Sitting beside on another on a bench in the local park the blonde looked up at the sky, her face looking saddened and quite lost. "It's the ATMOS devices." She explained, her first words since they arrived at the park. "We're lucky it's not so bad here, Britain hasn't got that much petrol. But all over Europe... China, South Africa... they're getting choked by gas."
"Can't anyone stop it?"
"Yeah, they're trying right now, this little band of fighters... on board the Sontaran ship... any second now..." She continued to stare at the sky where the light gas like fog layered over stopping the stars from shining. The sky then briefly turned to fire then calmed, restored to how it was before the smoke arrived.
Donna's mouth flew open in surprise. "And that was...?"
"That was the Torchwood team." The blonde moved her eyes away to the redhead. "Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones - they gave their lives." She muttered. "And Captain Jack Harkness has transported to the Sontaran homeworld. There's no-one left." She sighed sounding tired and looking very numb.
Wondering who she exactly was Donna looked the blonde up and down eying her, trying to figure out who she was. "You're always wearing the same clothes. Why won't you tell me your name?"
"None of this was meant to happen." The blonde changed the subject. "There was a man... and a woman." She added as if she didn't want to talk about the woman for a strange reason as if she was jealous of her, but why would she be? "This... wonderful man and as he would probably say a brilliant woman." She sighed. "And they stopped it. The Titanic, the Adipose, the ATMOS, they stopped them all from happening."
"That... Doctor?
"You knew him... and the Stone, that's her." She nodded. "The Doctor and the Stone." She gave out another sigh.
"Did I?" Donna frowned. "When?"
"I think you dream about them, sometimes. A man in a suit? A tall, thin man, great hair." The blonde stared out at nothing in particular thinking back at the Doctor she knew before. "Some... really great hair... and the brunette, always thinking ahead, never liked to think she was at all better than anyone else." She smiled remembering the times when the brunette had put the blonde before her own life to save her.
Donna frowned then asked what was on her mind since they had walked from the corner to the park. "Who are you?"
"I was like you." She nodded at the redhead. "I used to be you. You've travelled with them, Donna. You've travelled with the Doctor... and the Stone... in a different world."
"I never met them, and he's dead."
"He died underneath the Thames on Christmas Eve, but you were meant to be there. They needed someone to stop them, she was tired and couldn't even get him to move..." she trailed off sounding almost angry, yet she stayed soft. "And that was you. You made them leave. You saved his life."
Donna stared at the blonde for a moment then gasped as she remembered.
It was Christmas two years ago and Donna was standing below in a wedding dress. A thin man in a pinstripe suit just as the blonde described stood above holding onto a railing his face blank and emotionless just as the brunette beside him. fire started to burst behind them as the water poured onto them. A giant red spider was screaming as the redhead look up at them. The brunette looked as if she was quietly crying looking at the man who continued to stare out, tense and blank. "Doctor! Stone!" Donna shouted up at them as the Doctor looked down the Stone doing the same before his eyes flickered to the brunette beside him. "You can stop now!" the redhead informed them as his face became slightly softened.
Worryingly Donna breathed out standing up from the bench and facing away. "Stop it." She then started to walk off, the blonde followed as she shook her head in distress. "I don't know what you're talking about, leave me alone!"
"Something's coming, Donna. Something worse."
"The whole world is stinking." Donna stopped turning to her. "How can anything be worse than this?"
"Trust me. We need the Doctor and the Stone more than ever. I've--" She stopped swallowing and placed a hand on her heart. "I've been pulled across from a different universe because every single universe is in danger." She looked at the redhead seriously. "It's coming, Donna. It's coming from across the stars and nothing can stop it."
"What is?" She asked tears welling in her eyes from everything going on around her.
"The darkness."
"Well, what do you keep telling me for?" Donna asked. "What am I supposed to do? I'm nothing special. I mean, I'm-- I'm not-- I'm nothing special, I'm a temp. I'm not even that," She scoffed angrily and upset. "I'm nothing."
Almosr laughing at Donna saying that she shook her head trying to understand the situation. "Donna Noble, you're the most important woman in the whole of creation."
