Rose

[just_the_doctor]

The signal was getting stronger. It was definitely coming from the roof. The Nestene Consciousness had a relay device up there; he was sure of it. All he had to do was sneak up there and take care of it. He had the explosive all set -- a little something he picked up from Ace, naturally.

Halfway up the stairwell, a small alarm starts beeping in his pocket. "Hell," he mutters before heading back down. Someone's tripped one of the sensors in the basement. Which is not, on the whole, good. And while part of him would love to shrug it off and call it 'collateral damage', he knows he's better than that. The relay will still be there after he escorts whatever blundering ape is down there out of the building.

The Doctor tracks the human signal with a palmheld device and is almost on it when it cuts out suddenly. Sure enough, he turns the corner and sees the fallen body, clearly beaten to death. He's about to head back to the stairs when his device begins beeping again. There's another one. He hastily tosses a blanket over the body and sets off in search of the new signal, hoping that this time, he's not too late.

Comments

[whats-bad-wolf.livejournal.com]

Rose doesn't panic, she can't panic, no way. What good would that do? No, first she has to phone her mum, warn her to go home, but of course Jackie Tyler doesn't listen. Frustrated, Rose returns the mobile her pocket and looks round as a signal's transmitted. "It's the end of the world..."

The stairs have gone, so she and Mickey run for the TARDIS, but they can't get in without a key. And the Doctor's in trouble, those things are going to kill him ... she can't just do nothing, there must be something she can do. So she looks round, thinking. And there's no way she can leave him, so she steels herself and runs to the side-- grabs an axe--

"I've got no A-levels, no job, no future -- but I'll tell you what I have got--"

Swing of the axe and a crash as the chain breaks free.

"--Jericho Street Junior School, under 7's gymnastics team--"

She pulls the chain, gets a solid grip on it, and turns to face the others, determined now.

"--I've got the bronze!"

And with a running start she leaps, swinging down towards those plastic things and kicking the one holding the Doctor enough for him to throw it over the edge, continuing through to kick the other one -- and the anti-plastic it's holding -- over as well, into the consciousness itself. The chain swings back again, and once the Doctor's caught her and she's standing and she's safe (from a certain point of view) again, then she looks to see if she's done any good.

She should probably be terrified. She's exhilarated.

[just_the_doctor]

He just beams at her. She's saved the world, and he'll bet she doesn't even know it. And neither does that simpering boyfriend of hers.

The death throes of the Consciousness are threatening to bring the place down around them, so the Doctor decides it's time to make a hasty retreat. He doesn't take them far, just far enough to get clear. Which is just as well, considering the way the boy (Ricky? Mickey? Skippy?) all but throws himself out of the TARDIS, jibbering on madly and not bothering for a moment to thank the Time Lord for saving his life.

Which is why, when he makes the offer to Rose to come along, he makes the point that he is not invited. Someone that jittery and jumpy would surely get them all killed within a few minutes of landing anywhere the least bit interesting.

But she turns him down. So, he shrugs and shoves off. He makes it as far as temporal orbit when the temptation is just too great. He drops back down and opens the door, seeing that they've not even made it to the end of the alleyway yet.

"Did I mention it also travels in time?" he asks.

Please come, Rose. This planet doesn't deserve you.

[whats-bad-wolf.livejournal.com]

Rose knows, as she turns down the Doctor's offer and watches him disappear for the last time in that blue box (TARDIS), that she'll regret this for the rest of her life -- so when she hears him coming back, she can't turn back round fast enough.

She grins at the Doctor when he repeats his offer, then turns to Mickey, thanks him (for what?, exactly) and leans over to kiss him on the cheek quickly. She'll miss him, she thinks, but at the same time -- probably not nearly as much as she should.

And then she's turning round again, running to the TARDIS and not looking back, never looking back: at home, she's got no job, no future.

With the Doctor, there's the whole universe ahead of her.

It's really not much of a choice.