TEN
Fergus was halfway down the corridor when he heard an enraged cry and a muffled smashing sound. He stopped and looked back.
"Aw bloody hell!" he hissed, turning and racing back to the cells.
He stopped behind the semi-closed door. He heard a pained cry that could only have been the Doctor. And the sound of Colonel Du chuckling.
He stepped back one and lifted a foot. He booted the door open with all his strength.
Barely a foot outside the arc of the flying door stood Colonel Du.
Fergus didn't think. He slid over, up to him.
His right foot went out, ramming home on top of the Colonel's boot. He used it to take his weight as he reached out with his right fist. He grabbed the male's now lowered uniform jacket in his hand. He pulled sharply. Du's head flew toward his own and Fergus leaned back. He stabbed forward with as much momentum as he could.
There was almighty crack as their heads collided.
Du attempted to stagger. With his foot trapped it was impossible. He began to keel over backwards. Fergus stepped round. With blinding speed he swept his left fist round and smashed it into the Werrian's jaw.
Colonel Du flew over onto his back, landing heavily.
Fergus stood back one quickly. He wiped his forehead with his arm, watching the Colonel suspiciously. He turned and stepped over the prone Werrian's legs, leaning down toward the Doctor. But he was already rolling painfully to his feet, one hand to his ribs, clutching at the wall to help him up.
"The keys!" he heaved breathlessly.
Fergus looked around, then heard a jangling sound. Gerressia was on her feet and hurrying over.
"Get him in the cell," the Time Lord breathed.
Fergus and Gerressia grabbed an arm each and pulled the insensate Colonel into the once-occupied cell, running out and locking it firmly. Fergus looked around, made sure the cell next to it was locked, and then tossed the keys in through the small barred windows.
"They won't be gettin' him oot in a hurry," he said with supreme satisfaction. Then he turned and found Gerressia pulling the Doctor's left arm over her shoulders, helping him to straighten. "Bloody hell, man," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Ah'm guessing this wasnae part of thi plan then?"
"Ship, then TARDIS," he breathed painfully, ignoring Fergus's worried stare. Gerressia walked him to the door and they hurried out.
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"That's the power!" the Doctor called. Fergus ran in from the cockpit, looking round and finding the Gallifreyan sprawled on the engine room floor, twisting two thick cables into some kind of plastic mould.
"Are we right then?" he asked the Doctor quickly.
"We are. Tell her to start her up," he said.
Fergus ran off again and the Doctor pushed himself up tiredly. He blew out a sigh and clamped a hand to his ribs, using his other hand to pull himself to his feet, gritting his teeth. He sniffed, pulled his suit jacket straight, and pressed his hand to the screaming bones, hobbling on into the cockpit.
Gerressia was sitting in the pilot's seat, grinning and clapping her hands at the dials and readouts that indicated she had power and everything was ready for a quick take-off.
"All green to go?" the Doctor asked with a tired smile.
"Everything!" she gushed, jumping out of the seat and flinging her arms around the Time Lord's neck, hugging him tightly.
"Steady on," he wheezed, and she slid her hands down his front slowly, apologetically.
"Thank you, Doctor," she said seriously. "I never thought I could leave this place. And I never thought I'd see this thing running again."
"Yeah well," he said warmly, putting his hands to her elbows, "these old things should go on forever. Just be careful," he said suddenly. "There are a lot of pirates out there, Gerressia."
"Don't I know it," she said cheekily, putting her hands to his face warmly.
Fergus cleared his throat. "Ah'll er… Ah'll just be ootside, likesay," he said awkwardly, turning and walking out of the door quickly, his eyes on the floor. The Doctor watched him start down the ladder outside the door, then looked back at Gerressia.
"He's had a sheltered life, you know how it is," he said dismissively, and she laughed.
"Really?" she said slyly. "Now hurry up and go so I can leave, Doctor. You have to get to your huge ship before Du can get out."
"Yes I do," he said, a touch sadly. "Shame, though."
"What is?" she asked gamely.
"Well – um – that… Oh look," he heaved wearily. "It's just a shame you have to go one way and I have to go another, that's all. I don't mean anything by it."
"Good," she said firmly, pulling on his face again. "Because if I had said that, I would have meant a whole lot of things by it. You've done so much for me," she said more seriously. "But now you have to do one more."
"What's that?" he asked innocently.
"Forgive me for doing this. I could not live with myself if I didn't."
She kissed him.
Fergus wandered around underneath the ladder up to the cockpit door, hands in his pockets, shaking his head. He looked at his watch, then up at the ladder, then around worriedly.
