Down to Earth

Chapter 17

Rose burst in their house. She had immediately seen that the door had been broken. There wasn't any damage though. They knew what and where to look for. Panic clutched at her heart. She knew they had had what they wanted, but she needed to see it with her own eyes. She searched the whole house until she only had the room left. She could barely breathe, and her heart hurt. Her hand was trembling as she opened the door. The room was empty, and the bed was stripped. Maxence had been there. He was resting when they came. Sons of a bitch! Coming after a recovering man! She walked to the bathroom. His chair was here. There also were small darts. Three. They hadn't given him any chance.

She was mad, really mad. Where was he now? What were they doing to him? Ideas rushed through her mind, and she didn't like any of them. He wasn't human. Not at all, and the doctors of the hospital had seen it. They had chased him like some beast. A defenceless beast. She punched the wall in anger and the pain only increased her madness at those dicks. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes. She had to calm down and find a way to get him back. Calling the police was out of the question. Not for this situation. She had to do it alone. She knew about her husband's true nature, but she didn't know who to call for help. She would have to handle it the best she could.

She started looking for any clue Maxence would have left for her. He had called her, taken his time to say a few words to her, to let her know what was happening. He must have left a clue on how to find him. His sonic screwdriver and phone were sealed in a plastic bag and hidden in the flush water tank. She pulled it out and examined the two devices. When she pressed the button of the sonic screwdriver, a holographic message appeared: BAD WOLF. She frowned. It wasn't the first time she saw those words in her life. They kept appearing around her. Even before she met Maxence. If his device was sending her this message, it was for a reason, right? She had to solve the mystery quickly, before any harm was done to her dear Maxence.

She rushed downstairs, to the basement. The blue box was still there and had been locked for days, but when Rose came closer, the doors opened themselves and let her in. The interior was totally changed, and was now perfect for a Time Lord in a wheelchair. But Rose couldn't appreciate the effort or understand it, she was too focused on the blue holograph of her beloved husband that had just appeared close to the console.

"This is Emergency Programme One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing: we must be in danger, and I mean fatal. I'm dead, or about to die any second with no chance to escape."

"No!"

"And that's okay. I hope it's a good death. But I promised myself to look after you, and I will do it until my last breath. You can't come to get me. You can't even try. I'm serious, Rose. They will end you to keep me. Protect our children, Rose, and tell them I've given my life for them when they will be able to understand."

"I won't let you."

"And I bet you're fussing and moaning now, typical, but hold on, and just listen a bit more. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on my technology. So, this is what you should do: keep the sonic screwdriver and let the TARDIS die. Let this old box gather dust. No one can open it, no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing in our basement. The world will move on over the years and the box will be buried. And if you wanna remember me, then, you can do one thing. That's all, one thing." The hologram turned to face her. "Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life."

The hologram gave her a sad smile, and disappeared. Tears were running down her cheeks. Anyway, no matter what he was saying, she would find him and save him from a certain death...