Clara walked around the console with her arms crossed while she listened to the Doctor go on and on about the problem between her and the TARDIS. "You said…"
"I know what I said," Clara cut him off, quite put out they were really discussing this, "I was the one who said it," she then cast a mocking glare towards Elias, who sat on Minerva's lap, both at the jump chair, "I just didn't expect to be ratted out by a baby."
Elias looked up from his teddy bear and gave a toothless grin, "Tayis!" he giggled, "Yes!"
"He learns two words and suddenly he's the king of the world," Clara rolled her eyes, "I brought your parents back and you tell them I called the TARDIS a cow?"
The baby clapped his hands cheerfully.
-Careful what you say around him- Ally appeared beside Clara, -He'll just repeat everything he hears-
"Clara, it's important that you and the TARDIS can work together at least on a civil level," Minerva calmly explained, "You've seen how difficult it gets with us."
"You're not getting me to talk to your ship," Clara outright refused, almost laughing at the idea, "That's properly bonkers."
"Yet you are content living inside of it," Minerva replied with a smile. "So let the Doctor and I teach you at least how to maneuver it."
"I'll make it easy - shut it down to basic mode for you," the Doctor offered and quickly set to work on the console.
Clara raised an eyebrow, "Basic! 'Cos I'm a girl?"
"No, cos you're a human," Minerva rose from the chair, "That's how he taught me, that's how we taught Amy, Martha and Donna. You're gonna be taught just like them."
-C'mon Clara- Ally nudged Clara, -It can be fun-
Clara rolled her eyes and finally gave in, "Okay, fine."
The Doctor gladly led her to a part of the console and began instructing her. Minerva walked over to see how it was coming, carrying a rather curious Elias as well. He wanted to see what Clara would do with the TARDIS and probably laugh when she failed. His Mommy told him it was always funny when the companions got frustrated because they couldn't work with the console.
Clara flipped a switch as told by the Doctor but frowned upon seeing the lights go off, "What have I done?" she quickly asked the pair, now seeing red lights flashing.
"Er... OK," the Doctor went to another part of the console, confused as well. He took a look at the monitor to see their location but was startled to see the screen cracking down the middle.
"Doctor?" Minerva called, seeing his troubled face.
"All the electrical impulses are jammed. I can't get the shields back up!" he was trying to pull the lever up, "She's completely vulnerable."
Clara panicked thinking she would surely receive the blame, "I swear I just touched it!"
Ally seemed more apprehensive at the situation, her eyes roaming the console room, -This is something else-
The Doctor finally managed to pull the lever but also received harsh sparks from the console. The TARDIS lurched to the side, throwing the trio backwards against the rails.
"Magnetic hobble-field!" the Doctor exclaimed, "We're flying right into it. Minerva, Clara, stay by me!"
"This is insane! Who's responsible!?" Minerva handed Elias over to Clara, the brunette nervously taking the baby, and Minerva ran to help the Doctor.
Whilst trying to carry the fussing Elias, Clara called out, "Please tell me there's a button you can just press to fix this?"
"Oh, yes. Big friendly button," the Doctor distractedly said while working with Minerva to stabilize the TARDIS.
"You're lying," Clara accused, unamused.
"Yep."
"To stop me freaking out?"
"Is it working?"
"Not so much."
"Then quit distracting us and let us work!" Minerva motioned the Doctor to help her with some controls.
Clara saw a small, gray device rolling across the floor. With one hand, she picked it up only to feel a burning sensation. She gasped and let it drop. She didn't have much time to react when another explosion, far more bigger than the last, pushed her away from the console.
~ 0 ~
The trio responsible for the TARDIS' accident looked upon the blue box in their spaceship. The box laid on its side atop of a small pile of wires. After trying to pry it open with several weapons, they realized the box was alive and backed off. There, they realized they'd brought in a ship with its inhabitants still inside.
"We did nothing," one of the men, Gregor, told the other two, "If anyone asks, that ship was already busted. You got that?" he looked at the youngest man, Tricky, "And you, make sure you keep your oily-mouth shut."
"It's rude to whisper, you know," called Minerva who stood behind them with arms crossed, the Doctor right beside her, "Tell me why I shouldn't throw you all into one of my dungeons right now for what you did?"
"We found you drifting," Gregor nervously told the pair.
"Your ship was junked-up pretty bad," added the second man, Bram.
"What broke our ship was a magno-grab," the Doctor then held up the proof, "Found this remote in your pocket. Eh? What are the chances? Outlawed in most galaxies. This little beastie can disable whole vessels unless you have shield oscillators... which I turned off so that Clara could fly…"
"ELIAS!" the alien pair cried upon fully remembering what happened. The two frantically spun around trying to find Clara and Elias through the pile of wires. When they realized Elias and Clara were still on board, they moved to rush towards the TARDIS.
"No, wait, your pod is leaking fuel," it had been Tricky who held them back, "If they're still in there, they're dead."
The sentence was discarded by the pair and they continued to look for a way into the TARDIS.
"Minerva! Respirators!" the Doctor ran over to some lockers.
"We can open the doors for a split second, reach in and grab them," Gregor agreed as the Doctor came back and handed Minerva her own respirator.
"Trust me, we can't. Now, please, help us get them out," the Doctor pleaded and handed the others the respirators.
"I'm telling you, she fried…" Tricky began when Gregor cut him off.
"Shut it, tin-mouth! What sort of fee are we talking?"
"Excuse me!?" Minerva angrily faced the man, "Fee? You want a fee after you caused all this? That's a good one."
"Bram, open the bay doors," Gregor ordered before turning to go help himself.
"No, no, please, stop!" the Doctor called, "Listen, listen. Right behind those doors is the salvage of a lifetime."
Minerva was equally terrified as him but her fear was coming out in waves of anger. With one hand she froze all doors in the room, "NO ONE IS GOING ANYWHERE!" she yelled and kept all mean on their spots.
Her son was stuck inside a toxic box alone. Absolutely no one would be leaving until she held him in her arms again.
~ 0 ~
Inside the TARDIS, the corridors were bathed in warning red lights. Wires and debris hung loosely nearly at all points of the floor. Clara laid under a rather large piece of metal, still unconscious.
