Fic: Borrowed Time (10/11)
Title: Borrowed Time (Part 10 of 11)
Author: lemon_pencil
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Donna, various others
Disclaimer: Rusty is fail, so I'm taking over. But they're not mine, I'm afraid.
Warnings/Spoilers: Series 4; Planet of the Dead.
Word Count: About 1,300
Summary: Donna wants to go on one last adventure before it's too late...
Author's Notes: We're so close to the end now! I promise there IS an end :)
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
“Ah, now, the chains might not prove so much of a problem as you would think,” said the Doctor, looking quite pleased with himself. “This is the oldest trick in the book. See, when I realised we were about to be tied up, I inhaled as deeply as I could - expands the chest cavity hugely, and so now, when I breathe out…” He exhaled and wriggled around quite a bit until the chains worked their way down his body. It took about three minutes, but eventually he was able to step out of them. “Ta da! Oh come on, don’t tell me you’re not impressed!”
Donna’s mouth twisted into a smile, despite her attempt to appear unimpressed. “Maybe a little bit. I’d be even more impressed if you can get me out too though.”
“Oh right, yes!”
He drew out the sonic screwdriver and held it to the chains that encircled her body.
“This might take a couple of minutes. Gulthrian steel is really strong,” he told her.
Her eyes twinkled. “Least we’ve got quality,” she said softly, remembering that day so long ago on the Ood Sphere. They smiled at each other.
Once she was free, he raced over to the machine in the centre of the room.
“Now… how does this thing work? I very much doubt Hector would leave us here alone if the controls were easily accessible, even if he does think his chains are up to the job.”
The station had a large central screen that was glowing violet, and the Doctor tapped it gently. It emitted a low bleep and words formed on the screen. Pass code.
“I thought that might happen,” said the Doctor, sighing.
Donna came to stand beside him. “Don’t suppose it’s like a normal computer is it?” she asked. “Like, if you forget your password, you can reset it some way by answering a question? Only trouble with those is I can never remember what my answer was. Favourite food? I mean, how am I supposed to know what I put?”
“Last I knew, I’m sure it was strawberry flan. Hold on, let’s see if I can activate a reset.” The Doctor tried some key sequences, and was pleased when Donna turned out to be right. “Looks like we have to answer several questions to override the pass code actually. Blimey, if we can do this it’ll be a miracle. Okay… home planet. We know that at least. Hastos.” He typed the word in, and the computer accepted the answer. “Next…date of birth. No idea! This is hopeless.”
“25th September 1970,” Donna said, enjoying the gob-smacked look on the Doctor’s face.
“How… how did…?” he spluttered.
Donna’s smile grew wider. “When he came back into the room, he had his own swipe card around his neck. I remember noticing that his birthday was the day before Gramps’ birthday, and that he was born in the same year as me.”
The Doctor keyed in the digits Donna had given him. They were correct, and he looked at her with admiration. “You are amazing.”
“Shut up and get on with it, spaceman” she smiled.
He returned his attention to the screen. “Last one… the dream.”
“What?”
“That’s all it says: ‘The dream’. That could be anything.” He scratched his head.
“Domination?” suggested Donna.
The Doctor frowned. “No… it’s more than that. He doesn’t want to dominate, he just wants to be worshipped.”
“Or accepted,” Donna said. “I almost feel… sorry for him. Living here was all he wanted and then it turned out so wrong.”
“Earth,” said the Doctor. Donna looked puzzled. “The answer: how about ‘Earth’? Because even after everything, I don’t think he’s entirely lost his love of this planet. Take his birth date. The Gregorian calendar isn’t something used in Yeksvelta - he’s written his birth date the way you write it here.”
“And his name,” added Donna. “Hector doesn’t sound like an alien name. Got to be one he picked when he came here, surely?”
“Yes! You’re right! He just wants to be… like you. Your little, plucky race who think they can touch the stars when they’ve barely got off the ground. So full of enthusiasm, dashing around always trying to do things and go places and see things. The human race, blundering around like children - being brilliant.” And with this, he typed in the five letters that he hoped would get him in to the control system.
The computer hummed happily, or at least as happily as a computer can hum, and a control menu flashed up on the screen. The Doctor turned to Donna and gave her an unexpected hug to express his joy, before returning to the matter in hand.
“Let’s see… precipitation…” He entered a series of complicated strings of numbers. “Heavy. Temperature… low. Zero degrees Celsius just to be sure.” He grinned at Donna, finger hovering above the ‘enter’ button. “How fantastic is this?”
Donna glanced towards the door. “Yeah, great, but can you hurry up? He might be back at any second.”
