Disclaimer: I don't own anything that I've written. Yep, that's right, I own not even one iota of the below work.
Summary: Able is an actual doctor, and so, so much more. We all know 'The Doctor' does have a pendent for running into impossible things - and if Able was anything, he was an impossible thing. (A twist on the usual OC and The Doctor formula has original ideas and later on, canon divergence. M/M)
Warnings: This is a Doctor Who fic, so I doubt any of the readers will turn down reading this just because it's slash. After all, we have the canon Jack Harkness. (Who deserves a warning all on his own.) Canon typical violence, language, and later on there will probably be more explicit sexual content.
Authour Note: There is a big lump of the beginning of this chapter without any dialogue, just Able talking about some of the adventures and figuring out his sonic and how to/how he is making it. A lot of this was researched in the wiki, and not referenced from the show which means there is old who in there, and I haven't extensively watched old who so if I made some mistakes I apologize. I had been going to, but then Netflix took Doctor Who off its lists.
We get introduced to a lot of what makes Able a more balanced character. Sure, he's cool and he's smart, hell he's got super powers now. Sure, he's a bit broken inside, but what are his faults. This chapter highlights them well. You have to wonder after all, if there is such a thing as too open-minded, perhaps too curious. In addition, I've once again highlighted Able's anger problem in relation to those he cares about. This is one of my favourite episodes, so I hope I did it justice in my changes, and just everything I've done. Seeing the difference between first chapter Able and this Able must be a bit striking, but it's all in character I assure you.
This chapter is quite dark, I won't add extra warnings because I'm not quite sure it's needed. It is cannon typical to see something like this, but it's just... Darker than the original episode.
On another note, the next season is airing in a bit. GG guys.
Chapter Six:The Last Dalek
...
Able the best wingman in the world strikes again! Somehow though, the feeling was hollow. It wasn't because of what he'd been through, and yes the ginger was still broken because of that, but it was healing. This was something completely different, and Able hadn't found himself feeling such a thing before, not since the first time he'd seen Mickey and Rose together.
Jealousy.
The first time Able had seen Rose together with Mickey was a few months after they had broken up, or rather, Able broke up with Rose because of the fact he couldn't allow himself to be completely honest with her. Rose had accepted it gracefully, since then they had been friends, but the sharp sticks of jealousy attacked when Mickey was first introduced.
Able was feeling that toward Rose Tyler because of The Doctor and it certainly didn't take him too long to realize just how deep into the shits he'd gotten.
...
The next few months spent in the TARDIS had been utterly breathtaking and wondrous in ways that words wouldn't really begin to express – Although Able tried.
The Doctor had taken them to places that telescopes could only hope to catch a glimpse of. Beautiful, miraculous sights that Able had sat at the door of the TARDIS just looking at them, hours on end, just staring at the beauty the Universe contained. All of the most beautiful nebula, ones that Able knew about first, such as the Orion, Eskimo, Helix, Ring, Carina, and Butterfly Nebula, but after that, even more breathtaking sights, nebula that human eyes had never seen before. They watched stars go super nova, and each time was different and striking in a way that the one before hadn't been. Planets themselves, one particular planet in Galaxy M104 made entirely of see-through crystal, which glittered like nothing Able had ever conceived, light refracting in millions of different directions. It was so bewitching to look at, that the ginger had never wanted to look away.
When they weren't 'sightseeing', Able was in his room reading, or working on his sonic.
When geeky children are young, a good majority of them think about just how freaking awesome it would be to have some sort of super watch.
Able was always one to want his dreams to come true, and now he had the capability to make it happen.
The TARDIS had given him a type of green crystal with properties similar to the metebelis crystals of Metebelis III. The setting of the watch was going to be rather simple – if everything went according to the blue prints. First Able used a hollowed out 4cm (AN: About 1 and a half inches) wide metal bracelet, fitted to Able's wrist with a part out of the top cut out about 2 and ½ cm thick for the face of the 'clock'. The thickness of the watch and band coming in at around ½ cm.
The face of the watch looked rather normal, the difference being that the hands of the clock were attached to the metebelis-like crystal, the majority of which was hiding in the hallow band, connected to several wires and circuits which ran through the newly invented piece of technology. The green-glowing crystal did make the watches face look rather futuristic.
Aesthetically pleasing, but next came the adding of different abilities to the sonic watch. The organization of which was organized by type, then number, and could be changed via the 'winding dial' on the watch. Pull out once for the letter, twice to switch numbers.
A-Type for Security
B-Type for Medical/Diagnostic
C-Type for Technology
D-Type for Amplification
E-Type for Utility
It was worth noting that each setting was something in its own. In other words, The Doctor who used his sonic for almost anything? That was a creation that he made and accumulated through his 900-whatever planet years. A tool comprised of a lot of hard work. Able's wouldn't amount of much comparatively for quite some time. Still, he added some basic things in.
A-1: Destabilizing basic security systems A-2: Destroying security cameras A-3: Fusing metal locks shut
B-1: Scanning human body for pheromone imbalances B-2: Scanning human body for abnormalities not found on Earth
C-1: Hacking basic setting
D-1: Amplification of sound
E-1: Lock picking E-2: Reconnection of wires E-3: Lighting a fire E-4: Screwing in screws (Just to be a sassy shit.)
The making of a sonic anything seemed to be an ongoing process – Although Able was sure The Doctor would help him advance, Able wanted to do it all himself, he wanted his watch to be indicative of him and his personality, as The Doctor's sonic was of himself.
It was kind of like letting someone go through your Internet History in a weird way, you just don't allow it.
All of that aside, Able was getting a lot of appreciation from his dear Rosie Tyler as of late. In that, Able was being the best wingman there had ever been. When all three of them were in a room together, Able would always find a reason to leave. It was working too, Able could see them getting closer, their body language indicative of such. Rose would lingeringly touch The Doctor, and the Time Lord allowed it, sometimes almost leaned into it. Sometimes The Doctor got a softer look in his eyes when he looked at Rosie as well. Just small things, like how when they stood next to each other, they did so closer than conventional, leaned closer when they were talking, tilted themselves toward the other.
