The Doctor:

The bus. What was the point in the bus? I hated it, and Callie hated how they smelt, and I agreed. "You're just in time, mate." The driver told me as I put the psychic paper on the thingy, before moving off to let Callie put on a card and sonic it with her hand.

The doors closed, and the bus moved off as I sat next to some random woman, Calliope behind us, grabbing a piece of Easter egg. "Hello, I'm the Doctor, this is Callie. Happy Easter." I smiled, eating some of the chocolate myself. "The funny thing is, I don't often do Easter. I can never find it. It's always at a different time. Although I remember the original. Between you and me, what really happened was."

Callie's machine beeped, and I reached to grab it, handing the random woman the egg. "Oh. Sorry, hold on to that for me. Actually, go on, have it. Finish it. It's full of sugar and I'm determined to keep these teeth. Plus, Cal is already hyper."

"Ah. Oh, we've got excitation." My little girl laughed, seeing how it was lit up. "We're picking up something very strange."

"I know the feeling." The woman muttered.

Callie was still hyperly chatting. She ate 3 easter eggs. "Rhondium particles, that's what we're looking for. This thing detects them. Look, this should to round, that little dish there."

The lady I was sat next to wasn't having fun. "Right now, a way out would come in pretty handy. Can you detect me one of those?"

I flicked the dish, and it finally started spinning. "Ah, the little dish is going round."

"Fascinating."

"And round. Whoa." Callie muttered as it sparked into a blonde womans hair, making her glare at me as I was the one holding it. "Sorry. That was my little dish."

The dark haired lady next to me wasn't happy. "Can't you turn that thing off?"

"What was your name?" Callie asked her.

"Christina."

"Christina, hold on tight." I told her, my daughter closing her eyes, holding on tight to the rail. "Everyone, hold on!" Then we were thrown, Callie screaming more than anyone, as though she was in pain, until it stopped, golden light shining in. I went right outside, the other woman following me, leaving Callie on the bus. "End of the line. Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little bit further than Brixton."

More people then followed us out, not Cal, but she was probably adjusting to the different sonic frequencies of the planet. It's why she screamed, the sound and light in her head. "It's impossible. There are three suns. Three of them." The blonde woman breathed, staring at them.

Another young black man now, like nearly everyone was out of the bus. "Like when all those planets were up in the sky."

"But it was Earth that moved back then, wasn't it?"

"Oh, man, we're on another world."

The driver shook his head, looking back at the bus. "It's still intact, though. Not as bad as it looks, and the chassis's still holding together. My boss is going to murder me."

Blonde woman stared at him. "Can you still drive it?"

"Oh no, no, no. The wheels are stuck. Look at them, they're never going to budge."

Christina dug in her back for a moment, pulling out some sunglasses. "Ready for every emergency."

I sonicked my spectacle lenses black and examined the sand grains. "Me too."

"And what's your name? Plus your daughter, back in the bus."

"I'm the Doctor, she's Calliope Jace, CJ or Callie."

The girl frowned a little. "Name, not rank."

Really? "The Doctor."

"Surname?"

"The Doctor. Callie uses Smith, bog standard."

She still wasn't getting it. "You're called the Doctor?"

"Yes, I am." I agreed, holding a palmful of the sand. "Funny sort of sand, this. There's a trace of something else." At which point I tasted it. "Glah. Not good."

Christina frowned a little. "Well, it wouldn't be. It's sand."

Wait... I knew that... "No, it tastes like. Never mind."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

One of the younger guys came over, looking at me. "Hold on a minute. I saw you, mate. You and your kid had that thing, that machine. Did you make this happen?"

Perfect, absolutely perfect. "Oh, humans on buses, always blaming me, and now Callie. Look, look, if you must know, I was tracking a hole in the fabric of reality. Call it a hobby. But it was a tiny little hole. No danger to anyone. Suddenly it gets big, and we drive right through it."

"But then where is it?" The Driver asked incredulously. "There's nothing. There's just sand."

Stupid humans. "All right. You want proof? We drove through this." I threw a pile of sand through it, a wibbly thing appearing in the air. "A door. A door in space."

"So what you're saying is, on the other side of that is home? We can get to London through there?" The driver asked, heading for it.

"The bus came through, but we can't."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" But it was too late, and he went through, screaming before burning into a pile of bones.

"He was a skeleton, man. He was bones. Just bones."

I was not, repeat not, losing anyone else! "It was the bus. Look at the damage. That was the bus protecting us. Great big box of metal."

"Rather like a Faraday cage?" Christina asked. Huh, right.

"Like in a thunderstorm, yeah? Safest place is inside a car, because the metal conducts the lightning right through." We looked at another young lad, maybe around Callie's age. "We did it in school."

Christina shook her head a little. "But if we can only travel back inside the bus? A Faraday cage needs to be closed. That thing's been ripped wide open."

