{"Where is she? Where am I? Help Me!"}
Pagodas and flying cars above small wind turbines. Down in the streets, lots of banners with Chinese symbols on them. Theta hands Donna a mug of foaming drink, before handing me one as well while I held Fay with a smile in thanks. "Oh, ho, ho."
"I'd rather have a water."
"You are going to love it. One, two, three!"
"Lovely!"
We carry on through the market, "You want to buy shukina? Or peshmoni? Most beautiful peshmoni in all of Shan Shen?" A women tries to sell to us, "Er, no thanks." Theta is haggling with another stall holder, with Fay after I passed her over so Donna and I explore on our own. A young woman in a black and gold robe calls to Donna. "Tell your fortune, lady. The future predicted. Your life foretold." Donna shakes her head and looks towards me causing me to shrug. "Oh, no thanks."
"Don't you want to know if you're going to be happy?" She refused to make eye contact, causing me to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "I'm happy right now, thanks." Donna uttered out, turning to leave only for the woman to panic. That caused me to glare, "You got red hair. The reading's free for red hair." Donna looked towards me, I nodded back at her. If this woman was up to anything I'll be right there with her. "All right, then." The young woman looks at Donna's palms. "Oh, you fascinating. No, but you good. I can see a man. The most remarkable couple. How did you meet them?" I watched as she finally looked up at me. I was standing behind them, feeling more like a guard. "You're supposed to tell me." Donna uttered our with a raised eyebrow and a pointed look. "I see the future. Tell me the past. When did your lives cross?" I cocked my head with a frown, "It's sort of complicated. I ended up in a spaceship on my wedding day. Long story." Donna laughed gently, "But what led you to that meeting?" I rolled my eyes at the woman. "All sorts of things. But my job, I suppose. It was on Earth, this planet called Earth, miles away. But I had this job as a temp. I was a secretary at a place called HC Clements." Donna has an intense flashback. It makes her sway. "Oh. Sorry." She uttered out as I rushed forward to sit her up. She smiles at me with a nod as I finally sit next to her.
"It's the incense. Just breathe deep. This job of yours. What choices led you there?"
"There was a choice, six months before, because the Agency offered me this contract with HC Clements but there was this other job. My mum knew this man."
"Your life could have gone one way or the other. What made you decide?"
"I just did."
I tensed with a frown as I turned back, my eyes scanning the floor but I couldn't see anything. I slowly turned to face the fortune teller who wasn't even paying attention to me. "But when was the moment? When did you choose?" I frowned as Donna closed her eyes, "Donna." I started, giving a frown towards her.
Donna is at a junction, waiting to turn onto the main road.
"You turned left. But what if you turned right? What then?" Suddenly Donna opened her eyes in terror, "Let go of my hands." I slapped on of my hands on the fortune tellers with a fierce glare but she wouldn't stop. "What if it changes? What if you go right? What if you could still go right?" The wind picks up as my eyes started to glow. A golden chain appeared in the air, the fortune tellers eyes widened as she panicked but didn't let go. The golden chain was mine, an it slithered it's way around the three of us. I wasn't going to let this women get away with this. "Stop it." I snarled, something jumps onto Donna's back. "What's that? What's on my back? What is it? What, what's on my back, Kate?" I shook my head, my eyes glowing a red and gold. "I can't see it yet." I shouted back in my own panic. What the hell was this women doing?!
"Make the choice again, Donna Noble, and change your mind. Turn right." A hooked claw reaches to Donna's shoulder. Donna's eyes fall closed as my head snaps towards the ceiling.
A red golden glow shoots throughout the room as Kate and Donna are sucked into the other reality. The fortune teller frozen in time with them, and The Doctor frowns as he turns back. His Binded, something was wrong but where was she? "I'm turning." Donna uttered out in a trance,"Turn right. Turn right. Turn right! Turn right, and never meet that man. Turn right, and change the world." Donna turns right and everything stops.
•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:••:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•
The girls office Christmas get together. Donna is carrying a tray of drinks, "Come on, then, get out the way. Get out the way! Here we are. Feed at the trough." She announces with a smile, "Mooky says let's go to the Boardwalk. It's two for the price of one." On of her friends laughs, "Christmas Eve? It'll be heaving." Donna huffed with a eye roll, "Well, exactly, Get in and grab them." Another one of her friends smirked, "Hey, that's the second round of drinks you've bought. It was my turn." The first friend raised an eyebrow. "I can afford it. Promotion. You are talking to Jival Chowdry's Personal Assistant, I'll have you know. Capital P, capital A, twenty three thousand pound per annum, merci beaucoup." Donna smiles smugly at the job promotion, she paused for a second. A sudden thought rand through her mind, Kate would be proud. She flinched slightly, who the hell is Kate? "Here's to Mister Chowdry." Everyone holds up there cups, "Mister Chowdry!" They all cheer happily. "She gets all the luck." A blonde friend is staring at Donna, her eyes going back and forth from her back. "What's wrong? What is it?" Donna asked but the women just stared at her in horror. "Sorry?" She asked finally somewhat snapping out of it. "Did someone spill a drink on me?"
"Why?"
"Why do you keep looking at my shoulder? What's wrong?"
"I don't know."
"Oh, don't tell me you're getting all spooky again. It was bad enough when you saw the ghost of Earl Mountbatten at the boat show. What are you looking at? What is it?"
