Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Forest of Cheem: No Answers

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.

…

It wasn't often that the Doctor didn't know something. It happened on occasion. That was after all why he traveled the universe, but between his years at the Academy on Gallifrey and centuries of travel, he'd come across almost everything at least once. Rose looked down at the face of the sleeping creature and sighed softly in sympathy. A lot of horrible possibilities were going through her head and she could only hope that they were wrong.

"We should get Gumpas back to the city," Rose suggested. "They can keep him locked up and might be able to track down some information about him that could help." She eyed the unconscious alien. "And I hate to say it, but there easily could be a harmless explanation for this. Maybe he made them and something went wrong and he's trying to help them." Given how he'd spoken earlier, Rose doubted it, but people weren't always calm and articulate when they were stressed. "Just to be safe."

"I need to stay here with the pods," the Doctor said without turning around. "Whatever is happening here is happening fast. If they are a lab-created species then it'll be hard to tell what kind of life cycle we're dealing with and what is going on inside of them."

"I'm with Rose, let's hope it's an instability that he was trying to fix," Jack said darkly. "But I agree with her that we should take him to the city."

"Rose, go and get some samples for Jabe," the Doctor said. "Then you and Jack can take Grumpas back to the city."

"You sure?" Rose frowned. "I don't like leaving you here alone."

"Neither of you is transporting him alone," the Doctor insisted. "That's asking for trouble."

Given that the hover cart was open-topped, the Doctor had a point. Rose nodded and headed for the doorway to collect the sample pack from the hover cart. Behind her, she was well aware that Jack was moving closer to the Doctor to talk and pushed down a wave of irritation that Jack was waiting until she left.

…..

The Doctor kept his attention on the readouts. Something was very wrong here, but he couldn't put his finger on it. If they were lucky, it was some kind of physical defect that would only affect these three beings as tragic as that option was, but there was the real possibility that they were incubating some kind of terrible disease that would affect plant life. There was a whole spectrum of things it could be and he didn't know enough. Jack stepped up next to him, distracting him from his thoughts.

"I know you aren't sure about me," Jack said. "But I swear to you, that I will keep Rose safe."

The Doctor met Jack's eyes. The lad's gaze was firm and he was reminded that this wasn't some useless pretty boy. Jack had seen more than most and lived through more than most ever should. Some of his initial distrust still nagged at him. Jack Harkness was not this man's real name, the Doctor was sure of that, but Rose's affection for him and his actions during the Blitz meant something. Besides, the Doctor knew he shouldn't judge people by them not using their real names given his own situation.

Jack's words about not knowing what he'd done in those years rang in the Doctor's head. Jack wanted, needed to be trusted, by someone else. He needed the Doctor to believe that he could and would protect someone. Rose had said it, sometimes you needed someone else to believe in you before you could believe in yourself. That had been him after the War and now it was Jack.

Grabbing Jacks' wrist, the Doctor began to input coordinates in the Vortex Manipulator before Jack could protest. "I'm saving the coordinates for Rose's home period," the Doctor said. "If something goes wrong. If you can't get back to the TARDIS then get her home. She won't thank you for it, but she'll be safe."

"Yes, sir." Thankfully Jack did not salute.

"And here." The Doctor dug into his pocket and searched until his fingers wrapped around a small yale key. Drawing it out, the Doctor held it up for Jack to see and watched the younger man swallow. "TARDIS key, about time you had one." He held it out and almost smiled when Jack reverently opened his hand, letting the Doctor place the key in his palm. "And I know you'll keep her safe. You kept Jo safe."

Jack nodded and closed his fist around the key. He nodded to the Doctor and looked like he was going to say something, but the usual boisterous man was at a loss. Smiling slightly, the Doctor nodded at the door behind Jack.

"Don't wait too long. You've been with us long enough to know how she can wander off."

That got a smile from Jack. The former Time Agent winked at the Doctor. "We'll check out the local scene, Doc. Maybe find some trouble."

"She always finds trouble," the Doctor grumbled.

