Prisms of No Color, Ch 12 by rose_of_pollux [Doctor Who, Leitmotif]
Title: Prisms of No Color, Chapter 12: Salvation's Yours for Just a Time
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 20; leitmotif
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is.
Summary/Comments: the Doctor and Zoe search for a way to help Jamie while Salamander proceeds with his own plans.
Notes: N/A
Cross-posted to fanfiction.net, tumblr, and whofic.com
Salamander stood outside the TARDIS as his team of mercenaries and locksmiths worked on the lock of the TARDIS-or attempted to.
None of their lock picks worked, and any attempts to use clay to make an impression of the lock also failed.
“You are all useless!” Salamander hissed at the team. “Why do I pay you, I wonder!? It is a simple lock on a battered old police box!”
He struck a fist against the TARDIS’s door and then immediately stepped back from it, alarmed.
He had felt something-a feeling of… anger? Hatred? When he had first entered the box during his last encounter with the Doctor and had been taking in the unbelievably spacious interior, he had thought he had felt the same thing, but had dismissed it due to his own battered state at the time.
But there was no mistaking it now; this battered box was somehow alive-and angry with him.
“Mr. Salamander?” one of the men asked. “What are we supposed to do?”
Salamander didn’t reply; he was still staring at the TARDIS; the twinge of fear he had been trying to ignore was now burrowing deeper into his mind.
And now the Doctor’s words were echoing in his consciousness-
“Your existence is nothing more than a bubble on a needle. And I am that needle, Salamander.”
“Mr. Salamander?”
He snapped out of his daze and turned to the mercenary.
“What?” he snapped.
“What do you wish for us to do?”
Salamander glanced back at the TARDIS, and then glanced at the useless lock picks and clay.
“We are going back to the warehouse,” he said. “Call the fire brigade, but tell them to use only a limited amount of water.”
“Sir?”
“We need to get a needle-I mean, a key. And that Doctor will have it.” He glared at the men. “Move!”
*********************************************
The TARDIS keys-and the ones carrying them-were blocks away from the warehouse by this time, however. It wasn’t an easy task, but the Doctor had managed to reach a relatively safe place in the kitchen of an old, bearded-up restaurant; using the sonic screwdriver on the back door allowed them entry, and the fact that the building had seemed unused for years led the Doctor to hope that they would not be tracked here.
The entire way here, the Doctor had carried the unconscious piper in his arms; the tension of the escape masked the Time Lord’s apprehension, but now that they were safe, the lines of worry on his face deepened with every passing moment.
“Is he going to be alright?” Zoe whispered.
But the Doctor didn’t answer; Zoe watched him as he cradled Jamie in one arm, gently placing his hand on the side of the piper’s face. Carefully, he opened one of Jamie’s eyelids.
“Oh, no…” he whispered, exhaling sharply.
“Doctor? Are we too late?”
To her surprise, the Doctor then placed his forehead against Jamie’s, and his eyes widened.
“We’re in time-but only just!” the Doctor declared. “He needs water-immediately, before he slips away.”
“Oh…!” Zoe gasped, looking around. She ran over to the sink and turned on the faucet, but let out a little cry of despair as nothing poured from it.
“Oh, they shut the water off-of course they would!”
The Doctor’s face fell, but he finally noticed the satchel that Jamie had been carrying. He immediately seized it, letting out a laugh of relief as he found the first aid kit inside.
“Well, this will do for a start!”
“I don’t understand…” Zoe said.
“You will-open that kit and find me the pouch of electrolyte liquid!”
And the astrophysicist’s eyes widened in understanding. Quickly, she opened the kit and found the pouch, opening it and handing it to the Doctor. The Doctor held the pouch up to Jamie’s lips, but the piper didn’t drink.
“Jamie…” the Doctor pleaded. “You must drink-it’s the only thing that will save you now!”
“It’s no use, Doctor; he’s not conscious enough!” Zoe said. “We’d have to give it to him intravenously!”
“We don’t have the equipment for that!” the Doctor said, handing the pouch back to Zoe. “Hold that up to his lips!”
