We stepped out of the TARDIS into a utopia type world. Tall chrome building along the skyline, dark soft green grass. I looked around, smelled the crisp air.
"Well?" I heard the doctor close the door of the TARDIS, and when I turned around he was leaning against the wood calmly, watching me for my reaction.
"It's incredible! Amazing, completely indescribable! Where are we?" I received a pointed look for that one.
"When are we?"
He smiled, "That's more like it. We're in the Sonogher galaxy in year 1765.4."
"What? How can it be year 1765.4?"
"Different galaxy different counting systems."
There was no response I can give to that. I couldn't even comprehend what was happening! This was so amazing!
I turned back around and looked across the fields, and over the mountains. From this point I could see the curve of the earth.
"Well come on then!" I grabbed his hand and dragged him along as I began running. I wanted to take all of it in. Everything that I could. The dark grass, the clean air, the tall buildings, the people.
We were halfway to the city when I finally stopped running. I could hardly contain the joy I felt. I let go of the Doctor's hand and threw my arms out spinning around like a mad woman laughing.
I did a front round off just to release some energy and immediately felt like a small child.
"Did you just flip?" He asked with amazement and disbelief laughing a bit. I turned shyly to him and nodded.
"I can't help it! It's just... amazing!" I quickly spun around again, looking at the world around me.
I was watching the skyline, following the horizon until the tall buildings became jagged spikes, hiding the sun from me.
"It's so..." my thought was never able to be finished. "Oh. My. God."
I watched as the windows of the tallest structure blew out, and I could hear the screamed echo through the wind and a sonic boom.
I turned quickly to the Doctor, he looked just as worried as I did.
So then we took off running.
When we finally made it into the city the Doctor immediately took charge. He flashed a badge stating that he was some kind of police, or FBI, or National security but it matched with this time and place.
"I'm the Doctor, this is Kaitlynn Scodder, we're with the Gatewide State. What is going on here?!" He said slipping the badge back into his jacket pocket.
"I don't know!" He let out a kind of disapproving grunt and moved past her at a speed forcing me to again run to keep up.
He continued to interrogate people who obviously knew nothing. I looked around, hoping to find something. An elevator, a witness, a... perfect!
"Doctor!" I said running towards the surveillance room.
"OH! Brilliant!" His voice held so much pride, and knowing that pride was for me was heartwarming. I smiled widely, and he did that same.
He whipped out a glowing stick and pointed it at the door.
"What is that?!"
"Sonic screwdriver. Don't laugh I'm being serious."
I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep the giggles at bay, but the face of actual hurt was almost to much to bear.
"Why does everybody laugh at that?"
He opened the door and we walked ran inside, he immediately went to work on the wires, and computers looking for information.
We heard an alarm go off, and a computer voice said something about intruders, and guards. I heard a humming sound and saw flying white
robots moving toward the room.
"Doctor! Doctor somethings coming, hurry up or think of a plan." I said hurriedly. I saw him look up and assess the situation.
He was thinking, rambling about computers, and wires, and some woman but nothing he said was a plan.
"Alright then," I said rolling my shoulders, "I'll see if I can buy us some time." I grabbed a file out of a cabinet, and ran out of the room and saw in total about 7 of the strange robots.
Now I wasn't a gymnast, or a fighter, or really anything that could defeat these scary future robots, but I was a runner in high school.
"Hey! Stupid future guard things!" I had gotten there attention.
"You have classified file. Return."
I felt myself smile despite the fact that I was in danger. I lifted the file up as bait, "Sure. If you can catch me." I began running around the room.
Lasers began firing, and people screamed, exiting the building in a panicked hurry.
I ducked behind a bench narrowly missing my doom.
I ran behind a robot, ducking down causing another robot to kill the first one. Now THAT sparked an idea.
"Hey! bet you can't hit me!" I jumped behind another. Success. Okay, just 4 left.
I saw a piece of plastic, or metal or wood or whatever that had fallen off when the laser hit the bench and dove for it, and then slipping into a
closet with a 'Warning. High Voltage' Sign on the door.
I tapped the material against the metal of the generator box.
It was metal. Excellent.
I pulled my jacket off, using it as a cover so that I wouldn't be affected. I rerouted the electric currents in the power box using a copper wire and held onto the highly charged tube.
It wouldn't take long before I was seared, they needed to hurry up.
I stared at the door, 'Come on come on.'
The pole was getting hot beneath my hands, 'Come on Come on you stupid robots! You watched me run in here!'
