For the Sake of an Angel:
Chapter Twelve: Clever
Review responses:
Hainako: Thanks! I'm glad you can see her character development :) I feel like a proud mother, to be honest. She's changed so much since the beginning! And yeah! The Sontaran episodes have always been 'meh' for me... Except for the ones with Strax later on. Addie certainly makes a mess in this chapter, but it's not necessarily with the Sontarans... Enjoy!
WizardingWhovian: Addie and the Doctor definitely share a lot of similarities - including some that I didn't even plan on writing out and just happened. Right? I really enjoyed writing about the library in the garden. That will be her new favorite place in the TARDIS. Thank you for your review!
YourRegularBookie: Ahhh! Thank you! Addie and Eleven together will definitely be... interesting, to say the least. There will be a lot more playfulness between them, at first, because it'll be a new beginning for the both of them. Thank you for your review, and I'm really glad you like FSA!
ShadowTeir: Ugh, I can't even imagine writing the New Earth arc (neither the one with Rose or the one with Martha). There would be so many factors to consider, and most of the time, some character would be held captive (either in their head or in a car). I definitely feel like Addie has changed a lot. She's become more confident and more centered in who she is. She's still incredibly anxious and blames herself for the lives she can't save, but she's come to have a bit of an understanding about the issue. I don't know if I've really changed too much since I've started, but I think I've become more comfortable with writing scenes from the show. I used to struggle with how to make FSA interesting while having to use dialogue from DW, but I like to think that I've improved with that :) Your reviews are always fantastic, and I love that they're long! The "dissections" are flattering, because I know that you enjoy FSA enough to think about theories and analyze conversations and whatnot. Thank you for reviewing on every chapter; I always look forward to what you have to say :) Hope you enjoy this one!
It'sJustMeCami: Wow, thank you! I try not to keep FSA too close to the show, because then people would just be reading a repeat of DW. That really means a lot to me :) I love writing, and I actually don't have anyone checking over my chapters before I post them - I usually read each chapter about two or three times to make sure that there aren't any grammatical errors or discontinuity. I'm glad you love Addie! The more I write about her, the more real and alive she seems to be. The Adeta relationship is slowly but surely growing - they've gone from forced companions to best friends to something a little more. They're one of your OTP's?! Now THAT is the hugest compliment I've ever received about FSA. Most of Addie's secrets will be revealed by the end of season four ;) Thank you for understanding why I can't post more than once a week. I've made the chapters as long as I could, but we'll see if I'll be able to keep up this pace once school is back in session. Don't apologize for the review! I LOVE long reviews, because that means the person took the time to think about what to say, which is very meaningful and a compliment in and of itself! Thank you so much for your delightful comment, and I hope you like this chapter!
Snowy702: Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter :)
firestar92603: Thank you! I will do my best! Hope you like this chapter.
XxNimith531xX: Thank you so much! Here's the chapter :)
"Oh, don't salute." The Doctor whined as the Colonel jerked his hand to his forehead. The man awkwardly lowered his arm, not knowing how to react.
"But it's an honour, sir. I've read all the files on you. Technically speaking, you're still on staff. You never resigned." He explained stiffly.
"Yeah, I want to hear about that later." Addie interjected out of curiosity. "The show never covered it."
Donna was astounded. She couldn't believe that a man like the Doctor, who clearly hated guns, had collaborated with an organization like UNIT. "What, you used to work for them?"
"Yeah, long time ago. Back in the 70's. Or was it the 80's?" The Doctor scanned the room warily. "But it was all a bit more homespun back then."
"Times have changed, sir." Colonel Mace stated, turning his attention to the strawberry blonde at the Doctor's side. He saluted her, much to Addie's surprise. "Ma'am, it is an honour to have you here as well."
Her jaw was slack. "Um, pardon?"
Colonel Mace lowered his hand as Martha briefly clarified, "Addie, you're in UNIT's records as one of the Doctor's longest companions. We have information about you that you don't even know about yourself." She looked slightly guilty, as if she knew a huge secret that Addie wasn't privy to.
"Well, I would ask you to spill, but…" Addie trailed off, shaking her head. She knew it wasn't possible for her to read about her future; it would screw up her timeline. However, she still felt a surge of hope at the realization that UNIT knew about her past, where she had come from, and who she was. Martha gave her a sympathetic look, and Addie reluctantly changed the subject. "Anyways, please don't call me 'ma'am.' 'Addie' is fine."
The Doctor leaped on the opportunity as he tried to hide his desire to break into Addie's records. "Yeah, and that's enough of the 'sir'."
