The Girl of Time (Doctor Who Fan-fiction)

Chapter 69

Nothing seems to happen immediately. Yet, in my next moment of lucidity, I find myself awakening on the floor. My body is splayed out awkwardly, my left arm tucked underneath me, and my legs bent at weird angles. It's as if I'd been dropped from the sky.

I roll to my side, forcing my eyes open as I do so. My head pounds against my skull as I'm overcome with dizziness. It's a feeling I'm all too familiar with.

I place my hands down, and carefully push myself up to a seated position. No longer am I outside, but rather in a tiny, windowless room, void of any decoration. The walls are unfinished, simply tinted a harsh gray that does little to improve the ambiance. A single door sits to the left. As I look towards the floor, I notice the Doctor a few feet away from me, also unconscious.

Holding my head in my hands, I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I sigh heavily. "Doctor."

He doesn't move, so I straighten my leg out to nudge him with the top of my foot. "Doctor," I say again. "Come on, man." I tip my head back in an attempt to get the blood to rush out of my face.

The Doctor stirs beside me, and in the next second scrambles up to sitting, rapidly scanning the area around him. "This...is not right." He states, seemingly experiencing the same disorienting sensation as me.

"That mindless robot...an amateur teleportation job, that was," I say, blinking slowly. "I'd give that a solid...like...one out of five stars. I could do a better on an off-day."

"Unprotected teleportation. Haven't done that in...years. Just as unpleasant as I remember it." The Doctor complains.

"This whole situation is about as unpleasant as situations come." I say, finally pushing myself to my feet. "Don't stand up too fast. You're like...eight hundred feet tall, you'll get the bends or something." I look around the plain room, still trying to get my footing. "Any idea where we are?"

"Looks like storage." The Doctor says from behind me.

"But...it's empty." I argue.

"Well...I don't hear you coming up with any bright ideas." I hear his footfall stumbling about. "Is this really how you feel every time you travel? It is awful."

"More or less." I answer, putting my hands on my hips, and tilting my head downwards. "Mostly during...planetary jumps, um...and the other thing...time travel," I stop to breathe, "Etcetera."

I sense the Doctor at my side. "What doesn't make sense...is why'd that...thing...bring us here?" He questions. "Why not prison? Or the bottom of a volcano?"

"You think I understand this any better than you do?" I snap. "Look, I don't - actually, should we try to leave?" I motion towards the door in front of us, which we've both been staring at for some time.

"I suppose...more efficient than standing around." He answers, walking ahead of me to try the door. To both our surprise, it opens with ease.

Without another word, we exit the small storage room, entering a long hall that extends out on either side. Thick, tangled cords and a variety of wires protrude from solid, black walls. Small lights flash synchronously in rows along the ceiling.

"What's all this?" I ask, my head still not feeling quite right. "Scan it with the...thing." I mime the sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor takes the sonic and points it at the wall in front of us for a moment, before flicking it so it points towards the ceiling. His eyes narrow.