Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.
A/N Thanks for the response on the last chapter. You might have noticed that updates have been slow recently, but I have resolved to be more efficient with my stories. From now on, there will be a new chapter for 'Battle in the Sky' every Saturday. I am still working out a day for 'Turn the Page'. Bear with me until then. Thanks and sorry!
This chapter is very action-packed and the character side of things will be explored in the next one.
Warnings for mentions of torture in this chapter involving slow slicing. It's only a small scene but if it is triggering to you, feel free to message me and I can tell you how to avoid reading it.
Chapter Twelve
Previously
"Proximity alarm," said Braxiatel. "Something's coming our way."
"I think I know what it is," said Rose, looking at a monitor on the console. Braxiatel peered at it over her shoulder and went pale at the sight of the familiar saucer shaped ships.
"The Dalek fleet."
"What in the bastard hell are they doing here?" growled Braxiatel.
"I'm guessing they had the same bright idea that you did," said Rose, her eyes fixed on the monitor.
Braxiatel glanced at her in alarm before looking back at the monitor. "We have to stop them. If they get control of the Nightmare Child…"
"Yes, I know," said Rose grimly. "Any ideas on how to get the Doctor out of there?"
Braxiatel shook his head and glanced up at the ceiling where the Nightmare Child's shapeless shadow was gaining a form. "Oh no," he said.
Rose followed his gaze and gasped loudly. "It looks like…"
"A child, yes," said Braxiatel hoarsely. "A child that can swallow entire galaxies. We are too late."
"What do you mean?" asked Rose, alarmed.
"Before, it was only a shapeless form, meaning it had a host but no real power to destroy anything. But now, the host is compliant," said Braxiatel, horrified.
"The Doctor will never...oh," Rose broke off, feeling her heart sink to her stomach. The words left unsaid rang in their ears as if she had shouted them out. The Doctor would never willingly help the Nightmare Child, and the only way for this to have happened was if the Nightmare Child had broken the Doctor's will to resist it.
"I need to contact Gallifrey," said Braxiatel urgently.
"What are you going to do?" asked Rose.
He paused with his hand on the comm. link. "As much as it pains me, I am asking the Gates of Elysium to be opened," he said quietly. "Once it opens, it will take the Nightmare Child and if we are lucky, the Dalek fleet with it into the void."
"The Doctor is still in there," said Rose furiously.
"The Doctor, even if he is still alive, is not the Doctor anymore," snarled Braxiatel furiously. "You could draw your knife on me again if you wish, but I intend to stop that thing before it escapes, or worse, the Daleks find a way to control it."
"Not very long now," it murmured to itself. Already it could feel its form solidifying. The chains that the Eternals had put it in all those eons ago had left their branding and it was still quite weak. But not for long.
Its host was strong, a Time Lord with centuries of experience. Once it had a solid form, the entirety of time and space would be at its disposal to consume. It could see in the Doctor's mind that the Eternals had vanished in the fear of this war, and now, there was no one left to stop it.
There were those who wanted to try, of course. It could feel two of them quite close by. A Time Lord vessel that belonged to its host, and a Dalek fleet bearing their creator. Some might consider it a mighty challenge but it merely thought of this as a minor inconvenience. Davros, the Dalek's creator could no more control it than teach his Daleks anything other than to kill and destroy.
The Doctor's vessel, on the other hand, contained two people. One of whom was the woman it had deliberately overlooked when choosing a host. It did not like her presence and the brands left by the Eternals seemed to rankle every time it thought of her. It had just escaped the void when it had seen her, and it hadn't dared to take her as a host for fear of what she was. While a Time Lord was not a safe choice either, it was still better than the unknown.
The Doctor had taken longer than it had expected to break, but now that he was fully its, it knew it could take on that woman without much effort. It needed to lure her in, before she could think of a way to stop it. It was still building its strength and it had no desire to be back in its shackles and living out its existence in the Howling. It knew she wouldn't present a huge challenge, and it had the Doctor's memories to thank for that. She was no Guardian, or even an Eternal, just a human who had happened onto the vortex.
It would be as easy as swatting away a fly.
"I could stop you, you know," said Rose as Braxiatel reached for the comm. link.
"Then why don't you?" he asked, looking at her.
Rose gritted her teeth and looked away. "Have you got a Time Ring?" she asked.
