I yawned as I stretched languidly on the larger bed the Tardis set up for me beside the jumpseat in the console room. I'd gotten too big to fit well under the seat and she'd adjusted the floor and railing to go around my bed beside it.
"Cardiff!" The Doctor grinned from the console beside Martha, earning a soft sigh from me.
Martha had asked where we'd be going next and Cardiff seemed to be the answer. I had nothing against the place, but I'd never visited given there wasn't much for me to see there. Places like the Amazon were more appealing, I mused, closing my eyes and remembering my fond trip to the jungle. Even with all the bugs and that jaguar that kept sneaking into camp, it was fun. Hot, but fun. I got to take some really nice pictures of the wildlife there. I wonder if the Tardis has them somewhere in my room.
I perked up then, hearing something and turning towards the door. I tipped my head, curious. It wasn't often I heard things outside the Tardis doors, even when landed. But I swear I hear someone calling… calling for the Doctor? My ears perked forward on my head as the Doctor announced we were all powered up. Given he was starting the ship up, I brushed the noise I'd heard aside, assuming I'd just misheard something and settled my head back down onto my bed only for the console to spark. Martha and the Doctor were thrown to the floor as I became more alert, not leaving my bed for my own safety given the sparks and the way the Tardis jerked around.
"What's that?" Martha asked as they pulled themselves up to the console again.
"We're accelerating into the future. The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion? What? The year one hundred trillion? That's impossible."
"Why? What happens then?"
"We're going to the end of the universe."
I whined in uncertainty but turned towards the doors again. I could hear the same yell outside and my ears flicked back as I barked once to try and get the Doctor's attention.
"Don't worry, Ripley! I'm sure it'll be fine!" He chimed back, fighting to keep his hold on the railing around the console as I huffed and stood carefully.
The ship landed a moment later, but I was already at the door, sniffing at the cracks with my ears perked, wondering again if I'd imagined what I'd heard. Though, if I heard it while in flight, I don't honestly know how that would work. The Doctor said we travel through a Vortex. Makes it sound like a storm. I don't think just anyone could pass through there without another ship like this. My brows furrowed in confusion as I lifted my head and tipped it slightly. But the Doctor's the only one left, he said. There wouldn't be another ship like this. So, who was I hearing?
"You trying to beat us to it, Ripley?" The Doctor questioned, bounding over with a grin. "End of the universe. Not even the Time Lords came this far. You curious?"
I looked up at him with a small frown. End of the universe doesn't sound very fun.
"Well, you never know. It could be interesting."
Sure, but look. I thought I heard someone when we were taking off and—
The Doctor made a face at that, making me pause.
Did you hear it too?
"Nah. Didn't hear a thing," he said, though I could tell he wasn't saying something as he opened the door and took a step out.
He pointedly looked up towards the sky, whereas I was quick to see the body lying on the ground nearby and barked to alert him and Martha to it.
"Oh my God!" She called out, rushing over to check on him. "Can't get a pulse. Hold on. You've got that medical kit thing."
She hurried back towards the Tardis as the Doctor sauntered over and I eyed him with a frown. He was eerily calm and didn't seem too bothered by the dead man before us.
"Hello," he idly greeted the corpse, giving him a once over. "Oh, I'm sorry."
You don't sound very sorry, I snipped back. Since when are you so nonchalant about killing someone?
"Well, bit of a story with this one. See, he's not really—"
"Here we go. Get out of the way." Martha pushed past the Doctor to check on the man. "It's a bit odd, though. Not very hundred trillion. That coat's more like World War Two."
I eyed the Doctor again but turned away to give the corpse a sniff. There was something off about him.
"I think he came with us."
"How do you mean, from Earth?" Martha questioned the Doctor.
"Must have been clinging to the outside of the Tardis all the way through the vortex. Well, that's very him."
Explains me hearing his shouting when we took off, I mused, shoving my nose into his coat to try and get a better idea of why he smelled different than the usual humans.
"What, do you know him?"
"Friend of mine. Used to travel with me, back in the old days," the Doctor admitted, confusing me more as to why he wasn't very upset.
Even Martha hesitated, taking off her stethoscope. "But he's... I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. There's nothing. He's dead."
The man shot up with a gasp then, making Martha scream as they held onto each other and startling me enough to yelp and run towards the Doctor; hackles raised and licking my lips uneasily as Martha stared at the man in amazement.
"Oh, so much for me. It's all right. Just breathe deep. I've got you."
"Captain Jack Harkness," the once dead man introduced with a grin, touching Martha's chin. "And who are you?"
"Martha Jones."
"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones."
"Oh, don't start," the Doctor drawled with a roll of his eyes.
"I was only saying hello."
"I don't mind," Martha added, and I could see why.
Jack was rather nice on the eyes, though not really my type. Not that I have a type right now given the whole dog thing. I glanced up at the Doctor briefly before tucking myself closer to him with my ears flicking back and a hint of embarrassment flaring through me for even looking. Don't. Don't even entertain it. You're a damn dog and he's an alien. Just… Just enjoy the friendship you do have.
Movement caught my attention again and I bristled with a low growl as Jack approached the Doctor. He raised a brow at me, pointing a finger rather rudely.
