Journey Amongst the Stars
By Lumendea
Chapter Thirty: The Doctor Dances: Defused
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.
…
Rose and Nancy rushed back to the boys. Jack's face was pale, and his hands were shaking despite his efforts to hide his horror. The Doctor was glaring at the ambulance with raw rage. Rose's stomach dropped as she realized that the Doctor had no idea of how to fix this.
"They brought the boy back to life," Jack groaned. "I can't- I didn't-"
"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh," the Doctor snarled. "Nothing to a nanogene. One problem, though. These nanogenes, they're not 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 gasmask and what's skull, but they do their best. 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!"
"I didn't know," Jack offered weakly. "I never would have risked it if I had known."
The Doctor's fingers moved across the access panel, desperately trying to do something. Nancy shivered and stepped closer to Rose, her grip on Rose's hand tightening. Rose wanted to comfort her, but she had no idea what she could say. All the words were caught in her throat.
"Mummy. Mummy," the gas mask zombies chanted.
"Rose!" Nancy gasped.
"Is the ship calling them?" Rose asked the Doctor. "Can we turn it off, buy some time?"
"The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling up the troops. Standard protocol."
"But the gas mask people aren't troops."
"They are now. This is a battlefield ambulance," the Doctor reminded her. "The nanogenes don't just fix you up; they get you ready for the front line. Equip you, program you."
"That's why the child's so strong. Why it could do that phoning thing. It has all the Chula abilities now."
"It's a fully equipped Chula warrior, yes. All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four-year-old looking for his mummy. And now there's an army of them," the Doctor said.
The patients had surrounded them, outside the barbed wire, but they made no move to rush the fence. Remembering the child breaking the wall, Rose was certain that the barbed wire fence wouldn't stop them. For a long moment, she and the others stared at the gas mask people who stared back at them.
"Why don't they attack?" Jack asked, voicing Rose's question.
Nancy was still holding Rose's hand. Her shoulders were slumped as if she was trying to make herself small. Still, the young woman wasn't crying or panicking, and Rose felt a warm rush of pride in her.
"Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander," the Doctor said.
"The child?" Jac asked, still sounded stunned by the mere idea.
"Jamie," Nancy said.
"What?" Jack turned to Nancy, who lifted her chin.
"Not the child, Jamie."
"So how long until the bomb falls?" Rose asked with a nervous glance at Nancy.
"Any second," Jack answered.
"What's the matter, Captain? A bit close to the volcano for you?" the Doctor sneered. He moved closer to Nancy as she began to quiver.
"Will the bomb stop this?" Rose asked delicately.
"No, it'll destroy the currently infected," the Doctor said. A sob escaped Nancy. "But it won't stop the nanogenes."
"He's just a little boy," Nancy told the Doctor.
"I know."
"He's just a little boy who wants his mummy." Nancy's expression was one of despair and guilt. Rose suddenly had the feeling that she was missing something, but had no idea what.
"I know," the Doctor promised Nancy. "There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy. And this little boy can."
"So what're we going to do?" Rose asked, hopefully.
"I don't know." The Doctor looked her way, apologies in his eyes, and Rose reached out with her free hand to grab his. He accepted her attempt at comfort and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's my fault," Nancy gasped through a wave of tears.
"No." The Doctor's voice was gentle.
"It is. It's all my fault," Nancy insisted.
"How can it be your-"
"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. Mummy," the patients chanted.
Tears were rolling down Nancy's cheeks, but even now, they were limited as the young woman fought for control. Rose shifted closer to her, pressed their arms together, and squeezing Nancy's hand. If she'd thought she could wrestle her hand away, she would have hugged Nancy.
"Nancy?" Rose whispered. "Stay with us."
"Nancy, what age are you?" the Doctor asked suddenly. Rose looked at him in confusion, and Nancy's shaking grew worse. "Twenty? Twenty-one? Older than you look, yes?"
"Doctor, that bomb," Jack snapped. "We've got seconds."
"Can you teleport us out?" Rose asked Jack.
"Not you guys. The nav-com's back online." Jack swallowed, guilt washing over his face as Rose's stomach tightened. "Going to take too long to override the protocols."
