Fic: Bad Moon Rising 3/4
Story: Bad Moon Rising
Authors: wmr (wendymr) and Gillian Taylor (
dark_aegis)
Characters: Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Not ours by any stretch of the imagination. We're just having fun with them
Summary: The Doctor and Rose return home to find some very paranoid humans. Can't be the full moon causing it, can it?
Written for amberfocus and wiggiemomsi, who won Gillian and me in the April (yes, April!) Support Stacie Auction. We are so, so sorry that this story has taken so long to materialise, and we hope you enjoy it despite its extreme lateness.
Chapter 1: The Fine Art of Running l Chapter 2: Mr Roboto
Chapter 3: Swan Song
Chills run up and down her spine at the finality of that single word, despite the heat that causes beads of sweat to appear on her forehead. Nothing, the Cyberleader said. With that tone of voice, that inflection? It's enough to terrify her. It's a bloody robot that's threatening the Earth.
A robot!
Oh, yeah, the Doctor said it's a cyborg, but from where she's standing, it looks more like a robot to her. And this Cyberleader is the worst of them. She can see its worn down, that bits of it are falling apart, but there's enough threat in that voice to assure her that it is capable of doing exactly what it has threatened.
"Nothing," the Cyberleader continues, "except our word. And we give it to you, Doctor. No harm will come to Earth for a period of one Earth decade after you restore our cybertonium."
"Two centuries," the Doctor replies. "And you take Mondas out of Earth's orbit. Move it somewhere else. Another star system. It can’t stay here."
He's negotiating with this lot?
"Fifty Earth years," the Cyberleader replies.
"One hundred and fifty years," the Doctor says. "And you move Mondas."
"One century and we will move Mondas to another star system. That is our final offer."
"Deal."
One hundred years of freedom from the Cybermen? At least the Doctor remembered to ask for the Cybermen to move their planet out of the way. Isn't that the biggest danger right now? Just by being here, so close to Earth, they're threatening it. They say they'll destroy the Earth, but isn't this the same thing? It's not death by death-ray or whatnot, it's death by inaction. Death by letting this moon do whatever it is it does to the Earth.
"Now that we're friends, why don't you move Mondas a few hundred miles away from the Earth?" the Doctor asks.
The hesitation is slight, but noticeable. "We cannot. There is not enough cybertonium remaining to effect repairs on the engines. It was enough to reach a semi-stable orbit around this planet."
Great. So Mondas can't leave, and the Doctor can't make them go until he restores their supply of metal. Wonderful.
"Fine. Take me to your mines, then," the Doctor replies.
The Cyberleader nods. "It will be done."
Two of their escorts move away from them, taking up sentry stations on either side of the entrance they came through. The remainder of the Cybermen turn in unison and begin herding them out, past the two Cybermen, and back into the factory.
Somehow, it seems even hotter in here. It's not like they were with the Cyberleader for all that long, nor that it wasn't hot before. It just feels like she's walked into a solid wall of moist heat. Sweat pools between her shoulder blades, but she doesn't dare try to shift or to try to peel the fabric of her shirt away from her body. There's no telling how these Cybermen might react to that.
Sadly, it's too hot for her to hold the Doctor's hand; despite the meagre amount of comfort that action might give her. She has to settle for the reassurance of his leather jacket brushing against her arm every so often as they walk.
"What now?" she asks, well aware that the Cybermen can hear her. For all she knows, they're able to relay everything they say back to the Cyberleader.
"We fix their problem," the Doctor replies, his answer somewhat curt. She suspects that's more because of their company than anything else.
"And if we can't?" she asks.
"Not an option," he retorts and those three words sound like a death knell in her mind.
***
He’s got no choice but to help this lot. Probably never did, not from the moment he looked out Jackie Tyler’s window and saw Mondas so close to Earth. But he managed to drive a hard bargain. Good negotiating, even if Rose isn’t too impressed with it. Useful, that. Couldn’t have been better if he’d actually been able to plan it with her. Always better if your opponents genuinely believe you don’t want to shift your negotiating position.
A whole hundred Earth years before the planet has to worry about another Cyber invasion. Fantastic. Even if he’ll just bet it won’t be a century of his time, but that’s just the way it goes, isn’t it?
