The Doctor glanced up briefly when Martha entered the room, his sonic screwdriver held between his teeth. Unable to speak, he simply inclined his head at her in greeting, his hands deep within the heart of the dimension cannon, fiddling with the wires he found there.
"Hey," Martha greeted, moving to crouch down next to him, offering a small smile and wave to Ollie as she did so. The young scientist returned the gesture before he continued to tap away at his laptop, and Martha focused her gaze back onto The Doctor. "How's it looking?"
Fishing the sonic out of his mouth and slipping it in amongst all of the wires, The Doctor let out a non-committal noise before he broke two wires apart, and then joined them to different sections with the sonic. "Not too bad, actually, it's a pretty unique structure but the basis of it is fundamentally what Rose said it would be. Theoretically you could use this to push someone through the walls of the universe without fracturing it any more. Only problem is, this doesn't actually have the force necessary to propel anyone."
"But you can fix it so that it does, right?" Martha asked, and The Doctor shot her a look, causing her to raise her hands defensively. "Okay, okay! Sorry I asked."
"How was bonding time with Adeola?" The Doctor asked, changing the subject as he continued to fiddle, and Martha smiled, standing up and choosing to take a seat on a vacant chair nearby, instead.
"Really weird – but in a good way," She explained. "It's like… she's so different, but she's still Addy, you know? I can't wrap my head around it." She was quiet for a long time. "I'm dead, in this universe," She said suddenly, and slowly leaned back in her chair. "That's just… really hard to think about."
"Rose wasn't even born in this universe, and the last time we were here together, her mother in this world died. Mickey's alternate self, Ricky died in front of him…" The Doctor replied thoughtfully. "I know it's hard to wrap your head around, but you'll get used to the idea after a while."
Martha nodded, before she decided to drop the subject; it really was too weird to think about. "So how'd your alone time with Rose go?"
The Doctor paused in his work for a moment at that, and though Martha couldn't really see his face, she knew he was smiling. It still stung slightly, but she felt no animosity towards Rose because of it, and that was a huge relief.
"Good," he replied quickly, getting back to his work. "We went for a walk, had chips, had a catch up…" He trailed off. "Oh! Right, our presence has been demanded by Jackie Tyler for tea, by the way." He looked around at her, amused, and Martha smiled.
"That'd be nice, anyone else gonna be there?"
"It'll be us, Rose, Jackie, Pete, Tony, Mr Mickey and Jake, I think." The Doctor replied. "Bit domestic, but the last thing I want is another Jackie Tyler slap."
"Or to upset Rose," Martha tacked on, and The Doctor turned around so fast, Martha was surprised that he didn't give himself whiplash.
"What makes you say that?" He asked quickly, and Martha rolled her eyes, before she stood up, and gently patted his shoulder.
"I'll let you get back to work," She told him, and shook her head, before she exited the room, leaving The Time Lord staring after her in confusion, pondering her words and the potential truth behind them.
"Captain, we've got reports of possible alien life-form in a warehouse just off Old Kent."
Rose started as she was addressed with her title, as it never ceased to make her think about Jack, and her heart ached for her old friend. The Doctor had always said that he was off rebuilding the Earth, but a part of her feared that he was actually dead. She could remember his last words to her, having heard them many times in her dreams, and she bit down on her bottom lip.
'Rose, you are worth fighting for.'
Shaking those thoughts off, Rose let out a breath and looked up to see one of her team-members, a young man named Dean, looking in at her. His words finally caught up with her, and she blinked, standing up.
"Right – yeah, let's kit up and head out there, see what we can find. I want all guns set to stun only, got it?" She instructed, picking up her jacket and pulling it on.
"Yes ma'am," Dean replied, raising his eyebrows in amusement, before he turned to leave.
"Oh, and Dean," Rose added, causing the other male to pause and glance over at her questioningly. "S'just Rose, you git."
