Disclaimer: I do not own doctor who
Chapter 4: A Walk in the Dust
"Can I come in?"
"Of course not! You could be anyone."
"I could be, but I'm not. I'm the Doctor"
-The Doctor & Mrs Rossiter
"Oh, you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're gonna use it."
Donna didn't say, anything. She still stared ahead, completely in shock about everything that had just happened.
"We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. Donna- we're going further back than I've ever been before."
He turned to look at them, only to find Amy holding Donna as she sobbed.
Amy patted her back, holding her as she cried. She held back her own tears. Donna was holding onto her, trying to find any sort of comfort, but all Amy wanted was for someone to come and comfort her. And this might be the closet thing she would get. But she couldn't break down now, they still had to save Donna and figure out what the Racnoss was after.
And she still had a question for the Doctor.
She let Donna go, moving her over to the captains chair and let her sit down, where she looked blankly ahead, wiping her tears away.
"Doctor?" Amy asked, walking over until she was standing beside him, "I need to ask, about the Huon particles."
"What about them?" He asked, keeping his voice low.
"You said they were deadly." She whispered, "And Rory...well you said he has them, like Donna."
He looked up at her, his eyes dark and soft, "Honestly Amy, I don't know. He's alive, which means they're obviously not deadly in him. Maybe R-" He froze, looking ahead, before he cleared his throat, "Maybe Bad Wolf did something, made it safe."
"But what if he's not?" Amy whimpered.
The Doctor looked at her sadly, "Amy...when he got sent to the other universe. The Huon energy wouldn't have gone with him. They probably went back into the heart of the TARDIS."
Amy quickly looked away, her heart stuttering wildly, "Oh, so...I thought, maybe..." She swallowed, trying to hide the tears, She had hoped that maybe because of how he jumps along the Doctor's timeline, that maybe he would just jump back into this universe...but if, if the Huon energy was gone, he was stuck.
He was actually gone.
"We're arrived." The Doctor said loudly, peeking around to look at Donna in he chair, who also looked miserable, "Want to see?"
"I s'pose." She said unenthusiastically.
The Doctor swung the monitor around, but look between it and Donna, "Oh, that scanner's a bit small. Maybe your way's best."
He ran over to the door, standing there as he waited for Donna. Amy smiled a bit, knowing that he loved this. Showing them this new word, Amy knew it would cheer Donna up.
"Come on." The Doctor urged. Donna sighed and stood up and walked over to the door, "No human's ever seen this. You'll be the first."
"All I want to see is my bed."
"Here, here." Amy grumbled, moving over to the screen so see what they were looking at.
"Donna Noble- welcome to the creation of the Earth."
Amy grinned softly, pressing her hand to her forehead as she looked at the rubbling floating through space, the glow of the early sun behind them.
"We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas." He pointed out at the door, "That's the sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn."
Amy looked at screen sadly. She'd been there when the sun expanded too. At the beginning and the end. A sad sense of nostalgia crept up inside her as she looked at the star. It didn't seem quite so endless to her anymore...
"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked.
"All around us." The Doctor grinned at her, "In the dust."
"Puts the wedding in perspective." Donna shook her head in disbelief, "Lance was right. We're just...tiny."
"No, but that's what you do." The Doctor looked down at her fondly, "The human race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed."
"So, I came out of all this?" Donna whispered.
"Isn't that brilliant?"
Donna nodded and pointed out the door, "I think that's the Isle of Wight."
They both laughed and Amy smiled softly to herself, glad that Donna had cheered up.
"Eventually," The Doctor continued, "Gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get the-"
"Earth." Donna finished.
"But the question is...what was that first rock?"
Amy squinting, seeing something on the screen, "That's not supposed to be there..."
"What isn't?" The Doctor turned to look at her, but Donna pulled on his sleeve, having seen the same thing.
"Look."
The Doctor gasped, "The Racnoss..."
