Hello, everyone! So sorry for it being so long since the last update. My computer broke at some point after the last chapter and I had to save up money to get a new one. On top of that, the computer at work blocked a lot of sites I used to write, so there's that as well. I'm a little behind in writing but I'm hopeful to catch up again.
I'll be posting two chapters today as an apology gift and a New Year's gift. So Happy New Year everyone!
Chapter 44
It had been another week since she confessed her darkest secret to the Doctor. After that night of opening up her soul to him . . . the nightmares had stopped. She was sleeping normally again. Even able to sleep in the bath without screaming awake at night in terror. It seemed that making the confession to the Doctor had helped. Had it completely erased the feeling of self-loathing she had for herself regarding the Halloway incident? No. That could never be undone. But, telling the Doctor the truth, helped in some ways of moving into a better step in their relationship. There were no more dark secrets kept between them. She had told him of the terrible deeds she had done, just as he had told her his. Each of them shared their broken souls only to find some solace together. And that was more than enough for her.
They were lounging about in their bedroom, laying on the bed together with her head resting on his chest, curled up close to him as he drew circles on her arm. They were fully dressed, just waiting for their stomachs to put up enough protest to go start breakfast. She had tried to get out of the room, but he surprised her by yanking her down onto the bed with him for a cuddle. Something about 'making new neural patterns' and whatnot. She wasn't certain what he was on about, but she made no complaints. It was quite nice. He had been staying with her through the night lately instead of leaving to go work on things. She was surprised he wasn't bored. Perhaps it was simply because of the nightmares she had. No, it wasn't that. Something told her it was different. It was like he was holding onto her more tightly than ever. It couldn't have been just because of the nightmares. It was the way she would catch him staring at her sometimes. Something was troubling him. Something deeply. What that was, however, he kept tight-lipped about it.
"We should go get something to eat. I am rather hungry," she mentioned after a while. Though she remained lying beside him with her head on his chest. The sound of his twin hearts was nothing short of serene music to her. She could listen to their duel beats all day and never tire of it. Maybe they could stay in bed all day doing this. Holding each other close and ignoring the troubles of the rest of the universe.
"Just a while longer," he said quietly against her hair. His fingers crept up, brushing through her hair in a repeated, soothing motion.
She all but melted against him, enjoying the loving caress of his hands. She rubbed soft circles around his chest, snaking her hand under his suit jacket so that she could get closer to his hearts. He wasn't wearing one of his ties today and had even opened up his buttoned shirt somewhat to expose a bit of his chest. It left her easier access to move her hand about. She heard him hum, sighing in contentment. "Oh, I forgot to ask, where did you put those journals?"
"On the shelf." She felt him lift a hand to point over to the study in the room. "Safest place for them."
He was right. Toby's journals of his discoveries on Krop Tor were safe in their room. She was glad that the Doctor had kept them. They had more to say about the planet and its people. Cultural values and such that she knew were the same as her people's. They had been studying the journals in between their travels outside the TARDIS. She, to learn more about the culture her people had in the past. The Doctor, to see if he could learn the language on his own. Though most of the things Toby had discovered were not as coherent as what she had read before. Much of it was a jumbled mess as what he found did not paint a clear picture. She wondered if she could suggest to the Doctor to stay onboard today to keep reading over them. Her stomach, on the other hand, had other ideas as it let out a low growl.
"Sounds like it's time for breakfast," he chortled softly. He gave a noise, a small grunt, as they both sat up. "Come on. Let's see what we can whip up."
Rose was already awake by the time they reached the galley. It was obvious the girl was eager to get going, so they had something quick to eat for breakfast before heading to the console room. Once there, the Doctor seemed to contemplate where to take them.
"We could go . . . Nah, that won't do . . . Then again there's . . . Nope, that's not right, either," they listened to him muttering under his breath.
"We could always pick something random. Those are always fun," Rose suggested, swinging her legs as she sat in the captain's chair. Madison stood beside her, leaning against the railing behind her.
"No. Nowhere random for a while," the Doctor said, voice rather firm with his words. Madison nodded, understanding his hesitation for a sporadic destination again. The last time had led them to Krop Tor. Very unpleasant indeed. The Doctor suddenly beamed, eyes lighting up as he started bouncing around the console, working on the controls to get them into flight. "I've got it! The perfect place for a nice trip."
Madison commented as the TARDIS rocked from side to side, "Is this on Earth, or elsewhere?"
"Future or present or past?" Rose added, just as curious as where they were heading.
"Earth, near future . . . should be," he adjusted a dial carefully, "in summer if I aim it correctly. Which I will, of course. My aim is perfect."
"Right," Rose said slowly, sending Madison a knowing smirk. Madison snickered a bit, stifling it when seeing the Doctor's pout. They soon landed and the Doctor threw on his overcoat before strolling over to the door.
"Are we properly dressed?" Madison questioned, curious as to what type of environment they had come to. He mentioned summer so her normal outfit consisting of a green jumper, denim trousers, and slim boots might be on the warm side. Rose was wearing something matching, though instead of a jumper it was a denim jacket she wore over a yellow shirt.