Rose has gone very quiet, though. He steals a quick sideways glance in her direction, still keeping at least part of his focus on their Cyber escorts. Give a Cyberman an inch and he’ll take a mile; no point giving them the opportunity.
She’s sweating badly, with beads of moisture decorating her upper lip and trails dripping down from her forehead. Her hair’s hanging limply below her shoulders, and her T-shirt’s soaked and clinging to her. Not that it looks bad, exactly, but it’ll be uncomfortable. And, given the shallowness of her breathing, too, the humidity’s affecting her beyond just discomfort.
Damn. He can’t just trust her to keep up with him, not any more. He’s going to have to split his attention between her and the Cybermen.
“You all right?” he asks, his voice soft, intended just for her to hear.
She looks back at him, exhaustion and fear in her expression. “ ‘M fine.”
“You’re not,” he replies briskly. “But that’s all right. Go back to the TARDIS an’ wait for me, hmm? Be better for you there. You look like you’re about to faint an’ I don’t have time for that.”
She recoils, as if he’s slapped her, and he winces mentally. Tactless idiot.
“Don’t need you to look after me,” she counters, her tone every bit as stubborn as that mum of hers. “You jus’ concentrate on sorting out this lot’s supply of cyber-whatever it is an’ don’t worry about me.”
Yeah, right. As if that’s gonna be easy to do, with her looking like she’s going to pass out any second from heat exhaustion.
More water would help, if he has it. Shortening his stride so that she doesn’t have to work so hard to keep up, he rummages in his pockets at the same time. But his hands come up empty. Nothing of any use.
“Oi! You lot!”
The Cybermen turn in unison. “You will come with us.”
“Comin’ with you, aren’t I?” he reminds them. “Need somethin’ before I get started, though.”
“Negotiations have been concluded.” This time it’s a single Cyberman who’s spoken, one to the edge of the group. “You will repair our planet.”
“Said I would, didn’t I? This has got nothin’ to do with negotiations. Just need something before I can start work, that’s all. Water. I need drinking water. Lots of it, an’ preferably cold.” Silence greets his demand. He shrugs and explains. “It’s hot here. Can’t work if I’m too hot, can I? An’ it’s thirsty work explorin’ a mine.”
Not for him it’s not, though he won’t say no to a glass or two of cool water along the way. He can manage without it, though. But if he said it was for Rose they’d only find some excuse not to help, or turn it into more negotiation.
“What you ask for will be provided,” the spokes-Cyberman says. “Now, you will go to the mines.”
“Fine.” He touches his hand to Rose’s arm briefly, encouragingly. She’ll be fine. Course she will. No other outcome’s acceptable.
Fortunately, it’s only another five minutes’ walk to the mines, and two Cybermen meet them there with a container full of flasks of water. He takes two, handing one to Rose; they’d better not dare protest.
They don’t. And, impressively, the water’s actually cold.
“Right, then.” He takes Rose’s arm and steers her into the shade of some nearby trees, then deliberately moves in close to her, demonstrating to the Cybermen that she’s under his protection as well as keeping their conversation private. “Gonna take a look inside one of the mines. Be as quick as I can. Sit down an’ keep hydrated, yeah? There’s plenty of water, so pour some over yourself if you’re still too hot. Don’t want you getting heatstroke.”
She’s looking mulish, and he sighs inwardly. Why do companions never do as they’re told? “I want to help you.”
“You can’t.” He just about manages to refrain from rolling his eyes. “I know what I’m looking for-” Well, if he’s lucky, anyway. “-and I’ll know it when I see it. If you’re there too, I’ll only be worrying about you. Not the most comfortable of places, cybertonium mines.”
She chews her lip, then nods. “All right. But be careful, yeah?”
About to brush her off with a careless course I will, he hesitates at the genuine look of worry in her eyes. “Be fine, me. Promise.” He dips his head briefly, awkwardly, and brushes a gentle, if sticky, kiss on her forehead. “Not sure how long I’ll be, but soon as I’ve sorted this we can leave, all right?”
Her hand catches his, and she leans in and kisses his cheek, moving back immediately in a movement just as awkward as his. “All right.”