"It's like, it's like there's something I can't see." A man bursts in out of breath, "Come on, shut up, all of you. Come and see. Just look at the sky! It's a star! It's a Christmas star!" He runs out with others following after him. "Well, come on then." Everyone moves outside to stare up at the star in the sky. "What the hell is that?" Someone asked, "Ken Livingstone, that's what! Spending our money on decorations! I mean, how much did that cost?" The Racnoss web ship is sailing across the sky. "Don't be so stupid. It's flying! It's really flying!" The people run around the corner to watch it. "That's not a star. That's a web. It's heading east. Middle of the City." Energy lances from the web star and everyone starts screaming and running, except Donna and Alice.
"Alice! There's a great big web star thing shooting at people, and you're looking at me?"
"There is something on your back." Alice runs away, Donna runs forward towards the area. "Donna? Donna, where are you going? You'll get yourself killed! Donna!"
.• •.
"Fire!" Tanks shoot at the web star. Donna arrives at a barricade. "Everyone, stay back. The Thames has been closed. Return to your homes. Keep away from the river, and that's an order." Donna quietly sneaks around the back to the Army trucks. "Trap One to Greyhound Fifteen. What is your report? Over." An officer speaks up, "From the evidence, I'd say he managed to stop the creature. Some sort of red spider. Blew up the base underneath the barrier, flooded the whole thing. Over." The man speaks through the comm again. "And where is he now? Over." There was a long pause, "We found a body, sir. Over." Ambulance personnel bring a body on a stretcher. "Is it him? Over."
"I think so. He just didn't make it out in time." As the stretcher is lifted into the ambulance, an arm drops from under the blanket and drops a sonic screwdriver to the ground. "The Doctor is dead. Must have happened too fast for him to regenerate. Escort the ambulance back to UNIT base." Donna walks on, A blonde woman runs towards her with a women in all black and white hair standing behind her. It was as if she was the blondes guard, She speaks as if her top lip is glued to her teeth. "What happened? What did they find? I'm sorry, did they find someone?" The blonde asked, "I don't know. A bloke called the Doctor, or something." Donna shrugs off not really caring much.
"Well, where is he?" The blonde demanded angrily, "They took him away. He's dead. I'm sorry, did you know him? I mean, they didn't say his name. Could be any doctor." Donna tried to comfort her as the white haired women stood watching them with a blank look, the only thing standing out about her was her dull blue eyes. "I came so far. I even stopped them from meeting." Rose cried out, "It, it could be anyone." Donna tried causing Rose to frown at her. "What's your name?"
"Donna. And you?"
"Oh, I was just passing by. I shouldn't even be here. This is wrong. It's wrong. This is so wrong. Sorry, what was it? Donna what?"
"Why do you keep looking at my back?" Donna asked the women standing behind Rose, "I'm not." The white haired women spoke, her voice colder than ice. "Yes, you are. You keep looking behind me. You're doing it now. What is it? What's there? Did someone put something on my back?" Donna tries to look at her own back, and Rose disappears along with the white haired women.
.• •.
A week later, Donna stands in front of her boss with a glare. "You can't sack me. I'm your personal assistant!" She shouts in anger, "You don't have to make a scene. Just come downstairs and we can have a little talk." Her boss tries to calm her down, "Oh, I'll make a scene, all right, right in front of a tribunal. And the first thing I'm going to say is wandering hands!" She snarled angrily in the man's face, "Now, come on, Donna. You know what it's been like for the past few months, ever since that Christmas thing. Half my contracts were on the other side of the river and the Thames is still closed off. Look, I can't deliver. I'm losing a fortune."
"Well, sack one of this lot. Sack Cliff. He just sits there. Don't know what he does all day. Sorry, Cliff. Actually, I'm not sorry. What do you do all day?" Boom! the building shakes. "What the hell? Like an earthquake." A black cloud is gathering in the sky. "Donna" Donna frowned spinning around at the voice that called her name. "That's weird. Funny sort of clouds." Donna who wasn't paying attention turned her attention back to work. "Who typed this? I'm your PA. Did you get somebody else to type this? Beatrice?" The tv was turned on, everyone watching. "It sounds impossible, but the entire hospital has vanished. The Royal Hope no longer exists. It's not been destroyed, there's no wreckage. It's simply gone. Reports from bystanders say that the rain lifted up around the hospital." Donna is clearing her desk. "Hole punch. Having that. Stapler, mine. Toy cactus. You can have that, Beatrice. Catch. Cliff, I'd leave you the mouse mat, but I'm worried you'd cut yourself."
"All right, Donna, have some respect. There's two thousand people in that hospital, and it's vanished." Her boss snarled at her with a glare, "Oh, I'll show you vanishing. Thanks for nothing. Oh, and you know when that money went missing from the kitty? Anne-Marie, that's all I'm saying. Anne-Marie!" Boom, rattle. "Don't tell me, the hospital's back. Well, isn't that wizard."
.• •.
"To confirm, the Royal Hope hospital was returned to it's original position, but with only one survivor. The only person left alive is medical student Oliver Morgenstern." The news reporter spoke with a sad look, "And there were these creatures, like rhinos. Talking rhinos, in, in, in black leather." Donna rolled her eyes with a scoff, "Rhinos?" Wilf, her granddad shrugged. "Rhinos could be aliens." She looked towards him with a glare, "Shush." She snipped turning back to the screen. "There were hundreds of them. We couldn't breathe. We were running out of air. A colleague of mine gave me the last oxygen tank. Martha. Martha Jones. And she died." Donna frowned at the familiar name, but why was it familiar? "At least you got a hole punch and a raffle ticket." Sylvia, Donna's mother scoffed with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, well, they can keep the raffle. I won't take a penny off that man." Donna snapped again, "Honestly, you two. There's aliens on the news. They took that hospital all the way to the moon, and you're banging on about raffle tickets." Wilf huffed at the two women, "Don't be daft, Gramps. It wasn't the moon. It couldn't be."
