Doctor Who_ The Stone Rose - Jacqueline Rayner [63]
The Doctor picked it up and started towards her.
She tensed up, suddenly wondering if he would discover her after all – but, just as the Doctor had described, he was interrupted by Gracilis.
Rose couldn’t bear to watch the Doctor’s capture, even though she knew it had a happy ending. She forced herself to look at the moment when he dropped the phial, though. That was important. Now she just had to wait for Gracilis to pick it up…
Gracilis wrung his hands in despair. ‘What do I do? What do I do?’ she heard him mutter to himself. ‘I must find someone who can help.’
The old man walked towards the exit. Any moment now…
Gracilis passed the phial. Rose waited for him to spot it and stop – but he didn’t.
He opened the doors. He walked outside…
Rose felt a swirling, sinking feeling in her stomach, and she didn’t know if it was fear or if history really had just changed and she was about to be erased from existence. If Gracilis had never found the phial…
And then she had an idea. Whether it was sensible or not she hadn’t time to decide – probably it wasn’t. But what she said, hoping that the GENIE was close enough to hear her, was, ‘I wish Gracilis would come back now and find the phial.’
There was a crash of thunder inside her head. And Gracilis walked back through the door. He was shaking his head, frowning as if trying to place something. He looked at the ground. Aha! He picked up the phial of life‐giving liquid and put it in a pouch at his waist.
Rose heaved a very big sigh of relief.
* * *
EIGHTEEN
‘That would be the end of the adventure, then,’ Rose said to the Doctor, as the TARDIS took off again. ‘Everything’s going to happen when it should. Old you’ll get the phial of liquid and bring everyone back and then give the empty phial to me to get filled again to give to you and it all works.’
‘Thank goodness!’ said Vanessa.
She’d been trying to help the Doctor determine the exact time and place to which she should be returned. She turned to Rose, as if it was already goodbye.
‘Thank you – for everything.’
‘That’s all right,’ said Rose. ‘Just – be careful what you wish for in future, OK?’
Vanessa grinned.
The TARDIS landed and Rose opened the doors. Vanessa hurried out, eager to be home. The Doctor and Rose followed her more slowly.
They’d arrived in a small study. The TARDIS stood on a beautiful Persian‐style rug and silk draperies hung across the walls. A screen was showing a documentary. ‘This was the Golden Age of Rome…’ the voiceover was saying.
‘Power’s back, then,’ said the Doctor.
He glanced over to one side. On a desk a faint square mark could just be made out in the light coating of dust – where a cardboard box may once have stood.
‘Father doesn’t like being disturbed robocleaners,’ Vanessa explained, embarrassed.
‘I don’t blame him,’ said the Doctor. ‘And talking of your father… His research is going to be destroyed and so is his laboratory. But his brain will still work. Whatever you do, you mustn’t let him build another GENIE. Fate of the world, Vanessa. Fate – of – the – world.’ He sketched a wave.
‘Er… yeah,’ said Rose, not sure how to follow that. ‘Take care of yourself, OK?’
They went back into the TARDIS, leaving a very worried‐looking girl behind them.
* * *
The TARDIS doors had shut and they were in flight again.
‘The question now,’ said the Doctor, ‘is what we’re going to do with you.’ He was looking at the GENIE. ‘You’re a bit dangerous, you know? Even if all the kinks had been ironed out, no offence.’
The creature looked troubled, and Rose’s heart was suddenly touched. Yeah, it had caused some bother – the whole being‐turned‐to‐stone thing for a start. But that hadn’t been the GENIE’s fault – like the Doctor had said before, it was people who were to blame.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ she said.
‘I’m all ears,’ said the Doctor.
Rose dug him in the ribs. ‘Not so much any more!’
‘Your idea, Miss Tyler?’ he said with a mock frown.
‘Right. Well, I was just thinking about what you said ages ago,