London, River Thames: March 7th, 2005
Aries let out a shuddered breath, quickly brushing the tear that rolled down her cheek away. Without much of a conscious thought, the red head slipped the ring on her finger, feeling her own magic wash over her as the glamour came into effect. She didn't know why she had put it on except for the feeling – the need – to be closer to her father for the moment, and despite that she could only feel her own magical signature in her glamour, there was still something soothing about wearing the ring that Severus had gifted her.
However when a shiver travelled up her spine after a cold breeze swept over her, Aries was rather surprised to find herself standing before the river Thames; right across from the London Eye. She pulled a pair of gloves from her coat pocket and slipped them on, not even thinking of just using a simple warming charm. In fact, the witch hadn't even realised how chilly the evening had gotten having been so caught up in her thoughts.
Deciding that it would be best to head back to her lab soon, the red-headed witch dispelled the notice-me-not charm and lent against the railing as she stared out over the river; just watching the water as it flowed passed. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as one of her fingers ran over her ring that was now hidden by her gloves, and she tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall as she thought about everything she had lost in her long life, none more so than her father. The witch missed him so much, and at times the pain of his loss was almost too much even after all this time.
She let out another shaky breath as she tried to pull herself back together; reigning in the emotions that normally were kept locked away. It wasn't healthy, she knew, to bottle up everything, but Aries felt that wallowing in the past was not going to get her anywhere. Her father had wanted to be happy and safe, and Aries wouldn't waste the life he had given her by drowning herself with the ghosts of her past.
With more determination than she had felt all day, and managing a small, abet tired smile, the red-headed witch turned from the Thames with the destination of her lab in her mind, only to stop short when she spotted a rather peculiar sight.
The TARDIS was sitting not too far from where Aries was standing... along with the Doctor and Rose Tyler.
The witch stood there rather dumbfounded at the sight of the pair before her eyes were drawn to the Doctor's ship when she felt that slight presence that had always been in the back of her mind since her trip with the Time Lord grow to a warm buzzing. Aries felt rather glad that she had placed her ring on as something told her – whether it was the TARDIS or something else entirely – that it was better that she appeared as Eris at the moment rather than her normal red-headed self.
She still wasn't certain about her feelings at seeing the Doctor again, anyway.
Her lips tugged downwards at the corners when the pairs conversation drifted her way and her gaze was drawn back to them, surmising from what she was hearing that this was when the Doctor and Rose first met... given the blonde's rather obvious questions, and Aries rolled her eyes, her earlier thoughts forgotten as she recalled Rose once mentioning all those decades ago about the Time Lord having blown up her job.
And I would bet my entire wage that if I were to look up her employment, Hendricks would be the place that would appear as her current workplace, the witch mused as her frown faded.
"If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?" the blonde continued to question the Doctor.
The Doctor turned his head to look at Rose with an expression of bare tolerance as he leaned against his ship, "Lots of planets have a north."
"What's a police call box?" Rose asked as her eyes shifted from the man and to the blue box he was resting against.
"It's a telephone box from the 1950's," Aries spoke up before the Doctor could reply, and her sudden presence had the pair jumping in surprise, turning in her direction rather quickly.
The Doctor's eyes narrowed as the witch got closer before his eyes widened in recognition. "Eris?" he asked, seeing the same blonde that he had met outside of Hendricks the day before. His question had Rose looking between the two, curious to know how someone else knew the Doctor; especially since he had informed her that he was alone.
Aries nodded at the Time Lord. "Doctor," she greeted as she came to a stop a few feet away from the pair.
"Wait!" the Doctor exclaimed, his expression morphing to both confusion and surprise, "You knew that was me yesterday," he stated before realisation flashed across his features and his eyes narrowed again; this time his expression changing to a more wary and guarded look. "How do you know me?" he almost demanded, suspicious as to why she hadn't mentioned anything the day before.
The red head – currently masquerading as a blonde – tilted her head to the side as she looked to the Time Lord rather curiously. He was nothing like how she remembered and she wondered just how early it was for him before he met her as Aries. "It wasn't that hard to figure out it was you," she told him with a gesture to the ship beside him, feeling the buzzing in her mind grow amused as she did so. It almost brought a small smile to her lips. "You're box gave you away for one," she continued, managing to keep her expression clear of her inner thoughts, "And then when I saw you leaving Hendricks yesterday, it really wasn't that had to piece everything together."
