Child of Earth

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Five: Dangerous Enterprise: Retake Engineering

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.

…

Everyone on the bridge was moving except Kate who was finally seated in the captain's chair and speaking with the troops who had secured the access to engineering. Others were jumping between technicians who was shouting off reports to Kate. The ship hummed unhappily around them and Rose shivered at the squealing sound she could vaguely hear. Her eyes moved back to the TARDIS and she swallowed, reassuring herself that they really were safe. Abandoning the Enterprise would be horrible at this stage, but it was possible if needed.

The presence of the TARDIS cast a strange feeling over the bridge. Everyone knew that they weren't really in danger of dying, but there was still an urgency that Rose couldn't quite put her finger on. A sense of duty, pride and desire to not be helpless were amongst the emotions she was picking up most.

The Doctor moved from computer to computer, calmly pushing aside the staff as he used the sonic screwdriver to do things Rose couldn't even follow. There was an urgency to his movements and he toyed with his bowtie twice in under one minute though he spoke evenly with the staff. Rose glanced towards the door as the ship shifted again. The internal gravity systems were adjusting thus far, but she wondered how long it would be until the intruders did something really bad.

Her eyes jumped over to the 3D display. Asteroids were beginning to appear more frequently and Rose tried to remember just how far out the asteroid belt was. The ship had some shielding, but nothing capable of standing up to that. They were still firmly in the orbital plane with no signs of adjusting yet. She heard a soft worried sound from Malcolm and looked over to find him staring at the display as well.

"Ah!" the Doctor groaned, smacking his hand against the top of one of the computers. "Early 21st century! Honestly, when will you learn to make computers?"

"You've managed with worse," Kate reminded the Doctor in a totally even voice, still completely calm.

"I'm not sure how!" the Doctor grumbled, all but pouting at the machine before he dashed back into the service corridor only to return a moment later. "I had a talent with gadgets in that body if we're honest."

Below the engines flared again sending them jolting forward. A collective gasp filled the room as the ship barely missed a large asteroid that sailed past the tip of the nose.

"We're approaching the orbital plane," Malcolm called as he frantically checked the computer. "Doctor-"

"Pulled in when the engines stopped," the Doctor agreed absently as he continued to poke at the cabling beneath the centre controls and ignored whatever else Malcolm had been going to say. "What are they doing? What's the point of this?"

The ship shook again. Kate looked with alarm and the Doctor tensed across the room as he shifted out from underneath the computers. His green eyes went to the TARDIS and his shoulder's relaxed a little. Apparently, he was reminding himself that they had a way out too. Rose swallowed as the ship shuddered again. Something very problematic was happening in engineering. Probably the engines which seemed to be firing on and off. Worry churned in her gut, had the intruders damaged something? Were they trying to force them to surrender or die? She knew from experience that Eclipse didn't exactly value the lives of their employees.

"Maybe they are seeking to destroy the ship," Kate suggested uneasily. "It would put our efforts back several years." She looked towards the TARDIS and the Doctor. "If we can't save the ship…"

"This ship is supposed to be saved," the Doctor told her without looking her way. "It's become part of future events in history. Took the place of a ship that would have been built later," he rambled and Rose wondered just what that meant. Had Enterprise somehow become a fixed point despite its creation not being one? Was that possible? The Doctor's eyes jumped to her and Rose wondered if he was referring to something in her personal future involving Enterprise. Now she was getting a headache. "But I won't let the crew die," the Doctor promised as he looked back at Kate. "We still have enough time."

He was up to something. The Doctor knew something that was keeping him from just pushing everyone into the TARDIS and leaving. Rose had no clue what it was and was surprised that despite having the TARDIS he was willing to run the risk. Kate looked her way, but all Rose could do was shrug.

Looking back at the Doctor, Rose found him lying on his back beneath the controls. Tosh was kneeling beside him and they were talking rapidly about how to potentially reroute the controls yet again. The problem was that Rose wasn't certain it was really a control problem. She glanced towards Kate who was speaking with the troops in a low voice with the radio system.