"So, it's volcano day," the Doctor said. He kept his eye on Nancy and didn't look at Jack. "Do what you've got to do."
"Jack?" Rose looked at her friend. He met her gaze but then vanished. "What?" Rose whispered in shock.
"How old were you five years ago?" the Doctor asked Nancy. Rose forced her attention back to his questions. "Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway." Rose's eyes widened as pieces began to fall into place. "He's not your brother, is he? A teenage single mother in 1941. So, you hid. You lied. You even lied to him."
The gates were smashed open with a crash. Rose jumped, and they all looked over to see Jamie now at the head of the small army. Nancy barely moved, her face still turned down, and Rose knew that the Doctor was right. Tears were flowing down the young woman's face, and Rose kept hold of Nancy's hand.
"Are you my mummy?" Jamie asked, his voice loud across the bomb site.
"He's going to keep asking, Nancy." The Doctor's voice was soft. "He's never going to stop."
More tears escaped Nancy. Her grip on Rose's hand tightened. She wanted to run away from the Doctor and Rose. They knew too much. Years of secrets laid bare. Jamie kept calling for his mother, for her as he and the others approached. She wanted to run, knew she should flee, but her legs wouldn't move.
"Mummy?"
He was too young to remember her mother, the woman who had committed herself to raising him and only knew her. If the war hadn't happened and- Nancy sobbed again.
"Tell him," the Doctor said. She managed to raise her gaze to him. His blue eyes were pleading, the sharpness gone from them. "Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me and tell him."
A hundred protests clawed at her throat and threatened to spill out. Rose squeezed her hand and then slowly released her grip. Nancy knew she could run. In her gut, she knew that the Doctor and Rose wouldn't stop her. They'd call after her, but they wouldn't hurt her. Swallowing, Nancy felt a flicker of something unexpected in her chest. It took her a long moment to recognize it as hope.
Inhaling slowly, Nancy turned and walked towards Jamie. He was walking towards her, his distorted voice looking up at her and his voice calling to her. She stopped only a foot away from him, and he didn't immediately reach out to infect her.
"Are you my mummy?" he asked. That was the question he'd asked her that night, that horrible night of the bombing. She'd run then, leaving him alone for a bit and promising to be back soon. He'd come looking for her and- "Are you my mummy?" he repeated. "Are you my mummy?"
"Yes," Nancy gasped. The word released a weight on her chest as soon as it escaped her. "Yes, I am your mummy." The words were stronger this time.
"Mummy?"
"I'm here," Nancy promised.
"Are you my mummy?" He asked again.
"I'm here." Nancy sniffed, wondering if he could really hear her. It was Jamie's question, but what if it was too late?
"Are you my mummy?"
"Yes," Nancy said. She raised her voice, trying to break through the fog around her son.
"He doesn't understand," the Doctor said behind her. He sounded defeated. "There's not enough of him left."
Nancy didn't let go of the hope. She couldn't. She'd run once, she'd let her parents take care of Jamie in her steed, and then fled when he asked the wrong question. She couldn't run again; she wouldn't.
"I am your mummy," Nancy promised. "I will always be your mummy." Kneeling, she reached for Jamie. "I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry."
Wrapping her arms around her boy, Nancy focused on his warmth and ignored the horrible gas mask. Tears were streaming down her face. In the back of her mind, she knew that the plague would take her now, but this was better than running. Even that dark fate was better than running from her son again. Her hands tightened around him. Then Jamie's arms came up around her, and Nancy managed a tiny smile.
Rose stayed close to the Doctor, holding her breath as the nanogenes swept in around Nancy and Jamie. Their golden glow surrounded the pair, and Rose's stomach turned. She glanced at the Doctor only to find him watching with wide and hopeful eyes.
"Come on, please," the Doctor whispered. "Come on, you clever little nanogenes. Figure it out! The mother, she's the mother. It's got to be enough information. Figure it out."
"Oh," Rose breathed. Her eyes fixed back on Nancy. "You're trying to-"
"It's working!" the Doctor said. "See? Recognising the same DNA."