Ally sat on her knees beside them, trying her best to pull the metal piece off her. She could hear Elias underneath, probably next to Clara, crying, as he waited for someone to pick him up. -Clara please wake up!- Ally shouted as much as she could. -I can't pick it up!- she groaned as she tried desperately pulling on the metal piece -C'mon! CLARA!-
Clara stirred slowly, able to hear some distant calls of her name. It was mixed with some other noise, though, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
-Clara, please! Elias can be hurt!-
It was then that Clara's mind configured the other noise to be Elias' crying. Her eyes widened as she shot upright and threw the metal piece off her and consequently Elias. The baby was revealed to be on his side, face red from all the crying he was doing. Clara quickly pulled him into her arms, ignoring the harsh sting she felt from her palm, and checked Elias for any injuries.
-Finally!- Ally startled her, -You're awake-
"Oh, you're going to be okay," Clara gently wiped some blood off a small cut on Elias' forehead. "Cos you're a strong alien baby, right?"
Elias continued to cry. What was she talking about!? Couldn't she see that his Mommy and Daddy weren't there!?
"How do I get a baby to stop crying?" Clara looked at Ally helplessly. She didn't know the first thing about babies, much less alien babies!
-He's a baby, Clara. He probably just wants his parents- Ally looked around, finding it a pretty difficult task to find either Minerva or the Doctor in this situation.
"Ooh, I'll find them, Elias," Clara pushed herself up with the baby in her arms. "This isn't the first time you're stuck with me, remember?" she bopped him lightly. "Clara will get you back to your Mummy and Daddy as fast as she can. But you're gonna have to help can't walk but you know the TARDIS better than I do. Let's work together, okay?"
Elias seemed to understand most of what she said. "Yes..." he said quietly.
Clara smiled and cleared off his tears. "So you're gonna have to stop hating for me a couple of hours. Let's go!"
~ 0 ~
Minerva and the Doctor were standing just over the TARDIS, both wearing respirators while the trio of brothers wore protection suits, and the Doctor moved to unlock the TARDIS.
"Salvage of a lifetime?" Gregor called again, still doubting the small box could be anything precious.
"I feel pretty confident we can deliver on that," the Doctor smiled when he heard the locks turning, "There we go," he kicked the doors open and smoked bellowed out. He went under then helped Minerva.
While the TARDIS was on its side, it's interior remained upright.
"I don't get it. I thought she was lying on her side," Gregor looked around, thinking it some sort of trick.
"The TARDIS is special," Minerva waved him off, "She has her own gravity. I'd explain if we had time but…"
"It's... it's bigger…" Tricky blinked as they walked further in.
"On the inside," the Doctor finished from the console, "Do you know, we get that a lot."
"Remove the smoke, Martian," Minerva ordered, she didn't care to go through the whole first impression the TARDIS had on people first coming in.
The Doctor pushed pushed a couple of controls and the smoke was fanned off by the vents. All of them removed their respirators.
Minerva then got to work on laying the foreground, "Alright, so you and I were standing here while Elias and Clara were there," she pointed to the spot Clara had stood at.
"How big is this baby?" Bram asked, all three brothers still looking about in awe.
Minerva was in no mood to be polite and so she answered, "If we could please refrain from asking irrelevant questions until we find Elias and Clara that would be great."
The Doctor grabbed her hand, giving it a grip and telling her telepathically, 'We'll find them.' Minerva just looked down, holding his hand like her own life depended on it.
"The ship's infinite," the Doctor told the men.
"It could take you hours to find the girl and kid," Gregor frowned.
"Days! Plus the whole place is toxic," the Doctor agreed, "So, here's the mission. We're going to find them in one hour."
Gregor raised an eyebrow, "We?"
"You're our guys for this," Minerva announced, not too happy about it but time was precious and they would take what they could get.
"That wasn't the deal!"
"'Tis now."
"What makes you think we'll help?"
The Doctor and Minerva exchanged a pair of smirks before they both got to work on the console.
"I just activated the TARDIS self-destruct system. One hour until this ship blows," the Doctor motioned to the monitor displaying the count down.
Bram immediately ran for the door but Minerva iced it shut, "Where you going?" she called, "Corridors are this way," she nodded back, "The doors will open when Elias and Clara are back."
"You crazy lunatics!"
"I prefer the term 'mother who will do anything to get her son back'."
"You'll kill us all," Grego said in full panick, "And your son."
"He's going to die if you don't help us," the Doctor corrected, "Don't get into a spaceship with a madman and-" the three brothers ran for the doors.
Minerva tilted her head, "Doctor, I think they need more persuasion."
"My Clever Girl, always right," the Doctor flicked a switch on the console, lowering the countdown to 30 minutes.
"They'll die even quicker now!" Bram shouted at them from the doors.
"We all perform better under pressure. Anybody want to go for 15 minutes?" Minerva motioned to the Doctor who had a finger just over the button.
The three men reacted and hurried back, intending on stopping them.
"I think we had a miscommunication," Minerva remained at ease and glanced at the Doctor, "I think we did, didn't we?"
"It would appear so," he agreed with a nod.
"Salvage of a lifetime," Minerva stared the three men down, "You meant the ship. We meant our son. And Clara."
~ 0 ~
Clara had been walking down the corridor with Ally, holding Elias, when she heard a strange growling noise. Quickly, she hurried into the first room she found and locked the door.
Elias was seemingly satisfied by the room she'd chosen. Clara chuckled as he leaned towards an old wooden cottage, "What is it, El? Ooh," she noticed the cradle and walked for it, letting the baby run his hands through the moving mobile, "Was this yours?" she curiously asked.
Elias shook his head, making Clara debate whether it was perhaps Minerva's or the Doctor's. As far as she knew, there was no other baby in the TARDIS. But then again, she admitted she didn't actually know very much about the pair of aliens. They seldom talked about their pasts, their homes, their families.
'It's my big sister's cradle, duh,' Elias said but of course Clara never heard it.
Ally had walked over to a long table full of intricate objects. She picked up a toy TARDIS into her hands and stated at it, her eyes becoming visibly shiny.
When Clara turned around, Ally was near to tears, "Ally?" she called and startled the imaginary friend, "You okay?"
Ally quickly nodded, setting down the toy, -Yeah, yeah- Clara came over and set a hand on Ally's arm, -I'm fine-
"Tayis!" Elias clapped his hands then reached down for the toy TARDIS.
