Until We Burn | Dr Who

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Until We Burn

Glaring at the Doctor with crossed arms, I remain silent. There is nothing to say. All I can do is watch as he puts on the spacesuit. If I stop him, I save him but Martha dies, trapped in an escape pod as it falls into the sun. We've brought her too far. We've put her in too much danger.

"I won't let you do this."

"You're wasting your breath, Scannell. You're not gonna stop me," the Doctor coldly retorts.

He scoffs, "You wanna open an airlock on a ship spinning into the sun? No-one can survive that."

My breath catches in my throat. Still, I say nothing.

"Oh, you just watch!"

"This close to the sun, the shields'll barely protect you," he tries again.

He finishes attaching his gloves, still dodging my gaze. "If I can boost the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it should remagnetise the pod. Now, while I'm out there, you have got to get the rest of those doors open, we need those auxiliary engines."

Scannell groans, "Doctor, will you listen to me? They're too far away. It's too late."

"I'm not gonna lose her."

There's nothing I can say. I swallow my pride and my fears, putting his helmet on for him. "Good luck," is all I can utter. I'm not even sure if he hears it.

He steps into the airlock.

I watch through the window, barely even blinking. He struggles to make it through the gap that had once contained the escape pod, clinging to the edge to remain with the ship.

The further he moves, the less I can see him. And the less I feel like I can breathe.

I practically punch the mic button just to speak to him. "Doctor, how is it going?" It takes all the willpower I have to keep my voice stable.

"I can't get it! I can't reach!"

"Yes, you can. Don't tell me you've got those long arms for nothing. You can do it."

"I don't know how much longer I can last."

My forehead rests against the sealed door. "You can do it. Listen to me, Doctor. I know you can do it. You can do anything."

He yells, straining with the effort, torn between the ship and the heat outside. No matter how much each cry sickens me, I keep urging him on.

The panel beeps. "Escape pod remagnetised," the automated voice chirps.

"What did I tell you? Come back inside now. Come on, Doctor. You did it!"

Scannell matches my grin, dragging me into a bear hug. We continue to watch as the Doctor clambers back inside. He pauses, bracing himself against the wall. His focus turns up towards the sun. Golden wisps of light stream towards him from its srface.

"Doctor?" I cautiously ask.

Whatever he says is broken by static. "Doctor," Scannell shouts, "close the airlock! That pod'll smash into us."

"Go, I'll make sure they're okay." I still don't dare to go anywhere until the door opens and closes again. The Doctor trips the second he is out of the airlock, falling against me. I toss his helmet aside. "Hey, hey, hey. What's going on? What's wrong?"

The door opens not a moment later and Martha and Riley join us. "Doctor! Doctor? Are you okay?"

I can't hold him up as he continues to move. Slumping onto the floor, I pull him up against me. His eyes open just a crack, blazing gold. "Stay away from me," he growls, crawling to the wall before I can secure my hold on him. He doesn't even sound like himself anymore. His voice tremors, resonating with a strange echo.