Touch The Sky: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 3]

Lost

Lost

(Original Interlude)

As soon as the vision sharpened, coming into a crystal clarity the others had lacked, Matt gave himself one moment to wish for the entire Year back.

It did no good.

But he saw the high points—exactly as the first vision except for Mark's prescence. Going east and leaving Mallory and Tom's death. But this time, no one burst from the house to distract that Master.

It was Matt himself.

He was jerked back to the real world the moment the shot rang out. He was well aware he'd died, but apparently even whatever this was didn't have the power to show him that.

One more thing he was missing.

It was something, though, a glimpse into Mallory's head that he hadn't had before. Maybe she—

No.

If she'd been willing to run to London to get away from him, the tiniest of glimpse into her year of hell wouldn't make her come running back.

Matt got to his feet, shakily, a watch that was now empty clasped in his hand, and stumbled off to bed.

~~~

He wasn't quite sure exactly how he'd ended up here. But here he was, in a dark alley in the dead of night with Donna breathing heavily beside him and the Doctor nowhere to be found.

Matt glanced up at the walls rising above his head. Relatively near future, compared to some of the places they'd been, but far enough out that the human race had established itself among the stars. Twin crescent moons shone over head, but if it hadn't been for that, the planet could have passed for an Earth with slightly yellow trees.

Well, besides what amounted to a feathered dragon chasing them.

Creeping forward, Matt assumed the Doctor would correct him on that point if the Time Lord was actually here—actually, a Lospid was nothing like a dragon, because dragons were... He shook his head, ending the imaginary tirade.

A whimper came from next to him, followed by a shushing sound from Donna, and Matt glanced back at the little girl clinging to his friend's side. Somewhere between arriving on the planet with the Doctor babbling about a waterfall three times the height of Niagra Falls and half a dozen six foot tall Lospids emerging from the jungle, they'd picked up a hanger-on.

"It's all right," Donna whispered to the girl, stepping closer to Matt and peering around the corner. They were miles from the elusive waterfall they'd been hiking to now, deep in tourist country and mercifully far from the jungle. "Hold on, I think I know where we are," Donna murmured. "We're not far from the TARDIS."

A scrape of claws and a guttural hiss came from not far away. "Good, because I think that thing's on to us." He couldn't see the Lospid yet, but it had to be close.

"Hold her for a minute, I'm gonna go look," Donna said, passing him the toddler.

"Donna—" Matt started in protest, then quickly shut his mouth. Donna slunk down the street, every step measured, leaving him staring into a pair of wide, blue, tearful eyes. "Hey, it's okay," he said quietly.

The girl mumbled something that sounded like 'monster' and Matt blinked in surprise. It had been like pulling teeth trying to get her to talk, and they'd eventually given up on trying to get her name out of her.