Doctor Who Series 6

The Impossible Astronaut Part 1

Author's Note: I have written up some of the back story for my character, so now she is more developed. I will update this story every time I finish a chapter. Hopefully that'll be every week because of the BBC 3 repeats. Remember, if you haven't read my profile, each episode will be split into 2 chapters, making 26 chapters in total. The 2011 Christmas Special will be a separate story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

A loud beeping noise entered my ears, which was the sound of my alarm clock. I sat up and shut it off quickly, before glancing at the time. It was half past seven, which wasn't too bad. I quickly got up and dressed.

My name is Emilie Brooke; spelt the French way, pronounced the English way. I am a companion of the Doctor, but in his future, not the recent one. I am 17 years old and for the past six months I have been living with Sarah Jane Smith. My cover story is that I'm a lodger, but Sarah Jane knows that I'm a future companion.

I made myself some breakfast. I was just about to start when Sarah Jane came in.

"Morning, Emilie." She said.

"Morning, Sarah Jane." I replied.

She sat down at the table and started reading the paper. I've been noticing in history books that there seem to be extras parts of pages that mention the Doctor, whereas they didn't a few weeks ago. In the 'myths', he's been doing some stupid things, but mostly, they talk of the more serious things. I go to the library every week to see if any more books have been rewritten by time.

My thoughts were interrupted as there was a knock on the door. I went up to open it, thinking it would be Rani or Clyde. I opened the door, but it was just the postman.

"Excuse me, but are you Emilie Brooke?" he asked.

"Who wants to know?" I countered.

"I have a letter for you." He said.

He gave me a blue letter and went off. I closed the door and went back into the living room.

"Who was that?" Sarah Jane asked.

"The postman – I got a letter." I explained, ripping the letter open and looking at what was inside; a piece of card with a date, a time and a map reference.

"It's an invitation, but I don't know where that map reference leads to." I said, giving the letter to Sarah Jane. She glanced at it before getting up.

"Mr Smith will tell you." She said.

We both went upstairs to the top floor.

"Mr Smith, I need you." Sarah Jane said. The computer immediately opened up.

"What can I do for you, Sarah Jane?"

"Try and find where this map reference leads." I asked, sliding the letter into his scanner. A few minutes passed and he came up with a map.

"The map reference leads to Lake Silencio, Utah." He explained.

So, he's leading me to the middle of nowhere...again, I thought.

I took the letter out of the scanner and read it through again.

"The invitation is for 22nd of April, 2011, at 4:30." I said out loud.

"Em, do you know whom that's from?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Sarah Jane... TARDIS blue." I said, holding up the envelope and her face became understanding.

"I should have known. Who else wouldn't sign a letter?" she said.

"I'd best get packing. The 22nd is tomorrow." I said.

"I'll help you pack." She offered.

"Thanks."

-X-

So now, I was on a plane heading to Salt Lake City. I would have to find a way to Lake Silencio, somehow. I was more focused on the people in front of me; Amy Pond and Rory Williams. They were talking quietly, and I assumed that their conversation was about the Doctor. I also caught a glimpse of a blue letter; this wasn't surprising.

"Excuse me?" I said. They both turned towards me, startled.

"What do you want?" Amy asked sharply.

"That letter of yours...who is it from?" I asked back, leaning forward a bit.

"Why does that matter?" Amy said, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. In response I held up the letter, and watched as their faces took on a shocked look.

Rory was the first to speak.

"So, you got a letter too. But we don't know you." He said.

"I am a companion of the Doctor, but in his future. Mind you, if he's sent out letters, then he must be the one I know." I explained.

"That...makes sense. But what's your name?" Amy asked.

"Emilie Brooke – spelt the French way, but pronounced the normal way." I replied.

"I assume you know who we are." Amy inquired.

"Of course I do; Amy and Rory Pond." I replied.

I smiled a little as Rory muttered, "Williams" under his breath.

For about ten minutes, we were just talking about the Doctor and what he had been up to. Amy had noticed how he had been popping up in history, and how she thought he was up to something.

"I mean, it's like he's trying to get our attention." Amy said to me. I agreed, because he seemed to be more active than normal.

