A Reunion of Sorts
Rose's team are people off the DWO Forum. Hope they dont mind!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Tyler had hand selected the people who now stood in front of him - the people he was entrusting his daughter's life with.
As they waited impassively, he wondered for the hundreth time if he was doing the right thing, letting Rose go off on some madcap adventure. He grinned to himself.
She was more like the Doctor then he'd ever noticed, and he knew there was a small part of her hoping that her Time Lord would be out there in the Universe waiting to come to her rescue on his white charger.
But until that happened, Pete was taking no chances.
He picked up the data pad and checked down the line.
"Alex Fallen, Liz Angua, Ness Evans, Walt Jackson." He was rewarded by salutes, some jauntier then others.
He considered them carefully.
Alex Fallen was one of his best men - trained in hand to hand combat, state of the art weaponry and tactical strategy - able to think his way out of any given situation, produce any story that might be required in order to keep himself and his team alive.
Liz Angua, Comms Tech 1st Grade - if it had wires she could make it work.
Ness Evans - Pilot, 1st Grade - recieving the medal for bravery during the Cyber Conflict.
Walt Jackson - known as Waltmouse to his friends - and Death to his enemies, trained expert in explosives and also a pilot 2nd Grade.
A good team. Mixed skills but all with survival training. Add Mickey and Rose Tyler, Dalek experts, and the team was complete. Except of course the pair hadn't arrived yet.
Just then the arrived, Rose dressed in black commando gear matching Mickey's.
"Who's this lot then?" Asked Rose warily.
"Your team. You're under the command of Leuitenant Fallen, you'll follow his directives when in the combat zone. Equally Lieutenant, I expect you to listen to Rose when things get sticky. Trust me when I say, you won't be sorry you did. You've got your mission briefing - your departure is set for 17:00 hours. Good luck." He dismissed the team.
"See you out there Miss Tyler." Said Lieutenant Fallen.
"Not if I see you first.." She smiled to show she meant no malice.
"It's something I used to say to a friend of mine.. he's gone now"
"The Doctor?" He asked. She looked startled then, her expression hardening at the mention of his name.
"What do you know about the Doctor"
"It was in the mission briefing. If we come across him, we're to assist him in any way possible." Said Lieutenant Fallen smartly, as if unaware of any transgression on his part.
"Yeah, well I doubt that we'll get that option. But umm.. call me Rose yeah? Miss Tyler sounds... crap." She said.
He nodded and left the briefing room.
Rose couldn't help sneaking a glance at his retreating ass. He was VERY rugged and good looking.
An tug at her elbow brought her back into the room. "What?" She asked Mickey who was standing there with a grin on his face.
"WHAT!" She repeated. Mickey just shook his head again, grinning even wider.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Gallifrey the Doctor was getting acquainted with his TARDIS for the journey to the Dalek fleet, having a casual chat and generally getting to know the old boy. He missed his own TARDIS terribly, but was careful not to mention her, lest he upset the grandfather Time Craft he was now residing in.
Of course there had been the usual objections made by the council, and the other Time Lords - Romana had been strangely quiet, Tobian wishing him luck whilst Durkan just sat in the corner sulking.
A couple of offers made to accompany him, but he declined all - making them shift their determination to the preparations that lay ahead should he fail.
At the last possible moment, Romana came up to the ship to say goodbye.
" Romana? I'm about to leave -" He said, quietly cursing to himself.
"I had to say goodbye." She faltered, taking a step towards him, a step back.
"I'll be back before you know it." He tried to laugh it off.
"No. I think - I know there's something between us, I sense it - in your look, your touch... but it's not the same for you is it"
"In my Universe I married you, Romana. We had children together - we were happy. But"
"But what?" She stepped forward, encouraged by his words, yet sensing there was no happy ending, could never be a happy ending.. for them.
"But you're not her. And I'm spoken for. I think.. at least I hope I am. I'm sorry if I led you to believe anything different.." He tried to take her hand, but she slipped back out of reach and into the shadows of the console room.
"I gather as much. Thank you for your honesty at least. Good luck Doctor." She turned and left without a backward glance, running to her quarters in the Capitol once out of sight.
He was lost to her!
The Doctor lowered his hand slowly, bowing his head.
Always, he brought sadness instead of joy. Maybe he was cursed. He set the thought aside, thinking of Rose instead and Earth and what lay ahead. He had a mission to accomplish and he couldn't let emotions overcrowd his logic. Not yet. Maybe not for a long time to come.
He had to stay strong for Romana, for his people, for Rose and for Earth.
Nothing could deter him, nothing could surprise him. He set the coordinates and dematerialised the ship.
He knew exactly what was going to happen and what he was going to do about it.
And he couldn't have been more wrong in his lives.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rose was impatient as she waited for the equipment to be stowed away on the ship.
