"By the pricking of my thumbs,
something wicked this way comes."
-William Shakespeare (from Macbeth)
Karn, Out of Time
"Are you sure you're feeling okay Savannah?" Sienna asked. They were all gathered in the console room. Once they'd climbed out of the pit, they'd headed directly for the safety of the older Doctor's TARDIS. Despite the fact that her only function at the moment was shelter. According to both Doctors, she was dead as a doornail.
Savannah sighed. "Yes. For the five hundredth time everyone: I'm just fine. Perfect. 100%" She was sitting next to her mother whose arms were wrapped around her tightly like she might never let go.
Truth be told, Savannah didn't exactly feel 100%. She still felt slightly woozy and shaky after healing Sienna. But mostly she was feeling anxious. She was crazy worried about Silas and felt responsible for his heroics. She still couldn't fucking believe she'd left that pendant in her room.
"Maybe he was meant to have found it." Dayle suggested gently. Savannah gave her mother an annoyed look. She'd had her fill of telepathy for a lifetime and here her mom was invading her mind.
The Doctors were both standing at the console, likely trying to figure out what the hell they were gonna do. Savannah leaned against her mom and closed her eyes. The Doctors' conversation drifted over to her.
"You mean to say there isn't any power, at all?" the blonde Doctor asked, sounding thoroughly exasperated.
"Not a bit." the old Doctor confirmed gravely. "The moment the time storm touched the TARDIS, it was like it deleted her entire matrix."
Five sighed, sounding defeated. "Have you any ideas? Anything at all?"
"At the moment? Our best chance is for Silas to find that other pendant."
Silas. Savannah felt a stab in her heart at his name. She opened her eyes and sat up, to find Sienna standing over her looking concerned.
"Seriously. Maybe you should go lay down. You look terrible." She studied Savannah closely. "I know it always screws me up for a while when I have to heal someone. And you're like, pregnant, so..."
Savannah made a sound of frustration. "I'm not sick. I'm not injured. I'm just fucking worried." She crossed her arms and fought back the tears burning the back of her eyes. "He's by himself." she said softly, shaking her head.
Sienna pressed her lips together. "Yeah. I know it." she whispered. She stood silently for a moment but finally gave up and headed to stand with the Doctors at the console.
Savannah saw the young Doctor place an arm around her waist and hug her. "Sienna why don't you go get cleaned up of all that blood and find some clothes. It will probably be a bit before we get any of this figured out."
Sienna shrugged. "Alright. I imagine it's not super comforting for everyone to be hanging out with a chick who looks like Carrie after the prom."
No joke. Savannah thought to herself. Sienna's wounds may have healed but she was still covered in blood and it was slightly nausea inducing.
Sienna headed for the corridor.
"And Sienna..." the Doctor called after her.
Sienna stopped and turned, curious.
"Put on some shoes." he suggested.
Sienna rolled her eyes and headed off, giggling all the way down the hall.
"So... are either of you two geniuses going to explain exactly what's happened here?" Dayle wondered.
The young Doctor turned her way and seemed to be thinking of the best way to answer. The older Doctor still hadn't given up and was now knelt down beside the console, looking at some switches underneath.
Finally the Fifth Doctor sighed. "Something went wrong." he began. "Something that Maren had not intended. She meant to set a trap, likely involving that pendant. But something happened, the moment I climbed down into that pit to help Sienna. It created what's called a Time Storm."
"Yeah. You guys keep saying that." Savannah pointed out, annoyed. "What the hell is a time storm though?"
"It's a chronometerological event." Twelve answered from beneath the console. "A literal storm that produces random bursts of temporal energy."
"But how the hell did a time storm start in that crater thing?" Dayle asked, climbing to her feet.
"And if the pendant did cause it, what makes you so sure Maren didn't do it intentionally?" Savannah insisted. "Because, I assure you, that bitch crazy."
