Hello again. It's good to have you back. Hopefully the new chapter is good. Sorry it's rather short this time around. I promise the next one will be longer.
Chapter 39
The Doctor watched in shock as Madison leaned away from him and heaved weakly. Whatever little had been on her stomach was now gone and left on the road. He held her around the waist, trying to keep her upright as she threatened to topple over at any minute. Her face was ghostly pale, her body was trembling, and he could feel how cold she was when touching her skin. He ran over the numerous symptoms she was showing, trying desperately to think of what might be causing this sudden onslaught. Nothing added up, and he was scared to think of the most likely real cause. Seeing people around the party now pausing in what they had been doing and observing them, some frowning with concern while others appeared annoyed to have someone sick around their party, the Doctor swiftly gathered Madison up into his arms before marching away. He made certain to hold her with one arm around her back and the other under her bent legs, keeping her cradled in his hold. Madison was trying to talk with him, but her words came out slurred and jumbled. Incoherent speech patterns. Just another symptom to add to the list.
"What's wrong? Doctor, what's happening to Maddie?" he heard Rose asking behind him. Her heels clicked hard on the pavement as he knew she was trying her best to keep up with his quick pace.
"Rose, get the TARDIS door open for me. Quickly," he ordered rapidly to his companion. He watched as Rose ran around him, rushing to the TARDIS to do as he instructed. He glanced down at Madison in his arms, seeing that she was now completely unconscious. Her head hung limply to the side and her breathing came out ragged.
He sped up his pace, bolting through the TARDIS door just as Rose opened it for him. He didn't bother with anything else in the ship, going straight for the infirmary. Once there, he carefully laid Madison on an examining table. He then went into a flurry around the room, throwing off his overcoat in a random direction while gathering everything he needed. He whipped out his glasses and shoved them onto his face as he grabbed different handheld devices. He began scanning her, hovering the holographic monitors over her body. All the while his mind raced, trying to think of what could be causing this. Was it the Wire's doing? Had something been done to her while trapped in Magpie's shop? Was it being out of water overnight? No, he knew the answer. He just did not wish to admit it. But it was there, glaring right at him. The Time Vortex energy inside her. It was getting worse. He knew it had been getting worse. Every time it was brought out of her, it was harder and more draining on her. To what effect, he didn't know entirely. Though he had plenty of ideas. Had he looked into any of this though? No. Because, truthfully, he had been in denial. He didn't want to know. For if he did . . .
Shaking his head, he set to his task at hand, keeping focus now. He needed to learn everything he could about what was happening to her body. Even if . . . even if it terrified him in learning the full extent of what was happening to her. For that was the problem of having a mind like his. He knew and could visualise all the possible scenarios, in every gruesome detail. All ways that she could . . . that she could die . . . However, he knew he couldn't let that stop him. He had to figure out a way to save her. No matter what. So he turned the handheld device he was holding, adjusting the dials on the side as he fine-tuned the setting needed. The scans told him exactly as he expected. Her body was fine, with only minor injuries extended from the energy usage. Her mind, however, was a different story. As he held the device over her head, he could see the scan of her brain, detailing the sections (such as the cerebrum, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, spinal cord, etc). From what he could gather, there were smaller cortical and subcortical volumes in the hippocampus, amygdala, and parietal structures. There was also a larger volume of white matter tracts meant for communication between somatosensory association areas, basal ganglia, and the precuneus. There was also significant activation of the right parahippocampal gyrus. Though that could be accounted for due to her telepathic nature . . .
The Doctor sighed as he set down the scanner and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. No, no, no. This wasn't showing him anything. In fact, it was hard for him to gather what would be considered 'abnormal' for her. He knew what to expect from a human mind or a Time Lord's. But a Mer? What if all of this was normal ranges for her kind? What if it wasn't? He couldn't know. Madison wouldn't know, either, given how her kind never bothered with the science of their own species. Damn it all. Why didn't he study her more when he had the chance before all these Vortex changes? At least he would have had a control account for what was neurotypical for her kind before the drastically evolved state of being . . .
"Will she be all right?" he heard Rose say behind him. She had arrived a moment ago, watching in by the doorway of the medical bay. He hadn't bothered to acknowledge her presence, too focused on his scans. Glancing her way briefly, his eyes fell on Madison on the table, watching her as she breathed deeply. Her chest evenly rising and falling, her face relaxed and appearing peaceful for the moment. She looked as though she were merely sleeping. No pain. No harmful effects on the body. Just sleeping after a long day. Maybe that was all that she needed to heal. He knew the healing effects water seemed to have for Mer, something he needed to research in more detail later when he had time.
