Chapter 2: Planet of the Dead
Noble home…
Jared and Donna are having fun playing games on the Nintendo Wii, the two are competing against each other in Wii Sports.
"Ha! I beat you!" Jared said, looking at Donna.
"How is that fair?" Donna asked, holding the Wii Remote. "45-30?"
"You weren't swinging hard enough, Donna." Jared said, looking down at his Apple Watch to check the time. "Got to go to work. See ya!"
The fanboy ran out of the house, and he opened a portal to make it to be outside the International Gallery, "Phew, made it."
Bus...
Jared then boarded the bus before Christina, he tapped the card on the panel before taking his seat.
"Hello. I'm so terribly sorry. That card paying device thing. That's a Lobster card, am I right?" Christina asked.
"Oyster card." The driver said.
"Ah. Well, that's the problem, you see. I only use my Oyster when there's an R in the month."
"It's April." The driver said.
"The month after March." Jared said, as the policeman in charge is nearby. "I can't believe Donna didn't see me swing my arm so fast."
"Go, go, go." MacMillan said.
Christina takes off her earrings, "Diamonds. Genuine. Drive."
"Works for me." The driver said.
"No sign of her." A policeman said.
Christina takes her seat. A man in a long brown coat and wearing plimsolls get on board to sit across from the fanboy who's wearing his white/light blue hoodie.
"You're just in time, mate." The driver said, and the man swipes his card and the doors close.
The bus moves off. The man sits next to Christina and offers her a piece of his chocolate egg.
"Hello, I'm the Doctor. Happy Easter." The Doctor said, looking back at Jared. "Jared, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, you know. Been around, was in Chiswick. Checking up on Donna." Jared said, taking out some chocolate chip cookies to eat them. "She's fine, by the way. Played Wii Sports with her. How have you been?"
"Besides us having Christmas dinner together. Nothing much. Wait, did you just say…" The Doctor said. "The funny thing is, I don't often do Easter. I can never find it. It's always at a different time. Although I remember the original. Between the three of us, what really happened was."
"Oh, your scanner thing is working!" Jared said, hearing the beeping.
"Oh. Sorry, hold on to that for me. Actually, go on, have it. Finish it. It's full of sugar and I'm determined to keep these teeth." The Doctor said, handing Jared the chocolate egg. "Is it just you?"
"I've got Yui Kirigaya. Ruby, Jaune." Jared said, as his two friends from Remnant took off their perception filters. "He knows."
"Aww, why couldn't we stay hidden?" Ruby asked, as the Doctor produces a hand-held gizmo which has lit up.
"Ah. Oh, we've got excitation. I'm picking up something very strange." The Doctor said.
"I know the feeling." Christina said.
"So, um, why did you bring us here?" Ruby asked. "On a bus?"
"Because it's the right thing to do." Jared said, sharing the chocolate egg with Ruby. "I love you, Little Red."
"I love you too. What's so significant about this bus?"
"You didn't really say." Jaune said.
"Rhondium particles, that's what I'm looking for. And I bet Jared was tracking them too. This thing detects them. Look, this should to round, that little dish there." The Doctor said.
"Right now, a way out would come in pretty handy. Can you detect me one of those?" Christina asked.
"Why did you want us here?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know." Jared said, placing his hand on top of Ruby's.
"Is it because you missed us?"
"Ah, the little dish is going round." The Doctor said.
"Fascinating." Christina said.
"And round. Whoa." The Doctor said.
"Whoa!" Ruby said, as the device explodes a little. "What's happening?"
The blonde woman in front brushes the sparks off her hair, "Excuse me. Do you mind?"
"Sorry. That was my little dish." The Doctor said.
"Doctor, can you turn it off?" Ruby asked. "I don't know what you're doing."
"What was your name?" The Doctor asked, looking at Christina.
"Christina." Christina said.
"Christina, Jared, hold on tight. Everyone, hold on!" The Doctor said.
"This looks a bit bumpy." Jaune said, as there is a sudden jolt and everyone is thrown around.
"Oh, the voices. The voices. They're screaming." Carmen said.
"What's happening?" Ruby asked, as windows break and sparks fly.
"What's going on?" Nathan asked.
"Jared, what did you get us into?" Jaune asked, as a bright light floods the bus then more jolting.
"Oh, just a place filled with sand." Jared said, smiling.
"Sand? Are we at the beach?" Ruby asked.
Desert…
The bus has stopped. Golden light shines in. The Doctor and Jared goes outside, followed by Christina, Ruby, and Jaune.
"Doesn't look like the beach." Jaune said. "But I think this is the end of the line. For the bus."
"You're right." The Doctor said, looking at the blonde huntsman. "Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little bit further than Brixton."
"Wow." Ruby said, as the orange sands go stretch to the horizon. "Look at all this sand. Ugh, some of it will end up in my hair."
"It'll ruin some of your red highlights too." Jared said.
"Yeah. What can we do out here?" Jaune asked.
"Not much. It's pretty barren. At least there's no Grimm."
"It's impossible. There are three suns. Three of them." Angela said.
"Like when all those planets were up in the sky." Barclay said.
"But it was Earth that moved back then, wasn't it?" Nathan asked.
"Oh, man, we're on another world." Barclay said.
"It's still intact, though. Not as bad as it looks, and the chassis's still holding together. My boss is going to murder me." The driver said, inspecting the bus.
"Can you still drive it?" Angela asked.
"Oh no, no, no. The wheels are stuck. Look at them, they're never going to budge."
"Aww man." Ruby said, pouting. "Worst day to wear black."
"Put on your hood, Ruby." Jared said, putting his white hood up.
Christina gets a pair of sunglasses from her rucksack, "Ready for every emergency."
The Doctor sonics his spectacle lenses black and examines the sand grains, "Me too."
"At least the three of us have hoodies." Jared said. "The hoodie gang!"
"Hoodies?" Christina asked, looking at the trio. "Not a bad idea. And what are your names?"
"I'm the Doctor. This is Jared, Ruby, and Jaune." The Doctor said.
"Name, not rank.��� Christina said.
"The Doctor."
"I love hanging out with you two." Jared said, looking between Ruby and Jaune. "What do you think will happen today?"
"I don't know." Ruby said, kicking her foot back and forth. "It is kinda hot."
"Now I know why you switched your color scheme to white and blue." Jaune said. "It's because you knew we would end up here."
"Not really." Jared said, rubbing the back of his head. "I kinda guessed."
"Meaning you love the heat."
"Funny sort of sand, this. There's a trace of something else." The Doctor said, tasting the sand. "Glah. Not good."
"Why would it taste good?" Ruby asked. "It's sand."
"No, it tastes like. Never mind."
"What is it? What's wrong?" Christina asked.
"Hold on a minute. I saw you, mate. You had that thing, that machine. Did you make this happen?" Barclay asked.
"Oh, humans on buses, always blaming me. Look, look, if you must know, I was tracking a hole in the fabric of reality. Call it a hobby. But it was a tiny little hole. No danger to anyone. Suddenly it gets big, and we drive right through it." The Doctor said.
"But then where is it? There's nothing. There's just sand." The driver said.
"Okay, I'll give you proof." Jared said, taking out a baseball bat and a baseball. "Batter up!"
He tossed the baseball into the air and hit it into a wibbly thing appears both there and the tunnel on Earth.
"We drove through that?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.
"That doesn't look too good." Jaune said.
"And that's?" Christina asked.
"A door. A door in space." The Doctor said.
"So what you're saying is, on the other side of that is home? We can get to London through there?" The driver asked.
