Author's note: My Dr. Who fics are a cross between cannon and non-cannon,
which is why I call them Alternate Universe (AU) stories. I take cannon
references and events and use them to help flesh out the stories and
characters, but the events have little if anything to do with actual
episodes. This would obviously take place after Adric's death, but the
rest is pretty much my imagination and doesn't come "before" or "after" any
other particular cannon episodes. I just write what I feel. Hope that
makes sense.
It was a decision that they soon came to regret.
"Cripes!" Tegan muttered as they stepped out. "You could've at least landed us somewhere hospitable, Doc!"
"Tegan, for the"-he couldn't say LAST, because he knew very well it wouldn't be-"Hundredth time, I didn't land us here."
"You know, I actually believe that," she said thoughtfully.
He was so started to hear her say that he halted. "You do?"
"Yes. I don't think even you would've picked such a motley looking place on purpose."
The Doctor tipped his head as he tried to balance the statement to decide if it ultimately was a compliment or an insult. He gave up with a shrug and cast his eyes about. "I don't suppose you know where we are," he joked.
"Yes, I do."
Now he was truly startled. "Really?"
"Yes. We're on the arsehole of the universe."
"Language, Tegan," he admonished. "There's a time and place for everything."
"I rather think this qualifies, Doc."
"Yes, well." He sighed and glanced about again. "Still there's got to be SOMETHING here."
They were looking at little more than a wasteland, with only scarce shrubs and a tiny amount of grass poking through in patches of the light brown dirt. It was more rock than anything, with several outcroppings surrounding them at various angles. "It looks as though this planet's seen war," the Doctor breathed sadly. The dull orange glow of the sun lit his face and gave him an almost sanguine countenance.
"How do you know that?" She asked, impressed despite herself.
He waved a hand at the ground. "Look at the soil. Light soil means it's been stripped of nutrients. And there isn't much plant life."
"That could be natural," she argued. "Like on Earth. There's plenty of places with just rocks and tumbleweeds."
He shook his head. "Yes, but take a closer look. Those shrubs are laid out in a precise pattern. And the patches of soil with grass are neat and precise. Nature didn't do this, Tegan."
"Then who-or what-did?" She asked.
"I don't know yet," he answered. "But it looks as if whatever or whoever it is is trying to rebuild the ground."
Tegan frowned and was about to say something when she felt a light prick in her leg. She gave a startled yelp and whirled about. "Doctor!"
The Doctor turned just as he felt a jab in his thigh. He frowned and looked down. There was a slender metal rod imbedded in his skin. He glanced quickly at Tegan, saw a similar rod in her, and then looked across towards the nearest rocks. He started to take a step forward. and promptly fell to his knees.
"Doctor!" Tegan cried, ignoring the sudden twinge she felt running up her leg as she dropped beside him.
He shook his head, and Tegan was alarmed to see him shaking. "Not to kill," he told her. "To stun. I think we've just had the dubious honor of being kidnapped."
"Lovely," she snapped, then gasped as she felt her own shaking body turning to water. She fell next to him on the ground as sensations of warmth and languor flooded her. She swallowed hard. "Doctor."
"Don't fight it, Tegan," He said calmly. "We'll sort it all out once we're awake again, hmm?"
She drew a breath with a sound that could have been exasperation or a laugh. "You take these things so calmly."
"I've learned to," he answered, twisting his head to smile at her.
She managed a smile of her own, then moaned as she felt herself losing her grip on consciousness. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the Doctor's hand in one of hers. She felt him give it a small squeeze, and then she was lost in darkness.
Silence greeted the Doctor when he came to. Silence and soft warmth against his left side.
He opened his eyes slowly, instinctively checking himself for injury. It was then that he discovered that his clothes had been removed from him. He now wore a thin brown cotton shirt and coarse drawstring pants. He heard a murmur, and it was then that he realized the soft warmth was Tegan. She, too, had been stripped and changed into the same type of outfit he had on, and was still sleeping off the effects of whatever they'd been drugged with. A quick inspection showed that otherwise they were both fine, and the Doctor carefully disengaged himself from her and stood up.
