"Let go of me!" snarled Jay as she was shoved from the crevice into the fresh air. The cliff behind them shook as a roar echoed within. She whirled around to glare at Theseus, who ignored her protests in favor of keeping a tight grip on her arm, preventing her from going back in.
Donna, who stood among the survivors, stared at her with wide eyes. "Where's the Doctor?" she demanded, stepping forward. Jay finally yanked her arm free and hurled herself at Donna, nearly slamming into her with a scowl over her shoulder. "Jay, where is he?"
"In the cave with the hydra," she spat. "Theseus won't let me go back in there to help him."
"It's pointless," Theseus said firmly. "The cavern was sealed off and your friend will be dead by now."
Donna's eyes flew wide and she snapped, "You don't know that!" She paused, and then added, "You don't know the Doctor. Come on, Jay, let them leave. We'll find a way for the spaceman to get out. He'll keep alive long enough. Why that thing wants to eat a twig like him, I don't know."
Jay's lips twitched in amusement as she willingly stepped forward, eager to start searching for a way to get to the Doctor out. Before she could take more than a step, however, Theseus was grabbing her arm again, ignoring her shouted protests as he dragged her away from the cliff face. Donna, momentarily yanked along, shouted angrily in protest as well as he roughly shoved Jay forward.
"You will do no such thing," Theseus said firmly. "It's too dangerous. Come, we must get these people to safety. I need to speak with my father about this. Something is off. A creature like that would be incapable of contacting us as he claimed it did. And if you won't come willingly, then I will throw you over my shoulder. There's no point in looking back for a man who is likely dead."
"You know nothing about us," exploded Jay, temper bursting to life as she stiffened and glared. "He's not like us!"
"It matters not. Now move."
There was a moment in which the pair glared at one another. Finally, Donna stepped in, her hand taking Jay's. She leaned in and whispered, "We'll sneak back when he's not watching. Besides, it'll be like I said. He'll keep alive long enough."
Jay supposed that was true, and Theses was right as well. There was no way something like the hydra would be capable of speaking with the other life forms on the planet like Theseus's father claimed it had. And there was still the matter of Lycus, who'd disappeared. There were plenty of things they needed to look into. So with a shaking breath, frustrated, Jay nodded curtly. Deciding it was enough, Theseus went to work on herding the confused, frightened group of people down the path that would lead them to the beach.
Jay and Donna picked their way down. Donna kept her hand in Jay's worried. She could feel a tremor in Jay's hands as she flexed her numb fingers. She squeezed her hand gently, but she worried that Jay might not have noticed at first. It was so soon after her last attack. But then Jay squeezed it back, and Donna relaxed. There would be no attack.
Jay kept looking back though, her blue eyes sharp with anxiety. Her face was paler than a ghost's. So Donna kept her hand in Jay's, helping keep her attention on the situation at hand as they eventually reached the sands of the beach. It stretched out for miles before them and Jay grimaced. "This isn't going to work," she told Theseus, eyeing a particularly elderly woman who looked as if she was going to faint. "These people are too sick to cross terrain, regardless of how easy it is on our feet."
Theseus agreed. "So we'll take them a short distance," he decided. "And leave them safely with your friend here. And you and I will take one or two others and go to find the ships."
Jay silently wondered about where his guards had gone, wondering if they'd been some of those eaten or if they were back with the ships, protecting them. She hoped silently that they'd been safe from the hydra's jaws despite their rudeness. No one else deserved to die this day. "I'm not going anywhere," she said angrily. "I'm staying here."
Theseus ignored her as if she'd not spoken at all, and Jay puffed up angrily. Jerk. "You," he called, pointing to a strong looking man. "And you," he added to an equally strong looking woman. "We're going to go find the ships. You'll be coming with us."
"I'll do no such thing!" cried Jay, furious. She looked desperately at Donna, who looked just as annoyed.
"Leave Jay alone," Donna told Theseus crossly. When he tried to ignore her, a spark flew and Donna shouted, "Hey! Prince boy! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Theseus paused, looking at her incredulously. Despite what was happening, Jay snorted at the look on his face. He looked as if he'd never had anyone yell at him in such a way before. She thought he was in for quite a shock with a notorious Donna Noble scolding on its way. "She," said Donna, jabbing a finger at Jay, "isn't some dog for you," she jabbed a finger at him now, "to order around. Why don't you try asking. We're not your...your subjects, we're guests."
Jay loved Donna Noble.
Theseus eyed Donna for a few moments before stiffly looking at Jay with impatience. "Will you please," he said irritably, "accompany us to find the ships? You seem to have a shocking amount of knowledge about a land you've never visited before, and I believe your quick-thinking could prove useful should we run into trouble."
Jay couldn't deny that he had a good point, and the people with him were looking at her hopefully. So, she sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll go." She glanced at Donna, who smiled comfortingly.
"I'll try and get the Doctor out," promised Donna in a hushed voice. "I'll tell him where you went."
"Okay." Jay took a deep breath, giving Donna a quick hug before trotting forward. "Since we're going, I'll lead the way." She gave Theseus a dirty look, not liking the grin he gave her, as if he was amused with her. She really did not like that man, she thought to herself as she started down the sands, heading north. She wasn't sure if it was the right direction, but it would do for now.
They had nowhere else to go anyways.
Theseus spoke to the two that accompanied them as they walked. The hot sun beat down on them rather roughly, and Jay fought back the childish urge to stick her tongue out at it. It was far too hot to be trudging through the thick, beach sands. Still, as they walked, Jay listened to Theseus's conversation. The man's name was Ukrit, the woman's Aileen. They were alright, she supposed, though they were far too starry-eyed towards Theseus for her liking. Aileen alone was smiling shyly at him, clearly in love with the local celebrity.
