Parallel: From Another World [1] (The Parallel Series) ✓

The Idiot's Lantern

"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man. Now get to it!" Rose ordered.

"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure. Union Flag?" He asked. The three sat down on the sofa.

"Mum went out with a sailor," Rose told them.

"Oh ho ho ho. I bet she did. Anyway, I'm the Doctor and this is Miss Stone and Rose, and you are?" The Doctor asked the boy.

"Tommy."

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy. Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's brilliant." Tommy nodded at him.

"Good man!" He smiled. The Doctor turned to Mister Connolly. "Keep working, Mister C!" He turned to his wife who looked in much distress. "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Did you say you were a doctor?" She asked.

"Yes, I am." He reassured her.

"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?" She begged him. Her husband stopped and turned a frown on his face.

"Now then, Rita. I don't think the gentleman needs to know"

"No, the gentleman does." The Doctor told him.

"Tell us what's wrong, and we can help," Rose told the woman who then burst into tears, Rose moved to comfort her crying into her hands. "I'm sorry. It's all right. Come here. It's okay." She told her rubbing the woman's back.

Mister Connolly stood up from what he was doing. "Hold on a minute. Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house! What the?" He looked at his hand and threw the bunting down on the ground.

"What the hell am I doing?" He turned to the Doctor pointing right in his face. "Now you listen here, Doctor. You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business."

"A lot of people are being bundled into-" The Doctor was interrupted by Mister Connolly shouting, something you shouldn't do to the Doctor, never interrupt with shouting.

"I am talking!" he bellowed in the Doctors face.

The Doctor's eyes became dark and deadly, something you didn't want facing you no matter what. "And I'm not listening!" He mimicked Mister Connolly. "Now you, Mister Connolly, you are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help. So I'm ordering you, sir! Tell me what's going on!" He ordered. The two stared at each other, eyes narrowed and glaring into the opposites skull. Then the thumping broke the deadly stares and silence. They all looked up at the ceiling. Mister Connolly spoke much calmer.

"She won't stop. She never stops."

"We started hearing stories, all round the place. People who've changed. Families keeping it secret because they were scared. Then the police started finding out. We don't know how no one does. They just turn up, come to the door and take them, any time of the day or night." Tommy explained his eyes showing fear, not for his father's reactions but his own words, desperately hoping that what he was saying would never happen to the woman upstairs.

"Show me."

They walked up the stairs heading to what they guessed to be the woman's room in the house. "Gran? It's Tommy. It's all right, Gran. I've brought help." Tommy said softly walking into the room. He turned the light on and the room lit up causing the room to glow with light.

The Doctor looked at the old woman. She had no face at all where her eyes, nose and mouth was once before was now nothing, empty like it was never there. "Her face is completely gone." He slowly walked up to the woman and used the sonic screwdriver to scan her empty face. "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown. She's ticking over. It's like her brain has been wiped clean."

"What're we going to do, Doctor? We can't even feed her." Tommy asked. There was a loud crash at the front door, they all turned.

"We've got company," Rose told them.

"It's them. They've come for her!" Mrs Connolly cried out.

"Quickly. What was she doing before this happened? Where was she? Tell me. Quickly, think!"

"I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-" he was interrupted before finishing with the men in black suits bursting in the room.

"Hold on a minute." The Doctor stepped forward raising his hands to talk. "There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One-" the man standing in front of the Doctor punched in the face causing him to fall back down to the floor. Rita clenched her jaw and practically dived for the man only to get punched to the floor beside the Doctor.

"Doctor! Rita!" Rose kneeled in between them both shouting the Time Lord and brunettes name.

"Oh, that didn't go how I planned" the brunette groaned her hand reaching for her head now pounding uncontrollably.

"Leave her alone! No!" Mrs Connolly shouted.

Rose started to hit the Doctors face lightly trying to get him to wake up. "Doctor!" She shouted. Rita groaned sitting up a little frantically blinking regaining her own head back in her control then noticed what was going on. She jumped up running down the stairs.

The Doctor then suddenly sat up clicking his neck. "Ah, hell of a right hook. Have to watch out for that." He jumped up springing down the stairs after the brunette. Rita gritted her teeth noticing the spark known as 'the wire' on the TV she didn't want to but she needed to go with the Doctor, Rita couldn't save Rose it was an event that had to happen, but she didn't want the blonde to go alone. The Doctor would surely hate her for it but she needed to go with him, knowing from past experiences that the Doctor in this universe and not the TV show didn't have the answers to some of the things in the show. As much as he didn't want to admit it himself sometimes he really, really needed the brunette by his side, for one of her secrets or just a smile he needed her as well as the blonde companion with him. This was something Rita had to decide and of course, she decided him.

"Rose, we're going to lose them again!" He shouted jumping on the scooter, Rita jumped on the back throwing the keys to her own scooter on the seat for Rose.

"What about Rose?" The Doctor slightly turned his head towards Rita.

"She can take mine come on!" She shouted not meaning to sound so rude. The Doctor nodded and started the engine following the car. Rita felt a pang of guilt in her stomach for leaving the blonde who would go through so much pain. She had to go with the Doctor though, something might happen that he cannot solve and only she would know what to do Rita repeatedly told herself the Doctor fixated on the road and car in front which he was gaining speed on.

"Oh, very good. Very good." The Doctor grinned applauding the clever work of whoever was behind this idea. He turned to Rita as if to say that they would go and explore. Without saying a word she got off the scooter and followed the Doctor, they reached a door and the Doctor opened it with the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor and Rita walk through the small door and saw the two men from before locking a padlock then leave. The Doctor walked over with Rita following and unlocks the padlock walking inside. They walk into a large caged area full of people with blank faces. They walk in and the Doctor shined a light.

As if they were attracted to the light the people slowly move closer forcing the Doctor and Rita to back upright against a metal wall. A bright light then flashes dispersing the people. "Stay where you are." A man warned them.