Planet of the Dead, Part 1.
"Trade you for a bit of Easter egg?" the Doctor asked, wiggling his eyebrows at the Hatter beside him as she popped a yellow jelly baby in her mouth, and holding out his hand that was holding a unwrapped Easter egg.
The Hatter blinked, looking slightly surprised as she eyed the chocolate, "Doctor, exactly how long has that been inside your pocket?" she asked cautiously.
"I just bought it," he shook his head, seeming amused by her question, "It is Easter, the shops are full of them," he frowned, looking back up the busy, night street they had just walked down, "Didn't you see me duck into one back up there?"
"No, I was too busy searching for a tear in space and time, like you were supposed to be," she replied, rolling her eyes at him, but there was a hint of fondness in her voice. She shook her head, casting an eye around the street, frowning slightly as she noticed that there seemed to be a number of police around, "It's Easter, then? Huh, I always seemed to miss that holiday…"
"So did I!" the Doctor grinned, his eyes lighting up as he linked his arm through hers, "Ooh, I've got an idea," he paused, looking across to were a big red double decker bus was stationed.
The Hatter followed his gaze and hesitated, "Ah, sweetheart, busses and us don't seem to get along, remember?"
"Oh, come on! We can drive around on it and see if we can find the tear that way".
Still looking unsure, the Time Lady allowed him to pull her over to the bus, and up the steps, "You're just in time, mate," the driver remarked as the Doctor flashed his psychic paper at the Oyster Card reader.
The doors closed behind them as they moved further into the bus, passing a couple of other passages as they went, before dropping into a seat behind a dark haired young woman, wearing all black in the back of the bus, the Time Lady on the window side since the Doctor had been a gentlemen and let her go ahead of him.
"Hello!" the Doctor flashed the dark haired woman a friendly smile as she looked up at them, seeming startled, "I'm the Doctor and this is the Hatter," he nodded to the blonde beside him, holding out the chocolate egg for the woman, still smiling away, "Happy Easter!"
"Don't mind him," the Hatter smiled a little less excitedly as the Doctor, casting him a look, already having noticed that the woman appeared to be on edge about something, "He's had a bit of sugar today, it always goes straight to his head".
The Doctor mock gasped at her, nudging her side, "Says the woman who carries six bags of jelly baby's everywhere she goes," he said teasingly, "I bet you keep one in your boot, too. Just in case".
"Well, I did think about it, but I figured that was a little over the top, even for me," she replied, sounding and looking completely serious.
He blinked and eyed her, "Are you being serious?" he asked wearily, knowing that if she wasn't then he was probably going to end up being teased.
She looked at him, "Of course".
"Right…" he nodded, still eyeing her before he looked back to the dark haired woman, "Funny thing is, we don't often do Easter," he informed her, "We can never find it. It's always at a different time. Although…" he titled his head in a very Hatter like fashion, "I remember the original. Between you and me, what really happened was…" he trailed off as beeping sound sounded.
"Oh, that'll be the Rhondium Detector," the Hatter brightened, looking quite pleased.
"Sorry, hold on to that for me," the Doctor passed the woman the egg, who didn't exactly have time to argue before it was shoved into her gloved hands, reaching inside his pocket, and glanced back at her, "Actually, go on, have it. Finish it," he shook his head, nodding at the Time Lady, "She's right, it's full of sugar and I'm determined to keep these teeth," he flashed her a wide, toothy smile as he continued searching through his pockets.
The Hatter laughed fondly, shaking her head as she battered his hands away, and reached into the right pocket of his coat, "Honestly, what would you do without me?" she commented, pulling out a small hand held device with lots of wires sticking out all over it, along with a little spinning dish, "Ooh, we've got excitation," she frowned slightly, eyeing the device.
The Doctor bent his head closer to hers, looking closer at the device, a frown of his own settling on his face, "We're picking up something very strange," he leant over and fiddled with something on the device, not seeming to notice that they were receiving odd looks from the passages around them.
"I know the feeling…" the dark haired woman remarked, glancing back outside the window as the bus entered a tunnel.
"Rhondium particles," the Doctor said to the woman, not seeming to realise that she wasn't really paying attention to them, far too caught up in the device as he took it from the Time Lady, "That's what we're looking for. This thing detects them," he frowned, glancing at the Hatter, giving the device a tap, "The Hatter built it, she does that when she's bored".
"That's not right," the Time Lady titled her head, eyeing the device, "The little dish is supposed to be going around".
"Right now, a way out would come in pretty handy," the woman said to them, seeming very nervous, but trying not to show it, "Can you detect me one of those?"
"Ah!" the Doctor grinned, looking almost like a child who had just been given a bag of lollies, "The little dish is going around!"
"Fascinating".
"And round…" his eyes widened, watching as the dish spun faster, and faster, exchanging a look with the Time Lady, when the device suddenly sparked, sending the dish flying, "Whoa!"
A blonde, middle aged woman frowned, brushing the back of her head as she felt something hit it from behind, "Excuse me," she looked up at them as the Doctor jumped out of his seat, still frowning down at the device in his hands, "Do you mind?"
"Sorry," he replied absently, "That was my little dish".
The Hatter coughed, looking amused as she glanced at the young woman in front of her, "He was quite fond of that little dish," she informed her, "Truth be told, sometimes I think he has the mind of a cat. Loves everything and anything that moves".
