She felt battered, bruised.
The harsh solid against her cheek was a shock. Lying, face down in warmth, she assumed she was in bed in her room on the Eye and that the Doctor was moving about in the next room. The footsteps were his, she knew it.
As she blinked her eyes open, she saw cool, sand colored rock and Peri lying nearby. With a groan, she pushed herself up on her hands, shakily taking her stock of her condition. Something didn't seem right about this situation...
Doctor!
She rolled over and sat, then crawled toward Peri. The once pristine stone that she crawled across was scored and littered with shrapnel and refuse. Stones stuck to her hands, cutting into their surface. By the time she reached her friend, the girl was groaning. Tegan could see no visible wounds but quite a few new bruises on her.
"Peri?" she asked tightly, surprised at the gritty sound of her voice.
"Tegs..." Peri responded as she slowly rose to a sitting position. "Did you catch the license plate of the truck that hit me?"
"I think the truck was that pintsized civilization builder the Doctor was holding."
Peri's eyes grew large. "The Doc...is he..."
Tegan gave her a quick hug. "Stay here...get your wits about you...I'm going to go looking for him. He wasn't that far away..." She struggled to stand, but Peri wasn't taking any of her mothering. The girl rose with her and grabbed her about the waist.
"You aren't going anywhere without me," was all Peri said as they leaned into each other. "If he's hurt..."
Her silence must have confirmed Peri's suspicions. "You're going to need me if he's hurt, Tegan...in more ways than one."
For once, Tegan didn't argue.
The columns that had once rimmed the open space of the courtyard now lay on their sides, leaned or were shattered. As they made their way across, she and Peri climbed and slid along the ground, trying desperately to avoid any unsafe structures. Bird song was absent but around them the groans and low cries of those hurt rose like heat waves. With each step Tegan's fear grew.
The ship was still there only now it was smoking and hole-ridden. It lay on its side, apparently retaining its shape through sheer will. Various suited Federation types laid on the ground and as they stepped over them, Tegan saw a face through the mask. It was humanoid, looking barely different than hers or Peri's.
Holding onto each other, they limped and climbed through the ruins towards what had been the epicenter of the destruction. As they cleared a final fallen column, they saw him.
The Doctor lay on his back, still.
Dropping her arm from around Tegan's waist, Peri rocketed forward, but Tegan beat her to his side.
"Doctor!"
"Doc!"
He didn't respond to their voices. Tegan nearly leapt, albeit painfully, the final distance to the Doctor. Peri caught her as she went to touch him.
"Back injury," she warned, holding her arm like a vice.
Tegan winced and knelt beside him on the ground. She couldn't see the Gatherer anywhere. The Doctor's hands were empty, but it didn't appear to be anywhere else. "He already was injured on his back..." she nearly spat. She pressed her hands against his chest, gently and felt at his neck. The oddly weird pulse that she had felt in his wrists, in his veins, in his chest when she had lain on it, was gone.
"Oh no..." she grunted. "No!"
Peri began to shake her head as Tegan reached to unbutton his shirt. It came apart almost effortlessly in her hands. "Tegs?"
"No pulse..." Tegan explained harshly. She laid her hands against his skin. It was cold, but no colder than usual. "God damn it, there's no pulse."
Peri gasped a breath but tried to grab Tegan's hands. "He'll regenerate, Tegan...he'll..."
The look of shock on Peri's face was clear when Tegan turned to her friend, a flurry of fury and pain. "He has problems with regeneration!" she shouted. "You don't understand." Her hands shook; her eyes were blinded by tears...a strange thought of which heart one should attempt CPR on for a Time Lord crossed her mind. She couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. And she felt cold.
Her friend grabbed her hands harshly and stilled them. They stared at each other as they kneeled next to him and Peri touched her cheek much like Tegan's mother had done when she was a child. But the comfort wasn't shared; they were both crying.
"Brave heart, Tegan..."
The words were said in an incredibly gentle but infinitely hoarse voice that both girls recognized like their own. "Cheer up, Peri."
They turned and looked down at the Doctor. A pair of weary, heavy-lidded blue eyes stared back at them.
Tegan didn't know whether to hug him or shout at him. "Bloody hell..."
They limped to the transport area a day later. They had spent hours helping the Eye populace to care for the injured and to clear some of the ruins. It had been a very tiring day for all included and the Doctor had only moved once Peri and Tegan were convinced of his well-being.
The main courtyard of the transport landing place was quiet as they neared. People were still there, but there was a slight difference to the interactions. Distance appeared between friends as they walked and there was less talking. Birdsong was louder, overpowering and nearly drowned out the monotone talking around them.
Peri stepped inside the main hall, still massive and still agelessly beautiful. The outside lawn was still immaculately manicured. Tegan slowly crossed the remainder of the lawn, her hand against the Doctor's lower back for support, but she stopped at the top of the steps. Her glance behind her was sad.
