the hourglass (doctor who fan fiction)

The Christmas Invasion pt. 2

Rose put the Doctor back to bed. "Jackie, I'm using the phone line. Is that all right?" Mickey asked from the living room. "Yeah. Keep a count of it. It's midnight. Christmas day." Rose had come into the room. "Any change?" she asked her. "He's worse. Just one heart beating."

A conversation was watched on the television, "Scientists in charge of Britain's mission to Mars have re-established contact with the Guinevere One space probe. They're expecting the first transmission from the planet's surface in the next few minutes."

"Yes, we are. We're, we're back on schedule. We've received the signal from Guinevere One. The Mars landing would seem to be an unqualified success."

"But is it true that you completely lost contact earlier tonight?"

"Something tells me this probe isn't going to reveal something good." Juno whispered.

"Yes, we had a bit of a scare. Guinevere seemed to fall off the scope, but it, it was just a blip. Only disappeared for a few seconds. She is fine now, absolutely fine. We're getting the first pictures transmitted live any minute now. I'd better get back to it, thanks."

Juno walked over to Mickey, who was on his laptop. "Here we go, pilot fish. Scavengers, like the Doctor said. Harmless. They're tiny. But the point is, the little fish swim alongside the big fish." Mickey explained. "You mean like sharks?" Juno asked. "Great big sharks. So, what the Doctor means is, we had them, now we get that." An animation showed a big fish going past the tiny pilot fish. "Something is coming. How close do you think?" Rose asked.

"There's no way of telling, but the pilot fish don't swim far from their daddy."

"So, it's close?"

"Funny sort of rocks." Jackie said from the sofa. "The first photographs-" the news person on the telly began. "Those aren't rocks." Juno stood up.

"This image is being transmitted via mission control, coming live from the depths of space on Christmas morning." The image revealed a red-eyed extra-terrestrial with a head that resembled a goat's skull.

"Rose, Juno. Take a look. I've got access to the military. They're tracking a spaceship. It's big, it's fast, and it's coming this way." Mickey informed. "Coming for what, though? The Doctor?" Rose asked. "I don't know. Maybe it's coming for all of us." Mickey got a clearer image of the aliens. "Have you seen them before?" Mickey questioned.

"No."

"I don't think so."

The alien leader began to speak their language. "I don't understand what they're saying. The Tardis translates alien languages inside my head, inside our heads, all the time, wherever we are." Rose said. "So, why isn't it doing it now?" Mickey asked. "Oh, I don't know. Must be the Doctor. Like he's part of the circuit somehow, and now he's, he's broken." Juno frowned.

"Despite claims of an alien hoax, it's been reported that NATO forces are on red alert. Speaking strictly off the record, government sources are calling this our longest night."

Jackie fell asleep by the Doctor's bedside. "The Doctor wouldn't do this. The old Doctor, the proper Doctor, he'd wake up. He'd save us." Rose shook her head. "Rose, don't give up on him. He just needs time." Juno rubbed her shoulder. "You really love him, don't you?" Mickey asked. Rose turned to Mickey embracing him in a hug.

In UNIT HQ, "They got the message. Here comes the response." The Sycorax leader held out his hand and a blue energy plays over the camera. "What was that? Was that a reply?" Harriet asked. "I don't know. It looked like some sort of energy, or static?" Alex questioned.