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Episode 10
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The patients are almost within touching distance. "Go to your room." The patients in the ward and the child in the house stand still. Diana cocks her head in slight confusion at his demand, she couldn't understand why it turned her on. Not the time nor place, "Go to your room. I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room!" The child and the patients hang their heads in shame and shuffle away. The child leaves the Lloyd's house and the patients get back into bed. "I'm really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words." He winked at Diana who smiled up at him, yep. Turned on.
"Why are they all wearing gas masks?" Rose asked as she moved closer to one of the patients. Diana watched the two men, not paying attention to the blonde. She didn't have too, unless her love told her otherwise, she didn't have to watch over anyone but him. "They're not. Those masks are flesh and bone." The Captain, Jack responded. Diana watched him with a frown, "How was your con supposed to work?" She asked with a cock of her head still not understanding the meaning of it. "Simple enough, really. Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put fifty percent up front, oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."
"Yeah. Perfect." Diana and The Doctor muttered together, "The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners. Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day. Getting a hint of disapproval." He smirked at The Doctor's unimpressed look. "Take a look around the room. This is what your harmless piece of space-junk did." Diana spoke up, pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning against. "It was a burnt-out medical transporter. It was empty." He scoffed crossing his arms like a child, "Diana, Rose." The Doctor held his hand out for Diana gesturing for her. She smiled brightly at him as Rose glared at the two. "Are we getting out of here?" She asked moving over to the group of three, "We're going upstairs." Jack who had been watching them, frowned and continued on to try and explain himself. "I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living. I harmed no-one. I don't know what's happening here, but believe me, I had nothing to do with it."
"I'll tell you what's happening. You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day." The Doctor growled out as a siren sounds. "What's that?" Rose asked looking towards The Doctor who was already looking at Diana. She nodded to him gently, "The all clear." Jack stated with a small smirk. "I wish." He takes off running making sure to keep Diana within his grasp. "Mister Spock?" Jack shouted from behind, "Doctor?" They run past the staircase where The Doctor and Diana are already the next flight up. "Have you got a blaster?" He asked looking down at them, "Sure!" Jack and Rose run up to join them outside a secure metal door. "The night your space-junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken." The Doctor explained his eyes hard, yet his grip on Diana never loosened. "What happened?" Rose asked, "Let's find out. Get it open." He demanded pointing towards the door. "What's wrong with your sonic screwdriver?" Rose asked causing him to wince slightly as he look down at Diana who looked back up at him in confusion. "Nothing." He uttered out quickly as Jack's blaster disintegrates the lock. "Sonic blaster, fifty first century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?"
"You've been to the factories?" Jack asked cocking his head in slight confusion, "Once." The Doctor nodded to him, "Well, they gone now, destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vaporized the lot." Jack explained although The Doctor already knew that, "Like I said. Once. There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. Bananas are good." Diana giggled as he kissed her head happily, Rose growling in annoyance as she turned to Jack. "Nice blast pattern." She flirts, Jack immediately catching on to what happened. "Digital." He uttered out watching the three with a frown. "Squareness gun." She continued, looking towards The Doctor to see if he was getting jealous. He wasn't, not even paying attention to them as he moved inside the room.
"Yeah."
"I like it."
Diana leaving his side to find a light switch. Filing cabinets, electronic equipment and a big mess. An observation window across the room is broken. "What do you think?" The Doctor asked out loud, "Something got out of here." Jack uttered out, moving in closer. "Yeah. And?" The Doctor urged him to continue his thoughts, he wanted the man to understand what was going on. "Something powerful. Angry." Jack spoke with a frown, moving around The Doctor. Rose stayed by the door as Diana leaned against the desk in front of The Doctor. "Powerful and angry." She muttered lightly, There are child's crayon drawings scattered on the floor and a Steiff teddy bear. "A child? I suppose this explains Mummy." Jack stated picking up the bear. "How could a child do this?" The Doctor turns on a tape machine.
"Do you know where you are?"
"Are you my mummy?"
"Are you aware of what's around you? Can you see?"
"Are you my mummy?"
"What do you want? Do you know..."
"I want my mummy. Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?"