"The bus went through the portal with ease, but we can't, we'll..." Jared said, sadly.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" The driver asked, running towards the wibbly thing.
"No, wait! Don't!" Ruby said, looking at the driver.
"I'm going home, mate!"
"Stop!"
The driver enters the wibbly thing and screams. We see him burn briefly and his smoking bones totter out of the tunnel before collapsing.
"He was a skeleton, man. He was bones. Just bones." Barclay said.
"Maybe there's an enemy called the Boneless. Or it could be another Isolus." Jared said, smiling.
"But the bus, it was protecting us." Jaune said, looking at the bus. "All that metal. It was damaged, but we're fine."
"Rather like a Faraday cage?" Christina asked.
"Like in a thunderstorm, yeah? Safest place is inside a car, because the metal conducts the lightning right through. We did it in school." Nathan said.
"But if we can only travel back inside the bus? A Faraday cage needs to be closed. That thing's been ripped wide open." Christina said.
"Well, slightly different dynamics with a wormhole. There's enough metal to make it work, I think. I hope." The Doctor said.
"Then we have to drive five tons of bus, which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands. Correct?" Christina asked.
"It's only nine and a half tons." Jared said, shrugging his shoulders. "God, if only I had an Omnitrix. Then I could just turn into Humongousaur and get us out of here."
"Then we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline. Which starts with appointing a leader." Christina said.
"Yes. At last. Thank you. So." The Doctor said.
"Well, thank goodness you've got me. Everyone do exactly as I say. Inside the bus immediately." Christina said.
"Is it safe in there?" Nathan asked.
"I don't think anything's safe any more, but if it's a choice between baking in there or roasting out here, I'd say baking is slower. Come on. All of you. Right now. And the both of you. The Doctor and Jared." Christina said, as Ruby, Jaune, and the other passengers entered the bus.
"Yes, ma'am." The Doctor said.
"Up. Come on." Christina said, looking at Barclay.
Bus…
"Gah, why is she the leader?" Ruby asked, putting her hand on her chin.
"Tell me about it." Jaune said.
"All she is, is talk, talk, talk."
"I would take the ice queen any day." Jared said, looking at Ruby, then at Jaune. "Man, it's been forever."
"A little over a year. But why is she the leader? When Jaune and I are established leaders." Ruby said, letting out a sigh.
"Point five. The crucial thing is, do not panic. Quite apart from anything else, the smell of sweat inside this thing is reaching atrocious levels. We don't need to add any more. Point six. Team identification. Names. I'm Christina. This man is apparently the Doctor." Christina said, looking at the Doctor.
"Hello." The Doctor said.
"I'm Jared, this is Ruby and Jaune." Jared said, smiling. "They're some of my best friends."
"And you?" Christina asked, looking at Nathan.
"Nathan." Nathan said.
"I'm Barclay." Barclay said.
"Angela. Angela Whittaker." Angela said.
"My name's Louis. Everyone calls me Lou. And this is Carmen." Lou said, nodding to Carmen.
"Excellent. Memorise those names. There might be a test. Point seven. Assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you four." Christina said, looking at the Doctor, Jared, Ruby, and Jaune.
"I thought you were in charge." Ruby said, her eyes widening.
"I am. And a good leader utilises her strength. The Doctor, Ruby, Jaune, and Jared seem to be the brainboxes. So, start boxing."
"Well, um, we've got this wormhole." Ruby said, recalling what happened.
"We were at the wrong place at the wrong time, Little Red." Jared said, frowning.
"I think it was an accident." Jaune said. "Us being here."
"No, it wasn't. That thing, the doorway? Someone made it for a reason." Carmen said.
"How do you know?" The Doctor asked.
"She's got a gift. Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things. We do the lottery twice a week." Lou said.
"You don't look like millionaires." Christina said.
"No, but we win ten pounds. Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift." Lou said.
"Okay, tell me what I'm listening to right now." Jared said, placing his AirPods into his ear and began playing This Life is Mine on his iPhone X. "What song?"
"This Life is Mine. It's what Weiss Schnee is feeling right now." Carmen said, looking at Jared. "She misses you and Ruby. And Blake and Yang too."
Jared then selected another song on his phone, that's from RWBY, it's Armed and Ready.
"Armed and Ready. You love this song a lot." Carmen said. "It's one of the many songs Yang Xiao Long has."
"Okay, you're good." Jared said, pausing the song on his phone. "Really good."
"Low level psychic ability, exacerbated by an alien sun. What can you see, Carmen? Tell me, what's out there?" The Doctor asked.
"Something, something is coming. Riding on the wind, and shining." Carmen said.
"What is it?" Jaune asked.
"Death. Death is coming."
"In 3, 2, 1…" Jared said, placing his hand on top of Ruby's.
"Let me guess, a fight is gonna start." Jaune said.
"Yeah."
"This isn't exactly helping." Christina said.
"You can shut up too. We're not your soldiers." Barclay said.
"That's not doing any good."
"Can they stop fighting?" Ruby asked.
"Will we be bones, like the bus driver?" Nathan asked.
"Stop whimpering, all of you." Christina said.
"Can everyone calm down?!" Jared exclaimed, looking at everyone around the bus. "Before something crazy happens! Thank you."
"Angela, look at me. Angela? Angela? Answer me one question, Angela. That's it. At me, at me. There we go. Angela, just answer me one thing. When you got on this bus, where were you going?" The Doctor asked, comforting Angela.
"Doesn't matter now, does it?" Angela asked.
"Just answer the question." Ruby said, sadly.
"Just home."
"Um, what do you consider home?"
"Me and Mike. And Suzanne. That's my daughter. She's eighteen."
"That's good, you have something worth living for. How about you, Barclay?" Jared asked.
"Don't know. Going round Tina's."
"Ooo, someone's got a girlfriend."
"Not yet."
"That's what I'm talking about, being there for the one you love. Nathan, got something too?"
"Bit strapped for cash. I lost my job last week. I was going to stay in and watch TV." Nathan said.
"Maybe I could find you a job. Unless you know how to do some magic and stuff. It's worth trying out, you know." Jared said, now looking at Carmen and Lou. "How about you two? Got any plans?"
"I was going to cook." Lou said.
"It's his turn tonight. Then I clear up." Carmen said.
"What's for tea?" The Doctor asked.
"Chops. Nice couple of chops and gravy. Nothing special." Lou said.
"Oh, that's special, Lou. That is so special. Chops and gravy, mmm. What about you, Christina?" The Doctor asked.
"I was going so far away." Christina said.
"Far away. Chops and gravy. Watching TV. Mike and Suzanne and poor old Tina."
"Hey." Barclay said, angrily.
"Just think of them. Because that planet out there, all three suns, wormholes and alien sand, that planet is nothing. You hear me? Nothing, compared to all those things waiting for you. Food and home and people. Hold on to that, because we're going to get there. I promise. We're going to get you home." The Doctor said.
TSAB headquarters…
"There's a wormhole in the middle of London." Chrono said. "It should be investigated."
"But London?" Nanoha asked. "Is that our territory?"
"It's more of the Doctor's and Jared's."
"How are we gonna get in contact with them?" Hayate asked.
"He brought the wrong phone." Fate said, trying to get in contact with the fanboy.
"You're kidding." Nanoha said, her eyes widening. "What do we do?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"Where is he?" Hayate asked.
"The last time anyone saw him." Chrono said. "It was Donna Noble. He told her he was going to work."