Jay sighed heavily. This was going to be a very, very long trip.
When Donna was sure that Theseus and Jay - and their two companions, she supposed - she turned to head back towards the cavern they'd left the Doctor in. She eyed the slope, but figured it couldn't be too difficult. She'd dealt with worse. But first…
She took the arm of the oldest person there, gently encouraging them to move closer to the shaded cliffs. "Come over here," she said kindly, avoiding touching the black that stained the old woman's hand. "It'll be less sunny."
"Thank you, dear, that will feel much better on my skin," rasped the old woman. "And I am sorry about your friend. He was an honorable man."
Donna thought she felt the ground shudder somewhere deep, deep in the cliffs and she smiled gently in return. "I don't think he's dead quite yet," she told her. "Too stubborn." Not that she could talk. She made sure everyone would be safe, and then bolted for the slope, scurrying up it. She was proud with the swiftness of which she did so. She was still panting for breath by the time she reached the small entrance they'd used to escape. She judged it for a few moments, remembering that the other side had been blocked.
There was no point trying that way, she thought, and instead began to eye the various spots around it.
She edged along the side, peering into crevices and cracks carefully. She didn't want to be caught off guard by something that would kill her. Her thoughtful gaze deftly picked out what she could or couldn't go through and finally, she found a decently sized space. She hesitantly squeezed into it, pushing herself through the crack. The further in Donna went, the louder the roaring of the angry hydra became until she suddenly emerged out the other side. A squeak left her when she almost stepped right off a ledge near the top of the big cavern.
She couldn't see much, for it was fairly dark, but she could hear the familiar buzzing of the sonic screwdriver. Relieved, Donna edged along the ledge, feeling gently with her feet. The last thing she needed was to fall off, right into the jaws of one of the heads.
Excitement fluttered through her when she realized she was descending, indicating that there was a way up towards the ledge, but her excitement turned to anxiety when she realized it stopped well above the ground. She eyed the hydra as it lunged, attention on the darkness to her right. She'd seen the impossible man do far more impressive things than jump high enough that she could help pull him up. The issue would be they'd need to bolt up that ledge she'd followed without slipping off of the edge. She already had scratches and scuffs from the way down.
Gathering her courage as the walls shook, raining debris down upon her, Donna inhaled and shouted, "Doctor! Over here!"
She didn't hear his response, although she could see the buzzing blue light wave in confirmation. She scurried back with a shriek when a head struck the wall near her, an ugly roar escaping the creature's mouth. She threw her hands over her head to protect it, wincing when a stone scraped her cheek.
She crouched, figuring that it would help her keep safer than before. It was for that reason that she saw the shadow that suddenly raced in her direction, blue light with it. "Up!" she shouted and he jumped, managing to snag the ledge. He heaved himself up and she could barely see him in the dimness of the cave, but he grinned at her as she helped drag him further up. Her fingers curled in the back of his clothes as she yanked until he was able to get his feet under him, crawling away from the edge.
"Hello," he greeted.
She smiled faintly. "Hello," echoed Donna.
They yelped when the hydra slammed a head into the wall near them. More debris sprinkled down, and the Doctor shoved Donna to her feet. She squawked in outrage, but began edging her way up, making sure to call over her shoulder, "Watch your feet!"
It was harder, it turned out, going up the ledge when the hydra didn't have something to distract it. The Doctor tucked his sonic screwdriver safely away when he nearly dropped it upon having to catch himself, the world shaking around them. Donna gasped when it broke off a piece of ledge they'd already gone past.
After what seemed like ages, they reached the safety of the crevice she'd crawled through. Donna pressed herself into the crack, the Doctor a step behind. There were a few uncomfortable moments of getting through it before they finally burst through on the other side, laughing in delight at the sight of the slowly setting sun. It turned the beautiful waters surrounding it a violent red and orange. Beautiful, Donna thought when she saw the extra moons appearing in the sky.
"Right!" said the Doctor, steering her down the steep hill that would lead them to the survivors, who were anxiously huddled together. "So that's safely over with...anyone hurt?"
"No, just the few that died," said Donna softly, sad about such a prospect. She hoped that when this all ended, Jay wouldn't be made more miserable by it. She was worried about her young friend, who'd been wearing such concerning looks as of late. "Most people made it through alright. Some are a little hurt though." She remembered the older people she'd helped along. They were so tired and sore…
"Could you look at a few of them?" she asked suddenly. "There were a few who were older-"
"Not that kind of doctor," he reminded her, "but I can still check in with them."
They took off for the group they'd finally spotted, all exactly where Donna had left them. She eyed the sky; she'd been at work for only an hour or two. Not enough time, in her opinion. What was she supposed to do now until Jay got back with Theseus and the boats? Hopefully, anyways. She eyed the Doctor. She didn't think he'd even noticed Jay wasn't there quite yet.
She pointed out the few she wanted him to look at, and he quietly did as she asked. The Doctor exchanged polite conversation as he checked in with them, offering a comforting squeeze of the hand or shoulder here and there to those who looked at him anxiously, hoping he'd be able to do more than just that. They all looked so hopeless, their faces filling with fear when the ground trembled as an angry monster only a few miles away threw itself against the walls of its prison. Something about the situation was off, but he pushed the thought aside; they needed to hurry up and find the TARDIS.
"Doctor," she said as he checked on the woman Donna had helped earlier. "What was that thing in the cliffs? Jay and I've been calling it a hydra."
The Doctor opened his mouth to give her an honest answer - and then closed it, deciding he didn't want to deal with teaching her the full name of it. It had taken Rose ages to learn how to pronounce the planet the Slitheen were from, and he wasn't inclined to take the time at the moment to teach such a thing again. So, he said simply, "We'll just call it a hydra." She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Where is Jay?"
