The Distance Between Eternity 2/6
The planet The Doctor takes them to reminds Blaine slightly of Hoth, the ice planet in Star Wars, which he points out to Sam whom excitably agrees. Blaine can’t help but wonder if The Doctor ever took George Lucas on a trip maybe, to gather inspiration? It’s actually very possible really.
The Doctor directs them to a lookout, the view of glaciers, icy streams and snow that seems to stretch on forever. The desolation and isolation is so acute and blatant Blaine has to take a step back, take a deep breath and close his eyes. It’s beautiful but they’re so very alone.
“This planet is Avica, one of the most beautiful but uninhabitable planets” The Doctor says “About as far away from humanity as you can get Blaine - not even humans could be bothered colonising this one. Avica isn’t discovered by any other race for another seven thousand years into the future, completely untouched by any form of life until we set foot here.”
“That’s terrifying” is all Blaine can say.
“Aren’t there animals?” Sam asks.
“No, nothing can live here without the aid of advanced technology. We are the only forms of life on this whole planet.”
“How are we alive?” Blaine asks.
“Well if we stay here too long we won’t be, put it that way” is The Doctor’s answer.
Their conversation is suddenly interrupted by a very loud whirring sound from somewhere in the distance - Blaine’s first thought is a jackhammer, definitely heavy machinery of some kind.
“What on earth is that then?” Blaine asks.
“Probably just a huge cave in or rock fall, they happen a lot and can be quite loud the very reason why this planet is so uninhabitable the infrastructure is not very stable” The Doctor answers, Blaine isn’t so sure he’s convinced.
“If we’re all alone” Sam says, sounding slightly alarmed “then who built this lookout we’re standing on?”
Blaine and The Doctor look at each other, sharing a glance of pure and blind terror when the loud whirring noise interrupts their thoughts once again.
“I can’t believe I missed that!” The Doctor cries “Something isn’t right; we’ve got to find out what that noise is - come on!” The Doctor beckons to them as he begins to run in the vague direction of the sound and Sam and Blaine have no choice but to follow even if neither of them are wearing appropriate footwear for snow.
“So the planet is uninhabitable” Sam pants as he and Blaine attempt to keep up with The Doctor, who apparently doesn’t find the harsh wind and snow a hindrance to his speed at all “but somehow somebody besides us is on it?”
“Something” The Doctor corrects, shouting over his shoulder from ahead.
“Something?” Sam repeats and turns his head to look at Blaine his blue eyes wide.
“Who knows” Blaine replies “could be anything at this stage - and if The Doctor doesn’t even know what it could be, well let’s just say that’s never happened before...”
“I’m still trying to get over the fact that we are standing on an alien planet in the future. Like, I always knew that the secret to time travel was there - I just thought I’d never actually find it!” Sam smiles to himself for a minute but then seems to remember the reason they are running in the first place “So you’re telling me we might be running towards our deaths because of a man-made lookout and some loud noise that The Doctor can’t identify?”
“Yep” Blaine says “that’s sort of how it is, travelling with The Doctor. Danger at every turn but never dull. Think Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but with everything that ever happened and ever will happen at your feet.”
The Doctor stops abruptly; sonic screwdriver held high into the air, Sam and Blaine in their attempt to avoid a collision with The Doctor manage to slip on the icy wet ground both ending up on their backs in a less that graceful finish. Sam recovers first holding out his hand to Blaine and helping him up off the ground.
“Thank you” Blaine says to Sam, and then turns to The Doctor “What exactly are you doing?”
“I’m scanning for life” The Doctor says “and I’m picking up all kinds of readings... there’s definitely life on this planet, but history has gone wrong. This planet is supposed to be untouched, left pristine by the universe to keep orbiting aimlessly. I’m at a loss as to why anybody would even be here?”
“Tourism?” offers Blaine but The Doctor just shakes his head.
“The technology needed to even get here is just phenomenal; this whole galaxy is practically on the edge of the universe no life whatsoever.”
“This is getting seriously weird” Sam says and Blaine can’t help but agree, if The Doctor is unnerved then they definitely should be.
“Hey” calls an unfamiliar voice coming from the distance “what are you doing out here?!”
There’s a distant figure ahead, small, and hard to make out clearly through the thick swirling snow being carried off by the wind, dressed in all black slowly making their way towards them.
“Hello?” The Doctor calls back.
The figure beckons “I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing here” the voice is distinctly female “but come on! You’re going to freeze out here!”
