A/N: Third Clara episode! This wasn't intentional but just how I felt was the best flow of episodes. After this it is a different companion, trust me
Don't know whether you have noticed but I decided to largely reword this as I feel writing in the third Person will be better than first. Plus I had been writing in another of my stories in third and it felt weird writing this in first and I felt restricted.
—
In the short immediate years, Kathy faced being drowned as a witch as she and Ashildr had been accused of being witches after their tireless efforts of curing an entire village of scarlet fever. Kathy's genetics saved her and Ashildr is good at holding her breath so they were alright. Though honestly you try to help people and they turn against you! As Ashildr says, ungrateful peasants.
—
Kathy had reached the year 1207 and living in Cumbria when she meets the Eleventh Doctor for the first time. She had gotten into the wool trade and was working on one of the machines when he suddenly runs into the home she's currently living in.
"Kathy! I knew the Tardis would find you! I need some help, future you told me to find you here." He immediately exclaims without even saying hello. She raises an eyebrow trying to hide her excitement at meeting another of his faces particularly this one he was the Doctor when she started getting into Doctor Who in her old world. "Where's Carlyle?" So he had met Carlyle?
"He met a girl a few centuries ago, I believe he's with her right now." He opens his mouth to ask more questions but she diverts the conversation before he can get any more spoilers. "What's happened?" She observes his clothes and can see that this is post Ponds but since there is no Clara with him, it's pre her as well.
"There's this woman – well you probably already know. She's died twice! The same woman!" He rambles. His arms wave about as he speaks.
"Ah," Kathy answers. "I do know. Clara/Oswin?" She hasn't told him she hadn't met this face yet as she didn't know how to explain that she had been with a future face of his when he believes that he has no regenerations left?
"Yes!" He cries jubilation. "I need to be somewhere quiet, a little girl told me to. To think. Where do I go? Unless you can tell me?"
Kathy shakes her head. "No but I can give you a hint: you need to wait for the bells of Saint John to ring. There's the monastery nearby that could house you and you can wait there. It'll let you do a lot of thinking." She replies.
"Then that is what I'll do. Come come." He starts running out of the room.
"But Doctor," Kathy runs after him. "I'm a woman, I can't be a monk!"
"Pretend then!" He dismisses.
And that is how she ends up pretending to be a man so she can be a monk and join the Doctor in his solidarity confinement.
—
Kathy ends at the monastery with the Doctor for about a month. She thinks during that time he might have realised she hadn't met this face before or he already knew but none of them acknowledged it.
One day she hears the Abbott talking to another monk as they walk down the hall to the cavernous room that the Doctor and Kathy had taken up residence in.
"They call them the Mad Monks, don't they?" The monk states rather than asks.
"They shouldn't. They're definitely not monks."
The two men enter the room but the Doctor and Kathy stay seated in front of the painting of Clara in a Victorian outfit.
The Abbott clears his throat. "I'm sorry to intrude. The bells of Saint John are ringing." That piques their interest.
The Doctor stands up next to the Abbott and removes his hood. Kathy stays seated with the hood over her face to continue hiding her identity. "I'm going to need a horse!" The Doctor walks away - dragging Kathy with him - to a smaller room to the back.
—
In the woods, they dismount from their horses and walk with the monk as another stays with the horses. Another monk is waiting with a torch outside a stone doorway into an underground cavern. The monk leads the way with the torch, the ringing of a telephone can be heard. At the end of the tunnel is the TARDIS, its light shining like a beacon. That is the source of the ringing.
The Doctor looks at Kathy and the monk. "That is not supposed to happen."
She rolls her eyes. "Well technically yes as it is a phone."
He ignores her and runs up to TARDIS with Kathy behind him and opens the panel with the phone. He looks back at them pointing at it excitedly, she shakes her head at him as she would with a child. "Hello?"
They hear Clara's voice come through. "Ah, hello. I can't find the internet."
"I'm sorry?" The Doctor says in surprise.
"It's gone, the internet. Can't find it anywhere. Where is it?" Clara asks. It's funny how clueless Clara was at first with the internet.
"The internet?" The Doctor repeats as if to check he's hearing her right.
"Yes, the internet. Why don't I have the internet?"
The Doctor walks away from the TARDIS and stands next to the monk. "It's 1207."
"I've got half past 3. Am I phoning a different time zone?" Clara asks.
"Yeah, you really sort of are." The Doctor walks around the monk until he is standing in front of the TARDIS.
"Will it show up on the bill?" Kathy snorts. Yeah, a little bit Clara.
"Oh, I dread to think." The Doctor paces the room, tangling the cord. "Listen, where did you get this number?"
"Woman in the shop wrote it down." Clara answers. "It's the helpline, isn't it? She said it was the best helpline out there. In the universe, she said."
"What woman? Who was she?" The Doctor demands. Kathy chews her lip thinking of who she knows it is.
"I dunno, the woman in the shop. So why isn't there internet? Shouldn't it just sort of... be there?" Clara says.
