Rebel and I were very much enjoying the TARDIS garden space. It wasn't a space often used, I myself am half convinced the Doctor thinks it's a rainforest. There was a lot of open space for Rebel to run, so it was Rebel's second favorite room.
I had just taught him another command. He was doing good at it, with repeated practice.
Rebel barked. He scratched the top of his head with a hind leg.
"No, I said sit." I instructed.
The dog whined.
"You're a good boy, Rebel, but I need you to do it." I explained, keeping my voice steady.
The dog did sit.
"Good boy!" I handed him a dog treat. The dog beamed at the praise, licking my hand as I handed the treat over. "Alright. Now for the test."
Rebel stood up, tail wagging in delight.
"Bewegen Sie nicht!" I shouted.
Rebel froze. His tail stopped wagging, lowering to a resting position.
Bewegen sie nicht- 'hold still', or 'stay'.
"Good boy." I pointed out an obstacle course. "You remember this, right? We had to use it for that planet with the orange lizard people. Schnitzel!"
Rebel ran to the course. He leapt over one display.
Schnitzel: 'jump'.
"Good boy!" I praised him again. "Balloony! The cat!"
Rebel barked. He ran off to another part of the course- one covered in toys. He picked up a stuffed cat with his mouth.
Balloony: 'steal whatever I tell you'.
"Man, you're going 10-10 on this." I praised him. "For now, last one: Harkness!"
Rebel ran back to me. He held up his paw. I accepted it, giving it a shake.
Harkness: 'say hello'.
"Goodest boy." I handed him more treats. Rebel hesitated. "Broccoli."
Rebel ate the treats.
Broccoli: 'safe to eat'
I beamed with pride. "Training complete!" I knelt down to hug the dog. "You did great today!" Rebel licked at my face. "Yes you did, oh yes you did!"
'Thank you, Mama!' Rebel replied in my mind.
Wow, talking to animals with telepathy. I'd seen the Doctor do it loads of times on the show. Just seeing it- experiencing it- was on a whole other level. I mean, who could turn down the chance to actually hear a dog's thoughts? And by Rebel's time, dogs were becoming more and more evolved. The Doctor had said eventually, they'd be exactly like the cats on New Earth.
But for now, they just had higher mental capacities.
And Rebel could stay if he was trained.
Which I would complete.
We'd been traveling with Martha for a week now. She'd gotten her own room and everything. Everything was great. We'd only nearly gotten her killed twice. It was all really chill.
Which, considering the first week with Martha, this was beyond tame.
It was good. The relaxation time had been what we needed. The time taken between trips to just breath, to acknowledge the passing of time with quiet moments of peace. Moments where no one was running towards (or from) the big bad monster.
To get Martha used to the TARDIS, of the infinite rooms, of the capabilities one could spend weeks speculating on. Back when Rose and I first and aboard, I remember a few days of the same quiet. Of getting used to our new rooms. Being allowed to scan the TARDIS library and the amenities. It came with feelings of peace. Of finally being allowed to exhale.
But now...
All this quiet was just reminding me of what we'd been running from. All the death, all the pain, everything dark and dim. Losing Rose, all that it meant to lose her. Seeing Donna and being told it wasn't my fault...that not everything had to be on me. It hurt- but the good kind of hurt.
This kind of quiet couldn't last.
People like the Doctor needed to move more often. Sitting still, like I enjoyed in quiet times, didn't suit him. He needed to move, and he needed to do it soon.
She'd only been gone a month.
The door to the garden opened. The Doctor and Martha themselves walked in. "Terra!"
Rebel yipped. 'Can I-?!'
'Schnitzel.' I instructed.
Rebel ran over to the Doctor. The Doctor yelped as my dog leapt at him, knocking them both to the ground. Martha laughed. I walked over, slipping my hands in my pockets.
The Doctor laughed, as Rebel started bumping his nose on the Doctor's face. "You could stop him. Any time."
"I know." I replied. "This is more fun."
Rebel yipped.
"We came-" The Doctor tried to turn his head back. Rebel always followed with delight. "-to tell-" Rebel was just not letting up. "-could you get him off?"
I clicked my tongue. "Rebel, bunka."
'Bunka: go home'
Rebel climbed off, coming to my side. Kneeling down, I brushed my hand on his fur and scratched behind his ears. Rebel enjoyed it.
The Doctor huffed, as he got back up to his feet. He dusted off his suit jacket. "Aren't you supposed to be training him?"
"Rebel's just about all trained up to code." I reported.
"So what can he do?" Martha asked.
"Oh I was going to teach him lockpicking once we finished how to shoot a three-pointer." Martha blinked, glancing down at Rebel in hesitant surprise. "Sit. Run. Fetch. Basic dog stuff. Come on."
"Right, yeah. Knew that. Still getting used to all this 'alien' stuff." Martha admitted nervously. "I mean, hell of a learning curve. Almost makes me miss residency."
"That reminds me." The Doctor tapped Martha's shoulder. "There's something I've been meaning to give you. Terra, come along. Bring the dog, if that satisfies you."
"It does." I clicked my tongue. "You hear that Rebel, hear that boy? We might go on an adventure!"
Rebel barked, his tail wagging in delight.
==ROTF==
The Doctor was holding his sonic to Martha's phone. I was sitting in the pilot seat, Rebel resting his head in my lap. "Right, there we go. Universal roaming." He handed the shocked Martha her phone. "Never have to worry about a signal again."
She gawked at the screen. "No way. This is too mad. You're telling me I can phone anyone, anywhere in space and time on my mobile?"
"As long as you know the area code. Frequent flier's privilege." The Doctor praised.
"I can attest it works." I held up my own phone. Rebel yipped. "Carl can text me back which is...a thing."
"Carl? Who's that?" Martha asked.
"Just someone a know." I replied. "They send memes to me. A lot."
"Memes?" Martha asked.
"Jokes?" I replied. "They're all inappropriate."
"Yes, I imagine she would. I've met her all of twice, and she's exactly the type." The Doctor noted. "Terra. Be honest. Does she send emojis?"
I nodded. "I only know what so many of them mean because she's sent them to me. That reminds me, I gotta tell her I got a dog so I can send, like, 16 Doge memes!"
"Oh don't tell me you like those." The Doctor groaned.
So, the naughty memes barely get a blink but Doge sets him off? "Such offended."
The Doctor let his face fall into his hand.
"Is this what you two sound like out loud?" Martha questioned.
The Doctor and I turned to her, wearing matching looks of confusion.
"Just...you both sometimes get really quiet. When you told me Terra could talk telepathically to her dog, it wasn't a hard stretch to say you both could do that too. You do it a lot, you know. It's weird to just be left in the quiet until I knew why." Martha reasoned.
Martha has a strong point. In the final months with Rose, my head had gone through one thing after another so there hadn't been a lot of telepathic conversations. We never minded talking like this back-and-forth out loud, Rose thought it was hilarious. Since she left...we'd left a lot of quiet in the air. Talking telepathically was just easier than talking with words.
I guess from the outside, it was awkward. Darcy and Jack had made a lot of comments about how weird it was to be outside the mental link- to just see our expressions changing. You would think we were just that in sync, knowing thoughts without checking. Learning that we actually could talk telepathically? That shifted things.