She made a face. "Theseus, Jay, and two others went to go find the boats. Well, more like Theseus kind of made her, but I think she'll be okay." Donna looked around at the people around them. "What do you think?" she asked. "Will they be okay?"
"They'll be fine," said the Doctor, not at all happy with the realization that Jay had run off with someone she and Donna had both mentioned not liking too much. He wasn't too big a fan of Theseus himself, although he didn't think there was anything alien about him like there had been with Lycus. "She shouldn't be anywhere near the time in which she'll have an attack...so we'll focus on the situation here for now." He looked around at the other people around them. "The boats are for them, I presume. We need to go fetch the TARDIS. You were climbing around...think we could get back to her?"
Donna shook her head. "I just circled the base of it." She pointed to the massive plateau above them, her green eyes full of confidence. The Doctor felt a flash of pride; his friend struggled with that sometimes, and he was pleased to see her forgetting that struggle for the time being. "But I couldn't find a way up. That's where I was trying to go at first."
"Alright," he said, drawing out the word in thought. "Think we could climb up?"
"You can climb up," she said a little coldly, glaring at him. "I will stay down here and let you break your head open on your own!"
"Okay, okay," he grumbled, "no need to yell at me for it." He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the large plateau in frustration. Donna watched him for a few moments, taking in his exasperated look. "Jay and Theseus headed that way with the other two," she said, pointing. "They followed a beach. Perhaps if we could walk the other way…?"
"It wraps around the cliffs we came from," realized the Doctor, "and could potentially have a path back up to the TARDIS. Brilliant!" He beamed at Donna, who puffed up in pride at the praise, arching a brow as if she thought he could have thought of it had he really tried. "Come on!" cried the Doctor, grabbing her hand and dragging her forward.
Donna huffed. "There's no need to grab me," she complained. She furrowed her brow, looking over her shoulder at the exhausted, scared group they were leaving behind. She hoped, for their sake, that Theseus and Jay found the boats sooner rather than later. Those poor people needed to get to safety, where there would be aid and food.
Shaking her head, Donna turned forward.
She had her own things to worry about: including a very long walk, that she fully intended to fill with discussions - including a brainstorming session about things they could do with Jay to help her improve her outlook on the universe. She got the feeling that the Doctor had had a talk with Jay about what was wrong, but there were still a dozen things they could do to keep helping her.
And when Donna brought it up, she was relieved to find that the Time Lord agreed.
Jay had a sunburn unlike any other by the time they reached the boats. Aileen and Ukrit cheered when they saw them; Jay merely groaned in relief, absolutely exhausted. They'd been walking for countless hours, and while she loved the shoes she wore...they weren't made for walking on sandy beaches. Theseus grinned in triumph, too.
"Well?" said Jay a little crabbily, her voice hoarse. She was parched from the sun. "Let's hurry and get these things going. I don't know about you, but I'm tired, hungry, and thirsty, so I guarantee that the people we left behind are the same, even if they've not been walking around in the heat."
And it was hot. She'd not expected such heat, even from a beach. She wished she'd worn shorts.
Theseus fearlessly stepped up to the boats. There was no sign of any guards, so Jay supposed they'd been some of the ones who'd been eaten by the hydra. "You do know how to work these things, right?" said Jay warily as Theseus eyed the controls of the boat with a little hesitation.
"Have no concern, miss," said Ukrit confidently. "My work consists of fixing these boats. I know how they operate - and then some." He went to work on starting the ship, getting it going. His fingers deftly went from control to control, flicking the required switches and such. Before long, the ship was coming to life beneath them. It roared below the deck, wherever its engine-like heart lay, and Jay sighed in relief when it did.
She'd been briefly worried that they'd found the boats - and would have to turn and go back to find someone who could control them. Luckily, it appeared otherwise. Jay reluctantly climbed aboard the ship, hoping as she had been hoping for the last few hours that the Doctor was alright, and that Donna had managed to get him out. They'd been in far worse situations...and for his pride, she certainly hoped that this one wasn't what did it for him. If they could get out of the Master's clutches, then he could sure as hell get out of a cave, Jay told herself as she leaned against the side, wincing when the ship began to take off.
She was not going to enjoy this little trip.
Especially because Theseus was nearly sauntering over, his smile already on his face. It was that smile, she realized dully. That smile had been the last smile she'd seen before she'd been knocked out. She'd awoken mere hours later in the prison cell that belonged to the creature of her nightmares. She paused, thinking that over. Maybe she'd steal the title the locals had given the hydra...the Creature certainly had a nice ring to it.
"Jay," began Theseus, and she already wanted to punch him. "Would you come below deck with me to look and see if my men brought any supplies with them when we came?"
She stared at him for a long moment. That smile was still on his face. She knew that going below deck would be dangerous, and she was not going to walk herself into any more dangerous situations. "I think," she said a little coldly, "that I'm going to stay up here. I feel sick as it is, and I doubt going into the belly of the ship will make me feel any better." It wasn't necessarily a lie. She did feel a little sick from the sun.
Theseus lost the smile and frowned instead. "Would you like to lie down? I know for a fact that these ships have barracks you could rest in-"
"No," she said immediately. "I don't think I could rest peacefully knowing the Doctor is still stuck in a cave." She frowned at the reminder, crossing her fingers and hoping desperately that her friend had gotten out. Jay leaned hard into the banister, refusing to budge. "No, I'm fine right here," she said confidently.
"If you're certain…"
"I am," said Jay. She would not move. She was going to stay in this spot until Donna was on one side of her and the Doctor on the other. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to figure something else out. Theseus went to talk with the beaming Aileen, much to Jay's relief, and left her in peace. Jay sighed in relief, hoping that Aileen could distract him with her flirty smiles. She wanted nothing to do with the prince.
