Chapter 7: The Doctor's Advice
Rose stood still for a moment. The only sound she could hear was the blood throbbing in her ears. Every part of her wanted to race outside, to follow the Doctor, to see where they were taking him. But he had specifically made her promise not to do that. "Find Jack," he had said. But how?
She found herself looking at the central console of the TARDIS. "You're alive," murmured Rose, leaning forwards and putting her hands on it. "I'm all alone except for you. You've got to help me."
Silence.
"I'm mad," thought Rose. "It can't speak to me." She leaned back; and as she did so, her hand brushed against a small button. A hologram flickered on. It was an old man with long white hair, dressed in a black frock coat with check trousers. Rose recognised him immediately--she had seen him on the Restaurant at the End of the Multiverse, and at the time had thought he was one of the Doctor's later regenerations.
"Susan," said the hologram. "If you're seeing this, it means we've somehow got separated and you or I or both of us are in danger. Obviously I've no way of knowing what the danger is, but I'm going to give you some general advice. First, stay calm. You tend to lose your head in difficult situations, which is a pity because you really are a bright girl."
Rose stared at the hologram in confusion. How could the TARDIS be showing her an image of one of the Doctor's future regenerations? She decided it must have something to do with the unusual nature of time on board the TARDIS. In any case, the man in this hologram seemed far kinder than the one she had met in the restaurant. He certainly seemed to care about Susan, whoever she might be.
The hologram continued, "Second, take stock of your assets. Identify the factors operating for and against you; and especially take heed of your friends. If you don't have any at the moment, make some. That is your best hope of success. Never underestimate the willingness of people to help you.
"Thirdly and finally, my dear Susan, do not give way to despair. With enough persistence, and a mind open to possibilties, things often have a way of working out. Good luck."
The hologram flickered out. Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Somehow hearing the Doctor's voice--any Doctor, even one she had disliked--was comforting to her. "Right. Stay calm." She took a few more deep breaths.
"Assets--one TARDIS. Friends on Gallifrey--none." She sighed helplessly and felt the panic return. "No. No, he said don't despair," she told herself. Perhaps she didn't have any real friends here, but she did know one person: Councillor Romana. And...wait...then there was Romana's guard and the archeological team, all of whose lives she had helped save during the contagion. She had even received a personal thank-you from the Lord President of Gallifrey for her help. When she thought about it, she realised she had met or was connected to a great many people.
"So, what do I need?" she said aloud. "I need...a Time Lord who can pilot this TARDIS. And I need someone to help capture Jack when we find him. I need...I need Romana and her guard! And if they can't help me, I'll find...I'll find the Lord President. Yes! I can do this! I will do it!" Triumphantly, Rose raced out of the TARDIS and into the Citadel.
Actually finding Councillor Romana's office was the first difficulty; the Citadel was a maze of identical marble corridors. She wished she had paid closer attention the first time she had visited. Still she kept running--and sighed audibly with relief when she found herself in a familiar marble antechamber with very tall doors at one end. A guard in a high-collared robe and flanged helmet blocked the entrance. He stared straight ahead.
"I need to see Councillor Romana," said Rose, breathlessly. "Please, it's an emergency."
"Do you have an appointment?" asked the guard, looking down at her.
"No, I--"
"Then you will have to wait."
"You don't understand!" cried Rose. "It's very important! I have to see her now."
The guard stood, stony-faced, and did not answer.
"It's about her friend! It's about her good friend, the Doctor!" Rose shouted this very loudly, hoping her voice would carry through to the other side of the door.
"Stop shouting," said the guard. "Wait."
Rose stared at the guard's face--yes, she recognised him. "You..." She pointed at him. "You had the contagion. I saved your life. You owe me a favour. At least tell her I'm here, please."
"She knows you are here," said the guard. He nodded at an orb affixed to the wall. It rotated and pulsed a glowing blue.
Rose sat down on a nearby marble bench and held her head in her hands. But she couldn't stand it; she got up and started pacing. A few minutes later, she asked the guard, "How much longer?"
Just then the enormous doors creaked open. The little man with the pinched, rat-like face exited. He started to hurry past her; then stopped and did a double-take. "Ah, so there you are. We've been looking for you." He glanced back into Romana's office. "Here she is. I'll just sent a detail back to--"
"No need." Romana's voice echoed from within her office. "I'll take care of it. That is, unless you actually want to spend time with the human?"
"No, not at all," said the man, wrinkling his nose. "Thank you for saving me the trouble." He bustled off.
Before Rose could respond, the guard pushed her into Councillor Romana's office and shut the door. Romana was standing behind her desk, regal in her high-collared, glittering robes.
"What was that all about?" asked Rose. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm here because the Doctor--"
"The Doctor is in custody, on very serious charges," said Romana. She spoke strongly and clearly, as if she were making a speech. Her eyes flitted once to a blue orb set into the opposite wall. "There is nothing you can do to help him."
"I know," said Rose, her heart sinking. "I'm here because he asked me to do something. You see, there's this dark energy ship, it was stolen off Skaro, Captain Jack is taking it back to Earth, we've got to get it back or the Big Rip--"
"As the Doctor's companion, you could be held as an accomplice to his crimes."
Rose's face fell. "No..."
Romana went on. "Fortunately, however, I have had a chat with Chancellor Nequamlupus, and in light of your past services to Gallifrey, we have decided to be merciful."
"Merciful?" Somehow, Rose didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
"You memories of the Time Lords and Gallifrey will be erased, and you will be returned to Earth. It is an ideal solution all around: you'll neither miss the Doctor nor pine for the stars, as you'll remember neither. You shall live out the rest of your life as you were meant to."
"No!" cried Rose as the guard seized her from behind and secured her wrists. "NO! You can't do this, STOP!"
As she was marched through the marble corridors, Rose fought feelings of mounting horror and despair. It was one thing to lose the Doctor--but to lose all memories of him? She had changed so much in the last couple of years; was she now going to go back to the way she was? She had been happy in an ordinary sort of way, but now she knew she was capable of so much more.
The old Doctor's words came back to her once more: "Do not give way to despair," she told herself silently. "With enough persistence and a mind open to possibilities--"
They stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors set into the side of a marble corridor. "In there," said Romana. The guard turned the handle and opened the door.
"I'm not going in there!" cried Rose. "I'm not! You're not going to take my memories, you're not doing anything to my mind!" She struggled hard, but it was no use. The guard shoved her inside. The door clicked shut behind her.
