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locker_monsterTitle: The Other Side of the World (25/31)
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen. Chapter Fifteen. Chapter Sixteen. Chapter Seventeen. Chapter Eighteen. Chapter Nineteen. Chapter Twenty. Chapter Twenty-One. Chapter Twenty-Two. Chapter Twenty-Three. Chapter Twenty-Four.
Rose fought madly to free herself, but the two guards effortlessly dragged her off the bridge and into the lift. As the doors closed, the last thing she saw was the Master standing over where the bodies of the Joneses lay, ordering Ianto to clean up the mess.
She yanked and pulled and neither guard’s hold slackened, but the struggle made it feel like she wasn’t completely powerless, like she hadn’t just watched a family be murdered before her eyes.
The guards tossed her into the master bedroom and slammed the door, but they uttered no threats. Rose had expected to be thrown into the holding cells in the belly of the ship, but once again the Master was treating her like she was his honoured guest. She sank down onto the bed and tried to catch her breath. The skin around her upper arms was scrapped red from the guards’ grip and she idly rubbed at the minor abrasions.
Millions had died a year ago and dread had weighed down Rose for weeks after, but this was different. She had never met Martha’s family but she heard enough stories about them that they were familiar to her. Leo, the family man at only twenty-one years old; Tish, the oldest sibling but still struggling to find her place in the world; Clive, carefree father with a great love for his children; and Francine, determined mother and powerful businesswoman. They weren’t nameless and faceless victims wiped out by the Master. They had died so Martha could be punished. Martha Jones, who, two years ago, had only been a medical student and now she wandered the planet fighting back against the unstable alien who ruled.
And Rose Tyler lived aboard an airship, watching people die.
She got up from the bed and crossed the room over to the row of monitors embedded in the wall that displayed security footage from cameras all over the Valiant. Installed by the Master so he could keep a close eye on his staff, she hadn’t much use for them until now.
She waited for the images to cycle through. A few minutes later, she knew the Master was still on the bridge, getting a massage, while Ianto cleaned up the large pool of blood, and that there were minimal guards walking through maintenance corridor B in lower section of the ship. Unplugging the lamp on the bedside table, she removed the shade and picked it up, brandishing it like a club. The base was made out of metal and the heavy weight of it in her hands was reassuring.
The guards turned when she opened the door but the first one didn’t react fast enough. Rose smashed the lamp into his face, swinging with all of her might. Blood spurted from his nose and he crashed into the wall. The second guard drew his gun and aimed it at her but he hesitated, giving her enough time to club his right arm. His aim drooped just enough for Rose to sweep in and slam the lamp against his temple. He didn’t go down like his partner but he stumbled back.
In the space between heartbeats, Rose considered grabbing his gun, but she couldn’t stand the thought of shooting a man just to make her escape. He personally hadn’t done anything to put her in that position. Instead, she grabbed his security pass from his belt and ran to the lift as fast as she was able to in heels.
The maintenance corridors in the bowels of the Valiant weren’t as nice as the upper corridors. There were pipes everywhere Rose looked, pumping anything from water to engine oil to human waste. She hurried down corridor B, hoping the guard she left conscious was too groggy to sound the alarm right away.
It was hard to be subtle in heels while walking along a metal grating floor. Rose paused to kick off her footwear when she heard someone approaching. With the hisses of steam going off at random intervals, she couldn’t tell how far away the person was. Having dropped the lamp back in the lift, she was without a weapon.
A cloud of steam parted before Rose could make a break for it and she found herself sighing in relief.
Gwen Cooper came to a stop upon finding Rose, who looked very out of place in her red silk dress. Gwen herself was wearing a stained boiler suit and she held a mop in her right hand. “Rose?”
Over their year on the Valiant together, she had probably spoken no more than a dozen words to Gwen – Rose always relied on Ianto to ferry any messages – but she couldn’t have been happier to see the young woman. “Gwen! This is a mutiny. Do you wanna come along?”
