After laying the body of the late Prime Minister, Anthony Blair out in a small store room, the Doctor stretched slightly as he straightened, a frown appearing on his lips when he noticed Indra and Aries were speaking quietly amongst themselves.
A tremble in the red head's hand caught his eye as Aries moved to brush some hair from her face after shaking her head at something the other man had said, and the Doctor wanted to kick himself for forgetting that his Nesdra had been hurt.
"I didn't quite catch your name earlier," he said, addressing Indra as he approached the pair, and the man in question turned to him with a small smile.
"Indra Ganesh," he introduced himself with a slight incline of his head,
"Indra," the Doctor repeated with a nod before his frown returned when he glanced at Aries as the red head relaxed in the chair; her eyes closed. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked, wanting to know how his Nesdra had come to harm, and even though he felt a little jealousy towards the man's previous actions when he hadn't realised that Indra had only been helping Aries, he knew that Indra had only been concerned for her safety.
The man nodded before proceeding to explain everything that had occurred after he had happened upon the trio in the Cabinet Room, having been in search of the red head after he realised she hadn't gotten her ID card. And as the Time Lord listened, he found that he was a little uncomfortable as to how Indra spoke with him. It was almost like he was in the middle of a debriefing – the Doctor being the Commanding Officer. Except that the Doctor found that he didn't have to ask a single question as Indra explained, in length, everything without needing to be prompted to.
When Indra was finished, the Doctor just stared at the man for a moment before looking to his Nesdra, who had been listening with one eye cracked open. "That was you?" he asked in disbelief after being told how Aries had saved Indra and the others, though it was quick to turn to worry. "Are you hurt?" he suddenly questioned, remembering the brief flicker of pain he'd seen on her face earlier.
Instead of replying, the witch just eyed the Doctor, who felt as though her eyes were searching for something within his own that he wasn't to certain of. And his assumption wouldn't have been far off as Aries found that he wasn't the same man she remembered quite yet, knowing somehow that this was the Doctor's - her Doctor's if she'd be so bold to say – past. But even then, the witch found that same level of concern in his blue eyes that she had seen over sixty years ago.
A small frown appeared on the Time Lord's face as he waited for Aries' reply, once again noticing the difference between the young woman in front of him and the one he had met in the car earlier. And as he watched various emotions flicker in the depths of her silver-grey eyes before she finally nodded, the Doctor was rather surprised to find that unlike other humans, his Nesdra was virtually impossible to read.
Most he found he could tell what they were thinking just by looking at them, but Aries' expression seemed to always be somewhat neutral; her eyes being the same. They were, from what the Doctor could see, a stunning silver-grey – a unique combination for a human. But there was also a wariness and coldness about them, and they were always watching; revealing nothing of Aries' own thoughts unless she let them slip through.
So lost in their own thoughts, neither Aries nor the Doctor noticed Rose watching them, a small scowl playing upon her lips at the fact that the Time Lord hadn't even spared her a glance since meeting back up, having gone straight to the red head the moment they'd stopped running. Aries hadn't been the only one who had been not only attacked, but chased by a bunch of eight-foot tall, walking, talking Slitheen.
But what was really bugging Rose was the Time Lord's sudden interest in the red head.
He had chased Rose down through the streets of Cardiff after she'd been both rendered unconscious and kidnapped, then dumped with aliens that made zombies in the movies look like stumbling drunks, and she just couldn't figure out how he just seemed to have done a complete one-eighty and just... forgotten her!
He saved my life not once. Not even twice, but four times! That has to mean something... doesn't it? Rose though as something ignited in the pit of her stomach. Something bitter and sour. Though as she pulled out the TARDIS key the Doctor had given her earlier, a small smile turned the corners of her lips upwards. Yes. It has to mean something, she continued to think as her fingers closed around the key, I doubt he gives the key to his ship to just anyone...
"Doctor?" the blonde called as she carefully returned the silver key into her pocket, and her voice had all three turning in her direction. "What are we going to do?" she questioned.
Glancing at his Nesdra, the Time Lord blinked when he noticed that she looked to be concentrating rather deeply; her lips tugged downwards into a frown while her eyebrows were ever so slightly pinched togethers as her eyes stared unfocusedly ahead of her. Occasionally, her eyes would flicker from side to side, almost as if she was reading something from memory, and it made the Doctor curious as to what she was thinking about.
