Helloooo Stoneheeennge! What? Wrong episode? Oh well...
A MASSIVE thank you to Turtle, you girl literaly made my day! I suppose you're in the States because when you leave me your reviews it's early morning for me, which means I always receive your review just before heading to work! Also thanks to the other people (OtakuWhovian1224 and AubriannaRose) for their reviews :)
So here comes chapter 17, this one is long as there was much more dialogues but not so much action but it'll come soon, I promise! I still hope you'll like it.
Enjoy!
Melody - x.
Chapter 17
"Tzeeeeew, tidly-up it goes down-tidly down! For only £49.99, which I think is a bit steep but then again it's your parent's cash and they'll only waste it on boring stuff like lamps and vegetables, yaaaawn!"
Melody smiled: he was such a child. They both found a job in the department store near Craig's house and they were in the toy department. Children were all around him as he was flying a little toy plane while she was organizing a pile of plushes. She smiled again: he was good with children.
"Nobody panic, but I appear to be losing control." he said just before the toy crashed into Craig.
He leaned in and talked to the children while Melody was welcoming the man with his baby in a stroller.
"Melody? What you and him are doing here?"
"Craig! We work in a shop now, here to help. They even gave us a badge with our names in case we forget who we are. Useful since it tends to happen to me…" the Doctor came up and said.
"But you were leaving, the Alignment of...Exedor, what about that? One chance to see it you said." Craig said.
"Well we were on our way… Saw a shop, got a job, you got to live in the moment!" the Doctor said, a bit embarrassed. "Hey! Mind Yappy! The robot dog, not so much fun as I remember."
"Hard night Craig was it?" asked Melody.
As he was talking with the Doctor and Stormy, Melody saw something move at the end of the section.
"Doctor!" she called. "Silver rat over here!"
He quickly came and started to search.
"See! You're here for a reason, you've noticed something and you're investigating it, because it's you, it's got to be alien and dangerous."
"Sheila Clark, went missing Tuesday. Atif Ghosh, last seen Friday. Tom Luker, last seen Sunday." said Melody, handing him the newspaper.
"Why's that not on the front page?" asked Craig.
"Page one has an exclusive on Nina, a local girl who got kicked of Britain's Got Talent. These people are on page 7, 19, 22. No-one noticed, they're far too excited about Nina's journey, which in fairness, is quite inspiring." the Doctor answered.
Melody took the stroller and followed him into the child clothing department.
"Plus there are these power fluctuations which coincide with the disappearances." she added.
"But that's just the council putting in new cables, isn't it?" Craig said.
As they stopped in front of a broken lift, the Doctor put out his sonic screwdriver and fixed it.
"Oh yes, that's it, mystery solved, wasting our time. Now you can go home and we can go to Exedor. Goodbye, and here's a lift."
"Do I look like I'm stupid?" he said stepping into the lift with the stroller.
"Aha, quiet Stormy!" the Time Lord laughed. Then he hesitated to say more to Craig but finally: "Alright! There's more.". And he and Melody went inside the lift too. "Just between you, me, Melody and Stormy, don't want to frighten the punters. Someone's been using a teleport relay right here in this shop. Missing people last seen in this area. Before you ask: CCTV has been wiped." he said putting a finger on Craig's lips to shush him.
"A teleport? Like… a beam-me-up-teleport, like in Star Trek?"
"Exactly. Someone's been using a beam-me-up-Star-Trek-teleport. Could be disguised as anything."
"As a lift for example." Melody muttered as the lights flickered again and they were now in the Cybership.
"Was that the lights again?" asked Craig.
"Yeah that must be the lights." the Doctor answered with a high-pitched voice. He cleared his voice and said "Keep looking at me Craig, just keep looking."
"Why?"
"Well because, because… because I love you Craig!" he said, pulling him into an embrace as he was starting to turn around.
"You love me? I thought you were with Melody." the man answered, making the girl raise her eyebrows. What?
"It's always been you." the Doctor said.
He struggled to find the right setting of his screwdriver for the quick reverse.
"Doctor, are you going to kiss me?"
"Would you like that? I'm a bit out of practice but I had wonderful feedback." he answered, still struggling.
Melody took it from his hand, pointed, and thought. Sparks went out of the button and they were back into the lift, in the department store.
"What happened? Where were we?" Craig cried out as he finally had seen they were not in a lift moments ago.
"How did you do that?" the Doctor asked, surprised.
"Psychic interface!" she said, walking out of the lift, pushing the stroller.
"They must have linked the teleport relay to the lift, but Melody fused it! They can't use that again, stuck up there on their spaceship." the Time Lord explained to Craig.
"What were those things?" he asked.
They stopped and the Doctor turned around to face Craig.
"Cybermen…"
"Ship… Spaceship… We were in space?!"
They walked out of the department store, holding up the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor scanned the night sky.
"It's got to be up there somewhere, can't get a fix, it must be shielded."
"But she fused the teleport, she sorted it. They can't come back."
"No Craig, it just bought a little time." Melody spoke up. "We still got to work out what they're doing before we can stop it."
"But if they got the teleport, and are that evil, why didn't they invaded already?"
"Craig, take Alfie and go." said the Doctor.
"No. I remember from last time, people got killed, people that didn't know you. I know where it's safest for me and Alfie, and that's right next to you."
"Is that so?"
"You always win, you always survive!"
A soft smile enlightened the Doctor's lips as he looked at Craig and Melody. She knew he was thinking about his upcoming death.
