Checkmate (Doctor Who fanfiction)

Colder Than Silence

"Bring me death! Bring me glory! My master, my lord, I'm here! Come to me. I'm waiting here for you. He has promised me a glorious death. Give it to me now. I want him to know my devotion."

Good grief. Talk about melodrama.

I adjusted the last mirror, and The Doctor pushed me gently, signalling it was high time for me to hit the trail. He'd been trying to get me out for the past ten minutes, but I insisted on helping arrange the mirrors to confuse whatever it was that was coming for Howie, who was back in the lobby and tied up anyhow.

I I slipped outside the spa and found myself next to Rory, who was armed with a mop.

"Hey, Tiger," he said, smiling at me. I nodded, with a small returning smile.

"So, a mop, then," I said.

"Well, it's worked before."

I chuckled at the reference to the Pandorica. He was right.

Shortly, we heard a loud bang, and Amy shouted, "Rory, he's in!"

He slid the mop through the door handle. Inside, I saw the lights go out, courtesy of The Doctor.

"Let his name be the last thing I hear. Let his breath on my skin be the last thing I feel. I was lost in shadows, but he found me."

I heard Howie's voice cut out, and I listened to the creature inside with The Doctor roar with confusion.

"Nothing personal. I just think we should take things slowly. Get to know each other. You take people's most primal fears and pop it in a room. A tailor-made hell, just for them. Why?"

The creature snarled.

"Did you say they take?" The Doctor demanded. Because of course he can speak Minotaur. "Ah, what is that word? The guard? No, the warden? This is a prison."

"So what are we, cell mates? Lunch? We are not... ripe. This is what Joe said, that we weren't ready. So, what, what, you make us ready. You what? Replace? Replace what, fear? You have lived so long even your name is lost. You want this to stop. Because... you are just instinct. Then tell me. Tell me how to fight you!"

Then came a faint voice in the distance. "My master, my lord. I'm here!"

"Oh, my god," I groaned, and heard the creature roar.

"No, no, no, no, no! Ruby, watch out!" The Doctor shouted from inside.

We got knocked down shortly after his warning.

"Where'd he go?" The Doctor asked, crouching down, and brushing pebbles of glass off my face.

"Somebody hit me," Rory groaned. "Was it Amy?"

The Doctor laughed, and jumped up, taking off.

"Rory, are you all right?" Rita asked him, kneeling beside him.

"We should find the Doctor," Amy said slowly. I looked over, to see her approaching a door with a blurry number. Blurry courtesy to the near-concussion I undoubtedly had. I could practicality hear the birdies swarming around my head.

I clawed my way to my feet as she opened it, and ran at her. I slipped around in front of her and slammed the door, pressing my back against it. "Amy!" I spoke more harshly than I intended.

Rita showed up as well, putting a hand on my shoulder to keep me from going any farther. "You shouldn't have done that," she told Amy gently. "What did you see?"

"Nothing. Nothing. I don't know. It was weird."

Rita nodded calmly. "Come on."

***