She obeyed, and stared as the Doctor placed his forehead against Jamie’s again, shutting his eyes, as though he was concentrating. To her astonishment, Jamie stirred slightly, and began to drink.
This continued for several tense minutes until he had drank the contents of the pouch, and then fell back, unresponsive, in the Doctor’s arms. The Doctor broke the forehead-to-forehead contact, sighing.
“What was that, Doctor?” Zoe said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say…”
“You would say what, Zoe?”
“Well…” she said. “I know it can’t be possible, but it was as though you were transmitting your thoughts to him-forcing him to drink.”
“That’s exactly what I did, Zoe.”
Zoe stared at him, stunned.
“How…?”
“My people are touch-telepaths,” the Doctor explained, still gently supporting Jamie with his arm. “We can read the thought patterns of other lifeforms through physical contact.”
“So that’s how you knew we weren’t too late-you could still read Jamie’s thought patterns!”
Exactly. And not only that, we can manipulate the thought patterns of other beings, and, of course, once you manipulate the mind, you can manipulate them to do anything-including having them drink a liquid that will save their lives.”
“If you could do that all along, why didn’t you manipulate Jamie’s thought patterns so that he wouldn’t leave the TARDIS and stay hydrated?” Zoe asked. “You would have had an easy way keep him safe!”
“It’s not something I enjoy doing, Zoe. You and Jamie both mean very much to me, and just the thought of trying to control your minds turns my stomach. How could I disrespect the both of you in such a manner? You wouldn’t be my companions; you’d be my puppets! …I showed you what happened between Jamie and myself when we faced the Daleks, through thought projection, remember? I didn’t even try to control his mind, but I still manipulated him, and it very nearly ruined things beyond repair! Losing Jamie’s trust was… unbearable.”
“I think I understand,” Zoe said. “Anything we do, you want it to be because it’s our choice.”
“Exactly. You both have your own minds, and that is just one of the things that makes you both unique. And any attempt from me to try to change that-or change you-would be unthinkable. I care about you two far too much for that. …But I had to save Jamie’s life; I can only hope he forgives me for temporarily manipulating his thought patterns, even if it was for this purpose.”
“I’m sure he will,” Zoe said. “He’s awfully fond of you-all he could talk about was wanting to save you. And, he did…”
“Yes. Yes, he did…”
“…I yelled at him.”
“Sorry?”
“When he kept insisting that he wanted to go out and save you, without any regard for his own safety, I got so frustrated, and I yelled at him. I didn’t mean to…” She winced. “And I accidentally told that Salamander fellow all about it. I’m so sorry, Doctor; I thought he was you in disguise!”
“It’s an easy mistake to make, Zoe.”
“Why does he hate you and Jamie so much? And Victoria?”
“It’d take too long to explain…”
“Could you tell me with touch telepathy?”
“I believe I could.”
She leaned forward, allowing him to press his forehead against hers. In a span of seconds, he transmitted everything she needed to know-about Astrid and Giles Kent, about how he had impersonated Salamander, and about their confrontation in the TARDIS.
He broke contact again, and she gave a nod.
“It certainly all makes sense now,” she agreed. “And it’s rather intriguing. Here you are, a pikilothermic, lifeform with a binary vascular system from another planet, and yet, you have the exact same facial features as one particular human being. …You’re not even a mammal, are you, Doctor?”
“Not even remotely.”
“I thought as much…” Zoe said. “I just wish certain other things made sense, too.”
“Like what?”
“Why I yelled at Jamie. And why it bothers me that I did.”
“Oh, Zoe, it’s perfectly normal-”
He immediately stopped in midsentence as Jamie quietly mumbled something. Even Zoe’s thoughts were diverted.
“He’s coming around!” she whispered.
“Yes, but he’ll still be quite weak,” the Doctor said. “One packet of electrolyte liquid isn’t enough. Jamie? Jamie, my boy, do you hear me?”
The piper opened his eyes now, and suddenly trembled, as though afraid.
“S… Sal…” he stammered.
