Well, I definitely did not have in mind a break this long. I apologize, and hope it was worth the wait.
Big thanks to everyone who's reviewed—between this chapter and the last, the number of reviews for this story finally surpassed the number of chapters, which I find pretty exciting. All your comments are very much appreciated.
thisdayandage—The Doctor would be able to feel the shape and motions of Donna's hands, Helen Keller style.
He was not alone. It wasn't something he could explain his knowledge of in any human terms. Gallifreyan had words for it, certainly. But it wasn't really relevant now. No spoken language was. Using his mind only, he reached out into the void, towards the consciousness that he knew was inside him, and sent the simple message …Hello?
A long pause followed. He felt the foreign being sizing him up. He felt its surprise at his ability to communicate—which was admittedly interesting. He'd assumed it had known that his senses were superior to those of the type of host it would typically hope to find, but it hadn't been aware of his extra one.
Finally he felt it, a brief but definite reply: Hello.
He was excited but apprehensive. It had been a long time since he'd conducted a conversation solely using this sense. It created a very profound bond between the participants, but… sometimes too profound for his tastes. Barriers were harder to construct. You could filter your spoken words with deliberation in a way you couldn't filter your thoughts.
Hello, he said again. I'm the Doctor. The feeling, the purely mental representation of this name he went by was decidedly comforting. He hoped that would work in his favor, that it would appeal to this creature—let it know what he could do.
The pause was shorter this time, and then it, in turn, introduced itself. There was no way to articulate this introduction. But the images that its mental translation appeared as—they were of a dankness, an apprehension, a hope that the Doctor hadn't expected. Its being was defined by… waiting. How fascinating. And yet with it came a distinct… ambition. Not necessarily a dangerous kind. Really quite a humble one, if that was even possible.
The Doctor hoped he was interpreting correctly.
Pleased to meet you, he said friendlily. He felt the reception of the message, but there was radio silence after that. That was fair, he supposed. He was the one who'd initiated the interaction. He ought to explain his reasons. You've taken something from me.
Five things, actually.
He paused. He would have blinked if he had any discernible connection to his body anymore. They're rather important to me. Very much, in fact. I just want to make sure you understand what you're doing.
Their importance to you is irrelevant. I need them.
Well that didn't sound very friendly at all. It happens that I do too, and I'm afraid I had them first, he said, genuinely apologetic.
You can manage without them just as well as we have been. Regardless, it is no concern of ours.
You say that, but see, you're used to managing without them. I fly a time machine. I help people. I need the senses you've taken to live my life.
Your time machine... Is that what you told the female to get the key for? Your TARDIS?
In his surprise, for a long moment he did not respond.
The creature seemed to sense his nonspecific and unsent query. At any given time since I attached to you, I have been able to tap into the senses I had not yet taken—see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt.
Really? He was rather disturbed by this.
Much of the time I was not focused on your experiences. I had a task to fulfill.
Listen, I want to help you with that, I do, it's just… He didn't plan the sentence beforehand. The rest just sort of formed on its own, and it surprised even him. The last time I said "I'll help you" to a creature without knowing its true intentions… It didn't go so well.
Yes, I found that time in your mind. Midnight. You were paralyzed with the cold, weren't you? You hadn't been that cold in a very long time.
He was unresponsive for a moment, a bit shocked, and unsure of how to reply.
I didn't, couldn't, look at most of your memories—just the more short-term ones, the ones very fresh in your mind, the ones you've put yourself through often and recently. That one was interesting to me, you see. I've never felt the cold at all.
Too much… He fumbled, grasping for words. In a few moments he managed to right himself, cursed himself for the moment of vulnerability, and hoped it wouldn't affect negotiations. Too much can be a bad thing. But none whatsoever… I can't imagine a world so stifling. But like I said to that woman, or rather the creature inside her, whatever you want—and fortunately, this time, I'm pretty sure I know—you don't have to steal it.
But I do. And I have.
It wasn't sorry. There was no malice, no intent to harm—it was just doing what it was made for.
No, listen. You told me that when you were draining me, you could experience everything I was experiencing. I mean, basically.
Yes.
Could you maintain that state for a prolonged amount of time? Voluntarily?
I could.
He was getting excited. Then we have no problem here. Give me back my senses, and we can share them.
There was no response for some time, though he had no way of gauging just how much. Finally came a simple command: Explain.
I'm an accommodating man. You're on my ankle, fine. I can deal with that. If you return my senses to me, you can experience the world—many worlds—through me. I won't try to remove you, I promise.
Like a parasite?
Like… a companion. I've already got one, in fact. Very nice, her name's Donna.
Yes. The female with lesser senses.
Just the hand she was dealt. But she makes up for it in wit.
You are proposing that I return to you the use of the senses I have taken, but still stay on your body.
Of course you can stay as long as you like, but you'll probably want to detach and see things for yourself at some point. I don't know how to facilitate that, but trust me, I will find a way to. I've got a very good track record.
You misunderstand my purpose, Doctor. I do not work alone. I am to return these abilities to my colony. We will enjoy them for a decade or so, and then, as the new generation takes form, we will need to harvest again. Though we will not be likely to have anywhere near immediate success.
How? How are you going to get back to the cave? You must have noticed we left it.
I noticed a distinct change in environment. I noticed the collective consciousness of my brethren becoming alarmingly distant.
Listen, I'll help your entire family if you want me to.
You cannot. It is beyond you.
Don't be so sure. He knew it would be able to sense his certainty.
There was a pause. What could you do?
Oh, it's a simple matter of finding creatures with senses to spare, creatures willing to give them up. The ill, the near death. We may not even need to leave the planet to find enough volunteers for as many colonies as the caves may hold. We may not even need to leave this building.
Another pause. Pauses were a good sign. But this time the reply was almost… nervous. How do you know of the other colonies?
He wanted to grin. He wished he could feel his cheeks. A door, once opened, may be stepped through in either direction.
He sensed its surprise. He sensed it… sensing something. You have used these words before. Well, a more direct translation would have been You have sent this message before. They were not communicating in words.
Not quite. They've been used on me. Listen, I can tell you're not malicious. You're just doing your ascribed duty. I promise I will help you go above and beyond it. I can help you help all those like you in your caverns.
You cannot make that promise. Your senses are superb, and I already have them. They would power my colony for a generation.
And then what? I can help you form a peace with the above-grounders. They could donate their senses to you for generations to come. Me, with my sixth sense, that allows me to communicate with you—I'm the link you've been missing. I can help.
It was considering it. He could tell. But he'd be admittedly surprised if it agreed so quickly to jeopardize the success of its one function as a member of its colony.
Tell you what, he said. You can stay on my ankle. You can drain me again if I go against my word. Hell, you can keep my senses of taste and smell as leverage, just to be sure I'll have some concrete and ulterior motivation. I need the other three just to function normally or I'd offer them too.
It responded surprisingly quickly considering its message's content. I will require time to consider this.
He paused, taking this in. Ah. That's fair.
Silence after that.
Time passed. He didn't know how quickly. But as it crawled by, the void became less and less bearable, and more and more stifling. It was more debilitating than normal unconsciousness. It was a complete lack of sensation.
He knew he had the ability, the option, to leave it. To pull himself into the typical unawareness of unconsciousness, and be numb to it all. Here he felt raw, naked, on a mental level. But he had to stay and wait. If he didn't, he wouldn't be here to hear the creature's reply, when it came.
He hovered on the brink of nothing, and tried to focus on remembering what something, everything, anything felt like.