Doctor Who: Triptych 5/10
(Yes, the monster is finally finished! Will be posting a chapter a day, Lord willing.)
THE STORY SO FAR -- because I really don't feel like reposting the first four chapters again -- This is part of the "Forever" AU, where the end stage of the metacrisis hit Donna after the events of the End of Time, restoring her memory and turning her bodily into a Time Lady. She was able to use her regeneration energy and the Doctor's combined to make a healing mini-regeneration, curing him of radiation sickness and causing his hair to turn as ginger as hers. They pass for brother and sister now.
While planning a holiday, Donna intercepts an emergency call from the Brigadier, circa 1972 ish. There has been an accident and the third Doctor is in a coma, with his neural patterns imprinting and overwriting Sergeant Benton's. The Doctor's second form and Jamie have just arrived, answering the same summons.
"Yes, them," the second Doctor snapped. "We'll fix both you and the dandy! Get everyone all sorted out!"
"There's nothing to sort out," Benton snapped. "This is irreversible! I'm in here, sometimes, and other times I'm in the coma! There's no way to fix this!"
"There has to be," the Doctor said.
"There isn't," Benton insisted.
"There is," the Doctor said, stepping forward, brown eyes blazing. "Because if we don't fix this, I never exist."
CHAPTER FIVE
Donna's head snapped around, eyes huge. "WHAT?" she roared, stepping forward. "What the bloody HELL do you mean you don't exist? Of course you exist, I'm bloody TALKING to you!"
The Doctor shook his head. "Temporal mechanics--"
"---give me a bloody headache," Donna chorused with him, then said alone, "I know. Me, too. But we've got to figure this out before you do a Marty McFly and flick out of existence."
The Doctor chuckled. "It won't be as drastic as all that, but there is a limited window of time to get this sorted."
"And the worst of it," the second Doctor chirped, all clasped hands and patient professor act perfectly in place, "is that we're not exactly sure how large of a window that window is!"
Silent until now, Jamie spoke up. "So let's stop jaw-wagging and start figuring!"
Benton threw back his head in a howl of a laugh. "Damn, Jamie, I have missed you!"
Jamie snorted. "Don't miss you, barely even know you."
Donna clapped her hands. "Well, then! Before you get all hoity-toity about who missed what and what ever - I noticed something that might be important."
"Well?" the Doctor asked, amused at his "sister" despite everything. "Are you going to keep us in suspence?"
"Was planning on it," she teased. "No, seriously - when Benton here began to act like you - that you--" she pointed at the silver-haired man on the bed. "His brain scans went to zero. Ten to one when he starts acting like a Sergeant again the brain scans will come up."
As if on cue, the monitor beside the stricken Doctor began to sound and the indicators that monitored brain waves began a slow climb. At the same time, Benton swayed and took a deep, ragged breath.
The second Doctor - who was closest - took hold of his elbow. "Steady on, old chap! Feeling more like yourself now, hmmm?"
"Why does that keep happening?" Benton gasped, shaking his head and almost literally getting his feet back under him again, nodding at the second Doctor when he was steady, and the shorter man released him. "I mean, why in the world do I keep having this - thing - happening to me?"
"Why do you keep getting taken over, you mean?" Jamie asked. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? He --" Gesturing toward the man on the bed, "-keeps taking over Benton's mind and then letting him go again!"
"But why?" Benton asked. "The Doctor's never tried to harm me before. Ever! I can't understand why he is doing this now! What does he want?" He raked both hands through his dark hair. "I don't understand, Doctor ! I don't understand!"
The Doctor squeezed his shoulder. "You said there was an accident in the TARDIS."
"Yes," Benton replied.
"In your Doctor's TARDIS."
"Yes."
He turned to look at Donna. "In the same TARDIS we merged with."
Benton's eyes widened and he looked at the Doctor. ".....yes."
Without another word, the Doctor bolted out of the infirmary. Jamie looked at his Doctor, who nodded, and Jamie pelted after him.
Donna turned back to the monitors, and swore as the brain wave indicators started to fall again. She turned to look at Benton.
Before her eyes, his posture and eyes changed - from fright to wisdom and pain beyond his years. "Hello again, Doctor," she said sadly.
