Chapter 4: Trust Me
River just focused on breathing as she ducked underneath the doorway and then crawled into the next section of the tunnel. Debris fell in chunks as the ceiling began to collapse from the quaking and shaking ground. Which had been solid until the moment they unlocked the tomb. Half of her team's equipment had fell down the immense chasm and then she had stumbled as the ground shook and another section of the ceiling collapsed, leaving her separated from her team who had managed to back into the tunnel they had arrived from. She was having to take the long way round, if there even was one.
She leant against the wall to avoid more large chunks of compressed rock falling on her and shielded her face from the dust. Her communicator bleeped softly and she lifted it up to her face to read. It shone faintly in the darkness, the room she was in only faintly illuminated by the glow her small torch. The large portable flood lights were now at the bottom of the chasm, lighting up whatever was down there. Which was very helpful to her.
"Hello." She called into it, wondering if there was anyone who would come back for her, preferably with a large hammer and drill to dig her out.
The communicator crackled and some white noise replied. She called into it again a few more time before there was a reply.
"River... Hang on... Almost there." A man called back but she couldn't tell who it was.
"Well hurry up!" She shouted back as the ground quaked again and she was thrown sideways. Static from her communicator answered her.
She managed to pull herself up from the wall and then pressed up against it. Then she leaned forwards as through the falling dust she could see a light.
"Hello. I'm here!" She called out and waved towards the blue light.
"You will be deleted." The light replied in monotone.
"What?" She asked squinting as she moved up her torch to take a look at the odd rescuer.
"You will be deleted." The light replied and came into more view. The light itself was an attachment on a shoulder of a metal looking man.
"Who are you?" She cried out.
"You will be upgraded." The metal man replied. It had a large C on the centre of its silver chest and it marched along slowly, its legs hissing and pumping.
"Were you in the tomb?" She asked, realising that there might have been something else down there, other than paintings. There was no reply from the metal man.
"I'm an archaeologist, this is a dig. Are you from the tomb?" She asked, wary that every step it was taking was one step closer to her.
"You will be...dele...up...ed." The metal man stuttered and then collapsed forwards. A young man with floppy brown hair, a dusty and battered tweed jacket and a bright blue tie grinned from behind the fallen metal man.
"I'm here." He announced and River stayed put, even though larger chunks the size of her head were now falling with the ease of snowflakes from the hole ridden tunnel ceiling. She just stared at him.
"Who are you?" She asked, not remembering him from the team that she had specifically picked for her dig.
"I'm the Doctor." He replied and pointed to himself, like she was the one who didn't understand.
"Doctor who?"
"No, no, just the Doctor." He replied nodding his head seriously. Then he realised where they were. "Come on." He called as he looked to both sides of the tunnel.
"What did you do to it?" She asked, looking back from him to the fallen metal man.
"Oh, not much, just a localised electric magnetic pulse. Fries a Cyberman's circuits." He explained offhandedly while stretching out his hand for her to take.