The Doctor stops in front of the TARDIS again. "Look, listen, I'm not actually... this isn't..." The Doctor tries but then gives up. "You have clicked on the Wi-Fi button, haven't you?"
"Hang on. Erm... Wi-Fi?"
"Click on the Wi-Fi. You'll see a list of names. Is there one you recognise?"
"It's asking me for a password." Clara then sounds like she's answering someone, one of the kids she looks after if Kathy remembers correctly. "Sure. What's the password for the internet?" There's an answer that Kathy can't hear. "How am I supposed to remember that?"
"Is it an evil spirit?" The monk questions fearfully. This all must seem really confusing to him but Kathy is not currently in the mood to explain to someone from the early 13th century what a phone is.
"It's a woman." The Doctor tells him. The monk crosses himself.
"Hang on. Just a mo." Clara types each letter as she speaks. "Run. You. Clever. Boy. And. Remember. One!"
Kathy can see on his face that the Doctor remembers when he had heard the phrase before. "Two! Three!"
"What did you say?" The Doctor demands suddenly as she types the last number.
"Don't shout, you made me type it wrong." Clara complains. "It's thrown me out again. What do I do, how do I get back in? It was just a thing to remember the password. Run, you clever boy and remember. Oh, hang on!" She puts down the phone but the Doctor doesn't wait and puts down the phone.
Kathy throws the hood off her head. "We need to go then?" She gives a wide smile as she takes in how excited he is plus it means going to the early 21st century, a place she hadn't been to in almost 700 years.
"Is it her Kathy?" She nods.
Kathy had forgotten the monk was there until he cries, "You're a woman!"
She lets out another snort. "Really? I hadn't noticed." She sarcastically replies.
The Doctor doesn't care. "Let's go!" He drags her into the TARDIS.
—
They track Clara's call to exactly when she called them and they arrive at the Maitland house and immediately begin ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door without changing out of their monk outfits.
Kathy hears Clara going down the stairs yelling, "Hello, yes, I hear you. Yep. Uh-huh." The door opens to reveal her. Kathy is a bit nervous as this Clara hasn't met her before so this is important with first impressions. "Hello?"
The Doctor stands there, grinning while trying to appear calmer.
Kathy gives her a wave. "Hi Clara."
"Clara? Clara Oswald?" The Doctor questions.
"Hello?" The woman replies in a confused tone.
"Clara Oswin Oswald?" The Doctor continues.
"Just Clara Oswald. What was that middle one?" Clara answers. She glances at Kathy as if to ask for help but she just shrugs.
"Do you remember us?" The Doctor exclaims excitedly.
"No. Should I? Who are you both?" Clara questions.
The Doctor takes a step inside but Kathy doesn't as she doesn't believe in shoving herself into people's homes when they don't know her.
"The Doctor, that is Kathy. No? The Doctor? Kathy?" The Doctor looks at himself in a wall mirror.
"Doctor who?"
"No, just the Doctor." The Doctor tells her. "Actually, sorry, could you just ask me that again?"
"Could I what?"
"Could you just ask me that question again?"
Clara goes with it. "Doctor who?"
"OK, just once more."
"Doctor who?"
"Oh, yeah." He steps back outside and does a little dance. "Oh! D'you know, I never realised how much I enjoy hearing that said out loud, Kathy doesn't do it enough or ever."
"Charming." Kathy utters.
"Thank you." The Doctor says to Clara.
Clara's face clearly shows how odd she thinks he is. "OK." She closes the door.
The Doctor pounds on the door. "Hey, no! Clara, please."
"Doctor you're not helping." Kathy warns him.
"Clara, I need to talk to you! Listen, please." The Doctor continues with less pounding. "Please! I just need to speak to you!"
The intercom is switched on. The Doctor smiles and waves at it and nudges me to do the same. Kathy rolls her eyes fondly and joins in.
"Why are you still here? Why are you here at all?" Clara demands to know.
"You phoned us." He waved his thumb between the two of them. "You were looking for the internet."
"That was you?"
"Course it was us." Kathy says.
"How did you get here so fast?" Clara asks.
"I just happened to be in the neighbourhood." The Doctor moves out of the way to show the TARDIS. "On my mobile phone."
"When you say "mobile phone", why do you point at that blue box?" Clara questions.
"Because according to him it's a surprisingly accurate description." Kathy remarks.
"OK, we're finished now." The intercom is switched off.
"Oi, no, look..." The Doctor cries.
"Come on ." Kathy says pulling his arm. "Let's get looking your usual normal. And I think I need some modern clothing to get around better." They needed to hurry as well as to save Clara.
—
The Doctor enters the TARDIS and strips off his habit. "The TARDIS will show where the wardrobe is if you don't know already. I've got to stop being monk. Monks are not cool!"
Kathy just nods and walks out of the control room. The corridor lights up as if to guide her. She glances up at the ceiling to murmur a thank you and she got some happy whirring back. She gets to the wardrobe and pulls out a pair of jeans, a green hooded jumper and a leather jacket on top thinking they were simple enough though it felt weird putting them on after centuries of not using these kind of materials.