"Yes, well, I am telling you it is getting worse, these past few years. It's like, all of a sudden, they suddenly know all about us, and there's keen eyes up there and they're watching us, and they're not friendly."
"This stapler says Bea."
"I can't believe how well you're taking it, me getting sacked. Thought you'd hit the roof."
"I'm just tired, Donna, what with your father and everything. To be honest, I've given up on you."
"This further report just in from Oliver Morgenstern." The screen changed back to the man. "There was this woman who took control. Said she knew what to do, said she could stop the MRI or something. Sarah Jane, her name was. Sarah Jane Smith." Another flinch rang through Donna as she watched on. "Sarah Jane Smith was a freelance investigative journalist, formerly of Metropolitan Magazine. Her body was recovered from the hospital late this afternoon. Miss Smith had a son called Luke, but early reports that Luke..." Donna turned away from the tv, "What's for tea?" She asked her mother, "I've got nothing in." Sylvia shrugged, Donna sighed. "I'll get chips. Last of my wages. Fish and chips, yeah?" Her mother nodded back, "Also had been inside the Royal Hope, along with his teenage friends Maria Jackson and Clyde Langer. It is feared that they also perished."
.• •.
It's night, now. Donna is walking slowly when there is a blinding flash in a nearby jennel and Rose runs out with the white haired women behind her. "Blimey! Are you all right? What was that, fireworks or..." She paused, watching the white haired women. "Kate." She breathed out lowly causing her to blink and turn with a cock of her head. "I don't know. I was just walking along. That's weird." Rose changed the subject rather quickly. "You're the one. Christmas Eve. I met you in town, both of you." Donna uttered out watching the two women. "Donna? Isn't it?" Rose asked as Kate, flinched slightly. Her headache coming back from the last time they had met. "What was your name?" Rose ignored her though, crossing her arms with a fake smile. "How're you doing? You're looking good. How's things, what have you been up to?" She stared at the woman's back, Donna noticed Kate doing it again as well.
"You're doing it again." Donna stated causing them both to pause, "What?" Rose asked with a frown. "Looking behind me. People keep on doing that, looking at my back." Donna uttered out, "What sort of people?" Kate spoke up from the side causing Donna to turn to her. "People in the street. Strangers. I just catch them sometimes, staring at me. Like they're looking at something. And then I get home, and I look, and there's nothing there. See? Look, now I'm doing it!"
"What are you doing for Christmas?"
"What am I what?"
"Next Christmas. Any plans?"
"I don't know. That's ages away. Nothing much, I suppose. Why?"
"Just, I think you should get out, you and your family. Don't stay in London. Just leave the city."
"What for?" Donna asked looking towards Kate, seeming to trust her more. "Nice hotel Christmas break?" Rose tried again, "Can't afford it." Donna uttered out, "Well, no, you got that raffle ticket." Kate pointed out causing Donna to frown. "How do you know about that?" She asked with a cock of her head. "First prize, luxury weekend break. Use it, Donna Noble." Kate snipped slightly, "Why won't you tell me your name? I think you should leave me alone." Donna walks on, There is a flash of light behind her and the two women disappear.
The only one she actually trusted was the one who didn't seem like she was up to something.
.• •.
A year later, Noddy is screaming out his song as they drive up to the converted country house. "Cor blimey, that's what I call posh. I said you were lucky, didn't I? I always said, my lucky star." Wilf is wearing antlers on his head. Two men come up to help them unload the car. "Look, for God's sake don't tell them we won it in a raffle. Be classy. Dad, take those things off." Sylvia snapped at her father with a glare, "No, I shan't. It's Christmas. Oi, I'll have that one, thank you. It's got my liniment in it." Donna laughed gently at him. "I reckon we deserve this. It's been a hell of a year." Donna stated with a small smile. "Your dad would have loved this." Sylvia spoke towards her daughter with a sad smile. "Yeah. He would have."
"Donna! Wake up."
There is a knock on the door, "Oi, Gramps, get that. That'll be breakfast. We've got croissants." Poor old Wilf had to sleep on the sofa. Sylvia is still in bed, eating chocolates. "Why can't you get it, Lady Muck?" Wilf snipped at his daughter,l "It's Christmas Day, I never get up before ten. Only madam there was up with the dawn chorus, like when she was six years old." Sylvia huffed as she crossed her arm with an eye roll. "I'm not wasting a second in this place. How was the sofa?" Donna asked her granddad who smiled up at her. "Oh, yeah. Oh, not so good, really. Oh gawd. You know, we could have paid for a second room. Oi! Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Dad."
A knock at the door, "Yeah, all right. Come on in, my darling. Grub's up. Merry Christmas!" Wilf greets the maid, "Merry Christmas, sir!" She cheered with a smile. "We have interrupted your programme to bring you breaking news." News 24 now played on the TV set. "Have you seen this?" Sylvia asked everyone now in the room. "We will now return to the BBC news studio." Donna per usual wasn't paying attention. "Because I thought, nice early breakfast and then we'll go for a walk. People always say that at Christmas. Oh, we all went for a walk. I've always wanted to do that. So, walk first, presents later, yeah?" She asked still getting ready. "Donna, come and see." Sylvia called her daughter in, "Tienes algo en tu espalda." The maid speak pointing towards Donna. "What?" Donna asked frowning at her, "Donna, look at the telly." Her mother called, ignoring the maid. "Tienes algo en tu espalda."