Twelve was now leaning on the console, looking thoughtful. "Because if she'd set a trap, intending to hurt the Doctor or to erase him from time, it would've been laser focused. The Pendant of Apeiron isn't typically used as the impetus for a widespread natural disaster."
"Right." the blonde Doctor agreed. "As it is, that time storm stands ready to take out everything in its path. All of Karn unless it is stopped. Maren has been far too calculating up until now. Too exact." He shook his head. "Something went wrong."
"So where does that leave us then?" Savannah asked. "We seem to be in the same location. Are we just backwards or forwards in time?"
"I'm rather afraid it isn't so simple." Five sighed.
"The Pendant of Apeiron is a device of eternity." Twelve explained. "And eternity exists, outside of time."
"But how can anything possibly be outside of time?" Dayle asked incredulously.
"You see, time isn't a substance. It's isn't a thing." the blonde Doctor expounded. "It's a relation between things. It's the changes that take place. The temporal sequence of events."
"And since eternity is beginningless and endless and timeless, it's as if everything just is all at once." the older Doctor added.
"So what exactly is there without time then?" Savannah wondered.
Twelve shrugged. "Duration. Limitless duration."
"But that's complete and utter madness." Dayle whispered. "Who would want that?"
"The Master." both Doctors replied at once.
Savannah chuckled. "And apparently Apeiron as well."
"So, if Maren hadn't intended on causing this shit storm, what could have triggered it?" Dayle asked, pacing the control room.
"I saw with my own eyes." Savannah remarked. "That thing started the moment the Doctor climbed into that star crater with Sienna." She squinted remembering, then nodded. "The very second." she added, confident in her memory.
"Were you aware of anything strange when you entered the pit?" Twelve asked Five. "Aside from the storm, was there anything else that took place?"
The blonde Doctor scratched his head, his brow furrowed. "When I started to climb down, there was a moment when I linked with Sienna telepathically. You see, that connection was how I initially tracked her down. But when the Sisterhood placed her in the pit, the Matricite blocked my ability to see her mind. So when I entered the pit..."
Savannah gesticulated. "So could that telepathy have triggered the storm?"
Five raised his eyebrows. "Seems unlikely. I'm still not quite sure what sort of range that pendant has. Maren was nowhere around and it was nowhere in the pit with us." He shook his head, troubled. "It just doesn't make sense."
Sienna reentered the room just then. She had showered and was wearing jeans and a tshirt. She was fidgeting though and looked uncomfortable.
"Are you alright?" Five asked with evident concern.
"I don't know." she replied. "Just don't feel quite right still."
"Is she not healed all the way?" Savannah asked, afraid she'd done it wrong.
"No." Sienna told her. "It isn't anything like that. It's just..." Suddenly, she seemed to change her mind on whatever she had intended to say. "It's nothing."
"So what do we do?" Dayle broke in. "What can we do to fix this?"
Twelve sighed and walked over to Dayle. He took her hand and gazed at her apologetically.
"We wait." he said gently.
Karn, Normal Time
Silas approached the crumpled body covered with a red robe reluctantly. He felt sickened at being in such close proximity to a corpse and a bit sad for the stranger who had helped Savannah, then lost her life.
He knelt down beside Ohica's still form but couldn't bring himself to touch her.
Her hand. Look in her hand.
That creepy voice again. Whispering to him from the pendant. It had told him to come find Ohica's body. That she somehow had something he needed.
"Who the hell are you?" Silas asked the pendant. "For all I know, I shouldn't be listening to you at all. If you are Apeiron, from everything I've heard, you're a bit of a dick."
Look. Ohica's hand.
The voice itself was like a series of dissonant whispers. Nothing to identify it as male or female, young or old.
Silas chewed his lip thoughtfully. "No." he said after a moment. "Not until you tell me why I should."
Because you must help her. She is in great danger.
"Who? Who the hell am I supposed to be helping." Silas asked, his patience completely gone.
The girl from the woods.