"Yep. Should be. It's in England, so you'll be fine. Come on, then!" He strolled over to the TARDIS door, opening it wide, only to pause. "Ah." He backed away, closing the door swiftly. "Nope. Wrong location. Dangerous acid environment. Don't want, either of you going out there," he spoke rapidly as he went back and steered the TARDIS once more. It was a very quick trip, with only a few things needed to adjust the ship to the right place.
Madison started to laugh when she felt the amused TARDIS in her mind. "You parked with something blocking the door, didn't you?" she asked, grinning as she saw the guilty expression on the Doctor.
". . . Quite possibly," he muttered, rubbing at his ear as he sniffed and ended the short trip to fix the alignment of the TARDIS. When the ship had settled once more, the Doctor strolled back over to the door and opened it wide for them to see. "Ah!" He appeared pleased with himself now as he smiled largely, his hands in his pockets as he walked ahead to allow Rose and Madison to come out next.
Madison noticed they were close to a construction or train yard of some sort, with the train tracks right behind them. There were large metal containers one might find being transported on a train on either side of the TARDIS. Those must have been the offenders to have blocked the doorway of the ship earlier. She could hear the sound of drilling somewhere in the distance. Sounded to her like a demolition hammer one might find used on roadways. There was a line of plywood barriers up, lining the area along the tracks. With posters stuck to the wood, it seemed as though there was a concert coming soon.
"So, near future, yeah?" Rose asked as she too looked around at everything.
"I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass, it stopped," the Doctor told them. "Well, mostly passing fancy. Well . . . if I'm honest, it's been something I've been planning for a while." He then gave a knowing grin towards Madison. "It's something I promised to take you to. Can you guess?"
"You've made many promises since I started travelling with you. I can hardly recall them all," Madison pointed out as she, Rose, and the Doctor started walking away from the TARDIS.
"Well . . . fair point. But it's a good promise. One with a lot of . . . fan flare." He grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together.
"Hmm. It's not a concert, is it?"
"Maybe a football game?" Rose asked, looking positively eager to discover what the surprise was.
"Close. Very close," the Doctor nodded slowly.
It was easy to see he was being as nonchalant as possible. Though there was a hint of excitement just there within his eyes as he appeared just as eager as Rose in the surprise being shown. When they rounded the street corner, coming to a smaller section of a neighbourhood, it was then that they could see the large banner hanging over the street between two street lights. Displayed proudly on the banner read London 2012 with the Olympic rings on either side. Madison gasped with excitement, already feeling her delight building to absolute glee.
"Thirtieth Olympiad!" the Doctor exclaimed with a flourish.
"No way!" Rose gaped at the banner, already bouncing on her feet with keenness.
Madison laughed, her enthusiasm already showing as she hugged the Doctor's arm. "I can't believe you! This is wonderful! I thought you were joking when you made that promise."
"Oh, I never joke about promises," the Doctor replied, his grin wide before he kissed the side of her head. He glanced at the banner as they passed under it. "Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about, wrestling with each other in the sand, as the crowds stood around baying . . . No, wait a minute, that was Club Med." He laughed, bumping into her as they strolled side by side. "Just in time for the opening doodah ceremony tonight. I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948."
As he kept on rambling, reminiscing over past events he had been to, Madison took in more of the sight of the neighbourhood. It seemed rather . . . quiet. Especially for a time like this. Weren't people normally getting excited and prepared for such an event? There were a few fellows who seemed to be working on fixing a hole in the pavement a few yards down the street. Another fellow was placing up a poster on a street light. She almost didn't notice the poster at first. Then, she did a double-take when she saw a picture of a child in the corner of her eye. Instantly, her heart sank as she saw it was a missing person poster. A small little girl from the looks of it. Not something to stop for entirely. That is until she saw the rest of the street lamps being covered in more posters. All of different children. Rose had seen it as well, walking over to the street light to give the posters a proper look. Madison pulled the Doctor's arm, steering him over to the street post. He didn't even notice being directed at first. He kept on rambling about edible ball bearings for some reason.
"Doctor, look," she pointed out, indicating to the posters. All three of them stared at the flyers, seeing two boys and one little girl. It was not that unusual to see missing person posters in a city like this. Even of children. It was always painful to see such young ones lost from their families. However, what was so unusual this time was the fact that all these children seemed to be missing from the very same location. The same street they were on.
"Who's taken them, do you think?" the Doctor wondered aloud. His earlier excitement was gone, replaced with a sombre stance of what was occurring. He moved away from Madison, turning slowly on the spot as he stared around the neighbourhood. "Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this. And why is it so cold?"
"I noticed that, too," Madison said, shivering as a chilly breeze blew through the area. "It changed the moment we came down this street."
"Someone reducing the temperature?" the Doctor commented, pondering still.
"Says here he went missing this week," Rose remarked as she pointed to the most recent poster added to the street light. "Why would a person do something like this?"
Madison's stomach twisted uncomfortably. The idea of anyone stealing a child away left a bitter taste in her mouth that just would not go away. A sharp pang went through her next as she stared at these pictures, seeing the happy faces smiling back at her. She imagined some cruel entity taking these kids, using them for something so terrible she wished not to imagine it. The very idea of a child being hurt or put through some kind of hell . . . She steeled herself, knowing she would do whatever it took to get these children back.
