Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to TheAdventuresJustBeginning for the name. I must warn you in advance, I'm a bit stuck on the next chapter so it might be a while until the next upload. But for now, read on...
Chapter One:
It was nearly half an hour of walking later that Rose began to realise something was not quite right, and she cursed herself for not paying attention and noticing earlier.
It was silent. She had been travelling along what should be a well-used lane through small paddocks on the outskirts of Cardiff, but had not come across a single car, person or animal since she landed.
"Shit!" Rose swore quietly as she stopped and surveyed her surroundings, this time through eyes that had been trained to notice everything, from the smallest piece of evidence to a possible ambush. The grass was longer than usual for this time of year, she observed, and there were places where fences had been broken and not mended. Up ahead there was a tree branch on the road and, judging by the discolouration of the leaves, it had been there for months.
Fully alert now, Rose moved quickly into the small smattering of trees and bushes that lined one side of the road. After a few moments spent considering her options, she decided to continue on towards the city. Treading carefully, she began to make her way along the roadside, her eyes moving rapidly to monitor the environment.
After a few minutes, Rose realised she could hear a soft rumble that was becoming louder and closer by the moment. Instantly, she flattened herself against the nearest tree trunk and tried to stay as hidden as possible.
The battered old truck came slowly around the corner and into view. Along the side of it was a faded and chipped banner that advertised low price furniture removals. At the wheel was an older man and sitting beside him was a teenage boy, maybe a few years younger than herself Rose guessed. Having decided that, with both her training and her weapon, they would probably not be able to overpower her, she stepped out from her hiding place and onto the side of the road.
The brakes of the old truck screeched loudly as it came to a rapid halt in front of Rose. The two people in the cabin stared at her gobsmacked for a moment, before the older one quickly wound down his window.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he spoke in a furious whisper. "Are you trying to get us all killed?"
Rose, who was rather taken aback by this greeting didn't respond immediately.
"Come on, you fool!" the older man continued. "Get in here now, before one of them finds us!"
Sensing his urgency, Rose nodded quickly and raced around to the other side of the cabin and jumped in through the door that had been opened for her. As she did so, she puuled her gun from its holster and stuffed it into the back of her jeans underneath her jacket – she didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble or raise suspicion. She was hardly seated when they began moving again, the driver constantly searching the skies and checking his rear vision mirrors, a worried look on his face.
After a moments silence in which Rose realised that neither of the men were going to start the conversation, she spoke.
"Thanks for stopping for me," she began. "I'm Rose Tyler by the way, and who would you pair be?"
The older man ignored her, still looking furiously angry, but the teenager turned toward her to answer.
"I'm Michael and this is Frank, and the others are all over the back – there's Katie, Tim, James, Ebony, Jen, Bluey, Matt, Rachel, Flick, Benji, JJ, Sarah and Little Lukey. He's the youngest of the bunch – hates us calling him that though," Michael reeled off in a single breath, ticking the names off on his fingers as he went. "But I gotta know, what were you doing out alone like that? Have you got like, a medical pass, or are ya one of them crazy rebel people?"
"Sorry, no passes and not a crazy rebel," Rose replied. "No idea what you're talking about in fact."
There was a moments silence before Rose spoke again. "So tell me boys, what are we hiding from?"
This time, Frank reacted. "You think this is a bloody joke woman?" he roared. "Who the hell do you think you are, swanning in here and pretending like there's nothing wrong? Millions are dead, and hear you are, mucking about! My daughter–"
Frank fell silent and continued concentrating on the road, his eyes watery with unshed tears. Rose, who had been rather surprised by his sudden outburst, recovered quickly.
"I'm sorry Frank," she murmured quietly. "I had no idea, I really didn't."
"How can you not know about the Toclafane?" Michael asked incredulously. "They're everywhere!"
"I'm a bit of a recluse, really. Or a traveller, I 'spose you could call me," Rose explained, leaving out the details about parallel universes and time travel. "I haven't talked to anyone from around these parts in ages."
"Wow," Michael said in hushed tones. "You really have no idea."
"How about you tell me then?" Rose countered.
There was a long pause in which Rose waited anxiously, before Michael took a deep breath and began.
"It all started about eight months ago. Well, I 'spose it really began ages back – before he became Prime Minister – but eight months ago is when the aliens came."
"Who is he?" Rose asked quietly when he stopped to take a breath.
"The Master. Or Harold Saxon. Least that's what he says his name is, he probably has some freaky alien name instead. But anyway, Saxon was what he used to call himself, back when he was running for Prime Minister."
This time it was Frank who interrupted as he took up the story.
