misaffection (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
misaffection) wrote2006-01-28 05:38 pm
misaffection) wrote2006-01-28 05:38 pm
(no subject)
More on The Kaleidescope Effect.
Jack hefted his gun, opened the door of the TARDIS and stepped out.
“Looks harmless,” he shouted back through the doorway.
Rose came out, followed by the Doctor. They glanced about and neither looked particularly impressed by their surroundings.
The planet they'd landed on was barren, all black rock and no plant life. Several yards ahead of them, the ground gave way and they could hear the roar of waves far, far below them. The sea wasn't visible as there was very little light; the sky was full of green-grey storm clouds through which lightning crackled ominously. Deep thunder rumbled threateningly.
The only break in scenery was a ruin right on the cliff edge. It might have been a tower, or even a small castle once upon a time, but little of it was left now. It leant over the cliff as it was preparing to cast itself into the sea.
“Nice,” remarked Rose, her face a picture of disdain.
“You know what they say: location, location, location,” Jack remarked.
“It has potential,” added the Doctor.
“I feel like we've stepped on to a film set,” said Rose. “This place has every scary movie cliché going. Are you sure we're in the right place?”
The Doctor nodded, walking away from the TARDIS. He looked round again, his eyes intent as he scanned at the landscape. “Oh yeah.”
Rose looked at Jack, who shrugged.
“He's getting vibes,” he told her. Her eyebrows shot up.
“Of course,” she said sarcastically and turned her attention back to the Doctor. By now he'd reached the cliff edge and stood there, staring down. After a moment he turned round and walked back to them. Rose felt a quick flash of relief when he moved from the danger. She frowned at herself.
“Well we could stand here all day,” announced the Doctor. “Or we could actually go in there and find out what the hell's going on here.
“Let's get it over with,” Rose murmured, still trying to shake off her brief moment of fear.
“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “I'm really sold on this place. Even with the sea view.”
The Doctor gave Jack a slight smile. He looked at Rose's face, holding her gaze for a moment. He held out a hand. Rose stared at it, then at him in some confusion.
“Don't you remember this bit?” he asked her softly.
The question hung there. Rose just stared, her thoughts in a whirl. The Doctor's face was unreadable, but she saw something in the blue depths of his eyes. There was a faint golden haze surrounding his hand, the light reaching out to touch her. She blinked and it was gone.
Bemused by what she'd seen, Rose took the Doctor's hand, only half aware of doing of. Her eyes were on his, caught, lost.
“I remember,” she murmured.
The Doctor looked at her for moment longer, then grinned a crooked smile that softened his face. Rose smiled back, unable to stop herself. Yet it suddenly felt... right. And she wasn't sure who or what had changed for that feeling to be there.
“Which hand do I get to hold?” Jack asked then, breaking the moment. The Doctor gave him a pained look while Rose laughed softly and held out her other hand.
Jack grabbed her hand. “Come on then Dorothy, let's follow the yellow brick road.”
They walked towards the ruin. Despite the fact it was almost definitely some form of trap, Rose felt oddly safe. Jack was swinging their hands, whistling cheerfully in a somewhat obvious attempt to lighten the mood. She smiled at him. Then they reached the door; a huge metal thing that was black and streaked with rust.
The Doctor slipped his hand from Rose's and placed it flat on the door. He pushed and it opened, the hinges protesting with a loud squeal that made Rose wince. Beyond the door was darkness. He looked at Jack, then at Rose.
“Once more into the breach?” he said.
Rose rolled her eyes and strode past him. Once inside she stood in the darkness, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. She heard both the Doctor's and Jack's footsteps follow her through the doorway.
They walked through the entrance hall and into a large room, stopping in surprise. The room has massive, with floor to ceiling windows along one wall. The tattered remains of curtains hung at the windows and the faint light filtered through them, casting strange shadows over the wooden floor. In the very centre of the room was a large column, faceted like a crystal. Its base was embedded in a dais of gilded metal, its top lost in the shadows of the ceiling.
Rose looked at the Doctor, but he seemed as bewildered as she felt. She glanced at Jack.
“Well it's interesting,” he said.
“Beats an ice swan,” Rose added.
The Doctor said nothing. He walked towards the column, his sonic screwdriver in one hand.
“Anything?” Jack asked him curiously.
“I-” the Doctor began, then cut himself off as the crystal started to glow softly. He stepped back rather quickly, frowning.
The crystal began to rotate. The faceted glass fractured the light emerging from it, throwing a kaleidoscope of colours around the room that shifted and changed as it spun slowly round.