Someone cleared their throat and the Doctor startled, his gaze snapping to Indra and found the man was watching him with a raised eyebrow. "Right," he muttered as he looked away from the man, feeling a little embarrassed to have gotten caught starring at Aries. "What have we got?" he continued as he made he way around the large table, looking at each person, "Any terminals; anything?"
"No," Indra denied with a shake of his head, "This place is antique."
"And with the installation of the shutters after the mortar attack instigated by the IRA back in '91, they made it so nothing could get in or out of this room," Aries added as she straightened in the chair she was seated in. The frown that was on her lips deepened as she continued, "Which also means that any form of communication with the outside world is nigh impossible." She pulled out her mobile, eyeing it critically as she mentally added to her to-do list a way to see if it was possible to receive reception anywhere in the world in case she ever found herself in a situation like this again.
The Doctor opened his mouth to tell her that they weren't completely useless, but Rose spoke up first.
"What I don't get is, when they killed the Prime Minister, why didn't they use him as a disguise?" she asked, looking at the others.
"He's too slim," the Time Lord replied as if that explained everything, "They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans."
"But the Slitheen are about eight feet," Rose exclaimed, "How do they fit inside?"
"It's the device around their necks," Aries interjected as she stood up and stretched her legs, feeling a little stiff. "Like I said earlier, it's a compression field. Literally shrinks them down to fit." Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she crossed an arm over her chest to stretch it, "That's why there's all that gas. It's a big exchange."
"Wish I had a compression field. I could fit into a size smaller," the blonde muttered and caused Aries to freeze, slowly blinking at her words before her arms fell back to her side as she stared at Rose, not having expected her to come out with something like that.
She wasn't the only one looking to Rose; Harriet looking rather aghast herself at just what had come out of the young woman's mouth. "Excuse me, people are dead," the brunette scolded, "This is no time for making jokes."
"Sorry," Rose apologised, though much to Aries' disbelief, the blonde didn't sound sorry. "You get use to this stuff when you're friends with him," she continued, gesturing to the Doctor who had started scanning the walls around the room with his sonic.
If anyone realised that he was pointedly avoiding looking in his Nesdra's direction after Rose's remark, no one said anything as Aries' gaze narrowed on the blonde, bristling at the words that had escaped her. "It should not matter who your friends are," she begun, and everyone paused at her tone, "What you just said is not only utterly disrespectful, but completely disgusting. I would have thought that in your... travels, you would have leant some compassion along the way."
The words were barely a hiss as the red-headed witch took a step towards Rose.
"People have died, Rose Tyler," she continued, oblivious to the others as her anger towards what Rose had said caused her to have a sense of tunnel-vision. Her voice was quiet, not unlike her father's venomous purr as she resumed, "I would have thought that out of everything you had seen – everything he has shown you, that you'd at least hold a shred of sympathy for the ones who lose their lives." Aries' silver-grey eyes flashed dangerously and a breeze started to pick up around her, causing Rose to take a step back in fear. "But I guess I was wrong," she spat in disgust, "You have, and only will care about yourself and what you can gain from a crisis."
The wind picked up further around the irate red head as she took another slow step towards the blonde. Her mind was a swirling mess of scattered memories and faces of all the people she'd met and lost throughout the years while she lived on; none however, were more painful than when she had watched her own father die before her very eyes.
"Those people had families. Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers. But like some spoilt little brat, all you can think about is fucking dress sizes," she continued with a sneer, and the Doctor – who'd been staring rather speechless at his Nesdra – was snapped from his shock at the sudden change in her tone, her expression morphing into one he was all too familiar with. He didn't even had to ask to know that Rose's words had hit a weak spot in Aries' defences. The Time Lord could see it in her eyes, and although he was rather started by his Nesdra's ability – whatever it was – he knew that if he didn't calm her down...
The Doctor stepped in front of his Nesdra, blocking Rose from her line of sight and his move had her pausing; her eyebrows creasing ever so slightly. He hadn't been too certain as to what she'd been about to do, but the Doctor felt almost relieved when some sense of recognition flickered across Aries' eyes as she continued to stare at him.
