Series 4 and 3/4 ficisode 4: Dust Planet
Series 4 and 3/4: Ficisode 4
Title: Dust Planet
Writer: piartemis18
Characters: Ten, Donna, other characters
Rating: General
Word Count: about 5700
Summary: The Doctor and Donna stop by a tourist planet to see the sights, but they hardly step out of the TARDIS before Donna falls unconscious. The Doctor works with some of the natives to fix what looks like a really severe parasite problem before it overcomes them all.
Editor: elwenstarmaid
Director: ohstarling
The girl barely flicked her eyes toward the young man as he walked in the front lobby, his dusty and well-worn clothes incongruous with the clean, professional setting. “The back corner of the garden is starting to look poorly,” she said.
“I’ll spread some deterrent first thing,” he replied. After a hesitation, he began, “Alexa - ”
“How are we supposed to keep the hospitality house open with the parasites encroaching?” she snapped. “You’ve let them into the garden after you promised they couldn’t get in!”
“They shouldn’t be able to!” he shouted, before regaining control of his temper. “I’ll go take care of it.” He looked over his shoulder, clearly distressed at Alexa’s fury, but she kept her scowling eyes on her computer screen.
“It ain’t my fault, Little Miss ‘We Can’t Have a Relationship Right Now’. Those dag-blasted Exenter keep finding a way through!” He got to the back corner and surveyed it grimly. It was looking more than poorly, it was downright dead. “Shouldn’t be able to work that fast,” he mused. It almost seemed to disappear before his eyes. In fact - he watched in horror as the patch of yellow grass in front of him began to turn gray and shrivel away.
“No!” he gasped, kneeling and putting his hands on the swiftly graying soil. “Alexa will never forgive me!”
A curious sensation started in his hands, a sort of suction. He pulled them up to look at them and screamed: the palms of his hands were gray and shriveling like the grass. He screamed again as something sucked at his knees.
“ALEXA!!!”
The TARDIS groaned and creaked. “You’ll like this planet,” the Doctor remarked. “It’s been a great tourist attraction for years. Nice beaches, the famous S’melllii River with 190 miles of walking paths - ”
“The smelly river?” Donna interrupted. “What’s it famous for, the stench?”
“S’melllii,” the Doctor replied impatiently. “Apostrophe, three ls, 2 is, famous for the ingenious irrigating system that waters the whole planet and, of course, its naturally cerulean hue. From the minerals.”
“Of course. The minerals. What else could it be?” She rolled her eyes.
“Well.” The Doctor twiddled a lever. “Often cyanobacteria or other microscopic life forms can change the color of the water. There’s a kind of, well, you’d probably call it a trilobyte that turns water bright pink! Maybe you’d like it, though I’m more partial to - ”
“For cryin’ out loud, space boy,” Donna exclaimed as the TARDIS ground to a halt. “Stop your yapping and let’s go explore!” She settled her bag over her shoulder and flipped back her hair.
“Right.” The Doctor pressed his lips together to illustrate his cessation of yapping. “After you,” he said, gesturing to the door.
“Not that pink water wouldn’t be a trip to drink,” Donna began, smirking at the Doctor as she stepped out. “Did you land us in a des- ”She wheezed, clutched her chest, and collapsed coughing on the ground. Before the Doctor had a chance to grab her the coughing stopped and she was silent.
“Donna!” The Doctor dragged her unconscious form back inside the TARDIS and ran the sonic screwdriver over her face.
“Asphyxiation, small-scale,” he muttered. “Now that you’re back here with the right air you’ll be all right.” He frowned at her ashen complexion. “Did you say we landed in a desert?” He scrambled out the door and peered at the landscape. The atmosphere, though low in oxygen, was still breathable for him.
The TARDIS was surrounded by grey sand as far as the eye could see. He bent down and rubbed it between his fingers; it was as fine as dust. “I know we landed on the right planet,” he said. He shaded his eyes and looked in the distance. “Hello. That looks like a hospitality house - we’re in the right time period! What happened here?” He glanced back at Donna, bit his lip, and set the TARDIS in motion toward the house, a mile or so away. “They’ll be able to sort you out.”
As they got nearer, he could see that the hospitality house sat on a small island of green, surrounded by grey. He materalized the TARDIS just inside the doors, and approached the front desk, where a rather pretty (in a severe way) young woman manned the reception. Her cream-colored blouse contrasted nicely with her dark skin. She looked up sharply as the Doctor approached, and her braid swung.
“Erm, hello. My companion’s unconscious and I wondered if I might-”
“Did she go outside without the appropriate equipment?”
“Well, yes, but -”
The receptionist rolled her eyes. “Happens all the time. Some people just have no sense.”
“Erm, right. I’ll bring her in, then?”
“We can put her next to the gardener. He’s recently become injured.” Suddenly her face crumpled. “And I don’t know what’s happened to him! If he doesn’t recover I don’t know what I’ll do!” She burst into tears.
The Doctor could tell that this was highly out of character for the young woman. “What’s your name?” he asked gently.
“Alexa.” She pulled herself somewhat together. “And you are?”
“I’m the Doctor, and my companion’s name -”
“You’re a doctor?” Alexa interrupted. “Could you look at Quixon?”
“I could, but first I must see to my companion. You supply oxygen here, right?”
“Of course.” Alexa pointed to the room on the right. “She can recover there.”
“Thank you.” The Doctor gathered Donna into his arms and brought her where Alexa had indicated. He looked around at the spacious lobby. It was clear that the building was made for busier times than it currently had. “How’s business these days?”
Alexa lifted her chin. “This hospitality house has long been a crossroads for many important business routes. Despite the current environmental instability we have quite a few consistent travelers that either don’t mind the depleted atmosphere or follow our instructions to remain indoors for the duration of their stay. Right now we are pleased to have businessmen on their way to the Copper and Diamond conference.” She nodded to a couple middle-aged aliens in the bar.
“I see,” the Doctor said, and laid Donna where on the bed Alexa indicated.
The Doctor peered at the person in the next bed as he got Donna situated, with the oxygen mask firmly on her face. His eyes were closed, not in sleep but in pain; his face was pale, and what appeared to be dust stood out starkly there. His injured hands rested gently on the coverlet; the Doctor could see the alarming grayness even in the dimness.
“Pardon me,” he said, “I’m going to examine your hands.”
The young man opened his eyes. “Are you a doctor?”
“I’m the Doctor,” the Doctor told him. He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the young man. “Something has stolen the nutrients from your skin.”
“Yeah, I figured that out. The Exenter steal nutrients from our soil. I touched the soil.” He held up his hands.
“Surely the Exenter are not so vicious! They are what has changed the atmosphere, correct?”
“That’s what we figure. Two years ago the river lost its color, we started losing farmland, and now - most of the planet is uninhabitable.”
“This scale of devastation in only two years? How have you kept this hospitality house from being overrun?”
“The right kind of pesticide,” he replied, glancing at the far wall where the Doctor could see charts and drawings that must be where Quixon kept his paperwork. “My family has invented many kinds of chemical deterrents. We experiment. But we are finally losing the battle. I watched the grass die before my eyes.” His eyes filled with tears.
The Doctor patted the bed sympathetically. “It might be time to give up and move.”
“That is not an option!” sounded Alexa’s voice behind them - they both jumped. “This hospitality house has been in my family for hundreds of years! I can’t give it up now! Things will improve and traffic will pick up!”
