Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion (17/20)
Inara quickly decided to sit in the jump seat, her hands gripping the sides hard enough that her nails sunk into the fabric. The Doctor threw a switch and the whole of the TARDIS shuddered violently. Inara tightened her grip, her stomach doing flip-flops. There had been times when Serenity had hit turbulence while entering atmo, but it had never been this severe. When it seemed like the TARDIS might shake itself apart, it all came to a stop with a heavy thud.
The lights in the room flickered once. Inara gradually loosened her hold on the jump seat, as if fearful the TARDIS might give another shake. She looked to the Doctor.
He removed the sonic screwdriver from the console. “We’re back.” Pocketing the small device he grabbed his coat from the railing and slipped it on. “Hopefully Rose and your friend haven’t wandered too far.”
“We’ve only been gone for a few minutes from their perspective. Right?” Inara slipped off the jump seat and slowly made her way to the TARDIS doors.
“Oh, you’d be surprised.”
At the doors, Inara hesitated. She placed her hand on the surface but she couldn’t continue through. Had they landed in the right place and time? Anything could have been on the other side. But even in her uncertainty, she could see what the Doctor was talking about. The unknown was enticing.
She pulled the doors open.
The back room was the same as before. The same shelves and cans of food and kegs of alcohol were all there. Inara stepped out of the TARDIS and breathed in the dusty smell she always associated with the rural towns she visited. This was real.
“Nothing can stop you,” she heard the Doctor whisper to the TARDIS as he locked the doors. He treated his ship with such affection. Inara couldn’t help but smile.
“Hello there.”
A deep male voice caused Inara to turn. A middle-aged man stood in the doorway between the back room and the bar. With the holster on his thigh and the air of authority he commanded, she assumed he was local law enforcement, maybe even the sheriff. He didn’t appear pleased.
“No one’s supposed to be back here,” the officer said in a commanding voice.
Immediately Inara thought of using her status as a Companion to get them out of the situation, but the Doctor quickly stepped in front of her, brandishing a small leather wallet. “We have every right to be back here. Don’t you recognize your superior officer when you see ’em?”
She caught a glimpse of the inside of the wallet as the officer stepped forward to examine it. It was blank, but the man seemed impressed, even a little awed.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t realize you had been called in.”
“Honest mistake. The lines of communication out here aren’t very reliable. Now, tell me what you’ve done so far.” The Doctor slipped the wallet back into his pocket, giving Inara a subtle wink in the brief moment he was turned away from the officer.
“I have men conducting interviews and the man and the young woman we apprehended were taken into custody.”
“I’d liked to question them myself.”
“Then you’d better hurry, sir. The Alliance arrived a few minutes ago to transfer them into their detention.”
“Rose,” said the Doctor, and then he was off and running. Inara followed after him, dodging around the officer who watched them leave with a confused expression.
Inara paused in shock as she emerged from the back room into the bar. Jannik still lay sprawled on the floor, his complexion a pasty bluish-white. Faustus lay nearby, hand still clutched lifelessly around his gun. It was a bloody carnage. Had Mal and Rose made it out all right, she wondered, her eyes scanning the bodies frantically for the recognizable brown coat.
A familiar object on the floor caught Inara’s eye. She snatched it up, the weight of it in her hands letting her know it was real. It was Mal’s pistol. He wouldn’t part with it unless he had a good reason.
“Inara!” The Doctor was far ahead of her, looking frantically back over his shoulder. She quickened her pace, her grip tightening around Mal’s gun.
“Where are we going?” she asked the Doctor as she tried to keep pace with him, running in sandals and a dress making it difficult.
“Uh…” The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and twisted the section around the middle. The blue light lit up and began to pulsate. He swept the sonic screwdriver around in front of him until the blue light began to pulse faster. “There! It’s picking up the signal from Rose’s TARDIS key.” The Doctor reached out and took hold of Inara’s hand.
Together they ran past buildings, eliciting stares from the townspeople. Inara’s heart pounded from more than just the exertion of running as they rounded a corner and she heard Mal’s voice, the urgency of his shout unmistakable.
At last, the captain came into view. He was being held by an Alliance officer who was trying his hardest to restrain him. And Rose was…
Rose was on the ground, a gun pointed at her head by a second officer.
