Fic: Solid Skies, Chapter 3
Jun. 16th, 2009 09:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veldeiaTitle: Solid Skies
Author: Veldeia
Series: Sequel to Hollow World
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: WIP
Characters/Pairings: 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, OCs. Gen.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If you've seen it on TV, it isn't mine.
Summary: After surviving one big cave, the Doctor, Martha and a caving team from the Sixties find themselves in even more trouble on a planet full of caves.
3. Northwest District
Once everyone had been scanned and deemed acceptably clean, Head of Guard Getl met them at the front door again. She obviously didn't want to come inside. It seemed she wasn't entirely convinced that she wasn't going to catch some horrible deadly alien disease from them.
"So, the bio team has given you their OK, but that doesn't mean you get to walk around freely," she said, every bit as unfriendly as before. Martha noted she was wearing a Dark button. No surprise there. "Five aliens and a fugitive who's best mates with them... Never have I witnessed anything like this. You're under house arrest until Central Command figures out what to do with you."
"And how long's that going to take?" the Doctor asked.
"Could be a tenth, could be a cycle. Can't say, since there's no precedent. Don't even think about trying any alien trickery while you wait, there'll be guards at the door round the clock." She made some sort of a salute, bringing her right hand to cover her eyes, and slammed the door shut.
"Blast it!" Jess growled, and punched the door with both fists. "The old travel rules were overly strict, but this is just insane! I thought I was going to be in trouble, I didn't mean for everyone else to get caught in it, too, when you've done nothing wrong! I should never have brought you here."
"Come, now, dear," T'ig said, and reached to put a soothing hand on her shoulder, their previous roles reversed. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known about the current situation."
Jess shook her head, still looking gloomy. "I think I'd better give my parents a call."
"I'm not entirely sure that's a good idea," T'ig said, in an odd tone.
"They should learn about our arrival from me, not from the news," Jess said firmly.
"Hm. You're probably right," T'ig agreed. "You can use the terminal upstairs. Everyone else, please, make yourselves at home."
The two Khiandrians headed up the stairs, while the others returned to the living room. Martha and the other humans took seats on the surprisingly comfortable chairs. The three cavers were looking like they had no idea what to think about all this. The Doctor didn't sit down, but started pacing the room like a caged animal, even though they'd only been captives for a few minutes.
Maybe ten minutes later, T'ig came downstairs, holding a tray with a plain white tea set and a platter full of small, round, almost white biscuits. Martha smirked. She'd been wondering what Khiandrian food was like, and she definitely hadn't been expecting tea and biscuits.
Jess followed T'ig into the room, and Martha's grin faded quickly when she saw the look on her face - it was even more miserable than before. Jess went straight to Brian, and sat next to him.
Brian put an arm around her shoulders. "Jess? What happened? Is everything all right?" he asked softly.
Jess let out a deep sigh, and shook her head. "My parents. They... They very nearly refused to talk to me at all. They're still mad at me, and when I mentioned you... I only explained to them that I came here with alien friends, and they cut the connection."
"Ever since the loss of your mother's mother, they've been ardent Darks," T'ig said.
"How am I supposed to explain to them that I'm in love with an alien and want to spend the rest of my life with him?" Jess groaned, snuggling even closer to Brian.
"Maybe they just need time," Brian said hopefully, stroking her hair.
"I'm sure things will work out, somehow. Here you go, dear," said T'ig, and offered Jess a cup of tea.
They ate and drank in silence for a while. The tea was very much like green tea at home, with maybe a hint of cinnamon, and the biscuits were very sweet and very crunchy, rather like meringue.
While everyone else sipped at their tea, the Doctor kept juggling a biscuit between his hands. Finally, he broke the silence. "Tell me, T'ig - what do you suppose the people in charge are going to do with us?"