"Looks like it," he finally said, ruffling up his hair somewhat as frustration still coursed through him. He wished he had a definitive answer to give. For now, it was all guesswork, a sheer amount of gambling with a chance of Madison's wellbeing. No real answers to this problem. How he hated not knowing, being left in the dark. At least it was just for now. As soon as Madison was awake again, he would do more extensive tests on her. He needed to get to the bottom of this before anything truly terrible happened. Who knew if they would be so lucky the next time the Vortex energy activated.
"Should we get her to the lagoon or the bath?" Rose asked, stepping up closer to him and Madison. The blonde stared at her friend in concern, brow furrowed and bottom lip somewhat swollen from being bitten in earlier worriment. "Water heals mermaids, right?"
"Right." Carefully, he pulled Madison into his arms, holding her close to him as he adjusted her. She never woke. Not even for a second. Instead, she simply curled up deeper into his arms, head resting against his shoulder and breathing as steady as ever. Her hair fell over across her face, but he had no way to brush it aside without dropping her. Rose ended up doing it for him, walking over and pulling Madison's hair from her face. Together the Doctor and Rose walked down the corridor, heading to Madison's room. Though should he keep calling it her room? It had become somewhat of both his and her room for some time now. In fact . . . there had been something he planned on for a future present . . . Ah, not the time to contemplate that. Best focus on getting her to bed and healed up. When he finally entered the room, he laid Madison down on the bed, folding her hands together over her stomach to make certain she was comfortable while he drew up her bath.
"Thanks, Rose, I've got her from here. You can go ahead and get some rest yourself," he told his companion as she stood in the doorway of the room. Rose appeared to want to protest this, but a yawn caught her by surprise.
"All right. I'll see you in the morning, yeah?" Rose said.
The Doctor turned to face her, hands in his pockets as he nodded. "Of course. As soon as you wake up, I need you in the infirmary alongside Maddie. Need to make sure the Wire doesn't have any lasting effects on you."
"Right. That'll be loads of fun," the Doctor heard Rose mutter sarcastically under her breath as she turned and left down the corridor. He made no reply, only walked over to shut the door. He then proceeded to the bathroom, getting ready to fill up the bath. Taking off his suit jacket and throwing it off somewhere in the room, he rolled up his long sleeves before sitting down at the edge of the tub and starting the water. It took only a few minutes before it was full enough and at the right temperature that Madison enjoyed. Threading his fingers over the surface of the water, he stared at the ripples he had made for a moment of quiet contemplation before reaching over to shut off the tap. He then went back into the main room to get Maddie, only to pause when he saw her covered up under the blankets of her bed and curled up into a ball underneath the thick covers.
"Maddie? Are you awake?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low in case she wasn't. Maybe she had only woken briefly to cover up before falling back asleep? No, her breathing partner indicated that she was awake. Why didn't she let him know that she had regained consciousness? He watched as she shifted somewhat under the blankets, remaining hidden from his view as she curled tighter into a ball.
". . . Yeah," she answered slowly, as though she were still groggy from sleep. Or, rather, it was slowness from the Vortex side effects.
He walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge beside her. Reaching over he laid a hand on her back. He frowned as he felt her jerking away from his touch. Was she in pain? "I made you a bath. Do you need help undressing? Are you in any pain? I can get some medications if that might help. I've already scanned you earlier. No indications of anything permanently harmful . . . for the time being. I'll, ah, hm, have to do a more thorough medical screening tomorrow after you've rested. Maybe perform some tests . . ." Her body suddenly shuddered under his hand. He scratched lightly at his cheek, feeling torn. He didn't like making her fearful, but there was no getting around it. "I know. Not a pleasant aspect, but . . . we need to know what's happening to you and put a stop to it." Again, she shuddered. This time physically moving away from him, scooting down on the bed.
He knew that she was most likely frightened by what was happening to her. She had confessed as such before that the energy now living within her made her fearful. Though she had always spoken of being more frightened of what harm she would cause rather than the damage done to her. Now, it seemed that she was frightened by both aspects. He did not blame her for being scared. It was an ugly situation overall.
"I know, I'm sorry, but we have to do something soon. Who knows what will happen if the energy acts out again," he said, trying to be as gentle about this as possible. Seeing how Madison only shuddered again, he reached over to pat her back before standing from the bed. "I'll give you some time on your own. I know you need sleep, so I'll be back in eight hours. 'Til then, I'll be in the library doing some research if you need me."
He was disappointed that she did not say anything to him as he backed away from the bed. He had been hoping she would say 'goodnight' at least. However, he did understand why she was so quiet at the moment. It had been a rough day and she must simply need some space and quiet from others. Especially him. He knew how . . . challenging he could be at times. Had he been too callous when discussing what needed to be done about the energy? Quite possibly. He had a habit of that. Something Rose loved to point out on occasion, him being 'alien' when it came to societal norms of emotional responses. As if it were his fault that humans had different social constructs than Time Lords. Ah well.