"Doctor, I've heard this voice before." Diana couldn't help but roll her eyes, frowning slightly at her own action. When she was created, she was given every personality of a Timelady. She was created especially for The Doctor, but she could admit she had some of her mother's personality mixed with her own seeming as she was reacting to Rose. She slowly looked towards The Doctor who wasn't paying attention, "Me too." He uttered out, what if he didn't like her because of how she was acting towards Rose? Would he abandon her? Her eyes widened as he looked up at her as if sensing her inner dilemma.
"Mummy?"
"Always are you my mummy?. Like he doesn't know." Rose uttered out gaining everyone's attention again, "Mummy?" Diana frowned in sadness, the poor child. "Why doesn't he know?" She asked gently as The Doctor moved over to pull her close. He didn't want Diana to feel sad, he would fix this. "Are you there, mummy? Mummy? Mummy? Please, mummy? Mummy?"
"Doctor?" Rose asked finally looking up at him, only to growl again when she noticed he was holding Diana. "Can you sense it?" Diana asked out loud towards everyone, "Sense what?" Jack asked looking towards her, "Coming out of the walls. Can you feel it?" She muttered lowly, trying to fight the emotions that wanted to come out. The sadness she could feel for this little boy, "Mummy?" The Doctor glared in annoyance when Jack and Rose just shook their head. "Funny little human brains. How do you get around in those things?" He insulted causing Diana to chuckle lowly into his jacket. "When he's stressed, he likes to insult species." Rose tried to neutralize him, Diana frowning again. "Rose, I'm thinking." He snapped in annoyance, Diana to prove herself spoke up before Rose could. "He cuts himself shaving, he does half an hour on life forms he's cleverer than." She smiled at Jack who nodded back awkwardly as Rose glared. "There are these children living rough round the bomb sites. They come out during air-raids looking for food." Everyone watched him, tuning out the young voice. "Suppose they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed?" Jack rolled his eyes in annoyance, the man really didn't listen.
"It was a med-ship. It was harmless." The Doctor gently released Diana as he started to pace, "Yes, you keep saying harmless. Suppose one of them was affected, altered?" He asked giving Jack a pointed look, "Altered how?" The tape runs out and Diana is the only one who notices the little boy in the room. "I'm here!" His head turned towards her, even though she couldn't see his eyes she knew he was watching her. "It's afraid. Terribly afraid and powerful. It doesn't know it yet, but it will do. It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to it's room." The Doctor finally stopped, looking towards Diana who was frozen in place. "Doctor." Rose asked out loud but he wasn't paying attention, he slowly turned his head towards the direction Diana was staring at. "I'm here. Can't you see me?" Rose nor Jack seeming to notice the boy, "What's that noise?" Rose continued on, still not grasping anything. "End of the tape. It ran out about thirty seconds ago." Diana finally spoke up, her voice calm but you could tell she was scared.
"I'm here, now. Can't you see me?"
"I sent it to it's room. This is it's room."The child is there, finally getting noticed by Jack and Rose. The Doctor immediately grabbed Diana and pulled her behind him. "Are you my mummy? Mummy?" The little boy cocked his head as if he was trying to figure out who his mother was, "Doctor?" Rose shouts causing Diana to slightly jump in annoyance. "Okay, on my signal make for the door." Jack demanded, "Mummy?" Jack aims his blaster at the child. Except it is a banana, "Now!" He paused, frowning at the fruit in his hand. "Mummy?" The Doctor pulls Jack's blaster from his belt, the one his snatched in the middle of his pacing and makes a nice square hole in the wall. "Go now! Don't drop the banana!" He pushes Diana through first to make sure she was safe. "Why not?!" Jack demands as The Doctor goes next, then Rose finally him. "Good source of potassium!"
They all stood in a hallway, "Give me that!" Jack snaps taking it back, The Doctor smiles down at Diana proudly who laughs at him with a shake of her head. "Mummy. I want my mummy."
