The moment my feet hit the ground I lurched forward as though someone pushed me. I whipped around to snap at the Doctor but he was gone. Yet again, I'd popped off mid-adventure except this time I thankfully landed in the comfort of my bedroom on the Tardis. Relief flowed through me and I sagged, dropping back onto my bed and closing my eyes to catch my breath. Note to self: I don't like falling from great heights.
I sighed deeply, silently wondering for a moment what that Doctor would do with the goblins—there was no way it was that easy getting Lulubelle back—and how he'd explain my sudden disappearance to Ruby. I cracked a small smile just imagining her shock before begrudgingly getting up. I needed a shower and some sleep. Despite what the Doctor said, I hadn't been able to sleep between the aquarium trip and the club, nor between then and running off with Ruby on the roof. As always, things had just gotten too crazy.
Whatever Doctor I was with could wait anyway. They probably didn't even know I was here, so once I'd gotten an ample amount of sleep, I took my time getting dressed and paused. There was a 12-gallon, rimless, shallow aquarium in my room just waiting to be scaped. I eyed it momentarily before glancing at the ceiling with a frown.
"He won't mind… right?"
The Tardis hummed and I nodded.
"Yeah. He doesn't even know I'm here. I can enjoy myself for a bit."
So, I headed to the kitchen to eat something and hastily bounded back, digging through the new door that had opened up in my room for supplies. Gravel, aqua soil, and sand were the start; layering my substrate and then turning to the rest. Picking out rocks and wood was the hard part. I wasn't used to so many options given my limited budget at home but soon found a nice piece of driftwood and ancient stone to go along the expanse of the tank.
After that, it was time to plant and then fill it up. The Tardis made everything so easy in comparison to how I had to do things back home—lugging around a 3-gallon bucket to do water changes on six tanks was not fun. Still, the process took a few hours to get it how I wanted, and if the Doctor hadn't come to interrupt me the whole time, then I knew I should probably go look for him. I washed my hands first, then cleaned up any remaining mess I'd left behind before stepping into the hall.
It was familiar as usual though I'd long since stopped trying to determine which Doctor I was with based on the hallways. I hadn't expected the console room I walked into or the leather-wearing man I almost collided with. He caught me by the elbow before I could stumble back, slightly startling me. I hadn't expected to end up with the Ninth Doctor so soon after figuring out that I liked the man, nor had I expected the hand to actually catch me. I was still forgetting I'd regained my arm at times, nightmares aside.
"Asher? When did you show up?" The Doctor asked, letting me go as I scrambled to restart my brain.
"I, um… A few hours ago?" I offered, earning a raised brow. "Probably longer. I slept and ate and… well, built a fish tank. Sorry."
I sheepishly glanced away, rubbing the back of my neck. Dealing with any Doctor after my little revelation about my feelings was bad enough. Trying to figure out the Ninth Doctor though was damn near impossible. I hadn't forgotten how he'd reacted with the whole Bad Wolf thing and while I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, he still made me nervous.
"What are you putting in it?"
I blinked, turning to him in shock. "What?"
He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "The tank you did. What fish are you going to put in it?"
He's… He's actually interested? "Um, some nano fish probably. Chili rasboras or maybe ricefish? It's only about 12 gallons. I… don't know what that is in liters—"
"Little over 45 liters," he informed me. "You'll have to show me later. I'll come with you to get the fish."
Still in shock, I watched as he turned to head back into the console room, having to take a moment to collect myself before heading after him. I hadn't expected the Ninth Doctor to care about my hobby at all or even know about it. The idle thought that maybe I had a completely wrong idea about the Doctor had guilt twisting my gut, and I suddenly wished I could start over with him and see him properly. Not that I couldn't try now but… the last time I was with him…
"Get in or I'm leaving you here."
"I'll not have you hurt her again."
"Just another stupid, useless human idiot!"
The reminder of his words—said out of frustration and not actual hate—wasn't helping matters. As much as I believed now that he hadn't meant those things, the shouting and the anger behind them had left a lasting impression, much like the words and actions of my father back home. The comparison put a foul taste in my mouth and I was grateful to see another familiar face when I shifted past the center console.
"Hey, look who it is!" Jack grinned, heading over and wrapping his arms around me in a hug.
I wasn't a hugger but given the last few times I'd seen him were when he'd died and when the Master had tormented him, I gratefully returned it.
"Nice to see you too, Jack," I muttered as he pulled away with a curious look.
"Alright, who are you and what have you done with Ash?" He asked with a small teasing smile. "Not a hint of sarcasm in those words and you returned a hug? What? Did the Doctor pick on you or something?"
"Oi!" The Doctor complained. "I did no such thing. She just got here!"
"Yeah, wouldn't stop you," he quipped back, winking at me as I smiled a little; grateful for the batter distracting me from my other thoughts.
Rose walked in then, holding up her phone. "I just called Mickey, so he'll be stopping by," she hummed before spotting me and smiling. "When did you get here, Ash?"
"A few hours ago," I replied, a little awkward given how she'd been when we'd met last but I didn't know when we were either. Obviously before Bad Wolf but still. "Where are we, by the way?"
"Cardiff," the Doctor hummed.
"Charging off the rift," I concluded and he nodded as he grabbed a ladder to move to another portion of the Tardis.
"Yup. Little top-up before we head out somewhere new." He gave me a look then as I came over to help him move the bulky ladder. "Where've you been then? Anywhere fun?"
"Your future, mostly," I informed him as he climbed up the ladder and I watched. "Saw dinosaurs, goblins, met an… old friend of yours too."