"Well, slightly different dynamics with a wormhole. There's enough metal to make it work, I think. I hope." Callie should be out here by now...

"Then we have to drive five tons of bus, which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands. Correct?"

Then a familiar figure appeared in the door, her leather jacket pulled close around her. "I'd say nine and a half tons, but the point still stands, yes. Sorry, my head, not great with the scenery change." Why were you still so pale from it?

Christina started to speak again as I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Then we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline. Which starts with appointing a leader."

Brilliant. "Yes. At last. Thank you. So."

"Well, thank goodness you've got me. Everyone do exactly as I say. Inside the bus immediately."

"Is it safe in there?"

She shook her head. "I don't think anything's safe any more, but if it's a choice between baking in there or roasting out here, I'd say baking is slower. Come on. All of you. Right now. And you. The Doctor with your daughter Callie."

"Yes, ma'am."

But after about 10 minutes, and point 5, of her being in charge, I wasn't overly happy with how in charge she was. "Point five. The crucial thing is, do not panic. Quite apart from anything else, the smell of sweat inside this thing is reaching atrocious levels. We don't need to add any more. Point six. Team identification. Names. I'm Christina. This man is apparently the Doctor, this is his daughter Calliope, but she calls herself Callie." We both waved. "And you?"

"Nathan."

"I'm Barclay."

"Angela. Angela Whittaker."

"My name's Louis. Everyone calls me Lou. And this is Carmen."

Christina was happy with this. "Excellent. Memorise those names. There might be a test." Seriously? "Point seven. Assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you, the Doctor."

Huh, what? "I thought you were in charge."

She smiled at me. "I am. And a good leader utilises her strength. You seem to be the brainbox. So, start boxing."

So Callie took my moment of silence to explain things herself. "Right. So, the wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident."

"No, it wasn't. That thing, the doorway? Someone made it for a reason."

We both looked over at the couple at the back. "How do you know?"

Her husband put his hand on her knee. "She's got a gift. Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things. We do the lottery twice a week."

"You don't look like millionaires." Christina frowned.

"No, but we win ten pounds. Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift."

Now, that was interesting. "Tell me, Carmen. How many fingers am I holding up?"

I held them up behind my back. "Three." Changed it. "Four."

"How old is Callie, Carmen?"

"She's older than she looks. 50. Over 50, but she looks 17."

Now, that was clever. "Very good. Low level psychic ability, exacerbated by an alien sun. What can you see, Carmen? Tell me, what's out there?"

"Something, something is coming. Riding on the wind, and shining."

Callie frowned, her hand on her hip lightly. "What is it?"

The woman looked right at her. "Death. Death is coming."

Which sent everyone into a panic, obviously, and I had to have a quick natter with my daughter, who then started to sing, getting everyone's attention, all looking at her as she stopped. "All right now, stop it. Everyone, stop it! Angela, look at me. Angela? Angela? Answer me one question, Angela. That's it. At me, at me. There we go. Angela, just answer me one thing. When you got on this bus, where were you going?"

"Doesn't matter now, does it?"

She smiled a little. "Answer the question, love."

"Just home."

"And what's home?" I asked her.

Which really got her attention. "Me and Mike. And Suzanne. That's my daughter. She's eighteen. Yo, your age." Well, give or take about 40 years.

I nodded, moving onto the next person. "Suzanne. Good. What about you?"

"Don't know. Going round Tina's."

Which made Callie smile a little. "Who's Tina? Your girlfriend?"

And now he grinned. "Not yet."

Ha, brilliant. "Good boy. What about you, Nathan?"

"Bit strapped for cash. I lost my job last week. I was going to stay in and watch TV." Perfect night in.

"Brilliant. And you two?"

Lou frowned a little. "I was going to cook."

"It's his turn tonight." Carmen smiled. "Then I clear up."

Callie laughed a little. "What's for tea?"

"Chops. Nice couple of chops and gravy. Nothing special."

She smiled. "Oh, that's special, Lou. That is so special. Chops and gravy, mmm. Never used to like meat, but its great now. What about you, Christina?"

"I was going so far away."

Perfect, just what I needed. "Far away. Chops and gravy. Watching TV. Mike and Suzanne and poor old Tina." Barclay got offended. "Just think of them. Because that planet out there, all three suns, wormholes and alien sand, that planet is nothing. You hear me? Nothing, compared to all those things waiting for you. Food and home and people. Hold on to that, because we're going to get there. I promise. We're going to get you home."

So we got to work, and Nathan and Barclay started to fetch seats from the bus, taking them out to the desert. "Here we go."

"That's my boys."Callie smiled as shee leant against the bus, her hand still on her side. Oh god, what happened, was it the planet, did it still hurt her? "See, we lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole, like duckboards, and we reverse into it."

"Let some air out of the tyres. Just a little bit. It spreads the weight of the bus, gives you more grip against the sand." Christy told them, and we both looked at her carefully. "Holidays in the Kalahari."

