Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 17 - The Aliens of London

The next time Lyssa jumped, it was thankfully a much easier process. She had just enough time to say goodbye to the Doctor - the Ranger and Clara having finally gone on their date - before the gold swirled around her. When it faded, she found herself on the floor of a small room somewhere. It didn't belong to the TARDIS of any Doctor she knew, so either she was with a new Doctor, or she was somewhere else entirely.

The walls seemed to be made up of some sort of copper-colored material, interspersed here and there with silver panels. And judging by the symbols carved into the machinery, it was not native to Earth. She could hear engines, too, thrumming underneath her feet. Likely a ship then. And definitely not the TARDIS.

Wait, was she in space? Like, actual space, space?

She stood up, hoping to get her bearings before running into someone who didn't want her there. She bit her lip as she looked around, straining to find some hint of familiarity in any of the symbols, hoping it would give her a hint and finding none.

The floor abruptly tilted sharply to the left, and she let out a startled shriek as her feet slipped out from under her. Grabbing onto something that was probably not designed to be used as a handle, she hung on to it desperately as the ship tilted even further. Judging by the angle, the ship was going in for a landing that was not entirely planned, and she half expected to see smoke curling up from the ship at any minute.

Given that she was far more breakable than the ship, she cast about desperately for anything that might offer some sort of protection, and spotted a small alcove a few yards away. It was small, and she would be cramped, but it was better than nothing. She stretched herself towards it as best as she could, wrapping her fingers around the edge of the metal and using it to brace herself as she inched her way towards it.

Once she was close enough, she let go with her other hand, and tried to swing herself into the small opening, bracing herself against the walls as the ship's incline became so steep that the floor was more of a slide than an actual floor. She managed to make it right as they struck, the impact flinging her back into the wall as the sound of metal crunching and glass shattering filled the air.

But the ride wasn't over yet. The ship dropped straight down before crashing yet again, sending her crashing into first one wall, then another, before finally, mercifully, everything stopped. She stared dizzily up at the ceiling - which may have been a wall previously, she wasn't sure - and just lay there for a moment, unwilling to sit up and learn the damage just yet. Something heavy was laying across her legs, everything ached, and her heart was pounding so fast in her chest it was painful, but if she didn't see any injuries they weren't there, right?

Finally she sighed and forced herself to sit up, rubbing a hand across her forehead. Wincing at the unexpected sting, she pulled her hand away and saw her fingers stained red. She wrinkled her nose and went on with her assessment. Nothing seemed broken, just bruised. Even her legs seemed fine, if a bit squished underneath the fragmented panel.

It looked to be too heavy to move, but she couldn't just give up and lay there, hoping the Doctor would come rescue her. For one thing, she was getting kind of hungry, and that was as good a motivation as any. Wedging her fingers underneath the panel, she heaved with all her might, but only managed to move it down a few inches before she had to stop, panting.

She tried again once she'd caught her breath, repeating the process several times over the next few minutes and hoping eventually she'd be able to wiggle free. She glanced up during one of her breaks, wincing as traces of smoke filtered into the room. She redoubled her efforts, glancing around for anything she could use as a lever. Probably something she should have thought of earlier, to be honest.