After a few minutes he climbed back up the ladder and banged his fist on the open metal door of the cockpit.
"Hae, ye canny wee bastard, we have tae be off!" he cried indignantly.
The Doctor pulled himself away from Gerressia reluctantly, nodding to her once. She let her hand slide from his face down him to his shirt, before standing back one. She watched him turn his head but not his torso to look over at Fergus.
"Alright, keep your shirt on," he said, his voice stuck up at his favourite high-pitched tone of indignation. "We're only ten minutes from the TARDIS, Tourette's-boy."
"An' a bloody good job it is too," he said firmly. "Thanks hen, see you anon," he said, winking at Gerressia.
She grinned.
"Thank you, Fergus. Look after him for me," she added. He nodded back at her.
"Ah can but try, hen, Ah can but try," he said, disappearing back down the ladder.
The Doctor looked back at Gerressia.
"So. Gerressia," he said grandly, as he walked backwards to the ladder. "Thanks. It's been fun," he grinned.
"Hasn't it just," she said slyly, folding her arms. "When are you going to tell him half the TARDIS's power is currently being re-routed with a – what did you call it? – a 1969 Marks & Spencer's tie?"
"What? And allow myself to slip in his estimation? Hardly," he scoffed, and she laughed.
"Goodbye, Doctor. I hope to see you again."
"I'd be offended if you didn't," he grinned suavely, winking and disappearing down the ladder.
She sighed happily, then turned and started programming in a flight-plan. She grinned at the boards in front of her, as for the first time in ten years, they indicated full power and a clear opening for vertical take-off.
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The noise was unbearable. The pulsing, booming cacophony echoed and reverberated off every surface, beating the air mercilessly with such a strident wall of sound that small items rattled in their places, dust jumped off the shiny surfaces, and even the TARDIS grating quivered beneath its wrath.
The sheets on the bed moved and then a monumental irritated sigh came from somewhere under the pillow. Fergus turned onto his back and opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling and then thrusting the heels of his hands into his eyes, rubbing them harshly.
He looked over at the clock on his bedside table, tutting at the discovery that it had in fact been only four hours since he'd called it an adventure and a half and simply gone to bed.
He sighed as if it were all universally unjust. Then he pushed himself out of bed, pulling his mostly red Hawaiian surfing shorts straight. He leaned over and picked up his favourite battered old Deacon Blue t-shirt and pulled it on over his head. He marched off, following the noise out into the zig-zagging corridor.
He stopped at the door to the Doctor's bedroom, listening to the booming music die away slowly. He relaxed, about to turn and go back to bed.
But the music quickly started up again, and he wondered just what the Gallifreyan could be doing with such a racket going on.
'She came from Greece she had a thirst for knowledge – she studied sculpture at Saint Martin's college that's where I… caught her eye…'
"Aw no," he moaned, recognising the tune immediately. He put a hand out to the door and pushed on it, opening it wide to look in.
The noise was louder in here, and Fergus was suddenly worried his ears were contemplating bleeding in protest.
'She told me that her dad was loaded. I said in that case I'd have rum and Coca Cola – she said 'fine'. And then in thirty seconds time… she said –'
Fergus walked in and looked around, and then stopped.
The Doctor was in his favourite faded blue t-shirt and overly-baggy blue pyjama bottoms, stretched out on his back on the right side of his bed. He had a small PDA hanging loosely from his right hand, out on the bed covers.
Fergus looked at the bright orange box, the apparent source of the music, on the bedside table. He crossed to it and turned it down quickly, noticing the small bottle of tear-drop shaped tablets next to it. He picked up the bottle, but the label was covered in delicate circular engraving, reminding him of the screensaver on the Time Rotor's monitor.
He put the pills down again, turning and looking at the Doctor, fast asleep. The impression of the support bandage round his ribs was slightly evident under his skinny t-shirt, and Fergus sighed, shaking his head. He leaned over him, taking the PDA from his hand to toss it on the bedside table.
His careless eyes caught the top line and he hesitated.
'Hey there, Doctor of mine. I know we didn't get much time together, but the time we did get–'
He squeezed his eyes shut nobly, opening them to put the PDA down on the table quickly, out of his sight. He turned back to the Doctor, leaning over him and sliding his glasses off him carefully. He folded them and put them on the table too, then turned back to the orange box.
'Well what else could I do? I said 'I'll see what I can do'…' flowed out of it quietly, and he decided to leave it playing.
Instead he picked up the used tea mug next to it and turned, walking back to the door.
He looked back at the Doctor and smiled.
Then he flicked the light out, and simply closed the door silently behind him.
THE END