"Lovely," the woman rolled her eyes, frowning over at the Doctor as the device continued to make a high pitched beeping sound, "Can't you turn that thing off?"
The Doctor shot the Hatter a look as he slipped the device back inside his coat, turning around to the woman, "What was your name?" he asked her.
"Christina," she answered, giving him a smile.
"Christina, hold on tight," he quickly swung himself back down into his seat, grabbing the bar on the seat in front of him, the Time Lady doing the same thing.
"And that goes for everyone else!" the Hatter called, looking around at the others, who just looked back at them, blankly, "Hold on and keep your heads down, because things are going to get rather unpleasant!"
Suddenly, the bus lurched forwards, shaking and jolting around, throwing the Doctor into the aisle as the passages started screaming. The Hatter winced as the side of her head collided with the window beside her, knocking her hat flying, but she kept a tight hold on the bar in front of her.
"Oh, the voices!" a woman at the back of the bus, sitting beside another man, cried out over the sound of other's screaming, "The voices! They're screaming!"
The windows shattered, sending broken glass flying, just as the Hatter threw herself to the side to try avoiding it, causing her to lose her grip on the bar and go flying into the aisle, colliding with the Doctor, who somehow managed to grab hold of her, pulling her closer to him.
Sparks and lights flared all around them, just as a young man fell down the stairs from the upper deck, landing at the bottom, wide eyed, "What's going on?" he called, but he was droned out by all the nose, when suddenly a bright light filled the entire bus, blinding them all.
More glass shattered as the bus continued to jolt and shack, and the bus was flooded with bright light again as everyone tried to shield their eyes, when…the light and the shacking died, replaced with a strange sudden stillness and a golden, yellow light, peaking in through broken windows as the Doctor and the Hatter slowly looked up, climbing to their feet as they stared outside the front window.
They exchanged a look and walked over to the doors, opening them and stepping out into…well, a desert, "End of the line," the Doctor remarked as they looked around, Christina stepping outside the bus behind them, "Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little bit further than Brixton," he glanced at the Time Lady.
"Just a little bit…yeah," the Hatter nodded, turning around in a circle, shielding her eyes from the sun, all three of them, looking around at the completely barren desert like planet, seeing as it very obviously was a different planet from Earth.
The Doctor walked a short distance away from the bus and knelt closely to the ground, practically pressing the side of his face into the sand as he picked up a handful, and letting it run back through his fingers and onto the ground, eyeing it.
"It's impossible," the middle aged blonde woman breathed as she a few of the other passengers, stepped out, staring up at the sky, "There are three suns. Three of them!"
"Like when all those planets were up in the sky," one of the young men added, his eyes wide.
The man who had fallen down the steps shook his head, "But it was the Earth that moved back then, wasn't it?" he looked at him.
"Oh, man, we're on another world!"
The driver stepped out and looked at the bus that was smoking slightly, most of the windows shattered, and the upper deck appeared to have been damaged, "It's still intact," the man gestured to the bus, seeming to be trying to remain positive about the situation, "Not as bad as it looks, and the chassis's still holding together," he sighed, glancing back at them, "My boss is going to murder me".
"Can you still drive it?' the blonde human woman asked him hopefully.
"Oh, no, no, no," he shook his head quickly, "The wheels are stuck," he gestured to them, "Look at them, they're never going to budge".
Christina reached inside her backpack and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, slipping them on as she looked at the Time Lords, both kneeling on the ground, examining the sand, "Ready for any emergency," she commented, smiling.
The Doctor glanced up at her and reached his pocket, taking out his sonic as he slipped his glasses off his face, and flashed the sonic at them, tinting the lens, "Me too," he replied, slipping them back on.
"And let it never be said that I don't come prepared," the Hatter flashed the Doctor a bright smile and a wink, pulling out a pair of rainbow coloured framed sunglasses out of her coats many pockets, slipping them on with a flourish of her wrist, "Now, I just have to locate my lovely hat again," she remarked, glancing back towards the bus, a hint of longing in her face as she did so.
The Doctor glanced at her, pouting, "You know, sometimes I think you love your hats more than anything," he whined quietly, "Even more then me".
The Time Lady laughed and leant closer to him, patting the side of his cheek gently, "Oh, sweetheart, don't be ridicules. I'm marrying you, aren't I?" she gave him a small, cheeky smile, "Besides, it's not as if there's a planet in the Universe that would recognise my husband being a hat…and believe me, I've searched very hard".
"You are joking again, right?"
She gave him a look, "I never joke about my hats, Doctor," she told him firmly.
"Oh, great. My rival for you is a hat".
"Oh, please, I said I was marrying you, didn't I?"
"You know, you could sound a little more happy about it," he shot her a look, but they could both tell that he was only teasing.
"And take away that adorable pout you are currently wearing?" she raised her eyebrows at him, a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth, "Not a chance, sweetheart".
Christina cleared her throat, raising her eyebrows at them…or at least they assumed that she was, since her sunglasses hid half her face from view, "What's your names?" she asked them, apparently not having heard there conversation.
"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor introduced himself, focusing his attention back on the sand, running it through his fingers.
"And I'm the Hatter," the Time Lady added, flashing her a bright, friendly smile.
"Name, not rank," the dark haired woman said to them.
"The Doctor and she's the Hatter," he replied, still not looking at her.
"Surname".
"He's the Doctor and I'm the Hatter," the Time Lady told her, seeming to be slightly amused by the situation.