"I don't know, really. There haven't been any alien offenders since the Emergency Law came into force. I suppose there's going to be a full trial, unless your governments interfere. As for possible sanctions... They could just banish you, but that might be too much like letting you go. More likely they'll send you to the Dungeon Moon. Worst case scenario would be decades. If you manage to convince the jury that it was a misunderstanding, it might just be months."
Martha saw the cavers turn to stare at the old Khiandrian, horrified. Months or years, even decades of imprisonment on an alien world? It definitely wasn't a cheerful thought. Still, she wasn't feeling overly worried. After all, they weren't in prison yet.
The Doctor didn't seem upset, either, just thoughtful. "All right. So. You said something about a second exit earlier? Through the roof?"
"Yes. You're not planning on escaping, are you?" T'ig asked, lowering his voice, as if afraid the guards outside might overhear.
"Well, the thought had crossed my mind. Better make our exit now, when it's still easy. If one or two of us could get to the TARDIS," the Doctor said, glancing at Martha, raising his eyebrows, "They could come back and pick up the others before the guards can say 'bailed by a big blue box'."
Martha set down her teacup. "Let's go, then!"
"It might not be that easy, even if the guards haven't noticed that exit and aren't guarding it," T'ig noted hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I've done this sort of thing hundreds of times. I'm a true escape artist if there ever was one!" the Doctor declared.
"Well, then, I suppose you know what you're doing," T'ig said. "Follow me. The rest of you, keep talking. They'll grow suspicious if we all fall silent."
T'ig took Martha and the Doctor upstairs, and there to his bedroom. Just above the low bed, there was a trapdoor in the ceiling. "That goes through to the roof, and from there, it's an easy climb down, with clear holds in the back wall. You'll end up in the passage behind the house. Do you know your way from there?"
"Sure we do, that big cliff with stairs is a good landmark," the Doctor assured him. "Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."
"And sorry about causing you all this trouble," Martha added.
"Never mind that! You brought back my favourite niece. I'm prepared to handle a little trouble because of that. Now, as soon as we open that hatch, we must be very quiet. I wish you safe ascents and easy descents, friends."
T'ig used the stone wall by the bed to climb up a few feet, and pushed the trapdoor open. The Doctor went through it first, with ease, since he could reach the sides of the opening while he stood on the bed. Martha needed a little help from him and T'ig, but after everything they'd done in the cave on Earth, this was nice and easy.
She clambered to the roof, and with a final wave at T'ig, closed the hatch as quietly as she could. The Doctor grabbed her sleeve to catch her attention, and pointed out first the front door, where the guards stood - she could just see the tops of their heads - and then the alley behind the house and the pitch leading down to it. The way down might have been easy for a Khiandrian, but to Martha, it looked anything but. Although she could see the crags and knobs that were the hand and footholds, it was no ladder, and even though it wasn't immensely high, it was still a two-storey drop.
Without wasting any time, the Doctor began climbing down. Martha waited until he was safely on the ground, then sought out a set of good holds, and followed him. She did her best to make as little noise as possible, although every whisper of cloth or skin against stone sounded horribly loud to her. She concentrated very hard on each hold, on each single move, only moving one limb when she was sure the three others were completely secure. The stone was so coarse under her hands that it felt like it might cut her fingers. She dared not look down. Finally, her feet found solid ground.
The Doctor was waiting for her, and gave her the thumbs up. Then, he turned away from her, probably looking for the cliff with the stairs. Thanks to that, when a guard emerged from the narrow space between the boulder-like house and the one next to it, the Doctor had his back turned to them.
"Hold it right there. You, tall alien, turn around slowly," the guard ordered. "You honestly thought we wouldn't hear the racket you made when you scrambled down?"
The Doctor did as he was told, but from the corner of her eye, Martha saw him grab the sonic screwdriver and thumb the button. All of a sudden, a piercing whine cut the air. It was nasty even to Martha's ears, and to a Khiandrian, it must've been downright painful. As the guard doubled over, hands over his ears, the Doctor and Martha were already running.
