amberfocus: (Leap of Faith Icon--Do Not Take)
[personal profile] amberfocus

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Title:  Leap of Faith (10/?)
Author: 
[info]
amberfocus
Characters/Pairings:  John Smith (alt!Nine)/Rose Tyler, Toshiko Sato, Jake Simmonds, Mickey Smith, Ianto Jones, Jackie Tyler/Pete Tyler, Tony Tyler, various original characters
Genre:  Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe
Rating:  Adult
Betas: 
[info]amyo67, [info]jeprdyfrndly
Summary:  Hiding from the Family of Blood, the alt!Ninth Doctor turns himself into John Smith via the chameleon arch and with his companion Toshiko Sato, takes a job at Torchwood.  He clashes with everyone he meets and Rose Tyler, the beautiful young director of Torchwood Field Operative Training and the daughter of his boss, is no exception.  AU after season 2 and based mostly, but not completely, on my short story Third Time's the Charm: 
http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/319447.html, but it is not necessary to have read that.

Previous Chapters: 
http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/327895.html

Chapter Ten:  Seeing Action
 

Rose’s words rang in John’s ears. It was the last thing he had expected her to say and it suddenly made everything about their first meeting so much clearer. The way she’d smiled with such joy when she’d seen him sitting at her desk and again the way she had shut off her emotions so quickly. It had been self-preservation, not dismissal. She knew he couldn’t be her lost love, but her heart, her mind, and her body must have been so confused. And it also meant she wasn’t attracted to him. His heart fell so hard he was sure he felt it bottoming out somewhere around his knees. When had he found the time to fall for Rose Tyler?

Rose started talking again and he had to force his attention back on her. “When I look at you it’s like looking at a ghost. I know you aren’t him and that you can’t be him, but the resemblance is so strong. It’s not identical, not quite, but change a few things and,” she shook her head, “you could be twins. And it’s confusing.”

“I must have hurt you so badly that first day,” he said softly.

“It was a shock,” she said. “But it’s very clear to me that you are two separate people. Mistaking you for him isn’t going to happen again. The resemblance is just physical.”

“We’re that different?”

“Don’t know you well enough to know how different you are,” Rose said with a shrug. “He was like you in some ways and different in others.”

“He wouldn’t have been rude and mean—.”

“Oh, he could be a right bastard when he wanted to be. I’ve no illusions over that, but he loved me,” Rose said. “I never doubted that. He had your boundary issues. Thought nothing of invading my privacy if he wanted to know something. He was just better at covering his tracks than you. You left a trail a mile wide.”

John nodded. “Didn’t think anyone would be looking for it. I didn’t mean any harm by it. Hacking your files, I mean. I wasn’t planning on using them for nefarious purposes. You just intrigue me, Rose. You’re not like other women.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” she replied.

“Maybe someday you’ll tell me,” he said.

“I don’t think so,” she replied, “because we will never be friends.”

“No,” he said. “I won’t accept that.”

“What?” Rose looked up at him with the startled eyes of a rabbit.

“I said no. You’re not gonna do this. You’re going to give me a chance to be your friend, Rose Tyler, and do you know why?”

“Why?” she asked in surprise.

“Because we both care about Tosh, that’s why. And we can’t have this damn tug of war going on all the time over who she spends time with,” he insisted.

“I only get her one night a week!” protested Rose.

“And every weekday lunchtime,” he said sullenly.

“You’re really going to resent me for that? For that one measly half an hour a day when I see her? You work with her all day long,” Rose said.

“That’s working. Lunch is social,” he said.

“You just want her all to yourself,” said Rose.

“She was my friend first!”

“What are you, twelve?” Rose asked. “I share something so incredibly intimate and important to me with you and all you can do is gripe about me taking Tosh away from you. This is another reason why we can’t be friends. You can’t put someone else before yourself.”

“I’ve put the whole damn planet before myself more times than I can count!” he growled. “Don’t you dare accuse me of being too selfish to put other people first.”

“I meant in your personal life,” Rose growled back.

“I don’t have a personal life,” he told her. “All I have is Toshiko. I’ve lost everything that was ever important to me and she saved me from drowning in the misery of it all! I need her.”

Rose stared at him silently for what felt like a very long time. “But you don’t need me. You don’t need someone broken and burned from the inside out. I lost everything the day I lost him,” she finally said. “I lost the life we had together; a life I thought would last forever. I lost my entire world. I thought I had nothing left to hold on for. I’m only just coming back to life three years later. Tosh is helping me with that, John. I need her, too. I won’t take her away from you, but please don’t try to take her away from me, either. I like feeling alive again.”

