."
"Rose!"
Rose jumped down and hurried over to Nancy. She took the younger woman's hand and let Nancy lead her towards the hole in the fence that she'd made. Nancy's stomach churned uncomfortably, and she pulled her hand away, not sure what to do with the sudden human contact. Even the street children never tried to hug her. Rose thankfully, didn't try to take her hand again.
They climbed over the sandbag barricade, and Nancy pointed to the hole she'd made. It was small, but most of the gas mask zombies would be able to use it. Without a word, Rose knelt beside it and pulled out what looked like a fancy pen. Overhead, Nancy heard the hum of plan engines and the whine of bombs falling through the air. She swallowed back her fear as the world fell apart around her.
"Who are you?" Nancy asked, half afraid of the answer. Her Gran had once told her stories of the Irish Fae who were from other worlds and stole people away. Right now, she'd be happy to be stolen away. "Who are any of you?"
The blonde woman, Rose, chuckled softly and tugged two bits of wire together. "You'd never believe me if I told you."
"You just told me that was an ambulance from another world. There are people running around with gas mask heads calling for their mummies, and the sky's full of Germans dropping bombs on me." Nancy was amazed that her voice didn't shake. "Tell me, do you think there's anything left I couldn't believe?"
Rose turned her face to look at Nancy. It wasn't like being looked at a normal person. Rose's brown eyes were sharp, and there was a hint of danger dancing in them on tiny golden flecks. Nancy wanted to back away, but she was kneeling on the ground, and thus there was no quick escape. Whatever the woman was looking for, she seemed to find it because a moment later, she nodded.
"We're time travellers from the future," Rose answered.
"Mad, you are." Nancy allowed herself to laugh a little.
"It's true," Rose said calmly. She was almost smiling and grabbed Nancy's hands to have her hold the wire. The woman's pen whirled, and the pieces seemed to melt back together. "We have a time machine."
"It's not that.," Nancy told her. "All right, you've got a time travel machine. I believe you. Believe anything, me." Her eyes drifted up into the sky. "But what future?"
"Nancy, this isn't the end of the world," Rose said. She finished with the wires and slipped the pen into her pocket, turning to face Nancy. "Not even close."
"How can you say that?" Nancy asked. Her voice quivered now. "Look at it."
"I am looking at it," Rose said gently. "And do you know what I see?" Nancy didn't answer, but Rose didn't seem to expect her to. "The city that I'll be born and raised in about fifty years from now. A city that is going to survive this."
"You're from here?" Nancy asked dumbly.
"I'm a Londoner. From your future."
"But, but you're not…"
"Not what?"
"German."
"No, I'm not," Rose agreed. "Nancy, the Germans never invade England. They never get the chance. As bad as things look now, I can tell you that they don't win the war. You do."
"We win?" Nancy repeated the words. They didn't sound real.
Rose nodded and stood up, giving Nancy a soft look. It reminded Nancy of the last time her mother had helped her to bed. Jamie had been a baby, and things had been tense, but her mother had sat beside her with a gentle smile that promised it would all be alright. Rose extended a hand to Nancy. This time Nancy took it.