Thank you all who read the last chapter! Unlike Chloe and the Doctor, I have the Type 40 TARDIS manual, so I'm able to flip through and see what can be broken that would stop the TARDIS from dematerializing. It was between the inhibitor, the filter lens, or the containment cap. For those of you who have the book and are curious, you can find a diagram on page 37, fig. 4.01, which shows the inner workings of the dematerialization circuit.

Trigger warning for this story arc: Mentions and acts of Kidnapping/Slavery; tl;dr's will be available at the end of each chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any affiliated books

He exited the TARDIS, the door slamming behind him. Several things weren't right. The settlement hadn't been what it should've been. The people were all supposed to be natives. It should've been a scrap mart, not a fishing market. They knew about Chloe, and, even worse, somehow, one, if not all, of the androids had enough Time Lord technology to hurt her.

Even just remembering her scream had his stomach twisting.

And this wasn't even counting the fact that the chronoton inhibitor node had destroyed itself materializing on the beach without him noticing. If he couldn't find that spare in the storage room, and soon, Chloe would be gone, lost-

"No," he quietly murmured, trying to ignore his aching hearts. "I'll get her back, and we'll shut down the slavery ring and have a good laugh about it over…" he trailed off. What did she like to eat after their adventures? Susan had loved his cooking, Sarah loved getting those ice cream shakes, Grace adored cookies, and Rose couldn't get enough chips, but… what did she like?

I'll just have to pay more attention. Stupid Doctor, remember rule three! Know your companions before you take them on adventures.

He continued down the street, towards the market, and a woman - an alien who he had bumped into when he had separated from Chloe but hadn't seen her when the redhead had gotten taken - fell into step with him.

"You're the one who had the redhead with him,"

The Doctor glanced at the cyan-skinned woman, dressed in an officer uniform, and scowled. "What's it to you?" he snapped. "Come to tell me I shouldn't've let her go?"

"No," she answered, her brown eyes going wide. "I'm Marloon, and I'm an undercover operative for the Shadow Proclamation. For years, we've been watching the Taragrea system, and when your companion was taken… She called you 'Doctor'. Are you him? Like, the Doctor?"

"Why didn't you step in then?"

"SP has no legal reason for being here, but if that woman was who I think she was, then I can help you. I-" she hesitated before straightening. "I want to help. As an officer, I can bring just cause that they were unlawful, which they were, even if the barbaric laws here say they weren't."

"What's the catch?" He asked.

"You have to be wedded to her as soon as possible."

Come back for me...

Why had she said that? Of course, he was going to come for her… right?

Shaking her head, her broken arm laid on her lap uselessly while her good one was up above her head, chained tightly to a wall. The room she was in was dark and damp and smelled vaguely of mold. Distantly, she was aware of the shuffling of other chains, and whispers of other women, but the constant pain from her arm, and general inability to move stopped her from actively doing anything.

Then, of course, one of the captors came to her. "You get one word to have the man claiming to be with you to identify you," he growled out. "Make it quick. You're on the block once I'm done here."

One word? She thought, going to open her mouth, but immediately closing it. She couldn't ask a question, because he'd take the first word as her one word, fuck. She had one word to let the Doctor know she was ok; that she was alive and aware and waiting for him. She could hear the man growl before he started to walk away. "Theta," she finally said. "My word is Theta."

He continued walking as if he hadn't heard her.

He was beginning to believe that he had quite possibly made the worst mistake of his life as the final slaver walked in, a disgruntled look on his face. "Five words," he said. "Soonga, Half, Love, Yehka, Theta." His hearts skipped a beat as hope came surging back.

"Theta," he repeated. "Chloe said Theta. She's about this tall, red hair, odd accent, broken arm?"

"I don't pay attention to the cargo," the alien snapped. "All I know is that my cell is on the block and I'm not there."

The officer with him frowned, glancing at the Time Lord. "We might not have much time if your fiancee has been put up." her voice was on edge. "Once up, they're almost certainly bought by five minutes. Ten if they're injured in some way."

"How long ago was this?"

"Three, four minutes ago," the slaver shrugged, and in response, both the Doctor and Marloon pushed their way past the man, the Time Lord pausing and turning to the group formed.

"When I get Chloe, and I will, this operation stops."

She blinked violently as the lights flickered, and she shrank away as two of the aliens stepped forward, something like Exacto knives in hand.

