Long and trigger-warning/also maybe spoiling AN… Anything not bold is the beginning of the story. I'm just explaining my situation and explaining why my stories might take anywhere from indefinite to a few months to be updated…
Also, if this ever is updated again, Charles, Adam's, the Doctor's, and her adventures will be mostly fluffy things at the end of the chapters. I'm not too good at creating adventures yet, so most will just be funny world-building (or should I say universe-building) and character-developing things. Seeing as I have a year's worth of original adventures that I could write, expect many funny things whenever the hell I feel like writing of the original Quartet haha.
Onto serious matters… The reason I may or may not be able to continue writing any of my stories… Well. These last two years have been hell.
To give a summary,I'm now homeless, jobless, and well. Not much is really going good, and I'm unsure if I'll… Survive. Either by my own actions or by the inability to find a place to sleep, eat, drink, etc.
Sorry for not being able to continue immediately, but… If I do it's kind of a bad sign, and if I don't chances are I'm either… Well. Or busy getting my shit together.
I wandered the streets, confused. How did it always end up like this? Jeez. I pulled out my phone, only to realize that I didn't know the Doctor's number, or, in fact, if he even had one. Brilliant. The Doctor and Adam had ended up convincing Charles to check out the 21st Century, and now I was lost in London.
What year was it, again? Ugh.
"I wonder if Sexy's up for a game of Marco Polo… Or, well, warmer-colder. Whatever that game is called," I mused aloud, ignoring the odd look the elder couple gave me.
My pendant warmed up and cooled down four times before turning freezing cold, and I nodded absently. Take that as a yes. I wandered around, hand around my pendant as I felt for where to go. When I found a familiar area, the pendant grew freezing, and I winced.
What? I was sure that the TARDIS was this way… Shit, I was truly lost. I wandered some more, pausing when my hand flinched away at the heat in the pendant. This was not how the game was supposed to go. I slowed my pace as I turned down the alleyway. I mean, would I really notice the pendant warming up slowly though?
… Probably not.
I stumbled into a tall man, and sighed as I looked up, "Sorry, could you tell me what year it is?"
"Oh! Hello," The man replied, hands on my shoulders where he caught me.
I observed his face, "... Hello."
"You're mine, right?" The Eleventh Doctor asked hopefully.
"Nope. So. I'm doubly lost? Fuck," I groaned, backing away and running a hand through my hair. The Eleventh Doctor gave me an annoyed look.
"I've been looking for you the past hour! Seriously, we parked next to Big Ben, how could you get lost?" He mourned.
"Get a damned cellphone!" I whined, "I'm directionally challenged!"
He sighed, before nodding, "Right. I'm getting a cellphone. Now. Come along, past-Red," He ran, and I gave him an incredulous look before running after him. My pendant was pleasantly warm. I wondered if the wrong TARDIS was leading me.
We both ran into a small electronics store and both the Eleventh Doctor and I almost bulled over the artfully done display cases. The cashier looked almost pained to see two obviously insane customers walk in.
"Right!"
"So… Probably a Nokia for you," I muttered, "You tend to break things easily."
"Do not," The Eleventh Doctor said, sounding horrified.
"You've broken the TARDIS before. Something practically unbreakable. I'll take my chances in getting you a hardy phone," I explained as we walked through the small store, "You did bring money, right?"
"Don't you have cash?"
"..." I sighed, ruffling my own hair, "I'm glad I have a few hundred years to get used to you."
"Oi!" He snapped, "I'm helping you!"
"You're helping future-me. I, personally, am still hopelessly lost," I argued. I didn't notice the very people I was looking for pass by the store, and the Eleventh Doctor didn't notice a long-haired me looking around, confused.
"Yes! You are!" He snapped, crossing his arms.
I rolled my eyes, grabbed the nearest unlimited plan and walked up to the cashier, "Literally any phone in existence, please."
"Um, okay…" They rang up a phone that was in a display case behind them along with the unlimited plan, "Cash or card?"
"Card."
I clicked the highest cash back option and sonicked the machine. It went through. At the questioning gaze I explained, "New tech. Like the chip."
