Chapter Nine
Nyssa brought a dark wooden chair into the console room and held the Doctor's arm as he sat down it.
"I'm fine," he insisted. "The acid won't cause any permanent damage if we make it to our new destination in time." He pointed to a small screen on the console that displayed the changed coordinates.
Roland glanced at it, wondering if he would recognize the location, before looking back at the Doctor anxiously. He didn't know where these new coordinates would take them, but he could tell it was very far from Earth. "Where exactly are we going?" he asked.
"Is it a hospital?" Nyssa asked, wringing her hands and glancing between the Doctor's face and wound. "You seem in desperate need of a... er, medial expert."
"No... I'm fine," the Doctor rasped. He cleared his throat and attempted to speak again. "I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems. We're going to Kerak. It's... a frozen planet in a neighboring galaxy. There is a cave on that planet that has ice crystals with a special mineral property. They should neutralize the acid." The Doctor was covering his wound with his hand now, uncomfortably aware of Nyssa and Roland staring at him.
"What will happen if we don't find a crystal in time, Doctor? Tell me honestly," Nyssa demanded.
"That wound is dangerously close to your heart," Roland added.
The Doctor sighed and leaned forward in his chair. "I have two hearts, Roland. One on either side," the Doctor explained, "but if we don't find a crystal in time the acid will eat through the artery connecting them and they will both stop."
Roland was stunned into silence. Mostly because he wasn't used to people being honest about such bad news, and also because he hadn't expected the Doctor to be an alien. He seemed so human, the way he understood people and strived to make things right; but when he told them bluntly that there was a good chance he might die, without wavering at all, Roland saw for the first time how very alien he was. No human could be that strong.
Nyssa was silent too, but she wasn't stunned. She had a good knowledge of biology as well as other sciences and could tell that he was in very poor shape. Rather than wasting energy trying to sort through the many emotions that would normally swarm through her, she decided, quite firmly, that she was going to throw them out and focus on her task.
The Tardis materialized on Kerak moments later and she immediately activated the scanner. The scanner didn't show anything outside a three-foot radius of the Tardis. A blizzard raged outside, and all that could be seen was a flurry of white.
"Can you see anything in that?" Roland asked the Doctor. He didn't know what species the Doctor was but, according to a poll he'd read at home, over ninety percent of aliens had better vision than humans.
"No, not really," the Doctor admitted, "but the sun is out and I set the coordinates near a cave, so if we determine the direction and listen for echoing wind, we should be able to find it."
"'We'?" Nyssa repeated. Her hands were on her hips and she spoke in an incredulous tone. "You're not leaving the Tardis! You're too ill. Roland and I are going out alone." The Doctor began to protest but she went into the Tardis corridors before he could. "I'm going to get the sub-zero gear," she called back behind her. She returned a moment later with two white furry suits.
Roland held back a laugh. "Surely I can't be expected to wear that!" he scoffed. "I'll look like a yeti."
"Actually, no. Yeti fur looks completely different. It's much darker and thicker," the Doctor corrected.
"Do you want to survive out there or not?" Nyssa asked. She threw one of the suits at him and scowled until he decided to put it on. "That's much better," she said when they both had their suits on. She put her hood up and it pushed her curls forward.
Roland thought the curls framed her face rather nicely. For a brief moment he considered telling her that, before realizing she was still too upset with him. "Perhaps we don't look like yeti," Roland said instead. "You look a bit like an Eskimo in that hood."
"An Eskimo? That better not be an insult," Nyssa replied. She pulled the lever that opened the exterior doors. "You'll be alright, won't you, Doctor?" she asked. The Doctor nodded with a half-smile and Nyssa and Roland walked out together, leaving him alone in the Tardis.
"He's not alright at all, you know," Roland said. "He told you the truth about his condition originally, but now that you know that he doesn't want you to worry anymore, so he's lying."