Martha wasn't sure if the Doctor had any idea where they were going. They just ran, as usual. They took the first turn right, and then, right after that, a sharp left. They rushed through small, narrow alleys, some of them covered, very tunnel-like. They even dashed across someone's garden, almost running into the old woman who was crouched amongst the flower beds.
She heard a zap, and something hit the ground by her feet. She looked over her shoulder to see a guard at the far end of the street, pointing a gun at them. How could the guards still be following, after all the crazy turns they'd been taking?
Another shot whizzed past them - and then, just as they were heading for another narrow passageway, the Doctor went down with an "Oof!", landing face first in the dirt.
Martha knelt by his side to see how bad it was. Not bad at all, apparently. He looked up at her, already getting up on his elbows.
"A basic stun gun," he told her, grimacing and slightly out of breath. "Will take more than that to stop me!"
She helped him to his feet, and then, they were running again. After a few more random, sudden turns, they found themselves on the big street they'd crossed on their way to T'ig's place. There was a team of guards standing there, blocking the way. The Doctor and Martha doubled back to the side alley they'd come from. Luckily, they'd managed to put some distance between the guards who had been behind them.
Martha looked around frantically for a hiding place of any sort. The Doctor shook his head. "There's no point. They'd smell us anyway." Only then she realised that must've been how the guards had been following them all along.
Three guards appeared at the far end of the alley, and four stepped into it from the big street, all aiming guns at them. They were surrounded.
"Will you come nicely, or do we need to stun you?" one of the guards asked.
The Doctor hung his head, his hands in his pockets. "We'll be nice. Promise," he said meekly.
Their return trip was a subdued affair, and the distance was much shorter than Martha would've expected. They must've been running around in circles when they'd tried to shake off their pursuers.
"And just so you know, no point in trying any more sonic tricks. Half the team will be wearing earplugs from now on," the guard announced, as he closed T'ig's door after them.
They returned to the living room to face the worried and disappointed glances of the others.
"A true escape artist, eh?" Grant sneered.
"Even artists need to practice," the Doctor retorted. "Time for plan B. As soon as I've figured out what that is."
4. South Entrance
Author: Veldeia
Series: Sequel to Hollow World
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: WIP
Characters/Pairings: 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, OCs. Gen.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If you've seen it on TV, it isn't mine.
Summary: After surviving one big cave, the Doctor, Martha and a caving team from the Sixties find themselves in even more trouble on a planet full of caves.
3. Northwest District
Once everyone had been scanned and deemed acceptably clean, Head of Guard Getl met them at the front door again. She obviously didn't want to come inside. It seemed she wasn't entirely convinced that she wasn't going to catch some horrible deadly alien disease from them.
"So, the bio team has given you their OK, but that doesn't mean you get to walk around freely," she said, every bit as unfriendly as before. Martha noted she was wearing a Dark button. No surprise there. "Five aliens and a fugitive who's best mates with them... Never have I witnessed anything like this. You're under house arrest until Central Command figures out what to do with you."
"And how long's that going to take?" the Doctor asked.
"Could be a tenth, could be a cycle. Can't say, since there's no precedent. Don't even think about trying any alien trickery while you wait, there'll be guards at the door round the clock." She made some sort of a salute, bringing her right hand to cover her eyes, and slammed the door shut.
"Blast it!" Jess growled, and punched the door with both fists. "The old travel rules were overly strict, but this is just insane! I thought I was going to be in trouble, I didn't mean for everyone else to get caught in it, too, when you've done nothing wrong! I should never have brought you here."
"Come, now, dear," T'ig said, and reached to put a soothing hand on her shoulder, their previous roles reversed. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known about the current situation."
Jess shook her head, still looking gloomy. "I think I'd better give my parents a call."
"I'm not entirely sure that's a good idea," T'ig said, in an odd tone.
"They should learn about our arrival from me, not from the news," Jess said firmly.
"Hm. You're probably right," T'ig agreed. "You can use the terminal upstairs. Everyone else, please, make yourselves at home."
