Chapter 11 Fangirls ruin everything

Clara couldn't help the nervousness that filled her stomach with fluttering butterflies. Her skin itched with the paint and make up he insisted she'd wear. He'd taken her to an hair stylist that morning to completely redo her hair with magenta and indigo highlights.

"No one in this town leaves it like that. Especially not fanovel authors."

So she had it all done up into a tight bun with bits of colored hair defying gravity and hanging around her hair. Jack got her bright green contacts that seemed to glow in the shadows. He said it would help to hide her 21st self from Nightmare. It was agreed that Clara took up a fake name and identity just in case the Doctor dreamed about her. When they discussed it Clara pointed out the problem if the Doctor dreamed about Jack.

"While that would be amazing, it would mean we're screwed. How old did you say he was?"

"Twelve-hundred and something."

"He was nine-hundred and something last I saw him. There is a chance that he won't dream about me. Hopefully. Besides I'm already well known in these parts, just about anyone would be able to see through my 'fake ID' if I had one."

After the make over he took her shopping as well. She didn't know what she was wearing, nor what it all meant, she just went with it and hoped that whatever Jack was doing that it would work.

When they entered the glass and metal building, Clara was amazed. It had the grandeur of a cathedral, but instead of being a church it was a library. The FNMC's head quarters for this side of Ragelssi. They had to go through security to get in and when they didn't have the right Ids they were almost thrown out. When Jack showed them the translucent card Clara picked up from the Delchimsa they called the president of FNMC.

To Clara's complete surprise Jo/Dave entered into the room. Dave looked like he was asleep while Jo's jaw dropped. She touched Dave's face until he woke up and he woke with a jump.

"Why are you here?!" Dave asked, horrified.

"To come to our work place!" Jo looked over at one of the security officers. He was a large alien that resembled The Thing from Fantastic Four. Only he had six eyes rainbow eyes that scrutinized Jack.

"Jo, calm down," Jack told her.

"How can I calm down?! You promised a week!"

Clara smiled, this is where she came in. She unhooked herself from Jack's arm and stepped forward, "You're Josavinidsianeophatii, aren't you?"

Jo looked away from Jack to Clara. "Yes, yes I am, who are you?"

"I'm Ozia Ezinezkoa, Jack has told me so much about you and your group. I am really excited to be here."

"What?"

"I've only seen a couple of episodes, but I swear I am going to binge watch it tonight. I have a problem with researching shows once I've gotten into them. I absolutely have to know everything. All the possibilities. I had no idea there was such a huge fandom for Nightmare though."

Jo turned back to Jack, "Jack, who is this woman?"

"Jo, Dave, meet Ozia, my wife." Jack stepped forward and hooked his arm around her's.

It took Jo a minute to realize what he was saying and then a smile crept forward onto her mouth."Jack you sly dog!" she exclaimed, "all that rough talk of pirates and really you just wanted in on the action! and this pretty thing...married, pah! I don't believe it! Do you believe it?" Jo asked Dave.

"Hardly," Dave stared at Jack, "Hart will kill her."

"He won't, I've got everything under control."

"It is that sort of thing that is going to get her killed," Dave warned.

"Hart, who is Hart? What is he talking about?" Clara asked as she hung off Jack's arm like a love smitten teenager.

"Don't worry Ozia," Jack soothed.

Clara rolled her eyes and said,"Don't Ozia me, who is this Hart person?"

Jack sighed and glared a look at Jo and Dave.

"Oh um, he is no one compared to a beautiful young aspiring author like you." Jo/Dave scrambled over and took Clara's arm and waved off Dave's boyfriend. "What Genre did you say you liked?"

"Horror, hurt and comfort. I'm completely new to Nightmare and all my works have been outside of fanovels."

"You, my friend are from a popular genre. I'd love to read some of your originals, but I'm afraid I don't have the time. I can help with fanovels and plots though, it is what I live for. I have had a few of my own plots appear on Nightmare. So we'll get you there. From what fandom are you visiting us?"

"Ancient Earth Entertainment," Jack answered for her, "20th, 21st century. She studies and teaches ancient Earth Literature and culture."

"So if we had some time traveling plots to Earth 20th century, you could figure out all the technical stuff."

"I guess."

"Well that's not very promising, okay for an example, say if my favorite character Ravana tried to escape from her over protective and dare I say evil boyfriend and used a vortex manipulator and ended up in 2013 Earth what would happen?"

"Well it depends on where she would appear. Does she know any Earth languages?"

"She's got a translator built in to the cyborg tech."

"Oh that's important, is the cyborg tech visible?"

"No, why does that matter?"

