LYLA WOKE UP TO her alarm blaring at 5am. She laid there staring at the ceiling of her flat as her fuzzy brain fully entered the waking world slowly. Ugh… I hate mornings. "I think today is the day… I feel it," she mumbled to herself as she finally rolled out of bed to put on her workout gear and grab the essential cup of coffee. Oh Sweet, Sweet Bean Juice.
She coasted through a three-mile run, that she was immensely proud to admit that she could do without dying halfway through and stepped back into her apartment around 6 for a quick stretch to stay flexible and to decompress after her run.
Lyla jumped in the shower and quickly washed the sweat from her body, when she got out, she quickly combed through her naturally curly hair. Once her hair was semi normal and put together, she put on low-rise jeans with frayed knees, black tank top under a lightweight blue jean button up shirt, that she left unbuttoned. She laced up her black combat boots and tucked her jeans into the top. The leather jacket went on next before she was out the door again to grab a quick breakfast for both her and Rose before heading to Henrik's. The girls arrived at the same time and shared a warm smile as they walked in together.
oOoOo
Lyla handed her gifted breakfast over to the blonde female, "I hope today flies by!" she commented lightly.
Rose nodded to her friend and with a full mouth she replied, "Ta' me too."
The morning passed quickly before lunch came around. Like most days, they had lunch together with Rose's boyfriend Micky, hahaha Ricky, before making their way back to work, where the day continued to play out in fast forward for Lyla as she waited patiently for closing time.
Before she knew it, the front door man was holding a bag of money for Rose to take down. When Lyla saw it, she froze for half a second, before she got her shit together because it was starting. I knew it. She turned to Rose, "Want me to go down with you? That way we can leave together and go to the pub Mickey was talking about earlier." When Rose hesitated, Lyla continued with a pleading look and puppy dog eyes, "And I don't have to wait out in the cold. You know how much I bitch about that."
Rose finally smiled and shook her head, "Why not."
They both made their way to the basement level to look for Wilson. Once they got to the creepy basement hallway, Rose called out to the Chief electrician, "Wilson? Wilson, I've got the lottery money. Wilson, are you there?"
They continued down to Wilson's office door and Lyla reached forward to tug fruitlessly on the handle. "We can't hang about 'cos they're closing the shop. Wilson!" Rose paused before muttering under her breath, "Oh, come on."
"I don't think he's here, Rose." Lyla said softly, trying not to create an echo in the dank basement.
"We haven't checked everywhere. He probably can't hear us." Rose said while walking deeper into the basement. Or he's dead. I'm so sorry Mr. Wilson. Off in the distance they heard a clattering and Rose called out again, "Hello?" She cautiously walked forward toward the noise. "Hello, Wilson, it's Rose and Lyla." Lyla heard the eerie whispering that echoed down the hallway, but followed after Rose, just in case. Can't lose the blonde. Can't lose the get out of London on a time machine blonde. "Hello? Wi-Wi-lson?" Rose stumbled over the electrician's name as she paused at a door before slowly opening it.
The hinges squeaked and squealed, causing Lyla to wince softly, "Rose. Really. Let's just go back please. This place is giving me the creeps. Like major creep fest. Grade A horror movie vibe going on." Seriously though, this is much creeper in person. I was never one for scary movies.
"Stop being a scaredy cat, Lyla. Nothing is down here. You watch too many horror movies." Rose absentmindedly replied. Oh, please. I don't watch any scary movies. And you call yourself my friend. Rose walked further into the room and flicked the lights on. And let there be light on these freaky plastic things.
As they walked further in, Rose called out again for the Chief electrician, "Wilson? Wilson!" The door slammed behind the two girls. They turned and ran back towards the closed door. Rose tried to open it, while Lyla kept watching over her shoulder at the dummies. Oh, fuck. Let's get this over with.
Lyla turned back to see Rose pulling on the door and heard her mutter, "You're kidding me." A louder scratching noise was heard behind the two women. Both turn around quickly but Rose was the one to call out, "Is that someone mucking about?"
Lyla watched the shop dummy turn its head, she tugged on Rose's sleeve to grab her attention. Rose turned and the Dummy advanced on them, with Lyla tugging the still clasped sleeve of Rose, she started to creep away from the advancing Dummy. This is fucking fantastic. I hate dummies and dolls. So not cool. And 1,000 times worse in person.
"Yeah, you got me. Very funny," Rose stated, while taking a glance behind her as she stumbled back with Lyla. When she faced forward again more dummies started moving toward the pair. "Right, I've got the joke. Whose idea was this? Is it Derek's? Is it? Derek, is this you?"
"Rose, it's not Derek." Lyla said slowly, trying to contain her irrational fear. Oh hell, I know what's going to happen. Why am I still this scared? "Can we run now?"
Before they knew it, they were backed up against the pipes and the first Dummy raised its hand in a chopping like manner. Anytime Doctor! Please don't be late!
Before the hand could come down on the two females, Lyla felt someone grab her own hand. She glanced over and saw a face that froze her. Thank god you weren't late. He whispered, "Run."
