Guys, it's here.
This chapter took forever. So. Much. Dialogue.
-RainingCoffee
Pulling the covers from over my head, the Doctor gives me an unimpressed look in response to my glare. "Don't give me that, you've been sulking for two days now. It's time to get up and do something else."
I sigh deeply, turning over in the bed so all he can see is my back.
"Do you really think that's going to work on me?" He murmurs, laughter in his voice.
The fact that he finds my protest to be charming actually makes my mood even worse.
There is the sound of cloth moving against cloth, then the Doctor picks me up, sheet and all. The angle is awkward, and I don't have much leverage. I don't even know where he's taking me until he drops me in the shower and turns the cold water on.
An involuntary yelp escapes my mouth as I try to free myself from the sheet burrito that I'd somehow gotten tangled up in. By the time I emerge, more awake than I've ever been in my life, the Doctor has already vacated the room.
I can feel him, good humor humming in the back of mind, a direct counterpoint to my dark mood. It occurs to me that I can get incredibly angry about this, and then it occurs to me that I'm not a child.
Which, to be fair, I had been acting like one for a couple of days now.
My sulk disintegrates before it can even get going properly, washed away by the cold water. No wonder the Doctor had thrown me into the shower.
Hah, that man.
So, sucking it up, I finish my shower. After turning it to warm water of course.
After I'm dry, and my hair is nearly there as well, I go into our closet. Instead of choosing something from my collection of leggings and graphic tee's, I walk right past them and head straight to the area holding dresses.
I don't normally wear dresses, feeling more at home in my normal ensemble, but I was still feeling a bit raw from the last couple of days.
A casual blue dress catches my attention. It's high necked, with lace that extends from the neck, over my shoulders, until it meets the top of the dress right above the breast line. Looks like it would fall to right above my knee. It's perfect.
The perfect armor for the day. And also, probably a good apology as well.
Choosing a pair of flats to go with it, I lay them both out on the bed while I retreat back into the bathroom to do my makeup. Or at least the scant amount of makeup I know how to do. Some eyeliner, a brush of mascara, and a nice matte nude lipstick later and I'm ready for my dress.
Sitting next to my dress, however, is something new. A stylized pair of glasses, a little more fancy than I normally wear, but something that will go great with the outfit I picked out. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. The Tardis is helping me dress up.
The dress fits perfectly, not that I doubted it, and I slip on my flats. One last look in the mirror to check that everything is good, which it's good enough for me, and I head out of our room to go looking for the Doctor.
He's in the console room, I don't know why I expected him to be anywhere else.
His back is to me when I enter, but his head rises, so I know he knows I'm there. "Done sulking dear?"
I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. "Yes, though you could have gone about it in a different way."
"I tried." The Doctor replies, voice mild. Which is true, he had tried. I just hadn't wanted to listen to it at the time.
"Fair enough." I'll give him that.
He turns to look at me, an eyebrow already rising, but he stops as soon as he gets a look at what I'm wearing.
I frown at him. "Doctor?"
The Doctor doesn't respond.
Waving a hand in front of his face doesn't get a reaction either. Until the Doctor catches it while it's on one of it's passes. His face warms, affection evident. "Oh Mabel, look at you."
I look down, biting my lip even as a pleased flush spreads across my nose. "I was feeling the need to dress up a bit today." I look up at him from under my lashes. "I take it you approve?"
"Of course I approve, you minx." There is a hint of a rumble lurking under his voice, one that fires up an answering heat in me. "It's a shame that I won't get to enjoy it for very long."
"Huh?" I blink up at him in confusion, thrown by the non-sequitur.
The Doctor tugs on my dress, bringing my attention to the glow that's starting to creep up my legs.
Oh.
Disappointment unfurls, I had intended the dress to be a sort of unspoken apology for how I'd been acting the past couple of days. Looks like that wasn't going to happen now.
Brushing that aside, I focus instead on the soft look of affection he's directing towards me. Going up on my tip toes, I wait a beat.
The Doctor's lips twitch, even as he meets me in the middle for a kiss.
The kiss is soft, gentle.
And then he's gone. And so am I.
My awareness of him, ramped up as it seemed to be permanently now, disappears. It's an unsettling feeling. One that has something in the base of my head twinging in pain. I can feel the world restructure around me, though I can't quite see it yet, and with it comes new awareness of the Doctor. A different Doctor.
My mind stops cringing, which is nice. But what's even nicer is the Doctor's burst of happiness the moment he registers my arrival.
"Mabel!" He calls out, arms coming around my shoulders to pull me back into his chest.
I pat his arm, feeling affectionate, while I wait for my vision to return. When it does, I turn to look at him, beaming.
The Doctor's face goes slack.
This time, I know what's going on, and I just raise an eyebrow at him. "Like what you see?"
"Blimey Mabel, what's the special occasion?" He asks, shaking his head as if to clear the cobwebs out.
"It was supposed to be an apology, but I didn't get to stay for very long." I worry the bottom of the dress between my fingers. "In fact, I didn't even get to say it properly before I jumped."
The Doctor grabs the hand that's worrying my dress, bringing it up and placing a kiss on my knuckles. "An apology huh, I'll be sure to remember that. Well, let's see it then." Using our linked hands, he twirls me. My dress swooshes and I laugh even as he twirls me right back into his chest.
"Well." I ask, looking up at him. "What's the final verdict?"
"Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous." He murmurs, eyes bright. "Not that you aren't always gorgeous to me."
Even as my cheeks heat up once again, I can't help but roll my eyes at him. "You are such a sap."
The Doctor's smile kicks up a notch, dimples showing. "That's me, professional sap." He tilts his head to the side. "How do you feel about a sapphire waterfall?"
"In what context?" I ask him, confused by the abrupt change in topic.
"As a date location." He elaborates, tucking my hand around his arm.
I light up, grasping his arm just a little tighter. It feels as though it's been a while since we've been on a date. And I've never been on a date with this version of the Doctor. "Sapphire waterfalls you say?"
The corners of the Doctor's eyes crinkle in response. "It's a waterfall made of sapphires. This enormous jewel, the size of a glacier reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then shatters into sapphires at the edge. They fall a hundred thousand feet into a crystal ravine."
"Ooh, look at that romance." I tease him as he leads us in the direction of what looks to be a shuttle of some sort. "You know just what to say to get a woman interested, don't you?"
"Centuries of practice, Dear, centuries of practice." The Doctor responds cheekily, flashing the psychic paper to get us on the shuttle.
Once inside, I'm strongly reminded of an airplane, only there is much more leg room. We choose a seat close to the front, but not quite the first row.
"So how long does it take to get to this waterfall made of Sapphires?" I ask him, siting down.
The Doctor doesn't respond, so I look up at him. He has a wry look on his face. "Ah, about 4 hours or so?"
I roll my eyes in response. Of course it will take that long to get there. "I can't even say I'm surprised."
"It'll be worth it." He promises, scratching the back of his head in a sheepish movement even as he takes his own seat.
"I'm sure it will be." I say, amused despite myself.
The Hostess steps up to us with a wheeled buggy. "Complimentary juice pack, complimentary peanuts." She says, handing us said items.
I smile at her. "Thank you."
"That's the headphones for channels one to thirty six." The hostess continues, handing us more items. "Modem link for 3D vidgames. Complimentary earplugs. Complimentary slippers." She gives us a customer service smile. "I must warn you some products may contain nuts."
"That'll be the peanuts." The Doctor states, causing her to turn back to us.
"Enjoy your trip." The hostess offers, turning back to the next set of people she's helping.
The Doctor smiles. "Oh I can't wait. Allons-y!"
The hostess turns back to him. "I'm sorry?"
"It's French for 'let's go'." He explains.
"Fascinating." The Hostess comments, giving him another customer service smile.
The Doctor slumps back in his seat, a pout on his lips.
I pat him on the leg. "You tried sweetheart."
A person behind us leans forward. We turn to face him and he offer the Doctor his hand. "Hobbes. Professor Winfold Hobbes."
The Doctor shakes the offered hand, a smile on his face "I'm the Doctor. Hello."
"And I'm Mabel." I offer, shaking his hand as well. Hobbes looks decidedly lass enthusiastic to be shaking my hand then he did the Doctor's.
"It's my fourteenth time." Hobbes tells us, previous cheer returning.
"Oh. It's our first." The Doctor responds.
A woman, younger than the Professor, pops up out of the seat next to him. "And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco."
"Don't bother them." Hobbes scolds her. She sits down, and Hobbes retreats as well.
I exchange a look with the Doctor, not pleased with the encounter. He shrugs, in a 'what can you do' kind of way.
Unfortunately, before I can turn around and start up another conversation, the Hostess walks to the from of the compartment. "Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader Fifty. If you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors."
