Child of Earth
By Lumendea
Chapter Two: Skye: House Guest
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
AN: Wow thanks for all the amazing reviews. I guess a lot of people were eagerly awaiting this. Yes it is Rose's last year before she travels in the TARDIS, yes I have episodes planned out for the next season when she is traveling with the Doctor and yes I will be writing that in the future.
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Rose couldn't help but notice that Spock had emerged from the wall very quietly and that his scanning beam seemed to be moving extra slowly. Their surprise guest shifted uneasily in the carrier making a soft sound of distress. Rose carefully reached down and brushed a hand over her head in an attempt to soothe her without interfering with the scan. Looking up, she found Luke staring at the baby with interest.
"I've never seen a baby up close," Luke reminded in a soft whisper as he caught her eye. "Only around in public."
"Yeah well they look cute until you change a diaper," Clyde muttered with a grimace.
"Scan complete," Spock announced softly, the closest Rose had ever heard to the Xylok whispering. "I need to process the data. Please remove the child from the room."
Holding back the desire to tease him, Rose carefully picked up the carrier and tiptoed towards the stairs. Given that the little girl crying had blown up a few lamps and fried the television and Luke's computer already she could understand the alien's worry. Behind she could hear Spock closing back up the control consoles and held back a laugh. The tiny girl stirred in the carrier as Rose balanced herself against the banister. Once she reached the ground floor, Rose headed back into the living room with the others close behind.
"So now what?" Rani asked as Rose placed the carrier on the coffee table in each reach.
"We need to see if we can find anything out," Sarah Jane sighed. "It will take Spock a bit to go through the readings. Hopefully, he was able to pick up something to let us know where she's from." Sarah Jane shook her head and sighed. "Sadly a lot of sentient life looks human."
"No it looks Time Lord," Rose corrected with a slight smirk as she sank down into the sofa. "They came first remember?"
"Careful Rose," Sarah Jane retorted with a smile of her own. "You're sounding a bit too much like your boyfriend."
"Significant other," Rose reminded her with a small glare.
"If you two are done," Johnny interrupted gently. "What is the plan honey?" he asked Sarah Jane. "Where do we start?"
A look of uncertainty crossed Sarah Jane's face for a moment before a knock on the front door made them all jump. Rose looked towards the baby with no small hint of alarm, but the girl only stirred a tiny bit. Luke rushed out of the room as the knocking continued and Rose paused to listen as the front door opened.
"Luke," Gita's voice sailed into the house as Rani's mother and the neighbor across the street greeted Luke. "Have you been having electrical problems?"
"Uh yes," Luke answered hesitantly. "Please come in."
Rose grimaced and saw Sarah Jane do the same, but Luke had very good manners. He probably hadn't realized that explaining an unfamiliar infant would be a problem.
"Sarah we are having horrible problems with the electrical systems today," Gita announced as she moved through the entryway. "The Bates are having the same issues and Jackie told me that she can't get the telly to work properly. What about you? Haresh is on the phone with the power company now." Gita was suddenly in the room with me and Rose tensed up in alarm just praying that the baby wouldn't start crying again. "Hello Johnny," Gita greeted happily before looking at Rani in surprise. "Oh, here you are sweetheart."
"Hi Mum," Rani greeted with a wide smile as Gita moved across the living room to hug her. "Uh just hanging out with Luke and Clyde."
Gita started to nod, but then she caught sight of the carrier. A soft coo escaped her and before anyone could stop her, Gita was standing right next to Rose and looking down at the baby. Rose froze as the infant opened her eyes and yawned softly, looking up at Gita with wide blue eyes.
"Oh, is there something you've not been telling us, Sarah?" Gita asked with a wide grin, looking across the room to Sarah Jane and Johnny.
"Mum, there is a simple explanation," Rani said desperately with an almost panicked expression.
"Oh, you've started fostering, haven't you, darling?" Gita announced with a wide grin at Johnny and Sarah Jane. "How wonderful. I always thought you two made such perfect parents to Luke."
Johnny put his arm around Sarah Jane's shoulders and she couldn't quite keep the touched expression off her face.
"Oh, thank you, Gita."
"Bet she's a proper little handful," Gita chuckled as she looked back at the infant. "Aren't you? Aren't you, my little darling?"
"Yes, well, it was all a bit sudden" Johnny explained with a laugh. "Sort of an emergency. That's why we called in the kids to help us get some supplies and the like."
