The door opened for her. Lucy hadn't expected it, not one bit. That the door gave way, that she escaped with nobody calling out after her, that her mind felt...clear.
Her husband was dead.
Norah killed him- I saw her do it.
Lucy exhaled, shuddering. She fell to her knees, hitting linoleum. She hiccuped a sob, shoulders shaking with the force of it. Of years worth of pain, of being made silent, she could finally scream as she wanted. Every emotion made numb by Harry, she could finally express it.
Two years...he made me that thing for two years.
He made Norah like that too-
Lucy shook her head. No. No not 'Norah'. That wasn't her name, it was his. Terra Johnson. She fought him off longer- stayed stronger in spite of Harry's control. Lucy wished she'd been a little bit cleverer, and listened to all those warning bells in her head. Why had Harry seemed so kind, so good? He was so kind to her father...why her?
"There, there, ma'am. It's alright." An American man's voice came over her.
Lucy jumped back, shrieking. "Stay away from me!"
"No- no it's just me!"
"I said stay back!" Lucy shot her head around, trying to spot the figure to fight them back. "Stay away from me!"
"Ma'am I can't touch you. Or anybody, actually. Miss hasn't given me a body for that yet."
Lucy saw no person nearby. In fact, thinking about it, she didn't recognize this room. For twelve months, Lucy was shown the many rooms of the Valiant. The Valiant was a mini palace, meant for sustainable living in the sky. The torture chambers, the planning rooms, the rooms for the slaves and the barracks, dining halls and studies, even a media room. Lucy saw them all with Harry.
(And sometimes the Doctor, if Harry felt especially cruel)
(Norah cried so loudly in those movies)
This hall had no carpet, not like most of the other rooms. The floor was white and calming blue, painted in squares. Lucy spotted couches nearby, a coffee table loaded with old magazines and coloring books. A desk sat in front of her. Lucy pushed herself to her knees, stumbling carefully towards it. Not a single person in sight.
"Where are you?" Lucy demanded. "Where-what is this?"
"Where am I? Well, that's- that's an interesting question. I guess if I'm anywhere, I'm in the ceiling!"
Lucy looked up. She saw nobody, just a white popcorn ceiling with a small white speaker grate. Wait...not all white...she could make out a discoloration...spots on the speaker that were just a bit darker. They formed a letter.
'G'
"I don't see you." Lucy admitted. "Don't- don't lie to me."
"Yeah...sorry. I'm up here. In the speaker." The man explained. "I'm GARTH!"
The 'g'...the voice was coming from the speaker. That brought a little comfort to Lucy. "Where else are you? Where am I? What did you do to me?" Lucy demanded, curling in on herself in fear.
"I'm just a voice- that's all. Ma'am, it's alright. It's alright now. I know you're scared, okay? It's okay to get scared after what happened to you." Garth went on. "I'm getting Dr. Emmeline, okay? But first, we're gonna do a quick breathing exercise. Take a deep breath for four seconds."
Lucy, shaking, did so. GARTH counted every beat.
"Hold it for seven. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Let it go for eight. There ya go. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Awesome job! Now we're gonna do it again, just the same!"
That they did. They repeated the entire thing three times. By them, Lucy could breathe quite normally.
"Where am I?" Lucy asked for the third time.
"Ah! Knew I forgot something. Lucy Cole, welcome to the Haven!"
==SFTH==
Dr. Emmeline, it turned out, was a psychiatrist here at the Haven. As Lucy started panicking again, Dr. Emmeline arrived to give her gentle coaxing back to normal. GARTH gave her a simple key card, which Dr. Emmeline placed in Lucy's hand. The woman guided Lucy back beyond the white and blue lobby, down a long impossible hallway.
The building stretched on and on. Lucy saw this brilliance only in Harry's ship. Lucy trembled in fear.
They made it to a room. Dr. Emmeline instructed Lucy to use the keycard on the door- like it was nothing but a hotel room. Lucy doubted that. Still, she swiped the card. The tiny light flashed green. They walked inside the room.
The room would better be called a mini-suite. Lucy could see a bedroom, bathroom, small kitchen, living room, and a desk.
