The Doctor picked up the phone as it rang and headed back inside the TARDIS with Star behind him finishing off a banana flavoured cupcake. They had just gone to see River Song; a version who was still at Luna University who knew they knew who she was. It was the Doctors birthday so they celebrated as a family. The Doctor insisted he didn't want a fuss but after how many birthdays Star had missed because of Trenzalore she refused to say no so they just spend the day with River just talking really. It wasn't much but the Doctor appreciated it.

"Clara?" the Doctor called, "Clara!"

"Hey!" Clara replied, cheerily.

"Sorry we were busy, what's happening?"

"Same old, same old."

"What can we do for you Clara?"

"I just wanted to see my favourite cousin and uncle."

"We'll be right over," Star called distractively, she knew what today meant, understood what the woman wanted. She knew since Clara first met Danny what was going to happen to day. Fix point in time, even if she tried she couldn't change what happened to him.

The Doctor put the phone down and looked over at Star, he also noticed something wrong with Clara.

"Danny Pink is dead." Star stated, bringing up the page on the scanner, "he was hit by a car."

"Oh." the Doctor frowned, "how long have you known?" the way she spoke, it sounded like she had known before reading the article.

"I warned her. I said I didn't like him for a reason. She will to turn on us," She determined.

"What makes you say that?"

"She's upset and likely angry. I'd do the same."

"You should have said."

She scoffed, "would you have told her that the boy she loved would get hit by a car?"

Clara's parents met because her father almost got hit by a car but her mother shoved him out the way and for a car to be the reason she no longer had the man she loved…Clara would be very angry and extremely upset.

~.~

"Send her off!" Clara shouted as she ran straight into the TARDIS as they materialised in her flat. She gasped suddenly as she was pulled into a tight hug from Star, "what's this for?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What did you do? Did you use your get out a jail free card?"

"I mean about Danny."

And then the tears fell as she was unable to hold it back anymore as she sobbed into the girls shoulder, "he's really dead..."

"In sorry, I should have warned you!"

Clara sniffed and pulled away at that, glancing at a solemn Doctor by the console, confused, "how could you have warned me?"

Stars regretfully face gave it away. She had known and known for a while. Her confusion morphed into anger, no, hatred. How dare she! How dare she know when her boyfriend was going to die and keep quiet about it. She hadn't said anything, but merely hated Danny. If she thought that that would show that she knew how and when he died, she was way out of her league.

Star backed away from the pure hatred on Clara's face, and she knew she had just ruined their friendship, "I'm, sorry, I'm so, so sorry, Clara...but we're going to try and bring him back," she added hopefully, "yeah? Try and bring him back, for you."

"Almost every culture in the universe has some concept of an afterlife." The Doctor added, before Clara could say anything else and what would likely end in an argument, "I always meant to have a look around, see if I could find one."

"You…going to help get him back?" Clara whispered. Shocked, they both hated him. It seemed Star hated him because of him dying but the Doctor, his face, she could tell it was news to him. He was willing to find Danny in the afterlife, for her.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Because…because…I was going to betray you," she swallowed thickly, "I was going to betray you and force you to bring him back. Even though it would cause a paradox."

"Do you think we care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference? Stop it with the eyes." the Doctor looked at Clara as the woman looked back, tears in her wide eyes, "Don't do that with the eyes. How do you do that anyway? It's like they inflate. Cut out the whining while you're at it. We've got work to do. This is it, Clara, one of those moments."

"What moments?" she asked.

"The darkest day. The blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back. Let's see what we're made of, the three of us. Switching off the safeguards, turning off the nav-com. Remember, we did this before. We plugged you into the TARDIS telepathic interface."

"We ended up all over Danny's time stream."

"Because, as much as I hate to say it," Star began, "you and him are linked. Strongly linked. Your time streams are intertwined. So if he's anywhere at all, that link will hold."

"Give me your hands." The Doctor took her hands, leading her to the telepathic section of the console. "We're in a hurry."

"I don't deserve family like you." she whispered.

"Clara," Star placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, "sorry, but we're exactly what you deserve."
The Doctor placed her hand on the circuit, "Think about Danny. Think about the man you lost. Let it hurt. Let it burn. But don't bleat. Don't ask, why him? Why me? Forget all that. Ask one question. Just one. Ask, where is Danny Pink now? Where is he now?" after a few moments the TARDIS started up, "Well, the TARDIS thinks he's somewhere."

