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Fic: Hollow World, Chapter 9
Title: Hollow World
Author: Veldeia
Fandom: Doctor Who
Spoilers: Takes place before Blink. Nothing worth mentioning, really.
Characters/Pairings: 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, OCs. Gen.
Rating: PG
Genre/Category: Adventure, hurt/comfort, drama.
Warnings: WIP
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making money. Will return everyone good as new once I'm done.
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Martha, stuck in a cave, utterly unprepared and separated from the TARDIS - what else could go wrong?
9. TARDIS Square
For the second time in not too many hours, the Doctor felt like the ground was giving way under his feet. Of course, this time it was purely metaphoric, but it left him every bit as confused and hurt. The thought that they'd soon reach the TARDIS had been what had kept him going those last exhausting yards. Now they were here, but she wasn't. It was too awful to be true.
The Doctor's first thought was that they were in the wrong place after all, because the TARDIS couldn't be gone. She simply couldn't, it made no sense - but that chasm in front of them looked awfully familiar, and he could remember hanging on to that rugged edge for his dear life. He could even see a square-shaped imprint on the muddy floor where she had been. It wasn't the wrong place.
He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, his vision was growing dim at the edges - he was at the end of his rope, and he had no idea what to do next. No longer having the energy to stay on his knees, he slumped to sit on the ground.
Martha knelt next to him, placing her hand on his back. "You could rest here, couldn't you? You could just stop fighting it. We could look for the TARDIS later, when you're feeling better."
"No, no, don't even say that! I can't, and you mustn't let me," he said urgently, because he wanted nothing more than to let go, but he knew he shouldn't. Her telling him to do it in a friendly, soothing voice wasn't helping at all. "Not without knowing what's happened to her. No. Twenty hours later it could already be too late."
"Then we need to figure out what's happened," Martha stated matter-of-factly.
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, but it was easier said than done. His head felt like it was about to split in half. He grabbed it with both hands. Maybe he could keep it together if he pressed hard enough. He guessed he must be looking every bit as sick as he felt, because Grant still hadn't made one snide remark.
"We landed here, stepped out, and - oh, dear! I don't think I locked the door," Martha said, sounding mortified. "But we're on Earth, in the sixties, in a cave with a collapsed entrance. How could there be anyone here who'd know what the TARDIS is, let alone how to fly it? For all we know, there's no one here but us, and - the petromites! They couldn't have..."
"The petromites, right," he repeated, trying very hard to think. "The TARDIS smells and feels and tastes just like wood, so they wouldn't eat her. But I guess they could've taken her."
"How intelligent are they, then?"
"They have a hive mind of sorts. A typical nest is about as smart as a dog. An ordinary dog from Earth, I mean, of course."
"But you think they could've stolen the TARDIS?"
"Oh, no, no, not stolen as in flown away. Just taken her. Moved her elsewhere. But why would they want to do that? None of this makes any sense!"
"Their being here in the first place doesn't make any sense, either, right?"
"It doesn't." He hung his head, closing his eyes. His ears were ringing. They were missing a piece of the puzzle, he was sure of that, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what it might be.
"Anyway, if the petromites took the TARDIS, how can we find it?" Martha asked.
He looked up again. "Martha Jones, that is a very good question," he told her. How glad he was that she was there and being her bright and brilliant self, when he was having such a hard time trying to be even half as clever as usual.
If the petromites had taken the TARDIS, finding her might not be all that difficult. He couldn't give up yet. His mind claiming the upper hand over his body once more, he crouched very close to the ground, down on his elbows, and crawled to the spot where the TARDIS had been. There were some small rocks on the ground nearby.
"Turn off your lights, everyone," he said. "Or point them away from me. I need darkness here."
Martha turned off her headlamp. Apparently, some of the cavers didn't do that, because there was still a little light, but he hadn't got the strength to start arguing with them. It would have to do. He adjusted his 33rd century torch to Khiandrian light, soft and greenish.
He lifted one of the rocks, then another one - no luck there. He found another pile of rocks, turned some of them around, and there! He was in luck, after all! He could only see it as a tiny glowing blur, but what else could it be?
"Hello, there," he whispered, put his torch on the ground, cupped his hands, and managed to pick the beastie up between them. He showed it to Martha.
"What's that? Is that..."
"A petromite, yes." It was standing still on his palm, apparently frozen in fear.
"It looks like a glowing ant," she commented. "I thought they'd be bigger."
"Like termites, like I said. Now, if we're really lucky, this little one here just might lead us to where his friends have taken the TARDIS."