"You'd better get strapped in Miss - Rose." Said the Lieutenant as he got the sound off from his team.
"Yeah. Suppose so. This your first real space mission, Lieutenant." She asked, knowing damn well it was.
"Yup. Is it yours?" He couldn't resist responding to her light jibe.
"Nope!" She answered cheerfully, and strapped herself in, enjoying the look of surprise on his face.
"Lets go already!"
The ship had a cloaking shield which the Daleks, hopefully, would not pick up on their scanners. The plan itself was simple enough. Get in, use the comms, plant explosives, get out.
But as Rose knew from experience, plans like that rarely went as they should - the main unreliable factor being of course the Daleks themselves.
But if they could reach the Time Lords, then they would answer, they would HAVE to answer - and then watch the Daleks run thought Rose with satisfaction.
As Rose looked around at her teammates strapping themselves in, she wondered for the first time since she'd arrived in this Universe, if her mom hadn't been right that night outside the TARDIS in the fake snowstorm with a newly regenerated Doctor by her side.
"I think you're mad the pair of you!"
She smiled at the memory, and felt more alive then she had been in the past year.
And then the ship rocketed away from Earth, and she was pressed back into her seat - all thoughts driven from her mind as they faced the unknwon. What would they find up there? Hope? Death? A new boyfriend? Lieutenant Fallen definately had potential in that department...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Doctor too, was setting up shields and masking his arrival - unbeknownst to the Rose's team - coming to rest in one of the storage bins on the lead Dalek ship. As they finished materialising very softly indeed, the Doctor couldn't help asking this TARDIS, if he wasn't related to a Type 40? The negative reply put paid to the amusing thought however, this Time Ship obviously had not gotten the sense of humour his did.
Shrugging he took out the explosive device the size of a golf ball, and started to scan the surroundings for a way towards the engine room.
Rose Tyler felt like her insides had been stuck in a microwave on high and then into a freezer for a few hours on top. Resisting the urge to throw up, she took a moment to watch Mickey failing to follow her example and chucking up over the side of his seat.
"Shouldn't have had such a big breakfast should ya!" She joked, slapping him on the back.
"Where are we Lieutenant Fallen"
"Hang on a sec. Yo Ness! Where we at?" He called up to the pilot
"In the middle of a sun, where d'ya THINK we are! Right on the money! We're on the underbelly of the lead Dalek ship like you wanted, SIR!"
She had plenty of attitude, which had gotten her busted on more than one occasion - but in an ariel fight there was none better, reflected Fallen.
"Good, just checking! Lizzie A! Comms chatter?" He called down this time.
"Same old, same old. Nothing about us. We came in clean." She reported.
"COURSE WE DID! I'M FLYING AINT I!" Came back Ness's peeved response
"Can it, Ness. Okay, combat suits, we move in pairs - wear your transmitters at all times people!" Ordered Fallen and they deployed.
As he passed Rose and Mickey he couldnt resist adding.
"Game Time Campers!" And he raised an eyebrow, which reminded both of them of a certain Time Lord.
"Sure you've not got a police box someplace Lieutenant?" Joked Mickey.
He looked confused - obviously the briefing hadn't extended that far, though Rose, hiding her smile.
"Lets up and at em!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Doctor was lost. He HATED it when he got lost. But it wasnt as if he could stop and ask for directions was it? And it had been ages since he was on a Dalek cruiser anyway, and for logic driven creatures they couldn't half be illogical in design sometimes.
He stopped for a breather and to get his bearings when he heard movement in front and behind.
"Gods this is gonna be so EMBARRASSING if I get caught this early.." He muttered, sliding open a handy door and hiding inside the storage cupboard.
"Hmmm.. that could help.." He said, picking up something from a nearby shelf.
"Are you sure we're heading for the bridge?" Hissed a male voice followed by what resembled a state trooper out of a bad sci fi flick. The Doctor gently thumped his head against the door. Why? Why did they have to be here NOW of all times?
"I know a Dalek cruiser, they're curved - the bridge will be towards the centre." Said a peeved voice, and the Doctor's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He pressed his face against the glass of the door and watched as Rose Tyler - ROSE TYLER! - came into view, also dressed in commando gear.
He slid open the door very very quietly.
"Well you're the expert.. so they tell me"
"Yes I am"
"Really? I thought you were a commando in that getup." Said another voice, and instantly all the team's weapons were aimed at his head.
He raised his hands cautiously.
"Been collecting boyfriends again Rose?" He asked conversationally.
"Doctor? DOCTOR!" Her voice was a whisper her eyes wide.
"Hullo." He waved at her.
For a second the Universe stood still. Then she was running, running towards her Doctor, not caring how or when or why, nothing mattered except he was here!
"EX-TERMINATE!"
There was a flash of white and Rose crumpled into the arms of the Doctor. Alive... or dead?