So, here's the surprise! A trip with the 13th Doctor! Let's see how Ember handles this!
Important note: This is only me testing the waters with 13. I'm still on the fence about how much she will be involved in this storyline. I might add one more adventure with her, but I can't really do more than that without making a big mess of what I've already got done. It depends on you, the readers: I know that the fandom is kinda split between liking and hating the last two series of DW.
If enough of you want to see more of her, I am considering doing a continuation once I've finished the Storms of Fire Saga. That way, those who do not like 13 can simply stop at the end of the fourth part of this saga, as it won't effect them to leave it there. I don't want to lose the readers I have, so I want to do what I can to keep them.
I also got some advice from Bored411 And Lunamoon about ways to watch the episodes now that Netflix no longer has them. Thank you
Anyway, here we go. Enjoy!
Chapter Six: The Ghost Monument
Graham and Ryan looked around the planet they'd found themselves on. It was hot, dry, and sandy with patches of stone sticking out. The woman pilot that had saved them from suffocating in space wondered ahead.
"Whoa..." Ryan breathed.
Graham nodded. "I couldn't have put it better."
Ryan noticed the pilot had walked off a bit and yelled to her. "Hey! Where are you going?"
"I need to survey the atmospheric data!" She yelled back, holding a device up.
Though a part of him wanted to ask more, Ryan still found himself in awe of where they were. "We're on an alien planet, Graham."
"I know." Graham gestured upwards. "Well, three suns in the sky are a bit of a giveaway."
"Ah, yeah. What do we do?"
"Shall we just follow her?"
"Yeah." Ryan nodded, looking around. "Maybe they're already here. Yaz and the Doctor and Ember. Maybe they're safe."
Suddenly there was a flash, and a person seemingly appeared from nowhere and landed heavily in the sand, ducking into a roll until they stopped a few feet further, face down in the sand. A moment later, the person flailed and got up on... her knees, spitting out sand.
"Oh, I hope this isn't the dead planet," Ember grumbled as she wiped her face of the sand that stuck to it. "Don't want to have to add dead people to The List..."
"Ember!" Ryan called, running the short distance to where the brunette knelt. "You're alright! Where's Yaz and the Doctor?"
Ember blinked, looking up at the young man standing before her. "Sorry... have we met?"
Ryan looked confused as Graham reached them. "How'd you mean? 'Course we met. What's going on, where are we?"
"Who are you?" Ember was very confused. These two people knew her? They looked familiar, especially Graham, but she couldn't figure out where she'd seen them before. Then something the younger one said earlier clicked. "Wait, the Doctor! Where is he?"
"He?" The older one asked. "Did you hit your head? I'm Graham and that's Ryan."
"Enough!" A third voice joined in, making them all turn to look at a woman with short blond hair glaring at them. She had a strange tattoo on the left side of her neck. "I've had enough of highjackers and planted distractions."
Graham rolled his eyes as he and Ryan began to follow the woman along a dirt gulley. Ember ended up trailing behind them. "Whatever you think we are, we're not, all right?"
"Are you still pleading ignorance?"
Ryan noticed Ember tilt her head to the side, looking as though she was listening, so he did the same. It took a moment for him to figure out what she was hearing; a low rumble that might have been mistaken for thunder if it weren't for the clear sky above. "Do you guys hear that?"
The woman turned, looking up at the sky behind them and spotting a small craft coming in fast with smoke billowing from it. "Finskad! How did he even make it?"
Ryan looked as well. "It's another spaceship!"
"Another spaceship..." Graham murmured, realisation dawning, "about to crash land!"
"Time to go!" Ember said, grabbing Ryan by the arm and pulling him. Soon, Graham and the woman were running as well, the latter yelling at them to keep going.
The ship hit the ground running, its momentum making it continue skidding toward them at an alarming speed. Ryan ended up tripping and falling, prompting Graham and the pilot to try to pull him up. Ember ran to stand between them and the approaching ship, throwing out her hands and concentrating.
Her intention had been to slow it down or even stop it by making boulders jut out of the ground, but she instead felt her head pound hard from the strain, feeling a pull at her own reserves. Something was making it harder to use her power, and as a result only a few large rocks jutted from the ground only to easily be broken through by the ship's momentum.
With or without her interference, the ship's momentum had slowed down enough that the bow wave shoved them to the side and down a slope as the ship finally stopped with a groan and dust flying everywhere.
Ember coughed against the dust, shaking her head hard at the pain in her head. She really needed to practice using the Earth element if she wanted to do that again, especially if she wanted it to work next time.
"Doctor!" Ryan called.
Ember looked up, relief on her face, until she saw who the man was talking to, standing at the top of the slope. Then she looked puzzled.
The Doctor... was a woman? She was now about 5"5, with short blond hair that went just past her ears, one of which was pierced with a loop and tiny chain. She was wearing an odd ensemble of a top with two horizontal stripes across her biggest part, a pair of half-mast flares held up by braces, and a pale grey long coat with hood. Light brown boots were on her feet. It was a fashion sense that seemed to carry on throughout all the Doctors she'd seen, where it somehow worked when it shouldn't.
But this couldn't be the Doctor, could it? The Doctor had always been male.
Wait...
The brunette shook her head again and pressed two fingers against her temple. No, that wasn't right. The Doctor... eventually did...
"Sorry about the mess." The... Doctor said, half meaning it. She let the men reunite with the woman she'd brought with her - Yaz - and approached Ember with a smile. "Hello, Ember. Glad you're alright."
Ember blindly let the woman pull her to her feet, still surprised as she was hugged tightly. If there had been any doubt, it was extinguished by the firm beat of two hearts against her own. Finally, she was able to croak out words. "... Doctor? Is that really you?"
The Doctor pulled back, though she kept Ember's hands in her own. "Why wouldn't it be me? Why would you... think..."
She trailed off, looking at Ember's hands. The brunette tilted her head. "Doctor?"
"You're not wearing it..."
"Wearing what? My ring?" Ember gently pulled her left hand free so she could check, but her wedding band was still on her finger. "It is busted? Can't you see it?"
A look passed over the Doctor's face for just a second, but she shook her head and smiled before Ember could call her out on it. "No, of course you're wearing your ring. I can see it. Well, then that means you haven't seen this me yet."
Ember tilted her head. "But I..." suddenly she paused, looking around. "Wait... I don't..."
"Sorry, love, but we're a bit further than you've ever been. Well..." The Doctor gently swung their clasped hands. "Bet you didn't see this coming."
"Um..." the Time Lords turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat, to find that Ryan, Graham and Yaz were done reuniting and were waiting. It was Graham that made the sound. "Sorry to break this up, but... what is going on?"
The Doctor felt Ember squeeze her hand twice, letting her know that they'd talk more later, so she turned to the group. "Right, quick update. I made a terrible mistake. We shouldn't be here. I'm going to fix it and get you guys home, I promise. Soon as I figure out where we are."
"How are you going to do that?" Graham asked.
"Not sure. Ember's foresight doesn't go into detail this far, so I'm treating it as a chance to surprise myself. Oh, by the way, welcome to what I presume is your first alien planet. Don't touch anything. Come on, let's try this way." The Doctor began to walk away, only to stop and turn back. "One more thing: Ember here came from a different part in time, so she hasn't seen what happened earlier, so don't tell her."
As the Doctor began to lead them again, following the two pilots that were arguing, Yaz moved closer to Ember. "What did she mean by a different part in time?"
"Um..." Ember felt self conscious now; it had been a while since she had to explain herself. She distracted herself by pulling off her denim jacket to tie it around her waist with the sleeves while she thought of the best way to tell them. "Well, you know how time just goes forwards, and takes you along with it? Well, in my case, it kinda pushes me back and fourth..."
"How'd you mean?" Ryan asked.
"Time travel. Sometimes I go into the future, sometimes I go into the past. I haven't met you guys yet, so whatever you did in your last adventure, I still have to do it myself."
"Like Quantum Leap?" Graham suddenly piped up, making them look at him. "You know, the tv show? The guy goes back in time to like the Wild West, then forward to the Victorian Age, then back again. It isn't in the right order."
