"Rose River" AU
'The Oncoming Storm'
Chapter Three
- Autons -
A/N: Yep. I know. Not there. Panic later.
Tracking the Nestene was problematic. The ship they were using had a cloaking device, and the signals it was generating were scattered. Not liking it, the Doctor prepared himself with several things. Two of them were outright bombs, but the third was a bluish purple coloured, viscus liquid. He'd used it before in the war, but that was only after the Nestene switched sides.
The strongest signal was coming from a relay station at a clothing shop of all places. While it was ridiculous, it made the most sense. Shop dummies were used before, and they made the easiest foot soldiers.
The Doctor didn't bother with the name of the place, and had parked the TARDIS across the street. Sonicing his way through the back door, he checked every floor, and only came across one human. He was dead of course, having had his own shirt buttons turned against him. It was disgusting, but not unexpected.
The basement proved to be devoid of people, but the last door turned out to be a storage place for various shop dummies. "Ah," he said as they turned their heads towards him. Tossing the smaller of his two bombs to the back of the room, he ran for the lift. A half dozen of the surviving dummies were hot on his tail.
Sonic in front of him, he had the lift doors open before he got there. They closed around the head and arm of one of the dummies. The only way to get the doors shut was to twist them both off, then punch the remainder back outside the lift.
Killing the signal to the arm with his sonic, he tucked the head under his arm as the lift went to the roof. Annoyed with the music, he killed the speaker with his sonic as well. Jazzy lift music wasn't something he was prepared to deal with right now. That, and the fact it was Barry Manilow. He grinned at the slight shower of sparks.
Finding the transmitter under the mobile tower was child's play, and he set the second bomb right on top of it. Giving himself a three minute head start, he bolted down the three flights of stairs to the back door.
He was outside and halfway across the street when the roof went up. Turning, he grinned at the sight. "Fantastic."
Sensors wired into the head of the dummy, the Doctor traced the signal back to the Thames before it got lost. Looking up, he saw the head melting. "That helps," he mumbled sarcastically.
Wanting to get his bearings, he stepped out of the ship to see where he was. The scent of the Thames greeted him, and he nearly got his shoes wet. Looking about, he pulled his sonic out for a scan when he saw the London Eye. "That would do it," he commented dryly. Seeing a culvert access to his right, he actually smirked when he opened it. The heat coming up was swimming with the scent of plastic.
Access down the ladder was unimpeded, and he found himself in a rather large underground structure. Flashes of memory and light distracted him a bit as he found more ladders, chains, and something that looked like a vat. He blinked once with a frown, then stepped forward.
"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness, under peaceful contract, according to Convention Fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation," he stated calmly.
There was a rumble and a voice. ~Granted.~
"Thank you," the Doctor nodded. "If I might have permission to approach?" The shuddering inside the vat hinted at impatience. Walking down the ladders, he came to an interesting overhang that was above the vat. Interesting, as in how convenient it was. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not.
"Am I addressing the consciousness?" he asked, then nodded at the reply. "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of Warp Shunt technology. So may I suggest with the greatest respect that you shunt off?" he asked with a frown.
The rumble was less than kind. ~Under article eighty three: As a dying species, We claim this planet as reparations for what was lost in the war.~
The Doctor glowered and sounded rather quiet. "You're a bit late for that. I'm quite familiar with that section. And, under subsection B iii, as the Last of the Time Lords I'm telling you point blank: Get off my planet," he said with a bit of a snarl.
~Time Lord!~ the viscous plastic growled.
Hearing some scuffling behind him, the Doctor ducked and spun about. Nerve strikes were useless against the pair of shop dummies, so he grabbed them by their clothes and yanked them towards the edge. Since they were so light, they fell without much fuss.
Facing the vat again, the Doctor tilted his head to crack his neck. "Remember… I asked nicely." Pulling a vial from his pocket, he thumbed the stopper out of the end of it, then tossed it into the vat. Leaving the way he came, he didn't flinch at the screams.
There was a disapproving hum as he entered the TARDIS. Coming round to the screen and keyboard, he was muttering. "Shut it. I've lost too much. Not losing Earth as well. These stupid little people have only just learned how to walk, and they're capable of so much more. I'm giving them that chance. And no, I don't care what happens to me, so stuff it."
Typing rapidly, he had the ship scan the Sol system, then forward in time to the next set of idiots that wanted his piece of the universe. Finding one, his brow arched. "Raxacoricofallapatorian? They're peaceful though."
Pausing for thought, he set the coordinates. "Peaceful or not, no one's harming them." Frowning, he sent the ship forward a year. "I wont allow it," he said darkly.