Still, he felt a bit better when Jack hurried after Rose. She was good at getting out of trouble, but he had to admit that he was liking having someone else to help keep an eye on her. There'd been too many close calls over the years and those were just the events that he knew about. The Doctor frowned and pushed that train of thought away. It would do no good to dwell on Rose's complicated timeline and what might or might not have happened in her past.

He moved to the next pod instead and studied the readings. It was nearly identical, a failure of the internal organs and nervous system, but he couldn't determine the cause. Jack came in a few minutes later as he grabbed some of the stored samples and tied up Gumpas as the alien groaned softly in his sleep. If the Doctor enjoyed watching Gumpas be dragged out of the room in the corner of his eye, he didn't think too much about that.

…

Jack had a skip in his step as he exited the complex despite dragging their prisoner. Rose paused in her scraping of tree bark to watch him secure the tied up Gumpas in the back of the hover cart. She didn't dare risk trying to talk right now. The kit had come with a strange bubble-like face mask that Jack had insisted she put on. It fit tightly over her mouth and nose and had a strange texture a bit like the slime they sold in small containers in corner markets as a kid's toy. She shivered at a couple of unpleasant memories of that stuff and babysitting.

Her hands were gloved in protective material that shimmered softly in the sun and weighed nothing. It was all very familiar and strange at the same time. A strip of bark gave way and Rose quickly put it into a small glass-like container. She sealed the lid and bent down to put the container in the bag. There were only two sample jars left and Rose cast her eyes around for anything else of value.

"Rose?" Jack called.

"Almost done," she answered. It was strange to hear her voice so clearly through the mask and the texture was even stranger against her moving lips. "We've got some fern leaves, soil samples, what looks like healthy bark and sick bark, any other suggestions?"

Jack frowned and glanced at the building. "I'd say samples from inside, but I doubt we can risk opening the pods just yet."

Rose hated that. She wanted to open the pods and talk to the people inside, but until they knew more, she knew it wasn't safe. Jack jumped down from the back and headed for the door. "I'll see about getting a copy of the digital files. We should give Jabe something about the building."

Nodding her understanding, Rose grabbed the sample kit and walked over to a nearby tree that seemed to have been infected. The bark was shivering up and cracking with strange ugly grey patches discoloring the leaves and layer under the dissolving bark. Using the kit, she cut into the damaged layer under the bark, wishing she knew more about plants and trying to remember what it was called. Problem was, she wasn't sure if she'd ever learned that in biology.

Once she had the last samples, Rose climbed into the hover cart and took the wheel with a mixture of excitement and dread. Most of the controls were similar to what she was used to and the rest were very intuitive. She supposed that with the humanoid shape being so common, there were a limited number of ways to design certain things. After all, humans all across the globe had figured out swords and tools independent of each other.

"Let's go," Jack said once he was in place.

Rose couldn't help but hesitate. The seat next to her was empty and it shouldn't be. She looked over at the building.

"He'll be fine," Jack said.

But Rose couldn't help but remember Mel's story about the last time someone had created plants. They'd been made as slaves and went on a killing spree to avenge themselves. It hadn't been a story with a happy ending. It had been one of those days where a companion was just grateful to be alive. Shivering, Rose turned her attention to the controls. The sooner they handed Gumpas over and established communication with the odd bunker, the happier she'd be.

"He's got a phone now," Jack reminded her.

"If he uses it," Rose grumbled. Picking up a phone for Jack had been a nice little trip to her home time and she'd gotten one for the Doctor, but he was bad at ignoring it or leaving it off.

They couldn't talk on the way to the city with Jack in the back and the wind. Rose took the chance to think, but she wasn't sure what was happening. So far they'd been able to keep the danger low and she hoped that would continue to be the case. Her eyes checked the trees as they drove, searching for signs of the infection, but it wasn't obvious.

When they reached the city, Rose had to use the navigator system to help them find their way to the proper building. They came to a stop and Rose turned into the seat to find Gumpas stirring and Jack watching him was a sharp and thoughtful look. Gone was a flirt and in its place was a concerned former Time Agent or, she supposed, companion of the Doctor.