The doors close.
"Shields down." She continues.
The shields comes down, blocking the light from getting inside.
"I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace. Also, a reminder. Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals." The hostess smiles at us once again. "Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first. Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe."
The intercom crackles. "Driver Joe at the wheel. There's been a diamondfall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map. The journey covers five hundred kliks to the Multifaceted Coast. Duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for travelling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll."
I look over at the Doctor, biting my lip to hold in a smile. He has no such compunctions, beaming away like it's Christmas.
"For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth classics." The Hostess tells us, pressing a remote and causing several screens to drop down from the ceiling. "Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein." Another press of a button and a holographic projection pops up on the wall. "Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat. The Animation Archives." A projection of Betty Boop appears on a screen n front of the drivers cabin. "Four hours of fun time. Enjoy."
While I'm sure any of these features would have been tolerable on their lonesome, the conglomeration of noise all of them creates together is piercing. Thankfully, the Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver and shuts the whole entertainment system down.
I lean over to give him a grateful kiss on the cheek.
He preens after, the peacock, looking so very pleased with himself.
"Well, that's a mercy." Hobbes mutter from behind us.
The Hostess walks forward, looking very hassled. "I do apologize, ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We seem to have a failure of the Entertainment System."
"Oohh." The Doctor exaggerates, looking around like he can find the reason for the entertainment system failing.
"But what do we do?" A woman from the back asks.
"We've got four hours of this?" The man sitting next to her looks dismayed. "Four hours of just sitting here?"
Twisting around in his seat, the Doctor beams out at the other passengers. "Tell you what. We'll have to talk to each other instead."
And that's what we do. I learn that that the man and woman sitting next to each other are husband and wife, and their names are Val and Biff. Their son is with them. His name is Jethro, though he's sitting in another isle.
Also, Biff tells bad jokes. But that's kind of a father's prerogative anyways.
There's a woman sitting in the front by herself, her name is Sky. I guess her partner just recently left her so she's not all that happy right now.
I manage to get the Hostess to drop her customer service smile and actually tell me her name. It's Rakie, and she's pretty funny when she's not trying to do her job.
Some one gets Hobbes fired up and he proceeds to lecture us on the planet we are on, Midnight. He even has slides and everything.
"So, this is Midnight, do you see, bombarded by the sun. Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation." He gestures over to Dee Dee. "Dee Dee, next slide. It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because, you see, the history is fascinating. Because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system. There couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."
"But how do you know?" Jethro asks, actually sitting up and paying attention. His careful attitude of disinterest has vanished. "I mean, if no one can go outside."
"Oh, his imagination." Val scoffs. Jethro sinks back down into his seat. "Here we go."
"He's got a point, though." The Doctor chimes in.
"Exactly." Hobbes says. "We look upon this world through glass, safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it."
I consider his words, but I don't have time to consider them for very long as the shuttle we on are shakes and the sound of the engines running cuts off.
"We've stopped." Val frowns, looking around. "Have we stopped?"
"Are we there?" Biff asks.
Dee Dee shakes her head. "We can't be, it's too soon."
"They don't stop." Hobbes mumbles. "Crusader vehicles never stop."
"If you could just return to your seats." Rakie prompts, heading over to the intercom on the wall. "It's just a small delay."
"Maybe just a pit stop." Biff offers, shrugging.
"There's no pit to stop in." Hobbes argues. "I've been on this expedition fourteen times. They never stop."
"Well, evidently we have stopped, so there's no point in denying it." Sky states, sending the professor an annoyed look.
Jethro laughs. "We've broken down."
"Thanks, Jethro." Val mutters.
"In the middle of nowhere." Jethro continues, lowering his voice.
"That's enough." Biff says, irritated. "Now stop it."
Rakie walks back. "Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We're just experiencing a short delay. The driver needs to stabilize the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats."
I look over at the Doctor, raising an eyebrow. His lips twitch and he nods at me. We both approach the door to the cockpit, but Rakie gets in our way, looking distressed. "No, I'm sorry, I. Could you please?"
The Doctor flashes his psychic paper. "There you go. We're engine experts. Two ticks." Ignoring her continued protests, he presses the button to open the door, and then we are in the cockpit.
There are two men in the cockpit, and one whirls around at the sound of the door opening. "Sorry. If you could return to your seat, sir, ma'am."
"Company insurance." The Doctor says, flashing his psychic paper once again. "Let's see if we can get an early assessment. So, what's the problem, Driver Joe?"
Driver Joe looks unconcerned. "We're stabilizing the engine feeds. Won't take long."
The Doctor looks at a monitor on the wall. "Er, no, because that's the engine feed." He points to a line on monitor. "That line there, and it's fine. And it's a micropetrol engine, so stabilizing doesn't really make sense, does it?" He looks at Driver Joe. "Sorry. I'm the Doctor, I'm very clever. So, what's wrong?"
"We just stopped." The other man admits. "Look, all systems fine, everything's working, but we're not moving."
Pulling his sonic out, the Doctor scans the console. "Yeah, you're right. No faults." Looking at the man who had just spoken, the Doctor offers him a smile. "And who are you?"
"Claude. I'm the mechanic." Claude pauses for a second. "Trainee."
"Nice to meet you Claude." I jump in, smiling at the man.
"I've sent a distress signal. They should dispatch a rescue truck, top speed." Driver Joe states.
I hum. "And how long will the rescue truck take to get here?"
Driver Joe shrugs. "About an hour."
The Doctor looks over at me, excited, before turning back to Driver Joe. "Well, since we're waiting, shall we take a look outside? Just lift the screens a bit?"
"It's a hundred percent X-tonic out there." Driver Joe looks at the Doctor like he's crazy. "We'd be vaporized."
"Nah." The Doctor refutes. "Those windows are Finitoglass. They'd give you a couple of minutes. Go on, live a little."
He ends it with one of those irresistible smirks, one that makes me want to kiss it off his face. A flash of his eyes in my direction tells me that he's not unaware of the connection. Ugh, this man.
In the meantime, Driver Joe seems to have given in. He presses a button and the shields raise. The glowing diamond outcrops of Midnight gleam in the x-tonic sunlight.
My breath catches in my throat at the sight. "Oh, wow."
The Doctor clasps my hand in his, linking our fingers. "Oh Mabel, look at how beautiful it is."
"Look at all those diamonds." Claude murmurs. "Poisoned by the sun. No-one can ever touch them."
"Joe, you said we took a detour?" The Doctor asks, voice distracted.
Driver Joe nods. "Just about forty kliks to the west."
The Doctor hums. "Is that a recognized path?"
"No, it's a new one." Driver Joe states. "The computer worked it out on automatic."
"That means that we are the first people to see this path." I murmur, awe in my voice.
These are the moments that I live for. Traveling with the Doctor makes you take for granted that amazing things you start to see, but every now and again a sight will hit you and you'll feel like you're back at the beginning all over again.
I squeeze the Doctor's hand, sharing with him just how breathtaking the sight is to me. He shares his in return, and buried deep down, there is just a hint of smug male satisfaction. My resulting burst of amusement must tip him off, because I feel his rush of embarrassment.
Sure enough, a glance in his direction shows him stubbornly looking forward even though the tips of his ears are bright red.
The Doctor clears his throat. "So we're the first. This piece of ground. No one's ever been here before. Not in the whole of recorded history."
"Did you just?" Claude leans forward, eyes intent. He leans back after a moment. "No, sorry, it's nothing."
"What did you see?" The Doctor asks him.
Claude points out the window. "Just there. That ridge. Like, like a shadow. Just, just for a second."
I narrow my eyes against the glare, concentrating. "What kind of shadow?"
The console beeps. Driver Joe checks the readouts, then presses a button. The shields start to lower. "X-tonic rising. Shields down."
"Look, look. There it is, there it is. Look, there." Claude continues to point until the shields completely drop.
"What was it?" I ask in the sudden silence.
"Like just something shifting." Claude looks at me, unsettled. "Something sort of dark, like it was running."
The Doctor focuses on Claude. "Running which way?"
Claude swallows. "Towards us."
"Right" Driver Joe states. "Back to your seats, you two. And, er, not a word. Rescue's on its way. If you could close the door. Thank you."
I back out of the room, pulling the Doctor with me. Neither of us are pleased about it, but I know better than to push anymore.
As soon as we exit the cabin, Sky is there. "What did they say? Did they tell you? What is it? What's wrong?"
"The engines are just stabilizing, that's all." I tell her, my own version of a customer service smile on my face.
"It happens all the time." The Doctor continues.
"I don't need this." Sky complains. "I'm on a schedule. This is completely unnecessary."
"Back to your seats, thank you." Rakie tells us, before entering the cockpit herself.
