Unto the Universe
Chapter Forty-Six: Vampires of Venice: Storm
By Lumendea
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any spinoff material, and I gain no income from this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
AN: Yikes, normally rewrites are short and easy, but there were a lot of details to wrap up with this one.
….
Rose was waiting outside of the TARDIS when the Doctor and Jack returned. She'd gotten changed out of the chemise and was wearing a simpler red and brown dress that blended in with the dock workers. Her eyes moved through the crowd with interest, but with no alarm, which put the Doctor at ease. Rose brightened when she caught sight of them and hurried over to join them. The Doctor took her hand and threaded their fingers together.
"Where are Isabella and Guido?" the Doctor asked. He didn't think Rose was likely to leave them alone in the TARDIS.
"Isabella woke up and was… overwhelmed and Guido was getting uneasy with the TARDIS," Rose said delicately. "She wanted to test that she was alright in the sunlight. I gave them some vitamin d supplements to help get her back on her feet. Guido has a sister who lives outside of Venice, so they're going to visit her for a few days. Already left on the ferry. Apparently, you can leave even if getting back in is tough." Rose smiled. "Isabella was thrilled when she stepped out into the sunlight and felt no pain. Guido said to give you his deepest thanks."
The Doctor held back a huff at the pair not waiting to say goodbye, but it was probably better for Guido and Isabella that they didn't need to cross paths with Calvierri again. He'd hate for Isabella to be frightened after her trauma or Guido to do something foolish. They were both alive, Isabella would recover, and they were together. Best outcome possible for those two.
"Alright. Glad she felt strong enough for that."
"Sorry they didn't wait," Rose apologized. "The last few days have been a lot for them both."
"Well, if we keep Calvierri's attention on us then it shouldn't be a problem."
"So, what's the plan?" Rose asked.
"I told her we could take her and all the others of her kind to a new world. Save her species." To the Doctor's relief, Rose nodded in agreement. "In exchange, she is handed over to the Shadow Proclamation for converting humans. I gave her an hour to think it over."
"Do you think she'll accept?" Jack asked. "She wants to save them, but I'm not sure she'll sacrifice herself for them."
"Maybe not, but I had to give her a chance."
"Of course you did," Rose breathed. She squeezed his hand and leaned up to kiss his lips quickly, despite the fact they were standing in the open. "In case things go bad, is there anything you can tell Jack and me about them?"
"They're from the planet Saturnyne." He swallowed. "It was damaged in the Time War and, from what she described, also suffered at the hands of time rifts. Some of them escaped. They're not humanoid, but instead, an aquatic species that can move on land, but need a lot of moisture to survive. Fully converted members of the species have no weakness to sunlight. But let's hope this doesn't come down to-" The Doctor stopped as a crack of thunder shook the city. He looked up as dark storm clouds swept over the city with unnatural speed.
"I think she says no!" Jack was already running back the way they had come. "What's she doing, Doctor?"
Rose and the Doctor were right behind Jack. "Looks like weather manipulation!" The Doctor shouted back.
The wind was picking up. Rose could see locals looking up at the stormy sky with astonishment as the clouds darkened and thickened. Lighting flashed between the clouds and another rumble of thunder shook the city. It was right on top of them. Rose was grateful that she'd selected a light dress. This one was easy to run in and she hurried across the bridge with Jack and the Doctor. The guards were still in place in front of the palace, but the gates were open and a smiling Francesco stood at the centre of the entry.
"Welcome, Doctor!" Francesco cheered. He smiled smugly. "My mother may bend the heavens to save our species, but I shall bend the heavens to save her."
"Stop this right now," the Doctor snapped. Lightning flashed across the sky. "There are two hundred thousand people in this city!"
"I don't care about them." Francesco sneered. "Or you." He hissed and lunged at the Doctor.
Rose shoved the Doctor out of the way and summoned her sword, catching Francesco in the shoulder. He pulled back immediately and snarled, exposing his fangs. Jack stepped forward, but another roll of thunder shook the city.
"Go, deal with whatever is causing this!" Rose snapped.
"Be careful," the Doctor said. But he took the opportunity. "Jack, with me!"
The pair rushed around Francesco as he drew his sword. But he kept his eyes on Rose and her blade. Somehow, he smirked around his fangs and raised his sword. Rose shifted her feet, adjusting her stance and readying for the fight.