"Everyone voted for him. Heck, I did," he growled. "Then the bastard gets up there, ranting about how sick the country is and how it needs a doctor, and next minute there's millions of metal soccer balls flying around killing people!"
"A doctor? He said that? The country needs a doctor?" Rose intervened quickly.
"Yeah, something like that," Frank replied, waving his hand in the air. "But the point is that these things – he calls them the Toclafane – are in control of the whole world now. Nobody goes anywhere or does anything without their say so – if you try, you die. Painfully. And Saxon is their Master." He spoke the last words with contempt.
"So what are you guys doing out here?" Rose asked curiously.
"We're a work crew," Michael explained, holding up his worker pass for her to see. "There's fifteen people in each one – every day we drive out from Cardiff to the base to work a 12hr shift on the rockets, then go home."
"Rockets?"
"Yeah, something about rebuilding some planet that got blown up ages ago," he said. "Saxon's a complete nutter, I tell ya."
Rose was about to ask more questions, but she was cut off by Franks announcement that they had arrived. He turned to look at her.
"Right missy, this is how its gunna go. We could all get killed for hiding you, so before we decide, we gotta talk to the whole group," he said sternly. "If they say yes, we'll try our best to keep ya hidden. If not, well you're on your own. I know it sounds tough, but this is all the family I got now, and I aint losing any more of them."
Rose smiled gently at him before replying. "That's okay Frank, you're a good person – you only want to protect your loved ones. You've already done so much for me."
"Well, I dunno 'bout that," Frank said gruffly, turning slightly pink at the compliment. "Righto then, let's go see what the others have to say."
- DW -
Frank and Michael left Rose in the cabin of the removalist van as they went around to the back of the back doors to let the others out. She could hear them speaking in low, rapid tones, then the replies of voices she didn't recognise.
Rose tried to decipher what was being said, but it was too muffled by the distance between them. Suddenly, the door beside her flew open, and she squeaked in surprise.
"Come on, then missy," said Frank, wearing the first smile Rose had seen on him. "Time to meet the family."
Rose returned the smile happily, grateful for their easy acceptance and lack of suspicion. Quickly, she jumped down from the truck and, with Michael leading her, made her way toward the nearest house.
Appalling was the first word that came to Rose's mind when she saw the state of the house's interior. The whole place smelt distinctly of urine, sweat and fear. It was obvious that those living there had done their best to keep the place immaculate, but it was an impossible task with the sheer number of people living there.
Rose stood in shock, before moving forward slowly. By the time she had reached the main living area, she had counted at least 17 people, and that was excluding those that were perched on the staircase, or those on the upper level.
The people stared blankly at the newcomer, their faces gaunt and expressionless, their eyes showing defeat. Rose, who felt extremely uncomfortable with so many strangers staring at her, shifted her weight on her feet and tried not to catch anyone's eye.
"Erm... everyone – this is Rose," Frank spoke to the room. "She's gunna be staying with us for a while. Anyone got a problem with that?"
Everyone either nodded their heads, muttered their consent or simply did nothing.
"Excellent!" Frank exclaimed, rubbing his hands together and trying to sound optimistic. "Right, Katie, can you take Rose upstairs and get her settled in with you and Sarah?"
"Sure Frank," a young woman with dark hair said as she stepped forward to introduce herself.
Rose followed Katie closely, squeezing between the crowds to get to the staircase. Without warning, another woman cut in front of her, forcing Rose to look up sharply.
"Sarah? Sarah-Jane Smith?" Rose exclaimed in disbelief when he saw the woman's face. "Is that seriously you?"
The woman in question paused on her way up the cramped staircase and turned on the spot to stare down at Rose.
"Rose Tyler?" she whispered. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's the Doctor?"
At the mention of his name, the events of the 48 hours finally caught up with her and she collapsed to her knees with an exhausted sob.
"Oh, Rose darling," Sarah murmured as she moved quickly back down the stairs to kneel next to Rose. "It's okay, sweetie. How about we get you upstairs and into bed – you look like you could you a decent sleep. And when you are feeling better we can talk, if you feel like it."
Rose smiled gratefully up at the older woman, her eyes filled with unshed tears. With Sarah's help, she slowly stood and began up the climb through the silent onlookers to the second floor. She was lead to a small empty room at the end of the hallway that was lined with mattresses and small piles of personal possessions.
Sarah directed Rose toward the nearest mattress and helped her down onto it, feeling the need to care for her. Soon she was in only her shirt and jeans and tucked firmly under the blankets.
"Sleep now darling," Sarah murmured. "You're safe here."
Rose fell into a dreamless sleep almost immediately, comforted by the motherly feeling of the hand that gently stroked her hair.
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