To Be Loved

Chapter 21 - The Stolen Earth

The Stolen Earth -

The Oracle was still holding on to the beam as the Doctor brought the Tardis back to Earth. When they landed the lights had gone back to normal and the Doctor dashed outside, Donna and the Oracle followed.

"It's fine. Everything's fine. Nothing's wrong, all fine", he rambled before he turned to a milkman who was lifting bottles off his vehicle, "Excuse me. What day ist it?"

The milkman seemed confused but answered, "Saturday."

"Saturday. Good. Good, I like Saturdays", he smiled to cover his worry and turned back around.

"Smells like a Saturday", the Oracle walked a bit further away from the Tardis and took a deep breath, "Saturdays smell better. Freshly mowed lawn and less cars."

"So, I just met Rose Tyler?", Donna asked the Doctor who was moving back to the Tardis.

"Yeah."

"But she's locked away in a parallel world."

"Exactly. If she can cross from her parallel world to your parallel world, then that means the walls of the universe are breaking down, which puts everything in danger. Everything. But how?", he half-entered the Tardis, "Oracle, you coming, too?"

"Be right there. Just breathing Earth air, it's nice", she smiled and took a few more steps.

The Doctor and Donna went into the Tardis when suddenly there seemed to be an earthquake. Tiles fell off of roofs and the milk bottles started to shake as the Oracle grabbed onto a street sign, looking around in fear. Then it stopped and she looked up. The Tardis was gone, it was dark and stars were gone, replaced by planets, actual, close planets.

"That's impossible", she muttered.

She turned around to see a blonde woman in a purple leather jacket, holding a huge gun appear from a blue flash.

"Right, now we're in trouble", she powered up her gun and looked up, "It's only just beginning."

"Oh my days, you're Rose Tyler, aren't you?", the Oracle asked her.

"You know the Doctor?", she looked at the Tardis key on the chain around her neck.

"Yeah", she grabbed the key, "So, you know what happened?"

"We've travelled across the Universe", Rose said.

"Well", she looked up, "I figured that."

"Come on then. If you've got a key, there must be a reason. Might be able to help."

The Oracle shrugged and followed Rose into the streets of London where people were panicking, loitering, robbing shops and getting drunk.

"The end of the world, darling", a drunk called to them, "End of the stinking world."

"Have one on me, mate", Rose said.

Another shop window broke, sounding an alarm and the women followed the sound to find two men pack up televisions.

"Right, you two", Rose spoke up, propping up her gun, "You can put that stuff down or run for your lives. Do you like my gun?"

They ran away and the Oracle went to a monitor showing a grid of sorts that showed Earth's position, a red blob approaching it.

"So, er, why do you have a gun?", the Oracle asked her.

"Earth's in crisis. Got to be able to defend it", she told her as both of them looked at the screen.

"Yeah, I get that. Just, the Doctor made it sound like you weren't all that into guns", she turned away from the monitor.

"Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth, is what he called me", she looked reminiscent, "Without him, you kind of need it."