He smiles, that wide smile he knows always disarms her. “Once we’re away from here, I’ll take you somewhere a lot less hot. Not cold, mind. How about somewhere with a waterfall, or maybe a lake, where you can swim?”
She grins, flirtation in every inch of that tongue of hers that’s peeping out. “Long as you come swimming with me.”
Oh, he can flirt too. “Maybe. Depends what’s in it for me.”
“If you don’t, I’ll just hug you when I’m soaking wet,” she threatens.
“Oi!”
***
It’s killing her just to sit here and wait.
It’s been over an hour since the Doctor left her here and walked down inside one of the mines. At first, she went to the edge of the mine - no way was she just going to stay here, not able to see a thing - but within a couple of minutes he was out of sight anyway. The inside of the mine’s all jagged spurs and caverns, and he crossed several spurs before disappearing inside a cavern. Even then, she stayed for a while, but the heat intensified as the sun climbed higher in the sky, and eventually she had to move back into the shade.
It’s still hot; sweat’s still pouring off her. But it’s a bit cooler here, at least. For the Doctor’s sake, she hopes it’s cool down inside the mine, too. If cybertonium feels as cool as it looks, it might be.
The Cybermen are pacing, looking restless - though, as she waits and watches, she notices at least three of them fall down without getting up again. So it feels as long to them as it does to her. Fantastic. And that’s... Is it dangerous down there? The Doctor’s on his own. What if he’s fallen? Got trapped somewhere? What if he’s hurt? What if he’s lying somewhere bleeding to death? Oh, god, and she’s just been sitting here doing nothing...
She scrambles to her feet, almost stumbling in her rush to get back over to the mine. How she’s going to find him she doesn’t know, but if she has to search every inch of that place she bloody well will.
Two Cybermen step into her path as she approaches the mine, but she glares up at them. “Let me through. I need to find the Doctor.”
“The Doctor is helping the Cyber race,” the two of them reply together; god, this speaking in unison thing is really doing her head in.
“Yeah, an’ he won’t be doing a lot to help you lot if he’s lying somewhere down there trapped or bleeding to death, will he?” Hands on hips, she continues staring at them, refusing to look away even though the Doctor’s warning about what’d happen if one of them touched her still terrifies her. “I’m going to find him, that’s all. Now let me through.”
There’s a long pause, and just as she’s coming to the conclusion that they won’t let her pass they step aside. “The female will report back on the Doctor’s well-being,” they instruct her.
“Yeah, right,” she mutters as she reaches the edge of the mine. Without looking back, she scrambles down over the side, then starts to pick her way cautiously around the rocks and shards of cybertonium, heading for the last place she saw the Doctor.
If only he’d get a mobile. It’s not as if she’s not suggested it to him, but he always has some sort of excuse. “What would I want with a mobile?” was his last reasoning, and her retort that it would make it easier for her to find him just got her his trademarked eye-roll. Yeah. Why would he want to make it easier for her to find him? Git. Complains all the time about her wandering off, but it’s different when he’s the one who does it, isn’t it?
“Oi! What you doin’ down here?”
The familiar - loved - voice comes from just to her right, and she whirls around, almost falling over in the process. He’s there. He’s standing right there, completely unhurt, looking just the same as always. He hasn’t even broken a sweat.
“Came to look for you,” she tries to explain, but her voice cracks halfway through and the last couple of words are little more than a croak.
“What for? I’m here, aren’t I?”
She’s itching to shout at him, tell him exactly how worried she was and what she was imagining, but what would be the point? He’d just shrug it off and imply that she’s being an idiot human, that of course he was fine. With a sigh, she nods. “Yeah.”
A couple of long, though careful, strides brings him to her. “Told you I’d be fine, didn’t I?” But he loops his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s finish this and go home.”
She stares. “You know what the problem is?”
He grins. “Yep. Can fix it, too. Easy.”
Relief slams through her for the second time in two minutes. “Fantastic.”
“Yep.” He’s still smiling. She can’t stop smiling too, and if she wasn’t so hot she’d hug him.