A crease formed between the Time Lord's brows as he glanced at his ship. It was true that a UNIT officer of her rank could have possibly heard about him and be able to recognise his TARDIS. But it didn't explain how she had recognised him. He had been very... quiet with his travels to Earth after the war. Voicing his thoughts, the Doctor took a step towards the witch, "That doesn't explain how you knew it was me," he stated, "Or why you didn't say anything."
Once again fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Aries instead held the Doctor's gaze unwavering as her posture straightened. All she said next was a name, but it was a name that she knew would stop his questions... for now.
"Brigadier, Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart."
To say that Rose was both confused and curious was an understatement as she watched the Doctor take a step back from the 'blonde' at the mention of the name; his eyebrows furrowing further as he eyed the newcomer. It seemed to her that the other woman did know the Doctor, although he didn't seem to know her, and it had Rose looking at the 'blonde' curiously, wondering just who Eris was.
When the Time Lord still didn't respond, just continuing to look at her with furrowed eyebrows, Aries took it as her chance to continue, "And the reason I didn't say anything yesterday was because I'm under strict orders not to reveal your identity unless the situation calls for it."
"Orders?" the Doctor questioned.
The witch sighed as she gave the Doctor the same expression he had given Rose not moments earlier. Her posture relaxed slightly as she steered the conversation away from her affiliation with UNIT, not wanting to divulge too much information about her exact position within the organisation was. "As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I'd rather think that the signal you were trying to destroy yesterday is far more important. If you've managed to locate the origin of the signal that was controlling those Autons, I believe that it needs to be stopped as soon as possible. Before anyone else dies."
Her words had the Doctor's eyebrows raising in surprise at just how much she knew before his lips turned downwards into a frown. If the woman truly knew the Brigadier, than it wasn't too farfetched to think that she would know about the Autons as well. But it made the Time Lord question just how close the 'blonde' was to Alistair, and just how much she knew about himself in general. Eris knew what his ship looked like, after all. But the Doctor also couldn't help but notice that the 'blonde' looked far too young to have been around when he had been exiled on Earth.
"How do you know what they are? Do you know why they're here?" Rose piped up as the silence after the witch's words grew, looking to the other woman in confusion. The Doctor told her that he worked alone, so how did the woman know about the living mannequins?
"That's classified," Aries replied, barely glancing at Rose as she did so. "Do you have any idea why the Nestene Consciousness would be here?" she questioned the Time Lord, wanting to get the situation sorted as quick and clean as possible before she was forced to put in a call.
Rose huffed at the witch, crossing her arms against her chest. She didn't like how the other 'blonde' had dismissed her without an explanation. Rose felt as though she deserved to know what was going on, considering those living plastic things had tried to kill her - twice!
A slight grin twisted the Doctor's lips, even though he was still a little wary about the newcomer. UNIT was an organisation that he really didn't want to have to deal with again, and had found over the years that some of the ways they dealt with situations a little beyond them to be quite... human. "Why wouldn't it be here?" he said, confusing Aries as he continued, "You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air – perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!"
"What?!" Rose exclaimed in alarm, startled by the mere thought of those plastic things killing more people.
"Is there any way of stopping it?" Aries questioned the Doctor, ignoring Rose's outburst. She already knew from what Alistair had told her about the last time he had come across Autons and the Nestene Energy, the Time Lord had somehow managed to send it back into space, and the witch rather hoped that he had some way of doing the something similar.
His grin growing, the Doctor pulled out a vial of blue liquid. "Anti-plastic," he spoke in a manner as if it solved everything.
"Anti-plastic," Rose repeated rather dumbly, unsure as to how the vial could stop whatever the Nestene Consciousness was.
"And do you know where the Nestene Consciousness is?" Aries continued to question the Doctor, once again ignoring Rose. She wanted the Consciousness dealt with as soon as possible, not liking the idea of the alien energy being on Earth any longer than necessary. She also rather hoped that it would leave without a fuss.
