Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Forest of Cheem: Catching up With Jabe

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: This chapter almost didn't happen. The latest Windows update shredded by operating system and crashed my computer for a couple of days. I wasn't to recreate everything so I hope it all makes sense.

…

The quiet of the city only made the wind louder. Judging from the massive open areas and lack of roads, this was a city that was normally full of foot traffic and maybe even small markets. Yet, the sun was glittering off of the smooth glass angels of the buildings and there was no one but them to see it. Through the glass in different buildings, Rose could see more greenery and thought she saw movement once, but most of the glass was darkened to keep her from seeing inside.

"Do we think it's empty or just in lockdown?" Jack asked. His friendly tone was gone and instead the voice of a soldier ready for orders had taken its place. "My scanner isn't picking up anything harmful to us."

"TARDIS would have warned us if it was something that simple," the Doctor said. He took a few steps forward and looked around. "No damage to the buildings."

"No," Rose agreed. She narrowed her eyes up at one large window. "I think… I think there might be people inside. No one is near the window, but I think I saw movement up there." She pointed at the window in question.

"Maybe," the Doctor agreed. He nodded forward. "Come on, let's take a look around. Might be a festival across town that everyone is at. Or a sporting event. Doesn't mean it's anything bad."

That was a valid point, but Rose could tell that the Doctor didn't believe it. She looked up as they walked, checking the windows that were still clear. Sometimes, she thought she saw something move, but no one came to the windows. They didn't go far, just down the street from the TARDIS. Jack tried to open one of the massive glass and metal doors, but it was locked up tight.

"What do you think, Doc?" Jack asked. "Sonic our way inside?"

"No." The Doctor pointed up ahead at a building with a large sign in front of it. "These are residences by the looks of things, that's a public building. If people are hiding inside, let's not terrify them just yet."

The building in question was a bit different from the others. It was still built like a massive greenhouse, but there were unfamiliar pieces of equipment mounted on the side. Rose was able to glimpse a balcony high above their heads that was filled with large machines. Solar panels lined one side of the building and the sign proclaimed it "Central Forest Health." Through the glass doors, Rose could see trees and lots of plants around a wide walkway that curved quickly out of view. There was no reception desk or anything that was familiar to her as part of a government building.

"Now this is more like it," the Doctor said. He inspected the doorway and located a panel beside it. "Doorbell."

Jack and Rose exchanged a look as the Doctor rang the doorbell. It seemed a bit odd to Rose, but she reminded herself that this was over a billion years in her future. Jack kept shifting between his feet, a picture of nervous energy and turned to check behind them again. They were still alone.

But then something moved inside and it kept moving. Rose leaned forward as a tall tree dressed in something like medical scrubs came around the curve of the walkway. It looked a lot like Jabe with dark brown bark skin, hints of greenery near the top of its head, but it was taller than Jabe had been. They stopped and stared out at them. The Doctor raised a hand and waved, sending the poor tree further into shock. Suddenly, it dashed forward and the doors slid open.

"Are you the ones that did this?" It demanded. A thick arm reached for the Doctor. "Did you cause this?"

"No," the Doctor said quickly. He let the tree grab a lapel of his leather jacket and motioned for Rose and Jack to stay back. "We're travelers. We just arrived and came looking for someone. What's happened?"

The tree narrowed dark brown eyes at the Doctor for a moment before looking at Jack and Rose. Then it released the Doctor and sighed. Shaking its head, it stepped back and lowered its arms. Jack shifted closer to Rose protectively and Rose rolled her eyes. She really hoped that he eased off this routine soon.

"I apologize," the tree said. "Thing have… things have not been going well for our people."

"What's happened?" the Doctor asked. "Who can I speak to? I can help."

"Lady Jabe is overseeing-"

"Jabe!" The Doctor grinned. "Perfect, where is she?"

The tree blinked at them and Rose stepped forward and smiled. "Sorry that we startled you. What's your name?"

"Jacin." The tree looked at her and blinked. "Uh… please follow me. If you think you can help then I suppose there's no harm in letting you in."

As Jacin let them past, Rose realized that they were actually in a small room with another set of clear glass doors separating them from the lush greenery inside. Jacin pressed a button beside the door. There was a loud clicking sound that made Rose jump. She looked up at the Doctor curiously.

"Disinfectant," the Doctor said. "Probably to protect the plants inside."

"Yes, you might be carrying something," Jacin said. "It'll just be a moment."

Suddenly the room was flooded with sharp sprays of bubbles that hit Rose all over. She jumped again while Jack laughed. The Doctor crossed his arms and tried to look dignified as pink bubbles dripped down his nose. Air followed and Rose watched the soap begin to vanish from her skin and clothing. Her hair flew around her and she wrinkled her nose at the odd feeling. Then it was finally over and the inside doors slid open.

