Breakdown by Becky Miller Come wonder with me now, come wonder with me, away from this sad world, come wonder with me. Sylfaen Publications Doctor Who is owned by the BBC. This document is made for entertainment purposes only. No infringement intended. No content may be reproduced, copied or multiplied in any way and under no circumstances may this document or any content be sold, shown or shared with out explicit written permission. Please respect the creative rights of the author. Becky Miller 2005. Contents 1 Tailing along 2 A woollen scarf and gloves 3 The Space Elevator 4 Breaking the ice 5 Shopping in the City 6 Buried in trouble 7 Bright red and stubborn 8 Liquid diamonds 9 Cyberboy 10 Flying close 11 Breakdown 1. Tailing along Lynne had asked the Doctor to take her back home, so he had set the TARDIS into motion and they were heading for the apartment building in Cardiff 2006 on which Lynne's ship was perched. He had asked her to stay, but she had declined. "Maybe it is for the better." he thought. "My ship might very well be big enough for all four of us, but I can't possibly keep an eye on everyone." The Doctor's string of thoughts was interrupted by a loud clang and a sudden and extreme jolting of the entire ship. Immediately he rushed to the controls to find out what was the matter and to fix it if possible. Before he could do anything substantial, the ship made one final big jolt before coming to a full stop. Everyone was thrown on the floor, including the Doctor. He felt silly that he hadn't braced himself, he should have expected it. Mickey whined about hitting his head while Rose and Lynne simultaneously stood up from the floor. "What happened?" both girls asked in choir. "Nothing to worry about," the Doctor replied as he examined some indicators, "luckily it was a near miss." "A near miss?!" Rose exclaimed. "Can't you steer this thing properly?" she added. "Well, Vortexes are tricky things. They deform the dimensions into complex passages, tunnel like structures, if you like, which the TARDIS manipulates to travel through time and space." the Doctor explained. "Tell me if I am wrong, but every time we travel through a Vortex we could hit something." Rose said. She was not intimidated by the intricate explanation he had just given her. "Only under specific circumstances for which the chances are extremely low..." the Doctor said hesitantly. "But we could..." Rose said, casting a serious eye to the Doctor. "In theory; yes." he admitted. "Maybe we could go and see what it is that made us miss our target by, oh, at least, eight centuries or so." Lynne interrupted the two from staring gravely at each other. Rose and Mickey had to take a moment to grasp the idea that a near miss had thrown them so far forward in time, but in particular they wondered how she knew this already. The Doctor looked at her annoyed that she had to say that, it made him look like a bad pilot now. "Okay. Let me put it on the screen here." he said. The screen showed, on a background of stars, a small rugged little craft. It was not much longer than a human and it had a conical shape. It was made out of a shiny metal and it had several antennae to send out and pick up transmissions. It didn't seem to have any means of propulsion. "It seems to be still in one piece." Mickey said. "Yes. I told you we didn't hit it. We just missed it. It got caught in our wake and so influenced the Vortex which made us overshoot the target." the Doctor explained slightly agitated. "Sure." Mickey remarked. "So the jolting was caused by the Vortex being disturbed." Rose concluded. "Exactly Rose. There's a clever girl?" the Doctor remarked. "There is one life sign." Lynne said and pointed at an indicator. "Yes. It is weak, but definitely there." he replied. "The oxygen in the vessel is depleting and the creature needs air to breathe." Lynne said. "What creature is it? Can we let it on board with us?" Rose asked. Meanwhile the Doctor had moved over to the door. "Of course we can!" he said happily and proceeded to open the door. Apparently he already had the same idea as Rose and he had moored the TARDIS to the space craft. He opened the hatch and crawled inside the tiny entrance to the creature's vessel. Rose and Mickey came over to see. "Oh, hello there." they heard the Doctor say happily to whatever was inside. "Hold on I'll have you out of here in a second. Oh, there you go." he said. Mickey and Rose tried to peer into the craft to see what was going on when they heard a noise. They backed off and to their surprise an ordinary black and white dog came running into the TARDIS control room. He came over to Rose sniffing his new surroundings. Mickey began to pet him straight away. "A dog?!" Rose asked the Doctor who came crawling out of the craft and closed the TARDIS door. "Yes, isn't she cute?" he said with a big smile. "What is an ordinary dog doing in a space craft?" Rose asked and Lynne wondered as well. "She is not just an ordinary dog. She is Laika." Mickey said. "The Russians launched her into space in November 1957 to see if living creatures could survive space travel. She survived the launch and the journey, but the Russians never thought about returning her to Earth safely. The mission data was received and used to develop other space missions, but Laika eventually died of suffocation before her spacecraft, the Sputnik 2, eventually burnt up in the Earth's atmosphere." Mickey explained gravely, while the dog explored her new surroundings with a happily wagging tail. "Or so we were led to believe..." Rose added, "because now she's here, alive and well. Saved by the Doctor." "Yes, from now on, we will know how that story really ended." Mickey cheered. "So, Doctor. Now you have two to return to Earth." Lynne said, "If you would be so kind?" She was interrupted by the sudden shaking of the TARDIS. Laika started barking and the Doctor looked at his screen. "Look at that. Gorgeous!" he exclaimed. They had just been passed closely by something that looked like a giant cable car. An elevator in space that was speedily descending to a blue and white planet. "We are having lots of near misses today...", Rose commented. "You wanted to be taken to Earth, Lynne. Well, hold on, we're going down." the Doctor said excitedly and put the TARDIS in motion. He flew her down spiralling around the cable, in pursuit of the elevator. 2. A woollen scarf and gloves As always when flying, the TARDIS shakes and tremors, and the occupants have to hold on tight to keep themselves steady. Mickey was holding on to the railing tightly with both hands, because this flight was worse than any he ever had before. "Either you should improve you driving skills, Doctor, or install safety buckles in this thing, because these rides are getting bumpier every time." Mickey commented. "Oh, cheer up, Mickey. It adds to the excitement. Besides we're already there." the Doctor replied with a hint of passion. However, Lynne had to agree with Mickey, because when she flew her TARDIS she managed to fly rather smoothly. It just required a bit more care and tenderness. Then again, each TARDIS has its own character and sometimes they are in a good gentle mood and sometimes the protest a little more. Maybe today was such a day for the Doctor's TARDIS. "Here we are ladies and gentleman. Ground floor. Snow white fluffy snow and crystal clear glistening ice." the Doctor said when the ship's engines had stopped. He opened the door and a cold breeze carried snowflakes into the control room. "And freezing temperatures." Rose shivered, "maybe we should put some more clothes on before venturing out." The doctor agreed and Rose showed Mickey and Lynne to the wardrobe. Mickey put on his coat and he found some gloves and a woollen hat he could wear. Lynne decided on a pink scarf to tie snugly around her neck and a brown velvet trench coat. Rose wore her black winter