Hey, this idea's been bobbing around my head for a while and distracting me from everything else so I finally decided to get it written. I don't own Doctor Who but I hope I can still capture enough of it for you to enjoy.
….
Lynda had known she wasn't meant to hear, she knew that listening in was wrong but it wasn't like she could help it.
Originally she had only intended to see what Jack was up to. Ever since she had left the Doctor the only other person who seemed to have all the facts was the Captain. All she had wanted to do was get him to give her an order, anything so that she could make herself more useful.
When she had found him it was clear he was in the middle of a conversation and by the looks of it was oblivious to her presence. Lynda like the goody two shoes she was went to turn around and leave however stopped in her tracks when she heard Jack mention briefly about the Delta wave.
A sense of foreboding made her freeze in place, some sort of morbid fascination forcing her to listen as the horrible truth came out.
She listened as the Doctor, that oh so wonderful Doctor who was supposed to save them all explained just what the Delta wave would really do. A cold dread started to fill her chest, making it so breathing was more and more difficult with each word that he spoke.
"But all the people…so many…" she thought to herself, "I don't want to die…" the words echoing in her mind.
The Doctor had given her hope. He had promised her he would get her out of here, that she would live. He had become an escape in her eyes, a way out of this hellish reality to better places. His eyes held the showed a sincerity in his claims of greater horizons so when he held out his hand to her she had gladly accepted.
Like some hero out of a book he had appeared from no where and rescued her, uncovered an evil plot and stood up to the bad guy. His defiance against the Daleks had filled her with awe and respect, making her put her trust in him one hundred percent.
She had heard of the Daleks before but they were supposed to be myth, a bed time story to scare children with. Were these Daleks so bad that he'd betray that? Betray all of them. Betray her.
His pleading to Jack softened the blow but didn't completely wipe away her fear. Jack's firm words of encouragement to the Doctor, "Never doubted him, never will" gave her the strength she needed to gather her wits and back away from them through the nearest door before Jack had a chance to spot her.
She didn't have time to be afraid or think about herself, the Daleks would be here soon. Heart feeling heavier she walked through the door way just as Jack was coming her way, making it appear as if she had just arrived.
"I-I was wondering what I could do to help. I'm not very good with w-weapons but there must be something…" she trailed off with a weak smile hoping he would ignore her stutter as part of her personality.
Luckily he seemed to do just that, taking her stuttering for fear as he shot her a rather endearing smile before telling her "I know exactly what you can do" and with a quick wink for good measure he grabbed her wrist, leading her past the many metal doors until they reached some sort of observational room with a single control stand in the center of it.
"Right, Lynda, you are my eyes and ears. When the Daleks get in, you can follow it on that screen and report it to me." Jack explained to her in a persona completely different than the one she had originally met. Gone was Jack the flirt, this time she felt as if she was talking to the Captain only.
Still in a mild shock from her earlier discovery she only managed out a small, "understood" but nodded her head firmly to reassure him that she was up to the job.
"They'll detect you but the door's made of Hydra Combination. It should keep them out" he went on to explain obviously aware of her fear and trying to reassure her, unaware that most of it originated from a different source.
She was grateful for his reassurance but couldn't help picking out holes in it, "should?" she questioned her voice once again coming out meeker than usual.
He grimaced slightly, "It's the best I can do. How long till the Fleet arrives?" he spoke the last part through the coms to one of the people helping them fight against the Daleks.
"They've accelerated" was the reply almost in sync with the ship as it gave a tremor and both her and Jack's attention was diverted towards the glass window behind them, just in time to see the numerous Dalek ships come into view.
Lynda gulped as the ships hovered menacingly in front of them, everything becoming just that little bit more real as Jack yelled out to everyone "This is it, ladies and gentlemen. We are at war!" leaving Lynda now locked in with no other way out.
Her palms felt sweaty as she moved in front of the podium with the computer screen embedded into it, using it as something to lean on as she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat.
That's when she spotted the blips on the screen "you were right. They're forcing the airlock on 494" she spoke through the coms, steadying herself as the Game Station shook upon the forced entry.
"Okay…" she thought to herself "You've essentially locked yourself in a room with no weapons and only one door should the Daleks make it this far." Her fingers trembled as she kept her eyes locked onto the screen.
"But there's a line of defense to hold them off and like Jack said the door's strong…" Even in her mind the thought didn't sound like much of a convincing argument but at this point she could do with any source of comfort.
She could see the Daleks moving, each red blip representing about three of them and the sheer mass that had entered made her fidget nervously with the ends of her sleeves.
"Okay activate internal lasers" she heard Jack's voice over the coms talking to someone else who could hopefully delay the Daleks. However the lasers didn't activate when they were supposed to and her heart beat kicked up once again when the bleeping from her screen called out to her.
"Defenses have gone off line! Daleks have overridden the lot" she breathed her fear tightening into knot that now weighed down her stomach, the screams that came through the coms not seconds later making her wince.
"There must be something that can stop the Daleks!" she thought trying to cling onto the hope that they were not unstoppable despite the panicked tone of her inner voice. The computer beeping pulled her out of her thoughts, "advanced guard have made it to 495" she informed them through the coms.
"Jack!" the Doctor's voice sounded across the coms a slightly urgent edge to it.
"495 should be good. I like 495" Jack responded somewhat smugly and Lynda felt the hope she was clinging onto rise a tiny amount. The Daleks red blip vanishing off the screen as well as Jacks shout of "YES!" was enough to bring a small smile to her face. "Perhaps everything will be okay," she thought.