"Of mine?" He questioned and I grimaced a little, reaching up and rubbing at my once-missing arm.
"Yeah, a few times actually. Not all pleasant but they're a bit… complicated." Seeing his slightly curious look, I rattled on to get away from the spoilers. "Got trapped in a Soviet submarine too. Then, an underwater mining base."
Jack let out a whistle. "You've been all over the place then."
I cracked a small smile as I gestured to the Doctor. "He's got a knack for finding trouble."
"I don't go looking for trouble," the Doctor complained and my grin widened as I leaned on the ladder.
"I just had this argument with your future self, Doctor. Fun fact, you lost."
He pouted, letting out a huff as he started pulling apart some wiring he'd exposed to work on it. I was a little surprised he wasn't pushing for more details on what I'd done with his future selves but again, there was this nagging feeling that I'd just misunderstood him in some way. That perhaps, I didn't need to be so cautious. I went through the Bad Wolf thing and it wasn't… terrible. Not to jinx things by saying it can't get worse than that but… if the Ninth Doctor isn't as bad as I thought then maybe this will be easy? I watched him fiddle with some wiring for a moment, hesitating. If I were back home, I wouldn't ever ask to try and help work on something but this wasn't back home and he wasn't like my father or grandfather who snapped for any little mistake. Still, getting past that initial hesitation wasn't easy.
"Could I…" I started, drawing his attention and earning a raised brow. "Could I help?"
"Help fix the Tardis?" He questioned back and I nodded.
"I might not know what I'm doing but if you show me… Or, well, I know how to do simple things like strip wires, I mean."
He watched me silently for a moment too long and I considered backing out on my offer but he spoke up before I could.
"Okay," he said with a shrug, gesturing upward with a nod. "Come on."
Relief filled my gut as I hastily climbed up to join him, settling beside him as he handed me some wiring.
"It's not really fixing as much as it's just rewiring," he explained. "The Tardis rarely needs maintenance but I like to tune her up on my own on occasion. Here." He handed me some wiring. "You'll want to connect those two together and any others I hand you. Use my sonic. Setting 98."
He handed me the sonic and I paused, eyeing it in uncertainty before glancing at him.
"Um, how do I set it?"
He turned to me in surprise. "You don't know? How long have you been traveling with me?"
"A year? Maybe more?" I offered with a shrug. "I don't really keep track."
"And I've not shown you how to use the sonic?"
"I usually just point and think. I know it has settings but I never knew how to set them," I replied and he rubbed the back of his head.
"Okay. It's a bit inefficient but I suppose if I've never shown you, it can't be helped." He reached over and covered my hand with his, turning it so he could show me the sonic. "You press this button here and then twist this to get to the right setting. You'll know it's the right one just by feeling. It's the same concept as the point and think."
Pointedly ignoring the rush of heat trickling up my arm from his hand, I kept my gaze firmly on the sonic.
"So, it's telepathic?"
"It's thought-based technology. Not quite the same thing but it's a bit complicated," he replied, waving it off before stopping.
He eyed me for a moment and I finally turned to him since he'd gone quiet, unsure as to the reason.
"What?"
"Are you…" He paused, glancing down at our hands and slowly releasing me. "You're projecting a little."
I flushed, not sure what I'd been projecting and hoping it wasn't the overwhelming fact that I'd been rather embarrassed about him holding my hand. God, he doesn't even like me yet and I've only just figured it out! I know it's embarrassing but come on! Projecting it? Get a hold of yourself!
"I-I, um…" I wasn't sure what to say but thankfully, the Doctor seemed more focused on the fact that I could project my thoughts and feelings and less on what feelings they were.
"Have I not shown you how to deal with that either?" He asked, frowning lightly. "It could be dangerous if you're not careful."
"You were going to but we've been a bit… busy," I answered awkwardly, knowing that with my jumping around and his hectic adventures, we hadn't actually had a lot of time to sit down and deal with my new mental capabilities.
He sighed lightly. "I thought you were just being forgetful again."
"Forgetful?" I questioned and he shot me a look as he put back the wiring he'd pulled out.
"Your future self doesn't always rein it in around me. Says she forgets when she's comfortable. You're a little more…" He glanced at me, looking me up and down for a second. "...skittish, so it being something new to you is a little more reasonable." He turned to face me and sat down on the ladder to settle beside me, lifting his hands. "Could I…"
I nodded easily, used to the Doctor asking permission to check my head though—given it was the Ninth Doctor—there was the smallest hint of hesitation he must have picked up on. His fingers rested on my temples but he didn't do anything just yet.
"You can refuse if you want," he informed me, reminding me of how the Fifteenth Doctor had always said he wouldn't do anything I didn't want.
And he doesn't even like me yet. "It's okay," I repeated quietly.
"You know how to keep me out of things, right?"
I nodded slightly, knowing that much. "Yeah, just imagine a door."
"Okay," he said, closing his eyes and finally slipping slowly into my head.
He was far more cautious and gentle about the whole thing compared to the other Doctors. Those who were more comfortable with me knew just how much pressure they could use and how to get around but it was apparent that this Doctor didn't quite know what to expect, and wasn't used to doing this with others.
"Not with humans, anyway," he said, having overheard my thoughts which made me huff lightly in annoyance. "Your mind is a little open but not as bad as I thought. There is some damage," he pointed out, making me wince a little when he brushed over a tender spot. "Someone's started to help heal it though."
"Future you," I offered him, firmly shutting the memories of what had happened to cause the damage in the first place behind closed doors so he wouldn't see spoilers. "I was… overwhelmed with negative emotions when I was still new to things or something. You didn't explain it well but I got the gist of it."
