Skeleton, Pyramid, Mickey
Tenth Doctor and Rose, though it's mostly Mickey. No rude words or sexy things or violence, though there is a MONSTER.
The skeleton monster thing caught up with Mickey halfway up the steps of the Great Pyramid.
It took twenty years to build the pyramid, the Doctor had said. They were only halfway through, they hadn't got up to the pointy bit at the top. It was all going to be smooth and white when they finished it off, but right now it was more like a big pile of rocks.
Twenty years. About the lifespan of Mickey Smith, if that alien *thing* got hold of him. He ran as fast as he could manage along one of the flat bits, hoping the pale circle of the torch would be enough to stop him falling on his face, or worse, off the side. He didn't fancy bouncing off all those freshly-cut edges on the way down.
It was gaining on him, its bony feet clattering horribly across the stone. Mickey killed the torch and started clambering up the tall steps, hauling himself up as quick as he could. To his dismay, the monster was a lot more agile than he'd thought. It looked like a rocking-horse made out of bones as a joke, but it was still catching up with him. Finally it grabbed his ankle and he fell back onto the step below, on his back, hard enough to knock all the breath out of him.
The monster was a dark, hissing patch against the sky, totally clear, absolutely brilliant with stars. The desert below was like a mirror image of it, darkness spotted with the lights of the workers' fires. Something brave inside Mickey said this was an amazing thing to have as your last sight. It got a bit buried under the panic, though.
'For the last time,' he said, his voice sounding embarrassingly like a whimper, 'I didn't *tell* them to worship me as a god.'
The skeleton thing hissed, 'You had to muscle in on my patch, didn't you! Show them a few technological tricks, make a couple of speeches about the working conditions, and the next thing you know they're covering you in gold.'
'It wasn't like that!' He had showed off a bit, admittedly, with the torch and his mobile phone. The workers had gawped and Rose had thought it was hilarious. 'I don't want their gold, or nothing!'
The skeleton loomed. This close he could see the thing's three eyes glittering inside their holes in its chalk white face. 'I've got a nice little earner going here, and you're not going to mess it up. Today these superstitious workers - tomorrow the pharoah!'
Mickey pulled himself up. 'You're talking about changing history,' He shone the torch in the monster's face, and immediately wished he hadn't. Still, how could it get any worse? 'You're just a pile of bones. You don't want to fall off this pyramid any more than I do. So back off, or you'll end up in bits.'
The alien raised bony hands, with fingertips sharp as knives. It hissed.
'You're going to muck up Earth's history, and this - this is *my* planet!' said Mickey. 'You stay back or you're going to get a kicking!'
'That's the spirit, Mickey!'
They both turned, to see the Doctor clambering lightly up the steps of the pyramid, Rose in tow.
'Oh thank God,' said Mickey.
'You could put it that way,' said the Doctor. 'You're a long way from U Antliae, aren't you? And all by yourself?'
The alien had backed up a
little, staring at the newcomers in surprise, and the Doctor took
the opportunity to hop up into the space between the monster and Mickey.
'It's one thing to play at having god-like powers. All you need is
sufficiently advanced technology - ooh, just a bit more advanced will
do, if you look impressive enough and make the right promises and
threats. One of the commonest minor crimes in the universe, just behind parking tickets.'
'*Minor* crimes?' said Mickey. 'He could have changed everything! Like,
the whole twentieth century could have been different - Rose and me
might never have been born!'
The Doctor didn't take his eyes off the Antlian. 'And who was that showing off their magic powers of fire and light to the locals, not half an hour ago?'
Mickey gulped. 'I didn't tell anyone I was a god, though,' he mumbled.
Rose had climbed up behind Mickey. She pointed at the alien. 'You don't wanna do that. Not with a Time Lord on your case.'
'There aren't any Time Lords,' sneered the Antlian.
'There's one,' murmured the Doctor. 'There's me.'