"This way," Jacin said as if they hadn't just gone through a car wash.

The Doctor glanced her way and grinned at the expression her face. She glared at him and he only smiled wider. Jack knocked her shoulder as he passed and winked at her. Rose followed a moment later, her curiosity overriding her distaste.

She'd been expecting it to be humid inside, but it wasn't. Instead, the air was thick with the smell of soil and a hint of something that Rose couldn't identify. There was a great variety of trees in the building and the path forward curled around thick trunks and large ferns. Small screens near some of the trees had charts that seemed to be tracking water intact and health. She wasn't sure how closely the health of these trees and the walking trees were connected. She wasn't sure of the life cycle of Jabe's people either. Did they grow out of the large old trees or was it more like what she was used to?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when they came to another doorway that hadn't been visible until just before they reached it. Ivy was growing over this wall and close around the door making it almost impossible to even see beyond. Through the small patches that were open, Rose could see three more tree people inside of the room. Jacin did something and the doors swung open, making the ivy leaves flutter. Once inside, Rose could see that the room was some kind of lab with machines she recognized as computers, small growing pods, and tables with various samples spread across them.

"We have visitors," Jacin said.

The figures turned and Rose smiled when she immediately recognized Jabe. Gone were the long red robes and instead she was wearing a simple pale green tunic and pant combination similar to scrubs and a dark green lab coat. Her eyes widened at the sight of them and took a slow step away from her terminal.

"Doctor?" Jabe asked. She blinked at him in surprise and then looked at Rose. "Rose? I- I am surprised to see you again."

"They just arrived," Jacin said. He was eying them suspiciously again. "Do you know them milady."

"Yes, we met on Platform One, during Earth's death," Jabe answered. She took a cautious step towards them. "I owe them my life. But why are you here?"

"Rose wanted to see the Forest of Cheem," the Doctor answered. "But we seem to have arrived at a bad time."

"You could say that," Jabe agreed. She gestured behind her to the samples. "Something is happening in the forest to the older trees. It might be some kind of disease, but we have only a few samples."

"You haven't' gotten more?" Jack asked.

Jabe smiled softly at him and Jack stepped forward. In a graceful movement, he took Jabe's hand and kissed it delicately. "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Not the time, Jack," the Doctor said. "They haven't gotten more samples because whatever is affected the trees could spread to them."

"Exactly, Doctor," Jabe said. She was still smiling at Jack. Then she shook her head and turned her attention back to the Doctor. "Not that I'm not grateful to see you," Jabe said. "But what are you doing here?"

"Rose was interested in seeing your home," the Doctor answered.

"Didn't you detect the warning beacons?" one of the other trees asked, sounding suspicious.

Jabe smirked a little, her dark eyes brightening with humor. "Their ship is somewhat different, I expect," she said. he gave the Doctor a gentle and fond look. "Still, I fear that this is not a time for sight-seeing."

"What is going on?" Rose asked.

"Forest trees are dying,"Jabe answered. There was a quiver in her voice. "Many of the oldest and stronger trees have suddenly died and we haven't been able to figure out why."

"Disease?"

"We aren't sure. Our first tests didn't find anything," Jabe explained. "No signs of burning or chemical attack."

"Could it be something genetic?" Jack asked. "Some faulty mutation."

"We can't rule that out," Jabe answered. "But the effect seems to be spreading. We know the area where is started, but there are signs of the problem in other areas. As you said, Doctor, we're concerned about it affected our people and thus most are hiding." Jabe hesitated and then sighed. "Several teams went into the forest to try and gather more information, but they have not returned. We're afraid that they might be dead from whatever this is."

"So it might already be jumping to your people," the Doctor said. He shook his head and then smiled. "Well, we aren't trees. If it is a disease or some kind of outside force it won't affect us."

Jabe smiled. "I was hoping you would offer. You are correct, as mammals, you won't be affected by the same things that harm us."

"Do you have any scans of the area?" the Doctor asked.

Jabe shook her head and gestured towards another door on the far side of the room. As she started walking, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and they followed close behind her.

"The area where the worst effects are happening is in a natural ravine. We've always had trouble monitoring the area and it's gotten worse lately. I'll be blunt, I don't know what you're going to find out there."

"We can handle ourselves," the Doctor said.

"I know." Jabe opened the door and they headed towards the back of the building. "I just wish that I had more to tell you. As it stands, no saplings are allowed outside and the trees are avoiding any outside air. It's a bad state of affairs. Our lights provide some nutrition to us, but it's no substitute for staying inside full time."

They paused long enough on the stone path to let Jabe ducked into a storage room. Rose's mind whirled as she tried to take in everything that had been said so far. It was nice not to have to prove that they were capable of helping, but the speed in which Jabe was sending them off spoke to how worried she was. Jabe returned with a large canvas bag that she handed to Jack.

