Author: Ardith S.
Author's notes:
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.
Hope the story's been entertaining. I'm having fun.
Rose Tyler did not belong to this world.
Sometimes it was hard to grasp just how different the Earth she was now living on was from her original universe. Just little things, really could change history. Wars were won and lost over little things. The lack of the Hindenburg blowing up in less than 40 seconds explained the acceptance with which zeppelins that flew around the world. Thankfully, technology advanced enough to make them much less susceptible to lighting up like a roman candles.
Each and every decision changing the world in tiny ways. Since the world kept on spinning sans the time creatures that eat people when paradoxes ruined things, Rose figured that some how she was supposed to be here. On this Earth. Without her Doctor. Or, maybe not. Maybe because she was here, the future of this world was utterly different. Maybe in this universe, Time Lords survived and could fix tears. Maybe they could send her home. It could drive her mad thinking about things like that.
But she was not about to just run and hide in her parents' mansion to allay time. If there was one thing she learned from her travels it was that she could make a difference. Of course, never in a billion years would she have thought that difference would be in a lab, staring a molecular analysis of alien oil.
Blinking, she stared hard, reading the chemical breakdown. The oil could be duplicated, tested, and used. It was one of the best weapons against any looming Krillitane threat. During the hours debriefing her father, the UN Security Committee, and the top tier of British Government, she also realized that because it was a weapon, the crash site might also belong to a species that had been fighting against Krillitanes.
"Either which way, there were no survivors," she mumbled as she studied the molecular structure. It was a miracle that the oil survived the crash. It shouldn't have really. Unless the container holding the oil had been specially protected. Unless, of course, someone had been planning to use it later. "Could be bad news."
"Talking to yourself is not a good sign, Rose. Could be a sign that you're turning into a mad scientist..." Mickey strolled into the room pushing a cart that carried the onyx device. The blast proof casing sealed it from her touch, but Rose could feel her palms itching.
"Well, at least we can be prepared. Though, 'If it's Alien, it's Ours.' is really not my favorite motto. Seems, I dunno, sort of Empire Strikes Back-ish?"
"Fascist?"
"Evil?" Rose laughed. "Well, at least we're working in the open here. We could reproduce the oil and make ourselves brilliant. Then again... who knows what the long term effects of the oil are. Why'd you bring that in? I thought you were trying to protect me from its effects."
"Did you dream of him last night, Rose?" He stopped the cart next to her desk, eyeing Rose as she stood up.
"No. I didn't." Rose inched closer to the containment cart. She hadn't dreamed about the Doctor for the past two nights. Not since she touched the box. She had been tempted to ask for it, but forced herself to concentrate on the issue of the potential Krillitane threat.
Mickey grimly stared down at the device, his hands swiftly typing in the code to unseal the containment lock. "I was thinking. You know how you never existed in this world? Well, after looking through the Torchwood files, I noticed that the Doctor still managed to save the Queen and set off the events that set up Torchwood."
"The Doctor?" Rose asked faintly. Of course! Parallel Earth. Parallel Torchwood. You don't WANT to think about him being in this universe.
"Yeah, well. According to the files, he hasn't been around for a while. At least not on present day Earth."
"He survived the Time War, because we, um, encouraged Queen Victoria to set it up after. But he never met me."
"He's not the same Doctor, Rose," Mickey stated firmly.
"I know that. I know. That's why I don't want to--"
"You don't want to meet him or think of him, I know. But, I was thinking. This box. What if it's like Time Lord science? Like the Genesis Ark."
"What? It's bigger on the inside?"
"Maybe. Or... what if it's like the TARDIS." Mickey stared at the box. It did not give off any radiation or power. But unlike the Void ship, it was made up of elements, even if not all of those elements could be analyzed by their equipment. At least not yet.
"Time Travel?"
"I was thinking that it could be, I dunno, alive? Able to send communication through time and space?"
"Or it could blow up Torchwood Tower."
"Yeah."
"And, of course, I might not come out alive if things go wrong," Rose said, moving closer to the cart.
"Might be a bad idea."
"But, the Doctor seems to show up when there's trouble."
"True, but parallel world is different. And he may be a different man," Mickey said, thinking about his counterpart, Ricky. "And you don't know what kind of man he is in this world."
Unfortunately, the Doctor knew a lot more about alien life and technology than she did. After some consideration, Rose decided to conduct a controlled experiment. Box plus Rose equals explosion. So she needed a contained space to experiment, And some clothing that won't disappear.
"Ok, I'm up for it."
In fact, for good or bad, she couldn't resist the call. Luckily for Rose, there was a room in Torchwood that was built to contain the blast of a nuclear bomb. She unwrapped the box, loosening the heat resistant cloth. Taking a calming breath, she cleared her mind but for one thought.