"Replica of the RMS Titanic."
"What does that mean? I don't know what you're saying."
"Donna, look at the TV!"
"Tienes algo en tu espalda!" The claws are visible by Donna's shoulders, but the bathroom mirror reveals nothing. The maid flees, "For God's sake, Donna. Don't just stand there, come and look." Sylvia called her daughter over. "Not sure how this is possible, but this footage is live and genuine. The object is falling on Central London. I repeat, this is not a hoax. A replica of the Titanic is falling out of the sky, and it's heading for Buckingham Palace. We're getting this footage from the Guinevere range of satellites." The reporter started to panic, "Is that a film or something?" Donna asked with a frown, "The Royal Air Force has declared an emerg..." The Titanic crashes into Buckingham Palace and the picture is lost. A shockwave rattles the hotel. "It's gone dead. All of them." Sylvia gasped out loud, "No, but, the Titanic? Well, don't be daft. Is that like a sequel?" Wilf looks out of the window. "Oh. Oh, God rest their souls."
The guests and staff go outside and look down the valley, to the viaduct and beyond, to where a mushroom cloud is rising. "I was supposed to be out there selling papers. I should have been there. We all should. We'd be dead." Donna paused, knowing the Kate had warned her. "That's everyone. Every single person we know. The whole city." Sylvia cried out in horror, "Can't be." Donna breathed our herself as realization hit. "But it is. It's gone. London's gone." Wilf looked towards his granddaughter. "If you hadn't won that raffle." Donna turns to see the maid pointing an accusing finger at her. Her eyes flash gold and the voice sounds again, "Where is she? Where am I? Help Me!" Donna flinched as flashes passed over her eyes before it all stopped. Kate. Why was she seeing and hearing Kate? And why was she being locked up and tortured?
.• •.
A makeshift premises, "Leeds? I'm not moving to Leeds." Donna snarled angrily, they had packed up and headed back to London after the smoke cleared. Everything was gone, only a few areas remained and even then they were all in shambles. "I'm afraid it's Leeds or you can wait in the hostel for another three months." Donna scoffed at the woman, "All I want's a washing machine." Sylvia cried out, "What about Glasgow? I heard there was jobs going in Glasgow." Donna told the lady, "You can't pick and choose. We've the whole of Southern England flooded with radiation. Seven million people in need of relocation, and now France has closed its borders. So, it's Leeds or nothing. Next!"
The Nobles are relocated by army bus and dropped off in a terraced street with lots of other families. "The Daniels Family, billeted at number fifteen. Mister and Mrs Obego, billeted at number thirty one. Miss Coltrane, you're in number eight. The Noble family, billeted at number twenty nine."
Wilf picks up his telescope, "That's us. Come on, off we go. All right?" Wilf smiled at his granddaughter. "Used to be a nice little family, number twenty nine. They missed one mortgage payment. Just one. They got booted out. All for you lot." A woman yelled out to them from her doorway. "Don't get all chippy with me, Vera Duckworth. Pop your clogs on and go and feed whippets." Donna yelled back with a glare. "Sweetheart, come on. You're not going to make the world any better by shouting at it." Wilf uttered out pulling her along. "I can try." Outside number 29, "What happens? Do we get keys?"
"I don't know, do I?" Wilf asked with a shrug, "Who do we ask? The soldiers?" The front door opens, "Hey, hey. Is a big house. Room for all. Welcome! In you come."
"I thought this was our house."
"Is many peoples house. Is wonderful. In, in, in. We've been here for eight weeks already. I had a nice little paper shop in Shepherd's Bush. All gone now. So, upstairs, we have Merchandani family. Seven of them. Good family. Good kids. Except that one. You be careful of him. I's a joking! Where's that smile, eh? Rocco Colasanto. I'm here with my wife and her sister and her husband and their kids and their daughter's kids. We've got the front room. My mother, she's got the back room. She's old. You forgive, eh?. And this? This is you. This is your palazzo."
The galley kitchen has camp beds on the floor, and a curtain for a door. "What do you mean, this is us?" Sylvia asked with a frown, "You live here." Rocco smiled, "We're living in the kitchen?" Donna asked, closing her eyes in shock. "You got camp beds. You got the cooker, you keep warm. You got the fridge, you keep cool. Is good, eh?" He smiled, "What about the bathroom?" Sylvia asked causing the man to frown and look confused. "Nobody lives in the bathroom." He stated causing Donna to roll her eyes. "No, I mean, is there a rota?" Sylvia asked, "Is pot-luck! Is fun. I go wake Mamma. She likes new people. Mamma! Is people! Nice people!" Rocco leaves. "Ah, well. We'll settle in, won't we? Make do? Bit of wartime spirit, eh?"
"Yeah, but there isn't a war. There's no fight. It's just this." Donna stated, her hope starting to demolish. "Well, America, they'll save us. It was on the news. They're going to send Great Britain fifty billion quid in financial aid. God bless America." Later, at mealtime... "America is in crisis, with over sixty million reported dead. Sixty million people have dissolved into fat. And the fat is walking. People's fat has come to life and is walking through the streets. And there are spaceships. There are reports of spaceships over every major US city. The fat is flying. It's leaving..." Wilf looked towards Donna, "Aliens." He stated firmly, "Yeah." She breathed out in agreement. "the fat creatures are being raised into the air..."