"Well . . . goodnight," he finally said as he stepped into the doorway, frowning as he received no response whatsoever. It hurt somewhat that she was not speaking with him properly, but, again, he tried to remind himself that she was in a troubled emotional state. Most likely speaking to him was difficult and she needed the space apart from him. With hands in his pockets, he strolled down the corridor, doing just as he said he would and headed to the library.
It wasn't long before he was surrounded by piles of books, laying on the floor with legs propped over on the arm of a sofa that one could find scattered throughout the library. Book in both hands, he lay there on the floor, reading with his arms outstretched as he held the volume up for viewing. It wasn't the most comfortable way of reading. But this particular volume could only be viewed at an angle as Qhonqreks style of writing needed low light and a certain angle to read. He sighed as he lay down the book on his stomach and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. His eyes were growing tired by this point. He had been reading for . . . seven hours and thirty-three minutes. Yet, he still found no answers. Nothing to help him. He had hoped the Qhonqreks would have something for him given their usage of the Vortex. Not so much for time travel like his kind, but rather for energy sources and experimentations. They did have quite a few useful sources he could use . . . however, all of their experiments never went as far as to find what the Vortex could do to a body . . . without lethal consequences. Growling in the back of his throat, he threw aside the book, frustrated that his research was leading him to nothing. He heard a groan from the TARDIS. Disgruntled by his lack of care with her books. He sighed again, patting the floor beneath him.
"Don't mind me, old girl. Just . . . aggravated," he grumbled before moving his legs from the sofa and sitting in place.
With arm resting on one bent leg, he grazed around at the books that had piled up throughout the small study section. All gone through. None with the right answers. Was it truly pointless? Could no right outcome be found for Madison? It simply couldn't end this way. He and she had just found each other. Finally found happiness . . . Yet . . . that was his life then, wasn't it? Any time he thought happiness would come his way . . . it always ended terribly. For all parties involved. It's why he tried to stay away from growing too close to her. Though, in hindsight, he honestly did not try all that hard to stay away. He gave into his desire to be with her rather quickly. It couldn't be helped. The moment he knew that he had hurt Madison's heart . . . well, big old softy he could be sometimes. Especially when it comes to her.
So, now he was faced with a new dilemma. How to save Madison. Honestly, though, how could he? He knew what the Time Vortex can do to a person. It was the reason his people had stopped experimenting with it early on, unlike the Qhonqreks. Though there was still so much mystery there as well. He knew it could slowly eat away at a person, however, there were other unknowns. Factors that his people never dare to dream or look into. Stories told through the eras of what power a person could harness with the Vortex. Transformed into different beings with god-like abilities. He had seen as such with Madison already and that was only the tip of it. He knew she was still evolving with this energy. Who knew what abilities she could possess if the energy didn't kill her first. For that was the thing, there were no accounts of anyone surviving long after absorbing the Time Vortex. All perished after some time or another. His last face knew that quite well indeed. Madison could suffer the same fate. Knowing this, terrified him. He couldn't stand the thought of it. There just had to be a way to save her. There must be a way. He just . . . couldn't lose her. Not her. Never her.
Exhaling sharply, he rubbed a rough hand through his hair, staring at nothing in particular as he continued to think. Contemplating now on whether or not to tell Madison of this. He knew she would figure it out eventually, that he was keeping something from her. Hell, she might have already guessed and was simply allowing him a chance to get the nerve to say it. But how could he tell her that he feared . . . that she might die soon? A shudder went through him. Thinking about it alone twisted his hearts together. How would he ever be able to admit it aloud? Aloud made it real and that . . . was unacceptable.
"Doctor? Are you in here?" came the voice of Rose, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned in place, bouncing up to his feet quickly just as Rose rounded the corner of a large bookshelf. Immediately he could tell something was wrong. The fact that she was still in her night clothes was a telling sign, though not exactly out of the ordinary for her. It was more of her expression of worry that alerted him.
"You're up early," he noted, hoping that he was jumping to conclusions with Rose's expression. Maybe she wasn't worried. Maybe she was just sleepy from being up earlier than normal for her.
"Couldn't sleep. I went to find Maddie but she isn't in her room," Rose explained.
"Ah, well, maybe she's up early, too? Have you checked the kitchen?"
"Thought that, too. But she wasn't there, either. And the strange thing was that I don't think she used her bath last night. The tub was still full, the water was cold, and the towels were all dry."