"Yes, why?" asked Braxiatel, before his expression became furious. "You're not going in there," he said firmly.
"You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do," said Rose fiercely. "And the Time Ring would be for you, not me."
"I am not going in there either," he snapped.
"I'm not asking you to," said Rose in exasperation. "Go back to Gallifrey and let me take the TARDIS to find the Doctor."
"Absolutely not," said Braxiatel immediately.
"Hear me out," said Rose, doing her best to sound calm. "I would only be checking. If there is any chance to get the Doctor out of there, then I will take it. If not, then at least we know we did all we could to try and save him."
Braxiatel pursed his lips. "And if you do not return?" he asked.
"Then you open those gates and make sure the whole bastard thing goes into the void along with every Dalek heading our way," said Rose, looking him dead in the eye.
Braxiatel seemed to be at war with himself as he looked between Rose and the console. "Will you know how to pilot the TARDIS?" he asked finally.
"Yes," said Rose, more confidently than she was feeling.
"The Daleks are one hundred and twenty microspans away at their current velocity," said Braxiatel. "That's two hours you have, Rose. I cannot give you anything more than that."
"Fine," nodded Rose. "Now, go."
Braxiatel looked reluctant as he drew a Time Ring from his pockets, but at an insistent look from Rose, he activated the Time Ring and dematerialised from the console room.
Rose's breath escaped her in a whoosh and she turned back to the TARDIS console. "Now then," she said. "Let's go find him."
The TARDIS gave a mournful whine when Rose tried to activate the launch sequence. "Oh, quiet you," said Rose as she ducked under the console. "I know it's here somewhere. I remember him telling me about it. Said it was the part that bore his imprint. The briode nebuliser. It's what held the telepathic bond between him and the coral. Used to feel it from the other side of the world, he said."
The hum of the TARDIS remained unchanged, but the console room was a little warmer which made Rose smile. "This one time," she said as she dug around the wires. "This one time, we were trapped in a dust storm in the Australian outback. No cell reception or any other living soul for miles. There we are, trying not to die, and he starts laughing. Said the coral had just strengthened the telepathic connection."
She laughed to herself at the memory, before shaking her head. "Look at me now, eh?" she murmured with a sigh. "Fighting Daleks at the Doctor's side again. The more things change...Ah, there it is," she said triumphantly as she found the tiny component. "This is bound to make things easier."
The TARDIS started to dematerialise, but the scanner began to fritz out and sparks erupted from the console. Rose was undeterred as she piloted the TARDIS, trying to remember every lesson the Doctor had given her, thankful that she had the TARDIS to nudge her in the right direction when she was getting close to pressing the wrong buttons.
The landing was far from smooth but Rose was glad when the TARDIS started to materialise. The scanner was rendered useless for the time being, so there was no other choice but to step outside.
She opened the TARDIS door cautiously. The creak echoed in the empty darkness beyond it, and Rose was suddenly unnerved at the odd air in the place. The TARDIS navigation systems showed that she was in the belly of the beast, so to speak, but this curious place resembled more of a maze than anything else.
Every instinct in her body screamed at her to go back inside the TARDIS and get the hell away from where she was. It was only the thought of getting to the Doctor that made her close the doors behind her and step into the unknown. The sound of the closing doors had an impending sense of finality to them, but she tried not to dwell on it too much.
The air seemed to get colder as she moved away from the TARDIS, and the complete silence started to press around Rose's heart. It reminded her of sensory deprivation, but not the relaxing kind that the Davidian water had brought, but rather the chamber created by Torchwood to persuade their captors to spill their guts. Shivering with the memory of that horrible place, Rose drew her coat closer and walked on. The briode nebuliser in her hand seemed to have a strong signal, and she followed it diligently, not daring to venture away from her set path.
She had walked a few yards when she realised that it wasn't just the silence around her that was causing her to be unnerved, but the fact that she couldn't hear her own footsteps, heartbeat or even her own breathing. Panic set into her and she stomped her foot loudly, only to realise that no sound had come from the action. The cold seemed to be seeping into her bones, and her teeth were practically chattering now, though she couldn't hear that either.
A sense of calm stole over her, but Rose flinched away from the unnaturality of it. She knew that something was trying to influence her, which made her quicken her steps. Almost immediately, she found herself at a dead end. A frustrated huff left her mouth, and she jumped in surprise when she heard the sound clearly. Heartened, she turned around and started to jog back to the TARDIS. The journey back seemed longer even though she was running, but when she finally saw the blue box, she broke into a sprint.
