And here we go with another two-parter! Getting through a lot of them lately, aren't I? Hope you're enjoying it, though!

Oh, and remember when I said that this series of the saga is gonna be about 25 chapters? Weeeell... its probably gonna be at least a couple of chapters more. One or two of the chapters so far weren't gonna be in it, but I added them last minute.

So anyway, here we go!

Chapter 18: Dark Water

Ember ended up spending nearly a week with the Doctor and Amy before she jumped next. It was hard to act like nothing was wrong - Rory dying and being erased from history - but they managed, though it was made much easier since Amy didn't remember her fiancé. The Doctor had taken them to a few safer places where they could relax, though Ember knew it was also through a slight guilt on his part.

When she jumped, she was dressed in black jeans, a white, short sleeved t-shirt and red sneakers, along with her signature denim jacket. She looked around, and was just able to spot the Twelfth Doctor on the other side of the console, working on a piece of machinery. "Oh, hello."

The Doctor looked up and smiled, putting down the thing he was working on and walking over to her, surprising the brunette by hugging her. "It's good to see you."

"Right back at you," Ember said, looking up at him once he stepped back. "So what's going on?"

"Why would something be going on?" The Doctor said, turning away to go back to the thing he was working on.

Ember followed, raising a brow. "Because you're a bit off. Something's happened."

There was a pause, and then the Doctor sighed. "I never could hide it from you." He turned to face the brunette again. "Clara called me a little while ago. She said that everything is fine, but I don't think so."

"You think something happened?"

"Something very serious. Otherwise she would have told me." The Doctor tilted his head. "Our last adventure was when the forest decided to save Earth from a solar flare."

That made Ember pause, thinking about what would be next that was serious. Then she paled. "Oh, no..."

"What is it?"

"This is going to be bad. On so many levels. We need to talk."

Ember had given the Doctor a briefing on what had happened and what Clara was going to try to do, helping him set everything up. Then the door opened and the girl herself stepped in. She looked fairly cheerful, but it didn't quite reach her eyes as she looked at the Time Lords. "Good to see you, Ember. Doctor, start her up."

"Where are we going?" The Doctor asked.

"Away."

"From?"

"Just away."

The Doctor took Ember's hand and squeezed it twice, noticing Clara go down the stairs to the lower level. "Well, normally you say work or kids or dishes or dullness. So what's happened?"

"A volcano." Clara said before she disappeared from view.

"I'm sorry?"

"I've never seen an active volcano, do you know one?"

"What's so great about seeing a volcano?" The Doctor asked. "It's just a sort of leaky mountain."

Clara reappeared at the steps on the other side of the room, briefly pausing at a coat that hung on a coat rack while the Doctor had his back to her. "I've never seen lava."

"It's rubbish."

"Prove it."

Ember squeezed his hand twice, letting him know that she had also noticed. The Doctor turned to look at Clara as she came back up the steps. "If that's what you want."

"It is."

Nodding, the Doctor let Ember go to work at the console, setting them in flight. Clara, in the meantime, went up the steps to the upper galley to go to one of the bookcases.

"Do you still have those sleep patch things?" The young woman called.

"You can't have one." The Doctor said.

"I'm having trouble sleeping."

"You still can't have one."

"Can I have one?"

"No, you can't have one." By now he was positioned back next to Ember, both of them with their backs to where Clara was coming back down the steps. The Tardis stilled. "So, volcano. What's so good about lava?"

Clara didn't answer, and as soon as she got near enough, she took two of the patches she'd found and slapped them on the Time Lords' necks.

What she didn't know was that they weren't sleep patches, and the Doctor swiftly grabbed Clara's hand and put the patch on her palm as Ember pulled hers off.

From Clara's point of view, they were now outside the Tardis, which was now standing near a rather violent volcano. Lava spat up and rocks flew, luckily landing away from them. Clara was standing near the ledge that overlooked the flowing lava, her coat missing, leaving her in a short dress and pumps. When she realised they were awake, she held out her right hand, where seven normal looking keys were in her palm. The Doctor and Ember, who she though to be knocked out by the patches, woke up at the foot of the blue box and looked around in confusion.

The Doctor made sure that Ember was alright before he looked at the human. "Clara?"

"It's on your neck."

Ember made a show of feeling her neck, though she knew nothing was there. The Doctor did the same.

"You told me once what it would take to destroy a Tardis key." Clara said. She no longer looked cheerful. "That's what's so good about lava. All seven. From all of your hiding places."