"You're called 'the Doctor' and 'the Hatter?'"
"Yes, we are," they nodded in unison.
"That's not names, that's a psychological condition".
The Hatter titled her head at her, seeming to actually consider her remark, "That's debatable," she turned back to the focus on the sand, lifting a handful, and holding it up to her eyes, letting her sunglass slip down her nose, "This sand is quite interesting," she frowned down at the handful, "There seems to be something else in it, odd texture to it…"
"Hmm, there's a trace of something else…" the Doctor agreed and dabbed the tip of his finger into the palm of his hand, and lifted it up to his mouth, tasting it. Immediately, he grimaced and started trying to remove the taste, "Glah, glah, glah, glah, glah. Not good".
The Hatter sighed, shaking her head at him, "Oh, the things that we do to get answers," she remarked.
Christina stared at him, "Well, it wouldn't be," she eyed him, her tone clearly saying that she thought he was mad, "It's sand".
"No, it tastes like…" he trailed off, meeting the Time Lady's eyes over the top of his glasses, exchanging a look before he inhaled deeply and stood, helping the Hatter to stand, "Never mind," he shook his head.
"What is it?" the woman asked, frowning at them, seeming to notice there sudden realisation, "What's wrong?"
"Hold on a minute," they turned around as the young man wearing a red shirt walked towards them, pointing, "I saw you two. You had that thing…that machine! Did you make this happen?" he demanded, pointing back towards the bus.
The Doctor glanced at the Hatter, "Well, I did tell you so," the Time Lady shrugged at him, crossing her arms, looking amused.
"You're enjoying this," he sighed, shaking his head, "Human's on busses, always blaming me…well, us," he nodded at the Hatter and looked back to the now gathering group of humans, "Look, look, if you must know, we were tracking a hole in the fabric of reality".
"It's a bit of a hobby," the Hatter added in, trying to give the human's a calming smile.
"But it was a tiny little hole," the Doctor continued, nodding, "No danger to anyone," he frowned back over to the bus, "Suddenly it gets big, and we drive right through it".
"But then where is it?" the bus driver asked, glancing around at the completely empty land, "There's nothing, there's just sand!"
"All right," the Doctor walked passed them, the Hatter following, a small, concerned frown on her face. The rest of the passages and driver followed after them towards the back of the bus, "You want proof?" he grabbed a handful of sand, "We drove through this," and threw the handful of sand in the air in front of them, causing the air to ripple like a stone had been thrown into a lake.
"And that's…?" Christina began as the Time Lords turned back to them.
"I suppose you could call it a door," the Hatter informed them, glancing over her shoulder as she did, "A door, only it's in space".
"So what you're saying is, on the other side of that is home?" the driver asked hopefully, pointing towards were the ripple had disappeared, "We can get to London back through there?"
The Time Lords exchanged a look, shaking their heads, "The bus came through, but we can't".
He looked back at the others, "Well then, what are we waiting for?" he exclaimed, grinning.
"No, no, don't!" the Time Lords shouted.
"I'm going home, mate!" he started running towards the doorway, ignoring there warning shouts.
"We said don't!"
The Hatter tried leaping forward to try grabbing his arm or the back of his jumper, desperately trying to save his life, but it was too late. They watched, horrified, unable to do anything as the man walked through the doorway and screamed as he began smoking, his skin disvaluing, leaving nothing but bones as he disappeared onto the other side.
"No!" the Hatter cried, and closed her eyes sadly, turning away as the Doctor swallowed, patting her back comfortingly.
"He was a skeleton, man!" the young man with the red shirt called, his eyes wide horror and shock, "He was bones! Just bones!"
The Doctor, wrapping his arm around the Hatter, stepped back towards the others, glancing over at the bus, "It was the bus," he nodded to it, "Look at the damage. That was the bus protecting us. Great big box of metal".
"Rather like a Faraday cage?" Christina realised, glancing at them.
"Like in a thunderstorm, yeah?" the other young man called, trying to comfort the blonde human woman, "Safest place is inside a car, because the metal conducts the lightning right through. We did it in school".
Christina looked back to the Time Lords, "But if we can only travel back inside the bus…" she frowned, eyeing the damaged upper deck and shattered windows on the bus, "A Faraday cage needs to be closed. That thing's been ripped wide open".
The Hatter titled her head and looked back at the bus thoughtfully, "Thing's work a little differently when it comes to wormholes," she informed them, doing a quick calculation in her head, "But by my calculation, which is a little rough, I grant you, there should be enough metal to make it work. Hopefully…"
She nodded slowly, "Then we have to drive five tons of bus, which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands," she glanced over at them, raising her eyebrows, "Correct?"
"Well, I would say that it's nine and a half tons…" the Time Lady corrected lightly, giving her a small smile, shrugging, "But your point still stands".
She nodded again, suddenly seeming determined, "Then we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline," she smiled, reaching inside her bag, "Which starts with appointing a leader".
"Yes," the Doctor immediately nodded in agreement, looking over to the rest of the humans, "At last, thank you. So…"
"Well, thank goodness you've got me," Christina cut him off, looking up at the others, causing the Doctor to blink in surprise as the Hatter struggled not to laugh, "Everyone do exactly as I say," she continued to smile at them, "Inside the bus immediately".
"Is it safe in there?" the young man asked her, gesturing towards the bus.
