Prisms of No Color, Ch 11 by rose_of_pollux [Doctor Who, Ostinato]
Title: Prisms of No Color, Chapter 11: Such Anxious Men
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 6; Ostinato
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is.
Summary/Comments: Events foreseen now come to pass.
Notes: N/A
Cross-posted to fanfiction.net, tumblr, and whofic.com
“You can’t do that!” the Doctor exclaimed, pulling uselessly against the handcuffs that held him to the support beam.
“I have done it, Doctor,” Salamander said. “I am thinking about the safety of those in Neo Serenity-those I am responsible for. This, in turn, will spare the countless lives across the galaxy. You said yourself the damage would destroy everything.”
“But Jamie is innocent!”
“Lies!” Salamander barked.
The Doctor now glared daggers at Salamander.
“This is not the time to argue as to who is lying because you and I are the only ones who know the truth, and the one of us who is in the position to speak the truth has chosen not to,” he said, coldly. “But I will tell you this. You are already treading on dangerous territory by refusing to allow me to repair the Vortex. But if any harm befalls Jamie, the danger you will face will be unimaginable.”
The smirk was wiped from Salamander’s face.
“I believe you are not bluffing, Doctor.”
“I’m glad, because I most certainly am not.”
“Si. You are a danger to me,” Salamander continued. He flicked his cigarette lighter on. “And, so, I cannot allow you to remain.”
The Doctor’s expression didn’t change; it was inevitable. At least he didn’t have to wait for it any longer…
“Do you know who owns this warehouse, Doctor?” Salamander asked. “It belongs to a paper mill. You see the reams of paper all around you, do you not? Highly flammable. And the pixie-haired girl mentioned something about McCrimmon foreseeing you caught in a fire. …Who am I to deny fate?”
He snapped his fingers and motioned for his mercenaries to leave the warehouse; they obeyed.
“Do you have anything to say, Doctor?”
“Only that you have absolutely no idea as to what you are dealing with. We may look the same, but I can assure you that I have walked through the universe of time and space for 450 years. Your existence is nothing more than a bubble on a needle.” His eyes narrowed. “And I am that needle, Salamander.”
“That is why I am destroying the needle,” Salamander said. “And then, I will have the best locksmiths break into that infernal box of yours. If McCrimmon is in there, we’ll drag him out by force. If he is already in the city, then… he is as good as dead. But I relish the chance of seeing him first-to tell him of how you burned.”
“I have given you my warning,” the Doctor said.
Salamander glanced at him, a part of him believing that the Doctor would, indeed, find a way out of this and wreak vengeance upon him.
“What are you, Doctor?” he asked. “You mentioned to me earlier about ‘your people,’ and that girl checked my pulse to see if I was you.”
“You’re scared,” the Doctor observed. “As a bubble should be of a needle.”
Salamander scowled. In one swift motion, he released one of the Doctor’s hands, now handcuffing that hand to a piece of machinery, making sure that he could not put his hands together.
“It matters not,” he hissed. “You will soon be dead!”
“Will I?”
Instead of a response, Salamander merely held the lighter to the nearest shelf of paper reams until they ignited. With one final glare at the Doctor, he turned and exited the warehouse. The Doctor could see him through a small mail slot opening in the door as he pressed a code on an electronic lock system. The door locked, and Salamander left, leaving the Doctor alone with the growing flames.
The first thing the Doctor did was to swing around the support beam to try to put as much distance between himself and the flames as possible, regardless of how futile it was with his other arm chained to the machine. He was now in front of one of the barred windows.
“Right, then…” he said. “All I need to do is use my sonic screwdriver, and…”
He trailed off, suddenly realizing that with both of his hands handcuffed to the support beam, he couldn’t reach his pockets.
“Oh… Oh, crumbs…”
He glanced back at the flames, which were rapidly spreading. Realizing that there was no way out other than to wait and regenerate, he huddled against the beam, his thoughts turning to Jamie and Zoe. He could only hope that this would all happen quickly enough to escape from this place, rescue Zoe, and find Jamie before he was found. As much as he wanted to believe that Jamie was safe in the TARDIS (knowing that not even the best locksmiths would be able to get past those doors), he knew that the Scot would have gone to find him-save him from the fire.