Dr. Emmeline walked in, simply standing in place. She waved her arm around the space. "Go on, you can explore."
Lucy stumbled forward. She looked around the room, heart racing. The walls were that same blue, darker but only slightly. The flooring under her feet was carpet again- a light brown carpet like coffee with cream. Lucy spotted another grate, the letter 'G' standing out now that she noticed it.
"What is the Haven?" Lucy asked.
"Why don't we sit down, is that alright?" Dr. Emmeline asked. An American, again. "I'll make us tea. Cuppas, that's what you call them in Britain, yes?"
"Yes." Lucy replied.
Dr. Emmeline nodded. She walked towards the tiny kitchen, to the fridge and the cupboards. Lucy sat herself down on the couch. The light brown pleather scrunched under Lucy. It wasn't unpleasant, actually, it felt quite nice.
Dr. Emmeline came back not long after, a tray of tea in her hands. She lowered it down on the coffee table. Slowly, she got about making two cups of tea. "The Haven is a safe space. A hideaway for people with nowhere else to go. If someone wants to disappear, this is where they go. Sugar?"
Lucy nodded. Dr. Emmeline added a sugar cube.
"Cream, milk?"
"Yes, thank you."
"No problem." Dr. Emmeline finished the cup, passing it to Lucy. "You already met GARTH, even spotted his speakers. It usually takes people a while to notice him."
"What is he?" Lucy asked. "I haven't seen what he is, where he is."
"He only exists in those speakers. He's artificial intelligence, built by a very special girl to keep us all safe. Though as much as she likes, she can't be everywhere at once. So: GARTH. He can be anywhere you need him to be." Dr. Emmeline replied.
"He's a man."
"He's computer code." Dr. Emmeline assured her. "Not a real person, nor does he wish for it."
"Are you sure?"
"The boss lady would've made him a body by now if he wanted one. No, he's just a voice. Gets people talking, puts them at ease." Dr. Emmeline explained.
Lucy glanced down at her tea. The drink sat still in her cup. "Why am I here?"
"Because you needed help, needed to get away from something." Dr. Emmeline explained. "Is that not true?"
Lucy gripped tighter on her cup. She could remember it- remember every feeling as she ran from Harry's body and Norah's cool expression and the guards shouting at Lucy to stop.
"Mind you, I won't pry." Dr Emmeline added. "Everyone in the Haven is entitled to privacy. No one will know if you don't want them to know."
"Others? There are others here? I didn't see them." Lucy replied.
"That's because GARTH can move the halls. Newcomers aren't ready to mingle just yet. We like to ease them in before introductions." Dr. Emmeline informed her. "We want you to catch your breath."
"But-but how can it be?"
"How can halls move, and how did it find you?" Dr. Emmeline asked. Lucy nodded. "Everyone asks that. When this place was built, it was made to be bigger on the inside. The halls moving is part of that. See, the building used to really be a building. How it was explained to me, was that it was a tiny little bubble dimension that just happened to enjoy being shaped like a hotel."
"...that sounds absurd."
"Terra can be." Lucy froze. Dr. Emmeline noted the reaction. "Have you heard of her? Terra Johnson?"
Lucy said nothing.
"Maybe a different name...Megan Quinn? No? Becky Stark? Muerte? Freddy Rose?" Dr. Emmeline tried. "Raven Winchester? No? That's fine. Sometimes people have no idea. You'll see her around- most remember her after they see her."
Her heart skipped a beat. "She's here?"
"Some days. Mostly to make sure GARTH is running smoothly, or to check on the other guests." Dr. Emmeline answered. "That's not what I want to talk about- I wanted to offer you any help. Because of how time works here, whenever you call I will be available. All you need to do is pick up the landline, and tell GARTH you want to speak with me. I'll pick up."
Lucy shook her head, putting the tea back on the coffee table. "I'm not safe here."
"I promise, you are safe." Dr. Emmeline assured. "Ma'am-"
"He knew my name. That- that voice he knew my name! I never said it. How did he know?"
"I-"
"Because she told him. I know she did! She- she's only trying to drag me back!"
"She's not like that."