Jack uses his blaster to repair the hole in the wall. "Digital rewind. Nice switch." He winks smirking smugly causing The Doctor to frown with a pout. "It's from the groves of Villengard. I thought it was appropriate." Rose looks at the banana in disbelief as Diana grabs it and opens it to eat. Jack gapped at her, looking towards The Doctor half expecting the man to be upset but he just smiled widely at the dark haired women. "There's really a banana grove in the heart of Villengard and you did that?" Jack asked, The Doctor turning his attention back on the other two. "Bananas are good." Diana stated as she went to clean her fingers only for The Doctor to grab them and do it himself. A hush went over the group, Jack raised an eyebrow in a suggestive manner with a smirk. Rose gapping in absolute shock, horror and anger. While Diana gapped in slight embarrassment and arousal, not sure if the timing was appropriate. The Doctor just hummed gently nipping at the tips of her fingers before pulling out a small wet towel to finish cleaning her hand.
The wall starts to crack, causing everyone to start paying attention again to the situation they were in. "Doctor!" Rose immediately shouted causing him to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Come on!" But the patients are coming at them from the other direction. "Mummy. Mummy. Mummy." They repeated over, "It's keeping us here till it can get at us." Diana stated as she stared at the wall that was starting to crack more. "It's controlling them?" Jack asked looking at her in shock. "It is them. It's every living thing in this hospital." The Doctor explained to the two humans, "Okay. This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and as a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter. Doc, what you got?" He turned to The Doctor who looked down at Diana. She was already looking up at him, "I've got a sonic, er. Oh, never mind." He didn't want to tell Jack, because he knew he didn't have something as cool as him. It would disappointment Diana, "What?" Jack asked again in confusion, "It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that." The Doctor stated as he continued to fight against his own pride. Diana already knew he had it, he just didn't want to bring it out in from of Jack. It was like taking a horse to a car race, "Disrupter? Cannon? What?" Jack wouldn't let it go though, "It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am soniced up!" Rose was panicking and Diana was getting fed up because those things were getting closer.
"A sonic what?!"
"Screwdriver!" Diana and The Doctor shout as the child breaks through the wall. Diana quickly grabs Jack's blaster and points it at the floor. "Going down!" Diana warns loudly, before they all drop. Rose screams in shock as The Doctor and Jack grunt slightly when they land.
Jack repairs the hole in the ceiling, "Doctor, are you okay?" Rose moves towards him but he was already beside Diana who smiled gently at him. He smiled back, "Who has a sonic screwdriver?" Jack scoffed causing Diana to glare, she had finally caught onto what The Doctor was feeling. "He does." She defended quickly immediately making the man's hearts race in happiness that she wasn't ashamed that he didn't have a cool gadget like Jack. "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, ooo, this could be a little more sonic?" Jack asked staring at the man in exasperation although they could exactly see each other seeming as it was dark. Rose had already wondered off, "What, you've never been bored? Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?" Diana let out a laugh just as the lights turn on and the patients sit up in their beds. Nice going Rose, "Mummy. Mummy." They start to get out of the beds. "Door." The blaster doesn't work, "Damn it!" Jack shouts in annoyance. "It's the special features. They really drain the battery." He turned to the other three who were staring at him. "The battery?" Rose asked with a scoff, Diana patted the man on the back. The screwdriver gets them into the storeroom.
"That's so lame!"
"I was going to send for another one, but somebody's got to blow up the factory." Jack gave The Doctor a pointed look who just smirk sarcastically back at the man. "Oh, I know. First day I met him, he blew my job up. That's practically how he communicates." Diana frowned about to open her mouth but he turned to her, "That's not how I communicate with you. Your different, your my life." He muttered lowly at her causing her to blush. "Okay, that door should hold it for a bit." The Doctor spoke out loud for the other two, "The door? The wall didn't stop it!" Jack scoffed with a glare. "Well, it's got to find us first! Come on, we're not done yet! Assets, assets!" He went to search through the small room, "Well, I've got a banana, and in a pinch you could put up some shelves." Jack spoke sarcastically causing Diana to punch him in the arm. "Window." Diana spoke out loud towards The Doctor as Jack hissed rubbing his arm. "Barred. Sheer drop outside. Seven stories." Jack stated moving away from Diana who smirked smugly. "And no other exits." Rose stated quickly spinning in a circle to make sure. "Well, the assets conversation went in a flash, didn't it?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, The Doctor grunted in annoyance as he moved towards Diana.