“I see,” said the Doctor. He glanced over at Donna, whose color was much better but who was still asleep. “Well, can I have a look at this garden of yours?”
“I’ll take you,” Alexa said briskly. She left the room without returning Quixon’s soulful stare.
“Think she’s mad at you,” the Doctor remarked. “But she cried at your plight.”
“Probably doesn’t know who to get for gardener if I can’t work anymore,” Quixon replied bitterly.
The Doctor shrugged and followed Alexa, leaving Quixon alone with the sleeping Donna.
“Don’t you need oxygen masks to go outside?’ the Doctor asked Alexa, jogging to catch up with her as she passed a row of air tanks.
“Actually, no. Several generations back my ancestors cross-bred with other humanoids and, among other things, our threshold of oxygen requirement became much lower. Those natives who don’t have the genetics had to move when the atmosphere became unstable.” Alexa opened the outside door and swung her braid back as she peered at the Doctor. “You don’t need the oxygen, do you?”
“I’ll survive,” the Doctor said. “You and Quixon aren’t cousins, are you? With the same genetics and all.”
“No.” She pointed, her arm glittering as it hit the sunlight. “There’s the spot. At least it hasn’t gotten worse.”
“I see.” The Doctor crouched near to the edge of the depletion and put on his spectacles to peer at the ground. It was the same grey dust as where the TARDIS had first landed. “Here’s what I think,” the Doctor said slowly, rubbing the dirt between his fingers. “Either your Exenter have undergone a serious mutation, or - ”
“Doctor!” Alexa cried, pointing at a spot just a yard to the left. The grass was rapidly disintegrating. “Don’t touch it!” she snapped as the Doctor bounded over to the place.
“I’m not going to touch it,” he replied. “I’m scanning it.” He took out his sonic screwdriver. “There, I’ve got it.”
“Got what?”
“The trace! We can follow this parasite back to wherever it goes. Hopefully the hive. Then we can see about some real pesticide.” He grinned.
Alexa started to smile back, but stopped. “I can’t leave the house unattended. My beeper will go out of range. And with Quixon…”
“I’ve an idea about that,” the Doctor said. “Come along with me.” He led the way inside.
The sight in the infirmary made them both stop stock still. As the Doctor had hoped, Donna was awake. He hadn’t expected her to be gently caressing Quixon’s hands.
“What is going on here?” Alexa shouted. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“You must be Alexa,” Donna said, unfazed by the yelling. “I’m Donna Noble, I travel with ‘im.” She jerked her head toward the Doctor. “He doesn’t check the atmosphere before he sends me out to breathe it in.”
“Donna, I had no reason to believe - ”
“What are you doing with my gardener?” Alexa snapped.
“I’m putting lotion on his hands,” Donna said smugly. “It’s nutrient-enriched!”
“Why, that’s genius!” the Doctor exclaimed. “It’s a start, at least. A more concentrated infusion of nutrients will be better, of course . . .”
“In the meantime, Quixon’s hands will look younger than ever.” Donna surveyed her work proudly. The Doctor was impressed at the way she could ignore Alexa’s glares.
“Wait just a minute,” Alexa said then. “What makes you think you can just waltz in and start - ”
Donna stood up; the Doctor backed up a step. “Listen, missy. I’m doing your gardener a big favor, and I don’t see anyone else clamoring to help. No way I deserve all this, uh …”
“Upbraiding,” the Doctor supplied.
“That’s a good one,” Donna said, eyeing Alexa’s hairstyle. “Anyway, I’m about done with his hands. His knees could use a good rub too - unless you’d rather,” she added, gesturing magnanimously to the bed.
“You can leave that to me,” Alexa assured her grumpily. “However, it will have to wait.”
Quixon, who had brightened up considerably since Alexa’s return, looked disappointed. “Why?” he asked pathetically. “My hands feel loads better, why not do my knees now?”
The Doctor stepped in. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. I got a trace on the parasite that’s been ruining the garden. I’d like for Alexa to come with me to follow it to its source. Donna will watch over the house.”
Donna was as little pleased about this as Quixon. “How come I got to stay behind? She’s human too, ain’t she?”
“An evolutionarily advantaged human,” Alexa noted. “Your respiratory limitations would slow us down too much.”
“It’s true,” the Doctor admitted when Donna turned her glower to him. “And you’re fully qualified to run this place! Highly capable, best temp known to man.”
“Fine. I still feel a little dizzy from almost suffocating.” Donna went back to her bed, where she’d left her shoulder bag.
“Okay then. We’ll be back soon.” The Doctor nodded to Quixon. Donna still had her back to him.
“If you’ve nothing better to do, you can help Quixon with categorizing the groundskeeping diaries,” Alexa called on their way out.
“Right,” Donna replied tersely. She peered at the towering pile of books labeled ‘Grounds’. “I don’t think your girlfriend likes me much.” She grinned at Quixon over her shoulder. “That’s a good sign, eh? We’ll show her.” She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
“Right, then. I hope you’re ready to run,” the Doctor said, eyeing Alexa’s classy receptionist attire. He fiddled with his sonic screwdriver until a faint beeping could be heard. “We’ve got to rush before the trace fades.” He jogged off, following the sound. Alexa followed him.
“I think it’s unlikely that your native Exenter could’ve undergone so drastic a mutation without giving you more warning,” he commented, huffing slightly as they ran. “What we’re actually facing could be much more dangerous.”
“I realize that. Why are you telling me?”
The Doctor glanced at her. “Just so you’re prepared. It may be a little hard to take in, once you actually see them.”
“We’ll see.” She put her chin down and sped up to be just ahead of the Doctor. “How much farther, do you think?”
“I don’t know. We could have to go halfway round the planet if that’s where the beast we’re following went.”
“Well, that’s just grand. We should’ve used the transport! You just set off running without even mentioning how far we’re going.”
“There wasn’t time - ”
“Time enough to talk to your companion. I could’ve . . .”
The Doctor closed his eyes. “Alexa. I help people; it’s what I do. I am saving your planet and your business, and your gardener. All I ask in return is for you to stop.”
“Stop what?” she asked defensively.
“You already know. Now hush, we’re getting close.” The sonic screwdriver’s beeps were coming at a higher frequency.
“Praise be,” Alexa muttered sarcastically.
“You’re lucky Donna didn’t pop you one,” the Doctor told her. “She doesn’t tolerate rudeness well. Not sure why I’m so willing to deal with it. Now, I mean it, hush. If we make too much of a disturbance they may try to eat our feet.”
Alexa subsided, pressing her lips together tightly as if to keep more snarky comments from escaping. The Doctor lowered the screwdriver nearer to the ground, listening intently for fluctuations in the trace.
“Aha. Five feet that way, five feet down.” He looked up at the sky. “At least, that’s where it starts. There seem to be quite a lot of - ” He stopped, as a thought occurred to him. “Alexa, where’s the river from here?”
She raised her eyebrows.
“What - oh, for crying out loud, you can talk to me!”
“It’s very near. You can hear it, it’s just over that rise.” She pointed straight, right through the parasite nest.
“That’s what I thought.” The Doctor frowned at the ground for a moment. “Let’s go look at it.”
“They’re right there! They’ll turn me gray!” Alexa’s voice rose in a panic.
“Shh! They’re asleep, let’s leave them that way.” The Doctor led the way toward the S’melllii River; Alexa followed gingerly.
“Now, what’s interesting to me,” the Doctor said as they crested the rise, “is that the river wasn’t completely drained at first. You know that they would start with the water source, of course.”
