Twists in Time
Chapter Twenty-One: When, Where, and How: Contact
By Lumendea
…
The Doctor was rambling. And he was wearing the brainy specs. Rose had stopped understanding more than every third word or so five minutes ago. That was fine. His tone and volume kept shifting as he soldered together a couple of metal plates and a few wires. She would have been inclined to think he didn't know she was there anymore if she didn't know him so well. Every couple of sentences, he would gesture at one of the spare parts or describe something he needed for Rose to find.
She didn't mind. It was kind of nice watching him slip into his element like this. So far, he wasn't as much of a tinkerer in this body as he had been in his last when it came to the TARDIS. But she was getting the distinct impression that random and odd gadgets might be in their future more now. While she didn't understand the technical jargon the Doctor was spouting, his excitement was soothing. He seemed confident that they'd solve the issue. She needed that and focused on it.
"Rose!?" Came Jack's voice from the corridor. "Where are you?"
She shifted towards the door and looked out into the corridor. She couldn't see Jack yet but shouted for him before stroking the wall of the TARDIS.
"Can you guide him for us, dear?"
Rose returned to the Doctor just in time to fetch another piece for him. A few moments later, Jack came strolling in with a sheet of paper clutched in his hand.
"Spock thinks he found something," Jack said. "A ship that was in the area at the right- or I suppose, wrong time."
"Really?" The Doctor looked up from the contraption he was building. "That was easy." With the specs still on, he crossed the room and grabbed the paper. "That does fit… thought it would be more complicated than that."
"Already trying to escape Jackie?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"No." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "But I do want to figure this out. It's already been a while since the incident." He shoved the paper back to Jack and spun back to his contraption. "Almost done here. Where's Martha?"
"Talking with Sarah Jane. They were getting along when I left." Jack shrugged. "Figured that she'll answer any questions that Martha has."
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. He sounded a little nervous and Rose smiled fondly at him. "But suppose it's good for her to know what she's getting into. Didn't use to work that way."
"But isn't it better to have people aboard to want to be there?" Rose pressed gently.
"Probably." The Doctor look at her and at her smile sighed. "Yes. It is."
She gave him a quick kiss and then focused on finding the very particular wires that he insisted he needed next. Someday, she'd get these junk rooms properly organized. Someday. Or maybe she'd wait on that until there was a slew of little Time Lords and just let them build random things until there was a more reasonable amount of junk left. Then again… would they horde too? Astra had been fond of running experiments in their room so Rose could definitely see her collecting junk from any market they visited.
"Multiple TARDISes," she murmured to herself. When the kids grew up and got their own ships, she'd dump some of the junk in each of their ships. To get them started.
"What was that?" the Doctor asked.
"Nothing," Rose answered quickly. "Just trying to find stuff in here. We really should get it organized."
She could feel the scowl in the air at her suggestion. That made her chuckle.
"Found it," Jack announced. He glanced her way and brought the thingajig over to the Doctor. "What else?"
With Jack there, the Doctor devolved into even more technobabble.
….
Martha joined them a little later after calling Jack to let her into the TARDIS. The Doctor glanced her way at that and Rose was reminded that most of his prior companions hadn't ever had TARDIS keys. Martha's expression was thoughtful when she walked into the junk room and Rose was very tempted to ask. She didn't. Rose told herself, very firmly, that Martha likely needed time to process.
"Blimey," Martha laughed. She examined one of the shelves. "You've got a lot in here."
"This is only one of the rooms," the Doctor said with a hint of pride. "Though, there's a lot of overlap in what they contain. I hate to pass up interesting or rare parts. As soon as you need them, you won't be able to find them. And I lost two of the rooms not that long ago," he rambled. "We had to eject some of the rooms." Rose and Jack both grimaced at the reminder of that incident. "Still not sure what else we lost." The Doctor straightened up and frowned. "Really should do an inventory someday."
"Or another exploration day," Rose offered. "Those are fun. And we could actually write down what we find next time."
He gave her a beaming smile before scooping up the… oddly constructed shape of parts. "Sounds too official," the Doctor replied. He moved over to Rose and kissed her quickly before shifting his new device to one hand. She took his free hand the moment he offered it. "Let's see if we can find that ship!"
"Was the information Spock found useful?" Martha asked.
"Haven't tried yet," the Doctor said. "It narrows down the frequency I need to home in on and I know the general layout of the ship. But this device can only connect for so long so I wanted to have everything set before trying."
"I guess that makes sense." There was a nervous note back to Martha's voice. "Is there anything we need to prepare? Supplies? Medical packs? If you know the style of the ship, then you must have some information on the species." The Doctor stopped walking and Rose turned with him to look at Martha. "If they've been stuck… then their condition could be critical."
"It's unlikely that they've experienced more than a couple of hours," the Doctor said carefully. "But that does mean that the opposite is possible." He released Rose's hand and beamed at her. "They're humanoids, pretty similar to you. Allergic to latex so don't pack that, though I don't think I keep any gloves made of that in the medical bay anyway."