"A dog? Since when do you have a dog?"
"Since when did you get work done?" The Doctor quipped back.
"You can talk."
"Oh yes, the face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?" The Doctor asked, bringing up this regeneration thing again.
He never really explained it very well. Cheating death, changing faces. What is even going on?
"The police box kind of gives it away. I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me," Jack complained.
"Did I? Busy life. Moving on."
Jack didn't look like he wanted to let it go, but he did. "Just got to ask. The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler."
"Oh, no! Sorry, she's alive."
"You're kidding."
"Parallel world, safe and sound. And Mickey, and her mother."
"Oh, yes!"
The two hugged as I ducked out of the way, ears still flicked back in my confusion. Hello? Is anyone going to explain who he is and what's going on? I complained, whining with a bark of annoyance as the Doctor stopped.
"Yes, yes. Sorry, Ripley. Ripley, Martha, Captain Jack Harkness. He traveled with me for a bit with my last companion, Rose."
Jack grinned, crouching down and offering a hand to me as he looked at the Doctor. "You said her name's Ripley? You're talking like she can understand us. Is she alien? Telepathic?"
She's right here, I complained, nipping his hand and making him jerk it back with a yelp.
"Ow!"
The Doctor just grinned. "Actually, she was human once. We're thinking parallel world. Don't know quite what happened, just that she had an incident and woke up in the middle of London as a dog. We've had some tough times and she's got a few trust issues to work out, but treating her like a person would be a good place to start."
"Well, how was I supposed to know?" He complained, before awkwardly looking at me as he rubbed his hand and stood. "Sorry. You gotta admit it's a bit weird talking to a human-dog."
I huffed out my nose. Says the man who smells weird.
The Doctor raised a brow. "Smells weird?"
I turned to him with a nod. He smells human but off. Like aliens but also… not? I'm not sure.
"Hm. Could be the time period he's from or because of his little immortality trick."
"Hold on. You two can talk to one another! How come I don't understand her?" Jack whined.
"She's telepathic but only to an extent. I've bonded with her mentally so I've got a stronger connection. We've only just been able to talk without physical contact. She can't speak with humans though."
But I spoke with Timothy, kind of, I countered, drawing the Doctor's curious gaze. He said he couldn't understand exactly what I said but knew the general idea of what I was saying.
"Huh. I'll have to look into it. You might just be skilled enough to speak with minor telepaths. Not with words like with me but with ideas. Interesting," he mused, crouching down to pet my head. "Whatever is going on with you is certainly intriguing."
Jack eyed us. "Why? Something up with her?"
"Well, she was experimented on by Torchwood, for one thing, not to mention whatever got her human mind stuck in a dog's body." The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck as he stood again. "I don't think Torchwood could've figured out how to make a telepathic dog. They mostly did genetic testing from what I saw. She's a mix of every working dog you could think of and a wolf. Started off Irish Wolfhound though. So, you end up with this."
I huffed at the blasé explanation of my rather imposing features. Yes, I was large and only growing larger. Yes, I was rather scruffy and wild-looking. And yes, I had strange things going on with my new telepathy with the Doctor as well as whatever was causing me to switch back and forth between my human and dog mentality. Still, it'd be nice if people didn't speak about me like I wasn't even here.
I walked past the Doctor and snapped at his ankle, making him complain.
"Oi!"
With another huff, I kept walking, hearing Martha snort behind me.
"For someone who understands her better than us, it sure looks like you upset her."
Jack was explaining to Martha how he'd gotten ditched by the Doctor but also eagerly eyed the large wolf of a dog walking alongside the Time Lord. It wasn't often he got turned away by someone, animal or not. And sure, he didn't exactly make the best first impression but how was he to know she was human? Human-ish? Hm.
"I used to be a Time Agent," he explained to Martha, hoping that he'd catch the dog's attention with his tale as he gestured to the gadget on his wrist. "It's called a vortex manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel."
"Oh, excuse me," the Doctor complained. "That is not time travel. It's like, I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper."
"Oh, ho. Boys and their toys," Martha teased.
"All right, so I bounced. I thought 21st century, the best place to find the Doctor, except that I got it a little wrong. Arrived in 1869, this thing burnt out, so it was useless."
"Told you," the Doctor hummed, making Jack scoff.
"I had to live through the entire twentieth century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me."
"But that makes you more than one hundred years old."
"And looking good, don't you think?" Jack grinned, seeing he'd caught the dog's eye when Martha mentioned his age, but she huffed and turned away when he'd joked about his looks. Not a fan of flirting then? He glanced at the Doctor who pat her head fondly. Or interested in someone else? "So, I went to the time rift, based myself there because I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and here we are."
"But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?" Martha asked, curious and the Doctor frowned.
"I was busy."
Jack didn't miss Ripley nipping at his hand, scolding him for what he'd said.
"Is that what happens though, seriously?" Martha questioned. "Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear?"
"Not if you're blonde," Jack hummed.
"Oh, she was blonde? Oh, what a surprise."
The Doctor whipped around towards them. "You two! We're at the end of the universe, all right? Right at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy blogging! Come on. Least Ripley has some sense."
Said dog was staring off the edge of a cliff though, ears perked. Jack leaned over to Martha as the Doctor went to join her.