“Why?”
“Water’s the most basic nutrient,” the Doctor said. “There must be something in the water that’s keeping them from using it all.”
“They took a lot of it, and most of the minerals too.” Alexa pointed at the river; it was a pale brownish-green.
“Well, naturally, nutrients are basically minerals . . .” the Doctor carefully crept to the riverbed. He dabbed a finger in the water and licked it. “Except the copper, it seems. Has the water always been rather coppery? ”
“Of course. Though the pelucidum, the blue mineral, tends to mask most other colors and properties, the copper’s always been there.”
“Now it’s the only . . .” The Doctor scrambled back up to the land above the river. He tasted the dust: “Hmm. That’s almost what I’m looking for.” He held the screwdriver against a palmful of dust for a few seconds and tasted again. “Aha! There we go. Copper compounds. The inactive pelucidum in the compounds was masking the taste. It does that, doesn’t it?”
“It’s an overwhelming mineral. Why isn’t there any pelucidum left in the water, then?”
“Oh, I suppose the compounds dissolve in water for the most part. But it’s clear that the copper hasn’t been touched! Everything else has been leached away by our friendly parasites.”
“Doctor,” Alexa began. “The parasites.”
"Oh, are they coming after us?" The Doctor turned around and his eyes widened. "Well, look at that."
He’d caught a glimpse of what the Exenter looked like, talking with Quixon in the infirmary: about the size of a thumbnail, white, two eyes, six legs. These looked nothing like that. For one thing, they were about a foot long and brilliant blue. But it was their mouths that were so alarming. They opened in a round hole the size of a golf ball and sucked. Five eyes watched Alexa and the Doctor blankly.
The monsters approached slowly. The Doctor stared. “No. It can’t be. How did you - I really don’t think - I suggest you release the Exenter this instant. It’s not right to just absorb them like so many nutrients.”
“Doctor, they’re going to suck out our nutrients! They’re coming closer! Doctor!”
"Don't panic," the Doctor told Alexa. "I think there has to be a point of initial contact. Quixon only got burned because he was touching the grass. So, don't let them touch you."
"What're we gonna do? I don't wanna lead them back home!"
"Don't panic!" the Doctor said. "Just go toward the river." He made a break for it and grabbed off his sneaker. He dumped it in the river and filled it with water.
"You're crazy!" Alexa cried.
"I know!" the Doctor responded. He pointed the sonic at his shoe and steam rose from it. He leapt back up the riverbank and tossed the contents of his sneaker at the approaching monsters.
The water seemed to hiss as it hit their skin. They jerked back and closed their mouths, growing slightly smaller, perhaps less brilliantly blue. He menaced his sneaker at them and they backed off.
"What was that?" Alexa gasped.
"I boiled away the water, which made the copper more concentrated. As I suspected, they're allergic to high amounts more than the dilute." He grinned at Alexa, pleased. "And now, I think we should go. I'm tired from all this running in bad air, and I think we'll find Quixon quite valuable in getting rid of these pests. He seems to have a very good head on his shoulders." He pulled his sneaker back on and wiggled his toes.
"Finally. I've got all sorts of leg cramps from the lower oxygen. We should take the transport next time."
The Doctor grinned. "Agreed. Allons-y!"
They burst into the infirmary, where Donna and Quixon were chatting seriously about his father's legacy. Donna looked over at them briefly. “How’d it go? Try to take deep breaths. Quixon’s dad was a genius, did you know? He was working on a compound that would actually change the composition of chemicals in a Exenter’s system to make it not want to leach the nutrients anymore!”
“Well, ideally it would change the satiation signal so it could live on minimal leaching. The main problem we had with those parasites is sometimes they would get these frenzies and gorge themselves … and their stomachs would burst.” Quixon grimaced. “But a little nutrient leaching is good for the soil! When the river was at full-strength it would often be too intense for the plants that many people prefer.”
“Fascinating!” The Doctor leaned against the bed, taking Donna’s advice and breathing deeply. “How long ago did you guys figure this out?”
“My grandfather realized that outright killing the Exenter didn’t help the plants any - though neither does their stomach extrusion. My father was working on his compound until three years ago when he passed away. I was perfecting it but then the major shift happened and I’ve been spending all my time trying to take care of that…” He glanced apologetically at Alexa, who had her head down while she concentrated on breathing. “Haven’t done the best job ever. I wasted about a year just increasing the strength of our usual deterrents but that didn’t do any good.”
“Well, they’re not Exenter. I’m pretty sure they used to be, though. Well, sort of.”
“What do you mean?” Quixon said.
“They’re fusions. Hybrids, if you will. Like you and Alexa. My guess is some tourist accidentally brought the foreign eggs to the river, where they hatched. They . . . I’m not sure if they mated with the Exenter or just overpowered them, but I caught a glimpse of vestigial Exenter attributes. But those things they fused with….” He shook his head. “They’re not very nice. Couldn’t tell you what they are, but they are not well suited for this planet! It’s probably best if we just eradicate the nest.”
“You’re sure?” Donna questioned.
“Yeah. It’s ecology, Donna. The ecosystem here can’t handle nutrient leaching on this scale, and in order to restore balance we’ll have to remove them. They’ll be okay.” The Doctor smiled. “And guess what? We figured out how to stop them!”
“We did?” Alexa asked.
“They’re allergic to copper!” the Doctor reminded her gleefully.
“Hey, those blokes are going to a conference about copper,” Donna said, pointing at the aliens still at the bar. “Do you think they have any?”
“One way to find out,” the Doctor remarked, striding out of the room.
Alexa and Donna made to follow him, but Quixon said plaintively, “Oh, do you both have to go? I feel like I’m missing everything stuck here in bed.”
Donna looked at Alexa, lifting her chin in challenge. “If you don’t stay,” she muttered, “I will. And nothing will stop me from touching his knees.” She realized how ridiculous this sounded and bit her lip, but raised her eyebrows because the threat was real to Alexa.
“Of course I’ll stay with you, Quixon,” Alexa said, breaking Donna’s gaze. “I’ll even put some more lotion on you if you like.”
Quixon smiled.
Donna ran to catch up with the Doctor. “Hello,” she said.
“Hello,” he replied, smiling at her. “Sorry about all this.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m used to it. You’re a trouble magnet, is what you are. Besides, I’m not thrilled about the idea of running around a dusty planet with an oxygen tank. ”
He nodded thoughtfully. They approached the businessmen, who ignored them and continued to hold their quiet conversation until the Doctor cleared his throat loudly.
“Hi, I’m the Doctor and this is Donna. You’re both going to the Copper and Diamond Conference, right? Which of you is copper, which is the diamond?”
The businessmen glanced at each other. “We both are,” one offered. “The conference is for those of us that deal in both copper and diamonds.”
“Diverse markets,” the other added. “Very lucrative.”
“So you both mine copper and diamonds?” The Doctor’s eyes widened. “No. You’re not - are you part of the Double-M Ring?”
Both aliens remained blank-faced. Unfortunately, their emotions and expressions were better read by looking at their antennae, which had changed color toward alarmed.
“What’s that?” one asked.
“Mountain and Mine ring of smugglers and artificers,” the Doctor said, “not that you didn’t already know; I was clarifying for my companion’s sake.” He gestured in the vague direction of Donna. “Hundreds of years old, this group is, huge bounty if you ever catch one.”
“And we just caught two, did we?” Donna said, catching on.
