Note: if you haven't watched the 5th episode of 7th season of Doctor Who, do not continue reading. If you don't want to watch it, or you don't care about spoilers, than please, be my guest and read on.
Chapter III. - Harbour of the Cold Spring
I watched as they danced around the consol: the Doctor switched on things and River switched them off. The Doctor forgot to push buttons and River corrected him. I amused quite well, and watched them with amaze: they were perfect, together. Although they argued all the time, I mean, all the time, I felt the argument wasn't against each other, no. I felt pure love between them, didn't matter what they said or did. I think it was my scientifical instinct which let me feel the difference between what I saw and what actually happened; through time I learned I couldn't trust my eyes: it was only deep observation which revealed the truth.
I felt a bit guilty about it – that I analyzed them, but I cannot help it – I thought – I'm just a researcher. I do analysis. So I decided to interrupt. Interruption cause the end of the observation, and that was what I wanted at the time.
'So, where are we going? What dor you doo you have to do so suddenly?' I asked. They exchanged a look – then River began.
'I think you would like it.' she said toughtfully.
'Not like you.' the Doctor added.
'No, not like me.' she agreed.
'Why?' I frowned. 'Why would I like it and River not?'
The Doctor smiled.
'It's because of the cold.'
I frowned harder: they seemed to speak complete gibberish.
'Don't tell me we're going something colder place than the Severnaja.'
'No, I do not.' he smiled. 'But quite as cold. Well, if you want exact data (as you want, if I can tell about you), it's as cold as the Severnaja Zemlja in September.' he counted.
'So about the same as we left.' I nodded.
'Yes, only that there is spring at the time.'
'Sweetie, there's spring all the time. That's why they call it Cold Spring Harbour.' River rolled her eyes. I frowned.
'Cold Spring Harbour?' I asked. 'We are going to New York?'
'No, we aren't going to New York. Not one time again, no.' he inhaled deeply. 'That's an other harbour, actually, it is a whole planet, the Cold Spring. Although, they actually use the whole planet as a harbour, so yes, it is a harbour. Only that for spaceships. Not sea-ships, that would be silly.'
'I see.' I pulled up my eyebrows. 'So we are going to a planet where's always spring and always cold, and it is a harbour for spaceships only.' I summed.
'Basically, yes. And no.' he jumped.
'How do you mean 'no'?!'
'He means we aren't going to it.' River smiled cagily. 'We've just landed.'
'What?! We took off a minuit ago, we can't be there in seconds! It's ridiculous, unless this plant is very close to Earth, which I doubt 'cause we would've discovered it long ago.' I almost shouted at them.
'I thought you were paying atttention.' the Doctor said disappointed. 'Didn't you listen? I told you, you should imagine a thousand faster space travel than you know right now. To be correct, it is not faster, it is based on a complete different technology, which you wouldn't understand, so don't try to.' he pointed at me grimacing. I frowned and crossed my arms.
'So where are we exactly?' I asked.
'Two billion lightyears away from your sol system.' River said.
'To be correct, two billion five milliard seven-million eleven-thousand and some lightyears afar.' the Doctor said.
'Oh, he always thinks he's cool when doing this.' River rolled her eyes and grinned at me. I laughed, which made the Doctor a grumpy face.
'Shall we take a look?' he offered sulking.
'Course. I've never been on an alien planet before.' I said still grinning excited and walked to the door.
'Can I?' I stopped in my tracks before I reached the clench. I turned back confused. 'I mean... Is there any athmosphere on the planet? What about pressure or poisonous gases?'
River smiled and the Doctor sighed.
'Scientists...' he said wearily. 'Yes, athmosphere and pressure quite the same as on Earth, same with air composers and gravity and everything. Planet type M. Like Earth. Would you please open that door?' he said annoyed. I swallowed and nodded slowly. I was quite nervous – I was round on the corner of an alien planet. Maybe first of humanity. No, of course not. There were people before, I read about them, I realized. I opened the door slowly.
'You know I like her.' I heard River's quiet voice behind me. 'She's thinking. She's clever. You should take her more serious. She asks bright questions.'
'She asks too much.' I heard the Doctor saying annoyed. 'She's a scientist.'
I was outside the door now, but I learned to be silent and listening. To be unseen and unheard, if I wanted, but see and hear everything I wanted. I blessed myself for practicing these skills for so many years.
