Hi everyone!
Today, we finish up World War Three! Next week, we move onto Dalek!
I won't keep you any longer
Happy reading!
Chapter 17
World War Three part 2
The Doctor connected Rose's cell phone to a speaker in the middle of the long, wooden table. He, June, and Rose leaned close to the speaker as Harriet poured them all drinks. "Say again," the Doctor told Mickey.
"It's asking for the password," Mickey said.
"Buffalo," the Doctor said. "Two Fs, one L."
June frowned. "Why would they use that for the password?"
"I don't know," the Doctor shrugged. "You should ask whoever came up with it."
Jackie Tyler's voice could be heard in the background of the call. "So, what's that website?" she asked.
"All the secrets information known to mankind," Mickey explained in a dramatic fashion that made June snicker. "See, they've known about aliens for years. They just kept us in the dark."
"Mickey, you were born in the dark," the Doctor snapped.
"Stop being mean," June scolded.
At the same time, Rose said, "Oh, leave him alone."
"Thank you," Mickey replied sarcastically. "Password again."
"Just repeat it every time," the Doctor said. "Big Ben," he wondered, walking away from the speaker. "Why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?"
Harriet followed, three drinks in hand. She handed one to Rose and another to June. "You said to gather the experts, to kill them," she said.
The Doctor shook his head. "That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon," he said, taking the drink. "You don't need to crash land in the middle of London."
"The Slitheen are hiding, but then they put the entire planet on red alert," Rose said. "What would they do that for?"
"Oh, listen to her," Jackie muttered.
"At least I'm trying," Rose argued.
"All they've managed to do is scare people," June muttered. She and the Doctor looked at each other. And then a thought hit her. She stopped and frowned. "You don't think that they're trying to scare people, do you?" The Doctor just shrugged.
"Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind," Jackie interrupted. "Since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets, I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter disappear off the face of the Earth."
Rose sighed and leaned against the table, her head hanging, "I told you what happened."
"I'm talking to him," Jackie snapped. "'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart—" the room was eerily silent. Everyone was just listening to Jackie's words. And the Doctor stared down at the floor, his eyes dark and focused. "—but you tell me. Just answer me this," Jackie said. "Is my daughter safe?"
Rose laughed. "I'm fine."
"Is she safe?" Jackie asked. The Doctor was just quiet, just standing and listening. "Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?" A beat. "And what about June?" June froze at the sound of her name. "She's someone's daughter, too. And I bet her parents don't know a thing." June squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't realize she would be hit with guilt. "Will they be safe?" Everyone looked at the Doctor. He finally looked away from the floor. June met his eyes. The gaze held for a long time. June wasn't sure what he was trying to say, if he was trying to say anything at all. "Well, what's the answer?" Jackie asked.
There was a rustle from the speaker and then Mickey spoke. "We're in."
The Doctor finally broke eye contact with her and darted around the table to lean closer to the speaker. June stood on the opposite side with Rose, watching him carefully. June knew that the travelling wasn't safe. She had the burn scars to prove it. But it didn't mean that it was bad. People sure did have a way of making it feel bad, though.
"Now then, on the left at the top, there's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that," the Doctor instructed.
An odd waving noise came through the speaker. June cringed at the sound, frowning down at the speaker. "What is it?" Mickey asked.
"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal," the Doctor said. "Now hush, let me work out what it's saying."
"He'll have to answer me one day," Jackie muttered, her voice now far away.
"Hush," Mickey whispered.
"It's some sort of message," the Doctor noted.
"What's it say?" Rose asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating."
"You're actually getting something out of that?" June asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, I am actually," the Doctor said. An out of place buzzing rang through the speaker. "Hush!" the Doctor snapped.
"That's not me," Mickey said. "Go and see who that is."
"It's three o'clock in the morning," Jackie said.
June sighed. "Is it really that late?" She realized how tired she felt. If she could lay down, she would probably fall asleep in a second.
Mickey's voice became quiet. "Well, go and tell them that."
"Its beaming out into space, who's it for?" the Doctor wondered.
"Aliens," June said.
He gave her a look. "Not helping." She shrugged.
Mickey came back to the call. His voice was tense and softly muffled. "They've found us."
