So here is 'Fear Her'. I skipped the episode 'Love and Monsters' because one it's not my favorite episode, and two it doesn't have a lot of the Doctor and Rose in it. But anyways… I really like how this chapter came out. It ended up being pretty long so sorry if you don't like long chapters and your welcome if you don't. ;) Enjoy…
Harper's POV
"So, Doc where are we headed to?" I asked as the Doctor ran around the console.
"It's a surprise, but you two are going to love it," the Doctor said as we finally landed and he ran to the door. "Ah," he almost sounded disappointed when he looked outside. The Doctor quickly shut the door and ran back to the console. "Wrong place, just fixing it really quickly."
Rose and I looked at each other in confusion, but the TARDIS helped clear it up, 'he can't parallel park.'
I almost busted out laughing at this and Rose could tell, "What's so funny?" She asked quietly.
I whispered back, "We are in the right place, someone just can't parallel park the TARDIS."
Rose covered her month with her hand to stop from laughing. The Doctor was trying to ignore us and once we landed again, he ran to the door opening them, "AH!"
Rose and I followed, still laughing lightly, and looked around. She walked over to a wall with posters on it saying, "So, near future, yeah?"
"I had a passing fancy. Only, it didn't pass, it stopped." We walked down the street a bit and when we saw a banner saying 'London 2012', the Doctor announced, "30th Olympiad."
"Really?" I asked excitedly.
And Rose said, "No way! Why didn't I think of this? That's great." Rose grabbed onto his arm as we walked.
"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about, wresting with each other in the sand, as the crowds stood around baying…" He stopped talk and then said, "No, wait a minute, that was Club Med."
I busted out laughing at his craziness.
"I wish you would have told me, I could have worn something more patriotic. You know the stars and stripes," I said motioning to my clothes.
"Well, that wouldn't have been good. You're in England; you can't go around looking like an American flag," Rose said with a laugh.
"Hey! I will support my country whenever and where ever I want!" I started singing 'American the Beautiful', but the Doctor put his hand over my month, laughing.
"We are just in time for the opening doodah ceremony tonight. I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite."
The Doctor still had his hand over my month so I licked his hand causing him to let go. "Aw! You just licked my hand."
"Yeah, and now I regret doing that, yuck!" Rose laughed at us and the Doctor just rolled his eyes. He kept on talking like nothing had happened, "Wembley 1948. I loved it so much I went back and watched it all over again."
As the Doctor walked down the street talking, Rose and I went over to a light pole; where poster of missing children were posted.
"Fella carrying a torch. Lovely chap. What was his… Mark? John, Mark? Legs like pipe-cleaners, but strong as a whippet…"
"Doctor," Rose said trying to get his attention.
"And in those days, everyone had a tea party to go to…"
"Doctor," I tried.
"You ever have those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top?"
"You should really look at this!" Rose said and he finally started our way.
"You know those things? Nobody else in this entire galaxy has ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius!" Once he finally looked at the posters he asked, "Who's taken them, do you think? Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this."
"Don't underestimate an ordinary street. I used to live on a street I considered ordinary," I warned him.
He gave me a looked that said, 'true' and asked, "And why is it so cold? Someone reducing the temperature?"
"Says here he went missing this week. Why would a person do something like this?" Rose asked.
"What makes you think it's a person?" The Doctor said.
We all looked back the way we had come from as a lady came out taking out the trash. She looked rather nervous to me.
"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death," Rose said. "Doctor, what…"
We both turned at saw him running down the street and round the corner.
"And they he goes… running… again!" I said with an exasperated sigh.
Rose laughed at me and took my arm say, "come on, lets go before he gets himself into to much trouble."
As Rose and I walked down the street a car came to a stop beside us. The driver kept trying to get it to start up again with no luck.
"There you go," A street worker said walking over to the car. "Fifth today. That's not natural, is it?"
"Dunno what happened. I had it serviced less than a month ago," the driver said getting out of his car.
"Nah, don't even try and explain it mate. All the cars are doing it, and you know what? It's bonkers, bonkers!" The workers said, "Come on them, pal, I'll help you shift it. Quicker you're on your way, happier you'll be." As they started to move the car he said, "There we go."
The worker looked as if he was having a hard time of it so Rose asked, "Do you want a hand?"
"No, we're all right, love."
"Well, you're not," She said with a laugh. "We're tougher than we look, honest."
We both got on each side of the worker and started to push the car. All at once the car started back up; Rose and I stood back up but the worker fell to the ground.
"Does this happen a lot?" I asked.
"Cheers, mate!" The driver called as he pulled away; I gave him a small wave in return.
"Been doing it all week."