She knew she wasn't going to return just yet but the presence of the blue box helped more than anything, and Rose laid a hand on the doors and caught her breath. The sound all around her appeared to be distorting again, and Rose flinched back involuntarily. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and jumped in shock when she realised that she had been in here for more than an hour. It had felt like mere minutes to her. It wasn't just sight and sound that the Nightmare Child was distorting, but time as well. The Dalek fleet was only fifteen minutes away, and after that Braxiatel was sure to fling the Gates of Elysium open and send every entity in the vicinity into the void.
Cold sweat broke out on her brow, but Rose pushed herself away from the TARDIS to find the Doctor. She had barely taken two steps when she felt a breeze at her back. She turned around sharply but to her shock, the TARDIS was melting away, as if someone had poured a jug of water on a painting that was still wet. The blue seemed to wash off, mingling in with the darkness, until there was nothing left. Rose found herself unable to move, even after she tried her hardest to run to the TARDIS. She could only stand helpless as the TARDIS melted away completely into the blackness.
"Don't worry," came the calm voice and Rose whirled around and saw the Doctor walk up to her. He looked completely unharmed, his clothes no more dishevelled than usual, with not a hair out of place. "It is just an illusion. The real TARDIS is in my possession."
He stopped in front of her, and Rose searched his face to see any sign of the Nightmare Child but there was none. He looked like the Doctor, spoke like him, had the same warmth to his eyes, and there was no trace of coldness on him. Rose thought she would have been better off if his face had been blank, instead of this facade that she knew wasn't real.
"We haven't got long," she said, her voice shaking badly as she spoke. "Doctor, if you are still in there…"
"Oh but I am the Doctor, my dear," he interrupted her with a gentle smile. "I am the Doctor, the Nightmare Child, whoever you want me to be."
Rose ignored his words. "Doctor, please, you have to fight…"
"Shh, Rose," he said, touching his palm to her cheek softly. Rose felt the unnatural calm try to placate her, but unlike before, she couldn't fight it this time. She started to relax without her permission. "There," he added with a satisfied smile. "I see a lot of pain in you, Rose. They hurt you so much, didn't they?"
The calm seemed to disappear and the darkness around them started to transform into a sterile room that Rose knew far, far too well. The hypnotic beeping of machines hit her ears and she clapped her hands to ears, trying to shut it out.
"Pulse normal, subject seems to have recovered from the effects of the gunshot wound to the abdomen. Apart from a bullet hole, which is well on its way to be healed, there is no additional damage. What is next?"
"STOP!" Rose screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew what was next and she did not want to relieve it. But it was futile, she felt the cold press of the needle in her arm and she screamed loudly.
"Subject is ready for the next round of quantic reanimator testing. Method of testing: Slow slicing."
She fell to her knees, her eyes still shut and hands covering her ears as her own screams echoed in her ears. She could feel the cut of knife in her skin and the coldness of the blood as it trickled from it. The air around her was getting hotter, and there was something trying to claw its way out of her mind. Something too powerful for her to hold back. She started to feel her body going numb and the panic returned. She did not want to die...she wanted to keep living...the heat was getting worse now...was that a wolf howling…?
A raw scream tore from her throat but then she felt cool arms grip her shoulders and give her a gentle shake. She opened her eyes and realised that they were full of tears. The Doctor, the Nightmare Child, whatever he was, was looking at her. "I can make it go away, Rose," he said, looking at her with eyes full of compassion. "Would you like me to take it away, Rose?" he asked. "You only have to say, and it will go away."
Rose could feel herself trembling, and as his words sunk in, her trembling got worse. Any moment now, the energy from the vortex would turn every person in the Torchwood building to dust. She did not want that to happen. Not again.
"Just say it, Rose," he said again. "You just have to say, Rose, and the pain will stop."
"Th-The pain will stop?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse and childlike to her own ears.
"Yes, of course it will," he said soothingly. "All the pain will go away. It will not hurt."
"Hu-Hurt…" she murmured. "Hurt," she said again in a stronger voice. "Because it hurts."
The grip on her shoulder seemed to falter almost imperceptibly. "Yes, and you don't want it to hurt anymore, do you, Rose?"
