((The Successor: Part II))
~~OO~~II~~OO~~
"Rose," the Doctor breathed, stunned, and she winked playfully at him before turning to smile brightly at John.
"You've been busy," she commented, practically skipping over to him. She paused to press a quick kiss to his cheek, looking relieved to see him. "You alright?" He smiled, reassuring her, and she sighed in relief before smiling in a friendly way at Bre. And then her attention finally fell on me. "Hello again, Alissa."
"Ali," I corrected, "And you were the one who gave me that note..." She nodded, a grin spreading across her face. "You could have hinted that something like this was going to happen!"
"No," Rose replied, "I couldn't. I only dream so much about you, you know. Bad Wolf merely told me that we would be seeing you soon. And that I'd be losing the Bad Wolf portion of me." She paused, then bit her lip, chewing on it. "Oh, John, I forgot to tell ya. No more Bad Wolf."
"Which means we have to get rid of my Time Lord genes," he said sharply. Rose nodded her agreement, a look of anxiety crossing her face at this.
"Um, is it okay to talk after the weird metal trashcans have been dealt with?" Bre piped up with a scared voice, still hiding somewhat behind John. The Daleks, who'd been going wild moments before, were beginning to regroup.
"Good idea," the Doctor agreed, rushing over. He paused, ruffling my hair. "Are you hurt?" I shook my head and he grinned briefly, relief showing in his eyes. "Good. Let's go. Bre, this way. We can explain to you what's going on exactly after we get out of here. Are there any more people, Ali?"
"All dead," I answered dully. "The Daleks killed them all."
Anger flashed through his brown eyes, but he turned away, herding us both towards the door he'd come in. Nervous, I questioned about the TARDIS, and he said quietly, "She's not doing so good. She's overworked herself trying to get me here and her systems faltered for a few minutes when she succeeded."
"And you left her?" I asked anxiously, biting my lip. Please, don't give in now, old girl. Hold on for as long as you can!
"With River, who I picked up when I realized things might get truly bad," the Doctor promised, glancing behind us as Rose ushered Bre through the door, followed by John. I slid through next and the Doctor closed the door behind us, sonicing it with seconds to spare as the Daleks began to scream furiously.
"That's not going to keep them out," Rose murmured, "They'll get through even if that lock is unable to open ever again."
"True," I agreed, then smirked. "But it'll give us time." I whipped around, studying the room. Both John and I had found what we truly wanted and that much was obvious: the rooms were crumbling around us. Literally falling to pieces. "But we still need to find the TARDIS again..."
"This way," the Doctor ordered, grabbing my hand and dragging me forward. I waved for the others to follow, a twist of anxiety filling me. My time was coming, I could feel it. It was almost time for me to fulfill my role as the Successor, and I was terrified.
But...someone had told me things could possibly be different. Someone had told me if I worked hard enough, things could be different. I grinned at this. If I could truly change how the Successor worked, things could turn out okay! Keeping my mouth shut about the subject for now, I lightly squeezed the Doctor's hand, wheezing for air as we ran. It had been a while since I'd run like this.
He slowed, glancing at me and I met his gaze with gentled yet firm gray eyes, silently telling him that he needed to be prepared for what was undoubtedly going to happen. In response, he looked away, refusing to listen. Damn his stubbornness towards this subject!
The second we saw the police box, I knew she was running out.
The once brilliantly blue box looked like it was beginning to fall apart. It creaked as I pulled away from the Doctor to gently skim my hand over the wood, her voice weakly speaking to me. "My Girl." Tears filled my eyes. She sounded like she was in some serious pain. "I am not long for this life."
"I know," I told her, soothingly, "I know, you lovely police box. It's okay. Just hold on as long as you can? For me?" She gave a low moan of agreement and I whirled around to the Doctor, waving at him to unlock the door. She couldn't do it for me right now. Rose looked absolutely horrified, and beside her John wore a look of grief. Though the TARDIS wasn't theirs, Rose had traveled in her and loved the man who'd come with her, even had a bit of the TARDIS in her. And John had been born within her, sharing the same feelings as my Doctor for her. Bre, on the other hand, just looked plain confused.