“Please, Jamie…” he said, softly. “Please, stay hidden. Stay hydrated.”
He looked out the window as he heard a voice over a loudspeaker system.
“By orders of our leader Salamander, the wanted man, James McCrimmon, is a dangerous man and is to be killed on sight. We repeat, by orders of our leader Salamander…”
The Doctor turned his face away, staring blankly at the flames.
“Jamie…”
He was backed up against the window. Jamie was in danger, and Zoe was captured-goodness knows what they’d do to her! And it was all because they had been worried about him…
He shut his eyes in despair.
“Jamie… Zoe… I’m so sorry…”
He was vaguely aware of the electronic lock unlocking, but both of his hearts skipped a beat as he heard a familiar voice-
“Doctor!”
“Zoe!?” he exclaimed, hardly daring to believe that she was standing in the doorway of the warehouse, a look of unbridled horror on her features. “Zoe, run! Get out of here!”
“Not without you!” she cried, running over to him.
“Zoe, no!” the Doctor cried; the flames were already nearing him, but the astrophysicist paid him no heed, attempting to pick the lock on the handcuffs. “No, no, no! Use the sonic screwdriver, at least! It’s it my suitjacket pocket; I can’t reach it!”
Zoe wasted no time; she freed his right hand, and then his left, explaining quickly as she worked.
“I followed that horrible man here; I knew he’d lead me right to you and show me the code…!” She trailed off. “It is you, isn’t it? Oh, Doctor, forgive me, but-”
“Yes, yes, I know…” the Doctor said, as she took his pulse and sighed in relief to feel the beat of two hearts. “Now let’s get out of here-we have to find Jamie!”
“Yes, I heard that announcement,” she said, as they headed for the door. “So, Salamander is his name…”
“Yes, but, tell me, Zoe-how did you escape from him?”
“Escape? He never captured me-oh!”
She suddenly gasped as she and the Doctor found the door to the warehouse blocked by Salamander.
“He has now,” the cruel man smirked, closing and locking the warehouse door.
“No!” the Doctor cried, but the lock had already re-sealed.
“Did you honestly think, Señorita, that I did not notice you following me?” Salamander asked, leering at them through the mail slot opening. “You can burn with him. I’ll see to it that McCrimmon joins you in the hereafter soon enough.”
“Salamander!” the Doctor roared. “SALAMANDER!”
With a final smirk, Salamander turned and left, his mercenaries following him.
“We’re truly alone this time,” Zoe said, after they had gone. “Quickly, Doctor-use the sonic screwdriver; we can-”
“No…” the Doctor said, despairing again. “The sonic won’t work; the lock is on the outside!”
He and Zoe glanced back at the approaching flames.
“But you have a plan, don’t you?” she asked, her voice pleading with him. “The walls are only fiberglass…” She trailed off, accepting the futility of their situation.
The Doctor now hugged her close in a protective embrace as they sunk to the ground, trying to avoid inhaling the smoke. This… this was the worst possible thing to happen now. He would merely regenerate… but Zoe…
“Oh, Zoe, forgive me. You were safer on the Wheel,” he said, quietly. “I should’ve insisted upon you going back…”
“Please don’t blame yourself, Doctor,” she said, shutting her eyes. “I wanted to travel with you. I enjoyed it. I… I was happy.”
“So was I, Zoe. So was I.”
He continued to hold her close, hoping that by some miracle, he’d take the worst of the flames and use his regeneration energy to break down the door before Zoe succumbed to the fire and smoke-and that, somehow, Jamie would be safe.
***********************************
It transpired, of course, that Jamie was not safe. However, running for his life was something he had become accustomed to-at Culloden, and against the various beasties he encountered.
What he wasn’t used to, however, was his body getting weaker and weaker as he lost more water. Soon, he was seeing visions as he ran-Yetis, Cybermen… strange plastic men with cannons in their hands… And fire… So much fire…
Adrenaline kept him going; his heart was hammering in his chest as he ducked through alleys and clambered over fences.
