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Isolation
A Doctor Who story
The medic sat up and stretched. “Is it morning already?” he asked blearily, rubbing his eyes.
“Honestly!” The Doctor placed his hands on his hips. “If I were going to waste a third of my entire life, I wouldn’t waste it sleeping. Now hurry up and dress; I want to find out where the TARDIS has taken us.”
“Can I get a shower, and maybe some breakfast?”
The Doctor shook his head. “No time. We’ve got to be exploring! You know the TARDIS rarely decides our destination for itself.”
Jothan stood up, grabbing some clothes and a towel. “This is a time machine I might remind you, so we’ve as much time as we want. And if I have to leave without breakfast . . .”
The Doctor’s grin widened. “I’ll bring you some fruit. But let’s get going! I have a real feeling about this planet . . .”
************
Jothan stepped out cautiously into a cave. Several passages snaked off in different directions, but there was no one to be seen, and all was quiet. Yellow-orange light shone from large crystals imbedded in the cave walls. The Doctor locked the TARDIS behind him and stepped up to one of the crystals. He got out his sonic screwdriver and started probing the alien material.
“Do you know what it is?” Jothan asked.
The Doctor faced his companion. “It looks and behaves like kazmetite. If so, I know where we are — Imzek. Not a bad place . . . very nice caves and caverns.”
“Friendly natives? Or do they eat first and ask questions later?”
The Doctor was still examining the light-emitting crystal. “Actually, Imzek doesn’t have any indigenous life forms. Several races mine here for various ores and minerals, depending on when we are in time. None of them are that friendly, but they aren’t necessarily dangerous — they want to be left alone, and will return the favor.”
Jothan looked around some more. “Someone’s been here — these crystals aren’t here at random. They’re all at the same height, and evenly spaced.”
“Bright lad!” the Doctor beamed. “Thing is, these crystals generate light for tens of thousands of years once exposed, so whoever was here may have come and gone a while ago. Only one way to find out — which direction are we going?”
“That way,” the medic pointed to their left.
They went along the passage and explored the cave system for several hours. Far deep into the cave they found an underground river. There was a rope bridge leading to a connecting tunnel on the other side.
“You go first,” Jothan offered. “It doesn’t look sturdy to me . . .”
“You’re just afraid.”
“I won’t deny it,” the medic agreed. “So, you go first?”
The Doctor clambered across, and then held out his hand. “See? You’ll do just fine.”
Bit by bit Jothan came across the rope bridge, deliberately not looking down into the fast-rushing river. At one point he froze, looking straight ahead of him. The Doctor took a few steps back on the bridge, saying, “You’re doing fine, really. Just keep moving.” With some trouble, the medic crossed the bridge and made it to the other side. Then they continued on deeper into the cave, the Time Lord pointing out interesting minerals and crystal formations. As they were rounding a corner, Jothan tripped and found himself face-down in the dirt. He started to get up, but then stopped, telling the Doctor, “Look at these — I just saw them.” He was pointing at a row of small green lights running along the edge of the floor.
The Doctor looked, then yanked Jothan to his feet. “We’ve got to get out of here right now!”
“What are they?” the medic asked, following after the Doctor the way they had come.
“Blasting caps. If we can’t find a safe place we’ll be buried alive!”
They came to back to the underground river and the rope bridge just as a tremendous roar started. The Doctor was halfway across, but Jothan had only taken a few steps when the passage behind them exploded into fragments and the rope bridge gave way on their side. Both men clutched tightly to the rope as they were thrown into the water, but Jothan couldn’t hold on. He was swept away by the rushing water and out of sight in an instant.
“Jothan!” the Doctor yelled, then realized his own precarious situation. He fought to keep his tenuous hold on the rope. Inch by inch he hauled himself up the rope to a place where the water was calm, then managed to drag himself to shore before he collapsed.
Out of the tunnel where the rope bridge was still attached came two creatures. They were roughly humanoid in shape, but they had duck bills instead of mouths, and there was webbing between their fingers. The first one looked across to the obliterated tunnel and said to his companion, “Looks like we closed it off. Now all—”
“Look, Rendeln, down there!” his companion pointed at the Doctor’s still form. “Wonder what it is and how it got here.”
