Unto the Universe

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Legend of the Sea Devils: Below

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.

….

Captain Zheng Yi Sao allowed the Doctor to examine the bodies of the Sea Devils instead of throwing them overboard as her men had wanted. Already, a sharp fishy smell was emanating from the corpses, but it didn't bother the Doctor as he knelt down beside them. There was regret in his eyes as he looked at their faces for a moment. Rose regretted the loss of life even as a strange churning sensation in her gut worried her. Was it a reaction to the Silurians being awake in her planet's past when they shouldn't be, or just sea sickness?

"Anything?" Jack asked. He was leaning over the rail and glancing back at the Doctor. "Sea is calming. Hopefully, that's a good sign. What do you think, Doc? Weather control by the looks of it, but thoughts on the next step?"

"I need to take a look under the waves," the Doctor said. Impatience coloured his voice, and Rose shifted closer to him, touching his hand softly. "There's nothing on this ship, on any of them, that should be drawing the Sea Devil's attention." He huffed and glared out at the waves. "Course, it could be that they're just attacking ships on what they see as their seas. Depending on their plans, it could be them training an army."

"That's worse than anything I was thinking," Jack said. He was studying the Doctor. "This era and area are a powder keg. Due to explode soon."

Jack fell silent and waited as the Doctor inspected the armour worn by the Sea Devils and the weapons that had fallen to the deck with them. The Doctor's face gave nothing away, and he searched the pouches that the Sea Devils wore on their belts. Rose glanced towards the crew. They were being watched suspiciously by many of them even as the crew took care of the ship. The rocking was easing as the last of the storm faded from the sky and stars began to appear. It wasn't properly night yet, but twilight yet worried Rose. Things had already been uncomfortably dark during the earlier storm; if they were attacked again before dawn, it would be even worse.

"Anything interesting?" Jack asked.

"Two of them have these." The Doctor pulled out a circular device similar to the one he'd scooped up earlier.

"What is it?" Rose asked. "Part of the weather control system?"

"Yes and no." The Doctor stood up and handed the device to Rose before pulling the first one out of his pocket. Then he brought out his sonic and began inspecting it. "They're linked to the weather circuit, but neither of these has enough power for that."

The whirl of the sonic drew the attention of one of the nearby sailors, and Rose tensed at the way he narrowed his eyes. They were likely on thin ice. While the TARDIS was translating for them, they were all westerners who had mysteriously appeared on the ship right before trouble. At least the sailors had been expecting trouble and didn't immediately throw them overboard. Rose's grip tightened on her sword, and she glanced between what the Doctor was doing and the crew.

"Fantastic," the Doctor laughed. "This is a small field stabilizer!"

"Meaning what in this context?" Jack asked.

"It eases the storm that the Sea Devils are creating in a small localized field so that they can swim through the waters safely. It was wondering about that." The Doctor stood up with a grin and looked around the ship. "With some luck, I can use this to stabilize the ship. It won't stop the Sea Devils from attacking, but it will protect the ship from the worst of the storm and level the playing field a little."

"Your words are strange," Zheng Yi Sao said. The captain stalked towards them slowly, her expression carefully neutral. "I do not know you well enough to trust you fully, Doctor," Zheng Yi Sao said sternly. "But I will not debate that your obvious knowledge of these creatures greatly surpasses my own."

"We are here to help," the Doctor said patiently. "I can understand that our arrival was unexpected, but I don't want to see your ship destroyed." The Doctor held up the stabilizer. "With your permission, I can install this at the centre of your ship. It won't stop the Sea Devils, but it will make riding their storms easier for your ship and crew."

"Given they boarded, I am uncertain that they wish to sink the ship," Zheng Yi Sao replied.

"That's a good point," the Doctor agreed. "I don't know for certain what they are after. Given that they seem, in part, motivated by hatred towards your species, they may just be attacking because they believe they'll win and find it more satisfying." The Doctor looked a touch ill at just saying those words. "I still think it would be a good idea."

Zheng Yi Sao studied him and then the device in his hand for a moment. Then with a barely noticeable sigh, she nodded and stepped to the side, allowing the Doctor to head for the centre mast. Jack went with him, shadowing close behind the Doctor and watching the crew.

"My people will not attack him," Zheng Yi Sao told Rose with a hint of annoyance.

"I trust that," Rose assured her. "But Jack tends to be protective. He's always going to worry about a rogue element."