Clara picked it up and handed it to him, "Who made it, Elias? Was it your Mommy?" she did know Minerva had a like for art and wondered if it branched out to crafts. Elias once again shook his head. He held the toy closer to him. "I just realized I don't know very much about this family," Clara mused and looked over the other objects on the table.
-They're good, kind people- Ally declared, making Clara smile.
"Yeah, but I meant, who are they? They never talk..." Clara trailed off, eyes flickering from one object to the next. It was a wild room full of so many things Clara was sure she would never finish discovering. She looked down at Elias and smiled seeing he was doing the same thing. She patted down his light, ginger hair that was beginning to sway to the side, much like the Doctor's.
"Ah! Ah!" Elias suddenly let the toy TARDIS drop, hitting one of Clara's feet. While Clara yelped at the small pain, Elias pushed himself towards the table, small hands flexing out for something that caught his attention.
-He wants the magnifying glass- Ally chuckled.
Clara picked up the magnifying glass and handed it to him. 'Aunt Donna's!' he cheered telepathically while he hugged the magnifying glass.
"You are one weird baby," Clara declared and picked up the toy TARDIS with her free hand.
What she missed when putting it back on the table was Elias frown. Ally chuckled and moved closer. Suddenly, she saw a shadowy figure not too far, its glowing red eyes alerting her it was time to go.
-Clara!- she shook the human and pointed to the figure.
"Time to go!" Clara blinked and dashed out of the room with the baby and Ally.
-Where exactly are we going?- Ally asked whilst passing several rooms that looked good to hide in.
"Somewhere away from that thing!" Clara replied and glanced over her shoulder to see just what was chasing them. It seemed ossified, charred, and it had one of its hands stuck to its face. Clara now wished she hadn't looked back.
They ended up running into an open room and went straight to hide behind a shelf. When they heard the creature passing, Clara rose to her feet. She made sure Elias was alright, but he seemed more interested in the magnifying glass he'd taken from the storage room.
-I love this room- she heard Ally from a distance.
Clara then looked ahead and saw a library, the biggest one she'd ever seen, "Now that's just showing off," she gaped at the various levels, pretty sure it consisted of billions of books.
Elias looked up from the glass with a grin, 'It's my Mommy's favorite room!'
"Who are you?" was the only thing Clara could think of after seeing such a room. Who could read so much when all they did was travel to different parts of the universe?
~ 0 ~
Minerva, the Doctor and Tricky had all stopped their searching after realizing Gregor had disappeared somewhere along the way. They'd ran through the way they'd come in and found the missing brother into a very important TARDIS room.
"Get away from there!" Minerva angrily shouted when they'd found Gregor.
He stood underneath a crystal-like tree with hanging crystal spheres, ready to take one. He already had the laser device to cut it down.
"She won't let you touch it. I can feel a TARDIS tantrum coming on," the Doctor said with regret as he stroked one of the crystals. This was a complete waste of time! Elias and Clara were no where to be found and time was really precious.
"What the hell is this place?" Gregor looked back at the pair.
"Architectural Reconfiguration System. It reconstructs particles according to your needs."
"A machine that makes machines?"
"Yes. Basically," Minerva rolled her eyes, "But who cares, we need to go!"
Gregor ignored her in favor of the laser. Before he could anything more, Tricky ran over, "What are you doing?"
"No, no, don't! Don't! If you walk out of here with that circuit, the TARDIS will try to stop you!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Now listen to me. Look, the clock is ticking. We must find Elias and Clara!"
Gregor once again ignored them all and yanked down the crystal sphere from the tree. As soon as he did, the other crystals went pitch dark for a second before turning back on. A high-pitch whine rang throughout the room, forcing the group to cover their ears. Gregor hurriedly put the crystal into his backpack and made for the door...only to realize there was no more door.
"What the...?" Tricky frowned, "Where's the door gone?"
"Get ready for zero ground tantrum," Minerva crossed her arms.
"She won't relinquish it," the Doctor warned as the two brothers tried finding another way out, "Her basic genetic material."
Gregor refused it was it, "Torch it," he ordered and chucked a device at Tricky. He noticed Tricky was reluctant to follow through and reiterated, "I said torch it!"
"Can't you feel it, Gregor?" Tricky looked up, "The ship's in torment, like it's a living thing. You can't hurt it."
Gregor snatched back the device and headed for the wall. Just as he did the door reappeared and slides open, "What's the matter, TARDIS? Scared to fight me?"
"You are a bigger idiot than I thought if you think this is the end," Minerva declared and strode out of the room with the Doctor, both knowing the TARDIS had better ways to get back at them.
~ 0 ~
Clara remained inside the library. Since the creature had yet to find them she saw no need to leave so quick. With any luck, the Doctor or Minerva - or if they were really luck, both - would find them there. She walked past book shelves and noticed a podium holding a closed book. Just as she reached out to open it, Ally appeared in front of her and blocked the way.
-You shouldn't read things that don't belong to you-
Clara made a face, not catching the trouble it would bring if she did, "It's a book, Ally."
Elias had lost interest in the magnifying glass and quickly made a fuss as if he sensed something was beginning to go wrong. Clara heard a growling noise and moved to duck behind a bookshelf, motioning to Elias to stay quiet. Carefully, she crawled to another shelf as the creature made its way into the room. She rose up to peek through but accidentally knocked a bottle down, causing whispers to rise in the room. She and Ally tried fanning the whispers away, hoping to make it die down. It seemed the creature misplaced the noise as it ran right past them towards the end of the room. Taking her opportunity, Clara made a run out of the library.
~ 0 ~
The alien pair were growing more and more agitated as they came across a corridor intersection they were sure they'd passed twice already.
"It's the same," Tricky breathed in, also irritated, "It's just the same!"
"Because the TARDIS is diverting us," Minerva glared at Gregor due to it being his fault they were getting no where, "I swear to God if something happens to my baby because we couldn't get to him in time I will kill you," she felt awful for behaving the way she was but just knowing that Elias was unsafe and trapped in the toxic TARDIS made her heart hammer in her chest. Her instincts were telling her to do what ever it took to get Elias back, no matter who she had to hurt. She didn't know if it were mother-instincts or a dark side in her but she would use anything she had to get Elias back.