"I don't think anything's safe anymore," she replied as the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, seeming to be still trying to get over not being the one in charge, "But if it's a choice between baking in there or roasting out here, I'd say baking is slower," she gave them raised eyebrow look, "Come on. All of you. Right now. And you two…" she turned to the Time Lords as the blonde human woman hurried over to the bus, "…'the Doctor' and 'the Hatter'".
"Yes, ma'am," the Doctor nodded, giving her a mock nod, and took the Hatter's hand, who tipped an invisible hat at the other woman, appearing quite amused.
"Up! Come on".
"You know, I quite like her," the Hatter remarked softly to the Doctor as they walked over to the bus, "She reminds me a little of myself".
"I was just thinking that myself," the Doctor agreed, casting her a fond smile.
…
"…point five," Christina continued from where she stood at the front of the bus, her arms behind her back as the other passengers and the Time Lords watched on from there seats, the Hatter looking quite pleased with her hat back on her head, "The crucial thing is, do not panic. Quite apart from anything else, the smell of sweat inside this thing is reaching atrocious levels," a few of the passages glanced around, seeming slightly guilty, "We don't need to add any more. Point six: Team identification. Names. I'm Christina," she smiled, gesturing to herself, "And this man is apparently 'the Doctor' and she's 'the Hatter,'" she gestured over to them.
"Hello," the Time Lord grinned, giving the other's around them a little wave.
She turned to one of the young men closest to her, "And you…?"
"Nathan," he answered, giving them an awkward wave.
The second young man in the red shirt nodded, "I'm Barclay".
"Angela," the blonde human woman replied, "Angela Wittaker".
They skipped over the Time Lords and looked back to the back of the bus were a middle aged couple were sitting, "My name's Louis," the man told them, "Everyone calls me Lou. And this is Carmen," he looked at the woman sitting beside him, apparently his wife.
"Excellent," Christina smiled around at them all, "Memorise those names, there might be a test," the Time Lord exchanged an amused look, "Point seven: Assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you, 'the Doctor' and 'the Hatter,'" she turned towards them, raising her eyebrows at them.
"I thought you were in charge," the Doctor commented.
"I am," she smiled smugly at them, "And a good leader utilises her strength. You two seem to be the brainbox. So, start boxing".
"Right…" he nodded and moved to sit on the back of the seat so that he could look around them better, the Hatter tucking her knees under her as she knelt on the seat, "So, the wormhole. We were at the wrong place at the wrong time".
The Time Lady coughed, giving him a pointed look, "I did say that busses and us are bad luck".
"And I'll never forgot it," he flashed her a smile before turning back to the others, looking serious, "It was just an accident".
"No, it wasn't," Carmen suddenly shook her head, making everyone look at her, "That thing…the doorway? Someone made it for a reason".
The Time Lords looked at her curiously, "How do you know that?"
Carmen opened and closed her mouth, looking down, seeming embarrassed, "She's got a gift," Lou told them proudly, smiling at her, "Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things," he looked back over at them, "We do the lottery twice a week".
"Oh, how interesting," the Hatter remarked, moving around the Doctor to try and get closer to the couple.
Christina scoffed, "You don't look like millionaires".
Lou looked over to her, seeming unsurprised by her comment, "No, but we win ten pounds. Every week, twice a week, ten pounds," he smiled, shaking his head at her, "Don't tell me that's not a gift".
"Quite right," the Hatter smiled broadly at the couple, giving Carmen an encouraging look as she looked down again, "You have nothing to feel embarrassed about, Carmen," she said to her gently, "My youngest daughter had a similar ability as you, and she went through a phase were she hated her gift, but eventually, she came to see it for exactly what it is. A gift".
"Tell me, Carmen," the Doctor began, putting his hand behind his back, holding up three fingers, "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three," the woman answered and he added another finger, "Four".
"Very good," he smiled at her.
"She has a low level psychic ability," the Hatter nodded, flashing the woman another bright smile, "It must be heightened by the alien suns," she pointed over her shoulder, towards the landscape outside.
The Doctor moved to sit beside the Time Lady, so that he too could be closer to the couple, "What can you see, Carmen?" he asked her, his voice soft, "Tell us, what's out there?"
Carmen looked off into the distance, looking almost fearful, "Something…something is coming," she breathed after a moment, "Riding on the wind," her eyes widened slightly, "And shining".
"What is it?" the Hatter questioned gently.
"Death," she replied, frowning, "Death is coming".
Angela closed her eyes painfully, "We're going to die!" she cried, looking away from them.
"I knew it, man," Barclay groaned, starting to sound panicked as he shifted in his seat, "I said so!"
"We can't die out her," Nathan desperately shook his head, looking very afraid, "No one's going to find us".
"This isn't exactly helping," Christina told them, trying to talk over the top of them.
"You can shut up, too!" Barclary turned and pointed at her, looking angry, "We're not your soldiers".
Everyone started shouting at each other, panicking as Christina tried to calm them down, only it seemed to only make things worse, "That's not doing any good!" she tried again.
Lou looked worriedly at his wife, seeing how upset she was starting to get from all the shouting, "Quite!" he called.
"Will we be bones, like the bus driver?" Nathan wondered, wringing his hands together.
"Stop whimpering, all of you!" Christina ordered, but they ignored her, still shouting, panic stricken.
"All right now, stop it," the Doctor tried holding up his hands, trying to calm them all down, "Everyone, stop it!" he called loudly, making everyone fall silent with only Angela's sobbing to be heard.
