The road less travelled...

Title: Donna and the Waters of Mars 4/8
Author: katherine_b
Rating: PG
Summary: How would having Donna on Mars have changed things?

Part IV

“Andrew?” Adelaide’s voice cuts through the darkness. “Andrew Stone? It’s Captain Brooke. Andy, report. I need to see you. Where are you?”

Donna moves behind the Doctor, who has stepped over to the computer module and now pulls out the sonic screwdriver, applying it to the machine, which flares into life. Gradually the lights around them turn on and Donna feels some of her tension begin to fade. Ever since the Library, in particular, she’s always been incredibly uncomfortable about being in the dark.

“There you go,” the Doctor says in satisfaction.

“What’s that device?” Adelaide demands, peering at it as the Doctor holds it up in the air.

“Screwdriver,” he says with his usual pride.

Adelaide all but rolls her eyes in response. “Are you the Doctor or the janitor?”

Donna grins as the Doctor replies, “I don’t know, sounds like me.” He smiles. “Maintenance man of the universe.”

For a moment, Adelaide studies him before turning to examine their surroundings more closely. “You two stay with me,” she orders. “Don’t step out of my sight. Tarak,” she glances in his direction, “go to external door south. Make sure it’s intact.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agrees readily and heads off.

The Doctor, meanwhile, has walked over to a stand that holds a variety of flowering plants. “Quite an achievement. First flower on Mars in 10,000 years. And,” he adds as he peers at a nearby tray of dirt, from which green shoots of different sizes are sprouting, “you’re growing veg!”

Now, as the Doctor and Donna hurry to catch up to her, Adelaide does roll her eyes. “That lot are already planning Christmas dinner. Last year it was dehydrated protein. This year – the real thing.”

“Still, fair enough,” the Doctor puts in. “Christmas.”

“If you must.” Adelaide and Donna say the words at the same moment and exchange conspiratorial smiles, but the Doctor is distracted by the sound of a bird calling from overhead.

“You’ve got birds!” he exclaims.

“Part of the project.” Adelaide is once more all business. “Keep the insect population down.”

“Good sign,” the Doctor suggests.

Adelaide stops and glances at him. “In what way?”

“Well,” he reminds her, “they’re still alive.”

She nods, clearly understanding what he is obviously uncomfortable about saying aloud, but which has also already occurred to Donna – that whatever attacked Maggie may also have injured or even killed Andrew.

A voice over the comms keeps Adelaide from commenting. “Captain, good news,” says Yuri’s voice. “It’s Maggie. She’s awake. She’s back with us.”

There’s a pause before he continues speaking.

“Hey, how are you soldier? Just take it easy. Can you remember what happened?”

Maggie’s voice is somewhat weak. “I was just… working. Then I woke – woke up here.”

Adelaide activates her comm. “What about Andy? We can’t find him. Is he all right?”

“I don’t know. I just…”

She trails off into silence and Adelaide speaks again. “If you remember anything, let me know straight away.”

Ed’s voice cuts in. “Yuri, does she know how she ended up in the tunnel?”

Adelaide huffs with annoyance. “And keep the comms clear! Everything goes through me. Got that?”

There’s radio silence after this. Adelaide waits for a moment to ensure that no one else has anything to say before stepping forward. “We still have to find Andy.”

For several minutes, they continue walking through the leafy green environs in near-silence, apart from Adelaide calling the missing crew member’s name every few minutes. However she suddenly turns on the others.

“Where are you really from, Doctor? Who sent you?”

Donna can feel the tension that suddenly flows through the Doctor’s body and her own. Conversations that begin like this, particularly from people with guns in their holsters, rarely end well.

“I told you,” the Doctor says lightly. “Branson Inheritance.”

“Multiple hearts?” Adelaide says mockingly. “You’re not even human!”

“Is that a problem?” the Doctor asks in would-be careless tones.

“It is if you’re going to lie to me about it,” come the sharp retort. “You’re the one who said I should trust you.”

“Fair enough.” The Doctor glances at the woman beside him. “If it’s any comfort, Donna’s human.”

“Why are you here then?” Adelaide asks, only acknowledging this with a nod and a glance at Donna.

“An accident really.” The Doctor ruffles his hair. “Well, stumbling across you was. I brought Donna here for some sight-seeing, that’s all.”