Later, though. That, and the swim he promised her - and she’s not going to let him get away without joining her. But first, they’ve got to go home and tell her mum that everything’s okay, and she won’t take no for an answer on that one, no matter how much he complains.
***
In the end, it turned out to be so very simple.
There’s Hessanoic weed in the mine. Spreads like wildfire, that does, and it’s taken over. Growing wild, and shedding pollen everywhere around. No doubt it’s in every single mine now.
It’s mostly harmless, that stuff, except when it comes to ore. Hessanoic weed contains mineral that weakens it, particularly harder ores like cybertonium. A little of it wouldn’t matter so much, but once it’s taken root to the extent this stuff has the damage is done. Far less cybertonium’s available to be extracted, and what there is is too weak to be of much use.
But, as he told Rose, the solution’s incredibly simple - at least, it is for him. Not for the Cybermen - if any of them go down inside the mine, their exoskeleton will be weakened by the weed. They’ll die.
Best thing for this lot is to head back into deep space, well away from any suns. That’s what started this mess in the first place, he suspects. As they drew too close to the sun - any sun, mind - the ice melted and the plants started growing. That’s a problem, though.
How can he stop the plants from growing right now? Course, he could tow Mondas - imagine that! Him! Towing Mondas! - away from the sun. Get far enough away from the light and heat and that should do it. Things should start freezing, and dying, almost immediately. It’s not a quick solution, though. It’ll take a bit for the planet to lose a lot of its residual heat, but that should sort it.
He might be able to throw something together, something simple, from the components in the TARDIS to kill the plants immediately. Towing Mondas away from the sun will be the permanent solution. Question is whether the Cybermen will let him go into the TARDIS, or even send Rose in to grab what he needs.
When they emerge from the mines, he moves directly towards the Cybermen. “Right, then. I’ve found out what the problem is. I need to speak with the Cyberleader.”
The Cybermen don’t bother to respond, instead turning on their heels and leading them back towards the factory. Ten minutes later, they’re in the Cyberleader’s ‘throne’ room.
“You’ve got a problem with Hessanoic weed,” he says without preamble. “That's what's contaminating what little supply of cybertonium you've got."
"Hessanoic weed?" the Cyberleader asked. "We did not introduce this weed to our planet."
"From my scans, it appears you've got a sub-species of Hessanoic weed that originates on Mondas. The markers are quite clear," he replies. "Closer you got to the sun - doesn't have to be this one, mind, but any sun - it caused the ice that originally coated this planet to melt. Your Hessanoic weed started growing as soon as it got warm enough. Don't think you've noticed, but you've got yourselves a jungle outside. Hessanoic weed loves a lot of water, and you've got that in spades."
"You have identified what is causing the cybertonium depletion, Doctor. You have not explained how you will destroy the plants."
"Caught that, did you?" he asks. Probably not the best idea to antagonise the Cyberleader, but he can't help himself. "You've got to leave. Get as far away from any G2-class stars as you can. Hope you've enjoyed your time experiencin' a warm ecosystem, Cyberleader, 'cause this is the absolute last time unless you don't particularly want to maintain any sort of supply of cybertonium on Mondas."
"We cannot leave. We do not have enough cybertonium-"
"I can sort that," he replies. "I'll tow Mondas outside of this solar system. It'll take some time - probably a few Earth months - before the surface will completely freeze over. There'll be a bit of residual warmth in the deeper areas of your planet, but that'll be taken care of eventually. Mind, that won't solve the immediate problem."
"Doctor-"
"I can create a sort of weed killer. I'll jus' need to go to the TARDIS."
"You will not leave the planet," the Cyberleader says.
"I've got to," he says. "No other way to get you away from the sun. You said it yourself. You don't have the power to leave."
"Your companion remains," the Cyberleader orders. He doesn't have a chance to grab Rose before she's surrounded by Cybermen. There's no way to get through them without risking a touch.
Despite himself, he takes a step forward and has to abort when one of the Cybermen raises its hand.
"Until you return," the Cyberleader adds.
"If you harm her-" he warns.
"She'll be safe. Provided you return within one solar hour and you bring with you the means to destroy the weeds."
He nods, catching Rose's eyes between the immovable Cybermen. "I'll be fine," she says.