Kathy walks back into the console room to see the Doctor appear from underneath the console in his later era clothing.
"Yes cause that's cooler." Kathy remarks.
"Oi!" He fiddles with his bowtie then runs out of the TARDIS with me behind him.
—
They exit the TARDIS and hurry over to the front door though Kathy's reasoning differed from the Doctor's.
"Clara?" The Doctor knocks on the door. "Clara?" He moves to the intercom.
Clara's voice comes over the intercom. "Hello?"
"See? Look, it's us! De-monked." He spins while Kathy stares at the intercom anxiously, wondering if it had happened yet. "Sensible clothes. Erm, can I come in now?"
Clara speaks again over the intercom. "I don't understand." Oh no.
The Doctor doesn't notice. "Could you just open the door?"
"I don't know..."
"Of course you can!" The Doctor replies.
"Um Doctor something's not right." Kathy tells him. He turns to her frowning then Clara speaks confirming my suspicions.
"…where I am." The Doctor stares at the intercom realising something has happened.
Clara's voice doesn't stop. "I don't know where I am. Where am I? Please tell me, where I am! I don't know where I am." The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver on the front door and they enter the house. Clara is lying unconscious on the floor at the base of the stairs.
Despite this Clara's voice continues and Kathy looks towards the Spoonhead. "I don't know where I am!"
The Doctor kneels beside Clara. "Clara! Clara?" The Doctor gently puts a hand under her head and uses the sonic.
"Doctor…" Kathy calls.
"I don't know where I am! I don't understand." The Doctor looks up and sees the Spoonhead standing on the stairs. "I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am!" In the dish, they see Clara looking around, lost. He slowly stands. "I don't understand! I don't know where I am! Where am I? I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am."
The Doctor uses the sonic on the Spoonhead and the visage of the girl disappears to show the most basic of a humanoid shape in robotic form. The Doctor lowers the sonic.
"A walking base station. A walking Wi-Fi base station, hoovering up data. Hoovering up people! Kathy stay there! I need a laptop!" He runs upstairs and soon comes back down with a notebook in his hands. The Doctor kneels beside Clara, his fingers flying over the keyboard, trying to hack into the Spoonhead to free her. Kathy sits anxiously watching Clara, not sure what else she can do.
"Oh, no, you don't. Oh, no, you don't." The Doctor continues to type away. The people on the other end try to counter his input. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Not this time, Clara, I promise you." The Doctor and the other person continue to fight each other via their keyboards. Clara's upload is stopped. Kathy feels for Clara's pulse. There is a whirring sound from the Spoonhead and a beam shoots from the dish to Clara. She takes in a deep breath and coughs as she rolls over. Kathy gently strokes her hair and lifts her head.
"It's OK, it's OK. You're fine, you're back." Kathy murmurs to her though she probably can't hear her. "Yes, you are." She wraps her in a tight hug.
The Doctor smiles. "Yes, she is."
—
They place a sleeping Clara in her bed. Kathy takes a pitcher of water and pours a glass before setting it on the bedside table. The Doctor finds another vase and puts in some hand-picked flowers and sets that on the table. He remembers something else and returns with a package of Jammy Dodgers. He peels off the wrapper and inhales their delicious scent before placing them on a plate. He takes a bite of one, savouring the taste, offers Kathy one, which she has as she hasn't been able to have one in centuries.
He spots a book on the shelf beside the bed, "101 Places To See". He flips through the book. At the front, in a child's handwriting, it reads "Property of Clara Oswald, Age 9". The age is crossed out as another year follows. The ages missing are 16 and 23. Opposite the page is a pressed leaf. The Doctor takes it out by the stem, twirls it, sniffs it and then licks it. He seems puzzled by what that tells him. He puts the leaf back in the book and the book back on the shelf.
He decides to potter around the house so Kathy leaves him to it.
—
The Doctor and Kathy are sitting in folding chairs outside the TARDIS in the Maitlands' driveway. The Doctor has Clara's notebook and they are working on the Spoonhead. He's helping her develop her knowledge of machinery.
"Hello?" They look up to see Clara leaning out of her window and stand.
"Hello. Are you all right?" The Doctor asks.
"I'm in bed."
"Yes." Kathy replies.
"Don't remember going."
"No."
"What did I miss?"
"Oh, quite a lot, actually." The Doctor reaches into his inner jacket pocket and pulls out a small notebook. "Angie called, she's going to stay over at Nina's. Apparently that's all completely fine and you shouldn't worry like you always do, for God's sake, get off her back." He flips a page. "Also, your dad phoned. Mainly about the government. He seems very cross with them, I've got several pages on that." He turns multiple pages.
"I said we'd look into it." Kathy tells her.
The Doctor continues, "I fixed that rattling noise in the washing machine, indexed the kitchen cupboards, optimised the photosynthesis in the main flowerbed and assembled the quadrocycle."
"Assembled the what?" Clara asks.
"I found a disassembled quadrocycle in the garage." The Doctor explains.
"I don't think you did," Clara replies.
