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"Bleeding heck, Doctor, that was like a night out when Liverpool thrashes Everton," Dan exclaims the moment his feet hit the TARDIS deck. "Is it all that mental out there?"
The Doctor scrunches her face up and shares a quick glance with Yaz; her shoulders roll as she thinks. "Not always-" She catches the raised eyebrow on the young woman's face. "-okay, maybe it is a bit, but just a bit-" The eyebrow remains raised. "-fine, a lot, but I'll have you know, Mr Lewis, that that was the first time lifesized budgies have ever chased me-"
Dan stares blankly at her, blinking slowly. "I've actually entered a spaceship with a nutter-" He chuckles more to himself. "-well, next time you're gonna get us attacked by tweety-pie, give us a wee warning, 'cos I haven't ran that hard in a while."
The Doctor hums in response; her attention now focused on flicking switches on the TARDIS console. Dan can only sigh, the fond smile on his face fading ever so slightly. He turns to Yaz. "She always been like this, Yorkshire?"
Yaz snorts and nods. "Ever since I've known her, one-time turtles chased me; budgies are just another day in the week for us, Scouse."
"See?!" The Doctor shouts, her arms gesturing wildly at Yaz. "My mate Yaz gets it."
"Uh-huh," Dan shakes his head. "Least it weren't lizards or snakes or spiders or-" He glances to Yaz, waiting for her to add on something, frowning instead when he sees her rifling through her pockets. "-what's the matter?"
"Oh-" Yaz blinks at Dan. "-Oh, nothing, my phones vibrating-"
"Wait, you have a phone?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"
"But one that works I mean?" Dan asks, puzzled. "Mine doesn't work, and I'd know, 'cos I've been tryin' to look at the footie scores, and I haven't been able to since I agreed to come along."
"The Doctor sorted it out for me-" Yaz answers absentmindedly. "-she'll do it for you; just ask her."
"Oi, hey, Doctor."
"Yes, Dan?"
Dan strides up towards her, his hand outstretched. "Yaz said you can fix me phone-" Her eyes flick down to the battered device. "-yeah, yeah, I know it's a bit banged up, dropped it a few times, plus the three years took a toll, but it still works though. No point in getting a new one when this works, right?"
The Doctor begins to reach for the device, stopping when her eyes catch Yaz's concerned ones. "Yaz? Everything all right?"
Yaz looks up at the Doctor, her brows furrowed together. "It's Ryan."
"Ryan?" Dan questions, glancing between the two women. "Wait, who's Ryan?"
"A friend," The Doctor replies, her body shoving past Dan. "What's the matter, Yaz? Has something happened to him?"
"No, not him."
"Then who?"
"It's Graham," Yaz finally answers. "Ryan said something happened, something bad; we need to go now."
"Bad?"
"Yeah, I dunno, Doctor," Yaz replies, her voice turning worried. Dan stares at her. "It was just a message he left."
The Doctor's face shifts in a flash, and she spins on her heels, coat tails flapping around her legs as she makes her way back towards the console. "What did he tell you?"
Yaz charges after the Doctor, her body brushing past Dan again, leaving the poor man baffled and confused. "He said he and Graham went off to have a look into some missing people, strange vanishings, said he didn't think anything about it because it wasn't all that far away, and if it turned out to be nothing, then they could just have a holiday together."
"Did he expand on what he meant by 'bad'?"
"I don't know, Doctor," Yaz snaps, her hands rubbing down her face. "He just said bad; that's all he gave me."
"Hey, hey," Dan steps into the conversation, his hand reaching out to Yaz's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. "We got the Doctor here, and yous and me make an amazing team; we'll get to the bottom of this; we'll help your mates out, alright?"
"Dan's right, Yaz," The Doctor looks towards the man gratefully. "We'll head to Sheffield and figure out what has happened. You're all my fam; you don't stop being it once you leave."
Yaz nods, but she feels the pit in her stomach opening up. "We only just got you back, Doctor." She sighs. "We never did check up on them after everything that happened; we just-" Her eyes flick towards Dan. "-we just carried on, like nothing happened." The Doctor's eyes glance around the TARDIS, stopping on each part that changed before lingering on the doors embedded into the floor. "We haven't been home for a while, have we?"
