[Mars]
The TARDIS materializes with its familiar wheezing groan, and the Doctor steps out first, clad in a red spacesuit. His face lights up as he takes in the landscape before him.
"The red planet," he breathes, "Oh, beautiful."
The Alchemist follows, but the moment her boots hit the ground, she freezes. A cold dread rushes through her, and her hearts begin to hammer against her ribs.
"Doctor, we need to go. Now."
The Doctor barely registers her words, too busy marveling at their surroundings, "What are you talking about? This is great! A little spacewalk is just what we need."
"No, you don't understand..." the Alchemist's voice is sharper now, urgent, but the Doctor is already moving forward, peering over the rim of a crater. Below them sprawls a base—a cluster of domes connected by modular walkways, a shuttle pad off to one side.
Before he can process anything further, something jabs into his back.
"Rotate slowly," a mechanical voice commands.
The Doctor obeys, turning carefully to find a small robot holding a gun aimed directly at him.
"You are under arrest for trespassing," the robot states, "Gadget gadget."
[Central dome]
The Alchemist stands rigid, her expression dark as a woman—Captain Adelaide Brooke, she assumes—points a gun at her head. The Doctor watches from the side, wary but not yet panicked. Their spacesuits have been removed, and tension crackles in the air.
"State your name, rank, and intention," Adelaide demands.
The Doctor flashes a grin, "The Doctor. Doctor. Fun."
The Alchemist lets out a slow breath, "The Alchemist. This idiot's wife. Trying and failing to keep us out of trouble."
A man rushes in, dark-skinned and wide-eyed, "What the hell? It's a man and a woman. A man and woman on Mars. How?"
Another voice joins in, "They were wearing these things. I've never seen anything like it."
"What did Mission Control say?"
"They're out of range for ten hours with the solar flares."
Adelaide cuts off the chatter with a sharp glance, "If we could cut the chat, everyone."
The Doctor gestures towards the gun still trained on the Alchemist, "Actually, chat's second on my list, the first being gun pointed at my wife's head... Which then puts my wife's head second and chat third, I think. Gun, head, chat, yeah. I hate lists. But you could hurt someone with that thing. Just put it down."
"Oh, you'd like that," Adelaide counters.
The Alchemist tilts her head, "I really wouldn't mind if you did."
"Can you find me someone who wouldn't?" the Doctor chimes in.
Adelaide narrows her eyes, "Why should I trust you? Either of you?"
The Doctor and Alchemist exchange a glance before responding in unison, "Because we give you our word."
The Doctor softens slightly, sincerity in his voice, "And forty million miles away from home, our word is all you've got."
For a long moment, Adelaide studies them, then—reluctantly—lowers the gun, "Keep Gadget covering them."
"Gadget gadget," the little robot chirps.
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Eyes of Time: The Final Line ✓
FanfictionThe Alchemist knows that Time has consequences. Now having Regenerated with her Bondmate, the Doctor, both Time Lords have to confront the repercussions of Rose Tyler's actions. The question is, when will that payment fully come due? They received o...
