Well its been a while hasn't it? So, so, so, so sorry for that. Life got in the way and I had so much work to focus on, from essays, auditions, rehearsals and performances, presentations etc etc its been a stressful few months but I've finally finished. Been watching series 10 of Doctor Who and I'm going to miss Peter Capaldi as the Doctor so much, I honestly love him, I don't want to say goodbye to Twelve.

Anyway here is the next chapter, I wanted to read more and finish this episode in one chapter but since its been so long and I'm away filming tomorrow for a show I thought why not post it now.

Chapter 20 Flatline

The Doctor looked at them with a confused expression. His normal scowling eyebrows drawn together even more prominently than before, etching more lines on his face. He tried to smile reassuringly, in a way that said 'I don't know what is going on here but let me take a look, remain calm' as he cautiously approached the doors. Clara and Lauren followed behind him. The Doctor looked back at them one finale time before hunching over and slowly opening the door and popping his head out. Lauren could hear the sound of a train along a track nearby as the Doctor struggled to squeeze himself through the gap. She didn't understand way he didn't just open both doors to get out, surely it would have been easier for him if he did?

Lauren moved passed Clara and pulled the other door open, immediately causing the Doctor to lose his grip and balance. He tumbled forward onto the ground letting out a muffed yelp in the process. Lauren causally stepped over the Doctor as she came out, Clara did the same barely suppressing her snort of amusement at the Doctor, who picked himself up off the ground.

The Doctor glared at Lauren. Lauren shrugged at him. Probably wasn't the best thing to do when things were still tense between them. Clara looked around frowning at the waste ground they had found themselves in.

The Doctor quickly got over Lauren's jap at his pride and looked to the now small TARDIS. "Well." He said in amazement, "Well, I wonder what caused this? I don't think we're bigger, are we?" he took out his sonic and scanned the girls. He shook his head when he realised this wasn't the case.

Clara spotted a sign on the railings that stated: Bristol Sidings 344.

"Bristol?" Clara said in irritation. "Doctor, we're in Bristol!"

The Doctor, who was still walking around the small TARDIS, didn't look up at her as he responded, "And a hundred and twenty miles from where we should be. Impressive." He clearly didn't care where they had ended up he was excited at this unusual situation.

Clara crossed her arms, "No. Not impressive. Annoying."

"No. This is impressive," the Doctor argued, gesturing to the TARDIS before pointing at Clara, "This is annoying. The TARDIS never does this. This is huge," he exclaimed before realising his choice of wording, "Well, not literally huge. Slightly smaller than usual. Which is huge." The Doctor emphasized to Clara.

"Yes. I get it. You're excited. When can I go home?" Clara grumbled.

"Your house isn't going anywhere. And neither is mine until I get this figured out," the Doctor leaned against the TARDIS looking at Clara with excited eyes. "Could you not just let me enjoy this moment of not knowing something? I mean, it happens so rarely," he coaxed her to playing along.

Lauren awkwardly coughed then. The Doctor flicked his gaze to her at the sound before narrowing his eyes at her. Lauren shrugged again trying to keep her facial expression as neutral as possible but the Doctor managed to take the hint much to her surprise. Lauren was still a mystery to him, he doesn't know what she is. Him not knowing was causing the tension between them, he certainly wasn't enjoying it compared to this situation.

"Well, I always figure it out in the end," the Doctor remarked seemingly about the TARDIS situation but it was a subtle jap back at Lauren, one that she picked up on.

Clara made a move to step back into the TARDIS but the Doctor quickly stepped in front of her stopping her advancements, "Look, I don't think this is dangerous, but I wouldn't like you to get squished accidentally. Anyway, I need you to help me find out what's caused this."

"Unless the all 'Seeing Eye' over here knows anything," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Lauren said sharply, eyes narrowing on the Doctor.

The Doctor ignored her question. He was wary to even ask. It wasn't good to know the outcome of one's future adventures.

Clara sighed and gave in, "Fine. We'll go take a look around." Clara and Lauren starting walking away to investigate whilst the Doctor squeezes his lanky frame through the TARDIS doors, making a show this time of opening both doors.