"No," was the Time Lord's reply, hiding his curiosity towards the woman in front of him. Despite her young age, Eris seemed rather at ease with the concept of aliens, and the Doctor was curious to know just how long she had been working with UNIT. She looked to be in her early to mid-twenties at least. "But it couldn't be that hard to find," he continued as he turned back to the Thames and the rest of London beyond. "How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" he asked neither woman in particular.
"Hold on," Rose cut in, gaining the other two's attention, "Hide what?" She was feeling a little lost at what they were going on about, and it wasn't helping that neither were telling her anything.
"The transmitter," Aries replied, "The Consciousness can control every single piece of plastic, but it needs something to help boost its signal to do so."
The Doctor gave the witch an appraising look, rather surprised that he didn't have to explain what he was looking for to her. He turned his gaze back to the Thames and beyond, still trying to work out where the Consciousness would have placed the transmitter, not seeing Aries following his gaze and raising an eyebrow when she spotted something in the distance. Rose on the other hand couldn't help but continue with her questioning.
"What's it look like?" the blonde asked as she looked between the pair, growing a little annoyed that neither were telling her anything really important.
"A transmitter," Aries drawled in a way that had the Doctor glancing at her with an amused smile, "You know, something that looks like a huge, circular, metal structure..." she raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, "Like a wheel, perhaps?" she continued as she let her gaze drift back to the London Eye across the Thames.
"Exactly," the Time Lord agreed, "It would have to be close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."
"Or you're blind," Aries muttered under her breath, forgetting the Doctor's rather heightened hearing and he turned to her with a confused expression.
"What?" he asked and the witch just shook her head as she replied.
"Nothing."
Aries hadn't taken her eyes off the London Eye and the Doctor's eyes narrowed as he followed her gaze. Though much to the 'blonde's' amusement – along with Rose's who had actually caught on to what Aries was looking at – the Time Lord still didn't seem to notice the massive Ferris Wheel on the other side of the river.
"What?" he repeated.
A sigh escaped Aries' as she tore her gaze away from the Eye and to the Time Lord. "You have visited London before, right?" she asked a little more sarcastically than she had intended, but she couldn't see how someone as brilliant as the Doctor could be such a dunce at times. When all she received from the man in question was an irritated look, Aries just rolled her eyes. "You know the London Eye? That big, round, metal structure sitting smack bang in the middle of London."
The Time Lord looked back across the river and the disguised witch swore she could see when it finally clicked in his mind.
"Oh, fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed in delight and turned back to the 'blonde', only to find that she was no longer standing there. He frowned, glancing to Rose who just pointed towards the Westminster Bridge where Aries was heading, a little unsure as to what had just happened.
The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed a little as he watched the 'blonde', though was quick to follow after Aries; Rose trailing behind not really wanting to be left out anymore than she already felt.
"What are you doing?" the Doctor called as he and Rose caught up to the witch as she ran over the Westminster Bridge.
Aries glanced at him with an expression that was one the Time Lord realised he often wore when someone asked him a stupid question. "I'm looking for the Consciousness," she told him, barely out of breath, "I'd rather not have all the plastic in the world – every artificial thing on this planet – come to life. Those mannequins killed somebody yesterday, and I'd rather not want to live with what the phones, wires, or cables would do if that thing succeeded."
"What about the breast implants?" Rose added, though it only had her earning a disgusted look from Aries.
"Yes, and I really needed that mental image," she huffed with a roll of her eyes. As they made their way to the other side, Aries turned her gaze to the Doctor as they came to a stop near the Eye. "We've found the transmitter," she said, "But do you have any idea where the Consciousness would have hidden itself?"
The Doctor looked around, "The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath the transmitter," he told her.
"What about down here?" Rose called as she looked over a parapet nearby.
The other's moved to where she was and looked to see what she had found, noticing a large manhole at the bottom of the steps.
"Looks good to me," the Doctor remarked, glancing at Aries who only nodded.