A sort of shiver went through the monster, making its bony body clatter. Mickey couldn't help shuddering a bit himself. When he wanted to, the Doctor could give off these waves of authority, like he was the scariest teacher you'd ever had plus a policeman plus your boss plus your grandmother, all in one.
'How does it feel to be face to face with a *real* god?' he said quietly.
The skeleton and the Doctor looked each other in the eyes for a long, long moment. Mickey took Rose's hand and squeezed it hard. He needed something warm and human at that moment, even more than usual, standing here halfway up to the sky watching two *things* battle for the upper hand.
'I have a weapon,' rattled the monster. 'If I activate it, it will devastate this little civilisation.'
'Oh my God, he's got a bomb or something,' said Rose.
'Not a minor crime at all, then,' said the Doctor, his voice colder than the desert night. 'What's a little genocide when there's money to be made?' He took a step towards the Antlian.
'Doctor!' gulped Mickey. 'Don't make him mad!'
'*I have a weapon!*' hissed the alien.
The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver. There was a muffled bang, from somewhere in the desert below. Mickey spotted a puff of glowing white smoke that drifted and vanished.
The Antlian squealed in rage. 'My ship!'
'Only your pathetic little antimatter device,' said the Doctor. 'Your ship should still be reasonably intact. I'd go and check it, though. Right now.'
The skeleton's sharp fingers waved. It obviously wanted nothing more at that moment than to turn the Doctor into sushi.
With a furious shriek it turned and clattered down the side of the pyramid, into the darkness.
Mickey sagged against the stone in relief. 'Should we go after it?' said Rose.
'Let's not,' said Mickey.
The Doctor was shaking his head. 'I don't think we'll have any further trouble. We'll keep an eye out, though. Just in case.' He sat down on the stone step. 'We ought to be able to see her leave from here.'
'That thing was a girl?' said Mickey.
'Ooh, yes,' said the Doctor. He patted the stone. 'Come and watch. You're the one who spoiled her dastardly plan. It's up to you to make sure she leaves your planet alone.'
Rose gave Mickey a quick kiss. 'My hero.'
They sat down, next to the Doctor, and watched the Antlian spacecraft lift itself into the dawn sky.
The skeleton monster thing caught up with Mickey halfway up the steps of the Great Pyramid.
It took twenty years to build the pyramid, the Doctor had said. They were only halfway through, they hadn't got up to the pointy bit at the top. It was all going to be smooth and white when they finished it off, but right now it was more like a big pile of rocks.
Twenty years. About the lifespan of Mickey Smith, if that alien *thing* got hold of him. He ran as fast as he could manage along one of the flat bits, hoping the pale circle of the torch would be enough to stop him falling on his face, or worse, off the side. He didn't fancy bouncing off all those freshly-cut edges on the way down.
It was gaining on him, its bony feet clattering horribly across the stone. Mickey killed the torch and started clambering up the tall steps, hauling himself up as quick as he could. To his dismay, the monster was a lot more agile than he'd thought. It looked like a rocking-horse made out of bones as a joke, but it was still catching up with him. Finally it grabbed his ankle and he fell back onto the step below, on his back, hard enough to knock all the breath out of him.
The monster was a dark, hissing patch against the sky, totally clear, absolutely brilliant with stars. The desert below was like a mirror image of it, darkness spotted with the lights of the workers' fires. Something brave inside Mickey said this was an amazing thing to have as your last sight. It got a bit buried under the panic, though.
'For the last time,' he said, his voice sounding embarrassingly like a whimper, 'I didn't *tell* them to worship me as a god.'
The skeleton thing hissed, 'You had to muscle in on my patch, didn't you! Show them a few technological tricks, make a couple of speeches about the working conditions, and the next thing you know they're covering you in gold.'
'It wasn't like that!' He had showed off a bit, admittedly, with the torch and his mobile phone. The workers had gawped and Rose had thought it was hilarious. 'I don't want their gold, or nothing!'
The skeleton loomed. This close he could see the thing's three eyes glittering inside their holes in its chalk white face. 'I've got a nice little earner going here, and you're not going to mess it up. Today these superstitious workers - tomorrow the pharoah!'