Able really was the best wingman, and it sort of started to shred him.
He hadn't known the extent to which he liked The Doctor until after he started truly getting into his wingman actions. Able hadn't felt this attracted to someone else – Ever. The ginger had been with a lot of different people, some objectively better looking than The Doctor, but nothing, nothing compared to that mans mind, his morals, his personality, and just his atmosphere in everything he did. Maybe it was a bit of Able reflective his awe at the vast Universe toward The Doctor, but somehow Able knew he couldn't deny himself like that. He hadn't before, he wasn't about to start now.
However, Able didn't do anything.
Normally that wouldn't sound like Able. As far as sexuality and likened things, Able went for what he wanted, and usually he got it. Those times however, didn't include one thing. Rosie Tyler – The only person in the Universe that Able loved, no matter what type of love it was.
The blue-eyed male didn't know just how much he was willing to sacrifice for his blonde, but now that he knew, it was both horrifying and wonderful, and Able didn't want to change, so he didn't. He allowed The Doctor to be pulled away from him, to destroy any chance of a relationship with the man.
For Rosie Tyler.
...
...
...
"Well, this certainly doesn't look like the Pillars of Creation." Able commented as the trio got out of the TARDIS which was had seemingly parked itself in some sort of dark building.
"I was itching for something other than sightseeing, really." Rose stated with an excited smile, "So, Doctor, where are we?"
Able tried his best not to show his utter revulsion at the fact Rose was able to throw aside the amazing things they had seen as simple 'sightseeing' because really... The description was accurate, but the feeling just wasn't there. They watched stars go super-nova it wasn't a trip to the Grand Canyon.
"Earth, Utah, North America, and we're about half a mile underground. Seems that there is some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course emanating from somewhere in this building." The Doctor said, looking around.
"When are we?"
"2012." The Doctor replied.
"What sort of technology or people in 2012 could create something which would send your TARDIS off course?" Able asked, suddenly looking a little bit worried.
Before The Doctor could respond, the lights flickered on, and the extent of the room was shown. It was clearly some sort of collection, or museum of sorts. Yet, the year was 2012, and Able couldn't help but feel like something wasn't quite right. Did something big happen in the last few years that had humans suddenly realizing the truth? Despite the fact that as a race, the majority simply weren't ready? The ginger doubted that.
"Blimey, it's like a great big museum."
Able clicked his tongue in thought, "I think it's more like a collection – Non-terrestrial species still aren't recognized as being real by the majority."
They started to look into the glass boxes, The Doctor in particular looked almost put out by what was going on, "Someone's got a dangerous hobby, something that they must have spent a fortune on. We've got chucks of meteorite, moon dust, a piece of the Rosewell spaceship, milometer to be exact, and I'm sure this isn't all of it."
"Spot anything capable of making the signal?" Able asked, pushing against The Doctor's shoulder and sending the man the worry he'd been feeling – To which The Doctor returned his understanding of the worry, and some soothing emotions.
"Nothing yet..."
"That's a bit of Slitheen, it's been stuffed!" Rose suddenly exclaimed in fascination.
Able walked over and studied it, "Probably just a piece of it left over from that bomb. This is out of the realm of just paying money for something though – Undoubtedly this had to have gotten into this collection after it was in the governments hands. We're talking millions, if not billions of dollars, or perhaps blackmail of some sort... Also, they are called Raxacoricofallapatorian."
The Doctor seemed to notice something of particular interest, as he gravitated toward it in a sort of horrified fascination, "Oh, would you look at that..."
"What is it?" Rose asked.
"An old friend of mine, well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit." The Doctor paused for a second, Able could see why that thought could be a mix of amazing and horrifying, "I'm getting old."
"It seems rather dead, can't be where the signal is coming from." Able stated, although he subconsciously dwindled with his sonic watch, wondering if he should prioritize making a setting which could scan electronics for activity.
"That's quite correct, stone dead it is. Besides, the signal is reaching out, calling for help... Those things wouldn't do something like that." The Doctor explained, looking rather distressed at the last part. Able thought to go closer to The Doctor, to press their minds together, to comfort him.
Instead, Rose was there, placing a hand on his shoulder, earning a startled look at first, which then faded into a gentle smile.
Able made sure to withhold the urge to wince horribly at this. Instead he just took a step back, forgetting there were items on both sides, and knocking the glass on the podium. An alarm sounded immediately after, echoing through the large warehouse like museum, and soldiers appeared within seconds.
"If someone's collecting aliens, you're Exhibit-A." Rose stated, fear in her voice.
Apparently forgetting all about the fact that Able hated the word she used. Never mind the fact she rather mindlessly just throw out the fact he was not human when surrounded by shoulders... Instead of berating her, he grabbed her hand and squeezed, trying to comfort her in the moment of fear. He didn't let her hand go, either. Just held on, even as a business woman walked in, her heels clanking, resounding through the room, and looked at the trio.
A ginger haired woman with curly hair. Her name was Diana Goddard, and Able couldn't look her in the eyes, because he knew who she was, knew better than anyone in that room. She was a cold being, someone willing to throw away their own child. Someone that probably wouldn't recognize their own child if they were placed in front of her, the ruthless coldblooded...
"Let's go intruders, the Boss will see you now." She had a cool, professional smile painted onto her lips, and Able had never wanted to hit someone as much as he wanted to slap that expression off of her face.
At least she didn't recognize him as he predicted – Able wouldn't have been in control of himself had she known.
They followed the female ginger through the halls and into a large office, it fit all of the trio along with several soldiers and the 'boss' comfortably. Behind the desk was an older man, he had the smug and rich air practically pouring off of him, and he was taking to a relatively attractive young man that seemed to be holding an object that wasn't from Earth, unless something had changed drastically in the last few years.
"What does it do?" The boss asked, placing his paws all over the object, despite not knowing anything about it, or wondering if it was delicate.
The young man answered quickly, "Well, those tubes on the side seem to channel something, perhaps a type of fuel."
Able might have felt the urge to hide his sonic watch, had the idiots in the room seemed able to put together what a non-Earth device might do, work, or look like.