"Was she blonde before?"
Martha's lip turned up a little at the joke but that feeling of jealousy reared its head again at the thought of the relationship between the Doctor and Ripley. "Dunno. I don't know much of anything about her, really. She only talks to the Doctor and he doesn't tell me much about what she says."
They joined the Doctor then and stared out at the apparent city below.
"Is that a city?" Martha gasped, awed by the makeshift homes carved into the rocks.
"A city or a hive, or a nest, or a conglomeration. Like it was grown. But look, there. That's like pathways, roads? Must have been some sort of life, long ago," the Doctor pointed out, ruffling Ripley's fur. "Good find, Rip."
"What killed it?" Martha asked.
"Time. Just time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilizations have gone. This isn't just night. All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing."
"They must have an atmospheric shell," Jack pointed out. "We should be frozen to death."
"Well, Martha, Ripley, and I maybe, Not so sure about you, Jack."
Ripley grumbled and furrowed her brows as she looked up at the Doctor who rubbed the back of his neck. Jack wished he could understand whatever conversation they were having, but with Ripley's limited communication, he'd have to rely on what he could tell physically… which wasn't much.
"What about the people?" Martha said, not realizing Ripley and the Doctor were even talking to one another. "Does no one survive?"
"I suppose we have to hope life will find a way."
Ripley turned then, ears perched on her head before flicking back as her tail went still and her hackles started to rise. She went off barking then, moving out from in between them and drawing their eyes to a man running across the deserted planet.
"Well, he's not doing too bad," Jack pointed out, only for a group of shouting people with torches to be seen following him.
"Is it me or does that look like a hunt?" The Doctor said. "Come on!"
The group went charging after him as Jack laughed.
"Oh, I've missed this!"
Ripley was in the lead, of course, running right past the man as Jack grabbed him, standing her ground with a growl as she faced the group of hunters.
"We've got to run! They're coming!" The man said as Jack passed him to the Doctor, drew his gun, and aimed.
"Jack, don't you dare!" The Doctor stopped him and he sighed before pointing it upward and firing off a shot.
The hunters pulled to a stop as Ripley paced between them and their group, looking as threatening as possible.
"What the hell are they?" Martha questioned, seeing the obvious differences between the hunters and the man they'd saved.
Their pointed teeth and tattoos labeled them very much not human as they snarled and growled along with Ripley.
"There's more of them. We've got to keep going!" The man they saved said desperately as Ripley snapped and snarled at some hunters who still edged closer.
"I've got a ship nearby. It's safe," the Doctor offered, looking between the frantic man and Ripley, making sure she was keeping her distance as well. "It's not far. It's over there."
When he looked to where his ship was, he spotted a second group of hunters having cut them off.
"Or maybe not."
"We're close to the silo," the frantic man offered. "If we get to the silo, then we're safe."
"Silo?" The Doctor asked the group.
"Silo."
"Silo for me."
"Ripley! Retreat!" The Doctor called and Ripley growled once more but turned tail with them and ran.
She again took the lead, seeming to have some sense of where she was going as Jack called back to the Doctor.
"Does she know where the silo is?"
"Her nose is better than ours!" The Doctor replied. "If she caught the scent of other humans, she can find it!"
Sure enough, they soon rounded a corner and were caught in the spotlights of a fortified building as the man they'd helped called out to those guarding it.
"It's the Futurekind! They're coming! Open the gate!"
"Show me your teeth!" The guard demanded at the gate and everyone did as Ripley again took post between them and the Futurekind.
Seeing they were human, they were quickly let in and a guard fired off a round of shots to deter the Futurekind from coming closer to the gates while they weren't secured. The leader of the Futurekind hissed at them.
"Humans. Humani. Make feast."
"Go back to where you came from," the guard at the gates ordered. "I said go back. Back!"
"Oh, don't tell him to put his gun down," Jack huffed at the Doctor who shot him a look as he ran a calming hand over Ripley's back while she continued to growl.
"He's not my responsibility."
"And I am? Haha, that makes a change."
The Futurekind eventually backed off and the gates were secured as the guard went to lead them inside.
"My name is Padra Fet Shafe Cane," the rescued man informed the guard. "Tell me, just tell me. Can you take me to Utopia?"
"Oh, yes, sir. Yes, I can."
Ripley grumbled with a small whine and the Doctor scratched her behind the ear. "Don't worry, Ripley. We'll find out soon enough."
We were walking through the silo now and I kept close to the Doctor, eyeing everyone lying around in the hallways as a young boy led the way.
"It's like a refugee camp," Martha commented, getting the same feeling I was.
I'd been stuck in a camp not much different than this after an incident while in Cairo and it wasn't fun. Nearly killed me, given my heart condition, and it would've been only a few months later before I actually did die.
"Don't you see, though? The ripe old smell of humans. You survived," the Doctor praised, despite Jack's complaint of the smell. "Oh, you might've spent a million years evolving into clouds of gas and another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape. The fundamental humans."
Not dogs? I joked idly, earning a small quirk of his lip.
"Who knows, Rip? We might find a way to get you back to human someday."