Gregor glared at the ginger and took a right on his own. The Doctor grabbed Minerva's had and went after the man, also fighting off his instincts to rip the TARDIS crystal from Gregor's hand so they would get a move on.
Once more, they returned to the same intersection.
"It's just the same, again," sighed Tricky.
"No point in building walls. You'll just know how to smash them down. It's found other ways of controlling you," the Doctor looked at Gregor, "Smart bunch, Time Lords. No dress sense, dreadful hats, but smart. If you want to get out of here, let that circuit go. It is creating a labyrinth."
Tricky spoke into his radio hoping to get his brother, "Bram? Bram? Can you hear me? Bram, the ship is alive. Get out of there. Bram, don't touch anything."
"Unbelievable," Minerva groaned and balled her fists.
"Bram? You've got to get out of there fast," Tricky awaited for a response that ultimately never came.
"I am not waiting anymore," Minerva turned to the Doctor, angrily, "Do something, please," the Doctor nodded and pulled out his sonic to scan the area up ahead. They had to be sure of where they were going, after all.
"Channel's dead," Tricky came to the realization, "We've got to help him. Gregor, do something. Do something!"
Gregor rolled his eyes, "It's too late, he's gone! Let's just worry about the salvage!"
Angrily, Tricky shoved Gregor back, "You care more about the circuit than you do about him!"
"THAT IS IT!" Minerva shouted and stalked back to the two men, pushing them apart, "If neither of you shut the hell up I swear to God I will freeze you both and leave you here!"
"Not the best punishment, Clever Girl," the Doctor slowly backtracked, still holding the screwdriver in front of him.
"I think so," Minerva scoffed and dropped her arms to her side.
"There is something else down there, meaning if you leave them here they die," the Doctor glanced back, seeing her confused expression, "Multiple life forms on board the TARDIS with us. I am getting a massive signal."
"Where are they?" the ginger whispered.
"Oh, you're not going to like the answer. About two steps away. One step…"
The group slowly turned around to see one of the ossified creature (though it seemed as if there were two fused together) coming for them. As it came closer, it reached out for them. In trying to escape, Gregor split up from the group.
The others made it back to the console - or so it seemed. Tricky looked around and sighed, "Back where we started," he complained again.
"No," the Doctor carefully scanned the room, finding the door was missing, "It's an echo," he and Minerva ran down to the console, "The console room is the safest place on the ship. It can replicate itself any number of times. It's trying to protect us."
"So that would mean she hopefully has Elias in another?" Minerva hopefully asked while the Doctor began working on the controls.
"Hopefully," the Doctor gave her a kiss on the lips, "so let's get to work."
Minerva hurriedly did alongside him. She accidentally knocked a piece off the console but there came no noise where it should've fallen to the floor.
"Where did...where did that go?" Tricky slowly asked as all three stared at the ground in confusion.
Minerva's eyes widened in delight, "There's more than one echo room!" she looked at the Doctor, "Elias!"
Surely enough, they saw a shadow moving through the room - Clara - who held a little bundle in her arms.
"The TARDIS has got Clara and Elias safe," the Doctor clapped his hands together, "That was them. That was her there."
"So why can't we see her?" Tricky asked.
"It's like a light switch. Two positions. Flickering at super-infinite speeds. We're only together for a brief second."
"SHH!" Minerva had a finger over her lips, motioning them both to be quiet, "I can hear my baby…" she swallowed hard as she began to move slowly, focusing in on the small bit of noise.
Suddenly, there was a scream that belonged to Clara...and a baby's wail that belonged to Elias.
"They're in trouble!" Minerva spun around for the Doctor, "The creature's inside with them! We have to get them out!"
~ 0 ~
Indeed, the creature Clara had run away from had made its way into her version of the console room. She held the crying Elias tightly in her arms and was using the console to block the creature.
-Clara, we need to go!- Ally appeared by the corridor's entrance, motioning the brunette to run.
"Kind of blocked here, Ally," Clara motioned to the console. She made a run around it but the creature mimicked the movement. Clara stopped and tilted her head, surprised to see the creature doing the same, "Who are you?" she frowned.
"Ah! Ah!" Elias said in the midst of his cries. He wanted to go away and Clara was speaking to the monster?
-Clara, get away!- Ally shouted again, more desperate as the creature got closer to Clara.
"I can't!" Clara whimpered as she was backtracked towards the wall where the door should've been.
Ally looked around the room for anything that could help, -Clara, try!-
"I can't, Ally! I can't!" Clara shifted to give the creature her back and keep Elias between herself and the wall.
Ally looked around and saw some sort of console piece on the floor. Using all her focus on it, she managed to pick it up and quickly threw it as close to the creature as possible. Hearing the clang, the creature whipped around and gave Clara the perfect opportunity to get away.
Clara stared at Ally in utter confusion. "How did you…?"
-LET'S GO!- Ally shouted at the woman and motioned for Clara to start running. She appeared right beside Clara and took her by the arm, -No time to waste, okay?-
Clara blinked, "But how did you…? You did...didn't you?"
However, Clara felt something different grab her other arm, making her scream. She had been yanked into the same echo room as Minerva, the Doctor, Tricky (and now Gregor) were in.
"Clara, it's okay!" Minerva tried stopping the screaming brunette, "Clara!"
Clara slowly stopped as she realized it was a different room with no creature, "Ooh…"
"Now give me!" Minerva practically ripped Elias from Clara's arms to hold him herself, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she dropped kisses all over Elias who was slowly stopping his cries.
The Doctor promptly took Elias from her to shower him with more kisses, "You always seem to find trouble don't you, El? Don't know where you got that from..."
Elias giggled and covered his eyes.
Clara would've been grateful if she wasn't overly concerned with what had happened mere seconds ago with Ally. She looked at her blonde imaginary friend and frowned, her eyes boring into Ally's trying to find the truth.
-You're okay, Clara. That's the important thing- Ally tried to smile but even she seemed scared.
"Clara, are you okay?" Minerva finally noticed the way Clara was staring off to the side.
"There's zombie creatures here…" Clara swallowed hard, still debating whether or not to share Ally's recent action, "...why are they here?" she then noticed the three brothers standing behind the alien pair.
"Who are they?" she pointed at them.
"Frenemies," Minerva said as she took Elias from the Doctor.
