A/N: Heyoooo! Timely update! I know. Hell hath frozen over. Just wanted to say thank you to all the guest reviewers because you are lovely but you're also anonymous so I can't thank you more personally. So thanks you guys are marvelous!
-1933-
-The Dust Bowl-
The people upstairs weren't just sick, they were dying. Calypso could see it in the way their eyes had started to sink back into their skulls, and the way their skin had begun to lose all luster. The worst by far was Akondo, he held a special position in the rooms by having the only designated bed in the living room. The medicine Jack had delivered had stopped his cough, but the fever that wracked his frail body was still killing him slowly.
"And Alona…she went?" His voice was raspy from coughing and Calypso helped him with his water glass.
"Yes. Jack is with her. He'll make sure she comes back safe." She hoped she sounded convincing, but Akondo didn't seem to have heard.
"Should have been me." He shook his head as he lay back on the pillow. Calypso took a wet towel out of a nearby bowl and squeezed out the excess water before placing it across his forehead. Akondo closed his eyes and drifted into a restless sleep.
"Miss, there's some soup to be had, if you're hungry." A petite young woman with sun darkened skin, Emily, had introduced her around once Jack had left. There were more than a dozen families that had all found harbor in this particular house. Emily had explained that they all worked the farms for Alona, who owned it all, including the large house. They'd taken refuge in the big house before, and so it seemed natural to band together when the storms started. Only this time it hadn't stopped and the already limited pantry was growing desperately thin.
"Thank you." Calypso stretched as she stood, she'd been helping to treat the sick for most of the afternoon. Some of the families were nervous that it was contagious, which left only a handful to help. The grandfather clock that stood against the wall rang dully, its sound muted by the sand that slowly built up within the machine. It had been at least four hours since Jack and Alona had gone. She tried not the let that gnaw at her, but despite keeping busy, it was all she could think of. That and the heavy weight of keys in her pocket.
She carefully picked her way around the other six patients who were laying out on blankets on the floor. The youngest was likely the little girl who wanted her doll. She pressed a reassuring hand on the girl's brow and headed for the kitchen.
Despite being filled with people, it was uncomfortably silent. No one spoke in the hushed room, the quiet only interrupted by the clanking of cutlery on dishes. Everyone was on edge with Alona missing, she was the one they relied on and if she didn't come back, Calypso was afraid of what might happen to everyone else.
She accepted a small cup of soup and ate quickly, offering to help feed the others with the rest. Despite the warmth of the broth, she felt chilled, as though the warm summer air had gone cold. She tried not to linger on what that might mean and focused on the patients. Akondo would take no food, he did not even stir when she approached. The others woke, but it was a struggle and they ate very little. Calypso cleaned away the dishes and was about to seek out Emily when the front door burst open.
Alona was covered in a thick layer of dust and she dragged a small and equally dusty girl along behind her. They slammed the door shut as they entered and wedged a chair against it to keep the wind and sand at bay. Alona searched the living room, her eyes touching briefly on Akondo's still sleeping form before settling on Calypso. The flatness of her eyes made it clear that Jack was not coming.
"What happened?" Calypso still found herself asking, desperate for some grain of hope.
"The trip out was easy, didn't see any of them. But when the light started to fade, they came from everywhere. It was," she shook her head, a cloud of dust rising from where it fell out of her hair. "I'm sorry, but he was taken."
"But-" Calypso's throat fell dry and she coughed. "He had his watch." She said the last bit weakly, knowing she likely couldn't explain it to Alona in a way that might have made sense.
"They were after Nita, they'd separated us like cattle and they were going to snatch her. Jack drove them off, but there were too many. I'm sorry." Alona finally dropped her gaze as a handful of people from the kitchen appeared, relief evident on their faces. Nita was picked up and tutted over and Calypso saw the small dust covered doll grasped tight in her grip. Alona followed them into the kitchen and then Calypso was alone in the front hall.
Her whole body felt rigid and for a moment she couldn't think of what to do. But she knew she couldn't stand there forever, and the longer she did, the harder it was going to be. Her gaze lingered on the sick in the living room before she made up her mind. Then she turned around and headed back downstairs.
Her hands shook slightly as they fumbled with the lock in the cellar door. She steadied herself before entering and held her head high.
"Ah, the prodigal lover returns. I was hoping you'd be back," the lamp was still sitting on the table, illuminating the small room. The Doctor smirked beneath the flop of brown hair that covered part of his face and tipped his head to the side. "We might be able to finally do something interesting-"
"Enough." Her voice was steel though she felt like jelly within. "Whatever you are, I am going to ask you to leave."