From the outside, it might've made one feel like a third wheel.
My cheeks went red, despite all attempts. "Oh."
The Doctor looked properly embarrassed too. "Try the phone." He insisted.
Martha glanced down at her phone again. Before she could as much as push a button, the TARDIS shuddered.
Immediately I went to a defense position. One arm grabbed the nearby railing, the other went to hug Rebel. The retriever licked my head in appreciation.
"Distress signal." The Doctor called out. "Locking on. Might be a bit of-"
The TARDIS shuddered again. The Doctor and Martha were thrown down to the floor. I still held.
"Failed the test!" I reminded everybody. "We know he failed it and we still let him drive!"
"You never even took it!"
"I would've studied!"
"Alright now that's a lie!"
"How?!"
"You never study the things you're supposed to study!"
"Hypocrite!"
"Oi! What was that?" Martha prompted us both.
"Turbulence." The Doctor and I excused.
"Sorry." The Doctor added. He pushed himself to his feet. I did too. "Come on, Terra and Martha. Let's take a look."
Rebel barked.
"Yeah, yes. You can come too."
"No!" I stated. The Doctor turned to me, a curious tilt of his head. "Distress signal? I'm not risking my son. He's staying inside."
"But he'll chew on the cords!" The Doctor whined. "She'll hate me if he does that."
"I fed him already." I excused myself. "He'll be a perfect angel."
The Doctor had a face like he was going to comment.
"We don't have time!" I reminded him. Scratching Rebel's fur, I gave him a quick peck on the head. He whined. 'Kansas.'
'Kansas: go to my room.'
He whined. 'But I wanna see!'
'Go to Kansas and I'll give you a treat when I get back!' I promised.
Rebel barked once before rushing back down the hall.
The rest of us ran outside.
==ROTF==
I immediately regret everything.
Every decision I have ever made.
Every last thing.
This was too damn hot.
Ugh- this reminded me of Satellite Five with how fucking hot it was. The entire room was a copper metal color, but the heat of the approaching sun was making it all look red and orange.
"Distress signal transmitted."
"Whoa, now that is hot." The Doctor noted.
I turned. "That's it. I'm going back."
"You can't go." The Doctor explained to me, looking about the very warm spaceship.
"Automated distress signal transmitted."
"Not until we know what's wrong." The Doctor told me.
I scoffed.
"I know what's wrong." Martha piped in. She blew out a breath, taking off the jacket she'd put on. "It's like a sauna in here."
The Doctor turned his head to the ceiling. "Venting systems. Working at full pelt, trying to cool down. Wherever it is we are. Well, if you can't stand the heat-"
"I can kick your as-"
"Just turn on your nanobots." The Doctor dismissed.
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"...Rebel chewed on the controls." I admitted, taking off the hoodie to tie it around my waist.
The Doctor barked out a laugh. Just for that, Rebel's getting one of his shoes. He pushed open a nearby door. "Oh, that's better."
"Shut up!"
"Oi, you three!" Someone yelled from up the hall.
Turning I saw Riley, Scannell, and McDonnell herself running up.
"Get out of there!" McDonnell shouted to us in warning.
"Seal that door, now!" Riley ordered before pushing past us, Scannell by his side. They pushed down the door we had just slipped from.
I slipped to the Doctor's side, watching them in faux confusion.
"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" McDonnell demanded.
"Are you police?" Riley asked from the door.
"Why would we be police?" The Doctor asked back.
"Would it be a problem if we were?" I asked McDonnell, daring any of them to tell the truth right now. She said nothing in reply.
"We got your distress signal." Martha tried to be helpful.
"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" The Doctor prompted.
"It went dead four minutes ago." McDonnell admitted.
"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to Engineering." Scannell snapped at her. McDonnell narrowed her eyes at him, face coated in sweat. Oh I wasn't looking forward to that. This ship is already too hot. "Captain."
"Secure closure active." The computer reported from overhead.
More bulkheads around us started locking. I turned my head around, trying to find all the closing locks. The bulkhead door behind us locked with a foreboding sound- one that seemed to mock me while reminding me I'd left my son on the other side.
But safe.
Safe from the ever-burning sun.
The harsh light of the day star.
That very sun was shining from a nearby window. I walked over towards it, grabbing a pair of purple sunglasses that would become a permanent part of my face for the next hour.
"What?" McDonnell looked at the ceiling in confusion.
"The ship's gone mad." Scannell complained.
Erina started running up the hall- the same one this lot had just escaped from. More bulkhead doors slammed shut behind her. "Who activated secure closure? I nearly got locked in to area twenty seven." She blinked at us. "Who are you?"
"He's the Doctor, she's Terra, and I'm Martha. Hello." Martha greeted. The true purpose of human companions, to be polite when we cannot. Though her voice was flat from usual human cheer.
She walked up to my side. Oh. That was why.
"Impact projection forty two minutes twenty seven seconds."
"We'll get out of this. I promise." McDonnell told us. No doubt, more to convince herself than the others.
"Doc Brown." I called.
"Forty two minutes until what?" The Doctor prompted.
"Doctor!" I called again. 'Get over here. Now!'
The Doctor turned to me. He walked over to the panel window. Outside, a mighty scary looking sun.
"Forty two minutes until we crash into the sun." McDonnell admitted.
'I always knew the sun was going to kill me. Always knew my life was heading back to this: this exact fucking thing. The fucking sun, Doctor. The fucking sun.'
'Yes, I get it, you hate the sun.' The Doctor ran back to McDonnell. He grabbed her shoulders. "How many crew members on board?"
"Seven, including us." McDonnell reported.
"We transport cargo across the galaxy." Scannell reported. I rushed over to the Doctor's side. "Everything's automated. We just keep the ship spaceworthy."
"Call the others, I'll get you out." The Doctor told them.
He ran to the door blocking us from the TARDIS.
"What's he doing?" Riley yelled.
"What's wrong with that room?" I asked him in return.
"No, don't!" McDonnell warned.
Going back, I watched the Doctor be blown back by the vents in the room. The workers rushed past to close the door again.
"But my ship's in there!" The Doctor told them. "Terra the TARDIS-"
"I know!"
"In the vent chamber?" Riley asked in confusion.
"It's our lifeboat." The Doctors stressed to him.
"It's lava." Scannell told us, derision in his tone.
"The temperature's going mad in there." Erina explained. I held out my hand. The Doctor grabbed it, letting himself be pulled to his feet. "Up three thousand degrees in ten seconds, and still rising."
"Channelling the air. The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's going to get." Riley warned us.
The Doctor was tense at my side. He knew the TARDIS was alright. I knew too. She'd gone through a lot worse than a hot room. In forty minutes, she'd be back to us.
"We're stuck here." Martha realized only shocked dismay. She looked toward the Doctor and I, searching for any assurances.
I couldn't give her any.
"So, we fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun. Simple." The Doctor stayed in his panicked rush. "Engineering down here, is it?"
"Yes." McDonnell replied.
The Doctor ran off. I dashed after him.
"Impact in forty twenty six."
'Don't worry, Rebel, I'll be home before you know it.'
==ROTF==
The Doctor and I ran over to the engineering deck. The engine looked fucked up. Someone had taken a hammer or something to it, and had just started ripping out wires.