“And what about me? Can’t I help to make you feel alive again?”

“You do,” she said. “Trust me, you do, but for all the wrong reasons.”

“Rose, be reasonable. I can’t help it if I resemble the man. I’m not him.”

“I know that!” she cried out. “You never could be!” He flinched and Rose winced at her own volume and lowered her voice. “I know that you aren’t him, but right now it’s just too confusing for me to be around you too much. You’re going to have to respect that. Now I think I better just say good-night and go.”

“I can still walk you—.”

“No,” she said. “I’ve been taking care of myself for the past three years. I don’t,” she paused, met his eyes, then looked away again, “I don’t need you.” With that she turned and walked away from him. He watched her go, wondering why if she had never really been in his life to begin with it suddenly hurt so much to see her walking out of it.



It had been a week since Rose had dropped her bombshell on John and it seemed like she’d been avoiding him ever since. Mickey had come down to lead him to his martial arts training twice until he’d admitted he didn’t actually need a guide, and she hadn’t shown up to spar with him. When he’d asked Jake about it he’d said that Rose had been assigned field duties for the time being and wasn’t available to help out. He’d caught glimpses of her a couple of times, but it seemed like she was always walking away from him. Well, running, actually, towards the armory.

He’d have taken it much more personally if she hadn’t missed three lunches that week with Toshiko. Tosh had been pouting about it, having lost her girl time with Rose and not much liking it. He had pretty much given up on the idea of seeing Rose face to face again anytime soon when she appeared suddenly in the doorway to A&R and said in a no-nonsense tone. “Dr. Smith, Ms. Sato, please change into field gear and come with me. Now.”

Tosh moved immediately to obey, but John looked at her and said, “What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you on the way to the scene. There’s no time.”

“If this is a drill—.”

“It’s not, John,” she said looking him steadily in the eyes. “Move it.”

“Come on,” said Tosh who’d reappeared struggling into her bullet proof vest and holding out his. Tosh had had only one field training exercise so far and John hadn’t had any so he was surprised to be called out. John slipped into his gear easily, fastening it as an afterthought.

“Follow me to the armory. John, I know you’re averse to lethal weaponry, but I’m going to have to require you to at least carry a stunner,” Rose said.

John nodded and he and Tosh followed her down the corridor. The armory wasn’t too far from A&R, just three chambers over, and they quickly signed out the weaponry needed. He thought about protesting when Martin handed Tosh a laser rifle, but he quickly stifled it when Rose shook her head at him before he could even open his mouth. “Necessary,” she said taking the plasma cannon that Martin had ready for her. An irrational surge of desire swept through him as Rose hefted the big gun.

“Here,” said Martin handing over a stunner. “It’s sonic. Don’t turn it above level eight unless you mean to cause permanent hearing damage to your enemy. Seven will debilitate them long enough to be unarmed.”

“Debilitate who?” John asked.

“In the car,” Rose bit out sharply.

They followed Rose and Martin at a quick jog-trot, meeting up with Mickey, Jake, and Dina. He didn’t recognize the others, but realized that three full field teams had been marshaled to deal with whatever threat this was. For all he knew there were more onsite.

“Is everyone properly armed?” Mickey asked as they reached the vehicles. He glanced around the circle they made doing a count. “Two non-lethals, four lasers, two plasma cannons, three standard issue,” he muttered as if checking off a list in his head.

“All right, Rose, John and Tosh, you’re with me,” Jake said. “Mickey, Martin, you’re in charge of your squads and Gabe, I’ll need you to ride in with Martin,” he said to a young man who looked very wet behind the ears.

“Let’s go,” said Mickey.

“Tosh, you’re up front with me. John, ride in back with Rose, please,” Jake said. The four of them got into the SUV Jake indicated. Rose opened up a panel on the back of Tosh’s seat. It pulled down like a tray in the back of an airplane chair, but the tray had a keyboard and the back of the seat displayed a screen. Martin and Mickey had already pulled out of the car park.

“Go,” she told Jake. She typed something into the computer and a map of their immediate area showed on the screen with three blinking squares marking their location and the location of the other two vehicles.

“Keeping track of Mickey’s location in case he manages to lose us,” Rose explained to John. “He’s got a lead foot.”