“I wouldn’t go so far. Discovered two, yeah. But I don’t think there’s any need to apprehend them.” He fixed the two with a stern look. “The Double-M Ring does a lot of good when they’re not swindling. A lot of underprivileged children are getting educated from the spoils of these folks.”
“Aw, intergalactic Robin Hood!” Donna said.
“Yes, close enough. Which makes them the perfect people to assist us in our plight!” The Doctor pulled up a chair. “Here’s what we need,” he began.
Ten minutes later, the Doctor and Donna made their way back to the infirmary, enormous spools of copper wire in their arms.
“You know, they might’ve been so willing to help us because if they hadn’t we could’ve turned them in,” Donna observed.
“Well, possibly. But I wouldn’t have turned them in. Their local ‘Sherriff of Nottingham’ is a really unsavory character. He’ll die in a coup and no one will miss him. The Double-M Ring will rise in eminence and eventually stop their illegal activities. No point in getting them arrested.”
“What it must be like to have an entire universe of history in your head,” Donna marveled.
“Never a dull moment in there,” the Doctor said drily. He elbowed open the door of the infirmary.
Alexa hurriedly jumped away from Quixon, who winced at the sudden movement off his bed. His hair was mussed and Alexa was blushing.
Donna rolled her eyes. “Hope you had time to get his knees sorted,” she said, dumping her copper on the nearest bed.
“I’m doing much better now, Donna,” Quixon said, winking at her.
“I’m glad,” the Doctor said, “because I’d like your help.”
After all the planning they did, Quixon refused to be left behind. Though his hands were still shriveled and he couldn’t bend his legs, he insisted Alexa scrounge up a sort of hovering wheelchair so he could come along and watch.
“If he’s going, no way am I not!” Donna exclaimed. “I don’t care what you say, I’ll hold my breath the whole time.”
“We can get you oxygen,” Alexa said, smiling. She was a lot less uptight now things seemed to be resolved with Quixon. “The Doctor promised me we could take the transport so you don’t have to lug it so far.”
“Come on, folks, no reason to dally!” The Doctor clapped his hands. “Everything’s all packed.”
“Oh, boy! Road trip!” Donna laughed, and climbed in the transport. It was like an army truck, but sleeker. She settled the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, the Doctor took the wheel, and they were off.
“I was wondering why they never sucked the atmosphere dry,” Quixon mused. “But we’ve got copper oxide and copper nitrate in our very air.”
“I saw that in your atmospheric readings,” the Doctor said. “How does the dust stay suspended?”
Quixon shrugged, a smile playing around his lips. “There’s a lot to learn.”
“It explains your shimmery skin at least,” the Doctor said.
“Oh, tell me about it, they look like they put bronzer on everywhere,” Donna remarked, slightly muffled by the mask, “but apparently it’s copper-er. It looks nice,” she added reassuringly to Alexa and Quixon. “But I was going to ask for your secret and turns out it’s just the air.”
The Doctor started in on an explanation of how their bodies could convert the compounds to oxygen and nitrogen gas and send the copper out to the peripheries, but Donna punched him silent.
“We’re nearly at the river,” Alexa noted.
“Excellent. Let’s get the net.” Most of the copper wire had been knotted into a giant net. All of them bore tiny pinpricks on their fingers from the work, but it looked pretty good. “We’ll lay it at the river-side opening of the nest.”
“Have you got the fertilizer?” Quixon asked. Alexa nodded, lifting the jar. “It will certainly be a good bait.” He gazed at Alexa for a moment longer, then said, “Don’t let them touch you.”
“I won’t. You’ve got some extra copper in case of attack?”
“I do.”
“Hate to interrupt,” Donna said unclearly, and the two looked dazedly toward her. “We’re here.”
“Right.” The Doctor gathered up the net and hopped out. Donna shouldered her oxygen tank and followed him. Alexa remained to help Quixon out of the transport and give him one last tender look, and lost track of time until the Doctor called to her. She hurriedly joined the other two at the river’s edge. They spread it where the Doctor indicated, then Alexa opened the jar of fertilizer.
“Dump it all over there!” the Doctor cried. “And . . . here they come!”
“Wow,” said Donna. The pests didn’t move very fast, but the air was vibrating with the force of their excited suction.
The first one hit the copper net. With a splash, it dissolved into the river, which took on a distinct hint of blueness.
“Woo-hoo!” the Doctor shouted, pumping the air with his fist. “Love it when these things work.”
The greater concentration of nutrients caused by the exploded creatures created even more of a frenzy. The ones behind pushed the front ones against the net, and now they could even see puffs of air escaping with the other components, as well as some original Exenter swimming into the river.
“You should be able to breathe without that unsightly mask soon,” the Doctor told Donna.
“I rather like it,” she replied. “It adds defining lines to my face.”
“Doctor!” Alexa yelled. “Look out!” She pointed about a foot from where they stood, where some impatient leachers had burrowed through to get to the nutrients another way.
"Hallo," the Doctor said. He shook his foot at them, but they proceeded unheeding. "I think we'd better start throwing some copper."
"Right-o," said Donna. "I rather like this one," she told the nearest, holding up a small, intricate copper working. "See? It's a flower. Hope you like it too." She tossed it toward them while Alexa and the Doctor also tossed similar copper creations. They dissolved into the soil, leaving the copper bits behind.
"This is rather fun," Alexa admitted, aiming at one just coming out of the ground. “You all right, Quixon?”
“Nothing coming this way!” he called back. “I imagine you’d be able to help me if they did, they’re not very fast.”
“His hands are still not best-equipped for throwing,” the Doctor noted. “Do keep an eye on him, Alexa.”
“As if she needed to be asked!” Donna said.
The flow was slowing. Those few still coming out were smaller, duller. The rest shied away from the copper and seemed content to huddle in their burrow rather than go for the nutrient-rich fertilizer.
“Hey, Doctor! Do you think you could get me one or two, to keep for experiments?” Quixon nodded toward the empty fertilizer jar.
“Yep, I can do that. These ones don’t look nearly so dangerous, and a lot more like Exenter.”
“Don’t touch them,” Alexa warned, but the Doctor just smiled. He picked up the jar, removed the net, and coaxed a couple little ones in. As soon as he had them, he closed the lid, used the sonic to cut off a piece of net big enough to wrap the jar in, and secured it.
“They should stay in there!” he announced. “You might want to move them to a slightly more humane enclosure if you’re keeping them long, or they won’t be much use.” He demonstrated how they were cowering as far from the edges as possible.
Donna tossed some copper pieces to the last few. “So, there’s no more? We got them all? It’s over?”
“If not, we know how to stop them now,” Alexa said.
“Donna, take off your mask,” the Doctor ordered.
“Okay.” With some small trepidation, she did so, and breathed in. “Much better! And check out the river.”
The S’melllii River was back to its original cerulean color. It was beautiful, and would be even more lovely surrounded by the plants and wildlife that would soon grow back under Quixon’s watchful eye.
“You can call your emigrants, let ‘em know you saved the planet,” the Doctor said as they walked back to the transport. “Unless you two were planning on repopulating it all by yourself.”
Donna sniggered while Alexa and Quixon blushed. There was a lot of work ahead of them, what with planting and reintroducing more Exenter, but the Doctor and Donna could tell that they’d have a good time.
Series 4 and ¾ will return next Saturday with ‘Relative Genius’ by pacejunkie.
The Doctor is thrilled to meet Albert Einstein, until an experiment gone wrong threatens to absorb all of the life force on earth unless these two geniuses can put their heads together and stop it.
