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: Once again, I want to thank everyone who has made this story a favorite or put it on a story alert and I very much appreciate the reviews.
Note 2: This chapter has not been betad'.
Chapter Twelve: Wolf Moon Rising
Across the darkness of space, Rose Tyler was laying in a heap on a strange spaceship floor. She eventually stirred, groaning at the pain in her head and the aches of her body. Rose couldn't remember the last time she felt so bad... Well, there'd been the time she woken back in the TARDIS without so much as a memory of how she'd gotten there. She shifted sitting up.
Rose opened her eyes taking in the area around her. The spaceship was well lit, it had gold tones to the metallic walls and wide arched pathways. There was a distinct hum emanating from place but nothing like the TARDIS; it was very mechanical and alarming.
Turning around, Rose's soft brown eyes widen in fear. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It wasn't possible.
"This can't be... you can't be real." Rose stammered quickly pushed herself up off the floor.
The creature advanced on her gliding across the smooth surface of the ship. Rose retreated, as her mind tried to grasp what had happened and the facts that were before her at that moment. Her thoughts were slow though having just woken into a personal nightmare.
Rose gasped a she back up into a cold wall, which had come in contact with her bare flesh. It was so real that Rose knew she wasn't just dreaming and that everything even the idiotic dance contest had been real. But still the creature before her couldn't be real... perhaps an illusion.
"You're dead... We saw you. You can't be here." Rose took a step to the side in an effort to evade the thing but it was no use. A plungered appendage got in her way as the eyestalk looked directly into her face. There was no room to escape.
On floor five hundred of the Game Station, the Doctor, Jack and the male tech worked feverishly trying to locate where the secondary transmat beam sent the contestants. The Doctor went from one console to another in his search. "Blast it. I know she's somewhere out there."
The Controller could see and hear the search. She knew that it was her fault that the lords and masters had the Doctor's friend. It would take them longer if she didn't help and really what possible reason did she have to not help. "Doctor!" The blind woman cried out in pain.
The Controller was sure that in betraying her lords and masters she'd sentenced herself to death and tremendous amounts of pain before hand. She wouldn't let that stop her however. "The co-ordinates Doctor... five point six point one..." Pain surged through her body as she spoke.
The Doctor sat abruptly and started typing in the co-ordinates that the blind woman rattled off. His conscience though made him try to deviate her from doing so. "There's no solar-flare's to hide you. You need to stop!"
The Controller ignored the alien man, it was already too late. They would punish her but it didn't matter anymore. She knew that the Doctor would destroy them and no one else would have to suffer. She shouted out again against the pain determined that the Doctor would have the means to have the upper hand. "Oh... my lords and masters, I'm no longer your puppet... Point four three four... Stigma seven seven..."
One final scream tore through the top floor, before ending in a deafening silence. The Doctor typed in the last set of numbers, just before looking to see that the Controller had been transmatted away. They had taken her leaving behind only the remnants of her captivity, wires dangled uselessly, smoke billowed away. He could see the same pile of ash that was left from each transport.
"They have her now." The Doctor pushed away the feeling of guilt. He reminded himself that humans valued the freedom of choice. The Controller had chosen to help. If they were lucky maybe they would be able to save her as well as Rose. In the Doctor's rational mind he knew that was a long shot.
In another section of the spaceship that Rose was transmatted to the Controller appeared. She landed with a dull thud on the floor. Her pale skin turned a shade of grey as the wires lead had been forcibly removed in the transport. The holes in her head and sides now fully exposed to the air made the woman flinch.
The Controller stood braving against the pains of her body. She would not face her long time tormentors cowering on the floor like a whipped dog. Her blinded milky white eyes stared out to where she knew would be her lords and masters. Their cold lack of emotions made her shiver.
"My lords and masters... So long have I waited for this moment. You killing me won't stop him. Your destruction is here and I brought him." The controller stood defiantly proud of her accomplishment and gleefully extolling their downfall.
The being said nothing only pointed it's gun and fired. The beam from the gun seemed to echo off the walls. The blue radiated around the woman's body revealing the skeleton beneath and glowed only for an instant. The Controller collapsed to the cold floor drained of life.
The Doctor, Lynda and the two techs were gathered around Jack's terminal. The Time Lord had relented that the ex-time agents skills with that times technology was superior than the current techs willing to help. The Doctor temper was already stretched thin at that point he'd most likely dismantle the thing rather
The male tech fidget as he watched the blue eyed Captain struggle with finding the coordinates. "Um... Maybe you should use this." He held out a small disk to Jack. "I had been recording all the unauthorized transmat info up till now. It should have the last set of coordinates in there."
"That's Great."
Jack took in the man's eager expression and couldn't help noticing how attractive he was being close enough to actually see the tech's face. His body wasn't bad either for a desk jockey. "Captain Jack Harkness, but you can call me Jack." He held out his hand.
The brown haired man, smiled broadly, taking the proffered hand giving it a few pumps. "Davitch. Davitch Pavale."
