Sorry for the delay! Got Covid, so I've been out of sorts for over a week now. But I'm better now. Mostly. So, here's a new chapter. I hope it's a good one!
Chapter 23
When she woke up again, she was not certain how long it had been. It didn't feel that long, though time was odd on the TARDIS like that. Minutes could last for what felt like years, yet hours went on as fleeting as seconds. She blinked, eyes going wide as she blushed in embarrassment as she came to see she had curled up to the Doctor during the night. Her head was resting on his chest and she was practically hugging him. It had been so long since she had anyone beside her in bed, she must have subconsciously been drawn in for the comfort of another body. Something she noticed almost instantaneously as the feel of his body under hers was . . . heavenly. The feel of his chest slowly rising and falling, the double beat of his hearts thudding softly under her hand where it rested on him, and the pressure of one of his legs wrapped around her own was a weight most welcomed. As she slowly tilted her head to stare at his face, she couldn't help but feel the soft thud of her heart that sang in euphoria in being able to see him so peaceful as he rested. Just sleeping seemed to make him centuries younger as there was a tension released from his body that was almost always present when he was awake. That small crease between his eyes that never seemed to go away when he was awake was finally missing as he merely breathed evenly in and out. There was even a small bit of a smile just there, gently gracing his lips. If she didn't know any better, she would say that he was having a lovely dream. This seemed to be the case as she heard him give a pleasant hum in the back of his throat as he shifted slightly on the spot. She held still, fearing that her weight on him might wake him. But he settled, seeming to stay deep within his slumber as he continued to dream.
She was just glad she did not wake him. She wouldn't forgive herself if she had wakened him while he tried to rest. Though that might change if she wasn't able to remove herself without stirring him from his slumber. Carefully, she pulled herself away from him, somewhat saddened as she really enjoyed feeling another beside her. She always was a cuddler when it came to sleep. Her parents had to kick her out of the bedroom when she had grown too old for it, and David always laughed whenever they woke up in the morning with her practically on top of him. It was a rather embarrassing trait of hers that she did not like admitting to. Though, she had to admit, sleeping with the Doctor had been one of the best nights of rest she had in a while. She wondered if, once they were courted further if she could convince him to sleep with her on occasion. Nothing overly intimate, of course. Just for the comfort of a body beside her. She wondered if that was too invasive to ask of the Doctor, or if perhaps he would enjoy the solace as much as she. Then again, with this new body of his, it would be hard telling what he would like or not with the changes that must come with regeneration. She doubted it was merely physical appearances that shifted. It must be internally tastes as well. Would he even enjoy the same foods? Same colours? Same music? Or was she to learn all over again how the Doctor was? He said that the basics of him wouldn't change, but what was that to mean for everything else? Already, after meeting him during the brief time in Cardiff, she could tell there was much difference between him and the man she once knew. She hoped that, together, the two of them could adjust to these changes. She was certain it would be harder for him than anyone else with a different body. She knew it would be for her if she had to undergo a change such as that. She sat down beside the Doctor, staring at him as she thought over everything. With hand slowly rising, she brought the edge of her fingers to his forehead, brushing away a bit of his new hair from his face. She then gently traced her fingers down his cheeks, feeling his new skin and taking in the sight of his new face. She smiled when noticing the freckles that were scattered faintly across his cheeks. She would have to point this out to him once he woke up. He might enjoy the idea of gaining freckles with his new body.
With her stomach growling, she decided to leave briefly to get something to eat. Only for a moment. She didn't want to leave his side in case he needed her or something else went wrong. It was one of the main reasons why she didn't go to sleep in water last night. She wanted to be ready for him at a moment's notice. So she was quick when it came to getting into the kitchen and grabbing some light snacks. She did stop to make a thermos of tea and to get dressed in some new clothing first before finally returning to the Doctor's room. When she entered she saw that the Doctor remained unchanged. Still sleeping soundly and in the very same position she had placed him in last night. Either he really didn't move much when sleeping or . . . She sat down her plate of goodies and her thermos on a dresser, going over to check on him. Feeling his forehead, she was somewhat relieved to see that he was no longer warm but back to his normal temperature. She leaned down and pressed her ear to his gentle rising chest, listening carefully. His hearts sounded the same and his lungs appeared normal. So . . . maybe sleep truly was the thing he needed right now.
"I don't think I've ever seen you resting in one place for this long before," she spoke lightly, going over to retrieve her food and drink. "Remind me to tease you about it later when I'm not so worried." She sat down in the armchair by a bookshelf, getting herself comfortable while she ate. After finishing her small meal she sat down the plate and thermos onto an end table near the chair. Staring at him for a moment, she sighed, shaking her head. "I honestly don't know what to do with myself right now. I've been so used to going nonstop these last months that I've, quite honestly, forgotten what to do when it's quiet." She smiled in his direction. "Suppose I have you to thank for that. Heh." Feeling awkward just sitting there talking to herself, she looked towards the bookshelf and picked out a book to read.
Time passed and she read quite a bit of books from his bookshelf until her eyes got too tired to continue reading. They were fascinating books, honestly. Mostly about different planets' ecosystems, species, and such. One book was actually a children's book, though the stories were nothing she had ever read before. Strange stories with bizarre morals. And she thought the Brother's Grimm had derie endings. Shaking her head, she placed the book away just as she heard the Doctor give a sharp inhale. Looking over just in time, she saw him let out a breath and a golden wisp of energy left his mouth to float away in the air for a moment before vanishing. His face contorted somewhat as if he were in pain. She hurriedly went over to him, getting into the bed to sit beside him.
"Doctor?" she said gently, reaching over to brush at his bangs. She sighed as she received no answer. Though he still appeared troubled. Was he having a bad dream? She started threading her fingers through his hair, creating a gentle motion to calm him. Thinking briefly, she smiled as she began to sing softly. "Hush now, my story. Close your eyes and sleep. Waltzing the waves, diving the deep. Stars are shining bright. The wind is on the rise. Whispering words, of long lost lullabies." She kept singing one of her mother's lullabies, softly stroking the Doctor's head as she went. Soon she saw his face relaxing, a small exhale like that of a sigh leaving him. She couldn't help but smile happily as she sang. She was glad to have helped him, even if it was to sleep peacefully.
She moved to the other side of him, crawling up into the bed. She lay beside him for a moment, nervous to get any closer. Eventually, she resides to herself that it would be fine for her to cuddle with him more. In the meantime, at least. If it helped him sleep, then she knew she needed to anyway. She wanted him to get as much rest as he could so that once he was awake again he was healed and whole from this regeneration situation. So, with this in mind, she pulled herself up against him, laying her hand on his chest to feel the rise and fall as he breathed. It was soothing to her to feel him simply breathe and watch his calm face as he slept. It lulled her into a sense of tranquillity as she soon felt her eyes grow heavy and she too fell into a deep sleep beside him. Sleep which was only interrupted every hour or so when she felt him moving beside her and she would wake to watch him exhale golden energy. Then after he remained still and peaceful, she would drift once again.