The boat moved swiftly through the air, cutting through with ease, and the hours upon hours it had taken for them to reach the boats was cut down into merely a few. It was rather fun, sitting at the side of the boat and watching the terrain to pass by. Perhaps she would ask the Doctor if they could do something similar.
Much sooner than expected, she saw the small crowd of people they'd left on the beach. The boat began to descend, and people cheered below. The moment it had landed upon the sands, she was bolting off of it, her eyes searching for Donna and the Doctor. "Donna?" she called hopefully. "Doctor?"
The oldest of the group caught her arm with a gentle, frail hand. "Your friends left," she said in a wispy voice, her eyes sparkling with gentle humor. "Some time ago."
Jay blinked at her. "They what?"
"They left," she repeated. "I do not know where they've gone, but they left."
"But the Doctor was out of the cave? He got away from the Creature?"
The woman smiled broadly. "That handsome young man that checked in on us? He was quite present on this beach for a short while. He was very kind and ensured that us older folks were doing alright." Her features softened almost knowingly as Jay offered her arm to help her. "Have no fears, whatever they may be. He seemed relatively unharmed, my dear. Now, could you help me aboard? I'm afraid I'm rather tired."
"Of course." Jay let the woman lean heavily on her as they began to board. For all of his misgivings, Theseus was helping another older citizen, speaking kindly to the old man and ensuring he was unharmed, and the other two were ushering the rest of the group onto the boat. "Is there anywhere in particular you would like to rest?" she asked when they were on board.
"Yes, if that's alright," said the old woman. "Wherever your Doctor isn't." She flexed her fingers on Jay's arm and, with a shocking amount of strength, hurled Jay to the ground.
Jay shrieked in surprise, gasping for air when she struck the wooden planks of the boat's floor. She stared up in shock at the woman who'd seemed so kind and harmless only moments before, and found her glaring cruelly down at her, a smug grin on her face. "You humans," said the old woman, and Jay decided then and there she'd throttle the Doctor when she saw him again, "are so easy to fool."
"What?" mumbled Jay blankly, not at all prepared for such a thing to take place.
A yelp behind her had Jay snapping her head around. "Damn," she muttered when she realized that several others had withdrawn from the rest of the group, herding them into the center of the deck. Jay scrambled over to join them when a young girl whimpered in terror, staring up in fear at the man towering over her. She protectively swept the girl behind her. "What the hell's going on here?" she demanded.
"We," said the man, "are the Exapno, and we require a new home - one that will not disappear on us when we need it most. We believe this one will do quite nicely."
"I think not," said an angry Ukrit. He stood among those at the center of the boat - human, then, Jay thought with relief. She was startled to find that Theseus was there, too, glaring at Aileen, who smirked at him from those that surrounded them. She twitched her fingers - and Ukrit fell, screaming in pain.
Jay stared in horror as he writhed, clutching the black-stained hand. The thing attached to him was twisting violently, growing massively in size as it overwhelmed him. And then, just as suddenly, he was gone, the creature with it.
Several of the humans present screamed.
She couldn't blame them for that - she would have screamed, too, had she not been used to such things. She couldn't help but stare at where Ukrit had stood for just a moment, horrified by his death before shoving such things to the back of her head. She could be sad about the loss of human life later, she told herself, when all of the others - including the girl at her back - were safe.
"Exapno, eh?" she said, forcing her voice to remain even and calm. "So was Lycus one of you?"
"The boy?" mused the old woman. "Yes. He was one of ours. He was quite astonished by what he found regarding your ship and the knowledge that Doctor of yours possesses about our kind. Well," she cackled, "more about our pets than us. How disappointing that the famous Doctor couldn't figure it out...it's quite a trophy for us, the ability to claim as such."
Jay scowled, not very pleased with the fact that they were practically mocking her friend, but chose to move on. Now wasn't the time for such things. She stiffened when she realized that Theseus had somehow appeared at her shoulder. All she needed was a distraction - and he'd do quite well. "What do you intend to do with these people?" she demanded.
"Kill them, of course," declared a man with a smirk. He looked as proud as the old woman, and it made Jay feel a little ill with how eager he seemed with the idea.
"Alright," muttered Jay, "that's all I needed. Thank you!" She beamed at the old woman, and then ducked.
The old woman screamed in surprise when Theseus seemed to hurtle over them, barreling past a few. Her scream became laughter when she whirled around to watch as his knees buckled in pain, the creature attached to his hand, writhing. "So the prince is even more scared than the children," purred another of the Epnaxo. "How shameful."
Jay averted her eyes from the dying Theseus. She didn't know, she realized, if the TARDIS's communication could go two ways. She heard the TARDIS - but did the TARDIS hear her? Nevertheless, she supposed she could at least try. She ripped the necklace from her throat and shoved it at the girl behind her, shooting her a sharp look. "Don't lose that," she hissed, and the girl hastily nodded, clasping it around her own throat to avoid doing so.
Nothing changed from before, but Jay ignored the commotion, allowing herself to focus. Come on, come on, come on...there! She could hear the very distant song of the glorious time machine. It was so faint, she almost missed its sweet song.
It was so far off...Jay faltered, not knowing if anything she did would have any use. She didn't even know how to get the TARDIS to notice her.
"No," she muttered aloud, fairly certain the girl thought she was somewhat insane. Jay didn't care. The TARDIS would hear her and she didn't even need to do anything. She cared for the ship just as much as the Doctor did; the TARDIS was her home, just as it was his, even if Jay hadn't been there nearly as long - and she was alive.
She would know.
Jay closed her eyes and let the song, so far off, wash over her.