"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple." His eyes followed her movements and she realized she could hear the tinkling of the keys as her hands shook. She stuffed the keys in her pocket and clasped her fingers together to still her movements.
"I'm not in the mood for games. What is it you want?"
"Want? Why, I merely wanted to return to my people with a particularly interesting bit of prey. But as you can see, things have not turned out as I had hoped."
"You cannot have him, so why don't you release him while you still have the breath to do so." She felt the gravity of her words. She wasn't sure if it were possible to do such a thing, to kill the beast, but she knew in an instant that she would not hesitate to try if it meant she could free the Doctor.
"Ah, empty threats. How trivial. If I didn't know any better, I might think you didn't like me."
"I do not make empty threats. Are you going to leave, or am I going to have to force you?"
The Doctor laughed, but there was none of the joy in it that she was used to. Only disdain. "You could not make me breathe if I did not wish it. But despite the joy it would give me to openly defy you, I am not trapped here willingly. The Doctor was a snarl in my plans. I did not absorb him so much as he absorbed me. Now we are both stuck."
"There is no way to remove yourself?" Calypso's voice tightened further and she tried to clear her throat. She did not know if she could handle another blow such as this. Without Jack, she didn't know what else she could try. Freeing the Doctor was the only option to get those people back. If she could not do that, all their lives would be forfeit, along with the Doctor's.
He eyed her carefully, "There are ways. However I'm afraid I have no access to them. If you were unaware, my kind hunt yours for sport. If I were to appear to my brothers in this form and enter the main deck, they would feed me to the vultures long before I could explain my circumstance. Besides, this would constitute a mistake in their eyes. Soldiers who make mistakes do not live to make another." His voice had turned bitter and she could almost find some sympathy in her for the creature. Almost.
"There is no other way to enter the ship?"
"Oh, there are many ways inside. But the technology to free myself is on the main deck, and as I said, I would not reach that before meeting an unfortunate end."
"How do I find your ship?" She was desperate now, knowing full well it was impossible to do on her own, but still grasping at anything in the hopes that there might still be a way.
"You do not find my ship at all. It is not visible to your kind. But surely your Captain Jack explained that to you." She stiffened at Jack's name, as though he had said it only to bridle her. "Ah," his lips parted in a grin and he leaned back against the wall. "So our dear Captain did not return from his excursion. That is unfortunate."
"Your sympathy is not overwhelming." She snarled at him.
"He locked me in this basement like an animal. I will not lose sleep over his loss."
"Are you not an animal? Are you not hunting the people who live here?"
"Well," he raised his hands so the excess chains rattled. "Not anymore."
"A sense of humor does not suit you." She hated to see him wearing the Doctor, her Doctor, like a suit.
"Humor is new to me, but I think I am growing to enjoy it. Perhaps this shell will not be so bad, once I am free of these chains."
"If you are freed, you will be hunted just like the rest of us."
His brow furrowed and she knew it to be true. "Perhaps."
"Then you must help me. The Doctor can help free you, you must let me speak to him."
The Doctor gave a sharp bark of laughter and he sneered at her. "What can you or this Doctor possibly do to help me?"
"I will not know unless you let me speak with him."
"And what makes you think he will want to help me after what I have done?"
"Because that's what he does."
The Doctor took a moment to think about it, considering if she were lying or not. "I will give you five minutes." He said suddenly, hope exploded in her chest and she had to fight off the urge to smile. "Make them count."
His eyes rolled back and he staggered where he stood, finally collapsing to his knees. Calypso started forward, but she hesitated, unsure if this was just another trick of this creatures to lure her in.
"Callie," his voice rasped and he finally looked up. The dark swirling in his eyes was gone and the green had returned. "Callie you've got to run."
"Doctor," her voice flooded with relief as she kneeled next to him. "Are you alright?" She clasped his shoulder to support him as it looked like he might sink even further. Whatever the creature had done to him had exhausted him.
"I'm fine," he shook his head, staring dazedly at the floor again. "I'm alright. But you must leave. You have to get out of here. He's dangerous Callie, you have to get all these people and you have to get out."
"Doctor, there is nowhere to go, the storm surrounds us."
"Jack, get Jack to transport everyone-"
"Jack was taken." Her throat felt tight as she struggled not to lose control.
"Oh," he stared at the wall, as though remembering something from a long time ago. "Yes, of course. Well he's a resourceful fellow, he's bound to figure something out."
"Doctor," she grasped his hand, drawing his focus on her once more. "How can I separate you from this thing? There must be some way."
