XII
Exchanging stories

Manchester
1775

The news about the ship that failed to import to Liverpool spreads across the country like a house fire. No one can really explain about the sudden harsh currents in the river or how the ship exploded, but Manchester is frowned upon for poor safety. It is only Rose that has noticed what is happening. Everyone takes it as a horrific disaster, but Rose knows that history is changing and nothing good is ever going to come out of a new dramatic event in history.

But matter's only gets worse for Rose when she returns to the house where the children lives, for the police has got there before her. Rose halts for a split moment as dread runs through her at the sight of the front door to the house sitting wide open.

"But no you cannot do this!" A female voice cries from inside which is quickly followed by screams and cries from the children.

Before Rose can run into the house, two police officers comes out of the house, each holding onto Penny and Phillip who are both crying hysterically. Penny is frenetic. She screams as her legs kick about wildly.

The man and a lady, whom Rose only presumes to be his wife, runs out after them with tears in their eyes. Penny bites at the policeman's arm but that does nothing to make him let her go.

"I will rip your guts out!" Penny screams and she continues to struggle.

"What's going on?" Rose shouts as she runs up to the police officers.

"They are going to live in the local orphanage for a short while before they are moving to the Foundling Hospital." The police officer carrying a crying Phillip says calmly. "They have no family. They have to be put somewhere safe."

"No you can't!" Rose cries out but the man and his wife pull her back.

All of a sudden Rose starts to become very frantic as she struggles in their grip. She wants to run and save the children from the police officers, but the man and his wife's grip on her is rather tight.

Penny is still hysterical. "You lied to us!" She screams over the policeman's shoulder to Rose. "You promised us that you would look after us. You said you would help daddy! You are a liar! This is your fault!"

But all Rose can do is stand there and watch the scene unfold in front of her as the children are taken away. Everything has gone from bad to worse since she first came to this city and she is still nowhere near bringing the Doctor back.

The news of the sinking ship comes back to Max and Master Franklin not long after the event happened. The news upsets Max greatly after he hears of the death of Horace Bellingham and he demands to know what is to happen to his children. The man who comes over to inform Max the news is one of the doctors who worked alongside him to help look after the Bellingham family when they were sick. He only comes back with an answer to Max's demands is that Max is not to know where the children are going. The doctor understands that this fact hurts Max but he tries his best to lighten the mood by saying that they are under safe control.

When the doctor leaves, Max suddenly lets out his rage by picking up a vase and throwing it across the drawing room. This frightens Edina who is in the room with him and only infuriates Master Franklin who has heard the smash all the way from the office.

Master Franklin comes storming into the drawing room and lectures about what will happen if Max lets his anger take over his mind: madness will sink in that there is no end to that. There is no cure for madness.

Then with a grumble Master Franklin orders Edina to clean up the mess.

Max goes out for a walk in hope to completely walk out his anger. It isn't until Master Franklin returns to his office that Max announces to his servants in a gruff voice that he is going out.

He pulls on his coat and storms out the house. However once Max is halfway up the street it is then that he suddenly realises that April still has not returned from her morning stroll. He hasn't seen her all day and he has no idea where she might have gone. Knowing how April has always been, he thinks that April would most likely go to investigate the disaster, but as he reaches the river, the roads are blocked off and guarded by the naval officers. They order him to turn back around. Max only sighs knowing that April isn't down there, and at the same time he is quite thankful because he isn't sure he wants to see the wreckage.

Max walks around the streets of Manchester in hope to find April somewhere. Every female with black hair he passes gives him hope, but no one has the same pale skin and scornful scowl as April does. Many of the people he passes are huddled together as they whisper words to one another. Most catches Max's eye and nods at him in recognition. The streets are eerily deserted since the ship's crash but he knows that give or take a few days the city will be busy again. Well he certainly hopes that everyone's moods will increase in time for his party tomorrow night.

Max has walked around the city for a long time before he passes through the gates to the church north of the city that he and Master Franklin used to attend weekly Sunday services to. They have now moved to a different church further south of the city.

