Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Toymaker's Challenge: Follow the Wolf

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: I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy. If you are feeling ill, please make a point of taking care of yourself.

…

Bad Wolf. The words were both comforting and worrying, as they always were. Stories of the Brothers Grimm she'd heard as a child warned her that the words should be bad, should scare her, but years of experience had marked them as something else. Rose had suspicions of her future but still didn't understand how those words played a part.

Rose's fingers brushed over the words carved in the tree. An electric shock traveled up her arm, drawing a gasp from her. The words flashed gold and vanished from the tree, leaving Rose staring in surprise. It tugged at her memory, but Rose couldn't remember why this was familiar. She'd touched the words before, but….

A twig snapped behind it, and Rose's heart skipped a beat. Spinning around, she brought up her sword to defend against the wolf beast. But it was an average looking wolf. Rose stayed still and watched the creature silently. First, there was an evil and monstrous wolf thing after her, and now this appeared. The wolf took a slow step towards her, crouching slightly, which made it look a bit more like a dog.

A soft whine escaped it, and it looked up at Rose. The eyes flashed gold, and Rose gasped. Then it turned away and trotted a few steps from here. The wolf turned and looked right at Rose. She hadn't known what to expect but accepted a moment later that this wasn't the strangest result she could have gotten. So far, this day was like her adventures with the Brothers Grimm, and the Dream Lord had been put in a blender. Rose did not like that at all. She couldn't help but wonder if the Toymaker was pulling from those experiences. If he was an Eternal, that might be possible. Stepping forward, she began to follow the wolf but kept her sword at the ready.

Around her, the forest was rapidly growing darker and colder. In the distance, the trees became fuzzy as if the world around her was fading fast. Rose sped up, nervous at the sudden change. The wolf looked back at her to check that she was following. Nearby the air shimmered, and the wolf snarled. Its eyes flashed gold, and the shimmering vanished. Rose's eyes widened, and she swallowed.

"What have I gotten myself into this time?" she asked out loud.

No one answered, and with her choices being stay here and wait for her hide and seek partner to find her or follow the friendly wolf, Rose went with following the friendly wolf. She could only hope that it knew what it was doing because she was officially lost.

….

Jack caught one of the balls out of the air and threw it back the way it had come with a huff. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. His body was warm now despite the bursts of cold wind that kept sweeping across the arena. More balls were released, and Jack punched one as hard as he could to see it flying forward. It struck one of his opponents, knocking them back a few steps.

The zombies hadn't improved throughout the game, but the pyramid was still taking time to knock over. Each hit shifted the blocks a little, but never enough to cause the collapse was looking for. Glancing down, Jack checked again that he was where he was supposed to be. He didn't' want to risk a penalty for cheating, not against something like the Toymaker.

One of the zombies behind him took a hit from an opposing ball with a grunt. Jack glanced back and sighed in relief when he saw that their pyramid was still in good shape. So far, only one shot had hit it, but every time a ball got too close made him nervous. He wasn't going to cheat, but he had many doubts about their host. Balls bounced away into the snow off the arena, but more just kept coming.

A ball was tossed into the air right in front of him. Jack slammed the ball with all of his weight and watched with a smile as it sailed past the zombies. They were slower than they should be. Puppets that had to see what was happening and then could react. The ball struck the pyramid, and one of the pieces shifted in the center. The structure was becoming unstable quickly. More balls came popping out. He couldn't hit them all, but the zombies were too slow to hit more than one in every three. His own "team" were just as slow, but their bodies were occasionally blocking the balls that were hit. And those that were hit lacked enough force to do much against his pyramid.

It was all too easy. Jack wanted to enjoy it, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling that this was wrong. Of course, another part of him suggested that he wasn't the Toymaker's real target. It made more sense to think that Toymaker was focusing on the Doctor. It sounded like the pair had history, so the Toymaker would, of course, recognize him as the threat.

But that didn't mean that Jack could afford to lose. The physical exercise was keeping him warm, but he was sharply aware that he couldn't keep that up forever. Sooner or later, his body would give out. A ball sailed past him, going faster than usual. Jack twisted to try and grab it, but it struck one of his teammates. They staggered back into the pyramid.