“Sight-seeing?” Adelaide stops and stares. “Sight-seeing on Mars? How is that possible?”

“It will be,” he promises softly. “One day. Mars and way beyond.”

He can only be relieved when the comm. activates again, saving him from having to go into further details.

“This is sick bay. We have a situation! Maggie’s condition has – I don’t know! I don’t know what it is! It’s – it’s water, just – pouring out!”

“Yuri, calm down!” Adelaide orders, her attention back on her crew in an instant. “Just tell me what’s happened to her.”

“The skin is… sort of broken around the mouth,” Yuri explains. “And she’s exuding water – like she’s drowning!”

“Tarak, this area’s unsafe,” Adelaide announces over the comm. “We’re going back. Tarak!” When there’s no reply, she lowers the comm. and shouts instead. “Tarak!”

“Where was he?” the Doctor demands urgently.

“External door south,” Donna reminds him.

“This way,” Adelaide calls back over her shoulder as she starts to run.

Ed’s voice comes over the comm. as they head off. “Yuri, keep her contained. Seal the door at maximum. I’m on my way!”

They are running along the paths when Donna suddenly realises the Adelaide has stopped and grabs the Doctor’s arm to pull him back in the same direction as the Captain.

The Doctor has pulled a torch out of his coat pocket and shines light on two figures, one standing and the other, vaguely recognisable as Tarak, kneeling in front of him. Donna can only assume that it’s Andy whose hand is pressed to Tarak’s forehead. Considering what Yuri said about Maggie, she can’t be hugely surprised to see that both men seem to be leaking water, which is pooling on the ground around them.

The Doctor has stepped in front of the two women and now speaks softly. “Andy? Just leave him alone.”

However Adelaide now pulls out her gun and aims it at the two men. “Step away from him officer, that’s an order,” she’s beginning, when the Doctor tries to interrupt.

“I can help, I promise! I can help! Just leave that man alone.”

“As the captain of this group, I order you – don’t!”

“Andy, I’m asking you – take your hand away from him and listen to me.”

They both fall suddenly silent as Tarak collapses and Andy turns towards them, his eyes, white as milk but for the tiny black pupils in the middle, wide and staring. His features are similar to those described by Yuri about Maggie – the skin around his mouth is cracked and wet, and his mouth is black. Water runs in a fine stream out of his mouth.

Donna watches as the Doctor glances from Adelaide, who is still holding the gun on the two men, to Andy.

“Now then,” he says quietly, persuasively, “that’s better, hmm? So, you must be Andy. Hello.”

At that instant Tarak suddenly straightens. Still on his knees, he too turns towards them, his features affected in the same way as Andy’s.

The Doctor leans down to speak in Adelaide’s ear, taking hold of Donna’s hand at the same moment. “We’ve got to go.”

They all take off at the same moment, hearing the dull, wet thud of heavy footsteps behind them as they race along the paths through the greenery. Donna just manages to avoid slipping on a damp area of the walkway and the Doctor all but yanks her away from a large puddle beside the stand of vegetables as they run up to the white door that leads to the airlock chamber.

“Set the seal to maximum!” the Doctor orders as they all rush inside, and only just in time.

Tarak and Andy stop several feet away from the door, staring unblinkingly at the three occupants in the small space. Suddenly Andy raises his arm and a powerful jet of water splashes against the small pane of glass. The Doctor ducks back instinctively as the water covers the glass, and Donna presses her hands to his back to keep him from crashing into Adelaide.

All three people stare as Andy steps forward and presses his face against the glass.

“Captain,” Steffi calls urgently, over the comm. “we need you back here!”

“Just tell me that Maggie is contained,” Adelaide orders. “Can you confirm it?”

“Confirmed,” Ed replies. “She’s locked in.”

“Keep surveillance until I get back,” the Captain continues. “And close down all water supplies. All pipes and outlets. Don’t consume anything. Have you got that – everyone? That’s an order. Don’t drink the water. Don’t even touch it. Not one drop.”

Donna shudders. “God, it’s like the Library all over again.”

The Doctor casts a sharp glance at her. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well,” she says impatiently, “there it was all: ‘Run, for God’s sake run. No way is safe. The Library has sealed itself off.’ Now it’s ‘Don't drink the water. Don't even touch it. Not one drop.’” She arches an eyebrow. “See?”