Bedtime, lit by tea-lights. Sylvia and Donna's beds are head to head. "Mary McGinty. Do you remember her?" Sylvia asked her daughter gently, "Who was she?" Donna asked back, "Worked in the newsagent on Sunday. Little woman. Black hair." Sylvia explained with a small sad smile, "Never really spoke to her." Donna uttered out with a frown. "She'll be dead. Every day I think of someone else. All dead."
"Maybe she went away for Christmas." Donna suggested gently, "Maybe." Sylvia shrugged back. "I'll go out tomorrow. I'll walk into town. There's got to be work. Everyone needs secretaries. Soon as I'm earning, we'll get a proper place. Just you wait, Mum." There was a long pause, "What if it never gets better?" She asked her daughter, "Course it will." Donna breathed out, "Even the bees are disappearing. You don't see bumble bees anymore." Sylvia cried out, "They'll sort us out. The emergency government. They'll do something."
"What if they don't?"
"Then we'll complain."
"Who's going to listen to us? Refugees. We haven't even got a vote. We're just no one, Donna. We don't exist." There is singing in the front room. It was Rocco, "I am going to kill that man!" Donna hissed, getting up angrily heading into the front room. "Now listen, Mussolini! I am telling you for the last time to button it! If I hear one more sea shanty..." Rocco steps to the side, to reveal Wilf. "I always loved a sing song." So, on the principle of if you can't beat them, join them. "I'm just a poor boy. Nobody loves me. He's just a poor boy from a poor family. Spare him his life from this monstrosity. Easy come, easy go, will you let me go? Bismillah, no." Gunfire outside, "No, you stay here. Everyone, stay."
"Wake up!"
A soldier is trying to kill his jeep, which is pumping out thick exhaust gas. "Hey! Firing at the car is not so good. You, you crazy or what?" Rocco asked with man with a look of bewilderment. "It's this ATMOS thing, it won't stop. It's like gas. It's toxic." The Soldier panted, "Well, switch it off."
"I have done. It's still going. It's all the cars. Every single ATMOS car, they've gone mad. You, lady. Turn round! Turn around now!" The soldier aims his weapon at Donna. "Are you crazy, boy?" Rocco asked with wide eyes, "Put the gun down!" Wilf demanded angrily. "I said, turn round! Show me your back!" He shouts, "Do what he says!" Sylvia tells Donna with wide eyes. "Show me your back!" The soldier repeated, "Turn around!" Her mother shouted in horror, "Turn around, now! Show me your back!" Donna raises her arms and turns around slowly. "Sorry. I thought I saw." Wilf glares at the man, "Call yourself a soldier? Pointing guns at innocent women? You're a disgrace. In my day, we'd have had you court martialed!"Donna sees a bright flash of light at the bottom of the street, and walks towards it. "Donna? Where are you going? It's not safe at night. Donna! Donna!"
Around the corner, stands Rose and Kate. The women seemed even more blank than before, "Hello." Donna breathed out but she wasn't saying it to Rose. She was talking to Kate, the woman who barely even looked at her. It was strange, her eyes were blank but inside it looked like she was screaming. "Hi." Rose breathed out before leading Donna to a park bench near by. Kate followed behind quietly, like a silent robot assassin. "It's the ATMOS devices. We're lucky, it's not so bad here. Britain hasn't got that much petrol. But all over Europe, China, South Africa, they're getting choked by gas." Rose explained gently, "Can't anyone stop it?" Donna asked looking up at Kate causing the women to frown at her. "Yeah, they're trying right now, this little band of fighters, on board the Sontaran ship. Any second now." The sky burns, "And that was?" Donna asked with wide eyes. "That was the Torchwood team. Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, they gave their lives. And Captain Jack Harkness has transported to the Sontaran home world. There's no one left." Kate flinches again at the name, Rose doesn't notice though. "You're always wearing the same clothes. Why won't you tell me your name?" Rose just continued on, "None of this was meant to happen. There was a man. This wonderful man, and he stopped it. The Titanic, the Adipose, the ATMOS, he stopped them all from happening."
"That Doctor?" Kate breathed out lowly as Donna did, her eyes flashing. "You knew him." Rose nodded, "Did I? When?" Donna frowned at the blonde, she really didn't like her. "I think you dream about him sometimes. It's a man in a suit. Tall, thin man. Great hair. Some really great hair." Kate suddenly cried out causing Rose to spin to face her with a glare. She pulled out a remote and pressed the bottom, Kate let out another shout before she stilled and stood straight as if nothing happened. "Who are you? What are you doing to her?" Donna asked angrily at the blonde women. "I was like you. I used to be you. You've travelled with him, Donna. You've travelled with the Doctor in a different world." Rose ignored her causing the woman to glare but allow it. If listening to the blonde helped Kate, then she would have to for now. "I never met him, and he's dead." Donna breathed out, "He died underneath the Thames on Christmas Eve, but you were meant to be there. He needed someone to stop him, and that was you. You made him leave. You saved his life." Donna has a memory of the Racnoss Queen, and water bursting into the tunnels below the Thames. The Doctor was standing there, with Kate. "Doctor, you can stop now." She yelled in her memory. "Stop it. I don't know what you're talking about. Leave me alone! Even if I wasn't there, Kate would have stopped him! Why didn't she?" Rose flinched looking away, because she took her from the timeline. She made it where The Doctor would never meet Kate. "Something's coming, Donna. Something worse." Rose uttered out snapping out of her thoughts. "The whole world is stinking. How can anything be worse than this?"
