Hello! Thanks again for all those who reviewed, liked, and followed. I've read through everyone's responses and have got a lot of ideas now! Keep them coming, I'd be happy to see where the story can go with new ideas!
Chapter 6
Madison sighed as she undid her hair and shook it out. They had just left, giving Charles a delightful watch of their departure. The author had been rather joyful about everything that had happened that night. Besides the deaths occurring, of course. It was more of that Charles felt more alive than he had in ages. Experiencing things that he never would have imagined possible. It gave a spark in him unlike any other. Madison could relate to the man. It was the same thing she felt after first meeting the Doctor. She began to wonder if that was just how people felt around the Time Lord. Or maybe what the Time Lord brought to people in his wake. That spark of life that seemed to ignite in them.
"Do you want to tell me about that 'feeling' of yours?" the Doctor asked her after he sent the TARDIS into a drift again. He faced her now, standing next to the console. He stared at her curiously, rather than angry as she had half expected him to be.
"I just . . . get these feelings sometimes," she explained after a moment of hesitation. "I don't know why. It just . . . happens."
The Doctor hummed, walking over to her to stand closer. "You said your mum had this 'instinct', too?"
"Yes. My father said he never felt it as good as us, which explained a lot as he always found himself in some sort of trouble."
"I wonder if it's some sort of instinctual reaction, or maybe a high sense towards danger. I know some species who have a 'sixth sense' when something isn't right or if they're being lied to." The Doctor hummed again, and then he grinned. "Natural protective instinct. That's fantastic! You Mer must have evolved this extra sense as a way to avoid danger."
Madison gave a small shrug, figuring he was most likely correct. She never gave it much thought before. There was never a reason to when it just worked out for her in the end. "Maybe. I don't know. There's a lot about Mer-Kind that is lost to time or just nothing that we've ever looked into."
He gave her a curious look then. "Don't you have some kind of history of your people? Didn't your people ever study their physiology?"
"My people were nomads. We never established anything permanent enough to develop a 'history'. And we never took the time to learn more about ourselves fully because we were too focused on just surviving. My father tried to study some of these things, but he never got very far with it."
Nodding as he listened, the Doctor grinned again. "I'd love to study you some time. If you don't mind, of course."
He had such an enthusiastic expression, seeming so eager and excited, that Madison could not help but laugh lightly. "Oh, I don't mind at all. Though," she smirked slyly then, "what sort of studying do you have in mind, hm?" She snorted when seeing his immediate flushed face. Then he was rolling his eyes.
"You, Miss Baker, are cheeky," he teased her, poking her lightly in the side. Though appearing flustered, he was smiling all the same. He then frowned as Madison's stomach gave a sudden loud growl. "Are you hungry?"
"Apparently," Madison laughed as she rubbed at her stomach. "I haven't really had anything decent to eat for a while."
"Then follow me. I'll make you something," the Doctor said, beaming as he took her hand and led her towards the TARDIS corridor.
"Wait, can I get changed first? This dress is becoming increasingly uncomfortable."
The Doctor changed direction, going down another corridor to the left instead of the right. She kept track of where they were going carefully as she knew she needed to begin learning the directions around the ship better. Soon they were in front of her room. He waited outside while she got changed into a comfortable pair of trousers, a blue shirt, and boots. Once she came back out into the corridor, the Doctor grabbed her hand again and practically dragged her off in another direction. She began wondering where they were heading when a very large open archway was seen just ahead. She was astounded by the room they entered, seeing a very large kitchen before them. It looked like one of those kitchens one might see on a cooking show or a restaurant. Though the appliances were either far more advanced than she had ever seen or were from her own time period. Even more from far back in Earth's history. It was like the kitchen was a mixture of all time and space. It made sense, given the ship they were on.
"So, what would you like?" the Doctor asked her, grinning at the astonished look on her face after she saw the kitchen. Madison blinked, thinking over what she would like.
"I'm not sure. Surprise me," she replied, giving a shrug.
"Surprise it is then." The Doctor grinned as he bounced over to the more futuristic stove, beginning to turn it on and go into the fridge to gather things.
Madison sat at the island tabletop near where he prepared their meal to watch him work. She sat on one of the larger stools so she could lean onto the tabletop with her elbows. "Where does the TARDIS get supplies for food? Do you get them?"
"Only sometimes when I want to make something special. In most cases the TARDIS picks up bits and pieces from where we go. Then she also has her own garden, so she gets food from there. It's mostly milks, butters, meats, and things that I have to pick up myself, though sometimes she'll save me the trouble if she's up for it. She does the same thing for clothes, bedding . . . pretty much anything I need."
Madison nodded, fascinated by this. She wondered how that all worked. Was it some sort of teleporting, exchanging process, or . . . She shook her head, watching the Doctor now as he was making a pie crust at the same time as getting a pan ready on top of the stove. "What are you making?" she questioned curiously.
The Doctor gave a large grin. "A Vonrao meat pie. You're gonna love it!"
"Oh, sorry, but I'm a vegetarian. I won't be able to eat that."
"Right. I forgot. No problem, I can substitute with veggies. It'll be a veggie pie."
Madison watched him work on creating the veggie pie. All the while he kept asking her more questions about Mer-Kind and wondering aloud how the history of her species was formed. She answered the most she could, though much of her answers were merely the same thing as before. Things were lost to time and there was no one left for her to ask. It made her sad, realising that she didn't have any history to know or to share. Not only were her people lost to her, but what her people had been and done had disappeared as well. Truly, there was nothing left of Mer-Kind.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad," the Doctor said quietly as he came over and sat beside her. He had finished making the pie and was just waiting for it to bake now. He faced her while sitting down on his stool, staring at her carefully. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No, it's okay," she assured him, giving him a small smile. "I've never had anyone to talk to before about these things. It's nice to share about my kind's history. Even if it is a bit lacking."
Nodding, the Doctor looked away from her for a moment. Appearing to pause in thought. He then gazed back at her. "I'm sorry about before, too. It wasn't right for me to argue with you about the Gelth. I should have taken the time to listen to you."
"Really, it's okay. If I was in your shoes I wouldn't have believed me, either."
Growing quiet, the Doctor shook his head. "No, it's not okay. Because you were right. I let my emotions about the war get the better of me. I should have questioned them more. I should have realised they were tricking me."
Madison shook her head, reaching forward to take his hand into hers. "Doctor, it's not wrong to have pity for someone. I understand where you were coming from in wanting to help them. Truly, I do. Besides, if anyone is at fault here, it's the Gelth. They should have simply told you the truth and asked for help that way. They didn't have to trick us. We could have figured something out of them, right?"
The Doctor gave a small smile, nodding. "Right." The stove gave a beep then, making both of them look over. Beaming, the Doctor got up from his stool with a bounce. "Time for food!"
XxXxXxXxXx
The meal was truly delicious as Madison ate it happily. While they ate together, she ended up asking the Doctor about some of the moments in time he had mentioned being involved with. The one she was most interested in was the Boston Tea Party. She listened as the Doctor eagerly told the story of him having to help the Sons of Liberty sneak onto the ship in the harbour and even got to throw in some crates of tea himself in the end. He went on to more stories of other historical events he participated in. All of which she listened keenly as it was exciting to hear firsthand accounts of such things. This led to him asking if she had been involved in anything historical, but she explained that she and her family had always avoided anything that might lead to trouble or with a lot of people involved. It had always been another way to keep safe.
