Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion: A Lesson in History (7/9)
Up ahead, the Doctor stopped. The blue light at the end of the sonic screwdriver was pulsating madly. He had it pointed at one of the larger homes. The high fence and the well kept yard beyond it hinted at a wealthy life for the owner.
Inara wrapped her right hand around the cool metal of the wrought iron fence. Her gaze trailed up the ornate metal work until she spotted a sign on the fence declaring the address of the house.
“I thought you said they spoke French here.”
The Doctor glanced at the sign. “They do.”
“This sign is in English.” Inara wasn’t familiar with the French language herself, but she recognized English when she saw it.
“The TARDIS translates languages, human and alien. I didn’t tell you that?” The casualness of which the Doctor broached the topic made it clear to Inara just how commonplace the strange and unusual was for him.
But if the Doctor could overlook such a monumental piece of information, it made Inara wonder what else he was neglecting to tell her. It also served to remind her just how little she knew about this man. Even with the promise of adventure he had offered, he was still a stranger to her.
“So Matthews is here.” Inara looked back to the house. When they had the time, she wouldn’t have minded having a deep conversation with the Doctor. “It looks like he found another investor with deeper pockets.”
“Or someone is willing to go along with his scheme.” The hum of the sonic screwdriver undercut the silence of the alley. Inara glanced over in time to see the fence’s back gate swing open. Pocketing the device, the Doctor stepped over the threshold and started up to the house, ignoring the winding gravel path that was laid out.
Since the start of this incident, the Doctor’s determination to correct history had been steadfast, but now he seemed even more resolute to stop Matthews and his death ray. His command over time and space made him an authority on preserving the proper timelines but Inara couldn’t fathom how he could carry such a burden on his own. Perhaps it was why he always sought out a travelling companion.
She matched pace with the Doctor, the cool touch of the grass tickling her feet through the gaps of her sandals. Lights were on in the house but Inara could not spot any movement behind the windows.
“Why don’t we try the front door?” Sneaking in through the back felt too much like burglary to Inara and if her time with Mal had taught her anything it was that covert operations rarely went as planned.
“Do you feel that? Like the air is charged?” The Doctor paused and glanced around at the back yard, like he was looking for something. “Something drew the TARDIS to this side of the property.”
All Inara could see were well trimmed hedges and the path leading up to the house. She turned to look back over her shoulder at the alley.
Her foot came down on something hard.
Inara barely had time to frown. The Doctor, his eyes wide, charged forward and pushed her back. She stumbled back a few paces, gravity threatening to pull her to the ground. Just as she regained her sense of balance, a beam of energy shot out of nowhere and struck the Doctor in the chest.
He vanished in an explosion of light.
A wisp of smoke rose from the spot where the Doctor had stood, the only indication he had been there. Her heart pounded out a frantic drumbeat inside her chest. Inara couldn’t even bring herself to move.
She needed to get back to the TARDIS. Maybe the time machine could tell her what just happened. One thought swirled around in her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it. Out of the impossible things she had seen so far, Inara could believe that the situation didn’t feel as horrible as it seemed.
Slowly, she took one step forward.
And then everything went white.
Outside the window of her shuttle was a beach.
It was a lonely stretch of land with more rocks than sand. The ocean rolled in as angry waves and the sky seemed like a perpetual gray. Inara could imagine that if she were outside, a cold wind would be blowing through her hair and raising goose bumps on her bare arms.
Something about the beach made her think about heartache. Perhaps it was the isolation. This certainly wasn’t a place someone would choose as a vacation destination.
“Don’t worry. The same thing happened to me once.”
Inara stepped out of the cockpit of her shuttle, following the new but slightly familiar voice. In the confined space, she took notice of the visitor immediately.
“Rose?”
The blonde young woman sat on Inara’s couch, happily lounging there as though she belonged. “You’ll wake up with a hell of a headache though,” continued Rose. “Just remember to take deep breaths.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” At the very back of her mind, Inara was aware something was wrong with this scene but she couldn’t quite place what it was.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” Rose flashed Inara a bright and reassuring smile. As if signalled by the action, the outer hatch of the shuttle slid opened. The sounds of the beach rushed inside accompanied by a cold wind.
Suppressing a shiver, Inara stepped outside.
* * *
Something cold was pressed against her cheek. It was the first sensation Inara was aware of and not an overly pleasant one. Even after two years of travelling with Mal, she was used to some luxury and her current situation was certainly hinting at the opposite. Finding the motivation to move, Inara rolled onto her back, though only to discover more discomfort. Wherever she lay, it was hard and uncomfortable. As she began to gain more consciousness, she became aware of the throbbing pain threatening to cleave her skull in two. The headache drove her to open her eyes.