"Do you mean investigating the wormhole?" Hayate asked.
"Yeah. We can't call Jared. But knowing him, he probably modified Ebb and Flow." Nanoha said. "So it could do our type of magic too!"
"Not just Dust?"
"There's different modes to it now. He showed it off to me one evening."
"Despite knowing us for a couple of months." Fate said.
"True." Hayate said.
"I think we should try and call him again."
"We can't." Nanoha said.
"What kind of phone did he bring on him?��� Fate asked.
Desert…
Nathan and Barclay fetch seats from the bus.
"Here we go." Barclay said.
"That's my boys. See, we lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole, like duckboards, and we reverse into it." The Doctor said.
"Let some air out of the tyres. Just a little bit. It spreads the weight of the bus, gives you more grip against the sand." Christina said.
"Now that's what I call a plan!" Jared said, wearing a music note necklace. "Like, seriously. When did you learn that, Christina?"
"Holidays in the Kalahari."
"Yeah, but those wheels go deep." Jaune said.
"Then Barclay, you start digging." Christina said.
"With what?" Barclay asked.
"With this." Christina said, taking a spade from her rucksack.
The Doctor hands it to Barclay, "Got anything else in there?"
"Try that. It might help with the seats." Christina said, taking out an axe.
"Thanks." Nathan said, grabbing the axe.
"I can't find the keys." Angela said.
"Oh no, buses don't have keys. There's a master switch, then it's one button to start, the other one to stop, yeah?" The Doctor asked.
"Right. Hold on. Oh, I've got it. Here we go. Hold tight. Ding, ding." Angela said, starting the engine.
Graunching sounds come from it so she turns it off.
"Crap." Jared said, pacing back and forth. "And I just upgraded Ebb and Flow too. All these cool new modes."
"Since when were you into magic?" Ruby asked.
"Ever since I joined the Time Space Administration Bureau."
"What's that?" Jaune asked.
The Doctor, Christina, Jared, Ruby, and Jaune look at the smoking engine at the back.
"Oh, the engine is full of sand! That's worse than losing the second floor of the bus." Ruby said.
"You said it, Little Red." Jared said, pacing back and forth. "I've got Yui to back me up. Anyway, does anyone know how to work a car? A mechanic?"
"Me. I did a two week NVQ at the garage. Never finished it, but…" Barclay said.
"You've got something to work on." Jaune said. "Just fix up the air filter."
"Come on team!" Ruby said, taking the lead.
"Let's explore this planet!" Jared said, clutching the music note. "Or desert, whatever this place is."
"Wait a minute. You're the people with all the answers. I'm not letting you lot out of my sight." Christina said, trying to keep up with the Doctor, Jared, Ruby, and Jaune.
The alien watches them walk away from the bus and off into the dunes.
"Why didn't you leave that backpack behind?" Ruby asked.
"Says the one who brought her dog with her in the middle of an abandoned city." Jared said, laughing a lot.
"Where I go, it goes." Christina said.
"A backpack with a spade and an axe. Christina, who's going so far away, and yet scared by the sound of a siren. Who are you?" The Doctor asked.
"You can talk. Let's just say we're two equal mysteries."
"We make quite a couple."
"We don't make any sort of couple, thank you very much. Those two, Ruby and Jared, they make a great couple, just look at them." Christina said, looking over at the two kids eating chocolate chip cookies. "They're snacking on biscuits. Come on then. Tell me. If Carmen's right, if that wormhole's not an accident, then what is it? Has someone done this on purpose?"
"I think we should get away from here." Jared said, tossing another cookie into my mouth. "That's what I think, it's not safe. And I really regret being Ruby and Jaune here."
"And do you think we can?"
"I'm a beacon of hope. And I live off of it, have some faith. We'll get off this planet, I promise."
"That must be nice. It's Christina de Souza. To be precise, Lady Christina de Souza." Christina said.
"So, what's the plan, Jared?" Ruby asked.
"We get off this place. As soon as possible." Jared said, as Ruby is munching on another cookie. "You do know that this is mint chocolate chip."
"That's why it takes like Oreos!" Ruby said, happily. "Like mint Oreos."
"Yup."
"Like?" The Doctor asked.
"Like you're not quite…" Christina said.
"Anyway, come on. Allons-y."
"Oui, mais pas si nous allons vers un cauchemar."
"Oh, we were made for each other."
"More sand." Jaune said, as they crest another dune. "You're right, this is bad."
"Ah, don't like the look of that." The Doctor said, and the horizon is hazy.
"Storm clouds. Must be hundreds of miles away." Christina said.
"But it's getting closer." Jared said, kicking his foot back and forth.
"If that's a sand storm, we'll get ripped to shreds." Christina said.
"It's a storm. Who says it's sand?" The Doctor asked, and the five run away.
They run away.
Bus…
"Closer, and closer, and closer." Carmen said.
"Where is it?" The Doctor asked, looking at Jared.
"I think I brought one of my spares." Jared said, looking at the Doctor. "I left it on the seat I was at with Ruby!"
"You're hardly going to get a signal. We're on another planet." Christina said, watching the Doctor sonic the iPhone X into unlimited roaming. "And what's with the iPhone? It has no home button."
"Oh, just watch me. Right. Now, bit of hush, thank you. Got to remember the number, very important number." The Doctor said, typing away on the phone.
"Hello, Banbanzai?" Tsuruno asked, her voice over the phone.
"And again. Sorry, Tsuruno, not the time for you to deliver Dim Sum to Jared. Ah. seven six, not six seven." The Doctor said, typing away on the smartphone.
"This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Please select one of the following four options. If you want to…" Someone said, on the phone.
"Bah, I hate these things." Ruby said, annoyed. "Voice mail."
"If you keep your finger pressed on zero, you get through to a real person. I saw it on Watchdog." Angela said.
"Thank you, Angela." The Doctor said, still typing away on the smartphone.
"UNIT helpline. Which department would you like?" A woman asked, on the phone.
"Listen, it's the Doctor and Jared. It's us." The Doctor said.
Tunnel - north entrance…
"Captain. Urgent call, ma'am, relayed direct from HQ." Calhoon said, holding a phone.
"Who is it?" Magambo asked.
"It's them, ma'am. It's the Doctor and Jared."
Bus…
"Doctor? Jared?" Magambo asked, on the phone.
Tunnel - north entrance…
"This is Captain Erisa Magambo. Might I say, gentlemen…" Magambo said, saluting.
Bus…
"It's an honour." Magambo said, over the phone.
"Did you just salute?" The Doctor asked.
"She did salute!" Jared said, laughing a lot. "I remember, because I do. And you can't deny it, I hate salutes like the Doctor."
"Erisa, it's about the bus. HQ said you're at the tunnel, yeah?" The Doctor asked.
Tunnel - north entrance…
"And where are the both of you?" Magambo asked.
"We're on the bus, with Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, my friends from Remnant." Jared said, his voice over the phone.
Bus…
"But apart from that, not a clue, except it's very pretty and pretty dangerous." The Doctor said.
"A body came through…" Magambo said, her voice over the phone.
Tunnel - north entrance…
"Here. Have you sustained any more fatalities?" Magambo asked.
Bus…
"Nope, and it's not gonna happen." Jared said, clutching the music note necklace. "Anyway, we're stuck on this planet. I can't do anything above 80 degrees Fahrenheit."
"I haven't got the Tardis, and I need to analyse that wormhole." The Doctor said.
Tunnel - north entrance…
"We have a scientific advisor on site. Doctor Malcolm Taylor." Magambo said.
