Midnight ⋆ Doctor Who²

49. The Doctor's Room

SO THEY PREPARED THEMSELVES TO CATCH THE MONSTER. Which is a sentence said a bit too much in their line of work, Aurora personally would like to replace it by something, like 'they prepared to go to the beach', but no.

The plan is to scatter around and trap it. Aurora insisted on being with the Doctor despite him wanting her to be some place safer. Like, another planet for instance. Which might be their oldest argument.

They put some mirrors in place to remain out of grasp for the monster, but still observe it. For now, Aurora is staring straight at herself, frowning. "Something is staring at us right in the face again, I can feel it." The 'Aplans have two heads' syndrome is getting old.

The Doctor is about to answer, when Howie's voice on the radio rings out. "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." Aurora shivers. He's completely brainwashed. "Give it to me now. I want him to know my devotion." There's a rattling sound just outside the room, and the steps are louder and louder.

It bursts in. While the others lock the doors from the outside, the Doctor and Aurora are pressed flush against one another to remain hidden.

The beast walks like a man, but that's the only thing human about it. His horns on his head, his hooves, his face... "It's a minotaur," Aurora breathes out.

The Doctor lets go of her for a split second. "That's quite enough of that." He pulls out the wires of the radio. "Nothing personal. I just think we should take things slowly. Get to know each other. Though, you should know, I'm a bit taken." Aurora blushes despite the situation. The Doctor seems to relinquish that, as he often does. "You take people's most primal fears and pop it in a room. A tailor-made hell, just for them. Why?" The minotaur snarls. "Did you say they take?" Another snarl. "Ah, what is that word? The guard? No, the warden? This is a prison." The Time Lords look at each other, concerned. "So what are we, cell mates?" The minotaur grunts in frustration. "Lunch? We are not ripe." The Doctor steps out, despite Aurora tugging his sleeve. He takes her hand. "This is what Joe said, that we weren't ready. So, what... what, you make us ready." He growls. "You what? Replace? Replace what, fear?" It starts a series of grunts and snarls and growls that the Doctor translates as he hears. "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."

It's about to answer him, when Howie's voice rings out, closer, very much not coming from the radio. "My master, my lord. I'm here!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Aurora screams as the minotaur goes for Rory's door. "Rory, watch out!"

Amy and Rita burst in, startling them. "Stay back!" the Doctor screams at them. The minotaur smashes a glass door and knocks Rory down. "Pond, bring the fish."

"What, the fish? Oh, the fish."

Aurora is the first to reach Rory, helping him up. The Doctor stops by them. "Where'd he go?"

"Somebody hit me," Rory says, confused. "Was it Amy?"

Aurora makes a face at him, before the Doctor and her give chase to the minotaur. That's how it usually goes. Try to catch it, fail, run.

They run down flights of stairs and turn left at a corridor, where they find Howie's broken glasses. He must be close, alive still, maybe? If they're lucky. And they usually aren't.

As the Doctor starts running again, Aurora feels a weird tug nagging the back of her mind. Her eyes slowly focus on a door to her left. She steps closer, the 8 on the door hypnotizing. Her hand is on the handle before she realizes it. And the door is opened before she can catch herself.