“Wonder if it’s still alive,” Rendeln answered. “Only one way to know for sure. Anchor what’s left of the bridge, Sacquobis, while I go check.” Cautiously, the creature clambered down to where the Doctor lay, and carefully turned him over. “Call for more manpower — it’s still alive, whatever it is. And check in with the medical center; this thing’s going to need some help!”
************
Somehow, Jothan kept his head as he was washed downstream. He stuck his feet out in front of him, and rode the river the way he rode water slides as a child. In time, the water flowed slowly enough for the medic to swim to shore. He sat on the bank for a few minutes, completely exhausted, then forced himself to stand. He had to sit again quickly as the world spun around him, but a few minutes later he tried again. This time, everything stayed put. He checked himself for serious injuries, deciding that all he had were various bumps and bruises. Jothan looked around for another passageway, and saw an opening a little further down the river. He sighed and clambered back into the water, staying out of the main current. He swam down about eighty yards to where the opening was. He noticed that here there were smooth rocks placed, as if someone had made a path. Cold and tired, the medic started up the path, looking for a way to get back to the Doctor.
************
“Slow down, Vlastnard—the last thing we want to do is drop it!” Rendeln told one of his companions sternly.
“You lot hurry up!” Vlastnard shot back. “It’ll die if we don’t get it help soon.”
The five creatures carrying the Doctor bickered back and forth between each other, until Rendeln spoke harshly. “Enough!” he called out.
There was silence for a moment, then Vlastnard asked, “Anyone know how in the blue blazes this thing got to the blasting zone?”
“It might have wandered in from the surface,” someone timidly offered.
“Looking like that? Nonsense,” Rendeln told them. “Besides, there’s no life up above. Everyone knows that.”
Sacquobis put in his two cents. “A creature from a rival mining company? A scout come to beat us to a find? Maybe we should leave it.”
Rendeln dismissed his companion’s suggestion with a quick shake of his head. “If it’s from a rival company, it’ll be so happy we saved it that it’ll just give the planet an unsatisfactory report. And we’re not leaving hurt creatures to die, Sacquobis. We’re not heartless animals, you know!”
“Sorry,” Sacquobis said, “That’s just silly talk on my part. But how did it get here?”
“It doesn’t matter how it got here. That it’s here and hurt is all that concerns us.” Rendeln was firm. “Take the next left, everyone — the Yellow Tunnel’s quickest. Did anyone communicate ahead to let the medical center know we’re coming?”
“I did,” Sacquobis answered. “Right after I called for these chaps. The center said to bring it to them, that it would take too long to bring the Emergency Platform down to where we were.”
The creatures hurried on through the passageways, which were becoming noticeably wider as they traveled. At last, the passageway opened into an immense cavern. Various carts, forklifts, and other machinery were in use. “Make way!” Rendeln shouted to one group of workers, which scattered to let them pass. The group hurriedly crossed the cavern, and took another tunnel. This one opened into a smaller chamber, with several creatures standing about, waiting.
“Put it down right here,” a female voice ordered.
The Doctor was placed on an exam table. The female said, “Thank you everyone, for bringing the creature here. Now, all you non-essentials clear out — we’ve got work to do.” The room rapidly emptied, leaving the Doctor, and three medical staff.
“First things first,” the female creature commanded. “Does the creature scan at all?”
“Yes, Dr. Tonobis, it’s scanning fine. It — what in blue blazes?!”
“What have you found?” Dr. Tonobis looked over at the scan results. “Two hearts — it’s definitely not a local. Never seen anything like it, but time for that later. Is it stable enough for a heal-suit?”
“According to the scans, it’s stable enough. No major anomalies discovered, other than the two hearts.” The technician pressed a few more buttons.
“Get it in a suit and monitor it closely,” the doctor decided. “Once it’s recovered, we can ask it some questions.”
