Chapter Text
“Doctor, are you sure you know where you’re going?” Alyssandra asked as she trudged along behind the lanky Time Lord.
The Doctor batted low hanging branches and undergrowth out of the path as his trainers sank an inch into the muddy trail. “Absolutely! Just wait until you see the temple, its worth the effort, I promise!”
Lyssa adjusted the shoulder straps of her backpack. She had already stripped off her utilitarian jacket and flannel shirt, now even her tank top was sticking to her in the humidity. “And this is an Aztec temple, right?”
“It’s a Calamarane shrine,” he replied over his shoulder. “They traveled to Earth about 100 years before the Aztecs built their famous temples, taught them everything they knew. The Calamaranes are the original article!”
“Not a very well-maintained path for pilgrims,” Lyssa grumbled, swatting a huge flying bug out of her face.
“Well, we are about two centuries behind when this temple was in active use,” the Doctor explained. “It has yet to be rediscovered.”
“You mean its abandoned? Why not come when its in full glory? Full of worshipers and clerics and the like.”
“Well the Calamarane aren’t the most welcoming people in the universe.” The Doctor paused to grin at her over his shoulder, “They’d sacrifice the likes of you to the river gods and that would put quite a damper on the afternoon.”
“Why is it always me that these indigenous tribes try to sacrifice?” she asked, remembering the last trip they took to the Temple of the Algora Star Cluster. “You are the last Time Lord in the galaxy, surely that carries more weight with the gods than a I do.”
“Oh, I think you are underestimating yourself,” he replied with a wink. “You, my dear, are definitely a worthy sacrifice.”
Alyssandra smirked, “Thanks, I’ll add that to my resume.”
As they reached the top of the hill, the Doctor paused and pulled her up along side him. “There!” he pointed to the clearing at the bottom of the lush valley.
She craned her neck to see, “Beautiful.”
The Doctor beamed that mega-watt smile of his at her, “Allons-y!”
Another fifteen minutes of hiking produced the pair at the bottom the massive staircase leading to the stone temple. It was dripping with twisting vines and moss. Even the huge statues were covered by over-grown tree trunks and branches. It was like the forest was trying to claim it for itself.
Lyssa dropped her backpack and rolled her shoulders to work the kinks out. She stood, hands on hips, studying the structure. “It’s glorious.”
“It’s good, isn’t it?” the Doctor agreed.
“It’ll do.”
He looked over and elbowed her in the ribs, inspiring a giggle from her. They grinned at each other and took off at a run, racing up the steps like kids. Laughing all the way. After all, running was part of the fun!
They spent the afternoon exploring the temple, pausing split a thermos of tea that Lyssa stowed in her pack. It was a rare, golden day filled with discovery and friendship. It was days like these that made life with the Doctor worth the monsters.
As they were preparing to hike back to the TARDIS, Lyssa felt something sting her left arm. “Ouch!” she cried out, clamping a hand over her bicep.
The Doctor was at her side in an instant, “What’s wrong?”
She lifted her hand and saw a razor-thin line of blood dribbling down her arm, “I dunno. It felt like a bee sting.”
The Doctor frowned intently as he examined the injury, “Its not a sting, it looks like it’s from a dart.”
“What?!”
Before the Doctor could answer, another dart buzzed past them, embedding itself in a tree behind them.
“Run!” he exclaimed, grabbing Lyssa’s hand and running as fast as he could through the trees.
“I thought you said this place was abandoned!” she shouted, sprinting along beside him.
“It is!” he returned, leaping over a downed tree trunk. “We tripped some sort of security system.”
Lyssa ducked just as another dart whizzed by her, “An ancient Calamarane booby trap?!”
“Yup! Clumsy us!”
“It’s still active after 200 years?!”
The Doctor laughed, “I told you they were good!”
She couldn’t help but laugh along with him. Good lord, the man is crazy! But in the best way. Is it any wonder that she had accepted his invitation to travel the stars?
Alyssandra’s wandering thoughts cost her concentration. She tripped over a rock the size of a grapefruit, landing on her hands and knees in the mud. More darts shot over head, landing somewhere ahead of her. She quickly got up and resumed running, desperate to catch up to the Doctor. She was a good runner, but she lacked the Doctor’s height. He was likely only a few feet ahead of her, although she couldn’t see him. Several minutes later she found the Time Lord, face down in the brush, his great brown coat spread out around him like a cape.
“Doctor!” she cried kneeling by his side. She turned him over and found he was completely unconscious. Lyssa desperately ran her hands over him, looking for injury and found a handful of small barbs embedded in his right flank.
“Please be alive, please be alive,” she breathed as she felt along his throat for a pulse, relieved when she found it strong. No amount of shaking or slapping his face would rouse him, he was out cold. The barbs were embedded so deeply that even her nimble fingers could not extract them.
“This is not good,” Lyssa mumbled to herself. God knows what those darts were laced with, it must be bad if it took down someone as strong as the Doctor. With nightfall coming and no shelter, they couldn’t stay where they were. There was nothing for it, but to continue to the TARDIS and hope there was something on that magical ship that would heal him. And since the Doctor wasn’t going anywhere on his own steam, that meant she would have to carry him. Lyssa was stronger than her delicate looks would suggest. And she was determined. It might be tough, but so was she and the Doctor needed her.
Resolved in her plan, Alyssandra adjusted her pack so that it was backwards, carrying it in front like a kangaroo pouch. With a great amount of effort, she maneuvered the Time Lord so he was on his side, arms stretched over his head. Kneeling beside him, she worked to get his limp body onto her back. It took forever.
“You know, you could help me out just a bit,” she huffed as sweat broke out on her brow. “You weigh a metric ton!”
Her persistence won out in the end. She had the Doctor positioned on her back like a toddler getting a piggyback ride. His arms hung loose over her shoulders, and she grabbed on to his wrists to keep him from slipping down. In her hunched posture, she was indeed able to walk, albeit slowly. And so, she made her way back to the TARDIS with the Doctor on her back.