"Since those children started going missing?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, suppose so."
"I'm Harper by the way, and this is Rose. And you are?"
"Kel."
"When then, Kel. Why don't you tell us what's going on."
"Every car cuts out. Council are going nuts. I mean they've given this street the works. Renamed it. I've been tarmacking every pothole. Look at that, beauty, innit? Yep. And all this is because that Olympic torch comes right by the end of this close," Kel pointed behind us. "Just down there. Everything's gotta be perfect, ain't it? Only it ain't."
"It takes 'em when they're playing," an older lady said coming up to us.
"What takes them?" Rose and I asked at the same time.
"Danny, Jane, Dale, snatched in the blink of an eye."
"Liar! You're a liar!" We heard a man yell and then we found the Doctor.
"I am a… I'm a Police officer!" The Doctor said backing up to us. "That's what I am. I've got a badge and a police car. You don't have to get… I can prove it. Just hold on…"
Since the Doctor was right in front of me, I slipped my hand into his pocket to find the psychic paper.
"We've had plenty of coppers poking round here and you don't look or sound like any of 'em," the man said.
"I'm so sorry about him, sir. My name's Detective Inspector Harper Jones. These are my colleagues Smith and Lewis," I said holding out the psychic paper and then pointing to the Doctor and Rose. "Office Smith just got taken off desk duty and is still a bit rusty in the field."
"Well, you two look less like a copper than he does."
"I find people are more welling to talk when not in uniform and she is training. New recruit. It was either that or hairdressing. So…" I said with a smile.
'Oh you're good!'
'Why think you. I came up with that one rather quickly if I do say so myself.'
"What are you going to do?" A lady asked that had joined the group.
"The police have knocked on every door," the older lady said. "No clues, no leads, nothing!"
"Look, look, kids run off sometimes, all right?" The man said, "That's what they do."
"I saw it with me own eyes. Dale Hicks in your garden playing with your Tommy, and then…" the older lady made a disappearing motion with her hands, "right in front of me, like he was never there. There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us!"
"Why don't we…" the Doctor started but a very angry lady who had just joined our group said, "Why don't we start with him. There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night…"
"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" Kel said.
"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it!" Tommy's dad said.
"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is…" the Doctor tried again.
"That woman who just said… that's slander!" Kel yelled.
"I don't care what it is!"
"I think we need to just…" the Doctor tried once more.
"I want an apology off her!"
"Stop picking on him!" The older lady said.
"Yeah! Stop picking on me!"
"And stop pretending to be blind, it's evil," the older lady continued.
"I don't believe in evil," the angry lady said.
"Oh, no! You just believe in tarmarkers with sack-loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van," Kel said still very offended.
"Hey, hey, that's not what she's saying," Tommy's dad said.
"Would you stop ganging up on me?"
"Feeling guilty, are we?"
"Fingers on lips!" The Doctor all of a sudden yelled over everyone. I did as he said but Rose was just standing there until the Doctor motioned for her to do it to. "In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen, snatched out of thin air, right?"
"Uh… can I…" the older lady said. When the Doctor nodded yes she said, "look around you. This was a safe street till it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?"
I saw Rose was looking at something so I followed her gaze and saw a little girl looking out the window at all of us. I looked away when I heard someone walk away and go towards the house.
The Doctor's POV
Rose, Harper, and I were in Tommy's dad's front yard; I started to sniff the air, smelling something odd.
"Want a hanky?" Rose asked.
"You smell it?" I asked and Rose and Harper started to sniff the air too. "What's it remind you of?"
"Metal?" Harper asked and Rose agreed, "yeah, sort of metal."
"Mmm-hmm," I made a sound of approval because they got it right.
"Oh!" Rose looked happy as we walked away from the yard.
"Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other," I said as we walked down the ally. "Whoa!" I stopped holding up my hand. "There it goes again. Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand."
"And there's that smell," Rose said.
"Yeah, almost like a burnt fuse plug or something," Harper said.
"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this."
"Oh, aren't you a beautiful boy!" Rose said and Harper added, "oh yes you are!"
"Thanks! I'm experimenting with backcombing," I said turning around but saw they were both petting a cat, "oh."
Harper started to laugh at me and Rose ignored me saying to the cat, "I used to have one like you," then she looked at me and asked, "what?"
"No, I'm not really a cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, kind of takes the joy out of it."
"Oh your just jealous that Rose and I were talking about the cat and not you," Harper said with a laugh as she walked over to me.
"I am not jealous! Especially of a cat."
"Ha, you so are!" Harper laughed again, but before I could say anything Rose said, "Doctor!"
Harper and I went over to where Rose was holding a box the cat had just gone into. I picked the box up and immediately smelled the smell again.