The Hatter quickly moved to the woman's side and knelt in front of her, gently taking her hands, "Hey, it's going to be okay," she tried soothing her gently, giving her a comforting smile, "Angela, just look at me, all right?" slowly, the woman blinked back tears and looked at her, "Now, tell me, when you got on this bus, where were you going? Just tell me".
"Doesn't matter now, does it?" Angela sniffed, struggling to hold back a sob.
"Oh, of course it does, because it matters to me," the Time Lady smiled at her again.
She shrugged, glancing at her, "Just home".
"Lovely. Now, tell me about home, Angela. What's home to you?"
"Me and Mike, and Suzanne," she began crying again, just thinking about them, "That's my daughter. She's eighteen".
"Eighteen year old Suzanne," the Hatter nodded, still smiling at her, "Wonderful age. You must be so proud," she gave her a comforting look, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.
The Doctor smiled softly at her, knowing better than anyone that she always seemed to know just the right the thing's to say to console and calm a person, even as a child she had been that way. She never could just walk past a person who needed help, even when the person didn't see it yet themselves. He looked over to Barclay, "What about you?" he asked him.
"Don't know," the young man shrugged, glancing down, "Going round Tina's".
"Who's Tina? Your girlfriend?"
Barclay smiled slightly, looking up, "Not yet".
"Good boy!" the Doctor grinned cheekily back at him, exchanging a quick smile with the Time Lady before he turned to the second young man, "What about you, Nathan?"
"Bit strapped for cash," Nathan sighed, lifting one shoulder in a small shrug, "I lost my job last week. I was going to stay in and watch TV".
"Sounds brilliant," the Hatter smiled broadly at him, still with her arm wrapped around Angela's shoulder, "Just make sure it's something with humour in it," she looked over to Lou and Carmen, "And what about you two?"
"I was going to cook," Lou replied.
"It's his turn tonight," Carmen added, pointing at her husband, "Then I clear up".
"What's for tea?" the Doctor asked them.
"Chops," Lou told them, shrugging, "Nice couple of chops and gravy. Nothing special".
"Oh, but that is just so special," the Hatter shook her head, looking around at the others, "Chops and gravy, delicious".
The Doctor looked at Christina, "What about you, Christina?" he called to her.
For a moment, Christina looked startled by the question, "I was going…so far away," she finally answered, avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Far away," he nodded, looking around at the rest of the bus, "Chops and gravy. Watching TV. Mike and Suzanne, and poor Tina".
"Hey!" Barclay laughed, pointing at him.
"Just think about them, everyone," the Hatter told them all, looking around, "All those people who mean so much to you, the little things that you take for granted in your daily lives, the place that you call home. Think about them, because, you see that planet out there?" she pointed outside one of the shattered windows, "The three sun's, wormholes, and that alien sand, compared to what your have waiting for you, it's meaningless".
"Food and home, and people," the Doctor continued, looking at each person in turn, "Hold on to that, because we're going to get there. I promise…"
"We promise," the Time Lady corrected him, "And I always keep my promises".
He nodded, giving her a small smile before he looked back to everyone, "We're going to get you home".
….
The Time Lords were standing outside the bus with Christina, examining just how deeply the tires had sunk into the sand as Barclay and Nathan came jogging out of the bus, each holding the back panelling of the busses seats.
"Here we go!" Barclay called as he reached them.
"That's my boys!" the Doctor grinned as he grabbed the panel from Barclay's hand, holding it on its side, "See, we lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole, like duckboards, and we reverse into it," he explained, handing the panel to Nathan.
"Let some of the air out of the tyres," Christina added, gesturing to the wheels as they looked at her, "Just a little. It spreads the weight of the bus, gives you more grip against the sand".
"Oh, that's quite clever," the Hatter remarked, looking surprised by her knowledge.
She smiled, "Holiday's in the Kalahari".
"Yeah, but those wheels go deep," Barclay frowned over at the wheels.
"Then start digging".
"With what?"
"With this," she reached inside the backpack and pulled out a fold out spade, handing it to the Doctor, whose eyes widened down at the bag.
The Doctor unfolded the shovel and handed it to Barclay, raising his eyebrows at Christina, "Got anything else in there?"
"Try that…" she reached inside the bag again, pulling out a small hatchet, and passed it to Nathan, "It might help with the seats".
"Thanks," Nathan smiled at her, taking the tool, and walking back towards the bus.
"Goodness, you weren't joking about being prepared for anything," the Hatter commented, sounding quite amused. It was almost like her and the Doctor's pockets, only the bag couldn't possibly be made from Time Lord technology. Still, that didn't make it any less amusing.
"I can't find the keys!" Angela called to them from behind the wheel of the bus.
The Time Lords quickly jogged back over to look through the open doors, "Oh, no, buses don't have keys," the Doctor informed her, shaking his head, "There's a master switch, then it's one button to start, the other one to stop, yeah?"
"Right, hold on," Angela nodded, looking down at the controls, "Oh, I've got it. Here we go. Hold tight. Ding, ding!" she pressed one of the buttons, starting the engine, when it spluttered and died.
"Oh, dear," the Hatter sighed, wincing slightly, "That's certainly not the sound you want to hear".
She and the Doctor, along with Christina, moved around to the back of the bus, opening the engine panel. They coughed, their eyes watering slightly, and waved their hands in front of them as a smoke flew back up at them, but once that was clear they finally found what the problem really was.
