THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!
Trivia and In-Jokes: I tried very hard to get this chapter out before the premier of Season 6.2 on August 27th. Most of it was written at work during lunch and the rest of it was written in the middle of the woods with no one but my horse (whose name is Shada after the unfinished Fourth Doctor episode…or the Eighth Doctor audio if you prefer) for company. Incidentally, I posted this at work so if there are any errors, please let me know. Looking Through Your Eyes: A lyric from the song of the same name from the movie Quest for Camelot. He wasn't as sensitive to [temperature changes] as humans: The Fifth Doctor stated "Four to Doomsday" that he can withstand the cold of space for six minutes. Sarah Jane calls him "thick-skinned" in "The Hand of Fear". He often had to lend his coat out: An in-show example is the end of the aforementioned episode "The Hand of Fear" when he let Sarah Jane wear his coat while leaving Kastria. AL also dons Ten's coat in my unfinished fic Return of the Time Sirens. Seydyn, Kentar and Amelus; Cyluk and Aperem: Sydney, Tanker and Sam (though I had to use "Samuel" since 3 letters wasn't helping the anagram generator) and Lucky and Amp (and I had to use his whole name, "Amp Ere") from Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad.
Special Thanks: To Keiyo.F for their kind reviews. Thanks for giving the story a chance and sorry for the delay with the new chapter. :)
Chapter Seven: Looking Through Your Eyes
Backed-up by Linikta and Aryn, the Doctor spent some time convincing Tyrel and Dr. Athr to allow him to repair the dampener controls and shut it off just long enough to ensure Lisa's safety. He spent more time just getting the door open, for the power surge had fused the wiring. The damage to the dampener system itself was far more extensive and the Doctor groaned inwardly when he saw the smoking mass of wires and circuitry.
Using spare parts given to him by the scientists and some bits from the TARDIS (and the Doctor did pause inside where the dampener couldn't reach to try to contact Lisa; the only response he got was silence), the Time Lord began work on the machine.
He didn't notice Linikta walk in until she called his name. He lifted his head to acknowledge her presence and then kept working. She held out a small water bottle to him and said, "I thought you might be thirsty. The power surge also knocked out the cooling system and the temperature is starting to rise. The guys who aren't working on the IRIS are working on that."
Truthfully, the Doctor hadn't noticed the temperature change. He wasn't as sensitive to that as humans were. He often had to lend his coat out to his companions when the temperature was too cold for them.
When he didn't respond right away, Linikta frowned. "Are you all right?"
He looked up only slightly. "I sometimes wonder if there could be some truth to the things we tell people."
Linikta's frown deepened. "Pardon?"
The Doctor was so lost in thought that he didn't answer. He'd become so accustomed to Lisa's constant presence that being without it was decidedly uncomfortable. Being unable to feel her double heartbeat that was synchronous with his own left him with a sense of emptiness and his head was decidedly quieter without her thoughts mingling with his. He wasn't exactly going to slip into a coma, but the absence of the link made him uneasy.
Seeing his discomfort, Linikta changed the subject. She held out the water bottle to him. "Do you want it?"
Again, he didn't answer. He just went back to what he was doing. Linikta shrugged and left the bottle on a shelf near the door. She was about to leave when Dr. Athr came in carrying a hand-held computer.
"Linikta," he said, "Seydyn, Kentar and Amelus are waiting for you. They need your help with the cooling system generator."
"What about Cyluk and Aperem?" she questioned.
"They're already there."
She looked put-out but said, "Yes, Dr. Athr," and walked out the door.
Dr. Athr watched her leave, then looked to his computer, tapping a few keys. "Are you still working on the dampener controls?"
The Doctor looked up in a half-glare, then went back to work.
"It's useless, you know," said Dr. Athr. "That dampener hasn't been shut off in decades. If the power surge didn't knock it out, what makes you think you can disable it?"
"I'm extremely clever," was the response.
Dr. Athr rolled his eyes. "The power surge made by the IRIS did a lot of damage due to the power output. The beam shot out by the IRIS had a lot of energy behind it. Just face the facts…your friend is dead."
This made the Doctor straighten to his full height, not quite towering over the scientist but he did have a few inches on him.
"I'd know if she were," he said.
"How?" countered Dr. Athr. "If you have some kind of telepathic connection that the dampener inhibits, how do you know?"
The Doctor set his jaw, a determined look in his eyes. He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the dampener controls and activated the device. The machine whirred for a few seconds before, finally, all of the lights on it went out and it powered down.
The Doctor gasped as the feeling of the wet blanket lifted and his mind was filled with an onslaught of thoughts and emotions. He grasped the edge of a computer panel to keep himself from falling, squeezing his eyes shut.
Doctor! came her voice.
Lisa!
Almost immediately, images began to flow into his mind at breakneck speed as Lisa began to send him information. Even though his eyes were closed, he could see a cavern lit with lamps with mechanical equipment lining the walls – he was seeing what Lisa was. People were milling around but the Doctor couldn't distinguish the faces.
Suddenly, the dampener machine sparked and began to power up. The wet-blanket feeling settled over the Doctor again and the connection with Lisa was severed once more.
NO! he cried. "NO!" He trained the sonic screwdriver back onto the controls but no amount of whirring from the device would deactivate it again.
"What happened?" asked Dr. Athr.
The Doctor was silent for a moment and one prominent memory bubbled up. His eyes widened and he said, "Get everyone together. There's a bigger problem."
End chapter seven.
