oracle [doctor who]

three

The Doctor addressed the remaining Sycorax. "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this. It is defended."

The Doctor, Rose, Harriet, Mickey, the translator dude, and Nora returned to the TARDIS. The Doctor took control of the console. Nora watched him work. The trip was silent saved for the TARDIS's wheezing. Eventually, the TARDIS stopped shaking and they all ran out, Nora the last one to leave the blue box.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

Mickey looked around before replying, "We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just 'round the corner, we did it!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," the Doctor hissed, holding up a finger. They all looked up to the sky. The spaceship was in plain view and then, it started to fly away. Nora knew she should've felt a sense of relief, but unease still plagued her.

Mickey whooped. "Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!"

"Yeah!" Rose cheered. "Don't come back!" She danced around with Mickey, who screamed, "It is defended!" They were so happy. Nora just kept her eyes on the spaceship. She'd relax when it left the atmosphere. She was so focused that she didn't pay any attention to the Doctor's conversation with Harriet, or to Rose's mom Jackie showing up. She didn't even flinch when five green beams pierced the sky and fired out into space, destroying the Sycorax ship.

"What is that?" Rose questioned, her face falling. "What's happening?"

"That was murder," the Doctor growled, stalking up to Harriet.

Harriet stood her ground. "That was defense. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

"But they were leaving!" the Doctor snapped. 

"Were they?" Nora argued, stepping in between the Doctor and Harriet. "As soon as you turned your back, their leader jumped up to skewer you and he probably would've if I hadn't pushed you out of the way. He gave you his word too. Why should theirs mean anything to us?"

The Doctor gaped at her. "How could you say that?"

"Despite what you may believe, you don't know me," she said with a humorless chuckle.

"You said yourself, Doctor," Harriet spoke up, "they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case we have to defend ourselves." Nora laid a comforting hand on Harriet's shoulder. She was lucky in the sense that she'd never seen anyone die. She couldn't imagine how powerless it must've made Harriet feel.

The Doctor shook his head. "Britain's Golden Age."

"It comes with a price," Harriet sighed.

The Doctor was livid. "I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race."