They didn't question it further, and I shoved the cash at him while I set his phone up. Immediately he got a phone call, and I shoved it at him, recognizing my own number.
We both wandered around the shopping district, me listening to the Eleventh Doctor get increasingly annoyed at future-me, who was apparently following past-him. I absently put his contact information in, with a little description of what time and day to call him if I was lost in London with the Eleventh Doctor.
Eventually I found my group and ran off, ignoring the Eleventh Doctor's calls as I tackled the Ninth Doctor. Or tried, at least. I groaned from my position on the ground, feeling like I just ran head-first into a freight train.
The Doctor glanced behind him, "Oh! There you are."
I stood up quickly, hugging him forcefully, "Oh great salvation, I found you! Fucking finally!"
The Doctor sounded amused, not hugging me back, "Gonna worship me now, too?"
I continued the hug, "No. The TARDIS led me here, all hail."
"All hail," Adam and Charles repeated.
The Doctor, after a few more moments, pried me off of him. We continued walking as if that hadn't happened, and Charles started speaking.
"So, last, erm, adventure, I shall say, I met this young… man… who claimed to have been on a restaurant circling a supernova," Charles said.
"Oh! I remember you talking to one of those walking mosquito-things!" Adam said cheerfully.
"I know of it," The Doctor admitted, "It's called The Balance of Fate, the galaxy 27 to the right of the home planet of the Raxicorricofallipatorians, two billion years into the future. Moskits, the alien species you were talking about, run the place."
"I think I've seen quite enough human skin for a lifetime, Doctor, could, perhaps, we go there instead?" Charles inquired.
Adam looked to the Doctor intently.
"Sure," The Doctor shrugged.
We all piled into the TARDIS after a few minutes more of joking around and bringing up memories of the past year we've been together. Nothing too interesting happened, but the Doctor had taken Charles to a healer from the future, and also got his death date from a bit further in the future to make sure he'd keep the timeline good. All by my suggestion, since he didn't think of cheesing the timeline as often as I did.
"Do you remember when we had to run from those snake-people because they wanted to marry you?" Adam asked.
I laughed at the memory, nudging the Doctor, "Yes, what a fine feminine specimen you were, Doctor."
The Doctor looked defensive, "Oi, I'm an excellent specimen, thank you!"
We all laughed. The TARDIS jolted once we entered, and I looked around to see that the doors had been closed. The Doctor ran up to the console, Adam and Charles idling around and clinging to the railing.
"Flip that lever!" The Doctor ordered me, gesturing to three levers. I flipped the middle one, "No no no! Not that one! The other one!"
"There are three levers!" I said back even as I undid my flipping of the lever and flipped the upper lever.
"Yes! There are! Congratulations! Now hold down this button," He gestured to one and I held it down.
The Doctor ran about, before gesturing to a button out of my reach, "Hold down that one too! The yellow one, not the blue one!"
"I'm holding this one down! Have Charles do it!"
"He can't, it has to be the same genetic imprint on both buttons! Hold them both down!" The Doctor ordered and I stretched my limbs, only to give up and put a foot on the button. Good enough. Sorry Sexy. I winced as a hammer bashed onto the console.
"Did you even listen during the lessons to fly this thing!?" I demanded over the sound of Sexy wheezing.
"Yes! No! Doesn't matter, I took the test!"
"You failed the test!" I snapped out.
"Do you want to go to this restaurant or not?" The Doctor snapped back.
"Don't answer that!" Adam called, interrupting my typical answer whenever restaurants or places I'd have to be anything but myself in popped up on the to-do list.
"Trust me, Doctor, she does!" Charles blatantly lied, threatening me with a look, "She's spoken to me about it many times!"
Suddenly the TARDIS stopped, and I fell to the ground, the Doctor and Charles also falling. Adam had held on tight enough, unlike Charles.
I laughed, "That never gets old."
"It never will," Adam agreed.
"Allons-y," I mused as Adam helped Charles up, hopping to my feet and brushing myself off the same as the Doctor. The Doctor gave me a curious look.