"Where are we?" Clara asked as they materialised somewhere.
"Nav-com's offline. We'll have to do this old school."
"But this is where Danny is?"
"Almost certainly not. It's where there's a connection with Danny. According to the TARDIS, this is where it's most likely that your timeline will re-intersect with his. And that won't do."
"What won't?"
"You won't. Look at you. I need sceptical, clever, critical. I don't need mopey. It puts years on your face. And what if people see us together? It looks like you've been melted."
"Are you forgetting why we're here?"
"We're here to get your stupid boyfriend back from the dead," Star remarked, "so buck up and give us that Clara attitude I adore so much." She winked.

The TARDIS parked between two columns at the bottom of a set of steps.

They shone torches around as they stepped out into the dark room, on a wall the words 'Rest In Peace, We Promise' was carved into a granite statue. They look up at rows of glass fronted cubicles.
"Fish tanks?" Clara frowned.
"In a mausoleum?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows.

They walked up the steps, standing in front of a large vase on a dais, which has an eternal flame burning, the words 'Rest In Peace, We Promise' written on it aswell.
"What does that mean?" Clara wondered.
"It means those are definitely not fish tanks."
They turned to go up the rest of the steps, walking down the corridor, along the rows of tanks all with skeletons inside.

"Why?" Clara asked with just the one word.
"I don't know." The Doctor replied.
"Okay, I'm assuming they didn't actually drown in there."
"They were placed after death." Star assured her, "They're tombs. Water tombs, with some sort of fluid," she tilted her head, "…I think."
"With chairs?"
"With chairs. Comfy chairs! Extra comfort for the deceased. It pays to die rich, we had a friend, Dorium, he got beheaded, still alive as a head, he says he had excellent wifi."
"Oh, God." Clara gasped as the horrible thought hit her, "Am I going to find Danny now? Is that why the TARDIS brought us here? I don't want to see him like that."
"Good point." The Doctor nodded, "Tombs with windows. Who wants to watch their loved ones rot? Why would anyone go to so much trouble just to keep watch on the dead?"

They walked on down the corridors. The Doctor open a small book on a stand, a cube rose out of the blank page, opening in the space before them, displaying a logo, one large ring with a small one joint to it, 3W written inside.
"3W." a voice spoke as the words strolled down in front of them, "Death is not an end. But we can we help with that. Ever since 3W encountered the truth about the death experience, 'we have been working hard to find a better life for the deceased. At 3W, afterlife means aftercare."
"Ok." Clara frowned, "Bit strange?"
"Very." The Doctor agreed, "Why have the scrolling and a voice?"

"Is it difficult to read backwards?" Star called seeing a woman peeking out in the shadows. "No point in hiding. I can clearly see you watching us."

A woman with dark hair stepped out, wearing a purple Edwardian outfit and fruit hat, her make up made her look like an evil Mary Poppins. "Hello. I hope you're well. How may I assist you with your death?"
"Well, there is, er, no immediate hurry." The Doctor stepped away from the woman, "We're just, er. We're just…"
"Browsing." Clara offered.
"Yeah, yeah, browsing."
"Please," the woman smiled, "take all the time you need. At 3W, you always have the rest of your life."
"Oh, good. That's good to know, Clara, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Great."
"What is 3W?" Star asked, frowning at the woman.

"Apologies. Clearly you have not received the official 3W greetings package." The woman grinned.
"Well, you know, it's just an unexpected…" the Doctor began but was cut of by the woman hugging him tightly.

The Doctor fidgeted uncomfortably, he only hugged Star and that was only because she did the best hugs in the universe and knew when she had gone too far with them. This woman was making him uncomfortable.

Know he knew how Star felt during her 4th regeneration when she didn't like physical contact. He had not helped her in the best way.

Thankfully the woman didn't keep him there for long before she pulled away and turned to Star, the woman tilted her head at her as though trying to figure out fi Star would attack her before hugging her as well.

Star tensed feeling the duel hearts beat the woman had. Everything made sense now. Whoever this woman was, she was a Time Lady, this is why she felt they were being watched, because they were, she had been watching them. Why else would she be so calm to see them there?

She shuffled her way out of the woman's grip, glaring at her, daring her to touch Clara.

The woman merely smiled, "Welcome to the 3W Institute."
"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded.
"I am Missy." She answered.
"Missy?" Clara repeated.
"Mobile Intelligent Systems Interface. I am a multi-function, interactive welcome-droid. Helping you to help me to help you."
"You're very, er, realistic." The Doctor offered.

"I am fully programmed with social interaction norms appropriate to a range of visitors." Missy stated, "Please indicate if you'd like me to adjust my intimacy setting."

