Entry Seventeen - Above Jacowitz (5)

Unfortunately it was about at this time that I felt the vent start to buckle, which was frankly the last thing that I needed. We were just above a large group of the Antalusians and if this ventilation shaft didn’t hold we’d soon be in a heap among them, I didn’t quite fancy the idea. I gestured towards Kit to get back. He looked at me curiously. I had to try very hard not to roll my eyes at him. “Go backward, there’s too much weight here, this thing’s not gonna hold, it’ll break and we’ll fall.”

“And falling is bad, yes?”

I nodded, “Yes.” But my explanation was cut short as Kit started backing up and suddenly the whole metal structure around us splintered and collapsed sending us sprawling to the room down below. I didn’t move immediately, not because I was hurt, but mostly because I was aware that I would soon be surrounded by a great many large lizard like creatures who’d be snapping their jaws at me for not being where I was meant to be. I wasn’t even entirely sure what it was that I was doing on this ship so I didn’t even know if they would or would not kill me. I was fairly sure that my stillness was meant to be some form of playing opossum.

But that couldn’t really last for long, and I knew that, and I opened my eyes. The Lizard King already had Kit’s arm grasped in his meaty paw and that caused me to sit straight up. “Let him go, it wasn’t his idea,” I said, not thinking because if I had been I would have been sure that the Lizard King was not exactly one to care who’s idea it was.

“It seems that you are a feisty one, Miss Tyler,” he said to me. “I suppose that we should not be surprised. Our sources tell us that the Doctor’s companions are often feisty.”

I stood to my full height, which was about one half of the Lizard’s and put my hands on my hips. “Well, I’m here. I’ve been stuck in your prison, I’ve seen what you’re doing. I think its sick, which you know, and I am fully convinced that this has nothing to do with your economy in the slightest degree; I think it’s all about revenge. All because the Doctor foiled your little plan back on New Earth, well I was there to. I pulled the lever, I doused all those new humans with the disinfectant cure so you might as well just take your revenge out on me and leave the Doctor and Jacowitz alone. And while we’re on the subject why Jacowitz at all?!” I sucked in a breath then, realising that I’d gone on quite a bit.

The Lizard King looked me up and down and then began to chuckle, a deep belly laugh that shook his own body. He let go of Kit’s arm and he moved quickly over to me, standing in front of me a bit in a very gentlemanly manor, though I thought it was just as likely to get him killed as anything else.

“You amuse me, girl,” the Lizard King said, “perhaps when all is said and done I shall make sure that you find a place in my household. I could use an amusing slave such as yourself.”

The amount of unworry I had to that remark should have frightened me but it didn’t, because the king was on the move now. He went over to a strange and intricate looking machine, large buttons, perfect for his large hands, and wires that I could tell would have been exposed, were covered in a thin glass. It as shiney and new and I wondered very briefly what it was before my question was answered for me.

“You have many questions, Miss Tyler, this is not a surprise. But this is not a film from your planet. I am neither villain nor hero, and I feel no need to relay my entire plan for you. You insist upon misbehaving, do you want your friends to suffer for it?” And then he pushed a button on the machine and I realised, that was the telepathic inhibitor. It was sending waves through everyone and everything that had telepathic abilities right now and they were in pain.

“No!” I shouted, “Stop it!” He flipped the switch again.

Now obviously I didn’t want everyone on Jacowitz to be in pain, especially not Ariella or the Doctor, but the Antalusian’s demonstration had just helped me enormously.

I edged my way closer to Kit so that we could converse quietly and I explain my plan. This whole time the King had been focusing all his attentions on me. Kit was seemly just some sort of extra piece that had happened along. But if travelling with the Doctor had taught me anything it was to never underestimate the abilities of simple people. I told him my plan and then I ran.

