The Empty Child
The TARDIS rocked violently as they sped through the Time Vortex, Rose and Clara struggling to maintain a grip on the railing as the Doctor raced around the console. "What's the emergency?" Rose asked.
"It's mauve."
"Mauve?" Clara asked.
"Universally recognized colour for danger."
"What happened to red?"
"That's just Humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts when it's just dancing. Now, this ship we're following has a very basic flight computer, so I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS to it. Wherever it goes, we go."
"And that's safe, right?"
"Totally." He flicked a lever, causing the console to spark violently, making them yelp in shock and he winced in pain as it burned his hand. "Okay, reasonably. I should've said reasonably there." On the monitor, the round capsule they followed sped ahead of them and out of sight. "No, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us."
"What exactly is this thing?" Rose asked.
"No idea."
"So, why're we chasing it?"
"It's mauve, dangerous and about thirty seconds from the centre of London."
Clara rolled her eyes. "What is it with aliens hanging about London? Is there a London party or a London fetish we don't know about?"
"Oi! Don't say that to them, Clara! They'd find that offensive!" He admonished.
The TARDIS materialised in a small, back alleyway, drenched in the cold of night, the only light source being the moon hanging in the cloudless sky. The trio then stepped out of the TARDIS. "You know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?"
"Five days? And that's when Clara wants to go back home. Or is it when we're out of milk?"
He groaned. "Of all the species in the universe and it has to come out of a cow?" They glanced around before starting down the alleyway. "It must've come down somewhere close. Within a mile anyway, and it couldn't have been more than a few weeks, maybe a month."
"A month? We were right behind it." Rose said, raising her eyebrows at him.
"It was jumping time tracks all over the place, we're bound to be a little bit out. Do you want to drive?" He whined.
"Not really. Clara's the better driver, between you two."
"No, she's not."
"Yes, I am. You completely forgot about the blue stabilizers." Clara interjected.
"There isn't any blue stabilizers."
Clara rolled her eyes at that. "Hold on, how much is a little?"
"A bit."
"Is that exactly a bit?"
"Ish."
"So, what's the plan then? You going to do a scan for alien tech or something?" Rose asked.
"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. I'm going to ask." He said, pulling out the psychic paper, sending Clara a grin.
"Dr. John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids." Rose read.
"It's psychic paper. It tells you what-"
"Whatever you want it to say, I know."
He breathed. "Sorry." They reached a small, blue door, like an emergency, back exit, hearing the muffled sounds of music and laughter.
"It's not very Spock, is it? Just asking."
"What is it with you and Spock?" Clara asked, making Rose shrug.
"What can I say? I like Spock."
The Doctor leaned against the door. "Door, music, people. What do you think?" He asked, pulling out his sonic to unlock the door.
"I think you should do a scan for alien tech. Give me some Spock, for once. Would it kill ya?"
"You sure about that t-shirt?" He asked, nodding to her union jack shirt she had on.
"Too early to say, I'm taking it for a spin. Besides, you two can talk: Mr. U-boat captain and Mrs. English teacher."
"Oi! I like this jumper." Clara whined, pulling her grey jumper down slightly.
"Mummy." Rose turned to look back down the alleyway. "Mummy."
*Clicks*
"Come on, if you're coming. We won't take a minute." The Doctor said as he opened the door and motioned Clara in first.
"Ladies first." She quipped.
"I'm holding that against you, missy." He warned before they entered in. Rose ignored them as she backed down the alleyway, looking up to see a small, brown haired child in a gas mask standing on a roof.
"Mummy."
"Doctor? Clara? There's a kid up there!" She called but received no answer.
Walking through a hallway, they saw a waiter carrying a tray of champagne glasses through an open door, hearing music float around them. "It's rather old school music, eh?" Clara asked, making him shrug as they walked through, see a crowded room, with people sitting at tables, smoking cigarettes and drinking champagne while a woman with a band stood on a stage in the front of the room. Clara noticed a small poster on the wall, saying 'Hitler will send no warning!'. This made her bit her lip, knowing how ridiculous the Doctor will look. "Okay then, you can ask the question this time."
He raised his eyebrows at her. "You sure?"
"Yep." She nodded, hoping he wouldn't notice her devilish smirk. He shrugged obliviously as they waited for the woman to finish singing.
For nobody else
Gave me the thrill
With all your faults
I love you still
It had to be you
Wonderful you
It had to be you
Everyone, including the Doctor and Clara clapped their hands appreciatively as the song ended, before he moved up and onto the stage. "Excuse me! Excuse me! Could I have your attention for just a moment, please? I'll be very quick…hello." He waved with a grin, as they looked at him with some confusion. "Um…it might seem like a stupid question, but has anything fallen from the sky recently?" Everyone looked at each other with raised eyebrows, before they burst into laughter. Clara hid hers behind her hand, still hoping he wouldn't notice.
Rose reached the roof, seeing the child standing on a large, steel container, looking down at her with empty eyes. "Mummy."
"Okay, hang on. Don't move." Rose called, looking for a way up before a rope appeared suddenly, making her jump a bit as she grabbed it. She looked up in confusion but couldn't find where it came from the dark sky. Using the rope, she hoisted her legs up, placing them on the container wall as she began to scale up.