Eventually, she found herself waking just to check him over as her fear began to deepen for his sake, worried that he would never wake. She sat in bed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, sitting with legs crossed as she stared at him, willing for his eyes to open and smile at her. The feeling of uselessness began to creep over her, fearing that there was more she should be doing by this point but unable to think of anything useful. Should . . . should she be taking him to someone? A healer perhaps? It felt silly. Who could possibly know what to do for a Time Lord? Maybe an old friend of his? But that seemed unlikely, either. As far as she was aware, all of his friends with any sort of beneficial knowledge had perished in the Time War. There could be acquaintances on Earth, though the last she remembered all those had died due to the Slitheen attack. Should she go to the TARDIS library? Maybe the old girl had something there that could help.
She was startled then as suddenly the phone in her back pocket began to ring. The sound was piercing compared to the quiet she had come used to over the many hours alone. It made her jittery just listening to its relatively merry tune. She hurriedly got up from the bed, swiftly leaving the room as she pulled out her phone. She hoped the noise hadn't woken the Doctor. Though, the sudden noise didn't seem to have disturbed him in the slightest as he remained as still as ever.
"Hel-hello?" she asked hesitantly, wondering who it could possibly be.
"You're alive!" she heard the cry of Rose on the line. "Oh, I thought I'd never get ahold of you. I've been trying every day since you've left. What happened? Are you all right? Is the Doctor?"
"I'm fine," Madison sighed as she leaned against the wall behind her. "And the Doctor is, too . . . For the most part." She shook her head, not certain how to explain regeneration and such to Rose. That seemed to be a topic better left to be discussed in person than over the phone. But, in hearing the girl's voice, there was a sense of relief that went through Madison. As though she were finally no longer alone in this situation she found herself in. Even if Rose would be just as lost as she in what to do for the Doctor. It was simply nice not being so alone in the universe."How long have we been gone this time?" Madison decided to ask.
"It's been weeks, but that's not important. What happened to you two? How did you manage to get the TARDIS to fly? Did you stop the Daleks?"
"I . . . honestly can't remember much. Something happened to me that made most of everything sort of . . . fuzzy. But I do remember the TARDIS console opening up, just the same as that one time with Margaret and the Rift. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS and . . ." Madison shook her head, unsure of how to explain it all. It was far too complicated and she rather have a moment to sit down with Rose and the Doctor (and possibly Jack too) and have a more detailed discussion. "Look, bottom line, the Daleks were destroyed, Jack's missing, and the Doctor almost died."
"Jack's gone? Gone where? And what happened to the Doctor? Is he all right?"
"He's fine, just . . . changed."
"Changed? What do you mean 'changed'?"
Madison glanced towards his door, still at a loss of how to explain this over the phone. She wished she could just show Rose in person. "He looks different now. There's something he did, something Time Lords can do, to keep himself from dying. So now he's not exactly the same Doctor that you and I have known. Though he is still the Doctor. Am . . . Am I making any sense?"
"Not really," Rose sighed, seeming exasperated by Madison's rambling. There was someone heard talking in the background with Rose muttering to them. "Yeah, I know." Then she was speaking firmly to Madison. "Look, Maddie, we need you both to come back. Something's happening and we need the Doctor."
Madison glanced towards the closed door briefly. "Sorry, but it looks like you've just got me at the moment."
"What'd you mean? Where's the Doctor? We need him, there's an alien invasion coming."
"He's asleep."
"Well, wake him up!"
Madison frowned, shaking her head. "No, you don't understand, he's in the process of healing from his change . . . I think. So he needs rest."
"But we need him now. This is important. People are gonna die. They're standing on rooftops ready to jump."
Biting the inside of her cheek, Madison felt the turmoil inside of her knowing people's lives were at stake. But the Doctor's life might be in danger if she woke him up too soon. She did not know how she knew this, but something was telling her that he needed sleep more than anything. So, she let out a sigh of resignation. "I'm sorry, but I'm not waking him up." Madison remained firm in her stance. "You have me, though. Just tell me what's happening and I'll try to figure something out."
"How can you do anything? Only the Doctor can figure this out."
"That's rather insulting, Rose. I know you're anxious right now, but that's no reason to dismiss someone when they're offering their assistance."
There was a short pause from Rose. "Sorry," she eventually muttered.
Madison smiled kindly. "It's all right. Just tell me what's happening." She listened then as Rose explained everything. From the Mars probe that was supposed to reach the red planet from the British government to the incoming Sycorax invasion, and to the third of the world's population seemingly in a trance, standing on the edge of rooftops and ready to jump upon the Sycorax's command.
"Now you see why we need the Doctor?" Rose finally said after finishing her story.
"Come on, Rose, not every situation demands for the Doctor's help. He can't always be there for us, that would be asking far too much from him. Even he needs a rest once and a while." Madison started walking down the corridor, thinking of what she could do next. "Let me see what I can manage from here."
"Can you at least bring the TARDIS back?"
"That . . . might be a bit impossible at the moment."
"Why? Didn't you steer it off the last time?"
"Yes, but that was entirely by accident. I honestly don't know how to accomplish a repeated event."
Rose sighed in frustration. "Then what can you do?"
"Well . . ." Madison paused in step as she had been about to pass by an open doorway. Slowly she smiled. "I have the greatest tool available to me. The TARDIS library. There's bound to be information on these Sycorax."
It was somewhat hard finding exactly what she needed in the library. The library itself was massive, with rows upon rows of books everywhere. She had only been in here a handful of times, but each time was always amazing. Any book she could ever want to read was here. Though there was a catch. The fact that the TARDIS was constantly changing this room around to keep information fresh did not help at all in findings one's way through this particular place. One day it might have different nooks of comfy armchairs and sofas for reading, to another day where the shelves were massive, reaching far, far into the ceiling and taking a good amount of time to just climb. There had even been one day that the library had been nothing short of a labyrinth to get lost in. The TARDIS's way of organising information was not something she had quite gotten used to yet, either. Rose (and sometimes Mickey and Jackie) would talk to her while on her search. Usually keeping Madison up to date on where the ship of the Sycorax was and how close it was getting to Earth. From the sound of it, she didn't have much time. She wondered aloud at one point just why only certain people seemed effective to the Sycorax's hypnosis, but it seemed nothing on the government server Mickey had hacked into was giving many answers. After almost an hour, Madison sat the phone down on a study desk to glance towards the TARDIS ceiling.
"Could I trouble you for some help? I seem to be a little lost in here," she spoke to the ship, hoping for some guidance. She looked over when hearing a book fall from a nearby shelf. Walking over quickly, she scooped up the book to see Spacefaring Species written as the title. She looked back towards the ceiling with a smile. "Thank you." She heard a pleasant hum and felt a calm presence in her mind as she walked back over to the many desks, chairs, and shelves she had been at. Picking back up the phone, she had it placed in the crook of her bent neck while she flipped through the pages.
"I think I found something," she told Rose as she searched quickly. She let out a noise of success as she found the right page. "Here we go. Sycorax. Seems they're a species who mostly travel through space, going to different worlds to enslave lesser races and take resources to replenish their massive intergalactic ships."
"Yeah, sort of got that part already," Rose replied, letting out a gust of breath. "But what does it say about the hypnosis stuff?"
"Let me see . . ." Madison flipped a page, scanning it carefully. "It says here: 'The Sycorax are a very superstitious race, believing in sciences involving magic and witchcraft. They use science that may act similarly to that of witchcraft, fooling lesser species into believing they may have a high power of control over bodies and minds. One of their more regular practices of this is known as 'blood control'. Though this practice may be able to exert control over an entire race if used correctly, it cannot, however, be used to cause bodily harm.'"