The two Khiandrians headed up the stairs, while the others returned to the living room. Martha and the other humans took seats on the surprisingly comfortable chairs. The three cavers were looking like they had no idea what to think about all this. The Doctor didn't sit down, but started pacing the room like a caged animal, even though they'd only been captives for a few minutes.
Maybe ten minutes later, T'ig came downstairs, holding a tray with a plain white tea set and a platter full of small, round, almost white biscuits. Martha smirked. She'd been wondering what Khiandrian food was like, and she definitely hadn't been expecting tea and biscuits.
Jess followed T'ig into the room, and Martha's grin faded quickly when she saw the look on her face - it was even more miserable than before. Jess went straight to Brian, and sat next to him.
Brian put an arm around her shoulders. "Jess? What happened? Is everything all right?" he asked softly.
Jess let out a deep sigh, and shook her head. "My parents. They... They very nearly refused to talk to me at all. They're still mad at me, and when I mentioned you... I only explained to them that I came here with alien friends, and they cut the connection."
"Ever since the loss of your mother's mother, they've been ardent Darks," T'ig said.
"How am I supposed to explain to them that I'm in love with an alien and want to spend the rest of my life with him?" Jess groaned, snuggling even closer to Brian.
"Maybe they just need time," Brian said hopefully, stroking her hair.
"I'm sure things will work out, somehow. Here you go, dear," said T'ig, and offered Jess a cup of tea.
They ate and drank in silence for a while. The tea was very much like green tea at home, with maybe a hint of cinnamon, and the biscuits were very sweet and very crunchy, rather like meringue.
While everyone else sipped at their tea, the Doctor kept juggling a biscuit between his hands. Finally, he broke the silence. "Tell me, T'ig - what do you suppose the people in charge are going to do with us?"
"I don't know, really. There haven't been any alien offenders since the Emergency Law came into force. I suppose there's going to be a full trial, unless your governments interfere. As for possible sanctions... They could just banish you, but that might be too much like letting you go. More likely they'll send you to the Dungeon Moon. Worst case scenario would be decades. If you manage to convince the jury that it was a misunderstanding, it might just be months."
Martha saw the cavers turn to stare at the old Khiandrian, horrified. Months or years, even decades of imprisonment on an alien world? It definitely wasn't a cheerful thought. Still, she wasn't feeling overly worried. After all, they weren't in prison yet.
The Doctor didn't seem upset, either, just thoughtful. "All right. So. You said something about a second exit earlier? Through the roof?"
"Yes. You're not planning on escaping, are you?" T'ig asked, lowering his voice, as if afraid the guards outside might overhear.
"Well, the thought had crossed my mind. Better make our exit now, when it's still easy. If one or two of us could get to the TARDIS," the Doctor said, glancing at Martha, raising his eyebrows, "They could come back and pick up the others before the guards can say 'bailed by a big blue box'."
Martha set down her teacup. "Let's go, then!"
"It might not be that easy, even if the guards haven't noticed that exit and aren't guarding it," T'ig noted hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I've done this sort of thing hundreds of times. I'm a true escape artist if there ever was one!" the Doctor declared.
"Well, then, I suppose you know what you're doing," T'ig said. "Follow me. The rest of you, keep talking. They'll grow suspicious if we all fall silent."
T'ig took Martha and the Doctor upstairs, and there to his bedroom. Just above the low bed, there was a trapdoor in the ceiling. "That goes through to the roof, and from there, it's an easy climb down, with clear holds in the back wall. You'll end up in the passage behind the house. Do you know your way from there?"
"Sure we do, that big cliff with stairs is a good landmark," the Doctor assured him. "Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."
"And sorry about causing you all this trouble," Martha added.
"Never mind that! You brought back my favourite niece. I'm prepared to handle a little trouble because of that. Now, as soon as we open that hatch, we must be very quiet. I wish you safe ascents and easy descents, friends."