"All right, all right - a deal's a deal," Gregor cut into the conversation, "You got the girl and baby back. Now cancel the self-destruct."
The Doctor smirked at Minerva, "Guess we should tell them now, huh, love?"
Minerva smirked right back, "Ah, if it were up to me I'd let them suffer for an hour more," she held Elias closer to her, "My baby should've been with me far earlier."
The Doctor chuckled and turned to the three brothers, "There is no self-destruct," he announced to them, " I just wiggled a few buttons. The old wiggly-button trick. And the face. You've got to do the face. ;Save them or we all die.' I thought I rushed it a bit, but…
Tricky raised an eyebrow, "So you're telling us we're safe?"
"Apart from the monsters and the TARDIS reinventing the architecture every five minutes," Minerva turned to them, "Though you may still fear me if you cross me again."
"Guys, don't worry, the countdown's a fake. Look, just give me just a second," the Doctor turned for the console, "I'll turn it off. I only made it look as though the engine was actually exploding," promptly, an alarm turned off, "Ah," he read off the monitor, "That's not good. OK, don't panic, or maybe panic."
Minerva frowned, "What did you do, Martian?"
"It appears the engine is damaged. We're in trouble. Proper trouble. It needs fixing or we're toast," he dashed to the lower level underneath the console.
"So now would be a good time to use that big friendly button, right?" Clara asked the pair as they followed the Doctor down.
"Clara, red buttons are for cartoons," Minerva gave her a look, "You okay?" she asked after a minute of taking in Clara's nervous appearance.
Clara slowly looked around to see if Ally was nearby and thankfully it seemed like she wasn't, "Something happened…" she whispered, "...with Ally…"
"What?"
"Minerva! Clara!" the Doctor shouted for the two missing women.
Minerva took Clara by the arm and dragged Clara away, "We'll talk later."
"But I really think it should be now," Clara insisted, growing more afraid the more she thought about Ally's actions.
"Why do you say that?" Minerva now suspiciously looked at the brunette.
"Remember how I said one time I thought Ally opened a door on her own? Well, now I don't think I imagined it. She picked up a console part…" Clara scratched her head, still trying to wrap her mind around what she saw, "...and she...she saved Elias and I by throwing it and distracting the creature."
Minerva looked down at Elias for some confirmation, 'Arlo, is what she saying true?' she gave the baby a stern look.
'...yes,' Elias slowly responded, 'But Ally's not a bad person, Mommy. She was trying to help. And she did! She saved Clara and I. Don't be mad at her, please?'
Minerva sucked in a breath and walked faster, "Clara, I promise we'll discuss this afterwards. But we need to survive first."
They caught up with the men and were unsurprised to find the creatures gaining on them once more. While trying to run, Clara was separated from them and so made Minerva and the Doctor have to return for her. In doing so, they found a monster of their own to run from. As they hid from the monster, Clara continued seeing past versionS of themselves roaming the corridors. She didn't quite understand what the Doctor meant by the TARDIS 'leaking' things from the past. She really just wanted to get home.
When the group was able to come out from hiding, they started for the missing brothers they'd lost earlier. However, after two steps forwards, a groaning from the ceiling stopped them.
"What's that noise?" Clara whispered and looked up like the rest.
"We're right under the primary fuel cells," the Doctor said, making Minerva close her eyes with a small sigh.
"So?" Clara looked at them, "So? So what?"
"So... so the fuel has spilled out. So the rods will be exposed. Means they'll cool…"
"And start to warp," Clara understood and looked ahead, fearing what would happen in the next couple of minutes.
"And start to warp. Maybe even…"
"No. You don't say it. Don't you dare say it."
"And maybe just break apart," Minerva hung her head, "Can't we ever catch a break here?"
Her answer came when a large rod shot down right in front of them, making them all stumble back.
"Um, so...run?" Clara asked.
"Martian?" Minerva looked at him.
'Run!' Elias was the one to agree, though telepathically.
"El's right, run!" the Doctor turned around and ran with them.
They ran down the other corridor, having to actively avoid any rods shooting down from the ceiling. Luckily enough, they ran back into the two remaining brothers - though in no good conditions.
Tricky had been impaled by one of the rods through the shoulder. Gregor was trying to get him free, but struggled.
"Cut it off. Just cut my arm off," Tricky was also insisting.
"No!"
"It's the quickest way to release me. No fear, no hate, no pain. I can get a new one. Disposable parts, just do it. It won't hurt me."
Gregor stepped back, refusing so, "Tricky, you don't understand."
"I'm an android. Cut me!"
"What did I say about this bickering?" Minerva sighed and handed Elias to the Doctor.
"What's the matter with you? Why won't you cut me?" Tricky demanded from his brother, frustrated he was letting the pain continue when there was a clear solution.
"Waste of time, just tell him!" the ginger ordered Gregor as she walked over.
"Tell me what?" Tricky looked at Gregor, confused.
"You're such a coward," Minerva accused Gregor, "You won't save him, but you're scared to tell him why."
"What's she going on about?"
"Robots don't need blast suits," the Doctor called as he came to join them, "They don't need respirators. They don't get frightened of monsters in the dark."
"What's he talking about?"
The Doctor shifted Elias to one side and grabbed his screwdriver, using it to shine it into Tricky's eyes, "Two bionic eyes and a synthetic voice box. But you, my friend, are human. Flesh and blood."
At Tricky's look, Gregor admitted, "It was a joke. It was just a stupid joke. We did it to relieve the boredom."
"Are you still laughing, then? Cos I'm not," Minerva shook her head and spoke to Tricky, "They lied to you. Changed your identity. Just to provide some in-flight entertainment!"
"I'm sorry. You're human, Tricky," Gregor sighed.
"Step aside," Minerva ushered Gregor and the Doctor away so she could get a better angle of the rod, "Now this may feel cold for a minute," she warned.
"What are you gonna do?" Tricky looked at her suspiciously.
"Free you, duh," Minerva put both her hands on the rod, freezing it completely and destroying it within seconds. Tricky's arm still had to be bandaged up from the injury. Now together, they headed for a new location, hoping to get eventually to the engine room.
The Doctor peered through a door's window, seeing the blazing hot room on the other side.
"Where are we?" Clara inquired while Minerva took a look for herself at the room through the window.