“Oh, I see…” the Doctor said. He gave Jamie a reassuring smile and, to Zoe’s surprise, proceeded to whistle “shave and a haircut.”
The piper’s trembling ceased, joy slightly lighting up his haggard features. He attempted to whistle “two bits” in response, but his parched lips failed him.
The Doctor’s hearts both gave a twinge upon seeing the failed attempt at a response.
“It’s alright, Jamie. You need to conserve your strength. We very nearly lost you-and after you saved the both of us! When you’re better, rest assured, I will give you the proper chiding you deserve!” He paused, but then continued. “I had to control your thought patterns for a moment to make sure that you would drink; I am sorry…”
But Jamie gave a nod and a weak smile.
“There’s another pouch of electrolyte liquid in here, Doctor!” Zoe exclaimed, after searching through the first aid kit.
“Yes, good, that will also serve as a very temporary solution,” he said. “But Jamie needs water, and lots of it. In the condition he’s in, he needs to be constantly drinking in order to prevent any damage to his cells!”
“But we don’t have any water!” Zoe said.
“Then we’ll just have to find some water from elsewhere!” the Doctor said.
“How?” Zoe asked. “We can’t exactly go around and beg for it; once Salamander figures out that we escaped the fire, there’ll be wanted posters of us next!”
“Yes, yes; that’s true. We shall have to come up with some clever idea…”
“But there isn’t time for that!” Zoe reminded him. “Or have you forgotten about the Vortex?”
“…Oh, my word…”
“You did forget!”
“Well, I had other things to think about!” the Doctor said. “Right… Water for Jamie, and then repair the Vortex…”
“Do you have enough time to do both of those things?” Zoe asked, quietly. “How much longer will the Vortex stay before the space-time continuum collapses?”
“…To tell you the truth, Zoe, I don’t know.”
“Well, you know what that means don’t you?” she said. “If you go looking for water for Jamie, you may run out of time to repair the Vortex. And if you go repair the Vortex first… Jamie will run out of time.”
The reality of the situation came crashing down upon the Doctor; he was going to have to make a very difficult decision-and quickly.
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 20; leitmotif
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is.
Summary/Comments: the Doctor and Zoe search for a way to help Jamie while Salamander proceeds with his own plans.
Notes: N/A
Cross-posted to fanfiction.net, tumblr, and whofic.com
Salamander stood outside the TARDIS as his team of mercenaries and locksmiths worked on the lock of the TARDIS-or attempted to.
None of their lock picks worked, and any attempts to use clay to make an impression of the lock also failed.
“You are all useless!” Salamander hissed at the team. “Why do I pay you, I wonder!? It is a simple lock on a battered old police box!”
He struck a fist against the TARDIS’s door and then immediately stepped back from it, alarmed.
He had felt something-a feeling of… anger? Hatred? When he had first entered the box during his last encounter with the Doctor and had been taking in the unbelievably spacious interior, he had thought he had felt the same thing, but had dismissed it due to his own battered state at the time.
But there was no mistaking it now; this battered box was somehow alive-and angry with him.
“Mr. Salamander?” one of the men asked. “What are we supposed to do?”
Salamander didn’t reply; he was still staring at the TARDIS; the twinge of fear he had been trying to ignore was now burrowing deeper into his mind.
And now the Doctor’s words were echoing in his consciousness-
“Your existence is nothing more than a bubble on a needle. And I am that needle, Salamander.”
“Mr. Salamander?”
He snapped out of his daze and turned to the mercenary.
“What?” he snapped.
“What do you wish for us to do?”
Salamander glanced back at the TARDIS, and then glanced at the useless lock picks and clay.
“We are going back to the warehouse,” he said. “Call the fire brigade, but tell them to use only a limited amount of water.”
“Sir?”
“We need to get a needle-I mean, a key. And that Doctor will have it.” He glared at the men. “Move!”
