Prisms of No Color, Ch 13 by rose_of_pollux [Doctor Who, Fermata]
Title: Prisms of No Color, Chapter 13: Never Know Each Other
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 5; fermata
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is.
Summary/Comments: The Doctor makes a decision; Salamander’s day just gets a whole lot worse.
Notes: N/A
Cross-posted to fanfiction.net, tumblr, and whofic.com
The Doctor’s mind raced; he had very little time to make his decision-dare he risk the entire space-time continuum for the sake of one piper?
In the back of his mind, he could hear the voices of his former classmates-
“Thete, you fool…” Ushas snarled.
“He is an insignificant primitive,” Magnus said, dismissively.
“Let the boy die,” Koschei-no, the Master-ordered.
A tug on his sleeve brought the Doctor back to the present, and he glanced down at Jamie, who was looking up at him.
“Vortex…” he squeaked.
A wan smile crossed the Doctor’s face, and he gently removed his suitjacket and placed it under Jamie’s head to serve as a pillow as he gently placed him on the floor.
“Zoe,” he said. “Make sure Jamie drinks that other pouch of electrolyte liquid. I’ll be back as soon as I can with some water.”
Zoe stared at him in amazement.
“You mean…?”
“I’m confident that the Vortex can hold on for a little while longer,” he said. “It’s done very well so far.”
“I suppose…” she said. “But how will you find the water in the first place? Aside from the fact that we’re all going to be wanted, people would probably not be generous enough to give water to a complete stranger.”
“Yes… Yes, I am aware of that,” the Doctor said. “But I happen to know one place where there would be quite a bit of water stored away.”
“Where’s that?”
“Salamander’s building.”
Zoe’s mouth fell open.
“You’re mad!”
“Trust me, Zoe; Salamander is the kind of man who will ensure that he is well taken care of in the event of a crisis. There will be water there.”
“How do you even hope to expect to get anywhere near it without being arrested!?” she exclaimed.
Wordlessly, the Doctor pulled a comb from his trouser pocket and bean to part his hair to the side. Zoe placed her hands on the sides of her face, staring at him, speechlessly, as he drew himself to his full height.
“You see, Señorita?” he said, his voice an echo of Salamander’s. “No one would dare lay a hand on their dear leader!”
“I still say you’re mad!” Zoe retorted. “Your clothes are all tattered and dirty-I think there are even a couple of scorch marks!”
“The work of assassins!” the Doctor quipped, still in character. “I narrowly escaped with my life!”
Zoe continued to stare at him, shaking her head, slowly.
“Oh, I hope you know what you’re doing…” she said, at last.
The Doctor dropped the charade, glancing back at the astrophysicist with his usual warm eyes.
“So do I, Zoe. So do I.” He turned to Jamie. “Now, then, Jamie… I want you to mind what Zoe tells you. Drink the electrolyte liquid, and then I want you to stay awake-just lie still, but remain awake. Can you do that for me, Jamie?”
The piper gave a nod, but then mouthed two words.
“Be careful?” the Doctor repeated. “Oh, of course, Jamie! Aren’t I always?”
Jamie gave him a long stare, and, behind him, he heard Zoe let out a “Ha!”
“…On second thoughts, don’t answer that,” he added, hastily. “Right, then. I’ll be off. You should be safe here.”
He opened the back door slightly, and after making sure that the coast was clear, darted off into the now-darkened alley, grateful that the local star had set. He could feel the eyes of his companions on him as he left, until the door closed behind him.
Zoe exhaled. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous; the Doctor knew more about this situation than she did.
“It’s going to be fine,” she said aloud, both for Jamie’s benefit and her own. “The Doctor must have used some intricate calculation method to determine that there was time for him to get the water. And I know he’ll do whatever he has to in order to get the water. He knows what’s at risk here…”
“Me,” Jamie croaked. “He’s…”
“Shh. Jamie, he told you to lie still,” Zoe said, as she took the other packet of electrolyte liquid.
“Putting himself… in danger… because of me…”
“Now that’s some talk coming from someone who didn’t listen to us and got dehydrated trying to save us,” the astrophysicist tutted.
Jamie winced and pointed at his satchel.
“Had… water…”
“Well, where is it!?”
“Stolen…”
Zoe stared at him.
“Someone stole the water you had brought?” she asked. “If that’s the case, and they’re really that desperate, then this drought is even worse than we first thought. No wonder Salamander is so desperate to put the blame on you…”
Shaking her head, she gently placed a hand beneath Jamie’s head and lifted him slightly, placing the packet of electrolyte liquid to his lips. He drank from it, greedily, leaving the both of them wondering when the Doctor would return.
***********************************************
Salamander and his team had arrived at the still-ablaze warehouse. He had been forced to call the fire brigade, but with limited water resources, there was only so much that they could do to combat the blaze.
“Get the Doctor from inside,” Salamander ordered, after giving them the code to the door. “You can leave the traitorous girl there, but get the Doctor out!”
The firemen nodded in understanding, but once the door was opened, they stood there, perplexed, not venturing any further.
“Well!?” Salamander barked.
“There is no one inside, Mr. Salamander!” one of them said.
To the fireman’s astonishment, Salamander paled, taking a step back from the warehouse; the Doctor’s warning once again echoed through his mind.
“Mr. Salamander, what should we do?” a second fireman asked.
Salamander didn’t answer; he turned around and began to walk away.
“Mr. Salamander?”
“Do what you wish!” Salamander snapped. “Extinguish it, or let it burn! I could care less either way!”
“Mr. Salamander?” one of the mercenaries asked. “Where are you going, Sir?”
“To my office!” he snarled. “I need someplace where I can think in peace-somewhere far from that maddening Doctor!”