“You gonna tell me what’s going on now?” he asked.

“A ship crashed down in Barnsbury six days ago,” Rose said. “It started sending out some kind of distress call. Torchwood answered it and we evacuated them from the area and have resettled them until they can be safely shipped either back to their planet of origin or hitch a ride with some passing cargo ship. Their transport isn’t salvageable for their purposes. But something else heard the distress beacon. Some kind of predator species. We think they hunt the beings in the first ship. They arrived two hours ago and we started getting reports of cattle being burned through with laser weapons. An hour ago, they moved on to people.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” John asked.

“The newcomers have left their ship unguarded. They’re Clasparian and hive minded. If we can shut down their link to the queen we can neutralize the threat. Without her orders the drones become passive. We need you and Tosh to get in there and shut down that link,” Rose said.

“They’ve left it completely unguarded?” he queried.

“Well, we think so. Problem is there are some automated systems as well and Clasparians always booby trap their ships. We need you to figure out how to disable it and where the drones are. Torchwood wants this ship. We can’t leave it in their hands because they’re attacking humans and the technology offered here is invaluable to us.”

“Okay.”

“The first field team sent out suffered casualties. Only one man of the original team sent to deal with this has reported back,” Jake said. “He can’t find the others, though there are some remains of…something that might be them or could be more fully disintegrated cattle.”

Tosh turned in her seat to look back at him. Her eyes were wide. Not exactly freaked out, but maybe a little frightened. Good. Fear was healthy in a situation like this. It kept you alive. She gave him a brief nod as if she knew what he was thinking and turned back around.

He felt a hand on his knee and turned his attention back on Rose. “Now I need you to listen to me, John, and listen well. If at any time I tell you to get out of there or to get down or to do anything at all, I want you to do it. No questions. You’ve not had the necessary training yet for field work, so it’s not instinctive yet that you always do what your field commander says immediately. It saves lives. In this case yours and Toshiko’s,” she said.

He nodded. “You know I won’t risk her.”

“Well, you’re not to be risking yourself, either. You’re too valuable an asset to Torchwood,” Jake said from the front.

“And I thought you kept me around for my sunny charm,” John shot back.

“Your charm and three quid will get you a coffee at Iago’s,” Jake told him.

Tosh snickered. “Oi, you’re supposed to defend my honor,” he protested.

“Love you to bits, Doctor, but charming you’re not,” Tosh said.

John glanced over at Rose. “You’re not going to get in on this? Ganging up on me?” he asked with wounded pride.

“Nope,” she said. “Not going to pick on you. Jake, take a left at the next light,” Rose said turning her attention up front. “Mickey lost us three minutes ago and Martin’s outpacing him by half a mile.”

Jake did as instructed and Rose picked up the conversation again. “John, you’ll be partnered with me for this little outing. Tosh, Jake will have you under his wing with Gabe as your backup. Gabe’s the red-head that went with Martin.”

“The guy who looks like he should just be finishing secondary school?” Tosh asked.

“Don’t let his appearance fool you. He’s older than you are and a fully trained operative. One of our best,” Rose said. “He just got on the wrong end of a Taltin rejuvenation beam two years ago. He came out of it looking twelve. He’s aged six years in the last two. We figure at that rate he’ll look his real age again in five more years unless the rate speeds up as he gets closer to his true age,” she said.

“I see him,” said Jake stepping on the gas and narrowing the distance between his SUV and Mickey’s. Mickey took the corner ahead without slowing down and Jake did the same. They fishtailed all over the road and Rose was thrown against John and then back the other way.

“Jake!” Rose complained. “This isn’t the Indy fi—eight hundred,” she told him. “You don’t get a payout for driving like a maniac.”

“Sorry,” he said with a grin.

He slammed on the brakes to avoid a cat that had barreled across the road, and John’s arm flung out protectively in front of Rose was all that stopped her from crunching the computer keyboard shut against the screen as he held her back. “Thanks,” she told him. She turned her attention back to Jake. “You make me wreck the equipment and it’s not coming out of my paycheck,” she hollered.

“Sorry,” he repeated. This time when he apologized he actually sounded contrite. “But you got really mad the last time I actually hit the kitty,” he added in his defense.

“If you can keep him in sight I’m going to go ahead and close up the computer.”

“Make up your mind. Do I drive like a maniac to keep him in sight or do I drive like your mum?” Jake snarked.

