Doctor Who-Short Trips "Miracle Enough"

(Not) The End of the World Part 2

It was a tiny empty unit at the far end, the shutters were down and Emma wondered how they would get inside, the Doctor handed the carrier back to her and then rummaged in his coat pocket and pulled out a glowing pen, more clever tech Emma thought as the Doctor ran the device over the lock and the juddering shutter began to rise. They clambered under the shutter and then the Doctor lowered it again. The Doctor lifted the device towards the ceiling and then there was light.

"Good old sonic screwdriver!" The Doctor beamed but his eyes betrayed his anxiety, Emma had never seen him like this before but maybe the Doctor always looked like this when he was saving the world.

"Any chance I could have one of those to fix my household appliances?"

Emma joked, not expecting a reply she was trying to lighten the mood as her mouth grew dry, she wiped her damp palms on her coat and her heart kept racing, only now it was with fear. Emma wasn't quite sure what she had expected to find, a tunnel of swirling light, a great big black hole in the middle of the room but the fact there was nothing there was scarier. It wasn't helped by the fact that Bella was thrashing around in her carrier, trying to get out, Emma wished she could get her to safety but the poor cat was stuck with them as Emma placed the carrier on the ground near the shutter.

The wormhole device suddenly lit up, lights all blazing and multiple alarms going off, it frightened the life out of Emma and even made the Doctor jump. Though if they needed any further evidence that they had found the right place for the opening they didn't have to wait much longer as the empty shop was suddenly filled with an inrush of freezing air, accompanied by a low roaring sound like a storm trapped in a confined space. It was becoming more difficult to stand upright, the Doctor spinning around, his eyes scanning every surface, frantically trying to spot the opening.

"I can't find it!" The Doctor turned to Emma. "This is going to get nasty...Emma you'd better take Bella and go."

"It's very tempting Doctor but I can't leave you." Emma's determined gaze met the Doctor's, she hoped she sounded brave as she smiled with sad resignation, unable to truly comprehend what would happen if the Lazilion got here but four years ago the world had been on the brink and for a time her own personal world had ended, when she had lost her Mum and Tracey. "Anyway there's not much point running if it's the end of the world...And my knees are knackered..."

The Doctor nodded then smiled, proud of her bravery and humour but then he gritted his teeth with grim defiance as he replied.

"Not on my watch Emma Meakin."

Then that's when Emma saw the wormhole, on the smooth painted creamy wall at the far end of the shop, at first it looked like an ink splodge, until it became a black patch of tendrils beginning to spread out across the wall.

"Doctor!" Emma yelled, struggling to speak above the unnatural storm buffeting them and pointed towards the wall. But it soon became apparent amidst her rising panic that only she could see it.

The Doctor slapped his brow.

"Of course! They must have put a perception filter around it for Time Lords. Emma you're going to have to be my eyes." The Doctor grabbed hold of her hand as together they struggled towards the wormhole, battling an impossible physics, a seismic force trying to push them away.

Emma's eyes fixed on the dark opening of the wormhole, it stretched on for an infinity, a huge, gaping mouth that wanted to swallow up the whole world.

They were so close now that they could have toppled in head first as Emma began to see tiny pinpricks of movement, something hurtling towards them incredibly fast. The Doctor threw the detector aside and thrust his free hand in his pocket, he pulled out what Emma could only describe as a sparkling, undulating mass of putty in the shape of a sink plug, Emma pointed and the Doctor threw it at the wormhole, the instant the putty made contact with the wormhole it expanded and sealed the opening, covering it like a shield. There was a loud crash, the temporal storm which had been pushing them back dissipated instantly, causing the Doctor and Emma to collapse to the floor, tangled up in an exhausted heap, the Doctor's scarf was everywhere. The wall in front of them was blank, no trace that anything had happened. The Doctor lifted his head and grinned at his friend but then sighed, that had been too close as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Then the realisation of what they've just done hit Emma Meakin.