"Oh, never mind losing half the top deck," the Doctor shook his head, eyeing the engine that was covered in sand, "You know what's worse? Sand," he reached forwards and ran a finger over the little grains on the motor, not seeming to care if he burnt his fingers, much to the Time Lady's mild exasperation, who pulled his hand back, giving him a look, "Ah, sorry, dear," he smiled guiltily at her, glancing at Christina, "Tiny little grains of sand. The engines clogged up".
The dark haired woman sighed and stepped back around the side of the bus, calling, "Does anyone know mechanics?"
"Me," Barclay held up a hand and climbed back onto his feet from where he had been kneeling on the sand, setting the panels down for the wheels, "I did a two week NVQ at the garage," he hesitated, "Never finished it, but…"
"Off you go," the Doctor gestured with his head back towards the engine as he and the Hatter stepped around the side, also, "Try stripping the air filter. Fast as you can".
"I could help?" the Hatter offered, shrugging, a smile crossing her face, "I've always been quite fond of playing with engines, it started as a way to annoy my Mother, and it kind of stuck".
The Doctor pouted at her, "You would leave me alone to go play with an engine?"
"Well…you do have to admit, that engines can be rather fun," she titled her head, "But since this is you, and you will probably end up getting yourself killed without me, I suppose that I should probably stay around you. After all, what would I ever do without my Doctor?" she grinned and winked at him.
He grinned broadly back at her and kissed her cheek, before taking her hand, "Back in a tick," and turned, beginning to walk away together.
"Wait a minute," Christina quickly followed after them, frowning, "You're the man and woman with all the answers. I'm not letting you out of my sight".
And with that, they continued to make there why through the desert, until they could no longer see the big red bus behind them. The Time Lands glanced at Christina, eyeing the bag that she had slung over one shoulder.
"You know, you would probably find tracking through the desert far easier if you had just left that backpack behind," the Hatter remarked, nodding to it as they reached the top of a sand dune, "It would have been safe there, plus, less strain on your back".
"Where I go, it goes," she replied simply.
"A backpack with a spade and an axe," the Doctor glanced at her, "Christina, who's going so far away, and yet scared by the sound of a siren," he eyed her closely for a moment, "Who are you?"
"You two can talk. Let's just say we're two equal mysteries," she looked over at them, "Come on, then. Tell me. If Carmen's right, if that wormhole's not an accident, then what is?" she frowned, "Has someone done this on purpose?"
"We don't know that, not yet," the Hatter shook her head, casting a look around the bare landscape with a weary look as they came to a stop on another dune, "But I can certainly say that every instinct I have is saying that this, no matter how pretty it may be, is dangerous, and that we should leave right now".
Christina glanced around, also, "And do you think we can?" she asked.
"We live in hope," the Doctor replied, sending the Time Lady a smile.
"That must be nice," she said to them, her tone suddenly sounding morose as they glanced at her, mildly surprised by her change in mood, but they quickly looked back out at the desert as she looked at them, "It's Christina de Souza," she held out her hand, giving them a small smile, "To be precise, Lady Christina de Souza".
"Ooh, that's handy," the Doctor smiled, shaking her hand, followed by the Hatter, "Because I'm a Lord and the Hatter's a Dame," he shot the Time Lady a grin, knowing how much she hated formalities, especially when those formalities happened to be her respectful title.
True to form, the Hatter glared at him and smacked his arm, "Oh, I am so going to get you back for that one, sweetheart," she assured him, very serious.
"Seriously?" Christina raised her eyebrows, looking surprised as she stared at them, "A Lord and Dame of where?"
"It's quite a big estate," the Doctor told her, wincing slightly from the glare the Time Lady gave him.
"No, but there's something more about you two," she shook her head, eyeing them carefully, "That device you were carrying, and the wormhole. Like you knew. And the way you stride around this place, like…" she trailed off, her eyes narrowed.
"Like?" they looked back at her.
"Like you're not quite…"
They looked at each other for a long moment before the Doctor shook his head, looking away, "Anyway, come on," he turned and began leading them onwards again, "Allons-y".
"Oui, mais pas si nous allons vers un cauchemar," Christina called after them as they walked, saying in French, 'Yes, but not if we go to a nightmare'.
The Hatter laughed, "Oh, I knew I liked you".
They continued walking for a couple of minutes before coming to another stop on top of a dune, looking out to the distance as the Time Lords frowned, squinting their eyes as they spotted a strange, hazy cloud far off into the distance.
"Ah, I don't like the look of that," the Doctor remarked, still frowning at it.
"Storm clouds," Christina shielded her eyes from the sun's glare, "Must be hundreds of miles away".
"Yes, but getting closer even as we speak," the Hatter nodded, eyeing it carefully, looking concerned.
"If that's a sand storm, we'll get ripped to shreds," she looked at them, worriedly.
"It's a storm," the Doctor agreed, casting her a sideways look, "Who says its sand?"
And with that, they turned and ran back towards the bus.
…
As they reached the bus, the Hatter called to Barclay, who was outside with Nathan, "Phone, Barclay?" he blinked and looked back around at them, "We need to borrow your phone!"
"Oh…ah, in the bus," he told them.
They raced inside, looking around, "Where is it?" the Doctor asked him quickly.
"There!" Barclay pointed towards were he had been sitting earlier as he followed them, along with Christina, into the bus, "There, on the seat!"