"Among other things, yeah," he hummed, starting to edge back before pausing.
I wasn't sure what he'd found at first since I'd been mostly preoccupied with hiding any spoilers from him. When I felt a trickle of his own emotions, however, I was quick to turn my attention to him. I'd forgotten to hide my past life from him and he'd stumbled upon some of the few memories I had of my father. I was quick to force the shouting, frustrated man back into the dark box he'd crawled out of; trapping him there with my feelings of fear, bitterness, and hatred. It took a lot for me to hate someone but thirty years of dealing with him and seeing how he hurt me and those I cared about left an impression.
"Sorry," I muttered to the Doctor, lightly nudging him out of my head.
He willingly left and lowered his hands as I glanced away with a small frown, mildly annoyed with myself for letting things like that get loose but there was no helping it.
"Who was that?" The Doctor asked, quietly enough that I knew he would drop it if I asked.
"My dad," I murmured, turning my gaze to the sonic and working on the settings to connect the wires like he'd asked. "A piece of shit but we always said it could be worse. I lucked out and don't have to see him ever again since I came here, so it's fine. Just… annoying, I guess, that I still remember stupid shit he did. Can't remember half my childhood but can remember him throwing a fit over his phone not working or a drawer not closing." I dragged a hand through my hair, already feeling frustration creeping up on me just thinking about him. "Sorry."
The Doctor shook his head though, not minding at all and nodding back to the wiring. "We can multi-task. Start on the wiring and I'll walk you through what you need to do to keep yourself from projecting."
I nodded, thankful that he steered us away from the topic of my family back home and we soon settled into discussing how to fine-tune my mental abilities as I helped him with wiring. It was a surprisingly comfortable and relaxing conversation that I wouldn't have expected from this Doctor and I was a bit disappointed when it ended because Mickey had arrived.
"Don't tell me. This must be Mickey," Jack drawled from the doorway as Mickey stepped in and the Doctor looked down at him from our perch up above.
"Here comes trouble! How're you doing, Ricky boy?"
"It's Mickey," Mickey corrected as Rose headed over and smiled at him.
"Don't listen to him, he's winding you up."
Mickey turned back to Rose and smiled. "You look fantastic."
She pulled him into a hug, happy to see him as I caught the Doctor eyeing them and gave him a nudge. He looked down at me with a raised brow but I just smiled and handed him the wires I'd connected. He rolled his eyes as Jack complained from down below.
"Aw, sweet. Look at these two. How come I never get any of that?"
"Buy me a drink first," the Doctor replied, making me snort.
"You're such hard work."
"But worth it."
Knowing how he treated me in the future, I couldn't argue that but the Doctor nodded my way.
"Could always try Asher."
"Hey!" I complained but Jack wrinkled his nose.
"She's even harder. I'm lucky if I get a hug."
"I don't like touching!" I whined.
"You seemed fine with him," he pointed out, gesturing to the Doctor with a smug smirk. "You have a shot more than I do, Doc."
"Don't call me Doc," the Doctor huffed. "And I'm nine hundred years old. Bit of an age gap."
"Don't look it," Jack replied. "I'm sure you've got some moves that even Ash would appreciate."
I groaned, face flushed as I bowed my head. "Can we not talk about my non-existent dating life please?"
"Come on," Jack drawled. "Surely you've had someone, eh?"
When I remained silent, he perked up.
"What? Seriously?"
"What part of non-existent did you miss?" I grumbled as Rose spoke up from below.
"I can go anywhere now," she chirped, holding up the passport she'd gotten from Mickey and completely ignoring our conversation.
"I told you, you don't need a passport," the Doctor informed her
"It's all very well going to Platform One and Justicia and the Glass Pyramid of San Kaloon, but what if we end up in Brazil? I might need it. You see, I'm prepared for anything," Rose countered as Jack lifted a hand.
"We really ignoring the virgin in the room?"
"Yes," I pressed, shooting him an annoyed look but he just offered me a teasing smile as he held up his hands.
No harm done. He was backing off.
"Sounds like you're staying, then," Mickey muttered, a little upset about Rose's decision. "So, what're you doing in Cardiff? And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash? I mean, I don't mind you hanging out with big ears up there—"
"Oi!" The Doctor complained.
"Look in the mirror," Mickey countered. "But this guy, I don't know, he's kind of—"
"Handsome?" Jack offered as I scoffed.
"Annoying?"
"Hey!"
"More like cheesy," Mickey finished with a look of disgust.
"Early 21st century slang. Is cheesy good or bad?" Jack asked.
"It's bad."
"But bad means good, isn't that right?"
"He's calling you lame, Jack," I pressed. "Cliché, that sort of thing."
"Yes, I know," he huffed. "Look at you, picking fights. Are you sure you're not secretly an alien in disguise?"
"You started it," I grumbled. "Don't meddle with my love life."
Jack rolled his eyes as the Doctor pouted at the couple, climbing down the ladder as I followed.
"Are you saying I'm not handsome?"
Rose and Mickey ignored his complaint as she explained why they were stopped in Cardiff.
"We just stopped off. We need to refuel. The thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions."
"The rift was healed back in 1869," the Doctor added.
"Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth, because these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway but she saved the world and closed it."
"But closing a rift always leaves a scar, and that scar generates energy, harmless to the human race—" Jack continued as the Doctor picked up and I watched the banter from the jumpseat.
"But perfect for the Tardis, so just park it here for a couple of days right on top of the scar and—"
"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation."
