Thank you, and enjoy!
Chapter Ten:
"You're used to blocking Astralina's mind but not mine," my mom the Doctor said. "Watch this."
It was fascinating to watch as all of my BAU family and my dad, began to writhe in agony in the conference room.
"Focus on happy thoughts, like the Harry Potter books taught you," she said. "Wield them against me."
"The TV show never mentioned you having these powers," Aunt Penny said.
"I don't use them as a rule," she said. "I need to break this rule in order to prepare you for what comes next."
I watched them struggle. It was tempting to peak into their minds to see what horrors my mom the Doctor had awoken in them, but she had already sent me a warning look.
Aunt Penny was the first to break free.
"That was traumatizing," she said.
Then my mom surfaced, followed by my dad. The others quickly surfaced afterwards. Aunt Emily struggled a little longer.
"That was painful," she said breathing heavily.
"Astralina, your turn," my mom the Doctor said.
"Really?" I asked.
"Don't hesitate."
I dove into Aunt Emily's mind.
…
My dad Spencer, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans behind bars, he looked drugged out of his mind. Aunt Emily stood staring.
"I had to get him out of there," she said. "It was so awful."
I was going to be trapped here too if I didn't do something.
"Think of a happy memory," I said urgently.
"He deserved better," she said. "He deserved more than to die in space."
"Aunt Emily," I said desperately. "Look at me. I am him. He is in me."
She looked at me blankly.
"But you're not him."
"Dad!" I shouted. "Some help, please!"
My dad's eyes focused, and he walked through the bars. He hugged Emily. She sobbed into his arms.
"I never let it in," she said. "I never let in, how much it hurt to see you suffer."
"I know," he said. "You need to be strong for my daughter. She needs you. Everyone needs you to be the FBI agent I was so proud to work with."
"Okay," she said. "I will be."
I offered my hand. Aunt Emily took it.
…
We stared at each other wordlessly. I ran into her arms.
"I'm sorry," she said as she hugged me. "I'm sorry you had to see your father like that."
"It's okay," I said. "He's with all of you."
We let go eventually.
"Who's next?" I said with a laugh.
My whole BAU family looked positively terrified of me.
"Astra go get a soda," my mom said.
"Okay," I said with a shrug.
"We'll see you in ten," my mom the Doctor said.
"Sure," I said and walked out.
My BAU family had always been wary of my abilities, but never scared. It was weird being able to freak out people who have faced down serial killers. I didn't like it.
I walked to the empty bullpen. The team had been sent on another assignment. I took a seat and let my thoughts drift. I missed Rose. I wondered if I should be worrying about the class time I'm missing, not to mention homework. Will it matter, when everything is over?
"Hey kid."
I turned around to see Uncle Jack.
"You look lost in thought," he said. "Any place cool?"
"No," I said. "Just thinking about school. It seems so small now."
"You couldn't keep me in school," he said. "I started ditching when I was two years younger than you."
"They're afraid of me," I said suddenly. "How do I deal with that?"
"If they love you as much as I think they do, it will fade. You're a big question mark right now. People are afraid of what they don't understand."
"If you say so," I said with a shrug.
"Don't worry about it," he said.
There was a smashing sound. Three figures that resembled salt and pepper shakers covered in round balls with guns and plungers appeared.
"YOU ARE AN ENEMEY OF THE DALEKS! YOU WILL BE DESTROYED!"
"Am I supposed to take them seriously?" I asked.
Uncle Jack pulled out a massive gun. He blew all their heads off with one shot.
"There'll be more of them," he said. "Let's find your mom."
We went into the conference room.
"Could you have at least questioned them before blowing them up?" my mom the Doctor said angrily.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll get answers soon," Uncle Jack said.
A mechanical foot slammed through the ceiling. The rest of the body of a robot appeared.
"You will be upgraded."
"I am getting a little flabby," Uncle Jack said. "So how about a tummy tuck?"
"What do you want?" my mom the Doctor asked.
"To destroy Astralina Reid's family."
It aimed a hand at my dad. Uncle Jack blew his hand off.
The door fell off its hinges. A figure with a rhino head in a space suit carrying a gun appeared.
"We're here to apprehend, Astralina Reid."
"I have a contract!" My mom the Doctor said. "She had ten more days on Earth!"
"It has been discovered that the contract was signed without a Gallifreyan witness. It has no legal implications."
"Uncle Jack!" I said telepathically.
"Their weapons outweigh mine," he said back mentally. "Let the Doctor try to outsmart them."
"You can't have her!" my mom shouted.
"Do not interrupt these proceedings."
The Judoon thrust a hand towards me. My mom shot at it. It turned away from me and vaporized my mom.
Something in me broke. I lost her again. I thought of every hug, every kiss, my mom gave me. I thought of every time I came home crying and she soothed me. Every time she smiled at me. My mom was everything to me.
My body lit up I rose from the ground and put a hand to its horn. It cracked and bled and with the rest of it body until it dissolved into a pool of guts. It died, painfully, and that made me happy.
"Astralina," my mom the Doctor said desperately. "You have every right to be angry, but you can't tap into the darkness, or it will destroy you."
"I WANT MY MOM BACK" I screamed.
"We're still in the middle of a time event," she said. "I think it's possible."
"YOU'RE LYING!" I screamed. "YOU DIDN'T SAVE HER! I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU!"
"Honey," my dad pleaded.
"I HAVE TO END THIS!"
With a flick of my wrist, I smashed the outer window and flew through it. I kept flying higher through the air, as rage coursed through my veins. My body was as bright as the sun. I didn't care. I wanted revenge.
"You Supreme Timelords!" I called. "I'm here!"
Their ships resembled boats, with an hourglass crest on the sails.
"You are angry," a voice said. "We will eliminate the pain of your human parentage. You will be pure Gallefreyan and the pain will cease."
"I don't want to stop the pain," I said furiously. "I want you to feel it."
Every atom of my skin was on fire. I blasted the ships with my rage. I let them feel every inch of my agony.
I realized it wasn't enough. I wanted more. I wanted everyone to know my pain. To keep killing. To burn down everything.
A song filled the air. I didn't know how I could hear it. My mom the Doctor was in my ear, but there were others. I tried to ignore it, but the singing grew louder. It was the Astralina brigade. It was my BAU team. My mom.
I turned and saw her floating next to me.
"Mommy?" I said.
She shook her head.
"It can't be undone."
I let out an agonizing cry.
"You are the burning heart of the universe my love," she sang. "You fill the world with light/You are a champion of humanity/defend it with all of your might."
There were more verses about hope and love. About the promise of brighter days as compassion always wins. The future is powerful with the resolve to show that pain cannot win when joyful courage reigns supreme.
I felt the rage dying. The pain turned into and an aching sob. I fell out of the sky.