…
The Doctor ran straight for the empty throne. He'd had a hunch before, but now the purple upholstery of the back had been swung open, revealing the technology inside. A quick glance at it told him that Calvierri had an impressive set-up. They'd arrived with more technology than he'd assumed and been here long enough to deploy it. Frustration at her for not taking the deal or at her son for activating the system filled him. He'd given them an hour to try and keep them from feeling cornered, and this was the result.
"You're too late." Calvierri laughed. He and Jack turned to find her walking into the room with a small smile. "Such determination, just to save one city." She walked past Jack and peered up at the Doctor. "Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to cinders and ash. Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom."
"I gave you a chance," the Doctor growled.
Calvierri's smile faltered. "Yes, but my son… he made the choice. As his mother, I will support it." She turned and headed for the doorway where three of the girls were waiting.
"He's going to cost you everything!" The Doctor shouted. "Stop this!"
Jack pulled out his solar lamp, eying the girls with a frown. Even he wasn't trying to flirt right now. Calvierri studied them for a moment, her eyes unreadable before gesturing for the girls to follow her. He wasn't sure what to make of that. But they left, vanishing deeper into the mansion.
"I thought she'd have them attack us," Jack muttered.
"No, this way if we fail, she gets what she wants and if we stop her… she still gets what she wants."
Calvierri was smart that way. She knew he wanted to save them and had poured salt in his wound with her last comment. One way or another, she was getting what she needed most. But for the sake of history, for the thousands of humans in Venice and everyone who would be affected by the inevitable war, he had to stop this.
The Doctor focused on the throne, attempting to access the control system and failing. Jack lingered close to him, no doubt intent on protecting him. He almost smile, he would have smiled if not for the mess they were in.
"She's locked it!" the Doctor snapped.
Suddenly the room shook, sending Jack and the Doctor stumbling. They both managed to stay on their feet by grabbing the throne. But Jack's eyes were wide with panic.
"What was that?"
"An earthquake," the Doctor snapped. "Jack, rip this throne apart. Completely. I need control to be rerouted to the secondary hub."
The Doctor lunged for the staircase. He trusted Jack enough to know that the man would get the job done. Running up the stairs, the Doctor grit his teeth as the building shook from another quake. Any moment they'd get too strong and tidal waves would start. He allowed himself to worry about Rose for a moment before he reached the top of the stairs.
…
Francesco hissed at Rose as he stumbled back. Across the water, people were running and screaming as the water poured down. Another roll of thunder and flash of lightning together told Rose that the storm was right above them. The glare of the alien was enough to hold her attention. Rose was grateful that they were away from the general population. The guards and Carlo had fled and the panicking civilians were mostly across the water. Those who lived on this side near the school had already retreated indoors.
He swung at Rose and her grip tightened on her hilt. The swords collided and the star knight blade cut through the much weaker metal one. Francesco's eyes widened and he stepped back. His eyes jumped around and settled on something behind Rose. She didn't dare look behind her until Francesco darted away past. Rose turned to follow, spotting a child huddling in a corner. Eyes widening, Rose bolted after Francesco. A snarl from him made the child look up. Francesco reached for them. Rose wasn't sure if he was looking for a hostage, a shield or a quick snack, but none of the options were good. Thrusting with her sword, Rose caught him in the back.
Francesco stumbled. The child, a little boy by the looks of it, scrambled to his feet and ran down the alley. Rose pulled out her sword, her stomach turning at the wet sound it made. Francesco collapsed to the ground.
"Mummy…"
Rose stepped back. Francesco crawled towards the canal. She looked around, searching for any other potential victims, but they were alone. Francesco reached into the water. It bubbled, rising up to greet him and Rose took a fearful step back. Francesco flinched and reached for his side. Pulling back his doublet, he revealed his perception filter and turned it, making some unknown change. He still looked human. He turned just enough to look at Rose. Alien blood stained his fangs, and he laughed. Then, he rolled into the canal and dropped under the waves. Rose stepped forward, but another quake left her scrambling back just as blood coloured the water.
….
The stone was slick to the touch and the Doctor took a steadying breath. Dying of a fall again didn't sound good. Not the best death he could have. Flexing his fingers, he focused his grip on the carved curves of the windows. There was at least something to grip there. With a huff, he pushed himself up and tightened his grip. The treads of his boots helped him leverage his feet against the side of the tower. He climbed. It wasn't far. He could see the steeple. The Doctor kept moving and did not look down. Jack would have the throne's hub destroyed by now. If there was one thing Jack could be counted on to do, it was destroying something. That and flirting and protecting Rose.