The two girls took off, being led by the man in leather. They hit the elevator and the closest dummy stuck his arm out and it got caught in the closing doors. The Doctor grabbed and pulled several times before it popped off with a sound like a suction cup popping off glass. The Doctor examined the arm with Lyla looking on curiously. Her eyes shift from the arm to The Doctor every couple of seconds.
Rose stated the obvious, "You pulled his arm off."
"Yep. Plastic," he said as he tossed the arm at Rose.
Rose barely caught the arm and gave the strange man a harsh look and sneered, "Very clever. Nice trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?"
Lyla sighed, "It's not students Rose. You know I hate to be the one to tell you this but, I told you so!"
Rose didn't take her eyes off the Doctor when she replied to Lyla, "And I told you, you watch too many horror movies." Lyla rolled her eyes and sighed to the heavens.
"Why would they be students," the Doctor said to Rose, completely ignoring Lyla for the moment.
Rose looked at him with lowered eyes as she tried to think but only came up with, "I don't know."
"Well, you said it. Why students?" The Doctor pressed her.
Rose tried again to put her thoughts and reasoning into words, "'Cos to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students."
"That makes sense. Well down," the Doctor said facing the doors again. He gazed back over his shoulder at Lyla and asked her, "What do you think they are?"
"Living plastic," Lyla said, not missing a beat and not thinking about what she was saying and to whom. The Doctor turned around quickly and finally took a long look at Lyla. She panicked inwardly and was silently cursing herself out. Really Lyla. Smooth fucking move, you idiot. Way to get the crazy smart alien all paranoid about who you are. Okay, Okay. Calm down. Let's see if I can talk my way out of this. She finally swallowed and continued her answer nervously, "Well that arm is solid plastic." She gestured to said arm in Rose's hand before continuing, "And they were up and walking around and a bunch at the same time too… That's too sophisticated for man-made robots, especially without any wires." And finish with the obvious. "So, plastic that's alive. AKA Living plastic." Well, that was very Sherlockian of me. And I'm impressed I did that on the fly and with the Doctor staring at me.
He eyed her with a critical look for half a beat but turning back to Rose, "They're not students."
"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police," Rose stated matter-of-factly.
"Rose, they tried to kill us. What do you think happened to Wilson?" Lyla asked, as she flicked her eyes back and forth between the other occupants.
"Whose Wilson?" the Doctor asked.
"The Chief Electrician." Rose replied, finally looking away from the Doctor and back to her friend. "You think they killed him?"
She posed the question to Lyla, but the Doctor answered her instead, "I don't think. I know they did."
The elevator doors finally opened with Rose's call of, "That's just not funny. That's sick!"
"Who said it was funny Rose," Lyla stated as the Doctor turned toward the elevator control panel.
"Hold on. Mind your eyes," he stated as he whipped out his sonic screwdriver and zapped the panel to stop it from moving back up.
As he was doing that, Rose continued prattling, "I've had enough of this now." Rose was starting to get scared and whimpered out, "Who are you, then?"
The Doctor ran past the two girls and Lyla followed while Rose continued in her insistent questioning, "Who's that lot down there? I said, Who are they?" Rose took off after the other two.
Once Rose caught up to them, the Doctor answered her question, "Your friend was right. They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this," he held up a small device. Why is the first option always bombs? "So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me." He opened the back door and shooed the two out on the street. "Now, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed," he closed the door on their shocked faces when he finished talking. They looked at each other with wide eyes and turned back to the door when it opened again. They saw the Doctor's head poke out as he clarified and asked with a grin, "I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"
"Rose."
"Lyla," The two girls answered hesitatingly to the leather clad Doctor.
"Nice to meet you, Rose. Lyla. Now run for your lives!" He advised and slammed the door shut again.
The two girls ran from the shop making it across the street and up a couple blocks before they turned around as one and looked back at their workplace. Just as they turned away from their work, the building went up in a big explosion and a blast of heat. The top floor windows exploded outward and the many people on the street started to panic and flee. The two girls took off down the street at a run.
oOoOo
Once Rose and Lyla got to Rose's flat, they burst through the door and were instantly mothered by Jackie. Rose tossed the plastic arm that she had yet to drop in all the mayhem and chaos, into the chair.
The news was playing the story of the department store blaze and Jackie could be heard talking on the phone to a friend about the ordeal. Lyla easily tuned Jackie out and stared absentmindedly at the wall, while rubbing at the wolf-etched bracelet that was left for her by the Tardis when she first got here. I met him. The first—ninth Doctor. I met the Doctor. And he looks exactly like Christopher Eccleston. Lyla took a deep breath as the situation finally sunk in, holy shit and crackers. It's started. I'm really in the show.
Lyla was pulled from her thoughts when Mickey came barreling in looking all concerned, "I've been phoning your mobile. You could've been dead. It's on the news and everything. I can't believe that your shop went up!" He took a seat next to Rose and pulled her into a hug. Oh, thanks Rickey for all the concern for my well-being. Douche nozzle. Lyla huffed and rolled her eyes at the couple.
