A/N:
Hi there, ck16, cassikat, My Reflection, and alphaskiier. Thank you
for the reviews.
Big
question: Will everyone die like they did in the movie? Um… The
Doctor is here. Oh right, that don't mean nothing, with the cloud
of death that has been following 'em lately, does it? He saved Ali,
gotta remember that. Some of them might make different choices, and
thus the body count is going to change. And Johns… well – his
survival depends on the decisions he makes, not the other way around.
Simon's help is conditional, and Riddick's freedom is already
assured, one way or another. And if you think the last chapter was
interesting, I hope this one tops it.
It's 2517. Something in the past has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck has it that one ship is. It's a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have. Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two.
So what happens when a passenger by the name of Dr. Simon Tam and his cargo get on the wrong ship? And just how is this related to the TimeWar?
Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick X-over.
Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the cast of Pitch Black…
Doctor Who and the Great Eclipse
Part Twenty-Eight
Submersion
The new passage leads them further down; crossing under the canyon into a scene that is unreal.
Narrow tan walls give way to a series of caverns each more fantastic than the last. The first is coated with moistness that glistens with thousands of little lights, reflections of the pale blue glow and flames dancing all around them. This slowly widens into a gentle-slope downward filled with fantastic mineral formations and a rainbow of natural colors very unlike the yellowish color they'd become used to. They can hear a faint buzzing on the air that is different than anything else they have heard here. It's the next cavern that explains the sound and blows all the other vistas away.
There is life here; strange, glowing life with variety unlike anything they had imagined. The damp walls of the new chamber are crusted with glowing larvae in a profusion of shapes and sizes. The air glows from the winged insects that have retained the glowing properties. They hover over the edge of a huge black lake; the clear water beyond sparkling with evidence of day-glow colored crabs, shrimp, coral-like plants and animals and swimming insect larvae. Riddick stops and blinks. He turns his silver-eyed gaze on the man to his left. "Ever see anything like it before?"
The Doctor is just as awestruck as the others crowding around behind them are. He says nothing but makes a face that reads, 'how about that?' before meeting Richard's eyes with his own and shaking his head.
Jack murmurs, "Wow."
The lake poses a problem. If they go this way how do they get across it? "Should we take a break here?" Imam asks. It's been a few hours since they stopped last, back at the coring room. No one wants to over tax him or herself.
"Let's, yes," Paris pipes up hopefully. "But we should be careful. The glowing things might bite."
Carolyn gives the art dealer a disbelieving look, then says, "Suppose you can never be too cautious."
Slowly the group enters the speckled glowing cavern. They fit right in, with their fiber optic blue day-glow spider look. Casting around for a half dry and clear spot, they wander into the left side of the 'beach' area and find a location that is rock, nice and solid, with no glowing things on the ground. The low stalagmites glisten with little specks of light, tiny glow-worms apparently consuming the minerals from the rock. It is as good a place as any.
Suleiman hands out food after they have all settled down. He'd been unusually quiet since his younger brother died. He was bursting with questions about why Hassan had been so eager to die, so ready to brave the unknown. But it didn't seem proper to ask, and he doubted that anyone would understand. What purpose did God have for them if their fate was to die here?
He didn't notice really when River sat next to him until she said, "He was determined, your brother. Wanted to be like the men, to face danger and be brave. Only when he sought it, he realized that he'd made a mistake. Too late. I'm sorry."
Meeting her brown eyes gave him totally different problems than he'd anticipated; leaving him tongue-tied and flustered. "Fault not yours," Suleiman managed to get out.
The smile he gets is sad but blinding all the same, "Nor yours. We all live or die here by our own discernment." He wonders about that, really. But again it is not proper to ask such questions, Suleiman knows. Besides he likes this girl and -- really he shouldn't be thinking such thing on Hajj. "I still feel for your loss, Suleiman. If something happened to Simon -- "
"It won't," he interrupts putting his hand over hers. "Trust me, 'Ver. I won't let anything happen to your brother."
The touch makes her world explode in light and color; pinkish speckles and streamers seem to float before her eyes in a million different shades from near white to almost purplish. His heart lies in her hands, and she could crush it if she tried. It's a different caring than her brother's protective worry-filled love or the Doctor's guilt-ridden, duty bound compassion. She had no idea. And she doesn't know how to react to it, this budding feeling he has that could be so very, very good if she were a whole, normal girl. But she's not. Not even human anymore. There are things that were done to her that should have killed her but didn't. And she knows that this normal boy could never ever totally accept what she's becoming. She tears up and shakes her head, "Don't. Not for me." River extracts her hand and moves away from the Arabic boy, not quite fleeing from what she's seen, back to the Doctor's side.
Suleiman is not sure why, but the rejection hurts all the same. He vows, though, that he will do everything in his power to make sure River's brother lives, even if he must die for it to be so.
