A Natural Disaster (1/?)
Title : A Natural Disaster Ch 1
Author : souleswanderer
Rating : Pg -13 some swearwords
Disclaimer : I own nothing, it's all RTD and the BBC
Spoilers : S1,S2
Beta : the wonderful commodoreschick
Summary : Nothing is ever predictable, AU with the Doctor, Rose, Jack, Mickey and friends (Doctor to appear a bit later)
A Natural Disaster
Chapter OneThin rays of sunshine pierced the canopy of evergreens, marking another sunrise, stretching long tendrils across the forest floor in an attempt to grasp the damp shadows, driving the darkness before it slowly, turning solemn grey tones into the familiar warm palette of earth colours.
A set of eyes viewed the gradual change, passively, as the peaceful scene unfolded: a blink, the only visible movement from the silent watcher.
A short time later, the rustling of movement behind him caught his attention. Turning his head towards the sound, he acknowledged the familiar figure emerging from under the makeshift lean-to, standing tall from a crouch, surveying the camp in a hasty glance. As was the morning ritual, both stretched sleepy muscles, inviting the warmth of motion to energize them.
The taller of the two bent over and scratched behind the ears of his long time companion, and yellow eyes encircled with a ring of brown stared back at him. To label him a dog would have been an insult to both his parental lineages: for Max, although part German shepherd, was mostly wolf.
Normally, wolves and humans seldom had much to do with the other, but in the case of these two, their journeys had begun almost six years ago. Packing in the Colorado mountains, he'd come across a young pup caught in a poacher's trap. Believing the injured animal as it lay on its side, breath coming in shallow ragged gasps, to be beyond saving, he'd stepped forward, ready to quickly end its misery. Looking into those yellow eyes, instead of fright or despair, he'd witnessed a calm and uncanny depth of understanding, almost trust, watching him.
He couldn't bring himself to kill the creature; instead, he released him and wrapping it securely in his flannel jacket they departed. Slowly and patiently over the next few months, he cared for the injuries and nursed the damaged pup back to health. From then on, they'd become almost inseparable. The occasional foray into the public's awareness as he attended a small number of speaking engagements, seminars, or consulting for some mislead, government-funded group, were the few exceptions.
Giving Max another quick pat on the head, he turned and busied himself, rebuilding the small campfire with the remains of coals and embers, smouldering left overs from the previous evening. Soon the smell of fresh coffee percolating, mingled with the pungent strips of fish frying in a pan, fusing with the woodsy scent enveloping them, reminded him why he preferred the quiet life of solitude to the chaotic, rushed rat race that infested busy cities.
He froze midway, reaching for the fish upon hearing Max growl warningly. It wouldn't register until much later that all other woodland sounds had ceased.
BAAAAAMMM!
A mighty jolt knocked him off his feet. Something had pulled the world out from under him and he watched in slow motion as the coffee pot toppled over, spilling dark brown liquid over a dusty cover of pine needles, soaking into the thirsty dirt leaving only a damp silhouette to mark its route. The cast-iron skillet turned sideways, dropping from the rack into the bright red coals, creating a slight explosion of sparks as the impact and grease combined into an angry nest of fiery mosquitoes spreading outward, falling like a cloudburst with remnants landing on his clothing and exposed skin.
It left tiny, blistering welts which he ignored, too preoccupied by a blinding, white-hot flash of pain shooting through him, and his right shoulder slamming into the unforgiving ground. An odd, squishy feeling ran from the top of his arm to the side of his neck, causing him to clench his teeth against the scream of pain, stifling it into a loud grunt as the air was forced out of his lungs.
Squeezing his eyes tightly, his body gripped by pain, he rolled onto his back, clutching his right arm close to his body with his left hand. Gasping shallow lungfuls of air, his ears still ringing, he was only aware of silence surrounding himself.
RELAX! Relax! Relax. He chided himself, as he chanted the mantra. His breathing became easier, the pain in his shoulder giving him something to focus on. Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself staring straight up into yellow orbs, a wet nose pushing against his cheek in response.
It was the smell of smoke that alerted him first, then the small popping, crackling noises reached his ears as the ringing subsided into the background. Wincing at the jolt of pain as he turned his head to the right, he was met with what he dreaded most.
Fire.
Struggling to his feet, he strained towards the lean to, groaning in agony as every movement brought a fresh wave of pain. He snagged the wool blanket and dragged it back.
Grinding his teeth, he let an inner rage fuel him as he began waging a one-man war against nature's elements, the wool blanket flailing through the air, slapping against the fire, and smothering the flames.
++drwhodrwho++
Left arm propped on desk, Mickey rested his chin in his fist, eyelids drooping as he slowly scanned the web page displayed, his finger hovering impatiently over the mouse.
Life had become predictable in the last few months, after the excitement of the latest invasion scare, which turned out to be nothing more than an elaborate hoax by university students. Now the days were filled with rereading old files, chasing down old cases that still resulted in dead ends.
Boring was the one word to describe life; albeit the occasional UFO sighting, though quickly discredited, kept it from being thoroughly unbearable.
He started.
The shrill ringing of the telephone echoing in the room and, simultaneously, a warning blink in the top right corner of his screen announced an urgent message was coming in. Instantly, he was alert: adrenaline pumping through his body as he sat up quickly, reaching for the phone. A small niggling in the back of his brain went ignored.
"Yea." He listened to the excited voice on the other end while clicking on the computer message. Mickey's eyes grew wide as he watched, the callers voice fading as he focused solely on the screen.
"Oh, shit."
Realizing he was unable to hear the caller, he lifted the receiver back to his ear. Silence, as the caller waited for a response.
"Jake? I think you're gonna want to see this!"
Absently hanging the phone up, he leaned in anxiously viewing the video, silently wishing he was watching the event live.
tbc