Chapter 19
Time Lady/Age of Steel
By: Izzy
As Rhee's body fell, uncontrollable anger welded up in the Doctor. He couldn't feel her in his mind. He lost her. He lost the one good thing in his life. He couldn't lose Rose, Rhee always protected her. So he shut off his emotions and pulled out the power cell. It flashed blowing back the Cybermen. He couldn't let her death be in vain he would protect them, with his life. Just as she would have. "What the hell was that?" Ricky asked.
"We'll have that instead." the Doctor said trying to keep light. "Run!" Matt grabbed Rhee's body and ran back to the van.
"Everybody, in!" Mrs. Moore said as she drove closer to them.
"I've got to go back. My wife's in there." Pete shouted.
"Anyone inside that house is dead." the Doctor told Pete. "If you want to help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've got to come with us right now."
"Come on! Get a move on!" she shouted. "Finished chatting? Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" Rose got in and held Rhee's body to her and cried. She cried for both her lose and because she knew the Doctor wouldn't mourn her until everyone was safe.
"What was that thing?" Ricky asked.
"Little bit of technology from my home." the Doctor said.
"Well, why the hell didn't you use it sooner?!" Matt yelled at the Doctor from the front seat.
"Do you think I wanted her to die?!" the Doctor yelled back beyond angry. He pulled the 'Oncoming Storm' look. "She's my fiance! I love her!" He hated human terms but it was the only way to quickly get them to understand how he feels.
"Well you have an odd way of showing it!" Matt yelled back.
"Why the hell do you care anyway?!" the Doctor yelled.
"Because he's this world's version of her former husband," Mickey said. The Doctor looked at Mickey in disbelieve. Why hadn't the Doctor seen it earlier? Mickey was right. This Matt looked just like her Matt. "It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?" Mickey pointed to the power cell that was still in the Doctor's hand.
"It's on a revitalizing loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours." he said void of emotion as he put it back in this pocket.
"Right." Ricky said. "So, we don't have a weapon anymore."
"Yeah, we've got weapons." Jake said bitterly. "Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him."
"Leave him alone. What's he done wrong?" Rose said with tears in her eyes. She was sad for the lose of her sister like friend but she wasn't about to let them point fingers at Pete. Regardless if he was her father or not.
"Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government and left Lumic in charge." Jake said bitterly.
"If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?" Pete asked a bit franticly.
"Maybe your plan went wrong." Ricky said. Still gives us the right to execute you, though." Matt slapped Ricky upside the head. "Ow!"
"What the hell have I told you?!" Matt shouted at Ricky. "We're not murders!"
"All the same, we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since twenty point five." Ricky said.
"Is that true?" Rose asked almost pleading for it not to be true.
"Tell them, Moore" Matt said still sounding angry but no longer yelling.
"We've got a government mole who feeds us information." Mrs. Moore said. "Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week."
"Broadcast from Gemini?" Pete asked.
"And how do you know that?" Ricky asked.
"I'm Gemini. That's me." Pete said.
"Yeah, well you would say that." Ricky said snidely.
"Encrypted wavelength six five seven using binary nine." Pete said. "That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services. What do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van."
"No, no, no." Mickey said. "But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted."
"Yeah, that's not exactly-" Ricky started.
"Not exactly what?" Mickey said.
"He's London's Most Wanted for parking tickets." Matt said.
"Great." Pete said.
"Yeah, they were deliberate." Ricky said. "I was fighting the system. Park anywhere, that's me."
"Good policy." the Doctor said. "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way."
"And I'm Rose." Rose said sadly as she clung to Rhee's body.
"Even better." Pete said. "That's the name of my dog. Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side."
"I knew you weren't a traitor." she said trying to boast her mood.
"Why is that, then?" he asked.
"I just did." she said.
"They took my wife." he said.
"She might still be alive." she said trying to give him some hope.
"That's even worse." he said. "Because that's what Lumic does. He takes the living and he turns them into those machines."
"Cybermen." the Doctor said in both disgust and anger. They're called Cybermen. And I'd take those ear pods off, if I were you. You never know. Lumic could be listening." Pete took the ear pods off and gave them to the Doctor. He zapped them with his Sonic. "But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the city and inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight." They had to stop because they came upon a large group of people in the road. Everyone got out and Rose left Rhee's body in the van. The Doctor got back in the van to have a moment with Rhee.