Barclay shook his head a little. "Yeah, but those wheels go deep."

"Then start digging."

"With what?"

At which point she pulled a spade out of her bag, and I passed it to Barclay. "With this."

Seriously? "Got anything else in there?"

"Try that. It might help with the seats." An axe. Seriously?

Then Angela stuck her head out the bus."I can't find the keys."

Cal shook her head, long dark waves shaking slightly. "Oh no, buses don't have keys. There's a master switch, then it's one button to start, the other one to stop, yeah? I got stuck on a bus once, learnt to drive them."

"Right. Hold on. Oh, I've got it. Here we go. Hold tight. Ding, ding." Then she started the engine, but it just ground itself and turned off.

"Ooo, that doesn't sound too good." We both muttered, and went to look at the smoking engine at the back. "Oh, never mind losing half the top deck. You know what's worse? Sand. Tiny little grains of sand. The engine's clogged up."

"Anyone know mechanics?"

Barclay put his hand up. "Me. I did a two week NVQ at the garage. Never finished it, but-"

Better than nothing. "Off you go, then. Try stripping the air filter. Fast as you can. Back in two ticks. Come on, Cal."

"Wait a minute. You're the pair with all the answers." Christina called, running after us. "I'm not letting you two out of my sight."

"Easier if you left that backpack behind."

"Where I go, it goes."

Because that wasn't ominous. "A backpack with a spade and an axe. Christina, who's going so far away, and yet scared by the sound of a siren. Who are you?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You can both talk. Let's just say we're three equal mysteries."

"We make quite a couple." I laughed, putting my hand on my daughters shoulder. "Even with the kid sidekick."

"I'm not a kid, nor your side kick, im your daughter."

Christina agreed with that. "We don't make any sort of couple, thank you very much. Come on then. Tell me. If Carmen's right, if that wormhole's not an accident, then what is it? Has someone done this on purpose?"

Calliope shook her head. "I don't know, but every single instinct of mine is telling me to get off this planet right now. I really don't feel so good." I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. She was freezing.

"And do you think we can?"

"I live in hope."

She smiled a little at us. "That must be nice. It's Christina de Souza. To be precise, Lady Christina de Souza."

"Ooo, that's handy, because I'm a Lord, same with Callie."

"Seriously? The Lord and Lady of where?"

Cal smiled a little, her face very pale, even in the golden sunlight. "It's quite a big estate."

"No, but there's something more about you. That device you were carrying, and the wormhole. The way your singing got everyone to shut up, Callie. Like you knew. And the way you stride around this place, like.Like you're not quite-"

Which was where we didn't want to go. "Anyway, come on. Allons-y."

"Oui, mais pas si nous allons vers un cauchemar." Oh, now she was good.

"Oh, we were made for each other." Callie laughed as we crested another dune, and her eyes found the storm ahead of us, like she was following every sound. "Ah, don't like the look of that."

Christina frowned a little. "Storm clouds. Must be hundreds of miles away."

Not far enough. "But getting closer."

"If that's a sand storm, we'll get ripped to shreds."

Cal shook her head, twisting her long brown hair up into a bun on top of her head. "It's a storm. Who says it's sand?" And then she collapsed, and I grabbed her to stop her hitting the sand hard. "OK, really not feeling good now..."

I moved her hand away from her side, and saw that it was red with blood, soaking through her dark blue vest, and when I moved it aside, I saw that there was safety glass embedded in her skin, not deep, but worrying. It may not be sharp, the safety glass of the bus, but at high velocity, it would still go deep. "Callie! Oh God, Callie!" I cried, taking out the sonic to remove the pieces, her skin swollen and encrusted with sand. "You should of told me!"

"You would have worried, like you are now. It doesn't hurt."

That was even more worrying. "Because you're in shock. Christina, got a first aid kit in that bag of yours?"

With that the woman took over, moving me aside as I lay her down on my coat, and she carefully moved her shirt to wipe the wound clean and start doing field stitches. How did she have that good a first aid kit with her, unless she was expecting to use it? After that, I picked her up, running back to the bus to phone in what was going on.

Barclay was the only one with a phone, and after a quick issue with calling for pizza first, I got through to UNIT. "This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Please select one of the following four options. If you want to-"

Not that that helped.

"Oh, I hate these things."

"If you keep your finger pressed on zero, you get through to a real person." Angela told me quickly. "I saw it on Watchdog."

Brilliant. "Thank you, Angela."

"UNIT helpline. Which department would you like?"

"Listen, it's the Doctor. It's me and my daughter Callie."

And then we were put on hold with some really annoying music, before a woman picked up the line again. "Doctor? Jace? This is Captain Erisa Magambo. Might I say, sir, Miss, it's an honour."

It sounded like she self concussed when she did that. "Did you just salute? Oh, and her name is Callie.