"We have to get them back," she said firmly, turning to the Doctor in determination. "Whatever twisted, vile thing took them, we must put an end to this." She glanced over when she heard the door of a home opening. A woman scurried out of her house, setting down a recycling sack on the side of the street before hurrying back into her home.
"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death," Rose noted quietly.
"Never a good sign," Madison remarked as she went to gaze elsewhere to see if there were any more clues to these disappearances. Maybe something in plain sight that the normal eye would miss. She blinked when she realised that the Doctor was now gone, seen jogging down the street in a hurry. Oh, dear. There he went again. Rushing off without them. She sighed, stepping quickly to follow after him. A car passed by her as she made her way over to the Doctor. He was crouched down in a front yard near a football goal. It seemed like a child's play area. He was smiling away, staring curiously down as he held out his hand near the ground next to the goal.
"What is it?" she asked him. She was not entirely surprised to see him acting strange. She was quite used to his behaviour by now.
"It tickles," he replied, not really telling her what he was doing. "Here. Feel." He grabbed her hand, pulling her down to crouch beside him. He held her hand near where he had been feeling. But she sensed nothing but the chilly air.
"Sorry. I don't feel anything."
"Really?" Now he seemed disappointed. "Not even a little?"
"Remember, though I may have extra senses than a normal human, I'm still quite limited compared to you."
"What's your game?" someone addressed from behind them, making the both of them turn their heads sharply. A man, with a maroon long-sleeved shirt with stripes and a very soured expression, loomed over them. It was apparent almost immediately that the two were not a welcomed sight. Madison stood up quickly while the Doctor remained rather frozen in place.
"My . . . um . . . Snakes and ladders. Quite good at squash, reasonable . . .," the Doctor stumbled to answer the man.
"Hello. Sorry, we didn't ask permission first. See, we're investigating the disappearances that have occurred around here," Madison spoke quickly, hoping to help the situation. She smiled politely, holding out her hand to the man. "Hi, I'm Madison Baker. This is my colleague, John Smith, also known as 'The Doctor'." The man did not shake her hand, staring at her in suspicion.
"Yes! We—we're police officers! She's my partner, and I'm . . . I've got a badge and—and a . . . a police car . . . You don't have to get . . ." The Doctor stood up, fumbling now to get out his psychic paper.
"You don't look like no coppers. You're lying," the man accused them, glaring openly now.
Madison did her best stern expression, shaking her head. "I assure you, sir, we are."
"Then how come you weren't around before?"
"We're a part of a special task force specifically for cases such as these."
"We've had plenty of coppers poking 'round here," the man snapped, pointing angrily at them, "and you don't look or sound like any of 'em. And they never mentioned any 'special task force' when they were here."
By now Madison noticed they were drawing a crowd. An elderly woman, two of the men she had noticed working on fixing the street, a dark-skinned woman from one of the homes, another woman with very short, cropped hair, and Rose, who had finally managed to catch up.
Trying to redirect the situation, Madison pressed on, "We're a task force that most police do not know about. We were specially assigned the cases from here and we plan on working through this neighbourhood as thoroughly as possible. Maybe even track down some leads that the officers you've met before might have missed. We've even brought a trainee along to help us." She patted Rose on the shoulder.
"Yes! Lewis! Our partner in training!" the Doctor exclaimed, still fumbling to get out his psychic paper from his coat pocket. It seemed to be buried deeply within his dimensional pocket.
"Well, she looks less like a copper than you two," the man countered swiftly.
"There's no dress code in our department," Madison rebutted easily.
"Oh, yeah? And what's this special task force called anyway?" the man asked, crossing his arms as he glared in distrust.
"Actually, fair point, we're still working on the naming. We're relatively new, see."
"Yep. Still a fresh new department," the Doctor added. He grinned when he finally found his psychic paper, pulling it out and holding it up for everyone to see. "Voila!" After everyone had a chance to see it, he placed it away.
"What are you going to do?" the woman with dark skin and wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt. Madison noticed how she held her arms tightly to her body and had an air of uneasiness about her. Though, then again, Madison could sense the same in just about everyone there. However, with this woman, it felt . . . different.
"The police have knocked on every door," said the elderly woman, one who had been talking to Rose moments ago. "No clues, no leads, nothing!"
"Look, look, kids run off sometimes, all right?" said the man in the maroon shirt. "That's what they do." It was obvious the man was in denial judging by his demeanour alone.
"I saw it with me own eyes," argued the elderly woman. "Dale Hicks in your garden playing with your Tommy, and then . . ." She made a motion of one disappearing. "Right in front of me, like he was never there. There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us!"
"Why don't we—," the Doctor started to say, only to be interrupted by the woman with the short cropped hair.
"Why don't we start with him!" the woman exclaimed, pointing angrily at one of the council workers. "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night . . ."
"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" the man said immediately in defence.
"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it!" argued the man in maroon.
"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is—," the Doctor tried once again to gain everyone's attention. It didn't work.