"Trust me. We need the Doctor more than ever. I've, I've been pulled across from a different universe because every single universe is in danger. It's coming, Donna. It's coming from across the stars and nothing can stop it." Rose told her, going in to grab her hands but Donna pulled away. "What is?" She asked with a glare, "The darkness." Rose breathed out, "Well, what do you keep telling me for? What am I supposed to do? I'm nothing special. I mean, I'm, I'm not. I'm nothing special. I'm a temp. I'm not even that. I'm nothing." Rose smiled at Donna who slightly flinched back. "Donna Noble, you're the most important woman in the whole of creation." She breathed out, "Oh, don't. Just don't. I'm tired. I'm so tired." Donna shook her head, looking away. She wasn't giving up, but she really didn't want to help this blonde. "I need you to come with me." Rose insisted, "Yeah. Well, blonde hair might work on the men, but you ain't shifting me, lady." Donna scoffed with a eye roll, "That's more like it."
"I've got plenty more."
"Then you'll come with me, only when you want to."
"You'll have a long wait, then."
"Not really. Just three weeks. Tell me, does your grandfather still own that telescope?"
"He never lets go of it." Donna uttered out with a frown. "Three weeks time. But you've got to be certain. Because when you come with me, Donna, sorry, so sorry, but you're going to die." Rose fades away, but Kate doesn't. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Donna. "Help me! Please, I need him. My baby and my love." Then she too faded.
.• •.
Two weeks later, Donna laughs as Rocco spins her around. "And you! I'm going to miss you most of all. All flame-haired and firey." They smile at one another, "Oh, but why do you have to go?" She had actually gotten used to the big family. "It's the new law. England for the English, et cetera. They can't send us home. The oceans are closed! They build labour camps." He told her with a small smile, "I know, but labour doing what? There aren't any jobs." She spoke with a sad look on her face, "Sewing, digging. Is good. Now, stop it before I kiss you too much." Rocco kisses Donna on both cheeks. "Wilfred. My capitano." Rocco salutes Wilf, who returns the honour. Rocco joins his family on the back in the army truck. "It'll be quiet with him gone. Still, we'll have more room." Donna states, "Labour camps. That's what they called them last time." Wilf spoke sadly watching them. "What do you mean?" Donna asked looking towards her granddad. "It's happening again." He breathed out in horror, "What is? Excuse me? Excuse me, where are you taking them? Where are you going? Rocco, where are you going? Where are you going? Where are you going?"
"I asked about jobs with the army. They said I wasn't qualified. You were right. You said I should have worked harder at school. I suppose I've always been a disappointment."
"Yeah."
A week later, Wilf has got a fire going in a brazier, and his telescope is set up. "You know, we'd get a bit of cash if we sold this thing." Wilf stated sadly looking down at his telescope. "Don't you dare. I always imagined, your old age, I'd have put a bit of money by. Make you comfy. Never did. I'm just useless. You're supposed to say, no you're not." Donna frowned at him, "Ha, it must be the alignment." Everyone was giving up now, "What's wrong?" Donna asked him, "Well, I don't know. I mean, it can't be the lens, because I was looking at Orion. The constellation of Orion. You take a look. And tell me, what can you see?" He asked her, "Where?" She asked back with a frown, "Well, up there in the sky." He shouted as she looked in the telescope. "Well, I can't see anything. It's just black." She stated with a frown, "Well, I mean, it's working. The telescope is working." He grumbled out with a frown as well. "Well, maybe it's clouds."
"There is no clouds."
"Well, there must be."
"There's not! It was there. An entire constellation. Look. Look there. They're going out. Oh, my God! Donna, look. The stars are going out."
"I'm ready." Rose is standing behind her without Kate this time.
.• •.
A UNIT Land Rover delivers them to a warehouse filled with scientific equipment, UNIT soldiers and people in white lab coats. "Lodestone testing now at fifteen point four. Repeat, fifteen point four." A woman officer salutes Rose, "Ma'am." Rose rolled her eyes, "I've told you, don't salute. Go get Kate. It's time." She demands with a glare at the women as a scream rang through the warehouse. "Well, if you're not going to tell us your name." Rose goes to a control console. "What, you don't know either?" Donna asked after the woman who was already walking away. "I've crossed too many different realities. Trust me, the wrong word in the wrong place can change an entire causal nexus." Soon the woman was back, this time with Kate. She was holding her arm, keeping the white haired woman upright. "She talks like that. A lot. And you must be Miss Noble." The soldier smiled at her, "Donna. What are you doing with Kate?" Donna snipped with an angry glare. "Captain Erisa Magambo. Thank you for this." Erisa hands Kate over to Rose who pulls her towards the Tardis. "I don't even know what I'm doing." Donna snaps, "Is it awake?" Rose asked, "Seems to be quiet today. Ticking over. Like it's waiting." It is the Tardis, hooked up to some equipment by connectors on the outside. They had destroyed it, and Rose didn't care.
"Do you want to see it?"
"What's a police box?"
"They salvaged it from underneath the Thames. Just go inside."
"What for?"
