Time Rewritten

Chapter 13

The Doctor opened the door and stepped out, Rose following close behind. The planet was in ruins, a wasteland. Everywhere she looked, the sight of carnage and destruction was evident and recent fighting was also shown in the clouds of dust and smoke in the distance.

"Seems they still have a resistance party here fighting the Daleks," the Doctor mused.

Rose nodded dumbly. She had been terribly sheltered these last three years and was only now getting a glimpse of how devastating this war was and what the Doctor witnessed on a daily basis for the last hundred years. She protectively wrapped her arms around her waist.

Suddenly a woman came into view, a gun pointed expertly at them. The woman was of medium height and slim build, her stance that of a soldier. Her bright orange hair was shaggy and in need of a wash and a good brushing. But in war those luxuries were not an option, Rose mused. The woman wore calf-high black combat boots, grey camouflage pants, a black shirt covered by a black leather jacket and fingerless gloves. Her face was stern, though pretty, with high cheekbones and a narrow nose.

Rose's eyes travelled to the gun and was surprised that it was made out of parts of Daleks, the barrel being the laser gun of the Daleks and an eyestalk mounted on top. Rose marvelled at the ingenuity of using Dalek parts to fight against the Daleks. This woman was resilient and smart.

Then movement behind her alerted Rose and before the woman could speak the Doctor loudly urged, "Quick! Inside the Tardis before the shoot you! You'll be safe in there."

The woman spared a quick glance behind her at the Spider Degradation scuttling towards her and ran into the Tardis without hesitation, Rose and the Doctor following suit. The Doctor locked the doors behind them and a second later shots could be heard as the pelted against the doors.

"What were those things? They looked like Daleks, but...different," Rose asked, the image still fresh in her mind. They were egg-shaped, narrowed at the bottom, with three mechanical legs. They were red in color, but had globes like a normal Dalek, equipped with laser guns and the infamous eyestalk that glowed an ominous blue.

The woman shot Rose an incredulous look. "Where have you been? Those are Spiders, part of the Skaro Degradation. Faster and more ruthless than your typical Dalek." Her voice was husky and it suited her tough appearance.

"Rose is relatively new to the War," the Doctor explained in a soft and smooth voice, his arms crossed over his chest and watching the woman with interest. "May I enquire as to who you are?"

"Cinder," the redhead responded, her voice taking on a faraway tone as her eyes roamed the interior of the Tardis. "This is a Tardis?"

"Yes."

Cinder turned her full attention to the Doctor. "You're a Time Lord?"

He nodded his affirmation. Cinder glanced at Rose with wary eyes. Rose shook her head. "Human...with modifications."

"And you chose to be with him even though his race started this whole mess of a war?"

Rose stood straighter, indignations swelling inside of her. "The Daleks are also responsible. You're more than welcome to go back out there and take your chances with them if you dislike us so much."

Cinder seemed momentarily taken aback by Rose's rudeness, but recovered quickly and glared at the blonde. "Rose, you're not helping the situation. It doesn't matter what she thinks." Rose looked at the Doctor, but he was reading something on the screen, apparently uninterested in Cinder's opinion of his race. She forced herself to calm down. He was right. There was no use trying to change a person's opinion once it had been made. Fighting right now over something so trivial seemed pointless.