People started going at each other, yelling and arguing all at once. While the Doctor kept trying to interject, Madison could only shake her head in disappointment. Such as humans. Throwing around their anger and frustration at each other without at least trying to sort things out. Finally, she felt this went on long enough. Pulling an old trick she learned from Winnie in the outlaw gang, Madison took her fingers to her mouth and blew a piercing whistle. Everyone halted in their words and froze in shock, staring at her in stunned silence now.
"Thank you. That's better," she said, nodding curtly. "Now, if we can stop having a go at each other, I suggest, we listen to the Doctor." She looked to the Doctor, seeing him give her an appreciated glance. The man in maroon started to say something once again.
"Fingers on lips," the Doctor ordered sharply, eyeing each person with a hard stare until they did what he asked. Even Rose and Madison complied, wanting to make things equal amongst everyone. Seeming satisfied, the Doctor pressed on, "In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen, snatched out of thin air, right?"
"Uh . . . Can I . . .?" the elderly woman asked politely. The Doctor waved for her to speak. "Look around you. This was a safe street till it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?"
"Of course," said the Doctor.
"We'll certainly do our best," Madison assured the woman.
"Then that's good enough for me," said the elderly woman before she turned and walked off. The others followed suit soon after. None of them wished to hang around the streets any longer. So much for gaining answers from them. Madison suspected that they'd be on their own with this. She happened to look over, seeing the dark shadowy figure of a child in an upper level of one of the homes. The child had their hand pressed to the window, watching them all carefully.
"You see that kid, too?" Rose questioned quietly, leaning close to Madison. "Something about them doesn't feel right."
"Nothing about this street feels right," Madison remarked, shifting her eyes around the street. "But you're right. That child's mother seemed rather . . ."
"Guilty?"
"I was going to say 'scared'. But yes, a bit of that, too." She looked over to see if the Doctor had any thoughts to give, only to see that she and Rose were alone once more. "Oh, dear. Seems he's gone again."
"I swear, we need a leash on 'im," Rose grumbled before she and Madison made their way to find the Doctor.
"Or, one of those little bells you put on a cat collar." Madison snickered while Rose threw back her head and laughed.
XxXxXxXxXx
After a brief bit of investigating (asking the neighbours what they had witnessed and whatnot), the trio began walking around the neighbourhood in search of clues. It was mostly the Doctor searching as there was something in the air he could sense that Rose and Madison could not. Though there was a smell that he pointed out. The strange scent of metal was in the air around the areas where the children had been taken.
"Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other," the Doctor told them as the two followed him down a back alleyway. It led behind all the back gardens of the homes, in a tight space between. The Doctor paused suddenly. "Whoa! There it goes again. Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand." He pointed to his hand that was outstretched, showing them a line of goosebumps on the back of his hand.
"The smell is back, too," Madison noted.
"It's like a burnt fuse plug or something," Rose added as she sniffed the air.
"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished," the Doctor explained as they continued walking, his hands in his pockets as he strolled forward. "Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this." They came out of the alleyway, entering the main street again. Madison happened to look over when she spotted it.
"Oh! Look at you! Such a beautiful thing you are," she cooed as she walked over to the orange tabby cat walking by. The cat paused, allowing her to reach down and pet it.
"Aren't you a beautiful boy!" Rose said happily, getting down to pet the kitty as well. The cat seemed rather happy as she and Madison both gave good scratches around its chin. Madison glanced over her shoulder when hearing the Doctor grumbling under his breath. She could see the soured expression on his face as he shot a small glare at the cat.
"What's wrong, spaceman? Jealous that the cat is ginger and you're not?" she teased him as she stood up and walked over to the Doctor.
"No," he grumbled. He gave Madison a side glance then. "Have you even noticed my backcombing?"
She blinked, rather bemused yet confused by his sudden grumpiness. "What? 'Backcombing'?"
"Oh, never mind," the Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not really a cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, kind of takes the joy out of it. They're vicious things with claws. Vicious things with claws and teeth!"
Madison scoffed. "They most certainly are not." She went over, crouching down again and gently picking up the orange tabby. The cat was purring as she kept scratching at its chin, holding it the way she knew cats didn't mind. She walked over to the Doctor, smiling in encouragement. "You just haven't been around the good ones. Here. Scratch him under the chin like this."
The Doctor obliged rather reluctantly. He gave a few scratches under the cat's chin. But when the cat purred and rubbed its head against his hand, Madison could see the sour expression melt from the Doctor's face. "Well . . . suppose not all cats are bad," he admitted quietly.
Madison smiled warmly, glad to have changed the Doctor's mind. Even just a little. She went to place the cat back down but gasped when she realised the cat was no longer in her arms. "Doctor!" she cried in alarm, shocked as she held out her arms in disbelief. "The cat!"
"Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" the Doctor exclaimed, grinning widely as he waved at the smell that now radiated from Madison. Her nose scrunched as it stunk, making her eyes water from the burnt metal scent. "Ion residue. Blimey! That takes some doing. Just to snatch a living organism out of space-time. This baby is just like 'I'm having some of that!' I'm impressed." He held her arms, flipping them around to look at her carefully.
