Soul Songs Chapter 4: Flickering Life, a doctor who fanfic

Flickering Life

The darkness consumed everything. His machine became black, the turquoise and gold seeping out of it. Bleeding. The beauty was gone. The life was dead. He now had nothing. Nothing left to lose. Except Rose. The hairs on the back of the Doctor's neck prickled in the silence of death. He mourned for a split second, the grief overwhelming him quickly. But his TARDIS could not, would not die in vain. He had to save Rose, to bring her back to him. He decided that she would live. He looked simply up at the shell of his machine and whispered quietly, "Thank you." Turning back slowly he studied his surroundings. They were no longer just black; they were pure terror. It was just a plain white wall, a plain steel door, plain red blood splattered over them both. The terror and black gripped the Doctor. He couldn't lose them both. The silence was broken by a scream, a faint scream in the distance. There was no other way but forward. Grasping the cold, hard handle of the steel door, he pushed it open quietly. Fear and anger flooded him at the sight before his eyes.

I kinda thought that I'd be better all by myself
I've never been so wrong before
You made it impossible for me to ever,
Love somebody else
And now I don't wanna let you go
See I thought that I could replace you

You can't love me the way you do

The room in front of the Doctor was vast, white with the same blood-red smears and…empty. It was empty, no Rose, no guards, no prisoners. No-one. Just the lonely God, standing staring at the blood. The sonic screwdriver in the Doctor's hand suddenly whirred into life. The Doctor pointed it instinctively at the wall and the pattern of beeps told him it was a match. She had been here. It was Rose's blood again. Walking up to the wall, he saw a vivid, fresh, smudged handprint in her blood. He placed his own hand on top of it and guilt surged through him once more. It burned. They would pay dearly for hurting her. Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw a glimpse of blurred light. Another door! He ran for it and tugged at it, ripping the hinges off of the door. A corridor was what he saw now, lined with the same steel doors on both sides. From one of these doors, the screams grew louder. He ran for the door, but felt four strong hands on his shoulders gripping him, holding him back.

I tried to tell myself that I'd be over you

In a week or two
But baby that was 'bout a year ago
I've never seen the word love so personified

As I do with you
And that is why I just can't let go, oh no

I'm spoiled.

He was spun around. The hands gripping him looked like muscle, just exposed muscle. Two burly, angry, Sycorax soldiers laughed at him and led him down the corridor towards a control room. Around the sides were a dozen Sycorax soldiers. There, in the middle, sat Adam Mitchell; complete with the door in his head wide open. The Doctor stared at him, confused. Adam rose up from his chair and the guards let the Doctor go. "The Doctor, I spose?"

The Doctor just grinned, "Yep, still me. Don't really remember you though. Who're you exactly?"

It worked. Disappointment crossed Adam's skeletal, dark features, swiftly replaced by anger. "Don't pretend like you don't remember me, Doctor. It's getting old."

"Pretty Boy."

Adam smirked, "Rose always thought so." The Doctor lurched forward, making for Adam, but was pulled back again by guards. "Believe me, Doctor, you don't want to do that."

"I don't care what you do to me."

"But her?"

Her was Rose, he was sure. The Doctor's struggling stopped, "How did you get here, Adam? We're a year off from your time."

"Your stupid bloody machine landed a year early. I'd been back here about six months when I saw someone who looked all too familiar."

"Rose."

"Spot on, as always. I was found out by the Sycorax. They've suffered at your hands, Doctor."

"That wasn't me."

"You didn't stop it, though. They found my technology," he pointed to his head, "and I have knowledge of you. We both wanted revenge."

"Why did you track Rose down?"

And I would only be fooling myself if I tried to
Believe there's room for someone else in my heart
There ain't no way I'm getting over you
I don't know what I've been trying to prove
I'm hopeless, helpless when it comes to you

"You love her." It wasn't a question. A statement of fact.

"Yes." The Doctor's eyes looked towards the door from where screams could still be heard. "But you want me, this has nothing to do with her."

"It has everything to do with her. She has the essence."

"Essence? What essence?"

"When we took her, she was with you."

"Yes."

"She was beginning the early fusion stage, that chemical was what we needed from her blood. The time was ripe."

"You took her blood because you think she's pregnant?"

"We needed that blood, Doctor. It drew you here by instinct. Another Time Lord.

"But how did you know that me and Rose were…?"

"I'm not that stupid, she's pretty. Nice body. Had a go, myself..." The Doctor lunged forwards again, pushing every Sycorax soldier off him and lunged for Adam's throat, pressing his windpipe closed. He was pulled off instantly. "Oh, Doctor, just for that, I think I'll make you watch. She won't be able to see you. You're invisible to her. A little trick."

He gestured to the door and the Doctor saw Rose being brought in. She looked deathly white and she was pushed by two guards into a heap on the floor. Grief burned across him again. Her stomach had a deep red gash on it. Adam ran his hand over Rose's body, now slumped on the floor. She struggled against his weight, kicking, screaming at him to stop. Adam kicked Rose's stomach one last time and she was dragged away screaming as the blood flowed freely again.

The Doctor decided that he would kill Adam.

I'm spoiled by your love
No matter how I try to change my mind
What's the point it's just a waste of time
I'm spoiled by your touch
The love you give is just too hard to fight
Don't want to live without you in my life
I'm spoiled

Adam circled the Doctor now, looking at him in amusement. "I knew you'd never leave her for long. It was only a matter of time…"

The Doctor's stare would have killed anything and his voice was heavy. "…before I showed up…yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah. Adam, why bother?"

Annoyance crossed Adam's face, "What?"

"I've seen a lot of things, Adam. I've seen stars being born, I've seen stars die. Like Elvis. I've seen every world come to an end. You must think that this is something new. I've got news for you, mate, it's not. You can't win against me. I'm the oncoming storm. Whole species fear me because of what I bring. I bring death and destruction and pain to those who hurt the ones I love. I will kill you Adam because no-one can escape the storm. You're supposed to know me, right? So you must know I'll win. I'll kill you, I'll save Rose and I'll destroy this."

To the Doctor's surprise, Adam grinned. "Save her? Why Doctor, I'd have thought better of you. Can't you hear?" Silence now, her screams had stopped. "You can't save her Doctor when she's already dead."