SYNOPSIS: Something had brought the Doctor and the TARDIS to an alternate Earth ravaged by...
Mass Foundations: All the World's a Stage thread 2 (Doctor Who/Fallout/Soul Calibur)
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Prologue: Opening
SYNOPSIS: Something had brought the Doctor and the TARDIS to an alternate Earth ravaged by nuclear war, and he had no idea why. That wasn't the only issue, however. He had to contend with strange creatures and supernatural, powerful beings, all with the help of a lone wanderer with a troubled past. All in a day's work in the life of the Doctor.
Hey, everyone. It took me a bit to decide whether I should do a rewrite of All the World's a Stage, but going by this prologue, you can guess what that answer was. I want to do it because, to me, the original version was lacking in some areas. There were some things left unexplained, the plot point regarding the glass creatures was rushed, etc. I hope that this would be an improvement.
Mass Foundations: All the World's a Stage
Prologue: Opening
Prologue: Opening
"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
—Murphy's Law
A spaceship, either very cleverly or very clumsily disguised as a police box, tumbled through the space-time vortex. As it landed on a street in London, a strange wheezing and groaning sound echoed in the night. Inside was a large control room sprawling beyond the deceptive doors; its many surfaces and devices awash in a golden glow. Everyone who passed through those police box doors for the first time all commented on the most remarkable thing about the box: not the many dials or central component of moving glass, but how much bigger it sprawled on the inside.
By the many-sided room was a pale, tall man with a thin face and a mop of wild silver hair. His hair went along quite well with his thick eyebrows, sharp blue eyes, and a hooked nose. His dark coat and trousers would give anyone the impression that he was a rock star still on tour. That old man was a time traveler, a Time Lord from the lost planet Gallifrey, and he was known as the Doctor.
"Whew! That was quite an adventure there, Doctor."
He wasn't alone. He turned away from the monitor. In front of him was a lithe young woman, short and rosy-skinned. Her brown hair held by a headband, she wore a red dress and a pair of sneakers with matching colors.
"Indeed, Clara. At least we made it the night before the parent-teacher conference, no?" The Doctor grinned rather awkwardly. "Never a fan of them myself. I wasn't so well-behaved when I was a child."
Clara Oswald, the young woman, rolled her eyes. "Of course. Can't say I'm surprised." She walked to the only exit.
"Try not to get yourself into trouble while I'm away," she called out like a parent requesting their child to behave. "And don't be late, okay?"
With that, she stepped out of the TARDIS and closed the door behind her.
The Doctor smirked and crossed his arms. "Ah, you know me better than that, Clara. I always find trouble, wherever that may be," he said to no one in particular.
As if on cue, frantic numbers flashed on the screen. The alarms blaring out caught the Doctor by surprise. Before he could analyze the data, the whole room—no, the entire TARDIS—shook violently, as if in the middle of an earthquake. He could barely keep his balance as he held onto the console.
Sparks flew in all directions, and loose wires dangling about. The lighting flickered a fiery red before everything turned pitch black.
In hindsight, the Time Lord wished he hadn't said those words.
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Chapter One - How did he get here, anyway?
Chapter One: Big Empty
Consciousness returned to the Doctor. With a pained groan, he stood up to his feet, clinging onto the console as support. The lighting in the main control room was still well-lit, sparing him the pain of stumbling around in the dark. He moved the monitor toward him and pressed buttons and flicked switches. The screen lit up, revealing an image gathered from one of the satellites. He would have dismissed it as his own world… if not for a brown, sickly glow over select parts of the planet.
"Something happened to this world. Radiation, most likely," he muttered to himself, his expression turning grim. He took another look at the readings. According to his current coordinates, he was somewhere south of the state of Nevada. Also, this part was one of the least radiative locations on this Earth.
He looked around the room. "Something's not right here," he mused. He stood up straight and started pacing around the console. His hand on his chin, the Time Lord fell deep into his thoughts.
"Normally, traveling between parallel universes would drain the TARDIS of all energy. Without the Time Vortex, it would be out of commission. Now, if I were prepared, it would be a temporary setback." He snapped his fingers together.
"Question: if all that applies, then why does the TARDIS still have power? Why is it still running?" He pointed his finger upward. "Answer: There is one of two possibilities. One: The Time Vortex also connects to this universe. Two: A rift in time and space has appeared, preserving the TARDIS's energy."
He stopped, as if something clicked together inside his head, and turned around slowly toward the exit. "Let's go with the latter. If that is true, then something with a vast amount of energy, enough to create a wormhole, brought me here."
He walked to the door and opened it, finding himself blinded by a burst of bright sunlight. He whipped out a pair of sunglasses from his jacket and put them on. It wasn't any ordinary pair of sunglasses. Rather, it was much like his sonic screwdriver, but wearable technology. He was so over his screwdriver, anyway.
"Something happened to this world. Radiation, most likely," he muttered to himself, his expression turning grim. He took another look at the readings. According to his current coordinates, he was somewhere south of the state of Nevada. Also, this part was one of the least radiative locations on this Earth.
He looked around the room. "Something's not right here," he mused. He stood up straight and started pacing around the console. His hand on his chin, the Time Lord fell deep into his thoughts.
"Normally, traveling between parallel universes would drain the TARDIS of all energy. Without the Time Vortex, it would be out of commission. Now, if I were prepared, it would be a temporary setback." He snapped his fingers together.
"Question: if all that applies, then why does the TARDIS still have power? Why is it still running?" He pointed his finger upward. "Answer: There is one of two possibilities. One: The Time Vortex also connects to this universe. Two: A rift in time and space has appeared, preserving the TARDIS's energy."
He stopped, as if something clicked together inside his head, and turned around slowly toward the exit. "Let's go with the latter. If that is true, then something with a vast amount of energy, enough to create a wormhole, brought me here."
He walked to the door and opened it, finding himself blinded by a burst of bright sunlight. He whipped out a pair of sunglasses from his jacket and put them on. It wasn't any ordinary pair of sunglasses. Rather, it was much like his sonic screwdriver, but wearable technology. He was so over his screwdriver, anyway.
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Codex Entry: The Time Lords
Codex Entry - Species: Time Lord
The Time Lords were a humanoid species hailing from the planet Gallifrey. Time Lords, as the name implied, had mastered time travel. As the result, they reigned over their civilization for countless millennia. Some said they lasted for tens of millions of years; others said they had been around since the dawn of time.
