A/N: Thanks for all the support guys! It means a lot that you like this :D
The Doctor fixed his gaze on the road ahead, struggling to stop himself from turning around and running back to the café and Rose. He could imagine her sitting there now, being talked to death by Sadie and eating her way through the cakes in the display case at the back of the small shop. He couldn't decide whether he envied her or not.
He walked down the dusty road, keeping his gaze inconspicuously lowered just like every other person he passed. He scuffed his shoes along in the gravelly, sandy surface, wondering if the human race had forgotten how to make tarmac since migrating to Eustance. He wondered if they'd also forgotten about liberty and rights, and all those other things people devoted their lives to fighting for back on Earth in Rose's time.
Although he never would have admitted it to anyone- except perhaps Rose in a moment of drunken confession- he was more than a little nervous about going meet the members of the Liberal Rights Alliance. He knew that he should feel invigorated that people were trying to make a peaceful attempt to right the wrongs that they'd been forced to suffer for so long now, but he was still rather wary about the whole thing. After listening to the story Ganjud and Maurice had told him and Rose earlier, he was somewhat sceptical of everyone he met on this planet. He had only willingly left Rose with Sadie at the café because he knew that Rose would have no problem taking the old woman down with a single punch if it came to it and, as friendly (and engaged) as Ganjud seemed, the Doctor just couldn't bring himself to trust the man with Rose.
He turned left onto another street after a quick and discreet consultation of a road sign, an arrow pointing the way to Hansley Bridge. He slipped his hand in his pocket, gripping the sonic screwdriver tightly as he walked on. He debated momentarily if he perhaps should have left it with Rose in case something happened, before reasoning that it probably would have in someway invalidated her conditions for going to this meeting without her. He knew that she only wanted him to be safe, like he would want her to be. He hoped that she was safe back at the café.
The Doctor could see the bridge in the distance now. It loomed up against the skyline, the tops of some official-looking buildings barely visible behind it. He guessed that they would be high-security government buildings from the anti missile (or missile firing, whichever) devices protruding from their roofs, sweeping in a slow circle across the vicinity. He walked past a pretty-looking park that stretched on for acres to his left. He made a mental note to take Rose there if he could to try and make this stay at least somewhat more pleasant. It would be especially apt, he thought, as there as a fenced-in rose garden visible in the middle of the park. He thought that she might appreciate the slight irony of it all.
He walked on unobtrusively, nodding when people glanced at him as they passed but otherwise not making contact with anyone. For a few moments he was reminded of the terrible loneliness of his life, and all the years he had spent all on his own. An ache ripped through his chest, one that he suddenly realised he had not felt since the day he had met Rose. He refused to analyse the meaning of that though, at least not now. It wouldn't do for him to get into a self-deprecating, melancholy funk prior to revolutionising a planet. He also refused to analyse the fact that the piercing ache disappeared as soon as he thought of Rose. He decided that no good could come of it in the present circumstances. He would consider it later, when they were back at the TARDIS and safely floating through endless, impersonal, companionable space.
Twenty minutes later and he was leaving the tranquillity of the park behind him to emerge into a concrete jungle. He followed the footpath beneath a complex road network that from above reminded him of Spaghetti Junction back on 21st century Earth. Coming out on the other side, he saw Hansley Bridge straight in front of him. It stretched on for miles into the distance, leading out of the vicinity of Valtallahan and into the next province along. Huge sealed-in archways decorated it, some of the signs plastered to them belonging to building companies and private storage firms. He guessed that the space beneath the bridge was available to rent and that the Liberal Rights Alliance was hiding out in the second archway along, probably under the guise of a fake business. Or, the Doctor mused, perhaps the business was real, and the Alliance made use of its profits to fund their campaigns.
He ignored the nervous pulsing of his stomach as he approached the second archway, noting that the only visible entrance/exit was a small door near to the edge of the arch. All the posters on this part of the wall advertised a removals firm, and the vehicles parked close by agreed with this story.