"What're they doing?" Amy asked, watching as the ship, shaped like a spiders wed, moved through the debris field.
"They must be hiding from the war..." The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, looking just as confused as the rest of them. He ran back to the console and started to turn a wheel frantically.
They all watched as all the dust and rocks started to move, pulling out of their orbit towards the ship.
"Exactly what the Doctor said." Donna whispered.
The Doctor ran back to the door, and Amy looked down at the screen.
"Oh," The Doctor gasped, "They didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth...they became the centre of the Earth. The first rock."
"Well what happens if that first piece gets removed?" Amy asked, "Will the Earth...fall apart?"
"Of course not." The Doctor scoffed, "The Earth has been melted, solidified, and remelted a hundred thousand times. It's fine, it's the universe that's in trouble if the Racnoss come back."
The entire TARDIS shuddered and Amy gripped the console, trying to stay upright.
"What was that?" Donna asked.
"Trouble."
The Doctor slammed the door shut, and they both stumbled back to the console as the room started to shudder more. It seemed the TARDIS was fighting something and the entire ship groaned in pain.
"What the hell's it doing!" Donna shouted.
The Doctor flinched, "Remember that little trick I pulled- particles pulling particles. It works in reverse- they're pulling us back!"
Amy frowned, wondering not for the first time if this was it. The way to get Rory back. She knew he didn't have the particles in him in Rose's universe anymore. But maybe if she got him before he fell, then maybe she could stop all this from happening.
"Well can't you stop it?!" Donna yelled, "Hasn't it got a handbrake?"
"Yes it does." Amy gasped, "And it's already on!'
"No it's not!" The Doctor defended, moving around the console.
Amy rolled her eyes and Donna continued, "Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?"
"Backseat drivers! The both of you!" The Doctor growled before he paused, looking down, "Oh! Wait a minute!"
He reached out from under the console and pulled something up that Amy hadn't seen in a year.
"You still have that thing?" Amy gapped.
"You bet I do!" He cheering, looking over at Donna, "The extrapolator! Can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump."
The TARDIS started to materialize, and then midway the Doctor whacked the extrapolator, "Now!"
They landed and the Doctor ran over to the door, sticking his head out.
"Where are we?" Amy asked.
"About 200 yards to the right." He said quietly, "Come on!"
They ran down the corridor, both Amy and Donna just trusting that the Doctor knew where he was going.
He kept going until he stopped right beside the door which lead up to the Thames flood barrier.
Donna stopped, breathing heavily, "But what do we do?"
The Doctor pulled out a stethoscope, pressing it to the door, "I don't know! I make it up as I go along! But trust me, I've got a history"
"He does." Amy assured her, and the Doctor sent her a smug look, "Usually he pulls it out of his arse seconds away from a painful death, but he usually pulls through."
"Oi!" The Doctor pouted.
"But I still don't understand." Dona shook her head, "I'm full of particles- but what for?"
"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth," The Doctor said, "But my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss are stuck-"
Amy heard a sound from behind her and turned, gasping as she saw Donna being grabbed by a robot creature.
"Doc-" She started to cry, but then her own mouth was covered. She grabbed it arm, trying to pull it away, but it was too strong. She could only wiggling and struggle and watch as she was pulled away, and the Doctor hadn't even turned to look at them. Too worked up about his own findings.
Finally they had had enough of her struggled and whacked her over the head, knocking her out.
Amy awoke to find herself wrapped up in spiderweb.
"Gross..." She groaned, rolling her neck as she couldn't free her hands to rub the bump that was surely forming on the back of her head. She looked to her right to see Donna and Lance in similar predicaments. "How you liking the bigger picture?" Amy asked him.
He sent her a dirty look, but Donna just looked relieved, "Oh, Amy, thank god. I thought you might be dead."
Amy looked down, realizing she was positioned directly over that pit, "Oh well, you know, didn't wanna miss the show."
"What show!" Lance spat, "The one where we all die painfully?"