“Should we?” Sam asks, but The Doctor has already let his curiosity get the better of him and has already started running. Blaine just grins and takes Sam’s hand “When in Rome” is all he says.
---
The woman directs them to a lift which then takes them below the planet’s surface, The Doctor looks a little bit impressed by all of the technology which is something Blaine doesn’t see too often.
“My name’s Adelayo. Adelayo Hartley” she offers, sticking out her gloved hand.
“I’m The Doctor” The Doctor says “We’re just travellers passing through, don’t mind us”
“I’m Blaine” Blaine says, offering Adelayo his most charming smile.
“Sam” Sam says grinning as he shakes her hand.
“Not that it isn’t nice to meet you but that doesn’t make any sense, how did you even manage to get out here?” Adelayo says “It’s not like going on a European cruise or something? Avica isn’t exactly a top travel destination”
“I have a... sort of a special... ship. Never mind.”
“Well you’re here now, and you’re not going anywhere with that snowstorm brewing on the surface - there’s not really anything anybody can do about it now” Adelayo says shrugging “I’ll have to take you to my boss though. I’m just in charge of the Ood, got no power or sway whatsoever.”
“Ood?” Sam whispers to Blaine.
“They’re kind of a slave race” Blaine says, sighing, even just thinking about the Ood makes him terribly sad.
“Slaves?”
“I know, it’s terrible. Some things about the future are terrible Sam, the same way some things about the past are unspeakable.” Blaine still doesn’t dare raise his voice above a whisper just in case they manage to start some ethical debate with Adelayo. Blaine is not in the mood for messy future ethics.
“Is that why you were out there?” The Doctor asks.
“Yup, just bringing them in before the storm, they have their own special tunnels they go down because we can’t fit them all in the lift - but they will not stop working until someone tells them to. That’s my job, I make sure they’re all well and fed and that they’re doing their jobs” Adelayo explains as the lift just keeps going deeper and deeper, Blaine tries not to think about how far down they must be.
“So have you got a colony going here? I thought this planet wasn’t an option for colonisation?” asks The Doctor.
“Well I never thought it was a must visit destination for ‘travellers’” is Adelayo’s retort “We’re not a colony, we’re a scientific mission. We don’t plan to live here we’re just looking around so to speak.”
“So you’re the same as us then” muses Sam “We’re just looking around too.”
“We’re protected” Adelayo says “You would’ve died out there if I hadn’t found you.”
“And we thank you” The Doctor cuts in “You could have easily locked us out, we appreciate the shelter”
“It’s fine” Adelayo says “I’m hardly going to leave you alone with no defences in a violent snowstorm - this planet and it’s weather” she shakes her head “I don’t even know”
“How do you survive?” Blaine asks “If this planet has such an extreme climate and you’re stuck underground?”
“Stabilisers, long-term stabilisers. Gives us oxygen, we bring our own food, create our own water from the snow up above and keeps the pressure tolerable. I don’t really know how it works, just how to use it - I’m only the Ood manager after all, even a technician is above me.”
“I think your job is super important” Sam says “because without you who would look after them”
Adelayo laughs bitterly “It doesn’t take much to become and Ood manager, just a basic training course after you leave school. But a job is a job, I’m lucky I even have one. But it’s not a bad job - the Ood are good company even if they always agree with you. They’re considerate and polite and I like looking after them.”
“It could be worse” Sam says “They could’ve ended up with somebody who didn’t care about them at all”
“That’s a very real possibility” The Doctor adds.
“I’d never thought of it like that” Adelayo says “I’m not looking to leave or anything... It’s not like I could leave even if I wanted to”
“Very true” The Doctor replies as the lift makes a high pitched ‘ding’ noise “You’re stuck out here.”
Adelayo clears her throat “That’s us” she says pulling the door open and The Doctor, Blaine and Sam all follow her out. The station, or base, or whatever it is, it’s huge, an almost seemingly endless cavern only illuminated by harsh artificial light. It’s all manmade, metal lining the walls almost like the New York underground only more futuristic - compared to the stark untampered natural beauty of the surface the planet’s underground is all so artificial Blaine finds it jarring. Such a complete contrast to the surface, it takes Blaine a minute to get used to it all.
“This way” Adelayo says “I know it’s really big, I got lost a lot when we first set up base so just follow me and stay close together, we don’t know everything about this planet so you can’t be too careful.”
“Ah, I was meaning to ask about that... What are you looking for out here?” The Doctor asks and Adelayo gives him an odd look.
“You don’t know?” she asks, genuinely surprised “How can you not know?”