On to Chapter Six
THE STORY SO FAR -- because I really don't feel like reposting the first four chapters again -- This is part of the "Forever" AU, where the end stage of the metacrisis hit Donna after the events of the End of Time, restoring her memory and turning her bodily into a Time Lady. She was able to use her regeneration energy and the Doctor's combined to make a healing mini-regeneration, curing him of radiation sickness and causing his hair to turn as ginger as hers. They pass for brother and sister now.
While planning a holiday, Donna intercepts an emergency call from the Brigadier, circa 1972 ish. There has been an accident and the third Doctor is in a coma, with his neural patterns imprinting and overwriting Sergeant Benton's. The Doctor's second form and Jamie have just arrived, answering the same summons.
"Yes, them," the second Doctor snapped. "We'll fix both you and the dandy! Get everyone all sorted out!"
"There's nothing to sort out," Benton snapped. "This is irreversible! I'm in here, sometimes, and other times I'm in the coma! There's no way to fix this!"
"There has to be," the Doctor said.
"There isn't," Benton insisted.
"There is," the Doctor said, stepping forward, brown eyes blazing. "Because if we don't fix this, I never exist."
CHAPTER FIVE
Donna's head snapped around, eyes huge. "WHAT?" she roared, stepping forward. "What the bloody HELL do you mean you don't exist? Of course you exist, I'm bloody TALKING to you!"
The Doctor shook his head. "Temporal mechanics--"
"---give me a bloody headache," Donna chorused with him, then said alone, "I know. Me, too. But we've got to figure this out before you do a Marty McFly and flick out of existence."
The Doctor chuckled. "It won't be as drastic as all that, but there is a limited window of time to get this sorted."
"And the worst of it," the second Doctor chirped, all clasped hands and patient professor act perfectly in place, "is that we're not exactly sure how large of a window that window is!"
Silent until now, Jamie spoke up. "So let's stop jaw-wagging and start figuring!"
Benton threw back his head in a howl of a laugh. "Damn, Jamie, I have missed you!"
Jamie snorted. "Don't miss you, barely even know you."
Donna clapped her hands. "Well, then! Before you get all hoity-toity about who missed what and what ever - I noticed something that might be important."
"Well?" the Doctor asked, amused at his "sister" despite everything. "Are you going to keep us in suspence?"
"Was planning on it," she teased. "No, seriously - when Benton here began to act like you - that you--" she pointed at the silver-haired man on the bed. "His brain scans went to zero. Ten to one when he starts acting like a Sergeant again the brain scans will come up."
As if on cue, the monitor beside the stricken Doctor began to sound and the indicators that monitored brain waves began a slow climb. At the same time, Benton swayed and took a deep, ragged breath.
The second Doctor - who was closest - took hold of his elbow. "Steady on, old chap! Feeling more like yourself now, hmmm?"
"Why does that keep happening?" Benton gasped, shaking his head and almost literally getting his feet back under him again, nodding at the second Doctor when he was steady, and the shorter man released him. "I mean, why in the world do I keep having this - thing - happening to me?"
"Why do you keep getting taken over, you mean?" Jamie asked. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? He --" Gesturing toward the man on the bed, "-keeps taking over Benton's mind and then letting him go again!"
"But why?" Benton asked. "The Doctor's never tried to harm me before. Ever! I can't understand why he is doing this now! What does he want?" He raked both hands through his dark hair. "I don't understand, Doctor ! I don't understand!"
The Doctor squeezed his shoulder. "You said there was an accident in the TARDIS."
"Yes," Benton replied.
"In your Doctor's TARDIS."
"Yes."
He turned to look at Donna. "In the same TARDIS we merged with."
Benton's eyes widened and he looked at the Doctor. ".....yes."
Without another word, the Doctor bolted out of the infirmary. Jamie looked at his Doctor, who nodded, and Jamie pelted after him.
Donna turned back to the monitors, and swore as the brain wave indicators started to fall again. She turned to look at Benton.
Before her eyes, his posture and eyes changed - from fright to wisdom and pain beyond his years. "Hello again, Doctor," she said sadly.
On to Chapter Six