Chapter Seven
-The UNIX Home Base: Rooftop-
"Where are we?"
Andrew was curious. He had been at the UNIX headquarters for a while, but he still didn't know where they were located.
Chelsea glanced up at him from the equipment she was working in, and grinned. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she extended her hand. "I can show you."
They walked through cement staircases and white rooms before coming to a roof-access door. Tongue dancing along her lips, Chelsea unlocked the door, opening it wide to reveal an evening sun.
Gasping, Andrew walked out onto the large cement roof, grasping the railing at the other side.
Fields of gold and green spread out in every direction, snowcapped mountains in the distant. Pink and orange hues danced across the skies, turning black as it neared the horizon. And, in the air, the lingering cry of crows was present.
Chelsea sighed and walked up next to him, grabbing onto the railing next to him. "I came up here when we first found this place, you know. I was more naive then. I was still experimenting with my powers then. This universe, it's completely natural. Nothing here. We could start a new civilization here if we wanted to. The only problem; this building was already here when we showed up. Obviously, we are suspicious of why it's here, if there is nothing else around for miles. No roads, no villages, nothing."
Andrew nodded, swayed by the scent of grass in the breeze.
"There is no other indication of humans here. If so, then how is there a man-made structure?" Chelsea smiled weakly as she swung on the railing. "I love a good mystery. I just don't like it when it seems to have a sinister background."
Andrew stood up straighter, the cry of the cicadas' ringing out around them. He gazed over the softly swaying grass, and could see nothing amiss.
Chelsea caught his hand, and Andrew turned around surprised. Her face was the perfect composition, of somberness. And yet, it held a certain look of cheerfulness hidden underneath the tough eyes she tried so hard to display. She was afraid. They were all afraid.
Andrew couldn't remember what it felt like to fall in love. All he knew was that... this wasn't right. As much as Chelsea seemed to hint at, they wouldn't fit together. They weren't right for each other. And though it pained his heart to say it...
He didn't think she actually was attracted to him. She probably pitied him, mostly because of looking over his timelines. "Look at that pathetic attempt at toughness," She probably sneered the first time she gazed upon his timeline. Of course, she's softened up over time, but even so... she still gets exasperated. Tired. Like she doesn't want to deal with Andrew.
Why was he thinking this? He didn't normally think like this. Such... negative thoughts, especially around other people.
Chelsea caught his look, and gave him a grimace. "Are you thinking them too? Those horrible thoughts about other people? Doubting them? Are you paranoid, Andrew?"
He nodded slowly.
She gave him a sympathetic shrug. "Yeah, we don't know what's going on with that. It affects everybody here, though. So many people have commited suicide by jumping off this building."
This snapped Andrew out of his thoughts, and he looked over the edge of the railing to gaze horrified at the piles of rotting bodies at the bottom of the wall.
Chelsea shook her head. "Best not to think about those. We would clean them, but..."
Andrew turned to her. "But...?"
"There's no door outside. The only one is this one."
"Why does this sound suspiciously like some young adult post-apocalyptic novel?" Andrew moaned, and Chelsea crossed her arms.
"You're lucky I don't kick your ass, Andrew. You should be more serious about this. Anyways, just because there's no door at ground level doesn't mean you can't get down there. Just grab a long ladder and there ya' go."
...
Chelsea turned back to the railing, and closed her eyes. Andrew looked upon her innocence as she stood there, illuminated in the evening sun. Her brown hair tumbled down to her waist, and her yellow robe she wore was dirty and ruffled. She looked tired, but tough.
"I miss it, you know." Her voice broke the silence.
Andrew looked up, surprise marring his features.
"I miss everything, so much. When I would wake up and my mother would sing songs as she cooked the breakfast. And then, when I turned twenty, and I got a hug from her, and I could feel how much she loved me. Andrew, I haven't felt love like in that in so long. It hurts, you know. To not know what it is anymore. What you're feeling right now, it's just the tip of the iceberg."
Andrew could only shrug his shoulders.