"I'm all right, honestly, I'm fine! Don't make a fuss," Rose sighed as she gently pushed him back into his seat.
At the sight of domestics from the two, Lyla turned to Rose and told her, "I'm gonna go get a shower, then make up the floor to crash on. It's been a day."
Rose looked over and nodded, but Mickey grabbed her attention again before she could say anything. Lyla walked back to Rose's room to grab a spare set of her pajamas that she always kept at Rose's and made her way to the small bathroom.
Lyla striped down and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She saw wide equally frightened and excited green eyes stare back at her. They roamed over her tanned curves, various tattoos, and the occasional scar before making the trek up to her hair. Not to sound like a narcissist, but I look good. That running sure does wonders for your figure. She noticed the tangled mess of chocolate curls and with a sigh she stepped into the shower to wash and prepare herself for the impromptu sleepover and the exciting next day that she knew was coming.
oOoOo
The next morning Lyla and Rose were woken rudely by the room owner's alarm clock at 7:30. They heard Jackie from the kitchen shout at the two groggy girls, "There's no point in getting up, sweethearts. You've got no job to go to." They both give great big sighs and slump back onto the pillows.
When they both were up and sitting in the kitchen with coffee, Jackie started in on the two young women about getting new jobs already. "There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs."
"Oh, Great. The butchers." Rose stated monotonously, just as excited about a new job as Lyla was.
"Well, it might do you good. That shop was giving you airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation. You've both had genuine shock and trauma," Jackie continued as she got up to leave the room. "Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek! I know she is Greek, but that's not the point. It was a valid claim." Jackie finished her tale as she entered her bedroom to finish getting ready for the day.
"I'm so not interested in hearing about getting a job when mine just exploded." Lyla commented off handedly to Rose causing her to chuckle. Bigger picture… Tardis and the Doctor. Both girls heard what sounded like a cat scratching at the floor.
Rose got up angrily from the table and yelled, "Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays." I would get slapped from here to next week if I talked to my mother like that.
"I did it weeks back," her mother answered faintly.
"No, you thought about it," Rose mumbled and both girls made their way to the front door where they saw nails on the floor in front of the cat flap. Rose bent down and picked up a nail just as the cat door flapped open causing Rose to startle and drop the nail quickly.
"What is it?" Lyla asked with barely contained mirth and giggles. Rose gave her the stink eye and mumbled something that Lyla didn't catch but caused the women to lose control on her already barely contained giggles. With a final roll of her eyes, Rose bent down lower and flicked the cat flap before fully opening it and peeking through. She jumped up and unbolted the door to open it to the face of the Doctor.
"What are you two doing here," the Doctor asked accusatory.
"I live here.", "I crashed here." Rose and Lyla replied at the same time.
"Well, what do you do that for?"
"Not everyone can live the life of a gypsy Doctor," Lyla replied with a small smile and sparkling eyes.
"Because I do. We're only at home because someone blew up our job," Rose said.
While Rose was answering the doctor, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and turned it on to a certain setting. When it buzzed and glowed blue, he commented lightly, "I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you?" He reached over and knocked on both girl's foreheads. "No, bonehead. Bye, then." Before he could take a step back, Rose and Lyla grabbed him quickly and at different parts of his body. While Rose grabbed his upper arm, Lyla grabbed a lapel of the leather jacket and both girls pulled him back inside the flat.
"You. Inside. Right now," both girls said at the same time.
"Who is it?" Jackie asked from her bedroom.
Lyla still had a hold of the Doctor's coat while Rose released his arm and went to talk with her mother. "It's about last night. He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes."
The Doctor stepped into Jackie's doorway, and she exclaimed, "She deserves compensation."
"Oh, we're talking millions," the Doctor indulged.
Before the whole awkward conversation between the two could really begin, Lyla released her hold on the jacket with a pat and walked off toward the living room while thinking to herself, so incredibly dense, he is. And Jackie thought that something could happen… What a laugh.
When the Doctor finished his conversation with Jackie, he made his way to the living room to see that Rose was trying to straighten up, "Don't mind the mess. Do you want tea?"
"Might as well, thanks. Just milk," he replied. He looked over at Lyla to see that she was leaning against the door frame that separated the kitchen from the living room. He made note that she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday minus the blue jean shirt and her hair was down and in its natural curly state. Her chocolate curls flying carelessly around her.
"And you Lyla?" Rose asked over her shoulder from the kitchen stove.
"Unless you want to make sweet-iced tea, then I'm fine Rose," Lyla answered with a cheeky smile back at her friend.
"UGH. You and your southern tastes," she complained with an answering smile.
Rose started in on her questioning to the Doctor and Lyla instantly ignored her in exchange for watching the Doctor fool around with random objects around the room.
He picked up a paperback book and flipped through at a rapid speed like he was looking at some flipbook artwork, "Hmm. Sad ending." He sat that down and moved toward the mirror in the room, but something caught his eye, or he was just being downright nosey when he picked up a piece of mail, "Rose Tyler," he read out. The Doctor finally looked up and came face to face with a mirror, where he stared for a couple of seconds before the Timelord reached up and flicked both of his ears, "Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears."
