"Rose River" AU
'The Oncoming Storm'
Chapter Seven
- Games -

Loud, outrageous techno music woke the Doctor. Startled, he stood up spinning about. "What is it? What's 'appenin'?" Confused as hell, he was in a small cupboard. Finally finding the door, it tripped open and he fell out of it. It was quieter out here, but not by much. Sparks of light and memories flashed through his vision like mad. Some of them didn't make any sense at all. One in particular was about a gorgeous blonde woman that he'd never seen before.

Someone helped him to his feet, only to have him fall on the floor again. The person, a girl, helped him up again. "That's the transmat. Scrambles your head. I was sick for days," she said. "You all right?"

He shook his head to clear it. "Yeah."

"So, what's your name, then sweetheart?" she asked, holding on to him to keep him steady.

Blinking, he couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. "The Doctor, I think. I was uh. I don't know wha' 'appened. Wha?"

"You got chosen," she said, nodding.

"Chosen? Chosen for wha?" he slurred.

She smiled at him. "You're a housemate. You're in the house! Isn't that brilliant?"

"That's not fair!" a man on the other side of the room complained. "We've got eviction in five minutes. I've been here for all nine weeks; I followed the rules; haven't had a single warnin', and he comes swaddlin' in."

"If they keep changin' the rules, I'm gonna protest I am," the other girl said next to him. "You watch me..."

Standing straighter, he ignored the rest of the ranting and looked the place over. Ghastly chairs shaped like hands were around a table and scattered all about the place. Neon colours were on the walls. Most disturbing was a rather large eye painted behind the bar. It had a galaxy playing the part of the pupil. Looking to the corners of the rooms, he could see remote cameras attached to the ceiling.

~Would the Doctor please come to the Diary Room,~ a computerized voice stated over the music.

Looking over to a buzz of noise, he saw a door open slightly. Stumbling over, he opened it fully and fell into a disgustingly bright red chair. Cushy though.

~You are live on channel 44,000. Please do not swear.~'

"You have got to be kidding," he glowered at the camera in the wall. "You abduct me, and I'm not supposed to swear?" the next words out of his mouth sounded like tonnes of glass shattering all over the place.

Two minutes later, the Doctor left the room and immediately set about finding a way out. Finding his sonic, he went at the first door he found. When nothing happened, he looked confused. "Can't open it."

"It's got a deadlock seal," the girl said as he went to try somewhere else. "Ever since Big Brother 504 walked out? You must remember that."

"What about this?" the Doctor asked at a distorting mirror in the corner.

"Oh, that's exoglass. Need a nuclear bomb to get through that."

"Don't tempt me," he said darkly.

She looked about, then whispered. "I know you're not supposed to talk about the outside world, but you must've been watchin'. Do people like me? Lynda. Lynda with a Y, not Linda with an I. She got forcibly evicted because she damaged a camera. Am I popular?"

He looked over at her with a confused look on his face. "I don't remember."

"Oh, but does that mean I'm nothin'?" she continued, both nervous and babbly. "Some people get by just because they're insignificant. Does anybody notice me?"

Stuck with having to say something, he lied. "N-no, you're... You're nice. You're sweet. Everybody thinks you're sweet."

That seemed to satisfy her. "Oh. Is that right? Is that what I am? Oh. No one's ever told me that before. Am I sweet? Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Deft- sweet."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Looking to the windows, he was confused. "It's a wall. Isn't there supposed to be a garden out there, or somethin'?"

"Don't be daft," Lynda scoffed. "No one's got a garden anymore. Who's got a garden?" Thinking about it, she gasped. "Don't tell me you've got a garden?"

"No," he said, examining a black fake window with red stripes. "I've just got the TARDIS." He spun around, memory sparking. "I remember."

"Oh, that's the amnesia!" she said. "So what happened? Where did they get you?"

