//------------------------------// // Part 1 The Doctor is In: Chapter 1 Run! // Story: The Destroyer and Her Doctor // by Justice3442 //------------------------------// The Destroyer and Her Doctor Part 1: The Doctor is In Chapter 1: Run! As flames consumed the large office printer in front of her and water from the sprinkler above drenched her clothes as it battled the fire, one thought crossed Debra Hart’s mind. I have to figure out how to fix this, fast! She rapidly looked left to right, her eyes scanning in different directions as she attempted to find something, anything that could possibly improve this situation.  Her eyes drifted over cubicle walls and the faces of curious and concerned coworkers sticking out over them. One of her eyes settled on a red fire extinguisher sitting mounted on a wall a few yards away. Debra’s eyes shot open. Fire extinguishers extinguish fires! Debra scrambled to her feet and half-ran, half-stumbled towards the fire extinguisher and detached it from its mount. Wrapping her arms around the heavy item, she took a running start at the still-flaming copy machine and heaved the fire extinguisher. ‘CRUNCH!’ Whoops… Too fast… Debra thought as she suddenly remembered how a fire extinguisher was supposed to work. As the water continued to pour from above and flames licked the fire extinguisher sitting in the remains of the smashed and half melted copy machine, the left side of Debra’s lips extended into a chagrined look. Well… At least that didn’t make anything worse. The pressure assembly on that fire extinguisher should prevent— ‘BOOM!’ Without warning, the top of the fire extinguisher suddenly burst, spraying the copy machine with flame retardant gas and sending the fire extinguisher into the mass of cubicles to the chorus of panicked screams that crescendoed with the sound of a broken window, a ‘CRASH!’ from outside, and a blaring car alarm going off. —THAT from happening! As the water from above finally ceased, Debra stared at the ruined copy machine with an angry, frustrated expression. She could feel her left eye twitching as she heard the sound of a pop and a few alarmed yelps. Likely one or more of the fluorescent light fixtures had just broke. ‘Crrrrrrackle…’ Debra instinctively flinched as she heard static from up above. A tell-tale sign that someone had fired up the P.A. system. She knew what was coming next. “DEBRA HART!” a furious feminine voice roared from speakers that resonated all across the floor. “MY OFFICE! NOW!” Debra took a bit of her skirt and wrung it like a soaked dishrag, draining some of the water onto the already soaked carpet. “Be right there…” she uttered. -ooo- “My word…” the Doctor said as he reached up to the 3D glasses on his face and pulled them off. He rubbed them against his coat almost as if he was wiping clean a pair of spectacles. “Still think that whoever we’re watching isn’t an alternative dimension version of me?” Dearest Heart asked without a trace of smugness. The Doctor shook his head. “No, no… That display quite convinced me, and the glasses confirmed it.” He frowned as he watched Debra trudge dejectedly towards a door. “That’s clearly you all over.” Dearest Heart scrunched her muzzle and shook her head, struggling vainly against the restraints around her head. The Doctor turned to face her. “Problem, dearest?” “Itch,” Dearest Heart said simply. “Ah, right…” The Doctor reached over with his hoof and gave Dearest Heart’s a nose a vigorous rub. “Is that better?” Dearest Heart smiled. “Much.” Her eyes drifted upwards, her left going slightly sideways as she attempted to focus on the dim glow on her forehead. “Hey, Doctor. The beam is now fixed to the thought wave receiver, riiigggggght?” The Doctor nodded. “Quite correct, dear.” “So… as long as I don’t move out of the range of the machine, all the equipment would work even if I moved, riiigggggght?” The Doctor nodded. “Right again.” “So why am I still tied to this bed?!” The Doctor smiled mischievously. “I thought you rather liked being tied up.” “Well not right now! I’m trying to watch me supposedly create an anomaly that’s going to destroy two dimensions. Being strapped to this chair is just a tiny bit distracting.” The Doctor chuckled and hopped off his chair. “Let me make some popcorn and I’ll let you loose.” Dearest Heart felt her head quiver in anger. “Make some popcorn?! Make some popcorn?! You’re enjoying this!” “Quite correct, dear,” the Doctor answered from somewhere behind Dearest Heart. Dearest Heart tightened her brow as the proverbial gears in her head, which in this case were more like a proverbial quantum computer. “… You left me tied up on purpose!” she asserted. “Naw… Naw… I just… I just thought it’d be really, really funny when you realized I could have untied you at just about any point once the machine had locked on to your mental signature. So yeah… I suppose I did leave you tied up on purpose.” Dearest Heart let out a