With one last look at the shining sun outside, the Doctor triumphantly stabbed at the screen. For a moment, it looked as though nothing at all was happening. But then, gradually, the sky began to darken and threatening grey clouds started to form in the sky. Donna shivered slightly, feeling a drop in the temperature. Within thirty seconds, rain had begun to fall heavily on the fields below. It ran down the glass of the enormous windowpane in rivulets and drummed on the roof of the building. For several minutes, the two of them just stood hand in hand watching the spectacle that they had created in awe.
They might have stayed there for longer, had Hector not suddenly burst into the room with a wild look in his eyes.
“What have you done?” he cried. “You’ve ruined everything!”
He ran to the window and pressed his palms against the glass. “Gone!” he whispered. “All gone. Everything I’ve worked for. All my plans.”
He turned to his machine. The Doctor quickly whipped out the sonic screwdriver and held it to the weather controlling station. There was a tiny explosion of sparks and a crackling noise, and then the whole thing shut down entirely.
“Hector, there’s nothing you can do. The spores will be dead by now and the machine is irreparable. It’s over,” the Doctor told him grimly.
Hector had turned very white, and looked utterly distraught. Donna felt a pang of pity.
“I just… I just wanted them to like me,” he murmured.
The Doctor’s face softened somewhat. “Hurting people isn’t the right way to go about that. And I think you know that. Hector, I’ve met bad, bad people in my time. Evil people. So many of them. And I don’t think you’re one of them.” He paused for a moment. “I can take you anywhere in the universe where you can make a fresh start. Anywhere. Leave this crazy scheme behind and start again, and win people’s admiration by being someone who deserves it. You’ve got such a great mind - you could do anything! What do you say?”
Swallowing, Hector took his glasses off and cleaned them nervously. He put them back on, took a deep breath and nodded.
“Where do you want to go?” asked the Doctor.
“Here,” he replied immediately. “Earth. My grandfather…he…” He paused. “It will sound silly, I'm sure, but of all the countries he used to tell me of, there was one I liked hearing about more than any other. Norway - he described it as being so beautiful and so peaceful. I’ve often thought about going there. Can you really take me there?”
The look in his eyes told Donna that he was telling the truth. She didn’t believe that he was about to try and resurrect his plans of destruction as soon as they left him.
As she was thinking this, a slight twinge of pain shot through her head. She realised with a spasm of horror that it was starting. One person was going to get their new beginning, but it looked like that was the last thing she was heading for.
Next part
Author: lemon_pencil
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Donna, various others
Disclaimer: Rusty is fail, so I'm taking over. But they're not mine, I'm afraid.
Warnings/Spoilers: Series 4; Planet of the Dead.
Word Count: About 1,300
Summary: Donna wants to go on one last adventure before it's too late...
Author's Notes: We're so close to the end now! I promise there IS an end :)
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
“Ah, now, the chains might not prove so much of a problem as you would think,” said the Doctor, looking quite pleased with himself. “This is the oldest trick in the book. See, when I realised we were about to be tied up, I inhaled as deeply as I could - expands the chest cavity hugely, and so now, when I breathe out…” He exhaled and wriggled around quite a bit until the chains worked their way down his body. It took about three minutes, but eventually he was able to step out of them. “Ta da! Oh come on, don’t tell me you’re not impressed!”
Donna’s mouth twisted into a smile, despite her attempt to appear unimpressed. “Maybe a little bit. I’d be even more impressed if you can get me out too though.”
“Oh right, yes!”
He drew out the sonic screwdriver and held it to the chains that encircled her body.
“This might take a couple of minutes. Gulthrian steel is really strong,” he told her.
Her eyes twinkled. “Least we’ve got quality,” she said softly, remembering that day so long ago on the Ood Sphere. They smiled at each other.
Once she was free, he raced over to the machine in the centre of the room.
“Now… how does this thing work? I very much doubt Hector would leave us here alone if the controls were easily accessible, even if he does think his chains are up to the job.”
The station had a large central screen that was glowing violet, and the Doctor tapped it gently. It emitted a low bleep and words formed on the screen. Pass code.
“I thought that might happen,” said the Doctor, sighing.
Donna came to stand beside him. “Don’t suppose it’s like a normal computer is it?” she asked. “Like, if you forget your password, you can reset it some way by answering a question? Only trouble with those is I can never remember what my answer was. Favourite food? I mean, how am I supposed to know what I put?”
“Last I knew, I’m sure it was strawberry flan. Hold on, let’s see if I can activate a reset.” The Doctor tried some key sequences, and was pleased when Donna turned out to be right. “Looks like we have to answer several questions to override the pass code actually. Blimey, if we can do this it’ll be a miracle. Okay… home planet. We know that at least. Hastos.” He typed the word in, and the computer accepted the answer. “Next…date of birth. No idea! This is hopeless.”