June stopped. "What?"
"Mickey, I need that signal," the Doctor said.
"Never mind the signal, get out!" Rose shouted. "Mum, just get out! Get out!"
"We can't," Mickey said. "It's by the front door."
"Go out a window?" June suggested, shrugging at the speaker.
"Sure, we'll just jump off the balcony," Mickey scoffed. June snickered a bit.
Very vaguely in the back of the call, screeching could be heard. "Oh my god," Mickey gasped. "It's unmasking. It's going to kill us."
"So, what do we do?" June asked. She looked at the Doctor for answers. He had to have something.
"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!"
"I'm trying!" the Doctor yelled. He sprung up and walked around the table, staring down into space.
"I'll take it on, Jackie," Mickey said. It sounded like he was trying to keep it together. "You just run. Don't look back. Just run."
June swore to herself and ran a hand through her hair. She glanced between Rose and the Doctor. Mickey couldn't take on the Slitheen. June couldn't take it on. She wasn't sure if anyone would be able to take one on.
"That's my mother," Rose said, eyes trained on the Doctor, telling him to do something already.
"Right," he nodded and walked to the other end of the table, "if we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet." He slammed his palms on the table and leaned over. June leaned on the table next to him, waiting to see what he would come up with. "So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within traveling distance. What else do we know about them. Information!" he demanded.
"They're green," Rose said.
"Yep, narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"The compression necklace technology," June said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"Good sense of smell," Rose said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"They're businessmen," June said. "Uh. Business-aliens."
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"They can smell adrenalin," Rose said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"The pig technology," Harriet said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"They're annoying as hell," June said.
"Surprisingly narrows it down," the Doctor said.
June raised her eyebrows. "Oh."
"The spaceship in the Thames, you said slipstream engine?" Rose said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"It's getting in!" Mickey shouted. They could all hear the door breaking and cracking from the speaker.
"They hunt like it's a ritual!" Rose said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"The human suit technology," June said.
"Narrows it down," the Doctor said.
"Wait a minute," Harriet said. "Did you notice? When they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't just smell like a fart, if you'll pardon the word, it's something else. What is it? It's more like, er…"
"Bad breath!" Rose shouted.
"That's it!" Harriet agreed.
June winced and shook her head. "That's gross."
"Calcium decay!" the Doctor shouted. "Now, that narrows it down!" And he got up and walked around the table again, leaving June to walk after him for a second time.
"We're getting there, mum!" Rose shouted.
"Too late!" Mickey yelled.
"Calcium phosphate," the Doctor muttered. "Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of living calcium. What else? What else?" He stopped. "Hyphenated surname. Yes!" he shouted. "That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallapatorius!"
June gaped at the bundle of letters he just spat out. "What?"
"Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter," Mickey scoffed.
The Doctor rounded the table and leaned towards the speaker. "Get into the kitchen!"
There was squealing, crashing, and stumbling. Loud thuds, bangs, and Jackie's high-pitched screaming.
"Calcium, weakened by the compression field," the Doctor thought out loud. "Acetic acid. Vinegar!"
"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet exclaimed.
"Just like Hannibal," the Doctor agreed. June frowned and looked over at Rose. Hannibal? Was she missing something? "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"
"How should I know?" Mickey asked.
"What do you mean 'How should you know'?" June asked.
"It's your kitchen," the Doctor said.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf."
Jackie's voice quickly took over. "What do you need?"
"Anything with vinegar!" the Doctor yelled.
Chaos was erupting on the opposite side of the call. "Gherkins. Yeah, pickled onions. Pickled eggs," Jackie listed.
The Doctor frowned at Rose. "And you kiss this man?"
There was a loud crash. June could see Rose physically stiffen. The Slitheen on the other side squealed and roared. And then there was nothing. Everyone around the table exchanged silent, wide-eyed looks. And then there was a pop, a gasp from Jackie, and splattering. And everyone let out a sigh of relief. The stress rolled off their shoulders. June could've sunk to the floor.
"Hannibal?" Rose asked.
"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar," Harriet explained through ragged breaths.
"I thought he was a cannibal," June said.
"That's Hannibal Lecter," the Doctor said.
"Oh," June nodded.