"We're going somewhere nice and normal after this," Donna told the Doctor as she stared down at him, not daring to so much as try the cliff face that she was watching him climb down. It was at a ninety degree angle with the ground, and there was no way in hell that she was going to put a pinky on that wall of rock. He didn't seem to mind, although he was taking far too long when it came to getting down. "Somewhere that's not hot, somewhere that's not alien-"
"I tried," he protested, grumbling under his breath.
Donna clearly didn't hear, he noticed as she wandered off, intending to find another - much safer way - down the cliff to the TARDIS down below. The police box was right where they'd left it some time ago, merely at the base of the cliff. At the base of a very big cliff. The Doctor hadn't thought the cliff too difficult to get down, but Donna had dug her heels in and downright refused to climb down.
Honestly, the Doctor wasn't sure what the big deal was. He was doing fairly okay with the climb, with only a slipped hand here or there.
It was a while before he managed to reach the bottom of the cliff. "Ha!" he cried, triumphant. He whirled around, brushing his hands free of dirt and dust and fully intending to use the TARDIS to fetch Donna from the top of the cliff. He stopped, however, when he realized that Donna was smirking at him from the entrance of the TARDIS already, her key dangling from her fingers.
"Aren't you always the one telling us to look at all the options?" she mused, and he cleared his throat, feeling rather annoyed - and amused himself with her. She was quite clever when it came to finding alternate routes, it appeared.
The Doctor shooed her inside the TARDIS and closed the doors behind him, pausing to listen to the ship when a strange sound filled the air. Almost immediately, the Doctor abandoned Donna and rushed to the console, swinging the screen around in the process. He ignored Donna's questioning look in favor of tapping away, trying to puzzle out what the TARDIS was demanding he pay attention to.
His fingers yanked back when the TARDIS suddenly sparked in irritation, annoyed that he wasn't finding what she wanted him to quick enough. Donna stared with startled eyes, looking concerned as she said, "Is it supposed to do that right now?"
"No," he said, eyeing his hammer. At least, the place where his hammer should have been. Jay had likely moved it, hiding it again. She'd done that several times as of late, not liking the way he handled the TARDIS at all when it came to the hammar. Grumbling, he made a mental note to scold her for it later. He left the hammer there for a reason! "She's mad because I'm not doing what she wants quickly enough…"
Donna wrinkled her nose, and the Doctor ignored her in favor of kicking the console instead, hopping a little when it hurt his foot. He glared at the TARDIS when she sparked again. "Well, show me then!" he cried in frustration and the TARDIS screen flickered for a moment, new information popping up into existence. He peered at it intently, furrowing his brow. "Exapno? There are Exapno here?"
"What are those?" demanded Donna, coming to peer over his shoulder. He let her as he tapped lightly on the screen, trying to encourage the TARDIS to give him more. The TARDIS beeped in irritation.
"A species I thought to be extinct," said the Doctor, somewhat stunned. "Well, at this point in time anyways. They once held control over a series of galaxies some ways away from Earth, but...what are they doing on this planet? It's on the other side of the universe from where they were…and I don't remember them having the technology to get here..." He fiddled with a few more controls, curious about why there would be Exapno on the planet they stood upon. "They're not an aggressive species. They're actually quite friendly, so I doubt there's much to worry about - ouch!" he yelped when the TARDIS sparked in silent protest.
"Stop that," he snapped. The TARDIS hummed in a snappish response.
"Let's find Jay," suggested Donna with a hint of impatience, "and then we can focus on figuring out how those...those aliens got here." She made a face, not remembering how to say what they were despite having heard the Doctor say it several times. Donna's sharp eyes turned back to the screen as it flickered and revealed a good map of the area, blips representing life forms.
"Good old girl," praised the Doctor, beaming at the TARDIS, though she had just burned his fingers. He squinted at the screen, choosing to hastily throw his glasses on. The black frames perched on his nose, he studied the blips closely. There were three different kinds quite a few miles away. A circle of one shape surrounded a group of secondary shapes, along with a singular third one clustered in with the secondary shapes. He pressed his lips into a hard line as he realized he could easily guess who the third one was.
It worried him, that Jay was showing up on the TARDIS's sensors as a different type of life form. Why would she? Sure, there were a few things about her that were different even from Donna. Her ability to hear what even he couldn't among those things.
No, no, it didn't mean she was a different life form, he told himself, soothing such thoughts from his mind. They were on an alien planet, and regardless of what the original residents of this planet were, they were likely subspecies of what had once been the original human race. Just because they looked human didn't mean they were; he was the best example of that.
"Why are they circled like that?" said Donna, tracing the shapes that circled the others.
"Good question." The Doctor ducked away from the screen. "Let's get going and find out, shall we?" He flashed Donna a playful, wicked grin and then began swerving around the console. He rushed around, flipping switches and levers, eager to get the TARDIS moving. He could practically hear her singing her praise and was willing to bet that the TARDIS had been worried about one of its current residents.
With a final yank, the TARDIS was sent spinning into action. Donna didn't even have to grab anything, simply bracing her feet. The Doctor beamed at her in pride as he slammed his hand down on another button. She'd gotten good at traveling via TARDIS.
The moment the TARDIS had landed, the Doctor was sprinting for the doors, shouting over his shoulder, "Stay here, Donna!" He didn't expect her to listen at all. None of his companions ever did. The Doctor didn't know why he ever bothered even trying to tell them to do so anymore.
He cracked the TARDIS doors open and peered out. He'd purposefully hidden the TARDIS rather than allowing her to land too close to the commotion. He could hear distant voices, which was good enough. That meant he knew where to go. Ensuring that no one would spot his TARDIS, the Doctor slid through the crack of the doors and didn't bother to try to close them, already feeling Donna at his shoulder. She quietly shut them for him.