"Just go in." Donna enters the Tardis, "No way." Donna comes back out, checks the outside, then goes back inside, then finally out again. "What do you think?" Donna huffed out a breath as Rose pulled Kate into the Tardis. The woman to out of it to fight her anymore. "Time And Relative Dimension In Space. This room used to shine with light. I think it's dying." Rose strokes the time rotor and it moves a little with a red light shocking her. Rose glared before sitting Kate down on the floor and chaining her up. "Still trying to help." Rose snarled at the machine. "And, and it belonged to the Doctor?" Donna asks moving towards Kate only to have Rose pull her away. "He was a Time Lord. So is Kate. Last of their kind. Now that he's dead, she's all that I can use to get back to him." Rose looked down at Kate as if she was disgusted by the woman. "He thought you were brilliant." Rose breathed out with a smile, "Don't be stupid." Donna snapped with a glare, wishing she could do something. "But you are. It just took the Doctor to show you that, simply by being with him. He did the same to me. To everyone he touches."
"Do you want to see it?"
"No. Go on, then."
A circle of mirrors and arc lights has been set up. "We don't know how the Tardis works, but we've managed to scrape off the surface technology, enough to show you the creature. Also stealing Kate's regeneration energy helps keep the Tardis in check." Donna stares at the woman in horror as she looks back towards the Tardis where Kate was tied to the rotor. "Just stand here." Rose demanded as a soldier from inside, finished hooking Kate up."Out of the circle, please." Erisa demands, "Yes, ma'am." Rose leaves Donna in the middle of the mirrors. "Ready. And activate." The lights come on, Donna flinched. "Donna! Wake up!" Her voice again, "Open your eyes, Donna."
"Is it there?"
"Open your eyes. Look at it."
"I can't."
"It's part of you, Donna. Look."
A giant stag horn beetle is hanging on Donna's back like a rucksack. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Calm down, Donna. Donna? Donna! Okay." Donna is flipping out in horror, "What is it?" She shouts in anger, "We don't know." Rose breathed. "Oh, thanks." Donna snarled back, "It feeds off time, by changing time. By making someone's life take a different turn, like er, meetings never made, children never born, a life never loved. But with you, it's..." Rose paused for a second. "But I never did anything important." Donna yelled at her with a glare. "Yeah, you did. One day that thing made you turn right instead of left." Rose explained, "When was that?" Donna snarled at her with a glare. "Oh, you wouldn't remember. It was the most ordinary day in the world. But by turning right, you never met the Doctor, and the whole world just changed around you."
"Can you get rid of it?" Donna snarls in annoyance, "No, I can't even touch it. It seems to be in a state of flux." Rose tells her gently, "What does that mean?" Donna asked again, "I don't know. It's the sort of thing the Doctor would say." She glared in anger, "You liar! You told me I was special. But it's not me, it's this thing. I'm just a host!" Donna yelped. "No, there's more than that. The readings are strange. It's, it's like reality's just bending round you." Rose tried to explain as easily as possible. "Because of this thing!" Donna snipped again, she really was starting to hate this girl. "No, no! We're getting separate readings from you. And they've always been there, since the day you were born."
"This is not relevant to the mission."
"I thought it was just the Doctor we needed, but it's the both of you. The Doctor and Donna Noble, together, to stop the stars from going out." Rose explained to her gently, "Why? What can I do? Turn it off, please." Donna started to cry, "Captain." Rose turns to Erisa who nodded. "Power down."Rose goes to Donna, "It's still there, though. What can I do to get rid of it?" Donna asked her, "You're going to travel in time."
Donna is now wearing a jacket with lots of wires all over it. "The Tardis has tracked down the moment of intervention. Monday the twenty fifth, one minute past ten in the morning. Your car was on Little Sutton Street leading to the Ealing Road, but you turned right heading towards Griffin's Parade. You need to turn left. That's the most important thing. You've got to go back, turn left. Have you got that, Donna? One minute past ten, make yourself turn left, heading for the Chiswick Highroad." Erisa stood in front of Donna. "Keep the jacket on at all times. It's insulation against temporal feedback. This will correspond to local time wherever you land." A scientist puts a high tech watch on Donna's wrist. Captain Magambo holds out a glass of water. "This is to combat dehydration." Donna is escorted back to the mirrors.
"This is where we leave you." Rose tells her, nodding to a man in a white coat. He would close the Tardis door to keep Donna from finding out about what they were doing to Kate. Donna wouldn't agree if she knew, "I don't want to see that thing on my back." Donna snipped, "No, the mirrors are just incidental. They bounce chronon energy back into the centre which we control and decide the destination." Rose explained with a small smile, "It's a time machine." Donna spoke, "It's a time machine." Rose repeated back. "If you could?" Donna takes her place in the middle. "Powering up." Erisa yelled out to everyone. "How do you know it's going to work? What about Kate?" Donna had turned towards the Tardis only to be met with closed doors. "Hmm? Oh yeah, we, we don't. We're just, we're just guessing." Donna spun around with a glare, "Oh, brilliant. Where is Kate?" Donna snarled angrily but she was ignored. "Just remember, when you get to the junction, change the car's direction by one minute past ten."
"How do I do that?"
"It's up to you."
"Well, I just have to run up to myself and have a good argument."
"I'd like to see that!"
"Activate lodestone."
"Good luck."
"I'm ready." Donna breathed out, "One minute past ten." Rose told her again, "Because I understand now. You said I was going to die, but you mean this whole world is going to blink out of existence. But that's not dying, because a better world takes its place. The Doctor's and Kate's world. And I'm still alive. That's right, isn't it? I don't die. If I change things, I don't die. That's that's right, isn't it?" Donna asked but Rose just stared her down. "I'm sorry." Rose took a step back with a shake of her head. "But I can't die. I've got a future. With the Doctor, with Kate. You told me!" Donna snarled angrily at the blonde. "Activate!" Sparks fly along the power cables running to the Tardis, and Donna dematerializes using up Kate's last regeneration cycle.