Taking it as a good sign, the Time Lord then tentatively reached out with his hand and slowly wrapped it around one of hers, linking their fingers in a loose grip. However as he continued to stare into Aries' silver-grey eyes, he noticed with surprise that they'd become darker; flecks of dark red glowing every so slightly. Though the Doctor was quick to shove his surprise down when he noted the sudden shift in Aries – unsure as to how, though knowing that she was somehow feeling what he was – when she moved to take a step away from him, her expression becoming confused and alarmed and the wind picked up further.
The moment he calmed himself, using centuries of practice to hide what he was truly feeling, the Doctor felt Aries do the same. And although he wanted to ask how she'd manage to do so, he squeezed her hand, trying to help keep her grounded.
None noticed the way the small pendant that lay around the red head's neck was pulsating slightly before it slowly stopped.
The Time Lord didn't say anything as he took a calming breath; just waited patently for a sign that told him that his Nesdra was coming back to herself. And it took a moment before he felt her fingers curl around his hand and a slow, heavy exhale was heard. The wind that had been blowing around her slowly dwindled before fading away, and the red head blinked a few times.
When their gazes' connected once more, confusion flickered across Aries' while the Doctors' were still calm, though slightly concerned. The witch frowned, wondering when he'd move to stand in front of her before her gaze dropped to their hands, quickly unlinking her fingers and moved to take a step back and pull away, but the Doctor's hand only tightened around hers and caused her head to snap back up and look at him in alarm.
"It's okay," the Time Lord murmured softly as he gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "What Rose said was wrong. Losing a loved one is painful and hard. The pain, guilt, sadness, and loss never truly leave you, but I know that even though those feelings may never fade away completely, it does get easier to live with when you find something that gives you purpose." Giving her hand one last squeeze, the Doctor let it go and took a step away from Aries to give her some more room.
The red head frowned as she glanced at the hand he had been holding before looking back to the Time Lord, ignoring how she could still feel the ghost of his touch. She recalled how he had done the same thing after what had happened on Satellite Five during their impromptu 'dinner', and although she was a little embarrassed about having it happen a second time, she was intrigued but cautious as to how he knew how to calm her.
But it was his words that had her attention. The only time she had seen him show any semblance of emotion towards his own past had been when he had been holding a gun, aimed at the alien that had caused him so much grief and rage. And as Aries looked at the Doctor, she could see it hidden behind the defences he used to hide his pain from the world. There was pain and sadness in his eyes, as well as an understanding. But there was also something else. Aries blinked, her lips turning downwards slightly as she saw something she hadn't truly noticed before.
Hope.
Hope for what, the witch didn't know. But she knew that was what it was. It was such a profound emotion that Aries had to look away, unable to hold his gaze any longer. She couldn't understand how someone who lived through so much, who had lost everything still held onto hope. It made her eyes burn as something occurred to her.
What did she have to hope for?
Everything she did, every accomplishment she made. What was it for?
"Ma'am?" Indra's concerned voice cut through the silence that had fallen over the room and Aries blinked, almost having forgotten that there were others in the room with her and the Doctor. Giving the Time Lord one last confused glance, she turned her attention to Indra, trying to push her swirling thoughts away.
As she looked to Indra, her gaze met a concerned and baffled Harriet before falling onto the case that was sitting on the table in front of her. Deciding that she needed something to distracted her, she moved towards the case.
She missed the Doctor's frown as he watched her, once again concerned as to just what had happened to his Nesdra. Though seeing that for now, Aries looked to be calm and not about to 'blow up' again, however possible it was for her to hold such abilities, the Time Lord's own eyes scanned the room before they also found Harriet, ignoring Rose scowling at Aries and Indra's concerned gaze.
"Harriet Jones," he said suddenly, something about the brunette niggling in the back of his mind. The woman in question glanced up from what Aries was doing to look at the Time Lord, along with the other two humans; their expressions equally confused.
"I've heard that name before," the Doctor elaborated, seeing their confusion. "Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?" he questioned.
Aries, who was listening in with half an ear sighed as she realised that she had been right. She knew that the Protocols were redundant, but it had been a while since she had seen them and wanted to see if there had been any changes she hadn't been aware of, but had come up empty.