'Yes but she is good!' River continued.
'How do you mean 'good'?'
'She knows much more than your companions before...'
'Oi! You're insulting your mother!' he cut her off. I heard her sighing.
'No, I'm not. she said patiently but with a little of anger. 'She was clever. Not saying more clever than her, but very clever. She dealed with things. But she – she knows a lot. She could be helpful.'
'Helpful with what?!' he asked harshly.
'Helpful with everything. You know, Sweetie: turning off cybermen, blowing up Dalek ships, find the shorter way when running from Judons... Have an other pair of eyes when flying from angels.' she pushed the last sentence, sounding pleasing. He murmured something incomprehensible.
'Please, Sweetie. You have to pick someone up. You should not travel alone and I have to leave soon. You can't change it, you know that. Please, Sweetie, for me. Take her.'
I didn't see but felt she holded his face in her hands. And kissed him, and he sighed. After a minuit silence he started to speak annoyed.
'Right. I'll take her. But if she drives me mad, it will be your fault!'
I heard her laughing and kissing him once again, and then coming towards the door. I took a step away from the box and pretended I was admiring the land. I heard the door closing behind them.
'So, do you like it?' I heard the Doctor stepping behind me. I took a look around. I'd been so listening to the conversation I forgot to look where I'd been – and now I was amazed indeed. The view took my breath away.
'It's... it's beautiful...' I stammered. On the green land there were cherry-like trees in full of blossom, petals flewing in the air and it was snowing at the same time – and the sun shone: it was beautiful. They smiled on me.
'I knew you would like it.' the Doctor said. He stepped for and clapped his hands.
'So, ladies, shall we go?'
River stepped next to him ready to leave but I stayed unmoved.
'Go where exactly? You did not tell me why we were here.' I frowned. He sighed and stepped back n front of me.
'Okay, then. If you want to know, science-head, we will break into a highly guarded factory, steal a very important machine which neither you would understand and break out hopefully without noticed by anyone. Are you satisfied now miss I-want-to-know-everything-Lily?' he explained annoyed. I shrugged and stepped next to River.
'What are we waiting for, then?' I started to pace and heard him letting out a fretful sigh. River laughed heartily, pacing with me, the Doctor after us. I heard him mourning but payed attention to River.
'So...' she began 'You are not afraid to break into a highly secured building to steal something very important thing?' she grinned at me. 'We could be anyone, we could be thiefs, or killers, but you are still following.' she shook her head. I shrugged.
'I recognize criminals, they behave specially.'
She giggled and shouted back 'I told you, Sweetie: she's good.' He let out a very annoyed noise and slowed his pace.
'Is he so grumpy all the time?' I whispered to her.
'Oh, mostly, yes. But the rest of time he is a genious.' she gave a glance back over her shoulder at him. He murmured to himself and seemed not listening.
'Actually, he's the most brilliant man I've ever met.' she smiled at me. 'I think this is why I married him. Mostly.' she made a mouth. I giggled.
'On Earth we don't marry people of their weird brilliance. Well, sometimes maybe...' I wondered.
'I know Earth. It's my home, too.' she shrugged smiling. My face lit up.
'Really? So you're human too? Oh, how weird is that question...' I murmured to myself confused. 'You were his companion, too?' I turned back to her.
'Oh, God, no.' she laughed. 'No, not his companion.'
'Well, your mother was.' the Doctor stepped between her and me, and placed him arms on our shoulders. 'And your father. Yeah, Rory the Roman. What great people!' he smiled a bit sadly but proud. She smiled back at him with the same sadness in her eyes. I frowned.
'So you are from the Roman Empire? You don't look like a Roman...'
'Roman?! Her?!' he frowned at me.
'I thought you were saying...'
'Nnno, don't mess everything up!' he said annoyed. She sighed and began to explain.
'My parents were his companions but once they lost my father – actually, he died.'
'Not just died, he was ereased from history!' he corrected her.
'Right then.' she rolled her eyes 'They lost him but then found him in the first century, in a Roman legion.'
'Yes, and then he killed Amy and disengaged me from the Pandorica and we placed her in it, and while I took the short way, he stayed with her. Then I saved River and rebooted the universe and was saved by Amy and picked them up again. Could we step over it?'
He looked quite nervous.
'Sweetie, if you explain her so fast so many she would never catch on.' she warned him. I shrugged.