"No, the one where we escape."
"Ha!" He snorted without humor, "I've seen the Racnoss technology. We haven't got a chance."
"Not with that attitude we don't." Amy snorted, "But we've got something she doesn't."
"Yeah?" Lance asked mockingly, "What's that?"
"The Doctor."
"You're Martian friend?" He snorted, "Why the hell would he wanna help her? He probably ran off first chance he got now that he's gotten rid of yah."
Donna narrowed her eyes at him, "I hate you."
"Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart."
"My golden couple!" The Racnoss hissed up at them, mocking them with a grin, "Together at last- with a friend as well! Your awful wedded life. Tell me; do you want me be released?"
"Yes!" All three of them yelled at her.
The Racnoss actually looked disappointed, "You're supposed to say "I do"."
"Ha, no chance!" Lance snorted.
"Say it!"
Lance looked at Donna reluctantly, "I do."
"I do." Donna rolled her eyes.
They both looked at Amy and she snorted, "I'm already married thank you very much."
"Well, I don't!" The Racnoss laughed at her own joke. Amy slumped in the web. She hated it when they thought they were funny. "Activate the particles. Purge every last one!"
Looking to her left she saw both Lance and Donna light up. Obviously he'd gotten a taste of his own medicine.
"And release!"
And then the golden light left their body and floated down into the hole.
"Ah, well see Donna." Amy nodded, "No more dangerously deadly particles."
"The secret heart unlocks!" The Empress spat, "And they will waken from their sleep of ages."
"Who will?" Donna demanded, "What's down there?"
"How thick are you?" Lance glared.
"My children!" The Racnoss responded, "The long lost Racnoss. Now will be born to feat on flesh."
"Oh boy..." Amy swallowed, looking down at the endless pit. She could already here the chirping of hundred of spiders climbing up the walls of the tunnel.
"The Web-star shall come to me.."
"Web star?" Amy frowned, then her face light up, "Oh, Wow, I remember this!"
"What?" Both Donna and lance looked over to her.
"Oh, um...from the future, didn't I mention?" She said to Donna, who shook her head, mouthing hanging open. "Right, sorry." Amy turned to the Racnoss, "And sorry, but I don't remember being devoured by giant spider creatures."
"Well, perhaps it's time for that to change!" She cackled. "My babies will be hungry. They need sustenance. Perish the web!"
Lance's eyes widened in horror and panic, "Use them! Not me! Use them!"
"Oh, my funny little Lance!" The Empress said with a mocking fondness, "But you are quite impolite to your lady friends. The Empress does not approve."
The web around Lance loosened. He tried to grab ahold of something, but there wasn't anything to grab.
"Lance!" Donna cried out in horror, as they watched him fall into the pit.
Amy swallowed, "Hell be dead before they eat him..." She whispered, like it made the situation any better.
"Harvest the humans!" The Empress cried, "Reduce them to meat!"
Above them in the city, the web start started to shoot bolt of lightning out into the streets. The people, who'd stopped to look at it in awe, all ran screaming as the star attacked them.
All around the robots came into the room, ascending the stairs and up into the railings.
"My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them!" The Racnoss spoke loudly, "So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor-man."
Amy spun to mask her neck cracked as she looked at the robots, one of which removed his mask and cloak to reveal the Doctor underneath.
"Oh well. Nice try." The Doctor nodded, before turning to Donna and Amy, "I've got you Donna."
He aimed the Sonic towards the web and Donna screeched, "I'm gonna fall!"
"You're gonna swing!"
And just as he said, the rope loosened except for a little bit wrapped around her arm. She swung forward, towards the Doctor screaming.
"I've got yah!" The Doctor promised, holding his arms out.
But instead, the web was a little long an she slammed into the railing, falling to the floor beneath him.
"...Oh...sorry." The Doctor said, sheepishly. He looked up at Amy, "You next."