"I'm sorry," he said as he pulled her body into his lap. "I'm so so sorry." He started to let go of his emotions and cry. "I had so many things to tell you. About Gallifrey. You'd have loved it there." He laughed lightly. "Though you'd probably told off the council more than once." He held her tightly. "I don't think I told you today that I love you. I should have told you. I love you so much it hurts. Oh, Rasslion! It hurts so bad! Why'd you have to be human?" The tears flowed heavily down his face. "I want to hear you sing again! I want you to ask me if you told me you love me today! I want you to shut me up!"
"Let's finish this, for her," Matt said as he put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor laid her lifeless body down gently with great respect. He slipped off the engagement ring off and used the Sonic to take off his mother's necklace. He slid the ring onto the necklace and wore the necklace. He gave Rhee one last kiss on the forehead before, he moved out of the van and nodded to Matt. They joined the others.
"What's going on?" Rose asked the Doctor as he and Matt came from the van. All the people with ear-pods were acting like a zombie.
"It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taken control." the Doctor explained.
"Can't we just, I don't know, take them off?" Rose asked as she reached for them.
"Don't!" he shouted as he swatted her hand away. "Cause a brainstorm. Human race. For such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life." Matt gave the Doctor a dirty look.
Rhee woke up and everything ached, though she was not in near as much pain as she was. Her senses were overloaded. She could smell everything, the people that were mindlessly walking by her, and the Cybermen. She could hear them even their heartbeats and her own heartbeats. There was four beats. Four! Wait this meant she was a Time Lord, while Time Lady. She couldn't believe it. Bum-bum-bum-bum. Cassandra was right it felt like a samba in her chest. She could feel time flowing around her. Just like she when she borrowed his time sense. She tried to stand but fell back down. She was still weak from the pain. She used the van to pull herself up. The Doctor needed her. She heard everything they said. It pained her not being able to do anything but listen to her friends' pain, her love's pain. She cried as she forced herself up, not only from the physical pain but the emotional pain of hearing the Doctor cry for her.
Once she was up right she tried to focus her senses. It was giving her a migraine but she pushed though the pain. She had to do this, to be there for them, for him. He needed her! She focused on one sense at a time to master them. Starting with her sense of touch. She felt the surface of the seats the down them to feel the contrast like a child getting used to their body. Because in essence she was a new born Time Lady. She even found a electro-magnetic pulse emitter under the seat. Next was sight she looked at the emitter and other things around her, really soaked it in. Her new eyes could see every detail in everything. So she moved on to smell, she sniffed the air and really took it in. Perfume, steel, sweat, and something else she couldn't recognize. It was a oil based smell. But she couldn't put her finger on it. She sighed and moved on. Lastly she focused sound. She heard everything and narrowed it down to only include the surrounding area.
After four hours she thought she was ready for the most part. She wasn't wobbling anymore, but she wasn't the strongest she could be. Then she felt something in the back of her mind. It was the Doctor! She knew it! He was alive and she could feel him. She was so happy to feel him like this. She ran to the factory where everyone was heading anyway. She dropped down in the cooling tunnels and groaned at the fall. She was still so sore. Changing species was a painful and slow process. Her senses were still a little out of whack but she knew that once she was with the Doctor again, he could help her deal with it better. "How did you get into this, then, rattling along with the Preachers?" she could hear the Doctor just a bit ahead of them.
"Oh, I used to be ordinary." Mrs. Moore said as Rhee sped up form a quick walk to a run. "Worked at Cybus Industries, nine to five, till one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found Matt who found the same file I did and we formed the Preachers. We need someone who was good with tech, so I just sat down and taught myself everything." Rhee caught up with them but stayed a safe distance away. She didn't want to scare them.
"What about Mr Moore?" he asked. She could tell that the Doctor was hiding his pain from Mrs. Moore.
"Well, he's not called Moore." she said with a small laugh. "I got that from a book, Mrs Moore. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you? Got any family, or?"
"Rhee was my only family." he said sadly. That made Rhee was to shout that she was still alive but she knew that it wasn't the right time.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor," Mrs. Moore said.
