Title: Insurrection

Author: Lady Rheena

Rating: T (some violence and non-kiddie friendly stuff)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Evidently. No money. Don't sue. Please.

Notes: I am primarily a TNS Who fan and won't try to convince anyone otherwise. Any muff-ups I therefore make with TOS continuity can just be considered part of the AU definition. The Antecedent Series was written midway through TNS season two, and begins just after the events of Tooth and Claw.

Insurrection

Part 3

'Fat lot of good you are!'

The sun was high in the sky when Freyja was awakened by the unlikely voice, even more vivid than it had been on the rooftop. Blearily she opened her eyes and craned her neck. The Doctor was standing in front of her, as dapper as ever in pinstripes, plimsolls and mercifully unmarked trenchcoat.

'What?' she asked, forcing the words between lips that were dry with caked on blood.

'You!' he repeated, good-naturedly chiding. 'You find out the whole secret, the big conspiracy, narrowly escape with your life and then what? Lay down and die anyway? What's the point of that?'

'You'd have preferred I just let Asha kill me?' she asked, ironic despite the pain coursing through her body.

'Well, hardly,' he said derisively. 'Although I was rather hoping you'd be up for rallying the troops and coming to my rescue, to be honest.'

'But how do I start?' she croaked. 'I don't even know where you are. Tell me!'

'Oh, I imagine you'll think of something.' He scratched idly at one ear.

'That's not helpful.'

'Nah, it isn't, is it?' Glancing at the sky for a moment, he gave a shrug. 'I should probably be offering you something more in the way of cosmic truth, I suppose.'

'Or a little tactical data.'

'Hmm. I guess I'm pretty useless then, even as crappy hallucinations go.'

Freyja squinted at him. He seemed real enough.

'Hallucination? You're…you're just in my mind?'

'Well if I was the real Doctor, I really think I'd be helping you instead of standing here spouting off. Well…the way the bloke can talk I'd probably still be spouting off, but I'd be doing something at the same time rather than just leaving you lying there.'

'Ah.' Freyja gave a hoarse, mirthless laugh. 'I thought perhaps you were some other…expression of him.'

'Oh, you mean like some obscure telepathic cry for help.' He stuck his hands into his pockets and appeared to consider this. 'Nah, I don't think so. Firstly, there's no actual concrete evidence that Time Lords are capable of long-distance telepathic communication, and secondly, really, if the Doctor was going to send out a psychic call for help I think he'd have called Rose rather than you. No offence.'

'That's a quote from somewhere,' she accused.

'Your dissertation, most likely, since I'm in all technicality just a manifestation of your subconscious mind.' He gave a shrug. 'So I doubt I'm going to be able to offer any sterling advice since really, in plain fact, you're talking to yourself. Sorry about that. You're probably concussed, but if you can get to the ship you might be able to make it to help. Rose's apartment, for instance. Personally-' he hunkered down and lowered his voice as if conveying confidential information '-I reckon you can trust the rest of the gang. And of course Rose's loyalties are beyond all reproach.'

'That's what I think, is it?'

'Seems that way.' He straightened and grinned at her. 'So, are you going to lay here and expire or do something more constructive?'

'Die?' Freyja pulled herself along a little further, wincing with every movement. 'I've got better things to do today. Dying can wait.'

'Ah! Face of Boe, Sisterhood of Plenitude's Hospital, five billion and twenty three. Good god, you really do have a good memory for details, don't you?'

Freyja rolled onto her back and with conscious effort lifted her wrist scanner to identify which of the boulders littering the hillside was her ship. Then, turning over, she began the painstaking crawl towards it while the hallucinatory Doctor wandered along beside her, occasionally offering wry comments. As she reached the door she suddenly realised he'd been silent for a while and glanced about to find that he'd disappeared. Pity. Of all the personalities for her delusional subconscious to manifest as, he was probably the most pertinent.

She managed to heave herself into the pilot's chair and groped under the console for a stimulant spray. It took her three attempts to get the delivery mechanism onto the right spot on her arm, but she was grateful for the flood of adrenalin that surged through her system once she managed it. She'd pay for this further physical push later, but that could wait. Tapping in the activation commands for the intership beacon, she hit the first keymarked signature that appeared. Cal's face appeared on the screen.

'Freyja? Did you follow that- oh my god!' His countenance transformed from curiosity to outrage as he took in her condition. 'What the hell happened?'

'Explain later,' she managed, swallowing hard. 'Call the others. Get to Rose.'

'What happened, Freyja?'

'The Doctor. Asha. Get to Rose. I'll meet you…I'll meet you in London.' She killed the transmission before he could question her further and turned her attention to the navigation controls. 'Computer, activate default course alpha-two.' Good thing she'd thought to pre-program the vortex parameters for the Tylers' London apartment as an emergency location.

'Course set,' the computer's monotone informed her.

'Initiate lift.'

'Lift initiated.' A pause, and the ground rapidly vanished from beneath her. 'Safe altitude determined.'

'Initiate…vortex…' Freyja closed her eyes against the disorientating view of the time vortex as it swirled about the cockpit window, willing herself to stay conscious until she could get to Rose. The blur solidified abruptly into the rapidly approaching aerial view of London as the ship's autopilot took over the landing procedures. As the hull settled to the pavement in front of the apartment block, she noticed the three transit vans apparently parked there with a faint smile. Cal, Will and Nat had all made it, then. Which meant she needed to make it just a little further…she managed to get to her feet and stumble to the hatchway, palming it open, but all she saw were some running figures that blurred as they moved. Someone called her name and then she toppled out into many arms that were there to catch her, blissful oblivion once more taking hold.