The Lizard King did not seem bothered, not in the slightest with a wave of his hand there were instantly several guards upon me, holding both my arms quite tightly, actually. But the purpose had been served. Because at the same moment I ran, so did Kit and he ran towards the telepathic inhibitor and quickly smashed it with the bracelet around his wrist. The Lizard King had opened his mouth in a sneer towards me but spun when he heard the shattered glass. For a moment everything was still and then he spun in a roar, slapping me hard across the face, I could tell there’d be bruises in the morning, he might even kill me but now everyone on the planet was safe, small price to pay. And if everyone on the planet was safe then that meant the Doctor was safe, and the TARDIS would work again and that might just mean-

My train of thought broke off as the familiar sounds of the TARDIS materialising filled the room. Everyone froze. I nearly cried.

“What is that?!” Kit called to me from his captive station across the room.

“That’s help,” I said back and couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face as the TARDIS door opened and the Doctor stepped out, hands in pockets and with that really very menacing look he gets on his face from time to time.

“Right,” he said, searching out the Lizard King and then making eye contact, “you have something that I want back. You okay, Rose?” he asked not taking his eyes off the Lizard King, and probably his peripheral vision on the rest of them.

“Yeah, you know,” I said back, not quite able to keep the grin out of my voice.

The edges of his lips quirked a little too but his expression remained stoney. “You have one chance. Give her back to me and leave Jacowitz in peace.”

“Doctor, they’ve got slaves,” I called out.

“Right, give her back to me, leave Jacowitz in peace, and free your slaves and I’ll let you go. It’s a good offer, you should take it.”

The Lizard King was still for a moment and then he began his belly laugh again. “We have heard of your arrogance, Doctor. There is nothing that you can do to stop us, we know of your abhorrence of violence, we know-”

“I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from,” the Doctor said, “but don’t ever mistake an abhorrence for violence with peaceful. But you’re right. There’s nothing I can do to you. I’ve done my research too, you’re a very impressive lot, doesn’t mean you can’t be stopped.” The Lizard King laughed and the Doctor sighed and then opened up the door to the TARDIS. Ariella stepped out.

She was wearing some sort of weird… well I’d have to say headdress, but it looked more like one of those things they put on people’s heads when they’ve fractured their spine. And it connected from her head to a sort of… ray gun? There really wasn’t much of a way to describe it. But she exchanged glances with the Doctor and he nodded and she closed her eyes and the next thing that I knew every single one of the Antalusians were unconscious on the floor.

Kit gaped, “Are they dead?” he asked me.

I leaned over them, “No, sleeping. What happened?”

“Time for explaining later,” the Doctor said bounding over to the ships controls, a very proud look on his face. I picked my way across the room and stood near him. His hand sort of hovered for a moment and then he turned back. “Rose, don’t you ever do that again.”

I opened my mouth and left it hanging there, I realised I looked a bit like a fish. I supposed I should have expected that sort of reaction, but I, well, I didn’t really fancy being yelled at right at the moment. And I was about to say so but all speech was muffled cause I found myself pressed into one of the most phenomenal hugs that have ever come round. I couldn’t quite help burying my face in his shoulder.

About three hours later (yes vast exaggeration) it felt like everything had just gone back to normal, all that scary stormy Doctorness that freaked me out sometimes was gone and he was back to his grinny self. “Basically,” he said, setting some controls, “I build that… thing, which will obviously be needing a snazzy name, to enhance Ariella’s telepathy and tap into a particular wavelength and-” he seemed to notice Kit for the first time as he rounded about to flip some more switches. “Hello, sorry, Rose, who’s your new boyfriend?”

“This is Kit, he’s been a slave here since-” I didn’t get to finish my sentence because the Doctor had pressed a button and the whole ship started to shake. There were several loud explosions and we all ducked for cover.

The Doctor was the first one up again, “No no no no no! They were isomorphic controls! An unfamiliar finger touches it and the whole thing goes kablewy!”

“Technical term? Kablewy?”

“Very!” he flipped some more switches, “there’s… I can’t do anything, we’re being pulled towards the largest heat source, which is of course the pink sun. Sort of a self destruct. We have about five minutes.”

