As Brittle As Quicksilver (Fourth in The Creators Saga)

The Time Lords' Daughter

Well, there's the title for you. ;) Find out who the Alchemist's next sibling is at the end of the chapter!

On another note, first assignment of the year in Journalism was to write my obituary. That was . . . odd. I can write Time Ladies dying all over, but writing out my obituary? That was odd. shavingforsherl0ck, I trust you to write mine and my eulogy . . . plural, if my upcoming stories are anything to go by.

Anyway, who lives and who dies in this chapter? Let's put it this way: you'll hate Cobb at the end.

Enjoy "The Time Lords' Daughter!"

***

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna shouted as the TARDIS kept bucking.

"The control's not working!" the Doctor tried, only to fall back when he was thrown. He frowned, seeing the jar holding his hand bubbling. "I don't know where we're going, but my old hand's very excited about it."

"I thought that was just some freaky alien thing!" Donna stared. "You telling me it's yours?"

"Well," the Doctor drew out.

"Yes!" the Alchemist barked, wincing as she got to her knees, clinging to the console.

"It got cut off," Martha added. "He grew a new one."

Donna gawked at her sheepish little brother. "You are completely impossible!"

"Not impossible," the Doctor shook his head. "Just a bit unlikely."

Something on the console went bang, then everything stilled. The Doctor stopped long enough to help the Alchemist to her feet, then ran outside. He looked around, blinking when he saw it looked like a junkyard underground. "Why would the TARDIS bring us here, then?" he wondered.

"Oh, I love this bit," Martha smiled as the rest of them walked out.

"I thought you wanted to go home," Donna looked at her.

"I know, but all the same, it's that feeling you get," Martha shrugged.

"Like you swallowed a hamster?"

"Like you swallowed a snake," the Alchemist mumbled, pulling her jacket tighter. "Bloody freezing."

"I feel fine," Donna frowned before putting a hand on her forehead, eyes widening. "You're heating up!"

"Fantastic," the Alchemist sighed, wincing.

"Don't move!" a man's voice shouted, and all four of them spun to see three men running towards them, rifles pointed in their direction. "Stay where you are! Drop your weapons!"

"We're unarmed!" the Doctor quickly threw his hands up. The Alchemist paused to reluctantly toss her blaster to the ground before doing the same. Donna and Martha were quick to follow. "Look, no weapons. Never any weapons."

"Ahem," the Alchemist coughed.

"Except her, but that's for defense," the Doctor amended. "But still, we're safe!"

"Look at their hands," one of the other soldiers said. "They're clean."

"All right, process them," the man in charge nodded, considering before eyeing the Alchemist. "She had the weapon. Her first."

"What?" the Doctor asked sharply.

The soldiers just yanked the Alchemist to what looked like a machine that would take her arm off, shoving her arm inside. "Oi!" Donna shouted, leaping forward, only to be shoved back by one of the other soldiers. It took the leader and the other one to keep the Doctor back. "Leave her alone!"