Yay! Another update! Are you proud of us? I know I am!
Well, I don't want to waste too much of your precious reading time (also I have no idea what to say, haha) so enjoy!
~ Elsie
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"Do you think she's telling the truth? Do you really think she can get us off here?" Ryan asked Grace, Graham, Dez, and Yaz as they walked a few feet behind the Doctor and Clarity. The sand was more of a whitish color now, dead shriveled trees scattered about. Strange rags hanging on the trees identical to the one Dez had found earlier.
"She saved Karl, she got the better of Tim Shaw, and she did jump a crane. Don't know what would've happened if she hadn't have been there." Yaz admitted.
"He would've taken Karl, and me and you would probably have been sent to investigate if his father filed a missing persons." Dez proposed a scenario to Yaz and the rest of them. "Clarity wouldn't have her current .... issues, Zappy would still be running amok causing havoc. Who knows maybe it would've zapped us once we checked out the crane and that's only if we all made it that far. For all we know we could have all most likely have had our bodies blown up while sittin at home watching the Telly. That Stenza was a bloody git"
"Oh, Dez is right, we'd all probably be dead if not for her." Grace nodded in the timelady's direction.
"But then again, we are currently dying on an alien planet. So, there is still that." Dez remarked beginning to feel a little parched. Her lips were already getting chapped. She'd kill for a bottle of water and some lip balm.
"I mean, she's our best hope. Or only option, depending on your politics." Graham commented.
"Guess so. Don't argue with the wisdom of Graham, eh?" Ryan smiled a bit ruefully as he walked.
"So we're sticking with "Graham", are we, and not "Grandad"?" Graham made yet another attempt.
"Yes, Graham." Ryan nodded looking straight ahead. Dez shot an annoyed look towards Ryan. Here was a man who offered him unconditional love and support and he was just turning away in return? How could he be takin something like that for granted with his father being such an arse?
Graham sighed, Grace patting his shoulder. "Chin up, Love. He'll say it when he's ready."
"Ooh, this is a cute little alien dock." Clarity smiled to herself as her and the Doctor made it to the waters edge journeying onto a petite smoothed out dock with firm edges. Clarity had been picturing something spooky and falling apart so this was a nice surprise.
"I said, stay away from the boat." Epzo glared pointing his gun at both Callidoroha and Angstrom.
"You don't get this to yourself." Angstrom protested with a glare.
"This blaster says I do." Epzo replied his tone unwavering. He had already pulled the trigger in his mind. Now he just had to follow through in real life.
Callidoroha hissed venomously at him stepping closer. All her horns extending in a threatening manner.
"You don't scare me anymore. That trick may have worked the first time but it's gotten real old since day one." Epzo refuses to back down.
"Put the blaster down." The Doctor ordered walking up to him Clarity still at her side. "We all know you're not gonna use it. No injuring, no killing, no sabotage. Isn't that what what's-his-face said?"
"Yeah, well,that only applies to them two." Epzo replied. Before the Doctor could react Epzo pointed his gun at Clarity and fired. A red energy bullet hitting her right in the chest. He was sick of these two competitors and he sure as hell wasn't backing down. All he had to do was make sure the witnesses stay quiet, what better way than kill one of them as a warning. He had the cover up all planned out. He could toss three bodies in the river to dispose of the evidence. Ilin wasn't watching, and it was his word against these strangers. If he switched his blaster with Callidoroha's then he could get away with it for sure.
"Clarity!" The Doctor caught her in her arms as the human fell back with a cry of pain. Her blue eyes glowing brightly, a few wisps of electricity gliding across her skin. "No, no, no, no, no. What did you do!?" The Doctor yelled at Epzo fury in her tone as she cradled the dying human in her arms holding her tightly. She couldn't see the wound that well due to the smoke the blast had produced. Not that it mattered. She didn't have anything that would help. Her ship was too far away. There was nothing she could do but hold her.
"You shot her...you actually shot her..." Callidoroha looked at Epzo in terror taking a step back. Her first instinct was to dive in the water for cover but she fought against it. The water would kill her for sure
"Clarity!" Graham yelled in worry for his granddaughter. The human group's walk transitioning into a frenzied run.