Kit took off running down the hall, no doubt back to where the rest of the slaves were being held. I looked at my wrist, “They’ve all got teleport bracelets on, it’s sort of like a prison thing. Like a, um, force field! But it does both, can you fix the teleports?”

The Doctor grinned, “Oh, just watch me!” he said and started pulling out all kinds of wires and tubes and lots of things I just didn’t recognise. Neither Ariella or I could do much to help so we went to keep an eye on the sun and our approach while the Doctor worked. It took all of two minutes and when he was done the sun was looming so large and pink that it almost filled the whole frontal shield and both Ari and I were pretty damned nervous.

“Rose,” he said after a moment, and we both turned back, “you know what to do if something happens to me, right? You remember.”

I hesitated before answering. “Yes, I remember.”

“Okay,” he said, “Good.” Then, I’m sending them all to Jacowitz, hospital wing, we’ll go check on them, I promise.”

“Doctor,” I said a bit warily and Ariella at my side took a step forward.

“Doctor what are you going to do?” she asked, and he just kept his eyes trained on the teleporting device and then he flipped a switch.

The whole table shook and a blue light started from the core of the device and worked its way out blindingly. Ariella and I were both thrown backwards and once we’d both recovered from having the wind knocked out we both looked towards the Doctor, who was now lying in a crumpled lump on the floor.

I think I might’ve screamed, and Ariella scrambled over to him and checked his pulses. “He’s alive!” she said, the relief evident in her voice, “Only one of his hearts is working though.”

“But,” I felt a bit paralysed.

“Rose,” Ariella said, “Come on, help me get him to the TARDIS, we’ve got to get out of here. Now.” I looked out the window and realised just how right she was. We’d have moments before being getting too close to the sun. We each grabbed onto the Doctor and pulled him into the TARDIS. Slammed the door shut, and I activated Emergency Protocol One.

Entry Sixteen - Above Jacowitz (4)

I wasn't really thinking when I said what I did, but up in an alien ship I didn't quite feel the panic that I would have expected. Cause I knew that if I had been thinking, I would have made the same choice. Of course that didn't mean I wasn't terrified.

From Jacowitz the ship had looked like something straight out of film they would've shown on a Bank Holiday Monday sort of like this:


Of course we were far away and it was through a psychic layer, but from the inside it looked vaguely as if it might look like that from the outside. Everything was chrome and smooth and it couldn't very well see any seems, like the whole thing had been made out of one smooth piece of metal. Or grown that way, if that was possible.

I had expected to teleport directly into some sort of holding cell with a big burly looking crocodile thing guarding me, and was a bit surprised to see that it was on the case. I was in some sort of hallway that seemed to lead endlessly in both directions. I wasn't sure which way to go, but I knew that I had to pick a direction. And I wasn't naive enough to think that the Lizard King bloke had just given me free range of their ship, I just wasn't sure how this was meant to work, so I started walking in one direction figuring that it had to lead somewhere.

The first place that I reach seemed to be some sort of canteen. I am not sure why I was not expecting to find a canteen on this spaceship, of course the lizard creatures had to eat but with their giant jaws and claws and so on I had sort of, well, I'm ashamed to say, I had figured them to be a bit more savage than to each regular space food. That's not to say I expected them to eat people but that wouldn't have surprised me. Instead I recognised synthetic vegetables and fruits. And those little pudding pellets that the Doctor always said were pointless because what was the use of pudding if you were ingesting quickly. There was nobody about so I took a couple of the pudding capsules, just cause they were more portable, and stuck them in my pocket in case I couldn't find anything to eat later on. Then I went back round and continued my exploration.

After a while more of smooth hallway I cam across a set of doors. There was nothing written on them so I pushed through hoping for something. Inside was a stench like I've never smelled before. And I have smelled some very foul things throughout time and space. It was like rotting flesh and excrement and sour milk all at the same time and I gagged. Might've vomited if I hadn't covered up my face and mouth immediately. And as disgusting as it was, I had to see what it was that could have made that sort of smell.