The Doctor and I make our way back to our seats, but before we can get comfortable Dee Dee leans forward.
"Excuse me, Doctor, but they're micropetrol engines, aren't they?" She asks.
"Now, don't bother the man." Hobbes scolds.
"My father was a mechanic." Dee Dee states, turning to Hobbes, before turning back to us. "Micropetrol doesn't stabilize. What does stabilize mean?"
Smart girl.
"Well." The Doctor hedges. "Bit of flim-flam. Don't worry, they're sorting it out."
"So it's not the engines?" Hobbes leans forward.
"It's just a pause, that's all." The Doctor tells him.
Hobbes doesn't look convinced. "How much air have we got?"
I frown, taking in everyone's expression. "Professor, it's fine."
"What did he say?" Val jumps in. "Did he say we're running out of air?"
"I was just speculating." Hobbes states, taken aback.
Rakie enters the compartment once again and is immediately bombarded with questions.
"Is that right, miss? Are we running out of air?" "Is that what the Captain said?" "How much air have we got?"
"I assure you, everything is under control." Rakie tells them, but no one looks convinced.
"Well, doesn't look like it to me." Biff comments.
"Well, he said it." Val throws Hobbes under the bus.
"It's fine." Dee Dee states. "The air is on a circular filter."
But no one is listening. They just keep talking over one another. I get up out of my seat, irritated. "Everyone be quiet!"
It works, the noise dies down. But now everyone is looking at me.
"Thank you." The Doctor sends a pointed look out towards the people in the shuttle. "Now, if you'd care to listen to my good friend Dee Dee."
Dee Dee gives him a look of panic. It only lasts a moment, before she firms her chin, standing up to address the compartment. "Oh. Er, it's just that, well, the air's on a circular filter, so we could stay breathing for ten years."
The Doctor nods. He surveys the room, gaze stern. "There you go. And I've spoken to the Captain. I can guarantee you everything's fine."
It would have been convincing, but as soon as he finishes something bangs along the outside of the shuttle twice.
"Now what was that?" I murmur into the resulting silence.
"It must be the metal." Hobbes assumes. "We're cooling down. It's just settling."
"Rocks. It could be rocks falling." Dee Dee offers.
Or it might have something to do with the shadow that Claude saw earlier, running for the shuttle.
"What I want to know is, how long do we have to sit here." Biff frowns in irritation.
There are two more knocks, this time on a different part of the hull.
"What is that?" Sky demands.
"There's someone out there." Val states, looking around in fear.
Hobbes scoffs. "Now, don't be ridiculous."
"Like I said, it could be rocks." Dee Dee says again.
Rakie shakes her head. "We're out in the open. Nothing could fall against the sides."
There are two more knocks.
"Knock knock." The Doctor murmurs, standing up from his seat.
"Who's there?" Jethro exaggerates, a slight smile on his face.
"Is there something out there?" Sky asks. No one responds. "Well? Anyone?"
Another two knocks on the hull.
"Okay, starting to get creepy here." I mutter.
"What the hell is making that noise?" Sky demands, panicked.
"I'm sorry, but the light out there is x-tonic. That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second." Hobbes states. His voice sounds as if he's explaining something to a group of small children. "It is impossible for someone to be outside."
"Professor, I'd shut up right about now." I scold him, irritated by his constant denials. "Just because you don't think something is possible, doesn't mean that it's not happening. You said it yourself earlier, that this planet was virtually unstudied. Just because you can't survive in x-tonic sunlight doesn't mean there isn't something that can."
Another two thumps.
"There it is again." Sky murmurs.
The Doctor moves over to the wall, ignoring Rakie's protests, and pull out a stethoscope. He places the end of it against the hull and waits. "Hello?"
Another two thumps, but this time they've sped up.
Jethro takes a step forward. "It's moving."
The emergency exit starts to rattle, like someone is trying to get in.
"It's trying the door!" Val points at the door in question.
"There is no it." Hobbes continues. "There's nothing out there. Can't be."
The emergency door rattles again. There are two more knocks on the roof, then two knocks on the entrance door.
"That's the entrance." Val states, still panicked. "Can it get in?"
Dee Dee shakes her head. "No. That door's on two hundred weight hydraulics."
"Stop it. Don't encourage them." Hobbes hisses. He's really starting to get on my nerves.
But this time, Dee Dee seems to have gotten tired of him constantly telling her to stop, because she turns around and snaps back. "What do you think it is?"
Biff approaches the door, ignoring his wife's protest.
The Doctor reaches out for him, his own voice cautious. "Mister Cane. Better not."
Knocking on the door three times, Biff smiles even as he turns back to us. "Nah, it's cast iron, that door."
Three rapid knocks on the door come in response.
"It answered!" Jethro looks around in shock. "It answered."
"Alright, alright." I push forward, herding the rest of the group away from the door. "Let's step away now."
"No, but it answered." Sky insists. "Don't tell me that thing's not alive. It answered him."
"I really must insist you get back to your seats." Rakie jumps in.
"No, don't just stand there telling us the rules." Sky yells, turning to Rakie. "You're the hostess. You're supposed to do something."
"Oi!" I cut in, not pleased at all with what is going on. I get in between Sky and Rakie, focusing on Sky. "Stop yelling at her. She's just as confused as the rest of us. I know you're scared Sky, that's no reason to take it out on Rakie."
Sky narrows her eyes at me, but backs down.
The Doctor step forward, examining the door. He knocks four times.
Nothing happens. At least for a couple of pregnant seconds. And then four knocks answer him from the other side of the shuttle.
"What is it? What the hell's making that noise? She said she'd get me. Stop it. Make it stop. Somebody make it stop." Sky looks around at the people watching her and just gets more panicked. "Don't just stand there looking at me." She points at Jethro, then at the Doctor. "It's not my fault. He started it with his stories. And he made it worse!"
"Calm down." Dee Dee urges.
"You're not helping." Val cuts in.
"Why didn't you leave it alone? Stop staring at me. Just tell me what the hell it is." Sky demands.
Dee Dee takes a deep breath before raising her voice. "Calm down!"
Sky goes silent. But the knocking get louder, and more insistent.
"It's coming for me." Sky insists, backing up against the cockpit door. "Oh, it's coming for me." She screams, high pitched and grating.
"Get out of there!" The Doctor responds, reaching for Sky.
There's a loud bang, and the whole shuttle is rocked from one side to the other. The light flicker, people are screaming, and I honestly don't know which way is up and which way is down. It takes several seconds, but I finally realize that the weight on my chest isn't the floor, but the Doctor who has landed on me.
"You okay?" I whisper, frightened by this whole situation.
The Doctor nods, sitting up and immediately turning to help me up as well. "You?"
I shake my head. "I don't think I'm hurt, no. What about everyone else?"
The Doctor raises his head, peeking out over the seat we found ourselves in. "How are we doing? Everyone okay?"
The lights are still off, but the entertainment system seems to have came back on. That singer is singing again.
"Earthquake." Hobbes mutters. "Must be."
"But that's impossible. The ground is fixed. It's solid." Dee Dee argues, sitting up from her position over the chairs she was thrown on top of.
"We've got torches." Rakie states. "Everyone take a torch. They're in the back of the seats."
And then there are beams of light shooting through the darkness.
"Oh, Jethro. Sweetheart, come here." Val murmurs.
"Never mind me." Jethro replies, taking a step towards the front. "What about her?"
Her? I turn to look at the front of the shuttle to see what he's looking at. It's Sky, huddled in the debris of chairs. They look as if they've been ripped up.
"What happened to the seats?" Val asks.
"Who did that?" Biff demands.
I scramble to the front, kneeling next to Sky. "It's okay Sky, it's over now. The wall's intact." Shining my torch at the hull, I focus on the large dent. It's as if something tried to get in. "See, look. Nothing got in."
"Driver Joe, can you hear me?" Rakie says behind us. I assume she's trying to get ahold of the people in the cockpit. "I'm not getting any response. The intercom must be down." She walks up to the door, pressing the button to open it.
X-tonic light floods the shuttle. One second passes, then two, before Rakie manages to press the button again. She stumbles back even as the door closes, but you can tell how close of a call it was from the way her clothing is smoking slightly.
The Doctor rushes forward, using his sonic on the panel next to the wall.
"What happened? What was that?" Val demands.
"Is it the driver?" Biff asks. "Have we lost the driver?"
"The cabin's gone." Rakie says, looking shocked.
"Don't be ridiculous." Hobbes scoffs. "It can't be gone. How can it be gone?"
"Well, well, you saw it." Dee Dee snaps back.
"There was nothing there, like it was ripped away." Rakie continues.
"What are you doing?" Biff asks, pointing his flashlight towards where the Doctor is working.