"So, where'd you pick this one up, then?"
"Doctor."
"She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance."
"Okay. One, we've got to get out of here. Two, we can't get out of here. Have I missed anything?"
"Yeah. Jack just disappeared."
—
"Okay, so he's vanished into thin air. Why is it always the great looking ones who do that?" Rose grumbled crossing her arms, "I'm making an effort not to be insulted." Diana frowned looking down at him as he sat with her in his lap. "I didn't think he was that good looking, The Doctor is more my type." The Doctor beamed at Diana while Rose rolled her eyes. "I mean, men." She uttered out in exasperation, trying and failing to validate her point. "Okay, thanks, that really helped." The radio crackles into life, "Rose? Doctor? Beautiful, can you hear me? I'm back on my ship. Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you. It's security-keyed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it. Hang in there." The Doctor frowned as he stood up, gently placing Diana back on the ground. "How're you speaking to us?" He asked out loud, looking towards the radio that the man had been using. "Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grill." Diana raised an eyebrow looking towards The Doctor, "The child can Om-Com, too." She stated causing him to nod, while she mostly was stating the fact she was also making sure she was correct.
"He can?" Rose asked with a frown, "Anything with a speaker grill. Even the Tardis phone." Diana spoke up causing The Doctor to smile widely at the fact she was trying to be more open. "What, you mean the child can phone us?" Rose scoffed, not entirely believing the women.
"And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to find you."
"Doctor, can you hear that?" Jack asked from his end of the radio. "Loud and clear." The Doctor responded back with a nod even though Jack couldn't see him. "I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do."
"Coming to find you, mummy."
"Remember this one, Rose?" Rose looked confused for a moment before Moonlight Serenade comes through the radio. "Our song." She blushed looking away, Diana raised an eyebrow as The Doctor rolled his eyes.
A little later, Rose is relaxing in a wheelchair while the Doctor is at the barred window with the ever-versatile sonic screwdriver. Diana had seated herself on the desk, swinging her feet back and forth. "What you doing?" Rose asked finally getting bored, "Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete, loosen the bars." He explained, "You don't think he's coming back, do you?" Rose snipped, slightly offended by the fact he couldn't trust someone she picked. "Wouldn't bet his life." Diana spoke up as she leaned back closing her eyes. "Why don't you trust him?" Rose asked in irritation, not that it was any of her business why he didn't trust the man. "Why do you?" Diana asked back opening her eyes and raising a eyebrow in the blonde's direction. "He saved my life. Bloke-wise, that's up there with flossing. I trust him because he's like you. Except with dating and dancing." She paused catching his look he shot Diana who looked slightly confused, "What?" Rose asked with a glare as she looked between them.
"You just assume I'm..."
"What?"
"You just assume that I'm not gonna dance."
"What, are you telling me you do dance?"
"Nine hundred years old, me. I've been alone for a while. I think you can assume at some point I'm gonna dance."
"You?" Rose smiled up at him almost expectedly while Diana looked confused. It sounded like two different conversations, especially with the way The Doctor was looking at her. "Problem?" He asked Rose with a blush as he looked towards Diana. Finally, her eyes widened as she got his part of the conversation and she smirked. "Doesn't the universe implode or something if you dance?" Diana teased gently with a raised eyebrow, taking over the conversation as Rose glared. "Well, I've got the moves but I wouldn't want to boast. Unless you want to find out sometimes." He winked at Diana causing her to shove slightly at the insinuation. Rose turns up the volume on the radio, It is still Moonlight Serenade. Moving in between the two, "You've got the moves? Show me your moves." She held out her hand with a smug smirk. "Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete." The Doctor snapped at her in annoyance, she just rolled her eyes in return.
"Jack'll be back. He'll get us out. So come on. The world doesn't end because the Doctor dances." Rose holds out her hands, and the Doctor looks at her palms. "Barrage balloon?" He asked, "What?" She scoffed lowly her shoulders sagging. "You were hanging from a barrage balloon." Diana stated in fact, "Oh, yeah. About two minutes after you two left me. Thousands of feet above London, middle of a German air-raid, Union Jack all over my chest." She grumbled out with a eye roll, "I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy friendly." The Doctor muttered in his own annoyance at the girl. "Is this you dancing? Because I've got notes." She uttered talking his hands and pulling him closer, but he leans back with a grunt. "Hanging from a rope thousands feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise."
