HARMONY (a Doctor Who Novella)

Chapter 13

Shimmering blue green light danced around the control room as the Time Rotor began to rise and fall, energies surging and splashing like it had before. Like it had when he had made a desperate bid to change what could never be changed. His heart beat hard against his chest and he tried very hard to ignore the beating inside his head. The rest of his pain would have to wait. Amy's last cup of tea before their departure helped.

He rechecked every reading and adjusted the Earpod. Twice. All systems functioning within acceptable parameters. Good. Excellent. Now, carefully, carefully. Silver lights moved rapidly through the circuitry as the Tardis prepared to dematerialize.

The Doctor's face appeared on his main screen.

"12, 11. Are you sure about this?"

"Amy asked me the same thing," he said without looking up from the controls.

"7. What did you tell her?"

"I told her we were as sure as we ever are."

"4. Are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"Geronimo! Allons-y!" they shouted as first one, then another Tardis, dematerialized...

... rematerialized.

And flew.

He snapped open the throttle, accelerating past Jupiter, skimming the rings of Saturn, tripping lightly along the far-flung reaches of the solar system, pushing on, on, on far beyond the Mutter System. The ship responded to his very thoughts and he felt... joy.

Computations scrolled down every display and he worked his way from one control panel to the next, until at last all was silent save the sound of the Time Rotor's gentle hum. He swallowed deeply as he stepped back, prying his fingers from the Brentford artefact that now capped the zig-zag plotter. Then he grinned, punched the dematerialization circuit again, threw the little ship into reverse, and reappeared just this side of the Earth's single moon, sailing into the sunlight. Proximity alarms rang but he only laughed at the warnings, flicking up a visual scanner to see the other Tardis come soaring out from around the moon behind him, joining him at a safe distance in orbit about this, his second home.

"Have yourself a proper little roadster there," the Doctor smiled broadly, then looked serious, "but don't push your luck. Are you sure you don't want to set her down on one of Neptune's moons just to be safe? Ooooh, fine. All systems go for a slow burn and re-entry. I've always wanted to say that."

"Roger that, Houston," he answered back with a grin, preparing to dematerialize again.

The ship shuddered, throwing him to the floor as overloaded circuits throughout the room began to sizzle. He pulled himself up to check the scanners. The Rifts on Earth were diminishing and closing, the weather stabilizing over the northern hemisphere, but he was losing geosynchronous orbit. In minutes he'd be in freefall over-he checked. Belgium. Yes, well, that just figured, didn't it?--the stabilisers were off line, and the Dematerialization Circuit was on the fizz. He checked energy conversion readings, tapping the monitor impatiently. Just a little more umph and they would be back to smooth sailing. Neptune was beginning to look attractive. He looked at the scanner again. No, no, no, no, no! He was losing altitude rapidly. His finger hesitated over the override. One touch. One touch and he could force her into the Vortex for a prolonged jump, buying them time as long as she didn't explode. Or implode. Or consume herself into a trans-dimensional bellyache resembling a black hole. If necessary... the thought was horrifying, but if necessary he could hijack her into the Void to prevent any further cataclysm. And he would go with her.