The three of them headed down the steps, the Doctor opening the hatch when they reached the bottom and revealing the chamber beneath that was lit with an ominous, red glowing light. The Time Lord was the first to descend the short ladder first, followed by Aries and then Rose. When they got to the bottom, the trio found themselves in a large, brick-built area filled with lots of chains. They passed through a door and down a flight of stairs, finding themselves in a large, open multi-levelled chamber.
"The Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor introduce quietly, looking towards the large vat that sat on the lowest chamber. It seemed to be filled with some kind of molten plastic. "That's it, inside the vat. A living creature."
The glamoured witch raised a 'blonde' eyebrow as she eyed the vat. Out of everything she had been expecting, it had definitely not been that.
"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go," Rose spoke up, nodding to the vial that was in the Doctor's jacket.
"He's not going to do that," Aries stated rather firmly, shooting the other blonde a dark look. Her voice was low and dangerous; surprising both the Doctor and Rose.
The blonde was quick to recover and huffed. "And why not?" she asked. "And who are you anyway?" she continued before Aries could answer her first question, but Rose found that she really didn't like the 'blonde'. Aries had ignored, or just outright treated Rose like someone who was unimportant and below her ever since she had made herself know to the pair.
Aries turned so she was facing Rose, her expression unimpressed. "UNIT Commander, Eris Black," she said, her voice holding the authority she knew her position held. Even if it wasn't her actual position. "That creature is alive," the witch continued, nodding her head in the direction of the vat, "And I do not care what you think it deserves, or what it has done," Aries glanced to the Doctor and found him to be looking at her in shock; as well as a little curiosity, "But it deserves the chance to leave Earth peacefully."
The Time Lord nodded in agreement; his shock slowly being overturned by his curiosity as he continued to stare at the 'blonde'. He found that Eris was an enigma; direct and straight to the point, taking her position within UNIT seriously. But the 'blonde' also held an understanding that he seldom came across in humans, knowing that they were most likely going to shoot first and ask questions later.
Eris understood the value of a life – an alien life at that.
Turning his attention to the still shocked Rose, the Doctor said, "The Commander is right. The Consciousness deserves a chance to leave peacefully," before he made his way down the catwalk that overlooked the seething vat below.
Aries followed, her eyes scanning the surrounding chamber as she tried to find any signs of a trap. Her nose wrinkled as she got closer to the vat; the smell of molten, living plastic turning her stomach.
"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to Convention Fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor said, drawing Aries' gaze back to the Time Lord and the vat below.
The creature inside the vat flexed, seemingly in agreement to the Time Lord's words who grinned, and it reminded Aries of the Halloween of her second year when Fred and George managed to charm all the pudding to 'eat' any and all who tried to consume it first. She had been rather sad that the 'Golden Trio' hadn't been there...
Then the whole debacle with the basilisk put any ill feelings the rad head held towards the trio. She doubted that it would have been fun to have confronted such a beast – let alone slay one. Though it still didn't mean she had to like them, and they were quick to learn that.
"Thank you," the Time Lord continued, eyeing the vat below, "If I might have permission to approach?"
"Oh, god!" Rose's shrill voice cut through the air, causing the pair to look in her direction. They watched her rush towards a dark-skinned young man on a lower level as she exclaimed, "Mickey, it's me! It's okay," as she reached the distraught male, "It's alright."
"Mouse?" Aries muttered in surprise, her eyes widening as she recognised the young man below. It had been four long years since she had seen the boy, and the red head almost gasped at the pain that shot through her heart at the sight of her nephew no longer being a boy, but now a young man. The 'blonde' was quick to look away, shaking her head and stopping her thoughts from going anywhere close what happened during that Spring of 2001.
Mickey's eyes were wide as he stared at his girlfriend, not even realising that she hadn't come alone. "That thing down there, the liquid, Rose – it can talk!" he exclaimed.
"You're stinking," Rose remarked, her nose wrinkling as she fussed over her boyfriend before her gaze went to the pair on the level above her, "Doctor, they kept him alive!" she told him, delighted that her worst fears hadn't come true.
The Doctor just rolled his eyes as he and Aries continued down closer to the Consciousness. "Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy," he said rather offhandedly, which earned him an incredulous look from the blonde.
"You knew that and you never said?!" she shrieked, causing Aries to wince and rub her temples.