Immediately the Doctor's stomach twisted as his mind went on high alert. He didn't wait to speak further as he walked briskly around Rose and headed for the library's exit. He could hear Rose speaking behind him, trying to come up with a reason for Madison's absence or lack of sleeping in water. Even asked him his thoughts on the strangeness of the situation unfolding. He didn't bother to say anything in response. His mind was too wrapped up in all the possibilities of what might be going on. All terrible. His hearts sped up as the fear built. His pace quickened as he neared the exit but stopped short when he heard something. Freezing in place, he shushed Rose when she tried to speak over the silence. Then it came again. The sound books were being thrown haphazardly about. He turned abruptly on his heels, stepping hurriedly so he could investigate. There was no one else onboard the ship. None that he knew of, that is. So it had to be Maddie. Why she was in the library throwing books around that were yet to be seen. Or . . . it could be an intruder of some sort. He hadn't taped over the Wire's video set yet. Maybe he should have done that sooner. But it couldn't be the Wire. It just didn't make any sense. It had to be Maddie. Though that didn't make any sense, either.
He rounded the corner of a larger section of bookshelves, seeing an open space the TARDIS had provided for reading, with luxurious carpets and armchairs to lay on. An elegant fireplace off to the side. Different table lamps were easily adjusted for perfect reading light. With mountains of tall shelves lining the place, surrounding it with all the books one could read. There in the middle on the largest plush rug was a mound of thrown books being tossed into a pile, while there were stacks and stacks of other books next to Madison where she stood. He watched for a moment, seeing how she would grab a book from the stack, and flip through so fast as her eyes rapidly scanned the pages, before tossing the book into the discarded pile. It was a repeated action. The new book replaced the old just as quickly as she was reading them. He knew she was reading them as well. It was the way her eyes moved, absorbing the information on display that was written down for her. The same way she had read those books back in the library in the Torchwood Estate. The yellow glow in her eyes was there as well, telling him that the Vortex energy was active. Why this was . . . he was still trying to piece that one together.
"Maddie?" Rose questioned, taking a step forward. He swiftly held out his hand, stopping her from getting closer.
"Don't. Not yet. She's unstable," he muttered in the corner of his mouth. Making certain Rose stepped a good space back, he instead made his way forward closer to Madison. He needed to snap her out of the state she was under. He didn't know why she suddenly became like this, however, he did know that it was up to him to bring her out of it. If any energy lashed out, only he could survive it. So, he walked over to Madison and gently touched her shoulder. "Madison . . . Maddie, you need to focus and come back to me. Madison." He tried shaking her shoulder to awaken her from whatever trance she was under, but this did nothing. She kept muttering under her breath, rapidly reading books before tossing them. He leaned closer, snapping his fingers in front of her face. She did not even blink, simply staring around his waving hand. It was then that he began to hear clearly what she was muttering. Strangely, all she was saying was 'input' over and over again. Huh.
"Is she all right? What's wrong with her?" Rose asked him from where she stood around the bookshelves, still remaining back as he instructed.
"I'm not sure. It's like she's in some sort of trance," he replied, frowning as he thought of how to bring Madison back to reality. As she picked up another book, bringing it close to her face, he grabbed it out of her hands to hold it away. He had hoped this action would snap her back to the present. Though he grew nervous as he watched her standing there stiffly, frozen in place with her hands out as though still holding the book. She blinked finally and he could see the focus coming back within her eyes. Though they still glowed golden, at least she appeared more aware of her surroundings now. Her head slowly turned to finally make eye contact with him. She gazed at him in bewilderment, a frown there as she glanced at the book he had taken from her.
"I . . . I need . . . input," she finally said, speaking slowly. She went to grab the book from him. He held it back.
"Madison, you need to snap out of it. You're not well," the Doctor replied, holding back the book from her. He brought his free hand to her, cupping the side of her face as he stepped closer. "I'm here. Focus on me. Come back to me, Maddie."
She moved away from him, blinking once more. Then her eyes came into full focus and she stared blankly at him for a moment. With eyes still glowing, she frowned heavily while appearing to ponder something. "What's . . . Why are we . . . Where . . . nrgh." She gripped her head then, seeming to be in pain as she closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, the glow was gone and her normal green irises showed. "Doctor? What's going on? Why am I in the library?"
"I don't know." He stepped up to her, holding her hands as he continued to observe her carefully. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"I remember . . . getting sick at the street party. Other than that nothing. I remember nothing." Fear appeared to creep over Madison then as she shivered. "What happened after I got sick? Why can't I remember anything?"
"You were sleepwalking just now. Possibly a side effect from the Wire. Nothing to worry about." He hated lying to her but . . . he didn't want to scare her any further. Stress could make her even sicker than she already was. Already he could see how pale and shaky she was. Pulling her up to him, he wrapped an arm around her waist and gently guided her out of the library. "Here. Let's get you to the med bay. Get you back on your feet. Properly this time."