Gwen threw her mop aside. “Do you even have to ask?”
Rose kicked off her heels and they took off down the corridor. The deck plating was cold beneath her feet, but she felt freer than she had in ages. They continued to dodge guards but for the moment it seemed like no one was looking for her, which was fine with Rose. She was planning to knock out a few more of their ranks if she wanted to make it off the Valiant.
Gwen said nothing when she saw where they were headed, but she smiled in approval. She held back Rose as they came upon the right corridor. Two guards stood watch at the far end and they had a clear view of anyone who approached. Their guns were clutched in their hands, ready to be fired at a moment’s notice.
“We need a distraction,” muttered Rose, not fancying the idea of being shot.
“I have one,” said Gwen. “Be ready to move.” She approached a switch attached to one of the pipes and wrenched it to the left. Rose peeked around the corner in time to see a massive burst of steam explode from the pipes above the guards. They shouted in surprise as they were lost in the haze.
Gwen took off like a shot down the corridor, rushing the guards before they had a chance to recover. As the steam settled, she attacked the first guard, driving her knee into his stomach. She ripped the gun out of his hands as he doubled over and then she slammed the butt of the gun into the base of his skull. Even before the guard could fall to the ground, Gwen pivoted on her heel and she shot the other guard in the leg. He went down with a cry of pain.
It all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. Rose was very glad she ran into Gwen. She was determined to get out of here, but she wouldn’t have been able to take down the guards so efficiently.
She brandished the security pass she had stolen, wishing to contribute something to the moment. Gwen grabbed the other guard’s gun and she motioned for Rose to go ahead. The electronic lock beeped when Rose passed the card over the sensor and the door leading into Jack’s jail cell swung open.
It was the first time Rose had been down here and the first time in months she laid eyes on Jack. He stood chained between two support columns and he was absolutely filthy. Old blood stains dirtied his clothes, which were also full of holes from multiple bullet wounds. The holes and the blood were the only traces left behind from the numerous deaths Jack had been subjected to by the Master and his goons.
But Jack was grinning as she and Gwen approached and despite the grime that covered his face, his smile still sparkled. “Nice dress. Come here often?”
Gwen tossed Rose the keys to Jack’s cuffs. She felt her first genuine smile in well over a year tug at the corners of her mouth. “I’d hug you if you weren’t so dirty.”
The cuffs had dug into Jack’s wrists, leaving them bloody and raw, but he didn’t even pause to rub at them after she freed him. Staring at him, Rose felt guilty she hadn’t tried to free all of them sooner. After their last escape attempt, she had been discouraged to try again, but she was more desperate to leave now.
Jack took the other gun from Gwen. “What’s the plan?” They stepped around the two guards as they left Jack’s holding area. The one shot in the leg moaned feebly but he didn’t try to bar their departure.
“The TARDIS. We pick up Ianto and then we get out of here. Will it still work while it’s a paradox machine?”
“If it doesn’t, I’ll personally fly us out of here on a fighter jet.” Jack grabbed Rose’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She had nearly forgotten what it was like to be around him. A dormant longing stirred within her.
“Jack!” Gwen raised her gun, her attention fixed on a point further down the corridor. They both looked up and Rose felt her heart sink.
The Master waited at the end of the corridor, a dramatic figure in black amongst the industrial grey of the pipes around him. It almost felt like they were gunfighters meeting at noon for a shootout, but the Master’s weapon wasn’t aimed at them. The tip of the laser screwdriver was firmly pressed into the back of Ianto’s head, who was on his knees in front of the Time Lord. The ridiculous butler outfit he was forced to wear was usually immaculate, but at the moment his shirt and jacket were stained with blood. The blood of the Jones family.
“What’s it going to be, Torchwood?” asked the Master. “Surrender or will I need to find a new tea boy?”
Ianto looked up at them, his gaze zeroing in on Jack. The Welshman said nothing but the look in his eyes implored them not to back down. Here was their chance to take down the Master.