"How are they?" Rose asked as she shifted over to join Kate.

"They're holding position at both engineering locations," Kate assured her. "But I can't risk sending them in, with the cameras down we don't know what we're dealing with." She nodded towards the Doctor. "Do you know what's going on?"

"No," Rose sighed. "I'm guessing that this ship becomes important in a future event, maybe even a fixed point. He could get us all away from here now, but he isn't. It's weird, but just trust him."

"I would rather not lose the ship," Kate admitted. "But that is a relief." Kate paused and looked back towards the Doctor. "Rose could you-"

"I was already heading down there to check it out," Rose offered with a slight grin. "Malcolm and Tosh are doing fine helping the Doctor. I'll try to prep a fallback route just in case."

"Thank you," Kate added with a slight sigh.

Heading for the door, Rose paused and glanced back at the Doctor more now time. She debated telling him that she was going down to check but thought better of it. He could be a little too overprotective and they needed him here. Kate caught her eye and nodded, saying something through the communication system once more.

….

The interior of the ship was sleek. Small hidey holes and access points were scattered throughout the corridors and just in case of gravity failed small handholds were placed at corners and at points along the ceiling. It was a bit odd looking, but when you understood the purpose it wasn't too strange. Rose didn't run but walked quickly with her heels of her boots echoing only the slightest bit in the understaffed ship.

A chart to her right provided a layout of the corridors and Rose followed the directions to the right. The group of three UNIT soldiers was still in position around the large door of the engineering section with weapons trained on the entrance. All of them were in full gear with heavy boots, belts with supplies and light armour over their chests. Rose wondered about UNIT having all that on board and little else.

"Anything from inside?" Rose asked professionally as she looked towards the doorway and stopped next to the highest ranking soldier.

"We've been hearing noises," the sergeant informed her calmly. "Nothing major, but they are definitely doing something in there."

"Any other points of access into this level of engineering?" Rose questioned.

"Uh, I'm not sure ma'am," the sergeant answered uncertainly. "There is an emergency exit, but we've already sealed it.

"Agent Thorn," one of the private called softly. "I think this access corridor might lead in. I've been keeping an eye on it just in case."

Rose turned towards them and looked at the small opening in the wall that led into the inside of the ship like the one on the bridge. She looked at the curve of the hallway and nodded slowly. It was easy to believe that the access points would connect without anyone really thinking about it.

"There doesn't seem like anywhere else it could go," she agreed carefully. "If it has a second opening it would probably have to be in engineering."

"The problem is that it is too narrow for weapons," the private reminded her, shifting in her full gear regretfully.

"For you, yeah," Rose confirmed. "But I could get through. I'm not carrying any gear."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea ma'am," the private told her with a frown.

"I'll just take a peek," Rose promised. "But they're doing something in there that isn't so easy to get around. The staff on the bridge is still working with the Doctor to take over the auxiliary systems again."

"Stewart said as much," the sergeant agreed, looking uneasily at the private.

"Yeah, but isn't working right. We need to know that they're doing and the cameras are down."

"I'm still not sure about you going in," the sergeant insisted. "If something happens to you…."

The rest of the statement was left hanging and Rose fought back a sigh. Without a word, she moved over to the access panel on the wall. With a quick whirl of the sonic pen, she opened the seal and opened the small door carefully. Part of her knew that she was being stubborn about this. They weren't in serious danger, not with the TARDIS on board. A voice in her head that sounded a little too much like Shareen suggested that she felt the need to prove herself because of Osgood's Future Mrs Doctor remark. It might be right.

The access tunnel filled the wall between the corridor and engineering. Rose could feel the thrum of the machines with every step as she carefully navigated around the piping and bundles of wires attached to the wall. She smiled as she caught sight of the other service entrance up ahead. If she was right about the layout then the private had been correct that this was another way into the engineering area. Pulling out the sonic pen, Rose listened at the small door for any movement on the other side, but everything was quiet. She carefully used the sonic pen to unlatch the door and eased it open.