"Ow...that hurt?" Clarity groaned blinking as she saw dots in her vision, probably from staring at the three suns in the sky, But Clarity wasn't too sure. The smoke of the blast cleared away to reveal Clarity's chest. The Doctor had been expecting to see a huge gaping hole where the human's heart should be but insitead there was nothing but smooth pale skin . A huge hole was now burned into her favorite sweater, but other than that the human appeared to be unharmed.
Clarity pouted as she fingered the singed fabric. "Aw, I loved this sweater."
"How in the...." Epzo steeled himself. It didn't matter. He made to fire again but the Doctor was quicker.
"You're not gettin the chance." The Doctor glared standing up setting Clarity gently down in one fluid motion. "See this?" The Doctor held up the pinky of her free hand and pressed it to Epzo's neck before he could dare to pull the trigger again. He let out a choked up gasp suddenly finding he couldn't move. His eyes widened.
"Nice move!" Angstrom praised her.
"Thanks. Venusian aikido." The Doctor smacked the gun out of his grip sending it flying into the water with a splash. "Grandmaster pacifist.
Temporarily paralyses while also being fundamentally harmless. Very clever, those Venusian nuns."
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Clarity asked in awe of the trick. Smiling brightly up at the Doctor. The Doctor looked back down at the human, and for a brief moment Clarity saw an emotion she hadn't seen before in the time lady, she couldn't put it into words to describe it, but after a second that emotion was buried underneath another as she answered her question.
"I don't see why not. Might take you a little bit though, took me a while to learn it myself." The Doctor told her before redirecting her attention back onto Epzo. A darkened fury in her eyes that only he could see. The oncoming storm was brewing. "Shall I let go? Or are you going to try to kill my friend again?" The Doctor asked Epzo. " If you are let me tell you right now doing that would be a very bad idea."
With that said the Doctor let him go Epzo letting out ragged breaths as he was released. Only for him to be tackled to the ground by Dez a few seconds later. Her knee pressing into his back, as his arms were twisted behind him, his head hanging over the dock. "Yaz, check him, make sure he doesn't have anymore weapons."
"What the hell are you two doing?" The Doctor asked the two officers. As Yaz patted Epzo down as Dez had instructed.
"Responding to a threat. I'm willing to bet that wasn't the only gun he has." Yaz answered the Doctor.
"There's no need for that." The Doctor protested not really too keen on the violence that was occurring.
"You feel safe with this murderer carrying? Cause I sure as hell don't." Dez replied tightening her grip as Epzo struggled.
"Got one, two, blimey you had three guns? What do you need three guns for?" Yaz asked as she confiscated the weapons. Dez, getting off of Epzo letting him up. Yaz and her slipping them into the back of their jeans, pulling their shirts and jackets over them to conceal the guns out of habit.
"Those are mine!" Epzo exclaimed his face turning red. "What gives you the right?"
"You tried to murder my cousin. That's what." Ryan glared stepping in between Dez and Epzo. It was taking' everything in him not to punch his head straight off his shoulders, but Ryan knew that his gran would scold him something awful if he took a swing.
"How are you still alive? He shot you point blank." Graham paled as he bent beside his granddaughter a bit in awe that she wasn't injured like he had thought. It was a bloody miracle yet again.
"Must be a rotten shot to have missed." Grace shook her head as she checked Clarity's pulse for good measure.
"He didn't miss, Gran." Clarity denied gesturing to her sweater rubbing the spot with a frown. She took the now ruined sweater off revealing a sparkly blue tank top underneath. Clarity was glad she always like to wear layers. "Not even sure how I'm alive..."
"Let's have a look." The Doctor pulled out her sonic scanning Clarity. The Doctor's eyebrows shot up as she read the results. "Huh, that'll do it. You absorbed the energy."
"How'd I do that?" Clarity wondered looking at her hands. Little lightning bolts dancing. "It's not like I even tried to."
"How do you do any of the stuff you've been doing." Ryan shrugged. "Best not question it too much. Maybe it was instinctive."
"Yeah, maybe." Clarity considered Ryan's theory.
"We went through all this for nothing. This boat doesn't even work." Angstrom informed everyone having beaten Epzo to the boat.
"Clarity." Dez shot Clarity a pointed look.
"It wasn't me this time! I swear I didn't even touch it." Clarity hugged herself. "I was a bit busy getting shot."
"Oh, uh, me and Ryan will take a look." Graham offered.
