Any Port In A Storm...
Many many thanks go to all of you guys who have reviewed so diligiently. The characters are the BBC's except for Lt Fallen's team - they're based on real guys and gals on the DWO forums who were so very kind enough to let me nick them for a mission or two.
This episode is dedicated to them
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"ROSE!" The Doctor deliberately made a show of his apparent horror, holding her upright and drawing the Dalek's attention, letting Fallen and Ness drop back.
"THE FEMALE IS UNHARMED. FOR NOW. YOU ARE THE TIME LORD KNOWN AS THE DOCTOR SENT TO DESTROY US." Intoned the Dalek covering the Doctor with it's weapon.
"Yup, Thats me. Destroyer of Worlds... Liberator of Dwarfs.. Subscriber of the Beano."Said the Doctor, not bothering to hide his sarcasm.
"YOU EXPECTED TO BE CAPTURED." It was a statement, not a question, as the Dalek had no doubt read his body language and changes.
"Right again. Want to go for three?" He queried, nodding ever slightly to Fallen with his head, indicating for them to disappear. Pronto.
"YOU WILL COME WITH ME. I WILL ESCORT YOU TO THE INTERROGATION CHAMBERS"
"Yeah, well I've got a dentist's appointment at five, so don't take too long yeah?" Quipped the Doctor, and was rewarded with a light blast from the Dalek.
"Same sense of humor at any rate.." He muttered to himself, trying very hard not to drop Rose.
"YOU WILL COME WITH ME. I WILL ESCORT -" Started the Dalek again. The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, heard you the first time thanks. Could you take Rose here - she's not usually like this - I'm sorry I don't know your name?" He turned to the young woman beside him.
"My name is Angua. Liz Angua. This is Walt Jackson." She didn't mention the others, catching on quickly.
"Great. I'm the Doctor - look after Rose will you, I'll be back"
"I don't think they're gonna let you go so easily - I have some explosives -" Offered Walt Jackson, patting his bag. The Doctor shook his head.
"I'll be back. For you and for her." He promised.
"YOU WILL COME WITH "
"Oh shut up tin can!" He shouted, the intensity and anger in his voice, causing both Dalek and human to jump. The Dalek waited in silence.
He nodded to the two young people and left Rose's side reluctantly.
"After you." He said, sweeping a hand in front of the Dalek. It didn't respond.
He sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically, stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked off taking his time.
The Dalek rolled after him, whilst three more escorted their prisoners to the holding areas. No mention was made of Lieutenant Fallen and Ness who waited hidden in an ante chamber.
Once they were sure the Daleks were gone, they emerged.
"Right, I'll take the Doctor, Ness you get our people out of dodge. Meet you back at the ship." Said Fallen, slapping his crewmate on the back.
"You'd better. Don't make me come looking for you!" She warned with a grin.
He grinned and the two parted company on their seperate missions.
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The Doctor was taken straight into the interrogation chambers as promised, but instead of being intimidated by the toture equipment, he started picking things up and giving a running commentary on the flaws in each design. Finally the Dalek had had enough.
"SI-LENCE." It demanded.
"Or what? You'll torture me to death?" He queried, with a mocking glance.
"YOU WLL REMOVE YOUR OUTER CLOTHING"
"Ohhh Kinky are we. No thanks, bit chilly in here." He flapped his coat as evidence of the fact, but the Dalek was clearly not impressed and summoned assistance.
Two humanoids approached - clearly mindless and under the direction of their Dalek masters. Whilst one held the Doctor's arm, the other peeled off his coat - the Time Lord not resisting . These poor shells of humanity weren't his enemy.
"So what's first?" He said brightly.
"Manicure? Pedicure maybe"
He was propelled backwards onto a vertical platform and tied into place.
"Not very comfy." He complained, stretching his limbs experimentally.
"ACTI-VATE" Grated the Dalek, and watched as what resembled a transparent helmet settled down over the trapped Doctor's head.
"Okay not liking this AT all - I say, do I get to fill out a questionnaire after- AAARGGGGGH!" He winced as the mind probe was activate at a low field setting - attacking his mental shields.
"YOU CANNOT RESIST THE WILL OF THE DALEKS. YOU WILL SUBMIT. YOU WILL TELL US OF THE PLANS YOU HAVE LAID." Grated the Dalek.
"I... I will... not! So there! You'll have to do better than - AAAAAAAAGH!" A scream this time, the Dalek notching up the power levels dramatically rather then in stages. It cared nothing if it ripped the Time Lord's mind to shreds as long as it got what it wanted. Information.
After forty minutes the Doctor passed out, when the Dalek had raised the level too high too soon, lying limply with blood trickling from his nose.
"REVIVE HIM!" Demanded the Dalek and went to report.
