"What just happened?", asked Brian. Without answering, the Doctor immediately kneeled over the body of the sleeping girl. Waving the screwdriver over Dot once, he looked at it and put it back in his pocket. Placing one hand on her face, he lifted her eyelids. Brown eyes. Pupils. She had a doll like complection; her short, curly black hair, made it easy to see just how pale she was.
"Doctor, is that the fish? How is she wearing clothes?", asked Rory. It was true, she was wearing a knee length, frilly black dress, but she remained barefoot.
The Doctor motioned for them to be quiet. "Shhh! Brain thinking!", he said. Leaning in closer, he rested one ear over her chest. "One heart." He then gently touched her arms and feet. "She's definitely human. But how? Radiation? No!", he smacked himself on the head. "If there was that much radiation, we'd all be dead by now".
Rory shrugged. "That's reassuring".
The Doctor ignored him. "An electric shock from my screwdriver, yes, but that's not strong enough to turn animals human. Must have been something else. But what?".
A sudden gasp made them jump. Dot had woken up and was slowly opening her eyes. At first it was incredibly blurry, but after blinking a few times, her vision became clearer. Slowly getting up, she looked around at the corridor lined with the plants. Was it just her or did she seem bigger? It was then that she noticed she wasn't in the bubble anymore, but actually breathing in air; all new senses, she could breathe in through her, her nose! She had an actual nose! She could feel the cold ground with her, fingers! She quickly saw she did indeed have the new limbs and smiled.
As she held her hands too close to her face, crossing her eyes, Dot began bending her fingers, giggling at the sight of them. A small squeal of joy came out, causing her to cover her mouth. She had not expected her voice to sound so much louder than it had before. Moving her hands from her mouth, she felt the rest of her face. Yep, a nose, ears, eyes. The next thing she saw, the thing she had wanted more than anything else were her legs. Grasping them in her hands, she let out another squeal, now bending her toes.
Her wish had come true. She was a human girl. To be specific, around the age of 8.
"Hello", said a cautious voice. She recognized that voice. Looking up, her expression changed from happy to pure shock as her eyes landed on the Doctor.
"Doctor!", she yelled, a little too loud, but she didn't care! He was there! He was close enough to touch. As he got to his feet, she attempted to do the same. One foot first, she scrambled to get up, but forgot to lift her other foot. But before she could fall, Rory caught her flailing arms, and lifted her so she was standing. Doing her best to regain her balance, she did what she could at taking her first steps and immediately walked to the Doctor, and finally finned him. Throwing her arms around his waist, very tightly hoping never to let go. The Doctor looked at Rory and Brian for help, but they merely shrugged, still trying to take hold of this situation. Annoyed at their lack of support, the Doctor hugged her back as well.
"Hello, little one".
She looked up at him, without letting go. "Hi!", she said, happily. "It's me, Doctor!".
"Yeah, I got that bit. But, again, how is this possible?", he said, starting to feel the lack of oxygen.
"I don't know. But I'm glad I'm here!", she exclaimed. Feeling satisfied, she finally let go of him, stared at him a bit more, then turned to Rory and Brian, giving them a smile, as well. "Wow, even from this angle Rory has a big nose. And his dad doesn't look young like you do, Doctor. All those wrinkles!." She obviously didn't notice she offended them, as she stared at the Doctor once more. "Is he dying?".
"They can hear you, you know".
Her eyes widened. "Can you?", she asked them.
Rory still looked taken back. "Yes, but now I prefer it when we couldn't, to be honest".
Dot giggled, then turned to face the Doctor. "So Doctor. Now what?".
He looked dumbfounded. "What do you mean?".
"About that old guy? Something about missiles blowing up my home? I know-", she got distracted, with one finger, she tapped her teeth, then bit her finger. "Ouch!".
The Doctor looked at his watch, then back at her. "Don't do that. Right! We've got about an hour and a half to keep the missiles from blowing this ship apart, so we better hurry!".
"An hour?", asked Brian.
Looking annoyed, the Doctor waved his arms. "And a half, honestly Brian, keep up!".
Just then, the sound of lasers could be heard along with the sound of oncoming footsteps echoed, as the smell of burning metal made it's way into the air. "Run", said the Doctor, looking down at Dot. "Can you run, little one?". Dot answered by smiling, and after stumbling for a few seconds, she found herself running with the others down the hallway. Her arms punching the air, giving her the sensation she was running faster than she actually was. Glancing at her legs hitting the ground, and watching the others made her laugh out loud. The next thing the group saw was the same Triceratops they had met before, standing if front of them, as they skid to a stop. By now the robots could be heard having another argument.
"They're getting closer", said Dot, catching her breath.
Brian was panting as well. "What're we doing?!". They were looking at the Doctor, knowing he was the brain.
"Just do exactly as I do!", he said, running towards the dino.
"Doctor, no!", yelled Rory.