'No, it was okay. I guess Amy is your mother, but I don't understand what the Pandorica is, or why the universe needed to be rebooted, as you say. Tell me and I'll be caught on.'
She looked at me frozen. Her mouth remained open and she gawped disbelievingly.
'You understood this?!' she asked finally. I nodded, frowning. What was so difficult to grab? She looked at the Doctor who seemed to be satisfied. She looked back at me.
'Well...' she swallowed 'Amy is my mother, yes, the Pandorica is an eternal prison where one can't escape, not by dying either, because it doesn't let you die. There was a crack in the universe, on time and space, and his enemies thought he caused it, so they locked him in. When Father disengaged him from the box, they put Mother in it so the Pandorica could restore her from molecules...' she halted. 'You understood it actually?' she asked still disbelievingly.
'Well' I shrugged 'not the small parts, but yes, quite so.'
She smiled.
'I really like her.' she spoke to him.
'Great. Then we can step over it.' he said darkly.
'Wait.' I said. He sighed: Never finishing the topic – he thought, I saw it on his face. But I had to ask.
'What happened to them? You speak about them in past tense: did you loose them?'
I tried to be as polite and gently as I could, but it seemed it wasn't gently enough. Their faces darkened as we moved some steps in silence. I felt scared I messed something up – again. Then she started to speak quietly.
'We were in New York. There were statues which moved when not seen: the angels. They kill by placing you back in time and feed on your remained time-energy. They took my parents, and we couldn't save them.' he stopped speaking. I suddenly realized what they said before: why the Doctor got nervous by mentioning New York, and why River pushed the sentence about the angels – whoever they were. I tried to get more information about the story.
'Why couldn't you save them? It's a time-machine, isn't it? I mean, you could've gone and pick them up.'
'It's not so easy. Shall we leave the topic?' the Doctor looked tired and sorrowful.
'Sure. Sorry.' I said rapidly and went silent. I did not know I was walking on a slipping ground. I glanced at River, but she lowered her head as well as he did. I felt really guilty about my behave. We paced silently next to each other.
After a couple of minuits walking we reached the end of the field. there was a good view on the city: landing decks all over the sight with docks for spaceships, and high towers for control of traffic – and many, many spaceships. I was in Huston once, there was strong traffic too, but this was an other level of travelling space: nothing compared it I saw on Earth before.
I let out a single 'wow' and they looked at me smiling.
'Welcome to Cold Spring Harbour.' the Doctor wided his arms. 'To be correct, Cold Spring Hrabour Sector F Terminal one-hundred and twenty-three.'
I smiled at him excited – and I was very glad he spoke again. It was like nothing had happened before; it was a bit weird to me, but accepted happily.
'That's amazing.' I said merrily. River nodded.
'Let's go, take a look a bit closer.' she said and started to climb down on the hillside. The Doctor followed. I took an other glance on the view and then joined them.
Once we were down of the hill I took courage and asked again.
'So what's that very important mechanical thing I would never understand?' I asked. The Doctor stopped.
'If you really want to know, it's a time-dependent value-recognizing atom-decomposer.' he threw at me the words. I nodded and frowned.
'Explain.' I asked, and River began to speak.
'It recognizes valuable goods which are late and decomposes the carrying ship and people and everything and teleports the goods – and only the goods – in a store.'
I frowned harder.
'It kills people on the ship?' I asked horrified.
'Yes.' the Doctor said darkly, with bowed head.
'It's a barf-out!' I cried.
'Yes it is.' River nodded, and pulled me down to hide behind a barrel. She began to spy our environment.
'Where are we going exactly?' I whispered to them.
'Do you see those towers there? The high ones.' the Doctor nodded in the direction of two needle-like building. I nodded.
'There.'
I frowned.
'You mentioned a factory, not a control tower.' I argued with him. He gave me a glance of displeasure.
'It is a factory actually. They harvest spaceships and sale values. Value-factory.' he said with disgust. I agreed with him: it was disgusting.
'Then go and steal that awful thing.' I stood up, but River pulled me back hastily and held her finger on her lips. She shushed and nodded in the direction of two soldier-like man with guns.
'Take it slowly.' she whispered and I nodded. I regretted now my stupid move. Through my all life I worked for research companies, I've never walked out of bounds and never thought it could be dangerous. Now I had to learn it – quite quickly if I wanted to stay alive and unharmed. So I decided to fell back on my familiar behavior and watched – and acted just after that.
