Chapter Six
"Oh? And why is that?" Chapivosh narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Doctor through thick tufts of eyebrow. The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets, striding over to them, or as close as they let him get before they began to back away.
"Well, because, for one.." the Doctor started before Donna and Zina appeared behind him.
"Oh god" Donna gasped "They look like that Bebop from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
"The what?" Zina looked at Donna with a raised eyebrow, stepping behind her in fright. She'd never seen aliens before, she'd never known what to expect, but what stood before her horrified her. She gripped Donna's hand like a frightened child would cling to her mother.
"Thanks for that Donna" The Doctor turned, giving her a look before facing the aliens once more "Anyway, someone threatening destruction of the Universe means I have to step in, and you don't want that. So I'm giving you a choice, you give that back, or I have to stop you"
The aliens pretended to think for a moment, before laughing in the Doctor's face, a harsh cruel laugh which made the hairs on Donna's arms stand on end. She loved travelling with the Doctor, loved time and space and everything in between, but she did hate some of the people she met. Luckily, as the young girl's hand tightened on hers, she also remembered how she hated leaving some people behind.
"I don't think so. We have the last diamond we need, you can't stop us."
"I think you'll find I can" the Doctor pulled out his device, stepping towards them. They stared at his machine, distracted for a minute, probably noticing the diamond set into the centre. It was just enough time for the Doctor to take the larger diamond from Chapivosh's hand and throw it to Donna.
"Get it back!" Chapivosh barked and they both stepped away from the Doctor, and over to Donna, who cautiously stepped backwards with their every forward movement until her back was pressed against a wooden fence. Instinctively, she handed the diamond to Zina who, upon taking it securely into her hands, ran. She ran passed the Doctor, taking his device from him before he realised she'd even left Donna's side. She was going to be the one sacrificing her life. Yes, she was young, but she was about to enter into a life she didn't want, one she wouldn't be happy with. The Doctor saved lives, and this way, he could go on saving lives, saving the universe.
Chapivosh and Ophamech chased after her, they were quick, almost as quick as her, but not quite. Suddenly, Zina stopped and spun on her heel to face them. They were metres away, close enough that she could see every line on their faces. She glanced at the Doctor and then at Donna before throwing the diamond towards them. The Doctor caught it, one handed, a feat he probably would have been proud of if he hadn't seen what was coming.
"Zina.. Don't" he called out, but he knew it was pointless. She'd decided. Within a second of the diamond leaving her hands, Chapivosh had gripped her around the throat, squeezing the air from her lungs as she struggled to press together the two pieces which would pull the three of them into the tiny diamond.
With a spark, the parts connected, and the trio became trapped within beams of light, gradually shrinking. Zina's body fell to the ground, motionless and broken as the beams of light pulled Chapivosh and Ophamech into the diamond. Within minutes, they were trapped forever. Donna gasped, running over to Zina and turning her onto her back.
"There has to be something we can do.." she said, tears running down her cheeks.
"Donna.." the Doctor had a warning tone in his voice as he pulled his red-haired companion backwards slightly
"What? What are you doing? We can help her!" Donna struggled against him, fighting him to get back to the teenager, knocking the diamond he still held out of his hand and onto the floor. "She saved us, we have to help--" Donna stopped moving, her eyes fixed on Zina's lifeless body as it began to glow, shimmering in the light
"What the--" she turned her head to look at the Doctor's face
"After effect.. Like the after shock of an Earthquake" he whispered slightly
"But.. What?!" Zina's body broke into millions of pieces, each one glittering beneath the setting sun, floating in the gentle breeze. The Star of Africa rolled across the dirt floor towards where Zina's body had lay moments earlier and all of a sudden, the millions of shimmering pieces were pulled, like paperclips towards a magnet, into the diamond. Letting go of Donna, the Doctor picked it up, smiling sadly as the diamond sparkled, more than it had before.
Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor leaned against the jump seat, staring at the console, an almost pained expression upon his face.
"She wanted it" Donna spoke softly, her eyes echoing the pained look on his face. She had liked Zina, part of her had wanted to take her travelling with them in the TARDIS, the other part wanted to mother her.
"She had so much to look forward to, Donna.. She was 14" the Doctor spoke for the first time since they had gotten back, shifting himself until he was actually seated on the jump seat.
"I know.. Believe me, I know... But we have to keep on going, keep on finding new places, new planets, saving lives. For her.. for all of them.." Donna thought briefly of Jenny, of Pompeii, even of Lance. People who had died, suffered at the hands of aliens, all people who had died so the Doctor could go on saving people, and a small tear ran down her cheek, sparkling like the Star of Africa.