“Been travelling... a bit out of range, you know?”
“Well the plot thickens as to how you got here then, because this solar system was only recently discovered we got such odd readings, especially from this planet so we decided to come investigate”
“The climate didn’t put you off at all? Not even a little”
“It’s just an annoyance, a perfectly manageable annoyance. We cope with it.”
Sam looks at Blaine strangely for a minute “Didn’t the Doctor say that people decided to leave this place alone?”
“Apparently they changed their minds?” is the only rational answer Blaine has.
“It’s very human of you, don’t you think Blaine?” The Doctor asks, looking back to where Blaine and Sam are slightly trailing Adelayo and himself.
“Hmm?” is all Blaine says, knowing the question probably doesn’t require an actually answer from him anyway.
“Coming to investigate, classic case of curiosity killing the cat - story of humanity’s life”
“Nobody’s been killed yet” Adelayo says “We lost a couple of Oods to hypothermia when we first set out, but that’s it.”
“So somebody has been killed” Blaine says, unable to stop himself “Ood’s may not be great at thinking for themselves but they are living, breathing, feeling sentient creatures. Their lives count too.”
“Depends who you’re talking to” Adelayo says sadly “They mattered to me, because I’m the one day in day out working with them - but to my boss? They don’t even record the deaths properly on the computer, just livestock numbers.”
“People can change that though” Blaine says “If enough of you thought like that”
“Maybe, maybe not. But right now I’m the only real friend they’ve got”
Adelayo approaches a huge metal door, she quickly swipes her ID card and punches in a code and the door opens for them “Welcome to base 347. Get used to it, because who the hell knows when it’ll be safe enough to go outside again.”
The main base is a huge open space also encased in clinical metal walls and artificial light, only this time there are multiple levels of workspaces cascading upward.
“Hello Addy! Good shift?” calls a golden-blonde haired woman wearing a boiler suit “Oh” she says, obviously surprised to see Blaine, Sam and The Doctor “Whose this then?”
Adelayo finally removes the hood and protective goggles of her snowsuit so that Blaine and the others can actually get a good look at her. She’s pale-skinned with bright ocean-blue eyes and red curly hair, fairly short and has a very cheery smile plastered on her face.
“She’s kind of cute” Blaine whispers to Sam.
“She’s not Brittany” is Sam’s reply, to this Blaine just rolls his eyes. For all he gets of everyone saying he needs to pick himself up, dust himself off and stop pining over Kurt Sam sure is ridiculously hung up on Brittany. And sure, if Blaine were straight he could see the appeal, Brittany is pretty, kind-hearted, generous and very quirky but she’s also expressed to Sam multiple times how unready for another long-term relationship she is after her recent break up with Santana. Sam of course, isn’t ready to admit defeat just yet.
“Hello” Adelayo calls out to the woman “Meet Maret Andretta, she’s First Technician. Over there that’s Emil Fidel, he’s Fifth Tech and that’s Ulysses Rielk - he’s head Mechanic. Guys, this is The Doctor, Blaine and Sam - they’re ‘travellers’ apparently.”
“We are” Blaine insists.
“Whatever you are” Maret says “it’s lovely to meet you, you won’t believe how long it’s been since I met any new people.”
“Likewise” Blaine says and shakes her hand warmly.
“Addy” Emil calls over from his workstation “Alair said could you pop by her office?”
“Of course” Adelayo says “It’s kind of on the way to Delise’s office anyway.”
“Good luck explaining this one to Delise” Maret says.
Adelayo rolls her eyes “I know, she’ll probably report me or something. Whatever, it’s not like I’m going to let them freeze.”
“My favourite thing about you Addy, one of the few humans on this base who’ve retained their humanity” Ulysses remarks.
“Delise certainly hasn’t kept hers” Emil says and the technician, mechanic and Ood manager all burst into a fit of laughter.
“Oh gosh don’t let her hear you say that” Adelayo says as she heads for another lift “C’mon” she says and beckons to Blaine, The Doctor and Sam, still laughing a little.
“Where to now?” Blaine asks and Adelayo pushes the number ten button on the lift “Well, I’ve got to go on a detour to the science offices before I take you to the big boss” she says “She’s not gonna be happy with three extra mouths to feed - but oh well, I’m already on report for misconduct, what’s another strike anyway”
“Where’s your office?” Sam asks and Adelayo sends him a smile.
“Back on level one, tucked in the corner behind the technicians work stations. Like a broom closet - like I said before, Ood’s are expendable. My job’s not that important.”