"I like the ears." Lyla stated off handedly. And that body. The broad shoulders and leather work for me. Wait… What? Oh fuck, do not get a crush on the Doctor. He is meant for Rose. Do not mess up the best and most heartbreaking love story of the universe. He turned to look at her. She was lounging against the door frame and picking at her nails but was looking slyly at him from under her lashes. The Doctor gave her a disarming look and swept his eyes up her body in a lightning-fast manner again.
The Timelord ignored her for the moment and got back to browsing the space. He saw a deck of cards and started to sing, "Luck be a lady." Trying to shuffle the cards, he lost control of them causing the cards to go flying everywhere around the room. "Maybe not," he replied off handedly to Lyla, who was laughing her ass off at the display. He gave her a small smile but then was distracted by something that sounded like a cat behind the couch. "Have you got a cat," he asked as he made his way toward the noise.
"No, she doesn't have a cat," Lyla replied. She doesn't have much time from him asking the question to the Dummies arm launching itself at the Doctor's throat. I knew I was forgetting something. Dammit Lyla! Concentrate. Fawn later when the world isn't ending or about to end.
"We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate," Rose added from the kitchen, while the Doctor tried to pry the hand off with Lyla's help.
Rose walked in with two mugs of tea and glanced at the two struggling to release the plastic hand. "I told Mickey to chuck that out. You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand. And you Lyla, playing along. Anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?" Seriously Rose!
While Rose was talking, Lyla was frantically searching the Doctor's pockets for the sonic screwdriver. Where is it! Come on. You stupid alien, with your bigger on the inside pockets!
When Lyla's fingers found purchase, she pulled it out suddenly and turned it over in her hand while moving the dials trying to make it look like she was just figuring out how it worked but, in her head, she was pleading with the sonic. Come on, you are a beautiful piece of tech. You're slightly telepathic if the Tardis built you so listen to me. Setting for cutting off the signal.
She thought hard at the device and then pointed it at the plastic arm and pushed the button to hear the comforting buzz of the screwdriver. The arm instantly released and flew at Rose's face where it cut off her breathing. The three flailed around before the Doctor took the sonic out of Lyla's hands and used the right setting to disperse the signal. He pressed the tip to the center of the wrist and the arm stopped moving completely. "It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless." He tossed the arm at Rose who caught it and proceeded to hit the Doctor in the arm.
"Do you think so?" She replied with a frown.
The Doctor spun on Lyla and asked with raised eyebrows, "And you! What are you doing playing around with something you know nothing about?" He waved the sonic screwdriver in her face as he asked.
Oh Crap! Think fast. "I saw you use it on the dummies in the store, again on the elevator door, and just a couple of minutes ago to our heads." With each item she listed, she held up a finger to count each encounter that he had used the sonic in front of the girls. "It stands to reason that it does something. I was just hoping for dumb luck or beginner's luck on it working for me," she defended herself. Have I always been this good of a liar?
The Doctor studied Lyla for a minute before seemingly accepting her reasoning and thought process. He shook his head and turned to make his way to the front door. Well, I guess that could have gone better.
The three made their way outside to the stairs, with Rose was complaining the whole way down, "Hold on a minute. You can't just go swanning off."
"Yes, I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you two," the Doctor replied over his shoulder.
"But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me," Rose argued.
Lyla sighed and quietly added to Rose, "It was trying to kill him first. We just happened to be in the way, Rose." Ok, no more smart thoughts and ideas. I already look suspicious. Why the fuck did I have to grab the sonic? Why was that a thing I did?
"Your friends right," he said offhandedly.
"You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell us what's going on." Rose whined.
"He doesn't." "I don't," both were said at the same time. Doctor spared Lyla a glance over his shoulder as they hit the final flight of stairs down.
"All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking." Rose said as we finally reached the doors leading outside. She's so not tough. Lyla decided just to zone out of the conversation for the moment. She knew what was gonna be said already. She kept pace with the other two, but her mind wandered to future events and adventures that she may get to go on if this all ended right. I wonder what Jack will look like when he's just a head. Will it be like on T.V. or will it be slightly gross to look at a floating head that speaks through telepathy. She paused in her thoughts before she remembered some of her favorite parts of the upcoming adventures. Does the Doctor dance? I'm so gonna find out though! She gave a silent chuckle of mirth before realizing that it was about time to toon back into the other people around her.
"-the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?" Lyla got excited because one of her favorite parts of this episode was about to happen right here in front of her. Oh, my fucking god. If he grabs my hand I may swoon.
"Yes," Lyla instantly answered his question, and he eyed her with surprise and raised an eyebrow.
"Thought I lost your attention a while back," he stated, a smile starting to form at the corners of his mouth.
"I'm always paying attention Doctor," Lyla smiled back at him.
"No, I don't believe," Rose finally answered the question that was originally posed to her alone.
"But you're still listening," he countered.
Rose stopped walking, causing Lyla to stop by her side as well, "Really, though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?" Rose asked again.
