Author: Ardith S.
Author's notes:
Spoilers for Doomsday, of course. Also for School Reunion... And well, 10xRose.
I do not own anything Doctor Who. I just want to play in the world a little. Sorry for any mistakes. Forgive me because I'm new to this world. I hopefully I entertain you with my story telling skills. Or at least my ability to use spell check. I can't spell for the life of me.
Mickey Smith had done a lot for her, even when she treated him like rubbish. Rose winced when she thought back on how callously she'd behaved towards him. He was loyal and smart and really was a great boyfriend. But she craved the world, the universe, that the Doctor brought her. And poor Mickey just couldn't compete. Of course, Mickey Smith had changed a lot since those long ago days when she first started her travels with the Doctor. He was one of the bravest men she knew, only second to the Doctor. Their relationship had shifted from lovers to friends long ago. He was her best friend and he was family.
In fact, Mickey knew her too well. He could practically read her mind sometimes. And right now, he was scowling at her. She smiled back.
"Rose Tyler. You have that look in your eye," he frowned, studying her face as she entered his office-station. The lab was in a state of organized chaos. His desk was littered with computer parts.
"What look?" she asked innocently as she wandered towards the bomb-proof hood that held the puzzle box. Even now it seemed to call her.
"That look. Some thing's happened." He pushed his chair away from the computer he had been hunched over. "You seem... very happy. You've seen him. The Doctor. Twinkle and small smiles. Humming. Humming? Humming! Hmmm, not only seen the Doctor then. How can that be? There's no way to cross worlds, right? Has Rose Tyler been having naughty dreams."
Rose blushed. "Oi, shut it. None of your business, by the way. Anyhow, I've got a problem to solve."
"Using Torchwood resources for personal gain? Ms. Tyler, you are a loose cannon." Mickey smiled, but the concern in his eyes did not fade.
"Well, it's a start. And to give you a nice summary, the Doctor and I have made contact by way of Dream Fusion. And by the way, I am technically doing research, Mr. Smith," she retorted.
"Dream fusion? I've never heard it called that before. And continuing your experiments with black box is not an option right now Rose. It's--"
"Yeah, yeah, dangerous! 'Danger' is my middle name." She rolled her eyes, but understood why he was so worried.
"And here I thought it was 'Marion,'" he teased. Mickey turned serious. "Listen, Rose. Are you sure that it was him? I mean, it could be just a dream."
Rose sighed. "I thought of that. I just have to try to reach him again and make sure. Test the connection. And figure out the black box." Staring into the dark surface, it struck her that the box seemed to both absorb and reflect light. Her fingers tingled as she stared at the box, almost mesmerized. The sound of Mickey's voice broke its hold.
"You know he sent you here to be safe. The risks, Rose. You'd break your mum's heart if anything happened to you. And how would the Doctor feel?"
"Mickey, I love you, but he's a part of me. And...," she shut her eyes, taking a steadying breath. What's a few more confessions off her chest. "Being here, away from him... I feel half alive here, without him. The Doctor has changed me. I'd never be the way I am now without knowing him. And you know you wouldn't either, Mickey."
She sensed him move closer to her, but didn't turn to face him. "You're not worried you'll end up like Sarah Jane, Rose? You know I have to ask. He left her, just left her."
"Mickey," she said calmly, taking his hand in hers. "Sometimes you have to take a risk. And I've already lived with a broken heart. But I know, I know that he's out there in that other universe living with one, too."
"Well, he has two, right?" Mickey sighed in defeat. "Now, on to solving the mystery of the Flaming Rose."
"Right. What is it exactly with this box. Perhaps it likes the bit of the time vortex still within me," she mused.
"Hm. There could be a point, Rose, where that attraction just sucks all of it out of you. If that's that bit of time and space running through you is keeping you alive."
"That...could be a problem."
"More than a problem. You'd be dead."
The Doctor woke up cursing. Unlike humans, sleep was not something that Time Lords needed, but the urge to close his eyes overcame him. Somehow, after he heard her call and the minx lured him to bed in more ways than one. He slept and he dreamt. But this was so much more than a dream. The tenuous connection still throbbed between them through the webs of the sleep. The taste of her, the feel of her touch. He could feel her. Smell her, as if she surrounded him.
Rose.
