CHAPTER FIVE — THE LONDON EYE AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES
juniper and rose — part five

"Doctor, I think it's time." — juniper holloway

THE TARDIS HAD LANDED. Where, Juniper had no idea. But it was to the place that the Doctor had tracked the signal from the plastic head to. So, she gathered the central hub of the plastic invasion force was nearby. Or, at least, she hoped so anyway as they needed to find it to save Earth from the invasion of the plastic.

As soon as the TARDIS touched ground, the Doctor made a dash for the doors. Juniper's headaches had vanished so the girl was able to pull herself up as Rose called after the Doctor. "You can't go out there! It's not safe!"

"Come on, Rose." Smiled Juniper as she grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her towards the door. Unlike the young blonde, Juniper knew they had moved away from the danger, to somewhere completely different. So she was not scared of being attacked once outside.

And when they both reached the doorway and looked outside, they both realised that they were right beside the Thames. 

"I lost the signal." The Doctor was pacing. "I got so close."

Both girls exited the wooden phone box and closed the doors behind them. 

Rose stared at her surroundings in utter confusion and wonder. "We've moved." She noted in shock and then asked. "Does it fly?" 

"It disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand."

He sounded so tired and so defeated that it made Juniper look over at the man with worry. After all, he was so close to finding the base of the Nestene consciousness and stopping the plastics, but now he had nothing. Still, Juniper refused to give up hope.

"But if we're... somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose?" Queried a concerned Rose.

The Doctor replied bluntly. "Melted with the head." He began to turn away from the stone barrier to made his way back towards the girls and the TARDIS. "Are you gonna witter on all night?"

"We're gonna have to tell his Mother."

Juniper had no idea what had happened to the real Mickey or whether he was still alive. At the moment, the odds weren't looking good for her mechanic friend. She dreaded the thought of him actually being gone and having to inform others. Mickey was a good guy — he didn't deserve to die like this.

Still, the Doctor said nothing. Then Juniper spoke up. "Doctor, our friend, Mickey. The one who had the plastic duplicate. He's gone." She tried to make him understand, not knowing he understood more than she could ever know. That he was experiencing so much grief that it had overwhelmed him and made him look like he didn't have any empathy at all.

Rose was outraged by his reaction. "You forgot about him! Again! You were right. You are alien." A clench struck Juniper's heart at her words. 

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey—"

"Yeah, he's not a kid!"

The Doctor continued. "—it's because I'm busy trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering about on top of this planet, all right?" His voice was harsh, full of things Juniper couldn't comprehend. Or, at least, not yet anyway. 

"'All right'?!"

He shot back. "Yes, it is!"

With the argument reducing to cinders, Rose then piped up with a question. "If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?" Juniper just smiled to herself.

"Lots of planets have a North!" Retorted the Doctor. 

A chuckle bubbled in Juniper's throat. Hearing a sound of pure joy, it struck the Doctor's hearts. He had not been around happiness in so long. It almost felt alien to him. 

"What's a 'Police Public Call Box'?" 

They all focused their eyes on the TARDIS as the Doctor answered. "It's a telephone box from the 1950s. It's a disguise." He informed them. And as much as Juniper did like the exterior of his machine, it didn't exactly blend in. 

"It's not much of a disguise." Smirked Juniper as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked the wooden box up and down.

"Oi!"

She took a step towards the TARDIS and placed her hand gently upon the panes of blue wood. A thoughtful hum escaped her as she thought about the machine in front of her; of what it was capable of. "Let me guess, the disguising circuits got damaged and now it's stuck?" From the Doctor's lack of reply, she gathered she was right and smiled triumphantly. Also the fact that the Doctor hadn't fixed said circuit meant either he couldn't, or he just liked it. She believed it was the latter.

Rose brought their conversation back on topic. "Ok. And, this, this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

"Nothing." He shook his head, his tone much lighter than before. "It loves you. You've got such a good planet, lots of smoke and oil and plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air. Perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs." Now that explained why it was here. "Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein planets rotted. So. Earth. Dinner."

Juniper felt a slight tug in the back of her mind, like it was trying to tell her something. She frowned. "What war?" The war the Doctor's face suddenly fell wasn't a good sign. Then Juniper felt a sharp, agonising stab to her mind and her knees buckled beneath her.