"Sorry, have I said something funny? It's just, there's this thing that I need to find. It would've fallen from the sky a month ago." The Doctor said with raised eyebrows in slight offense. At that moment, a loud air raid siren started to blare, making everyone stop laughing as they took one last gulp of their drinks or one last puff of smoke before they started to rush out of the room. "It would've landed quite near here…" He looked up in confusion. "With a very loud-"
"Come on, everyone. Quickly as you can, down to the shelter." A waiter called, making the Doctor's eyes widen as he looked over to the wall, seeing the poster.
"Bang." He slouched his shoulders for a moment before turning to glare at Clara, striding over to her as she let her laughter burst. "You knew?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"You should've seen your face!" She giggled. "You looked so ridiculous!"
He rolled his eyes. "Come on then, missy. Let's find Rose."
Rose struggled as she continued to climb the container, her hands starting to bruise and burn from grasping the rope. "Mummy? Balloon." The child pointed up into the sky. Now Rose could see the source of the rope, being a barrage balloon that was starting to move away, carrying her with it.
"Oh, god!" She gasped, grasping tighter onto the rope as she struggled to stay still, while the rope carried her away from the roof and slowly towards the Thames and Big Ben. "Doctor! Clara!" She called fruitlessly as the air raid sirens began to blare out, with spotlights being shined into the sky, showing the distance a mass group of planes beginning to fly towards her, bombs being dropped and exploding on whatever it hit as they went. "Okay. Maybe not this t-shirt." She quipped lightly to herself as the airplanes engines roared louder, the sound hurting her ears as they grew closer.
"Rose!" The Doctor called as he and Clara raced back up the alleyway.
"Rose! Where are you?!" They reached the TARDIS, looking around frantically, with no sign of their friend.
*Meow*
Clara melted slightly at the sight of a cat, moving to pick him up out of his comfort spot and starting to cuddle him, making the Doctor smirk. "One day, Clara. Just one day we'll meet someone who gets the whole 'Don't wander off thing.' Over nine hundred years of phone box travel, that's one of the few things left that can surprise me."
"So, me pick pocketing your things doesn't surprise you anymore?" She asked with large, puppy dog eyes.
"I can't tell if that's endearing or annoying." He smirked at her, before gulping as he found himself get weak at her expression. "Although…I'm sure you can still surprise me." He said, making her smile at him. The TARDIS phone then started to ring, making them look at it in confusion.
"Sorry, dear." Clara said sadly as she put the cat down before they moved to the TARDIS, the Doctor opening the phone latch.
"You've got your phone on you, right?" The Doctor asked her.
She pulled it out. "Yeah. So, it's not me ringing."
"And Rose doesn't have the number either. So how can it be ringing? Unless it's that pretty boy you mentioned." He grumbled.
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Are you jealous?"
"No!" He denied with a blush, inwardly cursing at himself as she smirked at him.
"Your jealous."
"I'm not jealous. I'm just wondering how this could be ringing. I mean, what else am I supposed to do with a ringing phone?" He reached for it.
"Don't answer it. It's not for you." They turned to see a young, black haired girl in her early twenties looking at them.
"And how do you know that?" He asked.
"Because I do, and I'm telling ya. Don't answer it." The Girl said sternly.
"If you know so much, tell us this. How can it be ringing?" Clara asked, both turning back to the TARDIS. "It shouldn't even work but doofus keeps forgetting to-" She turns around to see the girl not there anymore. "Reconnect it back to the console unit." She finishes with slight uncertainty as they exchange a confused look. The Doctor, with slight trepidation, grabbed the phone and held it to his ear, Clara leaning in to listen.
"Hello?" Silence. "This is the Doctor speaking." Silence. "How may I help you?"
"Mummy? Mummy?" They both shared a cold shiver down their spines at the sound of a child's empty voice.
"Who is this? Who's speaking?"
"Are you my Mummy?"
"Who is this?"
"Mummy!"
"How did you ring here? How did you get this number? This isn't even supposed to be a real phone-"
"Mummy?!" The dial tone followed, making him put the phone back before knocking on the TARDIS lightly.
"Rose? Rose are you in there?" They both exchanged worried looks at the silence that followed, before rushing out of the alleyway, finding themselves by a brick wall outside a house. They heard the door slam open, making them hop on the nearby trash cans to peek over.
"The planes are coming! Can't you hear 'em?! Into the shelter! No, I'm not having any of your nonsense, now move it!" They saw a mother ushering her child inside a shelter, before she looked back at the house, seeing the father move out with his hands in his pockets and an aggravated expression on his face. "Arthur! Arthur, will you hurry up?! Didn't you hear the siren?!"
"Middle of dinner, every night. Bloomin' Germans. Don't they eat?!" Arthur groaned, making the Doctor and Clara snigger at his words.
"Aghh, hurry up! I can hear the planes!"
"Don't you eat?!"
"Keep your voice down will ya?! It's an air raid!" She ushered him into the shelter, closing the door behind them, their muffled voices still bickering inside as the planes roared above them. Beside the shed, the girl from earlier popped out, walking cautiously towards the house, missing the furrowed looks of the TARDIS pair.
Inside a large mansion, filled with the sounds of people chattering and drinking, a soldier walks out onto the balcony to see a man dressed in a long, dark coat looking out towards the sky with binoculars. "Get those lights out, please! Everyone down to the shelter!" Some calls, making everyone rush about.
