Rose Tyler sighed in frustration. She was playing solitaire on a TARDIS computer screen. She had been at it for over an hour, determined to win at least once before she quit, but the TARDIS wasn't making it easy for her. Just when Rose thought she was going to win, the cards would suddenly be in an order that made it impossible for her to get them out. Rose began to think the ship was doing this on purpose.
The Doctor wore an amused smirk as he watched Rose out of the corner of his eye. He was reading The Lord of the Rings but not really putting much effort into it. He bit his tongue to suppress a laugh as Rose growled at the screen and hit the 'deal' button for the fiftieth time and counting.
Jack strolled into the console room, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck having just woken up from a nap. "Well, gang," he said. "What do you say we go somewhere?"
"Good idea," Rose said. "This bloody game is impossible. It must be sat at 'Time Lord' difficulty level or something." The men smiled.
"Where were you thinking of going?" the Doctor asked, setting down his book and standing up.
Before Jack could respond, the central collum of the TARDIS began to pulse up and down, bathing the room in blue-green light. It was as if the ship had suddenly chosen a destination for them. It wasn't the first time this has happened.
"I didn't touch anything," Jack said, protecting what innocence he had.
"I know." The Doctor's eyes flickered over the console, reading the information the ship was giving him. "The TARDIS has picked up a signal and is moving towards it."
Rose knitted her brows. "The last time that happened we ended up in Van Statten's base."
"Who's Van Statten?" Jack asked over the din of the TARDIS' engine.
"An alien collector from the year 2012," the Doctor said. His eyes momentarily darkened at the memory. "He had a live Dalek."
Jack's eyes widened. "But you killed it, right?"
"More or less," the Doctor replied.
Suddenly the engines stopped with a shuddering thud. The TARDIS had landed.
"Where are we?" Rose asked.
"In the Andromeda Galaxy, not too far away from Canadmanipegwinntoba," The Doctor said. His eyes met Rose's. "Or Canad for short. The year is 2005." Rose took a moment to marvel how much was happening all across the universe at any given moment, but it soon became too much for her to think about. For once she was also glad of a planet that didn't seem too hard to pronounce the name of.
"What do you mean 'not too far away?'" Jack asked, trying to decipher the TARDIS' information. At last he got it. "We've landed on a ship. Says here there's only one life on bord."
"They must have sent out a distress signal and the TARDIS decided to reply to it and send us to the rescue," the Doctor said, his eyes drifting up the central collum thoughtfully.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and see who needs our help." Rose started towards the door. Jack beat her to the ramp, as he was closest to it. The Doctor came up behind Rose, almost too close. Sensing that he was suddenly in her personal space, he hesitated a second before following her down the ramp. Rose glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. He smiled in return.
Jack opened the doors and stepped out with minimal caution and typical American bravado. "I don't see anyone," he told the others as they exited the TARDIS. He raised his voice to address the whole ship and began to move into what looked like the control room. "Hello?"
Out of nowhere, something long and almost snake-like whipped out from behind the doorframe that led into the control room. It was lightening fast, and before anyone could react it was around Jack's throat. Jack, Rose and the Doctor froze in place. The female being attached to the cord around Jack's neck stepped into view from her hiding place just inside the room. Now it could be seen that Jack had been caught by her tail.
She was humanoid-looking and young by human standards, placing her age maybe at seventeen or eighteen Earth-years. Her hair was long and was done up in a loose braid that was reddish-brown and streaked with blonde highlights. Her eyes were hard, dark, and a bit red as if she had been crying. Those eyes exposed a pain and age that didn't quite match the rest of her body; very much, Rose realised, like the Doctor's. The girl's face was set in fear, determination and a hint of desperation.
"Whoa," Jack gasped, raising his hands to grasp the tail around this throat. "I'm into some kinky stuff, but this is a bit much!" He chocked the last word out as the humanoid alien's tail tightened, as a python kills its prey. Jack's hands pulled on the coils but they wouldn't budge.
The girl eyed all of them, her eyes resting on the Doctor the longest. "Please stay calm," he said in an attempt to diffuse this situation. Rose wasn't sure if he was telling Jack, the alien, or herself to stay calm. All of them, most likely. "We're not here to hurt you. We want to help."
"Who are you?" the girl demanded. "You have no wings…you're not Ricans. And no tails!"
"No," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor. This," he indicated the woman beside him, "is Rose Tyler, and the man in your, uh, grip is Captain Jack Harkness."
"Pleased to meet you," Jack said in a horse, choked voice to his captor. She shot him a warning look.
"What's your name?" Rose asked, trying her hand at negotiation.
The alien hesitated, but then decided she had nothing to lose. "Rehprom," she said.
The Doctor smiled. This was good progress. "Rehprom, would you mind letting go of my friend? He kind of needs to breathe."
Rehprom studied the Doctor for what seemed like a long time, giving the feeling of being x-rayed. Then, without a word, Rehprom uncoiled her tail, releasing a grateful Captain Jack. He stepped away from her, messaging his sore windpipe. "Thanks."
Rehprom arched her tail over her shoulder like a scorpion, ready to strike again if need be. "You said you were here to help me?"
"Yes," the Doctor replied. He nodded towards the ship's console. "If I may…?"
"Go ahead," Rehprom said, stepping aside and allowing the Doctor to pass.
"Cheers." Long strides took him over to the console where he examined the screen alerting them to the oncoming Rican ship. "Why are these people after you?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Because I escaped," Rehprom said. Her tone was strong, proud and sad. "The Ricans took over my planet and my people were made into slaves." Her left hand clutched her right bicep. "My brother and my…mate were going to escape with me but they got caught and now they're going to get me too." Her voice cracked.
"Not if we can help it," the Doctor said. He looked at her. "You're coming with us."
"Excuse me," Jack said. "But she tried to kill me!" He jabbed a finger in Rehprom's direction.
"I think if she really wanted to, she would've," Rose said, eyeing Rehprom's tail. The alien just stared at the ground, silent.
"Right, well, come on, then," the Doctor said with a grin. He bounded back to the TARDIS. "No use sticking around here waiting for them to come and get us."
The Time Lord's companions retreated with him back into the ship, but Rehprom was reluctant to follow them into the strange blue box. The Doctor leaned out the TARDIS door. "Look, I'll make a deal with you, okay? Promise not to strangle my friends any more and we'll see if we can't get you reunited with your brother and your…mate." His glance drifted down to her abdomen and Rehprom wondered if he somehow knew about her condition. She subconsciously placed a hand on her stomach and felt a kick. The Doctor smiled warmly at her and held out a hand in invitation.
At last Rehprom sighed quietly, smiled bravely, and stepped forward, reaching out her own hand. The Doctor took her fingers, guiding her into the TARDIS. Rehprom noticed that his hand felt cold even in contrast to her own usually chilly hands, but not unpleasantly so. Rehprom stepped into the ship, the Doctor closing the doors behind her.
AN/ Reference guide for this chapter:
I know I'm not alone in this situation: You're playing solitaire on the computer, but no matter how hard you try, you just can't win! It's almost like the computer is trying to make you lose. This happened to me while I was writing this fic. I'm glad to see that so many of you could relate to it.
What book would the Doctor be reading? Lord of the Rings was the first one I saw on my shelf and I thought, "Why not?"
"Dalek." Yeah, we've all seen that episode.
The Andromeda Galaxy actually exists. It's the closest one to the Milky Way.