"Well, that book is wrong 'cause they're making people get ready to jump," Rose argued right away.
"But are they actually jumping yet? Maybe it only works until the final command of 'jump' is made. Maybe it stops after that."
Rose sighed. "Anything else?"
"Hang on." Madison sat down at the desk, continuing to read carefully. "Um, they're very religious, they worship a god called 'Astrophia'. They, ah, wear the rib of their wives as a marriage bond."
"Yeah, anything useful?"
Shaking her head, she flipped to another page, reading it over carefully. "Says that you can 'dissuade' the Sycorax from enslaving your race by issuing a ritual right of combat. Apparently, they follow the rules of sanctified combat and consider it a binding rite when there is a victor. They're bound by those rules."
"Oh, sure, we can ask them to play a game of rock, paper, scissors. That'll show 'em," she heard Mickey say sarcastically in the background.
"Look, if you two are going to be discourteous about this—," Madison began to scold them.
"No, no, sorry," Rose said hurriedly, sighing again for the hundredth time that day. "We just don't know how any of this helps us."
Madison thought this over, closing the book as she tapped her fingers on the desk. "Who's working on this? Is UNIT involved yet?"
"Yeah, they're the ones we've hacked," Mickey explained.
"Then why haven't you gotten in contact with them yet?" she questioned carefully, raising a sharp brow.
"Well, I mean . . . the Doctor doesn't exactly like getting other people involved, does he?" Rose said, seeming uncertain now.
"Not when he's not around and it's a life and death situation. You've got to use your resources. You're friends with the Doctor and they're acquaintances. The best you could do is get together and work things out as a team. Friends in high places and whatnot." Madison grabbed the book, got up from the desk and marched out of the library, going back down the corridor. "There might be someone at UNIT who knows enough about the Doctor, willing to work with you two. Do we know who's on top of this?"
"Oh, my god. Harriet Jones!" Rose suddenly cried, seeming to realise something important and obvious. "Why didn't we think of that?"
Blinking, Madison raised a curious brow. "Harriet? She works for UNIT now? Honestly, I'm not surprised."
"No, she's Prime Minister now."
"Oh, is she?" Madison smiled, nodding happily. "Well, good for her. And that's perfect. Mickey, send UNIT a message. Tell them you need to get in contact with Harriet and let her know it's about the Doctor. Have her team pick you two up and take you to their headquarters. Get them up to date with what's happening and what we know. Maybe UNIT can solve it from there." She let out a small sound of unease as a thought crossed her mind. "Let's just hope Torchwood hasn't gotten involved yet. Lord knows we don't need that."
"Right. On it," she heard Mickey mutter as he typed away at his laptop.
"What're you gonna do?" Rose asked her then.
"Try my best to get the TARDIS moving. If not, I'll just be your information gal." She paused, nodding firmly with a determined expression as if they were there with her. "We can do this. I know we can. The Doctor and the whole world are counting on us."
XxXxXxXxXx
Madison paced in the console room as she nervously held the phone in her hands. Rose had hung up the moment UNIT vehicles had come to pick her and Mickey up from the flat. Things were falling into place and honestly . . . Madison felt completely useless. Yes, there was the information she had given Rose, but what else was there she could do? So far, nothing came to mind. All she could think about was all those people whose lives were on the line and what it might the Doctor do in a situation such as this. Was she making the right decision in keeping the Doctor asleep? Would he have wanted her to wake him up during a situation like this? Would he even be able to help at all? He was a brilliant man, but even he had his limits. He could still be hurt and pushing himself to save the world might only make his condition worse. She would be dismayed if she caused him more harm than what she had already done to him.
Sighing, she leaned against the console, placing her hands on it, wishing she had asked the Doctor how to fly the ship. Even a few bits of knowledge would have been helpful here. How was she ever going to fly the ship again? She refused to do a repeat of before as that would only lead to disaster for certain. Then . . . what exactly was she good for here? What good was she if she couldn't even figure this out? And what if the Doctor never woke up? What if they were both stuck out in space for the rest of time? What if the information she gave Rose and Mickey had been wrong about the Sycorax and she was leading them to their doom? Oh, why couldn't she just be of use to someone? Shaking herself out of her spirling thoughts of dread, she stared at the centre column as she thought about Rose, wishing she could be there with the girl and be of some help for once.
"Woah!" she jumped, startled, when a lever beside her suddenly flipped upwards. She watched in amazement as different knobs, levers, and dials around the console began moving on their own. The centre rotor began moving up and down as the engine grinded, the usual noise of the TARDIS sounding off as she felt the ship moving. "Old girl, are you okay? I didn't know you could pilot yourself." She heard a gentle hum from the ship. She frowned as she tried to understand the message the ship was sending her. "You're not piloting yourself?" Another hum. "Then . . . who is?" She felt a soft nudge in her mind, like that of encouragement.
Carefully, she reached forward and touched the console. A surge of energy went through her then. Like a wave of warmth, or that of gentle electricity. It felt almost like light prickling all along her body. She could feel the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end as goosebumps formed on her skin. As she breathed she felt the ebb and flow of the time rotor going up and down. The warmth and energy of the console beneath her fingers. The motion of the ship, inside and out. The wild sparking light and dark that was the Time Vortex outside of the ship, a fiery force of nature. Her heart beat along with that of the TARDIS's lifeform, causing her entire being to feel weightless. In fact, she barely felt connected to her body anymore. Jerking her hands away from the console, she stood there, with heart pounding, as she stared wide-eyed at the controls. She still felt the connection, however. She was still in control of the TARDIS and her flight. It honestly frightened her. She shouldn't be able to feel this anymore. It should all be gone from her body. But feeling the gentle response from the old girl, she knew the TARDIS was trying to ease her worries, to help her feel not so afraid about the change. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was understanding the TARDIS shocking well. Better than before, at any rate. With a sigh, she decided not to dwell too much on it at the moment. It was obvious there were consequences to her earlier connection with the Time Vortex and the TARDIS. As soon as the Doctor was awake again, she would worry about it then and discuss with him what might be of this.
She felt the thud of the TARDIS landing. Quickly she went to the door, opening it up to see she had come into a military base of operations. There were men and women in uniforms with guns in holsters at their hips. Glass walls separating the main room from the rest, indicating office spaces for special conferences. Different personnel at monitoring stations, working on computers and typing away rapidly. Others were rushing around with papers in hand, obviously working fast with the emergency situation at hand. There were television screens in different places around the walls, with the main large one at the front of the room. The place was poorly lit, leaving things feeling unease. She was greeted by a lineup of those in uniforms, with their hands at their hips, ready to draw their guns.
"At ease," came a firm command. The UNIT guards moved aside, allowing Harriet Jones to step forward. Though the woman wore a very formal women's suit and seemed to have a commanding guard following her around, there was still this kind demeanour about Harriet. Something that hadn't changed in between the time of their first meeting. Madison couldn't help but smile when seeing the woman again and Harriet returned her smile politely. "It's good to see you again, my dear," said Harriet.
