Author's note: This is written by two authors(an American & a Brit) and is actually an adapted fanfiction out a role play verse. I thought it was too good to not share. I didn't want to change much of the written content as possible, so that explains why the POVs change slightly between Doctor/Donna. Thoughts, comments, and suggestions are always welcomed. Thank you for those that read and favorite!
Hiding actually sounded fantastic, but didn't make a very interesting story. Finally, the Doctor sighed. "We need to scout for information... We're going to Verron. Beautiful race... Brilliant crumpets! Ohhh they were good."
The Doctor takes a sip of tea, then glances to Donna. "They house a soothsayer. A very old, yet powerful soothsayer. One that can maybe enlighten me, yeah?"
Oh, that caused Donna to raise her eyebrow at him again. "A soothsayer? Really? Seriously? A soothsayer? You haven't noticed that whenever we get mixed up with soothsayers or fortune tellers or whatever you want to call them that bad things always happen?" Well... twice. But it was enough to make Donna wary of people who could 'see the future'.
"Isn't there some kind of... I dunno, Space Google you can search or sommat? Intergallatic newspapers? Anything?"
The Doctor looked off at nothing in particular. In all honesty, he completely agreed with her in the matters of soothsayers.
"Unfortunately I'm being tracked, meaning I have to try and be clever - which I am - and go to places that aren't typically me. Never actually been to Verron, but am familiar with the race. I need to maintain a low profile as much as I can."
"Tracked? What, like, Time Lord microchipping? Sat-tracking? Alien paparazzi? Then again, you do travel in a big blue box, hardly blends in at car parks. Seriously, it's like Ford, Ford, Skoda, TARDIS, BMW, mini."
"But listen though, if they're tracking you," whoever 'they' are, "then it's not safe for you to be waltzing about alien planets. You stay nice and cosy on the TARDIS and I'll go."
"Ohh, most definitely not!" It wasn't that he didn't trust her to scout out things, "I can't be gallivanting around time and space too scared to go out and have you do all my dirty work. What will that make me look like?" Of course he had a reputation to uphold.
"Meh, it's all in the title. Time Lord. Should be allowed to sit on some sort of throne all day and give out orders - don't get any ideas though. I'm not putting up with any of that nonsense." Last bloke who had tried to order her about ended up with two black eyes and a broken nose. "You want a skivvy then you should've picked up some lovestruck teenager."
Rubbing his eye, he continued, "I'll be fine, Donna. Let's go, like old times, eh?"
She shot him the 'look'. That infamous Noble look. "Like old times? Don't remember being hounded by space police and headhunters last time."
"No, but we did alot 'o exploring and running. As long as I'm not killed, I'd hate for you to be stuck on some random planet by yourself. Unless they worshiped you. Then maybe you wouldn't complain." He wiggled his eyebrows before slowly pressing a few buttons and turning the wheel to the TARDIS console. "We're in this together. No you. No I. Just us." He'll probably regret saying that later, but for the time being...
Well, at least a lovestruck teenager would do his every bidding and follow every order like an obedient puppy dog. Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir. No way would he get Donna running around like his slave. Well~ maybe if he was on his deathbed or badly injured she'd look after him for a while.
"OI! You're not dying and leaving me on some alien planet by myself! Besides, won't that Emergency Programme One thingy take me home nice and safe?" Not even being a Ginger Goddess would make being stuck on a planet without her friends and family worth it. "Anyway, you're not going to die. You're the Doctor, you'll be around for like... ever."
"Get off! I didn't sat anything about me dying!" Really, he had no intentions of dying any time soon. Where did she get these ideas? The Shadow Proclamation might be after him (at least that's who he thinks is after him. Even those details are a bit fuzzy), but they wouldn't kill him... not yet at least. They had too much fun putting one up for trial and read off their numerous laws and amendments, in their entirety, to remind you what you had violated.
Well Donna doesn't know the ins and outs of alien law. They could shoot him in the head on sight for all she knew. She hoped they wouldn't - not only would it be incredibly messy, but she'd miss the git too. "You better not die! You'll have me to answer to if you do!"
After a few more minutes and the Doctor happily finishing off his cup of tea, the whirling sounded as they started their landing. The Doctor greatly hoped the TARDIS managed to lock onto a well disguised location. One could hope.
Once the TARDIS was still and secure, Donna headed towards the door. That feeling of wonder and fear and excitement was bubbling away inside her. "Come on then, Skinny Boy."
When the door opened, it looked as if they had stepped into a jungle, only the plants - if you could call them that - were in varying shades of purples and blacks. "Well, at least I won't have any trouble finding you." Her ginger hair was a stark contrast to their surroundings, but luckily the TARDIS was able to blend in to an extent.
