Hello, this is Tess here, Chloe long-suffering proof-reader (who she doesn't always use...)
I decided that I wanted to write here. Just to say hello and tell you that Chlo is very proud of this chappyter (I should know, I was there when she wrote it) and so please be kind and review and tell her what YOU think and stuff...
Anyway, on with the story, goodbye!
Chapter 9: Welcome to the Fallen Age
The Doctor scrambled to his feet, running blindly towards the fallen Rose. Everything seemed to have gone distant and the sound of yelling echoed all around him. It was only until he heard Tess's scream that he stopped and everything seemed to come roaring down on him.
"DOCTOR, STOP!"
The Garthes loomed in front of him, its teeth bared in a vicious grin as it readied to throw the substance at him. The Doctor skidded to a halt and fell down hard on the already dewy grass. There was a laugh from above him and the Garthes loomed over him, its eyes alight.
"Foolish Time Lord," It growled. "You may have evaded my brothers, but I saw through the accident and saw the prime target." It nodded its hairy head towards Rose. The Doctor eyes flashed menacingly, but he was too speechless to reply. Instead, he reached into his front jacket pocket and whipped out the sonic screwdriver. The Garthes was taken aback, unsure of what it was, but still remained frozen to the spot.
With a twist, the Doctor pressed the button down and prepared himself.
It was as though someone was screaming. The Garthes covered its ears and roared, the bottle falling from his hands and tipping into the ground. The sound continued on. Tess was leaning heavily against the TARDIS, her fingers jammed tightly in her ears and her face screwed up in pain. The Doctor's face remained full of rage as he pressed the button hard, letting the sonic screwdriver go to full power.
The Garthes fell to its knees and began to whine pitifully, actual tears beginning to form in the corner of its eyes. The sound filled the park and lights began to flick on in buildings, people hanging out of their windows, trying to peer through the darkness to see the commotion, but could only see the silhouette of the trees against the sky. Some yelled rude curses, waving fists in the air because slamming shut their windows.
The scream pitched and sonic screwdriver began to glow brighter and brighter, shaking in the Doctor's gripping hands. Tess and the Garthes screamed out loud, both unheard over the horrible noise.
Finally the Doctor released the button and the sound stopped abruptly, but the ringing continued and a small amount of blood was tricking down from one of his ears. Tess fell down to the ground, still leaning against the TARDIS, breathing harshly from the pain, her eyes watery and red.
The Garthes took its hands off its furry ears, which were pinned firmly back to its head and let his arms hang by his side. It too was panting but as it turned it head slowly to face to Doctor, its teeth bared and it snarled, before its eyes rolled back into its head and it slumped on the ground.
The Doctor got slowly to his feet, tucking the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket, a hard cold glare setting his face like stone. Then he diverted his attention back to the matter in hand and began to race over to Rose.
Her skin was icy cold to touch and her breathing was so minimal that the Doctor could barely see her chest rise and fall. The Doctor face was stern and worried as he slipped his arms under her stiff body and lifted her off the ground. He shuddered mentally. It felt like he was carrying a corpse.
Tess stumbled over to the Doctor, looking shaken and tired.
"Tess, grab the bottle and hurry!" The Doctor said quickly, cradling Rose and rushing into the TARDIS. Tess reached down, careful of not to let the liquid touch her skin. She stood straight again and let the substance trickle slowly down to the bottom, before carrying it gently into the TARDIS.
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Valhalla walked alongside Tarok, monitoring the complicated sums and radars with intelligent eyes. Tarok however was looking around, his fists clenched and brow furrowed. He growled and moved swiftly forward towards a large crystal-like stone. It was gleaming, its red shine glowing in the dim light. In the very middle of the stone, there was a small, yellow symbol, which was beating with an inaudible rhythm.
Valhalla raised his head to Tarok's face, which was focused, emotionless and still. He frowned and looked to the stone, then watched with a spark of panic as he raised his large, pawed hand to the stone and placed it on its polished surface.