Donna is on her hands and knees outside a cafe. She rejoices briefly, "But hold on. But this is. I'm not. This is Sutton Court. I'm half a mile away. I'm half a mile away!" The chronometer says 9:57. "Four minutes? Oh, my God." She starts running, Rose following after her. Kate who was still hooked up to the tardis breathes out a sigh of relief. Tears falling from her eyes, "I'm coming, my love." She breaths one finally time.
.• •.
"Jival Chowdry. He runs that little photocopy business in Merchant Street, and he needs a secretary." Her mom speaks with a glare towards her,
"I've got a job. HC Clements is in the City. It's nice, it's posh, so stop it." Donna and Sylvia are at the junction, waiting to turn. "It won't take long. Just turn right." Sylvia snaps in annoyance, "I'm going left. If you don't like it, get out and walk. You think I'm so useless." Donna snarls back at her mother, "Oh, I know why you want a job with HC Clements, lady. Because you think you'll meet a man."
.• •.
Donna has run out of breath, and it is 9:59. "I'm not going to get there." She breathed out as a different Kate starts to fade. Rose turned with a glare, noticing the woman breaking through. She spins back around, "You're going to die." Donna sees a van coming towards her. It has just passed the junction the car is waiting at. "City executives don't need temps, except for practice."
"Yeah. Suppose you're right. Please." Donna steps out in front of the van. The driver stands on the brakes, Kate screams, Sylvia hears her. "Can you hear that?" The driver gets out and waves at the taxi behind. "Hold on! Back up!" The driver shouts towards the taxi driver, "Oi, get a move on." The taxi driver responded in anger, "The traffic's stopping." Donna muttered lowly, "Something must have happened."
"Wake up!"
"Tell him this. Two words." Rose whispers in dying Donna's ear, before she was tackled to the ground by a figure in black. The tailback is past her junction now, "Well, that decides it. I'm not sitting in a traffic jam. I'm going left."
"Donna! Wake up!"
•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:••:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•
"I'm going left. Left. Left." Donna screams, Kate gasps as her eyes glow golden. Key events rewind, then the beetle drops from her back. "What the hell is that?" Donna demands as I take a deep breath and grunt at the killer headache coming on. "You were so strong. You broke her connection! What are you? What will you be? What will you do?" She wasn't talking to Donna though, she was looking at me who was glaring harshly at her. My eyes glowed red and she evaporated before our eyes. Theta enters in a slight panic, his eyes scanned the room looking for me as Fay begins to cry. "Everything all right?" He asked pulling me into a hug, I cradled them both close to me as I teared up.
"Oh, God." Donna hugs us, "What was that for?" He asked both of us causing her to frown. "I don't know."
Later, Theta is prodding the dead beetle with a stick. "I can't remember. It's slipping away. You know like when you try and think of a dream and it just sort of goes." She looks towards me and I give her a nod, I somewhat remembered. "Just got lucky, this thing. It's one of the Trickster's Brigade. Changes a life in tiny little ways. Most times, the universe just compensates around it, but with you? Great big parallel world." Theta muttered looking up at us. "Hold on. You said parallel worlds are sealed off."
"They are. But you had one created around you. Funny thing is, seems to be happening a lot to you." Theta explains causing me to nod in agreement, we had been trying to figure out why it was created around her. "How do you mean?" Donna asked us, "Well, The Library and then this." I told her with a shrug as I bounced Fay who was falling asleep. "Just goes with the job, I suppose." Donna tried to laugh it off, "Sometimes I think there's way too much coincidence around you, Donna. We met you once, then we met your grandfather, then we met you again. In the whole wide universe, We met you for a second time. It's like something's binding us together."
"Don't be so daft. I'm nothing special." Donna tried to laugh it off causing me to frown at her with a cock of my head. "Yes, you are. You're brilliant." Both of us spoke together with small smiles. "She said that." Donna's eyes seem to widen as she begins to remember something. "Who did?" Theta turned to me with a frown causing me to look down with a frown of my own as I tried to remember. "That woman. I can't remember."
"Well, she never existed now." He shrugged not caring about it much. "No, but she said the stars. She said the stars are going out." Donna tried to explain causing me to frown, "Yeah, but that world's gone." I told her with a shake of my head. "No, but she said it was all worlds. Every world. She said the darkness is coming even here."
"Who was she?"
"I don't know."
"What did she look like?"
"She was blonde."
"What was her name?"
My eyes suddenly darkened as I looked up at him with a glare, "Rose. It was Rose." I remembered again, she took me under control and killed my love, It was another version of earth we had been in. She tortured another version on me, and I died as well. "But she told me to warn you. She said two words."
"What two words? What were they? What did she say?" I instead as we watched her with wide eyes, yes I had tackled her away from Donna but I didn't get a chance to ask what she said before I disappeared with her glare on me. "Bad Wolf. Well, what does it mean?" My eyes widen at the familiar words that still follow me around.
We both rush outside to see every printed thing now says Bad Wolf. Even the Tardis says Bad Wolf instead of Police Box. The inside is lit by red emergency lighting, and the cloister bell tolls. I sighed in frustration as Donna look at me, "Kate, what is it? What's Bad Wolf?" She asked me urgently as both Theta and I spoke together.
"It's the end of the universe."
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This one was long as well. Oof.
Thank you all for the love a support, I actually wrote this one before Midnight so I could get it over with. Kate has some powers and Rose has definitely taken it to far now.
Hope y'all enjoyed!!
8,807 Words