"Well," Rose sighed, "there you go then."
They all raised their glasses. June stumbled to grab hers and raised it with the others. They all exchanged smiles and took a drink. The Doctor immediately recoiled and spat out his drink. June laughed so much she almost choked on the burning alcohol.
~*O*~
Jackie wouldn't stop rambling and fussing over Rose. June couldn't exactly blame her. She had just nearly been killed and her only daughter was in danger. Rose kept trying to calm her down. The Doctor stood on the opposite side of the table from the two girls, looking tired, annoyed, and deep in thought.
"Hey," Jackie suddenly complained.
Mickey took over the call. "Listen to this," he said.
Everyone gathered around the speaker. June just pushed her chair over close enough to listen. The voice that came over the call now didn't belong to Mickey or Jackie, yet it was still somehow familiar. "Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads—" June sat up straighter in her chair. It was one of the Slitheen. One of them in the human suits. "—and they have found massive weapons of destruction capable of being deployed within forty-five seconds." June froze. Something had blown up.
The Doctor gaped at the speaker. "What?"
"Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long," the disguised Slitheen said. "We are facing extinction… unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mothership. I beg of the United nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the heart of the beast is our only chance of survival. Because from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war."
"He's making it up," the Doctor spat. June watched him walk away. "There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it."
"Do you think they'll believe him?" Harriet asked.
Rose scoffed. "They did last time."
"That's why the Slitheen went for the spectacle." The Doctor marched across the room towards the door.
June bounded after him. "They're trying to scare everyone, right?"
"Obviously," the Doctor scoffed. "They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out."
"They release the defense codes," Rose said.
They stopped in the doorway. "And the Slitheen go nuclear," the Doctor said.
"But why?" Harriet asked.
The Doctor flipped the switch and the steel disappeared. Three Slitheen stood outside the door. They were identical to the ones that had chased them earlier, but were obviously different, probably set outside to guard the door. "You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space because there's nothing there," the Doctor said. "You attack every other country on Earth. They retaliate, fight back. World War Three. Whole planet gets nuked."
The female Slitheen, now disguised with a sickly-sweet smile and malicious eyes, walked forwards."And we can sit through it safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed, just parked. Only two minutes away." It felt like she was just poking them with a stick, wearing a wide, teasing smile. She made June feel sick.
"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place," Harriet said. "What for?"
"Profit," the Doctor answered, not breaking eye contact with the Slitheen. "That's what the signal is beaming into space. An advert." June frowned up at him. She wondered when he had figured it all out.
"The sale of the century," the Slitheen said. "We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chunks, capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."
"At the cost of five billion lives," the Doctor said.
"Bargain," the Slitheen grinned.
"I'll give you a choice," the Doctor said. "Leave this planet or I'll stop you."
All of the Slitheen laughed. "What, you?" the disguised Slitheen asked through chortles. She quickly turned sinister. "Trapped in your box?"
"Yes," the Doctor said. "Me."
And as the metal doors closed again, June called through the door, "Good luck—" the metal door slammed shut, "—bitch."
~*O*~
The Doctor had taken June's laptop. June sort of regretted bringing it. He had zapped it, just like he had zapped her phone. They spent hours and hours watching the news go by. The battery never dropped. June hated the news. It stressed her out
"Yesterday saw the start of a brave new world. Today might see it end. The streets are deserted. Everyone's home, just waiting, as the future is decided in New York."
"It's midnight here in New York. The United Nations has gathered. England has provided them with absolute proof that the massive weapons of destruction do exist. The Security Council will be making a resolution in a matter of minutes, and once the codes are released, humanity's first interplanetary war begins."
Eventually, Jackie took over the phone call again. "Alright, Doctor," she said. "I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do." The Doctor leaned against a window, looking down, just thinking. He didn't reply.
"If we could ferment the port, we could make acetic acid," Harriet suggested.
"Mickey, any luck?" Rose asked.
Mickey had been researching. "There's loads of emergency numbers. They're all on voicemail."
"Voicemail dooms us all," Harriet sighed.
Rose sighed and wandered to the door, staring at it as if they had already been defeated. "If we could just get out of here."
The Doctor looked up. "There's a way out."