The Doctor came to a stop next to the door, glancing around to check for any signs of life. A van drove off at the other end of the bridge, and a man emerged from one of the other archways carrying a roll of carpet. Nobody paid him any attention.
Raising a hand to the door, he tried the handle but wasn't surprised to find it locked. Sighing and grimacing with an I-really-don't-want-to-do-this expression on his face, he pulled back slightly and knocked softly on the heavy wood instead. His hand tightened its grip on the sonic screwdriver.
There was silence for a few moments before the Doctor became aware of a shuffling behind the door, followed by the unmistakable clanking of locks and chains. 'Who's there?' a deep voice asked from the other side of the wood.
'Is that Oscar?' he asked carefully.
Another pause followed before the voice behind the door cleared its throat and questioned, 'Who wants to know?'
'Your mother sent me,' the Doctor replied. 'She said there was a meeting.'
Oscar sighed heavily. 'I need you to tell me the codeword before I can let you in,' he said. 'But don't shout it out too loud; anyone could be listening around here.'
'Phantasm.' The Doctor shuffled on the spot, pulling the piece of paper with the information Sadie had given him out of his jacket pocket. 'She even wrote it down for me if you want to check the handwriting.'
More shuffling could be heard from inside the archway before the door was cracked open a few inches. The Doctor could just about make out a man in the dim light beneath the bridge, and he held the paper out to him. The man- who he was assuming to be Oscar- took the paper and studied it carefully for a moment before gesturing for the Doctor to go inside. 'I suppose you should come in then, my friend,' he said. 'It's good to have your support for our cause.'
The door opened more widely and the Doctor stepped through. 'It's good to meet some like-minded people,' he replied carefully.
Oscar shut the door, sealing in what little light there was in the small box room. There were no windows. He held out his hand and the Doctor shook it. 'What do I call you?' Oscar asked him.
'I'm the Doctor…' He trailed off. 'Uh, Doctor John Smith,' he amended.
Oscar grinned widely. 'Ah, a Doctor in our midst!' he exclaimed. 'That could come in very handy! Come and meet the rest of the crew.'
The Doctor nodded and followed the man through another door and down a short corridor. The sounds of traffic from the bridge could be heard coming from above. They reached a metal wall with a security door in the middle. Oscar entered a code into a small touchpad set to one side and the door slid open. They walked through and it shut automatically behind them, locking them into a huge, open plan room.
The room was enormous, the walls were lined with placards denouncing the government and other planetary organisations, and a group of around twenty people clustered in the middle, talking amongst themselves. 'I thought there would be more people than this,' the Doctor remarked.
'There are,' Oscar told him. 'These are just the leaders of the Alliance. Each of these twenty-two people is responsible for retaining the support and assistance of four thousand other people. That amounts to the better part of one hundred thousand people in the vicinity of Valtallahan who support our cause, and that doesn't include the numerous other groups that have formed in protest to the government.'
The Doctor whistled long and low. 'That's pretty impressive,' he admitted.
Oscar laughed. 'It is. And now,' he said dramatically. 'With the help of all those people, we're almost ready to start the revolution. Care to help?'
Damien is taking Airlia out tonight. He wants to show her that life can still be fun, and that nothing has to change in their relationship. He is taking her to the restaurant where they had their first date, has bought her flowers, and there is a brilliant diamond ring in the breast pocket of his jacket.
He wants to ask her to marry him, and he his hoping that tonight will be the night he finally gets the guts up to ask the question. He has spent the day dreaming of a small ceremony on a far off planet, somewhere light years away from the current conditions in Valtallahan. Small but special, he thinks.
They arrive at the restaurant arm in arm, the way they used to do before Airlia became scared that she was putting Damien in danger by being close to him in public. He has finally managed to convince her that he doesn't care; all he wants is to be with her, and it is only a select few people who know her true identity anyway.