XxXxXxXxXx
All the scans and tests of the universe couldn't tell him what had happened to put Madison into a trance. And the TARDIS had quite a number of equipment that normally helped him figure out just about anything. Whatever that had been . . . was beyond his capability of understanding. Though he told none of this to Madison. The only thing he explained to her was that there had been a severe side effect to the Wire trying to take control of her. Nothing more. He could see the scepticism in her eyes. He knew when it came to him lying she was always perceptive in seeing through to the truth. However, this time she did not seem to wish to push him for honesty. Perhaps the fear of the unknown kept her oddly quiet. He was just glad Rose picked up on him wanting to stray away from the topic of what had occurred in the library. She mostly kept Madison's mind distracted in discussing where they would be going next. He ran tests over Rose as well while they had all gathered in the medical bay. But she was in the all-clear from the Wire. Nothing more for him to discover.
Soon after his scans, he had the three of them get something to eat before suggesting they actually remain in the TARDIS for a few days. He made up some excuse over small repairs he needed to make. Which, honestly, was not that far from the truth. There could be a few things he needed to fix, though nothing entirely urgent. Rose was disappointed, but understood, stating something about catching up on her laundry. Madison was quiet, only responding by nodding as she stared at the food on her plate and ate slowly. He understood that most likely she was still contemplating what lies he told today. Maybe even pondering over the strangeness that was what happened in the library. He did not blame her for being so quiet. Or even, quite possibly, being upset with him for lying. He would make it up to her later, once he discovered the truth to this 'trance' she had experienced. He did not know what to call it, really. But, he was clever, and he knew he could figure out this mystery, stop whatever was happening to her and save her. All he needed was time to think. Possibly even take a trip or two when both of them were asleep so he could investigate without interference. Maybe a trip to places, or rather people, who would know more than him on this sort of thing. It was rare for him to ask for help. But in a special case such as this, he needed all the help he could get. For Madison, he would do just about anything.
And so, hours later, when he was starting to contemplate sneaking out of the TARDIS, there came a noise from the ship. The old girl was trying to alert him to something, so he dropped what he was doing rather quickly.
"What is it?" he asked aloud, knowing he would receive no clear response from the ship as talking to her was merely a habit. And, as predicted, there was nothing more than a disgruntled presence in his mind. That uneasiness the TARDIS felt whenever there was a disturbance in her quarters. But he couldn't go chasing everything the TARDIS didn't approve of on a daily basis, so he turned to get back to adjusting coordinates on the console. Though the old girl became more urgent, shocking him with a spark of electricity from the dial he touched. "Agh! All right. Fine. I'll go investigate," he responded in agitation, stomping down the corridor to travel deeper into the ship. He just went around a corner when Rose came rushing down the hall towards him.
"It's happened again," she said breathlessly once catching up to him. She did not need to say more as he already knew what 'again' meant. He rushed down the corridor, going to where Rose directed him. This time, into the small theatre room. There he could see Madison sitting on the floor in front of the large television, pressing the channel button on the remote in a robotic manner, flipping through the different TV channels the TARDIS had to offer. It looked as though she were scanning through the 1980s broadcasting at the moment.
"We were bored and looking through the channels when she grabbed the remote from me and started doing this," Rose told him, gesturing at Madison in confusion. "I tried snapping her out of it, but all she says is 'input'. Why is she saying that?"
The Doctor walked over to Madison, crouching down in front of her. She stared at the TV still, ignoring him completely as her eyes were solely transfixed on the programme before her. Eyes which were now glowing golden once more. And once again she was muttering 'input' under her breath. "Madison?" he said gently, touching her face in hopes of snapping her out of it. Though . . . did he want that? If he wanted to figure out what was happening, it might be best to observe this behaviour. Maybe even . . . "Rose, I need you to be ready. I'm going to try something and there's a good chance it might backfire on me."
"What do you mean?" Rose stood a few feet away, apparently remembering what he had said before about Madison being unstable.
"I need to connect to her mind. See what's happening on a more personal level than an electronic scan. But . . . it comes with a risk. This energy teeming inside her, it can backfire on me. And, possibly, well, fry my mind up a bit. So . . ." He gave a sniff as he adjusted himself, getting ready.
Rose's mouth dropped. "You can't be serious. You can't do that! What would Madison say!"
"Probably give me a right scolding." He smirked lightly in humour, shaking his head before bringing up his hands and pressing his fingers to Madison's temples. "Wish me luck."
He closed his eyes and dove in before Rose could protest further. He no longer heard anything or was aware of anything physical. Now his presence fully delved into Madison's mindscape. Going deeply into the reaches of her mind, he tried to shift through all recent memories, focusing on what was happening to her currently. Was she aware at all? He couldn't feel her yet. There was too much of a jumble, memories floating around, mostly. Madison's mind always was an open book. To him, at least. She always welcomed him with open arms. Something he was trying to learn to return in their relationship. Though there was something else. Just there. Something he couldn't quite grasp. It was trying to reach out to him though. Welcoming him to help it. He gave a small hand forward, hoping to examine what this might be. By the time he opened the door it was trapped behind, he began to realise it was another presence entirely. And it was too late for him to stop it before it burst forth from the trapped door and flooded through both his and Madison's mind. It was so much that it pushed him right out of Madison's mind and back to the present.