She looked from the now scored ground seen through the doorway to the courtyard to the peacefully bending branches on the trees to the waving grass to the slow movement of women in classical clothing through the courtyard. It was all peace and love and beauty, but there was just a feeling of change in the air.
"This is it, isn't it?"
The Doctor stopped and turned, painfully to look over the peaceful scene.
"I can feel it," Tegan whispered.
"The late classical period of the Eye of Orion ended suddenly, Tegan," he replied, his face lifted to the breeze. He reached out slowly to touch at her back. And at his gentle insistent pressure, she turned to follow him into the building.
"Ah, Doctor! I see you-"Denjar began. His voice drifted off into the ether as they stepped from the transport. Tegan wondered what they looked like. Peri's dress was soiled and torn, hers was being barely held together by the stitching. She was barefoot. The Doctor's clothes were worn and torn and the back of the white shirt was stained with dried blood. They stepped from the transport slowly, each holding onto another, leaning collectively together for support.
She was certain they didn't look like they had just spent time at a relaxing spa.
"Ah, hello again, Denjar," the Doctor said wearily. "Good to see you."
The operator stared at them, shocked.
"Yes, well..." the Doctor continued, as he escorted his friends back towards the outside door. "I would definitely mark any time after our stay on the Eye as viewing of a civilization in decline." He stopped and turned, holding out his hand to his old friend. "Thank you for a very interesting time. See you again."
And then, with that, Tegan felt his hand at her back again and they trudged on, back towards their home.
They passed into the corridor, a trio of lost friends. She assumed they were all in shock. There had been little talk about what had transpired, although there was a great deal of questions that needed to be asked.
As they passed into the bright sunshine and colorful scenery, Peri shook her head. "It doesn't seem real...even less real than walking out the door of the TARDIS. I mean...we've been..."
"To hell and back again," Tegan said under her breath.
The Doctor hummed, neither in agreement nor disagreement.
"And you thought the Eye would be...mundane," Tegan chided. "I would hate to see sedate after that trip."
A ghost of a smile painted his lips. "I know you both have a lot of questions...but if you don't mind...I would like to sleep and heal..."
"Don't worry, Doc, I have a bath with my name on it before I attack anything." Peri sighed, tired.
"I'm sleeping, first and foremost," Tegan agreed.
The Doctor lifted his chin to the sun and nodded. "Finally...we're all in agreement."
The harsh solid against her cheek was a shock. Lying, face down in warmth, she assumed she was in bed in her room on the Eye and that the Doctor was moving about in the next room. The footsteps were his, she knew it.
As she blinked her eyes open, she saw cool, sand colored rock and Peri lying nearby. With a groan, she pushed herself up on her hands, shakily taking her stock of her condition. Something didn't seem right about this situation...
Doctor!
She rolled over and sat, then crawled toward Peri. The once pristine stone that she crawled across was scored and littered with shrapnel and refuse. Stones stuck to her hands, cutting into their surface. By the time she reached her friend, the girl was groaning. Tegan could see no visible wounds but quite a few new bruises on her.
"Peri?" she asked tightly, surprised at the gritty sound of her voice.
"Tegs..." Peri responded as she slowly rose to a sitting position. "Did you catch the license plate of the truck that hit me?"
"I think the truck was that pintsized civilization builder the Doctor was holding."
Peri's eyes grew large. "The Doc...is he..."
Tegan gave her a quick hug. "Stay here...get your wits about you...I'm going to go looking for him. He wasn't that far away..." She struggled to stand, but Peri wasn't taking any of her mothering. The girl rose with her and grabbed her about the waist.
"You aren't going anywhere without me," was all Peri said as they leaned into each other. "If he's hurt..."
Her silence must have confirmed Peri's suspicions. "You're going to need me if he's hurt, Tegan...in more ways than one."
For once, Tegan didn't argue.
The columns that had once rimmed the open space of the courtyard now lay on their sides, leaned or were shattered. As they made their way across, she and Peri climbed and slid along the ground, trying desperately to avoid any unsafe structures. Bird song was absent but around them the groans and low cries of those hurt rose like heat waves. With each step Tegan's fear grew.
The ship was still there only now it was smoking and hole-ridden. It lay on its side, apparently retaining its shape through sheer will. Various suited Federation types laid on the ground and as they stepped over them, Tegan saw a face through the mask. It was humanoid, looking barely different than hers or Peri's.
Holding onto each other, they limped and climbed through the ruins towards what had been the epicenter of the destruction. As they cleared a final fallen column, they saw him.
The Doctor lay on his back, still.
Dropping her arm from around Tegan's waist, Peri rocketed forward, but Tegan beat her to his side.
"Doctor!"
"Doc!"