The alien man quickly caught her before she hit the ground and helped her back to her feet. Rose just watched with fear for her friend as she no idea what was hurting her but she could tell it was getting worse. Back to the Doctor, she asked the man as he held one arm out for her friend to lean on. "Any way of stopping it?"

"Anti-plastic." He grinned widely as he reached into his pocket to withdraw a large vial of a blue substance. Rose just echoed his words in disbelief and then he said. "But first, I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

He walked away from the TARDIS (with a normalising Juniper still on his arm) to examine the area. Then Juniper inquired. "Hide what? What are you looking for?"

"The transmitter." He replied with a small glance down at her. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What does it look like?"

"Like a transmitter."

Juniper gave him a tired look. "That's not helpful. Doc."

"Round and massive — somewhere slap bang in the middle of London." he started to explain as he led the two girls away from the TARDIS and out into the open more so they could get a better view of the city. "A huge, metal, circular structure. Like a dish, like a wheel — radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."

And as he said that, he came to a stop. The London Eye was right behind him.

It was round, huge and right in the middle of London. It seemed they had found their transmitter.

Both girls stared at the wheel behind him in realisation. And when the Doctor noticed their eyes were not on him, he frowned. "What?" Juniper pointed directly behind him and he spun around to see what they were seeing. It took him a moment and a few 'What's but then he too figured it out and his sad faced turned back into the beaming grin. "Fantastic!"

Now they had found the Nestene. All they had to do was stop it. It was definitely going to be harder than it sounded.

AND SO THEY RAN. 

Hand in hand, the Doctor, Juniper and Rose dashed across the bridge and towards the London Eye. They were searching for a way in and it didn't take them that long to find it. They had to stop the consciousness before it could bring every single piece of plastic to life. So much across their planet was now made of plastic. It would be total madness.

They climbed down a ladder and into the underbelly of the London Eye. There was a door ahead of them and the Doctor got to it first and prepared to open it.  The trio exchanged a look before he opened it and they made their way into a large open space.

There were metal stairs across the side of the wall, leading them down to the centre. And down there was a large vat of a boiling orange, viscous substance. Juniper and Rose instinctively reached for the others' hand and they held on tightly. They knew what they were staring at but then the Doctor confirmed it for them. "The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat, a living plastic creature."

Juniper expected another headache to tear through her, but it did not come. 

"Well, then." Rose gulped nervously as she peered at the Nestene over the railing. "Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go."

"I'm not here to kill it." He told them. His refusal to take a life, despite the danger it posed, made Juniper smile. The Doctor was a good man. "I've got to give it a chance." The blondes followed as they observed the Doctor approaching the churning vat. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under the peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." Those words: 'Shadow Proclamation'. It gave Juniper the weirdest sense of deja vu. She shook her head to focus her thoughts and was still surprised when another pain did not arrive. The Consciousness bubbled in response. "Thank you." The Doctor nodded. "If I might have permission to approach?"

But before he could, Rose spotted something. Or, someone.

"Oh my God." She suddenly sprinted down the stairs and that was when Juniper spotted what she had seen: Mickey. And he was still alive. The Doctor rolled his eyes at the two of them as they made a dash for their friend. "Mickey! It's us! It's ok."

They both ran up to the man and wrapped their arms around either side of him. He was balled up against the railing, his skin coated in fear. Juniper felt a weight lift off her shoulders to see her friend — and Rose's boyfriend — alive. She didn't want to give up hope for him, but things hadn't looked very good. So she was so happy to see him alive and unhurt.

Mickey tugged them both lower to the ground. "Ssshhh. That thing, down there. Rose, June, the liquid — it can talk." He was so afraid and was stuttering over his words.

A sigh passed Juniper's lips as she pulled her friend closer towards her. "We know, Mick. But it's gonna be alright. The Doc is gonna save us."  

"Doctor, they kept him alive!"

"Yeah, that was always a possibility." The Doctor revealed as he descended the old metal stairs, his eyes never deviating from the plastic sludge in the pot. "Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

A disappointed and angry frown formed on Juniper's face. Rose too was annoyed by the Doctor's withholding of information. "Why didn't you tell us? We were worried about him." There was a desperate tone in her voice that the Doctor winced at. It hit him in the hearts so he did his best not to look her in the eye.