The Doctor saw her take one of the keys and hold it up. "Clara, what are you doing? Don't. Be very, very careful with that. Those are very, very-"

Clara threw the key over her shoulder. It hit the lava and sank with a sizzle. The Tardis Cloister Bell tolled once in warning. "Do I have your attention?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"No. Not good, Clara."

Ember took a step forward. "You really need to think about this."

"Danny Pink." Clara said.

The Doctor put out his arm to stop Ember from getting closer. "Yeah?"

"Is dead."

"...And?"

"Seriously?"

"And?" The Doctor said again.

"And fix it. Change it. Change what happened. Save him. Bring him back." Clara picked up another key, holding it up.

"No."

Clara threw the key into the lava. "Five left. Every time either of you say no to me, I will throw another key down there. Do we understand each other?"

"Well, I understand you. Let's not get carried away."

"Time can be rewritten. Ember told me that."

"With precision. With great care. And not today. But you know that of course, otherwise you wouldn't be threatening me."

Ember tilted her head. "You're not thinking straight, or about the consequences of what you're doing. You're walking on dangerous ground."

Clara raised a brow as she picked up the third key. "Did you just say no?"

"If we change the events that brought you here, you will never come here and ask me to change those events." The Doctor explained quickly. "Paradox loop. The timeline disintegrates. Your timeline. And yes!"

"Yes?"

"Yes. She did just say no. Throw away the key."

Clara didn't throw the key. "I have seen you change time, I have seen you break any rule you want."

"I know when I can, I know when I can't. Throw the key."

"I know what you're doing. You're trying to take control."

"I am in control. Throw away the key. Do as you are told."

"No!"

"Well, either you do as you're told or stop threatening us." The Doctor laid out the choices. "There really isn't a third option here."

"Do you know what, Doctor? When it comes to taking control, you really are out of your depth." Clara moved her right hand this time, throwing the other four keys into the lava, which left the one she was holding up with her left hand. "One last chance. And I don't care about the rules, I don't give a damn about paradoxes. Save Danny. Bring him back or I swear... you will never step inside your Tardis again." She looked at Ember. "You knew he'd die, didn't you? Why didn't you stop it?"

Ember tried to pass the Doctor, but he kept his arm in front of her to stop her from advancing. "Everything has its time, Clara. And everything ends. Sooner or later, everyone dies."

"But not you. You're the one person who must never die." Clara shot back before looking at the Doctor. "And why is that? Is she special or is it because she's your-"

"Clara Oswald, do not finish that sentence!" The Doctor cut her off sharply, which made Ember look at him in puzzlement. She knew it was serious, because Clara obeyed him. "She's not at that point yet and you know it."

"You're right. She didn't tell me or Danny that he was going to die: it's only fair that she doesn't know what's coming for her."

Those words made a cold shiver go through Ember. What was that supposed to mean?

"Last chance," Clara said, holding the key slightly higher to emphasise her point. "Are you going to give me what I want?"

The Doctor took a breath and held his ground. "No."

"Do as you are told."

"No."

"Say it again so I know you mean it."

"No!"

"I'm not kidding, Doctor."

"Neither am I."

"I will do it!"

The Doctor tilted his head. "No, no, my Clara. I don't think you will!"

At that taunt and the attempted lunge for the remaining key, Clara tossed it into the lava. They watched it sink into the molten rock.

"Oh. I'd say I'm sorry but I'd do it again. I'd do it again..." Clara fell to her knees and sobbed before looking at the Time Lords. "Well, what are you doing? Why are you just standing there? Do you understand what I have just done?"

To her surprise, the Doctor no longer looked angry or scared. He was calm. "Look in your hand."

"There's nothing in my hand!"

"Clara, look in your hand."

"The keys, they're gone! They're down there! They've gone!"

"Clara, look in your hand!"

"There's nothing in my hand!"

Ember moved to kneel beside the distraught woman, now calm as well. "Oh, Clara... did you really think I would have just stood there and let you do that?"

Clara looked at her through tears and smudged makeup. "What?"

"Right now, I can control fire, water and earth. Did you not once think that I'd do something to stop you from destroying those keys? Like made the lava cool down or make the earth move to save them?" Ember smiled. She wasn't certain she could do those things yet, but Clara didn't need to know that. "Did you really think I'd let you take the most precious thing to the Doctor away from him?"

"Not the most," Clara muttered. "If I wanted to take the most precious thing to him, I'd have threatened to throw you in there."

Ember glanced at the Doctor, who mouthed 'Spoilers' to her. She looked back at Clara and gently took her right hand, turning it palm up. "You were so busy getting the keys that you didn't notice that we hadn't even landed. Look at your hand, Clara."