"Jack? Are you going down to the shelter?" The soldier asked. "Blimey, I've got to go off for some damn silly guard duty." He looks out to see what Jack was looking at, a distant barrage balloon. However, he didn't see Rose dangling on the rope. "Ah, barrage balloon, eh? Must've come loose, it happens now and then. Don't you R.A.F boys use them for target practice?"
"Excellent bottom." Jack says.
The soldier blinked incredulously. "I say, old man. There's a time and a place. Look, we should really be off."
Jack turned to look at him with a wolfish grin. "Sorry, old man. I've got to go meet a girl. But don't worry, you've got an excellent bottom too." He winked before smacking his ass and walking off, knowing the soldier was blushing with a shy smile.
The girl was rummaging through the large house's pantry, packing a lot of their food into a large bag she carried with her. She then walked to the front door but paused, moving backwards to peer into the dining room, the table within as covered in a large, family roast dinner. This made her smile as she opened the door before whistling three times in succession, then moving into the dining room and removing her large coat. She smirked as a pair of rushing footsteps was heard outside, before she grabbed the utensils to continue carving the meat as a pair of teenage boys came into the room. "Many kids out there?" She asked.
"Yes Miss." One said. They rushed to the table.
"Ah-ah-ah! I'm still carving!" She admonished, making them blush in embarrassment. "Sit and wait." She ordered, making them sit down at the large table with a small groan. "We've got the whole air raid."
"Look at that." One marvelled at the food. "I bet it's off the black market."
"That's enough." She admonished with a gentle smile.
Rose felt her anxiety increase by the second. The sweat in the palms of her hands made it increasingly difficult for her to keep a grip on the rope as it started to slide away, finding herself getting closer to the end of the rope. Until… "Aaah!" She screamed in terror as she lost grip on the rope, falling downwards to the ground, the only thing to catch her being the buildings beneath. She screamed and screamed until she stopped, finding herself not falling but just…hovering. Hovering in mid-air, with a bright, blue light circling around her.
"It's okay! It's okay! I've got you." Jack's voice rang out of the air, making her look around, still with fear in her nerves.
"Who's got me? Who's got me and…you know…how?"
"I'm just programming your descend pattern. Stay as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field."
"Descent pattern?"
"Oh, and can you please switch off your cell phone?"
"*Scoffs* What?"
"No, seriously, it interferes with my instruments."
"You know, no one ever believes that." She huffed, pulling out her phone and turning it off.
"Thank you. That's much better."
"Oh yeah, that's a real load off, that is! I'm hanging in the sky in the middle of a German air raid with a union jack across my chest, but hey! My mobile phone's off!" She ranted. She blinked as she heard him chuckling.
"Be with you in a moment."
She looked around, waving her arms up in exasperation. "What am I supposed to do for a moment?" She mumbled, deciding to take in the scenery. "It would be a nice view, if it wasn't…you know…the London Blitz." She shook her head at herself. "Stop it Rose, you're talking to yourself."
"Ready for you. Hold tight."
"To what?!"
"….Fair point." Suddenly, almost like a water slide, she started to fly down the light shaft, her speed increasing as she went, making her squeal as she got closer and closer to the end…
"I got you. You're fine. You're just fine." Jack said, as she was somehow caught in his arms. "The tractor beam, it can scramble your head a little."
She glanced at his face. Blimey, he's good looking. No, stop it, Rose! Her face burned from her inner thoughts. "Hello." She breathed.
"Hello."
"Hello." He furrowed his eyebrows at her, making her blush intensify, now from embarrassment. "Sorry, that was hello twice there. Dull, but you know, thorough."
"Are you okay?"
"Fine." He set her back on her legs, however she couldn't take in her surroundings as her vision started to blur. "Why, are you expecting me to faint or something?" She asked, her feet starting to wobble as her speech started to slur.
"You look a little dizzy." Jack said, holding his arms out a bit to catch her again, knowing what's coming.
"What about you? You're not even in focus." She chuckled before rolling her eyes back as she lost consciousness, falling again into Jack's arms. He shook his head with a sigh before picking her up and placing her in a bed compartment.
"It's got to be black market. He didn't get all this on coupons." The oldest kid at the table said, which was now packed with many other kids, both boy and girl.
"Ernie. How many times? We are guests in this house, and we will not make comments of that kind. Washing up." The girl admonished as she finished carving.
Everyone at the table laughed at him. "Nancy!" He groaned.
She looked at the kid beside her. "I haven't seen you at one of these before."
"He told me about it." He mumbled shyly.
"You sleeping rough?" She asked softly.
"Yes Miss."
She gave him a gentle smile before nodding. "Alright then." She picked up the large plate, covered in meat slices and passed it around, the kids breathing a sigh of amazement. "One slice each! And I want to see everyone chewing properly!" She ordered above the noise.
"Thank you, Miss."
Ernie reached over and grabbed the plate, making the next kid give him a "Seriously?" look. "Thank you, Miss."
"Thank you, Miss."
"Thank you, Miss." The Doctor's voice rang, making everyone gasp as they shot out of their seat, Clara chuckling beside him.
"It's all right. Everybody stay where they are." Nancy ordered, making them calm down.
"It's good here, isn't 'it? Who's got the salt?"
"Back in your seats. You two shouldn't be here." Nancy glared at them slightly, but they merely smirked at her as the kids got back in their chairs.
"So, you lot. What's the story?"
"What do you mean?" Ernie asked.
"You're homeless, right? Living rough?"
"Why do you want to know that?" Another kid asked. "Are you two coppers?"