"Come on, though, Doctor. You've seen it." Martha decided to lead them to the middle of the room to showcase their technology. "You've been on board the Valiant. We've got massive funding from the United Nations, all in the name of Home World Security."
"A modern UNIT for the modern world." Colonel Mace finished proudly.
Donna was not impressed. "What, and that means arresting ordinary factory workers, in the streets, in broad daylight? It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there. Donna, by the way. Donna Noble, since you didn't ask." Donna looked him up and down condescendingly, and Addie bit back a giggle. Classic Donna. "I'll have a salute."
Colonel Mace looked at the Doctor for affirmation, and he nodded once shortly. Immediately, the Colonel faced Donna again and saluted. "Ma'am."
Donna raised her head regally. "Thank you."
Beside her, Addie whispered, "Now, that's how you do it." That earned her a laugh from Donna before the two were silenced by the Doctor's voice.
"Tell me," He inquired from where he was seated in front of a computer, "what's going on in that factory?"
Colonel Mace cleared his throat. "Yesterday, fifty two people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in eleven different time zones. Five a.m. in the UK, six a.m. in France, eight a.m. in Moscow, one p.m. in China."
The Doctor did some quick calculations, and then his brows furrowed. "You mean they died simultaneously."
"Exactly." Colonel Mace affirmed. "Fifty two deaths at the exact same moment, worldwide."
"How did they die?" The Doctor pushed.
"They were all inside their cars."
"They were poisoned." Martha added. "I checked the biopsies. No toxins. Whatever it is, left the system immediately."
The Doctor turned around to face his former companion. "What have the cars got in common?"
"Completely different makes. They're all fitted with ATMOS, and that is the ATMOS factory." She answered, nodding in the direction of where production occurred. However, her explanation didn't clear things up for the Doctor.
"What's ATMOS?"
From what Addie could remember, it was a GPS system controlled by the Sontarans that ended up killing a bunch of people with toxic gas meant to turn the Earth into a breeding planet for said aliens, but what did she know?
Donna's response was more incredulous. "Oh, come on. Even I know that. Everyone's got ATMOS."
The Doctor's face turned hard. "Show me the factory."
"Stands for Atmospheric Omission System. Fit ATMOS in your car, it reduces CO2 emissions to zero."
Addie peered over the railing to view the factory workers being held by UNIT soldiers. She couldn't remember if they were human or not, but she still felt a wave of pity for their situation. She turned her attention back to the conversation at hand, listening keenly to see if there was anything she could add. Being from a different universe occasionally made it difficult for her to relate to people from this one. In this case, there hadn't been ATMOS where she was from.
"Zero? No carbon, none at all?" The Doctor clarified, not believing his ears.
"And you get sat-nav and twenty quid in shopping vouchers if you introduce a friend." Donna continued. "Bargain."
They came to a stop in the middle of the walkway above the factory to observe the happenings below. "And this is where they make it, Doctor. Shipping worldwide. Seventeen factories across the globe, but this is the central depot, sending ATMOS to every country on Earth."
"And you think ATMOS is alien." The Doctor stated.
Colonel Mace nodded. "It's our job to investigate that possibility. Doctor?"
He led the man into another hallway, causing Addie and Donna to hurry after him. "That man walks way too fast." She huffed as they rounded a corner.
"You know, normally I can go for a man in uniform." Donna agreed. "But this military precision is seriously ticking me off. Are we on a time limit or something?"
"We always are when the Doctor's around." Martha answered, a hint of bitterness in her tone. The other two were slightly startled by her entrance into their conversation, but they took it in stride.
"Too right." Donna affirmed. "There's always some sort of danger, isn't there?"
Realizing that they had almost caught up, Addie said knowingly, "But that's why you love it."
Donna didn't have a hint of shame on her face when she replied, "Yeah, and that's why you love him."
Addie flushed a deep red as she whacked Donna's arm roughly. "Oh, shut up."
More and more lately, Donna had been teasing her about her supposed feelings for the Doctor. What had started off as harmless insinuations had morphed into romantic remarks that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Addie wished that she would stop, because even if she did have feelings for the Doctor, it would be impossible for them to be together. Time had already proven that a Time Lord and a human didn't mix, and that had been with Rose of all people. If the Doctor hadn't been able to make it work with her, than he wouldn't be able to make it work for any other human.
Not that she cared, of course. But, her long-term existence in the Doctor's life had to count for something, right? A smile formed on her face at that thought, but she forced it down.
Shut up, Addie, just shut up.
"And here it is, laid bare." Colonel Mace announced, bringing her back to reality. "ATMOS can be threaded through any and every make of car."