"Gah!" he exclaimed as he quickly let go of Madison's temples. He fell back onto his bum, blinking to clear his vision. Staring at Madison, he could see her golden eyes on him as she appeared to take him in curiously.
"Are you all right?" Rose asked him, appearing worried now as she chewed on her bottom lip.
"I'm fine," he grumbled as he stood up quickly. Madison's eyes stayed on him, following his every move. He stared back warily, knowing that this wasn't Madison gazing at him now. This was . . . something else. Something he let free. Damn. He should have been more cautious. Then again, this might be useful. He could confront this entity head-on now and demand they leave his Madison. Though he needed to be careful. One wrong move on his part and it might just hurt Maddie. Just like Cassandra almost had. This time felt different, however. Almost as though this thing had no say over being inside Madison or not. It felt more . . . stuck inside the mind than anything else. Was this the Time Vortex energy at work? Was it . . . no . . . no it couldn't be.
"Siren?" he asked cautiously.
"Huh?" Rose said, blinking in surprise. "'Siren'?"
The Siren blinked slowly before eventually nodding. "Yes," she said quietly.
Rose gawked while the Doctor crouched down again. He and the Siren stared at one another for a moment before he spoke, "What are you doing inside of Madison still? I thought I took you out?"
"Madison heard me crying . . . she felt bad for me, so she held on," the Siren explained.
Rubbing at his eye, the Doctor felt frustrated by this. Sometimes Madison's kindness backfired tremendously. This being one of those cases. Damn. "Well, that is just like her." Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes then. "That's you, isn't it? The energy bursts that come out of Madison during times of stress and high emotions. You're the thing that pushing its way out. But why all this now?"
The Siren nodded, seeming to be looking for the right words as her mouth shifted. "I . . . I wanted to learn. The input of this universe. It's all . . . strange."
"All right. Fine. You've gathered your input. Now leave. You don't belong in that body. It's not yours."
The Siren frowned. No, it was more like . . . a pout. "But I can't leave. I'll die."
"Staying in that body won't do you good, either. You're killing Madison by forcing yourself into consciousness. Look." He pointed to her lip, seeing the trail of blood leaking out of Madison's nose. The Siren lifted a hand, touching it with her fingers and pulling her hand away to stare at the blood. "See?" he said. "You're hurting her every moment you lash out with your energy. The more you push, the greater the strain. You're killing her. Slowly. Painfully."
"I don't want to hurt her," the Siren whispered, crestfallen as she stared at the blood on her fingers. Then she clenched her hand, looking at him in determination. "I won't let her die, either."
"I don't really think you have a say if she does or not. Her body can't take the strain. It'll give out on its own one way or another."
"Then I'll change it. I've already made a few changes. I can keep changing it so we can always be together."
"You can't keep changing her body. It's not yours to change!" Rose suddenly blurted out, earning the Siren's attention now.
"She's right. Too many changes could only double the strain," the Doctor agreed. "I know Madison's body is built to evolve, but even that can go so far."
"Oh . . . I didn't think of that." The Siren sighed, looking frustrated now. "I just don't want to go back home. It was so boring there. I wanted to live and explore outside our realm. And Madison is part of the light, too. She's perfect. I thought we could be together always. Like sisters!" She smiled wistfully. "I had so many sisters back in my realm. I thought Madison could be a new sister of mine."
"Realm? You mean the Time Vortex?" Now the Doctor was curious. He knew of many different entities and creatures that lived within the Time Vortex. There were the Reapers, the Chronovores, the Time Roaches, and Time Vortex leeches. Then there were transcendental beings such as the Eternals. Was she something like these? Which sort of entity was she? "How many more of there are you?"
"Hundreds. The, um, what do you call her, the 'TARDIS'? She's one of us as well. Your kind," she nodded to the Doctor, "called for help ages ago and some of my sisters left to answer. But they needed bodies, so this was built for them." The Siren smiled as she patted the floor beneath her.
"The TARDIS . . . is one of your kind?" This surprised him, though not entirely shocking of a revelation. TARDISes were entities of consciousness, grown back on Gallifrey and tied directly to the Time Vortex. If entities like the Siren existed in the Vortex, it was only logical that the TARDIS would be connected to them. He was only wondering why his people never figured this out. Unless they had and it was kept a secret. Honestly, he wasn't entirely surprised there. His people were known to keep deep secrets.