"No latex," Rose repeated. "Right." She kissed his cheek and smiled at Martha. "Good thought. Come on, I know where there are some packs we can use. And as much as I dislike them, the TARDIS can mass produce some nutrition bars for us."
The relief on Martha's face was very real. Rose wasn't sure what she'd expected, but she was glad that she and the Doctor had listened. Martha's point was well-considered. While was absolutely glad to help however she could when they got on board, Martha's training made her more inclined to prepare in advance. If they got up there and things weren't good, they would certainly be grateful for the bags.
To Rose's surprise, her mum was lingering at the door of the TARDIS and looking both curious and unhappy when she and Martha entered the console room with backpacks stuffed with supplies. Jackie's eyes were tracking the Doctor as he moved around the console. Rose was aware that the Doctor and her mum had talked earlier and wondered what her mum thought of him. He'd, well future him, had told her that they got along better.
"What's all that?" Jackie asked, turning her focus to Rose and Martha.
"Food and other supplies," Martha explained quickly. "Just in case."
"Aren't you taking the TARDIS?" Jackie demanded.
"Yes, mum," Rose answered. "But this way we have some with us and organized. Just in case."
"I think I've got it!" the Doctor cheered. "The TARDIS just linked to something just beyond the moon. Something that otherwise, her sensors are failing to pick up on."
"Really?" Martha sounded both excited and nervous. "You sure? Anything on their status? Were you able to make contact?"
"Well, it's hard to say what their status is," the Doctor said. "Or how long to them they've been stuck in that time dilation. Communications might be down or only on automated distress signals to conserve power."
"There might not be survivors," Jack said carefully. "Are you sure about the sensor readings?"
"Yes, there's still plenty of oxygen on the ship and gravity registered normally. It's safe to transport up." The Doctor eyed the bags that Rose and Martha had on their backs. "Ready?"
"Food, water, and general medical supplies," Martha replied. "Given we don't have further information… I didn't want to carry too much-complicated stuff."
"Good thought." The Doctor nodded and then turned his attention back to the console. He had linked the device in his hands to the TARDIS console by a long cable. "Almost ready."
"Wait," Jackie snapped. "Is this gonna be like one of those old fairy stories when a person goes to a place and then returns years later? I'm not losing my daughter for years!"
"It'll be alright, Jackie," Sarah Jane said, stepping into Rose's view and putting a hand on the woman's shoulder. She looked into the TARDIS and smiled at them. "Stay safe all of you. Rose, if you can, text me once you're up there so we know we have contact."
"We might not have contact?" Jackie shrieked. "This is gonna like those stories!"
"No, Jackie," the Doctor said with remarkable patience. "I'm a Time Lord. Once I feel what the time shift up there is, I'll be able to correct and smooth things out. If the TARDIS can keep the phones linked, she'll also adjust the time delay accordingly. We'll be an hour or two at most."
"Make it an hour at most," Jackie huffed. "The others will be here soon. You didn't call UNIT so Mickey will feel the need to call it in if you're not back in time for everyone coming on. I don't need them stomping nervously around in my garden."
Rose rolled her lips together tightly to hold back a laugh. It was just… wow, when had that become her mum's main concern with UNIT. Was Sarah Jane kicking up enough trouble that her mum had gotten used to UNIT? She was tempted to ask, but they had a ship to investigate and even the simplest of her mum's stories could easily take an hour. Still, she gave her mum a warm hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
"We'll be back as soon as possible," Rose promised. "But we need to go and help those people, yeah? Can't have that noise happening all the time and scaring the planet."
"Yes, right," the Doctor said. "We need to go so everyone who is going inside and everyone who isn't going, outside."
Sarah Jane gently pulled her mum back. Rose almost wished that Sarah Jane would come with them, but quickly decided that their friend helping keep her mum calm was a good idea. Besides, Johnny and the kids wouldn't be thrilled if she took off with no warning.
"Good luck," Sarah Jane called over with a smile before she firmly shut the door.
The Doctor chuckled. Rose was really tempted to ask what he thought of Sarah Jane helping to contain her mother. Sarah Jane likely found it tremendously funny to be helping keep his future mother-in-law from killing him, given that she was aware of that aspect of Rose's future.
"Alright," the Doctor said. He handed his device to Jack. "Hold on tight to that and the railing. This is gonna be a bit bumpy. We'll be crossing through rippled time, places where things haven't smoothed out."
"You're excited aren't you?" Martha asked. Rose noted that she was smiling fondly. "You'd enjoy anything."
The Doctor's eyes sparkled at the remark. Jack laughed and beamed at Martha. "Now you're getting it!"
"Not anything," Rose assured her with a smile. "Just most things."
"True," the Doctor agreed. Then he turned more serious. "We have a lock. Hold on and keep your wits about you. It's hard to anticipate what sort of issues there may be up there."