A cursory glance would inform anyone that Time Lords look exactly like humans. However, further analysis would dispute that. One feature unique to the Time Lords would be having an additional heart. In addition, Time Lords have the ability to cheat death (albeit temporary) known as regeneration. However, regeneration had its limits, as it can only be used twelve times, often shifting the Time Lord's mental and physical attributes, seemingly at random. In rare circumstances where an individual did an extraordinary service to the Time Lords, as with the Doctor and the Master, they could be provided with additional regenerations. Barring incidents, Time Lords could live forever.
To many, the Time Lords were no better than the monsters they face. That assumption grew over time, as the Time Lords went to war against the genocidal Daleks and took on more extreme measures that threatened to tear the very fabrications of the universe apart. In the last days of the Great Time War, many thought the Doctor had wiped out both his own people and the Daleks. In reality, he and his other incarnates had sealed Gallifrey in a pocket universe.
Somehow, the Time Lords had returned, hiding away at the end of the universe…
The Time Lords were a humanoid species hailing from the planet Gallifrey. Time Lords, as the name implied, had mastered time travel. As the result, they reigned over their civilization for countless millennia. Some said they lasted for tens of millions of years; others said they had been around since the dawn of time.
A cursory glance would inform anyone that Time Lords look exactly like humans. However, further analysis would dispute that. One feature unique to the Time Lords would be having an additional heart. In addition, Time Lords have the ability to cheat death (albeit temporary) known as regeneration. However, regeneration had its limits, as it can only be used twelve times, often shifting the Time Lord's mental and physical attributes, seemingly at random. In rare circumstances where an individual did an extraordinary service to the Time Lords, as with the Doctor and the Master, they could be provided with additional regenerations. Barring incidents, Time Lords could live forever.
To many, the Time Lords were no better than the monsters they face. That assumption grew over time, as the Time Lords went to war against the genocidal Daleks and took on more extreme measures that threatened to tear the very fabrications of the universe apart. In the last days of the Great Time War, many thought the Doctor had wiped out both his own people and the Daleks. In reality, he and his other incarnates had sealed Gallifrey in a pocket universe.
Somehow, the Time Lords had returned, hiding away at the end of the universe…
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Codex Entry: The Doctor
Codex Entry - Persons of Note: The Doctor
The Doctor was a renegade Time Lord, his age spanning millennia. Long ago on Gallifrey, the first incarnation of the Doctor took an old TARDIS and fled the planet with his granddaughter, Susan. He traveled the stars since then. For eons and over a dozen lifetimes, he defended the universe and his favorite planet Earth against many adversaries, from the Daleks and the Cybermen to the Weeping Angels and the Zygon among them.
Almost always, he was seen with a companion at his side. With them, the Doctor would be able to appreciate their awe of the universe, as he saw many things many times over. Their journeys with the Doctor had left a tremendous impact on their lives, though some had met tragic and grisly fates.
While committed to the idea of peace, the Doctor had a dark, ruthless side to his personality, which manifested more in some of his previous incarnations. He was manipulative and cunning to friend and enemy alike, often playing a part in his enemies' defeat or, worse, demise. Indeed, the word 'doctor' can be translated into 'warrior' in some languages. However, many saw him as a compassionate savior and hero, worthy of their admiration.
The Doctor was a renegade Time Lord, his age spanning millennia. Long ago on Gallifrey, the first incarnation of the Doctor took an old TARDIS and fled the planet with his granddaughter, Susan. He traveled the stars since then. For eons and over a dozen lifetimes, he defended the universe and his favorite planet Earth against many adversaries, from the Daleks and the Cybermen to the Weeping Angels and the Zygon among them.
Almost always, he was seen with a companion at his side. With them, the Doctor would be able to appreciate their awe of the universe, as he saw many things many times over. Their journeys with the Doctor had left a tremendous impact on their lives, though some had met tragic and grisly fates.
While committed to the idea of peace, the Doctor had a dark, ruthless side to his personality, which manifested more in some of his previous incarnations. He was manipulative and cunning to friend and enemy alike, often playing a part in his enemies' defeat or, worse, demise. Indeed, the word 'doctor' can be translated into 'warrior' in some languages. However, many saw him as a compassionate savior and hero, worthy of their admiration.
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Codex Entry: The TARDIS
Codex Entry - Technology: TARDIS
Short for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, a TARDIS was a sapient vehicle that can travel through time and space. A specific one the Doctor took on Gallifrey was an old Type-40 model. Whenever they materialize, they made a wheezing and groaning sound. To some, that sound was enough to bring hope to anyone, no matter how lost they were.
There were many types of TARDISes, sharing many functions with one another, including advanced security features and computer systems. One such was the chameleon circuit. It allowed the TARDIS to blend in her surroundings, depending on the time and place. The circuit for the Doctor's TARDIS broke down when it first landed on Earth in the mid-20th century, retaining the appearance of a blue police box. Another was the TARDIS' ability to have the size of her interiors being bigger than her interior. This was known as dimensional transcendentalism, thought to be impossible by many since it violated three-dimensional Euclidean geometry.
As sentient beings, they can create telepathic bonds with individual users, giving them benefits such as translating various languages into their native tongue. TARDISes were also capable of taking independent action, including mourning their pilots' deaths.
Short for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, a TARDIS was a sapient vehicle that can travel through time and space. A specific one the Doctor took on Gallifrey was an old Type-40 model. Whenever they materialize, they made a wheezing and groaning sound. To some, that sound was enough to bring hope to anyone, no matter how lost they were.
There were many types of TARDISes, sharing many functions with one another, including advanced security features and computer systems. One such was the chameleon circuit. It allowed the TARDIS to blend in her surroundings, depending on the time and place. The circuit for the Doctor's TARDIS broke down when it first landed on Earth in the mid-20th century, retaining the appearance of a blue police box. Another was the TARDIS' ability to have the size of her interiors being bigger than her interior. This was known as dimensional transcendentalism, thought to be impossible by many since it violated three-dimensional Euclidean geometry.
As sentient beings, they can create telepathic bonds with individual users, giving them benefits such as translating various languages into their native tongue. TARDISes were also capable of taking independent action, including mourning their pilots' deaths.
