A/N - Hello again! Fortunately all of those wonderful reviews I got encouraged me to write more and the block has gone, huzzah! I felt bad leaving you hanging for so long last time, so go ahead and enjoy this. Thanks again to those of you who have reviewed, favourited and signed up for alerts :)
DISCLAIMER: Look, I don't own, all right? Could we all just enjoy my nice brainwaves, please? Thank you.
Surprisingly, it hadn't taken a huge amount of effort on Johnson's part to grab the Doctor, steal a Jeep and tear through the gates without glancing back for a second. His prisoner was still unconscious in the back, hitting the bench he was lying across with a loud thump! each time the Jeep hit the uneven ground.
Johnson smiled to himself and turned the radio up, enjoying his sense of freedom. As soon as he'd gotten authority on the base, he'd made sure that he had friends in high places. It had been this very move that had allowed him out that afternoon - only a few days earlier, he had paid the guard who controlled the gates to do as he was told and keep his mouth shut, should anyone come asking questions. When he had recognised Johnson in the Jeep, he lifted the barrier without a second thought.
A particularly large bump sent the Doctor crashing to the floor and he woke with a yelp of pain as his right arm was crushed beneath his body. He sat up carefully, staying where he was on the floor for fear of falling over again, and discovered that he had been thrown rather unceremoniously into the back of an army Jeep. It was travelling at a considerable speed, considering how fast the desert was flashing by outside the bulletproof windows, and the lack of people in the truck could only mean one thing…
He pulled himself up on a wire mesh above his head and looked through into the driver's compartment, recognising the back of Johnson's head. He slid back down the wall with a groan and thought hard. How was he going to get out of this?
For a moment, he considered throwing the back doors open and leaping out - but even if he did, they were travelling at such a speed that he'd risk serious injury, and even if he was unharmed he was still stranded in the middle of nowhere. Besides, Johnson would notice right away and would probably turn the Jeep around to mow him down instead.
No, you're definitely safer in the truck, he reasoned.
He had no idea how long they'd been driving for, but when he looked out of the window, he couldn't see any sign of the base - or any sign of life at all, just a straight, deserted road, stretching out onto the horizon. It was no use trying to escape from the Jeep. Once the heat finally claimed him, there would only be vultures to look forward to. Somehow, he'd always imagined his death to be a little more colourful than that.
They hit another rock and the Doctor greeted the floor rather more quickly than he would have liked, feeling bruises starting to appear along his right side. His elbow seemed to have taken most of the impact and he flexed it carefully, cursing under his breath as pain shot through the joint. It wasn't broken, but it was badly bruised - bad enough for it to hurt when he tried to pull himself up again. He gave up and sat against the wall instead. At least he couldn't fall over anymore.
They continued to drive for perhaps another two hours or thereabouts before Johnson stopped briefly. He threw open the doors at the back, grinning maliciously when he saw that the Doctor was awake.
"Had a good kip, Sleeping Beauty?" he said mockingly, hauling the Doctor to his feet. He scowled. "Get moving, scumbag, we're not stopping over." He waited until the Doctor was about to step down onto the ground, then kicked him at the back of his knee, making his leg buckle and sending him sprawling in the dust.
The Doctor stood up quickly, brushing himself down. "You didn't have to do that," he said.
"No," Johnson said casually, as if they were discussing general trivia. "But I wanted to. You're not gonna stop me, are you?" He chuckled and started to walk away.
"That depends," the Doctor said, and Johnson rounded on him, his face unsmiling once more.
"Depends on what?" he snarled.
"It depends whether you're going to attack me face to face, or from behind. I would have thought, as a military man, that you can understand which is the coward's option." He stopped as Johnson punched him in the solar plexus, knocking all of the air out of his lungs. He coughed, leaning heavily on the side of the Jeep to steady himself, and forced himself to breathe. The outside temperature was intense and the Doctor found himself wishing that they hadn't stopped.
Johnson laughed and checked his watch. "Playtime's over, ratbag. Into the Jeep you go." He shoved the Doctor back inside, slamming the doors before he had a chance to even sit up.
The Doctor stood up against the wire mesh as Johnson climbed into the driver's seat again.
"What now?" he said exasperatedly. "I preferred you when you were unconscious."
"Any chance of some water?" the Doctor asked. "Some of us are dehydrating back here."
Johnson slid a part of the mesh aside, tossed a metal canteen into the back, and pushed the grille shut again. The Doctor grabbed the canteen and sat back down as the engine started again and they were off again, driving into the desert.
The Doctor drank from the canteen, doing his best to conserve the water. He didn't think Johnson would be so quick to give him more water.
His stomach growled and he realised that it had been several hours since he'd last eaten, which wouldn't help at all if he needed to make a break for it.
The Doctor bounced again, trying to keep his already injured arm out of harm's way and failing spectacularly. Giving up, he held his arm close to his body, folding his t-shirt up around it to hold it steady. His elbow was beginning to swell up and he slapped himself mentally for not being more careful. He needed to escape; he had no doubt that Johnson would have no reservations in hurting him badly now that they were out in the middle of nowhere.
Brilliant. Just brilliant, he told himself irritably. You're driving in the middle of the desert with no one but a borderline psychopath for company; you're hungry, you're dehydrated and you're hurt already. No chance of escape whatsoever. How rubbish is that?
A/N - Pitchforks are now banned. Apologies for the inconvenience. I stayed up until 00.49 to finish this for you, now please be nice and review? Thanks for reading! :)
Aloha to Japan and Russia. Thanks for joining us!
:E