The stars were missing. Inara had to focus before she realized she was staring at a ceiling rather than the night sky. A light source lit up the ceiling enough that she could see mold growing. Ignoring the throbbing of her head, she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Her hair fell over her eyes, some of the curls jarred loose from their pins. Inara could imagine she looked a little lopsided at the moment.
Finally upright, she tried to take in her surroundings without turning her head too much. She felt like she had tried to win a drinking contest against Jayne with Kaylee’s engine fermented wine as the choice beverage and had failed horribly. If she had eaten anything substantial over the past few hours she was sure it would be all over the floor.
From what Inara could see, she was in the corner of a basement, perhaps an old wine cellar. The walls and floor were concrete with cracks like spider webs crisscrossing every surface. Nothing restrained her or kept her tethered to the spot.
Inara planted one hand on the wall for leverage and attempted to stand up. Her free hand grasped at the air as she started to rise.
“I’d stop there if I were you.”
She whipped her head over to regard the new speaker and instantly regretted it. The sudden movement made her head spin even more and she fell back to the cold floor. Even as her vision swam, she recognized who had spoken.
Matthews wore his familiar white lab coat and dark glasses. Behind him two light stands were set up and pointed at something that he blocked from Inara’s view. “You’re surrounded by a force shield. There’s enough electricity running through it to stop your heart. It would be best to remain still.”
Inara couldn’t see anything, but she didn’t want to risk any bodily harm just to test Matthews’ statement. After a thought, she reached up and pulled out a hair pin. More of her curls fell down, though in the scheme of things her appearance was the last thing she had to worry about. With a flick of her wrist, she threw the pin.
The tiny piece of metal struck an invisible barrier with a crack and burst into a shower of sparks.
It seemed she wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.
“I would apologize for the accommodations, but since your intentions are unclear to me, I do have to take every precaution.”
“We’re not here to harm you.” Inara paused to bite back some nausea, but she was also attentive of her wording. Was there a “we” anymore?
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to prove that myself.” Matthews turned sharply on his heels and moved aside to reveal the object behind him. Inara almost made it to her feet when she caught sight of the object.
The two lights were focused on an examination table. Strapped to its surface, hopefully unconscious, was the Doctor.
Matthews walked around to the other side of the examination table and from underneath it he retrieved a screen mounted on an adjustable arm. Clamping the bottom of the arm on the edge of the table, he positioned the screen so that it was pointed at the Doctor. With a push of a button, a small LED at the top of the screen sprang to life and from it laser-like lights crossed over the Doctor, most likely scanning him. Whatever the results were, only Matthews could see them.
“Binary vascular system, lower than average core body temperature, and a highly developed brain.” Matthews peeked his head around the screen to look at Inara. “Are you certain you don’t want to rephrase your intentions?”
She didn’t know what to say. The Doctor had two hearts. It would have been impossible if he had been human. All this time, Inara had been travelling with an alien. She rested the back of her head against the cold dank wall, the pain of her headache now the furthest thing on her mind.
“If you’re here to collect a bounty,” continued Matthews, “I’m quite flattered. I didn’t realize I warranted such a claim.”
It should have been obvious to Inara; all the clues had been there. The technology, the knowledge of science, the hesitancy to speak about himself. But why would she have thought that the Doctor was anything but human? His emotions were no different from any other man she had met. Even with all her Companion training she never would have suspected his true nature.
“Excuse me? Are you even listening to me? I’m trying to appear remarkable but that’s very difficult without an attentive audience.”
“And what’s the point in being amazing if there’s no one to watch you?”
Inara raised her head. His voice was weak, but the Doctor’s playful yet authoritative manner was still there. He attempted to sit up but the restraints around his wrists prevented him from doing so. Flopping back down, the Doctor craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Inara. “Are you all right?”
She simply nodded her head. Any words would have betrayed how she truly felt.
“Transmat beam.” The Doctor turned his attention to Matthews. “Now that’s way beyond 1920s Earth.”
With the dark lens of his glasses, it was difficult to read Matthews’ expression. “I could say the same for you. Just who exactly are you?”
“Now that’s the question, isn’t it? Why don’t you answer first?”
With his unrestrained legs, the Doctor grabbed the scanner with his feet and spun it around so that it faced Matthews. Hitting the button on the side with his right foot, the laser lights skimmed over the scientist’s face. Matthews quickly stepped out of the range of the scanner, but with the read-out now in Inara’s direction she could see the brief exposure had been enough.