But was it worth it at the expense of one human life? Gwen and Jack were good shots, but it seemed unlikely they could get off a shot before the Master.
“Put down your guns,” Rose said softly. She didn’t look at the others, but at the Master. She was admitting her defeat, plain for him to see. She would play by his rules; no one else needed to die today. Martha was still out there and she had even more reason to fight back. They could wait.
With obvious reluctance, Jack and Gwen threw their guns aside, but there was nothing apparent in their expressions that suggested they disagreed with Rose. The Master kicked Ianto in the back, compelling him to rise to his feet.
As if summoned by telepathy, half a dozen guards appeared at the far end of the corridor and they ran towards the Master. “Sir!” shouted the squad leader. All the men had their guns raised, but the Master motioned for them to lower their weapons.
“Lock these two up.” The Master gestured to Gwen and Ianto and two guards rushed forward to manhandle them away from the scene. “And return the Captain to his cell.” The remaining four guards moved to restrain Jack, but he shot them a nasty look, making the guards hesitate.
Yellow laser fire shot out from the Master’s laser screwdriver, striking Jack on the left side of his face. He spun as he fell, not allowing Rose to see the damage of the blow, but when Jack didn’t rise, she knew it was bad. Wordlessly, the guards picked up Jack’s limp form and carried him away.
When Rose looked back, the Master was standing right in front of her and his hand snaked around her throat before she could process what was happening. He pushed her back until he had her pressed up against the pipes running along the wall. She swallowed gently, waiting for the Master to constrict his hold on her. His expression was unreadable; it was eerie how calm he was.
“What’s that human phrase? ‘Better luck next time’? Maybe next time, you’ll actually shoot me.”
The pressure eased around her neck, but the Master grabbed her roughly around the arm and dragged her along the corridor back to the lift. Rose didn’t say a word. She had expected more from the Master than mere threats.
The song from this morning drifted back to her. I can’t decide/Whether you should live or die…
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas:
joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen. Chapter Fifteen. Chapter Sixteen. Chapter Seventeen. Chapter Eighteen. Chapter Nineteen. Chapter Twenty. Chapter Twenty-One. Chapter Twenty-Two. Chapter Twenty-Three. Chapter Twenty-Four.
Rose fought madly to free herself, but the two guards effortlessly dragged her off the bridge and into the lift. As the doors closed, the last thing she saw was the Master standing over where the bodies of the Joneses lay, ordering Ianto to clean up the mess.
She yanked and pulled and neither guard’s hold slackened, but the struggle made it feel like she wasn’t completely powerless, like she hadn’t just watched a family be murdered before her eyes.
The guards tossed her into the master bedroom and slammed the door, but they uttered no threats. Rose had expected to be thrown into the holding cells in the belly of the ship, but once again the Master was treating her like she was his honoured guest. She sank down onto the bed and tried to catch her breath. The skin around her upper arms was scrapped red from the guards’ grip and she idly rubbed at the minor abrasions.
Millions had died a year ago and dread had weighed down Rose for weeks after, but this was different. She had never met Martha’s family but she heard enough stories about them that they were familiar to her. Leo, the family man at only twenty-one years old; Tish, the oldest sibling but still struggling to find her place in the world; Clive, carefree father with a great love for his children; and Francine, determined mother and powerful businesswoman. They weren’t nameless and faceless victims wiped out by the Master. They had died so Martha could be punished. Martha Jones, who, two years ago, had only been a medical student and now she wandered the planet fighting back against the unstable alien who ruled.
And Rose Tyler lived aboard an airship, watching people die.
She got up from the bed and crossed the room over to the row of monitors embedded in the wall that displayed security footage from cameras all over the Valiant. Installed by the Master so he could keep a close eye on his staff, she hadn’t much use for them until now.