The room they were in was actually two rooms. A tiny bathroom was to one side. It had a shower and what he took to be a toilet, nothing else. The main room was larger, about 14 x 14 feet. It held a small wooden table with two chairs and a bed big enough to fit two. On the table was what looked like an earthenware pitcher of water and two cups. There were no windows. For a moment he wondered why they'd simply been left at the door instead of laid out on the bed, then shrugged. Doubtless their captors had other things to do than be that civil. He carefully picked Tegan up and placed her on the bed. She didn't stir. He listened, but couldn't hear any noise, not even near the door.
Thought of the door made him hurry over to it. He examined it carefully. No peepholes, no spy slide, it was simply a heavy metal door with a keyhole. Ah, good, he thought. All I'll need is to find something to pick the lock and we can be on our way.
He tentatively reached out to touch the handle, and was rewarded with a severe electric shock that made him cry out and stumble back several feet. He stood wringing his hand and glaring at the offending door for a moment. He sighed. It wouldn't be possible to tamper with the lock, then: not until he found a way to deactivate that field. And since he knew that wouldn't be possible until they'd been taken out of the room, he stopped worrying about their escape and sat down in one of the chairs. He stretched his legs out, then his arms, then simply sat still, letting his eyes wander about. He paused when they reached Tegan's face.
In sleep she was nothing like when she was awake. Her relaxed features softened her, made her seem vulnerable and more beautiful. He grinned at the thought. She'd not mind the beautiful part, but he could almost imagine the vehement protests she'd make at being called vulnerable. Tegan was a volcano, shifting between being dormant and being active with no advance warning other than the fact that one knew it would happen. A mouth on legs, he sometimes called her. And she was. But that mouth could make kind, understanding, and very intelligent comments when she chose to. She was just so busy hiding herself, putting up a front most of the time, that this part of her didn't show often. But when it did. it was like a rainbow after a storm.
He suddenly realized that she was awake and watching him watching her. "Doc?" She asked softly.
He rose, poured some water for them both, and walked over to her. Her brown eyes widened as she looked at him, then at herself. "Where are we?" She croaked as she accepted a cup.
"I don't know," he replied softly. "But I do know we're not going anywhere right now."
She nodded, accepting his words with no protest, greedily gulping her water down until she'd drained the cup. He took the cup and replaced it on the table along with his, then sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "Are you all right?" He asked.
"Yes. Are you?"
"Yes."
She laughed. "Well, now that we've got that settled."
There was a sudden harsh clicking sound of a key in the lock.
It was a decision that they soon came to regret.
"Cripes!" Tegan muttered as they stepped out. "You could've at least landed us somewhere hospitable, Doc!"
"Tegan, for the"-he couldn't say LAST, because he knew very well it wouldn't be-"Hundredth time, I didn't land us here."
"You know, I actually believe that," she said thoughtfully.
He was so started to hear her say that he halted. "You do?"
"Yes. I don't think even you would've picked such a motley looking place on purpose."
The Doctor tipped his head as he tried to balance the statement to decide if it ultimately was a compliment or an insult. He gave up with a shrug and cast his eyes about. "I don't suppose you know where we are," he joked.
"Yes, I do."
Now he was truly startled. "Really?"
"Yes. We're on the arsehole of the universe."
"Language, Tegan," he admonished. "There's a time and place for everything."
"I rather think this qualifies, Doc."
"Yes, well." He sighed and glanced about again. "Still there's got to be SOMETHING here."
They were looking at little more than a wasteland, with only scarce shrubs and a tiny amount of grass poking through in patches of the light brown dirt. It was more rock than anything, with several outcroppings surrounding them at various angles. "It looks as though this planet's seen war," the Doctor breathed sadly. The dull orange glow of the sun lit his face and gave him an almost sanguine countenance.
"How do you know that?" She asked, impressed despite herself.
He waved a hand at the ground. "Look at the soil. Light soil means it's been stripped of nutrients. And there isn't much plant life."
"That could be natural," she argued. "Like on Earth. There's plenty of places with just rocks and tumbleweeds."
He shook his head. "Yes, but take a closer look. Those shrubs are laid out in a precise pattern. And the patches of soil with grass are neat and precise. Nature didn't do this, Tegan."
"Then who-or what-did?" She asked.
"I don't know yet," he answered. "But it looks as if whatever or whoever it is is trying to rebuild the ground."
