F/O: I like this chapter. I really do. - Which means it must be good, right? Enjoy... g
Chapter Four
He opened his eyes onto darkness.
"Feeling any better?" the sadistic, educated voice came out of the darkness. His hackles rose.
"Why are you keepin' me here?" he yelled in reply, suddenly awake and scurrying back against the bed with not a little fear.
"You have something we want." The voice replied. He frowned. "Or rather," the voice added, smirking, "you did. We have her now."
"Rose." He stated, anger swirling in his eyes.
"Yes. Rose." The voice stepped into the meagre light offered by a small light hanging from the ceiling, showing a malicious smirk and gleaming green eyes. "And your TARDIS."
"Feeling any better?" The Doctor called to her as she entered the control room later, having showered and changed into a clean t-shirt and pair of jeans.
"Yeah, thanks," Rose replied, and the Doctor smiled before returning to his wiring. She watched him for a few seconds, trying to shake off the feeling of wrongness she felt when she did so.
"What are you doin'?" she asked eventually, the ignored part of her subconscious practically jumping up and down in anger as he sliced something in half with the sonic screwdriver.
"Just some fixing. You wanting to go somewhere?" That same part of her mind snarled at his guarded tone, but Rose shrugged.
"I'm OK."
He looked up and regarded her with a look, which softened quickly. "You wanted the clothes didn't you?"
"Yeah," Rose replied with a lump in her throat. Swallowing quickly, she banished the image of her Doctor, superimposed with this man in his clothes. This new-Doctor.
"I'll get them." He dropped the wires he was holding with a fleeting expression of annoyance, and pocketed the sonic screwdriver and walked out. Rose wandered around the console, her hands itching to fidget, but repressing the urge in case she did something wrong and blew it up.
It took him a while to return, and when he did, he looked flustered, but gave Rose a grin as he handed over the precious jacket. Taking it in trembling fingers, she smoothed the material distractedly.
"Are you OK?" he asked anxiously, and she nodded, before slipping it over her shoulders. Way too large, and clearly masculine, it didn't suit her at all, and yet it worked. Her inner-voice (currently on mute) was cheering, and with new confidence, Rose turned to the Doctor.
"Come on then, let's go somewhere."
The Doctor grinned in reply, and fiddled with his severed wires for a moment before closing up the console and jumping into the routine. Things weren't, however, destined to go as planned. For him at least.
The bell smoked. The bicycle pump whined miserably when his fingers brushed it, and proceeded to beep at random moments. The monitor flashed strange Gallifreyan text in mauve. Switches refused to be pressed.
Rose's inner TARDIS rejoiced in her element as she explained to the confused inner Rose that this was the theft-device, with a few touches. Gallifreyans were, as a rule, rather picky about who flew their time machines, and renegade Time Lords like the Doctor, even more so. And now was her chance to try it out on this fraud.
The outer Rose looked on with confusion and worry as the console sparked.
"Something's going wrong!" the Doctor yelled, his expression shocked. "The energy exchange must have taken a lot out of her!"
"Wrong!" came a resounding yell from an unfamiliar voice. The Doctor spun around, aghast at the sound that came from everywhere, before he doubled over in pain.
"Doctor!" Rose yelled, running to his aid. However, just at that moment, according to the plan, the inner Rose leapt forwards and battered with all her might at the drug-barriers in her mind. Rose stopped and swayed as she leant against the console, the mental battle taking up all of her energy.
"Rose!" the Doctor yelled despite the hammering on his own scanty mental skills by the powerful force of the TARDIS. He suddenly screamed as she broke through, sending him unconscious from pain.
"I have it!" She yelled, exultant. Rose looked around in desperation, before the mind-block broke and she fell, no longer able to support herself as memories and sensations flooded her now-clear mind, accompanied by a set of co-ordinates that blazed with energy.
Hitting the floor, she curled around herself in pain, before a comforting balm of mental thought soothed her with a concerned touch.
You are safe Rose. We are safe. Rest for your Doctor, I will guard you, came the TARDIS' gentle thought as she struggled to stay awake, fighting the healing sleep her mind craved.
Mustn't-sleep… Rose fought desperately.
Sleep Rose. And she fell asleep.
When she awoke this time, Rose felt blissfully calm, despite the aching pain in her side and back from sleeping on the metal girded floor of the control room. Quickly assessing the situation, she bound the still unconscious impostor with his own clothes, before turning to the console. The TARDIS was almost silent now, having spent a lot of energy helping Rose these past few days, but the hum of the engines was relaxing as she let the memories float to the surface of her mind.
Guided by the instructions given her by the TARDIS herself, Rose let her fingers drift over the buttons and switches, before falling into a rhythm, almost like a hypnotic dance. She listened for the increase of the engines, she watched the speed of the rotators, and she calculated the position of the stabilisers automatically, dancing around the console, using her momentum to keep herself upright.
Grinning widely, she flicked a few last switches and pumped the bicycle pump, filled with exhilaration from the excitement of flying the TARDIS and the hope and thought of seeing her Doctor again.
As the engines whirred down and they came to land, Rose stood back proudly, fingers trembling, before she walked over to the pseudo-Doctor. Nonchalantly kicking him in the ribs, she fished the sonic screwdriver out of his pockets and placed it in her own. Then, turning away from him, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, patted the console, and strode out of the TARDIS doors to find the Doctor.