"How could one of the drills malfunctioned?" Christopher asked, and Cecelia shrugged dramatically.
"I don't know considering we just walked in the room. I do actually have to run diagnostic checks unlike your coding which is just winging it and a prayer half the time," she said, and I laughed before I could stop myself. The Major and Paul both gave me harsh sideways looks.
"Well they're both sticks in the mud," I said under my breath to the Doctor who sniggered before leaning over and giving me a playful shove.
"Stop making me laugh, you'll ruin my reputation."
"I didn't think you had one of those," I shot back, and he gasped in mock hurt and I laughed fully this time before I blushed as everyone turned to look at me. "Sorry."
"How often do the drills malfunction?" The Doctor asked while he pulled out his brainy specs and leaned over Christopher's shoulder to look at the computer.
"Not often, but then it's not often we're running on a skeleton crew because of a holiday," he said, and the Doctor shot me a look over the frames of his glasses. I returned it and he winked at me.
"Justine and Cecelia these readings are weird could you come have a look?" Marishka asked and Justine moved next to Marishka immediately while Cecelia's head jerked up from her cell phone which she quickly slipped into her pocket.
"Yeah sorry," she said as she hurried across the room to Marishka's side. The Major's glare followed her the whole time.
"Who were you communicating with?" He asked immediately, and Cecelia stiffened. I couldn't quite tell if it was out of nerves or annoyance.
"My Mom if you must know. She's got a sixth sense about when things go a little bit wrong and it makes her nervous," Cecelia said, tightly enough that I still wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not.
"A soldier's family gets used to it," Major Campbell said and fell into parade rest.
"Good thing she's an engineer and not a soldier then Major Campbell," I said in the best fake bright tone I could manage. The Doctor stood up from the data he'd been looking at to walk over to me and plant a firm kiss to my forehead before immediately going back to his data without a word.
"She's got you there Major," Marishka said.
"I've got the drill's camera back online," Cecelia called with a hand wave and we all hurried over to her computer. There was a tiny bit of static before the picture cleared and we could see the sprawling underground city that looked vaguely familiar to me somehow.
"Major did you do ground scans before you built this base and started drilling?" the Doctor asked casually.
"We met UNIT's qualifications when we picked this site," he said, and I raised my eyebrow up at him, because that sounded like a deliberate non-answer. The Doctor must have agreed because he turned to look at all the scientists with a questioning look.
"They were done before we arrived," Paul said with a shrug. The Doctor grumbled something under his breath that I didn't quite catch.
"Doctor do you know what we're looking at?" the Major asked just as a lizard person ducked into the picture of the drill. I jumped despite myself and the Doctor rested a steadying hand on the small of my back as the picture dissolved back into static.
"Homo Reptilia," the Doctor said, and I frowned in confusion.
"That's not what they looked like last time." Slarnix had been much more turtle like with round, smooth features and brown coloured, whereas these people were definitely lizards with sharper lines, more scaly and bright green.
"They're cousins of the last Homo Reptilia we bumped into. These ones aren't amphibious, so they live solely on the land. UNIT refers to them as Silurians."
"Oh, I recognize that name," I said. It was another story that my uncle had told me growing up. The Doctor narrowed his eyes at me.
"Remind me to ask you about that."
"What is a Silurian?" the Major asked and Justine rolled her eyes.
"You really haven't read any case files, have you?" She asked, and the Doctor rubbed the back of his head while the Major flushed angrily.
"Those files are quite old by your standards. And the dating protocol for filing got a bit messy as well."
"I'm sure you had nothing to do with that," I said, and he winked at me.
"It wasn't my fault."
"Maybe someday I'll believe it when you say that." He flashed me a look of mock hurt and I laughed.
"Doctor would you mind telling the rest of us what a Silurian is?" Marishka asked. The Doctor quickly launched into his spiel while I wandered over to stand next to Cecelia.
"You didn't jump when the Silurian appeared on screen. And I'm pretty sure that you've heard this before though you're doing a very good job pretending it's your first time," I said casually and quietly, and she flashed me an alarmed look.
"How did you know?"
"I'm good at reading people." It looked like she was about to panic so I placed my hand on her arm. "Cecelia is going to show me where the bathroom is. We'll be right back."
No one put up much of a fuss beyond the Doctor giving me a little wave, so I pulled Cecelia out into the hall and gestured for her to take the lead. We walked in silence until we entered the bathroom and I locked the door behind us.
"So, tell me everything," I said as I pulled myself up to sit on the counter. She fidgeted slightly before her shoulder slumped and she caved.
"I went out to get a sample and I stumbled upon Vax. He was hurt because one of the drills had damaged his hibernation pod. I brought him medical supplies and stuff and he told me about when and where he had come from," She said as she played with the hem of her shirt.