Mobile HQ…
"But he's just the man you need. He's a genius." Magambo said. "Not Tony Stark, but he's close enough."
"Oh, is he? We'll see about that." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone.
"It's the Doctor and Jared."
"No, I'm all right now, thanks. It was just a bit of a sore throat. Although I've got to be honest, a cup of tea might be nice." Taylor said.
"It's the Doctor and Jared." Magambo said, holding out the mobile phone.
"Do you mean the Doctor Doctor? And the Jared Jared? The one who adapted swords from an android that had lasers built into them, and made them more magical based."
Bus…
"I know. We all want to meet them one day, but…" Magambo said, her voice over the phone.
Mobile HQ…
"We all know what that day will bring." Magambo said.
"Malcolm, can you please shut up about Penny?" Jared asked, his voice over the phone. "Yes, I have her all over me with her swords. I've adapted them for my liking, but we can hear everything you're saying. The Doctor, Ruby, Jaune, and me."
"Hello, Doctor, Jared?" Taylor asked.
Bus…
"Oh, my goodness!" Taylor said, his voice over the phone.
"Yes, we are. Hello, Malcolm." The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ…
"The Doctor and Jared. Cor blimey. I can't believe I'm actually speaking to the both of you. I mean, I've read all the files." Taylor said.
Bus…
"Really? What was your favourite, the giant robot?" The Doctor asked.
"If we're talking multiversal here, was it the runaway train? The Grimm attacking the city of Vale, and Team CFVY being a total badass?" Jared asked, jumping up and down on his seat. "Or was it Team RWBY and I stopping Roman Torchwick who was inside a mech?"
"No, no, hold on. Let's sort out that wormhole. Excuse me." The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ…
"On speakerphone, please. I don't want anyone keeping secrets." Magambo said.
Bus…
"Malcolm, something's not making sense here. We've got a storm and a wormhole, and we can't help thinking there's a connection. I need a complete full range analysis…" The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ...
"Of that wormhole. The whole thing." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone.
"Well, I've probably got the wrong idea, but I've wired up an integrator. I thought it could measure…" Taylor said.
Bus…
"...the energy signature." Taylor said, his voice over the phone.
"Jared." Yui said, her voice coming out of the music note charm on Jared's neck. "That won't work, I think."
"It's quite extraordinary, though."
Mobile HQ…
"I'm measuring an oscillation of fifteen Malcolms per second." Taylor said.
Bus…
"Fifteen what?" Ruby asked. "What is that?"
Mobile HQ…
"Fifteen Malcolms. It's my own little term. A wavelength parcel of ten kilohertz operating in four dimensions equals one Malcolm." Taylor said.
Bus…
"Did you name a unit of measurement after yourself?" Ruby asked.
Mobile HQ…
"Well, it didn't do Mister Watt any harm. Furthermore, one hundred Malcolms equals a Bernard." Taylor said.
"Let me guess…" Jaune said, his voice over the phone.
Bus…
"That is your dad." Jaune said.
Mobile HQ…
"Don't be ridiculous. That's Quatermass." Taylor said.
Bus…
"Okay, we get it, you love coming up with ridiculous names for stuff. Like putting quantum in front of everything." Jared said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "Before Team RWBY ever reunites, which it won't, if we're stuck here. That would be quite an achievement, Malcolm. Congrats!"
Mobile HQ…
"Is there anyone else we can talk to? Like someone from the Time Space Administration Bureau." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone.
"No, no, no, no, but listen. I set the scanner to register what it can't detect and inverted the image." Taylor said.
Bus…
"You did what?" The Doctor asked.
Mobile HQ...
"Is that wrong?" Taylor asked.
Bus...
"No. Malcolm, that's brilliant. So you can actually measure the wormhole. Okay." The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ…
"I admit that is genius." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone.
"The Doctor called me a genius." Taylor said.
"I know. I heard." Magambo said.
Bus…
"Now, run a capacity scan." The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ…
"I need a full report. Call me back when you've done it. And Malcolm?" The Doctor asked, his voice over the phone.
Bus...
"Jared's fired from being it. And now you're my new best friend." The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ…
"And you're mine too, sir." Taylor said.
Bus…
"Jared, I'm keeping this spare. Come on, you, Ruby, and the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza. Jaune, you stay here with them." The Doctor said, holding Jared's spare iPhone X.
"Hey, Spaceman!" Jared said, dragging Ruby with him. "Wait up!"
The Doctor, Christina, Jared, and Ruby leave the bus. Nathan is still patiently trying to dig out the wheels.
Mobile HQ…
"You're, you're mine. They're gone. They're gone." Taylor said.
(Jared's POV)
Desert…
The aliens watch the Doctor, Christina, Jared, and Ruby trudge out to the dunes again to take pictures of the approaching storm.
"That phone has amazing picture quality." Christina said, walking towards Jared. "What year are you from?"
"Oh, you know, the future." Jared said, taking out something from inside his backpack to be a motorcycle with a sidecar, both having hover conversions, he unfolded the vehicle. He hopped on it with Ruby Rose. "Come on Little Red. I know how much you hate walking as much as me."
"Red and Blue." Ruby said, looking at the motorcycle, and she wrapped her hands around Jared's waist. "Who's the sidecar for?"
"Zwei."
"Zwei? Him with us while we drive around the dessert?"
"Yeah. It's not fit for him right now." Jared said, pressing a button for the sidecar to change it to dog mode. There's a comfortable dog bed, along with a water dispenser and a lot of food. "See? Fit for him!"
"Wow! This is the cutest thing I've ever seen! Wait, how come you've never used this when we were, um…"
"Didn't build it yet. I just, uh, never bothered to." Jared said, activating the hover conversion mode on the motorcycle. He pressed another button to push the sidecar back into the motorcycle. "Hey, Spaceman! You done with the pictures?"
"Yeah! I am!" The Doctor said, as Jared drove to him and Christina with Ruby by his side. "Send this back to Earth. See if Malcolm can analyse the storm."
"There's something in those clouds. Something shining. Look." Christina said.
"Like metal. Why would there be metal in a storm?" The Doctor asked.
Bus…
"So fast and strong. They ride the storm. They are the storm." Carmen said.
"But what is it?" Jaune asked.
"They devour."
Desert…
"Did you hear that?" Ruby asked, looking at the chocolate chip cookie dispenser on her right. "No way! You built that in?"
"Yeah." Jared said, as Ruby began snacking on the cookies. "I know how much you love them. They only come out when it detects your Aura, Ruby."
"Just my Aura, huh." Ruby said, and something looks at them with multifaceted eyes.
"Doctor." Christina said, while an alien is standing on the skyline.
Bus…
"There's something new." Carmen said.
(Jared's POV)
Desert...
The alien, a biped with an insect head, chitters and points a weapon.
The Doctor replies in clicks and chitters, "That's wait. I shout wait, people usually wait."
"You speak the language?" Christina asked.
"Oh, he speaks every language." I said, looking at Christina. "The TARDIS, his ship, it translates alien languages all time time in my head."
"It translates everything back to English for us." Ruby said, looking at the alien. "Or, um, whatever your native language is." She then approached the alien and talked to it for a second. "That's begging for mercy."
The alien gestures with its weapon.
"That means move." Christina said.
"Ooo, you're learning." The Doctor said.
"These fly things, they must be responsible. They brought us here." Christina said, as we are taken to a wreck in the desert.
"No, no, no, no, no. Look at the ship. It's a wreck. They crashed, just like us."
