The Doctor, now in her thirteenth incarnation, crouched behind a row of humming servers in Cognitech's dimly lit data center. Her wild ginger curls were barely contained by a charming sky blue hued 1950s style hat perched atop her head. She wore a mismatched ensemble of a long pale blue coat over an adorable yellow blouse, paired with gorgeous grey plaid style suspender pants and a colorfully striped scarf - an outfit as eccentric as its wearer.
With nimble fingers, she manipulated her sonic screwdriver, its soft amber glow illuminating her freckled face as she attempted to bypass the security protocols of Cognitech's central computer core. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the faint whirr of cooling fans.
"Come on, you beautiful thing," The Doctor muttered, her sparkling blue eyes narrowed in concentration. "Secrets, secrets everywhere, time to share."
A sudden clang of a door opening startled her. Footsteps echoed through the cavernous room, growing closer. The Doctor's hearts raced as she frantically worked to finish her hack before being discovered.
"Hey! Who's in here?" a gruff voice called out. The beam of a flashlight swept across the room, inching closer to Zara's hiding spot.
In a moment of desperation, The Doctor made a risky decision. She sonicked the nearest server, causing it to spark and smoke. Alarms blared throughout the facility as she darted from her hiding spot, using the chaos as cover.
The security guard, a burly man in a crisp uniform, caught a glimpse of her fiery hair as she rounded a corner. "Stop right there!" he shouted, giving chase.
The Doctor's hearts pounded as she sprinted through the labyrinth of corridors, her mind racing to recall the building's layout from the schematics she'd studied. She skidded around a corner, her sneakers squeaking on the polished floor, and found herself face-to-face with a dead end.
"Nowhere to run now, missy," the guard growled, approaching with his stun baton raised.
A mischievous grin spread across The Doctor's youthful face. "Who said anything about running?" In one fluid motion, she aimed her sonic screwdriver at fire extinguisher unit situated on the wall midway between her and the guard. Suddenly a powerful stream of chemical foam that startled the guard, as well as temporarily blinding him.
Seizing her opportunity, the Doctor next aimed the sonic at the ceiling. A panel slid open, revealing a maintenance shaft. With acrobatic grace, she leapt up, caught the edge, and pulled herself into the narrow space just as the foam-soaked guard lunged for her ankle.
Crawling through the dusty shaft, the Doctor could hear the commotion below as more security personnel arrived. She allowed herself a small chuckle. "Oh, if they only knew what I've uncovered," she whispered to herself, patting the hidden pocket where she'd stashed a data crystal containing Cognitech's most classified research.
As she neared her exit point, a holographic interface flickered to life in front of her, projected from her sonic screwdriver. It displayed a message that made her blood run cold: "Doctor, we know who you are. Your interference ends now."
The maintenance shaft suddenly sealed shut behind her, and ahead, she could see it beginning to close as well. Zara's mind raced, realizing she'd severely underestimated Cognitech's capabilities. This was no ordinary tech company - they had knowledge of Time Lords.
With seconds to spare, the Doctor sonic'd the panel beneath her, sending her plummeting into an empty office below. She landed with a graceless thud, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder.
Alarms still blaring, she stumbled to her feet and dashed over to the office door, only to find it locked. Aiming her sonic at the lock, she was frustrated to find it wasn't working. 'Deadlock seal', grumbled the Doctor as she leaned against the door. 'Dirty chess!' Calming herself, she hurriedly began to assess her current predicament. Trapped in an office, pursued by angry guards. Maintenance ducts an obvious no go. Options…options! Door? No! Right, okie dokie. What else? Honestly, Nyx was never going to let her hear the end of it.
The Doctor's attention was drawn to a large window set into the wall behind her. Beyond it, she could see the futuristic cityscape of Aostea. Spurred on by the sounds of stomping feed and angry shouts, the Doctor quickly made a decision. Aiming the sonic at the window, she fiddled with the settings til the window began to crack before finally shattering.
Freedom was tantalizingly close. The Doctor quickly dashed across the room and scamper through the window as the office door burst open. She found herself on a narrow ledge, about eleven inches wide. The Doctor noticed that it went around the building housing Cognitech Dynamics.
The Doctor looked down.
Below, she could see swarms of air cars and taxis, weaving their way around the high towers of the city. And far below them, the street was just a smudge.
Rattle and scraping coming from the office; angry footsteps and out-of-breath voices.
The Doctor began to move further along the ledge, keeping her back to the building as she made her way. She did so with practiced ease, her blue eyes flashing as she took in the spectacular view of the vast ecumenopolis that was Aostea. It was rather breathtaking. An urban sprawl of thousands of layers of high-rise buildings soaring high into the sky, industrial complexes so large that they formed the horizon, and huge domed public buildings, with numerous drones.
—
A head stuck out of the open window.
It was the Chief of Security. He looked out, then down, turned pale, and quickly pulled his head back in.
He turned to the two men right behind him. One of them being the foam-soaked one who had pursued the Doctor initially.
'Follow her!"
A security guard stuck his head out. A hand and foot followed. He took a step out onto the ledge - and looked down. Eyes widened comically in alarm, he turned and clambered back inside.
'No way,' he said flatly.
The second guard, the one still soaked by chemical foam stormed past the other guard, determined to get some payback. He took one look out the window, though, and quickly changed his money. No way was he paid enough for this!
'Nope.'
The Chief of Security had a series of threats swirling in his mind. He contemplated spewing them, reconsidered, and filed them away. Popping up a small communication device, he turned and stormed out of the room. 'Send up the security drone!" He demanded.
—
The Doctor stood precariously on the ledge of the Cognitech building. Her fiery red hair whipped around her face in the high-altitude winds. The cityscape of Aostea stretched out below her, a dizzying array of gleaming spires and holographic billboards.
A swarm of sleek, silver security drones zoomed up to hover menacingly before her, their red optical sensors fixed on her every move. The Doctor's hearts raced as she assessed her options, her mind working at lightning speed. She could hear the distant wail of sirens approaching from below, no doubt summoned by whoever was controlling these drones.
"Now, now," she said, her voice carrying a hint of amusement despite the danger. "I'm sure we can discuss this like rational beings. Or at least, I can be rational. You lot are just glorified flying toasters, aren't you?" The drones responded by inching closer, their weapons systems humming to life.
The Doctor's hand slowly reached into her coat pocket, fingers brushing against the cool metal of her sonic screwdriver. She knew she had mere seconds before the drones would open fire. Her eyes darted to a maintenance hatch a few feet away, calculating the risk of making a run for it.
Suddenly, a holographic projection flickered to life above the lead drone. A face materialized - cruel, angular, and unmistakably alien. "Doctor," the being hissed, its voice dripping with malice. "Did you really think you could infiltrate our operation so easily? Your meddling ends here."
The Doctor' eyes still busy looking around for possible ways of escape, she chirped, "Well, yes, actually, and I did. It's the getaway that's gotten rather knackered." Glancing up, she gazed at the projection a second. Then cocking her head to the side, she said, "Have you considered growing a mustache? Might soften those harsh lines a bit."
As she bantered, her mind kept racing through possible escape routes. The maintenance hatch was an option, but reaching it would leave her exposed. So, if she couldn't go back, and couldn't go forward. There really was only one way to go…
Without warning, the Doctor leapt backwards off the ledge, plummeting towards the city below. The drones, caught off guard, surged forward in pursuit.