"Can we please keep the domestics outside?" she asked almost painfully, shooting the blonde a glance, ignoring the young man still clutching her legs. What's done is done, she told herself, trying to ignore the headache she could feel as she pushed her emotions deeper than normal. She didn't need Mickey to get any ideas as to who she was, not knowing what could possibly have the young man remembering her.
The Doctor turned to Aries, an amused expression on his face, which fell rather quickly at the sight of her fists clenched at her sides, and the slight tick in her jaw. He easily brushed his curiosity aside as he focused back on what had brought him back to Earth in the first place, wondering if he'd get time afterwards to speak with Eris.
The idea of a new companion did sound rather appealing at the moment...
"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" he asked the vat of molten plastic below, and when it flexed once more, he continued, "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with great respect, that you shunt off?"
There was a slight, proud grin that played upon his lips when he was finished, almost as if he thought he had said something immensely clever, and Aries raised an eyebrow at the man. "Doctor," she warned, shocked by his works, "I don't believe that antagonizing the Consciousness is the correct way to get it to leave," she told him, knowing that taunting the alien was fair from correct. Though a part of her felt as though it had been his mission to antagonise the alien, though she wasn't too certain as to why.
"Protocol states that w-"
The Doctor rounded on Aries, cutting her off with an expression that had her pausing. It was a different - darker - look, one that the witch had never seen on his face before. "If you truly know the Brigadier, then you would know that you do not have the right to question what I do," he said, his voice low and threatening, "You will do well to remember that, Commander. As your superior, I am giving you a direct order. Stay. Out. Of. This."
Aries' jaw dropped as the Time Lord turned his back on her. Did... did he just pull rank on me? she thought in disbelief. A scowl appeared on her lips as her eyebrows furrowed, her hands once more clenched at her side as she glared at the man. How dare he! she growled in her head, right before she closed her eyes. It was a moment before her chest rose with a deep inhale, falling as she let the breath out slowly, taking her anger with it. As Eris, the witch knew that she couldn't do or say anything against the Doctor. He was right, and as much as it might annoy her, as much as she didn't like it, he was her superior officer and Aries had to follow his orders.
Rose looked confusedly between the pair, unsure as to what they were talking about.
"Oh, don't give me that," the Doctor snapped as he continued to converse with the Consciousness, "It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." The vat of plastic flexed once more, though whatever it said only enraged the Time Lord further. "I am talking!" he shouted, surprising Mickey and Rose with his sudden outburst, while Aries watched on impassively.
"This planet is just starting," the Doctor continued, "These stupid people have only just learnt how to walk-" Aries huffed under her breath, "-but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."
Aries frowned at the Doctor's use of the word 'please'. It wasn't that he had actually said the word, but the double meaning she felt that lay in the plea. And in her distracted state, the red head didn't notice the four figures approaching her and the Doctor from behind until it was too late. She let out a sound of surprise as she felt the stiff, cold, but firm grip of two Autons latching onto her arms, causing the Time Lord to turn to her in alarm. Her distraction only succeeded in allowing the pair of plastic mannequins the grab him as well, one of the Autons searching through his jacket and revealing the vial of anti-plastic.
"That was just insurance," the Doctor exclaimed as he turned back to the Consciousness, which had grown furious by the Autons' find. "I wasn't going to use it. I wasn't attacking you," he tried to explain, "I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not."
The alien wasn't hearing any of his excuses and flexed angrily inside the vat.
"What do you mean?" the Time Lord questioned, his face paling. Though his attention was drawn to a door behind him and Aries on a floor above, a door sliding away to reveal the TARDIS. The Consciousness continued to speak; however none bar the Doctor could understand what it was saying. Aries didn't need to understand the alien to know whatever it was saying was beginning to upset the Doctor, who's next words only confirmed her thoughts.
"No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes that's my ship," the Time Lord's voice had begun to take on a slight panicked tone, "Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" he exclaimed.
Aries' entire body went rigid in the grip of the two Autons, and her head snapped from the TARDIS and to the Doctor so fast that she was vaguely surprised that she didn't end up with whiplash. But that concern was overcome by her horrifying realisation of what she had been dreaming about for the last twenty-odd years hadn't been dreams at all. Everything seemed to slip into place in the witch's mind; why the Doctor seemed so different to what she remembered, as well as the dawning horror at the understanding as to what the end of those dreams had meant.
