*Hello one and all! Penultimate Oswin chapter! At long last, it's almost finished. Last chapter should be up tomorrow, but it might be Wednesday, so no promises. Anyways, this one picks up directly where the last one left off, distress signal being chased down. Oh and before we get underway, I just want to apologise in advance. I hope you like it, thank you so much for all your support, everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favourited. Tomorrow's the last page. But watch this space. TPD*
Lieutenant James D Holliday had seen many things in his time. But nothing like this. Not death on this scale. Three attack ships ahead of him, blown right out of space. In pieces, bodies floating around their charred remains and the debris. And Lt. Holliday was expected to carry on battling. He wanted nothing more than to turn on his heel and scarper, this area of space was lost. But no, he had to carry on fighting. They didn't blow up his ship, oh no. Instead, they sent a boarding party. It wouldn't take them long to get on board, the Lt. knew that. He sent his finest warriors to repel the invasion, but he heard their screams as they died. In agony. It was the worst kind of death, slow and every moment racked with pain. Not the sort of death he would want for anyone. Let alone his friends. He shuddered as they died, one by one, his friends, the people he had worked with, fought beside. The ship was lost, there was nothing he could do now.
They were firing from the outside, as well as the inside now, and explosions rocked his ship, here on the bridge alarms were blaring left, right and centre. He flipped a few switches, his people around him trying not to panic as he shouted orders. He ordered them to send a distress signal and at that moment, as the signal shot out into space, Lt. Holliday's day got a hell of a lot weirder. A strange, wheezing noise filled the air and as the Lt. turned, his bridge had a guest, as a big blue box materialised in front of him. He stopped yelling, his voice failing him as the box door opened and a man wearing a beige tweed jacket and a red bow tie the colour of the box stepped out, a girl in a crimson dress and pumps two seconds behind her. They were grinning like maniacs.
"May God have mercy on our souls!" Lt. Holliday muttered.
"You won't be needing God today Lieutenant!" the man laughed. "I'm the Doctor, this is Oswin. And we're here to save your ship!"
As Oswin stepped out of the TARDIS, she stepped into carnage. Alarms, screams and gunfire everywhere. Thankfully, they were on the bridge, away from the crux of the fighting, but Oswin still shivered at the sounds of death and destruction. The ship rocked as it was battered and the Doctor was already taking control, ordering people about and turning to the man in charge.
"What's the situation?" he demanded, shooting Oswin a wink as he flipped a few switches on the main console and muttered curses under his breath. "The ship's not in a good way, how did it end up this way? What's attacking us?" There was urgency in the Doctor's voice and Oswin could feel the tension in the air.
"We heard reports," the Lieutenant explained. "Luxury cruise liners in this sector weren't reaching their destination. We sent out scout ships to report, but they never came back either, their reports just stopped. We've not had anything come out of here for months, so command sent in my ship, a destroyer class battleship and three smaller battleships with us. The others were blown out of the sky, we've been boarded by these…creatures. These horrific creatures…and our primary engines are shot. I'm Lieutenant James D Holliday and so help me, I'm going down with my ship."
The Doctor put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said something quietly that Holliday shook his head at. The Doctor then turned back to Oswin, frowning and licking his lips in agitation. Oswin smiled at him, but it was a hollow smile, she knew as well as he did that the situation wasn't good.
"How bad is it?" she asked him in an undertone and he gave her a look that indicated that it was anything but. "What're we up against here?"
"I don't know," he growled. "And that's frustrating. Have we got the video feed up yet?"
At that moment, the ship shook once more and the video feed coughed into life. Oswin screamed. She couldn't help it, as her heart stopped working and her worst nightmares all crashed in on her. Daleks. It was Daleks. Three of them were entering the ship and Oswin clung to the Doctor. He glanced at her, fear in his eyes. It was nothing compared to the fear in Oswin's. She couldn't breathe, as she heard the screams of Daleks banging on her doors, on her walls. She was even wearing the same dress. She collapsed to her knees, curling up into a ball and covering her ears. Nobody else could hear the Daleks, but she could. They were screeching in her ears, all she could this was: "EXTERMINATE!"
