The Other Tyler - Book 2

The Waiting Game

They slipped back into the flat, Mei hurrying to the Doctor's side to check on him. She tested his pulse, and while it was once again pulsing a four-beat drumming, it still wasn't very strong.

"Please," she whispered, lifting his hand to her lips, pressing a gentle kiss on the knuckles, "Please, I don't know what to do. You keep telling me I'm clever, but I'm not. I can't do anything without my head feeling like it's going to explode. I don't understand what's going on. I'm not good enough. We need YOU."

"Mei!" Jackie called from the living room, "That Harriet Jones is on TV!"

Laying the Doctor's hand down, Mei kissed his forehead and hurried through to see what was going on. She leaned over the back of the couch, resting her hands on Rose's shoulders as the Prime Minister spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I may take a moment during this terrible time. It's hardly the Queen's speech. I'm afraid that's been cancelled." She glanced off camera, "Did we ask about the royal family? Oh." She looked back to the camera, "They're on the roof. But, ladies and gentlemen, this crisis is unique, and I'm afraid to say, it might get much worse. I would ask you all to remain calm. But I have one request. Doctor, if you're out there, we need you. I don't know what to do. If you can hear me, Doctor. If anyone knows the Doctor, if anyone can find him, the situation has never been more desperate. Help us. Please, Doctor. Help us. God help us."

Mei couldn't help it, she burst into tears. Rose jumped up, quickly gathering her sister in her arms and a moment later Jackie also joined the hug. Mickey sat on the couch, watching them with an expression somewhere between annoyed and worried.

"It's alright sweetheart," Jackie cooed, brushing her hand through Mei's hair, "It's alright."

"Sorry," Mei huffed, wiping at her face, "Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying."

"It's gonna be fine," Rose cupped her sister's face, "He's gonna save us, we just need to wait. Like you told me, that first time trapped in that room, he WILL save us."

Suddenly, the windows blew inwards, and the laptop started blaring an alarm. Mickey raced over, pulling up the radar image again.

"The spaceship, it's hit the atmosphere."

"Sonic wave," Mei sighed, wiping her face one more time, "Right, okay," she looked around, "Okay, mum, Mickey, gather up food and drinks, maybe some blankets too. Rose, you help me get the Doctor, we're going down to the Tardis, she's the safest place on the planet right now. She won't let anyone get us."

"We're going to hide?" Jackie asked, frowning.

Rose seized her by the shoulders, "Mum, look in the sky. There's a great, big, alien invasion and the Doctor is out of it for now. We need to go somewhere safe, and that is the Tardis, now move!"

Mei grabbed a leather jacket that survived the Christmas tree and pulled it on, using a grey beanie to keep her hair out of her face. Rose pulled on her own pink jumper and grabbed the Doctor's legs while Mei moved to his shoulders, pocketing the Sonic screwdriver.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Let's go," Rose agreed, lifting.

Together they managed to get the Doctor out of the flat, nearly tripping several times on the stairs as they made their way to the ground floor. Mickey and Jackie trailed after them with bags of food, drinks, and blankets.

"Okay hold on," Mei grumbled as they reached the Tardis, laying the Doctor on the ground, "Sorry, love, just a moment."

She pulled her necklace out from under her top, the key clinking off her pendant, and quickly unlocked the door. As it swung inwards, she froze, reading the sign.

"What is it?" Rose asked, feeling a little panicked. Was this another after affect of having the Tardis soul in her? Would it hurt Mei to even go INSIDE the Tardis?

"Pull to open," Mei read, "Huh, I never noticed that before. He always pushes it."

"NOW!?" Rose shrieked, though somewhat relieved, "You want to do this NOW!?"

"Oh right," Mei leaned down to grab the Doctor again, "Sorry, sorry, I just never noticed."

Rolling her eyes at her older sister, Rose let the Doctor's legs drop softly onto the grating, before ushering Mickey and her mother in. The two of them put the bags under the console as Mei used a blanket to prop the Doctor's head up a bit.

Glancing around, Mickey pulled the scanner to face him, "No chance you could fly this thing Mei?"

Surprised he was even speaking to her, Mei shook her head, "No, I don't think so. She's connected to the Doctor, while he's down, she won't move. And I can't risk opening her soul again, the Doctor died from it once already, imagine what it might do to us. We're only human."

"Mickey, how could you even think that?" Rose huffed, "You've seen the pain she's in just thinking back on what happened and you want her to do it again?"

"So, what do we do? Just sit here?" he snapped.

"Yeah, Mickey," the blonde retorted sharply, pulling herself up onto the captain's seat, "That's as good as it gets."

"Right, here we go. Nice cup of tea," Jackie grinned, handing Mei one. The brunette smiled in thanks, placing it by the Doctor's head as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Mmm, the solution to everything," the youngest Tyler muttered under her breath, however her mother still managed to hear it.

"Now, stop your moaning. I'll get the rest of the food," she huffed, and hurried out of the Tardis.

"Tea. Like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British," Mickey joked, then started pressing buttons, "How does this thing work? If it picks up TV, maybe we could see what's going on out there. Maybe we've surrendered. What do you do to it?"

Rose moved over, slapping his hands away, "Not like that, anyway. And don't just press buttons. You have no idea what might happen." Some funny symbols came up on screen, "Oh, now look what you've done."

"Maybe it's a distress signal," Mickey shrugged, "Are you going to be angry all the time?"

"If you're going to press buttons on a machine you don't understand, then I'm allowed to be annoyed Mickey," the blonde huffed, "And where's mum?"

"She went to get more food," Mei spoke up.

Nodding, Rose headed for the door, "Come on Mickey, let's go help. It might start raining missiles out there."

They had only stepped outside the doors when Mei heard her sister scream. She jumped up, accidentally kicking over her cup of tea as she raced to the door. She stopped almost immediately, seeing that instead of the Powel Estate courtyard, they were now parked in a cavern filled with the aliens from the transmissions.

"Oh shit," she muttered, and hurried to pull thedoor shut to lock the Tardis as one of the Aliens grabbed for her.