So I move back onto campus this week. Finally.
And it looks like I've moved the updates for this story until Sunday. At least for now.
"Are you sure about that T-shirt?"
Rose looked down at her Union Jack shirt thoughtfully. Her hair was long and wavy, her bangs pinned up on the top of her head. "Too early to say. I'm taking it out for a spin."
…
Oh, great. She's gone again.
Humans were his favorite species. Lovely bunch. Except they all had an annoying habit of not staying they were supposed to. Honestly, they were as bad as children. And his favorite human was the worst of all sometimes.
"You know," he sighed as he plucked the cat off a rubbish bin, "One day. Just one day, maybe…I'm gonna meet someone who get's the whole 'don't wander off' thing. Nine hundred years of phone box travel, it's the only thing left that might surprise me."
And then the TARDIS started ringing.
…
"What exactly is this thing?"
"No idea."
"And why are we chasing it?"
"It's mauve and dangerous! And about thirty seconds from the center of London."
…
Riiiing!
"Don't answer it."
He hadn't heard her arrive. It was as if she'd simply materialized there in that alley. She was young, maybe fifteen. Her brown hair was twisted into two practical braids and she wore an old navy coat and boot. Her eyes flickered between him and the TARDIS.
"It's not for you."
Riiiing!
…
"There was a bomb. A bomb that wasn't a bomb. Fell the other end of Limehouse Green Station."
…
"Mu-u-u-u-u-u-m-m-y-y-y-y!"
A little boy with a gasmask on his face peered through the window at the feasting children.
…
"Please let me in."
"You mustn't let him touch ya!"
"What happens if he touches me?"
…
"Nancy always gets the best food for us!"
…
"What would you say was the cause of death?"
…
"I wanna find a blonde in a Union Jack. I mean a specific one, I didn't just wake up this morning with a craving."
The children gathered around the table laughed. He smiled. Nancy didn't.
…
"They're not dead."
…
"No mummies here. No one here but us chickens." Oh, she's gone again. She's rather good at that. "Well, this chicken."
…
"How'd you follow me here?" she demanded.
"I'm good at following, me. I've got the nose for it."
"People can't usually follow me if I don't want 'em to."
"My nose has special powers."
"Yeah? That why it's so—"
"What?"
She licked her lips, fighting a smirk. "Nothin'."
"What?"
"Nothin'! …Do your ears have special powers, too?"
Cheeky girl. "What are you trying to say?"
"Goodnight, mister."
…
"Can I ask you a question? Who did you lose?"
"What?"
He turned to face her. "The way you look after all those kids. It's because you lost somebody, isn't it? You're doing all of this to make up for it."
Nancy stared at him. "My little brother," she said at last. "Jamie. …One night, I went out looking for food. Same night that thing fell." She nodded towards the object in the center of the fence. "Told him not to follow me, I told him it was dangerous. But he just…" Tears formed in her eyes and she swallowed. "He didn't like being on his own."
"What happened?"
"In the middle of an air raid? What do you think happened?"
…
He very nearly growled out loud when he saw the grinning man Rose had with her. His clothing was from this time period but that device he just stashed in his pocket was definitely not. He was pretty. Very pretty.
Not again.
"Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting—Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over."
…
"That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle—love the retro look, by the way, nice panels—threw you the bait—"
"Bait?" Rose demanded.
"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk."
"You said it was a war ship."
Jack scoffed. "They have ambulances in wars." He stalked away from them, annoyed. "It's a con. I was conning you—that's what I am. I'm a con man. I thought you were Time Agents. You're not, are you?"
"Just a couple more free-lancers." Rose replied with venom. His lips twitched upward. If Harkness kept on she was likely to rip him a new one soon.
…
They sat straight up, the horde of gas-masked people, all calling for their mummies. He, Rose, and Jack looked around at them warily.
"What's happening?" Rose asked.
"Mummy."
"Mummy!"
"Mummy?"
"I don't know," he replied as the creatures began to rise from their beds.
The three time travelers backed slowly towards the wall as the creatures moved towards them, still calling for their mummies. He could see their skulls through the eye holes—smooth and blank. Empty.
He glanced at Dr. Constantine and thought of the ghastly transformation he'd seen just minutes go, recalling what Nancy had told him.
"Don't let them touch you."
"What happens if they touch us?"
"You're lookin' at it."
"Mummy."
"Mummy?"