"I really wouldn't hold it like that." The Doctor spoke, a manically amused look breaking across his face.
Diana snapped at him, her usually pretty face twisting in a familiar sort of jealous fury, "Shut it!"
"Maybe don't tell one of the only people in this room that know what the hell they're doing to shut up." Able spoke in a drawling sort of tone, a smug tone that indicated a sort of 'I'm smarter than you' that had both of the male gingers companions look at him with surprise, and Rose squeezing his hand in worry.
The young male seemed to take this seriously, "Is it dangerous?"
"No, it just looks silly." The Doctor ruthlessly stated, behind holding out a hand for the object, ignoring the guns that waved around him. The boss just waved the guns away and stared at The Doctor for a moment, before handing him the object with curiosity plain in his eyes.
"You just need to be a bit... Delicate." The Doctor said, before softly brushing his finger along the instrument, it made a noise that was vaguely reminiscent of some human instrument that Able forgot the name of.
The Boss seemed quite surprised, "It's a musical instrument."
"And it's a long way from home." The Doctor stated, looking down at the object softly.
It occurred to Able that it might not actually be an instrument, from the way The Doctor was looking at it, treating it, it could very well be alive, or sentient in some way. Not really surprising considering there were endless possibilities in this Universe.
The Boss grabbed it back rather unceremoniously, starting playing it. Say what you would of the man's overall demeanor, and his very American like of guns apparently, he was a quick learner. It took less than a minute for him to start playing it rather similar to The Doctor.
"Very good," The Doctor stated with his approval clear in his voice, "Quite the expert."
The Boss just tossed it aside without a care, "As are you."
Able could feel himself getting frustrated, not angry quite yet, not at that man, but without a doubt he was on the edge. Likely because of the ginger female beside him, but that wasn't the current problem. The Doctor looked rather distressed as well, staring at the fallen 'instrument'
"What do you want for it?" Able heard himself ask.
The Boss gave a raised eyebrow, "More than you can afford."
"I might surprise you, everyone has a number, what's yours in this case." Able spoke, regarding the man coldly, ignoring the surprised looks he was getting from his companions once again, though The Doctor look suitably grateful. The Time Lord seemed to recognize that Able realized the truth of the 'instrument'.
"I'm a good business man, you pay me double what I bought it for. An instrument isn't worth much to me after all." He stated uncaringly, raising a hand flippantly.
"1,600,000 dollars then, give me your account and I'll wire you the money." Able stated simply enough.
Some people might wonder, Able, where do you get that kind of money. Then again, Able got a comfortable living form working at the University and turning in his research. On top of that, there were his published theories, which sold rather well considering he was one of the top physicist in the world. Finally, there was the simplest answer of them all, Able was smart enough to know that when you make money, you invest it. At this point in time, considering his time traveling status, Able was sure he had even more money than he would have had if he didn't leave.
A few moments later, Able was using the bosses computer to transfer the funds, and placing the instrument in his pocket.
"Pleasure doing business with idiots, as always." The Boss stated, rather happy to get double his investment on such a, to him, useless object.
...
...
...
Business proceedings done, The Doctor cut in with his usual bluntness, "I'm The Doctor, who are you exactly?"
"As if you don't know, we're hidden away with the most valuable collection on this planet, and you think I'll believe you stumbled upon it by some mistake?" The Boss said, scoffing.
The Doctor just frowned, "That pretty much sums the situation up actually."
"The question is, how did you get down here. You and your little cat burglar accomplice, and the ginger who has money... Perhaps he helped you out. Though, you do seem to be quite the collect yourself, she's rather pretty."
The Doctor looked about ready to slug the man one, Rose looked about ready to snap as well, but Able was the one that opened his mouth first, "You best leave my dear Lover alone, besides, I'm the pretty one here. Just look at my eyes, you could stare into them for days."
He gave the Boss a rather cheeky smirk, a complete departure from his previous behavior, making the man stumble a bit.
"This is Mr. Henry van Statten." The young man spoke, his voice heavy with meaning, as though the trio was meant to know who he was.
"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose commented rather sarcastically, a smirk pulling across her lips.
"Mr. Statten owns the internet."
Rose scoffed, because if hanging around with Able for years of her life taught her anything, it was the fact that no one controls the internet, "Mhmm, pull the other one. No one owns the internet."
"Let's just keep the whole world thinking that way right kids?" Statten stated, rather than asked, giving a toothy grin.
"It's impossible." Able stated, drawing attention to himself, "It's literally impossible to control the internet. Maybe you could control a large part of it, the major parts, but never the whole thing. Countries wouldn't let you, and even if you could get them on board, the internet is too large and ever changing for one person to control. Maybe you can convince your little sycophant employees, but I'm not moronic enough to fall for something like that." As Able spoke of sycophant employees, he looked directly at Diana with unforgiving eyes.
The Doctor just watched with a large grin, he loved watching his companions tell people off, they were remarkably good at it. Normally he never had to step in himself – Which was a bit off-putting considering how much of a gab he had, but it was worth it. Time to step up to the plate though, and find out what was going on, because thus far they'd unveiled remarkably little information.
"So you're just about an expert in everything except the things in your museum. Seems like anything you don't understand, you simply lock up." The Doctor baited.
"You claim a greater knowledge." Statten stated.
"You've seen just how good I am, clearly in that I know more than you." The Doctor continued to bait.
"I captured you there, right next to the cage containing my only living specimen. Now tell me, Doctor, what exactly were you doing down there?" Statten interrogated, but from an new observes point of view, the little back and forth might have seemed like a battle of the egos, and perhaps it was, just a little bit.
"What is it?" The Doctor asked, masking the mild, true anger he started to grow at the thought of this man having some poor, innocent alien in his grasp, "Show me."
"You wanna see it?" Statten shot back.
"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone." Rose commented, looking a bit put out.
"Testosterone, maybe you're right, Lover, I just thought they were flirting... I mean listen to it, 'show me' 'you wanna see it?'"
His point was well made, joking as it was.
"Goddard, inform the cage that me, the Doctor with no name, and Doctor Able here are going down to the cage." Statten ordered, taking Able by surprise.