"Oh, don't. Just..." She laughed from the lie the blonde had told her as she shook her head at the blonde her smile then fading. "I'm tired." She shook her head. "I'm so... tired." She then turned to leave the blonde not understand why she kept finding her.
"I need you to come with me." The blonde said trying to get Donna to co-operate.
Donna turned back almost laughing. "Yeah. Well. Blonde hair might work on the men, but you ain't shifting me, lady."
Smiling the blonde chuckled. "That's more like it."
"I've got plenty more." She replied half serious.
"I know you'll come with me. Only when you want to."
"You'll have a long wait, then," Donna said over her shoulder now walking away.
"Not really, just three weeks." She said sounding certain that she would. "Tell me, does your grandfather still own that telescope?" She asked.
Spinning back around Donna stared at the mysterious woman in shock. "He never lets go of it." She swallowed.
"Three weeks time." She nodded. "But you've got to be certain. Because, when you come with me, Donna... sorry... so sorry, but... you're going to die." Staring at the woman wide eyed with shock she blinked when the woman slowly faded away as if she was a dream.
Only a week after the meeting with the mysterious blonde things only seemed to go from bad to worse. With Rocco and all of the other foreigners being sent away to supposed 'labour camps'. They knew what they really were but there was nothing they could do about the situation. Finding the only thing relaxing left Donna sat on the hill with her grandad to stare up at the stars.
The two were bundled up in winter coats a fire in a small bucket giving them a small amount of heat. Donna stared into space resting her head against her grandad's shoulder as he started at the telescope, thinking. "You know" He started in thought, "we'd get a bit of cash if we sold this thing."
"Don't you dare!" She shot up sending him a warning look knowing just how much he loved the telescope. She sighed and looked at him. "I always imagined, your old age... I'd have put a bit of money by, make you comfy." She sighed again full of self-disappointment. "Never did. I'm just useless."
Sighing himself Wilfred squinted his eyes looking through the eyepiece of the telescope. "You're supposed to say 'no, you're not'!"
"Ah, it must be the alignment." He sighed not listening to the redhead.
Frowning Donna looking at him. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I don't know." He groaned. "I mean, it can't be the lens. I was looking at Orion, the constellation of Orion-- you take a look." He said shifting slightly to let Donna look. "And tell me, what can you see?"
Donna moved forward a little and looking through the lens frowning. "Where?"
"Well, up there in the sky!" He said pointing at it. Donna looked through again confused. "Well I can't see anything, it's just... black." She shrugged
"Well, I mean it's working!" He said in annoyance looking at the telescope. "The telescope is working!"
"Well..." Donna thought for a moment shrugging. "Maybe it's the clouds."
"There are no clouds!" He shouted briefly looking up then back at Donna.
"Well, there must be!"
"There's not! It was there." Wilfred pointed at the sky in the direction of where it was. "An entire constellation." He then started to blink before his eyes widened. "Look..." he pointed. "Look there..." he gaped up at the sky seeing stars disappear from the sky, one by one. "They're going out." He stared in horror. "Oh, my God, Donna! The stars are going out."
Donna staree for a moment then swallowed turning around and seeing the blonde stood there. "I'm ready."
Not sure how this happened Donna sat in a black land rover sitting beside the blonde with a soldier driving. The ride was silent and felt like hours passed by until the van came to a halt and the blonde jumped out, Donna following. Donna followed the blonde through an area with multiple soldiers standing around before she pulled back what looked like a curtain and stepped through, they were in a large open space area with multiple wires on the floor heading in different direction, a couple heading to a blue box and others in the direction of mirrors scattered around forming a circle with the mirrors facing inwards. The blonde walked up to a large computer-like equipment.
"Loadstone testing now at 15.4. Repeat: 15.4."
"Ma'am." The dark-skinned woman who looked in charge saluted the blonde as she stood by the computer.
"I've told you, don't salute." The blonde groaned then tampered with the computer.
"Well, if you're not going to tell us your name..."
"What, you don't know either?" Donna looked at her interrupting them.
"There's too many different realities." The blonde said over her shoulder while shaking her head fixing on the computer in front of her. "Trust me, the wrong word in the wrong place can change an entire causal nexus."
