Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Forty: Forest of Cheem: Escape

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 episode is actually going to have one more chapter. It hasn't gone exactly as I was originally planning, but hopefully we'll all like the result.

…

Plant zombies. There were no other words for what Rose and Jack found when they returned. The three plant figures had gotten loose and were stumbling around the area surrounding the lab as if they weren't sure how to walk. They were touching any plants they could find while the Doctor tried to scan them with the sonic screwdriver. Worse was the way that the plants were withering under their touch.

As the hover cart lowered, Rose could only stare in stunned silence. She supposed that this was one way to spread a biological weapon, but not the most efficient way. Except maybe this wasn't the intended way.

"Give me a hand!" the Doctor snapped. He glanced at the sonic screwdriver. "They aren't dangerous to us, just to plant life."

Jack jumped into action while Rose's brain was still trying to catch up. She could damn near hear Mickey howling with laughter over plant zombies. Prying her hands off the seat, Rose jumped down and summoned her sword. Jack was trying to herb one back into the building without touching it which wasn't going well. It stumbled forward, dragging its feet through withering ferns and vines, reaching for another tree. Rose approached and brought up her sword.

"Wait!" the Doctor's voice cut through her thoughts. "I've detected higher brain activity."

"Are you saying they are alive?" Jack asked. He was reaching for one of the plant creatures only for it to flinch back. Jack froze in place. "Uh… I think that may be right."

Rose released her sword, letting it return to bracelet form. The plant creature in front of her was watching her. There was no recognition that it was in danger in those bright green eyes. It didn't seem to understand. Like a child, Rose's mind offered and she lowered her hands.

"Can we touch them?" Jack called to the Doctor. "We're mammals so we can touch them, right?"

"I'm trying to finish a scan-" the Doctor was looking at the sonic screwdriver. His shoulders tensed and then relaxed. "Yeah, we can touch them."

"Then this just got easier!" Jack reached forward to grab one of them.

It whirled around and shoved him. Jack was thrown off of his feet and crashed landed onto the ground several feet back. Rose's eyes widened in alarm and she rushed forward. The plant creature ignored her and walked away, infecting more vegetation as it went.

"They're strong," Jack groaned. Rose helped him sit up slowly. "Very strong."

"Plants are pretty strong," Rose agreed softly. "I suppose it shouldn't surprise us."

"And yet, I was surprised," Jack said. He carefully climbed to his feet, Rose beside him. "Doc, what's the plan here?"

"We need to get them back into the containment pods!" The Doctor answered. He was trying to approach one of the plants, his hands where it could see them. "I was narrowing in on what was going on when they started waking up."

Rose and Jack exchanged a look and then Rose glanced up at the sky. The sun hadn't set yet, but they were creeping into late afternoon.

"Any idea what night will do to them?" Rose asked. "When the sun goes away?" she clarified.

The Doctor looked over at her and grinned, his eyes bright. "Not with certainty, but their pods had lamps in them. Once they were out, they immediately came outside."

"Maybe they detected the sun," Jack said slowly. "And when that goes out of view…"

They were all sharing the same idea. It made Rose grin, but then she noted how one of the trees was groaning under its own weight. These things had done a lot of damage to the immediate area and they had to keep them contained. What else did plants need? How were they causing the wither effect?

"Doctor, what are they doing?" Rose asked.

"Wandering around," the Doctor grumbled.

"No, to the plants," Rose said. "Is it a fast-acting virus or something else?"

"No, it's not a virus," the Doctor answered. "They're absorbing nutrients at a hyper-accelerated rate. That growth in their chest wasn't a virus or tumor, it was a specially designed organ. The plants are withering because they are losing all their nutrients at a rapid rate."

"Are you sure it doesn't affect mammals?" Jack demanded. "Cause that sounds like it could affect mammals."

"It isn't keyed to mammals," the Doctor said, but there was a dark tone in his voice. "Not yet at least, which is why this needs to stop here."

Jack grunted as he grabbed the plant. It released a strange high pitched sound that rolled down Rose's spine as it cried. Around them, the trees seemed to shake and shudder in response. Her stomach dropped. She really hoped that wasn't a bad sign. The plant had come alive in Jacks' grasp, twisting and trying to break free rather than its slow stumbling movement. The other two plants had bolted at the sudden display.

Rose and the Doctor rushed one of them. It froze in shock, staring at them and not moving. She tackled the plant creature. A shiver passed through her skin and Rose really hoped that she was imagining it. The plant thrashed beneath her and Rose desperately made soft shushing sounds, hoping to calm it. Fern leaves tickled her cheek but quickly turned into a scratching sensation as the leaves died.