************
Jothan walked through several miles of tunnels, finding only more crystals, but being on the lookout for more green blasting caps. At last, he ran into a group of duck-billed creatures milling about in a small alcove, talking excitedly. Jothan decided to approach them. He stepped up and said, “Excuse me . . .”
The creatures turned toward him and jumped back, startled. “Look, it’s another one!” one of them blurted out.
“Another — you’ve seen the Doctor! Where is he?” Jothan demanded.
“First things first,” one of the creatures said firmly. “Who are you? Are you from a rival mining company? If so, we’ve helped your man out, so the least you can do—”
“We’re not miners — we’re explorers,” Jothan explained breathlessly. “Is my friend all right? Where can I find him?”
“He was hurt right bad when we found him,” one of the creatures told him doubtfully. “We took him to the medical center. I’ll show you there.”
“Thank you,” Jothan told them. He hurried off with the alien down another series of passages into a huge cavern. There were all sorts of equipment and manpower at work, and Jothan put his hands over his ears to block all the noise. Then he was in another, smaller cave, where he saw three more creatures hovering around a figure lying on a bed. The figure seemed to be in a large suit of some type. Jothan hurried over and asked anxiously, “Is he all right?”
“Where did you come from?” a female voice demanded. “Do you have two hearts as well?”
“What are you doing to my friend? I have to know; I’m a medic, and he’s not like you lot . . .”
The female said firmly, “I’m Dr. Tonobis, and this is my patient now. We have your friend in a heal-suit.”
“What’s that supposed to do?” Jothan asked doubtfully.
“The heal-suit shuts out all sensory input, promoting maximum healing in a minimum of time. We use them on all our patients.”
“You won’t use one on him,” Jothan said firmly. “Our kind aren’t designed to lose touch with our senses. The best you’ll do with that is drive him mad. Take him out at once!”
“This is my patient, and I’m following standard treatment practices.”
Jothan started to argue. “Your ‘standard treatment practices’ don’t cover Time Lord Physiology. I’m telling you—”
Just then, alarms began to sound.
************
The Doctor woke to . . . nothing. Blackness filled his vision. He tried to stand, but realized he couldn’t feel his body. He wasn’t numb, it just seemed like it wasn’t there. He tried turning his head, but again there was nothing. Alarmed, he tried to cry out, but he couldn’t even hear the sound in his ears. There was just an empty void, and he was trapped in the middle of it.
Very frightened, he tried to think what he could do, or where he might be. Was he in some large computer system, like the Matrix back on his home world? If he was, it wasn’t like any other system he had been in before. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were open, or even if he still had a body. He was completely disconnected from his senses, and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.
Trying hard not to panic, he began using the only thing he had — his mind. He tried to concentrate on feeling his body, feeling anything, but he got no results. He ran through scenario after possible scenario in his head, but he could not explain what was going on or a possible route of escape. Even his brain seemed to be failing him. He felt each minute crawling by, with nothing to connect it to.
He then tried to recall as much as he could. The last thing he could remember was stepping out of the TARDIS into the cave. He tried to remember back further, and suddenly memories flooded his mind — memories of the Time War. It was like he was seeing it all over again, with no way to stop it or change anything.
He found himself back in the TARDIS, Romana’s face on the view screen. It was streaked with grime and blood, which he hoped was not her own. “The first wave wasn’t enough,” she told the Doctor urgently. “The Dalek’s deflective screens are weakened, but not enough for a frontal assault. We’re going to have to follow your plan.”
“Romana, the destabilization will—”
“I am Lord President of Gallifrey, and I’m ordering you to do it. We’ve got to stop them, no matter the price. If we don’t . . .”
The image of Romana was replaced by Susan’s face, the last thing he had seen before he destroyed the planet. “The Daleks are getting through the Transduction Barrier! Help me, Grandfather, please . . .”
Without fully realizing it, the Doctor began to scream . . .
************
“Heart rate is fluctuating — brain wave readings are off the scale!” the technician shouted over the alarms.
“You’re killing him! Take that suit off now!” Jothan demanded.