"You know, I think I'd really like to get a few things from my flat," Madison said to the Doctor after she walked into the console room. Currently, it was the next day. She woke up not too long ago and was fully rested after the night of a nice meal, sharing stories, and even watching a movie in the home theatre the TARDIS had. She spotted the Doctor under the grating of the console, working on something. Sparks flew as he jolted a bit upon her arrival, but he quickly came back up from under the flooring to meet her.
"Why do you need things from your flat? The TARDIS has just about anything you'll ever need," the Doctor responded, frowning in puzzlement.
"Yes, but there are some sentimental things I'd like to get," she explained, sitting down on the captain's chair as she braided up her hair. "Besides, didn't you promise me that you'd bring me back every once and a while? I do need to keep up with my bills. Though, now that I think about it, I'll still need to get a job to manage that." She sighed, shaking her head at the idea of another retail job.
"Oh, I'll think of something so you won't have to," the Doctor said as he bounced up and began flipping switches and spinning dials on the console. "But you're right, I did promise you. So, back to Earth we go!"
Madison held onto the chair she sat in as the ship began to rock wildly around them. Soon, the TARDIS shuddered as they landed. Seeing the Doctor wave her towards the door, she got up and stepped outside to see Powell Estate. It felt like late morning as the Sun shone brightly down at them. She turned to him curiously. "How long have I been gone?"
"About twelve hours." The Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS doors, arms crossed and had that impish, sly smile of his all over his face.
Even though she was not surprised, it still felt incredible to her to have done so much yet be back as if she had never left. It was an odd feeling. In fact, even though it had been four days since she met the Doctor, two of which were travelling with him, it still felt like a lifetime with him. She shook her head as she smiled. "That's amazing. I don't think I'll ever get over being able to travel to the year five billion and then be back in just a few hours' time."
The Doctor chortled a bit. "Stick with me and I promise, you'll get used to a lot of things." He then gave her a wink, making her chuckle.
"Okay, well, I'll try to be as quick as possible so you won't be bored waiting for me. I know how slow lower species can be for you and all that. I'd hate to have to listen to you whine later," she teased him as she backed up towards the apartment complex.
The Doctor pouted then. "Oi! I can't help it if I point out the truth."
Madison continued to laugh as she turned and walked back toward the complex. She picked up in pace as she entered the building and went up the staircase. What she had said was not just to tease him. She did want to be quick as she merely wanted to grab a few things and then continue on with travelling. Though now that she thought about it, she realised she should probably let Rose, Mickey, and Jackie know that she was all right. It had been very recent that a plastic alien species had almost taken over the Earth. It was probably a mess around the city after that. Then she also ran off with a strange man in the middle of the night. It'd be best to let Rose and Mickey know that everything went alright with that as well.
Coming up to her flat, she let out a breath as she dug through her pocket for the keys. Once she got them, she tried opening the door but found herself unable to open it. Huh. Did the lock get stuck again? She sighed in frustration, putting back her keys. Realising that she would have to go to Rose and her mum first as they had her spare key. Madison turned and went down the way towards their flat. She knocked on the door loudly, hoping that they would hear her or weren't out.
"Greg, I swear, if that's you again . . .," came the voice of Rose, sounding greatly annoyed. The girl had been the one to open the door in an impatient jolt. Just as the blonde had been about to say something in a retort of sorts, she froze, staring at Madison with a wide-eyed gaze. Her jaw dropped and she seemed in a state of disbelief.
"Hi, Rose. Sorry about last night. I didn't mean to rush off like that. Normally I would have sat down to think things through better, but . . .," Madison said quickly, realising that perhaps Rose was surprised to even see her again after running into a spaceship to go off and travel.
"Oh, my god. You're alive!" the girl suddenly exclaimed, gaping even more as she looked Madison up and down. "You . . . You look just like when you left!"
"Yes . . .?" Madison blinked, unsure of this being a normal reaction. It felt off to her. Why was Rose staring at her like she had seen a ghost?
"Rose? Who is it?" she heard Jackie saying from within the flat. The next thing she knew, Rose's mum had appeared in the doorway. The mother let out an exclaim of shock, dropping the mug that she had been carrying.
"Maddie?! Oh, my god. You're alive!" the mother blurted out in disbelief, clearly floored by what she was seeing. Madison glanced between the two, at a loss of what was happening. Then, suddenly, Jackie reached over and gave Madison a strong hug, laughing as she appeared so happy for the obvious 'alive' moment she was discovering. Madison could just stand there stiffly, unsure of what exactly was happening. Then, she heard quick footsteps and fast breathing coming toward them. She glanced over to the side, seeing the Doctor rushing over to them.
"It's not twelve hours. It's, uh, twelve months," he spoke quickly the moment he came over to them. He smiled awkwardly. "You've been gone a whole year. Sorry."
". . . Right," Madison mumbled, suddenly understanding everything now. It was then that Jackie pulled away from Madison, looking her up and down once more.
"I can't believe you're alive! Everyone thought you had been killed by those mannequins. But I didn't believe it, not for a second. I'd said 'how come they've never found a body then?'. Bev said I was crazy for putting up those missing signs, but I says 'it never hurts now does it?'" the mother spoke rapidly. Madison felt overwhelmed as she was still reeling over the fact that it's been a year. Had it really? It felt like it just couldn't be, but she knew it was true. A whole year . . . She had missed a whole year.
"Mum, let's get into the flat, yeah? People are staring," Rose mumbled to her mother, glancing around at the people who had begun poking their heads from their homes. Jackie quickly agreed, ushering Madison inside the flat. She half glanced towards the Doctor, seeing him following with Rose closing the door.
"Travelling? That's all you're going to tell us? That you were 'travelling'? I can't believe it. You go off travelling and don't even tell us? And here I thought we meant something to you. If you were my daughter I'd have your head I would," Jackie continued to ramble after a while of Madison explaining her 'travelling' and apologising repeatedly for not telling anyone. Currently, she sat in one of the chairs in the flat, holding the cup of tea the mother had made her. Rose was sitting on the sofa, seeming very tight-lipped through the whole thing while the Doctor stood next to where Madison sat. Jackie was still pacing as she went on. The mother didn't seem to want to hear it as she kept on about what the year had been like. Honestly, she felt touched that Jackie had cared so much about her. And here she thought that Jackie and Rose only liked her a little. But it seemed rather they felt closer to her than that. It was an odd feeling, having people care so much about her. Jackie truly did seem to worry about it all. It . . . reminded Madison of her mother.
She slumped down into her seat as sadness swept through her. Not just in remembering her mother, but of what year she had lost. She could never get that year back now. She knew it should not be that big of a deal since she lived so long and really a year was nothing but a blip in the span of things. But still . . .
"I'm sorry I didn't phone," Madison mumbled, still a bit numb to all this. "I should have."