With that, he departed, leaving his baffled entourage behind.
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Theme: 5; fermata
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: PG13
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and the story is.
Summary/Comments: The Doctor makes a decision; Salamander’s day just gets a whole lot worse.
Notes: N/A
Cross-posted to fanfiction.net, tumblr, and whofic.com
The Doctor’s mind raced; he had very little time to make his decision-dare he risk the entire space-time continuum for the sake of one piper?
In the back of his mind, he could hear the voices of his former classmates-
“Thete, you fool…” Ushas snarled.
“He is an insignificant primitive,” Magnus said, dismissively.
“Let the boy die,” Koschei-no, the Master-ordered.
A tug on his sleeve brought the Doctor back to the present, and he glanced down at Jamie, who was looking up at him.
“Vortex…” he squeaked.
A wan smile crossed the Doctor’s face, and he gently removed his suitjacket and placed it under Jamie’s head to serve as a pillow as he gently placed him on the floor.
“Zoe,” he said. “Make sure Jamie drinks that other pouch of electrolyte liquid. I’ll be back as soon as I can with some water.”
Zoe stared at him in amazement.
“You mean…?”
“I’m confident that the Vortex can hold on for a little while longer,” he said. “It’s done very well so far.”
“I suppose…” she said. “But how will you find the water in the first place? Aside from the fact that we’re all going to be wanted, people would probably not be generous enough to give water to a complete stranger.”
“Yes… Yes, I am aware of that,” the Doctor said. “But I happen to know one place where there would be quite a bit of water stored away.”
“Where’s that?”
“Salamander’s building.”
Zoe’s mouth fell open.
“You’re mad!”
“Trust me, Zoe; Salamander is the kind of man who will ensure that he is well taken care of in the event of a crisis. There will be water there.”
“How do you even hope to expect to get anywhere near it without being arrested!?” she exclaimed.
Wordlessly, the Doctor pulled a comb from his trouser pocket and bean to part his hair to the side. Zoe placed her hands on the sides of her face, staring at him, speechlessly, as he drew himself to his full height.
“You see, Señorita?” he said, his voice an echo of Salamander’s. “No one would dare lay a hand on their dear leader!”
“I still say you’re mad!” Zoe retorted. “Your clothes are all tattered and dirty-I think there are even a couple of scorch marks!”
“The work of assassins!” the Doctor quipped, still in character. “I narrowly escaped with my life!”
Zoe continued to stare at him, shaking her head, slowly.
“Oh, I hope you know what you’re doing…” she said, at last.
The Doctor dropped the charade, glancing back at the astrophysicist with his usual warm eyes.
“So do I, Zoe. So do I.” He turned to Jamie. “Now, then, Jamie… I want you to mind what Zoe tells you. Drink the electrolyte liquid, and then I want you to stay awake-just lie still, but remain awake. Can you do that for me, Jamie?”
The piper gave a nod, but then mouthed two words.
“Be careful?” the Doctor repeated. “Oh, of course, Jamie! Aren’t I always?”
Jamie gave him a long stare, and, behind him, he heard Zoe let out a “Ha!”
“…On second thoughts, don’t answer that,” he added, hastily. “Right, then. I’ll be off. You should be safe here.”
He opened the back door slightly, and after making sure that the coast was clear, darted off into the now-darkened alley, grateful that the local star had set. He could feel the eyes of his companions on him as he left, until the door closed behind him.
Zoe exhaled. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous; the Doctor knew more about this situation than she did.
“It’s going to be fine,” she said aloud, both for Jamie’s benefit and her own. “The Doctor must have used some intricate calculation method to determine that there was time for him to get the water. And I know he’ll do whatever he has to in order to get the water. He knows what’s at risk here…”
“Me,” Jamie croaked. “He’s…”
“Shh. Jamie, he told you to lie still,” Zoe said, as she took the other packet of electrolyte liquid.
“Putting himself… in danger… because of me…”
“Now that’s some talk coming from someone who didn’t listen to us and got dehydrated trying to save us,” the astrophysicist tutted.
Jamie winced and pointed at his satchel.
“Had… water…”
“Well, where is it!?”
“Stolen…”
Zoe stared at him.
“Someone stole the water you had brought?” she asked. “If that’s the case, and they’re really that desperate, then this drought is even worse than we first thought. No wonder Salamander is so desperate to put the blame on you…”
Shaking her head, she gently placed a hand beneath Jamie’s head and lifted him slightly, placing the packet of electrolyte liquid to his lips. He drank from it, greedily, leaving the both of them wondering when the Doctor would return.
***********************************************
Salamander and his team had arrived at the still-ablaze warehouse. He had been forced to call the fire brigade, but with limited water resources, there was only so much that they could do to combat the blaze.
“Get the Doctor from inside,” Salamander ordered, after giving them the code to the door. “You can leave the traitorous girl there, but get the Doctor out!”
The firemen nodded in understanding, but once the door was opened, they stood there, perplexed, not venturing any further.
“Well!?” Salamander barked.
“There is no one inside, Mr. Salamander!” one of them said.
To the fireman’s astonishment, Salamander paled, taking a step back from the warehouse; the Doctor’s warning once again echoed through his mind.
“Mr. Salamander, what should we do?” a second fireman asked.
Salamander didn’t answer; he turned around and began to walk away.
“Mr. Salamander?”
“Do what you wish!” Salamander snapped. “Extinguish it, or let it burn! I could care less either way!”
“Mr. Salamander?” one of the mercenaries asked. “Where are you going, Sir?”
“To my office!” he snarled. “I need someplace where I can think in peace-somewhere far from that maddening Doctor!”
With that, he departed, leaving his baffled entourage behind.