"It's the power source," the Doctor gently pulled Minerva away from the door, "Right, you lot, wait here. I'll check it's safe. We can only survive for a minute or two in there...some of us less than two," he directly looked at Minerva who understood the implication.
"Go, I'll be quick afterwards," she urged him to get a move on, "And we'll get Elias too."
As the Doctor went inside, Clara took her opportunity to ask Minerva, "What was that? And what would happen if we stay longer?"
"Our cells will liquefy and our skin will start to burn," Minerva helped close the door of the room.
"And why'd he say you couldn't survive for two?"
Minerva sighed and turned away, leaning on the door and holding Elias tighter, "Because, Clara, my species aren't meant to withstand that much heat. Originally, my species couldn't leave our planet because it was the only place where the cold was enough to sustain us."
"So how'd you get out?" Clara now eyed Minerva differently.
"I acquired some human characteristics from my ginger sister through a unique sort of transfer."
"You have a sister?"
Minerva sighed again, "Not exactly, that's what I call Donna."
"Donna who now?"
Minerva face palmed her head, though she didn't blame Clara for asking more questions. She and the Doctor hadn't really told her anything about themselves. They couldn't go blabbing about themselves without knowing what Clara was.
"A previous companion, Clara. I took in the human quality that makes me resist a more heat than I'm used to. Still, even that heat in there," Minerva nodded to the room behind, "is a lot more than I was trained for. I don't want to risk Elias in there either; he might have only half of my genes but it's enough to cause trouble."
Clara rubbed her neck, "That's a lot of stuff I didn't know about. Though I guess that's not the kind of stuff you talk about firsthand."
"Is Ally nearby?" Minerva suddenly inquired, making Clara stiffen as she looked around herself.
"No...why?"
"Just thinking," Minerva shrugged, "You said Ally picked up a console part? Like physically?" Clara nodded her head. "Has she done anything like that before?"
"No. Just that door in the submarine..." Clara sighed. "She's my imaginary friend, but...she can't actually do those sorts of things..."
"When did you imagine her exactly? What year?"
"I was like six or seven," Clara shrugged, "It was when I lost my Mum for a moment...Ally found me."
"Okay," Minerva hated to admit it but that did sound like a logical event of imagination. But it still didn't make sense how Elias could see her and Ally having super powers.
"Hey, get that away from me," she heard Clara tell and looked up to see Gregor holding his scanner to the brunette.
"It's a scanner," Gregor clarified just as the device announced 'Lancashire. Sass.'
"Ever pointed that thing at yourself, Gregor?" Tricky called from his spot, slightly to the side of the group, "What would it see? What sort of person does this to another human? Made them believe they're made of metal!" he went up to Gregor and turned him around, "Who am I?"
Gregor ripped off the patch from his sleeve and held it for Tricky. He took it from Gregor and looked at it.
"My mouthy little kid brother," Gregor said after a minute.
"Why...why can't I remember?" Tricky turned around with a frown.
"Salvage accident. There was a big explosion. You lost your sight, voice and your memory."
Tricky blinked, "And you... you thought of a way you could have some fun with me? I just wanted a brother beside me."
"You were always the smart one, Tricky. He wanted you to take over. He made you captain."
"He?"
"Dad."
Tricky shook his head, "I don't...remember him. You did this to me, just to be captain of a heap of junk," Tricky charged for Gregor but the Doctor had arrived to hold them apart.
"Tricky, listen to me," he looked at Tricky, "Ask yourself why he couldn't cut you up. He has just one tiny scrap of decency left in him. You just helped him find that, OK? Now you. Don't ever forget this."
He returned for the doors and motioned for them to get into the room, "Okay, move, move, move!"
Minerva slowly came towards the door last and held Elias to him, "I think it's best if he's with someone who can resist more heat than me."
"You'll be fine, I promise," the Doctor took Elias and gently kissed her.
'Mommy, do this!' Elias clapped one of his small hands over his mouth, 'So you don't breathe in the bad stuff!'
With a smile, Minerva put a hand over her mouth, "Let's get this over with," she said, her words muffled behind her hand.
The two entered the room on a catwalk. Minerva instantly felt the heat pricking her skin and she was thankful for Donna's human genes making a great barrier. If this had been her original body she would've been fried already.
"The Eye of Harmony. Exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole. Time Lord engineering - you rip the star from its orbit, suspend it in a permanent state of decay," the Doctor explained as he headed for the door at the end of the catwalk, "This way. Quickly."
Just as they arrived and opened the door, a creature popped in front. The Doctor slammed the door with one hand and turned to give Elias back to Minerva so he could help Gregor keep the door shut.
"We need to go back," Minerva ran for the other door only to see another creature already there.
"There's no way out. We're trapped," Gregor said in horror.
Minerva leaned back on the rails, wanting to keep still to avoid unnecessarily wasting energy that would cost her.
"Okay, one of you needs to tell me what those things are," Clara told the alien pair firmly, "If we're going to die then this is my last wish."
"We can't," the Doctor moved over to Minerva.
"Tell me! What's the use in secrets now?"
"Oh, that is rich," Minerva made the remark and sounded slightly snide about it.
"What?" Clara frowned.
Gregor had begun using his scanner on one of the creatures. When the Doctor saw, he called, "No!" and ran for the man, but it was too late.
'Sensor detects animal DNA, human core element. Calculating data. Calculating data. Lancashire. Sass. Identifiable substance. Clara,' went the scanner.
Clara froze on her spot and looked at the creature that had been scanned, "That's...me…?" she pointed at herself.
At that moment, Ally appeared beside her, holding her hand, -No, time can be rewritten-
Clara looked at her imaginary friend with teary eyes, forgetting all that she told Minerva and gripping Ally's hand, "I burn in here?"
Minerva leaned off the rail and turned to Clara, "We're sorry, Clara. But the TARDIS isn't just leaking the past, it's also the future. We brought you here to keep you safe, but it happened again. You died again."
Clara looked back at the ginger, "What do you mean, again?"
The Doctor ran a hand over his face and saw a creature behind the door doing the exact same thing. He quickly dropped his hand and looked again, now seeing the fused creatures along with Gregor and Tricky standing side by side. Seconds later, a fourth creature appeared by Clara's - that of Minerva's.
"Hang on. As long as we interrupt the timeline, this can't happen," the Doctor resolved and rushed across to pull the brothers apart, "Don't touch each other, otherwise the future will reassert itself.