In a calmer, clearer state of mind, Lucy would agree. She'd remember the many times Norah stood strong against Harry. She'd remember how Norah ran. All of those things Norah did on the surface to spite Harry.
But right now...she remembered Norah's videos. The mad screaming, the robots in Norah's hands, the times Norah stood quietly at Harry's side without complaint. Many times Norah assured Lucy that everything was going like it was supposed to.
Everything according to plan.
Harry's plan.
"I was with her and Harry. She stood by him." Lucy's breathing sped up. Her heartbeat pushed against her chest, trying to break free. "I'm not safe with her!"
"Yes! I swear you will be safe here." Dr. Emmeline insisted. "Terra wouldn't dare hurt anyone here."
"She would! Especially to me!" Lucy panicked. "I- I need to go- how did she- why am I here? Why do this to me?"
"Because she knew you could be hidden here. From whatever it is you're hiding from." Dr. Emmeline promised. "I swear to you. You are protected in the Haven."
Lucy didn't believe her. Actually, no. Lucy wanted to believe her. Lucy wanted to believe that they'd be safe from Harry, and all other Time Lords. She just didn't believe it.
==SFTH==
The dining hall was loud when Lucy arrived. A wide variety of people were there. Normal, human-looking people. Some hunched over and quiet at their tables, others loud and boisterous. They would reach over the tables to grab at plates or their friend.
Dr. Emmeline told Lucy that it was completely fine if she wanted privacy. She could bring the plate back to her room to eat alone. The dining hall was just an option for normalcy.
Lucy couldn't believe in normalcy anymore.
She went to join the queue. The line wasn't very long.
The cuisine wasn't much like she experienced in the past year. The meals were served in large trays, separated on an extremely long table. There were large trays full of chicken legs floating in the savory-smelling sauce. The assorted vegetables were cooked, steaming rising up from them. Lucy could see mashed potatoes with a gravy bowl put aside. One tray was full of chips, another full of small rolls, baked macaroni, and even some cornbread. Salads were stashed beyond the large trays and Lucy couldn't see farther than that. Everything Lucy didn't know came with labels, along with a list of ingredients.
Harry usually showed off, eating large fancy banquets so the Doctor and the Jones family could watch. They never even got the scraps, those usually being handed off to the guards. He did that a lot with Norah, Lucy recalled. He claimed his cousin needed to eat a strict diet- nothing too outlandish to upset her stomach. Norah said she received the occasional sandwich for a job well done.
Looking back, Lucy could see that behavior wasn't right. How had Nor-Terra put up with it for all those months?
"Hello?" A voice by her side asked. Lucy jumped. She whirled around to see who had spoken. A man stood behind her, dressed like he should be working in mines. "Sorry. Did not...mean...to scare." His voice was clunky and slow like the man was still learning how to do it.
Lucy couldn't stop her heart from racing.
The man pointed at the table. "You...take...chicken?" He said the word like he was unsure. He pointed to the dish that Lucy stood in front of.
She looked down at the meat. The food was practically floating in whatever that liquid was, Lucy wrote it off as an American craze. Gravy? Harry had wanted to try that gravy-
Lucy shook her head. She stepped aside so the man could reach.
The man stepped forward. "Thank...you…miss." He reached his hand towards the food.
Lucy stopped him. "No, no. It's-" Lucy swallowed. The man was staring at her now with wide confused eyes, and his eyebrows scrunched together. "You're welcome."
The man meekly nodded.
Lucy moved along in the line. "Did you want-" The man tilted his head, his confused expression still there. His nose twitched with it too. "-anything else?"
"No." He answered. "Just...chicken. You?"
Lucy looked down at the buffet style table. "I- I don't know. Why are you asking me so many questions?"
The man shrugged. "Don't...mean...to." He glanced down at his plate, to the American style chicken. "Confusing."
"What's so confusing?" Lucy snapped. "It's just food. You grab what you want, and move on!"
"Never...tried." The man replied.
"Tried what?"
"Food." The man answered. Lucy stared at him. "It's...new...to me." He grabbed the chicken wing, holding it up. The liquid dripped off it onto the plate. He frowned at the thing, squinting at it. "Never...tried...before."