"It can take things away from someone holding them? It's been transported?" Rose asked. "Why didn't it take Maddie as well?"
"Maybe the cat was the only target?" Madison suggested.
"Just be glad it was only after the cat," the Doctor muttered, now frowning in concern.
"Will this smell ever go away?" Madison questioned, coughing as her eyes watered further.
"Here. I've got something for that," the Doctor told her as he pulled out a vial of perfume from his pocket. "Always keep this around just in case. Never know when it'll come in handy in olfactory deflection." He allowed Madison to spray herself before taking it back and placing it into his pocket. "Now, then. This thing, whatever it is, it can harness huge reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power. Find the source and you will find whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see. Keep 'em peeled."
"So, splitting up, then?" Madison asked. "Get a better search by spreading out?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." The Doctor grinned before heading off in one direction.
"Sounds like a terrible plan to me," Rose sighed before she too went off in another way.
Madison felt she rather agreed, but she walked down the street all the same. She wondered what they would even be looking for. Was this thing living in the streets? Or was it holed up in one of the houses? Did it look like a creature or a person? Was it hostile, or simply lost? So many questions and hardly anything to answer them.
It was a while later, with her rounding the corner of the street, when she heard Rose letting out a scream of fright. Bolting down the street, she could see a swirling black mass hanging over Rose, attacking the girl. Madison immediately felt her ire grow as she angrily stormed over to the thing. Whatever it had planned she swore she would end it . . . Before she had a chance to defend Rose from the creature, or to even get close enough to do so, the black mass suddenly shrunk and turned into a ball that fell into the girl's lap.
"Rose, are you all right? It didn't harm you, did it?" Madison asked as soon as she got close enough to help Rose to her feet.
"No. No, I'm good," Rose breathed in relief. The two looked over to see the Doctor running down the way, his sonic screwdriver in hand. It was then that Madison realised it must have been him to make the black creature shrink and become harmless. Thank goodness for his screwdriver.
"Where did that thing come from, anyway?" Madison questioned, looking over as she just now noticed the open garage.
"In there." Rose pointed at the small garage. "Heard it bouncing around inside so I thought—"
"Rule number eleven in a horror film; never open the door with the spooky sounds inside." Madison shook a finger at Rose, pretending to scold.
"Right. Learned that lesson the hard way."
"Okey dokey?" the Doctor asked when he finally reached them, looking Rose up and down for any sign of her being hurt.
"Yeah. Cheers," Rose said, giving a thumbs up as she breathed another sound of relief.
"No probs," he said as he gave the girl a quick hug. Then he looked at Madison in worry. "Maddie, it's okay. Relax."
Madison blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"You're glowing," Rose pointed at Madison, making the woman look down at herself.
"Oh!" Indeed she was as she looked down at herself and saw the golden glow around her. She hadn't even noticed in the slightest. Even her vision was hazy with a golden colour and the melody sang quietly in the back of her mind, perked up with worry. It had been a while since the last time the Siren had acted up. She mostly stayed quiet as things had been relatively calm since Krop Tor. Madison somewhat shook her head, letting out a slow calm breath to ease down her earlier reflexive anger in protecting a friend. She felt the energy fade and the Siren go back into slumber. "Sorry. Got a little worked up I suppose."
"That's all right. It happens to the best of us," the Doctor assured her as he grabbed the black ball from Rose and began inspecting it. "All though, I'll give a fiver if either one of you can tell me what the hell this thing is. 'Cause I haven't got the foggiest."
"Well, I can tell you, you just killed it," Rose said as she inspected it as well.
"It was never living. It's animated by energy," the Doctor explained. "The same energy that's snatching people. That is so dinky!" He began smiling as he tossed it up and down. "The go-anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket. Makes friends, impresses the boss, breakfast the ice at parties." He placed it in his pocket and then, walked away. "Off we go. Back to the TARDIS. I've got some equipment there that can tell us what it is."
"Doctor, do you think . . . do you think the children are . . .," Madison began to wonder aloud. She feared to even speak of it, but she knew she needed to ask. Whatever was taking the children, would there be any hope of finding them . . . alive? A queasy feeling overcame her even thinking of it. Horrid memories flash forth from her past. Memories she wished would stay buried. She snapped out of her troubled thoughts when she felt each of her hands being grabbed. Rose held one while the Doctor held the other. Each of them squeezed her hand.
"Don't worry, we'll find them," said Rose gently.
"And they'll be safe. If this thing wanted the children dead there would have been other ways than just taking them," the Doctor said, trying to be reassuring. It helped to have the two trying to comfort her troubled thoughts, making Madison smile at them.
"Do you have any ideas what is taking the kids?" Rose asked then, curious now.
"I have a few working theories, though nothing I can be certain of until we've examined this thing in the TARDIS," the Doctor explained, patting his pocket lightly.
"Then let's hurry. The sooner we get these children back to their homes, the better," Madison said, gripping Rose and the Doctor's hand more firmly as she pushed them to walk faster.