Chapter IV. - The Guarded Tower
When the soldiers were gone, River and the Doctor stood up.
'Now come on, we don't have much time.'
I stood up and followed them as we walked slowly from one shelter to the other. I was totally confused: if we were breaking in a guarded building and we have no time, why we didn't run? I saw in the holofilms: if the good guys had to hurry they ran. That's sensible. Not walking like idiots! I wondered, and then asked.
'Why we don't just run?' I whispered.
'Do you see those cameras everywhere?' River whispered back. I nodded. 'They are movement detectors. They alarm if any non-planned movement happens. However, they are programmed for sudden moves, they don't recognize walking.'
I nodded and followed them. We were just meters apart from the entrance. The guards were frequent now. We sat behind a box, opposite the portal.
'What now?' River asked the Doctor.
'I suppose we have to risk.'
She nodded, and prepared to break in: she checked her gun and guyed it. The Doctor turned to me.
'You have to run as fast as you can. Don't look aside, don't wait for us just run. It will be safer when you're inside.'
'What are you going to do?' I asked horrored. I never wanted to be left on an alien planet with armed aliens around a building I was locked in.
'We're coming after you. But there will be a lot of booms and we can't guarantee your safety.'
'As we can't ours.' River shrugged. It didn't comfort me at all.
'Don't listen to her. Just run. Understood?' the Doctor held me by my shoulders, and looked deep into my eyes. I swallowed terrified, but nodded. 'Good. You'll be alright.' I forced a smile and nodded. And then realized what I was in at the moment: it was actually life or death. My heart bet incredibly fast, my muscles were tense and my nerves sharp as steel. The Doctor nodded.
'When I say 'three' we start to run to the door. Me first, then you and River.'
'Sweetie, I go first. You know that.' she smiled at him.
'No, I do. I have a chance if they shoot me. You don't.'
'Could we leave this conversation to an other time? I have a gun, you two don't. I go first. No argueing.'
'I have the sonic.'
'That's a screwdriver.'
'But it's clever!'
'Shut up. One, two, three!' she jumped up and shot at every moving things around us. I followed, but from the noise I felt dizzy and lost my sense of direction. I felt the Doctor grabbing my arm and pushing me in a way, and I continued running from my all strength. I saw him using his sonic screwdriver at something, but I didn't pay much attention: I just ran till I saw the door in front of me. I reached for it and tried to open, but it was locked. I shouted the Doctor's name and he was there in a moment: he soniced the door and it got open. I hurried in and held it for him. River was still outside, shooting.
'C'mon, River!' I heard the Doctor yelling and waving her to the door. She look at us and I saw despair at her face: she was too far and still shooting at something I couldn't see.
'Oh goodness!' the Doctor hissed and ran out to catch and pull her inside, while using his sonic at the thing I didn't see. When they were inside, he locked the door behind us and collapsed on the floor with the woman, wheezing. Then they began to laugh.
'What?!' I frowned.
'Oh nothing.' said River, still laughing. 'Just was almost shot – again.' I did not think it was funny.
'What was it you were shooting at? It wasn't a guard, was it?' I asked frowning.
'A guard, yes. Just not the human kind.'
'Well, not the whole human kind.' the Doctor added, and stood up.
'How do you mean?' I frowned at him.
'Cyberman.' he told, not laughing now. I got terrified. I did hear about cybermen: half machines, half humans. They said they came from nothing to Earth – for reinforcements. They took people and made them to killing-machines. I thrilled out.
'Yeah. That's why we really have to hurry.' the Doctor said and helped River to her feet.
'Are you alright?' he breathed to her, and she smiled.
'Till you're here, I'm always alright.'
He smiled at her too, and took her hand. 'Then come on! We have to go underground.' he told, and we began to paceto the stairs. At the door I stepped next to him.
'How did the cybermen came here? Did you know about it?' I asked silently. He sighed.
'Yes. Yes, I knew it. They came here after the last rebellion of the docks. To 'make order', they said.'
'Order?'
'From their opinion.'
The door opened for the sonic.
'Practically, the did make order.' River stepped inside first.
'Practically. Yes.' the Doctor's face was sad. 'But they aren't the thing we are here for.'
'Not they thing?!' I bopped up stunned. 'They kill innocent people to transform them to – themselves. It doesn't disturb you?!'