"You're taking me to a police box," she said bluntly. "Just...Ali? You've all lost your minds. It's a police box. It doesn't do anything that will help us!"
I gave her an icy look as the Doctor managed to unlock the doors and swing them open. "The TARDIS is my home, Bre. You'll see why when you come inside, trust me." I glanced at the Doctor. "She won't be able to protect us from the Daleks. She's ridiculously tired." He met my gaze evenly. "She's almost gone."
"We'll figure something out," he said firmly, waving everyone inside, though his gaze lingered on Rose briefly. My eyes softened. Even after she'd been gone for as long as she'd had, he still loved her. Perhaps not like he'd once loved her, in a romantic way, but he still loved Rose Tyler nonetheless.
I stroked the blue wood as the others ducked inside, Rose's eyes the most troubled other than my own. The Doctor was being stubborn, something that wasn't being helpful to us at the moment. I closed the doors behind us, careful, then strode up to where River was staring at all of us in surprise. Ignoring Bre's wordless mouthing, I gave River a hug, to which she returned tightly, whispering soothingly, "I know. It'll be okay, Ali."
"I hope so," I muttered back.
"I'll be here when it happens," she reassured, giving me a hint at what was going to happen. "But the others won't. Okay?" I nodded just barely, then pulled back. We had work to do.
"Okay," I said, turning to face the sparking console. Bre was staring around with an open mouth, eyes surprised, and I ignored her. "We need to get rid of the Daleks. How exactly do we do that."
Rose gave a wry smile, and I could have sworn her eyes began to glow a bright gold for a few seconds. "Consider it done. I will handle the Daleks."
"Not alone," John said warningly, frowning. He knew what she meant, just like I did. The Doctor, however, appeared to be clueless, and turned away, tapping away at some controls on the TARDIS. I shot him a look, but he didn't see it.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," River chimed in, earning the attention of both. She smiled brightly. "River Song. It's nice to meet you at last, Rose Tyler. You wouldn't know of me, I came after you had left and before you came again." She cast a look at John. "And you, though I'm not sure what to call you exactly."
"John will do," he sighed, shaking her hand warily.
As River distracted them, I ordered Bre to sit down and relax for now, then turned to the Doctor, pleading, "Doctor, look at me." He glanced up from what he was doing. "What do you want us to do."
He ran his fingers through his hair. "Truthfully? Something that won't get anyone killed. But it's too late for that, so we find a way to get rid of this place. Preferably with all of the Daleks still inside."
"Okay," I said slowly, then quietly murmured to the TARDIS, "Do you know of anyway?"
"Yes," she breathed faintly, her voice barely a whisper. I blinked when Rose tensed, head cocked, as if listening as well. "But I have not the energy to do what is required."
"I'll help." Rose hurried over, smiling faintly at me and I understood. She could hear her voice, too. She slipped her hand into mine to give it a reassuring squeeze. I had momentarily forgot. Rose knew what was to become of me. I returned the squeeze, then cleared my throat. "Back up, Doctor. Where's the way in, old girl? Can you open it?"
"Ali, what are you doing?" the Doctor demanded warily.
"Trust us, we've got this," I said with a confident grin. He narrowed his eyes nervously in response and I merely threw my head back and laughed as the TARDIS tiredly slurred, "Here, my Girl. You will have to open the panel." A piece of the console lit up.
"I remember this," Rose murmured. "I had to use a construction vehicle to pull it off the last time. How do you expect us to open it now."
In response, a few controls lit up. I quickly acted, easily brushing the Doctor's blocking hands out of my way. A few moments later, there was a soft golden glow filling the air around the panel. "Rose," John demanded, "What are you doing?"
She waved him off. "Nothing bad. River, hold onto him, would you?" She glanced at me, then saluted almost playfully. "This should be a lot less painful for you, yeah?" I grinned in response. I liked Rose. If only I wasn't going to be dying within the next few hours."