It began slowly, a small humming filling the room, but almost like a buzzing noise, like a fly zooming past your ear. Then it began to grow, turning suddenly into a roaring wind, but not even a breeze came. It was just the sound, as though the stone was holding the wind inside, but was letting the sound escape out to them.
"What are you doing, Tarok?" Valhalla roared over the wind. Tarok ignored him, still concentrating on the crystal. Valhalla growled and remained still. The crystal was the source of the ships fuel and energy, everything that made the ship move was stored inside a Kra'fa stone, a never ending source of power. But, if Tarok touched the energy, it would die away and they could never return home.
The yellow symbol in the stone began to spin rapidly, becoming nothing more than a glowing blur. Then it was beginning to float, bashing against the sides of the stone. The light in the ship began to flicker and a one burst into pink flames.
"Tarok! Stop this!" Valhalla cried, ducking as the flames soared over him. The symbol was now fighting to get out, smashing hard at the sides and causing the surface to crack. Tarok pushed his hand harder on the Kra'fa.
There was a great burst of light followed by a flow of fast wind, which began to push its way through the ship. Valhalla was thrown back and smashed against the wall, dazed and fearful. Instruments were wrenched from the ground and they too collided heavily with the walls, leaving great dents and scratches in them, like wounds that were jagged and dirty.
Tarok was absorbed by the light, roaring as he was embedded in it. There was a hiss like the sound of steam and great gusts flew back. Then a yellow light filled the room.
Valhalla raised his bloodied head and saw the symbol seeping out of the stone, slowly gliding through the air and straight at Tarok. Valhalla winced in pain as he arched his neck to see what had become of the symbol, but Tarok's back was turned to him and his great shoulders hid the symbol from Valhalla's bloodshot eyes.
There was a soft growl. The sound shattered through the air like a scream, but was even more terrifying. Valhalla had his ears flat to his head as he asked in a worried tone, "Tarok, what have you done?" Tarok's powerful arms were raised, as though about to embrace a long lost friend, but as he turned, Valhalla saw that the gesture was nothing more but a menacing evil glare.
The symbol that had once been in the Kra'fa was now throbbing slowly on Tarok's bare chest, the skin around it burnt and somewhat blackened, as though it had been branded there with a white hot steel iron. No pain showed in Tarok's eyes, only an evil malice as he maddened wide fanged smile glimmered with spit in the dim light.
"Why, my dear Valhalla, I have become supreme." He said. His voice was slick, almost dripping with slime as he slid the words off his tongue. "I have become the supreme ruler." Valhalla wanted to gape, but his jaw still was throbbing with pain from the hit with the wall.
"What do you mean, Tarok?" He growled, trying hard to get to his feet, but he had only to realise that one of the large instruments had his feet pinned to the ground. He could just see the blood in the darkness.
"Do you not see? Valhalla, I thought you were the smarter of the three. No matter," Tarok growled, cricking his knuckles unpleasantly as he began to advance slowly onto his younger brother. "I shall tell you." He stopped right in front of Valhalla, and crouched low to the ground.
"I no longer wish to fear our King, I no longer wish to serve him for these tireless deeds." He growled, the hate suddenly clear in his cold eyes. "Our reward for our missions is the fact that we get to keep our lives. But no more shall I bow down to a King so unworthy as he."
Valhalla looked wide-eyed at him.
"You're...you're going to kill him..." He whined. Tarok smiled, careful to show every yellowed fang that was hidden under his red lips.
"That's the Valhalla I know." He muttered. He looked at the expression on Valhalla's face with mingled fury and confusion. "Why do you see this as so wrong, brother? You know as well as I that the King is nothing more then a blind black-hearted tyrant!" But still, Valhalla gazed up at him with shock and despair in his face.
"You may know me, brother." He said quietly, his eyes suddenly full of sorrow. "But I no longer know you. You are not the Tarok I grew up with. You're no better than the King!"
Tarok looked as though something had whacked him hard around the face. He was growling, but still Valhalla continued.
