Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 50 - The Long Game, Part 2

"We're so gonna get in trouble," Cathica moaned anxiously, biting her thumbnail. "You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, you're gonna get told off."

The Doctor groaned in exasperation, scanning the side of the elevator with his sonic. "Rose, Lyssa, one of you tell her to button it."

Rose grinned, leaning forward from the wall where she had been relaxing with Lyssa, and catching Cathica's eye. "Hey, Cathica? Button it."

"Aww, you're no fun," Lyssa pouted, feeling a slight throbbing beginning in her head. "I wanted to be the one to tell her."

Rose jerked her head at a silent Suki. "You can still tell her, if you want to."

The older woman smirked. "Can't promise I'll listen."

"You can't just vandalize the place, someone's gonna notice!" Cathica whispered urgently. "Suki! Tell them!"

"Bit late now, don't you think?" Suki countered, jerking her head at the Doctor, who had just managed to open the door, and was wearing an expression of triumph. He stepped inside the elevator and moved to the panel by the wall, using his sonic on that as well.

Cathica shook her head. "All right, that's it. This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work. Suki, come on." She spun around and began to walk away, though Suki stayed in her spot, watching the Doctor intently.

"Go on then, see ya!" the Doctor called uncaringly over his shoulder.

Cathica seemed to notice the lack of anyone by her side and turned back around. "Suki! Come on! This has nothing to do with us!"

"This has everything to do with us," Suki countered. "There's something up there, and I want to know what. We're journalists, Cathica. We investigate, we report. Even if that means doing something that might be against the rules."

Cathica narrowed her eyes at the other woman, who met her gaze unflinchingly, before sighing and walking back to them. "I can't just leave you, can I? I'm the only one who follows the rules!"

"If you wanna be useful, get 'em to turn the heating down," Rose snarked. "It's boiling. What's wrong with this place, can't they do something about it?"

"I don't know, we keep asking," Cathica told her. "Something to do with the turbine."

The Doctor scoffed. "Something to do with the turbine," he repeated mockingly.

"Well, I don't know," Cathica retorted indignantly.

"Clearly," Lyssa muttered, smirking when the older woman glared at her.

"Why? Do you think it's part of whatever all this is?" Suki asked the Doctor, eyes curious and watchful.

He shrugged, pulling off the panel and revealing multiple wires underneath. He wasted no time starting to pry through them. "Could be. Nice job asking though. That's the proper way to do it. You should take notes, Cathica. I mean, look at Rose." The blonde smirked at him. "Rose is asking the right sort of questions."

"Oh, thank you," Rose beamed.

"Oi! What about me?" Lyssa pouted.

"You haven't been asking any questions," the Doctor teased her. "Right useless, you are." He glanced back up to Cathica. "Rose's on the right track. Why's it so hot?"

She just stared at him. "One minutes you're worried about the Empire, and the next it's the central heating!"

He shrugged. "Well, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing's very important."

"It's true," Lyssa agreed, nodding sagely and swiping a few beads of sweat off her brow. "Empires have fallen because of the plumbing. Are falling? Will fall?" She huffed and pouted at the Doctor. "I hope you realize that this is all your fault. I never used to have this much trouble with tenses."