She'd better be.
***
tbc
Authors: wmr (wendymr) and Gillian Taylor (
dark_aegis)
Characters: Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Not ours by any stretch of the imagination. We're just having fun with them
Summary: The Doctor and Rose return home to find some very paranoid humans. Can't be the full moon causing it, can it?
Written for amberfocus and wiggiemomsi, who won Gillian and me in the April (yes, April!) Support Stacie Auction. We are so, so sorry that this story has taken so long to materialise, and we hope you enjoy it despite its extreme lateness.
Chapter 1: The Fine Art of Running l Chapter 2: Mr Roboto
Chapter 3: Swan Song
Chills run up and down her spine at the finality of that single word, despite the heat that causes beads of sweat to appear on her forehead. Nothing, the Cyberleader said. With that tone of voice, that inflection? It's enough to terrify her. It's a bloody robot that's threatening the Earth.
A robot!
Oh, yeah, the Doctor said it's a cyborg, but from where she's standing, it looks more like a robot to her. And this Cyberleader is the worst of them. She can see its worn down, that bits of it are falling apart, but there's enough threat in that voice to assure her that it is capable of doing exactly what it has threatened.
"Nothing," the Cyberleader continues, "except our word. And we give it to you, Doctor. No harm will come to Earth for a period of one Earth decade after you restore our cybertonium."
"Two centuries," the Doctor replies. "And you take Mondas out of Earth's orbit. Move it somewhere else. Another star system. It can’t stay here."
He's negotiating with this lot?
"Fifty Earth years," the Cyberleader replies.
"One hundred and fifty years," the Doctor says. "And you move Mondas."
"One century and we will move Mondas to another star system. That is our final offer."
"Deal."
One hundred years of freedom from the Cybermen? At least the Doctor remembered to ask for the Cybermen to move their planet out of the way. Isn't that the biggest danger right now? Just by being here, so close to Earth, they're threatening it. They say they'll destroy the Earth, but isn't this the same thing? It's not death by death-ray or whatnot, it's death by inaction. Death by letting this moon do whatever it is it does to the Earth.
"Now that we're friends, why don't you move Mondas a few hundred miles away from the Earth?" the Doctor asks.
The hesitation is slight, but noticeable. "We cannot. There is not enough cybertonium remaining to effect repairs on the engines. It was enough to reach a semi-stable orbit around this planet."
Great. So Mondas can't leave, and the Doctor can't make them go until he restores their supply of metal. Wonderful.
"Fine. Take me to your mines, then," the Doctor replies.
The Cyberleader nods. "It will be done."
Two of their escorts move away from them, taking up sentry stations on either side of the entrance they came through. The remainder of the Cybermen turn in unison and begin herding them out, past the two Cybermen, and back into the factory.
Somehow, it seems even hotter in here. It's not like they were with the Cyberleader for all that long, nor that it wasn't hot before. It just feels like she's walked into a solid wall of moist heat. Sweat pools between her shoulder blades, but she doesn't dare try to shift or to try to peel the fabric of her shirt away from her body. There's no telling how these Cybermen might react to that.
Sadly, it's too hot for her to hold the Doctor's hand; despite the meagre amount of comfort that action might give her. She has to settle for the reassurance of his leather jacket brushing against her arm every so often as they walk.
"What now?" she asks, well aware that the Cybermen can hear her. For all she knows, they're able to relay everything they say back to the Cyberleader.
"We fix their problem," the Doctor replies, his answer somewhat curt. She suspects that's more because of their company than anything else.
"And if we can't?" she asks.
"Not an option," he retorts and those three words sound like a death knell in her mind.
***
He’s got no choice but to help this lot. Probably never did, not from the moment he looked out Jackie Tyler’s window and saw Mondas so close to Earth. But he managed to drive a hard bargain. Good negotiating, even if Rose isn’t too impressed with it. Useful, that. Couldn’t have been better if he’d actually been able to plan it with her. Always better if your opponents genuinely believe you don’t want to shift your negotiating position.
A whole hundred Earth years before the planet has to worry about another Cyber invasion. Fantastic. Even if he’ll just bet it won’t be a century of his time, but that’s just the way it goes, isn’t it?