Together, they crept forward, following the noise until they could crouch behind a rock and peer around.
Just as the TARDIS had shown, a group of people - Exapno, the Doctor would guess - surrounded the group of planet natives. He couldn't spot Jay from where they stood, but he took a guess to say she was somewhere in there. The Exapno didn't appear to have any weapons, which was always a good thing.
"Come on," whispered the Doctor, creeping forward. He led the way to another rock, which was closer and provided a safe amount of cover. They peered around the sides of it, watching.
An old woman - the very one that he'd helped Donna look over, he thought wryly - was circling the group trapped on the ground like a prowling lioness. Her body didn't move as fluidly as it should of due to age, but she wasn't nearly as helpless as she'd pretended to be. The Doctor could see the terrified expressions of those in the center of the circle pressing to one another, shivering. It looked as if the numbers had been half-and-half, and the Doctor found himself wondering if the group of Exapno had been doing this in order to cut down the population over time.
But why only small groups at a time? Wouldn't it have been easier for them to destroy the entire population in one go? Unless...they were all that was left, and they didn't have the ability to destroy them all in one go. But where did the hydra play into this? So many questions, he thought irritably, and far too few answers for his liking.
"You shouldn't even be here," the old woman said suddenly, stopping before someone. Donna grabbed his arm, tugging pointedly, but the Doctor didn't need her response to tell him who it was. They rose to their feet, blonde hair gleaming golden in the light. "You aren't a resident of this planet, nor are your friends...so why are you here?"
"Honestly? I'm here on vacation," said Jay blandly, and the Doctor snorted softly. "The question is...why are you here? Why do you need this planet? You said you require a new home, but why?"
Jay knew they were there. He narrowed his eyes briefly, annoyed. She'd likely removed her necklace again, so she could hear the TARDIS. But he quickly focused, paying attention when the old woman began to say, "Our home is gone."
"Gone?" echoed Jay loudly. "What do you mean gone? Planets don't just...disappear into thin air, you know." She paused, and then softened slightly, offering, "Look, if you just...stop all of this...if you let these people go...we could help you find a new home. Without having to hurt anyone. Or, if you apologized, I'm sure there's somewhere on this planet you could live…"
The Doctor grinned, proud of her, and then focused on the Exapno's response. The old woman had paused to study Jay closely, and a few other Exapno exchanged quick looks, looking hopeful. But then the woman snapped, "No. No. We would never live with such primitive beings, nor would we allow anyone to decide where we go."
"But we wouldn't be deciding, we'd be helping," Jay insisted. She made a wild gesture. "Please. There are children here." She pointed to someone behind her, indicating as such. "What kind of people are you to murder children simply because you want their planet? None of these people have done anything to you."
"It matters not," snarled the old woman, and a few of her companions frowned in disagreement, uneasy.
After a moment, one stepped up. "But...why shouldn't we at least ask? We talked about this...we wanted a peaceful solution if possible. Why are you so intent on fighting? We have never been fighters."
A dismissive wave had the others glaring at her. "We lost everything. And now we must rebuild. Our culture...our traditions...they are sacred. We cannot allow such things as other people to influence us. To pollute our people."
"But...look at them." The same Exapno gestured to the people before them with distress. "They look no different than we do...we picked this planet because of how similar to ours it was. Their festivities, their buildings, everything."
One of the original planet residents, crouched on the ground with the others, offered, "Our king is a kind man. He would allow you to stay and help you learn the ways of our lands."
"Your king," said the old woman coldly, "was the one who sent you here."
"Because you tricked him." Jay spoke quietly, her eyes blazing with anger. "That creature is yours, isn't it? Some kind of pet...it didn't eat any of you, I'm willing to bet. What did you say to him to encourage him to allow his people to die in such away?"
"We told him that if he didn't do as we wanted, then we would kill him. And when he considered betrayal, we selected his son."
"Wait," mumbled a soft-voiced Exapno with a frown on her face. "You selected that prince? We vowed to only select those that were given to us-"
"Silence!" shrieked the leader, her face furious. She stomped her foot in a childish display of anger. "Silence! Your opinions matter not; I am the leader, and my decisions are final!"
There was a few seconds of shock before a few of the other Exapno began to look angry. They began to argue back, and within seconds, there was sheer chaos. Donna tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "What do we do? They don't all seem bad…"
The Doctor sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the arguing escalate to shouting. "Let's go back to the TARDIS," he decided, and Donna turned an exasperated look on him, stunned and furious at the same time. "Look," he murmured, indicating how the Exapno were turning on one another; one of them stepped up and shoved the old woman, who stumbled back. "They'll figure themselves out. This isn't an invasion - not like we saw with the Adipose or the Pyrovilians. This is a stranded group who are trying to figure out how to acquire a new home. Jay offered them a solution that most of them agree with. Those in agreement with her solution outnumber those who don't."
"But...that's it? Just...let themselves figure it out? No running?" Donna looked stunned, and he grinned at her playfully.
"See? A fun trip," he said cheerfully, straightening. She merely gawked at him in disbelief. "Jay will-"
A scream suddenly pierced the air. He whirled around to look and found that a girl was writhing on the ground. Her face was twisted with agony, her free hand clutching that which had been stained black as the black grew and grew. The Doctor stared as it crept along her arm and further until she was completely covered before turning into quite literally nothing.
It happened to another, a middle-aged man, before Jay was on her feet, hurling herself for the older woman with a shout of, "Stop it! Stop it right now!"
Chaos erupted as panic surged in those that had been trapped. People of all kinds started panicking and hurling themselves at the Exapno, pleading for help. Some of the Exapno retreated, annoyed; others attempted to help those that were clearly dying. The Doctor thought he even saw a laughing Lycus weaving among them.