jacket and she had found a multicoloured hand knitted scarf, which she could wind around her neck three times and still the ends would trail on the floor, but it proved its purpose very well; it certainly kept one warm. The Doctor merely put on his brown overcoat, though he buttoned it up this time. The foursome stepped out of the police box into the crisp white snow, followed by Laika. As soon as the dog put its paws in the cold snow she made a squeaky sound and quickly hopped back into the TARDIS. "Okay. You stay here, no wondering off and don't push any buttons. Agreed?" the Doctor said to the dog, which barked once to indicate his agreeance. He closed the door, locked it and put the key in his pocket. "You said this is Earth." Rose said to the Doctor. "Maybe we've landed on the North or South pole." Mickey remarked. "Nope. This is how most of the Earth's surface looks like in this century. Barren and covered with ice and snow; the next Ice Age." the Doctor said. "Wow, how odd. Where are the people? I don't see anything suggesting there are still people living here. Have they gone underground or have we become extinct?" Rose asked concerned. She would be very disappointed if the Doctor would confirm her suspicions, but luckily he didn't. "No. You remember the elevator that passed us in space just a few moments ago? That is human made. Ah, there it is. Let's go meet them." the Doctor said to Rose and he stepped up to the slowly descending elevator. The elevator moved slower as it reached the ground and the foursome noticed it made a lot of loud noise. When it had touched the ground the large noisy engine was shut down and the four could hear each other again. "Do you really think there is someone in this elevator? Who would want to go here? There is nothing here." Mickey said. "Nothing but us, and an elevator platform." the Doctor summed up, "But mind you Mickey this is an antique little beastie. It was built when the Earth was still warm and green, well, not frozen anyway. So it is actually like seeing a steam train pull into a twenty-first century station. "Okay, so this is more of a tourist attraction." Rose remarked. "Well, it certainly attracted our attention. But uhm, do you think there is anyone inside? Is this thing going to open its doors or what?" Lynne said rather non-amused. "Oh, for that I have just the thing!" the Doctor said and reached in the inside pocket of his jacket. "Yes, a button that says; Open." Rose said smartly and pressed it with an exaggerated gesture. The doors slid open, again with loud noise. "It is very clear this thing is very old." Mickey commented, because everything on the elevator looked rusty and banged up and it didn't sound as if everything went as smoothly as it should either. "This is all very interesting, Doctor, but I'd rather have you take me home now." Lynne said. She knew what the Doctor was like. He would want to explore this place and have a look inside the elevator and maybe even go up to the city above, but that would take loads of time and it wasn't what they were planning in the first place. The plan was to take Lynne home, but because Laika's ship and the TARDIS encountered each other too closely they were both dragged to a future point in time. Lynne actually wanted to go back to the TARDIS and try to get to Earth's 2006 Cardiff again. It was too bloomin' cold here, for Lynne's liking anyway. While Lynne and Mickey stood shivering and the Doctor and Rose enjoyed the view of ice and snow cliffs surrounding them, a figure appeared in the doorway of the elevator. "Hello there. Come on in all of you. I'll be going back up in a few moments, don't worry." a cheerful woman's voice said to the foursome, who then scurried back inside. Lynne sighed; she knew the Doctor couldn't resist such an invitation. Mickey looked reluctant too. "Don't worry? Is there something to be worried about then?" he mumbled, but the Doctor did hear him. "What about it, Mickey? You don't look very excited." the Doctor hinted and gave Rose a quick wink. "Yeah, you don't have to go if you don't want to, Mickey. You can stay in the TARDIS till we get back." Rose suggested. "Safe and warm." the Doctor punned, but he was the only one smiling about it. He thought Mickey could be such a wimp at times, though his words and appearance seemed to be quite tough. It was funny to see him squirm like that, but it also irritated the Doctor sometimes, like it did now. Mickey was indecisive. Questioningly he looked at Rose as if he tried to ask her telepathically whether she was okay with him staying behind, but of course he got no reply. The Doctor and Lynne did have some telepathic words together. Lynne caught the Doctor's desire to have Mickey out of his way for a couple of hours and she suggested she would take the boy back to the TARDIS and look after him. Without any spoken word Lynne held up her hand and simultaneously the Doctor took the police box's key from his pocket and gave it to Lynne. "But when you get back, you're taking me home. No detours." Lynne said sternly and put her hand on Mickey's shoulder. "Let's go kid." she said to him and they walked off to the blue police box which stood out of the white snowy scenery like a sour thumb. 3. The Space Elevator The Doctor and Rose expectantly stepped into the huge elevator. By pressing a button on the inside, the doors were closed. They walked through some tight corridors, following the sound of the woman scurrying about. As they turned the corner, they expected the woman to be right there, but there was no-one. Just a small hatch that was left open. The Doctor peered inside out of curiosity and found a bundle of wires, some of which were not connected. He instantly got the urge to fix it, but he felt it was not his place to interfere with someone else's wiring, just yet. Down the corridor came a clanging sound. It was fading away, as if someone with metal shoes was strolling through the far corridor, but before Rose and the Doctor could pursue this, they were called by the woman who invited them into the elevator just a while ago. "Oh, I am sorry. You are not supposed to be here. These are the somewhat cramped an untidy maintenance corridors. Follow me." she said cheerfully, her long red curly hair bounced as she walked ahead of them. Rose and the Doctor followed the woman to a more central area of the elevator with seats, tables and some control panels. There was much better lighting here and it looked quite tidy and cosy. "If this elevator has a waiting lounge, how long would it take to get all the way to the top?" Rose wondered as they took a seat. "I am Annika, pilot of this elevator and this is where you can have a comfortable sit till we get to the city." the woman introduced herself with an eager sweet smile and twinkling bright green eyes. "Yes, the city. What is it like up there nowadays?" the Doctor asked, cleverly skipping their introductions. "Oh, it is alright. Not much change. I don't go put there much, but I heard the main sphere has a sale event every short cycle. You could visit that if you like." Annika said. Meanwhile the Doctor was wondering where he had met this woman before, he was sure he did somewhere some time, but when? He had recognised her face and now her voice and name were familiar too, but he couldn't quite place her yet. "Okay, we'll do that. Shopping, Rose, your favourite pass time." he said and got a big smile from Rose. "Will you come with us, Annika?" he asked the red haired woman. "No thank you. I'd rather stay with my elevator. It is my only and most valuable possession. You could say it is my home. Anyway, there are things I need to fix before I make another trip down." Annika said. "Oh, come along. If you don't go out every once in a while where is the excitement in your life, hey? Come with us. You might find some parts to update your elevator with. You wouldn't