THE ELEVEN DOCTORS

Chapter 14

There wasn't much to see, was the first thing they noticed. Just rocks, stones, mud and more rocks. The night wind was sharply cold. A full moon shone down with all its brilliance, the bright white illumination in the sky lending a subtle bluish tint to the landscape below. Cliff tops and rocky outcroppings cast what seemed to be impenetrable shadows.

"Why can't you time lords ever land somewhere really nice?" Donna complained, shivering and pulling her park closer about her. "Like Las Vegas or Barbados?"

"Too dull. It's places like this where all the action really is, Donna." The Doctor shrugged. He was wearing his long coat, but didn't seem to be paying much notice to the cold.

"Where are we then? Planet of the rocks?"

"Earth, this time. Quarry in Wales." Was all the Doctor would tell her.

"Pfft! What's so adventurous about a quarry in Wales?"

"You'd be surprised, Donna." Unseen by her, the Doctor smiled secretively.

"Ouch!" She exclaimed, stubbing her trainer on a small rock. "Yeah, Doctor." Donna remarked dryly, "That was certainly a surprise. Look, I know you probably have some sort of spaceman's super vision, but this human really could do with a torch."

"Right. Sorry." The Doctor nodded, searching his pockets. "Erm—you know Donna, where's your sense of adventure? A torch only gives you a false sense of security and..."

"...And you forgot to bring a torch, didn't you?" Donna arched her eyebrows at him. "I suppose a pair of night vision goggles is also out of the question, as well?"

The Doctor shrugged again. "Nobody's perfect, Donna. That also would be very boring, by the way."

"Well, at least we have the moonlight." Donna said, walking more slowly to avoid falling on the rocky floor.

The Doctor led the way towards a cliff face to the right of them. He seemed to know where he was going.

"No such thing as moonlight, Donna. It's merely the sun's reflection off of the lunar surface." He told her.

"Oh, get off!" Donna retorted. "If it's the sun's reflection, then it's not sunlight, either. And it gives off a completely different sort of light than the sun. What else should we call it?"

"Er—" The Doctor scrunched up his face, thinking about that for a second, "That...light in the sky that's..not the sun?"

Donna gave a derisive snort and slapped him playfully on the arm. "Oh come off it, Doctor! What would we do with a song like 'Moonlight Serenade, then? Re-name it That Light In The Sky That's Not The Sun Serenade?"

"Oooh, I love that song. Very romantic. It was the planet Votar's biggest hit record, last time I was there. Number one tune on Tops of the Pops on VVC Three."

"Whatever you call it, I think it's beautiful." Donna asserted.

Looking up at the moon, the Doctor smiled, seeing it through Donna's eyes. "Yeah. It is lovely, isn't it? Maybe calling it moonlight isn't such a bad idea, after all—ooaf!"

Donna gave a start. The Doctor had suddenly tripped over a rock, sending him sprawling into the muddy floor of the quarry.

"Doctor!" She cried, crouching down over him. He groaned and moved an arm. "Are you alright?" She asked anxiously.

But the Doctor didn't reply. Donna realized with a shock that the Doctor was unconscious.

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