KITG: weee, next chapter. Thought I had better finish this before I commit Fan Fiction suicide with the next fic in my brain. I am dying from plot bunnies here.
Chapter 8The burst of bullet energy sped towards its target. The blue projectile of power would stop life, life so important to one and many. Important to the many she had touched, would touch by her presence. Important to the one who would give his life for her, was his very existence. The calming breeze that held back the storm within.
Time would not allow this life to end, and in its desperation it called on the thing if truly unleashed could destroy the Universe. Make all life stop so only time remained.
So time called upon the darkness hidden in the light, the small kernel that could become the seeds of doom.
As the shot was to reach life, dark death stopped it with a roar of hatred. There in the spirit power stood the Sultarrvec, his eyes red with black lightening across them. Who could deem this was not corporeal, but neither could you see through him. It was if he consumed the light with his darkness. It looked to the bier then to the human, and then to the Doctor. Finally with a roar that could shatter rock it dove at the bier. The alabaster stone, that had withstood the passage of such time since it's creation split like glass. The Time Vortex ripping out and surging through the tower. The bell gave a strangled cry then stilled until only the silence of shock permeated the air. As the resting place of the greatest Time Lord laid in ruin.
The Sultarrvec rose from the remains like black smoke to reform before all assembled, it's lust for destruction not yet sated. Romana stood tall as she confronted the creature before them.
"What have you done? What are you?"
"You know me," it growled.
"I have never seen you before"
"Yes you have, ripped the knowledge from my host body. I should thank you actually. Making him relive his pain gave me power. As his pain and hatred builds it feeds me"
"The Sultarrvec" Romana gasped.
"As to what I am? Some have named me death, others life. But I prefer death" his eyes flashed in sick amusement. "And what I have done. Only as asked, in repayment I will have my revenge on this one" he looked straight at Orlith, the one that had attached his host to the deep scan. The Time Lord that had experimented sedated, placing the Guardian into a coma. It moved, pinning the Time Lord to the wall, crushing and snarling with a sick smile at the quivering form.
"Stop!" Romana commanded.
"I am not the Guardian My lady" the Sultarrvec sneered in a sarcastic tone as said 'my lady' "you hold no power over me" he flung Orlith to the ground near the bier before the Bursar "but first"
The Sultarrvec threw the men off of the Doctor and Jack. Then he turned back to Orlith.
"Doctor, activate the neural implant. Kill it" Romana stated, the Sultarrvec locked eyes upon the Doctor, red meeting blue.
"No" the Doctor replied.
"But Doctor"
"No Romana, it is time you opened your eyes to what you have become. A pawn to the council. Demanding I end life for the sake of it. You were not always like this, what happened to your compassion?"
"I…"
"I don't want to hear it. Look at Rose" Romana tried to turn away "LOOK AT HER!" the cold furious voice. Romana looked, seeing the young eyes of a human. So afraid but determined to fight. "How is that any different than what Davros did when he created the Daleks? How is the Bursar any different? He tried to take the Time Vortex into himself so he could destroy you all and meld the paths of time as he saw fit. No I will not kill my friend"
The Sultarrvec nodded to the Doctor, then ripped Orlith apart, devouring all that the Time Lord was. Then he turned on Romana, eyes ablaze.
"Kill me? Now that wasn't very nice," it snarled.
"Sultarrvec. I command you to return where you belong. You have done enough" The Sultarrvec whipped his head round to the form of the Doctor.
"Because you have spared me, I owe you a boon. I will return for now…but next time" his eyes glinted at Romana. Then the Sultarrvec disappeared as smoke on the wind.
The Doctor walked towards the form of Rose, her rasping breath now echoing round the large room.
"Oh Rose…"
"You can fix her right Doc?" Jack asked in a quiet voice
"I don't know"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" the scream of anger near hysterical as the Bursar awoke to find his plan laid to waste.
"Bursar, you will turn yourself over for trial"
"I think not" he put his hand out and time flew from his hands, no longer the pure gold but tainted black. The Members of the council wither and turned to dust as their regeneration were moved forward to the end.
"Yes, I have the power. The Universe is mine to shape, to untie the threads of time" the Bursar laughed at his victory
"No. I said I would stop you. And I will" the Doctor replied, making the Bursar focus on him. "Jack get Rose and look after her"
"No I'm not going leave you here Doc. Besides Rose would never forgive me. We'll wait for you" Jack replied, hugging Rose close to him, careful of what they had done to her. The Doctor felt humbled in the faith they both placed in him. Rose's eyes were telling him she shared Jacks decision to wait.
"You will die Doctor!" the Bursar screamed, building the Time Vortex around him and directing it like a storms wave towards the Doctor. Time froze and sneezed as it swirled around the Doctor. But the vortex did nothing to him.
"What?" the Bursar exclaimed. "How…."
"Do you truly think we would harm our champion?" All turned to Rose, her eyes swirling with gold
"Rose?"