Gently, I faced the Doctor and patted his cheek affectionately, using all of my strength when he tried to move me away and stop Rose from opening up the panel. "Hey," I told him, waiting until he was looking at me. "Stop. She's not taking it out again, I swear, Doctor. She's putting it back in."
He hesitated, then pulled away. Just to be safe, I soothingly hugged him, relieved when he returned the hug. This whole Successor business had him in a panic, I realized. he didn't want to lose any of the people under his care. Biting my lip, I murmured, "Trust me. Everything will work out. She's going to get rid of Bad Wolf, and then the TARDIS is going to help us out."
"The TARDIS is weak," he reminded me.
I rolled my eyes. Idiot. "Hence the reason she's returning Bad Wolf, Doctor." I pulled back, turning to watch, keeping my arm wound through the Doctor's as Rose lifted a hand to place just over where the heart of the old police box rested. Her eyes grew to be a bright gold that swirled around her, reminding me of myself in the nightmare I'd had after the visit to the Face of Boe. The golden swirls slowly drifted away from her fingertips, absorbed into the heart, and I yelped when the TARDIS suddenly jolted, moving.
"What's going on?" I demanded, catching myself on the console. Bre's mouth was gaping open as she clung to where she was sitting. River and John had caught themselves on some railing.
Rose lowered her hand, looking shaky as she forced the panel back into place. I knew where it was now. I would need to remove the panel myself later. I had no doubt about that. "She needs to move us before she can tell us what to do. If we're still on that ship-"
"We were on a ship?" Bre looked sick and I felt a moment of sympathy for her. She wasn't used to this kind of stuff. She was used to peaceful everyday life.
Rose confirmed it with a nod. "That's what the TARDIS told me." I felt slightly hurt. I hadn't hurt that. Was she preferring to speak to Rose now?
As if reading my mind, the TARDIS reassured silently, "I can choose who to communicate with, my Girl. Bad Wolf merely called my attention for the moment."
I smiled in relief when Rose's expression didn't change. "Thanks," I murmured, then said firmly, "Alright, Doctor. You can do whatever you need to do to get rid of that ship. There's nothing left on it but Daleks. They killed everyone there."
The Doctor began to tap away at the controls again, his face grim. "Perhaps one ship can be destroyed. But there are others as well."
My face paled. "What?"
"There's a good thousand ships of Daleks at the most," he said softly, "This was merely the largest. And the TARDIS doesn't have the energy for thousands of ships, Ali." The Doctor looked frustrated. "I'm about as good as a human right now."
"That's okay, we're all humans, you know." I soothed, patting his shoulder. River gave a delicate snort and I raised an eyebrow at her. She merely stared back until I grimaced. Right. I wouldn't be human for much longer. And I doubted she was human, too. I bit my lip. "I could really use Clave right now," I murmured. "I hope he and Catie and Clara are alright..."
"I'm sure they're fine," the Doctor told me, then darted back to the console when the TARDIS made a strange whirring whine. "I need to get to work. You," he pointed at John, much to the copy's surprise, and River, "come, help me. You know what you're doing and how to do it without using up needed energy." Rose drifted back to sit beside Bre, murmuring soothing words to her, and I found myself alone, uncertain of what to do for the moment. Frustrated, I shoved my hand through my dark hair.
"Calm yourself, my Girl," the TARDIS breathed, "It will not be long now that you will be the only one able to do anything. Bad Wolf will try to stop you, my Girl, you must not let her. Melody Pond will assist you in holding her back."
Melody Pond? I wondered. River had another name? Shrugging, I turned my attention on more important matters, especially when the TARDIS wheezed an announcement to me that had my face paling. "The one with the bowtie has arrived, though he dares not show himself and his companion yet, my Girl. The Impossible Girl has been rescued. They will wait until the others have left. You must lie when they leave, tell them you will stay behind to protect me with Melody Pond."