June stood up from her seat and gawked at him. "What?"
He looked over at her. "There's always been a way out."
"Then why don't we use it?" Rose asked.
The Doctor walked over and leaned towards the speaker. "Because I can't guarantee your daughter nor June will be safe." June stopped. It always came down to her being in life threatening danger.
"Don't you dare," Jackie shot. "Whatever it is, don't you dare."
"That's the thing," the Doctor said. "If I don't dare, everyone dies."
Rose walked over and stood next to June. They both looked across at the Doctor. "Do it," Rose said.
"You have to," June agreed. "We don't have much of a choice now." As much as she didn't like it, putting herself in danger seemed a small price for everyone else's lives.
He stared at them, as if he was just trying to analyze their faces. "You two don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?"
"Yeah," Rose said.
"Duh," June nodded.
"Please," Jackie begged. Her voice shook over the speaker. "Doctor. Please. She's my daughter. June's someone's daughter. They're just kids." June felt herself flush at the sound of her name. It felt odd to hear someone fighting on her behalf. Jackie only had to argue for her daughter, not June as well. She'd have to thank her if she ever saw her again.
"Do you think I don't know that?" the Doctor asked. "Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."
"Then let's do it already," June said. "If this is the solution, we have to do it." She put her palms against the wooden table and leaned over towards him. "We don't have a choice so what are you waiting for?"
He was quiet for a moment. They stared at each other. June raised her eyebrows, waiting for something, anything. And then the Doctor said, "I could save the world but lose you."
June stopped. She leaned back and shoved her hands in her pockets. That couldn't be such a huge dilemma for him, could it? She was the reason he hesitated. Her. She stopped herself. Of course, it wasn't her. It wasn't just her. There were other people in the room. He was probably just as worried for Rose too. He didn't want to lose the two friends he had. June was sure that the Doctor would survive whatever was about to happen, even if she and Rose didn't.
"Except it's not your decision, Doctor," Harriet said. "It's mine."
"And who the hell are you?" Jackie demanded.
"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people," Harriet said. She stood still and strong like she was the one in charge. A natural born leader. "And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it."
And with that command, everyone sprang into action. "How do we get out?" Rose asked.
The Doctor grabbed the red briefcase. "We don't," he said, snapping the box open. "We stay here." June frowned at him. She didn't like where it seemed like everything was going. But if it saved the Earth….
"The Council is voting," the woman on the news, which still played from June's laptop, announced. "The results should be known any second now."
The Doctor flipped through some of the papers in the case and then turned to the speaker. "Use the buffalo password," he ordered. "It overrides everything."
"What're you doing?" Jackie asked Mickey, her voice quiet.
"Hacking into the Royal Navy," Mickey explained. "We're in. Here it is. HMS Taurean, Trafalgar Class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth."
"Right," the Doctor said, "we need to select a missile."
June's stomach turned to knots. Something important had exploded and now they were in the middle of Downing Street, selecting a missile. She couldn't die in the explosion her parents had seen the wreckage of on TV, could she?
"We can't go nuclear," Mickey said. "We don't have the defense codes."
"We don't need it," the Doctor told him. "All we need's an ordinary missile. What's the first category?"
"Sub Harpoon, UGM-A4A," Mickey said.
June wasn't sure what all the gibberish meant. She sort of wanted to sit down, but she stopped herself. If she was going to die than she was going to be standing in her last moments of action (more watching than action, but still).
"That's the one," the Doctor said. "Select."
There was silence from the other side. When Mickey spoke next, his voice was quieter and muffled, like his hand was over the speaker. "Do it, then."
"You ready for this?" the Doctor asked.
Mickey was quiet for a moment longer, but returned sounding normal as ever. "Yeah."
The Doctor stood up. "Mickey the idiot," he said, "the world is in your hands."
June tried to laugh. She knew that this had to be a huge weight on Mickey's shoulders as well as the Doctor's. "Ever thought you would say that?" she asked with a forced smirk. The Doctor gave her a small smile, but didn't say anything,
The Doctor took a deep breath, looked down at the speaker, and gave the order. "Fire."
There was silence. June took a deep breath. "Downing Street blew up." Everyone looked at her. "That's the explosion I remember. It was Downing Street." No one said anything.