"Go on, then. What's your real name?" he said.
"Angela Price. Don't tell a soul." she said.
"Not a word." he reassured her.
"Doctor, did that one just move?" she asked her voice thick with fear.
"It's just the torchlight. Keep going, come on." he said. He prayed he was right. Then the Cybermen started to wake up fully. "They're waking up. Run!" He grabbed her hand and ran with her, down the tunnel and to a ladder.
"Get up! Quick! They're coming! Open it! Open it!" she called to him franticly. Rhee remained hidden because not even the Cybermen knew she was there. She smirked at that fact. He got the trapdoor open. "Get up! Quick! Quick!"
"Come on! Come on!" he shouted as he helped her up and sealed the door behind him. "Oh, good team, Mrs Moore."
"You are not upgraded." a Cyberman said from behind him.
"Yeah? Well, upgrade this." she said as she threw a small rod with a copper wire wrapped around it at the Cyberman. It hit and caused the Cyberman to spark and fall to the ground.
"What the hell was that thing?" he asked sounding impressed.
"Electromagnetic bomb." Mrs. Moore said. "Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cyber-suit." Rhee used her Sonic to open the trapdoor. She quietly finished the climb without either party being aware of her presence. Which kind of surprised her. He should have at the very least been able to feel her like she can him.
"You figured right." he said as she hid behind some pipes. "Now, let's have a look. Know your enemy. A logo on the front. Lumic's turned them into a brand. Heart of steel, but look." He tapped his Sonic to the chest of the Cyberman. He used the Sonic to remove the logo which revealed a mass of tissue.
"Is that flesh?" Mrs. Moore asked as he lifted a few bits to examine it.
"Hmmm." he replied. "Central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing. Oh, but look. Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything."
"But why?" she asked.
"It's still got a human brain." he explained. "Imagine its reaction if it could see itself, realize itself inside this thing. They'd go insane."
"So they cut out the one thing that makes them human." she said with concern.
"Because they have to." he said.
"Why am I cold?" it asked.
"Oh, my God. It's alive. It can feel." she said.
"We broke the inhibitor. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he said with tears forming in his eyes.
"Why so cold?" it repeated.
"Can you remember your name?" he asked.
"Sally. Sally Phelan." it replied and Rhee felt her heart drop because this Cyberman was a woman just like Rhee. All Sally wanted was to get married to the man she loved. Just like Rhee.
"You're a woman." Mrs. Moore said sadly.
"Where's Gareth?" Sally asked.
"Who's Gareth?" Mrs. Moore asked.
"He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before." Sally replied.
"You're getting married." the Doctor stated sadly as he pulled the necklace from under his suit jacket and held it. Mrs. Moore put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.
"I'm cold. I'm so cold." Sally said.
"It's all right. You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep." he said as he used his Sonic to turn Sally off. He tucked the necklace back into his suit jacket. "Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing, because that's the key. The emotional inhibitor. If we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head, they'd realize what they are."
"And what happens then?" Mrs. Moore said as they stood up.
"I think it would kill them. Could we do that?" he asked thinking of what Rhee would think of him if he did this. Killed so many.
"We've got to." Mrs. Moore said. "Before they kill everyone else. There's no choice, Doctor. It's got to be done." Suddenly an electro-magnetic pulse hit all the Cyberman in a 10 foot radius including the one that Mrs. Moore and the Doctor did know was behind her.
"I'll be wanting that necklace back," Rhee said as the Cyberman fell to the ground.
"Rhee?!" he asked as he rushed to her and pulled her close.
"OW!" she shouted as he hugged her tightly. "I'm still sore Love." He pulled her away and looked her over.
"Something is different about you," he said. He smelled her hair, spun her around to which she giggled, and kissed her on the lips. His eyes went wide as he realized what was different. He broke the kiss. "How? You're-"
"Yeah," she said with a sly smile. "I'm like you." A large gleeful smile spread across his face. "And as far as how. I don't really know. But I do know I am going to have a long conversion with a sentient ship."