"No," she said and her voice seemed to be getting stronger with every breath. "No, I won't. If it stops hurting, then it won't be real."
She looked into the face of the Nightmare Child and saw the panic in his eyes. With all the strength she could muster, she tried to shove him away, but he was quicker than her. He had already moved away from her and was glaring at her with venom. "Oh, you stupid creature," he hissed, with none of his previous kindness. "I was hoping to spare you but you had to go and reject your best chance, didn't you?"
Rose got to her feet, still feeling a bit disorientated. "Pain keeps me alive," she said, her breath coming out in pants. "I know it kept him alive too. What did he see that made him hold out to you for so long? What hurts the Doctor the most?"
"Stop it," he said coldly, but Rose had seen her opening.
"What did you see, Doctor? Was it your family? Or friends?" she asked, casting a quick look at her watch which showed that there were about five minutes before the Dalek fleet was there. She had to hurry. "Did you see the people you travelled with, Doctor?" she asked, and when she saw the rage on his face, she knew she was close. "You did, didn't you? Did you see Susan? Did you remember leaving her on a Earth that the Daleks had ravaged?"
The Doctor snarled in anger but Rose saw that he was struggling to stay upright, as if he was fighting something powerful. It gave her the strength to keep going. "Or was it Alex, your great-grandson? The one who died because of the Monk? Was it someone else, then? Lucie? Tamsin? Names you can't even mention because it hurts too much?" she asked, flinching when he screamed loudly in anger.
"I am stronger than this, you simple girl," he snarled, madness swirling in his eyes as he started to shuffle towards her.
"Did you see me?" asked Rose, her eyes going wide when he fell to his knees. "Did you feel guilty for subjecting me to this life? For leaving me behind?"
"Rose...Rose…" he gasped, and extended his hand towards her.
Rose didn't move. "You are feeling it right now, aren't you? The pain, the guilt, you feel it, don't you, Doctor?" she asked triumphantly. "You are alive, Doctor, you are still alive...and God help me, I'll not give up on you…"
The Doctor collapsed on the ground unconscious and Rose jumped when she saw the darkness start to clear. The TARDIS was only a few feet in front of her, and Rose hauled up the Doctor's unconscious form with all her strength. He was a like a puppet without strings, but still breathing as Rose slung one of his arms over her shoulder and started to shuffle towards the TARDIS. It was not easy and she could feel each second tick by like it was an hour, knowing that it meant certain death for both of them if they did not get away.
The sound of a materialising Time Ring made her steps falter and she whirled around in shock when she saw Braxiatel appear. He looked as shocked to see her as she did him, but he jumped into action at once, grabbing the Doctor's other arm and slinging it over his own shoulder. Between the two of them they moved the Doctor into the TARDIS very quickly, and set him down into an armchair in the wide console room.
"How did you get back?" asked Rose, as Braxiatel started to pilot them away.
Braxiatel stared at the controls as he spoke, looking very embarrassed for some reason. "I did not feel right leaving you to deal with such a powerful entity alone," he admitted. "Turns out, my help was not required."
"It is appreciated though," said Rose with a soft smile and patted his arm in thanks.
He looked at her in surprise but Rose missed that look as she ran to the Doctor to check on him. "Is the Nightmare Child gone from him?" she asked, turning back to Braxiatel, whose face was blank once more.
Braxiatel pointed to the ceiling where the Nightmare Child looked like a shapeless cloud again. "It is without a compliant host for now, but the Dalek fleet is nearly upon us, and that is not the worst news there is."
"What then?" asked Rose, feeling a sense of dread.
"That fleet comes bearing Davros himself," said Braxiatel gravely. "Davros is…"
"Yes, I know who he is," said Rose, her mind whirling. Memories of the Crucible focused sharply in her mind. "Can't the Time Lords open the void?"
"Davros is smart enough not to get caught in the pull of the void," said Braxiatel, frustrated. "He…"
"Doctor," came a gravelly voice over the comm. link and both Braxiatel and Rose stared at it in shock.
Rose looked back at the unconscious form of the Doctor and back to the comm. link where Davros was no doubt waiting for the Doctor to respond. She looked at Braxiatel and tilted her head. Braxiatel inhaled deeply and pressed the comm. link button. "Hello, Davros," he said, his voice sounding suspiciously like the Doctor's. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"You have changed, Doctor," said Davros. "Your voice has changed."