Jamie released Nancy who fell back on the ground. The Doctor dashed forward, and Rose was right behind him. She dropped down beside Nancy and smiled as she found the young woman still fully human. The Doctor was in front of Jamie.
"Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one." The Doctor reached down to Jamie's chin, and Rose held her breath. The gas mask lifted away from the boy's skin, revealing a soft pale face with fully human features. "Ha-ha! Welcome back!" The Doctor scooped the boy up, grinning widely. "Twenty years till pop music - you're going to love it."
"What happened?" Nancy asked in a watery voice.
"The nanogenes recognised the superior information, the parent DNA." The Doctor set Jamie back down, and the boy went straight into his mother's arms. "They didn't change you because you changed them! Ha-ha! Mother knows best!"
"Oh, Jamie," Nancy cried happily.
Overhead, Rose could hear the whistling. "Doctor, that bomb."
"Taken care of it," the Doctor answered with a huge grin.
"How?" Then Rose chuckled. "Jack."
"Yep, figured your pretty boy could make himself useful."
"He's not my pretty boy."
The bomb came into view, rushing down from the pitch-black sky. A ship swooped in behind it and a beam of light, a very familiar beam of light, caught it."
Rose heard Nancy gasp, but her attention was on the bomb as Jack appeared astride it. The sight almost made her laugh, but there was a tension in the air that clung to her lungs.
"Doctor!" Jack called.
"Good lad!" The Doctor's voice rang with approval.
"The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis, but it won't last long."
"Change of plan. Don't need the bomb," the Doctor yelled. "Can you get rid of it, safely as you can?"
"Rose?" Jack's eyes moved to her.
"Yeah?"
"Goodbye," Jack called. Rose's stomach dropped as Jack, and the bomb vanished. But he reappeared a moment later. "By the way, love the tee-shirt."
Then Jack vanished again. The spaceship pulled back the beam of light, and a moment later it was blasting off into the night. A rush of golden light made Rose turn. The nanogenes were swirling around the Doctor, but he was smiling, so she didn't panic.
"What are you doing?" Rose asked.
"Software patch. Going to email the upgrade. You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves." Still grinning, the Doctor threw the nanogenes forward into the crowd of patients. They all fell to the ground. "Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once, everybody lives!"
The patients began to stand up, their faces now normal and dazed. A happy smile took over Rose's face. Her chest felt so full that she thought it might burst. The Doctor dashed forward to speak with an older man who looked like a doctor. Rose just smiled at him and turned her attention back to Nancy and Jamie.
"You alright?"
"I'm wonderful," Nancy answered honestly. She smiled at Rose. "We win?"
"You win," Rose promised. "Just stay safe in the meantime."
"I'll keep him safe." Nancy pulled Jamie even tighter against her.
"Keep yourself safe too." Rose smiled at Jamie, who blinked up at her. "He needs his Mummy."
Nancy hesitated. She seemed to be struggling with words, but then she gave up and stepped forward to hug Rose. It was a bit awkward since Nancy wouldn't let go of Jamie, but Rose was more than happy to accept the embrace. Then the Doctor came prancing over, still grinning for all he was worth.
"Time to go, Nancy," the Doctor said. "Go with Doctor Constantine, he'll give you a hand, and he could use some help himself."
Nancy nodded and leaned up to kiss the Doctor's cheek. He blinked in surprise but kept smiling. Rose chuckled as Nancy moved to join the others and they moved away from the abandoned tracks. The Doctor scrambled back up onto the ambulance.
"Setting this to self-destruct, soon as everybody's clear. History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?"
"Usually the first in line," Rose replied. The Doctor's grin only widened.
…..
It took them a bit to get back to the TARDIS even with the Doctor moving extra fast in his excitement. Rose had to jog to keep up with his long, animated strides. He threw open the doors of the TARDIS, still vibrating with energy in a way that reminded Rose of his next incarnation.
"The nanogenes will clean up the mess and switch themselves off, because I just told them to. Nancy and Jamie will go to Doctor Constantine for help, ditto. All in all, all things considered, fantastic!"