We didn't talk much after that, because we thought it would be better to talk once we were reunited with the Doctor. Eventually, we touched down at Salt Lake City. We managed to find a bus driver willing to take us near to Lake Silencio. Then, it was Rory who started conversation with me again.

"So, Emilie, if you were dropped off by the Doctor last October, and you're only 17, who have you been staying with?" he asked.

"I've staying with Sarah Jane Smith. She was a companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors, but was dropped off because the Doctor had a summons from his people. Then she was reunited with him years later, but only by coincidence. Since then, she has been working as a journalist, but fights aliens on her spare time." I explained.

Rory frowned a little.

"Who helps her?"

"Her son, Luke, use to, but he's gone to college. These days it is Clyde and Rani. They still go to school, but they often visit Sarah Jane."

Amy turned around and looked at me.

"I assume you help her a bit as well."

"Sometimes." I replied.

She looked at my eyes, and I knew she was intrigued by them. Grey isn't a common eye colour.

"Yeah, my eyes are grey. Get used to it." I said.

"No need to get at me then!" she replied, her Scottish accent becoming stronger. I made a face at her and she laughed.

Soon, we were dropped off.

"Thanks."Amy said.

"You're welcome." Replied the bus driver, before driving off.

I hitched up my backpack a little and looked out at the desert. I was glad I was only wearing my slightly baggy blue T-Shirt and dark blue jeans.

"So, this is it, yeah?" Amy asked.

"Uh, nowhere, middle of? Yeah, this is definitely it." Replied Rory.

"Howdy!"

We spun around at the voice to see the Doctor...wearing a Stetson.

"Doctor." Amy exclaimed.

"HA! It's the Ponds!" he cried, leaping up to embrace Amy and Rory as we rushed over to him.

"Pond One and Pond Two! Hello!" he said, hugging Amy.

"Did you see me?" he asked Amy.

"Of course!"

"Stalker!"

"Flirt!"

"Husband!" Rory jumped in.

"And Rory the Roman!" the Doctor exclaimed, hugging Rory and pinching his cheeks. Amy laughed.

"And Emilie!" he cried.

I was pulled into a hug and had my brown hair ruffled.

"Don't ruffle my hair, Doctor!" I protested.

"You do it to me sometimes." The Doctor retorted.

I made a face, and Amy laughed.

"Doctor, how do you know her?"Rory asked.

"Oh, she's a friend I met." The Doctor replied.

"Why are you wearing that?" I asked him, pointing at the Stetson.

"We're in America." He stated.

"Nice hat, though." Rory pointed out.

"I wear a Stetson now; Stetsons are cool." He said.

The next second there was a gunshot and the hat flew off. Of course, I knew only one person who shot hats.

"River." The Doctor said, turning around.

"Hello, Sweetie."

-X-

We were now at a cafe, having been driven there. Me, Amy and Rory were getting drinks, whilst River and the Doctor talked. As I ordered my drink, I heard them start talking about their diaries.

"Well then, let's see...have we got Easter Island yet?" asked River.

"I'll have a look...yes, I've got Easter Island!"

"They worshipped you there."

"Well, who doesn't love a bow tie?"

Oh my god, I thought, rolling my eyes. It seems someone had bad taste.

"Have you seen the statues?"

"Jim the Fish!"

"Oh, Jim the Fish, how is he?"

"He's still building his dam."

The Doctor and River laughed as me, Amy and Rory sat down. I was sat between River and Rory, whilst Amy sat next to the Doctor.

"Uh, what are you two doing?" asked Rory.

"They're both time travellers and they never meet in the right order. They're syncing their diaries." Amy explained.

"It's an awkward romance." I added.

"Oh, shut up, Emilie." The Doctor said, though he had laughter in his eyes – along with something else.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a present for you." He added, reaching into his pocket and taking out a nice, brown leather diary, with my name engraved on top.

"Happy Birthday." He said, as I opened it.

"Thanks, Doctor." I said.

"Today's your birthday?" Rory asked.

"No, my birthday was 2 days ago." I replied.

Amy nodded, and turned to the Doctor.

"So, what's happening then? You've been up to something." She said.

