(Untitled)

[thedoctorwho]

The first battle had raged for nearly twelve hours before the order sounded to pull back. The Daleks had been ready for them, somehow. They'd opened fire as soon as the first wave materialized out of the Vortex. Twenty-three TARDISes had been destroyed in the first eight minutes. In total, they'd lost two hundred and thirty-four TARDISes --

Comments

[nitro_is_ace]

Let's just put it out there: Ace does not want any part of this meeting. She's tired, she wants to go home damnit, she has a headache the size of ... of... something really big that she can't think of right now, and she's going to have the dubious distinction of being the sole human in this little party.

If it hadn't been the Doctor that'd asked, she might not have gone at all.

But she's never quite learned how to say no.

Bother.

So she comes, after making a half-hearted attempt at cleaning up to meet the 'almost acceptable' range, her bepatched bomber's coat still intact despite everything.

Half of her class is gone. She's trying not to think about it. With limited success.

"Olly-olly-oxen-free, anyone home?" This is Ace, giving the finger to propriety and all that jazz.

[thedoctorwho]

If the Doctor were a coat, he'd be worn threadbare. He's smudged with soot; wires are strung throughout the console room; and there's still a couple of small fires that aren't completely out.

"Hi, Ace," he says tiredly. "The others should be along in a minute."

[nitro_is_ace]

"... Y'look about as beat as I feel." She points out, with less tact and more honesty. Her old home looks pretty rough as well - poor old girl, she doesn't deserve this abuse.

None of them do.

There's a lot of things she wants to say. Things like 'glad you're still you'.

Things like 'if I didn't have it from your own mouth this ends at some point, I'd be about ready to walk out into the Vortex'.

Things like 'I'm scared, Professor'.

Instead, she surveys the room, stuffs her hands in her pockets, and meanders deeper into the ship.
"M'goin' t'get tea. Lots of tea." Some things just become habit after a while.

[thedoctorwho]

"Detour through the library," he calls after her. "I had to jettison a few rooms."

The other four Time Lords are assembled by the time she gets back -- three Gallifreyans and a felinoid. None of them appear to be in much better shape than Ace or the Doctor.

At least the fires are out.