For those who need some action in their life...

Part 6

"Here's the plan."

All six of you were huddled in a circle as the Doctor started giving out instructions.

"I've landed us on a deserted planet, pretty much, but it'll do," she said before handing out the individual tasks.

"Ryan, Graham, we'll need to set up a beacon to draw in the Spirit, also known as the little girl trying to murder (Y/N)."

The Doctor rambled on as to how they were supposed to do it. The pair set out to work outside the TARDIS. As Graham held the paper filled with directions on how to set it up, Ryan was doing all the hard work.

"Bit hot out here, ain't it?" said Graham as he used the paper to fan himself.

Standing up after screwing in a weird metal piece, Ryan wiped his sweat, "You're one to talk. Look who's doing all the work!"

"Yaz, I'll get the TARDIS to direct you to obtain an antenna to boost (Y/N)'s signal."

Following the TARDIS lights down the corridor, Yaz eventually wondered into a room full of metal pieces. There were cardboard boxes stacked up neatly at one side, and scrap metal piled up carelessly on the other. Her feet kicked something, and she bent down to pick it up. It was shaped as a salt shaker, but it wasn't what she needed.

"Weird," she said as she placed it aside.

Her eyes fell on an antennae-like structure that seemed fit for the job. Gently, she carried it to the pair who was working outside.

"Lise, (Y/N), you're with me. We're going to the chamber where I kept the protactinium. I'm going to need your biological print, Lise. I set the room to only respond to you."

The TARDIS scanned Meitner's eyes and thumbprint, and with a click of the lock, the door slid open, revealing a room with glass box set in the middle of it.

Within the glass box laid the one thing that would save your life.

"May I present to you," the Doctor gestured to the solid, greenish-gold chemical, "Protactinium-231."

You moved closer to the protactinium isotope. It shined in the little spotlight from above to make it look impressive. Tapping on the glass wall, you looked at the Doctor, who had an encouraging smile plastered across her face, and then at Meitner, who did not share the same enthusiasm.

"It looks the same as the day Hahn..." Meitner didn't complete her sentence, but you knew what she meant.

"Long half-life, and good TARDIS preservative skills, well done girl," the Doctor patted the TARDIS walls affectionately before proceeding to a control panel.

She pushed a few buttons and with the help of Lise for her biological prints again, the glass box lifted to give you access to it. The smell that hit you made your nose cringe. You felt as though you were in a hospital full of sanitiser and sterilisation.

Covering your nose with your hand discreetly, you asked, "So what now?"

The Doctor pulled out a pair of tweezers from her coat pocket and handed it to you. You clicked it twice, but then you didn't know what to do with it, so you just stood there and waited for the Doctor's instructions.

Just as the Doctor was about to open her mouth, Yaz came bursting into the room. She looked baffled as to how she ended up in here, but quickly hid her confusion as she found who she was looking for.

"Doctor, Ryan needs help with the equipment, he said something about not being able to stick the antennae in."

The Doctor turned to Meitner immediately, "Lise, you mind helping them? I'll help (Y/N)."

"Me?" She pointed to herself.

"Yeah, you," the Doctor said casually, "You know this stuff."

Meitner didn't pursue the issue further as she exited the room with Yaz. Now, it was just you and the Doctor.

You looked at the tweezers, and then back at the alien, and then at the protactinium. The Doctor seemed to take the hint.

"Alright, (Y/N)," she said, "Use the tweezers to break off a piece and pick it up."

Heeding her words, you proceeded to poke the solid protactinium. It was hard, but it did not appear to be brittle. You tried to break off a shard, but the stubborn chemical did not want to break. Smiling sheepishly at the Doctor, you tried again, but to no avail. Luckily, the Doctor didn't laugh.

"Here, I'll help you."

She held your hand with a firm yet comforting grip and successfully obtained a piece of protactinium.

"Did you think it would explode when you break it?" She asked as she let you hold the tweezers yourself, "Don't worry, it won't. It only will when I throw it in a supernova."

"Are you sure this will work, Doctor?" You asked in a soft voice.

The Doctor placed her steady hands on your shoulders. Exhaling, she said, "(Y/N), do you trust me?"

You've had your doubts throughout your time with her, especially when she didn't mention the things Meitner did. Yet she was the only one who knew how to prevent you from dying. So if you couldn't trust her, then who would save you?

Slowly, you nodded.

"Then trust me when I say this: I'm going to keep you alive," she smiled. It was the sort of smile that radiated hope, hope that you could cling on to.

"Promise?"

"Promise," she offered her pinky and you laughed, using your pinky to take hers.

"I'll be by your side the whole way."

—

"Doctor, you don't have to stand so close to me."

"I told you I'd be by your side!"

"Yeah, but I can't breathe!"

Apologising, the Doctor took a step away, allowing the air to circulate around you again. You took a few deep breaths, knowing that they may be your last, or not, but it's good to appreciate air once in a while. In your hands was the tweezers that held onto the protactinium, and to your right, the structure that Ryan, Graham, Yaz and Lise has built. The antennae extended to above your head, and it spun in circles. The little red bulb at the top flashed repeatedly with a small beeping noise, and according to the Doctor, it amplified the signal you were giving off by ten thousand times.

"How's it going out there?" Graham's voice came through a speaker installed into the signal booster.

"(Y/N) hasn't passed out yet, I think it's good," the Doctor reported, "You lot stay in the TARDIS, keep quiet and don't come out."

"You've said that about a million times, Doctor."

"No offense, Ryan," you said, hoping to lighten the mood, "But you seem like the type to disobey her words."

