Chapter 8

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I am talking to the only Hath who stayed in the encampment with her. "I need to charge it up, I need power, d'you understand?" I ask. The Hath is fiddling with the controls of the map, changing it into 3D. "There's even more! In 3D! Oh, you're a clever Hath! So this is where everybody's headed? But look... those tunnels sort of zig-zag. If I went up and over the surface in a straight line, I'd get there first," I finish.

The Hath gurgles in protest.


"Why not?" I ask. He brings up a diagram. "Are these readings to the surface? Well, it doesn't look bad. Nitrogen and oxygen about 80:20, that's fine. Ozone levels are high. And some big radiation spikes. But I'm fine... I have two hearts."

The Hath seems to ask a question.


"I have to find my friends." I run off but turn back to the gurgling of the Hath. He seems to ask if he can come too. "Come on!"

***

My new friends and I are heading upstairs, but the Hath starts to protest. "You can stay down here and live your whole life in the shadows, or come with me and stand in the open air. Feel the wind on your face. What's it gonna be? It's up to you. But nothing's gonna stop me. Nothing," I state.

I climb out to the surface, the Hath following me. We are on a cold, windy, deserted planet lit by three moons. "I knew you couldn't resist it."

The Hath gurgles.


"I heard that. Come on."

***

The Hath and I are struggling forward on the surface.


"It can't be much further," I state. I think back to the Doctor. That's when I lose focus and I trip. I slip downhill, into a bog. I try to get out but I can't. "Help me! I'm sinking! I'm sinking! Help me! I'm sinking!" I shout bit he can't reach me. "Oh it's no good," I cry out.

The Hath can't help me, so at the end he jumps into the bog too and pushes me out to the shore. But then he can't get out. I watch him sink slowly.


"Oh nooo! Noooo!" I yell out, "No..." I cry out as I watch the motionless surface. I struggle forward on the surface, still wiping tears. But now, I am is near the 'Temple'. I reach a very similar door on the surface and enter.

***
I look around and run past a door seeing someone. I ignore it and keep on running. I glance at the ruin's walls. I turn around a corner and bump into someone. I fall to the ground before looking up. I stand up only to notice it's the Doctor.


"Doctor!" I cheer.


"Alessa," he says as he reaches forward to hug me. I quickly wrap my arms around his shoulders as he wraps his around my waist. I rest my head on his shoulder, taking in a deep breath of his scent. I close my eyes for a brief second before letting go of him.

"I should've known you wouldn't stay away from the excitement!" He beams. 


"Donna!" I smile. I run to her and quickly hug her.

"Oooh, you're filthy, what happened?!" Donna asks, genuinely concerned.


"I took the surface route," I mumble. Then I hear the voice of soldiers.


"That's the general! We haven't got much time,"
the Doctor says as I still look confused.


"We don't even know what we're looking for!" Donna shouts.


"Is it me, or can you smell flowers?" I question with a smirk.


"Yes! Bougainvillea! I say we follow our nose!" The Doctor shouts. 


"Blocks 7 to 10, advance! With me!" I hear from the distance. 


"That's Cobb," the Doctor informs me. I nod. The Doctor, Donna, Jenny and I reach a place that looks like a huge greenhouse inside the spaceship filled with palms and other exotic plants. "Oh, yes! Yes! Isn't this brilliant?" In the middle, there's a small place around a pedestal that holds a glass sphere, containing shining gas.


"Is that the Source?" Donna asks. 


"It's beautiful," Jenny mutters. 


"What is it?" I ask, suddenly aware that I don't understand everything. 


"Terraforming! It's a third generation terraforming device!" The Doctor says. 


"So why are we suddenly in Kew Gardens?" Donna asks. 

"Because that's what it does. All this, only bigger. Much bigger! It's in a transit state. Producing all this must help keep it stable before they finally..." The Doctor trails off. The Hath and soldiers appear from the opposite sides, cocking their guns as soon as they catch sight of each other.


"Stop! Hold your fire!" The Doctor yells. 


"What is this? Some kind of trap?" Cobb says.


"You said you wanted this war over," the Doctor argues. 


"I want this war won," Cobb states. 



"You can't win," I mutter. 



"No one can. You don't even know why you're here. Your whole history, it's just Chinese whispers. Getting more distorted the more it's passed on," the Doctor says before pointing to a sphere. "This is the Source. This is what you're fighting over. A device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets habitable. Look around you! It's not for killing, it's bringing life. If you allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into the bright, bright sunlight! No more fighting. No more killing," the Doctor finishes. He lifts up the sphere. "I'm the Doctor, and I declare this war is over!" He throws it to the ground. The glass ball shatters and gases escape, shining in gold and green as they spread out in the air. The human soilders and Hath put their guns down. 



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