"What?" Amy shook her head, "No, don-Agh!" She gasped as she swung. She was lucky and was a bit further away than Donna, so instead of slamming into the bars, she went under them, the web slicking on the sharp metal grate and she landed on the floor with an 'oof.'
"The doctor-man amuses me." The Racnoss cackled, not seeming to care that they had gotten free.
The Doctor turned to her, stiffing as he addressed her in his full Time Lord glory, "Empress of the Racnoss- I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you a place in the universe to Coexist. Take that offer and end this now."
"These men are so funny."
"What's your answer?"
"'Oh- I'm afraid I have to decline." She sprayed at him, laughing again.
The Doctor looked on, his eyes not even dark anymore. They were just...empty.
Amy swallowed, she'd seen him like this before - just once. Where he's been so angry that all the emotion had left him, leaving an empty shell that was content to do the things he'd promised never to do. To kill.
"What happens next is your own doing." He promised.
"Doctor-" Amy warned, but Donna grabbed her arm, looking terrified.
"I'll show you what happens next." The Empress hissed, "at arms!"
The Robots raised their guns, some at the Doctor, some at Donna and amy.
"Take aim! And-"
"Relax."
The Robots all went limp at the Doctor's orders.
Donna gasped, "What did he do?" She asked Amy, not understanding.
"Guess what I've got, Donna?" The Doctor looked at them, pulling the remote control out from his coat, "Pockets."
"How did that fit in there?"
He shrugged, "They're bigger on the inside."
The Empress all but snarled, "Robo-forms are not necessary. My children may feat on Martian flesh."
The Doctor looked at her, that same ethereal emptiness in his eyes, "Oh, but I'm not from Mars."
"Then where?"
"My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on. Gallifrey."
And for the first time, Amy saw sure horror and fear enter the Racnoss's eyes. She hissed and spat at him in anger, "They murdered the Racnoss!"
"I warned you." He told her softly, "You did this."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of the christmas ornaments. Amy pulled Donna to the ground, covering her head as he tossed them. Some exploded against the Racnoss, making her jump back with a painful screech. Others hit the walls, ripping them open.
Amy gasped as freezing cold water splashed over her and Donna. She looked up, watching as more and more water filled the room, dousing them and spraying all over creating a horror story before their eyes.
"My children!" The Racnoss screamed in grief, looking at the hole where the water poured in, falling to the middle of the Earth.
Amy felt a wrench in her gut. The Empress needed to be stopped, but her children...they hadn't done anything. They were just there by circumstance, he hadn't even offered them the same chance as the Empress.
"Doctor!" Amy cried, but he couldn't hear her over the rushing water. Once she tripped and almost got swept away by the current, but Donna held her up.
"No!" The Racnoss cried in pain, hysterical, "My children! My children!"
Donna looked as horrified by the scene in front of her as Amy was. "Doctor! You can stop now!"
But still, either he didn't hear them, or he wasn't listening.
Amy looked up and saw the pain in his eyes, and wondered if this wasn't about the Racnoss. She'd read somewhere about the six stages of grief. One was anger, and he seemed to be feeling it now. The same way she'd lashed out at him before, now he was lashing out at the first thing he could.
"Doctor!" Amy screamed, and he looked down. The darkness in his eyes fading as he looked at them. They must've been a mess, Donna's eyes were full of terror, but not at the Racnoss, and Amy screaming at him.
"Come on!" He finally cried, breaking out of whatever spell he'd been under, "Time I got us out!"
Amy grabbed Donna and they climbed up the stairs, meeting the Doctor halfway up.
"Transport me!" The Racnoss cried, and behind them she vanished in a burst of light.
"Where'd she go?" Amy cried as they ran over down the halls.
"Back to her ship!" The Doctor stopped, pulling open the door and ushering them in. Amy quickly started to climb as fast as she could, not knowing how long they would have until the Thames started to fill it up. "She's used up all her Huon energy- she's defenceless!"