"It was a good day," Rose agreed with a smile.
"The best day! Everybody lives! I need more days like this."
"Doctor."
"Go on, ask me anything. I'm on fire."
"What about Jack?" Rose asked. "He said goodbye and took the bomb, that can't mean anything good."
The Doctor sighed, but he was already moving around the controls. "You said that he'll save your life?"
"Several times." Rose was starting to smile.
"Well, that's a piece of history that I'm not going to argue with." He hit the lever, and the TARDIS hummed. Then music began to play and the Doctor held out a hand to her. "Care to dance?"
Grinning, Rose accepted the Doctor's hand and let him tug her closer. His footwork was a bit rusty, but not bad now that he was trying to dance. Glancing over her shoulder, Rose saw the doors of the TARDIS open and held back an amused chuckle. Jack was staring at her with wide, stunned eyes.
"Well, come on then," Rose called.
He didn't need to be told twice. Jack rushed out of the small dark ship and stepped into the TARDIS console room with awe playing over his features.
"Close the door, will you?" the Doctor called. "Your ship's about to blow up. There's going to be a draught." Jack obediently shut the door. The Doctor let go of Rose and started the TARDIS engines. "Welcome to the Tardis."
"Much bigger on the inside," Jack said weakly.
"You'd better be."
Chuckling, Rose shook her head and grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Come on, Doctor. You're rusty."
"Not that rusty," the Doctor said. Then he spun her around, suddenly a great deal more coordinated. It drew a laugh from Rose as he spun her and dipped her. She pretended not to notice the look he gave Jack as happiness settled over her.
…..
They danced for at least an hour, the TARDIS playing a mixture of songs to keep them on their toes. Rose danced mostly with the Doctor, but his mood was so good that he kept smiling even she danced with Jack. She took a quick break at one point, and the Doctor and Jack danced. The Doctor's eyes got a lot of exercise from the way he kept rolling them when Jack tried to flirt. When she finally yawned and the day caught up with her, the Doctor announced that it was bedtime for all humans onboard. Rose gestured for Jack to follow her as the Doctor hummed at the continuing music and started to check the TARDIS console, his excellent mood radiate and filling up the space.
"Now the rooms move sometimes, so don't panic, it's completely normal. If you get lost, the TARDIS will help you find your way with the lights so pay attention to them," Rose explained. She stifled another yawn. "She's telepathic and will translate for you as we travel. If you're using something else right now, you're going to want to take it off, so the signals don't interfere. But feel free to keep it with you, just in case."
"Wow!" Jack laughed and shook his head. "Are you serious?"
"Completely."
"This ship is…" Jack exhaled and stared at the coral wall with a mix of awe and amusement. "Really something."
"Be respectful to our Lovely Lady, and she'll look after you," Rose told him. Raising a hand, she brushed her fingers over the wall. "She's sentient and knows pretty much everything."
"Sentient?" Jack blinked and eyed the wall again. "Are you sure?"
"Given that my wardrobe is always stoked with the ideal clothing for the day, and she controls where we go, no matter what the Doctor likes to think, I'd say yeah. She's a living creature."
"I'll be polite," Jack promised. "So, she's called the TARDIS?"
"That's the technical name. The Doctor calls her Old Girl while I call her Gorgeous and other more complimentary names."
"Angling to be the favourite?" Jack teased.
"The Doctor will always be the favourite, but being friendly with the time ship you live in is just a smart move." Rose came to a stop in front of a new door that wasn't familiar. She knew at once what it was meant to be. "Here's your room. Make yourself at home. There's no set wake up time or breakfast, but fair warning that the Doctor can get bored easily and will try creative ways to wake you up if you're delaying an adventure."
"Noted." Jack nodded and reached for the doorknob. "Rose, thank you." His voice was warm and sincere.
"You're welcome," Rose said.
Then Jack's charming smile reappeared. "Would you like to come in? Help me break in the room?"
"Nope," Rose said, popping the p. "Goodnight, Jack."
He laughed and Rose headed for her own room. A warm, happy feeling filled her chest, and Rose knew that tonight, she'd sleep very very well.