And then Harriet rushed to a window. "How solid are these?"
"Not solid enough," the Doctor said. "Built for short range attack, nothing this big."
"Then what's the point?" June asked. She could feel herself begin to panic. Was this where she died? Why was she always on the verge of death? Was this it? She survived all the other times but an explosion?
"Alright, now I'm making the decision," Rose said. "I'm not going to die. "We're going to ride this out. June." June looked over at her. "What do they say to do during earthquakes?"
"This isn't an earthquake," June reminded her, "this is a missile."
"Close enough," Rose argued. "What do you do?"
"Get under a sturdy piece of furniture, a table usually, and just hold on till it's over," June said.
"Right," Rose nodded. "Well, let's get under the table then."
"That's not a good idea in this case," June argued. Rose frowned at her. "This room has too many windows and doors. Not to mention the giant light fixture that can fall on us. And the fact that this still isn't an earthquake, but a giant explosion."
Rose sighed. "What do we do, then?"
June scanned the room. "Um, closet. Let's—" she took a deep breath, "—go into the closet." With the dead bodies. She swallowed thickly.
"Alright. Cupboard it is then," Rose nodded. "Come on and help me." June and Harriet joined Rose (June rather hesitantly) and then went and began to empty the cupboard.
"The vote is in," the woman on the news announced. "The Council says yes. They are releasing the codes." June swore, ran over, closed her computer, and shoved it back into her backpack.
"It's on radar," Mickey announced. The Slitheen were ready to attack. "Counter defense five five six."
"Stop them intercepting it," the Doctor ordered.
"I'm doing it now," Mickey said.
"Good boy," the Doctor complimented. June almost snickered, but was interrupted by being handed a large, heavy box. She tossed it across the room without a care.
"Five five six neutralized," Mickey said.
The Doctor unplugged the phone from the speaker and Mickey and Jackie's muttering voices were gone.
~*O*~
They all gathered in the cupboard. The young Indian man and the Prime Minister's bodies had been moved from the cupboard. There was no saving them. It still made June feel sick.
She sat in the very corner of the room, stuck between the Doctor and Rose. She felt much safer sitting in between her two friends. Harriet sat on the other side of the Doctor. She nervously smiled at the three of them. "Here we go. Nice knowing you all."
The Doctor held out his hands. June took the one on her side. She squeezed his hand and tried to give him a small smile. She took Rose's hand as well. Rose's grip was tight and scared.
Harriet grinned at them. "Hannibal!"
The few seconds before it hit was the worst. Waiting. Just waiting for the inevitable doom, the inevitable explosion. The seconds felt like hours. June could feel hot tears building in her eyes. She thought about her parents and her sister and her friends. If she was going to die, she was going to go out thinking about the people she loved.
And then it hit. The whole room shook at first but then everything turned upside down. It was like the room was a ball being thrown down a staircase. June was sure she was screaming but she couldn't be sure about it. She couldn't think about much. Her body was being thrown around like a ragdoll. She crashed against the wall and the floor and into the bodies of her friends. The whole world spun and twisted and June wasn't sure if she felt sick or if her head hurt. She couldn't actually tell if she was feeling anything at all. The moment it started, it ended as well.
~*O*~
The fact that June could still step out into the daylight was quite a feat. Everyone had managed to stay in one piece. They stood in the doorway of the metal room, looking out at piles of smoking wreckage. June could barely stand; her legs were shaking and she felt like they would give out and let her drop. The Doctor put a supportive arm around her so she wouldn't fall. June looked up at him and smiled. "We made it," she said, laughter cracking in her voice.
The Doctor smiled back at her. "We did."
"Made in Britain," Harriet grinned.
They stepped out, balancing on the rubble around them. A soldier ran down towards them. "Oh my god. Are you alright?" he asked.
Harriet turned to him and held up her ID card. "Harriet Jones, MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact the UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down. Go on, tell the news." June smiled. She really would make a great leader.
The soldier nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He ran off.
Harriet turned to the Doctor, June, and Rose. "Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, lord. We haven't even got a Prime Minister."
"Maybe you should have a go," the Doctor suggested.
"Me?" Harriet asked. "I'm only a back-bencher."