Snapping her fingers, the Doctor said, "She's right, Ryan. See? Not even a day with us and she already knows you!"

A robotic laugh came out from the speaker, followed by Yaz's voice, "Doctor, the Spirit is on its way. Get ready."

"How long?"

"About three minutes," came Meitner's voice, "(Y/N)?"

Despite knowing that your voice was shaking and your brain wasn't thinking straight, you replied, "Still alive."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

You gulped, hearing your heart beat terribly fast and loud. Your hands were starting to go cold and clammy and you felt as though you could throw up any moment. This was it. All the build-up of information had led to this moment, the moment of truth. You hoped that all the effort you and the others have gone through would keep you alive. You, for once in your life, were actually looking forward to living.

"(Y/N), be brave," the Doctor looked at you straight in the eye, "I'll be confronting it first and when it heads for you, hold the protactinium to your face. It always aims for the face. Trust me."

"You've got all my trust already, Doctor," you looked up at the darkening sky, "don't waste it."

A yellow ball of light zoomed across the sky, lighting up the area around you. It crashed right in front of you and the Doctor, a safe distance away from the TARDIS. You thought it had no form, but it quickly took the shape of the little girl and mother from the clinic earlier. You weren't sure if the Spirit had other powers, but you felt your legs instantly turn to jelly the minute its hollow, white eyes met yours. The Doctor gave your hand a squeeze before she let go to approach the creature.

"So," she started, "Halfway across space and time just for her."

The little girl nodded innocently, but you couldn't help but shiver.

"Hey, (Y/N)! You should feel honoured! Someone wants you!" The Doctor grinned, and as she turned to you, she winked. You got her message.

"Y-Yeah! Thanks, dude. I feel really wanted!" You tried to make your voice sound loud and confident, but it probably didn't turn out that way.

The little girl held her mother's hand and walked towards the both of you, but the Doctor put her hand out to stop her.

"Ah, hold on," she whipped out her device thingy, which you haven't found out the name of, and scanned the creature, "We need to discuss payment."

The girl jerked her head to the side, and you felt the same confusion as she did.

"You want her, don't you?" The Doctor pointed to you, "Well, everything comes with a price, you should know that. But you don't! Because your kind just keeps taking and taking and taking. Speaking of your kind, ever wondered where they are?"

She read her device and said, "Oh! You don't wonder, because you're a lone one. Well, that suits you. You are the only Spirit left after all."

The Spirit's eyes widened and you saw the hint of horror in it. Your hands laid by your side as you watched the Doctor go on.

"I threw the last one into a supernova. It exploded. Kaboom!" She did a little exploding action with her hands, and suddenly her tone took a turn to the dark side, "That's your price for taking so much."

A growl escaped the lips of the girl the Spirit was possessing. It wasn't human-like, and it dawned upon you just how much the Spirit could take from you. That little girl had a whole future ahead of her, yet she was taken selfishly to be a host to a parasite. She lost her humanity and her soul, and you did not want that to happen to you.

The agitation in the Spirit's eyes were clearly visible to you and the Doctor, yet the Doctor stood there. Calm, composed, with a scowl on her face, she threatened, "I'm giving you a chance now. Leave (Y/N) alone, and live the rest of your life, or take her, and you'll end up just like your comrades."

Even though you had no seer powers, you knew the Spirit would pick the latter. It didn't have anything to lose, so you figured it would take the risk. The Doctor figured that out too, and behind her back were three fingers counting down. You braced yourself, tightening your grip on the tweezers.

"From the way you aren't budging, you're probably gonna eat (Y/N)."

"Uh Doctor, I would very much not like to be eaten."

"Unfortunately, it might happen," the Doctor kept a straight face as she turned to look at you. She winked again.

"You can have her!" The Doctor exclaimed, "I'll jump aside and you can have her. On three."

"One..."

You could see the Spirit charging up as the girl's body started glowing a bright yellow. Your breathing quickened.

"Two..."

You swallowed thickly, praying that your shaking hands would not fail you. You held the protactinium to your face.

"Three!"

The Doctor dived to the left as the Spirit zoomed right at you. The little girl's teeth had turned sharp and she was taking every opportunity to sink them into your skin. The protactinium was doing its job as it held on to the Spirit as it partially left its shell to enter you. At last you saw the true form of the Spirit. It was nothing more than a blob of yellow slime that could be easily scratched. No wonder it needed a shell.

"Just a little longer, (Y/N)! You can do it!" You heard the Doctor yell through the noise that the Spirit was making trying to reach you.

Gritting your teeth, you mustered all your strength to keep the protactinium away from your face as it absorbed the alien. You could feel yourself slipping away, bit by bit. Memories of your friends and family were disappearing, and suddenly you wondered who was the woman who helped you ride a bike, and who was the man who read you a story to bed.

It was strange, you couldn't feel your hands anymore, but you could see them holding out this...thing that was sucking in this...other thing. There was a flash of two women and two men who seemed to be encouraging you, but for what exactly? You couldn't remember. One of them was Yaz, and the other was Bryan, or was it Grayen?

Then there was a box, it was a blue and, no wait, maybe it was purple. And a woman. There was definitely a blonde woman, excited and always jumping about and screaming something about 'hope'.

Hold on, there's a woman doing exactly just that in front of you.

But before you could comprehend what was happening, your head hit something and all you felt was pain. That woman came up to you and picked up a stone. For some reason, she was talking to it.

"And that's the price you pay."

She pocketed it before bending down to meet your closing eyes.

"(Y/N)?"

You had no idea who she was referring to, but you didn't have the energy to ask.

The last time you saw were her hazel eyes.