"Of course, we're not coppers. What're coppers going to do to you lot anyway? Arrest you for starving?" Clara quipped, making them laugh and Nancy smile.
The Doctor checked his watch, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "I make it 1941. You lot shouldn't even be in London. You should've been evacuated to the country by now."
"I was evacuated. Sent me to a farm." One kid said.
"So, why'd you come back?"
"There was a man there." He mumbled, making Clara clench her jaw slightly. The Doctor took her hand and rubbed his thumb on it, calming her.
"Yeah, same with Ernie, two homes ago." Another interjected.
"Shut up. It's better on the streets anyway. There's better food." Ernie said.
"Yeah. Nancy always gets the best food for us."
"So that's what you do, is it Nancy?" The Doctor asked, him and Clara giving her a small smile.
"What is?" She asked.
"As soon as the sirens go, you find a big, fat, family meal, still warm on the table with everyone down in the air raid shelter and bingo! Feeding frenzy for the homeless kids of London town, puddings for all…as long as the bombs don't get you."
"Something wrong with that?"
"Wrong with it? It's brilliant. Still, I'm not sure if it's Marxism in action or a West End musical." Everyone blinked at him. Clara then slapped the back of his head, making their eyes widen. "Ow! What was that for?"
"They don't get it yet." She said bluntly.
He gulped in embarrassment. "Oh." The kids sniggered at their exchange.
"Why'd you follow me? What do you want?" Nancy asked, trying to hide her smile at their behaviour.
"I want to know how a phone gets a phone call when the only people with said phone's number is standing by said phone." The Doctor said.
"The phone book?" A kid asked.
"What? No, not that." The Doctor shook his head, making Clara chuckle. "Watch it, missy."
"I'm sorry?"
"I said, watch it missy."
"And no flirting in front of the kids." Nancy admonished, making the kids laugh at them.
"We weren't flirting." They blushed.
"Oh, and we want to find a blonde in a union jack. I mean a specific one. We didn't just wake up this morning with a craving." The kids laughed again, making Nancy look at them incredulously. "Anybody seen a girl like that-" Nancy was suddenly by their side, taking the Doctor's plate from him. "What've I done wrong?"
"You took two slices, and you didn't share with your missus." The kids laughed at their blushing again. "No blondes and no flags. Anything else before you leave?"
"There is actually, thanks for asking." The Doctor said, pulling out a pencil and notepad. "Something we've been looking for, it would've fallen from the sky about a month ago, but not a bomb. Not the usual kind, anyway and it wouldn't have exploded. Probably just buried itself in the ground somewhere and it would've looked something like…this." He said, holding up a drawing of the capsule they were following. They noticed Nancy shiver, but not in fear.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Mummy?" Everyone gasped, their eyes widening in shock as Clara got up and pulled back the curtain, seeing a kid with a gas mask standing outside, looking at them with his empty eyes.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Are you in there, Mummy? Mummy?"
"Who was the last one in?" Nancy asked, her voice now laced with fear.
"Them." Ernie pointed to the duo.
"No, they came through the back. Who came through the front?"
"Me." The kid who sat beside her mumbled.
"Did you close the door?"
"I-"
"Did you close the door?" He shook his head.
"Mummy? Mummy?" Nancy then raced towards the front door, the silhouette of the child outside growing closer. "Mummy." Slamming the door shut, she bolted the locks.
"What's this, then?" Clara asked, making Nancy jump as she and the Doctor stood watching with confusion.
"It's never easy being the only child left out in the cold, you know." The Doctor said.
"I suppose you'd know."
He looked at her sadly, making Clara grasp his hand. "I do actually, yes."
Nancy gulped. "It's not exactly a child."
"Mummy." She raced back inside and got her coat back on.
"Everybody out, across the back garden, under the fence." The kids blinked at her. "Now! Come on, move!" Everyone then rushed out of the room, taking their belongings with them, while one kid sat looking at Nancy with terror in her eyes. "Come on, baby, we've got to go, all right? It's just liked a game, just like chasing." She nodded, jumping out of the seat. "Take your coat, go on." She did, rushing to the door, looking back at Nancy with wide eyes. "Go!"
"Mummy? Mummy? Please let me in, Mummy." The gas mask kid reached his hand through the letterbox, showing a large, red scar on the back of his hand. "Please let me in, Mummy."
"Are you, all right?" Clara asked.
"Please let me in."
*Smash*
They jumped at the remains of a vase smashed at the door, making the kid recoil his hand out as they turned to look at Nancy. "You mustn't let him touch ya!"
"What happens if he touches us?"
"He'll make you like him."
"And what's he like?"
She hesitated. "I've got to go."
"Nancy. What's he like?" The Doctor asked.
She looked at them sadly. "He's empty."
*Rings*
They looked at the phone beside them with slightly wide eyes. "It's him. He can make phones ring, he can. Just like with that police box you saw."
The Doctor grabbed the phone and held it to his ear. "Are you my Mummy-" Nancy took it off and placed it back down. The radio turned on in the living room, blaring music and making them rush inside. "Mummy? Mummy. Please let me in, Mummy." A toy monkey with a speaker then started its drums in tune with the child. "Mum-my. Mum-my. Mum-my. Mum-my. Mum-my. Mum-my."
"You stay here if you want to." Nancy rushed out, making them move after her before they heard the rattling of the front door, the kid once again reaching his hand through.