"It's good seeing you, too," Madison greeted, shutting the door tightly behind her as she stepped out of the TARDIS. She did not want to chance anyone getting inside the ship that was not meant to. Though UNIT was somewhat trusted by the Doctor, it did not mean that Madison would allow them anywhere near the TARDIS. "So, Prime Minister?"
"I know. I can hardly believe it myself," Harriet replied, smiling as though still in disbelief.
"Maddie!" Rose and Mickey pushed themselves around Harriet and the commanding guard. Rose pulled Madison into a tight hold, hugging the red-head in a hard grip before pulling back. "I'm glad you're really alive. How'd you manage to fly the TARDIS?"
"Yeah, I thought no one but the Doctor knows how," said Mickey. Then he frowned as he seemed to realise he was being rude. "And, you know, good to see you."
"Good seeing the both of you," Madison said, smiling lightly. Her smile dropped somewhat as she gave the TARDIS a side glance. "And, well, I . . . I managed to figure it out." The commanding guard stepped forward then, somewhat edging Rose and Mickey out of the way. Madison could tell almost right away that this man was a high-ranking officer judging by his uniform and the medals pinned on him.
"Major Blake, ma'am," greeted the man, giving her a salute. "It's a honour meeting the Doctor's right hand and caretaker." Blinking, Madison raised a brow while she glanced at Rose and Mickey.
"We couldn't just call you his 'girlfriend' could we?" Rose said, giving a small shrug.
"Ma'am, with all due respect, we need the Doctor. Your companions said he was asleep due to an injury? We have staff available that might be able to help," said the Major. "If you could let us take a look at him—"
"And with all due respect, Major," Madison interrupted him sternly, keeping her gaze even with the man's, "but as his caretaker, I know what's best for the Doctor, and what's best for him right now is to not have dozens of people gawking at him while he's trying to recover. He needs rest and that's that." She nodded curtly, ignoring the Major's clear disgruntled frown. "You're UNIT though, aren't you? You lot have handled plenty of troubling situations before without the Doctor's help. Remember the secret invasion of Tamernirs?"
The Major appeared startled by this, glancing around at others who were staring at them. He muttered towards her carefully, "No one was supposed to know about that."
Madison could only shake her head as she smiled lightly. "You'll find UNIT is terrible at keeping secrets." Her expression grew more serious once more. "You know I'm right. The Doctor can't always be there for us, so we have to improvise where we can. We just have to hold the fort until he wakes up." She walked away from the TARDIS, glancing around the place. "What's the status of the situation? Anything happen since you called me?" She gave Rose a glance.
"People are still standing on the roof," Rose told her.
"The spaceship is still on its way," Mickey said.
"And we have no idea in how to stop it," came a newcomer, stepping up to them. Madison took in the appearance of the man, balding somewhat on top of his head, a beard on his face, and wearing a business suit like all the others. Though his expression spoke of his anxious nature as his hands twitched by his sides as if he wanted to twist them both together nervously. Though there was a kindness in his eyes that Madison could see clearly. It was obvious he was a gentle soul at the end of the day. The man stepped forward, holding out his hand towards her nervously. "Daniel Llewellyn, project director of the Guinevere One probe," he introduced himself.
Madison took his hand and shook it. "Madison Baker. It's nice to meet you," she greeted in return, smiling kindly at him.
"Your friends have told us about this . . . information you've gathered," Llewellyn began saying after they dropped their hands. "Might I ask, how accurate is this information? Where did you get it?"
"Very accurate. I got it from a massive alien library if you'd believe it." Madison gazed over to the large monitor on the wall, seeing a blip of what appeared to be an incoming alien spacecraft to Earth. Not much longer now.
"And this 'blood control', is that what's it called? That would make sense from what we know." Llewellyn turned around, staring at the monitor with her. "It's my fault, you see. I sent a vial of A positive blood on the probe, hoping to reach other species and help them identify the human race. The blood was just one of many things I've sent."
Madison shook her head, gazing at the man now. "Don't blame yourself. It was a wonderful idea to do something like that. To want to reach for the stars is an amazing trait. It's not anyone's fault that some space thugs wish to use it against the human race."
Llewellyn nodded slightly, looking at her again in worriment. "But can we be certain that this blood control won't harm these people? I know what your information says, but . . ."
"It's like basics hypnosis, isn't it? You can't hypnotise a person to kill themselves. This is just a greater scale, but same principle in the end."
Llewellyn let out a small gust of breath, staring at the large monitor once more. "I just hope you're right." He then stepped away from her, going over to a nearby computer.
Madison bit the inside of her cheek, beginning to doubt herself then. Everyone seemed so sceptical of her information. What if they were right to doubt it? What if the blood control could kill everyone? She didn't think she could forgive herself if she led everyone astray with the wrong information.
"Madison, may I have a word in private?"
She glanced over, seeing Harriet standing there expectantly. She nodded, following after Harriet towards a more secluded area of the base. Into one of the glass offices Madison had spotted before. She glanced over to see Rose and Mickey watching her. She gave them a small signal, trying to let them know to wait and that she would be right back with them. They seemed to understand as they nodded and stood off to the side. She felt bad for them for they appeared uncomfortable and out of place amongst all these military personnel. Neither one was used to such a commotion. It most likely did not help matters with the Doctor being out of sorts. She only hoped to be there for the two of them throughout this whole situation.
Harriet sighed the moment the glass door closed behind them. She placed her hands down and leaned over a small conference table, shaking her head tiredly. It was obvious this day was draining for the woman. "I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. Even if it seems no matter how we meet it's under dire circumstances," the woman finally spoke.
"Too bad we don't have anything to drink this time around," Madison joked lightly, earning a chuckle and smile from Harriet.
"I'd think a strong glass of scotch is in order after we get out of this situation," Harriet said.
This earned a small smile from Madison. "I'll hold you to that."
Harriet's smile slowly dropped as she glanced edgily out of the office through the glass and towards the TARDIS. "Be honest with me. How bad is the Doctor's situation? Is there any way he can recover in time, or at all?"
Madison stared at the woman for a moment, thinking carefully of what she should say. There was quite a lot at stake here and she didn't want to worry everyone. She especially did not want to upset the Doctor by telling just anyone about what he had undergone. What if it was supposed to be a secret, his face changing? There was also a lot on Harriet's plate now, being Prime Minister and all. Madison didn't want to add any weight upon the woman. But . . . because of being Prime Minister she also needed to know everything so she could act accordingly. This was also a woman who Madison felt she could trust. Harriet Jones was a great woman. She can count on Harriet.
"Truthfully, I don't know," Madison finally said, sighing as she sat down in a chair at the desk. Harriet sat down next to her, staring at Madison carefully. "The Doctor . . . It was all my fault, you see. The Doctor had to save me and in doing so, he had to change. He was dying so he went through this process he calls 'regeneration'. He burned in this light, rewrote all his cells, and now he's a completely different person. Only outwardly though . . . I think. But something went wrong and . . . He might not ever wake up." With eyes beginning to burn, Madison hurriedly tried breathing to calm herself down. Saying it all out loud truly made it feel real. The Doctor really could be trapped in some sort of sleep state. Forever trapped in slumber.
"It'll be all right, my dear," Harriet assured her as she reached over and patted Madison's knee. "We as the human race will pull through. We have to believe in that." Moving back, Harriet held a determined expression full of resolve. "Thank you, for telling me the truth. I believe I know what we can do now when all else fails."