At just that second a white floating robot ripped the door open, saying something about me being terminated for my crimes.
"AHA!" I thrusted the pipe forward and watched the robot fry.
It fell short circuited to the floor, leaving me now trapped in a closet, with 3 other deadly robots moving towards me.
And I'm all out of tricks.
"Run!" I heard the Doctor shout and saw him waving me over while opening the door to the stairs.
"Don't mind if I do." I smiled and bolted with just second before they had closed in on the closet.
He led me in first putting his hand on my lower back, pushing me froward and then quickly following behind. He turned and soniced the door,
locking it to get us some time.
He turned around and paused looking at me.
"What?" I asked already halfway up the first flight of stairs.
"You are brilliant!" I smiled in reply before urging him to follow me, "Doctor they're the guards. They're gonna have a way to unlock the door, so come one! We've gotta go." I began to continue jumping up the stairs as quick as I could.
Soon we made it to the 4th floor when I heard the door on ground level break open. I paused looking down, I don't know why I just did.
I felt his hand cup mine, "Come one this way!" He shouted and ran through the door.
When we entered the third floor it resembled a hospital. Long hallways, white everything, and many doors.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"4th floor. I'm thinking sickbay. Smells like a hospital anyway." He took off walking in a direction.
"Do you have a plan yet? Or are you just taking time to smell the daffodils?"
He gave me a strange look, or a look that said I'm strange before turning to a passing nurse. She had scaly green skin, but looked similar to a human build.
"Hi, excuse us, but we seem to have gotten lost, can you tell us where we are?"
She looked annoyed but answered, "You are in the hospital 4th level. But the building isn't safe at the moment. We've just had a crash-"
He cut her off, "The hospital! Excellent!" He actually sounded excited, "Do you have a little shop? I like the shops." He was rambling now, his eyes lost in memories.
I looked to my left, and saw a flash of someone skinny, and four legged and the color of orange, shortly followed by something big, and slimy, and freaky shoot by an archway.
And then shortly after that I heard a scream.
"Doctor!" I took off running before him to try and see what was going on.
The nurse and the Doctor came running after me.
I got to the end of the hall and looked in the direction they ran. All that was left was the orange man laying on the floor, bleeding blue blood and breathing shortly.
"Sir! Sir are you okay?" I dropped to the ground next to him, applying pressure to the wound.
There were so many of them. The man grabbed my hands, looking me in the eyes. His voice was hoarse and raspy, like he was talking through gravel.
"My daughter, Shany-ha. It took her. Get her back! Please!" He said, losing energy and life by the second. He erupted into a fit coughs.
"What took her! Where is it! Where did it go!" He had fallen silent, his eyes closing and he began to loosen the grip on my hands.
"No! No no no no no! Come one, no!" I shouted, slapping his face, desperately trying to get him to stay alive, "Come on, stay alive! Stay with
me! Wake up, wake up come on!" I felt tears begin to prick behind my eyes.
The Doctor had caught up at this point.
"You! You're a nurse do something!" I said grabbing her arm and ripping her down. She checked his wounds, and turned to me a grim look on her face.
"Chances are slim I can't-"
"Chances are THERE though!" I picked up his arm, wrapping it around my shoulder, and dragging him to a room.
The Doctor quickly got the other side, helping me carry him and then place him onto the hospital bed.
The nurse hooked him up and began quick scans and tests trying to help.
"Kaitlynn, what did he say?" The Doctor asked, standing close to me.
"Come on! I saw that thing chasing him. It's big it couldn't have gotten far." I started to exit the hospital room to go look for the beast that attacked this man.
"Wait! You don't even know what it is! What if it's dangerous?" He said as though he would be able to reason with me. I could feel my skin heat up.
"It has his child! His daughter. His dying request to ME was to get his daughter back. Don't make me deny that request." I said coldly.
His face seemed to turn to convince, and he pulled out his sonic opening the door leading to the internal tunnels of the building.
"Stay. Here." He said placing his hands on my shoulders.
I crossed my arms in a huff and watched him run down the tight hallway and turn left.
Checking around me I quickly dove in after him. I went straight though, hoping to find it but not knowing what I would do if I did.
After just a few minutes of running I saw drops of blue blood on the grated ground and walls. It was sticky more like a goo. It must be from the Shany-ha.
I followed the trail, it took me left, then right and lost through the twisted tunnels.
I stopped running eventually and just walked. I felt like I was in there for hours!
