DICLAIMER: I do not own
A/N: I would just like to thank our readers for your support and patience, and of course for jesa463 for being a brilliant beta.
"Doctor!" Rory screamed in blind terror as the over-excited raggedy man just simply fell through a shaft of blue clouds. His voice echoed on for miles, loud and clear as a bell. This suggested that wherever The Doctor had just fallen through was quite deep. His eyes widened in response to the current shock his body was catapulting through, and the usual thrum of his heart became unsteady as he imagined what lay beneath that ominous blue smog – and what fate awaited the alien that had just fallen through it.
Despite every instinct in his body telling him to panic, to crawl into a small ball of useless limbs and shaking nerves, he knew that it wouldn't help the situation he'd found himself in, it would probably only worsen it.
Now all he had to do was ask himself a very simple question: What would The Doctor do?
His brain wiggled uncomfortably with the attempt of trying to think like the insane Timelord. He'd probably do something reckless and highly dangerous. If their roles were switched Rory's sure that The Doctor would probably just jump out of the TARDIS doors without a second thought, but Rory wasn't really too hot on that idea, and besides The Doctor was The Doctor, and he, well he was Rory Williams, human and very aware of his breakability, but then he did have the strange habit of surviving. What on Earth was he to do? Anything, and anyone could be waiting below that pit of despair, but The Doctor needed him. He could be hurt – or rather the most unthinkable and painful thing that Rory would find down there – dead and crushed – or dying with no hope of survival.
No! He had to stop thinking like that. If there was one thing that he had learned on his travels with The Doctor, it was that there was always hope. He had to go after him. There was no other choice. He couldn't pilot the TARDIS, could he? No, probably not. Even with the time machine's help, he wasn't connected enough to the TARDIS for her to tell him what to do. There had been a time where they had spoken – she'd called him pretty boy – he'd seen the body she'd been given die.
Rory flinched at the cold memory, but smiled briefly, remembering that despite the TARDIS's human death, she was in every aspect still very much alive. Maybe she could help – maybe?
Closing the doors shut, feeling downhearted, and ever so slightly cautious, he walked over to the console, placing a hand on its smooth surface. A low, chiming hum rang out. He presumed it was the TARDIS's way of trying to comfort him. It worked, calming him down to a state where he could make clear decisions, "It's just me and you now. We've got to find him. The thing is – I've never flown you before. I don't suppose – " Before Rory had even finished the sentence he was about to say, the TARDIS began flipping her own switches, and for those she couldn't control by herself, she showed him how to. He grinned stupidly. If he wasn't very much mistaken, the TARDIS had a soft spot for him.
He switched her engines off with the blue stabilizers, or as The Doctor called them "the blue boringers." He and the TARDIS were in agreement as to making a silent appearance. Rory wasn't keen on catching anyone's attention by turning up in a loud time machine. Nor was he keen on turning up in a visible one. In one swift move he made the TARDIS invisible. He laughed, though the situation that had gotten him into the situation involving flying the TARDIS was a deadly serious one, he now knew how wonderful it felt to be at the helm of the beautiful ship, piloting her.
Much to Rory's relief, the ride was smoother than the usual trip he was accustomed to. Though perhaps that had something to do with the fact The Doctor didn't really fly her, but rather pushed random buttons and hoped for the best. Though currently Rory would give anything for The Doctor and the tumbling madness that seemed to follow him.
The landing was signaled with a significant bump, and with that bump Rory's breath hitched to such a level that it was beginning to hurt to breath. Strolling over to the double doors, he opened them and poked his head out. Wherever he was, whenever, it was incredibly dark. It was so dark, in fact, that it almost hurt to gaze into the plummeting blackness. How was he going to find The Doctor if he couldn't even see what lay in front of him?
Rory didn't have much time to think about it as he felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. A chill tingled down his spine, and the fear that had been brewing within him multiplied by a million. Swallowing down hard, he braced himself for whatever may come next, and stepped out.
"See you around." He patted the invisible box gently in the hope that he would indeed be seeing the inside of the time machine again.
It was in that moment that the screams began - long and brutal screams that coiled around him and hugged at his entire nervous system. Rory froze - those screams could surely belong to only one person, "Oh, Doctor." He muttered, feeling utterly miserable and useless. The screams continued - getting louder and louder.
Rory hadn't got a plan - Rory hadn't got any weapons - in fact Rory had nothing. There had to be a way through this though, surely?
He jumped as he heard the scattering noise of claws scraping along the cold ground. He wished that for once he could be the brave one who saved the day, and that he was as great a warrior as he'd been when he'd been a plastic centurion with Romany things within his big Roman brain.
"Show yourself." He wanted to sound bold, courageous, and threatening. However he failed on all attempts as his voice came out as nothing but a mere squeak.
He was almost certain that something was circling him, observing his movements. A solid thwack to the head confirmed this, but it was too late to react as he fell from the literal darkness into the inky black that is unconsciousness.
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