“Oi!” Rose said. “You know she’s just learning.”

“If by just you mean for the last year and a half,” he threw back.

John couldn’t help feeling a sudden, sharp pang of jealousy at how light-hearted Rose was with Jake, even amidst her irritation. There was clear affection in both their voices as they threw barbs back and forth at each other. It bothered him that he wanted that with Rose. He had it with Tosh, of course, but that just wasn’t enough anymore. He didn’t just want it in his best mate. He wanted it in a life mate.

His breath caught as the full import of that thought smacked him over the head. It was a crazy, stupid, dangerous thing to be considering. Much as he wanted Rose Tyler he barely knew her. It was irrational to be thinking so far ahead in a relationship that was clearly going nowhere. Yet even as he thought the words and Jake fishtailed around another corner it was Rose’s turn to fling her arm out and keep him from doing a header into the seat back.

“Just returning the favor,” she said with a slight smile on her face at his surprised look. He tried to think of what to say in response but Jake was suddenly pulling onto a bumpy, dirty, dusty gravel road that led out into the middle of nowhere.

He glanced out the window then did a double take. “What the hell did that?” he asked as the SUV lurched to a halt.

“Some kind of energy weapon,” Jake said. They got out of the vehicle and walked ahead to the carnage.

“Seriously? Cattle mutilation? This is like…every cliché in the Alien Hunter’s Handbook,” Tosh said. “Next thing you’ll be telling me is they’ve left crop circles.”

“Probably will do if the ship is allowed to take off,” Rose replied and grinned at Tosh’s disgusted look.

“Where is the ship?” John asked.

“Just over that rise.” The other two field teams joined them and they watched in silence as Mickey and Gabe climbed to the top of the rise with two sets of monoculars firmly in place over their right eyes. Information from what they were seeing was relayed back to a small handheld computer that Rose was carrying.

“We’re only getting one body heat reading off the ship,” Rose said interpreting the data for John and Tosh. “Looks like the queen is alone.”

“I don’t like it,” Jake said. “It seems too easy.”

“If they’re all out hunting the prey species and shooting up the local herds it’d make sense for them to be gone,” said Martin.

“Maybe so, but she’s their queen. Even booby-trapped you’d think that they’d leave a couple of guards,” John said.

Martin frowned at him but Tosh nodded her head. “It smacks of a trap.”

“Or else the queen is perfectly capable of defending herself,” Rose said.

“It’s possible. Queen’s in hive minded species tend towards either completely lethargic and incapable of doing anything but laying eggs and being waited on hand and foot, or being great big beasties twice the size or larger of the drones and the most vicious of all fighters,” John said. “The latter is most likely in space faring species.”

“That what they taught you at UNIT?” Martin sneered.

Rose turned and stared at Martin, apparently surprised at the man’s hostility. John had had several run-ins with the man over tech brought in to A&R and he expected nothing better from Martin. The boy thought he knew far more than he did about tech and aliens and he hadn’t liked John putting him in his place and disproving his theories. “I’m a specialist, soldier,” he said gruffly. “I know what I’m talking about.”

“Just not what you’re actually doing, as you’ve resisted all field training,” Martin snapped back.

“That’s enough, Martin,” Rose said sharply. “John’s right. I’ve got the field experience and that’s what we’ve found.”

Martin was about to say something else but at a sharp look from Jake cut himself off. “Martin, why don’t you and Dina go patrol the perimeter of the ship? Keep back a good 500 yards and make sure we know if anything’s coming. Daniel, Emily, go with them,” Jake said after listening to his ear piece and hearing Mickey’s report. It was part of a contained system between operatives. No one ever wore anything that linked directly into the internet or satellite feeds after Cybus and its ear pods had brought the world to its knees. They were basically wearable walkie talkies on a closed circuit.

"Mickey, Robert, you know what to do," Jake said.  The two men nodded and moved into position at the top of the ridge.

The four operatives took off and Jake turned to Gabe, Rose, Tosh, and John. “Let’s move,” he said. They climbed up the slope behind him and then slipped and slid partially down the other side as they scrambled towards the ship. The ground was muddy from the recent rains and if they had to get out of there in a hurry it was going to make things difficult.

They approached the ship slowly and Rose led him to what she thought was the front door. He agreed with her logic after doing a complete circuit of the ship that it was the most likely entry hatch. He could see that there were pressure plates to either side with various indentations.