"Okay," I whispered, biting my lip. "Okay. I'll do that." If Rose was going to try and stop me, she'd have to go with John, the Doctor, and Bre. I had no doubt that though he was unhappy about it, John was willing to help me fulfill my role. So when he was taking a small break, flexing his fingers, I leaped forward, whispering in his ear, "When the Doctor takes you off-board, bring Rose with you. My time is almost up."
He just nodded, silently letting me know he would do as I'd pleaded.
I swallowed drily. I was almost out of time.
"There," the Doctor suddenly announced. A grin spread across his face and he pressed a final button before stepping back. "We just need to plant a few things around the Dalek ship and we should be done." He slipped a panel out of the floor and began to pull things out. A faint smile crossed my face every time I recognized something that had been put down there in the time I'd traveled with him.
"My Girl," the TARDIS pleaded. I closed my eyes mournfully at the soft weak voice.
"Sh," I whispered soothingly, biting back tears as I stroked the console. "Soon, old girl. Soon you'll be done. Soon you can let go, I promise. Just not yet."
The Doctor gave me a sharp look as he brought out a few heavy-looking pieces of metal. Each held a few different buttons on them and what looked like clamps on the bottom of them. "Ali," he said warningly. "You're coming with me. River, take Bre, and Rose can take him." He nodded at John, as if refusing to acknowledge the poor man's name. "We need to hurry."
"Actually, Doctor," River chimed, sidling over to stand beside me. She looped her arm through mine, soothing me with a gentle smile. "I'll take Ali. You take Bre. Bre needs a bit more confidence then Ali, and you can supply that. I'll protect Ali, I promise. No...Successor business will happen while you're not around, I'll make sure of it." That was kind of harsh, I thought. Lying to his face like that.
The Doctor's gaze swept River, uncertain, and he gave a curt nod at last, waving for Bre to join him. "Here," he said, handing a strange device to each of us. "Make sure you plant one of these. Bre and I will take the south, John and Rose, you head north. River, you and Ali will take the east. Bre and I will circle around and nab the west while we're at it."
"Got it," I murmured, biting my lip for a brief moment. I paused, then finally leaned forward and gently placed a chaste kiss upon his lips. What the hell, this was going to be the last time I saw him when I could do such a thing. The Doctor looked at me with utter shock as Rose bit back a small smile and Bre snickered. John merely arched an eyebrow and River smiled broadly before looking away. I smirked at him. "See ya later, Doctor."
He shook his head, what might have been a faint smile on his face appearing. "Be safe, Ali, and don't do anything I wouldn't agree with," he warned, pressing a kiss to my head and ruffling my hair before ducking out of the dying police box with Bre. Rose hesitated to follow suit as John drifted to wait for her at the doors.
"Ali," Rose said softly, chewing on her lip uncertainly. "You don't have to do this..."
"And if I don't," I replied, smiling with a faint reassurance at her, "Then every single one of you will die, even the Doctor. I've heard there are ways that I won't be completely dead if I work really hard. I'm going to follow through on that and see if I can change things, Rose. You take care of John, okay?"
"And you do your best to make things okay," she replied softly, drawing me in for a tight hug. I returned it, then pulled back and gently pushed her towards where John waited. "Go," I instructed with a faint smile. "You have a job to do. If the Doctor realizes what's going on, make sure he can't stop it, okay?"
"Yeah," the young woman agreed. She smiled a final time, then darted over to grasp John's hand. He pressed a soothing kiss to her tearful cheek, then tugged her out of the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him.
"He honestly thinks you won't do it," River commented quietly.
"I know," I muttered. Addressing the TARDIS, I called, "How are you holding up?"
"My time is almost up, my Girl, it must be done. Soon. Before I am completely gone."
"Better now than never," I decided. I sucked in a nervous breath, biting my lip hard enough to make it bleed. Licking the blood away, I tilted my head back, thinking and whisking over memories for a moment.