On the streets of London, the army had finally come in. Huge tanks rolled through the now empty street, aiming their canons up as they waited for orders.
The Commander popped his head out, holding his hand over a radio, "Order's from Mr. Saxon- fire at will!"
"Fire!" A solider yelled, and the tank fired at the now defenceless web-star, ripping it to pieces.
Amy pushed the door up, climbing up on top of the Thames Barrier. She stood up in the frigid December air, pulling her sweater off and wringing it out into...
Well into nothing. She gasped as she saw that the river was completely gone. She hadn't thought there had been that much water.
Donna and the Doctor laughed, gripping each other as they looked around, both giddy with laugher at the fact that they were alive.
"Just...there's one problem.." Donna gasped through her laugher.
"What's that?"
"We've drained the Thames.'
And then they were laughing again.
"How do you think U.N.I.T.'s gonna explain this one?" Amy said between her giggles.
The Doctor chuckled again, "Ah, that's their problem. I don't work with them anymore."
And that sent them into a third round of laugher, which lasted them until they got back to the TARDIS.
Amy stepped out of the TARDIS with Donna, looking down the road. They were in Chiswick now, outside of Donna's house.
"There we go." The Doctor nodded, looking pleased that he'd landed in the right spot, "Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything."
"More than I've done." Donna grumbled.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic, scanning her, "Nope! All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine."
"Yeah, but apart from that..." Donna sighed, "I missed by wedding, lost my job, and became a widow on the same day. Sort of."
"I couldn't save him." The Doctor said sadly.
Donna steeled herself, "He deserved it." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her and Donna's face softened, "No he didn't." She looked at the house, "I'd better get inside. They'll we worried."
"Best christmas present they could have." The Doctor whispered, looking at Donna's family, thinking of something else entirely. He blinked and turned back to them, "Oh, no, I forgot- you hate Christmas."
Donna nodded, "Yes, I do."
"Even if it snows?"
The Doctor hit a switch on the TARDIS and a ball of light flew into the air, exploding like a firework and suddenly there was snow falling all around them.
Amy leaned over, looking for the invisible switch, then up towards the sky.
Donna laughed, "I can't believe you did that!"
"Oh, basic atmosphere excitation." The Doctor shrugged like ti was nothing, but then he grinned at her, and she grinned back.
"Merry Christmas." Donna nodded.
"And you. So...what will you do with yourself now?"
"Not getting married for starters." Donna nodded, smiling to herself, "And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno...travel...see a bit more of planet Earth...walk in the dust. Just...go out there and do something."
"Well you could always..." The Doctor trailed off, looking shocked that he was going to ask her, so soon after...
"What?" Donna asked him.
He cleared his throat, looking at her tentatively, "...Come with us."
Donna smiled, looking pleased at the offer, but shook her head, "No."
"Oaky." The Doctor said quickly, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.
"I can't..."
"No, that's fine." The Doctor said with false indifference.
"No, but really..." Donna took in a shaky breath, "Everything we did today...do you live your life like that?" She sounded horrified.
"...Not all the time..." The Doctor defended unconvincingly.
"I think you do." Donna sighed, "And I couldn't."
"But you've seen it out there." The Doctor smiled, "It's beautiful."
"And it's terrible." Donna said softly, "That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you just stood there like...I don't know...a stranger. And then you made it snow- I mean, you scare me to death!" She laughed, but there was no humor in it.
The Doctor looked down...his eyes wide in horror as his own actions came back to him. "Well then..."
"Tell you what I will do though..." Donna grinned at the two of them, "Christmas dinner." She saw the look on the Doctor's face, "Oh, come on!"
"I don't do that sort of thing." The Doctor said.
"You did it last year." Donna argued, :You said so. And you might as well because Mum always cooks enough for twenty."