"Ah, that's better. Little bit of light. Thank you." The Doctor murmurs. "Molto bene."
Val looks concerned. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"The cabin's gone." Biff chimes in. "You'd better leave that wall alone."
"The cabin can't be gone." Hobbes reiterates.
"No, it's safe. Any rupture would automatically seal itself." The Doctor explains. He pulls the panel from the wall, staring at the wires which look like they've been sheered off. "But something sliced it off. You're right, the cabin's gone."
"But if it gets separated?" Rakie trails off.
The Doctor turns around, face serious. "It loses integrity. I'm sorry, they've been reduced to dust. The driver and the mechanic." He stands up, raising a hand to ward off the hubbub that's trying to start once again. "But they sent a distress signal. Help is on its way. They saved our lives. We are going to get out of here, I promise. We're still alive, and they are going to find us."
"Doctor, look at her." Jethro stares at Sky who's still hunched over on the ground facing away from us.
"Right. Yes. Sorry." The Doctor looks around. "Have we got a medical kit?"
Jethro looks disturbed. "Why won't she turn around?"
I place a hand on her shoulder. "Sky, are you okay?"
"Can you move, Sky?" The Doctor continues. "Can you turn to look at us?"
"That noise from outside." Jethro swallows. "It's stopped."
"Well, thank God for that." Val mutters.
"But what if it's not outside anymore? What if it's inside?" Jethro asks.
"Inside?" Val scoffs. "Where?"
Jethro points to Sky. "It was heading for her."
"Now let's not jump to any conclusions just yet." I murmur.
The Doctor kneels next to us. "Sky? It's all right, Sky. I just want you to turn around and face me."
Sky takes her hands off her head, slowly turning around. There is a second where she doesn't do anything but then she suddenly looks up at Hobbes. Then her head jerks over to look at Jethro. Then me, then the Doctor.
"Sky?" I prompt, deeply concerned. This is nothing like that woman that I was talking with earlier.
Sky focuses on me. "Sky?"
"Are you alright?" I continue.
"Are you alright?" She echoes me.
I tilt my head to the side in confusion and she tilts her head the same way. "Sky, why are you copying me?"
Sky just looks at me, her eyes intent. "Sky, why are you copying me?"
"Sky, we're trying to help." The Doctor cuts in.
"Sky, we're trying to help." She echoes him as well.
He frowns, just a bit. "My name's the Doctor."
Sky watches him. "My name's the Doctor."
"Okay." The Doctor grimaces. "Can you stop?"
"Okay, can you stop?" Sky repeats.
The Doctor narrows his eyes. "I'd like you to stop."
Sky doesn't even hesitate. "I'd like you to stop."
"Why's she doing that?" Hobbes asks.
"Why's she doing that?" Sky echoes, her head jerking to look at Hobbes.
Biff shakes his head. "She's gone mad."
Sky jerks her head to look at Biff. "She's gone mad."
"Stop it." Val demands.
"Stop it." Sky echoes, jerking her head to look at Val.
Val's face becomes even more distressed. "I said stop it."
Sky watches her, eyes still intent. "I said stop it."
The others start up again, and Sky echoes each and every single word. Her eyes are unsettling, as if they can crawl into you and leave you nothing but an empty void.
"Be quiet." I interrupt, voice raised so everyone can hear me. The chatter comes to a halt.
Sky turns to look at me. "Be quiet."
Going back to my previous line of questioning, I repeat myself. "Sky, why are you repeating?"
"Sky, why are you repeating?" She echoes.
"What is that, learning?" The Doctor asks, leaning forward.
Sky jerks her head to look at the Doctor. "What is that, learning?"
The Doctor narrows his eyes. "Copying?"
"Copying?" Sky echoes.
"Or is it absorbing?" The Doctor hypothesizes.
Sky just looks at him. "Or is it absorbing?"
"The square root of pi is 1.772453850905516027298167483341." Sky starts to echo him two seconds into the recitation, and she keeps up, finishing exactly two seconds after he started. The Doctor leans back, reluctantly impressed. "Wow."
The group starts up again. Sky echoing everything. "But that's impossible." "She couldn't repeat all that." "Tell her to stop." "She's driving me mad." "Just make her stop!" "Stop her staring at me. Shut her up." "It's got to be a trick."
"Now, just stop it, all of you." The Doctor stands up, raising his voice to be heard.
"Now stop it, all of you." Sky echoes.
No one listens to him.
"Her eyes." Hobbes breathes. "What's wrong with her eyes?"
Sky jerks her head to look at him. "Her eyes. What's wrong with her eyes?"
Jethro shakes his head. "She can copy anything."
"She can copy anything." Sky echoes, proving his statement true.
"All of you, stop it!" I bite the inside of my cheek, frustrated. "The only thing this is doing is making you more terrified."
"She's different." Val mutters, obviously frightened. "She's something else. Do something. Make her stop."
Sky turns to Val. "She's different. She's something else. Do something. Make her stop."
Thankfully, at that moment the lights turn back on properly. The suddenness of it makes everyone in the compartment stop talking.
"That's the back up system." Rakie murmurs, looking up at the lights.
"Well, that's a bit better." Biff states.
"What about the rescue? How long's it going to take?" Val asks Rakie.
"About sixty minutes." Rakie replies. "That's all."
"Then I suggest we all calm down. This panic isn't helping." Hobbes points out. This is the first intelligent thing I've heard him say in a long while. "That poor woman is evidently in a state of self induced hysteria. We should leave her alone."
"I think we should all stop talking now." I murmur, eyes fixed on Sky.
"You know young lady, I'm starting to get tired of you telling people to be quiet." Hobbes says, the tone scathing. "I think you are the one." Hobbes pauses, finally seeming to understand what's happening. "What is she doing?"
"How can she do that?" Val asks, alarmed to find Sky talking with her as well. It seems as if Sky had gone on to the next step. First step was copying, second step was talking with the person. I'm really not looking forward to the third step. "She's talking with you. And with me. Oh, my God. Biff, what's she doing?"
"She's repeating, at exactly the same time." Jethro states, Sky staying in sync with him.
"That's impossible." Dee Dee breathes.
Hobbes shakes his head. "There's not even a delay."
Jethro laughs. "Oh man, that is weird."
"I think you should all be very, very quiet. Have you got that?" The Doctor sends a stern look to everyone in the shuttle.
"How's she doing it?" Val asks.
The Doctor throws out a hand in Val's direction. "Mrs Cane, please be quiet."
"How can she do that?" Val demands, getting more hysterical. "She's got my voice! She's got my words!"
Biff pulls Val back, putting an arm around her shoulders in comfort. "Come on, be quiet. Hush, now. Hush." He pauses, looking back over at Sky. "She's doing it to me."
"Just stop it, all of you. Stop it, please." The Doctor kneels down next to Sky once again. "Now then, Sky. Are you Sky? Is Sky still in there? Mrs Silvestry?" He tilts his head to the side in thought. "You know exactly what I'm going to say. How are you doing that?"
There is a moment of pause, then the Doctor starts again. "Roast beef. Bananas. The Medusa Cascade. Bang! Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Tardis. Shamble bobble dibble dooble." He smirks, a hint of mischief in his expression. "Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes, I am, thank you."
Sky keeps up with him, in every way. Saying the exact same words at the exact same time.
"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O." The Doctor tries, but Sky still repeats at the same time. "First she repeats, then she catches up. What's the next stage?"
"Next stage of what?" Dee Dee asks.
"That's not her, is it. That's not Mrs Silvestry any more." Jethro states, looking at the Doctor for confirmation.
"I don't think so, no. I think the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education, but in this case, maybe not. Let's just move back." The Doctor pulls me up. "Come on Mabel, let's get back."
The two of us herd the rest of the passengers back away from Sky. "Come on. Everyone, get back. All of you, as far as you can."
"Doctor, make her stop." Val pleads.
"Val, come with me. Come to the back. Stop looking at her." The Doctor prompts.
"Come on, Jethro. You too." I tell him, gesturing for him to move back.
"Fifty minutes, that's all we need. Fifty minutes till the rescue arrives. And she's not exactly strong. Look at her. All she's got is our voices." The Doctor tells them. An attempt to lower the panic in the room.
"I can't, I can't look at her. It's those eyes." Val says, then proceeds to stare straight at Sky.
"We must not look at goblin men." Dee Dee murmurs.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Biff looks around at everyone, confused.
"It's a poem. Christina Rossetti." The Doctor states. He's positioned himself so that if anyone tries to get to Sky, they'd have to go through him first.
Unfortunately, it leaves his back wide open. I tilt myself, so I have a view of the group, but I also have a view of Sky. While the Doctor might be right in the fact that she just has our voices, I think he's forgetting the power that words can have on people. And this group of people is easily frightened.