He nodded thoughtfully, the fatigue was clear in the way his face looked drawn. "Yes, I suppose the chameleon arch could do it." He shook his head quickly. "But that doesn't matter."
"The chameleon arch?" She was desperate to keep him talking, this was the first surge of hope she had felt since she'd arrived. "What is that? Where can I find it?"
"On the Tardis," he gripped her hand tightly as he stared at her fingers interlaced with his own. "But she won't open for me, not like this. And she's on their ship, in the heart of the storm. There's no way to reach it. No way to find it if you don't know what you're looking for. Callie," he reached up with his free hand and cradled her cheek, a sad smile curling his lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this. I didn't want for this to be the end-"
"Hush," her voice was harsh as she blinked quickly, fighting off the tears that threatened to fall. "This isn't the end." She said the words fiercely, as though determination could make them true. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."
"At least I got to see you again," his mouth turned to a sad smile. His eyes darted across her face, as though she were an apparition he was trying to memorize. "It's been so long since the last time, I thought I might not-"
She cut off his words with a kiss, pouring the sharp ache in her heart into it. The Doctor's hands gasped the side of her face, desperate to keep her close. Her lips lingered on his for a moment longer and she rested her forehead against his own. Content for the moment to just be near him, but she finally pulled away before the lump in her throat could grow too difficult to speak over.
"I'm here now." She said firmly. "And I am going to fix this."
"That's my line." He murmured, his smile turning bitter.
"Well you've got your own troubles to worry about. So this time, I'm going to save you."
"Oh Callie," his words were sluggish, as though he were drifting to sleep. "You saved me a long long time ago." His eyes fluttered shut once and then they shot opened, laced with fear. "You have to go," he pushed her back. "He's coming, I can feel him."
"No," her voice was a hoarse whisper. "You can fight him, I know you can."
"I can't," he sagged, pushing her backward and scrabbling to the far side of the room. "I'm sorry," his eyes were filled with fear. "I'm sorry but I can't. You have to go. Please, promise me you'll go."
His desperate words faltered and then his whole body shook, his eyes rolled back once more and then he finally relaxed and took a deep breath. The man that looked up at her was not the Doctor, the darkness in his eyes swirled over the green irises and swallowed them whole.
"Did you have a nice reunion?" He pushed himself from the floor, dusting at his knees and adjusting his bow tie as he stood.
For a moment Calypso could not will herself up from the floor. She knew she was within reach, but she couldn't seem to care. She looked up at this stranger who had stolen the Doctor from her and she steeled herself. She picked herself up and stood to her full height.
"Can I trust you?" She asked. She already knew the answer, knew that the Doctor himself had desperately pleaded with her to flee.
It threw him for a moment and the casual sneer faded from his lips. "I would not." He offered. "Why do you ask?"
"The Doctor said there is a way to separate you, on his ship. But it will not open for him with you inhabiting him."
"Well that makes it rather inconvenient, wouldn't you say?"
"But it will open for me." She refused to believe otherwise. The Tardis was family to her, and she was in desperate need of her help now. "If you can bring me to your ship, I can get you inside the Tardis."
"My ship? The one where I've told you legions of soldiers wait to kill us on sight?"
"The Doctor suggested that your people had picked it up." She kept her voice steady, despite knowing it was a faulty plan. "Are you saying it cannot be done?"
He considered a moment before answering. "It's not impossible. This Doctor's ship is likely in the cargo hold. It may be possible to enter the ship through one of the exhaust bays without rousing attention."
"So you will lead me there, without harming the Doctor or myself."
He raised his eyebrow doubtfully. "You wish me to bring you to a ship full of carnivorous hunters and only assure you that I alone will not bring you harm?"
"I know I can't trust you beyond that. But I want your word that you will not intentionally try to get us killed. Because if we die, than so do you." It wasn't much to convince him, but it was all she had.
"It's a shaky plan at best." He scoffed, but something in his condescension had altered. "Very well. You have my word." He peered at her carefully.
"Then we have a deal." Calypso gave a short nod and moved forward before she could change her mind. She had the keys in the manacle as she saw him move. She tensed her body for a strike but he had only shifted in surprise. She unlocked the first and then moved onto the second before she retreated to the far side of the room and dropped the keys on the table.
She locked eyes with him, her heart beating in her throat as she waited to see what he would do. He watched her and he slowly massaged his wrists, but he didn't attack.
"Well then," he finally said, picking up his tweed jacket where it lay on the floor. "Let's go find this Tardis, shall we?"