The five of them gathered around a table to inspect the technology before them. "You must've checked it, before it went on sale." The Doctor commented. To him, the ATMOS appeared to be nothing more than standard 21st century Earth machinery.
"We did. We found nothing. That's why I thought we needed an expert." Martha elucidated, leaning against a wall.
The Doctor put his brainy specs on. "Really. Who'd you get?" There was a pregnant pause as everyone stared at him incredulously. Hearing no response, he turned back around and raised his eyebrows at Addie, who did the same in return. Then, he realized. "Oh, right. Me, yes. Good."
"Time dunce." Addie teased him warmly, deciding that it was her favorite insult for the Doctor; after all, it went way back to their first trip together.
"Oi!" The Doctor pointed at her, mock offended. Martha took that as her cue to leave, and gestured for Colonel Mace to follow. Meanwhile, Donna and Addie came beside the Doctor as he reinspected the ATMOS.
"Okay. So why would aliens be so keen on cleaning up our atmosphere?" Donna inquired.
"A very good question." The Doctor mused, picking up the ATMOS.
"Maybe they want to help." Donna proposed hopefully. "Get rid of pollution and stuff."
Addie shook her head. "I can tell you now that they have an ulterior motive."
Sighing, the Doctor placed the ATMOS back on the table. "Do you know how many cars there are on planet Earth? Eight hundred million. Imagine that. If you could control them, you'd have eight hundred million weapons." He looked both of them in the eyes. "Addie's right. Whoever's controlling this isn't doing it out of the kindness of their heart."
There was silence as the three of them processed his words, and then Donna perked up as an idea struck her. "I'm going to do some investigating. Addie, come with?"
"Sure." Addie shrugged. "I'm useless here, anyways. No good with technology, as you both know." She made to leave, but then the Doctor grabbed her wrist. She looked down at where his hand was and then up at his face questioningly.
"Are you going to be alright?" He asked seriously. He didn't know where this situation would lead, but he worried that there would be lots of deaths, and just like in Pompeii, he was scared that Addie wouldn't be able to handle it. Most likely, she would make another reckless decision, and he wouldn't be there to stop it.
This time, Addie knew what was going on in his head; she understood that it was his way of caring for her, and not distrust as she had assumed back in Pompeii. "We'll be back before you know it. Nothing will happen while we're gone. Promise."
The Doctor let go of her wrist reluctantly, trusting her foreknowledge. He knew that he was being too overprotective; it was concerning because he hadn't ever restricted his other companions from branching off on their own, as long as they had asked permission. But, for some reason, he struggled with letting Addie be independent; even with Rose, it hadn't been this bad. "Okay. I'll see you later."
Donna rolled her eyes and pushed Addie towards the door. "God, you two make it seem like this is some sort of soppy romance novel. It's not like this is The Notebook."
Addie wheezed uncomfortably. "I have feet, you know!"
"Good!" Donna gave her one last shove, receiving a dirty look in return. "You're gonna need them."
"Paperwork!" Addie announced as she and Donna entered the office again. The Doctor, Martha, and Colonel Mace all looked up confusedly at her sudden declaration.
"Come again?" The Doctor asked, brainy specs still perched on his nose.
"Oi, you lot." Donna waved the binder in her hand. "All your storm troopers and your sonics. You're rubbish. Should've come with us."
The Doctor straightened up. "Why, where have you been?"
"Personnel. That's where the weird stuff's happening, in the paperwork." Donna emphasized, giving Addie a high five. "Because I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way 'round an office blindfolded, and the first thing I noticed was an empty file."
"Why, what's inside it? Or what's not inside it?"
Donna nodded at Addie to answer. "Sick days." She said, showing them the empty contents of the binder. "No one has ever gotten ill, or even taken vacation leave. It's like they're robots, or something."
Colonel Mace was astounded. "That can't be right." He strode forward and took the binder out of Addie's hands.
"You've been checking out the building." Donna finished proudly. "Should've been checking out the workforce."
Martha couldn't help the grin that came on her face. "I can see why they like you."
"Mmhm." Donna agreed shamelessly.
"You are good."
"Super temp." Addie interjected affectionately. "Didn't I tell you, first time we met?"
Of course, Colonel Mace had to ruin their fun. This was, after all, a military operation. "Doctor Jones, set up a medical post. Start examining the workers. I'll get them sent through."
Martha nodded and immediately set off, calling over her shoulder, "Come on, Donna. Give me a hand."
Addie put her hands on her hips, slightly offended. "Don't I get an invitation?"
Martha paused. "Well, I just assumed you would want to stay with the Doctor."