They headed down towards an underpass. Lauren and Clara stumbled upon a shrine of pictures and flowers. A shrine to loved ones lost. Clara bent down to inspect the shrine more. Lauren noticed the community group were near them. Rigsy being one of them. Lauren smiled when she spotted Rigsy, he was a nice person, and likable. Clara's companion for this episode. Lauren suddenly stopped smiling when she remembered Rigsy's second appearance on the show and what entailed from it. That was a thought she wasn't going to dwell on so soon.

One of the men from community convict group calls to them. "Cheer up, loves. Might never happen."

Lauren rolled her eyes at the man.

Another man spoke up. "Have some respect. They're grieving."

The first man called back, "Oh, sorry loves. I didn't mean nothing by it."

"Idiot," Lauren muttered and she and Clara walked on through the underpass. The underpass was decorated with images of people, all with their backs facing them. The Boneless, Lauren thought with a shudder.

Rigsy, annoyed at the other men's behaviour ran to catch up with them. "Sorry about them," Rigsy panted as he caught up with them. "They're idiots."

"I know," Lauren said.

"That's alright, don't worry," Clara said, "I've heard worse," she added.

Rigsy looked at the images of the people on the wall, "I've lost someone, too." He looked at a specific image of a woman which Lauren suspected was his aunt. "My Aunt Karina," Rigsy said sadly, touching the image.

Lauren wondered how on earth he was able to touch it and not be killed like the others. It was the Boneless hiding wasn't it?

He withdrew his hand. "Deaf as a post. Didn't really know her that well but she's still gone. Is your ones in the mural?"

Clara tried to explain they haven't lost anyone but Rigsy continued talking on before Clara asked what was going on. Rigsy was shocked they, well Clara, didn't know. The girls excused themselves once Rigsy explained the situation.

"I'll ring the Doctor," Clara said fishing her mobile phone out.

"I still need a new phone," Lauren remarked. Her old one was back in her old dimension, she can't believe she has gone this long without her phone. But then who would she call? Surely there was no signal powerful enough to reach through dimensions, was there?

"We'll go shopping for one then," Clara replied just as the Doctor picked up. "Hey, I think we've found something. People are missing all over the estate."

"Do you think there's a connection?" Clara asked as they walked back the way they came.

"Could be," the Doctor answered on the other end to Clara, then Clara shot a look to Lauren as the Doctor said something else that Lauren couldn't hear. "I'm not asking her."

What did he say? Lauren thought.

"And where are you?" Clara asked instead as they reached the spot of where the TARDIS should be, they couldn't see it. "No, you're not. I'm here-"

"Look down Clara," Lauren said trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

"Oh," Clara breathed in shock before suddenly laughing.

Lauren couldn't help it and started laughing too. The TARDIS was so small and adorable. It looked exactly like the toy TARDIS she has back home with all her cards inside it.

Clara still giggling, "Oh, my God, that is so adorable. Are you in there?" she knelt down by the tiny TARDIS. Lauren also knelt down and experimentally tapped her finger on the roof of the ship.

"Oi!" she heard the Doctor yell through Clara's phone. Both the girls laughed harder. "No, it's not adorable Clara. It's very, very serious," the Doctor said.

Clara adjusted her hold of the phone to her ear. "So is this more shrink ray stuff? Are you tiny in there?"

"Imagine," Lauren giggled at the thought, tiny pocket sized Doctor.

The Doctor opened the doors and peered out. His face filling up the space of the doors, a ridiculous sight to behold.

"Stop laughing. This is serious," the Doctor scowled at them, yet it was ineffective as Lauren and Clara couldn't take him seriously at the moment.

"Yeah, well, I can't help it, can I, with you and your big old face. How are you going to get out?" Clara asked pocketing her phone.

"Well plainly I can't. Something nearby is leeching all the external dimensions."

"Aliens?"

"Possibly," the Doctor then scoffed at his own words, "Oh, who am I kidding? Probably. Sensors are down and I can't risk taking off with it in this state. Clara, I need you to pick up the TARDIS."