"Of course, you should have! If you had your mum still alive, I'd say I'd take you straight to her right now and let her give you an ear full. Wait until Debbie hears about this. She won't believe it," Jackie finished as she sat down next to Rose. The mother then eyed the Doctor as though she were just noticing him. "And who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor. And don't blame Madison for all that. It's my fault, actually. I sort of employed Madison as my companion," the Doctor said quickly, shifting on foot with his hands in his pockets. He had an awkward smile on his face as he seemed to want to get out of the flat as fast as he could. Jackie blinked, making a small face for a moment before then shrugging.
"Well, I won't judge you for whatever type of relationship you want in your life, Maddie," the mother said to Madison.
"No, it's not like that," Madison sighed, realising what the mother most likely thought. She sat up a bit in her seat then when her mind realised something. Worry hit her hard as she knew now why her key wouldn't work on unlocking her flat. "Who's living in my flat now?"
"Some sort of journalists. Nice couple. They have such strange stories to tell, but at least they're friendly," Jackie told her.
"Did . . . did you get anything out of my home before they moved in?" She held her breath in her being so lucky. If she had lost those albums and pictures . . .
"Yeah, some clothes and albums. Nothing much. You didn't have hardly anything in there."
Madison sighed in relief, glad that at least the pictures were safe. They were the only thing she had of her past life and of her parents. If she lost those . . . she feared that she would forget everything that had been of her life. She noticed then Rose giving her a jerk of the head, indicating that the blonde wanted to talk to her. She nodded, telling the girl that she would.
"Jackie, if it's okay, I'd really like to get going now," she spoke, wincing as Jackie scoffed angrily. "But just a moment. I need to get things situated and then perhaps find a new flat to live in. Probably nowhere as close by, but maybe downstairs somewhere?"
"There's the Morris place that opened up. Suppose you could get that spot. It's not as good as your old one, mind you, but it's decent enough," Jackie said, nodding as she understood. Then, the mother smiled. "Oh, but it's still good to see you again, sweetheart. I'm glad you stopped by."
"Yeah. Me, too. And thank you, so much, for keeping my things for me. It means the world to me." Madison managed to smile, just glad that the woman had been kind enough to keep her things for her. She would be forever grateful to Jackie for that.
Madison made a quick promise to Jackie about getting her things later, as well as visiting again longer to be able to catch up, before leaving the flat. Though not before giving a quick signal to Rose that they should meet up on the roof of the complex. She figured it was the best place, really, to be able to meet up and talk things over. She realised the girl probably had a lot of questions. Especially about travelling with the Doctor and all that. So, she went up the stairs slowly, going all the way up and onto the flat rooftop. Taking in the sight of the city around her, she let out a long exhale. Again, the fact that she had been gone a year still felt out of place to her. She glanced over when hearing the Doctor coming up behind her. She hadn't realised that he had been following after her in the first place.
"You alright?" he asked her, hesitating to say something in the first place. She could see this look of guilt on him and she knew he was probably upset with himself for not bringing her back on time.
"I suppose so," she sighed, going over to sit onto a small portion of the roof that stuck up a bit. As she sat on the ledge of the brick structure, the Doctor came over to stand next to her. He folded his arms, looking out onto the city as well. They sat in silence for a moment, just taking in everything. "In the grand scheme of things, a year isn't much to lose for someone with a long lifespan, I suppose."
"Yeah, not really. And it wasn't really much you missed. Just the same old Earth as before," said the Doctor with a shrug.
"Still though . . . I'm never trusting your driving again," she replied, smirking at him now and bumping him with her knee. She laughed at the pout on his face.
"Oi, watch it. I can leave you behind you know," he retorted, waving a finger at her. He began to smirk lightly as he crossed his arms again and looked out past the rooftop.
"I can't believe they missed me," Madison said after another moment of silence. "I've gotten so used to people not caring much about me that I'd forgotten what it was like to have people who do care. What's worse is I don't think I've taken the time to really get to know them that well." She paused as she thought this over. "I really should now. And make it up to them for being so kind in some way or another."
The Doctor shrugged lightly. "Eh, start by taking them out to chips. That's what I always do."
She scoffed, bumping him lightly with her knee again. "Oh? You take every girl you meet out for chips?"
The Doctor smirked at her. "Nah, just the pretty ones."
Madison blushed slightly but gave him a smile all the same. She then looked over when hearing someone coming up the stairwell of the roof. Soon Rose was up there beside them, the girl sighing as if she had just escaped something dreadful.
"You wouldn't believe the storm mum's causing on the phone right now. So many phone calls," Rose complained as she walked over to the two. The girl then stood in front of them, her arms crossed tightly as she gave a hard stare. "Well? What do you two have to say for yourselves?"
"I really am sorry," Madison apologised, looking down in shame.
"I already said it was my fault," the Doctor said with a scoff, rolling his eyes. "It was an honest mistake. I set it to twelve, but I didn't check for what the twelve scale was."
"A year! A whole year! Do you know how worried I was?! I thought I'd watched you run off to your death that night. And do you even realise how hard it was for Mickey and me to keep your secret? Not that anyone would believe me anyway. After the whole plastic invasion thing, I had to pretend that you died. Then I thought maybe you did go off and die when you didn't come back in a month. And you left, just like that! No real goodbye or nothing! You just left us!" Rose began to rant, seeming to be letting off steam. Madison could tell the girl wanted to speak her mind from the moment they had arrived back but had held her tongue in front of her mother. Eventually, the girl ended her rant and stood on the other side of Madison in a huff, her arms crossed tightly.
"I'm sorry," Madison mumbled, feeling ashamed. No, she really did need to make it up to the girl. Mickey and Jackie as well.
"Finished?" the Doctor asked the blonde, raising a sharp brow.
". . . Yeah," Rose muttered, letting out a sigh. "Look, if you can just explain why you stayed away for a year-."
"My ship is a time machine. I set the wrong date," the Doctor explained over her, stopping the girl mid-sentence. Rose paused, her mouth dropping in shock. Then she shook herself out of it and blinked.
"Okay . . . Guess that explains it, then," mumbled the girl before looking out towards the city. Then, the blonde was smirking at the Doctor. "Guess that means you're a terrible driver."
"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed in annoyance. Madison laughed while Rose snickered, both of them grinning at the other at the pout the Doctor gave them.
"I looked up all sorts of things after you left," Rose began saying, going onto another topic. "Me and Mickey. We went over all kinds of aliens and spaceships and stuff from the web. Even went to this group meeting . . . though we didn't stay with them long. It was just too weird . . ." The girl sighed, crossing her arms. "It's just so mental thinking all of that is real now."
"Welcome to the real world," the Doctor said lightly as a joke, earning a side-eyed frown from the blonde. Then Rose glanced carefully toward Madison.
"There's something else, though, that's been bugging me," Rose began slowly, glancing nervously between the horizon and Madison. Already, Madison had a feeling about what this might be, but she didn't want to say it. She had almost hoped that it wouldn't be a problem, but knowing Rose, the girl was smart enough to realise the truth. So, she watched as the girl shifted on the spot. "See . . . I looked at those old albums of yours . . . Mum said I was just seeing things, but . . . Those pictures . . . those are you in them, aren't they?" As Madison remained quiet, Rose went on. "If it wasn't for what happened last year, I probably wouldn't think that. I mean, it could be your great gran or something. But it's you, isn't it?"