Ember nodded, glad that someone was getting it. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but you know, that's a good example."
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud klaxon sound, making them all look around for the source.
"What's that?" The Doctor asked.
The female of the two strangers took a breath as she and the male began to run towards the sound. "Here we go!"
"What you mean, here we go? Here we go where? To what?"
"Yeah, where are we actually going?" Ryan added, the group following.
The male ignored them. "Come on."
Reluctantly, the group followed. Ember couldn't help a smirk as she heard the Doctor muttering about forgetting to put things in her pockets, while at some point she was able to get names out of the odd two: Angstrom for the woman and Epzo for the male.
Graham grumbled as he wiped at his eyes for the umpteenth time. "All this sand is getting in my eyes something rotten."
"Want to borrow my shades?" The Doctor said, already fishing a pair out of her pocket, which made Ember raise a brow in question.
"Oh, ta," Graham accepted them, apparently not minding that they were big, round, tortoiseshell frames.
"Like an old pair of mine. I say mine. Can't remember who I borrowed them off now. It was either Audrey Hepburn or Pythagoras."
"Eh? Pythagoras never wore shades."
"You obviously never saw him with a hangover."
Ember took the Doctor's hand, mentally noting that it was smaller than she was used to. "If you forgot to put things in your pockets, how did those glasses get there?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Had them in my last coat. And a few other things."
"Figures." Ember looked around the landscape, seeing nothing but sand in all directions. She was trying to remember something, anything about this adventure, but so far not much was coming to mind. She mentally cursed her human life yet again for not giving her time to see more of the show.
"Is this alright?"
The Doctor's question brought her out of her thoughts. "Huh? Is what alright?"
"Well... this," The Doctor waved her free hand over herself. "Are you alright with this? Me being a woman now."
Ember tilted her head. "Have I not seen this you yet?"
"Well, yeah. You were there when I regenerated, and helped me with... well, a spoiler bit. You seemed ok then, but..."
"So why would I have a problem with it now?" Ember gently interjected. "Did I not kiss or hug you?"
The Doctor, to her surprise, blushed, the action so different compared to her male selves. "Actually... yeah. You snogged me proper. I think you gave me a jump start, too."
Ember nodded, tucking that spoiler away for later. "Look, Doctor, If I've never had a problem with you being several different guys, why would I have a problem just because you're a girl now? It's just another face to me. You're still you underneath."
The Doctor smiled, squeezing her hand twice. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."
"Anytime you need it, I'm here." Ember squeezed back. "Don't forget that."
They walked quietly for a short while before reaching the top of a sand dune and finally finding something. In the clearing below them, a pristine white tent was standing, very out of place in the otherwise desolate landscape.
"Do you two know what that is?" The Doctor asked, letting go of Ember's hand to move closer.
"It's a tent." Epzo said.
The Doctor rolled her eyes at the blunt answer. "Obviously, it's a tent. I meant... Oh, never mind. Come on, no dawdling."
The group began closing the gap between them and the tent. Ember moved to follow, only to pause when she heard a sound that might have been a whisper in the wind. She glanced around, and for a split second she thought she saw a tattered piece of cloth in the sand, but when she looked again there was nothing there.
With a bad feeling that she was missing something, she turned to catch up with the group before they noticed her delay. Together, they reached the tent, and Ember was sure that she couldn't be the only person to have noticed that there were no tracks leading to or from the tent. It was like the tent had just appeared in that spot from nowhere.
If Angstrom did notice, she didn't comment, instead looking at the other pilot. "Losers first."
Epzo didn't give her a verbal answer, entering the tent. The Doctor turned to her group.
"Be careful." She said. "I still don't know what's going on. It could be dangerous. Probably is dangerous." She glanced over at Ember, who was looking out at the desert. "Ember? I know you can't give us a hint, but can you get a feel on the elements here?"
Ember nodded, bending her knees so that she could put both hands on the sand. She closed her eyes and reached out, trying to sense the elements around and within.
"What's she doing?" Graham whispered. Yaz and Ryan shook their heads.
"Ember has more powers than you saw in Sheffield," the Doctor said, keeping her voice soft so that she wouldn't break Ember's concentration. "And she's got more names than anyone can remember. One of them is the Mother of Elements, and it means that she can sense and manipulate the natural elements."
Yaz blinked. "Like she did with that electric thing Shaw had?"
"Yep."
They watched the brunette for a few seconds, and then Graham spoke up again. "Can I ask, if we are on an alien planet, with aliens, how can we understand them? Ain't they talking alien?"
"Let's have a look." The Doctor looked thoughtful as she reached out and pulled down the back of Graham's collar. She was quick to see a red light blinking under the skin on the back of the man's neck. "Yeah, medipods have put implants into each of you. Standard procedure. Checks for a universal translator, implants one if you don't have one."
"Eh?" Graham wasn't happy about that as Yaz and Ryan checked their own necks. "Well, can people and things stop putting stuff inside me without my permission!"
"If I had my Tardis, you wouldn't need them."
"This might take another minute," Ember called over her shoulder, not opening her eyes. "I'm having trouble picking through this. You guys check out the tent, I'll be okay here."
With the Doctor's encouraging, the foursome entered the tent, leaving Ember outside. The brunette focused her attention fully on her surroundings, trying to feel the elements of the planet.
She hadn't lied when she said it would take longer. There was something about this planet that was off putting - she'd felt it when she tried to use her powers earlier. The elements she could sense felt... tainted, like a smell in the air that left a clinging, bad taste in the back of her throat. And even the strongest elements - wind and earth being closest right now - felt like they'd been drained somehow.
There was one thing she could tell for certain: it was not a natural process. Something manufactured had killed this planet, poisoning the very elements that kept it alive. And Ember didn't like that.
"Oh... a strong one..."
Ember froze, keeping her eyes closed. She didn't recognise the voice, but she somehow knew that she wouldn't see the speaker; it felt like the words had drifted over the wind, though she felt no breeze.
"We look forward to squeezing the life from her..."
She tried to reach out, but whatever was speaking seemed to slip through her fingers like water... or silk...
"We must wait... the sun is still up... we must wait..."
"Who are you?" Ember tried to communicate mentally, figuring that it was worth a shot.
"Oh..." the voice (or voices? She couldn't tell) seemed to get almost excited. "She hears us... so very strong..."
"I'm warning you now: if you're thinking about hurting me or my friends, you'd better think again."
"So fierce... but where does such ferocity come from...?"
Ember tensed, feeling something like silk brush over her mind, trying to find a way to slip through. She felt that deep instinct begin to build up at the threat. "Stop that!"
"Ember?"
"Or what?" The voice replied, making her miss the actual voice that spoke her name. "What will you do... Eternal one...?"
"What?"
"Ember...?"
"She who rose and laid waste to those who wronged..."
"Ember!"
Ember jerked back, her eyes snapping open. She'd been so engrossed in the voice, she hadn't realised that it was the Doctor who'd been calling her. The woman was kneeling in front of her, worry clear on her face.
"You with me?" The Doctor asked, her hands on Ember's biceps. "Come on, open your hands..."
It was at that moment that Ember felt a stinging pain in the palms of her hands. She looked down, blinking at the sight. She recalled placing her hands on top of the sand to try to reach out to the elements, but at some point she'd clenched them into fists, holding handfuls of sand.
But that wasn't all. She must have gotten angry - probably when she'd felt the threat on her mind - and in response, she'd heated the sand in her hands. The heat fused the sand into a rough glass, which in turn cut into her hands as she gripped them. When she slowly opened her hands, the glass shards fell off, leaving scratches on her palms and fingers. The wounds weren't deep, but they did sting.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked, gently taking her hands to examine the cuts.
"Yeah," Ember murmured, slowly getting back to her feet. She looked around, finding that the tent had vanished without a trace. The two pilots were now walking away, leaving the two Time Lords and the three humans behind. "What'd I miss?"