Title: Dust Planet
Writer: piartemis18
Characters: Ten, Donna, other characters
Rating: General
Word Count: about 5700
Summary: The Doctor and Donna stop by a tourist planet to see the sights, but they hardly step out of the TARDIS before Donna falls unconscious. The Doctor works with some of the natives to fix what looks like a really severe parasite problem before it overcomes them all.
Editor: elwenstarmaid
Director: ohstarling
The girl barely flicked her eyes toward the young man as he walked in the front lobby, his dusty and well-worn clothes incongruous with the clean, professional setting. “The back corner of the garden is starting to look poorly,” she said.
“I’ll spread some deterrent first thing,” he replied. After a hesitation, he began, “Alexa - ”
“How are we supposed to keep the hospitality house open with the parasites encroaching?” she snapped. “You’ve let them into the garden after you promised they couldn’t get in!”
“They shouldn’t be able to!” he shouted, before regaining control of his temper. “I’ll go take care of it.” He looked over his shoulder, clearly distressed at Alexa’s fury, but she kept her scowling eyes on her computer screen.
“It ain’t my fault, Little Miss ‘We Can’t Have a Relationship Right Now’. Those dag-blasted Exenter keep finding a way through!” He got to the back corner and surveyed it grimly. It was looking more than poorly, it was downright dead. “Shouldn’t be able to work that fast,” he mused. It almost seemed to disappear before his eyes. In fact - he watched in horror as the patch of yellow grass in front of him began to turn gray and shrivel away.
“No!” he gasped, kneeling and putting his hands on the swiftly graying soil. “Alexa will never forgive me!”
A curious sensation started in his hands, a sort of suction. He pulled them up to look at them and screamed: the palms of his hands were gray and shriveling like the grass. He screamed again as something sucked at his knees.
“ALEXA!!!”
The TARDIS groaned and creaked. “You’ll like this planet,” the Doctor remarked. “It’s been a great tourist attraction for years. Nice beaches, the famous S’melllii River with 190 miles of walking paths - ”
“The smelly river?” Donna interrupted. “What’s it famous for, the stench?”
“S’melllii,” the Doctor replied impatiently. “Apostrophe, three ls, 2 is, famous for the ingenious irrigating system that waters the whole planet and, of course, its naturally cerulean hue. From the minerals.”
“Of course. The minerals. What else could it be?” She rolled her eyes.
“Well.” The Doctor twiddled a lever. “Often cyanobacteria or other microscopic life forms can change the color of the water. There’s a kind of, well, you’d probably call it a trilobyte that turns water bright pink! Maybe you’d like it, though I’m more partial to - ”
“For cryin’ out loud, space boy,” Donna exclaimed as the TARDIS ground to a halt. “Stop your yapping and let’s go explore!” She settled her bag over her shoulder and flipped back her hair.
“Right.” The Doctor pressed his lips together to illustrate his cessation of yapping. “After you,” he said, gesturing to the door.
“Not that pink water wouldn’t be a trip to drink,” Donna began, smirking at the Doctor as she stepped out. “Did you land us in a des- ”She wheezed, clutched her chest, and collapsed coughing on the ground. Before the Doctor had a chance to grab her the coughing stopped and she was silent.
“Donna!” The Doctor dragged her unconscious form back inside the TARDIS and ran the sonic screwdriver over her face.
“Asphyxiation, small-scale,” he muttered. “Now that you’re back here with the right air you’ll be all right.” He frowned at her ashen complexion. “Did you say we landed in a desert?” He scrambled out the door and peered at the landscape. The atmosphere, though low in oxygen, was still breathable for him.
The TARDIS was surrounded by grey sand as far as the eye could see. He bent down and rubbed it between his fingers; it was as fine as dust. “I know we landed on the right planet,” he said. He shaded his eyes and looked in the distance. “Hello. That looks like a hospitality house - we’re in the right time period! What happened here?” He glanced back at Donna, bit his lip, and set the TARDIS in motion toward the house, a mile or so away. “They’ll be able to sort you out.”
As they got nearer, he could see that the hospitality house sat on a small island of green, surrounded by grey. He materalized the TARDIS just inside the doors, and approached the front desk, where a rather pretty (in a severe way) young woman manned the reception. Her cream-colored blouse contrasted nicely with her dark skin. She looked up sharply as the Doctor approached, and her braid swung.
“Erm, hello. My companion’s unconscious and I wondered if I might-”
“Did she go outside without the appropriate equipment?”
“Well, yes, but -”
The receptionist rolled her eyes. “Happens all the time. Some people just have no sense.”
“Erm, right. I’ll bring her in, then?”
“We can put her next to the gardener. He’s recently become injured.” Suddenly her face crumpled. “And I don’t know what’s happened to him! If he doesn’t recover I don’t know what I’ll do!” She burst into tears.
The Doctor could tell that this was highly out of character for the young woman. “What’s your name?” he asked gently.
“Alexa.” She pulled herself somewhat together. “And you are?”
“I’m the Doctor, and my companion’s name -”
“You’re a doctor?” Alexa interrupted. “Could you look at Quixon?”
“I could, but first I must see to my companion. You supply oxygen here, right?”
“Of course.” Alexa pointed to the room on the right. “She can recover there.”
“Thank you.” The Doctor gathered Donna into his arms and brought her where Alexa had indicated. He looked around at the spacious lobby. It was clear that the building was made for busier times than it currently had. “How’s business these days?”
Alexa lifted her chin. “This hospitality house has long been a crossroads for many important business routes. Despite the current environmental instability we have quite a few consistent travelers that either don’t mind the depleted atmosphere or follow our instructions to remain indoors for the duration of their stay. Right now we are pleased to have businessmen on their way to the Copper and Diamond conference.” She nodded to a couple middle-aged aliens in the bar.
“I see,” the Doctor said, and laid Donna where on the bed Alexa indicated.
The Doctor peered at the person in the next bed as he got Donna situated, with the oxygen mask firmly on her face. His eyes were closed, not in sleep but in pain; his face was pale, and what appeared to be dust stood out starkly there. His injured hands rested gently on the coverlet; the Doctor could see the alarming grayness even in the dimness.
“Pardon me,” he said, “I’m going to examine your hands.”
The young man opened his eyes. “Are you a doctor?”
“I’m the Doctor,” the Doctor told him. He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the young man. “Something has stolen the nutrients from your skin.”
“Yeah, I figured that out. The Exenter steal nutrients from our soil. I touched the soil.” He held up his hands.
“Surely the Exenter are not so vicious! They are what has changed the atmosphere, correct?”
“That’s what we figure. Two years ago the river lost its color, we started losing farmland, and now - most of the planet is uninhabitable.”
“This scale of devastation in only two years? How have you kept this hospitality house from being overrun?”
“The right kind of pesticide,” he replied, glancing at the far wall where the Doctor could see charts and drawings that must be where Quixon kept his paperwork. “My family has invented many kinds of chemical deterrents. We experiment. But we are finally losing the battle. I watched the grass die before my eyes.” His eyes filled with tears.
The Doctor patted the bed sympathetically. “It might be time to give up and move.”
“That is not an option!” sounded Alexa’s voice behind them - they both jumped. “This hospitality house has been in my family for hundreds of years! I can’t give it up now! Things will improve and traffic will pick up!”
“I see,” said the Doctor. He glanced over at Donna, whose color was much better but who was still asleep. “Well, can I have a look at this garden of yours?”