I snorted, in a bit of disbelief at that. It was one thing to turn a human into a dog and back again. It was another for a human to die and get put into a dog before trying to change them into a human. As much as I would like to be back to my old self, I really don't think it's possible, and… well, I guess I accept that. A bit anyway. Something will remind me of my shortcomings again, I'm sure, and I'll get upset about it, of course. There's nothing to do about it in the end though. This is me. Dog and all.
"End of the universe and here you are. Indomitable, that's the word," the Doctor cheered. "Indomitable!"
The man we'd helped—Padra—soon found one of his family members, but I noticed the Doctor stop and draw his sonic, pausing myself to see what he was up to. Jack though, had decided to try making friends again.
"Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?"
"Stop it," the Doctor scolded him, letting me know that Jack appeared to flirt with anyone and anything. "Give us a hand with this."
He headed over as I shot him a look.
"What?" He complained, understanding that much from me as I rolled my eyes and he gaped before the Doctor cleared his throat.
"It's half deadlocked," he said, looking at the door latch he'd been working on. "See if you can overwrite the code. Let's find out where we are."
The door opened and I was first to see the gaping chasm below, grabbing the Doctor by the back of his coat before he could step out into the abyss. Jack too grabbed him, holding him steady as they looked around.
"Now, that is what I call a rocket," Martha gasped.
"They're not refugees, they're passengers."
"He said they were going to Utopia."
"The perfect place," the Doctor mused. "100 trillion years and it's the same old dream."
It's the end of the universe though. Where would they go? I questioned, a bit concerned for the possible pipe dream these last human beings were betting on.
"Dunno," the Doctor shrugged, looking down. "Do you recognize those engines, Jack?"
"Nope. Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though."
"Boiling," the Doctor agreed as we moved away from the door and closed it. "Now, Ripley's got the right questions. If the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?"
Just then, I heard footsteps hurrying for us and I turned frowning at the older man with a grin on his face as he headed over. He just stood there in the group for a moment, looking between Jack and the Doctor before managing to get words out.
"The Doctor?"
"That's me," the Doctor replied, curious about this newcomer and his excitement.
Said man cheered and said "good" repeatedly as he grabbed the Doctor and started to haul him away. I was quick to hurry with them, uncertain about this older guy. It was hard to tell with all the smells around us, but there was something off. We were brought into another room and I yelped when someone else spoke.
"Chan, welcome, tho."
I blinked in surprise at the blue insect-like woman, frozen in place for a moment as she tipped her head at me and I just stared dumbly back. The Doctor was getting told some scientific stuff by the older man near some controls—out of any danger, for now, it seemed—and Jack spotted me staring and chuckled.
"What? Never seen an alien before, Ripley?"
That drew me out of my thoughts and I looked at him with a bark and grumble. She startled me! And it's not like I've seen every alien. She's blue!
"Chan, welcome, tho," the woman greeted Martha and him.
"Hello," Martha greeted back as I hesitantly approached. "Who are you?"
"Chan, Chantho, tho," the alien said while I lowered my head and edged closer to try and sniff her shoe.
"Captain Jack Harness," Jack grinned and the Doctor called out from across the room.
"Stop it."
"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack complained as Chantho smiled.
"Chan, I do not protest, tho."
"Maybe later, blue," Jack said with a wink, then turned to me. "Get a good sniff in there, Ripley?"
I flicked my ears back in annoyance at him drawing Chantho's attention to me, but she seemed kind enough and I gave her a short bob of my head before retreating to see what the Doctor was doing—Jack following as well.
"What do you think, Doctor? Any ideas?" This older man asked as I edged nearer him to try and sniff as well.
"Well, um…. Basically, sort of… not a clue."
"Nothing?"
"I'm not from around these parts. I've never seen a system like it. Sorry."
"No, no. I'm sorry. It's my fault. There's been so little help, I—"
"Oh, my God," Martha said then, distracting me from sniffing the man's shoe as she lifted up what appeared to be a hand in a bubbling jar. "You've got a hand. A hand, in a jar, in your bag."
Jack shuffled a bit, given it was his bag, and the Doctor headed over with me.
"Well, that…. T-T-That's my hand!" The Doctor added, surprising me as I looked between it and him and attempted a sniff of it.
I can't smell around its container, but the Doctor has two hands. Is this an extra?
"I said I had a Doctor detector," Jack countered.
"Chan, is this a tradition amongst your people, tho?"
"Not on my street!" Martha exclaimed. "What do you mean, that's your hand? You've got both your hands. I can see them."
Extra hand? I questioned again, moving towards the Doctor and eyeing both his hands now suspiciously.
"Long story," the Doctor explained. "I lost my hand Christmas day in a swordfight."
"What? And you grew another hand?" Martha scoffed, earning a surprising response.
"Um, yeah. Yeah, I did. Yeah. Hello," he chirped with a wave as my brows furrowed.
You can do that?
"Regeneration. Tricky thing," he answered with a wink as I scowled.
You really need to explain that better than just a trick that cheats death. I feel like I'm missing a bit more information.
He chuckled as the older man questioned him. "Might I ask, what species are you?"
"Time Lord. Last of. Heard of them? Legend or anything?" He asked, getting blank reactions from him and Chantho. "Not even a myth? Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling."