"He's the Doctor." Lyla replied with a shoulder bump to Rose. "And I thought out of the two of us you would be the shoe-in to being the only one to listen to his prattling." The Doctor gave an "Oi", but Lyla continued with a slightly confused face. "Wait, when did you grab the arm? I didn't see that." Rose and the Doctor busted out laughing with Lyla joining in moments later.
Once everyone was serious again the Doctor turned fully to both paused girls and spoke with a faint smile, "Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving?" He walked towards the two girls, one smiling and eyes sparkling and the other with a face full of disbelief and skepticism. "It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still." He paused in his little monologue and grabbed each of the girl's hands before continuing, "I can feel it." And for a split-second Lyla thought she could too. "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and Lyla and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go." He dropped their hands and contemplated the two but lingering a bit longer on Lyla. "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler and Lyla. Go home." He walked off toward the blue box.
"Come on," Rose said while pulling Lyla back and around. They started walking back to the flats when the engines of the Tardis could be heard. Both girls turned quickly and ran back to where they were just to see that the blue box was gone.
"I think I'm gonna go home. I need a new change of clothes and stuff. Call me if you eat anywhere tonight ok!" Lyla shouted to Rose as they split in different directions. Rose gave the affirmative and waved goodbye.
oOoOo
Lyla made her way to her apartment and stopped in on her landlady to tell her that she would be traveling for the next year.
She knocked on the door and heard shuffling and a faint call of "Coming," through the door. Said door swung open and an elderly woman stepped out and gave Lyla a large kind smile.
"Lyla Dear. What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?" Mrs. Brown asked kindly.
"I'm just dropping by to tell you that I will be traveling for a while. I don't know for sure how long but hopefully no more than a year. I was just wondering if you could keep a watch over my flat and to make sure that you don't rent it out to anyone else while I'm gone. I know I paid a couple years in advance so rent shouldn't be a problem and all other bills come out of the bank automatically so they should be good as well. I was just stopping by to give you a warning and to get some things as well." She finished her long-winded spill with a smile. Here's to hoping that the Doctor never finds out about this conversation.
The Landlady smiled fondly at her best resident and nodded her head, "Of course dearie. Nothing will happen to it, and I'll place your mail once a week on your table and make sure everything is still working fine."
"Oh, you are a lifesaver Mrs. Brown." She bent over and gave the woman a hug. "See you in a couple months then." She waved bye as she walked up the stairs to her third-floor apartment. Well that's done. Now where did I stash that backpack?
Lyla unlocked her door and quickly gathered the few precious belongings that she had acquired over the last 9 months. She crawled into the back of her closet to grab the bigger on the inside backpack and started shoving things into it. The souped-up laptop, her cellphone, journal, wallet, and psychic paper all found their way back home inside the backpack.
She placed that on the bed before going back into her closet to change out of her two-day old clothes. She changed while she was in the closet rooting around for stuff to take with her, Lyla was now wearing more ripped jeans but with a black AC/DC t-shirt and a red plaid button-up top instead. Her boots went back on her freshly sock feet and she turned to the bathroom to mess with her hair. She pulled the curly mass up into a messy bun that didn't exactly fit the trends of her current decade.
She made her way to the kitchen and started emptying out the fridge of perishable foodstuff. She dragged the trash to the door before she bent down and picked up her three different colored pairs of converses that were next to the front door and placed them in her bag. She placed the backpack on her back and made her way downstairs to take out the trash.
Once she heaved the overly stuffed trash into the dumpster, her phone started to ring. She dug through her bag and grabbed her phone just to answer without looking at the caller ID, "Hey."
The sound of Rose's voice came through the speakers, "We decided on pizza tonight. The normal place," Rose told her.
"OK sounds good. See you there." She hung up and made her way back to her apartment to lock everything up.
Once done, she headed for the pizza parlor. Here I come, plastic Mickey.
oOoOo
At the pizza restaurant, Lyla was staring at Mickey like he had a contagious disease. She was slowly inching away from him and closer to Rose. Lyla rubbed the gallifreyan bracelet as she watched the two interact. "Do you think I should try the hospital? Suki said they had jobs going in the canteen. Is that it then, dishing out chips. I could do A Levels. I don't know. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school 'cos of him. Look where he ended up. What do you think?" Rose was completely oblivious that her boyfriend was now a plastic person as she talked. Like seriously. Every time he opens his mouth, he gets creepier.
But plastic Mickey gave no fucks when changing the subject, "So, where did you meet this Doctor?"
"I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second." Go Rose. Give it back to him. If he was human right now, I would've said burn. Even if he didn't get the reference. Cause that's classic.
"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?" Plastic Mickey plowed on. Way to be inconspicuous. Slow clap for that award-winning performance.
"No." Rose stubbornly added but darted her eyes away from her plastic boyfriend.
Plastic Mickey insisted, "Come on."
"Sort of," It's like watching a tennis match. Well, if I ever did go to a tennis match. Watching tennis on the Wii is the same thing, Right?
"What was he doing there?" Plastic Mickey insisted.
