Author's Note: Howdo all? Been a while since I posted up something and this has just been sitting on my laptop gathering dust. It kinda started out as a rant about technology sucking and then took on a life of its own and evolved into this thing here. I'm not sure whether or not I should continue on it, I think it has potential to be more, but as it was kind of one of those verbal diarrhea moments its not entirely planned. Let me know what you think :)

DISCLAIMER ANDWARNING! The following fic has the Doctor and his Sonic screwdriver, they are not mine, but the BBC's. I hope that the BBC continues to keep up with their good work because if I was responsible for the show there would be year long gaps between the episodes.

On to the warning, the following has quite a few swears and foul language in it. For those of you who feel it is unnecessary 1) Have you met programmers? and 2) You have something you've poured your blood, sweat and tears into you die due to inferior technology and see how well you mince words.

Most of all, its not my intention to offend. Flames get eye rolls, constructive criticism gives you a better writer. I'm fine if you tell me my writing is crap, just tell me why.

In Good Company

The urge to kick the ancient machine was strong, but she knew it wasn't really going to help the situation. Why the fuck did they have to fucking go to this antique shop to use the brick that still ran Windows 95 of all the goddamned programs. There was the background hum of old lamp lights and she found herself hating the shop even more. Some of the best coding she had ever done, destroyed with a major file corruption because the man she was working for failed to mention he was on the hit list of one of the major Companies. Just. Fucking. Brilliant. Wanted by association and the only thing that could save her bacon, destroyed by an ancient machine that just couldn't handle the goddamned hardware she had jacked in. She whirled as she heard someone clear their throat, brandishing the mouse unawares.

"What?" She bit out in barely restrained rage. The man put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Whoa! I just came to check how things were going." He looked her in the eye. "We are going, right?" It was at this point she suddenly understood why some people snapped and started murdering people left, right and centre. Her eyes widened to the point of the casual observer clearly seeing the whites of her eyes. Her dishevelled business wear and frizzy hair a testament to the fact that she hadn't changed or even slept in the past few days. She was running off caffine shots and adrenaline, and now, rage. It occurred to him, that maybe he should start running.

"Going?" She took a deep breath. "You wanna know how things are going? In just a few short days I have been one of the top programmers in the Companies and then become a fugitive, been dragged through half the goddamned coast by a wanted criminal, shot at, almost knifed, had to run for my life god knows how many times and write some of the best goddamned code to hit the net, in 2 days no less! Only to have it ruined because you insisted on going into this shit box of a fucking antique shop to use the even more of a shit box computer only to have it all come crashing down because the fucking hardware isn't compatible. And no, before you ask, there is no way to retrieve it because the computer that it was originally on was used to save your goddamned worthless life and now the only hard drive that had it, is completely and irrevocably erased because of this piece of shit!" She closed her eyes and invested in some good old fashioned heavy breathing to find her ocean of calm amongst the storm of her mingled rage and despair. "So no, we are not going, at least not in the direction you want to go. It appears the only place we are going to is gaol." She stated as calmly as she could and opened her eyes and looked directly into the twin points of brown. "Unless you have any more magic tricks to pull out of your ass?" She raised an eyebrow as if daring him to suggest that he did, indeed, have a magic trick. Sadly this was seen as a challenge to him and so he gave her a mad grin.

"Actually…" He smiles and produces a small tool and walks towards the hard drive with a serious intent that she hasn't seen on his face very often, but enough to know that she should be nervous about what's going to happen. She moved out of his way and then took two steps back, whenever that strange tool was out things tended to explode, or ignite, or implode, or deteriorate. The whir of noise was drowned out by sirens, time was running out and the loony bastard was just grinning like a maniac as obviously something happened that pleased him. "Am I a genius or am I a genius!" He kissed the tool as the computer erupted into life, files loading onto the computer from the previously thought broken hard drive.

"I don't fucking believe it." She pushed him out of the way and flexed her fingers ready to start the input of the code onto the web. "It's all here, HA! We've got the bastards now!" She felt like laughing, but the sirens were getting closer so it was all down to business. Her fingers flew across the keypad as she entered the code into the system. "I need more power to this bucket of shit! We're not going to make it in time!" Another whir and the speed of the file transfer quickened. She felt sweat begin to form on her upper lip as she entered into the Algram Company mainframe, she laid the code down against the firewall and disconnected the program after the successful uploading.

"Felicia, I hate to be a bother, but could you speed things up a little, the kind people in blue are about to breathe down our necks."

"You wanna drive?"

"Well..."

"Too bad, now shut up and make this thing faster."

"I don't think its going to hold up much longer if we keep pushing it."

"It doesn't need to last me the rest of my sodding life, just the next few minutes."

The whir sounded again at a higher frequency and the page she was hacking into for the Dendram Group opened for her instantaneously. Again, the code was laid next to the firewall and the program was disconnected.

"Just the Sladris and we are good to go then?" She felt a wave of irritation and resisted the urge to swivel in the chair and glare.

"Just? Hah! I built the systems for Sladris Corp. This isn't going to be a walk in the park, I saved the hardest for last."

"They're at the doors, Felicia."

"Then buy me some time Doctor and maybe we can get this show on the road. I don't have the time to do all the thinking, the hacking and the coding at the same time." She heard his footsteps pad away and a vain hope filled her that the stupid excuse for a lifeform could actually stop them long enough for her to crack the system she had made to be uncrackable. Sweat began pouring from her face, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. She could hear muffled talking. Almost there. The talking was now turning into shouting, shit. C'mon! Almost. She could hear him protesting. Fucking. They were getting closer. THERE!

"HAH!"

"Put your hands behind your head Felicia Addams and back away from the computer." FUCK! A quick tap of the mouse closed the program for the final time and she raised her hands and turned to face the music. There was a distinct whirring noise and the computer behind her fried. She looked at him with a crooked grin and twitched her head in acknowledgement.

"Something wrong with trying to fix a broken system?" She asked as nonchalantly as one could possibly manage with a singed hulk of an old computer behind them, 4 day old clothes, 5 days of being the subject of a manhunt and rapidly cooling sweat covering them from head to toe.

"Alright Miss Addams, you're coming with me." Said the one who appeared to be in charge. They moved to manhandle her when he piped up.

"I say, isn't that a little presumptuous there?" She had to hand it to him, he did have a chivalrous streak a mile wide.

"Not to worry Doctor, no one is going to be taking us anywhere that we don't want to be going." She winked at him and flashed a grin. "I for one would kill for a shower and a fresh change of clothes. Maybe a sleep too, I'm beat." She dropped her hands and put them in front of her for them to slap the restrainers on and then dodged their grasp and walked out to the street front of the shop.

"Gee she's got balls a lot bigger than you lot do." She had to laugh as she heard his voice following her out onto the street. She wasn't sure if the hysteria was from the lack of sleep, the overdose of caffine or the fact that her whole world was about to come crashing down around her ears. Whatever was causing it, she embraced the situation and the release of the laughter with fervour. For all she knew it could be the last time she would ever laugh.

And then everything started shutting down.