13 Novella 6

Mercy

TW: Slightly graphic torture scene

You get back in the box and close the door behind you without looking back. She understands, giving you instant directions that you follow silently. The trip back is much quieter, and you land with much less fuss.

"Are we back at the hospital?" You ask and she gives a negative thrum which takes you off guard. "Oh? Where are we now then?" She doesn't want to answer, seeming afraid where she gives you an image of Yaz and The Doctor.

"They need to see this too? I'm sorry but they're a bit preoccupied" you say with a small smile. She clearly isn't in the mood for humour as she asks you to get them.

"No really, what is it? Is it that bad? We're here now you may as well show me" she seems to think you'll be distressed as she stops pressing sending the others instead. She gives you one last warning thrum before going silent, sending dread to the pit of your stomach. "That bad huh?" You giggle feebly.

She doesn't respond.

Tentatively, you pull the door open and step into a dark chamber with a dusty floor. Seizing inspiration, you reach down to touch it, lifting your finger and finding no dust attached.

Same situation as the Gallifrey you just visited then, some sort of projection in which you had no influence.

You close the doors as you step out, seeing a light flick on from a door at the top of some stairs opposite. You look around and find only a metal chair in the centre of the room. You have the strangest urge to hide, which was ridiculous as you obviously would not be seen either way. Two men come down the stairs, one dragging the other by his collar, blood dripping from his temple.

You watch as the semi-conscious man is dropped in the chair and thrown down, tied by the ankles and wrists then lightly slapped until he blinks and lifts his head. Upon closer inspection he looks much younger, barely into his teens with floppy brown hair and warm hazel eyes that sink your heart.

"Where- where am I?" He mutters dizzily, earning himself a sharp slap across the face.

"You will answer my questions" hisses the other man, pulling the boys face closer to his. "Or I will cut pieces out of you and make you swallow them" he finishes almost caressingly. You feel the urge to throw up as the boy visibly sweats and begins to shake, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"Please... please don't hurt me" he says, mouth wobbling.

"You will first tell me how to find The Doctor" he starts, circling the chair dangerously.

"I- I won't!" He tries to protest, the man pausing and pulling out a dagger. The boy doesn't let up, and you squeeze your eyes shut as the knife pierces his upper arm, the sobbing almost but not quite drowning out the sound of a lump of flesh hitting the floor.

"Tell me!" He demands, "you know where she is, the human too!"

"No!" You and the boy scream in unison as the knife stabs next at his abdomen, the rusty smell of the warm blood filling your nostrils and making you gag.

"You know where they are! You aren't enough! Except... maybe." He pauses and you hold your breath. You feel the boy may be doing so too. "They will come running for you. They always do. All I have to do is send them a message" he mutters to himself, and you watch in horror as he raises the knife and stabs it straight into the boys neck, cutting off his screams as he chokes on the blood. He tips forward in the chair as the man wipes the blood carelessly off his shirt before turning on his heel and exiting, slamming the door without looking back.

Tears run down your face as you throw yourself at his side, whispering desperate words of comfort that fall on deaf ears. He gargles as blood spills over his lips, staining his shirt and running down his neck.

"I am so, so sorry" you try to console him as he swallows. "Are you- are you trying to speak?" You wonder aloud, pressing your nonexistent ear closer to his mouth.

"Mum" he whimpers and you freeze. All the boy wanted was his mother.

The next and final words to come out his mouth are the last pieces in the jigsaw, concluding why his torturer was so sure he would know the whereabouts of your friends, and why the boy was so reluctant to give it up.

"Doctor... please mum" he says, before the light goes out and he sighs, the blood continuing to run as his heart stops. Or possibly hearts. You didn't know yet.

Because suddenly it made sense why The Tardis needed them to see this, they needed to know what was about to happen to their child. But still, you were glad you had seen it and not them. This would surely break them. You rise, feeling sick and shaky and fighting a fierce gag reflex. Whatever simulatiom this was, it was powerful. The smells were all too real.

"I'll keep you safe" you say to his blank face. "I don't even know your name yet, but I'll keep you safe" you mutter, before stepping back into the box and leaving the dreaded scene behind. You couldn't look at the broken expression of the boy for any longer.

"Take me back to the hospital" you tell her, and because it was a known route she barely needs your instruction, just the occasional flick of switch or poke of a button, which was good for you were unable to think of anything but The Doctor and Yaz's child right now. The solution eluded you but you were going to keep trying. So many thoughts buzz around your head, and not one of them about that first trip. It felt insignificant now.

You didn't need answers, you needed a solution.