There had been a time, I realized distantly, before we'd discovered what it meant to be the Successor, that this kind of even hadn't even occurred to us. Now, I realized, there was no way avoiding it now. I would die. The Doctor would lose me just like he'd lost every other companion. But perhaps my fate would be worse than theirs. At least they had been safe and alive for as far as I could tell.
"Ali?"
That was River, concerned for my well being. I took a moment to gather my senses, then let a calm, warm smile fill my features. "I'm alright," I promised her. "I will be, too. I'm putting you in charge of the Doctor, too, okay? Make sure he doesn't do anything bad."
"I promise," she said seriously, her dark eyes gleaming with what might have been unshed tears.
"Good." I turned to face the still popped off plating on the console, where it had been hung to block off the light that threatened to filter past. "Ready, old girl?"
"Of course, my Girl," she breathed, "I am ready."
I strode confidently over to the console, removing the paneling with shaking hands. I could feel the warmth that was the heart of the TARDIS as it washed over my hands and face. My eyes softened as I studied the golden glow, preparing myself.
"Are you ready, my Girl?"
"You're saying that excessively," I teased weakly with a smile. "But yes, I'm ready. Let's do this. The Doctor needs his TARDIS to get rid of the Daleks before they kill him and everyone else here."
The TARDIS purred her agreement.
And then, the golden light exploded out of the central console, swirling around me in a warm comforting way. I was startled. I had thought it would be painful, letting the TARDIS delve into my body, intertwining with my mind. But it was comforting, her presence brushing against mine. I could have sworn as the golden light filled me, I felt warm hands brush against my cheeks, a woman kissing my cheek gratefully. "Thank you, my Girl," the TARDIS whispered, and I gave a weak smile as I realized she was gone seconds after she'd said that.
A split moment later, more knowledge then I'd though possible split through my mind. I cried out in pain at the sudden explosion of it, my lightly glowing hands clasping my head as I dropped to my knees, tears leaking out of my eyes. Names of planets, locations of different universes and galaxies, even the identities of billions and billions of creatures filled my mind, along with the who knows how many languages that came with them. Each person's personal history, each culture. Everything was locked into my mind.
Suddenly, all of the knowledge switched from such things to one man. One Time Lord known as the Doctor. One face after another passed by. The first, the second, all the way to my Doctor and even the next, bowtie man. And after bowtie man, another, much to my confusion. I saw the future alongside the past, but...some things were still confusing to me, in this human form.
Next was the feelings. Everything the previous TARDIS had felt suddenly sucked into my soul. My Thief, Bad Wolf, Melody Pond, the Impossible Girl, the Strange One, the Girl Who Waited, all of them.
My mind was burning, my body was on fire, and I just wanted it to end!
"Ali?"
The voice had me prying my tearful eyes opened. Melody Pond was close by, afraid to touch me. Her hand hovered nervously over my back. She wanted to make sure I was okay, but wasn't sure if she could touch me. I gave it a few more seconds, making sure all of the energy had settled, making sure all of that power and knowledge was there, then lifted myself into a sitting position. The gold was gone, no longer swirling around me. But an intense pain was firing through my body and mind, warning me. I didn't have much time left in this body.
"River," I managed to get out, grimacing at the strange ringing my voice gave off. I imagined a switch switching off and beamed smugly when it stopped. It was strange, I thought, to have so much controllable power...
"Do you feel alright now?" River demanded.
I gave a slow nod. "Yes," I confirmed, "Though...my Thief...no, the Doctor," I said, frowning as I struggled to keep myself corrected. "The Doctor won't be happy." A rapping on my doors...no! That was wrong! A rapping on the doors had me curious. Nobody should have been nearby and those that were wouldn't have knocked...not like that.
"Ali?" River said uncertainly. "Should I...?"
I smirked, a surge of confidence flowing through me. "Don't bother." A snap of my fingers had the doors snapping open in the blink of an eye. River seemed nervous, almost scared of me. Strange, I didn't think the woman who had once been my professor would ever be frightened of me.
