THE ADVENTURES OF THE DOCTOR'S AMAZING HAND

Chapter Seventeen

Once the escape pod hit the ground, the door opened and Rose stumbled out with John. She looked around while she held him close to her body. She was horrified beyond belief at the sight that met her eyes. The Doctor had mentioned the Toclafane devastating the world but she didn't realize how extensive the damage was until she could see it for herself.

"Oh God, John…look at it," she said, stepping towards what was left of London. "It's hard to believe anyone's alive in there."

John had to agree with that. He ached while he stared at the ruins and silently cursed the Master for what he did to Earth.

Rose forced herself to move towards the city knowing that any moment the Master could send someone to fetch her and John. It took them about an hour before they made it into the city and despite the danger, Rose slowed her pace and took in every crumbling building, every dead tree, every ounce of devastation of the city she used to call home. Her heart raced wondering if any of her friends were still alive. She entertained the idea of going to find them and then decided it would be a waste of time. She needed to find a way to get help and get back to the Valiant so she could help the Doctor and Jack. She moved deeper towards the heart of London and noticed a few humans now and then. All of them looked at her warily. She noticed the dirty clothes they were wearing and realized they must be looking at her clean clothes and body and thinking she was one of the Master's cronies. Anger burned in her mind looking at the hopeless looks on their faces and the pitiful conditions they were living in. She had a thought when she saw a blond haired woman and her child standing in the doorway of a bombed out house. The woman was in her twenties but she looked older than that with her haggard face. The boy with her was about five with dirty blonde hair, thin face and green eyes. Both of them looked like they hadn't had much to eat. Rose put John inside her jacket before she approached them. She smiled warmly at them when they backed up slightly.

"Hi, my name's Rose Tyler. You don't have to be afraid, I'm not with the Master," she said, gently. "He kidnapped me and I escaped but my friends are still his captives. I wanted to know if you've heard about a Martha? She's s'posed to be walking around the world talking about the Doctor."

"Martha Jones?" the woman said.

"I s'pose. I didn't learn her last name. But has Martha been here?" Rose said.

The woman glanced around.

"Come inside, Rose. It's not safe for us to talk out here," she said.

Rose nodded and followed her and the boy into the house.

"Ian, go to your room for the moment," the woman said to her son.

Ian nodded and ran upstairs while the woman took Rose into the kitchen.

"There are spies everywhere searching for Martha," the woman said while she opened a cabinet and took some tea down. "I'm trusting that you're not one of them."

"I'm not, I swear," Rose said.

The woman nodded.

"Name's Angela. That was my son, Ian. I used to have a husband, Thomas, but he…died during the first assault a month ago."

"I'm sorry," Rose said softly.

Angela took a battered teakettle, filled it with water and put it on the burner. After she turned it on, she gestured to an old wooden table and Rose sat down. Angela sat down across from her.

"Martha came here about a month ago, shortly after the attacks," Angela said. "She had just started her mission and we hid her here and gave her shelter and food before she left. In return, she gathered together most of the survivors that live around here and called them into the house to talk about the Doctor."

"What did she say about him?" Rose said intrigued.

"She told us stories about him, adventures she'd had with him and told us about his bravery and selflessness. Told us that he'd been watching over our planet for centuries and defending it against alien invaders. Then when she was finished telling us about the Doctor, she gave us an instruction he gave to her."

"What sort of instruction?" Rose said.

"In eleven months time, at a certain time of day, me and everyone else in the world are supposed to call out the Doctor's name as one," she said.

Rose frowned.

"Why?"

"I don't know, love. Martha didn't know. That's all the Doctor said to her," Angela said.

John listened quietly inside Rose's jacket. He was just as puzzled as Rose was and just as intrigued. He wished the Doctor was with them to fill them in on what his full plan was.

"He said he couldn't send the Toclafane back yet because he needed more time," Rose finally said to Angela. "But…a year…he needs that long?"

Angela shrugged.

"Don't ask me, Rose. Martha just told us to call out the Doctor's name at the correct time and that's what we're going to do."

"You are?" Rose said.

Angela nodded.