"What has happened to you brother? What treachery has turned you into this...this monster?"
"My life, Valhalla. Our lives. The whole monarchy and loss of our home has turned me against myself, turned me into this monster. But I do not see it as a monster. I see it as a gift, a will. The very will that shall aid me to destroy our King and put him in his rightful place. Below the great tombs of our previous Kings." He snarled. Valhalla finally let his jaw drop, though it caused him pain.
"Then you commit treason." He growled, beginning to tug at his foot. It came free and the large wound became clear. "For that, I must commit the penalty of treason." He raised his hand. There was a short whistle and a black, glowing spear came to his outstretched fingers.
"You would kill your own brother, Valhalla?" Tarok asked. "Kill the one that protected you from all harm?"
"No, Tarok. I wouldn't kill my own brother." Valhalla replied. He stood firm and raised his spear, ready for battle. "I would kill the monster that was my brother."
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The Doctor stared sorrowfully down at Rose. His eyes were full of a bitter sadness, but no tears accompanied the sadness. Just guilt, a wolf that was biting in his chest, its ravenous rage fighting at the hope. He wanted to punch something, but he remained somewhat calm and quiet, though the urge to shout and scream at himself was becoming more tempting by the second.
They were in Rose's room, Rose tucked up in bed, her faintly blue face and lips unmoving, almost dead. The Doctor sat at the side of her stiff legs, holding her cold hand, trying to keep it as warm as he could.
Minutes had gone by since Rose had turned this way, yet to the Doctor, it seemed like endless hours.
There was a gentle knock at the door and Tess walked in, carrying a tower of five hot water bottles in her arms. The Doctor placed Rose's hand on the bed and got up to take a few of the hot water bottles off Tess.
Together, they eased Rose up and placed them underneath her, creating a small line of multicoloured rubber bottles which ran from the bottom of her spine to the very tips of her freezing toes. They finally pulled the thick quilt back over her again, this time tucking both her hands under and pushed it tight around her body. Tess grimaced as she felt the cold through the top of the quilt.
Finally, they sat down on the chairs that were placed in the room, both pairs of eyes fixed on Rose with what seemed to be silent anguish. Finally, Tess asked the one question that had been buzzing in her head for the past quarter of an hour.
"Doctor...What has happened to...to Rose?" She asked, wincing at the pauses, almost not wanting to know. The Doctor sighed and ran another hand through his hair. He began to speak, but his eyes remained fixed on Rose.
"Every part of her life essence has been wiped away from her, leaving her to become a shell. An empty shell. If she did awake, we wouldn't know her. She wouldn't know us. Everything that makes Rose, everything that keeps her going...Is gone." His voice was bland, almost as lifeless as Rose. Tess looked shock and her eyes glazed over.
"Tears of the Dead." The Doctor muttered, a sharp sting of hate in his tone now. "Used on prey, on convicts." He looked sadly to the ground. "On the innocent." Tess looked sadder than ever. Her whole face seemed to fall.
"Convicts?" She asked. The Doctor looked to her suddenly.
"Every species has a bad egg...Or eggs even." He said. "Even the Garthes. But, they of course, don't want anyone to escape their prison, so the cover them with stuff and leave them to rot. The Garthes are not known for their mercy, only for the fact that they seemed to keep it in low supply." Tess suddenly felt a bite of anger in her throat. But she knew, as well as the Doctor did, that the time for anger would have to be later, for ahead of them, was a great storm, just waiting to happen.
Yet, another cliffie, but not as bad as the last few. Thanks to my proof-reader's commet. Sorry to all the people who were expecting a bit more focusing on Rose, but I felt I needed to explain what was happening at the ship. Yes, I do get what some of you are thinking, for I was thinking it when I was writing it. The sudden 'Tarok is evil' change is a bit too rapid, but I felt that the time was now. Plus, I also meant in my writing that when Tarok said that they wouldn't go and hunt for them, was when he was thinking about what he could do.
On other ending matters, please do enjoy my story and please review!
TheNextTitan