Rose watched the colours dance across the floor and up the walls, entranced. She lifted a hand and watched the play of colour on her skin.
“Pretty,” she said dreamily.
He tone caught Jack's attention and he looked sharply at her. He saw how she was watching her hand, her features slack and her eyes unfocused. He glanced to the Doctor. The Time Lord was staring at the crystal itself, but he too appeared effected by it. Realising the crystal was having a hypnotic effect, Jack ran to the Doctor, grabbing his arm and shaking him.
“Doctor? Doctor!” he shouted, trying to rouse him to action. Failing to do so just increased Jack's concern. He didn't know why the crystal was hypnotising his friends, but he had a strong feeling that this was the trap the TARDIS had sensed.
Jack ran to Rose. Standing in front of her, he shook her. He got no more response from her than he had the Doctor. However, Rose was smaller and easier to deal with. Jack swept her into his arms and carried her out.
He took her right outside the castle, dumping her on the grass.
“Stay. Here,” he ordered firmly. She blinked at him, seeming very confused.
“Okay,” she said. “What happened?”
“I don't know. But stay here while I get the Doctor.”
Back inside, Jack found the Doctor as he'd left him. He focused on the figure and not the crystal, ignoring the way the shifting colours pulled at his attention. Taking the Doctor's arm, Jack led him out of the room. He came willingly; which surprised Jack. He'd expected more of an argument and felt even more unsettled.
Outside, the thunder was coming more often and louder. Rose sat with her head in her hands. Jack let go of the Doctor and went to her.
“Rose?”
“My head is killing me,” she moaned softly. Then she looked up, a faint frown on her face. “That... means something.”
“Pardon?” Jack asked bemused.
“I think... I've said that before. It's like... deja vu.”
“Deja vu?”
“Yeah.. like I've said that before. I remember... light. I can't remember anything else.”
“Deja vu is a break in time,” Jack said. “I'm sure it'll come back to you in time.”
“What happened?” Rose asked.
“The crystal began to shine this light, all different colours. I think it was hypnotising you and the Doctor. I think we've found our trap.”
Rose nodded, then groaned and put a hand to her head.
Jack patted her on the shoulder and turned to the Doctor. He stood, pain etched on his face and was also holding a hand to his head.
“Headache?” Jack asked him.
“Worse than the one after I regenerated,” he stated.
“Rose is suffering too. I think you need to get into the TARDIS. That light's effected you both somehow. We need to check it out.”
The Doctor dropped his hand and nodded, wincing slightly at that movement. He walked over to Rose. He and Jack helped her to her feet.
“Oh dizzy,” she grumbled.
“If you're going to be sick please do it out here and not in the TARDIS,” the Doctor said, grimacing at the thought.
Rose moaned. “Oh don't mention sick,” she whimpered, paling.
“Easy up on her,” Jack said. He glared at the Doctor, who looked unrepentant.
“It makes a mess of the controls,” he explained.
“Please don't start arguing,” Rose interrupted, her voice pleading. “My head hurts enough as it is.”
“Sorry Rose,” Jack apologised.
The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS door and swung it open. Rose went it, stumbling up the ramp before crashing onto the seat.
Jack followed her, levelling another hard look at the Doctor as he passed him. He went to Rose and helped her up again, half-carrying her to the medical room deeper within the TARDIS. He placed her carefully onto one of the beds.
Sitting on the the other, the Doctor rested back, closing his eyes. Almost immediately, there was a sudden image in his mind of the Earth as seen from space. There was glass in front of him, but the reflection was of Rose. Beyond the glass, the sun exploded as it went supernova. Then the room shifted and the glass was cracking as the sun filter came down.
Rose groaned. The memory of Platform One had come back strongly. She could feel the heat of the sun again and the overwhelming panic she'd felt as the shield around the space station failed. The room went dark and she found herself on a long bridge with... fans spinning rapidly? Rose frowned, she didn't remember where this was. She looked round. That was Jabe, the Tree. The willowy alien suddenly burst into flames.
A scream echoed round the medical room. Rose sat up, her eyes wide and sweat beading her forehead.
“What the hell was that?” she cried.
The Doctor groaned. “Sorry. You started it,” he grumbled.
“I started what?”
“Thinking about Platform One. You were remembering the worse bit. I kinda did the same.”
“I was remembering your memories?”
The disbelief mingling with slightly panic in Rose's voice made the Doctor sit up slowly. He looked at her, frowning a little at the rather disconcerting thought taking shape in his head.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“The link,” Jack said. “The psychic link.”
“The what?”
The Doctor looked at Jack, who was staring back at him in horror.
“She's forgotten?” Jack asked, his voice incredulous.
