Out There ✿ The Doctor [1]

15- The Doctor Dances (pt. 1)

Avery grips Rose's and Jack's hands tightly as the Doctor stands in front of them and the patients are nearly within touching distance. The Doctor looks one of the patients in the eyes, commanding, "Go to your room." The patients freeze and the Doctor repeats, "Go to your room." The patients tilt their heads and he continues, "I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room!" He points away and the patients slowly turn and shuffle back to their beds. Avery lets out a shaky breath of relief as the Doctor smiles, "I'm really glad that worked." He turned to her, joking, "Those would have been terrible last words."

Avery lets out a small breathy laugh before realizing she's still holding Jack's hand. She releases it, apologizing, "Sorry."

Jack gave her a charming smile, "I don't mind holding a pretty girl's hand."

"Stop it." The Doctor warned, causing Avery to laugh and nudge his shoulder before he turned to her, "Seriously, are you okay?"

Avery smiled lightly, "I've seen weirder things with you, Doctor. Don't worry so much."

She wanders away as Rose pulls her over to one of the hospital beds to get a look at one of the patients. "Why are they all wearing gas masks?" Rose asked.

"They're not. Those masks are flesh and bone." Jack answers as he sits in a chair and puts his feet up on the desk. Rose looks over in disgust and horror.

"How was your con supposed to work?" Avery questions Jack, moving to stand next to the Doctor.

"Simple enough, really." Jack begins before explaining, "Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put fifty percent up front, oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

"Yeah. Perfect." The Doctor agrees, but Avery can tell there's a serious undertone to it.

"The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners. Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day." Jack laughs at his own joke before taking note of the unimpressed looks Avery and the Doctor were giving him, "Getting a hint of disapproval."

"Take a look around the room. This is what your harmless piece of space-junk did." The Doctor told him accusingly.

"It was a burnt-out medical transporter. It was empty." Jack justifies.

The Doctor turns and begins walking away, simply saying, "Rose. Avery."

"Are we getting out of here?" Rose asked.

"I think we're going upstairs." Avery replied.

"I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living. I harmed no-one." Jack continues, causing them to turn around and look at him, "I don't know what's happening here, but believe me, I had nothing to do with it."

"I'll tell you what's happening." The Doctor snaps, "You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

A siren sounds and they all look up, Rose asking, "What's that?"

"The all clear." Jack replies.

"I wish." The Doctor responds, turning on his heel and continuing out the door. Avery and Rose quickly follow with Jack not far behind.

They nearly have to run to catch up, the Doctor moving faster than they thought.

"Mister Spock?" Jack calls.