"Why me?"
"You are smarter than I anticipated, so that means I need to be smart enough to know not to let you out of my sight. Last thing I need is someone like you walking around here unsupervised." Statten explained, and Able's opinion of the man sky rocketed.
Statten then pointed toward the young man, "You, look after the girl. I can't trust you with someone intelligent... But I trust you can keep an close enough eye on the candy."
Finally, he turned to face The Doctor full on once more, "Let's go, Doctor, to see my pet."
...
...
...
What a crew they made, Able thought to himself as the group made their way down the the cage. Statten, Able, The Doctor, Diana Goddard, and a couple of armed guards. When they arrived, there was a man who was taking off a hazmat looking suit.
Able stared for a moment, speechless, eyes not seeing anything that was happening.
The Doctor did something that usually Able initiated, and with a brush of their shoulders, sent Able comforting emotions, bringing the ginger back to the present.
"We've tried everything. The creature has shielded itself but there's definite signs of life inside." Statten said, typing something into a console.
The Doctor frowned, "Inside? Inside what exactly?"
"Welcome back, sir. I've had to take the power down. The Metaltron is resting." One of the men who were wearing protective gear stated.
"Metaltron?" The Doctor questioned incredulously.
"Thought of it myself. Good, isn't it? Although I'm much prefer to find out it's real name." Statten spoke, rubbing his hands together.
"Oh Statten, you must be the most creative idiot in the room. Metaltron of all things..." Able whispered under his breath, loud enough for The Doctor to hear, although the man stayed impassive, Able knew him well enough to know when he was feeling amusement, and there had been a twinkle in those expressive eyes.
"Here, you'd better put these on. The last guy that touched it burst into flames."
The Doctor just stared at the human blankly, "I won't touch it then."
Goddard actually seemed to find that funny, Able found it interesting that she had enough heart left in her to find humor in anything.
"Go ahead, Doctor No-Name, Doctor Able, impress me."
Both The Doctor and Able stepped through the threshold and looked around the 'cage' with curiosity. There, on the opposite side of the room was a faint glow, and as they started to move closer to it, the doors behind them shut. Able decided to let The Doctor handle it, if it was just some misplaced and abused non-terrestrial than The Doctor would be a better person to meet, as they would have that in common.
"Look, I'm sorry about this situation. Mister Van Statten might think he's clever, but he's got nothing on us. I've come to help you, I'm The Doctor."
There was a flicker, "Doctor..." The computer generated voice spoke weakly.
After which, the atmosphere of the room quickly changed, and Able tensed up to match the suddenly horrified and afraid Doctor, "Impossible!"
More lights came on, showing the chained machine in the center of it all, The Doctor could feel his blood run cold at the sight, and he could only think of escaping, of running, taking his companions and getting far, far away from where they currently were. He ran up toward the door and started to bang on it, Able following after him without a second thought.
"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The pepper shaker said, Able could hear ever wobble in the tone, and suddenly for no reason, he felt more terrified for his life than ever before – Then he realized that, no. The ginger wasn't afraid for himself, he was afraid for The Doctor.
He was afraid for The Doctor just like he became afraid for Rose Tyler, and if he lived, he knew that such feelings did not mean a happy life for him.
"Statten if The Doctor somehow dies because you locked us in here, and I get out, you don't even want to know the hell which will be placed upon you." Able hissed out, without control of himself, just like he had been when he faced down Cassandra.
Maybe, just maybe, the reason Able didn't have a lot of connections is because of just how dangerous it was for him to make them, simply because of how far the ginger was willing to go for the people he cared about.
"Let us out!"
"Exterminate!" The alien cried out, and for once Able didn't mind the word alien, as he attempted desperately to reach The Doctor, "You are an enemy of the Daleks! You must be destroyed!"
It only took a few seconds until something occurred to The Doctor, "We aren't dead yet... It's not working." There was a pause before The Doctor gave out a half-crazed laugh, "Fantastic! Oh, absolutely fantastic! Powerless! Look at you, a great space dustbin, nothing to you. How does that feel?"
The Doctor stalked over to the Dalek, his eyes practically burning with the intensity of his feelings.
Able felt very out of place, if nothing else. The emotions that Able found feel in the air were The Doctors, and unlike usual when the ginger would need contact, he could practically swallow the air it was so thick with The Doctor's anger.
"Keep back!" The pepper spoke, it's voice mechanical, but somehow displaying fear, if Able was correct, and somehow that was weirdly intoxicating.
Or was that The Doctor.
Able forced his mental shields down, for the first time in months he intentionally blocked The Doctor out when they were connected, and The Doctor didn't even notice, not that they were connected, and not that it broke, he just glared at the pitiful creature before him.
"What for? What are you going to do to me, I mean, you can't kill. So, if you can't kill, than what good are you, Dalek What's the point of you, because you're nothing without that capability." The Doctor grinned, and it was full of blood and hate, and a raging fire that couldn't be put out.
"I am waiting for orders."
It occurred to Able just how one-sided this was. Able was open-minded, he loved seeing things from multiple perspectives and forming an opinion that best suited a true morality. Somehow, the treatment of this 'Dalek' didn't fit into that, but he didn't stop The Doctor either. Because the downfall in having such a wonderfully open-mind was that sometimes, sometimes it wasn't a good thing.
'The Doctor knows what he's doing.'
'I know nothing about the Dalek, thus it probably deserves it.'
'Even if it's wrong, if The Doctor needs to do this, than whatever he needs is understandable and forgivable.'
"Well you're never going to get any orders, not ever again." The Doctor spoke, a wide, ugly smile still present.
"I demand orders!"
"They're never going to come, you're entire race is dead, you've all burnt, all of you. Ten million ships on fire, and the entire Dalek race was wiped out in one second." The Doctor whispered it, as thought treasuring the thought.
"You lie!"
"I watched it happen. I was the one that made it happen." The Doctor revealed, and Able accepted it.
Able just accepted it just like he'd accept everything else about The Doctor, just like he'd accept just about anything someone he cared about did. What a despicable person Able was. The little back and forth meant nothing for Able's opinion, nothing...
