Don't give up (for rude_not_ginger)

[stardustflying]

"ASTRIIIID!"

It was over, she'd done it. She'd actually done something worthwhile. For him, for all those people on the planet beneath, all six billion of them, because he would save them. This will have been worthwhile, her life well spent and it only took a moment's thought, barely seconds of hesitation before she knew what she had to do

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[rude_not_ginger]

He wasn't a god, no matter how much he wished he could be. What he could do with a God Machine, what he could do with a little more time, a little more effort. He could do so much, but he couldn't save her. He just had to save her and everything would be all right.

He gave up. With a frustrated kick to the machine, he shouted, something about how he could do anything. And he couldn't. He couldn't save her. Oh, Astrid. He couldn't save her.

He turned away, but then she said something. She responded.

"Astrid?" He was right, he could save her! He ran back towards the control box. He didn't want to touch it, he didn't want to ruin what he had.

"Astrid, can you hear me?"

[stardustflying]

"Yes Doctor!" She gasped, panic and desperation in her eyes, her breathing shallow and quick with confused frightened hope.

"I can hear you. I can really hear you!" Astrid's spectral form searched the darkness of wherever she was, wide-eyed elation making her smile and gasp with relief, trying to pinpoint where his voice was coming from. She wasn't falling; she couldn't feel a floor beneath her, but she wasn't falling anymore.

"Where am I? I'm not falling Doctor! Where are you?" She looked right through him then, the blind knowing where to look, but not seeing anything.

[rude_not_ginger]

He could do something. He had to save her. He had to. He grabbed his screwdriver and aimed for the power. He could bring her back. He could save her. He had to save her. He couldn't repair everything, but he could repair this.

"I'm here," he called to her. "Astrid, Astrid! I'm here!"

He mended the wires then spun around. She was so close. Only halfway there, but so close.

[stardustflying]

She was staring at him now, nothing but ecstatic wonderment making her grin. She felt like her face would burst if she smiled any harder.

"You did it! I have no idea what you did, but you did it!"

She looked down at herself, she was here, actually here. Real and alive and...

"Doctor! You're amazing!" She started to run towards him, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks, ready to fling her arms around that brilliant man.