"Can you not have it on?" Star shifted in discomfort under the woman's gaze. She nodded.
"I need to speak to whoever's in charge here." The Doctor continued.
"I am in charge." Missy told them.
"Well, who's in charge of you?"
"I'm in charge of me."
"Well, who repairs you? Who maintains you?"
"I am programmed for self-repair. I am maintained by my heart." She took the Doctors hand, placing it on the centre her chest, "Is everything in order?"
"Who maintains your heart?" Star tilted her head, curious.
"My heart is maintained by the Doctor."
"Doctor who?" the Doctor asked.
"Doctor Chang!" she shouted, moving away from the Doctor.

'You felt it too?' Star guessed, seeing him furrowing his brows.

'She has 2 hearts.'

'I'll keep my mind open; find out if she's a friend or foe.'

'That's my girl.'

She beamed at him.

"Who's there?" a man with glasses walked over, "Hello?"
"Hello." Clara greeted as the Doctor nodded at the man, Star waving.
"So. Hey. Condolences."
"Condolences?" Clara frowned.
"It's a mausoleum. It's our hello. Is there a particular dead person you want to talk to?"
"Yes. Yes, there is."
"This way then."
"Are you okay?" Star asked Clara.

"No" she held her hand out, the girl taking it.
"Good." The Doctor nodded, "There would be something very wrong if you were."

They followed doctor Chang as he led them off, Star looked back at Missy who merely grinned her sinister grin.

~.~

"Come in, come in." Chang led them into his office, a large room, in the middle a large tank the same as the others, with a skeleton inside as well. "Going to need to take a reading off you."
"A reading?" Clara asked, as the Doctor looked around the tank, Star tilting her head at it.
"Won't hurt." He reassured her, flicking a switch starting the reading.
"What won't?"

"How does the body keep its integrity?" the Doctor called, "Why isn't it just a bunch of bones floating about?"
"Each body is encased in a support exoskeleton." Chang explained.

"An invisible exoskeleton?" Clara asked, skeptical.
"It's only invisible in the water. There's a specially engineered refraction index in the fluid so we can see the tank resident unimpeded by the support mechanisms.

"So each skeleton is inside something?" Star followed, "like clothing…or metal?"

"Are you serious?" Clara gaped, "X-ray water?"
"It's so cool. Look at this. We call it dark water." Chang put his arm in the small jar of 'dark water' on his desk, his watch and sleeve vanishing. "Only organic matter can be seen through it." he removed his arm from the jar, his watch and sleeve appearing again. "I keep saying they should use this stuff in swimming pools."
"Why?" the Doctor blinked, completely oblivious.
"Think about it."
"I am thinking about it. Why?" Star leaned and whispered in his ear the reason, "oh. Ew. No! Bad! You shouldn't even think about that in your mind!"
Clara shook her head at them, count on Star to know the reason and count on the Doctor to not and then get freak out by the reason, "3W, what kind of name is that? What does it mean?"
"Well, you know, don't you?" Chang countered, "You're here on business or they wouldn't have let you in. Sorry. Should have checked. Who are you?"
"I thought that you would never ask. Sort out your security protocols, they're a disgrace." The Doctor pulled out the psychic paper.
"Another government inspection? So soon? Why is there all this swearing?"
"Oh, I've got a lot of internalised anger. What does 3W stand for?"
"Well, the 3 words."
"Tell us the 3 words."
"Seriously? You don't know?" Chang looked between the trio.
"Never mind what we know and what we don't know, just answer the question, please." Star rolled her eyes.
"Because people who don't know, when they hear about this, they can freak out."
"We're not going to freak out."
"If you've had a recent loss, this might be, this will be disturbing." Change glanced at Clara.
"She'll be fine." The Doctor answered for Clara.
"Speak for me again; I'll detach something from you." Clara threatened.

"I might even let you borrow my dagger for that." Star told her. "MIGHT. Not definite."

Clara nodded, taking a breath, "I'll be fine."
"You know how people are scared of dying?" Chang asked, "Like, everybody."
"Of course." The Doctor nodded, as he and Clara sat down at the desk, Star wondering around the room, listening "It's the most fundamental fear in the universe."
"They'd be a lot more scared if they knew what it was really like." He actived the transparent computer on his desk. "White noise off the telly. We've all heard it. A few years ago, Doctor Skarosa,"

"Skarosa? Skaro-sa?" Star repeated. Skarosa sounded an awful lot like Skaro, the Daleks home planet and this could easily be a trap by the Daleks, doctor Chang could be a Dalek Puppet. And Skaro was still in the universe, this universe, currently uninhabitable but still…

"Yes, our founder, he did something unexpected. He played that noise through a translation matrix of his own devising. This is a recording of what he heard."