Maybe I should have just stayed put. The Doctor was gonna kill me for this one.
Finally I saw a tail. I watched as the scorpion like tail disappeared behind a corner. I felt my heart stop. I stood in the same spot for nearly 2 minutes.
'Do I follow it? What would I do? Is it the same thing? Is Shany-ha dead? Is she with it? Is it dangerous? Should I get the Doctor? Should I-"
My next though was interrupted by speech. The voice was deep, and hard to understand, the sound of slurping was evident. Soon after that the sound of the Doctor came around.
So he found it then. I smiled and already felt relieved.
'Wait. Don't celebrate yet, you still have to get Shany-ha.'
I put my back against the piped wall, slowly moving along the hall, dropping to my hands and knees to look around the corner.
What I saw was almost enough to make me gasp but I didn't.
The head was like a light bulb shape, only black and covered in mucus, The body was similar to a crab, with claws and all. Only the whole thing looked softer and squishy. It was indescribable, and insane.
I saw a girl with orange skin, a blue bleeding lip, and it looked like a giant ink stain on her dress, sticking to her side.
She was laying down, clutching the wound, bleeding badly.
I tried to get her attention as the Doctor was stalling the creature.
I heard it say something about needing meals to survive. That it's home is far away, and it crash landed.
The Doctor showed sympathy, and understanding. Only to quickly scold it for feeding off these people for so long. Asking how many it's killed to stay alive.
After several minutes Shay-ha finally saw me, and I exhaled.
I made a motion for her to come to me, but she shook her head, and gritted her teeth. She was hurt to bad to move.
I stood up slowly and quietly, moving to the left of the alien, he called it a Calks, and saw the Doctor. He looked worried, he knew he couldn't't get Shay-ha. He was trying to buy time to figure out a plan.
Looks like his clock just ran out though.
"Enough of this! I did what I had to do." it groaned and launched itself at him.
The Doctor flinched stepping back, trying to talk his way out of it, but the monster had none of that.
I looked around and saw a small hunk of torn metal, no doubt it broke off when that thing tried to squeeze through here. I picked it up tossing it to test the weight.
'Good.' I chucked it as hard as I could at the alien's head. "AYE!" It turned quickly, the Doctor looked just as confused as it did.
"Come on big guy!" I said hopping up and down dancing a bit, this adrenaline rush was doing wonders for me, I felt 16 again. Well better than 16.
The creature faced me quickly, turning around completely and letting out a hiss, before charging me.
"Perfect." I turned left and sprinted, taking the first right, than another left. A right again and then another right. I new I had some distance but I could hear the creature gaining on me.
It was just around the corner. I had taken a right that lead to a dead end.
"Damn, should have kept going straight." I said in a mumbled whisper.
I looked around, seeing a top shelf and a blanket, letting out a small smirk and the idea sparked.
I climbed onto the top shelf quietly, not knocking anything over and covering myself with the blanket, hoping I looked similar to cargo.
I heard the patter of the creature coming to the turn.
'Go straight go straight.' I chanted in my head. I could feel my heart's thudding my ears. My breathing was heavy, and I was feeling the adrenaline fade and the terror set in.
It was still stopped, sniffing the air. The pause felt like hours, but was only a few second. I heard a screech from the alien and it continued quickly down the straight away.
I let out a breath after several minutes, when I couldn't hear the footsteps any longer.
I pulled the blanket off, hopping down, still quiet.
I thought I was okay but my legs gave out.
I let out a breath trying to calm my heart. My stomach dropped low and I could barely breath. Oh god was this a panic attack?! No. Can't be not now! I just won!
I stood up shakily taking a deep breath, trying one step slowly, and then another, until I was in the straight away, I turned opposite where the creature went, heading back to the Doctor.
"Kaitlynn!" I heard him shout, his footsteps echoing.
He came around the corner as I collapsed again.
He ran up to me, cradling my head in his arms, checking my pulse, "Kaitlynn!"
"Shay-ha, the girl...?" I asked barely able to make a sentence.
"She's fine, she's safe for now. But we have to get everyone out of the building. We have to kill the Calks, but the only way to so that is fire."
I nodded, "So we have to light this place up?"
He didn't respond, just picked me up bridal style, carrying out of there.
"Are you sure? You said it crash landed. Can't we just take it back home?" I was nearly unconscious at this point.