"Stay away," she croaked out, but they just moved forward, cutting away her clothes.

"Well?" they asked the third alien, who had a datapad and was typing something down.

"Small mammary glands and hips, as well as shorter than usual stature. The hair will have to be changed colors; whose ever heard of a happy slave, after all. The blemishes on the skin might make up for the broken arm, as well as the enhanced strength and ability to not be knocked out." she hummed, all the while, Chloe scowled harder and harder as she spoke.

"I have a fucking name," she spat but was ignored. "When the Doctor finds me, he's going to ruin you."

"Haven't you heard?" The woman clicked the pad off and gave her a very dark, sarcastic grin. "Your 'Doctor' left you! Told us to keep you in fact. Said he had enough of the stupid ape."

"You're lying," she protested, but… was stupid ape really that common of an insult? In the adventures they had, she'd only heard it coming from… from him. "He'd never leave someone behind. Not without a fight."

Susan, Patience, Sarah Jane, he left them, a traitorous part of her brain whispered, but she shook her head. "And he did, at first, but he didn't want to, not really. Could read it in his soul, see? It's what we do," the woman winked at her, tapping Chloe's heart before stepping away. "Prep her for Room 5."

"Rooms 1 to 6 are empty," the head alien was saying, but Marloon had shaken her head and continued forward, her brown hair slowly escaping from its bun.

"My race, we have a form of sub empathy. We link to one person at a time. His fiancee? I feel her. She's close."

The woman's voice sounded over the intercom as Chloe was forced to move onto the elevated, lit stage. "Human female, dating places her at 26. Despite her small stature, she is able to throw a 182-kilogram android easily. Partial damage done during recovery, but easily fixed with a dermal regenerator. Base price at 50,000 credits." Above the middle alcove, a series of symbols flickered to life, slowly twisting into a price number.

"I'll show you where you can shove a dermal regenerator," she grumbled as one of the three alcoves buzzed, and then a second one, and the price went up. Doctor, please… please, get here soon…

Closing her eyes, she could feel herself start to shake as the buzzing sounded again, and again, and again before there was a shrill screeching sound, and a familiar voice called out,

"How about nothing, by the rights of handfasting?"

"Clara?" She found herself whispering, but when she turned, she saw an alien with a familiar face instead. An echo? But why would she be here of all times? Unless he wanted to make it to where I'm out of the timeline-

When she blinked, the Doctor was pushing past the echo, heading right to her. "Chloe," he said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she whispered. When he reached out to touch her, it felt as if, suddenly, she had been dunked in ice, causing her to shiver violently, making her arm shift. "Less alright."

"You're freezing, and that's sayin' something from me," he quipped, though it seemed like somehow or another, for every adventure she didn't know, she always got the familiar leather jacket placed on her, and this was no exception as she swam in it, covering her as if it were a dress. Other guards began to file into the room, scowling, and the Doctor scowled back. "Let's go."

"Doctor, what's going to happen now?" she murmured as she let him guide her out of the room. "Who's this?"

"Right, Chloe, Marloon. She's from," he paused, looking between the two with furrowed brows. "Didn't you call her Clara?"

"Long story," she amended. "She's…" Chloe glanced at the confused alien woman, who was looking at her with furrowed brows. "Clara is complicated."

"And that ties into me how?" The woman asked, making her grimace.

"You don't want to know," she promised, but the other woman shook her head.

"Then explain it to me," the Doctor said. "Because while she helped free you, I need more evidence than just your word that she's this Clara person."

With a grimace, she turned to the time lord, keeping her voice as quiet as she dared. "Marloon is an echo of Clara. Clara is a dear friend, and she helps me protect the timelines. One could argue she does it better."

"But… I'm here. I exist," Marloon argued, and Chloe dropped her eyes to the floor.

"What were your parents like?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"They loved me very much," her tone went from confused and upset to slightly monotone. "When I became an officer, they were upset and worried. They died of old age two years ago."

"Where are you from?"

"Keralis," she answered in the same tone as before.

"Describe it," Chloe whispered. "As best as you can."

