Chapter 11 mystery after mystery
Back in the bedroom of Sarah Jane's house green eyes opened to stare at the murky ceiling. Romana had finally opened her eyes from her long and painful snooze. Her body ached all over and her eyes blurred from just awakening. Her curly brown hair had been replaced with short blond locks and her body had shrunk in size and weight. The huge grand mirror that hung on the wall of the bedroom had a teenage reflection staring back. The emerald eyes widened in shock and her new hands touched her face. Pulling a face about to be sick she hung over the bed away from the fancy silky bedding that felt smooth under her new delicate fingers. Put instead of spilling her insides a cloud of gold sprouted from her mouth and steadily floated up to the sky. The reason for her disappearance was that the regeneration had been so strong that it had expelled her body of matter long enough for John to get the wrong impression.
She slowly drew herself off bed to stand on her new feet. She took her first few steps as if a baby and the excitement of her new body lead her towards the mirror where she studied her body carefully brushing her skinny thighs. Her face bared an oval and her ears were small and suited her face. Her green eyes shone cat like in the darkness of the room and her tongue licked rows of white shiny teeth. Her long claw like nails brushed through her blond inverted bob and her now baggy clothes hung off her body like curtains on a rail. Pulling herself away from the mirror the normally speedy frame of Romana had now been forced to give all her strength into heaving herself down the stairs. As Luke was about to come upstairs he stopped in shock as a beautiful unknown girl his age was standing on his stairs.
"What is it Luke?" a motherly voice came from the other room. Luke's eyes were still locked on Romana; she pursued her lips and put a finger in front.
"Nothing mum" he shouted back and then followed her back up the stairs.
"You're not the girl they brought in" he said in shock.
"Yes I am I'm just different that's all, that's how I heal myself" she said calmly, her new voice rang through her ears.
"So you're a time lord then, an alien" he said excitedly.
"Lady if you don't mind and how do you know about my people?" she asked.
"I know The Doctor and John down stairs" he said.
"He's alive, and what's it got to do with John?" she asked.
"You know the human biological something" he said confused.
"Meta crisis of course that's how he knew and that means that he's part human well the aging bit any way" she repeated.
"Wow he's changed a lot since I last saw him" she said dazed. Luke shook her to bring her back into the room.
Suddenly their conversation was cut short as the couple were eyed by Martha. She approached them quietly, listening in on their chatter. But her cover was blown by the old creaky stairs.
"Luke who are you talking to?" she begged.
"Hi we haven't met properly, I'm Romana, thank you for saving my life!" she reached out a hand in order to shake Martha's hand. Martha was too busy looking at Romana's face to notice that her hand was stretched out.
"Oh you're wondering about the face, don't worry it's all totally normal for me" she said calmly.
"Your, your" Martha dragged looking pale and sickly.
"Alive!" Romana finished for her,
"But you can't tell anybody, not even everyone down stairs, and if anyone asks I'm Luke's friend from school and he let me in around the back". Martha nodded her head slowly in agreement still unable to speak.
As Romana went to stand up from her kneeling position she was forced back to the floor as if gravity had glued her to it. Trying to get back up lead to her collapsing again, but luckily Martha and Luke were there to catch her. Romana began to scream holding her head in pain as she tried to fight the demons in her head.
"Alright, your alright" Martha tried to comfort her but the screaming had already taken hold of her mind. Rose was the one to break the silence from down stairs as she darted up the stairs and took hold on the screaming girl too. The fight intense as she struggled more and another golden ball of cloud entered the hall way from her mouth. With that she was still and the screaming subsided. Her body flopped in the arms of both women as they dragged her towards the bedroom.
"What was all that about and what's with the cloud show?" Martha huffed.
"I've seen this before when The Doctor changed, something most have gone wrong in the regeneration process, so that means she is a time lord" puffed Rose.
"We've got to tell everyone down stairs".
"No" Martha argued, "I swore not to tell anyone".
"Oh" said Rose,
"What about John?"
"Not even John, I don't think she wants anybody to find out that's all" said Martha.
As Luke waited in the wings Martha and Rose covered Romana with the bed sheets and prayed that no one heard them. But their prayers went unanswered as John and Jack entered the room.
"Who was screaming" they said in time. Martha stood aside to let them peer at the girl lying in the bed. Romana's eyes were lightly closed and her breathing was at a steady pace.
"Is that Rouen?" asked Jack.
"No Rouen had brown hair" said John. Suddenly her identity was given away when the cloud from her mouth sprouted again. John pulled a face no one could copy.
"I knew it" he said,
"That is Rouen, plus she's regenerating which means that she in a fragile state so you mustn't wake her or it could damage her brain, Rose you know what I'm talking about so you must make sure she stays asleep at all costs until she recovers". After John had delivered his cry he sent everyone else out and refused to leave her side. Every now and then cloud after cloud poured out of her mouth, her temperature would raise and fall and she never stayed still as the bedding increased the temperature even more. But John refused to touch her as she struggled as she might awaken unintended, and as the hours ticked by she still showed no signs of awakening shortly.
The atmosphere down stairs wasn't much merrier. All the adults sat in the room waiting for a noise of life up the stairs. Sarah – Jane tore from her seat like Velcro and shot upwards followed closely by Luke. The others decided to follow one after the other, all confused about where she had disappeared to in the huge house. They heard noises coming from the attic and went up in search of answers. Sarah stood talking to Luke in a secluded fashion and they heard other voices like that of a robot of some sort. As the three of them peeked around the door Sarah – Jane's voice echoed the words
"Come in". They found her sat at a computer desk in the corner. There was Luke also lent against it. Right in front of them was a figure of some sort of weird looking dog. Its mini satellite dish ears spun around together and its head and metal tail bounced up and down like a real excited puppy. Some sort of collar with a bone tag hung around the rubber neck and the markings K – 9 were inscribed on the side of the metal plating of its body.
"Good evening I'm K – 9 pleased to meet you" it said in that robotic voice again. Rose bent down and patted it on the head,
"Hello tin dog" she said as she'd met it before. K – 9 wagged its head and tail once more at the sight of Rose.
"I was just going to talk to someone if you care to join us" Sarah exclaimed and then suddenly turned towards the huge bare brick wall at the other side of the room.
"Mr Smith I need you" she said urgently. Before they knew anything else steam shot out of the wall as the pressurised doors opened and out pulled a desk filled with buttons. Before them a huge alien computer imbedded in the wall of Sarah's house was staring at them.
"We have guests!" the computer said,
"Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Mr Smith at your service".
"We didn't have anything like that at torchwood!" exclaimed Jack.
"Jack go and tell John to bring Rouen up hear and help him carry her!" Sarah screamed at Jack,
"Then Mr Smith can scan her to see if she's alright". Then Jack disappeared down the stairs. John was still at Romana's side, watching over her like an eagle creeping prey. He hadn't moved for the past hour and Romana was still showing no signs of life. His body ached but he ignored the painful cries and kept a close watch on her. Then Jack arrived at the door. John managed turned his stiff neck to look at him.
"Sarah wants us to take Rouen upstairs" Jack said and started to remove the sheets covering her body.
"Be careful, don't wake her" John panicked as Jack showed little interest in making sure she stayed asleep. Then as John grabbed her arms and Jack her legs they both carried her towards the attic.