XxXxXxXxXx
It didn't take long at all. Once the Doctor set the black mesh ball in a small divot on the console and typed for the TARDIS to start her analysis. The monitor made a sound as the Gallifreyan writing on the monitor changed. Madison happened to be staring at it, seeing the circled writing slowly change for her to understand it.
"Graphite?" she blurted out before she had a moment to stop herself. She stiffened, carefully looking at the Doctor. She could see his puzzled expression.
"That's . . . right. Graphite," he said, turning his head away from her as he grabbed the graphite ball off the console. He pulled out a pencil, using the eraser to demonstrate that the ball was indeed made of graphite as pieces of it were erased. "Basically, the same material as an HB pencil."
Rose stared at the ball in disbelief. "I was attacked by a pencil scribble?"
"A scribble creature." The Doctor gave the ball a sniff, holding it out for them to smell as well. "Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But why make a scribble creature?"
"Maybe it was a mistake," Rose offered in thought.
"Maybe out of frustration," Madison agreed, nodding as she too thought of that. "I mean, if you're writing or drawing something and make a mistake, you scribble it out."
"Like a . . . child's drawing." Rose met Madison's eye as realisation seemed to hit the blonde girl. "You said it was in the street."
"Probably," the Doctor nodded, trying to see where Rose's train of thought was going.
"The girl."
"Of course!" Then he shook his head, confused. "What girl?"
"Oh! The little girl that was watching us earlier? No, it couldn't be . . . but that would make sense." Madison started pacing as she thought it over. "If the children are being merely taken, then perhaps they're being kidnapped as a means of a keepsake?"
Rose nodded. "The old lady. She said it takes them when the kids are playing."
"Then jealousy? Loneliness? Maybe a means to make friends?"
"Whatever it is, something about that kid gave me the creeps. Even her own mum looked scared of her."
Madison stopped pacing, looking back at Rose. "No, it wasn't fear of the child. More of the fear of being discovered. The mother knows something is wrong with the girl, she's just too afraid to mention it to anyone, let alone even think about it."
"Did you feel that off of her?"
"Somewhat, yes. Though her mum is well versed in keeping her emotions at bay. It was only a brief glimpse I got."
"Then, let's see this child in person. I'd like to take a look myself," said the Doctor as he tossed away the graphite ball and bounced over to the TARDIS door. He held it open for Rose and Madison, closing it behind him once he stepped out. They walked briskly down the way, heading to the home where Rose and Madison saw the child. The Doctor grabbed Madison's hand, making her trail behind him.
"How long?" he asked in her mind.
She knew what he meant immediately. Guilt went through her as she bowed her head in shame. "Since I've used the Time Vortex to stop the Daleks. When I was taking you to your room after you regenerated, I saw the words form when staring at the Gallifreyan writing," she explained softly. "I . . . kept forgetting to tell you. Honestly, it slipped my mind. And it's not perfect, either. It's more like broken English for me." She heard him hum in her mind.
"It's most likely your connection to the TARDIS that is allowing you to understand some of my language." He gave her hand a small squeeze of comfort. "I could help you understand more if you'd like."
This surprised her. Looking at him, she could see the way he gazed back, eyes soft as he seemed so willing to share this piece of himself. "You don't have to do that. I know how you like to keep things from Gallifrey to yourself."
"Well . . . maybe I don't want to keep them a secret anymore. Maybe I . . . want to share more with you."
Now she was truly stunned. She felt her heart leap and her stomach flutter. Oh, how she loved this man. Then, the next thing she felt was guilt. He was willing to share everything with her. Even his own language. Yet she couldn't do the same? "Doctor, I—"
"It's okay. Don't feel as if you have to share all your secrets just because I wish to share some of mine. You're allowed to keep some things to yourself if that's what makes you comfortable."
"Same goes for you. Just because I know some Gallifreyan now, doesn't mean you have to share everything."
"I know . . . But I want to share this with you." His smile was warm as he squeezed her hand again.
She returned his smile and gesture. Her steps were lighter as she felt overwhelmingly happy at that moment. She let her smile drop somewhat as they reached the home with the strange child. The Doctor rang the doorbell first, then knocked later as a few minutes passed with no answer. The three of them gave each other a side look, knowing the hesitancy of an answer was never a good sign.
"She's scared of us," Madison whispered as she felt the woman within. The fear that only a mother would have. The worry of protecting their child.
"Hmm, let's try a reverse psychological strategy then," the Doctor mumbled to them after knocking once more. Eventually, the mother answered the door. All three placed on kind smiles as the mother stood nervously in the shadowy reaches of her doorway. "Hello. I'm the Doctor, this is Madison and Rose. Can we see your daughter?"
"No. You can't," the mother answered swiftly, immediately on the defence.
"Okay. Bye." The Doctor, Madison, and Rose all turned and walked away. They only reached the end of the front walkway when the mother spoke again.
"Why? Why do you want to see Chloe?"
The three stopped, turning back around with the Doctor answering, "Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I just thought . . . well, we thought that she might like to give us a hand."
"Sorry to bother you," added Rose.
"Terribly sorry," agreed Madison.
"We'll let you get on with things. On your own. Bye again," said the Doctor. They turned once more, only to be stopped again.
