Of the Vortex Born: Chapter Fourteen
Aug. 13th, 2008 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amberfocus
Chapter Fourteen: Talking and Doing
“Jamie? Over.”
“Mum!” Jamie closed her eyes. It was so good to hear her mother’s voice. “Luke’s with me. We’re okay,” she said. "Over."
“Jamie, listen,” her mother said. “The U.N.I.T. space station has disappeared from its usual location and has been transported to an orbit around Mars. Over.”
“I knew something had gone wrong. We should have rendezvoused with them hours ago. Over.”
“The life pod is programmed to go to the next available station. That’s Torchwood, Jamie. Over.” Her mother sounded slightly panicked.
“Don’t worry, Mum. I altered our heading by 17.3 degrees and disabled our engines. We won’t end up on Torchwood station. Over,” Jamie said.
“We’re warming up the shuttle as fast as we can and we’ll be coming out to retrieve you. We should get to you before Torchwood starts sending out retrieval units to round up the stragglers. You did--.”
“Jamie, what degree did you say you altered your heading with?” The Doctor’s voice came over the com and she could just picture him having snatched it from her mother.
“17.3,” said Jamie. “Over.” There was silence on the other end of the communicator for too long and Jamie broke com regulations. “Daddy? What is it?”
“There’s an alien ship at .2 degrees from your new heading,” the Doctor said. “You’re going straight for them.”
“I can rewire it,” said Jamie.
“Not in time, sweetheart,” said her mother having wrested control of the com back from the Doctor. “Looks like you’re going to make first contact, love.” It was the first time she’d heard fear in her mother’s voice. “Over,” Rose added absently, remembering protocol.
Luke took the com from Jamie’s stunned fingers. “All right,” he said, “Put the Doctor back on. Over.”
“I’m here, Luke.”
“Okay. Tell us everything you know about this alien species. Over.” With his free hand he reached for Jamie’s and held it tightly while the Doctor filled them in on what they knew. By the time he had finished neither one of them felt any better.
“Mum, Dad?” Jamie said. “We’ll be okay. We can do this. Over.”
“We’re still coming for you,” said Rose, her voice slightly strangled. “We’ll be there as soon as we can be. Over.”
“I love you,” said Jamie. “Tell Daddy I love him, too. Over.”
“We love you, too. Over.”
“Doctor? Over,” Luke said taking the com again.
"Yes, Luke?"
“Tell my mum I love her. Have her tell Maria and Clyde they were the best friends a guy could ever ask for. Over,” Luke said.
“You’ll tell her yourself!” said the Doctor.
“I know, Doctor,” Luke said. “But just…tell her. Over.”
“We’re coming for you,” Rose insisted. “We’re coming for you!” A series of sparks shot out from the forward panel and the communicator squawked, shrieked and died.
Jamie grabbed it from Luke. “Mum? Mum? Mum!” Jamie said. When there was no answer after a minute of trying Jamie put the controller down and turned to Luke. “It’s dead.”
“See if you can fix it?” Luke said. Jamie opened the panel again and looked at the mass of burned wires. She shook her head.
“It wasn’t meant to be a long-distance communicator. We’re lucky it worked for as long as it did. It’s completely shorted out the system. We won’t be able to talk to them again,” said Jamie. She opened another panel. “Oh, no! It shorted the wiring to the propulsion system, too. I won't be able to bring it back online. We’re alone in this now.”
“At least we have each other,” said Luke not even bothering to ask if she was sure. He could see for himself that she was.
“Yeah. Mum always says life is better with two. Hopefully so is impending doom,” Jamie said.
“We’re going to be okay, Jamie,” Luke said. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Right,” said Jamie. “No gloom and doom, check. Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back into a more comfortable position. My neck and shoulders are completely cramping up now from all this work.”
It took them a couple of minutes to get back to the cushion board and arrange themselves comfortably again. “Let me see if I can get the cramps out,” Luke said. He brought his hands up and started rubbing at the tense muscles in her shoulders.
Jamie felt herself begin to relax. “You’re good at that,” she said.
“Read a book once on it,” he replied. Eventually the knots were all worked out of her neck and shoulders and he brought his arms back around her to rest on her back.
“I’m so glad I met you, Luke,” Jamie murmured. “I’m so glad I’m not in this alone.”
“Me, too,” he said. He felt the last of the tension leave her body and knew she had relaxed into sleep. He stroked her back idly as his mind raced through everything the Doctor had told them about the Ganyites, trying to formulate a plan of action. In the end, he knew logic was just going to have to do it. His tired mind having reached its conclusion, Luke allowed himself to join Jamie in sleep.
“I want the TARDIS loaded onto the shuttle,” the Doctor said. “She may be unable to fly, but the rest of her is working just fine. We’ll need her with us, for the translation program and access to her databanks.”
Rose nodded and sent through a series of orders that would allow that to happen. She had not broken down after losing contact with Jamie. As badly as she had wanted to seek comfort in the Doctor’s arms, she knew that this was not the time for it. Besides, breaking down wasn’t something she did anymore. She hadn’t had the luxury of that in years and she forced her fears into the background. She could do this. She could rescue her daughter and Luke.