Smirking, Dean waved a hand dismissively before leaving the office, moving to get the rest of the team. Dean was her second in command, an excellent shot and a tactical genius. Whenever she was unable to lead missions, she knew that she could trust him to take her place. Rose smiled slightly, and picked up her gun, strapping it around her hip comfortably. It was unusual to have alien encounters so close to one another, but currently, Rose's initial thoughts were focused on ignoring how close together the incidents were, and instead concentrating on getting to the site before the Colonel could.
As she was leaving her office, she almost bumped into Martha, and took a step back in surprise, before she smiled, and Martha returned the gesture, before she looked around at everyone gearing up.
"Are you all heading out somewhere?" She asked, curious, and Rose nodded her head as she keyed something into her watch, working her bottom lip between her teeth.
"There's been some kind of sighting, or something." Rose informed her with a shrug. "I wanna get there before Colonel Asshole gets there and starts shooting everything he sees. I'm not gonna fail again."
"What about The Doctor? He could help," Martha pointed out, and Rose hesitated, fingers hovering over her watch and flexing slightly, before she shook her head.
"Nah, he's busy. 'Sides, it'll be fine. Might even be a hoax, we get those a lot."
Martha eyed the blonde woman doubtfully, getting the feeling that there was something that she was hiding, but eventually sighed, and folded her arms over her chest.
"Right then, no Doctor. I'm coming, though."
Rose looked up at Martha, startled, before she opened her mouth to argue, and Martha held up a hand to stop her.
"If it'll be fine, or even a hoax, then I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, right?"
Oh she was good.
Rose glanced around at her team, all of whom were awaiting her orders, and sighed, before she nodded, and pulled her gun out of her holster, offering it out to Martha with a raised eyebrow. "It's set to stun, and it's just a precaution, yeah? Those're my terms for coming with us."
Martha eyed the gun, before slowly, she nodded, and took it from Rose's hands. She wasn't planning on using it by any means, but she was determined to go with Rose and her team.
"Right then, let's get movin'." Rose smiled, before she turned, and headed down the hallway quickly, tugging at the sleeves of her jacket slightly as she did so. The four members of her team and Martha quickly followed after her, though Martha cast one last look behind her, down the hallway, where The Doctor was still working on the Dimension Cannon.
"Sorry," She muttered, knowing he'd be furious if he found out. Sighing, she turned, and tried to catch up with the others.
"Where are we?"
Rose squinted slightly as she stepped out of the TARDIS, and felt her breath catch at the sight in front of her. Before her lay a sparkling ocean, clear and crystal clean, so clear, she could see an odd variety of multi-coloured fish swimming within it, even from where she stood.
She could feel the heat beating down upon her, and all tension seemed to leave her shoulders, a smile slowly growing on her face as she turned her gaze to the sky, which was clear as a sky could be.
The sand she stood on was a unique blend of colours, and slowly, she bent down gathering a mix of purple and blue sand in her hands, letting it trail through her fingers, as a disbelieving laugh bubbled through her lips.
"You brought me to an alien beach?"
She turned with a raised eyebrow to look at The Doctor, and he grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders easily at her as he tugged off his coat.
"Yup," He confirmed, popping the p easily. Rose laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear before she sat down in the multi-coloured sand, and tugged off her shoes, wriggling her toes and feet into the warmth. "I figured we could do with an actual break for once. D'you like it?"
Rose turned to him, and her smile was practically glowing as she nodded her head enthusiastically. "Doctor, I love it! It's beautiful."
He'd warned her before-hand to wear something for warm weather, and she was grateful for her shorts and simple vest top, because if she had worn any more layers, she'd be sweltering. She didn't know how The Doctor did it, really. No matter the weather, he was always in his pinstripes.
Sitting himself down in the sand beside her, The Doctor rested his elbows on his knees, and looked out at the ocean-line, smiling.
"It's called Meslina," The Doctor explained. "And we are roughly three-hundred years before it was colonised. Eventually these beaches become commercialised and polluted. A lot like beaches back on Earth, I s'pose."
Rose shifted herself, resting her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes, listening to his voice. The thought of this beautiful spot being sullied and soiled by pollution wasn't a pleasant one, and she tried to switch to a different subject.
