Chapter 14
"Well, at least we're together."
Rose paused in her examination of the cell door to glare at the Doctor. This cell wasn't so different than any number of others they'd found themselves in over the years. It was on the nice side as far as jails went—the room was clean and pristine white but completely devoid of furniture with a sturdy door that was deadlock sealed, according to the Doctor. A double-paned porthole window was their only view out into the hallway.
Given the number of times they'd found themselves in similar situations, Rose wasn't particularly concerned, even if touching one of the noseless dogs came with a three year prison sentence on Barcelona. She wasn't actually upset with the Doctor for failing to mention that rather critical piece of information, either, but it wasn't going to stop her from giving him a hard time for a bit.
"Rescue would be a little easier if one of us were on the outside," Rose grumbled as she leaned against the wall. "Like with the TARDIS."
The Doctor paced the room with his sonic screwdriver in hand. "That would be too easy, Rose. Where's your sense of adventure?"
Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have any ideas do you."
"Of course I do. Loads of ideas! Since we've been here, I've thought of twelve more modifications I should make to the TARDIS. No, wait, fourteen!" He stopped when he caught Rose glaring again. "I may be a bit short on ideas about how to break out of here."
"All right, then, assets," Rose announced as she sat down on the floor, falling back on her Torchwood training. "I've got my mobile, psychic paper, and TARDIS key." She placed all three items on the ground between her and the Doctor. "How 'bout you?"
The Doctor reached into the pockets of his blue suit jacket, arms disappearing up to the elbows. He started laying items on the ground beside him: the sonic screwdriver, a banana, a yo-yo, his new brainy specs, a handful of electronic components Rose didn't recognize, a toothbrush, a spool of twine, a variety of batteries, and a ten pound note.
The Doctor made a noise of protest when Rose snatched up the money. "Queen Victoria. You owe me ten quid," she clarified. "I thought you didn't carry money, anyway."
"Might I remind you I paid for dinner last week."
"With a Torchwood credit card," she countered with a half-smile. "Any of this going to get us out of here?"
The Doctor put on his glasses and picked up a couple of the batteries and components, squinting at them as he thought. "I might be able to blow the door open, but there's nothing here to shield us from the blast."
A faint beeping noise from outside caused them to hurriedly shove everything back into their pockets. The sonic screwdriver was hidden away just as the door whooshed open to reveal two orange-uniformed guards.
"Come with us, both of you," the shorter of the two guards demanded as he took Rose by the arm.
"Where are you taking us?" the Doctor asked the taller guard as he approached.
"You're being released," the guard replied in a soft voice that didn't match his hulking form.
"Molto bene!" the Doctor exclaimed as they were escorted down an equally bland white hallway with identical cell doors lining either side. "See, Rose, just a slight detour. No trouble at all."
The guards stopped at a junction in the hallway. "You're being released," the shorter guard said with a glance at the Doctor. "She's going to the magistrate."
"What?" The Doctor tried to tug his arm away from the guard with no effect. The guard's grip was stronger than iron. He reached out his other hand towards Rose, who was just able to grasp it in hers. "No, this was all just a tiny misunderstanding. You have to let her go."
"Doctor," Rose said calmly before he could protest further. Her brows furrowed like she was concentrating on something, and it occurred to him to lower his mental shields just moments before they were pulled apart. He got a brief flash of a familiar blue police box before Rose's hand was pulled from his and the image disappeared. He held her gaze and gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment. He could see her face relax even as she was pulled around the corner out of sight.
The Doctor looked back at his guard. "Think I could get a lift?"
Back in the TARDIS console room, the Doctor contemplated which was best of his several rescue plans as he started preparing to move his ship to the justice building. He could get the TARDIS to materialise around Rose, but that risked picking up guards with weapons. He reached into his pocket to grab the sonic screwdriver, but his hand brushed against something small and rectangular. He pulled out the psychic paper with a grin and pulled the lever to make the TARDIS dematerialise.
The Doctor stepped out into a small room that was quiet until a crash and a shrill shriek intruded. He turned to see a frightened humanoid woman with her hands gripping pastel green hair. Shards of ceramic and a spreading pool of brown liquid covered the ground next to her feet. The Doctor looked around quickly but found the room otherwise empty.
"Why were you in the refrigerator?" the woman squeaked.
Puzzled, the Doctor looked behind him to see that the TARDIS now looked like a large gleaming metal refrigerator, identical to another one just on the other side of what appeared to be an employee lounge, judging by the row of coffee machines lining one counter.
"Appliance repair," he replied cheerfully, holding up the psychic paper. "I don't recommend using this one. It seems to be causing frozen food to explode. Nasty mess in there. Might take an entire week to get sorted."