And that was when he heard the announcement-
“By orders of our leader Salamander, the wanted man, James McCrimmon, is a dangerous man and is to be killed on sight.”
“Salamander…?”
It made sense now-it made such horrible, horrible sense. That was why the crowd hated them so much-Salamander had been sure to turn everyone against them…
Anger now drove the piper as he continued to flee. He wasn’t sure of how much time had passed; all he knew was that he was in a maze of back alleys when he realized that he was no longer pursued.
Either he had lost them, or they were regrouping to go after him with weapons. Regardless, the Scot had a moment to catch his breath.
He searched in vain for a spare water bottle in his satchel, but they had all gone-taken when he had fallen. He looked up to the sky in despair… and stared in horror as he saw a rising cloud of smoke.
“Doctor…!”
There was no time for him to catch his breath after all; ignoring the pain in his side, the piper took off running again, clambering over more fences to take the most direct route to the source of the smoke.
He saw the warehouse, flames and smoke pouring from it. A squeak left his lips as he reached the door, pounding on it. He tried to shout-to call out to the Doctor, but his voice had weakened from exhaustion.
But that when a familiar pair of eyes appeared from behind the mail slot, widening as they beheld him.
“Jamie!?”
For a moment, they stared at each other through the mail slot, a rush of joy now mingling with their muddled emotions. Then, a second set of eyes appeared, pushing the Doctor’s out of the way.
“Jamie, the keypad!” Zoe exclaimed. “If you put the code in, the door will open-now, listen carefully!”
She relayed the code, and Jamie ignored the growing darkness clouding his mind as he punched the numbers in. At last, the door unlocked, the piper stumbled back as it opened, allowing the Doctor and Zoe out.
“Oh, well done, Jamie! You were-oh, my word!”
The expression of joy on the Doctor’s face was quickly replaced by one of horror as he saw the piper’s condition.
But Jamie just stared at him in relief. The Doctor and Zoe were safe! And now, he would be too-the Doctor would find a way! And so, with that in mind, the Scot allowed the darkness to take over as he fell forward into the Doctor’s arms, a smile on his face at last.
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 6; Ostinato
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is.
Summary/Comments: Events foreseen now come to pass.
Notes: N/A
Cross-posted to fanfiction.net, tumblr, and whofic.com
“You can’t do that!” the Doctor exclaimed, pulling uselessly against the handcuffs that held him to the support beam.
“I have done it, Doctor,” Salamander said. “I am thinking about the safety of those in Neo Serenity-those I am responsible for. This, in turn, will spare the countless lives across the galaxy. You said yourself the damage would destroy everything.”
“But Jamie is innocent!”
“Lies!” Salamander barked.
The Doctor now glared daggers at Salamander.
“This is not the time to argue as to who is lying because you and I are the only ones who know the truth, and the one of us who is in the position to speak the truth has chosen not to,” he said, coldly. “But I will tell you this. You are already treading on dangerous territory by refusing to allow me to repair the Vortex. But if any harm befalls Jamie, the danger you will face will be unimaginable.”
The smirk was wiped from Salamander’s face.
“I believe you are not bluffing, Doctor.”
“I’m glad, because I most certainly am not.”
“Si. You are a danger to me,” Salamander continued. He flicked his cigarette lighter on. “And, so, I cannot allow you to remain.”
The Doctor’s expression didn’t change; it was inevitable. At least he didn’t have to wait for it any longer…
“Do you know who owns this warehouse, Doctor?” Salamander asked. “It belongs to a paper mill. You see the reams of paper all around you, do you not? Highly flammable. And the pixie-haired girl mentioned something about McCrimmon foreseeing you caught in a fire. …Who am I to deny fate?”
He snapped his fingers and motioned for his mercenaries to leave the warehouse; they obeyed.
“Do you have anything to say, Doctor?”
“Only that you have absolutely no idea as to what you are dealing with. We may look the same, but I can assure you that I have walked through the universe of time and space for 450 years. Your existence is nothing more than a bubble on a needle.” His eyes narrowed. “And I am that needle, Salamander.”