The Doctor gave her a very quick run down of their situation as they walked, soon finding themselves going through what might have once been a forest but was now littered with dry, dead trees and the occasional scrap of cloth. They were on a planet called Desolation, which had been 'made cruel' for some reason. The two pilots were the last of a group of racers that were trying to reach the 'Ghost Monument', which was actually the Tardis stuck in a phase shift that made it appear and disappear. The tent had been a hologram complete with a man who explained to them how to get to the Monument and warned that the planet was extremely dangerous. The Doctor and the humans had ended up in space because the planet shifted off its orbit, but now that the Doctor knew where the Tardis was, she was confidant that they'd be okay.
"So if we get there, you can get us off this planet alive?" Yaz asked at the end of the explanation.
The Doctor nodded as she finished bandaging Ember's hands. "Yaz, I promise, I will keep you alive and I will get you back home. I'm really good in a tight spot. At least, I have been historically. I'm sure I still am. If we stick together, if you trust me and Ember, we can get out of this." She turned her attention to Ember. "So what did you sense that made you fuse the sand?"
Ember kept finding herself looking at the scraps of cloth that dotted the landscape. For some reason, she felt wary about them, especially after she'd been positive about seeing one before it seemingly vanished. She was almost expecting them to move. "Pretty much what the guy in the tent told you. Something not natural has poisoned this world. The elements have weakened."
"Llin warned us about not touching the water." The Doctor mused. "I don't like this. Kinda wish you could give us a hint."
"You've been saying that like she knows what's gonna happen," Graham said. "What, does she know the future, or something?"
Ember looked away. "To a point, yes. It's a long story, but... the short version is yes, sometimes I know what's going to happen. I can't always change it, but I try to help when I can. But as for this..." she hesitated to use the word 'episode' for now. "I... just have glimpses..."
Graham looked at her. "That's the short version?"
"Yep. The long version has lots of twists and complicated things."
"I said stay away from the boat!" Epzo's voice reached them.
The group turned their attention to the two extra members, finding themselves at the edge of water that might once have been a beautiful lake. There was a medium sized boat on a dock on the waters edge, and Epzo and Angstrom were facing off, the former holding a gun at the latter.
"You don't get this to yourself!" Angstrom said as the group ran to get closer.
Epzo smirked. "This blaster says I do."
The Doctor reached them first with Ember not far behind. "Put the blaster down. We all know you're not going to use it. No injuring, no killing, no sabotage, isn't that what... whatsisface said?"
"Yeah, well, maybe I don't play by the rules."
"Did you practise those lines in the mirror?" The Doctor held up her little finger. "See this?"
She reached out and pressed her little finger against Epzo's throat. He gave a choked gasp as he froze on the spot, eyes wide.
Ember grinned. "You have got to teach me that."
"Nice move." Angstrom said, impressed.
The Doctor shrugged her free shoulder as she pushed the pointing gun away from the other woman's face. "Thanks. Venusian Aikido. Grand Master Pacifist. Temporarily paralyses, while also being fundamentally harmless. Very clever, those Venusian nuns." She looked at Epzo. "Shall I let go?"
As she did just that, leaving Epzo gasping, Angstrom looked at the boat. "And this boat doesn't work."
Graham, who caught up alongside Ryan and Yaz during the altercation, stepped forward. "Oh. Well, me and Ryan'll take a look."
"Will we?" Ryan asked, surprised.
"Yeah, well, those NVQ classes must be good for something. An engine's an engine."
"Not a space engine!"
Epzo, finally recovered, glared at them. "You don't get to take charge here. This is about me and her fighting to win."
"We're all going to the same place," Yaz pointed out, "and that boat is big enough for all of us."
"Yaz is right." The Doctor agreed. "If we get it started, we all get on board."
Epzo scoffed. "I know what this is. You're part of Ilin's game. Saboteurs, sent to throw us off."
Ember frowned, stepping forward. "We're not part of the race, as I'm sure the guy in the tent told you. But that just means we don't have to follow the rules like you do. Best to keep on our good side, or we might just forget to help you."
"You think the whole universe is out to get you." Angstrom said, looking at Epzo.
The reply from the man made her bristle. "How's your family, Angstrom?"
As the woman walked away to calm down, Ember stepped closer to Epzo. "I don't care if you give a shit or not, but I'm not willing to use people to get ahead. Now if that's how you want to go about your life, fine, but how about you think a bit more logically: let's say you're ambushed and outnumbered. Would you rather be a lone target for them all to focus on, or would your chances be better if there were other targets? Think about it; a predator can't catch a whole herd of prey."
She walked away from the group and the boat, moving to the waters edge a few feet away. Crouching down, Ember closed her eyes and held out her hand over the water, trying to feel the element.
The result she got made her shiver. This water wasn't natural anymore; something had tainted it. She couldn't tell how, but all she could sense out of the element was danger.
A sound to her right broke her concentration, making her look to see that the Doctor and Yaz had joined her at the waters edge. The Doctor was holding out a Sonic, the steampunk edge of which Ember found appealing, and scanning the water.
"So that's why he said don't touch the water." The Doctor mused when she saw the results. "Flesh-eating microbes, millions of them, living in there. Toxic atmosphere, killer water. Very dangerous planet, Yaz."
Nodding, the girl looked over at Ember. "What were you doing that for?"
"Water is a natural element, one of the four Primary Elements," Ember explained, looking over the water. Another shiver came over her before she could stop it as she spotted another tattered cloth wrapped around a dead tree trunk; it almost looked like it had choked the life out of the tree. "I can feel the damage they've done here."
The Doctor shifted to put an arm around the brunette. "The sooner we get off this planet, the better."
"Hold on," Yaz said. "Primary Elements? What's that mean?"
"There are four Primary Elements; Earth, wind, fire and water. From those four, almost all of the other elements come. Thunder, ice, and so many others. Ember here is learning to control each one, like she used to be able to control them all a long time ago."
Ember tilted her head in puzzlement, finding something in the Doctor's explanation that she'd heard once before. Ice?
"But if she could before, what happened that made her stop?" Yaz asked.
"A very good question, Yaz," The Doctor nodded, looking at Ember. "How much do you know right now, Ember?"
"About myself?" The brunette turned her eyes to the water again. "I'm part Eternal, part Time Lord. I might have been made like this because apparently I was too strong or too dangerous to be left as I was. I'm learning to use these powers one bit at a time because apparently I'll be overwhelmed if I do it all at once. So far, I can control the four Primary Elements and have just started using thunder, or electricity, though I haven't done much with that last one beside shocking a Zygon and frying a few computers. I'm getting dreams of my past life that don't make sense, and I still don't know who made me this way or why."
Ember stood up and turned, walking back to the boat. She didn't care if the two women followed or not, but she soon found that the Doctor had just as she reached the boat. The other Time Lord took her hand and squeezed it twice.
"I know this is all still really confusing for you," The Doctor said softly. "But I promise, it will all make sense in the end."
"Do you know why I'm here?" Ember found herself asking. "Do you know where I came from, who did this to me and why?"
The Doctor hesitated, swallowing hard. "Yes. I know exactly what was done to you. I know who did it and I know why they did it."
Ember shivered again, but it was for a whole different reason than before. "Can you tell me? At least tell me why."
"Not without telling you too much," The Doctor said, squeezing her hand again. "But I can tell you this; you were not a monster." She held up her other hand when Ember opened her mouth to protest. "Nope, I know you've been thinking that, or that you were some villain that needed to be stopped, but I'm telling you right now that it isn't the truth. I wish I'd met you back then, you were so brilliant, but I am also so happy that I met you when I did, because if it's possible, you're so much more brilliant now."
Ember had to look away, a light redness on her cheeks showing. "T-thanks. Okay, let's check on the boys. They've probably got the boat ready by now."
"One more question. Have you met the Master yet?"
"Does Missy and the Cybermen around the world count?"
The Doctor shook her head. "Not really. She's closer to the friend I once had than the Master after the War."
"Ah. Then no. Sorry."
The Doctor dropped the topic, knowing when to prod and when to not. This was definitely not. She led Ember onto the boat, where Graham and Ryan had just opened a panel on the floor to reveal the engine.
"That's not an engine." Ryan said just as they got close enough to hear. "It's more like a massive battery. What if it's solar?"
"Look at you boys." The Doctor cheered, gaining their attention. "Light years from home, figuring things out. Yep. Three suns in the sky, tri-solar engineering panels on the outside, powering that battery."
