It's not my TARDIS but I'll drive if I want to… Nope, still don't have any ownership at all of Doctor Who but that doesn't stop me from borrowing the Doctor's ship every once in a while does it?
The Rather Ravenous Garden
CHAPTER THREE
"What do we do now?" Rose panics, she looks down to the Doctor uncertainly.
"Wait..." He mutters, the buzzing of the sonic screwdriver fills the air again as he continues to work.
"Wait?" his companion panics. "We can't just sit 'ere and do nothing! This can't be the end- you can't just give up. They're only spiders!"
"Just give me a moment."
The Doctor continues working with his sonic tool after glancing up to Rose for a moment. The machine continues it's low sorrowful hum as if it was aware of what it was putting its guests through. The Doctor sweeps his blue light on several areas of the machine but it doesn't give him anything more than a low whine as the lights nearly go out. The Time Lord sighs and begins to stand; he stares over to the bugs harshly.
"Look at them," he continues to glare at the bugs, "so eager!"
The three watch as the spiders run frantically around and around the circle. They crawl over and under each other, racing, barely able to keep still at all in anticipation.
"Oh, just look at them!" The Doctor says energetically, "They can tell we're losing power; they can feel it in their circuits-!"
The Time Lord scans group of spiders as they scramble around impatiently just outside the shield, "It's driving them mad that they have to wait." He smirks, "Absolutely insane!"
Captain Harkness looks over to the Doctor, when he sees the Doctor's smile he begins to wonder if their doom has finally broken something inside him. He wonders if the Doctor's finally gone mad or has found the solution to their problems, the brilliant solution that would save their lives.
"They can't stand it, they know that they've got us cornered and that we can't stop them... But what they don't know-." the Doctor eyes them as he moves his arm to the column behind him, "Is that in about seventeen seconds…"
Rose sees the Time Lord reach backwards for a small golden button at the top of the device as he talks. She didn't remember seeing anything like that there before.
"We'll be gone."
As he says those last three words, the air snaps with static as an invisible shield dissipates. The terrasonic wave breaks its hold on the spiders' thermal imaging cameras and they rush forward towards the Doctor and his two companions.
There were just standing there, waiting to die. Waiting for the spiders to claim them. Jack, Rose and the Doctor watch as the spiders advance in a wave of black. Rose freezes in terror as the ones nearest to them stop, then rear up onto their hind sets of legs in confusion.
Both she and Jack look to the Doctor for an answer before they notice the ground.
It was lighting up, brighter and brighter beneath them. It nearly matched the glow of the stars above them, that couldn't be seen through the mist that blanketed the area. The humming of the machine behind the three grew louder and began to drown out the clicking and tapping of the metal spiders. They watch the spiders dance as if the very light underneath them began to burn their metal circuits; each of them then disappear into the darkness.
They all stand there for a moment, two of them waiting for the spiders to return again- the last knowing better. They watch the circle of light beneath them grow until they are forced to shut their eyes; when they open them again they notice a softer white light in its place. The three travelers look around their new surroundings.
They notice that the walls appear rough and grainy like rocks but the floor shares the same hexagon plates as in the garden. There was the occasional little metal stem or twig that was growing from in-between the plates on the floor but these were visible only because of lamps that were hanging from the side of the walls.
"Where are we?" Jack asks, watching the Doctor as he looks up towards the ceiling.
"It's either a cavern or a tunnel, or maybe a pocket of air near a magma chamber." The Doctor says as he brings his eyes back down towards the earth grimly. "Let's hope that it's not the last one, then. But we are underground though."
"How can you tell?" Rose steps over to the wall and places a hand on the dark rocks.
"It's the air." The Doctor turns around to face her and Jack, "It's stale. Like old crisps."
Jack turns quickly to one end of the underground hall they were standing in. He looks around expectantly, scanning for some sort of life.
"What is it?" Rose asks uncertainly. "Is someone there?"
"Or something." Jack voices his fears. "Maybe more of those creatures, the spiders."
"Last time I checked, spiders didn't wear boots, Jack. There are footsteps, it's probably humanoid." The Doctor continues, "...Footsteps? But who could it be…?"
The footsteps grow louder and echo against the rocky walls; the Doctor and his companions hear shouting from the others nearby. Rose watches as a group of ten or so crowd around them. The silver-skinned men hold their short spears steadily at the three intruders. The two humans raise their hands up slowly as the Doctor glances from one member of the small army to another.
Each of the natives wore loose-fitting, dark black cloak that covered their eyes and face. Their bare feet and hands were the only things that were visible in the weak light. The spears that they all held were rough and poorly made, the spearheads were transparent as though they were made of glass. The occasional reddish-brown or golden feather was tied to the weapons shaft.
"Hello." The Doctor says, trying to lighten up the tense situation. "Come here often?"
"Who would you be?" one of the ten begins; he steps forward into the small circle using his spear as a staff.
Jack and Rose look to the Doctor expectantly, still uncertain about their welcome party. The others were tense as well, their spears moved with every word.
"Those are my thoughts exactly." The Doctor replies looking over to his companions, their hands still raised to the rocky ceiling.
I thought I wasn't going to make it with the Sunday deadline… So glad I did! About the descriptions… The spears are short, about three and a half feet in length and generally about the size of a broom handle in width; they are made out of strong limbs of a native species of tree which have black bark. The trees may come into the story later… The glass looking spearheads are melted to the end of the stick. Remember the plants earlier? The weeds were made of 'organic metal' so to speak- the trees are the same.
~Amethyst