The two slaves hurried to comply, which was when Fallen made his move. He knocked them both out easily enough, they weren't programmed to fight or even think for themselves. Lowering them onto the ground, he set too releasing the Doctor from the contraption, slinging the Time Lord over one shoulder.
"Party officially over." He said and grabbed the coat on their way out, lasering the door so that the Dalek couldn't follow anytime soon.
He hoped Ness's rescue attempt was progressing as well.
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Ness was in a firefight. She and Walt were blasting drone after drone, and dodging Dalek fire as they covered Liz and Rose. Rose had recovered somewhat, but they just didn't have the firepower against the Dalek weaponry. Unfortunately as the Daleks were now between them and the ship, the situation was looking grim.
"Started without us did you!" Came a shout from the adjoining corridor and Fallen's head poked around the door.
"What took you so long!" Demanded Ness, squeezing off another shot.
"Traffic! What's your excuse?" He shouted back.
"Rose wanted to look for you and her Doctor!" As if that explained everything. "Where is he anyway? Her mystery man"
"Right here. And that won't stop a Dalek." He said, coming up from behind her. Ness jumped out of her skin, much to the amusement of Walt.
"It's all I got." She said, flippantly.
"Nah it's not. Lieutenant I suggest you come over with us! This is NOT going to be your average explosion. I'm sure Rose will have told you, I just don't DO average!" He said, taking out two metal balls and priming them.
"What're those?" Asked Walt, immediately interested.
"Our escape route out of here. My ship or yours? Whaddya think?" He asked, experimentally weighing up the two balls.
"Which can escape Dalek fire?" Asked Fallen, squeezing off another ineffectual round at the Daleks.
"SURRENDER OR BE EX-TERMINA-TED!"
"Tell you what. You take yours, I'll take mine. Hows that?" Said the Time Lord and rolled one of the metal balls in.
"Count to 100 and be OFF the ship by about 90!" He advised and legged it towards where his TARDIS was. He couldn't leave it to die after all it had risked for him.
Fallen was about to charge after him, but decided against it.
"PEOPLE WE ARE LEAVING!" He shouted and they legged it.
Walt was up to 78 by the time they reached the ship, and to 84 when they exited, blasting all engines in an effort to escape.
As the Doctor reached his ship however more Daleks loomed. He was trapped with only one card left to play.
"Catch!" He said and chucked the metal sphere up into the air. The Daleks tried to catch the explosive knowing what it meant so close to their ship's power supply, and the Doctor had his chance to slip away.
He was up to 99 when the TARDIS wheezed out of existance, catching the edge of the explosion and subsequent destruction of the Dalek flagship, and being buffeted around and spun out of control.
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"WHOOOO-WHEE! NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL AN EXPLOSION!" Shouted Walt, strapped into his seat.
Rose Tyler looked at the debris, her eyes searching for that familiar blue box that she knew so well. Wanted so badly.
Nothing but space greeted her.
"I'm behind you." Three words, softly spoken. For a second she was too scared to turn around, frightened that if she did turn around he'd dissolve in front of her eyes like that day at Bad Wolf Bay.
"Doctor?" She whispered. She still hadn't turned around.
"Last time I looked. Did you miss me?" He asked.
She turned around and flew into his arms, almost crushing him with the force of her hug, gazing into his chocolate brown eyes for the first time in years. This was home for her. His eyes, his arms, his smile - his love.
"Hello." He said and hugged her tightly to him.
There was a slight cough from behind them, Lieutenant Fallen no doubt - being the gentleman, but they took no notice. They only had eyes for each other.
"So how'd you get here?" She asked finally.
"Does it matter?" He replied.
"Nope." She said and kissed him passionately.
Walt wolf-whistled, Liz looked soppy and Ness rolled her eyes. Lieutenant Fallen smiled, sensing the connection between the two even though he'd only known them five minutes. Nothing - not even the known universe apparently - could split these two up indefinately.
"I never thought I'd see you again?" She exclaimed.
He looked at her sombrely.
"Never say never ever." He said, with a smile.
And took her hand. He was home.
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"We'll be back Earthside inside of 24 hours, so we've got time to kill." Reported Lt. Fallen.
"The big cabin is portside." Supplied Walt helpfully, and recieved a wack to the back of his head by Liz Angua.
The Doctor chose not to comment, and Rose went a shade of pink he'd never seen before. It looked good on her he decided, then frowned suddenly.
"What were you trying to do back there anyway?" He asked.
"Contact the Time Lords." Said Rose with a shrug.
"You don't even know there are any Time Lords in this Universe. You could've been killed!" He admonished her.
"Tell me something new. Still theres you. What did you do with the TARDIS?" She asked him.