“That is why I am destroying the needle,” Salamander said. “And then, I will have the best locksmiths break into that infernal box of yours. If McCrimmon is in there, we’ll drag him out by force. If he is already in the city, then… he is as good as dead. But I relish the chance of seeing him first-to tell him of how you burned.”
“I have given you my warning,” the Doctor said.
Salamander glanced at him, a part of him believing that the Doctor would, indeed, find a way out of this and wreak vengeance upon him.
“What are you, Doctor?” he asked. “You mentioned to me earlier about ‘your people,’ and that girl checked my pulse to see if I was you.”
“You’re scared,” the Doctor observed. “As a bubble should be of a needle.”
Salamander scowled. In one swift motion, he released one of the Doctor’s hands, now handcuffing that hand to a piece of machinery, making sure that he could not put his hands together.
“It matters not,” he hissed. “You will soon be dead!”
“Will I?”
Instead of a response, Salamander merely held the lighter to the nearest shelf of paper reams until they ignited. With one final glare at the Doctor, he turned and exited the warehouse. The Doctor could see him through a small mail slot opening in the door as he pressed a code on an electronic lock system. The door locked, and Salamander left, leaving the Doctor alone with the growing flames.
The first thing the Doctor did was to swing around the support beam to try to put as much distance between himself and the flames as possible, regardless of how futile it was with his other arm chained to the machine. He was now in front of one of the barred windows.
“Right, then…” he said. “All I need to do is use my sonic screwdriver, and…”
He trailed off, suddenly realizing that with both of his hands handcuffed to the support beam, he couldn’t reach his pockets.
“Oh… Oh, crumbs…”
He glanced back at the flames, which were rapidly spreading. Realizing that there was no way out other than to wait and regenerate, he huddled against the beam, his thoughts turning to Jamie and Zoe. He could only hope that this would all happen quickly enough to escape from this place, rescue Zoe, and find Jamie before he was found. As much as he wanted to believe that Jamie was safe in the TARDIS (knowing that not even the best locksmiths would be able to get past those doors), he knew that the Scot would have gone to find him-save him from the fire.
“Please, Jamie…” he said, softly. “Please, stay hidden. Stay hydrated.”
He looked out the window as he heard a voice over a loudspeaker system.
“By orders of our leader Salamander, the wanted man, James McCrimmon, is a dangerous man and is to be killed on sight. We repeat, by orders of our leader Salamander…”
The Doctor turned his face away, staring blankly at the flames.
“Jamie…”
He was backed up against the window. Jamie was in danger, and Zoe was captured-goodness knows what they’d do to her! And it was all because they had been worried about him…
He shut his eyes in despair.
“Jamie… Zoe… I’m so sorry…”
He was vaguely aware of the electronic lock unlocking, but both of his hearts skipped a beat as he heard a familiar voice-
“Doctor!”
“Zoe!?” he exclaimed, hardly daring to believe that she was standing in the doorway of the warehouse, a look of unbridled horror on her features. “Zoe, run! Get out of here!”
“Not without you!” she cried, running over to him.
“Zoe, no!” the Doctor cried; the flames were already nearing him, but the astrophysicist paid him no heed, attempting to pick the lock on the handcuffs. “No, no, no! Use the sonic screwdriver, at least! It’s it my suitjacket pocket; I can’t reach it!”
Zoe wasted no time; she freed his right hand, and then his left, explaining quickly as she worked.
“I followed that horrible man here; I knew he’d lead me right to you and show me the code…!” She trailed off. “It is you, isn’t it? Oh, Doctor, forgive me, but-”
“Yes, yes, I know…” the Doctor said, as she took his pulse and sighed in relief to feel the beat of two hearts. “Now let’s get out of here-we have to find Jamie!”
“Yes, I heard that announcement,” she said, as they headed for the door. “So, Salamander is his name…”
“Yes, but, tell me, Zoe-how did you escape from him?”
“Escape? He never captured me-oh!”
She suddenly gasped as she and the Doctor found the door to the warehouse blocked by Salamander.
“He has now,” the cruel man smirked, closing and locking the warehouse door.