"Oswin?" the Doctor's voice was so far away, trying to guide her back to reality and Oswin tried to latch onto it, tried to relax herself as his words were aimed at comforting her. But it was too late, she was already back in the Asylum, surrounded by Daleks on all sides, the only thing protecting her was her flimsy barricade, which was barely reinforced but was somehow keeping them out. She was being dragged to her feet, and she could see the Doctor in front of her as her eyes snapped open and then, she heard doors, the wheezing of the TARDIS and then as the TARDIS doors slammed, Oswin managed to calm herself. Maybe it was just the calming, rhythmic background noise of the TARDIS, or maybe it was the realisation that she was safe, that the Daleks could not possibly penetrate the TARDIS walls, but Oswin felt okay.
She took deep breaths, forced herself to relax against the console. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Of course he wasn't. He was still out there, going to fight off the Daleks. Alone. Oswin was a wretched friend, if she was going to let him fight off a hoard of Daleks all by himself, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't go back out there. The mere sight of a Dalek had paralysed her with fear. The nightmares of the last year had left her more terrified than ever. She had been running on adrenaline in the Asylum, in the moments when she escaped. But now? Now she wasn't plugged into their system, she didn't have their nano genes in her head, she was powerless against them. She couldn't help the Doctor if she wanted to.
The TARDIS doors crashed open and Oswin swivelled, as people ran inside, the Doctor at the head of them, finding Oswin. He wasn't smiling, but he pulled her into a huge hug, which she would never have admitted she needed, but nevertheless she desperately did. She managed to put on a brave face and as he released her and scanned her, she raised an eyebrow.
"What was that for?" she scoffed unconvincingly. "I'm fine Chin, honestly." He didn't buy it, she could tell. "What's the plan?" she asked shakily.
"You stay here," he said firmly. "I'm going to set the ship's engines to self-destruct and get the ship on a collision course with the Dalek ship. Boom, lots of destruction but first, everyone on this ship needs to be brought to safety. You stay here, look after them. There's still a handful of people on the other side of the ship, including the Lt.'s wife, so he and I…"
"You're going back out there." Oswin put it bluntly. She wasn't even remotely surprised by this; it was such a Doctor thing to do. He nodded and she threw all caution to the wind she kissed his cheek. "Be careful," she whispered, pulling him into another hug, tears streaming down her cheeks now, as her brave façade came crashing down and she was shaking.
"I've fought them hundreds of times Oswin," he told her reassuringly. "I always come back."
She didn't believe him, couldn't believe him. Thoughts of the Asylum rocked her again. She stepped away from him as he nodded to the Lt. and they left the TARDIS, leaving Oswin alone with all of men and women from the ship. She was surprised that nobody else had gone with the Doctor and Holliday, but it was the chilling realisation that their weapons couldn't hurt the Daleks that explained that. This was a rescue mission, but it was also a suicide mission. Oswin knew that she had to go back out there. Without her, he was dead. Oswin didn't know how she knew, but she had to face her fears. It was the only way to save the Doctor. Oswin was taking deep breaths but every time she thought of the Daleks, screaming, she had to lean against the console for support. Then she thought about him, thought about the Doctor. Thought about him dying. Thought about his limp, lifeless body being hit by Daleks extermination rays. And that was all she needed. Her fear of losing the Doctor was greater than her fear of the Daleks. She took a deep breath and she crossed the TARDIS console room, stumbling past people who stared at her murmuring.
"Where are you going?" someone asked her. She whirled to face them, determination in her eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled at the people staring at her.
"I'm going to save the Doctor," she informed them.
Every step was difficult. She had underestimated the crippling fear that would rush through her when she stepped outside the TARDIS. As soon as she was free from the protective shell of the blue box, she felt the darkness wrapping itself around her again, seeping into every pore of her being, controlling her thoughts. She almost lost her footing as she stepped outside but one look at the video feed, both simultaneously crippled her and gave her the adrenaline shot she needed. Daleks, and the Doctor wasn't far away from them. She crossed to the console, ignoring the bile rising in her throat and the violent shaking of her legs. If she had a clear head, then she could do this. No fear could be debilitating enough to shake her.
She quickly got up a map of the ship and managed to isolate the Doctor's position. It wouldn't take her long to catch up with him. If she could walk. As the doors to the bridge opened when she approached, she felt her left leg fail her. She couldn't fail. She wasn't going to let the Doctor die. Oswin forced herself to step out into the corridor. She was hoping that her survival instincts would kick in soon, overriding the fear that threatened to overwhelm her every step.