Jack was unable to resist smiling back, letting his impish charm to surface. "A pleasure it is to meet you, Davitch Pavale and I..."
"Oi Jack, focus." The Doctor barked, interrupting. The alien man didn't hide his disgust the Captain's ill timed flirting.
The female tech, who didn't offer up her name, quickly step in to defuse anymore distractions. "Doctor, you believe the station has been put in place as a front for other purposes?"
"Yeah, first it was the Jagrafess, which we put an end to hundred years ago." The Doctor crossed his leather clad arms as he thought threw what had transpired to the present. Time was not linear, there were so many variables and in his mind he could see them all. His eighth incarnation had been the best at deciphering them, but then Gallifrey had still been around. "It's a big game of chess, with the human race being the pawns. Impart I've unknowingly been playing along and it's been going for generations."
Jack had found what the they needed as the Doctor talked. He hadn't been there for that first jaunt to the space station. Now he was sure having listened to the Time Lord's tone that he was taking the blame for not having realized the deeper danger being done.
Jack held up a small remote. "Here Doc. Use this."
The Doctor took the device, looked it over a second before stretching up an arm pointing at where the Controller had stood, and pressing a button. A semi-transparent image appear out of thin air, showing the vast blackness of space. The group just stared up at the complete nothingness the Captain had the Doctor turn on.
"This is where all the disintegrator transmats are sent to. That is the very edge of the Solar system." Jack ventured before anyone could voice their questions.
"You've gotta be kidding. It's just empty space." The Hindi woman said disbelieving. There had to be a more logical explanation.
The Doctor knew he would have to explain though it was a bother, some humans were so thick, they needed to have everything fed to them. "They made it so that's, what you lot would see. The satellite was made for that. It's one of the functions. The main one really to send out a separate signal..."
Dalitch looked between the two men confused. He wasn't sure if he understood all that they were talking about. "Whoever's behind the secondary transmatts is hiding out there. But what for?"
"Their waiting, hiding themselves from the possibility of exposure from all of Earth's abilities that might have be able to discover them. Sonar, radar, scanner... all of it was to disguise that part of space." The Doctor said as they all stared at the supposed black emptiness of space.
"Invisible... out there something is just hovering over humanity." The Doctor's voice lowered making all present shudder.
Lynda bit her lip at the dire circumstances she had unwittingly found herself in. She glanced back at the Doctor then onto Jack drawing comfort and courage from both men as they hadn't given up hope at rescuing their friend even though the odds seemed to be against them.
The Doctor was frantically putting all the pieces together. "Now let's see what's out there..." He bent over tapping the buttons on Jack's board.
The image in front of them shimmered the blackness receded leaving in it's wake a wide expanse of space at first only a single slowly revolving saucer shaped spaceship appeared. Then more and more came into view. The Doctor's eyes widen in horror at the sight. To the Time Lord's count there were around two hundred of the circular spaceships.
Jack gasped with disbelieve and uneasiness as he recognized the ships. "How can that be? They were destroyed. It's not possible."
The Doctor didn't want to believe what he was seeing but knew that somehow more had survived not just that lone being in Utah. "Unfortunately, Jack they're like cockroaches that survive anything." The Doctor's voice was subdued in the wake of discovering the beings 'behind the current'.
Lynda stood nervously behind the two men. "Um... Doctor, Who survived and what do they want?" She whispered fear coloring her normally bubbly voice.
"Out of two hundred ships there would be a totally of two thousand on each. That's roughly a half a million." The Doctor's northern accent held an edge of fear.
Davitch saw that he wasn't the only one confused the two women had puzzled looks on their faces. It seemed to the brown eyed man that the Doctor was reluctant to say who the owner of the spaceships were. "Doctor, half a million of who?"
"They're not normal beings. They're Daleks." The Doctor said in disgust and no small amount of loathing.
Across space inside the largest Dalek ship, Rose drew back into herself, in an attempted to be invisible from the insane machines. She shivered as the temperature on the Dalek ship was much colder than that of the Space Station. She had gotten used to the heat of the camera's spotlight. It didn't help that she was still in the ridiculous dance outfit.
A gold Dalek glided into the chamber that was joining his armored fellows. It called out in a loud frantic shout. "We are detected! Alert, the Doctor has detected us!"
Rose sat on the floor uncomfortable, as another gold Dalek positioned next to her screamed back it's light beacon's flashing. "He has located us! The Doctor! The Oncoming Storm!"
Rose's eyes wide in both fear and hope. The Doctor had found her, but unfortunately the Dalek's now knew about the Time Lord. The blonde woman wished she could warn them.
"Open communications channel!" The gold Dalek that Rose had first seen demanded loudly.
The Dalek that had enter turned to Rose pointing it's plunger and gun at her. "Stand! The human female will stand! Stand!"
Rose flounder in the high heels still on her feet, catching hold of the wall behind her the blonde woman was able to steady herself. She stood nervously waiting for what the gold pepper potts would do next.