Max is surprised to see the church still standing seeing as no one ever comes to visit it. The stone walls look a little well for wear and the grass has started to overgrow, but the large wooden doors still opens all the same.

As soon as he steps in he sees someone sitting on one of the middle benches to the right side of the aisle, and just from the back of her head he knows that it is April.

Max closes the door behind him and starts to walk down the aisle.

Not once does April turn around to look at her brother, despite that his footsteps echoes all across the church. Max silently takes a seat on the bench just behind April. It creaks as he sits, but still neither of them says anything.

It is cold inside the church and none of the candles are lit like they always used to be. The grey clouds outside shines little light through the stained glass windows. It is cold and windy and Max can only ponder as to why April wants to sit here. He also wonders if she has been here all day.

Max remains silent for a little while longer before he cranes his neck to look over April's shoulder. April is looking down at her shaking hands that are in her lap. She is holding onto something tightly in her hand and it isn't until April starts twisting it between her fingers that Max notices what it is.

It is a little silver badge with U.N.I.T engraved into its surface. Max nods.

"You do realise UNIT is a dead company." Max says as he looks directly ahead to the altar.

April stops twiddling the badge and continues to remain silent for a long moment.

The silence continues for a little while longer.

April sucks in some air. "Actually at this time UNIT doesn't exist and won't come into business for another hundred and fifty years. The soldiers I met haven't even been born yet." She mumbles.

Max frowns before he leans forward, resting his forearms on the back of the bench April sits on. "Is that what the Doctor did?" He asks. "Did he take you back in time to meet UNIT before the big battle?"

April glances up to the altar with her eyes. "Close enough." She mutters wondering how she can explain to her brother that they got caught in a parallel world where her parents were still alive and that she fell in love with a man who she could never see again. Her throat feels very dry as the memories of that world comes flooding back. April shifts on the bench as she holds the UNIT badge tightly in her hand. It is all she has left of them. That and the Wingerdette broach she keeps in her jean pocket at all times. "I met mum and dad again," April says in a low voice. "Met them in a world where dad's inventions are successful and they live in their dream house. I was still thirteen years old and you were a black cat."

Max looks at April and understands her words. "You went to a parallel world."

"UNIT were still alive," April lets out a long deflated sigh. "And I watched mum die during battle."

There is a long pause as Max watches April as she tries her best to hold back her tears. Max says nothing but he reaches out and squeezes her shoulder. It is a gesture April feels so accustomed to but she remains sitting there before she places her hand on top of Max's.

"Have you learnt much about the big battle since you've been here?" April asks after clearing her throat.

"The Doctor explained a few things here and there whenever he paid me a visit."

"The fighting is over but the battle is still happening." Both April and Max says at the same time.

The realisation of them both saying the exact same thing in unison surprises them so much that they find themselves laughing quietly. Once they have calmed down, April continues to talk.

"I still don't know what it means," She says quietly. "I mean the Doctor holds possession of the Cytracik which in doubt will make him the most wanted alien in the whole universe. More than he already is I suppose."

Max suddenly sits upright. "The Doctor has the Cytracik?"

April nods. "The Daleks gave it to him and he's kept hold of it."

"Well if you know where's he's kept it then I'm sure we can find a way to destroy it. Once that's gone then this will be all over. You will be rid from your nightmare and I will be rid from this tuberculosis."

There is a long pause as Max's words hangs in the air.

April slowly turns to look at her brother who suddenly looks extremely guilty.

"What did you say?" She asks in a shaky voice.

Max purses his lips and looks from side to side, suddenly feeling a horrible scratchy feeling in his throat.

"Please tell me that's not true!"

Max sighs. "I wish I could."

There is another long pause.

"How long have you known?"

"Since I tried to save the Bellingham family. It was the inevitable really but I tried to lie to myself and think that everything was okay. It wasn't until the Doctor caught me coughing up blood that he knew I have tuberculosis. He's given me medicine to prolong my life a little but I'm afraid this will be the death of me just as that nightmare of yours will be the death of you."