Spaceship…
"Brr, this place is freezing!" Ruby said, shivering a bit.
"Mmm. The hull's made of photafine steel. Turns cold when it's hot. Boiling desert outside, freezing ship inside. Since we met you, Christina, we've been through all the extremes." The Doctor said.
"That's how I like things, extreme." Christina said.
"Oh, this is beautiful. Intact, it must have been magnificent. A proper streamlined deep spacer."
"I'll remember that as I'm being slowly tortured. At least I'm bleeding on the floor of a really well designed spaceship."
Two aliens chitter at us. One of them touches a round purple device on his overall.
"Oh, right, good. Yes. Hello. That's a telepathic translator. He can understand us." The Doctor said.
"Still sounds like gibberish to me." Christina said.
"That's what I said. He can understand us. It doesn't work the other way round."
"Which is stupid." I said, pacing back and forth as I translate for the aliens. "Typical alien stuff. You will suffer for your crimes, blah, blah, blah. You have committed an act of violence against the Tritovore race."
"Oh, so these aliens are called Tritovores." Ruby said, smiling.
"Yup. At least they aren't the Incubators. Anyway, you came here in the two hundred to destroy us."
"Sorry, what's the two hundred?" The Doctor asked.
"You idiot, the bus we were on was marked two hundred. That's what they meant."
"Oh. No, look, I think you're making the same mistake Christina did. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this Jared, Ruby, and Christina. The Honourable Lady Christina. At least I hope she's honourable. We got pulled through that wormhole. The two hundred doesn't look like that normally. It's broken, just the same as you." The Doctor said, as the alien lowers his weapon.
"What are they doing?" Christina asked.
"They believe me."
"What, as simple as that?"
"I've got a very honest face. And the translator says I'm telling the truth. Plus the face. Right. So, first things first. There's a very strange storm heading our way. Can you send out a probe?"
"Doctor, they've lost power." I said, walking towards the machine. "Must have been their ship crashing into the sky. Well, I'm bored." I kicked the machine and it comes to life. "It's been a long day and I really needed that. That was for you making Donna earthbound."
"I thank you. Yes, I am. Frequently. Okey doke, let's launch that probe." The Doctor said, as we looked at an image that zooms in to the planet. "The Scorpion Nebula. We're on the other side of the universe. Just what you wanted. So far away. The planet of San Helios."
"And that's us? We're on another world." Christina said.
"Well, um, we have been on another planet for a while." Ruby said, smiling.
"I know, but seeing it like that."
"This is more of Yang's thing, but isn't this cool? Being on another world."
"Wonderful."
"The Tritovores were going to trade with San Helios. Population of one hundred billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb." The Doctor said.
"By waste matter, you mean…" Ruby said, getting a bit uncomfortable.
"They feed off what others leave behind from their behind, if you see what I mean. It's perfectly natural. They are flies."
"Charming. Just remind me never to kiss them." Christina said.
"San Helios City." I said, admiring the view of the city. "Not as awesome as the city of Vale, you don't know it. But it was awesome. Beacon tower, it feels like ages ago."
"That's amazing. But the three of you have seen this sort of thing before, haven't you?" Christina asked.
"Thousands of times." Ruby said, happily. "I'm a huntress back home, and Jared, well, he's a huntsman. Jaune is too by the way. We save people and we see other worlds with the Doctor from time to time."
"That Lordship of yours. The Lord of where, exactly?" Christina asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Of Time. I come from a race of people called Time Lords." The Doctor said.
"You're an alien?"
"Yeah. But you don't have to kiss me either."
"You look human."
"You look Time Lord. Anyway."
"So if that's San Helios, all we need to do is find that city. They can help us." Christina said.
"Um, it's not that simple." I said, letting out a sigh. "We're in the city right now. This is New New York all over again."
"But it's sand. That first image, the temples and things, what's that then, ancient history?" Christina asked.
"Well, uh, that was taken last year." Ruby said, when the alien chitters.
"It became a desert in one year?"
"I said there was something in the sand. The city, the oceans, the mountains, the wildlife, and a hundred billion people turned to sand. All those voices in Carmen's head. She's hearing them die." The Doctor said.
"But I've got sand in my hair. That's dead people. Oh, that's disgusting. Oh." Christina said, annoyed.
"Something destroyed the whole of San Helios."
"Yes, but in my hair."
"Shit." I said, when the phone rings. "It's UNIT."
"Malcolm, tell us the bad news." The Doctor said, putting the phone on speaker mode.
"Oh, you are clever. It is bad news. It's the wormhole, Doctor, Jared. It's getting bigger." Taylor said, his voice over the phone. "We've gone way past one hundred Bernards. I haven't invented a name for that."
"How can it get bigger by itself?" Ruby asked, placing her hand on top of mine.
"Well, that's why I'm phoning. Doctor, you and Jared can work it out, if I know the both of you, gentlemen."
"Doctor, Jared, we estimate the circumference of your invisible wormhole is now four miles heading upwards. I've grounded all flights above London." Magambo said, her voice over the phone. "We can't risk anyone else falling through."
"Nice work, you two. This is as deadly as a Witch's labyrinth!" I said, laughing a little. "Like, it is."
"But I have to know. Does that wormhole constitute a danger to this planet?"
"It's Jaune and Nathan." I said, with Ruby squeezing my hand. "Answer it."
Beep.
"Oh, sorry. Call waiting. Got to go." The Doctor said.
"Okay, what's going on in the bus?" Ruby asked.
"I, I don't know." I said, down at Ruby. "I really don't, Little Red."
"Yeah?" The Doctor asked.
"Doctor, Jared, it's Nathan." Nathan said, his voice over the phone. "We got those duckboard things down, but…"
"It's my fault." Angela said, her voice over the phone.
"No, it's not. Don't say that." Jaune said, his voice over the phone.
"Why, what happened?" Ruby asked.
"We kept on turning the engine, but, we're out of petrol. Used it all up. Even if we can get those wheels out, this bus is never going to move." Nathan said, his voice over the phone.
"What is it, what's wrong? Doctor, Jared, tell us." Christina said.
"You promised you'd get us home. Doctor? Jared?" Nathan asked, his voice over the phone. "Are you still there?"
"Doctor, Jared, tell me. What did he say?"
"The probe has reached the storm!" I said, happily.
"And what's he saying?"
"Well, it's not a storm. It's a lot worse." I said, as there is an image of stingrays flying through the air.
"Oh, a swarm of them. Millions." Ruby said, as I nodded my head.
"Billions. Oh, we've lost the probe. I think it got eaten. Everything on this planet gets eaten." The Doctor said.
"How far away is that swarm?"
"A hundred miles. But at that speed, it'll be here in twenty minutes. No, no, no, they're not just coming for us. They want the wormhole." The Doctor said.
"And they're heading for the Earth." I said, pacing back and forth. "Symphogear and the TSAB will go all out if those things come through. And people will get hurt in the process. We have to reroute the route, we can't let it land in either Earth. Or mine."
"Show the analysis. Incredible. They swarm out of a wormhole, strip the planet bare, then move on to the next world. Start the life cycle all over again."
"So, they make the wormholes?" Christina asked.
"I think they have to." Ruby said, sadly.
"But how? They don't exactly look like technicians. And if the wormhole belongs to them, why are they a hundred miles away?"
"Because they need to be? No, that's bonkers. Hang on. Yes. Oh, do you see? Billions of them, flying in formation, all around the planet. Round and round and round, faster and faster and faster, till they generate a rupture in space. The speed of them, and the numbers, and the size, all of that rips the wormhole into existence."