Madison was at a loss for what to say next. It was like she had feared. Jackie and Rose had looked into her albums. She felt her heart thumping away in her chest and her palms grew sweaty. Again, like when the Doctor had asked her, she feared what to say next. Once more she was backed up into a corner. Though, she could deny it. She could merely pretend that the woman in the pictures was her great grandparent or something. Avoid this entire conversation altogether and still keep herself hidden. But . . . no, that wasn't decent. Rose deserved to know the truth. Especially after worrying about her for over a year. And it wasn't as if she hadn't told people in the past about her age. Usually, she passed it off as her just being a long-lived human and people bought it. Though that was rare, having to tell others that. The last few people to know about her long life were a some monks from Tibet after they took her into their temple during an awful blizzard. So . . . no, telling Rose that she was long-lived wouldn't be so bad. Just as long as . . .
"Are you an alien like him?" Rose suddenly asked, breaking Madison out of her thoughts. Madison looked at the girl in alarm, now fearing the worst.
". . . I . . .," she uttered, frozen in fear. She let out a shaky breath as she began trembling, terrified to say anything more. She wanted to hide away. An old response that she lived by. But after meeting the Doctor . . . She looked over at him as she felt him take her hand softly into his. He gave it a squeeze as he held his eyes steady on her. She could see that he wanted her to say or do what she felt was right. If she wanted to hide, he would support that. But he was also going to be there if she decided to tell the truth. Letting out a breath and a nod, she turned to Rose again.
"No . . . not an alien. But . . . I have lived over three hundred years and I'm not human," she said in a quick breath, still unsure if this was the right thing to say. But that little voice in her head said it was. It felt right to tell Rose. When seeing the girl's wide-eyed expression, one of awe instead of disgust like she had been expecting, Madison knew it was the right decision.
"Oh . . . okay," Rose replied, looking away quickly before glancing back. "When you say 'not human' yet 'not alien' . . . are you, like, another species just living on Earth? Are there a lot of those?"
"Yes, I'm another species, and no, I'm not sure if there are a lot of others like me," Madison told the girl truthfully. Rose nodded slowly, then looked out towards the city again. Then, the girl glanced at the Doctor.
"So . . . how old are you then?" she asked.
"That's a bit personal, don't you think?" the Doctor responded with a frown. Seeing the girl just stare at him, he sighed. "I'm nine hundred."
"So you're three hundred," the girl nodded to Madison, "and you're nine hundred," she nodded to the Doctor. The girl blinked before shaking her head and laughing slightly. "Things just get more mental by the minute."
"Why? Is that a problem?" the Doctor questioned the girl, staring at her curiously now.
"No. It's just . . ." Rose moved away from where she stood, turning to face them both. "Ever since I've met you, Doctor, things just haven't been the same. I look at my life now . . . and I think it's all so boring. Like there's aliens and stuff out there, just waiting for me to see, and I'm stuck here working in a shop. And you!" Rose pointed at Madison. "Two years I knew you and I never even would have guessed you weren't human. Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's been a secret. It's always been my secret. It's the only thing that's kept me alive," Madison explained to her.
Rose frowned, tilting her head in confusion. "Why? Are people after you or something?"
"Humans have killed off my kind. There's . . . no one else."
Rose blinked, her eyes going wide. Then, her face fell, staring at Madison in sympathy. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought . . . There's really no one else? Your species is dead?"
Madison nodded slowly, nervous that she was telling too much now, but . . . it felt right saying it. Maybe . . . maybe she was simply tired of hiding and after letting it all out in the open to the Doctor . . . Besides . . . it's not like she would let anyone ever see her true form, anyway. So, that secret was safe at least. Though, still . . . "Please, don't ever tell anyone. You're the first human I've ever told. So I'm trusting you with a very precious secret." She felt ready to beg for her secret to be kept. Her hands were still a bit shaky as her nerves were still a bit frazzled to be having to tell her secret twice in her life, and in such a short time frame apart.
"You can count on me." Rose nodded firmly, showing that she was determined to do just that. "Besides, it's not like anyone would ever believe me. Except for Mickey, there's no one else I can talk to. Aliens, spaceships, and things: they just don't exist for everyone else."
It was then, at that moment, that a blaring horn sounded off. The noise shook the air and roared in Madison's ears. She covered her sensitive ears as she felt the Doctor push her to duck. When she finally glanced up, she saw a very large, spaceship flying over them at a low angle. Black smoke was seen coming out of the back of the ship as it flew past Powell Estate and towards the city of London. All three of them stood up, watching the ship descend onto the city. It flew erratically through the air, wavering as it seemed to try and correct itself. It flew over the Thames, past a large bridge, circling around Westminster Hall and the wing of the ship clipped the side of Big Ben, then, finally, it careened over and fell into the Thames completely. Madison could only stare as black smoke was seen billowing up from the distance.
"Oh, that's just not fair," Rose murmured in disbelief. The Doctor grew a large grin, bright and eager, as he started to laugh. The sight truly did seem to excite him beyond belief. He looked over at Madison and Rose before he grabbed onto both of their hands and dragged them off. Madison kept up with him the best she could as they all ran down the stairs and onto the streets of London. It took them a while, but eventually, they came upon the scene of a traffic jam of vehicles. People were getting out of their cars, all looking frustrated as large military jeeps and trucks blocked all paths down towards the crash site.
"It's blocked off," the Doctor said as the three of them came to a halt.
"We're miles from the centre," Rose complained as it seemed the girl wanted to get close to the action. "The city must be gridlocked. The whole of London must be closing down."
"The military sure does work fast," Madison noted as she watched the men and women in uniform, holding large guns, went to work and kept all citizens out of the area. "Looks like they'll be meeting up with whoever crashed soon enough."
"I know! I can't believe I'm here to see this. This is fantastic!" the Doctor said, his voice loud with excitement and his whole body bouncing like a child happy getting candy. Madison wondered if something like this was like candy to the Doctor. He seemed beyond thrilled to be witnessing all of this.
"Did you know about this day? That this was going to happen?" Madison asked him curiously.
"Nope!" he answered cheerfully.
"Do you recognize the ship?" Rose questioned him, seeming to think that maybe, as an alien, he would know what that ship was.
"Nope!" he replied, grinning away like before. Madison glanced at Rose, seeing the girl meet her gaze. Both of them raised their brows. Madison then looked back to the Doctor.
"So, you don't know anything about this, do you?" she asked him.
"Nope!" He beamed at her, bouncing on his feet.
Madison couldn't help but giggle at his brightness. "Well, aren't you a happy camper."
"So glad we got you," Rose said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she was not amused by the Doctor's reaction. "Got a spaceship that's also a time machine, living through nine hundred years, and you don't know."
"This is why I travel, to see history happening right in front of us," the Doctor said, waving a hand towards the crash site.
"Yet the only way we can see it now is most likely on the telly," Madison pointed out, waving towards the blockage down the road. "I doubt they'd let us through anytime soon. And trying to get closer might not be the best option given what we are."
"Can't you just use that ship of yours? What was it again? The TARDIS?" Rose mentioned, hoping to get a closer view.
"Better not. They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London and I don't wanna shove another one on top. And Madison's right, it'd be dangerous for us to get involved since we're not human," sighed the Doctor, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"So history's happening and we're stuck watching it on tv," Rose sighed, shaking her head as she also appeared greatly disappointed.