"21st century Earth did not have any cyborgs, at least not the kind we have today. She'd be spotted and assumed to be an actress or as alien and a threat. Depending on where she landed different forces, such as the military, could be called in. The FBI, UNIT, etc. But if she could blend in with the humans she might be able to survive a little longer without being taken out by the military."

"You're hired."

"What?"

"You are a resource bank, you have information that is over two thousand years old. What sort of clothes would she need to wear to blend in?"

"Normal clo-," Clara stopped herself seeing Jack's expression, "I mean jeans and t-shirt would be okay. Again depends on her location and what time of year it is. If it's January and she's landed in London she's going to get cold...well, I don't know, does she get cold? But everyone else will be wearing long sleeves and jumpers."

"Might I suggest that your stories include time travel to 20th slash 21st century Earth? It is exactly this kind of information that is going to get you far in Nightmare. Let me direct you to our database." Jo/Dave began leading her away from Jack and she glanced up at him.

"I'll see you in a bit, darling," Jack smiled, Clara rolled her eyes.

"Our database has everything that is canon up to date along with contestant bios and their stories so far. As an author our job is to write potential future plot developments. We are a little bit different in our style of fanovels because we don't ever go back into the past. Well almost never, we have special cases of Dreamception."

Clara giggled at the term until she realized Jo was completely serious, "A contestant dreaming within the dream, err Nightmare."

"Precisely. They're trickier to manage, but it is possible. And we only get one or two Dreamceptions a contestant. Super rare, I encourage you to not write Dreamceptions. Also Fixits basically don't exist, you can't rewrite a scene that has already happened. You can write an in between scene, but those are pretty rare. The best thing you can do is write future plots. Get it?"

"Yes."

"Alright, well we'll leave you to it. In a couple of hours though we get a preview of Nightmare's newest contestant. We are super psyched."

Clara gulped, knowing it was probably the Doctor, but she forced a smile, "Yeah of course, totally can't wait."

"We'll see you then." Jo/Dave let her be and Clara started her task of becoming acquainted with the Database and began plotting plots that made her stomach turn. She lost track of time as she scrolled through, learning about Ravana's 'past' and she wondered how much of it was true, or just in the Nightmare.

"Ozia."

Clara looked up to see Jack, he had a grave expression on his face. He nodded to the doors, "It is time for the viewing."

"It's the Doctor, isn't it?"

"It might not be."

"But it probably is," Clara sighed and saved her work to the account tagged ImpossibleOZIA. She and Jack entered the theater styled room and took a seat in the back. Clara gulped as the lights dimmed and the screen popped on. Dramatic music played and text appeared on the screen.

'WELCOME to the NIGHTMARE.' The text disappeared behind a montage of contestants screaming, running, crying, jumping with explosions and monsters. Suddenly it all stopped and turned black. The black faded to a red blur and slowly came into focus. Clara gulped at the sudden panoramic view of Arcadia.

"That's Gallifrey," Clara whispered.

"What?" Jack whispered back. Someone shushed them as a blast of energy smashed into a snow capped mountain. The camera pulled forward and turned to reveal the Eleventh Doctor. A girl suddenly screamed 'Help!' her blood clung to her red robes.

Clara gripped Jack's arm as the clip played out. The ending scene had the Doctor waving a hand in front of his face. All the while the Delchimsa spoke to him, saying, "It's not a hologram."

The Doctor replied with, "Thought not." The scene flashed back to the Doctor running through a field of red grass with the Tardis in the background with white text littering the view. 'The Doctor's Nightmare...Seven Days' and then the clip ended. Clara struggled to breathe properly as the images from the Doctor's past replayed in her mind and the very thought of him forced to relive it now was abhorrent and evil.

Jack logged themselves out and bade a hasty, "later" to Jo/Dave. He helped to get Clara out of there and back into their flat. As soon as they were alone Clara fell into a fit of anger, hatred and worry.

"How dare they make him..."

"I know."

"They're going to tear him apart."

"It is what they do."

"We have to help him. You can trace back the signal, save him, please save him!"

"I could, but you know what would happen, if we just unhooked him like that, the damage could kill him."

"So we have to sit here and make up stories that will traumatize, not only his mind but all the others suffering!"

"It is the only way to get close to him without severely damaging his brain."

"And what about his mind?"

"We have to hope that he'll hold out."

"Seven days before the full force of his nightmares are revealed!"

"You need to complete at least ten plots by then. And when the Doctor is exposed we have to write for him. Then we have about twenty days to get accepted for the live viewing."

"And it is up to me to write horror stories about him suffering?"

"Yes..."

Clara gritted her teeth, growled in frustration and then forced a calm over herself, "Promise me."

"Promise what?"

"After we save the Doctor and the Tardis is fixed you'll help us dismantle Nightmare."

"I..."

"Swear it!"

"Fine, I swear to help destroy Nightmare."