"Not a chance!" Addie swore, sending a guilty look at the Doctor right afterwards. "No offense intended."
"None taken." He swallowed. "Go with Martha."
"Thanks." Addie beamed. She wasn't about to tell him that she had her own ulterior motive; no, she'd let him think that she wanted to catch up with Martha, which, of course, she also wanted to do. Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that Martha would soon be cloned. The least she could do was try to prevent it, or perhaps try to keep her company, as dumb as that sounded. She was no UNIT soldier, but maybe her status as the Doctor's companion would boost her credibility. "Oh, and preview: think potatoheads."
"Potatoheads?" The Doctor questioned. "That's not very helpful."
"Goodbye, Doctor!" Addie waved as she finally followed Martha and Donna out. She was grateful that he hadn't seen through her ploy, but she knew that he would find out later, and that there would be hell to pay.
Yeah, she had learned her lesson, but it didn't mean that she had to accept it. Her life was important, sure, but so was Martha's, and she was the kind of person who put her friends first.
And nothing the Doctor could say would change that.
It was a bit awkward, being the third party in a conversation that was so obviously between Donna and Martha, but Addie was doing her best to keep her mouth shut.
"Do they know where you are?" Martha got Donna's attention. "Your family. I mean, that you're travelling with the Doctor?"
Donna looked to Addie for support, but she pretended not to see as she wandered around the room. "Not really. Although my granddad sort of waved us off. I didn't have time to explain."
Addie winced as Martha asked incredulously, "You just left him behind?"
"Yeah." Donna said defensively.
Seeing that Donna felt like she was being attacked, Martha backed off and tried another method. "I didn't tell my family. I kept it all so secret, and it almost destroyed them."
"In what way?"
"They ended up imprisoned. They were tortured. My mum, my dad, my sister." At this, Addie started to open her mouth to defend the Doctor, but there was no need as Martha hastily explained, "It wasn't the Doctor's fault, but you need to be careful. Because you know the Doctor. He's wonderful, he's brilliant, but he's like fire. Stand too close and people get burnt."
Addie bit her lip and looked away, not able to disagree with her on that. Donna took all of her words in slowly, and then made a decision. "I'm gonna head home, check on my family."
Martha smiled weakly. "I think that's a good idea."
"Let's go find him, then." Donna sighed, and Addie accidentally knocked something off a table. The two women observed her warily, and she quickly placed the object back where it had been.
"Sorry, but why do we need to find the Doctor right now?" Addie didn't want to encounter him again; at least, not before she had protected Martha from the cloning process.
Donna stared at her confusedly. "Transport, for one, but also just for basic communication methods?"
"Right." Addie mentally groaned at Donna's solid argument. "Martha, do you know where he is?"
Martha gave her a strange look. "Sure, it'll be easy enough to find him. Um, Addie, can I have a minute?"
Addie wavered. "Of course."
Martha led them over to an adjacent office and shut the door. The whole room was made of glass, however, and Addie could see Donna doing her best not to stare at them through the windows.
"So, what's up?"
Martha let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "Months have passed, and you still haven't changed."
Now, Addie was the confused one. "I thought you said - "
"I mean your tells." Martha clarified. "You've got that look on your face, like you're about to try and change the future. Your eyebrows get all creased and your eyes get distant, like you're miles away. I'm surprised that the Doctor hasn't caught on yet, but he's always been oblivious to some things, hasn't he?"
Addie looked her in the eyes steadily. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Martha exhaled. "I can see I'm not going to make any progress with you. Just… be careful."
"No promises." Addie teased, trying to make the mood lighter. Her efforts earned a smile from Martha, and a snarky comment.
"Now I can see why he doesn't like to let you leave his side. You two are more alike than you think."
Addie stopped cold. "What does that mean?"
Martha's response was to turn and leave the office, leaving Addie to follow her anxiously.
"Martha, what does that mean?"
Martha had all but shoved her into the Doctor's arms before she had hastily claimed that she had to be somewhere, and that Addie would be better off with him for the day. That really left Addie with no choice but to stay with him, especially because she was pretty sure that Martha and the Doctor had had some sort of silent conversation where they had analyzed Addie's body language and declared her to be a liability.
Ultimately, Addie gave herself a B plus for effort, but she had really and truly failed. Her friends had gotten to know her a little too well, and that, combined with the fact that she was a terrible liar, made for a little less success in the life saving department. At least Martha wouldn't be in any danger of dying in the near future, so Addie was slightly comforted by that fact.