Another brief pause. "No." Liar.

Callie laughed a little, sat across me on the seat, a thick white bandage over her stitches. "Erisa, it's about the bus. HQ said you're at the tunnel, yeah?"

"And where are you both?"

"We're on the bus." She replied, taking a tissue from Angela to wipe the blood off her hands. "Ta, love. But apart from that, not a clue, except it's very pretty and pretty dangerous."

"A body came through here. Have you sustained any more fatalities?"

I shook my head, even though she couldn't actually see me. "No, and we're not going to. Callie got hurt in the travel, but we've patched her up for now. We're stuck, though. We haven't got the TARDIS, and I need to analyse that wormhole."

"We have a scientific advisor on site. Doctor Malcolm Taylor." Cool name, Malcolm. "Just the man you need. He's a genius."

Uh, we were the geniuses here. "Oh, is he? We'll see about that." And then I could hear them talking, and saying how the day I met them would probably be the end, which wasn't all that nice, but I didn't think they could hear me. "I can hear everything you're saying."

"Hello, Doctor? Miss Calliope?" Why was it always Miss Calliope, or Miss Callie? "Oh, my goodness!"

"Yes, we are. Hello, Malcolm." Cal laughed, shaking her head, looking a little better now the bleeding was stopped.

"The Doctor, and his little girl. Cor blimey. I can't believe I'm actually speaking to you both. I mean, I've read all the files."

Seriously? "Really? What was your favourite, the giant robot?" Callie raised her eyebrow at me. "No, no, hold on. Let's sort out that wormhole. Excuse me. Malcolm, something's not making sense here. We've got a storm and a wormhole, and I can't help thinking there's a connection. I need a complete full range analysis of that wormhole. The whole thing."

"Well, I've probably got the wrong idea, but I've wired up an integrator. I thought it could measure the energy signature."

Callie rolled her eyes. "No. No, no, no, no, no. That'll never work. Listen. I'm the good one when it comes to energy and patterns-"

But Malcolm interjected. "It's quite extraordinary, though. I'm measuring an oscillation of fifteen Malcolms per second."

"Fifteen what?" We questioned together, staring at the phone.

He sounded a little sheepish. "Fifteen Malcolms. It's my own little term. A wavelength parcel of ten kilohertz operating in four dimensions equals one Malcolm."

You had to be kidding me. "You named a unit of measurement after yourself?"

"Well, it didn't do Mister Watt any harm." Or Mr Newton. "Furthermore, one hundred Malcolms equals a Bernard."

My daughter wasn't impressed. "And who's that, your dad?"

"Don't be ridiculous. That's Quatermass."

Oh, this was taking far too long. "Right. Fine. But before we die of old age, which in our case would be quite an achievement, so congratulations on that, is there anyone else I can talk to?"

Malcolm spoke quickly. "No, no, no, no, but listen. I set the scanner to register what it can't detect and inverted the image."

Which got Callie's attention, making her sit up straighter, even though she hissed in pain. "You did what?"

"Is that wrong?"

"No. Malcolm, that's brilliant. So you can actually measure the wormhole. Okay. I admit that is genius. Now, run a capacity scan. I need a full report." She told me. "Also, there should be a programme on your system, I made it. It'll tell me the colour of it, this planet is messing me up, the colours are all wrong. Call me back when you've done it. And Malcolm? You're our new best friend."

Then she hung up, and tried to get up, managing it as we headed out into the desert again. "Barclay, we're holding on to this."

"Hey, you'd better bring it back."

We passed Nathan again as we walked back out, and went back up to the top of the dune, taking photos of the approaching storm. "Send these back to Earth. See if Malcolm can analyse the storm." Callie muttered, breathing shallowly. She should have stayed behind. And then she narrowed her eyes a little. "There's something in those clouds. Something shining. Look. Like metal. Why would there be metal in a storm? It's glinting red, horrible."

"Did you hear something?" Christina asked, but I brushed her off, until we saw an alien with multifaceted eyes watching us.

The alien, a biped with an insect head, chittered and pointed a weapon, and I replied in clicks and chitters. "That's wait. I shout wait, people usually wait."

"You speak the language?"

"Every language." Callie agreed, as I kept chittering. "That's begging for mercy, nice one, dad."

The alien gestured with its weapon. "That means move."

Nice. "Ooo, you're learning."

"These fly things, they must be responsible." She said as we were lead through the desert. "They brought us here."

Why were they getting the blame? Besides, their ship was wrecked. "No, no, no, no, no. Look at the ship. It's a wreck. They crashed, just like us."

The inside wasn't as bad, but Callie was shivering like mad the moment we got in there. "Oh, but this place is freezing. The hull's made of photafine steel. Turns cold when it's hot. Boiling desert outside, freezing ship inside. Since we met you, Christina, we've been through all the extremes."