Time was a wicked mistress. Even surrounded by friends, the Doctor felt the call of time. All the possibilities laid out before him. He just never saw the one that took Rose away from him. In his hearts he knew she needed him. And to be apart from her haunted him.
Now he had a decision to make. Everything was about choices. Infinite choices. If other Time Lords were about, would they think that he was selfish? To gamble it all away for a chance on love and a short life with a human. You're breaking the rules, Doctor.
Rose was worth all that and more.
He wasn't sure if he could wait for another dream. Of course if ANYONE had time to search for a wrinkle in time and space, it would be a Time Lord.
Now, he just needed to find out just HOW she was reaching him. How was Rose able to establish dream fusion? Dream fusion was a particularly finicky way of telepathy. He cursed his distraction, but being with Rose after so long scattered his wits. It took quite a bit of psychic resources as well as a Lenux Protocol Center. Connection between two separate universes was not supposed to be possible. It took a strong boost of energy to even connect through the SAME universe. Of course, with one of those, you could run into the problem of over zoning. A mind could be destroyed, as well as half a building.
Sweat broke against his brow. Lenux Protocol Centers were not easy to find. And though most beings with psychic abilities were peaceful, there were some that enjoyed ravaging the mind.
To solve a mystery, it really helped to have facts on hand. Of course just playing around with a puzzle box that basically fried her was not the first option Rose wanted to reach for. Plus, Mickey did not like the hold it seemed to have on her. He thought some outside investigation might clear her mind. So the crash site in Dartmoor would have to be the first step.
Dartmoor was dotted with ancient stone circles, standing stones, and the like. Soaked in myths of pixies, the land was beautiful mix of hills, tors, and moors. And now, a giant crater that contained the remains of the main hull of a small ship.
"Shame about that," Jake murmured. "The wreckage sort of destroys the ambiance. The sheep were frightened a few days ago when it happened."
"Yeah, it spoils the landscape. Looks like it skidded a bit before it landed." The crater was huge, scaring the hillside before culminating in a oblong pit. She shaded her eyes to study the flight path. "No survivors?"
"We've never run into this type of ship before. The scanners didn't find anything. No signs of life. Nothing unusual, but, well… a bit of a crater and a ship. We sent up everything that the scanners detected contained technology. It's mostly clean up now."
"That doesn't mean there isn't something here."
"True. And no bodies. Maybe they burned up." He led her towards the edge of the creator. "Speaking of which, I heard that you burned all of your clothes off playing with something from this site."
"It's probably an alien seduction tool, Jake. You know, get a girl slash boy slash alien to less than clothed state."
"Useful," he smirked. "I could think of more than a dozen uses for that kind of technology."
"Best not try it yet, Romeo. I think I have a bit more research to do before we go disrobing any alien invaders. Or staff members"
"Duly noted. No unauthorized clothing combustion allowed. Anyway, no civilians were near the crash site. Thankfully. No one was hurt. Other than perhaps the aliens with bad piloting skills."
Wandering about the site, Rose felt the tiny hairs at the back of her neck rise. The crash left debris scattered across the crater. She picked her way gingerly down the slope to the epicenter of the crash. Most of the hull was intact. The ship seemed to have been as large as Jack's Chula ship, though the scattered remains might have masked the actual size.
How long ago was that? 1941...
She reached the wreckage, carefully pulling on silicone gloves that molded to her hands like latex. Extra protection against any stray traps that wanted to suck the time vortex out of her. Something caught her eye as she scanned the wreckage. Yellow-green oil. It leaked sullenly out of a cracked container.
She knelt down and cautiously took a bit of it into a sterile container. She knew that smell. Krillitane oil. But honestly, those chips were delicious.
"Jake, has Torchwood run into the Krillitane yet?" she asked, yelling over the winds building on the moor.
"Krillitane? Let me check the database, but I'm not familiar with them." He typed quickly into his handheld computer and began scanning the records.
"Thanks. I need this oil isolated. I want the chem-mat team to take a look at it. See if they can duplicate it. It makes the mind temporarily smarter, but the effects are not permanent. I don't know what the possible side-effects are. The oil comes from a species called the Krillitane. They are more than aggressive. If they are here, if anybody on the ship survived, we might be in trouble. They like to absorb cultures, literally. And if they got a hold of one that can control time and space, then we really, really need the Doctor.