Chapter One: A Touch of Glass - How did he get here, anyway? v2
Chapter One: A Touch of Glass
Consciousness returned to the Doctor. With a pained groan, he stood up to his feet, clinging to the console for support. The main control room was still well-lit, sparing him the pain of stumbling around in the dark. He moved the monitor toward him and pressed buttons and flicked switches. The screen lit up, revealing an image gathered from one of the satellites. He would have dismissed it as his own world by the early 2010s, if not for a brown, sickly glow over select parts of the planet, the year being 2286.
"Something happened to this world. Radiation, most likely," he muttered to himself, his expression turning grim. He took another look at the readings. According to his current coordinates, he was somewhere in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.
He looked around the room. "Something's not right here," he mused. He stood up straight and started pacing around the console. His hand on his chin, the Time Lord fell deep into his thoughts.
"Normally, traveling between parallel universes would drain the TARDIS of all energy. Without the Time Vortex, it would be out of commission. Now, if I were prepared, it would be a temporary setback." He snapped his fingers together.
"Question: if all that applies, then why does the TARDIS still have power? Why is it still running?" He pointed his finger upward. "Answer: There is one of two possibilities. One: The Time Vortex also connects to this universe. Two: A rift in time and space has appeared, preserving the TARDIS's energy."
The Doctor looked at the monitor after pressing more buttons. The monitor now read:
RIFT DETECTED
SEVERITY: LOW
SIZE: SMALLER THAN BELGIUM
"Well, that sounds more than anticlimactic," the Doctor commented. "Question is, where is it?"
Another command prompt and the monitor now read:
SCANNING – IN PROGRESS…
He scoffed. "Of course, you ol' girl. Of course."
He was about to step away from the console, if not for the sudden buzzing coming out of the radio attached to the console. The Doctor recognized it was a distress signal.
"This is Knight Jefferson of the Brotherhood of Steel, requesting backup," the man on the radio spoke. By the tone of his voice, he was trying to stay calm despite whatever chaos went on in the background. "We have arrived at Baltimore at 0432 hours today. Something has been picking off my men. They're not deathclaws, super mutants, not even those ferals. Whatever these creatures are, they're worse. Much worse." The radio buzzed as the man paused before continuing.
"There were… eight of us. Now, there's me and Initiate Samuel. There's a RobCo facility in Baltimore. You'll recognize it when you see the sign at the front. We're holed up in one of the storage rooms. Whatever you do, avoid the broken pieces of glass. I repeat, avoid the broken glass. They form bodies around them. That's how they got to my team!"
There was a faint echo, almost like a growl, followed by banging noises soon after. Another voice, that of a younger man, said in a panicked tone, "Sir? They're here."
The older man sighed as if he resigned himself to his fate. "I see." A hum sounded out. It wasn't the man humming. It was a machine humming to life. "Relay the signal and loop this message. Steel be with us."
The message ended right there before looping back to the start. The Time Lord turned off the radio. He heard enough.
"I don't know if I'm too late to save him," the Time Lord stated. "But whatever is causing this nightmare, I'll put an end to it. Wherever the universe—or any universe, really—call for help, it shows its true face. I show mine by my response."
He set out to the exit behind him but paused, nodding with a small smirk on his face. "Hm, I probably should say that again someday. With some refinement, of course." He smiled. "Bet Clara would love to hear it."
"Something happened to this world. Radiation, most likely," he muttered to himself, his expression turning grim. He took another look at the readings. According to his current coordinates, he was somewhere in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.
He looked around the room. "Something's not right here," he mused. He stood up straight and started pacing around the console. His hand on his chin, the Time Lord fell deep into his thoughts.
"Normally, traveling between parallel universes would drain the TARDIS of all energy. Without the Time Vortex, it would be out of commission. Now, if I were prepared, it would be a temporary setback." He snapped his fingers together.
"Question: if all that applies, then why does the TARDIS still have power? Why is it still running?" He pointed his finger upward. "Answer: There is one of two possibilities. One: The Time Vortex also connects to this universe. Two: A rift in time and space has appeared, preserving the TARDIS's energy."
The Doctor looked at the monitor after pressing more buttons. The monitor now read:
RIFT DETECTED
SEVERITY: LOW
SIZE: SMALLER THAN BELGIUM
"Well, that sounds more than anticlimactic," the Doctor commented. "Question is, where is it?"
Another command prompt and the monitor now read:
SCANNING – IN PROGRESS…
He scoffed. "Of course, you ol' girl. Of course."
He was about to step away from the console, if not for the sudden buzzing coming out of the radio attached to the console. The Doctor recognized it was a distress signal.
"This is Knight Jefferson of the Brotherhood of Steel, requesting backup," the man on the radio spoke. By the tone of his voice, he was trying to stay calm despite whatever chaos went on in the background. "We have arrived at Baltimore at 0432 hours today. Something has been picking off my men. They're not deathclaws, super mutants, not even those ferals. Whatever these creatures are, they're worse. Much worse." The radio buzzed as the man paused before continuing.
"There were… eight of us. Now, there's me and Initiate Samuel. There's a RobCo facility in Baltimore. You'll recognize it when you see the sign at the front. We're holed up in one of the storage rooms. Whatever you do, avoid the broken pieces of glass. I repeat, avoid the broken glass. They form bodies around them. That's how they got to my team!"
There was a faint echo, almost like a growl, followed by banging noises soon after. Another voice, that of a younger man, said in a panicked tone, "Sir? They're here."
The older man sighed as if he resigned himself to his fate. "I see." A hum sounded out. It wasn't the man humming. It was a machine humming to life. "Relay the signal and loop this message. Steel be with us."
The message ended right there before looping back to the start. The Time Lord turned off the radio. He heard enough.
"I don't know if I'm too late to save him," the Time Lord stated. "But whatever is causing this nightmare, I'll put an end to it. Wherever the universe—or any universe, really—call for help, it shows its true face. I show mine by my response."
He set out to the exit behind him but paused, nodding with a small smirk on his face. "Hm, I probably should say that again someday. With some refinement, of course." He smiled. "Bet Clara would love to hear it."
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Chapter One: A Touch of Glass - Inside the RobCo Facility; the logs
Stepping out of the TARDIS, he looked around and saw crumbling, ruined buildings that stretched for miles. The streets were filled with rusted and broken down 1950s-style cars, something that made the Time Lord raise an eyebrow. What inconvenienced him as he walked around was the debris that randomly fell from some old building many years ago. Centuries, from the looks of it.
Another thing that hindered him was the street lights. He dreaded that at any moment, a streetlight could shorten out and leave him in utter darkness. Either that, or it would flicker in an out.