"Wait, the wormhole is getting bigger." Ruby said.
"That's because they're getting closer, Little Red." I said, frowning.
"But how do they get through? Because that wormhole's a killer. We've seen it." Christina said.
"No, no, no, look. See the exoskeleton." The Doctor said.
"Metal?"
"They've got bones of metal. They eat metal and extrude it into the exoskeleton. So their velocity makes the wormhole, then their body makes it safe. Perfect design."
"Those things are going to turn the entire Earth into a desert. So why exactly are the three of you smiling?"
"Because the Doctor's a trouble magnet." I said, laughing with Ruby.
"And we're Jeopardy friendly." Ruby said.
(Open POV)
Bus…
"Damn." Jaune said, as he and the rest of the occupants hear a noise. "That's not good."
"It sounds like a storm." Nathan said.
"If it rains, we've got water." Angela said.
"No water. All of it dust. But the girl." Carmen said.
"Don't now, sweetheart. What girl?" Lou asked.
"The girl. She will fly."
Spaceship…
"Wait, we're missing something obvious." Ruby said, as she is snacking on some chocolate chip cookies. "We came here through the wormhole."
"You're right, and they didn't." Jared said, looking at the Tritovores. "They wanted to trade with San Helios."
"Therefore, the question is, why did they crash?" Christina asked.
"Ah, good question. What a team. Like they said, why did you crash?" The Doctor asked, while the Tritovores take them to a large hole in the spaceship.
Engine room…
"Oh, yes. Gravity well. Look, goes all the way down to the engine." The Doctor said.
"So, what happened?" Ruby asked. "He says the drive system stalled. And ten miles up, they fell out of the sky."
"But what caused that?"
"I think they don't know what happened." Jared said, snacking on cookies with Ruby.
"Yeah. But wait a minute. That's a crystal nucleus down there, yes? And it looks like it survived the crash. If the crystal's intact? Oh, yes. That's better than diesel." The Doctor said.
"Does that mean we could use the crystal to move the bus?" Ruby asked. "That's so cool…"
"I think so. The spaceship's a write-off, but the two hundred's small enough."
"Wait, how does a crystal drive a bus?"
"In a super clever outer-spacey way. Just trust me. There's the crystal! It's fallen to the bottom of the well. Have you got access shafts? All frozen? Well, maybe I can open them. Ah! Internal comms. Put that on." The Doctor said, handing Christina a bluetooth unit. "You stay here with Jared and Ruby. Keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything happens."
"That's a big fall." Jared said, while Christina and Ruby sit at the edge of the gravity well and looks down as the Doctor runs back through the spaceship.
Spaceship…
"If I can use that sunlight to start the automatic maintenance. Christina? Jared? Ruby? If you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know." The Doctor said.
Engine room…
Christina is buckling on her harness, "Nothing yet."
"What is she doing?" Ruby asked, looking over at Christina.
"She's doing something incredibly stupid!" Jared said, tossing Ruby more chocolate chip cookies. "I know how much you love them."
"Jared…" Ruby said. "We've gone through four packs of Chips Ahoy already. Why can't I have some milk?"
"Because I left it back in Walnut's."
"You left it with Manaka? A bad chef?!"
Spaceship…
"How's that?" The Doctor asked.
Engine room…
Christina is not even looking down the shaft to check, "Nothing."
Spaceship…
"Any result?" The Doctor asked.
Engine room…
Christina has her pulley rigged up, "Not a dickie bird. So let me get this right. You need that crystal? Then consider it done."
Spaceship...
"Why, what do you mean? Christina? Christina!" The Doctor said, angrily.
Engine room…
"The aristocracy survives for a reason. We're ready for anything." Christina said, diving into the shaft just as the Doctor runs in.
"No!" The Doctor said, sonicing Christina's pulley to stop. "Come on. Come on, come on, come on. That's better."
"I decide when I stop, thank you."
"You really are an idiot. I wouldn't let Ruby down there. And she wouldn't let me." Jared said, taking out two cups of coffee with five cream and five sugars. "You're about to hit the area with the lasers. Look, you dummy!"
Lots of energy crackling across the shaft.
"Excellent. So what do I do?" Christina asked.
"Oh, press the big red button!" Ruby said, grabbing a cup of coffee from Jared. "Pumpkin Spice?"
"Peppermint Mocha." Jared said, as the security grid goes out. "Back home for me, Peppermint Mochas are in session."
"Well done." Christina said. "And coffee?"
"They love it. Especially Ruby, she loves a plentiful amount of cream and sugar. Jared loves five creams and one sugar. Now come back up. I can do that." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Oh, don't you wish."
"Slowly."
"Yes, sir." Christina said, continuing down head first.
"Quite the mystery, aren't you? Lady Christina de Souza, carrying a winch in her bag."
"No stranger than you, spaceman."
"We had this friend, once. She called me spaceman, besides Jared of course."
"And was she right? Do you zoom about the place in a rocket?"
"Well, a little blue box. Travels in more than space. It can journey through time, Christina. Oh, the places I've been with Jared. World War One. Creation of the universe. End of the universe. The war between China and Japan. And the Court of King Athelstan in 924 AD." The Doctor said, taking the stolen goblet out of Christina's rucksack. "But I don't remember you being there. So what are you doing with this?"
"Excuse me. A gentleman never goes through a lady's possessions."
"It's the Cup of Athelstan, given to the first King of Britain as a coronation gift from Hywel, King of the Welsh. But it's been held in the International Gallery for two hundred years, which makes you, Lady Christina, a thief."
"I like to think I liberated it." Christina said.
"Wait, don't tell me you need the money." Ruby said. "Oh, I know. We could ask our friends Weiss or Blake for money. To, um, help you out of course. If Jared and I ever see them again."
"Daddy lost everything. Invested his fortune in the Icelandic banks."
"No, no, no, no, no. If you're short of cash, you rob a bank. Stealing this? That's a lifestyle." The Doctor said.
"I take it you disapprove?" Christina asked.
"Well, yeah." Jared said, still sipping on his coffee. "Ooo, Christmas-y. I've been having a friend of mine, Lisbeth, make sure that Ruby sister's weapon still works."
"Except. That little blue box, I stole it from my own people." The Doctor said.
"Good boy. You were right. We're quite a team." Christina said, as there is a roar nearby. "What the blazes was that?"
"We never did find out why the ship crashed. Christina, I think you should come back up."
"Too late. I can see it."
"Careful. Slowly. Have you got an open-vent system?"
"Shit." Jared said, when the Tritovore chitters. "This is bad."
"What does that mean?"
"Okay, you know airplanes? And how their vents are exposed when they're up in the air. Birds could fly into the engines of them.��
Christina is within touching distance of the crystal when she sees a steel stingray through the girders, "One of the creatures."
"Um, did one of them get trapped in the vents? I think it caused the crash of this ship." Ruby said, sipping her coffee. "So good…"
"Christina, get out." Jared said, holding his coffee cup.
"It's not moving. I think it's injured." Christina said.
"No, it's dormant because it's so cold down there, but your body heat is raising the temperature." The Doctor said.
"I tend to have that effect. Almost there."
"Not just the crystal. I need the whole bed, the plate thing."
"I've got it!"
The Doctor sonics the pulley to pull Christina up fast, just as the stingray moves, "Come on, come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on. It's going to eat its way up."
"What do we do?" Ruby asked, while Christina reactivates the security grid on her way past and the stingray gets zapped. ���Ooo, she's good."