The Doctor brandished his sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the second Alliance officer. Inara had no idea what the Doctor thought he could do with the little tool from this distance, but she knew Mal’s pistol could certainly do some damage. Freeing her hand from the Doctor’s grasp, she raised the gun and took aim at the officer standing over Rose and-
The Doctor activated the sonic screwdriver.
The lights in the room flickered once. Inara gradually loosened her hold on the jump seat, as if fearful the TARDIS might give another shake. She looked to the Doctor.
He removed the sonic screwdriver from the console. “We’re back.” Pocketing the small device he grabbed his coat from the railing and slipped it on. “Hopefully Rose and your friend haven’t wandered too far.”
“We’ve only been gone for a few minutes from their perspective. Right?” Inara slipped off the jump seat and slowly made her way to the TARDIS doors.
“Oh, you’d be surprised.”
At the doors, Inara hesitated. She placed her hand on the surface but she couldn’t continue through. Had they landed in the right place and time? Anything could have been on the other side. But even in her uncertainty, she could see what the Doctor was talking about. The unknown was enticing.
She pulled the doors open.
The back room was the same as before. The same shelves and cans of food and kegs of alcohol were all there. Inara stepped out of the TARDIS and breathed in the dusty smell she always associated with the rural towns she visited. This was real.
“Nothing can stop you,” she heard the Doctor whisper to the TARDIS as he locked the doors. He treated his ship with such affection. Inara couldn’t help but smile.
“Hello there.”
A deep male voice caused Inara to turn. A middle-aged man stood in the doorway between the back room and the bar. With the holster on his thigh and the air of authority he commanded, she assumed he was local law enforcement, maybe even the sheriff. He didn’t appear pleased.
“No one’s supposed to be back here,” the officer said in a commanding voice.
Immediately Inara thought of using her status as a Companion to get them out of the situation, but the Doctor quickly stepped in front of her, brandishing a small leather wallet. “We have every right to be back here. Don’t you recognize your superior officer when you see ’em?”
She caught a glimpse of the inside of the wallet as the officer stepped forward to examine it. It was blank, but the man seemed impressed, even a little awed.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t realize you had been called in.”
“Honest mistake. The lines of communication out here aren’t very reliable. Now, tell me what you’ve done so far.” The Doctor slipped the wallet back into his pocket, giving Inara a subtle wink in the brief moment he was turned away from the officer.
“I have men conducting interviews and the man and the young woman we apprehended were taken into custody.”
“I’d liked to question them myself.”
“Then you’d better hurry, sir. The Alliance arrived a few minutes ago to transfer them into their detention.”
“Rose,” said the Doctor, and then he was off and running. Inara followed after him, dodging around the officer who watched them leave with a confused expression.
Inara paused in shock as she emerged from the back room into the bar. Jannik still lay sprawled on the floor, his complexion a pasty bluish-white. Faustus lay nearby, hand still clutched lifelessly around his gun. It was a bloody carnage. Had Mal and Rose made it out all right, she wondered, her eyes scanning the bodies frantically for the recognizable brown coat.
A familiar object on the floor caught Inara’s eye. She snatched it up, the weight of it in her hands letting her know it was real. It was Mal’s pistol. He wouldn’t part with it unless he had a good reason.
“Inara!” The Doctor was far ahead of her, looking frantically back over his shoulder. She quickened her pace, her grip tightening around Mal’s gun.
“Where are we going?” she asked the Doctor as she tried to keep pace with him, running in sandals and a dress making it difficult.
“Uh…” The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and twisted the section around the middle. The blue light lit up and began to pulsate. He swept the sonic screwdriver around in front of him until the blue light began to pulse faster. “There! It’s picking up the signal from Rose’s TARDIS key.” The Doctor reached out and took hold of Inara’s hand.
Together they ran past buildings, eliciting stares from the townspeople. Inara’s heart pounded from more than just the exertion of running as they rounded a corner and she heard Mal’s voice, the urgency of his shout unmistakable.
At last, the captain came into view. He was being held by an Alliance officer who was trying his hardest to restrain him. And Rose was…
Rose was on the ground, a gun pointed at her head by a second officer.
The Doctor brandished his sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the second Alliance officer. Inara had no idea what the Doctor thought he could do with the little tool from this distance, but she knew Mal’s pistol could certainly do some damage. Freeing her hand from the Doctor’s grasp, she raised the gun and took aim at the officer standing over Rose and-
The Doctor activated the sonic screwdriver.