Clara picked up the TARDIS as carefully as she could and cut the Doctor short on ranting on about the true weight of the ship. The Doctor had managed to find a rough source of where the power was coming from, he stuck is hand out of the doors and started flapping his hand in the general direction of where they need to go. Both Clara and Lauren looked unsettled at the sight.

"Please don't do that. That's just wrong," Clara said uncomfortably.

"I second that," Lauren said, it was just plain weird.

The Doctor ran out of view as he scrambled back to the console to retrieve something. "Now, listen! You're going to need these." He hands out his psychic paper and sonic screwdriver to Clara.

"Oh, wow. This is an honour. Does this mean I'm you now?"

"No, it does not, so don't get any ideas," the Doctor warned her.

"Hey, if that makes you the Doctor does that make me your companion?" Lauren asked Clara. "Why can't I get the sonic or the psychic paper at least?"

"What's wrong with being my companion for the day?" Clara said slightly offended but there was a teasing note in her voice.

"I'm already a companion give me a promotion."

"Hey I've been a companion longer than you Lauren," Clara argued.

"Stop! Stop this rubbish talk!" the Doctor butted in, face in the door frame again, clearly annoyed. "Nobody is becoming the Doctor, I am the Doctor!" With that he disappeared from view, running back to the console to retrieve something.

Clara passed the TARDIS to Lauren to hold.

"And listen, stick these in your ears." The Doctor passed out two pairs of earpieces. Lauren and Clara did so. "Can you two hear me?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," both girls said before a sharp pain went from their ears to their eyes. Lauren fumbled slightly with her grip on the tiny TARDIS as she winced in pain.

"Careful," the Doctor scowled at Lauren through the ear piece.

"Ow! What just happened?" Clara asked, frowning.

"Nanotech. I just hacked your optic nerve."

"What does that mean?"

"I see what you two see." The Doctor said looking at the monitor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lauren and Clara started exploring the place, looking around, the Doctor seeing what they saw. Clara pointed the screwdriver at a block of flats, turning on the spot. The Doctor quickly felt dizzy looking at the view on the monitor, the screen was split in half showing two perspectives; what Clara saw and what Lauren saw. It was like the multiplayer view on a video game. Rigsy came into view on the screen as he came up to greet the girls again and ask for their names. The Doctor wanted to move on quickly but Clara decided this was an opportunity, to have a little fun at being the Doctor for the day.

"I'm, er, I'm the Doctor." Clara said confidently, holding up the screwdriver with authority. Clearly Clara had been dying to say those words to someone for a long time now.

"Don't you dare!" The Doctor growled, his voice taking on a low tone. Lauren fought hard not to burst out laughing as she heard him.

"Doctor Oswald," Clara continued ignoring the Doctor. "But you can call me Clara."

"How long have you been waiting to say that?" Lauren whispered to Clara who smirked.

"A while," Clara whispered back.

"And I'm Lauren, Lauren Raven –" she introduction before Clara cut in.

"My companion!" Clara said proudly ignoring the glare from Lauren.

"I am not her companion!" Lauren told Rigsy firmly.

Rigsy looked slightly bemused at the two girls bickering. He looked at Lauren as she spoke then darted his eyes to Clara as she shook head in response to Lauren's protests. Clara mouthed at Rigsy 'she is really'.

Lauren and Clara heard the Doctor dramatically sigh.

"I'm Rigsy. So, er, what are you a doctor of?" he asked Clara.

"Of lies," the Doctor answered.

Lauren really tried her hardest not to laugh.

"Well," Clara drew the word out, "I'm usually quite vague about that. I think I just picked the title because it makes me sound important."

"Someone's on fine form today," Lauren whispered, covering her mouth as she giggled.

"Why, Doctor Oswald, you are hilarious," the Doctor said sarcastically. Clara smiled smugly to herself. "Could we get back to work, do you think?"