"Oh it's not my TARDIS. Stopped off at Gallifrey and picked one up for the ride here. We've raised nearly the same allies we did back in my universe - if the Daleks wan't a fight we're ready to fight it"
"So why didn't they come before?" Asked Fallen, suddenly interested.
"Because the Daleks struck first. They're all kids - all the adults were either killed by some sort of virus that was released into the atmosphere. Clear now, but it devastated the planet back then." Explained the Doctor, sadly.
"But how did you get here?" Rose asked again.
"Long story. Right now I'd like to get some mind balm. My head's killing me!" He admitted with a grimace.
"Considering what they were doing to you I'm not the least surprised!" Said Fallen, with feeling.
Uh Oh, thought the Doctor. And here we go..
Rose's head snapped up.
"What were they doing? Doctor? Lieutenant?" She demanded, looking at the Doctor more closely. Come to think of it he did have shadows under his eyes... he looked very peaky like he was about to through up.
"Oh usual mind probe thing, Rose. No permanent scarring. Just a headache"
"Would you like some aspirin?" Asked Liz helpfully.
"No. Not planning on dying just yet, ta." Said the Doctor.
"He's allergic." Explained Rose and took him by the arm. He looked up in surprise.
"Where we going Rose?" He asked, his turn to be confused by something SHE was doing for a change.
Rose winked at Walt.
"Portside cabin." She said, and led him out.
"Now there goes a woman who knows what she wants, and then goes out and kidnaps it." Said Walt with a mock shudder, turning back to his instruments.
"Men!" Griped Ness and continued to make course adjustments.
"I think it's romantic." Countered Liz Angua, but soon shut up at the expressions on her crewmate's faces. Sticking out her tongue at them, she went back to monitoring her communications console to see if she could intercept any more Dalek messages. Perhaps the Doctor could translate them later. If Rose ever let him out of her sight again.
Fallen was left standing in the centre of the bridge, musing on what had just gone down on his ship, and wondering why he felt the tiniest of jealousy pangs towards the Doctor now under the care of Rose. Shaking his head he returned to his station - he had one hell of a report to write up,
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At the cabin, Rose opened the door and insisted on supporting the Doctor through and onto the double bed they found inside.
"Lie back - I'll get a cool compress for that headache." She said and went through to the bathroom.
"It's fine really. Lot of fuss about nothing." He called back, sitting up almost immediately.
"So, hows things back home?" She asked, coming back in and sitting beside him.
"Same old. Bit more boring now the troublesome twosome aren't around. But I still manage to cause a little havoc here and there. Purely in your name of course." He said.
"Of course! So no new companions?" She regretted asking so quickly, but he didn't seem fazed by the question.
"A couple. Come and go. Not stayers like you and me. What about you? No wedding band yet?" He indicated her finger.
She shook her head.
"There's only been one guy for me." She sighed.
"Oh"
"Yup. But he seemed a universe away." She said and turned her head to look into his eyes again. God she missed those expressive eyes - she could tell instantly what he was feeling with just a single glance - or at least she used to.
When he was yours... whispered that hateful little voice in the back of her mind.
"Rose.." His voice startled her out of her reverie and she opened her eyes to find his almost directly opposite.
"What is it my Doctor?" She asked dreamily. Now or never Rose Tyler, she thought fiercely.
"I never got to finish what I was gonna say back there." He said softly.
"Back where?" She asked, her face burning with the intensity of his gaze.
"Bad Wolf Bay. I got pulled away before I could finish." He elaborated.
"Oh. Well you know what they say Doctor. Actions speak louder then words." She whispered back, huskily.
"That they do." He agreed and bent his mouth to hers.
It was a whisper soft electric kiss, like when you recieve a static shock that ripples and tingles through your skin and makes you giggle. Then it deepened, as passion and need and hunger developed - his hand reaching out to cup her chin in such a way as to leave her breathless.
His lips tasted of cinammon and honey, hers of sugar, and for a second there was no Universe. No Daleks, no ship, no stars. Just the two of them - dancing to a universal song that could never be written down or composed or listened to by any other. It was their song for them alone.
A perfect moment in a less then perfect Universe.
"Missed you." He murmured when they parted for air.
"Missed you more." She countered and drew him close to her again.
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On the bridge Walt was placing bets as to what base Rose had gotten to and more importantly where she'd end by the time they reached Earth - much to everyone's mixed amusement.
Liz thought it was hopeless romantic, and wonderful - wondering if she could ever meet a man like that herself, while Lt Fallen and Ness played a hand of poker - Ness losing to her Lieutenant rather spectactularly.
All in all, not a bad day, thought everyone.
And in the case of the Doctor, thought Walt, with a grin, probably not a bad night either!