"Oh, hardly," Harriet scoffed with a frown before looking back to Aries as the red head moved away from the table. Taking her chance, Harriet begun to search through the case herself, though she doubted that there would be anything of use in them. She was still getting the feeling, even without Aries' outburst moments earlier, that there was more to the red head than met the eye.
The Doctor furrowed his brows, glancing between his Nesdra and Harriet before his gaze stayed on the brunette, "Rings a bell. Harriet Jones?"
"Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid," the brunette said as she continued looking through the case, "And a fat lot of use I'm being now. Aries was right, these Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all," she paused, glancing towards the red head as she made herself comfortable in a chair across from her. "Unreachable," she finished, changing what she was originally going to say.
"Hasn't it got, like, defence codes and things?" Rose spoke up, deciding that she had been silent for long enough, "Couldn't we just launch a nuclear bomb at them?" she added before noticing the looks she was receiving from the others, "What?"
"You're a very violent young woman," Harriet stated with a frown before she looked away from Rose when Indra made his way over to Aries.
Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw that the Doctor was watching the man's every move and her curiosity came to the forefront of her mind, wondering how the three knew each other. Her eyes flickered to the Time Lord when she noticed the look on his face and it didn't take a genius to see that he felt protective of the red head as he continued to closely watch the other two. But there was something else in his expression. Something that was missing in Indra's.
"I'm serious," Rose's voice cut through Harriet's thoughts, "We could," the blonde continued, not seeing anything wrong with her idea.
"And I am telling you that we are not," Aries spoke up, her eyes locked onto Rose with frank disapproval.
The blonde only scowled as she crossed her arms across her chest, not liking the way she was being spoken to – and by someone who looked no older than herself, no less! "And who are you to tell me what to do?" she questioned rudely.
Aries went to stand up, but Indra stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder as he handed her something. "Ma'am, I found this by the doorway," he explained. His gaze went to the Time Lord who had stiffened the moment he had placed his hand on Aries shoulder and seeming to realise something, Indra removed his hand and took a step back, seeing the Doctor slowly relax.
Looking at the ID card that Indra had given her, Aries missed their exchange as she pursed her lips. Looking up from the card and towards Rose, the witch pocketed the card, realising what Indra wasn't able to say out loud. She ran a hand through her hair, silently wondering if it had been such a good idea to appear as just a Scientific Advisor – even if she had no clue that this was how her day was going to turn out. And although she knew that the situation was serious, whatever the Slitheen were planning, it hadn't been deemed severe enough to activate her position – and title – of Royal Commander... yet.
Glancing around the room and to the four others, Aries' eyebrows furrowed. "If we were to even consider going nuclear-" she shot Rose a disapproving look when the blonde grinned, "Which we are not," she told the young woman tersely, causing Rose's grin to vanish, "The release codes needed for such a strike are kept secret by the United Nations."
The Doctor frowned. "Say that again," he said as he eyed his Nesdra, trying to work out why he felt how she spoke was familiar. There was something he couldn't place, and the more he thought about it, the further it seemed to slip from his mind.
The witch blinked and turned her attention to the Doctor, rather perplexed by his words. "What, about the codes?" she enquired, her eyebrows only furrowing further. She would have though that he would be the one person who knew more about the regulations and polices the UN upheld more than anyone.
"Anything. All of it," the Time Lord replied, hoping if she said something else, he could figure out what he felt like he was forgetting.
"Well," Aries frowned, "The British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a Special Resolution from the United Nations," she told him, still looking rather confused.
"Like that's ever stopped them," Indra scoffed, causing Aries to exclaim, "Exactly!" as she pointed to him.
"And given our past record," the red head continued with a slight grimace, "The codes have - thankfully - been taken out of the governments' hands and handed to the UN." Aries turned back to the Doctor, her confused frown reappearing on her lips as she asked, "Is this important?" She had no idea why he wanted to hear about the codes, for as far as Aries knew about the Doctor, nuclear weapons would be the last thing he'd ever think of using.
"Everything's important," the Doctor replied, a frown of his own tugging at his lips as the feeling left him and he shook his head.
"If only we knew what the Slitheen wanted," Harriet stated, gaining their attention. "Listen to me. I'm saying Slitheen as if it's normal."