The Doctor grabbed the mobile phone and flashed his sonic at it as the Hatter stood by his side.
"You're hardly going to get a signal," Christina rolled her eyes at them, "We're on another planet!"
"Oh, just watch me!" he grinned and finished sonicing the phone, pocketing the sonic, "Right. Now, bit of hush, thank you," he held out the phone and began dialling a number, "Got to remember the number, very important number…"
"Hello, Pizza Geronimo?" a man's voice answered.
The Hatter faced palmed, "Oh, you idiot," she shook her head, looking more fond and amused then anything as she held out her hand, "Just give it to me and let me handle calling people, sweetheart".
"Seven six, not six seven," the Doctor sighed as he handed the phone over, watching as she started dialling the right number this time. He glanced at the others, who were all watching, "She always has been better at remembering number sequences then me".
"Only because I actually take note of them while you only pretend to," she replied, casting him a look.
A moment passed before an automatic voice came over the phone, "This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Please select one of the following four options. If you want to…"
"Oh, I hate these things," the Doctor groaned as the Hatter sighed, nodding in agreement.
"If you keep your finger pressed on zero, you get through to a real person," Angela told them from where she was standing closer to the front of the bus, glancing at Barclay behind her, "I saw it on Watchdog".
"Ah, thank you very much, Angela," the Hatter sent her a smile as she did just what she had said, pressing the zero button down.
"Unit helpline," a woman's voice came over a moment later as the Time Lords sat down on the seat behind them, "Which department would you like?"
"Listen, it's the Doctor and the Hatter," the Doctor lent closer towards the phone in the Time Lady's hand, his voice very serious, "It's us".
"Please wait as we transfer your call," she continued, and rock music started playing as the Time Lords eyes widened, exchanging a look.
"Is it just me or has Unit developed an…interesting sense of humour?" the Hatter asked, looking back to the phone, seeming to be only just containing herself from bursting into a fit of laughter.
The Doctor glanced at her, "Well, they can blame you for that. If I remember correctly, you hacked into Units speaker system while we were working with them in the 70's and made numerous genres of music play for an entire week. Thankfully, the Brig was away for that week".
She rolled her eyes at him, nudging his side, "Yeah, and who was the one who helped me?" she gave him a raised eyebrow look, "It was you who suggested that we should do something fun that week because we were bored. I only suggested that we should revisit our pranking days, you were the one who said that we should do something memorable".
"Looks like we succeeded," he commented, glancing at the phone, shaking his head.
A minute or two passed before another woman's voice came over the phone, the music that was just getting to a rather good bit in the song fading, much to the Time Lady's mild disappointment, "Doctor, Hatter?" the woman asked, sounding slightly breathless, "This is Captain Erisa Magambo," the Time Lords exchanged a look, "Might I say, sir, ma'am, it's an honour…"
The narrowed there eyes slightly, "Did you just salute?" they questioned her, knowing full well that she had.
"…no".
"Whatever you say," the Hatter laughed, shaking her head before quickly turning serious, "Now, Erisa, this is about that double decker bus. HQ said that you're at the tunnel, yes?"
"And where are you?"
"We're on the bus," the Doctor replied, "But apart from that, not a clue," he took the phone and moved across to look outside the window, "Except its very pretty and pretty dangerous".
"A body came through here," Erisa said to them, sounding worried, "Have you sustained any more fatalities?"
"No, we're all perfectly fine here, and we plan to keep it that way," the Hatter told her firmly as the Doctor moved back to sit beside her again.
"But we're stuck," the Doctor informed her, "We haven't got the TARDIS, and we need to analyse that wormhole".
"We have a scientific adviser on site. Doctor Malcolm Taylor. Just the man you need. He's a genius".
"Oh, is he?" he raised his eyebrows, sounding doubtful, "We'll see about that".
The Hatter shot him a look, nudging his side, "Be nice, Doctor," she said sternly, "Not everyone can have the advantages that come from being a Time Lord and Lady. Give the poor man a chance".
There was a pause, the sound of a door opening and closing on the other end before Erisa spoke again, but obviously to someone else, her tone hurried and slightly distant, "It's the Doctor and the Hatter".
"No, I'm all right now, thanks," a man's voice replied, also sounding slightly distant, "It was just a bit of a sore throat, and why would I need a hatter? Although, I've got to be honest, a cup of tea might be nice…"
"It's the Doctor and the Hatter," she stressed, seeming almost frustrated by the man's lack of understanding as the Time struggled not to laugh, the Doctor shaking his head.
"Do you mean…'the Doctor' Doctor?" he breathed, "And 'the Hatter' Hatter?
"I know. We all want to meet them one day, but we all know what that day will bring".
"Ah…you do realise that we can hear everything that you are saying, right?" the Hatter coughed as the Doctor rubbed his eye awkwardly, exchanging a look with the Time Lady.
Someone, they assumed Malcolm gasped, almost laughing in delight as his voice became clearer, "Hello, Doctor, Hatter?" he suddenly exclaimed, overjoyed, "Oh, my goodness!"
The Time Lords winced and pulled back from there phone, "Yes, we are," the Doctor said back into the phone as the Hatter shook her head, amused, "Hello, Malcolm".
"It's nice to meet you," the Hatter added brightly.
"The Doctor and the Hatter! Cor blimey! I can't believe I'm actually speaking to you two. I mean, I've read all the files…"
"Really?" the Doctor asked, smiling, "What was your favourite, the giant robot?"