The Doctor "Blimey, do you always leave things in such a mess?"
"Author have mercy." I held my hand to my chest.
"Oh, my God." McDonnell gawked, coming up behind us.
"What the hell happened?" Scannell asked.
"Oh, it's wrecked." Riley noted.
"Pretty efficiently too. Someone knew what they were doing." The Doctor looked up at me. 'Think it can be salvaged?'
'For scrap.' I answered. 'I'm not a miracle worker.'
The Doctor walked over to the engine, eyeing the most destroyed spots on the engine. I walked over too, searching the engine to see what order everything needed to be fixed.
"Where's Korwin? Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?" McDonnell asked her crew.
Scannell came up to the engine too. "No."
"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Martha prompted us.
'Well, what do you think we could do?' The Doctor went to the computer panel.
I knelt by the engine. 'With this? It's fucked. First I don't like the look of all this energy scoop material-'
'You noticed that too, then?'
'Yeah. By this time, it's illegal right?'
'You learn fast.'
'I had to. So I could teach my son-'
'Alright that's enough out of you.'
McDonnell walked over to the comm unit. "Korwin, Ashton? Where are you? Korwin, can you answer? Where the hell is he? He should be up here."
"Oh, we're in the Torajii system. Lovely." The Doctor cheered. "You're a long way from home, Martha. Half a universe away."
"Yeah. Feels it." Martha snarked. She glanced to me again. "Are you wearing sunglasses?"
"Yes." I answered. "Why?"
"Nothing. Just looks-" Martha dragged off. "Nevermind."
I shrugged, kneeling down by the engine.
"And you're still using energy scoops for fusion?" The Doctor asked. "Hasn't that been outlawed yet?"
McDonnell and Riley exchanged a look. The acting captain turned to the Doctor, not looking entirely confident in her lie. "We're due to upgrade next docking. Scannell, engine report."
The engineer went over to the computer screen. The Doctor stepped aside for it.
'Why are you wearing sunglasses?'
'It's bright as fuck. I don't like it.'
The Doctor hummed. 'Suppose you're right. Should I put on a pair?'
'No'
'You don't let me have fun.'
'Yes.'
He smacked the side of it. "No response." Scannell reported.
McDonnell gawked. "What?"
The man didn't answer. He stormed over to the engine, pulling at the torn cables. "They're burnt out. The controls are wrecked. I can't get them back online."
"Oh, come on. Auxiliary engines. Every craft's got auxiliaries." The Doctor noted.
"Why didn't they go off when the engine first failed?" I questioned. "Isn't that what's supposed to happen in emergencies?"
"We don't have access from here. The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship." McDonnell answered.
"Yeah, with twenty nine password sealed doors between us and them. You'll never get there in time." Scannell told us.
"Password protected doors. Wow, you guys thought that out." I noted. McDonnell glared at me.
"Can't you override the doors?" Martha offered.
"No. Sealed closure means what it says. They're all dead-lock sealed." Scannell answered.
I hummed. The Doctor pouted. "So a sonic screwdriver's no use."
"Nothing's any use. We've got no engines, no time, and no chance." Scannell snapped.
"Oh, listen to you. Defeated before you've even started. Where's your Dunkirk spirit? Terra's got more hope in this ship then you do." The Doctor challenged.
Scannell gave me a look, so I gave him a look that showed my full and complete disinterest. "I think you're ship is doomed and you need to pray to your gods for mercy." I informed plainly. Scannell wasn't amused.
"Who's got the door passwords?" The Doctor asked the group.
"They're randomly generated." Riley answered. "Reckon I know most of them. Sorry. Riley Vashti."
"Then what're you waiting for, Riley Vashti? Get on it." The Doctor prompted.
"Well, it's a two person job. One, a technish for the questions, and the other to carry this." Riley lifted up a heavy looking backpack from a nearby shelf. He swung it onto his own back. "The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh, Captain?"
"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh, Riley?" McDonnell teased.
"Try and be helpful, get abuse. Nice." Riley snarked back.
'With people like that, this ship has a chance.'
'Volunteering to go with him?'
"I'll help you. Make myself useful." Martha offered.
'Guess that answers that.' I replied with a smirk.
"It's remotely controlled by the computer panel. That's why it needs two." Riley explained. He handed Martha another backpack, though this one seemed easier to carry than to wear.
"Martha." I prompted.
"Oi."
Martha turned back.
"Be careful." The Doctor advised.
"You lot too." Martha instructed.
"Doctor's orders then?" I saluted her.
With a short smile, Martha chased off after Riley.
The comm unit buzzed on. "McDonnell. It's Ashton."
McDonnell ran to it. "Where are you? Is Korwin with you?"
"Get up to the med-centre now!" Ashton yelled. McDonnell raved out.
The Doctor and I followed after her.
==ROTF==
"Impact in thirty four thirty one."
At our arrival to the medbay, two people were holding Korwin down. His body was writhing on the medical slab. He strained against the holds of his friends.
"Korwin! What's happened?" McDonnell asked the other two. She and the Doctor moved to go help them hold Korwin down. "Is he okay?"
"Help me! It's burning me!" Korwin shouted, keeping his eyes clenched shut.
"How long's he been like this?" The Doctor prompted.
I grabbed the sedative, walking to stand at the Doctor's back.
"Ashton just brought him in." Abi reported.
Reaching into the Doctor's coat, I pulled out the sonic. "Again with the stealing." The Doctor chided.
"You're busy." I scanned Korwin with the sonic.
"What are you doing?" McDonnell demanded, looking between me and her husband.
"Don't get too close." The Doctor cautioned.
"Don't be so stupid. That's my husband." McDonnell snapped.
"And he's just sabotaged our ship." Ashton revealed.
McDonnell was shocked. "What?"
"He went mad. He put the ship onto secure closure, then he set the heat pulse to melt the controls." Ashton reported.
"No way. He wouldn't do that." McDonnell denied.
"I saw it happen, Captain." Ashton countered.
"Buddy, I get that it's bright here, but mind popping open the eyes?" I prompted.
"I can't!" Korwin pleaded.
"Yeah, course you can. Go on." The Doctor prompted, straining to hold down Korwin.
Korwin was shaking his head, his entire body jerking with the movement. "Don't make me look at you, please."
I lifted the sedative up. "Ma'am?" The woman beside the Doctor, holding Korwin's shoulder, turned to me. "Sedative?"
"Yes." Abi confirmed.
Reaching over I jabbed the sedative into Krwin's neck. He jerked- his spine. Arching just the once before he went under.
"What's wrong with him?" McDonnell asked us. Any of us.
The Doctor held out his hand. I slapped the sonic into it. He read out the readings. "Rising body temperature, unusual energy readings." He eyed the chamber that Korwin should be pushed into. "Stasis chamber. I do love a good stasis chamber."
"Doctor. 34 minutes." I reminded him.
"Right, yes." The Doctor turned to Abi. The medical professional was already working on the things he was asking for. "Keep him sedated in there. Regulate the body temperature. And, just for fun, run a bioscan and tissue profile on a metabolic detail."
Abi nodded. "Just doing them now."
The Doctor preened. "Oh, you're good. Anyone else presenting these symptoms?"