"Mummy? Let me in please, Mummy. Please let me in."
"Your Mummy isn't here." Clara said.
The devices inside switched off, making them exchange a small glance. "Are you my Mummy?"
"No mummies here. Nobody here but us chickens." The Doctor said with a grin, before glancing behind them. "Well…these chickens." Clara smirked softly.
"I'm scared."
Clara's eyes gleamed pity despite her furrowed eyebrows. "Why are those other children frightened of you?"
"Please let me in, Mummy. I'm scared of the bombs."
The two exchanged a long, soft look before nodding. "Okay. We're opening the door now."
The kid silently took his hand out as they unlocked the door, before grasping the handle and opening only to find…nothing. Their eyes widened as they stepped outside, trying to find the kid but couldn't see a sign, even in the darkness of night. The Doctor looked at Clara, who still had the sad look in her eyes. "You alright?" He asked, taking her hand.
"He just…he seems like…" She struggled to get the words out.
"Like a scared little boy who wants his Mummy." He finished for her. She nodded, leaning her head into him as he stroked her hair.
"Doctor? What happened to your hand?" She asked, referring to the burn.
"The console spark when we landed." He said simply. She grabbed it and kissed it, making him wince slightly but still giving her a soft smile.
Rose got out of the bed compartment, squinting as she struggled to see her surroundings, despite a few low lights. "Better now?" Jack asked.
She glanced around, trying to look for him. "You got lights in here?"
"Oh. Sorry." He mumbled, flicking a few switches. The lights came on, making Rose squint for a second. She then saw the interior of a spaceship, yet it was rather packed and strewn with wires, metal and lights, which gave a low, red hue. She then saw Jack sitting on the captain's chair, looking at her expectantly. "Hello."
"Hello."
"Hello."
She shook her head. "Let's not start that again." They laughed.
"Fair enough." He nodded.
"So…who are you supposed to be, then?"
"Captain Jack Harkness." He said, pulling out a leather wallet. "133 Squadron, Royal Air Force and American volunteer." He handed it to her, yet she put her tongue in her teeth as the paper was far too plain for an ID.
"Liar." He blinked. "This is psychic paper. It tells me whatever you want it to tell me."
He sat back. "How do you know?" He asked.
"Two things. One: I have a friend that uses this all the time."
He nodded. "Ah."
"And Two: You just handed me a piece of paper telling me your single and you work out."
He grinned. "Tricky thing, psychic paper."
"Yep. Can't let your mind wander when your handing it over." She passed it back to him.
He checked and somehow, his grin got bigger and more wolfish. "Oh. You sort of have a boyfriend called Mickey Smith, but you consider yourself to be footloose and fancy free."
"*Scoffs* What?" She blushed slightly.
"Actually, the word to use is: Available."
"No way."
"And another one: Very."
"Shall we…uh…try to get along without the psychic paper?"
"That would be better, wouldn't it?" He said, getting out of his chair with a groan as she checked around, nodding as she did.
"Nice spaceship."
He shrugged. "It gets me around."
"Its…very…Spock."
He blinked. "Who?"
She shook her head. How does he not know who Spock is?! "I'm guessing you're not a local boy, then."
He pressed a few buttons on his wrist pad, which beeped for a few moments before he nodded. "A Cell phone, liquid-crystal watch and fabrics that won't be around for at least another two decades. Guessing you're not a local girl."
She nodded. "Guessing right." She reached for the chair and grasped before pulling back with a wince, checking her hands to see a lot of cuts and bruises.
"Burn your hands on the rope?"
"Yeah." She looked outside to see that they were a few miles above the ground. "We're parked in mid-air! Can't anyone see us?"
"No, we're invisible."
She blinked. "Oh."
"Yeah. Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?"
"Why?" She asked.
"Please?" He implored, making her sigh and hold them out. He took out a small scanner and ran it over her hands, being careful not to touch. "You can stop acting now. I know exactly who you are. I can spot a Time Agent a mile away."
She blinked, holding back a snigger. "Time Agent?"
"I've been expecting one of you guys to show up. Though not, I must say, by barrage balloon. Do you often travel that way?"
"Sometimes I get swept off my feet." She blushed at her words. "B-By balloons." He took a red scarf from around his neck and gently wrapped it around her wrists. "What're you doing?"
"Try to keep still." When he finished, he leaned over and flicked a few switches. Then a small cloud of golden lights appeared in her hands, suddenly making them feel warm as she felt the pain go away, making her giggle in wonder. "Nanogenes. Subatomic robots. The air in here is full of them." He flicked a switch, making them disappear and leaving her hands completely fine again. "They just repaired three layers of your skin." He took the scarf of her wrists and put it around his neck again.
"Well…tell them thanks." She smiled, marvelling at her fixed hands.
He clicked his tongue and winked before grabbing a champagne bottle. "Shall we get down to business?"
She blinked, but more at the champagne. "Business?"
"Shall we have a drink on the balcony?" He pressed a button, which lowered a ramp to the outside, bringing back in some of the chilly, night air, grabbing two glasses and motioning her to follow him. Outside, her eyes widened as she saw the ground beneath them, yet they seemed to hover in the air, feeling something hard under her feet.
"Okay. I know I'm standing on something." Rose chuckled lightly. Jack pulled out the small device and flicked the switch, causing a shimmer to appear beneath them and revealing the roof of a large ship, tethered to the side of Big Ben. "Okay…you have an invisible spaceship…"
"Yeah."
