Originally part of an origin story for my MC in 'Regenerate,' but I've since removed DW references from that fic (for reasons). Still, I got attached to telling this part of that story even if the character portrayed here is no longer Ace. I hope fans of both Regenerate and Doctor Who enjoy this story.
I slam the bolt and gasp so hard I cough. I turn too quickly and fall to my knees, scraping them against the metal grating. I look around, squinting. This is the biggest room I've ever been in.
The lights are blaring bright, some of them flickering and flashing. Crazy arches hold up the ceiling, and there's a giant, humming machine in the center of the room. It's warm here. Yes, the metal around me is warm, I'm not imagining it. I lay my face against the floor, tuck my numb feet into the stiff coat, and think about how much sleep I used to get in my cell and how tired I got of sleeping. Now I might sleep forever in this bright, warm room with a lock to keep people out. What a nice big room…
There's a buzzing noise near my head. I jump up right away, but my legs are useless and I fall backwards onto my rear, hitting my head on the door.
"Oh no, no, no! Sorrey!" the tall man says with a very hurt face. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
He kneels down to my level, his long brown coat like a tent around his legs. There are two heartbeats inside of him. "How'd you get in here, then? Did I leave the door open again?" Scrunchy-faced, he inspects the door over my head. "Oh, you bolted it yourself, what for, what's following you?"
I don't like all his questions so I growl and curl up tight.
"'Ey," he warns, "don't get grumb'ly with me. I'm not going to hurt you." He pockets the weird pen he was holding and gives me a sudden cheery smile. "I'm the Doctor. What's your name then?"
"I hate doctors," I say before coughing. Talking hurts. "Don't touch me."
"What have the doctors been doing?" His voice changes so often. It's dark and gray sounding now, and his eyes are hard and flat and the smile is gone from every part of his face.
"They hurt m-" I cough again and my throat burns and stings, but I keep coughing like I might never stop. The doctor bounces up and running over to the big machine, pulls out a drawer. Before I'm done coughing he's back.
"Here," he fiddles with something small wrapped in sticky paper, "put this in your mouth and suck on it."
I don't want to, but then I see it's red, shiny, and too big to be medicine. I can't remember what the word for it is, but it's a good thing I remember. I take it quickly and put it in my mouth. I gag a little. It's not as sweet as I remember it being.
"That should make your throat feel better. Now." He slaps his knees and stands up. His shoes have stars on them. "That door is locked, no one can get in at all, ever. Except…sometimes…but only on very specific occasions that weren't my fault."
I'm still looking at his shoes and sucking on the bitter thing in my mouth. My throat does feel better. I look up at his face now and he's looking down at me with his funny, sticky-uppy hair and his pointy face. What a weird guy.
"Were the bad doctors following you?" he asks.
I nod, then shake my head, then don't know what to do. "I killed him, but the soldiers were following me."
"You killed him, wha-? How'd you kill him?"
"Well, maybe I didn't kill him." I test the red sucker between my teeth. "He burned my fingers if I cried during tests."
His eyes get big like pools of water. "Get away from the door, come over here, it's warmer by the console."
I follow him and he sweeps me onto a bench before running out of the room. I crack the sucker between my teeth. Candy. It's called candy. Candy tastes horrible.
He comes bounding back in and covers me in blankets. Then he changes his mind, removes all the blankets, takes away my coat, and covers me in blankets again. He did it fast and from behind, so he missed the blood on my arm and shirt. A pair of fuzzy socks are produced and he stuffs my feet into them. They go up past my knees.
"Hm, I don't know if I have any clothes in midget."
I'm not short, but I giggle anyway. His smile is familiar, a medium smile that shows mostly in his eyes. It feels safe, so I smile back. Then I remember why I came in here. "Can you take me far away?"
His smile gets much, much bigger. "Oh, that I can."
