Bounty Part Four
Notes: I don't think overwhelmed is a strong enough word for it really. The response I'm getting is awe-inspiring. This chappie starts in a rather different tone than the others because we're going to get to see Mert! And, well, let's just say he's not what you were all expecting. Until he gets angry.
Starlite: Yeah, bored right in. And since Mert put it in, he's the only one with the facilities to take it out. Which kinda sucks really. The Doctor wouldn't try because he wouldn't want to hurt her. Hope you like this instalment my dear!
Jessie: Phew! Long reviews for this chappie…which I LOVE, so keep giving them! Thanks for the info on that mysterious AU. I guess it is really. I don't much like trying to fit stuff in. The Stella stories are AU too then, because the end of Jack's Agenda is meant to represent where the series ended (with the whole Time Vortex thing…not sure everyone got that though.) Lol, that be a long and grammatically incorrect word, but I get what you mean. Don't worry, I'll be doing some Doctor focused stuff soon so I hope I can get him properly IC, and I'm glad you liked my Jack! Nice theory with the Dalek thing, guess it woulda made more sense, but ah well. Well, I don't really want to give her a LEAVING story, I'd rather just leave the series there on a high point and you can al assume she continues to travel with them and lives a long and happy life. I can't keep on writing them forever! Keep giving the long reviews, I feed on them!
Banshee: Yeah! Feisty! Don't worry, in this very chapter you'll hopefully understand a little more how everything panned out with Mert and Rose, and learn a bit more about the man himself! Yeah, I love Keane…actually, if it weren't for them I wouldn't have so much inspiration for this story!
Ferntree: Oh good! Keep reviewing my dear…
Uh.yeah: Just keep on giving reviews like that and you'll certainly live up to it! It's OK, you not being able to explain is such a huge compliment in itself! I know…it's just so awful…but the way I've constructed this story is with flashbacks, so we might get one from Mickey and what he was feeling too…creepy eh…Lol, I have to have humour! Humour is my life! And he is a purple demon…hope this is soon enough for you.
Dingbatt: Oh…breathe…breathe in…breath out…there, much better! Thank you for reviewing!
Ark Led: Oh, don't mention it, I'm glad you didn't flame! Thank you for having so much faith in me…Do continue to waffle!
Sands of Patience: I'm glad you all seem to have picked up on that…however cold Rose seems, at heart she's still friends with them. I don't think you can just stop being friends with someone, not if the friendship was true enough to start with.
Immi: Good! We're improving then! Yeah, she's emailed me a couple of times, why?
Becsy: What can I say Becsy? You've understood this story so perfectly and made me understand it a little better too, which is bloody impressive! You've got me thinking much more deeply about this fic, and I'm sure it'll have an impact on my future stories too. In short, you've done exactly what reviewers should: improved my writing. And I think, for that, I'll be eternally grateful. I will not forget you. If I publish…I'll look back on these fics and find you and PUT A LITTLE NOTE IN THE FRONT TO YOU! ;) You can hold me to that one!
Dr Azaria: Meh, in joke. Something me and my friends came up with…it's not a competition! I value every single review as highly as the others! You are another who's really understood this fic, and made me think more deeply about it too. Yep, evil plot is in the bag. Mert may seem pathetic but he's got some demons…everyone has their demons…
When I counted up my demons
Saw there was one for every day
With the good ones on my shoulder
I chased the other ones away—Coldplay
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Mert was thinking again, which his advisors (they were not friends, Mert was too generally nasty for friends) knew was their cue to leave. Which left our red skinned, four armed, stupid bearded alien alone with his demons.
He's sent for the girl. He wasn't even that sure what her name was anymore, so that was something he'd have to check with the proper authorities. The sad truth of it all was that Mert was a puppet ruler, put there by higher powers to distract attention away from them. What they wanted with a godforsaken little rock like Mertopia was anyone's guess.
However, anyone smart would have figured out it was not Mertopia they wanted, but the third planet in a very small and dull solar system, billions of light years from anywhere worth talking about, and generally a not very important place.
But Mert's demons had figured out long ago that Earth was the planet, if any, that they would claim their bounty from.
There is a certain amount of irony in that sentence, because in fact the bounty that Mert's demons obsessed about was a bounty hunter. They'd looked for him for nearly a century, and if you consider just how huge space is, you'll know how deeply lucky they were that Mert was stupid enough to accidentally land on Rose Tyler's doorstep.
Mert sat in his rather ugly throne made of the bones of his more unlucky advisors, waiting for his demons to get in contact. Sure enough, there was a strange and uncomfortable scrabbling feeling in his limited brain.
I say demons in the plural because there were two of them, Kyishi and Phnom. It was Kyishi who spoke first.
"Hello Mert," it said in a gentle, rather feminine voice. "How are you?"
Mert had to concede that he was slightly confused. "I sent for the girl, but she hasn't arrived yet."
"Don't worry about that Mert," said Phnom reassuringly. Mert liked to think of Phnom as a more male entity. "You don't have to worry about anything, so long as you follow our instructions."
"That's rather comforting," admitted Mert, mopping his brow. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, beginning to relax. "To be honest, I haven't had a very wonderful day. I had to fire and kill another two of my advisors because they said something coarse and mean about my tie, and then I ripped my sports jacket on a nail. The chocolate ran out as well."
"Ah yes, the goods you obtained from the Earth Search," cooed Kyishi. "Don't worry, if you bring us our bounty we will give you the Earth, and all the ties, sports jackets and chocolate in it will be yours."