Rose smiled. "Like filling her up with petrol and off we go!"
"Into time!"
"And space!" They all cheered while high-fiving.
"My God, have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?" Mickey said as they all agreed and he turned to me. "And you're the only sane one, yeah?"
I cracked a smile. "Yeah, sometimes I wonder."
The group started to head to the door and I hopped up to join them as we stepped out into Roald Dahl Plass.
"Should take another twenty-four hours, which means we've got time to kill," the Doctor mused as Mickey glanced at a passerby who'd seen us.
"That old lady's staring."
"Probably wondering what five people could do inside a small wooden box," Jack said with a laugh.
"What are you captain of? The Innuendo Squad?" Mickey scoffed and Jack started to walk off before Mickey spoke up. "Wait, the Tardis, we can't just leave it. Doesn't it get noticed?"
Jack actually paused, agreeing. "Yeah, what's with the police box? Why does it look like that?"
"It's a cloaking device," Rose informed them as the Doctor explained.
"It's called a chameleon circuit. The Tardis is meant to disguise itself wherever it lands like if this was Ancient Rome, it'd be a statue on a plinth or something. But I landed in the 1960s, it disguised itself as a police box, and the circuit got stuck."
Mickey was a little surprised. "So it copied a real thing? There actually was police boxes?"
"You thought they were made up?" I questioned. "I'm American and even I knew they were real things."
The Doctor nodded. "They were on street corners. Phone for help before they had radios and mobiles. If they arrested someone, they could shove them inside till help came, like a little prison cell."
"Why don't you just fix the circuit?" Jack asked as well, curious about the police box shape.
"I like it, don't you?"
"I love it," Rose said with a smile as I nodded.
"It's classic."
"But that's what I meant. There's no police boxes anymore, so doesn't it get noticed?" Mickey questioned.
"You lot were invaded by plastic dummies and had a spaceship hit Big Ben, and you seriously think people will be concerned about a blue police box?" I mentioned. "The most attention it'll get is if people think it's an art display or something. Take a few selfies and just be on their way."
"She's right," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Ricky, let me tell you something about the human race. You put a mysterious blue box slap bang in the middle of town, what do they do? Walk past it. Now, stop your nagging. Let's go and explore."
He turned and Rose hooked her arm in his.
"What's the plan?"
"I don't know. Cardiff, early 21st century and the wind's coming from the East. Trust me. Safest place in the universe."
"You'll jinx it," I said, coming up on his other side and earning a raised brow from him.
"You think so?"
I know so but I won't exactly just mention that his little Slitheen friend will show up. It's a rather… mild adventure so best let it run its course. "I think that anytime you say something like that, trouble actually does find you and not the other way around."
"Back on that again, are we?" He teased with a small smile and I smiled back, glad that this adventure was turning out to be rather fun.
"I swear, six feet tall and with big tusks!" Jack said, retelling a story of some experience he'd had.
"You're lying through your teeth!" The Doctor countered, enjoying the story as much as the others as Rose laughed.
"I'd have gone bonkers! That's the word—bonkers!"
"I mean, it turns out the white things are tusks and I mean tusks! And it's woken, and it's not happy," Jack said as the Doctor leaned in.
"How could you not know it was there?"
"And we're standing there, fifteen of us, naked—"
"Naked!" Rose gaped.
"And I'm like, oh, no, no, it's got nothing to do with me. And then it roars, and we are running. Oh my God, we are running! And Brakovitch falls, so I turn to him and I say—"
"I knew we should've turned left!" Mickey finished for him with a grin as Jack laughed.
"That's my line!"
"I don't believe you. I don't believe a word you say ever. That is so brilliant. Did you ever get your clothes back?" Rose asked, shoving at him as the Doctor glanced at Asher.
She'd been rather quiet through the meal but she had a small smile on her face, listening in to the stories as she finished off her food. He noticed she'd sort of plucked bits of vegetable out of her pasta but she'd eaten everything else so he wasn't worried about her not eating, which was good. She was a bit slim but given her hopping about, it wasn't surprising. So long as she's taking the time to eat and rest up, he mused before his gaze caught on something at the table near theirs.
It was a newspaper and the front page article had caught his attention. He got up as Jack kept talking to Rose and the others, taking the newspaper from the man who'd had it to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, a familiar face was on the cover and he sighed softly.
"And I was having such a nice day."
He showed the rest of the table the picture of the Siltheen disguised on the front labeling her as the new mayor and Jack stopped his story in confusion.
"Sorry, am I missing something here?" He asked, seeing the serious expressions on the rest of their faces.
"It's… a bit of a story," Asher muttered as the Doctor handed the paper back to the man he'd taken it from and pulled out some money to pay the bill.
"We'll explain on the way. Long story short, she's a Slitheen in disguise."
"A what?"
"Raxacoricofallapatorious," Asher said, making Rose gape.
"How'd you manage that the first go?"
Asher sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Repeated it in my head a few times. The lady on the front page is an alien who tried to cause World War Three by crashing her family's ship into Big Ben."
"What for?" Jack asked as the group got up.
"Turn Earth into parts, basically."
"So, her being the mayor is a bad thing."
"More than bad actually," the Doctor said, explaining the finer details that Asher had left out as they headed for City Hall to confront the woman.
"According to intelligence, the target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sect from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious, masquerading as a human being, zipped inside a skin suit," Jack said, repeating everything he'd been told once the group was in the foyer. "Okay, plan of attack, we assume a basic fifty-seven fifty-six strategy, covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor, you go face to face. That'll designate Exit One, I'll cover Exit Two. Rose, you Exit Three. Mickey Smith, you take Exit Four. Ash, you go with Mickey. Have you got that?"