Horror twisted in Jack's chest as he watched too many of the pieces get knocked out of place. It was an element he hadn't considered. The teammate slumped to the ground, taking almost half of the pyramid with it. But the final corner held. The last cornerstone of the structure stayed in place, and five more pieces atop it shifted only the tiniest amount. He was still in. But if that happened again….

Jack growled and focused his eyes forward. He snatched a ball from the air, promising himself to guard his "teammates" more now. The one that had been hit hard yet to get up. He threw the ball towards the enemy pyramid before spinning on his heel and rushing to the fallen zombie. Grabbing their shirt, Jack dragged them forward to get them away from the pyramid. The last thing they needed was it hitting the structure when they finally got up. He had to drop them as another ball came flying towards them and caught the ball quickly. Jack caught it and launched it back, barely paying attention to where it went as he hurried back to the front. More balls came popping up, and Jack punched one as hard as he could.

The enemy pyramid crumbled as the corner piece was hit with enough force to send it flying backward. Despite the threat looming over him, Jack gave a whoop of victory and grinned. The zombies collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut, gazing up at the sky with vacant eyes. Jack's good mood instantly vanished.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," he said softly. He didn't know what else to say. His sympathy didn't vanish, but he faded away in a burst of determination that this wouldn't happen to him.

Jack looked around and waited. The platform stayed there, but there was no sign of any changes. The Toymaker didn't appear. He wasn't teleported to the TARDIS or somewhere warmer. There was no change at all despite him winning the game.

"Oh, come on!" Jack yelled. "I won. I won the game. Release me! Or at least get me out of the frozen hell."

He hadn't sweated much, the game had been pretty simple, but now that he wasn't moving, the world was much colder. Shivering, Jack glanced one more time at the defeated players before searching the nearby area for any place that would at least block the wind. His eyes found a nearby group of rock that might fulfill his need. Gritting his teeth and cursing the Toymaker, Jack hurried over to get out of the wind and see if he could get his vortex manipulator to work. It hadn't earlier, but maybe now that he'd won, he'd have more luck.

…

The Doctor grit his teeth and stormed into the building. It was empty. Either the Toymaker didn't want to undertake the task of populating this city or felt that the emptiness would torment him more. The entry was as elaborate as he remembered. Dark reddish stone was polished to form a floor that was almost a mirror and pillars supported a tremendous domed ceiling that was engraved with elaborate paintings of Time Lord history. In his youth, the paintings had been teamed with holograms to make them move, but now…

Now dust covered the floor and part of the ceiling had collapsed. Rubble was piled in the center of the room, blocking the fountain that had once stood there. The elegance was lost, just like the Time Lords. Shaking his head, he looked around for any terminals that might be in this illusion. He needed to find something. He needed his brain to help him.

The air shimmered, and the Toymaker appeared, but rather than his smug smirk, the being seemed shocked and worried. Stopping in place, the Doctor waited for the being to move or talk. The Toymaker looked at him with sharp eyes, searching the Doctor's face for something. The Doctor wasn't sure if he was finding it or not.

"I have decided that we shall play chess," the Toymaker said after a long moment. His voice nearly cracked. "Your companion Jack won his game."

"Oh?" the Doctor carefully masked his delight.

"I miscalculated and gave him a physical game." The Toymaker's disgust was apparent. Then again, the Doctor couldn't image that the Toymaker played such games. "I felt it would be interesting to watch."

"I hope it was. Did you release him back to the TARDIS?"

"If you do not win your freedom, then it hardly matters."

The Doctor said nothing of Jack's vortex manipulator. It wouldn't work in this twisted time-space if the Toymaker didn't want it to, but if the Toymaker was dismissing Jack, then maybe he'd drop his guard. It was something at least. An elegant marble chess set appeared in the room with two comfortable looking ornate chairs. The Doctor glared at the Toymaker's back as the being claimed the chair behind white. Of course, they would play in the ruins of Gallifrey.

Still, this was something he could win, something with rules he knew. The question was, why was the Toymaker suddenly playing by the rules. He'd had the Doctor running around in a psychologically tormenting location. What had changed? What had Rose done? He took the seat behind the black pieces and waited for the Toymaker to make the first move.