frustrated growl. “Butter, dearest?” The Doctor called out. Dearest Heart’s face lit up. “You know it! Wait! I’m still mad at you!” -ooo- As Debra stood, sopping wet in the middle of an opulent office with her gray shirt clinging tightly to her chest and her unbuttoned blue shirt dangling off her like a soaked bathroom towel draped over her shoulders, she let her eyes wander. This was largely because keeping them focused on the scowling middle-aged woman behind the large oak desk in the room was starting to give her a headache. More specifically, focusing her vision on anything for a long period of time gave her headaches, but Debra couldn’t help but notice the feeling occurred at least five seconds faster and with 20% greater intensity any time she had to stare at Mrs. Floribunda… Which was more often than she cared to admit. As her eyes drifted to the all too familiar office, Debra once again took note of walls decorated with expensive looking abstract paintings as well as plaques and trophies baring Mrs. Floribunda’s accomplishments as an executive and CEO with many years of service to the company as well as ones for her daughter baring slightly less impressive accomplishments such as ‘most improved’ or ‘participation’. Debra had often tried to see if she could spot any evidence of Mrs. Floribunda’s husband other than a single framed picture of Mrs. Floribunda, her daughter, and her husband crammed behind them that was on the desk; so far she had no luck in this regard. The picture had once fallen onto Debra’s face after she tripped and fell backwards when she attempting to stand up from one of the chairs in front of the desk. Debra wasn’t entirely sure if that past incident was the sole reason Mrs. Floribunda had insisted she remain standing, but she was certain it was at least a contributing factor. “So let me get this straight…” Reality came rushing back to Debra and she swallowed hard as she returned her focus to Mrs. Floribunda, her left eye solidly hitting Mrs. Floribunda’s face while her right eye settled for one of her large diamond earrings, drifted down to her large diamond choker, and finally took in her light-pink business jacket with shoulder pads. Mrs. Floribunda continued, “… you destroyed an expensive color copy machine, caused hundreds to thousands dollars’ worth of water damage, destroyed several cubicle walls, light fixtures, computer monitors, caused multiple injuries, broke an office window, and caused substantial damage to a brand new pink BMW 7 series with only a few thousand miles on it… all because you were trying to send a fax.” Debra frowned heavily, processing the list, specifically the item which was given the most details. “Was it really that new of a car?” Mrs. Floribunda grit her teeth. “Yes, I know this because it was mine.” Debra flinched, what little chances she had to keep this job just caught fire and themselves out of a several dozen story high window. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Floribunda. I just don’t know what—” “DON’T!” Debra whimpered. “Do you have any idea of how much damage you caused?!” Debra thought for a moment. “Well, I can give you rough figure now, but if you let me inspect the damages, I should be able to provide a rather accurate—” “Do you think this is funny?” Debra snapped to attention. “Uh… No, not at all. Not even a little bit.” Mrs. Floribunda lowered her eyelids until her eyes were narrow slits. “Erm… If there’s anything I could to help—” “Do you know of a special way I can fire you that goes beyond you simply losing your job?” Debra winced. “Not as such, no…” Mrs. Floribunda nodded. “Right, well since you’re no use to me in that regard and while working you’re a walking money hole and lawsuit creator, I’m simply going to have you escorted out of the building where we’ll hopefully never have to see each other ever again!” Debra considered pleading for her job the way she had done so many times before. “But… but it’s been my dream to work for someone as brilliant at running a company and as smart as yo—” “Don’t try to sweet talk me again!” Mrs. Floribunda exclaimed. “I’m through giving you more chances!” Debra felt her shoulders slump forward in defeat. “Can’t I at least get my stuff from my desk?” “Oh, I don’t know… Do you think you could manage that without causing another fire? Or without somehow causing a number of cube walls to collapse like dominos?” “Er… I can’t in good conscience guarantee that.” “Surprise, surprise,” Mrs. Floribunda replied dryly. “Your personal effects will be mailed to you.” Mrs. Floribunda gave Debra one last glare. “Now get out of my sight.” With a heavy sigh, Debra turned walked towards the door. She grabbed the doorknob, opened the door, and walked smack into the doorframe with a heavy ‘thud!’ The sounds of various items falling off walls and shelves behind Debra could be heard quickly followed by a feminine growl. Debra quickly stepped through the door and closed it behind her, hoping the heavy wooden item would shield the onslaught of angry words that were directed at her. A man in a black suit with a red tie was waiting for her, no doubt to escort her out. Debra decided to avoid eye contact. “Blimey, you sure know how to make an exit.” That’s funny… Since when does anyone British work here? Debra raised a hand to her throbbing forehead and began rubbing it as she turned to the source of the voice. It was yet another well-dressed man. This one wearing a green tie and baby-blue buttoned up shirt under a brown sportcoat. Debra looked away, paused, then took another look. The man was tall, unfairly so. A little over a head taller than herself. He had brown hair that was spiked adorably up and back from his face aside from a cute tuft poking out over his eyes… Oh, God. His eyes were a piercing blue, like the color of the sky on a blue day and… Gha! He was wearing just the sweetest smile on his face as he looked down at her. Why?! Why did I have to meet this man while I’m soaked to the bone on the day I got fired?! Debra quickly broke eye contact and began shuffling past cubicle walls to the elevators, her escort following wordlessly. Soon Debra was looking down at an elevator button, or rather one eye was looking at an elevator button and the other was looking at one of the doors next to the button. Debra reached out with an index finger, poked the elevator door, and quietly let out a frustrated growl. She then pressed the elevator button which lit-up. Her escort stood beside her. As the elevator began to hum, Debra frowned and began patting the sides of her body. He clothing made a wet squishing sound as she quickly ran her hands up and down it. Keys, wallet, keys… I… I don’t have any pockets. Debra sighed and did a quick 180 as she heard the elevator ‘ding!’ “I’m sorry,” she said. “I left my purse at my desk,” she said peering down the hall, hoping to maybe spot a kind familiar face she could ask a favor of. Finding no one, she continued, “Would it be alright if I quickly went back and got it?” “RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHCRUNCHsplortsplort…” “… A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed,” Debra uttered in an irritated tone. Her eyes widened. A scream was certainly way out of line for what she had asked, but the sounds of something crunching followed by a sickly viscous sound was entirely out of the ordinary. She slowly turned her head. Just her luck, her would-be escort was currently having his face chewed off by large, jagged mandibles and his body ripped limb from limb by some sort of man-sized green beetle creature. … Wait, what? “AAAAAAAAAAAAIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”  With a loud ‘BUZZZZZZ!’ the beetle suddenly took flight and slammed into the back wall of the elevator as if recoiling from Debra’s ear shattering scream. It spat an insectoid-like hiss at her as the elevator doors closed. Debra placed a hand over her heart as it beat at a fevered pace inside her chest. Had she really just seen what she thought she saw? But… but that was impossible right? An insect that size simply couldn’t exist! Why, the earth simply lacked the levels of oxygen to support a creature with an exoskeleton that size. I mean… come on! It was just as unbelievable as the bloody man who was now missing a face and had his limbs attached that was lying in a heap at Debra’s feet. … Oh. ‘Ding!’ Terror in her eyes, Debra’s head turned towards the second elevator. The doors slowly opened as a mess of jointed, spiky legs thrusted out and gyrated aggressively. Debra let out one more blood-curdling scream and turned, bolting back down the hallway in a sort of clumsy gait as she bumped against the wall and cubicles in her mad dash to escape. “Run!”  ‘Bump!’  “Run!”  ‘Thud!’  “Run!”  ‘Crash!’  “RUUUUUN!” she screamed at her former coworkers, hoping her reputation would precede her and everyone would know by now that it was best to listen. Unfortunately, Debra could hear the sounds of screaming, buzzing, and hissing close behind her. She swallowed and quickened her pace, hoping none of those things were on the stairwell.  She rounded a corner. ‘THUMP!’ Before Debra knew what was happening, her vision blurred more than usual and she could feel herself falling. She hit the floor… softly? Debra looked up into the same pair of beautiful sky blue eyes that had met her as she exited Mrs. Floribunda’s office just a few minutes prior. She looked down and realized she was now straddling the handsome British gentlemen the eyes belonged to and getting his jacket and shirt wet as her own wet clothes started to soak into his. For whatever reason, the man seemed to be looking up at Debra with a sort of good-natured, if slightly befuddled look. Debra leaned down, grabbed both the gentleman’s arms and blurted out the first few things that went through her head. “Youreyesareverypretty! Also, RUN!”