We Will Rise |2| The Ascension

Chapter Thirty Two: The Poison Sky

Sylvia ran out of the house with a fire axe, pushed the Doctor out of the way, closed the bonnet, and broke the windscreen. "Well don't just stand there, get him out!" she exclaimed.

A few minutes later, Wilf was being helped back into the house. "I can't believe you've got an axe," Donna muttered, shaking her head.

"Burglars," Sylvia shrugged, watching, the Doctor, McKenzie, and Natasha mistrustfully.

The Doctor caught her look and walked over. "Get inside the house," he ordered. "Just try and close off the doors and the windows. And don't look at my girls like that," he added, before a car horn made him turn around.

Thor was grinning out of a taxi window. "Join us!"

"This is all we could find that hasn't got ATMOS," Ross called. Natasha smirked and pulled the back door open, climbing in.

"Donna, you coming?" McKenzie asked, seeing the ginger was still standing with her mum.

"Yeah," Donna grinned, but her mother put her hand on her arm.

"Donna, don't go. Look what happens every time they appear. Stay with us, please," Sylvia begged.

"You go, my darling," Wilf exclaimed, hanging onto the doorframe.

"Dad!" Sylvia complained.

"Don't listen to her," Wilf continued. "You go with the Avengers and save the world. That's my girl." Donna grinned and joined the others in the taxi.

***

Ross pulled up outside the mobile UNIT base. "Ross, look after yourself," the Doctor ordered. "Get inside the building."

"Will do," Ross nodded, getting out with them and running towards the factory. "Greyhound Forty to Trap One. I have just returned the Avengers to base safe and sound. Over."

Donna frowned, coughing as they approached the TARDIS. "The air is disgusting."

"It's not so bad for us," Thor commented, taking in a deep lungful.

"Go on, get inside the TARDIS," Natasha advised.

"Oh, we've never given you a key," McKenzie realised. She put her hand in the Doctor's pocket, and after a minute of rooting around, pulled out a silver key on a chain. "Keep that. Go on, that's yours."

"Quite a big moment really," the Doctor shrugged.

Donna raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, maybe we can get sentimental after the world's finished choking to death."

"Good idea," the Doctor nodded, and the four Avengers started jogging off.

"Where are you going?" Donna called after them.

"To stop a war," McKenzie shouted back.

"And if that doesn't work, to win one," Thor added.

***

"All right, we're here," Natasha announced as they entered the mobile base.

"Whatever you do, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle," McKenzie ordered. "There is nothing they like better than a war. Just leave this to us, all right?"

Mace bristled. "And what are you going to do?"

"We've got the TARDIS," the Doctor replied. "We're going to get onboard their ship." He made his way out again, and as they followed, Thor tapped Martha's shoulder. "Come on."

***

Five minutes later, the five of them were stood in a silent line, staring at the spot where the TARDIS had been. Finally, Martha spoke. "But where's the TARDIS?"