Oswin moved quickly down the corridors, listening out for the very words that would freeze her heart and leave her powerless. Thankfully, they never came. She ran swiftly onwards, desperately looking for the Doctor, terrified that she'd find herself lost in this maze and that when the Daleks came, she'd be alone, trapped and a sitting duck. She didn't allow herself to entertain that thought. She had to face her fear. Her greatest fear. If and only if she did that, then she would survive and so would the Doctor. She kept on moving, until she heard voices. Hushed voices. Human voices. She followed the source of the voices and crashed into a small group of people just round the corner from her. There were six of them, two women, two men, the Lt. and…
"What the hell are you doing here?" the Doctor hissed. "I told you to wait in the TARDIS. This is the Daleks we're talking about. Anyone else and I'd understand but…" he looked perplexed. "Oswin," he said carefully. "I know about the nightmares."
He'd heard her night time cries then, how she tossed and turned at night, yelling at the Daleks not to exterminate her, begging them, begging him. His eyes were full of sympathy. She bit her lip and shook her head.
"They don't matter," she insisted. "The only thing that matters is making sure that you get back into the TARDIS in one piece and I know that I can't do that from trapped inside that box. You need me Chin, whether you know it or not."
"Oswin Oswald!" he grumbled, rushing over to kiss the top of her head. "For goodness' sake. All of you, come on. Keep low. Don't engage the Daleks." They filed after him. The Lt. and his wife held the back end with their guns, the other three in the middle, the Doctor leading the way with Oswin half a step behind him. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you," he muttered under his breath and she smiled despite herself. "Stay close Soufflé Girl."
Oswin did just that, staying so close to him, almost clinging to his arm. Then they heard it. The shrieking. She didn't know which sound was worse. The shriek of the Dalek, the sound of the death ray, the anguished cry of the Lt.'s wife as she dropped dead or the inhuman roar that the Lt. himself made as he fired back on the Dalek. Oswin wanted to cry, so tight was the vice-grip on the Doctor's arm that she feared he'd lose circulation. He had her by the hand and then they were running, shots fired behind them and the screams of human and Dalek mixing in an ungodly racket. Somewhere along the line, the Doctor had scooped Oswin into his arms, because she had been forced to stop, so horrific was the pounding in her head, the sounds of the Daleks filling her. The two of them weren't the only ones still alive, as the other woman who had been with them was running, firing over her shoulder at the Daleks, who were advancing. Then, they were crashing back into the bridge. The Doctor set Oswin down and ran to the console.
"What are you doing?" Oswin screamed. "Get back in the TARDIS!"
"No!" he shouted back. "I have to deadlock the controls. This ship has to blow them up. It has to."
"Doctor," she pleaded. "We've saved everyone we can save, just come on!"
"No!" he yelled, his voice manic. "I need to kill them. You don't understand. I hate them more than anything. I can't let them live. Get in the TARDIS, I'll just be a minute."
"Doctor!" Oswin's voice choked as a solitary Dalek reached the bridge. The Doctor was trapped, like a deer in the headlights.
"Too late!" he called to the Dalek, shooting Oswin a glance. She could still get inside the TARDIS, but she hadn't budged. "The controls are deadlocked. This ship was going to crash into yours. Both of them will explode, you lot will die. Bang. How do you like that, Dalek?"
"Exterminate!"
Everything happened in slow motion. The Dalek seemed to recall what he was saying as the Doctor made for the TARDIS. The first shot narryowly missed him and he was forced back, snared, with no escape. He and Oswin locked eyes and he shook his head. She was trembling, her entire body shaking. The Doctor knew he should be dead. The Dalek had him trained. But he also knew that he wasn't about to die. Because he knew exactly what was about to happen and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"Oswin," he cried, desperately. "No!"
"Run!" she sobbed. "Run you clever boy! And remember me!"
"Oswin!"
"Exterminate!"
She stepped in between them as the Dalek took the shot. The Doctor roared, Oswin screamed, a single solitary noise, piercing the air and he raced to her. He pulled her inside the TARDIS, not giving the Dalek time for another shot before he shut the door. Everyone in the TARDIS as he clutched Oswin's dead body and then the Doctor broke down, starting to sob.