Life Less Ordinary, Chapter 5
Chapter Title: Chaos
Author: stormwolf10
Summary: Chaos comes to the plains.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Doctor Who canon characters.
Torchwood had done Rose some good she had decided as she swallowed everything down to help get everyone inside. Off in the distance, there were screams. Terrible, tormented screams that echoed across the plain from the direction where the "meteor" had landed, if it even was a meteor. Without her Torchwood training, Rose feared she would have fallen apart. Those poor men.
She looked across to where the Doctor stood with Black Arrow, Ten Crows, the holy man's student, Broken Stone, Runs in Thunder and Black Arrow's young son, Little Elk. And, of course, he was arguing.
"We will take some men and go with you. You cannot go there alone!"
"And I'm telling you, you need to stay here and help your warriors protect the women and children. You have no idea what we'll find out there, and I don't have the time to explain to you what might be out there. I must go out there and see what's happening on my own."
"Like hell you are!" Rose shouted over the argument, causing all the men to turn and look at her in shock and surprise.
"Rose..." the Doctor began, but she held up a hand and cut him off.
"I'm coming with you."
Runs in Thunder scowled and shook his head. "This is not work for a woman. You will go inside with the others where it is safe."
Bad move. Rose bristled and stalked up to the hot-headed warrior, her glare burning holes into him. "Not work for a woman? Really? You think so, do you?"
"Oh dear," the Doctor groaned.
"The she-wolf has a fearsome growl," Ten Crows mused with mild amusement.
"That she does, but there isn't time," he replied and grabbed Rose by the arm, pulling her away with him as he began to move away from the men, "I'm sorry, but you men have to stay here. We'll return soon!"
=====================================
The two of them stepped out of the TARDIS, having landed a distance away from the soldiers' encampment, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the light of the inferno that was engulfing the tents. Within the blaze, they could see the silhouettes of men running as they screamed, their limbs flailing as they crashed to the ground and began twitching madly, scratching at their own bodies until they fell still.
"They're not burning," the Doctor said darkly, "Something is taking them down."
"Something like...what?" Rose asked.
"Something like that," he replied, pointing just above the blaze. Floating in the air was a being that looked somewhat like the Grim Reaper, a wasted torso cloaked in black, its face featureless except for a gaping maw of a mouth, filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth that dripped with black ichor. As it swept across the encampment, its cloak seemed to break off and form spider-like creatures that swarmed over the men, climbing over them to latch on at the base of their skulls.
Behind them, there was a loud bang and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Turning around to look, they found a young soldier, his fear brought to a sudden halt by the shock of having ran headlong into a large, blue wooden box. He skittered away a few feet as the Doctor and Rose approached him, and struggled fiercely in their grasp as they grabbed him and yanked him inside to safety.
"Wh-who are you? Where am I?" the boy stammered, trying to look tough and soldierly, and failing miserably.
"Relax," the Doctor said, setting the boy more steadily on his feet, "I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose. As for where you are, you probably don't want to know. Now shut up for a minute while I get us out of here." He turned and stalked back up the ramp and to the console, setting the coordinates to hop back over to the Lakota camp.
"What's your name?" Rose asked him, leading him up the ramp to sit him down on the jump seat.
"Daniel, ma'am. P-private Daniel Fisher, United States Army...and...oh God. What is going on? What are those creatures attacking the camp?"
"The creature's name is Veranix," the Doctor said as he guided the TARDIS to its destination, "the last of a race that are something like cousins of the Trickster's race, only far less subtle and just as dangerous. He was trapped in the Void a long time ago, by the Daleks of all people. He uses those spider creatures to latch onto people causing strife, wars and confusion in order to feed off the chaos it causes, damaging the time line in the process, the more violent the chaos the better. He must have escaped the Void when the walls between worlds began breaking down."
Rose smiled patiently as Daniel stared blankly at the back of the Doctor's head. "Nevermind. What's important is that we'll fix this. I promise."
"But...what does it want with us?"
"We'll find that out," Rose replied, looking up at the Doctor, "And why would the Daleks want him gone? You'd think war and strife would be just what they wanted."
"Yes, but on their terms. Daleks are creatures of order. They make war to conquer and make everyone exactly the same as them. Every act and thought exactly the same. A being out to cause chaos just wouldn't do, would it?" Before the TARDIS finished shuddering to a stop, the Doctor pulled Daniel off the jump seat and led him and Rose to the door and out to the Lakota camp. The boy, Little Elk, was at the outskirts of the camp to meet them.
"What are you doing outside, Little Elk?" Rose asked, turning the boy around and pulling him along with them, "You should be inside with your mum. It's too dangerous outside right now, you hear me?"
"It wasn't a star that fell, was it, Rose?" he asked her, trotting alongside them.
She paused for a moment, unsure of what to tell him. "No, no it wasn't, now go inside with your mother."
"Ten Crows, take care of this boy. Yes, he's a soldier, but he's too scared to cause any trouble, I promise," the Doctor said, leaving Daniel with the old man as he strode quickly to Black Arrow and his men, gathered together near the central fire.
"What have you found, John Smith?" Black Arrow asked him.
"Nothing good, I assure you. Now, I'm going to tell you what you need to do and I need you to listen to me. You may have soldiers coming to you soon, but do not fight them. They are being controlled, and I think what is controlling them means to send them here. Defend yourselves if they attack, but don't kill them."
"And what will you be doing?" Runs in Thunder asked.
The Doctor thought quickly, burying his hands into his hair. "I'm going to try to find a way to stop this thing that's controlling them, but I need you to buy me time. Do you got it? I just need time."
"Then you will have it."
"Thank you. C'mon, Rose, we need to head back to the TARDIS. I have a plan."