"Is that the only French you know?" He asked.
"Nope. I know like twenty random words of French," I admitted as we all walked towards the doors.
Charles hesitated, before walking out and into a croud of Moskits and other insectoid aliens. I could have sworn I saw a mer-spider in there, like the R… something? Oh, the Racnoss lady from The Runaway Bride, one of my favorite episodes. I tried not to keep my eyes lingering too long on any one species, knowing that if I did it'd come across as rude, versus what I was doing now just looked like I was taking stock of the crowd.
I hesitated when I saw a young tree-girl holding hands with an adult tree-man and tree-woman. It reminded me of Jabe, but, alas, it was about three billion years too soon for her.
We sat down after being led to a closed off area with a giant window for a wall, and marvelled at the sight of the supernova. It was truly a beautiful sight. I observed it for a long moment, getting lost in thought. The Doctor was translating the menu items for the others.
"The edible items are meat sandwiches, the equivalent of spaghetti and meatballs, and various salads and soups," The Doctor explained, "I've only been telling you of the edible items, so it shouldn't be an issue."
When it was time to order I came up blank, "Uhh… The equivalent noodles thing?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes, turning to the waiter, "The mocktawn for her, then, with the gairusette wine for all of us."
My eyes went back to the supernova.
"Rose Tyler-" He vanished. Tears streamed down Rose's face as she sobbed. Young-me gaped at the screen, eyes decidedly blank even as tears ran down my face. Oooh he didn't even get to say he loved her! No!
I blinked, half-a-smile fading before it became a full one. We'd have to get her, soon, or Earth and the general universe would suffer all the more for it. Plus, Charles had to leave soon too. Even he knew that this would be his last adventure, unless we managed one more before sleep.
Our meal came, and I observed the clear noodles with transparent blue goop on them, cooked-looking white chunks spread throughout it. Ah, equivalents. I poked at the food. It started squirming, and what little appetite I had faded.
At least there was the wine, I mused as I looked at the wine being poured. It had an electric blue coloring. When I tasted it, though, it tasted vaguely of banana. I set down the wine, discreetly spitting out what little I tried into the similarly-colored blue goop that was the spaghetti equivalent.
I instead pulled out my sonic. It had been fixed a while ago, but now it had a golden line where it had been cracked, even though it was technically a new one. I still had my broken sonic on the desk in my room, after all.
My thoughts snapped back to reality as my three friends face-planted into their meals. I stood up, scanning them. I put the sonic parallel to my face, gem near the temple, for more intensive information. They had been drugged. Shit, shit, my chair fell to the ground as I backed up, scanning around. The door we came in was deadlocked, and there didn't seem to be any other exit.
"Um. Well then," I murmured, nudging them off of their food so they didn't suffocate. I poked at the Doctor the most, hoping his different biology would allow him to wake up sooner. No such luck, "I believe the proper terminology for this situation is fuck."
I hadn't quite figured out how to undo deadlocks with my sonic yet, only knowing it was possible after a few minutes of the Doctor doing it.
"Uh, uh, um. Are they- fuck," I muttered under my breath as I made sure they all had clean faces and were breathing. I paced for a few moments. The TARDIS was on the other side of the restaurant. By the entrance. Okay. New question, what would the Doctor I know best do?
… Talk.
I sighed. Why oh why didn't Chrissie boi have more episodes? I glanced at the Doctor. Well. I mean. He still talked his way out of things. I hummed. Great. Talk. Talk. Talk to… Who? I gave him a rather mean poke.
"All you do is talk and use your sonic and run when we're in situations like these!" I hissed, more to myself than him, "How the hell am I supposed to get all three of us out of here like that!"
"You aren't," A woman's voice buzzed out.
I closed my eyes. Oh thank fuck. I, unlike the Doctor, can't talk to thin air and still seem intimidating. I turned to see a Moskit in a red dress. It looked like an old crone put on a dress from her past, what with the grey shell and bug-y limbs and joints and stuff. They weren't even humanoid. Great. How was I supposed to know where their metaphorical balls were?