"Whoa! Ion residue. Blimey! That takes some doing. Just to snatch a living organism out of space-time. This baby is just like, 'I'm having some of that!' I'm impressed."
"Oh, it stinks," Harper complained. "What happened to the cat?"
"Has it been transported?" Rose asked.
"It can harness huge reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power. Find the source and you will find whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you two can see, keep 'em peeled, Lewis." I said to the girls, making them laugh.
Harper's POV
Rose and I were walking around the street trying to find anything helpful when we heard a noise coming from behind a garage door.
"That you, puss cat? You trapped?"
"Rose…" I warned.
"Not gonna open it," she said. "Not gonna open it. Not gonna open it…"
But then she went and opened it. Something came flying out and I had just enough time to push Rose out of the way before it came at her. Unfortunately it came straight for me then causing me to fall down.
Rose was trying to help but not doing a great job and then I heard, "Stay still!"
It was the Doctor. I heard his sonic screwdriver and the strange thing fell down shrinking to the size of a small ball. I caught it as a reflex.
"Okey dokey?" The Doctor asked pulling me up.
"Yeah, thanks," I said.
"No probs," he pulled me in for a hug. I pulled away and Rose gave me a hug saying, "thanks for pushing me out of the way."
"Anytime."
We all looked at the ball and the Doctor said poking at it with his sonic, "I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what it is. 'Cause I haven't got the foggiest."
'Like you have a fiver,' I thought with a laugh to the Doctor.
"Well, I can tell you, you just killed it," Rose said.
"It was never alive," I said.
"Harper's right, it's animated by energy. The same energy that's snatching people. That is so dinky! The go-anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket. Makes friends, impresses the boss, breaks the ice at parties."
The Doctor's POV
"Oh. Hi-oh, there we go. Let's have a look," I said. We were back on the TARDIS and I was running a scan to figure out what the creature was. "Get out of here!"
"What's it say?" Rose asked.
I picked up the ball and grabbed a pencil out of my jacket pocket, erasing some of it. "It is. It's graphite."
"Graphite? Like what's in a pencil?" Harper asked coming back into the main room.
"Basically, yeah. Did you change?" She was now wearing a blue skirt, white shirt, with a red hat.
"Yep, it's a subtle way showing my support for my country."
I shook my head in amusement as Rose asked, "Harper was attacked by a pencil scribble?"
"Wow, is it sad that that sentence sounds normal to me?" Harper asked.
I just shook my head at her, again, and said, "a scribble creature. Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with it can create things as well as take them. But why make a scribble creature?"
"Maybe it was a mistake," Harper offered.
"Yeah, you scribble over something when you wanna get rid of it," Rose said. "Like a drawing. Like a… child's drawing. He said it was in the street."
"Probably," I said wanting to know where her mind was going.
"The girl," both of them said at the same time.
"Of course!" I agreed with the immediately.
'You have no idea who we are talking about do you?'
'No, not a clue.' So I asked, "what girl?"
"Something about her gave me the creeps," Rose said.
"Even her own mum looked scared of her," Harper explained.
"Are you deducting?" I asked Rose.
"I think I am."
"Copper's hunch?" Harper asked
"Permission to follow it up, Sarge," Rose asked.
We all laugh and Harper started to fake cry saying, "Oh my little trainee is all grown up."
Rose, Harper and I all stood at the door of the girl's house. I rang the doorbell and we waited for someone to answer it. "Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is Rose and Harper. Can we see your daughter?" I said once the girl's mum opened the door.
"No, you cant."
"Okay, bye," was all I said and we turned to start to walk away.
"Why?" She asked and we stopped turning to look at her. "Why do you want to see Chloe?"
"Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I just thought…" I stopped and pointed at Rose and Harper saying, "well, we thought that she might like to give us a hand."
"Sorry to bother you," Rose said.
"Yeah, very sorry," Harper added.
"We'll let you get on with things, on your own. Bye again."
We started to walk away again only to stop once more. "Wait, can you help her?"
"Yes I can," I answered.
Once we were finally in the house we went into the living room. The TV was on showing footage of the torchbearer making his way to the stadium.
"She stays in her room most of the time." Trish, Chloe's mom, said. "I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone."
"Sounds like she's a teenage not a little girl," Harper said with a laugh. "But most of the time they grow out of that."
Trish smiled lightly asking Harper, "Do you have any kids?"
"Me? No, but maybe someday. You know if the right guy comes along at the right time."
My blood started to boil just thinking about Harper with someone else, but at the same time my heart fell. I couldn't be the one to give her kids. She deserved better than me.