Engineering was several levels tall with catwalks overhead connecting different machines. Everything was padded in case of a gravity failure with handholds scattered around like in the corridors. Large machines in the centre of the room glowed a soft blue that filled the large space and Rose grinned at the sight of the newest clean technology. They were already working on making it smaller and easier to build for use on Earth. A venting system pumped the heat generated by the engine out into space which also limited how much use it was on Earth.

Rows of control stations surrounded the engines, forming a semi-circle of sleek desk like objects with screens attached to them. Most of them were designed for standing with touchscreen and buttons mixed together on the flat surfaces. Rose could see charts and meters counting off in the distance, but wasn't sure what was what. It was beautiful to her computer science brain and vaguely familiar and alien at the same time.

The sound of footfalls coming near her made Rose tense. They were close and judging by how the noise managed to be heard over the hum of the engines it was heavy combat boots. Rose exhaled slowly as she pressed herself against the wall. Her heartbeat was echoing in her ears and she wondered if this ever became easy. The waiting and the uncertainty as you braced yourself for what might happen. She dared not close her eyes but allowed herself another slow breath as the sound of footfalls came closer and closer. Then the long barrel of an automatic appeared in the corner of her vision as one of the Eclipse operatives stepped around the corner.

Grabbing the side of the firearm, Rose positioned it so it faced away from her and brought a knee up sharply into the soldier's gut. There was a huff as the air was forced from him and a groan. The mask on his face shifted just enough to reveal a little bit of brown hair before Rose brought her elbow down on the side of his temple. There was another groan as his weight went completely limp of her. Rose grunted as she caught the dead weight and laid him back against the wall. Pushing aside the high black collar, she felt the pulse and relaxed at the strong and steady beat.

She knelt down and peeked around the edge of the nearest machine. There were two others on their feet and another kneeling down at a set of controls with his weapon discarded to the side. Rose nibbled at her bottom lip as she tried to think of how best to deal with this. They were close to the main engines which were alien technology. Hopefully, they wouldn't want to risk opening fire in here. They'd avoided direct conflict with UNIT thus far after all.

Rose tried to study what they were doing, but they were too far away for her to be certain of what was going on. Licking her lips, she glanced back towards the service access and debated for a moment. She was shifting back towards it when the edge of her boot hit one of the machines. Somehow the sound managed to be a bit too loud and one of the soldiers looked in her direction.

Shifting back behind the machine, Rose tried to stay completely still as they marched over. In the corner of her eye, she saw a figure coming around the control machine. Lashing out a foot, Rose tripped the soldier who stumbled into another set of control. She jumped up and grabbed the firearm with both hands before smashing her elbow up into their face. They staggered for a moment before dropping to the floor. The other two were fully alert and moving towards her. With the firearm still in hand, Rose yelped and dodged around another machine, hoping that they'd hesitate to shoot.

"Need some help in here!" Rose shouted, hoping her voice would carry over the machines.

The footfalls stopped for a moment. Her call had probably surprised and worried them. One of them started coming closer while the other drew back. Rose shifted along the bottom of the control station, feeling her way as she kept her eyes scanning the area. Someone was coming closer. Behind her, the controls changed to a desk and she was able to draw back under it. Tucking her feet under her, Rose changed her position so she was poised on the tips of her toes. The slow footfalls came near and she could just see the toes of heavy combat boots. Then they kept moving past her and she let out a soft sigh of relief.

Crawling out behind them, Rose heard shouting from the main door but jumped up before the soldier could turn. She wrapped an arm tightly around their neck and let her weight hang on his back as she squeezed his windpipe. Her back hit the wall and Rose grunted as the soldier tried to shake her off. She kept her grip and forced the pain aside. In the corner of her eye, she could see the other soldier dropping to the ground as a pair of shots echoed in the air. There was a clatter as the soldier she was attacking finally dropped his weapon and brought a hand up to try and disengage her. Two UNIT soldier rushed into the room. The female private saw her and rushed over, raising her firearm and yelling for the soldier to stop moving.

