Chapter 4 – Snake Charmer
"A snake bite?" Tegan winced at the incredulous tone of Captain Gilchrist, visibly withdrawing into herself as he scrutinized her carefully. The flight attendant had broken the news about the dead passenger currently occupying the toilet just a few moments ago. As predicted the Captain hadn't taken the news too well, especially when Tegan gave him the suspected cause of death, "How the bloody hell could be have been bitten by a snake?" Captain Gilchrist snorted.
Instantly Tegan was transported back several years to her travels with the Doctor. She often felt like the odd one out in their little group, Adric brought his intellect to the team, Nyssa her calm demeanour and diplomacy. Even the shady Turlough had his uses, often coming up with a plan or scheme that the others would never have considered. Compared to them Tegan felt inadequate, she was just a flight attendant who wandered into the wrong box at the wrong time. Even now she didn't know why the Doctor kept her around, there must've been someone more worthy to take onboard the TARDIS.
She wasn't the bravest person but somehow just being around the Time Lord boosted her self esteem. The dark haired woman in the cabin wasn't the Doctor she remembered but that didn't matter. The Doctor was here and she would find a way to stop whatever was onboard this plane. If she said it was a snake then it was good enough for her, "I know what I saw", Tegan snapped back, pushing aside her doubts with those words. Captain Gilchrist glared harder but the Australian stood her ground, "There's someone knowledgeable onboard, she said it was a snake".
"Did she", Captain Gilchrist began, "and what kind of expert is she?"
"The best kind", the Doctor poked her head through the open door, making Tegan and the two pilot's jump, "Hello I'm the Doctor", she beamed and flashed her psychic paper, "this should tell you everything you need to know".
Tegan craned her head to look at the leather wallet in the Time Lady's hand but to her shock, the paper inside was blank. She glanced at the dark haired woman who merely winked in response. "Federal Air Marshall, reptile division", Captain Gilchrist replied with an incredulous tone, "you don't sound very American, Doctor?"
"Yeah, well", Tegan watched as the Time Lady fumbled for an excuse, "you don't sound very Australian to me". The flight attendant couldn't help but snort with laughter, drawing another glare from her Captain. The Doctor used this distraction to direct her next question towards the First Officer, "Any live animals reported on the flight manifest?"
First Officer Steve Hills was relatively new to the airline with less than six months flying time in this aircraft. Tegan reckoned he had been partnered with Captain Gilchrist today to help the young pilot learn from one of the more experienced flight crew in the company. He was in his late twenties, slight of build with a closely cropped head of blonde hair. Immediately he began to fumble for the manifest, a log containing a full record of everything in the hold, trying to find anything that fitted the description. After a couple of moments he shook his head, "Nothing today other than passengers luggage and some mail, no reports of live animals of any kind".
"Didn't think it would be that easy", the Doctor grumbled, "looks like we'll have to search the hold", she said to Tegan.
"Now wait just a minute", Captain Gilchrist interrupted the Time Lady, "you need to have special privileges to access the hold during flight".
"I know and this", once again the Doctor flashed the psychic paper showing the fake Air Marshall's badge, "gives me that privilege", she added with a sickly sweet and slightly patronising smile. "Come along Tegan, I'm sure the Captain has plenty of work to do, emergency landing on the grounds of a medical emergency and all that".
As Tegan was being led back towards the cabin, she briefly caught a look on annoyance on the Captain's face. That wasn't going to make her popular with the uptight pilot, she was already on his bad side after arriving late this morning. Groaning internally she whispered to the Time Lady, "I hope you don't get me fired for this and what did you show Captain Gilchrist, it looked blank?"
"Psychic paper", the Doctor replied, "shows whatever I want someone to see, I've upgraded my equipment since the last time we met".
"And how long is that Doctor?" Tegan asked impatiently, the Doctor had said many things but at the same time told her nothing at all.