She was currently sandwiched between the Doctor and Ross, their soldier accompaniment, as they had just dropped Donna off at her house. Her annoyance was rapidly fading, however, because Ross was a very attractive man, and Addie's thigh was touching his, and all conscious thought suddenly became rather hard to hold on to.
"UNIT's been watching Rattigan Academy for ages." He spoke up, and Addie gazed at his sharp jawline, then at his beautiful blue eyes. "It's all a bit Hitler Youth. Exercise at dawn and classes and special diets."
"Turn left." The ATMOS ordered.
The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the system, feeling a spark of annoyance both at the voice and from the fact that Addie was clearly obsessed with this man whom she had just met. Maybe he should have left her with Martha - at least then she wouldn't be distracted by Ross. He liked Ross, he really did, but Addie was making that more difficult to do. "Ross, one question. If UNIT think that ATMOS is dodgy…" He trailed off as the ATMOS spoke up again.
"Go straight on."
"How come we've got it in the jeeps?" Ross finished knowingly. "Yeah, tell me about it. They're fitted as standard on all government vehicles. We can't get rid of them 'til we can prove there's something wrong."
"Turn right."
"Drives me around the bend." He admitted as they turned the corner, and even the Doctor had to laugh at that.
"Oh, nice one."
Ross briefly glanced at the girl at his side. "Timed that perfectly."
"You did." A smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Very clever."
Then, it was Ross' turn to grin and the Doctor suddenly felt the urge to intervene. He cleared his throat as they came to a stop and was the first one out of the vehicle. He offered his hand to Addie politely, and she used him to steady herself as she jumped out of the military jeep. Feeling a surge of satisfaction at the fact that she had exited on his side, rather than on Ross', the Doctor continued to hold her hand as they made their way to the entrance of the Rattigan Academy.
There was a boy standing in front of the school, and he appeared to be the only one out of uniform while all the other students ran by, suited in bright red tracksuits. Addie watched them, feeling no urge whatsoever to be in their position; she did well enough running traveling with the Doctor, thank you very much. However, the Doctor seemed to feel differently.
"Is it PE? I wouldn't mind a kick around, I've got me daps on." He called out to the boy, who turned around after being addressed.
"I suppose you're the Doctor?" Rattigan sneered, striding forward. Addie wasn't too impressed by his attitude, nor by his attire. You'd think that a multi millionaire genius teenager could afford to dress more nicely than scruffy ripped jeans and a maroon t-shirt, but who was she to judge?
"Hello." The Doctor grinned.
Rattigan came to a stop in front of them, and Addie was grateful, simply for the fact that he had blocked the sun from shining in her eyes. "Your commanding officer phoned ahead."
The Doctor's grin fell. "Ah, but I haven't got a commanding officer. Have you?" Inspecting Rattigan's impassive expression, he changed the subject. "Oh, this is my best friend, Addie, and my new friend, Ross. Say hello, you two."
Addie let out a disgruntled greeting, but was distracted by the fact that the Doctor had called her his best friend. That was new. Sure, she had told the Doctor that she considered him to be her best friend, but she had never thought that the sentiment would be returned.
The Doctor rambled on, not knowing the effect of his words on Addie. "Let's have a look, then. I can smell genius!" He darted off towards the entrance, then paused. "In a good way."
Addie, not wanting to be left behind with Rattigan, hastily chased after him. "Do you know where you're going?"
"Haven't the foggiest." The Doctor admitted before his eyes landed on a neon yellow doorway. "Oh, that looks interesting. Let's go have a look." He pushed inside and instantly became a little boy again as he saw all the scientific experiments scattered throughout the room. Addie watched on amusedly as he bounded across the floor and decided to stand in the middle of the room with Ross, who was slightly out of his comfort zone.
"You doing okay?" She asked quietly. This was the first time he had been fully exposed to the Doctor's true nature, and she knew that it could be disorienting.
"I'm fine. It's just," He lowered his gun slightly, "it's easy to forget that you two aren't from around here, and then he goes and does stuff like this."
Addie and Ross followed the Doctor's progress around the room with their eyes. "Oh, now, that's clever. Look. Single molecule fabric, how thin is that?! You could pack a tent in a thimble. Oooh! Gravity simulators. Terraforming, biospheres, nano-tech steel construction. This is brilliant!"
Addie sighed fondly. "Point taken. But, I'm still human, you know."
Ross swallowed and didn't say anything in response, but Addie was more focused on the fact that the Doctor had finished his little tour and had come to a stop beside them. "Do you know, with equipment like this you could, oooh, I don't know, move to another planet or something?"
Rattigan stepped out from whatever hole he had been hiding in and tried to bluff his way out of the Doctor's subtle accusation. "If only that was possible."