"Will we?" Ryan turned his head to look at the older man.
"Yeah, well, those NVQ classes must be good for something. An engine's an engine" Graham told him.
"Not a space engine!" Ryan protested.
"Just give it a go. You'll never know unless you try." Grace told him to which Ryan groaned. He had no idea if he could this. Who knows what it looked like in there.
"You don't get to take charge here. This is about me and those two fighting to win." Epzo raged.
"We're all going to the same place and that boat is big enough for all of us." Yaz told him.
"Yaz is right. If we get it started, we all get on board. If you're lucky we'll let you come too." The Doctor glared before turning her attention to the water wanting to investigate.
"I know what this is. You're part of Ilin's game.
You're saboteurs, sent to throw us off." Epzo struggled to come to terms with this foreign group just taking over.
"Ilin had no clue who they were. He wanted a clean race for the finale unlike last years." Callidoroha defended Ilin. "Why can't you accept that they're just lost?"
"You think the whole universe is out to get you." Angstrom stated a bit of pity creeping into her tone.
"How's your family, Angstrom?" Epzo challenged.
"That's got nothing to do with anything and you know it." Callidoroha spat.
"So that's why he said don't touch the water.
Flesh-eating microbes.Millions of them living in there.Toxic atmosphere. Killer water. Very dangerous planet, Yaz." The Doctor told the human who knelt beside her.
"Is there no way to get the microbes out?" Dez asked in annoyance. So much water, and she couldn't even take a sip. Ugh, it was like it was taunting her.
"Fraid not sorry, good news is humans can survive a good ten days without water." The Doctor told her.
"We're not staying here for ten days." Ryan protested.
"None of us are going anywhere until you fix that motor. Get to it." Epzo glared. "We've only got one solar rotation to finish this race or no one gets the money and everything we've been through will have been for nothing."
"You don't tell me what to do." Ryan huffed marching to the boat. Epzo's commanding tone reminding him of his father a bit too much for his liking. Always wanting things to be done his way or on his schedule. "C'mon, Graham."
"Yeah, coming." Graham walked after him the two getting to work on the engine. Graham slipped inside the small space to check things out. Ryan sitting down on the motor thoughts and memories of his father swirling in his mind. Why was he never good enough for him to stick around?
"You were right, not like any engine I've ever seen." Graham crawled out of the tiny engine to see Ryan sitting on the box with a frown. It was clear that his father skippin out on him was still tearing him up what with the broody look on the teens face.
"Are we ever gonna talk about your Dad?" Graham sat down beside him. "I mean, just 'cause all this is going on don't mean to say it didn't happen."
"What do you reckon?" Ryan looked down at his feet his head lifting as his gran came in with Clarity to check on their progress and possibly assist if they needed it. Grace could immediately tell what was wrong, it was like the woman's sixth sense.
"What's the matter with you?" Grace sat down on Ryan's free side nudging his shoulder but he didn't react.
Clarity sat down on the floor directly in front of Ryan. She folded her arms on Ryan's legs resting her chin on her hands. She looked up at him giving her best sweet as candy smile. Clarity's smile was seemingly infectious and Ryan couldn't help a smile of his own letting out a chuckle looking up.
Clarity leaned back getting out of Ryan's personal space. Her mission to get a smile out of him now accomplished. She was just happy to be getting out of the sun for a bit. Her skin was already getting pinker. She'd have one hell of a sunburn by nightfall unless she stayed out of the suns for a spell.
"You're on another planet How cool is that?" Grace told Ryan.
"Yeah. And it is! Right?" Graham attempted to assist his wife.
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty cool." Ryan agreed with a bit of a shrug.
"And you're sittin here moping about your no good father. Enough is enough. I'm sick of him ruining everything for ya. He was supposed to look out for ya when you needed him and he didn't so shame on him. It's time to pick your head up and show him you can get along just fine without him like we've been doing." Grace nodded her head.
"Yeah. I'm gonna look out for you, son. Just like I've been doing with her." Graham told Ryan in hopes that would help him feel better gesturing to Clarity.
"I'm not a kid." Ryan protested. He didn't need looking after anymore. He was nineteen for crying out loud.
"And I am?" Clarity asked him incredulously.
"You know what I mean, Clari." Ryan told her.