"What about Chloe's dad?" Rose asked. Thankfully getting off of the current subject.
"Chloe's dad died a year ago."
"I'm sorry," Rose said.
"You wouldn't be if you'd known him."
"Well, let's go and say hi," I said.
"I should check on her first, she might be asleep," Trish said nervously.
"Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" Harper asked.
"I want you to know, before you see her, that she's really a great kid."
"I'm sure she is," I said.
"Yeah, she's never been in trouble at school. You should see her report from last year. A's and B's." I smiled at Trish, you could feel the love and worry she had for her daughter.
"Can I use your loo?" Rose asked.
Trish nodded her head and started talking about Chloe again. "She's in the choir. She sings in an old folk's home."
"You must be very proud of her," Harper said with a smile.
"Any mum would be proud, you know? I want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor, because right now, she's not herself."
We heard someone moving around the kitchen and went to have a look. As Harper and I looked around the corner we saw Chloe getting the milk out of the Refrigerator.
"All right there?" I walk into the kitchen leaning against the table. "I'm the Doctor and this is Harper."
"I'm Chloe Webber."
"How you doing, Chloe Webber?" I asked.
"I'm busy. I'm making something, aren't I mum?"
"And like I said, she's not been sleeping…" Trish said.
"But you've been drawing, though," Harper said coming up beside me, "he's rubbish. You should have seen his drawing of a dog the other day. I thought it was a helicopter."
"You were looking at it upside down," I defended. "But she's right, stickmen about my limit. I can do this, though." I held up a live long and prosper sign. "Can you do that?"
"They don't stop moaning," Chloe said suddenly.
"Chloe…" Trish said.
"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning."
"Who don't," I asked.
"We can be together," Chloe said not making any sense.
"Sweetheart," Trish said coming over to Chloe, but Chloe said, "Don't touch me, mum."
Harper and I shared a look of shock.
"I'm busy, Doctor, Harper," Chloe said before turning to go back up to her room.
"Come on, Chloe, don't be a spoilsport," I called after her. "What's the big project? I'm dying to know. What you making up there?"
"Doctor!" I heard Rose scream and went running passed Chloe and up the stairs followed closely by Harper.
I saw Rose standing in front of Chloe's closet, a sinister voice was saying, "I'm coming to hurt you…" so I quickly shut the doors.
"Look at it," Rose said.
"No, ta," I said.
"What was that?" Trish asked coming into the room.
"Drawing, face of a man…" Rose said.
"What face?" Trish asked trying to open the door. I was busying looking at the drawings on the walls.
"Best not," Rose said stopping her.
"What have you been drawing?" Trish turned and asked Chloe.
"I drew him yesterday."
"Who?"
"Dad." I looked over at them at that, why would she draw him?
"Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?"
"I dream about him staring at me," Chloe said.
"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?"
"We need to stay together," Chloe said.
"Yes, we do."
"No, not you. Us," Chloe said.
'Who is she talking about, us?' I heard Harper ask.
'Don't know. Maybe it's whoever is taking the children.'
"We need to stay together, and then it'll be all right," Chloe said.
"Trish, the drawings, have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asked.
"Who gave you permission to come into her room? Get out of my house."
"Tell us about the drawings, Chloe," I said ignoring Trish.
"I don't want to hear any more of this," Trish said sounding scared.
"But that drawing of her dad… I heard a voice, he spoke," Rose said.
"He's dead, and these? They're kid's pictures. Now get out!"
"Chloe has a power, and I don't know how," Rose said, "but she used it to take Danny Edwards, Dale Hicks. She's using it to snatch the kids."
"Get out."
Rose tried again, "Have you seen those drawings move?"
"I haven't seen anything."
"Yes, you have, Trish." Harper said laying a calming hand on her arm. "Out of the corner of your eye."
"No," Trish said firmly.
"And you dismissed it, because what choice do you have?" I asked. She turned to look at me. "When you see something you can't possibly explain, you dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry. So it's never spoken of ever again."
"She's a child."
"And you're terrified of her," I said. "But there's no one to turn to, 'cause who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye? No one. Except me."
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I'm help."
Harper's POV
We all gathered in the kitchen to talk things through. I watched as the Doctor, in deep thought, grabbed a jar of jam and used his fingers to get some. Rose cleared her throat to get his attention, and he looked up at us with his fingers still in his mouth. I took the jar out of his hand and placed it back on the counter, laughing lightly.
"Those picture, they're alive," Rose said. "She's drawing people and they end up in her pictures."
"Ionic energy," the Doctor started, "Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kind of holding pen made up of ionic power."
"And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" Rose asked.
"How many times do I have to tell you? He's dead," Trish said.
"Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke," Rose mumbled to me cause me to let out a giggle.
"If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things," the Doctor said with a shudder.
"Chloe's real dad is dead, like you said Trish," I said. "But not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real."
"That's the dad she's drawn," the Doctor kept going with my thought process. "And he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world."
"She always got the worst of it when he was alive," Trish said sadly.
"Doctor, how can a 12 year old girl be doing any of this?" Rose asked.
"Let's find out."
The Doctor's POV
I slowly walked into Chloe's room followed by the girls. Chloe was sitting on her bed and when I stopped in front of her she held up the live long and prosper hand sign.
"Nice one," I said coming up to her. I got down on one knee and put my hands on either side of her face. I opened a mental link to try and cause her to fall asleep. "There we go."
"I can't let him…" Trish started but Harper stopped her, "it's okay. He's done it to me, trust him."
"Now we can talk," I said.
"I want Chloe!" The thing inside Chloe said using Chloe's voice. "Wake her up! I want Chloe!"
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I want Chloe Webber!"
"What have you done to my little girl?" Trish cried.
"Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked.
"I'm speaking to you, the entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation," I said with authority.
"I don't care about shadows or parleyses!"
"So what do you care about, sweetie?" Harper asked gently. Harper started to move closer to Chloe.
'Harper…'
'Just let me try something,' she thought back.
"I want my friends," the being said.
"You're lonely," she said sitting on the bed next to Chloe, she started to lightly rub circles on one of Chloe's arms in a calming manner. "I know, it's no fun, but can you identify yourself?"
"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes, but now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair, and I hate it!"
"Oh sweetheart. I know, I know, but we can't help you unless we know who you are. Name yourself," Harper said.
"Isolus."
"You're Isolus, of course," I said now know that it was so obvious.
"Our journey began in the realms, when we were a family," the Isolus was using Chloe to draw a picture.
"What's that?" Trish asked.
"The Isolus Mother, drifting in deep space. See? She jettisons millions of fledgling spores, her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotion. When they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together. They cannot be alone," I explained.
"Our journey is long."
I kept explaining the Isolus to the girls. "The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. And it takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up."
"Thousands of years just floating through space?" Rose asked. "Poor things, don't they go mad with boredom?"
"We play," the Isolus said.
"You… play?" Rose said.
"Their children, what else do you expect them to do?" Harper asked with a laugh. I sat down next to Harper right above Chloe on the bed.
"While they travel, they play a game," I said. "They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play."
"In-flight entertainment," Rose said.
"I think it sounds fantastic," Harper said.
"Helps keep them happy. While they're happy they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost. Why did you come to Earth?" I asked.
"We were too close," the Isolus started to draw another picture.
"That's a solar flare from your sun," I said motioning to the picture. "Would have made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods."
"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there, and I cannot reach them. So alone!"
"Oh you poor thing! Did your pod crash? Where is it now?" Harper asked.
"My pod was drawn to heart, and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She needed me and I, her."
"You empathized with her," I said. "You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you."
"I want my family! It's not fair!"
"I understand. You wanna make a family, but you can't stay in this child," I explained. "It's wrong. You can't steal any more friends for yourself."
"I am alone."
"I'm coming to hurt you. I'm coming…" we heard a voice say from the closet. A thudding sound came from it also. Chloe started to shake on the bed.
"Trish, how do you calm her?" I asked.
"What?"
"When she has nightmares, what do you do? What do you do?" Harper asked again when Trish still hadn't said anything.
"I sing to her," Trish said.
"Then start singing," both Harper and I said at the same time moving out of the way so Trish could sit by her daughter.
"Chloe, I'm coming…"
"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree," Trish started to sing. "Merry merry king of the bush is he."
"Chloe! Chloe!" The voice continued.
"Kookaburra, laugh. Kookaburra gay your life must be." Once the voice was gone Trish stayed by Chloe holding her in her arms. "It came to her because she was lonely. Chloe, I'm sorry."
We made our way back downstairs and Trish walked around picking up Chloe's color pencils. "Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper, when he'd had a drink. The day he crashed that car, I thought we were free. I thought it was over."
"Did you talk to her about it?" Rose asked.
"I didn't want to."
"But maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone, 'cause she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them," Rose explained.
"Her and the Isolus are just two lonely kids who need each other," Harper said.
"And it won't stop, will it, Doctor?" Rose asked, "Just keep pulling kids in."
"It's desperate to be loved. And it's used to a pretty big family," I said.
"How big?" Harper asked.
"Say around four billion," I said.
"We need that pod," I said as we left the house going back to the TARDIS.
"It crashed, won't it be destroyed?" Rose asked.