Inside there were more people than I could have imagine fit into the space. They were piled in some sections, I wondered if they were even alive, others were laid out in rows, asleep, but clearly breathing. There was rotting food placed to one side of the room, waste in the other. I'd never seen anything so disgusting in my entire life or travels. I could hardly move for shock.

I didn't move, in fact, until I heard a voice behind me. "Rose Tyler," it said and I spun. The Lizard King.

"What is this?!" I said, in a bit of a shakey voice, "Why are all these people just stuffed in here? Why isn't it clean? What's going on!" I realised that my voice was slowly raising so that by the time I finished the sentence I was full on yelling.

"They are being incubated, we are waiting for them to reach the right age."

"Right age for what?!"

"For slavery of course, we do not get a good price for the children. Once they are eighteen. That is the right age, until then, they wait."

I was shocked. Slaves? "What's the point?!" I yelled, unable to quite hold back my anger. "Why?"

"Our economy was destroyed, we must continue the Antalusian way."

"And what is that? Killing? You've no other way to boost your bloody economy? You have to use humans as test subjects and slaves?"

"You are an inferior species. A young species. We have been around for billions of years beyond the human Empire. You are arrogant. You are small. And you are predicatable. Even you, Miss Tyler, have done exactly as you were thought to do. You brought yourself here of your own free will."

I swallowed, "What's that meant to mean?"

"As I said, we have done our research." And with that he lumbered away, gigantic tale swinging and left. Leaving the door wide open. I'd expected him to lock it. Not quite knowing what else to do I started following but as soon as I reached the door I was thrown backwards by some sort of invisible force and skidded on the floor, the wind knocked out of me for a moment.

"It's the bracelets," a voice said and I followed it to a, well frankly quite fit, bloke who was huddled among the other, mostly unconscious, would be slaves. "Hi," he looked a bit bashful actually, "I'm Nikitarunatar, people call me Kit."

I smiled, despite the situation. He looked like maybe he was a couple of years younger than me, I'd peg him at about seventeen, but he was tall and strong looking, blondish dirty hair chiseled features. The kind of bloke you saw in films that took place at American schools. "Hi, Kit," I said after a moment, "I'm Rose. What do you mean it's the bracelets?" I examined the teleporter that was still strapped to my wrist.

"They keep us in. Once a boy, Jules, got his off, broke his hand in the process, and ran through the doors. He lasted three days before he was brought back. There's nowhere to run."

I thought for a moment. They clearly had pods, and teleport technology. There was a way off this ship, I just didn't quite fancy breaking my hand in five places to find it. I looked around the room, and sighed, "How long have you been here, Kit?" I asked.

He shook his head, surprised at my question and then laughed a bit before he realised that I was serious. "But," he paused, confused, "I was born here."

I gaped. "What?"

"We all were."

I looked around. There were probably hundreds of people crammed in here. Unsanitary and reeking. I couldn't imagine it, and I wondered if I had just sold myself into slavery. I asked him about their lives here and he told me, about how their parents had been taken away before they could remember and how they'd been raised by a droidbot, how that they didn't know where they were from besides here, but that they'd been told they were humans who originated on the planet Earth. I told him about Earth and he was rapt with attention. He told me how they were put into a kind of sleep for all the hours of the day besides three, when they ate and fraternised, which he seemed surprised was encouraged. I wasn't surprised, I knew why the Antalusians would want them to fraternise. So that they could make more slaves, the next generation of slaves. It made me feel a bit sick. I asked him why it was that he wasn't sleeping and he told me it was because he didn't drink the tea, he'd tried to convince more of them not to drink it, but they'd said it was better to sleep. I made a mental point not to drink any tea.

It was only then that something caught my eye above me, a vent. It didn't make sense to me that it would be there and no one would try to ever use it to escape. I pointed upwards, "Ever try that?" I asked, but Kit was looking me up and down in a way that I wasn't entirely sure about. "Kit?"