Author: stormwolf10
Summary: Chaos comes to the plains.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Doctor Who canon characters.
Torchwood had done Rose some good she had decided as she swallowed everything down to help get everyone inside. Off in the distance, there were screams. Terrible, tormented screams that echoed across the plain from the direction where the "meteor" had landed, if it even was a meteor. Without her Torchwood training, Rose feared she would have fallen apart. Those poor men.
She looked across to where the Doctor stood with Black Arrow, Ten Crows, the holy man's student, Broken Stone, Runs in Thunder and Black Arrow's young son, Little Elk. And, of course, he was arguing.
"We will take some men and go with you. You cannot go there alone!"
"And I'm telling you, you need to stay here and help your warriors protect the women and children. You have no idea what we'll find out there, and I don't have the time to explain to you what might be out there. I must go out there and see what's happening on my own."
"Like hell you are!" Rose shouted over the argument, causing all the men to turn and look at her in shock and surprise.
"Rose..." the Doctor began, but she held up a hand and cut him off.
"I'm coming with you."
Runs in Thunder scowled and shook his head. "This is not work for a woman. You will go inside with the others where it is safe."
Bad move. Rose bristled and stalked up to the hot-headed warrior, her glare burning holes into him. "Not work for a woman? Really? You think so, do you?"
"Oh dear," the Doctor groaned.
"The she-wolf has a fearsome growl," Ten Crows mused with mild amusement.
"That she does, but there isn't time," he replied and grabbed Rose by the arm, pulling her away with him as he began to move away from the men, "I'm sorry, but you men have to stay here. We'll return soon!"
=====================================
The two of them stepped out of the TARDIS, having landed a distance away from the soldiers' encampment, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the light of the inferno that was engulfing the tents. Within the blaze, they could see the silhouettes of men running as they screamed, their limbs flailing as they crashed to the ground and began twitching madly, scratching at their own bodies until they fell still.
"They're not burning," the Doctor said darkly, "Something is taking them down."
"Something like...what?" Rose asked.
"Something like that," he replied, pointing just above the blaze. Floating in the air was a being that looked somewhat like the Grim Reaper, a wasted torso cloaked in black, its face featureless except for a gaping maw of a mouth, filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth that dripped with black ichor. As it swept across the encampment, its cloak seemed to break off and form spider-like creatures that swarmed over the men, climbing over them to latch on at the base of their skulls.
Behind them, there was a loud bang and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Turning around to look, they found a young soldier, his fear brought to a sudden halt by the shock of having ran headlong into a large, blue wooden box. He skittered away a few feet as the Doctor and Rose approached him, and struggled fiercely in their grasp as they grabbed him and yanked him inside to safety.
"Wh-who are you? Where am I?" the boy stammered, trying to look tough and soldierly, and failing miserably.
"Relax," the Doctor said, setting the boy more steadily on his feet, "I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose. As for where you are, you probably don't want to know. Now shut up for a minute while I get us out of here." He turned and stalked back up the ramp and to the console, setting the coordinates to hop back over to the Lakota camp.
"What's your name?" Rose asked him, leading him up the ramp to sit him down on the jump seat.
"Daniel, ma'am. P-private Daniel Fisher, United States Army...and...oh God. What is going on? What are those creatures attacking the camp?"
"The creature's name is Veranix," the Doctor said as he guided the TARDIS to its destination, "the last of a race that are something like cousins of the Trickster's race, only far less subtle and just as dangerous. He was trapped in the Void a long time ago, by the Daleks of all people. He uses those spider creatures to latch onto people causing strife, wars and confusion in order to feed off the chaos it causes, damaging the time line in the process, the more violent the chaos the better. He must have escaped the Void when the walls between worlds began breaking down."
Rose smiled patiently as Daniel stared blankly at the back of the Doctor's head. "Nevermind. What's important is that we'll fix this. I promise."
"But...what does it want with us?"
"We'll find that out," Rose replied, looking up at the Doctor, "And why would the Daleks want him gone? You'd think war and strife would be just what they wanted."
"Yes, but on their terms. Daleks are creatures of order. They make war to conquer and make everyone exactly the same as them. Every act and thought exactly the same. A being out to cause chaos just wouldn't do, would it?" Before the TARDIS finished shuddering to a stop, the Doctor pulled Daniel off the jump seat and led him and Rose to the door and out to the Lakota camp. The boy, Little Elk, was at the outskirts of the camp to meet them.
"What are you doing outside, Little Elk?" Rose asked, turning the boy around and pulling him along with them, "You should be inside with your mum. It's too dangerous outside right now, you hear me?"
"It wasn't a star that fell, was it, Rose?" he asked her, trotting alongside them.
She paused for a moment, unsure of what to tell him. "No, no it wasn't, now go inside with your mother."
"Ten Crows, take care of this boy. Yes, he's a soldier, but he's too scared to cause any trouble, I promise," the Doctor said, leaving Daniel with the old man as he strode quickly to Black Arrow and his men, gathered together near the central fire.
"What have you found, John Smith?" Black Arrow asked him.
"Nothing good, I assure you. Now, I'm going to tell you what you need to do and I need you to listen to me. You may have soldiers coming to you soon, but do not fight them. They are being controlled, and I think what is controlling them means to send them here. Defend yourselves if they attack, but don't kill them."
"And what will you be doing?" Runs in Thunder asked.
The Doctor thought quickly, burying his hands into his hair. "I'm going to try to find a way to stop this thing that's controlling them, but I need you to buy me time. Do you got it? I just need time."
"Then you will have it."
"Thank you. C'mon, Rose, we need to head back to the TARDIS. I have a plan."