And as she stared at the Time Lord, Aries knew without a doubt that the Doctor hadn't just fought and survived that horrid war , but had also been the one to finish it.
An older, weary face flashed across her mind's eye – the same face that had haunted her memory since the first time she had seen those piercing brown eyes – and the witch knew it to be the Doctor. That he had made an awful, terrible, unfathomable, and quite possibly universe-saving decision to finish what the Daleks had started. It tore at her heart to know that he had also destroyed his home planet to stop them.
There would be no more burnt-orange skies that made the silver-leaved forests look like forest fires burning in the afternoon sun.
No mor-
"It's the TARDIS!" the Doctor's panicked voice shouted as the Nestene Consciousness exploded with energy. "The Nestene's identified it as superior technology. It's terrified. It's going into the final phase. It's starting the invasion!" He looked over to where Rose was with Mickey, "Get out, Rose! Just leg it!"
The Time Lord then turned as far as he could to see Aries being held – just as he was – by two Autons. He was momentarily confused when he noticed that she was looking at him with an expression he wasn't too sure of, and it was gone before he could even try and name it the moment the 'blonde' realised that she was being watched and her face once more turned impassive.
"I'm sorry, Eris," he said sincerely, though his words only confused the woman. Aries had no time to question him however, as the Consciousness begun to erupt in energy – bolts of power flying around the chamber.
"It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!" the Doctor exclaimed.
Aries mind worked into overdrive as her silver-grey eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out a way to get not only herself – as a quick apparation would save her – but the Doctor and the others as well. As if they could tell what the red-headed witch was thinking, the Autons holding Aries tightened their hold and begun to drag her closer to the vat of living plastic.
A quick glance towards the Time Lord showed that he was in a similar situation, though he continued to try and get Rose to leave.
"Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!"
"The stairs are gone!"
Rose's voice had Aries' head snapping in the blonde's direction and saw that Rose was speaking the truth. The stairs they had entered down were destroyed.
The witch begun to struggle as the pair rushed towards the TARDIS, Rose tried to open the door of the box, but it wouldn't budge.
"I haven't got a key!" she cried.
"We're going to die!" Mickey shouted, his eyes wide with fear, and his voice had Aries freezing on the spot.
"No, no, come on, Jamie. Just hold on, please," Rieka begged as her bloodied hands pressed against the side of the man's chest. Her eyes swirled red, even as her cheeks were wet with tears.
A dagger lay discarded at her side, the silver blade stained red as another male nearby finally succumbed to the collapsed lung that had filled with his own blood. A teenager, no older than fourteen, looked around with wide, frightened eyes before they landed on the sobbing witch.
"No, aunty," Jamie murmured as he placed his hand upon hers, "It's too late."
"Please, let me try?" the witch begged; a sob escaping her lips when Jamie shook his head slightly in the negative.
"Te-tell Mary tha-"
"Time Lord!"
Aries' gaze snapped to the vat, swearing that she had just heard it speak English. But as she caught sight of how close the Doctor was towards the vat, as well as Rose and Mickey's whimpers from above, the red-headed witch hissed, "No," through gritted teeth. Not again! her very soul seemed to scream. The air around her crackled; filled with her magic as it curled around her, and her eyes changed from the glamoured dark blue to a dark, blood red; swirling like twin vortexes with both her magic and fury.
"Immobulus!" Aries shouted, her voice almost coming out as a roar as her magic exploded outwards like a wave of red, washing over everything in the chamber and freezing everything and everyone in their place. She ripped her arm from one of the frozen Autons, resting her hand against its chest, and the moment her palm made contact, there was a flash of light and the Auton begun to melt as her magic encased it – burning the mannequin from the inside out.
The witch repeated the process with the other Auton the moment she was free from its hold, leaving no evidence of their presence but two gloopy piles of melted plastic. Her furious gaze swept over the chamber, taking everything in, and when Aries' eyes landed on the two Autons that were still holding the Doctor, almost managing to push the Time Lord over the edge, the witch waved her hand with a lazy gesture and watched as the mannequins let the Doctor go safely before collapsing to the floor in pieces.