"That's how I like things, extreme." Oh, I bet you did.

At which point I got all fanboy over the works. "Oh, this is beautiful. Intact, it must have been magnificent. A proper streamlined deep spacer."

Christina rolled her eyes. "I'll remember that as I'm being slowly tortured. At least I'm bleeding on the floor of a really well designed spaceship."

Two aliens chittered at us. One of them touched a round purple device on his overall. "Oh, right, good. Yes. Hello. That's a telepathic translator. He can understand us."

"Still sounds like gibberish to me."

Callie frowned a little. "That's what he said. He can understand us. It doesn't work the other way round." And then she started translating. "You will suffer for your crimes, etcetera. You have committed an act of violence against the Tritovore race. Tritovores. They're called Tritovores. You came here in the two hundred to destroy us. Sorry, what's the two hundred?"

"It's the bus. Number two hundred. They mean the bus." Ohh, right.

"Oh. No, look, I think you're making the same mistake Christina did. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and my daughter, Calliope, Callie. This is Christina. The Honourable Lady Christina. At least I hope she's honourable." There was still something she wasn't telling us. "We got pulled through that wormhole. The two hundred doesn't look like that normally. It's broken, just the same as you."

The alien lowered his weapon. "What are they doing?"

"They believe me."

Which confused even Callie. "What, as simple as that?"

Really? "I've got a very honest face, love. And the translator says I'm telling the truth. Plus the face."

She rolled her eyes, clicking her fingers. "Right. So, first things first. There's a very strange storm heading our way. Can you send out a probe? Oh, they've lost power. Hmm, the crash knocked the mainline crystallography out of synch. But if I can jiggle it back." She opened her mouth, letting out small song that then brought the entire thing back to life. My clever Callie. "I thank you. Yes, I am. Frequently. Okey doke, let's launch that probe."

Then we looked at an image that zoomed in to the planet. "The Scorpion Nebula. We're on the other side of the universe. Just what you wanted. So far away. The planet of San Helios."

"And that's us?" Christina asked. "We're on another world."

"We have been for quite a while." Cal pointed out.

She shook her head. "I know, but seeing it like that."

I beamed at her. "It's good, isn't it?"

"Wonderful." Christina agreed.

"The Tritovores were going to trade with San Helios." Callie interjected. "Population of one hundred billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb."

Which made the other woman wrinkle her nose. "By waste matter, you mean-"

Cal shrugged. "They feed off what others leave behind from their behind, if you see what I mean. It's perfectly natural. They are flies, we've met creatures that live off exhaust fumes." The parallel earth had Macra then.

"Charming. Just remind me never to kiss them."

Then there was a bustling metropolis on the screen. "San Helios City."

"That's amazing. But you've seen this sort of thing before, haven't you? Those Lordship of yours. The Lord and Lady of where, exactly?"

"Of Time. I come from a race of people called Time Lords, Calliope is the first and only ever hybrid of Time Lord and human."

"You're alien?"

"Yeah." I agreed. "But you don't have to kiss me either, and I'd rather you didn't kiss Callie."

"You look human."

We came first. "You look Time Lord." Our lips were just a little away from each other.

Which Callie obviously didn't like. "Anyway."

"So if that's San Helios, all we need to do is find that city. They can help us."

But Cal's shook her head. "I don't think it's that simple. We're in the city right now. The same colours, the same noises, built into the sand. The city, the oceans, the mountains, the wildlife, and a hundred billion people turned to sand. All those voices in Carmen's head. She's hearing them die, which is why I can't see the colours properly, the screams are messing with me."

Which completely grossed out Christy. "But I've got sand in my hair. That's dead people. Oh, that's disgusting. Oh."

Then the phone rang, Callie putting it on speaker. "Malcolm, tell me the bad news.

"Oh, you are clever. It is bad news. It's the wormhole, Doctor, Callie. It's getting bigger. We've gone way past 100 Bernards. I haven't invented a name for that." Maybe a Callie?

"How can it get bigger by itself?" I asked, sonicking Cal to make sure she wasn't getting an infection where the glass had been embedded. I mean, public transport.

"Well, that's why I'm phoning. You'll work it out, if I know you, sir, Miss."

The I heard the solider again. "Doctor, Callie, we estimate the circumference of your invisible wormhole is now four miles, heading upwards. I've grounded all flights above London. We can't risk anyone else falling through."

Callie gave a short nod, pushing me away when I started mothering. "Good work, both of you. Dad, leave it, I'm fine."

She wasn't finished. "But I have to know. Does that wormhole constitute a danger to this planet?"

And then the phone beeped. "Oh, sorry. Call waiting. Got to go." I swapped calls over. "Yeah?"

"Doctor, it's Nathan. We got those duckboard things down, but-" Someone else spoke. "No, it's not. Don't say that."

"Why, what's happened?" Callie asked, frowning at the phone.