The Doctor frowned. “That is… I wasn’t expecting that.”
There was something inside of Matthews’ head.
Inara wrapped her right hand around the cool metal of the wrought iron fence. Her gaze trailed up the ornate metal work until she spotted a sign on the fence declaring the address of the house.
“I thought you said they spoke French here.”
The Doctor glanced at the sign. “They do.”
“This sign is in English.” Inara wasn’t familiar with the French language herself, but she recognized English when she saw it.
“The TARDIS translates languages, human and alien. I didn’t tell you that?” The casualness of which the Doctor broached the topic made it clear to Inara just how commonplace the strange and unusual was for him.
But if the Doctor could overlook such a monumental piece of information, it made Inara wonder what else he was neglecting to tell her. It also served to remind her just how little she knew about this man. Even with the promise of adventure he had offered, he was still a stranger to her.
“So Matthews is here.” Inara looked back to the house. When they had the time, she wouldn’t have minded having a deep conversation with the Doctor. “It looks like he found another investor with deeper pockets.”
“Or someone is willing to go along with his scheme.” The hum of the sonic screwdriver undercut the silence of the alley. Inara glanced over in time to see the fence’s back gate swing open. Pocketing the device, the Doctor stepped over the threshold and started up to the house, ignoring the winding gravel path that was laid out.
Since the start of this incident, the Doctor’s determination to correct history had been steadfast, but now he seemed even more resolute to stop Matthews and his death ray. His command over time and space made him an authority on preserving the proper timelines but Inara couldn’t fathom how he could carry such a burden on his own. Perhaps it was why he always sought out a travelling companion.
She matched pace with the Doctor, the cool touch of the grass tickling her feet through the gaps of her sandals. Lights were on in the house but Inara could not spot any movement behind the windows.
“Why don’t we try the front door?” Sneaking in through the back felt too much like burglary to Inara and if her time with Mal had taught her anything it was that covert operations rarely went as planned.
“Do you feel that? Like the air is charged?” The Doctor paused and glanced around at the back yard, like he was looking for something. “Something drew the TARDIS to this side of the property.”
All Inara could see were well trimmed hedges and the path leading up to the house. She turned to look back over her shoulder at the alley.
Her foot came down on something hard.
Inara barely had time to frown. The Doctor, his eyes wide, charged forward and pushed her back. She stumbled back a few paces, gravity threatening to pull her to the ground. Just as she regained her sense of balance, a beam of energy shot out of nowhere and struck the Doctor in the chest.
He vanished in an explosion of light.
A wisp of smoke rose from the spot where the Doctor had stood, the only indication he had been there. Her heart pounded out a frantic drumbeat inside her chest. Inara couldn’t even bring herself to move.
She needed to get back to the TARDIS. Maybe the time machine could tell her what just happened. One thought swirled around in her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it. Out of the impossible things she had seen so far, Inara could believe that the situation didn’t feel as horrible as it seemed.
Slowly, she took one step forward.
And then everything went white.
Outside the window of her shuttle was a beach.
It was a lonely stretch of land with more rocks than sand. The ocean rolled in as angry waves and the sky seemed like a perpetual gray. Inara could imagine that if she were outside, a cold wind would be blowing through her hair and raising goose bumps on her bare arms.
Something about the beach made her think about heartache. Perhaps it was the isolation. This certainly wasn’t a place someone would choose as a vacation destination.
“Don’t worry. The same thing happened to me once.”
Inara stepped out of the cockpit of her shuttle, following the new but slightly familiar voice. In the confined space, she took notice of the visitor immediately.
“Rose?”
The blonde young woman sat on Inara’s couch, happily lounging there as though she belonged. “You’ll wake up with a hell of a headache though,” continued Rose. “Just remember to take deep breaths.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” At the very back of her mind, Inara was aware something was wrong with this scene but she couldn’t quite place what it was.
“Everything’s going to be fine.” Rose flashed Inara a bright and reassuring smile. As if signalled by the action, the outer hatch of the shuttle slid opened. The sounds of the beach rushed inside accompanied by a cold wind.
Suppressing a shiver, Inara stepped outside.
* * *
Something cold was pressed against her cheek. It was the first sensation Inara was aware of and not an overly pleasant one. Even after two years of travelling with Mal, she was used to some luxury and her current situation was certainly hinting at the opposite. Finding the motivation to move, Inara rolled onto her back, though only to discover more discomfort. Wherever she lay, it was hard and uncomfortable. As she began to gain more consciousness, she became aware of the throbbing pain threatening to cleave her skull in two. The headache drove her to open her eyes.