"Oh, and I caught your little signal. Asking for help, you poor little thing... There's no one left to come and help you, and a Dalek wouldn't have helped you even if there was another."
"The Doctor, perhaps we should try to leave." Able asked evenly, knowing well that it was nothing more than a feeble attempt.
The Doctor was too caught up though, "I'm just having a bit of revenge, The Able, because I know what this little thing deserves. It deserves what it did to millions of other planets, Exterminate." As the world left The Doctor's mouth, his hand reached over and pulled a lever, and the Dalek screamed.
Able accepted.
"Have pity!"
"Why should I? You never did."
As the words came, guards came in and grabbed The Doctor and Able, restraining the, with typical American tactics. In other words, there were guns all around, and there was nothing either of them could do as they were escorted out of the room, despite The Doctor's struggles.
...
...
...
"The metal's just battle armour, the real Dalek is inside of it." The Doctor informed Statten as they all entered the lift. His voice was almost frantic, he wanted to get the Boss to understand just what sort of danger he was putting them in by just letting the thing hang around. The Doctor wanted to deal with the problem.
Able just accepted.
"What does it look like?"
"A nightmare, a mutation... The Dalek race was genetically engineered to have every emotion other than hate taken from them." The Doctor explained, his voice still trying to drive the point home.
It certainly made Able feel a bit less guilty for his acceptance.
"Genetically engineered by whom?"
"By a genius, Van Statten, a man who was king of his own little world where he was ruler. You'd like him, quite a bit alike." The Doctor stated dryly, making his mild distaste clear.
"It's been on Earth for years, why would it be a threat now? It's been moved to from private sales time and time again and there's never been an issue." Diana spoke, her tone just so mighty that Able grit his teeth hard enough for one to literally chip, before the cells regenerated themselves.
"I'm sorry Diana, I must have missed the part where you suddenly weren't human and knew things about non-terrestrial species." Able hissed out, despite his energy getting a mild zap from the healing.
The Doctor continued on, "If you did know anything, you'd know that thing was a threat the moment I entered that room. How did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?"
"Records say it came from the sky like a meteorite, and fell to Earth on the Ascension Islands. Burnt in its crater for three days before anybody could get near it and all that time it screamed, we'd believed it to have gone insane." Diana spoke.
Able looked at her mockingly once more, "Oh yes, and you are the picture of understanding in non-terrestrial psyche."
"Have we met before?" She turned toward Able with a cold smile.
Able just returned it, and they were equal, "Not in any meaningful way, I assure you. Although perhaps I have forgotten, you don't seem to be the most memorable person..."
She was, but Able certainly wouldn't give her that satisfaction.
"The Able, we have more pressing matters." The Doctor spoke, and Able thought for the first time, the Time Lord might have been angry with him. The male gingers mouth slammed shut not only because the words were true, but also just because it was The Doctor asking.
"Now that we have the spare keeping his mouth shut, you mentioned a war?" Goddard inquired.
Able fought himself, because that woman had no right, no right to speak to him that way. The ginger almost thought The Doctor might stand up for him . That moment never came, comparative to the Dalek, Able must have not mattered all that much.
"The Time War, the final battle between my people and the Dalek race."
"Yet, the two of you survived." Statten stated,
Both the time travelers were starting to get worried at this line of questioning. The Doctor especially, "No, just me. The Able is completely human."
"The Doctor and The Able... Just who do you think you're fooling? It must be a cultural thing. So, the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, now there is three. To be most specific, three very rare aliens, the last of their kinds. Although I wonder, The Able, your name isn't much of a title like The Doctor's... Is it short for something?"
The man was clearly mocking, and Able could have taken this chance to deny it all, like The Doctor's eyes seemed to be begging, but then, Able's curiosity was killing him. What would this man do, torture them like he had the Dalek? Able wouldn't allow The Doctor to go through that alone. Or perhaps they would just be interrogated, regardless Able wanted to be with The Doctor through it all, to help him if the man found himself unable to help himself, or if he was in need of comfort...
"The Enabler." Able stated, although with a hint of shame, because the name was true, and not exactly one to be proud of no matter how well it fit.
...
...
...
They had been separated, 'cages' right next to each other, and even at the second Able thought that, he could hear The Doctor screaming. Statten was in there with him, but Able, oh, Able got one particular female ginger. He was tied to a metal bed, arms above his head and legs attached to the bottom, tightly and unable to move. The male ginger was glad to see however, that despite the fact they pealed his shirt off, they left his watch.
His sonic watch.
"You hear those screams? The Doctor of yours is getting the most detailed scan known to man done on his system right now, and that's just level one. To save time, we're diving into level two – DNA." The woman said, her face just as cold as Able had always remembered it, "Sorry The Enabler, this is going to hurt."
The switch was flicked, and screams erupted from the previously silent man, Able lost contact with just how much time had passed, but no matter what physical pain he went through... Nothing compared to the emotional pain he'd just gotten through, pain that the woman in front of him started.
"Please Daddy!" Able yelled at the top of his lungs, knowing, just knowing that The Doctor could hear him through the walls in kind, and hoping that it would help the Time Lord.
It had helped Able, because he was laughing himself through the screams of pain.
"That's interesting... I'm not a scientist but I dabble, and your cells are literally regenerating even as the scan kills them off so quickly. Mister Van Statten is going to be pleased with this." The woman said, a manufactured smile pained.
Able laughed, "Of course you aren't a scientist, you aren't smart enough. I can pretty much guarantee that my IQ is at least fifty points higher than yours." Because it's the very IQ that you decided to throw me away because it was better than yours, you cold hearted bitch.
"Clearly we haven't learned enough if you still have a mouth like that."
She flicked the scanner back on, this time at a different portion of his body, but the pain was the same, and Able just laughed, laughed because now he knew that it bugged her. Laughed because he didn't want The Doctor to hear him in pain, and laughed just because the woman thought that she could get one over on him.
"You Diana Goddard, are nothing."
And Able laughed for one other reason, he laughed because he was free of this woman. Tied down as he was, he was free of her.
...
...