Clara did so, surprised when she saw a patch on the palm of her hand. How did...?

"Did you seriously think that that was going to work on us?" The Doctor said softly as Ember pulled Clara to her feet. "Did you think that Ember wouldn't have warned me? They're not sleep patches. They induce a dream state."

He took Clara's hand and removed the patch, which made the scenery disappear. They were back in the Tardis, still in flight.

"Makes you very suggestible." The Doctor continued, turning to go pick up the keys that were scattered around the floor of the console level. "I allowed the whole scenario to play out just as you planned. I was curious about how far you would go."

"...Well, now you know." Clara said at last, not resisting as the Doctor quickly scanned her with his Sonic.

"Yeah. Now I know."

"I love him."

"Yes, you're quite the mess of chemicals, aren't you?"

"So, what now? What do we do now? You and me, what happens now?" He didn't answer at first, going to the other side of the console and flicking switches. "Doctor?"

The Doctor didn't speak for a moment before before he looked at the woman. The Tardis landed properly this time. "Go to hell."

Clara nodded, unable to meet his gaze. "Fair enough. Absolutely fair enough."

She was making her way to the door leading out when the Doctor spoke again, making her look back. "Clara? You asked me what we're going to do. I told you. We're going to hell. Or wherever it is people go when they die. If there is anywhere. Wherever it is, we're going to go there and we're going to find Danny. And if it is in any way possible, we're going to bring him home. Almost every culture in the universe has some concept of an afterlife. I always meant to have a look around, see if I could find one."

Clara watched him walk around the console, her face showing her surprise. "You're going to help me?"

"Well, why wouldn't I help you?"

"Because of what I just did! I just-"

"You betrayed us." The Doctor cut her off. "Betrayed my trust, you betrayed our friendship, you betrayed everything that Ember and I have ever stood for. You let us down!"

"Then why are you helping me?" Clara asked.

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

Clara looked at Ember, who smiled and shrugged. "What moments?"

"The darkest day. The blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back. Let's see what we're made of, you and I." He moved back to the console, Clara following. "Switching off the safeguards, turning off the nav-com. Remember, we did this before. We plugged you into the Tardis telepathic interface."

Clara nodded. "We ended up all over Danny's timestream."

"Because you and he are linked. Strongly linked. Your timestreams are intertwined. So if he's anywhere at all, that link will hold. Give me your hands."

"Doctor-"

"We're in a hurry."

"...I don't deserve a friend like you."

"Clara, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm exactly what you deserve." He took her hands and made her put them in the orange goop in the open section of the console. "Think about Danny. Think about the man you lost. Let it hurt. Let it burn. But don't bleat. Don't ask, why him? Why me? Forget all that. Ask one question. Just one. Ask, where is Danny Pink now? Where is he now?"

Clara closed her eyes and thought hard. Then the Time Rotor started up.

The Doctor looked up. "Well... the Tardis thinks he's somewhere."

The place shook, but a few minutes later, everything stilled.

"Where are we?" Clara asked.

The Doctor looked at the monitor, frowning. "Nav-com's offline. We'll have to do this old school."

"But this is where Danny is?"

"Almost certainly not. It's where there's a connection with Danny. According to the Tardis, this is where it's most likely that your timeline will re-intersect with his. And that won't do."

Now Clara paused, seeing him point at her. "What won't?"

"You won't. Look at you. I need sceptical, clever, critical. I don't need mopey. It put years on your face. And what if people see us together? It looks like you've been melted."

"Are you forgetting why we're here?"

"We're here to get your boyfriend back from the dead, so buck up and give me some attitude."

The two made to walk to the doors, only to stop as Ember stood in the way.

"I have to warn you both, before we go out there," she said. Her eyes flashed silver for a moment, and they knew just from that alone that she was serious. "When you step outside those doors, you're going to see things. Bad things. Some old faces will turn up, and one or two new ones too. You're going to have to make choices, and those choices will have a heavy impact."

Clara stepped forward. "If it lets me see Danny again, I'll risk it."

Ember looked torn. "I really, really wish I could tell you not to go. I really wish I could tell you to get away from here and never come back. But..."

"We won't like what we'll see, but we still have to see it, don't we?" The Doctor said, remembering the multiple times she'd told him that in the past.

"... yes. It can't wait any longer. Here's a hint: there's something in the tanks. But for what it's worth... I'm sorry." Ember moved aside to give them room to get to the door.

The Doctor took her hand as he moved, squeezing in the hopes of reassuring her. She didn't return it.