"To some, it probably is," Aries muttered.
"What do they want, though?" Rose piped up, looking to the Doctor as if he had all the answers. She wasn't liking the feeling of being ignored, nor the fact that the Time Lord had been keeping his attention practically solely on Aries – his eyes never straying to far from where she was and had barely even spared Rose a glance.
"Well, they're just one family, so it's not an invasion. They don't want a Slitheen World. They're out to make money. That means they want to use something. Something here on Earth. Some kind of asset," the Doctor replied as he started to think over what the aliens could be after.
"Like what, gold? Oil? Water?" Harriet suggested.
The Doctor blinked and looked to MP. "You're very good at this," he remarked with a grin.
"Thank you," the woman said, feeling rather useful for once.
"Harriet Jones..." the Doctor muttered in thought, the familiarity of the name becoming annoying as he couldn't work out why, "Why do I know that name?"
Aries leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes as she shifted through her mind; searching through the index of books where she had read about Raxacoricofallapatorius and the Slitheen family in hopes that it may hold some answers, or even just insight into what she and the others were dealing with. She knew that there had been only one small footnote in regards to the Slitheen family themselves – which she guessed was because they'd been exiled – but was rather optimistic that the other information about the planet itself might hold the key.
Her eyes snapped open however, when there was a beep that sounded suspiciously like a phone alert and Aries frowned, wondering where it had come from.
"Oh, that's me," Rose piped up when it wasn't only Aries who started to look around in confusion, and the blonde pulled out her phone, causing the witch to blink in surprise.
"But we're sealed off. How did you get a signal?" Indra questioned the blonde, taking the words straight from Aries' mouth.
"He zapped it," Rose answered, gesturing over her shoulder to the Doctor, "Super phone."
"Then we can phone for help," Harriet pointed out, turning to the man in question, "You must have contacts."
Grimacing, the Time Lord's eyes slid to Aries who was still frowning at Rose like the blonde had done something to offend her. "Downstairs, yeah," he said, looking back to MP.
"It's Mickey," his companion exclaimed as she checked who'd messaged her, only earning an eyeroll from the Doctor.
"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy."
"Yeah, he's not so stupid after all," Rose continued with a grin, showing the Doctor her phone.
There was an image of a Slitheen... being electrocuted.
"No, no, no, no, no. Not just alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!" the familiar voice of Mickey Smith exclaimed to Rose over the phone; his voice loud enough that Aries' could hear him from where she was still seated.
"I could've died!" a feminine voice added, and it only took Aries a second to place it as Jackie Tyler.
"Is she all right, though?" Rose asked as she paced the room, "Don't put her on, just tell me."
The Doctor snatched the phone from her and put it up to his ear, ignoring the glare his companion shot him. "Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer," he told the younger man, not noticing the frown that appeared on Aries' face before it vanished.
"It's Mickey, and why should I?" the young man shot back.
"Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, er, I need you," the Time Lord replied, the only tell that he didn't like admitting that out loud being the slight grimace that appeared on his lips before quickly explaining to Mickey what he needed the young man to do.
"It says password."
"Say again," the Doctor told him, not having caught the younger man's words while he plugged the mobile into the conference phone speaker so the others could hear the conversation as well.
"It's asking for a password," Mickey repeated.
"Buffalo. Two F's, one L," the Doctor supplied easily, causing Aries to peer at him.
The witch was rather surprised that that was his password.
"So, what's the website?" they heard Jackie ask.
"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years. They just kept us in the dark."
"Is that Mickey Smith?" Aries cut off whatever the Doctor was going to say as she stood up and moved over to the phone, leaning against the table. She already knew who Mickey was, having pretty much helped Rita raise Mickey after his mother died. But after the incident a few years ago, she had dropped all contact with the young man and had been successful – if one did not count last year as anything – with staying away.
"Yeah, who's asking?" Mickey questioned curiously, "And it's asking for the password again."
"Just repeat it every time," Aries told him, gaining a curious look from the Doctor that she didn't notice, "And my name is Aries Prince."