"Oh.OK. Well, I was hoping you'd say, "I'm gonna look out for you too." Graham frowned back.
"He talks about this stuff way too much." Ryan complained to his gran.
"Mm-hm. And you don't talk about it enough." Graham replied as Grace kissed Graham's cheek. Ryan looked away a bit nauseated by the display. Even after three years he still wasn't exactly used to his gran kissing Graham. He looked at the engine and had a dawn of realization.
"That's not an engine. It's more like a massive battery. What if it's solar?"
"Look at you humans gathering together. Light-years from home, figuring things out." The Doctor praised as she entered the boat. She patted Clarity's head as she walked by her. The Doctor had been a bit worried when the brunette suddenly disappeared from her side. Well she says suddenly disappeared, if the timelady was truthful she had gotten so lost in her thoughts about how strange and mysterious this planet was that the timelady hadn't realized she had gone with Grace til Dez told her.
The Doctor peered out the back of the boat. "Yep.Three suns in the sky. Tri-solar engineering panels on the outside, powering that battery."
"Well, if it won't start, maybe the panels aren't lined up." Graham suggested.
"Or maybe they're not feeding the battery properly." Ryan added in his own thoughts.
"Loving your work, boys. Let's take a look." The Doctor said climbing onto the back of the boat shifting some panels. While Graham and Ryan adjust things inside the battery.
Clarity's eyes widened as she felt something. "Doctor! Whatever you just did do it again! Ryan, Grandad put whatever you just moved back where it was you had it right for a split second I felt it."
"You sure?" The Doctor asked her.
"Trust me." Clarity smiled at her. The Doctor grinned back adjusting the panel. Not a moment later a purring sound emitted from the engine.
"Haha, charging up!" The Doctor cheered in victory, jumping up and down in victory. Graham and Ryan climbing out of the box.
"Nicely done." Grace high fived both her grandkids in pride.
"Oh my god I fixed an alien machine." Ryan grinned in disbelief.
"Amazing ain't it?" Graham sat down next to Grace the two locking hands. Grace resting her head on his shoulder. The woman was beginning to feel quite knackered. It was a very emotionally draining day.
"I'll go get everyone else." The Doctor grinned racing out of the boat. "Up and running. All aboard." The Doctor called to those waiting outside rushing back to boat. Dez, Callidoroha, Yaz and Angstrom walking aboard. Just as Epzo reached the boat the Doctor stepped right in his path to prevent him from getting on.
"What?" Epzo demanded in annoyance. Who was this woman to hold him up like this? He had a bloody race to win!
"You're a cheater. Worse than that a murderer, well an attempted one at least. You're lucky bout that last bit." The Doctor glared her grip tightening on her screwdriver in her pocket.
"Yeah, well maybe I don't play by the rules." Epzo glared in reply. He stood by his actions, and he'd do it again. Winning was all that mattered to him.
"Did you practice those lines in the mirror?" The Doctor asked him still blocking his path. "Got anything to say for yourself?"
"Look, we haven't got time for this. Clock's ticking." Epzo gestured to the suns. "We're losing daylight."
"Better talk quickly then." The Doctor told him the look in her eyes scaring Epzo straight down to his core. "Because I'm not letting you on without a damn good reason."
"Doctor," Clarity stood up from her spot on the boats floor and walked to stand next to the time lady. She grabbed her upper arm lightly with her left hand and held her hand with her right. "Let him on. It's okay."
"He tried to kill you, Clarity!" The Doctor replied as if that explained everything. "I'm not just giving him a free pass. He has to answer for it."
"Maybe he does, but if we leave him here, he'll never survive. He'll die out there, alone, and afraid. He can't even end it quickly if he wanted to, we took all his guns." Clarity spoke to her. "Condemning him to suffer like that... we'd be just as bad as he is. Please, just let him on."
The Doctor looked from Clarity to Epzo clearly torn on what to do. On one hand she knew the abnormally blue eyed girl was right. He'd never make it to his destination in time and would be left behind like Ilin had said, but on the other hand, more importantly, if not most importantly of all, she wanted Clarity safe and unharmed. This planet was dangerous enough as it was without having to worry about a murderer being trapped on a tiny boat with them.
"We can tie him up with these, restrain him so he can't hurt any of us." Dez gestured to a pile of the rags in the corner of the boat. The same rags they'd been seeing all over. "If that helps."