He looked up at the nighttime sky, still pacing around. "At least there are stars," he remarked to no one in particular.
Aside from the howling winds and the scuttles of old paper flying about, there was an uneasy silence filling the air. He never saw a single soul nor creature.
Of course, he mused. Pockets of radiation, a ruined city; it was clear this Earth had suffered from atomic annihilation, as some had predicted back on his Earth.
Going down another block away from the blue box and around a corner, he saw a sign flashing and flickering on the front side of an otherwise unassuming office building, only about a few stories tall. There was only one word plastered on the wall: RobCo.
With a determined look, the Doctor brisk across the street and opened the double-doors. Inside was a large lobby room complete with formerly comfy chairs and a desk at the other end of the room. What was surprising was that the lights were still on and functioning, abet yellow and worn down from neglect. The plain paint had peeled off from the walls and ceilings due to centuries worth of worn and neglect.
He even tasted something in the air. "Mold. And… dust particles." He licked the dust off his fingers before spitting them out. His face wrinkled in disgust. "How this managed to get through environmental regulations is beyond me," he remarked sardonically. "Oh, right…"
There were also inert robots placed on display all around him. Most of them were biped in shape with stiff legs and wiggly tubes for arms, like they shameless ripped off The Forbidden Planet and other b-movies. One robot that stood out was very large and very bulky, standing on four-legged wheels; the other was a round torso with three arms and eyes folded toward it.
There was no doubt this Earth stuck with everything about the 1950s to the bitter end.
Much to his disappointment, however, each inscription was scratched off in some chaotic pattern.
Everywhere he looked, from some of the bathrooms to the offices, there were signs of an intense battle that he was glad he missed out on. Scorch marks on the floor and the walls, random metal pieces laid out everywhere, and strangely enough, claw marks, three parallel to each other and in equal length and depth.
And on every occasion, he could hear heavy footsteps above him, bits of wood falling off, trailing along with them. While the Doctor's hearts nearly leap with joy, he couldn't help but wonder: was it Jefferson? Samuel? Or was it someone else, a guest like him?
While exploring another office adjacent to the lobby, he spotted a glowing screen in the darkness. When he crept closer, he found it was a blocky computer with an integrated keyboard. He couldn't find a mouse, though.
A smile spread wide across his face. "Oh, I do love those pop-up buttons. Everything was so swipy these days!" he made a sweeping motion with his right hand before pressing the red power button next to the screen.
A series of green letters line out as a block of the same color traveled to the right, spelling out:
Another thing that hindered him was the street lights. He dreaded that at any moment, a streetlight could shorten out and leave him in utter darkness. Either that, or it would flicker in an out.
He looked up at the nighttime sky, still pacing around. "At least there are stars," he remarked to no one in particular.
Aside from the howling winds and the scuttles of old paper flying about, there was an uneasy silence filling the air. He never saw a single soul nor creature.
Of course, he mused. Pockets of radiation, a ruined city; it was clear this Earth had suffered from atomic annihilation, as some had predicted back on his Earth.
Going down another block away from the blue box and around a corner, he saw a sign flashing and flickering on the front side of an otherwise unassuming office building, only about a few stories tall. There was only one word plastered on the wall: RobCo.
With a determined look, the Doctor brisk across the street and opened the double-doors. Inside was a large lobby room complete with formerly comfy chairs and a desk at the other end of the room. What was surprising was that the lights were still on and functioning, abet yellow and worn down from neglect. The plain paint had peeled off from the walls and ceilings due to centuries worth of worn and neglect.
He even tasted something in the air. "Mold. And… dust particles." He licked the dust off his fingers before spitting them out. His face wrinkled in disgust. "How this managed to get through environmental regulations is beyond me," he remarked sardonically. "Oh, right…"
There were also inert robots placed on display all around him. Most of them were biped in shape with stiff legs and wiggly tubes for arms, like they shameless ripped off The Forbidden Planet and other b-movies. One robot that stood out was very large and very bulky, standing on four-legged wheels; the other was a round torso with three arms and eyes folded toward it.
There was no doubt this Earth stuck with everything about the 1950s to the bitter end.
Much to his disappointment, however, each inscription was scratched off in some chaotic pattern.
Everywhere he looked, from some of the bathrooms to the offices, there were signs of an intense battle that he was glad he missed out on. Scorch marks on the floor and the walls, random metal pieces laid out everywhere, and strangely enough, claw marks, three parallel to each other and in equal length and depth.
And on every occasion, he could hear heavy footsteps above him, bits of wood falling off, trailing along with them. While the Doctor's hearts nearly leap with joy, he couldn't help but wonder: was it Jefferson? Samuel? Or was it someone else, a guest like him?
While exploring another office adjacent to the lobby, he spotted a glowing screen in the darkness. When he crept closer, he found it was a blocky computer with an integrated keyboard. He couldn't find a mouse, though.
A smile spread wide across his face. "Oh, I do love those pop-up buttons. Everything was so swipy these days!" he made a sweeping motion with his right hand before pressing the red power button next to the screen.
A series of green letters line out as a block of the same color traveled to the right, spelling out:
ROBCO INDUSTRIES UNIFIED OPERATING SYSTEM
COPYRIGHT 2075-2077 ROBCO INDUSTRIES
-Server 16-
COPYRIGHT 2075-2077 ROBCO INDUSTRIES
-Server 16-
Welcome, Kevin Ross.
Below were several lines marked as dates. Pressing the enter key on the first one brought him to a log detailing his first day on the job. He found it really boring, so he skipped that one out. The next one detailed his date, claiming that how his girlfriend would always belong to him, and all that creepy and melancholic stuff.
The next log entry, and the next, and the next were all boring to him.
8/16/2077 – Nerd brought something
Intrigued, the Doctor selected this one and pressed the enter key once more.
Out of the blue, one of the researchers came from another facility in Portland with a glass orb. He said he got it from an expedition in Afghanistan. He showed it to the others and I admit it does look rather pretty. Why he didn't bring it over to the government, a museum, or whatever was beyond me. Never got the chance to ask some questions.
My shift ended early, so I'm outta here.
********************
8/30/2077 – That look in his eyes
All I did was ask him how he was doing, and he gave me that look—the one that screamed, "I am going to kill you." Aside from him muttering about the orb, said he kept it in the basement, he said nothing. That creeped me out bad. I filed a complaint to HR and they said they would look into this. Matter of fact, he was never transferred here, like he decided to live here or something.