They watched from the level above as the Doctor neared the platform above the Nestene. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" He asked and the living plastic muttered and gurgled out a reply. "Thank you." The Doctor nodded. "If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with greatest respect, that you shunt off?" A face became clearer in the moving plastic as it roared with fury and the Doctor just snorted. "Oh, don't give me that! It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights."

Juniper could only hear one side of the conversation, but she could tell the Nestene was growing angrier. It's movements within the vat were getting sharper, more powerful. The Doctor was telling it to leave and it didn't like that.

"I AM TALKING!" Bellowed the Doctor. 

His voice carried across the entire space, even over the garbles of the plastic being. Juniper, Rose and Mickey all jumped slightly as they were startled by the sudden shout from the man below them. She knew the Doctor was good, but he could be scary when he wanted to.

"This planet is just starting. These stupid, little people have only just learnt how to walk. But they're capable of so much more." Juniper smiled at his words as the Doctor spoke for the future of the planet. She just knew it was in safe hands. "I'm asking you, on their behalf, please, just go."

Both Rose and Juniper spied the mannequins creeping up behind the Doctor. "Doctor!" They yelled to warn him.

But it was too late.

The mannequins had grabbed the Doctor by the arms to restrain him and one reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the vial of anti-plastic. If the Nestene realised what that was — and it most likely would — then the Doctor was in big trouble. But Juniper didn't know how to help.

"That was just insurance!" Protested the alien man. "I wasn't gonna use it." The moving plastic let out a screech. Juniper assumed it did not believe the Doctor's words. "I was not attacking you." He insisted. "I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy, I swear, I'm not." It let out another muffled roar and Juniper frowned at the perplexed look across the Doctor's face. "What do you mean?"

Above them, a panel moved back. And behind it was the TARDIS. 

Juniper gasped in horror at the shock to see the machine there. She was also worried about the implications of it. The Nestene must have seen it as a threat.

"No! Honestly, no." The Doctor resisted against the hold of the plastic as he thrashed frantically to try and escape. "Yes, that's my ship." Inside the huge container, the Consciousness seemed to not like that answer. "That's not true!" Juniper could notice the change in his tone, the falling of his demeanour. There was grief in his eyes, a brokenness inside him. "I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

There was another mention of this war.

The Time War.

Juniper's eyes widened in alarm as she felt the words appear in her mind. She had no idea where they had come from but she knew them to be right. And, without even realising it, she started to cry.

"What's it doing?"

Rose's question brought Juniper back to reality and only then she noticed the wetness on her cheeks. She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and then refocused on the TARDIS. This all seemed to be about the Doctor's amazing machine and this war — this Time War.

"It's the TARDIS!" Replied the Doctor as he strained against the plastic's hold to glance back at the girls. "The Nestene's identified it as superior technology. It's terrified!" Terrifying an enemy such as this wasn't a good thing, it could make everything worse. "It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Juniper, Rose! Just leg it! Now!"

Juniper gripped the railing so tight it hurt. "We can't just leave you!"

Beside her, Rose called Jackie to try and warn her. But it didn't really work.

Suddenly, the pain Juniper had been expecting arrived. And it was the biggest one yet.

It was like her entire skull was being split into a hundred pieces. Her body crumbled to the metal floor. The Doctor heard the thump and looked up to see Juniper no longer there and he started to panic. He shouldn't have let her come with him. After all, he had a theory as to her condition and what caused the pains so bringing her to the centre of it, he should have known better than to. This was his fault. 

Above them, a beam of electricity was sent upwards to the London Eye so it could transmit everywhere. Rose dropped down to Juniper who was writhing on the floor, screaming in agony as she clutched the sides of her head. "June! June! What's wrong?" The girl did not answer and just continued to scream. "It's the end of the world." 

"Run! Rose, take Juniper and get out!" 

But they couldn't go anywhere because the staircase had collapsed leaving them no way out. There was nowhere else to go. So, Rose got Mickey to grab Juniper's other arm and together they carried her towards the TARDIS. But no one had the key so they couldn't get in.

"We're gonna die!" Cried Mickey as they dropped outside the blue wooden doors.

