Born of Fire (Doctor Who AU)

Chapter 16 Consequesnces

Cyclonic winds tore through chunks of glass and metal, leaving behind gaping holes in buildings and consuming screaming inhabitants. Fires raged across the city, filling the air with the acrid smoke and the stench of burning flesh. No matter where he turned, no matter how far he ran, he couldn't escape the sounds of people screaming, locked in the throes of death. He ran across a field of burnt orange, trying to outrun the flames snapping and crackling at his heels. He whirled, trying to find the face of his beloved but saw nothing except the black spectres of death. The terrified man dropped to his knees begging for release, but nothing came. Until he saw her. She stood on a knoll, arms extended toward him, begging him to run harder. So he did. His lungs burned from inhaling the thick air, but he ran. He clawed his way up the knoll, scraping his knees against the rocks, tearing his clothes as he went. His nails broke off, leaving the tips of his fingers bleeding from shards of rock. She screamed for him to hurry.....

Daniel sniffed hard, jerking as consciousness returned. He regretted the movement that immediately sent stabs of pain shooting into his brain. The dream that seemed so real only a moment before quickly began to fade. What replaced the terror was almost as bad. His head felt as if it would split apart at the seams. His dry mouth felt like half the Dalek fleet rolled its way across his tongue, leaving behind sand mixed with scum that coated his teeth. Someone somewhere was frying an animal. His stomach rolled in protest of the stench. He cracked open an eye to survey what planet he had landed on only to discover a German-influenced bedroom. The light coming from the bathroom proved too much for his aching head. He pulled the pillow around his ears and rolled away in a vain attempt to lessen the pain. It was then he realised that someone had stuck a needle in his hand.

"You awake?" Marcus asked quietly. "If you are, I can get rid of the IV."

"Marcus?" Daniel moaned.

"Yeah," the doctor replied.

"Was I in an accident?" Daniel's tongue felt like a foreign object.

"No," Marcus replied, trying not to chuckle.

"Did I die and somebody forgot to tell me? Wait, I would have to regenerate," he muttered to himself. "Did I regenerate?"

"Again, no." This time, Marcus laughed. "How much do you remember about last night?"

"Last night? Did I have a ... the pub. I had a beer."

"You had more than one, and you don't hold your alcohol too well. Your blood alcohol level was 1.8. You, my friend, have a class A, number one hangover."

"My chest burns; why does my chest feel like I swallowed fire?"

"Probably because you threw up everything but your toenails several times during the night. Like I said; you don't hold your liquor well. Not too smart of a way to solve your problems. How's your stomach?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, soft food will help. Give me your hand," he ordered gently.

When Daniel complied, Marcus freed him from the IV and applied a snug dressing to the site. "You are extremely fortunate that you didn't have a seizure last night. I hope that headache is bad enough to keep you from being this stupid again. Now, take a good shower, brush your teeth, gargle and then come out and eat some breakfast," Marcus finished. "Oh, don't get the water too hot; you're liable to hit the floor."

"What time is it?"

"Half past eleven."

Daniel groaned when he heard that. Since coming to Scotland, he'd never slept past six thirty in the morning. In fact, the only times that he'd ever slept this late; he'd suffered from the side effects of the metacrisis. "What about Rose?" he croaked when he finally forced his eyes to stay open and his brain to function.