Soon enough after exchanging pleasantly with Rigsy was over (and annoying the Doctor to no end) Rigsy lead them to one the flat of the last person to go missing. Lauren tried not to look at the pattern on the wall, knowing it was human skin, the skin of the man who lived in this flat before the Boneless killed and dissected him. Should she tell the Doctor this? Clara and he are aware of some of her knowledge now, she was surprised the Doctor hasn't damned anything out of her yet. Or maybe he's smart enough to know not to ask. Well, if he didn't ask, she wouldn't say, Lauren thought. She remembered how the Doctor reacted to hearing future information in Angels take Manhattan.

Clara started talking shrink rays and tiny people, confusing and quite frankly scaring Rigsy.

"Clara, this is the scaring off that we were talking about," the Doctor warned Clara.

"Yeah Clara, even watching you talk like this is weird, from an outsider's point of view right now you're mental," Lauren whispered.

Rigsy tried to make a hasty excuse to leave until Clara made a split second choice to show Rigsy the shrunken TARDIS. "Rigsy come here. Meet the Doctor," Clara said with a smile as the doors open to show the Doctor standing by the control panel in perfect proportion. The statement of being bigger on the inside has never been truer.

Suddenly an alarm goes off within the ship. The Doctor checked the monitor in panic as whatever was doing this drained a massive amount of energy from the TARDIS. Clara grabbed the TARDIS and shoved it back in her handbag and the three of them quickly left the place.

"Clara, I need more info. Where else have people disappeared?" the Doctor asked.

Clara asked Rigsy who started leading them to the place where another disappeared.

Then the Doctor spoke again through the ear pieces. "Lauren," he stated.

"Yes?" She answered, glancing sideways at Clara beside her, aware of the fact she can her the Doctor through her ear piece. No conversation between the Doctor was private.

"Should I dare to ask?"

Well at least he's smart enough to be wary of asking

Clara perked up though she tried to act causal, though she was just as curious as the Doctor.

"No," Lauren affirmed.

"So-"

"I'm not confirming I know anything Doctor." Lauren ended this conversation.

Rigsy turned in confusion, "What?"

"Sorry, was talking to Clara."

"Oh okay," he said though he sounded sceptical.

After five minutes of walking Rigsy pointed to a house stating the man who lived here was one of the first people to disappear. There was a female police officer outside the door scribbling in her notebook. Clara confidently started conversation and flashed the psychic paper at the police officer.

I could save her

The thought crossed Lauren's mind. Quite a few people die in this episode – adventure, Lauren mentally corrected herself.

I really need to stop thinking of these situations as episodes! Episodes were never real, this is real.

The police officer led them inside explaining the situation. Apparently the psychic paper told her they were MI5. PC Forrest her name was and no Lauren didn't make a run Forrest run joke…okay maybe she did; PC Forrest didn't seem amused though.

"What do you mean, they're in the-" Clara abruptly stopped talking as she pulled a rather large hammer from her bag, supplied by the Doctor. Clara walked up to PC Forrest who was still talking, mainly to herself as they weren't paying attention to what she was saying. PC Forrest looked between Clara and the hammer she was holding in confusion. "Apparently they're in the walls." Clara said.

Rigsy starts smashing through the wall with the hammer then PC Forrest phone started ringing, she answers and starts to leave the room.

That's my cue. Lauren darted out with her immediately blocking the way into the front room where the Boneless were hiding in the walls.

"Sorry do you mind continuing your call somewhere else?" Lauren asked frantically, "I'm gonna look around here!" She made a vague gesture to the room behind her. "See if I can find any more clues, don't want to disturb you!" Lauren hastily added.

PC Forrest looked bewildered at the sudden change with the girl but walked off in the direction they came in.

"What was that about?" the Doctor asked Lauren, now suspicious.

Of course there was no way around this with the Doctor who was practically breathing down her neck. Lauren mentally sighed trying to think of an excuse because she doesn't think he'll react very well to the idea of her changing events. This is where the Doctor can see her as dangerous, even saving someone's life can have consequences.

"Sorry, talking to Lauren not you Clara," Lauren heard the Doctor say through the ear piece to Clara.