"Not so far." Abi reported.
"Well, that's something." The Doctor blew out a breath.
"If this was contagious, I would lose it." I told him.
The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. How about we don't suggest that?"
"Are you accusing me of jinxing it?" I asked.
"Yes, actually. I am." The Doctor replied.
"Will someone tell me what is the matter with him?" McDonnell demanded, cutting us off.
"Some sort of infection." The Doctor told her. "We'll know more after the test results. Now, allons-y, back downstairs." He ordered her. McDonnell looked down at her husband's sedated face. "Hey." She glanced at the Doctor. "See about those engines." Ashton understood, walking out the door. McDonnell hesitated to watch Korwin's face. "Go. Hey. Go."
McDonnell paused to see his face one last time before following after Ashton.
"Madam, tell us if anything changes with him." I informed Abi. "Anything. We don't know what he's got and I don't want to risk spread."
"Oi. Who are you?" Abi asked us.
"She's Terra." The Doctor answered. "I'm the Doctor."
The two of us raced out the door.
"Heat shield failing. At twenty-five percent. Impact in thirty two fifty."
==ROTF==
When we made it downstairs, the Doctor went to the comm. "Abi, how's Korwin doing? Any results from the bio-scan?" The Doctor asked.
"He's under heavy sedation. I'm just trying to make sense of this data. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll let you know." Abi reported.
The Doctor ended the comm.
I walked to the engine. Ashton and Scannell were still hard at work. As we worked, it was clear nothing here would fix our problem. The fusion scopes had been deactivated but we worked it was clear not much could be done here. The best result would truly come if we dumped out the fuel from the scoop.
"Martha? Riley? How're you doing?" The Doctor asked.
"Area twenty nine at the door to twenty eight." Martha reportet.
"Pub quizzes move faster than that!" I chided.
"Yeah, you've got to move faster." The Doctor agreed.
"We're doing our best." Martha excused.
"Find the next number in the sequence three one three, three three one, three six seven. What?" Riley questioned.
On yeah.
Clearly your absolute best.
"You said the crew knew all the answers." Martha reminded him.
"The crew's changed since we set the questions." Riley admitted.
I barked out a laugh. Cause of course it had. Resting my head on the engine I laughed more.
"You're joking." Martha gawked.
"Three seven nine." The Doctor answered.
Martha blinked at the seeming non sequitur. "What?"
"It's a sequence of happy primes. Three seven nine." The Doctor clarified in a rush.
"Happy what?" Martha repeated.
'Terra save me from the folly of man.'
'No. I enjoy this.'
The Doctor huffed. "Just enter it."
"Are you sure? We only get one chance." Riley explained.
I frowned. "He knows his stuff. Just type it in before he-"
"Any number that reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits and you continue iterating until it yields one is a happy number. Any number that doesn't, isn't. A happy prime is a number that is both happy and prime." The Doctor reported. He turned to me, looking completely frustrated. "I don't know, talk about dumbing down! Don't they teach recreational mathematics any more?"
"I warned you!" I called out to the comms.
A beat.
"We're through!"
"Keep moving, fast as you can." The Doctor explained. He huffed, pulling away from the comms.
'Doctor.'
'Yes? What?'
'Korwin?'
'Oh I should check with Abi again-'
'Doc.'
'OH!'
The Doctor turned back to the comms. "And, Martha, be careful. There may be something else on board this ship."
"Terra. Any time you want to unnerve me, feel free." Martha requested.
"I can't." Fear makes humans move faster.
"Impact in thirty fifty." The computer reported.
==ROTF==
"I hate it. I absolutely hate it." I threw down more burnt out cables. "This is not terrific. This is bad. Who could've done such a thing?!"
McDonnell, Scanell, Erina, and Ashton were standing around the destroyed engine. The Doctor was standing at my side, looking over the engine just as I was.
"Well we've got to get it working as a backup in case they don't reach the auxiliary engines in time." The Doctor told me.
"It'll be a miracle if this thing can work again." I told him. "I mean...unless-"
"Come on, think." The Doctor turned to the crew. "Give her resources. What have we got?"
The crew looked about engineering, trying to find anything to repair the engine.
"Doctor? Terra?" Martha's voice came from the comms.
"What is it now?" The Doctor whined.
"Who had the most number ones, Elvis or the Beatles. That's pre-download." Martha asked.
"Elvis. No! The Beatles! No! Wait! Er, er. Oh, what was that remix?" The Doctor scratched his head. Er, I don't know. I am a bit busy."
"Fine. Terra?" Martha asked, sounding a bit put off by the Doctor's tone.
"Definitely Elvis." I grumbled, feeling the heat again. Fuck with every minute we moved closer to the Sun, the hotter it got. I could barely handle it. "It was most definitely Elvis Presley." The Doctor was smiling fondly. "What?"
"That old friend of yours that loved Elvis. We got a signed photo from him." The Doctor recalled.
I sighed through my nose, giving the Doctor a look that could chill Korwin.
He grinned like an idiot. "Your glare ain't as scary when you've got on those shades."
"I can take them off if you-"
"No, no. Leave them on."
"We're through!"
"Now, where was I? Here comes the sun." The Doctor clapped his sonic in his hand. "No, resources. Terra?"
"Power's on, which means the generator's on."
"If we can harness that- Oh I see where you're going!" The Doctor cheered.
McDonnell saw it too. "Use the generator to jump-start the ship."
"Exactly. At the very least, it'll buy us some more time." The Doctor reached over to ruffle my hair. I grabbed his arm, pushing it aside.
"That is brilliant." McDonnell told us.
"I know. See? Tiny glimmer of hope." The Doctor beamed.
"If it works." Scannell reminded us.
"I like you." I replied.
"Oh, believe me. You're going to make it work." McDonnell ordered him.
Scanell walked off deeper into engineering. Erina and Ashton smiled at his expense.
The Doctor grinned. "That told him."
"He's not wrong." I reminded the Doctor.
"Then you better prove it." The Doctor challenged.
I glared. "You son of a- you know I can't resist proving someone wrong." I complained, complete with a whine.
"Still wearing shades." The Doctor reminded, beaming with pride at his own 'clever' idea.
"Impact in twenty nine forty six."
"Gah!" I grumbled, turning back to the engine. "I hate you!"
"No you don't!" The Doctor boasted, joining me in repairs.
==ROTF==
"Doctor, Terra, these readings are starting to scare me." Abi reported from the comms, about two minutes later.
"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, Korwin's body's changing. His whole biological make-up. It's impossible." Abi explained.
"Come and show us." I suggested, hoping this would work. "The Doctor's good at reading medical reports. Trust me. Come bring them down here."
"But-"
"If you don't hurry, it could kill him." I ordered.
"I won't leave my patient." Abi stated.
I huffed. I was trying to save her life! "Abi, please."
'Terra, what are you-'
'Infected human, trapped with her. This thing could fight off the sedative. Rising core temperature, it could burn it out.' I projected.
"This is Med-centre. Urgent assistance requested." Abi's plea came over the line. Abi pleaded.
"Damn it." I grumbled.
"Language." The Doctor chided me.
"English!"
"Urgent assistance!"