I snorted, getting nudged by the Doctor's knee for my snicker as Chantho spoke up as well.
"Chan, it is said that I am the last of my species too, tho."
"Sorry, what was your name?" The Doctor asked as the older man introduced her.
"My assistant and good friend, Chantho. A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge."
"The city outside. That was yours?"
"Chan, the conglomeration died, tho."
The Doctor perked up. "Conglomeration! That's what I said!"
I grumbled at his enthusiasm, given we were talking about the death of her people, and even Jack scolded him.
"You're supposed to say sorry."
"Oh, yes. Sorry."
"Chan, most grateful, tho."
"You grew another hand…" Martha repeated, trying to wrap her head around that as the Doctor waved and I sniffed at his hand.
"Hello again. It's fine. Look, really. It's me." He got up and shook her hand as I let out a huff through my nose.
"All this time and you're still full of surprises."
I honestly got nothing from sniffing your hand other than banana. Did you have one for breakfast?
The Doctor turned to me with a grin. "Sure did! Best fruits, bananas."
"Chan, you are most unusual, tho."
"Well…"
"So, what about those things outside, the Beastie Boys?" Jack asked then. "What are they?"
"We call them the Futurekind, which is a myth in itself," the older man explained. "But, uh, it's feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia."
"And Utopia is?"
"Oh, every human knows of Utopia. Where have you been?"
"Bit of a hermit."
"A hermit with friends?" The older man countered, making me snort.
"Hermits united. We meet up every ten years, swap stories about caves. It's good fun, for a hermit."
I bowed, covering my nose with my paws as I tried not to laugh, dropping my back end as he continued to question the man about Utopia. Said man gestured us over and I didn't bother getting up. I could hear them just fine where I was and there was a comfy sofa they'd left behind. I hopped up, checking to make sure no one really minded, and upon seeing them distracted about some signal that called the humans to Utopia, I settled down. The running we did earlier was tiring. I didn't mind a few sprints but I was not made for long-distance running. Or, well, I haven't trained myself for that. I'm on limited exercise until I'm closer to two, according to the Doctor. Not that he's limiting me with all these adventures. I rested my head on my paws, letting my back feet dangle off the cushions as I closed my eyes. Something about growth plates or joint damage or whatever… If I'm a dog though—and a large breed at that—does that mean… I frowned lightly at the thought. They don't live very long, do they?
I grumbled at myself, twisting on the sofa to try and find a better position when I caught a whiff of something. I righted myself immediately, ears perked and nose lifted as I breathed in the scent. What is that? I hopped off the couch and tried to follow it, moving around the room and checking the floors and the air. It's almost familiar somehow. Like I've smelled something similar before. I was back with the group now, shuffling about their ankles and ignoring the small complaint from Jack and Martha as my nose trailed up someone's pant leg. I'm close. It's something just—My nose touched a pocket before the person I was sniffing jolted, smacking their hand across my snout and getting a yelp from me as I jerked back.
It was the older man who stared at me in fear and unease. He hastily moved away from me and told us to leave but I kept my ears flicked back uneasily, even when the Doctor pet me as an apology for the man hitting me on accident. I swore I smelled something. I kept this thought to myself though as the Doctor asked if the man was okay.
"Yes, I'm fine and busy!"
"Except, that rocket's not gonna fly, is it?" The Doctor challenged. "This Footprint mechanism thing, it's not working."
"We'll find a way!"
"You're stuck on this planet and you haven't told them, have you?"
I whined, uneasy with the tension in the room.
"That lot out there, they still think they're gonna fly."
"Well, it's better to let them live in hope."
"Quite right, too," the Doctor said, perking up as he took off his coat. "And I must say, Professor…. What was it?"
Oh, finally. A name!
"Yana."
"Professor Yana. This new science is well beyond me but all the same, a boost reversal circuit—in any timeframe—must be a circuit which reverses the boost."
You're joking, right? I complained with a bark, making him point his finger at me with a chiding look.
"Oi. No mocking the genius."
Genius? You just rearranged the words in the name, I huffed as he winked and turned back to Yana, taking the device in his hand.
"So, I wonder what would happen if I did this."
He used his sonic and twirled something on the device, making the room flash red briefly and start to hum with power.
"Chan, it's working, tho!" Chantho beamed as Yana got to his feet.
"But how did you do that!"
"Oh, we've been chatting away. I forgot to tell you, I'm brilliant."
Humble too! I teased, getting a light playful tug on my ear as he started handing over things for our group to do to get the rocket going. Given my lack of opposable thumbs and knowledge of half of what came out of the Doctor's mouth, I was given the role of team mascot… Namely, standing out of everyone's way and waiting.
I don't get it though. I definitely smelled something off and now it's gone. It definitely was coming from him though, from that Professor. I eyed Yana uneasily, wondering if I could try for a moment to use that dog part of me to figure out what it was I'd sensed. Maybe, just maybe, I'm too human to sense it now. Could that be it? Those sudden changes where I lose control, isn't it just me giving into the dog? If I did that now, in a calm environment… I wonder—
"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box," someone announced, making the Doctor smile as Jack called him over to confirm it.
"Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark but I might just have found you a way out."