"It does Dez, Thank you." The Doctor nodded getting out of Epzo's way pulling Clarity to sit between her and Graham. A spot that the Doctor hoped she would feel safest while Epzo was here. The second he sat down in a seat in the corner Dez and Yaz set to work tying him up. Epzo winced a bit at the tight bindings but kept his mouth shut knowing full well complaining about it would just waste more precious time.
Once that was done the two sat down on the opposite side of the boat next to Ryan. Angstrom steered the boat out of the dock and the group began their journey down the deadly river.
"Hey, Yaz, can you believe it? Alien planet, man." Ryan told her starting up a conversation sick of the silence that had fallen upon them. Come to think of it this planet was absolutely silent save for the boat moving in the water and them all breathing.
"I know." Yaz agreed with a nod. "What do you think, Dez?"
"I guess it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't deadly as all hell." Dez replied.
"This planet doesn't make any sense. No other life forms except us and the microbes in the water.No people. No animals, no insects, no nothing.But he talked about the old settlements.
What happened here?" The Doctor wondered wanting no, needing more answers. Something like this didn't just happen naturally. Someone had to cause this.
"No-one cares." Epzo commented.
"I care." Clarity objected.
"Then you're an idiot." Epzo spat.
Clarity frowned looking down at her metallic blue combat boots. The solar panels started to spark. Callidoroha jumped from her seat in surprise not expecting the sudden rainshower of scaulding hot little lights.
"Hey! Knock it off." Dez snapped at Clarity hitting her knee to gain her attention.At Clarity's confused look Dez explained. "You're doing a thing again."
"Oh..whoops. Sorry..." Clarity apologized taking a deep breath, attempting to think of something happy. The sparking ceasing as she found a happy memory to focus on.
"Don't take him personally. He treats everyone like this." Angstrom apologized for her fellow competitor.
"Huh, Reminds me of someone." Ryan turned to look pointedly at Dez. "Maybe you two should start a lil hate club."
Dez merely rolled her eyes at Ryan crossing her arms leaning further back into her seat. She wasn't anywhere near as bad as that miserable git. Sure, she had her moments here and there but she did sort of care about other people. Her job was in law enforcement afterall.
"I don't need other people." Epzo protested.
"We all need other people, mate." Graham protested.
"We're all alone.That's how we start and end, and this is a natural state of all points in between." Epzo replied.
"Were you born that miserable or did you have to work at it?" Graham asked wanting nothing more than to chuck this man overboard. Grace was thankfully in his way.
"When I was four, my mum told me to climb a tree. She made me climb until I was too scared to climb any higher.Then she told me to jump into her arms.'Don't worry,' she said. 'I'm your mum. I'm here for you. I'll catch you.' So I jumped. And she moved out of the way." Epzo told them all a tale. A memory so ingrained in his brain he doubted he'd ever forget it.
"What? Sorry, did you say your mum did this to you?" Yaz asked him.
"Smashed into the ground, broke this arm, shattered that ankle.She stood over me and she said, 'Now you've learned. You can never trust anyone in this life.'"
"That is messed up." Ryan stated in a bit of disbelief that anyone could do that to their child.
"That's child abuse, endangerment too." Deserey agreed with Ryan. She shook her head, as unwelcome thoughts came rushing back to her. How she'd spend night after night locked in the basement whenever she'd misbehaved, even sometimes when she hadn't, without so much as a meal or a glass of water. The thirst she was currently feeling was doing nothing to help fight these memories down either. Those cold words from her mum and dad, the message clear as day that she would never be good enough. All leading up to them tossing her to the streets after one particularly nasty argument about her identity. "Parents can be...disappointing."
Ryan made a small noise of agreement, briefly thinking about his own dad once again.
"Best thing she ever did for me. I love my mum." Epzo states proudly.
Deserey scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "Sure it was." She pulled her legs up to her chest, doing her best to shut the awful memories out and ignore everything going on around her. It was better if she just didn't interact with any of the others at all.
Instead, she focused her attention on the water and the sand in the distance. It seemed far too peaceful for a dangerous alien planet that she'd probably die on. The place was almost beautiful. Something she might have painted if she had her art supplies with her.