The creature on their side broke through the door and backtracked them towards the center. One of them grabbed Gregor's pack.
"Gregor! Gregor, let go of the circuit!" Minerva called, her voice beginning to sound frail. The heat was beginning to break through her human heat resistance.
"Just let it go!" Tricky tried yanking Gregor with him but the pack was making it difficult.
Gregor finally listened and slipped from the pack. Tricky then took a swing at the creature, knocking it over the rail. The Doctor led the way for the other door, taking Minerva by the hand, but the creatures on that door broke in as well.
They were being cornered to the center of the rails.
"I don't feel so well," Minerva mumbled and held onto Elias tighter. The beats of sweat were finding their way through her forehead.
'Mommy…' Elias was staring at his mother, fearful of what would happen to them if they didn't get out. He was feeling a bit hot too, but he could take it.
Tricky acquired a crowbar and used it to kick one of the creatures off the rail. In doing so, he himself nearly fell over. Gregor rushed over to help him, "Tricky!"
"Don't touch him, or time will reassert itself!" the Doctor frantically shouted but it was too late. When Tricky was back on his feet, he fused with Gregor, thus creating the fused creature.
"Doctor!" Minerva exclaimed, her face drained of its color.
"And we're out!" the Doctor forgot about the dead brothers and hurried his wife out of the room. He sonicked the door to keep it locked then turned for Minerva, cupping her face, "Hey, hey, you're okay now? Yeah?"
Minerva slowly nodded, "Yeah, but I'm really thirsty now."
"Let's go, then, and we'll get you that glass," the Doctor took her hand and motioned to Clara to follow.
~ 0 ~
Thinking they would enter the TARDIS engine room, the trio went into the room carelessly and nearly fell over a cliff ledge. It appeared they were somewhere on the outside, a mountain landscape.
"We're outside?" Clara frowned, doubting it'd been that easy to escape.
"No, we're still in the TARDIS," the Doctor said slowly.
"There's no way across."
"No. OK, you're right."
"So what do we do? Time for a plan. Do you have a plan?"
The Doctor shared a look with Minerva, both deciding to try their luck.
"There is no plan, Clara," Minerva announced seconds later, "Sorry."
Clara panicked at the idea, "If you don't have a plan, we're dead!"
"Quite," Minerva agreed, "So just tell us who you are already."
Clara made a face, seemingly in the dark, "Tell you what?"
"Well, there's no point now, we're about to die, so just tell us who you are," the Doctor shrugged.
"You know who I am," Clara said slowly, eyeing the pair confusedly.
"Yeah, a 26 year old with a suspicious imaginary friend? We hardly know you, Clara," Minerva gave her a sharp look. "Why do you think we don't tell you anything about ourselves? Because we can't fully trust you until we understand what you are."
"What..." Clara lost her courage at the sight of both suspicious aliens just staring her down like she was some sort of criminal.
"We look at you every single day, and we don't understand a thing about you," the Doctor frowned, "Why do we keep running into you?"
Clara was at a loss for words, "Doctor, Minerva, you invited me - you said…"
"Before that," Minerva corrected and the Doctor continued.
"We met you in the Dalek Asylum. There was a girl in a shipwreck, and she died saving our lives. And she was you."
Clara was feeling scared and not even the appearance of Ally could help, "She really wasn't."
"Victorian London," the Doctor sais next, his voice growing hard, "There was a governess who was a barmaid, and we fought the Great Intelligence together, she died, and it was our fault - and she was you."
"You're scaring me!" Clara stepped back, unknowingly closing in on the ledge.
-It's okay, Clara, we'll be fine- Ally had a hand in front of Clara. Unlike Clara, Ally was paying close attention to what Minerva and the Doctor were saying.
"And both women had imaginary friends," Minerva spat.
- Now what are you talking about, Minerva?- Ally moved closer, like Minerva could see her.
"Citlally and Holly," Minerva looked at the Doctor, both agreeing, "Victorian Clara mentioned Holly right near her end and we thought she was just scared of dying so she was rambling...but she wasn't. There was someone there with her that we never saw. Oswin mentioned Citlally...but she was also gone just as Oswin was dying."
"What are you, eh? Are you a trick, a trap?" the Doctor demanded from Clara.
Clara stuttered and stepped back once more, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Do you really?" Minerva asked.
"Yes!" Clara exclaimed and moved back again, nearly falling over the ledge.
The Doctor managed to grab her before she fell and instantly felt her terror via her trembling, "You...you really don't know, do you?" he looked down at the brunette.
"I think I'm more scared of you two right now than anything else on that TARDIS," Clara swallowed hard and moved away from him.
"You're just Clara, aren't you?" Minerva studied the brunette thoroughly, concluding the woman was far too terrified to be a brilliant mastermind.
-What did she mean by all that?- Ally was studying Minerva as well, looking more confused than scared.
"Kind of, yeah," Clara slowly nodded, rubbing her arm, "Is this why your kid doesn't like me?"
Elias covered his eyes as a response.
The Doctor clapped his hands together and smiled, "We're not going to die here. This isn't real! It's a snarl," he kicked a rock over the ledge.
"What?"
"What does a wounded animal do? It tries to scare everyone away. We're close to the engine. The TARDIS is snarling at us, trying to frighten us off. We need to jump."
'Jump!' Elias clapped his own small hands together, 'Let's go! Let's go!'
Minerva shook her head, "You would be excited, El."
"That's my boy!" the Doctor happily took his son and faced the ledge.
"You're both insane, then," accused Clara.
"We'll cross a portal to the engine," the Doctor shrugged and took Minerva's hand.
"How can you be so sure?" Clara looked at Minerva for some opinion.
"It's not exactly sure," Minerva admitted, "but its the only chance we have."
"Hey, now, Clara, I've piloted this ship for over 900 years. Trust me this one time, please," the Doctor reminded but then realized his mistake, "OK. OK. As well as all the other times. Ready? Geronimo."
With nothing else to say, the group ran off and jumped off the edge. They came into a white room with machinery pieces suspended in midair. There was an eerie silence that filled the room, as if preparing them for the worst.
"The heart of the TARDIS. The engine - it's already exploded," the Doctor's hearts sank at the sight, "It must have been the collision with the salvage ship."