The Doctor sighed a little, and that look in his eyes I saw earlier increased. I realised it was guilt.

"I've been running, faster than I've ever run...and I've been running my whole life. Now it's time for me to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me." The Doctor said seriously.

"Okay, we're here, what's up?"

"A picnic, and then a trip; somewhere different, somewhere brand new." He said.

"Where?"

He smiled.

"Space...1969."

-X-

I was writing a little in my diary. It hadn't been a big picnic, and there was only the centre plate left. The adults were all about to drink wine.

"Napoleon gave me this bottle. Well, I say gave...threw, more like." The Doctor said.

"Salut!"

"Salut!" they all said.

"So when are we going to 1969?" asked Rory.

"Yeah, and since when do you drink wine?" asked Amy.

"I'm 1103; I must have drunk it sometime." The Doctor replied, drinking the wine and immediately spitting it out.

"You are disgusting sometimes." I told him.

"Ugh, I thought it would taste more like the gums." The Doctor pointed out.

"Add that to your list." I said.

"Of what?"

"The number of things you've spat out." I replied.

"1103? You were 908 the last time we saw you." Amy stated.

"And you've put on a couple of pounds; I wasn't going to mention it." The Doctor replied.

Amy looked up for a moment, and frowned. At the same time, I felt as if there was someone watching us.

"Who's that?" she muttered.

"Who?" Rory asked.

Amy blinked and looked at him, puzzled.

"Sorry, what?" she asked him.

"You said you saw someone."

"Uh, no I didn't." She said.

"Ah, the moon, look at it. Of course you lot did a lot more than look, didn't you? Great, big silvery thing in the sky, you could resist it; quite right." The Doctor said, diverting our attention towards the sky.

"The moon landing was in '69...is that where we're going?" asked Rory, shocked etched on his face.

"The Doctor said space 1969 earlier. Don't you ever listen?" I cried.

"A lot more happened in 1969 than anyone remembers, Emilie. Human beings – I thought I'd never get done saving you." The Doctor murmured.

A noise made us look up. A truck stopped at the top of the dune and a man came out. He raised his hand and I watched as the Doctor raised his.

"Who's that? What's going on?" I asked the Doctor.

"Oh my god!" River said. We turned around to see an astronaut.

It was an Apollo astronaut, standing in the lake.

"You all need to stay back. Whatever happens now, you do not interfere...clear?" he said. We all nodded, and the Doctor started heading towards the astronaut.

"That's an astronaut – an Apollo astronaut in the lake." Rory exclaimed.

"Look." Amy interrupted.

The Doctor reached the astronaut. I watched as for a few minutes, they conversed. Then the Doctor bowed his head.

"What's he doing?" asked Amy, as the astronaut raised its hand.

Any further questions didn't come, as a blast of blue energy shot of the hand and hit the Doctor, sending him flying back.

"NO!" Amy screamed, and started running towards him. Instantly, I, along with River and Rory, ran forward to hold her back.

"Amy, you have to stay back!" River yelled.

"NO! DOCTOR!"

"It's not safe!" I said. I watched in horror as another blast hit the Doctor.

"The Doctor said stay back! You have to stay back!" River said as Amy struggled against our hold.

The Doctor fell to his knees, and I saw regeneration energy starting to flow from his hands. He turned towards us, as though he was saying something. I had to restrain myself from running to him. The golden energy started to pour from his head, and he was about to regenerate when-

BANG!

A final blast hit him in the chest and he collapsed to the ground.

"NO!" I cried.

"Doctor, please!"

We all ran towards him as the astronaut started to return to the lake. Amy knelt beside him as soon as we got there. River got out her scanner and ran it over the Doctor's body. A flat line confirmed my fears.

The Doctor was dead.

"River...RIVER!" Amy wailed desperately, not wanting to believe it.

River stood up and started firing at the astronaut, until at the fifth shot she stopped.

"Of course not." I heard her murmur.

I felt sadness well up inside, but I was too confused to notice. The way he had spoken, and acted...it was almost as if this was planned.

Also, this was the Doctor; it surely couldn't be as simple as him dying and that was that - a nagging feeling told me that there was more to this, that something wasn't right.