"I never used to believe in aliens. But then a few years ago that spaceship crashed into the Thames. You remember, yeah?"

A slight smile crossed Rose's face as she nodded. She glanced over when the kettle whistled. She waited while Angela made their tea and put the cups in front of them. Angela took a sip before continuing.

"Since then, there have been so many strange things that have happened. That robot invasion that happened a year ago and then that weird Christmas star in the sky that started killing people and the hospital that went to the moon. Martha said she was in there when it happened and that's when she met the Doctor for the first time."

Rose wondered about the last two events. She longed to ask for more details but she decided to let Angela speak and tell her what she wanted to say.

"And now this, so yeah, I'm now a firm believer in aliens. And that's why I was able to accept this Doctor. Nice to know that not all aliens are out to get us."

Rose smiled and nodded.

"Has Martha spoken to you as well?" Angela asked. "I've never seen you before."

"Actually, I also traveled with the Doctor. Before Martha did."

Angela leaned forward, an eager expression on her face.

"So you're doing it as well? You're also following the Doctor's instructions and spreading the word?"

Rose thought for a moment.

"Well…he didn't tell me to do that but if it saves the Earth, I'll do anything."

"Well I know she was making her way towards Paris and onto the mainland," Angela said. "It hasn't been that long and she was on foot. You might be able to catch up to her."

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," Rose said, nodding. "Could you tell me the complete instruction though? The Doctor never told me."

Angela repeated what Martha had said to her and both Rose and John committed it to memory. After that, they sipped their tea for awhile and Rose told her about a couple of her adventures with the Doctor while Angela listened spellbound. When she was just about to leave, Angela stopped her.

"Here, love, I have a rucksack you can have and I'll give you some food and clothes. It won't be much but it's a start."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Rose said.

"Just let me fetch it."

Rose nodded. She sat at the table and finished her tea while Angela hurried away.

After saying her goodbyes to Angela and Ian, Rose set out again. She walked for about five miles, keeping to the buildings in case the Toclafane were around. When the sun started to sink into the sky, she found an abandoned warehouse and slipped inside it. She walked to the center of it, away from any windows and sank down to the ground. John wriggled out of her jacket and walked a few feet away from her, looking all around for any signs of life. While he was doing that, he heard soft sobbing and turned to see Rose was crying softly. He walked back to her and she picked him up, holding him close to her body while tears ran down her cheeks.

"Oh John, I never should have left him. What are they doing to him and to Jack right now?" she said.

John patted her chest, trying to soothe her. Rose used her right hand to wipe the tears away from her cheeks. John wriggled out of her grasp, walked in front of her and in the dying of the light turned onto his wrist.

They'll be alright, Rose, you have to believe that, he signed to her.

Rose nodded.

"I know this isn't the first time the Doctor's been tortured but I'm so scared for him. He's so old now and we saw how frail he is and…"

She trailed off, too terrified to say anything. She brought her legs up to her chest while John watched quietly.

"If Martha is on this mission then I want to help her, but I'm nervous about going away from the Valiant. I don't want to come back and find him dead. And…in a way, I'm afraid to help because I know if everything goes back to normal, I go back too. And I know it's selfish to want to stay here with him but damn it, this is what I've been hoping and praying for since we parted and I can't believe that after I finally realize my dream, it's going to be ruined. I don't want to leave him, John. I want to be with him even if it means never seeing mum or dad or Tony again."

Rose sobbed at that and ran her fingers under her nose, wiping away the snot. John tapped her leg and she looked at him.

There might be a way, he signed to her. I don't have an idea yet but there's got to be a way to keep you here. I won't give up if you won't.

Rose sobbed and a tear ran down her cheek. She picked up John and kissed his index finger. She kissed it again and then held him close to her chest.

"I love you, John. I'm glad you came down here with me. If I have to do this for the Doctor, it'll be easier to bear all the hardship if you're here with me."

John patted her chest lovingly. Rose put him down. She put her rucksack under her head, stretched out her legs and lay on her side. John came to her side and lay down and Rose put her hand on top of his back while she stared at the wall. She stayed like that for about an hour before her eyelids grew heavy. She closed them and with a sigh, fell into an exhausted sleep.

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