“No,” the Doctor corrected. “She's had the memory removed.”
Jack hefted his gun, opened the door of the TARDIS and stepped out.
“Looks harmless,” he shouted back through the doorway.
Rose came out, followed by the Doctor. They glanced about and neither looked particularly impressed by their surroundings.
The planet they'd landed on was barren, all black rock and no plant life. Several yards ahead of them, the ground gave way and they could hear the roar of waves far, far below them. The sea wasn't visible as there was very little light; the sky was full of green-grey storm clouds through which lightning crackled ominously. Deep thunder rumbled threateningly.
The only break in scenery was a ruin right on the cliff edge. It might have been a tower, or even a small castle once upon a time, but little of it was left now. It leant over the cliff as it was preparing to cast itself into the sea.
“Nice,” remarked Rose, her face a picture of disdain.
“You know what they say: location, location, location,” Jack remarked.
“It has potential,” added the Doctor.
“I feel like we've stepped on to a film set,” said Rose. “This place has every scary movie cliché going. Are you sure we're in the right place?”
The Doctor nodded, walking away from the TARDIS. He looked round again, his eyes intent as he scanned at the landscape. “Oh yeah.”
Rose looked at Jack, who shrugged.
“He's getting vibes,” he told her. Her eyebrows shot up.
“Of course,” she said sarcastically and turned her attention back to the Doctor. By now he'd reached the cliff edge and stood there, staring down. After a moment he turned round and walked back to them. Rose felt a quick flash of relief when he moved from the danger. She frowned at herself.
“Well we could stand here all day,” announced the Doctor. “Or we could actually go in there and find out what the hell's going on here.
“Let's get it over with,” Rose murmured, still trying to shake off her brief moment of fear.
“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “I'm really sold on this place. Even with the sea view.”
The Doctor gave Jack a slight smile. He looked at Rose's face, holding her gaze for a moment. He held out a hand. Rose stared at it, then at him in some confusion.
“Don't you remember this bit?” he asked her softly.
The question hung there. Rose just stared, her thoughts in a whirl. The Doctor's face was unreadable, but she saw something in the blue depths of his eyes. There was a faint golden haze surrounding his hand, the light reaching out to touch her. She blinked and it was gone.
Bemused by what she'd seen, Rose took the Doctor's hand, only half aware of doing of. Her eyes were on his, caught, lost.
“I remember,” she murmured.
The Doctor looked at her for moment longer, then grinned a crooked smile that softened his face. Rose smiled back, unable to stop herself. Yet it suddenly felt... right. And she wasn't sure who or what had changed for that feeling to be there.
“Which hand do I get to hold?” Jack asked then, breaking the moment. The Doctor gave him a pained look while Rose laughed softly and held out her other hand.
Jack grabbed her hand. “Come on then Dorothy, let's follow the yellow brick road.”
They walked towards the ruin. Despite the fact it was almost definitely some form of trap, Rose felt oddly safe. Jack was swinging their hands, whistling cheerfully in a somewhat obvious attempt to lighten the mood. She smiled at him. Then they reached the door; a huge metal thing that was black and streaked with rust.
The Doctor slipped his hand from Rose's and placed it flat on the door. He pushed and it opened, the hinges protesting with a loud squeal that made Rose wince. Beyond the door was darkness. He looked at Jack, then at Rose.
“Once more into the breach?” he said.
Rose rolled her eyes and strode past him. Once inside she stood in the darkness, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. She heard both the Doctor's and Jack's footsteps follow her through the doorway.
They walked through the entrance hall and into a large room, stopping in surprise. The room has massive, with floor to ceiling windows along one wall. The tattered remains of curtains hung at the windows and the faint light filtered through them, casting strange shadows over the wooden floor. In the very centre of the room was a large column, faceted like a crystal. Its base was embedded in a dais of gilded metal, its top lost in the shadows of the ceiling.
Rose looked at the Doctor, but he seemed as bewildered as she felt. She glanced at Jack.
“Well it's interesting,” he said.
“Beats an ice swan,” Rose added.
The Doctor said nothing. He walked towards the column, his sonic screwdriver in one hand.
“Anything?” Jack asked him curiously.
“I-” the Doctor began, then cut himself off as the crystal started to glow softly. He stepped back rather quickly, frowning.
The crystal began to rotate. The faceted glass fractured the light emerging from it, throwing a kaleidoscope of colours around the room that shifted and changed as it spun slowly round.
Rose watched the colours dance across the floor and up the walls, entranced. She lifted a hand and watched the play of colour on her skin.
“Pretty,” she said dreamily.