*********************************************
The TARDIS keys-and the ones carrying them-were blocks away from the warehouse by this time, however. It wasn’t an easy task, but the Doctor had managed to reach a relatively safe place in the kitchen of an old, bearded-up restaurant; using the sonic screwdriver on the back door allowed them entry, and the fact that the building had seemed unused for years led the Doctor to hope that they would not be tracked here.
The entire way here, the Doctor had carried the unconscious piper in his arms; the tension of the escape masked the Time Lord’s apprehension, but now that they were safe, the lines of worry on his face deepened with every passing moment.
“Is he going to be alright?” Zoe whispered.
But the Doctor didn’t answer; Zoe watched him as he cradled Jamie in one arm, gently placing his hand on the side of the piper’s face. Carefully, he opened one of Jamie’s eyelids.
“Oh, no…” he whispered, exhaling sharply.
“Doctor? Are we too late?”
To her surprise, the Doctor then placed his forehead against Jamie’s, and his eyes widened.
“We’re in time-but only just!” the Doctor declared. “He needs water-immediately, before he slips away.”
“Oh…!” Zoe gasped, looking around. She ran over to the sink and turned on the faucet, but let out a little cry of despair as nothing poured from it.
“Oh, they shut the water off-of course they would!”
The Doctor’s face fell, but he finally noticed the satchel that Jamie had been carrying. He immediately seized it, letting out a laugh of relief as he found the first aid kit inside.
“Well, this will do for a start!”
“I don’t understand…” Zoe said.
“You will-open that kit and find me the pouch of electrolyte liquid!”
And the astrophysicist’s eyes widened in understanding. Quickly, she opened the kit and found the pouch, opening it and handing it to the Doctor. The Doctor held the pouch up to Jamie’s lips, but the piper didn’t drink.
“Jamie…” the Doctor pleaded. “You must drink-it’s the only thing that will save you now!”
“It’s no use, Doctor; he’s not conscious enough!” Zoe said. “We’d have to give it to him intravenously!”
“We don’t have the equipment for that!” the Doctor said, handing the pouch back to Zoe. “Hold that up to his lips!”
She obeyed, and stared as the Doctor placed his forehead against Jamie’s again, shutting his eyes, as though he was concentrating. To her astonishment, Jamie stirred slightly, and began to drink.
This continued for several tense minutes until he had drank the contents of the pouch, and then fell back, unresponsive, in the Doctor’s arms. The Doctor broke the forehead-to-forehead contact, sighing.
“What was that, Doctor?” Zoe said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say…”
“You would say what, Zoe?”
“Well…” she said. “I know it can’t be possible, but it was as though you were transmitting your thoughts to him-forcing him to drink.”
“That’s exactly what I did, Zoe.”
Zoe stared at him, stunned.
“How…?”
“My people are touch-telepaths,” the Doctor explained, still gently supporting Jamie with his arm. “We can read the thought patterns of other lifeforms through physical contact.”
“So that’s how you knew we weren’t too late-you could still read Jamie’s thought patterns!”
Exactly. And not only that, we can manipulate the thought patterns of other beings, and, of course, once you manipulate the mind, you can manipulate them to do anything-including having them drink a liquid that will save their lives.”
“If you could do that all along, why didn’t you manipulate Jamie’s thought patterns so that he wouldn’t leave the TARDIS and stay hydrated?” Zoe asked. “You would have had an easy way keep him safe!”
“It’s not something I enjoy doing, Zoe. You and Jamie both mean very much to me, and just the thought of trying to control your minds turns my stomach. How could I disrespect the both of you in such a manner? You wouldn’t be my companions; you’d be my puppets! …I showed you what happened between Jamie and myself when we faced the Daleks, through thought projection, remember? I didn’t even try to control his mind, but I still manipulated him, and it very nearly ruined things beyond repair! Losing Jamie’s trust was… unbearable.”
“I think I understand,” Zoe said. “Anything we do, you want it to be because it’s our choice.”
“Exactly. You both have your own minds, and that is just one of the things that makes you both unique. And any attempt from me to try to change that-or change you-would be unthinkable. I care about you two far too much for that. …But I had to save Jamie’s life; I can only hope he forgives me for temporarily manipulating his thought patterns, even if it was for this purpose.”