"No. We have to kill it, it's people do nothing but start wars, and breed. It may seem heartless but it needs to be..." His words got foggy as I finally let the sleep engulf my brain.
I woke up with a jolt, jumping straight up "DOCTOR!" I screamed. I'm not really sure why.
"Kaitlynn!" The Doctors replied shout was relaxing to me. He was really there, he was real.
He ran over and I climbed off the bed, I grabbed his arm, making sure he was there.
"Doctor, Doctor the people. Where are they?"
He helped me to get off the bed, offering support for my dizzy head.
"It's chaos down there! I need you to evacuate them while I seal off all the exits so that the Calks can't get out of the pipe systems." He said showing his sonic screwdriver.
"Why do you always get the dangerous part?" I mock whined, forcing a smile past my foggy head.
He scoffed, "Said the woman who got chased by a deadly giant alien spider to save some girl she's never met!"
I just shrugged in reply, before grabbing his hand.
"In all seriousness. Good luck Doctor." He smirked before saying the same back.
"Good luck Kaitlynn Scodder." We released hands and I watched him run down the hall yelling at me, "Get all the people out!"
Madman.
"You two make a sweet couple." a woman said, she had more yellowish scales.
I shook my head looking away from him, "No it's not like that. We're just traveling together. Friends." I insisted. More to myself than to the
complete stranger in front of me.
She smiled a knowing smile in the way that older woman who have seen the world do.
"Mhmm, I saw him look at you, and you him. He carried you in, checked on you medically himself. Staying by you until he was sure you were
okay. I think it's more than friendship, but that's just an old woman's opinion." She wandered off then, checking on others.
I lost myself for a second, thinking that the Doctor looked at me any differently than any other passenger he's taken on board his bigger-on-the-inside box.
I shook it off for now, knowing I'd ponder it at length tonight. Right now he entrusted me with a job.
I stood on a table, and began to tame the crowd.
"Everyone listen! We all need to just calm down." I saw panic start to calm, voices hushed. "Listen to me, there has been a gas leak, we need
everyone to leave the building as SAFELY and orderly as possible." It seemed once people were given a reason, although fake, they stopped panicking.
I managed crowd control, as well as a few other people leading all the buildings occupants out the door and onto the street.
"EVERYBODY! GET AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!" I heard sirens and police outside. All of different skins, shapes, sizes, and builds. It was incredible to see this completely separate world all acting like intelligent life forms. Walking around with things similar to newspapers, different styles and fashions.
I held off on the amazement for now, the Doctor was still up there.
I rushed back in, and into the surveillance room, checking the cameras until I found him. I called the phone next to him. He looked around, before seeing the camera, and smiling directly at it.
"Hello?" He asked looking at the clock clicking his tongue in the way he does.
"Doctor it's me, Kaitlynn. Everyone is evacuated and moved away from the building. I said there was a gas leak drove 'em right out. How are you doing?"
He simply smiled, "Almost finished up here. Nothing a Time Lord with a Sonic Screwdriver can't handle."
I smiled even though I new he was lying.
"So, should I join you?" I asked, and watched as his expression changed.
"No," He said stressing the word, "No no that's unnecessary I'I've got it under control. Weeelll when I say under control I mean I have a-"
"Plan? You always have a plan. Run. Doctor please. If you need help for gods sake tall me what to do!"
He scratched his head, before looking back up at the camera.
"I need to distract it, trap it in one part of the building so I can get it. I need it in the chemical lab."
I nodded, "I'm on it." I hung up before I gave hi a chance to argue and ran to the map.
Chemical lab, that's 6th level. Now how do I lure it to the room.
I felt a plan start to submerge. It was on the tip of my tongue.
'Oh! Oh! like in that-YES!' I cut myself off and went to locate where the Calks was.
2nd level near the washroom.
Alright alright breath Katy, breath.
I shook it out and began running to the second floor. I stopped outside the door to the washroom pipes. I picked up a piece of broken glass and sliced my hand, sucking in a small gasp.
I let it drip a decent amount, making sure the smell would fester before cracking open the door, and making my way to the 6th floor where the Doctor was.
It wasn't until I was halfway to floor 4 when I heard the creature rip through the door when my blood was. He's on the trail now. I began running up the stairs, sprinting. I nearly missed a step but grabbed onto the railing.
I saw the creature just behind me.
"Excellent." I breathed out half in sarcasm half pleased that my plan was working.
I managed to make it to the 6th floor, now I just had to locate the lab.