by any chance know a place where I could find a chameleon circuit, do you?" the Doctor said convincingly. "Alright then, I'll come along and show you around the city." she said. The Doctor smiled triumphantly as Annika agreed to join them. "So this is yours then?" Rose asked to fill the time since they had not arrived at the top yet. "Oh, yes. It was passed down through the family to me. It is the very first Space Elevator ever built, you know." Annika said proudly. Rose was visibly impressed. "Yes, of course. Now I remember. It was not you I met, it was your great-great-very-great-grandmother. You look exactly like her." the Doctor interrupted the conversation with his sudden revelation. Annika was flattered but Rose looked surprised or intrigued, so he elaborated. "The very first pilot of the very first Space Elevator was a woman. A woman who looked exactly like Annika here, and she was called Annika too. I met her in Amsterdam in a train, but that is besides the point." he explained. "Yes, you are right. All the firstborn daughters of her were called Annika and they also inherited the elevator, but I never knew I look so much like her. How did you know? You said you met her, but you couldn't have. Have you found pictures of her in a library somewhere? Is that why you are here? Who did you say you were?" Annika replied. "Is that light supposed to be flashing red?" the Doctor asked Annika, cleverly avoiding her questions again. She went over to the control panel and checked the light. "Uhm, it is no big problem. We'll be there any minute now anyway. I'll fix it when the elevator is secured to the platform." Annika said. "Huh, I've heard that before. No big problem?" Rose whispered to the Doctor, who tried to look innocent. He knew she meant he also says that, but in his case it is usually a very big problem he just doesn't want her to worry about. He hoped Annika wasn't the same, because they were very high up in the sky and if the elevator were to go into a free fall they would most probably burn up in the atmosphere before even reaching the ground, not to mention the impact they would make if they did make it all the way down. After all this was a very old elevator and he didn't like the way the wiring wasn't up to specs either. Though, luckily they had made it to the City and Annika secured the elevator to the platform. 4. Breaking the ice Mickey was sitting on the TARDIS floor. He was playing with Laika. Lynne, however, had taken a seat when they had returned, and from that moment on she hadn't said or done a thing. She was just staring out in front of her as if she was daydreaming. In fact, she was doing just that. She was thinking about home. At first she thought about her apartment in Cardiff but soon after that she was reminded of her real home. Her birth town, the Citadel on Gallifrey. She remembered the orange sky and the dark red grass of the park she used to play in so often when she was young. Though, she had also grown to appreciate the blue sky on Earth with its bright white clouds in the most magnificent shapes which sometimes would turn grey and pour down water hours or days on end. She missed both places, but she was indecisive about which one she missed most. She also thought about the Doctor. She remembered how he was, when she knew him on their home planet. It had been so many years ago. He was different then. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly that made him so different. He used to be so full of energy and though he still looked like a very actively busy man, there was a sense of tiredness showing through now. He might have been able to hide it to everybody else but not for her. She knew him too well for that. Mickey had stopped playing with the dog and Lynne felt him looking at her. She noticed the awkward silence in the room. She hadn't really spoken much to him since they had met, but she felt he was a nice and decent person. She recalled him offering his chair when they were all caught in the basement of the Torchwood building by Patchwork. She decided Mickey could do with a friendly chat. "Fancy a walk, Mickey?" she asked him, but when he returned only a question marked face, she elaborated. "The dog needs walking and I suppose we could do with some fresh air as well." Lynne said. "Alright then. Are you sure? It is pretty cold out there." Mickey said as he put on his coat, hat and gloves. "Oh, I can stand a little cold, you know." Lynne said as she put on her brown velvet coat and opened the door letting Laika and Mickey out before locking it up. The three strolled along into the crisp white icy landscape. "So you and Rose, where are you from? I mean what city?" Lynne asked Mickey to start the conversation. "London. Both of us. Yeah, you see we live close to each other in the same neighbourhood." Mickey answered somewhat hesitantly at first. "Hm, yes. And how did you get involved in all this then?" she asked him. "Oh, I just went along with Rose. She had gone with him before and I wasn't going to stay behind again, so this time I went with her. And look where it has brought me; in the middle of an Ice Age and she's still nowhere near me. She is my girlfriend you know. We used to have something going on between us, but now she is more interested in him. What about you?" he said. "Me?!" Lynne asked. She was taken by surprise. "Yes. Have you got a boyfriend?" Mickey repeated. "Oh, ehm-" Lynne stammered. "Don't tell me you don't do that sort of thing." Mickey said jestingly. "Well, I-. Yes, I do. I did actually. I had a boyfriend for a while, well? I was in love, head over heels, but his parents made an end to that. They moved away, far away. I didn't see him again since that awful day, for a very long time. So that is over and done with now. And I tried dating with some guys from Cardiff recently, but that didn't turn into anything serious yet." Lynne told Mickey. She was amazed that of all the subjects they could be discussing, they were actually talking about a most trivial thing such as boyfriends. It was one of the things she loved about humans. Their careless ignorant way of life that revolves around the feelings they have towards each other. It is why she fell in love with living in Cardiff once she had eventually dared to venture out and why she was determined to go back to that life instead of trying to resume her existence as a Daughter on Gallifrey. "Come on Laika. We're going back, come along." Lynne encouraged the dog to follow her and Mickey back into the direction of the police box, which had just dipped out of sight behind the very soft sloping hill they had crossed. "Now you are stuck here, on Earth, you must miss you family and friends." Mickey said promptly. "Oh yes, I miss them alright. Of course I do, but I am used to that by now. I was away from home a long time already before I got stuck, you see. I missed them a lot just after I ran away from home but I got over that now. I still think of them every day though." Lynne said. "I ran away from home once too. I miss my granny most." Mickey said. "Laika! Where is that dog? Come here girl." Lynne called the dog over who still lagged behind. The dog obeyed this time and came dribbling over. "So, you are called Lynne since you live on Earth but is that how you are really called?" Mickey asked nervously. He had wanted to know this from the day he had met her, because he thought Lynne to be a far too Earthy name for an alien. "True. Lynne is not my given name, but I find it easier if people call me that. Primarily because I don't want to stand out of the crowd and because it is easier to pronounce." Lynne explained. "Ah, the Doctor had a similar excuse." Mickey said. "I am sure he did." Lynne remarked. "Speaking of which, do you know his real name? How was he called on your home world?" Mickey asked. "Yes, I do know his real name. Though he is called Doctor by the people on Gallifrey as well." Lynne said. "For some reason he is very secretive and sensitive about how he is called. Can you say what it is? Can you tell me his name, just say it once, please?" Mickey asked her eagerly because he was now so close to uncovering what the Doctor had tried to keep secret for so long, but Lynne was clearly not very happy with Mickey's request. At that moment, the ice beneath their feet began to make a deep groaning noise and not a second later the ice gave way. It cracked open and collapsed, plunging them into a deep void underneath the surface and all Lynne could utter was a long loud scream which was barely heard because of the rumbling noise the collapsing ice and snow made as it fell with them into the crack that had formed so suddenly and without noticeable warning. 