"Hold on - you're saying that these tiny things may have actually been able to move it?"
"These tiny things are really strong, and there are lots and lots of them. Now, the thing is, we'll need to go into their nest. It's going to be dangerous. Those tunnels aren't just prone to collapse from outside reasons, the petromites can make them cave in as a defence against intruders, which we are obviously going to be. So, a very dangerous business," he explained, addressing both Martha and the cavers. He realised he was speaking really quickly, probably sounding both breathless and frenzied, but at least he could still speak. Better say it all while he could. "I'm not asking anyone to come with me. Actually, it'd probably be better if you didn't. You can stay here and I'll come and pick you up once I've found the TARDIS. It'll take at least twenty hours, though."
"You can't seriously expect me to let you go there all alone!" Martha exclaimed.
"Well, not really, I don't," he admitted. "Not you. But the rest of you."
The cavers stepped closer, their lights pointed at him. The Doctor closed his hands protectively around the petromite. The bright lights could both frighten and hurt the creature.
"I have no idea what you've been talking about, but of course I'm coming," Brian said. "I believe you. I believe you really can get us out of here."
"I don't know about that, but your plan is still better than ours, which is non-existent," Joseph said. "And I'm curious about this all. I'm coming with you as well."
Grant shook his head, arms crossed, looking as grim and granitic as ever. "That doesn't leave me much choice, does it? Follow you, or wait here on my own? Let's go."
"Well. All right," the Doctor nodded slowly. He hadn't expected they'd all want to come. It complicated things. The more there were of them, the bigger the risks. "Once we leave this room and enter the nest, we must keep as quiet as possible, all the time, and move slowly. Minimise the risk that they'll consider us threatening. You'll also need to turn off your lights. That's all we can have," he nodded towards his torch. "One of you should take it, actually.
Grant picked it up from the ground, frowning at it disbelievingly. "This, for all the five of us? How're we supposed to see where to step?"
"Crawl, not step. We'll feel our way around. Should be easy enough. Petromite tunnels are smooth and level. Now, then. Lights off," he said.
Brian had already switched his lamp off earlier, and Joseph and Grant finally did the same. The Doctor gave them a moment to get used to the Khiandrian lighting they'd be travelling in, and then he set the petromite on the ground in front of him.
It wasn't moving. He was afraid he'd accidentally hurt it, and he was starting to get desperate, until he realised that he might just be misinterpreting the passage of time once again, taking seconds for minutes. When the little glowy smudge began to creep away from him, he almost didn't notice it.
"Here we go! Follow me," he told the others. "And remember, keep quiet. Don't even whisper, not until I say it's all right."
He went after the petromite on his knees and elbows, his nose almost touching the ground. Martha followed right by his side, and the three cavers behind them, carrying the pale green light.
By the time they reached the opening of a tunnel at one edge of the room, the energy the Doctor had managed to find once he'd realised what they needed to do was almost entirely spent. Having hope helped a little, but there was no getting around the fact that he was working beyond his limits.
His world shrank to nothing but the feel of the rock under him and the sight of the little spark in front of him, leading their way towards the TARDIS. The ground was cool and smooth, and he was glad to be so close to it, because he was so dizzy that he didn't think he'd be able to stand anymore. His head was pounding, matching his madly skipping hearts.
There was no telling how big this nest was. They might still have a long way ahead of them. It also came to him that the petromite might be taking them anywhere. No reason for it to be going to the TARDIS, really, was there? But it was much too late to think about that. Maybe they would at least learn something useful.
The petromite kept going, moving almost too fast for him now. They were passing crossroads and turning around corners, and he knew they'd have little chance of finding their way back on their own. After a while, the Doctor began to see more glowing spots, other petromites, just a few of them, here and there on the floor by his hands - or were they just lights swimming in front of his eyes? The ringing in his ears was so loud now that he couldn't even hear the sound of the five of them crawling in the tunnel. The lights were growing dim.
He only realised he was lying on the ground with his eyes closed when Martha shook his shoulder. He tried to get up on his hands and knees again, but he couldn't. The room was spinning so fast it was like he had jumped out of the TARDIS in mid-flight in the Time Vortex. He landed heavily on his side, barely able to suppress a groan. He rested his cheek on the ground and squinted forwards. He could just make out the glint that was their petromite.
He rolled onto his stomach and started crawling, afraid that he'd lose sight of their little guide. He had to keep going, he had to hold on - but it was so hard. Too hard. He didn't even have the strength to hold his head up anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help it. His eyes slid shut, and this time, he didn't open them again.