Madison felt unease then, seeing the implication in the woman's words. "You're . . . You're not planning on attacking them, are you?"
"If it comes down to it, yes. We must defend the Earth."
Madison nodded, understanding if it came to it if they truly had no choice . . . But her stomach still churned at the idea. "Harriet, I can understand that. Truly, I can. But promise me one thing." She gazed into the woman's eyes steadily. "Promise me you'll let me try my way first. We have to try and resolve this without killing. If all else fails, then do what you must and I will not say anything against you."
Harriet nodded firmly. "I can promise you I will only act if necessary. Only for Earth's best intentions."
Madison couldn't help but feel more at ease. Though the idea of resorting to such a fight against the Sycorax made her queasy, she knew she and Harriet wouldn't let it come to that. They would work together and protect the Earth. That much was certain.
There came a sudden deafening crash, followed by the trembling of the building around them. Alarms began going off, blaring loudly throughout the room with red lights flashing along the walls. Madison left the office immediately, going over to Rose and Mickey who were getting up from where they had ducked. She heard Llewellyn shouting that it was a sonic wave. Apparently, the spaceship that had arrived was massive. It had to be if it created such a gigantic sonic wave. She hoped there was not too much destruction outside. She would hate for anyone to get hurt.
"Rose, Mickey, get into the TARDIS," she instructed them as things began to settle down. "Keep a look out from there. If anything happens, just sit tight in the TARDIS."
"But what about you? What are you gonna do?" Mickey questioned.
"You can't just stay out here. It's not safe!" Rose argued.
"I need you two to keep the Doctor safe until he wakes up. He'll know what to do once he does," Madison said firmly. "Please, just stay in the ship. It's the safest place for you two."
"But what's the plan? You have a plan, right?" Rose asked, biting her lip nervously. "Why don't you come in the TARDIS, too?"
"I have to stay out here. I have to help them. If I can keep the Sycorax at bay until the Doctor wakes up, then we might be able to save the Earth yet." She could see Rose and Mickey were about to argue with her, but she held up her hand to stop them. "Please, I need your help and I need you both safe. Can you do this for me? Please?"
Rose sighed in frustration but nodded all the same. She went over and gave Madison a strong hug. "Just be careful, okay?" she said before turning and going into the TARDIS. Mickey was not far behind her, giving Madison a nod before leaving.
With that taken care of, Madison walked over to join the main crowd near the large monitor on the wall. She could see images from outside. Possibly from CCTV cameras monitoring the city. There seemed to be damage from the sonic wave. Mostly windows that had shattered from the wave. It didn't look as though people were hurt, but that was yet to be seen. What surprised her was the images of the Sycorax ship. It was much bigger than she had anticipated. It had the appearance of a gigantic asteroid or that of a landmass that had been ripped right out of a planet and turned into a floating island. It was grey in colour, with massive spikes jutting here and there out of it. She had to wonder briefly about the type of technology used for such a ship. Though she had no time to contemplate this as the screen changed and showed a group of individuals staring back at them. She assumed these were the Sycorax for they were certainly not human. Their heads were large, elongated skulls with wide, slanted eyes that had no pupils. Their outfits were that of red robes with intricate designs on them. The apparent leader of the group held a large staff in their hands.
"Will the tribal leader of this world stand forward?" the leader demanded from them. The leader's voice was like that of a growl, grumbling as they spoke. Madison wondered if the leader were male for it sounded like that of a gruff human man.
"Why are they speaking English suddenly?" asked a man beside them. Madison recognized the man to be Harriet's assistant, but she couldn't recall if she had gotten his name.
"That would be the TARDIS. It translates for you," Madison explained to everyone.
"Well, that makes things easier I suppose," Harriet said quietly before stepping forward, back straight, as she addressed the Sycorax. "I'm proud to represent this planet."
"Come aboard," said the leader, waving his hand at them.
Harriet glanced towards those behind her before staring back at the Sycorax in confusion. "Well, how do I do that?" she asked them.
Madison tensed as she saw the blue energy surrounding her body and felt the slight energy spark around her. She recognized the signs of teleportation as something similar had happened to her during one of the many adventures she, Rose, and the Doctor had together. Though she was surprised that she was being teleported along with Harriet, Major Blake, Llewellyn, and Harriet's assistant. She wondered if, by standing close to Harriet, the Sycorax assumed she was a part of Earth's representing team of some sort. Her vision blurred for a moment as she and the others were transported, only to clear once they arrived on the other side. She was astonished by what she saw upon arrival. It was a gigantic room, filled with thousands of Sycorax. It was an arena, or amphitheatre, with a dome of rock over them. The place was lit by fires or torches on the walls, all scattered at random places throughout the room. It created a dimly lit effect, almost an unsettling feeling of dread with the red lighting from the fires. There were different levels to the arena, allowing all the Sycorax to stand around the centre of the room without crowding one another. There came a roar, like that of cheering, from the Sycorax upon their arrival.
The four Sycorax from before stood a few yards away from them. The leader from before stepped forward, getting closer to them. Madison moved along with the others, getting closer to speak with the Sycorax leader. She watched carefully as the leader lifted his leathery, grey hands with warped nails up towards his head. Then, he carefully began to remove the massive, ridged skull from his head, making the group realise it was a helmet of some sort. Llewellyn commented briefly that maybe the Sycorax appeared more human without the helmet, but was cut short as the leader lowered his helmet down to reveal his true face. The leader had an exoskeleton structure to his face, with white skull plates around his head. Exposed were his eyes, with red irises, and a mouth that had jagged teeth as he hissed at them. The skin around his eyes and mouth appeared like that of exposed muscle, with it showing a leathery texture and veins along his skin. The leader stared at them with harsh eyes before he walked over to a centre rock formation of some kind. It almost appeared to be used as a podium of some sort, though maybe it had another use as she could see a large red button there for the Sycorax to use. The leader hovered his hand over the button as he glared at them.
"You will surrender or I will release the final curse and your people will jump," the leader demanded of them.
"If I can speak—," Llewellyn began to say, trying to step forward. Madison held out her hand, pushing him back.
"Best not. I don't think these are the talking type," she muttered before she took a step forward instead. She didn't want to chance anyone being hurt here today.
"No, I have to try," Llewellyn argued with her, marching forward past her to address the leader.
"Stop," Madison hissed after him, but knew it was useless. The scientist was firm in trying to talk peace first.
"Mister Llewellyn, you are a civilian," Major Blake also tried to argue. But Llewellyn ignored him as well.
"I sent out the probe, I started it. I made contact with these people. This whole thing is my responsibility," he told them before addressing the Sycorax leader. He adjusted his necktie nervously before straightening his stance. "With respect, sir . . . the human race is taking its first steps towards the stars, but we are like children compared to you. Children who need help. Children who need compassion. I beg of you now, show that compassion."
The Sycorax leader, who had stepped away from the button on the podium, sneered at Llewellyn in disgust. Then he pulled out a long whip from his side and it made a noise as it lit up in blue electricity. He whipped it forward and it wrapped around Llewellyn's neck. The scientist screamed in agony as his body evaporated and turned into nothing more than a smoking skeleton. Major Blake spoke out angrily, outraged by the lack of compassion from the Sycorax. This only resulted in the leader killing the Major as well. Madison stared at the sight of the two smoking skeletons in horror. Her breath left her for a moment as she tried gathering herself. Slowly, she straightened in her posture, eyeing the leader coldly as she tensed her body as she stepped forward when seeing Harriet try to make a move toward the leader.
