Doctor Who Fan Fiction ❯ Rose and Ten The Inbetweens and backstories ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

Rose went out to join the Doctor beside the smelly but salvaged TARDIS, free of the mud mountain at last. Through a yellow-grey cloud of volcanic smoke, the African sun was starting to set behind the shattered peak of Mount Tarsus.

The Doctor had activated the propulsion units of the Valnaxi ship which had lain hidden under the volcano for two thousand years. The warring Valnaxi and Wurms had been propelled into space with no guidance or navigation systems, courtesy of a certain Time Lord.

The sun shining through the smoky pail may have been a beautiful sight - but the Doctor had eyes only for his police box.

`You gonna wash it, then?' Rose wondered. `It's well mucky.'

He considered. `There's an Oulion rocket-wash opening on Titan in 900 years' time. Pretty reasonable rates, as I recall.'

`And what about this place in 900 years' time?' she asked.

Director of Development, Edet Fynn had sacrificed himself to save the Doctor and the anti-golem serum he had created. Fynn's dream had been to feed the people of Africa, using a fungus grown in the lava tubes. His motives may have been honourable, but his ethics were far from ideal, having used dead bodies to grow the fungus. And now, with his work lost to the world would Africa starve?

The Doctor wasn't worried though; he'd seen the future. `Year 3000?' He grinned. `Middle of Africa's third golden age.'

`So it's gonna be goodbye to the Third World, then?'

He nodded. `With a little help from a fourth.' He was referring to the Wurms, who ironically, were preparing to lay waste to the planet.

Rose frowned. `You don't normally like that. I mean, nicking alien technology and stuff -'

`Oh, it's only mud! Anyway, it's always going on - fact of life,' he said dismissively. The mud that the Wurm ship had excreted to use as a landing platform, turned out to be a very effective fertiliser that produced an eightfold increase in crop yields.

`Is it better that the Henry van Stattens of this world get their hands on it every time? Nah, let the little people have a go. Let them grow big, 'cos their dreams are even bigger.'

He looked out at the sunset himself for a while. Then he opened the TARDIS doors and she walked into the welcoming sea-green coolness of the control room. The Doctor banged the doors shut behind them and was soon tugging away at the console's switches and levers.

`What about those two Valnaxi? You're just going to leave them here on Earth?'

`Africa's been their home longer than anywhere else.'

She shivered. `One of them looks like me, though . . .' She and Solomon had been covered in the golden magma form, but instead of being turned into golems, they had been a template, a mould for the Valnaxi to reinvent themselves so that the Wurms wouldn't recognise them.

`Maybe more than just looks,' he said distantly. `When they sifted through you for the template . . .'

`What?'

`Oh, I dunno . . .' He looked pensive for a moment. `They get one chance, that's all. But I think they'll be OK.'

`You hope,' said Rose.

`What's wrong with travelling hopefully?' He gave her a beguiling grin. `I've turned it into an art form . . .' He threw the final switch and the TARDIS heaved itself into the time vortex.

He watched the time rotor pump up and down for a few seconds before speaking again. 'I nearly lost hope back there . . . in the Valnaxi ship.'

Rose walked around the console to hold his hand. 'Why, what happened?'

He turned his head to look into her concerned, hazel eyes. 'The Valnaxi showed me the copies of you and Solomon, all mutated and broken. I thought I'd lost you. I thought you'd be living as a golem for the rest of your life.'

Rose pulled him into a reassuring hug. 'Hey, ya don't get rid of me that easily,' she said light heartedly. 'Don'tcha remember what I said? You're stuck with me mister.'

He gave her his boyish smile. 'Gonna run my fingers through your long blonde hair, squeeze you tighter than a grizzly bear.' He wobbled his leg, threw his head back, and curled his lip. 'Uh-uh-uh, yes-sir-ee, uh, uh. I'm gonna stick like glue. Stick, because I'm stuck on you.'

Rose laughed at his antics. 'Was that supposed to be Elvis?'

