As soon as he'd pressed the button, Clyde knew he'd outdone himself on stupidity. He had no way of knowing where he was going, no way of knowing whether the ship was still there and no way of helping Rani. By the time these worrying thought had passed through his head though, he landed with a shaky thump on a matte grey floor. Winded slightly, Clyde stood up.
He was in what looked like a landing deck. Most of the ship was painted army green, except for the floor, which was cool to touch.
With a startling hiss, the illuminated doorway in front of him began to open. He dashed to the side of the space and ducked behind a ramp.
Thud. Thud.
The clumsy footsteps were unmistakeable.
"I know you're in here!"
A wet slurping sound accompanied by what sounded like laughter.
"I saw you arrive, it's no use pretending you're not here!"
Clyde closed his eyes, hardly breathing.
"I can smell you, human! You smell of fear… and passion..."
The squelching of her footsteps slowed. She got nearer and nearer with every step. Clyde opened his eyes and hovered his hand over the pearly button on Mr White – maybe a return trip would be the best thing to do.
He slammed his fist onto Mr White. Nothing. Again? He hadn't moved an inch.
Laughter from slitheen Drahkma behind him.
"My ship disabled that device as soon as it came within reach. You're not getting back now, human."
Clyde gritted his teeth and stood up. He turned to face the slitheen, whose black eyes seemed to engulf him whole.
"Where's my friend Rani?" he said with all the force he could muster. "I'm here for her!"
The slitheen cackled.
"Humans. So primitive!"
And with that, she knocked him out cold.
*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*
"Clyde!"
Sarah Jane's cry rang in the air as he vanished. She ran forward to grab him but he was already gone. So unlike Clyde, rushing in to save Rani without thinking. Irrational.
"Mr Smith! Is there any other way of getting us to the ship now that Rani and Clyde are up there?"
"No, Sarah Jane. Not unless the Doctor shows up."
Sarah Jane listened for the hovering wheexing the TARDIS made, hoping with every mite of her being. Nothing. She sighed.
"What are we going to do now?" Luke asked her.
Sarah Jane sat down on the couch.
"We are going to monitor the slitheen ship and make sure the Shadow Proclamation arrive on time. There's nothing else we can do."
"What about Maria?"
Sarah Jane bit the inside of her cheek, lifting her fingers up to her temple.
"Get her to come back here," she said calculatingly. "Quickly. Chrissie can stay the night if need be. We need her here – not just because she'll be another pair of hands, but she's much safer."
Luke nodded and dialled Maria again to inform her of the latest instalment.
*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*
Clyde became vaguely aware of consciousness. He realised he was being dragged by the collar up one of the ship's narrow hallways. His eyelids seemed to weigh four times as much as they normally did. His vision was obstructed by his eyelashes. Clyde blinked. Stay awake. He blinked again. Don't blink! Get used to the lights. The bulbs that flickered past on the ceiling reminded him of the fairy lights Rani's bedstead was adorned with…Rani.
Clyde was suddenly very awake.
"Get off me now!" he commanded. His demand was met with laughter. He was really starting to hate this slitheen.
"What are you doing with me?" he yelled.
"Putting you away for safekeeping," Drahkma said forcedly.
"Why?"
She stopped moving and turned to face him.
"You took away from me the two most important things in the universe. My son and my husband. I will avenge them."
Clyde stopped struggling. Drahkma's eyes clouded over. He tried sliding out of the grasp of her very unclean talons, but she tightened her grip.
"I loved Jeffrey like nothing else. He was a part of me. And he is dead!"
Clyde shivered.
"You will pay for his demise. I will make sure of that. You and that meddling Sarah Jane Smith!"
With that, Drahkma scraped her hand along the wall. A door Clyde hadn't seen slid open. It gave way to twelve alcoves in a semi-circle. Drahkma shoved Clyde into the fourth.
"You're not getting out!" she said, pushing him into the makeshift cell. Clyde heard a deep buzz sound as he was flung past a green forcefield. He realised it acted as the bars to his prison.
Drahkma waddled off, laughing.
"Let me out now!" he shouted, but Drahkma was gone. He touched the glassy green film keeping him from freedom and a zap went through his hand. He pulled back in pain as ripples darted along the forcefield from where his hand had brushed against it.
"Clyde?"
He turned to the corner of the room.
"Oh my God, Rani!"
He ran to hug her. He felt much safer with her by his side.
"Um, Clyde? Less hugging more kicking alien arse, yeah?"
"Yeah…right," he said, letting go of her mechanically. "It is so good to see you," he murmured.
"You too."
The pair sat down in the corner of their cell.
"So what happened? Why're you here?" she asked him.