"This is amazing," he said. "Not only do I feel you in my mind. And it's different than when you were human. I can feel your hearts." He put his hand on her chest to feel them beating beneath her breast. He grinned again. She held his hand. "I've missed touching another Time Lord, while Time Lady in this case." She grinned at him, she was so happy for him. All that pain she went through to get to this point now seemed worth it, just for the smile that was on the Doctor's face.
"I guess I will have to go through proper Time Lord training," she said. "Any teachers available?"
"I can think of one," he flirted back. "And he comes highly recommended."
"Oh, really?" she teased as she kissed him. "I will have to check him out later, because I'm going to have to start from scratch. Time Lord 101." They would have continued their banter but more Cybermen approached them.
"Sensors detect a binary vascular systems." it said as it scanned Rhee and the Doctor. "You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis." The three of them were escorted by the Cybermen.
"We've been captured, but don't worry," he said mockingly. "Rose and Pete are still out there. They can rescue us." Just then Rose and Pete were escorted in. "Oh well, never mind. You okay?" Rhee hid behind the Doctor and Mrs. Moore.
"Yeah. But they got Jackie." Rose said sadly. "Another person I love lost to them."
"We were too late. Lumic killed her." Pete said.
"Then where is he, the famous Mr, Lumic?" the Doctor asked the Cybermen. "Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?"
"He has been upgraded." it responded. The Doctor moved closer to the Cyberman, revealing Rhee. Rose's eyes lit up as she ran to Rhee and hugged her.
"Ow!" Rhee said. "Gently!"
"So he's just like you?" the Doctor asked as he tried not to smile at Rhee and Rose.
"He is superior." it responded. "The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller." A large door opened and revealed Lumic as the Cyber Controller.
"This is The Age of Steel and I am its Creator." Lumic said mechanically. There was an explosion. The Doctor smiled.
"That's my friends at work." he said. "Good boys! Mister Lumic, I think that's a vote for free will."
"I have factories waiting on seven continents." Lumic said. "If the ear pods have failed, then the Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world. I will bring peace to the world. Everlasting peace and unity and uniformity."
"And imagination?" Rhee protested as she moved from Rose's grasp. "What about that? The one thing that lead you here, imagination. You killed it!"
"What is your names?" Lumic asked.
"I'm the Doctor." the Doctor said proudly.
"A redundant title." Lumic said. "Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken."
"And I'm the Emerald Dragon." Rhee said. Then mouthed to the Doctor. 'Not what I'm picking' because he looked at her strangely.
"Is that to mean something?" Lumic asked.
"Yeah, but that's it." the Doctor said. "That's exactly the point! Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man. I'd call you a genius, except we're in the room." Gesturing to himself and Rhee. "But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is so human."
"But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for, huh?" she asked continuing his rant. "The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop. You'll stay like this forever."
"A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts, lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive." he said. "People. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people."
"You are proud of your emotions." Lumic stated.
"Oh, yes." the Doctor said.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
"Then tell me, Doctor, Dragon." Lumic said. "Have you known grief, and rage, and pain?"
"Yes." the Doctor responded.
"Yes I have." she responded quietly.
"And they hurt?" Lumic asked.
"Oh, yes." the Doctor said sadly, remembering holding her lifeless body and then the Time War.
"Yeah," she said softly. She was reminded of Matt and Jenny's death and all the abuse she endured in her youth.
"I could set you free." Lumic said. "Would you not want that? A life without pain?"
"You might as well kill me." both Rhee and the Doctor said.
"Then I take that option." Lumic said.
"It's not yours to take." Rhee said.
"You're a Cyber Controller." the Doctor said. "You don't control me or anything with blood in its heart."
"You have no means of stopping me." Lumic said. "I have an army. A species of my own."
"You just don't get it, do you?" the Doctor stressed.
"An army's nothing!" she stressed.
"Because those ordinary people, they're the key." he said. "The most ordinary person could change the world." Rose was surpried at Rhee, for being sore, she was on top of her game. Keeping up with the Doctor word for word. "Some ordinary man or woman, some idiot. All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers. Say the right codes. Say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him. Because even an idiot knows how to use computers these days."
"Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords." Rhee said. "Knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under er. What was it, Pete? Binary what?"
"Binary nine." Pete said.
"An idiot could find that code. Cancellation code." the Doctor said. "And he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting. Anything to save his friends."
