Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.
Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".
Note 1: This chapter has not been beta'd.
Note 2: Many thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites. They all keep me writing. Too those who had questions on the sickness and the jewelry it will most definitely will be explained.
Chapter Ten: Wolf Moon Rising
Len-bot gestures out to the remaining contestants. "And now on with final dance." The robot's almost maniacal glee came through the pitch of the words it spoke.
Rose swallowed as the lights flashed and the music changed. She wanted to be anywhere else hopefully, longing, she scanned all around for a glimpse that the Doctor or Jack had found her and they'd extract her from the living nightmare she'd woken up to. The blonde woman didn't want to see anymore people die but she also wasn't ready to be the one put in the death chamber. Unfortunately, Rose saw neither as Rick swung her in a spin that made her dizzy.
The dance was on and Rose tried desperately to keep pace and remember the steps that her partner had put together. Forward and backward in time to the music shaking her arse and undulating her body around so that the tassel beads of her dress swayed invitingly.
The observation deck was silent excepted for the occasional, alien swear. The Time Lord in a frustrated burst of anger smashed his palm against the side of the computer console. The Captain's wrist device lit up green and a series of bleeps. "Ha, that's better. Rose is on the 407 floor!" The Doctor crowed in enthusiastic delight.
The blonde woman put a hand to her mouth as she let out a loud exhalation of breath. Lynda urgently put a hand on both man's arms. "Oh Lord. She's with the Len-bot it's just as bad as the Anne Droid from 'The Weakest Link'! She'll be dust, I'm surprised she isn't already!"
Both men gave each other a look of agreement. On either side of the woman they took an arm each and began dragging her with them towards the lift.
The Len-bot gaze took in the two couples dancing at a single glance from its pedestal. The lights shimmered off the metallic skin of the robot occasionally reflecting in out onto the dance floor. Rose was trying to ignore the sight as she and her partner twisted and turned on the studio floor.
The blonde woman forced back all the physical discomfort as the best she could. As the longer the dance went on it felt like other things were now making themselves known.
Rick though he knew how sick his blonde partner was didn't let that deter him from pulling into a tight sway of hips before swing her back out at a breakneck pace. The woman he could tell was starting to look a little green and very annoyed but she still had a fake smile.
In the lift the trio were watching as the floor numbers, changed rapidly.
Lynda bit her lip nervously not only for concern of Jack and the Doctor's female friend but also of the leather clad man. The energy she had marveled about in the 'Big Brother House' seemed to have intensived.
Jack didn't know when the last to he'd felt so useless to help someone. Rose was the first person in his life that saw through the bravado and saw him. It was both terrifying and nice to be able to just be himself. The ex-time agent wasn't going to let these myster people take that away. Jack turned off his emotions at that instant, for he knew that the Doctor would need him to be in the proverbial game.
The Doctor arms folded, watched the numbers of each floor flash by. 'Why did he have to be so far down the bloody Station?'
Inexorably, the Doctor's thoughts went back to since he'd gotten there. The most prominent was the similarities between the trio's misadventure on Sarkios. That was both a source of pain and pleasure. It was not a memory he wanted to bring up but the Time Lord knew that it was connected to his recent bout of sickness but even if time seemed to have slowed giving him space to ponder it. He needed the separation to be able to fully concentrate on Rose's imminent rescue. "Hurry it up... Why can't this thing go any faster?"
Rose felt like the dance was taking a long time but then again the other dances had only been two minutes to minute and half before. The dance now was a full five minutes, and it felt more like an hour.
Rick bent her over his arm. Rose's back was arched so far that her hair swept the floor as he swung her from left to right before pulling her back up. He twisted them both into spin with their bodies pressed together and legs appearing as if entwined. Rose breathed shallowly until they broke apart, she spun out only at that moment holding the man's sweaty hand. She moved her hips in time with the music and kicked and flicked to the steps that she'd been taught. The whole a pressure was starting to pound in the back of her skull.
There was no change to the outside of the Space Station as if the universe was unaware of the turmoil that was happening inside.
The quiet in the lift was oppressive as the three stood in ill concealed anxiety. The two men had a menace about them that was thinly cloaked in clam patience.
Lynda bit at her thumb nail praying to deities that she wasn't sure she'd ever believed in. The blonde woman didn't dare look at either man. She was a little afraid of what would be revealed if she did.
The Doctor could tell that his two companions were on edge but he didn't have any capacity to offer comfort at that moment. His blue eyes continued glare at the counter that still didn't seem to be going fast enough.
Jack spared a quick glance at the Doctor. The alien man was so wound up that he knew that if anything did happen to Rose there would be no stopping the Doctor from doling out retribution.