"We're not dead," Clara tried to point out.
"She wrapped her hands around the force. Froze it," Minerva looked around, just as heartbroken as the Doctor.
Elias was pouting, "Tayis," he sadly covered his eyes.
"So... so it's safe?" Clara nervously asked.
"Temporary fix. Eventually, this whole place will erupt. There's no way I can save her now," the Doctor whispered, "She's just always been there for me, taken care of me. And now it's my turn and I don't know what to do. It... it just…"
Minerva gripped his hand, "There must be something…"
-Clara- Ally appeared beside Clara and looked down at the human's hands, -look at your hand, the burnt one-
Clara did so and saw something written across her burnt palm. The burn marks had been turned into actual letter. "Oh...oh that could be useful," she realized and looked at the pair ahead. She rushed over and moved in front of them, "Guys, look!" she waved her hand at them and immediately the Doctor snatched it for a look, yanking her forwards.
"Ooh, Clara. Oh. You are beautiful!" he cheered and showed Minerva their salvation.
"Never in my life have I been so happy for fragile human skin," Minerva breathed in delight.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic, " The rift in time. All the memories leaking out. I need to find the moment we crashed. I need to find... the music," with the sonic he was able to locate the origin of their original crashing moment.
They ran all the way there, intending on saving them selves once more. They re-entered the console room where a large crack was running down a wall.
"The time rift," the Doctor slowly walked over it, Elias now with his mother instead, "Recent past. Possible future."
"What are you going to do?" Clara asked nervously as the Doctor held a remote for the device that had burned Clara's palm.
"Rewrite today," he cheerfully said, currently using the sonic to write the words, "I hope. I've thrown this through the rift before. I need to make sure this time. Going to take it in there myself. There might be a certain amount of yelling."
"Maybe I should do it," Minerva offered herself.
"Over my dead body," the Doctor scoffed and headed for the rift, "You stay here with Elias and Clara." Minerva sighed but didn't insist. She held Elias closer to her, the baby already waving bye to his father.
"Hold on," Clara looked between the pair, "what you said about me...how we've met before. How I died…"
"Clara, there's no need to worry," Minerva shook her head, "You won't remember anything. Time mends us. It can mend anything."
Clara frowned, "I don't want to forget. Not all of it. Ally," she looked around again, finding her blonde imaginary friend standing across them, "I know what I saw, and I know what you did...I don't want to forget that."
-I love you, Clara, but it's a story that will only cause suffering- Ally sadly smiled, -My story ended a long time ago-
Clara tilted her head, making a face that expressed her confusion, "I don't...what does...that mean?"
Minerva looked at the empty spot where she assumed Ally was and frowned herself, "Clara, just because you don't remember doesn't mean we'll forget. We will work to discover what is really going on."
"Stay put," the Doctor ordered with a smile before stepping into the rift. The moment he did he felt the energy coursing through this body in painful amounts.
"Clara," Minerva spoke quietly, "is Ally still around?"
"Yeah," Clara was still staring at her imaginary friend.
"Good," Minerva faced the direction Clara was in, hoping Ally was listening, "Then hear me now, Ally. We will find out who and what you are," she promised.
-And I sincerely hope you never do- Ally responded calmly.
That was the last thing said in the room before everything went white and time was successfully rewritten.
~ 0 ~
After Clara had been returned home, the woman having expressed how exhausted she was, the alien trio got ready for some needed sleep. Although, Minerva did have a stop by her painting room...for a good hour or so.
"Minerva," the Doctor knocked and opened the door, "I thought you were going to sleep?"
Minerva looked up from her canvas with a startled face, "Whoops, I got a little bit into my work tonight. Sorry."
"I assumed so," the Doctor smiled and came into the room, "Elias is fast asleep now, poor kid had went through a lot. Though I guess he now has a little more respect for Clara since she did keep him safe for us."
"Yes, we'll have to thank her for that," Minerva said honestly. "But...did he say anything about Ally?"
"He says Ally isn't a bad person and that we shouldn't think of her as a threat."
"I can't believe it," Minerva put down all her painting utensils and took off her apron, "What is she? I mean...Elias is a baby but...he knows what's bad and what's not bad..."
"Makes one think that maybe Ally herself isn't bad," the Doctor smiled lightly.
"It would just be easier if Elias told us already who Ally was," Minerva huffed.
"He's much like us in a way; he keeps his promises."
"Against his own mother!? He's keeping something important from me."
The Doctor chuckled and moved over to her, taking her by the waist, "May I remind you who kept a big secret from her entire family?" Minerva immediately frowned and stayed quiet, "You kept a secret from your parents, Clever Girl."
"Because they would try to separate us," Minerva said fast, the mere thought sending her into a panicking state, "I know you weren't a bad person."
Minerva's words got the Doctor thinking, "Maybe we've been going about this all wrong…"
"What do you mean?" Minerva saw he was in one of his thinking moments and became curious.
"Maybe Elias is only trying to do what you and I did in the past…" the Doctor began to smile, "Maybe Ally isn't a bad person, and maybe Elias just wants us all to stay together."
"You think...you think Elias is trying to protect Ally?" Minerva frowned at the idea, "Why?"
"Because he's scared, maybe? All he's heard from us is how we want to stop Ally and find out who she is…"
"He doesn't want us to hurt her," Minerva then realized, running a hand through her hair, "Oh my God. I think we should start the search again..."
"Or..." the Doctor held her a bit tighter in his arms, "...we can get some sleep. You know, that thing Moontsays need a bit more than Time Lords?"
"Are you trying to coax me into sleeping by pointing out my inferiority to you?" Minerva tilted her head upwards to meet the Doctor's gaze.
"You know I think you're the absolute Queen of the universe," the Doctor responded rather calmly and pressed a kiss on her neck. "You should have ruled my planet, actually. I'm sure you would have made it a better place."
"Smooth, Martian," Minerva smirked. "Alright, I'll get some sleep under one condition."
"And that would be?"
"You have to be right next to me when I wake up."
"A promise I can most definitely keep," the Doctor chuckled and kissed her cheek before leading her out of the room.
Author's Note:
I always liked this episode for some reason lol. It finally gave us an insight of the TARDIS in new who. Since there are no comments to respond to, I'll just end it here! Next chapter we get some familiar faces again, and not the ones you think ;)