5. Shopping in the City The Doctor, Rose and Annika were walking through the City together. They were on their way to the Central Sphere, but it proved to be quite a walk since the City itself was made from thousands of linked spheres and cylinders which used to be spacecraft before they became part of the City. Annika showed her guests through the maze of different corridors, passages and hatches. There was a cosy crowded feel to the place, a bit like people bustling around on a market square. The people in the City were rather normal looking considering they were many years into the future. Rose didn't see much difference to the people here than those of her own time. They even wore the same kind of clothes, nothing fancy, though there were many people that wore overalls. Like Annika, they were probably part of the City's crew, most probably pilots, technicians and maintenance engineers. When the three came close to the Central Sphere, the crowd became denser and on either side of the pathway vendors were selling their wares from stalls. They had entered the Sales Event, a market. Rose observed all the trinkets the vendors had laid out on their stalls and she tried to imagine what it was and where it was supposed to be used for. While Annika elbowed a way through the crowd, the Doctor zoomed closely along the stalls, looking if there was something on sale he could use. Every once in a while he recognised a certain trinket, which made a small smile appear on his face. "Do you really think there is a chance you can find that chameleon circuit around here?" Rose asked the Doctor. "It can't hurt to be on the lookout." he replied, "but you're right. The chance is about nil and even if we did find one it would probably cost a fortune." "Ah well, I like the TARDIS the way it is anyway. It's got character; the wood, the creaky door and the dodgy lock. Besides, if you'd repair the ship's ability to cloak itself, wouldn't it be somewhat troublesome to find it back again?" Rose commented. "Of course not. You just have to remember carefully where it's parked." "Still, I don't think I could get used to it looking different every time we go somewhere." "I used to find it interesting to see what she had changed into every time I landed somewhere." the Doctor said trying not to seem offended. "So, if you happen to find a chameleon circuit, would you really buy it and fix the TARDIS straight away?" Rose asked. "Well-" the Doctor said considering what he could answer. He didn't want to disappoint Rose but to be honest; he had been trying to get that part of the TARDIS fixed for dozens of years. Though, the only real way to do that was to take out a chameleon circuit from another TARDIS and replace the whole unit altogether, but sadly that was no longer possible. "So this TARDIS, is your space ship?" Annika asked. "Yep." the Doctor said proudly, since space travel was not uncommon for the people of this time period. "Is it badly damaged?" "No, no. It is not damaged as such. It could do with some DIY though. Some minor repairs like a new set of zero order wave plates, a top up of conjugated quicksilver for the engine would be nice and she could do with a fresh lick of paint." the Doctor summed some of the maintenance jobs he had been postponing for a while now he enjoyed the company of Rose. "Lick of paint?!" Rose asked shocked. "Yes, I was thinking of a new colour. Bright red perhaps. Maybe orange?" "Doctor, you can't be serious!" she exclaimed. Rose was repelled by the idea of such a brightly coloured police box, but the Doctor quickly gave her a reassuring wink followed by a well meant smile. Rose smiled back relieved. She was prettiest when she was intently amused and smiled like that, to the Doctor's opinion that is. "Doctor?" Annika asked, when she heard how Rose addressed him. "So you are the ships medic then? I was of the impression you were its captain and hearing you speak of all those maintenance jobs, I thought you were the mechanic." "Oh, no. He is all of them in one, really. He can do everything." Rose answered enthusiastically. "And you?" Annika asked promptly. "I. I am a passenger. But we make a good team when flying the ship, don't we, Doctor?" Rose said proudly. "Hm, yes." the Doctor answered absentmindedly. He was concerned about the change of behaviour of the people around them. They were looking strangely at them, especially at the Doctor himself. They eyed him out as if he were a wanted criminal. "Ah, how interesting. So you are just here for some sight seeing, ehm, what was you name? Rose?" Annika asked nonchalantly. "Yes, Rose." she replied without hesitation, still unaware of the change in behaviour of the crowd. It made the Doctor ever more anxious. "And you are?" Annika asked him for his name too. "Leaving." he replied with a very seriously worried expression and he took Rose by the hand. "The Doctor?" people started to whisper, "It's him, the Doctor." "Come on, Rose." he said and quickly retraced their steps back to the elevator. The word of the Doctor's presence in the City spread fast and the whispers could be heard following them through the crowd like an oncoming gust of wind. "Wait." Annika said and pursued the Doctor and Rose through the aroused mass of people. "What is going on?!" Rose demanded while the Doctor quickened his pace and Annika finally caught up with them. "Clearly we are not wanted here. For some reason these people are angry at us and I don't intend to stay here and talk it over." he said determinately as the crowd began to make more noise and started to follow them. The chasing people were yelling. "Stop them. It's him, the Doctor. The long fellow and the blond girl, get them. It is his fault! It's the Doctor!" 6. Buried in trouble All was still at the bottom of the abyss. Great walls of bright white and intense light blue frozen snow and ice formed the sides of the deep crack in which Lynne and Mickey were now trapped. They were buried underneath a big pile of snow. When Mickey woke up it was dark. He didn't see anything and he could only hear the sound of his own heart pounding. As he woke up a bit more he began to regain the feeling in his extremities. He felt sour all over his body, but mostly his legs hurt. Then Mickey worked up the will to open his eyes. He carefully opened them but it remained dark. At that moment he began to panic and he discovered that he couldn't move either. He let out a desperate cry, but the sound didn't seem to get far. Mickey was engulfed with fear. He was buried underneath a layer of snow and he couldn't move, nor hear or see anything. Though not far from him, someone seemed to have made a lucky escape, or maybe not. It was the dog, Laika. She was not buried, but lay motionless on top of the pile of snow. --- "Doctor, I think you know very well what is going on. And it's not about us, but it's got to do with you. Tell me, what is it they blame you for?" Rose demanded an explanation. "The ice." Annika said gravely. "What? He couldn't have been responsible for freezing the entire planet over, could you?" Rose