Two Worlds, One Family
a/n: Thanks to everyone who reads this story and adds them to their faves and alerts. I appreciate it!
This is where the K+ rating kicks in for some violence, so please be aware of that. Also I may be slow on uploading chapters because I've hit some writer's block. But for now, enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 11:
The Doctor groaned as his hazel eyes flickered open, the smell of sulfuric acid burning his nose as he lifted his head to gauge the extent of damage to his ship. Sickly yellow steam was seeping through the doors. After a moment he realized that the ship was laying on its side as he righted himself and stood up. Rubbing his now sore arm, he immediately went to his companions that were just beginning to stir back into consciousness.
"Amy, Rory, you alright?" He asked looking them over up and down and then the boy between their arms. "How's Alex?"
"We're okay, Doctor," Rory confirmed, "We got the brunt of it cushioning him."
Nodding, he went over to River next, who was shakily getting to her feet. "I'm fine sweetie." She looked up to the police box doors that were now twenty meters above her head. "More importantly, we need to figure out how to get off this planet."
"And what waits for us on the surface," Added the Doctor quietly. Now it was the Doctor's turn to look a little sad, "My poor TARDIS!" He said dramatically, taking in his spaceship that was hissing and groaning under the strain of the oozing ground. The five occupants of the TARDIS looked slightly alarmed at the situation.
"So what do we do now, Doctor? It's not exactly safe outside, but I don't think we can have tea in here, either." Amy commented.
With more exuberance, he spun around and clapped his hands together. "Right! I need to find the gappling hook. Amy, Rory, you stay here with Alex."
"What?" Spluttered Amy, "You expect us to stay in a dead spaceship while you go out and get eaten by-" she sniffed the air "sulfuric acid or killed by aliens?"
The Doctor rounded on her, his face serious, "I expect you to do what you're told, Amy." He said sharply.
His red-haired companion crossed her arms over her and glowered at him at for a moment before she finally threw them up yelling, "Fine!"
The Doctor beamed at her, "You're the best, Pond." The his smile gradually faded, "The TARDIS' main power was drained, but the back up should be on soon and I'll rig something up to open and close the main doors when we go out." He paused, as though bracing himself for the next sentence. If I don't come back, Emergency protocal nine will initiate and take you home."
"Don't say that, Doctor, "Rory replied kindly, "just come back to us in one piece, okay?" Amy kissed his forehead, "Good luck."
When the two Time Lords climbed out of the spaceship, the world that greeted them was very forlorn indeed. The clouds of sulfuric acid had clouded out the sky and made visibilty poor. What little the two of them could see was a orangish-green soil and large mountains and ravines not 100 meters away from them.
The Doctor fanned his face as sweat broke over his forehead and removed his tweed jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, pulling a handkerchief to hold over his mouth and nose. River dug one out of her dress pocket and did the same.
"Ugh, I hate the smell of rotten eggs!" He complained, thought it was muffled by the cloth in his hand.
"I don't think we'd better go to far, Doctor!" Shouted River over her handkerchief, glancing around her with some trepidation, "The land looks pretty treacherous."
"Right," The Doctor replied loudly, "Even Time Lords and half Time Lords can't tolerate this kind of atmosphere. Best to get back to the TARDIS and wait for the axillary power to kick in."
The had turned and began to climb back up to the space craft, when a narrow beam of green light that could only had been discharges from an alien weapon caused them both to turn around. The pair saw Captain Samor and his two subordinates standing in a row together.
"You Sky Djinn are more hearty than I thought," The Doctor spoke first, "You don't seem to be affected by the atmosphere."
"We have had our toleration shots, Doctor." Answered the Captain curtly.
"Ah, well we might have done too, had we not been crashing and unconscious at the time." Growled the Doctor somewhat impatiently.
"That is not of our concern," snapped Captain Samor equally impatient, "We are here-"
"To retrieve the child. Yes I know!" The Doctor drew, annoyed now. "The answer is still no, I'm afraid."
"You have no place to run, Doctor." The Sky Djinn returned somewhat confidently, Your ship has crashed and has no power, and the atmosphere is to poisonous for you to go anywhere, like there was any place you could. What can you do?"
"Well, you could come into my spacecraft for some tea and jammy dodgers and talk. Oh wait-no power, guess it would have to be cold tea. Or you could return the power to my ship and I can land on your ship and we could have a conversation over the situation." The Doctor replied helpfully.
"No more talking, Doctor. Give us the child!" Samor demanded.
The Doctor raised his hands up, "Sorry, I'm afraid we can't do that. My friends Amy and Rory are kinda set on adopting him."
Captain Samor stepped closer looking at him with some dismay, "Adopt him?! That mutant?"