"I just left Satellite Five, and was heading for something else. Something... Something... There was this light, this bright light coming through the walls. Saw this blonde woman being pulled away from me. Then I woke up here." He paused, thinking about that. Was that right? That didn't seem right, but it was. The hell's going on?

"Yeah, that's the transmat beam," Lynda said. "That's how they select the housemates. Satellite Five, though? No one's called it that in years."

"Oh, Lynda with a Y," the Doctor said, stepping away from the fake window. "Sweet little Lynda. It's worse than that. I'm not just some passing traveller. No stupid little transmat gets inside my ship." he said angrily. "That beam was fifteen million times more powerful. Which means this isn't just a game. There's something else going on."

Stepping closer to the distorting mirror, he looked directly into it on the assumption there was a camera on the other side. Could actually hear the whirring from the motors turning it about in there. "Well, here's the update from the Big Brother House. I'm getting' out and then I'm gonna find you," he said quietly, thumping his finger on the glass.

Turning again, he went to the other fake window to see if there was a seam he could take advantage of. The others sat on the sofa. Lynda looked over at him. "Doctor. They said all housemates have to gather on the sofa. You've got to."

"Busy gettin' out, thanks," he mumbled, zipping his sonic along the edge of one of the raised red stripes.

"But if you don't obey, then all the housemates get punished."

Clicking the sonic off, he stood up. That was the one thing that would get him to cooperate. Moving over to the sofa, he shrugged. "Well, maybe I'll be voted out."

The man scoffed. "How stupid are you? You've only just joined. You're not eligible."

"Don't try anything clever, or we all get it in the neck," Lynda whispered.

~Big Brother House, this is Divina Droid. Crosby, Lynda and Strude, you have all been nominated for eviction.~

The Doctor sighed and looked at the televid screen with disgust.

~And the eighth person to be evicted from the Big Brother House, is... Crosby.~

There was a gasp, and the Doctor couldn't even look at them while apologies were going about.

~Crosby, you have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!~

Sitting back on the sofa, the Doctor watched them go by and rolled his eyes with a shake of the head. Just listening to the tearful goodbyes was making him mad. The Domestics were on high and he hated it.

~Crosby, please leave the Big Brother House.~

The Doctor checked himself. The thing worse than the Domestics was the bloody music.

When Strude and Lynda hugged each other, the Doctor had enough and turned around. "It's only a game show. She'll make a fortune on the outside. Sell her story; release a record, fitness video; all of that. She'll be a laugh in."

"What do you mean on the outside?" Lynda said with tears in her eyes.

Strude saw that the main vid screen changed. "Here we go." They came back to the sofa quickly and sat down. The Doctor sat back, a bit confused at seeing Crosby just standing there on the screen.

"Oh, what're they waitin' for? Why don't they just let her go?" he complained.

Lynda looked over at him. "Stop it. It's not funny."

~Eviction in five, four, three, two, one.~

A beam from above Crosby struck her on the head, and she vanished along with the music.

Stunned, the Doctor sat up straight and leaned forward. "What was that?"

"Disintegrator beam," Strude said quietly.

Alarmed, the Doctor turned his head to gape at him.

They looked back. "She's been evicted," Lynda said, "From life."

"WHAT?" he shouted as he stood up rigidly. "Are you insane? You just step right into the disintegrator? Is it that important getting your face on the telly? Is it worth dyin' for?"

"You're talkin' like we got a choice!" Lynda shouted back as she stood up.

The Doctor tilted his head, completely confused now. "But I thought you went to apply?"

"Don't be stupid," Strude said. "That's how they played centuries back."

"You get chosen whether you like it or not," Lynda added. "Everyone on Earth is a potential contestant. The transmat picks you out at random! And it's nonstop. There are sixty Big Brother Houses running all at once."

The Doctor scowled. "How many," he breathed. "Sixty?"

"They had to cut back," Strude said. "It's not what it was."

"IT'S A CHARNEL HOUSE!" the Doctor bellowed, causing both of them to back up. "What about the winners? What do they get?"

"They get to live," Lynda said quickly.