Rose's heart was pounding with the tempo of the music. Her brown eyes burned as perspiration ran down her brow. Rick never let her pause as the dance had only a minute left to go. He pushed her to follow his every movement.
She had time to briefly see over to the other couple. The male dancer had just flipped the woman in the air from his shoulders. Rose's pulse skipped at the artistry of the move before she was once again being twisted back towards her partner. Her stomach clenched painfully combined with an almost blinding pain behind her eyes.
The lift finally arrived on floor 407, the Doctor was the first one out. Jack and Lynda followed quickly behind echoing through the large chamber was lively dance music.
"What's with the club music?" asked Jack puzzled. He hadn't recognized the abbreviated name of the robot which would have correspond with a early twenty-first century reality celebrity.
Lynda didn't bother with rolling her eyes over the fact that both men had very little knowledge about old telly reality shows.
"It's from 'Ballroom X'. Now which one is Game Room Six!?" The Doctor explained and demanded as he frantically scanned for the right room.
Lynda would have grinned at the Doctor's surprising knowledge. She spotted the room and raced towards it shouting over her shoulder. "I found it, over here!"
The music blaring out seemed to be winding down the rhythm the sounds were slowing. The words of the song were also another indicator that the show was coming to it's finale.
The Doctor ran over sonic screwdriver at the ready. Immediately he began running the blue tipped device over the blue hand locking mechanism. The Time Lord's mind was a buzz which was not an all too unfamiliar sensation.
Jack couldn't stand how long it was taking to open the door now that they were so close to being able to save Rose. "Why don't you just use the hand plate?"
"The lift door was an easy get around. These that are connected to the game room are beyond sophisticated for this time period." The Doctor grumbled.
Jack lifted the large gun impatient to get inside. "Doctor get back, I'll just blast it open."
The Doctor focus harder on opening the closed door, sonic screwdriver was whirring frantically. "That's not an option Jack, the door is made of Hydra Combination." He recalibrated the sonic device without stopping or looking, it gave a high pitch whine even as the Doctor continued to press it into the touch-sensitive pad.
Rose was unprepared for Rick's hands grip going under her arms from behind and sweeping her into the air. The move was clumsy as he spun them around several times before letting her go. She gracefully slide across the floor coming to rest just in front of the Len-bot.
Rose noticed that the music was gone as she stared up at the exasperating robot. Panting, she let her partner assist in helping her to stand up.
The time had come to find out what fate had in store. Rose hadn't given up on the Doctor and Jack but it didn't look promising. Her anxiety was extreme and little out of body and the odd random thought came to the blonde 'at least I didn't fall out of this idiotic dress.'
The blonde stood with the rest of contestants waiting for the verdict like doomed prisoners. The lights shifted until they settled into three spot lights. Rose fidgeted with her fingers the tension mounted.
"Well that was certainly an interesting display of choreography." The Len-bot critiqued blandly.
If the situation wasn't so dire Rose would have made a snarky comment. The robot was exceedingly annoying. She was still trying to control her body's constantly changing bouts of sickness.
"The tallies are now in. So which team is the winner. Is it team Lovrick who had displayed tremendous amount of talent? Or the underdog through the whole contest team Rick?" The robot swiveled about indicating both couples and the monitor that would broadcast the results.
The large monitor lite up with pictures of the couples and the numbers began to shifted quickly until it at last land on the final score. The glow in the Len-bot's eyes took a menacing feel. "Well it's congratulations to Team Lovrick."
Rose was numb, she could hear the panicked wail of Rick and further away the relieved sighs of the winning couple. "Team Rick it's time for the final performance." The death chamber was spotlighted in a red malevolent glow.
Jack and Lynda stood anguishly waiting for the Doctor to open the game room door. The music had changed it now was more omission as it seemed to tick away the remaining time that Rose had.
The Doctor could feel adrenaline rush through him as change the settings once again. The sonic screwdriver whirred even faster and the locked device was coming unraveled but not quick enough.
The Doctor was desperate even down to muttering to himself. "Ah that's got it. Oi buggering piece of junk. Come on."
Rose stood stock still in terror, she could vaguely hear Rick crying and cursing that it was all her fault. "I wasn't supposed to be here. The Doctor and Jack, I have to find them. Their here I know they are. They wouldn't just abandoned me... Not the Doctor." Rose was screaming at the end.
The Len-bot wasn't paid the hysterically dance pair any mind as he continued "Team Loverick won the right to dance on broadway's 'Red Riding Hood' the musical."
Team Loverick were bouncing in place at their good fortune.
Rose couldn't help the terror that seemed to permeate her whole body. She unconsciously stepped closer to the podium that the Len-bot was stationed on. "You've got to stop! This whole bloody game is criminal!"