At the top of the sloped roof was a brass ball. Inwardly, the Doctor commended Calvierri for her good job in blending in. Refugees and they'd managed all this. He pried it open with a huff, revealing a mess of clockwork gears alongside more of the purple cabling. Lightning flashed too close in the sky. The Doctor shuddered. Dying by electrocution would be new. Ugly and new. His hands moved around the gears as they spun, searching for a control switch. Then he saw it. Rolling his eyes, the Doctor flipped the small switch and huffed.
"That was almost insulting," the Doctor grumbled.
…
Rose grinned as the clouds parted and faded as quickly as they had swept in. Sunlight poured over the city, and the locals peered out from doorways and windows. Despite living on a lagoon, that was unusual weather even for them. Shielding her eyes, Rose looked up desperately to the tower. The Doctor shifted into view and Rose exhaled in relief.
"I'll give him a hand in getting down," Jack said. He rushed back into the mansion, leaving Rose on the street looking up at the Doctor.
The Doctor looked down at her and despite the distance, Rose felt that familiar spark when their eyes met. She was tempted to try and reach out for him telepathically, but decided against it. The last thing she wanted was to distract him. The Doctor vanished back into the tower and Rose breathed a little easier. He'd fallen to his death once before and she wasn't eager to have a repeat of that.
She headed for the door, noting that it was open and the guards were nowhere to be seen. Some treasures from inside the house were scattered around the doorway. Someone, likely Carlo, had done a runner. Rose paused to cast one more glance around the street. People were already beginning to pick the items that had been scattered by the storm. She imagined at the docks were in much worse shape, but the city was still here. At least for a few more centuries. Rose wasn't going to ask the Doctor how long it survived in her own era. Maybe the answer would surprise her, but, well, Rose knew that history often didn't bring good news.
The room was surprisingly intact even if Calvierri's throne was not. Jack was holding tight to Calvierri's arm. The woman's expression was defeated and horrified. Behind her, the six young women stirred and shifted uneasily, likely picking on her mood. But none of them were attacking. The Doctor stalked into the room, both satisfaction and frustration radiating off of him. Calvierri's eyes went to Rose and the empty doorway behind her. Rose watched her expression darken even more and knew that she didn't need to tell the woman of her eldest son's fate. The Doctor eyed the group and Rose could see his rage as he studied all of them. With a flick of his sonic screwdriver, he made their perception filters turn off. Six of the purple lobster-like aliens stood in the room.
"Don't harm them," Calvierri whispered. "Please. Don't harm them. Francesco is… I've already lost him today."
"I'm sorry about your son," the Doctor answered. "This wasn't necessary."
"He activated the machine without my consent," Calvierri informed him. "I was- I was going to agree, Doctor. Please, have mercy on those who are left."
"You can spare me the pleading. I don't need to hear it." The sonic screwdriver whirled again and the appearance of the young women was returned to normal. "Jack, Rose, guard them. I'll get the TARDIS and we'll get everyone to their new home."
"We aren't going to let 10,000 of them into the TARDIS, right?" Jack asked.
"No. Don't worry, I'll make a bubble for the boys," the Doctor grinned at the last word as it amused. It was forced. "Thankfully, we only need to hop in space. This will be quick."
Calvierri said nothing, but her posture relaxed at the confirmation that the Doctor was still going to help. Rose none the less kept her eyes on the woman. She doubted Calvierri would or even could do anything at this point against them, but Rose didn't want to risk her getting an attack in on any of them or the locals.
A few minutes later, they all looked up as the wheezing sound of the TARDIS filled the room. The blue box materialized next to the ruined throne, earning looks of awe from the converted women. It was the first real emotion that Rose had seen on their features. The Doctor opened the door and gestured them inside.
"Come on, the lads are already linked up into a fancy invisible net that would take too long to explain."
The Doctor ushered everyone inside while Calvierri looked around in awe. She still said nothing to any of them. Jack stayed next to her, keeping his gaze and all of his focus on her. The six converted women lingered by the door, their expressions curious, but all of them stayed silent. None of them asked the questions that women of their time should have been asking. Rose joined the Doctor at the controls, helping him pilot the TARDIS as smoothly as possible.
"Here we go," the Doctor said. He grabbed the scanner and checked it before nodding to himself. "When and where I wanted to be." Flipping a switch, the Doctor grinned as the TARDIS shuddered. "Lads have been released. Open the doors."