The Doctor's left brow twitched. "Is that it?"

"Well isn't that enough?" she asked.

He moved away from the pair of them, suddenly afraid he'd throttle the both of them. They didn't deserve it. It was all they knew. "This stops. TODAY!

"Time I got out. That other contestant, Linda with an I, she was forcibly evicted for what?" he asked them.

"Damaged property," Lynda said.

"Wha'," the Doctor said with wide eyes, "like this?" He pointed his sonic at the camera, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. Smirking, he sat down on the sofa and waited. The others sat on either side of him, stunned.

The music started up again. ~The Doctor, you've broken the house rules. Big Brother has no choice but to evict you. You have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!~

"Thank you!" the Doctor shouted as he sprung up, running for the door. "C'mon then. Open up!"

"You're mad!" Lynda shouted. "It's like you want to die."

"I reckon he's a plant," Strude said, "who's only brought in to stir things up."

The door opened and he went through. ~The Doctor, please leave the Big Brother House.~

"No!" Lynda shouted. The door shut on his grinning face.

~C'mon. Disintigrate me.~ they heard from the screen. Strude sat down, incredulous. ~C'mon! What're you waitin' for? Disintegrate me!~

"He's mad. He's bonkers." Lynda said from the door.

Standing in the white room, the Doctor crossed his arms and stared at the emitter on the ceiling, grinning his face off.

~Eviction in five, four, three, two, one.~

Nothing happened, and the music slowed and died. They saw the Doctor laughing and pointing at the ceiling.

~I knew it! You see? Someone brought me into this game. If they wanted me dead, they coulda transmatted me into a volcano. They want me alive! Now, about getting out of here. Bet the security isn't all that tight from this end.~ He turned and looked up into the camera. ~Are you followin' this? I'm gettin' out!~

Pointing his sonic at the lock, the door opened with a click. The other one slid open behind him. Seeing Lynda standing there, he grinned. "Come with me."

"We're not allowed," Strude said.

"Stay in there, you got a 50/50 chance of disintegration. Come with me, I promise I'll get you out alive. Come on!"

Her head quivered. "Nu- Ca- I can't," she stuttered.

"Lynda, you're sweet," the Doctor told her. "From what I've seen of your world, do you think anyone votes for sweet?" She hesitated, and he held his hand out. A small grin on her face, she stepped forward and took his hand.

Coming into the large hallway, the Doctor came up short. "Hold on, I just left this place. This is Satellite Five."

"That's what you said before," Lynda said "Confused me. It's been the Game Station for 'bout, hundred years?"

He moved to the lift and soniced it open. "No guards. Makes a change. You think a big business like this would be armed to the teeth." Not getting what he wanted with the lift, he went to a control panel. "Hundred years, exactly. It's the year two zero zero, one zero zero. I was here before," he moved to another access panel, "floor one three nine. Satellite was broadcasting news channels back then." He looked at her with a smirk. "Had a bit of trouble upstairs. Nuthin too serious. Easy. Gave them a hand. Home in time for tea."

"A hundred years ago," Lynda said disbelievingly. "Wha'. You were here a hundred years ago?"

"Yep," he said, moving to another panel door.

She smirked. "You're looking good on it."

"I moisturise," he said seriously. "Funny sorts of readings," he commented as he checked the sonic. "All kinds of energy. Place is hummin. It's weird. This goes way beyond normal transmissions." Moving off, he looked for another panel "What would they need all that power for?"

"I dunno," Lynda said. "I think we're the first contestants to get outside. Well, since the walk out that is."

"This place is insane," he mumbled. "Sixty rooms? This place has five hundred floors."

"There's a hundred different games."

He turned to her. "Like what?"

"Well, there's ten floors of Big Brother," she said. "There's a different house behind each of those doors. And then beyond that, it's all sorts of shows. It's nonstop.

