Donna scrambled back as the Auton Lincoln fired, narrowly missing her head. "Donna!" the Doctor yelled, pulling her down behind a large armchair. "Run for the door, get out as soon as you can, we don't know how many more of them - look out!"
He threw himself at Donna, knocking her to the floor as the Auton fired again. "Go, Donna," he yelled, scrambling to his feet and seizing a wooden chair. "I'll hold him off!" He held the chair up defensively. The Auton looked at him condescendingly, an expression out of place on the kindly President's craggy face.
"Surrender, Doctor," it said, voice expressionless. "You have no weapons, no protection."
"That's never stopped me before," he said grimly, hoisting the chair higher. There was a flash and a bang as the Auton fired, leaving a smoking hole in the chair and singeing the Doctor's crisp sleeve. "Donna, go!"
"I can't!" she cried, still sprawled on the floor. "This stupid dress..." Indeed, her large skirt, fashionable though it might be, was not at all easy to maneuver in.
"Right then," he said. "Backup plan." And he heaved the smoking chair at the Auton. It collided with the large writing desk, sending papers, books, and splinters of wood everywhere, temporarily blinding them from view and knocking over the plastic President. Without hesitating a beat, he grabbed Donna's hand and pulled her roughly to her feet. "Get to the door," he yelled, dragging her along behind him. She fought her way through the furniture and the flying papers to a door handle.
"Doctor, over here," she yelled, and he was there. He quickly blasted the lock with his sonic and the door popped open. They dashed inside, ducking as the Auton, back on its feet, fired another bolt just over their heads, and slammed the door behind them. Donna slumped against it, panting, while the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and locked the door up tight.
"Nice, thick door. Should keep them out," he muttered, before turning around. He took two steps, ready to run, and then stopped. "Er, Donna," he said carefully, "there didn't happen to be two doors?"
They were standing in not the long hallway they had come in by, but nothing less than the presidential bathroom. It was a small closet-like space, furnished only with a toilet, a tarnished mirror, and an old-fashioned sink with a single thick pipe leading down and then bending into the wall. Donna was glaring at him. "Well," he said with an attempt at a smile, "just a setback, nothing we can't handle."
"A setback," she said, disgusted and incredulous. "You call this," she said emphatically, gesturing around her, "a setback? The President of the United States is a plastic robot that's trying to kill us, and we're trapped in a blinking loo!"
"Ah, come on, Donna," the Doctor said, now kneeling by the sink and fiddling with the pipes. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Adventure?" she cried, indignant. "Is that all this is to you, some grand adventure? Never mind that the biggest country in the West in being led by a robot, never mind that there's dozens of people in here who could die at any minute, including us, no, you just want to have an adventure." The door rattled and jumped as the Auton began firing at it. "And now you're fixing their plumbing?"
He looked up at her, expression unreadable. "Donna, I've seen more people die, seen more destruction, caused more destruction and death and pain than you can possibly imagine. I do know what's at stake." He paused, lost in thought, then snapped back to reality with a grin. "But you might as well take the thrill where you can get it, eh? Now, I hope you didn't bother to shower this morning."
"What?"
"This'll fix you right up." With no further ado, the Doctor zapped the pipes with the screwdriver, breaking them apart. Water sprayed everywhere, drenching them both. Quickly, he tore out the bent piece, reducing the pressure, so that water now gushed out and flooded the floor, rather than spraying up and out. Donna gasped as the cold water hit her, rapidly soaking through her many layers and filling her shoes.
"What the hell was that for?" she cried, wiping water out of her eyes and flicking it angrily at the Doctor, who got to his feet, pipe in hand, and grabbed a bar of soap off the edge of the sink, which he shoved in his pocket. "Soap?" she asked incredulously. "And what are you doing now?"
"Reinforcing the metal," he said, blasting the entire surface of the pipe with the sonic screwdriver and filling the small room with reflected blue light. "Rearranging its atomic structure so it can withstand an Auton blast."