"Just want to investigate this room, you know split up cover more ground," Lauren mumbled looking into the room cautiously, not daring to enter. She didn't want to swap fates with PC Forrest.

The Doctor observed Lauren's half of the monitor screen view, noticing her glancing around the room, back at the police officer, back to the room Clara was in and finally back to the room she apparently wanted to 'investigate'.

"You can't very well investigate if you're just gonna stand there all day," the Doctor stated, pressing a finger to the monitor and the view switched from display both Clara's and Lauren's eye view to just Lauren's.

Lauren gulped and fearfully grabbed the doorknob. She could feel the tension, the buzz of the Boneless if she listened hard enough.

"I can hear you, you know," the Doctor complained, but he was talking to Clara in the other room.

Lauren jumped at the Doctor's voice in her ear having zoned out listening to the subtle hiss of the Boneless lurking and her hand instinctively tightened on the doorknob before she slammed the door shut.

"Lauren?" The Doctor asked realising something was up.

"Doctor they're in there," Lauren whispered stepping back from the door.

"What do you mean they're in there?"

"In the walls like you said, they're going to kill!"

Suddenly Clara and Rigsy appeared behind her. "What's going on?" Clara asked Lauren.

"Who?" The Doctor demanded, "Who is going to kill Lauren?"

Clara looked alarmed when the Doctor said kill but before she could speak again PC Forrest returned.

"What is going on? Is something wrong?"

"We have to leave its unsafe," Lauren said unable to control her fidgety demeanour, blocking off the door with her arms.

"Unsafe? Unsafe from what?" PC Forrest demanded, unconsciously reaching for her gun in her holster. "What's behind the door?"

"Whatever is responsible for all this," Lauren breathed.

"OK," Clara tried to reason, seeing how distressed the girl seemed to be getting. "If you step away we'll step away – "

"In that case I must demand you move away from the door madam," PC Forrest stated, "I should be dealing with this. I'm armed," PC Forrest made a move to bypass Lauren.

"No!" Lauren practically screamed at her as they fought as Lauren tried to prevent the officer from opening the door. However PC Forrest managed to get a firm hold of the doorknob and turned it, Lauren fell backwards into the room, followed by PC Forrest on top of her.

"I'm trying to save your life!" Lauren gritted out as PC Forrest heaved herself up.

Clara tried to help Lauren up. "No!" Lauren hastily stood up, "Everyone out of here now!"

PC Forrest looked around confused. "I don't get it, there's nothing in here."

Lauren noticed something appearing to sliver from the wall, as if something was moving underneath it before it starting making its why down to the floor towards them.

"What is that?!" Rigsy said alarmed, pointing at the carpet from the doorway, also spotting the creature slivering. PC Forrest turned and pointed her gun at the floor, still not fully understanding what was happening.

Suddenly a shot fired as PC Forrest screamed as something was pulling her leg into the carpet. Lauren shoved Clara out of the room.

"Lauren!" Clara yelled as in the other girl's haste, Lauren knocked Clara to the ground and fell awkwardly with her. Half on her side, off on top Clara.

"Clara! Clara?! Lauren? What the hell is happening?" the Doctor shouted at them.

"I tried, I tried I'm sorry, Clara, I'm, I'm sorry I tried to save her," Lauren whispered these words over and over to Clara.

Clara was very dazed but awkwardly eased them into a sitting position trying to reassure her friend, Rigsy helped them both into a standing position.

"I'm sorry, I tried. I should have tried harder!" Lauren spat out in self-hatred, eyes glistening with tears. "It should have been easy…"

Rigsy shouted and Clara turned to see PC Forrest was gone and the chair in the room suddenly become flattened, followed by the sofa, and then the handle of the door.

"Fascinating," the Doctor breathed.

"Doctor! They're flattening things, the sofa, the, the handle!" Clara said shocked, starting to back away.

"Keep away from them. If they touch you, you're finished," the Doctor stated.

"Move!" Clara ordered, dragging Lauren with her by the hand out of the house, as whatever was doing this was heading towards them.