The Man Who Saved the World
Summary
When the Tardis receives an alert indicating a possible Cyberman attack on Earth, the Doctor lands in the Coalfell research centre, a base with a network of underground tunnels that hide many security secrets – and they find the place devastated and all employees dead, except for two survivors – Laura Smith, a security guard who was deep underground when the attack happened, and Professor Devon Travis, who managed to break through a complicated security system to protect an alien artefact.
The Doctor explains that the artefact is a rare super charged power core, originating from the planet Xethea, and no doubt came from a crashed ship – he explains the reason Earth scientists could not open the container was because it had a double trigger on the lock – one to begin a count down to trigger a huge nuclear explosion, the other to cancel out the threat of world destruction by breaking the shield – and emitting a dose of Xaygrolium radiation, intended to kill the perpetrator of the potential theft.
When Devon explains he broke the shield to stop the count down triggered by the Cybermen and to save the power core from falling into enemy hands, the Doctor knows what this means – that Devon has absorbed a fatal dose of alien radiation, which will slowly kill him. And as Devon and Ace become closer, the Doctor urges Devon to tell Ace the truth, but Devon is still hoping the Doctor's time machine can take him away to a place and time where a cure exists. And the Doctor leaves the matter in Devon's hands, as he finds himself strongly drawn to security guard Laura, who reminds him of Ace in many ways...
For a while they remain trapped at the research centre, as the Cybership in the skies above locks down shields and sends in a search party when life forms are detected – and then the Doctor and Ace must find a way to escape.
But once escape happens, the Doctor finds he could lose Ace forever when she discovers the truth about her lover and begs the Doctor to try and find a way to save his life before it is too late, and then she demands to know why he kept such a terrible secret from her for so long...
Is Ace about to lose the man she loves, and can she ever forgive the Doctor for holding back the truth, when he knew it right from the start but chose to stay silent, and will this mark the end of their friendship once and for all?
Rated: T
Warnings: This is a heavy duty hurt/comfort fic with a very emotional storyline that deals with the subject of mortality, and other adult situations.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction I own nothing.
Chapter 1
Her back was against the wall and the corridor was in darkness.
The security guard raised her radio and spoke into it again.
"HQ...come in! Come in, this is Security agent Laura Smith, I'm in tunnel 112...all quiet down here but what the hell has happened up there?"
She listened, hearing no reply but the hiss of static that seemed amplified in the dim and chilly corridor.
"Please, someone, anyone!"
And again there was nothing but the hiss of static that filled the corridor.
Then she heard a heavy footstep and as she turned to see a shadow fall across the end of the tunnel, she gripped her laser gun in both hands with a steady aim, her eyes widening as she drew in a sharp breath, taking in the sight of the giant metal man who stood with his back to her...
She recalled all the briefings about threats to the earth, and possible attacks from alien forces due to the nature of the work down here at Coalfell Research Base...
Then she knew what she was looking at:
A Cyberman...
She kept her steady aim as she stayed close to the wall, making her way forward slowly and carefully, towards the enemy. She had no clue how powerful its weaponry was, or if she would be killed or upgraded to join the Cyberfleet, but the enemy was on home ground and it was her duty to defend it, and defend it she would, even if it meant losing her own life in the process. It would be better to die fighting than to be forced to join the Cyber race...
And then the Cyberman lowered its weapon, stood perfectly still, shimmered and vanished from sight.
Laura stopped walking, looking in confusion at the end of the corridor.
That thing had simply vanished... teleported out of here?
She kept the weapon in a firm grip, rounding the corner sharply – but the Cyberman was gone.
And then she listened, hearing the wail of the intruder alert going on and on with no sign of stopping. That was the only sound she could hear, as if the rest of the building was dead...
And as that siren wailed, she made her way to a lift, pressed the button and as the doors slid open she was greeted by the sight of two colleagues, slumped against each other on the floor, both shot to death by alien weaponry.
