It came without warning. The Doctor stepped outside to get the jacket Clara had forgotten to pick up on her way out, trying to be chivalrous as Clara laughed from where she stood at the console, and the doors had slammed shut, taking Clara into the vortex Doctorless and screaming, hands clutching at controls in front of her. If she could just get it to slow down, she thought to herself as it weaved left and right, sending her slipping to the ground and then sliding towards the edge where she gripped the bars to stop herself from falling into the space beneath her.
"Stop!" She shouted, feeling the ship do a flip that turned her stomach painfully before it came to a grinding halt that made her head hang down heavily before finally releasing. Clara took several long breaths, trying to stave off the nausea plaguing her now, and she glanced up at the time rotor slowly churning at the center, barking, "What the hell was that?"
An image flickered just next to the console, one she recognized and stared at in disbelief. "The HADS protocol has been activated," her mother's face offered stoically.
"Yeah, well, it certainly didn't have to be activated so violently," she muttered.
"Protocol indicates taking the shortest route to the nearest available safe zone in any given time," her mother told her with a small tilt of her head.
"I'm still inside," Clara replied quietly, pulling herself to stand before looking around and biting her lip, wondering whether it was safe to step outside.
"Protocol indicates Clara Oswald is to be taken to safety regardless of circumstances and possible outcomes."
"That's nice," she replied with a small nod, "Keep the companion safe."
Her mother repeated, "Protocol indicates Clara Oswald is to be taken to safety regardless of circumstances and possible outcomes."
She eyed the hologram and gestured, "That your way of saying the protocol is specific to me?"
The hologram of her mother repeated again, "Protocol indicates Clara Oswald is to be taken to safety regardless of circumstances and possible outcomes."
"Gotcha," Clara sighed, thumb rising quickly before dropping away as she stared, "Does protocol specify that you have to look like my mum?"
"Protocol indicates choosing from my database an image most likely to offer Clara Oswald comfort."
"So my mum?" She asked, then shook her head, "Sort of giving me the creeps."
"Psychic interface indicates you would find this face more preferable," a male voice announced, and Clara smiled when she turned to see the Doctor standing at the controls, watching her placidly for a moment before she turned away.
"Now he's giving me the creeps."
"Would this be preferable?" Came her own voice.
Clara shook her head, uttering, "Uh-uh," then she closed her eyes and sighed, "Just, be a robot or something – you've got all the faces right, but the voices?" She shivered slightly and when she glanced up, she jumped away from the Dalek at the controls. "You know, for a computer, you can be a bit of an arse."
"Per protocol, I am merely following the orders of Clara Oswald."
She opened her mouth to reply and then shut it, looking to the Dalek still aimed in her direction, and she gestured back behind her, telling the Tardis quickly, "Sorry, I'm not sure I'm understanding – the protocol the Doctor put in place says that should I get stuck inside of the Tardis while the HADS is activated, I'm to take control of the Tardis?"
"Per current HADS protocols, Clara Oswald is to be given complete access to Tardis interface."
Releasing a small laugh, Clara looked over the ship and then she frowned, shifting quickly to shout, "Take me back." She moved forward, reaching to begin operating the Tardis, arguing, "If the HADS was activated, that means the Doctor is in danger and we have to help him."
"Negative," the Tardis replied.
She pointed, "You said yourself, I'm in control."
"HADS protocol also specifically prohibits taking the Tardis into imminent danger."
"What is the danger?" Clara demanded.
"Clara Oswald," the Tardis replied.
"Yeah," Clara nodded, watching the Dalek give a small shake. "What is the danger?"
"Clara Oswald," the Tardis repeated.
"Yeah," Clara gasped, "Clara Oswald wants to know what the da…" she glared, "I'm the danger; how am I the danger?"
The Tardis hesitated, shifting its image again to become the Doctor. And he stared at her.
With a huff of laughter, Clara raised a hand and slapped the lever, ordering, "Take me back to the Doctor; there's no danger."
"Tardis protocol indicates…" he began.
Scowling up at the console, Clara shouted, "To hell with the protocol; if you don't take me back, I'll figure out just how many buttons I can push that he's told me not to touch and we'll find out just how dangerous I can be!"
The image of the Doctor faded and the Tardis swooped back into the vortex as Clara clung to the edging, refusing to let herself fall to the ground again. She was certain the machine had taken pleasure in that – because machine or not, she was a grumpy cow who enjoyed Clara's frustration, and when they landed, the door swung open quickly, the Doctor poking his head in to give her an odd scrunch of his brow as his mouth fell open.
"Everything alright?" He asked quickly, glancing at Clara as she made her way towards him and landed her hands on his shoulders, sending his eyebrows high on his forehead. "Clara?"
"Your Tardis thinks I'm a danger to you."
He laughed nervously, looking between the time rotor and her before asking plainly, "Wha?"
"Think I'll sit this week out while you update your protocols – maybe insert some sort of be-all-end-all that explicitly forbids her from murdering me as I'm certain she's working towards a way around your existing rules that classify me as protectable in the event of a HADS emergency and executor of the Tardis in your absence during said emergency, but doesn't preclude her from judging that I am said emergency."
"She wha?" He began slowly, but Clara turned and moved around him, back out through the Tardis doors and he twisted around quickly, raising her jacket and calling, "Clara!"
The Tardis went red as the Doctor stopped Clara just outside with a soft tap on her shoulder and smiled down at her to hand her the jacket and she could hear the Doctor suggest, "Nice day out, we could always venture into the city for some scones, bit of texting, eh?"
He raised an arm and Clara wove hers through it, smiling and nodding to repeat, "Bit of scones and texting, I quite like the sound of that."
They strode off, arm in arm, and the Tardis slammed her own doors.