"You're going to fight off a robot with a pipe?"
"And a bar of soap. Do not discount the soap." She stared. "Wet soap is very good for repelling firepower. Good shock absorber." She still did not look convinced. He sighed. "Donna, I need you to trust me," he said urgently. "When I tell you to, open the door as fast as you can and get out of the way. Stay low, run for the door - the other door - and get out. Lock the door behind you, we don't want that thing getting out. Get back to that other room and get the people out, however you can."
"They won't listen to me," she said desperately. "I'm only a temp from Chiswick, I'm no one special. And just look at me."
The Doctor smiled. "You're no temp," he said. "Not today. Today you're the Royal Ambassador. You've got all the authority of the throne behind you. And even on a normal day, you're far more than just a temp." She looked away. "Here, take this," he said, handing her his sonic.
"Doctor, no," she said, recoiling back. "That's yours. You need it."
"You need it more." He pressed it into her hand. "We've no idea which people might be Autons. Check them all. Just point it at them and push the button. If it buzzes, they're not real."
"I can't even change a plug!"
"Donna." He looked her right in the eyes. "You can do this. Take it."
She shook her head, eyes full of worry and pain. "It's too much like saying goodbye."
He softened, clasping her hand. "Donna, you're my best mate. I won't leave you behind. I'll come as quickly as I can, I promise. Alright?"
She nodded, her face pale. "You better come," she said, grabbing his hand and gripping it tight. "You better be right behind me or I swear to God I will never forgive you." He smiled and released her hand, leaving her the sonic screwdriver.
"When aren't I?" he asked, a sort of kind sadness in his voice. The door rattled again, this time making cracks in the plaster around the hinges. "Are you ready?" She nodded again, placing a trembling hand on the doorknob. "Right then. Count of three. One." he said, holding up his pipe as she popped the lock. "Two." She turned the door handle, which rattled under her hands as the door was fired upon from the other side.
"Wait!" she said. Quickly, she shoved the screwdriver into the bodice of her dress. "No pockets."
The Doctor looked at her warily. "I will be wanting that back, you know." She raised an eyebrow.
"Coward."
He shook his head, grinning. "Alright," he said. "One, two, three!"
Quick as she could, Donna flung the door open and dropped to the floor, revealing the waiting Auton with gun at the ready. She rolled out of the way as the Doctor sprang forward and jammed the upturned pipe on the end of the Auton's firing arm. Just as the it fired, he shoved the soap into the end, clamping down on it. The blast ricocheted down the Doctor's arm as the blast rebounded along the reinforced pipe and back into the gun barrel. The giant man recoiled, shaking his smoking limb.
"Bar of soap and a pipe!" the Doctor cried triumphantly. "Bet that didn't feel too good, did it?" He flapped his hand at Donna, who was crouched against the wall, watching, awestruck. "Donna, go! Get them out!" She scrambled to her feet and ran for the door, but turned back.
"Doctor-"
"I promise," he said reassuringly. She took one last look at him, standing in the middle of a destroyed office, dripping wet, while the President flailed around, one arm smoking. He smiled. "I never break a promise."
"Liar," she muttered. But she turned and hurried out of the room.
A.N: Hello, all! I know this chapter is a good deal shorter than the last one, but this was really the only good stopping place for a while yet, so this is where it'll end for now! So! What'd you think? That typical Doctor enough for you? I had a great deal of fun coming up with that. I would like to add that everything, from the floor plan of the White House to the old man sitting and waiting is as accurate as I could possibly make it and that all characters found within this story are either from the show or real historical figures. Lots and lots of research going into this. Hopefully it all pays off! Again, this is competitive, so if you see anything that rubs you wrong, let me know! I'm determined that this go well. Again, I'm fixing these chapters often, so expect some changes! This is version number six, I believe. Thanks bunches to all AliciaRoseFantasy for her reviews and my two precious follows. Got to start somewhere, right? Thanks for reading! Allon-sy!
-Forever the Optimist