"I had a boyfriend. His name was Franz. We would always go to this bridge in my home town, and we would just sit there. Talking. Thinking. Reflecting. The first time we kissed was on that bridge. And then... and then..." Chelsea looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"And then he proposed to me. We were to be married after the camping trip I went on, but obviously the fucking Old Man wanted something else. If I could kill that bastard, I would. Franz meant the world to me. And now he's gone. You wanna know why? Because he had cancer. Why marry a man when he has cancer? It was love. Even though I knew he would die in only one year, atleast he could spend his last few months in comfort. Surrounded by love. But instead... he died alone. Without me, because the Old Man just had to drag me into the Doctor's universe. I still remember what the Doctor said to me, after I explained my story..." Her face was scrunched up.
"What did he say?" Andrew asked softly.
"He said it was stupid of me to marry a dying man, that it would never work out anyways. He said that true love didn't exist, and that a stupid ape like me would never understand what real pain was like." Chelsea scrunched up her fists. "He was a fucking arrogant prick, and I'm glad I got away from him."
Andrew patted her shoulder, and Chelsea let out a shuddery breath.
...
"If only I could return, to those perfect times..."
-Chelsea: June, 2010. Before Universe Switch-
"Chelsea, I love you. I want to spend the rest of this short life with you, so..." Franz pulled out a small velvet case, causing Chelsea's heart to almost stop. "Will you marry me?"
If Chelsea could've melted from her emotions right then and there, she would've. "Oh, yes! Franz, yes!"
Chelsea felt delighted as Franz slipped the small gold band onto her finger, and she internally squealed as he stole a kiss from atop the bridge they were sitting on.
"Never forget that I love you, Chelsea." He breathed in her ear, and she giggled. She shoved him jokingly, and he grinned.
"Oh, Franz. I'm... I'm at a loss of words, right now. Even if it is only a year..." Pain marred her features for only a second, before fading. "I will enjoy every second of it. I will love you, Franz."
Franz smiled, and Chelsea felt her heart lift. "And I, will always be thinking of you. Even after I perish, Chelsea, I will still think of you."
They held hands and stared into each others eyes, reflecting on their lives beforehand. It was poetic, Chelsea thought eagerly as she felt the soft flesh of her lover's hands. She could feel his heartbeat, his utter being as she sat there on that stone bridge.
She smiled warmly as she gazed over his red hair, his green eyes. She felt utterly astounded by his ability to cheerfully smile and wink even when he knew that he was to be dead within the year. She envied that ability.
"Hey," He frowned, rubbing her cheek when he noticed her smile fade a bit.
Chelsea grabbed his hand and stroked it, staring back into his eyes. "Please, Franz. Tell me... are you afraid?"
He smiled softly at her, and planted a kiss on her lips. "Not when you're around..."
Chelsea felt like she belonged that night.
Perhaps she should've never agreed to go on that camping trip? She wouldn't have been beaten so mercilessly by a man she thought she knew. Simply knowing a man from a television show was different from actually knowing him in real life.
Misery likes company.
-The UNIX Home Base-
"What about you, Andrew? Do you have any skeletons in your closet you want to discuss?" Chelsea asked him later in the night, as they sat alone in the large kitchen. Andrew scrunched his eyes closed.
"Maybe."
She laid a hand on his. "Well, maybe you can start with explaining what your life was like before you got here? This is something we do with every new recruit. It's good to let other people know what's wrong. Never hold things to yourself Andrew, especially when it involves other people."
Andrew sighed. "Okay. I assume you already know of the plane explosion?"
Chelsea nodded somberly. "Everybody knows."
Andrew swept back his hair. "Anyways, before then... I had a girlfriend. A nice one, named Shelly. Bit of a drama queen, but whatever. She's dead now. My best friend Joel is dead as well. My parent's are still alive, I think. If I ever get to see them again, the first thing I'm going to do is tell them that I love them. I never did that when I left them at that airport. They probably never forgave me for that... and they were probably heartbroken when they found out what happened to the plane." Andrew rubbed his eyes. The thought of his parents breaking down in his kitchen... thinking that their son was dead. Thinking that he didn't love them. Thinking that-
"Stop." Chelsea demanded, slamming her hands down on the table.