"Tethered up to Big Ben…for some reason."
"First rule of active camouflage: Always remember where you parked. Big Ben just makes it more fun." He smirked.
*Pop*
Rose jumped as the champagne cork flew off into the night. "Woah!" Jack said, laughing as he did before he poured their glasses.
Nancy walked through the night, looking around her anxiously as she passed through fences and over train tracks until she came to a small hideout, making her give a small sigh of relief. She entered, placing her new acquired food in the storage before standing up and jumping at the sight of the Doctor and Clara standing there with a smirk on their faces. "How'd you follow me here?"
"We're good at following, us." The Doctor said. "I've got the nose for it."
"People can't follow me if I don't want them to."
"My nose has special powers."
Nancy smirked. "Yeah? That's why it's…uh…"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"Nothing." She thought for a moment. "Do your ears have special powers too?"
Clara sniggered beside him. What're you trying to say?"
"Good night, Mister." She turned to leave.
"Nancy." She gave a sigh but decided to listen. "There's something chasing you and the other kids. Looks like a boy but it isn't a boy and it started about a month ago, right?" She squinted her eyes at them, making the Doctor crook and eyebrow. "The thing we're looking for. The thing that fell from the sky, that's when it landed. And you know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
She nodded. "There was a bomb. A bomb that wasn't a bomb. Fell the other end of Limehouse Green Station."
"Take us there."
She shook her head. "There's soldiers guarding it, barbed wire, you'll never get through."
"Try us." Clara said smugly, making him snigger.
"You sure you want to know what's going on in there?"
"We really want to know."
"Then there's someone you need to talk to first."
"And who might that be?"
"The doctor." He furrowed his eyebrows before Clara leaned over.
"She was meaning A doctor." She whispered.
"Ah."
"You know, it's getting a bit late. I should really be getting back." Rose shook her head as Jack offered to pour her another glass.
"We're discussing business."
She giggled, some of the champagne getting to her head. "This isn't business. This is champagne."
"I try never to discuss business with a clear head." He downed another glass before setting down and standing up with her. "Are you traveling alone? Are you authorized to negotiate with me?"
"What would we be negotiating?"
"I have something for the Time Agency. Something they'd like to buy. Are you empowered to make payment?"
"Well, I-I should talk to my…companions."
"Companions?"
"I should really be getting back to them. Do you have the time?" Jack shook his head before pulling out the device and flicked it, flaring up Big Ben as it chimed. "Okay. That was flash." Rose giggled. "That was on the flash side."
"So…when you say your "Companions", just how disappointed should I be?" Jack asked, putting his hands on her waist, hitching her breath.
"Okay, we're standing in mid-air…"
"Mmm."
"On a spaceship during a German air raid…" He took one hand and raised it to his lips. "Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me?"
Jack nodded. "Perhaps not." He said, patting her hand before letting it go.
"Well, it was just a suggestion." She blurted with a small blush.
"Do you like Glenn Miller?" He asked before flicking a switch, Moonlight Serenade playing inside the spaceship for them. He held out his arms, she accepted, and they took each other in a dancer embrace. "It's 1941, height of the London Blitz, the height of the German bombing campaign, but something else has fallen on London. A fully equipped Chula warship, the last one in existence, armed to the teeth and…I know where it is, because I parked it. If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever." He stopped their dancing, moving to look her in the eyes. "That's your deadline, that's the deal. Now, shall we discuss payment?"
"Do you know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think you were talking just there." She said breathlessly.
"Two hours, the bomb falls, there'll be nothing left but dust in a crater."
"Promises, promises."
"Are you listening to any of this?"
She cleared her throat. "You used to be a Time Agent, now you're some kind of freelancer."
He flinched slightly. "That's a little harsh. I'd like to think of myself as a criminal." He said, pulling her closer with a wink.
"I bet you do." She giggled.
"So, these companions of yours, do they handle the business?"
"Well, I delegate a lot of that, yeah."
"Well, maybe we should go and find them."
"And how're you going to do that?"
He shrugged. "Easy. I'll do a scan for alien tech." He let go of her and flicked a few switches on his wrist pad.
Rose turned around with a smirk. "Finally, a professional." She chuckled to herself.
The Doctor pulled out a pair of binoculars, looking over to an enclosed area, surrounded with fencing and barbed wire. Within was soldiers pacing about with lights beaming down onto a large object underneath a tarpaulin. "The bomb's under that tarpaulin, they put the fence up overnight. See that building over there, the hospital?" Nancy pointed off. The Doctor looked to see the large building she was referring to.
"What about it?" The Doctor asked, handing the binoculars to Clara.
"That's where the doctor is. You should talk to him."
"For now, I'm more interested in getting in there."
"Me too." Clara said.
"Talk to the doctor first."
"Why?"
"Because then maybe you won't want to get inside." Nancy turned to leave.
"Where you going?" The Doctor asked.
"There was a lot of food in that house. I've got mouths to feed and it should be safe enough now."
"Can I ask you a question?" Clara interjected, handing the binoculars back to the Doctor, who pocketed them. "Who did you lose?" She crossed her arms as they turned to look at Nancy.
"What?" Nancy asked softly.
"The way you look after all those kids. It's because you lost somebody, isn't it? You're doing all of this to make up for it." The Doctor sent Clara a soft glance.