said, her head tilted and her eyes wide with disbelief. "You must have thought we'd have forgotten by now. To the contrary, everyone knows the story, everyone knows about you and what you have done, Doctor." Annika said. The Doctor merely glanced from Rose to Annika and back to Rose with a grave but emotionless face. Both women looked at him for an explanation to this whole situation. Once they had gone silent, the Doctor doubted whether he should tell them what he knew, though to be honest, that wasn't very much. "I could not stop it from happening then and I can't help it now." the Doctor said testy. "Can't you go back to prevent it?" Rose asked. "You know very well I can't, Rose." he snapped to her. "Can you take us down now, please?" he said to Annika and sat himself down on a chair all the way in the corner of the elevator's lounge. "Is he always so sulky?" Annika asked Rose as they walked up to the control panel. Rose glanced over at the Doctor but didn't answer Annika's question. She helped the elevator's pilot to disconnect from the platform. The elevator slowly but noisily set to motion. It was soon going back down to the Earth's surface at a steady but quick pace. The three didn't have time to sit and sulk for long because all sorts of warning lights began to flicker on the control panel. Annika hastily tried to compensate but every time more warning lights came on. "Something is wrong. I had the elevator fixed before we left the City but there are things breaking one after the other." she said to her passengers. Rose was worried and tried to lend Annika a hand but the Doctor didn't look as if he was about to get up and help. "If these malfunctions keep adding up, I will lose control over the elevator." Annika added. "You mean we'll go into a free fall then?" Rose asked distraught. "Only if main power fails, then the elevator will no longer be able to stay attached to the cable. I will try to make a full stop and then take us back up to the City where we can secure it to the docking platform." Annika said reassuringly. "Still, I don't understand what the cause of all this trouble is. Why aren't any systems being repaired?" she muttered while trying to control the jolting and sparking elevator. "Okay. Sounds like a plan, or part of a plan anyway, and it looks like you can use some help. What can I do?" Rose offered eagerly. The Doctor observed her from his spot in the corner. He truly liked the way Rose would get tough when things got serious. It was one of the reasons he had decided to ask her to come along. "When the indicator light goes on, push this button and pull this lever down. Make sure it goes all the way down. The elevator should slow down and I will reverse the magnet polarity and restart the engine. Next: same routine; light off, push button, lever up. Again all the way up. Got that?" Annika explained quickly, while the Doctor was still observing them with great interest. "Light, button, lever. Got it." Rose said confidently. "Right here we go." Annika said and left trough a hatch to the maintenance corridors. Patiently the Doctor sat back and waited to see what would happen and whether it would work. Rose kept her eyes on the indicator lights, ready to execute the routine as soon as it would light up. It wasn't long before the light blipped on and she pushed the lever down with a strong jerk. As a result the elevator began to slow down and eventually came to a halt. Rose allowed a smile to appear on her concentrated face and the Doctor felt proud of her too. "There's the light. Press the button? and pull? the lever." Rose said to herself as she executed the routine again. She gave a hard jerk on the lever, but it moved only half way. "Come on, all the way, you silly thing. Up!" she shouted at the lever, but despite her best efforts it didn't move. "We're not moving upwards Rose, the lever!" Annika shouted through the hatch. "I can't get the lever back up again, Annika. It's stuck. Now what?" Rose said and glanced at the Doctor who was sitting in the corner and had moved to the tip of his seat. He had an anxious expression now, looking through his glasses at all the indicators and gages. "Now we can't move up to the City anymore. The only thing we can do now is secure the elevator to the cable by deploying the clamps, manually. Hurry, before the power fails, or else?" Annika said looking desperately worried and scared. "?we will fall towards the planet's surface with enormous speed and crash. Let's go!" the Doctor finished the sentence and he jumped up from his seat purposefully. Annika showed the way through the maintenance corridors to the generator and the docking clamps. Rose and the Doctor followed her at a running pace. His sulking mood was replaced by his well known determinate attitude. There was trouble and he was the one going to fix it, because he had no desire to crash on a frozen uninhabited planet due to some faulty wiring? and he had promised. He promised Jacky to bring Rose back safely. 7. Bright red and stubborn At the bottom of the snowy abyss, something moved. It was Laika who had woken up. Luckily she was not buried underneath the snow. The dog began sniffing around as soon as she got to her feet. She started scratching the surface of the pile of snow with her paws and soon she had dug a considerable deep hole in the snow. Mickey could hear the dog digging and he was extremely delighted when he felt Laika's wet nose touch his cheek. When the dog had uncovered Mickey's head and shoulders he could free himself from the strong icy clasp of the snow. After that he turned his attention to the dog immediately. He petted and cuddled her as he was grateful the creature had just saved his life. But then a fright came over him as he realised Lynne was not there. "Lynne." he said distraught. She must have been buried underneath the snow as he was. "Come on, Laika. Sniff her out. Where is Lynne? Find Lynne, Laika. Where is Lynne?" Mickey urged the dog to help him find the Daughter he had become so fond of. He sank to his knees and started shifting the snow with his hand as fast as he could. Lynne had indeed suffered a similar fate to Mickey. She was also buried underneath the pile of snow somewhere, but she wasn't aware of this because she was still unconscious. It didn't take Mickey and Laika long to find Lynne and they quickly uncovered her from the densely packed snow. Mickey was quite distressed when he noticed she was not conscious, but Laika had a remedy for that. The dog licked Lynne's face and barked softly every once in a while. It made Lynne wake up with a start because she got quite a fright, seeing the dog up close to her face like that. Luckily Mickey was there to comfort her and he helped her to sit up straight and recover from this ordeal they had so suddenly plunged into. --- Annika, Rose and the Doctor were heading to the generator room in the defected elevator in order to prevent it from losing its grip on the cable and going into a free fall. On their approach they heard a clanging noise coming from the generator room. It was the same sound the Doctor and Rose heard when they had discovered the loose wiring. When they rushed into the generator room they stumbled upon a robot. The two women stopped in their tracks, causing the Doctor to bump into Rose, almost toppling her over. The robot was human shaped and just over four feet tall. Its amazingly fluently moving body was made entirely of metal and it was painted bright red. "A robot." Rose stated. "Oh, it's harmless." Annika said as she went past it to the indicators on the generator. "A repair droid." the Doctor said, obviously intrigued, "flashing colour, for this period." he added. "Yes it's the latest model in artificial intelligence, a government regulation, but I can't say I am very pleased with it." Annika replied as she started to work the controls of the docking clamps. "I