Juniper was barely conscious and still screaming. Waterfalls of tears ran from her eyes and her entire body was shaking like a leaf. Now matter how tightly she held her head in her hands, the pain did not stop. She wanted it to stop. No, she needed it to. Juniper believed that if the stabbing her mind did not cease, then it would kill her. 

But the TARDIS would not let that happen.

Like before, when was inside the magnificent machine, her headaches started to calm. Slowly, her screaming came to a halt and her breathing began to regulate. Then she was herself once more.

"Thank you." She managed a few words of relief and placed her sweat-soaked forehead and hair against the wood. 

Her headaches had gotten increasingly worse — this one had almost killed her — so Juniper knew she couldn't survive another. She had to do what the Doctor said and open and her locket. It was only a matter of time before the pain would return and end her. But she didn't want to do it just yet.

The Doctor turned and looked up and met Juniper's gaze. There was such a look of sadness, of guilt that he had put them — put her — in this situation. He continued to struggled against the auton holding him to attempt to retrieve the anti-plastic that the other held. But his efforts were useless. 

Despite everything. Despite the pain that had a moment ago almost tore her apart, Juniper knew she had to do something. Something inside of her was calling out, for to help him. She just didn't know how.

"Leave him!"

Mickey was scared and he had no idea who the Doctor was, so Juniper understood. But she wasn't going to leave him. She just didn't realise at the time how true that was. 

"No, Mickey." Juniper shook her head at him.

Then it was like her brain was on auto-pilot as she ran over and yanked a chain clean off the wall. Rose watched in terror and awe as her older friend grasped the metal tightly in her hands before she ran towards the ledge. She took a deep breath and then she leapt. 

Swinging down beside the Doctor, he used the distraction to flip the auton holding him over his shoulder and into the boiling vat. And as Juniper's neared the bottom of the dip, she kicked the final auton — the one with the anti-plastic — into the pot as well. The vial broke on impact and started to infect the Nestene Consciousness. Juniper watched as the blue spread across the orange form and corrupted it like a virus.

But she was still hanging from the chain.

"Juniper." The Doctor called out and as the pendulum swung back, he caught her in his arms. "That was fantastic!" 

She blinked in surprise and turned around to look at the distance she had leapt and down to the Nestene that was writhing in agony. "Did I just do that?"

"Yes you did." Grinned the Doctor brightly as he held her in his arms. Juniper suddenly realised the position they were in and pushed herself away as a blush formed across her cheeks. "Now we're in trouble." He commented as he looked down at the dying Nestene. 

They dashed back up to the TARDIS where the Doctor let them in and flew them away from the London Eye just as it exploded. With the Nestene gone, the signal was cut and every piece of plastic that had come alive returned to its original inanimate state. They had just saved the world.

Juniper couldn't believe it. She had just helped save planet Earth.

THE WORLD WAS SAFE ONCE MORE WITH THE NESTENE CONSCIOUSNESSS DEAD AND THE PLASTICS WERE STILL WITHOUT A SIGNAL TO POWER IT. They returned to Rose's estate with the TARDIS materialising in the alleyway and away from the explosion that would have otherwise killed them all. Both them and the world were safe.

Mickey immediately legged it once the TARDIS had landed. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, stumbling from the sheer shock and panic as he fled. Juniper couldn't help but sorry for him. It wasn't like he was introduced to this all easily.

As soon as she was out, Rose called Jackie to see how she was whilst Juniper sighed heavily and leaned back against the railings within the TARDIS. The Doctor approached the woman with concern. "That last one, Juniper. It almost killed you."

"I know." She hung her head.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know this is your decision but you must do it soon. It's not safe to go on like this." The Doctor was already worried enough about her, so she didn't want to tell him how she knew that the war he mentioned was the Time War. She had no idea what he would do if he found that out.

"I know, Doc. And I will." A heavy sigh passed her lips and she placed her head in her hands. She didn't know what to do.

The Doctor then made his way to the TARDIS doors and Juniper followed behind them. She stepped out of the machine and glanced around to find Mickey huddled by some wood and Rose trying to pull the frightened man upright. Juniper made her way over to them. "Nestene Consciousness?" He scoffed. "Easy!"