"I invented the quadrocycle!" The Doctor says in an awed whisper then turns to Kathy. "Why didn't you stop me?"
She shrugs. "You seemed to be having fun plus when I realised, you had already started."
"What happened to me?" Clara questions, drawing their attention back to her.
The Doctor walks forward. "Don't you remember?"
"I was scared. Really scared. I didn't know where I was." Clara replies.
"Do you know now?" Kathy asks.
"Yes."
"Well, then, you should go to sleep, because you're safe now, I promise. Goodnight, Clara." The Doctor turns on his heels and heads back to the chair by the TARDIS with Kathy behind him.
Clara closes her window. Moments later, she opens it again and sticks her head out. "Are you guarding me?"
"Well, yes. Yes, we are." The Doctor says.
Clara smiles. "Are you seriously going to sit down there all night?"
"Yes. I promise. I won't budge from this spot." The Doctor sits back and crosses his legs.
"Well, then. I'll have to come to you." Clara closes her window.
The Doctor stands. "Eh?" Kathy laughs to herself.
—
Clara exits the house and has changed her clothes. She has a chair hooked over her right arm and three cups of tea in her left that she is somehow able to carry.
"I like your house." The Doctor tells her as he stands working on the Spoonhead.
"It isn't mine, I'm a friend of the family." Clara sets the chair down across from them.
"Do you look after the kids? Oh yes, you're a governess, aren't you," the Doctor taps his forehead with a wrench, "just like..."
Clara hands them their cups of tea. "Just like what?" She sits backwards on the chair.
Kathy tries to cover it up. "Yeah just gathered that from everything. Context."
Clara nods. "Are you going to explain what happened to me?"
The Doctor picks up the laptop and sits. "There's something in the Wi-Fi. OK. This whole world is swimming in Wi-Fi. We're living in a Wi-Fi soup! Suppose something got inside it. Suppose there was something living in the Wi-Fi, harvesting human minds, extracting them. Imagine that."
"Basically human souls trapped like flies in the World Wide Web, stuck for ever, crying out for help." Kathy explains.
"Isn't that basically Twitter?" Clara remarks. Kathy raises an eyebrow at her and the Doctor, who had started typing on the notebook, looks up at Clara's comment. "What's those faces for?"
"A computer can hack another computer." The Doctor utters. "A living, sentient computer... Maybe that could that hack people. Edit them. Rewrite them."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because a few hours ago you knew nothing about the internet." Kathy points at her. "And you just made a joke about Twitter."
"Oh. Oh." It dawns on Clara. "That's weird. I know all about computers now in my head. Where did that come from?"
"You were uploaded for a while. Wherever you were, you brought something extra back. Which I very much doubt you're going to be allowed to keep." The Doctor and Kathy slowly turn their heads and see a figure standing across the street under a lamp. The Doctor gets up and stands beside the TARDIS, still staring at the figure, a Spoonhead.
"All of us inside that box, now." The Doctor orders.
"I'm sorry?" The look on Clara's face is one of incredulous disbelief.
"Just get inside." Kathy hurries over to her and she stands to get out of her way as Kathy moves the chair. Kathy goes to the TARDIS door.
"All of us?" Clara questions.
"Trust me, you'll understand once we're in there." The Doctor says not helping with how it sounds.
"I bet I will!"
"Clara, please!" The Doctor begs.
"What is that box, anyway? Why do you have a box?" Clara asks instead.
"Clara!" Kathy exclaims.
"Is it like a snogging booth?"
This causes the Doctor to stop in his frantic movements. "A what?!"
"Is that what you do, you bring a booth? There's such a thing as too keen. And more than one! Down boy." She sips her tea. The lights in different rooms in different houses come on. Too many to be a coincidence.
"Clara, look around you!" Kathy says.
Clara looks around the street and sees for herself. "What's going on? Is the Wi-Fi switching on the lights?"
"No. The people are switching on the lights. The Wi-Fi is switching on the people." As the Doctor says this, the Spoonhead turns around.
"What is that thing?" Clara asks.
"A walking base station, you saw one earlier." Kathy explains.
"I saw a little girl." Clara insists.
"Must have taken an image from your subconscious, thrown it back at you. Active camouflage." The Doctor smacks his forehead. "They could be everywhere!" We all look around, worried.
"Doctor! Kathy!" Clara pulls them over and in the distance see the lights of London are going off. "What's going on?"
Eventually, they are looking at a dark London.
"All our lights on, everyone else's off. Why?" Clara asks.
"Some planes have Wi-Fi." The Doctor says instead.
"I'm sorry?"
"We must be a very big target right now." Kathy says. They hear the roaring of engines and look up to the sky where they see a plane heading straight for them.
The Doctor grabs Clara's hand. "All of us, box, now!" He pulls her into the TARDIS and Kathy follows.
—
The Doctor hurries towards the console and Clara is pulled along in his wake. She holds onto the rail with one hand to steady herself. The teacup remains in the other.
"Yes, it's a spaceship. Yes, it's bigger on the inside. No, I don't have time to talk about it." The Doctor rattles.
