No Time for Chatting

Here is what Riku learned from their ill-advised travel with the Doctor: If the Doctor stops suddenly and looks much like a deer presented with headlights, things are going to be very much Not Good.

So when the Doctor randomly goes all stiff and wide eyed and asks the three if any of them had just said anything, Riku knows there's going to be trouble because that's how this always goes.

The Doctor manages to look vaguely apologetic and a lot of frightened and says, "I shouldn't have brought you here." He grabs Kairi's hand, another sign of trouble although Riku is glad someone who knows what the hell is going on is looking out for her, and says "Run."

They've gotten very good at the running, another thing that seems to be happening a lot (actually, it seems to go hand in hand with the whole trouble thing and why haven't they called it quits and gone home yet?). Riku listens only because the tone the Doctor used speaks of true fear, and while there may be a lot of trouble and a lot of running, there have been few times the Doctor has sounded like that.

Something is coming around the corner behind them, something that makes a steady whrrr on its wheels and Riku can't help the sudden grip of curiosity, he looks over his shoulder.

The something looks considerably like a robot he and Sora had tried to build as children, all round and bubbly, a long nozzle poking out of the dome forming it's head. Riku almost wants to stop and laugh at it, surely there's something behind it that's scaring the Doctor so bad, until the something fires a laser at them that vaporizes a nearby tree.

Oh. Running is a good idea after all.

Sora, who is pacing himself and staying half a step behind the Doctor and Kairi voices the question that's been niggling at Riku. "What is that thing?"

"It's a Dalek, don't talk keep running."

But of course, the boys have never been particularly good at following orders. "A Dialect?" Riku asks, keeping up his easy loping stride beside Sora (and this is why they take the rear-guard, Kairi and the Doctor are slow and while Riku wouldn't feel too terrible about the Doctor getting chomped on, nobody else can figure out how to pilot the TARDIS and everybody loves Kairi so yay for keeping her alive.)

He earns a strangled noise for his question and a snippy correction. "Dalek. Stop being stupid for half a minute and run."

The dalek is apparently faster than it appears. It's grating cry of "Exterminate!" is closer than Riku is necessarily comfortable with and he keeps his trap shut as the Doctor takes another seemingly random turn.

This goes on for a while. They race up stairs (which does not slow the thing down, at all), through kitchens and hallways and even a wardrobe at one point (where are they?) and finally come to a small pile-up at a set of huge iron doors which is annoyingly locked.

"This should lead outside," says the Doctor as he rapidly pats himself down. "Where is it?" He finally shouts, doing an awkward jig while he checks secret pockets on the inside of his coat.

"Where's what?" Kairi asks, considerably calmer than her companions.

"My screwdriver!"

"You left it on the console of the TARDIS."

The Doctor looks fairly appalled at that statement. "I did not."

"You did. You were fiddling with something inside the console because it made that burnt toast smell and you left it there."

"Why would I do that?"

They could hear the dalek somewhere behind them, repeating its happy little mantra of "exterminate!"

Sora finally shoved the Doctor aside, summoning his keyblade in the same step and pointed it at the doors. The lock gave way with a click and the four of them spilled through into the outside.

"Lock it back!" Riku hissed, pushing his weight against the doors to close them while Sora did what he did best.

"That won't slow them down long, quick; we have to get out of here." The Doctor pointed at what Riku could only assume was the direction in which the TARDIS lay.

Once safely ensconced inside the deceptive looking blue box and merrily traveling somewhere through space and time the Doctor stepped back with a smile. "Well," he said, "that was fun! Where to next?"

Riku briefly considered throwing him out into the time flow.

End Note: This is the second chapter