Laura stepped over the bodies, got into the lift and hit the button for the ground floor, keeping her weapon tight in her hand as she wondered if any Cybermen still remained in the building. Her grip on the gun was ice cold as she shivered and tried to block out the thought of the bodies that lay at her feet, and then the lift began to ascend, taking her to the ground floor, where she could only guess at what other terrible sights awaited her...
The Tardis was heading for Earth rapidly as the Doctor pressed buttons and turned dials.
"It was there, and then it was gone...Ace, this could be bad news..."
Ace stood next to the console, looking to the Professor and then to the screen that showed starry space above earth, now the silver ship that had hovered above was gone – faded out in the blink of an eye...
"Professor, I don't get what's happened... you saw a ship and you said Cybermen, but it's gone now and -"
The Doctor looked up sharply from the console.
"I'm detecting a trace that runs to a place called Coalfell, it's an underground research centre specialising in the examination of alien artefacts – that's where they keep a Xetheanian super charged power core – tiny thing in a tamper proof vault...it's the most powerful substance in the universe, that core could keep the Cyber fleet running for a million years!"
"Then what was it doing on Earth?"
"Good question, Ace – I'd guess it came from a crashed ship. But those power cores have a double security system... I'm guessing the Cybermen didn't get what they wanted, other wise your planet would have been torn apart by a massive nuclear explosion and it hasn't happened yet...so what has happened? This is what I don't understand, they just left...I think they're hiding, maybe cloaked...they're still about, above Earth – they want that power core. "
And he met her gaze as his eyes darkened.
"They won't be getting their hands on it as long as I'm around!"
And he threw a lever and the Tardis vanished, reappearing on the surface of Earth moments later.
As the wheezing groan faded out and the Tardis fell silent save for the usual hum it gave off quietly, Ace looked worried as the Doctor put on his hat and grabbed his umbrella.
"Nitro nine?"
"Possibly, even though I hate the stuff. Hurry up, Ace...It's too quiet out there..."
And as she hurried off to grab her rucksack, he turned to the viewing port and took in the sight of a large, grey-bricked building, where smoke poured out of a downstairs window and on a floor above a technician in a lab coat hung half out of a broken window, her white coat stained scarlet as she leaned over, her face towards the brickwork and fair hair blowing in the breeze.
"I think they're all dead," he murmured, "I think they killed them all..."
Then Ace was back, her face pale as she caught sight of the view on the screen.
"Is that a dead body?"
"Expect to see many more," the Doctor replied, "I doubt they would have left anyone alive in there."
And then he opened the door and went outside and Ace followed, pausing to double check her base ball bat was safely tucked into the back of her rucksack.
As the Doctor hurried across the grass towards the building, Ace ran to catch up with him.
"So you think everyone's dead?" she asked, slowing her pace as she looked up at the building.
"Everyone above and below ground!" the Doctor's eyes had darkened with anger now, "I knew they had the power core here...they thought it would be safe, hidden away in a secret base in the countryside...I warned them! I said to keep it with UNIT! I was planning to pick it up and return it to its home planet – I should have got here sooner, I should have known -"
He paused, seeing her hand on his arm, then he looked into her eyes and saw a soft, understanding gaze.
"You can't know absolutely everything, Professor. No one can. Don't blame yourself."
He shrugged off her touch and it made her heart ache in a way she couldn't define as she saw her words had offered little consolation to the man who hated violence and always wished he could save everyone, no matter how dire the circumstances.
"People have died," he said in a low voice, "All we can do now is look for survivors and find that power core."
And he made his way to the main building and Ace followed on, slowing her pace again as she saw the glass doors at the entrance had been shattered. Beyond it, fading smoke was trailing out and bodies were littered all over the main reception area.
The Doctor stepped through the door frame and went in first.
Ace stepped over the frame and looked around at the men and women who were lifeless on the floor, some had no visible signs of injury and there was a sour smell that hung in the air.
"What is that stink?" she said in a hushed voice.
"Poison gas," the Doctor replied, "I'm guessing they came in and gassed the place, then shot the ones the gas didn't reach... but we're safe now, their kind of technology works fast and fades out fast, that stink, as you put it, is what's left of the toxins breaking up in the air. It won't harm you – but it certainly did its work on the rest of these people."