In the air above them a image appeared and on the slightly transparent view; was the Doctor sitting in front of a console with Jack right next to him and behind them were three individuals that Rose didn't know. Two women and a man of them; the two dark haired people looked professional where as the blonde woman looked to be in casual clothes. Rose felt a wave of relief at seeing the Doctor and of course Jack alive.
The Doctor rolled his shoulders relieving himself of any anxiety. He had show no emotion... especially fear. He grimmly faced the three gold Daleks surrounding Rose with distaste. Inside, the Time Lord was reassured with the sight of the blonde woman. He couldn't help the errant thought about how she looked incredible beautiful in the pink and yellow outfit.
The Dalek on the left of Rose shrieked, "I will talk to the Doctor."
"Really. Alright then. Hi ya!" The Doctor answered back in a false friendly manner. He gave them a silly mocking wave and grin that disappeared instantly.
The Dalek unfazed by the Doctor's strange behavior. "The Dalek Stratagem nears completion! The Fleet is almost ready! You will not intervene!"
The Doctor "Is that right? Why would I do that then?"
"We have your associate! You will obey or she will be exterminated!" The Dalek moved slightly back and forth it's dome-light's flashing with each word screeched out in demand.
Rose trembled, arms wrapped around herself for added warmth. She flinched at the harsh sounds the large metal being was making. She couldn't help remembering a different Dalek one that had been tortured and hurt but had ultimately killed itself because of her. These Daleks were nothing like that one. She gazed up at the Doctor's image trying not to show how truly terrified she was.
The Doctor sat staring at the beings he had thought were destroyed. He should have known better particular since his and Rose's adventure in Utah. The Doctor pushed back the memory of having trapped his companion in with the killing machine. He had to concentrate on the here and now. "No."
The four humans looked as one at the alien man. None of them knew what was going on in the Doctor's Time Lord brain which would cause him to be so perfunctory in telling the metal being off.
Jack had to figure that the Doctor had some sort of plan. Lynda grabbed Jack's shoulder in an attempted to comfort the man; even if she'd only known them a short while she was certain that the Doctor's answer had to have been painful.
The Dalek sat perfectly still as if digesting the alien man's response. "The Doctor will explain!"
The Doctor looked defiantly back and raising his voice slightly higher, "My answer is 'no'."
"What is the meaning of this dissentient?!" Dalek shook with agitation.
"It's exactly what it means 'no'." The Doctor said even louder in his determination.
The Dalek's eyestalk swiveled from its captive to the Time Lord on the screen. "But she will be annihilated."
The Doctor stood powerfully formidable addressing the gold Dalek threatening Rose. "No! 'Cos I'm gonna safe Rose. I'm gonna do it right before your tin bodies."
Rose believed in the Doctor and wished she had the courage to voice her pride in him. She knew that he was facing one... if not the greatest fear of his long life.
"Yeah. Right out of the middle of the Dalek Fleet and while I'm at it I'll save the Earth. Oh and by the way I'm gonna make sure that every last Dalek spaceship and 'Vile' Dalek is extricated from existence." The Doctor's speech rang with fiery conviction and confidence.
The Jack and Lynda hearing the Doctor's declaration gazed on the alien in equals apart wonder and inspiration.
The Dalek skittered backwards a bit then it cried out perplexed, "But you have no weapons! No defences! No plan of Attack!"
The Time Lord grinned broadly a manic gleam in his blue eyes. A kind of madness had descended on to him and in a bizarre sort of happiness. "Yeah. And aren't you scared to death now? Rose Tyler?"
"Yes, Doctor?" Rose gazed at her Doctor in loving expectation. She was all too eager to do anything the Doctor asked of her.
"Rose, I'm coming to get you." The Doctor's tone came close to express the deep love he felt for the blonde woman. At that moment he didn't care there weren't any other Time Lords to berate him for having fallen for a human.
The view screen went out as the Doctor turned off the communication between the Game Station and the leading Dalek ship. The Daleks went berserk after hearing the Doctor's plan. Rose stood not knowing what to do.
The high pitched scream of one Dalek echoed throughout the ship. "The Doctor is preparing hostile action!"
"Begin the invasion of Earth! We must move forward in the Stratagem!" The Dalek on Rose left screamed out its' orders.
The three Daleks that had been standing guard on Rose spun around wildly facing the wall where sockets lined it. There they began proceeding with their defense of the Dalek ship.
Rose shifted out of the way of the mad metal beings. It seemed that now that she was no use and that the Doctor was coming they forgotten about her.
The third golden Dalek screamed out in what Rose could only call frighten triumphant. "We will exterminate the Doctor!"
"Yes! Exterminate!" The words became a cacophony as thousand of Daleks screamed for the extermination of the Doctor. Some rose into the air as if the high would make the words echo out into space and reach the Doctor.
All Rose could do was stay out of the way in frightened terror, as the cries of the metal army of pepper potts grew in an insane volume. She hoped that the Doctor would get there soon.
End of Wolf Moon Rising to be Continued in Apart But Not Separate.