Graham looked up at the panels above their heads. "Well, if it won't start, maybe the panels aren't lined up."
"Or maybe they're not feeding the battery properly," Ryan added.
The Doctor nodded. "Loving your work, boys. Let's take a look."
With Ember and the boy's help, they were able to shift the panels enough to allow the battery to charge. It gave a low hum that made them cheer in delight as the Doctor called the others to get on. In no time, they were cruising across the water, taking in the surprisingly pleasant view. Angstrom was steering the boat, sat at the front while the others were sat together.
"Hey, Yaz, can you believe it?" Ryan said, breaking the silence. "Alien planet, man."
"I know." Yaz said with a small smile.
"This planet doesn't make any sense," The Doctor mused thoughtfully. Her Sonic was buzzing, showing her conflicting results. "No other life forms except us and the microbes in the water. No people, no animals, no insects, no nothing. Even the elements themselves have been tainted. But he talked about the old settlements. What happened here?"
"No one cares." Epzo said, taking a small vile of liquid out of his pocket and downing it.
Angstrom sighed. "Don't take him personally. He treats everyone like this."
"I don't need other people."
"We all need other people, mate," Graham said.
Epzo shrugged. "We're all alone. That's how we start and end, and it's the natural state of all points in between."
Ember tensed, her hands tightening into fists despite the sting on her palms from the cuts. Something about what the man had said made her want to slug him.
No one noticed her reaction as Graham spoke. "Were you born that miserable, or did you have to work at it?"
Epzo chuckled. "You know, when I was four, my mum told me to climb a tree. She made me climb until I was too scared to climb any higher. Then she told me to jump, into her arms. 'Don't worry', she said, 'I'm your mum, I'm here for you, I'll catch you.' So I jumped. And she moved out of the way."
The Doctor looked surprised. "What?"
"Sorry," Yaz was just as surprised, "did you say your mum did this to you?"
"I smashed into the ground," Epzo gestured to his right arm, then his left leg. "Broke this arm, shattered that ankle. And she stood over me and she said, 'Now you've learned. You can never trust anyone in this life'."
"That is messed up." Ryan said after a long moment.
"Best thing she ever did for me. I loved my mum."
Graham shook his head. "Yeah, she sounds terrific."
The Doctor leaned forward, making eye contact with Epzo. "Your mum was wrong. We're stronger together."
The man shrugged.
Ember wanted to speak up, so say something along the lines of agreeing with the Doctor's statement, but she strangely found herself unable to without feeling like she'd snap.
A short time later, Epzo had fallen asleep, leaning back in his seat and snoring softly.
"I see your mate's dropped off," Graham said to Angstrom. "It's nice to see him quiet."
The woman smirked. "Yeah. He can nap anywhere. Famous for it."
Ember tilted her head. "Tell us about this rally."
"How many stages are there?" The Doctor added, curious.
Angstrom looked at them. "This time? 209 terrains, 94 planets. We start the race with nothing and barter our way up."
"Is it worth it?"
"To ensure enough for my family's safety? Yeah. Albar is being systematically cleansed. Half of my family are in hiding. The others are on the run. This is my only chance to bring us back together."
Yaz raised a brow in confusion. "So you left your family to do this?"
"I left my family to try and save my family." Angstrom corrected. "They told me to. If I win, I find them, rescue them. If they're alive to be rescued. Whatever happens here, it's a better chance than I had back home."
"You're making me miss my family." Yaz said, looking at her hands which was clasped in her lap. "That's quite some achievement, considering my dad drives me bananas and my sister's trying to get me to move out so she can have my bedroom. And I only saw them yesterday."
Angstrom looked at her for a long moment. "Don't ever take them for granted." She then looked at the rest of them. "God, you all look shattered."
"You should all rest." The Doctor agreed, standing up. "I'll wake you when we get there."
Everyone had gone to sleep with the exception of Angstrom, Ember and the Doctor. The former pilot was at the front steering the boat, while Ember and the Doctor were sat at the back, as far away from everyone as possible so they could talk relatively privately.
"So how come I'm here?" Was Ember's first question. "I've been jumping up and down your timeline for nearly three years, give or take, and I've never gotten further then Twelve. Why now?"
The Doctor looked at their clasped hands, lifting Ember's left one and twisting the ring gently on her finger. "How far into the tv show did you get before you started jumping?"
Ember closed her eyes, trying to think back as far as she could. "Um... I remember most, if not all, of the episodes with Clara, but after that... it's like I've seen clips from things after that, but not the full episodes. I was catching up when I started jumping, I think..."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," The Doctor said. She then looked up from their hands to meet the brunette's gaze. "Have you ever thought about what will happen when you run out of 'episodes' to jump to?"
That made Ember pause. She hadn't. She'd been jumping for so long that it felt like second nature now; even the burning sensation that signalled a jump didn't bother her anymore. It didn't occur to her that it would end at some point.
But now that she thought about it... it was a valid point. She already knew that she'd been to most of the Ninth Doctor's adventures already, though she had still yet to reach him before he knew her. Then there was Ten and Eleven; she'd gotten to many of their trips already, though they still have a decent number left to go. Even Twelve had been seen many times by now.
So... what would happen when she reached the point of having been to every adventure?
"What's going to happen?" She found herself murmuring out loud. "When I've done all of the adventures... what happens next? I never thought about it, but I should have..."
The Doctor watched the internal conflict flashing across her face before she spoke. "I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't. There's so much left to do, and to tell you now might mess it up. But maybe one day... we can just travel normally, without you jumping. If you'll have me."
"Of course I will, you big goof!" The brunette threw her arms around the Doctor in a fierce hug. "That's great to hear! But when? How many more jumps have I got?"
"I can't tell you that," the Doctor said, returning the hug and resting her head on Ember's shoulder. "But I can tell you that you'll have at least a few more of these 'mystery trips' before you're through jumping. By then, you should have all the answers you're looking for."
Ember decided to settle for that, feeling a sense of relief wash over her at the knowledge that everything will be clear in time. She just had to wait, as much as she was loathe to do so.
The brunette felt the Doctor pull back from the hug and let her, the two just smiling at each other. The Doctor reached up and brushed an odd strand of hair away from Ember's eyes before she began to lean in, her intentions clear...
"Um... am I interrupting?"
Both women looked up, surprised to find that they weren't somewhat alone anymore. Graham was stood where he'd been dozing, his face slightly red as he realised what he'd almost walked in on.
Ember shook her head as she pulled away from the Doctor, either not noticing or ignoring the pout she received for it. "Nah, you're okay. What's up?"
Graham shifted slightly, glad to have been let off the hook easily. "Angstrom says we're here. I was just waking everyone up. Just got Sleeping Beauty over there left."
"Dibs," Ember said immediately, getting up and passing the older man who blinked at her in confusion. He and the Doctor watched, along with Yaz and Ryan who were already awake, as the brunette calmly reached the sleeping man's side, lifted a hand...
And then slapped Epso, hard, right across the face. The man yelped instantly and flailed, falling off his perch and onto the floor with a thump.
The humans had to look away or cover their mouths to hide the smiles of laughter. Even the Doctor and Angstrom looked amused.
"What the...?" Epso flailed again, grabbing his gun and waving it around. When he saw Ember in front of him, he frowned as his mind finally caught up with what had happened. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
Ember tilted her head. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Maybe think about that next time you wanna be a dick? Anyway, we're here now, so you may as well get up."
With that, she turned on her heel and got off the boat, walking off onto solid ground.
The Doctor looked at Epso. "I don't normally approve of violence, but sometimes someone deserves a slap. Ember tends to be able to spot those ones. By the way, you got off lightly. Be glad she didn't set your pants on fire. I've seen her do that before too."
Everyone looked at her as she walked off the boat to follow the brunette, unsure if she had been serious or was teasing.
"Remind me never to upset that woman," Graham said after a moment.
Ryan nodded, even though he didn't seem sure which woman he was referring to. "Ditto."
Catching up to the Time Lords, the group trekked further across the beach, already bored with the few things around them; sand, rocks and dead trees.