"Stay here!" The Doctor ordered, he rushed off towards med centre. "Keep working!"
"You already ordered me about once today!" I ran after him. "Suck it!" I ran past him.
The Doctor yelled out in aggravation.
"Burn with me. Burn with me." The Sun's voice came from overhead.
We slowed at the voice. Well I slowed down at the voice. The Doctor stopped to spot the humans that followed after us.
"Captain?" Scannell asked his stunned captain.
"I told you to stay in Engineering." The Doctor reminded them.
Scannell scoffed at him. "I only take orders from one person round here." He walked around the Doctor, going towards med centre.
"I knew I liked this guy!" I cheered, rushing after him.
"Oh, you always have the worst taste in friends." The Doctor complained.
Abi's scream echoed down the hall.
It was horrifying.
The kind of scream that shot through me like lightning.
"Doctor, Terra, what were those screams?" Martha asked from the comms.
"Don't worry about it- focus on the doors!" I shouted back.
"You've got to keep moving forward." The Doctor confirmed.
"Impact in twenty eight oh six." The computer warned us.
==ROTF==
Med centre was empty.
And I do mean empty.
No hair nor hide of Abi or Korwin.
The only sign of them was a burnt out silhouette.
"Korwin's gone." McDonnell exhaled, running her hand in her hair.
"So's Abi." I reminded her.
The Doctor walked over to the burnt out image.
"Oh, my God." Scannell gawked.
The Doctor touched the burn. I walked over to the medical reports, pulling myself away from the sight.
"Tell me that's not Lerner." Scannell begged.
"Sorry...don't think we can." I held up the bioscan.
"Endothermic vaporisation. I've never seen one this ferocious." The Doctor tapped the metal, just above Abi's outline. "Burn with me."
"That's what we heard Korwin say." Scannell recalled.
"He was keeping his eyes shut...said he didn't want to look at us." I added in.
"What? Do you think? No way." McDonnell shook her head. She turned to her crewman. The Doctor walked towards me. "Scannell, tell them. Korwin is not a killer. He can't vaporise people. He's human!"
'Terra?' The Doctor prompted. 'What's on the scans?'
"His internal temp was above 100 degrees." I reported. "And his oxygen was replaced by hydrogen and...damn, if I didn't know better I'd say he was turning into a sun." Fuck subtley- it's too hot. My hoodie around my waist was actually making it hotter- I had to tuck it back into my Bag.
The Doctor stood behind me, reading over the results with me. I glanced at him as if to ask him to counter me. "Am I right, or this is too stupid?"
He took one of the results for himself. His face was scrunched up in confusion. "Your husband hasn't been infected, he's been overwhelmed."
She snatched both the results from our hands. I stared at her in annoyance. It was too hot in here for more positive emotions. "The test results are wrong." McDonnell dismissed.
"But what is it, though? A parasite? A mutagenic virus?" The Doctor wondered. "Something that needs a host body, but how did it get inside him?"
"Stop talking like he's some kind of experiment." McDonnell snapped.
"Where's the ship been? Have you made planet-fall recently?" The Doctor prompted, confused about all the data he was given.
McDonnell was uncharacteristically silent.
"Docked with any other vessels? Any kind of external contact at all?" The Doctor prompted further.
"What is this, an interrogation?" McDonnell asked, defensive.
"Got something to hide?" I countered.
"We've got to stop him before he kills again." The Doctor explained to her, trying to get her to understand.
"We're just a cargo ship." McDonnell insisted. She turned her back to us, walking away.
Scannell held up his hand. "Doctor, Terra, if you give her a minute."
We stayed back while the two of them had a silent moment of peace.
'We both know they're hiding something, yes?'
'Yes but it does it have to do with what's going on?'
'They must think it does or else they would mention it.'
'Sometimes things are just a coincidence.'
'With our track record?'
'Fair.' The Doctor glanced at the humans. 'What do you think it is?'
'They've been shifty since the start- since they first asked if we were police. That tone wasn't of relief, it was anxious. They were worried we were police.'
'But so far I haven't seen anything illegal.' The Doctor noted. 'Unless...no.'
'The fusion scoop. But as far as I'm aware fusion scoops don't fight back or turn people into...whatever killed Abi.'
'So we've got more work to do. Sorry Terra, but it's only gonna get hotter.'
'I hate today. If we survive we're going somewhere cold.'
"I'm fine." McDonnell pulled away from Scannell. "I need to warn the crew." She went to the comms. "Everybody, listen to me. Something has infected Korwin. We think-" McDonnell paused. She looked our way to steal herself. "-he killed Abi Lerner. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?"
Nobody denied her.
But I knew that was because another two of them were dead.
Another human I failed to save.
==ROTF==
There wasn't time to mourn as usual.
No time to wait to find Korwin.
There was just sitting around.
Doing nothing.
Stuck here- worthless.
I wanted to help the Sun.
If only to get away from the heat.
Would anyone believe that I had a plan that could've saved them?
But I was so tired...it was so hot...I don't even know how I'm up right now...
Cause he's still coming.
He's still going to be there.
I don't know how to stop it.
I don't think I even can.
So yeah. Not a good time.
"Impact in twenty six fifty one." The computer warned us.
The medical table was too hot for me to even touch- still affected by Korwin's touch. I was sitting cross legged on the floor. The Doctor and Scannell were standing up. McDonnell was sitting on nearby stairs, her elbows on her knees.
"Is the infection permanent? Can you cure him?" McDonnell asked.
"I don't know." The Doctor answered with a straight face.
"Don't lie to me, Doctor. Eleven years we've been married. We chose this ship together. He keeps me honest, so I don't want false hope." McDonnell told him.
"The parasite's too aggressive. Your husband's gone. There's no way back. I'm sorry." The Doctor spoke, quickly and clearly to break it gently.
McDonnell took a slow breath in and out. "Thank you."
The Doctor glanced at me. I gave him a curt nod. "Are you certain nothing happened to provoke this? Nobody's working on anything secret? Because it's vital that you tell us." The Doctor explained to them.
"I know every inch of this ship. I know every detail of my crew's lives. There is nothing." McDonnell evaded the question.
"Then why is this thing so interested in you?" The Doctor questioned.
McDonnell looked down at her legs. "I wish I knew."
The Doctor glanced back at me. I couldn't give him the proper deadpan stare with the sunglasses. A part of me wondered if I looked like Bernie from Weekend.
"Doctor, we're through to area fifteen." Martha reported.
"Keep going. You've got to get to area one and reboot those engines." The Doctor told her.
"That's the thing. Terra's friend, what was his name?"
"Carl. Why?" I replied. "That can't be an answer to the question."
There was a pause. "It's for Terra."
A pregnant pause followed. The Doctor gave me a curious look. "How?"
"What does it say?" I asked.
"For Terra." Martha explained. "From Carl. It says."
I blinked, then laughed. "Oh. My. Story. She did not." I shook my head. "Is it multiple choice?"
"It's one of those write-ins." Martha answered. Damn. Less fun. "From Carl, to Terra. Why do programmers work in dark mode?"
I shook my head, still laughing over the person that sent this clue. "I am going to kill that girl stone dead." I laughed.
"What was Carl doing here?" The Doctor asked. "Did she know-?"