"As much as I would love to add an extra layer to the Doctor's already oversized ego," the Hatter cut in, giving him a pointed look, "But I do believe that we have a wormhole to sort out".
He glanced at her, coughing, "Ah, yeah, right," he nodded, taking her hand and standing, "Excuse us," and they walked to the front of the bus, away from the other's as he lowered the volume on the speaker phone so that the other's couldn't hear them, "Malcolm, something's not making sense," he began, frowning, "We've got a storm and a wormhole, and we can't help thinking there's a connection. We need a complete full analysis of that wormhole. The whole thing".
"Well, I've probably got the wrong idea, but I've wired up an integrator," Malcolm told them, "I thought I could measure the energy signature".
"No," the Doctor shook his head, "No, no, no, no, no, no. That'll never work. Listen…"
"It's quite extraordinary, though," he cut across him, "I'm measuring an oscillation of fifteen Malcolm's per second".
"Fifteen what?" both Time Lords blinked at each other.
"Fifteen Malcolm's. It's my own little term. A wavelength parcel of ten kilohertz operating in four dimensions equals one Malcolm".
The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each, the Time Lady appearing to be caught between amusement and surprise, "Did you just…you named a unit of measurement after yourself?" she asked slowly.
"Well, it didn't do Mister Watt any harm," Malcolm replied, "Furthermore, one hundred Malcolm's equals a Bernard".
"And who's that, your Dad?" the Doctor asked, seeming to be shocked that he was even having this conversation with someone.
"Don't be ridiculous. That's Quatermass".
"Right," he nodded slowly, "Fine. But before we die of old age, which, in our case, would be quite an achievement, so congratulations on that…"
"Speak for yourself," the Hatter shook her head at him, a smile spreading across her face, "I happen to be finding this conversation very…ah, amusing".
"Of course you are," he shot her a fond smile before turning back to the phone, saying over it, "Is there anyone else we…I can talk to?"
"No, no, no, no, but listen!" Malcolm quickly answered, "I set the scanner to register what it can't detect and inverted the image".
Both Time Lord's eyes widened, "You did what?"
"Is that wrong" he asked, sounding slightly worried.
"Oh, no, not at all," the Hatter shook her head, smiling broadly, sounding delighted, "That's brilliant, Malcolm, truly brilliant! This means that you can actually measure the wormhole. Oh, you…and I don't often get to say this, are a genius!"
"I second that," the Doctor added, also looking quite impressed.
"The Doctor and the Hatter called me a genius," Malcolm breathed in awe.
"I know," Erisa's voice came over, her tone brisk, "I heard".
"Now, run a capacity scan," the Doctor told them, "We need a full report. Call us back when you've done it…" he moved to stand but paused, "And Malcolm? You're my new best human friend".
"And mine!" the Hatter added quickly.
"And you're mine, too, sir, ma'am!" he shouted as they ended the call.
The Time Lady paused, glancing at the Doctor, "Ah…let's not tell Sarah Jane and Martha about this…"
He looked at her and winced, rubbing his cheek as if he had already been slapped, "Good idea," he stepped out into view of the rest of the bus, calling to Barclay as they headed towards the door, "Barclay, we're holding on to this!"
"Hey, you'd better bring it back!" they heard Barclay shout after them as they dashed out the door, quickly followed by Christina.
…
The Time Lords and Christina walked back through the desert once more until they reached the same dune top that they had first spotted the hazy storm from. The Doctor held up the phone towards the clouds, snapping a picture, "Send this back to Earth," he explained to Christina, "See if Malcolm can analyse the storm".
Christina frowned, narrowing her eyes against the suns glare as she looked out towards it, "There's something in those clouds," she remarked, "Something shining. Look".
"It's like…metal," the Hatter nodded thoughtfully, eyeing the tiny little specks of some sort of shining substance only just visible through all the swirling sand, "That's…very strange".
"Why would there be metal in a storm?" she asked them before her snapped over to the side, frowning again, "Did you hear something?"
"Hold on," the Doctor hushed her, his attention focused on the phone as he tried sending the picture back to Earth, "Busy".
"There was a noise, like a sort of…" she trailed off suddenly, taking a step closer to them, "Doctor, Hatter…" she said again, but this time her tone of voice changed.
They both frowned and looked at her, following her line of sight to see a figure standing a short distance away from them, humanoid shaped but with the head of an insect, similar to that of a fly, holding what appeared to be a gun.
"Oh," the Hatter blinked, slightly taken aback by the alien's sudden appearance, "Hello, there…"
I'm so sorry for how long this has taken, and also for not replying to anyone's reviews. I got sick, had a lot of homework to catch up on, and have been taking care of five, four week old kittens, so it's been quite busy, but a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. Tell me what you thought, please review :)
Guest reviews:
Guest: Yep, that Hatter will be very cross with the Doctor for what's to come on Mar's, but I also think that she will see it as a learning tool for him. It always hurts the Hatter when he regenerates, but she also has a different view on regeneration. To her, it's not death, but just adding another chapter to someone's life, so even though she will be sad to have to say goodbye to this him, she will also know that it's not really goodbye, because the Doctor, no matter what he may look or be like, will always be the same person she first meet at school. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story, and thank you for the review :)
Guest: Oh, there's lots more chapter's to come. We still have the Eleventh Doctor and Twelve to get through yet. Thanks for the review :)
