ɪɪɪ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜʀɪꜱᴛᴍᴀꜱ ɪɴᴠᴀꜱɪᴏɴ
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"He's the Doctor and she's Juliet. My Juliet.", Rose grins.
"But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?", Harriet asks, clearly confused.
"I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face. Well, knew everything.", The Doctor tells her.
"And this is still Juliet.", He gestures to the woman next to him. She waves at the woman.
"But you can't be."
"Harriet Jones, we were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, it wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own.", The Doctor says.
"Oh, my God."
"Did you win the election?", Juliet asks, genuinely curious.
"Landslide majority."
"If I might interrupt.", The Sycorax butts in.
"Yes, sorry. Hello, big fellow.", The Doctor and Juliet both give the creature their attention now.
"Who exactly are you two?"
"Well, that's the question.", Juliet laughs.
"I demand to know who you are!", The Sycorax exclaims.
"I don't know!", The Doctor shouts back in the same tone before continuing.
"See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic?Sexy?", He winks at Rose and clicks his tongue, earning a glare from Juliet and an uncomfortable look from the blonde.
"Right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob. And how am I going to react when I see this, a great big threatening button. A great big threatening button which must not be pressed under any circumstances, am I right? Let me guess. It's some sort of control matrix, hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?", The Doctor opens the base of the pillar under the button.
"And what've we got here? Blood? Yeah, definitely blood. Human blood. A Positive, with just a dash of iron. Ah, but that means blood control. Blood control! Oh, I haven't seen blood control for years. You're controlling all the A Positives. Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. Because I really don't know who I am either. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a great big threatening button which should never, ever, ever be pressed, then I just want to do this.", Juliet hits the button.
"No!", Rose and Harriet both cry out.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Everyone takes a step forward then stops. The blue energy flickers then the people look around, confused.
"What the hell am I doing up here?", Jason mutter to himself.
"Get away from the edge!", Sandra exclaims to him.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"You killed them!", Alex cries, glaring heatedly at the woman.
"What do you think, big fellow? Are they dead?", The Doctor asks the Sycorax.
"We allow them to live."
"Allow? You've no choice. I mean, that's all blood control is. A cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis. You can't hypnotise them to death. Survival instinct's too strong.", Juliet smirks at the alien.
"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force."
"Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could. But why? Look at these people. These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than. No, hold on. Sorry, that's The Lion King. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!", The Doctor exclaims suddenly.
"Or what?"
"Or-", The Doctor takes a sword from an aide and runs back towards the Tardis.
"I challenge you."
There is a general uprising of laughter.
"Oh, that struck a chord. Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?", The Doctor asks.
"You stand as this world's champion."
"Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you
just summed me up.", The Doctor throws his dressing gown to the nearest person, that just so happens to be Juliet.
"So, you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?", This insult makes up the leader's mind.
"For the planet?", Sycorax asks.
"For the planet.", The Doctor confirms.
They clash swords.
"Look out!", Rose calls.
"Oh, yeah, that helps. Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks."
The leader is the more experienced swordsman. The Doctor retreats up a tunnel.
"Bit of fresh air?", The Doctor asks.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
And out into the day light. The Doctor drops the sword but no time is wasted as Juliet rushes in and holds the sword now, ready to fight.
"Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet.", The Doctor holds his arm out in front of Rose so she can't run to Juliet.
The leader knocks the Juliet down then slashes. He misses and she dives several of the blows until she suddenly cries out in pain as her foot has been chopped clean off and is now lying on the ground.
"Jules!!", Rose cries for her lover as the Doctor rushes over and takes hold of the sword once again to finish this battle once and for all. Rose rushes to Juliet's side as her foot is suddenly regenerated.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and the Sycorax are battling near the edge. Suddenly, the Sycorax brings it's sword down and chops the Doctor's hand off. Both the sword and his hand fall to Earth.
"You cut my hand off.", The Doctor exclaims.
"Ya! Sycorax!", The creature exclaims in a premature victory.
"And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. Because quite by chance I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this.", He grows a new hand just as Juliet had previously done with her amputee foot.