He tone caught Jack's attention and he looked sharply at her. He saw how she was watching her hand, her features slack and her eyes unfocused. He glanced to the Doctor. The Time Lord was staring at the crystal itself, but he too appeared effected by it. Realising the crystal was having a hypnotic effect, Jack ran to the Doctor, grabbing his arm and shaking him.
“Doctor? Doctor!” he shouted, trying to rouse him to action. Failing to do so just increased Jack's concern. He didn't know why the crystal was hypnotising his friends, but he had a strong feeling that this was the trap the TARDIS had sensed.
Jack ran to Rose. Standing in front of her, he shook her. He got no more response from her than he had the Doctor. However, Rose was smaller and easier to deal with. Jack swept her into his arms and carried her out.
He took her right outside the castle, dumping her on the grass.
“Stay. Here,” he ordered firmly. She blinked at him, seeming very confused.
“Okay,” she said. “What happened?”
“I don't know. But stay here while I get the Doctor.”
Back inside, Jack found the Doctor as he'd left him. He focused on the figure and not the crystal, ignoring the way the shifting colours pulled at his attention. Taking the Doctor's arm, Jack led him out of the room. He came willingly; which surprised Jack. He'd expected more of an argument and felt even more unsettled.
Outside, the thunder was coming more often and louder. Rose sat with her head in her hands. Jack let go of the Doctor and went to her.
“Rose?”
“My head is killing me,” she moaned softly. Then she looked up, a faint frown on her face. “That... means something.”
“Pardon?” Jack asked bemused.
“I think... I've said that before. It's like... deja vu.”
“Deja vu?”
“Yeah.. like I've said that before. I remember... light. I can't remember anything else.”
“Deja vu is a break in time,” Jack said. “I'm sure it'll come back to you in time.”
“What happened?” Rose asked.
“The crystal began to shine this light, all different colours. I think it was hypnotising you and the Doctor. I think we've found our trap.”
Rose nodded, then groaned and put a hand to her head.
Jack patted her on the shoulder and turned to the Doctor. He stood, pain etched on his face and was also holding a hand to his head.
“Headache?” Jack asked him.
“Worse than the one after I regenerated,” he stated.
“Rose is suffering too. I think you need to get into the TARDIS. That light's effected you both somehow. We need to check it out.”
The Doctor dropped his hand and nodded, wincing slightly at that movement. He walked over to Rose. He and Jack helped her to her feet.
“Oh dizzy,” she grumbled.
“If you're going to be sick please do it out here and not in the TARDIS,” the Doctor said, grimacing at the thought.
Rose moaned. “Oh don't mention sick,” she whimpered, paling.
“Easy up on her,” Jack said. He glared at the Doctor, who looked unrepentant.
“It makes a mess of the controls,” he explained.
“Please don't start arguing,” Rose interrupted, her voice pleading. “My head hurts enough as it is.”
“Sorry Rose,” Jack apologised.
The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS door and swung it open. Rose went it, stumbling up the ramp before crashing onto the seat.
Jack followed her, levelling another hard look at the Doctor as he passed him. He went to Rose and helped her up again, half-carrying her to the medical room deeper within the TARDIS. He placed her carefully onto one of the beds.
Sitting on the the other, the Doctor rested back, closing his eyes. Almost immediately, there was a sudden image in his mind of the Earth as seen from space. There was glass in front of him, but the reflection was of Rose. Beyond the glass, the sun exploded as it went supernova. Then the room shifted and the glass was cracking as the sun filter came down.
Rose groaned. The memory of Platform One had come back strongly. She could feel the heat of the sun again and the overwhelming panic she'd felt as the shield around the space station failed. The room went dark and she found herself on a long bridge with... fans spinning rapidly? Rose frowned, she didn't remember where this was. She looked round. That was Jabe, the Tree. The willowy alien suddenly burst into flames.
A scream echoed round the medical room. Rose sat up, her eyes wide and sweat beading her forehead.
“What the hell was that?” she cried.
The Doctor groaned. “Sorry. You started it,” he grumbled.
“I started what?”
“Thinking about Platform One. You were remembering the worse bit. I kinda did the same.”
“I was remembering your memories?”
The disbelief mingling with slightly panic in Rose's voice made the Doctor sit up slowly. He looked at her, frowning a little at the rather disconcerting thought taking shape in his head.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“The link,” Jack said. “The psychic link.”
“The what?”
The Doctor looked at Jack, who was staring back at him in horror.
“She's forgotten?” Jack asked, his voice incredulous.
“No,” the Doctor corrected. “She's had the memory removed.”