Dan shifts on his feet; mouth pressed into a thin line. "But you're going home now, aren't ya?" He smiles at the pair of them. "Look, no point in us chatting here, right? Let's go and see your mates, give them a hand, and you never know, it might not even be that bad?"
In retrospect, that was probably one of the worst things that could've been said.
----line break----
"Graham?" Ryan speaks, right hand rapping against the door to Graham's bedroom. "I got you something to drink and something to eat, even if you're not really eating it."
Graham, as per usual, remains frustratingly quiet.
"Grandad?" He tries again. "You gotta let me in; none of this was your fault," It feels like he's talking to himself, but he knows Graham is listening, to some extent anyway. "We shouldn't have gone there." He can picture the sarcastic reply whipping out from Graham's tongue, biting.
'Oh, ya think, son?'
And he really does miss it.
"I contacted Yaz, by the way," Ryan explains to the wooden doorframe. "A few times now, but I guess it makes sense; the world's gone to crap, strange aliens walking the streets, the sun dimmed due to those ships in the sky, we picked the worst time to go and investigate that compound."
"Ryan." Graham's voice, broken, creeps through the door. "Just go away, will you? I don't want to hurt you."
Ryan stares at the door, his head beginning to throb in pain. He grunts and pushes past it. "I don't even know what they did to you-"
"I said go away."
He rips himself back from the door like it's just electrocuted him. "Look, I just need to-"
His speech pauses as the house shakes.
And for the first time in a long while, Ryan's heart fills with a hope he long forgotten.
"They're here, Graham, and they can fix this, I promise."
It's been ages since he last heard it, but the rumble that tears through space and time is unmistakable.
The Doctor has come.
"They're finally here, Graham. The Doctor will be able to help us, alright?" Ryan spins from the door and rushes downwards, striding into the living room just as the TARDIS crushes another one of Graham's chairs. His heart thumps in his chest from nerves or a lingering want, he's not sure, but he knows better now, so he waits for them to leave.
Yaz is first to exit that ancient ship, and before she has a chance to get her barrings, she finds herself grabbed into a tight hug, one she allows herself to get dragged into. "Ryan-" She whispers, feeling pressure at the corner of her eyes. "-it's been a long time." Ryan pulls back, a quizzical look on his face, and she's caught off guard at how young he looks.
"Yaz?" Ryan says. "What happened? You look differe-"
"Another time, alright?" She clears her throat, distracting her friend. "Where's Graham?"
"He's upstairs, Yaz, not good," Ryan takes the bait, forgetting about Yaz for the time being. "Dunno what they exactly did to him, but he ain't been right since," Ryan rubs a hand down his tired face. Then, he spots the door opening again, revealing the Doctor and a man he's never seen before in his life. "Who's that?"
"Dan," The stranger steps forward, hand outstretched towards Ryan. "I'd say these two have mentioned you before, mate, but that'll be lying 'cos they don't talk 'bout nothing."
The Doctor shoves Dan aside, causing him to grumble under his breath. "What happened, Ryan?" She demands. "Where is Graham?"
Ryan exhales. "It's a long story, so you'd be best taking a seat."
"Is Graham in danger?"
"Yeah, nah, I mean," Ryan shrugs as he slumps down into one of the messy chairs. Clearly, he hasn't had time to clean. "I dunno, Doctor, I really don't."
"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Dan suggests, causing the three of them to glance his way. "When me Mam wants to know something, she always got me to start from the beginning," He pauses. "Quite loudly, I might add."
Ryan nods. "Well, we heard rumours of people going missing, nothing uncommon in general, but with this, it was always in the same place, sorta."
"Yeah, Yaz told us." Dan settles himself on the edge of the sofa.
"Yeah, but it didn't start there, look-" Ryan stands abruptly. "-it'll be better if you just come and see him to understand what has changed, but uh, not all of you. Just the Doctor, it's safer that way."
"Why?"