Kathy starts casually sipping her tea as she watches her.
"But... but... but... it's..." Clara moves around in shock at her surroundings.
The Doctor uses controls on a side panel. "Shut up, please, short hops are difficult." He's back to console. Kathy gets curious and touches the console. She feels a zap and all the information on how to fly the TARDIS suddenly flies into her head. Oh. Was it literally that simple? Such an undramatic moment.
"Bigger. On the inside. Actually bigger." Clara rattles.
The Doctor throws a lever and the TARDIS sparks a little. The Doctor jumps back a bit.
Kathy stares at him. "You did it wrong."
"Shut up." He hurries for the door. "Right, come on!"
"Are we going back out there?" Clara exclaims nervously.
"We've moved. It's a spaceship, we flew away." The Doctor explains.
"Away from the plane?" Clara asks hopefully.
"Not exactly!" Kathy opens the door and she and the Doctor practically tumble from the TARDIS into the body of the plane. Clara follows, leaning against the galley wall.
"How did we get here?" Clara questions.
The Doctor heads for the cockpit battling turbulence. "It's a ship, I told you, it's all very science-y!"
"Is this the plane, the actual plane?" Clara continues questioning as Kathy pulls her along after the Doctor. "Are they all dead?"
"Asleep, switched off by the Wi-Fi, never mind them!" The Doctor uses the sonic on the cockpit door. A bout of turbulence causes the Doctor to tumble and nearly fall on an unconscious female flight attendant seated by the exit. He stands and tumbles into the cockpit followed by Kathy and Clara.
The Doctor is between the unconscious pilot and co-pilot using the sonic on the various panels. Clara and Kathy stand behind him in the cramped area.
"What is going on? Is this real? Please tell me what is happening!" Clara yells.
"I'm the Doctor. I'm an alien from outer space. I'm 1,000 years old. I've got two hearts. And I can't fly a plane." The Doctor lists.
Kathy turns to her to also explain who she is. "And I'm Kathy, nearly 700 years old and part Human, Time Lord and Apalapucia as well as being from a different dimension with zero knowledge on how to fly a plane, do you?"
"No!"
"Oooh! Fine, team effort then." The Doctor pulls back on the throttle and they hold onto him as if to help him. They all scream as the plane gets closer to the houses. The plane skims over the house, barely clearing them. The Doctor laughs in relief and excitement. Kathy lets go but Clara still clings to him and still holds the teacup in one hand. Kathy realises she doesn't know where hers is.
"Do you think a victory roll would be too show-off-y?" The Doctor asks.
"Yes." Kathy tells him and he pouts.
The pilot starts to come around. "What the hell's going on?"
"Well, I'm blocking your Wi-Fi, so you're waking up for a start. Tell you what," he pats the pilot on the arm, "do you want to drive?" He stands and leaves with Kathy following before she realises Clara is still in the cockpit so she reaches in and grabs her collar, pulling her from the cockpit.
—
The Doctor works the controls. Clara finishes her tea and sets the cup down purposefully on the top of the console.
"OK. When are you going to explain what the hell is going on?" Clara asks determinedly.
"Breakfast." The Doctor throws a switch and the TARDIS lurches a bit.
Kathy snaps her fingers at him. "Great idea." The Doctor and Kathy grin at each other and head for the door.
Clara runs around the other side to confront them. "What? I ain't waiting till breakfast."
"It's a time machine. You never have to wait for breakfast." The Doctor opens the door and sunlight streams through as he and Kathy step out. They are greeted with a group of people applauding their "performance".
"Thank you! Thank you." Kathy bows.
"Yes, thank you. Yes, magic blue box." The Doctor pulls out fez from under his jacket. "All donations gratefully accepted." He passes it around to collect. "Roll up, roll up, give us your dosh. Pennies, pounds, anything you've got." He gives the fez to Clara, who had joined them. "Keep collecting, we need enough for breakfast. Just popping back to the garage." He goes into the TARDIS.
It takes a moment for Clara to register what he just said. "Garage? What does he mean?"
Kathy waves her hand dismissively. "You'll see."
Clara shakes the fez as more people drop coins into it. "So, this is tomorrow, then? Tomorrow's come early." The Doctor comes out of the TARDIS on a motorcycle that has a sidecar wearing a helmet. People applaud and take photos.
"No, it came at the usual time." Kathy replies. "We just took a short cut."
"Thank you, thank you. Tomorrow, a camel!" The Doctor says to the crowd. Kathy climbs on behind the Doctor and Clara gets in the sidecar.
The Doctor gives them their helmets. He empties the money from the fez before placing the hat on the head of a young boy standing by the motorcycle. Kathy sees a girl pose for a photo with the TARDIS in the background. Good.
The Doctor drives the motorcycle towards Westminster Bridge.
"If you've got a flying time machine, why are we on a motorbike?" Clara asks.
"I don't take the TARDIS into battle." The Doctor says.
"Because it's made of wood?" Kathy laughs at her statement.
"Because it's the most powerful ship in the universe and I don't want it falling into the wrong hands." The Doctor holds up his hands before realising he needs them both on the controls. "OK?"