If anyone else were to be killed, it should be Madison instead. "Harriet, if I may?" She nodded her head for permission. Harriet nodded somewhat reluctantly, staring nervously at Madison as she stepped closer to the leader.
"So, one push and everyone jumps?" she asked the leader, keeping her expression even as she kept her eyes steady on him. He had moved back towards the button, hovering his hand over it once again. "Just like that?"
"And who are you?" retorted the leader, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Someone who also represents planet Earth. Now, answer my question," Madison replied smoothly.
"One push and they die," hissed the leader, lips curling cruelly at her. "Now, surrender."
"If we do surrender, how would that be better?" asked Harriet, speaking up then as she stood beside Madison.
"Half will be sold into slavery, or one-third dies. Your choice," the leader responded, smirking now at them.
Madison lifted a brow, returning the smirk. "Okay. Fine, then. Get on with it." The leader's face dropped, staring back at her in confusion as she waved a hand in dismissal. "Push the button. See if we care." She heard Harriet try to say something next to her, but she quickly shushed the woman. Giving Harriet a knowing stare, the Prime Minister nodded as she took a step back from her.
"They will die. Are you willing to sacrifice your people?" spat the leader, glaring angrily at Madison now.
"Yep. Wholeheartedly." Madison gave a sly smile, grinning now at the leader. She waved for him to continue. "Go on then. Get it over with."
The leader's glare intensified, looking outraged. "But they will die!"
"And? It's not like you care. Unless, of course . . . that cuts into your little plan a bit." She took another step forward as she crossed her arms, eyeing the leader coolly now. "One-third gone, that's quite a profit loss. Even if your little blood control worked, you'd be losing a good portion of your earnings. Besides that, you've just hypnotised these people. You can't actually kill them. You and I both know that." Her worry that she was wrong and that she might be egging him on to kill everyone soon melted away at the uneasy expression on the leader's face. She smirked as she could tell she was speaking the truth. Both she and the leader knew this.
"Our curse is final. It will end these people if you do not surrender!" the leader shouted, hand hovering close to the red button.
Madison bared her teeth angrily, glaring at him. "Then do it! 'Cause the human race won't ever surrender to the likes of you. Go ahead! Get it over with so we can all go home and see that you've got nothing that we can't handle and return back tenfold."
Snarling, the leader seemed to contemplate for a moment on what to do. Finally, he slammed his hand upon the button. Harriet and the assistant behind Madison let out sounds of alarm, still obviously worried that the blood control would work. But Madison kept herself calm, especially when seeing the irked expression on the leader.
"We allow them to live," the leader growled at her, grumbling at her now.
"Right. Of course, that's what you did. Not that, you know, it didn't work and now everyone's waking up from their hypnotic state and are probably walking away from the edges of the roofs they're currently standing on," Madison replied smartly, smirking at the leader. When hearing the leader hiss at her, she knew she was correct and that made her feel more at peace in knowing everyone was safe. Though . . . now she just had to get Harriet and her assistant out of here and the Sycorax to leave. That was a whole other story there.
"You have no power here. You thought you could scare the human race with some science that they don't have yet. That's what you do, isn't it? Go around the universe and bully lesser species into submission so you can make money? Well, plans gone wrong. You'll find humans don't back down so easily. And now, kindly, I ask you to leave. Leave peacefully and we can all move on with our lives. I don't want this to come to a fight," she told the leader, trying to persuade him into a peaceful retreat. If she could convince him and his people to leave Earth . . .
"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force," the leader spoke strongly, stepping towards her now, walking away from the podium.
Madison let out a long exhale, shoulders sagging somewhat in disappointment. Of course, things couldn't work out that simple. "Right. Why did I have the feeling you were going to say that? Something tells me I can speak of peace all day long, but you'll never listen, will you?"
"Sycorax are mighty. We will never back down from the likes of your puny race." He got closer to her then, baring his teeth in some sort of menacing grin. "We will tear this world apart. We will kill all those who stand in our way. And we will start with the likes of you."
Her eyes went slightly wide as she saw him raising up a whip in his hand. The whip itself began to become electrified. He was going to try and kill her with that, and she wasn't certain if she would survive. Who knew how strong of electricity it had. It had killed the Major and Llewellyn like nothing, so she doubted she stood a chance. So, acting fast, she stepped back and held up her hands. "Wait! I demand we settle this in sanctified combat!" She watched as the leader froze, seeming bewildered. "I'm right, aren't I? You follow ritual rules of combat? Then, I challenge you for that right."
The leader threw back his head in barking laughter. The entire arena filled with the Sycorax laughing at her. She felt her stomach drop somewhat, though she did her best to keep her expression calm as her eyes locked on the still laughing leader. Eventually, he stopped, smirking at her as he dropped his whip to the side. "You? You pathetic human wish to challenge me?"
"What? Scared I'll win?" she retorted crossly, annoyed by his taunting laughter.
He bared his teeth, glaring at her through narrowed eyes. "Ha! I will turn you into dust. I will cut off your head and wear it like a trophy during my conquest of Earth, so that all will know of your failure."
"Big talk for someone who uses cheap tricks to do all the work for you in your 'conquest'. You know what we call that on Earth? We call that 'lazy'." She earned herself a hiss from the leader as he grabbed a longsword from one of his fellows.
"You stand as this world's champion?"
She nodded firmly. "I do."
"Then take your weapon." He pointed to one of his fellows to hand her a longsword.
"Don't!" came Harriet's urgent call just as Madison reached for the sword. She paused as the woman came over to her in a hurry. "You'll get yourself killed."
"Yes, most likely. But someone has to make a stand against them," Madison said quietly to Harriet, leaning forward so only the woman heard her. "If I do fail . . . keep fighting Harriet. Don't let them win. Protect the Earth." Harriet reluctantly nodded, taking a few steps back from her.
Madison turned then, facing the leader headon. She accepted the longsword from one of the other Sycorax, nodding in thanks. Though she doubted the gesture meant anything to the Sycorax as she heard them merely hiss at her instead. She then saw how the leader got down on one knee, kneeling in place with the sword's tip resting on the ground. She matched the gesture, wanting to abide by their rules of combat. If she took any step out of line, she very much doubted the combat would be counted in her favour. She was playing by their rules now. This was not the first time she had to duel with a sword. It had been one of her father's rather prouder traits, the ability to match others in sword combat. He had taught her much of what he had known, though she was never the best at it. She had also never done a duel with a longsword before. So there was a high chance she truly would fail this. In knowing this, she resolved herself to put up a good fight until the very end. The entire Earth was counting on this. She could not fail. She must protect all those innocent lives and those she held dear. For Jackie. For Mickey. For Rose. For her Doctor. And, wherever he may be, for Jack as well.
"For the planet," the leader said gruffly.
"Yes. For the planet," she whispered in agreement, keeping the thought of that beautiful blue planet in her mind as she stood up to face the Sycorax leader.