Holding her hand steady, she touched the surface and opened her mind, her soul and let her thought pierce through the universe once again. Searching, searching, everywhere to find him.
The Doctor.
The darkness was thick as the ringing in her ears faded. She was alive. Again.
At least the fire retardant clothing survived this round. Her body ached a little, but even now she could feel herself rebounding. It was amazing. And horrifying. She heard the sound of the TARDIS, the screeching wail held her spellbound. He was here. Rose felt her heart thudding, the thumps echoing in her ears. He isn't your Doctor. Oh, her heart whispered, but look at your mum and dad. Wasn't that meant to be?
"Not. The. Same." She was not going to go down that path.
The doors opened to reveal his familiar face. His most recent incarnation. "Erm, hello." She felt winded as she stared at him. His eyes were the same brown. Everything was the same, but just not…quite. He grinned at her. "Strangely enough, I believe someone called for me from this location."
"Hello, Doctor," Rose said quietly.
"Seems my reputation proceeds me. I see you're from Torchwood." He nodded towards the logo decorating the wall. "And you either caused the temporal shift that pulled me out of the space time continuum or you came here because of it."
"Doctor, you are IN Torchwood. And well, I am still trying to figure out this device." She pulled out the box, careful not to touch the surface with her bare hands. "Thought of you and here you are."
"Lenux Protocol Center. I haven't seen one of those in ages! It channels psychic energy and concentrates it exponentially. Bit of a problem with that device. It can drain whole civilizations if abused. How did you get that?"
"Crash site. Also, it kind of burned me up."
"Burned you up? Who are you?"
"Rose Tyler. I seem to be a bit indestructible now. I came from a different universe, though, so that might be the explanation. Oh, and you missed the Cybermen. Three years ago. But my Doctor took care of them. He saved both our universes."
"Your Doctor?"
Rose took a deep breath to steady herself. "Yeah. I have a story to tell you."
As they sat in the TARDIS, Rose poured her heart out to him. He seemed harder than her Doctor. And he'd been traveling alone. Part of her pretended he was really the man she loved. That telling him these things would open his eyes and make him remember. The rest of her knew that it could never happen. Though this man had the same face, the same everything, he was not the one she loved.
But that brilliant mind took everything she said in. As she continued, his dark eyes seemed to grow stormier. Rose wanted to touch him, to hug him, but she held herself back. He wasn't the right one, even if he would grin the Doctor's daff grin every so often. The Doctor of this universe seemed much grimmer.
"And we came to this universe. This Earth. We stopped most of the Cybermen, but eventually they tried to cross through the crack in time and space into the other Earth. I know that the Time Lords used to be able to cross. They controlled it all."
"They are gone. The doors are closed. There is no one to guard the gates," he sighed.
"I know," she said quietly. "Members of the Cult of Skaro broke through the barrier with a Time Lord Prison ship and the Cybermen followed. And then, that universe was almost destroyed. But the Doctor opened the rift and the void sucked back everything that passed through the void and sealed itself off. Leaving me on this side. I told him I would stay with him forever," she said. "Now he's alone."
"Alone." He watched her with wary eyes. "You loved him. Feels weird, talking about me from another dimension like that. Well, it's not me. It's him, really. I never had you in the first place."
"I love him," she confirmed. It felt so strange to confess so much to him, yet her instinctive trust for the Doctor prevailed.
The Doctor frowned in thought. "You took the time vortex into you. That isn't possible, not for a human. It changed you into something that shouldn't be. You shouldn't exist."
"It killed the Doctor. He died." Rose could feel herself shaking. "He took that vortex into himself and then... regenerated."
"Seems like the other me had it worse. The Daleks seem to be on that side. And you, Ms. Tyler, are steeped with the time vortex still. Glowing. Inside. Lit up like a candle."
"But I can't be. He--my Doctor took it out of me. All of it. And that vortex is of a different dimension. It's not possible."
"No, it isn't. By all accounts, you should be dead. No one is supposed to contain that power. Even a Time Lord. A Time Lord with the power of the vortex would be a god. A vengeful god."
"You're saying I'm impossible."
"Rose." Well, that tone was familiar. The Doctor was trying to calm her down. But the connections fell into place. All she had wanted to do was save the Doctor. What have I become?
"The Daleks... The emperor called me something. 'The Abomination.' Over and over again. Before I destroyed them," she whispered in realization. Taking a deep breath, she turned. She could feel the blood pounding in her head. Her eyes felt hot. She did not let the tears fall. "I'm not meant to be."
"Certainly not in this universe." The Doctor's eyes were tinged with pity and concern. "And I wonder if that's why the TARDIS was drawn here, too."
"I want to go back to him. I want my Doctor." It was too much. Rose felt his arms reaching around to hold her as she sobbed. It was cold comfort.