He frowns. “I didn’t think you’d remember that so exactly.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to forget what a face on a stick tells you.”

“You’re telling me,” he agrees quietly, squeezing her hand before turning to Andy, who is still watching them through the window. “Can you talk?” he asks, his eyes straining for a response. “Human beings are sixty per cent water,” he tells the two women, “which makes them the perfect host.”

“What for?” Adelaide and Donna ask the question simultaneously.

“Don’t know,” he admits with a shrug. “Never will. Because,” he glances at Donna, “we’ve got to go. Whatever’s started here, we can’t see it to the end. We can’t.”

Andy suddenly slams his body against the door, causing all three of the occupants to start violently. Then Tarak begins pouring a jet of water onto the door at the location of the lock.

“This thing’s airtight, yeah?” the Doctor asks anxiously.

“And therefore watertight,” Adelaide replies at once.

“Depends how clever the water is,” the Doctor retorts.

And as if to prove his point, the lock suddenly sparks.

“It’s fusing the system!” Donna exclaims in horror.

“Abandon ship!” the Doctor cries, his hand on Donna’s back as he almost pushes her ahead of him.

They flee the airlock and are a short distance down the corridor when they hear the loud crash that means Andy and Tarak have managed to break open the door. Then the wet, heavy footsteps pound after them.

Suddenly, however, the Doctor stops short, almost pulling Donna off her feet, but he shakes himself free and pulls out the sonic screwdriver.

“Doctor, we haven’t got time!” Adelaide begs, glancing back over her shoulder.

“They can run faster than us,” he tells her. “We need a lift.”

“Gadget-gadget,” the robot puts in.

Donna glances over her shoulder to see the two forms covering the ground in long, intense strides that means they will soon catch up.

“Get on behind me,” the Doctor orders, and Donna doesn’t hesitate, grabbing him around the waist.

“That thing goes at two miles an hour!” Adelaide exclaims in frustration.

“Not anymore,” the Doctor assures her, before turning to meet her gaze. “Trust me.”

“Ready gadget?” the Doctor demands as Adelaide finally gets on the back, holding on to Donna.

“Gadget-gadget.”

As he applies the sonic, Donna realises that the corridor is being lit up by flames that are shooting out the back of the robot. As she glances over her shoulder, she can see a trail of fire behind them and they leave Andy and Tarak increasingly far behind.

She can’t help but wonder if Roman is feeling any of this.

The door of the central airlock chamber looms ahead of them and they leap off Gadget, Adelaide dashing for the security panel.

“The central dome airlocks have got Hardinger seals. There’s no way they can get in,” she explains as they rush into the small space.

However the Doctor won’t let her close the door once all three of them are inside, holding it open and gesturing at the robot.

“Come on, come on!” he begs the white machine.

“Gadget-gadget.”

“Come on, come on, come on,” he pleads as Andy and Tarak loom into view.

“I thought you hated robots!” Adelaide exclaims in frustration as Gadget finally begins to move.

“I do!” the Doctor agrees, hauling the door shut as soon as Gadget is inside, and only just at the instant that Andy and Tarak arrive on the other side of the door.

“We’re safe,” Adelaide says comfortingly, although Donna’s not sure if she’s trying to convince them or herself. “It’s hermetically sealed; they can’t get in.”

The Doctor is still trying to catch his breath as he turns to her. “Water is patient, Adelaide,” he says warningly. “Water just waits. It wears down the cliff tops, the mountains, the whole of the world - water always wins.” He meets her gaze for a moment and then nods. “Come on!”

As they hurry out of the airlock and into the central hub, Adelaide activates her comm. again “The bio-dome tunnel is out of bounds. Andy and Tarak are infected. Repeat, infected. Make no contact. And if they make the slightest move, tell me. I’m going to the medical dome.”

Donna struggles somewhat to keep up with Adelaide’s long, loping, practiced stride and the Doctor glances at her from time to time before turning to the captain.

“Blimey, it’s a distance,” the Doctor complains. “You could do with bikes in this place.”

“Every pound in weight equals three tones of fuel,” Adelaide reminds him.

“Yeah, I know,” the Doctor agrees, “but… but bikes!”

The glance Adelaide shoots at him suggests to Donna that the Captain now thinks he’s even more mad than she did already.

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