The Doctor pat his shoulder and went back to working with Jack as I again swore I caught a whiff of something before it was gone. I frowned as the Doctor bounded off to move his Tardis into the room, and I waited for him to come back before slipping inside the Tardis with him as he dug for something under the floor.
Doctor?
"What's up, Ripley?" He asked, grunting as he tugged at some wiring.
There's something I've been smelling, something off.
"Well, we're surrounded by all sorts of things, Ripley. I mean, half of what the Professor made was built with food scraps. Sure you're not just hungry?"
I scowled, barking in annoyance. Doctor, I'm serious! I keep smelling this… this thing and it disappears and reappears. It's got something to do with that professor though, I know it.
"He's just a lonely old genius, Ripley. It's not like he's gonna hurt anyone."
I growled, annoyed with him brushing aside my concerns. I'm just telling you what I smelled. I think we should be careful, is all. He's hiding something!
The Doctor paused with a sigh, turning and dropping a large plug on the grating before clambering out and facing me. "All right, say you're right. Say you smelled something. Well? What did he smell like?"
My ears flicked back in uncertainty. I don't…. I don't know.
"Did he smell alien? Like a disguise? Was he lying about something? You can tell that too, can't you?"
Yes, but this is… I don't know. It's different. It's similar to something I've smelled before but I don't know how to explain it to you.
He raised a brow. "Is this because he hit your nose? It was just an accident, Rip."
That's not it! I complained, barking again and baring my teeth a bit. Stop acting like I'm just a dog and listen to me! I smelled something off about him and I'm sorry I can't explain it to you, but I'm not a dog! I don't understand everything about this body I'm stuck in, how it works or what the things I find mean. But if you would just listen to me, then maybe you'd notice whatever it is I'm missing!
"All right, all right. I'll keep an eye on him for you, okay?" The Doctor placated, which annoyed me further because I could tell he was only saying that to calm me down.
I huffed and left, hearing him calling for me, but ignoring him to go settle on the sofa in the lab. Jack gave me a curious look, confused as to what was going on, but I rolled so my back was facing them and chose to ignore them since they were so keen on ignoring me.
The sound of drums… hm. The Doctor glanced at Yana as he spoke to someone on the monitor, brows furrowed before he took a peek at Ripley. He felt bad for brushing her off the way he had, but Yana had been nothing but kind to them. Sure, he was a genius and could be hiding something, but Ripley hadn't said he was lying at any point, just that he smelled funny. And what is that supposed to mean? Smells funny. Not alien, she said, so… what? He doesn't smell human? He lightly drummed his fingers in thought before Jack leaned over.
"You good, Doc?"
"Don't call me that," the Doctor grumbled, turning his gaze back to what he was doing. "And I'm fine, just…"
"Your dog's just been ignoring us," Jack noticed, nodding towards her ruffled grey form on the sofa. "You two have a domestic?"
The Doctor shot him a glare as Jack held up his hands.
"Hey, just asking."
"She's a dog, Jack."
"Yeah, but she was human once and technically still is. You never know."
The Doctor went to argue further about his relationship with Ripley, but shook his head, not wanting to bother right now. "She was concerned about something, is all. It's nothing."
Jack raised a brow. "Nothing? So, she's upset over nothing? Why is it I don't believe that?"
The Doctor groaned, frustrated with Jack's nosiness. "She kept saying there was some smell on Yana that was off. It doesn't make sense though. He's human, even she agreed on that."
"She can smell aliens?"
"To an extent, yes. I haven't checked if perception filters alter her sense of smell but she could tell on previous trips. It's just… she said this is different. Something familiar, but she can't place it and he doesn't smell like an alien." He shrugged. "Yana's been very helpful and I don't see anything off about him other than his headaches."
"You think that's what she's sensing? Like a medical alert dog?" Jack offered.
"I don't know. She seemed worried about it. Like he wasn't safe." The Doctor sighed heavily, dropping what he was doing and looking over at her. "I just wish she was easier to understand sometimes."
"Well, she doesn't know everything about being a dog, does she?" Jack added. "I know I wouldn't. Even with her, I only understand so much of her body language and she's making stuff obvious. I couldn't imagine being put into a dog's body and left to figure things out."
The Doctor was beginning to feel guilty now. I should probably listen to her more. She seems to notice these things before I do and… and she hasn't led us wrong yet. He sighed and ruffled his hair with a groan.
"Fine. Fine, I'll talk to her more about it and keep an eye on Yana."
"And apologize?" Jack teased.
"Yes, and apologize," the Doctor sighed, before frowning.
Yana was watching a screen showing a red room that someone had just entered and the Doctor called out to him.
"Where's that room?"
"It's underneath the rocket. Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation."
"Stet? Never heard of it."
"You wouldn't want to. But it's safe enough if we can hold the radiation back from here."
They were doing well too, keeping the radiation level when it started to rise while the man on the screen did his work. Then, something went wrong. An alarm started blaring as the lights dimmed, even drawing Ripley up from off the sofa in concern.
"Chan, we're losing power, tho!"
"Radiation's rising!"
"We've lost control!"
"The chamber's going to flood."
"Jack, override the vents!" The Doctor ordered, hoping to save the man trapped in the radiation chamber.
