Ties Between Time and Space

✦40✦

Chapter Forty
The Devil In Space

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"Capsule active. Counting down in ten, nine," Zach counted down from the control room.

Emma watched as the Doctor and Ida stepped inside the capsule.

"Eight, seven, six..."

Jefferson closed the door, even saluting at the two as Emma and the Doctor made eye contact for the last time. He smiled at her and she smiled back waving goodbye as the capsule dropped out of sight.

"Five, four, three, two, one. Release," Zach commanded.

Emma went over to the monitor nearby, she picked up the comm and clutched it tightly in her hand.

"You've gone beyond the oxygen field," Zach told them. "You're on your own."

"Don't forget to breathe, okay? Breathings good, breathings essential to living," Emma reminded them.

"Emma, stay off the comm," Zach said.

"In your dreams," she refused.

The capsule shuddered worse than it should have. The drilling room shook too and Emma caught on the edge of the monitor to keep her balance.

"Doctor? Doctor, are you okay?" Emma rushed to ask through the comm system.

"Ida, report to me. Doctor?" Zach commanded.

"It's all right. We've made it. Getting out of the capsule now," the Doctor's voice filtered through and Emma released a breath.

"What's it like down there?" Emma asked, talking just to talk as her hands slightly trembled.

"It's hard to tell. Some sort of cave. Cavern. It's massive," the Doctor commented in wonder.

"Well, this should help. Gravity globe," Ida said as she tossed a round ball upward. The entire cavern lit up, illuminating everything around them. Ida stared at it all in awe. "That's, that's. My God, that's beautiful," she gasped.

The walls around them were carved expertly, a large statue in front of them, and looked to only be the start of the things they'd find down there.

"Emma," the Doctor called her name. "You can tell Toby we've found his civilization."

Emma smiled, throwing a glance over her shoulder. "Hey, Toby. Sounds like a lot of work is headed your way."

"Yeah, good, good," Toby muttered from his place on the gridded floor.

"Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission," Zach reminded them sternly."Ida, what about the power source?"

"We're close," Ida said. "Energy signature indicates north, northwest. Are you getting pictures up there?"

"There's too much interference. We're in your hands."

"Well, we've come this far. There's no turning back," Ida stated defiantly.

"Oh, did you have to?" the Doctor whined. "No turning back? That's almost as bad as nothing can possibly go wrong, or this is going to be the best Christmas Walford's ever had."

Ida stopped to look at him, an unimpressed look across her face. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah. Finished," the Doctor nodded and kept walking.