And then I looked up.

I saw a figure in the distance. I could just see a red top from where I was. Then the person turned around and ran off.

"River...do you think he planned this?" I asked River in a whisper. She gave me a look and I knew I was right. But why would he do that?

"River, he can't be dead. This is impossible." Amy sobbed. I went over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. River knelt down and gazed sadly at the Doctor.

"Whatever that was, it killed him in the middle of his regeneration cycle. His body was already dead. He didn't make it to the next one." She explained.

"Maybe he's a clone, or a duplicate, or something." Amy said.

"I believe I can save you some time."

We all looked up as the old man from earlier came towards us, with a red canister in his hands.

"That most certainly is the Doctor, and he is most certainly dead."

Yes, but the question is, who killed him?

"He said you'd need this." The man said, putting down his canister. Rory's eyes widened in realisation.

"Gasoline." He said.

River stared at it for a moment, before turning back to us.

"A Time Lord's body is a miracle – even a dead one. There are whole empires out there who would rip this world apart for just one cell. We can't leave him here, or anywhere."

I knew what she was saying. Amy cradled the Doctor's head.

"Wake up. Come on, wake up you stupid, bloody idiot!"

More tears spilled over and she looked up at Rory.

"What do we do, Rory?"

"We're his friends. We do what the Doctor's friends always do; as we're told." River stated firmly, picking up the gasoline canister.

"Look, there's a boat." Rory said. My eyes wandered to where he was pointing. Indeed, there was a boat there.

"If we're going to do this...let's do this properly."

-X-

The Doctor's body floated away, consumed by flames. The sun was setting and the sky was red. Me, Amy, River and the old man were all standing and watching. Rory turned away from the shore and went towards Amy.

"Who are you? Why did you come?" River asked the man.

"Same reason as you." He replied, taking a blue letter. River reached into her pocket and brought out her letter.

"Dr Song, Amy, Rory, Emilie. I'm Canton Everett Delaware the Third. Now, I won't be seeing you again, but, you'll be seeing me." He told us.

Then he adjusted his cap and walked off, taking the empty canister with him. River stared after him, before she glanced at the letter.

"Five." She said. Rory frowned in confusion.

"Sorry, what?"

"The Doctor numbered the envelopes." River explained.

When we got back to the cafe, River started talking to me and Rory. Amy was too distressed to answer.

"I got 2, Emilie got 3, you and Amy got 4 and Mr Delaware was 5." River said.

"So?"

"So, where's 1?" River questioned.

"You think he invited someone else?" Rory said in disbelief.

"Of course he did. He planned all this, to the last detail." River replied.

"Think about it, Rory. Didn't you notice how he was acting, well, not himself - as though he were hiding something?" I asked him.

"I did a bit, yeah." Rory admitted.

"Will you three shut up, it doesn't matter." Amy said.

"He was up to something." River said, ignoring Amy.

"He's dead."

"Space, 1969, what did he mean?" River continued.

I turned around as Amy looked up and glared.

"You're still talking, but it doesn't matter." She said.

"Hey, it mattered to him." Rory protested.

"So it matters to us." River finished.

"He's dead."

"But he still needs us. I know, Amy, I know. But right now we have to focus."

While all this was going on, I turned my attention to the surrounding tables. Then I noticed something; a TARDIS blue letter, with the number 1 on it.

"Rory...!" I said, tapping his arm to get his attention. When he turned round, I pointed towards the letter.

"Guys, look." He said. Amy and River stopped talking and followed Rory's gaze.

River immediately went over to it, whilst Rory walked over to the counter.

"Excuse me, who was sitting over there?" he asked.

"Some weird guy." The guy behind the counter replied.

"The Doctor knew he was going to his death. When you know it's the end, who do you call?" River asked us.

"Uh, your friends, people you trust." Rory suggested.

"Number one; who did the Doctor trust the most?" River said, holding up the envelope.

The door behind her opened and we all looked up to see the Doctor come in.

The Doctor!

He looked up and grinned. I saw surprise in his eyes, which made me wonder if the Doctor had invited his younger self - which would be absurd, but likely.

"This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold." River started.