Primal panic set in. The urge to run away pounded at the back of Rose's skull, but someone she kept a tight hold of the plant and dragged herself and it to its feet. The Doctor was getting the lab door open for Jack as he wrestled the one he'd taken down back inside. Rose carefully climbed to her feet, keeping a tight grip on the plant creature. It was strong, pulling against her and Rose struggled just to hold it in place.

"I'll be right there, Rose," Jack called. "Let me get this one inside."

She nodded but didn't look over towards Jack. Her skin prickled and that cold shudder returned. Rose trusted the Doctor, but she could have shown that she felt weaker. Still, she held on and closed her eyes so she didn't have to watch the horrible way that the plants around her were falling apart into dust.

Jack returned after far too long. His hand on her shoulder reassured Rose and she started to relax. The plant zombie broke free, elbowing her in the gut, but Jack grabbed it with a strong grip. It shrieked again and Rose hissed at the sound.

"These things are strong," Jack grunted. He wrestled it towards the lab door. "Come on, the Doctor's got the other pod ready."

Nodding weakly, Rose didn't let down her guard. Any of these escaping into the wild was a horrible possibility. Her heart kept pounding even as the lab door opened and they crossed the threshold. She could hear banging in the other room and grimaced at the sound. The door slid shut behind them and she fought to pull out her sonic pen. With a flick of her wrist, Rose locked the door and finally released a breath.

"This wasn't so bad," Jack said. "I was expecting something a bit more difficult. Or the Doctor cornered by these things."

A soft chuckle escaped Rose. Jack had a point. She'd expected and imagined much worse during their frantic ride here. Jack nodded towards the door to the room where they'd found the pods in the first place. Their prisoner slumped against Rose, releasing a long slow sound that shook Rose's bones.

"I know," Jack said. "Breaks my heart too." He offered her a soft supportive look and Rose helped him guide the creature into the room.

The Doctor was moving around the room with a frantic energy that would have been more in line with his next incarnation. The captured creature was pounding on the surface frantically.

"No language skills," the Doctor said. Anger filled his voice. "We can't calm the poor things down."

"Let's get this one back into bed," Rose suggested. She tried to keep her voice gentle, but it had no calming effect on the plant creature.

"Be gentle," the Doctor said. "This isn't their fault."

"Have you figured out anything?" Jack asked. They steered the plant creature towards the pod. It went slack in Jack's arms and he hoisted it up into the pod before it could change its mind. Hands reached up and fearful eyes met Rose's. "Doctor?"

"They are artificial,' the Doctor said. The lid of the pod slid into place and Rose swallowed. "They're an incubator and dispersal system for a biological weapon." The Doctor turned back to a screen. "I've locked the pods," the Doctor said. "Didn't think of it before. Their vitals suddenly jumped." He was eying the nearest pod as the plant creature tried to push open the lid. "We'll have to keep an eye on them."

"We need to catch the third one," Jack reminded them. He moved back towards the door and Rose and the Doctor followed.

Stepping outside, Rose searched the foliage hopefully, but her heart quickly sank. She couldn't see the third one and panic clawed at her chest. A string of alien curses escaped the Doctor as he pulled out the sonic screwdriver. They all waited with bated breath and Rose took a tentative step away from the door.

"It's running," the Doctor said darkly. "Towards the city. Rose, you and Jack track it and bring it back here."

"What about you?" Rose asked Jack was already running for the hover cart.

"I'll work on a way to deactivate their weapon system," the Doctor replied. "Remember, it can't hurt a mammal and it isn't spreading germs or a virus. As long as you get it before it gets to the trees, it'll be fine."

Rose had the sense that he was trying to reassure himself as well as her. Nodding, she dashed to the hover cart and cursed herself for not being able to deal with the other one without Jack. If she'd been a little stronger than Jack could have taken down the third.

"We'll find it," Jack promised.

The hover cart kicked into action and Jack turned them sharply towards the city. Pulling out her sonic pen, Rose tried to set it to scan for plant life, but it was an unfamiliar setting. She tried three times, but couldn't manage it.

"I can't get a lock!" Rose yelled.

"Damn," Jack huffed. "Well keep your eyes open!" he shouted back.

They traveled at a low speed this time and Rose frantically searched the trees surrounding them. A path of decay marked the way that their wayward plant creature had gone, but in the lush forest, it was hard to differentiate the shades of green. Any sign of movement drew her attention, but the wind was stronger outside of the ravine. Rose was amazed that the creature had climbed out rather than keep following the low area. It would have made them much easier to catch, but maybe some instinct had told the creature that.