"Uh," Ryan flicks his eyes to the Doctor. "Look, he doesn't mean to do it."
The Doctor's head tilts. "What does he do, Ryan?"
"It's- it's hard to explain, I dunno," Ryan fidgets, unsure. "It just hurts to be near him after a while, but as I said, he don't mean to do it, he's still Graham, it's just-"
The Doctor's mouth sets into a thin line on her face. "I need to know what happened."
Ryan looks down at the floor. "We were captured, locked up, they-" His eyes dart around, nervous or paranoid. What happened to them to make Ryan this afraid? "-the people who caught us, they were doing something, took our blood samples and scanned our heads, said I was worth nothing to them, but Graham was worth something," He paces, tired eyes betraying him. "Said it was a shame 'bout his age, but what they would learn from him would be worth the cost of the procedure anyway."
"You saying they ran tests on the pair of you?"
"No, not me, just kept me locked in a cell," Ryan looks towards Yaz. "But they used Graham, did stuff to him, he was never right when they put him back in the cell, and I said he doesn't mean to hurt people, it's just-" His eyes drift to the ceiling above. "-he does. It's like they made him poisonous to us."
The Doctor approaches Ryan. "Did they make him hurt you?" The young man keeps his eyes away from her face. "Oh, Ryan, I'm-"
"Don't say you're sorry, Doctor, 'cos it's not your fault," He focuses on her face, eyes wet. "And I don't blame him, but he blames himself because he's an idiot."
Dan shuffles awkwardly. "Tell ya what?" He says, dragging the attention to himself. "Why don't I go and make all of us some tea, yeah?" He leaves without waiting for an answer.
Yaz watches her friend vanish before turning back to Ryan and the Doctor. "Why would they target Graham? What makes him different to us?"
The Doctor scrunches her nose. "It could be-"
"Doctor?"
The Doctor's eyes flicker around before landing on Yaz's scrutinising face. "Graham always felt noisier than you two did."
Yaz frowns. "What do you mean?"
"It never harmed him," The Doctor states like the pair of them know exactly what she is talking about. "Remember when Rakaya picked him? It was for a reason; I did a test, needed to know how she connected with him, wanted to know if there was a danger towards him or any of you in general."
"And?" Ryan blinks at her, hands clenching at his side. "Wait, nah, you did a test on Graham without any of us knowing? Not even him?"
"It wasn't like that, Ryan; I, I said I'd run a check up on him to settle his worry about his remission, but I also needed to know how and why an Eternal from the other side of the universe managed to make a bridge towards Graham, a human from Earth that she never met, and why she picked him. It was harmless."
Ryan huffs, frustration layering across him openly. "So, what did you find that you never thought to tell us?"
The Doctor flinches back, her eyes locking with Yaz's narrower ones. "Graham is a latent telepath." She reveals. "Some humans, somewhere along their lineage, developed abilities. Seers." She reveals. "Like Claire, although she was less latent than Graham is, in her case. They manifest in different ways."
Dan pops his head back into the room, reminiscent of his bond mate. "Okay, so that makes sense," He nods. "And I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that that latent part you mentioned that is in your mate ain't so latent anymore, right? I was listening from the kitchen, sorry."
"No, Dan, it's more-" She stops. "-actually, that's it, you're correct."
The man smiles. "See? Not just a pretty face."
The Doctor ignores Dan. "I need to speak with Graham, Ryan."
"Good luck with that," Ryan grunts. "I can't get anything outta him, and he refuses to open his door," He explains, frustrated. "And I can't make him open it because he just tells me to go away, and I do; I can't fight him like you could, Doctor."
"What do you mean?"
"He can tell you to do things," Ryan informs her. "And you do them regardless if you want to do them or not."
The Doctor focuses on Ryan, her eyes catching the worry and hurt on the young man's face. Did he always look this young compared to Yaz? "Take me to him."
"Too many people cause too many issues," Ryan states. "And I know you're gonna want to see him, Yaz, but-"
"I get it," Yaz says. "We'll sort out some stuff down here, right, Dan?" Dan's brows crease together, his mouth opening to protest. She silents him with one-pointed look.