The stars were missing. Inara had to focus before she realized she was staring at a ceiling rather than the night sky. A light source lit up the ceiling enough that she could see mold growing. Ignoring the throbbing of her head, she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Her hair fell over her eyes, some of the curls jarred loose from their pins. Inara could imagine she looked a little lopsided at the moment.
Finally upright, she tried to take in her surroundings without turning her head too much. She felt like she had tried to win a drinking contest against Jayne with Kaylee’s engine fermented wine as the choice beverage and had failed horribly. If she had eaten anything substantial over the past few hours she was sure it would be all over the floor.
From what Inara could see, she was in the corner of a basement, perhaps an old wine cellar. The walls and floor were concrete with cracks like spider webs crisscrossing every surface. Nothing restrained her or kept her tethered to the spot.
Inara planted one hand on the wall for leverage and attempted to stand up. Her free hand grasped at the air as she started to rise.
“I’d stop there if I were you.”
She whipped her head over to regard the new speaker and instantly regretted it. The sudden movement made her head spin even more and she fell back to the cold floor. Even as her vision swam, she recognized who had spoken.
Matthews wore his familiar white lab coat and dark glasses. Behind him two light stands were set up and pointed at something that he blocked from Inara’s view. “You’re surrounded by a force shield. There’s enough electricity running through it to stop your heart. It would be best to remain still.”
Inara couldn’t see anything, but she didn’t want to risk any bodily harm just to test Matthews’ statement. After a thought, she reached up and pulled out a hair pin. More of her curls fell down, though in the scheme of things her appearance was the last thing she had to worry about. With a flick of her wrist, she threw the pin.
The tiny piece of metal struck an invisible barrier with a crack and burst into a shower of sparks.
It seemed she wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.
“I would apologize for the accommodations, but since your intentions are unclear to me, I do have to take every precaution.”
“We’re not here to harm you.” Inara paused to bite back some nausea, but she was also attentive of her wording. Was there a “we” anymore?
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to prove that myself.” Matthews turned sharply on his heels and moved aside to reveal the object behind him. Inara almost made it to her feet when she caught sight of the object.
The two lights were focused on an examination table. Strapped to its surface, hopefully unconscious, was the Doctor.
Matthews walked around to the other side of the examination table and from underneath it he retrieved a screen mounted on an adjustable arm. Clamping the bottom of the arm on the edge of the table, he positioned the screen so that it was pointed at the Doctor. With a push of a button, a small LED at the top of the screen sprang to life and from it laser-like lights crossed over the Doctor, most likely scanning him. Whatever the results were, only Matthews could see them.
“Binary vascular system, lower than average core body temperature, and a highly developed brain.” Matthews peeked his head around the screen to look at Inara. “Are you certain you don’t want to rephrase your intentions?”
She didn’t know what to say. The Doctor had two hearts. It would have been impossible if he had been human. All this time, Inara had been travelling with an alien. She rested the back of her head against the cold dank wall, the pain of her headache now the furthest thing on her mind.
“If you’re here to collect a bounty,” continued Matthews, “I’m quite flattered. I didn’t realize I warranted such a claim.”
It should have been obvious to Inara; all the clues had been there. The technology, the knowledge of science, the hesitancy to speak about himself. But why would she have thought that the Doctor was anything but human? His emotions were no different from any other man she had met. Even with all her Companion training she never would have suspected his true nature.
“Excuse me? Are you even listening to me? I’m trying to appear remarkable but that’s very difficult without an attentive audience.”
“And what’s the point in being amazing if there’s no one to watch you?”
Inara raised her head. His voice was weak, but the Doctor’s playful yet authoritative manner was still there. He attempted to sit up but the restraints around his wrists prevented him from doing so. Flopping back down, the Doctor craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Inara. “Are you all right?”
She simply nodded her head. Any words would have betrayed how she truly felt.
“Transmat beam.” The Doctor turned his attention to Matthews. “Now that’s way beyond 1920s Earth.”
With the dark lens of his glasses, it was difficult to read Matthews’ expression. “I could say the same for you. Just who exactly are you?”
“Now that’s the question, isn’t it? Why don’t you answer first?”
With his unrestrained legs, the Doctor grabbed the scanner with his feet and spun it around so that it faced Matthews. Hitting the button on the side with his right foot, the laser lights skimmed over the scientist’s face. Matthews quickly stepped out of the range of the scanner, but with the read-out now in Inara’s direction she could see the brief exposure had been enough.
The Doctor frowned. “That is… I wasn’t expecting that.”
There was something inside of Matthews’ head.