The woman glanced from the psychic paper to the Doctor's manic grin and back before blinking twice and scurrying out of the room. He waited a moment and exited the lounge into a busy hallway. He spied a computer display partway down the hall that quite helpfully listed the various proceedings scheduled that day. He quickly found Rose's name beside a courtroom number with the status listed as in-session and ran towards the room.
He found the assigned number next to a grand set of wooden double doors that he shoved open with more force than necessary. The doors hit with a hollow bang and every eye in every colourful head in the crowded room moved to focus on the Doctor. He couldn't help a small thrill of pleasure at the grand dramatic entrance. He saw Rose seated by herself on a raised platform at the front of the room, and she grinned when he caught her eye.
He strode briskly up the courtroom aisle towards a woman in what looked like a barrister's wig, except it was purple. The woman arched an equally purple eyebrow over the rim of her glasses as the Doctor approached. "Apologies for the intrusion, your honour, but I'm here to collect your prisoner on behalf of a higher authority."
"And whose authority would that be?" the judge asked as she reached for the paper the Doctor placed on her bench. "The Shadow Proclamation," she huffed bitterly as she pursed her fuchsia lips. "Of course. I thought they usually sent Judoon, though."
The Doctor leaned closer to the judge and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Between you and me, the Judoon are a bit thick. This prisoner is far too clever for those rhyming rhinoceri."
The judge nodded in agreement before motioning to the guards to bring Rose to her. "Escort the prisoner back to this man's transport," she instructed.
The Doctor resisted glancing at Rose. "That's not necessary. I assure you, she won't get away from me," he said confidently whilst giving the judge his most charming smile.
"Very well." The judge turned a hard glare on Rose. "I would tell you never to come back to this planet, but I doubt that will be an issue where you're going."
Rose frowned at the woman's harsh words but was soon pulled away by the Doctor's firm grip on her arm. She slumped her shoulders and kept her head down, playing along as he led her up the long aisle back to the courtroom doors. Grumbles and whispered epithets from the crowd followed them, and Rose was still baffled how just petting a dog had evoked such hostility.
The moment the double doors swung shut behind them, the Doctor threaded a hand into Rose's hair and pressed his lips to hers. When they broke apart only seconds later, the white walls of the hallway had turned mauve.
"That can't be good," Rose commented.
The Doctor shook his head and grabbed her hand. "Run!"
They careened down the hallway back towards the break room that housed the TARDIS, but the Doctor stopped short in front of the computer display embedded in the wall. Instead of courtroom assignments, it now displayed a scrolling news alert. A video in one corner of the screen showed an orange-clad guard sobbing in front of a familiar golden dog statue.
"Someone's taken the dogs?" Rose asked as she read the screen. The Doctor shushed her gently as he tapped the video, which expanded to take up half the display and was now accompanied by sound.
"They just vanished," the guard in the video said between sobs. "There was nothing we could do."
"Transmat?" Rose suggested.
"Possibly." The Doctor pulled her down the hallway and into the employee lounge. Rose watched in confusion and the Doctor pulled open the door of a large refrigerator filled with milk cartons and takeout containers. "Not that one." He spun around to the second identical refrigerator across from it and yanked open the door to reveal the TARDIS.
"Never gonna get used to that," Rose muttered as she followed him into the TARDIS. The Doctor had his specs on again and was staring intently at the monitor.
"Now unless this Barcelona is very different, I don't think the dognappers are local, which means we're looking for a ship." Rose ran around the console to join him. "This one," he pointed at a blip on what looked like a radar screen, "is leaving in quite a hurry."
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
The Doctor grinned at Rose and started preparing the TARDIS for travel. After only a minute, they materialised with harsh jolt that settled into constant rattling. Rose released her death grip on the console but kept her arms out for balance. "What's with the shaking?"
"Their artificial gravity is a bit rubbish. Engines could use a tune-up, too." He held out a hand to Rose. "Come on, then. Let's bring Lassie home. And Fido and Toto and Benji. Oh, and Rin Tin Tin. I just like saying that one."
"And Scooby-Doo, too?" Rose added with a cheeky grin.
The Doctor paused to look at her seriously. "Scooby-Doo is a cartoon."
"Oh, so the dog from The Wizard of Oz is all right but a cartoon dog isn't?"
He wrapped one arm around her waist and dropped a kiss on her hair. "Exactly."
A/N: Thank you to reviewer Master of Anons. I like to be almost done with a story before I start posting, hence the fairly quick updates. Only two more chapters to go in this adventure.