"You were useless in there." Rose pointed out and grinned as she wrapped her arm around her best friend. "You'd be dead if it wasn't for June." The girl in question blushed from the attention.

"Yes, I would." Nodded the Doctor as he focused in on Juniper. "Thank you. Right, then! I'll be off." Glancing between the girls, he then said. "Unless... I dunno. You could come with me." 

Juniper's heart leapt at the offer. She did want to go with him, more than anything. Not just because he could help her with her headaches, but because he could show her everything. 

The Doctor continued. "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe. Free of charge." He grinned at the two blondes.

"Don't!" A frightened Mickey exclaimed as he pointed to the Doctor. "He's an alien! He's a thing."

"He's not invited. What do you think?"

With her eyes flickering between her friends and the Doctor, Juniper had to make her decision. And then she did. She removed herself from Rose's hold and took her hands in hers. She smiled at her with a hint of sadness. "I'm going to go with him, Rose."

"You're what?"

A chuckle escaped her as she shook her head with a fond smile. "He can help me. There's just something inside me that's pulling me to this life, Rose. I can't help it. It may help me remember." Rose knew how important that was to her and squeezed Juniper's hands tightly. "If that's alright with you?"

"Of course it is." He smiled at her softly.

Rose was concerned, for her friend and because she was considering his proposition herself. "Is it always this dangerous?"

"Yeah."

A terrified Mickey held onto Rose like a child would as he tried to hide behind her and keep her in place. "Yeah... I can't." She looked down at the boyfriend beside her. "I've got to go and find my Mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump. So.."

Sadness washed over Juniper as the woman had wanted her friend to have joined them. But Juniper had to go with the Doctor with or without Rose. It was just it would be less fun without her. 

"Goodbye, Rose." She hugged her friend tightly before leaning down to give Mickey an awkward hug due to his position. "Bye Mickey." Then she ran off to the TARDIS and joined the Doctor at his side. 

They hopped inside the TARDIS and after one last look at the life she was leaving behind, the doors closed and sealed them in. The entire Universe was their oyster and they could go anywhere they wanted. But it felt like something was missing — Rose. 

The Doctor reached for the controls and de-materialised them. But when he glanced back at his new companion and spotted the sad and distant look on her face, the Doctor instantly knew what was up. He stopped what he was doing and turned to her.

Then he decided. "We'll try her once more." 

His words made Juniper's frown turn upside down and she rushed to the doors ready as the Doctor brought them back to London. It was the a second or two after they left that the TARDIS materialised in the alley once more. And when she opened the doors, she could see Rose and Mickey slowly making their way back to their flats.

They popped their heads out as the Doctor said. "By the way, did I mention that it also travels in time?"

"So, are you coming or not, Rosie?"

Rose made her decision just as Juniper made hers and started to sprint towards the open door of the TARDIS. Once she reached the doorway, Juniper pulled her inside and gave the younger blonde a crushing hug. She was so happy Rose decided to come along.

"Juniper and Rose! Off to see the stars!" Cheered the former manager as she led her friend towards the main control unit of the TARDIS.

The Doctor just watched them fondly as the girls laughed and held each other. It was going to be much more fun around the TARDIS with the both of them. The old girl wouldn't seem so lonely with two new faces adorning her halls. 

The duo made their way towards where the Doctor was standing, smiling as widely as humanely possible. But then Juniper froze.

It was like a sudden wave had crashed over her and like how one made of water would leave behind debris, this one left a single thought in her head: It is time. Juniper knew what it meant and felt her smile fall as her hand instinctively reached up to clasp her golden locket. Both the Doctor and Rose frowned at her sudden change in demeanour.

Then Juniper turned to the two-hearted alien. "Doctor, I think it's time."

THE FIRST EPISODE IS DONE!!! FINALLY!!!

Also, me updating twice in a week is like a miracle or something considering the gap between the previous update and the one before that. Lets forget that happened and updates won't be as infrequent as the gap between chapters 3 and 4, I promise you that.

And yes, Juniper will be opening her locket. Yes, it's fast but it'll literally kill her if she doesn't. Besides, the effects aren't instant as we'll see in the following episode. 

The Doctor and Juniper are already great together and I can't wait to write the next part in her journey post-opening locket. 

Thank you for reading!!!

Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326