Hello readers! Just thought I'd pass on a brief message before you buckled down and got reading. I have absolutely NO IDEA what this is... I was not paying attention to a movie on T.V. when in my mind's eye I suddenly saw a girl on the TARDIS, screaming about something. I started typing. This is what resulted. I like it... I just don't know what it is or what it's about.

Read on, review, tell me what you think... I guess you could consider it a one-shot? I ended it with a possibilty to continue. What do you as readers think? Do you think it works better as a mysterious one-shot, or would you like me to go on?

Signed, oddly surprised and pleased that something post-worthy came out of her brain, sonorahugagi

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Doctor Who... except Marya. Marya's mine; you can't have her! MINE!!!

"TARDIS! Initiate emergency protocol 13-07! That's thirteen-dash-oh-seven, now, please!" Marya shrieked at the screen, hitting a few switches and nearly throwing herself across the room as the TARDIS tilted severely to one side. A few choice curse words erupted past her lips as she slammed a lever forward. The screen flashed a computation error.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Marya yelled at the screen, shaking it. "Why's there an error? Why's there an error?!" She rushed around to the other side, flipping what looked like light switches and turning dials as far as they would go. A spark flew out of the main console, nearly striking the raven-haired woman in the face. Hissing in a breath she backed away and looked around. There was no way she could fly this thing... not by herself, not with those things following practically on top of her. Where was the Doctor when you needed him?

No, she thought angrily, tensing. Don't think about that right now. Right now is about saving the TARDIS... and your own ass.

Yet despair settled over her as the control console sparked again, wires breaking loose and the TARDIS rattling hard enough to jar her teeth out of place. Marya rushed back to the screen and tried in vain to bring up the emergency protocol again. Finally she slammed her fist on a button she didn't see there and sent the TARDIS on a side roll. If the internal gravity fix wasn't on she would've been tossed all over the ceiling. What's the use of having an emergency protocol if it didn't work?

"Please," She begged to the general air. Alarm bells were going off. The enemy is upon us, the screen read. "Please, sweetheart, just activate the protocol, or this is the end of us... and the Doctor."

One of the panels on the walls exploded and others followed, spreading shards all through the air. She threw up her hands uselessly to shield herself and bit back a cry as several of them made different sized cuts across her skin. Her knees buckled and Marya sank down beside the console, hugging her knees and burying her face in them. So this was how it was going to end... after all the danger, the fighting, it had to end like this... and here she was sitting here like a coward!

"No way in hell!" She mumbled to herself, shivering as the alarm bells rose to screeches, the humming of engines outside to nearly a roar, her eardrums ready to scream in pain. Was she really sitting here? Didn't the Doctor (no, no, don't think about him no no not 'til you're out of this) always seemed amazed and a little ticked by her ferocity when it came to dealing with things? Especially the alien kind of things!

"No way in hell!" She repeated a little more strongly, lifting her head and peering around. Yeah, the place looked... well, pretty torn up. A small pang twisted her heart. Poor TARDIS... and here she was just sitting here! Clambering to her feet, resisting the urge to hold her head as the noises grew to a more damaging volume, Marya grabbed the console as a tremor shook the TARDIS. A dent was forming in the ceiling.

"NO WAY IN HELL, SWEETHEART!" She sang out as loud as she could, cranking levers, turning knobs, beating her fist in different places from lack of nothing else, and generally making a havoc of the steering. Another large tremor knocked her down and sliced open a part of her thigh, but she dragged herself to her feet and limped to the screen. The alarm bells had burnt themselves out. Different messages were scrolling past her eyes, different names, places, a few things she recognized (Rose I need--Martha, you--Gallifrey--) but most she didn't. The internal memory was being eaten away from fire, the poor TARDIS was going crazy...

"Listen to me!" Marya yelled, staring at the screen. "Listen to me right now! If we're going down, then sweetheart, we're not going down without a fight! Initiate protocol 17-345. That's seventeen-dash-three-four-five, now, please!" A slow smile spread across her face as the random scrolling of terminated video feeds and messages stopped and changed to a soothing blue, but it kept shorting. At least it was trying. "That's it, sweetheart! Lock on fixed designated areas, reverse polar engines, let's send them for a loop, eh? Ha!"

A loud screech and another tremor sent Marya to her knees. The tip of a small drill bit had broken through the exterior wall yet seemed to be stuck. She didn't have any time to focus on this because a softer shudder rocked the TARDIS. Protocol has been initiated the screen flashed, and she cheered as the central column began pistoning up and down furiously.

"That's it sweetheart, that's it, you can do it!" She tried to stand, but her right leg buckled and she noticed that blood was seeping down from her thigh. No time...worry about that later, or never, whichever ending came first. But the Doctor (quit thinking about that name not now not until you meet face to face again when it's safe) wouldn't forgive her if the TARDIS died... ooh, she could see his face now. That brought a small smile to her lips before another screech from the drill bit tearing out of the wall made her clap her hands over her ears. Damn, these things were persistent.

Dragging herself to the 'Captain's Seat' that she'd named a while back (not now not now not now not now) there was a red button encased in a very clearly marked 'DO NOT OPEN' cover in front of her. Marya stared silently for a total of three seconds until a loud chime echoed in her head. It was time. "TARDIS, activate temporal internal shields. Close off any and all external communications. Lock on target." She paused and opened the casing. "Sweetheart... it's been fun."

There was a short pang again in her heart... like she was supposed to be saying this to a friend, or someone, anyone, else. Instead of being totally alone. She grabbed onto the TARDIS instead, struggling to her feet. The gash in her thigh made her feel woozy. The screeching was back; they were trying the wall again. There was a pause when all she did was listen to them tearing through what was left of the exterior wall. "Let's ROCK AND ROLL!" Marya suddenly screamed, and slammed her palm with all her strength on the button.

A bright flash of light, a terrible rumble from the engines inside the TARDIS so different than usual, the screaming of a fire erupting in machinery outside... and the TARDIS lurched back then forward, throwing Marya back at the console. Her head connected with an edge accompanied by a sickening crack; stars exploded in front of her eyes, her grip on the TARDIS slackened; it pitched again, her back collided with the Captain's Seat but she refused to let the cry pass her lips; the bright light flashed again, another screeching; air pressed in on her lungs when she breathed. That's a good thing... she tried to assure herself dimly, darkness fluttering on her vision as her throat began constricting from lack of air. Brief panic like she was drowning rose in her stomach before she quenched it. Means we're entering the Empties... we're dragging the ships with us... no more... Doctor...

Trembling, barely able to move, her hand crept up to the chain around her neck. She tugged as hard as she could and the feeble chain snapped -- so much for long-lasting -- and she curled the chain in her fist. The key dug into her palm. But at least she was going to die with a piece of the Doctor with her. A loud humming sound reached through a thick fog from the engines below, lulling her into an almost easy sleep. The TARDIS was trying to ease her passing, she guessed... such a sweetheart...

The world faded to a calm, empty blackness.