The Tardis door opened, letting them out into what looked like a lobby. The lights were off, but there was enough light to see thanks to fire coming from a large urn that sat on a plinth at the top of a set of steps. The Tardis had parked between two of four pillars that were at the bottom of the steps.

The Doctor took out a small torch to shine it around, finding a small obelisk with a company logo on it - two rings with 3W in the centre - and the words 'Rest In Peace, We Promise' etched into the granite. The ceiling was high, like they were in a tall building, and the sound of water could be heard trickling somewhere. There was also faint blue lights above, like they were in an aquarium.

"Fish tanks?" Clara asked.

"In a mausoleum?" The Doctor countered as they walked up the steps to look at the urn. The same logo and motto was etched onto the plinth.

Clara eyed the words. "What does that mean?"

"It means those are definitely not fish tanks."

Ember gently tugged his hand, leading him and Clara to turn right at the urn and into a long corridor. Lined on the left side were several more tanks, each one with a stone chair and a skeleton sitting in it. The water seemingly prevented the bones from collapsing. The right side overlooked across the centre of the building, where they could see more tanks with skeletons in them.

"Why?" Clara asked, looking at the nearest one.

"I don't know." The Doctor admitted.

"Okay, I'm assuming they didn't actually drown in there."

The Doctor felt Ember squeeze his hand twice and saw her shake her head. "No. They were placed, after death. These are tombs. Water tombs, some sort of fluid, anyway."

"With chairs?"

"With chairs, yes. Extra comfort for the deceased. It pays to die rich."

Clara looked down to see a nameplate under the tank, the words 'Xylo Jones' etched into the metal. Then a thought struck her. "Oh, God. Am I going to find Danny now? Is that why the Tardis brought us here? I don't want to see him like that."

"Good point." The Doctor said. "Tombs with windows. Who wants to watch their loved ones rot? Why would anyone go to so much trouble just to keep watch on the dead?"

They walked on, Ember glancing back just in time to see one the skeletons turn its head to watch them before she was pulled away. In the next corridor was a small book on a lectern, which the Doctor opened to a blank page, making a motion on it that looked like zooming in, and what looked like a cube of light rose up from it. The Doctor pushed it into the corridor, which somehow made it open, and then soothing violin music began to play as words scrolled up. A female voice began to speak the words as they appeared.

"3W. Death is not an end. But we can help with that. Ever since 3W encountered the truth about the death experience, we have been working hard to find a better life for the deceased. At 3W, afterlife means aftercare."

"Okay." Clara said when the logo appeared, indicating that it wasn't going to continue speaking. "Bit strange?"

"Very. Why have the scrolling and a voice?" The Doctor raised his voice slightly, looking past the logo at a figure that was barely visible. "Is it difficult?"

"Is what difficult?"

"Reading all those words back to front. Come on. We've come a long way."

Ember watched as a woman wearing a Victorian dress and a small hat with fake berries on it appeared from seemingly nowhere, walking through the logo and making the hologram vanish. She had a bit of a Mary Poppins sort of look going for her.

"Hello." She said with barely any emotion, walking right up to them. Ember flinched back at the abrupt invasion of space. "I hope you're well. How may I assist you with your death?"

The Doctor stepped back, walking around the woman. "Well, there is, er, no immediate hurry. We're just, er... We're just..."

"Browsing." Clara offered as he passed her.

"Yeah, yeah, browsing."

"Please, take all the time you need." The woman said. "At 3W, you always have the rest of your life."

"Oh, good. That's good to know, Clara, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Great."

Ember stayed a step further away from the woman, though the Doctor barely noticed as he stopped, facing the woman. "Exactly what is 3W?"

"Apologies." The woman said. "Clearly you have not received the official 3W greetings package."

"Well, you know, it's just an unexpected-"

The Doctor was interrupted as the woman lunged at him, pushing him against the wall and kissing him intently. Clearly he had no idea what to do, as he flailed around a bit. Ember had to look away while Clara watched in shock as the woman pulled back slightly to kiss his nose three times before stepping back.

"Welcome to the 3W Institute." She said like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Clara... is it over now?" The Doctor almost whimpered, stock still against the wall.

Clara nodded. "I think it's over, yeah."

The woman turned to her. "You also have not received the official welcome package."

"Oh, I'm good, thanks! No worries."

Ember stepped back another step when the woman turned to her next. "Put your lips anywhere near me and I will barbecue you. I'll skip the welcome, thanks."

'The only person I want to put their lips on me is him,' she thought, her eyes briefly going to the Doctor before she realised what she'd just thought. 'Where the hell did THAT come from?!'