"Why did you do this?" I asked, gesturing to my companions, "What you've done is illegal based on-"
"You think we care about laws here, silly girl? The Moskit Mafia runs this place!" The woman spat in her buzz-y tone. I hoped that the alliteration was due to the TARDIS translating rather than an actual thing. That'd be embarrassing if it weren't.
"What do you want from us?"
"Human blood is a delicacy to my kind," She said simply.
I nodded. Sonic. Sonic waves. Sonic blast? That'd hurt. Glass might break, though, and that'd be bad. Really bad. Does the Doctor keep spacesuits in his bigger-on-the-inside pockets? Probably not, I mused.
"Ah, let me tell you, this is all a mistake, see, they're not human," I gestured, "I'm the only human here, so, uh, what do you want with them, is what I'm asking."
I wasn't an idiot. I was bleeding, and if anything in this universe was reliable it was a mosquito knowing that blood was spilt. Fucking annoying assholes.
"We will have to… dispose of them, then." Two more people- or, well, aliens, appeared wielding what looked like sci-fi machine guns.
"Oh. Well. Um. I lied. We're all extremely human. So, so very human. You'll keep us alive, right? See, we generate blood quite nicely as long as we're healthy and alive and-"
"Yes," The female-or-maybe-drag-queen Moskit hissed as she and her bodyguards came closer. I backed against the table, arm bumping into the Doctor.
"Great. Yes. Um," I reached into the Doctor's jacket and felt around for his sonic, "Now, the reason you should let us go instead of putting us into a slavery ring or anything of the sort is because, because," I grabbed something that vaguely felt like a cylinder and grabbed it, "I have a bomb that's set to go off… Now. And only I can stop it. Make a move and this entire joint goes up in a big boom."
That made them stop their progression.
"Good. Now, I have a few questions," I started, "How long will the drugs you used on my companions last on a human?"
"... About ten minutes. Don't worry, we'll have you four locked up by then," The woman waved off. I glared.
"Good," please mean that the Doctor wakes up at least half that, "..." Questions, keep them talking, what do I ask, "How long have you been in control of this place? Not long, or the interuniversal police would surely have caught you by now."
Oh, interuniversal police, like that was a thing. Fuck, the Shadow Proclamation didn't even touch on gangs, did it? I bet the Doctor would know, I thought, shoving at the Doctor in irritation as I thought his name. Wait, wasn't he a touch telepath? If I kept skin contact and annoyed the hell out of myself by repeating "wake up" over and over would it work?
He was drugged. Yes, I thought at myself, and if he wakes up sooner, me spamming panicked thoughts at him would make him more alert faster.
I didn't notice that I was already making skin-to-skin contact with him, my hand holding a freaking banana hiding that fact using the Doctor, fingers resting against the lower part of his neck where my hand had thankfully gotten caught. I don't think these gang members would appreciate me digging around his pockets anymore after pulling out a banana.
"Only a decade," The Moskit said.
"That's a bit, congratulations. Can I know your names before I make any demands?"
"I'm Zera, these are Zack and Zerik," She said, adding an extra buzz at the z's.
WakeupwakeupwakeUP, "Zera, then, you'll let my friends and I go or you and everything in this place will go out with us."
She laughed, "Or what? You'll blow us up with a banana?"
"Yes," I said seriously, pointing my sonic at the banana, "My device here can increase the radiation of this fruit by billions, making this entire area unlivable for thousands of years."
I pulled the banana out from where my arm had gotten stuck. She twitched in a way that made me think it was their way of rolling their eyes, "I think I'll enjoy bleeding you dry first before getting millions for selling your friends there, you annoying pest."
I threw a banana at one guard, who fumbled to catch it, and used my chair and bashed it against the other's exoskeleton pretty hard, wincing at the cracks that form and the way the insectoid fell limp. I turned and threw the chair at the gunman, only to realize how close I was to Zera and stumbled back, her taking a step forwards for every step I took back.
Sonic, do something! I pointed it at her, and it buzzed. She paused, crossing her arms, one of her antenna sweeping, "Was… that supposed to do anything?" She asked dryly.