But the Doctor had already ran to the side of the beast, and, stepping on one or two crates, he jumped onto the back of the gentle giant. "Geronimo!", he yelled, glancing at his friends to join him. Getting to the new transportation, Rory helped Dot on first, then pulled himself up, with Brian in tow. "Go, Tricey! Run like the wind!". But he refused to move. "How do you start a triceratops?!", he said, frustrated.
"I thought you could speak everything", said Dot.
"Yes, but you see, Dinosaurs naturally haven't quite got evolved brains, and basically have no idea what I'm saying. Any ideas?".
The robots appeared out of the corner. "There they are!".
Brian, remembering something, pulled a golf ball from his pocket and threw it down the hall. "Tricey, fetch!", he yelled. As if on command, Tricey ran after the ball as fast as he could. Dot had to hold onto the Doctor's waist so she wouldn't fall off, as she enjoyed the rush. Rory held onto her just in case.
The Doctor let out a yell. "Ha ha! That a boy! Yee-hah! Come on, Tricey! Woo-hoo!". They seemed to have picked up speed. Which was a good thing too, considering more lasers could be heard."Come on, Tricey! Faster, baby!" The ball ricocheted off the wall, making Tricey turn a corner.
For the first time since they've been here, Brian looked just as excited as the rest of them. "I'm riding a dinosaur! On a spaceship!". But the excitement didn't last long, for one more problem was that the ball had reached a dead end, and Tricey wasn't stopping. The Doctor seemed to realize this.
"Where are the brakes?!", he shouted.
Knowing what was about to happen, made them brace themselves. Tricey stopped, lurched forward, causing his passengers to fall to the ground. As they lay there, groaning, Tricey scooped up the ball, and sat down in a corner. The Doctor got up first, and went over to Brian, Rory, and Dot. She still needed help adjusting to her legs, relieved that the Doctor helped her up. He placed one hand on her cheek. "You okay, little one?", he asked. She smiled at him.
"Yes! That was fun!", she giggled, using one hand to straighten his bow tie, as he rubbed some dirt off her face. "Although, that fall could have been a bit more graceful". The Doctor laughed, then turned to see where they were.
That word. That word repeated itself in Dot's mind. Graceful. Gra-. Graceful. Grace.
The Doctor walked around, looking as though he owned the place. "Good, that worked! Where are we now? Ooh", he said, spotting another screen. Incoming message from Earth". With one press of a button, a sophisticated woman showed up. "Hello, Earth! How are things?"
The woman spoke in a serious tone. "Doctor, the ship's coming through the atmosphere. I have to start the missile program."
The Doctor looked panicky now. "No. No, no, no, don't do that, everything's under control here, turning round any moment. Need a bit of wriggle room on the timings."
"I can't do that", said the woman, sounding impatient.
"You can, of course you can. Tiny bit more time, Indira, please. This ship contains the most precious cargo".
Indira's face was stone. "My only responsibility is the Earth's safety. I'm launching the missiles. Goodbye, Doctor." The screen went hazy.
The Doctor pressed as many buttons as he could, "No Indira! Hey, come back! Please!". But nothing. Slamming a fist down on the table as a countdown showed up, he began pacing around the room. If only they had more time, but now the pressure was on.
Dot appeared at his side. "I'm guessing this is bad?", worry in her voice.
"Yes, it's very bad indeed. Completely unhelpful.", he said. There was no use in sugarcoating it.
Rory ran to the screen, desperate. "Doesn't this ship have any defence systems installed?", asking Dot.
"How would I know?". Ignoring her, The Doctor stood by Rory's side. "Good thinking, Rory!", he said, and suddenly kissed Rory on the mouth. (Brian and Dot looked at each other, surprised). "Computer, show us weapons and defence systems." But 'Defense systems deactivated' showed up. "Well, that was a waste of time, wasn't it?", he grunted, slapping Rory. "Getting my hopes up like that."
"What ship doesn't have weapons?"
"The ancient species, Rory, still full of hope."
Brian stepped forward. "What about the control deck? You said we should go to the control deck next."
Walking away from the computer, the Doctor looked as frustrated as ever. "It's too late, it won't make any difference."
"We could at least try", piped up Dot.
"It won't work. The missiles are locked on."
"So, what? We're just giving up?", said an annoyed Rory, his eyes locked on the Doctor.
"I don't know. I don't know."
There was a moment of silence. The Doctor, thinking as hard as he possibly could, was interrupted by a little hand grabbing his, and holding it tightly. He looked down to his side to see Dot, with a determined look on her face, gazing at him. "I'm not going to give up. So you shouldn't either".
The Doctor smirked at her. "Okay, little one."
"Grace."
"What?", he said, confused.
"Call me Grace", she said, continuing to smile at him. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and in front of them, Solomon, still leaning on his canes, and his two robots were standing there, cornering them.