"Impromptu rescue mission," he said nonchalantly. "One of my best friends got kidnapped by a psychotic alien, so I rushed in to save her without thinking."
Rani smiled. Then the smile fell from her face.
"Sarah Jane and Luke and Maria know you're here, right?"
"Yeah."
She nodded, then looked at him again.
"Can they get to us?"
"…No?"
"Clyde Langer!"
Rani hit him. Harder than normal.
"Ow!"
"Brilliant. I get kidnapped, you barge in to save me without a plan and no one can reach us!"
She sighed. Her hair was unkempt and she had large bags under her eyes, but she seemed unhurt.
"Wait, so how did you get here then?" she asked him.
"Mr Smith restored Mr White. I used him to teleport here but I think Drahkma's blocked all the signals now or something."
"Did you bring anything with you? Food? A contact device? A weapon?"
"Apart from my natural looks and charms, no. We're unarmed."
"You know Clyde, this plan of yours just gets better and better."
"Hey, I came for you," he said defensively. "That's the main thing.
Rani shook her head, smiling at him fondly.
"So, where are we now?" she asked.
"Space."
"Well done, Sherlock."
"Specifically over Wales."
The two were silent for a bit.
"Shit, Clyde, we are so screwed."
"I know."
Rani lolled her head back against the wall sleepily. Clyde looked around the cell. It was a lifeless blue-grey, animated by the green watery movement of the forcefield wall. The walls were padded with flat cushions. Along the back wall of the alcove was a small ledge. Rani was tapping her fingers on it absently. Clyde reached over and put his hand on hers to stop her. She looked at him.
"Sorry."
"That rhythm creeps me out," he said. "I don't like it. It feels wrong…bad."
She tapped it out again. Tap-tap-tap-tap. A triplet and a crotchet.
"It feels like it shouldn't be. I feel like I've heard it before and something bad happened. I never liked triplets," he said.
She looked at him and frowned quizzically.
"Well, someone listened in year eight music then."
"I thought playing a musical instrument would get girls. Sadly, that theory falls to pieces if you have no musical talent whatsoever."
Rani laughed quietly, but stopped tapping the rhythm.
*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*
"What's the slitheen going to do to us?" Rani asked him after a while.
Clyde looked at her.
"Well, I don't think she's going to throw us a surprise party."
Rani nodded grimly and then put her face in her hands.
"Oh God," she moaned into her hands. "We're gonna die and it'll be rubbish and I'm not even wearing nice clothes."
Clyde realised she was crying but trying to hide it. He hovered his hand over her back awkwardly – how was he meant to comfort her? She looked up and laughed through her tears.
"The general response is to give the person a hug," she said as her smile crinkled her eyes. The water caught on her eyelashes broke free and tumbled down her face.
Clyde acted on her words immediately.
"Hey, shh," he said, pulling Rani over to him as he wrapped his arms around her. He felt her smile. "We've got the best team ever on our side!"
Rani nodded into his chest.
"How are they going to save us this time?" she sniffed.
"Rani, calm down. We've got Sarah Jane. And Luke, and Maria, and K9 and Mr Smith," he said. "And if they can't do anything, we've got Torchwood and UNIT and the Doctor."
Rani sat up and smiled at him, wiping her eyes.
"Oh, sorry," she said. "I'm a bit tired."
"Rocket-jetlag?" Clyde suggested.
Rani smiled, her eyelids heavy.
"I'm going to go to sleep now. I'll just wait to be rescued like a damsel in distress if that's what this has come to."
"Does this make me Prince Charming?"
"No," she said slowly, shaking her head.
Clyde pouted and she laughed sleepily.
"Night," she said, lying down.
Clyde stood up to give her more space.
"No don't move," she yawned. "Stay." She pointed lazily next to her.
Clyde sat back down and brushed Rani's fringe out of her eyes.
"Night, Rani," he said.
Rani was too tired to hear his voice any more, but in her state of semi-awakeness, she could have sworn she felt Clyde's warm hand slip into her own.
*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*
This chapter was the one that prompted me to write the whole thing. I got this first and wrote from here. I hope it's ok…
I watched the Master episodes of New*Who the other day and felt like there had to be a Drums reference (tap-tap-tap-tap). I hope you got it… otherwise that's kinda awkward.
I also watched my first Classic*Who episodes – the first section with the Fourth Doctor and – you guessed it! – Sarah Jane Smith! It makes me happy to know she hasn't changed in forty years. And boy, was she pretty. God, Elisabeth Sladen and her many outfits – ugh. I wish I had them.
Anyway – holidays now! So I'll write more/less, dependent on whichever way I interpret it.
Review? Please? I'll know what to put more of in and what to put less of in and it'll improve my writing/ego!