There was a loud clatter on the other end of the line that sounded like the phone had been dropped before being followed by a breathless Mickey as he scrambled to pick it back up. "Sorry, but did you just say Aries Prince. As in UNIT-"
"Mister Smith, I need you to focus and listen to what I'm about to tell you," Aries cut in, glancing at Indra with a frown. It seemed as though she needed to check just what was on her UNIT profile. She didn't notice the Doctor, Harriet and Rose share a confused glance, each one curious to know what Mickey had been about to say.
"Sorry, Ma'am," Mickey quickly apologised. Unknown to the people in the Conference Room, he looked down to the silver band on his wrist and swallowed heavily before looking back at the computer. There will be time for questions later, he thought. "What do you need me to do?" he questioned aloud.
"Mickey, I need Mrs Tyler to gather as much vinegar as she can find. There is a high possibility that your call is being traced and you need to be prepared if the Slitheen returns," Aries explained.
Without missing a beat or questioning the absurdity of the request, Mickey turned to Jackie. "Jackie, I need you to get as much vinegar you can find," he told the older woman.
"What for?" the blonde questioned.
"Just do it," Mickey snapped.
There was the sound of the phone being handed back over to the young man as Jackie walked towards the kitchen, muttering as she went.
Rose looked to Aries and scoffed, "What the hell is vinegar going to do? They're eight feet tall. What are you going to do, get them to make a salad?"
Aries didn't say anything for a moment as she stared at the phone, listening to Mickey as he continued typing on the computer. "The Slitheen are from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius. Their gas exchange smells of calcium decay, which would tell anyone who knew what they were talking about that their species is made up predominately of living calcium. When that is compromised by a compression field, acetic acid would," her hands curled into fists as she closed her eyes, knowing what she was about to do was essentially murder, "When calcium comes into contact with vinegar, it dissolves. In effect, dowsing a Slitheen with enough vinegar would kill them."
The Doctor glanced at Aries in concern before resting a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. "It's the right thing to do," he murmured just loud enough for her to hear him, "If the Slitheen does attack, it's self-defence. If they don't, it won't hesitate to kill them."
Aries looked back down to the table, a bitter thought crossing her mind. Every choice that she had to make, any serious decision she came across, it always seemed to come down to one life over another. Which life was more deserving. "The lesser of two evils," she muttered, shaking her head.
Not saying anything, the Time Lord squeezed her shoulder gently, seeming to Aries that he had understood her words. Harriet and Indra shared a glance, though neither said anything about the exchange they had seen. They both appeared to realise that there was something between the Doctor and Aries, though Indra held a slightly better understanding as he knew Aries', as well as the Doctor. He knew that both had made some series choices in the past and couldn't even comprehend what if would feel like if he were in their shoes.
Rose, on the other hand was scowling, rather having enough of the red head. She was a Scientific Advisor, not some wannabe Doctor and it was infuriating Rose on how everyone was letting a woman – that looked no older than herself, mind – to order them around. "How do you know it'll work?" she asked the witch, causing the Doctor to turn to her with a frown. The expression on his face only the blonde growing angry, however. "How does she know what they are? How does she know anything about them?" she questioned in exasperation, unable to believe that they were just following the red head's orders without questioning her, "And why are you letting her order around my mother and Mickey? You're the alien expert here, not her!" she jabbed her finger at Aries, and the Doctor's frown deepened when he felt Aries stiffen under his hand, "She's nothing but a Scientific Advisor!"
"Rose," Mickey voice warned over the phone; the young man having heard the entire exchange.
The blonde turned her glare to the phone despite her boyfriend being unable to see it; unbelieving that he of all people wasn't even going to have her back. "What?! You're actually going to listen to her? You don't even know her!" she exclaimed.
The Doctor let go of Aries' shoulder and turned fully to his companion, moving instinctively in front of his Nesdra to block her from Rose's view. "I may be an alien expert, Rose Tyler. But you seem to have forgotten that it was Aries who knew what we were up against. It was Aries who told me what they were," he said in a tone that sounded calm, but his eyes told another story, "It was also Aries who saved your life from those aliens. She has done nothing but help us ever since we got here, whereas all you have done is disrespect and insult her. But I will not stand for it any longer."
Rose took a step away from the Doctor, rather startled by his sudden anger. The memory of how he had let Cassandra die flashed across her mind and she was shocked to now see that anger aimed at her. She glanced at Indra and Harriet and found them frowning at her, so she looked back to the Time Lord, only to turn her gaze away once again at his expression.