A wave of multiple voices sounded.
"Okay, people, voices." Clara murmured.
"So what?" Star gestured him on.
"Over time, Doctor Skarosa became convinced these were the voices of the recently departed." Change continued," He believed it was a telepathic communication from the dead."
"Why? Was he an idiot?" the Doctor inquired.

"I doubt he was as idiotic as you," Star glanced at him.

"Oi!" he turned to look at her, she merely grinned. They both knew he was an idiot, a genius idiot.
Chang eyed them before speaking again once the Doctor turned back to him, "He was able to isolate some of the voices, hear what they were saying."
"So, an idiot then."
"Shut up, Doctor." Clara glared at him.
"What I'm about to play you will change your life and not for the better." Chang warned, "These are the three words which caused Doctor Skarosa to set up institutes, like this one, all over the world, to protect the dead. If you'd rather not hear these words, there's still time…"
"Just hurry up before I stab you." Star rolled her eyes, "or worse throw a shoe at you."
"Don't cremate me." A voice cried, repeating itself, "Don't cremate me!"
"There is one simple, horrible possibility that has never occurred to anyone throughout human history." Change said over the recording.
"Don't say it." Clara shook her head.
He said it anyway, "The dead remain conscious. The dead are fully aware of everything that is happening to them."

"Fakery." The Doctor deadpanned, "All of it. It's a con, it's a racket!"
"I promise you this is not a con."
"What's that beeping?" Clara asked, hearing a faint beeping noise.

"Never mind about beeping." The Doctor scoffed, "Who cares about beeping? The dead are dead. 'They're not talking to you out of your television sets. They're just gone. And all these poor souls down there in these tanks, I'm sorry, but they're just dead and they're not coming back."

"Do you mind if I look around the place?" Star turned to the man.

"Erm, no. Course not." He blinked at the sudden question.

"Good, cause im going anyway." She headed to the doors.

'Be careful.' The Doctor warned as she left.

'Never.' She laughed.

~.~

Star kept in the shadows walking down the corridor, not wanting to be seen even if doctor Chang had said it was ok for her to look around. she was sly like a fox, oh Todd the fox, she loved the Fox and the Hound, if she was Todd then Clara was Copper. She shook her head even though Clara was like a puppy she was more like Lady.

She stopped, her thoughts gone, seeing the Missy woman placing a hand on the tank, a skeleton reaching for her. She kept in the shadows watching, the woman clapping her hands and all the skeletons stood up.

She made to turn, but stopped as Missy spoke, snapping her fingers, "human kind, bring out your dead."

Star watched as the skeletons pressed a button inside each tank, the water bubbling as it drained from the tanks. She had a bad feeling about this; metal disappeared in the water, leaving only the exo-skeleton. The logo looked like the eye of a Cyberman, why did she have such a bad feeling that they were Cybermen. First doctor Skarosa sounding like Skaro and now the worry of Cybermen, both together was even worse.

"Oh, my God." Doctor Chang gasped as he and the Doctor arrived, having left Clara in the office, speaking to 'Danny', "The tanks. The tanks are activating! They're not supposed to do that."
"And all your dead people are standing." The Doctor added, "Don't you think you skipped the headline?"
"Now, now, children. Naughty, naughty." Missy smirked.
"Doctor Chang, your welcome droid has developed a fault."

"That isn't a droid." Star stepped out of the shadows. Missy looked at her in slightly surprise, she hadn't even known that she had left the others let alone had been watching from the shadows. Very sly.
"That's my boss." Chang agreed.
"You know, I might have been guilty of a just teensy little fibette." Missy grinned cheekily, "Doctor Chang, I really liked working with you. I've enjoyed every day of it."
"I'm sorry?"
"You know, I've even got a little photograph of you looking so sweet. I'm always going to keep it. Always!"
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Now, come on. Let's not dwell on horrid things. This is going to be our last conversation, and I'm the one who's going to have to live with that."
"Please don't kill me." He pleaded.
"Say something nice."
"Please, please. I don't, I don't want to die. You're going to kill me, aren't you?"
"Say something nice." She repeated.
"Please!"
"Doctor Chang, I've got all day. And I'm not going to kill you until you say something nice."
He straightened his back, knowing that she would likely kill him, "It has been an absolute pleasure working with you, and I truly believe that you'll never be able to find it in your heart to murder me."