"How come th'sand is all different colours?"
"Oh! There's a good question!"
The Doctor sounded so enthusiastic, Rose couldn't help but open her eyes, gaze moving to his face. He looked incredibly excited, and Rose lifted her head as he leaned forward, scooping up a handful of sand and pulling it over to them.
"Well, sand back on Earth is made of rocks and shells and other natural minerals that have been worn down by the ocean due to erosion, but this sand is different because what makes it up is not just rock, but gem stones. A lot of the rock in this area is coloured naturally, so when it breaks down, the grains still hold their original colours. Same goes for the gems. It takes them even longer to break down, but they're all in the ocean, and eventually, they get worn down, so, they eventually wash up on the beach as sand."
"This ocean is full of gems? What, like rubies n'stuff?" Rose asked, looking out at the water again. "Guess that explains why people were so eager t'colonise."
"Pretty much, yeah," The Doctor agreed with a shake of his head, before he brightened, and turned to look at her again. "Oh! Come on, there's something I want you to try."
"Hold on," Rose replied, rubbing her shoulders slightly. "S'alright for you, but if I go running around in the sun without sun cream on, I'm gonna get one hell of a sunburn."
"Oh! Sun cream! I almost forgot," The Doctor looked sheepish, before he bent down and dug around in the basket he'd pulled out with him. After a moment, he pulled out the small bottle, smiling triumphantly, and handed it to Rose, who smiled, and began to spread it over her legs as she stood, moving onto her arms, face, and finally, her shoulders.
"Doctor? Could you do the back of my shoulders for me, and my neck? Please?" Rose held up the bottle, and paused when she didn't hear a response. She raised an eyebrow, curious, but the bottle was plucked from her hand before she could speak. Soon enough, she felt the sun cream being rubbed onto the back of her shoulders, The Doctor's fingers almost massaging her, causing her to let out a small sigh of content, letting her head fall forward slightly.
All too soon, it was over, and Rose lifted her head, turning to look at The Doctor, who looked a little red himself, and she smirked slightly, pointing her finger at the bottle he was setting down.
"You sure you don't need some of that, Doctor? You're lookin' a little red."
"Stop it," He huffed, before he reached out and took her hand, and Rose, giggling, linked her fingers between his. They began to walk, with Rose allowing The Doctor to lead her along, a content and happy smile on her face. She'd never felt more at ease in her life, and she knew that this would always be one of her favourite destinations.
There was no threats, no end of the world scenario, no fighting and no death.
It was just Rose and The Doctor, and that thought alone was enough to cause Rose to smile as she reached over with her other hand and gripped onto his arm, giving his hand a squeeze as she did so. He smiled down at her, returning the squeeze, before he stopped at a group of trees.
Rose tilted her head curiously at the sight of them. They seemed to be like regular palm trees she would find on Earth, but they were surrounded by tangles of strange vines, which in turn were covered by large, closed buds, as though it were waiting for flower to bloom.
The Doctor lifted their hands up, tugging his out of hers, and pressed her hand against the trunk of the tree, and Rose tried to figure out why, until she felt it. A ripple underneath her fingertips. Her eyes widened in realization, and she let out a breathless laugh.
"It's sentient?" She asked, awed, and The Doctor nodded.
"It is! Every planet has natives, and these La-arga trees are one group." He grinned at her, and Rose grinned back, slowly drawing her hand away from the tree, rubbing her fingertips together slightly as she did so. She watched curiously as The Doctor leaned into the tree and murmured something that she couldn't hear, and then, her eyes widened as she saw one of the buds on the vines around the tree slowly unfurling.
Bending down, Rose leaned in to watch as the petals unfurled, and instead of revealing a large flower, like she expected, she found a strange, rounded fruit. It was orangey-red, much like the shade of a mango, and Rose glanced at The Doctor curiously, who motioned for her to take it.
Her hands cupped around the fruit, and she lifted it slowly, turning it around and gazing at it from all angles. It was soft to the touch, a tad squishy, and she eyed it doubtfully until The Doctor laughed.