"We kept on turning the engine, but, we're out of petrol. Used it all up. Even if we can get those wheels out, this bus is never going to move."

Crap, crap, crap, crap. "What is it, what's wrong? Dad, tell me."

"You promised you'd get us home. Doctor? Callie? Are you still there?"

I was too distracted, the Tritovores speaking. "It's the probe. It's reached the storm."

Callie's dark eyes hardened a little. "It's not a storm. It's a swarm. Millions of them. Billions. Oh, we've lost the probe. I think it got eaten. Everything on this planet gets eaten."

"How far away is that swarm?"

"A hundred miles." I replied, calculating it in my head. "But at that speed, it'll be here in twenty minutes. No, no, no, they're not just coming for us. They want the wormhole."

Christina stared at me. "They're heading for Earth?"

Callie shook her head, moving to a small monitor. "Show the analysis. Incredible. They swarm out of a wormhole, strip the planet bare, then move on to the next world. Start the life cycle all over again."

"So, they make the wormholes? But how? They don't exactly look like technicians. And if the wormhole belongs to them, why are they a hundred miles away?"

"Because they need to be?" I suggested, then disproved it. "No, that's bonkers. Hang on. Yes. Oh, do you see? Billions of them, flying in formation, all around the planet. Round and round and round, faster and faster and faster, till they generate a rupture in space. The speed of them, and the numbers, and the size, all of that rips the wormhole into existence."

"And the wormhole's getting bigger?"

My daughter nodded. "Because they're getting closer. See the exoskeleton. They've got bones of metal. They eat metal and extrude it into the exoskeleton. So their velocity makes the wormhole, then their body makes it safe. Perfect design."

Our new friend was staring at us. "Those things are going to turn the entire Earth into a desert. So why exactly are you both smiling?"

"Worse it gets, the more I love it."

"Me too." She grinned. "The thing is, Doctor, little Callie, you're missing the obvious. We came here through the wormhole, yes? But our Tritovore friends didn't. They came here to trade with San Helios. Therefore, the question is, why did they crash?"

Cal raised an eyebrow. "Ah, good question. What a team. Like she said, why did you crash?" Then they lead us to a large hole in the spaceship. Oh, yes. Gravity well. Look, goes all the way down to the engine. So what happened? He says the drive system stalled. Ten miles up, they fell out of the sky. But what caused that?"

He shrugged. "Which means no idea."

I nodded. "Yeah. But wait a minute. That's a crystal nucleus down there, yes? And it looks like it survived the crash. If the crystal's intact? Oh, yes. That's better than diesel."

"What, you can use the crystal to move the bus?" Christina asked.

Well, yeah. "I think so. The spaceship's a write-off, but the two hundred's small enough."

"How does a crystal drive a bus?"

"In a super clever outer-spacey way." I told her. "Just trust us. There's the crystal! It's fallen to the bottom of the well. Have you got access shafts? All frozen? Well, maybe I can open them. Ah! Internal comms. Put that on." I handed it to Christina. "You stay here. Keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything happens."

I took my daughters hand, running with her back through the spaceship. "If we can use that sunlight to start the automatic maintenance. Christina? If you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know."

"Nothing yet."

Damn. "Anything now?"

"Afraid not."

I started connecting various other cables together. "Any sign of movement?"

"Nope."

Tried a few more. "How's that?"

"Nothing."

OK, how about that? "Any result?"

"Not a dickie bird. So let me get this right. You need that crystal? Then consider it done."

"Why, what do you mean?" Callie asked, looking up. "Christina? Christina!"

We started running again, still hearing her. "The aristocracy survives for a reason. We're ready for anything." And we reached the room as she dove into the shaft.

Callie went on instinct to sonic the pulley. "Come on. Come on, come on, come on. That's better."

"I decide when I stop, thank you."

"You're about to hit the security grid, idiot. Look."

The woman sighed a little. "Excellent. So what do I do?"

My little one laughed a little. "Try the big red button."

"Well done."

"Now come back up. I can do that. I'm the lightest, fastest and-"

"You're also injured. I'll go slowly, don't worry."

Really? "Quite the mystery, aren't you? Lady Christina de Souza, carrying a winch in her bag."

"No stranger than you, spaceman. You and your spacedaughter."

Oh, Donna... "I had this friend, once. She called me spaceman."

The woman laughed. "And was she right? Do you zoom about the place in a rocket?"

Callie shrugged, holding her side lightly. She needed to stop running, it wouldn't heal. "Well, a little blue box. Travels in more than space. It can journey through time, Christina. Oh, the places we've been. World War One. Creation of the universe. End of the universe. The war between China and Japan. And the Court of King Athelstan in 924 AD." She bent down and took a goblet out of the rucksack. "But I don't remember you being there. So what are you doing with this?"

"Excuse me. A gentleman never goes through a lady's possessions."