The Time Lord is slightly apart, studying the glowing larvae on the wall, some fairly large ones at that, with spectacular patterns of slight variances in light output, when River tucks herself into his side and buries her face. He automatically swings his arm out for her to work her body in closer and then rests the limb across her back. Her mind is a frightened jumble and some of what he senses in there is troublesome. He knows this buildup of energy from his memories with Susan. His hand lightly curls against her thin but incredibly strong arm and he gives her a slight squeeze. I'm here. His thoughts are on a plane that goes above the limits of language, where he's not even aware of switching back to his native tongue in his own mind.
Amazingly, it doesn't matter. She automatically bridges the gaps pulling on memories of the flowing concepts, the ancient language of their shared connection, deeply entwined in her very cells. He is going to die. The Arabic boy's face, his soul's imprint, and all the emotional baggage River has already attached to Suleiman swims into the Doctor's mind.
No. He makes his reply soothing, gentle.
River twists to look up at his face, searching for the truth.
Someone will save him. Trust me, Mei-Mei.
She burrows again into the void of him, seeking the peace only he can give her. The Doctor closes his eyes. He doesn't deserve this comfort she brings him after all he's done. But it's what she needs, and he owes it to her to provide it now because he's the only one who can.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Carolyn glances over at Simon; "Doesn't it bother you?"
"Huh?" the Tam scion looks at the docking pilot then over at the scene, "No. River needs someone to help her heal from what she's been through, captain. Her perceptions are no longer those of the rest of Humanity, because of the experiments performed on her. The Doctor isn't human, but he does seem to sense the universe the way my Mei-Mei does. He can explain things to her that I can't even begin to imagine."
Johns glances between them, "What'd you mean, not human?"
Simon replies, "His vital signs do not fit into the normal variance for the human species, Mr. Johns. He's not been shy about it. Although I still don't know if his physical state, the lack of body hair and skin pigmentation, is normal or caused by some defect."
"Haven't you noticed how cool his hands are, Johns? Even when it was hot, his hands were always cool," Fry adds. "Not that it matters one wit to me. He could be naturally purple with green spots and I wouldn't care."
At that point Riddick settled down across from the merc. "You all know he can hear every word, right?"
Carolyn raises an eyebrow. William gets a look of guilty relief, glad he didn't say worse. Simon nods, "I don't doubt it."
"So how are we going to cross the lake? Or are we going to try to find another route?"
Riddick smirks at them; "There's a thin ledge and a joining passage off to the right. I think it crosses under the bone yard. That's the way we need to go. Only problem is that we're going to have to go single file." No one sees that as much of a problem. The con hopes that none of them trip over their own feet.
The break is no more than thirty ticks long. None of them want to risk being caught. They figure out an arrangement that leaves Jack in the middle. Fry, Paris, and William are again at the back, with the art dealer closer to the marshal than before. "Feel like I'm being written off…" the older man mumbles.
"So you noticed too?" the redhead whispers back to him.
The man glances back as they shimmy their way along the narrow overhang that has quite a fall below it, as they can't tell how deep the water is, "I was under the impression you wanted to be back here."
"With my back exposed? Are you crazy?" Johns responds. "But there's no way that I'm going to walk up front with Sir-Shiv-a-Lot, either."
Paris feels his foot slip slightly, "Careful there's a slick spot here. And I agree, but why can't someone else wear the backpack? Why the kid?"
"It's his pack," Fry says. "That's the only reason why."
Finally the ledge widens out, as the wall gives way to a narrow crack-like opening. There's enough space to walk two abreast, barely. Simon and Suleiman come to a halt ahead of the three in the back. "What is it?" the Arabic youth asks.
"See something I don't like."
"What, Mr. Riddick?" says the holy man
"Um -- Looks like a nursery, filled with egg mounds. No adults visible, but lots of mucus," comes the con's deep voice from ahead of them.
"Is it the predators?" Carolyn asks.
Seconds later both the Doctor and Simon finishing consulting their respective scanners and answer, "Yes."
Jack says, "I don't want to come across as heartless, or mean, but can't we just set the entire works on fire? You know, burn 'em out. They must have other sites with eggs. Not to mention that they have lots of time to make more copies of themselves."
"Jack!" Imam rebuked.
"Hey, it's not like they are trying to eat us or anything, right?"
Johns called, "I have to agree with the boy, if that counts. We've lost three of our own already. I didn't see another passage back there."
The Doctor can see both the holy man's response to and the validity of Jack's proposal. He sends a mental nudge to the TARDIS, Did you know? The reply is both simple and complex, the external scans of the tunnel system appearing in his head with the chamber ahead of him outlined in signs that life was detected here alongside the mauve danger tones. He snorts. "The entire works are flammable. One good spark will set it off. Our light might set it off. And about twenty-seven point one percent of the hatchlings are ready to break free from their leathery shells."
Behind them Paris pulls out the one non-used lamp. "Pass this up," he says. The lamp finds its way into River's hands and she stops to stare at it. Is it evil to want to kill these things? She feels the bottle slide upward in her hand as Rich takes it from her, bypassing Abu. She blinks at him.
"Should we vote, Carolyn?"
"Is it necessary? We don't have another route, do we?"
The Doctor says, "Past this there are a number of interconnected passages, plenty of ways to avoid nearly any issue. But this is the route we have to take to get there."