"Try it, Rose. It's good, I promise."
"Alrigh'," Rose allowed, before she leaned in, and took a bite of the fruit. Her teeth sank easily into it, and as she pulled away a chunk, her eyes widened at the taste that filled her mouth. It was incredibly sweet, and quite unlike anything she'd ever tried before. She doubted that she'd ever find anything that tasted like it on Earth, and immediately, she took another bite, licking her lips slightly and letting out a groan of satisfaction.
"That's gorgeous!" She muttered, before she turned to the tree, and smiled widely. "Thank you so much for lettin' me try one of your fruits." She felt a bit mad, talking to a tree, but it was hardly the first time, and The Doctor was beaming at her, so it was definitely worth it.
"There's all different kinds of fruit and different kinds of trees to pick from, but you always have to be polite, and if they refuse to let you try a fruit, you have to accept that and move on. But they're a kind race, and not used to visitors yet, so they're pretty curious about us." He grinned at her, and Rose grinned back at him, lifting the fruit up to him expectantly.
He bent down slightly, biting a chunk of the fruit away, and chewed, nodding his head approvingly as he did so. Rose pressed the tip of her tongue against her teeth, and let out a breathless laugh, filled with childish joy. She hoped they stayed here all day – there was so much she wanted to do here. It was perfect.
"I love this," She admitted, and he glanced up at her questioningly. "Just…this! Travelling with you, seeing all of this. Nothin's better than that."
The Doctor smiled at her, but slowly, it faded, and he shook his head with a sigh, looking away from her, clearly troubled.
"Doctor?" Rose bit her lip slightly, suddenly worried. Oh God, he wasn't going to send her home, was he?
"Rose, you're in danger." The Doctor turned back to look at her, and gripped her shoulders suddenly, causing her to start, dropping the half-eaten fruit down onto the sand. Her hands reached up to grip at his wrists, and she shook her head slowly in disbelief.
"What're you on about? Of course I'm not." She argued, a little unnerved at how his gaze bored into her. "I'm safe as long as I'm with you. You'd never let anything happen to me, I know that. We look after each other you an' me."
"Yeah, we do, and that's why I'm telling you, because Rose, this isn't real. None of this is real. It's a dream, a hallucination. If you don't wake up soon, you're gonna die. I wanted to keep you here where you could be safe, and happy, but it's going to end soon." The Doctor stared her down, and Rose became aware that it wasn't as sunny as it once had, and details of the beautiful beach had started to blur around her. She couldn't make sense of anything, save for The Doctor.
"Stop it – Doctor, you're scarin' me."
The Doctor let out a breath, and shook his head, gazing at her with sad eyes. His hand reached up to gently rest against her cheek, thumb trailing over her skin.
"Rose Tyler. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
His hands moved up to her temples, pressing his fingers there, and instinctively, her eyes closed at the contact.
"But you need to wake up, now."
Letting out a strangled gasp with The Doctor's name half formed on her lips, Rose opened up her eyes and tried to get her bearings. There was very little light around her, and her body felt sluggish and drained, as though she had gotten far too much sleep, and had run a marathon the day before. She could recall what had happened, where she was, or how she'd even got here.
She'd been with her team, hadn't she? Martha was there, too. God, why couldn't she just remember?
She tried to move raise a hand towards her head, wincing at the sharp pains she felt there, but found herself unable to do so. Suddenly more alert, Rose glanced down, only to see that her hands were strapped down to a table. She struggled, tugging desperately at the bonds, trying her feet instead, only to find that she was well and truly stuck.
Turning her head, her breath caught when she saw her team and Martha, all lay upon separate metal tables, strapped down with some kind of strange metal device placed atop of their heads. The device seemed to be attached via tubing, which seemed to lead behind them, to something that Rose couldn't see. The others were all still asleep, and Rose bit back her panic, feeling the pain inside of her head increase, like something was trying to crack open her skull.
Squeezing her eyes shut from the pain, Rose forced down a scream, and clenched her fists, wondering how the hell she was going to get out of this.
She was trapped.