can see why." Rose said worried, looking at the repair droid with suspicion, "It doesn't seem to be doing much repairing." Rose was right. Sparks came flying from the wiring which the robot was working on. At the same time the generator began to falter. The robot was ripping up the circuits, not repairing them! The circuits it had exposed now were those of the generator and the main power supply. "It must have been ripping up systems all over this elevator. How do we stop it?" Rose said concerned. "By using the magic word." the Doctor replied wittingly, but Rose was none the wiser. "Repair droid R1." the designation of the robot was written in white on its back, "Please stop." the Doctor said. The robot ceased whatever it was doing and turned to face the one speaking to it. The Doctor could have ordered to deactivate itself but he couldn't resist being curious. He asked the AI-robot for its motive. "Why did you do all this?" he asked gravely. "I must." the robot replied briefly, which did not satisfy the Doctor. "To what purpose?" "To repair." the robot stated. It was a confusing contradiction. "But you are not repairing those circuits you are cutting them loose, you are destroying them." the Doctor said. He did not understand why the robot contradicted itself. "They no longer serve their purpose. They must be removed because they are beyond repair." the robot clarified, but there was a flaw in its reasoning and the Doctor had to pursue that. "If those no longer serve their purpose and are beyond repair then you no longer serve yours. Why are you still here trying to repair this thing? You are destroying this elevator. We'll crash if you keep doing this. Why don't you just remove yourself from here?!" the Doctor said angrily. He was agitated by the robot's stubbornness. "I cannot. I am assigned to repair." the robot said blandly. "Can't you see, your own reasoning is faulty. Why can't people programme their machines properly?" the Doctor stopped his futile attempt to correct the robot's flaw and sighed. "I am sorry." the robot said suddenly after a short period of silence. "What?-" the Doctor exclaimed. He looked genuinely surprised and concerned. "I am sorry." the robot repeated. "What?" Annika asked the Doctor what had surprised him so much. "I must repair." the robot stated its primary goal and turned back to the wiring. "No-" the Doctor yelled, but it was too late. The robot cut the wires and the generator fell silent. Annika rushed to deploy the clamps, but she didn't have enough time to complete the sequence. Slowly the elevator began to move. It slid downwards, hesitantly at first but soon it was rushing to the Earth's surface with incredible speed. 8. Liquid diamonds Mickey, Lynne and Laika had snuggled up to each other tightly at the bottom of the icy cold abyss. Mickey was not entirely comfortable sitting squeezed up so close to Lynne, whom he fancied ever since he saw her in Cardiff. They hadn't spoken for a while. They just sat together, keeping warm. Still, Lynne could see the worrying expression on Mickey's face getting worse. "They will come looking for us when they notice we're gone." she said kindly to comfort him. "I don't doubt that. I just hope they notice soon, otherwise they will find three popsicles." Mickey sulked. His lips had turned blue already and he slowly stroked Laika, who lay on his lap. "There is nothing we can do but wait." Lynne said. "Just sitting here until we freeze, huh? Well, if I was stuck here with the Doctor or Rose, we would have tried everything to get our asses out of here!" Mickey said angrily. "That would have been a very unwise action to take." Lynne replied. "At least it's action." Mickey commented. He didn't like Lynne's passiveness. However Rose's desire for adventure was a bit too much for him, he was surprised to find such a passive person underneath Lynne's strong determinate exterior. The two girls were very much the opposite of each other. Rose looked like an innocent girl from to outside, but within was a powerful woman. It was exactly what the Doctor liked about her and why he asked her to come with him. Mickey wasn't sure what to do. Lynne's advice was the clever thing to do, but he was itching to take some action and to try to get out of the abyss now. "Okay." he said determinately, "Can't you reach the Doctor telepathically or something?" "No." Lynne said. "He is too far from the surface, I suppose." "Then I am going to look for a way out of here. Are you coming with me?" Mickey said and purposefully rose to his feet and extended his hand to Lynne, who took it with a big proud smile. ---- The elevator plummeted to the Earth's surface and although the Doctor, Rose and Annika tried their utmost best to bring it to a full stop, they only managed to slow it down marginally. Despite their efforts, the elevator crashed into the ground with high speed and it threw up a cloud of icy dust and a shower of debris. A moment before, as the Doctor braced himself for impact, images of experiencing a fall into an icy abyss flashed trough his mind. Before he could puzzle out what it meant, the elevator hit the ground and the Doctor's mind went dark and empty as the metal surrounding him buckled and tore with screeching noise and a deep rumbling sound until the whole machine was compressed to a four feet high pile of rubble. ---- Mickey shivered as he walked along the slippery bottom of the icy abyss. Laika trotted out in front of him and Lynne gracefully stepped along beside him. Suddenly, the dog stopped and began barking loudly and before Mickey could ask what was the matter, Lynne stiffened at his side. Her eyes were wide open and her lips pressed tightly together. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. Laika had gone silent and stood next to Lynne as if the dog was immensely sad about something. Questioningly and somewhat scared Mickey looked at Lynne. "It is the Doctor." Lynne said gravely. "You felt him? What is it, are they close?" Mickey asked hopefully. "Yes, but I don't think they will come looking for us. I saw him in the elevator as it crashed? ?" "And Rose?" Mickey asked, though he feared he already knew the answer. "Rose too." At first they both, Mickey and Lynne, tried to keep strong but eventually tears slowly rolled from their cheeks like liquid diamonds and they took each other in a strong supporting hug as they grieved for their loved ones. 9. Cyberboy Something stirred amongst the pile of twisted metal. The Doctor rushed towards it and started tossing pieces of debris away with great haste. There was someone alive underneath the rubble and he wanted to excavate her as quickly as possible. As soon as he saw the red strands of hair, he knew it was Annika he had found and she was alive. Within moments she was pulled from the debris and she helped him look for Rose. It was hard for the Doctor to hide his disappointment, because the longer it would take to find her the smaller the chance would get she would survive. His face lit up immensely when again there was movement in the pile of rubble. Both he and Annika rushed over and started digging and soon they found a hand, but it was not a human hand. It was the robot. It was quite battered and dented and barely working. Once it was free of the rubble for the most part the Doctor and Annika resumed looking for Rose, but their hopes were fading fast. Much to the Doctor's relief they found Rose after a brief moment of frantic shouting and the tossing of pieces of metal. Rose had suffered some scratches but besides that she seemed to be just fine. She even repeatedly told the Doctor so, but he kept asking whether she was okay. "I can't do anything about your elevator but I can try to fix the robot." the Doctor said to Annika and he kneeled down next to the machine which was still buried in the rubble to his knees and could only move its head and left