He is reminded just why he adores Airlia so much as they sit and wait for their food, chatting animatedly just as they used to do at the beginning of their relationship. She tells him funny stories about her work, about how two days ago she accidentally stapled her jacket to the desk and didn't realise until she stood and attempted to walk away. She shows him the bruise she received when the fabric ripped and she went stumbling into a wall.
The time passes quickly- too quickly- and all too soon Damien is asking for coffee and the bill. His heart has been pounding all evening, and now he thinks that it must be so loud Airlia can hear it thumping away from her position across the table. When she turns to fumble in her bag for a moment, he checks his inside pocket to make sure the ring is still there. He reaches in to take it out.
A waiter comes over with the coffee and the bill, setting the items out on the table in front of them. Damien lets go of the small velvet box, letting it fall back into the depths of his pocket and a thin sheen of perspiration breaking out on his forehead. He can't do it. He isn't brave enough to be able to pick himself back up if she says 'no'. Perhaps he'll save it for a night when he has had more to drink, or perhaps for his death bed.
He curses himself for not being able to tell the woman he loves more than life itself that he wants to stay with her forever. Airlia smiles at him over her coffee cup, taking his hand in hers. 'I love you,' she tells him softly. 'I don't tell you that enough, but I want you to know that I do. I love you.'
Damien falters, wondering if perhaps he could ask her to marry him after all. A moment's consideration is all it takes to decide that he can't do it. She would only worry that she was putting him in more danger by binding him to her in that way. He will ask her once they are away from Eustance for good. He smiles at her softly, happiness rising in his chest at the love and warmth he sees in her eyes. 'I love you too,' he says.
This is the day Damien learns that some things are worth waiting for. Everything will change in two months, twenty-seven days and thirteen hours.
Rose handed over some of the money the Doctor had left her with, exchanging it for a thick black coat with a thermal lining, and a pair of gloves for the Doctor. She thought that he might start to get the hint about how cold his hands were sometimes; it was like holding hands with a snowman on occasion.
Glancing back at the café, she could see Sadie pottering around and serving coffee to a mother who was rocking her baby's pushchair slowly back and forth. The baby's cries could be heard from across the street. Rose was glad she'd decided to leave and go shopping as soon as the new customers had entered the shop, slipping away as Sadie bent over the pushchair, cooing at the baby and inadvertently making her cry.
The shop assistant handed over her change- a few oddly shaped coins and one bank note that bore the face of the President, Maximillian Camdon. Studying the man's face before putting the money back in her pocket, Rose would never have taken him for a dictatorial arsehole. He looked too normal to be the mass murderer Ganjud and Maurice had depicted in their story earlier.
'Could you cut the tags off the coat for me?' Rose asked the girl behind the counter. She looked at her watch while she waited, wondering how much longer the Doctor was going to be. It had been over three hours already, and there was only a few more hours before the curfew kicked in for the night. And, as much as she appreciated the old woman's hospitality, Rose didn't particularly fancy spending the night with Sadie. She decided that she'd give the Doctor another couple of hours before heading back to Ganjud's bar, where at least she could fall asleep on the bed while she waited.
She smiled at the shop assistant as she handed the coat back over to her and passed her the gloves in a small bag. 'Thanks.' Rose pulled the coat on over her thin jacket, instantly feeling the benefit of the extra warmth it offered. She stored the gloves in one of the huge pockets and wandered over to the full-length mirror on one side of the shop, admiring the way the coat fit her. Not usually one to be overly vain, Rose had to admit that the coat made her look good, moulding itself to fit her frame and the cut of the collar suiting her better than anything she already owned. She had to admit that, whatever problems might be currently hindering the human race on Eustance, they had at least done a good job with the fashion. Almost everyone she had seen since arriving here had been impeccably dressed and styled.
Thanking the assistant once more, Rose left the shop. She wandered back over towards the café, before veering off to the derelict baker's shop to the left of it. She stood looking up at the crumbling building, bullet holes visible in the brick work above the door and streaks of something she hoped (but suspected) was blood stained the wooden frame of the door. Glancing along the floor, she could see the Doctor's blood on the ground from where he had fallen earlier. She shivered at the sight of it, hoping he'd be back soon so she could know that he was safe. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and squeeze him tight, then never let go of his hand again.