"She talks like that. A lot." The woman said to Donna. "And you must be Miss Noble."
"Donna." The redhead nodded.
"Captain Erisa Magambo." They shook hands. "Thank you for this."
"I don't even know what I'm doing." Donna shrugged.
Finishing with the computer the blonde turned to Magambo. "Is she here?"
"In the hospital, yes." The captain nodded.
The blonde nodded then turned to Donna. "Do you want to meet her?"
"Who?" The redhead blinked not understanding.
"The Stone." She replied then started to walk off gesturing for Donna to follow, Magambo followed with them as the blonde lead the way moving through what looked like a hospital until they reached a room with guards standing outside it. The blinds were down and shut with the room looking heavily guarded. Magambo nodded and the guards stepped aside allowing them through into the room.
"Sorry, I should have warned you, it isn't a very pretty sight." The blonde grimaced walking through the room. A brunette woman was laid on a hospital bed attached to a machine that measured her pulse as well as the rate of both her hearts, multiple wires around her. There were other soldiers inside the room one standing next to the wall beside the door and one on the other side.
"What's wrong with her?" Donna blinked as the blonde watched the brunette sadly as her chest slowly moved up and down showing that the brunette was very, very weak.
"Nothing," Magambo said.
"Figuratively speaking." The blonde added.
"But she looks sick?"
"In a way she's completely fine, old files say that Time Lords, which is what she is a Time Lord, well Time Lady they can heal themselves in a coma, they call it a healing coma, the Doctor and the Stone tried to escape too late and he died but he saved her, barely alive she was found in the TARDIS." She explained not looking away from the body. "She hasn't woken up since, her body's refusing most fluids and nutrition that UNIT is giving her, it's as if she doesn't want to be here, she's fine but due to how weak her body now is..." she took in a shaky breath. "The Stone is dying."
"And I stopped this...?" Donna blinked trying to handle the situation. "You saved her Donna, both of them."
"But I still don't understand." She shook her head.
Sighing the blonde looked at the brunette sadly then at Magambo. "Is it awake?"
The woman nodded and the three slowly left returning back to the warehouse from before. They stood in front looking at an old 1950's police box.
"It seems to be quiet today," Magambo explained. "Ticking over. Like it's waiting."
The blonde crossed her arms contemplating for a moment before looking at Donna. "Do you want to see it?"
"What's a police box?" Donna frowned.
"They salvaged it from underneath the Thames. Just go inside."
"What for?"
"Just go in." She nodded to it. Donna moved over and looking over the box then looked at the blonde frowning. She then walked inside gasping, staring around in amazement. "No way..." She laughed. The blonde smiled as Donna backed out then walked around the box trying to wrap the logic around her head. Her mouth hung open and she stared at the blonde for a moment before stepping back inside. The interior of the box was dark and gloomy with wires handing down and all over the floor. Donna stared around for a moment before snapping her mouth shut realising it was hanging open. She walked back out again staring at the blonde who grinned at her. "What do you think?"
"...can I have a coffee?"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Clutching a steaming cup of coffee Donna and the blonde slowly walked around the rota of the interior of the machine. "Time And Relative Dimension In Space." The blonde spoke up. "This room used to shine with light." She gazed up at the rota looking saddens. "I think it's dying." She lightly rubbed the console. The rotor rise a couple of inches letting out a quiet hum before gently moving back to how it was before.
"It's still trying to help, we think it's one of the reasons the Stone is still alive, giving the last of its energy to her... somehow." She sighed.
"And... and it belonged to the Stone?"
The blonde chuckled shaking her head. "It belonged to the Doctor, he was a Time Lord. They were the last of their kind." She sighed. Truthfully she didn't know how it was possible for Rita to be a Time Lady, as the Doctor had briefly explained to them once before. But she was and the blonde didn't know anything about her now.
"But if they're so special, what are they doing with me?" Donna looked up at the blonde gently puzzled by the reasoning.
"He thought you were brilliant. They both did."
"Don't be stupid." Donna shook her head.
"Well, you are! It just took the Doctor and the Stone to show you that, simply by being with them." She then looked away staring at the rotor. "He did the same to me. To everyone he touches."
