Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was her father's daughter, no doubt about that. Yes, she was a Lethbridge-Stewart through-and-through, and the time we encountered the giant maggots really ingrained that in my mind.
Kate greeted me warmly.
"Hello, Doctor. It's so wonderful to see you again." She kissed my cheek - she'd taken to doing that every time we met.
"And you as well, Kate, you as well. How are the cybermats holding up?" Last time we'd met, Amy and Rory, Kate, and I had wrestled with a particularly nasty group of cybermats. We had managed to isolate them, however, and left them under the care of UNIT.
"They're still in isolation. Malcolm is over the moon with the amount of research he's managed to conduct on them."
"Good, good," I nodded, rubbing my hands together and grinning. Kate stepped forward, motioning for me to follow her. We walk down the hallway side-by-side.
"And you, Doctor?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. "How are you?" I smiled grimly. How was I? I found myself telling her all about Amy and Rory and everything that had happened. She glanced at me every so often, her brown orbs sympathetic. "Doctor, I'm so sorry," she expressed as I finished my tale.
"Thank you. No use dwelling on it though...what's done is done. Now is this your office?" I asked, assuming and excited air.
"Yes." Kate smiled as she reached into her pocket for a small, silver key.
"It's your dad's old office!" I cried, feeling gleeful all of a sudden. Kate flushed excitedly.
"Updated, of course, but I've kept the layout exactly the same." The lock clicked and she opened the door, reaching automatically towards the left to turn on the light. A single-bulb light fixture illuminated the room. Kate was right: the layout of her office mirrored that of her father's office.
A large, burgundy desk stood in the center of the room. Atop it were hefty stacks of paper, a round container of pens, and a few ornaments of decoration. Three large windows decorated the wall behind it. Hundreds of books and case files made up the rest of the room. It was all exactly as I remembered it. I lowered myself into a chair; it was good to be in familiar territory. It was good to be home.
"So what's this about, Kate?" She sat across from me, her hands folded on her desk.
"Do you remember your encounter with the giant maggots?" I raised my thin eyebrows.
"Yes! Most definitely yes! Those grubby little things caused me more trouble than they were worth." Suspicion and a faint sense of dread flared inside of me. "...Why?"
"We've encountered them again. Don't worry, they're isolated," she assured me, sensing my alarm.
"But they're extinct! We wiped them out with Doctor Jones' edible fungi!"
"Could some have survived?"
"I don't know...maybe...no!" I insisted. "No, that is impossible!"
"Well the evidence suggests otherwise," Kate sighed, beginning to pace. "We've got three sitting in the lab. Isolated, of course." I slumped in my chair, trying to repress my incredulity and focus on how to be rid of these creatures.
"Feed them some edible fungi," I said first, "that'll kill them."
"We've already given it to them, but it had no effect. It's like they're immune, and no one will dare touch them because of what happened last time. Doctor, we need your help," Kate said earnestly, stopping beside me, her hands clasped behind her back in Lethbridge-Stewart fashion. My annoyance softened.
"Don't despair, Kate," I said gruffly, standing up. She chuckled, looking down, a faint smile gracing her face. I put my hands on her shoulders. "I'll see what I can do." She looked up.
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Anytime."
I peered into the container. It contained just one of the three repulsive creatures; the other two had their own respective containers to the right. The laboratory was relatively quiet. Only Kate, Malcolm, and I stood among the scientific instruments.
"How long have they been here?" I asked, scrunching my nose up as I examined them.
"They appeared three weeks ago in one of the old laboratories," Kate explained. "We managed to capture them pretty quickly. Malcolm's been their 'caretaker' ever since." I glanced at Malcolm. He was trembling with excitement and staring at me with bug eyes.
"Well done, Malcolm. On the ball as usual." Malcolm's lip puckered; he looked ready to envelop me in a hug.
"Thank you, Sir!" he gasped. "Thank you! It was an honor! I-"
"Malcolm," Kate interjected, "could you brief the Doctor on what's happened?" Kate and I exchanged an amused glance as Malcolm, still sputtering, ran to retrieve his notes. He waddled back quickly.
"Yes, um, yes, okay." He cleared his throat. "The giant maggots were found in lab 3 on the 19th of May at precisely 8 o'clock by one of our lab technicians. They were as you see them now at 9 o'clock."
"But how did they get there?" I wondered aloud. "And how do they exist? Has someone recreated BOSS and Global Chemicals?" BOSS, or rather Global Chemicals, had been the force behind the beginnings of the giant maggots back when I had worked for UNIT in the 1970s. Kate shook her head.
"We checked for that immediately. No evidence of BOSS or Global Chemicals anywhere." I leant against the counter.
"Okay...okay. Have you decided what to do with these creatures?"
