The Stars - Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter Seven

Harriet watched the multiple screens before her in shock. The Doctor's plan had worked, she'd taken on the Collavee and won. The smalls screen showed The Doctor stood still, aiming their makeshift device at the army before her and the enemy now falling to the floor. The loud noise ceased to fill the air, the light on the end dimming to a dull shine. They had won, the Time Lord victorious once again.

"We did it. Oh my God, we actually did it! Doctor, you beat them!" Harriet cheered throwing her headset from her head as she jumped in delight. She ran from the room in search of the Time Lord, sprinting in the direction she last saw her.

The Doctor let out a deep sigh, lowering the device in her hands, and pulling the communicator from her ear. The Collavee all lay still on the ground before her; the plan had worked. She pulled her Sonic Screwdriver from within her weapon, giving the room a quick scan before reading the results.

"All good. Minimal life signs left and fading. Good." The Doctor muttered aloud, pocketing the Sonic.

"Doctor?!" Harriet called out, running down the corridor. She skidded to a halt outside the church, squeezed through the gap in the doors and spotted the other woman overlooking the dead aliens. "Doctor!"

The Doctor spun around and instantly grinned at the human running towards her. They crashed into a hug, laughing and cheering at their success. They pulled apart, the Doctor checking over Harriet for any obvious injury.

"Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Did they find you?"

"No, no. I'm fine. I was safe, because of you. You did it!"

"I couldn't have done it without you, mate. Oh, you were brilliant!" The Doctor replied, pulling Harriet into another hug, thoroughly impressed by her new friend. Harriet glanced over the Time Lord's shoulder, looking over the scattered Collavee on the floor.

"Are they all... Are they all dead?" She questions, moving out of the Doctor's arms.

"Pretty much. The final ones should be fading now." The Doctor placed a hand on Harriet's shoulder steering her away from looking at the majority of the corpses and back to her, "Thank you for your help, mate. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I didn't do much, I was happy to help." They both stood silently for a moment, awkwardly glancing back and forth. Both wanted to ask a certain question but didn't want to be the 1st. "So... Do you do stuff like this a lot? Fight aliens and save the world?"

"It's become a regular occurrence, yeah. Didn't mean it to, just sort of happened. You save one planet and suddenly another needs the same. Sort of snowballed." The Doctor replied, spiralling her hands in an attempt to show what she meant. She rocked back and forth on her feet, unsure how to keep still.

"What will you do now? Do you clean up here or just head off?"

"No, I'll drop a call to some local friends or U.N.I.T, if they exist again. They'll take care of it. I'll just leave, back to the TARDIS and visit somewhere new. On my own. Gets a bit lonely but theres lots to do. Lots to see. Busy Doctor, busy busy Doctor." The Doctor rambled, hoping she would be cut off.

Instead, another awkward silence fell between them. Both bursting to ask the important question but too scared to even look the other in the eye or be rejected.

"Do you want to come along?"

"Can I come with you?"

They both finally blurted out their requests at the same time. They looked at one another, taken aback in shock before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Yes, yes, you can come. Please, I'd love it if you did." The Doctor beamed, thankful to have found a new companion. Happiness burst through the pair. The Time Lord ecstatic to have a new friend to show the Galaxy off to. Harriet glad to be leaving her home town and to begin a new life. She was finally getting her new start.

"Murdering scum!"

Harriet whipped round in the direction of the voice, spotting a moving figure close to them on the floor. The Collavee leader behind the pair was ripping out a handful of spikes from its skin, withering in its final moments. It mustered its final energy and threw the spikes are hard as it could towards the Doctor, anger setting through its dying eyes.

"Doctor!" Harriet cried, stepping to push the Doctor out of harm's way, as the poisonous spike flew in her direction. Harriet recoiled as multiple sharp, black spikes hit her body, easily piercing through her clothes. She let out a gasp of shock, time feeling as though it was slowing. The poison immediately absorbed into Harriet's skin, she felt it pour into her bloodstream as it pulsed around her body. Her legs gave way instantly after, weakening as each second passed.

The Doctor could only watch on helplessly. She heard the shout, Harriet's cry of fear and then being shoved to the floor. She looked around quickly, only to see Harriet struck by the enemy. She let out a whimper, whispering no below her breath. She wanted to shut down, go into shock, close her eyes and pretend the problem in front of her wasn't happening.

No. She needed to save Harriet. Try to protect her new friend. Stop the threat. She whipped the Sonic Screwdriver from her jacket, intending to send a pulse towards the enemy but the Collavee dropped dead with a smile at the collapsed human. She scrambled over to Harriet, pulling the dying girl into her lap.

"Harriet? Harriet, stay awake for me, please. Just keep your eyes open." The Doctor pleaded, scanning her with the Sonic. Harriet's eyes flickered open and closed, as she struggled to stay conscious. "Stabilise, come on, keep her stabilised." The Doctor continued, trying to use the Sonic to contain the poison from spreading as fast.

Harriet stopped withering in the Doctor's lap, her breath steading but still slow. Her eyes focused on The Doctor, seeing the fear etched over her face. The burning pain was still coursing through her veins, despite it slowing from the Time Lord's help.

Harriet managed a weak smile, "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"You should have let me take it, Harriet, I could have survived. I can't... I can't save you, Harriet, I don't know how to. There isn't an antidote, the TARDIS won't be able to help in time." The Doctor replied hurriedly, clutching Harriet in her arms. "I've slowed it with the Sonic but I can't stop it."

"How much time do we have?"

"I'm not sure, five maybe ten minutes. Harriet, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you stay here, it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Doctor," Harriet whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"I was going to take you with me, show you the universe. Let you meet every species, get to see the future and past. The world's out there, Harriet, you would have loved it."

"If... if this is... this is it, there is something you can do."

"Anything, mate, tell me."

"Please, Doctor, show me the stars."