T'ig used the stone wall by the bed to climb up a few feet, and pushed the trapdoor open. The Doctor went through it first, with ease, since he could reach the sides of the opening while he stood on the bed. Martha needed a little help from him and T'ig, but after everything they'd done in the cave on Earth, this was nice and easy.
She clambered to the roof, and with a final wave at T'ig, closed the hatch as quietly as she could. The Doctor grabbed her sleeve to catch her attention, and pointed out first the front door, where the guards stood - she could just see the tops of their heads - and then the alley behind the house and the pitch leading down to it. The way down might have been easy for a Khiandrian, but to Martha, it looked anything but. Although she could see the crags and knobs that were the hand and footholds, it was no ladder, and even though it wasn't immensely high, it was still a two-storey drop.
Without wasting any time, the Doctor began climbing down. Martha waited until he was safely on the ground, then sought out a set of good holds, and followed him. She did her best to make as little noise as possible, although every whisper of cloth or skin against stone sounded horribly loud to her. She concentrated very hard on each hold, on each single move, only moving one limb when she was sure the three others were completely secure. The stone was so coarse under her hands that it felt like it might cut her fingers. She dared not look down. Finally, her feet found solid ground.
The Doctor was waiting for her, and gave her the thumbs up. Then, he turned away from her, probably looking for the cliff with the stairs. Thanks to that, when a guard emerged from the narrow space between the boulder-like house and the one next to it, the Doctor had his back turned to them.
"Hold it right there. You, tall alien, turn around slowly," the guard ordered. "You honestly thought we wouldn't hear the racket you made when you scrambled down?"
The Doctor did as he was told, but from the corner of her eye, Martha saw him grab the sonic screwdriver and thumb the button. All of a sudden, a piercing whine cut the air. It was nasty even to Martha's ears, and to a Khiandrian, it must've been downright painful. As the guard doubled over, hands over his ears, the Doctor and Martha were already running.
Martha wasn't sure if the Doctor had any idea where they were going. They just ran, as usual. They took the first turn right, and then, right after that, a sharp left. They rushed through small, narrow alleys, some of them covered, very tunnel-like. They even dashed across someone's garden, almost running into the old woman who was crouched amongst the flower beds.
She heard a zap, and something hit the ground by her feet. She looked over her shoulder to see a guard at the far end of the street, pointing a gun at them. How could the guards still be following, after all the crazy turns they'd been taking?
Another shot whizzed past them - and then, just as they were heading for another narrow passageway, the Doctor went down with an "Oof!", landing face first in the dirt.
Martha knelt by his side to see how bad it was. Not bad at all, apparently. He looked up at her, already getting up on his elbows.
"A basic stun gun," he told her, grimacing and slightly out of breath. "Will take more than that to stop me!"
She helped him to his feet, and then, they were running again. After a few more random, sudden turns, they found themselves on the big street they'd crossed on their way to T'ig's place. There was a team of guards standing there, blocking the way. The Doctor and Martha doubled back to the side alley they'd come from. Luckily, they'd managed to put some distance between the guards who had been behind them.
Martha looked around frantically for a hiding place of any sort. The Doctor shook his head. "There's no point. They'd smell us anyway." Only then she realised that must've been how the guards had been following them all along.
Three guards appeared at the far end of the alley, and four stepped into it from the big street, all aiming guns at them. They were surrounded.
"Will you come nicely, or do we need to stun you?" one of the guards asked.
The Doctor hung his head, his hands in his pockets. "We'll be nice. Promise," he said meekly.
Their return trip was a subdued affair, and the distance was much shorter than Martha would've expected. They must've been running around in circles when they'd tried to shake off their pursuers.
"And just so you know, no point in trying any more sonic tricks. Half the team will be wearing earplugs from now on," the guard announced, as he closed T'ig's door after them.
They returned to the living room to face the worried and disappointed glances of the others.
"A true escape artist, eh?" Grant sneered.
"Even artists need to practice," the Doctor retorted. "Time for plan B. As soon as I've figured out what that is."
4. South Entrance