My cut hand was hardly bleeding anymore, if I wanted to make sure he had me I had to "AAAHHHH"
I felt the claws of the Calks wrap around my ankle.
I kicked felt my blood start to drip down. I had to twist at a painful angle but I managed to kick the squishy ball of a head and force the alien to let go.
I could feel that my ankle was twisted badly, but my adrenaline was kicking in so it didn't hurt to bad, just a searing hot flash really.
I took the time I had bought and ran to the 'local map' sign. On a half a second glance I saw I was only a couple hallways down from the chemical
lab. But my luck was running out.
I managed to get to the final hallway before the alien was up and moving again.
I felt the sickening sting of having to wait. I wanted to run and scream an fight, give in to my survival instincts, but I had to force myself to stay, so he knew which room I ran into.
I heard the sound of pattering, the legs clicking the floor like stilettos.
"Come on. Come on." I whispered to myself tapping my foot, wiggling a bit anxiously.
I heard the steps get close finally, and it came into view. I let out a scream and charged into the lab.
The Doctor was standing there impatiently.
"Next trip we go to a spa I swear it." He said as he saw me, hugging me tight.
I rolled my eyes, "Are you kidding? This is amazing." I smiled weakly as the Doctor pulled back.
"You are brilliant!" He picked me up and spun me.
"Now run." He order facing the door again.
"No way! And leave you? You're crazy Doctor."
"Go Kaitlynn! This is too dangerous." He insisted.
The spider creature burst through the door at that moment, but I was too angry to care.
"Hang on you!" I saw the spider actually pause as I whipped the Doctor around. "Doctor I have been chased by an alien, used as bait, been considered a leader, and survived on a DIFFERENT planet! I understand that it's dangerous. That's why I'm HERE by your side. I WANT to help, that's why I cam along. So stop treating me like a child and let me help you!"
The Doctor seemed taken back, and just as he was about to speak the Calks spoke up, roaring about how he was going to kill us, and use out flesh as a bed for his children and feast on our organs and so on.
"Oh shut up." I replied turning on the Benson burner, lighting the place up.
"Kaitlynn!" The Doctor yelled as the whole room erupted in flames and the sound of the screaming Calks.
I grabbed his wrist and we walked outside.
"Look plan-man. Yes I'm a human. But I am not defenseless. Especially with you at my side. I want to help you."
The Doctor smiled after a minute, before realizing the danger of how the building was on fire and probably gonna blow up.
He grabbed my wrist and we began with the running again.
As we walked in through the TARDIS doors I wanted to do nothing but sleep. After we narrowly escaped the building as it blew up, my
adrenaline finally fully faded, causing my ankle to fail.
The Doctor had to carry me back, and was headed to the sickbay kind of room in the blue box.
He wrapped my ankle and gave me some alien medication that he said would heal it quick. I began to feel better already, and he said as long as I was careful I could walk on it.
"Thank you Doctor." I said as we were leaving sickbay, "Thank you for taking me with you. It's an honor."
He smiled at me, "Oh don't mention it." He took my hand, "I have one more thing to show you." He was excited about this one. He led me carefully into the console room and began switching levers, and hitting glowing buttons.
I looked at the console, and the wiring and the mechanisms, it fascinated me. Almost as much as space, and aliens, and life.
I heard the sound of wheezing machinery, and then the shaking began.
I loved the shaking, I always felt a rush of excitement, as well as sheer terror. Like when a roller coaster brakes underneath you.
When it stabilized the Doctor whipped around and faced me with a huge grin on his face.
"Where are we now? More trouble?"
"Naaah, no. No trouble, just came to site see really." I smiled and walked to the door.
When I opened it, we were floating in space.
My whole world exploded.
There were stars, and a light streaking across my view. Planets of different colors, with rings, without rings. A view so incredibly indescribable, so beautiful, so utterly amazing.
"Doctor!" I gasped, grabbing a hold of his lapels, tightening my fingers around it.
I felt myself lean into him looking at the breathtaking scenery. He placed him arm gently around my shoulder.
This view? Perfect.
But this moment? Priceless.
I looked up at the Doctor. The man who'd seen it all, who'd been all through space and time.
Yet here he stands, still stunned by the beauty of life, and space. So much energy, and passion build up inside him... but also so much pain, and grief. I can see it in his eyes, the loss, it ages him more.
I looked back to the view, deciding who I wanted to be.
I want to be the girl who saves the Doctor, who protects him, and helps him.
'And so you shall be.'