"I know." Nyssa trudged through the snow in a forward direction, trying to see with the faint sunlight. "As long as he can keep a convincing face I know he's not too worse for wear."
Nyssa stopped walking for a moment to listen to the wind. Instead of the echo she was hoping for, she heard an extra set of footsteps coming towards them.
"Worse for wear?" the Doctor's voice said behind them. They turned to see that he had found another fur suit and put it on. "Of course not, Nyssa. If there's one thing I've never been it's worse for wear."
"Doctor!" Nyssa gasped. "You're supposed to be waiting in the Tardis. What are you-"
"Don't fuss, Nyssa. Gravity is on my side this way. If I stay sitting the acid would only eat through me quicker. Besides, you'd never find a crystal without me."
Nyssa shook her head in exasperation and turned to continue along their path. "Well, come on then, Doctor. I can sort of make out the ground in front of us with this hazy light. I think there's a rock formation ahead. There might be a cave inside."
The trio marched on through the snow as it rose higher and higher above their ankles. Sure enough, they passed two boulders before the wind began to echo ahead of them.
"There's a tunnel ahead!" Roland shouted. He shivered as he turned to face the Doctor. "Is this the cave you set coordinates for?"
"Yes! It is. There should be a whole corner filled with Kerak crystals in there somewhere. Come along!" The Doctor walked ahead of them, leading the way out of the wind and snow.
The ceiling of the cave had millions of icicles drooping down just above their reach. The Doctor spoke softly when they were inside, warning them that too loud of a noise could cause the sharp icicles to break and fall on them.
"Do you know where the corner of crystals is?" Roland whispered. "I can't help but get the impression you've been here before."
"Oh, I have," the Doctor replied. "But it's been a very long time ago, now. I can't quite remember. I do know it's somewhere along this path, not too far away."
Nyssa frowned and her brow furrowed again, causing Roland to frown too. "That's not very specific," she commented. She started to walk a bit quicker, hoping to find the crystals sooner. She didn't want to waste time, but she also didn't want to rush the Doctor when he was in poor health, so she decided to walk ahead a bit and scope out the territory. Roland saw what she was doing and tried to keep an eye on her.
"So." The Doctor looked to Roland and changed the subject. "Why do you think your friend wants to travel in time? Most people don't choose this lifestyle."
"I don't know, honestly. She seems to thrive on thrills and mystery. Almost as if it's in her blood. She just insists upon traveling the universe. I don't know why, but I know that it matters a lot to her."
"I see. Do you really want to travel, or are you just traveling because she wants to?"
Roland paused to think. The Doctor made a frighteningly valid point. He had never been an active person before he met Jenny. He was academic, he liked to work with his hands, but he never was a thrill-seeker of any kind. It all changed when he looked into the mirrors in the laboratory and saw a strange woman's face staring back instead of his own. He thought it was some kind of ghost, like in a horror film, and he was scared out of his wits... until the door opened and he saw her. He asked if she was a ghost, but he knew she wasn't. There was too much life in her eyes. She looked at everything like she was absorbing it into her mind. Her eyes weren't open very wide, and she didn't stare. They were just deep.
I don't really want to travel," Roland admitted, "but I love being around her. When I met her, it was the biggest adventure I'd ever had. I'd like to keep that feeling, but if traveling with her means our lives will always be like today, then I'm not sure I want that. We nearly died several times today. You still might..." He trailed off and looked sadly at the ground.
The Doctor smiled knowingly. "If you think that was almost dying, you haven't really lived."
"So it will always be this dangerous?"
"Yes," the Doctor nodded. "Worse sometimes. But like I said: you haven't lived."
The conversation was interrupted when a short scream echoed through the tunnel. Roland looked up to see that Nyssa had wandered out of his sight. The Doctor acted first, running forward, but he was slowed down by the pain in his chest. Roland caught up and quickly passed him, lurching to stop when he saw what was ahead. "It's a dead end!" he called back. "But...where could she have gone?"