"Well," The Doctor shrugged, "Aren't we all kind of mutants? All alien species are different. I have two hearts and you have red eyes. Why are you so set on getting this kid?"
"I'm tired of talking," snarled the Sky Djinn, we will take him by force if we have to." He raised his weapon, an Laceration Cutlass-Blaster . It was a small double barreled weapon that looked like it had miniscule power but was actually quite potent.
"Don't shoot, you idiot!' Yelled River Song, trying to push back the Doctor, "Do you know what'll happen if you do?!"
"It'll cause the air to burn," Answered the Captain smoothly not missing a beat, "And probably either cause you to suffocate or incinerate alive."
"And I'd like to avoid both scenarios," The Doctor returned, "So if you'd please-"
He stopped as the ground underneath him gave way, causing his foot to catch in a small crater of boiling cesspool. The Doctor screamed and lurched forward. The Sky Djinn took this as a sign that he was attacking and fired. Again a screamed filled the air as a beam pierced him and he fell to the jagged terrain.
"Doctor!" River shrieked and instantly was kneeling next to him. She glanced in horror at the palm sized hole that had gone through either side of his jacket near his stomach. The Doctor writhed in pain that was evident on his face as he placed a hand to his wound.
Next to Captain Samor, the two inferior officers looked a little shocked and even horrified that the man who was trying to negotiate had been shot. Their eyes darted to the Captain, who looked full of remorse and suddenly felt a huge surge of guilt bubble up within them. They never thought it would come to actually hurting their target, and not in such a grievous manner.
River looked at him with wild eyes, her stomach in knots as she shouted, "What do I do, Doctor? Please, you have to tell me how I can help you?"
"T-TARDIS...a-auxillary is on. N-need to get back." The Doctor stammered, blinking as though not trying to let unconsciousness win.
"I don't think I can carry you." River yelped, resisting the urge to be sick. "Wait. RORY! RORY! We need your help!" She yelled, hoping that it would get his attention, and did so several times before the nurse responded, "I'll be right there!".
There was the sound of grunting as the nurse raced to their side, aghast at the huge wound in the Time Lord's body as he turned him onto his back and pushed aside the coat to see the initial wound.
"Help me get him onto my back." Rory said, kneeling and hooking the Doctor's arm around his neck with River's help. The Time Lord lead out a generous groan and shuddered. "Sorry Doctor," Rory whispered to the insensate man, knowing that he'd hadn't heard it. With more searing glance at the three aliens, River climbed up the rope after Rory and the Doctor, using it to close the doors behind her.
Amy had heard the discharges of a gun followed by River's cry for help and suddenly panicked. When Rory climbed back through the hatch with the Doctor unconscious on his back her fears were set in stone. The instant she saw Rory carrying the Time Lord on his back she knew something was wrong. She helped River place him on the floor and nearly gagged at the burn in his coat that no doubt extended into his body.
"Oh God, Rory, what happened?" she screeched, pushing aside the Time Lord's bangs and running a hand over his face.
"They shot him, Amy." River managed to choke out, "The soil gave and he stumbled forward. They thought he was attacking so they-" She didn't finish, but knelt next to her Time Lord husband, helping Rory shirk off the tweed jacket, shirt, bracers, and beloved bow tie. It was only then that they saw the frightening wound. The area around the neat hole was black from the blast and the weapon's projectile had pierced completely through the Doctor's lower left side, blood beginning to gush forth and coat his stomach red. The Time Lord was sweating, his flesh clammy and even more pale and cold as it usually was, breathing in short shallow gulps. The Doctor seemed to be trying to regain his senses, gulping in hopes of swallowing the pain enough to open his eyes.
"We need to get him to the Med-Bay, Rory." Pressed River. He nodded over to Alex, who stood there looking wide eyed and shaking slightly, "We don't want to scare him already than he already is."
Rory nodded, and together, Rory taking his legs and River taking his head, rushed down the corridors.
After a moment, River returned to the console.
"The Doctor said that the back-up power is working now, I can get her to fly." She explained quickly, setting the controls and anchoring herself to different parts of it so as not fall, "We need to get to the Sisters of the Infinite Schism Hospital."
Amy nodded dumbly, before she lowered herself to Alex's level and gave him a huge hug, letting the tears fall at last.
As the blue police box began to fade away, Thralnod questioned his Captain. "What shall we do now, Captain Samor?"
The Captain turned from the spot where the TARDIS once stood, "We will follow," he asserted, "We have a query to catch, and by the Gods, we will do so." And walked a few steps before giving the command to be transported.
The junior officer glanced at his fellow officer with trepidation before he followed. This obsession had gone on far enough, soon the Captain would not care who would get injured for the sake of a four year old child. Silently, he prayed to the gods that the injured man would recover, before he disappeared in a beam of silver light.
T.B.C.