Zheng Yi Sao nodded in acceptance and watched the Doctor. Rose was curious herself and moved a little closer so she could better see. The Doctor had grabbed some rope and was pulling twine from his pocket. With a few words, he handed the stabilizer to Jack and dug deeper into his pockets. More metal bits came out, including a metal cup that the Doctor used the sonic to cut apart enough to flatten. Then he lashed the device and his make-shift satellite dish to the mast and grinned as it flashed with light.

"There," he said in obvious pleasure. "That will generate a small field around your ship." He looked around, and his grin widened. "Won't cover much more than the junk, but it will ease the immediate effects of the storm and make it easier for you to stay afloat."

"Alright," Yi Sao agreed. She sounded a touch doubtful, but she'd apparently already reached the point of acceptance when it came to dealing with the Doctor. "And what do you recommend as the next course of action. My immediate concern is the lack of information we possess regarding the Sea Devils and their plans."

"We're in agreement then," the Doctor replied. "I need to know more about what they're doing. This field generator won't last long, and I can't protect the whole of the oceans and land using them." The Doctor grabbed Rose's and gently drew her closer to him, which made Rose smile. "Best we go and take a look."

"Can we safely use the TARDIS?" Jack asked. "You've said that once we're part of events-"

"Have to be careful," the Doctor agreed. "But we're using her more like a lift this time. That'll be alright."

"What are you speaking of?" Yi Sao demanded sharply.

"Uh… we have a way to go under the water safely," Rose explained carefully.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "Might not have told you everything earlier."

"I am going with you," Zheng Yi Sao snapped. She held her chin high and met the Doctor's surprised gaze. "That is not up for negotiation. My crew can tend the ship, but if you find more sailors or my husband's crew where you are going, then you will need me to reassure them."

Rose held back a smile at Zheng Yi Sao's firmness. She wasn't sure that they had time to try and explain the TARDIS, but maybe they wouldn't need to. The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes but didn't argue. Either he already knew that it wouldn't work or didn't think they had the time. Yi Sao shouted to one of the nearby sailors that she was going to investigate with them and received a confused expression for her efforts. Nonetheless, the man nodded and returned to his task. Apparently, this crew was good at going with whatever came their way.

"Fine. This way. Guess you'll get to see how we got onto your ship after all."

Jack chuckled and rushed ahead of the Doctor to open the door to the small storeroom where the TARDIS was tucked away. Zheng Yi Sao gave him an odd look but followed. The Doctor pulled out his key and stepped inside, leaving Zheng Yi Sao standing behind him.

"What is that box? It wasn't on the ship earlier."

"No, this is my ship," the Doctor replied. The doors of the TARDIS opened, and he stepped inside. "Come on. We haven't got time for gawking."

Rose gently touched Zheng Yi Sao's shoulder, drawing the retired pirate out of her shock and nodded into the TARDIS.

"It's safe," Rose said. "There isn't time to explain, but we're here to help. We use this ship to find problems and fix them."

Yi Sao followed them into the TARDIS with wide but guarded eyes. She kept one hand on the hilt of her sword and another on her firearm. Thankfully, she didn't draw either of them, and Rose stayed close to her by the doorway. Just in case it proved to be too much. The Doctor glanced their way but quickly made adjustments to the console. Yi Sao gasped when the TARDIS lurched, but it lasted for only a moment.

"Ocean floor," the Doctor announced. "Right below the ship." He gestured to the doors behind Rose and grinned.

Opening the doors of the TARDIS slowly, Rose couldn't help but smile with excitement. Oddly enough, they'd never done the bottom of the ocean before. Many planets, the moon, asteroids, and even comets and stellar storms, but never the bottom of the ocean. Light spilt out of the TARDIS, and on instinct, Rose sucked in a sharp breath. But the water didn't flood inside. Instead, there was a wall of water ahead of her, less than half a meter from her, but it was held back by the TARDIS. Grinning, Rose stroked the side of the door and peered out.

Thanks to the light from the console room, Rose could see fish scattering away, leaving thin trails in the water. It was too dark down here for plants, even seaweed, to grow, but the rocky formations and the way the water shimmered in the light of the TARDIS as it shifted were beautiful in their own way. There was a shipwreck just barely within the light of the TARDIS that was old and decaying, with silt covering the vessel's remains.

"Very brown and grey," Jack said dismissively.

"It's lovely in other ways," Rose insisted. "Though, we certainly scared the fish."

"Not sure you'd want to see some of the fish down here," the Doctor teased. "But that doesn't belong."

"What?" Rose asked, peering into the darkness. "Not all of us have superior eyesight."

"Hang on."