"Being a whore." I joked. "The answer is- man I love this. She's- I told you she sends the best jokes."
"What?" The Doctor asked.
"Because light brings bugs." I joked, chuckling.
The Doctor sighed.
"It's funny!"
"It's stupid. It's completely stupid."
"It's a funny joke!"
"We're through!"
I burst out laughing.
The Doctor cursed the fact that we were friends
==ROTF==
That joy didn't last long.
"Doctor! Terra!" Martha shrieked.
I shot up to my feet.
"Doctor! Terra! We're stuck in an escape pod off the area fifteen airlock. One of the crew's trying to jettison us!" Martha reported. The Doctor and I started rushing out. "You've got to help us!"
"Why is this happening?" McDonnell asked, depaired.
"Stay here. I mean it this time! Jump start those engines!" The Doctor warned them. "Terra come on!"
The two of us ran towards Area 15.
We couldn't lose her.
We couldn't lose Martha.
She was so much further away than before.
We have less than twenty minutes to stop the Sun.
And I can't lose anyone else.
And neither can he.
==ROTF==
At Airlock 15, we ran in to see the now infected Ashton working at the controls.
"Stop it!" I screamed at him.
"That's enough!" The Doctor yelled with me.
Ashton paused in his typing. He rotated his head towards us. It was actually menacing.
"What do you want? Why this ship?" The Doctor questioned.
"What did they do?" I asked.
"Tell us." The Doctor ordered.
Ashton yelled.
He punched the controls.
"No!" I yelled.
"Jettison activated."
"Fu-"
Ashton cried out in pain, recoiling away from us. I rushed past him to the destroyed controls. They were destroyed by his fist.
"Come on. Let's see you. I want to know what you really are." The Doctor spoke, not to Ashton but to the thing inside him.
I tried typing in anything. Truly, anything. Most of the buttons were smashed and the screen itself had fallen off with the punch.
"Airlock sealed." The computer reported.
"No!" I punched the wall beside the fist.
He went to the comms. "McDonnell? Ashton's heading in your direction. He's been infected, just like Korwin!" The Doctor warned them.
"Korwin's dead, Doctor." Scannell reported.
"No! That's- no!" I punched the wall again.
"Airlock decompression completed. Jettisoning pod." The computer reported.
I went to the window. The door of it blocking us from Martha. Her face was in the window of the escape pod. The Doctor stood behind me.
"Martha!" I called out.
Martha was slapping the window. I could see her lips moving, calling out our names. The words were muffled by two thick metal doors.
"We'll save you!" The Doctor promised.
She was shouting for us again. The pod released- floating out from the ship.
"We promise!" I yelled at them.
"I'll save you!" The Doctor called.
The pod began a steady float towards the sun.
"I'll save you!" The Doctor promised.
Slapping my hands on the door, I stormed off from it. Pushing my hands into my hair I gripped tightly to the locks, straining to not just rip them out.
She was gone.
She was gone.
Gonegonegone-
"Scannell!" The Doctor yelled into the comms. "I need a spacesuit in area seventeen now!"
"What for?"
"Just get down here!" The Doctor ordered.
"You can't do it." I told him.
The Doctor glared at me. "You won't. It's got to be me."
"Quit it with your martyr complex-" I scolded.
"Quit it with your's!" The Doctor countered. "I'm the taller one, so I'm the only one who could reach the controls. You try to reach them, you'll fall into the void of space! So it has to be me!"
I glared at him- not moving my sunglasses.
Because I can't do anything to stop him from getting the pod back.
There was something else I could stop instead.
==ROTF==
The Doctor was attaching the last of the suit together.
"I can't let you do this." Scannell warned him.
"I already gave him that talk." I countered. "He's stubborn as all hell. If I can't stop him, neither can you."
"Your friend want to open an airlock in flight on a ship spinning into the sun. No one can survive that." Scannell snapped at me.
"Oh, just you watch." The Doctor taunted.
Scannell turned his anger back to the Doctor. "You open that airlock, it's suicide. This close to the sun, the shields will barely protect you."
"If I can boost the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it should remagnetise the pod." The Doctor explained. "Now, while I'm out there, you have got to get the rest of those doors open. We need those auxiliary engines."
"Doctor, will you listen! They're too far away. It's too late." Scannell tried to convince him.
The Time Lord glared at Scannell. "I'm not going to lose her." The Doctor replied coldly.
He put on the helmet. He walked into the airlock.
"Decompression initiated. Impact in twelve fifty five." The computer reported.
I took a step back, taking a deep breath.
For a few minutes there was nothing but silence. It was becomign stressful to exist in that silence. Feeling nothing but the heat of the sun coming off from the door. Taking another deep breath, I checked the comms again.
"Doc Brown, talk to me!" I ordered him. "We get our girl back?"
"I can't, I can't reach!" The Doctor yelled back, panting in exehurtion. "I don't know how much longer I can last."
"You can do it. You know you can." I told him. "Because if you don't, then I gotta do it and I know you don't want me doing it. So did it, Doctor, because I know you can!"
A minute later, he did.
A minute and a half later, I looked out the window to see a moving Sun.
==ROTF==
Burn with me.
Come Terra.
Burn with me.
==ROTF==
"Impact in twelve fifteen. Heat shield failing. At ten percent."
The door slid open.
The Doctor could scarcely believe it. The Sun had been moving- moving with something that could only be described as life. He climbed into the chamber, his suit giving off steam from the temp change.
He saw Terra across the room, her back to him.
"Terra. I did it." He tried reaching out for her in his mind. He couldn't connect. It was disquieting. "Terra."
She said nothing.
She didn't even turn around.
"Terra?" He prompted again.
More silence.
The Doctor didn't trust Terra's silences.
"Doctor!" Martha's voice came from behind. She and Riley walked in from the airpod. "You did it!"
Terra let out a gasp of pain, falling to her knees. Martha rushed towards her. The Doctor grabbed Martha, holding her back.
"Doctor let me go!" Martha yelled.
"Stay away from me!" Terra ordered. Her voice distorted and wrong.
"Terra?" Martha asked.
The Time Lady turned around. She raised up her sunglasses, revealing what the Doctor and Martha feared.
Her eyes were just two bright lights.
Terra yelled out in pain before dropping the sunglasses back on her nose. She clutched the sides of her head, pressing her sunglasses to her face. She fell to her knees.
The Doctor let go of Martha. He rushed over to her.
Terra seemed to sense his presence, flinching back from him. Her body hit the wall. "No!" She cried out, in that same distorted voice.
McDonnell ran up to them. "What's happened?"
"You!" Terra roared. She tried to stand up to her feet, her body wracking itself with pain. "This is all your fault!"
"Riley, get down to area ten and help Scannell with the doors. Go!" McDonnell instructed.
"How? Terra tell me how!" The Doctor asked.
"They mined that sun." She hissed, whether from pain or anger was hard to say. "Stripped its surface for cheap fuel. You should have scanned for life!"
The Doctor turned his head to glare at McDonnell.
"I don't understand." McDonnell denied.
The Doctor sneered.
"Doctor, what is she talking about?" Martha asked.
"Easy Martha. That sun is alive down there." The Doctor answered. At his side, Terra panted and wheeled against the living Sun infection inside of her. "That sun is alive. A living organism."