"Or hello, as people used to say." The Doctor replied.

"Doctor?" Amy asked in confusion.

"I just popped out to get my special straw. It adds more fizz." He continued.

Amy approached him warily, and walked around him a little.

"You're okay. How can you be okay?" she asked.

"Hey of course I'm okay, I'm the king of okay." He said, hugging her. Then he grimaced.

"Actually, that's a rubbish title, forget that title. Now Rory the Roman, that's a good title. Hello Rory." He greeted, hugging Rory, who sent a confused look over to River.

Then the Doctor turned to me, and suspicion clouded his face.

"Who are you?"

I heard Amy gasp, and I knew that this definitely was a younger version of the Doctor.

"My name is Emilie Brooke. I'm a friend of Sarah Jane Smith." I replied. The Doctor relaxed a little.

"That's okay, then." He said, before turning to River.

"Doctor River Song; my bad, bad girl, what have you got for me this time?"

SLAP!

The force of the slap jerked the Doctor's head sideways, and I winced.

"Okay, I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet." he said.

"Yes, it is."

"Good, looking forward to it."

"I don't understand...how can you be here?" Rory asked him, prodding the Doctor's chest.

"I was invited. A date, a time, a map reference – same as you lot, actually, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence." The Doctor replied.

"River, what's going on?" Amy asked.

"Amy, ask him what age he is." River ordered.

"That's a bit personal." I heard the Doctor say.

"Tell her! Tell her what age you are!" River demanded.

"909."

Amy started.

"But you said-!"

"So where does that leave us, eh? Jim the Fish – have we done Jim the Fish yet?" River asked the Doctor, interrupting Amy.

"Who's 'Jim the Fish'?" the Doctor asked in amusement.

"I don't understand." Amy said.

"Yeah, you do." Rory countered.

"I don't; what are we all doing here?" the Doctor demanded. We all exchanged glances before River answered.

"We've been recruited. Something to do with space, 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware the Third." She said, whilst the Doctor paced.

"Recruited by who?"

"Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the universe." River replied.

"And who is that?" asked the Doctor.

River gave him a sad smile.

"Spoilers."

-X-

On board the TARDIS, the Doctor started fiddling with the console.

"1969, now that's an easy. It's funny how some years are easy. Now, 1482, full of glitches." He said. Amy said nothing and went down to the area underneath the console.

"Now then, Canton Everett Delaware the III, how many of those can there be? Well, three, I suppose." The Doctor continued. River rolled her eyes and followed Amy.

Me and Rory hovered near the top of the stairs, whilst the Doctor tapped something and glanced at his scanner, before turning to us.

"Rory...is everyone cross with me for some reason?" he asked.

"I'll find out." Rory offered, going downstairs with me following him.

When we got down there, Amy was sat down and talking with River.

"Explain it again?"

"The Doctor we saw on the beach is a future version; nearly 200 years older than the one up there." River explained in a hushed tone.

"So, it is still gonna happen? He's still gonna die?" Amy asked in shock.

"We're all going to do that, Amy." River replied.

"We're not all going to arrange our own wake and invite ourselves. So, the Doctor, knowing he's going to die, recruits his younger self and all of us to...to what, exactly? Avenge him?" Rory inquired.

"Mm-mm, avenging is not his style." River said.

"Save him?" Amy added.

"Nah, that's not his style either, though." Rory figured.

"Maybe we'll find out." I suggested.

"Even so, we have to tell him." Amy said, getting up.

"We can't. We've told him all we can; we can't even tell him we've seen his future self. He's interacted with his own past – it could rip a hole in the universe." River warned.

"Except he's done it before." Amy retorted.

"And, in fairness, the universe did blow up." Rory pointed out.

"But he'd want to know." Amy protested.

"Would he? Would anyone?" River asked.

I heard footsteps and I looked over my shoulder to see the Doctor's head peer underneath the console.

"I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around looking impressed. What's the point in having you all?!" He demanded, before jumping back up.

"Hey, that's not fair - especially when half the time you act like an idiot and don't impress anyone." I retorted back.

"Couldn't you just slap him sometimes?" River growled in frustration.

"River, we can't just let him die. We have to stop it. How can you be okay with this?" Amy asked in disbelief.