'And how do you want to destroy a whole legion of cybermen? Freeze them in your glasshouse?' he slapped back. Then his face went darker. 'I fought them many times, but never from pleasure. They were human, whatever they became. If possible, I want to stop them. But as I said: they're not the thing we are here for.'
He went forward, decending after River tot he lower floors. I stood there, in silence: I didn't expected him to be that sad, that despair. Rude, yes. But not dark. I hurried after them; I didn't want to left behind.
'I saw people there. Humans, I mean.' I tried to get him back to talk. 'How's that possible? They don't transform them.'
'They are allies.'
'Allies?!' I cried out. It was worse then I expected.
'Yeah. They have an entente.'
'What?! Like you make order – we give you people to kill?!' I shouted half sarcastic, half desperate.
And he froze. River froze. Even the air froze between us.
'Wh- what?' I whispered confused.
'Oh...' she said.
'Ooh...' he said.
'What?!' I asked louder.
'They aren't here for values. They are here for the people.' he said stunned.
'What values?!' I got totally lost.
'You are right. They've got an entente.' he wondered.
'Could anyone explain, please?' I asked frowning.
'We thought they kill the people in the spaceships and rob the values. But we were wrong, they do not kill them – they get them.' River said shocked.
'Values for the pirates, people for the sharks.' the Doctor whispered.
'So that's the entente. The government got the values, the cybermen got the crew – and noone knows anything. Oh that's brilliant.'
'Brilliant?!' I cried with disgust.
'Atrocious and brilliant... River! Did you locked the position of the atom-decomposer?' he turned to the woman.
'A moment, Sweetie... Yes, it's at level -20.'
'Right. Let's got and make an end to this abhorrent buisness.' he told, and continued walking downstairs like an avenging god. I was frightened by his fury. River grabbed my hand and pulled after him. I was so shocked by his new face I didn't recognize shen we stopped at a door labelled '-20'. The Doctor soniced it and tried to pull it open. It didn't move.
'The sonic doesn't open it. It's deadlocked.' he told. River stepped to it.
'Let me try.'
The Doctor stepped aside, and she put a little flashing thing on the lock. The thing bursted and the door swang open.
'See?' she smiled at him and stepped in. The room seemed empty of living things but full of machines. The Doctor followed River, and I followed him: it felt like walking in a factory. Control panels and production lines till the end of the sight. And blood. Lot of blood.
'Oh my...' I froze. I knew what it was. All of us knew.
'Let's find that decomposer.' the Doctor said on such a dark voice I've never heard in my whole life. It was quite as frightening as the place we were standing in.
River shook her head and noodled her scanner. 'It's five meters away. Left.'
We all turned there and saw a cupboard. The Doctor walked there directly. Then he turned back to River and grimaced.
'Would you like to open it or let me try?'
She grinned at him. 'Maybe it's open.'
He rolled his eyes and pulled it's door. And sursprisingly it was really open. He turned confused and frowned at River.
'How did you know?'
She shrugged. 'It's obvious. They expected us and cleared everything.'
'How do you know?' I asked frowning.
'There were many less guards outside. The cyberman did not kill me. The whole building is empty. There's rare traffic. Shall I continue?'
'Maybe it's sunday.' the Doctor grinned, but I saw he didn't mean it. And I wasn't in a funny mood to grin myself.
'Then why are we here?!' I gave way to my despair.
'Ooh, it's so rude to stay away when you're expected.' River said flirtingly, and the Doctor shrugged.
'Plus, we can follow their actions best when we let them think they're one step ahead us.' he admitted.
'Follow to our graves?!' I cried out histerically.
'Calm down, Miss Orwell. They can be here any moment now.'
'The Cybermen?!' It didn't calm me at all.
'Oh, we're such a daintiness for them.' River winked at me. I looked at her desperatly and she laughed. 'Don't be afraid, we have a plan.' she told.
'We have?' the Doctor asked surprised.
'Of course we have.'
'Really?' he lapsed in a smile. 'What?'
She laughed flirtingly. 'You.'
'Me?!' he cried out not-so-happily now.
'Oh c'mon, they can't transform you! You have to take out as many as you can of them. We're going to find the control room.'
He sighed frowning. 'Right.' he agreed.
'Try not to die.' she gave him a kiss on his cheek. He muttered and grabbed her hand as she was to leave.