"Hopefully not," Harper said.
"Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can," I said.
"That's way it feels colder here," Harper agreed.
"Yes, and hopefully that should keep it in a fit state to launch. It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus. We can scan for the same trace that I picked up from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit."
Harper's POV
"You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" Rose asked.
Rose and I were standing in front of the Doctor holding various doohickeys for him, while he built a contraction to try and find the pod.
"I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the steino-magnetic… um… thing in your left hand," he said to Rose.
"Sounds like you're on its side," Rose said maybe a little to harshly.
"I sympathies, that's all."
"The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people."
"It's a child, Rose," I said. "That's why it went to Chloe, right Doctor? Two lonely mixed-up kids."
The Doctor nodded his head and Rose said "feels to me like a temper tantrum 'cause it can't get its own way."
"It's scared. Come on, you were a kid once. Binary dot," the Doctor said to me and I handed it to him.
"Yes! And I know what kids can be like. Right little… terrors," Rose said.
"You can't have met many good kids then," I said under my breath but the Doctor heard me and he smile just ever so lightly.
"Gum," was all the Doctor said to Rose holding out his hand.
She spit out her gum in his hand and said, "I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family."
"And what about trying to understand them?" the Doctor asked.
"Easy for you to say, you don't have kids."
"I was a dad once," the Doctor said. Rose and I stopped and looked at the Doctor in shock. I felt like I knew this, but to hear the Doctor actually say it was a completely different thing.
"What did you say?" Rose asked.
"I think we're there," the Doctor said ignoring Rose and going up to the console. "Fear, loneliness, they're the big ones, Rose, Harper. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy. There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe, warp drive, wormhole refractors."
There was a light blinking on the console so Rose pointed at it. "You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold," the Doctor looked up when he finished talking smiled and grabbed Rose hand.
We both laughed at him and Rose said, "No, no I'm pointing."
"It's the pod! It is in the street, everything's coming up Doctor. Okay, it's like, two inches across. Dull grey, like a gull's egg, very light," the Doctor explained as we walked out of the TARDIS.
'I'm sorry… about your kids,' I thought.
'Thanks, it was… it was a long time ago.' I turned a caught up to Rose as the Doctor locked the TARDIS.
"So these pods, they travel from some sun using heat, yeah?" Rose said. "So it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?"
We heard a smash and turned around, "Doctor?" Rose called but the Doctor and the TARDIS were nowhere to be found. The Doctor's device he had been making was on the ground smashed.
"Doctor!" Rose yelled.
I turned and started to run back to Chloe's house, "come on, Rose!" I called not stopping to see if she was following or not.
I knocked repeatedly on the door and when Trish opened it, neither Rose or I stopped to talk to her. We just ran upstairs to Chloe's room.
"It's okay, I've taken all the pencils off her," Trish called following behind.
Rose ripped the drawling away from Chloe. I looked at it in horror to see the Doctor and the TARDIS were on the page.
'Doctor… doctor… please say you can hear me.' I pleaded in my mind. He may have been able to because I still felt him there, but I could not hear him.
"Leave me alone! I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber."
"Bring him back now!" Rose demanded.
"No."
"Rose your not helping," I said moving her out of the way. "Sweetie, I know you want to be with Chloe, but would you rather be with your brothers and sisters? The Doctor is the only one who can help you, but you need to bring him back. Please," I said gently.
"Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber."
"We know, we know," Rose said. "Doctor, if you can hear me, we're gonna get you out of there. We'll find the pod."
We both turned to leave and Rose said to Trish, "Don't leave her alone, no matter what."
"Heat, they travel on heat," Rose said as we looked around the street.
"And it's somewhere in the street," I said. We both saw Kel and went over to him.
"Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom, not a bump or a lump," he said.
"Kel, was there anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?" Rose asked.
"I mean, you could eat your dinner off this," he kept on about his newest repair. I rolled my eyes at him and let out an annoyed sigh. "Beautiful! So, you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship as I did this one."
"Well, you know what… when you've figured it out, put it in a big book about tarmacking. But before you do that, think back six days," I said, maybe with a bit too much sass.
"Six day. When I was laying this the first time round," Kel said.
"What?" Rose and I asked at the same time.
"Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time."
"Six days ago," Rose confirmed.
"Yeah."
"Hot, fresh tar," Rose said.
"Blended to a secret council recipe," Rose and I looked at each other and ran to Kel's van. "No, I don't keep it in the van. Hey! That's a council van." Rose was inside looking for a pickaxe. "Out! Whoa, wait… wait a minute!"
She handed one to me and held up one smiling, "You've just removed council axes from a council van. Put them back! No, don't wait, if it's going in the van, that's my van. Gimme the axes!"