Iman sighs. "Don't delay because I have objections to killing so many at once. This is survival. We must do as necessary to live."
The deep gravely voice of the con advises, "Better to back up to the ledge and crouch, just in case." They follow his words, and he lights the bottle from Abu's half-empty one. Then he switches lamps with him and flings the more used one into the middle of the chamber. The flame ignites the air itself, like a fireball, and then sets the other obstructions in the chamber alight. The smell is horrible. Everyone comes out slightly toasted around the edges after the fumes finish burning off but none of them are seriously harmed. The blaze of light makes the creatures in the tunnels ahead screech in agony.
Before the flames had died down, there's an order, "Now, move. Come on. Keep Jack in the middle! Let's go!" It's the alien's voice, but none of them think to contest the leadership. They scramble into their formation and make a fast burst across the still burning chamber. There are several pulses of sound from the silver gadget that forced the 'babysitting' adults that had arrived to investigate into a tunnel before the survivors swerve away into a side passage.
The predators howl with anger now, tracking them even as Johns brought down the lead one with a shotgun blast. "Fuckin' christ! Keep moving! There's a gang of them back here," He called.
"Give me a pistol, Johns!" Fry says. He hands her one off his belt and she shoots seconds later, taking one of the hammerheads off its course toward the center of the group. Paris lets off a frightened squeak, spear and lamp both held to defend himself with. He feels Suleiman and Simon close ranks with him as the marshal and docking pilot usher them further down the wide tunnel. There's another burst of sound from above and behind them that causes their pursuers to freeze although they are clicking madly.
"Breathe, Mr. Olgivie," Dr. Tam hisses in his ear. "Come on, nice and deep," Paris follows the instruction only because of the assurance in the younger man's voice. "That's right. In --and-- Out." At the moment the only thing that the art dealer wants is more light, to hoard it, to never be in darkness again. The panic is nearly overwhelming but the gentle coaching to breathe, gives him a rhythm and space to think clearly.
He looks at the medical doctor; "Can we switch places? Can I walk in your spot for a bit?"
"If you want to, but behind Suleiman and I and before Carolyn and William gives you more light."
"Guns. I have a fear of guns," he whispers.
"Here then, walk behind Jack, huh?" Simon offers, "Suleiman and I will flank you both."
"Come on, Mr. Olgivie. I don't bite, much," Jack teased. "You could walk in front of me, with Imam, if you want."
Paris quickly moves up, River helping to guide his lead past the others so that it is not tangled. "Thank you," the art dealer says.
"Are we settled then?" The Doctor asks. He gets several nods. "Good, we'll need to make the next left, because the natives should be bursting out from our right in about five seconds."
While Johns wants to challenge that, as it heads them away from the direction they want to go, he barely has time to respond to Fry's tug to go left before a hammerhead lunges at him. His reaction is to blast it into blue sludge and to push the docking pilot further suggested direction, "Well, don't just stand there, go left!"
She snickers, "And here I thought you'd argue."
"Just shoot the damn things."
They make a fairly speedy dash down the passage, which is fairly wide and weaving, it ends up making a turn the direction the need to go before forking. The TARDIS key pulls the straight ahead, but Riddick says, "Go right!" He's spotting signs of life in the darkness ahead of them.
"What do you see Mr. Riddick?" Imam wants to know.
Richard would rather not say, actually. The passage straight ahead held a drop off and a huge chamber. Filled with hammer-headed natives, all fighting for some top-notch prize. The right tunnel skirts this mess.
Luckily the Doctor saves him from having to say right away what the problem is, "How are they tracking us? The sonic pulses I'm putting out should be disrupting their echo-location."
"Anyone cut?" Riddick tosses out. The entire mess of them scans over their exposed skin and all come up negative. "Might be me. Want to double-check my scratch, Simon?" Dr. Tam steps up and makes sure the fine paper-thin cut on Rich's shoulder is sealed under another coat of derma-heal. Then an additional thought occurs to the man, wondering now if there might be another reason for there to be blood flowing. He looks at the women, "Either of you bleedin' the other way?"
Carolyn meets his gaze; "Company places all females on quarterly birth control. My menstrual cycle won't start for another three weeks."
Simon narrows his eyes and scans his sister; "She is not currently, no. Don't look at her that way. Any of you."
The Time Lord adjusts his pulse frequency, "Let's move."
"So what did we avoid back there?"
Damn. "Hard to tell, sometimes -- even for me -- but looked like a bunch of those big boys chewin' each other's gonads off. Thought the right passage would swing wide." He looks at Paris who'd asked the second time, "Okay by you?"
The man gives him an owlish look then glances back toward the darkness behind them. Clicking screeches back that direction spurs the holy man to give the art dealer a nudge to move.
"Look, I don't know how much ammo we've got here, so we need to keep ahead of these things," Carolyn says as she backs toward the others, Johns at her side. "Get this train moving!"
The others respond by picking up the pace. At the next junction they get back to heading the direction they need to go to get to the TARDIS.