"Yes, I practically opened the door and there she was like she'd fallen out of the sky," Sarah Jane added in a rush.
"Oh, like that thing last night," Gita laughed. "What's her name?"
"Her name?" Clyde said uneasily.
"Uh it's-" Luke tried to answer.
"What thing last night?" Sarah Jane pressed, almost making Rose laugh.
"I heard it on the local radio. A meteor landed in that wrecker's yard on Peel Road," Gita answered with a dismissive shrug.
"A meteor?" Rani repeated giving Sarah Jane and pointed look.
"She must have a name, Sarah," Gita insisted.
"Skye," Sarah Jane said suddenly with a softening smile.
"Skye?" Gita repeated in confusion.
"Yeah. Like she'd fallen out of it," Clyde explained with a look towards Sarah Jane.
"Oh, that's beautiful. Just like you," Gita cooed at the nearly christened Skye.
The baby giggled and suddenly the street exploded with the sound of car alarms making Rose and the others all flinch.
"Oh, flipping heck!" Gita sighed, straighten up and looking around angrily. "First all the light bulbs, and now the car alarms." She shook her head and started moving towards the doors. "I'll catch up with you later. If you need anything for the baby my darlings don't hesitate to call."
Everyone was quiet as Gita rushed out of the house. Thankfully the blaring of the car alarms eased quickly as Rose sat back on the couch and tried to calm Skye down. Thankfully the infant gave a little yawn and snuggled back into the blanket.
"An alien baby turns up on your doorstep and a meteor crashes on the same night?" Clyde observed with a frown. "That's a galactic coincidence."
"We should check it out," Rani announced with a stern nod.
"Absolutely," Sarah Jane agreed with a widening smile. "While Spock is analyzing Skye's scan we can check out what's landed in the wreckers yard." Sarah Jane moved over to grab her coat from the hall entry way. "Rose stay here with Skye."
"Wait what?" Rose asked, looking up in surprise.
"I'll stay too," Johnny offered her quickly with a slightly apologetic look.
"There's no baby seat. And the last thing I need is her blowing the car's electrics," Sarah Jane explained quickly as she moved over to kiss Johnny's cheek with a grateful smile. "And make sure Spock stays out of harm's way."
"You're the only one of us who really knows anything about babies," Luke reminded her with a shrug even as he, Rani and Clyde began to back away towards the front door. Rose narrowed her eyes at him as she recognized an escape attempt.
"You'll be fine," Rani added for good measure though her smile was a little too pleased.
"Look after her, Rose. I'm sure someone left her here because she's in danger. I'm relying on you."
"Potential danger so you're leaving the Star Knight with the baby," Rose sought to confirm with a doubtful tone. "I don't think that's the best plan."
"Your phone is the only one that is safe around Skye," Luke pointed out in a too reasonable voice. "All of ours just explode."
"Exactly," Sarah Jane chimed in. "We can call you once we are gone, it'll be fine Rose," Sarah Jane assured her even as she kept moving towards the door. "Remember K-9 is at Clyde's just in case." She paused and clapped her hands looking back at Rose. "Sonic pen please."
Narrowing her eyes at Sarah Jane, Rose barely held back her growl of irritation but reached into her pocket to retrieve the pen. She tossed it across the room and Clyde tried to pluck it out of the air. Sarah Jane caught it and gave him a look that earned a sheepish expression.
"We'll be in touch," Rani promised as she grinned and Rose and trotted after Sarah Jane and the others.
The door closed a moment later and a soft huff escaped Rose as Skye whimpered at the noise. She glanced down at the baby nervously as she began to stir before looking over at Johnny who was eyeing the carrier with an almost horrified expression. Sighing, Rose looked down at Skye thoughtfully.
"Well she's waking up so better get ready for a diaper change," Rose informed him only to receive an almost horrified look from him. "Fine," Rose groaned. "But you can set me up over there," Rose huffed as she gestured to an empty space in the room.
"Uh yeah right," Johnny answered carefully as he backed away from the baby and vanished into the kitchen.
The diaper change was all on her with Johnny evacuating to the kitchen once again. Rose barely resisted the urge to grumble under her breath or swear in front of the baby. Skye's soft uncomfortable cries weren't causing anything to explode just yet, but she didn't want to push their luck. Thankfully the knowledge she'd gained from her other lives saw Rose through the quick change on the pad Johnny had spread out on the floor.