Missy held up a device aiming it at the poor man, incinerating him. The Doctor tugged Star behind him, slowly backing away.
"Now, I'll be with you in a moment." Missy pointed at them, "Just feeling a bit emotional at the moment."

The water drained in the tank, enough to see the head of a Cyberman, "Cybermen!" Star gasped, oh, sometimes she wished she was wrong.
"They're Cybermen," the Doctor realised, "all of them. We've got to stop them getting out."
"Now who's missing the headline?" Missy turned to them, "The Nethersphere." She nodded to a sphere in a red spotted globe, "You know it's ever so funny, the people that live inside that think they've gone to heaven."
"That's a matrix data-slice. A Gallifreyan hard drive. Time Lord Technology."
"Imagine you could upload dying minds to that. Edit them. Rearrange them. Get rid of all those boring emotions. Ready to be re-downloaded. Meanwhile, you upgrade the bodies. Upload the mind, upgrade the body. Cybermen from cyberspace. Now, why has no-one ever thought of that before?"

"Because that's a stupid idea." Star snarled. She hated Cybermen and she hated Time Lords, put them together, she despised them. This would not end well for anyone.
"How did you get hold of Time Lord Technology?" the Doctor demanded, "Who are you?"
"You know who I am. I told you. You felt it. Surely you did."
"2 hearts."
"And both of them yours."
"You're a Time Lord."

"Time Lady." Star corrected out of habit, staring at Missy trying to place which Time Lady. She knew the Rani used to be his friend and now seemed to enjoy killing him. It also could be Romana but it was unlikely the woman would kill him. There was a lot of Time Ladies who could want him dead. There was also a few who would gladly want her dead. The name didn't ring a bell, unless it wasn't her actually name. Not everyone used a title though.
"Im old-fashioned." Missy agreed with a smile.
"Which Time Lady?" the Doctor asked, backing away.
"The one you both abandoned. The one you left for dead. Didn't you ever think I'd find my way back?"
"Clara!" Star suddenly shouted. There was a skeleton in the office, so there was Cyberman in the office, she was all alone.
"Oh, Clara, Clara, Clara!" Missy rolled her eyes, "You know I should shoot you in a jealous rage. Now, wouldn't that be sexy?"

Star whipped around on the woman, her dagger to her neck, not hard enough to hurt her, but enough to leave a mark, she pulled back just as quickly as she had moved, "just letting you know how fast I am." She pulled back and turned to get Clara.

"Unless you've got a head ache." Missy smirked.

Star whirled around and punched the woman in the jaw, making her stumble back in surprise.

"Why do you always punch me?" Missy glared, rubbing her jaw. "I've turned the lift off, though." she remarked to the Doctor, seeing him try to get the doors open.
"I presume you have stairs." he mumbled.
"Well, I'm not a Dalek." She muttered.

The Doctor sonic the doors opened, running outside, only to realise they were inside Saint Paul's Cathedral, London, the city busy with people walking, obvious to the Cybermen inside.

"Oh, dear, Doctor, Star." Missy chuckled behind them, "Didn't you realise where you were?"

"Get away from here!" the Doctor shouted, running around like a lost chicken, "All of you run!"

The Cybermen began to march outside.
"Go! Go! Get away from here! Run away! Run, run! Get away from here all of you, now!"
"I'm sorry, everyone." Missy called as she sat on some steps, watching as the Doctor ran around, "Another ranting Scotsman in the street. I had no idea there was a match on."

"I know who you are." Star stood in front of Missy.

"Oh, honey, of course you don't," she scoffed, "you take after your father."

Star smirked, crossing her arms, "what's it like, going from being a male for most of your life and suddenly regenerating into a woman…Master? You gave yourself away. I only punch you."

She didn't know why she did it, she just did, whenever they met Star always punched her...or him as she used to be, last time it was because he had tied them up and turned the humans into himself, the time before that, she was just angry and he was there. It just sort of happened.
"Get away, go!"
"Stop shouting, love." Missy ran to the Doctor, growing tired to listening to him, "Stop making a fuss. It's too late. All the graves of planet Earth are about to give birth. You know the key strategic weakness of the human race? The dead outnumber the living."
"Who are you?" the Doctor tensed.
"Oh, you know who I am. I'm Missy." She leaned her head on his arm.
"Who's Missy?"
"Please, try to keep up. Star managed to figure it out. Missy, short for Mistress. Well," she smirked at him, "I couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now could I?"