"We tried Doctor Jones' edible fungus," Malcolm explained breathlessly. "No reaction. It's like they've developed some immunity to it."
"Yes, but how?" I asked, frustrated. "They've been extinct! They can't just be-" I stopped, realization flooding over me.
"Doctor? What is it?" Kate asked.
"We saved some."
"What?"
"Jo and I. Jo Grant, science officer while I worked at UNIT. One of them anyway. She and I extracted some of BOSS's chemicals and put them in the preservation room."
"But I thought Jo left UNIT right after the incident?"
"She did, she did," I confirmed, "she got married. But she wanted her successor to study the fluid, figure out its exact properties."
"Did she?"
"I don't know. That doesn't matter, though, what matter is that somebody has been tampering with it." Kate caught on quickly.
"You mean someone deliberately exposed maggots to the chemicals."
"Yes!"
"And also developed a fungus immunity in them so we wouldn't be able to stop them!" Malcolm cried.
"Yes!" I shouted, patting him heartily on the shoulder. "Good job, Malcolm!" That was the second time I had praised Malcolm that day. He looked ready to faint.
"So what do we do?" Kate asked. "How do we prevent these creatures from infecting the whole world with the disease? Surely we can't keep them here."
"No. Absolutely not! We need to find a way to get rid of them quickly or it will be too late. Soon they will be more than maggots...and we will have no way of controlling them then."
I sniffed the mixture. We were right - it had been tampered with. I grunted in frustration and pressed my hand to my eyes, thinking hard.
"Doctor?" I looked up. Kate stood in the doorway. "I brought you some tea."
"Thank you," I said gratefully. I sipped the sweet liquid for which I had acquired such a taste for over the years.
"My pleasure," Kate returned. "Any luck?" She stood against the laboratory table beside me, drinking her own cuppa, her hands curled around it.
"It's been tampered with. By who...I don't know."
"No fingerprints?
"None."
"Alright...so any ideas on how we're going to prevent the 'Green Death', as Dad dubbed it in the file, from happening again?"
"Well, he tried blowing them to smithereens!" I cocked an eyebrow at her. She looked sheepish.
"The idea had crossed my mind."
"I thought so," I said amusedly. "I know how you Lethbridge-Stewarts think," I joked. Kate and I shared a laugh. She looked thoughtfully into space, smiling.
"We can't do that," she said suddenly, "not when they haven't threatened us. They're just victims now." I nodded in complete agreement, feeling a twinge of sorrow for the creatures. "Do you know of any isolated planets?" Kate continued.
"What?"
"Isolated planets. We can transport them to an undisclosed, uninhabited location and leave them there. No killing, no violence."
"Yes...yes," I said slowly, "that could work!" I took a big gulp of tea, placed - or rather banged - my mug down, and clapped my hands. "I know just the planet! Atrillon! Too hot for most species to live there but the maggots will do marvelously!" I spun around and kissed Kate's forehead. "Kate, you are brilliant!" Kate giggled at my antics.
"I'll go tell Malcolm to prepare the creatures!" she said purposively.
"And I'll ready the TARDIS!" I exclaimed, following her towards the door. She paused at my declaration, her hand on the doorknob.
"Doctor..." she began, "I know I have no right to ask this of you, but-"
"But you were wondering if you could come along?" I smiled indulgently.
"I am a scientist," she said quickly, "and I wouldn't get in your way, I promise-"
"Kate. I would be honored to have your assistance."
"And I would be honored to assist you," she replied airily.
"Well, there we are then. Geronimo!"
I whizzed around the console, flipping switches and turning on lights. The TARDIS controls popped and buzzed at my touch.
"Here we are, sexy. Out for a short trip through time. That'll be nice, won't it?" I patted the console encouragingly. I heard a rapping at the door just then and rushed to open it.
"Hello! Ah yes, Malcolm...and Malcolm's assistants! Hello!" I greeted. The men were each carrying a container. "Just put them near the console, that's right!" The men carried their burdens into the TARDIS, awe present on each of their faces. Malcolm halted beside me, his mouth forming an "o."
"Close your mouth, Malcolm," I advised, "wouldn't want to swallow a fly." He snapped it shut and turned to me, eyes watering and container still in hand.
"Doctor," he said solemnly, "never..in my life...have I imagined such magnificence." I had never heard that one before, but I was extremely gratified by it. I gave Malcolm a squeeze.
"Tell you what," I said lowly so that only Malcolm could hear me, "you let Kate and I deal with these maggots, and, when we return, I'll show you around her. Deal?" Malcolm's response was to thank me repetitively as I ushered he and his baffled companions out the door.
"You're welcome, Malcolm...it's no trouble...anything for an old friend...it's the least I could do!" I heaved a sigh of relief as a bouncing Malcolm left the lab. Kate slipped in seconds after he disappeared.