Christina returns to the top of the shaft.
"That's it, that's it, that's it. I've got you. I've got you. Isn't she just." The Doctor said, happily.
Spaceship…
"Commander? Mission complete. Now, we've got to get back to the two hundred, all of us. Oh, don't be so daft. A captain can leave his ship, if there's a bus standing by." The Doctor said.
"Busses, the one thing I appreciate in life." Jared said, as there is a loud noise nearby.
"What the hell was that? Is this place safe? It's the creature. It's not dead." Christina said.
"Maybe you didn't hit just one of them. If you hit a swarm?" The Doctor asked.
"Are there more on board?" Ruby asked.
"This ship's built inside a metal sleeve. They can move through the infrastructure, all around us. And those things wake up hungry. Commander, you've got to come with us right now."
"Come back to Earth. We'll find you a home." Christina said.
"And that's the word of a lady. Come on." The Doctor said, while one of the Tritovores goes to a control panel.
"Ruby!" Jared said, tossing his Apple Watch to the huntress and she put it on her wrist. He watched the nanotechnology super suit wrap around Ruby's body. "That should give you some cover."
"Oh no…" Ruby said, when the stingray appears and eats the Tritovore.
The Commander raises his weapon.
Jared has his music note pendant and he looked down at it, "Yui, thanks for being here."
"It's fine." Yui said, and Jared's outfit transformed into protective magic armor. "Are you okay?"
"No, don't." The Doctor said, as the Commander gets eaten too. "There's nothing we can do. Run!"
Bus...
"That storm doesn't look good." Jaune said, looking out of the window. "What is it?"
"Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run." Carmen said.
Mobile HQ...
Malcolm Taylor phones the Doctor and Jared as they are running down a dune, "Doctor? Jared?"
Desert…
"Not now, Malcolm!" The Doctor said, Jared's phone near his ear before hanging up.
"Gah, why is this thing a bit bulky?" Ruby asked, trying to keep up with Jared, the Doctor, and Christina.
By the bus…
"You guys took a while." Jaune said. "What have you been up to?"
"Get inside. Get them sitting down. Now then, let's have a look." The Doctor said, as Jaune led Nathan inside the bus.
"Um, what do we need the crystal for?" Ruby asked. "Is it an alternative to gasoline?"
"He doesn't need the crystal, Little Red." Jared said, placing the crystal inside his backpack. "Might as well turn it into a necklace to give to a friend later."
"Oh, I risked my life for that." Christina said, annoyed.
"No, no. You risked your life for these. The clamps." The Doctor said, as they magnetically attach to the wheels. "One there. One there. One there. And one there."
Bus…
"But what are the clamps for? Do they turn the wheels?" Christina asked.
"Yeah, something like that. I just need to fix this. Have you got a hammer in that bag?" The Doctor asked.
"Funnily enough." Christina said.
"Phone, phone. Press redial." The Doctor said, fixing the rest of the crystal assembly to the steering wheel. "Malcolm, it's us."
Mobile HQ…
"I'm ready." Taylor said.
Bus…
"Ready for what?" Jaune asked. "What are you ready for? Sorry, Jaune Arc. Friend of the Doctor and Jared."
Mobile HQ…
"I don't know. You tell me." Taylor said.
Bus...
"We're going to try to get back." The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ…
"Something is following us." Jaune said, his voice over the phone. "The wormhole has to be closed."
"Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a…" Taylor said.
Bus…
"Counter-oscillation, perchance?" Taylor asked, his voice over the phone.
"Oh, Malcolm, you're…" The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ...
"Brilliant." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone.
"Coming from you, sir, that means the world." Taylor said.
"Doctor, Jared…" Magambo said.
Bus...
"What sort of something?" Magambo asked, her voice over the phone.
Mobile HQ...
"That wormhole is now measuring ten miles and growing. I need to know the exact nature…" Magambo said.
Bus…
"...of the threat." Magambo said, her voice over the phone.
"Sorry, got to go." The Doctor said, ending the call.
"What do we do now?" Jaune asked.
"We wait here." Ruby said, letting out a sigh. "I guess."
"Want to play a game?" Jared asked, taking out his Nintendo Switch, and a magnetic TV from his backpack. "How does Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sound?"
"Mario Kart? At a time like this?" Jaune asked, when Jared attaches the mini TV on a metallic panel of the bus.
"Oh, it's not compatible. Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. I need to weld the two systems together." The Doctor said.
"How do you do that?" Ruby asked, looking at the Doctor.
"I need something non-corrosive. Something malleable. Something ductile. Something gold." The Doctor said.
"Oh no you don't." Christina said, angrily.
"Christina, what is it worth now?"
"Hey, hey, use this." Barclay said, handing the Doctor his wristwatch.
"I said gold." The Doctor said.
"It is gold."
"Oh, they saw you coming. Christina." The Doctor said, as Barclay returns to his seat.
Christina reluctantly takes the Cup from her rucksack, "It's over a thousand years old, worth eighteen million pounds. Promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise." The Doctor said, as he takes the hammer to the Cup.
"I hate you."
"You did not just beat me!" Ruby said, looking at Jared.
"Drifting and stunts is muscle memory." Jared said, moving the joystick on his GameCube controller to the right. "SNES Rainbow Road. Easy."
"I don't know how that was easy." Jaune said.
"It just is."
"Gah, you beat Donna at Wii Sports!" Ruby said, annoyed. "And then you beat me and Jaune at Mario Kart."
"At least I didn't choose Smash." Jared said, smirking.
"This is your driver speaking. Hold on tight." The Doctor said.
"But what for? What's he doing?" Barclay asked.
"Do as he says." Jared said, getting another win in Mario Kart. "Ha! My win streak is still going."
"What are you doing?" Christina asked, looking at the Doctor.
The Doctor fires up the bus, "Come on. That's it. You can do it, you beauty. One last trip."
"Whoa." Ruby said, when the bus rises out of the sand and into the air. "Now I see why you like hoverboards."
"Ah, you are so kidding me." Barclay said.
"We're flying. It's flying." Nathan said.
"He's flying the bus." Lou said.
"It's a miracle." Angela said.
"Anti-gravity clamps. Similar to the hover conversion seen in Back to the Future. Didn't I say? Round we go." The Doctor said.
"Doctor, they're coming." Carmen said, as the swarm is close behind them.
"We're playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And Ruby, we're losing." Jaune said, sadly.
"Do you think this thing will survive the journey back?" Ruby asked.
"Only one way to find out. Next stop." The Doctor said.
"Planet Earth!" Christina, Jared, and Ruby said, at the same time.
The bus dives into the wormhole, closely followed by the swarm.
"That was a clever idea." Jaune said, and everyone else is screaming as it shakes, then comes out of the tunnel and up into the air. "Us being in here."
"It's London!" Barclay said, happily.
"We're back home." Angela said, smiling.
"He did it. He did it!" Nathan said.
"How many wins have you gotten?" Jaune asked.
"Um, seven?" Jared asked.
"Seven? I've only gotten five!" Ruby said, angrily.
"You have to keep up, Ruby."
Mobile HQ…
"Malcolm, close that wormhole." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone.
"Yes, sir. My pleasure, sir." Taylor said.
Bus…
"He's hung up on me." The Doctor said, the iPhone X near his ear.
"Of course he did." Jared said, holding the GameCube controller. "You've hung up on him a lot."
Bus...
"Malcolm!" The Doctor said, annoyed.
Mobile HQ…
"Not now, I'm busy." Taylor said.