"I'm surprised he trusted you," I said, because I remembered the Doctor strongly implying that humans and Homo Reptilia didn't often get off on the right foot. Cecelia smiled.
"He didn't at first. I had to prove that nothing was deadly or poisonous every time I brought something new, but after a while I guess he just got a sense of my character." She blushed slightly and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. I tipped my head to the side as I studied her carefully.
"You're in love with him." She blushed harder.
"Oh God am I that obvious?" She asked as she fanned her face heavily and I laughed.
"No. Like I said I'm good at reading people." My therapist had said it was a defense mechanism, one that I would probably never unlearn.
"Vax is really sweet," she murmured.
"Was Vax the one on the video?" I asked, and she shook her head with a frown.
"No, it wasn't, but that doesn't make any sense because Vax said everyone else was still in hibernation." I was starting to have a slight sense of déjà vu.
"Could another one of the drills damaged another hibernation pod?" I asked, and she bit her lip.
"Maybe, but Vax would have told me," she said.
"I'm guessing that that's who you were actually messaging on your cell phone earlier?" She blushed again and nodded.
"I slipped him a burner phone so that we could communicate with each other. It's not very often I can slip away and see him in person," she said, and I smiled.
"It sounds like a really sweet story. And it is safe with me," I said, and she threw her arms around me tightly.
"Thank you. It's complicated," she said. I laughed as I hopped off the counter and headed for the door.
"Just like almost everything else in my life," I said and opened the door to find the Doctor leaning against the wall next to the door. I raised my eyebrows up at him.
"The Major banished me until he can confirm my credentials. He's a bit gruff," he said.
"I'm pretty sure that you're allowed to say you don't like him," I said, and the Doctor laughed.
"Believe it or not I do actually try not to be rude to people on occasion," he said. Cecelia clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laugh and the Doctor peered at her curiously.
"There's a wedding mark on the back of your hand," he said, and Cecelia's eyes went wide so I twisted to look at her hand, which was smooth and unblemished.
"There's nothing on the back of her hand." I double checked her other hand quickly just to be sure. The Doctor held out one of his hands while he dug out the screwdriver.
"May I?" He asked, and Cecelia nodded slowly as she placed her hand in his extended one. The Doctor turned the sonic on and waved it over the back of her hand and a sweeping design appeared like it was a stamp from a club reacting to a UV light.
"It's lovely," I said, and Cecelia flushed in pleasure.
"Very old fashioned even by Homo Reptilia standards," the Doctor said, and I was glad that he had figured it out so that I didn't have to break my promise to Cecelia not to tell people.
"Vax said that it was the only way to marry us without anyone knowing." She must have realized what that sounded like because she straightened her shoulders. "Not that either of us are ashamed. It's just-"
"Complicated," I said when she trailed off and she nodded.
"Doctor," Major Campbell called from down the hall and the Doctor smiled at him.
"Confirmed my credentials have you then Major?" I shook my head at him and rolled my eyes at his antagonistic tone.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" He gave me a wink, which I took as a yes.
"I also took the liberty of reading the case files on the Silurians," the Major said once we had walked up to him.
"I'm so pleased for you Major," the Doctor said as he slid past him to enter the room. I bit my lip to hold in my laughter at the look of absolute astonishment on Major Campbell's face as I slid past him as well.
"Doctor I need expertise to combat against this threat," Major Campbell said, and the Doctor dead stopped in the middle of the room to face him. I realized that I'd been absolutely right when I guessed that the Major was going to be the kind of solider the Doctor absolutely hated.
"The Silurians are not a threat," the Doctor said firmly.
"I'm sorry has diplomacy attempts gone the way of the dinosaurs? I was under the impression that UNIT's directives were to ascertain if aid was required, followed by attempts to parlay and only then were things perceived to be a threat," I said with an eyebrow raise. The Major's face twisted as the Doctor smiled at me in a way that proved that I was in the right.
"And how do you know so much about UNIT's directives?" Major Campbell asked.
"As one of my dear relatives would say if he were here, Science Leads, Major Campbell," I said, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow up at me.
"Remind me to ask you about that," he said just as the Major's radio crackled.
"Major is Christopher with you?" Paul asked.
"No, he is not. Christopher report your location." Major Campbell lifted his fingers off the button of his radio, and we all listened to static for several minutes. "Christopher report your location."
"And behold," the Doctor whispered, and I nudged him.
"Don't get smart with me," I muttered back as the Major lifted his hand away from the radio again after Christopher hadn't answered again.
"Not a threat, Doctor?" The Major said with an odd glint in his eyes.
"Perhaps he slipped on the floor?" I suggested lightly and tossed my hair over my shoulder. The Doctor laughed sharply like he couldn't help himself.
"Who's being rude now?" He asked under his breath and I flashed him my brightest smile.
"Me. It's absolutely me."