"There's uhm, Call My Bluff, with real guns. Countdown, where you got thirty seconds to stop the bomb goin' off. Ground Forces is a nasty one, get turned into compost. Uhm. Wipeout, speaks for itself. Oh! And Stars In Their Eyes. Literally stars in their eyes. If you don't sing, you get blinded."

The Doctor blinked at her, stunned. "And you watch this stuff?"

"Everyone does. How come you don't?"

"Never paid for my license," he said flippantly.

"Oh my God, you get executed for that!" she exclaimed.

He glowered at her. "Let-em try."

"You keep saying things that don't make sense," she complained. "But who are you though, Doctor? Really."

"Doesn't matter," he said, moving on to another door.

"Well it does to me," she said. "Just put my life in your hands."

"Just a traveller. Wanderin' pest." He snorted. "Believe it or not, all I want is a quiet life."

"So, if we get out of here, what're you gonna do? Just wander off again?"

"Fast as I can," he said.

"Cuz, uhm. I could come with ya," she said with a grin.

He turned to her, "Maybe you could, but lets focus on getting out of here first."

"I wont get in the way."

He looked back at what he was doing. "Didn't say you would. But first, we need information. Know your enemy. Who's controlling it? Who's in charge of the satellite now?"

"Hold on," Lynda said, moving to the corner of the rather large centre room. He stuck his head out, to see her pull a rather large power switch. The lights came up, and she said. "You're lords and masters."

He stared at it and blinked rapidly. The words were plate steel, yet they kept changing. Rubbing his eyes, he called out. "Read that for me Lynda. I can't seem to focus on it."

A very strange noise came from Lynda, and he opened his eyes to stare at her. "What was that?" The humming static came from her again. "You all right?" That he could understand.

"Not really, but yeah." Blinking, he went to another access way. The door opened immediately when he soniced it. Stepping back, the Doctor let her go first.

"Blimey!" she said, stepping up onto the platform. Looking out the rather large window, she smiled. "I've never seen it for real before. Not from orbit. Planet Earth."

Coming up beside her, the Doctor was confused. "What's happened to it?"

She gave him a look. "Well, it's always been like that, ever since I was born. See that there?" she pointed. "That's the Great Atlantic Smog Storm. It's been goin' twenty years."

He gaped at her, then looked out.

"We get news flashes tellin' us when it's safe to breathe outside," she explained.

"So, the whole population just sits there," he stated rather than asked. "Half the world's too fat; half the world's too thin; and you lot just watch telly?"

"Ten thousand channels," she said seriously with a bit of pride, "all beaming down from up here."

"The Human Race: Brainless Sheep," he scoffed, "being fed on a diet of bloodsport that would've made Ancient Rome squeamish. It's disgustin'. Everything's gone wrong. I mean history's gone wrong. Again. This should be the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. I don't understand. Last time I was here, I put it right."

"No, but that's when it first went wrong," Lynda said, startling him. "Hundred years ago, like you said. All the news channels just shut down overnight."

"But that was me," he said, looking at her. "I did that."

She shook her head. "There was nothin' left in their place. No information. The whole planet just froze! The government, the economy, they collapsed. That was the start of it. One hundred years of hell."

"Oh my," he inhaled sharply and looked out the window again. "I made this world. It was supposed to snap back. Why did it it go back to normal?"

Looking at him, she saw and felt the devastation coming off of him. Then he closed completely and she felt an actual chill coming off of him. Swallowing, she took a half step to the side. All of a sudden, he didn't look human at all. That got worse when he opened his eyes again, because the entirety of them were jet black.

"Somethin' else is behind all this." he growled. "The Jagrafess was just middle management. Someone's been playing a long game with this planet." Turning, he ran out of the observation room. "My planet!" he bellowed. "And I'm gonna find out who's doin' it!"

Blinking, Lynda weighed her options. On the one hand, he was gorgeous. On the other, he scared her to death. I mean, what's with that shout? I felt that in my teeth! Shaking her head, she ran after him. He wasn't mad at her, so this would be all right. Right?