Almost immediately Tegan picked up on a look in the Time Lady's eyes. She wasn't sure but it looked like a small amount of shame flashed across those dark brown eyes. The Time Lady stiffened slightly, "Now's not the time to talk about the past", there was a brief pause as the dark haired woman spotted Clara and Amy coming down the aisle, "because Clara and your colleague are here, hello I'm the Doctor", she said to Amy, "sorry, love to stick around but there's work to be done".
"Tegan?" Amy asked cautiously, "who the hell is this and what happened to that passenger in the toilet?"
"Dead", the Doctor said bluntly, "and we need to hunt his killer before it strikes again so come along Tegan, Clara", she added impatiently and pushed past the younger flight attendant and headed in the direction of the hold hatch.
Internally Tegan was caught in two minds, part of her wanted to stay out of the Doctor's adventure and look after her passengers, however, she really wanted to know what had attacked Mr Norris. She flashed an apologetic smile at Amy and shuffled past her, "Amy I'm sorry but can you keep the passengers calm, I'll be back as soon as I can". Scurrying up the aisle Tegan could see the worried expressions on the passenger's faces. They knew something was wrong and fear was beginning to spread. Tegan had been doing this job long enough to know that fear and panic in an enclosed space like an aeroplane was a bad thing. She felt a little guilty for leaving Amy to look after them but she trusted her friend would do the right thing for everyone's safety.
When Tegan reached the galley, the Doctor had already opened the hatch and was preparing to climb down, "Ah Tegan excellent as I saying to Clara the hold of a plane at this altitude will be extremely cold. You can't afford to hang around for too long otherwise you'll freeze".
"What about you Doctor?" Tegan asked with concern.
"Time Lord biology, built to last I am", she smiled, "now then, ladies first", she gestured towards Clara and Tegan. The flight attendant wondered if the Doctor knew that also referred to himself now but she guessed that old habits must die hard.
As they climbed down the ladder, Tegan was instantly hit by a blast of cold air. She was aware that unlike the rest of the plane, the hold wasn't heated so it was exposed to the cold temperatures that occurred at 35,000 feet. The skin of the aircraft gave some protection but they probably had only ten to fifteen minutes, unless they went back for some warmer clothing. "You never told me what killed that man", Clara asked the pair, "it would help to know what I'm looking for".
"I'm pretty sure it was some kind of venomous animal, most likely a snake", the Doctor answer. To the surprise of the Time Lady and Tegan, Clara began to snigger with laughter. It made the flight attendant wonder what kind of people the Doctor travelled with these days, "This is hardly a laughing matter Clara", the Doctor scolded.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help it", Clara apologised, "but we're looking for a snake on a plane, you have to admit that's kinda ironic". Tegan looked back blankly at the school teacher and she was pleased that the Doctor was also looking as mystified, "You know, this is just like that film Snakes on a Plane, where some criminals release a bunch of poisonous snakes and Samuel L Jackson has to save the day". Tegan was still completely lost, "Well Tegan here wouldn't know but surely Jenny's mentioned it once, she's hardly ever out of the cinema".
The Doctor shook her head but Tegan was completely lost, "Who's Jenny, another companion?" she asked.
"Sort of", the Doctor replied quickly, "we should probably split up, it'll speed up our search. I'll look down the far end and you two can search these crates", she was halfway down the hold when she called back, "and don't wonder off".
The hold of aircraft felt like a warehouse, expect that the walls were made of metal and extremely close. The near freezing temperature added to the claustrophobic atmosphere. The luggage was held in giant metal boxes which allowed it to be stored securely and distributed the weight evenly. Sadly it made the search a little difficult as the boxes were packed with suitcases and without any idea what they were looking for, they were trying to find a needle in a very tightly packed haystack.
Clara and Tegan patiently began their search through the suitcases, quietly pushing aside ones they had already investigates before moving onto the next one. The flight attendant was a little hesitant to strike up a conversation with Clara. She seemed like a nice enough person but he English woman was effectively her replacement on the TARDIS. Would talking to her about the Doctor be awkward? It felt like trying to strike up a conversation with the new partner of your ex-boyfriend, "I don't bite", Clara broke the silence, much to the Australian's surprise, "actually that was a really poor choice of words when there's a snake on the loose".
