Fic: Solid Skies, Chapter 15
Aug. 5th, 2009 05:34 pm![[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.
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up. I had a very good reason for it though. (The link's to a friends only post, because I'm paranoid like that.)
15. Twenty-One Hours
Martha was expecting to run into an army of guards at the NTPCRC, but instead, she didn't see a single soul. The place could've been abandoned. What was going on? Moving warily, feeling it couldn't possibly be this easy, she entered the building where the Doctor had been earlier.
A young Khiandrian was waiting for her right behind the door. Martha recognised him as K'iem, the research assistant who was supposed to be on their side, one of the good guys. "I'm glad you came!" he said in a low, hurried voice. "The Doctor was able to create a cure, but Gaer isn't going to give it to him, and I -"
"There's a cure? That's great!" Martha said hopefully. "How is he?"
"He's... It's probably too late already," K'iem said, instantly crushing her hopes. But she could still understand what he was saying, so it couldn't be too late, could it?
"The thing is," K'iem went on, "Gaer is expecting you. She sent me here to wait for you, and I'm supposed to inform her as soon as you've arrived. She has a team of guards at the ready as well, but she thought it best to try and deal with you as quietly as possible."
"Does she know you've double-crossed her?"
"I doubt it. She probably doesn't think I'm smart enough to do anything like this - and maybe she's right, because I'm not sure what to do. The Doctor's most likely beyond help. I should just tell you to run. You're not safe here. If Gaer catches you, she'll..."
"I came here to rescue the Doctor, and that's what I'm going to do," Martha said, determined. She was terrified, of course, but his life depended on her. Backing up now was not an option. "I'd like to meet Gaer, too. You go fetch her. I'm not going to run away."
K'iem left, and Martha walked over to the Doctor's room. When she saw him, she felt like she'd been frozen and crystallised herself. It was as if someone had carved a crystal sculpture of him, and dressed that in his clothes. Every bit of skin she could see was covered by the white, translucent growth. He was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall. The expression on his face was serene, his eyes closed, as if this statue depicted him taking a rare break from all that running and problem-solving. The computer screen above him didn't show his readings. Instead, there was a complicated 3D-model of a chemical compound, probably the cure. That meant she had no way of knowing whether he was still alive within that crystal shell.
She heard someone enter the room, and turned to face them. It was a woman, taller than Martha, which made her very tall by Khiandrian standards. She was wearing the dress-like gown with lots of pockets which seemed to be the standard attire of the researchers. The haughty look on her pale face and in her cold, colourless eyes instantly reminded Martha of Neir.
"You must be Martha Jones," she said.
"And you're Gaer," Martha replied.
The woman inclined her head ever so slightly. "Your friend was a truly extraordinary man," Gaer said, actually sounding a little awed. "But just like you, he knew too much. You do understand that what you see there, the state he is in, that's your fate as well?" She had raised her hand, and Martha saw she was holding a stun gun.
"I know a lot, yeah," Martha said quickly, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. "I know about Contrast, and I know you're behind this Plague. There's one thing where you're wrong, though. That's not my fate, and not his, either. Because I'm not the only one who knows about all this."
"We already have your alien friends in custody."
"I'm not talking about them. I have other friends - Khiandrian friends. They know about this, too, and they're telling their friends right now. If anything happens to me or the Doctor, they will tell everything to everyone. You might be able to catch some of them, but you'll never get them all. You better put that gun down."
Gaer lowered the gun slowly, staring at Martha. Her expression was still perfectly controlled, but as she spoke, her voice shook with anger. "You're lying. Who would be friends with alien criminals? Who would believe the stories of the likes of you?"
"You'd be surprised," Martha said defiantly. "I already know the Doctor discovered a cure. Now, you're going to give it to him, or the whole planet will know about Contrast within the cycle."
"How can I be sure that you won't just tell everyone about us anyway?"
"You can't, but at least it won't happen quite as quickly as it will if you don't help him."
"We haven't even had the time to test the cure properly! For all we know, it might not work."
"It'll work. If he said that it works, then it will."
At Martha's last sentence, Gaer's brow furrowed in a confused frown. The Khiandrian replied, her voice still seething - but the language sounded completely alien to Martha.
"He's running out of time!" she shouted at Gaer, knowing full well that the Khiandrian wouldn't understand her anymore. "Do it, now! Come on!"
Gaer sighed, nodded, said a few words in a tone that Martha interpreted as surrendering, and headed out of the room.
Before going after her, Martha turned towards the force field once more. "Doctor..." she whispered. "Hold on. Please. Just a little longer."
She caught up with the researcher near the entrance. Gaer was gazing after K'iem, who was hurrying out of the building. She tried to explain something to Martha, her voice matter-of-fact now.