Angstrom rolled her eyes as she saw Epso pull out what looked like a normal cigar from his pocket, eyeing it like it was the prize they were after. "Have you seen yourself, Epzo? I'd say you love that cigar more than you've loved any person."
Epso raised a brow. "Have you any idea how rare and expensive these are? It takes half an Althusian lifetime to make just one of these. To make them, roll them, age them, and then, and this is the best bit, they make them self-lighting. Just one click of the finger and it lights itself. Do you want a sniff? Closest you'll ever get to victory."
"Bad for your health." Angstrom wrinkled her nose.
The Doctor was the first to notice a change in scenery; old, metal buildings that had been worn down by nature and time. There was no real way of telling what they'd originally been used for. "Big set of ruins... Wonder who those were built for?"
"Why do you even care?" Epso asked, clearly not caring himself.
"Where are those people now? Why are there so few signs of life? What happened to everyone?"
Ember looked around. "Knowledge is power. Whatever happened to the people could happen to us if we're not careful."
Epso shook his head, turning and walking off on his own. "Bye. Ha!"
"Good luck," Angstrom added as she went the opposite way.
"You've already lost, Angstrom!"
The Doctor ignored them, getting out her Sonic and scanning the ruins. Ember closed her eyes in concentration.
"What, we're just letting them go, are we?" Graham asked. "How do we know what to do, where to go?"
"First thing we have to do is make it through those ruins safely." The Doctor looked at the results on her Sonic and frowned. "Because these readings are all over the place, and I don't know why."
Ember spoke next, getting their attention. "The wind..."
The Doctor turned to her. "What is it? What about the wind?"
"There's something here. I can feel it in the wind..." Ember explained, her brows furrowing as she 'felt' the gentle breeze. "I'm trying to find it..."
The Doctor let her try to figure it out as she led them into the ruins, looking up at the sky. "Those suns are starting to set. They're moving way faster than I realised."
"Well, back in the tent, that bloke Ilin said do not travel by night." Graham pointed out.
"We need to move, fast."
Ember, who'd been busy trying to figure out what she could sense in the wind, suddenly felt the shift. It was similar to when she could feel things through the ground; she could tell that something was disrupting the wind's path. And it was right behind them. "Look out!"
At her shout, the group followed where she was now looking, to see that several armed figures had somehow come up behind them without a sound. They looked humanoid, but wore armour and a camouflage hood that covered every inch of them, and their guns were large and alien. They weren't moving, standing like they'd been there the whole time.
"Whoa!" Graham jumped. "They weren't there when we came in!"
"Where did they come from?" Ryan asked.
"I don't know." The Doctor quickly scanned the nearest figure with the Sonic.
Yaz flinched. "Oh, my God, Doctor!"
Graham did the same. "So much for no life forms on this planet!"
"They're not alive," The Doctor read from the Sonic. "They're robot guards. Why would you need robot guards on a deserted planet? Good news is, they're not fully active. So, what we all need to do is very slowly, totally unthreateningly, back out of here..." The group were only able to take a few steps back when the figures twitched with a buzzing sound and began to move, turning and aiming their weapons. "Argh! They've been activated! Run!"
"Move!" Graham agreed, grabbing Ryan and pulling him as lasers flew past them. "Move, everyone! Come on!"
The Doctor grabbed Ember's hand to keep them together as they ran, jumping at the fact that there were several of the robots around almost every corner. "Ah! Ah! Swerve! Don't run straight! They're predicting our path!" She spotted what looked like a building that had circular openings in it, possibly doors or windows. "In here!"
The group ducked inside, using the walls to shield them from the blasts from the weapons. "Well done, all of you, nice running!"
They turned, startled by shapes on sticks suddenly popping up from the sand. There were pillars dotted around the otherwise massive room.
"Oh!" The Doctor jumped. "Okay, come on. Oh! What have we here?" She found something in the sand; a robot that looked like it had been broken or worn down.
"Got anything there, Doctor?" Yaz asked as the Time Lord used her Sonic to scan the robot.
"Information," The Doctor looked at the readings. "Oh, that's bad. They're SniperBots. We just walked into the middle of the shooting range. Everything within the perimeter is target practice."
"Which would explain all the targets in here." Graham said, waving a hand at the shapes. "And looking on the negative side, they're human-shaped targets."
Ryan took a breath. "If that's the way it is, time to stop messing about."
"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked as the young man picked up the gun that was beside the fallen robot.
"Fighting back."
"No. Guns, never use 'em."
"They're shooting at us!" Ryan exclaimed like they didn't already know.
"I know."
"They're going to kill us with their guns!"
"He's got a point, Doc." Graham reluctantly agreed.
The Doctor shook her head. "Put the gun down, Ryan."
"What's your better idea?" Ryan asked.
"Out-think them."
Graham looked at her. "You can't out-think bullets."
"Yes, you can," Ember replied.
"Been doing it all my life," The Doctor added.
"Uh-uh." Ryan grinned, finally figuring out how to activate the gun, which charged up with a whirr. "Sorry. Call of Duty, man. I've trained for this."
Before anyone could stop him, the young man turned and ran out of their hiding place, shooting at anything that moved with a shout.
"Argh!" He cheered in triumph as the robots fell. "Who's next?! See, that's what I'm talking about! That's how you deal with things. Taking out the aliens!"
But then... the robots began to get up again.
"No, no, no!" Ryan began to panic, trying to figure out the gun in his hands that now refused to fire. "Where's the reload? Where's the reload!"
He looked up as one of the robots aimed its weapon... only for the whole thing to suddenly burst into flames. Ryan could only blink at it for a moment before he felt someone grab his arm. He looked just in time to see Ember throw out her hand and make another robot burst into flames, but what worried him was that she was sweating and panting.
"Come on!" She yelled above the chaos as she yanked him back. She threw up a wall of jagged rocks - much like she'd done in Mercy - to give them some cover as they retreated. "I can't stop them all!"
By the time they got back inside, Ryan had to keep Ember steady. The Doctor was quick to take her off of him while giving him a look.
"Made it worse?" She deadpanned.
"Just a little bit, yeah." Ryan reluctantly nodded. "How'd she do that, and why's she suddenly like that?"
"She uses elements, I told you that already!"
"But it..." Ember wheezed, feeling that taste in the back of her throat again. "The Elements... are weak..."
"Meaning she can't use them as much here." the Doctor looked at Ryan again. "Now do you see why I don't like guns?"
"Don't go on about it." Ryan rolled his eyes.
"I will go on about it. A lot!" The Doctor argued. Then she spotted movement behind them: the remaining robots had followed them into their hiding place. "They're here. Take cover behind the pillars!"
With Graham helping Ember to take cover behind one of the targets, the Doctor was free to drag the broken robot with her behind another.
"You know we're completely surrounded?" Yaz asked, having followed Ryan behind a second pillar.
"Yep!"
"With no way out whatsoever!" Graham added, making sure that Ember wasn't in danger of stumbling into the line of fire, keeping her trembling form between him and the target they were hiding behind
"Here's the lesson." The Doctor said, forcing open the chestplate of the robot. "The answer was on the floor. You just reached for the wrong thing."
"What are you talking about?"
"The best thing about robots is, they're powerful. Literally packed with power. Super-powered."
With one last flick of the Sonic, she triggered a pulse of energy that radiated out, sweeping over the ruins. The robots twitched violently and collapsed in heaps.
Ryan looked out at all the fallen troops. "Wow!"
"Okay. Now that was impressive." Graham admitted.
"Thank you." The Doctor smiled. "I think Ember would have been able to fry them if she had the energy, but I aim to please."
"What exactly did you just do?" Yaz asked.
"Electromagnetic pulse. Basically fried their systems. I reckon we've got about five minutes before they reboot and recover." The Doctor have Ryan a cocky smirk. "See? Brains beat bullets. Come on."
Ember moved to follow, but stumbled, nearly falling over if it hadn't been for Graham catching her by the arm. "Whoa, there! Doc, I think your wife here's still a bit woozy."
The Doctor moved to Ember's left side, pressing her hand against her cheek. "Ember, you alright?"
"... 'm fine..." the brunette mumbled softly. "Just... not sure I can do that again for a while..."
