The Other Tyler - Book 2

Sycorax Rock

As she wiped the Doctor's face with a damp cloth, Mei sang Hush-A-Bye Mountain under her breath, trying to focus on something other than the weak pulse under his skin. The pounding in her head had settled somewhat, now only a mild burning behind her eyes but Mei knew it would probably be there for a while. As long as she didn't try to remember what happened on the Game Station, it was bearable.

"One heart," Rose interrupted her sister's thoughts, placing the stethoscope down, "I'm sorry, Mei."

"Not your fault," the brunette smiled sadly, "I was the one that woke him up."

The sound of the front door opening had the two girls look up, but their interest faded when they realised it was just Mickey with his laptop.

"Jackie, I'm using the phone line. Is that all right?" he called as he made his way to the living room.

Rose gave her sister a smile and squeezed her shoulder lightly before going to join him and her mother. Mei just sighed and went back to singing under her breath. She brushed sweat from his forehead, then lightly dabbed at his cheeks, her free hand pushing his hair out of the way. It was stubborn, she decided, almost smiling as it forced its way back into place across his face. Just like him.

"Mei, come look!" Rose called from the living room.

"I'll be right back, love," she said, pressing a kiss to the Doctor's forehead.

The telly was on in the background, Jackie the only one paying attention as the guy on screen spoke about Guinevere One, the Mars Space Probe. Rose and Mickey were hovering over the laptop on the table, and Mei peered over her sister's shoulder to get a look.

"Here we go, pilot fish," Mickey said as an animation of a little fish popped up. "Scavengers, like the Doctor said. Harmless. They're tiny. But the point is, the little fish swim alongside the big fish. "

"Do you mean like sharks?" Rose asked, just as a shark appeared in the animation, the little fish barely the size of its eye. "Great big sharks," she huffed, "Of course, why not?"

"So, what the Doctor means is, we had them, now we get that," Mickey nodded.

"He said something was coming," Rose remembered, glancing at her sister, "Any chance you can get back into that Army site you were on before and find out what it might be?"

"Won't be long," Mei grimaced, and Mickey went to work, "If they could beam away like that, it must be pretty close. And pilot fish don't seem to stray too far from the daddy."

"Funny sort of rocks," Jackie commented behind them, causing the girls and Mickey to turn and look at the telly.

Mei frowned as a red-orange image appeared, blurry so she could not quite make it out.

"That's not rocks," Rose breathed, reaching for her sister's hand.

"This image is being transmitted via mission control, coming live from the depths of space on Christmas morning," the News Reader announced.

The image cleared suddenly, showing a reddish alien with a head like a goat's skull and bright red eyes. The four of them jumped back as it let out a guttural growl before disappearing, the Newsreader taking its place, though she too seemed taken aback.

"God dammit," Rose muttered, raking a hand through her hair.

"Well they won't be sweeping this one under the rug," Mei sat on the arm of the couch, "That's worldwide by now. And I can only guess that what happens when they get here is gonna be pretty bad."