He stopped moving, but Rose didn't ease her grip, using his distraction to push her feet off the wall behind them and gain more leverage. The soldier began to sink to the ground and Rose let herself follow him down, catching herself only at the last minute. As his eyes shut and he slumped with a groan, Rose let go and straightened up.

"That wasn't too bad," she announced, earning a look from one of the private.

"Secure the prisoners," the sergeant snapped, directing the others towards them.

"Is there a brig onboard?" Rose questioned in surprise.

"Yes, just in case," the sergeant half sighed in relief and disgust. "You alright Agent Thorn?"

"I'll be fine," Rose promised. "Secure them and see if you can't take back the other engineering level. We need to get things working again."

"Yes Agent Tyler," they agreed, giving her a quick salute before moving off, leaving Rose to sigh to herself alone.

She turned her attention to the main problems and walked over towards the section where the soldiers had been working. Engineering was a mess and she quickly lost track of time as she took stock of the damage. Covers of machines had been torn open with wires pulled out in places and connected to others. Rose was working her way around the curving set of controls, folding wires back into place and trying to sort out what could be saved when she spotted a small machine free standing on the edge of the controls.

Abandoning her current project, Rose moved over to it and groaned as she noticed the lens on the front. It was some sort of camera that was humming softly. Anger surged up in her and while it was probably far too late, she quickly opened the top of the device and tugged on the nearest large wire. The hum weakened before vanishing, but it was far too large to be a regular camera. Sh tensed as someone walked over to her, but looked over to find the sergeant watching her calmly.

"I think they got what they wanted," Rose sighed to the sergeant as he joined her. "I need to let Kate know."

"Intercom is right there ma'am," he replied quickly, pointing at one of the nearby controls.

"Main engine room to bridge," Rose called as she pressed the button the sergeant had indicated. "Kate this is Rose." She wasn't sure what the right way to do this way, but Star Trek seemed like a good thing to copy.

"Rose, good you're alright," Kate replied in relief.

"They were recording the machines," Rose informed Kate as she leaned over the intercom. "Tore out some stuff, probably trying to stay in control, but it looks like the point was to send information to their people on Earth."

"Bugger," Kate hissed. "Well, we've extracted the suicide molars from two of them so we'll at least have prisoners this time."

Rose wondered if it was bad that she didn't feel concerned about them being kept as prisoners. Probably, but she remembered too clearly the attack by Black Sun that had killed several UNIT officers years ago and the way that Eclipse seemed all too happy to send their people to die.

"I'll send a couple people down to help deal with the situation," Kate continued.

"Kate things down here are a mess," Rose informed her, looking around. "They ripped open maybe a third of the control panels." She turned and checked the main engine. "The engine looks okay, but if you can get control from up there then you need to keep it."

"Understood," Kate answered a moment later. "The Doctor is shifting things back to the main engine room. Hold on, our course is about to change."

Behind Rose, the engine hummed a little louder. There was a strange crackling sound overhead that made her flinch and look up. The entire chamber echoed with strange sounds as the floor slowly shifted beneath them.

"Kate?"

"We're moving out of the orbital plane," Kate informed them. "We're clear of the asteroids."

"Alright good," Rose sighed in relief. "That's good."

Then there was a beeping sound echoing through the bridge controls that made Rose straighten up. Two computer screens down, something began to flash and Rose looked between the intercom and it. Releasing the intercom button, she gestured for the sergeant to take her place and moved over to check the screen. A series of bars on a chart were beginning to change though Rose wasn't sure what they were for. Overhead the lights in the engine room began to flicker, making Rose look up in alarm.

"Oh Guardians, what now?"