"You know Skye," she observed with a chuckle. "I think it's a good thing that neither Sarah Jane nor Johnny had interest in having biological kids. Luke as a teenager seems to have been about what they could handle." She smiled down at the little girl as she secured the soft straps of the diaper before cleaning off her hands with another wipe. "They were both pretty quick to run away from a baby." Skye giggled and the lights flickered making Rose paused and glance up nervously, but nothing blew up. "Okay Johnny," Rose called over to the kitchen. "You can handle the cleanup."
"Thanks, Rose," he answered back sounding a bit sheepish. "Sorry about that."
"I'm an only child too you know," Rose reminded him as she moved over and set Skye back in the carrier for a moment. Reaching over to the armrest, Rose picked up the thick plush blanket that Sarah Jane had spread across the arm for color and laid it out of the floor. She picked Skye up carefully and gently set her down on the blanket so she could stretch out a bit. "Too bad I haven't got my violin," she told Skye with a soft smile. "I could have played you something."
"I didn't know you had a violin," Johnny observed as he cleared away the changing pad.
"It was a recent gift," Rose replied with a shrug as the baby gurgled up at her. "Anything we can use for toys?"
"Actually I grabbed a couple of things at the store," Johnny told her with a wide grin. "Just in case."
"Johnny comes through again," Rose observed to Skye with a smile. "He's pretty handy like that."
Then he returned with a bag of toys and Rose raised an eyebrow while smirking in amusement. It was obvious that he and Luke had gone shopping in a near panic. She supposed it was just lucky that they'd gotten the right size diapers. Johnny took Rose's place on the floor beside Skye and handed the baby girl a plastic key ring as she stared at it in fascination. Skye giggled as she waved the little plastic key ring around while looking at the brightly colored squishy mat in front of her.
"Seems like you have it under control," Rose observed as she stood up and stretched out. "I'm going to see if Spock has anything."
"Sure thing," Johnny told her with a nod as he beamed at the little girl. "I might take her outside in a moment just to get her away from the electronics."
"Sounds good," Rose answered as she headed for the staircase. "Spock won't argue with that."
"Why do you think Skye?" Johnny asked as Rose paused at the base of the stairs. "Want to go outside?"
The little girl giggled and what lights were still intact flickered. Johnny took it as a yes and scooped Skye up, keeping her partially wrapped up in her white blanket as she clutched at her new plastic keys. Rose shook her head as Johnny began to talk with her about electromagnetic frequencies that her laughter and crying must cause as he carried her out through the back door. Climbing up the stairs, Rose entered the attic and noted that Spock was still sealed up like a turtle in his shell.
"You can come out Spock," Rose called with a chuckle. "Skye is outside."
The wall opened and Spock's control systems and side screens unfolded dramatically. "Skye? You've given it a name?"
"She's a baby girl," Rose chided without any real bite. "And Sarah Jane did, we couldn't just keep calling it a baby."
"Please don't get attached."
"We're off topic," Rose observed. "Have you processed the scan?"
"I have," Spock informed her. "Skye is a healthy infant, but there are serious oddities that could make her a serious danger to more than just my circuits."
"Explain."
"Skye processes synthetic DNA that is programmed to enhance maturity. Once the infant is exposed to certain energy conditions she will undergo a metamorphosis and age rapidly."
"Why would someone do that?" Rose demanded in shock. "Wait, you said synthetic DNA? She was grown?"
"Yes," Spock answered before he paused for a moment. "Rose I'm afraid that the child is a weapon."
"What sort of weapon?" Rose forced out through her horror.
"A bomb to be precise. Her ability to cause electronics to malfunction seems to be only the base starting point of her powers. Upon her metamorphosis, she will be capable of unleashing a devastating wave of energy."
"What is the trigger?"
"Contact with a specific sort of energy," Spock informed her. "I do not know what sort of technology or species as of yet."
"She's a weapon," Rose whispered to herself. "What sort of sick person does that? Can you reverse it?"
"I regret not," Spock told her in a softer tone. "The child's DNA is structured to fulfill her task as a bomb. The changes needed to alter this would kill the child."
Holding back a curse, Rose took a deep shaking breath and reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone.
"Rose?"
"Time to call the Doctor," Rose muttered angrily as she brushed some hair out of her face. "We've got a doomsday weapon on Earth in the form of an innocent child. Time to call in the professionals."