Holding her sword up, it was with bated breath that she waited for the leader to make his first move. Eventually, he did. With a mighty swing, his sword gleamed through the firelight and hit hers as she blocked it. She felt the vibration through the sword and up her arms. Her grip tightened as she took her own swing, matching his as their swords clanged against one another. As it continued, she ended up mostly blocking, going on the offensive, as she backed away from him. The leader kept trying to strike her, repeatedly hitting her again and again. Then, he barked a laugh at her as she stumbled back and onto the dirt floor beneath her, just barely avoiding a wide swing from above. She rolled out of the way as he went to hit her again with a mighty chop from his sword. The sword hit the ground where she had been with a thud. Flattering in her steps, she kept scooting backwards, hoping to try and find an advantage in this fight. Though she felt that she was merely backing herself into a corner at this point. He gave another wide swing, making her jump back and into the wall behind her. Her hand reached out on instinct to keep herself from falling, hitting a round button that had almost been hidden by the rocks. A wall behind her moved, sliding out of the way to show her light. She rushed towards the light as she heard the leader take another swing at her, his sword bouncing off the rocks around him as he did.
Harsh sunlight hit her eyes the moment she stepped through the open doorway. Squinting, she gazed around, seeing that she was on top of the rocky spaceship. She had no time to take in the sight of it all as she heard a roar of anger coming up behind her. She turned just in time to block a hit from the Sycorax leader, though the thud of his sword against hers made the bones of her arms quake from the impact. She could feel sweat trail down her face as she took a few swings of her own sword, though the high winds of where they were fighting helped dry her face. She kept backing away from him, unsure of what move to make as he kept swinging at her in high arches. Eventually, her luck began to fade as the tip of his sword managed to cut across her cheek during one swing and another instance where he cut into her leg. She could feel the hot wetness trickling down her cheek and knee. How much longer could she possibly hold out? She glanced over when seeing they were close to the edge of the rocky ship now. There, far below them, was the city of London. They had to be a few thousand feet above, just hovering there. Maybe she could possibly trick him into falling off the edge? She hated for their battle to come to either of them dying, but if she had no choice . . .
She gasped as he suddenly took the butt of his sword and slammed it into her stomach. Her breath left her in one swift gust. As she tried to gather herself, he brought up his elbow and jabbed it right into her face, causing her to tumble onto her back. She was right on the edge of the ship, her head just about to hang over the side. With wide eyes, she stared at the Sycorax leader as he lifted his sword up high and was about to bring it down. It was a split second that she made her decision and she brought up her sword quickly to jab into his knee. He let out a roar, dropping his sword in a reflex from agony. She took that opportunity to kick into the knee she had injured, causing him to fall to both knees. She then got up swiftly, hitting him in the back of the head with the butt of her sword as hard as she could as she knew the outer hard skull would protect him from most of the blow. But she managed to actually hit him in the soft flesh that was around his neck, making him fall flat on his face. He turned himself over as he panted and she pointed her sword at him as she too breathed hard.
"Fight's over," she growled as she kicked away his sword that was laying on the ground next to her foot, causing it to fall off the edge of the ship. "Now submit."
"No," he snarled, spitting at her. She responded by raising up her sword high with both hands and slamming it down into the ground right next to his head. She watched as his eyes grew wide in alarm, fear flashing across his face.
"Submit!" she barked. "Say it!"
"I . . . submit," he reluctantly grumbled, glaring at her as she jerked the sword out of the ground and pointed it at him once more.
"These are my terms as the victor," she stated curtly. "You will take your people and leave. Leave Earth and its people alone. Do you agree to these terms?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously as he did not respond right away.
"I agree," he finally said through gritted teeth.
"Thank you." She did a light bow out of respect before tossing her sword to the ground and turning to walk away. She sighed as exhaustion swept over her then. All tension from the fight left her. That . . . had been far too close. She honestly could not believe she had managed it. Luck seemed to have been on her side during this instance. Though it all felt rather surreal to her when she thought about it. As if she really shouldn't have been the one to win that.
She had not even taken two steps when she tensed again as she heard a yelling war cry and turned swiftly to see the Sycorax coming at her with sword in hand. The very same one that she had dropped. She didn't even have time to react as he brought it down swiftly to end her. But just as quick as the blow swung at her face came someone yanking her out of the way. She gasped as she felt the mightly pull from an arm wrapping around her waist and dragging her back. Though there was not enough time to keep the sword from hitting her altogether, so, at the same time, an arm came up to block the hit. A cry of alarm left her as she watched the Doctor's right hand be chopped clean off. The hand rolled away from them as the Doctor stood there beside her. Left arm was still wrapped tightly around her. The look of fury on his face was like nothing she had ever seen before. She shivered upon the sight of it as his brown eyes appeared dark as he gave a deadly glare at the Sycorax. The storm upon his face . . . the Oncoming Storm, was as clear as day.
"No second chances," she heard him say in a snarl. Before she knew it (or even the leader of the Sycorax could grasp for that matter), the Doctor lifted his foot and kicked the Sycorax square in the chest. This sent the leader backwards, tumbling off the side of the ship with a yell of terror. She shivered, staring wide-eyed at the spot he had been standing. Had the Doctor really . . .
"You all right?" came a calm voice, making her look up to see him staring down at her in concern, the storm gone and replaced with that of gentle rolling waves.
"Y-yes," she breathed, still a bit shaken. She moved as she realised she was halfway to falling to the ground in his hold. The Doctor went to reach up to brush away the few strands of hair that had gotten out of her braid from her face when he pouted at the lack of hand he now had. "Doctor, your hand . . . I'm so sorry, I—"
"No, it's okay. I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle," he said in a reassuring manner. He smirked as she watched his hand regrow in a glowing light right before her eyes. The light disappeared, leaving behind a perfectly normal right hand. "See? I had just enough residual cellular energy to fix myself up." He waggled his fingers, snickering at the blinking response she gave. He then smiled warmly as he reached up with his regrown hand and brushed away the hair from her face. Then, his eyes were narrowing as he saw the cut on her cheek. But he did not say anything as he turned them both around and led her back towards the main section of the ship, holding her hand along the way. From there she saw Rose, Mickey, Harriet, and the assistant, along with a few other Sycorax, staring at them in awe.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't certain how to stop them. I read about the combat from the TARDIS library. I thought it was the only way," she apologised quietly as they walked.
"You did great. It's exactly what I would have done," he assured her, smiling merrily at her now. "I saw the last bit of your fight. You were brilliant!"
"Please. I barely managed and you know it," she replied with a sigh.
"Yeah, well, you were still brilliant about it."
"Maddie!" Rose exclaimed coming up to her and the others. She pulled Madison into a tight hug before inspecting her over. "Your cuts don't hurt, do they?"
"No. I'm fine," Madison assured her as they started walking back into the ship. Going from sunlight to a dimly lit arena made her eyes hurt somewhat as they tried to adjust. She felt the Doctor's hand squeeze hers gently as they came up to the centre of the amphitheatre. From there she saw where the TARDIS had been parked. He must have brought the TARDIS to the Sycorax ship the moment he woke up.
"You'll have to address the Sycorax as the combat champion," she heard the Doctor speaking quietly into her ear.
"What do I say?" she whispered, unsure of the right words. Their leader had just died, after all.