"What did you do to Malcolm?" she inquired.
"Told him I'd let him have a look-see 'round the TARDIS once we're through. He's rather excited."
"You don't say," she laughed. She approached the TARDIS, looking nervous all of a sudden.
"Ready?" I asked, still standing in the doorway. She nodded, and I stepped back. She approached the door like a curious child; meanwhile, I proceeded to the console to type in the coordinates. I watched Kate's reaction from the corner of my eye, however. She was frozen at the door, her eyes shining, a red glow cast upon her hair by the TARDIS lights.
"It's beautiful," she breathed, peeling her eyes off the interior to look at me, "and definitely bigger on the inside!" I laughed, a warm feeling settling over me. I loved those four words. "But where are the round things?" Kate asked, back to marveling at her surroundings.
"The what?!"
"Round things. On the walls?" That's what Dad called them." I groaned.
"They not called 'round things!' Oh, leave it to the Brigadier to come up with a silly name like that! No! They're called...well, um...they're called..."
"'Round things,'" Kate finished for me.
"Oh, alright, yes, I suppose they are round things," I conceded irritably. Kate smirked. She was at my side now admiring the controls but not daring to touch them.
"So are we ready?" she asked. "Maggots present?"
"Yes," I confirmed, spinning.
"Coordinates?"
"All set."
"Seatbelts?" I blinked at her.
"Kate, there are no seatbelts on the TARDIS. We stand, and if it gets bumpy we hang onto whatever we can." She pursed her lips. "Don't talk to me about safety measure," I warned, aware of her thought process.
"I'm not," she replied with a twinkle in her eye.
"Good then. We're ready." I indicated toward the switch that would start our journey. "Would you like to do the honors?" Kate didn't hesitate. We were off.
Kate hung on for dear life as we sped toward our destination.
"What's that noise?" she yelled above the sound of the TARDIS.
"It's...it's just the TARDIS," O said, the wheezing and groaning continuing.
"Is it supposed to make that noise?" I felt like doing a 'facepalm', as it had so recently been dubbed. River's face flashed before my eyes.
"No, not really, but it makes me happy," I replied tactfully. Kate laughed just as a violent shake sent both of us flying backwards.
"Kate! Kate!" I sputtered as I tried to regain my footing and shield my eyes from the fiery sparks that had appeared.
"I'm alright," she managed from the other side of the console. Clinging to the railing, she slid into view, her hair awry and a fresh cut on her cheek. "Was that supposed to happen?"
"No," I gasped, "no it was not." I rushed to the controls, flipping switches in an attempt to steady the TARDIS. I turned the outside view on. Nothing in sight.
"What was it?"
"I don't know, it's like something crashed into the TARDIS and then just...disappeared!" I was bewildered. Kate stepped forward, but the crack of broken glass beneath her feet brought her to a standstill. Our eyes met, and slowly we looked down. A shattered tank lay on the floor, and the giant maggot within it was nowhere to be seen. My eyes snapped back up to Kate.
"Doctor..." she whispered.
"Yes, yes, I know." I scanned the area, my eyes peeled for the loose creature.
"Where did it go?"
"I don't know..." I took her by the shoulders and guided her to the controls. "Stay here, and if anything happens-"
A horrible screeching noise filled the air followed by silence. The creature was slowly sliding up the stairs towards us.
"Doctor, what do we do?"" Kate asked, a trace of panic lacing her voice. I was rooted to my spot, transfixed. "Doctor!" I blinked.
"Uh, uh...um, okay. What to do against an almost-invincible, snarling, disgusting, and overgrown maggot? Only one thing to do: run!" I grabbed her hand and we took off into the corridor.
We raced into the library. It was the first place I had thought of, and frankly it was probably the safest room in the TARDIS, excluding the control room, of course. That was compromised at the moment, however, so I chose the keeper of my dusty volumes.
The door shut with a resounding thud. Kate and I stood side-by-side, our backs to the door.
"Now what?"
"We figure out a way to immobilize the creature," I stated.
"But not kill it?"
"Not unless it is a threat to us. Unfortunately it's almost reached that status. We can't use explosives though...not unless you want to blow up the TARDIS and believe me: that is a very bad idea."
"Okay," Kate breathed, her eyes roaming aimlessly in thought. "So we need to find a way of defeating it - if necessary - that doesn't involve explosives. Well, that narrows our options considerably." Even with the circumstances, I was amused by her sarcasm. It got me thinking as well. How were we going to do this without explosives?
It struck me like a bolt of lightning.
"Yes! Oh yes!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands ecstatically. "There's an old theory that the maggot's most vulnerable part is its belly!
"Yes..." Kate prodded me.
"Why would it be any different for a giant maggot?"
"Well you can kill normal maggots any way," Kate reasoned. "You can only kill these with fungus or explosives."