...
The Doctor was feeling so much.
Deep, burning anger toward himself, the Dalek, and his own people for what he had to do, for what he did, and what he was currently doing. Worry, for Rose Tyler, The Able, and constant worry about that Dalek getting out and the destruction that it could cause. Guilt, crushing guilt for what he'd done to his people, to the tortured Dalek, to The Able. The Able in particular was not having a good trip, the Time Lord knew. He'd never seen The Doctor like that, and as soon as he had, The Doctor snapped at him, snapped at his companion as though he was no different from that chained Dalek he'd been so intent on playing with instead of finishing off well he had the chance.
So, The Doctor knew that he earned the pain coming to him.
"Now smile!"
Blinding pain, like something he hadn't felt since he'd ended The Time War.
"Two hearts, a binary vascular system. Oh I am so going to patent this." Statten spoke, likely imagining the money.
"None of this is your own work, you just collect this stuff and reverse engineer it. You aren't anything special, a money could do this. No, an ape is doing this." The Doctor returned, panting for breath.
"This technology has been falling to Earth for centuries. All it took was the right mind to put it to proper use. Oh, the advances I've made because of all this alien junk. You've no idea, Doctor. Broadband? That was me. Just last year my scientists cultivated bacteria from the Russian crate, and do you know what I found? The cure for the common cold. Of course, I kept that strictly within the laboratory. No need to get people excited, when instead of selling one cure I could sell thousands of palliatives." Statten monologues, clearly proud of himself.
Then, The Doctor could hear screams of pain, The Able... Across the psychic field The Doctor could feel that pain, along with an inordinate amount of hatred. Deserved considering he was being tortured in a similar fashion –
"Please Daddy!"
The Doctor suddenly felt a surprised bubble of laughter, he held it back, but it had been there. It made The Doctor felt content in a way he hadn't since this situation started. The Able was something fantastic, that was undeniable. The way he went about his life, even when that life had been shattered, was so inspiring.
It made The Doctor want to be better in a way he hadn't wanted for centuries.
Rose Tyler was quite similar in that. She had a unique way about her that was attractive. Something fresh, so full of life that The Doctor couldn't look away from her as she burned with it. This set such a stark contrast to The Able, who was broken, and in many ways so similar to The Doctor – He'd live to, live a long, non-human life. The Doctor knew of course, that he shouldn't be so attracted to any of his companions, but they forced their way into him, made him care about them. The only thing was, The Able didn't want him, and it made The Doctor feel safe.
He could like The Able and know well that they wouldn't get together because The Able was clearly trying to get The Doctor and Rose together. This was comforting to the Time Lord, because if he could or would start a relationship with one it would be the one that he didn't need to run from.
The one that wouldn't be around long enough to tie down his running feet.
What did you know, apparently thinking about the people you love was quite the pain blocker. At least, it numbed The Doctor to the point where Statten had stopped the scans, or was that something else. Was there some sort of alarm ringing?
The Doctor's lightening fast mind didn't take very long to catch up, "Release me if you want to live."
...
...
...
The second everyone that worked in the building went on high alert, Able knew it was his time to put plans in action. A wiggle of his wrist, and the sonic watch activated, picking the lock that held his arms in place. Archaic for a place like this, to have padlocks. Perhaps intelligent in a way, other things could be hacked into, and it's not every day someone is lucky enough to have a sonic watch.
Diana had moved toward the door, Able swiftly lost all of his chains the second she looked away, before she had the chance to do something about that, Able had rammed her head against the concrete of his cell.
Was there any guilt?
Not a single bit.
Grabbing his shirt, Able through it on and made a bee-line for the woman's ear device that connected her to the other areas of the building. She looked to be waking, so he pulled it roughly and attached it to his own ear. Immediately he was getting reports from several sectors saying that they were experiencing a code red – That Metaltron had gotten itself free.
Rosie Tyler, his Lover, was in danger.
Able jogged to the next door room, all of his pain fading away quickly, and he saw The Doctor, still chained up without his shirt, but what he said, "Release me if you want to live."
"If that your safe word?" Able said, sauntering into the room without a care, and using his sonic watch to unlock the restrains holding The Doctor.
Normally, that would have earned him a manic grin, or perhaps even a pleased look with a side of chuckles. Instead, he got flashed determined eyes. Eyes that read that they wanted to do something about the situation, that said they were going to save someone. Those eyes were going to try and save Rose Tyler.
They were running a second later, a stunned Statten gaining his wits as his prisoners escaped, two of which were going to be helpful though, so there wasn't anything for it considering the situation at hand. It didn't take them too long before they got to an office with a large screen, something of a hub.
"You've got to keep it in that cell." The Doctor ordered.
The guard that was next to her pointed out, "I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that locks' got over a billion combinations."
"A Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat." The Doctor commented, looking very worried. Able had to fight the urge to run toward Rose, because Rose was better at running away than he was. Logically he'd just slow her down, even though he was no slouch in the physical department, she had him far beat.
It hurt, to watch knowing there was nothing he could do. The Doctor had knowledge, therefore could do something, but Able didn't know anything and didn't have the physical capabilities...
What a hopeless situation to find himself in.
"Doctor, it's all my fault." Rose stated, her tone horribly guilty.
Able cut in at this, because if he couldn't do anything to help, he would comfort her, "You couldn't have known, Lover."
The door opened seconds after, revealing the pepper container in its full glory. The second it opened, the guards started to shot like crazy, and for once Able was thankful toward America's bad habits, because if there was one situation where guns were a good thing, a potential non-terrestrial hostile was one such place.
"Lover, get out of there!"
"Rose, run!"
The Dalek easy killed a few of the guards, smashing the monitor to pieces, but not before displaying just how useless it was for them to use guns again it. Never again would Able be capable of looking at at the Dalek the same way. In fact, Able felt like if he could travel back in time, after seeing that, he might have been the one to pull the little torture lever.
Goddard – when had she woken? – practically whimpered, "We're losing power! It's draining the base, no, it's draining the entire power supplies of Utah!"
"It's downloading." The Doctor observed grimly.