"Mummy!"
"Mu-u-u-u-m-m-y-y!"
…
"GO. TO. YOUR. ROOM!"
…
"I'm really glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words."
…
"Sonic blaster, 51st century. Weapon Factories of Villengard."
"You've been to the factories?"
"Once."
"Well, they're gone now. Destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vaporized the lot."
"Like I said—once. There's a banana grove there now. I like bananas. Bananas are good."
…
It was a child's room. A small bed in the center, a bunch of toys littered about, and scattered amongst them, stuck to the walls, were dozens of pieces of paper all containing a drawing of a young woman.
"A child?" Jack asked in disbelief. "I suppose this explains 'mummy.'"
…
"Always 'are you my mummy?' Like he doesn't know… Why doesn't he know?"
…
"There are these children living rough around the bomb site. They come out during air-raids looking for food. Suppose they were there when this thing—whatever it was—landed?"
"It was a med-ship," Jack insisted, aggravated now. "It was harmless."
"Yes, you keep saying 'harmless.' Suppose one of them was affected—altered?"
Rose swallowed and he could see the realization dawning on her.
Clever girl, now you're getting it. This is your pretty boy's fault.
"Altered how?"
…
"Who has a sonic screwdriver?"
"I do."
"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'Ooh, this could be a little more sonic?'"
…
"It's controlling them?!"
"It is them. It's every living thing in this hospital."
…
"Okay so he's vanished into thin air. Why is always the great looking ones who do that?"
He looked up at her. "I'm making an effort not to be insulted."
She waved her hand at him dismissively. "I mean…men."
Oh. "Okay. Thanks. That really helped."
He tried not to let her see how much that hurt. You old fool, he told himself. Of course she wouldn't see you as someone she could—
"Rose? Doctor? Can you hear me?"
…
"A sonic, er…oh never mind."
"What?"
"It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that."
"Disrupter? Cannon? What?"
"It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am sonic-ed up!"
"A sonic WHAT?!"
"SCREWDRIVER!"
…
"Doesn't the universe implode or something if you…dance?"
"Well, I've got the moves but I wouldn't want to boast."
He heard the wheelchair stop moving and she stood up. Now what was she doing?
Did she just turn the music up?
She walked towards him, smiling coyly.
…
"And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to fi-i-i-i-nd yo-o-o-u."
…
He flicked his hand this way and that, showing her the way the nanogene cloud followed his hand. "Sub-atomic robots. There's millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed—all better now. They activate when the bulk head's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws."
Wait.
…
"You got the moves? Show me your moves?"
…
"Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet."
…
Rose was special. She was light and happiness. Kind and compassionate and brimming with life. She could make anyone trust her enough to tell his or her life story just by asking. Even 'Captain' Jack was susceptible.
"So you used to be a Time Agent—now you're trying to con them?"
"If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money."
"For what?"
"Woke up one day when I was working for them, found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back."
"They stole your memories?"
"Two years of my life. No idea what I did. Your friend over there doesn't trust me. And for all I know…he's right not to."
…
The sirens wailed loudly.
Jack looked up. "Ah, here they come again."
"All we need. …Didn't you say a bomb was gonna land here?"
…
"Nancy what age are you?"
…
"Relax, he's a 51st century guy. He's just a bit more flexible when it comes to dancing?"
"Howflexible?"
"Well, by his time, you lot have spread out across half the galaxy."
"Meaning?!"
He grinned at her discomfort. "So many species, so little time…"
"What, that's what we do when we get out there? That's our mission? We seek new life, and…and…"
"Dance."
…
"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops?"
…
"Mummy?"
…
"Getting it now, are we?"
…
"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene. One problem, though - these nanogenes - they're not like the ones on your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do, they patch it up. Can't tell what's gasmask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly—off they go, work to be done. 'Cos you see now they think they know what people should look like and it's time to fix all the rest."
"I didn't know."
Of course you didn't, you idiot. So blinded by your own need for revenge you didn't stop to think how many others you'd end up hurting.
…
"It's a fully equipped Chula warrior, yes. All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four year old looking for his mummy. And now there's an army of them."
The bombsite was completely surrounded by the gas-mask people—a small army made of hospital patients and staff, soldiers, and others who'd been unfortunate enough to be caught by the nanogenes. The only thing between them and the would-be army was a bunch of metal wires. Nothing to those with the strength and skill of Chula warriors.