As the glamoured witch approached the Time Lord, something on the ground caught her attention and her jaw clenched. She quickly picked up the vial of anti-plastic and pocketed it, knowing that she was going to be using it in the end, even if she didn't want to. First however, there was something she needed to do.
Swirling red eyes met the Doctor's blue, and the fury the was in Aries' gaze died a little, understanding that despite being frozen, the Doctor was still conscious. Aries didn't know hoe the Obliviate charm would work on the Doctor considering is species, nor did she want to run the risk of using it in the first place as the last thing the witch wanted to do was harm the Time Lord, or his mind.
So she did the next best thing.
Placing her hands on either side of his face, using touch to strengthen her work, Aries gazed into the Doctor eyes as she whispered, "Forgive me."
The last thing the Doctor saw was her red eyes, along with an emotion he couldn't comprehend before darkness was all he knew.
Once Aries had managed to get the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey all inside the TARDIS, the ship happily opening up for her without even needing to be asked, the red-headed witch stepped back out into the chamber that was still pulsing with her magic – everything still frozen in time. As she closed the TARDIS door behind her, Aries placed her hand against the ships' panelling.
"Can you get them out of here, please," she asked the ship, her voice barely above a whisper. The ship seemed to have heard her however, as the wood warmed under her hand; the buzzing in the back of her mind almost conveying the TARDIS' answer as she begun to disappear until there was nothing but air under Aries' hand.
The witch's countenance once again softened as she actually heard a whispered 'Thank you' in her mind as the ship vanished, though a dark look appeared on her face not a moment later as she turned back to look at the vat that held the Nestene Consciousness. The alien had threatened someone she felt close to, no matter what her own thoughts were in regard to the Doctor, and the witch wasn't about to let that pass.
She waved her hand in front of her and the vat of molten plastic unfroze. It gave out a surprised sound and flexed away from Aries when it noticed that she stood before it alone, her eyes still swirling red. Aries pulled off her gloves and her ring, allowing the glamour to fall away as she pocketed the items.
"I may hold onto the belief that everything has a chance to live," the red head spoke, her voice a venomous purr as she pulled the vial of anti-plastic from another pocket, "But when you endanger this world. When you endanger its people, I become decisively less inclined to follow that belief," she continued as she pulled the top off the vial.
The Consciousness shrunk back away from Aries and the red head's lips turned downwards slightly when she could smell the distinct scent of fear mingled with the scent of burning plastic. The alien spoke once again in English, slightly surprising the red head. "The Alchemist is merciful," it stated pitifully.
Its words had Aries pausing. "Alchemist?" she questioned, rather unsure but curious as to what the Nestene Consciousness was talking about.
The Consciousness, much to Aries' bafflement, managed to pull what looked to be a surprised but smug expression. "The killer of her own kind," it said, just loud enough for the red head to hear.
Something overcame Aries at those words and her eyes darkened till they were almost black. The teardrop pendant around her neck started to pulse, taking on a slight amber glow as it grew slightly, becoming more of an opal shape.
The Consciousness' eyes widened in fear at the sight of the changing pendant, but words unknown to both Aries and the alien fell from the red heads mouth as she sneered at the vat. "Niar Elukaraveci viec jorlo, (The Alchemist is dead,)" she snarled before pouring the anti-plastic into the vat, "Elto vecim elkar skiz. (And so are you.)"
The Nestene Consciousness gave out a shriek, but Aries stood there impassively as the anti-plastic came into contact with the alien.
"Skiz vecamzuo allzar urrkni liarta niar Kille imk Fortai nimujo skiz nim, (You should have left when the Lord of Time told you to,)" Aries told the Consciousness coldly before she vanished with a thunderous crack, leaving the alien to its fate as the chamber around it started to crumble and collapse.
In an alleyway near the River Thames, the TARDIS materialised.
Mickey bolted from the ship as soon as it landed, hiding behind a pallet while Rose followed him at a more relaxed pace, pulling out her phone and dialling a number as she went.