"Must of gotten tons of parenting awards." Grace scowled. At first Dez thought she'd somehow heard her thoughts and was commenting on her parents. She panicked, before realizing she was referring to Epzo's mother. Then, she relaxed and went back to staring out into nothingness.
"Yeah, she sounds terrific." Graham sarcastically stated pulling Clarity just a bit closer to him kissing the top of her head. Clarity smiled lightly at the action.
"Your mum was wrong. We're stronger together." The Doctor told him having observed firsthand the solidarity of this human family in such a short while. Even Yaz and Dez's partnership showed strength.
A grating sound was heard breaking out over the silence that had settled after the doctor's statement along with some splashing.
"Uh, do you guys hear that?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, but I don't see anything." Callidoroha spoke up as she peered out.
"Whoa!" Yaz exclaimed grabbing onto a nearby pole as the boat tipped violently towards the back corner the chair she had been sitting on splashing into the water. Everyone looking in that direction. Yaz blocking her skin from the waters spray with her leather jacket.
"Yaz! You ok?" Dez asked her. She stood up and went to her partner's side. Yaz was the closest thing to a friend she had had in a very long time. She wasn't sure she could handle losing her if this water hurt her somehow.
"Yeah, none of it's on me." Yaz replied nodding to Dez. The boat lurching again more scraping sounds can be heard.
"There's something under us." Callidoroha hissed at the floor. "Something big." A banging sound started coming from the floor and a small dent was beginning to appear.
"That's impossible, I've checked for other organic life and there's nothing." The Doctor objected beyond confused with this planet. She pointed her sonic at the dent but still got no life signs.
"I don't feel anything either." Clarity told the Doctor doing her best to stay calm. She didn't want to cause anymore problems, but she was getting scared.
"What the hell is that!?" Dez screamed jumping on her chair pointing to the front of the boat where some kind of rock creature was attempting to climb aboard. It rocked the boat as it tried to step on. In its eye sockets was a green foggy glow, rag like things clinging all over it.
"I genuinely have no idea." The Doctor shook her head as she studied it. It seemed to be a minerally based creature which explained why it didn't turn up on her sonic's reading but beyond that the Doctor wasn't sure.
"Um, hello, can you talk? Do you have a name?" Clarity asked it. The creature made no reply and gave no indication that it had even understood her. "Well, if you don't I think I'll call you-"
"That thing's too heavy it's gonna sink us!" Epzo interrupted Clarity's naming process as he struggled in his bindings.
"Forget about sinking if anymore water gets in here we're gonna get our flesh eatin off!" Dez exclaimed as more water splashed violently into the little boat. Everyone standing on something so they didn't step in it. Save for Epzo who couldn't stand, but he put his legs up.
"Angstrom steer us out of here!" The Doctor ordered.
"I can't it's holding us in place!" Angstrom replied paling.
"Guys, that dent's getting bigger! I don't know how much longer the floor's gonna hold!" Ryan panicked.
"Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious mate!" Graham winced. "Doc, can't you do something!?"
"Uh, Yeah, Just need a moment to think. How far are we from the shore!?" the Doctor called out.
"Too far!" Callidoroha replied.
"Can't we just shove that rock thing off!?" Dez exclaimed.
"It was in the water. It's covered in microbes. It touches you...you die." The Doctor replied. "Even if we used our jackets or the tarps the water would soak through."
"So, what do we do!?" Grace demanded.
"Doctor...." Clarity looked to the time lady clearly frightened. The Doctor looked at the human beside her. There was nothing she could do. Not this time. She had nothing to work with, those solar panels were shoddy equipment. They would barley even have much force if she-wait! Force of course! The Doctor grabbed Clarity by the shoulders so she faced her. "Clarity! I need you to make a forcefield around the boat. Right now."
"What? A forcefield? I-I don't even know if I can do that." Clarity shook her head. "I barely even-"
"If you don't we're all gonna die. So just try Okay? Try. Forcefield, big as you can." The Doctor told her. "Right now. Picture it in you mind. Make it come to life."
Clarity's fingers sparked a bit, lightning crackling between both her palms.
"Clarity." The Doctor urged impatiently the dent on the floor actually resembling a rock creatures first now. It wouldn't withstand much more.