"Your words are irrelevant." Lumic said
"Yeah, me and the wife have always had that problem, talk too much, us." the Doctor said.
"Lucky we got you that cheap tariff, Rose, for all our long chats." Rhee said. "On your phone."
"You will be deleted." Lumic said.
"Yes." the Doctor said. "Delete, control, hash. All those lovely buttons. Then, of course, my particular favorite, send. And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place." Rose's phone beeped. "By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else."
"It's for you." Rose threw the phone to Rhee who moved into place.
"Like this." Rhee said as she caught the phone and slammed it into the slot. The code transmitted across all the Cybermen they wailed.
"I'm sorry." the Doctor said sadly.
"What have you done?!" Lumic exclaimed.
"We gave them back their souls." the Doctor said sadly. "They can see what you've done, Lumic, and it's killing them!" The Doctor picked Rhee up and ran, with Rose, Pete and Mrs. Moore right behind them. They couldn't get out with the explosions happening around them. "There's no way out!" Rose's beeped again.
"It's Mickey. He says head for the roof." Rose said. They got to the roof and saw Mickey flying a Zeppelin. "Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?"
"You've got to be kidding." Pete said as a rope ladder was dropped from the Zeppelin.
"Rose, get up." the Doctor said letting her go first. "Can you climb Rhee?"
"I think so," Rhee said. She pulled herself up and followed Rose. The Doctor was next on the rope followed by Mrs. Moore then Pete. The Zeppelin took off.
"We did it! We did it!" Rose said. Suddenly Zeppelin descended because something was on the ladder that was heavy.
"Pete!" the Doctor yelled. "Take this!" He dropped the Sonic to Pete. "Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope. Just do it!"
"Jackie Tyler. This is for her!" Pete said as he used the Sonic to cut the rope.
"Argh!" Lumic shouted as he fell down. They got on to the Zeppelin and Rhee got group hugged by everyone but Pete and the Doctor. Matt was crying, Jake was more hugging Mrs. Moore but she was hugging Rhee, Mickey and Rose were trying their best to hug Rhee with everyone else there. Rose cried too.
"Ow!" Rhee exclaimed. "I think I mentioned I'm sore!" Everyone apologized at once as they moved away. "Thanks." As they backed away from her she noticed the dismembered Cyberman. "Who did that?"
"That was Matt!" Mickey exclaimed. "He ripped that thing apart!" Matt rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"It tried to ambush us," Matt explained.
"That's why he's the leader of the Preachers," Jake said. "When he gets angry he, for lack of a better term, 'Hulks' out." The Doctor didn't say anything but stayed away from Matt and Rhee. The Doctor was sure that Rhee would want to stay with Matt now. Everyone joked around with each other until they made it back to the van. Then they drove back to the TARDIS. Rhee and Matt broke off from the others to talk a bit.
"I'm glad you're alright," he said.
"I am too," she smiled. "I'm going back with the Doctor."
"I know," he said. "Back to your world where you belong."
"Find someone," she said. "You may not be my Matt, but he and I made a promise. We promised that if anything would happen to one that the other would find love again." She smiled brightly. "And I think I found it again."
"Good for you," he said with a weak smile. "I'll try. I never really had time to date before. I was hired by Cybus straight after college. And they screwed me shortly after I was hired. I ran after that, started the Preachers with Mrs. Moore."
"So no time for dating," she said. "Well now you'll have a bit more."
"Nah," he said. "Plenty of Cybermen factories out there. The Preachers aren't done yet."
"Thank you, Matt," she said. They hugged, and then walked back.
"Doctor!" he shouted at the TARDIS. The Doctor popped his head out. "You best take care of this woman!"
"You're coming with me?" the Doctor asked slightly surprised.
"Yes," Rhee said.
"But I thought-" he started but she put her finger on his lips.
"I told you that I'm yours," she said. "I even agreed to marry you. So why would I leave you?" She removed her finger to let him talk.
"You found Matt," he said. "And he likes you."
"But I couldn't never pursue someone who's engaged." Matt said.
"I had my time with Matt," she explained. "I now want my time with the Doctor." The Doctor grinned and removed the necklace from around his neck.
"And I would like nothing more than to spend time with you," he said. He slipped the ring back on her finger, and put the necklace back on her.