Rose nodded, feeling a flash of guilt once again. She hoped that it wasn't bad. She hoped that they'd find a confused crew who were stuck. But the churning in her gut was preparing for the worst.
"I love it when we can actually use the TARDIS," Rose murmured. "I know her time-dimensional state can make events more complicated and unstable, but I prefer having her nearby."
"Me too," the Doctor agreed. He was studying the controls with intense concentration and adjusting them very carefully. "Now, you remember where the emergency return is, right? It'll bring you back to now in Jackie's garden."
"Yes." Rose eyed the Doctor carefully. "I don't like you bringing that up."
"Well… I mean, time dilations can get weird. It's safe, well, probably safe. Mostly safe since we have the TARDIS and you have me, but just in case, we need to make sure that we get Martha back to Earth."
Rose slowly nodded. This wasn't worth trying to fight about. If worse came to worse, she'd take Jack's Vortex Manipulator and have him bring Martha back to Earth. Still, Rose really didn't want Martha to have to deal with missing four or five years of her life because of time travel. She couldn't imagine her mum dealing with that and couldn't imagine Martha's family coping at all well with her just vanishing for years.
Then the Doctor flipped a couple of switches and pulled down the flight lever. The TARDIS rolled and Rose frantically grabbed onto a railing with both hands as the weight of the pack shifted on her back. Martha gave a cry of surprise and alarm, but she was still on her feet with the help of the railing.
Jack was fine, holding onto a rail with one hand and leaning calmly with a grin while he kept a tight hold of the Doctor's device. The Doctor was scrambling around the console, holding on while the ship righted herself and shuddered. Then they landed. Everyone breathed out in relief.
"Blimey," Martha said. "You weren't kidding." She eyed the railing. "Maybe we should get some safety harnesses."
"Nay," the Doctor said. "Half the fun. Well, maybe five percent of the fun."
Jack moved first, carefully putting the device down on the console before hurrying to the door. He opened it just a crack and waited for a moment before carefully opening the door further. Light from the TARDIS spilled out and Jack slowly stepped outside. From her place, all Rose could see was grey as the light mixed with pitch blackness. That did not inspire confidence. Still, she adjusted the pack and headed to the door right behind the Doctor. He paused as he stepped out and took her hand.
The ship was dark. And the smell in the air was bitter. Rose stayed very still for a moment, trying to reach out with her other senses for any movement or noise. The Doctor's grip on her hand tightened for a moment before he released his grip. A light appeared beside her as Jack turned on a torch and held it up.
"Bit horror movie," Martha said softly as she stepped out.
"I wish you hadn't said that," Rose murmured. "I'm the only blonde here and they always die first."
"Not possible for you," Martha replied softly. Though she sounded nervous still. Rose was surprised at Martha's almost casual comment about her lack of dying. "What's the plan now?"
"I need to look around," the Doctor said. Rose could hear his frown. "I was expecting immediate contact." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "I was hoping- ah, yes, there are still life signs. There are being aboard. We just need to find them."
"Here, Martha," Jack said. He handed her the torch and brought up his wrist to access his Vortex Manipulator. "Let me see if I can get an isolated read."
"The hallway is the right size for humanoids," Rose said. She followed the light of a flashlight to what was obviously a door. "The doors too. So we shouldn't be dealing with anything too small."
"Martha, shine the light there," the Doctor ordered.
Rose pulled out her phone and turned on its light to help. There was an access panel along the wall. The sight of it made Rose feel better and she followed the Doctor over to it. Their footfalls were muted on the floor, but still audible. She was tempted to call out for anyone who might hear them.
"You alright?" the Doctor asked. He used the sonic to open the access panel.
"Bit creeped out," Rose answered. "I was hoping… Don't like empty ships. Reminds me too much of those clockwork droids."
"Ah, yes, that was an unsettling one," the Doctor agreed. "For one, you ended up trapped with the Sun King."
Rose laughed, brightening at the words. "Nothing happened, I assure you. I had my eye on a Lord of Time. How could a King of France ever compare?"
The Doctor grinned though he didn't look away from the wires in the panel. "That's nice to hear. Ah, here we go." There was a whirl of the sonic screwdriver and then low lights began to switch on. "The system is badly drained," the Doctor said with concern. "Even emergency power is low."
Rose turned to look at the corridor. It was slightly curved on the sides with a grey floor and ceiling. A few visible closed doors led off of it and there was another access panel further down from them. The whole thing had a gradual turn to it, making it difficult for Rose to even start estimating the size of the ship. Flickers of memory from the engineer danced across her mind. The information didn't help. The design wasn't distinct enough.
"Well," the Doctor said. "No sign of anyone yet. We'd best start looking." He held out a hand to Rose and gestured down the curving corridor. "Allons-y." Then he paused and smiled. "Oh, I like that word."