"Witchcraft.", The Sycorax mutters, obviously not seeing Juliet's foot regenerate.
"Time Lord.", The Doctor grins.
"Doctor!", Rose throws him another sword.
"Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?", He asks her and Juliet who is now standing next to the blonde.
"No arguments from me!"
"Or me!", Juliet smiles as she grabs Rose's hand at last.
"Want to know the best bit? This new hand? It's a fighting hand!",They fight again. The Doctor disarms the Sycorax and thumps both hilts into it's abdomen, twice. It falls, right on the edge, overlooking London.
"I win."
"Then kill me.", The Sycorax says.
"I'll spare your life if you'll take this Champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"
Yes."
"Swear on the blood of your species.", The Doctor orders.
"I swear.", The Sycorax admits defeat.
"There we are, then. Thanks for that. Cheers, big fellow. "
"Bravo!"
"That says it all. Bravo!", Rose said exclaims.
"Bravo!", Juliet hops up and down with a laugh. After having both feet back on ground though, it seems her new foot isn't done celebrating as it wildly continues to jump for joy.
She merely laughs at it before it stops once again.
"Ah, not bad for a man in his jim-jams.", The Doctor grins at them all.
"And Juliet did a brilliant job as well.", He makes sure to recognize the brunette.
Rose helps him on with the dressing gown.
"Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here? A satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mothers. He does like his snacks doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas? You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?", The Doctor asks as the Sycorax leader gets up, grabs his sword and runs at the Doctor's back. The Doctor throws the satsuma at a control on the spaceship hull, a piece of the wing opens up and the leader falls to his death.
"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man.", He says coldly.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of it's riches, it's people, it's potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this. It is defended.", The Tardis, Harriet, Alex, Rose, Juliet, Mickey and the Doctor are beamed away.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Where are we?", Juliet asks, holding onto Rose's hand.
"We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just round the corner, we did it!", Mickey exclaims.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute.", The Doctor starts.
The spaceship flies away.
"Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!", Mickey cries after it.
"Yeah! Don't come back!", Rose adds.
"It is defended!"
Rose and Mickey hug, then Rose hugs Alex.
"My Doctor."
"Prime Minister.", The Doctor grins at Harriet.
They hug.
"Absolutely the same man. Are there many more out there?"
"Oh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed more and more. You'd better get used to it.", He tells her.
"Rose!", Jackie's voice is suddenly heard.
"Mum!"
"Oh, talking of trouble.", The Doctor mutters.
"Oh, my God! You did it, Rose! Oh!", Rose and Jackie hug as Alex answers a phone call.
"You did it too! It was the tea. Fixed his head.", Rose tells her mother.
"That was all I needed, cup of tea."
"I said so.", Jackie says smugly.
"Look at him. Look at Jules!", Rose suddenly grabs the brunette hand and pulls her over.
"Is it her, though? Is it really Juliet? And is that him? Is it really the Doctor? Oh, my God, it's the bleeding Prime Minister!", Jackie rambles on.
"Come here, you.", The Doctor opens his arms and they all join in a group hug.
"Are you better?", Jackie asks both The Doctor and Juliet.
"Much. Thank you, Jackie."
"Ooh. Scottish. I quite like that.", Jackie says, upon hearing the girl's new voice.
"Really? I've always wanted to be a scot!", Juliet grins as the Doctor and Jackie chat.
"It's a message from Torchwood. They say they're ready.", Alex rejoins the group.
"You left me."
"I'm sorry.", Rose apologizes to her mother.
"I had all the food."
"Tell them to fire.", Harriet speaks to Alex only.
"Fire at will.", Alex says into the phone.
Five green beams streak up into the sky, meet and fire out into space. The Sycorax asteroid ship goes KaBOOM!
"What is that? What's happening?", Rose asks as Juliet has grabbed her and pulled her into her side.
"That was murder."
"Murder.", The Doctor and Juliet respond together.
"That was defence. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago.", Harriet attempts to defend her actions.
"But they were leaving."
"You said yourself, Doctor, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case we have to defend ourselves."