Mickey pulled himself up. 'You're talking about changing history,' He shone the torch in the monster's face, and immediately wished he hadn't. Still, how could it get any worse? 'You're just a pile of bones. You don't want to fall off this pyramid any more than I do. So back off, or you'll end up in bits.'
The alien raised bony hands, with fingertips sharp as knives. It hissed.
'You're going to muck up Earth's history, and this - this is *my* planet!' said Mickey. 'You stay back or you're going to get a kicking!'
'That's the spirit, Mickey!'
They both turned, to see the Doctor clambering lightly up the steps of the pyramid, Rose in tow.
'Oh thank God,' said Mickey.
'You could put it that way,' said the Doctor. 'You're a long way from U Antliae, aren't you? And all by yourself?'
The alien had backed up a
little, staring at the newcomers in surprise, and the Doctor took
the opportunity to hop up into the space between the monster and Mickey.
'It's one thing to play at having god-like powers. All you need is
sufficiently advanced technology - ooh, just a bit more advanced will
do, if you look impressive enough and make the right promises and
threats. One of the commonest minor crimes in the universe, just behind parking tickets.'
'*Minor* crimes?' said Mickey. 'He could have changed everything! Like,
the whole twentieth century could have been different - Rose and me
might never have been born!'
The Doctor didn't take his eyes off the Antlian. 'And who was that showing off their magic powers of fire and light to the locals, not half an hour ago?'
Mickey gulped. 'I didn't tell anyone I was a god, though,' he mumbled.
Rose had climbed up behind Mickey. She pointed at the alien. 'You don't wanna do that. Not with a Time Lord on your case.'
'There aren't any Time Lords,' sneered the Antlian.
'There's one,' murmured the Doctor. 'There's me.'
A sort of shiver went through the monster, making its bony body clatter. Mickey couldn't help shuddering a bit himself. When he wanted to, the Doctor could give off these waves of authority, like he was the scariest teacher you'd ever had plus a policeman plus your boss plus your grandmother, all in one.
'How does it feel to be face to face with a *real* god?' he said quietly.
The skeleton and the Doctor looked each other in the eyes for a long, long moment. Mickey took Rose's hand and squeezed it hard. He needed something warm and human at that moment, even more than usual, standing here halfway up to the sky watching two *things* battle for the upper hand.
'I have a weapon,' rattled the monster. 'If I activate it, it will devastate this little civilisation.'
'Oh my God, he's got a bomb or something,' said Rose.
'Not a minor crime at all, then,' said the Doctor, his voice colder than the desert night. 'What's a little genocide when there's money to be made?' He took a step towards the Antlian.
'Doctor!' gulped Mickey. 'Don't make him mad!'
'*I have a weapon!*' hissed the alien.
The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver. There was a muffled bang, from somewhere in the desert below. Mickey spotted a puff of glowing white smoke that drifted and vanished.
The Antlian squealed in rage. 'My ship!'
'Only your pathetic little antimatter device,' said the Doctor. 'Your ship should still be reasonably intact. I'd go and check it, though. Right now.'
The skeleton's sharp fingers waved. It obviously wanted nothing more at that moment than to turn the Doctor into sushi.
With a furious shriek it turned and clattered down the side of the pyramid, into the darkness.
Mickey sagged against the stone in relief. 'Should we go after it?' said Rose.
'Let's not,' said Mickey.
The Doctor was shaking his head. 'I don't think we'll have any further trouble. We'll keep an eye out, though. Just in case.' He sat down on the stone step. 'We ought to be able to see her leave from here.'
'That thing was a girl?' said Mickey.
'Ooh, yes,' said the Doctor. He patted the stone. 'Come and watch. You're the one who spoiled her dastardly plan. It's up to you to make sure she leaves your planet alone.'
Rose gave Mickey a quick kiss. 'My hero.'
They sat down, next to the Doctor, and watched the Antlian spacecraft lift itself into the dawn sky.