"I'm not going on about it, Mickey. Really, I'm not, because I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous." Completely wrong and completely right. What a fucking contradiction the Doctor is. Huh, just noticed that.
"But you can trust me, sweetheart. Babe, sugar, babe, sugar. You can tell me anything." Plastic Mickey reached out and grabbed Rose by the hand and arm. "Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart," his stuttering was getting worse. And the creep factor just skyrocketed up to 10,000.
"What're you doing that for?" Rose questioned. Finally, you get a fucking clue. Just took creep-olla being extra creepy. 10 would have called you Mrs. Thickity Thick from Thickville Thickvana.
"Your champagne." Lyla blinked up at the voice and the Doctor threw her a wink when Plastic Mickey answered Rose with yet another question.
"We didn't order any champagne. Where's the Doctor?" He demanded of Rose.
"Madam, your champagne," the Doctor tried again. Lyla gave a quiet laugh while discreetly pulling away from the table for a quick getaway.
"It's not ours. Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?" Rose reached across the table to grab Plastic Mickey's hand that was around her other one. That should have been a DEAD giveaway Rose. He's all hard and cold and shiny and PLASTIC. This obliviousness is starting to be on the level of the Doctor. Rose, you should be ashamed.
"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" Mickey tried again. Well give the plastic a medal. At least he's persistent. The 1st place prize and medal goes to Plastic RICKEY for great determination and horrible observant skills.
"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" The Doctor asked for a third time.
"Look, we didn't order it," Plastic Mickey finally looked up at the Doctor, "Ah. Gotcha."
The Doctor started to shake the bubbly, "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" He pulled the wire and the cork soared into the forehead of Plastic Mickey.
The fake Mickey started to move his jaw and mouth around before he spat out the cork onto the table. Lyla was already up and out of her seat and next to the fire alarm that she scoped out before she sat down. Plastic Mickey glared back at the Doctor, "Anyway." Plastic Mickey stood instantly sending his chair toppling and turned his hand into a paddle.
"Oh, that's just kinky Plastic Mickey." Lyla said loud enough that only the Doctor and Rose heard her.
Rose got up and rushed to Lyla's side while the Doctor grabbed Plastic Mickey in a headlock and started to pull. Once the head gave away with a sickening pop, the head said snidely, "Don't think that's going to stop me." A man, from the couple sitting in a booth close by, gave a shrill scream causing Rose to slam her hand against the fire alarm as the Plastic body started doing some destruction to the surrounding tables. I'm not a willing audience for the Plastic Mickey Destruction Derby tonight.
"Everyone out! Out now! Get out! Get out! Get out!" Rose shouted to the occupants.
The Doctor tossed the head at Lyla, who caught it with a disgusted noise, and grabbed both girl's hands and made his way through the kitchen and out the backdoor where he locked it with the screwdriver. Rose ran to the other door in the alley way, "Open the gate! Use that tube thing. Come on!"
Lyla, still holding the Doctor's hand and the head, gazed up at him and over at the blue box. "Nah, tell you what, let's go in here." He pulled Lyla along with him into the box.
He dropped Lyla's hand and took back the head and made his way to the console to hook up Plastic Mickey. Lyla's eyes grew big and filled with tears as she regarded the room. "It's beautiful," she whispered. She went up to a piece of the coral and lightly stroked a bit of it. I'm here. After 9 months and buckets of tears. I'm finally here. I am back. She completely ignored Rose when she came barreling in and rushing back out and back in again. Lyla just had a soft smile on her face as she gapped with awe, happiness, and an endless supply of excitement. What she didn't see was the Doctor watching her out of the corner of his eye.
"It's going to follow us!" Rose shouted as she rushed back in.
"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up for a minute." Rude and not Ginger. He finished hooking up the head, "You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right. Where do you want to start?" He finally turned back to the girls. He gave Lyla a fleeting curious look before focusing on Rose for the moment.
"How do you get the outside around the inside?" Lyla asked with a curious air as she made her way slowly up to the console.
"That's a bit technical for you." He replied with a wide smile.
"Er, the inside's bigger than the outside?" Rose finally stammered out.
"Yes"
"It's Alien"
"Yes"
"Cool," Lyla said, always the one for weird reactions.
"Are you alien?"
"Yes, Is that alright."
"So, alright." Lyla said faintly.
"Yeah."
"It's called the Tardis, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space," the Doctor said in a lecturing tone. Always one to teach. After hearing that, Rose burst into tears and Lyla rushed to her side for comfort. "That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us."
"It's not culture shock. You just pulled off her boyfriend's head," Lyla said disapprovingly at the leather clad alien. Dense. Gonna have to teach him manners. Again, I say rude and not ginger.
"Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" Rose finally asked after she got the bulk of her tears under control.
Lyla was quick to answer with a quick warning glance to the Doctor, "Of course not. They have to keep him to make more, Right?" With the last word, she peered up at the Doctor for confirmation. Play the part. I should get nominated for an award or something.
Before he could answer Rose was already starting in, "He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?"