". . . Yeah," the Doctor muttered, crossing his arms as he pouted. Madison looked between the two, shaking her head.
"I swear, you both pout worse than children," she teased them. She then went over, waving for them to follow. "Come on, you two. Back to the flat before we miss anything else."
XxXxXxXxXx
Madison sat on the floor by the Doctor's feet while he sat in the armchair in front of the television. The Doctor watched the television rather intently as he was engrossed with what was happening with the crashed aircraft. She mostly watched the news in and out, getting distracted repeatedly as more and more neighbours were starting to come into the flat. Most were joking about the spaceship while others had asked her about where she had been for over a year. These were all friends of Jackie, though, so Madison wasn't sure who exactly they were. But she answered their questions as politely as possible. She was just glad the questions and discussions with her didn't last for long so that she could pay more attention to the news. Though as she looked over, she couldn't help but laugh when seeing the Doctor struggling to get the remote back from a small boy that had come in with his mother earlier.
"Seems you're great with kids," Madison said sarcastically as she watched the Doctor shove the kid away and told him to go back to his mum.
"I am great with kids! Just not when it's something important I need to pay attention to," the Doctor said as he turned back to the right channel. They watched as the reports came that the body they had recovered from the spaceship was now being taken to the Albion Hospital. Madison frowned as she half-listened to the report. Most of it was speculation anyway.
"This must be maddening for you, having to keep away from everything," Madison spoke up then as the reports about the Prime Minister started coming through.
"You have no idea," the Doctor muttered, shooting a hard glance at the noisy people behind them. The room was starting to get too crowded for Madison's liking. It made her feel jittery, especially being in a tight space. Her leg started to bounce even as she grew anxious. She just wanted to go back outside and get some fresh air.
"Okay, I've had enough," she muttered as someone laughed a little too loudly behind her. "I need some air. Coming?"
"No, I need to keep an eye on what's going on." The Doctor sighed as if he regretted having to stay. But she knew he was right. Someone needed to keep an eye on things. He then seemed to get an idea as he patted at his leather coat and then pulled out a silver key on a chain. "Here, why don't you head back to the TARDIS. You can start unpacking your things if you want."
"Good idea." She nodded as she stood up and took the key. "I'll give you back the key once I'm done."
"No, that's your key." He smiled brightly, giving her a joyful expression. "It's your very own TARDIS key. You've earned it."
She was a bit stunned for a moment. She had a feeling this was something special that the Doctor didn't do often. She glanced at the key in her hand and back to the Doctor who grinned at her. She then slowly smiled cheerfully. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." He gave her a smile then his expression grew serious again as he turned back to the tv.
Madison placed the key around her neck, finding it comforting to have it. It laid against her chest, near her heart, making her feel fully welcomed into the Doctor's life. She turned to Rose, who was currently sitting on the sofa and half-listening to her mum rambling away, and asked, "Rose, is it okay if I get my things now?"
"Sure, they're in my room," Rose told her, getting up from the sofa and going towards the back of the flat. Madison followed her, finding herself in a very pink room. She'd forgotten how much Rose loved that colour. "Here you go." Rose pulled out a box from under her bed and handed it to Madison.
"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without these," Madison sighed, relieved to see them. She gave the girl a smile in gratitude.
"You'll have to tell me about all those pictures sometime. I bet there's a lot of stories behind them," Rose said, nodding to the albums.
"More than you know." Madison glanced to the box and then back to the girl. "I think I will tell you about them. You and the Doctor. I . . . want to share my story."
Rose gave her another look of sympathy, a gentle gaze given with her hazy-brown eyes. "Have you never had anyone to talk to before?"
"No. Never." Madison sighed heavily, shaking her head in remorse. But soon she smiled softly. "But that can change now. Not only that, but I want to get to know you better, too."
"Well, I guess we'll have plenty of time for that. As long as you don't go away for another year."
"I promise, no more of that. I'll let the Doctor have it if that happens again." Madison and Rose shared a laugh before they parted ways.
Night had fallen, and Madison took her time going back to the TARDIS as she found it interesting in seeing the different reactions from people around the place to the spaceship crash. Some seemed to be getting ready for doomsday or something, boarding up their homes and other such preparations. While others were partying away, with signs welcoming the aliens and drinking the night away in celebration. She shook her head, finding it both bewildering and amusing to see the differences in people's ideas of alien life. As she came over to the TARDIS, she saw in surprise that someone had spray-painted the word Siren across the side. She paused, frowning as she stared at it. Something about that word . . . No, not a word. That name. It was a name. Why she thought this, she wasn't certain. Something just told her that it was true. Siren was a name for something. What that was, she had no clue.
Shaking her head, she decided she would think about it later. For now, she wanted to unpack her things and then maybe figure out where the cleaning supplies were on the TARDIS. She doubted the Doctor, or the TARDIS herself, would want that paint on it, so she would clean it up for them. She used her key on the ship, smiling after using it. It felt more real now, actually unlocking the TARDIS' doors on her own. As though . . . she was home. Well, now that she thought about it, she was, in fact, homeless now. The TARDIS and the Doctor were her home, for the time being. Something she felt rather giddy just thinking about it.
"Hello," she called out to the ship after closing the door behind her, "the Doctor gave me a key. It's official. You're stuck with me now. I hope that's okay?" She grinned when feeling a happy presence in her mind and saw the lights flickering in excitement. It seemed that the TARDIS approved. She was glad about that. She would hate it if the ship didn't actually like her in the end.
She went down the corridor and took the usual route back to her room. Though again, she found that the destination she had was closer than she would have thought it'd be. She wondered if the TARDIS had anything to do with this. Something told her 'yes' but she would ask the Doctor about it later until then. So, she went into her room and placed the box of her things down on the bed. Unpacking everything, she eventually came to the one album she loved the most. The others were mostly just filled with papers and journal entries and other such things as mementoes. But the one old, rather small, album had her pictures in them. There were not many pictures. Just a few. But they meant everything to her.
She flipped the album open, seeing old black and white photos. The first was that of her parents, both standing together near a cottage. Her mother had a small smile, looking a bit out of place as Madison remembered her mother had found it strange to have their picture taken in the first place. Her mother's dirty blonde hair was up in a messy bun, with her work dress wrinkled from a long day of labour. Her father was standing next to her, holding his wife close to him, with such a large smile on his face. The excitement of having their picture taken was very apparent on the man's face. Her father's ginger hair was a mess as he had it a bit longer than normal during this moment. His work shirt and trousers were just as messy as her mother's, but her father never cared about such things. He was always glad to get a bit messy. Madison smiled as she placed a kiss on her fingers and then pressed them to the picture. Oh, how she missed them. She hoped that, wherever they may be now, they were just as happy as they had been in life.
Continuing to flip through the album, she looked at the other pictures she had taken over the years. Some of the other people she had met, just wanting to capture natural moments in time with them. A lot more of the pictures were of places. As time went on, more and more were in colour, showing beautiful landscapes. One place she missed the most from the pictures was Bali. It had been such a peaceful retreat for her after some devastating decades in Europe. Maybe she could ask the Doctor if they could go there next? She'd hate to bother him with such requests but she would love to show him around the island to places she remembered when she had been there last.