He reached out and touched my side, running his hand over my stomach in, well, quite a seductive way. I started, "Kit, what are you doing?"

"Have you already got a copulation partner?" he asked sort of confused.

My mouth dropped open, "Uh, no. Yes? Which would stop you from looking at me like that?" I said. Yeah, he was attractive, I'd say, but that didn't mean I was gonna start shagging him an hour after we'd met, or ever. "Let's go with yes?"

"I understand, what was it you were referring to earlier?"

I was a bit taken aback by his rapid change of subject, I shook my head, "Oh, mate, we've got to get you socialised," I said and then stood pointing at the vent. "Has anyone ever tried climbing through there?"

He looked at it like he'd never seen it before. "No. What is it?"

"It-" I broke off, this bloke knew nothing, I supposed that 'copulation partner' should have been my first clue. I explained to him about climbing through vents and then he helped me up by putting me on his shoulders and I went into the vent, pulling him up behind me.

It was roomy enough for humans, but an Antalusian wouldn't ever make it through this tight space. I wasn't sure where it was that we were heading but we obviously went in the right direction when we came out to a very good viewing area, just about the Antalusian craft's bridge.
More tomorrow...

Entry Fifteen - Jacowitz (3)

They looked like gigantic upright crocodiles, their thick tales sweeping behind them heavily. They had on what appeared to be some sort of Dutch clogs, painted bright colours and made, not of wood but, of some sort of synthetic wood like material. The style of shoe made sure that they had to shuffle down the walk rather than walking properly and on their heads they appeared to be wearing some sort of headdress that brought an afro to mind. I might’ve started laughing then and there if the Doctor hadn’t looked so perplexed and they hadn’t been sporting some killer jowls and tails that looked like they could break my neck if swung properly. They looked a little like this:

Only standing up. And with afros.

In a moment the largest and most colourful lizard creature, henceforth called the Lizard King, opened his massive mouth and started speaking. My mouth hung open for several reasons. Firstly, he spoke in a high clipped accent, sort of sounded like Tony Blair actually, and not the gruff growling I had expected, and secondly, because I could not understand a word that he was saying. I blinked several times and then glanced at the Doctor for some sort of explanation. He didn’t have to answer before I realised, it was because the TARDIS wasn’t translating.

“Um, hello, yes. Uh, my friend here only speaks English, I don’t suppose-” the Doctor started, scratching at the back of his head in the way that he did.

“Of course, Doctor,” the Lizard King said and then nodded politely in my direction. I started. How did these creatures know who he was?

The Doctor didn’t look all that comprehending either though, in fact his eyebrows drew together in that confused expression that he gets and his mouth started to form words that never came out. Finally, fairly true to form, he said; “What?”

“Ah, I see,” said the Lizard King taking another step forward and the Doctor, probably unconsciously, stood in front of Ari and myself. “You do not remember us, it’s not a surprise, but we know you. You travel from planet to planet, meddling in the affairs of others. It was through these meddlings that we became aware of you indirectly. And how you caused the horrible deaths of thousands of our kind.”

“I’m sorry?” All three of us said at the same time.

“The Antalusians, us of course, had a very close working relationship with the Sisters of Plentitude, perhaps them you recall.”

Well, I certainly did. “Ah,” was all the Doctor said.

“They were good workers, willing to do work that would only sully our hands, but they did not have the technology they required. We developed this. The greater part of our economy was in conjunction with the experiments and progress that the Sisters created. For years and years all was well, people were cured, healed, treated, we understood that there were several malfunctions with the Flesh, as the Sisterhood began calling them. Their brainstems began to function quite on their own, but things like these are necessary. Sacrifices must be made in order to progress the universe. From our research it would seem that you should understand this, Doctor, you who have killed thousands.”

