Oh geez, guys, I'm so sorry for not posting last week! I forgot all about it D: To make up for it, I'll post two chapters this week. Today's, obviously, and one tomorrow. Also, while I'm thinking about it, heads up for next week: School dance on Friday, and then Castiel feels early Saturday, so next week's chapter will most likely be posted late on Saturday.
The Doctor walked back over to where the others were waiting, staring at his sonic screwdriver and trying to make sense of the readings. Something alien had caused it, no doubt about it. There was a small puddle of dried up green goop under some of the rocks, and the screwdriver couldn't narrow it down to one specific species. He'd have to check the TARDIS later.
"What's that?"
The Doctor looked up to see John standing close by, staring at the sonic screwdriver. There was something about the boy that unsettled the Doctor a smidge, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something about his eyes…
"New tool for mine inspectors," the Doctor told him. He looked over at Rory and Amy. "Definitely alien."
"Alien?" John echoed. He crossed his arms over his chest. "10 quid it was the Irish."
"You've got 10 quid?" Kimberly asked him, raising an eyebrow and grinning cheekily. John stuck his tongue out at her childishly before continuing with a grin of his own.
"There was an Irish business man who tried to buy this mine a little bit ago and the owner said no."
"Not that kind of alien," the Doctor informed him, shaking his head.
"Do you know what kind?" Rory asked. He couldn't help but feel a little smug. His suggestion to go to 'boring ol' Earth' found them an alien who liked to smash mines. Ha!
"Not yet," the Doctor sighed and then turned his attention back to the teenagers. "So! Have you two seen anything off around here? Seen things in the corner of your eye, heard things that you normally wouldn't?"
"There's been puddles of green stuff around," John said slowly, scratching his chin as he thought. He turned to Kimberly. "What else?"
"It feels like something's underground," she said in her quiet voice. "We sometimes feel like something's tryin' to come up. We thought that maybe somebody was trapped, but it felt too big to be a person."
"Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of, sir," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry."
It was silent as the Doctor racked his brain, until Rory and Kimberly's stomachs both began to rumble.
"S-Sorry," Kimberly said, blushing. "I-I guess it's been awhile since I've eaten last."
"That's nothing to be sorry about!" Amy said. "Rory's hungry, too. We've got food, though. Don't we, Rory?"
Rory looked confused for a second before realizing what she was getting at.
"Right, right. We brought some."
"Doctor," Amy said, trying to get the Time Lord's attention. He was still deep in thought. Jeez, there must be a lot of burrowing aliens. Amy hadn't seen him this deep in thought in awhile. "Rory and I are going to make something for lunch. You hungry?'
"No, no. I'm going to check the TARDIS' database to see if it can narrow down the possibilities."
"Rory's gonna make lunch wit' ya?" John asked. Amy looked back to the two teenagers, who both looked thoroughly confused. "Men don't cook."
"Right. Of course they don't!" Amy exclaimed, hastily trying to make up for her slip. Not in 1863, they don't. "I just meant that he'd, y'know, help carry it for me if it's too heavy."
This seemed to placate both of them. Before she could slip up any more, Amy turned back towards the TARDIS, the Doctor following close on her heels.
"What do you think it could be?" Amy asked, smiling at John and Kimberly as they walked past. John whispered something into her ear, and she quickly turned and answered, her lips moving rapidly. He shook his head.
Amy slipped through the doors, her heels clacking the whole way to the kitchen. The went down the right hallway while the Doctor and Rory went to the hallway to the left, towards the library - minus a pool. The TARDIS moved it again.
Amy stood in the kitchen, hands on hips. What should she make? From what she remembered from school, working class children didn't eat much; just enough to survive. So nothing too heavy. Although, John and Kimberly didn't look particularly underweight. Thin, yes, but not underfed. She wondered briefly if they get food from another source, then quickly decided she'd rather not know.
She quickly pulled out a large pot, filling it halfway with water. She figured a warm soup would be best right now. It would keep them warm until the sun finally started to warm them up enough. Amy pulled carrots, chicken, celery, pastina, and anything else she decided would be needed for soup.
She was starting to ladle the finished soup into bowls when the Doctor and Rory burst in, causing her to slash some onto the countertops.
"It's either Salitoran or Teehan!" the Doctor announced cheerfully.
"We won't be able to tell for sure unless we get a good look at it," Rory explained. "One of them's purple and the other's green. Other than that, they're pretty similar. I guess the planets are close to each other."
"Excellent. Now, help me bring these bowls out. Those poor kids are probably starving," Amy said, lifting the two bowls closest to her. The Doctor grabbed some spoons as Rory picked up the other two and led the way through the halls of the TARDIS and across the stony ground to where Kimberly and John were sitting on a large flat boulder. They stopped talking suddenly when they saw the three of them coming up.
"Here, some soup," Amy told them with a smile, handing them both a bowl. "It'll keep you two warm."
"Thank you." Kimberly took her bowl and spoon with a grateful smile, and started eating slowly.
"Have you two seen any flashes of purple or green, by any chance?" the Doctor asked, leaning against the rock they were sitting on.
"Can't say we have," John said before filling his mouth to the brim with soup. Amy stared at him, surprised. It was still pretty hot; how in the world could that boy eat it so quickly? "Does this have something to do with the mine collapsing?"
"Yes."
"No."
Amy and the Doctor glared at each other.
"Pond, it's not worth lying. I'm sure they've had enough adults lie to them," the Doctor pointed out.
"Lying's part of human nature," John said with a shrug. "If something'll make something better, than why not pick that? Y'get where I'm coming from?"
"Smart kid," the Doctor said, reaching down to pat the kid's head. John jerked out of his way, before his hand could make contact. There were a few tense seconds of silence before Kimberly broke it.
"So, uhm, why…why are we supposed to be seeing green or purple, s-sir?" she asked.
"We believe that the thing that collapsed the mine is either green or purple," the Doctor explained, trying not to stare at John. What was with that reaction? Did the boy think the Doctor was going to hit him or something? Actually, now that part of the Doctor's brain thought about it, he probably did.
"You said it was aliens, though," John said. "Humans ain't green or purple."
"And I told you, not that kind of alien," the Doctor reminded him.
"What other kind is there?"
"The kind from space," Amy told him. "They come from the stars."
"The stars?" John asked, looking at her incredulously. "That's ridiculous. Nothing's up there."
"You'd be surprised, kid," she said with a shrug.
"I'm not much younger than you are," he pointed out. "No need to call me kid."
"I call everybody kid," Amy told him with a dismissive flap of her hand. "Don't get angry about it or anything."
"She's not lying," Rory interjected. "Sounds mental, I know. I thought so, too, but she's right. There's entire civilizations living up there, on different planets."
"You're right. That is mental," John snorted. Kimberly looked like she was desperately trying not to smile.
She probably thinks we all belong in an asylum, Amy mused to herself.
"Are there any open ways into the mine still?" the Doctor asked as they finished eating.
"Yes, sir," John said, smiling a smile that the Doctor couldn't quite understand. It appeared to be a mix of joy, irony, and secrecy.
"Show us the way, then!"