"Were." Addie automatically corrected, earning herself a slight glare from Rattigan. "If only that were possible. Sorry, grammar freak, here. Can't help it."
The Doctor bit back a smirk at seeing Addie one-up the entitled boy, but it fell as Rattigan declared, "I think you'd better come with me."
"What exactly do you want?" Rattigan nearly snarled as the Doctor freely perused his office slash playroom.
"I was just thinking." The Doctor mused, purposefully knocking over one of his displays. "What a responsible eighteen year old. Inventing zero carbon cars? Saving the world."
"Takes a man with vision." Rattigan grit out, glaring at Addie, who had pushed a ball over in order to sit in a cool-looking chair. "Don't touch that."
She sat herself down comfortably, arching an eyebrow at the boy.
"Mmm, blinkered vision." The Doctor came over and leaned on the chair she was sitting in. "Because ATMOS means more people driving. More cars, more petrol. End result, the oil's going to run out faster than ever. The ATMOS system could make things worse."
Rattigan seized that opportunity to point out something that didn't matter as he stalked up to the two of them. "Yeah. Well, you see, that's a tautology. You can't say ATMOS system because it stands for Atmospheric Emissions System. So you're just saying Atmospheric Emissions System system."
The Doctor looked at him for a long moment, pity flickering in his eyes. "It's been a long time since anyone said no to you, isn't it?"
"I'm still right, though."
"You're also still a pain in the ass, if we're stating things that aren't relevant to the issue at hand." Addie leaned forward irritably. "Shall I go on?"
"Addie, as much as I appreciate your wit, now is not the time." The Doctor warned her gently, and she fell back into her chair.
"Fine."
"Anyways." He turned his attention back to the steaming boy. "Not easy, is it, being clever. You look at the world and you connect things, random things, and think, why can't anyone else see it? The rest of the world is so slow."
Addie did her best not feel offended at his comment, because she was included in the rest of the world, but she couldn't help the surge of hurt that rose up in her at the Doctor's callous words.
"Yeah." Rattigan admitted, pouring salt in the wound.
"And you're all on your own."
"I know." Rattigan confirmed suspiciously.
"But not with this." The Doctor yanked an ATMOS out of his pocket and waved it around. "Because there's no way you invented this thing single handed. I mean, it might be Earth technology, but that's like finding a mobile phone in the Middle Ages." He tossed it to Ross, who barely managed to catch it. Curiosity piqued, Addie got out of the chair and inched closer to the Doctor. He was going towards the big brass box in the center of the room, which Addie recalled was a transporter to a Sontaran ship. "No, no, I'll tell you what it's like. It's like finding this in the middle of someone's front room. Albeit it's a very big front room."
"Why, what is it?" Ross asked, clearly being the only one in the room who didn't know. The Doctor backed into the box confidently.
"Yeah, just looks like a thing, doesn't it? People don't question things." Addie tried to go in after him, but he casually moved forward and set her outside of it, giving her a warning glance. "They just say, oh, it's a thing."
"Leave it alone." Rattigan barked out nervously. Addie groaned as the Doctor started punching in numbers on a keypad; there was no stopping him now.
"Me, I make these connections. And this, to me, looks like a teleport pod."
Just before he activated the transmat, Addie blurted out her preview from before. "Doctor, the potatoheads!"
She didn't know if her message had reached him before he blinked out of view, but if one thing was certain, she had made herself look like a certified idiot in front of one Ross Jenkins. Another slightly less certain thing was that Rattigan was now aware that she knew of his schemes.
"You!" Rattigan started forward angrily, but he didn't have enough time to attack as the Doctor came hurtling back through the teleport.
"Right, got the warning; thank you, Addie. Ross, get out. Luke, you've got to come with us." He briskly pulled out his sonic screwdriver just as a Sontaran in full armor appeared in the teleport. Sparks flew behind the potatoheaded alien as the Doctor managed to disable the machine, rendering it useless for any other Sontarans to use in the near future. However, that still left them with one very infuriated alien, who aimed his gun at the Doctor threateningly. "Sontaran! That's your name, isn't it?" The potatohead hesitated and lowered his gun slightly. "You're a Sontaran. How did I know that, hey? Fascinating isn't it? Isn't that worth keeping me alive?"
There was a sharp clicking sound as Ross took the safety off his gun. "I order you to surrender in the name of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce."
The Doctor clucked his tongue. "Well, that's not going to work. Cordolaine signal, am I right? Copper excitation stopping the bullets."
"How do you know so much?"
"Well." The Doctor took the Sontaran's comment in stride and started to roam around the room, gears turning in his head as he tried to come up with an exit plan.