“Anyone get a photo of these things?” he asked Rose.

She typed something into her handheld computer. “Yeah,” she said a moment later.

“What kind of hands or claws or whatever do they have?”

Rose zoomed in on the creature’s appendages. “Looks like seven digits, one of which is opposable on each of four arms. They’re all heavily clawed.”

“So likely fingertip pressure. How big are they? What’s their arm span from fingertip to fingertip?”

“Eight feet,” said Rose as she brought up the information.

“I’ve seen something similar to this before. They stand in front of the door and use all four hands spread out at arm’s length to open it,” John said. “I’m going to need all of you. Let me demonstrate before anyone touches anything.” He held up his hands, holding the wrists together at the insides. He folded his pinky, ring finger and thumb on his left hand down and demonstrated how they were to insert their fingers into the depressions.

When everyone was clear, he added, “We have to do this at the same time. So everyone into position and then on the count of three insert your fingers exactly like I showed you,” he said. Everyone nodded and moved into place and John stepped back to watch.

“Ready?” he asked and waited for them all to answer him before adding, “Three, two, one, now.” Twenty-eight digits hit the pressure plates in unison. With a loud hydraulic hiss the door to the space ship slid open and they were confronted with a savage, inhuman roar of fury. The queen was waiting for them and suddenly charges all around the ship began going off throwing mud and grass high into the air and raining them down on the startled humans.

“Retreat,” shouted Jake as Rose shoved her handheld computer at John and brought her plasma cannon off her back and leveled it at the queen. John and Tosh took off for the cover of some trees, Tosh pulling her laser rifle into her hands and yelling at John to get his stunner ready. John shoved Rose’s computer inside his vest and unstrapped the stunner from the holster at his hip.

The creature cried out again, the sound like metal rending, as if titanic forces were pulling it apart. The cry was answered with what seemed like one hundred echoing shouts and it was coming from the direction they were running in. Smaller versions of the savage alien came swarming out of the woods, flushing out some kind of small flying creature the size of a crow, but with the appearance of a jeweled dragonfly of molten gold. Tosh and John stopped dead and as the aliens began firing at the dragonfly creatures Tosh brought her rifle to bear, firing into the rushing monsters.

They were joined by Martin and Dina from the north and Emily and Daniel from the south. “I thought they’d relocated the prey species,” Martin shouted.

“They must have missed some,” Emily hollered back. “You two get back to the ship; see if you can help the others. If the queen goes down these ones will stop fighting.”

The dragonflies zoomed overhead and Tosh and John rushed to follow them as the other team members sought to hold off the drones. Every instinct he had told John not to go back towards that rending metal scream, only Rose was back there. He didn’t know what this thing was between them, but he wasn’t going to let some damn alien predators stop him from ever finding out.

The queen was halfway out of the ship, her massive body barely fitting through the door. Her head thrashed back and forth as first Gabe’s and then Jake’s laser rifles stung through her scaled flesh. A cry more vicious than the rest seemed to vibrate right through his body and rattle the very teeth in his head. Rose raised the plasma cannon and took dead aim at the creature’s right eye. The recoil of it knocked her to the ground and she slid backwards several feet in the mud.

Her shot had been true but it hadn’t been enough to kill the alien. She’d pulled her massive body out of the ship and her four arms began slashing savagely into the earth beneath her feet as she crawled towards them. She was too huge to lift her body upright, but in the end she didn’t need to. Something enormous on her back was unfurling and he realized in shocked awe that they were wings. If that thing took flight…

“The wings,” John shouted. “Shoot through the wings!”

Rose turned back to the creature which had made her first powerful flap and on bulging strong thighs launched herself skyward. Rose aimed for the delicate flesh of the wings, her hands shaking at the power in the downdraft that nearly knocked her from her feet. The queen screamed again and had gained fifty feet before the plasma cannon successfully drilled a hole through the center of the wing. With a shriek of agony the beast fell from the sky, landing on the center pinnacle of the space ship, her heart pierced through. Her thick purple blood poured out, smoking as it came into contact with the metal.

John turned back to the others. “The theory was wrong!” he shouted in horror.

“What?” Rose asked crawling up from the mud where she had sprawled after making the wing shot.

“The drones!” he said pointing. “They didn’t stop when the queen died. They’re still coming!” They watched in horror as Martin, Emily, Daniel and Dina were forced to fall back. A sudden shriek came from the queen. “She’s not dead!” he yelled. “Rose, the queen’s not dead!” Rose turned back to the queen and turning the plasma canon up as high as it would go fired once more. The queen burst into flames and the rush from the drones stopped dead.