"Yeah, I know. Captain Jack fixed me up." The Doctor looked towards Diana with an exasperated look of annoyance. "Oh, we're calling him Captain Jack now, are we?" He uttered out causing Diana to laugh gently. "Well, his name's Jack and he's a Captain." Diana pointed out with a smile as The Doctor turned to her slightly offended that she was buying his Captain crap. "He's not really a Captain, Diana." The Doctor uttered out with a slight pout. "Do you know what I think? I think you're experiencing Captain envy. You'll find your feet at the end of your legs. You may care to move them." Diana raised an eyebrow as they were teleported into a small but decent spaceship. She still managed to sit on something, "If ever he was a Captain, he's been defrocked." The Doctor continued, "Yeah? Shame I missed that." Rose grumbled rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock. Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet. Sorry about the delay. I had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security." The Doctor and Rose finally notice their change of location and start looking around. "You can spend ten minutes overriding your own protocols? Maybe you should remember whose ship it is." The Doctor gave him a pointed look causing him to smirk back. "Oh, I do. She was gorgeous. Like I told her, be back in five minutes." He winked at Diana who gave a stiff smile, not falling for his flirts like Rose. "This is a Chula ship." The Doctor uttered out picking up a few then and setting them back down. "Yeah, just like that medical transporter. Only this one is dangerous."
The Doctor snaps his fingers and the golden glow envelopes his hands. "They're what fixed my hands up Jack called them er..." Rose clicked her fingers trying to remember, "Nanobots? Nanogenes." Diana took a guess as she watched them, "Nanogenes, yeah." Rose nodded then frowned realizing she just agreed with the girl she didn't like. "Sub-atomic robots. There's millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed. All better now. They activate when the bulk head's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws. Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk." Diana raised an eyebrow as The Doctor turned to point at her with a look, having sensed her gain of thought. "Not that way." He pointed out quickly before she could say anything. Jack chuckled shaking his head, "As soon as I get the nav-com back online. Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with whatever it was you were doing." He gestured for them to continue but The Doctor just frowned and moved to stand by Diana. "We were talking about dancing."
"It didn't look like talking."
"It didn't feel like dancing."
A few minutes later, "So, you used to be a Time Agent now you're trying to con them?" Rose asked trying her hardest not to look back at the two who were sitting together. Diana had fallen asleep on The Doctor's shoulder as the waited for Jack to finish. "If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money." That caught The Doctor's attention, "For what?" Rose asked with a cock of her head. "Woke up one day when I was still working for them, found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back."
"They stole your memories?"
"Two years of my life. No idea what I did. Your friend over there doesn't trust me, and for all I know he's right not to. Okay, we're good to go. Crash site?" After waking Diana up, the group of now four made their way to the crash site. Soon coming up to the barbed fence, "There it is. Hey, they've got Algy on duty. It must be important." Jack smiled at the sight of the man, "We've got to get past him." The Doctor muttered out with a small frown, he really didn't want to have Diana be the distraction. "Are the words distract the guard heading in my general direction?" Rose asked with a smug smirk, "I don't think that'd be such a good idea." Rose frowned in slight offense as Diana and The Doctor immediately caught onto what he meant.
"Don't worry I can handle it." Rose growled in annoyance, "I've got to know Algy quite well since I've been in town. Trust me, you're not his type. I'll distract him. Don't wait up." He winked at them as Rose watched with a frown. Jack making his way towards the man, "Relax, he's a fifty first century guy. He's just a bit more flexible when it comes to dancing." Rose gapped in shock, "How flexible?" She asked looked slightly offended by his insinuation. "Well, by his time, you lot have spread out across half the galaxy." Diana stated with a shrug, "Meaning?" Rose frowned back, "So many species, so little time." He winked at Diana as Rose scoffed, "What, that's what we do when we get out there? That's our mission? We seek new life, and, and..." Diana couldn't understand why she was so shocked, she clearly wanted to be one of those humans seeming as she wanted to dance with The Doctor.