"Big Ben," Aries' voice cut through the tension of the room moments later as her mind tried to divert her thoughts back to the problem at hand and figure out just what the Slitheen were doing. The witch also wanted to try and change the subject, feeling uncomfortable by the Doctor's words and was - thankfully - successful as she continued, "Why did they go and hit Big Ben? It makes no sense..."
Taking a deep breath, the Doctor closed his eyes as he let it out slowly, feeling his anger drain away as he turned away from his companion and back to Aries. He was rather confused by his Nesdra's change in topic, and hadn't missed that it wasn't the first time for her to do so. But he couldn't deny that it was a very good question.
Harriet looked between the Doctor and Aries, settling on the former as she replied, "You said to gather the experts, to kill them."
The Doctor couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling the rest of his anger leaving him at Harriet's words. Human's, he thought, shaking his head. "That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon. You don't need to crash land in the middle of London," he told the MP.
Aries straightened, immediately gaining the attention of Indra and the Doctor as her face screwed up slightly in concentration. "The Slitheen have been hiding within the government, but now after who I guess was UNIT went looking into that small blip in radiation in the North Sea," she continued, the crease in her eyebrows growing, "They placed the entire planet on Red Alert."
"But why would they do that for?" Rose asked.
"Oh, listen to her," Jackie's voice spoke through the phone as she took it back off Mickey, "And I've got the vinegar, though I'm not sure as to why," she added, having not heard the argument.
"At least I'm trying," Rose stated, choosing to ignore the part about the vinegar. She still didn't believe that it would do anything to a Slitheen, but she also didn't want the Doctor to get angry at her again.
"Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind," Jackie said, "Since that man walked into our lives, I've been attacked in the streets. I've had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter disappear off the face of the Earth."
"I told you what happened," Rose cut in.
"I'm talking to him," Jackie replied, "'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this. Is my daughter safe?"
The Doctor leant against the table; his hands placed on top of it as he stared silently at the phone.
Aries glanced at him before back to the phone, finding that she had to hold her tongue at what she wanted to say. If she were to be perfectly honest, Rose's safety wouldn't have been something she would have concerned herself with, having experienced firsthand at just how the blonde didn't care for not only her own safety, but that of the others around her. Sure, her intentions could be considered valid, but after having seen just how much destruction Rose had done in her selfishness, Aries had truly given up caring as to what happened to the blonde.
"I'm fine," Rose said.
"Is she safe?" Jackie continued to ask, ignoring her daughter, "Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?"
The Doctor looked up from the table and towards Rose. He couldn't promise her mother that she'd always be safe. He knew better than anyone how dangerous the universe was and what could happen with his companions who travelled with him. His gaze then flickered to his Nesdra, only to blink in surprise when he noticed that she was staring at the phone, her expression almost... uncaring?
"Well, what's the answer?" Jackie asked, causing Aries' eyes to flicker up to the Doctor, her expression turning unreadable. Though that only confused the Doctor further, unable to tell what she was thinking.
Mickey thankfully took the phone back off Jackie. "We're in," he told them.
Snapping from his thoughts, the Doctor straightened and turned back to the phone. "Now then, on the left at the top, there's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that," he told Mickey.
After a moment, there was a sound coming through the speaker of the phone and both the Doctor and Aries' frowned as they listened to it.
"What is it?" Mickey asked.
"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's say," the Doctor said as he tried to listen to it.
"He'll have to answer me one day," Jackie huffed, annoyed that she hadn't gotten an answer from the Time Lord.
"Hush!" Mickey hissed.
"It's some sort of message," Aries muttered, her eyebrows knitting together as she glanced at the Doctor, "Maybe some kind of code? Signal?"
"Could be," he agreed with a nod.
"What's it say?" Rose questioned.
"Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating," the Doctor explained.
There was the sound of the doorbell ringing through the phone.
"Hush!" the Time Lord snapped, annoyed by the interruption.
"That's not me," Mickey told him before speaking to Jackie, "Go see who that is."