Jack though, yanked out a couple of large, sparking wires. "We can jumpstart the override!"
"Don't! It's going to flare!"
Jack didn't listen, screaming as he was electrocuted and Ripley barked as he fell to the ground, rushing over to him with whines of concern as Martha soon hurried over herself.
"I've got him."
"Chan, don't touch the cables, tho," Chantho said, carefully grabbing a cable and tossing it away as Yana apologized.
"I'm so sorry."
"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" The Doctor questioned him as Martha started mouth-to-mouth.
"Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing," Yana complained.
"Oh, I don't know. Martha, leave him."
"You've got to let me try," Martha argued as Ripley sniffed at Jack with a furrow to her brows.
The Doctor pulled Martha off him, rather unconcerned with Jack as he gave Ripley a glance. Can she smell what's wrong with him too?
"It strikes me, Professor, you've got a room which no man can enter without dying. Is that correct?" He asked Yana, who nodded, uncertain about what he was getting at.
"Yes."
"Well…" The Doctor removed his glasses as Jack sucked in a lungful of air, very much alive. "I think I've got just the man."
Jack blinked, giving Ripley a look as the dog stood ramrod straight with her ears flicked back in uncertainty. "Hello… Was someone kissing me?"
I didn't like this. I didn't like it at all. I whined a bit, pacing anxiously. While I didn't know Jack, I didn't like the fact that he had become the sacrificial lamb for this rocket. I was still suspicious of Yana without any idea why, and while Jack was strange himself, he seemed decent enough. When he's not flirting with anything that moves. He smelled off too though. Human, but with something different. Maybe I was smelling his immortality? Is that a thing? I groaned, earning odd looks from Martha before she shook her head and returned to watching Jack as I sank to the ground and covered my snout. Why can't I just understand what my own body is trying to tell me!
Yana had gone over to the screen then, rather stunned when Jack didn't immediately turn to dust from the radiation. "But he should evaporate. What sort of a man is he?"
"I've only just met him," Martha replied. "The Doctor sort of travels through time and space and picks people up. God, I make us sound like stray dogs. Maybe we are. I mean, we've got one already, right Ripley?"
I grumbled at the comment but poked my head out from under my paws as I smelled something again.
"He travels in time?" Yana breathed in shock.
"Don't ask me to explain it. That's a Tardis, that box thing. The sports car of time travel, he says."
Yana drifted away from the screen and moved towards the Tardis. Everything in me screamed that something was wrong. That he was wrong in some way and I got up, creeping over to where he was with my ears flat back on my head and body hunched hesitantly. I wasn't really listening to what Jack and the Doctor were talking about on the comms, more focused on the dazed look Yana had and the smell that seemed to only grow stronger.
He hadn't stopped staring at the Tardis and didn't even notice me sniffing around him as a tear slipped down his face. Whatever I was smelling though, I didn't like it. There was something dark about it, something that set me on edge. Already my hackles were up, whatever dog instinct I had in me sensing a threat coming from the older man who'd yet to do anything wrong. Before I even knew it or understood it, my teeth were bared and I'd moved between him and the Tardis with a low growl.
"I never understand half the things he says," Martha scoffed at the Doctor before she heard me and turned with a frown. "What's wrong? Ripley? What's going on?"
Chantho, eyed me hesitantly as well, seeing the threat I could be as I faced Yana. "Chan Professor, what is it tho?"
"Time travel," Yana breathed, ignoring me, it seemed. "They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed. But what would I know? Stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked."
A fob watch was pulled from his pocket and Martha's eyes lit up in understanding. I knew what it was too. Everything was clicking into place for me the second I saw it.
Yana was a Time Lord. Another one. Somehow, someway, he'd survived until the end of the universe and the Doctor didn't know about him because—much like John Smith—he appeared human. But I can smell him. The real him leaking out. That's what I'm picking up on. That's why it's familiar. It's the same scent as him, as the Doctor. Something unexplainable and unique, but this… this one is dangerous. Whoever he is, he's dangerous. My body is practically screaming it.
Martha kept talking to him though, standing closer than I would like as my instinct screamed to either fight or flee from this man. The watch was old, found with him when he was discovered as an orphan. He'd never opened it, assuming it was broken without even trying and Martha was beaming. She wanted him to open it, to give the Doctor that hope that he wasn't alone in this universe as the last of the Time Lords. She took one look at the other side of the watch, the familiar circular designs on it, and left to go find the Doctor. She didn't even look at me and the threat I was warning them all about. Like the Doctor, my warnings were going unheeded because I was a dog.
The thought made me angry. It was frustrating enough being stuck like this, but worse when people just ignored me because of what I was. Yana was a threat. A very dangerous one that had me bristled and growling before he even remembered who he was. His fingers were running over the watch and the voice inside was loud enough even I could hear it from a distance.
"The drums, the drums, the drums, the never-ending drumbeat. Open me, you human fool. Open the light and summon me and receive my majesty."
I growled louder, startling Chantho as she glanced between me and Yana.
"Chan, Yana, won't you please take some rest, tho?" She asked as he looked over at the Doctor's bubbling hand before the room quaked.