"Dance."
They could hear the conversations but not to long after it started Algy starts to retch, then falls to his knees before his face turns into a gas mask. Rose, Diana and the Doctor run forward from the sidings. "Stay back!" The Doctor shouts at the other soldiers that had come to check out what was going on. "You men, stay away!" Jack demands,
"The effect's become air-borne, accelerating." The air raid sirens start up, "What's keeping us safe?" Rose asked spinning around in a circle as she looked up at the sky. "Nothing." Diana stated looking towards The Doctor who was frowning, "Ah, here they come again." Jack gestures to the sky. "All we need. Didn't you say a bomb was going to land here?" Rose asked with a frown, "Never mind about that. If the contaminants airborne now, there's hours left." Diana pointed out causing The Doctor to nod in agreement but his mind wasn't much in the conversation seeming as he couldn't concentrate. He was hearing something no one else was, "For what?" Jack asked, "Till nothing, forever. For the entire human race. And can anyone else hear singing?"
"Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree tops." Jenkins is fully transformed and slumped across the table. "When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. Down will come baby, cradle and all."The Doctor enters and gestures to her to keep singing. "Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree tops. When the wind blows the cradle will rock." The Doctor frees her from the handcuffs.
They light up and uncover the spacecraft. Rose, Diana and now Nancy were standing at the bottom of the ship while The Doctor and Jack stood on top of it. "You see? Just an ambulance." Jack insisted, "That's an ambulance?" Nancy asked looking confused at the sight of it. "It's hard to explain. It's from another world." Rose tried with a small laugh, "They've been trying to get in." Jack stated as a fact, "Of course they have. They think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon. What're you doing?" Jack is keying in the access codes. "The sooner you see this thing is empty, the sooner you'll know I had nothing to do with it." Bang! Sparks, and an alarm. The access panel has a red flashing light. "Didn't happen last time." He uttered out with a frown, "It hadn't crashed last time. There'll be emergency protocols." Diana stated, "Doctor, what is that?" Rose asked with a frown.
"Doctor!"
"Captain, secure those gates!"
"Why?"
"Just do it! Nancy, how'd you get in here?"
"I cut the wire."
"Show Rose. Setting two thousand four hundred and twenty eight D." The Doctor throws Rose the sonic screwdriver. Rose looks down at it confused, "What?" She asked causing The Doctor to roll his eyes in exasperation. "Reattaches barbed wire. Go!" He sends them off, making sure to keep Diana by his side until they all came back. "You'll fix this. I believe in you." Diana muttered gently, smiling at him as he blew out a breath and kissed her gently. "For luck?" He whispered placing his forehead against hers. "For luck." She muttered back with a smile.
After running back, Jack gets the ambulance open. "It's empty. Look at it." He insisted as Rose and Nancy rush back towards them. "What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops? Rose?"
"I don't know."
"Yes, you do."
"Nanogenes!"
"It wasn't empty, Captain. There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species."
"Oh, God."
"Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child, probably killed earlier that night, and wearing a gasmask." The Doctor explained to the other three that didn't understand, "And they brought him back to life? They can do that?" Rose asked watching him with a frown, "What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene. One problem, though. These nanogenes, they're not like the ones on your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do. They patch it up. Can't tell what's gasmask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. Because, you see, now they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't ever stop. They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is going to be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child looking for its mother, and nothing in the world can stop it!"
"I didn't know." The Doctor works on the ambulance while the patients approach. They kept chanting the same mantra over and over like before. "Rose!" Nancy shouted towards the blonde, "It's bringing the gas mask people here, isn't it?" Rose asked The Doctor who nodded back. "The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling up the troops. Standard protocol." The Doctor uttered out, "But the gas mask people aren't troops." Rose stated with a frown, "They are now. This is a battle-field ambulance. The nanogenes don't just fix you up, they get you ready for the front line. Equip you, programme you." Diana explained to her causing her eyes to widen in realization. "That's why the child's so strong. Why it could do that phoning thing." The two aliens nodded back at the blonde, "It's a fully equipped Chula warrior, yes. All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four year old looking for his mummy. And now there's an army of them." The patients surround them, outside the barbed wire.