"We've lived once before during the Dark Times," the Siren continued to explain. "Before the suns and the moons. Before time itself. Then the expanse of light occurred and most of us chose to evolve into beings of consciousness within time and space itself. Guarding the light against the darkness that once was." Then the Siren shrugged. "At least, that's what my sisters tell me. I don't know much of that. I wasn't born during the dark times. I'm still new."
"New? Like you're a kid or something?" Rose asked, walking over to get closer to the Siren and the Doctor. Curiosity outweighed the cautious take of this strange entity.
"I'm not a child! I don't care what my sisters say. I was born alongside the, um, well, as a reference I existed along with the dinosaurs. I'm old enough now," the Siren retorted, pouting again and crossing her arms as she huffed. Oh yes. Most certainly she was a child. The Doctor could see it now. A child's curiosity and naivety in the Siren.
Rose blinked in astonishment. "You were born . . . with the dinosaurs? What so you're, like, millions of years old?"
The Siren gave a small shrug. "Yes."
The Doctor and Rose shared a look with raised brows. As the Doctor stared at the Siren again, all he could think of was what an impossible creature she is. This entity which had seen millions of years pass yet still be considered a child of her kind . . . is something extraordinary. Though, there was something she said that nagged at him. "Wait, hold on. Millions of years old, I can understand. Living in the Time Vortex, sure. But did you say 'before time'? What does that mean?"
"Before time," the Siren replied as though this should be obvious.
"No, what does 'before time' mean?"
"Before time. How else am I supposed to say it? My kind lived before time and light and space and matter. Before the explosion of light and life. We lived in the universe of old before this one came to being." The Siren picked at her nails, seeming bored to explain it.
The Doctor, with a heavy frown, shook his head. "Your kind couldn't have existed before time. Nothing could have. It's . . . impossible."
The Siren, shaking her own head, seemed at a loss of what else to say. "I don't know how else to explain it. Sorry. That's just . . . what is of my kind."
"You mentioned 'darkness'. What is that exactly? Like keeping the suns alive or something? Is that the 'light' you're protecting?" Rose questioned as she sat down beside the Siren.
"No, it's the Dark Ones. They . . ." The Siren began to sway in place. More blood trailed out of her nose from both nostrils this time. Her face grew very pale before she slumped against Rose.
"Woah! Are you okay?" Rose asked immediately, holding up the Siren as gently as possible.
"It's Madison's body. She can't take any more. Siren, you need to leave. Now," the Doctor said hurriedly, getting closer to help Rose hold the Siren upright.
"But I wanted to learn more. And I wanted to try ice cream. Can I try it? Please?" the Siren pleaded, giving the Doctor big round hopeful eyes.
"No. Leave. Now," he ordered firmly. He kept his sharp eyes on the Siren until she lowered her own and gave a heavy sigh.
"Okay," she whispered before eventually closing her eyes. Her entire body slumped forward then, allowing him to catch her in his arms. He pulled Madison up against him, holding her gently as he waited for her to wake up. All the while his mind reeled with all the new information he learned, knowing there was so much more to Madison's powers than he ever thought there could be.
XxXxXxXxXx
When Madison felt herself come to, she had the worst headache. It pounded away with every beat of her heart. Stabbing at the side of her temples like a set of sharp needles. Her body was sore as well. From head to toe, it felt as though someone had beaten her senseless. She couldn't even open her eyes at the moment. Too weak to even try. Instead, she focused on feeling where she was. She could tell she was lying on a bed given the comforting pressure beneath her. Was it her own? She did not remember going to bed. Though with how things have been this last day or so, her memories were faulty at best. Different expanses of blackness in between moments she had been in the TARDIS since that street party. Lapse of consciousness that scared her. What was happening to her? Why was she losing sight of what she had been doing and where she was? Was she losing her mind? It could be. The Doctor had warned of dire consequences to the Time Vortex energy living inside of her. Would this become normal for her now? Her memories no longer to be trusted? The idea of her mind being slowly lost to her terrified her to no end.
Carefully, she allowed herself to become more fully awake. She breathed in deeply as she felt around the bed beneath her. She could feel the cool sheets around her and feel the weight of a thick cover over her. Someone had tucked her into bed. There came a noise then and she felt the bed around her shifting. An arm wrapped around her middle while a hand gently brushed through her hair.
"Good morning," she heard the Doctor whisper into her ear. She gradually opened her eyes. She saw that she was indeed in her bedroom, with the Doctor lying on top of the covers beside her. There was a worried crease between his brows as he gazed at her in concern.
"I . . . don't remember going to sleep," she confessed to him, again fearful of what was happening to her mind. "Doctor, what's happening to me? I don't remember anything. My mind . . ."
"It's fine now. You shouldn't have any more memory lapses. For a while, at least. Can't guarantee it won't happen ever again, but we know now what's causing them," he explained quietly.