Nancy swallowed. "My little brother…Jamie. One night, I went out looking for food, same night that thing fell. I told him not to follow me, I told him it was dangerous but he just…he just didn't like being on his own."
"What happened?"
"In the middle of an air raid? What do you think happened?"
Clara looked down. "Sorry."
"It's not your fault."
The Doctor gave them a sad look for a moment before gazing up into the sky. "Amazing."
"What is?"
"1941. Right now, not very far from here, the German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe. Country after country, falling like dominoes and nothing can stop it. Until one tiny, damp little island says "No! Not here!". *Chuckles* A mouse in front of a lion. You're amazing, the lot of you. Don't know what you do to Hitler, but you frighten the hell out of me. Off you go then. Do what you got to do. Save the world." Nancy smiled at him before leaving. He turned to look at Clara who was gazing at him with a soft look.
"Thank you." She mumbled.
He took her hand. "No problem." He said, kissing her palm before they walked off. Arriving at the front gates of the hospital, he pulled out his sonic and used it on the padlock, which was clasping chains around the gate.
"That's breaking and entering, you know that." She reprimanded softly.
"Sonicing and entering, Clara. There's a difference." He grumbled as he opened the gate and they entered the hospital. Walking through the dark hallways, they opened one wing door and entered, finding the room was filled of people, men and women, lying on the beds asleep but with gas masks on their faces. They exchanged a look before they walked back into the hallway and into another wing. They found the same thing, starting to feel a small shiver down their spines. A door opened behind them, making them turn to look as an old, bald man with a walking stick came out to greet them.
"You'll find them everywhere. In every bed in every ward, hundreds of them." He said.
"Yes, we saw. Why're they still wearing gas masks?" The Doctor asked.
"They're not. Who are you?"
"I'm, uh…are you the doctor?"
"Doctor Constantine. And you are?"
"Nancy sent us."
"Nancy? That means you must've been asking about the bomb."
"Yes."
"What do you know about it?"
"Nothing. Why we're asking. What do you know?"
"Only what it's done."
"These people, they were all caught up in the blast?" Clara asked.
"None of them were." They furrowed their eyebrows at him. Constantine started coughing heavily, stumbling back into a chair in the middle of the room. They moved to help him, but he held up a hand.
"You're very sick." The Doctor commented.
"Dying, I should think. I just haven't been able to find the time. Are you a Doctor?"
"I have my moments." Clara rolled her eyes.
"Have either of you examined any of them yet?"
"No."
"Don't touch the flesh." Constantine warned.
"Which one?"
"All of them." They shared a look before he moved over with her, pulling out the sonic and using it to scan a body.
"How do you know what it's saying?" Clara whispered.
He paused. "It's a tiny bit complicated. I'll explain."
"When?"
"When I give you one." He winked at her, her eyes widening in excitement.
"You would?"
"Oh yeah." She gave him a glowing smile, making him stare at her for just a moment too long.
"I'd still nick yours."
"Oi."
"Conclusions?" Constantine asked, both smirking and rolling his eyes at their interchange.
"Massive head trauma, mostly to the left side. Partial collapse of the chest cavity, mostly to the right. There's some scarring on the back of the hand and the gas mask seems to be fused to the flesh but I can't see any burns."
"Examine another one."
The Doctor walked over to another body and repeated the process. "This is impossible." He mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Examine another."
He repeated on another body. "This is impossible."
"No."
"Do they all have the same injuries?" Clara asked, catching on.
"Yes."
"Exactly the same?"
"Yes."
"They're identical, all of them, right down to the scar on the back of their hand." The Doctor said. "How did this happen? How did it start?" He asked as they turned back to Constantine.
"When that bomb dropped, there was just one victim."
"Dead?"
"At first. His injuries were truly dreadful. By the following morning, every doctor and nurse who had treated him or had even touched him gained those exact same injuries. By the morning after that, every patient in the ward. Within a week, the entire hospital. Physical injuries as plague, how would you explain that? What would you say was the cause of death?"
"The head trauma."
"No."
"Asphyxiation."
"No."
"The collapse of the chest cavity-"
"No."
Clara's eyes widened. "They're not dead, are they? They're still alive?"
"Correct, my dear. They're not dead." Constantine took his cane and wacked a nearby bucket, making everybody sit up in their beds, staring at them. Their sudden movements made them jump in shock. "It's alright, they're harmless. They just…sort of sit there. There's no heartbeat, no life signs of any kind. They just…don't die."
"And they've just been left here? Nobody's doing anything?" The Doctor asked as they lay back into their beds without a word.
Constantine shrugged. "I try to make them comfortable. What else is there to do?"
"Just you? You're the only one here?"
"Before this war began, I was a father and a grandfather. Now I'm neither but I'm still a doctor."
"Yeah. I know the feeling." The Doctor mumbled. Clara grasped his hand, making him smile sadly at her.
"I suspect the plan was to blow up the hospital and blame it on a German bomb."
"But it's too late."
"Yes. There are isolated cases…" He trails off, starting to cough violently, making them blink. "Isolated cases breaking out…all over…London." They moved forward to help. "Stay back! Stay back!" He demanded, showing the back of his hand, making their eyes widen at the scar. "Listen to me…the top floor…Room 802, that's where they took the first victim, the one from the crash site and you must find Nancy again."
"Why?"