"We must not look at goblin men." Dee Dee continues. "We must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry, thirsty roots?"
"Actually, I don't think that's helping." The Doctor points out, frowning at Dee Dee.
"She's not a goblin, or a monster. She's just a very sick woman." Hobbes argues.
"Maybe that's why it went for her." Jethro states.
Hobbes shakes his head. "There is no it."
"Think about it though." Jethro looks at Hobbes. "That knocking went all the way round the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared out of all of us. Maybe that's what it needed. That's how it got in."
"For the last time. Nothing can live on the surface of Midnight." Hobbes insists, vehemently.
"Professor, I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe, but perhaps the universe has got ideas of its own, hmm?" The Doctor says. It seems as if he's finally starting to lose patience with these people. "Now trust me, I've got previous experience. I think there might well be some consciousness inside Mrs Silvestry, but maybe she's still in there. And it's our job to help her."
"Agreed." I murmur.
"Well, you can help her. I'm not going near." Biff shakes his head.
"No, we've got to stay back, because if she's copying us, then maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming me." The Doctor's eyes flicker to me." "Or you, or things could get a whole lot worse."
"Oh, like the two of you are so special." Val scoffs.
"As it happens, yes, we are." The Doctor states with a stern look in Val's direction. "So that's decided. We stay back, and we wait. When the rescue ship comes, we can get her to hospital."
"We should throw her out." Rakie murmurs, eyes on Sky.
We all turn to look at her.
"I beg your pardon?" Hobbes looks at Rakie like she's crazy.
"Can we do that?" Val asks.
"Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor hisses, looking between the two women.
"That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver, and the mechanic" Rakie points out. "And I don't think she's finished yet."
The Doctor gestures at Sky. "She can't even move."
"Look at her." Rakie insists. "Look at her eyes. She killed Joe, and she killed Claude, and we're next."
"Everybody, you just need to calm down." I say, making eye contact with each person. "All this is doing is creating more fear. We are not throwing Sky out of the shuttle."
"She's still doing it." Biff ignores me, looking at Sky.
"I don't care that she's still doing it. If you were to stop talking, you wouldn't notice it anymore." I tell him, fed up with everyone's behavior.
"But she won't stop. We can't throw her out, though. We can't even open the doors." Biff continues, ignoring me once again.
"No one is getting thrown out." The Doctor insists.
"Yes, we can." Dee Dee murmurs. "Because there's an air pressure seal. Like when you opened the cabin door, you weren't pulled out. You had a couple of seconds, because it takes the pressure wall about six seconds to collapse. Well, six seconds exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."
"Thanks, Dee Dee." The Doctor mutters, pursing his lips. "Just what we needed."
"Would it kill her outside?" Val asks. She's actually contemplating it.
"I don't know. But she's got a body now. It would certainly kill the physical form." Dee Dee tells her.
"No one is killing anyone." I insist.
"I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice, but we've got that one." Rakie point to the emergency exit. "All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."
"Now, listen, all of you." The Doctor leans forward, upset. "For all we know that's a brand new life form over there. And if it's come inside to discover us, than what's it found? This little bunch of humans. What do you amount to, murder? Because this is where you decide. You decide who you are. Could you actually murder her? Any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?"
There's a pause where no one says anything and I think he's done it, managed to convince them not to do this,
"I'd do it." Rakie says into the silence.
Biff nods. "So would I."
"And me." Val states.
"I think we should." Dee Dee looks around at everyone.
"What?" The Doctor leans back, flabbergasted.
Dee Dee looks at him dead in the eyes. "I want her out."
The Doctor shakes his head. "You can't say that."
"I'm sorry, but you said it yourself, Doctor. She is growing in strength." Dee Dee tries to justify herself.
"That's not what I said." The Doctor insists.
"I want to go home." Dee Dee 's face shakes like she's holding back tears. "I'm sorry. I want to be safe."
"You'll be safe any minute now." The Doctor tells her. "The rescue truck is on its way."
"But what happens then, Doctor? If it takes that thing back to the Leisure Palace, if that thing reaches civilization. What if it spreads?" Rakie asks. It's a valid question, as much as I hate this line of thought I have to at least admit that.
"No, because when we get back to the base, I'll be there to contain it." The Doctor explains.
I close my eyes for a second. Bad move Doctor.
"You haven't done much so far." Val scoffs.
"You're just standing in the back with the rest of us." Biff continues.
All the hostility, it's all pointed toward the Doctor now.
"And what is he supposed to do?" I ask them. "He's trying to keep all of you safe."
"She's dangerous. It's my job to see that this vessel is safe, and we should get rid of her." Rakie cuts in, looking around.
"Now, hang on. I think perhaps we're all going a little bit too far." Hobbes shakes his head.
"At last." The Doctor gives Hobbes a grateful look. "Thank you."
Rakie looks at him. "Two people are dead."
"Don't make it a third." The Doctor growls, before turning to Jethro. "Jethro, what do you say?"
"I'm not killing anyone." Jethro states.
"Thank you." The Doctor nods at him.
"He's just a boy." Val snaps.
Jethro immediately turns defensive. "What, so I don't get a vote?"
"There isn't a vote." The Doctor snaps. "It's not happening. Ever. If you try to throw her out that door, you'll have to get past me first."
"Okay." Rakie looks at him, no hesitation.
"Fine by me." Biff agrees with her.
I take a step forward. "And you'll have to go through me." Glancing around at all their faces, I try and reason with them. "Could you go through two people, then physically pick that woman up and murder her? Could you actually do it?"
Biff takes a step closer to me, obviously intending it to be threatening. "Are you calling me a coward?"
"This isn't a matter of cowardice or not." I hiss, done with these people.
"Who put you in charge, anyway?" Val asks. Her eyes flicker over to the Doctor. "Or you, for that matter?"
"I'm sorry, but you're a Doctor of what exactly?" Hobbes cuts in, derision on his face.
"They weren't even booked in. The rest of you, tickets in advance. They just turned up out of the blue." Rakie informs the others. Thanks Rakie.
"Where from?" Val demands.
The Doctor takes a step back, pulling me with him. "We're just travelers. That's all. We're traveling."
Val scoffs. "He hasn't even told us his name."
"The thing is though, Doctor." Jethro states. "You've been loving this."
"Oh, Jethro, not you." The Doctor murmurs.
"No, but ever since all the trouble started, you've been loving it." Jethro points out.
He's not wrong.
"It has to be said, you do seem to have a certain glee." Hobbes states.
"All right, I'm interested. Yes, I can't help it." The Doctor admits, turning to Sky before focusing on the group once more. "Because whatever's inside her, it's brand new, and that's fascinating."
"What, you wanted this to happen?" Val asks, though it's more like she demands.
"No." The Doctor shakes his head.
Jethro tilts his head, studying us. "You called us humans like you're not one of us."
"He did." Val nods. "That's what he said."
The Doctor goes to open his mouth, but I clasp his hand in mine and squeeze. All his arguing is going to do right now is incite them to argue back more.
"And the wiring. He went into that panel and opened up the wiring." Dee Dee says.
"That was after." The Doctor replies, the words insistent.
"But how did you know what to do?" Biff demands.
The Doctor makes a frustrated noise. "Because I'm clever!"
"I see." Hobbes frowns at the Doctor. "Well, that makes things clear."
"And what are we, then?" Biff asks. "Idiots?"
"That's not how he meant it, and you know it." I interject, knowing it's not going to help our case but not being able to help myself. "You're all angry and taking everything the two of us say out of context."
"We're scared!" Dee Dee shouts.
"I know you're scared! But murder is not the answer!" I snap back.
"Then what is the proper answer?" Hobbes asks.
I shake my head. "I don't know."
"The proper answer is that we wait until the rescue shuttle gets here." The Doctor interjects. "And no one kills anyone else."
"You've been looking down on us from the moment we walked in." Val hisses at him, worked up again.
"Even if he goes, he's practically volunteered." Rakie murmurs.
"Oh come on, just listen to yourself, please." The Doctor looks around and I feel his unease at the harsh, unyielding faces looking back at us.
"Do you mean we throw him out as well?" Biff asks, breathless.
Rakie studies us. "If we have to."
"You are not throwing anyone out the door!" I insist, the only thing keeping me from stepping into their personal space is the grip the Doctor has on my hand.
"Look, just. Right, sorry, yes, hold on, just." The Doctor tries to diffuse the situation. "I know you're scared, and so am I. Look at me, I am. But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."
"Perhaps you could tell us your name." Rakie offers.
The Doctor shakes his head. "What does it matter?"
"My name is Mabel Falkov, and his name is John Falkov. We're just travelers." I jump in, thinking on my feet.
"She's lying." Biff scoffs.