"Why don't they attack?" Jack asked watching as they stood their, "Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander." The Doctor growled out, "The child?" Jack asked with a slight scoff, "Jamie." Nancy snapped angrily causing Diana to raise an eyebrow at the girl. "What?" Jack asked back with a frown, "Not the child. Jamie." She insisted, Diana finally noticing something she didn't earlier and looking towards The Doctor who was watching her as well. "So how long until the bomb falls?" Rose asked, "Any second." Jack sweated with a nervous look. "What's the matter, Captain? A bit close to the volcano for you?" The Doctor spoke smugly, "He's just a little boy." She started to tear up in her own realization. "I know." The Doctor stated watching her again, "He's just a little boy who wants his mummy." He looked down at Diana as if to confirm his thoughts and she nodded back up at him. "There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy. And this little boy can." Diana uttered out watching her cry, "So what're we going to do?"
"Nancy, what age are you? Twenty? Twenty one? Older than you look, yes?" The bombs get closer, "Doctor, that bomb. We've got seconds." Jack stated not understanding why he was so worried about this girls age. "You can teleport us out." Rose stated with wide eyes looking up at him expectingly. "Not you guys. The nav-com's back online. Going to take too long to override the protocols." Jack shook his head with a frown, "So it's volcano day. Do what you've got to do." The Doctor didn't even glance back, Diana smiled gently at him but Rose frowned watching the man. "Jack?" Jack vanishes, Rose scoffed shaking her head. "How old were you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway. He's not your brother, is he? A teenage single mother in 1941. So you hid. You lied. You even lied to him." The bomb site gate opens and Jamie stands there. "Are you my mummy?" Diana looked towards Nancy, "He's going to keep asking, Nancy. He's never going to stop." She stared watching the women,
"Mummy?" Jamie insisted again, "Tell him. Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me and tell him." Nancy and Jamie walk towards each other.
"Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy?"
"Yes. Yes, I am your mummy."
"Mummy?"
"I'm here."
"Are you my mummy?"
"I'm here. Yes."
"He doesn't understand. There's not enough of him left." Diana speaks sadly as she watched them with tears in her eyes. "I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry." Nancy hugs Jamie and a cloud of nanogenes surround them. "What's happening? Doctor, it's changing her, we should..." Diana rolled her eyes bin annoyance. "Shush!" She shushed the blonde who gapped at her in offense. "Come on, please. Come on, you clever little nanogenes. Figure it out! The mother, she's the mother. It's got to be enough information. Figure it out." The Doctor started to smile, "What's happening?" Rose asked still not understanding, "See? Recognising the same DNA." Jamie lets go and Nancy falls on the ground. "Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one." He makes his way over to them and leans down, The Doctor removes Jamie's gas mask. The little boy smiles up at him, "Ha-ha! Welcome back! Twenty years till pop music - you're going to love it."
"What happened?" Nancy gasped in happiness as The Doctor handed her son over. "The nanogenes recognised the superior information, the parent DNA. They didn't change you because you changed them! Ha-ha! Mother knows best!" She cuddled closer to her son as The Doctor spun in happiness, "Oh, Jamie." She cried into the boy, Diana smiled gently with a cock of her head. "Doctor, that bomb." Rose pointed out, "Taken care of it." Diana and The Doctor spoke together, "How?"
"Psychology." The bomb hurtles towards them, and gets caught in Jack's light beam just before impact. Jack is sitting astride the bomb. "Doctor!" Jack smiles down at the small group, "Good lad!" The Doctor laughs back up at the dark haired man. "The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis but it won't last long." He explained causing The Doctor to nod back. "Change of plan. Don't need the bomb. Can you get rid of it, safely as you can?" Jack hesitated but then nodded, "Rose?" He looked towards the blonde who stared back up at him. "Yeah?" She asked pushed her hair behind her ear. "Goodbye." Jack and the bomb vanish then reappear. "By the way, love the tee-shirt." And vanishes again. The spaceship sucks up the light beam and flies off. The Doctor summons some nanogenes to himself. "What are you doing?" Rose asked with a frown as Diana watched with a gentle smile. "Software patch. Going to email the upgrade. You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves." He throws the nanogenes to the waiting patients, who fall to the ground.. "Everybody lives, Diana. Just this once, everybody lives!"The patients stand up again, back to normal. "Doctor Constantine. Who never left his patients. Back on your feet, constant doctor. The world doesn't want to get by without you just yet, and I don't blame it one bit. These are your patients. All better now."