"Oh," Lucy glanced again at his plate, and the buffet. "Never?"
The man shook his head.
"Then." Lucy sucked her lips. "Try some of those greens. It will help."
The man nodded. "Thank...you." He reached for another tray, scooping a spoonful of veggies on his plate. "What...else?"
Lucy hesitated. "Why are you asking me?"
The man blinked. "You're...nice." That made something in her chest flutter. "Others...less...nice."
Lucy tried to spot a lie. A trick. Harry tricked her too. He treated her father kindly, so she knew kindness could hurt. Yet this man sounded more genuine than Harry ever did. Those alarm bells from before never as much as buzzed. "Well that's a shame. You're a rather polite man. I've met my share of terrible men. You're nothing like him."
"Not...man." He said.
"Right. Aliens are here." Lucy gulped. She started gathering more things for her plate. The man copied her. Lucy appreciated someone following her lead, trusting her judgment on things. "What are you?"
"Half...Dalek."
"Half Dalek?" Lucy had vague memories of Daleks. Sometimes when Harry slept in her bed, he shot awake to scream about the things. True monsters, he described in the maddened haze of sleep. He yelled at Norah so many times about them. N- Terra merely sang songs of shaking, or of something being gone. "My husband spoke of Daleks."
"Oh...Married?" The man asked.
"No, no. Sorry. Ex-husband." Lucy replied. "He died this morning."
"Sad."
"It's really not." Lucy swallowed. The pain in her chest swelled again. Pain, a bizarre feeling. She felt so little this past year. It's a wonder to feel something. The only problem was she felt sad about Harry. He was terrible. Why did she grieve for a monster like that? She should be glad that Terra shot him in the heart. "He was terrible. More of a Dalek than a Time Lord."
"Sad...you...are sad." The man corrected.
Lucy paused. Nobody ever cared how she felt in all of this. Harry only cared for her for what she did for him- a fake wife to get him really elected. The other prisoners saw her in fancy dress and beautiful. She wasn't a prisoner like them, she was a queen. Sometimes it felt like the only people that treated her like a person were the aliens.
"Thank you. Sorry, I never got your name." Lucy said.
"Don't...have that...either." The man admitted. "Said...I should...choose."
"The Daleks never named you?" The man shook his head. "Well that's rude of them, terribly awful. Everything has names. Even I have a name."
"You…name?"
"Lucy." She lowered her plate, holding out her other hand. "Lucy Cole."
The man reached for her hand. She squeezed his hand. They shook. "Lucy...Cole. Good...name."
Heat rose to her cheeks. "It means charcoal."
The man smiled. He stretched his cheeks, showing off teeth and trying to figure out how much to show. It's an endearing attempt. Lucy smiled back. It made him more confident to smile wider.
==SFTH==
Dr. Emmeline turned from her clipboard. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Her coworker brushed back her ginger. "A woman who needs to speak her mind beside a hot bloke, barely able to say a word?" Her brown eyes sparkled. "It has a history of working."
Emmeline took her word for it. "I'll owe you a coffee if it works."
"Coffee? No, please. Caffeine does terrible things to me ever since the metacrisis." Donna shuddered. She lifted her glass, sipping at her drink. "Tea will be great."
==SFTH==
AN: So hey! I was stressing about putting this in the new Doctor Who story, but then I remembered this was here! And that made things easier. Please enjoy it! I like the idea of Lucy finding happiness elsewhere, of being happy in her new life instead of suffering in jail for stuff the Master forced her into. That, and the Dalek-humans I created deserve to appear again.
As for Donna...I don't know. I got a vibe she liked helping people that were downtrodden. Helped boosting people up that needed it. With a bit more of Terra in her head, I felt it'd come out as wanting to work at the HAVEN. That and it's a place she's guaranteed a good job that helps her manage the two aliens currently living in her brain.
Thanks to Bunny's daughter, Lynnecaya, L is After Beyond Birthday, and HannahHPandDWfanJones for favoriting
Thanks to Bunny's daughter, Lynnecaya, Allana Winchester, L is After Beyond Birthday, and HannahHPandDWfanJones for following