Anti-Rose.
Chapter Six.
"No, don't shoot!" cried a voice. It was anti-Rose. "He's not the Doctor you've fought. He's the good one." The Master and the Rani lowered their weapons. The Doctor looked confused. Anti-Rose pushed to the front.
"Doctor from another reality, meet the Rani and the Master from mine." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Pleased to meet you both. I see that not much else has changed except the sides we're on."
'We fight in your universe?" asked the Rani.
"Yes." said the Doctor. "It's nice to be on the same side for once. He'll probably be in my TARDIS. Not that he'll get anywhere-it's broken." He briefly explained how he'd come into this universe. The Master and Rani listened attentively and the Rani said, "Well, at least that'll stop him running off with it."
"I'm still not keen on the idea of him running loose in my TARDIS." said the Doctor. "Let's get to it. The sooner we stop him the better. It's this way-luckily, like my key, my TARDIS locator worked with his TARDIS as well as my own, which is how I found you so quickly." he said to Rose.
They set off, and Rose realised they were just a few blocks away from the block containing her-no, Anti-Rose's-mother's block of flats. It wasn't long until they got to the Doctor's TARDIS. The Doctor unlocked it, but the Master put his hand on the Doctor's arm to stop him going in.
"I think we should go first, as we are armed, in case he attacks." he said, nodding towards the Rani, who pushed the door open and ducked in. Then a few seconds later she said, "I think he's been here, but he's not in the console room." The Doctor followed, and saw evidence of the other Doctor's activity-footprints on the framework of the console stand from where he'd obviously kicked it in frustration, and a couple of open panels, which the Doctor checked. He grinned.
"I do believe my TARDIS doesn't like him. These short-outs have occurred since the original incident, and what's more, they're self-inflicted." He patted the console. "Good girl! She doesn't want him to take off in her any more than I do. She's not particularly violent, but somehow I think he won't find anything easy for him-like navigation." He turned to Rose. "The TARDIS can rearrange her internal structure-rooms, corridors, et cetera-at will, and she can be quite mischievous at times. I would imagine she's got him wandering around in circles even now."
"You make it sound like the TARDIS is alive." Rose said.
"That's because she is, Rose. Part of her is alive, and part of her is sentient. She knows enough to know whether she likes a person, dislikes them, or couldn't care either way, and I would imagine that she dislikes that other Doctor with a passion. I must say, I'm glad she likes me, or travelling could be quite difficult."
"So she has likes and dislikes." Rose said, looking at the console. "Does she-"
"Oh yes, Rose, she likes you. No worries there. But right now, I want that other Doctor out of my TARDIS, even if she is keeping him out of trouble. Guide him back here." He said this last bit to the console room in general.
A few minutes later, the door into the console room opened, and a very angry blonde Doctor stormed out. He stopped, a bit startled by the people gathered in front of him. Then he launched into an angry tirade.
"Your bitch of a TARDIS has led me round aimlessly since I left the console room! How did you get away anyway?"
"Good, and none of your business!" replied Rose's Doctor cheerfully. Now, get out of my TARDIS, and you can give me my key back while you're here. Just throw it onto the floor over here."
"You can go to hell!" stormed the other Doctor.
"Do as he says." said the Rani, pointedly wiggling the gun she was holding. "Or I'll stun you, and he can take his key and throw you out. I assume you would want to walk out under your own steam?"
Snarling, the other Doctor took out Rose's Doctor's TARDIS key and threw it to the floor. He strode across the room towards the door, and everyone scuttled to get out of his way.
Anti-Rose wasn't quite quick enough. As she moved aside, he seized her arm and pulled him against her. He twisted her arm up behind her and fastened his hand around her throat. She gave a strangled gasp as his grip tightened.
"I'll leave, but she's coming with me as insurance. Come after me, and I'll kill her. She can travel with me for a bit. It might be quite interesting to see how I can repay her for interfering in my matters. How many ways can I get my revenge on her without damaging her, and them after that, how many ways can I damage her without killing her? This could be interesting. I could have her begging for the release of death. How long would it take you to try and rescue her, and how many times could I stop you from succeeding?" He pulled her arm up harder behind her back, and anti-Rose gave another strangled-sounding cry. He backed up towards the TARDIS doors, pulling her with him, and was out a moment later. No one had thought to lock the TARDIS door after going in.
Rose, the Doctor, the Master and the Rani looked at each other, not sure what to do. Then came a thud, a pained yell-male, not female-and a cry of "Take that!" Then there was the sound of running footsteps.
"I'd know that voice anywhere!" cried Rose. She shot out of the TARDIS, ignoring the warnings of the three Time Lords, who looked at each other in exasperation, then went after her, the Rani spitting out a ferocious-sounding Gallifreyan expletive as they did so.
Outside, anti-Rose was rubbing her arm and throat alternately, and Jackie Tyler was holding her rolling pin with one hand, and had her other arm round her daughter.
"I was keeping a watch, and thought I'd stand by in case you needed backup." she said. "Good thing I did! I heard him threaten to hurt my daughter, and there is no way I was going to let that happen!" Rose was smiling.
"Do you think he's learned not to get on your wrong side?" she asked.
"People say the most dangerous thing in the world is a wounded animal." the Rani said. "They're wrong. The most dangerous thing is the mother of any wounded or threatened offspring-and the offspring's age doesn't come into it when you deal with most sentient species."
A distant wheezing and groaning was heard a few minutes later.
"Well, that's him gone-till the next time." said Jackie. "How's about we all head up to the flat for a cup of tea?"
"Sounds like as good an idea as any." the Rani said. "Then maybe we can help you get your TARDIS up and going again, and we can put a few equations through your TARDIS's computer and see which ones most likely to get you back to your reality. We'll repair the breach this side, and you do it from yours."
"That means we'll have to visit your mum's." the Doctor told Rose. "Breaches like this tend to occur in the same places in both realities. After that, though, where and when do you fancy going?"
"I'll think about it." Rose said. "But wherever we go, it won't be anywhere near a black hole!"
Laughing, they headed up to the flat.