Earth Grazer || Doctor Who

XIII. Evil Trampoline

Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising.

"Now, what do we do?" Ella wondered as the panicked voices in the room grew louder and louder, the Doctor had no trouble hearing her as his ears always seemed to pick up her distinct accent.

"We can reset the computers by hand, there must be a system restore switch. El, Jabe, come on. You lot," he spoke to the rest of the guests as he walked backwards towards the door, "just chill."

"That's reassuring." Ella mumbled as her and the tree woman followed the Doctor once again.

Earth death in two minutes. Earth death in two minutes. The computer kept reminding everyone of the impending doom of the planet below as well as their own if they didn't reset it in time. The group of three raced back down the maintenance duct for the second time that hour.

Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical.

"Oh. And guess where the switch is." The Doctor complained in an exasperated tone when the group reached the engine room, the switch they needed was on the other side of the turning razor-sharp fans that were quickly gaining speed.

Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising.

The Doctor pulls a breaker lever and the fans slow a little, but it resets as soon as he lets go of it.

External temperature five thousand degrees.

Jabe pulls the breaker and holds it down instead.

"You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place." The Doctor tried to reason with the tree woman, while Ella was coming to terms with what she was going to do. The brunette removed her purple framed glasses, not sure how they would react to extreme heat.

"I know." Jabe breathed out as the heat was already starting to get to her.

"Jabe, you're made of wood. It's okay, I can do it." Ella promised and roughly shoved the tree woman towards the door of the engine room in hopes of getting her out of the burning hot room. "Here keep these safe for me." She put her glasses in the tree woman's waiting hand, Jabe felt terrible for leaving both the Doctor and the one he called El, but they were right of course, she was far more flammable.

"Then stop wasting time, Time Lord." Jabe exited the room while Ella tried to control her breathing as it was hurting to do so naturally.

Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising. Heat levels hazardous. Heat levels hazardous.

Jabe quickly rushed down the corridor, there wasn't much she could do now except be with her own companions for this trip, Lute and Coffa.

Ella was struggling to keep her word of holding the breaker lever, the metal was growing hotter and hotter each second. She kept in mind that if she didn't help the Doctor with this right now than there was a good chance the entire station was going to burn and they wouldn't be able to get everyone to safety, not enough time to retrieve the Tardis.

The Doctor made it to the second fan and spared a quick glance at Ella, noting her extreme discomfort and made a run for the final fan.

Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical. Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising. The computer oh so kindly reminded them.

"I fucking know!" Ella hissed as her hands were burning and she tried very hard not to scream but failed.

Planet explodes in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five.

The Doctor was startled by Ella's scream but pressed forward and walked past the last fan.

Four.

He opens his eyes and dashes for the reset breaker, "raise shields," he shouted. A force field crept around the station in a blue like hue, at first no one had noticed they were saved; everyone was too busy tending to injuries and mourning the fallen guests.

The Doctor ran back to Ella and swiftly picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the engine room, he found the gallery they had parked the Tardis in. He carried her down the ever-winding corridors as she silently wept over the burning pain in her hands and lungs, the Doctor placed her in the sterile med bay, he gave her an oxygen mask and healed as much of her hands as he could by applying a fast acting burn ointment he took from a hospital on Halcya.

"Thank you for all of your help today, El. I couldn't have done it without you." He knew that showing his regret wouldn't help because she would have done the same even if Jabe's life wasn't in danger. Because for whatever reason the confusing human has chosen to spend what little time, she has with him and he kind of hates that, the possibility that he may have stolen her future as well.

"I know," she whispered, "go get that bitchy trampoline for me, yeah? I'll be fine. And bring back my glasses!" The Doctor was reluctant to leave but as he walked farther and farther away from her, his face blanked.

Ella didn't know it yet but just by being there and present she was able to get the Doctor out of the darkness. She was a ray of light, a burning, irritating relentless ray of light that I can't live without, the Doctor thought begrudgingly.

He entered the main observation deck for hopefully the final time that day. Jabe and her companions gazed at him with an unreadable expression, taking note of the absence of his pretty friend. They assumed the worst and Jabe felt her heart deflate at the storm in the Doctor's face, she didn't know what had happened to Ella, but she really hoped she was alright if that was how the man was reacting.

"Is she okay?" Jabe had approached the Doctor.

"Yeah, she's fine ... right now, I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He stormed over to a podium and smashed open an alleged ostrich egg to reveal a small silver device. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me and I'm very clever, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He turned an elevated part on the silver device, and the patch of skin that tried to kill everyone appeared.

"You should have seen their stupid little alien faces," she gloated and laughed, "oh." her smile had fallen flat at being called back to the station.

"The last human."