"I didn't, she did. It's the Cup of Athelstan, given to the first King of Britain as a coronation gift from Hywel, King of the Welsh. But it's been held in the International Gallery for two hundred years, which makes you, Lady Christina, a thief. Not as good as Callie, but hey."

There was a glee in her voice. "I like to think I liberated it."

Cal rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you need the money."

"Daddy lost everything. Invested his fortune in the Icelandic banks."

Yeah, right. "No, no, no, no, no. If you're short of cash, you rob a bank. Stealing this? That's a lifestyle."

"I take it you disapprove?"

"Absolutely." Though I'd be a hypocrite."Except. That little blue box, I stole it from my own people. Long before Callie was born."

Christina laughed. "Good boy. You were right. We're quite a team." Something roared. "What the blazes was that?"

Callie's eyes widened. "We never did find out why the ship crashed. Christina, I think you should come back up."

"Too late. I can see it."

"Careful. Slowly." I told her, looking back at the Tritivores. "Have you got an open-vent system?" They chittered agreement. "I thought so."

Christina spoke up from the well. "What does that mean?"

"It's like when birds fly into the engines of an aircraft."

"One of the creatures."

Callie shook her head. "It got trapped in the vents, caused the crash. Christina, get out. Now!"

She hesitated for a moment. "It's not moving. I think it's injured."

"No, it's dormant because it's so cold down there, but your body heat is raising the temperature."

Which made her laugh more. "I tend to have that effect. Almost there."

"Not just the crystal. I need the whole bed, the plate thing."

"I've got it!"

Blue waves of sonic quickly came from Callie's hands as she started to pull her back up quickly, the stingray moving. "Come on, come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on. It's going to eat its way up." And then she reactivated the security grid on her way up, stopping it dead. "Ooo, she's good." We grabbed her as she reached the top, the Tritovores chirping compliments. "That's it, that's it, that's it. We've got you. We've got you. Isn't she just."

Then we went back into the main room. "Commander?" Callie asked, her hand on her side. "Mission complete. Now, we've got to get back to the two hundred, all of us. Oh, don't be so daft. A captain can leave his ship, if there's a bus standing by."

Something banged. "What the hell was that? Is this place safe? It's the creature. It's not dead."

"Maybe you didn't hit just one of them. If you hit a swarm?" I asked, realising the ship design. "This ship's built inside a metal sleeve. They can move through the infrastructure, all around us. And those things wake up hungry. Commander, you've got to come with us right now."

"Come back to Earth. We'll find you a home."

"And that's the word of a lady." I told it. "Come on." One of the Tritovores went to a control panel, the stingray appearing and eating him. The Commander raised his weapon, but was then gone too. "There's nothing we can do. Run!"

I put my daughter on my back, holding her there as we started running, ignoring Malcolm as he tried to call us and reached the bus again. "At last." Nathan sighed. "Where've you been?"

"Get inside." I told Christina, setting down Callie and handed her half the clamps. "Get them sitting down. Now then, let's have a look."

"So what does that crystal do?"

Callie threw it behind her. "Oh, nothing. Don't need the crystal."

Which made her glare. "Oh, I risked my life for that."

I shook my head, attaching the clamps one side as CJ did the other. "No, no. You risked your life for these. The clamps. One on every wheel."

"But what are the clamps for? Do they turn the wheels?" Christina asked as we ran onto a bus, and Callie went to drive but I kicked her out the chair. Show me a licence, love.

"Yeah, something like that. I just need to fix this. Have you got a hammer in that bag?" She handed me one, and I passed my daughter the phone. "Press redial, put on speaker." She did as she was told. "Malcolm, it's us."

"I'm ready."

Wait, what? "Ready for what?

"I don't know. You tell me."

Oh, you were such a fangirl. "We're going to try to get back. But listen, there might be something following us. You need to close the wormhole."

"Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a counter-oscillation, perchance?"

Callie stared at the phone. "Oh, Malcolm, you're brilliant. Wait till the colours are gold and purple, then it'll be good to go."

The the big boss lady came back. "Doctor, Callie. What sort of something? That wormhole is now measuring ten miles and growing. I need to know the exact nature of the threat."

"Sorry, got to go." Cal told her, hanging up. "Oh, it's not compatible, wrong colours. Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. You need to weld the two systems together."

Christina didn't look happy. "And how do you do that?"

Getting right to the point, Calliope took the cup out of the woman's bag. "Gold." And then used sound to make it crumple. "Hate me when it gets you home"

I took it, starting to weld into the works, then laughed with joy as it started working. "This is your driver speaking. Hold on tight."

"But what for? What's he doing?"

"Do as he says." Christina told them, then leant closer to me as Callie groaned in pain, holding her side. "What are you doing?"

"Come on. That's it. You can do it, you beauty. One last trip." I called, turning on the engine, the bus rising out of the sand into the air, everyone looking incredulously. "Anti-gravity clamps. Didn't I say? Round we go."