"Course," He mutters. "The Doctor is gonna sort your-" He looks at Yaz for help.
"Grandad."
"-right, Grandad, she'll sort him out, mate."
"She better," Ryan sighs and gestures towards the stairs. "Come on, then," He leads the Doctor from the living room and up the creaky stairs. "I want him back to how he was, Doctor, before all of this."
"I'll see what I can do."
"I mean it," Ryan pauses at the top. "I know you and Yaz have been busy; I've seen the news, watched those things walking around while I kept me lights off, hiding away 'cos I was scared they'd come for us again," He exhales, stress evident on him. "It's been hard, and I haven't had Graham to talk to; it was just enough luck that we even managed to make it back here before it kicked off outside."
"How did you escape?"
Ryan stops again. "I tried asking Graham that, but he's reacted badly when I have. So I don't want to ask him again."
The Doctor digests the info and begins following after Ryan again when he starts the slow walk towards Graham's bedroom. She stares at his door, brows furrowed. She wasn't lying when she said Graham felt noisier than Ryan or Yaz, but this, this is like a cacophony. An open broadcast. It's any wonder the Sontarans didn't pick up on it. Or Graham's Lupari, for a matter of fact. The thought about them causes an ache to run through her hearts.
She reaches for the door. "Ryan?" She speaks softly when he doesn't follow her.
"He doesn't want to see me, and-" Ryan's eyes shift, wincing. "I dunno what you can do, but do something, anything, I just-"
"You can feel something in the air, can't you? Something that makes you want to leave?" The young man nods. "I'll fix this."
"You better."
"I know," The Doctor murmurs, mouth pressing into a thin line, eyes watching as Ryan stalks away from her and the door. "Graham," She speaks. "I know you're in there, and you probably heard what we were talking about."
"Go away. "
The Doctor winces, hand tightening on the handle, mind fighting the weak suggestion. "I'm coming in, Graham." She feels a force on the other side of the door. Physical. Thankfully. "I can help you."
"No, you can't, so just leave me alone ."
"Let me in," She pushes back against him, mentally and physically, and finds the door opening without resistance. She steps inside, shutting the door behind her.
"You shouldn't be in here."
The Doctor twists, eyes searching for her friend. "Well, I think I should be in here." Graham grunts, drawing her eyes towards him. He looks haggard, and did he always have a beard? She reaches for him. "Graham-"
"Don't." He steps back, recoiling from her like a cat would from water. "Please, Doc, I don't wanna hurt you as well, just go, leave me."
"Registered, but no," The Doctor stands strong, her mental walls remaining intact. "You're stuck with me, so you better get talking, and-" She steps forward. "-you can stop with trying to make me go away; I didn't win awards for my mental walls just for a novice telepath to break them down."
"Great," Graham huffs and stalks away. "A monster, but a novice monster, makes me feel so much better."
"Less of the sarcasm, Graham,"
Graham scowls at her.
"I've faced scarier things than you, Mr O'Brien," The Doctor tilts her head towards the side. "What happened, Graham? I can help you, but I need to know what they did to you. Please."
Graham's shadowy figure pauses in the darkness of his bedroom. "Why?" He murmurs. "Did Ryan tell you they made me hurt him? Cos I did." He stares at her. "Why would you want to help a person who'd do that to their own family?"
"Because we're family," The Doctor replies. "Or has that changed in the time since I last saw you and Ryan?"
"No," Graham responds seconds later. "It hasn't changed."
"So, let me help you figure out how to fix this," The Doctor reaches out a hand to her friend. "Please," Graham looks down at it. "Just take it, Graham."
His hand slips into hers, and that's when she moves, propelling herself forward so she can place her free hand on the left-hand side of his face. "Sorry-" She pushes herself forward, breaking past his meagre defences. "Contact ."
----line break----
It's like a blinding light, golden and red, making it hard to focus on anything. But, but it doesn't hurt, and it feels peaceful for the first time in weeks.
"You're safe here, Graham."
Graham's eyes snap to the Doctor, narrowing. "What did you do?"
"Nothing that would hurt you," The Doctor answers honestly.