"Downloading what?" Statten asked, but Able swiftly cut in.
"Alright, The Doctor, how do we stop it then? There was a war against them, therefore there must be a way." Able reasoned, trying to remain calm even though Rose was out there.
"A war against them when we had technology form a more advanced civilization than you little apes could ever dream." The Doctor stated ruthlessly, "Now that Dalek is absorbing the internet, finding out about your people, what makes you tick, what annoys you, what helps you run, and it will try to destroy each one of those things. That's what they do after all, destroy."
Statten seemed to be very pro-Dalek, considering his rants on telling his people to stop shooting at it. Not that it mattered, bullets clearly didn't work. Goddard, the hypocrite that she was, seemed almost horrified that her boss was willing to sacrifice those people.
Dirty hypocrite, Able thought, glaring at her, and maybe the anger was almost as deep as the anger The Doctor displayed toward the Dalek earlier.
"This collection of yours, I'm assuming you've got alien weapons." The Doctor stated.
Goddard, likely scared for her own life, quickly answered, "Yes, unfortunately enough the Dalek is between us and them."
"We've got to keep that thing alive. We could just seal the entire vault, trap it down there." Statten thought up.
The idea had a weird amount of merit, Able was capable of admitting that. There was one problem however, Rosie was down there, and if this man even thought, for one second, that he was going to seal her down there with such a monster, he was sadly mistaken. He'd be thrown into the vault before that ever happened.
The Doctor apparently agreed, "Leaving everyone trapped with it. Rose is down there, and I won't let that happen. Do you understand me?" The Doctor glared at Statten, before looking at a map Gaddard pulled up, "It's got to go through this area, what's there?"
Apparently everyone was getting a gun. In these circumstances, probably for the best, but Able felt uncomfortable with it. Guns and open-mindedness didn't usually get along well. The Doctor had always seemed to agree with that sentiment, until now.
The ginger male accepted it.
"I thought you were the great expert, Doctor. Yet, if you're so impressive, then why not just reason with this Dalek? It must be willing to negotiate. There must be something it needs, something that it wants." Statten borderline begged.
"What's the nearest town?" The Doctor asked, not even bothering to look at Statten anymore.
"Salt Lake City."
"Population?"
"Over a million."
"All of them would die." The Doctor ruthlessly stated, "If the Dalek were to get out, it would start there before going on to murder every living creatures."
"Surely there's a reason." Statten stated.
"It doesn't matter. One life isn't worth millions of life and all the damage that the Dalek is doing. Even if we could save the Dalek at the price of only your workers, one verses one hundred is still too much." Able said, wondering just how many times he'd have to make a similar point to someone.
Seemingly shutting Statten up for awhile, Able turned toward The Doctor, "What about some sort of massively amplified sound wave. If we found the right frequency surely we could fry it's circuits."
The Doctor finally gave a familiar manic grin, "You are fantastic The Able. Alright, so we make the correct frequency and work on the amplification, and your people should tell each other to concentrate the fire for the dome, head, and eyepiece. It should be able to slow the Dalek down as those are its weak points."
"As if we need to create something to make a frequency when we have this." Able said with a smirk, pulling out his earlier purchase.
Both The Doctor and Able worked to find the right frequency as The Dalek ripped through the countless guards.
"Of course, it wouldn't have worked with just one sonic, not enough amplification. I'm assuming that you added an amplification setting?" The Doctor asked, already knowing the answer.
His first amplification setting was D-1: Amplification of sound. Able knew of course, that sound waves could be a very effective weapon, but he also knew that just in general they could be helpful. Things like binaural beats were a prime example, and something he made liberal use of, so sound amplification was a logical choice.
The Dalek wanted them to watch it kill all the guards. A tactic it had, perhaps, learned from the internet. The Doctor and Able were ignoring the slaughter however, in favor of their plan.
"Perhaps it's time for a new strategy, we might abandon this place." Statten spoke, finally realizing just how life endangering the situation was.
Goddard was similarly motivated, but also rather sassy with Statten, clearly done with his shit, "Except there's no power to the helipad, sir. We can't get out."
Just as they had found the correct frequency, The Doctor looked up toward Statten, "You said, we could seal the vault?"
Able grit his teeth and started working faster. He knew that they needed more time. Correctly configuring the sonics to the frequency and the right volume to not change the frequency needed, not to mention the set up and trap that would be needed. The Doctor was searching for a way to get more time, Able would agree instantly, but Rose was down there.
Statten nodded, "It was designed to be a bunker in the event of a nuclear war. Steel bulkheads and such."
"The Doctor, don't go locking my Lover in there." Able stated simply, scribbling out the equations needed, and the calculations needed to be almost too precise considering just what type of technology they were dealing with.
The Doctor just looked sad for a moment, "You always talk a big game with those numbers."
In other words, if I have to, I might sacrifice Rose if it means saving the billions of people on this planet. Something that Able liked to talk a big game on a lot, but when it came down to it... There were two people he cared about, Rose, and The Doctor, and Able was sort of willing to let the world burn for them if he needed to, despite the lack of logic there. The only issue was, if they sealed Rose in, then she would die... Yet when you added someone else into the 'equation' it looked more like...
Rose The Doctor and the whole Earth.
Doctor House once stated that the problem with him was the fact he was cursed with the ability to actually do the math. Able always thought he knew what that meant – Now he definitely did.
"We've got emergency power, so we could re-route that to the bulkhead doors and trap the Dalek down there well me and The Able finish up the work on the frequency device." The Doctor explained.
Goddard shook her head, looking panicked, and Able would have made a dig at her for it, had he not been rushing through his own math, math that couldn't be wrong, "We'd have to bypass the security codes, we would need a computer genius."
"Good thing you've got me, then." Statten stated, sitting himself at the computer. The Doctor started to help Statten, and Able tried not to let that bother him.
Tried not to think that if The Doctor had helped started helping Able instead, they might finish this device in time to actually save Rose, instead of potentially trapping her. So Able blocked everything out, so intent on the calculations that he ignored everything else that was going on around him. He couldn't hear anything other than his own thoughts.
"Done!"
"I'm sorry."