Bus…
"He's hung up again." The Doctor said, as he redials. "Malcolm, listen to me."
Mobile HQ…
"It's not working." Taylor said.
Bus...
"I need that signal. We've got billions of those things…" The Doctor said.
Mobile HQ...
"...about to fly through." The Doctor said, his voice over the phone. "Jared is busy playing Mario Kart with Ruby and Jaune. He's keeping them occupied."
"Well, what do I do?" Taylor asked.
Bus…
"God, Spaceman. You made me lose!" Jared said, rubbing his hands on his face. "Just loop it back through the integrator. And increase the signal."
Mobile HQ…
"But by how much?" Taylor asked.
Bus…
"Five hundred Bernards. Do it now!" Jared said, doing another drift in Mario Kart.
Mobile HQ…
"Yes!" Taylor said, when the wormhole collapses at both ends. "Yes!"
Tunnel - north entrance...
"Target at nine o'clock." Magambo said, when a rocket takes down a stingray. "I don't believe it. Guns that work."
Bus...
"Doctor, Jared, it's coming for us." Nathan said.
"Oh no, you don't." Ruby said, sending an energy blast through the repulsor of the nanotech super suit, killing the stingray. "I got another win!"
Tunnel - north entrance…
"Twelve o'clock. Take it out." Magambo said, while the last stingray gets blasted and crashes to the ground in pieces. "Cease fire."
"Cease fire!" Calhoon said.
"Arms down."
(Jared's POV)
Bus…
"Did I say I hated you? I was lying." Christina said, kissing the Doctor.
"Ruby, this was a fun adventure." I said, as the passengers applaud. "I liked it."
"Do not stand forward of this point. Ladies and gentlemen, you have reached your final destination. Welcome home, the mighty two hundred." The Doctor said.
Tunnel - north entrance…
The Doctor lands the bus, and UNIT applauds. The passengers disembark.
"Welcome back. If you could step away from the bus, just to be safe. As fast as you can, thank you. It's standard procedure. We need to screen you and then you'll all be taken to debriefing." Calhoon said.
The Doctor flashes his psychic paper, "We don't count."
"We really don't." I said, holding Ruby's hand. "We're travelers, that's all. And I've got my friends, right here."
"No, but Doctor?" Christina asked.
"With me, thank you." Calhoon said.
"Doctor. Jared." Taylor said.
"You must be Malcolm." The Doctor said.
"Hello, Malcolm." I said, happily.
Taylor hugs the Doctor and me, "Oh. Oh. I love you. I love you. I love you."
"To your station, Doctor Taylor." Magambo said.
"Yes, ma'am. I love you." Taylor said, walking away.
"Doctor, Jared, I salute you whether you like it or not. Now, I take it we're safe from those things?"
"For now, at least." I said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "They'll start again. It's the circle of life, after all."
"Generate a new doorway. It's not their fault, it's their natural life cycle. But I'll see if I can nudge the wormholes on to uninhabited planets. Closer to home, Captain." The Doctor said.
"Oh, Nathan and Barclay." I said, happily. "They're good in times of need. When people are in danger. Nathan's unemployed and Barclay's a mechanic."
"You could do a lot worse. Privates Nathan and Barclay, UNIT's finest."
"I'll see what I can do. And I've got something for you." Magambo said, as the Tardis is being unloaded from a truck.
"Better than a bus, any day. Hello." The Doctor said, walking towards the TARDIS with Ruby, Jaune, and I.
"Found in the gardens of Buckingham Palace."
"Oh, she doesn't mind."
"Right, you got your thing for tea from being around Blake." Jaune said, looking at me. "By spending a lot of time with her."
"Coffee too." Ruby said, laughing a little. "By being around me."
"You're the one who made me like a plentiful amount of cream and sugar!" I said, letting go of Ruby's hand.
"Now, I've got three dead alien stingrays to clear up. I don't suppose any of you fancy helping with the paperwork?" Magambo asked.
"Ugh, no way!" Ruby said.
"Sorry, not happening." Jaune said.
"This isn't my kind of thing." I said, looking at Magambo.
"Not a chance." The Doctor said.
"Till we meet again, Doctor, Jared, and Lancaster." Magambo said, walking away.
"I hope so." The Doctor said.
"Lancaster?" Jaune asked.
"Shit. I left some papers back at UNIT. When the Sontarans were here. Lancaster, that's the ship name between you two, Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc." I said, while Angela phones home. "Man, I really feel like an idiot."
"I said I'm back, Suzanne. I'm home. They didn't even know I was gone." Angela said, walking away.
The Geiger counter registers on Christina.
"That's quite enough of that." Christina said, running to the Doctor, Ruby, Jaune, and I.
"She is not getting away this time." MacMillan said.
"Little blue box, just like you said. Right then. Off we go. Come on, Doctor, Jared, show me the stars." Christina said.
"No, no way." I said, grabbing Ruby's hand again.
���What?"
"No, that's my final answer."
"But I saved both of your lives. And the two of you saved mine."
"Your point being?" I asked, squeezing Ruby's hand.
"We're surrounded by police. I'll go to prison." Christina said.
"Yeah." The Doctor said.
"But Doctor, Ruby, you were right. It's not about the money. I only steal things for the adventure, and today with the four of you. I want more days like this. I want every day to be like this. We're made for each other. And Jared and Ruby are made for each other. Doctor, you said so yourself. The perfect team. Why not?" Christina asked, seeing how quiet the Doctor has been.
"People traveled with the Doctor, and people got to know me. The both of us lost them. We lost them all, I lost my friends, it's a long list. I don't want to lose Ruby, Jaune, and there's two other friends back home." I said, sadly. "My real home, in that home, there's Ren and Nora. Never again. I'm sorry."
"Lady Christina de Souza. Oh, I have waited a long time to say this. I am arresting you on suspicion of theft. You do not have to say anything, etcetera, etcetera. Dennison, take her away." MacMillan said, and Christina leaves in handcuffs.
"Doctor? Jared? You two take care now." Carmen said.
"You too. Chops and gravy, lovely." The Doctor said.
"No, but the both of you be careful. Because your song is ending, Doctor." Carmen said. "And your song is ending too, Jared."
"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.
"Um, what are you talking about?" I asked.
"It is returning. It is returning through the dark. And then, Doctor, Jared? Oh, but then he will knock four times. And there's a lakeside waiting for one of you, after you reunite with someone you lost." Carmen said, walking away.
"What was she talking about?" Jaune asked.
"I don't know." I said, and just as Christina is about to be put into a police car, the Doctor sonics her handcuffs. "A lakeside, could be any lakeside."
"You know what she's talking about, don't you?" Ruby asked, while Christina gets in one side and straight out the other of the police car. "About someone we lost."
"Nope. No one can come back alive. Unless they're Jack of course."
"Oi!" Dennison said, angrily.
"Stop that woman! Stop that woman! Stop her. Don't just stand there, stop her." MacMillan said, while Christina runs onto the bus and shuts the doors. "Open the door. I'll add resisting arrest."
"I'd step back, if I were you." The Doctor said.
"I'm charging you lot too. Aiding and abetting." MacMillan said, looking at the Doctor, Ruby, Jaune, and I.
"Yeah, we'll just step inside this police box and arrest ourselves." Jaune said.
"Out, now." MacMillan said, as Christina starts the bus, and up it goes. "No! Come back!"
"Go on." Angela said.
"We could've been so good together." Christina said.
"Christina, we were." The Doctor said.
Weekly Power Status
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