"Excuse me. Who's in charge?" The Doctor questioned and Jack rolled his eyes with a sigh.
"Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir."
"Right, here's the plan," the Doctor said before grinning. "Like he said. Nice plan. Anything else?"
"Present arms," Jack said as everyone but Asher held out a cell phone.
She'd left her new one in the Tardis and hadn't bothered bringing it. She had no one to call but the Doctor anyway and given how she bounced around to him all the time, there was no need and it would pop up in her coat if needed. The group split up and Asher walked off with Mickey who sighed.
"Where's your phone then?" He asked.
"Left it in the Tardis," Asher said with a shrug. "Had another but it's not exactly… from this universe and it's a little more… not of this time either so I just left it in the Tardis. Not like I have anyone to call, so no point bringing my new one."
Mickey felt bad for bringing it up and went to apologize but his phone went off then and he scrambled to answer it. The Slitheen was headed North and Mickey grimaced.
"Oh, my God."
"Come on, Mickey," Asher said, nodding for them to head out after the alien.
They started running and Asher was quick to pull Mickey away from the cleaning lady he'd nearly run into, leading him outside. They made it to their position to see Margaret heading their way down a narrow street. Mickey was already out of breath but Asher was fine and when Margaret spotted them, she pulled to a stop with a hiss. The others caught up when she started to turn around and seeing that she was trapped, she smirked. She pressed a button on one of her pins and vanished, making Jack complain.
"She's got a teleport! That's cheating! Now we're never going to get her."
"Oh, the Doctor's very good at teleports," Rose hummed as the Doctor brought out his sonic and she reappeared.
Stunned, she tried again and after the third time, she held up her hands with a glare.
"I could do this all day," the Doctor said with a smile.
"This is persecution," she spat. "Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"
"You tried to kill me and destroy this entire planet."
She paused for a moment. "Apart from that."
"Well, you want to talk? Let's talk then," he said, nodding for her to follow. "Come on."
The group headed back to City Hall where she waved off her nervous secretary and they stepped into one of the meeting rooms where a model of the city was.
"So, you're a Slitheen, you're on Earth, you're trapped. Your family get killed but you teleport out just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape. What do you do? You build a nuclear power station. But what for?" The Doctor asked.
"A philanthropic gesture. I've learnt the error of my ways," Margaret tried.
"And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift," the Doctor continued, eyeing her as she attempted to play ignorant.
"What rift would that be?"
"A rift in space and time. If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would go—" Jack said, mimicking an explosion.
"This station is designed to explode the minute it reaches capacity," the Doctor informed them, glancing at the model of the city.
"Didn't anyone notice? Isn't there someone in London checking this sort of stuff?" Rose asked as Asher folded her arms over her chest.
"What for? In the government's eyes, it's more money in their pockets and more power to show off said money."
"We're in Cardiff," Margaret added. "London doesn't care. The South Wales coast could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Oh. I sound like a Welshman. God help me, I've gone native."
"But why would she do that? A great big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself," Mickey pointed out.
"She's got a name, you know."
"She's not even a she, she's a thing," Mickey argued but the Doctor eyed her.
"Oh, but she's clever." He reached over and pulled up the grey portion of the model city, flipping it to reveal what it actually was. "Fantastic."
"Is that a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator?" Jack questioned, stunned himself.
"Couldn't have put it better myself."
"Oh, genius! You didn't build this," Jack said, making Margaret huff as Jack took it from the Doctor.
"I have my hobbies. A little tinkering."
"No, no, no. I mean, you really didn't build this. Way beyond you."
"I bet she stole it," Mickey commented, which she didn't exactly deny.
"It fell into my hands."
"Is it a weapon?" Rose asked as Jack went to explain but Asher wasn't listening.
She was watching the Doctor as he stepped away and approached the banner that had been put up for the presentation of the project. He didn't need the Tardis to translate it but the words… those two words following them around the universe.
"How'd you think of the name?" He asked as Margaret frowned.
"What? Blaidd Drwg? It's Welsh."
"I know, but how did you think of it?" The Doctor pressed.
"I chose it at random, that's all. I don't know. It just sounded good. Does it matter?"
"Blaidd Drwg," he repeated as Asher spoke up.
"Bad Wolf."
He turned to her, seeing that she knew something about it and not liking the expression on her face. She knew what it was, how it got there, everything. She probably wouldn't tell him and given how often the words were popping up, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Still, something told him it wasn't good. Not just anyone could manipulate time and space like that. Same with Asher… Does this have to do with her? She's always showing up around me too. I don't like this.
"But I've heard that before—Bad Wolf. I've heard that lots of times," Rose said, growing concerned.
"Everywhere we go. Two words following us. Bad Wolf," he agreed, still watching Asher as she glanced away and rubbed at her arm.
She'd been doing that a bit often too, he'd noticed. As though something was wrong with it. I'll ask about it later.
"How can they be following us?" Rose asked, worry filling her voice and the Doctor turned to her with a false smile, brushing it off.
No need to worry her.
"Nah, just a coincidence. Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day. Never mind. Things to do. Margaret, we're going to take you home."
"Hold on, isn't that the easy option, like letting her go?" Jack argued.
"I don't believe it! We actually get to go to Raxa. Wait a minute! Raxacor—" Rose paused, struggling and giving Asher a look. "It's really annoying you got it on the first go."
