The machinery around him hummed and whined, with an almost organic component to it. For some reason Ryan almost felt as if the ship was alive in some way. His curiosity was peaked, and part of him wanted to examine the machinery to see what made it ticked.
"Right then," said the Doctor, the strange woman that had gotten him into this mess. "I've set the co-ordinates for Earth, we should be right on top of it."
"Back in Sheffield?" said Graham hopefully, casting a smile at Ryan. Ryan said nothing, averting his gaze.
"Near abouts," said the Doctor, walking away from the console and throwing open the doors to reveal...
Blackness. Nothing but blackness, as far as the eye could see. Except, just yonder, were the flicking of small lights. Pinpricks.
Ryan's stomach lurched as he realized he was staring into outer space, and grabbed onto the console for dear life, panic racing through him. The Doctor tutted, turned, and then looked at him, concern crossing her face.
"Oh no," she said. "It's alright. There's a forcefield. Come see." Ryan, cautiously, took his hands off the console and strode towards the door.
It was beautiful in its emptiness. Nothing, as far as the eye could see. He was faintly aware of the Doctor arguing with Graham, saying that they were technically in the right place, it's just that the Earth was on the other side of the sun, and they had overshot.
Ryan said nothing, admiring the view. But, there was a twang of pain. Because, as majestic as it was, he came to one depressing conclusion: He really, really wished his nan was around to see it.