As they made their way carefully over fallen bodies, the Doctor went behind the desk, carefully shifted the slumped body of a woman from the switchboard and reached for a key and turned it, silencing the wail of the alarm.
And then as no sound could be heard, Ace listened harder, hoping to hear signs of life, the faintest breath, but heard none.
She shivered as she looked back at the bodies.
"Why are so many of them out here by the entrance?"
"I'm guessing they heard the alarm and started evacuating the building," he said to her, "And the Cybermen were waiting for them. They stood no chance."
"I feel sick," Ace said quietly.
"It won't get any easier," he reminded her, "Two thirds of this facility is under ground. I can only guess what we might find down there."
Ace drew in a deep breath, swallowed and tried to ignore the stink in the air and the bodies on the floor as she fought against the urge to throw up, mainly because if she did, she knew she would be puking on a dead person, and she really didn't want that to happen...
"We need to search the lower floors," the Doctor said, and Ace carefully stepped over the last of the bodies as she followed.
"Professor," she said as he hit the call button, "When this is over, when we leave – please can we find another way out?"
And then the lift doors opened and they stepped inside.
As the lift began to descend, Ace felt her throat go tight.
The lift didn't smell of the poison that lingered in the air, nor did it smell of death, but there was a blood stain on the carpet.
"There's no body," she said in a hushed voice, looking down at the stain, "Professor, why would there be a stain but no body? I didn't see any stains on the floor by the lift when we got in...did someone move some bodies?"
"There could be survivors," the Doctor agreed, "I hope there are - "
And then he fell silent and Ace saw a brief flash of alarm in his eyes and that look scared her, because it meant he had just thought of something she had missed, and it wasn't going to be anything good...
"Professor?"
He met her gaze.
"I was just thinking – this is a top secret base, the alarm was on when we got here..so why has no help arrived?"
And the lift came to a stop and the doors opened.
The Doctor thoughtfully ran the tip of his umbrella across the fresh blood that marked the carpet.
"Why indeed..." he said thoughtfully, and then he stepped out of the lift and Ace followed nervously, into a dimly lit and chilly corridor.
"Drop your weapons now!"
The Doctor and Ace turned to see a woman standing in the corridor, she wore a dark security uniform and her eyes were fixed on them with suspicion as she pointed a laser weapon.
"We're not the enemy!" Ace said quickly.
The Doctor had both hands in the air, including the one that clutched his umbrella, and he dowered them as the look in the woman's eyes changed at once.
"I'm the Doctor, this is Ace...We're here to help!"
"You're too late. They came out of nowhere, they killed everyone...metal men, huge robot things...I believe they were Cybermen...I only saw one of them...in the tunnel, before it teleported...never seen anything like it before.."
She was talking as she walked towards them, and now the weapon was holstered at her side once more.
As she joined them, the Doctor caught a look of shock in the eyes of the slender young woman with cropped fair hair.
"I think they killed everyone. I don't know, I was down here on routine patrol when the alarm sounded...HQ called me to say there was trouble but then the signal went dead...I'm Laura Smith, Head of Security patrols."
And she held out her hand and the Doctor briefly grasped it, wishing he could warm away the chill from her flesh, for it was the kind of chill only shock could bring on.
"I'm the Doctor," he said again, "I'm a Time Lord – I believe the Cybermen were after the power core. I don't understand how they left without it and how they didn't trigger the nuclear device. By now the world should have ended. But it didn't, and I want to know why, because they would have tampered with the lock on the chamber for sure, yet some how, that device didn't go off. Someone just saved the Earth."
Laura's eyes filled with confusion.
"But no one can touch the core. It's double locked, the detonation couldn't be cancelled without breaking the radioactive seal."
"And if the Cybermen didn't do it?" the Doctor pondered, "Who did?"
She shook her head.
"Not me! I know all about how lethal that thing can be, I'm top ranking security, I know all about the power core – the main thing to know is, never go near the chamber where its kept!"