“Mum?” said Mairi coming into the room. “I don’t know if this is important or not but we ran a correlation program trying to see what the three domes that were cracked open had in common.”
“Well, two of them held schools,” she said.
“Yeah, but the third one didn’t. The one thing that was flagged was that both schools and the park were studying those birds we found. The purple alien birds that were rescued from that derelict space craft. Five of the nesting pairs were in the park and one pair each was in each of the schools.”
“You think this is all about birds?” Rose asked skeptically.
“Well, I wouldn’t think there was anything special about them normally, but they’re still alive, Mum. Rescue workers found them still alive.”
“But they were in vacuum!” protested Rose.
“I know. All we can figure is that they may very well have evolved in one,” said Mairi.
“Mairi, what do these birds look like?” the Doctor asked suddenly.
“They’re a brilliant purple color, mostly feathered, but have a fur-like plume on the top of their heads. They’re about the size of an Earth crow,” she told him.
“Riatuels,” said the Doctor. They looked at him blankly. “Remember I said that there was a benign alien race that they’d come in contact with before? That it excreted something from its skin that made the Ganyites go insane? I can’t be sure unless I see one, but I think those birds you rescued are Riatuels.”
“I’ll get one sent over,” said Mairi rushing from the room.
“What are you thinking, Doctor?” Rose asked.
“If the substance has an effect on their sanity, I wonder if it can be altered to physically affect their brains as well? It can’t be too much of a difference. The mind is part of the brain after all,” he said. “Just as a back up, mind. We’ll talk first and use deadly force second. But it’s an idea that we ought to put into motion.”
Rose nodded, her eyes continuing to track the last known trajectories of Luke and Jamie’s life pod and the alien vessel. Based on the information she had on hand, the two crafts would rendezvous in twenty hours. If the shuttle launched on time it would get to the space ship in twenty-six hours. For six hours the fate of her daughter and Luke would be in the hands of the Ganyites. It wasn’t something she wanted to think about.
Mairi bustled back into the room with two of the birds in a large brass cage. The Doctor took one look at them and nodded. “Those are Riatuels,” he said. “There’s a small spot right between their wings that you can press on and it’ll excrete the substance we need.”
Mairi got to work extracting the fluid and storing it in vials. When the call came for shuttle boarding the three of them, along with the birds, headed to the shuttle bay where Landon met them. They were joined by four soldiers. As soon as they were onboard and had taken off the Doctor took the vials into the TARDIS and along with Rose began running his tests. He had twenty-six hours to figure out something incredible.
Rose gave him a cautious grin and he returned his manic one. He could do this. He’d been under greater time constraints before and he’d always succeeded. This time he was doing it for his daughter and Luke. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use whatever solution he came up with. But he wasn’t going after the children without it.
Ch. 15: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/119728.html
“The life pod is programmed to go to the next available station. That’s Torchwood, Jamie. Over.” Her mother sounded slightly panicked.
“Don’t worry, Mum. I altered our heading by 17.3 degrees and disabled our engines. We won’t end up on Torchwood station. Over,” Jamie said.
“We’re warming up the shuttle as fast as we can and we’ll be coming out to retrieve you. We should get to you before Torchwood starts sending out retrieval units to round up the stragglers. You did--.”
“Jamie, what degree did you say you altered your heading with?” The Doctor’s voice came over the com and she could just picture him having snatched it from her mother.
“17.3,” said Jamie. “Over.” There was silence on the other end of the communicator for too long and Jamie broke com regulations. “Daddy? What is it?”
“There’s an alien ship at .2 degrees from your new heading,” the Doctor said. “You’re going straight for them.”
“I can rewire it,” said Jamie.
“Not in time, sweetheart,” said her mother having wrested control of the com back from the Doctor. “Looks like you’re going to make first contact, love.” It was the first time she’d heard fear in her mother’s voice. “Over,” Rose added absently, remembering protocol.
Luke took the com from Jamie’s stunned fingers. “All right,” he said, “Put the Doctor back on. Over.”
“I’m here, Luke.”
“Okay. Tell us everything you know about this alien species. Over.” With his free hand he reached for Jamie’s and held it tightly while the Doctor filled them in on what they knew. By the time he had finished neither one of them felt any better.
“Mum, Dad?” Jamie said. “We’ll be okay. We can do this. Over.”
“We’re still coming for you,” said Rose, her voice slightly strangled. “We’ll be there as soon as we can be. Over.”
“I love you,” said Jamie. “Tell Daddy I love him, too. Over.”
“We love you, too. Over.”
“Doctor? Over,” Luke said taking the com again.
"Yes, Luke?"
“Tell my mum I love her. Have her tell Maria and Clyde they were the best friends a guy could ever ask for. Over,” Luke said.
“You’ll tell her yourself!” said the Doctor.
“I know, Doctor,” Luke said. “But just…tell her. Over.”
“We’re coming for you,” Rose insisted. “We’re coming for you!” A series of sparks shot out from the forward panel and the communicator squawked, shrieked and died.