"The Doctor's death doesn't frighten me, nor does my own. There's a far worse day coming for me." River replied darkly.

When we were all back up with the Doctor, he started talking again.

"Time isn't a straight line. It's all bumpy-wumpy – there's loads of boring stuff like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays – big, temporal dipping points where anything's possible. The TARDIS can't resist them, she's like a moth to a flame – she loves a party so I give her 1969 and NASA because that's space in the 60's – and Canton Everett Delaware the III and this is where she's pointing." The Doctor explained, pointing at the date on the scanner.

"Washington DC, April 8th, 1969, so why haven't we landed?" Amy asked him.

"Because that's not where we're going." The Doctor replied.

"Oh, where are we going?" Rory asked.

"Home – well, you two are, off you pop and make babies, and you Dr Song, back to prison. Emilie, I'll drop you off at Sarah Jane's, and me; I'm late for a bi-plane lesson in 1911, or it could be knitting – bi-planes or knitting, one or the other." He drawled, sitting down in a chair and rubbing his forehead.

We all went over to him.

"You know, you're a terrible liar." I said. He looked up at me.

"Why would I lie?"

"Because you think we know more." I pointed out.

"A mysterious summons and you think I'm just going to go." He said. He looked at each of us in turn.

"Who sent those messages?"

When we didn't answer, he frowned.

"I know you know, I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me; don't ever think you're capable of that." He told us.

"You're going to have to trust us this time."

"Trust you? Sure- but first of all, Doctor Song, who are you? You're someone from my future, I know, but who?" he asked.

She didn't answer.

"Okay then; why are you in prison? Who did you kill?"

Still no answer.

"Now, I love a bad girl, me...but trust you? Seriously?" he asked.

"Trust me!" Amy said.

The Doctor walked over to her and faced her.

"You have to do this, and you can't ask why." Amy started.

"Are you all being threatened? Is someone making you say that?" He demanded.

"No!"

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying."Amy insisted.

"Swear to me; swear to me on something that matters."

There was an awkward moment, before Amy answered.

"Fish fingers and custard."

The Doctor hesitated, and then nodded.

"My life in your hands...Amelia Pond." He said, before going back to the scanner.

"Thank you." River said. Then the rest of us went over to the scanner.

"Now, Canton Everett Delaware the III; who was he?"

River typed something on the keyboard.

"Ex-FBI, got kicked out."

"Why?"

"Apparently, he had a problem with authority. 8 weeks after he left the bureau, the President contacted him for a private meeting." River read.

"Yeah, 1969, who's President?" the Doctor asked worriedly.

River looked it up.

"Richard Milhous Nixon; Vietnam, Watergate...there's some good stuff too." She added.

"Yeah, not nearly enough."

River scoffed.

"Hippy!"

"Archaeologist!"

He frowned, before going over to one of the panels.

"Okay, since I don't know what I'm getting into, for once, I'm being discreet; putting the engines on silent." He said.

I knew it couldn't go right. I turned out to be correct when a loud screeching echoed around the TARDIS. River walked over and flipped a switch, stopping the sound.

"Uh, did you do something?" the Doctor demanded.

"No, just watching." River lied.

"Okay, putting the outer shell on invisible; haven't done this in a while. A big drain on the power." The Doctor explained, going over to another lever.

"You can turn the TARDIS invisible?" Rory questioned.

The Doctor grinned and flipped a switch. When he did that, bright lights came on.

"Very nearly." River muttered, leaning over and flipping a switch. The lights were turned off.

"Uh, did you touch something?" the Doctor asked suspiciously.

"Just admiring your skills, sweetie." River said.

"Good, you might learn something."

"How to crash it?" I murmured. Rory chuckled a little.

"Now, I can't check the scanner, it doesn't work when we're cloaked. Uh, just give us a mo." The Doctor said.

He ran towards the door and we tried to follow him when he stopped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, just wait a second. We are in the middle of the most powerful city, in the most powerful country on Earth. Let's take it slow." He said, and before I could protest, he had gone.

End of Chapter

Next chapter hopefully coming before Sunday. It will be shorter this time.