"What...?"
"You're having another one of those depressing moments, I know it. Life doesn't have to be all doom and gloom all the time, Andrew. Have fun sometimes! Which is why I'm going to take you down to the bowling alley-"
"Why would a top-secret base have a bowling alley?"
There was a twinkle in Chelsea's eyes. "Why wouldn't it? We're not robots, ya' know."
She grabbed his arm, and after a moments hesitation, pulled him out of the kitchen into the hall.
He laughed when they entered the large bowling alley, and she quickly skipped over to grab one of the many balls littered around the room.
"Watch and learn, Andrew. This is how a true pro rolls bowling balls!" She let out a battle cry as she charged forward. Andrew clapped slowly when she hit every pin except for one, earning a "Damnit!" from Chelsea.
Chelsea held a ball out to him, scowl apparent to him. "If you think that was comedy gold, then why don't you try rolling a few balls, oh great and powerful Andrew?"
Andrew licked his lips as he stood in position at the front of the runway, fingers clutching the ball tightly.
"Stop being so dramatic and roll the damn ball!" She yelled at him. Andrew winked at her before rolling the ball with as much strength as he could muster. Whoops. He watched horrified as the ball turned right off the path. Chelsea laughed nearby and slapped him on the back.
"That was good. That was very good. You're a regular pro at this, you know? I mean, you're so good, you didn't even hit one pin!"
"Oh, ha hah!" Andrew crossed his arms, though his face was pulled in a grin. He had to admit, this was fun! It felt nice to just have fun instead of always being depressed all the time.
Perhaps... perhaps the Old Man would die out one day? Andrew would like that. For the Old Man to just... die. Maybe then they could go home. The universal barriers would be lifted, and he would be able to walk back through into his home with a wink of his eye.
"Chelsea, we have a problem."
They stopped as Enoch's voice came on the announcement, and Chelsea spun around on her heel at his panicked tone.
"What is it? What is it? Tell me, Enoch!" She yelled into her earpiece, and Andrew could see her good mood simply drain away.
"Chelsea, it's... your Doctor. He... he somehow got through. We don't know how, all we know is that you aren't safe. The Doctor is armed. He is armed. And he is coming straight your way! Get out. It's not safe. Your life depends on you getting out, Chelsea! Please, just remember to-"
The announcement cut off suddenly, and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Chelsea grabbed for Andrew's arm, and he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Oh my god, Andrew... I don't want to die. Please, I don't want to die. Not now... not yet."
"Ohh Chelsea, don't ya' think it's a bit too late for that?" The Doctor's voice came from infront of them, and Chelsea tightened her hands around Andrew's arm.
"What do you want?!" She screamed, her voice warbly. The Doctor let out a sinister laugh, and they heard the unmistakable sound of the sonic screwdriver.
"Ah, and I see you also have Mr. Andrew Evans with you! I remember him-"
"You remember him? How?" Chelsea spat, and the Doctor simply chuckled darkly.
"Oh, I remember every person I touch, Chelsea. You see, I was blind to the other timelines before now, but the Old Man gave me so much power!"
Chelsea loosened her grip on Andrew's arm, and he heard the cold sound of metal as she pulled something out of her pocket...
"The Old Man gave you power? This is new. Oh, this changes everything. You're... working with the Old Man? What happened to being merciful? What happened to common sense? The Old Man... he's evil! Vile!"
The Doctor laughed again. "Oh, but you see, he convinced me! He said I was simply wasting away my time with such a pathetic human, and so he took her away!"
Chelsea gasped. "Took away... who?"
A red light filled the room, and they could see the Doctor's predatory leer. "A certain Rose Tyler. Man, I wanted to kill the Old Man after he took her away. But... he showed me how evil she actually was! He gave me the ability to peer into other timelines, and I saw how she would end up breaking my hearts. I don't need that type of pain. And so, I later accepted him taking her away-"
"How could you! She... she loved you! She loved you! What did the Old Man do to her?" Andrew screamed, and the Doctor's lips curled in disgust.