"Why don't they attack?" Jack wondered.
"Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander." he replied.
"The child?"
"Jamie," Nancy corrected.
"What?"
The girl's voice hardened as she glared at him. "Not the child. Jamie."
…
"It's my fault," Nancy whimpers.
"No."
"It is. It's all my fault."
"How can it be your—"
Oh. Oh no. No, no. It can't be.
"Mummy!"
"Mummy?"
"Mummy?"
"Mummy!"
"Mummy."
"Mummy! Mummy I'm here!"
"Are you my mummy?"
It is.
"Nancy, what age are you?"
…
"He's not your brother is he?"
Nancy, still crying, shakes her head in shame.
"A teenage single mother in 1941. So you hid. You lied. You even lied to him."
…
"Are you my mummy?"
"Yes. Yes. I am your mummy."
"Mummy?"
"I'm here."
…
"Shhh! Come on, please. Come on, you clever little nanogenes, figure it out!" he murmured. "The mother! She's the mother! That's gotta be enough information. Figure it out!"
"What's happening?" she whispered.
"See!" he pointed to the cloud of nanogenes surrounding the embracing mother and child. "It's recognizing the same DNA."
…
"WELCOME BACK!" he crowed to the little boy beneath the gas mask, smiling up at him. "Twenty years 'til pop music—you're gonna love it!"
…
"Doctor, that bomb…"
"Taken care of it."
"How?!"
"Psychology!"
…
"Look at you beamin' away like you're father Christmas."
"Who says I'm not—red bicycle when you were twelve?"
"…What?!"
…
Oh he needed more days like this.
A little of reprograming to the nanogenes and he sent them off to fix their mistakes. They shot out in a golden stream, surrounding all the soldiers, racing through their bodies, fixing them, and restoring them to who they were. Better than who they were. Completely and totally healthy.
"Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once. EVERYBODY LIVES!"
Rose laughed in amazement.
…
"Dr. Constantine! My leg's grown back! When I come to the hospital, I had one leg!"
…
"Setting this to self-destruct, soon as everybody's clear. History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?"
"Usually the first in line."
He grinned at her and she returned the expression, eyes shining, and if the weren't right next to the metal hunk responsible for the mess, set to explode in under two minutes, he'd probably swoop down and kiss her.
…
"What about Jack? Why'd he say goodbye."
Oh. Forgot about that.
…
"Welcome to the TARDIS."
"Much bigger on the inside…"
"You'd better be."
"I think what the Doctor's trying to say is…you may cut in."
No, actually, that was not what he was trying to say, and it'd probably be best if Captain Jack understood that.
"Rose!" He flipped the right switch to change the track. "I've just remembered! …I can dance!"
…
Welcome to the TARDIS. Hands off the blonde.
John's eyes flew open and he inhaled deeply.
He blinked several times as his mind pulled itself back into reality and established his location. It always took longer with these dreams. Like he couldn't figure out which world was real.
Yawning, he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Not for the first time it occurred to him he should probably pay a visit to the psychiatric ward. Especially after last night's adventure; gas mask zombies, of all things. Especially that—that boy, lost, afraid, and alone. Terrifying. The Doctor had gotten close enough to peer into its eyeholes. There'd been nothing beyond it, just smooth, flat skin. Empty.
John shuddered.
He rubbed his eyes once more then reached for his notebook. He had to start first thing on this or he'd wind up forgetting. A few of the earliest entries were missing information for this very reason. He uncapped the pen and flipped to an empty page. Chewing on the end thoughtfully, he thought through the first snatches of the dream and tried to discern which of them was the beginning. He finally decided to start on the ship.
We were chasing something through the Time Vortex. It'd been flagged as mauve (apparently this is the color for danger—not sure why) and was heading right for London. We landed in 1941, right in the middle of World War II.
Rose had a new Union Jack T-shirt. I wasn't too sure about it and neither was Rose. When I asked her about it she said, "I'm taking it out for a spin."
John continued writing for a good fifteen minutes before his stomach grumbled loudly and, glancing at the clock, he realized he hadn't eaten in over twelve hours hours. He put the pen in the crease and closed the notebook around it. He carried it with him into the kitchen, setting it down on the counter while he went about making supper. His culinary skills weren't too spectacular but he made do with things from the store that required minimal work. It was better than take out every time he was hungry at home. The canteen at the hospital didn't necessarily have the best food but at least they served things better than instant mac 'n cheese or frozen lasagna.
