Walk The Earth: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 2]

A Gun in Four Parts

A Gun in Four Parts

"She may just be our only hope of killing the Master." -Brigadier-General Karen Averrit

A/N: haaaa this is the chapter I lost. I struggled with it the first time and I STRUGGLED EVEN MORE THE SECOND. So *throws it to the breeze* BEGONE WITH YOU. On to Japan we go!

June melted on into July; Mallory thought 'melted' was probably the most accurate word. The heat grew unbearable, water a more precious resource than ever. They avoided some of the temperature by moving at night, along with avoiding Rath, who had caught up to them again a day after they left what had unofficially become known as 'Stephen's camp.' They never did learn if he found it or not.

It was a bittersweet day when they first stepped foot in Utah for the first time in half a year. The temptation to stray closer to what had once been home was more than appealing, but they both realized it was likely exactly what the Master expected them to do. The risk couldn't be taken. They moved on into Nevada after only a few days.

Miles passed and so did time, and their deadline to leave the States grew closer. Luckily, a Resistance group in northern Nevada managed to get them all the way to Las Vegas by truck in less than a day, putting their schedule a little more on track.

They expected to see the coast sooner or later.

They didn't expect what laid on it.

Pointed shapes rose up from the horizon, and after a few hours of silent wondering, a muffled curse tumbled past Mallory's lips before she could think to stop it.

Matt looked at her, question written on his face.

"Shipyards," she murmured, the rumors finally coming into clarity. "Rocket ships."

Neither of them spoke much after that, the realization weighing heavily on both of them.

She had known the Master would never be content with just the Earth under his heel.

Seeing the evidence first hand was something else entirely.

~~~

Shipyard Number Five ran all the way from San Diego in the south up to Portland, Oregon in the north, stopping just below the Washington State Border. Even on that expanse of land, it couldn't take the award of the largest one in the world—it came in only third, behind Shipyard Number Four, growing by the day thanks to the nearby power of China's fusion mills; and Shipyard Number One, which apparently stretched over almost the entirety of Russia.

The pair arrived in the outskirts of both Shipyard Number Five and San Diego on July 27th, a few well placed clues and pass codes getting them into UNIT's base. This was nicer than Trenton's, and larger. Instead of just one large room full of beds—though there was one—there were also around a dozen small but private rooms for the higher-ups.

Matt and Mallory only had time to set down their bags inside when they were approached by a pair of curious, eager UNIT officers. Arrangements made for an expedition into the city proper—more specifically, the abandoned UNIT tower—the travelers found their quest for sleep once more interrupted. This time, though, it was in a far more pleasant manner.

Stephen hadn't been the only one to find his place in this new and terrifying world.

~~~

Natalie and Stacey, it seemed, had fared the best out of the cast. As Stephen said, Jared's warning had reached them and given enough time to escape the Master's grasp. After the Decimation, they had fled with Natalie's husband and children. Shortly after, they found UNIT, who had—upon learning their connection to the Doctor's current companions—had offered them sanctuary. Not long into the year they had wound up in San Diego.