Noticing that Ross still had his gun pointed at the Sontaran, Addie rested her hand on the gun and lowered it; there was no use in brandishing a weapon that couldn't be used. Now, words; those could never be disabled, and the Doctor was taking full advantage of that fact. Addie made a mental note to practice talking circles around people; that always seemed to work well on hostiles, in her experience.
"Who is he?" The Sontaran demanded to Rattigan.
"He didn't give his name." Rattigan answered defensively. Behind him, the Doctor sat on the desk, having thought of an excellent strategy, if he did say so himself (and he did).
"But this isn't typical Sontaran behaviour, is it? Hiding? Using teenagers, stopping bullets?" The Doctor looked down at him condescendingly. "A Sontaran should face bullets with dignity. Shame on you."
The Sontaran stiffened, clearly taking the bait. "You dishonour me, sir."
"Yeah?" The Doctor provoked. "Then show yourself."
"I will look into my enemy's eyes!"
With a hiss of air, the Sontaran lifted his helmet and his beady little eyes glared at the others in the room.
"Oh, my God." Ross gaped. Even Rattigan looked pretty repulsed, and Addie came to the conclusion that he either hadn't ever seen one without his helmet before, or that he hadn't ever gotten used to their faces. She could relate.
But the Doctor was unfazed. "And your name?"
"General Staal, of the Tenth Sontaran Fleet. Staal the Undefeated!"
"Oh, that's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated? Staal the Not Quite So Undefeated Anymore But Never Mind?" The Doctor bought himself more time, as he always did.
Ross wanted to join in on the fun. "He's like a potato. A baked potato. A talking baked potato."
"See! Fairly accurate description I gave, right?" Addie gestured at the Sontaran with a snort. "No offense intended, General. You look very sturdy; definitely good for war."
Staal didn't quite know how to respond to her mixed compliment, so he settled for a scoff.
Meanwhile, the Doctor found himself a squash racquet beside the chair Addie had been sitting on, as well as a rubber ball. Perfect. "The Sontarans are the finest soldiers in the galaxy, dedicated to a life of warfare. A clone race, grown in batches of millions with only one weakness." He tossed the ball in the air and caught it again.
"Sontarans have no weakness!"
The Doctor furrowed his brows as he leaned on Addie's shoulder. "No, it's a good weakness."
Rattigan eyed Staal nervously, seeing that he was getting angry. "Aren't you meant to be clever? Only an idiot would provoke him."
"Or a madman." Addie amended, frowning when the Doctor ruffled her hair. "Which he most definitely is."
"No, but the Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of their neck." He stood up straight again. "That's their weak spot. Which means, they always have to face their enemies in battle. Isn't that brilliant? They can never turn their backs."
"We stare into the face of death." Staal thundered.
"Yeah?" The Doctor raised his racquet with a grin on his face, and Addie just knew that he was about to do something ridiculously impressive. "Well, stare at this."
He whacked the ball against the perfect place for it to ricochet and hit the probic vent at the back of Staal's neck. The Sontaran trembled and appeared as if he had been shocked, but the Doctor didn't waste any time waiting to see what would happen. He sprinted back towards Addie and grabbed her hand, palms sweaty as he pulled her to the door. "Out! Out!"
Ross took one last glance at the two others in the room and booked it out of there as fast as he could. As the door slammed shut behind them, they could hear a panicked Rattigan screech, "What have you done? What has he done?"
"Something that bought us a little more time." The Doctor muttered as they burst back outside. He all but threw Addie into the car, and before she could even buckle herself in, they were off. Ross was driving a little too fast for her liking, and she clutched onto the seat desperately as he swerved out of the driveway.
"I think I should mention - " Addie began.
"Addie, not now." The Doctor fumbled for the walkie talkie and Addie resisted the urge to groan.
"Doctor - "
"Greyhound Forty to Trap One." The Doctor cut her off. "Repeat, can you hear me? Over."
All they received was the sound of static. The Doctor shoved the walkie talkie back into its holder. Ross spared him a glance from the road. "Why's it not working?"
Addie steamed quietly as the Doctor spoke up again before she had a chance to. "It must be the Sontarans. If they can trace that…" His eyes widened as he finally understood what Addie had been trying to tell him. "... they can isolate the ATMOS."
"Turn left."
The Doctor peered worriedly over at Addie, who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. "Ross, try turning right." She ordered.
"It said left." Ross protested.
The Doctor caught on to what Addie was trying to do. "So go right."
Ross did his best to turn the wheel, but it refused to move. "I've got no control. It's driving itself. It won't stop."