"Dad they're coming." Callie told me, leaning against the money tray. "I have a plan, if some follow us through."

I was pretty sure I wouldn't approve of that plan, but I went full throttle through the wormhole, everyone screaming as we went through, until we reached the other side, when the screams became laughs of joy. London.

But stingrays followed through, before Callie quickly tied herself to the metal bar near the door with a long rope from Christina's bag, and climbed onto the roof. Maybe she should have driven, if it would stop her doing stupid stuff. "CALLIE! Calliope, get back here!"

She didn't listen, and soon the stingrays dropped from her voice, loud and powerful, singing what sounded like a Black Veiled Brides song. Rebel Love Song.

"Malcolm, close that wormhole." I told him, trying to redial one handed.

"Yes, sir. My pleasure, sir."

Then the line went dead. "He's hung up on me." Then I redialed, he told me he was busy, and hung up again. So I called for a third time. "Malcolm, listen to me.

"It's not working." He told me as Callie came back in, smiling, but looking exhausted.

"We need that signal. We've got billions of those things about to fly through."

"Well, what do I do?"

I looked at Callie, who understood how the energy worked through their colours. "Loop it back through the integrator, and keep the signal ramping up. I'll tell you when to go, the colours around me will be red and blue."

He did as she said, and she shouted when it was time to press the button and the wormhole closed, making us cheer, and I hugged my daughter quickly, before putting my hands back on the wheel. She lost one family in an accident, we didn't need one at 1000ft. "Do not stand forward of this point. Ladies and gentlemen, you have reached your final destination. Welcome home, the mighty two hundred."

We landed, and I had to support Callie as we walked out, the bandage soaked through with blood as we got off the bus, bypassing the 'screening', that meant they kept an eye on everyone who'd been off planet without a passport, so to say. And then we finally met Malcolm.

He hugged us both, careful of Callie's side, and grinned. "Oh. Oh. I love you. I love you. I love you."

"To your station, Doctor Taylor." Another familiar voice told him.

"Yes, ma'am. I love you."

Then she smiled at us. "Doctor, Callie, I salute you whether you like it or not. Now, I take it we're safe from those things?"

My daughter shrugged. "They'll start again. Generate a new doorway. It's not their fault, it's their natural life cycle. But I'll see if I can nudge the wormholes on to uninhabited planets. Closer to home, Captain. Those two lads. Very good in a crisis. Nathan needs a job, Barclay's good with engines. You could do a lot worse. Privates Nathan and Barclay, UNIT's finest."

She smiled a little. "I'll see what I can do. And I've got something for you, not a moment too soon by the look of Cal." Yeah, she was a little trooper.

But she showed the TARDIS. "Better than a bus, any day. Hello."

"Found in the gardens of Buckingham Palace."

"Oh, she doesn't mind. She loves Callie." Who didn't?

"Now, I've got three sonically shattered alien stingrays to clear up. I don't suppose you fancy helping with the paperwork? Or explaining how singing could do that?"

"Not a chance."

"Till we meet again, Doctor, Little Callie."

Oh, she was good, I had to say. "I hope so."

And then Christina was back. "Little blue box, just like you said. Right then. Off we go. Come on, Doctor, Calliope Jace, show me the stars."

"No." She stared at me as CJ started shivering, her body trying to over compensate. "I said no."

"But I saved your life. And you saved mine. "We're surrounded by police. I'll go to prison." Your problem. "But you were right. It's not about the money. I only steal things for the adventure, and today with you. I want more days like this. I want every day to be like this. We're made for each other. You said so yourself. The perfect team. Why not?"

I shook my head sadly. "People have travelled with me and I've lost them. Lost them all. Never again. I am holding Callie so tight, and it would kill me to lose her."

And then she was gone, an officer taking her away for the theft, and Carmen came over. "Doctor, little Miss Callie? You take care now."

"You too." I smiled at her, Cal managing a wave. "Chops and gravy, lovely. Need the same for this one."

"No, but you be careful. Because your song is ending, sir. And there is no one singing louder than your daughter."

I stared at the woman, holding her tighter as she starting passing out. "What do you mean?"

Carmen watched us carefully. "It is returning. It is returning through the dark. And then, Doctor, Jaclyn? Oh, but then he will knock four times."

Then the woman walked on, and just as Christina was about to be put in the car, I undid her handcuffs, and she got right out the other side, going for the bus as she was chased, closing it after her. "I'd step back, if I were you." Callie smiled weakly, her eyes barely open. "Oh, and piss off."

"I'm charging you both too. Aiding and abetting."

Oh, too good to pass over. "Yes. I'll just step inside this police box and arrest myself and my daughter."

Then she started the bus and it went up, pausing next to us. "We could've been so good together."

"Christina, we were."

And then Callie passed out in my arms.