"You were telling the truth, Doctor. Earth has launched missiles. This vessel is too clumsy to outrun them, but I have my own ship", said Solomon, his voice still sounded weak, yet very strong.
The Doctor let go of Grace's hand and stepped forward. "You won't get your precious cargo on board, though. It'll just be you and your metal tantrum machines."
"We do not have tantrums!", whined one of them.
"Shut up!", shouted Solomon. He walked up to the Doctor so they were almost face to face. "You're right, Doctor. I can't keep the dinosaurs and live myself. But I had the IV system scan the entire ship and it found something even more valuable. Utterly unique. I don't know where you found it or how you got it here, but I want it". A hungry desire filled his eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He hoped he hadn't meant the TARDIS.
"Earth Queen Nefertiti of Egypt", said Solomon. He must have been watching them the entire time, from the moment they boarded the ship. There had to be cameras of some sort. How else could he have known she was here? "A face stamped across history. Give her to me and I'll let the rest of you live."
The Doctor, looking as fearless as ever, leaned very close to the crippled man, and said in his most dangerous voice. "No."
Solomon chuckled. "You think I won't punish those who get in my way? Whatever their worth?". He nodded. One robot put it's arm straight out, but didn't point it towards anybody, but at Tricey. Before anything could be done, a single, deadly laser had shot the dino right on.
"No", muttered Grace, under her breath.
Glaring at Solomon, the Doctor slowly walked over to Tricey, who was now breathing very shallow. Kneeling down, he started stroking Tricey, until his eyes closed, and his breathing stopped.
As more hatred for the man fueled inside him, the Doctor stood up, and sarcastically clapped, as he stopped in front of Solomon, yet again. "You must be very proud", he said, forcing himself to be calm.
"Bring her to me. Or the robots will make their way through your corpses. Bring her now", said Solomon, obviously not stopping until he got what he wanted. Of all the things in the world he could have, he wanted a woman.
The Doctor has been around a very long time enough to know the side of man that could not be tamed. The side that truly showed how beastly they could be. "No", he said again. No matter how much that fact disgusted him, he couldn't stop them from doing it, no matter how hard he wished he could. He didn't realize someone else walked up beside him until they spoke.
Grace puffed up her chest, and stood determined beside the Doctor. Her glare almost matched his. "You're a horrible man", she said to Solomon. She didn't care if he was bigger than her, size didn't matter to her. "I guess if I'm going to be human, I have to see what's good-", she looked at the Doctor, Rory, and Brian. "And what's bad", she said looking back at the sorry excuse of a person in front of her.
Solomon chuckled, at the sight of a child attempting to speak her mind. "Ahh yes, the little sardine, now a child. There is magic in you, I can see. You're not as valuable in my taste, but if the Doctor is willing to trade you instead, my dear, that's quite alright with me. The best part is you're young, so you'll last the longest", he said. His yellow teeth shining, as he made to grab her.
But upon quick instinct, the Doctor pushed Grace behind him. "Lay one finger on her, and you will regret it", he said, rather protectively. His eyes more dangerous than ever.
Just then, another flash of light filled the corridor. Amy, Riddell, and Queen Nefertiti, appeared. The looks on their faces said it all. They had seen everything that was done and said. Weapons in hand.
The Doctor leaned down to Grace. "Go to Rory", he whispered. She gave him a smile and did as she was told, being greeted by Rory's safe embrace. The Doctor then walked over to Neffy. "What are you doing?"
Neffy walked forward, looking outraged. "I demanded to be brought here", she said, heading towards Solomon, but stopped when the Doctor grabbed her arm.
"No, no, no, no - no way. Listen to me, if you go with him, I can't guarantee your safety."
"You saved my people. I am in your debt."
The Doctor was desperate now. "No. No debts, you don't owe me anything."
"Then I do it of my own will", she said. Few tears started forming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall and in an instance she was at Solomon's side, despite the Doctor's useless attempts at stopping her.
"No!", shouted Riddell. Pointing his gun at his target. "Take her, I shoot you." He obviously wasn't one to be messed with.
"Put your weapon down. Let me make my choice", said Neffy, holding her arm out.
"Do it, boy", said Solomon. Reluctantly, Riddell lowered the gun. "My bounty increases. And what an extraordinary bounty you are", he said, gazing at the Queen, reaching out his hand, which was slapped away.
"Never touch me", she said, more demanding.
Solomon picked up his cane, and shoved her against the wall. "I like my possessions to have spirit. It means I can have fun breaking them. And I will break you in, with immense pleasure. Thank you, Doctor. Computer? Take us back to my ship". And in an instant, Solomon, the Queen, and the robots were gone. Loud alarms began blaring, and the automated computer spoke.
"Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress."
The gang looked at the Doctor. Out of nowhere a small smile appeared on his face. "Bingo".
A/N - Remember to review!