********************
9/17/2077 – Whispers
I swear to god, I thought someone was standing right next to me, whispering in my ear. But no one was at my desk. What the hell is going on?
I'm leaving early. My boss will understand.
********************
10/19/2077 – Incident
Bastard scientist tried to attack my coworkers. All he got was being institutionalized. Good riddance. That wasn't the end of it, however. Things have gotten worse since he left. It started out with glass breaking, mostly mirrors and windows. Our janitor wasn't thrilled about cleaning up the mess. Neither was our boss.
We've been on a shoestring budget for a while, so we were had to cancel some projects to pay for the mess. Thrilling.
The other guys went in to investigate in the basement but didn't bring anything up. All they told me was not to go in the basement and not to tell anyone. Didn't stop me from writing this down. Idiots.
********************
10/25/2077 – Friend got hurt
Malcolm was at the hospital. He got cuts and bruises all. How he was alive was anyone's guess. Someone or something attacked him with something sharp, which would explain a lot. I stopped by to check to see if he was okay. In the meantime, the police stopped by my workplace. Their investigations turned up empty. Were they slacking off or am I missing something here?
I got a bad feeling about this.
Strangely enough, the next entry did not have a date, but it was titled. It was labeled 'THAT ORB'.
As if the bombs falling wasn't enough, the orb that paradise in comparison.
The same thing that happened to the egghead was happening to me right now. It called to me, whispered my name. I couldn't help myself, so I unlocked the door to the basement and looked inside. Now I wish I hadn't.
Something had been killing my friends. I'm getting out of here with that spare hazmat suit I conveniently found. To hell with the radiation. If you want to live, then whatever you do, if the colors of the glass don't match, AVOID THEM!
If you don't, well... don't say I didn't warn you.
The sound of breaking glass from a nearby room broke the Doctor's concentration.
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Chapter One: A Touch of Glass - The glass creature; meet the Lone Wanderer!
The Doctor craned his neck backward with a sigh. "Can't I get a moment of peace to myself? Is that so hard to ask?"
More glass broke, this time from the hallway outside.
He turned around and stepped away from the terminal, his right foot stepping on something that crunched under his weight. He knelt to inspect what he stepped on. Some of the pieces of glass to the floor were of different colors, and they seemed to be moving on its own. Seconds later the small pieces formed into a smile and it wasn't the friendly type.
His thoughts turned to what the last entry log on the terminal warned him about. Chitters, like glass pinging together, could easily be heard. He was not alone here.
A quick survey of the room revealed a plain, metal cabinet on the well-lit side of the room. With quiet footing, he hurried across, avoiding the ever-shifting pieces of glass on the floor. As he made it, he searched every inch of the cabinet, both in the inside and on the outside, for any piece of glass with mismatched colors. Finding nothing, the Doctor squeezed into the only spot he could fit into and shut the door.
It was dark and very difficult to move it, the worst nightmare a claustrophobe could ever have. The Time Lord slowed his breathing down to not draw attention to whatever was out there, looking for him. Aside from that, the other things he heard were more glassing pining along with growling and hissing.
The noises went on for minutes. The Doctor considered himself lucky that whatever hadn't found him yet.
Everything went quiet after that. He opened the door and hopped out of the cabinet. He made his way out of the office and surveyed the well-lit hallway. He did not want any nasty surprises waiting in the dark.
Finding nothing, he went to the stairs and onto the next floor. This one was very much like the one below: well-lit and empty but had several doors on both sides. As he stepped in, there was a loud crack, bringing his attention to the source, which came from the end of the hallway in front of him. He froze, his eyes wide open.
Something emerged from the shadows, and it was not organic.
It was roughly in shape of a lizard—larger than a dog—and made of glass shards of every possible color and opacity, with four legs of slightly varying lengths. Its head resembled that of a spider with three dark orb-like eyes at each of its face and perfectly smooth pincers at the front. Each spike lining on its back, from the tip of its tail to the base of its head, was a spiral. Its tail had curved upwards in the shape of a question mark, and larger shards jutted out from its underside at such extreme angles.
It wasn't like any other creature he had seen and indeed it seemed impossible just by looking at it, but the Doctor had seen the impossible many times before.
The glass creature seemed to be going through the glass from a terminal that crashed on the floor. It sorted through the larger glass shards from the smaller ones with its tiny crystalline claws, sniffing at them.
The Doctor could barely make a move before the creature took notice of him.
"Good… kitty-spider… glass…" he whispered, his hands raised in front of him.
The creature hissed and pounced, zipping down the hallway like a lightning bolt. He would have made a run for it, if not for a sudden of blue light appearing behind the creature, disintegrating instantly.
He looked and saw a large, imposing figure in the room at the end of the hallway.
"Are you alright?" the stranger asked as she stepped out of the room with footsteps that sounded like hydraulics doing its work. Her gray armor was massive, covering her from head to toe. Her helmet's visor had angled downward, giving her quite a menacing look. The armor's bulkiness, especially in the shoulders and torso, made her look like a tank on legs.
"I'm fine, thank you," the Doctor answered, finally lowering his hands. He flared and rubbed his nostrils, then his lips, together to settle his nerves.
The woman approached the Doctor, towering over him by about half a meter or so. She took a glance at him, almost as if she was studying him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, no thanks to her helmet.
"Most scavengers to dirtier than you are. And they also carry junk and other stuff," the stranger pointed out. "Who are you?"
The Doctor stepped past her and stared at the ash pile. "I'm the Doctor." He turned at the armored stranger. "Nice to meet you." He turned back at the pile and took a pinch of it. "So you came here to investigate Jefferson's signal?" He tasted the pinch, only to spit it back out. Nothing out of the ordinary, he noted. "Either he and this Samuel were very good at hiding or these things have already disposed of them already."
"They're dead," the stranger replied. She showed him dog tags hanging from her right hand. One tag informed him of a man's expiration date, which went back hours before; the other had his name on it—Seth Jefferson.
"I see." He hung his head low. "What a shame. Were you planning on retrieving them?"
"I just happened to be in the neighborhood." She put the dog tags in a pouch on wrapped around her waist. "Not a good time to talk about my dealings with the Brotherhood of Steel right now. One of the terminals I hacked into said some orb was causing this."
"Of course." The Doctor stood up. "Same terminal by Kevin Ross?"
"No, different person," she corrected him.