It seemed Martha's plan was working, but could it really have gone this smoothly? She couldn't be entirely sure that it had worked until something actually happened. Besides, there were a dozen tricks Gaer might still try to pull. Being unable to communicate with the Khiandrians properly made things even worse, and left Martha feeling strangely helpless.
Gaer took Martha to another part of the small building, into a dressing room. There, she handed her a protective suit, just like the ones they had worn on the surface, and similarly wrapped. Gaer indicated the packaging with her hands and said a few almost friendly words, probably attempting to assure Martha that it was perfectly safe.
Martha accepted the suit and dressed in it, wondering if she was being stupid and making a huge mistake. This was really risky, after all. Even if the suit was intact, Gaer might try and damage it once they were inside the Doctor's room, or stun her and undress her. Still, it wasn't as if she had much choice.
Soon after Martha and Gaer had both got dressed in the suits, K'iem dashed to the room, and handed Gaer a transparent bottle with a spray nozzle. As Martha's eyes met his, he gave her a conspiratorial wink. Martha had no idea what that might mean, but it made her feel a little better.
The two women entered the isolation room through the airlock door. Without further words, Gaer walked over to the Doctor's statuesque form, and sprayed him all over with whatever was in the bottle. Right there, Martha saw another flaw in her plan. How could she know whether that really was the cure? It would be awfully easy for Gaer to claim that she had tried to give it to him, but that it simply hadn't worked.
The Khiandrian stepped back and said a few words, not to Martha, but to the computer. The screen switched to display the Doctor's data. Martha's heart sank at the sight of it. There was nothing there. As alien as the display was, there was no mistaking the flashing warnings and the absence of any readings. No breathing, no heartbeats, no brain activity.
Martha knelt by the Doctor's side. There was no change in the crystal cocoon. How long would it take for something to happen, if that had actually been the cure? It would have to be fast, or it would've been all for nothing. It might be too late already.
Gaer placed a soothing hand on Martha's shoulder. With a sympathetic look on her face, the Khiandrian spoke a few soft words, and gestured towards the door. The message was clear: "I'm sorry. It didn't work. We should go."
"Come on, Doctor," Martha whispered, and raised her gloved hand to touch his crystal-covered cheek.
When she withdrew her hand, a small crack had appeared in the crystal, right where her fingers had been. It began to widen and spread, and as she watched, other cracks appeared in every part of it that she could see, on his bare feet, his hands, his neck and his chest. They formed a crisscrossing web, and the sections of the crystal growth which were surrounded by cracks started to darken and curl at the edges, like burning paper. She brushed at the crystal covering his face, and it fell off in big flakes, revealing skin that looked red, as if with sunburn.
Gaer muttered something that sounded very much a curse. To her amazement, Martha heard someone chuckle in reply. It was K'iem, who was standing at the other side of the force field, staring at the scene, a very smug look on his face. He began to speak, his tone matching his expression, lively and victorious.
Listening to the Khiandrians' unintelligible chirping with half an ear, Martha eased the Doctor onto the floor. She sought for a pulse at his neck. The protective fabric covering her fingers was so thin that she could actually feel how cold his skin was. Aside from that, she felt nothing. Nothing at all.
But the cure had worked, hadn't it? It couldn't possibly be too late. No. Martha refused to believe that. She'd witnessed him bounce back from seeming lifelessness before, with a little help. He could do it again. He had to. She tilted his head back to secure his airway, getting ready to start CPR, when what K'iem was saying caught her full attention.
"Yes, I know you asked me to fill the bottle with thorngrass venom. I just chose not to. I'm actually not stupid, and I've had enough. I know you're going to fire me. That's why I've already sent my resignation directly to the Minister of Health, with copies to the High Commander of the Guard, and the Chairperson's office, complete with a few select files and notes."
"You will..." Gaer began, her voice nearing a growl.
"Uh-uh, I will be going now," K'iem said, grinning cheekily. "I guess you won't understand what I'm saying, but thanks, Martha, Doctor. Bye." He turned on his heel, and fled. Gaer rushed out of the room to go after him, leaving Martha alone with the Doctor.
Martha had understood every word of what they had said, and that could only mean one thing.
She turned to look at the Doctor again. Barely daring to hope, holding her breath, she pressed her ear against his chest - and cried out in delighted disbelief when she heard two heartbeats, faint and slow, but definitely there. She glanced at the computer screen. It was filling with data now, although some of the warnings still remained.
The Doctor's eyelids were fluttering. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, and released it in a pained sigh. Then, still breathing heavily, he opened his eyes. Martha quickly reached to wipe the remains of the Plague growth from around them.
He blinked at her blearily. "Martha," he murmured, his voice raspy.
"Hi, there," Martha said, all smiles. She crouched closer again and, as awkward as it was when he was lying on the ground and she was dressed in a protective suit, grabbed him in a crushing hug.