Both things were said at once, and Able looked toward The Doctor, and The Doctor was looking at Able with heavy eyes, and that contact lasted for a few moments, "Rose! Did you make it?"
The phone was placed on speaker, "Sorry... I was a bit slow. See you, then, Doctor. It wasn't your fault, nor was it Able's... Please remember that, okay? I wouldn't have missed this for the world."
Disconnected.
Just like Able's feelings.
"Well, at least we can go get some revenge on the easy." Able stated, lifting the frequency device with a hollow smile. The Doctor didn't return it though, he looked heartbroken. Good, he should, because if he had just helped with the frequency device they would have been done quickly enough to save her –
"I killed her..." The Doctor murmured, pain clear on his face.
Able quickly got to his feet and forgot ever being angry at the man. He forgave him without a second thought and brushed their minds together, offering the man comfort, warm emotions that Able wasn't aware he could feel in a situation such as this.
Then a familiar young male ran into the room, his expression somber and guilty.
"You were quick on your feet, leaving Rose behind."
Able gritted his teeth, agreeing with The Doctor, and their anger merged into something unfathomable, "I believe at some point I stated I would kill you, Statten, if The Doctor didn't survive this. I hadn't thought Rosie was in danger at the time... When I see conformation she's dead, if I do, then I kill you and your little sycophant, then Diana just for good measure."
The Doctor felt validated with those words, agreed with them, and those feelings echoed through their bond. It occurred that the bond between two volatile beings in a time like this probably wasn't a good thing, but Able needed that closeness.
The Doctor sent a warm comfort back to Able.
"Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies."
Delight, hope, and when they'd thought the comfort from before was warm, those emotions were like fire.
"Lover!"
"You're alive!" The Doctor cried incredulously, hope echoing through the two telepathic minds until it was bursting at the seams.
Rose gave the camera a shaky smile, "Can't get rid of me, who would stop Able from jumping everything in the Universe."
Able managed a toothy grin, "Oh Lover, as if you even bother to stop me. You delight in it all."
Able distinctly recalled recording a 'session' of this to show Rosie at some point. The amusement passed through the bond, and The Doctor laughed.
"Open the bulkhead!" The Dalek demanded, bringing the mood back to the dirt, "What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"
Able felt it then, and he almost wanted to crush the bond within his teeth as he felt The Doctor's love for Rose. He couldn't stop the jealously that he sent back, and he got a surprised look from The Doctor, but it didn't last for half a second before their attention was back on the screen and the current situation.
"I killed her once, I can't do it again." The Doctor announced, opening the doors.
The screen went blank, "What do we do now, you bleeding heart?! What the hell do we do?!" Statten shouted, looking panicked.
Able just gave the usually smug man a smile more befitting on his face, "Well, unlike before, we actually have a weapon."
Able handed the device to The Doctor, who looked it over, rather impressed by the work, "Good job, The Able, fantastic you are."
Warmth burst through their minds, and it was embarrassing, but Able quickly brought himself back under control, "I'm quite brilliant, after all. Of course I would do a good job."
...
...
...
The two men ran down the hallways at speeds that should have been impossible. The Doctor had pulled ahead, Able stayed in pace though, not letting the Time Lord get too far ahead of him. After all, Rosie was in danger, pushing his limits was the least Able could do.
Able could see The Doctor burst through the doors and aim the device at the Dalek, it activated a moment later.
The ginger could hear the scream of pain that left the Dalek, it would be something you'd imagine coming out of someone who'd never felt pain before suddenly getting stabbed in the abdomen.
"Stop it! It's just trying to feel the sun!" Able heard Rose scream in panic, just as he arrived to the sight of their device being used. The squid like life form from inside the pepper suit was twitching, and the screams had stopped, just as The Doctor turned off the device, giving into Rose's frantic pleas.
Standing next to The Doctor, he could feel the man's fear, panic, but the satisfaction was there as well. He'd killed the Dalek, and that satisfaction whirled around the two of them, building stronger by the second, even as the Dalek was gasping out its last words.
"I... am ... dying... but I am dying... of my own free will... and I got to see the light... thank you... Rose Tyler."
Rose was crying, stepping away from the Dalek, just in time, as a second later it's pepper shaker armor exploded.
There was silence for awhile, all of them taking in what had happened. Rose full out sobbing into her hands, but The Doctor and Able, they were just... okay. The satisfaction had faded between the two, and any feeling of relief was fading with Rose's broken sobs.
The silence was broken with the crack of skin contacting skin echoing off the walls.
"I can't believe I ever wanted to be with someone who could do something like that." Rose sobbed out, holding her now reddening hand to her chest before running off – Likely back to the TARDIS (AN: Don't worry, she makes a strong come back. She isn't leaving the story, and she will remain just as important as she has been.)
Leaving The Doctor and Able staring after her, and the numb shock stayed for a moment, maybe minutes, neither of them could tell when it was that The Doctor snapped out of it, but the despite the moment he did was astounding. Instead of flinching away, or blaming The Doctor like Rose had, Able accepted.
Accepted that pain just like he accepted everything else in regards to The Doctor and Rose Tyler.
He wrapped his mind around the mans, sending him forgiveness, telling him with emotions, not words, just how wrong Rose was. If she'd known the pain they had gone through when they thought she had died... The determination they had shown in the face of such an enemy... She still wouldn't forgive them because she couldn't understand. Her world was too small, too rigidly moral. Able however, his world was ever expanding, and full of grey shades that would send people into disgust at times.
Able pushed the man feelings of optimism, hope, safety, and pure unconditional care, "No matter what, The Doctor, I'll forgive you."
"The Enabler, huh?" The Doctor suddenly asked, not even bothering to look at him, or hide the pain in his voice.
Able could currently feel all of it and more, after all.
"It's pretty accurate, wouldn't you say."
R&R
Soooo... What do you think? I hadn't intended to go this way, but let's just say I was struck by inspiration. Darker than the original episode that's for certain, even with such a usually light hearted character (Able). You've got to wonder, just how this will affect both of their relationships with Rose, especially that budding romance The Doctor was just hours ago thinking of allowing.