The woman tilted her head, but didn't try to approach her.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked. He took note of how Ember was suddenly tense and seemingly not willing to take her eyes off this new person: she didn't normally have that kind of hostility towards someone unless she knew something about them.

The woman looked at him. "I am Missy."

Clara blinked. "Missy?"

"Mobile Intelligent Systems Interface. I am a multi-function, interactive welcome-droid. Helping you to help me to help you."

The Doctor pursed his lips. "You're very, uh... realistic."

"Tongues?" Clara teased.

"Shut up."

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

"Oh, yes, please." The Doctor said, practically peeling himself off the wall. "Please do that. Do that right now."

"Maybe just a tad, yeah." Clara added.

"I need to speak to whoever's in charge here."

Missy looked at him. "I am in charge."

"Well, who's in charge of you?"

"I'm in charge of me."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, who repairs you? Who, who maintains you?"

"I am programmed for self-repair. I am maintained by my heart." Missy walked up to him and took his hand, pressing it against her chest. "Is everything in order?"

"Who maintains your heart?" The Doctor asked, frowning.

"My heart is maintained by the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

Missy turned and raised her voice, the tone snippy and impatient. "Doctor Chang!"

The Doctor looked at his hand, still outstretched where Missy had put it and remaining there even as she walked away. Something about the woman was suspicious: Ember didn't seem to like her for a start. And that pulse he felt when his hand was on her chest... it was almost like she had...

"Who's there?" A male voice broke him from his chain of thought, and he, Clara and Ember looked to the owner; a man with big glasses and slicked back hair. He wore a blue suit. "Hello?"

"Hello." Clara said, then saw that the Doctor still had his hand out. "You can probably take your hand down now, Doctor."

The man - Chang - smiled. "So. Hey. Condolences."

"Condolences?"

"It's a mausoleum. It's our hello. Is there a particular dead person you want to talk to?"

The Doctor looked at Clara as she nodded. "Yes. Yes, there is."

Chang nodded, holding out an arm. "This way then."

As he walked away, the Doctor looked at Clara. "Are you okay?"

"No." Clara breathed, holding her hand out. He took it gently.

"Good. There would be something very wrong if you were." He then looked at Ember, who seemed to be looking at something intently. It couldn't have been a coincidence that it was in the same direction that Missy had left. "Ember? You alright?"

Ember shook her head and moved to his other side, letting him take her hand with his free one. "Ask me later."

The Doctor frowned, but didn't push her as he led them to follow Chang. It wasn't long before they reached an elevator, which took them to a rather large office, where there was another tank with a skeleton in it. The room had two desks - one to the side and one in front of the tank, while there was also a comfortable looking sofa, and it looked like the room expanded into a flat further back.

"Come in, come in." Chang said, walking over to the desk. "Going to need to take a reading off you."

Clara blinked. "A reading?"

"Won't hurt."

"What won't?"

"How does the body keep its integrity?" The Doctor called from where he was looking at the skeleton in the tank. He'd yet to let go of Ember's hand, giving her no choice but to follow him. "Why isn't it just a bunch of bones floating about?"

Chang look unsurprised by the question. "Each body is encased in a support exoskeleton."

"An invisible exoskeleton?" Clara asked.

"It's only invisible in the water. There's a specially engineered refraction index in the fluid so we can see the tank resident unimpeded by the support mechanisms."

The Doctor felt Ember squeeze his hand twice. "So each skeleton is inside something?"

"What if there isn't a body? No skeleton to put in one of these?" Ember asked.

Chang shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't know. I... don't really want to. I'm just in charge of this institute, to maintain the bodies."

Ember lowered her voice so only the Doctor heard her. "Maybe those that don't have bodies don't matter to them."

"Are you serious?" Clara said in disbelief, having not heard them. "X-ray water?"

"It's so cool. Look at this. We call it dark water." Chang demonstrated using a large jar of water that was next to the desk facing the tank. He put his arm into it, and his watch and the sleeve of his jacket seemingly vanished. The Doctor and Clara moved closer to look, while Ember stayed where she was. "Only organic matter can be seen through it. I keep saying they should use this stuff in swimming pools."

The Doctor looked puzzled as the man removed his arm from the jar and dried it off with a towel. "Why?"

"Think about it."

"I am thinking about it. Why?"

Ember shuddered at the thought. Great, now she was going to be testing the water every time she goes swimming from now on.

"Doesn't matter." Clara said, apparently not bothered about it; or maybe she was choosing not to think about it. "3W, what kind of name is that? What does it mean?"