“I’ll take you,” Alexa said briskly. She left the room without returning Quixon’s soulful stare.
“Think she’s mad at you,” the Doctor remarked. “But she cried at your plight.”
“Probably doesn’t know who to get for gardener if I can’t work anymore,” Quixon replied bitterly.
The Doctor shrugged and followed Alexa, leaving Quixon alone with the sleeping Donna.
“Don’t you need oxygen masks to go outside?’ the Doctor asked Alexa, jogging to catch up with her as she passed a row of air tanks.
“Actually, no. Several generations back my ancestors cross-bred with other humanoids and, among other things, our threshold of oxygen requirement became much lower. Those natives who don’t have the genetics had to move when the atmosphere became unstable.” Alexa opened the outside door and swung her braid back as she peered at the Doctor. “You don’t need the oxygen, do you?”
“I’ll survive,” the Doctor said. “You and Quixon aren’t cousins, are you? With the same genetics and all.”
“No.” She pointed, her arm glittering as it hit the sunlight. “There’s the spot. At least it hasn’t gotten worse.”
“I see.” The Doctor crouched near to the edge of the depletion and put on his spectacles to peer at the ground. It was the same grey dust as where the TARDIS had first landed. “Here’s what I think,” the Doctor said slowly, rubbing the dirt between his fingers. “Either your Exenter have undergone a serious mutation, or - ”
“Doctor!” Alexa cried, pointing at a spot just a yard to the left. The grass was rapidly disintegrating. “Don’t touch it!” she snapped as the Doctor bounded over to the place.
“I’m not going to touch it,” he replied. “I’m scanning it.” He took out his sonic screwdriver. “There, I’ve got it.”
“Got what?”
“The trace! We can follow this parasite back to wherever it goes. Hopefully the hive. Then we can see about some real pesticide.” He grinned.
Alexa started to smile back, but stopped. “I can’t leave the house unattended. My beeper will go out of range. And with Quixon…”
“I’ve an idea about that,” the Doctor said. “Come along with me.” He led the way inside.
The sight in the infirmary made them both stop stock still. As the Doctor had hoped, Donna was awake. He hadn’t expected her to be gently caressing Quixon’s hands.
“What is going on here?” Alexa shouted. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“You must be Alexa,” Donna said, unfazed by the yelling. “I’m Donna Noble, I travel with ‘im.” She jerked her head toward the Doctor. “He doesn’t check the atmosphere before he sends me out to breathe it in.”
“Donna, I had no reason to believe - ”
“What are you doing with my gardener?” Alexa snapped.
“I’m putting lotion on his hands,” Donna said smugly. “It’s nutrient-enriched!”
“Why, that’s genius!” the Doctor exclaimed. “It’s a start, at least. A more concentrated infusion of nutrients will be better, of course . . .”
“In the meantime, Quixon’s hands will look younger than ever.” Donna surveyed her work proudly. The Doctor was impressed at the way she could ignore Alexa’s glares.
“Wait just a minute,” Alexa said then. “What makes you think you can just waltz in and start - ”
Donna stood up; the Doctor backed up a step. “Listen, missy. I’m doing your gardener a big favor, and I don’t see anyone else clamoring to help. No way I deserve all this, uh …”
“Upbraiding,” the Doctor supplied.
“That’s a good one,” Donna said, eyeing Alexa’s hairstyle. “Anyway, I’m about done with his hands. His knees could use a good rub too - unless you’d rather,” she added, gesturing magnanimously to the bed.
“You can leave that to me,” Alexa assured her grumpily. “However, it will have to wait.”
Quixon, who had brightened up considerably since Alexa’s return, looked disappointed. “Why?” he asked pathetically. “My hands feel loads better, why not do my knees now?”
The Doctor stepped in. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. I got a trace on the parasite that’s been ruining the garden. I’d like for Alexa to come with me to follow it to its source. Donna will watch over the house.”
Donna was as little pleased about this as Quixon. “How come I got to stay behind? She’s human too, ain’t she?”
“An evolutionarily advantaged human,” Alexa noted. “Your respiratory limitations would slow us down too much.”
“It’s true,” the Doctor admitted when Donna turned her glower to him. “And you’re fully qualified to run this place! Highly capable, best temp known to man.”
“Fine. I still feel a little dizzy from almost suffocating.” Donna went back to her bed, where she’d left her shoulder bag.
“Okay then. We’ll be back soon.” The Doctor nodded to Quixon. Donna still had her back to him.
“If you’ve nothing better to do, you can help Quixon with categorizing the groundskeeping diaries,” Alexa called on their way out.
“Right,” Donna replied tersely. She peered at the towering pile of books labeled ‘Grounds’. “I don’t think your girlfriend likes me much.” She grinned at Quixon over her shoulder. “That’s a good sign, eh? We’ll show her.” She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
“Right, then. I hope you’re ready to run,” the Doctor said, eyeing Alexa’s classy receptionist attire. He fiddled with his sonic screwdriver until a faint beeping could be heard. “We’ve got to rush before the trace fades.” He jogged off, following the sound. Alexa followed him.
“I think it’s unlikely that your native Exenter could’ve undergone so drastic a mutation without giving you more warning,” he commented, huffing slightly as they ran. “What we’re actually facing could be much more dangerous.”
“I realize that. Why are you telling me?”
The Doctor glanced at her. “Just so you’re prepared. It may be a little hard to take in, once you actually see them.”
“We’ll see.” She put her chin down and sped up to be just ahead of the Doctor. “How much farther, do you think?”
“I don’t know. We could have to go halfway round the planet if that’s where the beast we’re following went.”
“Well, that’s just grand. We should’ve used the transport! You just set off running without even mentioning how far we’re going.”
“There wasn’t time - ”
“Time enough to talk to your companion. I could’ve . . .”
The Doctor closed his eyes. “Alexa. I help people; it’s what I do. I am saving your planet and your business, and your gardener. All I ask in return is for you to stop.”
“Stop what?” she asked defensively.
“You already know. Now hush, we’re getting close.” The sonic screwdriver’s beeps were coming at a higher frequency.
“Praise be,” Alexa muttered sarcastically.
“You’re lucky Donna didn’t pop you one,” the Doctor told her. “She doesn’t tolerate rudeness well. Not sure why I’m so willing to deal with it. Now, I mean it, hush. If we make too much of a disturbance they may try to eat our feet.”
Alexa subsided, pressing her lips together tightly as if to keep more snarky comments from escaping. The Doctor lowered the screwdriver nearer to the ground, listening intently for fluctuations in the trace.
“Aha. Five feet that way, five feet down.” He looked up at the sky. “At least, that’s where it starts. There seem to be quite a lot of - ” He stopped, as a thought occurred to him. “Alexa, where’s the river from here?”
She raised her eyebrows.
“What - oh, for crying out loud, you can talk to me!”
“It’s very near. You can hear it, it’s just over that rise.” She pointed straight, right through the parasite nest.
“That’s what I thought.” The Doctor frowned at the ground for a moment. “Let’s go look at it.”
“They’re right there! They’ll turn me gray!” Alexa’s voice rose in a panic.
“Shh! They’re asleep, let’s leave them that way.” The Doctor led the way toward the S’melllii River; Alexa followed gingerly.
“Now, what’s interesting to me,” the Doctor said as they crested the rise, “is that the river wasn’t completely drained at first. You know that they would start with the water source, of course.”
“Why?”