"The sun! The flipping sun is alive! And they're killing him! The bastards are killing him!" Terra shouted. She strained as her body convulsed with the infection. "Using it f-for fuel! Used the very heart of the flipping sun AND IT WON'T STOP SCREAMING!"
"What do you mean? How can a sun be alive? Why is she saying that?" McDonnell demanded to know, scared and confused.
"Because it's living in her!" The Doctor ranted in McDonnell's face. Because being too close to Terra could kill him and she wouldn't stand for that.
"Oh, my God." McDonnell gasped.
"Humans!" The Doctor scolded. "You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry! You should have scanned!"
"It takes too long. We'd be caught. Fusion scoops are illegal." McDonnell admitted.
And there it was. The truth she had been trying so hard to hide.
So many dead. All because they couldn't have scanned.
The Doctor was disgusted.
Terra screamed in pain.
A more pressing issue.
"We've got to freeze her, quickly."
"First good news of the day." Terra panted before screaming again.
The Doctor picked her up in his arms. She cried out in pain. To the Doctor it seemed like she had a sunburn burn it was beneath her skin. She was almost too hot to hold.
"What?" Martha asked.
"Stasis chamber." The Doctor explained. Terra wheezed in pain. "We've got to take it below minus two hundred. Freeze it out of her! It'll use her to kill us if you don't. The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it gets! Med-centre, quickly! Quickly!"
He began running towards the med centre. If humans followed all the better.
"Got it!" Martha shouted. "Come on! I'm not leaving you here!" She snapped at McDonnell.
"Impact in eight thirty."
Terra whimpered in the Doctor's arms. "Doctor!" She whined.
"I know, Terra! Just hold on. You've got to hold on!"
He couldn't lose her.
Not like this.
He couldn't let the Time Lords burn again.
==ROTF==
The Doctor made it to the medcentre. The humans were in tow.
He moved Terra to the stasis chamber. He lowered her onto the medical slab. Martha went to the controls.
"I can do it!" Martha snapped at the captain.
"Doctor! Where's Martha?!" Terra cried out.
"It's all right, I'm here." Martha assured her.
"I hate being blind!" Terra snapped. The Doctor squeezed her shoulder. "Fix it!"
"Working on it!" The Doctor shouted. "Stasis chamber, minus two hundred."
"I heard." Martha typed in the control.
"No, you don't know how this equipment works. You'll kill her." McDonnell cautioned.
"No, you would have killed her." The Doctor snapped.
"No blaming anyone for my murder!" Terra snapped. "I mean it. If I regenerate from this, you better believe me that my first action'll be to slap you so hard Mrs. Tyler will be jealous!"
"Who?"
"Ignore her! She's dying!" The Doctor excused, still messing with the stasis chamber. "Ten seconds. That's all she'll be able to take. No more
"Doctor!" Terra called out.
"Yes?" The Doctor held her hand.
She squeezed it back. She wheezed in pain. "I- I don't like this. It's burning me up. I can't- ugh I can't control it!"
"She can't control it. Just like the others." The Doctor confirmed. "If we don't get rid of it, she could kill us. She could kill us all."
"Just do it, you giant baby!" Terra groaned.
"Just stay calm. You saved me, now I return the favour." Martha assured- pressing the last few buttons. "Just believe in me."
"Okay!" Terra confirmed. "Cold now please! Gah! It feels like I'm gonna die! Doctor!"
The Doctor steeled himself. He held Terra's hand once more before stepping back. "We'll save you. I saved them last time, I'll do it again. Okay?"
Terra gave a shaking nod. "O-okay."
"Are you ready?" Martha prompted them both.
"Freeze me!" Terra shouted.
Martha activated the controls. She pushed the lever to slide Terra into the chamber.
Once inside she started screaming all over again.
==ROTF==
I'm dying.
I'm dying and but it's worse than dying.
Everything hurts.
I think I'm going to die here.
...check again, Two...
Wh-who was that?!
Burn as me, Two.
Burn as me.
==ROTF==
The power unexpectedly cut off.
Terra screamed as she started heating up again. Her body was covered in a thin layer of frost. It was beginning to melt as the Sun's infection came back.
"No! Martha, you can't stop it. Not yet." The Doctor scolded. He went to the controls, slapping on them.
"What happened?" Martha asked, looking between the Doctor and McDonnell.
"Power's been cut in Engineering." McDonnell figured.
"But who's down there?" Martha asked.
McDonnell steeled herself. "Leave it to me."
The Doctor glared. "McDonnell-"
"She said it yourself. This is my mess." McDonnell stated. "I'll handle it."
The Doctor gave her a fierce glare. He knew what she was planning- it was the quickest answer.
Terra screamed again.
He nodded at her.
McDonnell ran.
"Impact in four forty seven."
"Come on. She's defrosting." Martha prompted.
The Doctor pulled out the sonic, trying it on the controls. The lack of power anywhere was a hindrance he could rather do without.
"Doctor, listen! I've only got a moment. You've got to go!" Terra yelled.
"Not happening." The Doctor replied.
"No way." Martha scoffed.
"You know you have to vent the engines! If you stay here too long, I'll- I'll hurt you!" Terra whimpered. "Please. Please don't make me do that! I can't help it!"
"I am not leaving you." The Doctor insisted.
"Neither am I!" Martha agreed.
"If you stay I will kill you!" Terra promised. "Sun or no sun! So take the head start!"
"Terra!" The Doctor argued.
"Leave!" Terra ordered.
"I'm going to save you." The Doctor promises.
"Doctor?!" Martha gawked.
"She's right. Martha we have to go." The Doctor explained. He grabbed her hand. "I swear. We'll be back."
"Like a bad Penny!" Terra cried out in pain.
"Impact in four oh eight."
Growling in impatience, the Doctor dragged Martha away.
==ROTF==
Terra yelled as the heat came back. The last of the frost over her body vanished.
She kicked the stasis chamber open.
The Sun powered through her. It got her to crawl out from the chamber.
As she hit the ground, her sunglasses fell off.
She opened her eyes to reveal twin suns.
"Impact in two seventeen. Primary engines critical. Repeat. Primary engines critical. Survival estimate projection zero percent."
Terra began a slow crawl.
She was Burning.
Burning with me.
I hope that you burn...
"Doctor!" Terra shouted. She continued crawling forward.
"Terra! How far is it?" The Doctor called back over the comm system.
"It's so hot, Doctor!" Terra replied. "It wants to burn everything...you have to give back what they took- thieves, thieves, filthy humans stoles it from us...Burn with me Doctor. Let's burn together..."
The Doctor said nothing.
"Impact in one twenty one."
Terra screamed in frustration. She crawled forward again.
Her eyes were glowing brighter and brighter.
"Life support systems reaching critical. Repeat. Life support systems reaching critical. Impact in one oh six."
Terra tried to push past the sun beneath her skin.
It refused to let her go.
"Collision alert. Collision alert. Collision alert. Fifty eight seconds to fatal impact- Fuel dump in progress. Fuel dump in progress."
Terra screamed.
She rolled over, gasping out the hydrogen in her body. Sweet, sweet oxygen was coming back to her.
She let herself sag against the metal floor.