"We'll find a place for you to rest, ok? Just hang on a little longer."
With Graham and the Doctor helping Ember walk without falling over, the small group ventured further into the ruins, soon hearing voices from one of the tunnels.
"Let's try through here," the Doctor suggested, leading them in. To their surprise, it was Epso and Angstrom, though the former had what looked like a burn wound on his shoulder that was causing him some trouble.
"What just happened?" He asked.
"What do you care? You don't care about anything." The Doctor, once she was sure that Graham had a firm hold of Ember, moved to take the device that Angstrom had been using earlier, since she'd got it out again. "Ooo, tracker, thanks!"
"How did you even do that?" Angstrom asked, noticing a fallen robot nearby.
"Did I not mention? I am really smart."
"Thank you." The female pilot looked at Ember. "Is she alright? Did she get hit?"
"No, she's tired. Using the toxic elements here is more taxing on her. And you are very welcome. Amazing what you can learn from a SniperBot. Like where their control commands emanate from. Also, maps. Which leads us... here."
She turned to what looked like a large hatch, which she opened with her Sonic. "I want answers to this planet and I think they're down there."
"You sure about that?" Graham asked as he led Ember to the hatch. The Doctor went first so that she could help the brunette get down.
"Nope. Come on."
Ryan sighed as he spotted the ladder going down. "Why is it always ladders?"
Yaz gently pat him on the arm in sympathy, helping him as they followed the rest of the group down the ladder. They found themselves in another dark tunnel. The young woman waiting at the bottom of the ladder for Ryan as he slowly reached the ground. "See? Second nature now."
"No, not really." Ryan mumbled. "Thanks for waiting."
"Always."
The Doctor let Ember lean on her as she looked around. "These tunnels run under half of the planet. Think of the technology, the civilisation required to build all that. And then ask yourselves, where are they?" She caught sight of Epzo as he winced. "How's the injury?"
"It's painful." He grumbled in reply.
"Hope it's made you reconsider your entire philosophy."
"Nope."
"Doctor?" Graham called, waving at what looked like soot or burns. "Scorch marks all along the walls."
The Doctor frowned. "Not exactly encouraging, is it?"
"No, unless your Misses did that without us seeing. Which I doubt."
The Doctor glanced at Ember, who was taking the moment to rest her eyes. As though she knew she was being looked at, the brunette met her gaze and smiled reassuringly. "Still, best feet forward."
The group kept a decent pace as they walked along the tunnel. Ember was tempted to make a few flames appear to act as lights, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to right at that moment, so she let them be led by Epzo's torch.
It didn't take long to find something new, and the Doctor handed Ember to Graham so she had her hands free to examine it. "Oh, big locked door. I love a big locked door." Using her Sonic again, the door slowly opened with a creak. "Ominous."
When the group got inside, they found themselves in what might have been an alien laboratory, though it had clearly been abandoned. There was broken equipment scattered around, dirty jars with fluid or mould inside them, and a thick layer of dust and grime that covered everything.
"What happened in here?" The Doctor wondered.
Yaz noticed another doorway on the far side of the room. She gave Ryan a nudge. "There's another room next door. We'll take a look?"
"Yeah." The young man replied, following her. Graham led Ember to a stool that was to one side, setting it upright so she could sit and rest.
Angstrom shook her head. "I don't want to be here. We're off route. We need to move on."
"You went into the ruins without knowing what was there," The Doctor pointed out. "You want to keep going without knowing why it's bad to travel at night?"
"Whatever happened here, it's in the past." Epzo grumbled. "What does it matter to you?"
The Doctor walked up to him, getting in his face despite being shorter than him. "This was a living, breathing planet once, with an ecosystem, organic life, and a population. There was a catastrophic event here. And as hard as it is for you to understand, you are not the only life form in this universe. Some of us feel a duty to others who might be in trouble. So fix your wound, take one of your heroic naps, and we'll wake you when we leave, if you're lucky."
For a moment it looked like he was going to argue, but then Epzo huffed as he walked off. "Fine."
The Doctor nodded to herself and turned to look around the lab again, using her Sonic to see if anything useful was around. "Now do me a favour. Give me something that will finally make sense of this planet."
Graham looked at Ember, who was leaning in her seat against the wall and had her eyes closed. She looked a bit better than before, which reassured him. "You doing alright there?"
"Yeah," the brunette replied, opening her eyes. "Just need to get my breath back. I'll be alright in a minute."
"That's good," Graham watched the Doctor mess about with the broken equipment, finding a screen that seemed to be working. "So how long have you two been married?"
"For me, a few months, I think. For the Doctor? Hundreds of years at least, depending on how you look at it."
That made Graham look at her in shock. "How does that work?"
"Time travel."
Graham thought about it for a moment. "So when we met you in Sheffield, you'd already done this?"
Ember nodded. "Yeah."
"So... you knew Grace was gonna die?"
Ember opened her eyes properly and looked at the man. "I... I'm sorry, but I don't know who you're talking about. I haven't been to Sheffield yet."
"I know, it's just..." Graham sighed. "You stuck by, tried to stay close as much as possible. I thought it was cuz you were worried about the Doc, but... now that I think about it, it was more like you were watching out for Grace. You even went with her when she..." he trailed off.
Ember was torn. She knew she shouldn't be hearing about this, but at the same time, she wanted to know. "I... guess I did, if you're telling me about it now. I shouldn't ask, but... what happened?"
Graham looked torn himself. "The Doc said we shouldn't tell you."
"But you want to, in case I can change it," Ember finished for him. "You want me to save Grace. To be honest, the fact that it hasn't changed means that I failed. Another one I couldn't save..."
There was a pause, and then Graham hesitantly put his arm around the brunette, offering what little comfort he could. "If it helps... you tried. I saw it. You tried so hard to stop it. And when... when it happened, I could see that it tore you up inside."
"I'm so sorry," Ember found herself murmuring, leaning into the hug. "I don't know who she is, but I can tell that she meant a lot to you. I'm sorry I failed..."
"Nah, don't go doin' that," Graham squeezed her. His own voice had thickened, like he was trying not to cry. "She wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself. I think... I think she knew you were trying. If she were here, she'd say something like 'the fact that you tried is what's important'. So don't go beating yourself up, alright?"
Ember nodded, though she knew it wasn't going to be that simple, especially when the time came for her.
"There!" The Doctor's sudden cheer made them look in her direction, to see that she'd managed to get a couple of the screens working in the otherwise destroyed lab. "That's more like it. Angstrom, bring me that route mappy thing. If we sync it, this shows us the whole network of tunnels. Your friend Ilin warned us not to travel at night." She plugged in the device and set it up so they could see a layout of the underground tunnels. "We could use the tunnels to keep moving while it's dark, avoiding whatever's on the surface."
"It's better than that, though. Look," Angstrom pointed to a blip on the screen. "There's the site of the Ghost Monument. This network could help us cut a diagonal through the route, then bypass most of the mountain terrain. We could cover the distance in half the time."
Graham stood up, checking that Ember had recovered enough to do the same on her own before he approached the other two. "Well, if you leave now, you could get there before Sleeping Beauty. You could win."
Ember was about to speak when a sound cut through the quiet; a low hum that signalled machinery starting up.
"What was that?" Graham asked.
The Doctor followed the hum to broken glass door. "There's something through there."
After opening the door, the four found another room. This one was wide and spacious, evidently cleared out of anything useful, but there was a circle of greenish-yellow glowing lights pointing inward where there were scratches in the centre of the floor that looked rather like...
"Inscriptions on the floor," the Doctor mused, kneeling down to look closer.
"What is it," Graham looked as well, noticing quickly that it was writing in a language he couldn't read, "some sort of cave painting?"
"Almost. Left by the people who worked here."
Ember closed her eyes and reached out with her senses. That taste had appeared again, and she could feel the toxicity stronger in this room, as though whatever had destroyed the planet had been more potent here...
Graham didn't notice the brunette's move, as he was focused on the Doctor. "Can you read it? What does it say?"