He drives the motorcycle over the bridge. They drive by Horse Guards Parade then under Admiralty Arch.
—
The three of them sit at a table at a rooftop café overlooking St Paul's Cathedral. The Doctor has the notebook open.
"So if we can travel anywhere in time and space, why did we travel to the morning? What's the point in that?" Clara questions.
"Whoever's after us spent the whole night looking for us. Are you tired?" The Doctor responds.
"Yes."
"Then imagine how they feel." Kathy says. "They've probably spent the whole night trawling through hours of cctv and multiple pictures to try and find us."
The Doctor types. "They've got to be close, definitely London, going by the signal distribution. I can hack the lowest level of their operating system, but I can't establish a physical location, the security's too good." He mutters frustrated.
"Are you both aliens?" Clara asks.
The Doctor leans. "We are, yes. OK with that?"
"Fine, yeah. I think I'm fine." Clara mutters.
"Oh, good." Kathy jokes. "Though technically am I really considering my mother was human and I was born and grew up on this planet?"
"Good point." Clara remarks before turning back to the questions. "And you are from another universe?"
Kathy nods. "Yeah. This is a TV show for me then I was reborn in this world."
Clara nods in a daze. "Right. So what happens if you do find them? What then?"
"I don't know. I can't tell the future, I just work there." The Doctor answers. "Kathy will know before me."
"You don't have a plan?" Clara asks dubiously.
"You know what he always says about plans?" Kathy remarks.
"What?"
"He never has one."
"People always have plans." Clara slurps the remains of her drink through a straw.
"Yes. Yes, I suppose they do." The Doctor admits as he closes the notebook. "So tell me, how long have you been looking after those kids?"
Kathy could see what he is doing. He is trying to figure this Clara out, how much she knows.
"About a year, since their mum died." Clara answers.
"OK. But why you? Family friend, I get that, but there must have been others." The Doctor probes. "Why did it have to be you? I mean, you don't you don't really seem like a nanny."
Instead of answering him, Clara pushes aside her empty glass and reaches for her notebook. "Gimme!"
The Doctor puts his hand on the computer and pulls it back. "Sorry, what?" Kathy leans back in her chair, ready to watch.
Clara leans forward. "You need to know where they physically are. Their exact location."
"Yes."
"I can do it." She grabs the notebook and holds it out of his reach.
"Oi! I need that!" The Doctor cries.
"You've hacked the lower operating system. I'll have their physical location in under five minutes. Go and get a coffee. Take Kathy with you so she doesn't get bored."
"Not a bad plan. I would like a muffin. Particularly chocolate chip." Kathy adds. She hadn't had one for centuries.
The Doctor grabs the notebook as Clara laughs at Kathy's comment. "If I can't find them, you can't."
"Don't misjudge Doctor," Kathy adds. He looks at her. It was funny how she's distracting both of them.
"Don't distract me with your hints!" The Doctor pouts.
Clara, seeing his diverted gaze, pulls the notebook towards her. "They uploaded me, remember. I've got computing stuff in my head."
The Doctor pulls the notebook towards him. "So do I." The Doctor and Clara play tug-of-war with the notebook as they argue.
"I have insane hacking skills."
"I'm from space, and the future, with two hearts and...27 brains."
"And I can find them in under five minutes, plus photographs. 27?" Clara asks in disbelief.
"He's exaggerating." Kathy explains.
Clara rolls her eyes. "Coffee - go get. Five minutes, I promise." She grabs the notebook from his loose hands.
The Doctor leans back and checks his watch. "The security is absolute."
"It's never about the security, it's about the people." Clara starts typing fast. The Doctor sits there for a moment, legs crossed, before reluctantly getting up, pulling Kathy with him despite her protests, and heading inside. He stops by the door and looks back at Clara.
Clara feels his gaze and looks up. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"Sorry, no, it's nothing. It's just... you're a nanny. Isn't that a bit... Victorian?" The Doctor stumbles.
"Victorian?"
"You're young, shouldn't you be doing, you know, young things?" The Doctor attempts the Twist and a John Travolta impression. "With-with-with... young people?"
"Oh, Doctor." Kathy mumbles to herself. Does he not realise how that looks? Particularly to Clara.
She's right. "What, like you, for instance? Down, boy!"
The Doctor walks towards Clara, hand out placating. "No, no, I didn't..." He lowers his hand. "Shut up!" The Doctor heads back inside stops halfway with an affronted gasp before continuing with Kathy behind him.
She's anxious but how else will they defeat those after her? She personally doesn't see the point of constantly running.
—
The Doctor and Kathy walk up to the coffee bar that is loaded with pastries. He picks up a plate holding a chocolate cake and inhales the scent. He sets it down on the counter.
"Ooh! Two more cappuccinos over there and a chocolate chip muffin, please." The Doctor orders. Kathy looks around the room anxiously. She wonders where the Spoonhead, who gets Clara, is.