The skeleton in the tank shifted its head to 'look' in their direction. Ember, being the only one who'd seen it, leveled it with a glare.

"Well, you know, don't you?" Chang said, unaware of what just happened. "You're here on business or they wouldn't have let you in. Sorry. Should have checked. Who are you?"

"I thought that you would never ask. Sort out your security protocols, they're a disgrace." The Doctor walked around the desk as he got out his psychic paper and handed it to the man.

Chang sighed at what he saw on it, though he was also puzzled. "Another government inspection? So soon? Why is there all this swearing?"

The Doctor took the paper back, moving to to the sofas and picking up a thin folder, though he didn't open it. "Oh, I've got a lot of internalised anger. What does 3W stand for?"

"Well, the three words."

"What three words?" Clara asked.

"Seriously? You don't know?"

The Doctor cut in before Clara could answer. "Never mind what we know and what we don't know, just answer our question."

Chang hesitated. "Because people who don't know, when they hear about this, they can freak out."

"We're not going to freak out."

"If you've had a recent loss, this might be... this will be disturbing."

"She'll be fine."

"Speak for me again, I'll detach something from you." Clara said to the Doctor before looking at Chang. "I'll be fine."

After a moment, Chang went on, moving back to the other desk and pressing a switch on the wall. A clear computer screen on the desk swivelled to face him and the logo appeared on it. "You know how people are scared of dying? Like, everybody."

"Of course." The Doctor said. "It's the most fundamental fear in the universe."

"People are afraid of dying because they don't know what happens after," Ember said, making them look at her. She hadn't moved away from the tank or taken her eyes off the skeleton. "Is there a heaven, or hell, or nothing at all? Everyone fears the unknown."

"They'd be a lot more scared if they knew what it was really like." Change said, sitting at the desk. Clara and the Doctor sat in the two chairs opposite. A fuzzy sound came from the screen, like it hadn't been tuned in. "White noise off the telly. We've all heard it. A few years ago, Doctor Skarosa, our founder-" he nodded to the skeleton "-did something unexpected. He played that noise through a translation matrix of his own devising. This is a recording of what he heard."

Clara furrowed her brow when she heard indistinct murmuring of countless voices. "Okay, people, voices."

"So what?" The Doctor said.

Chang sighed. "Over time, Doctor Skarosa became convinced these were the voices of the recently departed. He believed it was a telepathic communication from the dead."

"Why? Was he an idiot?"

"He was able to isolate some of the voices, hear what they were saying."

"So... an idiot then."

"Shut up, Doctor." Clara said as the sound was cut off.

Chang then hesitated. "What I'm about to play you will change your life and not for the better. These are the three words which caused Doctor Skarosa to set up institutes, like this one, all over the world, to protect the dead. If you'd rather not hear these words, there's still time-"

"Can you just hurry up, please, or I'll hit you with my shoe." The Doctor said impatiently.

Chang pressed a button to play the recording. A single voice came through: a male who sounded panicked and scared. Ember clamped her hands over her ears the moment it started, trying not to listen as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Don't cremate me!" He cried. It sounded like he was sobbing. "Don't cremate me!"

"There is one simple, horrible possibility that has never occurred to anyone throughout human history." Change said.

"Don't cremate me! Don't cremate me!"

"Don't say it." Clara warned.

Chang didn't heed her. "The dead remain conscious. The dead are fully aware of everything that is happening to them."

"Don't cremate me! Don't cremate me!"

"ENOUGH!"

The three sat at the desk jumped not only at the shout, but at the jar of water suddenly shattering, spilling water everywhere.

The Doctor was the first to recover and turned to look at who'd shouted. Ember was crouched down, her hands covering her ears and her eyes screwed shut. Before her, the glass of the tank had a massive spider web of cracks in it, though it couldn't have been very deep because the water in the tank wasn't leaking out. He got up quickly and went to her side, putting his arm around her and gently easing her to her feet, feeling her tremble against him.

Chang was at least smart enough to turn off the sound file. "Um, I'm not sure what just happened."

"Freak coincidence." The Doctor said flippantly as he guided Ember to the door. "And she probably just needs a bit of fresh air." He didn't wait for a reply, leaving the room and closing the door behind them, and then he turned to the brunette in his arms. "Ember, come on, talk to me."

"I'm sorry," Ember murmured, finally taking her hands off her ears. "I dunno what happened. I just... that voice..."

The Doctor took one of her hands and squeezed it. "Is it true? Are the dead really here?"