He turned to her, finding himself gawking at a rifle that resembled a grenade rifle but with a blocky rifle held in her hands. "What's that?"
The woman in armor lowered her rifle and briefly investigated it. "It's a holorifle. A friend gave it to me years ago."
"What happened to your friend?"
She paused, and he could sense that sad sign behind her helmet. "He's gone." With that, she went past the Doctor. "You coming? The terminals say the orb's in the basement. If destroying it could save more lives to come, I'm all for it."
"Of course," the Doctor replied. Nice to find someone willing to risk their lives for a good cause. He started to head out and follow her, only to stop midway through. "Oh, what's your name?"
"My name's Jocelyn Song. A lot of people called me the Lone Wanderer back in the Capital Wasteland," the woman replied, looking back. She turned back to her general direction and continued walking, and the Doctor followed close behind.
More glass broke, this time from the hallway outside.
He turned around and stepped away from the terminal, his right foot stepping on something that crunched under his weight. He knelt to inspect what he stepped on. Some of the pieces of glass to the floor were of different colors, and they seemed to be moving on its own. Seconds later the small pieces formed into a smile and it wasn't the friendly type.
His thoughts turned to what the last entry log on the terminal warned him about. Chitters, like glass pinging together, could easily be heard. He was not alone here.
A quick survey of the room revealed a plain, metal cabinet on the well-lit side of the room. With quiet footing, he hurried across, avoiding the ever-shifting pieces of glass on the floor. As he made it, he searched every inch of the cabinet, both in the inside and on the outside, for any piece of glass with mismatched colors. Finding nothing, the Doctor squeezed into the only spot he could fit into and shut the door.
It was dark and very difficult to move it, the worst nightmare a claustrophobe could ever have. The Time Lord slowed his breathing down to not draw attention to whatever was out there, looking for him. Aside from that, the other things he heard were more glassing pining along with growling and hissing.
The noises went on for minutes. The Doctor considered himself lucky that whatever hadn't found him yet.
Everything went quiet after that. He opened the door and hopped out of the cabinet. He made his way out of the office and surveyed the well-lit hallway. He did not want any nasty surprises waiting in the dark.
Finding nothing, he went to the stairs and onto the next floor. This one was very much like the one below: well-lit and empty but had several doors on both sides. As he stepped in, there was a loud crack, bringing his attention to the source, which came from the end of the hallway in front of him. He froze, his eyes wide open.
Something emerged from the shadows, and it was not organic.
It was roughly in shape of a lizard—larger than a dog—and made of glass shards of every possible color and opacity, with four legs of slightly varying lengths. Its head resembled that of a spider with three dark orb-like eyes at each of its face and perfectly smooth pincers at the front. Each spike lining on its back, from the tip of its tail to the base of its head, was a spiral. Its tail had curved upwards in the shape of a question mark, and larger shards jutted out from its underside at such extreme angles.
It wasn't like any other creature he had seen and indeed it seemed impossible just by looking at it, but the Doctor had seen the impossible many times before.
The glass creature seemed to be going through the glass from a terminal that crashed on the floor. It sorted through the larger glass shards from the smaller ones with its tiny crystalline claws, sniffing at them.
The Doctor could barely make a move before the creature took notice of him.
"Good… kitty-spider… glass…" he whispered, his hands raised in front of him.
The creature hissed and pounced, zipping down the hallway like a lightning bolt. He would have made a run for it, if not for a sudden of blue light appearing behind the creature, disintegrating instantly.
He looked and saw a large, imposing figure in the room at the end of the hallway.
"Are you alright?" the stranger asked as she stepped out of the room with footsteps that sounded like hydraulics doing its work. Her gray armor was massive, covering her from head to toe. Her helmet's visor had angled downward, giving her quite a menacing look. The armor's bulkiness, especially in the shoulders and torso, made her look like a tank on legs.
"I'm fine, thank you," the Doctor answered, finally lowering his hands. He flared and rubbed his nostrils, then his lips, together to settle his nerves.
The woman approached the Doctor, towering over him by about half a meter or so. She took a glance at him, almost as if she was studying him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, no thanks to her helmet.
"Most scavengers to dirtier than you are. And they also carry junk and other stuff," the stranger pointed out. "Who are you?"
The Doctor stepped past her and stared at the ash pile. "I'm the Doctor." He turned at the armored stranger. "Nice to meet you." He turned back at the pile and took a pinch of it. "So you came here to investigate Jefferson's signal?" He tasted the pinch, only to spit it back out. Nothing out of the ordinary, he noted. "Either he and this Samuel were very good at hiding or these things have already disposed of them already."
"They're dead," the stranger replied. She showed him dog tags hanging from her right hand. One tag informed him of a man's expiration date, which went back hours before; the other had his name on it—Seth Jefferson.
"I see." He hung his head low. "What a shame. Were you planning on retrieving them?"
"I just happened to be in the neighborhood." She put the dog tags in a pouch on wrapped around her waist. "Not a good time to talk about my dealings with the Brotherhood of Steel right now. One of the terminals I hacked into said some orb was causing this."
"Of course." The Doctor stood up. "Same terminal by Kevin Ross?"
"No, different person," she corrected him.
He turned to her, finding himself gawking at a rifle that resembled a grenade rifle but with a blocky rifle held in her hands. "What's that?"
The woman in armor lowered her rifle and briefly investigated it. "It's a holorifle. A friend gave it to me years ago."
"What happened to your friend?"
She paused, and he could sense that sad sign behind her helmet. "He's gone." With that, she went past the Doctor. "You coming? The terminals say the orb's in the basement. If destroying it could save more lives to come, I'm all for it."
"Of course," the Doctor replied. Nice to find someone willing to risk their lives for a good cause. He started to head out and follow her, only to stop midway through. "Oh, what's your name?"
"My name's Jocelyn Song. A lot of people called me the Lone Wanderer back in the Capital Wasteland," the woman replied, looking back. She turned back to her general direction and continued walking, and the Doctor followed close behind.
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Chapter One: A Touch of Glass - The terminal
They spent the next several minutes traversing from one room to another, their eyes alert for any of the glass creatures. Unfortunately, they had to travel upstairs to traverse around debris that blocked their way to the basement. Up there, on a walkway, as they snuck through the assembly line, they saw two of the creatures gnawing on one of the dome-shaped robots' head.
Jocelyn was ready to fire her holorifle as she leaned against the rail. She hesitated when the Doctor laid a hand on her wrist, silently urging her not to get unwanted attention. She nodded in response and they passed through without incident, despite her armor making some noise with each step she took.