Rose has gone very quiet, though. He steals a quick sideways glance in her direction, still keeping at least part of his focus on their Cyber escorts. Give a Cyberman an inch and he’ll take a mile; no point giving them the opportunity.
She’s sweating badly, with beads of moisture decorating her upper lip and trails dripping down from her forehead. Her hair’s hanging limply below her shoulders, and her T-shirt’s soaked and clinging to her. Not that it looks bad, exactly, but it’ll be uncomfortable. And, given the shallowness of her breathing, too, the humidity’s affecting her beyond just discomfort.
Damn. He can’t just trust her to keep up with him, not any more. He’s going to have to split his attention between her and the Cybermen.
“You all right?” he asks, his voice soft, intended just for her to hear.
She looks back at him, exhaustion and fear in her expression. “ ‘M fine.”
“You’re not,” he replies briskly. “But that’s all right. Go back to the TARDIS an’ wait for me, hmm? Be better for you there. You look like you’re about to faint an’ I don’t have time for that.”
She recoils, as if he’s slapped her, and he winces mentally. Tactless idiot.
“Don’t need you to look after me,” she counters, her tone every bit as stubborn as that mum of hers. “You jus’ concentrate on sorting out this lot’s supply of cyber-whatever it is an’ don’t worry about me.”
Yeah, right. As if that’s gonna be easy to do, with her looking like she’s going to pass out any second from heat exhaustion.
More water would help, if he has it. Shortening his stride so that she doesn’t have to work so hard to keep up, he rummages in his pockets at the same time. But his hands come up empty. Nothing of any use.
“Oi! You lot!”
The Cybermen turn in unison. “You will come with us.”
“Comin’ with you, aren’t I?” he reminds them. “Need somethin’ before I get started, though.”
“Negotiations have been concluded.” This time it’s a single Cyberman who’s spoken, one to the edge of the group. “You will repair our planet.”
“Said I would, didn’t I? This has got nothin’ to do with negotiations. Just need something before I can start work, that’s all. Water. I need drinking water. Lots of it, an’ preferably cold.” Silence greets his demand. He shrugs and explains. “It’s hot here. Can’t work if I’m too hot, can I? An’ it’s thirsty work explorin’ a mine.”
Not for him it’s not, though he won’t say no to a glass or two of cool water along the way. He can manage without it, though. But if he said it was for Rose they’d only find some excuse not to help, or turn it into more negotiation.
“What you ask for will be provided,” the spokes-Cyberman says. “Now, you will go to the mines.”
“Fine.” He touches his hand to Rose’s arm briefly, encouragingly. She’ll be fine. Course she will. No other outcome’s acceptable.
Fortunately, it’s only another five minutes’ walk to the mines, and two Cybermen meet them there with a container full of flasks of water. He takes two, handing one to Rose; they’d better not dare protest.
They don’t. And, impressively, the water’s actually cold.
“Right, then.” He takes Rose’s arm and steers her into the shade of some nearby trees, then deliberately moves in close to her, demonstrating to the Cybermen that she’s under his protection as well as keeping their conversation private. “Gonna take a look inside one of the mines. Be as quick as I can. Sit down an’ keep hydrated, yeah? There’s plenty of water, so pour some over yourself if you’re still too hot. Don’t want you getting heatstroke.”
She’s looking mulish, and he sighs inwardly. Why do companions never do as they’re told? “I want to help you.”
“You can’t.” He just about manages to refrain from rolling his eyes. “I know what I’m looking for-” Well, if he’s lucky, anyway. “-and I’ll know it when I see it. If you’re there too, I’ll only be worrying about you. Not the most comfortable of places, cybertonium mines.”
She chews her lip, then nods. “All right. But be careful, yeah?”
About to brush her off with a careless course I will, he hesitates at the genuine look of worry in her eyes. “Be fine, me. Promise.” He dips his head briefly, awkwardly, and brushes a gentle, if sticky, kiss on her forehead. “Not sure how long I’ll be, but soon as I’ve sorted this we can leave, all right?”
Her hand catches his, and she leans in and kisses his cheek, moving back immediately in a movement just as awkward as his. “All right.”
