Doctor who: Mortality

Chapter 1

An empty, dry and desolate landscape. A salt flat with scattered ruined buildings, filled with the memories of those long since lost. Once upon a time it would have been a city, with skyscrapers and the sounds of civilization. Now it is filled instead with utter silence, not even the sounds of birds can be heard, it is simply empty. That is until the spluttering, chugging sound of an aged motorbike takes its place. It hasn't much life left in it, so it simply trundles along the landscape leaving its rider far too long to think about her bleak surroundings. This seems only to harden the resolve of the rider. The Doctor was no stranger to these kinds of environments, or any other kind really, she wasn't even really stranger to it having such a deeply personal meaning to her. But that was exactly her problem, she was already so tired but this time it was worse than ever. Up ahead she could see the ruins of a former pub. It was very clearly a British one though anyone would have been mistaken for assuming that it was somewhere in Utah or maybe even the Sahara, it was a hot desert wasteland all around. At this point the motorbike really wasn't fairing too well so The Doctor made the decision to pull into the ruined pub to rest and search for any supplies. Even before she had dismounted the bike, she could tell she wasn't quite alone there, she saw someone or something scurrying to hide inside. She would have left it be if it wasn't for the state of the bike and of her back after riding for so long. Instead, she lifted her mechanics goggles up from her eyes to her forehead and left the bike as she walked inside and sprung open the door. It was still and the dust in the air hang heavy inside the decaying pub. Evidently whoever it was who scurried away was good at hiding, but not good enough for the doctor. "Come out and show yourself" she said in an assertive but uncharacteristically dark tone. "There is no use hiding from me, trust me... and if you're a part of one of those roving gangs of bandits and you think you can get one over on me, you're about to have a very bad day" she added aggressively while slumping into one of the bar stools as if nothing was happening. Then timidly, a small figure approached from behind a broken table lying on its side in a dark corner. As the figure came into view The Doctor quickly realized it was in fact a small child, no older than ten. The child, in torn clothes, a heavy pack on his back, his face coated in dust and dirt with tired and sad enough eyes to match her own instantly made The Doctor well up with tears. But she quickly wiped them away and snaped her lip back from trembling. She hardened her resolve but with a softer edge now. "Hello, I'm The Doctor, who are you?" she said with much more warmth. "I... I'm Isaac" he sheepishly replied. Isaac looking up at the doctor, could tell that whoever she was she was just as battered by the wasteland as he was. Her face was dirty and smudged, the goggles on her forehead were cracked on one side, she was wearing (what Isaac of course did not know) was her usual rainbow pattered shirt and blue suspenders but they looked much more worn, and her coat was entirely missing. "what're you doing all the way out here by yourself Isaac?" she asked and followed with a smile to try and cover up her sadness, it wasn't very convincing. "Its my big brother Ben" Isaac replied, "he is at the sanctuary, my mummy said so..." he stopped, tearing up. "She was going to take me their... but the bad people came" he said becoming frustrated "they... they... but I can get there on my own and I will find Ben". He said with a few tears running down his face. The Doctor jumped up from the barstool and knelt down to Isaacs's level. "You are so strong, and Ben will be so proud of you when you get there, I think I would like to head there too if you'll help me find the way?". The Doctor had never heard of the sanctuary before, but whatever it was there was absolutely no way she was going to let this child go off alone. "you've done it again Doctor" she thought to herself "you know you're not good with a duty of care and you were never supposed to do this again! But it's true we can't just leave this child here; I must help him". The Doctor now leaving her own head looked at Isaac, patiently awaiting a response. "hmm" said Isaac wiping the tears from his face in an attempt to feel strong again. "Ok you can come, you're a doctor, right? I'm sure they will like you at the Sanctuary". The doctor leaped back up "yes... well sort of, I'm a doctor of cheese officially... long story, so which way is the Sanctuary?". She had hoped that this might make Isaac laugh or at least crack a smile, but it barely phased him. "You're very strange" Isaac noted "but that's good, and the sanctuary is.... I'm not sure but I know il find it... my mummy said it was in my heart". The Doctor was starting to strongly suspect the sanctuary didn't exist at all but of course this did not matter, Isaac mattered. "Oh well I'm sure we will find it together, stranger things have happened, I have two hearts.... 'corse that's not strange for me but you get what I mean" The Doctor replied. "Hey, let's go see if my motorbike wants to work" she added.