"Plus if I have to learn about Time Lords," she teased. "And how would I learn here?"
"You have a point," he said with a grin.
"Here it is. I found it. Not a crease." Mickey said as he ran up with the Doctor's suit.
"My suit! Good man." the Doctor said.
"We're staying," Rose said.
"But, Rose!" Rhee said.
"No buts," Rose said.
"It sort of balances out, because this world lost its Ricky, but there's me." Mickey explained. "And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there."
"And if he's staying then so am I," Rose proclaimed.
"But what about your Mom?" Rhee asked.
"You'll have to explain it to her," Rose said.
"I'll try," Rhee said as she started to cry. It hurt so bad. She was losing family, all over again. She hugged Rose tightly.
"Doctor," Mickey said as he shook the Doctor's hand. Rose moved to the Doctor.
"I'm really glad I met you both," she said.
"I'm glad I met you too," he said with a smile. "We can't come back here. So make sure this is what you want."
"It is," she said as she looked at Mickey with a smile.
"Remember what I told you," Rhee said. "You just need to believe in yourself." She hugged him.
"Take care," Mickey said.
"You too," Rhee said.
"Doctor," Rose said. "How much time do you have?"
"Five minutes," the Doctor said. "Why?"
"Because I want to hear Rhee sing one last time," she said.
"What do you want to hear?" Rhee asked.
"Got something in your head?" Rose asked. Rhee nodded.
"But it's not appropriate at this point in time." she said.
"How not appropriate?" Rose asked.
"It's sad," Rhee replied.
"I want to hear it," Rose said. "Just sing." So Rhee sang part of the Long Song from the Rings of Akhaten. Everyone but Rhee and the Doctor were in tears.
"We got to go," he reminded Rhee.
"I love you both," she said. "You will always be my family." She retreated into the TARDIS.
"To the Med Bay with you," he teased.
"Right," she said.
They went to the Med Bay, and as soon as they got to the Med Bay. She sat down on the table and he got straight to work scanning her body and testing her blood.
"Not a trace of you ever have been human," he muttered mostly to himself. "How is that possible? And your sore because your body is acting like it just regenerated. But you didn't truly regenerate. You have all twelve regenerations." He sighed. "Your psychic power is as strong as when you were human." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Both hearts are beating strong. Your time sense is going to be a little off for the time being, since you became a Time Lady in the other universe." He pulled on his ear a bit. "But all in all your a healthy young Time Lady."
"Thanks," she said with a sad undertone.
"Are you alright?" he asked concern lacing his voice.
"Yeah," she said. "Just we need to go tell Jackie about Rose and Mickey."
"Do we have to?" he whined.
"Yes," she said firmly. "If you don't want to I can take care of it."
"You know I don't like that woman," he said bitterly. "But I really don't want you to face her alone. A Jackie slap is fearsome."
"Not to worry I can handle Jackie," she said. "After all look at my family."
"Your sister knocked you out!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah," she said. "I ran away when I was 20 so they worry when I disappear."
"I would worry too," he said.
"Well I don't intend on disappearing on you," she said with a smile.
"Well we're off to London," he said as he ran to the console room, leaving her alone.
"So," she addressed the TARDIS. "You knew this was going to happen."
Yes, Jess said in her mind. My thief would have tried to stop it if I had told you.
"I know why you didn't tell me," Rhee said. "But how did this happen?"
It wasn't suppose to happen yet, Jess said. You were suppose to be human until the day you died of old age. It wouldn't have been as painful.
"But I was in pain before the change," Rhee said. "You had planned on keeping the pain away my whole life?"
Yes, Jess said. But I didn't account for going to Pete's World. But the Emerald Dragon did.
"What do you mean?" Rhee asked.
You knew about Pete's World, Jess started. So the Emerald Dragon knew too. She implemented a plan so that an electric shock would awaken the dormant Time Lord genes that she placed in your body. And before you go off about replacing your genes, they are not my thief's.
"Who's are they?" Rhee asked. "They had to come from somewhere."
They did, Jess said. They are Rassilon's.
"Wait, What?!" Rhee yelled, causing the Doctor to hear and come running in. "But, but, but, but, but-"
"What's the matter?!" he asked with great worry.