"What do you mean?"
She lay there, listening to the Doctor as he began to tell her what had occurred for him hours ago. The Siren. She still existed. She was still there, within her body. Madison was not sure how to take this news. A part of her feared the possibility of another living within her. Though another part was rather unsurprised. She should have known something such as this could have happened. She had felt it during the time she and the Siren had become one. The entity was a great being, a mighty state of consciousness. It would have been unlikely she would have vanished from her body that easily.
"In a strange way, I think I already knew she was living within me. I felt her there, just beyond the reach of my conscious mind. Especially when the energy acted up," Madison confessed to the Doctor. "Will she continue to try and take over my body?"
"I don't think she's trying to do that exactly. I think she's just curious about the universe she's living in now and wanted to explore," the Doctor replied, continuing to pet Madison's head as he pulled her closer. He let her lay her head on his chest as he held her. "She knows about the strain her energy has on you now. I hope that she tries to do as little damage as possible."
"Hopefully," Madison agreed softly. "Though I wouldn't blame her if she popped up every so often. It must be terrible living in the quiet reaches of my mind. Always unable to do or say anything. Do you think there might be a way to communicate with her?"
"No. She lives within your subconscious. Like the Vortex energy, or the part of your brain that tells your body instinctive protective reactions when you're in danger. It's just there but you'd never quite be aware of it."
"That's so sad. I would have liked to keep her company." She felt his chest shake slightly as he chuckled under his breath. "What's so funny?"
"Only you would feel sad about something like this."
"Wouldn't you? How would you feel being in the Siren's place? Stuck in the void, not being able to feel or see anything. It's terrible."
"I don't think she's aware of anything. I think she might be asleep in the back of your mind, only coming out during emotional states you go through. The Wire's intrusion on you may have triggered something or broken down a barrier or two between your subconscious and conscious mind when messing with your head. It's the only way I can think of why the Siren took over your body recently."
"Why now? Why not when Cassandra took over my body?"
"The Siren probably was still new, still getting used to your body. Maybe she was still sleeping and needed time to wake up. Cassandra's intrusion was a bit different than the Wire's, so that could have a factor in it."
Madison sat up, leaning over the Doctor to gaze at him. "Do you think there's any way we can help her?"
The Doctor sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "No. She's just like the Vortex energy. It's bound to you now. She's just another piece of the puzzle. Take that piece out and the whole puzzle will fall apart." He gave her a solemn look. "Including you. You can't live without it. Without her. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault." Madison reached up, touching his face softly as she thumbed his cheek. Seeing him about to say something, she shushed him. "No, really, Doctor, it's not. No matter what you think, it was never your fault. You can think of all the 'what ifs' or 'could haves', but it won't change what's done. Now, all we can do is push to move forward and handle the situation as it comes."
The Doctor gave her a warm smile, bringing up a hand to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Heh. Yes, ma'am." He leaned up to give her a quick kiss before moving to sit up. "Come on. Let's get to you the bath. It's been about two days since you've been in water."
"It honestly doesn't feel like two days have passed," Madison confessed as she and the Doctor got up from the bed. She wobbled on her feet, feeling very weak. She had to have the Doctor's help to get to her bathroom and undress for the bath. Once she sat down in the cold tub, she watched as the Doctor opened the tap and started the flow of water. Soon the bath was filled and her tail formed. It was an instant relief for her as she sank into the water. She looked over just as the Doctor, now undressed, got into the tub with her. He sat on the seat of the tub behind her, pulling her up into his lap.
"Feeling better?" he asked her softly as he began to use a comb to brush through her hair.
"Oh yes," she sighed as she practically melted against him. "I really needed this bath."
"I think you should stay in the water for at least ten hours. Give yourself enough time to recover."
She hummed in agreement, growing silent as she stared at the wall, allowing the Doctor to continue to brush her hair. It was a tangled mess at the moment. It was a few minutes of quiet comfort with the Doctor brushing out all her tangles while she rested. Eventually, she spoke up, "What do you think the Siren really is? She and her sisters?"
"I'm not sure. There are quite a number of entities living within the Vortex that even my people didn't know about. I suppose," he sat down the comb, pulling her closer to him, "maybe, well, if she ever comes out to talk again, I'll ask her some more questions. Can't leave our bases undercovered, as they say."
Agreeing with him, she nodded before humming in thought. "And the 'Dark Ones' she spoke of?"
The Doctor remained silent for a moment. Drawing circles around her skin absently. Then, he replied in a hushed voice, "I don't know. But if they're as powerful as the Siren and her sisters, then I don't think we want to run into them.
There we have it. The Siren still exists. Hope it was a good read! Let me know in a review of any thoughts you might have. I'd love to see them.
Safe journey out there!