They arrived at a storage room on the ground floor, and the Doctor gazed around the area. The room was overfilled, stuff with empty cabinets and broken terminals laid top. At the end of the room was a metal door with a cog in the center. To the right was a terminal mounted on the wall. Jocelyn hung her gun around her chest and approached the door. With steady hands, she gripped the cog and twisted it. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get it open, let alone move it slightly.
"Need help?" the Doctor asked in a slight snide tone as he watched nearby.
"Nope, I'm good," she grunted.
He cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Doesn't that armor enhance your strength? I mean, just look at you! You're huge wearing that thing!"
"Yeah, but… size isn't everything, Doctor." The wanderer had let go of the cog with a shake of her head and a sigh. "This door's tougher than I thought. The RobCo guys who sealed this orb really did not want it out."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, of course they don't want it out! It didn't really work out for them, don't you think?"
She ignored his remark as she turned her attention to the terminal. When she pressed the power button, the keyboard unfolded into view. "Gimme a moment. I just need to hack through this terminal's security system. Once I get in, I can unlock this damn thing. And keep an eye out, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," the Doctor nodded with a smirk, watching Jocelyn do her thing. A casual glance around the room, finding yet again none of the glass creatures in sight. He got a bad feeling about this.
With his arms folded in front of him, he couldn't help but ponder in his mind. If this all could go well, then they would part ways without incident, and he would surely lose his chance to inquire about her history. Given her hesitation, it wasn't a pleasant one. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try.
"Earlier, you mentioned you this… Brotherhood of yours," the Doctor spoke.
Jocelyn said nothing. He hoped she was focused on the terminal and not ignoring him. Because that would be rather rude of her.
He sighed as he rubbed his face. "Look. If you don't want to talk about, that's fine. Really. I understand. Not everybody wants to talk about their past traumas. But I don't think you'll, you know…" He shrugged with curled lips. "Find closure. Get the chance to get that it off your chest. Cathartics. Because if you don't, you're going to wonder for the rest of your life whether you would get another chance and regret not taking it the first time 'round." He paused for a second before taking a deep breath. "Wouldn't you want to take that chance? It would do you a whole lot of good. Trust me on this."
Finally, as if on cue, Jocelyn pressed enter on the right word flashing on the screen among lines of random symbols and other words that made no sense in rhyme or pattern. "Alright, we're in," she said, relieved her hacking attempt worked. Inputting another commanded made the door open of its own accord. The cog sprung as the two outer parts sliding into the walls, the metal lowered into the floor with metal grinding against each other. It wasn't a pleasant sound, to say the least. At least nobody else in their vacancy had heard it, judging by the silent response.
Ahead of them was a passageway wrapped in a thick blanket of darkness.
The Doctor took a step toward her. "Have you listened to a word I said?" he asked firmly, his mouth forming into a stern frown.
The Lone Wanderer turned on the lamplight at the side of her helmet, as if controlled by her thoughts. The headlight revealed a stairway just after a sharp turn to the left. "Yeah, I hear you."
"Since we'll be going down these stairs, don't you think this would be an excellent time?" He pointed his finger at the passageway.
"You can say that," she picked up her rifle and braced it against her shoulder. "If anything happens to me, do you know how to defend yourself?" she asked.
"That seems a little dark." He looked at Jocelyn. "Have I told you I'm not big on guns?"
She turned to the Doctor. With the way she tilted her helmet, he had this feeling she was giving him a curious look. "No, I haven't. You're not from around here, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not," he quickly answered. "I'll explain later."
Jocelyn was ready to fire her holorifle as she leaned against the rail. She hesitated when the Doctor laid a hand on her wrist, silently urging her not to get unwanted attention. She nodded in response and they passed through without incident, despite her armor making some noise with each step she took.
They arrived at a storage room on the ground floor, and the Doctor gazed around the area. The room was overfilled, stuff with empty cabinets and broken terminals laid top. At the end of the room was a metal door with a cog in the center. To the right was a terminal mounted on the wall. Jocelyn hung her gun around her chest and approached the door. With steady hands, she gripped the cog and twisted it. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get it open, let alone move it slightly.
"Need help?" the Doctor asked in a slight snide tone as he watched nearby.
"Nope, I'm good," she grunted.
He cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Doesn't that armor enhance your strength? I mean, just look at you! You're huge wearing that thing!"
"Yeah, but… size isn't everything, Doctor." The wanderer had let go of the cog with a shake of her head and a sigh. "This door's tougher than I thought. The RobCo guys who sealed this orb really did not want it out."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, of course they don't want it out! It didn't really work out for them, don't you think?"
She ignored his remark as she turned her attention to the terminal. When she pressed the power button, the keyboard unfolded into view. "Gimme a moment. I just need to hack through this terminal's security system. Once I get in, I can unlock this damn thing. And keep an eye out, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," the Doctor nodded with a smirk, watching Jocelyn do her thing. A casual glance around the room, finding yet again none of the glass creatures in sight. He got a bad feeling about this.
With his arms folded in front of him, he couldn't help but ponder in his mind. If this all could go well, then they would part ways without incident, and he would surely lose his chance to inquire about her history. Given her hesitation, it wasn't a pleasant one. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try.
"Earlier, you mentioned you this… Brotherhood of yours," the Doctor spoke.
Jocelyn said nothing. He hoped she was focused on the terminal and not ignoring him. Because that would be rather rude of her.
He sighed as he rubbed his face. "Look. If you don't want to talk about, that's fine. Really. I understand. Not everybody wants to talk about their past traumas. But I don't think you'll, you know…" He shrugged with curled lips. "Find closure. Get the chance to get that it off your chest. Cathartics. Because if you don't, you're going to wonder for the rest of your life whether you would get another chance and regret not taking it the first time 'round." He paused for a second before taking a deep breath. "Wouldn't you want to take that chance? It would do you a whole lot of good. Trust me on this."
Finally, as if on cue, Jocelyn pressed enter on the right word flashing on the screen among lines of random symbols and other words that made no sense in rhyme or pattern. "Alright, we're in," she said, relieved her hacking attempt worked. Inputting another commanded made the door open of its own accord. The cog sprung as the two outer parts sliding into the walls, the metal lowered into the floor with metal grinding against each other. It wasn't a pleasant sound, to say the least. At least nobody else in their vacancy had heard it, judging by the silent response.