Silas narrowed his eyes, looking down at the pendant in confusion.
Daughter of Earth. The pendant clarified.
Silas thought of everything he knew about Apeiron, the great Time Lord. Why would he give a shit?
She is in danger. The Doctors have no idea. It will use her.
"Cryptic much?" Silas muttered, decidedly unimpressed.
Maren has no idea what she's done. Apeiron will finally get his revenge. My father will finally make good on his promise.
Silas felt his eyes widen. "Anteros?" he whispered. "How the hell...?"
Soul catching, the pendant hissed.
Silas felt a chill permeate his entire being. "I'm not entirely sure I want to know what that is." he murmured.
Seven regenerations. I had seven regenerations remaining. I captured them all in this pendant before I gave it to her. I wanted to be of help. And I was, at least in my universe.
Silas was speechless. After a moment, he took a deep breath to steel himself, then lifted one corner of the robe off of Ohica's corpse.
The amount of blood nearly made him toss his cookies everywhere. But he saw her hand there near her head. It was clenched as if it were holding something.
Silas pried the stiff, bloody fingers open with trembling hands.
And found some weird looking valve clutched there.
A piece of machinery?
A piece of a TARDIS, the voice corrected.
"Whoa." Silas breathed. He took the valve and stuck it in his pocket. He remembered back in the library the blonde Doctor had mentioned that his TARDIS had been disabled by the removal of some component. This must be it.
He stood and rubbed his hands on the back of his jeans, trying not to think about the dead lady cooties.
"So I suppose we find the TARDIS now?" Silas guessed, gazing in the direction of the woods. The storm had moved off in that direction. He wasn't eager to put himself in its path again, despite the fact that it had no effect on him.
Seek the Sisterhood. And you shall find the TARDIS.
Silas swallowed. "I was afraid you were going to say that."
He shook his head and trudged toward the woods. As he walked along he could hear that he was getting closer to the howling winds of the storm, as if he was walking right behind it.
The pendant remained silent but Silas found that hedidn't need to be given direction. He just followed the path toward the sound of the storm. When he was near the edge of the woods, he could see it and hear it roaring around the mouth of a large cave.
"You aren't suggesting I just walk on in to the cave of the Sisterhood." Silas muttered. "I mean, sounds pretty fucking stupid to me."
They are afraid. Rightfully so. They try to fight the storm with their Sacred Flame ritual.
Silas nodded, resigned to what he had to do. "Alright. Here I go. Just gonna walk into the cave of the Sisterhood of Karn. Awesome. Grand idea."
He headed out into the clearing and flinched as he entered the eye of the strange storm again, expecting to be pelted with precipitation. But once again, he felt nothing. He could see the strange colored tracers in the air, the visible currents of wind. The thick black oily clouds. But it was like they were merely a hologram to him.
Silas headed on in to the cave, bold as hell and grabbed a torch off the wall. There was nobody in sight but as he walked deeper into the cave, he heard chanting.
"Sacred fire...sacred flame..."
"Sacred fire...sacred flame."
He felt a shiver overtake him and he couldn't help but mutter, "By the pricking of my thumbs..."
He reached some sort of large room and saw all the creepy bitches in their red robes prostrating themselves around some type of dais, upon which sat the apparent queen bitch, Maren. They were all so wrapped up in their hocus pocus bullshit that they didn't notice Silas in the entryway watching.
Silas felt anger seize him. Like, real serious anger. These bitches had tried to kill his best friend, Sienna. Had in fact killed a kind woman who had apparently saved Savannah's life.
Silas had never in his life wanted to physically harm a female before. Now there was an entire roomful of women who he would be happy to punch.
You don't have violence in your heart Son of Earth. You are angry, but you are also intelligent. Just wait.
Silas didn't want to listen to the voice of Anteros. Every instinct in his body told him to fight like hell. But he stood still with his jaw clenched, waiting. For what, he had no idea.