Clarity's lightning fizzled and sparked in her palms a tiny ball forming and shattering apart in her hands as the rock monster scrunched the front of the boat as if it were a sheet of tin foil. The scary noise breaking her concentration.
"Clarity!" The Doctor ordered. "Concentrate! Now!"
Clarity's hands shook as she struggled to do as the Doctor told her to. She couldn't do it. This was all too much, too new, too much pressure.
"I-I can't..."
Dez backed up hitting the pole behind her. She winced as something rather hard dug into her lower back. She let out a little gasp of realization, her and Yaz still had guns.
"Yaz! Blast it's hands!" Dez told her pulling the energy gun out of her pants.
"That might just piss it off!" Callidoroha protested.
"Well we don't have any other options!" Yaz defended Dez's idea pulling out her own weapon. The two fired at the rock monster aiming for its hands. They crumbled into sand as the energy bullets hit them, the monster making a noise of pain.
"Angstrom!" The Doctor hollered.
"On it!" Angstrom replied the boat now freed from the monsters grip zooming across the water and away from the rocks. The Doctor sonicing the panels to speed it up. The group making a safe escape.
"Everyone all right?" The Doctor asked looking at the humans and aliens around her. They all seemed to be relatively fine but it didn't hurt to check.
"Yeah, we're fine love." Grace told her.
"Good." The Doctor breathed out. As the boat drifted along the river it all went quiet again. At least it was until Epzo started to lightly snore signifying he was asleep.
"I see your mate's dropped off. It's nice to see him quiet." Graham commented starting up a conversation.
"Yeah.He can nap anywhere and anywhen no matter what's happened. Famous for it." Angstrom replied.
"A few stages ago I caught him sleeping under a pile of dalaxian straw." Callidoroha laughed a bit.
"How many stages are there in the rally?" The Doctor asked her wanting to know more about this race.
"This time? 209 terrains, 94 planets. We start the race with nothing and barter our way up."
"Is it worth it?"
"To ensure enough for my family's safety? Yeah. Albar is being systematically cleansed."
"So, that's why you said your family was as good as a bunch of criminals." Callidoroha stated in realization.
"Half my family are in hiding. The others are on the run. This is my only chance to bring us back together."
"You never told me that." Callidoroha said her head fin drooping down.
"You never asked." Angstrom replied adjusting her neckerchief.
"So you left your family to do this?" Yaz asked Angstrom.
"I left my family to try and save my family. They told me to. If I win, I find them, rescue them.
If they're alive to be rescued. And whatever happens here, it's a better chance than I have back home."
"I'll split with you if I win." Callidoroha told Angstrom. "50/50. I've never had a family, orphans lot me, it's terrible not having people."
"Are you sure?" Angstrom asked them.
"Half of 3.2 trillion krin is plenty for me. I just wanted to be able to have me own house and never work at that damn salting plant again." Callidoroha told her. "I'll still have enough to do what I want."
"I'll do the same if I win then." Angstrom smiled at her. "I'm so close now, they'll be so relieved."
"You make me miss my family. That's quite some achievement, considering my dad drives me bananas and my sister's trying to get me to move out so she can have my bedroom." Yaz spoke up smiling a bit as she thought of her family. "And I only saw them yesterday."
"Don't ever take them for granted." Angstrom told her. Yaz nodded in reply with a small smile.
"Oh, you all look shattered." Angstrom noticed looking at all the humans.
"You should all rest. I'll wake you when we get there." The Doctor told them all. All the humans drifting off to sleep.
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And that's ch 8 folks!! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! Here are some questions to answer if your fingers aren't hurting from all the scrolling you had to do. 6,000 words is a lot to read haha.
1. What did you think of the monsters?
2. What did you think of Clarity getting shot?
3. How did you feel about Epzo getting tied up by Yaz and Dez?
4. Who are you shipping and why? Has your ship changed or grown?
5. What do you want to happen in the next chapter?
6. Why do you like Doctor who?
7. What companions do you want Dez and Clarity to meet?
8. What do you think the tenth doctor would think of Clarity and Dez?
9. If we put Clarity and Dez in Good Omens, would you read that book?
10. If a slitheen fought a zygon who would win?
11. What is your favorite time travel story besides Doctor Who?
12. What episode are you most excited to see us cover? And why?
13. Who is your favorite character in Doctor Who?
14. Anything else you want to ask, rant, or tell us!