arm. "Oh, never mind. It's just a robot. There are plenty of those. I'll get a new one. The only thing I really care about is my elevator and she is beyond repair. All because of that rusty waste bin of a droid." Annika said angrily. "He is not just a robot." the Doctor said and looked at Annika as if she had just insulted him. "Why?" "He said he was sorry." the Doctor replied gravely. "So what, he made us crash. If he was really sorry he wouldn't have cut those circuits." Annika didn't understand why the Doctor was so affected by this. "No. He wasn't strong enough, he is only a child." the Doctor explained as he freed the four feet tall red droid from the rubble. "A child? Doctor you are talking about him as if he were-" Rose commented. "He is, partly. At first I too thought he was just another AI robot people created to serve, but he is much more than that." "He has emotions?" Rose said as she understood what he meant. "Which makes him? what?" Annika said. She still had an air of dislike towards the robot. She considered it to be a freak. Again she received a stern look from the Doctor. "Scared." he simply replied to her. Then he looked at Rose. "Help me take him to the TARDIS, Rose." They carefully picked him up and carried him off to the blue police box. "Hey, what about me?" Annika asked, but the Doctor didn't respond.. "Yes, Doctor. What about her?" Rose asked him again, serving as his conscience once more. "You don't intend to leave her out in the cold? She has nowhere to go." "She can come." he said blandly and quickly Annika followed them before he could change his mind. This Annika was different from the one he had met so many years ago, the Doctor now realised. Somehow he didn't like this Annika anymore. It was probably the nasty way she spoke about the AI robot. He believed that though something is just a machine it should still be treated with respect, especially if this machine has feelings. "We'll drop her off at another elevator platform, but first I need to make sure the others are okay." he said. "Of course they are. They returned to the TARDIS, didn't they?" Rose said somewhat concerned. ---- Mickey and Lynne had reached the end of the abyss they had fallen into several hours ago. They faced a big wall of ice which was so smooth, like a mirror, they could see themselves standing hopelessly surrounded by white walls of snow. Since Lynne had her vision of the elevator crashing they had lost all hope of being rescued from the abyss, because there was nobody else who knew they were missing. Mickey slumped down with his back against the smooth icy wall and Lynne and Laika joined him. There they sat just like before, snuggled up against each other with Laika on their laps, trying to make the most of their last moments. 10 Flying close He knew before he opened the door, but he was sure when he entered the blue box. "They're not here." the Doctor said to Rose, who returned a look of disbelief. "Are they in trouble?" Rose asked, because she recognised the concerned look on his face. The Doctor gave a little nod, which told Rose everything she needed to know. They put the robot on the floor and the Doctor told Annika to sit on the chair and be quiet. "He's got his phone with him, right?" he asked Rose. "Yes." "Okay, then I can get the TARDIS to find his signal." The Doctor knew he had to hurry, because he had seen the flashes of the disaster Lynne and Mickey had experienced. If they were still buried underneath all that snow he had seen caving in on them, they had very little time left, so he did something he hadn't done in a very long time and he smiled from ear to ear thinking about it, which made Rose worry, only a little though. "Okay, Rose here we go. A première for you. I have found the signal. They are down on the bottom of a very deep crack in the ice and we are going to fly in on them." the Doctor said and straight away the TARDIS lifted itself from the ground and soured through the freezing cold Earth air. It hesitated a bit at first but soon the ride got smoother. "Cool!" Rose exclaimed and she had a smile running from ear to ear as well. "Ha, ha. After all this time you are still able to amaze me." "Open the door, Rose. It's all right. We are getting close now, do you see them?" the Doctor said as the police box flew into the abyss. He had his hands full making sure the ship didn't slam into the towering high walls of snow and ice, which he barely managed anyway. "No, no sign of them yet. Maybe they are buried? Doctor watch out!" Rose yelled as she saw the end of the abyss approaching fast. She could see the reflection of the TARDIS in its smooth surface and she quickly slammed the door shut. Though the Doctor pulled up as fast as he could, the ship still flew against the wall, but because it was so smooth they just slid up all they way and shot out of the abyss like a cannonball. "Oops, she must have gotten some scratches from that. Luckily nothing's broken." the Doctor said and caressed his ship. "Lynne was right after all. You really should learn how to properly fly this thing!" Rose said, still clinging to the railing near the door. Annika just sat, holding herself tightly down in her seat. She really exhausted her fair share of flying and crashing today. "Still, I think I saw something before we hit the wall, Doctor." Rose said. "Okay, I'll set her down in the abyss then." he replied. Once he had made a soft smooth landing, the Doctor and Rose stepped out of the blue police box. Not far from it they found three figures hugged together against the wall. It was Mickey, Lynne and the dog, all snuggled up against each other. Mickey and Lynne had blue faces from the cold and the dog on their laps didn't move. "Oh, my god Mickey!" Rose exclaimed as she ran towards him, almost slipping on the icy floor. The Doctor followed with big leaps and as he kneeled at Lynne's side there was an air of disappointment over him. He thought he had failed. He had found them too late. Rose had already felt Mickey's pulse and she cried of relief. "He is still alive, hurry get them inside." she said after which the Doctor quickly felt Lynne's pulse as well. He knew Daughters had poor resistance against the cold so the fact that Mickey had survived didn't mean she had too. He didn't linger when he couldn't find her pulse, because he was not going to leave her behind anyway, so he and Rose quickly carried them into the ship. Rose took care of them there as she made sure they warmed up, slowly otherwise their bodies wouldn't cope. The Doctor realised Annika was still in her seat as she was told to, but now he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, because he had enough on his mind now and he was worried he wouldn't be able to contain himself and be polite anymore if she made another stupid comment. He dropped her off at the nearest elevator platform as promised. Meanwhile Mickey had awoken from his cold afternoon nap, but Lynne's face still looked awfully blue. Laika also recovered and once it was strong enough to stand on its feet the dog went over to Lynne and licked her face. It reminded the Doctor of an Earth fairytale about a sleeping beauty and a prince who had to kiss her to awake the princess from a hundred years sleep. Ironically of all the people in the TARDIS it was the dog who kissed her out of her sleep, because much to the Doctor's surprise and relief she did wake up. It took a while for Lynne to fully come round, but eventually everyone was up and feeling fine. Now it was time to discuss their next destination. "So, where to now?" the Doctor said, but he was immediately pulled back to reality by Lynne. "Home perhaps, like you promised." "If that is what you want." he said sadly, though trying to appear unaffected. He set the engines in motion and this time they arrived in Cardiff unscathed and at the right time as well. Lynne took off the brown