The Doctor looked carefully before she could make out the words, speaking them aloud. "'We are scientists. Abducted, tortured and made to work, while our families are held hostage. We are forced to find new ways of destruction. Poisons... weapons... creatures. We gave them our minds and they made us the creators of death. This planet has been left scorched and barren from our work. The atmosphere and water are toxic. Killing machines and creatures inhabit every corner. We had no choice but to obey'..." she hesitated at the next bit, "'The Stenza. We are trying to destroy all of our work before they use it against others.' There's two words below that. 'They're coming.' That's how it ends."
"The Stenza?" Graham repeated. He recognised the word. "That's the thing we stopped in Sheffield, right?"
Angstrom looked at him. "You know the Stenza too?"
"My wife died because of them."
Ember flinched. She had no doubt that he meant Grace.
"Mine too," Angstrom said. "I'm sorry. They took our planet, sent us into hiding, cleansed millions of us."
The Doctor was about to reply to that when she saw Ember's stance: hand out and eyes closed in concentration. "Ember? What is it?"
"It started here," the brunette murmured, though it wasn't clear if she'd heard or was muttering to herself. "The poison... it started here and then spread out over the planet..."
She wasn't making much sense to the three listening, but before any of them could ask, there was suddenly muffled screaming coming from where they'd come from. The group - including Ember, since the Doctor grabbed her hand and made her follow - followed the sound until they found Epzo. The man was flailing about and struggling with what looked like a piece of tattered cloth wrapped over his mouth and nose, evidently cutting off his air.
"Epzo!" The Doctor called as she ran to his side, getting out her Sonic to try to free him.
Angstrom looked scared now. "Oh, my God!"
The Doctor was quick to find out that whatever the cloth was, it was resistant to the Sonic. "Nothing's working on it!"
Ember threw out her hand, making the cloth burst into flame. It made a sound similar to a shriek and instantly let go of its prey, zipping off into the darkness like a bug avoiding light. The move made Ember's head give a warning throb, but she seemed to have recovered enough to at least bring up small flames. Which was good, now that she'd confirmed her bad feeling regarding the cloths they'd been seeing on the surface.
Her head throbbed again, and this time it made her vision go white...
The group were surrounded by several cloths in the dark, using their feet to dig a trench for themselves as the Doctor kept their opponents busy. Then, at her command, a cigar was thrown in the air and the group dropped into the trenches.
The Doctor snapped her fingers... but the cigar didn't light, and the cloths moved in for the kill...
"We've seen them before," Graham said, bringing her out of the vision. His comment also proved that at least he'd noticed the cloths as well. "Like, all over the planet. Like they were lying dormant."
"Lying dormant till night, across the whole planet..." the Doctor mused, putting it together, "clearing up the wounded!"
"Doctor!" Yaz's voice reached them before she ran into the room to them. "I found you! The SniperBots are on their way down after us!"
Ryan caught up to them, only to jump back when the cloth returned and flailed at them with a hiss like a snake about to strike. Ember threw another plume of fire at it, but it was significantly smaller than the last one, proving that she was losing the strength to keep defending them. Nevertheless, it was still enough to drive it away again for now.
"We need to get out of here," The Doctor said, turning to a large set of bulkhead doors. "Everybody, move fast!"
The doors led out into the tunnels again, and the group ran, the Doctor using her Sonic to close the door after them to slow down the robots. Suddenly, Angstrom stopped running, making the others pause.
"Why have we stopped?" Yaz asked.
"Listen," the Doctor's reply made them do so, hearing the humming of machinery slowing fading away. "They've shut down the life support systems, depriving us of air."
Graham rolled his eyes. "A man could really take against those robots."
"We need to get out of the tunnels."
"But it's night!"
Angstrom, after looking at her device, looked around quickly, spotting a ladder going up. "This exit ladder will take us up and out to the surface."
"What's up there?" Yaz asked as she followed the woman to the ladder.
"Acetylene fields."
"Acetylene," Ryan repeated, recognising the word, "like the gas?"
Yaz looked worried. "That doesn't sound good."
"We're running out of air and options," the Doctor was quick to point out, "so let's go up."
With no other choice, they each took turns climbing. Graham went first, then Epzo followed by Angstrom, and then Ember followed by Yaz, and then Ryan with the Doctor going last.
The Doctor watched as Ryan held the first rungs of the ladder and seemed to need a minute to prepare himself. "You okay?"
"It's not my favourite thing," Ryan admitted, "climbing ladders under pressure..."
"Can I just say? You are amazing."
"Am I?"
The Doctor nodded. "Think of what you've gone through to be here, and you're still going. I'm proper impressed."
"Thanks..."
"If it helps, focus on facts about acetylene as you climb. Did you cover it in NVQ?"
"Think we might've done, yeah."
"Got to be quick now, Ryan. Sorry." The Doctor encouraged him to climb until they reached the hatch at the top where everyone else was waiting. It had long since gotten dark out, and whisps of fog made the open space of the sandy field they were in even more creepy as they ran. With the dark, it perfectly fit the 'misty swamp' Llin had mentioned they'd have to cross.
Yaz wrinkled her nose. "That's some smell..."
"What is it, garlic?" Graham asked.
"Wait. Everyone, stop!" Ryan suddenly called, making them pause. "Look, it's like the ground's moving..."
Ember looked and shivered, spotting several of the tattered cloths they seen now weaving through the air like ghosts, quickly approaching and surrounding them.
"Finally," a disembodied voice hissed at them, "a big feast of lives..."
"Nobody move," the Doctor called.
Epzo recalled the attack he'd barely escaped from. "Don't let them touch you! They'll squeeze the life out of you!"
"Yes, squeeze the life from all of you..."
Ember shivered again, remembering a similar comment she'd heard the first time.
"The talk is to distract you." The Doctor said quickly, her arms slightly out as the cloths swirled around. "That's how they were designed in that laboratory."
"You can't save them." The voice (or voices? It was hard to tell) said, almost directly to her. "We smell your fear too. The strongest of all..."
"You want fears? I've got a dozen lifetimes' worth."
"A dozen lives? We'll take you first."
The Doctor looked at Ryan out of the corner of her eye. "Remember any facts, Ryan, as we climbed?"
Ryan said the first thing he could remember. "It's lighter than air."
"Yes. Smells like garlic and lighter than air. That's right. And one other thing about it, but we'll all have to dig deep for that, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Epzo asked, frowning when he saw the Doctor start shuffling her feet in the sand, followed by Ember and the humans. "What are you doing?"
Angstrom caught on quick. "Shut up and dig, Epzo."
They both joined in, shuffling their feet to dig trenches for themselves.
"You lead, but you're scared, too," The cloth said, two lengths arching up like a cloak in the breeze, "for yourself and for others."
"Yeah, well, who isn't?" The Doctor shot back.
"Afraid of your own newness. We see deeper, though, further back. The Timeless Child..."
Ember froze. Those three words, when put together, made a feeling she didn't recognise go through her. It felt like ice and fire all at once...
The Doctor paused. "What did you just say?"
"She doesn't know..."
"What are you talking about? What can you see?"
"We see what's hidden, even from yourself. The outcast, abandoned and unknown..." There was a pause. "And you're not the only one who is hidden..."
The Doctor glanced over just as a cloth moved, encircling Ember. The brunette was still, watching warily.
"You don't make much sense, do you know that?" Ember retorted, but the Doctor could hear it in her voice: she was frightened.
"One lost in flames, one in rage... You were hidden... or are you still hidden...? You're still settling. But will you... rise...?"
The Doctor frowned, seeing Ember get more uncomfortable with the words. "Get out of her head! And mine, while you're at it!"
The cloths swirled forward, sweeping around the Doctor's body. "Now we crush those fears from you!"
"Enjoy your feast, whatever it is! You know what some people like after a feast? Graham?"
The man jumped. "Huh?"
"Not me! Some people!"
Epzo noticed the Doctor gesture toward him and understood immediately, letting Graham reach for his pocket where the cigar was. "Do it."
"Oh, yeah." Graham said, easily finding the item. "A nice cigar..."
He quickly chucked it into the air, and at the Doctor's shout, they all dropped into their makeshift pits. The Doctor snapped her fingers.