Pulling out her phone, Rose called Jack's phone and nodded to him when he glanced her way. He seemed to understand what she was planning because he slowed them down a little more as they passed a tree with a darkened spot. The phone rang and rang and Rose wondered if Jabe had left it somewhere or couldn't understand the technology.

"Hello?" Jabe was speaking loudly, but Rose smiled.

"Jabe, one of the creatures has escaped," Rose said quickly. "We're tracking it in the forest, but it is heading towards the city at the moment."

"Oh no!"

"It isn't spreading a disease," Rose assured her. "But it does cause plants to wither so keep everyone in lockdown. It drains plants by touch."

"Can you stop it?"

"Yes, they don't affect mammals. The Doctor has the other two contained and is working on a way to stop their draining effect. You just need to be careful."

"I'm sorry that we can't help you."

"Don't worry about that right now. Just keep everyone inside and we'll find it."

"Hopefully it won't go into the city," Jack said as Rose ended the call. He was eying a withered tree and the area beyond, trying to find the right direction. "After all, those stone structures wouldn't look friendly to it. Even with the plants inside the buildings."

"Hopefully," Rose agreed. She felt like she was going to sick. "This was not what I was expecting this morning when I wanted to see this planet."

Jack laughed, the sound warm and reassuring. "It's never what you expect."

…..

The Doctor was leaning against the lab table and glaring at the cabinets. They were full of chemicals and stored retro-viruses. All the information on the DNA of the plants was on the screen beside him. But he was missing something. The effect wasn't tied to their DNA, they were stable as it was and had great potential. The issue was that an artificial organ had been added to their chests and it linked through their nervous system.

Like all plants, they took what they needed from the air and the soil around them, but at a much faster rate. That organ was what made them need so much more than normal, but he was at a loss for how to remove it. A retro-virus could stop the cells from fixing the organ as it was damaged and wore out but wasn't an immediate solution. Surgery was the best option, but thanks to it being linked into their nervous system that was dangerous.

The two pods in the other room were silent when the Doctor stalked back to them. He peered into the pods to find the two plant creatures sleeping. It was another side effect of their rapid metabolisms. If they weren't sapping plants then they were trying to conserve what energy they did have. A nasty weapon that had to keep destroying to stay alive and was fueled by the natural desire to live. It wasn't the worst weapon he'd ever seen, but it was up there.

This wasn't going to be a fast fix. That was impossible. He had a solution, but Jabe would need to agree to oversee it. Given the threat that these creatures represented to her and her people, he wouldn't blame her if she refused. He hoped that she wouldn't. But he wasn't going to risk the TARDIS to these creatures or risk them escaping onto other worlds. Jabe was their only hope.

He returned to the cabinets and pulled down some nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium along with a few other things. Maybe some fertilizer would hold back their need to drain other plants for awhile. The Doctor smiled a little and reached for a container of caffeine. He'd keep them going in containment until Rose and Jack returned.

His phone rang and he grabbed for it, afraid that something had happened. Jacks' name popped up. That wasn't surprising, it was one of only two contacts that he had in the phone and he'd used a bit of jiggery-pokery to block calls that he didn't want thanks to the TARDIS. The last thing the universe needed was him becoming frustrated by scam calls.

"What is it, Jack?" He put the phone against his shoulder and kept working.

"This is Jabe," the familiar voice of the tree said. "Jack gave me his communication device. He and Rose just warned me about the escaped weapon."

"Good, then you know." The Doctor was relieved by that. It made everything easier.

"What can I do to help?"

"If you have a containment unit there where you can store it that would help," the Doctor said. "That way Rose and Jack don't have to wrestle it back here if it does get all the way to the city."

"Understood. Can you tell me anything about what we are dealing with?"

"These creatures are basically the highest maintenance plants and invasive species you'll ever see." She didn't even chuckle at the joke. "They rapidly absorb nutrients from other plants through physical contact. I can't say for sure if they were meant as a weapon or simply a way of clearing land amounts of land very quickly and I can't get a good reading on their metabolism to determine their life span."

"I see." He heard Jabe sigh over the phone and gave her a moment to process. "I'm not comfortable ordering them destroyed given the circumstances, but do you think they can be safely contained?"

"I think so." The Doctor started to smile. "When we met, I thought you were just a diplomate or businesswoman, but you're not, are you?"

"The Forest greatly values intelligence," Jabe said drily. "I am an expert diplomat, but also a highly respected biologist for my people."

"Jabe, I think you're just the person I need to talk to."

Keeping the phone ready, the Doctor returned to the pod screens and brought up the latest bio readings. Without waiting for Jabe to say anything, he started to relay the information to her, hoping that she'd have some new ideas to offer. If they were lucky, Rose and Jack would secure the last plant soon and they could sort this out without any more damage to the trees of the Cheem.