The Doctor stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, shaking his head as if to clear it. He frowned, feeling rather confused about what just happened. He had been trapped by four...no, two Autons and a blonde...Rose had saved him by knocking them out of the way while swinging on a chain. The anti-plastic had fallen to the ground...into the vat and they had escaped in the TARDIS. His frown deepened however, when an image of a blonde with swirling red eyes flashed across his mind.
"Fat lot of good you were," Rose told her boyfriend, breaking the Doctor from his thoughts as to where he had seen the blonde before and caused the image and the feeling he had forgotten something to fade.
He shook his head again. "Nestene Consciousness?" he said with a smirk, looking at Rose as he leant against the open doorway of his ship, "Easy."
Rose huffed but grinned as she looked to the Time Lord. "You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me," she stated.
A sheepish look overcame the Doctor's face as he nodded. "Yes, I would. Thank you," he thanked, "Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know," he tugged on his ear as he shifted his weight, not a hundred percent certain about what he was about to ask. She did save your life, he thought, causing him to ask anyway, "You could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe, free of charge."
Mickey wrapped his arms around Rose's legs, "Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing," he told her, trying to get her to stay.
"He's not invited," the Doctor said, pointing at Mickey before looking to Rose, "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."
Rose looked undecided. "Is it always this dangerous?" she asked.
"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, his answer truthful.
Rose looked passed the Doctor and into the TARDIS before her attention was drawn to Mickey when he tightened his grip on her legs. She frowned slightly, "Yeah, I can't," she said, a little sad about having to decline the offer, "I've, er, I've got to go find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so."
The Doctor's face remained blank, even as he felt disappointed at the blondes answer. He nodded again, "Okay," he said, trying to keep the dejection out of his voice. He gave her one last look before continuing, "See you around." He stepped back into the TARDIS and closed the door.
The TARDIS started to dematerialize before it vanished.
Rose sighed as she looked down at Mickey, "Come on, let's go," she said as she tried to get him to stand up, "Come on. Come on," she continued to try, only managing to get him to untangle his arms from around her legs.
She suddenly perked at the sound of the TARDIS rematerializing and the Doctor stuck his head out the door when it landed again. "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?" he asked with a grin before disappearing back inside, but left the door open.
Rose looked down to Mickey. "Thank you," she told him.
"Thanks for what?" Mickey asked, rather confused.
"Exactly," Rose said before kissing Mickey on the cheek and dashing inside the TARDIS, a large grin on her face.
Mickey watched on lost as the TARDIS dematerialized again.
None of them noticed a pair of silver-grey eyes watching them from the shadows of the alleyway. Aries felt torn after watching the scene before her and was a little confused as to what had happened when she had dealt with the vat of molten plastic. She knew one thing for sure, though. The timeline had been maintained the moment Rose had stepped inside the Doctor's ship.
Obliviating Rose had been easy, not having really liked the blonde in the first place. But Mickey had been harder. A part of her had wanted to remind him as to just who she was, but after what had happened to Jamie and Luka, she had, with great difficulty, caused the young man to forget her once again.
The Doctor, however...she just hoped that he wouldn't hate her if he ever remembered, having locked the memories away instead of removing them. She knew that with a mind like his, and the fact he wasn't human that he could one day remember, and seeing his confusion when Rose and Mickey had stepped out of the ship, the red head hoped that she had done the right thing by him.
But watching Rose just leave Mickey behind without a backwards glance, Aries felt a twinge of protectiveness overcome her at the blondes blatant disregard for her supposed boyfriend. Having seen how Rose had acted not only during the Blitz, but during the red heads short travel with the Doctor, she couldn't help but wonder if Rose had forgotten that she had a boyfriend.
She had known that Mickey was besotted with Rose and knew they had once been an item, but the way that Rose had flirted with not only the Doctor, but Jack as well...
A frown appeared on the red heads face as anger and something she couldn't fully identify sparked inside her, causing her to become uncomfortable with the intensity of the feelings so she quickly banished them. She had no say on what the blonde did. Though as she walked away, wanting to get her report to Alistair done and let him know that the Nestene Consciousness had been dealt with, she really hoped that Rose wouldn't break Mickey's heart.