"Donna, go get that flour!" the Doctor called, forgetting his intentions to go back to the TARDIS. He hurtled towards the group, not stopping to see if Donna did as he instructed her. He clambered onto the ship quickly and wove in among the chaos, wincing when someone elbowed him sharply in the ribs, until finally he found who he was looking for.
Jay nearly snapped her elbow into his face when he took hold of her wrist, but hastily stopped herself when she recognized him. Despite the situation around her, a brilliant smile lit upon her face. "Doctor!" she cried in relief, beaming. She gave him a small, half-hug before focusing again on the situation at hand. "What do we do? I think some of the Exapno are friendly enough, but-"
"First," the Doctor said, craning his head to look in the direction of the TARDIS, "we need Donna to get back here." He could see her running back towards the mess, the bag of flour in her hands. He silently cheered; she'd listened for once! "Come on!" He began pushing his way through the group, grabbing a human's hand when he saw them sobbing hysterically at the black mass that was devouring their arm.
The man stared at him in terror, and the Doctor ignored his shout of fear as he hauled him along. Jay was a step behind, uttering comforting words and ushering him along as quickly as she could. They pushed free of the outward edges of the chaos and nearly crashed into Donna, who squawked and scrambled to keep the flour from falling. "Jay!" she cheered, relieved to see the younger woman.
"Hi, Donna," said Jay with a grin and grabbed the man's arm at the Doctor's demand. She held it out and the Doctor grabbed a fistful of flour before patting it into place, covering as much of the black as he could. Jay and Donna quickly began helping, and within minutes the creature was smaller, sliding from the man's arm. The man gawked in shock, even as Jay slapped her hands over her ears and winced. The Doctor faltered, not sure what he should do with the strange black alien creature he now held in his fingers.
"Here," said a voice over his shoulder, fingers plucking the creature from his grasp. The Doctor blinked, caught off guard, and twisted to find who he assumed to be an Exapno. The Exapno was a petite woman with narrowed eyes, her lips twisted into an angry snarl. She let the creature curl around her wrist. "They are a part of us," she explained. "They rely on us."
Jay dropped her fingers from her ears with a sigh of relief. "Can you help us get others?" she pleaded.
"I'll do my best." The woman gave a determined nod. "I am sure the others will distract those that side with our leader…" She faltered then, her gaze sorrowful. "She was not always so violent; her family is on our missing planet. She lost a lot more than the rest of us." She vanished into the mess again after saying as such, returning minutes later with another writhing person. Jay smiled at the girl, recognizing her. She was happy to see the one she'd entrusted her necklace to was still alive.
The man they'd helped took over Donna's job, smearing flour on the girl's arm with the rest of them. And when the girl was done, she was pale-faced and shaking, but alive. She sobbed as Jay drew her in for a reassuring hug, murmuring in her ear.
They'd helped a few more people before the other Exapno took notice. The old woman stopped her fighting with a startled look that turned to downright fury when she realized what was happening. The Doctor paused to glare back at her, letting Jay take over instructing the others what to do as she looped her necklace back on. He glanced back briefly to ensure Donna was alright as she bustled off to fetch a bigger bag of flour, taking two people with her to help.
Sure they were both safe, the Doctor lifted his chin in challenge.
The leader of the Exapno gave a shark-like grin, baring her teeth, and withdrew something from the folds of her clothing, pressing it to her lips. A moment later, a sharp, piercing sound filled the air. The Doctor blinked, slightly bewildered, and instinctively glanced at an Exapno male who'd started helping as well when he swore rather colorfully. "What?"demanded the Doctor.
"She summoned the creature we brought with us," he said, face pale. "The one we were using against the people who live here."
"The hydra?" He nodded, and the Doctor grimaced. This wasn't looking to be too good. With how that thing had moved… "We need to get everyone out of here. The ship-"
"Isn't going anywhere!" announced Jay over her shoulder, pointing. The Doctor looked and scowled when he realized that the Exapno that were trying to kill the humans had disabled the machinery to get the ship skybound. Which meant they'd either have to take the TARDIS - which wasn't going to happen, not with the Doctor unsure of who exactly was on their side and who was trying to kill them - or run the half-day trip for the other ship.
Or, figure out how to keep the hydra from busting out of its hiding spot.
"Can it get out?" he decided to ask first, frowning deeply.
"Yes," said the Exapno immediately, gaze uncertain. "But if we can get the whistle away from her, it will listen to us. It listens only to the person who holds its whistle."
"That, I think, we have a chance at doing," the Doctor said with a hint of relief. Still, it'd be difficult. From what he could see, the Exapno were stronger than them, himself included. But the upside was they had a few Exapno of their own. So, he whirled around, gaze determined. "Jay," he said, catching her attention. "Keep helping those that need it. Donna, you're with me, the others can help Jay." Donna nodded, immediately stepping away to let someone else take her place.
Jay looked concerned as she glanced over her shoulder again. "What are you going to do?" she demanded, her blue eyes wide with concern for her friends.
"Steal a whistle," said the Doctor simply before hurling himself forward.
Donna scampered after him, her gaze annoyed as she called to the Doctor, "Hold on, spaceman, what the hell do you mean 'steal a whistle?' What whistle?!"
The Doctor ignored her, weaving among those that were still scrambling and bickering and arguing. Within a few minutes, he'd lurched out of the chaos and found himself standing before the Exapno leader. She was holding a small, silver device to her lips, blowing again. A sharp, piercing shrill sound filled the air, beckoning.
"Donna," he said when she'd caught up, heaving for air. "Distract her."