"So this is exactly what the Cytracik did to us. Our prophecy just informs us of how we're going to die." April shuffles in her seat and looks down at the UNIT badge that is sitting in her lap.

"You're scared."

April looks across to one of the stone pillars on the other side of the church. "It isn't my death that scares me," She says. "It just scares me that I finally know the truth seven years later. And it scares me that our dad had the power to give this to us, even if it was unintentional."

There is yet another long silence.

"I always wondered why my throat always felt so dry," April mutters under her breath, but then her scowl deepens as she looks up at her brother. "When you wake up in the mornings," She says slowly and carefully. "Do you ever feel a terrible burning feeling in your chest, almost as if-"

"It's eating away at your soul?" Max finishes for her. "Yes."

April covers her mouth with shock.

"Twins always have a sixth sense." Max's voice is soft as if he is trying to make light of the situation.

"Yes but I don't want you to suffer from that!"

"And I don't want you to feel my killing disease!" Max then frowns. "Just to mention, April, I believe I haven't felt the fiery pain for a little while. Okay it was quite painful a few days ago before I saw you but even before that there were long intervals were I'd have no pains," Max looks at his sister who is looking down at her lap guiltily. "You're not sleeping, are you?"

"I'm too afraid to." April mutters.

Max sighs and nods once more.

They don't stay in the church for long after that. Max asks April what she fancies for dinner and he refuses to hear her say that she doesn't have much of an appetite. April considers the question for a moment before saying she feels like having soup. Some sort of autumnal vegetable soup. Max laughs at her response and he promises that that is what she will get for dinner.

On the walk back to the house, Max tries to keep the conversation light as he talks about his adventures he went through while living during the Industrial Revolution. He tells her all about the books he read and all the studying he has done to become a biologist and the times when he saved people's lives on many an occasion.

"Maxwell Hollerford: the city hero," April announces as they walk down the street. "If you really wanted to, you could become the hero that discovers the cause of cholera and create penicillin," April suggests. "For you do already know."

Max chuckles. "Yes but I shouldn't really change history so much."

Max opens the front doors to his house and allows April to enter before him. But the moment she walks in, she is suddenly introduced to the household's butler. The butler April has met before in Scotland.

The same Butler to Jack Gruntler.

April stares at him suspiciously as he offers to take her coat. The Butler only looks down his nose at her like he always does. April never paid Jack's Butler much notice on her visits, but now he is also the Butler to her brother and Master Franklin, she knows that he is far more important to her than just a butler.

The Butler's white hair is combed backwards perfectly and his tiny catlike whiskers moustache that sits just above his lips is neatly trimmed. His has a long face and a very thin, long body. His facial expression reads of boredom. Yet at the same time the little glint in his grey eyes shows a little judgemental side to the Butler, almost as if he is quietly disapproving of everything that is said. The expression he wears is very similar expression her grandfather used to wear in every family photo. April narrows her eyes as the Butler continues to look down at her and they don't speak until Max leaves them in the hallway alone after Master Franklin calls for him.

April waits until she hears the door closing behind Max before she speaks.

"So he's now keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't get up to mischief."

"Jack Gruntler sent me here to look after your brother while he suffers," The Butler replies in a well-spoken British accent. "I just inform him everything that he needs to know."

"But how did you get here from the parallel world?"

The Butler looks down at April as if he believes her to be rather stupid. "Jack will be found where he needs to be found."

April smirks. "Jack also sent you here to figure out the myths about the Devil. He wants to know more about the Doctor being pulled back in time," April shakes her head. "So there is definitely something wrong."

"Jack Gruntler does not have any more authority over the Doctor as much as the Doctor has authority over you. The Doctor is no longer here with you. Have you not realised that since he's been gone, trouble has not followed you?"

April considers the Butler's words for a moment and she knows he is correct.

The Butler clears his throat as he folds April's coat over his arm. "Your brother is having a party tomorrow night to celebrate his recent achievements. Many of his acquaintances have been asking when his twin sister will return from her travels. I am sure your presence will please many."

The Butler turns and leaves April standing alone in the hallway.