“Water’s the most basic nutrient,” the Doctor said. “There must be something in the water that’s keeping them from using it all.”
“They took a lot of it, and most of the minerals too.” Alexa pointed at the river; it was a pale brownish-green.
“Well, naturally, nutrients are basically minerals . . .” the Doctor carefully crept to the riverbed. He dabbed a finger in the water and licked it. “Except the copper, it seems. Has the water always been rather coppery? ”
“Of course. Though the pelucidum, the blue mineral, tends to mask most other colors and properties, the copper’s always been there.”
“Now it’s the only . . .” The Doctor scrambled back up to the land above the river. He tasted the dust: “Hmm. That’s almost what I’m looking for.” He held the screwdriver against a palmful of dust for a few seconds and tasted again. “Aha! There we go. Copper compounds. The inactive pelucidum in the compounds was masking the taste. It does that, doesn’t it?”
“It’s an overwhelming mineral. Why isn’t there any pelucidum left in the water, then?”
“Oh, I suppose the compounds dissolve in water for the most part. But it’s clear that the copper hasn’t been touched! Everything else has been leached away by our friendly parasites.”
“Doctor,” Alexa began. “The parasites.”
"Oh, are they coming after us?" The Doctor turned around and his eyes widened. "Well, look at that."
He’d caught a glimpse of what the Exenter looked like, talking with Quixon in the infirmary: about the size of a thumbnail, white, two eyes, six legs. These looked nothing like that. For one thing, they were about a foot long and brilliant blue. But it was their mouths that were so alarming. They opened in a round hole the size of a golf ball and sucked. Five eyes watched Alexa and the Doctor blankly.
The monsters approached slowly. The Doctor stared. “No. It can’t be. How did you - I really don’t think - I suggest you release the Exenter this instant. It’s not right to just absorb them like so many nutrients.”
“Doctor, they’re going to suck out our nutrients! They’re coming closer! Doctor!”
"Don't panic," the Doctor told Alexa. "I think there has to be a point of initial contact. Quixon only got burned because he was touching the grass. So, don't let them touch you."
"What're we gonna do? I don't wanna lead them back home!"
"Don't panic!" the Doctor said. "Just go toward the river." He made a break for it and grabbed off his sneaker. He dumped it in the river and filled it with water.
"You're crazy!" Alexa cried.
"I know!" the Doctor responded. He pointed the sonic at his shoe and steam rose from it. He leapt back up the riverbank and tossed the contents of his sneaker at the approaching monsters.
The water seemed to hiss as it hit their skin. They jerked back and closed their mouths, growing slightly smaller, perhaps less brilliantly blue. He menaced his sneaker at them and they backed off.
"What was that?" Alexa gasped.
"I boiled away the water, which made the copper more concentrated. As I suspected, they're allergic to high amounts more than the dilute." He grinned at Alexa, pleased. "And now, I think we should go. I'm tired from all this running in bad air, and I think we'll find Quixon quite valuable in getting rid of these pests. He seems to have a very good head on his shoulders." He pulled his sneaker back on and wiggled his toes.
"Finally. I've got all sorts of leg cramps from the lower oxygen. We should take the transport next time."
The Doctor grinned. "Agreed. Allons-y!"
They burst into the infirmary, where Donna and Quixon were chatting seriously about his father's legacy. Donna looked over at them briefly. “How’d it go? Try to take deep breaths. Quixon’s dad was a genius, did you know? He was working on a compound that would actually change the composition of chemicals in a Exenter’s system to make it not want to leach the nutrients anymore!”
“Well, ideally it would change the satiation signal so it could live on minimal leaching. The main problem we had with those parasites is sometimes they would get these frenzies and gorge themselves … and their stomachs would burst.” Quixon grimaced. “But a little nutrient leaching is good for the soil! When the river was at full-strength it would often be too intense for the plants that many people prefer.”
“Fascinating!” The Doctor leaned against the bed, taking Donna’s advice and breathing deeply. “How long ago did you guys figure this out?”
“My grandfather realized that outright killing the Exenter didn’t help the plants any - though neither does their stomach extrusion. My father was working on his compound until three years ago when he passed away. I was perfecting it but then the major shift happened and I’ve been spending all my time trying to take care of that…” He glanced apologetically at Alexa, who had her head down while she concentrated on breathing. “Haven’t done the best job ever. I wasted about a year just increasing the strength of our usual deterrents but that didn’t do any good.”
“Well, they’re not Exenter. I’m pretty sure they used to be, though. Well, sort of.”
“What do you mean?” Quixon said.
“They’re fusions. Hybrids, if you will. Like you and Alexa. My guess is some tourist accidentally brought the foreign eggs to the river, where they hatched. They . . . I’m not sure if they mated with the Exenter or just overpowered them, but I caught a glimpse of vestigial Exenter attributes. But those things they fused with….” He shook his head. “They’re not very nice. Couldn’t tell you what they are, but they are not well suited for this planet! It’s probably best if we just eradicate the nest.”
“You’re sure?” Donna questioned.
“Yeah. It’s ecology, Donna. The ecosystem here can’t handle nutrient leaching on this scale, and in order to restore balance we’ll have to remove them. They’ll be okay.” The Doctor smiled. “And guess what? We figured out how to stop them!”
“We did?” Alexa asked.
“They’re allergic to copper!” the Doctor reminded her gleefully.
“Hey, those blokes are going to a conference about copper,” Donna said, pointing at the aliens still at the bar. “Do you think they have any?”
“One way to find out,” the Doctor remarked, striding out of the room.
Alexa and Donna made to follow him, but Quixon said plaintively, “Oh, do you both have to go? I feel like I’m missing everything stuck here in bed.”
Donna looked at Alexa, lifting her chin in challenge. “If you don’t stay,” she muttered, “I will. And nothing will stop me from touching his knees.” She realized how ridiculous this sounded and bit her lip, but raised her eyebrows because the threat was real to Alexa.
“Of course I’ll stay with you, Quixon,” Alexa said, breaking Donna’s gaze. “I’ll even put some more lotion on you if you like.”
Quixon smiled.
Donna ran to catch up with the Doctor. “Hello,” she said.
“Hello,” he replied, smiling at her. “Sorry about all this.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m used to it. You’re a trouble magnet, is what you are. Besides, I’m not thrilled about the idea of running around a dusty planet with an oxygen tank. ”
He nodded thoughtfully. They approached the businessmen, who ignored them and continued to hold their quiet conversation until the Doctor cleared his throat loudly.
“Hi, I’m the Doctor and this is Donna. You’re both going to the Copper and Diamond Conference, right? Which of you is copper, which is the diamond?”
The businessmen glanced at each other. “We both are,” one offered. “The conference is for those of us that deal in both copper and diamonds.”
“Diverse markets,” the other added. “Very lucrative.”
“So you both mine copper and diamonds?” The Doctor’s eyes widened. “No. You’re not - are you part of the Double-M Ring?”
Both aliens remained blank-faced. Unfortunately, their emotions and expressions were better read by looking at their antennae, which had changed color toward alarmed.
“What’s that?” one asked.
“Mountain and Mine ring of smugglers and artificers,” the Doctor said, “not that you didn’t already know; I was clarifying for my companion’s sake.” He gestured in the vague direction of Donna. “Hundreds of years old, this group is, huge bounty if you ever catch one.”
“And we just caught two, did we?” Donna said, catching on.
