In Theory • Doctor Who

NINE

CHAPTER NINE
❝Bad Wolf❞

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"Is Jack human?"

The question brought a grin to Rose's lips. Her and Clara were in a park that roused emotions closer to sadness than it did relaxation. A small tangled kid's park sat timid in the centre, with leafless trees and chairs tagged with a local gang's graffiti lining the metal playground that had long lost its shine. The two of them had found themselves on a dull grey bench speckled with fading lines of yellow spray paint; an effort to get outside while the day was still dry. Rain carefully hung above them, in thick clouds drooping from the sky above, yearning to let the contents of their saturated bellies fall freely onto the concrete jungle below. It wouldn't be long until a cloud slashed its belly open, turning Cardiff slick with rain that held an icy bite. Until such events occurred, Rose had taken Clara outside in an effort to sight see but there wasn't much to see in Cardiff besides the 1000 year old castle, so they opted for talking instead.

"Not in this universe," Rose responded. "Back from where I came from, Jack was human though, from the 51st century. Although I wouldn't consider him fully human since I did turn him into an immortal."

"How'd you manage that?" Clara asked. As the days went by, she became less and less shocked when people told her about bizarre things such as immortality.

"I looked into the heart of the TARDIS and went a bit overboard, if I say so myself," Rose chuckled. "I don't suggest trying that at home. The Jack in this universe is a Kronar. They look exactly like us meagre Homo sapiens although their lifespan is incredible! Not as long as Jack the immortal but our Harkness will be running Torchwood long after there is no longer a humanity to look after."

Clara couldn't help but let her jaw drop a little, letting her awe show although not too much that she would look like a gaping fish. "It's crazy that there is so much out there that we don't know about. Like when the Lyran's invaded, half of London were certain it was a hoax. Everyone who so strongly believed that aliens existed were dumbstruck with the reality of all their conspiracies becoming reality. Imagine if humanity knew about everything, they wouldn't know what to do with themselves."

"They'd implode," Rose responded.

"Implode?"

She nodded, "Look what humanity did to the Lyran's once they understood what had happened. They almost blew apart the Earth because they were afraid of the unknown finally becoming known. If the layman that wander the streets and live their mundane circle of life found out about the dimensions, the space travel, the aliens that wander unseen and the wars fought in the star speckled sky above their heads... Clara, they would cannibalise themselves with fear. Humanity might end a bit sooner than planned."

Clara frowned, "Then why are you letting me write about you, your story about being the impossible girl from another dimension? Wouldn't the confirmation of your existence send the World chewing at their own hide?"

"I plan on not being around by the time your paper becomes viral," Rose responded, her hazel eyes looking up at the churning sky as a slender hand reached up to her left ear, tucking a fine stand of blonde hair behind it.

"What do you mean?"

"You see, we've been testing a few things over here in Cardiff that the London branch wasn't particularly fond of," Rose hesitated as if she was assessing her situation, to confirm if it was safe to tell Clara. "Even though tears in the fabric of space and time are incredibly rare it isn't impossible to create your own. I have a team with me; we're working on this devise called a Dimension Cannon. It's basically what its name says: a cannon able to blast a person into another universe. The Doctor once spent an entire afternoon telling me about the science behind such a devise. He told me that there once was a Time Lady who went crazy and used a Type-60 TARDIS as a dimension cannon for herself. Although I still don't understand much of all the physics behind it, I have a team who definitely understands how to make one."

"Are you telling me you have a way to get back?" Clara asked; her big brown eyes had grown even wider at the idea of Rose Tyler's saviour.

"I don't have it just yet," Rose corrected, "although we're close to starting to test it. We have a few complications when it comes to working out how to puncture the fabric of the Universe in just the right way so I can get back home. It's like trying to effectively push a basketball through a hole the size of a bullet."

"You just need to find a big ass bullet," Clara smirked and was responded with Rose's laughter.

When Rose quietened, her eyes met with Clara's and her upturned lips fell into a more neutral expression, "I was talking to Amelia this morning, she said you were going back to London today? Why do you gotta leave so soon? I was starting to enjoy having you around, there's just something about you that intrigues me. It's probably that you're the first person my age that I've gotten along with in a while."

"How old is Jack?"

"Oh he's just reached three thousand, barely an adult for the Kronar," Rose shrugged, "but Clara, do you really have to go back? If you stayed a few more days you could come out and see an Iranzi meteor landing with us down in Cornwall! They contain Iranzi bomb technology so every time they land, Jack makes us race out to grab them before all the pesky human scientists get their clueless hands on an interstellar bomb. It wouldn't be that amusing if someone hit the detonate switch and blew a Britain sized hole into the planet."

Clara pursed her lips together, "That sounds absolutely exhilarating but Danny, Amelia and I are missing way too many classes. One of my lecturers has scheduled a check up on my progress this week so I got to get back so I can finally start my paper."

"Do you think you have enough information to start, I mean we barely scratched the surface..."

"Rose, it's the roughest of drafts. I'll get O'Leary's feedback and continue on from there," Clara assured, "I still don't have the clearest idea where my story is heading after the first introductory science mumbo jumbo but don't worry, if I need more of the Impossible Girl, expect me to show up on your doorstep."

"Did Jack tell you about my request?" Rose asked, her head tilting slightly out of curiosity.

"No, what was it?"

"Don't call me Rose Tyler in your paper. Dad's kind of a big thing here, if you've heard the name Pete Tyler before than yeah, that's my dad," Rose waited for a moment to let Clara respond but she stayed silent beside her. "You can name me anything else honestly, although I have rather a fondness for the name Bad Wolf. It's what I was called back when I made the other Jack immortal. I was thinking that it could kind of be my pseudonym for your paper, kind of like what superheros do?"

"Bad Wolf," Clara said the two words slowly, as if she was testing how the felt rolling off her tongue and into the air. "Bad Wolf," Clara repeated, smiling. "I rather like the sound of that."

"It sounds more fierce than just plain old Rose Tyler," Rose shrugged.

"Oh hang on a minute, who said Rose Tyler was anything but fierce?" Clara replied back.

Rose rolled her eyes, "We better get going before we get drenched." As she said those words, the heavy clouds above ripped open their churning bellies; assaulting the bleak day with fattened drops of chilly rain, causing the bleak park they were in to become vacant as the graffiti coated seats became slick and pavement blemishes became puddles.

Clara Oswald and Rose Tyler were quick on their feet although the extra exertion was useless as their clothes became heavy and their hair stuck to their skin in limp strands. "Can I talk about the dimension cannon in my paper?" Clara asked as they made a beeline for cover.

Rose nodded, "Of course but you'll have to see it in person before you can talk about it."

"Is that an invitation to see Torchwood again?" Clara smiled; her voice had become raised, fighting to be heard over the torrential downpour that fell from above their heads.

"Keep your calendar open in October," Rose winked although that gesture was lost amongst the rain.

They reached the shelter of a shopfront and the two of them stood, dripping wet with limp hair and broad smiles. Clara nodded at Rose's proposition, "I can't wait."