"Yes, yes, so it seems. They also seem to be standing around in a disused railway station. Is there any particular reason for that?"
"Yeah, well, you know, cutbacks. Listen, whatever was wrong with them in the past, you're probably going to find that they're cured. Just tell them what a great doctor you are. Don't make a big thing of it. Okay?"
The Doctor leaves them, making sure to help anyone else off the ground before pulling Diana into his side. "Right, you lot. Lots to do. Beat the Germans, save the world. Don't forget the welfare state! Setting this to self-destruct, soon as everybody's clear. History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?" He laughed, smiling brightly. "Usually the first in line."
The group of three finally make their way into the Tardis, "The nanogenes will clean up the mess and switch themselves off, because I just told them to. Nancy and Jamie will go to Doctor Constantine for help, ditto. All in all, all things considered, fantastic!" He spun Diana around who laughed with him, "Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas." Rose laughed trying her hardest to ignore the hate she felt in her chest when she watched them. "Who says I'm not, red bicycle when you were twelve?" Diana watched them with a raised eyebrow while Rose frowned in confusion. "What?" She asked with a cock of her head, "And everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives! I need more days like this." He spun around as Diana and Rose watched him, "Doctor." Rose started, "Go on, ask me anything. I'm on fire."
"What about Jack? Why'd he say goodbye?"
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"Okay then. Think we'd better initiate emergency protocol four one seven." The computer responds, "Affirmative." A martini appears to which Jack drinks it, "Oo, a little too much vermouth. See if I come here again. Funny thing. Last time I was sentenced to death, I ordered four hyper-vodkas for my breakfast. All a bit of a blur after that. Woke up in bed with both my executioners. Mmm, lovely couple. They stayed in touch. Can't say that about most executioners. Anyway. Thanks for everything, computer. It's been great." Moonlight Serenade plays. Jack looks down the spaceship and through the open doors of the Tardis, where the Doctor and Rose are dancing while Diana stands off to the side, trying not to wince at their awkward dancing.
Diana smiles at Jack an waves him in, "Well, hurry up then!" Jack runs in, "Okay. And right and turn. Okay, okay, try and spin me again, but this time don't get my arm up my back. No extra points for a half-nelson." The Doctor uncomfortably moves as he tries to keep as little contact with Rose as he can without being a dick. "I'm sure I used to know this stuff. Close the door, will you? Your ship's about to blow up. There's going to be a draught."
Jack shuts the door and the Doctor starts up the engine. "Welcome to the Tardis." Diana announces as she spreads her arms open, "Much bigger on the inside." Jack stated as he looks around in awe. "You'd better be." The Doctor musses causing Rose to smirk, "I think what the Doctor's trying to say is you may cut in." Diana laughed as she watched them all dance, she wasn't really the dancing type. "Diana! Rose! I've just remembered!"
"What?" She smiles, expecting him to pull her close and dance with her. The music changes from waltz to swing - Glenn Miller's In The Mood. "I can dance! I can dance!" The Doctor starts dancing to impress Diana as Rose frowns with jealousy. "Actually, Doctor, I thought Jack might like this dance." Diana smiles at him as he smirks, "I'm sure he would, Diana. I'm absolutely certain. But who with?" Rose dances with Jack as The Doctor grabs Diana and pulls her close. This style he can do, and Diana loves it when he dips her.
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Wow, guys. This has taken forever, I just haven't had any motivation for this one and I've been working on The Last Queen.
I am thinking about rewriting, Courage's Heart. I don't like the way I wrote it, nor the way it's going but I might keep it because of how popular it seems to be.
Anyway thank you all for the love and support.
Once again I'm sorry for the delays, just no motivation.
7,240 Words