Rose wandered along the length of the baker's premises, running her hand along the wall and studying the small cracks for abnormalities, still hoping that one of them would be the way back to Earth. Finding nothing but war-weathered brickwork and some small ten-legged creatures she didn't recognise, she sighed and straightened, coming back to stand in front of the rotting wooden door.
The door opened easily when she pushed against it with all her weight, swinging inwards to the musty room inside. Rose glanced around her, making sure nobody was watching her. She dropped down and picked up a sharp rock from the floor, its edges digging into the soft skin of her palm. She took a deep breath and walked forwards, entering the long-ago abandoned bakers' shop.
The Doctor was sitting on a chair in the large meeting room of the Liberal Rights Alliance. Oscar had introduced him to the other leaders of the Alliance, and they had collectively told him of how they had been planning a revolution for months, garnering donations and physical help from their members in their quest to annihilate the government. And now the time for the revolution was nearly upon them. It had only taken some light persuasion from the Doctor to get them to bring the date of the revolution forward by a month, and now he was trying to talk them into staging it tomorrow. The sooner the better, as far as he was concerned. He could liberate the planet, find the way back to Earth and then take Rose away from here as quickly as he could. And, with the help of one hundred thousand-plus people, he didn't think that overthrowing the government should be too tall an order. With that amount of help, he could probably do it in his sleep.
'We'd have the element of surprise,' he told the leaders of the alliance. 'If you stage a revolution in a month or two months, that gives the government a lot of extra time to find out what you're planning. You want to do it now whilst they know nothing of your plans or the level of your support. Would it be possible to mobilise that many people on such short notice?'
There was a silence before a man named Hugo coughed and nodded. 'Yeah,' he said. 'We have a telephone chain for these types of things. Whenever we have the revolution, we'd never tell the mass membership about it until the day before anyway. Too risky if everyone knows a long way in advance. There are a couple of hundred that we'd call in to prepare everything, and then everyone else would find out by telephone call overnight.'
The Doctor nodded, carefully appraising the men in front of him. They were obviously competent and he had no qualms about leaving them here to take care of the preparations whilst he went back to Rose. He liked them; they believed in their cause and whilst they were willing to do everything they could for freedom, they wanted to do it with as minimal bloodshed as was possible. Which, as far as he was concerned, was the best possible way to go about it. He leaned forwards, resting his chin on his hands as his elbows perched on his knees. 'Well then,' he said. 'What are we waiting for?'
Rose jumped as the door swung shut unexpectedly behind her, disturbing the dust that had gathered in every crevice and corner during the time the building had fallen into disrepair. She turned a full circle, taking in all the details of the room. When the Doctor had poked his head in here earlier, he'd told her that everything was normal about it and there was no need for further investigation. Walking into the baker's shop wouldn't get them back to the Hall of Mirrors at the Carnival in France, he had told her.
She had believed him earlier- still did, in fact- but Rose decided that there was no harm in a little investigation of her own. It wasn't like there was anything else to do while she was stuck waiting around for the Doctor to get back from his revolutionising jaunt with the Liberal Rights Alliance. She'd only end up having her ears talked off by Sadie while stuffing herself full with chocolate cake, which she'd already eaten too much of in an effort to keep the old woman quiet.
Walking forwards towards the back of the shop, Rose trained her eyes to the dim light as the sky gradually began to darken outside. The shop stank; mouldy old loaves of bread that had obviously been abandoned in a hurry still adorned the trays of a display case and a damp patch near a hole in one corner of the room told her that the rain had got in. That, or small animals had moved in as the humans had moved out. Never one to like mice and rats, she hoped that the damp was due to rain.
