Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 107 -Human Nature, Part 3

Working together, Lyssa and Martha managed to drag the limp body of John Smith out of the TARDIS. Setting him carefully on the floor, they stood up straight and looked around. They were in an enclosed structure that was already old, even in 1913. It seemed to be some sort of barn or shed - the floor and walls were made of stone, and hay and dusty farming equipment was scattered across the large room. A closed door was set in the far wall, and several very dirty windows let faint glimmers of sunshine light up the area.

"So, according to the instructions, we need to get our supplies and wait outside," Lyssa thought aloud, absently rubbing her chin. "There's supposed to be a road we can follow to get to the school."

"He better wake up soon," Martha muttered, casting a baleful glance at the unconscious form on the floor. "For someone completely unconscious, he is awful at being carried. I'm not lugging him several miles to the nearest town," she warned Lyssa, crossing her arms. "He can sleep here on the ground if he wants, and we can come back for him tomorrow with help."

Lyssa laughed, but nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words. The poor man would probably have a bruise when he woke up from the number of times they'd nearly dropped him, or whacked one of his ridiculously long limbs against the TARDIS doors as they'd dragged him out.

"Let's grab our luggage and lock up the TARDIS," she decided, heart twinging a bit at the thought. "Then we can head outside and look around, figure out what to do from there."

"Might as well, see if we can tell how far we are from town," Martha shrugged. "I'd rather not end up walking in the dark if we don't know where we are and we're trying to reach it."

They quickly grabbed the three trunks the TARDIS had assembled for them, leaving them by John, then returned to the ship one last time to lock up. Lyssa glanced around the darkened console room, now only dimly lit. She sighed, resting a hand against one of the coral pillars, startling when the faint light in the room reflected off her new ring. Pressing her lips together, she stared at it unblinking, then forcefully averted her eyes. She didn't have the energy to deal with that right now.

Normally, the ship would be humming through their bond at this point. But on a normal day, the Doctor wouldn't be human, and they wouldn't be preparing to spend the next three months pretending that's all he was.

The ship remained silent, and the room remained dark. Still, she sent a whispered goodbye through their bond, hoping the TARDIS would still receive it somehow, then turned to leave.

Not nearly as close to the ship, Martha just patted the walls fondly before exiting, pulling the door shut and locking it, tucking the necklace with her key on it firmly under her dress. She straightened her coat then turned to Lyssa. "Are you ready for this?"

Lyssa shook her head immediately. "Not even remotely. Are you?"

Martha laughed. "Nope. But if I backed down from everything I wasn't ready for, I never would've gotten into med school. We got this. He trusted us for a reason." She tilted her head at John's body, then smirked. "Even if we are gonna make him pay for it later."

Lyssa couldn't help her laugh as she and Martha crouched down, pulling John's arms over their shoulders and heaving him to his feet, his head hanging forwards. They made their way over to the door, Lyssa shifting her hold to pull it open.

They stepped out into a small clearing in the middle of a forest. The trees towering around them provided a thick green ceiling the same shade as the grass beneath their feet, beams of sunlight occasionally popping through. A short distance ahead of them was a dirt road covered in hoofprints and wagon wheel marks. In the distance, hoofbeats and creaking wood could be heard coming their way.