velvet coat she had worn because of the icy weather and gave it back to the Doctor who was standing just outside the TARDIS. "You can keep it." he said. "Oh, and I've fixed your machine when you were down in the Torchwood basement. I forgot to tell you. So, now you can move somewhere else to live, since they are planning to tear the building down." "That was very kind of you, Doctor." Lynne said and just as she turned to walk away he spoke again. "You? ehm? are sure you don't want any company after all those years alone? I mean my offer still stands, you can still come with me? us." he stuttered. "No thank you, Doctor. You have plenty of people in your ship to look after." Lynne said and gave him a little smile. "You're right. Oh, I know! Wait there." the Doctor said and leaped into the blue box only to appear a moment later. He had brought the dog, Laika, with him. "Here. Take him to keep you company. The Americans think she is dead anyway, so I can't bring her back to her rightful owners and I think she can do with some solid ground underneath her feet again for a while." he said with a generous smile. "Thank you, Doctor. For everything." Lynne said and called the dog over. Then she turned around and walked away, slowly and gracefully. However the Doctor usually was the one making the dramatic exit with his TARDIS, this time he stayed to see Lynne enter her ship, cloaked as a penthouse, after which he resumed his adventures with Rose and Mickey travelling through time and space. 11 Breakdown Lynne was making a cup of tea. She had put the kettle on the stove. She could use a cupper after all the adventure she had just been through. She wasn't used to a life like that anymore since her ship broke down and became stuck in the late twentieth century Cardiff. So before she would decide on a place to go with her newly repaired ship, she would relax on her couch and watch East Enders with a cup of nice hot tea. Halfway through the show, the doorbell rang. She stood up swearing underneath her breath why she couldn't have a quiet moment to watch some TV. Unsuspecting she went to open the door. "Oh, my dear! Doctor, what happened to you? You look awful." Lynne said as she saw the worn down sad Doctor standing in front of her when she opened the apartment door. He didn't say anything. He just gave her a deeply sad look as he lifted his head trying to stand tall and proud. "Come in, come in." she said quickly and offered the Doctor a cup of tea. "I am tired, Lynne. I am tired of it all." he said as he slumped down on the couch, his overcoat still on. "Tired of what, why?" Lynne asked but she knew she wouldn't get a proper answer out of him like this. She gave him the cup of tea and tried to sense what was troubling the Doctor so much that made him so sad. "It's Rose." he whispered as he stared into his cup, his eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Doctor. I am so sorry." Lynne said as she saw the images of Rose flash in front of her. How she was pulled through the closing rift to another dimension. How the Doctor desperately tried to grab her, but failed. And how he stood against the wall when the rift had closed and there was nothing he could do to get her back. "But she is still alive and with her family." Lynne said to comfort him. "I know what it is like when the only thing you ever cared for is torn away from you. The world seems to collapse around you and there seems to be no future anymore, only a dark gaping hole to fall through. But I can also say that you have to get over it. Life goes on, for her and for you. You can't sit in your TARDIS forever blaming yourself for what happened." The Doctor couldn't control himself any longer and tears started rolling down his cheeks into his tea. "I cannot go on like nothing happened either, Lynne. I can't do it anymore. I have tried but every time I switch on the TARDIS's engines, I think of her. Everything is so grey and dull without her." the Doctor said when he had composed himself again and took a few sips of his tea. "You can't just stop travelling. You'll get the excitement back, after a while." Lynne said. "Oh, Lynne it is not just that. The death and destruction I've seen. The things people dear do to each other, the disrespect they have for each others lives. I have seen it. I don't want to be a part of that anymore. I just want to live in peace now. Live a quiet life. A simple life. Oh, how I have tried to stop them. All of them, but I am on my own. I am alone. So alone. I won't do it anymore. I won't fly this thing anywhere again. I will park it somewhere out of sight. I won't fly it again." the Doctor said determinately. "Oh, come on now, Doctor. You can't mean that. You love travelling to unexpected places, exploring the unknown. That is who you are." "Not anymore. I am serious. I am tired of seeing all that sadness and sorrow. It has made me weary. It is too much for only one man." the Doctor said firmly. "But you are not alone. There are others to help you. Like me. You have me." Lynne said. "I am very grateful for that, Lynne. And your help is very welcome, but I cannot do this any longer." the Doctor said. His sadness was replaced by a strong determination. "I still offer my help. I will not just walk away from you now and leave you on your own. I will always be there for you." Lynne said as she took his hand and sat next to him on the couch. "Then, I want to ask you to come with me. Find a place where we can live in peace, where we can be surrounded by people, living their simple happy lives. Come live such a simple life with me, Lynne. I can imagine you would decline, because you have already tasted the excitement of time travel and all. I don't mind if you go your own way and find adventure for yourself again, but if you mean what you say, I would appreciate your company very much." the Doctor said. "Of course I will, Doctor. I will come with you. It is you who makes the travelling exciting and fun anyways. I am sure a simple life in the suburbs of London will be no different. I will help you. You won't be alone. You hear me? You are not alone." Lynne said and a tiny smile appeared on the Doctor's tired weary face again. The end Additional feature Cheap pun Rose: "I'd love to be able to read minds." Doctor: "I don't. It is tiresome, unpredictable and impolite." Rose: "And probably dangerous as well." Doctor: "That's right. You must have read my mind." Rose: "Oh, Doctor. That is a cheap one." Doctor: "I know. I just couldn't resist." Doctor Who - Breakdown was written and created by Becky Miller. Doctor Who and related characters are property of the BBC. No infringement intended. SP 2009. Also by the same writer: The Daughter The first book of the Becky Miller Doctor Who fan-fiction series. Rose, Mickey and the Doctor receive a strange numerical message. Is this code really a message and if so who sent it and why? All the answers to these questions are hidden until an unexpected visitor in the TARDIS begins to unveil her secrets one at a time, but in doing so jeopardises the lives of all involved. Mirror Mirror The second book in the Becky Miller DW series. Europe isn't always the most exciting place in the universe, especially in the nineteen fifties, but when sightseeing with the Doctor something's always about to happen? When innocent people seemingly at random start disappearing around him, the Doctor must take action. Is he strong enough to face the one responsible? Will he ever be able to look at himself in the mirror? Diversion The fourth book in the Becky Miller DW series. Just as Lynne is about to relax on the couch with a cup of tea the door bell rings and a familiar man stands on the door step. He looks broken and asks for her help which she cannot refuse. But will life stay normal just as Lynne and her new house mate so heartily desire or will the past come back to haunt them after all?