"It's a planet in a binary star system. The days are 28 hours, and nights 14 hours. There are three seasons. I was born in Keralixa, the capital, which holds-," she cut herself off suddenly, tears in her eyes. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're an echo," the Doctor said, and for the briefest moments, she swore he had tugged her a bit closer. "I don't know how, but you've split yourself into multiple beings. I've seen your face before, but she was-"

"On Gallifrey," Chloe finished for him. "She's the one who told you to take the TARDIS you have now. She was there for your executions, and for when you were titled Lord President."

"But… I'm Keralean," Marloon protested, but the redhead shook her head.

"I can try to explain as best as I can, but Doctor, you have to forget once everything is explained."

"A fixed point?" he asked, and she nodded. "Let's get you somewhere safe."

Somewhere safe.

She stopped moving, turning to him with wide eyes, which he flinched from. "What's wrong with the TARDIS?" she demanded.

"You mean the snog box?" Marloon butted in. "It was very dark, and the hum sounded very broken."

"The TARDIS broke down?"

"It's easily fixed," the Doctor promised. "But until then, the defenses are down." She stared at him, unsure what to say.

"We mustn't linger," Marloon told them, and she found herself moving forward, mind flashing back to the repairs she had interrupted.

Was this her fault?

Marloon led them to a decent-sized house. "My employers bought this for me," she said. "Didn't know why I needed extra rooms, but now it makes sense I suppose."

"Thank you for letting us stay with you," she said, sitting down at the table.

The Doctor sat beside her, pulling out a familiar tool and hovering it over her arm. Marloon disappeared into what looked to be like a bedroom. "Right, you'll need to tell me when it starts to hurt the most." At her nod, he began to slowly move it down her arm, and she felt like she was going to have a brain aneurysm from how her eyes strained. "There?" She nodded, and he frowned. "Two breaks instead of one then. I can do partial treatments, but until the TARDIS is fixed, the medbay is locked."

"How long will repairs take?" She asked, noting how he merely put the regenerator in his pocket and pulled out his sonic, buzzing it over her arm. He was pointedly not looking at her. "Doctor? What aren't you telling me?"

"Do you know what a chronoton inhibitor node is?" he asked, making her blink and frown.

"No," she answered. "But it sounds important."

"It is," he replied. "And also very rare. It's used in the dematerialization circuit. It's one of the few things that can be found outside of," he trailed off, and she awkwardly reached over with her good hand, giving his own hand a squeeze. "It's the part I had planned on getting a second spare on, as well as a couple of other things."

Dread built up in her. "The part that we were going to skip forward four months for?"

"Yes." he stopped running the sonic over her arm. "There's a spare somewhere in the storage room-"

"But that's so messy," she bemoaned, cutting him off, getting an amused chuckle.

"I take it you've seen it then?"

"Not in person, but if it's anything like how I remember, it'll take a week or two, never mind finding it if the old girl is on low power mode."

"I've been meaning to go to Cardiff and fuel her up on the rift." he mused, and she felt an anxious giddiness wash over her as she realized that, after this, they'd most likely get Jack and then-

Wait…

Boom Town happened just before Bad Wolf.

Suddenly, she didn't feel like getting Jack, even though she logically knew a lot of things (several comics and a novel even!) happened between Empty Child and Boom Town.

"Did I say the wrong thing?" The Doctor's question had her snapping back to reality, and she quickly shook her head.

"No, it's just… Something I'd rather not think about until I have to," she murmured.

"Which is? I've been told I'm very good at listening," his ears wiggled and she found herself… she wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a sob, she felt a little bit better.

"Regeneration," she finally choked out. "Like I said, rather not have to think about it."

"Because for some reason, you like this face," he assumed, in mock disgust, making her roll her eyes.

"Partially, but mainly because I've been told several times that it hurts, and to regenerate, to begin with, you'd have to be dying, and…" she looked at the table, trying to find an interesting pattern in the wood grains. "The idea of any version of you dying is what makes me upset."

"Usually humans take the face changing a bit more severely," the Doctor noted, and she swore she heard an undertone, but-

"Yeah, well, I'm not most humans, now am I?" she said instead, looking up at him with a grin. "Let's go look for that spare part, yeah?"

TL;DR - The Doctor meets a Clara-Echo called Marloon, and came up with a plan in case he couldn't fix the TARDIS in time. Chloe was almost sold, but thanks to Marloon, she was saved in time. It was explained that Clara could appear as almost anyone or species should the need arise, but no actual details were given yet. The Doctor has yet to tell Chloe the plan on what happens.

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