"Oi! Cheeky." The curse of the ginger. Even on distant alien planets the ginger hair stood out like a sore thumb. Seriously, why couldn't she've been born blonde or brunette? Maybe she should shave the lot off!
The Doctor's eyes were wide with curiosity as he looked around their new location as they followed a path he hoped would lead them to where they needed to be. After a few feet of walking, the path stopped in front of a door. That's right, a door standing by itself, where you could wave your arm around it and look past it and it all looked just the same. "I say we unlock it, eh?"
Donna followed. Seriously, he was like a kid in a sweet shop sometimes, or a kid on Christmas morning. All wide eyed wonderment. It was easy to forget just how old he was. Still, the door was weird interesting, to say the least. "No expert, but... shouldn't a door, y'know, have a wall attached to it?"
"Yes, it's very curious how it stands alone by itself in the frame and no wall or any anchors." He spoke nonchalantly as if it was preposterous that Donna expected anything different.
Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he unlocked the door, and complete with a knowing smirk to Donna, opened it... and it sucked both of them right in. When the Doctor finally felt it was safe to open his eyes, he didn't really know what to believe as their surroundings looked like some futuristic forest city. Futuristic in the sense that the village was clearly located amongst trees only the trees had electronic circuits showing through the branches and there were screens attached at convenient locations.
Donna was pretty sure that the Doctor was trying to get them killed. Seriously. First he shoved her under that alien hair dryer and then he opened up weird alien doors. Yup. He was trying to kill her.
Once she caught her breath and decided it was somewhat safe enough to open her eyes, she glanced around. "Not your average treehouses. Come on then, Spaceman. Let's go find this mad ol' soothsayer, find out who's trying to kill you and get outta here." Because, really, she didn't have time to change and skirt suit and court shoes? Not idea running wear.
A short hooded figure walked over to where they were standing. "Welcome visitors." It pulled out a device that looked similar to the Doctor's screwdriver and scanned them both. "Species Identified... Compiling... Compiling... Human... and... Time Lord." The Doctor quirked an eyebrow in the figure's direction, but stayed silent.
"Fascinating! A Time Lord? I thought that species was eradicated?" The object was put away in a pocket and it was as if the figure cocked it's head to scrutinize them both. "What brings you here?"
The Doctor glanced at Donna then spoke. "Well, actually, I'm the last one... Time Lord, that is. I was curious to meet with the soothsayer."
"Eradicated? Makes you sound like some sort of pest or sommat. Like an outer space rodent," Donna half-teased. But she always knew where to draw the line when it came to Time Lord talk. Anything to avoid the 'LAST OF THE TIME LORDS' speech/emo/angst.
"Right then, soothsayer, is he about? Is he a bloke? I mean, you never know, could a be a woman, is it a woman? Anyway~ Can we pop in or do we need an appointment? Our diary is pretty empty right now."
The Doctor grinned at Donna's comments before focusing back to their greeter.
"The soothsayer has no gender... No gender nor bias is to interfere with the readings. The hooded figure took a step forward as if to scrutinize the two before speaking again. "You've both traveled very far, yes? What is the nature of meeting with the soothsayer?"
Momentarily the Doctor scratched his head, "Oh, certain questions have come about... Sorry, the less everyone knows the better." The greeter hesitated, as if waiting for a reply.
Donna nodded at the Doctor. "He has questions, I'mjust his secretary, you know, make the coffee, fetch the cakes, keep him outta trouble... Suppose it's more like babysitting, really. PA, yeah, PA, I like that better. I'm his PA." She was also very good at rambling. But at least the greeter hadn't accused them of being a couple.
"Come with me."
"Meeting with the soothsayer. This is exciting." She fell into step with the Doctor. "What do we call them? Your Soothship? How'd you greet a soothsayer?"
The Doctor flashed a smile towards Donna as they walked up a few flights of stairs and eventually entering in one of the trees. Surprisingly for a tree, at least it looked like one from the outside, there was alot of room inside, opening up with high ceilings and ornate patterns decorating the walls.
Finally they reached another room, where fabrics and pillows decorated the floor - how stereotypical! On a stand there was what looked like a tiny woman with symbols decorating her face. She (Well, it looked like a she, even though whoever it was that greeted them said there was no gender) wore thick clothing and had eyes that were red, but looked blank without defined pupils.
Clearing his throat, the Doctor began to speak, but was quickly cut off. "I knew you'd arrive." The soothsayer's mouth didn't move, instead the voice was heard in his mind.
"I... err, what?"