"Their eyes are the same as hers." Val states, her own eyes flickering between the two of us.
"Why are you lying to us?" Jethro asks, studying our expressions.
"I'm not lying!" I insist. And I'm not, the only thing I'm fudging is the Doctor's name. And if we are married at some point in the future then I'm sure having him use my last name is within the rules.
"It's a simple question." Hobbes narrows his eyes at us.
"Now listen to me. Listen to me right now, because you need us, all of you. If we are going to get out of this, then you need us." The Doctor states, some of his desperation starting to shine through.
"So you keep saying." Hobbes looks at the Doctor with cold eyes. "You've been repeating yourself more than her."
"If anyone's in charge, it should be the Professor. He's the expert." Val cuts in.
"Mum, stop." Jethro murmurs, looking at something over our shoulders. "Just look."
Val shakes her head. "You keep out of this, Jethro."
"Look at her!" Jethro insists.
I whirl around, the Doctor turning with me.
"She's stopped." Dee Dee murmurs. The familiar echo of Sky behind her words is gone. Sky's not repeating anymore.
"When did she?" The Doctor pauses, confused. Sky is still copying his words. "No, she hasn't. She's still doing it."
"She looks the same to me." Val says. Sky does not echo her. "No, she's stopped. Look, I'm talking, and she's not."
There is a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This is not good at all.
"What about me, is she? Look. Look at that. She's not doing me. She's let me go." Biff looks relieved.
"Mrs Silvestry?" Rakie tries. "Nor me. Nothing."
"Why me?" The Doctor asks along with Sky. "Why are you doing this?"
"Do you see? I said so. She's with him." Val states, throwing him under the bus.
"How do you explain it, Doctor, if you're so clever?" Hobbes asks, a hint of scorn in his voice.
"I don't know." The Doctor snaps. "Sky, stop it. I said stop it. Just stop it."
I lay a hand on his arm to calm him. "Calm down, Doctor." This is the first time I've spoken since Sky stopped echoing everyone besides the Doctor, and it's not comforting to find that she's also still echoing me.
Val's eyes flicker between us. "Look at the three of them."
The Doctor takes a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. When he next opens them, there is none of the discomfort or frustration on his face even though I can still feel it humming away in the corner of my mind dedicated to him. "Mrs Silvestry, I'm trying to understand. You've captured our speech. What for?"
"Sky." I walk over and kneel down next to her, not letting my face show how disturbing her staring is. She's still echoing me. "Why the two of us in particular? The Doctor is a very clever man. Is that it, you are looking for cleverness?"
Sky's head turns from the Doctor and focuses on me, the motion is jerky.
"Cleverness then. Why? Is it because we're the only ones who can help?" The Doctor asks. His voice is stark with the sound of silence accompanying it. "Why did you stop echoing me now?"
I swallow hard. "Why are you choosing particular people to echo now?" Sure enough, she's still talking with me.
"Be careful Mabel." The Doctor cautions, hand curling around my arm as if he's going to pull me away at the first sign of danger.
"Why am I the person who you are echoing now?" A quicksilver burst of realization. The Doctor and I were the only one's arguing for her to stay, we obviously have knowledge of aliens. We're both clever. But I told the Doctor to calm down earlier and he did. I showed her that I had some sort of control over him. "Ohh, I get it now."
Shaking my head, I continue. "Sky, listen. I don't know what you want, but I do know that the Doctor and I are good at helping. Whatever it is you want, we can make it happen. I promise I will do everything in my power to make it work."
I feel it before it happens, the insidious crawling sensation of the entity layering itself on top of my mind. Sky opens her mouth. "Do we have a deal?" The words are torn from my throat a second later. My words, the words that I was going to say, she's said them first.
The Doctor's hand tightens around my arm, my perception of him has been completely cut off. "Mabel?"
I throw my panic against the barrier the entity has placed, but it doesn't do anything besides bounce back at me.
"Hold on, did she?" Dee Dee doesn't finish her question, but the intent is clear.
"Sky spoke first." Jethro adds.
There is the shift of cloth on cloth. Val speaks next. "She can't have."
"She did." Hobbes confirms.
"Mabel? What's wrong?" The Doctor asks me, turning me to face him.
I can't do anything but look at him in panic, voice stuck in my throat and my body frozen.
"Oh, look at that." Sky states, a hint of victory in her voice. I echo her a second later. "I'm ahead of you."
The Doctor's face goes slack in shock. I think he's finally realized what's happened.
"Did you see?" Hobbes asks. "Sky spoke before Mabel did. Definitely."
"Mabel is copying Sky now." Jethro continues.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Hobbes demands, voice raising.
"It's taken Mabel's voice." The Doctor answers, shock giving way to anger. Raw, dangerous anger. He turns to Sky. "Whatever you're doing, stop it now!"
"I think it's moved." Sky continues, she's still staring at me. I can see her from the corner of my eye. "I think it's letting me go."
"What do you mean?" Dee Dee asks. "Letting you go from what?"
"But Mabel's repeating now. She's the one doing it. It's her." Biff accuses.
No, no no no no no. Please don't. My heart starts to race.
Jethro moves a step closer to us over the Doctor's shoulder. "They're separating."
"Mrs Silvestry, is that you?" Hobbes addresses Sky.
"Yes. Yes, it's me." Sky says, her expression is exaggerated. I echo her, the words torn from my throat no matter how much I try to hold them back.
"No, stop it." The Doctor demands, turning back towards the group. "That's not what happened."
"I'm coming back." Sky insists. The creature raises her hands and looks at them like she's never had them before. "Listen. It's me."
"Like it's passed into the Mabel. It's transferred. Whatever it is, it's gone inside her." Jethro chimes in, looking me dead in the eyes.
"No, that's not what happened." Dee Dee whispers.
"I said stop it!" The Doctor orders, voice dropping a register in his anger.
"But look at her Doctor." Val insists.
"Look at me, I can move. I can feel again. I'm coming back to life. And look at her. She can't move." Sky looks over at the group and extends her arm. "Help me. Professor? Get me away from her. Please."
The Doctor shakes his head rapidly. "Don't do it."
"But she's asking for help." Hobbes argues, inching his way forward.
"I'm telling you, that's not Sky. It's taken Mabel's voice." The Doctor insists.
Hobbes ignores the Doctor, takes the last two steps forward and helps Sky up.
"Oh, thank you." Sky tells him, my voice accompanying hers a second later. My vision sways, energy starting to dip. What ever this creature is doing, it seems to be draining me as well as stealing my voice.
"They've completely separated." Jethro states.
"It's in Mabel. Do you see? I said it was her all the time." Biff insists.
"Sky's free." Val continues for her husband. "She's been saved."
The Doctor's mouth is a sharp slash across his face. It's clear he's lost control of the situation.
"Oh, it was so cold." Sky starts, looking at the group. I echo her, even as a bead of sweat runs down my back. Her mannerisms have adapted. Sky's voice sounds less mechanical now, more realistic. "I couldn't breathe. I'm sorry. I must have scared you so much."
"No, no, it's all right. I've got you." Val rushes over and gives Sky a hug. "Ooo, there you are, my love. It's gone. Everything's all right now."
"I wouldn't touch her." Dee Dee cautions. Smart girl.
"But it's gone." Biff argues. "She's clean. It passed into him."
Dee shakes her head at him. "That's not what happened."
"Thank you for your opinion, Dee, but clearly Mrs Silvestry has been released." Hobbes scolds her. That man is insufferable. If we get out of this place in tact, maybe I can convince the Doctor to disprove one of Hobbes papers or something.
"No-" Dee Dee starts, but Val cuts her off.
"Just leave her alone. She's safe, isn't she?" Val turns to her son. "Jethro, it's let her go, hasn't it?"
"I think so, yeah. Looks like it." Jethro looks over at Hobbes. "Professor?"
Hobbes nods. "I'd say, from observation, the Doctor can't move. And when she was possessed, she couldn't move, so-"
Biff cuts him off. "Well, there we are then. Now the only problem we've got is Mabel."
The Doctor makes a noise of frustration. "No, the only problem we've got is Sky."
Mob mentality Doctor, I think to myself, it's not going to work.
"It's inside her head. It killed the driver. And the mechanic. And now it wants us." Sky tells the group.
"I said so." Val insists.
"She's waited so long. In the dark. And the cold. And the diamonds." Sky explains, every word I echo sends a bolt of terror down my spine. "Until you came. Bodies so hot. With blood. And pain."
"Stop." Val turns around and looks straight at me. "Oh, my God, make her stop. Someone make her stop."
The Doctor stands up from my side, hands clenched at his sides. "This has gone on long enough." He grabs Sky by the shoulders. "What have you done to Mabel?"