He stares around the field of view, turning in circles before coming to rest back onto the Doctor's face. "What is this place?"
"Safety," The Doctor says. "I've bridged a connection between us, dangerous, but-" She shrugs. "-I knew you'd be alright."
"Sure of yourself, there, aren't you?" Graham snarks at her like a teenager, arms folding across his chest.
"You wouldn't have talked to me otherwise," The Doctor mentions. "And this way, we're more open to each other."
"Open?" Graham raises an eyebrow. "You're about as open as that tin of beans in my cupboard."
"Were you always this sarcastic?"
"I've had a pretty rough couple of weeks, Doc; I apologise I'm not a cheery chappy for ya," He barks at her, leaving them both in uncomfortable silence. "Look, I'm sorry, Doc."
"What happened to you, Graham?"
Graham averts his eyes from her. "Subject Twelve."
The Doctor inclines her head to the side, waiting for him to continue.
"That's what they called me," Graham presses on. "The eleven before me, dead, gone, would've ended up like them if I didn't-" He pauses. "-If Ryan knew, he'd hate me, and if I tell you-" He looks towards her, eyes glimmering in distress and regret. "-you'd be disappointed in me."
"What did you do, Graham?"
"I didn't mean to, Doctor," He blurts out. "It just happened; I, I was scared, I heard what they wanted me to do to Ryan," His eyes shine. "They wanted to know how much pressure I could exert on a mind; it would've killed him. I know it would've killed him."
The Doctor feels her hearts hammer in her chest; she doesn't need to be a mind reader to know what Graham is hinting at. "And you know it would've killed him because you did it, just not on Ryan."
He nods his head, gazed turned away from her. "I'm a- I saw them, the people from before, most were just kids themselves-" He runs his hands through his hair. "-remember when you left me hanging 'bout them ghosts I saw? Well, I think I can see them, or remnants; god, my head feels like a bunch of cats, Doc. I don't know who I am anymore; there's too much going on."
The Doctor closes her eyes, reaching outwards.
"What are you doing?"
"Building you some walls," She cracks an eye open. "You can thank me later." She finishes the task and offers a tight smile to Graham. "Better?"
"Much, I guess," Graham nods. "They can't hear this, can they?"
"Who?"
"Ryan, Yaz, and that bloke-"
"Dan?"
Graham nods. "I felt his presence when he left your TARDIS; all he thinks about is footie, supports an awful team, West Ham is much better."
"Humour?"
Graham shrugs.
"Look, Graham, I've done things," The Doctor begins. "Things I don't remember, things I do remember, things I don't regret, and things I do," She stares at her friend, not in sympathy, but in understanding. "And I've hurt people, got people killed-" She pauses, thinking. "Even killed when I had to."
Graham meets her gaze. "But you once said-"
"I was wrong," The Doctor decides. "I wanted you to be better than me, and you are-"
Graham laughs mirthlessly. "I killed them, Doctor; I didn't stop, the amount of pain that was caused in that place," He drags his hands down his face. "The lingering voices drove me to do it, end it." He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter anyway," He locks his tired eyes on her. "I can't control this; no matter how hard I try, I can't. Yeah, you built them walls, but that solves nothing, does it?"
A sickening feeling settles itself in her chest.
"And I'm scared that I will enjoy it," He reveals. "The power it gave me, to watch those that hurt others endure what they made us endure-" Hands clench at his sides. "-I want it gone. Can you do that for me, Doctor?"
The Doctor motions for Graham to come forward, which he does willingly. She presses her hand against his face once more, searching deeper, for anything that could revert everything that was done to her friend.
She pulls away, disappointed.
"See? That's what I thought," Graham snorts. "Knew it," His shoulders slump. "Hoped something could be done, fools hope I suppose, eh?"
The Doctor frowns at Graham. "You sound like you've given up."
"Wouldn't you?" Graham questions her. "Everything you thought you were suddenly gets turned on its head, and you expect me to stick on that stiff upper lip," He exhales. "Keep calm and carry on and all that crap?"