As Donna stated - not your typical treehouse. Bit like the TARDIS, bigger on the inside. Seriously, Donna needed a wardrobe like that back home in Chiswick. She loved her TARDIS wardrobe. So much space and just about an outfit for every occasion. Brilliant.
"I see they've gone with soothsayer chic - drapes and pillows. Still, looks nice. Very... soothsayer...ish." Those eyes? Yeah, they were creepy, so creepy that Donna decided to stare at a pillow as if it were the most interesting thing in the universe.
Well, at least until the Doctor started being all weird on her. A puzzled Doctor was never good. "Spaceman?"
He realized she must not be able to hear the soothsayer, and without thinking, pressed a hand to her temple, opening the link up for her, as he did once before so she could hear the Ood sing.
I am the soothsayer... I see... all... I see... events that are possible in the future. They come to me through dreams or premonitions, Doctor.
Donna flinched. She couldn't help it. She has issues with having her head touched these days thanks to a certain memory stealing git in a suit. But at least she could now hear the soothsayer. Inside her head. Wizard. "Oh, that's just creepy..."
The soothsayer blinked and turned it's head as if judging them. I know you very well, although your face changes everytime I see a prophecy of yours... However, not all of these are guaranteed... to come true.
"Good to know I might be wasting my time." The Doctor spoke cheerfully as he took a seat on a pillow, motioning for Donna to join him.
She settled herself down on the pillow next to the Doctor's. "So, these possible events? That like daily horoscopes then? A load of nonsense that we try to find truth in? My mate Nerys, her stars said she'd find love by a lake. She don't even like water, but because her stars said lake, she booked a holiday by a lake and pulled."
The soothsayer continued speaking, ignoring Donna's comments completely, but not before it looked at her blank-eyed.
You are... under prosecution, Doctor? What details do you know?
The Doctor squirmed, as if trying to find a comfortable position but having no luck. "Sparsely... The Judoon have been starting to show up on some of my travels, making me think the Shadow Proclamation is somehow involved. Or at least I'm being tracked."
You are valuable prize, Doctor.At that comment the soothsayer's face cracked into a wicked, soundless smile. To say the least, it was very eery.
I've heard of many of your travels and meeting with the Daleks, the rewriting time... It comes with a price. Everything... comes with a price.
"Oi! He's not a prize to be hunted, thank you very much. Had enough of the Sebastiene... bloke... thing trying to wall mount him on Planet 1." That hadn't been fun at all. Prizes were supposed to be medals or money or heck, even chocolate. Not dead/maimed/tortured Time Lords.
"Yeah, yeah, rewriting time, everything comes with a price... Oi, what rewriting time? The Doctor's very good at following the rules of time. Seriously. It's like living with a walking rule book."
"Erm, yeah, I haven't done exactly everything by the rules, Donna..." The Doctor scratched his head, his gaze sheepishly flashing to Donna, then back to the soothsayer. "But nothing... recently."
The soothsayer's creepy grin stayed as it once again cocked it's head in curiosity. If it was not you, then who else would it be... Doctor? Changes... do not have to be fast nor immediately. The most important changes occur over time... leading up to a point... do they not?
The Doctor frowned and leaned forward, "Are you saying I've managed to do something, without realizing it, to change time?" He brow furrowed, "I don't understand..."
"Told you, vague as a horoscope. No use at all. I could've told you that you might have done something, don't need super seeing powers for that. That's just common sense." Yeah, Donna should really learn when to keep her mouth shut.
She picked at the corner of her pillow idly. "Got any useful information like... what exactly Skinny Boy has done or why they're chasing us?"
Wordlessly, the soothsayer's face turned to an angered snarl. Do not test my judgement, or question my words, foolish human!
The Doctor placed a hand on Donna's knee as both a comforting gesture and as a means of warning to be careful. Glancing back at the soothsayer, "She means no harm!"
You, Doctor, have stolen a very priceless item, and it has not angered the Shadow Proclamation, but placed fear into them. Fear of possibilities and fear of the unknown. There are consequences of such actions...
The soothsayer paused in it's actions and a blank look - if that were possible for someone who already naturally had a blank look - and grew silent. The Doctor jumped to his feet and began to run over to it.
Stop, Time Lord... It's body stayed frozen but gaze looked to him, There is another prophecy about you... One very different and with very different turn of events... Curious. Yes, very curious.
And echoing through their heads there was an unnerving, uncontrollable laughter, as the soothsayer seemed to have lost any sense of reality or sanity as it started drumming on the floor in beats of four. Oh, Doctor, what will you do?
Donna had shut up and listened to what the soothsayer had to say. At least until the cackling and the dragging and the running...