"I'll stay here," Jack said. "You try to find Jabe."

Nodding in agreement, Rose grabbed the sample bag and rushed to the back door. She found the doorbell and pushed it for a long moment before reminding herself that it wasn't really a doorbell and leaning on it might not do anything. Jabe came walking into view a moment later, a picture of grace and restrained worry.

"Rose," Jabe greeted as the door opened.

"We have the samples," Rose said. "But we found a lab set up in the ravine."

"A lab?" Jabe's shock was obvious. "How? Why?"

"Not sure how you didn't detect it," Rose admitted. That did surprise her. "And we're working on why. There was a scientist there and he's got three uh plant people in pods. The Doctor didn't know the species."

"He didn't know, but he's a-"

"Yeah," Rose sighed. Her shoulders slumped a little. "We're not sure what to make of things and the scientist was… well, he seemed crazy." Rose gestured over her shoulder. "The Doctor stayed there to try and figure out what is going on, but we brought the scientist here. He said his name is Gumpas."

"Gumpas," Jabe repeated. Then she shook her head and walked closer to the hover cart. "I do not know that name. You don't know what he was working on?"

"We aren't sure," Jack admitted. "The Doctor's trying to figure it out. Current theory is he created those people for something, but they're unstable. He was testing stuff on the trees, probably to fix them."

"He was very dismissive that there was a city here," Rose said. She shook her head. "Can you hold him? Maybe try to find out about him?"

"Of course." Jabe nodded and pulled a small device from a pocket of her coat. It was very similar to what Rose had seen her use on platform One. "Rose, will you take the samples inside. I'll alert security and begin an identification search."

That sounded good to Rose, but it didn't shake her nervousness. Grabbing the sample bag, she headed to the front door and pulled out her phone. She kept it tight in her hand as the disinfection process started all over again. Hair stuck to her face and Rose held back a sigh, unwilling to open her mouth as the air blasted her dry.

"I hate that stuff," Rose grumbled when the inner doors finally opened.

Another tree was waiting for her inside. He was much taller than Jabe and his eyes locked on the sample bag. With a rushed thank you, he swept the bag out of her hands and walked quickly towards the back. Rose blinked after him, but let it go quickly. Instead, she focused on her phone and quickly found the new speed dial for the Doctor. Turning around, she brought the phone to her ear and watched the proceedings outside as she waited for the Doctor to answer.

…..

Jack couldn't shake the bad feeling crawling up his spine as the security detail approached. After seeing the city empty, it was shockingly strange to suddenly see a team of six trees closing in on them. Jabe was close beside him and while Jack would have normally focused on flirting, he was instead watching the prisoner closely.

"Be sure you search him," Jack said. "I've checked him over, but I could have missed something."

"But be gentle," Jabe added. "We don't know for sure yet what he is up to. He might be innocent of any intentional wrongdoing."

"I doubt it," Jack muttered. "You didn't see this guy at the lab."

"I don't wish to make things worse," Jabe countered. Jack nodded, he had to respect how calm she was being about all of this. "Will you and Rose return to the lab?"

"I think so," Jack said. A soft sigh escaped him. "I don't like leaving him there alone, but none of you should go until we know more."

"You're very worried."

"You ever hear the story of the Trojan Horse?"

"No." Jabe blinked at him. "Is it important?"

"I hope not."

He didn't have time to explain any further. Rose came burst out of the main building, her face flushed with worry and her eyes wide. Jack was instantly on alert and heading towards her. Jabe asked what was wrong, but Rose's eyes were on him when she answered.

"The Doctor says that the subjects just woke up."

"And?"

"And it's a weaponized disease," Rose said. "He's sure of it. They're incubating some kind of plant killer."

Jabe's horrified gasp was enough to send them into action. Without discussing it, Jack jumped into the hover cart, taking the wheel this time and Rose climbed into the passenger seat. Jack had just enough presence of mind to toss Jabe his mobile phone so they could contact her before they sped off towards the lab and the Doctor. He also had enough awareness to realize that the Doctor was not going to be happy that he was bringing Rose back with him.