Slowly Shining (Book Two of The Creators Saga)

Rise of the Cybermen

The revelation of how the Witches of Oz came to be, the Doctor and Mickey finally agree on something, the Alchemist starts to see double, and Rose goes into protective little sister mode. :)

Enjoy "Rise of the Cybermen!"

***

"And then we had to tell him all about how we got the idea for the munchkins," the Alchemist was explaining to Mickey one day in the TARDIS, starting up a discussion about one of their past adventures.

"Oh, yes, Frank Baum was very interested in hearing all about the witches," the Doctor nodded. "Had to make it up on the spot."

"I was Glinda," Rose recalled.

"And I was Elphaba," the Alchemist nodded. "I still say we should have passed you for Nessarose."

"I'm not brunette, though," Rose pointed out.

The Alchemist shrugged. "You're still my sister."

"So you two were the witches from The Wizard of Oz?" Mickey gaped at them.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor nodded. "They make very good witches. Well, Alice does, could never resist her spells."

The Alchemist blushed. "Shut it."

"And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes!" the Doctor grinned. "Do you remember? The way she looked at you!" he pointed at Rose. "And then she opens her mouth, and fire comes out!"

"I thought I was going to get frazzled!" Rose giggled.

"Yeah," the Doctor laughed. "One minute she's standing there, and the next minute - "

"RAWR!" the three of them finished before laughing.

Mickey nodded, smiling a bit, still trying to catch up from the whole Witches of Oz thing. "Yeah . . . where was that, then? What happened?"

"Some planet a while ago," the Alchemist answered. "An . . . asteroid . . . hang on, what are you doing that for?"

Mickey looked down at the button he was holding down. "Because the Doctor told me to."

The Doctor blinked. "When was that?"

"About half an hour ago."

The Alchemist sighed. "You can let go now."

Mickey did, glaring at the Doctor. "How long's it been since I could've stopped?"

"Ten minutes?" the Doctor guessed, his voice getting higher as the Alchemist folded her arms and gave him what the two companions had deemed "the eyebrow of doom." "Twenty?"

"More like twenty nine," the Alchemist said.

Mickey blinked. "You just forgot me!"

"No, no, no!" the Doctor hurried to say. "I was just . . . I was . . . I was calibrating! I was just - no, I know exactly what I'm doing."

The Alchemist screamed when the time rotor blew, and she dropped to the ground as everything started sparking around her. "Ali!" Mickey gasped, getting to her side.

"What's happened?" Rose asked, seeing the Alchemist was all right with Mickey looking after her.

"The time vortex is gone," the Doctor answered, gawking at the rotor. "That's impossible! It's just gone!" He turned to a scanner and blanched. "Brace yourselves!" he called. "We're going to crash!"

The TARDIS suddenly jerked, sending them all to the floor . . . well, the Doctor and Rose, Mickey and the Alchemist were already down. "Everyone all right?" the Doctor called, straightening. "Alice? Rose? Mickey?"