"Impact averted. Impact averted. Impact averted."
She felt the Doctor's presence in her mind. She sent him a joke about wanting the cold again- just for good measure. The Doctor only laughed in relief. It made her forget about what it had been like in there.
==ROTF==
The TARDIS was her usual tough old dependable sexy self. I'd never been more in love with her. She was making her outer self cold. I was hugging her like she was the only thing that mattered in life.
"This is never your ship." Scannell remarked, in awe of the beauty of the TARDIS as was appropriate.
"She's not. She's my ship, and I don't share." I reported, pressing my cheek against the door.
"She's my ship first." The Doctor tapped the beams on the side. He flinched back at the cold touch. "Blimey that's cold."
"She likes me more." I excused. "She's perfect just the way she is. Look at her, barely singed.
"We can't just leave you drifting with no fuel." Martha told Scannell and Riley.
Riley shrugged. "We've sent out an official mayday. The authorities'll pick us up soon enough."
"Though how we explain what happened-" Scannell began.
"Fun option." I turned around, pressing my back against the cold of the TARDIS. I lowered my sunglasses so they could actually see my eyes. "Use the truth. It'll be better in the long run, the Sun needs to be protected, and it won't make you two look like a bunch of crewmate killers."
"What she said." The Doctor moved to ruffle my hair, changing at the last second to tap my shoulder. "Come on then. Inside."
The door opened behind me with a click. Backing inside, I heard a loud bark.
"My son!" I cheered, rushing over to the pup. Kneeling to his level, I let the big puppy lick at my face. He kept sending mental waves of pure affection and adoration. "I missed you, oh I missed you, longest hour of my life." I ruffled his head, getting more licks for the trouble.
"That mean he's coming next time?" The Doctor teased, walking up to the console.
"If next time doesn't set us on fire, yes." I scratched behind his ear. A rumble came from Rebel's throat in delight.
The door to the TARDIS opened. "So. Didn't really need you in the end, did we?" Martha teased my way.
Silence. The Doctor gave a discouraging glare her way. Rebel curled tighter to my side.
"Sorry." Martha winced. She walked over, kneeling to my side. "How are you doing?"
I couldn't say anything. How does one reply when confronted with what I had? The only survivor of a killer sun.
"Now, what do you say?" The Doctor switched the conversation about. "Terra wants to go ice skating on the mineral lakes of Kur-ha. Fancy it?"
Martha nodded. "Whatever you like." She smiled nervously at me then looked down at her lap.
I nodded back. Rebel licked my cheek, trying to cheer me up. It's not his fault I was having a bad day so I hugged him tighter.
"By the way, you'll be needing this." The Doctor held out a TARDIS key.
Martha gawked. "Really?"
"Frequent flier's privilege." He supplied. He dropped the key into Martha's reverent hands. "Thank you."
Martha opened her mouth to reply, it shifted into horror. "Oh, no. Mum." She pulled out her phone.
I tuned out the phone call with Mrs Jones.
I didn't want to think about the future.
Not when I'd already failed it.
==ROTF==
Rebel didn't much like the ice. The snow was his favorite. He ran away from the ice, panicked, to leap into a pile of snow. I was half-n-half. Ice skating wasn't a strong suit for me.
While the Doctor introduced Martha to a world on ice, I was making snowmen with Rebel.
After an afternoon of it, I resigned myself to making half hearted snow angels. Rebel was resting his head in my lap, panting.
'Mama my feet are cold.' Rebel told me. 'And I'm tired.'
'We'll go back inside soon.' I promised, scratching his head. 'Cause I'm tired too.'
'Can't we go now?' Rebel whined. 'I wanna go.'
'Rebel...please. I just need a minute.'
The puppy whined but didn't ask again. He let himself rest against me, zapping away my body heat. Honestly he could have it. If I never felt heat again, it would be too soon. Hell the next time I had a sunburn I'd probably relapse
Burn as me, Two...
I shuddered- nearly missing the sounds of someone walking in the snow.
"You alright?" The Doctor asked.
I brushed on Rebel's fur.
The Doctor sat down beside me. "I know you were scared. In the chamber."
"Death doesn't scare me." I interrupted him. "It never has."
"Then what scared you?" The Doctor asked, letting Rebel's tail whack against his legs without complaint.
"Dying in pain." I admitted. "In that chamber...I think I saw...I saw my life- it wasn't flashing. It was ending. I saw my own death. My mind's messed up way of comfort. 'You don't die here. You die here.'"
"How are you sure?" The Doctor asked. His tone wasn't unsure. He believed me in what I saw. He just hoped it was wrong- that I would admit doubt to its authenticity too. No one wanted to talk about their friend dying.
"Because I...I felt it and- and it was like it was correcting me." I explained, hesitant. "I won't burn from the inside, I'll burn from the outside."
"I promise, you won't burn." The Doctor promised. He reached over to take hold of my shoulders. "I won't let that happen."
Rebel leaned up, licking at my cheek. I had stopped scratching his ear, and he wanted the attention back. At the request, I got back to scratching.
I shook my head, tears welling up. Fuck I hate when they do that. What an obvious defect. "I don't know if you can."
"I will." The Doctor said in a tone not unlike a vow.
My head started shaking. "It won't be permanent. You know it won't. I'll just...I'll just be the new one." This body will be gone. Really, really gone. Funny how...how I think I've always disliked her...can't quite remember why...but she'll be gone.
"Still, I'll lose a friend." The Doctor explained.
"I thought you would understand. I'm still going to be me." I stood up, Rebel whining as I stopped scratching him again. "I thought you wouldn't judge me. That you would help me!" I snapped, full of so much hurt and fear and pain all I could do was lash out with it.
Because I remember dying last time.
That I felt so alone.
I had Eleven and Oswin and my fourth self.
And they died.
And I was all alone.
You left after her and I was all alone.
And I'll be alone again.
The Doctor stood up too. "No- no Terra I didn't mean-"
"No I get you. You prefer this me. Before you've even met the next." I argued. "Not even willing to take a chance because- what- you're scared? You don't think I'm scared? I'm going to die and it's going to hurt."
"I don't mean it like that-" The Doctor defended.
"You never do!" I snapped. "You always think about how things will affect you but not me! It's always about how your pain but what about me?! You never ask, so I can never tell you what it's like without feeling bad for making you feel bad and then it's about you again! I don't like it!"
The Doctor gawked at me. "Terra, I'm sorry-"
I scoffed. 'Rebel. Bunka!'
Rebel barked in delight, rushing off towards the TARDIS. I followed behind, not once glancing back towards the Doctor.
==ROTF==
AN: Wanna know how much a boss I am? I got this update to be 42 pages. This update had a lot of rewrites, none of which liked me. Twice this almost ended up as Two's regeneration chapter. Don't worry, I was able to stop the bleeding. The fact that I was the one that stabbed her has no relevance on the proceedings.
This story is actually gonna be over soon. I plan on the 1913 arc, Blink, and then Utopia/SOD. Last of the Time Lords will be getting it's own whole story, seeing as there's a whole year of angst- I mean adventure- I can write. Hold onto your butts, people.
Thanks to TheMidnightwolf15 for favoriting
Thanks to offscript and TheMidnightwolf15 for following