A sudden high whine emanated from the ship. “Self destruct countdown,” shouted Tosh. “Let’s go!" The operatives began scrambling for the hill. John looked around for Rose. He saw her lying on the ground forty feet away where the massive final blast of the plasma cannon had thrown her. She wasn’t moving. He ran to her side and dropped to his knees.

“Rose. Rose! The ship is going to blow!” She didn’t move or make a sound. That was when he noticed that her head rested against a rock. He reached out to touch the back of her head and found it sticky with blood. He shouldn’t move her, but he had no choice. Hauling her up, he heaved her over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could away from the ship. He hoped and prayed it was far enough as the ship exploded throwing them both into the air.

Ch. 11: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/334436.html


Page 1 of 2 << [1] [2] >>

Date: 2010-04-04 01:46 am (UTC)
juliet316: Made for me by < lj user= alizarin-skies> as a result of bidding on her for the Support Stacie auction.  Not shareable (DW: Nine OT3)
From: [personal profile] juliet316
EEP!

Date: 2010-04-04 04:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Eep? Is that for the cliffie?

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] juliet316 - Date: 2010-04-04 05:02 am (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2010-04-04 01:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] susanb03.livejournal.com
Wow... what an update. NO wonder you were shaking

Date: 2010-04-04 04:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Bit of a roller coaster ride, I guess. It does that to me. *grins*

Date: 2010-04-04 02:04 am (UTC)
stardreamed: A New Dawn cover (DW-9RoseSatellite5)
From: [personal profile] stardreamed
Awesome! =)

Date: 2010-04-04 04:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you.

Date: 2010-04-04 02:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] crimedoc1.livejournal.com
EEEEEEK!

What a place to end the chapter!

Date: 2010-04-04 04:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
*grins* Thanks.

Date: 2010-04-04 02:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mkejenkins.livejournal.com
Oh dear...these two really are a mess aren't they?

And there you go with the cliffie again! Aaarrggh!

Great chapter hon. Can't wait for the next one.

Date: 2010-04-04 04:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Yeah, they really are. Well, I can't help the cliffhangers, they just sort of occur naturally all on their own. Thank you.

Date: 2010-04-04 02:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kholly.livejournal.com
You do action and adventure very well. And there's nothing like a bit of life threatening danger to inspire a bit of bonding even when you don't intend to.

Date: 2010-04-04 04:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you. I really enjoy writing the action scenes. It's usually an adrenaline high for me because I get so caught up in it while writing it. *grins*

Date: 2010-04-04 02:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wiggiemomsi.livejournal.com
WOW! What a dramatic chapter!!!!!

Date: 2010-04-04 04:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thanks. A lot needed to happen to get to the next part so, yeah, lots of drama.

Date: 2010-04-04 02:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amishamj.livejournal.com

Oh Noes, the Cliffy!!
Need the next chapter!!!
The action was really great though, not to overly-detailed, nothing important just glossed over, and plenty of adrenline. Absolutley perfect, my hearts still racing.

Date: 2010-04-04 05:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you. I try to make my action scenes move quickly but with enough information to be believable, so I'm glad that carried through for you so noticeably.

Date: 2010-04-04 03:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thelitwolf.livejournal.com
Oh no. What a horrid place you have left us. As a reader I just have to deal and wait for the next chapter. :)

I do have to say, when John tries he does pull heroic off very well.

Feel better soon!

Date: 2010-04-04 05:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
It's not a fun stopping place for you, but it was the natural break for the story. John didn't stop to think at all, he just followed his instincts and emotions and those led him straight to rescue Rose. Thank you.

Date: 2010-04-04 03:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dark-aegis.livejournal.com
Ack! What a spot to end it! Love it. Good job on the action :)

Date: 2010-04-04 05:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
*grins* Thank you. I like writing action more than anything else.

Date: 2010-04-04 03:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] novacancymind.livejournal.com
*happy sigh*
i so wasn't expecting this when i checked t&c so it was a real treat!!!!!!!!!!

Date: 2010-04-04 05:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you. I'm glad to have surprised you then.

