The Search for Freya (Part 2)

[beforethewar]

Who:The Doctor Who cast and Hel
What: The Doctors and their friends reach Niflheim
When: Night of Day 278 through Day 280
Where: Niflheim, the land of the dead
Rating: PG-13 at the most


So, maybe leaving after lunch was a bad idea. The gloom of the craggy, shadowed land of the dead was only made worse by arriving in the dead of night. It seemed like the further they went, the darkness of night only got darker, and there was a distinct feeling of being watched all around.

And not a single sign of Freya in sight. Only whispers, and unseen eyes on them.

Still, it would be all the more exciting, right?

Comments

[toldastory]

Heading north makes Martha shiver. Perhaps it's the lingering sensation of being among the dead, or perhaps it's something else, but Martha feels very much awake and very somber as they leave the land. Sitting in the wagon, with her knees to her chest, Martha's eyes are open and she's very much on alert. Just in case.

[beforethewar]

"Martha?"

Eight scoots closer and tries to keep his voice quiet, in case any of the others decided they wanted to get some rest so they could be awake later. Besides, sometimes proximity and a quiet voice does wonders for easing the nerves. It certainly would help his own, at least. Yes, even he is getting a little unnerved at this point.

"Martha, are you alright?"

[toldastory]

Hearing her name makes Martha lift her head up, and her lips automatically form the standard 'I'm fine' smile. It doesn't change the being on alert position, but it softens it a bit. She too understands how good a calm voice can be in a situation like this.

It's reminding her of things she'd rather not remember.

"Yes, Doctor, I'm fine. Just prepared. In case. Didn't realize that the land of the dead was going to be so much... well, land of the dead I guess." Her smile is more real at that, the joke softening things further.

[beforethewar]

"It was a bit more literal than you were expecting, eh?" Eight chuckles, but only a little. Not even he is immune to how creepy that was. "Yeah, neither was I, to be honest. I thought it was going to be more symbolic than that, being the area that Hel rules and not much more."

[toldastory]

Martha nods, that was what she had expected as well. The fact that it was the land of the dead was sobering; it made her wonder what else was so literal.

"Seems like if things go badly," Martha begins softly, but calmly. "Then perhaps things are going to literally be across the worlds as well, rather than just here." It makes her feel almost a little guilty about fighting so hard to... not fight.

[beforethewar]

His hand comes up to tiredly rub at his eyes and he sighs. "Yes, sadly they are quite emphatic about that. All worlds ending. I guess Ragnarok wasn't as much of a myth as we thought."

[toldastory]

"You know, it's weird. It makes me wonder how the legends ended up back on Earth. Granted, it seems like we've got things all mixed up, but I wonder if a few people came, were sent home, and then remembered and told their tales. Which is both really interesting and a bit scary."

Focusing on something else entirely? Check. It was easier to try and puzzle out the mysteries than to think about the chill that still permeated her spine.

[beforethewar]

Yes! A distraction is always appreciated.

"You'd be surprised, actually! For example, the Egyptian gods were actually aliens called Osirans. Had a run-in with Sutekh and Sekhmet, myself. On separate occasions, of course."

He couldn't have dreamed of handling both at once. Sutekh on his own nearly killed him.

[toldastory]

"Really? I always wanted to go to Ancient Egypt. And see dinosaurs. Never got the chance to. I suppose it makes sense given the complexity of the pyramids. That they were aliens anyway." For a minute, Martha looks down, and then she laughs softly, trying to keep it down for anyone who might be sleeping.

Or listening out there in the darkness.

When she stopped, she explained with a grin. "I owe my brother fifty quid. After I ended up on the moon, he started saying aliens were responsible for all sorts of things. That was one of them. Can't believe I called him mental over it."

[beforethewar]

Out of a need to keep this light, he deftly avoids the subject of the dinosaurs or their demise. He can tell her the story of Adric's death another time.

Still, Eight gives Martha a little grin. "You mean, after what you witnessed, you actually still made that bet? Oh, Martha..."

[toldastory]

"Well," she said with another little laugh. "I had to figure that there was some sort of good old human ingenuity there! Why not the pyramids? Not everything needs to be aliens." A pause, and then she added with a grin, "even if vampires and werewolves are all based on aliens. And witches too, I guess with words taking the place of numbers in science. Well, I think so anyway."

[beforethewar]

"Oh, there are signs of human ingenuity all over the universe. If it weren't for your need to explore that's almost as strong as mine, you wouldn't have left your universe, let alone spread across the galaxies as you will."

He tries to think of more things from Earth that are actually alien. "There's also the Loch Ness Monster, who was brought to Earth by a race called Zygons. The list is endless, really. Every mystery has a logical explanation."

[toldastory]

"The Loch Ness Monster is really real?" Martha gapes at him for a moment before she shakes her head. "I know I shouldn't really be surprised by anything nowadays, but there are just somethings that you don't expect."

With a little smile, she adds quickly, clearly teasing. "Next thing you'll be telling me that the Sontarans were the ones who brought in Bigfoot or that the yeti comes from the Vogun."

[beforethewar]

"Oh yes, it's real. It's actually called the Skarasen, and I think it's still down there somewhere, now that it's masters are long gone."

He gives her a wide, amused grin. "Well, there were robot Yetis that were sort of guard dogs for a being known as the Great Intelligence, but like I said, they were just robots covered in fur.

Now, you've got me on Bigfoot. That is certainly not something I've encountered in my time on Earth. Certainly not with the Sontarans."