16. NTPCRC
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.
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up. I had a very good reason for it though. (The link's to a friends only post, because I'm paranoid like that.)
15. Twenty-One Hours
Martha was expecting to run into an army of guards at the NTPCRC, but instead, she didn't see a single soul. The place could've been abandoned. What was going on? Moving warily, feeling it couldn't possibly be this easy, she entered the building where the Doctor had been earlier.
A young Khiandrian was waiting for her right behind the door. Martha recognised him as K'iem, the research assistant who was supposed to be on their side, one of the good guys. "I'm glad you came!" he said in a low, hurried voice. "The Doctor was able to create a cure, but Gaer isn't going to give it to him, and I -"
"There's a cure? That's great!" Martha said hopefully. "How is he?"
"He's... It's probably too late already," K'iem said, instantly crushing her hopes. But she could still understand what he was saying, so it couldn't be too late, could it?
"The thing is," K'iem went on, "Gaer is expecting you. She sent me here to wait for you, and I'm supposed to inform her as soon as you've arrived. She has a team of guards at the ready as well, but she thought it best to try and deal with you as quietly as possible."
"Does she know you've double-crossed her?"
"I doubt it. She probably doesn't think I'm smart enough to do anything like this - and maybe she's right, because I'm not sure what to do. The Doctor's most likely beyond help. I should just tell you to run. You're not safe here. If Gaer catches you, she'll..."
"I came here to rescue the Doctor, and that's what I'm going to do," Martha said, determined. She was terrified, of course, but his life depended on her. Backing up now was not an option. "I'd like to meet Gaer, too. You go fetch her. I'm not going to run away."
K'iem left, and Martha walked over to the Doctor's room. When she saw him, she felt like she'd been frozen and crystallised herself. It was as if someone had carved a crystal sculpture of him, and dressed that in his clothes. Every bit of skin she could see was covered by the white, translucent growth. He was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall. The expression on his face was serene, his eyes closed, as if this statue depicted him taking a rare break from all that running and problem-solving. The computer screen above him didn't show his readings. Instead, there was a complicated 3D-model of a chemical compound, probably the cure. That meant she had no way of knowing whether he was still alive within that crystal shell.
She heard someone enter the room, and turned to face them. It was a woman, taller than Martha, which made her very tall by Khiandrian standards. She was wearing the dress-like gown with lots of pockets which seemed to be the standard attire of the researchers. The haughty look on her pale face and in her cold, colourless eyes instantly reminded Martha of Neir.
"You must be Martha Jones," she said.
"And you're Gaer," Martha replied.
The woman inclined her head ever so slightly. "Your friend was a truly extraordinary man," Gaer said, actually sounding a little awed. "But just like you, he knew too much. You do understand that what you see there, the state he is in, that's your fate as well?" She had raised her hand, and Martha saw she was holding a stun gun.
"I know a lot, yeah," Martha said quickly, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. "I know about Contrast, and I know you're behind this Plague. There's one thing where you're wrong, though. That's not my fate, and not his, either. Because I'm not the only one who knows about all this."
"We already have your alien friends in custody."
"I'm not talking about them. I have other friends - Khiandrian friends. They know about this, too, and they're telling their friends right now. If anything happens to me or the Doctor, they will tell everything to everyone. You might be able to catch some of them, but you'll never get them all. You better put that gun down."
Gaer lowered the gun slowly, staring at Martha. Her expression was still perfectly controlled, but as she spoke, her voice shook with anger. "You're lying. Who would be friends with alien criminals? Who would believe the stories of the likes of you?"
"You'd be surprised," Martha said defiantly. "I already know the Doctor discovered a cure. Now, you're going to give it to him, or the whole planet will know about Contrast within the cycle."
"How can I be sure that you won't just tell everyone about us anyway?"
"You can't, but at least it won't happen quite as quickly as it will if you don't help him."
"We haven't even had the time to test the cure properly! For all we know, it might not work."
"It'll work. If he said that it works, then it will."
At Martha's last sentence, Gaer's brow furrowed in a confused frown. The Khiandrian replied, her voice still seething - but the language sounded completely alien to Martha.
"He's running out of time!" she shouted at Gaer, knowing full well that the Khiandrian wouldn't understand her anymore. "Do it, now! Come on!"
Gaer sighed, nodded, said a few words in a tone that Martha interpreted as surrendering, and headed out of the room.
Before going after her, Martha turned towards the force field once more. "Doctor..." she whispered. "Hold on. Please. Just a little longer."
She caught up with the researcher near the entrance. Gaer was gazing after K'iem, who was hurrying out of the building. She tried to explain something to Martha, her voice matter-of-fact now.