"... in a sense, yes. But there's more to it. They're not being left alone. It's like... they don't have to be there..." Ember took a breath and straightened. "I think I'm okay now. Just... don't make me hear that again, please."

Nodding, the Doctor squeezed her hand again before leading her back into the office. Chang and Clara had by now put the towel he'd used earlier on the floor to soak up the spilled water while they waited for someone to come and clear it up properly.

"Fakery!" The Doctor said as soon as they walked in. He made Ember sit on the sofa before walking to the two humans. "All of it. It's a con, it's a racket!"

"I promise you this is not a con." Chang said.

"What's that beeping?" Clara asked, having heard it start as they talked.

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

Chang moved to the device that was beeping: a strange metal sphere on his desk, and then a voice came out from the monitor. The trio instantly recognised it as Danny.

"Clara? Clara? Clara, are you there?"

"Danny!" Clara gasped, running to the desk and sitting down. "I can hear you! Is that you? Oh, please, say it's you!"

"That's her, that's Clara!"

"Yeah, you're really lucky." Another male voice said, one they didn't recognise. "It hardly ever happens."

There was a fizzle, and the words 'Not connected' appeared on the screen.

"Just lost the signal." Chang said, messing with the sphere again. "But I can track it back, I'm pretty sure."

Clara shook her head. "I don't, I don't understand. What is happening?"

"We've been scanning you telepathically since you came in. You said you wanted to speak to someone who'd passed, and we've found you a match in the Nethersphere."

"This isn't possible." The Doctor said. "The dead don't come back."

Ember looked up in time to see the skeleton in the tank stand up.

"It was him. It was his voice." Clara insisted.

The Doctor moved to her side. "If they scanned you telepathically, they could've lifted a voice print. It could still be a fake."

"Getting him back..." Chang said. "...very nearly..."

Then the signal came back, and Danny spoke. "Clara, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Danny, I can hear you. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can hear you. Clara! Oh, God..."

"What do I do?" Clara asked the Doctor.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Hang on just a moment."

The Doctor lowered his voice to make sure Danny didn't hear him. "Question him. Ask him questions only he'd know the answer to. Be sure." He then pointed at Chang. "You, with me."

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to check out those tanks. There's something that I'm missing."

"Clara?"

"Sceptical and critical, remember? Be strong, even if it breaks your heart."

"Connection's stabilised. It should be okay." Chang said to Clara.

The Doctor took Ember's hand to pull her with him as he walked back to the door. "Who would harvest dead bodies? I feel like I'm missing something... obvious..."

The three of them went into the elevator, which took them to one of the levels with the tanks. What they saw startled them; the skeletons in each tank was now standing, and the water was bubbling with a low hum coming from somewhere.

"Oh, my God!" Chang said. "The tanks... The tanks are activating! They're not supposed to do that!"

"And all your dead people are standing." The Doctor said, moving quickly down the corridor. "Don't you think you skipped the headline?"

Suddenly, Missy appeared from an adjoining corridor, standing between Chang and the Time Lords. "Now, now, children. Naughty, naughty."

The Doctor came back, taking Ember's hand as he saw her tense again. "Doctor Chang, your welcome droid has developed a fault."

"That's not a droid. That's..." Chang stammered. "...my boss."

"You know, I might have been guilty of a just teensy little fibette." Missy said before she looked at the human. "Doctor Chang, I really liked working with you. I've enjoyed every day of it."

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, I've even got a little photograph of you looking so sweet. I'm always going to keep it. Always."

"...Are you going to kill me?"

Missy rolled her eyes. "Now, come on. Let's not dwell on horrid things. This is going to be our last conversation, and I'm the one who's going to have to live with that."

"Please don't kill me!"

"...Say something nice."

The Doctor pulled Ember behind him.

"P-please. I don't... I don't want to die!" Chang said, scared now. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Say something nice." Missy said again.

"Please!"

"Doctor Chang, I've got all day. And I'm not going to kill you until you say something nice."

"It has been an absolute pleasure working with you, and I truly believe that you'll never be able to find it in your heart to murder me!"

Missy held up her device, about to use it, when suddenly a line of fire erupted between her and her target. She turned to see Ember, still partially behind the Doctor, holding out her hand, her pupils so small they were nearly invisible in liquid silver.

"Run, Chang! Get out!" The brunette yelled, keeping the flames up until the man turned and ran before letting it disperse, grabbing the Doctor's hand and pulling him back with her.

"Aww, you ruined it," Missy pouted, not bothering to stop them. "Now, I'll be with you in a moment. Just feeling a bit emotional at the moment..."