Turning to the last page of the album, she came to a halt. Her entire body wilted as she stared at the picture on the page. It was a picture of David and her in a photography studio. It was the first picture she had taken of herself and the only one she had of David. She remembered that day. He hadn't wanted to get his picture taken as he felt nervous having his image out and about. She had to practically drag him to the studio. After all, she had wanted something to remember him by. Now, she stared at the picture, seeing her bright smile as she had her arm linked with his. David had a smile as well. Though not as large as hers, his eyes still crinkled as he smiled. His pale brown hair was covered by the Stetson he wore, with his white buttoned-up shirt having its sleeves rolled up, tan vest, denim trousers with dirty chaps, and boots with his silver spurs on. As Madison sat in her bed, staring at the black and white picture . . . she couldn't help but let go of the tears that were there. She hadn't looked at this picture in ages. She almost forgot how he looked back then. Oh, how she regretted never telling him the full truth. Especially now that she had others she shared herself with and was accepted so kindly. She wondered then . . . had her kind been wrong to keep hiding for so long? Or had she found the only two in the universe who could accept her as she was?
She blinked out of her stupor as she felt the TARDIS begin to rock from side to side. Closing the album and setting it aside, she quickly stood up and left her room. It didn't take long for her to get back to the console room, seeing the Doctor steering the ship.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" she said as she walked up the stairs and stood by the console. She gripped the sides of it to keep her balance.
"It's just too perfect. The whole crash landing, it's just too well done. Like it's a fake. If I just go have a look . . .," he said as he bounced around the console to steer the ship. He seemed to be struggling to get around to everything all by himself.
"Can I help?" she offered, wanting to see if she could ease the flight somewhat for him. She'd hate to have to make him be the sole driver all the time.
"Sure. Hit that lever for me," he said, pointing to the lever next to her. She went to pull on it as instructed, but then he yelled. "No, wait, it's the other one!" She hesitated, then moved her hand over to the next. Seeing him nod, she pulled it. Nothing much happened, but she smiled as he beamed at her. It was a start. She knew she would have to get better eventually at this. When the TARDIS came to a stop, she expected the Doctor to rush out of the door, ready to get going. But instead, he came over to her, giving her a once over with a frown of concern.
"Have you been crying?"
She blinked before realising that she had forgotten to wipe her tear streaks away. Quickly she did this, embarrassed to have been caught. "Sorry. I was . . . looking at old memories."
The Doctor gave her a look of empathy, nodding as he understood completely. She knew he did. He reached out and took her hand then, threading his fingers with hers as he pulled her towards the doors. "Then, let's get those old memories off your mind by finding out what this 'alien' really is," he said, grinning at her.
Madison nodded determinedly, readying herself for whatever it was they were about to face. The Doctor had her wait a bit as he went out first. But he halted in place when coming face to face with a whole bunch of junk. Apparently, they had arrived inside a storage room. He grabbed her hand again, pulling her along towards the door. The Doctor sonicked open the door and pushed it open. She started to follow him but bumped into his back. Confused, she only wondered for a moment why he suddenly stopped when she spotted the large group of soldiers. All of which froze upon the sight of the Doctor and her. Apparently, they had arrived inside a storage room in a lounge area for hospital staff. There was a scramble of movement, leading to all soldiers picking up their guns and aiming them at the Doctor and her.
"Oh, dear," she sighed under her breath, not sure if what would happen next. But that was answered quickly when they heard a woman frantically screaming somewhere in the building. The Doctor reacted before Madison could even blink.
"Defence plan Delta! Come on, move! Move!" he commanded the soldiers as he rushed out of the room and down the hallway. She reacted first, running after him before even the soldiers did. She was just glad that they weren't shot as it seemed what the Doctor said made all of the soldiers simply follow after them now. Soon, they entered the morgue of the hospital and found the woman who had screamed. The woman, wearing a lab coat and glasses had black hair and rich brown eyes, sat on the ground in fear the moment they walked into the room. Madison could see the terror on the woman's face as she held a pan in hand for defence.
"It's alive!" cried the woman. Madison walked over to the woman quickly, wanting to check up on her. She heard the Doctor ordering the soldiers to get the perimeter and place the hospital into a lockdown. All the while he too came over to the scared woman to talk to her.
"Hello, I'm Madison. Who are you?" Madison asked politely, keeping her voice calm as she hoped to ease the woman's fears.
"T-toshiko Sato," answered the woman. She grabbed onto Madison's hands, shaking. Madison could see a nasty gash on top of the woman's head, making her realise that the alien who had arrived on Earth had attacked the woman. "I swear, it was dead."
"Coma, shock, hibernation, anything," the Doctor listed off the possibilities as to why the alien had appeared 'dead' to the woman. "What does it look like?" Madison stiffened and the Doctor turned around swiftly when they heard a metal clatter behind them. Gazing into the room, they saw nothing, but that could obviously be misleading.
"Looks like it's still here," Madison muttered, helping the Sato woman up from the floor and pulling her off to safety. The Doctor, waving a soldier who had remained behind to follow, walked carefully deeper into the room to investigate. "Be careful, Doctor," she whispered to him, nervous about what might happen. She watched with bated breath as the Doctor got onto the floor, scooting forward bit by bit to get around a desk in the room towards where the noise was coming from. She readied herself, knowing she would jump to defend the Doctor if need be. If she could find something in here to defend herself with . . .
There came a loud squeal, followed by the sight of the alien coming out of the back and running away from where the Doctor had been. Madison was taken back by the sight of it. It looked . . . just like an Earth pig. But it was as if someone had given a pig the ability to walk on two legs instead of on all fours and put it into a jumpsuit. It ran towards where she, Toshiko, and the soldier were standing. Madison felt nervous for only a second before she realised the alien was, in fact, running away in fright instead of charging at them. It was screaming in terror.
"Don't shoot!" the Doctor ordered the soldier, stopping the man from harming the alien life-form. The Doctor ran out of the room, leaving them behind as he went after the life-form. Madison rushed to go after him but halted when she heard a gunshot.
"Oh, no," she breathed, shaking her head before running out of the room and fearing what had happened. Her fears came true when she saw that the creature had indeed been shot. The Doctor was crouching next to the poor thing, reprimanding the soldier who had shot it. She went over to the Doctor and the creature, crouching down next to them. She reached out, holding the life-form's cloven hand gently. "Oh, you poor thing." It let out a soft whimper, both scared and in pain. She felt her heart ache for the thing. "I'm so sorry," she breathed. She watched as it slowly died, leaving the cruel world behind. She sighed, shaking her head before looking at the Doctor.
"Do you know what species it is?" she asked, wondering if maybe they could take it back to its homeworld to be put to rest.
"It's not an alien," the Doctor mumbled, shaking his head sadly. He looked up then, pointing at a few men standing there watching them. "You lot, help me get this back into the morgue."
It took a moment, but eventually, they got the creature back into the morgue and onto a table for them to view. Madison watched as the Doctor sent the soldiers away before scanning the creature with his sonic screwdriver. It only took him a moment before he concluded that he was indeed right. It was not an alien species. It was, in fact, a pig. Just a normal pig from Earth.
"I just assumed that's what aliens looked like. But you're saying it's an ordinary pig, from Earth," Toshiko said as she stood beside them and stared at the creature before them. The woman had a disheartened expression on her face, one which Madison could tell the woman was disappointed with herself for getting it wrong.