Ahead of them was a passageway wrapped in a thick blanket of darkness.
The Doctor took a step toward her. "Have you listened to a word I said?" he asked firmly, his mouth forming into a stern frown.
The Lone Wanderer turned on the lamplight at the side of her helmet, as if controlled by her thoughts. The headlight revealed a stairway just after a sharp turn to the left. "Yeah, I hear you."
"Since we'll be going down these stairs, don't you think this would be an excellent time?" He pointed his finger at the passageway.
"You can say that," she picked up her rifle and braced it against her shoulder. "If anything happens to me, do you know how to defend yourself?" she asked.
"That seems a little dark." He looked at Jocelyn. "Have I told you I'm not big on guns?"
She turned to the Doctor. With the way she tilted her helmet, he had this feeling she was giving him a curious look. "No, I haven't. You're not from around here, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not," he quickly answered. "I'll explain later."
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Chapter One: A Touch of Glass - Let me tell you my long and tragic backstory!
"Okay, then," said the Lone Wanderer, talking it in stride. Either that, or she wasn't sure what to expect.
She was the first to enter, and the Doctor was next. Since her headlight was the only source of light here, they had to take it slowly of where they stop as they descended on the stairs.
"Why don't we start things out with you?" the Doctor asked. "So… where did you come from?"
"I grew up in a fallout vault not long after my mom died giving birth to me," Jocelyn answered.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. My dad really loved her. He said he was passionate about a lot of things. About life."
"Sounded like your mother was a good person," the Doctor commented.
"Yeah."
"What was your vault like?"
That question made her go quiet for a moment. "It was like paradise back then, when I was younger. I was safe there, I had people looking after me, I didn't have to worry about anything, and there wasn't much fighting…" There was a wistful tone in her voice. "Until my dad left."
The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, his mouth forming into a frown. "Your father doesn't exactly like a role model to me, abandoning you like that."
"He had a good reason," she insisted. "And besides, my vault and many others like it weren't meant to save anyone."
"They were experiments, then," the Doctor guessed.
"Exactly. I've heard of a few vaults that did what they were advertised to do back before the War," the Lone Wanderer explained. "My vault was designed to make sure nobody would enter the vault, and nobody would ever leave. My dad was looking for a GECK that would make Project Purity work properly. The GECK's short for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit. It's designed to terraform the landscape to something livable for part of the planet."
"And this project does what, exactly?"
"To provide clean water in the wasteland," the Wanderer answered. "Where I came from, it was one of the worst places you could live in. It was my parents' life work that the project could purify the whole of the Potomac River. I searched for my dad far and wide, and I did find him. We resumed the project afterward, but…" She paused. "…But he died protecting me and his work."
"And you went to the Brotherhood of Steel for help."
"That's right. It took a lot of effort, finding the GECK and retaking the facility, but we did it," said Jocelyn. "With the help of a giant robot they found."
"A giant robot." The Time Lord had to resist forming a smile on his face. "I would love to see that."
She let out a small chuckle. "You should've seen the thing in action." She stopped in her tracks, and the Doctor nearly slipped and fell, bumping behind her. Luckily, her armor was bulky enough to fill the space ahead of him and sturdy enough to have her hardly notice. As he regained his balanced, she turned behind her toward him. "Have you ever did so much and worked so hard to make things right, only to have everything just... fall apart around you?"
The Doctor sighed deeply, letting her words sink in enough to make his hearts throb. "More times than I can count."
She said nothing, even as she looked away and went on ahead.
Just as the Doctor began to wonder if they would ever reach the bottom, their feet met the flat floor beneath them, her left hand meeting the handle of a plain metal door.
"Looks like this is the place," she said. "Ready?"
The Doctor nodded. "Are you? I mean, you clearly are ready."
"That's a given."
She was the first to enter, and the Doctor was next. Since her headlight was the only source of light here, they had to take it slowly of where they stop as they descended on the stairs.
"Why don't we start things out with you?" the Doctor asked. "So… where did you come from?"
"I grew up in a fallout vault not long after my mom died giving birth to me," Jocelyn answered.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. My dad really loved her. He said he was passionate about a lot of things. About life."
"Sounded like your mother was a good person," the Doctor commented.
"Yeah."
"What was your vault like?"
That question made her go quiet for a moment. "It was like paradise back then, when I was younger. I was safe there, I had people looking after me, I didn't have to worry about anything, and there wasn't much fighting…" There was a wistful tone in her voice. "Until my dad left."
The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, his mouth forming into a frown. "Your father doesn't exactly like a role model to me, abandoning you like that."
"He had a good reason," she insisted. "And besides, my vault and many others like it weren't meant to save anyone."
"They were experiments, then," the Doctor guessed.
"Exactly. I've heard of a few vaults that did what they were advertised to do back before the War," the Lone Wanderer explained. "My vault was designed to make sure nobody would enter the vault, and nobody would ever leave. My dad was looking for a GECK that would make Project Purity work properly. The GECK's short for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit. It's designed to terraform the landscape to something livable for part of the planet."
"And this project does what, exactly?"
"To provide clean water in the wasteland," the Wanderer answered. "Where I came from, it was one of the worst places you could live in. It was my parents' life work that the project could purify the whole of the Potomac River. I searched for my dad far and wide, and I did find him. We resumed the project afterward, but…" She paused. "…But he died protecting me and his work."
"And you went to the Brotherhood of Steel for help."
"That's right. It took a lot of effort, finding the GECK and retaking the facility, but we did it," said Jocelyn. "With the help of a giant robot they found."
"A giant robot." The Time Lord had to resist forming a smile on his face. "I would love to see that."
She let out a small chuckle. "You should've seen the thing in action." She stopped in her tracks, and the Doctor nearly slipped and fell, bumping behind her. Luckily, her armor was bulky enough to fill the space ahead of him and sturdy enough to have her hardly notice. As he regained his balanced, she turned behind her toward him. "Have you ever did so much and worked so hard to make things right, only to have everything just... fall apart around you?"
The Doctor sighed deeply, letting her words sink in enough to make his hearts throb. "More times than I can count."
She said nothing, even as she looked away and went on ahead.
Just as the Doctor began to wonder if they would ever reach the bottom, their feet met the flat floor beneath them, her left hand meeting the handle of a plain metal door.
"Looks like this is the place," she said. "Ready?"
The Doctor nodded. "Are you? I mean, you clearly are ready."
"That's a given."