Tegan frowned and was about to say something when she felt a light prick in her leg. She gave a startled yelp and whirled about. "Doctor!"
The Doctor turned just as he felt a jab in his thigh. He frowned and looked down. There was a slender metal rod imbedded in his skin. He glanced quickly at Tegan, saw a similar rod in her, and then looked across towards the nearest rocks. He started to take a step forward. and promptly fell to his knees.
"Doctor!" Tegan cried, ignoring the sudden twinge she felt running up her leg as she dropped beside him.
He shook his head, and Tegan was alarmed to see him shaking. "Not to kill," he told her. "To stun. I think we've just had the dubious honor of being kidnapped."
"Lovely," she snapped, then gasped as she felt her own shaking body turning to water. She fell next to him on the ground as sensations of warmth and languor flooded her. She swallowed hard. "Doctor."
"Don't fight it, Tegan," He said calmly. "We'll sort it all out once we're awake again, hmm?"
She drew a breath with a sound that could have been exasperation or a laugh. "You take these things so calmly."
"I've learned to," he answered, twisting his head to smile at her.
She managed a smile of her own, then moaned as she felt herself losing her grip on consciousness. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the Doctor's hand in one of hers. She felt him give it a small squeeze, and then she was lost in darkness.
Silence greeted the Doctor when he came to. Silence and soft warmth against his left side.
He opened his eyes slowly, instinctively checking himself for injury. It was then that he discovered that his clothes had been removed from him. He now wore a thin brown cotton shirt and coarse drawstring pants. He heard a murmur, and it was then that he realized the soft warmth was Tegan. She, too, had been stripped and changed into the same type of outfit he had on, and was still sleeping off the effects of whatever they'd been drugged with. A quick inspection showed that otherwise they were both fine, and the Doctor carefully disengaged himself from her and stood up.
The room they were in was actually two rooms. A tiny bathroom was to one side. It had a shower and what he took to be a toilet, nothing else. The main room was larger, about 14 x 14 feet. It held a small wooden table with two chairs and a bed big enough to fit two. On the table was what looked like an earthenware pitcher of water and two cups. There were no windows. For a moment he wondered why they'd simply been left at the door instead of laid out on the bed, then shrugged. Doubtless their captors had other things to do than be that civil. He carefully picked Tegan up and placed her on the bed. She didn't stir. He listened, but couldn't hear any noise, not even near the door.
Thought of the door made him hurry over to it. He examined it carefully. No peepholes, no spy slide, it was simply a heavy metal door with a keyhole. Ah, good, he thought. All I'll need is to find something to pick the lock and we can be on our way.
He tentatively reached out to touch the handle, and was rewarded with a severe electric shock that made him cry out and stumble back several feet. He stood wringing his hand and glaring at the offending door for a moment. He sighed. It wouldn't be possible to tamper with the lock, then: not until he found a way to deactivate that field. And since he knew that wouldn't be possible until they'd been taken out of the room, he stopped worrying about their escape and sat down in one of the chairs. He stretched his legs out, then his arms, then simply sat still, letting his eyes wander about. He paused when they reached Tegan's face.
In sleep she was nothing like when she was awake. Her relaxed features softened her, made her seem vulnerable and more beautiful. He grinned at the thought. She'd not mind the beautiful part, but he could almost imagine the vehement protests she'd make at being called vulnerable. Tegan was a volcano, shifting between being dormant and being active with no advance warning other than the fact that one knew it would happen. A mouth on legs, he sometimes called her. And she was. But that mouth could make kind, understanding, and very intelligent comments when she chose to. She was just so busy hiding herself, putting up a front most of the time, that this part of her didn't show often. But when it did. it was like a rainbow after a storm.
He suddenly realized that she was awake and watching him watching her. "Doc?" She asked softly.
He rose, poured some water for them both, and walked over to her. Her brown eyes widened as she looked at him, then at herself. "Where are we?" She croaked as she accepted a cup.
"I don't know," he replied softly. "But I do know we're not going anywhere right now."
She nodded, accepting his words with no protest, greedily gulping her water down until she'd drained the cup. He took the cup and replaced it on the table along with his, then sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "Are you all right?" He asked.
"Yes. Are you?"
"Yes."
She laughed. "Well, now that we've got that settled."
There was a sudden harsh clicking sound of a key in the lock.