“No!” the Doctor cried, but the lock had already re-sealed.
“Did you honestly think, Señorita, that I did not notice you following me?” Salamander asked, leering at them through the mail slot opening. “You can burn with him. I’ll see to it that McCrimmon joins you in the hereafter soon enough.”
“Salamander!” the Doctor roared. “SALAMANDER!”
With a final smirk, Salamander turned and left, his mercenaries following him.
“We’re truly alone this time,” Zoe said, after they had gone. “Quickly, Doctor-use the sonic screwdriver; we can-”
“No…” the Doctor said, despairing again. “The sonic won’t work; the lock is on the outside!”
He and Zoe glanced back at the approaching flames.
“But you have a plan, don’t you?” she asked, her voice pleading with him. “The walls are only fiberglass…” She trailed off, accepting the futility of their situation.
The Doctor now hugged her close in a protective embrace as they sunk to the ground, trying to avoid inhaling the smoke. This… this was the worst possible thing to happen now. He would merely regenerate… but Zoe…
“Oh, Zoe, forgive me. You were safer on the Wheel,” he said, quietly. “I should’ve insisted upon you going back…”
“Please don’t blame yourself, Doctor,” she said, shutting her eyes. “I wanted to travel with you. I enjoyed it. I… I was happy.”
“So was I, Zoe. So was I.”
He continued to hold her close, hoping that by some miracle, he’d take the worst of the flames and use his regeneration energy to break down the door before Zoe succumbed to the fire and smoke-and that, somehow, Jamie would be safe.
***********************************
It transpired, of course, that Jamie was not safe. However, running for his life was something he had become accustomed to-at Culloden, and against the various beasties he encountered.
What he wasn’t used to, however, was his body getting weaker and weaker as he lost more water. Soon, he was seeing visions as he ran-Yetis, Cybermen… strange plastic men with cannons in their hands… And fire… So much fire…
Adrenaline kept him going; his heart was hammering in his chest as he ducked through alleys and clambered over fences.
And that was when he heard the announcement-
“By orders of our leader Salamander, the wanted man, James McCrimmon, is a dangerous man and is to be killed on sight.”
“Salamander…?”
It made sense now-it made such horrible, horrible sense. That was why the crowd hated them so much-Salamander had been sure to turn everyone against them…
Anger now drove the piper as he continued to flee. He wasn’t sure of how much time had passed; all he knew was that he was in a maze of back alleys when he realized that he was no longer pursued.
Either he had lost them, or they were regrouping to go after him with weapons. Regardless, the Scot had a moment to catch his breath.
He searched in vain for a spare water bottle in his satchel, but they had all gone-taken when he had fallen. He looked up to the sky in despair… and stared in horror as he saw a rising cloud of smoke.
“Doctor…!”
There was no time for him to catch his breath after all; ignoring the pain in his side, the piper took off running again, clambering over more fences to take the most direct route to the source of the smoke.
He saw the warehouse, flames and smoke pouring from it. A squeak left his lips as he reached the door, pounding on it. He tried to shout-to call out to the Doctor, but his voice had weakened from exhaustion.
But that when a familiar pair of eyes appeared from behind the mail slot, widening as they beheld him.
“Jamie!?”
For a moment, they stared at each other through the mail slot, a rush of joy now mingling with their muddled emotions. Then, a second set of eyes appeared, pushing the Doctor’s out of the way.
“Jamie, the keypad!” Zoe exclaimed. “If you put the code in, the door will open-now, listen carefully!”
She relayed the code, and Jamie ignored the growing darkness clouding his mind as he punched the numbers in. At last, the door unlocked, the piper stumbled back as it opened, allowing the Doctor and Zoe out.
“Oh, well done, Jamie! You were-oh, my word!”
The expression of joy on the Doctor’s face was quickly replaced by one of horror as he saw the piper’s condition.
But Jamie just stared at him in relief. The Doctor and Zoe were safe! And now, he would be too-the Doctor would find a way! And so, with that in mind, the Scot allowed the darkness to take over as he fell forward into the Doctor’s arms, a smile on his face at last.