The Hidden Room in the TARDIS

Chapter 7

I actually messed up the landing. We landed on a spaceship. Well when I say on, I mean outside. Parked on the surface. I stared at the sun. There was something familiar, but not comforting about it. "This is it."

The Doctor stepped into the door frame with me. "No. It can't be."

"What?"

"You should know. With Martha. Remember? This sun..."

I gasped. "This is... It's the one. Then... This ship... You don't think it's..."

He nodded slowly.

"No!" I laughed. "I've seen this before. In three places. Vague memories of something like this... Your memories... and outer-space Facebook."

"Outer-space Facebook?"

"Yeah. How did you think you communicated with Martha, Captain Jack, and the others? That was me and my group. We worked with Harriet Jones. We also used it to make posts. We talked about when we saw the Doctor last and we made jokes. You know... How much did the Doctor cry?"

"What?"

"Enough to water a Rose, and fill two Ponds and a River."

"Right," he turned away and I turned my attention back to the sun. It didn't hurt for me to look at it.

Suddenly I realized why I was getting the Doctor's memories. I was in fact stealing them. "Doctor! I understand now! I know why I'm stealing your memories. And I am stealing them. I understand!"

"What?" he turned back to me.

"And I know how to solve it. I think. Well actually... I can't now. Not with the possessor in me, but if we get it out, you can get your memories back. If you don't... Then. They will all come to me and you'll lose... everything..."

"Why is this happening?"

"You looked into this sun. It went in your mind. Remember?"

"No. But let's assume I did."

"Okay... So then, it's still partly in you. A super-species in you head. It leaves traces, powerful ones. And when I came along. It's transferring your memories, everything you are into me because those traces are dangerous. And they've been activated with me around because I have the seed in me. You can never remove those traces completely. Well you could, but it would scar your memory. You would have to give up something. I think for you it would be..." I paused. "Rose." I said gently. "To remove all the traces, you would have to give up all memory of Rose."

"Okay. Why can't I just keep them?"

"They're dangerous. It will take years of your life away. And if they activate again, they could either kill you or put you into a coma. I would be the only one who could awaken you. But since you're a timelord, I will be long gone by then if that happens."

I went back in the TARIDS. "We got what we came for."

"Not quite. Let's go forward a couple million years to when it dies. We need to see the seed. I have to find out what type it is. Then I will know where to get the cure."

"Right." We worked in harmony on the TARDIS until the engine whooshed and we were millions of years further than we had been before.

I opened the door again. It was beautiful. The sun went supernova. It was breathtaking, but it was melancholy. Like a tear-stained painting. I turned my back, but the Doctor moved forward. He reached out his hand tentatively. He touched a wisp of golden light and made a fist around it. Then he released it, but parts of it clung to his hand. I reached out and wiped it away. As it touched my hand, I felt a tingling sensation. Suddenly it touched a nerve and it jolted up. I could feel the sensation working up the pathways to my brain. My head was yanked back for a second. I opened my mouth and exhaled. A golden bust of energy came out, like just after the Doctor regenerates, but it was also silvery at the same time. Full of life and moonlight, which I guess was a little weird for a sun.