"Britain's Golden Age.", Juliet scoffs.
"It comes with a price."
"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race.", The Doctor spits harshly at Harriet.
"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf."
"Then I should have stopped you."
"What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat? Juliet too?"
"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word.", The Doctor threatens her.
"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that.", Harriet practically taunts him.
"No, you're right. Not a single word, just six.", Juliet moves from Rose's side to step towards the woman as she speaks.
"I don't think so."
"Six words."
"Stop it!", Harriet cries.
"Six."
Juliet leans over to Alex and whispers in his ear. The Doctor watches on with a smirk.
"Don't you think she looks tired?"
The Doctor, Rose, Juliet, Mickey and Jackie leave.
"What did she say?", Harriet asks.
"Oh, well, nothing, really.", Alex lies.
"What did she say?", Harriet asks again.
"Nothing. I don't know."
"Juliet! Juliet, what did you? What was that? What did she say? What did you say, Juliet? Juliet! I'm sorry.", Harriet cries after them.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Doctor is picking himself a new outfit in the Tardis wardrobe, and considers David's Casanova costume.
Mickey, Rose, Juliet and Jackie are back at the flat having Christmas dinner. Mickey carves the turkey.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::The Doctor finds a brown pinstripe suit and long brown coat. He leaves the wardrobe past the old hat stand with a long scarf on it.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Doctor enters. The dinner progresses to the crackers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Oh, that's yours."
"It's pink! Mum, it should be yours. Look, it's Harriet Jones.", That television is never switched off BBC24, it seems.
"Prime Minister, is it true you are no longer fit to be in position?", The newscaster asks.
"No. Now, can we talk about other things?", Harriet attempts to change the subject.
"Is it true you're unfit for office?"
The Doctor puts on a pair of spectacles to watch the interview.
"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health. I don't know where these stories are coming from. And a vote of no confidence is completely unjustified.", Harriet huffs.
"Are you going to resign?"
The telephone rings.
"On today of all days, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel fine.", Harriet is speaking on the Television.
"It's Beth. She says go and look outside.", Jackie says to the group of four still at the table.
"Why?", Juliet asks.
"I don't know, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!", Jackie responds.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The ground is covered with white flakes falling from the sky. Streaks of light cris-cross the sky.
"Oh, it's beautiful. What are they, meteors?", Rose asks, looking at the sky.
"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere. This isn't snow, it's ash.", Juliet explains, rather bluntly.
"Okay, not so beautiful."
"This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now. Everyone saw it. Everything's new. ", The Doctor sighs, stopping to stand next to the couple.
"And what about you? What are you going to do next?", Rose asks him.
"Well, back to the Tardis. Same old life."
"On your own?"
"Why, aren't you two coming?", He asks the pair.
"Well, yeah."
"Duh.", They reply at the same time.
"Are you, though?", He asks them.
"Yeah!", They both grin.
"I just thought, because I changed...", He trails off.
"Yeah, I thought, because you changed you might not want me anymore.", Rose admits.
"Oh, I'd love you to come. Both of you.", He grins once more.
"Okay.", They both say.
"You're never going to stay, are you?", Mickey asks the girls.
"There's just so much out there. So much to see. I've got to.", Rose tells him, regretfully.
"Yeah."
"Well, I reckon you're mad, the three of you. It's like you go looking for trouble.", Jackie says to them.
"Trouble's just the bits in-between. It's all waiting out there, Jackie, and it's brand new to me. All those planets, and creatures and horizons. I haven't seem them yet! Not with these eyes. And it is going to be fantastic.", The Doctor cries, happily.
"That hand of yours still gives me the creeps. And your foot.", She pointedly looks to the brunette on her right.
"So, where're we going to go first?", Juliet asks.
"Er, that way. No, hold on. That way.", The Doctor points up.
"That way?"
"Hmm?"
"Yeah, that way.", Rose nods.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this special! Next up is New Earth and it will be a wild one for sure, so buckle up and enjoy!
QOTD: Best plot twist in your opinion?
For me personally, it would have to be River Song's identity reveal. Incredibly done and definitely unexpected!!