He smiles, that wide smile he knows always disarms her. “Once we’re away from here, I’ll take you somewhere a lot less hot. Not cold, mind. How about somewhere with a waterfall, or maybe a lake, where you can swim?”
She grins, flirtation in every inch of that tongue of hers that’s peeping out. “Long as you come swimming with me.”
Oh, he can flirt too. “Maybe. Depends what’s in it for me.”
“If you don’t, I’ll just hug you when I’m soaking wet,” she threatens.
“Oi!”
***
It’s killing her just to sit here and wait.
It’s been over an hour since the Doctor left her here and walked down inside one of the mines. At first, she went to the edge of the mine - no way was she just going to stay here, not able to see a thing - but within a couple of minutes he was out of sight anyway. The inside of the mine’s all jagged spurs and caverns, and he crossed several spurs before disappearing inside a cavern. Even then, she stayed for a while, but the heat intensified as the sun climbed higher in the sky, and eventually she had to move back into the shade.
It’s still hot; sweat’s still pouring off her. But it’s a bit cooler here, at least. For the Doctor’s sake, she hopes it’s cool down inside the mine, too. If cybertonium feels as cool as it looks, it might be.
The Cybermen are pacing, looking restless - though, as she waits and watches, she notices at least three of them fall down without getting up again. So it feels as long to them as it does to her. Fantastic. And that’s... Is it dangerous down there? The Doctor’s on his own. What if he’s fallen? Got trapped somewhere? What if he’s hurt? What if he’s lying somewhere bleeding to death? Oh, god, and she’s just been sitting here doing nothing...
She scrambles to her feet, almost stumbling in her rush to get back over to the mine. How she’s going to find him she doesn’t know, but if she has to search every inch of that place she bloody well will.
Two Cybermen step into her path as she approaches the mine, but she glares up at them. “Let me through. I need to find the Doctor.”
“The Doctor is helping the Cyber race,” the two of them reply together; god, this speaking in unison thing is really doing her head in.
“Yeah, an’ he won’t be doing a lot to help you lot if he’s lying somewhere down there trapped or bleeding to death, will he?” Hands on hips, she continues staring at them, refusing to look away even though the Doctor’s warning about what’d happen if one of them touched her still terrifies her. “I’m going to find him, that’s all. Now let me through.”
There’s a long pause, and just as she’s coming to the conclusion that they won’t let her pass they step aside. “The female will report back on the Doctor’s well-being,” they instruct her.
“Yeah, right,” she mutters as she reaches the edge of the mine. Without looking back, she scrambles down over the side, then starts to pick her way cautiously around the rocks and shards of cybertonium, heading for the last place she saw the Doctor.
If only he’d get a mobile. It’s not as if she’s not suggested it to him, but he always has some sort of excuse. “What would I want with a mobile?” was his last reasoning, and her retort that it would make it easier for her to find him just got her his trademarked eye-roll. Yeah. Why would he want to make it easier for her to find him? Git. Complains all the time about her wandering off, but it’s different when he’s the one who does it, isn’t it?
“Oi! What you doin’ down here?”
The familiar - loved - voice comes from just to her right, and she whirls around, almost falling over in the process. He’s there. He’s standing right there, completely unhurt, looking just the same as always. He hasn’t even broken a sweat.
“Came to look for you,” she tries to explain, but her voice cracks halfway through and the last couple of words are little more than a croak.
“What for? I’m here, aren’t I?”
She’s itching to shout at him, tell him exactly how worried she was and what she was imagining, but what would be the point? He’d just shrug it off and imply that she’s being an idiot human, that of course he was fine. With a sigh, she nods. “Yeah.”
A couple of long, though careful, strides brings him to her. “Told you I’d be fine, didn’t I?” But he loops his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s finish this and go home.”
She stares. “You know what the problem is?”
He grins. “Yep. Can fix it, too. Easy.”
Relief slams through her for the second time in two minutes. “Fantastic.”
“Yep.” He’s still smiling. She can’t stop smiling too, and if she wasn’t so hot she’d hug him.
Later, though. That, and the swim he promised her - and she’s not going to let him get away without joining her. But first, they’ve got to go home and tell her mum that everything’s okay, and she won’t take no for an answer on that one, no matter how much he complains.