"Those were the days…Craig... Ah, alright! Maybe those days aren't quite over yet." he gave in. "Let's go and investigate. There's no immediate danger now."
And they walked back into the store.
The Doctor told Craig to go and investigate.
"Am I your baby too?" Melody asked with a teasing smile. "That's why you kept me, so people like you."
"You're my baby!" he answered with an amused smile. "But you know you're not my… 'pet'." he continued, more seriously, taking both of her hands in his. "You're my Mystery Girl, the biggest mystery in the universe, the only mystery worth solving."
A slight smile crossed his lips and he kissed her forehead before walking towards Val, a saleswoman.
After she mentioned the silver rat, they headed to the toy department, where she had last seen it. The Doctor scanned the area with his sonic, also carrying a net.
"Silver rat, glowing red eyes…"
"Yes, then it zizzed off. I wanted to get one for my nephew, but stockroom say there's no such item." Val said.
"I bet they do…" he mumbled.
"But what was it then? Answer me that." she asked. Suddenly a noise came from a nearby department. "What's all that hullabaloo?"
"That must be Craig, Doctor." Melody said. And they ran off to ladies wear department.
"Hello everyone! Here to help!" the Doctor spoke up, interrupting Kelly the saleswoman and George the security guard, who were getting suspicious about Craig.
"Hello Doctor, hello Melody." they said.
"Has anyone seen a silver rat?" he simply asked. "No… Okay, long shot. I see you've met our friend, Craig. Nice uniform George." he continued, making a little whistle to compliment him.
"Oh thank you Doctor, well, if he's with you, that's alright then."
Melody could see Craig's look, hardly understanding how the Doctor managed to be liked by everyone.
"Sorry!" said Kelly. "I thought he was hassling me, 'cause that's the last thing I need today, 'cause Shona has not turned up, so I'm doing twice the work for the same money, if you don't mind-"
"Sssssshhhhhhh…"
The Doctor shushed her like he did before with Alfie and Craig.
"Please teach me how to do that."
"No Craig." Melody said with an amused smile.
"Hold on, un-shhh. Shona?" the Doctor asked to Kelly.
"My supervisor. She has meant to be in today but never showed up."
"Where did you last see her?" the red haired girl asked.
After Kelly said she saw Shona for the last time in the changing rooms, they headed towards it.
"How do you do that? It's a power, isn't it? Some sort of weird alien hypnotic power, I bet you excrete some sort of gas that makes people love you."
Melody laughed a bit.
"Would that I could, Craig." he said, opening a curtain. They heard a scream rise from the changing room, where a woman was trying clothes. "Ah sorry ma'am! I'd try that in red if I were you."
Melody let them discuss whether or not Craig loved the Doctor and headed towards the end of the corridor, to the last changing room, remembering a little that there was something wrong there.
"Doctor?"
He joined her, scanning the area with the sonic.
"Yes, good Melody… Right here. Yesterday, a Cyberman took Shona." he said, discreetly taking Melody's hand.
"A Cyberman? I thought it was a silver rat." Craig said.
"The rat is a Cybermat, it's a transmitor that, well, transmits to the Cybermen." Melody cut in before the Doctor had the time to be rude without knowing it again. Somehow, he can be loved by everyone, but is completely not aware of how to behave among normal people.
They all headed back to the women's department full of clothes, bags, jewels and perfumes.
"Cybermats are very small, very deadly, they collect power like bees collect pollen." the Doctor explained. "One of them has been sucking the electrical energy here, but why a shop? Why not a nuclear power station?" he continued, pacing up and down, thinking.
"Ok, why?" Craig asked.
"Let's ask it. We wait for the shop to shut, we stake the place out, and grab ourselves a Cybermat."
"And this is just a coincidence, is it? Aliens in Colchester, aliens twice in my life, happening to me just when you turn up!"
Craig seemed to be really mad at the Doctor this time, but maybe he was just afraid and did not really understand what was going on. Alfie started to cry as his dad and the Doctor were shouting. Melody stepped forward and took Alfie in his arms, trying to calm him down and said:
"Oi, shut up you two! Craig, it's not his fault, if you knew how many coincidences are scattered along my life stream, you wouldn't believe it.". She paused for a second, looking briefly at the Doctor. "If it wasn't for these aliens and the Doctor you may have never told Sophie you loved her and Alfie wouldn't be here. This is what the universe does for fun. Now come with me Craig, his nappy needs to be changed, I'll help you."
They both walked away to go to the toilets where they could take care of the baby, leaving the Doctor behind them, smiling on how she managed to avoid an argument between him and his friend. But soon it faded as his eyes laid on a couple walking along the different sections. A red haired girl and long-nosed blonde man. Amy and Rory. A little girl ran to ask Amy an autograph. He was on the point to call her but soon the little spark of happiness in his eyes faded as he knew he could not talk to them because the next day was his last. So the Doctor hid behind some clothes hanging there. When the couple left, the mother of the little girl asked her to who she was talking to and she pointed in the direction of the Doctor. He awkwardly turned around to see, on a grey wall, a large picture of Amy for an advertising for a perfume.
"Petrichor…" he mumbled, remembering when they were on House and when the TARDIS told Rory it was the name for the smell of earth after the rain. He then smiled, seeing the slogan: 'For the girl who's tired of waiting.'. "Amelia Pond…"
Let me know what you think! :)