“25th September 1970,” Donna said, enjoying the gob-smacked look on the Doctor’s face.
“How… how did…?” he spluttered.
Donna’s smile grew wider. “When he came back into the room, he had his own swipe card around his neck. I remember noticing that his birthday was the day before Gramps’ birthday, and that he was born in the same year as me.”
The Doctor keyed in the digits Donna had given him. They were correct, and he looked at her with admiration. “You are amazing.”
“Shut up and get on with it, spaceman” she smiled.
He returned his attention to the screen. “Last one… the dream.”
“What?”
“That’s all it says: ‘The dream’. That could be anything.” He scratched his head.
“Domination?” suggested Donna.
The Doctor frowned. “No… it’s more than that. He doesn’t want to dominate, he just wants to be worshipped.”
“Or accepted,” Donna said. “I almost feel… sorry for him. Living here was all he wanted and then it turned out so wrong.”
“Earth,” said the Doctor. Donna looked puzzled. “The answer: how about ‘Earth’? Because even after everything, I don’t think he’s entirely lost his love of this planet. Take his birth date. The Gregorian calendar isn’t something used in Yeksvelta - he’s written his birth date the way you write it here.”
“And his name,” added Donna. “Hector doesn’t sound like an alien name. Got to be one he picked when he came here, surely?”
“Yes! You’re right! He just wants to be… like you. Your little, plucky race who think they can touch the stars when they’ve barely got off the ground. So full of enthusiasm, dashing around always trying to do things and go places and see things. The human race, blundering around like children - being brilliant.” And with this, he typed in the five letters that he hoped would get him in to the control system.
The computer hummed happily, or at least as happily as a computer can hum, and a control menu flashed up on the screen. The Doctor turned to Donna and gave her an unexpected hug to express his joy, before returning to the matter in hand.
“Let’s see… precipitation…” He entered a series of complicated strings of numbers. “Heavy. Temperature… low. Zero degrees Celsius just to be sure.” He grinned at Donna, finger hovering above the ‘enter’ button. “How fantastic is this?”
Donna glanced towards the door. “Yeah, great, but can you hurry up? He might be back at any second.”
With one last look at the shining sun outside, the Doctor triumphantly stabbed at the screen. For a moment, it looked as though nothing at all was happening. But then, gradually, the sky began to darken and threatening grey clouds started to form in the sky. Donna shivered slightly, feeling a drop in the temperature. Within thirty seconds, rain had begun to fall heavily on the fields below. It ran down the glass of the enormous windowpane in rivulets and drummed on the roof of the building. For several minutes, the two of them just stood hand in hand watching the spectacle that they had created in awe.
They might have stayed there for longer, had Hector not suddenly burst into the room with a wild look in his eyes.
“What have you done?” he cried. “You’ve ruined everything!”
He ran to the window and pressed his palms against the glass. “Gone!” he whispered. “All gone. Everything I’ve worked for. All my plans.”
He turned to his machine. The Doctor quickly whipped out the sonic screwdriver and held it to the weather controlling station. There was a tiny explosion of sparks and a crackling noise, and then the whole thing shut down entirely.
“Hector, there’s nothing you can do. The spores will be dead by now and the machine is irreparable. It’s over,” the Doctor told him grimly.
Hector had turned very white, and looked utterly distraught. Donna felt a pang of pity.
“I just… I just wanted them to like me,” he murmured.
The Doctor’s face softened somewhat. “Hurting people isn’t the right way to go about that. And I think you know that. Hector, I’ve met bad, bad people in my time. Evil people. So many of them. And I don’t think you’re one of them.” He paused for a moment. “I can take you anywhere in the universe where you can make a fresh start. Anywhere. Leave this crazy scheme behind and start again, and win people’s admiration by being someone who deserves it. You’ve got such a great mind - you could do anything! What do you say?”
Swallowing, Hector took his glasses off and cleaned them nervously. He put them back on, took a deep breath and nodded.
“Where do you want to go?” asked the Doctor.
“Here,” he replied immediately. “Earth. My grandfather…he…” He paused. “It will sound silly, I'm sure, but of all the countries he used to tell me of, there was one I liked hearing about more than any other. Norway - he described it as being so beautiful and so peaceful. I’ve often thought about going there. Can you really take me there?”
The look in his eyes told Donna that he was telling the truth. She didn’t believe that he was about to try and resurrect his plans of destruction as soon as they left him.
As she was thinking this, a slight twinge of pain shot through her head. She realised with a spasm of horror that it was starting. One person was going to get their new beginning, but it looked like that was the last thing she was heading for.
Next part