You have to tell him, Jess said. About 'Doctor Who'.
"Well," Rhee started. "I will tell you after we talk to Jackie."
"Alright," he said. "We're at the Powell Estate."
"Then I'm off to talk to Jackie," she said. She walked out of the Med Bay and then out the TARDIS. She walked to Jackie's apartment and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Jackie shouted through the door.
"Rhee," Rhee said. Jackie opened the door and let Rhee in.
"Where's Rose?" Jackie asked.
"Can I come in?" Rhee asked. Jackie nodded and led Rhee to the living room, out of respect she closed the door behind her. Jackie sat down on her sofa, Rhee sat down beside her. "Rose isn't coming back."
"Rose is dead?!" Jackie exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
"No," Rhee said softly. "She's safe." She took a deep breath. "We discovered a parallel world, where Pete lived instead of died and Mickey's Gran lived."
"Parallel World?" Jackie asked with anger thick in her voice and tears in her eyes. "What kind of rubbish are you talking about?"
"I'm telling the truth," Rhee said. "Mickey wanted to stay in this parallel world with his Gran, and Rose wanted to stay with Mickey."
"But you can bring her back right?!" Jackie exclaimed. "Right?"
"I'm sorry we had to seal off that world in order to protect both worlds," Rhee said. "Rose is stuck there."
"No," Jackie said as she started to cry heavily. "That can't be true. Rose would never leave me."
"I'm sorry," Rhee said. "I'm so sorry." With that Jackie grabbed Rhee into a hug. Jackie's body shook with sadness and Rhee let her mourn the loss of Rose. Rhee rubbed Jackie's back in soothing circles. Jackie cried until there were no tears left to cry.
"Thank you for telling me," Jackie said as she moved away from Rhee.
"You needed to know," Rhee said.
"I'm sorry about your shirt," Jackie said pointing at the large wet spot on Rhee's shoulder where Jackie had been crying.
"No worries," Rhee said with a smile. "It's washable." She stood up. "I have to get back to the Doctor now." She grabbed a nearby piece of paper, and pen. She wrote down her number. "If you need me, call me." She handed the piece of paper to Jackie, she took it with a bit of hesitation. "See ya around."
"Bye," she said sadly. Rhee walked back to the TARDIS. She opened the doors and found the Doctor under the console tinkering away.
"I'm back," she said. "But I want to change out of this shirt first. I'm covered in Jackie snot."
"That sounds pleasant," he said sarcastically.
"Very," she laughed as she walked down the hall to her room. She returned quickly. "I need to talk to you."
"Uh-oh," he said as he got up from under the console.
"Don't worry I will never regret choosing you." she said. "But I haven't been totally forthcoming with you about my original world."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"There is a TV show back in my original world," she started. "It was my favorite show. It's about a man, an alien. This man travels through space and time."
"Like me," he said happily.
"Yeah, like you," she said. "Well in this show is called 'Doctor Who'."
"It's about me?" he asked surprised.
"Yes," she said.
"So you know my past," he said sounding hurt.
"Yes," she said trying not to cry. "And some of your future."
"What?!" he yelled as his face turned to fury. 'Oncoming Storm' is the only way to describe the look on his face. "You never told me! Why?"
"Future knowledge is dangerous," she said as tears trailed down her face.
"You've been playing me?!" he shouted.
"No, never!" she cried.
"How am I to believe you now?!" he yelled as he approached her. She stood her ground. He grabbed her by her arm roughly and yanked her outside. "You promised you would never lie to me, but you've been lying all this time! Stay the hell away from me!" He shoved her out the TARDIS door and into the rain. She broke down and cried right there in the mud puddle he dropped her in. Jackie happened to look out and see the crying Rhee. Jackie quickly ran out and helped Rhee inside to dry off.
Meanwhile in the TARDIS, the Doctor ran into the room the TARDIS made for him to safely release his anger. The room was full of vases. He picked up a vase and threw it into another and continued this with every vase in the room. Why would she do this? How could she do this? She was his world! Why? How? She promised! He smashed vase after vase. "Not helping is it?" said a familiar voice from behind the Doctor. The Doctor turned around and saw the Eleventh version of himself.
"Stay out of this!" Ten shouted.