"Stop shooting holes in my plan, Kate," I said irritably.
"I'm just being reasonable."
"I know, thank you. We have to try this, though. It's our only shot," I said firmly.
"Okay. So what do we use?"
"For what?" I asked blankly.
"To hit it," Kate stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"A book?" Kate's almost-glare did not waver. "Alright," I huffed, "we'll find something else. But books are surprisingly good weapons!" I shuffled through the library, scanning my surroundings for anything large and cumbersome.
"How about this?" Kate called. She lifted a large, wooden board high above her head.
"Perfect!" I purred, bounding in her direction. She transferred her finding to my arms. "Oooh yes, this will do nicely." A gurgling sound emitted from the other side of the door. "It's trying to get in," I said. Kate rushed out of sight, emerging from behind one of the shelves a few seconds later with another board identical to the one I held.
"Get on one side of the door. I'll get on the other," she ordered me. I took position, my board held tightly in my hand, my breathes shallow. "On the count of three, we'll open the doors, let the creature in, and attempt to render it unconscious. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Slowly I counted to three and then yanked the door open. The maggot, who had been sucking at the door, gurgled again. I readied myself, determined to use my weapon if necessary. Instead, I was thrown backwards. The creature roared; a bookcase toppled over onto my ankle, pinning me down. I was immobile.
"Doctor!" Kate rushed to me, her eyes still on our dangerous opponent.
"Kate," I said, trying to ignore the throbbing coming from my foot, "I'm fine. There's no time to help me right now. You must knock the creature out - or regrettably kill it if you must - so we can get it back into isolation or we and the rest of the world will die."
"Me? What can I do? I'm just-"
"A Lethbridge-Stewart," I finished. I gave her a smile. "You can do anything."
Now this was the moment, reader, when Kate Lethbridge-Stewart's true colors came out. She turned, tightened her grasp on the board in her hands, and, with only a second's hesitation, flipped the lunging maggot over and hit him squarely in the stomach. The determined air, the bravery, the ability to do what is necessary, and the ever-present sense of regret over having to hurt anything - all this was present and all this convinced me that Kate was truly her father's daughter. I grinned in spite of myself.
The creature was still, not dead but only rendered unconscious. Kate turned back to me, slightly out of breath.
"It's unconscious."
"I'd say so." Kate looked down, sorrow evident.
"Who would do such a thing?"
"I wish I knew, Kate. I wish I knew." We stared at the victimized maggot until I remember what was lying on top of my ankle. "Ah, Kate?" I asked. "Could you help?" Kate dropped her board and scrambled to my rescue. She then worked on securing the creature once again. I never doubted her ability. I placed mine and the world's well-being entirely and willingly in her hands.
Kate and I succeeded in safely relocating the maggots, and I came out of the situation with a sprained ankle and questions about who experimented on the maggots in the first place and what crashed into the TARDIS. To this day those questions have not been answered, but both Kate and I have a marvelous story to tell.
Kate insisted that I rest my ankle a few days, so I lived the civilian life from Tuesday to Thursday. Most of it was rather dreadful (especially the afternoon I spent trying to get a frenzied Malcolm out of the TARDIS), but there was one event that really touched me: Kate and I's visit to the Brigadier's grave.
It was a rainy day and my last day as a civilian. We stood in the drizzle, I in my jacket and bowtie and Kate in the raincoat she'd been wearing when I first met her. We didn't speak - just stood in silence, remembering the man who we'd come to honor. Kate eventually spoke, however.
"I'll always regret the years I didn't spend with him," she confided in me. I knew what she was referring to: her childhood separation from her father and teenage estrangement with him. "I feel like I wasn't a very good daughter to him," she continued, her eyes downcast toward the grave. I smiled.
"Well I will always regret the time I didn't spend with my people," I confided back. She shifted her gaze onto me. "It weighs on me every day. But you know what?"
"What?" Kate asked softly.
"I will always be grateful for the time I did spend with them. And so should you." Kate smiled wanly. I continued: "My dear Kate, your father loved you more than anything. He was immensely proud of you."
"How do you know?"
"I visited him, remember? He told me one or two things about his daughter. Don't worry - all good things." Kate laughed, looking brighter.
"You make your father very proud, Kate," I finished.
"Thank you, Doctor," she said. "It means a lot." She kissed my cheek, and I hugged her tightly. I started toward the TARDIS which was parked feet away.
"Oh and he also told me about Gordon!" I said, turning as Kate's son came to mind. "How is he?"
"About to join the military!" Kate revealed proudly.
"See? Following in the good old Brigadier's footsteps. Just like his mother." I chuckled and closed the TARDIS door.
"There's nothing like a Lethbridge-Stewart," I said to myself. The TARDIS hummed in agreement.