And then she looked into the Doctor's eyes.
"Please tell me you think there could be survivors here."
The Doctor looked back at her sadly.
"We came in through the main entrance. Everyone who was being evacuated died. We came straight to the basement to work our way up and find the power core and look for survivors. I don't think there's much chance of any being found above ground."
"There isn't any above ground. I've seen the CCTV on floor One – the upper part of the building is mostly empty, there's a few bodies on the first floor and the rest seem to be on the ground floor. But I don't know about down here."
"This floor is empty," she confirmed, "I've already done a sweep."
And she headed for the lift and the Doctor and Ace joined her as she pressed the button for the next floor and the doors slid shut once more.
Ace looked down at the blood on the carpet.
"Someone moved some bodies."
"That was me," Laura said, "I moved them to the ground floor. This is the only lift still working and I just couldn't..."
"I know, I'd feel the same," Ace told her, "This is horrible...everyone's dead."
The lift came to a stop and the doors opened into another cold and dimly lit corridor.
Ace exchanged a hesitant glance with Laura, and the Doctor spoke up.
"I'll lead the way," he said, "I doubt if we'll need your bat, Ace, or your pistol, Laura – all we can hope for now is to find survivors."
And they followed him out of the lift, Laura paused to look behind her where the corridor stretched off into semi darkness as she recalled the sight of the Cyberman standing there.
"I saw it for few seconds," she said as they walked up the corridor, "and then it just vanished – like it was teleported away."
"Most likely sent back to the mother ship," the Doctor replied, "I saw the ship vanish but I don't know if it's left or if it's cloaked - "
"It could still be up there?" Laura said in alarm.
"We don't know anything for sure," Ace told her, "Let's just look for survivors and let the Professor work out the rest..."
And then she shivered, feeling the chill of the underground tunnel, but at the same time feeling glad that at least it didn't stink down here.
"Tell me what's on this floor," the Doctor said to Laura.
She indicated to a door at the end of the corridor.
"That's where we keep the power core."
Ace glanced at the Doctor.
"And it's dangerous – even for you?"
"I shall have my wits about me," he promised her, "I know all about this double trap to keep the core safe from theft. I have to go in there, I need to be certain the bomb isn't still on some kind of slow countdown."
"And if it is?"
They had reached the doorway.
The Doctor looked to Ace.
"I will have to find a way to shut it down, won't I?"
Laura took a card from her pocket and swiped the lock.
There was a beep and the metal door slid back, revealing a small narrow tunnel that led to another locked door.
The Doctor stepped into the tunnel.
Laura turned to Ace.
"So you travel with him all the time?"
Ace nodded.
"I try and keep him out of trouble, yes."
"I bet you never expected a situation like this!" she exclaimed, and Ace briefly smiled.
"Trust me, this is just another day!" she told her.
The Doctor's voice echoed back as he called to them from inside the tunnel.
"Laura, I need you to unlock this door."
"There's no need...I smashed the field trigger and took the core... it's locked in a custom made container inside a security case..Only I know the combination. I stopped the bomb...I stopped it."
Ace and Laura turned away from the tunnel as the Doctor also turned his head, wondering who had just spoken.
They turned to see a man leaning against the wall of the corridor. He looked to be around forty, and he was breathless and looked exhausted, his dark hair was damp with sweat and his dark suit was marked with burns to the fabric.
"Who are you?" Ace said, and he slid down the wall, then leaned against it as he closed his eyes and took in some deep breaths.
"Are you all right?" she asked as she fell to her knees beside him.
"Professor Travis?" Laura said in surprise, but his eyes were still closed as he fought for air.
Ace looked back at the Doctor as he came out of the tunnel.
"I think he's hurt!"
"Yes," the Doctor replied quietly, as he considered the fact that Professor Travis had stopped the bomb, had shattered the energy field to remove the power core and had just received a huge dose of alien radiation. This was the man who had saved the world, and signed his own death warrant in the process...
Ace was looking anxiously at him.