The wind howled louder as if it were trying to gain entrance into the cave. Would the storm stay on the outside? Were the Sisters even safe here?
Not for long.
"Human." a female voice growled suddenly.
Silas saw it was Maren, now standing on the dais, looking at him with brutal animosity in her ancient eyes. And something else.
Fear.
She was scared. She was scared of him.
He advanced toward her and found that the red robed women parted like the Red Sea at his approach. He stood at the dais, looking up at Maren.
"How?" she demanded, her eyes on the necklace he wore. "How do you have that pendant? How did you get it from her?" She was trembling.
Silas narrowed his eyes at her questions.
She thinks you have her pendant. But you couldn't. Because she placed her pendant upon Sienna's neck to trap the Doctor.
Silas didn't want to clear up the misunderstanding because her confusion and fear gave him the upper hand.
Instead, he stood up tall and looked her in the eye. "Tell me what you did and maybe I'll answer your questions."
"I-i-it was just meant for the Doctor." she stammered. "I programmed the pendant to remove the Doctor from time. I placed it on Sienna's broken body so he'd get close enough." A look of uncertainty was in her eyes. "But I don't understand what caused this storm. I don't understand how you ended up with the pendant."
"What is this pendant that you speak of?" A red robed young woman asked, suddenly stepping toward them.
"Do not trouble yourself Elpida." Maren tried to sound forceful but Silas noticed a new kind of fear in her eyes. It was the look of someone who'd just gotten caught. It was clear that this pendant was not something she wanted everyone to know about.
It only seemed fair for him to spread the word.
"It's the Pendant of Apeiron." Silas explained loudly. "Anteros gave it to Maren before she came to Karn. She used it to erase Ohica's daughter from time. She used it to try to destroy the Doctor once before. And she caused this time storm with it as well."
He heard a collective gasp as the whole group of women pressed forward to get a better look at the pendant that Silas wore.
"Is this true Maren?" one asked, clearly not in a friendly manner.
"Maren what have you done?" another asked, sounding horrified.
"Do not listen to this despicable Son of Earth." Maren spat desperately.
"Oh it's true." Silas assured them, looking into each of their eyes. "Your fearless leader is a coward. She's done all this because of some prophecy that said the Doctor would come to kill her some day. She'd sacrifice anyone else to keep herself safe. And you've all helped her. You even killed one of your own today." He made a sound of disgust and shook his head. "I think that's pretty fuckin sad."
He wasn't sure if he'd crossed the line, but saw that they all looked shocked and ashamed at his words rather than hostile towards him.
He sighed. "Listen. We can still fix this. We can still make this right. Just tell me what's happened to the TARDIS. If I can help the Doctors, they might be able to stop this storm from destroying all of you."
The young woman who had asked about the pendant, the one Maren had called Elpida stepped closer. She touched his arm and pointed to a corridor. "The TARDIS is there."
Then she turned to the rest of the women. "Sisters. Restrain Maren." Her voice was commanding and they all took notice.
Three of the Sisters immediately grabbed Maren who struggled futilely.
Elpida continued. "I hereby step up as next in line. As the High Priestess."
"Yes Reverend Mother." they all said in unison.
"Go Son of Earth." she told Silas. "If you know how to stop all this, go now."
Silas nodded and headed toward the door she'd indicated. At the door, he turned back. "What will you do to her?" he couldn't help but ask.
Elpida's expression was hard to read. "We shall keep an eye on her until everything is resolved."
Silas didn't exactly feel reassured by the answer but nodded anyway and headed for the TARDIS.
When he got to the tiny room where the TARDIS was parked, he stuck his torch into a mount on the wall and desperately hoped the damn thing wasn't locked.
He took a breath, crossed his fingers and pulled the door open.
The lights came on immediately when he entered and he felt a comforting hum greet him.
He looked all around as he pulled the valve out of his pocket. "So... uh... Old Girl... Where exactly does this part go?"