“I’m not about to remove life-sustaining—”
“Look,” Jothan pleaded, “If I’m right, he’ll be better immediately. If I’m wrong, you can put it back on straight away with no harm done. Please!”
Dr. Tonobis stood still in thought for a brief instant, then nodded to the technician. “Take off the helmet—just the helmet,” she agreed.
The technician pulled the Doctor to a sitting position and began to remove the helmet, with Jothan’s assistance. The alarms switched off, but were replaced by the sound of screaming. Then the helmet was off, and Jothan reached up and took the Doctor’s face in his hands. “Doctor?” Jothan addressed him gently. “Doctor, it’s me. Open your eyes, it’s me. You’re out.”
Slowly, the screams faded. Jothan stood directly in front of the Time Lord, still cupping his face with his hands.
“I can hear again,” the Doctor gasped. “I can hear.”
“If you open your eyes, you’ll see as well,” Jothan told him. “Slowly now, this room’s lit brightly.”
The Doctor opened his eyes and blinked a few times. “Why can’t I feel anything past my neck?” he asked in a panicked voice. “Where did—”
“You’re in a sensory deprivation suit,” Jothan told him. “We’ll have you out right quick, too. Here, I’ll help you stand . . .”
With the help of the technician and the doctor, Jothan got the Time Lord on his feet and out of the bulky suit. The Doctor looked around him, then said cheerily, “You lot are from Sibaft Seven, am I right? Nice planet, a bit marshy for me, but . . .”
“Doctor . . .” Jothan began.
“Nice people you are, very nice, thanks for helping a chap, we’ll be on our way now, got to rush you know, can’t just . . .”
“Doctor!”
The Doctor didn’t wait for Jothan, nor did he stop babbling. He was off and down the passage before Jothan could stop him. “Thanks,” Jothan told them, “And sorry to run out so fast . . .” The medic grabbed the Doctor’s effects as he trailed after the Time Lord. He was just in time to hear the Doctor shout, “Oi! You lot leave that alone— that’s my property!”
Jothan came out into the immense cavern again, where a group of workers stood milling about the TARDIS, most eyeing it distrustfully. Jothan sighed as the Doctor continued his prattle, deciding that silence would be best for the moment. Fussing and fretting, the Doctor checked his beloved ship for scratches, then unlocked it quickly, pulling Jothan in after him.
The Doctor dematerialized the TARDIS, then stood next to the coat rack, still chattering away. “Miners! They weren’t mining out half the stuff they could have been, such a shame to see all that trankazar going to waste, and they never touched the vyvva either, such inefficiency. Still, I suppose that leaves more for whoever comes about after them. And you! Up to your usual mucking about, leaving me for dead, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, really you should . . .”
Jothan didn’t say a word. He just stepped up to the Doctor and wrapped his arms around him, waiting. Soon, the Doctor broke off, standing very still. The medic remained silent, holding the Doctor in his arms. Finally, the Doctor spoke. “That . . . that was the most awful . . .” He stopped, taking in a shuddering breath, then starting again, haltingly. “I re-lived the Battle of Arcadia. All of it,” he finished simply.
“The end of the Time-War?” Jothan asked gently.
The Doctor nodded. “The first bomb was meant to weaken the Daleks’ defensive screens. The second device destabilized the Eye of Harmony, opening up a trans-dimensional rift and blowing the planet to bits. The third blast was an implosion intended to seal the rift. And it worked. The Daleks were destroyed, but at the cost of my planet and all its people. And now, there’s just me.” Tears started to flow down the Doctor’s face.
“It was your plan?”
“Partially. It was my idea to destabilize the black hole, open the rift. Someone needed to stay behind to close it.”
“And the Time Lords chose you,” Jothan stated softly. “They must have trusted you very much.” He pulled the Doctor over to the jump-seat. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
And the Doctor did. He spent time telling Jothan all about Gallifrey, and the Time Lords, and the Time-War with the Daleks. He talked of old companions of times before, and of his different regenerations. He told Jothan everything he could possibly think of. And as he did so, the TARDIS hummed to itself, happy it had brought about what it intended to . . .
************ Sequel to Follow: Nemesis ************