Asher offered a small hint of a smile as the Doctor walked her through the pronunciation.
"Raxacoricofallapatorius."
"Raxacorico—"
"—fallapatorius."
"Raxacoricofallapatorius."
"That's it!"
"I did it!" Rose beamed with a grin, hugging him with a cheer before Margaret interrupted.
"They have the death penalty," she said, sending them into silence. "The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty with no chance of appeal. According to the statutes of government, the moment I return, I am to be executed. What do you make of that, Doctor? Take me home and you take me to my death."
"Not my problem," he said simply, tucking away any feelings he had about it as far down as he could.
"This ship is impossible. It's superb. How do you get the outside around the inside?" Margaret asked once we'd returned to the Tardis in a much more somber mood.
"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah," the Doctor muttered.
"I almost feel better about being defeated. I never stood a chance. This is the technology of the gods."
"Don't worship me," the Doctor said, giving her a glance as he worked with the wiring of the Tardis console to hook it up to her extrapolator. "I'd make a very bad god. You wouldn't get a day off, for starters. Jack, how we doing, big fella?"
"This extrapolator's top of the range. Where did you get it?" Jack asked, helping with the wiring.
"Oh, I don't know. Some airlock sale?" Margaret chimed as I stayed far away from her, leaning up against a railing near the door.
If I didn't let this play out… If I just told them or unplugged the extrapolator… I quickly pushed the thoughts from my head. I can't. If I do, then Margaret doesn't get a second chance. She goes back home and gets executed and the Doctor has to live with that… and so would I. I'd rather have the Doctor mad at me for saying nothing and get a good ending than ruin it.
"Must've been a great big heist. It's stacked with power," Jack commented.
"But can we use it for fuel?" The Doctor questioned him.
"It's not compatible, but it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."
"Then we're stuck here overnight."
"I'm in no hurry," Margaret chimed as Rose gave the Doctor a small smile.
"We've got a prisoner. The police box is really a police box."
"You're not just police, though. Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners. Each and every one of you," Margaret pointed out and Mickey frowned.
"Well, you deserve it."
"Mickey," I said shortly, surprising myself for doing so. "No one deserves to die. They deserve to be punished, sure, but…"
I paused, suddenly feeling a bit of a hypocrite because of how many times I'd thought of my father—No. Don't. I pushed the thoughts aside and turned away.
"Just… Death isn't something to take lightly, is all."
I felt eyes on me and turned to see Margaret eyeing me with a small frown, turning away from her didn't help given the Doctor was watching me in a similar manner. Now would be a great time to just pop off somewhere… Rose and Mickey couldn't stand the tension for very long and chose to step out not too long after. I knew the Doctor was watching them on the screen on the console and Jack must've caught me looking since he got up to take a peak as well.
"So, what's on?"
"Nothing," the Doctor said, turning the screen off. "Just…"
"I gather it's not always like this, having to wait," Margaret chimed in, sitting on the stairs nearby. "I bet you're always the first to leave, Doctor. Never mind the consequences, off you go. You butchered my family and then ran for the stars, am I right? But not this time. At last, you have consequences. How does it feel?"
"I didn't butcher them," he said, eyeing a part he had as I twisted around a Rubix cube the Tardis had dropped off for me.
"Don't answer back," Jack warned him. "That's what she wants."
"I didn't," the Doctor pressed, before speaking back to Margaret. "What about you? You had an emergency teleport. You didn't zap them to safety, did you?"
"It only carries one. I had to fly without coordinates. I ended up on a skip in the Isle of Dogs."
The Doctor and Jack chuckled.
"It wasn't funny."
"Sorry," the Doctor said, making her turn only for him to smile. "It was a bit funny."
"It's not," I said quietly, making him stop as I glanced up solemnly before looking back down at the nearly finished cube.
Again I felt eyes on me but Margaret cut through the tension.
"Do I get a last request?"
"Depends what it is," the Doctor replied.
"I grew quite fond of my little human life. All those rituals. The brushing of the teeth, and the complicated way they cook things. There's a little restaurant just 'round the Bay. It became quite a favorite of mine."
He finally pulled his eyes away from me and headed over to look at her. "Is that what you want, a last meal?"
"Don't I have rights?"
"Oh, like she's not going to try to escape," Jack scoffed, not trusting her in the slightest.
"Except I can never escape the Doctor, so where's the danger? I wonder if you could do it? To sit with a creature you're about to kill and take supper. How strong is your stomach?" Margaret challenged as the Doctor took the bait.
"Strong enough."
"I wonder. I've seen you fight your enemies, now dine with them."
"You won't change my mind," he informed her.
"Prove it."
He took a step back, moving toward the console again. "There are people out there. If you slip away just for one second, they'll be in danger."
"Except I've got these," Jack chirped, holding up a set of bangles. "You both wear one. If she moves more than ten feet away, she gets zapped by ten thousand volts."
The Doctor turned, folding his arms over his chest with a smile. "Margaret, would you like to come out to dinner? My treat."
"Dinner in bondage. Works for me," she hummed and they got the bangles set up before the Doctor turned to me.
"You staying with Jack then, Asher?"
I glanced up from the finished Rubix cube and over to Margaret for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm not much use here. Sorry."
"Didn't mean it like that," he said but I shook my head.
"It's fine. I just meant that I don't… don't really have anywhere else to go, is all."
"If you're sure," he muttered, giving me one last look before heading out.
Things got quiet with the only sounds being Jack's tinkering until he caught me staring at the door.
"Worried?"
I shook my head. "No. I know he'll be fine but… I don't know. Some of the stuff she says isn't… kind."