She waited for the images to cycle through. A few minutes later, she knew the Master was still on the bridge, getting a massage, while Ianto cleaned up the large pool of blood, and that there were minimal guards walking through maintenance corridor B in lower section of the ship. Unplugging the lamp on the bedside table, she removed the shade and picked it up, brandishing it like a club. The base was made out of metal and the heavy weight of it in her hands was reassuring.
The guards turned when she opened the door but the first one didn’t react fast enough. Rose smashed the lamp into his face, swinging with all of her might. Blood spurted from his nose and he crashed into the wall. The second guard drew his gun and aimed it at her but he hesitated, giving her enough time to club his right arm. His aim drooped just enough for Rose to sweep in and slam the lamp against his temple. He didn’t go down like his partner but he stumbled back.
In the space between heartbeats, Rose considered grabbing his gun, but she couldn’t stand the thought of shooting a man just to make her escape. He personally hadn’t done anything to put her in that position. Instead, she grabbed his security pass from his belt and ran to the lift as fast as she was able to in heels.
The maintenance corridors in the bowels of the Valiant weren’t as nice as the upper corridors. There were pipes everywhere Rose looked, pumping anything from water to engine oil to human waste. She hurried down corridor B, hoping the guard she left conscious was too groggy to sound the alarm right away.
It was hard to be subtle in heels while walking along a metal grating floor. Rose paused to kick off her footwear when she heard someone approaching. With the hisses of steam going off at random intervals, she couldn’t tell how far away the person was. Having dropped the lamp back in the lift, she was without a weapon.
A cloud of steam parted before Rose could make a break for it and she found herself sighing in relief.
Gwen Cooper came to a stop upon finding Rose, who looked very out of place in her red silk dress. Gwen herself was wearing a stained boiler suit and she held a mop in her right hand. “Rose?”
Over their year on the Valiant together, she had probably spoken no more than a dozen words to Gwen – Rose always relied on Ianto to ferry any messages – but she couldn’t have been happier to see the young woman. “Gwen! This is a mutiny. Do you wanna come along?”
Gwen threw her mop aside. “Do you even have to ask?”
Rose kicked off her heels and they took off down the corridor. The deck plating was cold beneath her feet, but she felt freer than she had in ages. They continued to dodge guards but for the moment it seemed like no one was looking for her, which was fine with Rose. She was planning to knock out a few more of their ranks if she wanted to make it off the Valiant.
Gwen said nothing when she saw where they were headed, but she smiled in approval. She held back Rose as they came upon the right corridor. Two guards stood watch at the far end and they had a clear view of anyone who approached. Their guns were clutched in their hands, ready to be fired at a moment’s notice.
“We need a distraction,” muttered Rose, not fancying the idea of being shot.
“I have one,” said Gwen. “Be ready to move.” She approached a switch attached to one of the pipes and wrenched it to the left. Rose peeked around the corner in time to see a massive burst of steam explode from the pipes above the guards. They shouted in surprise as they were lost in the haze.
Gwen took off like a shot down the corridor, rushing the guards before they had a chance to recover. As the steam settled, she attacked the first guard, driving her knee into his stomach. She ripped the gun out of his hands as he doubled over and then she slammed the butt of the gun into the base of his skull. Even before the guard could fall to the ground, Gwen pivoted on her heel and she shot the other guard in the leg. He went down with a cry of pain.
It all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. Rose was very glad she ran into Gwen. She was determined to get out of here, but she wouldn’t have been able to take down the guards so efficiently.
She brandished the security pass she had stolen, wishing to contribute something to the moment. Gwen grabbed the other guard’s gun and she motioned for Rose to go ahead. The electronic lock beeped when Rose passed the card over the sensor and the door leading into Jack’s jail cell swung open.
It was the first time Rose had been down here and the first time in months she laid eyes on Jack. He stood chained between two support columns and he was absolutely filthy. Old blood stains dirtied his clothes, which were also full of holes from multiple bullet wounds. The holes and the blood were the only traces left behind from the numerous deaths Jack had been subjected to by the Master and his goons.