The cigar didn't light, but Ember didn't give any of them a chance to notice. She threw her hand up and focused, making the cigar burst into flame. Which in turn ignited the thick air above them, burning the cloth creatures with a shriek.
As Ember lowered her hand, she glanced over, just in time to catch the Doctor's eye and realise that she knew.
"Third fact, ignites very easily." The Doctor said. "Good old acetylene. See? Teamwork. Now, move. Come on."
The group crawled along the floor, keeping low under the flames until they dispersed - the Doctor didn't question if Ember had a hand in that - and kept moving, following Angstrom's tracker across the landscape. By luck, they'd managed to cut the journey down to a fraction of its time, meaning that by the time the three suns had risen, they were almost done.
For Ryan, he was well and truly ready for it to be over. "We must be near now."
"Says we're close," Angstrom confirmed, looking at her tracker.
The Doctor saw something else. "There. Your finish line."
Everyone looked, to find the tent they'd found at the start of the journey perched on the summit.
"Ah, we made it," Epzo smiled.
Yaz looked around, but saw no sign of a blue box. She looked at the Doctor. "But where's your ship? Where's the Ghost Monument?"
"It's not here..." the Doctor was surprised, and getting a little worried, even as Ember took her hand to ground her. "I don't understand. It should be here. We did all this for nothing?" She looked around again before looking at the racers. "So you got here..."
"And now I'm going to claim my prize." Angstrom nodded.
Epzo looked at her. "What? Your prize?"
"I saved your life! You'd be dead without me. And if I raced you now to that tent, you'd be dust. You're a wreck, Epzo."
"Who had the cigar, eh? Me. That was mine. The cigar saved us all."
Ember didn't bother to correct him.
Angstrom laughed. "Seriously? Don't even think I'm going to lose to you now."
"Oh, will you two knock it off?" Ember finally spoke up. "Look at you! You worked together, wether you like it or not. You both have an equal claim to your precious prize, and most important of all, you're alive to see it."
The Doctor took a slight step forward. "Um, could I make a suggestion?"
Minutes later, the group reached the tent. Epzo and Angstrom looked at each and, with a nod, stepped into the tent at the same time.
"Dead heat." Epzo declared to the Indian man sat inside the tent.
"Joint first." Angstrom said. "Dual winners."
"With witnesses," the Doctor added.
The man, Ilin, did not look happy. "What? No. There's never been a joint winner of the Rally."
"There has now." Angstrom replied.
"No. I will declare the final race null and void."
Epzo had had enough. "Ilin, you've made this a living hell for us. I promise you that whatever happens, I will get off this planet, and if we don't get what we both fought for, I will hunt you down and ensure that whatever time you have left is both short-lived and agonising. Do we understand each other?" There was no protest. "Now, recognise your equal winners."
Angstrom nodded. "Pay the prize, or pay the price!"
Llin looked torn, but he eventually nodded. "I'm honoured to declare a unique joint victory... and equal split."
"Now, get us off this rock." Epzo said, satisfied.
"Fine."
"And them," Angstrom added, gesturing to the rest of the group.
This time the reply was firm. "No."
"No!" The cry came too late. Liln snapped his fingers, and he, the racers and the tent disappeared, leaving the Doctor, Ember and the humans alone on the summit.
"They're gone," Ryan said out loud, looking around.
Graham looked part annoyed and part dismayed. "We're stuck here, are we?"
The Doctor, who looked like someone had just shot her puppy, turned to the group. "...I'm sorry. I've failed you. I promised you and I let you down."
"We can wait, can't we?" Ryan suggested.
Yaz nodded. "Yeah. We've got each other..."
"Ember can't keep protecting us from those cloth things," The Doctor shook her head. "No, we'll be dead within one rotation."
Ember squeezed her hand, trying to offer comfort. It wasn't often that the Doctor seemed to give up, but she hated it when it happened.
"Who says so?" Graham said, seeming to find strength in something as he took of the sunglasses. "We've come this far, ain't we? Who says we're giving up? Any of us? Really? Even you, Doc? No. Come on, we ain't having that, are we?"
Yaz shook her head. "Nope."
"No," Ryan added.
Ember suddenly tilted her head when something brushed over her senses, as well as triggered something in the wind. She recognised it and smiled. "And here comes the hope."
Before they could ask what she meant, the sound became loud enough for them to hear: a wheezing and grinding that sounded like a machine...
"Can you hear that noise?" Yaz asked.
The Doctor, now looking hopeful, turned to look where the sound was coming from. A short distance away, a familiar blue box was fading in and out of existence. "Come on, please... Give us this..." she got out her Sonic with her free hand, squeezing Ember's as she began to approach the box. "It's all right, it's me! Stabilise... Come to Daddy," she paused, "I mean Mummy. I mean... I really need you right now!"
After struggling for a few more seconds, the Tardis fully appeared with a thud. The Time Lords were quick to run towards it, followed by the humans.
"My beautiful Ghost Monument..." the Doctor breathed as they reached it. "Hello, you. I've missed you."
Ember smiled as she ran a hand over the sign, which was now black with white letters instead of the opposite. "Nice work. Clean finish."
"Ah, you've done yourself up! Very nice!" The Doctor smiled sheepishly. "Lost my key. Sorry."
There was a click, and the door opened a crack. The Doctor and Ember grinned.
Graham was the one to voice the confusion of himself, Ryan and Yaz. "But it's an old police box..."
"Sort of," the Doctor shrugged. "Not really..."
"You expect us all to fit inside there?" Ryan asked.
"Yep."
"At the same time?" Yaz clarified.
"Wanna try? Oh, word of warning. I left it in a bit of a mess."
Ember shook her head. That was probably more true than was being let on.
Opening the door, the Doctor and Ember stepped in first, taking in the new design. The entryway was made to look like what a real police box would have looked like, but the 'back wall' was missing, opening out into the console room. There were lots of hexagonal steps and ledges and mineral pillars. The console was a bit steampunk, but it matched the decor and the low lighting nicely.
"Oh. You've redecorated. I really like it," The Doctor cooed, turning to face the humans as they slowly took it in themselves. "This is my Tardis."
"Wow," Yaz said.
"Yeah..." Ryan agreed.
Graham was still processing it. "It was a police box..."
The Doctor shrugged. "It still is on the outside."
"How do you fit all this stuff inside a police box?"
"Dimensional engineering."
Yaz frowned. "You can't engineer dimensions."
"Maybe you can't."
Ember smirked. "Trust me, it's better to just go with it and be amazed."
Ryan reaches toward the console. "Can I press any of-"
"No."
Graham took a breath. "It's a spaceship?"
The Doctor nodded. "And a timeship."
Now Ryan looked skeptical. "Get out."
"Seriously."
"This... is proper..." Ryan had to think, but couldn't come up with a better word than "awesome..."
The Doctor watched the humans for a few seconds before she spoke. "I thought maybe you didn't believe me that I'd get you home."
"I thought you didn't believe yourself for a second back there," Yaz shot back.
"Who, me? No. Never doubted. Don't know what you mean." The Doctor flinched as Ember lightly poked her in the side with a look. "Home, then?"
Yaz looked hopeful. "You can get us there? Really?"
"Start believing."
Ember frowned, feeling a familiar burning sensation. "Looks like I'm not joining you, but I'll see you soon, right?"
The Doctor, clearly disappointed that she wasn't staying, smiled and nodded. "See you soon."
And then, in a dim flash of light, she was gone.
And there we go! I hope I did good with this: I'm still a bit unhappy with it, but I've done what I can, I hope.
I had a good think of wether to have the next chapter as the next episode with 13, but decided against it in the end. That episode (Rosa) felt like a filler more than anything, and I didn't enjoy it very much. Plus, if I do put in another encounter with 13, I want to do one with an episode I liked better.
Anyways, I'd love to hear what you think of Ember and 13, but keep in mind that the Doctor was still trying to figure herself out m, so it couldn't be smooth.
Next Time: Back into more comfortable conditions (meaning she knows the episode), how will Ember fare against a foe she's faced before, especially when it has a few new tricks that lands the Doctor in trouble and the lives of two innocent children at stake? Stay tuned!