'Oi.' he pulled her closer. 'Take care.' he said and kissed her. She smiled and turned away to me.
'Ready, Miss Orwell?'
'Yes, I suppose.'
'Then, see you.' I nodded and followed River out of the door. I saw him straighten his bowtie as we left. He looked worried, and I was worried, too. They told me I'd have to run for my life, but I'd never thought I'd have to run for my life from cabermen. They were my nightmares from childhood.
We climbed and climbed. It felt like the stairs would never end. At the fifth floor I stopped to take a breath. River turned and came back for me. She didn't seemed tired, not after the twenty-five floors we climbed.
'Are you alright?' she frowned at me and touched my shoulder.
'Yeah... yeah...' I wheezed. 'I just... you know...' I laughed. 'At the Zemlja I had to walk fivehundred meters for and back each day. Yet, it's not quite an excersise. I'm sorry.' I sat down.
'It's alright. There's another twenty-five storeys above us, so you'll need your strength. Take a rest, just not too long. They'd probably found the Doctor by now.'
I looked up at her. 'How did you mean they can't transform him? I thought they can transform any humanoid.'
'No, they're specialized to humans. It's the place where they came from, where it all began. With John Lumic... But there's no time to tell the whole story. Shall we go?'
I nodded and stood up. I didn't know I'd have the strength for an other climb, but I could at least try. For the Doctor. I sought all my strength what was left in my limbs, and after long minuits we arrived to the thirtiest floor. River shushed me. There were noises to hear.
'Of course they didn't leave the control room alone.' she said a bit diasppointed. 'Alright.' she turned to me after a moment listening. 'I go first. They'll be too busy by shooting at me, so you'll have time to find the correct panel.'
'What panel?' I asked frowning, and frightened of what I'd hear.
'The panel where you can switch off the cybermen.' River rolled her eyes. Now I was frightened, for real.
'You put your and the Doctor's life in my hand? Why do you trust I'll find it? I've never seen a cybership or one of their control panels or anything – ever. The Doctor wouldn't let me.' I protested.
'The Doctor chose you with reason.'
'He chose me because of you!' I slapped at her, but regretted immediately. 'I'm- I'm sorry, I just heard. He doesn't trust me. I ask too much.' I smiled sadly. I really did not know what he'd let or not let me to do, I did not know him. But it hurt me much, I wanted him to be proud of me.
'He did not mean.' she put a hand on my shoulder. 'He says things he don't mean because he's too afraid to admit the opposite. He likes you. One or two trips, and he'll know it too.'
I looked up and nodded. I didn't trust it, but I hoped it at least.
'So. Are you ready?' she asked. I nodded. 'Good. Then let's do this.' she walked to the door and opened it wide. I hid behind a wall and heard the people spring up inside.
'Hello boys.' I heard River's flirting voice too. 'I'm looking for the shut down switch.' she said, and in that moment I heard the guns firing. I couldn't see anything, I just hoped she was still alive. I couldn't hope for anything else, as I had to crawl in that room and find a thing I've never seen or controlled before.
The shooting was focused to the other side of the room, people with their backs to me. Clever River, she circled the room to give me a chance. I hurried to the panels and switched on the screen. Surprisingly it was quite similar to ours on Earth. It wasn't long till I found the correct program. I just had to hack it and find the correct button.
Bullets fluttered around me everywhere, but I was safe behind the panel. I had to hurry, for River and the Doctor, but it took a while to find the proper way to break into the program. It was coded by cyberman, and I wasn't a hacker, I was a biologist! I really tried to remember all the computer science lessons they taught me at the university.
'I got it!' I shouted out of surprise as I found the code, but I regretted it in the moment.
'There's an other!'I heard a male voice, and bullets began to flutter towards me as well. I had to hide down.
'For God's sake, what are you doing?!' I heard River hissing at me from behind the panel next to me. I nearly got a bullet as I jumped. 'Push that button!' she shouted.
'I can't it's locked! I found and hacked the program but the button's cover is locked!' I cried out desperately.
'Stay back, then!' she shouted, and shot the lock. It unbent immediately and I pushed the button.