"Did I say that, Graham?" The Doctor challenges. "I said it sounds like you've given up." She repeats, stepping forward. "You've been dealt a hand, but that doesn't define who you are now."
"I've killed people, been the cause of their deaths."
"And I've-" The Doctor trails away. "Graham," She begins. "I don't know who I am; I have lived so many lives that were stolen from me," She stares into nothing. "I had the chance to know, and I refused it. Unlike you, I had a choice, and I didn't want it, but you didn't; you were forced against your will in an experiment that activated dormant genes; none of this was your fault."
"Killing them was."
The Doctor matches Graham's gaze once again. "Sometimes the only options are bad ones," She sighs. "But you still have to choose."
"So, how do you choose?"
She turns her head once more, eyes focused away like she can see through the distant fog in their temporary combined minds. "I make a decision; I have to make a decision and stick with it." She sighs. "You're strong-willed, Graham, always have been, and at your core, you're a good man."
"How can I be good when I hurt people?"
The Doctor rounds on him. "Because you feel guilt, you harbour it in your chest, letting it grow-" Her eyes shine. "-you are a good man who made a bad decision."
Graham lowers his head. "I'm so tired, Doc."
"I know," The Doctor understands, feeling the exhaustion through the temporary bond. "But with practice, you can control this; use it for good." She feels his doubt. "I know a woman, Claire, she's like you, to some extent, maybe I could get-"
"Nah," Graham shakes his head. "I'd rather just-" He sighs and stares ahead. "-is Ryan okay? I've been a right ass to him lately."
"He's worried about you," The Doctor informs him. "Wants you back."
Graham nods at that. "So, I should probably stop moping in my bedroom and go and speak to him?"
The Doctor's nose scrunches.
"Yeah, bad person to ask that question to, eh?"
"Rude."
Graham flashes her a small smile. "Right, Doc, I've had enough of this place, let me outta here, and uh, if you can make sure I don't hurt them downstairs, then I'll go and see them, alright?"
"Alright."
----line break----
Dan shuffles into the living room with the teas he made. "You had no milk, well you had milk, but I think you were cultivating another species in there 'cos it stopped being milk a long time ago, so-" He places the teas down. "-hope you all like your tea black." No one rushes forward to take one.
"They've been up there for a while, Yaz."
Yaz glances towards the ceiling of the living room. "Maybe they have a lot to talk about," She murmurs, partially jealous if they are talking, which she knows is petty in the long run.
"Uh, this Graham," Dan starts. "What's he like?"
There's a snort that comes from behind them. "He's a bit of an asshole, to be honest." Yaz and Ryan spin around, with the latter jumping forward and grabbing Graham into a choking hug. "Ryan, I'm-" He winces, eyes searching for the Doctor's.
"You're alright, Graham," The Doctor informs him. "You won't hurt him."
Graham nods, returning the hug. "I'm so, so sorry, Ryan," He whispers into the lad's jacket. He feels more than he has ever felt. Fear, sadness, worry, it rolls from Ryan in waves, and pulling back would be the easier option to take, but Graham doesn't. He moves with the punches, each one feeling like a knife to the gut.
But there is relief as well, and hope, and that's worth the pain of knowing how much Ryan was scared for him.
He looks over Ryan's shoulder, locking his eyes with Yaz, who gives him a nod and a smile. She- she looks older, far older than she was when he last saw her. It's held in her eyes; there's experience there, an experience that wouldn't be shown in the eyes of someone younger.
His eyes drift to the other occupant in the room, who looks as awkward as he feels. It's a strange feeling looking at someone and being able to read and feel their emotions coming from them. He's always been good at reading people, but this is cheating.
"Liverpool won last night," Graham states as he pulls away from Ryan. "I can feel you wondering about it, quite loudly, I might add."
"Wait, how did you know?"
Graham glances behind himself, eyes catching the Doctor's. "Telepath, mate," He frowns, turning back around. "It's kinda a lot to take in."
"But we're gonna take it in together, aren't we, grandad?"
"Yeah," Graham nods, looking back at Ryan once again. "We're a top team, aren't we? 'Course we're gonna deal with this together; that's what family is for."