A loud bang came from one end of the large studio room. 'The Ballroom X' manager hurriedly went to see what had made such a racket. The man's eyes widen at the sight of the Doctor, Jack and Lynda rushing through the open stage door. The trio were too far away for the manager to know what their intent was having not heard of any type of disturbance from his contact with the control floor.
The Doctor's voice rang out in relieved desperation, "Rose Tyler!"
The Len-bot relentlessly went on without interruption. "Team Rick for your medicor display you will exit from life its self."
Jack didn't like the sound of that he rushed after the Doctor. "Stop! Stop the game, now!"
"I am ordering you to stop this game!" The Doctor yelled at the man that looked to be in charge, even as he sprint in the direction that he saw his blonde campion standing, and though the situation was intense the Doctor couldn't help thinking that Rose was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen before.
"You can't come in here! 'Ballroom X' is live on air.!" The floor manager yelled at the trio as they made their way towards the ballroom floor.
Lynda not knowing which of the two female contestants was Rose went for the floor manager. "Oh, bugger off you stupid git! Shut down the game."
The Doctor felt a moment of pride for the blonde pigtailed woman. It did not however divert him from getting to Rose. He pushed himself even faster across the remaining distance.
Rose having heard the commotion turned and sprinted as best she could on the three inch heels that she been put in for the last round. Her heart was beating double fast with adrenaline happy to see her friends a scared that they would not be in time.
The Len-bot was still functioning having not been turned off as the Doctor and Jack had ordered. "It is now time for the long walk." Rick had no idea what was going on so he stood absolotly still hoping that the droid wouldn't go after him.
Rose distinctly remembered those individuals that had not voluntarily gone into the chamber. "Doctor the Len-bot's got a laser gun!" Though Rose knew she'd have better luck not running further she couldn't stop now that her friends were there... The Doctor had yet to let her down but even as those thoughts went through her mind. She felt a jolt of energy pass through her body.
The Len-bot's disintegrator beams shoots out, hitting Rose squarely in the back. And with a scream, Rose is gone, mere feet away from the Doctor. Jack takes off towards the set, raging.
Jack couldn't hold back the uncontrolled anger and disbelief he felt. "What did you people just do to Rose.?"
The Doctor couldn't quite believe his eyes. The sick feeling he'd had was replaced with nothing the Time Lord felt absolutely nothing whatsoever. He collapsed in front of the pile of ash that was all that remained of Rose Tyler. He could hear Jack and Lynda along with those people from the Game Station it just didn't seem to matter. It was all just pointless to him Rose was gone and he'd been unable to do anything to stop it. The blue eyed alien ran trembling fingers threw the fine white ash his mind just refused to admit what was in front of him.
Keeping Lynda behind him, Captain Jack Harkness pulled his large gun on the remaining people in the studio. He was intent on them leaving the devastated Time Lord alone. He shouted "Back off!"
The man in charge tried to stay calm at the sight of the brown haired man's large laser gun. "Control I need security for 'Ballroom X' game room six. Immediately would be a good idea."
A group of heavily armed guards burst through the door that the Doctor had already opened.
The sight of the guards going to manhandle the Doctor Jack couldn't let the matter go. "Don't. Just don't touch him! You just leave him be!"
One burly security guard pulled unresponsive the Doctor to his feet. The Time Lord could only just stare at the spot that he'd last seen Rose. He didn't even acknowledge that a gun was pushed into his head. The Doctor couldn't bring himself to care.
The other guards pulled Lynda and Jack apart. Lynda tried kicking back afraid of what they would do to her. Jack did fought but he knew that the Doctor wouldn't want him to kill any of the innocent people who were just doing their jobs. That didn't mean he couldn't try push them into realizing their mistake. Jack yelled at the manager, staff and the guards. "You stupid bastards! You killed Rose! That damn droid shot and killed her!"
Jack's voice though distant to the Doctor the words beat a tattoo into his hearts. The Captain was right they had killed Rose destroyed someone who had lifted him from the ashes of his own despair. Now he was being suck back in as he couldn't take his eyes off the pile of ashes. It didn't feel anything as the guard tied his hands together. A tear he hadn't had for his own people spilled down his cheek.
A security guard in uniform black forcibly wrenched the Doctor's arms trying to get the alien man's attention. The Doctor paid the human man little attention as his brain seemed to be frozen. The guards words had a seemed to be at a great distant for a moment. "Sir, under Private Legislation Sixteen of the Game Station Syndicate, I'm placing you under arrest." Eventually all the voices drift away as the Doctor lost himself into his own mind. That spark of life that Rose had awaken in him was snuffed out leaving the alien man dead. If not in actually fact but emotional. What was left for him?
TBC...