'Now we have to run. Downstairs. Don't look back!' she shouted and jumped out from behind her panel. I sprand up too, and face to the door, when a bullet caught my shoulder. I screamed out but run on – now it was actually life or death. One wrong step, and I was dead. I reached the stairs and began to run down, and heard River running and shooting behind me. My shoulder hurt so bad I saw nothing but the stairs under my feet, and knew nothing but to take one step after the other. And somehow I managed to reach the ground floor.
Out! Out! Hurry!' I heard her shouting behind me and I run to the door. But it was closed.
'It's locked!' I cried out, and looked down on my shoulder. Blood filled my good hand as I squeezed it.
'Let me!' I heard the Doctor's voice next to me. 'Sorry for being late, I had to run from cybermen.' he opened the door and we ran out, River behind us.
'To the TARDIS, quickly!' the Doctor shouted, and I got a glimps of the approaching soldiers from every direction. We ran and ran, out of the dwelling, up the hill, till I got a look of the blue police box at the middle of the field. I almost faltered, but I felt River's hand grabbing my arm and pulling me straight.
'We're almost there.' she said, and I believed her. I saw the Doctor opening the blue doors, and widen it for us.
'Hurry!' he shouted, and we run through them, inside the TARDIS. The Doctor closed the door behind us, and run to the consol where River was pushing and pulling arms already. I collapsed to the floor. The Doctor noticed it, and hurried to me.
'Are you alright?' he took my hand. My bad hand. I screamed out, and he let my hand go immediately.
'You're hurt!' he soniced me.
'Yeah...' I tried to smile but it became only a grimace.
'You should've told me.' he looked worried.
'Sorry. I was too busy with running for my life.'
He grimaced and took a look at my arm.
'May I?' he asked. I nodded. He benuded my arm and hissed. I bit my lips and swallowed the tears of the hurt, and really tried not to scream.
'It looks bad. What did you do upstairs?!' he turned to his wife.
'We turned off the cybermen. Just some idiots tried to kill us.' she came over and took a look at me. 'Sorry, Lily, I shouldn't let you be hurt.'
I frowned.
'You didn't really have time to guard me while saving both of our lives.' I smiled at her.
'Oh, you hacked the computer, not me.' she grinned. 'See, honey? I told you: she's good. She switched off the cybermen.'
He looked at me and smiled.
'Thank you then, Lilian Orwell. You saved my life.' I smiled and nodded. 'It's done.' he said. I frowned and looked at him confused. 'Your arm.' he nodded. I spinned to look at it: it was cleaned and bound.
'How did you... I didn't... I did not feel anything.' I stummered. He smiled.
'Good enough.' he stood up.
'But... How did you do that? A minuit ago it hurt like hell.'
'Advanced technology. Called painkiller.' River laughed.
'But... but...' I stummered.
'Okay, a bit developed than yours, but still: a painkiller. Blocks sensory connections. So let's try to be cautious till the next few hours, you won't feel your arm at all.' the Doctor said. I felt ignoramus and lost. At home we knew how to block sensory connections, but never invented a medicament which could block them fully and then de-block again. I realized I couldn't even sense my arm was there. It was very strange.
'Can I bind it up at least? I'm afraid I'll forget about it since I can't feel it's there.'
They laughed a bit.
'F'course.' River smiled at me and gave a kerchiefe. 'A few hours and it will be alright.'
'Alright? How would it be alright in a few hours? Not as I'm complaining, just scientific interest.'
She smiled and nodded; he sighed and rolled his eyes.
'Gallifreyan boundage. When it discolours, the injure is healed.' he said,, and I frowned.
'It's your planet, isn't it? You should have quite developed technology there.'
'We had.' he smiled sorrowful. 'But don't speak about it.' his eyes were sad as he turned his head. I sensed I shouldn't ask – maybe he'd explain it later. So I smiled and nodded.
'So, where now? I mean, they cleaned that thing away, so we have to find it.' I told.
'Oh, they weren't so clever. Till you two got bullets in your arms I found the atom-decomposer and destroyed it. And on 'destroy' I mean 'blow it up'. Unfortunately the cybermen found me so I had to explain a lot – not if they were interested. But I won time to run. They followed me of course, tried to shoot me, I tried to think something clever and then suddenly they shot down. So I decided to hack the system and manage them out from the galaxy. Maybe they forget to return. I hope at least.'
I smiled.
'So we won.'
'Won? No, we're far from winning the cybermen.'
'Sweetie, I think she ment the task.' River turned to him.
'Oh, yeah. Yes, we won the task.'