It seemed Martha's plan was working, but could it really have gone this smoothly? She couldn't be entirely sure that it had worked until something actually happened. Besides, there were a dozen tricks Gaer might still try to pull. Being unable to communicate with the Khiandrians properly made things even worse, and left Martha feeling strangely helpless.
Gaer took Martha to another part of the small building, into a dressing room. There, she handed her a protective suit, just like the ones they had worn on the surface, and similarly wrapped. Gaer indicated the packaging with her hands and said a few almost friendly words, probably attempting to assure Martha that it was perfectly safe.
Martha accepted the suit and dressed in it, wondering if she was being stupid and making a huge mistake. This was really risky, after all. Even if the suit was intact, Gaer might try and damage it once they were inside the Doctor's room, or stun her and undress her. Still, it wasn't as if she had much choice.
Soon after Martha and Gaer had both got dressed in the suits, K'iem dashed to the room, and handed Gaer a transparent bottle with a spray nozzle. As Martha's eyes met his, he gave her a conspiratorial wink. Martha had no idea what that might mean, but it made her feel a little better.
The two women entered the isolation room through the airlock door. Without further words, Gaer walked over to the Doctor's statuesque form, and sprayed him all over with whatever was in the bottle. Right there, Martha saw another flaw in her plan. How could she know whether that really was the cure? It would be awfully easy for Gaer to claim that she had tried to give it to him, but that it simply hadn't worked.
The Khiandrian stepped back and said a few words, not to Martha, but to the computer. The screen switched to display the Doctor's data. Martha's heart sank at the sight of it. There was nothing there. As alien as the display was, there was no mistaking the flashing warnings and the absence of any readings. No breathing, no heartbeats, no brain activity.
Martha knelt by the Doctor's side. There was no change in the crystal cocoon. How long would it take for something to happen, if that had actually been the cure? It would have to be fast, or it would've been all for nothing. It might be too late already.
Gaer placed a soothing hand on Martha's shoulder. With a sympathetic look on her face, the Khiandrian spoke a few soft words, and gestured towards the door. The message was clear: "I'm sorry. It didn't work. We should go."
"Come on, Doctor," Martha whispered, and raised her gloved hand to touch his crystal-covered cheek.
When she withdrew her hand, a small crack had appeared in the crystal, right where her fingers had been. It began to widen and spread, and as she watched, other cracks appeared in every part of it that she could see, on his bare feet, his hands, his neck and his chest. They formed a crisscrossing web, and the sections of the crystal growth which were surrounded by cracks started to darken and curl at the edges, like burning paper. She brushed at the crystal covering his face, and it fell off in big flakes, revealing skin that looked red, as if with sunburn.
Gaer muttered something that sounded very much a curse. To her amazement, Martha heard someone chuckle in reply. It was K'iem, who was standing at the other side of the force field, staring at the scene, a very smug look on his face. He began to speak, his tone matching his expression, lively and victorious.
Listening to the Khiandrians' unintelligible chirping with half an ear, Martha eased the Doctor onto the floor. She sought for a pulse at his neck. The protective fabric covering her fingers was so thin that she could actually feel how cold his skin was. Aside from that, she felt nothing. Nothing at all.
But the cure had worked, hadn't it? It couldn't possibly be too late. No. Martha refused to believe that. She'd witnessed him bounce back from seeming lifelessness before, with a little help. He could do it again. He had to. She tilted his head back to secure his airway, getting ready to start CPR, when what K'iem was saying caught her full attention.
"Yes, I know you asked me to fill the bottle with thorngrass venom. I just chose not to. I'm actually not stupid, and I've had enough. I know you're going to fire me. That's why I've already sent my resignation directly to the Minister of Health, with copies to the High Commander of the Guard, and the Chairperson's office, complete with a few select files and notes."
"You will..." Gaer began, her voice nearing a growl.
"Uh-uh, I will be going now," K'iem said, grinning cheekily. "I guess you won't understand what I'm saying, but thanks, Martha, Doctor. Bye." He turned on his heel, and fled. Gaer rushed out of the room to go after him, leaving Martha alone with the Doctor.
Martha had understood every word of what they had said, and that could only mean one thing.
She turned to look at the Doctor again. Barely daring to hope, holding her breath, she pressed her ear against his chest - and cried out in delighted disbelief when she heard two heartbeats, faint and slow, but definitely there. She glanced at the computer screen. It was filling with data now, although some of the warnings still remained.
The Doctor's eyelids were fluttering. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, and released it in a pained sigh. Then, still breathing heavily, he opened his eyes. Martha quickly reached to wipe the remains of the Plague growth from around them.
He blinked at her blearily. "Martha," he murmured, his voice raspy.
"Hi, there," Martha said, all smiles. She crouched closer again and, as awkward as it was when he was lying on the ground and she was dressed in a protective suit, grabbed him in a crushing hug.
16. NTPCRC
