Reign of the World

Chapter 20

I'm planning my next fic and I think you guys are going to dig it

The Doctor cursed helplessly under his breath as he heard the Daleks break down the door and enter the cockpit.  He swung a final lever and rushed over to where the others were by the window.  He laid a hand gently on Rose's injured arm and glanced out the window briefly to check on their progress over the island.  No signs of being over the water yet.

"Stop," the Doctor said firmly, and the Daleks, shockingly, stopped advancing.  He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket.  "One switch on this and we all go down."  He pointed the sonic at the main console in the center of the console.  He hauled Rose closer with his free arm, her standing far too close to the broken window for his liking.  "Do you really want to risk it?"

Rose focused in on the Daleks, refusing to show weakness, letting herself and the Doctor be seen as a fortress.  Obviously stronger than Tiffany and Mr. Kelly who were borderline cowering, but then again, they were scientists.  They observed from afar, never saw things like this first hand. 

The Daleks stopped, obviously knowing that the Doctor really wasn't bluffing.  Even though there were only two of them, it was still very easy to feel threatened.  They seemed to look at each other for a moment, considering all of this. 

"You will not commit suicide, Doctor," one of the Daleks said bluntly.

"I should've died in the Time War," the Doctor replied, "Maybe this is the end of the War for me.  But, if you tell me one thing, I won't let you crash.  And I'll come quietly back to the jail cell and Rose and I will be executed in the morning."

He stroked a hand up her back, letting her know that this wasn't really his plan, though she hadn't thought it was to begin with.  Her hand gripped his jacket in response, never taking her eyes from the Daleks. 

"What do you want to know?" One of the Daleks asked, not noticing Mr. Kelly and Tiffany creeping quietly across the floor to be closer to the Doctor and Rose, to go alone with whatever it was that they were about to do.

"Are you the only ship?"

The Doctor's blunt question seemed to startle the Daleks into silence.  They didn't know what the Doctor was about to do, and at the moment, they were at his mercy.  This infuriated them, but they'd never have to time to shoot him before he pressed the button on his sonic.  They were doomed in all ways but one.

They would have to tell the Doctor and Rose Tyler what they wanted to know.  And the Doctor could sense lies.  They would have to tell the truth.

"We were the ship sent to scope out the island, and in turn, the entire Earth.  The others will come when they hear from us.  Which will be tomorrow, we will alert them from your execution site!"

The Doctor nodded slowly.  "Good to know," he said simply, and pressed the button on the sonic.  He glanced out of the window and breathed a sigh as he saw that they were, in fact, over the ocean.  The Daleks screeched in indignation behind him as their ship started its slow, uncontrollable descent towards the water.

The Daleks, of course, frantically moved about the panel, trying to stop what the Doctor had done and finding no way to do so.  Whatever the sonic had done was irreversible and the Doctor knew he had to get everyone out of the ship before they realized that and started shooting.

"Jump," he hissed, and though it was quiet, every human in the room was tuned to him, and they all launched out the window Rose had broken at once. 

The Doctor and Rose held on to each other as they fell.  She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his chest, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as they went through a freefall.

She'd been more scared before, yes, but it had been a long time since she'd fallen into water, and she didn't know where was safe, and there was a Dalek ship right behind them, and so they'd have to go deep into the water to save their own lives.

She had to admit that she was shocked that Tiffany wasn't screaming next to her, instead, she had a terrified look plastered on her face and looked very much as though she'd retch once they hit the water. 

Instead of panicking, she simply listened to the Doctor's steady heartsbeat under her cheek, needing it, craving it.  One stable thing, that was all she needed as she fell through the thin air.

She felt as though they'd never hit the water, that they'd fall forever and die in the sky, falling asleep amidst the clouds.  As romantic as that sounded, that was really not how Rose wanted to go at all.  She wanted to be so old she welcomed death as an old friend, not as young woman dying in her lover's arms.

Though dying in her lover's arms wouldn't be so bad, she figured.

Then there was the feeling of smacking concrete that comes when you fall too far into the water, and Rose completely lost her breath as they went under.  It was the Doctor who pulled her up to make sure she got air.  "Are you alright?" He asked breathlessly.

Rose nodded, gasping, not being able to actually say anything.  He stroked her hair back from her face with one hand, his other arm still wrapped around her waist.  It was only his treading water that kept them both afloat until Rose remembered that she did, in fact, have working legs.

She started pushing with her legs, aiding in the Doctor's efforts to keep them above water, and he smiled at her in encouragement.  "Good, okay, we're okay."  He pressed a kiss to her lips that she was only able to reciprocate for a moment before he pulled away.

"Mr. Kelly?" The Doctor shouted, turning his head around, looking for the other man. 

"Here!" Mr. Kelly shouted from behind the Doctor.  "I'm here!"

"Tiffany?"

"I'm here," she gasped, swimming over to them. 

Suddenly, the creaking of metal from above them made them realize they weren't safe yet.  They all tipped their heads up and saw the Dalek ship bearing down on them.

"Move!" The Doctor shouted frantically.

And they all went under.