"Yeah I'll say", Tegan gave a light hearted laugh. She tried to think of a relatively neutral conversation topic to begin with, "So you're from England, I spent a few years there?"
"Blackpool born and bred", Clara replied without turning her attention away from the container, "that must've been where you met the Doctor?"
"Yes I stumbled into the TARDIS thinking it was an actual Police Box", Tegan smiled, "he must've thought I was a right idiot".
"Oh I don't know, she's done some crazy things in the past", Clara retrieved a striking leopard print case from the container and gave it a peculiar look, "just like the person who brought this case", she added and dropped it into their completed pile.
Tegan gave a tense smile, she couldn't tell if Clara was deliberately keeping the conversation away from the Doctor. Maybe she felt just as awkward about this as she did? A few more quiet minutes of searching followed and the Australian was beginning to feel the cold. Her work blouse and skirt weren't designed for standing in a plane's hold and the tips of her fingers were turning blue. Looking over at Clara she didn't appear to be feeling the cold quite so much. Then again her skirt, tights and jumper combination looked much warmer than her attire, "Must have interesting fashions over in England now", another safe topic Tegan thought, "I noticed your clothes the moment you stepped on the plane, they make you stand out".
"Really", Clara looked down, "I thought the eighties were back in fashion for 2015". That made Tegan stop in her track, the Doctor's new companion was from twenty six years in her future. By Tegan's calculations she would in her mid fifties by Clara's time, "You alright, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Clara asked gently, turning her attention away from her search.
Tegan swallowed and nodded slowly, "Yeah you just surprised me that's all, I knew the Doctor would probably have travelled after I left but I didn't imagine it would be twenty six years since she last saw me". The Australian noticed Clara look away guiltily and a feeling of dread spread throughout her body, "It's been more than twenty six years for her hasn't it", Tegan asked with a small voice, "how long?"
"I shouldn't be the one to-"
"How long Clara?" Tegan asked with a steely tone that even she didn't know she possessed.
A tense silence fell over the hold as Tegan watched Clara chew on her lip. The flight attendant knew she was debating whether to tell her the truth, "You travelled mostly with the Fifth Doctor I believe", Tegan nodded slowly, "She's the Twelfth Doctor". Tegan's blood ran cold, she wasn't familiar with the lifecycle of the Time Lords but even she couldn't imagine the Doctor going through seven incarnation in a quarter of a century. "I don't really know how old she is and to tell you the truth I don't think even she knows", Clara continued, "but she claims to be over two thousand years old now".
Tegan's knees felt weak, the Doctor had been gone much longer than she could comprehend. Her Doctor hadn't been too keen to share his age but picking up bits of his conversations, she knew him to be close to eight hundred years old. That would mean that since their last meeting, over twelve hundred years had passed for the Time Lady. It was hurtful to think that in all that time, the Doctor hadn't looked her up once. Her mind was awash with questions, had the Doctor looked any of her other friends up? Had he found Nyssa or Turlough? Was she the odd one out, forgotten about because she abandoned the TARDIS? "Tegan, you still with me?" she heard Clara's voice breaking through the fog, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to drop that on you. Maybe you should talk this through with the Doctor".
The flight attendant straightened herself up, finding that inner strength that the Doctor had brought out in her. She never dreamt that she would be using it to protect herself from pain caused by the Time Lady, "I'm fine, clearly the Doctor didn't want to talk so why should I", the hurt was obvious in her voice and she was surprised that Clara didn't comment on it. Instead the school teacher seemed to understand exactly what she was going through, "Let's find this bloody snake, we don't need a fancy alien to do that".
"Spoken like a girl after my own heart Tegan", Clara smiled and the two women resumed their search in the container. They were so busy with their search that they failed to notice a pair of yellow eyes peering at them through the dark. A large snake with jet black scales slivered closer to the women, it's forked tongue tasting the air around them. It kept to the shadows, coiled to strike at a moment's notice. The reptile could afford a little smile, they had no idea that they were about to become its next meal.