However that thought paused half way through by a secondary Dalek blip continuing on past the floor showing the Daleks had gotten past the previous obstacle. The thought was then completely trampled on by more activity on her screen.
"They're flying up the ventilation shafts. No, wait a minute...Oh, my God. Why're they doing that? They're going down" she let them know, surprise evident in her voice as she tried to figure out what they were up to.
A few moments later horrendous screams reached her ears and the position of the Daleks on the screen told her why. She backed away from the podium horrified, her hands going to her mouth in shock whilst tears filled her eyes.
The continuing screams of desperation and pain as well as the distinctive gun shots from the Daleks got too much and she stepped forward reaching out a hand to turn the com hence the sounds off before quickly stepping back again. She took in a deep breath just as a slight sob passed her mouth which was quickly muffled by both hands.
Breathing deeply she stopped the sobs before she could really get going. She knew if she allowed herself to start she wouldn't be able to stop. Getting hysterical wouldn't help. So calming herself enough not to cry outright she turned the coms back on.
Despite her best efforts her voice still held the distinctive wobble to it of someone close to or in tears as she spoke, "floor zero…they killed them all" a hand going back over her mouth as the computer detected zero human life signs there.
"Who am I kidding, even if the Daleks don't get me there's still the delta wave" she thought as her shoulders shook as even the hope she had clung onto in her mind began to slip away in wake of all the deaths.
Her life had been nothing but TV… there was so much she hadn't seen or done; so much she had missed…
She was getting lost in these thoughts when the Doctor spoke up, "Lynda! What's happening on earth?" The direct use of her name got her to listen and she changed the screen to monitor the planet below, it switching to show a map of the earth.
What she saw stopped her own pity party… because what she saw was so much worse than the fate she had been sentenced to… "The Fleet's descending. They're bombing whole continents. Europa, Pacifica, the New American Alliance. Australasia's just gone."
Each word was said with a bit more sadness than the last and a bit more hopelessness than the previous. She had always wished to see world, get out there…it had never been possible until she had met the Doctor. Now she was being forced to watch as her planet was completely incinerated piece by piece, her dreams along with it.
She tuned out what was going on for a bit her mind thinking about how many dead, how many lost and how she once again recognized the Doctor for the hero he was.
Here she was getting upset that he had condemned them-no her to death yet next to all these deaths… A tear ran down her cheek as she looked at the screen. Next to all these deaths her own would be so…so…insignificant.
She realized then how right he was. These Daleks would wipe them out and they didn't stand a chance. Worse than that they would…convert them, at least the Doctor's way would take the Daleks out with them. She smiled bitterly and vindictively at the notion, before shaking her head to bury it away unable to get rid of it completely.
That wasn't her. If she had to die she would die as Lynda the sweet and sensitive girl she knew herself to be, not as some bitter and cruel stranger she didn't recognize. The beeping of the computer resolved this thought as she looked to see the cause. "Ah, of course…" she thought to herself.
"I've got a problem…" she couldn't help say, her eyes going to the door before she turned completely to face it. Her heart hammering away in her chest.
"Human female detected" rang ominously through the air, her mouth going dry at the declaration. Just because she accepted her fate didn't make it any less terrifying. "They've found me" she continued slightly breathless as she stared solidly at the door.
"You'll be alright Lynda" the Doctor's voice came across the coms, "that side of the station's reinforced against meteors" using her previous faith in him to assure her.
A part of her wanted to believe him but she had already learned that the Doctor can't always be expected to save them, still she was touched that he took the time to try and comfort her when he had a whole planet to look out for.
"I hope so. You know what they say about earth workmanship" she tried to joke even as she felt the doubt in her mind. She had already accepted this was it, even before the light appeared on the doorway, the silent countdown to her end.
Still…she wished that she didn't have to meet it by herself. She knew she was going to die either way…still that small vindictive part of her wished that it didn't have to be by Dalek if even just to spite them.
She gulped, whatever tool they had used to make the yellow light was now shining brighter on her side.
Another thought struck her. Maybe she could spite them after all. She recalled what she had done whilst the Doctor and Jack had went in that strange blue box to rescue their friend. She hadn't just been sitting around as they had presumed.
Still… as she reached for the small remote like device in her pocket her thumb lightly resting over the only button on it she hesitated. It had been a rushed job, she couldn't be sure it was safe, what if it went wrong…still she couldn't be any worse off than here…
"But what if the Daleks don't make it through" that small thought kept her hesitating even as another part of her scoffed at it. Why risk it when there might be no need…still the idea of dying alone….
A creeping feeling up the back of her neck caused her to turn around and simultaneously make up her mind.
Slowly sidling up her field of view, elevating to fill the outside of the window were three Daleks. The second she caught sight of them instead of waiting around she acted.
It was now or never. Daleks in the stories never hesitated so neither could she.
The three eye stalks had just appeared when she acted on impulse, her thumb pressing down on the button in her pocket.
By the time they had reached full view of the room, the human female inside had already disappeared.
….
Duh, duh, duh….So where has Lynda gone? She's escaped immediate death but can she keep it up? I'll try to update once a week, if feeling generous maybe more. I know it didn't go far from the cannon but I wanted to use this chapter more as a build-up and a way for me to get a feel for the story if you will, anyways hope you enjoyed reading it regardless.
