Untold Knowledge (Doctor Who x Genius Fem! Oc) [Book 1]

Chapter 28: The Idiot's Lantern

"Gran? It's Tommy. It's all right, Gran. I've brought help." said the young sir as he opened the door to his grandmother's bedroom. When he turned on the light, they were met by a faceless older woman.

The Doctor stepped closer with surprised fascination. "Her face is completely gone." he said with bewilderment. He then pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned where her features were supposed to be. "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neutral shutdown. She's ticking over. It's like her brain has been wiped clean." he rambled as he collected every piece of information possible.

Tommy felt his concern for her intensify. "What're we going to do, Doctor? We can't even feed her." Just then, they heard someone breaking down the front door. Without hesitation, Echo glared at Mr. Connolly with a dangerously murderous glint to her focused eyes. It was almost like a lioness staring down her prey. The almost sadistic smile the human man had only cemented her disgust for him.

"We've got company." Rose said as she looked out the window and saw the same policemen and car from earlier in the day.

"It's them! They've come for her!" Rita said with immense worry for her mother.

The Doctor then turned back to Tommy. "Quickly. What was she doing before this happened? Where was she? Tell me. Quickly, think!" he pressed as their time rapidly slipped away.

"She doesn't leave the house! She was just--" But before he could continue, the burly men in black burst into the room.

Pushing Echo behind him when she moved to no doubt fight them off, the Doctor stepped into their path with his mind racing. "Hold on a minute. There are three important, brilliant and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One--" then was punch into brief unconsciousness. There was no hesitation from Echo as she dropped to the floor so as to be at his side. Worry blossomed within her as she tried to bring him back to himself.

The men threw a blanket over the elderly, faceless woman and bundled her out of the home all together. "Leave her alone! No!" Rita pleaded desperately. "Don't hurt her!"

When the Doctor finally awoke, he immediately jumped to his feet and raced down stairs and sprinted for their moped outside. Though, when passing the sitting room, Rose saw strange electrical tendrils retreating back into the television set. When Rose went to check it out, Echo guarded her back and scanned the T.V. with her watch. The Time Lord called for them to hurry up so they could resume their chase on the strange acting officers. As it became clear that they wouldn't be following, he sped away without another moment's delay.

Mr. Connolly spotted the girls and was quickly enraged once again. "You two! Get the hell out of my house!" he ordered aggressively.

Echo faced him with remembered hatred, something that made shivers run up and down his spine. "A pox o' your throat you bawling, blasphemous, uncharitable dog!" she practically growled. "I know exactly what you've done and I know exactly what you are." she muttered dangerously. She then stepped into his personal space confidently, unstoppably. "You might be used to being able to bully other girls into doing what you want, Mr. Connolly. But be warned. Other girls cannot break you, fix you, and then break you again like I can, sweetheart." she promised darkly, then walked out of the home without uttering a single additional word. Rose, too, walked out with just as much silence.

"You're actually a lot scarier than I first thought." the blonde said with a light chuckled.

Echo simply shrugged as she followed her watch to the source of the unusual energy readings. "Yeah, well, what can you do?" she mumbled, her anger with the human man subsiding with every step she took.

After a long, seemingly endless moment of silence, Rose then looked at her with thoughtful wonder. "This is none of my business and you don't have to answer, but... Are you in love with the Doctor?"