"I haven't done anything." Sky insists. She tilts her head towards the Professor. "Please, help me. He's hurting me."
"Now look here, sir." Hobbes demands, getting up into the Doctor's face. "Leave Mrs. Silvestry alone."
"I will not leave her alone until she reverses what's she's done to Mabel!" The Doctor shouts, anger blinding him to the danger of the situation. I can see the punch coming from behind him, but there's nothing I can do to warn him.
Biff's punch catches the Doctor off guard, and he falls hard, glancing off a seat before he hits the ground. There's a thin streak of blood welling up along his temple. Even from my position I can see that his eyes are unfocused as he attempts to move. It doesn't get him very far.
"Stop it!" Dee Dee cries.
"And you can shut up." Val sneers at Dee Dee.
Dee Dee shakes her head. "You want Mabel to be quiet, but Sky is the one saying the words in the first place!"
"But that's what the thing does, it repeats." Biff reminds her.
Hobbes holds up a hand. "Just let her talk."
"What do you know?" Biff scoffs. "Fat lot of good you've been."
"Just let her explain." Hobbes snaps, glaring at Biff.
"I think." Dee Dee hesitates. "I mean, from what I've seen, it repeats, then it synchronizes, then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what the Doctor said would happen."
"What, and you're on their side?" Biff asks her.
"No." Dee Dee responds, voice firm.
"The voice is the thing." Jethro states.
"And Sky's the voice. She stole it." Dee Dee turns around and points to me. "Look at her. It's not possessing Mabel, it's draining her."
Even past the panic that's threatening to choke me, I feel a tendril of pride for this woman.
Rakie speaks up for the first time in a long time. "Sky's got her voice."
"But that's not true, because it can't." Val re-states. "Because I saw it pass into Mabel. I saw it with my own eyes."
"So did I." Biff says, coming to stand beside his wife.
"You didn't." Dee Dee insists.
"It went from Sky, to Mabel." Val turns to her son. "You saw it, didn't you?"
For the first time Jethro hesitates. "I don't know."
"Oh, don't be stupid, Jethro. Of course you did." Val steamrolls over his hesitation.
"I suppose Mabel was right next to her." Jethro offers.
"Everyone saw it." Biff states. "Everyone."
"You didn't." Dee Dee insists once more. "You're just making it up. I know what I saw, and I saw her stealing Mabel's voice."
With a sinking sense of disappointment as I watch the expressions of the people around me, I realize that Dee Dee isn't going to be able to change their minds.
"She's as bad as Mabel. Someone shut her up." Val demands, proving me right.
"I think you should be quiet, Dee." Hobbes tells her, voice quiet.
"Well, I'm only saying-" Dee starts, but Hobbes cuts her off as he is prone to doing.
"And that's an order!" He tells her, voice raised. "You're making a fool of yourself, pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics, when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average at best. Now shut up."
"That's how she does it. She makes you fight. Creeps into your head. And whispers. Listen." Sky tilts her head. "Just listen. That's her. Inside."
"Throw her out." Biff demands, turning towards me.
"Get her out of my head." Val covers her ears as if that will help.
Biff nods. "Yeah, we should throw her out."
"Don't just talk about it, just." Val shakes her head. "You're useless. Do something."
"I will. You watch me." Biff tells his wife. "I'm going to throw her out."
"Yes. Throw her out. Get rid of her. Now." Sky encourages.
Biff comes up behind me and grabs me by the arms, starting to drag me towards the other end of the cabin.
No, no, no no no.
Please no.
"Don't!" Dee Dee cries out.
"It'll be you next." Val tells her, voice harsh.
"I don't think we should do this." Rakie interjects.
"It was your idea." Biff tells her before looking over at Hobbes. "Professor, help me. She's heavier than she looks."
"I can't." Hobbes hesitates. "I'm not."
Biff scoffs. "What sort of a man are you? Come on."
"I don't think so." The Doctor growls, hand tight on the seat beside him. It's clear that the seat is the only thing keeping him upright at the moment.
"Throw the both of them out." Val demands, looking between the two of us.
"Professor, grab the Doctor." Biff demands. "Jethro, help me with her."
"Just do it." Val insists. "Throw them out."
Hobbes goes over to the Doctor, grabbing his arm. The Doctor struggles, but the effort it costs him is evident in the way he sways as he stands there.
Jethro hooks his arms around my waist, but thankfully my foot catches on one of the seat bottoms.
Biff scoffs. "Don't grab her like that. Are you stupid? Get her by the feet."
And then my last line of defense is gone. These people are going to throw me out into the x-tonic sunlight. I'll die instantly, no chance of regeneration.
"Cast her out. Into the sun." Sky insists and I echo her words. They've moved me so far that I can now see her smug face. "And the night."
"Get her out!" Val demands.
"Stop! Don't do this, please!" The Doctor shouts, struggling against his own restrainers. "Mabel!"
"Do it." Sky encourages. "Do it now. Faster."
My eyes are as wide as I can make them go, tears welling up as I stare straight into the Doctor's eyes. My mouth moves with Sky's words.
"Just do it!" Val orders, her voice harsh.
"That's the way. You can do it. Throw her out." Sky insists, that snake in their ear.
"That's Mabel's voice." I hear Rakie state.
"The starlight waits." Sky continues. "The emptiness. The Midnight sky."
"It's Sky." Rakie insists. "She's taken Mabel's voice!"
Grabbing Sky and pushing her towards the side door, Rakie pushes the emergency release button. X-tonic sunlight pours into the room, stunning everyone with how bright it is.
Sky screams, and so do I.
"One, two, three, four, five, six." Rakie counts.
The pressure wall collapses, Rakie and Sky are sucked out of the shuttle The door closes right after, probably some sort of failsafe, and as that happens the two men holding on to me release their grip.
I crash to the ground, but it's a welcome feeling after being trapped in one position for so long. The entity has left, it no longer has a strangle hold on my mind. The feeling of the Doctor is a balm to my soul.
Biff reaches for me again, and I full body flinch away. Then the Doctor is there, kneeling next to me.
"It's gone." I murmur, rolling the word around in my mouth. One never really understands the freedom of being able to talk until one can't talk anymore. "It's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone."
The Doctor picks me up and moves us to the other side of the shuttle, only stumbling a little, making sure we are away from the other guests. Then he pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me, just breathing with his head pressed against the side of mine.
"I said it was Sky." Val states.
The Doctor makes a noise and sends what I'm going to assume is a truly dangerous look in her direction, because her mouth closes so quickly that you can hear her teeth click together.
I curl my fingers around the fabric of the Doctor's suit, the enormity of what almost happened hitting me. For the first time in what feels like a long time, I allow my tears to fall.
The Doctor doesn't say anything, just holds me tighter both physically and mentally, letting me cry myself out.
I'm thankful for it. I'm also so exhausted that I can't find it in me to care about the fact I'm crying all over his suit.
The tears eventually stop and I just-I'm not ready to face the world yet. By taking me to the other side of the shuttle, the Doctor created this bubble of privacy that I didn't want to break.
"Mabel?" The Doctor murmurs, voice quiet.
I nod.
He strokes a hand down my hair. When he speaks next his voice is hesitant in a way that I'm not used to. "Can-Would it be okay if I checked you over?"
"Yes." My voice is rough from crying, so I pause to clear it. "Yes, please."
If there is any chance that the thing is still in my head, I want to know.
The Doctor rests his head against mine once again. To the others it probably looks as though we are comforting each other. And we are to an extent. After having our connection clamped down on like the entity had, the feeling of him encompassing my mind was infinitely reassuring.
It feels as though his mind expands to cover mine. I sink into the feeling, not resisting when I feel the gentle scan. The Doctor is efficient, but quick. And he pulls back immediately after he's done.
"Is it gone?" I whisper, voice so low I can barely hear it myself.
The Doctor nods, his voice just a low as mine. "It's just you now."
I take a shuddering breath, relieved beyond words. Leaning back, I reach up to touch the streak of blood across his temple.
The Doctor winces, but allows my inspection.
"How bad is it?" I murmur.
"Not bad." He replies. "It's already healing."
My mouth pulls down at the sides.
The speaker on the wall crackles and for one horrible second I think the entity is back, but it's just the rescue vehicle.
"Crusader Fifty rescue vehicle coming alongside in three minutes. Repeat. Crusader Fifty rescue vehicle coming alongside in three minutes. Door seals set to automatic. Prepare for boarding. Repeat. Prepare for boarding." The man on the rescue vessel states.
A flicker of relief fills me, or is it the Doctor's relief? Either way, we are that much closer to being away from these people.
The rescue vehicle comes, and we load ourselves on. Then it is only a matter of time until we make it back to the resort.
We are almost there, only minutes to go, when Val looks up from her side of the room.
