Storm: Time Jump

Empty Child

He glanced at Teresa curiously once more before he said to the Doctor: "Look."

He popped up a hologram from his wrist device, showing the Doctor the ship. He explained: "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty."

He looked at the Doctor pointedly as he added firmly: "I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell."

Rose and Teresa walked over as well as told the Doctor impatiently: "I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look, by the way," he added randomly, "nice panels. Threw you the bait-"

"Bait?" Rose repeated incredulously, and Jack sighed.

He explained: "I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk."

He switched his hologram off, as Rose said slowly: "You said it was a war ship."

"They have ambulances in wars." Jack retorted, and Teresa sighed in explanation: "He's a con man."

Rose stared at her and then at Jack indignantly. Jack raised a brow at Teresa, and asked: "Have I conned you before, or well in my future and your past?"

"No. I just knew." Teresa replied vaguely.

He stared at her for a moment, and then he asked: "You're not Time Agents, are you?"

Rose answered snarkily: "Just a couple more freelancers."

"Oh." Jack groaned, and then he scoffed: "Should have known. The way you guys are blending in with the local colour." He gestured at all of them. "I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough," he pointed at Rose, "but U-Boat Captain?" He mocked the Doctor.

The Doctor looked offended, but glanced down sheepishly anyways at his outfit. Jack added: "And this one in her dressing gown?"

He nodded at Teresa, and then paused. "Not that I'm really complaining about the view." He added, and Teresa rolled her eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and raised her brows at Jack, and he quickly went on: "Anyway, whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship."

Rose glanced around and she asked quietly: "What is happening here, Doctor?"

Teresa also looked around uncomfortably as the Doctor explained bluntly: "Human DNA is being rewritten... by an idiot."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, and the Doctor answered thoughtfully: "I don't know. Some kind of virus converting human beings into these things. But why?"

He glanced at Teresa briefly as he wondered aloud: "What's the point?"

Teresa shifted uncomfortably, knowing she couldn't actually respond. The Doctor watched her for a moment before he turned away and began pacing a little in deep thought. Rose continued to look around, while Jack watched them curiously. He'd noticed the look the Doctor had given Teresa and the way she seemed both certain and uncertain as she glanced around the room.

He also hadn't missed the lack of surprise on the girl's face, even though she'd clearly never seen these people before from the way her face had paled when she saw the patients. She'd said she was a time traveller but he couldn't see any device and it was odd that she'd choose to arrive in her pajamas, clearly just having woken up.

They were all broken from their thoughts as all the patients in the room abruptly sat up and began to call: "Mummy. Mummy. Mummy? Mummy?"

The group all slowly backed away, forming a tight circle facing the patients, as Rose asked fearfully: "What's happening?"