rec [fic]: Numb by Penny

[justmcshane]

Today's rec bingo (card here) is for the third column, fifth row prompt 'injury/illness'. Which brings me to bingo! However, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna keep on reccing and try to get a blackout bingo before the end of the month.

Title: Numb

Creator: Penny

Rating: All Ages

Word Count/Length/Size: 8651 words

Creator's Summary: Jamie wasn’t afraid of dying – but if there was one thing travelling with the Doctor had taught him, it was that there were worse things. In which Jamie is captured by the Cybermen and partially cyber-converted.

Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, The Doctor (2nd), Zoe Herriot

Warnings/Notes: Some disturbing Cyberconversion imagery.

Reasons for reccing: Back when I was several years younger and Calufrax was still a thing, I remember wanting to sign up for ficreccing duties because I had a whole list of stories I wanted to share with everybody. I went back through my old documents this morning while I was trying to find a good story to rec for this bingo prompt in particular, and found that list, and this fic in particular (which I hadn't reread for a long time) was at the top. Which is excellent, because it's a very good fic.

A lot of Doctor Who authors have a particular TARDIS team that they write especially well for and you can tell that they love doing it. The characters' voices will consistently shine through, and the prose will sparkle. In Penny's case, that team is Two and Jamie (with the other two!era companions making frequent appearances). All of their stories are wonderful, really (I especially loved their Steven Universe AU) and I encourage you to go check it all out!

But, anyway. About this fic in particular. One of my many, many weaknesses (I've been revealing my weaknesses gradually via these recs so far, and a talented person would be able to exploit them easily and quickly defeat me in mortal combat without any problems whatsoever) is hurt/comfort, and this is well-written h/c of the very highest quality. Jamie is someone that’s obviously hard to write (I don't know, I've never tried - I've been too scared of getting him wrong), but oh my stars have they done this well. You can see him trying to do what the Doctor would do, even when he’s in danger. It’s quite light on Zoe, but she’s concerned for Jamie. There’s a gradual reveal in what’s happened, and it’ll have you squirming in anticipation. Plus, a satisfying ending, which is always a good thing. 

I've just checked and this fic doesn't have any reviews at all. Which is a terrible, awful crime, and as soon as I post this, I'm off to begin the process of rectifying that. I hope you will join me in doing so, because it really is a wonderful story.

The Doctor had taken Jamie to a house of mirrors once, at a fairground sometime in the twentieth century. That was what the inside of the cyber-ship was like — every surface polished so brightly that he could see himself in it, a hundred struggling Jamie McCrimmons with cold metal hands clasped about their limbs.

“You’ll no take me that easy, you hear?” he snarled at the Cyberman on his left. “D’you hear? A Scotsman never goes down without a fight!” He struggled and twisted in their grip, but it was no good. He might as well have been clamped in a vice, they were so strong. He settled for making himself as heavy as he could, his feet dragging on the polished floor.

What would the Doctor do? Start asking questions, that’s what he’d do. “Where’re you taking me?” A door swished open ahead of them. “I — demand to know —”

His question was answered for him soon enough. Beyond the door was a place like an operating theatre, six shining metal slabs in a row and more metal beasties standing around. The sight of that place struck him dumb.

The Cybermen thrust him down onto a slab with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He remembered Telos, and what the cyber-controller had said — you shall be like us. Jamie wasn’t afraid of dying — but if there was one thing travelling with the Doctor had taught him, it was that there were worse things.

“You’ll no make me like you,” he said as he writhed and bucked on the slab. “D’you hear that, you great metal beasties? D’you —” Metal clamped down against his wrist. He turned his head and saw a thick clasp holding it down to the slab, just as with a snap they pinned his other wrist.

He yelled, and he kicked. He kicked as hard as he could, but though his feet thunked against their metal skins they didn’t even seem to notice. With unnatural, inhuman strength they pinned his legs to the slab and bound his ankles.

But for his own yells, there was nary a sound in that place. The Cybermen were so quiet; the conversion chamber was silent as they strapped him down, their empty eye-sockets peering down at him. Silent, but for a nasty, metallic clicking somewhere nearby.

He twisted his head against the slab and saw the machines against the wall lit up — and he saw one of the beasties, drawing out a tray of metal things like a surgeon’s tools.

It was the sight of those tools that did it. Up until then, he hadn’t been truly scared — no more scared than he was on a normal day, anyway. But then it hit him with full force what they meant to do, and he blind panicked. 

Link: http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=55743

Comments

[eve11]

Great read, thanks for the rec.

[auroracloud]

Oh, I love Penny's Two and Jamie fics; I also adore how she writes Zoe and her part in the team. I haven't read this one, though, because I've been scared of how I'd feel about reading the Cyberconversion imagery. But I'll have to look for a time when I'm feeling I can handle it so I can read this story as well. So thank you for recommending, it's good to know it's worth it!

[thisbluespirit]

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna keep on reccing and try to get a blackout bingo before the end of the month.

Hurrah! And good luck to you. :-)

[kathkin]

Penny from Teaspoon here! Thank you so much for the rec. I'm (pleasantly) surprised to see this one get rec'd as I actually don't like it very much - it was the first Two-era fic I wrote and I've always been afraid that it showed (esp as I'd not seen many of Zoe's episodes at that point so didn't really know how to write her).

Anyway, thank you again and thank you for the review on Teaspoon also. <3 <3