Daemon Muses: The Urge to Fall
daemonmuses: What's the most frightening thing you've ever done on purpose? How'd that work out?
Here he is, dangling from a rope above - or, rather, in - a pit that might go down forever, stranded on a planet circling a black hole while Ood try to kill everyone on the surface and down below is a thing calling itself the devil... and the most terrifying thing on hismind is the idea of being stuck in one place, one time, for the rest of his life. Were he anyone else, he might take that as a sign to reexamine his priorities.
He's not someone else, and the only thing he can do now is... Well. Is this.
He releases another hook on his harness, and it bites into him just a little more as his weight shifts and there's only one hook left now, holding him above the pit. Just one hook, and his hand pauses over it, hesitating for just a second.
Loreana? he says her presence in his mind just as much of a lifeline as the cable itself. If he's wrong, if the fall's too far... well, at least he'll never know when that lifeline snaps. I'm- I'm sorry.
Don't you dare, Doctor, she snaps immediately. Don't you dare.
Just do me a favor. Tell Rose that- I... He closes his eyes and swallows. Oh, what a time to say it. If she doesn't know by now... Tell her I'm sorry too.
Loreana tries to say something else, but he cuts her off, damping the psychic tie until her voice is just a whisper in his mind. "Ida?" he says over the comms, his hand falling to the final hook holding him to the cable. "Thank you."
"Don't-"
He falls, into the dark, down and down and down, and then
*
"He's gone," Loreana whimpered, and Rose dropped the comm she'd been about ready to hurl across the room, whirling to face her.
"What d'you mean, he's gone?" She'd never seen Loreana shaking like this, but she was now, her ears flat against her head, tail between her legs and looking the picture of canine misery. Dee flung himself off Rose's shoulder to land on Loreana's back, all but burrowing himself into her fur.
"He's-" Loreana shook herself a little, startling a series of alarmed chirps from Dee, and that stopped the shaking, if not the look of fear and near-physical pain. "I can't feel him. He fell."
Rose froze, heart leaping or tumbling or otherwise doing something very unpleasant in her chest. "But he's alive, isn't he? I mean, Time Lords, why they die, their daemons don't... stay around?"
"He's alive," Loreana confirmed, sinking slowly to the floor, placing her head on her paws. "He could be unconscious, or..."
"It could be anything," Dee said quietly. "It did say it was the devil..."
Loreana flicked an ear back at him, but didn't bother denying it, though they all three knew the Doctor would have. The Doctor could be anywhere now, and Rose couldn't help but think of the words that greeted them when they first arrived.
Welcome to Hell.
Muse: Tenth Doctor
Word Count: 522
Here he is, dangling from a rope above - or, rather, in - a pit that might go down forever, stranded on a planet circling a black hole while Ood try to kill everyone on the surface and down below is a thing calling itself the devil... and the most terrifying thing on hismind is the idea of being stuck in one place, one time, for the rest of his life. Were he anyone else, he might take that as a sign to reexamine his priorities.
He's not someone else, and the only thing he can do now is... Well. Is this.
He releases another hook on his harness, and it bites into him just a little more as his weight shifts and there's only one hook left now, holding him above the pit. Just one hook, and his hand pauses over it, hesitating for just a second.
Loreana? he says her presence in his mind just as much of a lifeline as the cable itself. If he's wrong, if the fall's too far... well, at least he'll never know when that lifeline snaps. I'm- I'm sorry.
Don't you dare, Doctor, she snaps immediately. Don't you dare.
Just do me a favor. Tell Rose that- I... He closes his eyes and swallows. Oh, what a time to say it. If she doesn't know by now... Tell her I'm sorry too.
Loreana tries to say something else, but he cuts her off, damping the psychic tie until her voice is just a whisper in his mind. "Ida?" he says over the comms, his hand falling to the final hook holding him to the cable. "Thank you."
"Don't-"
He falls, into the dark, down and down and down, and then
*
"He's gone," Loreana whimpered, and Rose dropped the comm she'd been about ready to hurl across the room, whirling to face her.
"What d'you mean, he's gone?" She'd never seen Loreana shaking like this, but she was now, her ears flat against her head, tail between her legs and looking the picture of canine misery. Dee flung himself off Rose's shoulder to land on Loreana's back, all but burrowing himself into her fur.
"He's-" Loreana shook herself a little, startling a series of alarmed chirps from Dee, and that stopped the shaking, if not the look of fear and near-physical pain. "I can't feel him. He fell."
Rose froze, heart leaping or tumbling or otherwise doing something very unpleasant in her chest. "But he's alive, isn't he? I mean, Time Lords, why they die, their daemons don't... stay around?"
"He's alive," Loreana confirmed, sinking slowly to the floor, placing her head on her paws. "He could be unconscious, or..."
"It could be anything," Dee said quietly. "It did say it was the devil..."
Loreana flicked an ear back at him, but didn't bother denying it, though they all three knew the Doctor would have. The Doctor could be anywhere now, and Rose couldn't help but think of the words that greeted them when they first arrived.
Welcome to Hell.
Muse: Tenth Doctor
Word Count: 522