Date: 2010-04-04 04:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shadowchsr79.livejournal.com

I will admit to being impressed with how John seemed to handle the news of Rose's revelation. And he still wants to worm his way inside her heart even more. It seems if anything her revelation is a catalyst for him to see that he wants more than a quick shag with her up against the wall. (well he probably still wants that) but he also wants her as a life mate. I did find it funny that he did fight over Tosh like a kid because she said she couldn't be friends with him or anything more. I wonder if he'll start complaining more about Tosh's time spent with Rose. Though that's not truly of the time lost with Tosh but the fact that Tosh can spend it with Rose when Rose is avoiding him. It seems like he's displacing it over Tosh instead of placing it on Rose.

Yay, action scene. Now the Doctor can see why field training is nessessary, to be able to take and follow orders and work as one unit. The ride in the back of the fan was kinda funny, with Rose and the Doctor getting jostled together like that. Though I was surprised a bit at the jealous tone Martin seemed to be putting forth, at least in my perspective. Maybe he was such a yes man to Rose because he liked her and wanted more than her approval and now senses the feelings or at least the chemistry between Rose and John.

I will have to admit that when you mentioned a mean kick ass evil alien queen I did have flashbacks to Aliens and the end scenes with Segorney Weaver, The fight scene was nothing like that but I still got that first impression. John was surprising helpful with his knowledge in the field, and Rose was kick ass with the plasma gun. and you know John was drawn to her handling the big gun "walk softly, carry a big blaster" (has a star wars t-shirt that says that) She saves everyone by killing the queen, he saves Rose by carrying her out of there. before everything goes bang, It'll be a bit interesting when Rose recovers from the blow. There is potential for the Doctor showing emotion over nearly losing her, and her getting closer because he did saver her life kinda like back in the old days. It'll probably open the way to her offering friendship.

Though one thing I do want to comment on. If the Tardis has a working Chamelion circut it could blend into any room just by being a wardrobe or something similar and Tosh totally overreacted to Rose going into the wrong room. It was probably just a knee jerk reaction especially with the Doctor so close to the time ship. If Rose has any reaction to being in proximity to another Tardis there is no way Tosh could know and and since it's a different Tardis that may not even happen though I wonder if it may spark the abnormalities in her DNA that nobody can explain. I wonder if John will get someone who knows genetics to look at the samples, (without her name attached of course) to find out what the extra coding bits mean. It's not in his nature to leave that alone, especially when she's been avoiding him so much.

Well that's all I can think of for now. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

Date: 2010-04-04 07:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Rose is a challenge for him and he is not one to give up on a challenge, either as the Doctor or as John. I don't think he actually realized he wanted more with her until that moment. It's an irrational thing for him to be thinking so early but he is and he wants what he wants, probably because he's denied himself that sort of connection before.

As for the training, he might just think that because he came through action without it just fine he doesn't need it. He's stubborn enough to think that, though I'm not saying he will. Well, with Martin it's not jealousy about Rose, it's anger at the offscreen treatment he's received from John. He's moved up pretty fast in the Torchwood ranks and is used to having his ideas respected and John hasn't done that at all. John thinks he's an idiot.

I've never seen the Alien movies. That sort of movie squicks me out. So I don't really get the reference. Yes, John saving her life will open the door to a friendship between them. As for the TARDIS, Tosh wasn't worried so much about Rose finding it as she was Rose opening the door and allowing John to find it. Despite it being cloaked she's paranoid about protecting it or having him see anything that might trigger his memory and make it necessary to use the fob watch.

(no subject)

From: [identity profile] shadowchsr79.livejournal.com - Date: 2010-04-04 06:26 pm (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2010-04-04 04:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] draconin.livejournal.com
Ooooh, nicely done!

John's really a total mess as a human isn't he? Far more so than was our Doctor in "Human Nature" & "The Family of Blood". Are we going to get some of his backstory soon? I mean, looking back at the first installment, you were fairly sparse in background for both Alt!Doctor and for his human self - I assume that it's not just his genius that's making him so self-centred and needy?

Date: 2010-04-04 07:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thanks. Yes, he is a big mess, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that as the Doctor he was a pretty big mess, too. Do you mean John's back story or the Doctor's? Because most of the Doctor's back story won't be revealed until after he's himself again. Tosh hasn't been with him long enough to know much of it, though she has some suspicions. Stuff will come out that is sort of a mix of John and the Doctor's past in a few chapters about the Cyber War.