10. The Nest
Author: Veldeia
Fandom: Doctor Who
Spoilers: Takes place before Blink. Nothing worth mentioning, really.
Characters/Pairings: 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, OCs. Gen.
Rating: PG
Genre/Category: Adventure, hurt/comfort, drama.
Warnings: WIP
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making money. Will return everyone good as new once I'm done.
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Martha, stuck in a cave, utterly unprepared and separated from the TARDIS - what else could go wrong?
9. TARDIS Square
For the second time in not too many hours, the Doctor felt like the ground was giving way under his feet. Of course, this time it was purely metaphoric, but it left him every bit as confused and hurt. The thought that they'd soon reach the TARDIS had been what had kept him going those last exhausting yards. Now they were here, but she wasn't. It was too awful to be true.
The Doctor's first thought was that they were in the wrong place after all, because the TARDIS couldn't be gone. She simply couldn't, it made no sense - but that chasm in front of them looked awfully familiar, and he could remember hanging on to that rugged edge for his dear life. He could even see a square-shaped imprint on the muddy floor where she had been. It wasn't the wrong place.
He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, his vision was growing dim at the edges - he was at the end of his rope, and he had no idea what to do next. No longer having the energy to stay on his knees, he slumped to sit on the ground.
Martha knelt next to him, placing her hand on his back. "You could rest here, couldn't you? You could just stop fighting it. We could look for the TARDIS later, when you're feeling better."
"No, no, don't even say that! I can't, and you mustn't let me," he said urgently, because he wanted nothing more than to let go, but he knew he shouldn't. Her telling him to do it in a friendly, soothing voice wasn't helping at all. "Not without knowing what's happened to her. No. Twenty hours later it could already be too late."
"Then we need to figure out what's happened," Martha stated matter-of-factly.
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, but it was easier said than done. His head felt like it was about to split in half. He grabbed it with both hands. Maybe he could keep it together if he pressed hard enough. He guessed he must be looking every bit as sick as he felt, because Grant still hadn't made one snide remark.
"We landed here, stepped out, and - oh, dear! I don't think I locked the door," Martha said, sounding mortified. "But we're on Earth, in the sixties, in a cave with a collapsed entrance. How could there be anyone here who'd know what the TARDIS is, let alone how to fly it? For all we know, there's no one here but us, and - the petromites! They couldn't have..."
"The petromites, right," he repeated, trying very hard to think. "The TARDIS smells and feels and tastes just like wood, so they wouldn't eat her. But I guess they could've taken her."
"How intelligent are they, then?"
"They have a hive mind of sorts. A typical nest is about as smart as a dog. An ordinary dog from Earth, I mean, of course."
"But you think they could've stolen the TARDIS?"
"Oh, no, no, not stolen as in flown away. Just taken her. Moved her elsewhere. But why would they want to do that? None of this makes any sense!"
"Their being here in the first place doesn't make any sense, either, right?"
"It doesn't." He hung his head, closing his eyes. His ears were ringing. They were missing a piece of the puzzle, he was sure of that, but he couldn't even begin to imagine what it might be.
"Anyway, if the petromites took the TARDIS, how can we find it?" Martha asked.
He looked up again. "Martha Jones, that is a very good question," he told her. How glad he was that she was there and being her bright and brilliant self, when he was having such a hard time trying to be even half as clever as usual.
If the petromites had taken the TARDIS, finding her might not be all that difficult. He couldn't give up yet. His mind claiming the upper hand over his body once more, he crouched very close to the ground, down on his elbows, and crawled to the spot where the TARDIS had been. There were some small rocks on the ground nearby.
"Turn off your lights, everyone," he said. "Or point them away from me. I need darkness here."
Martha turned off her headlamp. Apparently, some of the cavers didn't do that, because there was still a little light, but he hadn't got the strength to start arguing with them. It would have to do. He adjusted his 33rd century torch to Khiandrian light, soft and greenish.
He lifted one of the rocks, then another one - no luck there. He found another pile of rocks, turned some of them around, and there! He was in luck, after all! He could only see it as a tiny glowing blur, but what else could it be?
"Hello, there," he whispered, put his torch on the ground, cupped his hands, and managed to pick the beastie up between them. He showed it to Martha.
"What's that? Is that..."
"A petromite, yes." It was standing still on his palm, apparently frozen in fear.
"It looks like a glowing ant," she commented. "I thought they'd be bigger."
"Like termites, like I said. Now, if we're really lucky, this little one here just might lead us to where his friends have taken the TARDIS."