"It was her brother." Their breathing hitched as they started to piece it together. "She knows more than she's saying. She won't tell me but she mi…mi…mu…Mum…my." They stepped back in shock as he started to choke. "Are…you…my…Mum…my?" His mouth opened wide, with a gas mask breather coming out as his eyes teared up in agony. Slowly, his own skin turned charcoal black as it became the gas mask, his own eyes widening before becoming the eye protectors until the whole front of his face was a gas mask, his breathing steadying behind it. His head rolled to the side before his movements stilled completely, his breathing slowing down to a stop.
The Doctor looked at him sadly for a moment, before the sound of Clara sniffling drew his attention. He saw her eyes redden, only a small tear coming out. He grabbed her shoulders to turn her, cupping her face to wipe away the tear.
"Come here." He mumbled, drawing her into a hug.
"That was horrible." She mumbled.
"I know. I'm sorry you had to watch."
"It wasn't your fault." They held each other until they calmed down, still not letting go as they enjoyed the quiet embrace.
"Hello?" They blinked. "Hello?"
"Did you hear something?" Clara asked.
"Doctor? Clara?" They let go at hearing Rose's voice. "Where are you?" The voices were getting less muffled as a pair of footsteps approached, making them move out of the door to see Rose with Jack.
"Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting." Jack said, shaking their hands. "Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over."
"He knows. I had to tell him about us being Time Agents." Rose blinked at them, making them nod slowly despite their inner confusion.
"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. & Mrs. Oswald." He clapped the Doctor's shoulder before moving past them into the room, missing their blushing.
"Mr. & Mrs. Oswald? Rose, we're not a couple." The Doctor protested, Clara nodding hastily.
"Come on, it's obvious. Besides, what was I supposed to say? You don't have a name. Don't you ever get tired of Doctor? Doctor Who?"
"Nine centuries in, I'm coping. Where the hell have you been? We're in the middle of the London Blitz, it's not a good time for a stroll." He grumbled as they moved to follow Jack.
"*Scoffs* Who's strolling? I went by barrage balloon. Only way to see an air raid."
"What?" They said in unison.
"Listen, what's a Chula warship?"
They paused, Clara looking at him. "Chula?" He mumbled. "Where've I heard that before? Chula." He shrugged. "No idea. It'll come to me." He winked at her, making her snigger as they entered the room, Jack was scanning the bodies with his wrist pad.
"This just isn't possible. How did this happen?" Jack shook his head as he continued scanning the bodies, while the trio watched with their arms crossed.
"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" The Doctor asked.
"What?"
"He said it was a warship. He stole it, parked it somewhere out there, where a bomb's going to fall on it unless we making him an offer." Rose inputted.
"What kind of warship?"
"Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!"
"This started at the bomb site, it has everything to do with it! What kind of warship was it?!"
"An ambulance!" Jack sighed, pressing a few buttons on his wrist pad, bringing up a hologram of the capsule. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty, I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I saw your time-travel vehicle, and I love the retro look by the way, nice panels. I threw it at you as bait, so I could sell it to you then destroy it before you found out it was junk."
"You said it was a warship." Rose said.
"They have ambulances in wars." He sighed, running his hand over his face. "It's a con. I was conning you. That's what I am, I'm a con man! Thought you were Time Agents but you're not, are you?"
"Just a couple more freelancers." Rose sassed, making them smirk.
"Ah, I should've known. The way you guys are blending in with the local colour. I mean, flag girl was bad enough, but U-boat captain and English teacher?"
"I like this sweater." Clara grumbled.
"And I like this jacket." He grumbled.
"Anyway, whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship."
"What is happening here, Doctor?"
"Human DNA is being rewritten…by an idiot."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. A virus, converting Human beings into these things, but why? What's the point?"
Nancy re-entered the house, taking her bag to pack some of the food on the table. The radio crackled to life, making her eyes widen. "Please, Mummy. Please let me in. I'm scared of the bombs, Mummy. Please, Mummy." The front door then slammed open, a pair of footsteps entering the house. "Mummy. Mummy." Nancy's gaze danced around the room, before moving underneath the table, holding her breath down to a whisper as Jamie's footsteps drew closer. "Mummy? Where's my Mummy? Mummy." Nancy shifted slightly, making an apple tumble out of her bag and into open view. Jamie moved over and picked up the apple, Nancy seizing the chance to rush out and towards the door.
*Slam*
She jumped as it closed in front of her, before she grasped the door handle and repeatedly tried to open the door. Her breath hitched as she found it locked before turning to look at Jamie, who stared at her. "Are you my Mummy?" He moved forward; Nancy pushed a chair in front of him fruitlessly as he tossed it aside. "Mummy?"
"It's me, Nancy!"
The bodies jumped out and turned to look at them, before moving out of their beds. "Mummy?" They started to incoherently say as they moved towards the group, who backed into a wall, looking around frantically for a way out.
"What's happening?" Rose asked. "Why are they like this?"
"I don't know." The Doctor said simply. "Don't let them touch you."
"What happens if they touch us?"
"We become them."
"Are you my Mummy?"
"It's Nancy. Your sister."
"Mummy."
"You're dead, Jamie. You're dead." She mumbled in terror as she was backed into the wall, Jamie getting closer and closer by the second.
"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. Mummy." He reached out a hand, moving it towards her face as she tried to recoil away. "Mummy. Mummy. Mummy."
AN: To be continued, eh? ;D and good to see you, Captain Jack. Anyway, thanks for reading and leave a review if you wish. :)