Sarah Jane Smith was in trouble. Being chased and menaced was rather old hat albeit, this had mostly happened off planet. Two humans and four robots that looked a bit like praying mantises were new. She wasn't sure K-9 could take on all six.
"We are in trouble mistress." K-9 announced.
"I noticed that," snapped Sarah Jane. She instantly regretted snapping. How could a tin dog look so bloody woebegone? K-9 needed but to tilt his head in a certain way and before she knew it she was buying him that new circuit breaker he'd been wanting.
Goon-One, a tall man wearing an ill-fitting blue suit stepped forward. "Now, come on Miss. Smith. Mr. Cross only wants to talk to you." He had a voice like cold oatmeal.
"If he just wanted to talk to me why did he send you? Seems a bit of an over kill really." Sarah Jane stuck her chin out defiantly.
Goon-Two shrugged almost apologetically, "He thought you might be unreasonable about it." This one wore an ill-fitting black suit. He was also considerably shorter than Goon-One.
Sarah Jane smiled, "I am being reasonable. K-9!"
"Yes mistress?"
"Can you take out the robots?"
"Unknown." The retro robotic dog managed to sound vastly displeased. In truth K-9 did not know. He knew that they were made for battle…bad; that he and his mistress were outnumbered…bad; he knew that the weapons carried by the men were far superior to anything this world had to offer…all bad. He knew many things… many non useful things.
Sarah Jane steeped back as Goon-Two came forward lifting his weapon.
"Hello!" This voice was full of insolent laughter. This was the voice of someone who'd defied—pretty much everyone and everything really. This was the voice of someone who'd never found something it didn't dare to say.
Sarah Jane knew that voice. Oh the inflections and tone and timbre were completely different from the one that had preceded it. But she knew that voice.
And sure enough. It was him. The Doctor. He strolled around the corner, his old-new self in pinstriped suit and trainers.
He patted K-9 on the head.
"Master!," K-9 barked mechanically.
"Sarah Jane!" Rose ignored the goons and the robots in favor of giving the investigative reporter a hug.
Sarah Jane returned the hug, her heart rate returning to something like normal. The Doctor was here. Everything would turn out all right.
The Doctor reached into his overcoat pocket and brought out his sonic screwdriver setting it on 'Setting 234' also known as 'The blow it up' setting.
"Couldn't stay out of trouble could you?" The Doctor asked with a tilt of his fashionably messy head.
"It's not like I go looking for trouble." Sarah Jane protested.
The Doctor gave her a look.
Rose just grinned at her.
"It's true," Sarah Jane protested.
Even K-9 gave her a look.
Surely, she wasn't that bad?
"Excuse me," Goon-One said looking from Sarah Jane to The Doctor and Rose in confusion. "Miss. Smith do you know these people?"
Sarah Jane smiled, "An old friend and a new friend."
"We're going to have to break up this touching reunion." Goon-Two interjected.
The Doctor ignored the men with the laser guns and focused on the four currently at ease robots, "Hey! Those are new. They look kind of like squashed preying mantises."
"Droidekas!" This unexpectedly came from Rose. "Also known as destroyer droids, a type of battle droid used by the Trade Federation and the CIS…er the Confederacy of Independent Systems; they gained a reputation for deadliness over the course of the Clone Wars. So not so new…" She trailed to a stop at The Doctor's off look and Sarah Jane's befuddled expression. "What?"
"Nothing. Do continue, "The Doctor pursed his lips.
Rose shrugged and continued, "They're able to convert into a wheel-like arrangement, allowing for rapid movement. They can open out into a tripodal weapons platform, outfitted with powerful, built-in blasters and individual shield generators. The shield generators are fairly powerful, able to deflect or soak up any manner of blaster artillery." Her voice was clipped and professional. "So you might want to disable the shields first."
The Doctor was looking at her like she had suddenly sprouted giant butterfly wings. Rose was beginning to get annoyed. It wasn't as though she was planning on flying away.
Sarah Jane was fascinated. It wasn't often that the Doctor was taken aback.
"Who are you two?" Goon-One demanded.
"Hello! I'm the Doctor, this is Rose and I think you already know Sarah Jane."
Goon-Two raised his weapon.
"Nice blaster! Can I see?" Rose held out a hand. To the goon's surprise, the blaster was yanked out of his hand by an invisible force and floated over to Rose. She plucked it out of the air. "Now this is a Mark 3 Punisher class blaster used primarily by Imperial Black Ops."
"What was that?" The Doctor demanded quietly.
Rose sighed. Things had a tendency to catch on fire when this version of the Doctor went quiet. Well, she'd have to deal with it later.
"Telekinesis," Rose said perkily.
"Since when can you do that?" The Doctor asked.
"A while now," Rose smiled winningly.
The Doctor didn't smile, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Never came up." Rose shifted her attention to Sarah Jane. "This is the safety." She demonstrated flicking it off, "And on this is the trigger. Be careful. These things have a nasty kick to them." She passed the blaster into Sarah Jane's unresisting fingers.
"What are you some kind of witch or something?" Goon-One managed.
Rose scowled at him, "Do I look like I'm from Dathomir?" she glanced down at her lizard skin jacket and shrugged. "Although, I can see where you'd make that mistake," She conceded.
If the goons were not so preoccupied by the odd little drama being played out in front of them they would have just let the Droidekas loose right away. In ordinary circumstances, the droids would have smeared the problem right into the ground. This, however; didn't occur to them.
She reached out again and this time Goon-Two's blaster sailed into her hands. She flipped off the safety and hefted it expertly with both hands. "Bit heavier then I'm used to she murmured.
Sarah Jane thought that a perky woman in a pink hoodie had no right to look so menacing.
The goons looked at each other, looked at the suddenly armed women and walked backwards so that they were behind the Droidekas.
"Kill 'em," ordered Goon-One.
The Droidekas stood up.
"This is your fault," the Doctor said to Rose.
Rose stared at him, "How is it my fault?"
"Well it can't be my fault. It just wouldn't be right I'm a doctor," he explained.
Rose shook her head in fond exasperation.
The Droidekas moved forward. The Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver and blew one up. "I disabled the shields generator."
The Droidekas fired blasts of hot light. Sarah Jane took cover behind a dumpster. "K-9, protect!"
"Affirmative," the tin dog fired and managed to disable a droideka and the Doctor finished it off.
Rose let loose a flurry of blaster fire, planting her feet so that the unfamiliar backlash wouldn't land her on her arse. She took the last two out with the ease of Annie Oakley shooting carnival duck cutouts.
The goons did the first smart thing they had done in years. They ran like scared bunnies.
"Should we go after them?" Rose tilted the blaster nose upwards.
"Nooo," the Doctor said drawing out the sound. "We'll catch up with them later."
Sarah Jane stepped out from behind the dumpster and looked from the downed droids to Rose in amazement.
"You might want to put on the safety," Rose recommended.
The older women did just that. With her luck she'd just shoot off her toe.
"How did you do that?" Sarah Jane took in Rose's stance. She had gone from bubbly girl to seasoned warrior in a flash. What had the Doctor been doing with that girl?
Rose shrugged, "It's kind of a long story. I got lost in a galaxy far, far away and…"
"Got religion?" The Doctor interjected.
Rose glared at him.
"That was rude wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was. And a bit mean."
"Sorry," was the totally unapologetic reply.
Rose's lips curved, "Also, still not ginger."
"Oi!"
Sarah Jane waved a blaster laden hand, "Hello! Still here. Still waiting on an explanation."
Rose held out her hand to Sarah Jane, "Let me introduce myself. Rose Tyler, Jedi Knight."