Donna nodded, still uncertain as he slid away again, but focused on the leader of the Exapno and didn't hesitate to yell, "Hey!" The Doctor grinned as he heard her launch into one of her famous Donna Noble rants, telling off the alien without a moment's hesitation about what she was doing. He nearly laughed when he saw the way the Exapno stared at Donna in absolute shock, her mouth gaping as she comprehended what was happening.
The Doctor withdrew his sonic screwdriver from its place and went to work, testing various settings and pointing them at the whistle. When the sonic finally gave him what he wanted, he gave a wicked grin and pointed it again.
The whirring buzz of the sonic screwdriver filled the air, and the Exapno squealed when the device in her hands shocked her fingertips. She dropped it, stunned, and then whipped around with a brutal glare on her face. Donna, much to the Doctor's surprise, seemed to realize what he'd been after and dove, caching her further off guard. Donna snagged the whistle with a shout of triumph, and the Doctor lifted his chin in challenge once more, proud of his companion. Pride turned to alarm, however, when the world shook beneath their feet and a roar pierced the air. The Exapno's face filled with angry alarm, and she whirled on Donna so quickly that the Doctor knew there would be trouble. He lurched forward, intending to do something - though he couldn't say he knew just what he'd do - and was startled when someone else did the work for him.
"Don't touch her," snarled Jay, ignoring the pain that jolted through her when she struck the Exapno and sent them both sprawling to the ground. She winced, ignoring the splinters of the wooden deck that had shoved their way into her palms. She scrambled up when the Exapno hissed, murder in her gaze. But by the time she'd recovered, the Doctor was there with Donna, glowering.
As were several other Exapno. Even those that had sided with their leader were glaring.
"We made a deal," one breathed. "That you would keep that pet hidden. And you decided to use it against your own kind when there are so few of us left?"
Another of the Exapno reached out and gently took the whistle from Donna's hands. Donna blinked, worried, but recognized the Exapno as the one who'd told them about the creatures they'd removed from the hands of those under their influence. She blinked kindly at Donna, smiling gently, and then stepped forward, putting the whistle to her lips. She blew into it sharply, and a softer, soothing hum came from the device.
The roar cut off and the hydra went quiet. The Doctor exhaled sharply in relief.
They were safe from the hydra. At least, they were for the time being.
He blinked when several of the Exapno inclined their head respectfully to the one holding the whistle. She smiled soothingly at them all and then turned to face the Doctor fully. "We'll ensure that she is punished for what she's done, sir. Our ship has a good prison...and we would like it," she added firmly, glancing over at Jay, "if you would help us find a new home that is far, far from this planet. Where we cannot create such violence." She bowed her head sorrowfully. "I regret that we could not stop the loss of more life sooner."
The Doctor's features softened and he merely nodded, silently promising to help them find a new home. He couldn't help but think that this little adventure had ended far easier than their adventures normally did, but...he couldn't say he minded. His gaze slid to Donna and Jay when Jay suddenly hurled herself at Donna for a hug, laughing softly even as she pulled back to shake her wrists. The pair chattered about something in a low voice, smirking, and the Doctor only sighed.
He got the feeling he'd find out what they were talking about later.
As Jay meandered the TARDIS corridors, thinking, a smile danced across her lips. The TARDIS was humming again; she'd been singing from the moment they'd reentered the TARDIS, even if only briefly. They'd had to gather safe coordinates for the Exapno, who had taken their people and their pet and left. The remaining residents, exhausted after their ordeal, had let the Doctor fix the ship despite the Doctor warning he might not be able to do anything. Much to the relief of all, however, he'd done it, and before long, he'd ensured the ship would take the survivors back home to inform the king that it was over - and that his son was dead after attempting to save them all.
Jay felt horrible about it, even if she'd rather disliked Theseus. He had cared for his people, and though he'd been a little too aggressive and obvious in his interest, he'd meant well. She thought.
People had died again. It was a thought that had run through her head, over and over again. She hadn't been able to drive it away, kept remembering Jenny and Theseus and even the Master. Even with the conversation she'd had with the Doctor while Donna had taken Lycus "home," even after the conversation she and Donna had a mere hour or two ago, when Donna had firmly told her they were going to discuss the matter whether she liked it or not.
Everywhere they went, people died.
But...how many lives, thought Jay reluctantly, had they saved? Donna had pointed that out when Jay had expressed her frustration with everything to her. Jay remembered the tears of relief on the girl's face when she realized she wasn't going to die because of the black stain on her hand. She remembered the way the girl had hugged her tightly before giving her necklace back, and thanked her over and over again as they'd left.
That girl was alive because they'd gone to her planet, as were the others that had departed on that barely functioning ship.
Before she knew it, Jay had turned into the library and was unsurprised to find the Doctor slumped on a plush, glasses perched on his nose and a book in his hand. Jay arched a brow, scanning the cover. Something about mechanics of some device she couldn't even dream of fully understanding. So, she didn't bother to even try.
Instead, she let out a loud sigh and sank down onto the other side of the sofa, aware that her friend was already watching her, prepared to set aside his book if she expressed the desire to talk. But Jay remained silent and after a moment, he returned to reading, though she could tell he was keeping a keen eye on her.
They sat like that for some time before Jay finally inhaled deeply and asked, "Hey, Doctor?" His gaze slid to hers over his book and she offered a hesitant smile, "Could we go somewhere nice next round? Somewhere without hydras?"
The Doctor flashed her a grin and tossed his book aside, rocking upright. Jay didn't miss the relief on his face as he asked, "How do you feel about the 1920s?"
Not only an update, but the end of the original chapters! I'm looking forward to what's coming (and hopefully updating sooner than five months down the road...).
Thanks to reviewers (bored411, TECHNICALpanda, MystiYew, and Faery66!) as well as those who favorited and followed!