"Tell me of your companion Rose," the Toymaker said as he moved his pawn. "I gave her a game of hide and seek. Interesting to observe, but it has told me little of her."

The Doctor didn't believe that for a moment. He moved one of his own pawns forward and resisted the urge to twitch. This body, more than many others, didn't sit still well. Not in situations like this. He wanted something to do with his hands to keep them busy.

"I met her on Earth."

"Your favorite planet," the Toymaker replied. "They do have interesting games."

"Yes, I suppose they do. I like humans in general," the Doctor agreed. More moves were made. Nothing had really happened yet, and the Toymaker was on guard. "I met Rose when she was… eleven." His stomach dropped at the mention of that, and he fought back a sigh. "She was being attacked by an alien. I save her, and later she helped me." The Doctor shrugged. "Rose is nice, good head on her shoulders, and doesn't give up."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it, Doctor." The Toymaker made their move.

"No, I'm not." The Doctor answered. "I'm not privy to every detail of her life. Honestly, I don't get it either. Rose has done a lot on Earth, and yet she isn't known in their history. Only those connected to UNIT in some way in the future know who she is." He frowned and watched the Toymaker's next move. "Unless I'm missing something." Forcing a grin, he shrugged. "Which is possible. Made she's famous under another name."

Another pair of moved were made. They were both being cautious, and the Doctor was aware of how long it had been since he played chess.

"You are being deliberately obtuse, Doctor. It does not suit you. When I first met you, you would have been just as concerned as I with unraveling the mystery of Rose Tyler."

"I was younger then. Much, much younger. Didn't appreciate a good mystery as much as I do now."

"My interest does not seem to surprise you."

"No." The Doctor moved his knight, finally choosing the gambit to attempt. He took his fingers off the piece slowly, hesitation weighing on him. "You didn't answer my question about Jack, by the way, did you send him back to the TARDIS."

Something like frustration appeared on the Toymaker's face. "No, he is still in the tundra. Trying to use his vortex manipulator and his phone. As if I would allow such tools to work in my Toybox."

"The tundra?" Anger flared in the Doctor's chest. "He won, Toymaker, return him to the main area, at least."

"I will do so when I am ready."

"You will do so now," the Doctor snarled.

"You will answer a question then, without deflection."

They glared at each other, but the knowledge that Jack was likely freezing and that the Toymaker had been aware of their devices made the Doctor's mind. Relaxing back in the chair, the Doctor did his best not to look frustrated. The Toymaker smiled none the less.

"What is your question?" the Doctor asked.

"What is Rose Tyler?"

"She is a human," the Doctor answered firmly. "To all of my knowledge, she is human. I have met her mother and her father." The second was a stretch, but he'd witnessed the death of a very human, all be it very brave Peter Tyler. The Toymaker stared at his face, searching for a lie, no doubt. "Then why are the Eternals so desperate to have her destroyed?"

Those words sent a chill down the Doctor's spine. Apparently, the Toymaker's actions to capture them hadn't been random. An Eternal had failed in Germany, so they tried through the Toymaker. The Doctor wondered if it had been the Meddling Monk who approached the Toymaker and pushed aside the mixed feelings thoughts of the other Time Lord survivor caused.

"I do not know," the Doctor answered honestly. He allowed some of his own frustration with his ignorance to show. "And that was two questions, send Jack back to the TARDIS."

The Toymaker snapped his fingers, and a crystal ball appeared floating over the chessboard. The TARDIS was staying in the white field with a few of the Toymaker's games and toys around it on the tables they'd seen when they arrived. Jack appeared on the ground a moment later, curled into a tight ball, and shivering. His companion looked around immediately, and the Doctor relaxed at the sight of Jack aware and awake. Jack climbed to his feet and pulled out his TARDIS key. But when he reached for the TARDIS door, a barrier prevented him from entering. The Toymaker chuckled as Jack began to yell curses.

"Your companion is safe."

"I said to return him to the TARDIS."

"He is at the TARDIS, Doctor, but I am not going to give him access to the technology inside. He can amuse himself with the rest of my games while he waits. I have no doubt that you and Miss Tyler's final fates will be determined soon." The Toymaker then moved his queen, and the Doctor had to focus on the chess game at hand.