The Doctor looked at Amy who subtly shook her head, soft enough that Donna couldn't see. He turned back to the ginger, "Oh, all right then. But you go first, better warn them. And...don't say I'm a Martian." He pointed to the TARDIS. "We just have to park her properly, she might drift off to the middle ages. We'll see you in a minute,"
The Doctor closed the door and started to take off.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
He winced and went back over to the door, opening it, "Blimey, you can shout."
"Am I ever gonna see you two again?"
"If we're lucky." He grinned.
"Just..." She smiled at him, "Promise me one thing; find someone."
"I don't need anyone." He said thickly, "I've got Amy."
"I don't think that's gonna be enough." Donna said, and Amy felt her heart crunch. She looked away and pretended she wasn't listening, "She yelled at you. Told you to stop, and you didn't listen to her."
"I-I didn't hear her." He whispered softly.
"She knew what you would do before you did." Donna whispered, "You just ignored her-"
"I-"
"I think you need someone to stop you." Donna whispered, "Someone you'll listen to."
"I listen to her." The Doctor defended, "I do, she's my friend. It's just..." He stopped, clearing his throat. "Thanks then, Donna- good luck- and just...be magnificent."
"I think I will, yeah...and say goodbye to Amy for me, will yah."
The Doctor nodded, and went back into the TARDIS, closing the door. He turned, seeing Amy standing there. For a few moments they both just stood there, looking everywhere but at each other.
The the Doctor moved past her and to the console.
"Doctor?!"
The Doctor sighed, walking back over to the door, "Oh, what is it now?"
"That friend of yours...what was her name?"
He froze, not saying anything before he stopped, clearing away the lump in his throat. "Her name was Rose."
And before he could close the door, Amy retreated down the hall towards her bedroom, not wanting to talk, or standing, or so anything other then collapse in her bed.
The man stood on the street, observing his chaotic surroundings with an eerie calm that the humans would have found strange, had they bothered to look at him for more than a fleeting second before continuing on their way.
He walked a bit down the street, the only sounds were the sirens in the distance and the crunch of the burning ornaments under his feet. It had been some sort of Earth celebration.
He stopped walking as he heard footsteps behind him. They were strong and with purpose, not like the panic scuffling of the humans around him. These knew what they were doing, and where they were going.
And they were heading straight for him.
He turned. Standing behind him was a human. He was leaning against a street pole, looking at his watch with an impatient frown.
He rolled his eyes, "Can I help you?"
The man jumped up, looking over at him, "Ah, yes right. Hello."
He stared at the human, unimpressed.
The man cleared his throat, then walked forward, "I represent Harold Saxon."
He rolled his eyes again, "That name means nothing to me." The suited man held out a business card. He grabbed it and read it before scoffing, "I care nothing for your Earth politics."
"I suppose you wouldn't, would you Mr. Carrick" The man frowned, pulling the card back and looking at it himself, as if displeased by it's design. "But you will."
He handed him the card again, and Carrick sighed, taking the card, and turning, awlking away, not interested in how this human knew his name. It was one of the side effects of time travel.
"I'd give him a call, if I were you?" The Man spoke. Carrick turned to look at the suited man once more, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth as a sharp fear pierced his heart. The man in the suit pushed his hair back, completely at ease as he smirked, "Harold Saxon can get you what you need."
He turned away from the suited man, then stopped, furrowing his eyebrow. He had been scared. But of what exactly?
"I'm not interested." Carrick said quickly, walking away as he took note of his surroundings, and started on his search, completely unaware of the message replaying through his brain over and over again.
'Harold Saxon can get you what you need...'
A/N: What this? Plot? I wasn't going to post today, cause I haven't really written anything in the last week. I am trying, but I do work 6-7 days a week, and I'm very busy. Once school starts again it'll be much better.
I honestly don't have much to say right now. It hasn't been a very productive week. Has everyone checked out the two teasers for S8? There's not really any info, but they're really cool looking and I'm pumped for August 23rd.
Remember I'm trying for 1k reviews this story and I really think we can do it! So please review with any comments, concerns, or questions!
Until Next Time,
-Ash