"She loved me? Well, I didn't love her. You see, I knew how pathetic she actually was in real life, never being loved and all. Mickey the Idiot didn't actually care for her. Besides, she was so selfish. And so... The Old Man simply willed her out of existence. And her family as well. The universe didn't need that waste of space inside it."
Chelsea spat at his feet. "How dare you. How dare you. She was a human being! A person, just like anyone else! Who are you to judge us? Who are you to exercise your opinions on us in such horrific ways? Is this just a game to you?"
The Doctor stomped down onto the ground. "This was never a game! I am the most superior being in all of creation! You will obey me!"
Chelsea sighed. "I think you're just saying all of those things about Rose, but you don't actually mean them. I think you actually did love her. I think you were actually sane once. But the Old Man... he infected your thoughts, didn't he? Gave you these horrible and horrific ideas? Of killing your friends? Everybody you loved?"
The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "That. Is. Not. True." He spat at her, and Chelsea growled before raising the gun.
"You know, I won't feel any remorse in doing this, Doctor. I hope you're happy in hell." She said the last part softly before pulling the trigger, Andrew watching in horror as the Doctor collapsed on the ground.
"What did you do?! The entire universe will die now!"
Chelsea crossed her arms. "Actually, no. Only his universe will die. Our's will still be alive."
Andrew shook his head. "But... you killed him! You killed somebody! I thought you were against violence!"
Chelsea let out a smirk as she raised her blood covered hands. "Guess I'm not as innocent as you thought I was, huh? I was almost raped once. But you know what I did? I grabbed a nearby pipe and smashed that motherfucker's face in."
Andrew, eyes wide in shock, stood up. "You're... you're almost as worse as him! A murderer! I... I thought... you were..."
Chelsea growled as she stepped closer. "It was self-defense, Andrew! I don't usually kill people! Only when they're trying to hurt me! I swear!"
Andrew sighed. "But... the Old Man. Even the Doctor called him by that title! We could've found out more about him! But no, we had to go and shoot his fucking face in!"
Chelsea wiped dirt off her face a little, smearing blood. "We can get our answers another way. There is no way I'm going straight to the Doctor for something like this. Anyways, there was only one bullet in the gun-"
"Then that will make it much easier to get my answers from you!" Andrew's Doctor stood glaring in the doorway, hand wrapped around his sonic screwdriver. Chelsea narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Well, well, well. Come to join the party? I think Andrew has a gun in his bag, too. He could use that to shoot you instead."
Andrew's Doctor simply glanced at Andrew before saying, "Oh, but I don't think he will."
Chelsea glared at him. "How do you know? You were going to cut out his heart!"
The Doctor's expression softened. "I know... and... I'm sorry."
Andrew blinked in surprise nearby. "Do... do you actually mean it?"
The Doctor grimaced. "Yes. I... was a fool. An idiot. But... unlike the other versions of me who went absolutely insane, I've... realized something."
Chelsea, attentive now, leaned in. "What did you realize?"
...
He simply looked at her with regret. "That I'm a horrible, horrible person."
If one could realize their mistakes... could the others too?
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I felt a little disorganized writing this one, but I hope that's just me. First off, I would like to thank Almadynis Rayne and Junebug (again) for your reviews and support. It means a lot to me getting feedback on my work! Okay, and now... a small explanation.
The Old Man had made it so that Rose Tyler never existed, but the Doctor still remembered her. He remembered two seperate timelines. One where she existed, and one where she didn't. He practically went insane due to this, and the Old Man appeared to him and gave him "help", however this came at a price. It infected his thoughts, and caused him to spiral down even more. The reason Andrew's Doctor has realized his mistakes is due to his ability to remember other timelines. The Doctor remembers everytime he went insane, and everytime he killed his wards. He feels remorse and shame, and wants to right those wrongs.