The rocket had launched and Yana clicked open the watch, letting out that swirling golden energy that only had me growling and barking more aggressively. Yana was someone else now, a Time Lord and very much dangerous. I was the only thing standing between him and the Tardis, between him and Chantho, who was again worried about his sudden change in demeanor. He flipped a switch that closed the doors, startling me. I hadn't been paying attention when the Doctor and the others were messing with the controls. If I'd known what it did, I might have stopped him.
No helping it now. I won't be able to get to it without risking the Tardis or Chantho. I could hear the Doctor shouting and pounding on the door. Chantho was trying to convince him to stop as he further messed with things. Power was shut down, defenses lowered. It's fine. Everything's fine as long as I keep him away from the Tardis, I told myself, backing up until my tail brushed its doors. As long as the Tardis is here, the Doctor and the others have a safe place, a way to get away. I can't let him get it. I just can't.
Then, Chantho faced him with a gun. I wasn't sure what to do. Would her shooting stop him? Would that make me a bad person for allowing it to happen? But he's dangerous. I can feel it. But my mind argued against me. He hadn't done anything really dangerous yet. He hadn't harmed anyone yet. Is he still deserving of death? Then, Yana grabbed the sparking coil she'd tossed aside earlier. A threat.
"Did you never think, all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch? Never? Did you never once think, not ever, that you could set me free?" He shouted aggressively as Chantho apologized over and over again. "You, with your chan and your tho driving me insane."
"Chan, Professor, please!"
"That is not my name! The Professor was an invention. So perfect a disguise that I forgot who I am."
"Chan, then who are you, tho?"
"I am the Master."
He threw the cable towards her and I couldn't sit still and watch her die. I grabbed it in my teeth, jerking it away from her safely and dropping it. He scowled as I stood between her and him.
"Damn dog," he spat as I herded Chantho away from him, backing up with her thankfully doing the same. "Why he bothered to pick you up, I haven't the slightest."
He went back to the controls, ejecting a disk and unhooked the Tardis from everything before snatching the Doctor's old hand. I had a problem now. Chantho wasn't safe, neither was the Tardis. He's going to take it. He's going to take it! My mind screamed, something urging me to leave Chantho and stop him. Something that wasn't me.
I abandoned Chantho, charging forward and grabbing onto his arm with my teeth. He cried out, grabbing at me and fighting to pull me off to no avail. When that didn't work, he faltered back, struggling with my size and my strength as I shook my head and continued to bite down as hard as I could. I didn't care about the blood, his cries, the Doctor outside pounding on the door, or Chantho calling out in uncertainty with the gun.
My human thoughts weren't in control. It was just the dog and something else egging me on. Something frightened of what was to come, what it would experience, and how it could possibly be changed or twisted away from what was planned. It was inevitable, it knew, but it had to try with the one creature it was capable of influencing. The Tardis had to do something, even if it failed in the end.
Yana—No. The Master clawed at me desperately at whatever he could reach. My face, my mouth, my eyes. His hand turned to a fist and slammed into my head, my ribs, my shoulder. He stumbled back, tripping into the Tardis as a flare of light blinded us both. Chantho had finally pulled the trigger on her weapon, fearful of us and shaking with violent sobs.
Fire burned across my back, shoulder, and snout. The blast having skimmed right across me before hitting the Master in the chest. He hit the ground hard and I instinctively released him, assuming he was dead. I was stupid to have forgotten the Time Lords' trick. How they could cheat death and Yana was quick to use that to his advantage.
The tank holding the Doctor's hand came up faster than I could've expected it, slamming into my skull and knocking me to the ground. Everything had gone quiet as my vision darkened abruptly before lightening slightly and a ringing started up in my ears. For a moment I forgot what had happened. What was currently happening. I tried to move, to get up and I didn't so much as twitch. It was strange. I didn't know what to do and I began to panic.
I couldn't tell if I was whining or making noise. I wasn't sure if I was moving or even trying to move. The pain was starting to come back now, as that ringing in my ears grew louder and mixed with the shouting outside the doors. My body throbbed as I remembered the Master's fists hitting me. A streak of pain from where the blast Chantho shot singed away fur and flared across my skin. The sudden swing of vertigo as I felt the urge to get up overcome me.
I didn't get far. The Tardis rumbled and jerked, groaning in my head and humming out hints of apology in my mind for something she'd done. I wasn't sure at first what it was. My head was scrambled from being hit by the solid tank of metal. Then, he moved before me.
He wasn't the older man Yana had been. He was younger, blonde, and with a manic twist to his smirk and a spark of insanity in his eyes. I'd sensed it earlier, how dangerous he was, but this was a whole different level of fear that filled me as he stared down at me. Pain or not, the urge to fight before was gone and replaced with the cold chill of fear that demanded I flee as quickly as possible. He would torture and kill me with zero regrets.
I wasn't sure how I managed it. I felt a quick surge of strength and the Tardis doors opened on their own, distracting the Master long enough to give me that two-second headstart to get on my feet and run. As my paws hit the concrete of 21st century London at a breakneck speed, the Master laughed; his voice haunting me for years afterward as I vanished into the crowded streets alone once more. Except this time, I had a far bigger threat on my hands than Yvonne.