But Jack was grinning as she and Gwen approached and despite the grime that covered his face, his smile still sparkled. “Nice dress. Come here often?”
Gwen tossed Rose the keys to Jack’s cuffs. She felt her first genuine smile in well over a year tug at the corners of her mouth. “I’d hug you if you weren’t so dirty.”
The cuffs had dug into Jack’s wrists, leaving them bloody and raw, but he didn’t even pause to rub at them after she freed him. Staring at him, Rose felt guilty she hadn’t tried to free all of them sooner. After their last escape attempt, she had been discouraged to try again, but she was more desperate to leave now.
Jack took the other gun from Gwen. “What’s the plan?” They stepped around the two guards as they left Jack’s holding area. The one shot in the leg moaned feebly but he didn’t try to bar their departure.
“The TARDIS. We pick up Ianto and then we get out of here. Will it still work while it’s a paradox machine?”
“If it doesn’t, I’ll personally fly us out of here on a fighter jet.” Jack grabbed Rose’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She had nearly forgotten what it was like to be around him. A dormant longing stirred within her.
“Jack!” Gwen raised her gun, her attention fixed on a point further down the corridor. They both looked up and Rose felt her heart sink.
The Master waited at the end of the corridor, a dramatic figure in black amongst the industrial grey of the pipes around him. It almost felt like they were gunfighters meeting at noon for a shootout, but the Master’s weapon wasn’t aimed at them. The tip of the laser screwdriver was firmly pressed into the back of Ianto’s head, who was on his knees in front of the Time Lord. The ridiculous butler outfit he was forced to wear was usually immaculate, but at the moment his shirt and jacket were stained with blood. The blood of the Jones family.
“What’s it going to be, Torchwood?” asked the Master. “Surrender or will I need to find a new tea boy?”
Ianto looked up at them, his gaze zeroing in on Jack. The Welshman said nothing but the look in his eyes implored them not to back down. Here was their chance to take down the Master.
But was it worth it at the expense of one human life? Gwen and Jack were good shots, but it seemed unlikely they could get off a shot before the Master.
“Put down your guns,” Rose said softly. She didn’t look at the others, but at the Master. She was admitting her defeat, plain for him to see. She would play by his rules; no one else needed to die today. Martha was still out there and she had even more reason to fight back. They could wait.
With obvious reluctance, Jack and Gwen threw their guns aside, but there was nothing apparent in their expressions that suggested they disagreed with Rose. The Master kicked Ianto in the back, compelling him to rise to his feet.
As if summoned by telepathy, half a dozen guards appeared at the far end of the corridor and they ran towards the Master. “Sir!” shouted the squad leader. All the men had their guns raised, but the Master motioned for them to lower their weapons.
“Lock these two up.” The Master gestured to Gwen and Ianto and two guards rushed forward to manhandle them away from the scene. “And return the Captain to his cell.” The remaining four guards moved to restrain Jack, but he shot them a nasty look, making the guards hesitate.
Yellow laser fire shot out from the Master’s laser screwdriver, striking Jack on the left side of his face. He spun as he fell, not allowing Rose to see the damage of the blow, but when Jack didn’t rise, she knew it was bad. Wordlessly, the guards picked up Jack’s limp form and carried him away.
When Rose looked back, the Master was standing right in front of her and his hand snaked around her throat before she could process what was happening. He pushed her back until he had her pressed up against the pipes running along the wall. She swallowed gently, waiting for the Master to constrict his hold on her. His expression was unreadable; it was eerie how calm he was.
“What’s that human phrase? ‘Better luck next time’? Maybe next time, you’ll actually shoot me.”
The pressure eased around her neck, but the Master grabbed her roughly around the arm and dragged her along the corridor back to the lift. Rose didn’t say a word. She had expected more from the Master than mere threats.
The song from this morning drifted back to her. I can’t decide/Whether you should live or die…
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