"I'm a Time Lord," said Braxiatel, with all the haughtiness of his race. "Change is something that is quite constant with us."
"Curious," said Davros. "It was always my view that change was what the Time Lords feared the most."
"If you are here for the Nightmare Child, Davros, I am afraid you might be too late," said Braxiatel, with a look at Rose who nodded.
"Such lies, Doctor," said Davros. "I can see that the Nightmare Child is without a host for now. I will offer myself as host, and the Daleks will control the Nightmare Child. Victory will be imminent."
"So you keep saying," said Braxiatel. He looked at Rose who mouthed something at him. His eyes brightened as he understood what she had said. "Well, if that is what you want, then I won't stop you. Go ahead, Davros."
"You will not stop me?" asked Davros, sounding incredulous.
"I want no part of this, Davros," said Braxiatel. "If it is the Nightmare Child you want, then I won't stand in your way."
There was silence on the other end, during which Braxiatel nudged Rose towards the secondary comm. link to Gallifrey. He mouthed 'Gates of Elysium' to her, and she nodded.
"This is Rose Tyler, anyone there?" she said in a low voice so that Davros wouldn't hear.
"This is Coordinator Narvin. What is going on there?" Narvin sounded annoyed.
"Shh," said Rose. "Be ready to open the Gates of Elysium at my command."
"Very well," said Narvin, grumbling something else under his breath.
Rose stuck her tongue out at the comm. link but then Davros spoke again.
"So be it, Doctor," said Davros. "You shall see the Daleks be victorious and become the new lords of time."
"Yes, yes, get on with it," said Braxiatel impatiently.
"The Dalek fleet is in the vicinity," came Narvin's voice. "Tell us when."
Rose met Braxiatel's gaze, who nodded, and the command was at her lips when they heard a hoarse negative from behind them.
They turned around and saw the Doctor struggling to his feet. He waved away Rose's help and came to stand at the console, leaning against it for support. "Davros, you'll die if you go in there," he said, his voice hoarse.
"What are you doing?" hissed Braxiatel.
The Doctor glared at him. "I should ask you the same," he snapped weakly.
The two brothers glared at each other, but they looked away when Rose gave Narvin the command. "Now, Narvin," she said clearly.
"No," shouted the Doctor hoarsely, but the Gates had opened, and they saw the Dalek fleet and the shapeless cloud both start to get fainter. They heard a gut-wrenching scream erupt from Davros, but the comm. link cut itself off, as did the feed on the scanner.
There was silence in the console room, and the Doctor looked at Rose with a betrayed expression on his face.
She seemed to be ignoring him as she looked at Braxiatel. "Take us away before we get pulled in too," she ordered calmly.
Braxiatel looked just as shocked as the Doctor but nodded and started to pilot them away. The Doctor was staring at Rose like he was seeing her for the first time. She rolled her eyes at him.
"He won't die," she said and the two brothers looked at her in shock. "Don't ask me how I know. But he is out of the war for now."
"You can't be certain of that," said the Doctor, still looking angry.
"Yes, I can," snapped Rose. "I thought we agreed that I knew some things that you didn't."
"But you can't be certain that it won't change things," said the Doctor, looking like it was an effort for him to stand anymore.
"Not this," she said, knowing that in every fibre of her being. "This thing with Davros had to happen. A day will come when we will face him again, and that day cannot change. I won't let it," she added firmly.
The Doctor's brain was slow to catch up to it, but he nearly fell down in shock when it clicked. He glanced at Rose's ring and then back at her eyes, where he saw the confirmation. He nodded and the anger melted away from his face. The fight seemed to leave him then and Rose moved forward to catch him before he fell. He held onto her shoulders as she propped him upright.
"Come on, off to medbay with you," she murmured.
"No, zero room," he said.
"What's that?" asked Rose questioningly.
"Something that will help," he said as he started walking with her support.
Cardinal Braxiatel watched the two of them leave to find the zero room and raised his eyebrows. They hadn't even seemed to realise that he was there. Either that, or they just did not care. It seemed as if Coordinator Narvin had been absolutely right about one thing.
Rose Tyler was the key to the Doctor.
A/N Thanks for reading. The consequences of the Nightmare Child are far from over and will be explored in the next chapter.
It will be up next Saturday. See you then!