Jamie grabbed it from Luke. “Mum? Mum? Mum!” Jamie said. When there was no answer after a minute of trying Jamie put the controller down and turned to Luke. “It’s dead.”
“See if you can fix it?” Luke said. Jamie opened the panel again and looked at the mass of burned wires. She shook her head.
“It wasn’t meant to be a long-distance communicator. We’re lucky it worked for as long as it did. It’s completely shorted out the system. We won’t be able to talk to them again,” said Jamie. She opened another panel. “Oh, no! It shorted the wiring to the propulsion system, too. I won't be able to bring it back online. We’re alone in this now.”
“At least we have each other,” said Luke not even bothering to ask if she was sure. He could see for himself that she was.
“Yeah. Mum always says life is better with two. Hopefully so is impending doom,” Jamie said.
“We’re going to be okay, Jamie,” Luke said. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Right,” said Jamie. “No gloom and doom, check. Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back into a more comfortable position. My neck and shoulders are completely cramping up now from all this work.”
It took them a couple of minutes to get back to the cushion board and arrange themselves comfortably again. “Let me see if I can get the cramps out,” Luke said. He brought his hands up and started rubbing at the tense muscles in her shoulders.
Jamie felt herself begin to relax. “You’re good at that,” she said.
“Read a book once on it,” he replied. Eventually the knots were all worked out of her neck and shoulders and he brought his arms back around her to rest on her back.
“I’m so glad I met you, Luke,” Jamie murmured. “I’m so glad I’m not in this alone.”
“Me, too,” he said. He felt the last of the tension leave her body and knew she had relaxed into sleep. He stroked her back idly as his mind raced through everything the Doctor had told them about the Ganyites, trying to formulate a plan of action. In the end, he knew logic was just going to have to do it. His tired mind having reached its conclusion, Luke allowed himself to join Jamie in sleep.
“I want the TARDIS loaded onto the shuttle,” the Doctor said. “She may be unable to fly, but the rest of her is working just fine. We’ll need her with us, for the translation program and access to her databanks.”
Rose nodded and sent through a series of orders that would allow that to happen. She had not broken down after losing contact with Jamie. As badly as she had wanted to seek comfort in the Doctor’s arms, she knew that this was not the time for it. Besides, breaking down wasn’t something she did anymore. She hadn’t had the luxury of that in years and she forced her fears into the background. She could do this. She could rescue her daughter and Luke.
“Mum?” said Mairi coming into the room. “I don’t know if this is important or not but we ran a correlation program trying to see what the three domes that were cracked open had in common.”
“Well, two of them held schools,” she said.
“Yeah, but the third one didn’t. The one thing that was flagged was that both schools and the park were studying those birds we found. The purple alien birds that were rescued from that derelict space craft. Five of the nesting pairs were in the park and one pair each was in each of the schools.”
“You think this is all about birds?” Rose asked skeptically.
“Well, I wouldn’t think there was anything special about them normally, but they’re still alive, Mum. Rescue workers found them still alive.”
“But they were in vacuum!” protested Rose.
“I know. All we can figure is that they may very well have evolved in one,” said Mairi.
“Mairi, what do these birds look like?” the Doctor asked suddenly.
“They’re a brilliant purple color, mostly feathered, but have a fur-like plume on the top of their heads. They’re about the size of an Earth crow,” she told him.
“Riatuels,” said the Doctor. They looked at him blankly. “Remember I said that there was a benign alien race that they’d come in contact with before? That it excreted something from its skin that made the Ganyites go insane? I can’t be sure unless I see one, but I think those birds you rescued are Riatuels.”
“I’ll get one sent over,” said Mairi rushing from the room.
“What are you thinking, Doctor?” Rose asked.
“If the substance has an effect on their sanity, I wonder if it can be altered to physically affect their brains as well? It can’t be too much of a difference. The mind is part of the brain after all,” he said. “Just as a back up, mind. We’ll talk first and use deadly force second. But it’s an idea that we ought to put into motion.”
Rose nodded, her eyes continuing to track the last known trajectories of Luke and Jamie’s life pod and the alien vessel. Based on the information she had on hand, the two crafts would rendezvous in twenty hours. If the shuttle launched on time it would get to the space ship in twenty-six hours. For six hours the fate of her daughter and Luke would be in the hands of the Ganyites. It wasn’t something she wanted to think about.
Mairi bustled back into the room with two of the birds in a large brass cage. The Doctor took one look at them and nodded. “Those are Riatuels,” he said. “There’s a small spot right between their wings that you can press on and it’ll excrete the substance we need.”
Mairi got to work extracting the fluid and storing it in vials. When the call came for shuttle boarding the three of them, along with the birds, headed to the shuttle bay where Landon met them. They were joined by four soldiers. As soon as they were onboard and had taken off the Doctor took the vials into the TARDIS and along with Rose began running his tests. He had twenty-six hours to figure out something incredible.
Rose gave him a cautious grin and he returned his manic one. He could do this. He’d been under greater time constraints before and he’d always succeeded. This time he was doing it for his daughter and Luke. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use whatever solution he came up with. But he wasn’t going after the children without it.
Ch. 15: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/119728.html