"That's okay. I thought it was as well," Madison said, hoping to help the woman feel a bit better about the situation. She stared at the creature sadly. Alien or not it was still such a terrible thing to have suffered like that.
"More like a mermaid," the Doctor said, his arms crossed tightly as he had a hard expression on his face. Upon the mention of 'mermaid', Madison tensed. She tried to calm herself down, not wanting to jump to conclusions as the Doctor continued to speak and explain. "Victorian showmen used to draw the crowds by taking the skull of a cat, glueing it to a fish and calling it a mermaid."
"Or sometimes half of a monkey and half of a fish," Madison mumbled, wincing as she remembered those times. So many incidents where her parents and she had thought maybe they would see their kind, dead and on display for all to see. It was only a few occasions that the showmen had actually acquired a real specimen of a Mer, dead and half transformed. Each time she and her mother had snuck into the tents and showrooms at night, stealing away the dead Mer and putting the poor soul to proper rest. She noticed the Doctor nodding and glancing at her. She refused to look at him, afraid of giving herself away. Again, the guilt of keeping her true form a secret hit her. But she ignored it, still terrified to even contemplate telling him.
"Now someone's taken a pig, opened up its brain, stuck bits on, then they've strapped it in that ship, made it dive-bomb. It must've been terrified. They've taken this animal and turned it into a joke," the Doctor spoke up, moving on to explain everything to the woman beside them. Though Madison suspected him explaining these things was mostly a benefit for himself rather than everyone else. Most likely, speaking things out loud helped his mind process everything more effectively.
"How awful," Madison said quietly, shaking her head in disgust. Who could do such a thing to an innocent creature? She heard the Doctor hum in the back of his throat in agreement with her.
She meant to keep listening to the Sato woman speak, going on her own theory about the pig being far too advanced for human technology, so it had to be aliens faking aliens. But the Doctor grabbed her hand and swiftly pulled her along to exit the room and walk down the hallway with him. They were back in the TARDIS before long and left once again.
"So you were right. Too perfect," Madison said as the Doctor steered the ship to their next destination. "That means someone was trying to make a big show, distracting everyone to the real alien threat."
"Exactly," the Doctor agreed, nodding firmly. "Which means we need to figure out what that threat is and how to stop it." He frowned, pausing by a lever he had been about to pull. Shaking his head, he appeared to change his mind as he changed directions around the console and started to flip some different switches. "I need some time to think and investigate."
"Where are we landing?"
"Back at Powell Estate. It's the best place to hide the TARDIS. Go unnoticed." The Doctor started to work on the scanner the moment the TARDIS came to a stop. He fiddled with it, bringing up images from the news.
Madison raised a brow when seeing the news on the scanner. "You could have watched the news on the scanner this entire time?"
"I thought it'd be comfier to watch in a chair. Didn't realise Rose's mum would invite the entire neighbourhood," the Doctor grumbled. A knock came from the door then, making both the Doctor and Madison turn towards it curiously. The Doctor raised a brow. "I'm not expecting company."
"It might be Rose," Madison suggested.
The Doctor messed with the scanner again, showing them an image of who was standing outside. Indeed it was Rose, waiting there patiently at the door. The Time Lord sighed, before jerking his head towards the door. "Ah, go ahead and let her in. She can be useful."
Madison went over to the door quickly, opening it to see Rose standing there looking rather nervous. "Sorry about him. Knowing how he is, he didn't even say where he was going, did he?"
"No," Rose said with a shake of her head. She then gave a backwards glance, making Madison finally look past the girl. She was a bit taken back to see Mickey and Jackie both standing there. Each one of them appeared a bit bewildered.
"Oh! Hello," Madison greeted, waving awkwardly. "Suppose this means no more secrets from your mum," she whispered to the blonde. Rose merely nodded lamely, still seeming unsure of what to do about this change. Madison turned and opened the door for them all. Rose went in first, with Mickey and Jackie not far behind. Madison watched the mother hesitatingly, seeing how the woman stared at everything with wide eyes of fear. She walked over to the mother, touching a comforting hand onto the woman's shoulder. "It's okay, Jackie. I know it's a lot to take in, but it's really okay."
"Oh, this is just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic!" the Doctor immediately scolded Madison when seeing everyone arrive inside his ship. She merely rolled her eyes in response, ignoring him.
"So where have you two been off for a year?" Mickey questioned almost immediately, looking between the Doctor and Madison. "Been having too much fun and forgot about the rest of us?"
"Mickey, I told you, it's only been a few days for them," Rose sighed, shaking her head in exasperation.
"She's right. It was just the other night I left you and Rose after stopping the Nestene Consciousness," Madison explained. Mickey seemed to take this answer well as he nodded in understanding.
"All right, so all those forums on 'time machine' were right," he said, turning to the Doctor. "'Cause Rose and me looked into ya after you left. Found all kinds of things about you on the internet and in the history books. Your name is everywhere. Followed by Death."
"That's nice. Good boy, Ricky," the Doctor said sarcastically as he opened up a section of flooring and began working on parts underneath the console.
"Mickey, be nice," Rose scolded her boyfriend, hitting him on the chest.
"I am being nice," Mickey scoffed, rolling his eyes. "He was the one that kidnapped Maddie and left us with the plastic invasion mess. He could at least apologise."
"It wasn't his fault that happened," Madison muttered, though didn't say anything more as she didn't want to argue at the moment but she also wanted to defend the Doctor.
It was then that Jackie ran out of the ship, fleeing the scene. "Mum, don't!" Rose let out a sigh and rushed out to chase down her mother.
"Oh, dear," Madison sighed, feeling bad about everything that was happening now. Poor Jackie was probably thinking of all the worst possible things when it came to the Doctor and the current situation with the spaceship crashing down. She walked over to stand near where the Doctor was working, hoping Rose could sort it out. Her hope for Rose to explain everything was dashed as the girl came back into the ship with a heavy sigh. "Did you get to talk to her?"
"No, it'll have to wait," Rose said as she went over to look down at the Doctor, who was laying down on his back under the console and rewiring different sections. "Where'd you go? You said you were getting air like Maddie was."
"I lied," the Doctor answered curtly.
"The crash was a fake," Madison explained. "The Doctor realised it was too perfect, so we went to investigate. Turns out the 'alien' was a creation, a pig genetically altered to look like an alien . . . Which was actually created by aliens, most likely for an invasion."
"So the spaceship was real, but the alien wasn't?" Rose questioned, showing her confusion.
"Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert," Mickey commented as he pondered what Madison told them.
"Good point! So, what're they up to? That's the real question of the day," the Doctor spoke up as a few wires sparked. "Madison already thought of them making a distraction for something. That something is what I'm looking for now." Mickey walked over, staring curiously at what the Doctor was working on.
"So what are you doing down there?" he asked.
"Ricky," the Doctor started to say, his mouth a bit muffled as he had his sonic screwdriver in his mouth.
"Mickey," the young man corrected him.
"Ricky," the Doctor said after taking the sonic out of his mouth, still keeping on task and not even bothering to glance at Mickey. "If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?"