"Yes, and more. We have been called many things. But Rose Tyler deemed us Bad Wolf"
"No, you are mine, MINE to control!" The Bursar raged, sending wave after wave at the Doctor. But again it did nothing. "How can this be? It is you, the pathetic human!"
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The Bursar turned all his anger on the body of Rose, but the Doctor got in its way. The Doctor's face radiated pure anger and hatred; he looked at this man like a Dalek. The Time Vortex crested round the Doctor, then it waited, a swirl of blue and red mixed with gold.
"It is your time" the Doctor said, his voice quiet, for even in his anger he was sorry one of his kind had fallen so far.
"NO THE VORTEX IS MINE!" the Bursar tried to deny the inevitability of time.
"Then become one with the Vortex" The Doctor whipped out his hand towards the Bursar, and the Vortex surged forward. The Bursar screamed, the black vortex that had been tainted by him surged gold as it was made pure by the Doctor. Then time moved forward, the Bursar aged and became silent dust.
The Vortex returned to the broken tomb, the shards of alabaster stone returning to the bier until finally with a blinding flash the tomb of Rassilon was restored, unmarred by all that had passed.
All stood there a moment, blinking in the red light as Gallifrey's sun rose over the horizon. Shocked that it had ended.
But Jack's voice would awaken all,
"Rose….Rose!" Jack was kneeled beside her, holding her in his arms. None had seen when the Vortex had left her, none had seen her eyes slowly close. The Doctor rushed over pressing his fingers to her neck. Feeling her failing pulse.
"Jack, help me" between them they gently picked up her broken form and carried her down the tower. Outside was an anti-grav sled that Romana and the council had arrived in. Romana followed them in shock; Jack helped her into the sled giving her a sympathetic look.
The Doctor pushed the craft to its limits in his need to get Rose to the medical wing. The craft nearly mowing down others as it raced through the alabaster streets, kissed by the morning red sun as it rose. It was as if it was bleeding with Rose, showing nothing but death in its anger. They carried Rose into the medical wing, the Doctor sparing a glance at Galen, still asleep in his bed knowing nothing that had passed. The Doctor knew that if he had been awake he would have killed all that had harmed the women he had come to see as his little sister
They worked for hours on Rose's form. Mending all that had been done to her. The marks of her ordeal were gone from her skin. But the Doctor feared for her mind, she had been gutted, and experimented on while awake and if that wasn't enough she had the Vortex siphoned through her. He was glad, for it seemed the Vortex had decided to heal her of its touch. For her cells were not degrading, not burning up from the Vortex.
Now the Doctor was sat beside her, her hand in his own as she dreamed her dreams or nightmares. Jack was asleep on a couch to the side; to give him credit he had been awake for a long time helping the Doctor with Rose. The Doctor would let no one else close to her, to touch her. Seeming over protective. But could you blame him? After his own kind had wanted to study Rose after they found out she held the time Vortex. No he would not let them have the chance top get near her, to prod her for their own gain.
The Doctor became aware of a change in breathing in the room, he looked over to the form of Galen, to see his eyes blinking open, squinting in the bright light. His eyes being closed for so long had become over sensitive to the light. He groaned and placed his hand over his eyes.
"Ow, what the hell did I drink?" he mumbled. But then he shot up with a growl, as his eyes flashed dangerously. "The Bursar" Galen glanced round and saw the Doctor by Rose's side.
"Oh no.." he got up from his bed and walked over, locking his eyes with the Doctors, seeing the horror and fear in the Doctor's gaze. "Oh…old friend" Galen came up and placed a comforting hand on the Doctor's shoulder.
"Bout time you woke up" the Doctor commented quietly. Eyes returning to Rose's face.
"What happened?"
"I should have listened to you, they…..they gutted her, cut her open. And she was awake Galen, she felt everything" The Doctor whispered with such anger.
"By Rassilon, I didn't think they would go that far. Tests yes…but that" Galen stroked Rose's cheek, not missing the Doctor tense in protectiveness.
The Doctor filled Galen in on all that happened, telling him all to the smallest detail. Galen stood by the Doctor's side, his hand never leaving the Doctors shoulder giving his old friend comfort.
The day wore on and Rose showed no sign of waking. Jack did though; the event brought a momentary smile to the Doctors face. When one moment Galen was by his side the next he was on the floor with an "oof" with Jack then proceeding to give him a kiss on the lips
"Ack, Jack! Get off!" Galen got up and brushed himself down. "What was that for?"
"Well, I thought you wasn't going to wake up" Jack replied, his eyes full of concern. The bravado that he usually had stripped away.
"Now why would you think that?"
"Because I have seen what a forced deep mind scan can do" Jacks eyes darkened as old memories played behind his eyes.
Galen had no answer for him, but all thoughts left them as a voice broke the moment
"Doctor?" Came the gasped question from Rose…..
TBC…….