inferno fiction 5: everyone's bad day page 3

Ace staggered into the infirmary along with Dwight and a couple of colonists that had escaped death. They entered the side room to find the Doctor bent over the bed weeping, his hands clutching a small shattered form. Ace had to get close to him to hear what he was saying, ‘I’ve failed…’ over and over in a voice that carried the sorrows of the ages.

She laid her hand on his arm.

Sometime later the remaining colonists were all gathered in te infirmary. Of the three thousand one colonists, only twenty-nine remained. One of them was luckily a doctor who had been trapped under an overturned bed. He’d done his best with the wrecked medical supplies to clear up everyone’s wounds.‘What will you do now?’ Ace asked Dwight as she looked over to the Doctor, who sat staring into a cup of tea in the corner.

‘We’ll signal the company and ask them for help. They should arrive within the week.’ he said quietly.

The Doctor stood abruptly and strode to the door. ‘Come on, Ace. We’re leaving.’ he said and left the room.

Ace stood and limped after him. She turned to the remaining colonists of Minardi and said, ‘I hope everything works out ok.’ She walked off as quickly as she could realising how heartless that sounded after all that had happened.

~~~

When Ace arrived back at the TARDIS, the Doctor was rushing around the console. She’d barely made it through the doors when he closed them and engaged the dematerialisation circuit.

‘Why the hurry to leave?’ she asked, ‘Shouldn’t we have stayed to make sure that all of the Cybermen were dead and that the survivors could contact their company?’

‘No. They’ll be alright now,’ he said, adding darkly, ‘What’s left of them.’

‘Hey, don’t blame yourself, Professor.’ Ace said laying a hand on the Doctor’s arm.

‘I failed them, Ace.’ he said looking into her eyes. She saw a deep sadness in his eyes unlike any she had known him show before. ‘I failed them, I should have done more.’

‘There was noting else we could have done, nothing anyone could have done.’ she said trying to reason with him.

‘I could have done more.’ was the only reply as he moved to the door leading from the control room.

‘Everyone has their bad days, Professor.’ Ace said weakly as he pulled open the door.

‘Some of us can’t afford to, Ace.’ he said and then he was gone.

written by

STUART BROWN

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