“Hold on!” I said, getting a bit outraged there, but the Doctor put a hand on my elbow to quiet me. Didn’t surprise me.

“The Sisterhood was killing thousands of innocent people, that is not right, even if it’s saving others. I will never apologise for that.”

The Lizard King looked a bit angry at that, “Because of your meddlesome actions, Doctor, thousands of Antalusians have perished. The Sisters incarcerated, the Flesh catalogued and sent free to roam New Earth.”

“I’m sorry,” Ariella said, speaking up for the first time in awhile, “New Earth?”

The Doctor looked at her confused, and I had to admit I was a bit surprised that she’d not heard of it either, the Nyklus were among the higher beings and thus were rather informed about most systems in the universe. The Doctor opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, “Oh,” he said, “Hold on, New Earth doesn’t exist in this time, not as New Earth and the sisters wont come into existence for about a million years.”

“Yes, we have followed you,” the Lizard King explained, “through time and space.”

The Doctor racked his massive brain, “Antalusia, Antalusia… you don’t have that sort of technology. You can’t travel in time and while you’re pretty impressive on the technical end I sort of think that a telepathic inhibitor is beyond you too.”

“Nothing is beyond us,” the Lizard King snarled, “but you are correct, this technology is not ours. We have a benefactor.”

“A what?”

“That is unimportant. Now, Doctor, you will come with us.”

“Um, well, thank you for the kindly invitation but I’ll pass.”

“It is not a choice. You will come with us or we will activate the telepathic inhibitor. You and every living thing on this planet will suffer from an onslaught of every negative thought, every sorrow, every bad experience that you’ve ever suffered. For the Nyklus and their extensive lives that should be quite a few, and for you Doctor, after doing our research that should be a particular punishment.”

The Doctor looked a little paler but, well, he is the Doctor so he stood firm. “I can help, your economy can be restored-”

“It’s too late for that now. If we let you go now, with an empty promise to help us, then we will lose you forever. We can not risk that.”

“But wait!” Ariella chimed in, “If you’ve done research on the Doctor than you’ll know that he helps people! That’s what he does!”

“We can not be certain of anything,” the Lizard King looked rather resolute.

Up until this point, I’d been rather quiet. My brain was working at a million miles per hour, but, not being the Doctor and all, that just meant that it was going in circles. I couldn’t think our way out of this, not like he could. And I didn’t want him getting on that ship with them. Who knew what they’d do to him. But I also knew that given the choice that was presented to him he would never cause the Nyklus any pain. He would go with them. He would subject himself to whatever they had planned for him. I couldn’t let that happen. If I couldn’t save the world, I could save the Doctor, and I suddenly found myself speaking without thinking at all.

“Take me,” I said, “he can help. He’ll find you what you need, he can do anything, I’m just a human being, but he’ll come back for me. He wont just leave me.”

“Rose!” the Doctor and Ariella said at the same time, both of them looked quite horrified. But really, without the Doctor I was back at Christmas, with the Sycorax and my stolen words, and now I wouldn’t even have the TARDIS to hide in. The Doctor could fix it, it was what he did, there wasn’t anything that I could do. I was the much better choice.

He took a hold of my wrist, circling it with his thumb and forefinger and all I could think was ‘this is the last time he’s ever going to touch me’, startling myself. I had to shake my head to push the thought away. “I’m not letting you do this,” he said.

The Lizard King looked me up and down. I could see that he was thinking about it seriously. If he’d done his research the way he’d said he might not know of me, but he might know of Sarah Jane or that Romana who he took to Paris or any of the other companions that he’d taken through time and space. The King would know that he wouldn’t leave me. And if he hadn’t done his research as well as he seemed to think then the Doctor’s currently display might do it. I looked the lizard in the eye, and I could tell that he believed me. “It’s already done,” the he said, and then took a thick band, strapped it around my wrist, and before I could say anything I could feel my molecules start to shift in that familiar teleporting feeling, and the next thing I knew I was staring at a metal wall.

More tomorrow...