“I wouldn’t go so far. Discovered two, yeah. But I don’t think there’s any need to apprehend them.” He fixed the two with a stern look. “The Double-M Ring does a lot of good when they’re not swindling. A lot of underprivileged children are getting educated from the spoils of these folks.”
“Aw, intergalactic Robin Hood!” Donna said.
“Yes, close enough. Which makes them the perfect people to assist us in our plight!” The Doctor pulled up a chair. “Here’s what we need,” he began.
Ten minutes later, the Doctor and Donna made their way back to the infirmary, enormous spools of copper wire in their arms.
“You know, they might’ve been so willing to help us because if they hadn’t we could’ve turned them in,” Donna observed.
“Well, possibly. But I wouldn’t have turned them in. Their local ‘Sherriff of Nottingham’ is a really unsavory character. He’ll die in a coup and no one will miss him. The Double-M Ring will rise in eminence and eventually stop their illegal activities. No point in getting them arrested.”
“What it must be like to have an entire universe of history in your head,” Donna marveled.
“Never a dull moment in there,” the Doctor said drily. He elbowed open the door of the infirmary.
Alexa hurriedly jumped away from Quixon, who winced at the sudden movement off his bed. His hair was mussed and Alexa was blushing.
Donna rolled her eyes. “Hope you had time to get his knees sorted,” she said, dumping her copper on the nearest bed.
“I’m doing much better now, Donna,” Quixon said, winking at her.
“I’m glad,” the Doctor said, “because I’d like your help.”
After all the planning they did, Quixon refused to be left behind. Though his hands were still shriveled and he couldn’t bend his legs, he insisted Alexa scrounge up a sort of hovering wheelchair so he could come along and watch.
“If he’s going, no way am I not!” Donna exclaimed. “I don’t care what you say, I’ll hold my breath the whole time.”
“We can get you oxygen,” Alexa said, smiling. She was a lot less uptight now things seemed to be resolved with Quixon. “The Doctor promised me we could take the transport so you don’t have to lug it so far.”
“Come on, folks, no reason to dally!” The Doctor clapped his hands. “Everything’s all packed.”
“Oh, boy! Road trip!” Donna laughed, and climbed in the transport. It was like an army truck, but sleeker. She settled the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, the Doctor took the wheel, and they were off.
“I was wondering why they never sucked the atmosphere dry,” Quixon mused. “But we’ve got copper oxide and copper nitrate in our very air.”
“I saw that in your atmospheric readings,” the Doctor said. “How does the dust stay suspended?”
Quixon shrugged, a smile playing around his lips. “There’s a lot to learn.”
“It explains your shimmery skin at least,” the Doctor said.
“Oh, tell me about it, they look like they put bronzer on everywhere,” Donna remarked, slightly muffled by the mask, “but apparently it’s copper-er. It looks nice,” she added reassuringly to Alexa and Quixon. “But I was going to ask for your secret and turns out it’s just the air.”
The Doctor started in on an explanation of how their bodies could convert the compounds to oxygen and nitrogen gas and send the copper out to the peripheries, but Donna punched him silent.
“We’re nearly at the river,” Alexa noted.
“Excellent. Let’s get the net.” Most of the copper wire had been knotted into a giant net. All of them bore tiny pinpricks on their fingers from the work, but it looked pretty good. “We’ll lay it at the river-side opening of the nest.”
“Have you got the fertilizer?” Quixon asked. Alexa nodded, lifting the jar. “It will certainly be a good bait.” He gazed at Alexa for a moment longer, then said, “Don’t let them touch you.”
“I won’t. You’ve got some extra copper in case of attack?”
“I do.”
“Hate to interrupt,” Donna said unclearly, and the two looked dazedly toward her. “We’re here.”
“Right.” The Doctor gathered up the net and hopped out. Donna shouldered her oxygen tank and followed him. Alexa remained to help Quixon out of the transport and give him one last tender look, and lost track of time until the Doctor called to her. She hurriedly joined the other two at the river’s edge. They spread it where the Doctor indicated, then Alexa opened the jar of fertilizer.
“Dump it all over there!” the Doctor cried. “And . . . here they come!”
“Wow,” said Donna. The pests didn’t move very fast, but the air was vibrating with the force of their excited suction.
The first one hit the copper net. With a splash, it dissolved into the river, which took on a distinct hint of blueness.
“Woo-hoo!” the Doctor shouted, pumping the air with his fist. “Love it when these things work.”
The greater concentration of nutrients caused by the exploded creatures created even more of a frenzy. The ones behind pushed the front ones against the net, and now they could even see puffs of air escaping with the other components, as well as some original Exenter swimming into the river.
“You should be able to breathe without that unsightly mask soon,” the Doctor told Donna.
“I rather like it,” she replied. “It adds defining lines to my face.”
“Doctor!” Alexa yelled. “Look out!” She pointed about a foot from where they stood, where some impatient leachers had burrowed through to get to the nutrients another way.
"Hallo," the Doctor said. He shook his foot at them, but they proceeded unheeding. "I think we'd better start throwing some copper."
"Right-o," said Donna. "I rather like this one," she told the nearest, holding up a small, intricate copper working. "See? It's a flower. Hope you like it too." She tossed it toward them while Alexa and the Doctor also tossed similar copper creations. They dissolved into the soil, leaving the copper bits behind.
"This is rather fun," Alexa admitted, aiming at one just coming out of the ground. “You all right, Quixon?”
“Nothing coming this way!” he called back. “I imagine you’d be able to help me if they did, they’re not very fast.”
“His hands are still not best-equipped for throwing,” the Doctor noted. “Do keep an eye on him, Alexa.”
“As if she needed to be asked!” Donna said.
The flow was slowing. Those few still coming out were smaller, duller. The rest shied away from the copper and seemed content to huddle in their burrow rather than go for the nutrient-rich fertilizer.
“Hey, Doctor! Do you think you could get me one or two, to keep for experiments?” Quixon nodded toward the empty fertilizer jar.
“Yep, I can do that. These ones don’t look nearly so dangerous, and a lot more like Exenter.”
“Don’t touch them,” Alexa warned, but the Doctor just smiled. He picked up the jar, removed the net, and coaxed a couple little ones in. As soon as he had them, he closed the lid, used the sonic to cut off a piece of net big enough to wrap the jar in, and secured it.
“They should stay in there!” he announced. “You might want to move them to a slightly more humane enclosure if you’re keeping them long, or they won’t be much use.” He demonstrated how they were cowering as far from the edges as possible.
Donna tossed some copper pieces to the last few. “So, there’s no more? We got them all? It’s over?”
“If not, we know how to stop them now,” Alexa said.
“Donna, take off your mask,” the Doctor ordered.
“Okay.” With some small trepidation, she did so, and breathed in. “Much better! And check out the river.”
The S’melllii River was back to its original cerulean color. It was beautiful, and would be even more lovely surrounded by the plants and wildlife that would soon grow back under Quixon’s watchful eye.
“You can call your emigrants, let ‘em know you saved the planet,” the Doctor said as they walked back to the transport. “Unless you two were planning on repopulating it all by yourself.”
Donna sniggered while Alexa and Quixon blushed. There was a lot of work ahead of them, what with planting and reintroducing more Exenter, but the Doctor and Donna could tell that they’d have a good time.
Series 4 and ¾ will return next Saturday with ‘Relative Genius’ by pacejunkie.
The Doctor is thrilled to meet Albert Einstein, until an experiment gone wrong threatens to absorb all of the life force on earth unless these two geniuses can put their heads together and stop it.