The lift dings as the tenth floor button lights up, the doors open automatically and Adelayo is the first out closely followed by The Doctor naturally, then Sam with Blaine bringing up the rear.
“You can meet Alair, she’s fantastic. Not snobby at all, unlike most of the tenth floorers. Nobody wants to share a table with first floor maintenance staff. Not when they went to college and got degrees and everything” Adelayo explains, the sarcasm in her voicing reaching an unmistakable crescendo by her last sentence.
“No team spirit?” asks Sam “At all? You think being stuck out in space for so long with only each other you’d become a close well oiled-machine, like in Star Trek or something?”
“Nope, that’s life” Adelayo replies “Not everybody likes each other, and classism is alive and well.”
“Just ask the poor Ood” Blaine whispers to The Doctor and he nods in agreement.
After passing five or so nice, neat-looking offices Adelayo stops in front of another office completely identical the last few, Blaine assumes this is her friends’ office.
Adelayo knocks politely before a pretty brunette girl lets them in “Oh, hello” she says “Where on earth did Addy pick you lot up from”
“I found them just wandering around out there, near Ood workstation eleven - so weird”
“We’re travellers” The Doctor tries again “just passing through.”
“This is The Doctor, Blaine and Sam” Adelayo says, pointing to each of them individually as she says their names “This Alair Muscato, junior science officer”
“Nice to meet you” The Doctor says “It’s nice to see that you two have managed to become friends”
“Well I’m pretty interested in the Ood” Alair admits “We met through them”
Adelayo laughs “Alair’s not so bad, she’s look after them nicely if we ever had to swap jobs.”
“Have you been to see Delise yet?” Alair asks “She’s not going to like making room for three extras”
“I’ve thought about that, maybe they could help me with the Ood for a bit, just until the weather eases - Blaine seems as interested in them as you were. Anyway, no I’m coming to see you en route to seeing Delise, so what was it you wanted me for?” Adelayo asks Alair who simply walks over to her computer.
“We’ve been drilling but we still can’t get any accurate readings on the core, it’s so strange, it’s like the closer we get the less we know? There’s definitely something down there but our scanners still have no idea. Strange huh?”
Adelayo nods “Weird. I always said this planet was weird. I’ll pass that onto maintenance if you like? Or did you just want to tell somebody who wouldn’t yell at you to work harder?”
“The latter” Alair says “It’s almost like something is tampering with our readings, I personally thought that maybe it was time to withdraw but Delise said keep drilling... it’s strange”
“Very” The Doctor chimes in “I like you, a scientist who knows when to stop. I think the world needs more of you.”
“Right” Adelayo cuts in “Onward to Delise’s office - sorry in advance. See you Alair.”
“I’ll see you later, nice to meet you lot” she says as she waves goodbye.
“Back to the lift” Adelayo says “Floor fifteen, that whole floor is just Delise you know. Talk about an ego.”
Delise’s office is more like a living quarters, although she’s just sitting behind a tiny desk with “Capt. Delilah Delise” in big letters spelt along her name card. Captain Delise is very blonde, blue eyed and doesn’t look particularly crazy or menacing - Blaine wonders if maybe it’s the normal-looking ones you ought to watch out for.
“Hartley” she says “What can I do for you?”
“I found these three wandering outside Captain, I know I didn’t ask your permission but the storm was intensifying and there really wasn’t time. They would’ve frozen to death otherwise...”
“Did you bring them straight to me?” she asks, her voice monotonal.
“Yes Captain, I didn’t catalogue them or anything. They say they’re travellers, that they have their own ship...”
“All Ood accounted for?”
“Yes Ma’m all Ood in their habitat, safe and sound. Do you want me to catalogue them?”
“No, just find them a bed and food for until the weather clears up. They can be someone else’s problem then”
“Okay, they can stay on floor one with me, I’ll take responsibility for them.”
“I should hope so” Delise says “The scientists have very important work to do and can’t afford to be disturbed. Is that all you need Hartley?”
“That’s all I need, thanks Captain” Adelayo says stepping out of the office, Blaine, Sam and The Doctor following her.
“She’s good at her job” Adelayo says, as if that would be some kind of consolation.
“I’m more than happy to be on the first floor” The Doctor says “Way more interesting stuff happens in the maintenance station - just you wait until their shift hits peak!”
“I’ll help you with the Ood if you like?” Blaine offers “I’m sure Sam will too” and to this Sam nods eagerly “First floor sounds like the place to be” he says with a smile.”
---
Part 3: http://bemyparamore.livejournal.com/99059.html