"Repeat what I tell you," came the Doctor's voice in her head, creating a gentle peace to settle over her. She knew he was doing more than just speaking to her. He was trying to ease her worries and help her feel a bit better after a day like this. She nodded, squaring herself up as she turned and took towards the hundreds throughout the arena.
"By the ancient rites of combat," she said loudly, repeating what the Doctor was telling her in her mind, "I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time." Her voice carried across the arena, creating an echo effect. "And when you go back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential, when you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this. It is defended."
There was nothing more to be said by anyone as she felt herself suddenly teleport away. She quickly made certain that it was not only her but the others as well. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Doctor still standing beside her and the others blinking in surprise. Even the TARDIS was there with them. Soon she realised that the Sycorax had transported them down into the streets of London as they were standing in an empty construction lot. She gazed up, seeing the spaceship hovering above. It appeared even more massive to her than before as it blocked out the sun, casting a sinister shadow over them. The spaceship engines were heard roaring as it began leaving, heading upwards and away from the rest below. Rose and Mickey began to celebrate, cheering for the victory they had this day. Feeling the Doctor's hand squeezing hers, she looked over to see him grinning at her in delight. It looked as though he were just as happy as the other two. She couldn't help but laugh, happy to have succeeded on this day.
"Forgot to say, but thanks for letting me sleep. I really needed the rest," he said as they started for the TARDIS. He took a deep breath and showed a large grin. "Ah. Haven't had that good of a nap in a long time."
"You call that a nap?" she scoffed. "I thought you were dying! You nearly gave me a heart attack you know."
"Nah, just a long nap. Sometimes it's needed after a quick regeneration like that. Although," he grimaced as he gagged and a wisp of golden light left his mouth, "I still need to clear up the synapses. A good cup of tea should do the trick." He looked at her then with his large grin. "So! How do I look? Be honest."
She blinked, unsure of how to answer. "Good?"
He gave her a pout. "Good? Just 'good'? Not sexy, or handsome, or even a bit charming?"
Snorting, she shook her head at him. "Fine. How about . . ." She paused in step, making him stop beside her. Gazing at him carefully, she thought over his appearance, her head somewhat tilting as she took it all in. ". . . How about . . . Dashing."
"Dashing? Dashing she calls me." The Doctor held a small proud smirk as he straightened his posture. "But there's some sexy in there, too, yeah?" He waggled his eyebrows, making her snicker. Then, he had a serious expression. "But am I ginger?"
"No. Brunet."
"Oh, I wanted to be ginger!" he practically whined, pouting greatly as she laughed at him. "I've never been ginger."
"Maybe next time, tiger," she said as she patted his chest in light comfort to his disappointment.
"Excuse me?" came a voice, making the Doctor and Madison turn. They could see Harriet standing right behind them, staring at the Doctor with a baffled expression. "I know Madison said that you changed, but . . . you can't be the Doctor, can you?"
"Oh, sorry, hello, Harriet. Sorry to leave you out of the loop," said the Doctor, letting go of Madison's hand to walk over to the woman. He grinned happily as he practically bounced on his feet. "Still me. Same man, new face. Well, new everything."
"But you can't be," Harriet stated, shaking her head in disbelief.
The Doctor's expression turned serious. "Harriet Jones. We were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own."
"Oh, my god," Harriet breathed, staring at the Doctor with wide eyes.
He was grinning again. "Did you win the election?"
Harriet smiled lightly. "Landslide majority." She then walked forward and gave him a large hug, which he returned gratefully. She stepped back once more. "It's very good to see you again."
"And you, Prime Minister."
"Oh, I don't think I can ever get used to that." She gazed up then, towards the increasingly distant spaceship. "Are there many more out there?"
The Doctor nodded knowingly, his grin quieter now. "Ooh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Everyday you're sending out probes, messages, and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed, more and more."
"Though, don't think that's necessarily a bad thing," Madison said quickly as she saw the look of wariness and uncertainty cross Harriet's face. She gave the woman a reassuring smile. "The Sycorax don't represent all that's out there. The majority of those living amongst the stars are truly peaceful at heart. You've just got to find them and I'm certain they'll be more than happy to accept the human race with open arms."
"She's right, you know. Eventually, you'll find yourself a good neighbour. Maybe even one that's closer than you think," agreed the Doctor, giving Harriet a knowing wink. As Harriet's assistant came over to whisper something into her ear, pulling her away from them, the Doctor came over and grabbed Madison's hand once more. He smiled warmly, giving her hand a squeeze as he led her towards the TARDIS again.
Rose and Mickey were just about to come over to talk to the two of them when it happened. There came a sudden massive sound of electricity, like that of a large generator. It came around different sides of London, making the four of them look around in shock. A massive green beam, in fact, multiple beams, came around the city and aimed toward the sky above them. The beams came together and, with one rigorous blast, aimed straight into the atmosphere. Though they could not see the Sycorax ship any longer, they could clearly see the unforgiving explosion that was from the spaceship being struck. It lit up the sky in a fiery blaze before disappearing from view altogether. And just as suddenly as they came, the beams from the city disappeared. Madison could only stare at the sight in horror. Her heart plummeted and her stomach churned as she felt ready to be sick. A shaky hand came up to her open mouth as hot tears sprang forth. All those people . . . All those people had been . . . She vaguely heard Rose questioning what had happened, confusion heard in the girl's voice.
"That was murder," she then heard the Doctor bit out harshly. She blinked, turning to realise he had let go of her hand and was facing Harriet. Slowly she looked towards Harriet, seeing the grim look on the woman's face.
"That was defence," answered Harriet, voice even and unmoving. Madison felt her heart twist as she gazed at the woman. "It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."
"But they were leaving," the Doctor said through gritted teeth as he glared at Harriet in outrage.
"Harriet? You—you did this? Please, tell me you didn't," Madison breathed, stepping forward as she shook her head slowly, still reeling over what had occurred. What Harriet, someone whom she thought she could trust, had done. Then, absolute anger set in. "You . . . You . . . You monster!" She stormed forward, pushing Harriet back with her hands in her anger.
"Excuse you," Harriet said in reproach, blinking in shock as she adjusted herself from her stumble.
"You said you wouldn't resort to killing unless you had to. You promised!"
"I said I would only act on Earth's best intentions. We cannot have them going out there and telling others about us. How many more will come if they did? How many more times do we have to watch our people die because we allowed them to leave? You said it yourself. The Doctor can't be there all the time for us. We have to defend ourselves where we can."
"I trusted you! I believed in you! How could you do this?! They were leaving! They had their backs turned and you killed them!" Madison screamed at her, hot tears running down her face now. Her eyes blazing in fury as she glowered at Harriet. "Tell me, was it Torchwood?" Seeing Harriet's alarmed expression and tense body, Madison took a threatening step forward, grounding out each word, "Was. It. Torchwood?"
"And how do you know about them?"
Madison felt hot anger course through her then. "I make certain to know of these things. Especially when it comes to organisations that hate anything non-human. They are nothing but cruel and vicious. And you chose to work with these people? I thought you were better than that. I believed you were better than that." She turned her head as she felt ready to be sick again, shaking it slowly as she looked back at Harriet. "Guess I should have known. Never trust humans. They always stab you in the back in the end."
With that said, she turned and ran off, running into the TARDIS as more heartbroken tears ran down her face.
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Song used: Song of the Sea by Nolween Leroy