"Melt?" He whipped around and looked at the head that was indeed melting into the console. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor started running around the console pushing and flicking buttons to hopefully get the Tardis moving. I hope it's not as bumpy as the last time I was here. I wish I would have gotten the time to take a closer look then. But you know things happened. All the things. I guess being kidnapped does that to you. Fixes your priorities and all.
"What're you doing?" Rose asked.
"Following the signal. It's fading." He paused at the monitor for a second, "Wait a minute, I've got it." He shook his head and ran around the console again, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor came back to the monitor, "Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!" The Tardis made its wheezing sound and rumbled and shook but nothing like the last time Lyla was aboard the Tardis.
Once the ship landed, he raced for the door while Rose scolded, "You can't go out there. It's not safe," but followed soon after him.
Lyla stayed where she was trying to wrap her mind around that she was indeed in the Tardis again and with the right alien this time. She stroked a part of the console and felt the briefest of warmth with a faint humming in the back of her head. She gazed down at the bracelets that adorned her wrists since the day she got here and saw that both were glowing the softest of gold colors. What the what! She panicked slightly until she felt another warmth pass over her and the humming increased slightly in volume. Lyla calmed back down. She spoke softly to the time rotor, "Will you explain these bracelets to your best ability Sexy?" She closed her eyes and pleaded softly, "Please?" The Tardis hummed in reply through her head that Lyla took as confirmation. She started making her way to the hallway and sat her backpack into the corner. She sent out one last thought and stroke before she left the ship, can you hide that bit of hallway until I get back? Thank you, Sexy. And it's good to see you in a better condition. And thanks for the stuff it was very thoughtful.
"Anti-plastic." Lyla heard Rose comment. Ah Yass, we're getting to another one of my favorite parts.
"Anti-plastic. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" The Doctor contemplated.
"Wait, what does 'what' look like?" Lyla asked the Doctor as he walked toward the railing.
"Oi, where have you been and where is your backpack?" He ignored Lyla's question all together.
"On the Tardis. Where else would I be?" She said with a raised eyebrow and ignoring the backpack question for now.
He shook his head a bit and answered the original question Lyla asked, "The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."
"And what does that look like," Rose asked.
"Like a transmitter," he stated obviously.
"Oh, that's helpful, Thanks." Lyla sarcastically added. Daft. Old. Alien. And if he calls me a stupid ape, I'm gonna neuter him.
But the Doctor powered on, "Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."
Lyla turned and shared a look with Rose, "I got this." She walked up to the leather clad alien and took his face in-between her hands. She smooched his checks so he couldn't say anything and turned his whole body around. He was just staring at her with eyes full of shock and disbelief. She released his face and nudged his head up until he was looking at the London Eye. "Or completely obvious, you daft old alien."
He stared for a second before looking back down at Lyla with a big cheesy grin plastered all over his face. "Fantastic." Swoon. He grabbed Lyla's hand and Lyla snagged Rose's while they ran to get closer to the London Eye.
"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"
"The breast implants," Rose said with a straight face and Lyla laughed at the mental image that sprung forth. Seriously Kim Kardashian would be totally taken over.
The Doctor continued over the laughter of the two girls, "Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."
Rose and Lyla split apart to look over various railings. It was a few minutes before Rose called out to the other two, "What about down here?" They rushed to her side to see what she had found.
The Doctor studied it for a second, "Looks good to me," he confirmed.
oOoOo
They climbed down the manhole and into a red lit space full of stairs, platforms, and chains hanging from the ceiling and off stair railings. I could get lost here. Very, very easily. Best not to wonder. The Doctor quietly spoke to them about what they were seeing in the middle of the space, "The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature."
"It kinda just looks like lava…" Lyla stated off- handedly. Barley sparing a glance at the vat and continued to focus on the precarious railings and chains around her. Class A Observation Lyla! You Ditz. You deserved to be called a stupid ape after that observation.
"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." Rose whispered.
"We can't just kill it." Lyla protested. Right time to focus! The game changer would be to save all the lives but to do that I need to be fast when saving the Doctor. So, no mucking about and watching stuff unfold for once. Be proactive Lyla!
"She's right. We need to give it a chance," the Doctor whispered back before standing tall and walking toward the railing overlooking the vat. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under a peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."
The vat of melted red plastic flexed and growled.
"Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?" The Doctor asked the Consciousness.
Rose perused the space carefully and spotted Mickey huddled against the railing. She rushed off to him, "Oh, God! Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's alright."
Mickey, scared out of his mind, stuttered when he replied, "Tha-that thing down there, th-the liquid. Rose, it can talk."
Rose and Lyla, who followed her down the steps knowing that they would cave in sometime soon, got a big whiff of Mickey, "You're stinking. Doctor, they kept him alive."
"Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy." The Doctor said as he walked down the stairs to seek the audience with the Nestene Consciousness.
"I was right!" Lyla fists bumped the air in happiness. Not the time Lyla! Later you can gloat to their faces and say I told you so. Lives to save. Now where was that chain and axe?
"Oi. Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" The Doctor threw over his shoulder as he clambered down another flight of stairs.