"Kind of hard to," Eleven said. "I'm you."
"Yeah," Ten said bitterly. "I know."
"You know that she didn't mean to hurt you," Eleven said.
"What do you know?" Ten asked with a great deal of anger. He smashed another vase. "You don't even know her!"
"That was a different time line," Eleven said as he stayed leaning on the door frame. "I'm you, from this time line. The other one was from the time line the show follows, but Rhee can explain more about that than me."
"So you know what's going on then?" Ten asked as his anger subsided.
"Yeah," Eleven said. "I remember being a git!"
"I'm not being a git!" Ten shouted anger returning in full force.
"Really?" Eleven asked. "Then why are you here smashing vases instead of with the love of our very long life? Why are you shoving away the only other Time Lord in existence? Who I might remind you became a Time Lord for us."
"Because she lied!" Ten shouted.
"Did she?" Eleven asked. "She didn't tell us that she knew our future and our past. But as I recall we didn't ask her either." Ten's eyes went wide. "Do you know how it was killing her inside?" He shook his head. "Remember when she got drunk. She was giving us a big clue about it then. 'THE Doctor' is what she called us."
"I didn't realize," he said feeling like an ass. "She didn't want to keep it from me. But why tell me now?"
"That is something you will have to talk to the woman you shoved out into the rain about," Eleven said.
"In to the rain?" Ten asked. He ran past Eleven and out the doors of the TARDIS. "Rhee?!" He looked around for her. "Rhee!"
"She's with Jackie," Eleven said as he walked out of Ten's TARDIS and back to his own. Ten ran up to Jackie's apartment. He knocked on the door hard.
"Who is it?" Jackie asked annoyed through the door.
"The Doctor," he responded.
"What the hell do you want?" she asked still not opening the door.
"I need to talk to Rhee," he said.
"You already did a bang up job the first time," Jackie said bitterly. "She won't tell me what's wrong but she's still crying." He hung his head in shame, he had hurt Rhee. He never wanted to ever hurt his Rhee.
"I know I messed up," he said sounding desperate. "I need to fix this." Jackie opened the door.
"She may not be my daughter," she said. "And I may not be old enough to be her mother, but that doesn't stop me from loving her like I am her mother." He nodded.
"I know, Jackie," he said. "I love her too."
"Then tell her," she said. "She is in Rose's room." He nodded and moved past Jackie into the apartment. He quickly went to Rose's room. And the state of Rhee broke his hearts, because he had caused this. She was laying face down on Rose's bed with wet muddy hair, Rose's pajamas on, and tears flowing with reckless abandon. As he got closer he could see Rhee's body shaking. He sat down on the end of the bed.
"I'm sorry," he said. She rolled over and sat up at the head of the bed. "I was being thick."
"I should have told you." she said weakly. He could tell her body was still not used to being a Time Lady. He sighed berating himself again for putting her in this position.
"No," he said. "You were trying to protect me. I understand that now."
"I wanted to tell you," she said. "Honest!"
"I know," he said. "So how much do you know?"
"I know what all of your faces look like," she said. "Even the face you don't claim as yours. The face you try to forget." He looked at her with wide eyes. "I know, about Susan." He nodded sadly. "I know about the Time War, and what you had to do."
"How can you know that and then tell me you think of me as a man?" he asked.
"Because I have done bad things too," she said. "Maybe not on the scale of you, but bad none the less."
"That's how you know just what I need when I need it," he said in realization.
"Yes and no," she said. "It also comes from understanding how you feel. I was thrust into this world by unknown forces without friends or family. I had just lost the two people that meant the world to me. But you can trust me on this, I have a new world." He smiled at her.
"Love," he said as she moved to hug him. They held each other as if their lives depended on that each other. "I need to teach you how to be a Time Lady." He smiled at her as she moved to get up off the bed. He scooped her up in his arms before she could even stand. "You're still weak, allow me."
"Not going to argue with being close to you," she said as she snuggled into him. "Before we start lessens can we sleep first? I'm bushed."
"For you, anything," he said as he carried her back to her room in the TARDIS.
Notes: Well it's out in the open now. And she starts Time Lord training next. I hope you all like the out come. Thanks as always my readers and reviewers.