"One moment, sir." The Barista, an older man, walks over to the machine to start the process. The Doctor, intent on the pastries, misses the electricity crackle and lights flicker but Kathy sees it.
"You realise you haven't the slightest chance of saving your little friend?" Kizlet is speaking to them through her tablet.
The Doctor pauses, a scone at his mouth. "Sorry, what?"
There is a flash of blue around the Barista as he continues. "I said one moment, sir." He stops and stares ahead, towel over his arm. "I said, there is not the slightest chance you can save your little friend. And don't annoy the old man, he isn't, in fact, speaking." He resumes work. The Doctor leans forward as the Barista speaks, studying him.
"They're using them." Kathy says. The Doctor nods as a Waitress comes up behind them, holding a tray against her body.
They turn to her as she starts to speak. "I'm speaking. Just using whatever's to hand. Oh, she's rather pretty, isn't she? Do you like her? I can make her like you too, if you want." The electricity crackles and the Waitress leans away from the Doctor who is practically in her face. "You all right, sir?"
Kathy grabs the Doctor's arm to pull him away. "Yes he's fine, thank you." She quickly pulls him outside. She feels like cornered prey in there.
—
They come rushing out of the café and skid to a stop seeing Clara typing away.
"You OK?" The Doctor asks.
"Sure, setting up stuff, need a user name." Clara responds not noticing their agitation.
"Learning fast."
"Clara Oswald for the win! Oswin!" Clara exclaims.
The Doctor looks as if he is remembering when he first heard the name. Kathy hadn't met any other versions of Clara but for the Doctor, this must all be very trippy for him. After a moment of hesitation, they go back inside.
—
The Waitress comes up to them as soon as they enter. Kizlet speaks through her again as the woman walks around them.
"Now I want you to take a look around. Go on. Have a little stroll. And see how impossible your situation is. Go on. Take a look, I do love showing off." Electricity crackles and the Waitress continues working. They look around, suspicious of everyone, it's not even fake on Kathy's side.
The electricity crackles again and a young girl stands up from the table she shared with her family. "Just let me show you what control of the Wi-Fi can do for one. Stop!" Everyone in the café stops in their tracks. You can see blue digital "energy" passing over them.
"We saw what you can do last night." Kathy states trying not to look bothered about what they can do.
"And clear!" The energy dissipates and everyone leaves the room.
Energy crackles again and the Newsreader on TV speaks as Kizlet. "We can hack anyone in the Wi-Fi, once they've been exposed long enough."
"So there's one of your walking base stations somewhere close." The Doctor states.
"There's always someone close. We've released thousands into the world. They home in on the Wi-Fi like rats sniffing cheese." The woman on the tv replies smugly.
The Doctor strides towards the TV. "I don't know who you are or why you're doing this but the people of this world will not be harmed, they will not be controlled, they will not be..."
"The people of this world are in no danger whatsoever." The woman dismisses as if talking to a child. "My client requires a steady diet of living human minds. Healthy, free range human minds. He loves and cares for humanity. In fact, he can't get enough of it."
Kathy wrinkles her nose, "He's killing them. Funny way of showing you care."
"It's life. The farmer tends his flock like a loving parent. The abattoir is not a contradiction. No-one loves cattle more than Burger King."
She rolls her eyes. "I hardly see the comparison."
The Doctor strides towards the TV. "This ends. I am going to the end this today!"
"How? You don't even know where we are." Kathy smirks to herself knowing that Clara has probably already worked it out.
"Who's doing this? Who is your client? Hmm? Answer me." The Doctor demands.
—
The Doctor hurries out to the patio with Kathy behind. "Clara! Clara!"
They stop when they see the Doctor's own face staring back at them and Clara is slumped unconscious on the table. The head turns around and Kathy can see Clara in the dish.
"Doctor? Kathy?" She begs. "Kathy, Doctor, help me. I don't know where I am. I don't understand. I don't know where I am! Please help me. I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am. Kathy, Doctor, please, please, help me. I don't know where I am."
"We need to get her out and save the rest of them." Kathy says.
The Doctor steps forward, looks at Clara at the table and then whips out his sonic screwdriver, using it on the Spoonhead.
They grab Clara's notebook to set up control and proceed to send the Spoonhead of the Doctor to the Shard to trick Kizlet into saving not only Clara but the rest of them. The place Clara had identified as their headquarters. The tinkering they had done with one not too long ago is helpful.
—
The Spoonhead Doctor rides across the bridge on the motorcycle, a determined look on his face. The Doctor and Kathy watch its progress. It pulls to a stop across the street from the Shard.
A man standing there with fish and chips comes to attention as Kizlet speaks through him. "Really, Doctor, a motorbike? It hardly seems like you."
"I rode this in the Anti-Grav Olympics, 2074. I came last." The Doctor replies through the Spoonhead.
Kathy sits next to him typing. It seemed in this life, particularly technical stuff is easier for her to learn which is helpful when you are in the company of the Doctor. She plans on taking some books from the library after this.
"The building is in lock-down. I'm afraid you're not coming in." The man points out.