"Say something...please don't die...we have to save someone, everyone else is dead!"
And he opened his eyes and looked at the young woman knelt beside him and managed a smile.
"Maybe I am dead... if I am, this has to be heaven. If I'm dreaming, it's a good one..."
Pain briefly registered on his face, and then he held out his hand.
"Professor Devon Travis," he said, "Nice to meet you."
Ace clasped his hand and smiled, looking into deep blue eyes that sparkled despite his discomfort.
"Ace McShane," she said, "And I'm honoured to meet you – thanks for saving the world."
For a moment his hand remained in her grip, and then he let go.
"I just knew I had to stop that count down. The Cybermen tried to force the door and the trigger was set and the countdown started. They retreated to await further instruction and I used my ID, went in there and smashed the radioactive seal. That shut down the timer and I took the power core. They came back to find no power core and the bomb switched off. I hid further up the corridor and watched as they teleported out of here. It was a while until I could get up off the floor again..."
And he looked up at the Doctor.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor," he replied, "A time traveller. I'm associated with UNIT and I wanted that core off these premises a long time ago, to avoid a situation like this."
Devon's eyes widened.
"A time traveller? Doctor, could you help me -"
"Perhaps," the Doctor replied, and Ace briefly looked confused as she wondered what that question had been about, but then Devon made a move to stand, and struggled, so she and Laura helped him up, then he leaned against the wall once more, took in a few more breaths and managed to stand unaided.
"Where's the power core?" the Doctor asked.
"In a locked case in that room over there," he said, gesturing to a nearby doorway.
"Thanks," the Doctor replied, and he opened the door, went inside and came out carrying a small metal briefcase with a digital lock.
"We should go back to the Tardis. I can scan the building for further signs of life – we can't waste any more time," he said as he made his way back to the lift.
Devon stumbled and Ace put her arm a round him, supporting him as they stepped into the lift.
"But I thought you wanted to look for survivors?" Laura said.
The Doctor hit the button for the ground floor and the doors closed and the lift began to climb.
"No time," he replied, "The Tardis can do a scan, if we find anyone you or Ace can go back to fetch them. I have to lock this power core away in the Tardis. The Cybermen have less chance of picking up its signal from there."
And then the doors opened and the Doctor caught the look on her face as she was greeted yet again by the sight of many dead bodies.
"Sorry Ace," he said, "We don't have time to find another way out."
And then he walked out of the lift and carefully stepped over the dead, and Ace and Laura followed, supporting Devon, who was leaning heavier against Ace with every step she took towards the door.
They left the building and made their way across the lawn, and Ace took in a deep breath of fresh air that carried no stink of poison gas or death. Then as the Doctor went inside the Tardis she breathed a relieved sigh as she and Laura helped Devon inside.
"It's never been so good to be home!" she exclaimed.
The Tardis door closed and Laura and Devon looked around the console room in surprise.
"It's -"
"Bigger on the inside, yeah, yeah. We hear it all the time!" Ace told Laura, and then as Devon stumbled again, she held him up and glanced at the Doctor, who was busy locking the case containing the power core beneath the Tardis console.
"He needs to lie down."
"Then take him to your room," the Doctor said, "I have to searched for that cloaked Cybership."
Devon was still sweating heavily as he looked at Ace.
"Thanks for your help," he said to her.
"No problem," she replied and helped him out of the console room and down the Tardis corridor towards her own room.
Laura hung back, watching as the Doctor worked.
"Do you think the Cybermen might still be out there?"
He locked away the power core and looked up from the console.
As their eyes met he spoke softly, seeing fear in her eyes as she recalled the massacre that had killed her colleagues.
"If they are, I can honestly say I can handle them," he promised her, "Don't worry, Laura – you're quite safe."
"Thanks," she said quietly, and their eyes locked for a moment, and the Doctor suddenly thought how much she reminded him of Ace, and then wondered if that was why he had felt a sudden warmth in his heart as he looked at her, but then he remembered they were in the middle of a crisis, and he turned back to the console and began to scan for signs of the concealed Cybership once more.