"Wait," called out the woman. Her anxious demeanour was as clear as day as she hesitated to say anything more as they stared at her. "Can you help her?"
The Doctor gave the woman a kind smile. "Yes, I can."
They were introduced into the home soon enough, with the Doctor even taking off his coat to get more comfortable. The woman, Trish Webber, appeared rather flustered when they came into her sitting room. Rose and Madison sat beside each other on the small sofa while the Doctor remained standing. It was a typical household design from Madison's time. Not much different in the few short years ahead of 2006. There were obvious signs of a child being present in the home. Colourful pages and crayons were scattered around the coffee table, with some of the pages having child drawings on them. The telly was on in the corner, quietly showing a news broadcast of the incoming torchbearer. It appeared as though the man was getting closer to the street they were on. She recalled Rose mentioning the torch would be carried just down the way from here. Madison never had a chance to see such an event before. She wondered if they would be able to witness it while working on solving this issue.
"She stays in her room most of the time," Trish began telling them, clasping her hands anxiously in front of her. "I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone."
"What about Chloe's dad?" asked Rose.
Trish could be seen tensing, her manner shifting to somewhat cold as her eyes grew hard. "Chloe's dad died a year ago."
"I'm sorry," Rose offered in sympathy.
"You wouldn't be if you'd known him." Trish looked away, staring off distantly.
Madison could see the haunted look in the woman's eyes. Something only one who had gone through hell would have. From her emotions alone, she could tell that Trish had a terrible life with this so-called father. It made Madison wonder just what terrors Trish and Chloe had to live through before the man had passed on.
"Well, let's go and say hi," the Doctor said, snapping them out of their thoughts.
"I should check on her first, she might be asleep," Trish said swiftly, anxious once again.
"Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" the Doctor questioned, getting straight to the point now.
Trish winced slightly. There was hesitancy again before she spoke. "I want you to know, before you see her, that she's really a great kid."
"I'm sure she is," the Doctor assured her.
"She's never been in trouble at school. You should see her report from last year. A's and B's." Trish clasped her hands tighter, obviously still uncertain about letting them up to see her daughter.
"Can I use your loo?" Rose asked suddenly.
Glancing at the girl, Madison could see where Rose's idea was heading. Go snooping about to look for more evidence. In most cases, she would agree. Now, however . . . she almost felt that this might not be such a good idea. Trish was already on edge as it was and, if caught, sneaking about just might make it worse. If they were kicked out of the home, then there would be no way of knowing if Chloe was the one they were searching for. Not without resorting to more drastic means. But she had no time to protest Rose going as Madison was helpless to say anything out loud without giving their real reasonings for being here away. Instead, she listened to Trish giving more reasons why they shouldn't judge her daughter. As the mother had said, Chloe was not particularly being her normal self as of late. Then, they heard someone walking down the stairs and going into the kitchen.
"That . . . should be Chloe. She gets her own food most days now," Trish said, wringing her hands around as though she were uncertain what to do with them. The Doctor moved then, heading towards the kitchen. Madison followed close behind, with Trish right after her. Soon, they were in the kitchen to see a young girl, possibly twelve or slightly older, getting a drink from the fridge. She wore her hair up in a braided style, wearing a dark-coloured long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and trainers. She had her back to them, standing rather stiff in place.
"All right there?" the Doctor said, earning the girl's attention. The girl gave him no notice, going about her business as if he had said nothing. He got closer, leaning against the dining table with his arms crossed. "I'm the Doctor."
Finally, the girl turned, her face rather blank of any emotion as she stared at the Doctor. Her eyes shifted over him as if examining him. "I'm Chloe Webber," she said, her voice lacking any sort of distinction of what she was feeling.
"How you doing, Chloe Webber?"
"I'm busy. I'm making something. Aren't I, Mum?" the girl answered, voice changing to be curt though there was still a lack of an actual emotion there.
Frowning, Madison carefully reached out to the girl's emotional state. She could sense Chloe's emotions though they were . . . diluted somehow. Almost as if she were in a mixup of some sort. Perhaps that was because there was another there within her. Madison could feel it. The mind of another whose emotions were much more prominent. They were lonely, sad, and, most of all, frustrated. The anger there was ready to boil over at a moment's notice.
"Doctor, she's not alone. There's another mind present inside her own," Madison said carefully to the Doctor. She saw him nod slowly.
"What's it feeling?" he asked in return.
". . . Sad, angry, and most of all lonely."
"And like I said, she's not been sleeping . . .," Trish began to say, seeming to be bypassing Chloe's remark altogether.
"But you've been drawing, though," the Doctor commented, nodding his head to the pictures on display on the fridge. "I'm rubbish. Stickmen about my limit. I can do this, though." The Doctor held up his hand, doing the hand sign from Star Trek. "Can you do that?"
There was no reaction from Chloe. Even with Trish nodding as if to encourage an interaction of any sort. Finally, Chloe spoke. "They don't stop moaning."
"Chloe . . ." Trish said as if trying to warn her daughter not to speak. There, again, that fear prevented her from saying much else.