June smiled at her. "You should." She was sure that she would. The job seemed to fit her. She handled the situation better than anyone else.
"I'd vote for you," Rose said.
"Now, don't be silly," Harriet said. "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help. Hang on!" she called. She walked over the pile of rubble towards the street. June, the Doctor, and Rose followed after her.
~*O*~
Harriet ran out on the street full of ambulances and soldiers in bright colored vests. "We're safe!" she shouted. "The Earth is safe! Sergeant!"
The Doctor looked back at the two girls. "I thought I knew the name," he said. They walked out onto the street. They watched Harriet Jones walk towards the police, her arms up in the air. "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successful terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age."
"The crisis has passed!"
~*O*~
June with her feet up on the rim of the console, sat in the tattered jump seat, phone in hand. She watched the Doctor from the opposite side of the room. He was staring at the scanner again. He had been scared to lose her. June didn't know why she was thinking about his comment again. He had lost a lot of people, of course he wouldn't want to lose anyone else. But it was still an odd thing to think about.
"Stop staring at me."
June jumped at his voice. "Wha—?"
The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her. "You were staring."
June slumped down in her seat. "I was lost in thought."
He frowned at her. "Alright." He sounded like he didn't believe her. He picked up a phone from somewhere hidden in the console and dialed.
June furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" the Doctor asked. "I'm calling Rose. Now, hush." June rolled her eyes. He was silent for a moment. "Right, we'll be a couple of hours, then we can go."
"A couple of hours?" June asked. She didn't know what was next, but how long could it possibly take to clean everything up?
The Doctor raised a finger to her lips, shushing her again, and then returned to the call. "Like I said, a couple of hours. I've just got to send out this dispersal. There you go." An odd waving noise filled the console room. June winced. "That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."
And then the Doctor grinned. "Good," he said. "Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer."
June gaped at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The Doctor was silent. He walked around the console. June sat up properly as he approached. He rested an arm on her shoulder as he listened to Rose on the other side of the call. He shook his head. "I don't do that. And I'm taking June with me." June frowned up at him. He tilted the phone away and mouthed, "Jackie's cooking tea." He turned back to the call. "Tough. I've got better things to do." He wandered away and pressed a button on the console. June slumped back in her seat. "Not to me it isn't." Silence again. He walked around the console. "Well, she's not mine." June frowned. They were going to get into an argument over the phone, weren't they? "Well, you can stay there if you want." There was a pause. "But right now, there's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula."
"Horsehead Nebula?" June asked.
"Fires are burning then million miles wide," he continued. He looked over at June, smirking. He knew how incredible it sounded. He knew that she was interested. "I could fly the TARDIS right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out." He talked with his hands. It made June snicker. "Hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere. Your choice." He looked over at June. "And June's, of course." June couldn't help but smile.
~*O*~
A few hours had passed. The Doctor had managed to track down a kid who had graffitied the TARDIS earlier in the day. June didn't know how he had done it, but now the kid sat with a bucket and a brush, scrubbing the tag off of the side of the blue box.
June stood in the doorway with the Doctor. Mickey sat on top of a trash can just across the street, reading a newspaper. They had exchanged nods before turning their attention to other things. June watched the Doctor lean out of the doorway and look down at the kid. "Good lad. Graffiti that again and I'll have you. Now, beat it." The kid picked up his bucket and brush and sprinted away like his life depended on it.
"Think you scared him too much?" June asked.
The Doctor shook his head. He was grinning. "Nah." June rolled her eyes. He left the TARDIS, leaving June standing in the doorway, and walked over to Mickey. June could just barely hear their conversation.
"I just went down the shop, and I was thinking, you know, like the whole world's changed," Mickey said. "Aliens and spaceships all in public. And here it is." He unfolded the newspaper. The headline read, 'Alien Hoax.' June snickered. She closed the TARDIS door and walked over to join the conversation. "How could they do that?" Mickey asked. "They saw it."
"They're still denying it in my day," June said.
"What?" Mickey asked.
June nodded. "There's been more than just this. I probably shouldn't say considering I'd expect this one—" she looked up at the Doctor, "—to be in the middle of all of it. But they still deny." She shrugged at Mickey's shocked look.