"Did you even hear the word anti-grav?" It slams a red button on the control panel, twists the throttle, and drives towards the Shard. The Spoonhead Doctor rides the motorcycle up the side of the building. As it gets close to the 65th floor, it takes out the sonic and uses it. It smashes through the glass window of Kizlet's office.
—
They watch Kizlet open the door to the office to see the Doctor's motorcycle lying on its side on the floor amongst shattered glass. The Spoonhead Doctor is sitting at her desk, legs crossed and feet resting on its surface.
"Do come in." Kizlet says casually.
"Download her." The Doctor says through the Spoonhead. Kathy keeps quiet in order not to give the game away but nibbles on her muffin.
"Sorry about the draft." Kizlet motions to the smashed window.
"Download her back into her body, right now." The Doctor insists.
"I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"She's a fully integrated part of the data cloud now. She can't be separated." Kizlet argues.
"Then download the entire cloud. Everyone you've trapped in there." The Doctor counters.
"You realise what would happen?"
"Yes, those still with bodies to go home to would be free." The Spoonhead Doctor stands up with arms out wide.
"A tiny number. Most would simply die." The Spoonhead and Kizlet come face-to-face in front of the window.
"They'd be released from a living hell." The Spoonhead checks its watch. "It's the best you can do for them," it taps Kizlet's nose, "so give the order."
"And why would I do that?" Kizlet asks.
"Because I'm going to motivate you. Any second now."
"You ridiculous man! Why did you even come here? Whatever for?" Kizlet quizzes.
"I didn't."
Kizlet is startled. "What?"
"I'm still in the cafe." The Doctor sips his cup of coffee. Clara still lays unconscious across from them. "I'm finishing my coffee. Lovely spot. And Kathy her chocolate chip muffin."
"What are you talking about?" Kizlet asks not quite understanding.
"You hack people. Me?" The Spoonhead unclips the helmet. "I'm old-fashioned." It removes the helmet. "I hack technology. Here's your motivation!" The Doctor presses a button on the notebook. The head of the Spoonhead spins revealing it to be what it really is.
Kizlet backs away towards her desk. "No. No. No! Not me! Not me!" A beam shoots out from the dish and downloads her.
The Doctor Spoonhead picks up Kizlet's tablet and uses it to increase Mahler's obedience to listen to Kizlet's demands to be free.
The Doctor closes the notebook as Clara takes a deep breath but doesn't wake. Standing, the Doctor gently lays a hand on her head, stroking her hair, before leaving with Kathy behind him throwing a glance back at Clara. The note she had left sits beside her.
—
Kathy and the Doctor arrive the next day outside the Maitland house. The Doctor is sitting on a set of stairs that lead to the upper floor in the console room reading a book. He has on the glasses that used to belong to Amy. While Kathy is analysing the console, going over her new knowledge, when there is a knock on the door.
"Come in." The Doctor calls.
Clara enters. "So. They come back, do they?"
"You didn't answer my question." The Doctor says.
"What question?"
"He said you don't seem like a nanny." Kathy answers.
"I was going to travel. I came to stay for a week before I left and during that week..." Clara trails off.
The Doctor closes the book. "She died, so you're returning the favour. You've got 101 places to see, and you haven't been to any of them, have you? That's why you keep the book."
"I keep the book cos I'm still going." Clara skips over to the console and stands on Kathy's left.
"But you don't run out on the people you care about." The Doctor takes off the glasses. "Wish I was more like that." He puts the glasses into an inner jacket pocket. "You know, the thing about a time machine," he swings down to the floor using the railings, "you can run away all you like and still be home in time for tea," he slides over to the console on Kathy's right.
"Side note, I'm not here all the time." Kathy points out quickly before he can continue.
"You're not?" Clara asks.
"No I'm off doing my own thing then I hang out with this one," Kathy just out her them towards the Doctor, "now and again so you'll meet me out of sync if you decide to join this him."
"So what do you say? Anywhere. All of time and space, right outside those doors."
Clara laughs. "Does this work? Eh? Is this how you got Kathy?"
Kathy scrunches up her nose. "Ew."
Clara walks around the two of them, ignoring Kathy's remark. "Do you just crook your finger and people just jump in your snog box and fly away?"
"It is not a snog box!" The Doctor exclaims.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Clara crosses her arms.
"Starting when?" He tries to act casual and leans against the console.
Clara pauses for a moment. "Come back tomorrow, ask me again."
"Why?"
"Cos tomorrow, I might say yes. Some time after 7.00 OK for you?" Clara heads for the door.
Kathy follows her laughing. "I think he'll be fine with that."
"See you then." Clara hugs Kathy. "See you whenever."
Kathy smiles. "You too."
"Clara?" The Doctor calls.
Clara stops from opening the door. "Uh-huh?"
"In your book there was a leaf, why?"
"That wasn't a leaf, that was page one." Clara leaves.
The Doctor turns and heads back up the stairs, stopping partway. "Right then, Clara Oswald. Time to find out who you are."
"Drop me off first!" Kathy yells.
He grins and runs back to the console and sets the TARDIS in motion.