Jack glanced at Rose. She stepped up near Calvierri, silently taking on guard duty while Jack moved past the girls. He pushed open the doors and shifted back. The TARDIS was floating right above the dark waters of a vast sea. There was only the barest hint of light on the horizon and unfamiliar stars glittered far above.
"Set up in place in the air," the Doctor said with a grin. "Don't normally do that, but there isn't much in the way of land on this planet." He looked at the converted women and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. There was a quick hum and their real alien visages appeared. "You best go."
They all looked to Calvierri. She nodded without looking at them. Without a word, all six filed past Jack and jumped out into the water. They vanished under the waves. The waves rolled across the top of the vast sea, but Rose still caught glimpses of the aliens swimming away. She exhaled slowly, relief and rage warring inside of her. On the one hand, the Saturnyns would live, but it came at the cost of many human lives. Rose wanted to demand an answer for how many had died but feared the answer.
"They're safe," the Doctor told her softly. "The species is saved and we were able to save Isabella."
"I know." Rose exhaled and shook her head. "Still don't like it. Too many people died." Or lost their lives to conversion, Rose silently added, thinking of the young women who would never see their families again.
"It could have been worse," Jack muttered. "Much worse."
She knew he was right. Given Guido's gunpowder supply, if they hadn't arrived the man easily could have done something rash and desperate that only made things worse. Or Calvierri could have sunk Venice and triggered a war between two species on Earth. She nodded and moved away from the door, looking back at Calvierri who was standing under Jack's watchful eyes.
"Take a look, Calvierri," the Doctor offered. He shifted back from the door and leaned against the rails. "This planet is 90% water with only one small landmass. The chemical composition of the water matches your homeworld better than Earth. No predators in the waters that your children can't easily overcome and even some ruins under the water to give them shelter as they rebuild."
Calvierri approached the doorway, still holding herself with the dignity of a queen. Rose wasn't sure how to feel about her. On some level, she understood Calvierri's desperation. Life had to try to survive even if the odds were against it. Evolve or die. And Calvierri had lost her oldest child due to his unwillingness to risk her being arrested and not joining them.
"I will not thank you," Calvierri said. She was staring out at the waves. "My eldest is dead. Yet… I have hope when I look out over these waters."
"Good," the Doctor said. "Remember this sight. I hope it makes what happens next worth it."
Calvierri smiled. Rose started to move towards her, not liking that smile. "It does, Doctor."
She turned and threw herself out the TARDIS doors and into the water. The weight of her heavy gown immediately pulled her under. Rose lunged into the doorway and started to reach out into the water, but Jack grabbed her and pulled her back.
"Stop! Rose, stop!"
"Her perception filter is broken," the Doctor shouted. He pulled Rose back but was staring at the waters with horror.
A moment later, a reddish tint appeared in the water and Rose turned her head away. Shaking his head, the Doctor closed the doors of the TARDIS and sighed. No one said anything. Rose couldn't believe that her own children couldn't recognize their mother without sight. But maybe in the water… she didn't know. Shuddering, Rose slipped out of Jack's grasp and went to the Doctor. He shifted and opened his arms. Rose hugged him tightly, resting her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his hearts.
"Sorry Venice wasn't fun," the Doctor said.
"I wouldn't say that." Rose chuckled. "I got to see some of the city and enjoy the fashion. And we were able to save Isabella and Guido and the rest of the Saturnyns. Venice and a species were saved. We've had worse days."
The Doctor chuckled and Jack looked at the door and shook his head. "Had better ones too," Jack sighed. Then he glanced over at them. "Well, I'm ready to change out of this getup. Looks great, especially on me, but very hot." He shook his head and slipped out of the console room.
"I am sorry," the Doctor said.
"Stop it," Rose scolded. "A species was saved today without the loss of a city. It wasn't perfect, but…" She trailed off. "The Saturnyns live. That's more than enough."
The Doctor pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Despite her time in Calvierri's school and wardrobe changes, she still smelled of her vanilla shampoo and lilacs. He smiled widely, enjoying the warm feeling filling his chest. Then Rose's golden mental presence gently brushed against his. The Doctor lowed his forehead against her and welcomed the soft telepathic caress. After having Calvierri point out his failure to save Gallifrey and the dark memories that had brought back, he was happy to exist in a peaceful moment with Rose.