"They're just not ready," the Doctor said. "You're happy to believe in something that's invisible, but if it's staring you in the face, nope, can't see it. There's a scientific explanation for that. You're thick."
"Rude," June snickered.
Mickey laughed. "We're just idiots."
"Well, not all of you," the Doctor said.
Mickey immediately sat up straighter. "Yeah?"
June smiled up at the Doctor. "Look at you. Being nice."
The Doctor rolled his eyes with a smile. "Present for you, Mickey." He dug a CD out of his jacket pocket and handed it to him. "That's a virus. Put it online. It'll destroy every mention of me. I'll cease to exist."
"What do you want to do that for?" Mickey asked.
"Because you're right," the Doctor said, "I am dangerous." June frowned. "I don't want anybody following me."
June noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Jackie and Rose walked out of the block. "How can you say that and then take her with you?" Mickey asked. "And take June with you?"
"You could look after Rose," the Doctor told him. "Come with us." June could barely believe what he had just said.
Mickey looked down and shook his head. "I can't. This life of yours, it's just too much. I couldn't do it." He glanced at the two women walking towards them. "Don't tell her I said that."
The Doctor wandered back to the TARDIS, taking June's hand and pulling her along after him. Jackie and Rose approached the small group. Jackie was rambling. "I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends. I'll pass my test, and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will." She was begging. She was begging for her child to stay. June felt her heart clench in her chest.
"I'm not leaving because of you," Rose said. "I'm travelling, that's all, and then I'll come back."
"But it's not safe," Jackie said.
"Mum, if you saw it out there, you'd never stay home." Rose turned to the Doctor and June, shrugging off a giant pink camping backpack.
"Got enough stuff?" the Doctor asked.
"Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment," Rose said. She shoved the backpack into the Doctor's arms. "Now, I'm signing up. You're stuck with me." She and June high-fived.
"You're almost as bad as her," the Doctor said, nodding at June.
"Almost?" June asked. "I didn't pack that much."
"How long did it take for you to untangle the ball of chargers?" he asked.
Rose laughed. "Oh, I'm so excited for all of your bickering." She turned away and walked up to Mickey. "Come with us. There's plenty of room."
Mickey looked over at the Doctor with wide eyes. "No chance," the Doctor lied. "He's a liability, I'm not having him on board."
"We'd be dead without him," Rose argued.
"My decision is final," the Doctor said.
Rose turned back to Mickey. "Sorry." They kissed goodbye.
"Good luck, yeah," Mickey muttered.
Jackie suddenly turned on the Doctor. "You still can't promise me," she shot. "What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million lightyears away. How long do I wait then?" June dreaded to think of a situation where she was abandoned somewhere in the universe without the Doctor. If something happened to him while they were on another planet or in another time, she would lose everything.
Rose took her mom's shoulders and stood in front of her. "Mum, you're forgetting. It's a time machine. I could go travelling around suns and planets and all the way out to the edge of the universe, and by the time I get back, yeah, ten seconds would have passed. Just ten seconds. So, stop worrying. See you in ten seconds' time, yeah?" They hugged. June felt a little awkward just watching the family moment. But the Doctor turned to head back into the TARDIS, so she wouldn't look weird if she walked into the TARDIS herself.
She closed the door behind them. "Hey," she said, following him up to the console. "Don't get hurt and abandon us on some sort of moon or something."
The Doctor laughed and set Rose's backpack down on the floor. "As long as you promise not to wander off and get into some stupid trouble I have to save you from."
"Yeah, deal," June said.
Rose walked into the TARDIS. She grinned at her two friends. "So, Horsehead Nebula?" she asked.
"That's such a stupid name for a nebula," June scoffed.
"It looks like a horsehead, what else are they going to name it?" the Doctor asked.
"Are we going to go?" Rose asked.
June nodded. "Yeah, sure. But I get to pick the next location."
"Deal," Rose said.
The Doctor pulled a lever on the console and grinned at the two girls. The wheezing filled the console room and they headed off for another adventure.
Again, I don't think this chapter is fantastic, so I'd like to know your guy's thoughts
Reviews, follows, and favorites are very much appreciated!
Until next time,
~ C.C.