"She's a criminal begging for her life to her jailor and executioner. Why would she be nice about it?" Jack asked and I shrugged.
"I dunno. Never mind."
He sighed lightly, coming out from under the Tardis and giving me a look. "You know, you could just say it's future stuff and I'll understand."
I winced slightly. "Sorry. I never know when people… know. Bouncing around… it all gets complicated trying to figure out where everyone is versus me."
"If it helps, after you told me the Doctor went all mama bear and gave me a long lecture about the dangers of knowing the future," Jack said with a small smile.
I scoffed. "Doesn't sound like him." A future him, sure, but Nine?
"It's true. Rattled on and on about paradoxes and stress on the human mind and everything else. Told me not to ask questions and to stop you if you start trying to say something you shouldn't. Was talking to me like I was a child instead of an ex-Time Agent."
I cracked a small smile at the thought before it fell as I glanced at the door again, thinking about Margaret. "Do you… Do you think people can change?"
"Is this about Margaret?" He asked, moving to work on the wiring some more.
"It's not that I don't think she's a bad person," I explained. "I just… She's lost everything. She grew up in a family of criminals and I don't know what that's like. I don't know what she was forced to do or what they made her think was okay. I was just wondering if… if now that they're gone, maybe she has a chance at being better."
"We can't just let her go, Ash."
"I know," I muttered. "I just thought… If there's anything else we could do…"
I reached over and rubbed at my arm where those intricate tattoos that connected me to the Tardis were. I knew what happened at the end of this. I knew Margaret got a second chance because of the Tardis but why did that happen in the first place? Did the Tardis actually get torn open on accident and her soul just happen to latch onto that idea of restarting Margaret's life? The Doctor acted like he knew it would happen so did he plan it? Hell, did the Tardis plan all this and open up on purpose to give Margaret a chance and to help the Doctor? I didn't know and I wasn't sure if anyone did but if it all changed for some reason or another—if it changed because of me or my presence here—then wouldn't it be up to me to make sure she gets an opportunity to live a better life?
"You really are too nice, you know."
"What?" I questioned Jack, a little confused as he cracked a small smile in my direction.
"Just something the Doctor mentioned in his rant about you," he said, surprising me. "Said you're too kind to others and not kind enough to yourself. I didn't think a thing of it but he was right."
"Sorry for being nice," I muttered, earning a chuckle from him before he changed the subject, much to my relief.
"So, little Miss Virgin, not a fan of the nightlife?"
"Don't call me that, you twat," I huffed, making him laugh. "And clubs are loud. I'm not exactly an extrovert, you know. Put me in a pub and I sit in the back and keep to myself."
"We have to get you out there. I know plenty of places where you'll get snatched up in an instant."
"Jack!"
Things were going as expected at the restaurant the Doctor had gone to with Margaret. She'd started off by trying to kill him in various ways—all of which he knew about and thwarted easily—before playing the sympathy card to try and get him to change his mind about taking her home to be executed. It wasn't that he wanted to either but he had no real choice here. His options were to let her go and risk her causing all sorts of trouble later or take her home to be punished for what she and her family did. The way Asher had reacted had him a little surprised. He hadn't expected her to stand up for Margaret the way she did. Or, well, she wasn't exactly standing up for her as much as expressing her uneasiness about the situation.
It was probably because she knew something he didn't but still, she took this situation very seriously. Seriously enough to scold him and the others when they tried to make jokes about it. He got the feeling there was more to it than just her not wanting someone to die, and his mind drifted back to what he'd seen in her mind. The angry, bellowing man who was breaking things while children rushed off and kept as far away as they could. How she finally dared to step in and shout back—stop him because she'd seen her youngest sister flee and felt she had to do something—only for her heart to race and quiver, not knowing what to expect.
She'd lived with someone terrible, grown up with them in charge, and he wondered if she saw some sort of similarities between herself and Margaret because of their situations. Not that Asher was a criminal but there might be something there he was missing. He frowned lightly, understanding now why he'd always thought it was sad when she brushed off mentions of her family so easily. She'd been torn from her universe and her family and friends but was so at peace with it that he'd been concerned at first. Now, he understood a bit better. She was happier here and thinking about her helped him ignore the sting of Margaret's words.
"In the family Slitheen, we had no choice. I was made to carry out my first kill at thirteen. If I'd refused, my father would have fed me to the Venom Grubs. If I'm a killer, it's because I was born to kill. It's all I know," she rattled on, before realizing he wasn't paying attention. "Doctor, are you even listening to me?"
He was going to say no, but then there was a rumble and his attention was turned elsewhere.
"Can you hear that?"
"I'm begging for my life," Margaret complained.
"No, listen. Sh," he pressed just as the rumbling grew and the glass windows shattered; sending the people around them into panic. "Come on!"
They made a dash for it but Margaret was having trouble keeping up.
"The handcuffs!"
He waited for her at the bottom of the stairs before taking the bangles off with a warning. "Don't think you're running away."
"Oh, I'm sticking with you," she said, taking his hand as they hurried back toward the Tardis. "Some date this turned out to be!"
When they got within sight of it, the Doctor's eyes widened at the light emanating from the ship.
"It's the rift. The rift's opening."
They rushed for the ship as the ground cracked underneath them and he quickly unlocked the door, rushing inside. Jack was scrambling around the console that sparked dangerously as Asher was leaning heavily on the railing near the door, doubled over and clutching at her arm with grit teeth.
"What the hell are you doing!" The Doctor questioned Jack as he hurried over to the console himself to try and help.