"This is a sample pack. It has everything you will need." Jabe looked at Rose and sighed. "I'm sorry that I'm not in a position to entertain right now, but we can't do anything without information." She paused and pressed her rough lips tightly together. "Would you like a firearm?"

"No," the Doctor answered immediately.

"Doctor, there is a very real possibility that this is intentionally being done by some unknown enemy-"

"We'll be alright," the Doctor assured her. "We've got Rose."

"Somehow I've become the bodyguard," Rose teased.

Jabe didn't looked any happier in that moment but nodded her understanding. The other trees who were following behind them just seemed confused. Rose understood the feeling. Jabe rattled off several species names and a couple of chemical names to the Doctor as they walked that meant nothing to Rose. It was a sharp reminder just how far in the future they were.

The back of the building was very similar to the front with a large sign visible through a set of glass doors. Rose once again noted that there was a small chamber between them and the backdown. Apparently, they had to go through the cleaners again. Outside the back of the building there was a small vehicle waiting for them.

"The hover cart is the best vehicle to use in the forest," Jabe explained. "It's narrow enough that it can navigate between the largest trees and won't harm the foliage."

"Great!" Jack adjusted the sample bag. "So, the plan is just to grab samples?"

"That's what we need the most," Jabe admitted. "Please be careful. I'm sorry that I have to ask you to do this."

"You didn't ask," the Doctor said. "We offered." He glanced at the cart. "Does it need keys?"

Jabe blinked at the question, apparently very surprised. "No," she answered with a soft chuckle. "Nothing like that. Can you drive it?"

"Course."

The Doctor didn't give Jabe any time to worry about it. He opened the door and gestured Rose and Jack into the decontamination chamber. Jabe backed away as the door shut and waved to them. Rose had only a brief moment to see the guilt on the tree's face before she was blasted with soap. Nervousness churned in her stomach as she blinked and focused on the line of trees watching them. Worry radiated off all of them and Rose couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear for what was happening in the forest.

The hover cart had two seats in the front with sloping sides that then became a flat cargo area. There were small rails and straps for securing whatever it might carry. Small panels on the underside glittered in the sunlight and Rose suspected that they were the 'hover' part of the vehicle. A small screen sat in the middle of the front dashboard with a steering wheel on the left side like an American car. Grinning, the Doctor hoisted himself up into the cart and sat behind the wheel. Jack gestured for Rose to climb up into the second seat. Giving him a smile, Rose let Jack help her up and strapped herself in. She took the sample bag from him and secured it in the empty space between her and the Doctor's seats.

Jack climbed in and said he was ready. With a smirk, the Doctor revved up the cart and they took off. Jack yelped behind them which quickly turned to excited laughter. Twisting around, Rose looked back to find Jack holding onto straps with his feet firmly planted like he was water skiing. He caught her looking and grinned widely at her.

It took them no time at all to leave the city behind. Instead of the shift from urban to suburban that Rose was used to, this was a sharp cut off. The city simply ended with the stone floors transforming into dark soil and rich undergrowth. Looking back, Rose watched the glass buildings become smaller and smaller and bit her lower lip with worry. It still looked empty. How many people were hiding deep in their homes, too afraid to even approach the glass? It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Of course, they took Rose down the ugly rabbit hole of having to wonder if this was natural or something else. Environmental films were something she'd grown up with and a nagging suspicion that this was on purpose had taken hold. Still, it was too early to make assumptions.

They drove into the forest, the wind tugging at Rose's hair and Jack laughing behind her. The Doctor navigated them carefully around the large trees and the thick growths of ferns. Rose watched their surroundings carefully, trying to take note of anything that looked out of place, but all the trees were just a little too different from what she was used to after a billion years of evolution and genetic engineering for her to know what wasn't right.

The car followed a steep slope and the sides of a natural rocky ravine rose up around them. Everything got darker as the trees and rocky sides blocked out much of the sunlight. The temperature even dropped. Rose shivered at the sudden change but quickly resumed her examination of the area. Something smooth flashed between two trunks. Rose straightened. She saw it again between another set of trees. It was a tall metallic wall.

"Doctor! There's a building over there!"

"What!" The hover cart stopped sharply. Jack had to grab onto their seats to catch himself. "It's not on the map."

The cart gently lowered itself until it was hovering only a foot or so off the ground. Now that they were stopped, Rose could see it very clearly. It wasn't massive, but it was there. A building with smooth metal walls that was about the size of a small house. It looked to only be one story, but the soil around it was dark and the vegetation had been stripped away.

"Well, that shouldn't be here," the Doctor murmured. He jumped out of the hover cart and looked back at Rose. "Fancy a look?"