"Well. No," I admitted, and I took another step back only to realize I was at the table. I put my sonic away, hands feeling at the table for a knife or something. Oh god oh fuck oh no oh no oh no-
Stop thinking so loudly, the Doctor's voice boomed groggily in my mind.
I mentally berated both him and myself, not realizing that it wasn't just another voice in my head. Yes, great, if you'd kindly wake up and save me from being drained dry by an oversized mosquito gang, I mentally snapped. But no, no, you're drugged and asleep and I'm alone and my best friends are about to be carted off as blood slaves and I'm dead.
My hands clenched into fists. Fuck it, I was about to die anyway. I'm American, and… Using the American way is best. I tackled the lady before her mouth could reach my neck and used the fork I grabbed to stab the mouth into the wooden planks beneath us.
Before I could punch her in her stupid buggy eyes a gun rested against my head. I clenched and unclenched my fists, but didn't move. Fuck. This. Shit.
The other mosquito-fucker didn't know what came at him as I tackled him to the floor, gun sliding across the floor. Fuck the Doctor's stupid ass pacifism if it'd get them enslaved. No. I'd do this my way. Or, well, America's way, at least. I was raised on pacifism and Doctor-hood, so I can't quite relate.
But hell, if I've ever wanted to beat someone's face in.
After the bug stopped squirming, I hopped up and grabbed the gun, pointing it at the angrily buzzing Zera. It was closer to a whine with how loud and ferocious her buzzing was.
I didn't notice the cracked-carapace get up, and paid for it when the gun was ripped from my hands and used to bash me upside the head. As I'm a nineteen year old pansy, and not an American soldier, nor have I ever gotten into a fight, I went down pretty fucking quickly.
"Fuck," I muttered, holding where I was hit even as I tried standing again. As getting hit in the head is an excellent way to lose already shoddy balance. Luckily for me, the option to get up was taken away as I was bashed again and then stepped on.
My vision blurred with tears of pain and I looked up to see Zera and one of the bodyguards grabbing Charles and Adam.
"Doctor!" I snapped out gruffly, grimacing as I met confused blue eyes before my head was slammed against the ground. I groaned, head flopping onto the ground as I gave up on trying to get up.
Ugh, whatever. I tried. Death to me. I sighed at my own sarcasm, just happy for once that the Doctor was finally awake. Jesus that took forever. Being heroic is tiring. I didn't realize I passed out until the Doctor heaved me to my feet.
"Run!" The Doctor called over the screams of patrons. Glancing around I saw three dead Moskits and a disturbed looking duo carrying each other after the Doctor and I.
"A delicacy!" I yelled as we ran.
"Yes!"
"To Moskits! We are a delicacy!"
"I forgot!"
"They're mosquitoes! That drink blood!"
"That's racist!" A random Moskit gasped.
I paused, glaring at her until I was tugged along, "Fuck you I almost got killed by those bastards!"
"Justice! Enough!"
"Oh, sorry, Mr. You'd be a slave without me!" I snapped as we all clambered into the TARDIS. The Doctor glared at me. I threw my hands up and crossed my arms, "Fine, fine, it wasn't your fault, blah blah blah, whatever."
"No, they wouldn't have bothered us if they didn't know we were human," The Doctor said, crossing his arms, "Meaning one of us is bleedin'."
I rolled my eyes with a heavy sigh, shaking my head as I stalked off, "I'm making food that isn't drugged, if anyone wants some."
I stormed through the halls of the TARDIS, not angry at the Doctor, per se, but more angry that I was absolutely fucking useless. Damn it.
Making food, I shook my head to myself. After this I was going to talk to Everest for an hour about my woes and then take a long fucking shower to ease my stress.
I glanced behind me to see that I was feeding Adam and Charles. I blinked, "Oi, neither of you are getting fed if one of you don't get the Doctor's ass in here by the time I'm done."
Adam hopped up as Charles sighed heavily.
"Every time. Charles, can't you do it just once?"
"No, last time he did it he ended up talking about his works with the Doctor for three hours," I snapped behind me as I continued cooking.