While the lasagna was heating up in the microwave, he opened the journal and continued to write. He kept working as he ate, pausing in his writing to draw out some of the images in his mind. Elliot would undoubtedly recreate far better versions of them soon but it helped John to organize his thoughts. Plus he liked having his own drawings in here. They were in many ways the rough drafts, just like the out-of-order dreams. Elliot's work would feature in the final product.
This appeared to be the first meeting with Jack Harkness, who appeared in his dreams for the first time the other night with the Daleks and deadly game shows. He had to special for some reason. John knew his name, for one, and he could see his face clearly. Rose was the only other person in his dreams who he knew this way and had appeared more than once. There were others, of course, but he never saw them or if he knew what they looked like he couldn't name them.
And like Rose, he was the only one to actually trigger something in John. When he thought of Rose, his heart beat just a bit faster and his hands twitched, wanting to reach out and grab hers. But there was something about Jack. Something…off. Just thinking about the man sent a shiver down John's spine and made his stomach clench uneasily.
John sighed, setting down the pen, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was after eight in the evening by now and his earlier nap hadn't done much to alleviate his fatigue in the long run. He just needed to get the ending written down before falling back to sleep just in case he had another dream.
The nanogenes recognized the shared DNA between Jamie and Nancy and noted the irregularities. They realized the error and modified Jamie one last time, returning him to his proper form. I was able to remove the mask and beneath it was a perfectly ordinary, smiling little boy.
Jack showed up and caught the bomb with his ship, just as I'd intended. He bid Rose farewell and took the bomb away to destroy it. I summoned the nanogenes floating around us and reprogrammed them to repair the damage they'd caused throughout the city and then shut down upon completion. They did as they were instructed and the gas mask zombies were restored to their rightful selves, completely healthy. I overheard one woman saying she had a new leg.
Everybody lived. That never happens.
As the medical staff cleared the area, I set the Chula ambulance to self-destruct. It got rid of the alien tech and the explosion would fit with Jack's story from earlier.
After all, who am I to argue with history?
Rose, of course, answered perfectly. "Usually the first in line."
Afterwards, we returned to the TARDIS and I was ecstatic. (Apparently at one point I decided to play Father Christmas and delivered a red bicycle to Rose on her twelfth Christmas.) But then Rose mentioned Jack saying goodbye before. It occurred to me then that it would be next to impossible for Jack to dispose of the bomb if it was being kept in stasis. That wouldn't hold forever and unless Jack had a way to eject it while keeping it in stasis, it would explode in the ship with Jack.
Somehow I was able to land my ship inside Jack's not long before it exploded. Rose tried to teach me to dance while we waited for him to notice us. He was thrown off by the interior of the ship but he recovered quickly.
I was giving him another chance but I warned him that he had to prove himself before I forgave him.
Rose decided then to be herself and invited Jack to dance. So I switched the music to a song I knew and remembered how to dance. Perhaps one of my more clever moments, I think. She enjoyed it, smiling and laughing, and I think she knew I was up to something.
When we finished, I gave Jack a firm look. He could stay with us for a while, he could flirt with them, he could shag his way through the population of anywhere we visited, but if he made a move on Rose then I'd toss him into a black hole.
He got the message.
John smiled, chuckling to himself, and set down the pen. Done.
Elliot was waiting for John when he walked into the playroom on Thursday. He was surprised. Normally he would be hard at work when John arrived but today he was sitting up straight in his chair, staring at the door expectantly. He waved when he saw John walk in then slapped his palm against the tabletop commandingly.
John laughed as he sat down in the child-sized chair. "Excited?"
Elliot nodded and held up his sketchpad, already open to the appropriate picture. It was the new woman that'd been with the Doctor and Rose last time. He recognized the ponytail and leather jacket and both were exact in every detail. There was just one problem: she was faceless. John was surprised. He'd expected Elliot to know what she looked like the same way he always seemed to know these things.
"Why doesn't she have a face?" he asked.
Elliot scowled and pointed right at John like it was all his fault.
"I don't…understand."
The boy rolled his eyes and opened a small red notepad John had never seen before, writing a single sentence on the page. Because you don't know what she looks like.
John didn't say anything for a long time afterwards.
Now, Elliot, you shouldn't hurt John's brain like that. It's not nice.