Once he reached the platform overlooking the vat, he addressed the liquid, "Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" He finished with a humorless chuckle and smile.
The liquid formed a face and growled and flexed again. Seriously, what bad guy just takes the Doctor's advice. I'll tell you! None. 'Cause they all think they are right and just. How does that saying go? The end doesn't justify the means.
"Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." The Consciousness tried to interrupt the Doctor, but he had enough, "I am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go." That kinda reminds me of 10. With the whole Lion King debacle.
Rose and Lyla both saw the advancing Dummies at the same time and shouted to get the Doctor's attention, "Doctor!" but they were too slow. Mother plucking popsicles. How did I forget that? Cause I'm too busy watching actions unfold when I should be trying to change the events.
The Dummies grabbed the Doctor and put him in a hold that he was struggling to break free from. The other Living Plastic searched his pockets and pulled out the anti-plastic and the face in the vat screamed in outrage. "That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not." The liquid growled some more and thrashed about in its vat. "What do you mean?" A door slid away to reveal the Tardis that had a spotlight placed on it. "No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship." The thing growled and was starting to get more aggressive. "That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" The Doctor cried out as the Consciousness started to thrash about and scream its outrage to everyone listening.
"What's it doing?" Rose asked fearfully.
"It's the Tardis. The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion!" The Doctor warned the girls. "Get out, Rose! Lyla! Just leg it now!" he said desperately.
Rose stepped back and pulled out her phone and called her mother. "Do you think now is a good time for that… the world is about to end." Lyla said with an air of boredom as she looked around for something specific and ignored the phone conversation. Now where was that chain and axe? The Consciousness started throwing around energy bolts and some of the stairs started to collapse around them. Ah! Yes! Found it!
The Doctor was still struggling with his two captors as he yelled at the girls, "It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!"
"It's the end of the world." Rose whimpered.
"So dramatic!" Lyla yelled where she was standing by an axe and chain. She picked it up and slammed it into the lock keeping the chain in place. She whispered to herself, "I've got no family. No degree. No life beyond the present. But you do know what I have got…. A country living childhood. This is just like swinging over a 20-foot creek bed." She took a running leap off the platform and sailed right over and kicked the dummy that was holding the anti-plastic into the vat. When she swung back, she saw that the Doctor threw his other captor off as well and was waiting to catch Lyla as she swung back. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she let go of the chain that she was clutching with a white knuckled grip.
"Now we're in trouble," he commented lightly as they both leaned over the edge to watch the Nestene scream and twist in agony. They hurried up the stairs toward Mickey and Rose. The Doctor opened the door, and everyone fell in.
The Doctor got them quickly out of the sewer and was landing in a back alley a street away. I did it! I cut down the time that the activation signal was out. Those dummies shouldn't have gotten far from their original starting places. So, the results should be that a lot less people died. I wonder if I saved Clive. I'll look it up later. More important things like getting on the Tardis as a companion.
Mickey rushed out and was huddled against some trash cans. Useless. Rose was on the phone with her mother again. She smiled and laughed as she hung up.
Lyla followed Rose out but stopped a couple feet away from the Tardis doors while the Doctor causally leaned against the side. "Nestene Consciousness," he snapped his fingers together, "Easy!".
"We would have died if it wasn't for Lyla," Rose pointed out.
"Yes, we would have. Thank you, Lyla." He gave the brown-haired girl a soft smile and continued while never taking his eyes off Lyla, wanting to see her reaction to his next statement and question. "Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you two could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."
Lyla blinked a couple of times but peeked back at Rose with pleading eyes. Come on Rose. Don't be an idiot. Just say yes the first time.
"You should go Lyla," Rose said quietly as Mickey hugged her legs like a lost child.
"Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing," Mickey exclaimed.
"He's not invited. What do you think? You two could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere," the Doctor said temptingly.
Lyla tilted her head and watched the Doctor as he talked and when he was finished, she instantly walked over, "Yes. I'd love that. I'd really love that." Even if it wasn't a requirement, I would still have said yes.
"Great! That's fantastic," he exclaimed.
Lyla turned and looked at Rose, "Come with us Rose! It'll be fun and unforgettable. We can see the stars and eat weird food and have great adventures."
She peeked down at Mickey, who whimpered a little, "Yeah, I can't. I've er, I've got to go and find my mum, and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, but Lyla have fun yeah."
With that Lyla and the Doctor made their way into the Tardis. She walked up to the Captain's chair and sat down to watch the Doctor start the dematerialization sequence before she spoke up with a smile and a raised eyebrow, "So, what exactly can your machine do?"
He opened his mouth to answer but got a thoughtful expression on his face instead. After a pause he answered, "It's a time machine. Not just a London hopper but anywhere in time and space, we can go."
"You know I think you forgot to tell Rose that," Lyla commented with a small smile.
The Doctor looked at her with a tilted head and a massive smile started to crawl across his face. He rushed around the console as Lyla let out a joyous laugh. He rushed towards the doors and moments later he stepped aside for Rose to come running in. He's right, this is going to be Fantastic.
oOoOo