"That's very reassuring," said Mert, feeling much more confident. "Now, when the girl arrives, what should I do?"
"You must remember that her name is Rose Tyler," scolded Phnom. "The Earth man is Captain Jack Harkness, and the Time Lord is the Doctor. Please make an effort to remember those names."
"Yes, of course," said Mert quickly.
"Mert, you must remember that you are very special," said Kyishi.
"I am?"
"Very special," agreed Phnom. "You are the only person we could have picked for this job. Your skills in intimidation alone would be enough for us to choose you. But in the end, it was not us that chose you Mert. You were destined to rule the Earth, and everything in it. You are the Chosen One."
Now, while Mert amuses himself with some pleasant daydreams, I must stress that everything Phnom just told Mert is untrue. Mert is not destined or 'chosen', he's a small fat ugly red being that can barely be classed as sentient, that luckily had an ego large enough to support Phnom and Kyishi's plans, and enough empty space in his head for them to inhabit. And he will also not be receiving all the ties, sports jackets and chocolate in the Earth because if his demons' plans go well, there will be no Earth left.
What Mert would never guess, and would probably never understand, is that Phnom and Kyishi were not demons.
In fact, I think you'll all be surprised to find out they were Higher Beings from another dimension.
These Higher Beings were rather angry with the Time Lords.
Not only had the Time Lords banished them to that other dimension for apparently 'meddling in other planets' affairs and generally being evil', but they'd then had the indecency to go and die out before they could be properly punished. There was only one left now, one puny little Time Lord to receive two centuries of revenge.
Kyishi and Phnom were also the last of their kind due to them all falling out and destroying each other, and they felt they had a score to settle. They would start with Earth, taking particular care with Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness.
And they would make whatever they did to them his fault.
Suddenly one of Mert's advisors rushed in. He had about fifty of these left, since he kept falling out with them and destroying them. His throne was getting rather large.
"The Time Lord's craft has arrived, Emperor," he said, bowing so low his beard scraped the floor. Then he scuttled away again, but backwards. Mert insisted on it. He found it sadistically amusing.
So he would send for the Time Lord and his little ape friends. And he would make them suffer, and he would gain the Earth.
Mert was thick as a brick. But stupid people, when they're angry, are infinitely more dangerous that intelligent people.
And Mert had demons.
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I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was sat in mum's flat. I still called it that, even though it was years since she'd lived there. Nothing had changed inside it except me I suppose. I wasn't the girl I had been, once upon a time.
I wasn't doing anything special, just watching TV with Mickey. Our relationship had changed. He didn't love me, didn't want to anymore. He'd moved on, but I guess he was as close to a human friend I still had. The rest had got sick of me.
Everyone gets sick of me.
It was so loud, like an explosion, but inside your head. Mert boasted afterwards that everyone within a mile radius would have heard it; the sound of hyperspace ripping open and spitting out a space ship. It made the TARDIS seem quiet in comparison.
But that's what I thought it was, the TARDIS, at first at least. I could tell from Mickey's face he thought the same as we ran down into the courtyard. A grey cylinder was wedged into the ground, slightly at an angle, smoke rising from it. I'll never forget the man who strode out of it like the world was his own.
Red skin, four arms, stupid beard. And mean as a snake.
I don't know how to describe it, but it was like this unseen power emanated from him. It seeped out of every pore, glowed in his orange eyes. It made me frightened of him. Hell, I've never been so frightened of anything in my whole, screwed up life. He didn't say a word, but I felt myself trembling, heard Mickey leave, yelling for me to follow. I couldn't. I was enchanted by absolute and utter terror.
I began to plead. I was disgusted with myself afterwards, but I'm disgusted with myself for other reasons too, so what's one more? So I pleaded for my life, for him to take me to see the stars again, for him to return me to my Doctor.
As soon as I said the word 'Doctor', something about him changed. He seemed…excited. Like he'd found something.
He granted my second wish, only my second. He took me to one planet, one far off, beautiful planet.
But I couldn't enjoy it because he was there, and to be with him was to be afraid. I heard him whispering to himself that night, terrible whispers, and begged to be taken home.
But he took me to his own planet instead. Then he drugged me, and dumped me back on Earth. When I came round there was a shaved patch on my skull and a scar. Because I knew the Doctor, and I was valuable. I had to have tabs kept on me.
Mickey was waiting for me. His face was pale, frightened. He told me to turn Mert in, said he was dangerous. Unluckily for him, Mert had chosen that moment to tune into Rose FM, courtesy of the chunk of metal in my head. He came back, and they had an argument.
Mert hit him, and would have killed him himself, but Mickey was too fast. He barricaded himself in his flat before Mert could even get up the stairs.
So we struck a deal. Me and Mert.
I had to kill Mickey.
If I didn't, Mert would take me to some alien planet and leave me there for good. He could track me 24/7 now. There was nowhere I could run to and be safe.
That wouldn't have scared me completely, but Mert had changed. When I refused, his mouth stretched until it was a gaping maw, lined with row upon row of teeth. He roared above my screaming, growing taller, meaner, with thick yellow claws. He smelled like fire, like the sizzle of flesh, like a hedgehog trapped in a bonfire.
And I could see the pits of Hell in his eyes.
My fear made me kill Mickey Smith.
My weak-minded, human fear.
And I will regret it until the day I die, and see those pits of Hell for myself.
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Durn durn durn! Review or be pollinated!
(does sexy little Dalek twisty dance)