A few minutes passed before I heard a loud angry voice complaining to an annoyed younger voice. The Doctor and Adam, voices distorted.
"I don't need to eat this much! I'm going to be unable to run like this!"
"If she tells you to eat, you eat. Last time she locked us out of the kitchen for days because you didn't eat!"
"Then jus' tell me and I can unlock the kitchen for ya!"
"And if we do that she'll stop cooking for us!"
"She's not that good a cook!"
"Neither Charles, you, nor I can cook."
"I can cook! Plus, we can get takeout!"
"In which she'll force you to eat anyway. Honestly, this is just easier. She only makes you eat once a day!"
"My meals are always three times the size o' yours!"
"Shut up and get your asses in here!" I snapped, and the door to the kitchen swung open to show a skulking Doctor and an exasperated Adam. Charles muttered complaints under his breath, only to raise his hands in surrender when I spun and gave him an expectant look, "Good. Doctor, I'm not believing your meal habits are healthy. I won't change your meal sizes or daily intake unless I see you actually getting fat. Which, you aren't. Last I saw, you were actually gaining muscle! So shut your face and stuff your mouth with some… Soup."
I glanced at what I made. It wasn't supposed to be soup, but I supposed I'd misread the instructions? I checked my phone. Ah. That was 3 cups of water, not 8. Oops. At least the broth tasted fine. I supposed being in tears for the set up of the instructions kind of made it hard to see. I just felt so worthless, during that time. I needed to be able to rely on myself. I needed others to be able to rely on me, because the Doctor, as proven, won't always be available to help.
"Are you quite alright?" Charles asked, making me blink and look up from my soup.
"What did the soup do to you?" Adam asked eagerly, like he'd been waiting to make that joke for awhile.
"... Fine," I muttered, drinking and eating my soup and setting the bowl in the sink, making sure the Doctor got one more helping before rushing out of the room. Cool. Continuing to build the shrine room and then Everest.
Walking into a medium-sized white and golden room with a small polished spruce stand that I carved myself over the year. On the spruce was a small amount of details showing the TARDIS in her glory with what looked like golden wings made of polished birch.
The TARDIS shrine was almost complete, all I needed to do really was add the small piece of paper onto her painted wooden form if the paint was dry. I checked gently, nodding and grabbing glue and carefully adding the instructions of use onto the outside. With a nod, I take a step back and observe my great work.
It looked pretty good, I figured. I wasn't an expert woodcarver, or even an intermediate one, but I did excellently with what little skill I had. I mean. Not that making a box with smaller boxes inside was hard, per se.
"Are you okay?"
Glancing over, I saw Charles. I shrugged, looking back at the shrine.
"I just… I was useless. Back there. If the Doctor hadn't woken up, all that I'd have done would amount to you guys getting worse treatment…" I explained as I wondered whether adding golden sparkles to the wings would be a bit too much.
"Humbug, you did your best with what you had. You stalled so that the Doctor could wake up," Charles said.
"The Doctor won't always be there. He won't always be able to save us, Charles. What happens, then? When it's on my shoulders to save everyone, like it was today?" I shook my head, "I… I never wanted to turn into a soldier, Charles… But… I think I may have to. I can't be the Doctor, I can't just get by with pacifism and cleverity. I'm not going to stand by and watch as you three are endangered and think that I could've done something if I were just that much stronger, just that much quicker."
"Well, you need not worry about me, my dear. I'm returning home to Christmas dinner with my family post-haste. In fact, I was wondering if you might see me off?"
"You're leaving now?" I asked, spinning and looking at the old man sadly.
"That I am," He said with a nod, "On my request. I wish to spend as much time as I have left with my family."
I hesitated, before rushing forward and engulfing who had become a great friend as hard as I could, him not holding back as he squeezed me just as hard if not harder.
"I'll miss you," I muttered as tears ran down my face.
"I shall miss you too, good friend."
Do... You like it? I actually adore criticisms, because it helps me improve my works, but I love praise too. So whether you hate it or like it, tell me, yeah? Even a simple review makes me happy. Hope you enjoyed!