The pair standing in the doorway made me pause, however, startled beyond belief.
A girl with a gentle face, dark brown eyes, and soft brown hair stared at me with confusion, and I instantly recognized her. She had the same set of Catie's eyes, the same nearly mischievous look about her despite the kindness. She wore a dress, nothing too fancy, yet something that made her look pretty. And beside her was none other than bowtie man.
His gaze was dark, grieved. He knew what had just happened and despite the fact that there had been nothing he could do to stop it, he felt guilty. I simply smiled, dancing forward to lean close to him, my face mere centimeters from him. "Hello, my Thief," I purred, then beamed and twirled away, laughing at the look on his face. This power...it was fun! I could do anything!
I winced at a lash of pain. Okay, so maybe not anything and everything, but definitely a lot more than before. "We were too late to stop it," the Doctor said, pained.
River smiled faintly at him. "You couldn't have stopped her and you know it, Doctor." She moved to stand beside him and the girl I identified as the Impossible Girl, Clara Oswin Oswald. I tilted my head. She was there in multiple places, yet not at the same time. She was a curious one, that Impossible Girl.
Ignoring them, I hummed, not hesitating to swing myself up onto the console, not caring when my feet smashed and broke a few controls. When I returned to my proper place, they would be fixed. For now, I needed something. Something that would rid us of the Daleks.
I paused suddenly, then turned to frown at bowtie man. "Why are you here?"
"I hoped," he said with a wry smile, his eyes sorrowful. I felt a moment of guilt that disappeared quickly. "To stop you. But that won't happen, I can see."
"Of course not," I retorted, raising a hand. Gold danced across my fingertips. "I'm useful now. I can help. Why would I give that up."
"So you could live?" River said with a sigh of exasperation. I stuck my tongue out at her, then cursed, clutching my head. The pain was increasing. I needed to get moving, and now. I narrowed my eyes as it struck me. All three of them aimed to stop me from doing what needed to be done. I could sense it.
Furious, I accused, "How dare you try to stop me from destroying the Daleks?"
He was bewildered. "What are you talking about?"
"You want me to let the TARDIS die and kill the universe," I growled, the new sound wrenching out of my throat. This was what had created Bad Wolf. The dangerous part, the part that defended me.
"Of course I did," the Doctor retorted. Bowtie man was upset, but I didn't see why. "At least you wouldn't have had to fall to this!"
The gold began to swirl around me, anger making it flare dangerously. Instinctively, bowtie man pushed the Impossible Girl behind him, intent on protecting her, and I froze, realization striking me. He thought I would hurt her. I'd meant to hurt him. What the hell was I doing?! I dropped that part of my power, gray eyes widening. "Doctor," I breathed, tears gathering. It hurt. So much! "Wh-what...?" I shook my head.
Things needed to be done. Now.
"There are Daleks," I muttered. "The need to be destroyed." I tilted my head, waving my hand through the air. A map materialized in a flash of gold, and River gave a small gasp as she examined it. "The Daleks have my Thief, Bad Wolf, Meta, and the new one," I commented with a growl. "I must help them." But first...
"Impossible Girl," I said, addressing Clara, ignoring bowtie man's sudden and surprised grin at my following demand. "Fetch my fez."
~~OO~~II~~OO~~
A/N: ...so you know. Stuff happened. Big important stuff. Next chapter's gonna be the last, followed by the epilogue. You know. Fun stuff. XD
BrainStormer: Every. Single. Time. Your reviews make me laugh. XD If you thought the last chapter was a roller coaster, pretty sure the next is gonna be worse. XD
bored411: Glad you liked it! The room was less important than I would have liked, more because I have no idea what to write outside of huge important points, but...
Thoroughly Misguided: Love the user. It's strangely interesting. And thank you! I'm glad you ilke it. I know your review is for Chapter 9 but what the hell. I wanna respond to it right now. XD
Maren the fangirl: lol XD Thank you. XD Tentoo and Rose are awesome. XD