"Mickey, don't open the door," Aries cut in, "Take the vinegar and head to the kitchen. It's three in the morning and there's only one person I can think of who would be ringing a doorbell at this time."
The Doctor glanced at Aries, hearing the change in her tone and noticed that she was staring intently at the phone, her head tilted slightly to the side as she continued to listen to what was happening on the other end of the line. He couldn't help but stare, finding that up close, she looked quite stunning when she concentrated.
"Jackie, we need to get to the kitchen," Mickey ordered.
"The kitchen?" the blonde asked in confusion.
"Just move it," Mickey snapped, sounding frustrated, "And don't drop the vinegar."
The group around the table listened on as Mickey and Jackie moved to the kitchen.
"Now what?" Mickey asked as there was the sound of a door breaking and Jackie screamed.
Aries winced slightly at the sudden sound before speaking, "As soon as it enters the kitchen, throw the vinegar at it."
"What if it's in its suit?" Rose asked in alarm, still unsure as to what vinegar would do to a Slitheen.
Aries lifted her head to look at Rose, startling the Doctor with the small, knowing expression that appeared on her face. "They're a species that enjoy a hunt. I can tell you that they would prefer their natural state to pursue their prey," she explained. Her smirk grew slightly, remembering how it felt to hunt in a form that wasn't human. It was something that was totally unique, exhilarating, and freeing to experience. "Less restriction and more freedom to allow natural movements and instincts," she continued before turning her gaze back onto the phone.
Before the Doctor could ask her how she knew that, there was the sound of the Slitheen entering the kitchen and Jackie screamed again, causing him to turn his attention back to the phone.
"Hey, ugly!" Mickey shouted, "Take this," he said as he threw the vinegar over the Slitheen.
The group heard the sound of a large fart before the sound of a squelching explosion, causing them all to let out a collective sigh of relief. The smirk on Aries face vanished as realisation as to what just happened hit her and she frowned. The lesser of two evils, she repeated the words she had said earlier in her mind, collapsing into the chair behind her with a sigh, drawing the Doctor's attention back to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
The witch ran a hand through her hair as she glanced at the Doctor. "I will be," she sighed, "It never...Do you think..." she trailed off with a frown, unable to say what she wanted to ask. How could she ask him of all people if it ever got easier choosing one life over another? Knowing full well what he had done and lived through. Even now, after a hundred years and living through more wars than she had ever thought possible, Aries still found it difficult to know if she was doing the right thing; that the decisions she made today weren't ruining tomorrow.
The Doctor offered her a small, understanding smile as if he knew what she was thinking. He couldn't help but feel his hearts lighten at the knowledge that however much of a soldier Aries seemed to act, his Nesdra still held onto her compassion for life; valuing any and all, no matter who they were, and it was something that he rarely saw anymore.
"Hannibal," Indra suddenly commented as if something suddenly occurred to him, earning looks of confusion from the others.
"Hannibal?" Rose questioned.
It really was an odd thing to say.
Aries raised an eyebrow at Indra, realising what the man was saying and he shrugged. "Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar," she explained.
"Is that how you knew what to do?" Harriet asked her. She had been rather surprised by how easily the red head had taken charge and knew how to deal with the aliens.
Shaking her head, Aries straightened in her seat. "No," she admitted, a small smile appearing on her lips, "My father was a... Well, he was a quite knowledgeable when it came to chemistry and taught me everything he could," she explained, not truly lying. Severus Snape had been a Master of Potions, but she couldn't really tell them that.
Her smile turned sad at the thought of her father and she looked away, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the small crystal that lay around her neck. She had been surprised to have noticed the slight change in it over the year, having realised that it had gotten slightly bigger, about an inch in length, and more oval shaped. A part of her wondered if there was a reason as to why, knowing that her father was fond of being cryptic and leaving things for her to figure out on her own, but anything she had tried to get the crystal to reveal just what it was supposed to be or do had resulted in nothing.
The Doctor watched her, noticing the necklace she was fiddling with and his own expression fell when he realised the terminology that Aries had used when she spoke of her father. He noticed another chain around her neck, though what was on that necklace he couldn't tell, seeing that it was hidden under her shirt.
"Was?" Rose blurted out, picking up on the word as well.
The Doctor shot Rose a glare when he noticed Aries flinch at the word.