Donna watched for a moment sensing something before asking. "Were you and him...?" The blonde looked at her staring thinking of what to say before she was distracted by the clicking noise yet again. She reached out and smoothed a hand over Donna's shoulder and back as the redhead watched looking slightly confused.
"Do you want to see it?" She asked changing the conversation.
Instantly the redhead shook her head. "No." the blonde then peered at her back edging the woman's curiosity. "Go on, then."
The blonde walked out of the TARDIS, Donna following as she led the redhead to the centre of the circle of mirrors she had noticed when she first arrived.
"We don't know how the TARDIS works, but we've managed to scrape off the surface technology - enough to show you the creature." She explained.
Snapping her head up Donna looked at the blonde in alarm. "It's a creature?"
"Just stand here." She reassured.
"Out of the circle, please," Magambo said to the blonde who nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." She then left the circle much to Donna's disagreement.
"Can't you stay with me?" She pleaded. Gaining no answer Magambo looked at the blonde. "Ready?" She nodded. "And... activate."
The machine then started up, one by one the lights around the circumference on the mirrors lit up as Donna tightly squeezed her eyes shut out of fear.
Calmly the blonde tried to help the redhead as much as she could. "Open your eyes, Donna."
"Is it there?" She asked keeping her eyes shut.
"Yeah, open your eyes. Look at it."
"I can't." She shook her head.
"It's part of you, Donna. Look."
Slowly the human woman opened her eyes and looking right into the mirrors seeing what was on her back, she gasped in horror spinning around, staring at what looked like a massive black beetle.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay - calm down." The blonde said. "Donna? Donna? Donna!" She then shouted. The redhead then stopped slightly shaking.
"Okay."
Taking deep slow breaths Donna looked at the beetle which took up most of her back, its pincers nuzzling in her hair. Looking at it more coser she saw that the beetle wasn't causing any pain. Trying to stay as calm as possible she swallowed before talking. "What is it?"
"We don't know."
"Oh. Thanks." She scoffed sarcasm mixed with terror in her voice.
"It feeds off time. By - by changing time, by making someone's life take a different turn, like er... meetings never made... children never born... a life never loved. But with you, it's..." she tried to explain shaking her head.
"But I never did-- anything important."
"Yeah, you did." She nodded. "One day, that thing made you turn right instead of left."
"When was that?"
"Oh, you wouldn't remember." The blonde said. "It was the most ordinary day in the world, but by turning right, you never met the Doctor and the Stone and the whole world just changed around you."
"Can you get rid of it?"
"I can't even touch it." She looked at the beetle. "It seems to be in a state of flux."
"What - does that - mean?" She asked shaking, tears in her eyes.
"I don't know. It's the sort of thing the Doctor would say!" She laughed a little forgetting that Donna wasn't finding the situation amusing at all.
"You liar!" Donna screamed. "You told me I was special! But it's not me! It's this thing! I'm just a host!"
"No, there's more than that." She calmed herself seeing Donna was distressed. "The readings are strange it's... it's like reality's just bending around you."
"Because of this thing!"
"No, no!" She shook her head. "We're getting separate readings from you. And they've always been there, since the day you were born."
"This is not relevant to the mission," Magmbo spoke up looking at the blonde woman.
"I thought it was just the Doctor and the Stone that we needed, but it's the three of you. The Doctor the Stobe and Donna Noble. Together. To stop the stars from going out."
Now in hysterics, Donna shouted. "Why?? What can I do?!" The blonde slowly shook her head as Donna went to look at the beetle again but couldn't bring herself to it. "Turn it off. Please." She whimpered begging.
"Captain."
Nodding she agreed. "Power down."
The lights then shut off and Donna whimpered and shook in the middle as the blonde walked over and rested her hand on the shaken woman's arm in comfort. "It's... it's still there, though." She shook looking at the blonde who held a face of pity for the redhead. "What can I do... to get rid of it?"
Smiling a little the blonde replied. "You're going to travel in time."
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Sorry that this chapter is late I've been super busy getting everything ready for a holiday I'm going on today so I've been behind on editing. Fingers crossed that I do manage to get a good signal on my phone to upload next week. If I don't it will be up Sunday night/Monday.
<3