Chapter 5: Niner Niner
A/N: Haha, this is morphing into practice at writing an episode style story. Thank you for all the comments! I'm so happy y'all are enjoying it!
Falling did not happen to be one of Rose's favorite activities. In fact, on the rare occasions since joining the Doctor that she suffered nightmares they tended to involve falling off something or into something or on one memorable occasion, through something. They always left her shaking and jumpy until the Doctor distracted her with a strange new dish for breakfast or by pulling her from the TARDIS and into a new adventure. Just now, as the wind rushed past her face, yanking her hair from the messy bun it had been constrained in and whipping it about. She groped desperately around herself for walls or handholds or anything. She didn't even care if she had to grab it with her broken arm, it would hurt, but she had fallen so far she was sure hitting the ground would hurt more.
She did not want to leave the Doctor.
And then, with a jerk that should have hurt but did not, Rose stopped falling. She took a brief moment to simply breathe and stare up at the tiny pinprick of light far above. It was so far away, the thought, half-numb with surprise at still being alive to think anything at all. The tiny patch of light vanished and she was in complete darkness.
"Ach, sorry about that!" There was a quiet shuffling sound as someone much larger than herself moved around the space. Their movement sent eddies of air swirling through the room and Rose suddenly realized she was still in the air, suspended by nothing at all.
Frantically, she tried to twist herself into a standing position, groping about for anything solid, anything at all.
Her hand hit the corner of something and she wrapped her fingers around it, gripping so tightly she was sure she heard her knuckles creaking. The sounds of the other person moving had stopped.
"I know it's one of these," they said. Their voice was low and gravelly, like the old lady three doors down from her mum who smoked three packs a day and claimed to have been a lounge singer in her youth.
There was a faint click and light flooded the space.
"Ugh!" Rose cried, squinting as her eyes protested the sudden change.
"Well, hello there," the other person said. Rose blinked, trying to force her eyes to focus. "You are a tiny one aren't you?"
Her vision finally cleared and she reeled back. The smooth, hard thing she had been holding for stability was in fact the very edge of a large tusk protruding from the mouth of what appeared to be a sort of iguana-warthog cross. They were wearing a dusty pair of overalls and what Rose thought was probably supposed to be a reassuring grin. There were far too many teeth for the intended effect however.
She let go of the tusk.
"I'm sorry about the little drop there," the lizard-person said. "But, we couldn't leave you up there, the scans were about to start and we all know what that means." They chuckled, a wet, gurgling sort of noise.
"Er, what?" Rose felt very slow just then. It was surprisingly shocking to hear someone else speaking English after so much time practicing Gallifreyan with the Doctor. "Wait, how can I understand you? What scans?" Belatedly she realized she was still floating, "And can I get down now please?"
There was that awful laugh again. Rose tried very hard not to wince. It ignited an ancient desire to flee.
"Slow down, little one," they said. "All in due time. First, I am Belinda-9. The gravity-net needs another minute or so to cool down before it will let you go, so you'll have to float for a bit longer. Is it hurting you?"
Rose shook her head. It was an odd feeling, floating without anything at all touching her, but not an uncomfortable one.
"Good!" Belinda-9's mouth curved into an even larger smile than the one she wore previously. "You never can be sure with mammals, you're all very sensitive you know."
It was so close to something the Doctor might say about humans that Rose found herself smiling as well. There was something comforting in the fact that every around the vast Universe species were always going to think other species were just a tad odd. Like they could all be united in their bemusement of each other's evolutionary paths. It was easier to feel kindly towards Belinda-9 than she normally felt for the Doctor when he made those sorts of statements because it was clearly said in concern and not in a 'oh you silly little unevolved thing you' manner that he sometimes adopted. She had that tone.
"And of course you know about the scan!" Belina-9 said as she began to fiddle with a little computer strapped to her wrist. "Unless, oh are you just in from the City?"
"Ah," Rose said, "Kind of? We didn't plan to land here, our ship just sort of... did?" As she spoke she could feel gravity slowly reasserting itself, lowering her gently to the floor. She heaved a sigh of relief when her feet touched solid dirt once more. "Thank you," she said.
"It's no trouble, dear." She pat Rose on the back with one very large hand. Now that she was on the ground, Rose had to crane her neck back to actually look at Belinda-9's face. "Now, come along. We can't linger here."
"Why not?"
"The scan," she laughed as she began walking from the tiny chamber into a narrow hallway. Her massive shoulders very nearly brushed the walls on either side, though she appeared not to notice. "You really are from the City."
"But, what is the scan?" Rose was hesitant to leave the room. She knew the Doctor would be trying to get to her and she didn't want him to have to search for any longer than necessary. He was a bit of a worrier. The thought made her smile, unable to keep a straight face at even thinking such an understatement.
"Well, no one is quite sure," Belinda-9 explained as she walked away. Rose quickly removed her hoodie and folded it. She lay it in the center of the room, hoping it being so neat and careful would let the Doctor know she was alright. Then, in a flash of inspiration, she scratched a little arrow into the rock wall with another rock as she hurried to follow Belinda-9.
"Sorry, what was that?" Rose asked. She had missed most of the explanation in her delay. Belinda-9 was too large to turn in the narrow corridor, so she could not look back to see what Rose was doing. "I had to stop to tie my shoe," Rose lied. The lizard woman might have saved her life, but she'd also put it in danger in the first place and Rose had been a hostage too many times to reveal all her cards.
"No worries, dear. I was saying that it started a few cycles back. We're not quite sure why or how it works, but if you're topside when it passes over you, ah, well, you cease to be topside, if you understand my meaning."
Rose dearly hoped she was not understanding her meaning.
"So, you're transported down here? Like me?"
They had reached the end of the hall. Belinda-9 took a moment to stretch to her full height, towering nearly twice as tall as Rose. There was an audible series of cracks as she straightened her spine. Then, she peered down at Rose, the smile that she had not lost in their acquaintance small and sad.
"No, little one, you are unwritten from the world itself. No one survives the scan."
Rose's single, very human heart stopped.
The Doctor.