"It just went crazy!"
"It's the rift. Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's going to disappear!"
"It's the extrapolator. I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine! It's using the Tardis. I can't stop it!" Jack shouted. "Ash, how are you holding up?"
"I-I'm connected to the f-fucking Tardis," she spat with a glare aimed at him as the console sparked some more. "H-How do you think I'm holding up?"
"Never mind Cardiff. It's going to rip open the planet," the Doctor said, giving Asher a brief glance of concern as Rose hurried in.
"What is it? What's happening!"
"Oh, just little me," Margaret said with a smirk, removing the arm of her skin suit and reaching for Rose but Asher moved between them and begrudgingly, Margaret grabbed her around the throat instead. "One wrong move and she snaps like a promise."
"I might've known," the Doctor muttered, tucking Rose behind him and toward Jack as he eyed Asher cautiously.
"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it," Margaret snapped. "You, flyboy, put the extrapolator at my feet."
"Ash—"
Margaret tightened her grip slightly, making Asher grimace and choke for a moment before Jack hesitantly did as she asked; setting the extrapolator near her.
"Thank you. Just as I planned," Margaret hummed as Rose stared in confusion.
"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station."
"Failing that, if I were to be arrested, then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor," Margaret explained. "So the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan B. To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift. And what a power source it found. I'm back on schedule, thanks to you."
"The rift's going to convulse. You'll destroy the whole planet," Jack reminded her.
"And you with it!"
"B-But you…" Asher choked out, drawing Margaret's gaze. "Y-You saved her."
"What are you on about?" Margaret huffed as she moved to stand on the extrapolator.
"T-The woman in the restroom," Asher breathed and Margaret paused, feeling unease roll through her.
"How did you…"
"She w-was going to get married, have a kid. You're just scared a-and… lonely."
"You don't know anything about me," Margaret hissed, though the threat in her voice had fallen flat.
She hadn't wanted to grab Asher in the first place. She was the only one who didn't joke, didn't laugh, maybe even sympathized with her situation. She wanted to say it was just her being a naïve human but much like the reporter she didn't kill, there was something there that made her hesitate. Then, a chill ran down her spine.
"Blon Fel Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen."
Margaret's gaze snapped to Asher to find her once-blue eyes filled with shimmering gold and she quickly turned to the Doctor.
"You told her!"
He shook his head, uncertain what was going on himself. "I didn't. You were here. When could I have told her?"
Margaret was growing more uneasy as her eyes flickered between Asher's golden gaze and the Doctor before the Tardis creaked and a part of the console opened up, spilling out a similar golden light.
"What is that? What's happening?" Margaret demanded, turning toward the light and feeling warmth trickle through her.
"You've opened the rift," the Doctor explained, feeling a little anxious himself when he caught sight of the same golden glow in Asher's eyes and how pale she was starting to look. "Opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart and it's not just any old power source. It's the Tardis. My Tardis. The best ship in the universe."
"What's that light?" Rose asked quietly from behind him.
"The heart of the Tardis. This ship's alive. You've opened its soul," the Doctor explained as Margaret's expression softened.
"It's so bright."
"Blon Fel Fotch," Asher murmured, somehow not drawing her attention away from the light as she reached up and clasped at the clawed hand that was slowly loosening. "She wants to know. Who are you? The real you?"
"I… I don't…"
"Would you change?" Asher breathed, standing on her own feet now and Margaret finally turned toward her.
"Yes… Thank you."
The light brightened and then Margaret's skinsuit fell to the ground when it dimmed, sending the Doctor into action.
"Don't look. Stay there! Close your eyes!" He ordered Jack and Rose, bounding to the other side of the console to close it as Jack called out.
"But Asher's over there!"
"She'll be fine!" He called back, hoping he wasn't wrong as he closed the console. "Now, Jack, come on, shut it all down. Shut down! Rose, that panel over there, turn all the switches to the right."
The Tardis calmed and outside the light from the rift faded, allowing relief to flow through the ship before the Doctor hurried toward Asher. She'd stumbled back and sagged against the railing, putting up no fight as he hooked his arm around her waist and helped lower her to the ground.
"Ash. Ash, you okay?" He asked, glancing down at the marks on her arm that lost some of their shine before reaching up and cupping her face with his hand. "Hey, look at me."
She did, rather dazedly, and he caught sight of the last bit of gold fading from her blue eyes; leaving just the slightest tinge of yellow around her pupil. Her face was warm to the touch and he turned toward Jack in concern.
"Get me a wet cloth. She's running hot."
"On it," Jack said, bounding off toward the hall to do that as Asher leaned into his touch with a murmur as she started to close her eyes.
" 'm fine."
"You're not fine," the Doctor argued, lightly patting her face. "Stay awake for me. Keep your eyes open."
"Here," Jack said, having brought a small bowl of water and a damp cloth that the Doctor brushed over her face and wrapped around the back of her neck. "She okay?"
"Dunno," he replied with a small frown. "Not seen that before. I knew she was connected to the Tardis but I don't know what that was."
Asher frowned lightly, tipping her head back to tap against the railing. "I told her not to do that again… Cheeky thing."
"Do what?" The Doctor asked. "Ash? What do you mean?"
"The Tardis," she murmured, closing her eyes again. " 's her fault… 'm not a puppet."
"What's she talking about?" Jack asked but before the Doctor could reply, Asher vanished from his hands and he let out a sigh.
"Suppose we'll have to wait to find out."
"Really wish she didn't do that," Jack also complained.
"Yeah, no kidding."