The Doctor looked at the tank nearest to them, seeing that the water level was dropping. It was now below the top of the skull, revealing the top of a silver, metal helmet that he recognised instantly. "Cybermen!"

The water reached the torsos, revealing a blue light in the centre of the chestplate.

"They're Cybermen, all of them!" The Doctor moved closer to Missy, not noticing how Ember let him do so. "We've got to stop them getting out!"

"Now who's missing the headline?" Missy asked. She then pointed to something above them, in the space in the centre of the building. "The Nethersphere. You know it's ever so funny, the people that live inside that think they've gone to heaven."

The Doctor looked up at a massive globe that looked almost like a speaker with red and gold lights inside it.

When Ember looked at it, she winced as her head throbbed painfully. For a moment she thought she was about to have a vision, but none came. Instead, she felt a near overbearing sense of grief, fear and anger that made her feel nauseous. She stumbled and leaned against the wall for support. Was she somehow feeling the minds inside, or was it something else?

"That's a matrix data-slice." The Doctor said, not noticing her predicament. "A Gallifreyan hard drive. Time Lord technology."

Missy moved to lean on the railing. "Imagine you could upload dying minds to that. Edit them. Rearrange them. Get rid of all those boring emotions. Ready to be re-downloaded. Meanwhile, you upgrade the bodies. Upload the mind, upgrade the body. Cybermen from cyberspace. Now, why has no-one ever thought of that before?"

The Doctor looked at her. "How did you get hold of Time Lord technology? Who are you?"

"You know who I am. I told you. You felt it." She made a gasp sound and put her hand on her chest. "Surely you did."

The Doctor remembered what he felt, or what he thought he'd felt. He moved around so that he was now closer to the elevator. "Two hearts..."

"And one of them yours. Guess who has the other one? Here's a hint: she's with us right now."

The Doctor looked at Ember, noticing that she was leaning heavily against the wall. "Ember!"

"Bingo!" Missy said, and then she looked at the brunette. "It's alright, love. Nostalgia can be a bit... overwhelming. Want me to kiss it better?"

Ember forced herself to straighten and moved around the woman, holding her hand out in warning as she reached the Doctor, who grabbed her to help steady her. "That barbecue is still an option."

"We both know you won't do it."

The Doctor spoke to draw the woman's attention to him and away from Ember. "You're a Time Lord."

"Time Lady, please, I'm... old-fashioned."

"Which Time Lady?"

"The one you abandoned, Doctor. The one you left for dead. Didn't you ever think I'd find my way back?"

The Doctor suddenly had a thought, turning to the elevator. "Clara. I've got to get Clara!"

Missy rolled her eyes. "Oh, Clara, Clara, Clara! You know, I should shoot you in a jealous rage. Now wouldn't that be sexy? I've turned the lift off, though."

"I presume you have stairs."

"Well, I'm not a Dalek."

The Doctor moved Ember with him to the door at the side, using the Sonic to open it. But when he opened the door, there were no stairs. Instead, he found himself going out of a door to St Paul's Cathedral in London, which surprised him. People walked about with no clue what was happening in the building.

Missy calmly followed them, putting her hand the Doctor's shoulder. "Oh, dear, Doctor. Didn't you realise where you were?"

Ember blinked, surprised when the nausea and bad feelings simply vanished like someone had flicked a switch. Was it because she was now away from that sphere?

The Doctor ran down the steps towards the unsuspecting crowd. "Get away from here! All of you, run!"

The sound of stomping feet made Ember turn and back away as the Cybers came from several directions, every entrance and exit from the Cathedral.

"Go! Go! Get away from here!" The Doctor kept yelling, Ember following. "Run away! Run, run! Get away from here all of you, now!"

To their surprise, Missy had somehow gotten ahead of them, sitting on some steps. "I'm sorry, everyone. Another ranting Scotsman in the street. I had no idea there was a match on."

The Doctor tried to ignore her. "Get away, go!"

Missy rolled her eyes and got up, going to his side and grabbing his arm. "Stop shouting, love. Stop making a fuss. It's too late. All the graves of planet Earth are about to give birth. You know the key strategic weakness of the human race? The dead outnumber the living."

The Doctor looked around before addressing her. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you know who I am. I'm Missy."

"Who's Missy?"

"Please, try to keep up. Short for Mistress. Well, I couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now could I?"

The Doctor stepped away from her, pulling Ember back behind him as he stared at the woman in horror. The Cybermen continued to advance.

And there's part one! Part two will be up between Wednesday and Thursday.

Next Time: Ember gets a hint of her own, and drives home the truth. But can she trust Missy? Stay tuned!