“I’m sure he will,” Zoe said. “He’s awfully fond of you-all he could talk about was wanting to save you. And, he did…”
“Yes. Yes, he did…”
“…I yelled at him.”
“Sorry?”
“When he kept insisting that he wanted to go out and save you, without any regard for his own safety, I got so frustrated, and I yelled at him. I didn’t mean to…” She winced. “And I accidentally told that Salamander fellow all about it. I’m so sorry, Doctor; I thought he was you in disguise!”
“It’s an easy mistake to make, Zoe.”
“Why does he hate you and Jamie so much? And Victoria?”
“It’d take too long to explain…”
“Could you tell me with touch telepathy?”
“I believe I could.”
She leaned forward, allowing him to press his forehead against hers. In a span of seconds, he transmitted everything she needed to know-about Astrid and Giles Kent, about how he had impersonated Salamander, and about their confrontation in the TARDIS.
He broke contact again, and she gave a nod.
“It certainly all makes sense now,” she agreed. “And it’s rather intriguing. Here you are, a pikilothermic, lifeform with a binary vascular system from another planet, and yet, you have the exact same facial features as one particular human being. …You’re not even a mammal, are you, Doctor?”
“Not even remotely.”
“I thought as much…” Zoe said. “I just wish certain other things made sense, too.”
“Like what?”
“Why I yelled at Jamie. And why it bothers me that I did.”
“Oh, Zoe, it’s perfectly normal-”
He immediately stopped in midsentence as Jamie quietly mumbled something. Even Zoe’s thoughts were diverted.
“He’s coming around!” she whispered.
“Yes, but he’ll still be quite weak,” the Doctor said. “One packet of electrolyte liquid isn’t enough. Jamie? Jamie, my boy, do you hear me?”
The piper opened his eyes now, and suddenly trembled, as though afraid.
“S… Sal…” he stammered.
“Oh, I see…” the Doctor said. He gave Jamie a reassuring smile and, to Zoe’s surprise, proceeded to whistle “shave and a haircut.”
The piper’s trembling ceased, joy slightly lighting up his haggard features. He attempted to whistle “two bits” in response, but his parched lips failed him.
The Doctor’s hearts both gave a twinge upon seeing the failed attempt at a response.
“It’s alright, Jamie. You need to conserve your strength. We very nearly lost you-and after you saved the both of us! When you’re better, rest assured, I will give you the proper chiding you deserve!” He paused, but then continued. “I had to control your thought patterns for a moment to make sure that you would drink; I am sorry…”
But Jamie gave a nod and a weak smile.
“There’s another pouch of electrolyte liquid in here, Doctor!” Zoe exclaimed, after searching through the first aid kit.
“Yes, good, that will also serve as a very temporary solution,” he said. “But Jamie needs water, and lots of it. In the condition he’s in, he needs to be constantly drinking in order to prevent any damage to his cells!”
“But we don’t have any water!” Zoe said.
“Then we’ll just have to find some water from elsewhere!” the Doctor said.
“How?” Zoe asked. “We can’t exactly go around and beg for it; once Salamander figures out that we escaped the fire, there’ll be wanted posters of us next!”
“Yes, yes; that’s true. We shall have to come up with some clever idea…”
“But there isn’t time for that!” Zoe reminded him. “Or have you forgotten about the Vortex?”
“…Oh, my word…”
“You did forget!”
“Well, I had other things to think about!” the Doctor said. “Right… Water for Jamie, and then repair the Vortex…”
“Do you have enough time to do both of those things?” Zoe asked, quietly. “How much longer will the Vortex stay before the space-time continuum collapses?”
“…To tell you the truth, Zoe, I don’t know.”
“Well, you know what that means don’t you?” she said. “If you go looking for water for Jamie, you may run out of time to repair the Vortex. And if you go repair the Vortex first… Jamie will run out of time.”
The reality of the situation came crashing down upon the Doctor; he was going to have to make a very difficult decision-and quickly.