'Yep. Released in April 1960 after he came out of the army. It went straight to number one.' He frowned, and then his eyes and mouth went wide. 'Oh! Oh.' He smacked his forehead with his palm. `How could I have missed that?'

'What?' Rose asked worriedly. Had he missed something about the Wurms or the Valnaxi? `What is it?'

'You know the musical mystery tour that we did a few weeks ago.'

Rose looked puzzled. `Yeah, I loved it, what about it?'

`Elvis! We never went to see Elvis.'

`Elvis, the King? Oh wow! You're right, we haven't seen him yet.'

`Well then, let's put that right, cheer us up a bit, eh?'

`Yeah, but not lookin' like this eh?' She held her arms out and looked down at herself. Her once white trainers were now a mucky grey and brown. Her bare legs and arms were scratched and bruised. Her denim skirt and light blue T-shirt were covered in dried mud and Wurm snot.

The Doctor hadn't fared much better. `Okay, first stop, the Medi-bay. Let's get us fixed up.' She took his hand, and they wandered out of the console room. `Then we can hit the showers, get dressed up and head back to the good old U.S of A to see the king.'

`When, what period of his career?' she asked, all excited now.

`1950's, definitely 1950's, that was his hey day, and I know how you like to dress up.'

`Brilliant! I can't wait.'

She walked into the console room two hours later, wearing pink heels, a pink dress, with layers of tulle, a short, blue jacket, and a pink hair band . . . oh, and a broad smile.

`Ooh, look at you, you fifties mod chick you,' the Doctor said, grinning at her, as he prepared the TARDIS for landing in New York.

`And you,' she laughed. `How many gallons of gel did you use to get that mop of hair under control?'

The Doctor looked up at his Teddy boy quiff and smiled at her. `Do you like it?' he asked as he landed the TARDIS.

`Yeah, it suits you. I don't think I've seen you with your hair styled before.' She walked down the ramp towards the doors.

`I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know the.. white flares and the . . . grr, chest hair,' she said as she stepped out of the TARDIS.

`You are kidding, aren't you?' he said, popping his head around the door. `You want to see Elvis; you go for the late fifties, the time before burgers.' He disappeared back inside the TARDIS, Rose had a little laugh.

`When they called him the Pelvis and he still had a waist. What's more, you see him in style,' he carried on from inside.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a motor scooter starting up, and it sounded as though it was coming from inside the TARDIS. Rose looked around in amazement as the Doctor drove a blue scooter out of the TARDIS and pulled up in front of her, wearing a white crash helmet and aviator sunglasses.

`You going my way, doll?' he said in an Elvis voice.

`Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?' she replied in an attempt at an American accent, and putting on a pair of pink sunglasses. `Straight from the fridge, man.'

`Ah, you speak the lingo,' he said in surprise, tossing her a pink crash helmet.

`Oh well, me, mum, Cliff Richard movies . . .' she climbed on the back of the scooter. ` . . . Every Bank Holiday Monday.'

`Ah, Cliff . . . I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan.' He throttled the scooter and they sped off down the road.

`Where we off to?' she shouted in his ear.

`Ed Sullivan TV Studios. Elvis did Hound Dog on one of the shows. There were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it.'

`And that'll be TV studios in, what . . . New York?'

`That's the one.'

At that point, a red London bus drove past the end of the street. They pulled up by a red post box and noticed lots of Union Flag bunting strung between the houses.

Rose looked around and laughed. `Ha! Digging that New York vibe.'

`Well, this could still be New York,' he said, unconvincingly. The TARDIS had done it again. `I mean, this looks very New York to me. Sort of Londony New York, mind.'

`What are all the flags for?'

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

`Right, this is definitely October 28th, 1956?' Rose asked him, leaning on the console, and reading the history of Elvis's second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Yep, and we are in the backstage area of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, 1697 to 1699 Broadway, between West 53rd and West 54th, in the Theatre District in Manhattan. Latitude: 40.7142700, Longitude: -74.0059700.

`Right, shut down the console NOW!' Rose said; she looked up at the time rotor. `Sorry girl, but I want to meet Elvis, and last time we tried, I had my face stolen by some mad woman in the TV.'