The Doctor turned and adjusted the controls. More light appeared in the ocean, and Rose realized with a laugh that it was coming from the light at the top of the TARDIS. That was a surprise, but she quickly turned her attention to seeking out what the Doctor had noted.

Rose wasn't a marine biologist and hadn't spent much time looking at photos of the ocean floor, space had always fascinated her far more, but even she knew that the tall coral structure with the faint green glow didn't belong. Beside her, the Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver once again and pointed it at the coral.

"There's a concentration of technology in there," Jack said. He was studying his vortex manipulator. "Can't get a good reading on it."

"Neither can I," the Doctor agreed. He scowled at the structure. "Some patterns consistent with Silurian technology, but not all of it. Could be parts of alien ships that they've scavenged from the oceans. Or experiments with something new."

"How is this possible?" Yi Sao asked softly. She reached out her hand and tapped the barrier made of water just outside the TARDIS. "It's impossible." Her fingers twitched around her firearm.

"It's okay," Rose assured her quickly. She didn't grab the former pirate. "We're not from around here, as you probably guessed, but we're here to help."

"Yes," the Doctor added. "The Sea Devils cannot be allowed to gain control of the surface." He seemed pained by the words, but Rose's history depended on the Sea Devils staying in the oceans. "We're not going to harm you or your crew."

Yi Sao's expression was cold and distant. But she slowly nodded. "What is your plan?"

"Well, first, I'm going to see if I can get a good reading on that structure," the Doctor said. He turned back to the controls. "Then, we'll get closer and expand the air bubble if need be."

Rose wasn't sure what to do in the meantime. She turned to look outside once again and noted that she could see a much more recent shipwreck further out. The polish on the wood still gleamed under a thin dusting of silt. Rose's stomach turned, and she eyed the Sea Devil structure nervously.

"I didn't always love the sea," Zheng Yi Sao said softly. "I was sold to be a prostitute as a child and grew up on a flower boat. The sea was just… there. It was where I worked."

"I'm sorry," Rose said.

"Oh, don't be. I was treated well. I was considered beautiful and gifted in conversation, which put me in high demand and protected me." Zheng Yi Sao's lips quirked into a small smile. "Zheng Yi marrying me was a lucky turn of fate. I already knew that one day my beauty would fade, and I would become vulnerable to fast turns of fortune. When he took me to sea as his wife, I saw possibilities. Opportunities to put my mind to use in a way that I'd never had the chance to before. I came to love the sea then as my path to freedom. A broad and open path where I could remake myself and my life." Then she chuckled. "But I will be happy to return to the land and my children."

"You have children?" Rose asked.

"Four children. Yi and I had two boys, and Bao and I had a son and daughter. Bao is the only father the children truly know. Even when Yi was alive, he was the one who was there for them." A dark expression settled over Yi Sao's face. "I will find him. Your Doctor best not stand in my way, or I will cut him down like the Sea Devils."

"The Doctor wants to get everyone home safely," Rose promised her.

The dark expression on the woman's face sent a chill rolling down her spine. Rose didn't doubt her words at all. She looked at the recent wreck again and hoped that it wasn't Bao's ship. They didn't have any confirmation that anything bad had happened to him and his crew yet. Just that he'd written his wife to warn her of danger, and she had yet to find him.

"Doctor?" Rose called back. "Anything?"

"There's an air bubble inside the structure," the Doctor said. "Lots of signs of activity." Rose turned to look back at him. Worry filled his eyes, and he began to adjust the controls. "We're going inside. Close the doors."

Rose did as he asked and eyed the Pirate Queen once again. Her hands were on her weapons, and her spine was straight. They might not know what had happened to Bao and his ship yet, but Rose did not want to be the one who got in her way of finding out. The TARDIS landed once again with a gentle thump, and Jack hurried over to the door. His face was calm and neutral, a clear sign that he was in protective mode.

"Excuse me," Jack said.

He didn't wait for a response and vaulted over the railings beside the door to slip in front of Rose and Zheng Yi Sao. The Pirate Queen's eyes flashed, but Rose shook her head. It would be impossible to explain why it was best to have Jack in the front without revealing more than was safe. But it was better to have Jack go first, even if Rose hated it.

"Ready?" Jack asked. He put his hands on the doors. "No idea what we'll find."

"Hopefully, answers," the Doctor huffed. "And a way to keep the Sea Devils from interfering with ships and off the land." A gloomy weight had settled on the Doctor's shoulders. Rose reached over and took his hand as Jack pushed the doors of the TARDIS open.