Neither of us we're listening as we went back to the pothole ready to dig out the pod.
"Wait! No, no," Kel said as Rose hit the pothole. We were taking turns hitting it trying to break up the tar. "You… stop! You just took council axes from a council van, and now you're digging up a council road. I'm reporting you to the council!"
We stopped and looked, Rose pulled out the pod from the broken tar. "It went for the hottest thing in the street, yeah? Your tar."
"What is it?" Kel asked.
"It's a spaceship!" I said. "Mind you not a council spaceship."
"We found it," I yelled as we entered Trish's house.
"Don't know what to do with it, but maybe the Isolus will just hop on board." Rose said but stopped and looked at Trish. "I told you not to leave her."
"Un, what's going on here?" I heard the reporter on the TV say. I looked as saw the Olympic stadium and all the people were gone.
"I don't care if you got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging…"
I put my hand over his mouth saying, "Shut it and look!"
"The crowd has vanished. Uh, they're gone, everyone has gone," the reporter said. "Thousands of people have just gone, uh, right in front of my eyes. Um, it's impossible. Bob, can we join you in the box? Bob? Not you too, Bob!"
"A stadium won't be enough," I said sadly.
"The Isolus has four billion brothers and sisters," Rose said.
"That would be the entire planet," I told them.
We ran to Chloe's room and Trish called, "Chloe."
When we couldn't get the door opened Rose yelled, "Chloe, it's Rose and Harper! Open the door. We found your ship. We can send you home."
"Chloe!" Trish called again.
"Oh, move," I said pushing them out of the way.
"I'm coming to hurt you. I'm coming, coming to hurt you, Chloe," I heard Chloe's drawling of her dad say.
Using the axe I broke the door just enough to move the chair Chloe had used to block the door.
"Chloe," both Rose and I said at the same time.
"I'm coming to hurt you! I'm coming."
Chloe was drawling a picture of the entire planet on her wall.
"I've gotta stop her," Rose said.
But when Rose started towards Chloe the closet door shook violently making her step back.
"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out," the Isolus said. "We will let him out, together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair!"
"Look, I've got your pod," Rose said holding it up.
"The pod is dead!"
Why did the Isolus say it was dead? I had to figure this out.
"No, no. It only needs heat," Rose tried.
"It needs more than heat," the Isolus said.
"What then?"
"I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just moved. And that one!" Kel said pointing to the picture of the Doctor.
I picked it up to see a new part of the picture, the Olympic torch, "she didn't draw that, he did."
"But it needs more than heat, Doctor," Rose said.
"… still on its way," I heard the TV in the background. "I suppose it's much more than a torch now. It's a beacon. It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage, and it's a…"
"Beacon of Love," I said the same time the reporter did.
"Love," Rose said looking at me.
"The pod needs heat and love!" I said.
"I know how to charge up the pod," Rose said and we both ran from the room.
We ran as fast as we could to where the torchbearer was going to pass by. We made our way to the front of the crowd only to be stopped by a policeman, "sorry, you'll have to watch from here."
"No, we've gotta get closer," Rose said.
"no way," was all he said.
"We can stop this from happening," Rose tried again, but I could tell he was not going to let us through. I pulled her back. As the torchbearer passed by the pod started to make a beeping noise. "You felt it, didn't you?" I said.
We moved a bit away from the crowd and Rose whispered to the pod, "feel the love."
She threw the pod as high into the air as she could and we watched as it zoomed towards the pod. We both started cheering louder than any of the others because the pod had made it to the torch.
"Nice one!" Kel said coming up to us. We both took turns hugging him out of happiness. "You did it! What was it you did?"
Rose and I were standing on the street again just watching the missing children run back to their parents. There was a lot of crying and hugging going on. "Doctor?" Rose said quietly.
We had yet to see him and I knew she was just as worried as I was. I grabbed her hand and gave it a quick squeeze of reassurance.
"I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you, both of you," the older lady said. "And thank that man from me, too."
"We will," I said with a small smile.
"Where is he? He should be here," Rose said.
"Don't worry, Rosie. He is probably just getting into trouble somewhere. All the drawings have come to life." I stopped and through about what I just said. "All of them… oh no…"
I took off running to Trish's house. I heard Rose gasp and follow behind me. I banged on the door and tried the knob with no lucky. "Trish, get out!" I said.
I could see her through the glass windows of the door and she yelled, "I can't, the door's stuck."
"Is the Doctor in there?" Rose yelled.
"I don't think so."
"Mummy!" Chloe cried looking up the stairs.
"I'm coming to hurt you!"