The Doctor closed down the console, and held out his hand for her. `No mad, face stealing aliens this time doll, ready to meet the King?' he said in his Elvis voice.

`Right on, daddy-o.' She laughed, took his hand, and skipped down the ramp to the doors.

Outside, the backstage area was a hive of activity, with people wearing headphones, carrying clipboards, and generally looking stressed. In the melee of studio staff, it was easy for them to find their way into the audience.

`Is that Ed Sullivan then?' Rose whispered, as she watched the show. `He seems a bit awkward and uncomfortable in front of the camera.'

`That was part of his appeal . . . a kind of `car crash' television.'

The show progressed, and it was time for Elvis and the Jordanaires to do their stuff.

`You know I can be found, sitting home all alone, if you can't come around, at least please telephone. Don't be cruel to a heart that's true,' he sang, as he started performing 'Don't Be Cruel'.

The Doctor was watching the monitors, and noticed that the cameras were filming Elvis from the waist up; Sullivan had said he would use camera shots to censor his pelvic gyrations.

`I'll be back in a minute,' the Doctor said, and before Rose could say anything, he'd gone.

The Doctor edged his way through the crowd to one of the cameras, which were broadcasting live, and covertly took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. The faint whistling warble was hardly audible above the noise of the audience and the performers, and slowly, on the monitor, Elvis's gyrations became visible.

The Doctor performed the operation on the other cameras, before making his way back to Rose.

`Watcha been up to?' she asked him suspiciously.

He nodded to the monitors. `Just ensuring the King gets the coverage he deserves. Without seeing his controversial movements, he wouldn't have made such an impact on the viewing audience.'

`An' God, can he move,' Rose said, all dreamy eyed.

Elvis performed his second number, `Love Me Tender' before Sullivan came and stood next to him to do a piece to camera. Elvis, buoyed by the success of his performance, was in a playful mood, and kept shaking his leg, which got cheers and squeals from the audience. When Sullivan looked around, Elvis was just standing there, innocently smiling at him.

Later in the show he sang `Love Me', and then an extended version of `Hound Dog', which brought the house down with the raw energy of his performance.

Back in the TARDIS, Rose was still dreamy eyed, as she remembered the show, and how the Doctor had got them backstage with the psychic paper to meet him in person. `Mr Presley, there are a couple of reporters from London, England, who would like to do an interview with you', one of the studio staff had said, knocking on his dressing room door.

`Oh he was so cute,' Rose said to the Doctor, as he adjusted the controls.

`He was certainly a charmer,' the Doctor said, grinning at her. `What was it he said? `You've got to be one of the prettiest reporters I've seen',' he said in his Elvis voice.

`Are you jealous?' she teased. `You are ain'tcha?'

`Hey, just be glad Jack wasn't there,' he teased, and Rose burst into laughter.

`Anyway, if you think he was cute, do you want to see him `smoulder'? His third performance was `sex on legs' apparently.'

`Cor, not 'alf,' she said with a wicked smile.

The Doctor took them back to the Ed Sullivan Theatre on January 6th, 1957, and the TARDIS didn't argue. They knew their way now around the studio, and made their way into the audience again. They started watching the show impatiently, waiting for the King to appear.

Rose wasn't disappointed. Elvis stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha; he was playing Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik, with all stops out, from the make-up over his eyes, the hair falling in his face, to the overwhelmingly sexual cast of his mouth.

He performed a medley of `Hound Dog', `Love Me Tender', and `Heartbreak Hotel', followed by a full version of `Don't Be Cruel'. For a second set later in the show he did `Too Much' and `When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again'. For his last set he sang `Peace in the Valley'.

The Doctor looked at her with raised eyebrows and grinned; she was a fan. Fifty years after this event, Elvis had still got it; he really was a class act.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

The next morning, Rose was humming and singing 'Houndog' in the shower, using her bottle of shower gel as a microphone, and gyrating her hips as she did so. When she went into the kitchen, she was humming 'Love Me Tender'.