He didn't respond to their voices. Tegan nearly leapt, albeit painfully, the final distance to the Doctor. Peri caught her as she went to touch him.
"Back injury," she warned, holding her arm like a vice.
Tegan winced and knelt beside him on the ground. She couldn't see the Gatherer anywhere. The Doctor's hands were empty, but it didn't appear to be anywhere else. "He already was injured on his back..." she nearly spat. She pressed her hands against his chest, gently and felt at his neck. The oddly weird pulse that she had felt in his wrists, in his veins, in his chest when she had lain on it, was gone.
"Oh no..." she grunted. "No!"
Peri began to shake her head as Tegan reached to unbutton his shirt. It came apart almost effortlessly in her hands. "Tegs?"
"No pulse..." Tegan explained harshly. She laid her hands against his skin. It was cold, but no colder than usual. "God damn it, there's no pulse."
Peri gasped a breath but tried to grab Tegan's hands. "He'll regenerate, Tegan...he'll..."
The look of shock on Peri's face was clear when Tegan turned to her friend, a flurry of fury and pain. "He has problems with regeneration!" she shouted. "You don't understand." Her hands shook; her eyes were blinded by tears...a strange thought of which heart one should attempt CPR on for a Time Lord crossed her mind. She couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. And she felt cold.
Her friend grabbed her hands harshly and stilled them. They stared at each other as they kneeled next to him and Peri touched her cheek much like Tegan's mother had done when she was a child. But the comfort wasn't shared; they were both crying.
"Brave heart, Tegan..."
The words were said in an incredibly gentle but infinitely hoarse voice that both girls recognized like their own. "Cheer up, Peri."
They turned and looked down at the Doctor. A pair of weary, heavy-lidded blue eyes stared back at them.
Tegan didn't know whether to hug him or shout at him. "Bloody hell..."
They limped to the transport area a day later. They had spent hours helping the Eye populace to care for the injured and to clear some of the ruins. It had been a very tiring day for all included and the Doctor had only moved once Peri and Tegan were convinced of his well-being.
The main courtyard of the transport landing place was quiet as they neared. People were still there, but there was a slight difference to the interactions. Distance appeared between friends as they walked and there was less talking. Birdsong was louder, overpowering and nearly drowned out the monotone talking around them.
Peri stepped inside the main hall, still massive and still agelessly beautiful. The outside lawn was still immaculately manicured. Tegan slowly crossed the remainder of the lawn, her hand against the Doctor's lower back for support, but she stopped at the top of the steps. Her glance behind her was sad.
She looked from the now scored ground seen through the doorway to the courtyard to the peacefully bending branches on the trees to the waving grass to the slow movement of women in classical clothing through the courtyard. It was all peace and love and beauty, but there was just a feeling of change in the air.
"This is it, isn't it?"
The Doctor stopped and turned, painfully to look over the peaceful scene.
"I can feel it," Tegan whispered.
"The late classical period of the Eye of Orion ended suddenly, Tegan," he replied, his face lifted to the breeze. He reached out slowly to touch at her back. And at his gentle insistent pressure, she turned to follow him into the building.
"Ah, Doctor! I see you-"Denjar began. His voice drifted off into the ether as they stepped from the transport. Tegan wondered what they looked like. Peri's dress was soiled and torn, hers was being barely held together by the stitching. She was barefoot. The Doctor's clothes were worn and torn and the back of the white shirt was stained with dried blood. They stepped from the transport slowly, each holding onto another, leaning collectively together for support.
She was certain they didn't look like they had just spent time at a relaxing spa.
"Ah, hello again, Denjar," the Doctor said wearily. "Good to see you."
The operator stared at them, shocked.
"Yes, well..." the Doctor continued, as he escorted his friends back towards the outside door. "I would definitely mark any time after our stay on the Eye as viewing of a civilization in decline." He stopped and turned, holding out his hand to his old friend. "Thank you for a very interesting time. See you again."
And then, with that, Tegan felt his hand at her back again and they trudged on, back towards their home.
They passed into the corridor, a trio of lost friends. She assumed they were all in shock. There had been little talk about what had transpired, although there was a great deal of questions that needed to be asked.
As they passed into the bright sunshine and colorful scenery, Peri shook her head. "It doesn't seem real...even less real than walking out the door of the TARDIS. I mean...we've been..."
"To hell and back again," Tegan said under her breath.
The Doctor hummed, neither in agreement nor disagreement.
"And you thought the Eye would be...mundane," Tegan chided. "I would hate to see sedate after that trip."
A ghost of a smile painted his lips. "I know you both have a lot of questions...but if you don't mind...I would like to sleep and heal..."
"Don't worry, Doc, I have a bath with my name on it before I attack anything." Peri sighed, tired.
"I'm sleeping, first and foremost," Tegan agreed.
The Doctor lifted his chin to the sun and nodded. "Finally...we're all in agreement."