"Please, dad, no more."
"Chloe!" The drawling said sending chills down my spine.
"Chloe, listen to us. It isn't real like the other," Rose said and I added, "Its just energy left over by the Isolus. But you can get rid of it, Chloe."
"Help us!" Trish said still trying to open the door.
"Oh, it's 'cause you're so scared that he's real," Rose said. "But you can get shot of him, Chloe."
"Mummy!"
"You can do it, Chloe," I said.
"I can't."
"Chloe, I'm coming."
"I can't."
"I'm coming."
"I can't."
"I'm coming, Chloe!"
"Mummy," Chloe said and Trish stopped working on the door and got down on the ground with Chloe holding onto her.
"I'm with you, Chloe," she said. "You're not alone. You'll never be along again."
"I'm coming to hurt you."
"Sing again, Chloe, sing," Rose said.
"Chloe, Chloe!"
"Kookaburra sits…" Chloe started.
"Chloe."
"gum tree, merry merry king of the bush."
"Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you."
Then Trish joined in with Chloe, "laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra gay your life must be. Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra gay your life must be. Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, Kookabura, laugh, kookaburra gay your life must be."
Finally, Chloe's drawling of her dad was gone and they were safe. Both Rose and I slide down and sat in front of the door thinking about the Doctor.
Kel walked up to us, "maybe he's gone somewhere."
"Who's gonna hold his hand now?" Rose asked almost crying. I put my arm around her and we both leaned into each other out of sadness.
We were all gathered together in Trish living room watching the Olympic coverage. "80,000 athletes and spectators, they disappeared, they've come back. They've returned. They've re-appeared. It's quite incredible, but, Bob, this will certainly prompt…"
"80,000 people, so where's the Doctor? I need him!" Rose said. I made me sad to think the Rose felt she needed the Doctor to function. I needed him, yes, I loved him, but he would never want me to stop everything if he left. But I guess that was always somewhere in the back of my mind that it could happen so I am bracing myself for it.
"But hang on. The torchbearer seems to be in a bit of trouble. We did see a flash of lightning earlier that seemed to strike him. Maybe he's injured. He's definitely in trouble." We watched as the torchbearer fell to the ground dropping the torch. "This mean the Olympic dream is dead?"
"Doctor!" Both Rose and I yelled as we saw the Doctor run up to the torch and grab it. Continuing on the path.
'You… you… never do that again! I need to know you are safe!' I scolded the Doctor.
'Oh come on, where is your since of excitement?'
'Long gone, with my patience for your dramatics,' I sassed back.
I heard him laugh and say, 'missed you too.'
"There's a mystery man. He's picked up the flame, and we've no idea who he is. He's carrying the flame, yes, he's carrying the flame, and no one wants to stop him. It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's hope, and it's courage, and it's love."
We watched as the Doctor light the Olympic flame and began the 2012 Olympic games.
The Doctor's POV
I was back on the street just watching everyone when I heard Rose say from behind me, "cake?" I turned and saw both of my girl standing there smiling at me and Harper was holding out a cupcake.
I laughed, "Top banana!" I took a bit and said, "I can't stress this enough, ball bearings you can eat. Masterpiece!"
Rose pulled me in for a hug saying, "we thought we'd lost you."
"Nah, not on a night like this." I then pulled Harper in for a hug. "This is a night for lost things being found. Come on."
"What now?" Harper asked as we walked down the street.
"I wanna go to the games, it's what we came for."
"Go on, give us a clue," Rose said. "Which events do we do well in?"
"Oi, no! Spoilers alert!" Harper cried covering her ears.
We laughed and I pulled her hands down saying, "Well, I will tell you this, Papua New Guinea surprised everyone in the shot put."
"Really?" Both of them asked at the same time.
"You're joking aren't you?" Rose asked. "Doctor, are you serious, or are you joking?"
"Wait and see," was all I said.
"Ugh, now I really want to know and have to wait!" Harper said dramatically.
'And you call me dramatic!' I thought, but she just rolled her eyes at me.
Fireworks started to go off and I took both of their hands and we walked.
"You know what? They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will," Rose said.
"Never say, 'never ever'," Harper said.
"Nah, we'll always be okay, the three of us. Don't you reckon, Doctor?"
"Something in the air, something coming."
"What?" Rose asked.
"A storm's approaching," I felt Harper shudder beside me and pulled her in a bit closer. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good for any of us.
So what do you think? There is only a little bit longer before Rose will no longer be with the TARDIS crew, which makes me sad and happy. I've got some big plans for the Doctor and Harper, so please keep reading. Thank you all so much for reading my story. And as always, until next time my fellow Whovians, allons-y!