She made a careful study of the front room of the shop before turning her attention to the door that she knew would lead out to the back rooms, just like the one in the café next door. She wished the Doctor was here with her right now to hold her hand and tell her that everything was okay as she reached out to grasp the door knob tightly. Although, she thought, if the Doctor was here now, he'd be the one opening the door instead of her; putting himself between her and any danger that might be lurking in the next room. He was wonderful like that, always taking care of her.
Rose turned the door handle, frowning when it failed to open. She turned it the other way just in case, but it still stayed firmly shut. She knelt down, studying the tiny space between the door and its wooden frame. She could tell just from looking that it wasn't locked; it had an old-fashioned locking mechanism and she could see quite clearly that the door had merely been pulled shut when the last person had walked through it. It looked like it hadn't been touched for years, and so she wondered if perhaps it had become stuck or rotted in some way so that it was jammed in the frame.
She stood, grasping the handle once again as she launched her weight at the door. It shifted slightly but still didn't open. She frowned; this shop had pretty much the same layout as Sadie's café, and she knew that the door in there would have given easily if she'd jumped into it. It made no sense that this door would now refuse to open when the Doctor hadn't even had to contemplate using the sonic screwdriver to open the front door this morning.
She could hear the Doctor's voice in her head, telling her to leave it alone and go back to the safety of Sadie's café, let the old woman feed her more cake and give her more coffee and juice, perhaps ask if she could use a bed to sleep for a while. She could bring the Doctor here later and he could do something to open the door. But, if truth be told, she was still somewhat annoyed at him for abandoning her earlier. Not only were they on a strange planet that seemed to be at war with itself, but she didn't even have the safety of the TARDIS to run back to if it all got to be too much. And so the Doctor would just have to forgive her for taking matters into her own hands in his absence.
Rose stepped back and took a few calming breaths, trying to channel her energy so that she could give this her best shot. She let the small sounds of outside filter through her before tuning them out and focusing on the beat of her heart like the Doctor had taught her to do. She let her muscles relax, shaking out her arms slightly before letting her eyes slip closed momentarily.
Opening her eyes again, she took a deep breath and ran straight at the centre of the door, crashing into it and tumbling through the opening as it finally released and swung open into the back room.
She picked herself up from the ground, shaking the dust from her hair and brushing it where it had settled on her coat. Her vision righting itself after the slight head rush of crashing to the ground only seconds before, Rose blinked and focused her gaze on her new surroundings.
She stopped dead.
Her heart pounded madly in her chest and her breath came out in frantic pants but she paid it no mind. She stared at the sight in front of her, spellbound and aghast and terrified all at the same time. This was not what she had thought she would find back here, not by a long shot.
She was standing at the edge of a gigantic circular room that was easily the size of a large auditorium or concert hall. The vast space was empty, but the walls were lined with hundreds of doors of different sizes. Some were ancient and crumbling like the shop she had thought she was standing in, but some were modern, new, framed in metal and made out of substances she couldn't easily put a name to.
Turning a full circle, she found that the door she had just broken through was shimmering around the edges, a force field surrounding it that made her skin tingle when she touched it. Every sound she made echoed fifty times over in the huge empty space. She stared in shock at the doors far too numerous to be part of a humble baker's shop; far too mystical to be part of this world at all.
'Well then!' the Doctor exclaimed as he walked towards the exit of the premises beneath Hansley Bridge, acting as though he was simply arranging a social gathering rather than a revolution. 'I guess I'll be seeing you fellows at the same time tomorrow!'
'Indeed you shall,' Oscar replied, grasping his hand and shaking it warmly. 'Tomorrow shall be a very good day.'
'Ah, don't doubt it for a second!' The Doctor grinned at the men behind him and walked away whistling to himself, back in the direction he'd come in earlier. He walked briskly, partly to stave off the cold as night began to descend, and partly to get back as quickly as he could. He'd been longer than he'd expected, and he was determined to wrap Rose up in a big bear hug as soon as he laid eyes on her again. He only hoped that she hadn't managed to get herself into trouble whilst he'd been away.