(no subject)

From: [identity profile] draconin.livejournal.com - Date: 2010-04-04 07:20 am (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2010-04-04 04:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yavie-namarie.livejournal.com
And it also meant she wasn’t attracted to him. His heart fell so hard he was sure he felt it bottoming out somewhere around his knees. When had he found the time to fall for Rose Tyler?
*wibble* Poor guy!

Now I think I better just say good-night and go.
How much of a dork does it make me, that I started singing Goodnight and Go by Imogen Heap? XD

Also, I'm not sure if I am correct in this or not, but in this sentence:
“Follow me to the armory. John, I know you’re adverse to lethal weaponry, but I’m going to have to require you to at least carry a stunner,” Rose said.
Are you sure you didn't mean "averse" instead of "adverse"?

And seriously, one of these days your cliffhangers are going to kill me. I just know it... o_0
Can't wait till the next update!!!!

Date: 2010-04-04 07:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thanks. Yes, that was supposed to be averse, not adverse. They have such similar meanings and I forgot to double check it like I normally do at dictionary.com. Oh, well, it's fixed now.

Date: 2010-04-04 05:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] honorh.livejournal.com
Gotta love them fighting over Tosh! I'm sure she'd have been very interested in that conversation. But yowza, what's with the cliffhangers, woman?

Date: 2010-04-04 07:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Yeah, they were a bit like children there. "My Tosh," "No, my Tosh." *grins* Sorry, I can't seem to help the cliffhangers. They're always just such a natural place to break a chapter at.

Date: 2010-04-04 05:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fishface44.livejournal.com
Coming home to find this tonight is amazing!!!!! I echo the 'EEP' about the cliffie!!

Date: 2010-04-04 07:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you. Glad to surprise you.

Date: 2010-04-04 05:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feerocious.livejournal.com
What an awesome chapter :D

Date: 2010-04-04 07:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thanks so much.

Date: 2010-04-04 06:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] othermewriter.livejournal.com
This story is totally awesome and I love the Doctor's reactions to Rose and his visceral gut level knowledge that she & he belong together.

Date: 2010-04-04 07:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you so much. He definitely feels it instinctively. He doesn't know why it is there, but it is definitely there.

Date: 2010-04-04 07:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sunnytyler001.livejournal.com
OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!!! What an epic cliffhanger!!!! More please!

Date: 2010-04-04 07:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you. I'm working on it.

Date: 2010-04-04 09:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stillbrainfried.livejournal.com
This chapter is absolutely brilliant. I loved the first bit - John and Rose sounded as if they were up to a divorce agreement about Tosh ;-) And I'm glad both of them made it clear that he and Nine are two different persons - that will save them lots of discussions later...

And the cliffie was absolutely evil ;-) Update soon - pretty, pretty please...

Date: 2010-04-04 07:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
*grins* Thank you. Yeah, they were really playing tug of war with Tosh's time. I wanted the whole you look like him thing to be out of the way before the relationship really begins to form. Otherwise it would hurt a great deal more if it came up after the fact.

Date: 2010-04-04 01:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dudewithak.livejournal.com
Great cliffie! Excellent chapter. Love how John has handled Rose's confession. Please udpate soon!

Date: 2010-04-04 07:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
Thank you. He's being remarkably mature about it, really.

Date: 2010-04-04 01:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] katydidto.livejournal.com
Oh my, the road to romance is never easy. Thank goodness. Love the story, hate the cliffies lol.

Date: 2010-04-04 07:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
No, it isn't. Not for these two especially. Thank you.

Date: 2010-04-04 03:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jellybean728.livejournal.com
AAAHHHH!!!

Okay, I know Rose is fine, or will be fine eventually, but still.

Date: 2010-04-04 07:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
I know. It's still a tough place to be left dangling.

Date: 2010-04-04 06:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mitashade.livejournal.com
O.O Oh noes!!

Date: 2010-04-04 07:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
*grins* Every time you use that surprised kitten icon I get a huge grin on my face.

(no subject)

From: [identity profile] mitashade.livejournal.com - Date: 2010-04-04 08:04 pm (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2010-04-04 08:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anon-aspasia.livejournal.com
Ah, the queen of the cliffies strikes again! (One of these days you'll end a chapter of one of your stories with characters actually hanging from an actual cliff...and I won't be a bit surprised.)

Nice blend of character moments and action in this...well done!

Date: 2010-04-07 05:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amberfocus.livejournal.com
*grins* Well, I can promise that chapter eleven does not end in a cliffhanger. Thank you.
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