Again, the Doctor whipped out his screwdriver and buzzed the ATMOS. He let out a frustrated snarl and whacked the system. "Ah, it's deadlocked. I can't stop it."
"Yeah, well, I could have told you that!" Addie hissed, the stress of the situation getting to her. Ross reached over her to try to disable the ATMOS, himself, but she shoved him away. The weight of his body over hers made her nerves skyrocket even more; she hated feeling trapped. "If the Doctor can't do it, than neither can you! Get off me."
Ross stared at her for a second, then shook it off and noticed where they were going. "We're headed for the river."
The Doctor looked wildly at Addie for direction, and she screeched, "Speak to it!"
His eyes lit up in understanding. "ATMOS, are you programmed to contradict my orders?"
The jeep ran over a bush, tossing them out of their seats.
"Confirmed." The ATMOS replied.
"Anything I say, you'll ignore it?" The Doctor's voice rose in pitch as they rapidly approached the river.
"Confirmed."
"Then drive into the river!" The Doctor blurted out as Addie focused on her breathing. The car suddenly felt too small. "I order you to drive into the river. Do it. Drive into the river!"
The car continued hurtling towards the river, and Addie had just become convinced that her memory of the incident had been wrong when it screeched to a stop with no room to spare. Heart racing in her chest, she watched as the Doctor tried the door and felt a wave of relief when it opened easily. He stumbled out of the vehicle and practically carried Addie out in his haste to get away from the inevitable explosion.
"Get down!"
The Doctor pushed Addie to the ground and threw an arm over her, barely noticing that Ross was beside them, and squeezed his eyes shut. When the faint sound of an electric shortage sounded from the car, the Doctor raised his head confusedly and released Addie. She immediately rolled over and got to her feet, brushed her bloodied knees off, and spat a clump of dirt out of her mouth. The Doctor turned to face her guiltily, and, eyes narrowed and hair formed in a messy halo around her head, she looked furious.
"Why don't you ever listen?"
He approached her cautiously. "Addie - "
"No!" She stood her ground; she refused to be cowed by him anymore. "It's my turn to speak! Do you think you're so great that you can't be helped every once in awhile? The last of the Time Lords, with a head so big that there's no room for anyone else?"
The Doctor's face fell as she brought up the Time War. "I didn't mean - "
Addie stepped forward, eyes bright green in her anger. "You think you're so much smarter than everyone else, don't you? 'It's not easy being clever.'" She mocked his words. "Newsflash! You're not!"
He closed his mouth, not knowing what to say. The sight of him clearly giving in and listening to what she had said cooled her down a bit, and her anger turned to sadness.
"You might want to get off your high horse, and consider how your words impact the ones closest to you." Addie swallowed, her eyes fighting back tears. "Before you do something you regret."
She maintained eye contact with him for a second longer and turned away. "I'm going to Donna's house. Whether you come with me or not is up to you."
And Addie would never admit it, but when she heard two pairs of feet following behind her, she was glad.
Hello!
DRAMAAAA! Addie was already feeling pretty sensitive from the Doctor unintentionally insulting her intelligence, and the fact that he didn't listen to her in the car was what pushed her over the edge. Of course, being trapped in a car that's hurtling towards a river is also pretty terrifying, so she also lashed out from fear. But, to be fair, the Doctor was kind of being a butt to her. Do you think the Doctor deserved her reaction? Or is Addie overreacting?
In other news, Ross has arrived ;) He is a beautiful man, so of course, I had to have Addie be slightly interested in him. She is, after all, a young single(ish) woman. Donna, on the other hand, has different ideas about whom she should be with ;) The Doctor does, as well, even if he doesn't acknowledge it out loud.
I hope you guys have a lovely week and thank you so much for your favorites, follows, and reviews! Quick question, out of curiosity: who is your favorite companion and why?
- Entitea
Preview of the next chapter:
"Why are we standing by my car?"
"The Doctor would like to borrow a vehicle for us to drive to UNIT." Addie pointedly didn't look at the man who had joined them. Ross, too, was standing by the Doctor, and Donna took advantage of the opportunity to look him up and down flirtatiously. "One without ATMOS, which, unfortunately, your car already has."
"Are you sure?" The Doctor dared to speak up.
"Would you even believe me if I told you?" Addie retorted, glaring at his reflection in the car window. He looked back at her from the glass, and Addie cast her gaze downwards, not being able to take the hurt in his eyes.
"Absolutely." He said softly, and Addie pushed away her distress for the time being.
"Good." Addie finally met his eyes as she turned around. "That saves us some time, then."