"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning," Chloe went on, frustration in her voice now.
"Who don't?" asked the Doctor after lowering his hand.
"We can be together."
"Sweetheart . . .," Trish tried again, going over to touch her daughter's shoulder.
Chloe gave the woman a cold stare. "Don't touch me, Mum."
Trish appeared flustered then, backing away and staring back at the Doctor as if pleading for him to do something. Madison felt just as much at a loss as the woman, unsure where to proceed. Why did Chloe not want her mother to touch her?
"Who's bothering you, Chloe? Who are you trying to be together with?" the Doctor asked her then.
Chloe seemed to regard the Doctor then, her eyes blank of any sort of sign that she cared for his presence. "I'm busy, Doctor," she finally said before walking away.
"Come on, Chloe, don't be a spoilsport. What's the big project? I'm dying to know. What're you making up there?" The Doctor followed Chloe, trying to push for more answers.
It was then that Madison felt it. The great alarm from Rose and the overwhelming sense of danger from another. Madison bolted up around the Doctor and pushed past Chloe, heading up the stairs in a rush before Rose even let out her cry for help. She ran to the room she heard Rose's yell come from, pushing open the door swiftly to see Rose in a trance of sorts. She had the cupboard of Chloe's room open, and a shining red light illuminated from within the cupboard with a whirlwind whipping around the clothes that hung within. Rose's hair was blown backwards while she slowly started leaning towards the cupboard. There was a deep growl from the cupboard, with a voice saying 'I'm coming to hurt you'. In a haste Madison surged forward, grabbing Rose and yanking her back. At the same time, the Doctor came around, shutting the cupboard tightly.
"I'm starting to think you're a magnet for trouble today," Madison joked weakly.
"I said it before. Jeopardy friendly," the Doctor muttered before he went to inspect the room further.
Madison looked over, seeing the walls were covered in drawings. All were animals, mostly, except for a few that were of the missing children. Strange . . . she could have sworn one of them moved. She would have thought it'd be a trick of the light if she didn't know any better. After over a year of travelling with the Doctor, she wouldn't be surprised in the least of drawings being alive. It'd be just another thing to cross off her growing list.
"What the hell was that?" Trish questioned, stomping over to the cupboard.
Rose blocked the woman's path. "Drawing. Face of a man . . . Best not."
Trish turned on Chloe then. "What have you been drawing?"
"I drew him yesterday," Chloe told her.
"Who?"
"Dad."
Trish was immediately alarmed, eyes going wide. "Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?"
Chloe was unmoved, showing no emotion to her mother's distress. "I dream about him staring at me."
"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?"
"Trish, please," Madison spoke up, stepping forward to be in between child and mother. She could feel the tension between them building and she didn't want either one of them saying something they would regret. "Trauma is a delicate thing. Everyone handles it differently."
"Stay out of this!" Trish shouted, directing her anger at Madison now. She remained unflinching, knowing the mother was merely upset and was lashing out irrationally. Before anything more could be said, Chloe spoke up once more.
"We need to stay together," said the child.
Trish's anger deflated somewhat, giving her child a hopeful gaze. "Yes, we do."
"No, not you. Us. We need to stay together, and then it'll be all right."
Seeming at a loss for words, Trish merely walked up, touching her daughter in hopes of some answers. Her attention was diverted when Rose spoke. "Trish, the drawings, have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?"
"Who gave you permission to come into her room?" Trish's earlier anger came back, directed at Rose now. "Get out of my house."
"She's telling the truth. I saw one of the drawings move," Madison said, trying to get the woman to realise something strange was happening. Other than childhood trauma.
"Tell us about the drawings, Chloe," said the Doctor, setting down one of the drawings he had been inspecting. His glasses now perched on his face as he and Chloe made steady eye contact.
"I don't want to hear any more of this," Trish stated swiftly, shaking her head at them.
"But that drawing of her dad . . . I heard a voice. He spoke," Rose told them.
"He's dead. And these? They're kid's pictures. Now get out!" Trish said strictly, eyes shifting to them all now. It was as if she were feeling trapped. Madison knew that was exactly what the woman was feeling at the moment.
"No, they're not," Madison said softly, trying to keep a calmness in the room.
"Chloe has a power," Rose added. "And I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards, Dale Hicks. She's using it to snatch the kids."
"Get out," Trish tried again.
"Those drawings can move. I know you have seen them. You must have. That's why you're fighting so hard to keep Chloe safe. Because you're scared of what will happen to her if anyone else finds out," Madison spoke carefully, getting closer to Trish with each word. "Believe me, I know how terrifying the unknown and the unexplained can be. Don't hold it against yourself for trying to deny or ignore it. It's a reasonably normal reaction. But now you must finally face it, Trish. But luckily, you won't have to face it alone." She took the woman's hands, smiling as she sent a gentle wave into the woman's mind. "We're here to help you."
"She's right. We're help, and we're here to fix this. I promise," the Doctor said, stepping up and taking off his glasses. Trish looked at them all now, fear in her eyes as she shifted on the spot.
Eventually, she agreed to listen.
Thanks for taking the time to read! Next chapter will be posted shortly.