`Never let me go. You have made my life complete, and I love you so,' she sang, absent minded, and not really registering how apt the words were.

She took some bread out of the bread bin and put it in the toaster, and reached the marmalade out of the cupboard.

`I'll be yours through all the years . . .' she continued, and a voice joined with hers. ` . . . till the end of time.' She closed the cupboard door, and the Doctor was standing there, grinning at her.

`Gets inside your head, doesn't it?'

`Yeah, I've been hummin' those tunes in the shower, they're great.'

The toaster went `ping', and the slices popped up.

`Breakfast?' she said with a smile, holding up the jar and a knife.

`Mmm, sounds great.'

After an enjoyable breakfast, the Doctor took them on a wild and exciting comet chase, which unfortunately played havoc with the TARDIS navigational systems. While they waited for the systems to reset themselves, the Doctor lifted a floor grating and produced a small-suitcase-sized box.

`Picked this up in the far future,' he explained, as he placed the fold-out snooker set on the floor in the console room. `Retrogaming was really big in the fifty-eighth century.' Rose watched, amazed, as the Doctor opened the case, which, impossibly, unfolded itself to become the entire snooker table, the balls and the cues.

`How does it all fit in that little box?' she asked.

The Doctor just winked at her. `Hard light compression,' was his baffling reply.

`You what?'

`You really don't want to know,' he said as he framed up the balls and handed her a cue. `Ladies first.'

Rose placed the cue ball on the table, and leaned over, resting her chin on the cue to line up the shot. Thwack! The cue ball struck the triangle of coloured balls, and sent them rolling in different directions.

They took it in turns to pot the balls in the designated pockets, teasing each other and exchanging tales of past matches they had played. Rose thought wistfully about evenings with Mickey down the local pub on the estate, where they had enjoyed games of pool.

`Mercury in the side pocket,' announced the Doctor with confidence.

Rose just laughed. `You can't - you can't get near Mercury without goin' through Jupiter.'

The Doctor grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her before approaching the snooker table to take his shot. Holding the cue behind his back - in his best showman style - he took careful aim. Thwack! The cue slid forward and kissed the cue ball, which shot off in the opposite direction, flying away from the ball the Doctor had called.

As Rose watched, open-mouthed, the white ball bounced off one cushion, then another, before heading directly towards the brown `Mercury' ball. It completely missed the yellow ball that represented Jupiter. After a display like that, Rose wasn't surprised when the Mercury ball responded by rolling, ever so gently, into the side pocket that the Doctor had nominated.

`Right - just the Earth, then, and you'll have to concede,' said the Doctor, smiling, and took aim again.

The blue-green ball representing Earth was actually a perfect model of the planet. Rose had held it up to the light and seen all the landmasses marked in miniature.

`If I just hit it round about California . . .' The Doctor leaned over the table and lined up his shot. Click! The Earth ball went spinning into the pocket. `Game over! I thought you were meant to be good at this?'

`I am,' retorted Rose, annoyed. `But where I come from we play snooker with reds and colours, not planets.'

The Doctor grinned his most enthusiastic grin and Rose found it difficult to be cross about losing. She moved to reset the planets on the table. `Best of three?'

The Doctor shook his head. `That's enough rest and relaxation, I reckon.' He flicked a switch on the table and the entire thing folded back in on itself, returning to its suitcase form.

`Why? Are we there yet?' Rose was deliberately whining, like a back-seat child, while grinning at the same time.

`The TARDIS should have had time to recalibrate by now,' the Doctor answered in all seriousness. `So with a bit of luck we'll be landing soon.'

With a sudden burst of energy he was already at the central control console, checking the various readouts and fiddling with switches and levers.

`Where are we going, then?' Rose asked.

`I don't know actually,' the Doctor confessed. `I hooked up your MP3 player to the TARDIS controls and hit Shuffle. We're either going to find ourselves at a totally random destination . . .'

`Or?'

`Or we end up inside Franz Ferdinand!' The Doctor grinned to show he was joking. `Let's find out . . .' And he yanked one of the large levers down, sending the TARDIS towards its next port of call.