***
In the end, it turned out to be so very simple.
There’s Hessanoic weed in the mine. Spreads like wildfire, that does, and it’s taken over. Growing wild, and shedding pollen everywhere around. No doubt it’s in every single mine now.
It’s mostly harmless, that stuff, except when it comes to ore. Hessanoic weed contains mineral that weakens it, particularly harder ores like cybertonium. A little of it wouldn’t matter so much, but once it’s taken root to the extent this stuff has the damage is done. Far less cybertonium’s available to be extracted, and what there is is too weak to be of much use.
But, as he told Rose, the solution’s incredibly simple - at least, it is for him. Not for the Cybermen - if any of them go down inside the mine, their exoskeleton will be weakened by the weed. They’ll die.
Best thing for this lot is to head back into deep space, well away from any suns. That’s what started this mess in the first place, he suspects. As they drew too close to the sun - any sun, mind - the ice melted and the plants started growing. That’s a problem, though.
How can he stop the plants from growing right now? Course, he could tow Mondas - imagine that! Him! Towing Mondas! - away from the sun. Get far enough away from the light and heat and that should do it. Things should start freezing, and dying, almost immediately. It’s not a quick solution, though. It’ll take a bit for the planet to lose a lot of its residual heat, but that should sort it.
He might be able to throw something together, something simple, from the components in the TARDIS to kill the plants immediately. Towing Mondas away from the sun will be the permanent solution. Question is whether the Cybermen will let him go into the TARDIS, or even send Rose in to grab what he needs.
When they emerge from the mines, he moves directly towards the Cybermen. “Right, then. I’ve found out what the problem is. I need to speak with the Cyberleader.”
The Cybermen don’t bother to respond, instead turning on their heels and leading them back towards the factory. Ten minutes later, they’re in the Cyberleader’s ‘throne’ room.
“You’ve got a problem with Hessanoic weed,” he says without preamble. “That's what's contaminating what little supply of cybertonium you've got."
"Hessanoic weed?" the Cyberleader asked. "We did not introduce this weed to our planet."
"From my scans, it appears you've got a sub-species of Hessanoic weed that originates on Mondas. The markers are quite clear," he replies. "Closer you got to the sun - doesn't have to be this one, mind, but any sun - it caused the ice that originally coated this planet to melt. Your Hessanoic weed started growing as soon as it got warm enough. Don't think you've noticed, but you've got yourselves a jungle outside. Hessanoic weed loves a lot of water, and you've got that in spades."
"You have identified what is causing the cybertonium depletion, Doctor. You have not explained how you will destroy the plants."
"Caught that, did you?" he asks. Probably not the best idea to antagonise the Cyberleader, but he can't help himself. "You've got to leave. Get as far away from any G2-class stars as you can. Hope you've enjoyed your time experiencin' a warm ecosystem, Cyberleader, 'cause this is the absolute last time unless you don't particularly want to maintain any sort of supply of cybertonium on Mondas."
"We cannot leave. We do not have enough cybertonium-"
"I can sort that," he replies. "I'll tow Mondas outside of this solar system. It'll take some time - probably a few Earth months - before the surface will completely freeze over. There'll be a bit of residual warmth in the deeper areas of your planet, but that'll be taken care of eventually. Mind, that won't solve the immediate problem."
"Doctor-"
"I can create a sort of weed killer. I'll jus' need to go to the TARDIS."
"You will not leave the planet," the Cyberleader says.
"I've got to," he says. "No other way to get you away from the sun. You said it yourself. You don't have the power to leave."
"Your companion remains," the Cyberleader orders. He doesn't have a chance to grab Rose before she's surrounded by Cybermen. There's no way to get through them without risking a touch.
Despite himself, he takes a step forward and has to abort when one of the Cybermen raises its hand.
"Until you return," the Cyberleader adds.
"If you harm her-" he warns.
"She'll be safe. Provided you return within one solar hour and you bring with you the means to destroy the weeds."
He nods, catching Rose's eyes between the immovable Cybermen. "I'll be fine," she says.
She'd better be.
***
tbc