"Hold on - you're saying that these tiny things may have actually been able to move it?"
"These tiny things are really strong, and there are lots and lots of them. Now, the thing is, we'll need to go into their nest. It's going to be dangerous. Those tunnels aren't just prone to collapse from outside reasons, the petromites can make them cave in as a defence against intruders, which we are obviously going to be. So, a very dangerous business," he explained, addressing both Martha and the cavers. He realised he was speaking really quickly, probably sounding both breathless and frenzied, but at least he could still speak. Better say it all while he could. "I'm not asking anyone to come with me. Actually, it'd probably be better if you didn't. You can stay here and I'll come and pick you up once I've found the TARDIS. It'll take at least twenty hours, though."
"You can't seriously expect me to let you go there all alone!" Martha exclaimed.
"Well, not really, I don't," he admitted. "Not you. But the rest of you."
The cavers stepped closer, their lights pointed at him. The Doctor closed his hands protectively around the petromite. The bright lights could both frighten and hurt the creature.
"I have no idea what you've been talking about, but of course I'm coming," Brian said. "I believe you. I believe you really can get us out of here."
"I don't know about that, but your plan is still better than ours, which is non-existent," Joseph said. "And I'm curious about this all. I'm coming with you as well."
Grant shook his head, arms crossed, looking as grim and granitic as ever. "That doesn't leave me much choice, does it? Follow you, or wait here on my own? Let's go."
"Well. All right," the Doctor nodded slowly. He hadn't expected they'd all want to come. It complicated things. The more there were of them, the bigger the risks. "Once we leave this room and enter the nest, we must keep as quiet as possible, all the time, and move slowly. Minimise the risk that they'll consider us threatening. You'll also need to turn off your lights. That's all we can have," he nodded towards his torch. "One of you should take it, actually.
Grant picked it up from the ground, frowning at it disbelievingly. "This, for all the five of us? How're we supposed to see where to step?"
"Crawl, not step. We'll feel our way around. Should be easy enough. Petromite tunnels are smooth and level. Now, then. Lights off," he said.
Brian had already switched his lamp off earlier, and Joseph and Grant finally did the same. The Doctor gave them a moment to get used to the Khiandrian lighting they'd be travelling in, and then he set the petromite on the ground in front of him.
It wasn't moving. He was afraid he'd accidentally hurt it, and he was starting to get desperate, until he realised that he might just be misinterpreting the passage of time once again, taking seconds for minutes. When the little glowy smudge began to creep away from him, he almost didn't notice it.
"Here we go! Follow me," he told the others. "And remember, keep quiet. Don't even whisper, not until I say it's all right."
He went after the petromite on his knees and elbows, his nose almost touching the ground. Martha followed right by his side, and the three cavers behind them, carrying the pale green light.
By the time they reached the opening of a tunnel at one edge of the room, the energy the Doctor had managed to find once he'd realised what they needed to do was almost entirely spent. Having hope helped a little, but there was no getting around the fact that he was working beyond his limits.
His world shrank to nothing but the feel of the rock under him and the sight of the little spark in front of him, leading their way towards the TARDIS. The ground was cool and smooth, and he was glad to be so close to it, because he was so dizzy that he didn't think he'd be able to stand anymore. His head was pounding, matching his madly skipping hearts.
There was no telling how big this nest was. They might still have a long way ahead of them. It also came to him that the petromite might be taking them anywhere. No reason for it to be going to the TARDIS, really, was there? But it was much too late to think about that. Maybe they would at least learn something useful.
The petromite kept going, moving almost too fast for him now. They were passing crossroads and turning around corners, and he knew they'd have little chance of finding their way back on their own. After a while, the Doctor began to see more glowing spots, other petromites, just a few of them, here and there on the floor by his hands - or were they just lights swimming in front of his eyes? The ringing in his ears was so loud now that he couldn't even hear the sound of the five of them crawling in the tunnel. The lights were growing dim.
He only realised he was lying on the ground with his eyes closed when Martha shook his shoulder. He tried to get up on his hands and knees again, but he couldn't. The room was spinning so fast it was like he had jumped out of the TARDIS in mid-flight in the Time Vortex. He landed heavily on his side, barely able to suppress a groan. He rested his cheek on the ground and squinted forwards. He could just make out the glint that was their petromite.
He rolled onto his stomach and started crawling, afraid that he'd lose sight of their little guide. He had to keep going, he had to hold on - but it was so hard. Too hard. He didn't even have the strength to hold his head up anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help it. His eyes slid shut, and this time, he didn't open them again.
10. The Nest