"Doctor," Madison spoke up sternly, giving the Time Lord a sharp look, "be nice. His name is 'Mickey' and he's just curious. Even if we do not understand how it works, it doesn't mean we wouldn't like to listen to you talk about it. Even if we're not as brilliant as you are and are lesser life-forms, it does not mean we are completely brainless. So stop insulting our intelligence." The Doctor snapped his mouth shut then, glancing at her and then looking away, disgruntled.
"I wasn't trying to say that you were stupid," she heard him mumbling.
"Yes, you were. Mickey's a friend. By insulting him, you are, in fact, insulting me. So, be nice," she continued to scold him, not liking how he was talking to everyone at the moment. It was awfully rude of him. The Doctor mumbled something else under his breath and kept working on the wiring. She noticed how he appeared to be a bit sheepish now.
"Heh, you sure do know how to handle your boyfriend there," Mickey said, grinning at Madison now.
"He-He's not my boyfriend," Madison stuttered, flustered now at the prospect. Why would Mickey assume that? She glanced at the Doctor, hoping that the comment didn't make him uncomfortable. But it appeared as though he was not paying attention as he worked on the console wiring. Looking over, she saw Mickey and Rose both grinning knowingly at her. Like they each knew a secret that she didn't. Brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, she cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"So, how have things been for you two in the year I was away?" Madison decided to ask.
"Fine, I guess. Glad to know you're not dead," Mickey said, shrugging lightly. He then looked to Rose. "Did you finally break it off with Greg?"
"God, yes," the girl sighed with an exasperated shake of her head. "But he kept coming back yelling. Mum had to threaten to call the cops if he didn't stop."
"Told you he was mental. Guess I win that bet with your mum," Mickey said with a snicker, laughing as Rose hit him lightly in the arm and muttered 'shut up'. Confused, Madison stared at them curiously.
"Are you two not together anymore?" she asked them.
"No, it didn't work out," Rose said, shaking her head.
"I think we make better mates anyway," said Mickey with a shrug. This surprised Madison, but she was glad to hear that the two of them were still friends. Sometimes, being friends was better in the end. Romantic relationships . . . just got messy if not done well.
"Got it! Ha-ha!" the Doctor said suddenly, gaining her attention again. A spark of electricity followed the Doctor's exclamation. She watched as he bounced up from the floor, putting back the grated section before going over to the scanner. Going over to him, she stood beside him as he slapped the scanner and brought up a digital image of the Earth.
"What'cha do?" Rose asked him as she and Mickey looked over the Doctor's and her shoulder.
"Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours, so it'll follow the flight of the spaceship," the Doctor explained quickly. He banged on the scanner again, trying to get it to do what he wanted. "Here we go. Hold on." The image changed, beginning to show them a blip of something moving towards and away from the Earth on the screen. "That's the spaceship on its way to Earth. See? Except . . ."
"It did a slingshot," Madison said, nodding as she sat the image. "The space program at NASA did the same thing when they went to the Moon." She was glad she remembered the explanation on tv when she had watched the lunar landing. It had truly been an astounding day, seeing man walk on the Moon. How small those steps seemed now compared to what was to one day come for humans.
"Right. Except they only slingshot the spaceship back to Earth," said the Doctor, nodding as he knew what she meant.
"What does that mean?" asked Rose.
"Means it came from Earth in the first place," said the Doctor. "It went up, and came back down."
"So them aliens have been on Earth for a while?" Mickey wondered aloud.
"Right you are, Ricky, ah, Mickey," the Doctor said, correcting himself when getting the name wrong. Madison gave him a quick smile, glad he was making an effort to be more friendly. He rolled his eyes lightly when seeing her look at him. "Question is now, what've they been doing?"
The Doctor began turning a knob on the console, making the scanner begin to show them different new channels. Madison could tell that he wanted to see if anything had changed before he moved on to doing something else. There wasn't much at first as it was just clips of chaos that seemed to be going on. People were panicking in most places of the world. Not surprising, given how humans could be. Eventually, he got to a station talking about some government specialists on space and aliens being brought in for questions.
"Is that UNIT?" Madison wondered aloud. She saw the surprised look the Doctor gave her.
"You know about UNIT? Have you worked with them?" he asked her.
"No, I just know about different agencies that deal with space travel and aliens and things," Madison explained to him. She then gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Mostly I ran into a few of their agents in the past by mistake, though, luckily, they never paid me much attention. I stayed hidden. Which is good because Torchwood is one I'd really like to steer clear of."
Raising a brow, the Doctor stared at her curiously. "'Torchwood'? Never heard of them."
"Trust me, that's a good thing. They're very anti-alien, very xenophobic. It was a nasty run-in I had with them and some yeti. I'd like to never see them again if I can help it."
The Doctor seemed to take her word for it as he nodded and looked back to the new channel. "UNIT, they're good people, though. I used to work with them back in the day."
"How do you know so much?" Mickey suddenly asked, frowning as he stared at her. "You talk like you're an alien. Are you?" Madison tensed in fear, realizing in terror her mistake. She felt so comfortable in talking freely with the Doctor . . . she'd forgotten who else was in the room with them. She was becoming too relaxed, she realised. Something that wasn't good for her. Her mother had always said 'never let your guard down'. It appears that she finally had let her guard down.
"No time for stupid questions. We've got bigger things to worry about," the Doctor suddenly spoke up, voice curt and stern as he walked around the console and started messing around with the controls. Madison met his gaze briefly, seeing him nod at her subtly. She mouthed 'thank you', appreciating his interruption and change of subject.
"If you know UNIT, why don't you go and help?" Rose spoke up, also seeming to want to avoid Mickey's question. The girl glanced over to Madison, nodding in understanding. It was then, without a doubt in her mind, that Madison knew she made the right decision in telling Rose the truth. It made her warm with happiness in knowing she truly had someone on her side.
"They wouldn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the old days," said the Doctor, answering Rose's question. Feeling curious about what the Doctor meant by that, Madison made a mental note to ask about it later. She'd love to know what he was like when he was younger and what his time in UNIT had been like. She wondered if those were much better memories to look back on for him than maybe the memories of Gallifrey.
"It still wouldn't be good if we got too much involved, given that . . . you're an alien," Madison said, almost messing up in giving herself away there. Frowning, she was starting to become frustrated with herself. She was better than this. She knew she was better at hiding. Why was it suddenly so difficult to hide?
"You're right. There's aliens out there, and fake aliens wanna keep this alien out of the mix," the Doctor agreed with her. He hit a button on the console, making a ding (Madison realised then that there was an actual bell on the console) before winding down a spinning dial. "I'm going undercover. And, uh, better keep the TARDIS out of sight. Ricky!"
"It's Mickey," said Mickey, correcting the Time Lord again.
"That's what I said," the Doctor said swiftly, bypassing his mistake again. He walked swiftly by the young man, patting him on the shoulder. "You've got a car. You can do some driving."
"Where to?" Mickey asked. The Doctor grabbed Madison's hand, pulling her along with him to the door.
"The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that ship," the Doctor told them all, walking out of the TARDIS with Madison right next to him. The moment each of them stepped foot outside of the TARDIS, that was when all hell broke loose and Madison felt her heart freeze in terror.
What do you think? I hope it was good. Again, review and let me know if you have any thoughts on the story. I'm always happy to hear from you all.