The Wish Machine Chapter 4
The Doctor noticed Lance Bennet the moment he walked into the ballroom. He had been right, Donna's would-be husband was the emperor of the Racnoss. He caught Olivia's eye at the buffet, where she was stuffing her face. She went over to him, mouth full of food.
"What?"
"That man tried to kill Donna the first time we met. I bet he is looking for revenge since he died partly because of me."
"Oh." Olivia's eyes widened, she realized that her using the pocket universe machine had allowed this to happen.
"Very clever, Doctor," Lance sneered. "Imagine my surprise when I was brought back to life. I figured I might kill two birds with one stone. Kill this bitch and have my revenge on you."
He grabbed Donna by the neck, and held her against him like a shield.
"Watch it, you!" Donna spat and tried to break free, but Lance was too strong.
The Doctor froze for a second. Should he attempt to attack Lance he would hurt Donna in the process. But he knew he had to do something, he couldn't lose her again.
"What the hell? Just let go of her!" Olivia shouted as she tried to reach Donna and Lance. She was halted by the Racnoss guards, however and tried to kick herself free. Some measure of martial skill was a perk of space adventuring, she thought.
Meanwhile, the Silurian palace guards had been alerted to the commotion by panicked guests. They now stormed into the castle, fully armored with pulse-guns and sleek swords at the ready. They were met by Lance's own army of Racnoss soldiers, sliding from the high ceiling on spider-silk threads.
The Doctor did what he could, enhancing the Silurian guards' weapons with his sonic screwdriver. Olivia had broken free from the two guards holding ner and was now fighting alongside the guards with her laser screwdriver, effectively cutting through the Racnoss' armor.
Lance saw his chance to escape; he grabbed the protesting Donna by the arm and dragged her towards the exit and his waiting spaceship. The Doctor, however, was quicker. He grabbed a discarded Silurian sword and pointed it at Lance.
"You let her go now, you sorry excuse for a human," he growled, voice dark with poison and anger. The Oncoming Storm was just below the surface.
"Fine," Lance spat, and threw Donna to the ground. The Doctor swiftly caught her beforeher head hit the floor.
"Who are you?" said she, a trace of sass under the hesitancy. Lanky frame, messy dark hair, pinstripe suit, could it be? she thought. But he wasn't real, was he? She winced as something tugged at the corners of her consciousness..
"I am a friend, Donna Noble," he whispered softly.
Argh, stupid spiders, and stupid dress. Olivia had been cornered by three Racnoss soldiers, and her flowing, Victorian-style dress was not helping. The Silurian soldiers were held back by more spiders, so she was on her own, with only a laser screwdriver.
Suddenly one of the Racnoss soldiers grabbed her and she felt a tug at her throat as the lock on her lucky-pocket-watch snapped. It snapped open as it hit the ground and threw the Racnoss back in a pulse of golden light.
Funny, that thing has never opened before, was all Olivia could think before her mind filled with memories that weren't hers, but still were.
She was naked, that was her first conscious thought as she awoke among the rubble of the Paradox Machine. She had been born from the time vortex when Donna triggered the Metacrisis. Her skin was still glowing golden with regeneration energy.
Suddenly she became aware of another presence in the destroyed Paradox machine. The woman had white skin and hair, and was dressed in a black robe.
"Come, child of the vortex," she said, not unkindly, "Let me show you your purpose." She was then led out to a waiting spacecraft, where two large rhino-like creatures were waiting.
"So I am some sort of cosmic failsafe?" she questioned.
She had been taken to this place, the Shadow Proclamation, and had been clad in the same black robes as their leader, who had just finished her explanation.
"Yes, for lack of better words, you are. Donna Noble never wanted to leave the Doctor, thus her time lord consciousness fought the Doctor's attempt at sealing it away and created you, to help Donna transition into a real Time Lady."
"How am I supposed to help her, I was separated from her mind."
The Shadow Architect smiled slightly. "With this. It is one of the last chameleon arcs in existence. The Doctor has the other." The Shadow Proclamation leader showed her a peculiar arc and a pocket watch engraved with stars and planets.
"This will seal away your identity as the child of the vortex and give you a human background. We will then send you into the Doctor's timeline to give the universe a push in the right direction." She smiled as she said the last thing.
Though it had felt like an eternity it took only a moment for the Child of the Vortex to awaken. Her eyes glowed golden and regeneration energy swirled around her making her hair flow as if caught in a storm.
"Donna Noble, take my hand," she said, extending her hand to Donna.
"Again, who are you people?" Donna said weakly. She felt her timelord consciousness bubble to the surface, causing her great pain.
"Oh, Donna Noble…" the Doctor whispered sadly.
"Take my hand," the Child of the Vortex said more firmly. Donna hesitated at first, but then did as she was told. There was a burst of regeneration energy as the Child of the Vortex dissolved and found her right place in Donna's mind.
Donna slowly opened her eyes to look at the Doctor. Her eyes were glowing softly.
"Spaceman…" she whispered. Then her eyes narrowed and she slapped him across the face.
"What was that for?!" the Doctor sputtered and rubbed his cheek. Still he couldn't help grinning, his Donna Noble was back with him.
"How. Dare. You." She growled between gritted teeth. "How dare you make me forget you?! Oh I'll deal with you later, Spaceman." She then turned to Lance, who had been thrown against a wall by the vortex energy and was now cowering on the floor.
"You tried to kill us twice," she stated calmly to the trembling man. Golden energy particles swirled around her hands. She threw a blast of energy, which hit him square in the chest, disintegrating him.
"Now Spaceman," she said as she tuned to the Doctor. The Doctor backed away, thinking she would slap him again. Instead, she grabbed the front of his pinstripe suit and captured his lips with her own. The kiss was interrupted when the world started disintegrating, the pocket-universe-machine having fulfilled its purpose.
Donna smiled and braided her fingers with the Doctor's.
"Run, Martian boy." She shouted, laughing.
"For the last time, I'm not from Mars." He laughed back at her.
They got into the TARDIS as the last of the pocket universe disappeared, leaving a room and an ominous machine behind.
And so the Song continues,. The DoctorDonna in the TARDIS forever, as it should be.
FIN