"Donna, let's go." The Doctor backed up quickly, and reached out to take her hand, helping her to her feet. As they quickly made their exit, the laughing continued as the soothsayer cried out in between the cackles, What will you do? Run? Oh, run, Doctor, you're quite good at that.
Donna was pretty sure that she had no idea what had just happened other than the fact it was freaky and happened far too fast for her liking. When they eventually slowed their running enough for her to try and catch her breath - hey, she hasn't done running for her life from crazy aliens in a while, alright?
"Right... what the hell just happened?"
"That was... interesting to say the least." The Doctor reached over and closed the open link in Donna, slightly paranoid that something would happen and incapacitate either her or him or both.
Easy with the mind shenanigans! Next time those fingers come anywhere near her temples, Donna may well snap the damn things off. Her head isn't a tap to be switched on and off at will, thank you very much, Spaceman.
They made their way out of the tree house and moved toward the entrance they came through. The Doctor made profuse apologies of not being able to stay and that their lumpy, vomit-looking tea they were offering looked delightful, but they were on a schedule.
There were many questions the Doctor had, and was ignoring Donna's own questions during the process of going back to the TARDIS. All he wanted now was to try and forget the cackling that was still echoing through his mind and the disturbing smile the soothsayer had plastered across it's face.
Donna fell into step beside the Doctor, making a grab for his wrist. "Oi! Doctor! Stop ignoring me and start explaining what the heck is going on or so help me I will slap you so hard!"
She forced him to spin around and face her. Initially he avoided her gaze, then met it. "Well that soothsayer is a bit nutters. I certainly haven't stolen anything, and if I have, I'm sure it wasn't anything significant."
He might've stolen some chocolate truffles at one point, maybe a few wires, but really he couldn't think of anything he had done recently that was significant.
That earned him the dreaded brow of doom. "Told you. Didn't I? Didn't I say bad things always happen when we meet soothsayers? Didn't I say it was a waste of time? Should've listened to me."
She sighed, looking at him for a long moment, clicking her tongue against the back of her teeth. "You sure you haven't pinched anything? Teaspoon? Space junk? Anything? Accidently popped a Curly Wurly in those giant pockets of yours and forgotten to pay?"
He scoffed, "No, I haven't!"
They trudged through the rest of the jungle and finally coming back to the TARDIS. "I mean, I've run off to a few places, but I didn't pop off with something stuffed in my pockets. I honestly don't know what the soothsayer is talking about."
After unlocking the door, the Doctor leaned against the railing, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"You even have any idea what's in those pockets of yours? Seriously, I bet you've got a flamin' housein there or sommat." She dropped down onto the jumpseat. The trip had been a waste of time and they still didn't have any answers.
She was silent, but it only lasted a few moments. "What did that nutjob mean when they said there was another prophecy about you? How's that work then? Different turn of events?"
He shrugged once again. "Don't know. I guess not only is the Shadow Proclamation out for me, but I guess something else out there is as well?"
He sighed. This was all too much for one day, even for a Time Lord. Finally glancing over to Donna, he smiled subtly. "I know you're frustrated at me and all this, but I'm glad you're here."
"You won't be saying that when my mum finds out where I am. Never mind the Shadow Proclamation, you'll be running from her. Don't forget she has an axe. Would you regenerate if she smashed your head in with an axe? Does it work like that? Or would you just be dead?" Oh, lovely topic, Donna.
Even so, she returned his smile. "Well, I'm going to get changed and make a cup of tea while you figure out our next move."
His smile turned wide and greatly amused at her question. Humor, he needed that and it was greatly appreciated in light of what mess seemed to be ahead of them.
When Donna walked off, the Doctor moved over to the TARDIS's console and slowly started pressing buttons and turning levers to take them back out where they were previously in space. He needed to just hide and lay low for a bit and see if there are clues out there about where to go next.
Hide and lay low? Stay in the same place for more than a few minutes? Thank heavens the TARDIS was bigger on the inside or else Donna may've been forced to brutally murder the Doctor herself, never mind head-hunters and whatnot. She knew full well he was rubbish at waiting and staying still.
Once she had changed out of her interview skirt suit and into something much more comfortable - hello jeans and tunic-shirt - she headed off to make tea. How very British of her. Good cup of tea fixes everything, well, some things.
She returned to the console room carrying two mugs. "Come on then, what's our next move, Time Boy?"
Donna might have thought the soothsayer was a waste of time, but at least they now knew what to look for - stolen items that potentially were priceless, or maybe they don't seem priceless at all, which is how they were taken so easily. May the investigation begin.