"Look, I'm sorry okay." She says, tears in her eyes as she looks at me.
I don't respond.
Val frowns at my silence. "Didn't you hear me? I said I'm sorry."
"What do you want me to say?" I ask her. The Doctor threads our fingers together, all the while sending me support.
Hesitating, Val seems to decide to go for it. "When a person apologizes, the other person normally forgives them."
I laugh, biter and short. "No. I don't accept your apology."
"What?" Biff seems taken aback.
"I don't accept your apology for the simple reason that you aren't apologizing for the right reason." I continue, ignoring their protests. "You're not actually sorry that your mob mentality tried to kill the both of us, you're apologizing because you're guilty. You want me to absolve you of your guilt." Looking into her eyes, I let her see how serious I am. "I do not accept your apology."
"We were confused, and scared. You can't blame us for that." Hobbes argues, immediately on the defensive.
My head swings over to look at him. "And you. And academic, a Professor even. A man who uses his title to bully those under him."
Hobbes frowns at me. "What are you talking about?"
"You hire her as a researcher but use her to fetch your coffee and carry your things. Any time she tries to say something insightful, or even talk to the same people you talk to, you tell her to be quiet. To not bother people. Less than an hour ago, you told her that she was nothing more than average at best because she was disagreeing with what you all wanted to believe." I tilt my head, studying his face. "But you're the one who's average aren't you Hobbes?"
"I'm a Professor." Hobbes replies, but his voice is weak.
"A Professor, yes, but not a very good one. And this isn't the first time you've done this, is it?" I watch his expression freeze. "You take talented individuals and make them your gophers. Does it make you feel powerful?"
"This isn't fair." Biff interrupts. "You don't have a right to be saying these things to us."
This time I don't ignore him, instead I give him my full attention. "Ah yes, a lecture on rights from the man who had picked me up and was dragging me across the room to murder me."
Biff's mouth snaps closed.
"I don't have anything to say to the three of you. Except maybe one thing." I wait until they all focus on me. "You all disappoint me."
The Doctor tugs on my hand. "That's enough Mabel."
I take in their expressions, full of fear and just a hint of guilt, and feel a tendril of shame wiggle it's way into my stomach. These people are just blundering their way through life like anyone is. I don't apologize, but I do turn my head from them and focus on the Doctor instead.
He's looking at me steadily, eyes clearer than they were. Concussion clearing up, I suppose. The Doctor always has been a fast healer. I was half expecting to find anger, or even disgust, in his eyes at my display but there is nothing like that there. Just a steady devotion, and a sort of alien intelligence that's become comforting rather than something different.
"Approaching the resort." The same man who spoke over the speakers earlier informs us. "Door seals set to automatic. Please prepare for departure."
I let out a small sigh of relief, so very grateful to be leaving this shuttle. The Doctor helps me up, making sure we are the first ones to leave.
Donna is waiting for us on the platform. As soon as she sees me, her expression changes from anxious to compassion. "Oh honey, what happened?"
I shake my head, throat closing up. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"That's okay." Donna pulls me into a hug. I return it as best as I can as the Doctor won't let my hand go. Though to be completely honest, I don't want to let go either. Donna pulls back and sends a stern look at the Doctor. "What are you waiting for, you prawn? Go."
The Doctor rolls his eyes, a hint of a smile lurking around the corners of his lips. "Yes, Donna." Tugging on our linked hands, he directs me in the direction I'm going to assume the Tards is in.
To be honest, I wasn't trying that hard to pay attention. Instead of watching where we were going, I sort of let myself drift. It might have only been a grand total of five hours from start to finish that I'd been here, but I was exhausted, and emotionally raw.
The Doctor must sense that, because he doesn't push me. He leads me back to our bedroom and urges me to take a shower while he finishes a couple of things, with a promise to come find me when he's done.
And then I was alone.
After all the noise, even if it was just the background hum of the shuttle, the sound of silence was almost deafening. Even though the Doctor had just left, I feel a sharp pang of longing for him to be here now.
Well, might as well take that shower. By the time I make it into the bathroom, the shower is already running. Steam swirling through the air as the water beats down. I send a grateful look to the ceiling, which has the Tardis chiming at me, but my first stop is the sink instead. As I thought, my makeup is a hot mess. Trails of eyeliner and mascara run from the corner of my eyes. No wonder Donna had immediately hugged me the second she saw my face.
I tug my glasses off, and haphazardly place them on the sink which thankfully makes my image go a little out of focus. A quick search through the cupboards yields makeup remover wipes, which I liberally apply to my face, and then I slip out of my dress and finally enter the hot water.
It feels amazing. As I lather up, I take care to not watch what I'm doing. Biff's comment is still ringing in my ears, the 'she's heavier than she looks'. I'm almost forty. I don't have the body I used to have anymore and I'm well aware of that. The Doctor's never complained before, but it doesn't stop me from being self conscious about the extra padding around my hips and stomach.
Once finished, and dry, I pull out one of the Doctor's old jumpers that he wore when he had big ears and wore a leather jacket. It's absolutely huge on me, but that's kind of the point. A soft, plain pair of leggings later, and I'm left standing in the middle of the room.
I don't really want to stay in here by myself, I'd done enough of that over the last couple of days, so I grab the fluffy blanket that's draped over the back of the Doctor's desk chair, swing it over my shoulders, and take off down one of the corridors.
The aimless wandering does me good, allowing my mind to process what's happened even as my feet move. I've always done better when I had an avenue to channel my thought process into. Eventually, the Tardis leads the Doctor to me.
He finds me, hair still wet from his own shower and a fresh bandage on the side of his head. Taking in my bulky clothes, and my blanket, I can see him mentally changing tracts. Instead of saying anything, he sweeps me off my feet, blanket and all, and takes off down the corridor.
I ooph, not expecting that. "Doctor, what are you doing?"
"I'm taking you somewhere." He tells me, grinning. It's not one of his normal grins, but this one feels more real somehow.
So I curl my head into the crook of his neck, letting him take me wherever he wants to. In this strange world I've found myself in, the Doctor has been my one constant. Always there, always by my side unless something went wrong and he couldn't be.
A stray thought of Stockholm Syndrome floats into my head, but I mentally push that away. I honestly don't care what it is, it just is.
I trust the Doctor.
He's the person who's always looking out for me, younger version aside, and I trust him to take care of me.
The Doctor leads us to some sort of inside glade. One minute we are in the Tardis corridor, the next we are outside. It has a blanket spread out across the grass, with a picnic basket next to it. The scent of the lush greenery surrounds us, and above us the night sky twinkles, it all feels very real.
He sets me down gently, arranging the blankets around my form. For the first time I notice the fact that he's barefoot, a pair of cotton sleep pants and a thin shirt replacing his normal suit and tie. He reaches for the basket, pulling out a couple of hastily made sandwiches and fruit drinks.
My lips curl up in a smile almost involuntarily as I accept his offerings of the least messy sandwich and an apple juice box. "What's all this?"
"Well, we didn't exactly get to go on a date earlier like we'd planned to so I brought the date to you." The Doctor explains.
I sigh, reluctantly fond. This isn't exactly what I wanted to do right now, but he was trying to make me feel better so… My eyes flicker to where I remember blood trickling from his forehead. "How's the head?"
"Better." He says, after swallowing a bite of his sandwich. "I stopped by med bay earlier, but there wasn't much to fix. My body had already healed most of the damage." The Doctor gives a pointed look to the untouched sandwich in my hand. "Eat."
Mechanically, I bring the sandwich up to my mouth and take a bite. It's peanut butter and jelly, can't go wrong with that.
Once I'm finished, the Doctor takes my juice box and sets it aside, maneuvering me and my blanket shield to recline against his chest.
I take in the night sky, artificially created by the Tardis, and finally start to relax. "Hey, Doctor?"
The Doctor hums, a questioning tone in the rumble.
"Why juice boxes?" I ask him. It really was an odd drink choice.
He laughs, loud and happy. "It was the only thing in the refrigerator, we really need to go shopping."
Juice boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I tuck the small hope farther down into my chest, for the first time in a long while thinking about our future. If it's true.. well, I couldn't say I hadn't thought about it before.
The Doctor fishes through the blankets, threading our fingers when he finds my hand and brings it to his lips for a kiss. He lingers there, emotions bright. "Spoilers, dear."
Well, I thought to myself as my melancholy mood starts to lift, something to look forward to then.
Shin Maxwell – I'm glad you liked it!
Rosealyn – I love how you get the subtext I'm throwing out! It makes me happy everytime.
Deathb4beauty – I'm trying to make it so Mabel has a more active role in the adventures. It only seems logical.
Wyvernhandler – Oh, don't worry. We'll be getting the more intimate scenes with more characters.